FFVII – Part 17: Of Mako’s Making

Summary: Cloud’s flashback continues. The party – Sephiroth included – reaches the Mt. Nibel Mako Reactor. We learn that Shinra has been experimenting with Mako.

FFVII – Part 16: War Buddies

Summary: Cloud begins to tell the story of the nature (and eventual breaking) of his relationship with Sephiroth. Flashback to them after the war, on the way to a faulty Mako reactor near Nibelheim.

FFVII – Part 15: Starin’ Through My Rear View

Summary: Cloud beats back Rufus, while Aeris, Barret, and Red fight off Shinra’s robots. The party dramatically escapes the Shinra building on wheels. We fight off Shinra’s motorcycle guards and robots, and leave Midgar behind for now.

FFVII – Part 14: Hostile Takeover

Summary: We see the havoc wrought by the Jenova, and by Sephiroth (though we don’t meet him). Everyone in the building is dead - President Shinra included, with a sword through the back. His son, Rufus, swoops in, and aspires to be even worse than his dad. Reach for the stars, kiddo.

FFVII – Part 13: The Horrifying Hojo

Summary: We climb up to the 67th and 68th floors. Hojo takes the Worst Ever prize with his attempt to breed Aeris with a hyper-intelligent dog. (I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence.) A new party member joins us, and our party of five is captured by Shinra.

Fitness - Day 11: Liquid Calories

Morning weight: 266.0 lbs
Total change: -2.2 lbs

Active quest:

Progress to Nutrition Level 3: Spend one week minimizing liquid calories.
 [2/23/15 = 90cal] -  [   ] -  [   ] -  [   ] -  [   ] -  [   ] -  [   ]

Fitness - Day 10: Level 3, Here We Come

Morning weight: 267.2
Total change: -1.0 lbs

Fitness - Day 7: Keystone

On confidence.

FFVII – Part 12: The Corporate Ladder

Summary: We continue our climb up the Shinra Building, through the 63rd, 64th, 65th, and 66th floors. I miss stuff, but it’s way smoother than that damn library puzzle nonetheless.

FFVII – Part 11: Climbing the Walls

Summary: The party climbs the plate in Wall Market up to the Shinra Building. I let myself get frustrated by the shenanigans that ensue.

FFVII – Part 10: Elmyra

Summary: The party heads to Chez Aeris and talks to Elmyra. We learn about her history with Aeris, and her general awesomeness. Barret and Marlene reunite.

Fitness - Day 5: Gap

I won't update every day necessarily, but will try hard to not let two days go by without an update.  I'm posting earlier than usual, mostly because I want to "think out loud" about lunch/snacking at level 2.

FFVII – Part 9: Falling Down

Summary: Our party escapes the sewers and hustles over to Sector 7, but they’re too late. Reno and the Turks destroy the tower supporting the plate above Sector 7, which falls and destroys the sector. Tseng and Shinra abduct Aeris.

Fitness - Day 3: I'll Scout Ahead!

Morning weight: 268.0 lbs
Total loss: -0.2 lbs

First steps as a Scout in Nerd Fitness Academy.

Fitness - Day 2: Level 2 Dinner

Some thoughts on what to do for dinner at Nerd Fitness Nutrition Level 2.

FFVII – Part 8: Corneo Hall

Summary: The most relentlessly uncomfortable segment of the entire Final Fantasy series thus far as the party infiltrates Corneo Hall.

TW: Rape and sexual assault, transphobia, homophobia, sexism

Fitness - Day 1: Level 2 Breakfast

Thoughts on breakfast at nutrition level 2.

Fitness - Day 0: Three Plans

Morning weight: 268.2 lbs

Total loss: -0 lbs

As I wrote last time, I'm in a much better place personally than I had been.  For the moment, I'm not operating from a place of fear and panic.  This is key.  When I operate from such a place, I can't address fitness issues realistically.  Fear leads to boom-and-bust cycles, where I try to solve all my problems immediately, burn out, and fall down.

FFVII – Part 7: Off the Wall

Summary: We move through Sector 6, but before we reach sector 7 we see a captive Tifa taken to the Wall Market. She’s held at the Honey Bee Inn, and Aeris devises a plan to help that can go wrong in infinity ways.

FFVII – Part 6: Chez Aeris

Summary: Sector 5 and Aeris’s house. We meet Elmyra, Aeris’s mom. Aeris repeatedly shuts down Cloud’s bullshit.

Fitness - Update

I'm actually in a much better place.  I've taken significant steps to address the really immediate pressures in my life that caused me to panic, including school, money, family, and work.  Things are calmer.  I'm ready to take this on.

More tonight.

FFVII – Part 5: Aeris

Summary: Cloud lands in Flower Girl’s flower church. They introduce themselves and flirt a bit. Her name is Aeris. They escape the church, pursued by Reno 911.

FFVII – Part 4: The Assault of Reactor 5

Summary: Team Avalanche assaults the next reactor. We meet the president of Shinra, who must’ve arrived here straight from Bond movie villainy. Hints of background on Cloud and the source of his power. A literal cliffhanger.

FFVII – Part 3: Promises, Promises

Summary: The hideout. We meet Tifa. Cloud decides to honor a childhood promise, and signs on with Avalanche for the moment. Cloud explains some shit.

FFVII – Part 2: Cloud, Start the Reactor

Summary: Cloud and Barret blow up the reactor and fight their way to safety with the rest of the Avalanche. They regroup with Cloud on a train after he meets a flower girl and escapes Shinra soldiers.

FFVI - Part 80: Light the Way Out

Summary: My final thoughts on Final Fantasy VI.

I hadn't put these up before, because I hadn't written them. This was difficult. It's hard for me to even summarize how deeply this game impacted me.

It ended up being more personal than I intended, and I apologize for rambling.

TW: suicide, depression

FFVII – Part 1: Factory Settings

What time is it?  Final Fantasy VII time!






Things I know about this game:

1) Sephiroth is a character in it.  A villain if I had to guess, since I've heard his name in the same breath as Kefka's.

2) The game's logo makes it look like an FFIV:TAY style moon crashing into the earth.

3) It was on the PlayStation.  (I'll be playing the PC version.)

4) People like it.

5) ???

Let's go!

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Summary: We set the scene. A high-tech city. We meet two party members, the spiky-haired supersword wielding Cloud and gun-handed Barret. They are part of Avalanche, infiltrating a reactor.