FFVI – Part 60: Bushido in the Bedroom

Summary: A wacky and slapstick session where we root through Cyan’s doubt, fear, and deepest inner torment.

FFVI – Part 59: Hold On Loosely

Summary: We take out the first legendary dragon, the Earth Dragon, in the Opera House. Onto Zozo and Mt. Zozo. We track down the false letter-writer, a repentant Cyan. He joins us, and we then kill the second dragon, the Storm Dragon.

FFVI – Part 58: It’s the Great Cactus, Charlie Brown

Summary: We arrive in Maranda hot on the trail of Mr. Thou. I get sidetracked by hunting a giant cactus. I find him, but he wipes the floor with me. I’m not even mad. I got to fight a giant goofy cactus with a handlebar mustache. It’s all good.

FFVI – Part 57: The Falcon Flies Again

Summary: We find Setzer in Kohlingen, and convince him to join us. All together, we head to the tomb of Darril, his engineer friend, and get her airship. The Falcon. We’ve got wings.

FFVI – Part 56: The Thing Under the Castle

Summary: Celes and Sabin travel through the South Figaro Cave to arrive at the dying Figaro Castle. We fight through to a tentacle monster that wrapped the castle’s engine rooms, and Edgar reveals himself as Edgar. Some wandering around Figaro Castle.

p.s. If you get the title reference, you get a thousand internet high fives.

FFVI – Part 55: Gerad

Summary: We finish up in Mobliz and leave without Terra. Next: Nikeah. We explore the town and see a familiar face with an unfamiliar name leading a bandit gang, the Crimson Robbers. We follow them across the sea to South Figaro, and manage to not get eaten by Leviathan. Hurray!

FFVI – Part 54: The Kids Are All Right

Summary: Celes saves a boy from a collapsing house in Tzen with Sabin’s help, then finds Terra protecting orphans in Mobliz. It's Christmas! Just this once, everybody lives! (Except the orphans' parents. And their innocence. This is FFVI, after all.)

FFVI – Part 53: Brand New Day

Summary: Celes safely washes ashore near Albrook. We learn a whole lot about this brand new world. Kefka rules as a malicious god, and everything is awful. We set out to find our friends.

FFVI – Part 52: Not Too Late

TW: discussion and imagery of suicide.

Summary: One year later (!!), Celes wakes up in Cid’s house. He dies shortly after. She despairs, but eventually sets out into the world.  One of the best segments of the entire FF series.

FFVI – Part 51: Things Fall Apart

Summary: Kefka defeats Gestahl, unbalances the Warring Triad, and shatters the planet. Our party escapes, but the Blackjack cracks aparts and the party members are presumably scattered.

FFVI – Part 50: Air Force

Summary: We fight our way past the Imperial air force, not to mention Ultros and his new bestie, onto the Floating Continent. Shadow rejoins us for about six seconds. We push through the labyrinthine Continent, past Ultima.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/21/14 Log + Weigh-In

Last week's weight: 260.6
This week's weight: 258.6

Nerd Fitness Academy - Week #2.5 Meal Plan

Staying around 2,700 calories has felt like a good balance so far.  I'll stay with that number this week.

I'm only doing a half-week here, because I want my meal planning weeks to start on Wednesday (payday).

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/20/14 Log

Successful run through week two of meal planning.

FFVI – Part 49: Rage 3: Return of the Veldt

Summary: Taking care of business before the Floating Continent. The Esper Cave, Jidoor, the southern continent (still under the illusion of peace), and then the Veldt.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/19/14 Log

No log yesterday.  I didn't binge in the sense that I would have meant a few weeks ago (which would have involved a pint of ice cream, large bag of chips and thing of dip, stuff like that).  I actually ate pretty moderately, and stayed around 2,900 calories likely.  Just did so mindlessly and off plan.

Solid recovery today.  Had a wonderful day today, the reason for which I'll probably write about tomorrow.

FFVI – Part 48: Tectonic Shift

Summary: Our party reunites. Strago and Relm join permanently. I try desperately to ignore the implications of some of Edgar’s dialogue. Gestahl and Kefka reach the Warring Triad, and rip the landmass out from the esper world.

FFVI – Part 47: Kefka Rising

Summary: Leo fights Kefka, who tricks, torments, and takes out the general. Esper reinforcements attack. Kefka uncloaks his power, slaughters them, collects their magicite, and laughs all the while.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/17/14 Log

Had to alter things from my plan today because I forgot about a lunch meeting at work, and because I ran out of bread.  Well, I didn't run out, but when I went to take a slice it was moldy.

Note to self: a loaf of sourdough doesn't last a week and a half in the cupboard.

FFVI – Part 46: Peace Out

Summary: We meet the espers. They’re reasonable! The espers meet General Leo. He’s reasonable! Everyone makes peace and owns up to the destruction they wrought, maturely attempting to atone for their actions and make a better world together.

And then there’s Kefka.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/16/14 Log

Today was a bit dangerous for three reasons:

1) I barely slept thanks to a dang toothache, left for work late, and forgot to pack snacks with me.

2) There was a catered holiday party at work today that I forgot about.

3) A particular Mark Watches video came out that I was excited for.  This is traditionally one of my binge triggers, since I enjoy getting a big bag of chips and dip when these videos come out usually.

I feel proud of how I dealt with them.

FFVI – Part 45: The Pint-Sized Virtuoso

Summary: In the Esper Cave, we find a shrine to the Warring Triad. Ultros jumps us, and Relm saves the day.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/15/14 Log

FFVI – Part 44: Burning Down the House

Summary: Our party, joined now by Strago, heads into the burning house to save Relm. Things get hairy, but Shadow and Interceptor save the day. Strago fills in the backstory of Thamasa. We head west with Strago to find the espers. Shadow leaves because he’s Shadow.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/14/14 Log

Morning weigh-in: 260.6lb.  Didn't weigh myself last week since the week beforehand I basically binged.  That shouldn't have stopped me from checking in, but it did.  I'd been hovering around the 263 mark for a while though.

Hopefully this next week will finally be the week I go below 260 for the first time in a long time.

Started today on my second week of planned meals.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Week #2 Meal Planning

Made it through the first week of planned meals successfully.  I'd been on this "7 Consecutive Days Below 2,700 Calories" quest for a long time, and had major trouble with it until this.  It made feeling hungry tolerable for me, and broke that feeling up into smaller chunks.  Like, when I got hungry at 4:00pm, it was easier to not get fast food on the way home from work because I knew exactly what I got to eat at home.

I've also cooked more than I ever have in my life.  Like, by a long shot.  So yay!

I hit nutrition level three, and now start on the path to four.  I'll keep the same calorie goal this coming week, 2,700 per day, but will try to cut back on the grains I eat with breakfast from six days to four.  Small steps.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/13/14 Log

Finished the first week of planned meals!

FFVI – Part 43: It’s a Secret to Everybody

Summary: We explore the mage town of Mysi… ahem, Thamasa. We meet Gal… ahem, Strago, and his adorable granddaughter Kri… AHEM SORRY AHEM, Relm. They’re awesome. Relm plays with Shadow’s fierce puppy. A housefire threatens Relm. 

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/12/14 Log

FFVI – Part 42: Strange Bedfellows

Summary: We get some treasure and then head to Albrook. Reunion with Celes and Shadow. The joint Returner-Imperial force sails east.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/11/14 Log

FFVI – Part 41: State Dinner

Summary: We roam the Imperial Palace, trying to talk their soldiers into the idea of peace. Then: dinner time. A banquet with Gestahl and his top brass. BUT NOT KEFKA WHO’S IN JAIL LOLOL. I love this.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/10/14 Log

Onward through my first week of planned meals.

FFVI – Part 40: Peace in Our Time

Summary: We arrive at the smoking shell that used to be Vector. We talk civilly to Imperial soldiers and meet the Emperor, who wants to change his ways. Maybe? It’s super weird, and I expected none of this.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/9/14 Log

FFVI – Part 39: Enemy at the Gates

Summary: We walk through the abandoned Imperial Observation Post through the puzzle-filled Cave of the Sealed Gate. Despite the name, there are blessedly a grand total of zero Trap Doors. Kefka ambushes us at the gate, but we successfully open it anyway to a flood of angry espers.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/8/14 Log

FFVI – Part 38: Globetrotting

Summary: Last leg of the world tour. We hit up towns on the western, eastern, and southern continents. This tour nets us a new esper and introduces us to a town of rude jerkfaces.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/7/14 Log

Food and quest log, 12/17/14.

FFVI – Part 37: Two Princes

Summary: We return to Figaro Castle. Mog puts on his dancing shoes.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Week #1 Meal Planning

It's a pain in the ass to plan a meal every single night.  So I'm going to try to take care of this week's planning in one fell swoop.

FFVI – Part 36: Dances with Wolves

Summary: Pursued Lone Wolf into the Narshe Mines. Found him holding a moogle hostage. Lone Wolf escaped, but I got a new party member in Mog.

FFVI – Part 35: Lawnmower Man

Summary: I begin my world tour, checking out all the towns I’ve been to before for new dialogue, missed quests, etc. We start with Mobliz briefly, spend way too much time in Gau’s dad’s house getting nothing done, and find nothing new in Nikeah. Then: Narshe revisited. The hunt is on, Mr. Wolf.

FFVI – Part 34: Rage 2: The Veldt Strikes Back

Summary: Mostly spent this session around the Veldt accumulating more Rage for Gau.

FFVI – Part 33: Lone Wolf Howls Again

Summary: Terra wakes up and joins us. We regroup in Narshe. Blah blah blah Empire, blah blah blah massive war where we need the espers on our side, blah blah blah. Fine. What truly matters is that Lone Wolf returns to piss me off, and escapes. Grr.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 12/1/14 Log

Success in sticking to my plan today!  (Mostly; I woke up late, and it was below zero today and didn't feel like walking out at lunch, so shifted some stuff around.)

I can pinpoint moments where I was tempted to go off-plan, and only was able to not binge because I remembered that I DID plan things out, that I WOULD eventually get the calories I wanted in a healthier way than binging would allow.  And so I sit here, full and happy with how I ate.  A good day.

FFVI – Part 32: How I Met Your Mother

Summary: Kefka makes a last-ditch effort to stop our escape on the airship, but with the aid of Setzer’s bizarre combat mechanic, we fight him off. Next stop is Zozo. We revive Terra. We then see a flashback to her parents’ meeting in the esper world, her birth, and her abduction by Gestahl (who also goes by the alias “fucking Gestahl”).

Nerd Fitness Academy - Preparation for 12/1/14

Weekly weigh-in: 263.8 lb

 I need a few more days below 2,700 calories to finally complete this quest.  Planning tomorrow's food.

FFVI – Part 31: Devil’s Lab

Summary: We move into the heart of the facility: Cid’s laboratory. More magicite that Kefka tries to steal. Possible betrayal by Celes, but probably not since she saves us. We flee the lab and leave Vector.

FFVI – Part 30: Slaughterhouse

Summary: We infiltrate the magitek factory. The dungeon design is as cool as its purpose is horrifying. Kefka dreams big. We see a couple of dying espers, Ifrit and Shiva, and push onto the research facility.

FFVI – Part 29: A Picture of Vector

Summary: We visit occupied Maranda, followed by the Imperial capitol of Vector.

FFVI – Part 28: Albrook and Tzen

Summary: We land on the south continent and begin to explore. Albrook first and then Tzen, with a quick stop in between at an Imperial Observation Post to the east.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 11/26/14 Log

Solid day.  Planning my meals in advance helps so much.  I used to be unable to do a full day without eating out, but I think what makes this so much better is that I'm not skimping on calories.  I can meet my calorie goal, and the food I eat at home tastes pretty good.

Breakfast is my favorite by far!

FFVI – Part 27: A Night at the Opera: Act II

Summary: We make our way to Ultros, and then fall inconspicuously onto the stage. The boss fight against him is on stage, worked into the opera. It’s awesome. We win, but Setzer yanks Celes onto his airship. The rest of the party grabs on and meets Setzer. Celes goes all Anton Chigurh and secures Setzer’s support.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 11/25/14 Log

Went off track last night after getting home (my usual danger zone), and today as well.  Preparation for tomorrow.

FFVI – Part 26: A Night at the Opera: Act I

Summary: Everything is beautiful, and nothing hurts. Except possibly Celes’s head next time, given Ultros’s idea of “tons of fun.”

FFVI – Part 25: Casting Change

Summary: Finished up in Zozo, with a Chainsaw for our troubles. We head back to Jidoor to find a ship to Imperial lands, but no luck. The backup plan, to hijack a gambler named Setzer’s airship, takes us to the opera house.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 11/23/14 Log

Weighed in today: 264.8.  Going to do this weekly. 

Nerd Fitness Academy - 11/22/14 Log

Really happy with how planning out the next day's food has gone these first couple of days.  It helps alleviate a lot of the doubt, internal bargaining, and energy that goes into my day. 

FFVI – Part 24: My Little Esper: Friendship is Magicite

Summary: Lots of exposition this session from Ramuh. We learn the tragic history of espers, and the horrifying truth behind where magitek comes from. A new game mechanic gets introduced: magicite.

FFVI – Part 23: Class Warfare

Summary: We dive into the sharply divided cities of Jidoor and Zozo. Jidoor is beautiful, complete with an unsettling gallery of paintings and an auction house, while Zozo is a hive of scum and villainy. More clock puzzles. We find Terra.

Nerd Fitness Academy - 11/21/14 Log

Nerd Fitness Academy - 11/20/14 Log

Preparation for tomorrow.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Corpse Run

The past few weeks, I've done nothing with regards to fitness.  I went back to binging on whatever, not exercising, eating mindlessly, etc.  Time to try again - with some adjustments.

Temporary Post Frequency Change

Hello, readers!  A quick note on schedule stuff this next month.

Over the next three weeks, I be devoting much of my energy to finishing up grad school.  I won't be taking a hiatus, but my Final Fantasy VI posts here will be far less frequent, most likely 2-3 posts per week instead of 6-7.

FFVI – Part 22: Rachel

Summary: We head to Kohlingen, and get some backstory on Rachel, the woman of whom Celes reminds Locke. Before following Terra’s path further south, we hit up a cabin in the north inhabited by someone who wants to build a coliseum.

FFVI – Part 21: Truly Outrageous Terra

Summary: Terra talks to the esper, and morphs into possibly an esper herself, flying west. The rest of the team members split up. Sabin and Cyan stay behind to guard the esper while Celes, Locke, Gau, and Edgar follow Terra’s trail to the west through the subway system that is Figaro Castle.

FFVI – Part 20: The Battle of Narshe Cliffs

Summary: Our parties reunite, with no small tension. They can’t quite convince the Narshe authorities that the Empire will attack them, but then the Empire attacks them. Problem solved! We head on over to Narshe Cliffs to guard the esper, fight off the Imperial attack, and defeat Kefka again. He still sucks.

---

Narshe

-Ok, so we’re trying to convince the Narshe authorities to fight with us. Gestahl is racing for the esper too, so this is a bit time sensitive.

-Again: really great build-up so far, by not showing Emperor Gestahl beyond one brief megalomaniacal speech. More and more nervous about seeing him up close.

-Cyan and Gau meet the rest, along with Celes when Locke comes in.

-The Empire’s heading to attack Narshe. Like, right now. So that makes Narshe’s choice easier.

-Cyan is enraged seeing Celes. How did I not expect this? Of course he would be. He doesn’t know any backstory on how she met Locke.

-He calls her “the woman single-handedly responsible for the decimation of Maranda.” I actually like that he doesn’t hate her just because he thinks she poisoned Doma. This would make things way too simple, cleared up by Locke saying what he saw.

FFVI is going a much more interesting route. It’s not setting up Celes as some Returner-plant dismantling the Empire from the inside from the beginning. We have no reason to believe Cyan is wrong – she probably did decimate Maranda! She’s probably a highly skilled and efficient Imperial general, which involves beating the Empire’s enemies efficiently. And she probably would have wanted the destruction of Doma as well.

Just not its destruction no matter what the cost. She may still be a decent person. And that’s a huge difference. Maybe all the difference.

-Cyan freaks out once again when he learns that Terra was an imperial soldier as well, but his outrage is interrupted by the Empire commencing its attack.

---

Desert

-A squad of soldiers marches, led by Kefka. Where’s Leo?

-Kefka wants to kill any civilians who get in the way. The soldiers object, but Kefka’s their commander for the moment.

Kefka’s philosophy.

-Leo would be appalled.

---

Narshe

-Team power-walk!

-Edgar has two suggestions for Celes. First, he warns Celes to not think Locke fell for her. Celes’s reply?

Celes cares zero for your bullshit.

Edgar’s reply? “Well, there goes my second suggestion.” Of course. Just minutes before combat, of course you’d hit on Celes. Because Edgar.

-Celes and Terra get to talk. Celes says she was raised to be a Magitek Knight, artificially infused with magic. So that’s a no go on the “secret sisters” route, which I’m more than fine with. Terra wants to know if it’s possible for Celes to love other people.

Celes must be thinking “wtf is with all these people and romance,” and feels insulted by this question hot on the heels of Edgar. We know though that this was about Terra rather than Celes. Poor Terra.

-Celes and Cyan. Cyan says he doesn’t trust Celes, but Celes responds that the proof will be in combat.

--- 

Narshe Cliffs

-I’m now Terra.

-I can talk to party members standing in a line and switch with them, but not sure what I’m supposed to do.

-Banon asks if I’m ready. NO. WTF IS GOING ON.

-Oh. I can upgrade equipment and adjust relics, and heal up as well. That’s what this prep period is for. Let’s go.

-Mog pops up: “Protect the esper from Kefka.” Three different parties. So this is like a more advanced version of the “Moogles Defend Terra” set-up from earlier.

Party 1: Sabin, Celes
Party 2: Edgar, Terra
Party 3: Locke, Gau, Cyan

-Kefka and his armies enter at the other end of the rocky maze. He barks out that horrifying laugh.

-Gau’s “Guard Leader” (wind slash rage) and Sabin’s “Rising Phoenix” blitz obliterate everything. Terra and Edgar are my weakest party, but still not bad.

-Great music! This is like a combat-version of Terra’s theme.

-I defeat all the troops, and near the end, a “Hell’s Rider” guards Kefka. Looks like a mini-boss, but defeated pretty easily with a couple of combat rounds.

-Something tells me Kefka won’t be a push-over the way he was in the Imperial Camp. My strongest party is with Gau, Locke, and Cyan, but I really want to see Celes kick his ass. So I’ll engage with Celes and Sabin.

-*deep breath* Here we go.

-Boss music. He also has a combat sprite now apart from his overworld one.

-Meteor Strike doesn’t work.

-He uses Thunder, as well as Poison and Confuse. I guess he really is a mage. Natural like Terra, or built like Celes?

-Because he’s a mage, Celes’ Runic dominates the fight while Sabin’s Raging Fist does heavy damage.

-Kefka flees. Victory!

---

Next time: Aftermath of the battle.

FFVI – Part 19: Ride the Tide (Sabin’s scenario)

Summary: Restocking in Mobliz, before we insert ourselves in the middle of the wounded solder’s personal life. We head south to the Mountain Cave, get Gau’s “shiny” (a diving helmet), and ride the ocean current to Nikeah. We sniff around a bit, then sail to South Figaro and then onto Narshe.

FFVI – Part 18: Rage (Sabin’s scenario)

Summary: I dive into Gau’s “Rage” system, trying to build up a pool of abilities from the many monsters of the Veldt. Long post despite no story development, as I try to make a glossary of the different monster abilities I now have access to, lest I be overwhelmed.

FFVI – Part 17: Cyan, Gau and Mr. Thou (Sabin’s scenario)

Summary: We head east to Mobliz across the Veldt. Gau bugs us for food on the way, but it’s only after stocking up on Dried Meat in Mobliz that can feed him. He then eats, joins us, and pisses off Sabin as much as humanly possible. It’s glorious.

FFVI – Part 16: Charlie the Choo Choo (Sabin’s scenario)

Summary: We push forward on the train. More ghosts, plus a strange swordsman named Siegfried. At the front, we face the Phantom Train, win, and get off at the next stop. Cyan’s family boards. Urgh. Then some cliff-diving.

FFVI – Part 15: Ghost Pals (Sabin’s scenario)

Summary: Sabin, Shadow, and Cyan move west from the camp. Shadow leaves shortly after because he’s a jerkface. We enter the Phantom Forest, and shortly afterwards to a literal ghost train. We make spoooooky friends, and fight spoooooky enemies.

FFVI – Part 14: Screaming in Unison (Sabin’s scenario)

Summary: Kefka takes over in Leo’s absence, escapes from Sabin and Shadow, and proceeds to commit mass murder against Doma. Cyan survives, and joins our team. They leave the camp.

FFVI – Part 13: Poor Devils Like Us (Sabin’s scenario)

Summary: Sabin washes up and joins Shadow. They head towards Doma, and slow down at the imperial camp. The Empire attacks Doma, but Cyan emerges and stops the assault. We see the despised Kefka compared with the awesome General Leo.

New Year's Eve

 The joys of a natural new year.

FFVI – Part 12: Visiting Moogles (Terra’s scenario)

Summary: Shorter scenario this time. Terra, Edgar, and Banon ride the raipds, head to Narshe, and zip through the mines to slip past the guards. We then meet up with the old man who helped Terra earlier, Arvis, and plot how to reach the esper. End of scenario.

FFVI – Part 11: Celestial Sword (Locke’s scenario)

Summary: Celes and Locke take to the secret-laden tunnels from the rich man’s house, and escape South Figaro. We head west to the South Figaro Cave, and Celes’s “Runic” ability shines against the Tunnel Armor boss. End of scenario.

---

Rich Man’s House, South Figaro

-Aw. Celes thinks of herself now as a traitor for speaking up. Sounds more like a whistleblower.

-She seems surprised that Locke, a Returner, will take her. But she can’t walk well (it’s not really explained why; I guess just as a general consequence of being chained up). Perhaps more importantly, a part of her is reluctant to escape because she wants to keep her pride. I already like her for this.

-Ooh. Guard has a clock key. GRABBY!

-My choices with the guard: “(Take it.)” or (Stealing is wrong.)” I think I know which Locke would pick.

-After I swipe it, the guard wakes briefly, but immediately falls back asleep to a dream about soup. Yeah.

-Celes’s job is “Rune Knight.” Awesome.

-WAIT WHAT. She has MAGIC? Not just magitek through a suit, but actual magic? How? Is this some “Terra’s sister” story thread, like Faris and Lenna in FFV?

-We wind the old clock and open a secret passage. This must be the one leading out of town.

-This tunnel is much longer than what came before it, with random enemy encounters – guards and their puppies. Metric ton of secret areas down here that I’m finding.

-One of the things I learned from watching my older brother play FFII (SNES) was the value of exploring, of clicking all the barrels and pots, testing all the walls for secret passages. Paying off in spades here.

-Got a “Ribbon,” but can’t see how to wear it.

-Just noticed that Locke’s job is an “Adventurer.” I thought it used to be “Treasure Hunter,” but could be wrong.

-The enemies hit really hard down here. I try a strategy that seems to help. It’s two-fold. First: leave a dog for last. They tend to run. Second: time my attacks so I don’t leave a single commander alive for any significant period of time. They use “Desperate Strike” when alone, a hard-hitting double attack.

-Found an “Earring” for Celes to boost her magic. I hope this boosts white as well as black magic.

-Celes learned “Imp.” Is that like “Mini” from past FFs?

-Found a Great Sword. HUGE upgrade for Celes.

-The Gauntlet seems kind of useless. It doesn’t seem to boost Celes’s damage, so I opt for sword and board.

-Explored here thoroughly, but still can’t seem to reach a last staircase in the southeast no matter how many walls I push at. Dag nab it.

-Near the exit.

CELES: Why are you helping me?
LOCKE: You remind me of someone.

Really, dude? That’s why? Not because you overheard that she demonstrated how awesome she was by taking massive risk to life and position by speaking out against Kefka’s plan to poison a kingdom?

Maybe I’m not being fair. Like, maybe the person she reminds Locke of had these qualities too, but I have to imagine that even if his girlfriend/wife/mother (again, my money’s on girlfriend) didn’t exists, he’d still have helped Celes.

-We leave town.

---

Overworld

-Nothing special in Duncan’s House to the north, but we nap here anyway.

-Not sure where to go. I think we’re probably supposed to go to Narshe, so I go west.

---

South Figaro Cave

-Monsters here are tougher now.

-We keep hearing a *whoosh* sound. Near the exit, Celes even commens on it. What is it? Flood waves?

-Earthquake?

CELES: “Something’s coming through the wall.”

-Boss time! “Tunnel Armor.” Cool design.

-Celes says it casts badass magic, but she can Runic it away. Hey, I remember reading that from the tutorial! I remembered a thing!

-CELES IS SUCH A BOSS. When she casts Runic, she holds her sword up to the sky and soaks up any magic damage the boss throws until the next turn, converting it into either health or mana (can’t remember which, but probably mana).

For the honor of Grayskull!

-Victory. We leave. End of scenario.

---

Next time: Terra, Edgar, and Banon’s scenario.

FFVI – Part 10: Master of Disguise (Locke’s scenario)

Summary: Locke’s escape from Imperial-controlled South Figaro. He moves past the soldiers by disguising himself as a merchant and a cadet, infiltrating the headquarters of the town. We meet Celes.

FFVI – Part 9: Seafood Soup

Summary: A trip down the Lethe River. Some twists and turns. Then ULTROS (nee Orthros)!! Witty banter, massive damage, and horrifyingly NC-17 tentacle imagery. We sort of win, but Sabin jumps into the river to punch Ultros because reasons. Then a choice.

FFVI – Part 8: Team Free Will

Summary: Our team heads up north to the Returners’ Hideout. We meet Banon. Terra makes a choice. The Empire takes South Figaro and moves on the Hideout, so our scrappy band of rebels splits up.

FFVI – Part 7: Vargas and I

Summary: We climb Mt. Kolts. Near the top we meet both Vargas (and his bear minions??) and Sabin. Vargas beats us, then Sabin beats Vargas and joins us on our continued path.

FFVI – Part 6: If I Were a Rich Man

Summary: We continue to explore the ginormous and treasure-laden town of South Figaro. Cider angers me. Relics, gil, potions, secret passages, and a semi-shady rich man. We then head up to Duncan’s cabin and east to Mt. Kolts.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Log, 11/2/14

"So this is what you meant when you said that you were spent.
And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit
Right to the top."
                                                 -"It's Time," Imagine Dragons

--

Progressed on every single one of my quests.  Tired.  

 I don't need every day to be like this, but it really charges me up for the coming week.  It gives a spot of hope that maybe in time I actually can get where I want to go.

FFVI – Part 5: Sink Her

Summary: Kefka sets Figaro on fire, but our trio escapes and the castle submerges. We head to South Figaro, on the way to Returners HQ. We meet Shadow.

Blizzard - Weeks 5/6: The Noble Garrosh

A bit of Hearthstone and Diablo III, but mostly WoW this week through the wonderful Stonetalon questline.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Log, 11/1/14

Did my monthly weigh-in today: 261.0 lb.  Despite a pretty awful and mindless last couple of weeks, dropped three pounds this month.

Onward to November!

FFVI – Part 4: Sand in My Shoes

Summary: Terra wanders the castle. Kefka visits Figaro. He gets sand on his shoes. (Trust me, that part is worthy of being in the summary.)  He wants Terra, and Edgar cagily says no.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Log, 10/31/14

Been binging a lot, falling into old habits.  That's ok.  The last two months have been two steps forward, one step back, which is better than not moving forward at all.  It's not all or nothing.  I keep having to tell myself it's not all or nothing.

On we go.  Let's try for three steps forward this time.

FFVI – Part 3: Not Normal

Summary: We spend some time in the tutorial room learning about FFVI’s new mechancis and then move onto Figaro. We meet the too-slick-by-half King Edgar. Terra :(

FFVI – Part 2: Empire and Rebellion

Summary: Lots of introductions! Not!Rydia is Terra (amnesiac), we meet Locke (who reminds me of Bartz off the bat), we meet Kefka (ice cold), we meet the Emperor (or at least hear his speechifying), we meet the Returners (sort of).

FFVI – Part 1: Mech Warriors

Summary: The first step on the journey of FFVI. We meet Magitek-armored Biggs, Wedge, and a green haired woman. They march through Narshe and meet an esper, who communes (or something?) with green-hair and banishes Wedge and Biggs.

FFV – Part 61: Final Thoughts

Summary: Some last thoughts as we depart Final Fantasy V.

FFV – Part 60: A Realm Reborn

Summary: Our party floats in the Void. They relinquish their hold on the crystals, which then reform to once again gift their power to the world. Hiryu is reborn. The Dawn Warriors bid goodbye to the Light Warriors. Krile updates us on the party’s doings one year later. They remember Galuf, and ride into the sunset. Beautiful.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/26/14

I keep talking about how my fitness goals are best served by small victories, but it's hard for me to internalize this message.  This is why I've been delaying writing these logs this past week.  Food's been hard for me, and I've thought of my progress there as inflexible and one-direction.

So here's my goal for the next month at least.  Always post a log.  Even if the log is just a single quest progressed on, and even if I don't log food.  Basically: try.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/25/14

FFV – Part 59: Tree of Strife

Summary: Showdown with Exdeath. He morphs from human form to evil tree monster form, and then to his final form, a mish-mosh of monster similar to the Creator of FFIV:TAY. A tough fight, but we eventually take him down. With a little help from our friends, that is.

FFV – Part 58: The Winning Spirit

Summary: We meet Shinryu, nee Nova Dragon. The Rift gets more woodsy. Mind Flayers. We fight Necrophobe, and are saved by the sacrifice of Gilgamesh, of all people.

FFV – Part 57: Coasting a Terrace, Approaching a Rift

Summary: We finish off Dimension Castle, taking down Halicarnassus and Twintania. Enter the Rift. We again meet the peerless Gilgamesh, and the world is a pretty good place sometimes.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/24/14

Trying the new format today, of filling stuff in as I go rather than at the end of the day.

Status: complete.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/23/14

Soft reset after a bad few days.

I also plan on changing up my style a bit over the next week.  I'm going to try posting a log early in the day and filling it in as I eat and fill quests rather than all at once at the end of the day.  The possible downside is that it may take more mental energy/work.  The potential upside is that I maybe able to connect my choices to my quests as an academy member more directly. 

We'll try it and see how it goes.

FFV – Part 56: My Name is Legion

Summary: Deeper into the Rift. Omega thoroughly whomps us, so we push on to fight a Not!Panda. We move into Dimension Castle, where we fight Exdeath’s Legion of Doom.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/22/14

Not a great day, but any progress from the last few days is progress.

FFV – Part 55: Doomsayer

Summary: I finish the piano quest, then move into the Rift. We fight our way through a diverse array of locations within the Rift, including desert, ruins, forest, and cave. Krile tries the oracle job, and sees doom wherever she looks.

---

Piano 3: The Reckoning

-More piano exploration in the world.

PHANTOM VILLAGE: Already done.

CRESCENT: Already done.

TULE: Already done.

REGOLE: SUCCESS!!

I didn’t see the hidden passage that led here before, but found the last piano. So… hurray, I guess?

-I think I’m done here. Onto the Rift.

---

The Rift – Desert

-Some quake worms and the brutal Landcrawler, but nothing too new.

-A tomb.

-OH SHIT IT’S THE LEGION OF DOOM.

Not that Legion of Doom.

THIS Legion of Doom!

-They threaten us, then blink away. I think they were just a vision/illusion/projection.

---

The Rift – Ruins

-Ronkan ruins. More high-tech enemies, like a reskin of the evil fan.

-Oracle is a really fascinating job. It seems to be random. I can use !Condemn to put a countdown timer on the enemy. W hen it counts down, the enemy gets hit by that spell. Cannoneer I don’t really understand yet.

-Exit…

-…huh?

---

The Rift – Phantom Village

-I pop out of the previously inaccessible basement room in the Phantom Village.

-Is this an illusion? Is this real? Am I real?

-The answer is maybe. Nobody in town is talking or moving. It’s frozen in time. This is some creepy-ass langoliers bullshit right here.

-Seriously. I have nightmares about this kind of thing.

-We leave the town…

---

The Rift – Forest

-…and enter a low-visibility forest.

-LOL – Krile used !Predict, rank 3. It summoned a rockslide that KILLED THREE OF US LOLOL

-Ok, fuck Oracle. Her next !Predict is “Pestilence,” which kills the whole party after five seconds with over 4,000 damage to us.

-A tree with a hole in it opened to the next area.

-Oops! No, it didn’t. A tentacle lady, Calofisteri, came out to kill me. I try Rank 1 !Predict for the heck of it. Krile predicts Pestilence again. Five seconds later, we die.

The damage we’re taking? Yeah, it’s not from Calofisteri. *stares at Krile*

-HEY KRILE, STOP SEEING THE GRIM EVERYWHERE. Trelawney taught you poorly. Should’ve learned from the centaurs instead.

-Attemt #2: Success. My strategy of having Krile sit on her ass and predict nothing was a rousing success.

---

The Rift – Cave

-We encounter a Great Dragon as our first random enemy. This does not bode well.

Some tough Rift Cave baddies.

-I give Krile one last chance to prove her oracling worth. She rises to the challenge by calling down another pox on our house.

-Ok, Krile. Let’s give you a nice relaxing beastmaster job.

-Eyeball mounds from FFII! Missed u guyz.

-Aaand I ran into Omega. Guess who got destroyed?

---

Next time: Omega.

FFV – Part 54: Art and Music

Summary: New jobs. World exploration to find out what’s up with the pianos, which led us to Odin in the basement of Bal.

---

Sea

-Something erupted in the south.

-“Feels like time and space are twisting.” Poetic, Bartz.

---

???

-I’m not just saying I don’t know where this cave is; “???” is the actual name I see.

-Where is this?

-NEW JOBS!!! WOO HOO!!! Oracle, gladiator, cannoneer.

-A mysterious merchant pops in. Really? Oh, he’s an exposition dump, explaining the new jobs.

Oracle: Predicts stuff. It can backfire.
Gladiator: Weapon specialist with “finishers.” I guess these are things that do more damage to a monster below a certain percentage, but not sure.
Cannoneer: Can combine ammunition with other stuff.

-Let’s try Bartz on cannoneer, Krile on oracle, Faris on gladiator.

-LOL – Bartz’s cannoneer sprite.

He looks like he’s ready to fight off the redcoats.

-Faris’s gladiator looks badass.

-The cave we’re in has three doors and a switch. One door is where we came in, the switch doesn’t work, one toor is too dark to see inside, and one door is magically sealed. Um. Okay.

---

Under the Sea

-There are four blinking lights on the underwater map. I’ve been to three of them. One left.

-Oh, I was wrong. The one I thought was new is just the Great Sea Trench, where I got a tablet.

---

Exploring

-The next step for me is probably the Rift, but I want to try solving this Piano thing first. Not sure which pianos I’ve missed or done. It’s possible this is impossible at this point, that the pianos I need were sucked into the Void, but I’m going to try.

KARNAK: Already done.

SURGATE: Really, game?

Really? Just… argh. No words. I hope Lone Wolf is a random encounter down the line so we can kill him and loot all this stuff.

No piano.

MOORE: Already done.

QUELB: No piano.

BAL: Krile’s wind drake is here, and rideable. Basement still locked. No piano.

JACHOL: Already done.

JACHOL CAVE: I’d forgotten to explore this cave earlier. And by “forgot,” I mean “really didn’t want to face Skull Eaters again.” But beating the Shield Dragon felt so good that it’s VENGEANCE TIME.

---

Jachol Cave

-Yes. Vengeance on the Skull Eaters. (Decent xp too, for 5 ABP per kill.)

Eat !Gaia, Skull Eaters. Mwa-ha-ha!

-WHAT

-IT GOT ME INSIDE THE BASEMENT OF BAL

-HAHHAHAHAHAHHA

---

Bal – Basement

-Really long hallway. Builds tension well.

-The monsters here with petrify, “Objet d’Art,” give great xp but are still pretty nasty.

-Prediction: the boss here will be some uber-Objet d’Art, like a ginormous soldier statue or something.

-And I’m dead wrong. It’s ODIN! He’s gonna give us a one minute timer. Time to break out my highest damage group.

-Have I mentioned my hatred of timers?

-And beat him in under 30 seconds. Go team! Dualcast + Thundaga = dead Odin. Or rather, defeated Odin, since we get him as a summon now.

---

Next time: piano practice.

FFV – Part 53: Behind Istory Falls

Summary: Some travel and then onto Istory Falls. A hard dungeon that contains the fourth tablet. 

FFV – Part 52: Phoenix Rising

Summary: We take down Bahamut on North Mountain, then proceed to Phoenix Tower. After one of the most messed-up flashbacks ever, Hiryu (who was on the top of the tower) expends his remaining life to become a phoenix. 

Nerd Fitness Academy - Down

"When Illusion spin her net,
I'm never where I want to be.
And Liberty, she pirouette
When I think that I am free."
                                -"Solsbury Hill," Peter Gabriel 

Quick note on the last few days and going forward.

Blizzard - Week 4: Patch Drop

Checking out the pre-"Warlords of Draenor" update and Ashenvale.  Happy Hallow's End!

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/18/14

"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who dream only at night."
                                                                                                                   -Edgar Allan Poe

FFV – Part 51: Gogo

Summary: Some new legendary weapons. World travel on Boko, and a reunion with Syldra! Sort of. We then pick up a new job from the Sunken Tower of Walse, courtesy of the strange and dramatic mimic, Gogo.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/17/14

A few good decisions today.  Not epic thing, just small but conscious choices that helped me push forward on my quests.

1) Ate a smaller microwaved lunch rather than going out for a (more expensive) Chipotle or Chinese buffet or something. 
2) Good work-out.
3) Ate an apple.

Huzzah!

FFV – Part 50: Three Little Pigs

Summary: The Great Sea Trench. We meet dwarves, and fight off a family of evil pig monsters to get the third tablet. We then head to the surface and find the Phantom Village.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/16/14

FFV – Part 49: I Am Legend

Summary: Some world travel, checking out different towns in the merged world. We get a submarine. The Sealed Castle opens up for us, and we get a few legendary weapons.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/15/14

FFV – Part 48: Fork in the Road

Summary: Some town hopping, then Crescent and the Fork Towers. Our party splits and heads up each tower, the might tower and the magic tower. They face down two really nasty bosses at the top and eventually defeat them, winning the Flare and Holy spells.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/14/14

Not a great day, but on we go.

FFV – Part 47: Always the Water Levels

Summary: Exdeath cranks the Void up to 11, swallowing half the world. We find the next tablet’s hiding place, the Island Shrine. It’s tons of fun, because I love getting confused, debuffed, and insta-killed as often as possible. We beat the guardian (a Wendigo) and get the second tablet.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/13/14

Major quest progress today.

FFV – Part 46: Undead Chicken

Summary: Hiryu brings us Lenna, but she’s possessed. Exdeath gloats. We exorcise the demon and kill it. We wander a bunch, and after being mocked by a skeleton with chicken noises for some reason, we eventually find the airship.

Blizzard - Week 3: Northern Barrens

Diablo III

A bit of progress here.  Some +fire gear, so enjoying a Meteor Shower build right now.  Level 49.

---

Hearthstone

Couple of sessions this week, with one solid arena run.  Went 4-3, which I'm pretty happy with because I started out 0-2.  I drew a late-game warrior deck with about a billion different weapons, Ysera, Sunwalker, some other goodies.

The two packs I got afterwards pulled TWO legendaries!  Tinkmaster Overspark (bleh) and golden Illidan.

---

World of Warcraft

Completed the Northern Barrens this week, and moved onto Ashenvale.  I can't get over how much cleaner and more creative the questlines and progression have gotten since Cataclysm.  I haven't played the lower levels in any significant/attentive way since before that, and it makes a world of different.

Awesome music here.  Lonesome sound to it, as befits the landscape and feel of the area.  I also like how it can change depending on where you are.  For example, a quest took me into a goblin-heavy area, and the chipper and bouncy goblin music popped on.  Nice touch, Blizzard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhE8W4WSOpg

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest, 10/12/14

"Today I got work, and I like it that way.
It's a case of a still-life gone cinema verite."
                             -Dar Williams, "In Love But Not at Peace

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/11/14

FFV – Part 45: Are You My Mummy?

Summary: Some overworld wandering, but the lion’s share of this session is in the WONDERFUL Pyramid of Moore. It’s got everything I could have asked for from a pyramid dungeon – snakes, flowing sand, trap doors, mummies, the works. We get the first tablet. Oh, and in the process, we wake Bahamut. Oops.

---

Overworld Exploration
-Quick stop at Surgate, north of the library, but nothing new or interesting here.

-Not sure when I’ll get Lenna back, so I’m going to try to convert Krile to something healy. Red Mage time.

-Mechanics question: why is Lenna’s !Animal Nightengale heal so much stronger than Bartz’s? They each have their Ranger job at the same level.

-Stop in Karnak. Not much new here either beyond one thing: talk of dwarves. Everyone’s interested in dwarves, so I guess I’ll see some soon. Lali-ho!

I would be very, very happy to see Luca again.

-No way to get to the Void where Tycoon used to be to check on Lenna.

-Wow. I am a major league dunkus. I just now realized that I could use equip the Healing Staff, “attack” with it, and the target of the attack gets healed. Huzzah! Great for grinding.

---

Guardian Tree
-Just east of the desert, we find a copse with the Guardian tree. It’s started to revive and grow back. Nice as this is, it causes our party to reminisce about all the things they lost that will never grow back.

Thanks for that, Lenna. Totally needed that punch in the heart.

---

Desert of Shifting Sands
-We enter from the east this time rather than the north.

-The sand has stopped flowing. This is good because it makes traversing the desert easier. It’s bad because it’s a sign that the wind and earth have been losing strength after the breaking of the crystals.

---

Pyramid of Moore

-We try the door that blocked us before. It opens this time, but two gargoyles stop us. Boss time!

-They don’t hit that hard, but have a WoW-Core Hound mechanic where they have to die about the same time I think. It was tough since I only have melee damage and not group magic damage with my current set-up, but succeeded.

-A Sealed Tome page drops entering. Or maybe we just read what we already have? Pretty confused on this, but okay. Into the pyramid.

-Cool monsters and backdrop here! Fits well with the aesthetic.

Does it look to anyone else like Lenna is breaking the third wall and staring at the camera?

-Lots of traps and puzzles.

Snakes! Why’d it have to be snakes?

-A sarcaphogus door, guarded by a Grand Mummy. This is SO COOL. It was guarding a “Cursed Ring.” I remember back in “Dragon Warrior” on the NES, there were cursed items, like a belt and maybe a ring. If you equipped them, they hurt you somehow and you couldn’t physically take them off. Those sucked. So I’m apprehensive about putting this on.

-BUT YOLO! I put it on. It gives a massive stat boos, at the cost of putting “Doom” on the wearer to kill them after 50 seconds. Don’t love it.

-SO MANY TRAPS. HAVE I YET SAID THAT I LOVE THIS?

-Oh wow. This floor has all these robots roaming around that look like Omega from FFIV:TAY.

Roaming robots. Thank God Freddy Fazbear’s not among them.

They’re not Omega, which was a brutally hard boss, but they are “Mecha Heads.” I hope we don’t get any Voltron bullshit where we run into Mecha Body or Mecha Toes or whatever.

-Random monster, Sekhmet. After beating him: “You seem to have defeated me, but my brother in the tower will…” Damn. I wish I knew more about Egyptian mythology. Curious who his brother is.

-Disappearing floor puzzle. Whee! I suck at it, but it’s fun anyway.

-Bard is my all-star job here on Krile, since Requiem decimates many of the undead mobs we face for free.

-Got the tablet. Yay!

-…not yay? The ground is shaking. The platform elevates and raises us up to the top outside the pyramid. On the tablet itself: “The Dragon King, Bahamut…”

-WHAT

-WTF

-We zoom out to an overhead view of a peninsula. Which CRUMBLES AND SINKS. From the water beneath it emerges Bahamut, and he is GINORMOUS.

Bahamut rises from the deep.

My deep and abiding love for titanic monsters is sated. Thank you, game.

-So not ready for this fight, so I’m thanksful when Bahamut says he’ll “await us at the summit of North Mountain.” Not now. Whew.

-Airship sighting.

---

Next time: We head towards the second tablet.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/10/14

Today's progress pushed me to level 6.  HUZZAH!

FFV – Part 44: Null and Void

Summary: Exdeath unleashes the Void on Castle Tycoon, obliterating it. Ghido uses his ninja turtle skills and sass to fight Exdeath, but he wins this round. We head over to the Library of the Ancients and learn that we must find four tablets, open a sealed city, and get legendary weapons to kill Exdeath.

FFV – Part 43: When Worlds Collide

Summary: Our party heads north. We get temporarily stuck in an antlion den, but Faris catches up an saves us! We stumble across Ghido’s Cave to my surprise, before learning to my even greater surprise that the two worlds merged. Then Exdeath emerges from a splinter in Krile’s foot. The prior sentence is real.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/9/14

Bigger lunch than I needed, but great progress today on lots of quests!

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/8/14

FFV – Part 42: Back in Kansas

Summary: We’re back in Bartz’s world, in Castle Tycoon. Most of the town infuriates me by acting like things are fine, when clearly this is the calm before the storm. Lenna and Faris get a celebratory welcome, leaving Bartz and Krile to investigate. We see Boko (and his family!!!), and get a new, yellow, furry member for our party.

---

Castle Tycoon

-Everything seems normal here. “Princess Lenna, thank goodness you’re home,” etc. Is this a dream world? Something must be wrong.

-The chancellor is in a festive mood with the return of Faris/Sarisa and Lenna.

-They’re getting ready for a banquet in their honor.

-Did the game bug out? Like, did it skip to the post-game credits and wrap-up?

-Faris is nervous about wearing a dress and not her normal pirate gear. STOP ACTING NORMAL. WHAT HAPPENED???

-Bartz likes Faris in a dress.

Dude. You had Faris in your party dressed like a pirate, ninja, knight, and berserker. And you’re just now seeing hearts?

-There’s dancing now. Guard: “It seems now that Tycoon can return to the glory days of old.” NO IT CAN’T. EXDEATH DID SOME SHENANIGANS AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT KIND.

-We get control of Bartz. He talks to Krile (who’s no longer on her home planet), and she’s worried. Good. She feels like Galuf is telling them to hurry… Thanks God they’re not all just like, “Well, whatever, at least we’re home.”

-I do like that Faris and Lenna are joint rulers now. Because they both rule.

-Bartz and Krile explore the castle for clues. Faris and Lenna can’t join us, since they’re the guest of honor.

-There’s some horrible twist coming, and the joyous dance music makes it worse.

-Random old guy around castle: “A thousand years ago, the skies over Tycoon were rent asunder.” Oh God. I’m beyond nervous now.

FUCK YOU, RANDOM OPTIMISTIC TOWNSPERSON. The game is trolling me so hard right now.

-They continue: “…but something about the sky seems kind of strange, don’t you think? And it’s only right above Tycoon.” OH GOD WHAT

-The bridge over the west river is complete. That’s nice. I guess. But I don’t really care. I’m afraid that the sky above Tycoon will soon spew forth tentacled horrors from beyond the stars. I’ve read Lovecraft. I know how this goes.

-Hey, Boko may be still over in the cave to the west. YES! Let’s go visit.

---

Outside the Pirate Cave

-BOKO!!! HAHAHA!! HI! And Krile speaks Chocobo, because of course she does.

-Boko has a family now! He introduces us to his wife, Koko. LOL HI! Did they have some chocobo pirate cave meet-cute while we were in Krile’s world? I would not mind a follow-up game that follows the courtship of Boko and Koko.

-Boko knows we’re going on a journey or senses it, and wants to come. Hurray for getting back Boko for the next part of the game.

-But he has to say goodbye to his wife. :(

-AND KOKO’S PREGNANT!! Mazel tov, Boko.

-This is awesome. We’re going to have little Bokolets running around eventually, and we have Boko back with us. Huzzah!

---

Next time: Onto Tycoon. Now with 100% more Boko.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/7/14

Sort of tough day.  Just felt hungry throughout, and I'm pretty proud that I still stayed under my calorie limit.  Takeaways: pick less at the Halloween basket in the office, and remember that real food fills me up more than junk food.

FFV – Part 41: Disarmed

Summary: We fight Gilgamesh. He unmasks himself as an eight-armed creature, but Exdeath banishes him for constantly losing to us. We push on up to Exdeath himself and kill him. (But probably not really.) The final crystal shatters, and we get thrown somehow back to Bartz’s world.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/6/14

FFV – Part 40: Bowser’s Keep

Summary: We take the fight to Exdeath! The party goes to his castle, fights his way up (with a little help from the now late Galuf and Kelger), and faces Gilgamesh.

Blizzard - Week 3: The End is Now

A couple of Hearthstone legendaries, but mostly in WoW this week, setting out the parameters of my warrior.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/5/14

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/4/14

FFV – Part 39: Of Comfort No Man Speak

Summary: Exdeath uses the crystals of Galuf’s world to attack our party. Krile steps in, but he zaps her too. Galuf manages to break Exdeath’s hold, and fights him one on one. Galuf wins, everyone lives, rainbows appear, and puppies carry us away to feast in victory. Right? Please?

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/3/14

FFV – Part 38: Into the Woods

Summary: Into the Great Forest of Moore. Exdeath sets it on fire, and moogles save us. We find the Guardian Tree, protecting “seals.” Once inside, four crystalline elemental thingies attack us. We defeat them, and Exdeath emerges to mwa-ha-ha at us.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/2/14

FFV – Part 37: How Do You Pronounce “Catoblepas”?

Summary: First stop is Eyeball Lake. We take down Catoblepas and save it to summon later. Quick stop at Chocobo Forest on the island, but not much going on there. Next stop is Moore. We check out the town, then start on the great forest.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Measuring Up in October 2014

Weighing-in and benchmarking other measurement stuff.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 10/1/14

Major quest progress puts me only 5xp off of NFA's level 6.  Huzzah!

FFV – Part 36: Arbor Day

Summary: This is like those tales where you wish for something and then have that wish turned against you. We meet the sage Ghido, and I get some of the Exdeath backstory that I asked for. Wow.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/30/14

One more day until the monthly check-in!

FFV – Part 34: Assault on the Barrier Tower

Summary: Gilgamesh’s forces attack the fleet, but we fight them off. We take a submarine to the tower that maintains Exdeath’s barrier, and split off from Xezat. We defeat Atomos atop the tower and destroy the barrier, but Xezat dies. I get unexpected Galuf feels.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/29/14

FFV – Part 33: Gathering the Magic

Summary: Somewhat uneventful session. Mostly wandering around Galuf’s world to meet interesting monsters, use them to zap Bartz in interesting ways, and learn their magic for my blue arsenal. The Gil Turtle repels us from its cave, and we meet up with Xezat.

Blizzard - Week 2: Setting Pace

This week, I started up in the two Blizzard games, World of Warcraft and Diablo III.  They are fundamentally different games, and immersive in fundamentally different ways.  I love them both.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/28/14

Exhausted.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/27/14

FFV – Part 32: Psychotic Communication

Summary: We move through Quelb to Bal. Krile directs us to fly for council to the sage Ghido. Just as we arrive on Ghido’s island, Exdeath summons an earthquake that destroys it. We move onto Surgate, home of the absent king Xezat.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/26/14

FFV – Part 31: Rock and Roll

Summary: The mountain of Drakenvale. I learn how strong this party is against the undead. We gain a new ally in a pun-slinging Golem, and we fight a giant plant monster that sadly does not sing. I learn a thing that should probably have been obvious about making Blue Mage work. I become unreasonably excited about the possibilities.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/25/14

FFV – Part 30: Where Wolves?

Summary: We enter the town of Quelb. All the residents are in hiding at first, suspicious of us, but when they emerge we see it is in fact a town of werewolves, one of whom was Galuf’s fellow Dawn Warrior. Another Dawn Warrior: Bartz’s dad. Some stuff around town and then pushing onto Drakenvale.
 

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/24/14

FFV – Part 29: Good King Galuf

Summary: Galuf’s Castle, “Bal.” And I do mean Galuf’s castle; he’s the king. It turns out that a wind drake can get around Exdeath’s barrier, but Krile’s is on death’s door. Our next quest: head to the deadly Drakenvale to get some.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/23/14

FFV – Part 28: A Multitude of Moogles

Summary: MOOOOOOGLES!! We find a moogle in the forest, follow it into a waterway, and we save it from an undead tyrannosaurus rex. Yeah. We then follow it to the forest moon of Endor… ahem, the forest home to the north, and meet up with Krile.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/22/14

FFV – Part 27: Shield Blocked

Summary: The shield dragon. The frigging shield dragon. I try and eventually give up, moving onto more pleasant things, like a chocobo forest.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/21/14

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/20/14

FFV – Part 26: The Pirate Dances

Summary: The party rests up and explores the town of Regole. We then move south to experience brutal and bloody death in the Sealed Castle of Kuza. The one upside? It wasn’t at the hands of a Trap Door.

Coldrun Enters the Blizzard

I'm starting a weekly segment of casually playing up a few games from one of my favorite companies: Blizzard.  Nothing major, just felt like rolling up some random characters fresh in Diablo III and World of Warcraft.  (You can also find me around in Hearthstone occasionally bouncing around.)

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/19/14

FFV – Part 25: Big Bridge

Summary: We escape from Castle Exdeath for one of the most wondrous sequences in the series: the Big Bridge. The combat wasn’t anything special, but two amazing things lift it up: the music and Gilgamesh. We meet up with Krile, but a force field from the castle knocks us away from her to the land of Gloceana.

FFV – Part 24: Over the Rainbow

Summary: Rough landing in Galuf’s world. The party gets quickly kidnapped by Exdeath and his buddy/henchman Gilgamesh (GILGAMESH!). Galuf and Krile hold off their assault on Exdeath’s castle, and Galuf flies in on a freaking wind drake to rescue the imprisoned party. Galuf scares the jailer, Gilgamesh, away, to break the three prisoners out.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/18/14

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/17/14

FFV – Part 23: Prepare for Launch

Summary: The party changes their mind, and attempts to cross into Galuf’s world. Cid and Mid (who ran and hid) help them get the meteorites calibrated. The portal opens, and the party jumps through.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/16/14

FFV – Part 22: Goodbye to You

Summary: Galuf’s awesome granddaughter, Krile, saves the day. Except not. Exdeath emerges, monologues us, and heads off to Galuf’s world. Galuf and Krile take the last meteorite out of Saigon, and the rest of the party stays behind.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Gryffindor (Daily Log, 9/16/14)

The little things.

FFV – Part 21: The Ronkan Ruins

Summary: We get Ramuh, then move through the labyrinthine Ronkan Ruins. “King Tycoon” at the top has us fight a dragon-beastie guarding the crystal.

FFV – Part 20: Battlestations!

Summary: Cid and Mid have us pick up some adamantite to get the ship ready to move on Gohn. We get some and fight off the ubiquitous Adamantoise, then attacks the defense systems of Gohn in our airship.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/14/14

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/13/14

FFV – Part 19: Memory Lane in Lix

Summary: Lix. Bartz’s hometown. We get a bunch of flashbacks to kid Bartz here, and say hello to Cid and Mid beneath Crescent. We then fly back to Gohn, which proceeds to turn into a spaceship or something and fly up high above us.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log, 9/12/14

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log: 9/11/14

FFV – Part 18: Yo-ho, Boko!

Summary: A bit of a world tour in the airship, to meet interesting people and grab useful loot. First stop is Castle Tycoon, a trip down memory lane for both Faris (nee Sarisa) and Lenna. Next is the Pirates’ Hideout, where we see that kwehin’ bird Boko again.

Nerd Fitness Academy - Daily Food and Quest Log: 9/10/14

Nerd Fitness Academy – Fitness for Beginners: Part 3 (final)

#4: Complete the Recruit Workout

This.  Felt.  AWESOME.  In a sore and tired kind of way.

So we’ve been over the warm-up and the cool-down.  The bread slices of the fitness sandwich.  The meat is the workout itself.  The initial workout is what NFA refers to as the “recruit workout.”  Ideally, it is the following:

-10 push-ups

-15 bodyweight squats

-10 inverted rows

-20 bodyweight lunges

-15 second planking

Repeat three times (three sets in a row total).

I did the warm-up, attempted the workout, and then did the cool-down.  Sing it, cockatiel!

I did one set of these, and had to do knee push-ups since I couldn’t do any regular push-ups.  I did the inverted rows with a 12 pound weight.  After one set, my body said “enough.”  Upper body felt okay, but the groin muscles and muscles around the thighs were the kind of sore that made me concerned about muscle pulls. 

This was a start.  Finished off with a full cool-down, including my goofy-ass attempts at “downward dog.” 

#5: Choose Your Workout Path

There are three different workout paths:

-Bodyweight Brigade

-Dumbbell Division

-Barbell Battalion

To be honest, I thought dumbbells and barbells were the same thing.  I now learn that dumbbells are the lone weights you lift, while barbells are weights that (duh) go on a bar.

I want to do the Bodyweight Brigade path.  NFA suggests this for newbies anyway, so all good!

#6: Schedule Workout Reminders

Eventually, three days per week is my goal, but won’t worry about that at the moment.  I want to build good habits, starting small, and so will actually start with two days per week.  Wednesday and Saturday will be my workout days.

I don’t have a wall calendar at the moment. Instead, I’m trying out my iphone’s calendar.  Hopefully it’ll give me a little “DING” reminder or something like that.  I set out reminders for the next four weeks.

My plan is actually to keep building up in the Recruit Workout for this next month.  After that eighth workout, I’ll re-evaluate where I’m at, and whether I’ll start on the Bodyweight Brigade, Level One.