Let's Play 2023 - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

I'm not in the best mood today.

We all have those days!

In the Sega CD version there are actual bandits in this dungeon, and there was a mini-boss battle with the Phantom Sentry (a big boss bandit), I dunno why they took it out of this game. It seems to be an iconic moment for this game as LUNAR has random enemies/bosses like the Inca God? (?)

That makes so much more sense, haha... I didn't realize that ESB actually did have some changes. I was thinking it was more of a port than SSSC and didn't have as much re-work. Once we're done with the playthrough, I'll have to go back and look through the changes!

The Mayor's house is pretty interesting as it introduces/gives us a preview of the Rememberizer. If you remember in the first game, it allows you to replay the anime cutscenes you've viewed. It's not available until much later, don't worry.

Is that where the daughter was watching the (flickering) image of her lost love? I can't remember exactly what it was, but it was something like that. Fun fact: when I first went into the house and saw the flickering NPC/hologram, I thought it was a glitch in the game.

As for the gaming sessions... I didn't get to play on Monday and only got to play today for about 20 minutes. I've been in the city for work and then I got home, changed, and departed for my daughter's school events. We didn't get home until late (like 9:45pm our time). It was a long day!

Bandit Butte
I knew that I had a really short play period today, so I decided to forego any plot advancements and just level-up some. I pretty much did the same as you. I went back to Bandit Butte and spammed them with spells to raise Silver and upgrade the rest of my armor.

Tomorrow I'll cross the Nota bridge and have yet another confrontation with Leo. As annoying as he is, I'm sort of rooting for him, haha... He's a good guy, just stubborn and blinded by zela. I'm also probably biased because I know he eventually turns things around.

[VidKid369]

#14 session

I'm kinda busy today but I had to play just to relax and unwind. After the events in East Nota I made my way to the Madoria Carnival. Don't worry Boo, the next few events are just casual chitchatting with townsfolk or in this case carnivalfolk so there isn't really much effort or thought involved, just enjoying the storyline. I meandered around the carnival avoiding the top-screen cause the next story event takes place there where you shoot out of the Magic Arrow to get away from Leo and the Guard.

The carnival has a lot of fun people to talk to, much more different than the sleepy desert citizens of the past few towns. You also get to meet the people you saw in the Illusion Forest again way back when so that was fun seeing what they do at the Carnival.

I'll probably explore more tomorrow morning but for the time being I stopped in front of the Giggle Den.

Just keep doing what you're doing Boo, I'm doing ok here!! I probably won't venture too far along into the story I'm taking care of the farmhouse and lot and I'm also doing a lot of exercising and self-care. Gaming is a hard hobby haha, so I like to take care of my body for those epic long sedentary endurance runs just sitting in front of the T.V.. Take care, Boo!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

East Nota

Crossing the bridge aaaaand... I'm pretty surprised at the responses from the townsfolk. They don't stan Leo like I do, haha. If you talk to them all after the events on the bridge, they're pretty lukewarm on Leo and his shenanigans.

Manoria Carnival

Drunk grandpas and missing kids... Jean talking about mysogeny and bunny-girl outfits... the overzealous Magic Cannon guys... It's been fun catching up!

Then Lucia gets the fun costume change. Can you imagine some of these as playable DLC costumes or something, haha... The first one wasn't so bad, the mustached swordsman disguise was hilarious, and the clown costume was... interesting. At least Hiro was kind enough to try and stop Ronfar from being a peeping tom! Maybe little Hiro is growing up after all!

I do like the outfits Lucia ends up in, though. The outfits in this game are very bohemian and I am here for it!

Mystic Ruins
Uh, ya'll went East instead of West. Whoops. Well, now I remember what purpose this location serves in-game. Interesting commentary about Lucia and her sacred spells between her and Lemina.

Another thing - the sound of the teleportation into the structure is the same teleportation sound from SSSC; I expected to hear the song from Vane after I teleported just because of muscle memory.

Alas, here is where I stop tonight. I'll catch you tomorrow, buddy!

[VidKid369]

Lol, I actually think Leo is so annoying. I actually said "I hate Leo" when he struck the Magic Arrow before it launched. There's something about him that's so... unappealing, to me. Just his blind loyalty to Althena and the Guard/Chosen. It's almost like a certain naivete about just go about his job, not really knowing anything about anything else. Anyways, huh.

The Madoria Carnival was fun.

The scenes with Lucia getting a dress change was interesting, though I doubt it has anything to do with the story. I think it kinda shows that the girls are getting along, and Hiro & Ronfar are sorta buddying-up too. The party's getting along quite well. I was thinking about how it's so interesting in RPGs that you just meet someone, and they immediately join you and fight for you. Sometimes some characters lack any real reason other than to be a pawn/chess piece in battle.

Yeah, her outfit is really nice. I really enjoyed the scene where the girls were playing dress-up like as if they're in their room, all giggling together and having fun. Very like 80s or 90s? lol

So I stopped at the Mystic Ruins but I've done my chores for today so I'll prolly end up playing some more laters. I was thinking to myself maybe they don't let you go into the Mystic Ruins from the world map because there's no entrance on the ground floor? It was interesting/funny that they entered through the top - from the sky.

I was gonna say that the events in Nota harped on the whole 'duality' aspect to LUNAR once again - with West and East Nota being "separated" or "joined together" by the bridge depending on how you look at it. Maybe it's pointing to "what joins" the two parts together? In regards to, Lunar and the Blue Star or the Goddess Althena and Lucia? Just something to ponder about and some food for thought.

Edit:

So you finally meet Ghaleon in the Mystic Ruins. I know I'm probably going against the grain here when I say this but I thought he was much better in SSSC as a standalone one-time bad guy. I thought he did his thing, and he won and done. I don't particularly care to dive into the backstory of villains I just find all bad people one-dimensional cause they are evil. BUT, I know a lot of fans like him so I'll give understanding his motives in this game a chance.

I got through the first floor of floating platforms and then I saved once I got to the second floor, I'm kinda tired tonight and I have to do some e-shopping for myself and my dogs. I'll most-likely cont tomorrow morning. See you around, Boo!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Lol, I actually think Leo is so annoying. I actually said "I hate Leo" when he struck the Magic Arrow before it launched. There's something about him that's so... unappealing, to me. Just his blind loyalty to Althena and the Guard/Chosen. It's almost like a certain naivete about just go about his job, not really knowing anything about anything else. Anyways, huh.

I don't *actually* stan him and my sarcasm probably isn't coming through very well, but I do think he's an interesting character. He's got a great character design, but of course, he's the blind zealot whose judgement is clouded due to his fanaticism. He makes for a good foil for Hiro, even if he is over-the-top and annoying. What I *do* like about his character arc is that he eventually comes around, although it happens far too late into the story. I think it would be cool if we saw more of a gradual change and had him join maybe in the second arc or beginning of the third rather than right at the end. Show us more of that change and then let us spend time with him having been reformed and apologetic for his behavior.

Yeah, her outfit is really nice. I really enjoyed the scene where the girls were playing dress-up like as if they're in their room, all giggling together and having fun. Very like 80s or 90s? lol

I kinda got Sailor Moon or magical girl anime vibes from the scene, haha...

I was gonna say that the events in Nota harped on the whole 'duality' aspect to LUNAR once again - with West and East Nota being "separated" or "joined together" by the bridge depending on how you look at it. Maybe it's pointing to "what joins" the two parts together? In regards to, Lunar and the Blue Star or the Goddess Althena and Lucia? Just something to ponder about and some food for thought.

Really, really good callout. You're better at picking up some of that nuance than I am! In hindsight, that's totally what's happening here and is good writing. I feel like jRPGs don't do that sort of parallel/subtle storytelling that much.

Mystics Ruins

So you finally meet Ghaleon in the Mystic Ruins.

Did you notice he said a few words funny? Such as 'again' as 'ageen'? Minor observation, but I don't remember him doing that in SSSC. Also, his whole "world on the halfshell" comment is so ridiculous for some reason, I laugh every time I hear it.

I know I'm probably going against the grain here when I say this but I thought he was much better in SSSC as a standalone one-time bad guy. I thought he did his thing, and he won and done.

I'm with you here. I've always felt his inclusion here felt like fan service and a bit odd. His eventual betrayal of Zophar as "see, I'm redeemed and was doing this to atone for my past sins" was also just sort of meh. I like Zophar as a new villain and would have preferred he just had new minions, or perhaps if some sort of SSS cameo was necessary, maybe one of the Vile Tribe sisters?

Anyway, I completely forgot about Ghaleon's garden at the bottom of the tower, as well as the faeries. It's interesting to see this foreshadowing about his true intentions and his love for the faeries and mankind. They particularly mention that he's sad, doesn't smile a lot, and thinks about the past a lot.

Standoff with the Dragonship Destiny

Uh, thanks Ghaleon. And glad to see Leo finally knocked down a peg.

East Nota
I liked the story about the rich man trying to buy the Blue Star. It was a lot of dialogue, but a good story.

West Nota
"I hope you people aren't planning on disregarding my advice and heading for Meribia anyway. The last travelers who ignored me came back here with frostbite and permanently pointy nipples." Oy vey! Haha!!!

We also get our first reference to the descendant of Ramus that lives in Meribia.

I also learned that nacho's exist in the world of LUNAR, as do mail-order-brides.

I upgraded my gear and found that I have an Ancient Dagger. I don't remember picking that up. Was that a drop somewhere?

World Map

New theme song and snow! Zulan, here we come!

Zulan

The first time I tried to play EBC I actually got stuck here in the Zulan mountains. I just kept grinding and needed more Silver to upgrade my gear and got burned out from the game, so I quit playing. It took me about a year to come back and replay the game, and I restarted it because I'd forgotten most of what happened.

I'm also finding that I have more Silver than I normally do. I guess I've been grinding more or something.

One thing I've been doing is saving on every screen to see what the programmers called that particular map/screen. Sometimes they're weird, such as the Caravan in the Illusion Forest, which was called "Caravan 3." Interestingly enough, the Zulan save map is currently called "Zulan Blizzard."

The one guy has a great vibe: "Some people believe that cold weather is invigorating for the body and the mind. Some people also think you can find water by pointing a stick at the ground. People are stupid. It's a fact, and it's also my motto." Then, if you talk to him again, he says, "I can't believe my friends talked me into moving here with them. "We'll ski every day!", they said. They forgot to mention that you need to have feeling in your feet before you can ski. Bastards."

I'm saving here and logging off. Stay classy, my friend! Talk at you tomorrow!

[VidKid369]

I don't *actually* stan him and my sarcasm probably isn't coming through very well, but I do think he's an interesting character. He's got a great character design, but of course, he's the blind zealot whose judgement is clouded due to his fanaticism. He makes for a good foil for Hiro, even if he is over-the-top and annoying. What I *do* like about his character arc is that he eventually comes around, although it happens far too late into the story. I think it would be cool if we saw more of a gradual change and had him join maybe in the second arc or beginning of the third rather than right at the end. Show us more of that change and then let us spend time with him having been reformed and apologetic for his behavior.

I actually don’t hate Leo per se, I just find most to a lot of his actions and behavior in the beginning of the game to be kind of stupid, dumb? Like he won’t listen and just stands his ground blindly following Althena’s every order. AND he’s in a position of power in the Guard so he’s almost abusing his authority over the people like some fanatical crooked cop IRL. I think it’s funny when everything he stood for and believes in crumbles before him, and THEN that’s when he finally comes around when everything is just so obvious—it was obvious from the beginning he just refused to believe it. Stubborn, stupid. I do like his character design though and he is a beastman like Jessica, and he controls earth magic. And he’s the brother to Mauri, who was my favorite character when I was like 13-14. o_O;;

I kinda got Sailor Moon or magical girl anime vibes from the scene, haha...

Love Sailor Moon and 90s anime.

Really, really good callout. You're better at picking up some of that nuance than I am! In hindsight, that's totally what's happening here and is good writing. I feel like jRPGs don't do that sort of parallel/subtle storytelling that much.

I just pay attention to the text and ask “Why do they want the player to know this right now?” since I figure most video games you can play without any real text and figure out what to do so any real text they throw out at’cha is like a cherry on top for me. And I like to read a lot and just figure out why? a lot.

Did you notice he said a few words funny? Such as 'again' as 'ageen'?

Yeah, I find a lot of people just sound more nasally when they’re really trying to act. Like that upper-crust renaissance-sy sound.

I'm with you here. I've always felt his inclusion here felt like fan service and a bit odd. His eventual betrayal of Zophar as "see, I'm redeemed and was doing this to atone for my past sins" was also just sort of meh. I like Zophar as a new villain and would have preferred he just had new minions, or perhaps if some sort of SSS cameo was necessary, maybe one of the Vile Tribe sisters?

I think you hit the nail on the head on why they wrote him back into the script. I like Zophar a lot more too. I don’t really care about bad guys in any medium, fiction or IRL.

Anyway, I completely forgot about Ghaleon's garden at the bottom of the tower, as well as the faeries. It's interesting to see this foreshadowing about his true intentions and his love for the faeries and mankind. They particularly mention that he's sad, doesn't smile a lot, and thinks about the past a lot.

I thought you would notice cause it’s kinda of a bit obvious but the Mystic Ruins are probably the remains of the Grindery from the first game, so this’s probably the Vane area from SSSC. (I know you like comparing the maps) I think the Secret Garden of fairies gives it away and it makes sense that Ghaleon would almost make it his house and live there cause that’s where he was killed. Kind of like a huge headstone.

-The Ancient Dagger is from Gwyn’s basement when he asks you to find a weapon in the beginning of the game. You’re so forgetful! C:
-Yeah I always get stuck in Zulan with not enough silver and I’m forced to grind.

Personal note/Good news: Boo, I have some good news in regards to our next dual-play. I had forgot I ordered this little thing on Shopee (our version of Amazon):



It's called a Mini, and it allows me to hook up the SNES' composite cables to an HDMI thus I can hook it up to my 4K T.V..

I haven't busted out this bad boy in a hot minute.





I'll have no problem over here on my end if we choose to play Chrono Trigger next, my man!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

I thought you would notice cause it’s kinda of a bit obvious but the Mystic Ruins are probably the remains of the Grindery from the first game, so this’s probably the Vane area from SSSC. (I know you like comparing the maps) I think the Secret Garden of fairies gives it away and it makes sense that Ghaleon would almost make it his house and live there cause that’s where he was killed. Kind of like a huge headstone.

YES! I didn't realize until I got to the garden and left, then it hit me... that was the Grindery! I even looked it up on Google to confirm that was the case. THAT is the right kind of fan service rather than a forced inclusion of a character like Ghaleon.

Yeah, I find a lot of people just sound more nasally when they’re really trying to act. Like that upper-crust renaissance-sy sound.

I specifically remember a scene on the Behind the Scenes Making of LUNAR disc in which they are interviewing the VA, and they talk about how he was chugging a gallon of milk to try and cough and sound like he was dying, hahaha...

-The Ancient Dagger is from Gwyn’s basement when he asks you to find a weapon in the beginning of the game. You’re so forgetful! C:

Apparently, lol... I've been taking ginko biloba to actually help with my memory. I am a tad forgetful and don't feel as mentally spry as I used to be, haha... For some reason I was thinking it was just a regular Dagger in Gwyn's basement. Whoops!

It's called a Mini, and it allows me to hook up the SNES' composite cables to an HDMI thus I can hook it up to my 4K T.V..

Dude, NIIIICE! That's awesome. Now if only there was a filter on these fancy televisions that gave a CRT effect. I had no idea until the past few years just how much the CRT televisions smoothed the lines of old video games. It's pretty jarring to see some of the comparisons.

I'll have no problem over here on my end if we choose to play Chrono Trigger next, my man!

Nice dude! I used to own an original SNES copy, but I let a friend borrow it back in college and he "lost it" -- I wish I had the backbone I have now to make him repay me. I'd had it since 1996 and it's one of the few physical pieces of video game history that I wish I physically owned (I switched to digital archives for everything below the Wii/PS3-era a few years ago and just do emulation now for those systems).

SIDE THOUGHT:

I don't write fan fiction or anything, but ever since playing this game my brain has been on fire with a hypothetical LUNAR story. I don't have anything specific, just things I'd like to see. Hypothetically. Once we're done we should talk about a dream list of what we'd wanna see if a new LUNAR game was ever created.

[VidKid369]

I specifically remember a scene on the Behind the Scenes Making of LUNAR disc in which they are interviewing the VA, and they talk about how he was chugging a gallon of milk to try and cough and sound like he was dying, hahaha...

Lol yeah. Vic made John Truitt (the voice of Ghaleon) drink warm milk from Wendy's to make it seem like he was hacking up phlegm in his death-scene. That was pretty funny.

Apparently, lol... I've been taking ginko biloba to actually help with my memory. I am a tad forgetful and don't feel as mentally spry as I used to be, haha... For some reason I was thinking it was just a regular Dagger in Gwyn's basement. Whoops!

Oh, does ginko biloba help? I kinda feel that way too when I'm doing chores around the house I like go into one room and forget something in the other, ... We're getting old, man. lol The one thing that kinda helped me a little bit going about my day-to-day was quitting coffee. MAN, that was such a game changer. Noticed mood improvements, and better sleep because of it. I do drink energy drinks though so I have caffeine. I just don't like the taste of coffee/and the coffee breath that comes with it... When you're single it definitely helps to have fresh breath!

Dude, NIIIICE! That's awesome. Now if only there was a filter on these fancy televisions that gave a CRT effect. I had no idea until the past few years just how much the CRT televisions smoothed the lines of old video games. It's pretty jarring to see some of the comparisons.

I'm trying not to forget about my retro games/consoles because, for example, playing LUNAR 2 right now reminds me that these are the types of games I like and enjoy playing... and analyzing... There's just something about the RPGs that we grew up with that not even a 4K game can even compare to, it's like there was magic in the air during the late 90s.

Nice dude! I used to own an original SNES copy, but I let a friend borrow it back in college and he "lost it" -- I wish I had the backbone I have now to make him repay me. I'd had it since 1996 and it's one of the few physical pieces of video game history that I wish I physically owned (I switched to digital archives for everything below the Wii/PS3-era a few years ago and just do emulation now for those systems).

I had a similar story happen to me when I leant my copy of Xenogears (+ strategy guide) to a friend, and when I went to ask for it back he replied with "Oh, I sold it to pay my rent." I was in shock. Looking back, I wish I took him to Judge Judy or small-claims court or something but I was just THAT good of a friend I let it roll off my back. I don't speak to him anymore.

Yeah, my RPGs are so special to me I call them my babies that I never sell them. I will trade though if there's something I really want (Usually a Working Designs game).

Once we're done we should talk about a dream list of what we'd wanna see if a new LUNAR game was ever created.

Oh definitely I don't really write anything down so-to-speak but I'm sure I've ruminated about possible scenarios I'd like to see for a LUNAR 3 if it ever came to fruit.

#15 session

I'm kinda lagging behind I just got the PS4 Pro so I've been integrating it into the "lineup" and it's eating up a fair bit of my time over here! I was also messing around with the SNES to ensure our next dual-play is in the works.

I'm making my way to Zulan! I did a detour to the Madoria Carnival and no one really changes their line except a few like Giban and Katarina the fortuneteller who gives the player some really philosophical food for thought, lol.

I visited East Nota again and talked to everybody again. The kid that hates his dad made me actually laugh about "He just wants me to be a merchant like him, and support him when he gets older. I hate him!" For some reason, that resonated with me! There were a few other cheeky townspeople too!

For now, I stopped at the bridge again before heading into West Nota. I'll probly play a little more again later, and will try to make it to Zulan tonight (if not tomorrow).

Good speaking to you again, Boo!

Edit:

#15.5 session

I'm glad to say, I'm glad Zophar zapped the *bleep* out of Leo. I haven't felt so satisfied about something in ages.

I took a tour of West Nota and thought everyone was hilarious.
-Obviously the main point of interest is Kyle, Julia and Romeo.
-I think it's interesting how writers in RPGs have random people living together in each house. Like in West Nota, a brother and a sister live together. That just strikes me as odd cause in America you grow up with your immediate family, move out live on your own at 18 and just kinda get married. I've never found myself living with anybody else or a complete stranger, to be frank, I'd rather live alone if the other household member wasn't my wife. It seems a little un-American to have random couplings of people living together? To me anyway.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

I haven't been able to play too much yesterday or today. Today was just more running around the mountain fighting battles so I can earn enough Silver to upgrade my weapons and armor -- this town offered a lot of upgrades! I was going to play more tonight but I'm nursing a mild migraine, so I'm going to avoid screen time and just lay with a heating pad.

Oh, does ginko biloba help? I kinda feel that way too when I'm doing chores around the house I like go into one room and forget something in the other, ... We're getting old, man. lol The one thing that kinda helped me a little bit going about my day-to-day was quitting coffee.

I can't really tell any personal enhancements as a result of taking ginko biloba. I take two a day and have been for about six months, maybe? I'd like to step away from caffeine more. I tend to ebb and flow with my usage, though. Maybe it's time for me to stop!

[VidKid369]

Don’t worry about being stuck in Zulan for the time-being. EVERYTIME I re-play LUNAR 2, I always have to spend a LOT of time in Zulan fighting battles just to upgrade the weapons & armor. It’s inevitable. — I mean you could opt to skip out on the upgrades and head into the snowstorm without them but that wouldn’t be any fun now would it? Missing out on any item and the one-liner item description from Working Designs would be a travesty?

I’m in Zulan right now. I’ll head into the blizzard right after you to grind for Silver. I notice it being kinda weird you just came from West Nota with its own equipment upgrades and you head into Zulan with updated stock of its own without a dungeon in between? That’s unheard of in the traditional, classic JRPG world! C:

*I started drinking coffee in college cause my parents always had a pot brewing at anytime of day in the house so I got mildly curious. I’ve never been a coffee drinker. I never drank coffee in high school. I quit during my swimming in college though. I started up again in my mid-20s, I dunno why, and I’ve now quit (prob for good) about a month ago.

I know it’s like ambrosia or the Drink of the Gods for people in the world for forever but it’s kinda like the garlic of drinks for me... — I just want to be able to get a date and fresh breath & oral hygiene is essential. I’m also worried about stains.

Whenever I quit an addictive habit I just replace it with something else (that’s hopefully better), in this case I went with hot chocolate. I quit during the Christmas season and hot chocolate and Doritos is one of my favorite combinations. Chocolate has a littlest bit of caffeine and that’s really all I need.

People seem to double-take when I tell them I don’t drink coffee though.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Don’t worry about being stuck in Zulan for the time-being. EVERYTIME I re-play LUNAR 2, I always have to spend a LOT of time in Zulan fighting battles just to upgrade the weapons & armor. It’s inevitable. — I mean you could opt to skip out on the upgrades and head into the snowstorm without them but that wouldn’t be any fun now would it? Missing out on any item and the one-liner item description from Working Designs would be a travesty?

I'm grinding as we speak and may be able to save up enough Silver to fully upgrade before moving forward in the story. That being said, I have to travel for work tomorrow (Monday and Tuesday), and won't be playing tomorrow. I probably won't play again until late Tuesday night, and the next few sessions will be short just because I have to be up every day at 5:00am for my morning commute. I'm in the office Tues/Wed/Thurs and it's an hour drive one way, give or take. I loathe the corporate grind and wish I could get out of it.

I know it’s like ambrosia or the Drink of the Gods for people in the world for forever but it’s kinda like the garlic of drinks for me... — I just want to be able to get a date and fresh breath & oral hygiene is essential.

Hopefully you're able to put yourself out there, even if you are in a more rural area! I got lucky and married my college sweetheart, and we got married super young (probably too young). I was 22 and she was 20. We've had a lot of (normal) growing pains just in how we have changed and had to adapt to those changes in our partner, but all-in-all it's been a blast. Because of her, I missed the advent of the dating apps like Tinder and OK Cupid.

My best friend is single, never been married, and he's had quite the interesting adventures with the dating apps. I don't know if I could deal with them, haha...

I’m also worried about stains.

As for coffee, this is me, too. I drink about 12 ounces most mornings and then I drink two cans of soda a day. Give or take. I drink about 64 to 100 ounces of water, too. But I do worry about them staining my teeth, both now and as I grow older. I don't feel I *need* coffee, but it sure it nice. I also drink it dark and strong, so it's a good pick-me-up just in the warmth and flavor alone.

I quit during the Christmas season and hot chocolate and Doritos is one of my favorite combinations

This is not a flavor combination I saw coming! Salty and sweet, I can see it working, though. Are Dorito's there any different than the ones here in the States? I know sometimes the ingredients are a little different between various countries (for example, Coca-Cola sugars are different in Mexico and South America versus in the US).

What foods do you miss most from America that you can't get there? Whether it's restaurants or processed/canned/bagged goodies?

Alright, I'm going to go heads down and grind for a few more minutes. My goal is to fully upgrade everything tonight, so wish me luck!

[VidKid369]

I'm grinding as we speak and may be able to save up enough Silver to fully upgrade before moving forward in the story. That being said, I have to travel for work tomorrow (Monday and Tuesday), and won't be playing tomorrow. I probably won't play again until late Tuesday night, and the next few sessions will be short just because I have to be up every day at 5:00am for my morning commute. I'm in the office Tues/Wed/Thurs and it's an hour drive one way, give or take. I loathe the corporate grind and wish I could get out of it.

Go get 'em, Boo! I remember when I was younger I used to read Dilbert comic strips and thought that working in an office when I got older would be fun, my Mom was an accountant and I thought she was doing well to contribute to the family's financial situation so I thought I could copy that. I ended up working in restaurants/food service though and falling in love with it, - which I think was a blast! One of my heroes growing up was Ray Kroc (the founder of McDonald's) and I loved fast-food and especially McDonald's when I moved to the States. He would come in after-hours and meticulously clean the corners of the tables that were bolted onto the floor. "The devil's in the details." I ended up loving cleaning greasy kitchens and cleaning my house is almost a way for me to relax. I learned working in restaurants that working with food and in the kitchen if it's not clean people can easily get sick plus I learned a lot of people's allergies to food and cross-contamination of stuff. Once I clean a good bit around then I can really sit down to game.

Don't worry, right now I'm still in Zulan (I'll wait for you) just leveling up and grinding. I have more than enough money and I've bought all the equip. upgrades so far. I'll just mindlessly fight battles until I feel like it's just a waste of time to do so, so I'll try not to go farther ahead until I've exhausted my options!

Hopefully you're able to put yourself out there, even if you are in a more rural area! I got lucky and married my college sweetheart, and we got married super young (probably too young). I was 22 and she was 20. We've had a lot of (normal) growing pains just in how we have changed and had to adapt to those changes in our partner, but all-in-all it's been a blast. Because of her, I missed the advent of the dating apps like Tinder and OK Cupid.

My best friend is single, never been married, and he's had quite the interesting adventures with the dating apps. I don't know if I could deal with them, haha...

I was kinda just busy in my 20s haha, maybe I was more about lust rather than love! It's so sweet that you managed to marry your college sweetheart!!, I was all about just networking, meeting new people, meeting girls at college parties, just being a regular ol' party animal!! TBH, I really wish I stayed home more during my 20s and went online and played games rather than going out so much, I really regret that if I can go back and do it over again I would just play more video games rather than listen to my friends.

As for coffee, this is me, too. I drink about 12 ounces most mornings and then I drink two cans of soda a day. Give or take. I drink about 64 to 100 ounces of water, too. But I do worry about them staining my teeth, both now and as I grow older. I don't feel I *need* coffee, but it sure it nice. I also drink it dark and strong, so it's a good pick-me-up just in the warmth and flavor alone.

A part of it for me is, I'm also kinda weirded out by coffee lovers and enthusiasts how they say "Coffee is Life" and they just wanna get wired, amped or whatever it is! When I used to drink it was usually because I was bored and wanted to break up the monotony with getting wired off coffee... but I see people and they need coffee to stay awake and function at work and I just think that's an unhealthy way to go about things. I'm also weirded out that so many Americans drink coffee on a regular basis... I almost feel like it's the "Kool-Aid" people are drinking and I don't want any part of it like the gov't puts something in the coffee lol.

I think I function perfectly fine off of it and just drinking hot chocolate. I'm a complete fish when it comes to drinking water though I just drink it all day non-stop. We don't have much juices in the house (all the sugars) so it's mostly just a LOT of water and hot choco to break up the monotony during the day.

This is not a flavor combination I saw coming! Salty and sweet, I can see it working, though. Are Dorito's there any different than the ones here in the States? I know sometimes the ingredients are a little different between various countries (for example, Coca-Cola sugars are different in Mexico and South America versus in the US).

What foods do you miss most from America that you can't get there? Whether it's restaurants or processed/canned/bagged goodies?

Dorito's are the same here, you can usually find them in the import aisle. I think the Coke over here is the same as the US too. I was thinking more of the food combination of "cheesy & chocolately" lol. Uhh, we have a ton of fast-food restaurants here but they're mostly located in the big city in the US I lived in an area where there was a huge line-up of just fast-food restaurants about a block up from my house near the highway so I definitely miss fast-food the most. I miss In-N-Out, McDonald's, Burger King, Jack-in-the-Box, Carl's Jr. all of it!!! When I was a kid I had a hard time eating but I liked fast food burgers & fries.

In terms of other foods I kinda miss: tortilla chips & salsa, Ranch dip, Flamin' Hot Chee-tos, and I've never tried 'em before but I see it on social media but Takis? Those look interesting.

Alright, I'm going to go heads down and grind for a few more minutes. My goal is to fully upgrade everything tonight, so wish me luck!

I'll try not to go ahead without you, Boo, but I'll level-up here in Zulan Blizzard until I find that the time it takes to gain a level isn't worth it anymore. I kinda like just mindlessly grinding, relaxing and thinking my thoughts. Lol I'll see you later, Boo!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Alright, I'm back in the saddle!

Zulan Mountain

I meant to say this earlier, but the little "wok wok" attack sounds that the wyvern-like monsters makes are hilarious.

Who did you pair the Power Crest with? I put it on Jean with the Dream Crest, at least for now.

Also, I love using Ruby to melt the ice. Reminds me of all the ice melting in SSS. HOWEVER... I wish LUNAR did a little more environmental puzzles with things like this. Lufia is a series from this era that did environmental puzzles really, really well.

AVALAAAAANCHE!!!!

So glad Lucia came back and is starting to embrace her more human aspects... Awwww...

Back in the village, I'm actually glad to see the blizzard graphic has finally stopped. It's a bit easier on the eyes, haha.

As for Maria... I've been trying to pay more attention for themes and parallels, and I definitely see one here with Maria and her baby. It's obviously speaking to a very-silent Lucia. The mother-daughter parallels continue.

Alas, I'm logging off here for the night. Tomorrow it's onward! And I can't wait to see Nall again so very, very soon!

[VidKid369]

Lol, Boo -- I spent like the last 3 days just going back-and-forth into the blizzard and leveling up haha. I'm at lv. 28 and about 18 hours into the game. :O

So now that you're back I went ahead and killed the Missing Link (I thought its name was kinda cleaver ) which was unsurprisingly very easy at the level that I'm at! Thank God though, usually this boss gives me trouble and I have to use up a Starlight.

The Zulan Mountains are pretty cool in that it gives you a bunch of new accessories to play-with and equip on your characters, like different rings and such. I opted to not even equip the Power Crest because even when paired with another crest like say the Dream Crest it decreases your power so I just left it in the item sack.

Yeah I loved the part when Lucia comes back after realizing that not saving the town was not the right thing to do. I also noticed that her A.I. gets a lot more aggressive in the Missing Link battle, - did you notice she would ALWAYS attack every turn with Napalm Shot or up someone's defense with Magic Barrier instead of defending or running around the map aimlessly? I guess that storypoint got Lucia's head thinking clearly again now that she realizes she has friends and she has to fight with them. I loved that she gets more aggressive.

I'm back in the town. And I'm gonna talk to everyone else a little later. I thought the Maria-amnesia thing was kinda of funny. lol

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Zulan Village

I talked to everyone in town and I noticed that the mayor's son-in-law (Maria's husband) is still missing... I can't remember if this is a plot point for down the road (I assume it is), but I climbed the mountain one last time just in case! He wasn't there... unless he was somehow the Missing Link!

Meribia
I was going to do some leveling at Taben's Peak, but alas... Onward to Meribia, where the nostalgia begins anew!

Interesting that one of the residents mentions that Master Mel was the first leader of Meribia.

I need more Silver to fully upgrade my gear *grumble, grumble*. This game is notoriously bad for it! But when I upgraded Hiro's armor, I realized that Jean can equip his Plate Mail! I didn't realize she could wear heavy armor. She'd been wearing dresses and clothing up to this point.

As for Ramus the XVII or XVIII, I love that he looks the same as his predecessor. Sad to see that the once-thriving shop (which was apparently a chain of stores) is now back down to this single, struggling location. And Ramus is in love with Lemina, how sweet. All you need is love, man.

I also picked up Jessica's Bromide! That makes three: Jessica, Lucia 1, and Jean 2. I wish these were numbered in sequential order.

I met with Lunn and got the additional backstory for Jean. I feel like out of all the characters, she's had the most solo backstory time thus far. Maybe it's just me, though, but it seems like it.

Off to Taben's Peak and to finally meet with Nall!

Taben's Peak
First off, if my memory serves me correctly, this location is moreso where the Grindery should have been. I was thinking it was parked near Meribia after it shot Vane out of the sky, and Taben's laboratory was SW of Meribia. According to this, the Grindery ruins (aka Mystic Ruins) is NE of Meribia and Taben's Peak quite a ways away, and Vane is E of here. Not that I care, just an observation.

EDIT: Okay, I just realized... I was combining Myght and Taben in my head. Taben was the evil inventor from the Vile Tribe, and this is definitely the ruins of the Grindery. Myght's ruins were still likely SW of Meribia. Which then begs the question... do the Mystics Ruins have a counterpart from SSSC, or was the garden and faeries moreso a nod to the garden at the Grindery in SSSC?

Also -- awesome finally seeing Nall again! Unlike Ghaleon's inclusion, Nall's addition to EBC not only makes sense, but they do a really good job with his character. I like that he's sort of a rogue-ish, orphan-hoarding, Lost Boy-esque hooligan. He actually even sort of looks like Rufio from Hook.

Anyway, I've spent some time grinding for that sweet, sweet Silver. I'll probably grind more tomorrow before reaching Nall and the orphans. Hope you're doing awesome, homie!