HOLY CRABS, Y'ALL!

Yesterday I bought the Tactics Ogre artbook from the Squeenix website and it is arriving today????

I bought it because I was futzing around seeing if I could find a book of Akihiko Yoshida's art (since he is one of my favourite artists ever), and the search threw up the Squeenix store as a result, so I was like fuck it. I'm having this.

I mean. It's one of my favourite artists and it has tarot motifs. What more could you want? (I'm never going to play Tactics Ogre, probably, as I suck at tactics type games, but I wanted it for the art more than anything).

I almost pre-ordered the FF Tactics book as well, but decided not to in the end. It's not out till November, but also I would've been dropping over fifty quid on just two books (including delivery) and I felt like I couldn't do that. So I didn't.

One of these days, I'll be able to make a shelf where I can put all my game/film artbooks - I've always found concept art super inspiring, so it'll be nice to be able to have it all where I can see it and access it easily.

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In other news: I am playing Bravely Default!

I am really enjoying it! I think the jobs system feels busted, and I'm not even that far in, I don't think? (I'm at the third of four crystals, maybe around twenty hours or so?)

I would like to slap Ringabel upside his head, although not as hard as some sleazy types because he's just about bearable? Just. He also gives me strong Balthier vibes, and IDK if that's a good thing or not.

I like Edea a lot, and Agnès needs all the hugs. Tiz I don't really feel strongly about one way or the other, he's just kind of...there.

Also don't answer this as I don't want any potential spoilers, but why does Airy give me bad guy vibes? I just feel like there's something off about her, but I don't know what it is. I could be entirely off base with this, I guess we'll find out when I get to the end!

I do love me a turn-based RPG, and of course this one is Final Fantasy without being Final Fantasy, so of course I love it(?) I love the art style (rinse and repeat comments about Akihiko Yoshida here), and I love the backgrounds, and how crisp the pixel art of the items is in menus, and how flexible the job system is. I love the music as well, and a lot of it gives me Ni No Kuni vibes, even though it's two entirely different composers.

I also like the mechanic of rebuilding Norende and, while it's nice that there are AI players in case you have no Nintendo friends, I wish they'd also built in something to accommodate for Street Pass not being around - though I guess when the game was made that wasn't a possibility. I do wonder how it works on Steam, though (I may have to buy the PC version at some point. For science? ;) )

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And then my final thing! I have seen three dragonflies in the past week, which isn't a lot, but given I can go years without seeing a single one, I feel kind of blessed right now!

I saw one while I was waiting for the bus to work (and was only clued in by its shadow on the road), and the other two when I came home from work on Monday. There were two zipping about right outside my kitchen window! I wanted to stay and watch them, but I had to feed myself and the cat, so I couldn't :( But the fact that I saw them even at all was really pretty cool.

I have finally beaten Miitopia! \o/

It only took me three goes at the final boss, which wasn't too bad. I did have to do some grinding in between the second and third attempts, and actually formulate some sort of strategy, but then on the third attempt, I did it!

Miitopia is a very silly game (complimentary), and I enjoyed it a lot. It was good to be able to play something that didn't really require much thought from me, and it was nice to curl up on a chair with a handheld device.

And now I have started Bravely Default, which I have wanted to play since I first heard about it existing. I am not very far in - I've literally just collected the main party members - but I am very charmed by it already. I love how the backgrounds look, and the sprites on said backgrounds (but I always liked how 4 Heroes of Light looked, and this is a similar style; it was meant to be a sequel to that originally, so it makes sense that it has a similar style). I really like the way the battle system works, as well, although I'm not sure I fully understand it yet, nor do I have enough jobs or abilities to use it to its full potential yet. (I have three jobs plus freelancer at the moment).

I am also delighted that I can listen to the Japanese voice track! I am also surprised by how many words I recognise (not a lot, and I don't know what all of them mean, but I'm still impressed with myself anyway).

I am playing on Easy because I am old and my brain needs a rest right now. I can always change it if I want to later anyway.

I have also bought some games recently! (nobody is surprised)

I got Octopath Traveller in the Steam Summer Sale (and, amazingly, that was the only thing I bought, but I also had choice paralysis and was in work a lot, so didn't really have the time to look). I also have just bought Nier Automata and The Legend of Legacy (3DS version) second hand. I also thought about getting the Nier remake, but I don't really want it? I'll never play it because I can't take bro Nier seriously (sorry), and I'm happy enough that I already played and beat the original version.

(And I'm not 100% sure I really want Automata. At the moment it feels a little bit like "buying it just to have it" like I did with the Kingdoms of Amalur remake).

Anyway, I think that's it for the moment. I'm going to go and play some more Bravely Default while waiting for a parcel :)

Bullet point list, just because:

# We have now had two heatwaves this year - one at the end of May, one at the end of June. It got to low thirties °C, which is WAY above what it should be for West Yorkshire at that time of year. It's due to get hotter again at the end of this coming week (though hopefully slightly less ridiculous temps, and for less time, but I'll believe it when it happens).

# I have just had a week off work. I didn't do much beyond a lot of House Things that needed doing because I hadn't previously had the time. (I like that I get extra money to Do Stuff from being in work so much, but it sucks ass that I then don't have the time outside of holidays, blehhhhh).

# I was meant to go to the dentist in the middle of the week, but I had to cancel and rebook because I have also been ill with a cold while I've been off! YAY. [/sarcasm] I wasn't as ill as last time this happened, but it still wasn't fun AND I had two of the worst nosebleeds I've had in a while because of it.

# I went to Burnley again, because I was out of the house anyway, and thought I'd enjoy the cooler weather while I could. I accidentally ;) bought two more sketchbooks and one notebook from TK Maxx because a) they were both brands I like (Royal Talens/Sakura) and b) they were all on sale. One of them I got for £2.40 for some reason, which is a fraction of its price, but I'm not complaining in the slightest!

I also got a Peanuts Hallowe'en mug while I was there, and I feel like that was a gift from the universe, as I had been grumping to myself that I didn't have any Hallowe'en Peanuts stuff. And now I do!

# I had a realisation about feeling uncreative, and I think I've realised it before (i.e. that it's been going on longer than I think it has, but I am yet to find out what triggered it in the first place). I think it's hitting worse at the moment because I have less free time, and seasonal depression is hitting me hard this year.

# I'm having to do grinding in Miitopia so I can beat the final boss, and I am not amused by this (I tried twice and got my ass handed to me yesterday). I could give up and go to Bravely Default instead, but I'm trying not to do that any more.