Cav's Place

Despite being published after it, The Crystal Keep takes place before Grim Work and some reviews also state that it’s better to start with it, so I did. Not that I expected much, in fact just having a quick look through what was available for free, searching for something that I could read quickly and finish before the end of the year, and deciding on it because it was shorter than the other two options I ended up with. But it did work out, being quite easy to read despite some paragraphs that struck me as being too long, and keeping me somewhat interested, without boring or annoying. It depicts only an adventure of a new chief of a barbarian clan, who rashly decides to take on a cult with only a few companions, but it does what it aims to do well enough, presenting the brutal struggle against overwhelming odds and not shying away from the graphic details.
It does tend to be too much for any reasonable suspension of disbelief, however, and I’m not just referring to the solid dose of hero’s luck. If the party would have been presented as having magical or otherwise supernatural abilities, it might have worked, but as it is, the level of fortitude, being able to keep fighting so well and for so long while just about ignoring all the injuries, the conditions, the lack of sustenance, is just too much. Fans of the genre would probably expect and enjoy this far more, and the action can definitely pull you along, but I found myself making a note that the story should have ended halfway through, badly, and what happened after that, starting with the trope of some of the bad guys discussing the plot for little reason other than to be overheard by the protagonists, made me feel a need to roll my eyes quite a number of times. And some of the crudeness, not to mention the single-minded lecherousness of one of the companions, did at times also go over the top.

Rating: 3/5

Just before getting to bed on the morning of November 4, I sliced the last bread that was still unsliced for dad and wanted to put it in the freezer, but it was hard to make it fit and, while trying to make room, a bag with some of mine fell and tore, one part of the bread ending up on the floor. Being frozen, I decided that I could wash it, then I microwaved it, then washed it more thoroughly and then microwaved it again, for a longer time, which led to going to bed at 5:20 AM.
After getting up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, I had all of the usual stuff… And then something strange happened while I was searching for something in the file that I use to make notes. It started skipping, maybe looking like Page Down kept being pressed, but bits of text were also often getting selected. So I minimized the window, opened a file in Notepad, saw no similar behavior, then opened a new Writer file as well, typed a little and again saw no similar behavior, but it continued when I switched back to that file. But it didn’t happen again after I closed it and opened it again, so I moved on, putting on the full running gear, with some things in the pocket of my tights, also having a sweet pastry, and leaving just after 4:05 PM. The reported temperature was 18-19°C, supposed to drop by a couple of degrees by the time I finished. And I stopped on the first bench in the park to get something out of the right shoe.
The time was 46:54.67, with sector times of 4:14.04, 5:01.13, 5:46.31, 4:24.12, 4:57 (4:56.82), 5:44 (5:43.75), 4:23.40, 4:55 (4:54.47), 5:44.60 and 1:46.03, making for lap times of 15:01.48, 15:05 (15:04.69) and 15:02.47. I kept putting off really fixing the time for sector two of lap three in my mind after I was done, and didn’t calculate those after it at all since I remembered the actual times, but by the time I thought of it, after shopping, I wasn’t quite certain of the seconds of that one anymore. Still, I’m quite sure that what I wrote here, after thinking about it for a while, is correct, so I’m not using any question marks. Either way, I initially just aimed to stay under 48 minutes, but I pushed from the start and the first lap was good, then the second was better than expected, so after it I was thinking of 47:30 and pushed even more on lap three, realizing after two sectors that I’ll be close to 47 minutes if I could keep it up. The problem was that it was getting dark, so on sectors two and three of lap three I slowed to a walk for a couple of seconds, and I think that on sector two I actually stopped for a moment, to see the time. That made me worry that those seconds were going to make the difference between being over or under 47 minutes and I didn’t even check the time after the end of lap three, just giving it everything on the final sector, and it proved to be enough despite slipping on leaves in one spot, which was rather scary. Otherwise, there was hardly any wind, I felt fine and there were no notable problems, just some weaving and going the long way around, plus avoiding some wet areas of the lane.

Then, after putting on the mask on the way, I went to Carrefour and got what I wanted, including what seemed to be the last two bags of the corn puffs that were on sale, one of which I spotted thrown over the pile of another kind, plus some beer for dad, since those vouchers were also offered for beer those days. Then I got back just after 6 PM, ate one of the croissants bought from Carrefour, and when I came to my room to write the times in the file, I ended up also writing the other notes, so it took more time and I had left the door open, turning to look a few times and not seeing Liza around… Only for her to be on my bed the last time I looked, running away as soon as she saw me turning. And she had also gotten on my bed two days earlier and I had changed the sheets after that, so I couldn’t do so again so soon…
Either way, I changed and went out again at 7:30 PM, first getting what I wanted and some tea for dad from Penny. Then I arranged the purchases in the backpack and continued to Mega Mall, entering through the parking lot for the first time and then having a look in that Hervis and actually finding some discounted shoes that I tried on, even putting them back in the corner and considering coming back for them the next day, though I eventually gave up on that idea. The guard called after me when I walked out and asked me to open the jacket and the backpack, but Penny’s store brand could be seen on all of the purchases, so I entered with them in Carrefour as well, grabbing two breads for dad before 9 PM and then waiting for the sign announcing the 50% discount to be taken out. However, that didn’t happen, and the employees went in the back, one only coming back out when it was past 9:10 PM, at which point I asked whether the discount applied and she said that it did, just that it wasn’t listed, so I went to the self-checkout and just entered one bread, so I won’t need to call another employee. Then I continued to Kaufland, put the purchases in a cabinet, peed and washed my hands, though there was no soap, and entered the store a few minutes before 9:30 PM, seeing bakery discounts and getting a few things, including one that I noticed was in fact discounted after taking the label and scanning it, since it didn’t have a discount label. Then I also grabbed the other things I wanted with the exception of canned sardines, since none of those were left, also added a banana, was using the self-checkout when it was announced that the store had closed, and after retrieving my things from the cabinet and arranging everything, I finally walked out at 10:15 PM.
I got back at 10:45 PM, ate the banana, put the purchases in their place, washed what dad had left, eventually had lunch in the kitchen, finally went to shower at 12:35 AM… And the water temperature was dropping, so it became uncomfortable even though I was done in 20 minutes. But there were some more things to wash, I also sliced one of dad’s breads, and then the problem was that the piece of bread which I had thoroughly microwaved in the morning was too hard to slice, so I struggled to cut a little from the edges, where it wasn’t quite that hard, and eventually ate dinner in the kitchen, between 3:15 AM and 3:55 AM, nibbling, biting and swallowing the rest as it was.

On the morning of November 7, after slicing the last bread for dad, I ended up starting to eat dinner at 3:05 AM, but then I realized that I had forgotten to put seasonings in the salad, and also hadn’t taken the spoon that I use to finish it, so I rushed back to the kitchen and only really started eating at 3:10 AM, finishing at 4 AM. And I was making a note that my feet were burning again that day, the right one being worse, the feeling also going up on the leg to some extent, and it wasn’t just on that day. On the other hand, I kept putting off the squats until I forgot to do them at all.

On November 8, I got up when the alarm rang, at 1:30 PM, had all of the usual stuff, with a sweet pastry, with added honey, as the sweet thing, put another bandage on the cut finger and left at 4:05 PM, wearing the full running gear, with some things in the pocket of my tights. The reported temperature was 16°C at that point, and 15°C when I finished.
The time was 46:39.11, with sector times of 4:18.42, 4:59.37, 5:49 (5:48.53), 4:21 (4:20.97), 4:53.28, 5:43 (5:42.50), 4:15.35, 4:55 (4:54.69), 5:38.00 and 1:48.00, making for lap times of 15:06.32, 14:57 (14:56.75) and 14:48.04. And yes, those last two sector times are correct. I again initially just aimed to stay under 48 minutes and wasn’t pleased with the first sector, but the first lap was good in the end, so I was wondering about 47:30 and decided to try, pushing on lap two, and after that great sector two I wondered about getting under 47 minutes. It seemed unlikely, since I thought that I won’t get under 15 minutes on that lap and would therefore need to do so on lap three in order to manage that, but I pushed and ended up getting under 15 minutes on lap two after all. I still needed to push on lap three, however, and I did, and even though I felt like I couldn’t sustain the pace on the long straight of sector one, that was a great pace, resulting in great times and the fastest lap of the day, despite walking slowly for a couple of seconds on sector three, to see the hundredths. But the conditions were great, with that temperature and pretty much no wind to speak of, relatively few people that didn’t only mean no notable problems but I’d say even less weaving and going the long way around than what I’d consider normal, and no physical issues except a certain pressing need from sector three of lap one that got somewhat worse on lap two, though on lap three, when I pushed so hard, I can’t say that I noticed it anymore. I was a little wary of the leaves on the final sector, however, being careful to not slip again, and I also put my finger on the stopwatch’s button a few seconds before the end and noticed that the position caused me to slow a little.

Then, even though I hadn’t taken that voucher with me, I again went to Carrefour, put on the mask when I entered that mall, just got an expiring bread for dad… And ended up losing a couple of minutes when I tried to gain them by getting out through the parking lot, since the way out is a tunnel that’s only for cars, with no sidewalk and a sign forbidding pedestrians to go that way. I guess I could have hugged the wall, but I didn’t want to risk it and went back, then jogged past the park, until I reached the intersection and saw that I had enough time to be able to walk the rest of the way back.
After having lunch and some grapes, I changed and left again at 7:40 PM, deciding to go to Obor and reaching that mall at 8:20 PM, though I first quickly checked Carturesti and Decathlon, so it was 15 minutes later when I entered Carrefour… And I just got another expiring bread for dad, some bakery discount labels having already been placed when I got there and no others being added even though I wandered around until 9 PM. And, even though I did have it with me at that point, I forgot to use that voucher at the self-checkout. Then I grabbed one more thing for dad from Penny, entering with that bread in my hand and, as a curiosity, seeing a guy whom I had also seen while waiting in a long line in this other Kaufland on November 2. And then I saw a cart with coin in it in Kaufland’s parking lot and connected it to another in order to retrieve that coin, put that other product in my backpack and the bread in the bag hanging from my neck, not bothering to use a cabinet, washed my hands and entered the store just after 9:30 PM, getting a bunch of bakery products, though the discount stayed at 50%, and a couple of things for myself. One of those had the regular price listed on the label, not the one with the discount that was ending that day, but it still scanned correctly, at the discounted price. There were some things that I still couldn’t find but, after getting there just when it was announced that the store had closed, at least there were no problems with the self-checkout and, after arranging the purchases in the backpack and that bag, I was walking away at 10:10 PM.
I got back a few minutes before 11 PM, washed and cleaned a part of what was in the kitchen, put the purchases in their place, arranged some things in the fridge, finished the koliva brought by dad, and it was past 12:20 AM when I went to use the toilet and shower. I was back in the kitchen just over one hour later, but there were more things to wash and it was 3:15 AM when I started eating dinner and just after 4 AM when I finished. My mouse was having serious problems again, normal left clicks starting to become exceptions, since it often either double clicked or didn’t click at all, and the one store from Bucharest which had been listing the Kone XP as in stock was listing it as out of stock once again those days, so I was worried.

To add another gross piece of information, the following evening, after struggling for a while on the toilet, until the hard bits finally came out, I stopped after the big sausage that followed them and got up to flush… Only for it to already be too late, and flushing a couple more times didn’t make any difference, so I eventually had to reach in and unclog the toilet with my hand, with my pants down and while holding in the rest.

On November 14, I got up when the alarm rang, at 1:30 PM, had all of the usual stuff, with two of those nicer biscuits grabbed when I planted trees, with added honey, as the sweet thing, and left a little before 3:55 PM, wearing the full running gear. It was overcast and the reported temperature was 9°C, holding steady. I thought I’d freeze on the way to the park, without a jacket or anything else, but I was surprised that I didn’t, only my hands freezing a little, and not even those feeling completely frozen.
The time was 47:43.51, with sector times of 4:13.89, 5:05.00, 5:55 (5:54.84), 4:31 (4:30.28), 5:10.25, 5:49.41, 4:27.12, 4:58 (4:57.88), 5:45.06 and 1:50 (1:49.78), making for lap times of 15:13.73, 15:30 (15:29.94) and 15:10.06. I again aimed just to stay under 48 minutes and that time I didn’t manage much more than that, in fact being worried by sector two of lap two and pushing harder after that, and even more so on lap three, since that lap two time made me think that I could miss that target. But I regained my confidence after that good sector two of lap three, and then sector three settled it. Otherwise, there was hardly any wind and I had no real physical problems, but I’d have liked to be able to push harder, felt that the cold was making it just a little harder to breathe, and there might have been a slight feeling that I had more to leave in the toilet, though it wasn’t notable. And there were few people, but I caught a guy with a dog with a long leash right at the end of sector two of lap one, under the bridge. He was on one side and the dog was on the other, so the way was blocked, and I tried to slow a little but I was still going to catch them before clearing the bridge, and when I shouted at him to make way the dog stopped and turned, so I also had to stop suddenly and make my way around it, losing a couple of seconds. In addition, I probably slowed a little to see the time when it was getting dark, most notably on sector three of lap three.

My mouse was really next to unusable at that point, but over the following days it recovered almost completely, after I blew hard under the buttons, which initially made the wheel rather difficult to move and feel a bit sticky, but after a while that just fixed itself, and while there were a few more double clicks since then, they were rare, so at the moment it seems to work well enough. And that store also lists the Kone XP as in stock once again. Not that I’d want to buy it from there, but if it will become absolutely necessary, the option exists… At least as long as that listed status isn’t an error.
But, to get back to November 14, I had lunch after getting back, changed and went out again at 7:30 PM. After looking for garlic in Supeco but not finding any, I went to Park Lake, had a quick look in another store and then deposited 100 RON on my card, since I had no smaller bills, before withdrawing 90 RON, so I’ll just put back the 10 RON used two days earlier. The ATM that I used to make the deposit said that the operation couldn’t be completed when I tried to withdraw, but I moved to another and that worked. Then I went to Carrefour and just got a little garlic from there, not finding the almonds that were on sale, before continuing to Kaufland, just going in and out of that Penny, with the garlic in my pocket, before getting there.
Quite a sight “greeted” me when I went to pee, shit being pretty much everywhere, on and around the toilet, including on the walls, but the urinal was being used, so I did my business there, trying not to touch anything, washed my hands and walked in the store, with that garlic still in my pocket, a little before 9:25 PM. However, with the exception of one pastry that I didn’t care to get, the bakery area was cleared of discounted products, only doughnuts, which don’t get evening discounts, being left. And the other evening discounts weren’t great either, but I decided to make use of them and get some potatoes, a bundle of green onions and a banana… Only for the self-checkout to tell me to place the correct product on the scales when I selected the green onions, and it was a normal bundle, definitely not too large, so I had to call over an employee to override that error. But I still managed to finish before the store closed, the announcement coming just as I wanted to arrange the purchases in the backpack, so I rushed out while I could still use the main door and then arranged them outside. And then I wasted a little more time by having a quick look in that Mega Image on the way back, putting the backpack in a cabinet and then retrieving it, without finding anything to get.
I got back a little after 10:50 PM, ate that banana and a sweet pastry that I already had, washed what was in the kitchen, even did the day’s squats, and went to the bathroom right at midnight, to use the toilet and shower. I was back out a couple of minutes before 1 AM, but a few more things that I had to wash had appeared in the kitchen, I sliced the remaining unsliced bread for dad, also talked to him a little, and ended up starting to eat dinner at 3:05 AM, though I still finished at 3:40 AM.

And I guess I could stop here. The plan was to include all of November’s runs in this post, which would have made it a truly huge one, but I got halfway through the month before dad got back and I definitely won’t get anywhere near finishing by midnight, so I’ll leave the rest for another post. Still, just to also get this out of the way, I’ll also add here that, before going to bed on the morning of November 16, I finally added the Romanian translation to the Goodreads version of the review for Postcapitalism… “Only” close to five months after writing it.

I’m quite sure that this is the first time I play a game made in RPG Maker VX Ace, and in fact I think that I never played any made in any version other than 2000 before, which is also the one that I used when I tried to make a game, way back. I did also make an attempt in RPG Maker XP, but that was mainly limited to working on the database and trying and failing to learn the scripting, so it doesn’t really count. As a result, while it’s pretty obvious that some of the game’s problems and limitations are the result of the engine that was used, I can’t be certain in every case, and I definitely don’t know how many could be eliminated, or at least mitigated to a greater extent, by scripting.

But let’s start with the positive aspects that RPG Maker brings to the games created in it, beginning with a certain level of familiarity. Yes, there are some titles that break that mold, but in the vast majority of cases there’s no need to learn not just the basics, but also most common gameplay systems and features, and this style of gameplay remains in use after all this time because, for the most part, it just works, at least for this type of game. And, while The Stuff Fairy Tales Are Made Of does do some things differently, and those differences actually tend to be its strong points, the general rules still apply, so you can pretty much jump right in, with no need for a tutorial or trial and error. Still, a plain text file with some basic instructions exists in the game folder, for those who need it.
But I mentioned differences, and it may be said that those include the fact that the main character, Paul, is a scholar, not an adventurer, and that he learns magic from scrolls instead of at certain levels, automatically. And it may also be said that there’s a general emphasis on learning, which is also reflected in the journal, which isn’t just an otherwise fundamental feature of RPGs that, at least to my knowledge, is far less common than it should be in RPG Maker games, but which, in this case, also includes information about enemies and bosses alongside quests. And sometimes you can learn about an enemy before encountering any, or learn their weak spot, if they have one, before killing ten, which is how that information and the possibility to use the corresponding ability normally appears.
The ability to learn and target an enemy’s weak spot also makes Paul more useful in combat even before learning or without using magic. But, while boss fights are different and also show that a fair bit of care and effort was put into them, when it comes to regular battles, the difficulty is rather low, the game not aiming to be challenging in that manner. That may bother some, but for me it was a positive aspect and, coupled with the low MP cost of Adele’s healing and the fact that you can save anywhere, which I still say should be mandatory for games simply in order to respect the player’s time, before getting into debates about difficulty, meant that I never even made use of Paul’s ability to make a space safe to rest. That doesn’t work everywhere, but sometimes it’s an additional option for those who find themselves in a tight spot, want to recover before a tougher battle or merely want to save the time needed to get back to a designated resting spot.
Successfully escaping combat is also pretty much a certainty, but there’s a section of the game where it’s necessary to do so each and every time, and another where it’s highly recommended. Both of these fall under differences from the typical formula and they’re implemented well, the first such section, when the game plays more like an adventure game, probably deserving a special mention, both because of the manner in which the effect was implemented and because of the little discussions you can have with various NPCs during that period. And that’s not the only twist in the story. Admittedly, the others shouldn’t really surprise anyone, but they’re welcome nevertheless.

One less common aspect that I’m uncertain about, on the other hand, is making potions. Yes, gathering ingredients for potions that, in most cases, can’t be obtained otherwise can be a nice enough change of pace for a while, and it may make the difference in boss fights, but the implementation leaves plenty to be desired. For one, there’s no journal section for the potions, so you need to memorize or write down the necessary ingredients on your own. Then, contrary to what you might expect, you can’t make potions yourself, but need to rely on NPCs. Worst, however, is the tedious process of gathering those ingredients, as they tend to only appear in one place and in low quantities, some require resting before reappearing, others have a rather low chance of dropping from particular enemies or fishing…
Also, while I’m at problems with the game’s less common features, there seem to be some bugs when it comes to the bestiary entries for some enemies that you learn about before encountering, or encounter but escape from, without killing, since in some cases the entries appear even in those situations, for example after learning about chimeras, and in others they don’t, for example after learning about skeletons or fleeing from man-eating plants. And, while I seem to have read something indicating that for some reason this is intentional, I’d also consider it a bug that if you use a scroll for a spell that Paul already knows, the message that you learned a spell still appears and the scroll is otherwise wasted. But the bigger problem when it comes to this aspect is the missed opportunity of providing the other characters with a more realistic method of learning their skills and spells, since the typical system of gaining abilities when certain levels are reached, automatically, applies to everything except Paul’s magic.
And since I got to typical RPG Maker systems, I must mention the fact that you need to select combat actions at the start of the round for all party members, so you can’t react to what happens during a round and can even perform actions on targets that you really wouldn’t want to perform them on, since if the chosen target is no longer available, the chosen action will be performed on the first one that is available. Past that, I wonder whether the fact that status effect durations replace each other, so an effect can have its duration lowered if it’s applied again before expiring, is also enforced by RPG Maker, or at least by this version of it, or there would be a way to avoid it and the developer failed to make use of it. And the same goes for the fact that the remaining duration of status effects is only displayed for enemies, not also for party members, and that only two status effects are displayed for party members, while more can be displayed for enemies. On the other hand, the fact that Mana Barrier doesn’t seem to work, not preventing status ailments from affecting the party, is clearly a bug.
Otherwise, a significant part of the time spent playing this game will be spent in a castle with one hundred floors, which is not optional. Yes, the floors are small and there are a few secrets that allow skipping far ahead, but using them may mean missing out on useful items and good sources of experience, and the whole thing feels like the developer wanted to check a box somewhere and having to spend several hours grinding away in that dungeon before you can finally move on really breaks up the game. In addition, while some attention to detail can be seen, there are also moments when the developer seems to have gotten about as bored as the player is likely to get and seeing the same room models just keep being reused after a while only makes it worse, the fact that the characters point out multiple times that they’re repeating not making much of a difference. And, while they do reduce the area that needs to be covered and the number of places that need to be checked if you don’t want to miss any secrets or loot, I still found inaccessible rooms frustrating and kept thinking that a way in probably existed but I was failing to find it.
Past that, some of the graphical assets struck me as rather poor, some objects looking rather weird, especially in interiors, and some enemies facing forward instead of right, appearing to be intended to be used for a battle system with the other view. But I’d call that a minor issue, and the low difficulty and easy healing also makes the fact that so many enemies poison and for a pretty long time you’re not able to cure poison by magic less of a problem than it’d otherwise be, though it remains annoying. Other than that, I’m not sure whether going farther north, after defeating Death, is counterintuitive in a poor or actually rather smart way. And I’m also uncertain what to think about having a priest who can revive but not heal or cure anything. And then there are some even smaller issues that I’ll nevertheless mention here, such as skipping straight to the dialogue for completing the quest from Rabstein’s hunter if I did so without actually receiving it first, the inn at the docks not offering an option to rest, or the word “possession” in the store interface, which actually made me think that it was some ability that I didn’t know how to access before realizing that the number of items owned was displayed there.

Overall, The Stuff Fairy Tales Are Made Of does some things differently, and those tend to be its better aspects, while many of its problems, with the notable exception of the sheer size and repetitiveness of that dungeon, probably have to do with the engine and, at least in my view, are mitigated to a fair extent by its rather low difficulty. That some of those less common features weren’t developed even further is a missed opportunity, but I’d say that, even so, it’s pretty good for a free RPG Maker game.

I had forgotten to check, but Monday I received an e-mail from Declic asking for volunteers to help that other NGO make packages again, in the same location. The first day was Tuesday, but after going out on Monday and coming back with 21 kg, albeit using the metro, it didn’t seem like a good idea to just get a few hours of sleep and then work in that manner the next day, so at night I filled the form and stated that I’ll be there Wednesday and Thursday, from 1 PM. But just as I was about to walk out the door Thursday I received an SMS, also from Declic, letting me know that they no longer needed volunteers, having finished, so this post will just be about Wednesday, when I even managed to get in bed a little before 4:30 AM, so I got a little more sleep before the alarm rang, at 10:30 AM. Then I rushed to clean what dad had left in the kitchen and got annoyed that he had left some goat milk with oats in the living room after getting back in the morning, and when he also woke up and said that the milk was sour, I told him that I’ll get myself something nice and ask him for the money that day, if he can afford to throw food away like that, especially since I had repeatedly reminded him about it.
Either way, I left at 12:05 PM and rushed, which seemed to be just about good enough even though I never jogged, since I was at that gate a couple of minutes after 1 PM, and that was after going the long way around, as you’re apparently supposed to, without even attempting to use that other route again, and also being stopped by the guard at that entrance and asked for my ID card, which had never happened before, so I didn’t even have my ID card with me and it’s a good thing that I quite recently managed to finally learn my ID card number as well, since he then asked for my name and ID series and number. However, that brief delay was followed be a longer one, since when I reached that gate I didn’t see anyone in that large warehouse where the packages used to be put together, so I went to the guard at the barrier, waited for him to finish with the other people who were there for other reasons, then asked him where to go and he came to show me, and also called Anastasia to ask her to open the gate. He had initially asked me to do so, but I told him that I didn’t have active credit, so he did it, even though simply shouting might have been enough, since the entrance to the warehouse that was used that day was right next to the fence, on the left. And the few others whom I had seen while trying to work up the courage to go to that guard were in front of that gate at that point as well, so we walked in together, at 1:10 PM.
Those others seemed to be a first group from another NGO, and the explanations Anastasia gave as we gathered around her were mostly for them, since as soon as she saw me she said that I work well and should help those making the packages for old people, while those from that NGO were to help with those that were going to be sent to Ukraine. However, after they went to work and I asked her to confirm that I should go to that other area of the warehouse, she changed her mind and told me to help those who were putting a part of the goods for Ukraine into bags, repeating that I work well, though I said that I wasn’t so sure about that… And I was even less certain after the guy whom I was supposed to help told me what to do, since he went through the process too quickly, the lists stuck to the walls were incomplete, and his method also struck me as more likely to lead to mistakes than the one he mentioned in passing was used by the woman who was doing the same thing.
Maybe I didn’t exactly leave a good impression when, after putting together a first bag while just following and copying him, I went to the table with things to drink and munch on, getting a tea in a small cup, since I couldn’t see any unused large ones left, a few small pretzels and a couple of biscuits, but after that I did mean to get to work… Only to prick a finger with a cutter almost right away, since I first wanted to cut open some boxes. And, while I initially wanted to continue, when I saw that I was bleeding I asked where I could wash and was told that disinfectant and band aids were also on that table, so I went back there, actually found them on a box, used them and then could finally start to actually work. I’d have wanted some latex gloves, especially after that problem, but I only saw a few used and discarded ones, so I just continued like that.
Well, when I say that I continued, I mean that I continued working, but not that I actually did what Anastasia had told me to do, since I think I was just on the second bag that I was putting together on my own, obviously still hesitating and checking everything repeatedly, to make sure that I wasn’t making mistakes while trying to find a rhythm, when that guy pointed out that the sugar had to be placed in a plastic bag first, in case the paper one would tear, and the ones which had already been bagged were about to finish, so he asked whether I could do that instead, since he had found his rhythm and didn’t want to have to keep breaking it for that. And that was actually a relief, since it took the responsibility of putting the correct number of each product into the bags off my shoulders, so I pretty much stayed there and bagged sugar, occasionally rushing to open some boxes or packages when I saw that it was needed, so the others won’t need to break their rhythm in order to do so… Even though that woman who was also putting products into those bags took away the cutter as soon as she saw me using it again, saying that she didn’t want me to cut myself again, so I just used my keys and hands, even if it took a little longer.
The problem was that two more groups from that NGO also arrived, and there were far too many people for me, and they were talking and moving too much and I found myself about to cry and shaking for reasons other than the cold. Soon enough it was bad enough that I was thinking to say that I had to go, or at least to take a break and find a place to hide and try to calm down a little, but what was obviously a very bad thing for what we had to do ended up being a good thing for me, since those newcomers seemed to have just rushed in with their own ideas about what should be done. One woman had attracted my attention as well, from the beginning, when she walked past me with a box with several pieces of each of the products while I was putting together those first couple of bags and said that they weren’t for taking when I reached in to take some, assuming that she was trying to create a few places to “resupply” more easily, and I later noticed that she was putting four times the required number of each product into a bag, obviously only being able to fit some of the products in there, and when I pointed that out she said that there were four boxes, even though putting the products into the boxes was a job that others had, and those of us from that side should just prepare the bag for them, so they’ll have the products from those categories for one box in one bag. By that point, people were saying that bags with the wrong products kept appearing, one brought back one bag and said that it was completely unusable, so I took a break from what I was doing to fix it, and eventually Anastasia asked those who were preparing the bags to stop and just leave that other woman to do it, while those on the other side were asked to stop moving the boxes, since they were cracking, and leave that to two guys.
It’s possible that the bag that I mentioned above was actually brought after I got back to work, but the announcement was made just when I was back at that table, having decided to take a break at 2:35 PM, so I reused the teabag, since I had set that small cup aside on top of a tall stack of boxes, to have another hot tea, that time in a large cup, after spotting a stack, munched on some more things and saw that some bananas had also appeared, so I had one of those as well. That break lasted for 15 minutes, during which time I was pretty much alone, so I calmed down to some extent, and holding that hot tea also helped my freezing hands… But the pizza was brought soon after I got back to work, so I finished what I was doing at the time, which might have been fixing that bag that I already mentioned, and at 3:05 PM I went back there, starting by somewhat hesitatingly taking one slice and ending up eating a total of eight, of various kinds. Put together, I think that meant two thirds of a pizza, though there is a chance that it actually meant one whole pizza. And I munched on some more sweets as well, and also had another large tea, though it was mostly hot water, since I yet again reused that teabag, only throwing it away after that. I was feeling rather bad for eating so much, and the fact that many others were crowded in that area definitely wasn’t helping, but I also felt that I had done my part, possibly even more so because I had done the tedious sort of work that others didn’t really care to do, and I was going to keep doing that, while plenty of the others had messed things up, and they were also leaving right after lunch. I actually heard someone comment that they came, ate and left, but I found myself thinking that it’d have been better if that’d have been all they did.
Either way, I got back to work at 3:25 PM and even though, at one point, that guy who had asked me to bag the sugar asked whether I wanted him to replace me for a while, in case I had gotten bored, I said that I didn’t and continued to bag the sugar and occasionally open boxes or packs until 4:35 PM, when I went to pee. An older man who had arrived later and ended up putting products into those bags asked about a toilet and Anastasia said that she’ll take him there because she also had to go, and she had an injured leg and was in a wheelchair, so she broke any awkwardness by asking him whether he’ll go with her to the bathroom in an amusing voice. Someone else asked how was she going to climb the stairs, but she said that there was another bathroom and will use her crutches, so I said that I had to go as well, took her crutches, since that man was pushing the wheelchair, and went with them, learning where what Anastasia said was the bathroom for truck drivers was, since that didn’t require climbing stairs. However, since she had left the remote for the gate with someone else, when we came back that man told me to shout at them to open the gate as he pushed her to it, which caused my anxiety to spike once again and I had to try several times until someone finally heard me, by which point I was feeling really embarrassed, that man had shouted at me to be louder more than once and had just started to walk towards me, and I think that Anastasia was about to call as well.
It was 4:50 PM when I got back to work one more time, after munching a few more sweets and having another tea, using a new teabag but finding that the water was just lukewarm, so it didn’t exactly help after the wind had made me freeze even worse while I was outside. Maybe that was one reason why I moved around a little more, paying more attention to the boxes and packs that needed to be opened and, eventually, also keeping an eye on what products were running out, so there was a moment when someone pointed out that more sugar will need to be bagged soon and I rushed back there… And ended up bagging much more than necessary, since multiple other products were running out and at 5:50 PM we were told to stop, at which point I started cleaning. After a little while I took another break, having another tea, using the same teabag and once again with lukewarm water, eating the last remaining banana and munching on some more sweets, in fact only leaving one or two biscuits in the box and one wafer in the pack that was opened, but then I continued to gather boxes and bags and discarded pieces until it seemed that nothing was left.
At that point, I asked Anastasia how much was still left to do and, after asking someone else how much had been loaded on the truck, she said that we should both count what was still there… And I ended up making it harder for her instead of helping, since I only understood what I should have actually counted after she moved on to the bags, so at first I was saying different numbers and she had to count the boxes again. But the conclusion was that only four bags still had to be filled, though the other question was how many of the others were incomplete and we also talked a little about which products had finished earlier and which were still available in large quantities. I only later realized that I never asked about the other packages, for old people, but since she didn’t say that she won’t need me to come again the next day, I assumed that there was still plenty of work to do.
I can’t really be sure, but at that moment it seemed that a woman who had arrived late was the only other actual volunteer who was still there, the others being from the NGO, plus a couple of Romstal employees who were taking away the recyclables. And when that woman said that she was going to leave and will take the bus, one of the employees offered to take her there and I went with them, leaving that warehouse just before 6:40 PM. But I assumed that the guy was going to drive us to the road, yet he just walked with us to a gate, which was closed at the time but which the guard opened for us, then pointed to the bus stop and walked back. And we had left that warehouse through the other exit, being taken to another gate and another road, so I had no idea where we were and it was rather fortunate that she had to take the bus in the other direction, so she needed the station that was on the other side of the road and said that she didn’t want to wait in the dark, so we kept walking together, looking for the next stop, and ended up at the road that I knew.

What I managed to post before midnight ended before the first break, and in fact even the end of that paragraph was added a couple of minutes later, with the paragraph about that first break and lunch, along with a couple of additions to what I had already posted, being added before I went to bed in the morning. That left a lot to add at a later time, but at least I finally managed to do so Thursday evening.

To continue, I reached Auchan at 7:10 PM, only finally putting on the mask which I had taken with me after going to the bathroom, then getting a few things for dad and having no problems with the self-checkout. And on the way back I also went to Carrefour, buying a bio (organic) “Greek” yogurt, which was what I had in mind when I had told dad that I was going to get myself something nice if he could afford to throw food away in that manner, and also some peanuts.
I got back at 8:50 PM, cleaned what was in the kitchen and removed the bad parts from a pretty spoiled quince for dad, ate the peanuts, and eventually went to the toilet and washed. I came out of the bathroom around 12:30 AM, but then I took it easy and ended up starting to eat dinner just after 3 AM, though I still finished at 3:40 AM.
In between, however, dad pissed me off even more. I had seen a t-shirt that looked like my good ones, which I’m yet to wear, in the living room while talking to him that evening, saying at that point that I also had t-shirts that looked like that, but moving on… Until I realized that the clothes hanger that it was on was the one that my t-shirts were on, checked the wardrobe before going to the bathroom and saw that they weren’t there. And when I asked, he said that he thought that they were my mother’s, and he had taken some clothes to her the previous day… And he had worn one of those t-shirts! And then he just said that it’s what happens if we don’t talk about clothes… Not that he ever remembers which are mine, regardless of how many times I tell him, but when I pointed that out he said that if I keep reminding him then there’s a chance that someday he’ll remember, while if I don’t, there’s none. But, in that particular case, he was looking for the clothes that mother had asked for before I went to wash two days earlier, I helped him look for something, he was still going through clothes when I came out of the bathroom, taking pictures and showing them to mother, to make sure that those were the ones she was asking for, but he never mentioned t-shirts to either of us, since if he’d have told her about them, she’d have told him that they weren’t hers… But then he apparently just decided to wear a t-shirt that he supposedly thought was hers when he went to her, didn’t tell her about it, didn’t show it to her, didn’t leave it there for her, but just came back with it on and then threw it in a pile, never mentioning it to anyone! And when I asked him, after coming out of the bathroom, to explain the mental process that led to that behavior, he cheerfully said that it just proves that he didn’t think, just acted on impulse, as he usually does.

A lot of thought and effort was obviously put into this book, and into the world, many elements being presented in great detail, including a few that aren’t commonly “customized” as part of fantasy worldbuilding. This gives the impression that the series should have a truly epic scale, and the complications, if I may use the term, added towards the end enhance that feeling, yet it doesn’t threaten to be crushing or overwhelming, Kinch’s first person presentation being enjoyable and including plenty of humor, which usually works, at least for me.
In spite of that, it seems far from realizing that potential. Of course, it’s possible that much of it is merely because it’s the first book in what’s intended as a series, but the author seems to try too hard, in both directions, in a book that’d have probably needed to be about three times the size for all of the information to come naturally, to be shown rather than told. As it is, much is forced upon the reader, the action being paused for a detailed explanation the first time the matter comes up. This tends to reduce the weight and the impact of the story, and Kinch’s lighthearted attitude makes it even worse, driving away that feeling of actually reading a personal account that a first person presentation should normally enhance. In addition, elements such as slang, other languages or different coins and currencies, which would have added flavor if there’d have been enough room for them, strike me as unnecessary complications under these circumstances, while on the other hand the number and the development of the characters is clearly insufficient for something intended as an epic tale. Then again, quite a number of times, especially when powerful magic is involved, it feels more like a fairy tale than actual epic fantasy, and that’s a style that I’m not fond of.

Rating: 3/5