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”).