FFXV – Part 7: Legacy

Summary: The aftermath of Insomnia’s sack. Cor the Immortal. Noctis gains his first royal arms.

FFXIV – Part 179: Heavensward Crafting Interlude

Summary: Some brief notes on the Heavensward crafting path, and lots of random screenshots and player names that caught my eye over the past couple of weeks.

FFXV – Part 6: Insomnia Falls

Summary: Dino and the hurricane. The peace treaty signing isn’t so peaceful. End of chapter 1.

FFXIV – Part 178: Of Family and Suplexes

Summary: Yojimbo trial. Hildibrand vs. Godbert. Completing the Stormblood Hildibrand quests. Starlight Festival (Christmas) 2019.

FFXIV – Part 177: Snuggle Leverage

Summary: Hildibrand goes Cloud. Teaming up with Yojimbo to track Lone Wolf.

Thanksgiving Break

Hello friends!

I'll be away for Thanksgiving break, and back with more XIV and XV next week, on hopefully a more regular schedule. (It's been especially busy of late both at work and in my classes.)

I'm thankful for all of your support, reading, and hope you have a wonderful time in the coming year.

FFXV – Part 5: Fisher Prince

Summary: Li’l Noctis and Lunafreya. Umbra. Clearing some rank 1 and 2 hunts in the desert. Moving to Galdin Quay. First time fishing.

FFXIV – Part 176: Lone Wolf Goes East

Summary: Continuing the Hildibrand quests in Stormblood. My arch-nemesis from Final Fantasy V returns. A disgraced samurai.

FF Cooking - Part 1: Chili Con Carne

Summary: The food in Final Fantasy XV looks delicious. I only really just started the game, but it hits me hard every time I see a new recipe in a diner or on Ignis' list. Now, I suck at cooking (yeah I totally suck), but I figured: why not sate my hunger by trying some of that myself? This might be fun.

First up: the chili con carne from Takka's Pit Stop.

FFXV – Part 4: Pinball Wizard

Summary: Hunts around Hammerhead. Taking the car out for a spin. Arrival at Longwythe’s Rest.

FFXIV – Part 175: Escape from Garlemald

Summary: Chai-Nuzz begins to reform Eulmore. Estinien in the Empire. Zenos’ new prey.

FFXV – Part 3: The Pauper Prince

Summary: Exploring Hammerhead and the surrounding area. Camp. Errands for Cindy.

FFXIV – Part 174: When Pigs Fly

Summary: Starting patch 5.1’s main scenario quests. The Grand Cosmos dungeon. The Nu Mou soul magician.

FFXV – Part 2: Royal Systems

Summary: Cindy and Cid. Exploring the game’s menus and mechanics

FFXIV – Part 173: The Copied Factory

Summary: The first wing of the new 24 player raid, video included. Battle of the androids. 2P leads us against 9S’s murderous mechs.

FFXV – Part 1: Road Trip

Summary: Starting a new game! Combat tutorial. Prince Noctis and friends hit the road.

FFXV – Appendix: XV Order

Summary: My spoiler-free plan for going through FFXV.

FFXIV – Part 172: Eden’s Gate

Summary: The first wing of Shadowbringers’ Eden raid. Ryne attempts to rejuvenate the First with the first sin eater.

FFXIV – Part 171: It’s the Great Gourd, Ququshu Qushu!

Summary: A grab bag session. The level 80 red mage quest. Two new dungeons, one with an XIII theme and one with a VIII guardian force. Halloween returns to Eorzea.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 23: Lightning at Rest

Summary: Some brief final thoughts on Lightning Returns.

Coldrun Cooking - Part 2: Pork Chops

Two attempts at cooking some thin pork chops.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 22: Rebirth of Souls

Summary: Salvation for Hope. Lightning reunites with Lumina. The end of Bhunivelze. A whole new world. The end of Lightning Returns.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 21: Death Becomes Her

Summary: The four trials for Ultima. Lightning takes Etro’s mantle. The final fight against Bhunivelze for the soul of his new world.

FFXIV – Part 170: Remember

Summary: The end of the Shadowbringers main story quests for 5.0. Hades. Farewell to Emet-Selch, Ardbert. Back to the Source. Regicide. Breadcrumbs to Eden. Moon’s haunted.

FFXIV – Part 169: The End of a World

Summary: The Amaurot dungeon. Witnessing the end of the pre-Ascian star, the prelude to Zodiark. Joining with Ardbert.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 20: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Summary: Ereshkigal. Hope’s true colors. Busting into Luxerion’s cathedral on the final day to stop the Soulsong.

FFXIV – Part 168: We Might Be Giants

Summary: Lighting the way to an underwater city of the ancients, Emet’s recreation of the pre-Ascian capitol.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 19: The Ultimate Lair

Summary: Conspiring with Chaos to guillotine God. Reaching day 13, but not the end. Starting the Ultimate Lair.

FFXIV – Part 167: Phronesis, Cardinal Virtue

Summary: The magic DPS role quests. The story of Ardbert’s fellow Warrior of Light, Nyelbert the mage. Taynor, the lost boy.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 18: Aeronite

Summary: Hints of fake characters. Meeting a superboss. Someone spills FFXIV in my Lightning Returns. Through Day 9.

FFXIV – Part 166: Big Whale

Summary: Urianger’s history with the Crystal Exarch. A version of a Heavensward “friend” helps us reach the underwater depths of the Tempest.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 17.5: A Warrior’s Wardrobe

Summary: A little interlude session. Trying to make sense of my vast array of garbs, weapons, shields, and accessories.

FFXIV – Part 165: The End of the Innocence

Summary: Mt. Gulg and Lord Vauthry. The final Lightwarden. The Crystal Exarch uncloaked, along with Emet-Selch’s plans.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 17: It’s My Soul in a Box!

Summary: Completing the fifth main quest to save Sazh and son. The moogle village.

FFXIV – Part 164: When Beards Collide

Summary: Dwarf rivalry. Preparing the giant Talos. The weariness of the Crystal Exarch. The Rising 2019 seasonal event.

Fitness - September 15th, 2019

tw: weight, health, death, food

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 16: I Will Follow You Into the Dark

Summary: Etro’s temple. Yeul and Caius. The origins of the Unseen Chaos. The feathered Angel’s true nature.

FFXIV – Part 163: Climbing the Ladder

Summary: Ascending in Kholusia. Amity, village of the exiles. Meeting the dwarves.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 15: What Angel Kwehs Me

Summary: Saving and healing the Angel of Valhalla, a fluffy white chocobo, as I quest through the Wildlands. The worst garb ever.

FFXIV – Part 162: Soylent White

Summary: The truth of meol. The invasion of Eulmore. Lord Vauthry takes flight. Thoughts on mind control and a random Buffy/Angel rant.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 14: Wildlands

Summary: A chocobo girl finds her family. Lightning saves the dead. Entering the Wildlands.

FFXIV – Part 161: Ryne

Summary: Minfilia meets her ancestor. The Lightwarden of Amh Araeng. Ququshu’s tank nears full.

FFXIV – Part 160: Two Fathers

Summary: Bursting into Nabaath Araeng. Thancred and Ran’jit fight over who has Minfilia’s best interests at heart.

Note: to clearly avoid any queerbaiting, this title unfortunately does not refer to a queer couple.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 13: The Holy Clavis

Summary: Finish my exploration of the Dead Dunes. Fang’s undying love for Vanille. Grendel. The Secutors snatch the Clavis.

FFXIV – Part 159: The Trolley Problem

Summary: Eulmore attacks the Crystarium with sin eaters. Beginning the hunt for Amh Araeng’s Lightwarden by exploring the old mining country in the west.

Fitness - Part 3: Trying to Care (8/18/19 - 8/20/19)

tw: food, weight

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 12: Bared Fang

Summary: Into the Dead Dunes. Meeting the bandit leader and heading down under the sands. The expansive ruins.

Fitness - Part 2: Starting Watch (8/14/19-8/17/19)

tw: weight, food

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 11: Prison of Chaos

Summary: Confronting Snow in his Yusnaan palace to save his soul.

FFXIV – Part 158: The Warden of Rak’tika

Summary: Qitana Ravel. Night returns to the Greatwood. The history of the Ascians. A glimpse of Garlemald.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 10: Center Stage

Summary: Infiltrating the Augur’s Quarter. Lightning stars in the Slaughterhouse arena and the play about the Savior. I love this session.

Fitness - Part 1: Tentative Steps

Trying the whole "get healthy" thing again.

FFXIV – Part 157: The Fall and Rise of Y’shtola Rhul

Summary: A trap-filled tomb. Emet-Selch’s “helpful” side. Unlocking the way to the Lightwarden.

---

Look to the Stars

-Our goals now is to open the doors to the Qitana Ravel and reach the Lightwarden. First, we have to restore magic flowing in northern Rak’tika and open the Qitana Ravel’s doors.

-We explore the Ronkan ruins nearby. They draw inspiration from civilizations like the Mayans and Incans, that pyramid structure.

Statues are nearby: serpent, opo-opo, wolf, coeurl, colibri, owl. We have to channel aether into one specific one.

Riddles atop the pyramids hint at which one:

“Come together, share despair,
Go thy ways, dread burdens bear,
Mark the crown, heed its call,
Avert thy gaze, forever fall.”

I have no frigging idea. A prior quest gave some clues about Ronkan animals that might help, but even then nothing jumps out as super obvious.

Guess #1: “Mark the crown, heed its call.” Serpents were at the top of the animal structure. Alas, that’s the wrong guess.

Guess #2: “Come together, share despair.” Ronkans saw wolves as pack animals, symbolic of community and sharing… nope, fail.

Poor Y’shtola. She channels aether into each statue and keeps getting zapped for my wrong guesses.

Guess #3: I’m kinda stuck. Going a different way, apart from the riddle. What animal doesn’t belong in this group? The owl. It wasn’t listed in the previous quest’s pantheon.

SUCCESS! It’s the owl. [Non-rhetorical question: Why? What in the riddle pointed to owl?]

-The Viis Cymet rushes to us in a panic. Eulmore’s army has entered Yx’Maja. Thancred and some others are trying to fend them off.

OH SHIT I JUST REMEMBERED! This must be that section of the trailer wheter the forest was on fire, and “Master Matoya” said something like, “Until they return, I will hold the line.” I’ll bet Ququshu will press on alone to the Qitana Ravel while Y’shtola/Matoya helps with the defense against Eulmore.

I’m still not sure whether I regret watching the trailers. It was fun building hype before the expansion with the rest of the XIV community, but it robs some moments of their surprise.

---

Mi Casa, Toupasa

-Almet, Y’shtola and I head into the nearby pyramid, where the magic is still blocked from flowing. We have to return a small owl statue from elsewhere in the pyramid to the door.

-It’s a really fun mini-game. The rooms here have owl statues that face different directions, and when I run directly in front of them, they zap me and make me restart.

The trick is to map a path that carries the small owl statue through the room while avoiding the statues’ gaze.

I love that XIV is incorporating these mini-games! Riddles and puzzles and the like.

(Small plug: if you enjoy riddles in an MMO, I STRONGLY recommend trying “Secret World Legends.” It’s free!

It’s a phenomenal horror MMO set in the modern day, with some of the best atmosphere, dialogue, and puzzles in any game I’ve played.) 

---

Legend of the Not-So-Hidden Temple

-It’s hilarious just how ANNOYED Y’shtola is with all these puzzles. “Can we get this over with?” Well buckle up, Y’shtola. We got more ahead.

-First is a section with Ronkan stone guards. They patrol in different ways. Gotta watch and evade.

-Next, a series of directional buttons on the ground.

This was used to great effect in the Halicarnassus boss fight in Omega.

-Finally, a MOTHER FLIPPING INDIANA JONES-STYLE BOULDER CHASE. This place is the literal best.

-One more sealed door… and Ran’jit arrived ahead of us. Rematch.

-He’s just as nasty as before. Our Viis allies manage to tie him up while I rush past towards the ultimate treasure: the Heart of Toupasa. Grabbing this lets the magic flow, and shuts down the Ronkan constructs.

-Just in time. Ran’jit was kicking the Viis’ ass.

-A Eulmoran attendant accidentally destroys the floor around us trapping us here. He even tries to bargain for his life, with an antidote to a Eulmoran poison they’ve been using on Slitherbough.

-Not that Ran’jit’s having any of that. He kicks the attending into the pit, 300 style. The antidote too.

-Y’shtola jumps after the antidote, hurling it back to me and PLUMMETING DOWN WTF???

No, I literally don’t believe it. They won’t kill off a character like Y’shtola so unceremoniously. She’s fine.

-Something I love about this sacrifice – cause even if she’s alive, it’s a sacrifice – is that she didn’t do this to destroy the Lightwarden, or defeat the Ascians, or save the world. She did it to save some of the Night’s Blessed she came to care for these past few years.

It’s a smaller scope of victory and all the more powerful for it.

-It’s just me and Ran’jit up here now, until Minfilia, Thancred, and Urianger join. Thancred knocks Ran’jit into the pit, confirming for me that it’s not a Pit of Instant Death.

I believe that Ququshu and the others would think Ran’jit and Y’shtola are dead, but in a meta sense, no way. Ran’jit and Y’shtola are probably okay.

---

The Aftermath

-Outside the pyramid. The pit seemed bottomless as far as they could tell.

-The Eulmorans and the Children have fled Yx’Maja. Some Blessed were poisoned in the fight.

-At least we have the antidote now.

Thanks, Y’shtola.

-Back to Fanow to deliver the antidote. Y’shtola’s fall hits the Blessed hard.

---

In Good Faith

-The Viis capture an intruder in their woods. LOL HI EMET-SELCH.

-It cracks me up how casual he is around us now.

-Ququshu thinks back to Y’shtola’s fall and remembers a gust of wind from the pit. I don’t remember that myself, but it happened quickly.

-This reminds Thancred of something from the end of “A Realm Reborn.” When the Monetarists took power in Ul’dah and attacked the Scions, Y’shtola escaped by teleporting with “Flow.” It pushed her into the Lifestream.

That’s probably where she’s drifting now.

EMET-SELCH: “Oh… very well. I’ll go and fetch her.” Ascian ex machina. Wants to prove himself to us.

-We head out to the forest. He starts up a ritual, and… wow. He does it. Yanks her out of the Lifestream.

I was expecting a twist, like him yanking out the wrong person, but nope.

-THE RONSO RUNAR IS SO HAPPY HE PICKS HER UP

-Y’shtola’s defining characteristic isn’t “sweet.” She’s often acerbic and biting. But thanks God FFXIV realizes that our defining characteristics are far from our only characterstics.

I love so much seeing her receive these greetings happily and warmly.

-So… Emet-Selch. He’s clearly doing this for his own ends, and manipulating us in some way. Thanks and all, but I trust him no more now than I did before.

---

Random Stuff Around Eorzea

An elite red sabotender:

The stone constructs guarding the Ronkan Ruins:

An owl who’s crotch is a human face:

I love when the game mocks the unvoiced protagonist:

---

Next time: the Qitana Ravel.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 9: Cries of the Dead

Summary: Saint Vanille and the gathering Chaos. Starting in Yusnaan.

FFXIV – Part 156: Killer Rabbits

Summary: Seeking aid against the Lightwarden from Ronka’s descendants. XIV’s summer festival, Moonfire Faire 2019.

FFXIV – Part 155: Night’s Blessed

Summary: Two factions of dark-worshippers of Rak’tika. Murals of past heroes. Eulmore moves to protect the sin eaters.

TW: there's a quest that mentions spiders.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 8: Gem

Summary: Clearing the Chaos in Noel’s heart. And in a hilarious and legitimately moving side quest, a cat owner copes with grief.

TW: pet death.

FFXIV – Part 154: Emet-Selch

Summary: Solus reveals himself. Meeting Y’shtola in the Rak’tika Greatwood. Night’s Blessed.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 7: Running Numbers

Summary: Finding the code. Disrupting the Cult of Etro. Shadow Hunter.

FFXIV – Part 153: Terror of the Fae

Summary: Nu Mou and amaro. The 8-player Titania trial. The faeries’ horrific counterattack against Eulmore.

FFXIV – Part 152: Shatotto’s Legacy [Black Mage 60-70]

Summary: Ququshu's inspiration visits from FFXI. Fending off the calamity that threatened Mhach.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 6: The World Tree

Summary: Exploring the Warrens. Feeding Eradia to Yggdrasil. Lumina inside Lightning’s mind.

FFXIV – Part 151: Books of Nald’Thal [Black Mage 50-60]

Summary: Ancient tomes. A new conjurer friend. Fending off a black mage cult.

I did the 1-50 black mage story a LONG time ago. Like, two years ago. I initially baked it into a lot of separate posts, mixed with main story. But since it’s “Black Mage Week,” I collected them:

1-30: http://coldrungaming.blogspot.com/2019/07/ffxiv-p...
30-50: http://coldrungaming.blogspot.com/2019/07/ffxiv-p...

FFXIV – Part 150.2: Books of Nald’Thal [Black Mage 30-50]

Summary: A friendly gang of black mage beastmen. Barbatos and the Voidgate.
 
Note: I played these sessions way back in mid-2017. I'm collecting and re-posting in advance of my upcoming 50-70 black mage quests.

FFXIV – Part 150.1: House of the Dead [Thaumaturge 1-30]

Summary: Learning to toss magic in Ul’dah’s ossuary. Voidsent possession.

Note: I played these sessions way back in mid-2017. I'm collecting and re-posting in advance of my upcoming 50-70 black mage quests.

I also think it's fun to see my perspective on the game when I was so new. 

FFXIV – Part 150: Frogs and Puppies

Summary: Piecing together the key to unlock Titania. The second dungeon, Dohn Mheg. The Fuath and Nu Mou.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 5: Chrysalia Noir

Summary: Savior/private investigator Lightning works the case of a murderer on the mean streets of Luxerion.

FFXIV – Part 149: The Faerie Kingdom

Summary: Il Mheg. Urianger the astrologian. Thancred’s relationship with this new Minfilia.

FFXIV – Part 148: The Plural of Minfilia

Summary: General Ran’jit. Rescuing the Oracle of Light from Eulmoran forces. Thancred.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 4: The Ark

Summary: Practicing timing. Learning more about Nova Chrysalia from Cocoon’s shell.

FFXIV – Part 147: Family Reunification [Dragoon 60-70]

 Summary: Helping a dragon whelp in the Dragonsong War’s aftermath.

Note: this continues the dragoon questline. I did the level 50-60 one way back in early 2018. Didn’t really need specific knowledge from the 50-60 questline for this 60-70 one, beyond remembering that the Dragonsong War (between the dragons and Ishgardians) ended last expansion

The last quest post: http://coldrungaming.blogspot.com/2018/04/ffxiv-p...

FFXIV – Part 146: Rip the Light

Summary: The first Shadowbringers dungeon, Holminster Switch. Lightwarden Philia. The hunt for Black Rose.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 3: Nova Chrysalia

Summary: Learning more about the game’s stats, mechanics, and cosmology.

Note: I ask a lot of questions here, but lots are probably esoteric or not super important. If you know the answer, awesome! If not, that's okay too. :)

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 2: Timing

Summary: Early datalogs and tutorials, as I get used to the new systems. Zeltys.

FFXIV – Part 145: Lord of Eulmore

Summary: The tyranny of Lord Vauthry. The relationship between shards and calamities.

TW: discussion of fat representation.

FFXIII: Lightning Returns – Part 1: Savior

Summary: Starting a new game! Lightning the savior. Snow the unsaved. Lumina. An exciting new combat system.

FFXIV – Part 144: City of Final Pleasures

Summary: Meeting up with Alphinaud. The monstrous inequality around the city of Eulmore. Ominous hints at the city’s prosperity.

FFXIII-2 – Part 34: Paradigm Pack-Up

Summary: Brief final thoughts on Final Fantasy XIII-2.

FFXIV – Part 143: Sin Eaters

Summary: A picture of nectar. One of the most horrifying scenes in all Final Fantasy. The sin eaters.

TW: euthanasia, terminal illness, nightmare fuel, body horror.

FFXIV – Part 142: Cracking the Coinpurse

Summary: Getting used to life in the First. The desert of Amh Araeng and its not!goblin settlement. Seeking Alisaie.

FFXIV – Part 141: In the First Place

Summary: Starting the Shadowbringers expansion. Leaving the Source for an alternate dimension of sorts. The Crystarium. Viera and Hrothgar. The Crystal Exarch.

FFXIV – Part 140: The Creator [Alexander Raid]

Summary: Mide reunites with Dayan. The time loop completes. Alexander Prime. The end of the Alexander raid.

FFXIII-2 – Part 33: Coin Toss

Summary: Briefly checking out the DLC in the Coliseum, Valhalla, and Serendipity.

FFXIV – Part 139: Midas [Alexander Raid]

Summary: The second part of the Alexander raid. A powerful goblin girl and the cabal trying to use her. Continuing to fight through the steampunk construct.

FFXIII-2 – Part 32: The Heart of Chaos

Summary: The exhausting final battle against Caius “Triple Bahamut” Ballad. A legitimately unexpected conclusion. The end to XIII-2's main story.

FFXIII-2 – Part 31: Pieces Come Together

Summary: The Labyrinth of Chaos in Academia 500 AF. The toughest enemy I’ve met in the Proto-Behemoth. The battle with Caius begins.

FFXIV – Part 138: Gordias [Alexander Raid]

Summary: Starting the time-bending Heavensward raid quests centered on the gigantic construct that appeared in the Dravanian Hinterlands.

4-Day Fitness Log - 6/20/19-6/23/19

tw: weight, food, exercise

FFXIII-2 – Part 30: The Ancient Town of New Bodhum

Summary: Putting pieces together with Lightning in 700 AF.

Coldrun Cooking - Three Omelets

Summary: Three attempts at making an omelet.

---

This is a sorta-new project. Dunno if I'll continue, but it's something I want to try.

I cook more than I used to, but it's still not much. I want to get better, and practice is part of that. In this series, I'll pick a thing to cook, try to make it, and try improving it and adjusting.

Unlike my Final Fantasy series, I'm DEFINITELY looking for "spoilers!" Let me know if you have suggestions on recipes I work on, or new recipes you want me to try.


But also please remember I'm new to this. Just looking for simple, basic stuff. Thank you!

FFXIV – Part 137: The Ballad of Peace [Bard 60-70]

Summary: Gridania’s new bard unit confronts secrets of the past Autumn War and Gridania’s evolving relationship with Ala Mhigo.

FFXIV – Part 136: The Ballad of Oblivion [Bard 50-60]

Summary: An uptight musician and a freewheeling musician seek a destructive song.

FFXIV – Part 135: Getting Spoony [Bard 30-50]

Summary: Transitioning from archer to bard. The tragedy and redemption of Jehantel the Godsbow.

FFXIII-2 – Part 29: Dying World

Summary: Serah escapes her dream with some help. Noel’s (dream) world.

FFXIII-2 – Part 28: What Is and What Should Never Be

Summary: Serah falls to temptation. Paradox ending. My favorite session of XIII-2. Apologies for getting a bit personal and long-winded.

FFXIII-2 – Part 27: Divine Intervention

Summary: Serah in the Void Beyond. Learning the truth behind XIII’s ending. The true and altered timelines.

FFXIII-2 – Part 26: Dragged Down by Graviton

Summary: Collecting graviton cores. One of the less fun sessions for me; apologies for my salty frustration.

Fitness - 5 Adjustments for the Week Ahead

tw: weight, food

FFXIII-2 – Part 25: A Moogle’s Home

Summary: I yell at Captain Cryptic and clocks. Mog’s backstory and choices moving forward in Oerba 400 AF.

FFXIII-2 – Part 24: Brain Blast

Summary: The joyous parallel world of Academia 4XX AF. XIII trivia time!

Fitness - June 4, 2019

tw: weight, food

FFXIII-2 – Part 23: Anomalous Oerba

Summary: Resolving anomalies in Oerba 300 AF. One of my favorite XIII-2 play sessions. Inching closer to Mog’s past.

---

Augusta Tower – 300 AF

-First, I’m traveling forward 300 years to see if I can access the 13th floor in this other iteration of Augusta Tower.

-YES! Jackpot.

-It’s a small floor. There’s one out-of-phase treasure sphere inside a ring I haven’t seen before.

Mog can’t uncover it like he usually can, even when thrown.

I’ll come back later.

---

Academia – 400 AF

-Instead of using my new wild artefact on the gate in Augusta Tower 300 AF, I want to use it on the earlier gate from Academia 400 AF. I found that one first.

-Huh. Never mind. All the ways back to the other gate and even the map person are blocked off.

-I head back there and open the gate.

---

Oerba – 300 AF

-As we port in, Serah asks about Mog’s family. He doesn’t remember any. Doesn’t even remember why he was in Valhalla. Wandered through the Void Beyond and wound up there.

“It was terrible there, kupo. But then Lightning found me and took me in!”

-This place looks blasted and dusty.

-Ooh, a White Chocobo! Didn’t tame it, but I want to.

-More of these Void Beyond anomalies are here, temporal rifts. These connect the dots puzzles are always a fun mini game.

kweh!

-I like how they mix up the lore you get with each fragment datalog. Some are deep and insightful. Others are… well….

“Everyone in [New Bodhum] has their own name for [that stray cat], such as Esmerelda and Mewmew. It’s one thing to call a girl cat ‘Snow,’ but when you give her a dog name like Spot, that’s just wrong, kupo!”

#MogThoughts

-The next anomaly is stranger. Mog “smells” something in here from long ago. Maybe it’s connected to Mog’s home.

-These anomalies where you can’t backtrack on a tile while you collect the crystals are also great. Some of my favorite parts of XIII-2.

-OHHHHH!! The only anomaly type I’d been really stuck on so far was the clock puzzle. I only just now see that each icon is a stylized number, which indicates how many jumps the hands will make.

*30 minutes later*

WOOOOOOOOO!!! I got it. And it wasn’t purely luck like last time! I needed to understand the numbers to make enough good choices to succeed. That feels incredible.

-It was by far the hardest clock puzzle thus far. 12 numbers, each randomized between 1-6.

-All the zone’s fragment lore is Mog Trivia, and all about NORA. Why is he so tied to them?

-As I approach the next anomaly, Mog senses something he’s been searching for a long time.

“I don’t exactly remember, kupo. But I know it was important to me and it made me feel warm and fuzzy…“ I’m guessing it’s another moogle. A family or friend.

-More clock puzzles, but they’re super easy after the monster I had to do earlier.

-That anomaly hid a gate. Alas, I need a wild artefact.

-Neat bit of Mog trivia: Snow gave the Cocoon-shaped necklace to Serah to symbolize how, just like Pulse and Cocoon, they’ll always be together.

-Reached my ninth anomaly this zone, the last.

MOG: “This place smells like tears, kupo. I remember crying here a long time ago. No one was around, kupo.” MOGGGGG

“I remember feeling sad… I also remember thinking I wanted to go home. But I didn’t know where home was, kupo.” God, there’s some heartbreaking backstory on him, isn’t there.

-Got it! This connect-the-dots was legit challenging.

Hola, gracialsgc!

-A message appears now: “A labyrinth has appeared in a different time.” I’ll check the other Oerba. But not too hard – it’s definitely possible the wild artefact-locked gate opens the way to another Oerba.

LOLOL

“There used to be this hit vidshow called ‘The Katzroy Files,’ kupo. The lead character was an unlucky detective who kept a chocobo chick in his hair… Apparently he was based on a real person. I wonder if it’s anyone I know, kupo.”

A detective procedural starring someone based on Sazh. Wt actual f. XD

---

Oerba – 200 AF

-No anomaly yet, but I did find an out-of-phase fragment, a “Giant Egg.” It gives me Hope’s research notes, wondering about the purpose of the Paddra Oracle Drives.

-I forgot that you could even find fragments in the wild. I’ll eventually want to come back to each zone to do a search.

-Yeah, no luck on the anomaly here. It may be in an as-yet-undiscovered time.

---

Serendipity

-I’ve gotten a bunch more fragments, so the last thing I want to do this session is check in on the whether I get new fragment skills.

-Nah, nothing new. I’ll come back when I hit 60 fragments. (At 56 currently.)

---

Next time: continuing through the gate atop Augusta Tower 300 AF.

Fitness - June 3, 2019

tw: weight, food

Fitness - June 2, 2019

tw: weight, food

Fitness - June 1, 2019

tw: weight, food

FFXIII-2 – Part 22: Adam, I’ve Come to Bargain!

Summary: Reaching the top of Augusta Tower for repeated battles against the Proto fal'Cie.

Fitness - May 31, 2019

tw: weight, food

FFXIV – Part 134: A Requiem for Heroes

Summary: A final fight against Zenos. Connecting with the First. The end of Stormblood’s patch content.

I haven’t touched the main story quests of XIV since early March: http://coldrungaming.blogspot.com/2019/03/ffxiv-p...

FFXIII-2 – Part 21: XIII-2: Judgment Day

Summary: Well, not quite Judgment Day, but the “forbidden history” we learn about in Augusta Tower 200 AF is close enough.

FFXIII-2 – Part 20: The Cutthroat World of Academia

Summary: The Academy’s capital city. Cie’th central. Another Yeul bites the dust.

FFXIII-2 – Part 19: The Casino at the End of the Universe

Summary: Serendipity. The Mystic. Slots and chocobo racing.

FFXIII-2 – Part 18: Rotten Tomato

Summary: Finally pushing past the giant flan. The Coliseum. Return to the Void Beyond.

FFXIII-2 – Part 17: Sealing Time

Summary: Clearing fragments across time in Yaschas Massif. The choices of the seeress.

FFXIII-2 – Part 16: Voices of the Vanished

Summary: A snowy invasion in Bresha Ruins 300 AF. Yaschas Massif 110 AF’s Rubies of Grief.

FFXIII-2 – Part 15: The Melancholy of the Lambs

Summary: Helping the nomads of the Archylte Steppe. Long Gui and Faelyn. Clearing the storm. Gigantuar.

FFXIII-2 – Part 14: The Stormy Present

Summary: Clearing some fragments, then heading to the harsh, dusty world of Yaschas Massif, ??? AF.

Note: it’s been a little while since I last played, so forgive my rustiness on story and mechanics.]

FFXIV – Part 133: Plague of the Whalaqee [Blue Mage, 1-50]

Summary: The cost of Eorzean research into blue magic. Intentional and unintentional imperialism. Azulmagia. The Masked Carnivale.

TW: imagery of imperialism specifically against Native Americans.

FFXIV – Part 132: Crystal Blue Persuasion [Blue Mage, 1-50]

Summary: XIV’s new limited job. Martyn tries to sell blue magic. Ability hunting.

FFXIII-2 – Part 13: Team Noel

Summary: Reunion with Snow in the Sunleth Waterscape 300 AF. An apocalyptic flan.

FFXIII-2 – Part 12: Cyber Wars

Summary: Things take a spooky, sci-fi turn. Augusta Tower 300 AF. Casino at the End of the Universe. The Void Beyond.

FFXIV – Part 131: The Master’s Legacy [Samurai 60-70]

Summary: Makoto and Ugetsu fight for the soul of the Sekiseigumi, Kugane’s samurai guard.

TW: suicide/seppuku

FFXIV – Part 130: Walk the Earth [Samurai, 50-60]

Summary: Musosai the samurai leads me from city-to-city dispensing justice and hunting his greatest enemy.

FFXIII-2 – Part 11: Alternate Reality

Summary: Yaschas Massif 01X AF. Some side fragment missions. Thinking through monster paradigm packs. Destroyed by Gorgyra.

FFXIII-2 – Part 10: Time Cop

Summary: Exploring Oerba 200 AF. Caius and Yeul try to stop us. Alternate Yaschas Massif.

FFXIV – Part 129: Ivalice Alliance

Summary: The Orbonne Monastery. A host of old friends from Tactics. Ultima, the High Seraph

FFXIII-2 – Part 9: Visions of Future Past

Summary:The Oracle Device. The fate of Paddra, Yeul, the Farseers. To Oerba 200 AF.

FFXIV – Part 128: Revolutionary Girl Fran

Summary: Ultima takes possession. The viera emerge. The true history of Ramza, Alma, Orran, and Delita.

FFXIV – Part 127: The Fifth Lord

Summary: The end of the Four Lords questline. Seiryu the Serpent. Koryu breaks out. Soroban’s future.

FFXIV – Part 126: Worlds Apart

Summary: Parley between the Alliance and Empire. Varis’ true goal. The Ghimlyt Dark. End of the 4.5 main story thus far.

FFXIII-2 – Part 8: A New Hope

Summary: To Yaschas Massif 010 AF. Fenrir’s eclipse. The sneakiest behemoths ever. An old friend boomerangs back into our life.

FFXIV – Part 125: Soul Searching

Summary: Starting the patch 4.5 main story. Seeking Scion souls. Shadowhunter unmasked. Varis and Solus.

FFXIII-2 – Part 7: Shadow of the Colossus

Summary: Time puzzle. Deactivating Atlas. Alyssa's existential terror. Wrapping up in Lake Bresha 005 AF.

FFXIII-2 – Part 6: My Pet Monsters

Summary: Back to Lake Bresha 005 AF. Diving into XIII-2’s vast monster ally system, including the horrifying infusion mechanic. Many questions.

FFXIII-2 – Part 5: Quantum Leap

Summary: Jumping forward two years. Historia Crux. Lake Bresha. Atlas. Alyssa Zaidelle. Most importantly, Chocolina.

League of Legends - Part 5: Playing Annie

Summary: Reviewing Annie's abilities. An unfortunate musical choice. My first three Annie games.

Physical - Planning the Week Ahead (3/4/19 - 3/10/19)

tw: exercise, food, calories, weight

FFXIII-2 – Part 4: Artefacts of Other Times

Summary: Exploring the crystarium. A cat named Snow. The moogle’s bobble. The mirror artefact. Why Snow left.

FFXIII-2 – Part 3: Chrono Trigger

Summary: First impressions of the Mog Clock system. The meteorite’s function. Noel’s origin.

Physical - Part 2: 2/27/19

tw: weight, food, calories, shame.

Seriously, this is boring food/fitness stuff. I do not recommend reading unless you're specifically interested, even if we're friends. This is mostly to help provide me a place to think through all kinds of toxic shit.

FFXIII-2 – Part 2: Twin Histories

Summary: Serah awakens to an attack on New Bodhum. Noel meets Serah. The confused memory of the past three years.

League of Legends - Part 4: Annie, the Dark Child

Summary: Checking out the lore/art of my first mage, the pyromancer Annie. Her vicious teddy Tibbers. An amazing origins video.

A hulking beast loomed, silhouetted against the firelight. Thick strands of sinew bound its limbs to its torso like stitching. With a start, Marcin realized the beast itself burned, unharmed by the hungry tongues of flame that danced across its fur. In its claws it held aloft, by the head, the slumped, bloody form of the bounty hunter, a limp rag doll in the massive paws of the monster.

Before it, the little girl stood wreathed in fire.

“You’re right, Tibbers,” she said. “He didn’t like being pulled either."

FFXIII-2 – Part 1: Lightning: Battle Angel

Summary: Starting this new game. Early predictions. Lightning and Caius battle in Valhalla. Noel Kreiss gets a mission.

”Lo there do I see my father. Lo there do I see my mother and my sisters and my brothers. Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning. Lo, they do call to me. They bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever.”
--Battle Prayer, “The 13th Warrior”

League of Legends - Part 3: Playing Ashe

Summary: My first three games in League. Learning the basics.

Physical - Part 1: Clementine

League of Legends - Part 2: Ashe, the Frost Archer

Summary: The basics of Ashe, my first champion in League of Legends. Her story. Reviewing her abilities.

FFXIV – Part 124: The Will of Karash [WARRIOR 60-70]

Summary: The strange and often hostile romance of Curious Gorge and Dorgono. Ringing in the year of the pig.

Physical - Part 0: Joy

Summary: A brief introduction to a new series. My attempt to find balance and pleasure in things like food and movement.

TW: self-hate around food

League of Legends - Part 1: Into the Rift

Summary: A new "Let's Play" series I'm trying out. My background, interest, and goals.

FFXIV – Part 123: How Curious Gorge Got His Groove Back [WARRIOR 50-60]

Summary: Helping my mentor master his inner beast through protection over anger. The Starlight Festival (Christmas) comes to Eorzea.

Prior warrior posts:
1-30: http://coldrungaming.blogspot.com/2018/12/ffxiv-p...
30-50: http://coldrungaming.blogspot.com/2018/12/ffxiv-p...

FFXIII – Part 40: The Fourteenth Day

Summary: Some brief final thoughts on Final Fantasy XIII.

FFXIII – Part 39: The Miracle of Ragnarok

Summary: Orphan’s final form. Fang and Vanille’s heroism. The choices of Ragnarok. The end of Final Fantasy XIII.

FFXIII – Part 38: Orphan

Summary: Through the Tesseract to Barthandelus. Orphan. Fang, Vanille, and Ragnarok.

FFXIII – Part 37: Titan Victorious

Summary: More of Titan’s Trials. Completed all missions except Attacus before giving up. The end of my time on Gran Pulse.

FFXIII – Part 36: Lightning, Party of Six

Summary: Exploring my party’s abilities, roles, eidolons, and “ultimates” more fully. No story or mission progress this session.

FFXIII – Part 35: Attack on Titan

Summary: Back to Gran Pulse for Cie’th stone missions. Completed through #34 fully. Tonberry. Titan’s Trials.

FFXIII – Part 34: When the Bough Breaks

Summary: Edenhall. Cavalry’s Sacrifices. Rosch’s last stand.

FFXIII – Part 33: Eden Under Siege

Summary: Return to Cocoon. Pulse monsters swarm Eden. The brief reign of Primarch Cid. First glimpse of crystarium nine abilities.

FFXIII – Part 32: Oerba

Summary: Cieth Stone #28. Bhakti. A new section of Mah’habara. Barthandelus returns.

FFXIII – Part 31: The Cloven Tower

Summary: Taejin’s Tower. The Menhirrim. Dahaka.

FFXIII – Part 30: In Atomos’ Path

Summary: Through tunnels beneath Gran Pulse. Cie’th missions 18 and 19. Fang’s past, Vanille’s Eidolon.

FFXIII – Part 29: Yellow and Green

Summary: Chocobo riding and digging. Sazh and the cactuars. Cie’th stone missions through #17.

FFXIII – Part 28: Chocobo Lagoon

Summary: Completing through Cie’th stone #12. A glorious prize awaits me after defeating Geiseric the Profane.

FFXIII – Part 27: A Million Ways to Die on Pulse

Summary: Difficulty ramps up to 11 as I explore the massive Gran Pulse. Cie’th stone hunts. Slowly moving towards Oerba.

FFXIII – Part 26: Down Under

Summary: Fang and Bahamut. Flying to Gran Pulse. Hope and Alexander.

FFXIII – Part 25: It’s Raining Cid

Summary: The Fifth Ark. The fal’Cie’s goal. Cid’s stand.

Level Up 2019 - Part 3: Onions

Someone's chopping onions in here. WoW story progress.

Level Up 2019 - Part 2: Songs of Freedom

A type of music giving me energy. World quests.

Level Up 2019 - Part 1: The Path Ahead

Chilling in the new year. Starting direction on my mage. Stromgarde warfront.