![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
029 ☆
☆ Getting through my reading list as promised! I hate falling behind even though I always do, though I guess there's not really any rush here compared to other social media. The posts'll still be there when I get to them! I did stumble upon a fic exchange that looked interesting, ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
unsent_letters_exchange. Nominations are still open for a few more days! I've never done an exchange before, but I used to be big into epistolary fic, so I'm kind of tempted. 👀
☆ I've reached chapter 150 in my great Tsubasa RC re-read, which is definitely past the point I had previously read in high school. The amount of shit that has gone down since my previous update... So much that I can't even remember half of it now that I'm trying to type this up sjdfhskjfs. The whole X-themed apocalypse world happened, Fai finally got vampirized--lots of incredibly gay KuroFai content revolving around that, love that CLAMP has permanently tied Kurogane and Fai's lives together, thanks fam--and then the battle chess world... I had zero forewarning of what was going to happen here with Fai's curse and Sakura's premonitions, and the last I read she had left them (in two different directions it seems lol) so this will be delicious fallout to read once I jump back in. I looove Fai so much, I didn't think they could "poor little meow meow" him any more than they already had but once again CLAMP exceeds my expectations.
☆ I'm making progress in Final Fantasy XVI as well! According to my PS5 I'm about 63% of the way through? The last major event was the Titan fight, which was super cool, I do love these ridiculous eikon fights we get to do. I think my previous complaints are still holding up, but I'm still curious where this plot is going, what's up with Ultima/what's going to happen once all the mothercrystals are destroyed, etc. Got to see Dion and Terence for a single cutscene, they're cute. 😔 Still can't believe Squeenix finally put a canon gay in something. (Yes Fanille is first in my heart, no I don't think they did that on purpose lol.)
I hate that you don't really have a proper party, it's just Clive and sometimes you bring along a pal who's barely there except for cutscenes. Jill got to have her moment when she got revenge on that Iron Kingdom priest guy, but it was a pretty lackluster scene compared to the badass fights Clive gets to have. I was talking to a friend who's also playing the game right now and she said it would have been cool to get to fight as Jill either half-primed or fully primed instead of it just being a cutscene, and I was like that would have been so good!! I hate that she put the idea in my mind because now I'm mad it didn't happen skjhdfksjd
☆ Does anyone still play Overwatch? Unfortunately I do lmao. I've never been big into first-person shooters but I've always enjoyed Overwatch as a game. Unsurprisingly I'm a healer main with D.Va as my main tank (though tanking has gotten sooo much more annoying since they switched to a 5-person team single-tank setup). This new season they've reset everyone for competitive, idk why but I'm sure there's some explanation that I don't care about, so I was stupidly like eh okay I guess I'll place myself again. BAD IDEA I had to stop because I'm 1:3 and consistently the best player on my team which is not good because I'm average at best jshdfsjkdfs. So I guess I'll just jump back in later after more people get sorted, maybe... Would be nice not to get put into games where my team has zero kills amongst us and the enemy team has 15 elims each. (And this is for my healer ranking, I shudder to think how things would go as the sole tank...)
unsent_letters_exchange. Nominations are still open for a few more days! I've never done an exchange before, but I used to be big into epistolary fic, so I'm kind of tempted. 👀☆ I've reached chapter 150 in my great Tsubasa RC re-read, which is definitely past the point I had previously read in high school. The amount of shit that has gone down since my previous update... So much that I can't even remember half of it now that I'm trying to type this up sjdfhskjfs. The whole X-themed apocalypse world happened, Fai finally got vampirized--lots of incredibly gay KuroFai content revolving around that, love that CLAMP has permanently tied Kurogane and Fai's lives together, thanks fam--and then the battle chess world... I had zero forewarning of what was going to happen here with Fai's curse and Sakura's premonitions, and the last I read she had left them (in two different directions it seems lol) so this will be delicious fallout to read once I jump back in. I looove Fai so much, I didn't think they could "poor little meow meow" him any more than they already had but once again CLAMP exceeds my expectations.
☆ I'm making progress in Final Fantasy XVI as well! According to my PS5 I'm about 63% of the way through? The last major event was the Titan fight, which was super cool, I do love these ridiculous eikon fights we get to do. I think my previous complaints are still holding up, but I'm still curious where this plot is going, what's up with Ultima/what's going to happen once all the mothercrystals are destroyed, etc. Got to see Dion and Terence for a single cutscene, they're cute. 😔 Still can't believe Squeenix finally put a canon gay in something. (Yes Fanille is first in my heart, no I don't think they did that on purpose lol.)
I hate that you don't really have a proper party, it's just Clive and sometimes you bring along a pal who's barely there except for cutscenes. Jill got to have her moment when she got revenge on that Iron Kingdom priest guy, but it was a pretty lackluster scene compared to the badass fights Clive gets to have. I was talking to a friend who's also playing the game right now and she said it would have been cool to get to fight as Jill either half-primed or fully primed instead of it just being a cutscene, and I was like that would have been so good!! I hate that she put the idea in my mind because now I'm mad it didn't happen skjhdfksjd
☆ Does anyone still play Overwatch? Unfortunately I do lmao. I've never been big into first-person shooters but I've always enjoyed Overwatch as a game. Unsurprisingly I'm a healer main with D.Va as my main tank (though tanking has gotten sooo much more annoying since they switched to a 5-person team single-tank setup). This new season they've reset everyone for competitive, idk why but I'm sure there's some explanation that I don't care about, so I was stupidly like eh okay I guess I'll place myself again. BAD IDEA I had to stop because I'm 1:3 and consistently the best player on my team which is not good because I'm average at best jshdfsjkdfs. So I guess I'll just jump back in later after more people get sorted, maybe... Would be nice not to get put into games where my team has zero kills amongst us and the enemy team has 15 elims each. (And this is for my healer ranking, I shudder to think how things would go as the sole tank...)
no subject
no subject
no subject
The 5 man has made tanking extremely stressful. I used to play mostly offtanks, Zarya and Dva and liked denying dives and stuff but that role's basically gone and I haven't spent enough time to figure out how to adapt. I saw they made significant changes to damage and healing numbers or something so I'm real curious to see how that feels when I finally start playing again.
no subject
If you want to try writing with no deadline pressure, you can always treat too? Since I'm very erratic in whether I'll write or get jammed up in self-doubt these days, that's what I've been doing lately with the exception of Yuletide 2023.
ETA: omg you said that about treats and I read right over it. If you decide to enter this exchange and want a sounding board though, I'd be happy to chat exchanges!
no subject
I think I stopped about the point where you are in FFXVI haha, only remember one or two things I did after... I still haven't picked it back up *sigh* I'm where you're at with "why only Clive's where's my party" and "I'm still curious to see where this all goes..."
Happy to see a Fanille mention though, they were such a highlight when playing XIII!!! Absolute favs :D <3
no subject
no subject
no subject
OH DEAR LORD I JUST HEARD TWO OR MORE SQUIRRELS RUNNING ON MY ROOF REALLY FAST BACK AND FORTH AND IT SCARED THE LIFE OUT OF ME HAHAHAH
but anyway! jeez. i'm so happy you can find joy and have such a good hobby with gaming! i do have a lot of friends who play and especially that are into final fantasy and things, so i fully support it!
i will tell you... any time i've tried to play a first person shooter game - i just end up not being able to analog and just am that person who dies in 3 seconds because i am walking into the wall or something. 😂 help SOS
no subject
Yeppp like D.Va is still my favorite tank (I also like Orisa/Ramattra/Zarya too when I want to switch it up) but it's definitely more annoying trying to tank when, like me, you have no Overwatch friends so you're stuck with randoms who don't stay grouped and don't keep the tank up sdjhfsjhdf. Like hello follow me, heal me, what am I here for if you all abandon me and die elsewhere!! I mean that's always been a problem even pre-Overwatch 2 lol but at least then you had the other tank to pick up the slack.
Like I've definitely been rolled by enemy teams with one off-tank, so it's not impossible to play, but it does make it harder to play when you've got a crappy team lmao. If you do start playing again let me know how you find it!
no subject
It feels almost like endgame should be approaching soon but according to my PS5 I'm not even at 75% yet so I'm like what else is going to happen... I think not having a proper party is the most disappointing part of everything, I want to play other people and hear banter and stuff. :(
Vanille is one of my fave FF characters I love her sooo much. And Fang 😍 She and Vanille were so clearly in love...Square why were you cowards...
no subject
no subject
haha I'm honestly not great at FPS games either, but that's part of why I like Overwatch a lot. they've got a variety of play style options so when I'm especially sucking at shooting things on a given day I can switch to a character that doesn't require quite so much precision aiming lol
no subject
those squirrels scared the life out of me and even my dogs had the biggest "wtf???" face going on. they were too stunned to speak. hahaha.
ooooo, so that's pretty neat that they offer many other options! i might not be AS terrible at that considering they give you other opportunities with other characters. i DO really like games like WoW and things of that nature. there was a game i really liked on x-box (i cannot remember the name of it to save my life) BUT i can tell you it was kinda like WoW in a way? i know i played a sorcerer or something as one character... i don't know. but i like those style of games. and then, i am also heavily obsessed with the sims. so that's really all i can contribute. well - that, and like i ADORE old Sega games like mega bomberman, paper boy, sonic, echo & echo jr. (lol!) just all the nostalgia from things like that. i actually still have a Sega with all the games from my childhood that still work perfectly.
no subject
I have a lot of feelings about Jill as a party member that I'll spare you from, but yeah!! It'd be cool if there's a director's cut or an extended version where they expand on certain scenes with additional options (like playing the other party members) so! I'll keep holding out my faith for something like that.
no subject
so yeah that was wild, poor Fai 😔 brother dead, fake dad a mass murderer, fake dad also dead, boyfriend now missing an arm...he's having a rough time of it.
no subject
I'd love to hear your Jill thoughts!! Or if spoilery, I'd love to hear them when I'm done lmao I'm about 75% of the way through so I'm getting there... When I got to the Bahamut fight and they reminded me that there's Phoenix battle sequences I was like HEY >:C We could've had a Shiva fight!! (Or Ramuh!!)
no subject
I never had a Sega as a kid, we were a Nintendo/Playstation household lol. But I would always go over to my friend's house to play their Dreamcast, I wanna say? So like Sonic and all that stuff were "special" games I only got to play sometimes.
no subject
see!! i never had a Nintendo, but we did get a Playstation when it came out! i would always go to my friends houses and play their Nintendo and Dreamcast! we are the opposite. haha!
what would you say is your number one "comfort" game? like a game you can always go back to and play over and over again that gives you a sense of relaxing and "at home" comfort?
no subject
Welcome. I've been here since like 2007. You'll be OK, I promise.
If you want some fic, I remember there was a lot of good stuff on
no subject
I'll definitely have to go fic hunting once I finish the series (which is close I think?), thank you for the link!
no subject
oh jeez hmm I rarely ever replay games anymore because I don't have the time but I used to replay Kingdom Hearts/KH2 a ton, like I had both games pretty much memorized. I've also re-started my favorite Final Fantasies too many times to count lmao
what about you? if it's something other than the Sims haha
no subject
I'm so glad you're enjoying FFXVI so far! I've been in the fan pit for this game since like July lol (and I can't get out!!). It's been interesting to me seeing what resonates for folks with this title / what doesn't. I too would have loved having the opportunity to play as a character other than Clive haha, though I love that Clive's "party" is kind of represented by the close bonds he makes with NPCs and Hideaway members over the course of the game. I believe there's been talks of the future PC version perhaps expanding on that aspect for players whenever it arrives with maybe playable Cid and/or Jill (and hopefully it will/would be an update available to console players as well.) (I need to hunt down that article/interview.)
And yasss I loved Dion and Terence's scene. It was so tender and sincere. Squeenix did well with that. ;_; Exciting to see another Fanille fan as well, haha.
I participated in that
no subject
I'm almost at the end of 16 so I'll probably write up my final thoughts in a post once I do! I think my biggest "issue" with the no party thing is that it feels more like a generic RPG to me without one, not like a Final Fantasy game. Like there's nothing WRONG with setting it up that way, same as there's nothing wrong with it not being turn-based, but having BOTH no party and no turn-based combat is like, well this is just God of War or something.
I wish we got to see more Dion and Terence :( More Dion in general, tbh, he was definitely one of my favorites so he should've had more screen time!! (Yesss another Fanille fan ♥ They're one of my fave FF ships.)
I did end up signing up for the exchange! Given the small word count minimum and the length of time before submissions are due I should be able to get it done, I'm just nervous trying new things jhfksjdfs At least when I give up on normal fic challenges there isn't someone on the other end to be disappointed.
no subject
I'm hoping with the upcoming DLC some Dion tidbits will be released into the wild, I too am starving for more haha. XD
At least when I give up on normal fic challenges there isn't someone on the other end to be disappointed. Oh I feel this hard hahaha. Best of luck!!
no subject
I had to go look up the DLC since I didn't even know there was one haha I never buy DLC so I'll have to watch videos on youtube or something. I'll take whatever new info on these characters I can get... Very interested in seeing Leviathan too though 👀
no subject
I very rarely buy DLC myself, but I definitely dropped money immediately for the combo pack when it was announced DLC would be made for FFXVI lolol. I'm very excited to see what Rising Tides will potentially offer, especially in the character development department.
no subject
I see from my googling there was already a DLC out?? so I'll have to watch that on youtube too lol. I'm hoping this new one gives Jill more time to shine... Ifrit and Shiva team-up batttle maybe? assuming it's not set too close to the end of the game :/
no subject
i've always enjoyed WATCHING video games being played by my fiance, his bff, or any friend i'm around who's playing. i loveeee watching people game. my fiance and i also a lot of the time watch video game play-throughs on YouTube at night when we're falling asleep. i really enjoyed watching "The Forest" and "Alien Isolation" recently.
my cousin used to play so much final fantasy and i LOVED watching him play that. also, i loved kingdom hearts (i guess it would be the older ones, as i was in like middle school or a freshman in high school at this time.)
anyway.. other than that, i also have this mindless phone game i play. it's like the only game i have on my phone, but it's where you run hotels. i cannot remember the name of it to save my life.
that reminds me... do you remember the game ski-free or whatever it was called?! man, i wish they would bring that back and somehow format it for phones of today and put it in the app store. it was one of those games that came on old Windows computers back in the day.
but yeah - i'm not the hugest gamer ever. i just am obsessed with The Sims to a large degree... and it's typically the only thing i really have time to do in my free time at night or during nap time when i get my son down. 😂 i am also very interested in playing "Paralives" in the future because it's sort of like an indie simulation game and i wanna see what it offers that The Sims doesn't. i wish the Sims creators would just LISTEN to what the players are constantly expressing they want in the future of The Sims 5... and right now it's looking bleak that we will ever get that.
no subject
phone games are also so addicting to me, I've got like 75 downloaded on my phone even though I only play a couple of them regularly. i SHOULD just delete the old ones but I'm always like what if I want to play this again haha.
I LOVED SKI FREE I'm so glad you remember it sjhdfskjhfds I feel like every time I bring that up IRL people are like what are you talking about. WHY DON'T PEOPLE REMEMBER SKI FREE.
having good games in the hands of big name corporations really does suck though -_- it's like they're all doomed to fuck up in one way or another, usually of their own doing.
no subject
i thought of another phone game that i enjoy. it helps to calm me down. it's the one where you sort the fruit or whatever objects and you have to clear the board by matching. i can do it so fast! there's really not too much more to it other than that, but it's good if i'm feeling anxious and just need something to do with my hands.
rlewsd;flhkhjks SKI FREEEEEE YESSSSSSSS! and omg i KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN BECAUSE NO ONE, AND I MEAN NO ONE, EVER REMEMBERS IT WHEN I BRING IT UP. they always are like, "minesweeper?" and i'm like wtf, no. even though that one is also very nostalgic, it has nothing on SKI FRI!!! this makes me so happy you remember it.
ugh. it's so frustrating. it seems like everything they're about now is cash grabs. if they would just LISTEN to the fans and players, etc... they could make the best version of the sims ever for the future of the sims games. right now they have project Rene i think it's called - and everyone thinks it's doomed to be just another cash grab without putting any effort into anything to make the game enjoyable. it's like they shit the bed after the sims 3. i DO enjoy the sims 4... but i don't understand why they rushed it at first. base game didn't even have pools or toddlers or weather or ANYTHING when it first came out, and that doesn't give you a lot to do. also, they had proven themselves 100% capable to make more of a free open world type vibe and VERY intricate game play details in prior games, and it's like they didn't bring that back. if i'm being honest, the only reason i enjoy the sims 4 as much as i do is because i've bought the expansions and packs and also - i play with mods. the mods i have make the game FAR more realistic and add such depth to it that would be lost if it were up to the sims creators...
no subject
sjhfksjdf I can't believe nobody remembers Ski Free....maybe they just didn't play it back when it was on everyone's Windows 95s or whatever. but at least SOME people out there know...
it didn't have POOLS? pools that they had all the way back in sims 1??? that's so wild. but yeah it's such a bummer these big corporations only care about money and not putting out a decent product, and it must especially suck for the devs who actually care about the games and want to do more but aren't given the time or resources.
no subject
we are part of the Ski Free club, and i wouldn't have it any other way. it was the jam. 💞 ever since you and i have been talking about it, i've had the biggest urge to play! i know people have taken some games from way back when and sort of re-made them to be for iphones and such in recent times... i wonder why no one has done it with Ski Free, for real! if i was a techno wizard, i would do it, if for no one else than US. lmao.
YESSSSS. FLKSDJGLKDFGKLFJGLKDFL THEY DIDN'T. HAVE. POOLS. basic ass pools. you're SO right. that's how so so so many people - the majority - of people feel about The Sims these days. i know a lot of people have gone back to The Sims 2 and 3 because the game play is so much better... even if the graphics aren't as great as The Sims 4. it's sad. those games are something i'm so passionate about, and i have to load my game with mods out the ass to give it the real life and intricacies of good gameplay to even enjoy it.
for instance, things people KEEP asking for:
1. more stuff for elders. they completely neglect the elderly sims.
2. free world options... more than just going to a bar or restaurant or whatever with basically not a ton to do... like they've made it clear they are able to do a very great free world in earlier games, so... like, what?!?
3. less rabbit holes. they do these things where your sims just disappear in a place you can't follow... so much. again, why cut corners? we know what they're capable of.
4. more playable careers! i'll give it to them, at least they made this an option with a few.... but you've done it with some - why not keep going with that idea??
5. the "memory system" they had in older games, like The Sims 2. this alone coupled with personality traits and fears and all that made for such REAL LIFE gameplay. there were so many things that added so much depth to the game, and literally...... you never got bored in The Sims 2. there was always something to do or something happening. this helped so much to develop a story line.
i guess... what people really want is for everything Sims 1 had, everything sims 2 had, everything sims 3 had and every improvement sims 4 had to be in sims 5... and then they should take extra suggestions for Sims 5 from people as well.
it's a simulation game. we just want a game that is a simulation of real life... and they've proven they can do SO MANY THINGS WE ARE ASKING FOR IN THE PAST. it's sad to see them cut corners and go for the cash grabs.
and, even IF they wanted to make money and do cash grabs... fine. i'll pay! just make it shit worth paying for, you know?
no subject
literally after responding last time I googled to see if ski free was posted anywhere and found a site with an emulator you can just play right in the browser lmao. so not an app but it still works!
yeah Sims 2 was sooo good imo, it had so many cool improvements and extra stuff from Sims 1. maybe because I didn't play the later games but I feel like Sims 2 had enough going for it for me shfksjhdfsk like sometimes I look at Sims 3/4 and I'm like there's too much in there... how does anyone keep track of it all haha
but yeah it seems dumb to cut out stuff from older games that could still work in the new games. at least modders are always out there doing gods work etc but they shouldn't have to!!