The final day of Blaugust, and the final post to hit the 31 target. A target I told myself last year I wouldn’t be shooting for this time around. I had the wildest notion this morning of intentionally skipping the day and publishing tomorrow, to bring that notion into being in the 11th hour.
It was a momentary splash of madness though, and I knew it. This month taught me nothing if not that breaking a six-year streak is a little harder than I thought. Seven years, I guess, once I hit publish on this one.
I’ll save the substance of the breakdown on that and how I feel about the event (and specifically, my engagement with it) in a later post though.
For all the posting, I still got some gaming in. I was curious enough to take a look through the data and see how it compared to other Blaugusts I’ve participated in. I had an inkling it was more than the past few at least — turns out, yep! Correct.
I enjoyed posting more about the games themselves this month. While venturing into ‘Lessons Learned’ territory again, it is in fact a lesson I learn most Blaugusts. One that fills me with good intentions for the months ahead.
We’ll have to see if I can do anything with it this time around, but… I have some hope just from the fact that Final Fantasy XIV has seemingly stuck the landing for me this time.
My desire to play did not, in fact, die upon the slopes of Mt Setupyourskillbar this time around. (I’m as shocked as anybody.)
In terms of what I told myself I’d do…
Gaming Goals
Blaugust Gaming Goals
Anything but Wuthering Waves: Play something, anything, more than the Wuthering Waves playtime over August!
I did it! Something trumped Wuthering Waves to the top spot in terms of hours played.
It was close though, between WuWa having launched a new main story content patch and my jumping into FFXIV happening relatively late in the month.
September Gaming Goals
- Borderlands 4: Finish the Main Story
Given there are no solid sources of information on how long the main story might even be, that could be a pipe-dream of goal, but I guess we’ll see!
The other thing making that much more challenging than it was going to be is that I’m going to have to cancel at least some of the annual leave I had booked for this.
So, who knows! I was sorely tempted to just say something like, ‘Have fun with it!’ as my goal. But given I went super easy with myself on last month’s goal, I thought it might be time to insert at least a little challenge into this one.
Games Played Blaugust 2025
| Rank | Game | Hours | % Gaming Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Final Fantasy XIV | 12.8 | 22.2% |
| 2 | Wuthering Waves | 11.9 | 20.7% |
| 3 | Deadzone: Rogue | 6.3 | 10.9% |
| 4 | Battlefield 6 (Open Beta) | 5.2 | 9.0% |
| 5 | Palworld | 4.4 | 7.6% |
| 6 | Caves of Qud | 3.7 | 6.4% |
| 7 | Lost Ark | 3.6 | 6.3% |
| 8 | Elin | 3.6 | 6.3% |
| 9 | Against the Storm | 2.5 | 4.3% |
| 10 | Warpips | 2.4 | 4.2% |
| 11 | Tales of Maj’Eyal | 1.2 | 2.1% |
Books Read Blaugust 2025
I started the final entry in Lawrence’s The Library Trilogy on the final day of July, and I’m still going with it now (~80% complete).
I’ve certainly read less this month, but there is an element of not quite enjoying it as much as the first two entries as well.
Although which way the balance of those two things leans as to the primary cause for slowing down is harder to say. My interest has increased the further on I’ve gone though, that’s for sure.
If I was to point out the key reason for enjoying this one less, it would be the tie-in to real-world, actual history. I shant elaborate further as to what or when, but I will explain a little more my issue with it.
Because it isn’t the subject matter itself, nor the philosophical or ethical lean Lawrence is aiming for.
I’m on board with all of that.
But it removed all subtlety from the proceedings. It no longer asked the reader to think through implications and parallels for themselves and instead became a mallet to the face.
A strength of fiction, done well, is that whole stimulation of thought. Creating (or perhaps more accurately, finding) the links for yourself. I believe it truly holds the power to change hearts and minds in a way that a raw recounting of history cannot.
More than that though, no-one enjoys being preached at, even when they already agree with the message. While I wouldn’t quite accuse Lawrence of that here with the third book, it started feeling like it might toe that line to begin with.
For all that — I’m still more than curious to see where the series ends, and it does little to dampen my enthusiasm for Lawrence as an author on the whole.
This was posted during Blaugust 2025, the annual blogging event normally hosted by Belghast, with a twist this year of being hosted by Krikket. Blaugust is an event aiming to welcome new blogger blood into the fold and revitalise those who’ve been at it a little longer.
The Blaugust Discord is still available to join in, year-round!
