Let's Play 2023 - LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

I'll keep in mind we both like to take it reaaaalllyyy sloooooowwwww... LUNAR 2 is like a slow-burn. lol

I would rather go through the game faster. Normally I'd put in like 2 hours a day if I could. This is just my life now -- I work 50 or 60 hours a week and then have parental duties on top of it, so I have very little time for hobbies or fun. Like I said, LUNAR is about 85% of my gaming right now, lol... I also had more time to play during the first few weeks of the year because I was still WAH most days due to the holidays, and my kids sports were all temporarily on hold. Alas! If I could drive this train a bit faster, I definitely would! This week has been particularly tough just because of everything going on IRL, so my apologies for being MIA a bit.

Ooh. That you know David Burris. Yeah he was like an Executive Producer for the show for a number of seasons/years of the show but I dunno if they show him in the end-credits anymore.

I'm not sure if it's him or not, but I'm pretty sure whoever it was is no longer working on the show. This guy had worked on several other reality shows. I actually called and chatted with her tonight for about 30 minutes, and I meant to ask her who it was. I don't think she would remember either, as it was a friend-of-a-friend type of situation, but I'm sure she could work backwards. Now I'm really curious!

... I like to keep things light personally but some of the text in the game I've noticed is almost pretty negative... like how they have neighbors spying on one another and gossiping and wishing ill upon the other. I myself don't really like that. Sometimes I like to keep things "up" and just stay positive and happy all the time.

I feel you. I think much of it is just reflective to the fact that Althena's religion has been corrupted and the Chosen are driving everyone against each other. Of course, there are parallels there in the real world, as we're often driven against each other by political opinion or religion or the color of our skin. But yeah, this game really hits you over the head with those themes and every town feels pretty worse off. Rather than most jRPGs where every town is just an isolated place without overlap, and any struggles are external (ie, "the mines are overrun with monsters and we can't get the ores we need").

Anyway, I've spent some time in the mines leveling a bit and have moved on to...

Neo-Vane

It's just as you said, Ronfar and Jean are separated from the rest. I could see Jean not having any magical ability, but clearly Ronfar does -- his healing magic is top-notch. Their tests are bull.

I explored the city, talked to the NPCs, and don't have silver to upgrade my gear since I used it all up in Zaback. Dangit.

Down in the caves, I rescued Ronfar and Jean, leveled a bit, and got to the purple laser gate/portal. I actually healed up and used some Star Light expecting a boss, but... nope. Into the dungeon of the Neo-Vane palace, right where there's a statue of Althena. Dangit!

I confronted Borgan and actually sort of like his design once you can look past his ugly mug. His battle sprites are pretty cool -- he's standing on the floating disc with the three magic dragon skull looking things. And then when defeating him it was hilarious watching him fall off his little floating-thing.

It's pretty cool seeing Lemina grow and change. She's come a long way in a pretty short amount of time. Although I agree with her sparing Borgen and sort of forcing him to help rebuild the Magic Guild, I am still frustrated at the redemption of these villains. Lunn and Borgen both are murderous villains who get a slap on the wrist and there's no accountability or repercussions. I am glad they are redeemed and see the error of their ways, I just wish there was a bit more to it.

Anyway, Neo-Vane is saved (thanks, Lucia!) and tomorrow I'll head to the Black Dragon Cave.

[VidKid369]

Hi, Boo! I got some time to play tonight (I've been re-watching Survivor all day, as usual :p) I actually like the Trial Cave and want to grind a little bit in here as Lemina's Freeze Claw just wipes out enemies and their EXP/Silver is I think pretty good for this portion of the game. I made it to the purple forcefield and stopped. I always try to save first and then heal because an Althena's Statue could always pop up anywhere. :p I should let you take the lead in this game. :p

Anyway, in terms of higher philosophy--I'm loving that I'm taking the game slow this time!!!! We're definitely the same in that if there's a game I'm playing I'll pour as many hours I can in a day in order to beat it. I'm just learning so much more about the story now that I'm not speedreading and a lot of the townspeople's lines linger in my head if I stay in one place for a couple of days.

Yeah I thought it was weird Ronfar's healing isn't really considered "magic" I guess it comes from within him from his teachings as a priest and doesn't really come from Althena herself, although he did try to use the Statue to lift Lucia's curse in the beginning of the game so I dunno what gives? Jean's skills seem more nature-inspired like she summons butterflies and such and even yells out "Gypsy magic!" So I think it's more earth-inspired. I thought it was odd that Hiro passed the trial with his um wind magic? lololol I almost never use it aside from the Boomerang when an enemy is strong against physical attacks. :shrug: Oh well.

I'm really enjoying the game so far. It really is kinda grind-ey, like you have to go out of your way to earn Silver if you minimally just want to get better equips. Usually Working Designs designs their games to be difficult and I guess they want the player to grind in this one. LUNAR 2 really does have a lot of text so I guess they want you to earn it.

I was gonna say Zaback reminds me kinda of Ruid? In that they mine til their hands bleed. A lot of the lines in this part of the game had me laughing like the kid that made an adult chant something, ...and he turned himself into a pig? LOL. That had me laughing.

Anyway. Not much going on for me at the farm. Just hot, sleepy days. Dogs are doing good. I need to buy some more stuff cause I just have money to blow and I want to get essential items. I bought floor polish? lol Can't wait til that's delivered. I had to stop the fun early cause I usually meditate and re-hydrate & work out a little bit 1.5-2 hr. before I go to sleep. I'm really enjoying my routine nowadays I'm a creature of habit so. Hope you're having fun and doing well, Boo! Hopefully we'll get a chunky bit done soon!!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Hey man!

Having defeated Borgen, I went back to the Zaback Mines to meet with the Black Dragon.

Black Dragon Cave

I really love the tileset for this dungeon. The dark crystal walls just look cool. Unrelated, but I also realized I never updated my team with what I bought in Neo-Vane. Whoops! All that amethyst gear just sat there. I finally equipped everyone.

Fun fact: I've kept the Thieves' Staff on Lemina in the hops of getting some good loot. I've gotten a few items as a result. Gwah ha ha!

I like that you can still find daggers in this game. I picked up a Star Dagger in this dungeon. I'm not using them, but it's nice to get the extra attack and have that as an option.

Thinking about the game and locations, the Black Dragon was previously encountered in Pao in SSSC. That was, if I remember correctly, in the far upper right corner of the world map. In this game, the Black Dragon Cave is in the lower left corner of the world map. I'm trying to remember if the Black Dragon encountered in SSSC (which I believe was already brainwashed by Ghaleon and was a major boss battle for the men's team), so perhaps the Black Dragon always lived here and was taken up there by Ghaleon...? If not, perhaps the dragon moved here after the events of SSSC. After all, these likely aren't the same dragons we met in SSSC and are instead their offpspring -- we know in LUNAR: Dragon Song (what a horrible game) that the dragon can and do die regularly and just have offspring like Quark->Nall and the Red Dragon->Ruby.

Speaking of, man, what if we played through Dragon Song at some point? I own it but never beat it, as the combat was so incredibly frustrating that I quit. But if I play a modded version via emulation, I may be able to forego some of those pains and just be able to enjoy the story.

Just a thought!

Anyway, this dungeon is incredibly long and I saved when I got to the bottom and before the next story events. I'm really tempted to Litany back to the surface next time I play, heal, and head back down for the EXP and Silver.

[VidKid369]

Hello. Boo-man.

Been raining all day here at the farm so I've stayed relatively indoors all dang day. It's cold right now, and I have the electric fan on. Brr. So I got some gameplaying done. I beat Borgan. I wanted to wish you congratulations on beating Borgan since amongst LUNAR circles he's actually recognized as a really tough boss battle (esp in the SCD version). I myself had no trouble cause I always build myself up for that one fight. I think I'm overleveled. Yeah, his design is good. Awe. I actually felt bad when he toppled over his floating pedestal I imagined a large person toppling their electric wheelchair, or something.

So got the Black Dragon Aura and was gonna go directly to the door, but I talked to everyone in Neo-Vane and Zaback since all their lines change. I saved in front of the door in the Zaback Mine. I'll head inside tomorrow. I did get all the equips though. C:

I did notice some things. Notes:

-The Rock Biter scorpion enemy seemed like a nod to The NeverEnding Story there was a character called Rock Biter who was made of all rocks. That's so 90s. I imagine every kid our age growing up loved that movie. It's one of the five movies in my collection, I know I have definitely.
-They talk a lot about not discriminating. That's so 90s. I remember in elementary school growing up the teachers were all about teaching diversity and that our differences are what makes us unique and we should learn to share our culture or where we come from together. The whole "melting pot" thing in US Social Studies.
-I don't know if you've noticed but the Item Shops sell equips too like rings and crests. I was eyeing the Magic Eye Crest that increases wisdom and equipped it on Lemina.
-I forgot to say it before but thank GOD you get the Blue Dragon Crest for Blue Dragon Healing it's 60mp a pop so I figured it should rightfully go to Lemina as she's the only one who can cast it without taking too much of a hit to her MP. It's pretty useful should Ronfar die or become paralyzed/mute in a boss battle. C:
-I was rather disappointed in the Blue Fiend. The White Fiend has to be my all-time favorite as it has an extra arm coming out of it's stomach. I guess they're supposed to be mutants?
-As far as the Black Dragon goes I THINK when it went crazy it flew to the top of the tower near Pao and you fight it there?
-I'm so jealous you actually found stuff to steal. Usually I clean battles without Lemina having an opportunity to attack, but when she does it says nothing to steal... Didja get anything good?

Anyway. That's all for tonight. I hope you're having a great one, Boo!!!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Been raining all day here at the farm so I've stayed relatively indoors all dang day.

I love rainy days when I can just rest up, relax, and listen to the rain outside the window. Those days are few and far between (or when they do happen they aren't relaxing because of kids and responsibilities), but I do enjoy them.

-The Rock Biter scorpion enemy seemed like a nod to The NeverEnding Story there was a character called Rock Biter who was made of all rocks. That's so 90s. I imagine every kid our age growing up loved that movie. It's one of the five movies in my collection, I know I have definitely.

Dude, I love 1980s fantasy movies. Legend, Labyrinth, and of course The Neverending Story (but only the first one; the rest of them were sort of rubbish). I actually used to have a punk band in high school called "The Falkor Alliance" named after the best luck dragon this side of the Swamps of Sadness! But yeah, it's an excellent movie. I quote it from time to time: "such strong hands..." and "say my name!" both come to mind.

-I don't know if you've noticed but the Item Shops sell equips too like rings and crests. I was eyeing the Magic Eye Crest that increases wisdom and equipped it on Lemina.

Yeah, I've tried to buy one of each item in the game. Every crest is like 3k Silver, which is one of the reasons I have to grind for cash every new town, haha!

-I forgot to say it before but thank GOD you get the Blue Dragon Crest for Blue Dragon Healing it's 60mp a pop so I figured it should rightfully go to Lemina as she's the only one who can cast it without taking too much of a hit to her MP. It's pretty useful should Ronfar die or become paralyzed/mute in a boss battle. C:

I did the same for the same reasons!

I'm so jealous you actually found stuff to steal. Usually I clean battles without Lemina having an opportunity to attack, but when she does it says nothing to steal... Didja get anything good?

The steal rate is abysmally low, so I'm not convinced it's worth it at all - especially now that Lemina has access to staffs and staves with group attack options. Probably the best I got was one Shiro Crest from the White Dragon Cave. I've gotten a few other items, but it's mostly herbs and generally non-valuable stuff. Regardless, it's fun to attempt!

As for gaming tonight, I'm already done and only spent about 20 minutes grinding in the Black Dragon Cave. I went back to the surface, healed up, and started descending again. This is the longest dungeon in the game so far (or at least it feels that way), and there are a lot of enemies, so the going is slow. I'm almost back to the end but not quite, and I've called it quits.

I have to go help my daughter with some last minute studying for a report she is giving tomorrow, plus we have to prep some food for the report. She's presenting a country report on Poland, so we are making pierogi. I'll be up at 4:00am to throw them into the oven (normally when we cook them I like to fry them in some butter with thinly sliced onions), but tomorrow is lazy cooking.

Enjoy the weather (assuming it doesn't impact any real-life responsibilities with the farm) and have a good one! I'll catch you tomorrow!

[VidKid369]

Hey, Boo! I played LUNAR 2 all-day today. I went ahead and beat the Black Dragon Fiend cause I thought for sure you'd beat him today. Oh well.

Since I'm a little ahead of you I might take a day-off tomorrow and go back to previous towns to see if there're any line changes. I figured since you lost control of the Destiny, then regain it.

Yes I love rainy days. Growing up in San Francisco many a days I'd walk home from school soaking wet or I'd wait for the bus in the cold rain. I grew to like it. I don't really like to admit it often since it seems sort of sad? lol

Oh, I liked the first NeverEnding Story for sure. Bar none, untouchable. I kinda liked the sequel cause of how awful it is? Sophomore slump I guess? I've never seen the third one, and I'd love to get my hands on it for sure!!! I think I saw it at Suncoast one time and begged my Mom to get it but she didn't.

Oh I finally got Lemina to steal. Just a Star Light and some Healing Nuts. Star Lights are 2,000s a pop so I was pretty excited to get one! I was gonna say I'm glad they fixed the gimpy mage attack in this game cause I remember, Mia was so useless with her cane physically attacking in the first game she's tucked away in the corner, has only 1 attack, short range and can barely dent an enemy. It seems a little jarring when Lemina attacks with her staffs but I think it's more of a fix-if anything else.

You know Boo sometimes I look forward to reading your daily life updates rather than game talk. Ooh. Pierogis? Aren't those like dumplings? I might have to look them up on YouTube. I remember I had an English teacher in Catholic school who was Polish and she talked about Poland and being Polish all the time. @_@ I'll always remember her. She would talk about Christian radio all the time and she was obsessed with Princess Diana and the Matthew Shepherd stories on the news. Whoo, 1996!

Again, nothing much going on here. It went back to 90° today so another sleepy, hot day on the farm. I woke up a little later than usual. I do a lot of re-hydrating in my room cause I always feel so dehydrated and lightheaded all the time the heat just zaps me! I always have at least 6 iced bottled waters surrounding me and I have like 2 other varieties of drinks! Grocery stores don't really sell juice here so I have to opt for hot chocolate or something! I'm just gonna do a little online shopping before I work out, and go to bed. I'm thinking about buying some flower seeds cause the housestaff wants something to do. I think my Mom really likes red roses so I'll probably get that. I'm on a huge Survivor binge so I'm all cracked out about getting survival necessities. I went and ordered a whole bunch of beans for my foods staples. I don't like black beans. And I figured you can't go wrong with pinto, so. I kinda wanna try to make arroz con gandules rice & beans. Of course I got some Hunt's baked beans also. I've been really craving beans lately for some reason.

Ah well! It was nice talking to you Boo as usual!!!! Hope you have a great one!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Hey, Boo! I played LUNAR 2 all-day today. I went ahead and beat the Black Dragon Fiend cause I thought for sure you'd beat him today. Oh well.

Black Dragon Cave / Zaback Mines

You're in luck, because I've beat the Black Fiend boss and moved on a little! I really liked the design of this boss. It's sort of insect-like and looks cool with the armor and black sheen. Probably one of the coolest enemy designs in this game.

I also really like the cubic, metallic crystal that serves as an elevator for the dragon's room.

I talked to everyone back in Zaback and slowly worked by way back to the Dragonship Destiny. This part of the game has some poor design, though. If you use Litany to escape the Black Dragon Cave, it just puts you at the entrance / the door in the Zaback Mines. You have to use the Litany spell a second time to get to the exit of the mines...

...which puts you back at Zaback. I then realized I have to go ALL THE WAY back through the mines to get back to the Dragonship Destiny. You can't simply exit the north end of town to go back to your ship...

...Unless I'm missing something. Regardless, a bit frustrating, I won't lie. I spent nearly all of my time today just battling my way back to the ship.

Anyway, I moved on to Raculi.

Raculi

This is one of my favorite towns in the game, and not just because it's the birthplace of Mauri, Ronfar, and Leo. I just like the look and feel, and it's one of the few towns where people aren't trying to tear each other apart. Something about this town reminds of my Final Fantasy VI, particularly the towns of Nikeah or Mobliz or Kohlingen. There's one town in particular, I can't remember which one it was. I think it's the town where you first meet Celes.

Anyway, this is where I stop gaming for tonight and just move onto to chatting mode!

Oh, I liked the first NeverEnding Story for sure. Bar none, untouchable. I kinda liked the sequel cause of how awful it is? Sophomore slump I guess? I've never seen the third one, and I'd love to get my hands on it for sure!!! I think I saw it at Suncoast one time and begged my Mom to get it but she didn't.

The second one isn't horrible, but it definitely doesn't hold a candle to the first one. Although I remember Sebastian climbing the giant hand to get some kind of magic item and the visuals were super cool.

The third one is probably the worst of the three -- it was direct to VHS back in the 1990s. Like the second one, they had a completely different cast (although a young Jack Black is the villainous high school bully). Falkor, the Childlike Empress, and one or two other characters come from the magic world into our world.

I think I saw it at Suncoast one time and begged my Mom to get it but she didn't.

I completely forgot about Suncoast! Dang, that one of my favorite stores at the mall. When I got into indie music, a lot of it couldn't be found normally, but they were always really good about ordering my specialty CDs. There's this trippy Icelandic band what was called "mum" and I remember Suncoast was the ONLY place that would get the CD for me.

Ooh. Pierogis? Aren't those like dumplings?

Yes! We're not Polish, but somewhere along the way we discovered them and keep frozen ones kept in the freezer. They're just dumplings with mashed potatoes in them, although some have other ingredients: cheese, sourkraut, onion, garlic, etc. There are all kinds of different flavors. They're pretty versatile, too -- you can boil them, steam them, pan fry them, bake them, etc. There's also a lot of different sauces you can pair them with -- they're pretty versatile and can be eaten with sour cream, salsa, whatever. We generally eat them plain with a little salt, or on rare occasions (when I'm willing to eat unhealthily), sauteed in a cast iron skillet with butter.

So it all worked out that we had them here at the house, and they just happened to be a Polish food!

I do a lot of re-hydrating in my room cause I always feel so dehydrated and lightheaded all the time the heat just zaps me! I always have at least 6 iced bottled waters surrounding me and I have like 2 other varieties of drinks!

Okay, question about the Philippines. What's the ice situation like there? Do they use ice in drinks a lot? I know in some countries they don't use ice very much. I encountered that both in Japan and Europe. The water was cold, but they rarely served drinks with ice unless asked.

I'm a ice fiend. I fill my glass up with ice to the brim, and I like my drinks just above freezing temperature, haha... They say room temp water is better for you than bitter cold water (at least when it comes to drinking), but I'll keep my ice cold drinks.

I'm thinking about buying some flower seeds cause the housestaff wants something to do. I think my Mom really likes red roses so I'll probably get that.

Oh nice! That's thoughtful of ya. I'm not sure if I talked about it before, but we have a huge veggie garden here: corn, peppers, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, potatoes, watermelon, etc. It's winter here and I didn't have time to plant any cold-weather crops, but I'm thinking of skipping the vegetable garden this year. It's just too much work and I don't get much help from my wife and kids, hahaha... Now that I'm no longer WAH and go into the office a lot, I just don't have the time and energy for it. So instead of a vegetable garden I think I'm going to go ahead and still till the land, and just do a flower garden instead. Probably do a variety of wildflowers, but I want to do something that will draw in butterflies and bees. Not quite a butterfly garden, but something close.

Anyway, I have a job interview in 5 minutes, so I'm going to bounce. I'll tell you more about that tomorrow. Cross your fingers for me!

I'm on a huge Survivor binge so I'm all cracked out about getting survival necessities. I went and ordered a whole bunch of beans for my foods staples. I don't like black beans. And I figured you can't go wrong with pinto, so. I kinda wanna try to make arroz con gandules rice & beans. Of course I got some Hunt's baked beans also. I've been really craving beans lately for some reason.

[VidKid369]

Oop- Boo, I just took a day off today I didn't fire up LUNAR 2 at all! :sweatdrop: I'm planning a huge gaming week starting tomorrow though where I'll stay up well into the night and maybe enjoy some beer and hard liquor. I usually try to do this just once a month cause I feel so serious and stiff in my normal life most of the time I need to take the time out to just enjoy being a guy! I'm playing Yakuza Kiwami right now and it's mostly older Japanese guys with a lot of cinematic talking and shooting the shit and drinking and it makes me wanna do the same. The game makes me feel like I'm in Asia and since I'm actually right here in the Philippines right now I thought hey might as well get into the feel of things and enjoy myself! I'll also be planning on playing LUNAR 2, of course, so whether you want to do a chunky bit or just keep going at it slow I'm right there with you, man! C:

Ooh. I love Final Fantasy VI. Are you excited about the Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster? I'm thinking about picking it up if I can I heard it's pretty hard to snatch a pre-order since they're all gone!! Yeah, I re-play VI a lot but I kinda wanna re-play IV since I haven't in a really long time. My first girlfriend in elementary school's older brother let me borrow his copy to play for the first time, so that game is kinda special to me.

I remember the second one had a scene where Bastian was on the high dive in swimming class and he was wearing speedos and looking all afraid. It made me think about how us Americans aren't really into wearing speedos and it's more of an international thing, so I always wondered why they had him wearing one!? I'm still pretty curious about the third movie.

Lol, I used to go to the mall by myself a lot as a young kid so I remember all the stores! My favorite at the food court was Sbarro. :p But yeah, Suncoast usually had a lot of anime on VHS so I would visit quite often. I remember snagging Magic Knight RayEarth and Slayers! there before. They had some other good stuff as well! Kinda reminds me of Tower Records a little bit!

Ooh. I like dumplings like I just love Japanese gyoza. Even Chinese potstickers. I remember my Mom would just buy a bag of frozen potstickers from Costco and she'd make a whole batch. Twas so good. I'll check out pierogis though. I don't eat much European food but might as well try to expand my horizons right now! I'm willing to try new foods all the time. Kinda reminds me of ravioli how you described baking them in the oven.

Uhh. My Dad usually says not to ask for ice at restaurants here cause you don't know if the water they used is from the tap or filtered, so when I order a soda I usually just drink it out of the can but it's usually from a refrigerator and it's cold. At home I literally stuff the freezer full of large water bottles so they're frozen for me when I wake up the next day. And I'll have iced bottles to last me the whole day. I drink a lot of water I always have ever since HS I always have a frog in my throat, and I easily get lightheaded here and I've found out drinking iced water helps, A LOT. It's a frozen bottle of water and I wait to let it melt a little bit and I pour room temp. water in it and shake it up so it's nice and chilly. It gives me a brainfreeze but takes my headache away at the same time. I also down at least 2 bottles of water before I go to bed cause I wake up just dehydrated every single morning. I always start my day drinking a bottle of water instead of coffee.

I'm strategizing how to do my own vegetable garden here. I just have to figure out how to till the soil etc. Or just make a box lifted off the ground. I think locals said tomatoes, onions, okra, eggplant and one other thing grows really well in the ground here in the Philippines. Obviously we're not hardpressed to find these exact veggies at the local market but I think it's just cool to grow it yourself. Plus it gives me something to do and I can learn as I go along.

Tomorrow I'll be fully-ready to tackle the game with ya, Boo!! I'll be waiting with a bottle in hand! You ever tip back a cocktail at night on occassion?

(Oops. You mentioned playing Dragon Song. I ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE THAT GAME. :sweatdrop: So I dunno how I can get my hands on it if not emulation. I usually try not to emulate though, I vastly prefer forking over the fundage for my games it makes me feel better. :p We'll see!!)

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Oop- Boo, I just took a day off today I didn't fire up LUNAR 2 at all!

That's okay! I'm actually taking the day off, myself. I've just gotten home and it's after 8:30pm -- I left the house at 6:00pm, so it's been a very long day! But I figured I'd come here and socialize for a few minutes rather than play. Tomorrow should be a good gaming session, as I don't have to go into the office on Friday.

Are you excited about the Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster? I'm thinking about picking it up if I can I heard it's pretty hard to snatch a pre-order since they're all gone!! Yeah, I re-play VI a lot but I kinda wanna re-play IV since I haven't in a really long time.

Yeah, I last replayed it in like 2007 or 2008, so it's been a long while. I do love the game, though. I just really like the Final Fantasy series. Out of all the jRPGs, I feel like the Final Fantasy series is just the best balanced overall: good music, good story, good graphics, and the pacing and story length is pretty perfect. Final Fantasy VI is definitely a great one -- Locke and Setzer are two of my favorite characters from the game.

Lol, I used to go to the mall by myself a lot as a young kid so I remember all the stores! My favorite at the food court was Sbarro. :p But yeah, Suncoast usually had a lot of anime on VHS so I would visit quite often. I remember snagging Magic Knight RayEarth and Slayers! there before. They had some other good stuff as well! Kinda reminds me of Tower Records a little bit!

YES! It's where I got my anime start, too. Vampire Hunter D and Escaflowne were two early ones for me. I also remember buying a Cowboy Bebop VHS that had three or four episodes on it, and it's one of the few items I've kept from my teenage years.

The mall was awesome, though. I feel like they've been on the decline here in the US over the past decade or two. We hardly go, and it's never an exciting or fun experience.

I have a soft spot for mall food courts: Sbarro, like you said (gotta love NY style pizza), plus food court Chinese food. I dunno what it is about crappy mall Chinese food, but I love it: the bourbon teriyaki chicken, the fried rice... delicious and it pales in comparison to the real thing, but there's just something about it. Maybe it's just nostalgia, because where I grew up it was the only place to get Chinese food for a long time.

Ooh. I like dumplings like I just love Japanese gyoza. Even Chinese potstickers. I remember my Mom would just buy a bag of frozen potstickers from Costco and she'd make a whole batch. Twas so good. I'll check out pierogis though. I don't eat much European food but might as well try to expand my horizons right now! I'm willing to try new foods all the time. Kinda reminds me of ravioli how you described baking them in the oven.

Gyoza are amazing. I buy them from the local Asian supermarket and cook them up at home in a castiron skillet, complete with the crunchy bottom from the sesame oil. I haven't tried to make homemade dumplings, but I'd like to one day. When I visited Japan a few years back, I tried dumplings and karaage at pretty much every place, and even at some places that literally only served gyoza. I'll have to find some pictures, because I have a few that are just hilarious with me sitting with dozens of different kinds of gyoza.

On the topics of ice and your dad and family, I think it's awesome ya'll are there and supporting the local community. It sounds like you all get to employ quite a few people, between housekeepers and workers on the chicken farm. I'd love to do something like that.

One of my buddies Suneel is from rural India, and his parents operate a large farm that employs like 1/3 of the village. They break even and it's moreso all about keeping the village steadily employed. Suneel told me that he would never take his father's farm when his dad retires, as he wouldn't be able to simply run it - he's have to maximize profit and he'd end up ruining his dad's legacy. I admire him for being that upfront and honest about himself, though.

Tomorrow I'll be fully-ready to tackle the game with ya, Boo!! I'll be waiting with a bottle in hand! You ever tip back a cocktail at night on occassion?

Damn straight, I do! I made margarita's on Monday night when we made taco's. I go all out and fry the tortillas, and I make guacamole and pico. It's one of our favorite meals and reheats really well.

I'm generally a liquor buy more than beer, although I do like beer. I really like amber and dark beers. My absolute favorite is a nice porter stout, but one of those is like eating a whole loaf of bread, so I drink one and I'm stuffed, haha... But on the liquor front, I do like rum and whiskey the most. I can't do vodka anymore -- too many memories of getting sick back in college.

Two weeks ago I bought a bottle of Crown, and it was the limited edition apple-flavored one. I normally don't do fruity drinks, but my boss told me that if you mix it and Mountain Dew it tastes like a green Jolly Rancher, so I thought I'd try it. My wife and I ended up mixing up a lot of different concoctions with it and drank half the bottle, and we got quite sloshed, haha. We don't do that often just due to having kids, but it's definitely fun to just get your drink on and let loose.

I haven't been able to do it much the past year or two (since I've been going into the office a lot), but I love to just take two or three shots and then play video games all night while sipping on rum and coke. The shots get me tipsy out of the gate, and then I just keep myself going without getting too drunk. I played through all three Dragon Age games back in like 2015, and I don't think I ever played them sober, hahaha!

Anyway, I'm going to stop here. I have to go help my daughter with her math homework and help her study, and I need to grab a small bite to eat since I haven't gotten to eat dinner. Hang in there homie!

[VidKid369]

Lol, hey Boo! I just rolled out of bed where I was working up the nerve to come here and post thinking gosh what am I gonna say? I'm really glad to hear you took a day off cause I feel like I just took a day off from reality!

I started on the beers about right before dinner, I asked one of the boys on the farm to pick me up like 6 bottles cause I figured hey a six-pack. I got around to the fourth beer and boy did I start to feel sloshy the whole day is kind of a blur to be honest. I know I played some Yakuza and I watched Survivor but boy the beer hit me a little way different today than it usually does. So I was actually a bit of an alcoholic or I just loved to get wasted in my late-teens/early-twenties. Like my friends and I would always be drinking and smoking every night. I got my act together pretty much when I moved here to the Philippines and I quit the marijuana for good and stopped drinking myself to death. Now I just maybe take a day off a month to just toss back a beer and take a break from my regular daily routine-living. Boy, it sure does feel good!

I didn't feel necessarily drunk per se like I know when I am but my thoughts were just elsewhere kinda like they were playing with my friends who might be thinking about me. After one of the episodes on my Survivor DVD skipped, I sorta just crawled in bed and decided to meditate and just relax. It feels really good to not have to think about things I need to get, or just the usual strategizing I always do like planning for the future. I sorta feel like that right now just sorta in a haze or in a daydream... I feel almost more high than I do drunk!

LOL. I'm really surprised you drink so often. I feel a sort of guilt when I drink just because it reminds me of the rock-bottom in my life, and plus I'm on a weightloss journey and the empty calories. But that drink today really felt good. I took a double-shower cause it's so hot here. I'm just in my house chillin' with one dog while the other one's guarding the outside. Sometimes I think what the heck am I doing here and you talking about it really helps put it in perspective that hey I'm just doing nothing but living my life. And I'm happy now. Much more than when I was living back home.

I doubt this farm is ever gonna reach largescale porportions it's really more like my parents' retirement house I just moved in and kicked them out. :p lol Yeah, they definitely instill it in me to hire people that are stuggling with a family or on those lines. I was talking to them today and it's nice to speak to people who aren't my relatives and aren't the friends I grew up with I'd get wasted with. They kinda know I'm kinda like random so I hope they think I'm at least funny.

Anyway. I'm so in a haze I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore. If only you could hear my thoughts throughout the day, Boo lol. I might just stay up a little longer and continue meditating while I'm in this crazy but mellow state of mind and maybe I'll drift off to sleep... or not. Sometimes I wonder if our existance's thoughts are bound to our physical plane cause my thoughts are sky-high right now! I just feel so happy to be here, and to... still be alive, and to just have a good thing going for me right now. I can't express how happy I am in words man. I wish the same happiness for everyone in the world.

I'll probably read this back tmmr. and think what the heck?? Take care, Boo!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Man, sounds like you're in a good mental state!

The world should be more like that. Everyone needs to slow the heck down (myself included) and be more in the moment. I have some mild ADD, so sitting can be hard for me, but I really should take up meditation. I've tried before but never been able to make it stick as a habit.

As for drinking, I'm generally not a heavy drinker despite how I made it sound. Since the beginning of the year, I've probably had beer twice with meals (at our favorite local pizza pub), there was the one night my wife and I tried the Crown Royale, and then the homemade margarita's earlier this week. Luckily, I've always been really good about recognizing healthy limits and moderation. Even when I smoked weed (and sometimes cigarettes), it was never a regular thing and was moreso something I did maybe once every few weeks at most. I did do shrooms a few times, but that was extremely rare, and I never had any interest to try any other illegal substances.

Actually, alcoholism and substance abuse runs in my family, and somehow that gene seems to have skipped me. At this point in my life, like you, I try to put a lot of effort into my mental and physical health. I'm pretty self-aware when it comes to destructive habits and have luckily avoided most of them... although unhealthy food like pizza and burgers are still a vice that I am highly cognizant of. I have to watch that cholesterol and blood pressure!

Sometimes I think what the heck am I doing here and you talking about it really helps put it in perspective that hey I'm just doing nothing but living my life. And I'm happy now. Much more than when I was living back home.

Yeah man, life is meant to be lived and self-love and health are paramount. No one else can determine how you should live your life, so you just keep doing you, man. To me your life sounds awesome. Lots of room for hobbies and fun projects and you don't have to stress too much about the grind. Just make sure you've got a stable community of people around you -- good people to catch you if you fall or for things get tough. I know I struggle to have that community in real life but have been making more of an effort since covid ended.

I feel strongly that a quiet, healthy life is a life well lived. I would much rather be taking it easy and farming than running myself ragged with the corporate grind, so admittedly the pace of your life is something I wish I had for myself!

How far does the USD go in the Philippines? Who knows, that could always be a retirement spot for me one day! Assuming I ever even get to retire. Things are a lot harder for our generation then they were for our parents. I know with my 401k, I lost more in 2022 than I put into it. It's sort of depressing.

I fantasize about simple living and getting off the grid more, but in a healthy way. I don't think I could be a recluse, but I would love to be mostly self-fulfilling with the garden and animal products. Even getting off the electrical grid would be cool, but all that is a ways off.

Anyway, I have a little bit of gaming time tonight (finally), so I'm diving into LUNAR 2.

Raculi

I love this town and the look of things, and it's nice the people aren't trying to kill each other and hate each other... but at the same time, it's so sad how much of the town has been "cleansed" and is how infected by Zophar.

One thing I like about the game is the Ronfar/Leo/Mauri history. I like how Leo, as stubborn and bull-headed as he has been, is so level-headed when it comes to Mauri. Here to even eases Ronfar's guilt over what happened to her, reminding Ronfar that he DID save her life with the potion, and that her infection by Zophar wasn't his fault. Leo is growing on me.

Serak Palace

I'm grateful this dungeon isn't as large as some of the others we've been experiencing (ie the Mines and Black Dragon Cave).

I forgot where to go and went back to Raculi. It turns out the old man at the town entrance is Ronfar's grandfather!

Then I remembered that Mauri was back at the palace (through the door that was previously blocked by a child) and I have confronted Mauri.

I don't think the LUNAR 2 soundtrack is as good as the first one, but there are some REALLY good tunes in this game. All the variations of the main theme are EXCELLENT, top-tier jRPG music. When Ronfar goes into Mauri's subconscious, I love the tune that plays. It's a piano version of the main theme. It's pretty and lo-fi and I dig it.

Anyway, I fought three of the heads and got some backstory for Mauri and Ronfar, but I'm fading something horrible. I'm saving here and headed to bed... It won't let you save in the dream world, but luckily I'm playing on PC with an emulator (your favorite, haha), so I can just create a save state rather than save to the actual file.

Catch ya later, homie!

[VidKid369]

Hey, Boo! Boy, that last post of mine was really embarrassing. I didn't want to miss a post, so I forced myself to just type -SOMETHING- while I was all twisted out. Lol. I was really on cloud 9 last night, though. I took it slower tonight and I drank water in between each beer I'm like really cognizant of my water-intake one of the few things I'm well-aware of I just know when my body's dehydrated and I'm feeling out of it. I feel much better tonight the tipsiness wore off after about the second beer, and I had a third just for the night-cap. When I first read your reply earlier this afternoon I was really looking forward to at least giving you a really good post! Haha

I mostly watched Survivor 3: Africa all tipsy until it got awkward and I stopped for tonight. I played LUNAR 2 off-and-on today, though! I talked to everyone in Raculi--boy that town gives me the heebie-jeebies. Talks of 'going crazy' and mental institutions and stuff like that aren't really my bag cause that's so reality. I dread my brain just going dead from like, exhaustion or something and being put in a psych-ward, or something along those lines, lol. It's just too reality. But I guess Working Designs' text really hits home for me. I think they're actually trying to be funny about it but it creeps me out. lol

I think I'm gonna have to go in - and - out of the Serak Palace to grind for all the new equipment in Raculi. I fought a few battles and I kinda took a break - cause I realized I had some stuff I needed to do late-tonight, before I head off to bed. Nighttime's really the only time where I feel comfortable here - cause it's cooler - and I can move-about the household and get some stuff organized or like neated up. This pile of video game wires on the floor has been bugging me and I've been wanting to put it in freezer bags for awhile now lol.

Anyway. So my dog and I enjoyed a bit of Survivor. She's kinda nodding off now so I thought I'd spare her the sound of the T.V. while she enjoys her little sleep. I still have to stay up and get some stuff done though.

I just love being able to sit down and enjoy a beer every now and then. Sometimes I wait a really long time before I have a sip cause it tastes that much better. I also don't really want to making drinking alcohol a daily-habit just because I think it'll lead me to a life ending up in ruin. (lol) I'm so aware that I'm pretty much alone so I have to make sure to keep a level-head most of the time but I mean enjoying myself from time to time is I think important as well. Work hard, play hard!

Lol. I think we share a similar life or lifestyle yo. You seem like you're from Seattle or Colorado or something? I've mostly kept it weed for most of my life, alcohol for sure, cigarettes I took up here in the Philippines when I couldn't get my hands on weed. I found out you can get some here but I don't want to go to Philippine jail no way not a chance. I have tried cocaine, cause I think it's because I grew up in San Francisco and drug culture was so normal for us growing up and being in our 20s. It helped with work, etc. I have tried shrooms ONCE - lol out of everything I probably liked that the most. I have no interest in heroin or crack or anything like that cause that pretty much ruins your life once it touches your lips. I have tried sherms before, it's like a weed joint laced with PCP or whatever - , I don't even know? But now my life is pretty much all focused on trying to stay sober. I mentioned I was an alcoholic in my younger days but I think I was just being overexaggerating I just liked getting wasted each and every night. I never had a problem with it. I did have a problem with weed and I've stopped using it for going on 5 years now. lol People say you can't ever really get addicted to weed or that it's legal now but I was addicted to the habits surrounding it like when you run out, you have to get money, you have to find someone (dispenseries charge too much), you need to get all the stuff you need to smoke it, the munchies. etc. Yeah. lol.

Awe. Thanks Boo for the compliments on my living situation right now. I think you pretty much have it made with having a family, I don't have that. I think I'm pretty good money-wise until I retire for real in old age, it's just the l i f e in between that's my main concern. I don't really have to worry about money cause the cost of living here is so low compared to the US. I was thinking the other day that the country pretty much robs you with all the bills you have to pay for electricity and water et cetera. You make a paycheck and it's gone. Here I pay next to nothing, like I mentioned the internet is pretty much the most expensive at $20/a month. Come to find out, I think a lot of Filipinos here find internet connection a luxury. A lot of the housestaff here just love being able to go online on their phones. I don't think they can get that at home. I also notice they think me watching T.V. a lot is a little bizarre since most families here can't afford to have a T.V. or cable to go with it.

It kinda puts into view where I come from. T.V., internet that's normal to us Americans, but here they definitely see it as a luxury or something only "rich" people have. It doesn't make me feel special but it does humble me. Like to be able to come from somewhere with luxuries like that. Which really isn't even anything special to us in the first place.

- 1 US dollar is roughly = 50 pesos, here is how I usually think of it. lol But the exchange rate can dip low a lot. Just think of it this way, I've only held two minimum wage jobs in fast-food and saved up money, and I managed to move here and have (more than one) a house. The farmlot here is about the size of 3 1/2 football fields. So there's plenty of room for a pretty humble farm where you can grow your own vegetables, herbs and what-not. There's a pond on the property and we put fish in there from time to time so they get do their thing and reproduce and they'll be more. The internet connection is decent. It's not high-speed cable but I can run my PS4 Pro online just fine. The location is 4 hours away from Manila but I quite like being in the middle of nowhere.

I mean, I was just watching Survivor at 80 volume and I no frickin' cops give a shit, or the neighbors. I'm in the middle of a damm field. ferchrissakes No one's gonna bug me on my cellphone, no one's gonna ring my doorbell or knock in the middle of the night. I don't have a neighboring house a foot away from mine.

I was gonna say I enjoy my T.V.-watching here so much. I almost felt transported to Africa hahaha. It's so natural here with so many trees and the animals all around. It really is my dream life. I have God to thank for blessing me so much right now, lol. No one here gives a shit. That's all I wanted to get away from in the US, is that feeling like you're being watched by all your nosey neighbors all the time, you can't do anything at night (I'm a night owl), I was so annoyed by the cops in my neighborhood it drove me crazy. I haven't had a single problem in the 5 years I've lived here. And I hope it continues like that.

I mean, I don't have a girlfriend but I love being alone. It helps with my research. I've always had a dream growing up of being like an old sage and I've played every single JRPG and I know everything about them and I've researched the old text. Do you remember Sabin in Final Fantasy VI? I've always wanted to emulate that lifestyle: like a single guy, living by hisself in the woods (in a house) and he's just doing his training all day, and he cooks his own food, enjoys his tea. I feel like I'm becoming a better version of myself every day. I do mine own thing. No one bugs me. I can do JRPGs all day. Or, I can continue my Survivor research. I do have two dogs so I'm not totally alone at the house the whole time. And there's people that work for the house here but they have their own separate living quarters. The lot is so big we've built a lot of tiny houses and they have their own place. They live on the farm, but have their own house I guess.

I'm never lonely here. In the US, there's so many people but you don't know your neighbors and no one's ever really that friendly unless they need something it was easy for me to feel totally alone. Literally no one's gonna help me in the US if something's gone terribly wrong I just didn't gave that safety net. Here I think I'm pretty much set, and the people are way more friendlier which I think is NORMAL. The US is way too competitive, and living in the city it's like someone's gonna get'chu all the time, if you're not careful. Too many random people, doing random things. I didn't like the complexity.

Life's more simple for me here. Maybe I'm just dumb? I'm definitely not as smart as you as you have a job in corporate America. I'm just not cut out for that kind of lifestyle. I'd rather live simple and on the farm. I never found any sort of close-knit community (even at work) in America so I stopped trying to find it. I just found my way home is all. Where I belong. I feel like I belong here. Whereas in the US, I just think being born in another country, or looking 'different' people treat you a outsider. I don't have to name examples, I just knew and I could feel it it was palpable. I recognized it in school as a little kid, in High School. College was probably the only place I found where nobody gave a fuck. I wish I stayed there like I wanted to instead of getting a job. I feel I'm kind of an academic. No I didn't go to a Harvard, but I really "pay attention in class" so to speak. If I find a subject I like, I'll research it to Hell.

I don't have a clue about America anymore. It's just ?????? to me now lol. Now I feel free. Free from the system and everything. *cue Matrix*

Anyway. Boo. I think I've rambled long enough. I could go on but I'll probably cut it short right here. I just wanted to give you a good post. Stay safe!!!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

I didn't want to miss a post, so I forced myself to just type -SOMETHING- while I was all twisted out. Lol. I was really on cloud 9 last night, though.

First off, you're under no obligation to post daily. Just post when you feel like it. If it's a day or a week, I'm still here chillin'. The Compendium is one of my favorite little corners of the internet, so I check in pretty much daily.

As for the Philippines, that's awesome, man. You're living the life! What's the wildlife there?
Since you're pretty rural, do you have to worry about any large animals going after your chickens or anything?

We have coyotes here in Tennessee, and bears, too. Hawks and coyotes will go after my chickens, but I have about two acres of fencing for the chickens, so they get to free range within that fence and are well protected. I also have some anti-hawk stuff around the yard (mainly fake owls that I have to move around every other day). I've only ever had one attack on my animals that wasn't from the neighbors dog. He killed one of my chickens and their owner very quickly taught him not to do that again. My daughter had also taken that chicken outside the fence, so I can't really blame the dog.

I mean, I don't have a girlfriend but I love being alone. It helps with my research. I've always had a dream growing up of being like an old sage and I've played every single JRPG and I know everything about them and I've researched the old text. Do you remember Sabin in Final Fantasy VI? I've always wanted to emulate that lifestyle: like a single guy, living by hisself in the woods (in a house) and he's just doing his training all day, and he cooks his own food, enjoys his tea. I feel like I'm becoming a better version of myself every day. I do mine own thing. No one bugs me. I can do JRPGs all day. Or, I can continue my Survivor research.

Dude, you should join a preservation society for video games. You'd be SOOOO good at it! I know there's the Video Game History Foundation, or something like that. You'd be SOOOO good at it! Or you could do something like that just for jRPGs. Or even just a cool jRPG historian website. The sky's the limit!

Speaking of, I've gotten REALLY into the "Did You Know Gaming" YouTube channel and it's AMAZING. I've listened to their videos off and on for the past year or two, but the past six months or so they've been putting out some INCREDIBLE researching findings. A lot of interviews with developers and insiders regarding games that were cancelled or in pre-production. Plus games that were pitched but never made. It's just really fascinating to hear about some these games and companies. Rareworks,

For example -- Toad's Treasure Tracker was originally doing to be a Zelda game, but Miyamoto thought it was too un-Zelda-like. They ended up including it as a mini-game in some other Mario game, and it was really popular, so they decided to finally make it a full game. Miyamoto still didn't want to do it as a Zelda game, though, so it stayed Toad Tracker.

Legend of Zelda is one of my absolute game series. I've beat every single Zelda game except the two crappy CD-i games. I absolutely cannot wait to play Tears of the Kingdom. In fact, if we're playing LUNAR when it comes out I'll probably have to slow down my LUNAR playthrough even more, hahaha... Just kidding. I fully expect we'll be done by then. If it's anything like Breath of the Wild (which is looks like it will be), it will be a 100+ hour time investment.

Speaking of games with large time investments, you ever play any of the Xenoblade Chronicles games? I played both of the first ones and LOOOOVE the series, warts and all. The third one came out late last year. Once they release all the DLC for it, I plan on finally picking up Xenoblade Chronicles 3. If I know a game has DLC story content or post-game content that will be released at a later date, I generally wait to play the game until all the content is released and the game receives it's final bug-fix patch... The series is a bit heavy on the anime tropes, but I really like the storytelling and world design. They're great games.

I have a busy night tonight, as right after work I'm taking my daughter to volleyball and then to hang out with some family friends. I may or may not jump into LUNAR tonight, but that should give you some grind and level. If I do play tonight I'll probably finish the events with Mauri and then grind some. I skipped some equipment in town and do need to buy them. I don't know if I mentioned it, but I'm trying to buy 1 of every piece of equipment. That's been a large part of my grinding sessions for when I've slowed down the game pace.

[VidKid369]

Hello, Boo-man.

Oh, I just really like doing this so I make an effort to write a really good post everyday. I just feel invested, is all. Plus I feel like you're my pen-pal now so I'd hate to miss a reply. :p I got drunk today and mused the funniest things to myself. Like how the internet is just so funny. I did play some LUNAR 2, I beat Mauri and I have to go into the Red Dragon Cave I saw your post so I stopped right there.

The wildlife? I try not to venture too far outside the village. I mostly keep to myself here on the farm and try not to be too nosy. I've learned I like my privacy so I respect others' as well. There's these wild white/black birds that come from another place that they tell me carry diseases that's bad for chickens. My Dad brought me a B.B.-gun to shoot them but I don't really pick it up too often. We worry about stray cats they mess with our chickens sometimes, and I guess snakes but they're not really a problem since the fields are clean of tall grass and they don't realy come near where people live. The farm is very clean so we don't really have to worry too much, and my two dogs take care of anything that comes inside when I'm asleep. Lately, we've had a lot of cats coming in though. I dunno why.

Lol. A lot of my research I do mainly out of the love of my heart and I don't really need to make a profit out of it. I mainly share (for free) what I know with my friends online in some fashion like usually I stick to message boards. It's been an interest of mine since a young kid and I share everything I know with everyone free of charge. I do do a lot of writing in my journal so a lot of that's private work. But most of everything comes off the top of my head. I don't really keep notes on my computer or anything. I've found myself writing a lot more in a physical notebook not that I leer away from technology I just like handwriting.

I like Zelda a lot. I've only played A Link to the Past (didn't beat) I mostly stayed in the village and played around with the chickens, Oracle of Ages/Seasons and I beat Ocarina of Time like a year ago for the very first time. I really like the culture I guess it's kinda mysterious and I really like Zelda's music. My cousin is coming to visit in late April bringing a care package with a Switch OLED and some games. I hope to catch up to the Zelda series then.

I've heard about Xenoblade Chronicles and that it's pretty lengthy and epic, I haven't played it though cause wasn't it on Wii and I never got a Wii? I'll definitely look into it though. There's so many consoles now. @_@

I've mostly been on my Survivor binge, I'm on Season 4 and I'm planning on doing the First Eight seasons. I just sorta need to relax my hands so I sit there and do hand exercises, and I re-hydrate with a lot of water. I drank like 5 beers today and I feel sorta great. It's so nice to stay up late here nighttime is so cool in contrast to the dry heatwave during the daytime. I'm just in my underwear and enjoying paradise. My dog's keeping me company I'm so comforted when she falls asleep in my room. The other one's kinda trained to guard the outside. I try to keep one with me in case I'm asleep and if she barks I'll wake up.

I'm trying to connect with you more so I'm concentrating on just LUNAR 2 right now, too. I've been feeling really dehydrated lately (I wake up with a really dry mouth, tongue and throat some mornings) so I've been focusing on water, water, water. I'm still doing my daily walks. I put on my shoes now since I walk so much my flip flops have a hole in 'em. I'm still doing my stretching/yoga, I've been focusing on regaining my flexibility and mobility since I lost a lot of weight and plus I enjoy long sessions in front of the T.V. so I try to move / or, just do -ANYTHING- if I've been sedentary for an hour. I'm really bad and I enjoy those satisfying cracks on my body, lol.

I just wanna let you know, Boo--you've really made my I guess time here. I really enjoy doing this like playing an RPG with someone else over the internet and coming together and writing about it. I've always enjoyed being creative and getting to know people online so. C: I was gonna say I feel like we're on the same adventure and we sit down, camp and joke & tell stories!! Hahahaha Sometimes I wonder what the characters do when you're not playing the game. It's been great learning about you. I sometimes like to be boring cause I think a lot of creativity comes out when you have nothing to do. I just kinda think about what to post the whole day.

How's America? lol You know I've been really worried about you all since Covid. I've had family members update me here-and-there, and they make it seem not so good. I know I'll be fine here. But my heart really went out to you guys when all that stuff first happened. I know I seem like I have problems with America from how I've been talking but I mean I lived there for 26 years so I can't help but wonder what's going on? I was gonna say it's really nice living so remotely, like people ew. I just wonder if you've had to make any changes like staying indoors more or anything like that?

I actually have to admit I feel really guilty living like with such newfound happiness here. I struggled to find happiness while living in the U.S. and the Philippines gave it back to me. I don't know if the connection I have with America is just gone, but I still wonder how the people are doing there? Sometimes I like to report back to Mother Base and be like A-OK. I like to blip on the radar once in a while.

Well, I'm just gonna go back to doing my thing and maybe I'll telecommunicate to back home while I watch the boob tube. See ya later, Boo!!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

I've heard about Xenoblade Chronicles and that it's pretty lengthy and epic, I haven't played it though cause wasn't it on Wii and I never got a Wii? I'll definitely look into it though. There's so many consoles now. @_@

XC1 was originally on the Wii, then they did a port for the 3DS, and about a year ago they released a full remaster for the Switch. I started the Switch remaster some time in late 2022, but wanted to pause it so my limited gaming time went to LUNAR instead. It's a great game, and it's one of those games that will give you 120+ hours of gametime if you do the sidequests.

XC2 is a bit different in both tone and gameplay. Whereas XC1 was a darker, more realistic story, XC2 makes this more anime-like with both the look of the game and the storyline. It also leans really hard into waifu-territory, which sort of annoys me, but I do think that XC2 is probably the overall better game of the two. They're mostly standalone but you eventually get some connections late in XC2 that tie the two games together, and from what I understand, XC3 sort of ties back into both the previous games in some pretty major ways.

One of the things I want to do eventually is replay XC2. I only played through the game once and I put in 200+ hours to max my characters, do all the exploration and side quests, and obtain most of the optional characters. There are LOTS of optional characters and affection levels needed to unlock new skill abilities. But the wild thing is -- if you beat the game once, there's a NG+ option where you get a lot of additional side content, including an additional 7 or 8 party members. I'd like to go and play it a second time to do the side content at some point.

Anyway, sorry, I went down this rabbit hole. I say all this to tell you to pick up a copy of the series when you get your OLED Switch! I'm rocking the Switch Lite and my daughter as the original Switch, so we're covered in our house. I just like the Switch because there are some really good RPGs and console-specific games, plus I can take it on the go.

I've mostly been on my Survivor binge, I'm on Season 4 and I'm planning on doing the First Eight seasons.

I think I mentioned it before, but I'm a Trekkie and like to re-watch all the series and have them on in the background sometimes. I was on my Paramount+ account today and noticed that the streaming app has ALL the seasons of Survivor. I really need to get my family to sit down and watch a season. I think my daughter would love it!

I just wanna let you know, Boo--you've really made my I guess time here. I really enjoy doing this like playing an RPG with someone else over the internet and coming together and writing about it. I've always enjoyed being creative and getting to know people online so. C: I was gonna say I feel like we're on the same adventure and we sit down, camp and joke & tell stories!! Hahahaha Sometimes I wonder what the characters do when you're not playing the game. It's been great learning about you. I sometimes like to be boring cause I think a lot of creativity comes out when you have nothing to do. I just kinda think about what to post the whole day.

I don't think you're boring at all! If anything, your life sounds like interesting than mine! My life is just busy and there's no down time. It's good because I stay busy and don't have time to get depressed or think too much about things. When I have a lot of down time I tend to get depressed and just overthink too much, and I sort of wallow in the state of things here in the US. I love living here in the United States, but there is SO MUCH broken and I don't foresee it getting better.

For example, they just passed a bill in Tennessee (where I live) to repeal drag. I'm not into drag at all, but I find it super weird that they'd outright ban it, and yet they haven't banned the KKK or other white supremacy groups, nor have they banned militia that clearly have ill intentions and have planned to attack the power grid in some sort of show of force. It's just backwards to me. And now a few members of Congress are trying to get Republican states to succeed from the Union. How is this not sedition?!?! The hypocrisy is real and I have a lot of concerns for the quality of life that my children will have here. Unfortunately, America is the Roman empire in it's decline -- I feel that things will look very different in our lifetime, and not for the better.

That's why I want to be a positive impact on everyone I meet. It's the little moments of kindness that makes life worth living!

Going back to your jRPG thought-pattern about being on an adventure and having downtime around the campfire -- I like it! That is certainly what we're doing.

If your life suddenly turned into a jRPG, what kind of character would you be? Not to keep talking about Xenoblade Chronicle, buts I'd like to think I'd be https://xenoblade.fandom.com/wiki/Addam from Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna the Golden Country. It's a standalone DLC prequel to XC2, and Addam is one of the main party members, but not the main character. He's a family man with a wife and kids, is optimistic and charismatic, and he just wants peace for everyone. His plan is to help save the country by doing what is right and then retire to become a farmer. I identified A LOT with his character when I was playing the game... although I'm certainly not royalty, nor am I any sort of leader. But I did identify with his motivations, his character, and his not-the-protagonist approach. I

I'd hate to be the lead in a jRPG, hahaha...

I'm not sure what trope I'd fulfill. I'm not smart or scholarly enough to be a mage, not athletic enough to be a warrior, not dexterous enough to be a thief. I'd probably be Reks from Final Fantasy XII, hahaha... Another amazing entry in the Final Fantasy series, btw. I never beat it and really need to play the remaster that came out a few years ago.

TOO MANY VIDEO GAMES ARE IN MY BACKLOG.

Speaking of, now on to LUNAR 2!