Saturday, May 30, 2015

FFVII Crisis Core – Part 5: Attack on Tamblin

Summary: Zack attacks Wutai’s Fort Tamblin, meeting kid!Yuffie along the way. The action, combat, and mission system blows me away. This is so much fun.

Fitness Stuff - May 30, 2015

Morning weight: 268.8 lbs

Status: complete.

Not a good day.  Not a terrible day, just... not great.


Friday, May 29, 2015

FFVII Crisis Core – Part 4: On the Tamblin Trail

Summary: A training mission, and then road trip! Zack, Angeal, and Lazard head to Wutai.


Blizzard - WoW Garrison Pet Dailies

This is a little bit of a weird side thing for this site, but I dabble in WoW!  (Azab, human mage on Aerie Peak.)  Also Hearthstone, and even a bit of Diablo 3.  From time to time on this site I'll write a bit about what's going on there.

One of the things I especially enjoy in WoW is pet battles.  This post'll cover how I take down some of the garrison daily pet battle challenges.  I'll continually update this as a personal reference when I discover a new daily challenge, team, or tactic.


Fitness Stuff - May 29, 2015

Morning weight: 269.4 lbs

Day status: complete

Thursday, May 28, 2015

FFVII Crisis Core – Part 3: Shinra Academy, Pt. 2

Summary: The rest of the tutorial. The materia system, more about the OMW - ahem, DMW – system, leveling, shopping, missions.

Fitness Stuff - May 28, 2015

Morning weight: 269.4 lbs

Day status: complete


Wednesday, May 27, 2015

FFVII Crisis Core – Part 2: Shinra Academy, Pt. 1

Summary: Not a terribly exciting session to read about, but a fun one to play and an important one. I try processing some of the onslaught of tutorials the game provides. (I probably get some of this wrong, but that's okay. Muddling through this stuff is half the fun of a new game!

Fitness Stuff - May 27, 2015

Day's Status: Complete

I've run into a problem recently of writing my food and exercise as I go during the day, binging in the evening, and out of shame deleting the post altogether.

This only reinforces the unhealthy ties between food and shame, food and self-worth.  I want to avoid this, so I'm going to publish this post early for the next few days and just update it as the day goes on.  By the end of the day it should be complete, and once I've posted it I'm less likely to delete it than just updating a private draft.


Monday, May 25, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 25, 2015

Morning weight: 269.4 lbs


FFVII Crisis Core – Part 1: Systems Online

Summary: It begins! An electric and energetic introduction to Zack, SOLDIER Second Class. My most basic expectations get subverted as I see Crisis Core’s action stylings, and my brain gets toyed with by a virtual reality training session.

NOTE: I feel and express large amounts of confusion about the mechanics here, but am NOT yet asking for spoilers/tips on how they work. I may come up with more specific and non-rhetorical questions as I learn more (and I’ll usually say when they’re non-rhetorical), but part of the fun of a new game is grappling with the mechanics myself. I also imagine I’ll get to a tutorial soon enough. Thank you. :)

FFVII – Novellas, Part II (Addendum)

One I missed!

FFVII – Novellas, Part II

Summary: The remaining three FFVII novellas, “On the Way to a Smile.” Barret, Yuffie, Denzel, Shinra.


Sunday, May 24, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 24, 2015

Morning weight: didn't check.

This last week and a half really I'd been binging.  Let's try something else today.  I cleaned some dishes and have some groceries.


FFVII – Novellas, Part I

Summary: Some of y’all (I think it was CJWriterGal first, but apologies if my memory’s off!) directed me towards seven FFVII novellas/short stories out there. So I read them, and here are some brief reactions to the first four: Aerith, Tifa, Nanaki, and Barret.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

FFVII Advent Children - Liveblog this Sunday! (11:00am Central)



Liveblog for the complete version of the "Advent Children" movie this Sunday, May 24th, at 11:00am Central time.  The thread for the liveblog is currently set-up on Mark Spoils.

All are welcome to join in, watch, and post.  I know pretty much nothing about the movie aside from that it's generally about the FFVII plot and universe somehow, and Cloud and Sephiroth are in it, so NO SPOILERS is still in effect.  My posts for FFVII: Crisis Core begin next week.

Hope to see you Sunday!

Fitness Stuff - May 20, 2015

Morning weight: 266.8 lbs

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

FFVII – Part 74: Gettin’ Offa This Train


Summary: Some brief parting thoughts on Final Fantasy VII.

(Also, poll on "Advent Children" liveblog time this weekend!! http://strawpoll.me/4405269

Fitness Stuff - May 19, 2015

Morning weight: 266.8 lbs


Monday, May 18, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 18, 2015

Morning weight: 267.6 lbs

FFVII – Part 73: Surge of the Lifestream

Summary: Cloud faces off against Sephiroth one last time. One word: “Omnislash.” The Meteor plows into Midgar. Holy does its best to hold off the Meteor to a destructive stalemate before the Lifestream finishes the job. Aeris. OH YEAH, NANAKI PUPPIES!

FFVII - Brief post and poll on what comes next

I'll post my final game segment tonight, and then some final thoughts on the game Tuesday or Wednesday.

Here's a poll on what I should do next: http://strawpoll.me/4390467

I'll check results through Tuesday evening.

If the "Advent Children" movie wins, I'll post a follow-up poll for when I should do the liveblog on markspoils.com.  Feel free to jump in!! The more the merrier. :D  (It'll probably be this Saturday or Sunday, midday U.S. time.)

If Dirge of Cerberus or Crisis Core wins, I'll start it next week.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 16, 2015

Morning weight: 266.8 lbs


FFVII – Part 72: Nothing is Safe

Summary: We push back through the North Cave, back past Jenova. Both form of Sephiroth go down this time. GOT HIM! …or did we?

Friday, May 15, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 15, 2015

Morning weight: 267.4 lbs


FFVII – Part 71: Heartless Angel

Summary: First crack at Sephiroth. It… doesn’t go well. I’m slow on the uptake and confused about the mechanics, and then his second form, the angelic octopus, kills me.

Fitness Stuff - May 14, 2015

Morning weight: 266.6 lbs


Thursday, May 14, 2015

FFVII – Part 70: Jenova

Summary: We fight through a merciless gauntlet of Iron Men, defeat Jenova, and reach Sephiroth.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 13, 2015

Morning weight: 265.8 lbs


FFVII – Part 69: Spelunking

Summary: The party leaves the Highwind for the North Cave. The path to Sephiroth and Jenova, who we STILL KNOW JACK ABOUT WHO ARE YOU JENOVA. The terrifying Tonberry. The party splits.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 12, 2015

Morning weight: 267.2 lbs


FFVII – Part 68: Why We Fight

Summary: Up the Mako Cannon, and the ultimate death of the horrifying Hojo. The party enjoys a final night before the plunge, reminding themselves why they’re really fighting Sephiroth. My Tifa/Cloud ship is cruising.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 11, 2015

Morning weight: 266.4 lbs


FFVII – Part 67: Gods and Clods

Summary: We face the daunting Ultimate Weapon a few times, but lose track of her. The party then returns to Midgar. First through the sewers, then emerging to take down Gya-ha-ha and Kya-ha-ha… ahem, Heidegger and Scarlet – in the bizarrely named Proud Clod.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 10, 2015

Morning weight: 267.4 lbs


Saturday, May 9, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 9, 2015

Morning weight: 268.6 lbs


Fitness Stuff - May 8, 2015

Morning weight: 269.4 lbs


Friday, May 8, 2015

FFVII – Part 66: Diamonds and Rust

Summary: Diamond Weapon attacks. We stall it, and Shinra delivers a killing blow to both the Weapon and Sephiroth’s bubble. Cait Sith is revealed. Hojo works to destroy Sephiroth at the cost of Midgar, and at the behest of a party suspected but unknown. We’re off to save the city.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 7, 2015

Morning weight: 268.8 lbs


FFVII – Part 65: Pieces of You

Summary: The key unlocks a mechanism that reveals Aeris’s purpose in the Forgotten City. We leave for Midgar, but then a new Weapon emerges and marches towards the city.


Fitness Stuff - May 6, 2015

Morning weight: 269.6 lbs


Wednesday, May 6, 2015

FFVII – Part 64: Lost at Sea

Summary: A heaping helping of frustration as I search for the key. Many dead ends, but the search ultimately bears fruit.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 5, 2015

Morning weight: 269.0 lbs


FFVII – Part 63: Where the Sun Don’t Shine

Summary: A bit of world exploration to start, then a visit with Bugenhagen to the Forgotten Capital. Our next mission is to find White Materia. I need to find a key somewhere underground, where the sun doesn’t shine. The search doesn’t start well.

Monday, May 4, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 4, 2015

Morning weight: 267.8 lbs


FFVII – Part 62: End Still Nigh

Summary: The rocket’s mission to destroy the meteor fails. The party escapes safely, thanks to Shera. We land safely back on the Planet and consult with Bugenhagen in Cosmo on our next steps.

FFVII – Part 61: Blast Off!

Summary: Finishing Wutai. Then the party arrives at Rocket Town, fights their way past Rude through the active rocket, and gets caught up in the launch. Cid's still (mostly) a dick.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 3, 2015

Morning weight: 268.8 lbs


Saturday, May 2, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 2, 2015

Morning weight: 268.8 lbs


FFVII – Part 60: And I Am a Materia Girl

Summary: Yuffie goes through a series of tests in the Pagoda, ultimately having to fight her father. Then everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Fitness Stuff - May 1, 2015

Morning weight: 269.6 lbs