KJ

Yes, indeed, we are doing a second round of Mega Flare this year, and signups open today! Check out all the details at megaflare_ff. Whee!

As long as I'm here, I might as well finish up the 30 days meme. I've noticed that pretty much no one has managed to draw this out over 30 days, and I see why; most of the questions are too short-answer to really justify a whole entry, and neither do they really invite discussion or debate. But I hate leaving projects undone, so here we go!

Day 21 – Favourite Final Fantasy pairing/ship.

If you have to ask, then you haven't known me very long. The answer is Paine/Nooj. First, last, and always.

More recently, I have also gotten really into Ashe/Balthier and Ashe/Al-Cid, the latter of which is sadly underrepresented in the fandom.

Day 22 – Favourite Final Fantasy summon.

Bahamut in Final Fantasy X. Not only does he kick ass in battle, he's integrated into the story in a way I haven't found another summon to equal. Also, I think his design is beautiful, especially his fayth statue.

Day 23 – Least Favourite Final Fantasy mini game.

The aforementioned butterflies are way up there. Also, monkey matchmaking. Really, Squeenix? Really? I also never got anywhere with the Calm Lands publicity game.

Day 24 – Best Final Fantasy quote.

"This is your world now."

Day 25 – Final Fantasy game you plan on playing (old or new).

Top of my list is Final Fantasy VI. I started it last year, set it aside because I got stuck on a boss battle, then got distracted and never picked it back up. I really want to finish it, though. I'm also looking forward to Versus, if it ever gets finished.

Day 26 – OMG WTF? Final Fantasy moment.

In Final Fantasy VIII, when you learn about their past in the orphanage. That bit of backstory stretches my credulity and breaks my brain. I don't know why that particular thing, of all the ridiculous coincidences that happen in every Final Fantasy game, strikes me so, but it always has. Particularly Irvine's reasons for not 'fessing up. I mean, what?

Day 27 – Best Final Fantasy storyline.

FFX, hands down. I love the story and the way the game tells it.

Day 28 – First Final Fantasy game obsession.

I think I have to give FFX-2 the nod over FFX, if only because that was the game that pulled me into being active in fandom.

Day 29 – Current Final Fantasy game obsession.

Dragon Age Final Fantasy XII. The more I read and write, the more drawn I am into the characters and the universe. So much possibility for interesting futures.

Day 30 – Saddest Final Fantasy character death.

And once again on getting drummed out of the fandom, but my answer to this question has to be Tidus. That ending scene, where Yuna tries to catch him and falls on the deck? Ouch. The way he faces the end of his existence with such calm and grace, never complaining, never angsting about it. He does what needs to be done, and then he says goodbye. I get misty, every time.

I drove to Los Angeles and back this weekend. If I'm remembering correctly, this is a trip I haven't made since 2004; I've been to LA since then, but always with T, and he much prefers to fly. It's true that flying is, in most respects, more convenient, but I do enjoy making the drive from time to time. There's nothing quite like that moment where you pull onto I-5, step on the gas, and punch it up to 95 MPH.

It was a fun trip, featuring college friends, a Back to the Future marathon, five baby kittens, and a lot of tasty food. A fine way to spend a holiday weekend.

Meme time:

Day 14 – Favourite Final Fantasy male character.

Day 15 – Favourite Final Fantasy female character.

When I first looked over the questions on the meme, I did a sort of mental triage -- which would be difficult to answer, which would be easy, which would merit some significant writing time -- and my automatic thought upon seeing these was "How on earth am I going to choose?"

Then I thought for another thirty seconds and realized that these are probably the easiest answers on the meme. Favorite male character: Auron, Final Fantasy X. Favorite female character: Paine, Final Fantasy X-2. Not just because I adore them both (for reasons I have detailed before, most notably here), but because they were the first characters I was ever driven to write about, the first characters I ever spent days and weeks and hundreds of thousands of words fleshing out in my own head. How is it even possible to love another character more after that kind of experience?

( The rest of the questions. )

Okay, so remember how I said at the start of the month that I was in consumption mode and shouldn't hold super high expectations for myself? Yeah, so much for that. 26,694 words this month, with a week to go, and inspiration still running high.

This happened last year, too, at just about the same time, thanks to a plethora of excellent FFEX prompts. This year? I think it's pretty clear who's to blame. 18,000 words in less than a month over three Dragon Age stories. It's been a long time since I've felt a creative drive quite this strong. And, as ever, I love it.

Still, while new fandoms come, the old ones aren't going anywhere. Even if I'm having a little trouble with the balance right now...

Day 10 – Best Final Fantasy scene ever.

Don't think I can narrow this down to just one. I've already mentioned the opening cutscene of the Assault on Bevelle in FFX. Auron's final scene is a favorite as well, and I will never stop being bitter that it didn't rate a full-blown FMV. The Crimson Squad confrontation beneath Bevelle in FFX-2 is my favorite scene in that game, closely followed by "Your plan sucks." Another cut scene I really love is the FMV that opens Chapter 12 in Final Fantasy XIII. It might be my favorite action sequence to watch in the series.

Day 11 – Final Fantasy game that disappointed you.

The best answer to this has to be FFVII. It is so influential, and so beloved, that I think my expectations for it were probably set beyond anything that was reasonable. So to come out of it with a largely "meh" reaction was a disappointing experience.

( The rest of the questions. )

Yay, surprise work on a Saturday, my favorite.

Day 06 – Favourite part of your favourite Final Fantasy game.

From Final Fantasy X, The Assault on Bevelle.



The video above is just the FMV, but really I love the whole sequence, from the airship zooming out of the sky through Yuna's wedding, her subsequent leap from the tower and the gang's escape. All the music suits the scene so well, beginning to end; we get some great character interactions -- including Auron calling out Kinoc; and Yuna has one of her crowning moments of awesome to cap the whole thing off. Whenever I play through it, I want to cheer.

Day 07 – Least favourite part of your favourite Final Fantasy game.

The @#%$&*! butterfly game. I'm not so crazy about the chocobo races, either.

( The rest of the questions. )

Day 02 – Your least favourite Final Fantasy game

I am probably going to be drummed out of fandom for this, but this is an easy question for me, and the answer is Final Fantasy VII.

Maybe I came to it too late -- I didn't play it until 2004, by which time I had played the other PlayStation-era games as well as FFX and X-2. But I honestly don't think the early-generation graphics were the problem, although I'm sure it didn't help. I found the story confusing. Cloud was not particularly compelling as a lead character, nor Sephiroth as a villain. The mini-games didn't really hold my interest, and I was never able to figure out how to wake up Vincent. For whatever reason, the game didn't speak to me. I did finish it, and considering what a major piece of gaming history it represents, I'm glad I experienced it for myself. But I have no compulsion to revisit it, or to play any of the other games in the Compilation. (I might have made an exception for Crisis Core if I had a PSP, since Zack is one of the characters I actually do find interesting. But alas, I do not, or any particular plans to buy one.)

The other Final Fantasy game I didn't really care for was FFV, although I acknowledge it may not entirely be the game's fault; we played the PS1 port, and I understand that it's pretty wretched. If they ever do a DS remake on it, I might give it another whirl.

( The rest of the questions. )

justira asked me about the Final Fantasy characters and 'ships that I love, compared and contrasted with Final Fantasy characters and 'ships I do not love.

Let's start by listing the characters and pairings I love and do not love, and then I can start pulling out commonalities. Some of these canons could have much longer "love" lists; in those cases, I've limited myself to four of each.

( List is behind the cut )

Looking over this list, some themes in the non-loved 'ships emerge right away. Incest is a big one, as are pairings that feature a distinct age difference and/or power differential. If by this, you came to the conclusion that Larsa/Vayne is my squickiest pairing in the history of ever, you would be correct! This extends to relationships between characters who seem, to me, to have more of a familial dynamic (Lighting/Hope, Snow/Hope, Wakka/Lulu) or friends/partners (Baralai/Paine, Balthier/Fran) than a romantic connection. I'm also not usually a fan of rival ships, particularly between the protagonist and their enemy.

The ships I do like? The first thing I usually need is some text. Interaction in canon. (With one obvious glaring exception -- Raines/Rosch -- which breaks a lot of other patterns, too. I'm really not sure where that one came from) Subtext alone almost never does it for me, although sometimes just a smidgeon of text is enough for me to open up to seeing subtextual cues as well. Because of this, and also because many of my favorite characters are female, I tend to gravitate towards het rather than slash.

As for characters, it's pretty clear here that I gravitate toward heroic characters rather than villains, but at least in the context of the Final Fantasy games, rarely is the protagonist my favorite character. My very favorites are usually just a step below the main hero: the support staff. Another type of character I like is one with a mystery. A character who has something hidden, just below the surface, but close enough that I can see that something is there, something worth discovering. One-note villains and "good" characters who don't show enough emotion for me to connect with them are typically the ones I don't care for.

The one exception in the character realm is the least-favorite FFX-2 characters, and that's all about the character development. I really liked the way Yuna's character developed and grew, showing more independence and while staing the same caring person beneath the perkier exterior. It felt very natural to me, the specific ways in which she changed and did not change. On the other hand, I didn't like the development on Rikku and Brother at all; it didn't feel true, or natural, and especially in the case of Rikku it was too bad, because I rather liked her in FFX.

30 Days of... Project! Complete list of questions / Ask a question on LJ or on DW.