It’s been a year since I first posted this screenshot - a year since Shadowbringers released.Livvy P
It’s been a year since I first posted this screenshot - a year since Shadowbringers released.Livvy Plays Final Fantasy has always pivoted around the most transitional moments of my life. I first created this blog shortly after my eighteenth birthday over Panera wifi, while my family and I were living out of a camper. Some of my best content comes from the period after I dropped out of college and landed in an unfamiliar place to recover. When Stormblood/XIV 4.0 launched in summer 2017, I had just gotten my degree, and I was very much scraping by. 4.0 will forever stick with me not only because it resonates with who I am but because it was a lifeline at a time when things literally couldn’t get much worse.Compare all of that to Shadowbringers. A year ago today, on June 28, 2019, I was in a steady, prestigious PR job that I hated; I had family visiting from across the country but was dreading the inevitable bickering; I was fully out as a lesbian but still couldn’t bring myself to join community Pride events that were happening just outside my window. I was very much settling for a life that no longer suited me.I wouldn’t say that Shadowbringers made me think differently about these or any other aspects of my life - nor, unlike with Stormblood, did I even see parts of my life reflected or called into question through Shadowbringers. Instead, Shadowbringers presented a story about everything it means to be the Warrior of Light. What Shadowbringers gave me instead was an affirmation that some stories, some histories, some dreams are worth fighting for.This reminder was especially meaningful as part of a story written by a woman. Natsuko Ishikawa, whose work has made up the very best of XIV’s narrative since 2.0, tells stories that in so many ways rely on compassion and understanding and love even when faced with impossible odds, and Shadowbringers/5.0 is no exception. I was part of the crowd that gave Ishikawa a standing ovation at PAX West 2019, and seeing her burst into tears at our reaction to her story might be one of the most meaningful things I’ve been a part of since I’ve started this blog.It was that story - a woman-led story that chooses to intertwine love and courage at every step - that truly inspired me to work in the gaming industry. It took months of perseverance and dozens of rejections to make it happen, but I was motivated by a renewed passion for the kinds of stories that celebrate empathy. I was (and still am) determined to leave a similar impact on someone the way Ishikawa’s work has on me - to show someone else that sometimes all you need is the strength to take another step.Today, I’m leaving to visit my family without a hint of worry for how it’ll go (coronavirus precautions notwithstanding). I’m exploring my gender (and okay, maybe Titania had something to do with that). I’m bringing my lived experiences to an upcoming video game that is going to mean so much to so many people (if you know, you know).There will be many more games, many more memories, many more stories to share - and yet I cannot convey the depth of my gratitude for everything that Shadowbringers has inspired in me over the past year.Stand tall, my friends. -- source link