Final Fantasy - Thirteen-Year-Olds, You’re On Notice

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week, there's no need to use a Phoenix Down because we are ALIVE, and talking about the fans of the Final Fantasy series! The iconic music, characters, stories, costumes... whatever it may be, it has left a lasting mark on the RPG and video game worlds for the decades since its introductions, and we get into all of that with some special guest friends of ours, Dan and Ari! Next week, just in time for [Anime North](http://animenorth.com/), we're talking about fans of Boys' Love with Sarah of the [Feminist Fujoshi](https://feministfujoshi.wordpress.com/)! ## Where can I learn more about Dan and Ari? You might remember Dan and Ari from our [super-cut of Super MAGFest 2018](https://youtu.be/DiJt-4m6qKE?t=4m8s) and his panel on [the music of Final Fantasy](https://youtu.be/sEPn75v-L3M). You can check out more of their work online: _Ari_ - Instagram: [@totallytoastyari](http://instagram.com/totallytoastyari) - Facebook: [facebook.com/totallytoasty](http://facebook.com/totallytoasty) - YouTube: [youtube.com/totallytoastyari](https://www.youtube.com/totallytoastyari) _Dan_ - Instagram: [@musiconthedlo](http://instagram.com/musiconthedlo) - Twitter: [@musiconthedlo](http://twitter.com/musiconthedlo) - YouTube: [youtube.com/musiconthedlo](https://www.youtube.com/musiconthedlo) ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** Final Fantasy is a science fiction and fantasy media franchise owned by Square Enix. Despite having fifteen numbered games, 135 million copies of the various games sold, and well over 40 different sequels, spin-offs, and other properties, the game acquired its moniker in 1987 due to the game designers' belief that Square was going to go bankrupt ([according to Nobuo Uematsu](https://www.wired.com/2009/07/final-fantasy/), composer of many famous _Final Fantasy_ tracks). Though most of the numbered games are stand-alone stories in different settings with different characters, there are many recurring plot themes, game mechanics, and character names (e.g. Plots center on a group of heroes battling a great evil while exploring the characters' internal struggles and relationships). **Search Data:** The Final Fantasy series has had a dramatic [decrease in interest since 2004](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F02ywx,%2Fm%2F0dvzv). The series is about a tenth as popular as it was back in 2004. There are spikes in interest in September 2005 (The release of _Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children_), March 2010 (_Final Fantasy XIII_), and December 2016 (_Final Fantasy XV_). [// Why is that? More options for games? ]: # The top ten countries, by search volume, are as follows: Phillipines, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Canada, Malaysia, South Korea, United States, New Zealanda, Spain. [// Also gives us some interesting data on most searched By topic: - XIII-2 - Dissidia - Brave Exvius - Lightning Returns XIII - XV By query: XIV XIII-2 Dissidia A Realm Reborn (XIV) Type 0 Exvius ]: # **Fan Demographics:** We actually managed to find a survey from 2015 with some data! Though it is skewed towards whoever responded on `r/FinalFantasy`, [Tobzzen has us covered with almost 5000 responses](https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasy/comments/4rd7at/results_of_my_survey_from_november_2015/): - _Age:_ 21 to 30 years old (47%), 18 to 20 years old (42%) — a very narrow age range - _Gender:_ Male (82%), Female (16%), Other (2%) - _Location_: >50% North America, >30% Europe - _Employment Status:_ 60% studying or working - _Gaming Status:_ 95% had more than 4 years of computer gaming experience; >25% had more than 16 years experience - _Game Playing Time:_ 53% played on average 3-6 hours per day; >10% played more than 10 hours per day **Fanac Fast Facts:** - Archive Of Our Own has [over 28 000 works related to the Final Fantasy Series](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Final%20Fantasy/works) - ... most being categorized as M/M (13000+), Gen (7000+), or F/M (6000+) - ... the most represented game being XV (14000+), VII (6000+), and XIV (1300+) [// FF VI has about 500 ]: # - ... the most represented characters being Noctis (9000+), Ignis (8700+), and Prompto (8300+) [// Cloud is 5th (3700), Sephiroth is 6th (2600) ]: # ### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/nier-lessons-in-applied-nier-ology/) Famous Last Words **G** What is it that has endured about FF7 compared to FF6? **Z** The people who came into the FF world long after the SNES... do they go back and play the old games (and do they like)? **T** Why is it still called Final Fantasy? [// Couldn't find anything conclusive. Probably because it stuck? Did find this list of renamed games though: Ff1- Warriors of Light Ff2- Red Roses Ff3- Crystal Darkness Ff4- Legends of the Moon Ff5- Crystal Heroes Ff6- World into Ruin Ff7- Mako Crisis Ff8- Balamb Heroes Ff9- Honor Among Thieves Ff10- Son of Sin Ff11- Crystal Heroes Online Ff12- War of Ivalice Ff13- Chained Destiny Ff14- Crystal Heroes Online 2 Ff15- Journey of a Prince ]: # **Sarah** What is your all-time favourite Final Fantasy song? [// Serious answer: I really liked Real Emotion from FF X-2; didn't play a lot off FFs... FF6 - the decisive battle? Mog's theme? ]: # **EpicFilmGuys** _At Zanarkand_ is the greatest FF song ever written. Debate. **tengumaru** "You son of a submariner" is a good Final Fantasy famous last word... ? ### What did we discuss? Questions: ~~- What do you wish folks knew about Final Fantasy and its fans?~~ - What do you see as one of the biggest parts of Final Fantasy fandom (e.g. vidding, fic, art, cosplay, etc.)? ~~- What are some of the biggest points of conflict or contention in Final Fantasy fandom?~~ - What are some common myths or misconceptions about Final Fantasy fans that you wish would go away? - Have you noticed any problematic aspects to the fandom, and if so, what do they tend to be? - Could you describe a moment where you were participating in the fandom and were just blown away in a positive way? ~~- How did you get into Final Fantasy?~~ - How do you express your fandom? ~~- When did you know you were a fan?~~ - Which is your favourite Final Fantasy game and why? - If we did an episode on one of your other favourite fandoms… what would that be? ### The Verdict **G is in.** One of G's favourite games of all time... FF6 worthy of an HBO drama. **Ari is in.** Definitely a lifelong fan. Would love to play all the games. **Dan is in.** Final Fantasy has, musically, shaped the way he constructs music. **T is in.** Will give more Final Fantasy a shot. **Z is out.** But really interested in playing FF IX and some spin-offs. ### This week's spotlight **[OverClocked Remix](http://ocremix.org/)** > Founded in 1999, OverClocked ReMix is a community dedicated to the appreciation and promotion of video game music as an art form. Its primary focus is ocremix.org, a website featuring thousands of free fan arrangements, information on game music and composers, resources for aspiring artists, and a thriving community of video game music fans. In 2016, OC ReMix officially moved under the umbrella and sponsorship of [Game Music Initiative, Inc](http://gamemusic.org), a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization. > > — OverClocked Remix - About Us ### Famous Last Words This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, (Fandom name)! **Z** Did this genre emerge simply because folks saw these elements in other stories and make a quick buck? Or was it about expressing themselves? **T** How much BL is sports manga? **G** Is there a golden standard for "this is the best BL manga" OR is it getting better as time goes on? **Dan** Is there a distinction between Yaoi and Boy's Love? Why has the terminology changed? **Ari** I really like Love Live? Where are the boy bands? Are there boy idols? **Raph** "hewwo i'm 5 wats yaoi" [// Ari: Bioshock! Dan: Also Bioshock... or the Sims]: # ## Where can you find us online? We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media: - If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every Monday at 20:00 Eastern Time! - For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast) - To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast) - For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast) - We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating! - if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) - You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff. - Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that! ## What is "Fanthropological"? How did you read this far without asking this question?! Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish. ## Who is "The Nickscast"? *We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative (dare we say, the _most_ creative). *Ahem* We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more. We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.* ## Thanks Special thanks to Dan and Ari for being patient with us and flexible as we deal with time zone differences, for joining us on the show, and for in general, just being amazing people! ## Credits ### Sources - [r/FinalFantasy](https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasy/) - [Archive Of Our Own - Final Fantasy works](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Final%20Fantasy/works) - [Google Trends - Final Fantasy series](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F02ywx,%2Fm%2F0dvzv) - [r/FinalFantasy - Results of my [SURVEY] from November 2015](https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasy/comments/4rd7at/results_of_my_survey_from_november_2015/) - [Wikipedia - List of Final Fantasy video games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Final_Fantasy_video_games) - [Wired - WHY'S IT CALLED 'FINAL FANTASY'? UEMATSU EXPLAINS](https://www.wired.com/2009/07/final-fantasy/) - [Wikipedia - Final Fantasy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy) - [GameFAQs - Rename the title of every mainline FF game](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/932981-final-fantasy-xv/73783737) - [Fanlore - Final Fantasy Press](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Press) - [Fanlore - Final Fantasy](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy) - [Final Fantasy Five Four Job Fiesta - About](http://fourjobfiesta.com/about.php) - [Kotaku - Final Fantasy VII Retrospective: Great Because It’s Weird](https://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-vii-retrospective-the-weirdest-rpg-ever-1797547869) - [Quora - I’ve Never Played Final Fantasy, Where Do I Start?](https://www.quora.com/Ive-never-played-Final-Fantasy-Where-do-I-start) - [YouTube - Final Fantasy X OST : To Zanarkand](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-0G_FI61a8) - [YouTube - When Do Final Fantasy Games Become Overrated/Underrated? An Extensive Analysis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI4x9LuxKJQ) ### Music / Sound - ["Crystal Caves in the Mountain"](http://teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_4.php?q=580&Genre=Soundscape) by TeknoAXE used under [CC BY 4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) - All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green! ### Artwork - ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)