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Thread: Let's Play the BEST GAME EVER!!! (FFIX)

  1. #31
    Pinkasaurus Rex Pumpkin's Avatar
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    Today we will be exploring Lindblum before the festival begins!
    (SPOILER)
    Turns out SOMEONE is a terrible moogle hater



    Anyways, Steiner is wandering around town, generally getting himself lost




    Female Red Mage is having none of that! Being Steiner though he is rather oblivious to what just happened and turns his attention to a street stall.





    FACT. Steiner decides, what the heck, he already drank poison back in the Evil Forest, might as well.




    And thus begins Steiner's love affair with pickles~

    Zidane, meanwhile, does some shopping.



    Who indeed

    This is why I told you to buy extra equipment if possible, because you can now use that for synthesis! Speaking of which, there's a little story between the synthesis shop owner and his son that goes throughout the game.



    As the son's skills improve, so to does the available equipment. It's a neat little detail that help bring the people to life.

    Beginner tip: When you exit the Inn, there's a screen towards the south where you can have a bit more conversation. Also be sure to THOROUGHLY explore Lindblum within the next little while if you care about finding everything because some of it will become inaccessible for the rest of the game.



    We get to read some nice statues, and learn more about Lindblum culture, which is broken down in 2 four districts. The first is the business district which is where you do your shopping and also houses the Church and an angry little dog. The industrial district is where the bar was where we met Freya and is the center of engineering. The theatre district is where all of the upper-class art types hang out and is also where Tantalus headquarters is located.



    *sad violin*

    So anyway, Vivi is also out doing some shopping





    She gives it to Vivi for free because he's adorable and Vivi had earlier taken note of a sign in the shop.



    He decides to inquire





    This is where a miscommunication happens because Vivi runs off excitedly, assuming that puppies are going to be released in town for snuggles or something when that really isn't the case.



    If you're wondering where Steiner is during all of this, the answer is "Still lost."



    He does meet an old gentleman who tells him he's at the bridge where the airship docks connect to the castle.




    The old man explains that the Hilda Garde 2 will run on steam instead of mist and Steiner finds this PREPOSTEROUS, which causes the old man to tell him he's living in the past.

    We head to the theatre district where a bunch of fangirls are... fangirling all over an actor.



    FFIX dealing with issues of transspeciesism way back in 2000.



    After Zidane tries to get them to fangirl all over him, which fails, the prestigious Lowell arrives on the scene for like 10 seconds. After which time he bails and may or may not come back in a moogle costume to get away from the crowd



    Sure enough, the disguise receives nothing but disdain from his unknowing fans, allowing him to escape.



    ....................

    SO ANYWAY

    We head to Tantalus headquarters to find no one there.



    As the bell rings out over Lindblum, Zidane wonders what Dagger is up to.



    Dagger, it turns out, is trapped in her room.




    She is upset by this, reminding herself that she came here to figure out what's happening with her mother, not to be protected.

    Back at Tantalus HQ, two kids come in and greet Zidane




    After establishing their de facto membership, they ask Zidane some questions about the kidnapping plan. Then, in typical kid fashion, they just blurt out whatever they want to.




    The kids tell him that she probably misses him and he should go see her before they scamper off.



    And now we see Zidane trying to find excuses to actually go and see her.

    In case you were worried about Tantalus, rest assured that they managed to escape.



    "I can't believe I got to drop some exposition!"





    Despite its flaws, this is actually a good scene because it helps the player out later on when they arrive here. It shows Cinna drinking from a spring which makes the "HP restored" chime noise. It shows Blank open the treasure chest so you know why it's already open when you get there, and it talks about Cinna making coffee off in the corner, which if you recall, pertains to a certain sidequest...

    Zidane heads to Lindblum castle to find the Princess is not in her room



    Steiner is already there, apparently having found his way, and immediately blames Zidane for what's happening before running off to find her.



    He hears her singing the same song she was singing in Dali and realizes she's upstairs. There's unfortunately a problem.



    He can't use the lift to go upstairs because its guarded by the man with the face of a 12-year-old. Luckily for us there's a sleeping, suggestable guard whom we can wake up and trick.



    So after beating him up and taking his clothes, we get to go upstairs.



    Zidane takes off his disguise ON THE LIFT because why not, apparently? I mean sure, there are guards upstairs, but we can conveniently get past them without a disguise!

    We do find Dagger upstairs singing to the birds before Zidane scares them all away.



    After a bit of awkward conversation, Zidane points out the giant telescope we can use to look around the surrounding area.




    This looks much better than the actual overworld, btw

    Dagger asks to use it and spends that time berating herself internally.





    She asks him if he just did it because his boss ordered him to, and he explains that his boss didn't want him to and he had to leave Tantalus because of it, which he shares that he's done before.

    She changes the suject to ask how Tantalus was planning on kidnapping her and he says that they were going to put sleeping weed in her tea, but since she came along willingly, they didn't need it.




    She calls him out on his shameless flirting, so he shifts gears to ask about the song she's been singing




    While she sings, we get to see what everyone else is up to.



    While admiring that FINE piece of armour, Steiner overhears another customer badmouthing Queen Brahne.




    Vivi finds some toys that some kids were playing with.



    And Freya is jumping from rooftop to rooftop, as you do.



    She then expresses some vulnerability when she asks Sir Fratley where he is because she needs him.

    Back at the castle, Zidane makes a fool of himself.



    If you recall, he asked a different girl about that...

    Smoooth operatoooorrrr~~



    After some passive-aggressive comments, Zidane once again tries to recover with idiocy.



    But because she's already smitten with him, she agrees.

    FESTIVAL OF THE HUNT PREP

    And Freya is here because why not. We got to name her so we already know she's going to be a party member.



    Ugh time limits. UGH STRESS

    Also he signed up Vivi without his permission



    And offers him to date Dagger if Vivi wins which NEITHER OF THEM WANT and he didn't even ask if she was okay with this. Man Zidane's kind of a butt sometimes, huh?

    And so the bests, some of whom are adorable (Mus) are released on to the town!



    Next time we get to Festival of the Hunt which is bleh, but the story really starts to pick up with the bigger plot afterwards so that'll be fun!

    Stay tuned~
    Last edited by Pumpkin; 03-14-2017 at 04:02 AM.

  2. #32
    Mold Anus Old Manus's Avatar
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    Always wondered whether "I Want To Be Your Canary" was just a dumb name or a bad translation.


    there was a picture here

  3. #33
    Pinkasaurus Rex Pumpkin's Avatar
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    And so begins the Festival of the Hunt!
    (SPOILER)




    After some spectating on the part of Dagger and Steiner, the hunt begins! I have 12 minutes to win this thing. If you, loyal viewer, want to win, just follow these easy peasy tips! Send money to

    Okay, seriously though, these are good tips to win.

    Festival of the Hunt tips~
    *Optimize Zidane's equipment. You can skill grind later but this will be useful to prevent damage, which will save time spent healing, and, if you have The Ogre weapon, should allow you to one-shot kill all of the enemies other than the big hunt.
    *Your goal is to get to the end of the business district around the 4 minute mark if you want an almost guaranteed win
    *Don't take that to mean you can slack off before then, you'll still need other points to win, you just won't have to try as hard
    *Different monsters are worth different amounts of points. The Trick Sparrows are worth the least and generally take the longest to initiate battle with. If you can run in to one right away, go for it, otherwise just leave them for clean up if you have time
    *You should have time to do a general sweep of the Theatre Dsitrict followed by the Industrial District before leaving for the Business Dsitrict
    *Depending on how much time you have, head over to the Buisness district with about 6 minutes remaining and do a general sweep of the area EXCEPT for the shop area
    *Once the timer has gone below 4 minutes, head to the shop area to find a small scene with the big hunt



    During the scene, Freya will jump in to help you while giving you the points for the kill because she's a better person than Zidane.



    Don't worry about stealing, you'll encounter these as regular enemies later in the game. Have Freya jump to deal decent damage and avoid damage in return. It does take longer for her to attack that way though, so keep that in mind.

    I also noticed a reference to the Strange Gourmand or something like that, which made me chuckle. It's funny how many references there are to Quina before s/he joins your party.

    If you have any time left, like I did, just go clean up those Trick Sparrows you left in order to further secure your lead. After 12 minutes, the Festival is over!




    Unfortunately the celebration is interrupted by something terrible.



    This is where the story really starts to pick up and go in to its bigger plot, so I'm pretty excite! Minister Artania warns Cid not to approach in his current form, but Cid is not concerned.





    Uh oh, Spaghetti-O!

    The man sadly passes away before they can get him to the infirmary.



    Well that's a bummer.



    Freya, meanwhile can't wait for reinforcements while her homeland is in danger.



    Zidane offers to go to, an offer which Freya initially rejects.



    Eventually she thanks him and then Vivi speaks up.



    He's having that whole Black Mage identity crisis if you recall correctly.



    Unfortunately for Dagger, who just inserted herself in to this situation, the others don't exactly encourage her to go.



    She is worried, however, that if her mother IS starting a war, she has to stop her and do something to help prevent more people from being killed. A noble sentiment, but turns out that even Zidane isn't on her side for this one.




    Cid tries to calm them down for the moment and asks them to enjoy the Festival feast while they wait for the gate to open.



    So they head downstairs for a hearty celebration meal.



    After some reluctance to eat, they eventually all decide to dig in and enjoy the feast.



    Turns out that this isn't the food-coma type of sleepiness, but rather something else at work. Everyone starts dropping like flies.




    Everyone except for...




    Steiner's a treat, isn't he?




    So yes, Dagger has drugged them all so that she can leave on her quest of justice. Steiner voices his objections in one of his rare early moments of insight.



    But he eventually agrees to go with her after she talks about how she needs to stop her mother from starting a war with the three great nations.



    And with that, they sneak out.



    The others wake up a short time later and wonder if Dagger went to Burmecia on her own.



    Thinking that's where she went, they agree to try and catch up to her.



    It's time for some more
    Tips for beginners~
    *This is a really good time to ability grind the equipment you have. There's a free healing spring you can use to your heart's content, an easily accessible shop, it's easy enough to return to Lindblum if need be, and the next boss is a toughie, so grinding a bit can help.
    *You can also begin your Chocobo side-questing at this point and recruit another character early.

    And so we will end with a new mognet from Stiltzkin!



    Unfortunately my next update won't be for a while. On top of going out of town soon, I'll also be doing that grinding I just finished talking about. But hopefully it won't be too long before the next update. See you next time~
    Last edited by Pumpkin; 05-06-2017 at 10:18 PM.

  4. #34
    Pinkasaurus Rex Pumpkin's Avatar
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    So the forum ate my last post but that's okay! We just picked up Quina last time.
    (SPOILER)
    Now it is off to Chocobo's Forest!



    But we are on a mission, it is not the time to play with Chocobos!




    Oh okay.



    Apparently it is time to play with Chocobos. Choco initially runs away from me and I have to go get him with ghysal greens



    He sure does like me, that's why he ran away! But anywho, if you go back you can play the best Chocobo Hot & Cold which is all kinds of awesome!



    So basically you dig around for treasure and Choco, the best Chocobo, will give you an indication of how close you are. Sometimes you'll dig up treasure maps for outside of the forest where you can find super good items~

    After messing around with the best minigame, it is time to continue on with the story which is less upbeat right now. We head to Gizamaluke's Grotto and Freya finds some of her companions dead.





    This comment of course makes Vivi feel bad.




    "My friend Freya's buds were killed and her homeland is in danger. Sure hope Dagger's okay."

    So we head inside to find more dying people (there's a trend here)



    And we get these bells that open doors and shatter when you use them. I actually love the item description though.



    It sounds so uplifting and then you see how it says it's a warning and it's just a quote with a lot of depth, I feel

    Going further in we find some more soldiers being killed by Black Mages



    Lalala~

    We also find Zorn and Thorn in charge of the whole ordeal and they don't seem to remember Zidane at all, although he seems familiar.



    After defeating the Black Mages they send after us, they get spooked and run away because Zorn and Thorn.

    Eventually we meet a moogle in distress.




    And they just got married too, how sad



    Oh no, what will we do? Well, Vivi to the rescue!



    Well it turns out her husband LOOOVVVESSS Kupo Nuts, so after giving the nut to her, she lets her husband know that she has a delicious surprise for him, after which he bursts out of the bell like it's nothing



    He then takes the nut and runs away in to another room. After following him, we get a new mognet message



    Her husband also gives us the Holy Bell we need to continue in to the boss room.



    And if you do bring them more Kupo Nuts, they have more babies!

    Don't think about that one too hard.

    So in to the boss room!


    Master Gizamaluke, for the record, is this lovely creature here!



    He can be tough but if you grinded earlier when I told you too you should be just fine~ Especially if you recruited Quina and got yourself another party member.

    After defeating him, we get something completely different!





    Garnet is in the bag in case you're wondering

    But to cross the border, they need to do a bag check



    ............no..................



    UH OH



    That's right. He packed the princess in with a bunch of stinky pickles. Short guard cannot stand it so we get sent inside the gate.

    Let's talk to some people!



    Exposition~~

    And here's an adorable interaction between Part-time Worker Mary and the newly Jobless Jeff who just lost his store




    too relatable

    So anyway, we go and free Garnet from her pickle prison but first




    I love Short Guard

    So anyway, Garnet is finally set free for us to continue our adventure



    (Don't worry that won't last for more than 10 minutes)

    So we head to the tram/train/lift thing which is about to head back in to Alexandria where Garnet plans to go to have a talk with her mother




    See, I told you it wouldn't last long

    Tune in next time to see whate else Steiner and Garnet get up to~
    Last edited by Pumpkin; 05-08-2017 at 06:26 AM.

  5. #35
    Pinkasaurus Rex Pumpkin's Avatar
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    Alrighty then, Garnet and Steiner have finally made their way to the cable car to head back to Alexandria.
    (SPOILER)


    Part time worker Mary thanked us for telling her to follow her heart or whatever happened before. After taking a seat, Steiner called Garnet Princess again and she fusses at him.




    Steiner, the notorious Zidane hater talks about his terrible foul mouth but admits he's not as dumb as he thought he would be.

    After that convo, we're brought back to Gizamaluke's Grotto to see what happened after our big boss fight.



    So of course we have to head to Bermecia. But not before grabbing Choco and finding a treasure chest! Note that you'll have to walk a little bit to get to his footprints with this one.



    And then Choco was drugged and he died. No, actually he just went to a ~magical place~




    This isn't weird or anything



    BUT Choco evolves in to river Choco and now we can cross rivers with him, yay~~

    Choco is so awesome

    We make another pit stop on the way to Bermecia.



    Freya is obviously worried about this but Quina decides this is too depressing and he needs to stop and smell the flowers. Literally.



    The strong powerful Dragoon looking up to Quina the frog gourmand. I mean... sure.

    Tbf Quina is my second favourite character in this game, s/he is just a hoot.

    With that, we make our way over to Bermecia.



    ...since I decided to reminisce during a crisis like this.




    But not until I monologue a little bit! So with that, we finally head in to the wrecked city of Bermecia, once one of the four great powers of the Mist Continent.



    Yup, it rains here. Forever.

    Kidding aside, this section is one of the most memorable to me. It's got such great atmosphere and it's a turning point in the story to show that things are more serious than just runaway Princesses and moogles. I mean, those things are there too, but something about corpses all over the rainy streets just makes things a tad more serious feeling.

    Also we get cancer



    The Zodiac Stellazio coin, I meant.

    Zorn and Thorn make another appearance and after defeating the Black Mages they send after us, they take a fit in a way that basically equates to "I'm telling my dad!"



    After meeting up with a dying man who tells us to search under the bed, we get another bell/key to proceed further in to Bermecia.



    I just love some of these item descriptions, I'm telling you.

    Further in, Freya and Vivi have a conversation about the killer Black Mages going around and if he's okay to continue on.





    This is why I love Vivi. Finds others like him being manufactured on a weird farm after getting kidnapped, sees them being used as weapons of mass murder, decides he's going to press on no matter how painful it is. You go Vivi!



    Quina is helping.

    A Bermecian family rushes over to us, ready to pick a fight since we have a Black Mage with us, but Freya talks them down.




    He advises us to ditch everything and GTFO because we aren't going to win this one, but Freya has resolved to go on.



    Freya is a true patriot.

    Further in we meet another struggling family.





    Aww and she's preggers too. He keeps telling her to leave but she sticks by his side. Luckily hero Zidane arrives in the knick of time to save him from the collapsing ugly frog statue thing.



    He's happy we saved him and tells us to come and visit him in Lindblum after his kid is born. He and his wife escape safely.

    Beginner's Tip: There are mimics in Bermecia. If you see a chest positioned diagonally instead of straight, it's a mimic. If you want to fight them, cool, but if you're low on supplies and want to save up, avoid those chests.

    Further in, we meet another moogle and deliver one of the letters we had.



    SPEAKING OF, guess who decides to show up!



    Keep buying supplies from him to keep getting better stuff as his journey continues! There's also a moogle shop here with new equipment and remember to buy at least 2 of everything if you can afford it~

    We also find a new nifty spear for Freya to beat up some Black Mages, which of course makes Vivi a bit sad.

    Onward to the palace.



    After deciding to leave her alone, she suddenly hears something and effortlessly jumps 5 stories in the air.



    Needless to say, the other party members struggle a bit more.



    Once Zidane and Freya make it to the top, we see Brahne and someone else conversing.




    The name Beatrix sends Freya in to reminisce mode again.




    Fratley is so fancy. He tells her he doesn't know if he's strong enough to protect Bermecia and so he must travel.




    He promises once again before leaving.




    Geez that hits the feels



    But before the conversation continues, a ~fabulous~ man appears.



    Brahne and Beatrix talk about how they've been searching for the king but to no avail.





    Cleyra is protected by a giant sandstorm you see. But apparently Kuja has a plan.



    Zidane asks Freya about Cleyra and why they call it the City of Illusion.




    This time the conversation is interrupted by a Bermecian soldier attempting to take on the baddies solo. Zidane and Freya step in to save him.




    Vivi and Quina also show up just then because sure.

    Note for this fight: You cannot beat Beatrix. The best you can do is stay alive long enough to steal all of her stuff and hope she doesn't end the fight too early. I only got 2 of her items but oh well.

    This fight sadly leads to a crushing defeat for our heroes.



    Kuja also takes this opportunity to make commentary, look down on us fabulously, and escape on his Silver Dragon.



    Behold Kuja in all of his glory!





    And off he flies in to the... uh... whatever is going on there.

    And thus we come to the end of Disc 1!

    Before we go though, let's check in on what's going on elsewhere.

    Short Guard and Tall Guard, whom you may remember from South Gate, are talking about the crazy stuff that's been happening. Tall Guard asks short guard if the pickle dude was suspicious.



    Words of wisdom.

    Tall Guard tells Short Guard what an odd man he is because he was the one who was initially suspicious of Steiner, and Short Guard tells us that's how he wound up where he is!

    What a beautiful story.



    Steiner is still in denial before we reach Alexandria.



    And we get another mognet message delivered!



    Next time, Garnet and Steiner meet up with some unexpected allies! Stay tuned~
    Last edited by Pumpkin; 05-12-2017 at 07:03 AM.

  6. #36
    'Just Friends' Formalhaut's Avatar
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    I always found the end of discs to be really exciting times. Full of changes and new plot threads!


  7. #37
    Depression Moon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Formalhaut View Post
    I always found the end of discs to be really exciting times. Full of changes and new plot threads!
    I agree with this. I also miss playing Final Fantasy games and this year marks the series 30th anniversary.

  8. #38
    'Just Friends' Formalhaut's Avatar
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    Maybe I like compartmentalising games and stories into sections, but I just really like the disc format. There's just something about seeing something huge happen on screen, followed by the splash screen of 'End of Disc One, Please Insert Disc Two'.

    I don't know, I think it's really cool.


  9. #39
    Pinkasaurus Rex Pumpkin's Avatar
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    So Garnet and Steiner disembark in Alexandria and meet some old friends
    (SPOILER)


    Heading back inside, we strike up a conversation. Or at least try to amidst the fussing from Steiner.




    After being fussed at, Steiner backs off and the cable car arrives.



    Marcus and Cinna say their goodbyes because one is heading to Lindblum and the other...



    Exactly. But why, you might ask. Well, Garnet had the same question



    Well, Marcus can answer that for himself.



    Brother = Blank




    Or at least he would be if he wasn't hanging around the station eating cake. Garnet decides she wants in on this cure the petrification plan, but Marcus is not as enthused about the idea.





    Garnet explains how she drugged him and ditched him, as a lady does.



    And then she blames him

    But before we can get in to all dat drama, something happens with the cable car!



    How rude. They prefer to be called alternate saints.

    Hearing this, our ensemble heads outside.



    Oh look, it's our old friend Black Waltz #3!



    Unfortunately we are lured in to another boss fight with no answers from the damaged Black Waltz.

    This fight can be pretty annoying, especially with the steal rate but he doesn't have anything you can't get soon enough anyway so don't beat yourself up over stealing everything with this one.

    So we defeat the Black Waltz once and for all




    Marcus, full of tact, decides this is the time to bring it up. Steiner is like WHO COULD HAVE DONE THAT



    Honestly I don't think he was doing it for her benefit, I think he's that oblivious and blindly loyal.



    That'll stop her for sure. Nothing wrong with this plan!

    Anyways, we head back on the cable car. I keep forgetting what it's called and had to scroll up to remember



    "What, you mean the mass drugging?"



    Or that



    Marcus knows what she's getting at with this



    Basically, yes.




    Before we head to Treno though, we make a quick stop by Dali!



    It has been a whole disc

    There's not much new going on. The farm lady fusses about the new factory and the lack of farming and Garnet vows to help her out.

    We also run in to another friendly monster, yay!



    Also take your time getting around here, Steiner and Garnet will probably be a good bit lower in levels than Zidane and co. if you did stop and grind. So get some exp on your way around and learn some abilities.

    So we finally arrive in Treno, the City of Nobles



    I JUST SAID THAT




    While those two fuss, because Steiner can't help but fuss, Garnet takes off on her own.



    And while Steiner freaks out about that, Marcus takes off too, leaving poor Ol' Rusty all alone.

    There's actually a good bit of side things to do here. By putting 10 gil in the fountain many times you get another Zodiac!



    D'aww

    Afterwards you get this lovely ATE where Garnet is robbed



    She loses 1000 gil but if you follow the ATE's properly, you'll get your money's worth.




    ..............



    ...................................................



    And there you have it! This won't be the last we see of this dastardly dude.

    We also meet some interesting characters



    How... fun and not depressing

    And these two kids who are fussing about the nobles taking their land and detailing their plan to get rich and become nobles themselves and rule the town




    Kids these days, amirite?

    We also get another letter from Stilitzkin



    Hmm...

    While in Treno, it's a good time to make a shopping list because they have a good weapon shop and synthesis shop if you have the cash monie

    We eventually find Garnet in the auction house. Steiner yells out how he was worried and she says she doesn't know how she's supposed to find the supersoft with him running around shouting like that.

    Garnet is very sassy toward Steiner




    Brutal.

    We also got to see Kuja in an earlier ATE, watching her from the auction house balcony...



    Speaking of auction house, you can buy some super great items here. You'll probably have to come back later when you've built up more cash but since I used the max monies cheat I could afford some goodies right off the bat.

    I got some good equipment and these special items:




    Earlier FF references~




    We also find another Zodiac thing in Treno



    Overcompensating much, Taurus?

    This is also the city where you can trade them in for prizes but Imma hang on to them for now.

    At this point you can leave the city, follow the forest outside of town, and find another special place before going on with the game.



    We find another coin there



    And some special info...




    And I will leave you to ponder that while you wait for the next update~

    Will they find the supersoft? Will Garnet convince her mom to not be a power crazy warmonger? Will Steiner stop getting in to a tiff with everyone? Find out next time!
    Last edited by Pumpkin; 05-13-2017 at 03:44 AM.

  10. #40
    'Just Friends' Formalhaut's Avatar
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    Good update!

    I was genuinely surprised you go back and cure Blank of his petrification. It's certainly more thoughtful than what happens in FFIV...


  11. #41
    Pinkasaurus Rex Pumpkin's Avatar
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    Okay so back with Garnet and Steiner, we meet back up with Marcus in Treno and it does indeed seem that he has a lead on the Supersoft. So Garnet follows him while Steiner yells at her while following closely behind.
    (SPOILER)


    Baku also meets us there and checks to make sure Garnet is okay with becoming a criminal.




    Steiner's response sets Baku on a bit of a tangent.





    Steiner is, as expected, totally confused.

    Meanwhile, at the auction house, the auctioneer asks Kuja how things went in Bermecia



    He also mentions seeing Garnet in the crowd earlier and the auctioneer asks if he wants a meeting arranged.





    o.o

    So anyway, back on the little boat, Steiner and Garnet are having some introspection





    Worried slightly about what Baku said, Steiner tries to push those thoughts aside, while Garnet has some thoughts of her own.



    She questions why she's even here with Zidane's friends trying to save Blank's life



    We head in to the synthesis shop after hours to start looking for the Supersoft, but it isn't long before someone shows up



    Turns out, it's an old friend of Garnet's looking for some ink.




    Steiner assures him that they are not doing anything illegal at all, but Garnet explains what they're looking for.




    Another voice calls down, wondering what the ruckus is, and Dr. Tot quickly agrees to help us while taking care of the synthesis shop owner by pretending the noise was all him.



    Giving some time for Dr. Tot to prepare, we head back to report to Baku.




    How awkward, she's standing right there. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), Baku is a very honest man and doesn't try to play off his comment.




    We head over to Dr. Tot's house and make pleasantries while Steiner apologize for what happened earlier.




    Marcus quickly does help himself, since that's the whole reason he's here.



    Woo, good job team!

    While here, Garnet asks what brings the good scholar to Treno, and it turns out he has a sponsor here. She also asks about the giant globe in the middle of the room and they go check it out from the inside.



    It is slightly damaged, but, you know. This leads to Garnet reminiscing about when she was a child.

    The memory starts with Dr. Tot rambling about Eidolons and stones that disappeared from texts 500 years ago.



    He thinks that the royal jewel in the Alexandrian royal family is to small to be the one from legend.



    Oh well, I'm sure it doesn't matter and that this will not tie in to the plot in any way whatsoever!

    Little Garnet pops down to complain about how she doesn't like books except for that 'I Want to be Your Canary' one by Lord Byron.



    Oh children. So precious. So stupid.

    Back in the present, Dr. Tootsie assures Garnet of his loyalty to her if she ever needs any help.



    Also, don't look at her butt you perv, she's 16!!!

    Taking him up on his offer, Garnet explains to him a little bit about what's been going on.




    He tells her about an underground passage way leading back to Alexandria because of course.



    And so Marcus stays with us a bit longer too.



    We also get to deliver a letter and find out about this love hexagon




    This is another good area to grind, especially since Steiner and Garnet are at a lower level than your previous party probably. It's super easy to just go back in to town and buy more stuff or rest at the Inn and there's a save moogle right there. It can be pretty dull though because there are only like 3 screens, but I would recommend doing some grinding here.

    It's time to flip a few switches when ready



    The gargant is indeed a giant insect that kind of follows the tunnels. But there are ways to get it to change course by using food. By flipping the right switches, we get the gargant to stop for us so we can hope in it's nifty trolley and head back to Alexandria.



    Dr. Tot asks Steiner to protect the Princess



    He says that he will always protect her but that he, a lowly knight, cannot exceed his authority. Dr. Tot seems to know which way the wind is blowing though and asks him to think long and hard about that and make up his own mind.

    With that, we head out on the gargant. Not long after, it gets stopped by a weird beasty thing.



    If you did grind this should be a pretty easy fight. Whack it a few times after you steal and it'll run away, or you can just wait a while and it'll also decide to run away.

    After defeating the beasty, we head back on the trolley and stop off at Alexandria.



    I guess it wasn't a part of the tour when he signed on as a knight.





    Steiner quickly came to regret not listening to the Princess.



    He of course blames Marcus like Marcus could somehow do this? But unfortunately, while they fuss, another gate opens in front of them.



    At this point, our two buddies Zorn and Thorn show up to tell us we're all under arrest.




    Seems that they have order to cease the Princess. Everyone exclaims in shock!

    Meanwhile...





    As you'll come to find out, he is 100% correct on this.

    So with the agreement that they'll head to Cleyra, they stop and ponder where Garnet could be.



    And despite putting on a brave face for the others, we learn that Zidane is actually very worried on the inside.

    Stay tuned for next time~
    Last edited by Pumpkin; 05-15-2017 at 05:24 AM.

  12. #42
    Pinkasaurus Rex Pumpkin's Avatar
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    I apologize in advance because this is going to be a massive update. It's a pretty climactic point in the story though so I guess it is what it is! Hopefully you can still enjoy it~
    (SPOILER)
    First we arrive in Cleyra



    And have to climb aaaalll the way up that trunk to get to the settlement up top. Quina can learn Auto-Life and White Wind, both of which I would recommend snatching up while you're here. This area is also a prime example of how FFIX expects you to walk up against walls, because not all treasures can be seen. Also, make absolutely sure you do everything you want to do while you're here.

    We get a mognet delivered:



    And then we eventually make our way up to Cleyra settlement



    It's actually super pretty up here. Two Oracles were awaiting our arrival.




    I gathered. With that, we're offered a tour, which you can accept or decline. If this is your first time, I would highly recommend taking note of the path you follow during the tour. It might come in handy in a little bit.






    After the tour of the pretty town, we're dropped back off where we started and we can begin exploring at our leisure. Visiting the Inn gets us this nifty letter from our friend Ruby!



    This also brings a few ATE's out.

    Quina, it seems, is not having a good time.



    S/e starts harassing the locals



    Vivi, meanwhile, is being harassed




    They bully and chase poor Vivi in to the Inn




    Thankfully the situation gets resolved and they see that Vivi is not their enemy. But at this point you can go check up at him in the Inn and he's still not feeling great, understandably.

    Quina seems to be doing a bit better




    And we learn a bit more about the town



    I dare you to just go out and say this to someone in public. This is the most fantasy nonsense ever.




    We go to meet up with Freya who asks us to head back to the Inn because she'll be a while. But on the way there we seem to find out about some kind of an emergency.



    Well that doesn't seem like a good thing




    So while the oracle goes and does... uh... that, we rush off to rescue the kid. We run in to our other party members there because they wouldn't want us to do another boss fight solo right now.






    Oh look, it's our old friend Puck!

    That whole scene was just magical btw

    So we fight the Antlion. It's pretty simple, just Focus with Vivi while you Steal with Zidane and a few good Blizzara's should do the trick depending on how long stealing takes. I wouldn't worry about keeping your health at max because he'll just lower it with his sandstorm attack.

    So we rescued Puck, who turns out to be a missing brat Prince



    After Freya tells Puck that they should go check in with his father, the King, Puck decides to bolt it




    He enslaved me and then ditched me when we got caught doing the illegal thing he put me up to doing and laughed at me when I almost fell to my death.

    Good times.

    Freya reports to the king that she found his son, who is still as mischievous as ever




    And he looks like he's 5 so I mean, good on him for leaving and adventuring from that young age.



    That's right. It's dance party time.



    And thus the dancetastic ritual begins



    One of these dancers is not like the others~

    Unfortunately, a bad omen comes to be during the ceremonial dance



    What does that mean?

    It means this giant blue light appears and removes the protective sandstorm




    Which is, you know, not good.

    MEANWHILE




    Heh heh

    Garnet is also at the castle, being upset about general goings on




    That's also around the time Kuja started showing up, if you can believe it.

    Zorn and Thorn show up and order the Princess to go see the Queen



    When that doesn't work to stop them, she tries another tactic



    Unfortunately, her newly acquired slang simply confuses them and they drag her off





    Whether you choose to believe her obvious lie or not, Kuja decides to step in and be a creeper



    And so he magic drugs her and puts her in a coma or something



    So Zorn and Thorn drag her off to the basement



    And so they too start performing a ritualistic dance because that's apparently what the creators were in to at the time



    Back in Cleyra



    But hey, at least you can see the sky now? And you won't get sand in your eyes as often?

    No?

    We also find out that some Alexandrian soldiers are headed up the trunk, as this mognet puts it.



    You get to control Freya for a little bit, so make sure you check the mognet moogle in the Inn during this time and buy some goods from Stiltzkin. Head to the town entrance when you're prepared

    The group meets up at the entrance



    Er... yeah.

    And they start heading down while fighting off Alexandrian soldiers. That's when Freya notices that something is wrong right as Puck shows up




    And so we rush back to town to find it in chaos and being attacked by Black Mages



    At this point, you'll have to guide survivors to the cathedral by giving them directions. They risk dying if you do it wrong and you'll get less goodies from them later. How do you know which way to go? It's the same way you went on your tour! Hope you were paying attention~

    Also the moogle is off to the side where the Antlion was if you want to save and rest up.

    Once we reach the top we find ourselves surrounded



    And all of that rescue work went to waste!





    Is what you might think, but an unlikely hero saves the day!



    ...rather poetically, for some reason?

    Yup! It's Freya's long lost lover, Sir Fratley!




    ...........................ouch

    Turns out poor Sir Fratley has amnesia. Puck found him and he had no memory of anything, but still felt patriotic towards his duty as a dragon knight, so Puck brought him back to Cleyra



    Vivi tries to check on Freya, who isn't the happiest at the moment






    As sad as that is though, we don't have much time to focus on it, because Beatrix decides to show up and steal the precious jewel!



    And so we chase her outside, but not before talking to the survivors and getting goodies and stuff. Also this would be a great time to remove equipment on Quina that you might want to have access to after Cleyra

    Once outside, she kicks my butt again.



    And they do withdraw using the magical floating, shimmering balls of plot coupon



    So Zidane, Freya, and Vivi all decide to use the magical plot coupon and end up on Queen Brahne's airship



    Quina decides not to come along

    The Queen is rather enjoying herself



    And she uses this opportunity to summon the Odin she stole from Garnet in that earlier scene



    And Odin decides to throw his lance right at Cleyra, causing a few problems




    Those problems being the complete and utter decimation of Cleyra.



    And the Queen is absolutely giddy about it

    Our heroes witnessed all of this and are understandably not coping well




    At that moment, Beatrix can be heard. She talks to one of her soldiers and shoots down the ass kissing she finds herself on the receiving end of



    After sending the soldier away, she wonders about why Brahne would use the Eidolons and the Black Mages when he forces should have been enough



    A few Black Mages go past, being told they're getting in the plot coupon pods to warp to Alexandria



    Beatrix goes to report to the Queen, who snatches the jewel out of her hand without a word of gratitude





    She states that Garnet will be executed when she gets back to Alexandria. Beatrix is visibly disturbed by this, and Zidane takes a fit from his eavesdropping spot



    Vivi has a plan and takes them down to the pods.

    Once you head downstairs, head back up and to the door where you were eavesdropping and you'll find a moogle friend there with another letter:



    And that is where we will end things for now! Stay tuned for next time~
    Last edited by Pumpkin; 05-16-2017 at 04:35 AM.

  13. #43
    Pinkasaurus Rex Pumpkin's Avatar
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    Alrighty, so Vivi, Zidane and Freya are in some escape pod nonsense things heading to Alexandria. In Alexandria...
    (SPOILER)


    YEAH!

    So then you have to do this like swinging minigame which is more fun than it should be in order to crash in to the side and smash your way out of your prison cage.



    After Steiner and Marcus escape, Marcus decides to ditch poor ol' Rusty



    Luckily, and totally believably, our other heroes happen to teleport drop right beside him



    Steiner is overall not super excited to see them because he's a man on a mission




    Of course, Steiner doesn't believe Zidane and so he must hear it straight from Vivi before he'll let it sink in




    Don't worry, this is more than enough time. Frustratingly, if you finish in 10 minutes she'll still show up very shortly afterwards. What happened to my other 20 minutes?!

    During our escape Marcus provides us with a bit of help and gives a quick update to Zidane




    At this point we run through the castle being "chased" by incompetent guards who take forever to react to you and won't follow you to the next screen.

    "Oh no, they went in to the other room! No way I could follow them!"

    Finally we arrive in the Queen's chambers or something



    Flipping the switch on the wall opens up a secret passage through the fireplace in to the dungeon below, where we find Garnet!



    This leads to a laughably easy fight with Zorn and Thorn. Just focus with Vivi while stealing with Zidane. They both go down when one goes down. Also you can cancel out all of their spells by attacking the one who is charging the spell. It is entirely possible to avoid taking a single hit this whole fight.



    And so we rush over to the Princess to see her laying on the cold, hard, stone floor, and that just can't be comfortable.



    Steiner doesn't handle it well



    Freya has some good news though




    Look at Steiner's pitiful face back there

    After that we get to heroically carry Garnet all the way back upstairs and we also get another mognet!



    Meanwhile



    You go Marcus!

    Back with our heroes, Steiner is finally starting to realize that maybe blind loyalty isn't always the best thing



    Zidane struggles with what's happened to Garnet






    I sense character development~

    Before too much of that can happen though, Beatrix arrives to kick our butts



    Can I just say how amazing Beatrix's hair and coat are?



    So she beats us up again



    Zidane decides to try words this time because fighting her obviously doesn't work



    Poor Vivi over there

    He also asks her what her duty is



    He then points out the comatose Princess on the couch



    Anyone else like how Zorn and Thorn are just chillin there while this is all going on?

    She tells them about how the Queen was planning to execute Garnet when she got back





    Freya tells her it's too late to seek forgiveness (because of the whole mass destruction of both of her homes)



    And so she tries with a little bit of encouragement from the jesters



    Thankfully they are wrong and the Princess comes to



    Brahne also chooses this moment to come check up on us



    And like children, Zorn and Thorn tattle on us



    This time though, Beatrix decides enough is enough



    Freya also stays behind to help out and allow the others time to escape and we get to do a few fights with Beatrix in the next section, yaaay

    So we run all the way back down to escape when Steiner decides to get all existential on us



    Well, there are many theories, Steiner. Some think it's the work of a higher being, whereas other...




    Oh you meant why aren't you fighting with them. Oh, my bad.



    And with that, he rushes back up to help the ladies who could probably curb stomp him if they wanted to




    Freya and Beatrix are slightly higher up, still fighting the good fight



    SPOILER! It is

    But even if it wasn't, the Knight in Rusted Armour has arrived!




    Zidane, Vivi, and Garnet, meanwhile, get stuck in the same trap as earlier. Oh, also, when you're passing by the door where you found Garnet, it's a good idea to go save, tent, and mognet at this time



    This time in the trap, Marcus saves us again with the help of the newly freed Blank!



    They say their hellos and explain what happened




    Blank is, understandably, a little behind the times.

    Anyways, they hold up the enemy so we can get to the gargan. Seeing everyone staying behind and fighting, Garnet feels conflicted




    I also like how Vivi's already chillin in the seat like "I mean, I'm getting out of here so..."

    So off we go on the gargan, destination Treno, since Steiner actually entrusted Zidane with the Princess amazingly



    Sadly the poor gargan finds itself one again harassed by an ugly snake thing



    This boss fight is a bit more annoying since he likes to cast mini on your part but not too difficult. We defeat the monster and get back on the gargan, but it still isn't smooth sailing from there



    And because it's chasing us...



    We fly right by Treno

    Not only that, but it seems we've reached the end of the line



    And fall we do.

    Back at Alexandria Castle, Queen Brahne is expecting some guests



    Uh oh~

    Anyways, her guests



    Yeah...




    As much as I dislike Lani, that was a pretty slick response

    So the two bounty hunters get their orders




    NO NOT VIVI D:!!!!

    She also specifies that it's the pendant she wants and she couldn't care less about Garnet's fate. The other bounty hunter is only really interested in Zidane, who he heard was traveling with the Princess

    Our heroes at this point have crash landed



    Yeah




    But before our plans can be put in to motion, we meet an unexpected celebrity




    He makes Garnet feel guilty and powerless and asks her what she wants to do



    After being reassured by her that she doesn't want to use her summon magic to cause more destruction, Ramuh considers lending her his power




    We have to find all 5 Ramuh's who will each give us a piece of a story, which we the have to compile!

    We also get another mognet!



    See you next time~
    Last edited by Pumpkin; 05-18-2017 at 04:49 AM.

  14. #44
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    ~exciting~ plot stuff!

    Worrying about Quina though! Hope they made it out okay!


  15. #45
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    Yeah the scene where my favourite character Quina dies. Is so heartwrenching. Its in my top 5 saddest moments in ff for sure. Rip quina you will be missed. Not by many. But by me atleast!

    (SPOILER) What do you mean she doesnt die? Pfft way to ruin the moment!

    also oh god I envy those graphics. they are so... smooothhh

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