all made up with nowhere to go

I keep forgetting to mention it here, but I have been updating my sketch blog with autoposts! And I'm going to be adding some more stuff today!

(Apologies if you already know this because you follow me on twitter).

Most of the posts are multi-image (for convenience), and it's stuff from the past year, and a bit beyond! (One of the things is an embroidered study I did of Van Gogh's Starry Night with Cypress Tree that I finished in 2015. So, yeah. Sometimes I just do things and then forget to upload them anywhere).

Also some hoops I ordered last week arrived today so now I can mount and photograph some of the stuff I've been doing recently \o/

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I have got loads of Xmas presents for my nephew, and the best part is that all of it came to less than £15!

My sister in law said I don't need to buy presents for her and my brother, but I'm going to at least find them a little thing each. Even if it is something dumb, like a toy car for my brother (he likes cars A LOT) and...IDK what I would get for my sister in law, but I'm sure I could find something.

It's weird not having mum to buy for. I've seen things I would have got her this year, whereas I'd had a lot of trouble in past years. I also have seen quite a few things I would have bought for my dad, were he still around, so I guess it's just going to be like that this year!

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I have been watching the cutscenes from The Zodiac Age version of FFXII on Youtube, because I own neither it nor a PS4, and I was bitten by the urge to replay, but that would mean dusting off the PS2 (literally), and I just couldn't be bothered, so I resorted to the internet instead!

The best part about this is that the soundtrack got remastered! And I didn't know! And, for the most part, it is a delight to my ears! (Obviously there's some stuff I haven't heard because the video I'm watching is literally just the cutscenes and maybe a boss battle here and there). Compare this to how I feel about the redone version of the Persona 2: Innocent Sin soundtrack (it's horrible and not as good as the original; same for FFIV, actually). I'm glad I like the remastered version, because it's one of my favourite game soundtracks.

In other video game news, I have finally remembered to download Delta Rune! I don't know if I will be able to get it to run via WINE or not. We will just have to see.

~

Anyway, I've got stuff I need to upload, so I'm going to go and do that!

I missed another question, principally because I've been having trouble coming up with an answer. I've sort of got one now, so here we go.

thenicochan said: If you could create a sequel/prequel to any FF game, which one would it be and what would it be about?

Do you know what? I don't think I want a prequel or a sequel to any FF game. Mainly because all the ones I can think of that I'd like sequels for have them (IV, X, XII, XIII - though I'm not sure I wanted sequels to XIII, but I am hella glad that XIII-2 exists because I LOVE it). And I'm not so interested in prequels because, to some degree, it all leads to a forgone conclusion. Unless it's set in the distant past and...I don't know if there are any games where I'm interested in that.

THAT SAID. I do kind of wish we'd got Fortress instead of Revenant Wings for a sequel to XII, primarily because - and I am TOTALLY biased - it would have been Basch as the player character. I doubt I would have liked it, based on what I read about it, but I don't like Revenant Wings. I don't like the direction the story goes in (though that's more to do with where the characters end up than what actually happens in the plot). Also I am hilariously rubbish at strategy games! I do not do strategy, it is alien to me, despite having now played three FF games that use it as the method of play. Remember, I am the person who went into a boss fight without buying any armour or weapons for my character, and then was surprised when I was flattened by said boss. That was in a main series FF game.

But otherwise, I'm pretty pleased with the stories in the main games that we were given. I don't want to know more about most of the characters or worlds. (And if I did, I'd just write fanfic, tbh).

~

I thought I had stuff to say, but it mostly consisted of people I know being arseholes (one unintentionally, the other I'm not sure about). So let's not, eh?

Oh, but the other day I awoke at 5am because brains! (I think it was anxiety about taking the cat to the vet, but honestly who knows). I stayed up and read twitter for an hour, and then attempted to fall back asleep. This did not happen, because not long after, the cat decided she was starving. I decided to ignore her, and proceeded to fall into a state where I knew I was not fully asleep, nor was I fully conscious. And I had a dream. A fairly immersive dream, at that given that I also knew my arm was hanging over the side of my bed, and my face was planted into the mattress. If that's ever happened before I don't remember it.

Anyway, I thought it was kind of interesting and slightly weird.

(The cat is fine, by the by. The vet took her blood, even though I'd been told that wasn't going to happen. Her thyroid levels are OK, still, so the medication hasn't gone up. Which is good, because apparently we're about to hit the maximum payout by the insurance company so a financial ouch is on its way, I guess. She has also put on weight since last time, which is good! She's almost back at the weight she was when she came back after being missing.

Again, we don't have to back for three months so yaaaaay!)

Looking for something else, found this thread on NeoGAF, which pleased me immensely and is absolutely true:

Final Fantasy XII is still a gorgeous game (you may not want to read the whole thread, but it's nice that nine years after this game was released, people other than me and a handful of people I know still think it's amazing).

(the more I think about it, the more I think XII is actually my fave FF now. I still love IV a lot but I spend WAY more time thinking about XII).

Random stuff makes a post, right?

# I made an apple crumble! It is about to go in the oven after sitting in the fridge overnight! (that's not a required step, but it was pretty late when I made it so I decided we'd have it tonight instead). It is, hands down, the easiest thing I've ever made. I even think I might have made one in home ec, because it's that easy. The worst part is stewing the fruit, and even that's a cakewalk.

However, because I can't read instructions, the topping is going to be far too sweet. Also I forgot to halve it, so we've got some left over in the fridge (where it will allegedly keep for a week). I think I might do something with it and the tinned peaches. OM NOM NOM.

Later: TASTES GOOOOOOD! Topping is a bit dry - less flour, a bit more butter next time. But otherwise OK! *thumbs up*

# I do have another FFXII post to come, but I haven't had a lot to say for the past few parts, so the next one's probably going to cover Golmore Jungle to Archades because honestly I've been so tired of late that a lot of my brain has just been, "Oh, OK".

# I do also have tumblr updates, but again with the tired, and busy doing Other Stuff™ that is decidedly Not As Fun.

# ruuger posted a link to a thing where you can find out your Finnish name!

Mine is Vilja Jokela, which apparently means "grain" and "rivery". I have no idea what to make of that, except I suppose the rivery part makes sense, since I am an Aquarius. *shrugs*

(If I do my chosen name instead of my given one, I still get Jokela for a surname and...I don't know what to make of that).

# I've been thinking about locking down my old livejournal because it is indeed old, and full of a lot of horribly embarrassing stuff. I remembered that LJ now has a mass post editor. HURRAH! I celebrated too early, because apparently you need a paid account to lock multiple posts all at the same time, and no way am I giving them any more of my cash ever again. *sighs*

# also I just downloaded a pattern for a fucking massive cardigan, and I think, when my printer ink order FINALLY arrives, I will print it out (after the Important Thing I need to print) and start knitting that fucker because why the hell not.

I hate cardigans, but I hate being cold even more, and this one just looks amazing. I can catch up on animes while I do it because the worst parts are colour changes (which I might ignore) and shaping.

Also I just finished a pair of socks in hot pink and teal. They look horrendous, and they are AWFUL to photograph, but I love them.

# I am four episodes behind on Kill la Kill right now, but the fucks I give are zero (it's not that I don't care; I do. I just can't be arsed with streaming at the moment. Although maybe when I start that fucking amazing cardigan?????)

From Bhujerba to just outside Raithwall's Tomb!

Caveat lector: there's a lot of swearing in this post. Sorry.

( Read more... )

Raithwall's Tomb shenanigans next!

~*~

Theories that I like about this game:

# that the characters are doing what they feel is right. Which doesn't excuse some people's behaviour, but it's an interesting theory to apply and look at.

# there's also a theory about rebellion - Fran rebels, so does Ashe, so does Venat and in a minor case, so does the rogue Urutan-Yensa. (I'm sure there are other examples, but I can't think of them right now).

# that the game is Ashe's Start of Darkness (don't take my word for it; listen to her theme tune*) but it's curtailed.

*I have always loved that track, but had no idea it was her theme tune, or that she even HAD a theme tune. I AM THE WORST FAN OF EVERYTHING EVER.

<---- Start to Bhujerba | Raithwall's Tomb to the Elder Wyrm --->

You might or might not want to know this, but from tonight, I'm going to start making posts as I play through FFXII for YES, THE FIFTH TIME.

I am only in Nalbina Dungeon right now, and the amount of things I have noted/want to say is incredible for me. I dare say it helped that I'm reading through Livvy's FFXII/International Zodiac Job System* posts, AND that I am reading the posts on moogle_university (which is, let's be fair, what started this because I couldn't not comment, and then I was like, DANG).

So I'm mentioning this because:

~ I thought you'd like to know
~ if you're not interested, you can scroll past OR GET THIS: there is a way to block tags on here, but I don't know it. So you can effectively block all my posts (which will be tagged with jae plays ffxii. I was going to go with something more sarcastic, but what do you know I can't think of anything).

Don't expect masses of commentary or coherency or clever stuff because that's just not me. Most of it will probably be "huh, never noticed THAT before". Probably.

Right. I'm off to free mah Landisian boyfriend!

Start to Bhujerba ---->

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*I want to play this version SO BADLY. Apparently XII gets an HD release if X/X-2 HD sell well, so maybe, like those two, XII's version will be the international release.

I was commenting on lassarina's post about Ivalice, and I realised I was missing some crucial icons, so I went and uploaded them. One of them is gracing this post (I think I've been without a paid account for so long that I forgot I can suddenly upload relevant/useless/pretty icons whenever I want).

I also had ~feelings~ because that's the way I feel about Ivalice (maybe more so than Mass Effect, even though I would flat out tell you ME is my favourite game, no questions asked). And, because of that post, I've been thinking (yet again) about playing Tactics (I suck at Tactics games), or Vagrant Story (I'm kind of afraid of it, even though I could finish it in a day? HOW STUPID IS THAT?) or YOU KNOW playing FFXII AGAIN and maybe FINISHING this time! (I've played it four? five? times and stopped right about the time The Bahamut is available because I defer and do hunts and then I get bored and then I never come back to it. NARGLE).

(ONE DAY I WILL KILL YIAZMAT BUT IT IS NOT TODAY).

(or tomorrow either)

(or the day after that)

(you get the picture)

Relatedly, I have just had it pointed out to me (by TVT, no less) that ( this is a spoiler )

OH MAN WHAT AN IDIOT. I AM THE WORST FAN OF EVERYTHING EVER.

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Also I hauled out an FFXII that I started writing five years ago, and abandoned because I couldn't make it work without dodgy circumstances. I re-read it and it's still good, and...now I kind of want to carry on writing it again, except there are still the dodgy circumstances AND really I'd need to play the game again to get a handle on the characters.

(Another fic I started around the same time EXEMPLIFIES the thing noted above. I.E. that I did not notice it because I am an idiot. Though it guess it proves that that whole part works as intended, although it wrecks a video I made to pieces** :( ).

~*~

*But, I think in part that knowing two pairs of twins as a kid probably helped me with that???

**I've vidded approx three times in my life, and they were all for FFXII. I started two FFX ones, but couldn't find enough useable footage that didn't have subs on :( I haven't vidded since mainly because of hardware/software constraints.

ETA: Actually I made four FFXII vids, and they're all lame, apart from the one about Balthier which, unsurprisingly, is the one I spent the most time on. Two of the others lack scenes for characters (or required characters together), and the final one (which I spent the second most time on) probably just needs re-editing. But see previous remarks about soft/hardware. [/eta]

Ungh. Really cannot be bothered with el jay right now >.<

~*~

So I beat Ahriman on the first go? How on earth did that happen?! (Well, Penelo and Basch were level 40, so...that may have helped somewhat). For those of you new to this, or totally forgot what I was doing with this playthrough, Penelo's my tank and Basch is my healer. Balthier is my black/time mage (although, as usual, I'm not really using black magic because I really can't be arsed to set up the gambits, and I don't have all the necessary gambit-tech-thingies anyway). Fran is my green mage/alternate tank.

I'm not using Vaan or Ashe because I don't want to, and I don't have. And I dislike them both intensely. Which is a shame, really. I wanted to like Ashe despite her terrible taste in clothing.

Weapons are chosen to avoid defaults where possible thus:

~ Penelo was using a sword, she's now using a bow. Although all the bows are as big as, if not bigger than she is, and that looks kind of ridiculous.
~ Basch is using a hammer (or axe) mainly because they give him a massive strength boost and he hits stuff and they die, lol.
~ Balthier is using a pole, and I LOVE his animation for it - he tucks it under his arm when waiting, and tends to twirl it before hitting enemies. I've forgotten what I had him using before then.
~ Fran is using spears. Sadly because she's now close range, she dies so, so easily. She is very squishy.

Also I am at Archades for the first time, and I have close to 50K in gil. This is mainly from Balthier having the thief's cuffs, and stealing awesome stuff pretty much all the time. My best steal so far was a recursive crossbow from a bomb in the Stilshrine.

~*~

Going to be doing some work on the not!studio this weekend \o/ I am so, so excited and I don't even have the space yet!