My Press Start / press_start_comm recs (note: this is very much biased toward the particular set of games I'm familiar with and interested in):

( Dance Dance Revolution; Final Fantasy VI, X, and Tactics; Trials of Mana )

So my "incomplete game playthrough" problem has gotten worse. One thing I discovered about myself this year is that I actually really like starting new games -- there's something comfy about playing a game you know nothing about, being introduced to a new world and new characters, being gradually eased into game mechanics, etc. So I think I sometimes just start new games because doing so cheers me up. BUT... I do want to finish off some of these games so that they don't take up brain space for me anymore and I can move on and don't have to worry about spoilers, etc.

I made a 2020 goal to finish games and it didn't exactly work, but maybe social pressure will help? Tell me what games you think I should play.

( Poll: which game should I finish off? )

Aaaand I had too many Altdea feelings that I ended up also writing a ship manifesto for them. Note that this manifesto contains two types of spoilers: minor spoilers related to Alternis's backstory and characterization, and major spoilers for Bravely Default and Bravely Second that could easily change your experience playing the game. The first set of details is necessary for understanding the basics of the relationship. The second set is necessary for a more complete understanding of the relationship, but is optional. So I've split this post into two sections: a minor spoilers only section and a major spoilers section. The division between sections is clearly marked so you can stop reading before you hit major spoilers.

( Manifesto under the cut )

I've been on a meta kick lately!

I watched Grave of the Fireflies yesterday, which I kind of regret because that movie is too depressing to watch twice in one’s life (but it is a good reminder of the horrible miniature tragedies that war and instability and poverty create, particularly for the least hardy human beings i.e. young children -- an important reminder in this time of refugee crises and border wall fanatics). One thing I did genuinely enjoy, however, is the use in the opening scenes of the train as a vehicle that conveys people to the afterlife. I looked this up on TV Tropes because I was sure this has to be a larger phenomenon in fiction, and it's called Afterlife Express.

( Rambling about examples of this trope )