I don’t cry a lot, but March has been a lot*, and it took less than usual to push me over the edge of sentimentality to tears. The examples which spring most readily to mind are below.
Taako’s Forgetting Sequence from The Adventure Zone episode 66
Sometimes someone says a phrase in my day-to-day which crushes me under a tidal wave of nostalgia. I don’t even remember what the phrase was in this instance, it just had me relistening to an old episode of The Adventure Zone on the drive home.
Episode 66 comes near the end of the first campaign of TAZ. The previous arc ended with the reveal that the main cast had been made to forget a hundred years of their lives, and episode 66 contains the scenes where we see them forgetting. In this case, Taako forgets about his twin sister in the middle of searching for her. It comes earlier in the scene than you expect, and is devastating in its simplicity.
“Taako, what if she’s just gone?”
“Who?”
The music hits then, solemn and mysterious, as the characters grow agitated at their lack of memories, trying and failing to solve the problem before the scene fades to static. It’s phenomenally executed by all involved, and the weight of everything hit me deeper than any time listening before.
Disco Elysium
Never before have I wanted to replay a video game immediately after finishing it. No other video game has made me laugh as hard or grit my teeth with tension attempting a check. No matter the route you take through Disco Elysium, there’s always something else to see, some other corner of the world you missed investigating. The city of Revechol is full of history and on its back foot. There’s a blank wall you pass early on. After some time, with a successful dice roll, you can paint it with various messages. I went with “Something beautiful is going to happen.” There’s not a lot of hope, and adding some felt good. That’s not when I cried though.
Near the end of the game, things come to a head between union enforcers and military contractors. After this confrontation the game funnels you toward the end, limiting opportunities for exploration as most townsfolk hide. I’d lost my party member in the confrontation, and upon returning to the square the ground was painted: Un Jour je serai de retour près de toi. One day I will return to your side. It’s not the emotional conclusion of the game, nor is it that important, but seeing a character make art despite the situation and violence brought tears to my eyes.
The spaghetti I made for dinner last Friday.
After a stressful day at work, I splurged and got some top-shelf marinara sauce. I browned some ground beef, added onions and green pepper, and simmered the sauce in while I waited for the pasta to cook. It was the best pasta I’ve had in a while, and just what I needed.
*every month is a lot, such that I feel bad I wasted “it’s all too much” so early. March was especially so.
