Month: April 2017

The State of the Writer: 4/30/17

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 14 Comments

<–The State of the Writer: 4/23/17          The State of the Writer: 5/7/17–>

A weekly post updated every Sunday discussing my current writing projects and where I stand with them.  This will include any and all work(s) in progress (WIP) be they creative writing, essays/analyses, or reviews of any type.

Project: Story
Title: The Broken Rose
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Fanfiction (FFVII) Novel
Current Word Count: 268,665
Prior Word Count: 267,782
Word Difference: +883
Status: Editing
Progress: 4th edit of Chapter 9

Another rejected chapter cover, but they’re good for this use, and I do have an appropriate picture already for that task.

I’m really trying to recall how I added over 800 words between the 3rd and 4th edit, but I must have somehow.  So far the 4th edit is going smoothly, which is how I wanted the 3rd edit to be.  Since I made some pretty serious corrections (and obviously additions), I figured a 4th was warranted, and so far that’s been more akin to a read-through.

I’d love to finish the 4th edit tonight, but I’m currently running on no coffee/caffeine.  Unfortunately, I have to go through “detox” phases with it since I’ll start get what I like to refer to as “fluttery heart,” but it’s probably more medically accurate to say heart palpitations grrr.  I love coffee and tea, so this is quite a conundrum.  I’ll probably still drink English breakfast tea at work since it has less caffeine than coffee, but I may also start looking into those five hour energy drinks.  You don’t want to drink them all the time, but once in a while it would be nice to have that energy burst.

Quote: *Causing the apocalypse is not really considered the height of courtesy.*

Project: Game Review
Title: World of Final Fantasy
Status: Drafting
Current Word Count: 4405
Prior Word Count: 3462
Word Difference: +943

world-of-final-fantasy

I’ve pretty much finished up the story section and possibly the music section.  I need to look at my other reviews to see how I typically structure them, but I should be wrapping this up soon.

Project: Book Review
Title: Descendants (The Arete Series)
Author: Rae Else
Status: Drafting

I did the preliminary set up for this today, but I don’t think I’m going to get much else done with it until later this week.

What are you currently working on?  Is it a creative writing project, essay, review, or something else?  Have you just started something new or are you wrapping up a long term project?

<–The State of the Writer: 4/23/17          The State of the Writer: 5/7/17–>

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Final Fantasy Friday: To Thine Own Self Be True

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 55 Comments
A Final Fantasy (et al) post to welcome you to the glory of Friday (if you don’t have weekends off then may this hopefully brighten the midst of your work week) with more located here!

I was planning on posting the other “half” of last week’s best dressed question, but today is the Shameful Narcissist’s birthday, and she is going to be shamefully narcissistic and give you the chance to join in the (hopefully harmless) narcissism, too!  I figured it was appropriate to post a more introspective question on the day I celebrate my existence (So.  Much.  Cake.)

What character do you identify with most?

I’m going to try to keep this light, but Final Fantasy brings up some really deep and involved emotions with me.  There are two characters I most identify with in the FF universe, one more than the other.  Ironically, the character I most connect with is male and the other one is female, but the reason is similar.

Left picture is entitled “Lucrecia and Sephiroth…2″ by roman-ranman.  I’m hoping the picture of Garnet is accurate for my memory.  It’s supposed to be when she sees Bahamut attack Queen Brahne’s fleet.

With Seph I can 100% understand why he was pissed off and fucked up, because “mommy issues’ will do that to you (I really detest that phrase, but I can’t come up with a better one), especially when whom you think is your mother died in childbirth, but turns out not to be dead, but is instead hooked up to a reactor in the town your employer (whom you hate) sent you.  Yeah, that would ruin anyone’s day.

I never have simple emotions.  If I’m angry, I usually feel guilty about it, and if I’m sad/depressed, there’s almost always some anger beneath it.  The reason Sephiroth snapped makes perfect sense to me, because even the strongest person has their breaking point, and people who are really aloof and standoffish usually are for a reason.  They’ve more than likely been emotionally manipulated/abused and they’ve learned to contain their emotions because they’ve been used to hurt them before.  Unfortunately, this doesn’t really help you deal with them, it’s just a way to suppress/push them down, which means they’ll just ignite in a torrent later.  I know some people could say I’m reaching, but that’s what I took from that situation partnered with the fact that he thought his mother was an alien eldritch abomination that’s known for its manipulative abilities and mimicking loved ones.  Yeaaaaah, because my brain works the way it does, I’ve thought of scenarios and had lots of horrifying nightmares, but I still love VII, because it speaks to me on that desperate, despairing come wrathful level.

With Garnet, there’s, well I don’t want to say “not real mother” paradigm because if you adopt a child, you are their real parent.  I guess it’s more of the combination of her losing her birth mother and having her adoptive mother become a stranger to her.  Brahne was the only one she knew, and before she was influenced by Kuja, the assumption is that the queen was loving and responsive.  It’s…kind of the opposing situations to VII.  Brahne was the one that was influenced by an alien mind whereas Sephiroth was influenced by an alien mind he thought was his mother.

Either way when Garnet sees her mother die on the beach and is unable to speak for an undetermined amount of time after that, it really got me, because something similar happened to me.  Granted, my silence only lasted for about an hour, but I understand what it means to be too shattered to speak.  When I read reviews about IX castigating the character of Garnet for being “useless” during that time in the narrative, I knew it came from people who were more concerned with gamplay than what Final Fantasy is really about.  If I happened to use Garnet when she would often miss-cast a spell due to concentration issues (which I often have), I was never annoyed about it.  One, you can always use Eiko, and two, for fuck’s sake, she saw her mother die on a goddamn beach!

So hopefully my two most identifiable characters weren’t too much of a downer..  One who exemplifies rage, the other silence in revealing the mechanisms of despair.

Alright, I’m very curious which characters you most identify with and why.  Let’s discuss in the comments and you can go as deep or as shallow as you like!  If you identify with someone because they’re technically minded and you’re a techie, too, let’s hear about it!

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The State of the Reader: 4/26/17

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 20 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 4/19/17          The State of the Reader: 5/3/17–>

A weekly post updated every Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and where I am with them in addition to what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads to make it easier for interested parties to add any books that might strike their fancy.  I attempt to use the covers for the edition I’m reading, and I’ll mention if this is not the case.  If you have a Goodreads account feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Samples Read This Week: 8

  1. (Almost) Average Anthology: Tales of Adventure, Loss, and Oddity by Jason Nugent: Passed – The writing comes off as very amateurish.  According to the blurb, the author pulled together the work he had posted on his blog, which I find very admirable; unfortunately, in execution, it reads more like a first draft or an outline, at least the first story did.
  2. Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson: Kept – I nearly teetered to the other side of the fence with this one.  There was a lot of heavy jargon in the beginning, and quite a few pages of literally listing the cast of characters.  I think the story would’ve started out much stronger if the author had begun with the first chapter, which is the reason I decided to keep it on my list.
  3. The Diamond Tree by Michael Matson: Kept (Purchased) – It’s geared towards ages 6-12 and reads like a fairy tale.  I can see myself breezing through this book.
  4. The Enchanted by Rene Denfield: Passed – It didn’t grip me for all its stream of consciousness writing.  I found it to be quite tedious if I’m being honest.  It comes with high accolades, but I don’t think it’s for me.
  5. The Glade by Harmony Kent: Kept – I was very close to putting this on my really-want-to-read list, but I’m trying to save that for books that I must have immediately, and while this was really interesting and set up a mystery with numerous plot coupons to cash in, it’s not on my must have radar.  It’s really hard for a non-fantasy book to wind up on there.
  6. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay: Kept (RWTR) – The prologue nearly brought me to tears; it was so beautifully written.  I’m a sucker for any stories that invoke the concept of memory, and the beginning of this book focused on a prince and a sculptor who were thrust into a battle they know they will not win.  It begins with the sculptor contemplating the stars on this last night and him expressing his regret that he never had the chance to sculpt his prince’s sons.  What struck me was how Mr. Kay conveyed what type of ruler this prince was in such a short amount of time.  Both of his teenage sons as well as the sculptor’s one were on the banks of that river with their fathers knowing they would all die in the morning.  He was neither a ruler who shirked his own duty nor did hide his sons away while asking his people to sacrifice their own.  Things like that are never forgotten.
  7. The Empty One by Matthew Stanley: Kept (Purchased) – I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this book written in verse, but it works…it strangely works, and it even rhymes.  Since it fulfilled my “under $2” rule, I bought it after I read enough of the sample.
  8. The Beauty Thief by Rachael Ritchey: Kept (RWTR/Purchased) – The first chapter of the sample made me a bit irritated, because it was the typical “princess has to marry a prince,” which the thirteen year old Caityn did not want to do, and to be honest, her mother was kind of gaslighting her.  I mean, I get it.  It’s what princesses are supposed to do, but I’m happy she stood her ground for as long as she did.  Then it turns out she’s quite excited to marry the prince who is a really awesome dude, and Caity and her brother have this amazing bantering, sibling relationship that reminds me of the one I have with my older brother.  Also, both the princess and the (brother) prince, while royalty, were exposed to charitable works their entire lives.  Caityn taught at a school and comforted orphans and widows, and Prince Adair (the brother) talked about a punishment where he had to serve in the scullery for a week.  I loved that.  Even though they were royalty, their parents taught them that there are consequences for misbehaving and instilled in them the idea that to rule is really to serve.  I can think of quite a few politicians who severely need that lesson.

Passed: 2
Kept: 6

Books Purchased This Week: 6

Title: The Diamond Tree
Author: Michael Matson
Date Added: January 26, 2016
Date Purchased: April 22, 2017

Media: eBook/Kindle
Price: $0.99
Retailer: Amazon

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The State of the Gamer: 4/25/17

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 33 Comments

<–The State of the Gamer: 4/18/17          The State of the Gamer: 5/2/17–>

A weekly post updated every Tuesday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have quite a backlog of games to either play or watch, and I’m hoping a weekly article will assist with my progress as my other accountable posts have done with reading and writing.
I have an account at Grouvee, which is a essentially Goodreads for gamers, so please feel free to friend me there!
Original source of the banner art is located here.

Currently Playing: 2

Title: Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius
Series: Final Fantasy
Genre: RPG – Fantasy
Developer: Square Enix
Platform(s): iOS, Android
Release Date: June 29, 2016
Date Purchased: March 21, 2017
Date Started: March 27, 2017

Well it’s happened.  I’ve spent money on a freemium game.  $30 to be exact.  I dropped $20 about a week ago because I wanted to have enough lapis to make several summons in the hopes of getting Setzer.  I did not succeed, but I do now have Terra (actually drew her twice).  Then I had to spend $10 because I was completely out of lapis.  Pretty much lapis is the real currency of the game.  You earn it through completing quests (which cost NRG), and you can earn additional per quest by fulfilling certain variable requirements.  It’s also used to purchase more things than even gil, which can be obtained by spending lapis.  I only had 75 of the latter and I was out of material space.  In order to increase your slots, you need (you guessed it!) lapis, so I bought $10 worth.  So you can spend legitimate money in order to obtain lapis, which is in game money, which can also be used to acquire gil, which is typical Final Fantasy currency.  If I wasn’t so tired, I could think of an overarching term for what this is called, but the Narcissist had to take a nap when she got home from work, and that always throws me off a bit.

I’m currently trying to pick up espers I missed with the help of my good friend LightningEllen, and I’m a little embarrassed I missed Ifrit whom I was on the way to get, but I think I decided to leave the continent he was on and promptly forgot to go back lol.  I would not have discovered the location of Golem without help, and I’m not quite to where Shiva is located yet.  I would’ve gotten Golem last night, but I ran out of NRG, which is another consumable the game makes you expend in order to do any quests.  Once again Squeenix has me in its grip.

Title: The Room
Genre: Puzzle, Mystery
Developer: Fireproof Games
Platform(s): iOS, Android
Release Date: September 2012
Date Purchased: April 16, 2017
Date Started: April 16, 2017

Haven’t had a chance to play this this week, but it’s now on my day planner instead of FFV (I know, I know).  I figure this counts for my two game limit, so I might as well treat it as such.  I’m hoping to finish at least Chapter 2 before next week.

Games Currently Watching

Title: Phantasy Star
Series: Phantasy Star
Genre: RPG – Fantasy/Science Fiction
Developer: Sega
Original Platforms: Sega Master System
Other Platforms: Sega Genesis, Wii Virtual Console
Original Release Date: December 20, 1987
Let’s Player: Hungry Goriya
Date Started: March 24, 2017

The Gothic Forest isn’t nearly as gothic as I would expect!  Though no one will really give Alis any information, they seem more petulant than artsy or emo.

Title: Mass Effect III
Series: Mass Effect
Genre: Action RPG – Sci-Fi
Developer: BioWare
Original Platform(s): Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3
Original Release Date: March 6, 2012
Let’s Player: Olizandri
Date Started: January 23, 2017

I don’t think I’ve watched a full episode since finishing up the ones about the genophage.  I’m recalling I started one, but I got distracted and didn’t finish it.  I’m seriously slacking this week.

Games Added to Playlist: 0

Total Games in Backlog: 102
Change from Last Week: 0

Games Added to Watch List: 1

  1. Okami – Per a review by Nintendo Bound, I added this unfortunately underappreciated game that seems to have been wholly missed by the mainstream.  I considered putting it on my play list, but though the story sounds gorgeous, it seems more like an action RPG, though it still might find its way onto my backlog.  If I can find a Let’s Play, I’ll watch just to see how the battle mechanics work, and if I think I can handle them, I’ll play it myself.

Total Games on Watch List: 22
Change from Last Week: +1

Miscellaneous

So this Friday is my birthday.

Using this everywhere, don’t even care.

Yasssss, damn right pallas cat!  I’m going to be 37.  I took off work because I can, and I’m hopefully driving down to West Chester to talk to my tattoo artist about my next inking.

Anyway my husband received a large Amazon box on Monday, and since I was working from home that day, I answered the door, put it on the couch, figured it was for me, and forgot about it.  When he came home, he confirmed my suspicion and asked if I wanted to open it.  I’d also received a birthday card in the mail from my father with a $50 check in it (I need to call him to thank him btw), so I figured what the hell, I’ll open the box.

I got…another box!

The game Eldritch Horror and a webcam.  A while ago I listened a podcast run by Cheap Boss Attack and his friend Chuck Zodl at Counter Attack Games (the first one I had the pleasure of experiencing), and CBA started talking about the fore mentioned game (I can’t remember what specific podcast it was, so the link just goes to the list).  I looked it up on Amazon, and it looked like something that would be fun plus I have an IRL friend who is into games of all shapes and measure who would probably be on board to play this with me.  Once I look it over, I’ll give him a buzz (as in message on Facebook.  The Shameful Narcissist avoids calling people at all costs) and make some plans to play.  Huh, I just looked at the box a bit closer and it says “1 to 8 players,” so I could play this by myself?  Haha, nooooo, I’m not doing that.  No slithering down into the bowels of insanity for THIS Narcissist.

As for the webcam, my next step is to research adequate lighting and set that up, but this is just one of the many pieces involved in the blog update I’m planning to do in June.  Hm, I should probably start prepping better for that.  I’m woefully under prepared.

What are you currently playing and/or watching? Is it something new or old?  Is it a first time run or a replay?  What’s the genre?  Would you recommend it?  What’s on your radar to play next?

<–The State of the Gamer: 4/18/17          The State of the Gamer: 5/2/17–>

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The State of the Writer: 4/23/17

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 13 Comments

<–The State of the Writer: 4/16/17          The State of the Writer: 4/30/17–>

A weekly post updated every Sunday discussing my current writing projects and where I stand with them.  This will include any and all work(s) in progress (WIP) be they creative writing, essays/analyses, or reviews of any type.

Project: Story
Title: The Broken Rose
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Fanfiction (FFVII) Novel
Current Word Count: 267,782
Prior Word Count: 268,990
Word Difference: -1208
Status: Editing
Progress: 3rd edit of Chapter 9

I briefly considered this for the chapter cover picture, but Aeris looks way too carefree, as you’ll see/understand when/if you read the chapter.

Last night I stayed up until around 3:00 writing summaries for all of the chapters up to and including 9, because AO3 has a place for chapter summaries, and I thought that would be nice to do.  Now, it’s just a matter of updating all of this information here, on tumblr,, and on Deviant Art.  I’ve also done some tweaking of earlier chapters, so I want to repost those with the updates.

There will more than likely be a fourth edit of Chapter 9, because I’ve done some significant fixes, not story-wise, just in how it sounds/flows.  It’s truly amazing how you can edit something numerous times and still miss things.  Whenever I do more than just change a word or two per paragraph, I always want to go back through it one more time to make sure it goes over properly.  I suppose I could change my editing methods to go back through what I edited the day before (which is how I did The Serpent’s Tale), but in all honesty, I haven’t found much difference in the number of errors I find or the time it takes.  Each edit does become easier in terms of I do more reading-through than editing each time, but editing reading is still different from regular reading.

Quote: “Couples, master?”  Aeris asked, and Sephiroth frowned then to consider.

“Yes, it means two people who are together.”

“Are we a couple then?”

His brow furrowed deeper.  “I suppose we are, my Aeris.  I protect you and ensure you’re safe, and…you make me incredibly happy.”  He blinked once, gazing down.  “You bring meaning to my life, little one…”  The Cetra sighed as she leaned against him and her smile tore the threads of his heart.

Project: Game Review
Title: World of Final Fantasy
Status: Drafting
Current Word Count: 3462
Prior Word Count: 2499
Word Difference: +963

world-of-final-fantasy

I added in information about the actual battle mechanics, which I forgot to do when I first wrote the Gameplay section.  I also made significant progress on the Story section.  I don’t know why the hell I thought it wouldn’t be elaborate.  This is Final Fantasy!  The Wikipedia entry on it specifically leaves much to be desired.  It only gives bare bones, so I’m hoping my memory can fill in the blanks.  I want to e able to talk about it in my special long-winded way, so I need to lay down the story adequately enough to do so.

I was going to work on the review before doing this update, but I’m one sleepy Narcissist today.  I had an awesome outing yesterday with two of my old coworkers who were kind of my old managers, too lol.  We went traipsing around the King of Prussia mall ending up right back at the place we originally had breakfast for coffee and dessert.  If you ever have the chance to have a honey, vanilla latte at the Grand Lux Cafe (or anywhere I suppose.  Starbucks probably makes something like that) TAKE IT. So good.  After mani/pedis, we parted, but decided that a bimonthly reunion wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility.  Since I’m an introvert, it’s refreshing to have people who don’t drain my energy.  I left tired, but in a great mood, but the former meant I had to skip another event that night.  Alas, such is life.

What are you currently working on?  Is it a creative writing project, essay, review, or something else?  Have you just started something new or are you wrapping up a long term project?

<–The State of the Writer: 4/16/17          The State of the Writer: 4/30/17–>

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The Illustrated A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 24 Comments

Title: The Illustrated A Brief History of Time/The Universe in a Nutshell
Author: Stephen Hawking
Date Added: June 25, 2016
Date Started: January 2, 2017
Date Finished: April 9, 2017
Reading Duration: 97 days
Genre: Science, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Quantum Mechanics, Theoretical Physics

Pages: 464
Publication Date: June 7, 2007
Publisher: Bantam Dell Publishing Group
Media: Paperback

One of the most influential thinkers of our time, Stephen Hawking is an intellectual icon, known not only for the adventurousness of his ideas but for the clarity and wit with which he expresses them. In this new book Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of theoretical physics, where truth is often stranger than fiction, to explain in laymen’s terms the principles that control our universe. Like many in the community of theoretical physicists, Professor Hawking is seeking to uncover the grail of science – the elusive Theory of Everything that lies at the heart of the cosmos. In his accessible and often playful style, he guides us on his search to uncover the secrets of the universe – from supergravity to supersymmetry, from quantum theory to M-theory, from holography to duality. He takes us to the wild frontiers of science, where superstring theory and p-branes may hold the final clue to the puzzle. And he lets us behind the scenes of one of his most exciting intellectual adventures as he seeks “to combine Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and Richard Feynman’s idea of multiple histories into one complete unified theory that will describe everything that happens in the universe.” With characteristic exuberance, Professor Hawking invites us to be fellow travelers on this extraordinary voyage through space-time. Copious four-color illustrations help clarify this journey into a surreal wonderland where particles, sheets, and strings move in eleven dimensions; where black holes evaporate and disappear, taking their secret with them; and where the original cosmic seed from which our own universe sprang was a tiny nut. The Universe in a Nutshell is essential reading for all of us who want to understand the universe in which we live. Like its companion volume, A Brief History of Time, it conveys the excitement felt within the scientific community as the secrets of the cosmos reveal themselves.

Professor Hawking has managed to take something supremely difficult to understand, the nature of the universe and in fact our very being, and explained it in the simplest terms possible.  Sadly, the simplest terms possible are still wildly complicated, and I spent a good portion of this book rereading and rereading again in attempt to wrap my head around the concepts.  I can say that I understood 70% on a good day and 30% on a bad.  I am still woefully clueless on string theory and can probably only consider 20% of that to my credit, but the internet exists for a reason, and I’m certain I’ll find myself looking it up again one day.

This is not a volume that can be read casually.  It is not a book that’s picked up before repose as a bedtime browser.  Brief History should be treated more like a textbook, and this is not a slight on its part.  Professor Hawking is attempting to teach laypeople/non-scientists about highly complex scientific concepts, many of which even those in that community do not fully understand.

It is possible that some of the more complex ideas could’ve been explained a little more clearly.  Because Mr. Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University and because he’s taught physics for many, many years, I believe his writing reflects the attitude that readers will have more than rudimentary knowledge of what he’s trying to explain.  Instead of being Physics 101, A Brief History of Time may be more in the neighborhood of Physics 102.  This could also just be my own personal failing to adequately grasp it, and other readers unfamiliar with theoretical physics may have no problem at all.

The book did serve to dissuade me from pursuing serious studies of astrophysics, as I was considering that at some point,  I do not say this with remorse or in an attempt to seek sympathy.  I’m actually happy I was able to come to this conclusion, as I can spend my time in more fruitful endeavors.  I’ve been thinking about studying law, which is a far more mundane matter in comparison to the universe.  Briefly, I chosen micro concerns (which are no less important) as opposed to macro.  I will most definitely continue to read about/study astrophysics on a more casual level, since postulating where the universe comes from and how it operates is paramount to understanding ourselves.

4 stars.

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The Mystery Blogger Award #2

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 45 Comments

I think it would be in supremely poor taste to complain about the awards I’ve been nominated for, because all you lovely people were kind enough to nominate me!  What I can complain about is my lack of time and seeming rudeness is not getting to them until months later, but that’s really just me berating myself, and really shouldn’t be considered a complaint per se.  Regardless, I’m trying to catch up albeit lately, so here I go!

I was nominated for The Mystery Blogger Award by Pokeninja of the blog Nice Job Breaking It, Hero.  She is pretty much an anime and otome expert, and though I haven’t been in the former’s world (alas for time!) nor have I ever really explored the latter’s (though there are now a few games I’d like to look into), I enjoy her site greatly, especially her Melanin Monday feature, which started during Black History Month, but due to popular demand, she continues on a biweekly basis.  Her blog set up is so neat and organized, and she does wrap up posts every week in case you miss something.  If you’re into anime, otome games, and awesomeness, I suggest you check her out!

The Rules:

  • Put the award logo/image on your blog
  •  List the rules.
  • Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  • Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well.
  • Tell your readers 3 things about yourself (I’m skipping this one)
  • You nominate 10 – 20 people (yeah, I’m only doing 7)
  • Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog.
  • Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify).
  • Share a link to your best post(s)

What is the Mystery Blogger Award?

*The award was created by Okoto Enigma*

“Mystery Blogger Award”  is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion.

Pokeninja’s Questions

1. Who is your favorite Power Ranger? (from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers only)

Hm, this is something I’ve never really thought about!  I watched the show when it was first on, and I don’t think I really had a favorite.  I haven’t seen the new movie yet, so I’ll have to put a rain check on this question and get back to you.

2. What’s one item you regret purchasing?

I once commissioned a painting of Aeris and Sephiroth, my favorite ship.  It was the very first time I’d ever commissioned an artist, and I gave very specific details about what I wanted in the picture even providing several images to give them an idea of what I was looking for.  I had to specifically email her looking for updates twice, and when I received the picture, she hadn’t done the major thing I was looking for.  To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, but I didn’t want to be a bitch or be blacklisted from the online artist/commission community, so I paid her and was civil though I did expressed my dissatisfaction.  She said that she would work on correcting the issue, but it’s been over six months, and I haven’t heard anything from her. 

I second guess myself though, and wonder if I didn’t make it clear how important that specific thing was, because it was really important.  I wanted to make sure she made their height differential correctly, and she made Aeris way too tall.  Like I have figurines of them, and Sephiroth is at least a foot taller than her, but in the picture, he was two, maybe, three inches taller?  I was uber disappointed, because one of the things I love about them as my OTP is the height differential, and yeah, I know it sounds super petty, but it didn’t fit my mental image of the painting.  It further confirmed my cynical belief that you should never get excited about anything, because I was so excited that I’d found an artist who drew in a style I loved and who was taking commissions.  I could finally get a specific image of my favorite couple.  It’s also spoiled me for taking commissions unless I know I can get a sketch of it first before I spend a single penny.  I paid $150 for a painting I don’t like and haven’t looked at since (it’s just sitting a folder on my computer).  I’m pretty bummed, and I definitely regret it.

3. What’s one show that never gets old no matter how many times you watch it?

I have quite a few go-to shows!  Futurama (which I’m watching right now), American Dad!, Bob’s Burgers.  Yup, they’re all cartoons.  For a non-cartoon Star Trek: TNG.  I love Sir Patrick ♥♥♥

4. Zombies are about to break down your door, you have to defend yourself, the closest item to you is your weapon. What is it and how screwed are you? (the weird question)

Looks like I’m swinging my purse like a champ.  I also have some hand soap.  If those bitches still have eyes, they’re getting foamy soap in them.  I can also call for backup on my iPhone.

5. Who is your favorite megane character?

I’ll admit it: I had to google this term. 

Does he count?

He’s technically wearing glasses, but he doesn’t technically need glasses, because he’s perfect; his eyesight is perfect, and he can see in the dark *swoon*  Hrm…trying to think of a bishie who typically wears glasses.  Oh!  Vash from Trigun!

Omg I need to finish watching this anime.  I have no excuse now that Kisscartoon (and it’s backup 9Cartoon) currently exist.  I had a fangirl crush on Vash even though he’s not my normal type (see prior picture), especially when shit got real with him.  There’s something about a typically goofball character turning serious/getting pissed that is so swoonworthy.

My Best Post…

Best post as in how many views?  Best post as in how many shares?  Best post as in the one that stirred up the most comments/discussion?  Per my stats, the post with the most views at 1150 is Cosplay Confessional – Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), which I find really surprising, but my favorite post at 707 views would have to be my Heart of Darkness, Angel of Light – The Defense of Sephiroth.  That essay was a decade in the making, and I poured so much into writing it.  It could possibly be considered a horcrux, since I put a piece of my soul into it.  I didn’t kill anybody though, hm.

My Nominations

I’m going to try to nominate people I haven’t nominated before.  Maybe I should start keeping track of these things…

  1. The Dragon’s Tea Party
  2. Entertain Me!
  3. Orchid’s Lantern
  4. Mosaicca
  5. Falcon Game Reviews
  6. Boba and Games
  7. Forged from Reverie

My Questions

  1. The Doctor shows up in the tardis.  Are you going to the future or the past?  How far would you go in either direction?
  2. Barring black or white, if you had to wear one color for the rest of your life, what color would that be?
  3. Tea or coffee?
  4. Do you prefer urban, rural, or suburban?
  5. What do you think there should be a wiki for that there isn’t already (I guess this is the weird question)?

Thanks again to Pokeninja for nominating me!

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Final Fantasy Friday: Fashionistas and Fancy Fellows

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 35 Comments

Final Fantasy Friday

A few days ago an article popped up in my Facebook memories, concerning the garb of a certain Final Fantasy hero and how utterly outlandish it was.  Regardless what you think of this character, it’s hard to argue with that logic, nor am I against calling out fashion faux pas wherever they might happen to fall.

Also, just to note, I’m extremely picky about my parody.  If you’re going to make fun of something, do it in a way that isn’t just bashing it.  Good parody will poke at the known ridiculous aspects of a work without vilifying its value.  I’ve seen too many parody/satire sites that miss the mark and go overboard with it.  They’re not poking fun, they’re making fun, and while it can be nuanced, there is a difference.  The linked above does the former and is quite amusing.

Anyway, the article put me in the mind of a pair of questions, the first of which I’ll post this week, and the second, which will be posted next (you will never guess what the second question is…)

Who is best dressed Final Fantasy character?

I need to think about this one for a moment, because I don’t just want automatically go with my default

*checks Pinterest and the Google*

Alright, I have a winner, but there were more runners up than I’d thought, and like so many of my posts, this became far more involved than I’d planned it to be.

Final Fantasy IV

Rosa

She has spikes on her epaulets, which are usually reserved for villains, yet it doesn’t take away from her white mage aesthetic.  The one question/uncertainty I do have concerns whether or not that’s her underwear we’re seeing…

Rydia

She looks like a fairy princess and kind of is, considering the king and queen of the Feymarch pretty much adopted her.

Final Fantasy VI

Celes

Her general’s garb is so elegant, and yes, she could still lay you to waste and not muss her outfit for the evening.

Final Fantasy VII

Sephiroth

I’m a goth myself, so my hot general running around in leather bondage gear looking like a runway model is what my dreams are made of ♥♥♥  Plus, you just can’t go wrong with black and silver.

Final Fantasy VIII

Squall

A leather jacket lined in wolf’s (?) fur is never going to go out of style (so long as the fur is faux in real life).

Seifer

The long coat with the Templar crosses is some fashionable foreshadowing to his romantic dream of becoming the Sorceress’s Knight.

Final Fantasy IX

Beatrix

Everyone’s outfit in FFIX is pretty freaking ridiculous.  Zidane is wearing cuffs with no sleeves, Kuja is rocking a thong, I don’t know what the fuck Eiko is wearing, and we’re not even going to talk about Quina, but Beatrix once again shows that generals know how to dress.

Final Fantasy X

Lulu

Belts for a skirt in a fur lined dress paired with pale skin, that hair, purple lips, and the attitude make for one bad ass combination.

Yuna

Her outfit is almost the polar opposite of Lulu’s: modest where the mage is revealing, youthful where Lulu is mature.

Final Fantasy XII

Balthier

The most Han Solo character of the Final Fantasy universe, he’s kicking ass and taking names with that vest (the story should’ve focused on him and Fran, speaking of…)

Fran

Fran pretty much allowed us to see bunnies as sexy, though I suppose arguably Playboy did that already.  Fran did it better, and more literally.  Have  you fucking seen her shoes??

And the winner is…

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The State of the Reader: 4/19/17

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 37 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 4/12/17          The State of the Reader: 4/26/17–>

A weekly post updated every Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and where I am with them in addition to what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads to make it easier for interested parties to add any books that might strike their fancy.  I attempt to use the covers for the edition I’m reading, and I’ll mention if this is not the case.  If you have a Goodreads account feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Samples Read This Week: 8

  1. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: Kept (RWTR/Purchased) – A slave turned rebel and an unwilling soldier.  Neither of them is free.  I can’t stop thinking of a picture I recently used, and I couldn’t stop reading the sample then I reached a part that made me say, “Holy shit, I have to buy this book immediately.”  So I did.
  2. Spelled by Betsy Schow: Passed– The writing style isn’t for me.
  3. Spook Lights: Southern Gothic Horror by Eden Royce: Kept– I was on the fence with this one.  It seems to have potential, but it’s just not pulling me in.  Alright…I just looked at the blurb again, and it could just be the first story isn’t for me; the others look promising.  I’m keeping it on my TBR list and relegating it to the “library” shelf.
  4. Lavender by Sophie Welsh: Kept (RWTR) – This almost ended up on the passed pile, because the underlying premise of it is such patriarchal bullshit that it really pisses me off.  The titular character is a free-spirited 13 year old girl who just wants to explore the forest near her house, but both her and her mother are under her blacksmith father’s thumb.  The worst part is that he really isn’t presented in a “bad” light even though he won’t let her eat until she agrees to marry the village elder’s son.  He makes her feel bad for not knowing how to cook, clean, or want to marry, and while I get that it’s “that time,” I’m too old, grumpy, and feminist to not have that piss me off.  What saved it was the village elder’s son Eldrin, ironically enough.  He seems just as reluctant to marry Lavender as she does him, and while he does kind of follow her around like a lost puppy, he doesn’t seem forceful or aggressive, so I’m curious where this story is going to go.
  5. The Shock of Night by Patrick W. Carr: Kept – The first chapter kills off the people introduced in the prologue, and the main character seems to be a medieval detective of sorts trying to piece the crime together.  It’s interesting enough to keep on my list.
  6. The Battle for Oz by Jeyna Grace: Kept (Purchased) – I honestly didn’t have high hopes for this one.  Rewrites of classic stories tend to go for the edgy, snarky, and/or modern viewpoint, and that’s just not my cup of tea (it’s one of the reasons I passed on that other novel that took place in the Emerald City), but this started out showing someone I believe is/was the Red Queen being ousted from Wonderland.  She retains her retinue of guards (and her bitterness) and discovers a way to get to Oz.  From the sample and the blurb, I believe this story has Dorothy and Alice working together to banish her once and for all, and I’m curious what their personalities are going to be like in this iteration and how they might collaborate/clash.  I wound up purchasing it, because it was super cheap (as you’ll see below).
  7. The Stolen Child by Peter Brunton: Kept – The first chapter didn’t show any hint of fantasy until the very end, and it was very realistic about what would’ve happened to 14 year old, homeless Rachael if any authority became involved.  I want to know what she either ran away or is keeping away from.  The second chapter has no seeming connection to the first (save for that fore mentioned bit of fantasy), and I want to see the bridge.  Is she the titular stolen child?
  8. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (J. K. Rowling): Kept – Even though there was barely any sample, of course I kept this book in the extended Harry Potter universe.  I’d still like to see the movie, too.

Books Purchased This Week: 6

Title: An Ember in the Ashes
Series Title: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Date Added: December 30, 2015
Date Purchased: April 14, 2017

Media: Paperback
Price: $10.79
Retailer: Barnes and Noble

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The State of the Gamer: 4/18/17

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 27 Comments

<–The State of the Gamer: 4/11/17          The State of the Gamer: 4/25/17–>

A weekly post updated every Tuesday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have quite a backlog of games to either play or watch, and I’m hoping a weekly article will assist with my progress as my other accountable posts have done with reading and writing.
I have an account at Grouvee, which is a essentially Goodreads for gamers, so please feel free to friend me there!
Original source of the banner art is located here.

Currently Playing: 2

Title: Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius
Series: Final Fantasy
Genre: RPG – Fantasy
Developer: Square Enix
Platform(s): iOS, Android
Release Date: June 29, 2016
Date Purchased: March 21, 2017
Date Started: March 27, 2017

I’m still hoping I somehow summon Fryevia, one of the 5 star plus summons for the Egg Hunters event.  Since it’s ending either today or tomorrow, I don’t have a lot of hope, but if I don’t, I’ll have to sell her Trust Moogle since no one else can use it.

I’m still not entirely clear on this trust bonus thing to be honest; it’s something I’ll have to research it.  I keep receiving items that has someone’s picture next to it with the term “trust bonus,” and even after looking it up, I’m not sure what it means.  The current event has increased the drop for Lightning, but in conversations with the one and only LightningEllen (and going off what my extroverted friend has suggested), we’ve come to the conclusion that spending legitimate money on the game increases your chance of rare summons.  I can’t prove it, but I wouldn’t be shocked if it were true.  I’d love to pull the pink-haired warrior lady from FFXIII.  I’ve used her as a companion character, and she’d be a great addition to my crew.  Besides, I already have Sazh and Vanille, the latter which I need to start using.

I should also get rid of the characters I don’t use anymore.  My line up has been Rain and Lasswell (two of the main characters) then Kuja, Cecil, and Leah (the White Mage).  Sometimes I’ll switch out Cecil or Leah if there’s some character condition that needs to be met e.g. you have to use Arianna, which is the one I saw.

Speaking of which, what the hell is with the Arianna Grande quest???  Like they were playing her music and everything!  I was so befuddled.  Did she get some kind of contract with Squeenix?  What is going on?  I’m old and confused.

Story-wise, I’m currently in the mountains.  I know there’s going to be some huge revelation soon. This is Final Fantasy after all hehe.

Title: The Room
Genre: Puzzle, Mystery
Developer: Fireproof Games
Platform(s): iOS, Android
Release Date: September 2012
Date Purchased: April 16, 2017
Date Started: April 16, 2017

Thanks to the writer of The Dragon’s Tea Party for their review of this!  That post and the comment discussion that followed prompted me to download the game on my Kindle, so I am currently playing two games both on that magical device.

I did receive finally set it up my PS3 last week, updated it, and now I just have to play something on it.  It will probably be FFV since I keep lying about when I’m going to start that, though right now I’m at my preset limit of two games.  You could argue and say that they’re two mobile games, but they take just as much time.

The Room (which I keep wanting to just call “Room”) is a puzzle mystery game.  You start out in a room (oooo) with a safe that you have to figure out how to open.  There’s a letter on top giving you your first clue and an eyepiece without a lens.  The rest is up to you.  I’m currently on Chapter 2 (accidental rhyme) where I’ve cracked the safe, but the mystery and puzzle fun doesn’t end there.  I’m enjoying greatly, and the graphics are pretty excellent.

It was free on Android (Kindle).  I’m not sure what it is on iOS since I have no room (ha) left on my phone, but it’s more than likely the same.  If you like puzzlers and mysteries with eerie music in the background, I highly recommend!

Games Currently Watching

Title: Phantasy Star
Series: Phantasy Star
Genre: RPG – Fantasy/Science Fiction
Developer: Sega
Original Platforms: Sega Master System
Other Platforms: Sega Genesis, Wii Virtual Console
Original Release Date: December 20, 1987
Let’s Player: Hungry Goriya
Date Started: March 24, 2017

I have to remember what I watched on Twitch and what I watched on YouTube, since I’ve been lucky enough to catch the former.  I remember now.  The intrepid crew found Noah praying in one of the caves, and Noah is, um, kind of beautiful.  Are they male or female?  The name is generally male, but the game seems to consider them a female?

Some sites say “he;” some sites say “she.”  They kind of do like your typical, pretty, bishie, anime guy.  I’m okay with that.

Title: Mass Effect III
Series: Mass Effect
Genre: Action RPG – Sci-Fi
Developer: BioWare
Original Platform(s): Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3
Original Release Date: March 6, 2012
Let’s Player: Olizandri
Date Started: January 23, 2017

Back in the main story!  I’m so happy.  The Omega DLC was interesting, but it was a lot of combat, and I’m way more interested in the story aspect of the game.  Shepherd just cured the genophage, *spoilers* at the expense of both Mordin and Eve. *end spoiler*  Olizandri, the let’s player, was curious about the latter, and I checked it out myself.  Apparently, if you save Maelon’s data,  *spoiler* Eve will survive, *end spoiler* and you’ll have a really strong alliance with the krogan.  *spoiler* I was really upset she died. *end spoiler*  Eve is an awesome character.  She’s beautiful, I love her veil, and her voice is utter magic.  I also like the friendship she can had with Shepherd, and the relationship she can have with Wrex.

Speaking of the genophage, I cannot blame the krogan in the least for everything they did in that situation.  The salarians and the turians screwed them over royally, though arguably the salarians didn’t expect anyone to actually use the genophage and believed it would only be wielded as a deterrent, but war makes monsters of us all (truth per GRRM).

The other alien races used the krogan in the Rachni Wars and then committed genocide against them.  That’s supremely fucked up.  The salarians developed it.  The turians used it.  The krogan suffered from it, and a human cured it.  No wonder Wrex has such respect for Shepherd (in the way Oliz plays).  There’s no way I wouldn’t cure the genophage in my playthrough of it either.  Yes, the krogan do breed a lot due to the environment they evolved in, but genocide is never the answer, and they deserve reparations for what occurred.

Games Added to Playlist: 1

  1. Persona 5 – You all got me!  Cheap Boss Attack and a few other non-bloggers convinced me to add this.  The Persona series seems similar to the Final Fantasy series insofar as the games have a connection to each other, but can be played on their own in any order.  Though I think I did make myself a rule that I’d only have one game of every series on my backlog at a time.  Ah well.

Total Games in Backlog: 102
Change from Last Week: +1

Games Added to Watch List: 0

Total Games on Watch List: 21
Change from Last Week: 0

Miscellaneous

Nothing miscellaneous this week.  I started reading the Hyrule Historia, but I talked about that in my State of the Reader post.  As I was perusing the Mass Effect wiki I was wondering if there was an equivalent book for the same, because I’d read the hell out of that.  BioWare make it happen!

Also, I’ve removed WOFF from my Currently Playing list.  I figured it was time even though I said last week I’d wait a month.  Since I’m playing two other games now, my chances of just popping it on are far slimmer.  If something new happens with it, I’ll probably get back into it again.  I think Balthier is supposed to become available some time in July or August.

What are you currently playing and/or watching? Is it something new or old?  Is it a first time run or a replay?  What’s the genre?  Would you recommend it?  What’s on your radar to play next?

<–The State of the Gamer: 4/11/17          The State of the Gamer: 4/25/17–>

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