While I have some times and spoons, let
me do the final fantasy thread.
Let me give you a soundtrack for it, K?
When I was a pre-teen to teen, I was
massively into d&d/ad&d. I am still but that's beside the
point. The fact is I love fantasy role playing games, whether on
tabletop or PC.
Way back when, but later than that, my
family got a NES. Shocker: I spent most of my time playing Legend of
Zelda.
A little later, I discovered my local
video store did game rentals. This was kinda cool, and I got to try
out a bunch of stuff. One of them was the original Final Fantasy. It
was really unlike any game I had played to date. While a game like
Zelda is called an ARPG these days, back then it was...really what I
figured an RPG on a game system would be. Final Fantasy upended that
with more creativity, more depth, and more variety than I expected. I
mean yeah, but...consider 1987. This was the first time I got to
travel to towns in a game...have defined chapters and quests...have a
sense of really changing a world as I explored.
I was awestruck.
And hooked.
To the point that I considered 'losing'
the game cart.
I didn't...but I was never able to find
another copy anywhere to buy.
It was a bummer.
But I rented it every time I could.
(back where it all began)
A few years later, we got an SNES. And
I discovered that there was a game for it called Final Fantasy
III...which ended up actually being FF VI but I didn't know that at
the time. I was...I had a holy mission. I was going to find a cart, I
was going to buy it, and I'd never have to give it up ever. So I
started searching. calling game stores. In an ever widening radius.
No one had it. No one could get it either. Most people would give up.
I was not most people.
I finally found a copy. In another
state. One single copy. Which they wouldn't put a hold on for me. And
I had no credit card, nor would they take an order over the phone. So
I made a logical choice. I got in the car and drove two plus hours
for it that day. My ex spouse thought I was...acting illogically.
I didn't care.
I got my copy.
And all was right with the world. I
mean...till half way through the game.
(on that day the world changed forever...)
From here on out it got so much easier
to get the games.
For one, we had a Playstation.
And I was able to keep up on things.
So I soon had FF VII...which was
different, but neat. and I played it some. I played it more on
PC...and I have yet to beat it because...well, because I got pissed
off at a particular event in the game and went 'fuck you square I
hate you.'
(but I have it on pc again now and I
will beat it)
FF VIII was...not my game. My ex loved
it, so I watched a lot. I just never got into it, and I kinda
figured...I'd moved on to things like Diablo, and the whole grimdark
thing cos I was EDGY...and maybe FF was not really my cuppa anymore.
Then Final Fantasy IX came out.
And it was everything I loved about the
first one and the third one (which turned out to be 6 ofc)...
I fell in love with the characters. And
the setting. And the story. And I was, once again, hooked through the
nose. I played hundreds of hours on it, much like the other two I
keep coming back to. It was just...a wonderful escape.
Final Fantasy X did little for
me...while I loved Auron and Lulu, Tidus just irritated me to the
point of loathing. But X-2? Whole 'nother can of beans. OFC by this
time I was mostly through figuring out and accepting things,
but...the whole game was fun. And, like my post last night...Paine.
You know. Wanted to be her so bad. So yeah, I played it a lot, which
led to a lot of ridicule from someone because 'why do you want to
play as a girl all the time?'
(come on how is it NOT obvious why?)
Also yeah.
I tried to deal, but it was tough, you
know.
I had no interest at the time of
playing an MMO at that time, so XI was one I kinda just ignored. I
kind of regret it, but I think it's at a point where I don't think I
could check it out. I never got 12, sadly...at that point things irl
were turning into a real mess...and 13 was a PS3 game and at the time
I just couldn't afford a console.
(and even if i could, I know the money
I'd have put aside would have been taken for someone to take a
'business trip' out of state. quotes intentional)
XIV was another mmo, and by that time I
was already 2 years in to playing WoW, and XV is only just out in the
last year or two. So there was a decent...many years in there I was
out of touch with the series, tho I read about it all the time. In
the last year or two, thanks to finally biting the bullet and getting
a steam account, I've started filling in the holes. I have VI again,
even if the port sprites are...redone. And I have VII, and am
awaiting the remake as well. The Boy got me VIII. IX was the first
one I bought as soon as I got on steam, and I'm back into X-2 as if
the past 15 years hadn't been a thing. Almost all the missing
games...missing to me...are on my wishlist...
IV
IV the after years
V
XII
The XIII series
I planned on skipping XV for...reasons.
Then this morning i discovered there was an anime made for the game,
which went into character back story. I figured i owed it to myself
to at least watch. Thus, an hour later, and 4 bouts of tears...I
added it to the list.
So I've been playing the Final Fantasy
games for well over twenty years, across 5 platforms. They introduced
me to deeper CRPGs, ones closer to what I was used to on tabletop.
They broke my heart dozens of times (Aerith, the midpoint of VI Vivi
just to name a few). They gave me worlds I wanted to be in,
characters I loved and wanted to hang with or be. They game me escape
into other worlds, where I could forget my hurt for a while and
just...be someone else...an avatar of who i wished to be, maybe.
And, of any game
series/system/whatever, they're the ones I know I'll play until they
stop making them...and then just continue to love them and replay
them as long as I can.
So there.
Your potted history of Julie's life
with final fantasy.
Thanks for reading.
Here...
Have some more music.
<3
Shantih shantih shantih
93's
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