Immersion

I started auditing a course today on Chinese Culture and Contemporary China from Nanjing University. It's rather basic but as I haven't attended a course in anything in a long, long, time, that's probably fine. I went through the first lesson today on li, ren, and tao/dao, or the three main principles of Confucianism. It'll be useful for the MG book my agent wants me to write but also hopefully get me in the right frame of mind for the short story that's due next month for an anthology featuring a Chinese grandmother. So, you know, reasons.

I made it through the first week of lessons (which were very short). Can't take the quizzes for a "grade" unless I upgrade to "officially" take it for a certificate for £21. Am debating it. It's pretty cheap. I don't really need a certificate for any reason, but I wouldn't mind taking the quizzes to make sure I'm getting the concepts. 

And I also feel like I ought to know more about my culture. Or, that half of me, anyway.

Thought I'd post about it here to keep myself honest & track my progress so I don't slack off. I'd previously started a Beginner's Chinese course and...ahem...didn't progress very far. At all. So I officially re-started that too. BUT...after finishing a lesson there, I felt very lost. Not sure if the structure is right for me as it seemed to assume some knowledge? Or maybe I'm tired. So I started Chinese on Duolingo instead and made it through the first chunk of lessons. I think I'll probably give up on the official course and just do that. It's been ages since I used Duolingo and everything is different (there's gems now? And hearts? What's the XP for?). If I actually keep up with it, maybe I'll actually buy the full version. But I think I need to hit at least a month of use first.

So, Day 1: finished Greeting 1 (Level 1/6, Lesson 2/3) and made a start on Numbers (Level 0/6, Lesson 2/5).

I've mentioned this before, but it does kind of mess me up that I know more words in Korean and Japanese than in Chinese. And the little Chinese I learned growing up was Cantonese, which is supremely unhelpful when it comes to learning Mandarin. I'd tried (but not very hard) to learn some before, but maybe if I post here, it'll make me keep up with it. Though I keep thinking Japanese or Korean are probably the languages I would use more based purely on what I watch and where I might travel to next (when we can travel again...). Though we do intend to go back to China someday since we've only done Shanghai.  

Eh, I guess I'll see how I do and try and watch more Chinese dramas. Other than the one I started today (My Little Happiness), there's another one that looks interesting that came out recently: The Romance of Tiger and Rose, which looked rather like a historical drama (which isn't usually my thing) but it's really more of an isekai (or whatever you'd call that in Chinese) where a writer gets pulled into her own creation.

Addendum: er...also signed up for a Magic in the Middle Ages free course too...

My Little Happiness

As I contemplated how freezing cold it was going to be to exercise out in the shed today, I was also wondering what to watch next. I did a few more episodes of Mad for Each Other the other day and, while I think it's a show that I will likely finish and keep on with, I just wasn't totally in the mood for it. Maybe because I just finished Would You Like a Cup of Coffee? -- which was great, but all slice of life and not romantic at all -- and MfEO is maybe going to wind up romantic but is really more comedy of errors. AND I'm starting up a Chinese culture course on Coursera and re-starting the Chinese language one (as I need to immerse myself a bit for both the anthology short story and the MG my agent wants me to write). So...I thought I'd try a Chinese drama.

Admittedly, I haven't had a huge amount of luck with them. The pacing is different, the acting often doesn't feel as good. But My Little Happiness has two of the actors from Put Your Head on My Shoulder, which I really enjoyed even if the pacing was a bit slow. Somewhat weirdly, it's the same female lead Fei Xing (playing Cong Rong), but this time she's matched up with the second (and very annoying) male lead from the show. I'd actually put off trying it for a while as I really didn't care for Tang Xiao Tian when he was Fu Pei. But now he's playing Wen Shao Qing and it's been a while. So here I am.

So, Cong Rong's mom wants her to study abroad but she's determined to work in law (but doesn't have a degree in it? there's something here that's confusing, but okay) and sneaks back to China from Australia to intern at a law firm. A sort-of chance encounter with Wen Shao Qing at the airport (he's her cousin's boss (?) and was supposed to pick her up but everything got sidetracked when an old man collapses in front of them) and then other chance meetings (this show is totally going to hit everyone over the head that they are destined to be together, I think...) make things look like they might be all rosy...but then Rong is assigned to work at the hospital helping to mediate legal issues, etc. And he's the first doctor she has to deal with and is...less than friendly.

But (O, Fate, Thee Wicked Thing) it turns out he's hung up on a childhood friend -- who is, of course, her -- who moved away when they were young. And weirdly before he told her his name?? Not entirely sure how they were good enough friends that they're both bawling in the flashback as she's leaving but she doesn't know his name?? 

So I had that horrible feeling that the show was going to be him being all horrible and then finally (somewhere around the midpoint) realising that she was the friend he's been looking for. And was seriously re-considering my life choices BUT then he actually figures out it's her at the end of the first episode. And hugs her, much to her confusion, since he's been pretty much a standoffish jerk so far. Which gives me hope. I was looking for something not super angsty.

Much like PyHomS before, it looks like there are sort-of cohabitation hijinks (a summary seems to indicate he's also going to be both her landlord and next door neighbour) to come. And the standoffish serious guy with the soft heart. And a girl conflicted over career choices. Is this the same writer?? Just hoping it doesn't take as long to get somewhere as that show did.

I have to say that I'm relieved that at least Tian's character this time feels a lot different. She's still adorable. I have hope for this one. It's (gulp) about twice the number of episodes I thought it was going to be though -- 28! They are just 40-45 minutes each though, but still. I was anticipating 16 or so.

Edit: Ah! Am up through episode 6 now. I really am enjoying this one. It's just delightful. It does feel like things are moving along at a faster clip than PyHomS, likely because Qing has no qualms about his feelings once he figures out she's his childhood friend. He is in it to win it and even when she resists, he just smiles. I don't mean that in a creepy way. It sounds creepy when you say it like that, but it's not been creepy. 

Anyway, she still doesn't know about their past connection BUT she asks at the end of the episode if he likes her and he straight up says he does. No dithering. Also another similarity with their other show, but at a much earlier stage.

As an aside, I am still waiting for the day where either the female or male lead in a childhood friend's romance says, basically, "You haven't seen me since we were 8. You have no idea who I am now. What gives?"

There's obviously going to be some angst (it is an Asian drama, after all). I imagine some will be centred on the other Dr. lady who obviously has a thing for her colleague. And, like many Chinese shows, the opening credit sequence basically gives away the majority of the plot, so I see that there's some other dude who will be a stumbling block as well (but I very much doubt a significant one). And sooner or later, Rong's mum is going to figure out she's not in Australia anymore.

I am also enjoying the secondary lead characters stories/relationship. Their situations mirror each other, so even though they are very different, they are finding shared strength. Plus, they're both funny. 

Edit: Oh, they got me, darn them. When they started the next episode and he went right from confessing to kissing, I was, like, dammit, someone's dreaming. Because it was way too early in the arc for these type of shows for the kissing. And, yep, that was the case. So there's been no actual confession yet but, by god, he's certainly dropping as many hints as humanely possible. And it's not that she's stupid, so I'm not really entirely sure why she's like, uhhhhh, hmmmmm, what's going on? 

And they did finally bring up her missing her old friend "Fatty" -- is it realistic that that's what she called him??

Edit: Am actually up through episode 11 now, as I've watched a few while not exercising, as I'm enjoying it enough to want the extra (but it's so darn cold in the shed, that I haven't been staying out there any longer than one episode at a time). 

He's finally come clean that he's "Fatty" and she's sort-of but not quite accepted the idea of a relationship, though she obviously likes him (and liked Fatty). There's been a standoff with the mom, who caught her out when visiting the hospital, though mum was quite glad to meet the lovely new handsome doctor friend her daughter has...and they have introduced the rival love interest -- he's the law firm boss and, okay, I'll give it to them that it's not totally out of left field as explained. She first met him when she was back in Australia and so impressed him with her devotion to studying law even when she was majoring in something else that he has given her advice and looked on with pride as she managed to pass the bar (or whatever they call it in China) and also helped get her the internship. Of course, he also looks like a complete baby (they're ALL so young!!) and is a tall, handsome skinny dude. Basically, the lawyer version of Wen Shao Qing. 

But, you know, the path to love is never easy and all that. 

Edit: Yeah, so. I took some time off the elliptical after I sprained my ankle. It's been, like, a month now but it's still slightly dodgy, but I am doing a few days a week. I'm up to episode 20 and, okay, the show is good, but very much like the last one I watched with these actors, SO DAMN SLOW. I mean, it's pretty low angst...at the moment, our main couple is having a bit of a spat because he's jealous but it's not a serious one because he actually realises he's jealous and she realises she's over-reacting to his jealousy but also that he might have a bit of a point; even though *she* didn't do anything, her boss might possibly be crossing a line (and, yeah, he totally is, though in a very lowkey, not on purpose way--I'd say it's obvious he likes her and he didn't know she had a boyfriend...though, dude, you're her boss, so you shouldn't go there anyway). 

All that goes to say that, er, I kinda just want to binge the rest because I want to finish it but I'm not enthused and it's not encouraging me to go exercise. Ha. Anyway, the secondary couple is also finally making some progress as well.

Edit: powered through and did the last two episodes today while on the elliptical. Which means I need to pick out a new show now. Er... Anyway, it was good. It was very sweet. It was VERY low angst. They tried to hint at love triangle complications and things but none of it had any teeth at all. The leads never had eyes for anyone else, not even a twinge. The last episode was basically like fan fiction -- big wedding, brief preview of successful after-the-story and Dr. Wen got his two kids. 

You know, I often complain that I'm looking for something low angst and happy, especially when the world is a shit show (as it is right now). And I did appreciate that in this though...at the same time...it could have used a tiny bit more of some kind of conflict/drama. It was very...vanilla. And I say that realising that we all mean "boring, plain vanilla" these days when we say that, but historically (and even today), vanilla is actually a pretty expensive, not that easy to get spice. So take that as you will. 

Behind the Frame

One of the games I picked up recently on Steam is an atypical one for me: Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery. It's made by a Taiwanese developer/studio. It isn't otome, but it is a visual story.  You could probably call it joseimuke-ish.  It's done in a very anime-style and is...a puzzle game? A visual novel? A mystery? All of those things and more, I suppose.

I'm honestly not even sure how I came upon it. Maybe it was in my list of recommendations? I dunno. Visually, it's really glorious. There are little animated scene cuts that are just lovely, making it feel a bit like a movie. I've played about 105 minutes so far, according to Steam and I'd guess I'm about halfway to 3/4 through the game. It's not super long, but it is beautiful.

You sort-of play as a painter, working on a piece to apply for a gallery submission. Every day, you have your coffee and breakfast, enjoy some music, and work on it. But things aren't quite...normal. Every day, somehow, the document on your laptop you create & save disappears, and you have to re-do it. And, strangely, your paints and things are hidden in secret drawers. And there's something about your across the way neighbour -- an old man who's also a painter and has a cat that breaks into your house. You even find a secret room you didn't know existed. And why can't you leave the house? What about the story told about some young lovers in the paintings around your flat? Is it you in the pictures? What happened to them?

I honestly don't have any answers yet. I remain very confused, but hopeful that all will be explained. I would definitely say that this is an unexpected game and a delight, if also very confusing. And somehow, I think it's more about the journey than the destination.

Weirdly, the store description calls it relaxing. It's a bit too spooky and mysterious for that, at least for me. Vivid and eloquent though, yes, I can get behind those descriptors. Will update after I finish it.

Tailor Tales (Initial Thoughts + Dimitri)

One of the other games I downloaded recently, having seen it talked about in an otome Facebook group I'm in, is Tailor Tales. It's made by Celianna. I think she's a mostly one woman shop, though she has a Patreon. It looks like the game might have started on itch.io (which little dude loves, but I've mostly avoided). I think she's based in the Netherlands as she also apparently makes dungeon tile sets for use in RPG Maker and has a .nl domain. Basically, she sounds like my kind of person (I'm assuming here that she's female, but I honestly don't know; a quick search didn't turn up a bio but the name leans female to me).

Anyway, I'm very interested in indie releases, especially English language ones as I've had that idea kicking around in my head for a while for an otome of my own. The second book in my latest series (which will likely be the last book in that series...so it's not really a series, is it?) is coming out this year and, given that last year I actually made more from my freelance D&D stuff than on novel writing even with the latest book being with one of the biggest publishers there is (pandemic, man, it's been a killer)...I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, I should ignore the project my agent wants me to work on and instead work on my own D&D source book idea and/or my otome project.

Which is a really long introduction that has nothing to do with the game. But leads into why I downloaded it. It's another one where the base game is free to download, but extra routes and content are DLCs that you pay for. I rather like this idea for what I'm thinking about. Though she's got the added thing where there's a wholly different (apparently?) version of the game that is a "Plus" version that you can only get through her Patreon (which, I think, jumps the content from 16 to 18+). She has over 700 subscribers over there, which seems pretty good, though I have no idea at what levels they are at -- which ranges from £1/month to a whopping £37.50/month to be a beta tester. Though I'd imagine the £8.50/month option (which unlocks everything, gives it to you early, and access to her Discord) is likely the preferred option. Anyway, an interesting model, though I don't think I'd want to have to tie myself into any monthly release schedule when I've got other things going on. Especially with pandemic brain where sometimes you just need to veg and get away from the world because the world is just...crap.

But, let's talk about the game. So far, I've just downloaded the free version on Steam, though I'll likely buy at least one of the DLCs, maybe all of them. They seem to be around £1.99? Which makes the Patreon seem really expensive on a monthly basis, but I guess if you're the kind of person who can't wait?

Anyway, the MC is a recent uni fashion design grad and due to a windfall from a dead grandma, has opened a boutique to sell her clothes. Then a guy comes into your path (who you may even have met before)...

There are six potential love interests, though not all of them are fully released. There is no common route either; you pick which route you want to go down right from the beginning and it looks like each route is completely different and runs the gamut from science fiction (with super heroes) to real world, etc. It's nice that there's a lot of variety. I picked Dimitri (the sweet younger brother of your cheater ex-boyfriend from university) out of the available options. Have only done three chapters so far, but he's a definite cinnamon bun.

For the free version, you have to earn gold to unlock chapters (though you start off with enough gold to get through a few chapters first) by creating clothes for customers and selling it. But, you only start out with a few items you can work with and have to also use gold to buy additional options/colours. You can also spend the gold on customising your avatar and your boutique. It's a bit cludgy but not horrible and, if you fork out the money, you can unlock everything without doing this. I'm not sure how the Plus thing works if you only do the Patreon for one month? What happens then? I'm curious as to how many people buy the Plus version and the DLCs. 

The graphics are simple and cartoon-y, though, I suppose, well enough done for what they are, with some lighting changes and some simple animations. It's not my style, but it's okay. I don't know if the developer does them herself or hires someone. Heck, it's better than Pub Encounter.

Story-wise I don't feel like I can comment much yet. I've just done three chapters and, at least to me, the English / dialogue is a bit stilted and has some odd sentence construction. Of course, my Dutch is non-existent, so hey. It's not terrible at all, but it is noticeable. Even with that, it's not sparkling, exciting prose, but these chapters have just been the set up so far (your first chance meeting with Dimitri when you were 17, your second meeting when your then-boyfriend brought you home, your breakup, meeting Dimitri again). So far, I'd say that I'm enjoying it but am not blown away, if that makes sense. Perhaps one little thing that stands out to me compared to other games is that it's done more like an actual book with dialogue tags (i.e. "she said") rather than just using the quote marks to denote speech or by marking it with the avatar. There is some limited voice acting, though I'm not terribly fussed about it and as it is limited mostly to non-verbal-ish stuff so far, I'm not sure it adds a ton to the gameplay.

The decision points give you two options: fierce or kind. Fierce is basically the more flirty/strong options and the kind one is more low-key. There are no bad endings, though, so it's really more of a style thing and how up front you want to be. The ending you get can be either Passionate or Innocent. Happily, it doesn't look like you have to re-play through the whole thing to get the other ending, as completing one sounds like (from the FAQs) that you unlock the other one too. And then, I guess, if you upgrade to Plus you get a super steamy ending and extra CGs.

Anyway, I'm finding it interesting and with some good lessons. Also just figured out that it's apparently made in RPG Maker, which is one I don't know anything about and didn't realise you could use it for something like this, so I'll have to check that out as I've figured out that using Unity for what I want to do is like trying to shoot someone with a cannon instead of a gun. And Ren'py has possibilities but a bit of a learning curve.

So, will update this after I finish a route. Initial reaction overall is positive, so I'm looking forward to digging into it. Though have just received the copy edit from the publisher on book 2 + the copy edit on a D&D project I did, so the next week is gonna be rather busy.

Edit: Wow, okay. So, I'm up through, like, chapter 18? And I was thinking I must be getting close to the end, no? But...no. I looked it up and it seems there are 28 chapters! That's quite a bit longer than I was expecting. So, kudos for that.

The only thing I'd really ding it on (other than the slight grammar/English issue I mentioned before) is that there are certain points where you have to unlock specific outfits to progress. So you have to buy clothing "patterns" as well as textures, colours, etc. But there are two issues with this -- it doesn't tell you what you have to buy and a lot of the bits look rather the same (unless, perhaps, you are an actual seamstress). So it is very easy to buy the wrong one. Also, the colours don't necessarily match the example image of what you're trying to build (apparently, you have to be in the right colour family), which can be confusing as well. There were a couple of times that I had to refer to the walkthrough to get through it. This could be solved very easily in-game by simply listing the names of the items you have to buy, i.e. "to make this outfit, you'll need x, y, and z and the colours x and y."

But, route-wise, Dimitri is a blushing cutie-pie (did I just say that? I did. Wow, I feel old and slightly dirty now) and while the MC is slightly dense in not seeing his very obvious interest, I feel like it's being handled fairly well given her past trauma and at least she's somewhat honest with herself about the attractions she's feeling. Given that the only stumbling block here is her being hung up on the fact he's a couple years younger AND her ex's younger brother, there's not masses of angst. Partly, I have to remember that a 3-4 year age gap feels a LOT bigger when you're that age than my age. It would make very little difference to me, but would have made a big difference then. Story-wise, anyway, I think it's pretty well done. Quiet and unassuming in some ways, but good. This is more of a slice of life kind of otome, which, let's be real, is something I like.

Edit: Ok. I powered through and finished Dimitri's route. And right before I got to the end, I decided, what the hey, I ought to spring for the expanded DLC (it was just £1.99). If I'd realised at the start that the game would be decent + it removes the requirement to unlock all the outfit stuff, I'd have done it in the beginning. The only bad thing is now I'm not entirely sure what the "free" ending is. 

So, some ending thoughts. Which I'm gonna bullet point 'cause I feel lazy:

• Overall, the game is quite good, especially when you take into account that it's a one-woman shop. 
• Even the shmexy bits were pretty well done and not too awkward. Like, in a scale from zero to Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome, the scenes here were much better and reasonable and not...cringe-inducing. There were some sound effects as well, but not as...squelchy as FLML. Though I did kinda wonder how this young dude who's been hung up on the MC since he was THIRTEEN was so experienced...
• An interesting tidbit related to that is that you could choose what labels you wanted for the, er, private parts. Though most options...well, let's face it, ALL the options...those words are just NOT sexy words. Some are really off putting, since they're often used as derogatory curses.
• There was a significant difference between the "Innocent" and "Passionate" endings and, as you have to re-play the last couple of chapters to read the ending you didn't initially complete, I did pick some different answers to see what the differences would be. So I'd say that was well done too as a) either answer fit seamlessly and b) there were noticeable differences. 
• That said, I feel like the options aren't named right. Passionate seemed to translate to "the MC is the feisty one"while Innocent seemed to mean that the LI took the lead. But the route itself wasn't *innocent* if you know what I mean.
• One of the reasons I went ahead and bought the plus content was because you only have one save slot as far as I can tell. That means you can't hop between characters. I didn't want to have to play all the way through Dimitri's route again to read the extra ending stuff. It's possible there's a way to do that in an already played through route, but I wasn't sure.
• I didn't personally love the cartoon-y character sprites. I mean, they're well done for what they are. But it especially feels a little odd, for instance, during a kissing scene and the cartoon Dimitri is closing his eyes and sticking his tongue out and I'm sure it's supposed to be romantic and sexy but it just seemed kind of...silly. This is just a personal thing. I'm sure that wouldn't bother other people at all. And maybe it'd feel just as weird to me if the art were more realistic. I dunno.

I enjoyed the Dimitri route. He was very sweet and SUPER blush-y. The storyline also tackled a few pretty weighty topics, which I didn't expect. He's the type that you want to protect at all costs. So, am I glad I played it? Yes. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the quality. Would I play it again? I'll definitely try other routes -- I do really want to compare how different the storylines are. 

Purrfect Date

So, I picked up a number of things in the Steam New Year's sale, including Purrfect Date. Okay, so, I knew it was gonna be weird going in. It's about dating cats. Sort of. But I'd been wanting to try it, also because it's an indie game AND it's British-made (London, in fact). 

It bills itself as a combination visual novel, dating sim, and "dark" British comedy. I've finished one chapter and I dunno that it's particularly dark (so far) but it's definitely British humour. It's not necessarily an otome or a joseimuke, honestly, even though I stuck those labels on here as well. Mostly it's...odd.

But odd is good. I like odd. I am odd.

The story: you're a research scientist newly hired to work on Cat Island. It's just you, the Professor, a taciturn guard, the Marigolds (husband and wife, apparently, who do the menial work) and a boatload of cats. There's the "normal" cats and some "wild" cats. There are also some pirate/merchant captain cats you meet towards the end of Chapter 1 (and who knows, maybe some more). The "tame" cats sort of sabotage you your first night so that you get bitten by one of the "dangerous side of the island cats" and start your transformation. This makes it so you can talk to them. They want your help in concocting an antidote (which obviously begs the question...are they all probably former research assistants?). From then on, you have four choices for your day: rest, research, recon, or romance. Once you complete all of the research steps, you move on to the next chapter, so (as far as I can tell), you want to make sure you complete all the other stuff before you do that. If you don't rest every now and again, "something bad might happen" but I haven't let it get to that, so I dunno what the bad thing might be. :-)

So. Am gonna bullet point some things that I felt were different or an oddity compared to other games of this type (is there a type for this?).

• You don't actually play as ONE MC. There's an initial set up screen where you choose your portrait and I thought this was going to be "you" for the game, but it appears now that it's basically just "you" for the chapter. Because you're gonna turn into a cat whether you like it or not before you can possibly concoct an antidote and finish your investigation.
• As such...there's no "starting over" to do another route...well, it starts over in that you're a new human research scientist, but the story itself continues and the previous "you" is now a cat on the island.
• There are VERY few decision points and, honestly, I'm not sure they seem to make any difference. Maybe they do. But there aren't many of them. In this way, it's much more a railroaded visual novel than a dating sim. The only dating sim part to me seems to be in the cat you choose to romance. (Have since read a review that seems to indicate that you CAN fail in the romance aspect, but I started with the Irish cat with the penchant for grog and he was easy)
• There's something slightly janky about the click to move on/hurry up the text. I'm not even sure what. It just feels...off? Slow? It's not terribly annoying, but it is a nuisance.

So far, I'd say it's interesting and funny. It's not a particuarly, um, romantic game. I mean, the images are obviously leaning towards the very cartoon-y side and...you know, they're cats. It's not like they're pigeons or something.

Would you like a cup of coffee? Coffee Hanjan Halggayo?

So, I'd finished that From 5 to 9 Japanese Drama (it was a meh, okay one) and I felt like I just needed something...inoffensive? So I started Would You Like a Cup of Coffee? It's a short Korean drama with short-ish episodes and only 12 of them.

Kang Go-Bi (Ong Seong-Wu) is university aged but struggling (he's failed some type of exam at the start, though I'm not sure which one). He visits a coffee shop to drown his sorrows in caffeine and has a "God Shot" moment over the perfectly brewed cup served to him. 

So he's determined to learn what he can from the owner, Park Seok (Park Ho-San) and sort of politely stalks himself into a job. I'm through the third episode now, with the first two being how he got the job and his training, more or less. The third episode features a sort of side-story with a new regular to the cafe that Go-Bi felt was taking advantage (staying all day to work, taking calls, only ordering two cups of coffee, etc.). 

Basically, it's very slice of life, a bit life lesson-y, slightly low-key charming. I'm enjoying it so far and it is, indeed, as inoffensive as I thought it would be. Good to start the new year off with. Also interesting to learn about all the steps to making a good coffee--I always suspected there's a lot of artistry to it and it goes to show what is needed. It's why you can go to the same coffee shop and have a cup made by different baristas and only one is right.

Though it is making me miss my favourite coffee shops and working in them. It feels like forever since I've had a relaxing work time like that. And I totally get Go-Bi's feelings on the guy who parks himself all day. I'm always very cognisant on how much time I spend and what table I take up (don't take up a 4 top when you're by yourself, dude!) and how much I order when I'm at a place. Of course, I also tend to develop relationships with the owners too. I miss the coffee shops of London. I have written so many of my novels in coffee shops, words mixed in with the scent of coffee, the sound of the steamer, the clink of cups.

I wonder when I'll be able to do that again? I've only found one coffee shop here that suits (in the city centre), though I've not really spent much time there as yet (pandemic, pandemic). 

Edit: Okay, I finished this one. There was a small bit of angst and then a big bit, but the big bit was actually just because they addressed the pandemic at the start of the 12th episode and it depressed the hell out of me. I am worn down, man.

Anyway, I won't rehash it all. It's not a show in which a great deal happens, exactly. No sweeping arcs. No huge changes. But it was really lovely and well done. I enjoyed it. Can't imagine anyone else in my family watching or liking it, but it was quite good.

Am I glad I watched it? Yes. Would I watch it again? Hmmmm, I dunno. Maybe? It's not the kind of show that has epic, super satisfying moments. It's all just...nice. But maybe I would, some years from now, in a very nostalgic kind of way. They did a good job with it.