I’ve only completed 3 of the games so far (just started the DS version of VII) but my favorites are XI and the first DQ 🥰 The OG Dragon Quest just felt so unique being a turnbased game, but you’re only one hero - no party - so it felt like you had to strategize differently. It’s also so charming!

I’m working on reaching out to friends more to show how much I care, and hyping my friends up in ways they can feel from far away. I get a bit anxious reaching out sometimes (feeling like a burden) so it’s a work in progress 🖤 It’s meant a lot to me when people have reached out to me too!

One of the hardest parts about moving to a new country is adjusting to how far away I am from some amazing friends and family. I knew about the distance and the time difference before, but it becomes much more apparent when you realize what you miss out on being 12-15 hours ahead of people 😅

All this to say I think Xillia is such a perfect entry point for Tales newbies like myself! Obviously, I haven’t played any other Tales games but as a newcomer, this has been a delightful experience. I’d also recommend it to those who enjoyed Visions of Mana, or games like it 💖

I also love how they let you choose between playing as Jude or Milla and how that affects the skits + some scenes you may see. I chose to play as Milla, and it’s always fun when someone points out how a skit happens differently playing as Jude! It makes me excited to replay 🥹

For a PS3 game (remastered), the environments are charming and absolutely gorgeous to look at too! I find myself being captivated by the small details like some of the greenery (trees, small plants, etc.) glowing & acting as a light source for people in-game.

Thank you so much ❤️ I appreciate this a lot

Thank you ❤️‍🩹 I feel like it has, just will always feel like a work in progress

This is likely the only post I’ll make about this. I feel like I’ve shared enough publicly so people understand what I’m going through & I don’t want to share too many specifics publicly to respect his & his family’s privacy.

As for my grief, I’ll talk about it whenever I feel ready/able to ❤️

Each day is different. Some days I feel sad, but I can distract myself & be okay. Some days I’m overwhelmed by how sad I feel.

I felt like I owed it to people to explain why I may seem off. But also use this as a reminder to tell your friends you love them as often as you can, you just never know ❤️

Grief is hard. I think the hope I had, even if it was delusional or naive, kept a lot of this heavy sadness at bay for years. I have to confront it all now. And I wonder, did he know how much we all cared and appreciated him in his final moments? I hope so but I still wish I could have said more.

Yet I also feel relief that I finally have closure? But then I get hit by so many waves of sadness and guilt, like did I do enough to find him? We were always looking, but could I have done more? And it just feels so awful seeing a headline only describe your friend as “remains,” without his name.

I found out earlier this week that the remains of a friend who had been missing since 2015 were found/confirmed to be him. I feel like nothing I write conveys the conflicting emotions I’m feeling? I’m devastated because I was always hopeful maybe he was okay somewhere else & would come home one day.