I'll pretend I wrote this on Friday. You do so, too.
The year is already halfway over. They say it's because as you age, there are more days behind you, so it feels like time is moving faster, but what if we're speeding up secretly? Conspiracy theory activated! But for real, let's look at my goals for the quarter haha.
I'm just waiting on one more beta reader to finish up Broken Princess. Aside from some great feedback so far, I also received a "what the hell!?" and a side-eye (not in a bad way, I promise), so I think I'm on the right track haha. If you've been with me for the past decade, you'll know I never intended on making a series. Fractured Princess was supposed to be a standalone fantasy, and once more "what if" ideas for a sequel kept popping into my head, I had to figure out what else could possibly happen, how, and why, so I'm glad it came together. I can't wait to get it all finished. Should I put a counter on the side of my blog that says, "Beat George R.R. Martin to the Finish Line?" I think I should.
Anyways, I have decided to illustrate the cover myself. I bought a digital art pad last year, and once I have a program I really like, I can do it. That means brushing up on my very rusty illustration skills, but if you follow me on Tiktok, you've seen me sketch some BTS members, so there is hope for me yet.
The audiobook review did not happen. I'll just have to table it for now until I really have time. Perhaps if I can squeeze in a vacation week, I'll take a couple of those days to do it. I haven't taken a week's vacation since Juneteenth last year, and I won't again until December as of today. So, we'll see.
On the video game front, I am officially the Lead Writer for Prism! I'm very excited about the project, and I love seeing the excitement of our director seeing everything come together! We're starting to get content up on social media, so you can follow us on any and all of the following:
I'm writing this early, so I don't take another long break by accident.
February, as always, was dumb short. I blinked, and it was March. But despite what books the (might as well be alt but let's be real) right keep trying to ban, I hope you learned something new in Black History Month. And Happy Women's History Month!
I finished what I thought was a trilogy, but come to find out, there are at least 30 books in that series, and by the end of the third book, I was highly underwhelmed, so not continuing it. I will say that on behalf of Women's History Month, men, please stop trying to write teenage girls. It's painful to read. On that note, the book I started reading after that seems . . . interesting. From the blond/blue-eyed golden child (literally had a golden aura around him, as seen by homeless man he and his friends were harassing) to dogs getting taken up in the rapture but not cats, I'm worried about what the rest of the writing holds, but I'll stick it out.
I've been writing up a mild rain (not a storm but haha), and I'm excited! I was very tempted to just go ahead and start Book 3 in these Shattered Chronicles, but I'm behaving. Of all three books, though, I do have the majority of the third's plot points floating around in my head. I know what the entire first part is going to be, and I know what the resolution is and how we get there. I've almost come full circle with my original idea, because I wanted the series to feel like a Final Fantasy video game, and if you know anything about that "third cd" (if you know, you know), Book 3 is absolutely going to be that. I'm working myself up just thinking about it.
I also had plans to be editing my audiobook recording by now, but I was so sick in January that I was still recovering in February! Hopefully I can pick recording back up this month. I was really enjoying it, and I want to get the audiobook out this year. Let's hope I can!
In other news, I'm in an 8-week course on how to build a game from scratch thanks to Black Girl Gamers and Anything World. Making video games is something I've thought about/toyed very loosely with over the years, so maybe this is the start of something. At least a basic game. I'm also playing with the idea of maybe making a Chapters story? I haven't done dramatic soap-opera type stories since my high school fan fiction days, and it's been even longer since I've written chapter books, but who knows? I might abandon the idea in a few weeks. haha For now, I'm at least enjoying the weird werewolf drama I'm choosing my own adventure in.
I actually don't know how well blogs are still doing. Even I haven't read the ones I follow in years now. I know with Patreon and these new blog subscriptions that are gaining traction, more popular content creators have those avenues. I do not have that luxury. I've even fallen off the social media for the most part, but I do plan on picking that back up. I was certainly supposed to be engaging more on Facebook for sure, so I will do my best! In the meantime, Happy Lent, Mubarak Ramadan, and see you next time!
I can't tell you the last time I did a movie review on my blog. Now the world is trying to open back up like COVID is dead, I at least get the pleasure of going to the movies again, which is something I did miss during quarantine.
My sister and I had the pleasure of joining the Black Girl Gamers x Paramount for a screening of the new Dungeons and Dragons movie: Honor Among Thieves. First off, didn't know there were two movies before it. hahaha. I'm 85% sure they were terrible, because they came out in 2000 and 2005, not prime movie effect era unless you were The Matrix, and literally just the first one, because the effects in The Matrix: Reloaded were awful.
But anyway, back to D&D: HAT. The movie starts with Edgin (Chris Pine) and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) pleading their case to get out of prison so they can get back to Edgin's daughter, whom he left with one of his thief buddies. Not to spoil anything, but honor among thieves ensues, as well as dungeons and dragons. Saying anything else will give away just about everything. It's a pretty standard plot and character arc, though. Not much will surprise you.
This movie has a big cast of stars: Chris, Michelle, Hugh Grant, and Regé-Jean Paige, as well as smaller known names like Justice Smith (Jurassic World, The Get Down) and Sophia Lillis (IT, Uncle Frank), etc. Their chemistry is just about perfect, and they all give some great performances. I didn't expect to laugh the entire movie. It was hilarious. Everyone's comedic timing really was a gem to watch. My sister said someone said Chris Pine can save any movie, and not that this movie needs saving, but he is a favorite of mine, and he shines as a bard/harper/team planner haha.
I have an understanding of the game D&D, mainly from a couple episodes of Community, Futurama: Bender's Game, the short-lived "Dungeons & Durags" on Twitch, and Hello From the Magic Tavern's version "Offices & Bosses," so the different beasts and special weapons didn't get lost on me. As someone who plays Shattered Pixel Dungeon every day, I especially loved the appearance of a mimic in the game, and what I think might have been a basilisk? Anyhow, there wasn't as much action as you would expect, but the effects were really good. When the first non-mythical creature effect happened, I said out loud, "That was a really cool effect." The only one that was pretty bad was an animatronic cat baby (you'll get it when you see it). But the mythical creatures are all very well-designed.
I think I'm going to give this movie 5 of out 5 stars. My sister said it's one she would watch over and over on tv, and I agree. It has great characters, great acting, great storytelling, and overall, it's just a great adventure! So if you haven't seen it already, go see it!
I'm peeking back in on my hiatus to say I am participating in the second Black Girl Gamers Apex Legends GameFace Tournament hosted by Benefit Cosmetics!
This year, I'm in Team MeMeDe, and I've gotten some good practice in! I hope to do better than have my captain carry me all 6 games haha. If you want to watch, the tournament will be live on the BGG Twitch Channel at approximately 3:40PM EST with two Get Ready With Me segments, followed by the big game at 5:00PM. I love to get the chance to play with the BGG, and here's to more tournaments in the future!
The second Friday of the month, I usually share what I’m reading, but I’m still reading the book from a few months back. I’m reading it faster, though, so I expect to have a new book to share in September. Today, I’m sharing something special!
This Sunday beginning at 4:30pm EST, I will be in my very first Apex Legends Tournament with other Black Girl Gamers, hosted by Benefit Cosmetics!
The tournament will be featured on the front page of twitch.tv. You can view it on the BGG channel, where they will be having a “Get Ready With Me” makeup session before the tournament, and I will also be streaming on my channel, twitch.tv/debthebird. I haven’t done in months, so I need to make sure my stuff is set up. I hope you’ll join me. It’s going to be fun!
September is around the corner, and I have accomplished very little. I don't think I even read the entire month of August, except for web comics and a book for my Praise & Worship Team at church. This weekend, I did start writing again, so that is a positive. I'm working on a new beginning scene for my new adult fantasy. I also took a peek at the last scene I wrote for Fractured Princess's sequel, so I need to get back into that as well. I know where the story is going, but I need to know why. That's something I may need to flesh out.
I've gotten a lot of TV watching in for sure. I binge watched both seasons of The Umbrella Academy at the beginning of the month. A great series, and I'm always jealous to see someone successfully execute the "mutant school" trope. That was what I first started writing when I was little. Maybe I'll be able to get it right, too, one day. I'm now on the last season of Avatar: Legend of Korra. I saw the first season and the first few episodes of the second when it first came out, but according to fans, Nickelodeon moved the show's time slot often, so no one could really watch it like they wanted; and so I've watched the rest of Season 2 and Seasons 3 and 4 for the very first time. It's amazing to see how the world has evolved, especially without Aang in it.
What I've done the most this month is play video games, mainly Apex Legends, but I'm also replaying the FFVII Remake, and I started a few new games: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Fall Guys. They've been pretty therapeutic when they're not stressing me out. I've been part of the Black Girl Gamers group for a couple of months now, and it's been nice having a safe space to just enjoy myself and talk with others like me. Some of us are even going through the same things, like recently losing a parent, and that's very comforting.
I just realized I missed my quarterly goals post for July, but that's okay. My goal this quarter is to get back in the swing of things. I'd also like to try to pursue a job I really want to do. Being home since March, you realize what you're looking forward to when the world opens back up, and being at a job that I'm doing just to have a job is not one of those things. I joined a startup production's Discord this week, and I don't know how far that will take me, but we will see. I've also been asked to be on a panel for the Asexuality Visibility & Education Network in September, so I'm very excited and nervous to discuss ace visibility in fiction. I need to go ahead and move some of the ace books I have on my To-Read list up to #1.
Lastly, I started a new Instagram for my writing, gaming, and tv habits, so if you would like to follow me, please do! My handle is DebReneeByrd.
I hope everyone else has had a good August. I will see you next week for the monthly IWSG Post!
It is the 5th Wednesday of April, so that means I am looking at and making my goals for the quarter. How has everyone done with their April challenges? Has anyone done them?
This time last quarter, I was halfway through my chemo treatments, which I have now finished! The days didn't go by quickly, but I'm grateful to God that He brought me through it. My family and friends threw me a surprise social distance-approved bell ringing as I pulled up to my sister's house. That made me feel good. My mom also felt good enough to cook, so I had her meatloaf and mashed potatoes, which I hadn't had in years. My friends also threw me a Zoom party, but I was too sleepy to stay by the time I got home. Needless to say, I had a great last day of treatment.
This time last quarter was also two months before COVID-19 really broke out over here, so...yeah. Anyway, my goals for last quarter included:
eating better/cooking more/grocery shopping more - I have actually cooked a few times, done more grocery shopping than I ever have before, and eaten more fruit and vegetables. But I'm still a sucker for a sausage Mcmuffin with egg;
exercise on my good days - because I'm working from home, I have taken walks, danced, and worked out on my lunch breaks. It's definitely helped boost my activity and kept me from going stir crazy;
and reading/writing more - I think I mentioned both in my last posts. I've gotten back into both in one way or another. Reading my last quarterly goals, I realize I need to peek into my NA fantasy to see what notes I left. It's sad that I don't remember.
My goals for this next quarter are relatively the same. I'd like to get back into shape, lose 10 pounds and keep them off over the next 6 months. I did it once upon a time. I was in my twenties at the time, but we'll see what happens.
It's the last Friday of the month, and that means it's time to geek out about my favorite game franchise: Final Fantasy!
A few weeks back, I realized there was an update to FFXV, so I downloaded and decided to see what it was. Over the summer, they do a Carnival in Altissia. This time, they did an Assassin's Festival in Lestallum. Here's a preview.
Apparently, Noct and Prompto are huge Assassin's Creed fans, but if you know me, you know I'm not a first-person gamer. It gives me a lot of anxiety, especially when enemies are chasing me (one of the reasons I hated FFXII). That's why I gravitate to RPGs. I did try to play this festival a little bit, but the moment the Magitek soldiers started chasing me and I couldn't get away, I knew I wouldn't be able to go on. Others enjoyed it, though, so good. I'll be awaiting the next DLC, which should be Ignis's story!
It's the last Friday of the month, and that means it's time to geek out for a minute. Final Fantasy XV developers continue to crank out content for this game. It's becoming it's own franchise! While a mobile Game of War-style game was created for the game (and is trash), there will be a PC, pocket, and real multi-player version of this game out by early 2018! Extra content is being downloaded periodically, so I need to get back into the game to see what's available. The expansion they're doing for this game is proof to me that this will be the last major Final Fantasy game, especially as they're doing the MMO version (FFXI and FFXIV were MMORPGs). It's the end of an era (unofficially, because they haven't said anything of the sort).
I hope you all have a great weekend. I leave you with a trailer for the expansion project!
Me on Monday: I should schedule my post.
Me on Tuesday: I should start my post. Friday will be here before I know it.
Me on Wedensday: I should write my post tomorrow.
Me on Thursday: ....
Me on Friday: Oh, crap, my post!
So, I'm bad at this. haha This is usually the week I share what I'm reading with you, but I hadn't picked up The Handmaid's Tale for about two weeks, so I needed to finish that (thank God, I finished it. It was blah), BUT last Saturday, I took the time to finish Final Fantasy XV which, because I was Level 72, took me about an hour, less time than it took me to fight the adamantoise (which took me close to 3 hours).
As I explained in my post about the homages in this game (CLICK), Noctis is told he has to sacrifice himself to get light back into the world. That takes 10 years, so he comes out looking like a cleaner version of this. We had just fought Ifrit here, so he's a little covered in smoke and ash. He's telling his friends to walk tall (though they also don't make it, which I didn't realize until I read someone's explanation of the ending), and he goes inside to fight the darkness, Ardyn Izunia, formerly known as Ardyn Lucis Caelum, Noct's millions-great-grandfather or uncle, something close.
Long story short, Ardyn was supposed to be king thousands of years ago, but he was used to destroy daemons by sucking them into his soul, and because he was corrupted, he was basically banished. So, obviously, he wants vengeance on the kingdom of Lucis, which he successfully starts at the beginning of the game by having King Regis killed.
I'm awesome, so I defeated Ardyn with no problems and a nod to Cloud's Omnislash limit break. But dear God, the end sequences. With a nod to FFVII's Knights of the Round, the past kings, Noct, Luna, Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis all band together in the afterlife to get rid of Ardyn for good, and the World of Ruin (another nod to FFVI) finally ends after 10 years. The credits roll, and we get a conversation around the campfire that brings me to tears. Of course, it's the first time Noct has seen his friends in 10 years, and then, they're on their last mission together before they all go off to die.
Even with the hundreds of side quests, I give this game a 10. Not an FFX 10, but a solid 10 nonetheless lol. The graphics were gorgeous, the music was awesome. I loved the bond the guys had (seeing them do special link attacks together made me so giddy), and because there are so many other things attached to this game (Kingsglaive, Carnival, Episodes), I love the versatility. I even liked the battle system, and I'm very pro-turn based fighting.
I could see a sequel coming from this, but God, I hope they don't do it. Maybe another movie, where we know what happens now that there is no king anymore. I want to know how the world can go on. I could see them worshiping Noct and Luna, and they have the ability to appear at will. Mainly because of the last video clip they gave us to send off the end of the game. Screenshot here:
They finally get to be together. My heart. Be still.
I can also see this being the last game of the franchise. They did so many homages and CDs we could listen to of the old games. It was epic, and I don't think they would be able to top this one with another game. It's the best one since X. I'll play again eventually. Not for a few years, though. It took a toll on my spirit. lol
Once you finish, you get an updated logo on the main screen, where it used to just be the girl, you realize after the above sequence, that it's Luna. Then, Noct's little sleepy body appears, and Fin. *sigh* Such a good game. I'm going to play the end again just because. :)
In my next Final Fantasy Friday, I should have played Episode Gladiolus and at least started Episode Prompto, so I'll let you know how those turned out.
UPDATE 8/31/17: The episodes weren't really worth another post. Gladio's was boring, and while Prompto's wasn't as boring, I didn't need it. I know other fans probably loved them. I'm ready for Ignis's episode, though! Ignis was my favorite of the three, and the story is going to center around how he was blinded during the Imperial attack on Altissia. HERE FOR IT!
It is the 5th Friday, but the 4th Friday after IWSG, so that means it is time for Final Fantasy Friday!
As you know, I've been playing Final Fantasy XV, a very intricate game for new and old fans. I'm finally at a point where I have no choice but to stop and do side quests to level up because I am on the final chapter of the game, which was actually the beginning of the game, so now I understand what the heck was happening.
So at this juncture, I have to stop and talk about a few of the homages to the other games that blew my mind. FFIX had homages, too (the crystal returned, skill-based mages designated by colors, etc.), but there was one in particular in FFXV that I didn't realize until I was saying it out loud (it's coming up in a few). So let's go through a few.
1) Light vs. Dark
I think a few of the early Final Fantasy games always dealt with a time where Warriors of the Light had to be called to battle away the overwhelming darkness. FFIII and FFIV are the ones that come to mind most. FFXV is a huge battle of light vs. dark. Noctis (night) from the kingdom of Lucis (light). lol Night Light. OOH, or Knight of Light! I just caught that play on words. Everything in this game revolves around keeping the lights on because if you don't, daemons emerge, and they're quite scary.
2) FFXV Prompto / FFVII Cloud
The top one is Prompto Argentum, super goofy friend of Noctis who has a dark creation story (he was genetically engineered like all of the imperial troopers we've been fighting the entire game, see Homage 4). The parallel is obvious if you know anything about FFVII. Cloud Strife (on the bottom) was a genetically enhanced trooper. Visually, they're that waify blue-eyed figure with the weird spiky blond hair and the permanent pout.
3) Keycard Access
Still looking at FFVII, as I said in the last Final Fantasy Friday, I was in this creepy dark town Gralea trying to save Prompto. I end up in a lab, Zegnatus Keep, where I need keycards to get to the next floor. In the first disc of FFVII (wow, anyone remember where you bought 3-4 disc video games? lol), I take Cloud through Shinra Lab, and I need to fight soldiers all through the place and find the one with the keycard to the next floor. It was very reminiscent of the first time I played FFVII. I really appreciated it.
4) The monsters are people.
In Zegnatus Keep, there are reports all over the lab. Whenever I'm out in the dark and while I was walking all through this God-forsaken place, I learned the empire was growing magitek (the imperial troopers) by infecting humans with a daemon pathogen (WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG). The side-effect was a lot of people turned into full out daemons. In FFVII, in a flashback with Cloud and Sephiroth, we go to Nibelheim to fix a leak in a reactor. The leak was causing monsters to sprout around town. Sephiroth tells Cloud to look into one of the pods sitting in the reactor. There's a monster in there. (Run-on alert) Not only is it a monster, it's a human injected with alien cells to make it a superhuman not knowing the result could be an alien, because it's actually Jenova alien juice that is coming through the reactor, because the stupid Shinra empire thought Jenova was an Ancient and wanted to create more Ancients and ended up with Sephiroth! So they thought they could make more.
5) Bahamut ruins your life.
I actually posted the first video somewhere, most likely last year's A-to-Z. In my favorite Final Fantasy game, FFX, the group reaches a wall filled with people, fayth, who the team thinks are being used to summon something huge. When Tidus touches it, he faints and meets the fayth who became Bahamut (top). He tells Tidus the fayth are actually people and summoners from the old machina war. They became fayth to keep the dream of Zanarkand alive. Now they're tired, and because Tidus is from the dream world and touched Sin, the monster created by the bad guy in the game, he will be able to defeat the whole thing so the fayth can all rest. Of course, that means, they'll stop dreaming, so Tidus, as part of that dream, will also disappear. FFX has the most heartbreaking game ending I've ever had to sit through (FFVII Crisis Core was the most traumatizing, if you're a fan who happened to stumble here via hashtag).
In FFXV, at the heart of the Zegnatus Keep is a crystal, which Noct gets sucks into. There he meets Bahamut, who tells a wonderful story about how one of Noct's ancestors, who is currently roaming the world infected by daemon juice, can only be destroyed by Noct, and by doing so, Noct must gain "Providence" which entails giving up his life. So he must die to save the world. I'm pretty sure the devs did that as a nod to FFX. Bahamut, wielder of flare magic and bearer of bad news. Of course, I haven't gotten to the end yet, so I don't know how this plays out (and don't tell me!). But I will say this is also reminiscent of FFX in that both games have you take this journey to gain more power to defeat the enemy by way of sacrificing yourself! That's what the summoners did in FFX.
6) FFX "Suteki da Ne" / FFXV "Somnus"
This one you have to hear to understand, so just push play. ;)
Push it again.
The quintessential song from FFX is "Suteki da Ne" (Isn't it Wonderful). It's a beautiful song, and very light in its sound and singer. An instrumental version of "Somnus"(Sleep) is the first thing you hear when you turn on FFXV, and if you can't hear the similarity, I worry for you. But what you should also notice is the difference in the tone of the song. It's darker, much sadder. The singer is a rich alto vs. SDN's tinny soprano. I also like how FFXV is almost telling FFX to sleep, which is really what the fayth are doing in FFX!
All right, geek out over. I was very excited to see these nods to earlier Final Fantasy games, and I can't wait to finish and see if the ending wrecks my soul or makes me incredibly happy and excited to play the Gladio and Prompto DLCs. Be sure I'll let you know.
I won't see you before IWSG, so have a great weekend, and enjoy your 4th of July!
It is the last Friday of May already, so that means I am bringing you some Final Fantasy obsessions.
So, the thing they tell you about Final Fantasy XV is that it's a game about friendship and brotherhood. Yada yada yada. What they DO NOT tell you is how fricking depressing it is!
I'm two chapters away from the end (tired of doing side quests, so I'm just gunning it until I'm not strong enough to beat something and have to go do a couple side quests), and here is a list of things that have happened to me: Noctis, Prince of Lucis.
My father, the king, is assassinated (I knew this already because Sean Bean is the English voice actor, and he dies in everything, but still).
Our country is taken over.
I find this all out by reading a newspaper that says my father, my fiance, and I have all died, so when I call home, they're like, "Well, your dad is dead."
When I finally get up with my fiance, she gets stabbed, and the Hydrean Leviathan drowns her! (See R.I.P. My Fiance for the graphics.)
My guardian/chef is blinded in battle.
My guardian/trainer acts like I'm being a spoiled brat and not manning up. (Bitch, my dad and my fiance have died in the span of like, a week!)
My best friend gets kidnapped by the man who killed my fiance (oh, and he also kills my fiance's brother!).
I can't imagine what else happens! And this chapter I'm currently in trying to save Prompto (my best friend), it's SO dark and scary! Rogue robots are jumping out and grabbing me, then exploding, daemons are popping up, and the murderer is taunting me over a loud speaker every few minutes.
I can't take it!
But anyway, here are some screenshots I took. lol
Have a great Memorial Day Weekend! Hug a soldier, think of those who died for freedom. <3
It's the last Friday of the month, which means it's time for Final Fantasy Friday!
Also, I enjoyed my vacation but got hit with my allergies and a cold, so I need another vacation where I can sleep through the night without not being able to breathe. I wanted to play a little more of FFXV before I left and didn't get to, but I did get to spend some time on it when I got home.
Most people who run out and by these games spend the weekend or a whole week or so playing it. I have a some semblance of a life, so I don't have that luxury. Thus, the portion of the game I finally got to play was spoiled for me by fans weeks ago: my (Noctis's) fiance, Lunafreya, dies helping me retrieve Leviathan, long story short a summon. The papers say Luna died drowning, but I witnessed her get stabbed by a shady NPC we'd run into a few times! My sister, who was watching, was just as shocked as I was!
First off, Leviathan had an attitude. I guess because she was asleep and Luna woke her, but I needed her to chill. The battle was quite scary, as she kept diving in and out of the water and coming straight for me with her mouth agape! I actually screamed and then laughed at myself.
Secondly, the visuals in this game are just everything. Here is the saddest cutscene since Tidus's death/disappearance in FFX. Notice the different shifts, first the atmosphere, then Noct's shift from young Noct to current Noct. It's so wild! The scene is also very reminiscent of Aeris's death in FFVII. The homages!
I have a few more chapters before I finish the game. I might be done with side quests for now, lol. That's where most of my hours have been spent! I just want to get to the end, so I can play the DLC for Gladio!
It's the last Friday in February, and so that means it is time for:
This is the day I have set aside to shoot the breeze about blog memes, when available, and my Final Fantasy obsession. As you know, this year I have started playing Final Fantasy XV. This game is an experience. I'm almost sure I'm not even halfway done, and part of that is because of the ability to do side quests immediately, a first in the whole franchise, and also partly because at the end of January, a DLC (additional downloadable content) was added known as the Moogle Chocobo Carnival!
Think of it as a state fair. One of the cities in the game received a huge festival makeover, and you could do everything from fishing, to playing games, to helping little kids retrieve their balloons. Each night at about 8pm fireworks started going off for hours (probably about 20 minutes IRL), and if you racked up enough coins, you could buy a voucher to spend a night in the hotel and get a front row seat to the fireworks show. I took a lot of pictures but forgot to share them, so I can't access them right now.
Here are a few of pictures I shared on Twitter of Noctis and his dream guide Carbuncle riding the gondola through town.
You could change Noctis's clothes, so here he is being casual.
Look at the detail!
You could skip the scenic route, but sometimes, I just liked to look around.
Items you acquired through the carnival rolled over to your regular game, so I tried to get as many items as I could. I had a lot of fun, and now that the carnival is gone, I need to dive back into the real game. People are dropping spoilers on Instagram! *sigh* The price of not having the luxury of playing all day anymore.
It's a beautiful day in Delaware, so I hope the same goes for wherever you are! Get outside and have a good weekend!
On the last Friday of the year, I finally get to say that I've started playing Final Fantasy XV!
If you could hear the music! Anyway, I'm probably only 10 minutes into the actual storyline, lol. Unlike the other FF games, you can do side quests right out the gate in this one, so I've been doing those to level up my characters.
The game opens with a highly perilous looking encounter in the future. Noctis, the main character, looks to be in his 50s, and Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto are still by his side protecting him. Then, it lurches to the present, where Noctis's dad King Regis is sending him off to get married. I need to know how we get to that highly perilous scene!
But I'm nowhere near there yet, lol.
If you've ever played a Need for Speed game, that's the vibe I'm getting from this installment. The first screen that comes up states FFXV is for new and old fans, and I didn't play the first Need for Speed Underground to have to play the 2nd. There's a storyline, but you can basically do whatever you want until you're ready to follow it. I like that freedom. I need to make sure I keep looking at the tutorial and training for the fighting techniques, though. I don't want to forget while I'm dilly-dallying.
Here is a clip of me sneaking past something...big.
I really hope I don't have to fight this thing in the future. Did you see its TAIL!?
While 2016 remains to be a garbage rollercoaster (anyone else shocked and heartbroken by Alan Thicke, because he was one of my TV dads!), I received notification on the 13th that my package arrived containing the Day One Edition of Final Fantasy XV!
I'm extremely excited and doing my best to not buy a PS4 right away, but there's a deal on Gamestop right now for an Uncharted 4 Bundle AND a $25 e-gift card, and that's SO tempting, so by the time this posts, I'll probably have bought it. I'm not even sure what Uncharted is and am not the biggest fan of first person shooters, but the premise looks cool.
Now, my cousin says that FFXV is better than FFX, which is my favorite game in the franchise, so I will certainly be the judge of that.
Yes, indeed! Final Fantasy XV comes out today, and despite Conan's hate of the game, I still love him and pre-ordered the game last night so I can also acquire a bonus weapon and a prequel game!
I'm so ready for this weekend. I have a bit of a busy one again, but God is still good. I'm still loving my new blogging schedule because I'm so ready to get to another day where I can post, especially a Friday post! And today, I get to return to Final Fantasy Friday!
Last night, my cousin brought over his laptop, and I was finally able to watch Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV. This is a prequel to the highly awaited game which should be coming out next month. The trailer is below.
(SPOILER ALERT: Sean Bean is the English voice actor for King Lucis. If you understand Sean Bean characters, you'll know why this is a spoiler alert.)
In this movie, we follow Nyx, a highly respected soldier in the King's army as betrayal and sabotage destroy the kingdom. Half of the time, I was just in awe of how real some of the people looked! At one point, I almost said, "That monster looks so fake," but then remembered I was watching a fully animated movie! It's so beautifully done, and Square thinks they're slick, but I totally saw a nod to some of the older games, a few being:
Ardyn Izunia's one super-long sleeve resembling Sephiroth's one wing
Niflheim's demon looking like a very specific FFVII Weapon
ULTROS!
YOJIMBO!
It looks like I'm just speaking gibberish at this point, but I'm not. lol Anyway, I can't wait for this game to come out! I hope it's amazing! All this prep work for it, it just needs to be.
And now: a couple of this month's Fast Five questions from the Cover Girls, Dani and Jackie! Join in if you like. This is a particularly good one, for Halloween!
Oct. 7th - 5 horror movies you love to watch this time of year
Scream
The Shining
Carrie
The Haunting
Poltergeist
Oct 21st - Name 5 sci-fi/horror books/movies that scared the crap out of you
Dead Silence
Orphan
Final Destination
Scream 2
Insidious
I used to read a whole bunch of Christopher Pike when I was a teenager, but I don't think any ever scared me, and the Stephen King's books I've read so far horrified me more than scared me, lol.
I have to do this quickly. I was supposed to do it last night and plum forgot, but have to leave early today as well! This is brought to us by Dani and Jackie, the Cover Girls (links to come later), and this week they ask:
Name something you are looking forward to this Summer.
Tomorrow, I am going to Baltimore to listen to the FINAL SYMPHONY! That is the music of Final Fantasy, and it will be the music of FF VI, VII, and X, which had some of the best scores in the history of gaming! I love Nobuo Uematsu. I can't wait to hear this live!
Have a good weekend! What are you looking forward to this Summer?
I watched the 2nd episode of Final Fantasy XV yesterday, and it focused on a little bit of backstory for the supporting character Prompto (God, I hope I can change his name). They're driving away from a blockade, and an injured pup is in the road. Prompto pulls over and goes to care for it, sending us into his thoughts for a flashback of an overweight teen Prompto who cares for an injured puppy. He learns it belongs to a girl who knows Prince Noctis (the MC), and he gets up the nerve to speak to Noctis. Everyone's scared to talk to him. Prompto is clumsy and awkward, so he trips over a barrier. Noctis, who goes to help him up, tells him he's heavy, so Prompto worked to lose weight so he could talk to Noctis again (awkward logic). Secretly, you could tell Noctis wanted Prompto to talk to him whenever he saw him, because literally NO ONE else would.
I say this to say I found one of these nostalgic moments in my own story the other day, and it felt good to see the parallel. Make those parallels where you can. They're fun.
.jpg)
