Awwwwww shiiiiiit! Delays, man! Delays! Remember when I said it was coming friday, and it didn't come, and I said it would come saturday, and it still didn't come? Well I'm writing it up as we speak. Sorry everyone, I went home this weekend and was reeeeally busy. Luckily I took a chapter's worth of screenshots on the bus ride home, so I can do this one. The one on friday will be on time, I promise.
After that I've got exams so we'll see about that.
Anyway, CHAPTER 33!
First things first: after I expressed confusion at the change in map locations, Mac generously offered a picture of World of Ruin that I will now be using to navigate. As of the beginning of the chapter, here is how it stands:
Hopefully it'll mean less wandering helplessly in case I have to backtrack.
As it stands though, I'm gonna have to wander a little at this point anyway.
Anyway, first new area we run across! I wonder what this place is?
Oh. Crazy fucker's house. Map'd.
May as well head inside though, right?
Yep, another dead-end, useless area.
HMM I WONDER
I came to the conclusion way back in World of Balance after the woman in the bar told the midwife story. They came to the conclusion after a series of non-sequiturs. "Hmm... he has a broken roof... MAYBE HE IS YOU'S FATHER!!"
Well, we won't get any adventuring done here. Is that a town I see on the Jidoor continent with my map? Let's check it out!
New town! The map is evolving as we speak. Maybe we'll find a good plot hook! Let's gather information.
...
The Prince of Persia?
...
Spongebob?
...
Premier Cherdenko?
...
Frog?
This is getting us nowhere.
Oh wow, that's actually great! Adding them to the map now. That will make wandering a lot less necessary!
Especially with Narshe. Friggin' crack in the mountains, it is. Never would have found it on my own.
Except he also tells you not to jump between buildings, which is necessary to finish the area. Still, he's half-honest, which is more than I can say for anyone else there. That makes him troublesome. A dishonest man you can always expect to be dishonest. It's the honest ones you have to watch out for because you never know when they'll do something stupid.
...Pigeon?
Oh right! Letter chick's house! Let's see what's up with her!
Shit. That's a lot of flowers.
...Wait, her boyfriend in Mobliz died. Where the fuck are these from?
No. He didn't. He's dead.
It would have been especially hard for him to make those silk flowers, especially considering how massively dead he is.
Maybe the letter from him will explain a bit.
..."Art thou well"?
It's the samurai. That MANIPULATIVE DICK. Hiding her from the truth of her boyfriend's state of repair, while trying to further his own evil schemes!
Oh, I'll attach it alright.
And then I'll follow the pigeon and tear that lecherous fuck a new asshole.
Sure I didn't care about her and her lazy/half-dead boyfriend, but it's the principle of the thing. Also, Thou is part of our party, and his bad deeds kill our reputation.
...And the pigeon flies right over the rusted door.
It's like, Checkhov's Obstacle.
At least we now have a contact in the city. Hey, Honest Abe, what can you tell us about the door?
This guy is my pal for life. Now, to see what's behind this door...!
A mountain. How do you hide a MOUNTAIN inside of a building?!
Correction: How do you hide a TREASURE-FILLED MOUNTAIN inside of a building in Zozo?!?!
...Turns out it's by filling it with monsters with very high Evade stats. The solution is to spam Tools, Blitzes and Magic. Or equip Sniper Eyes, but why would I do that when the alternative is available now?
Hey, whoa, flowers!
This must be Thou's hideout. When I find that guy I'm gonna...
...
Admitting guilt?
That's so... honest. So logical.
So... wise?
Thou isn't an idiot?!
"Don't kill yourself! You're the best character in the game!"
Didn't you get the memo? EVERYONE is. Except a bunch of people from Mobliz. That was the wussiest end of the world EVER.
"Dude, it's fine. You totally made up for it."
He runs to hide his shame as best as he can: by devouring all of his silk flowers.
And he strikes a manly pose while saying it. What a magnificent bastard.
I sense a love interest blooming.
Blooming like a silk flower that isn't actually alive but works well as sustenance in a pinch.
...So he wrote to her not so that he could score with her, but because he felt bad for her? Holy shit, he's the most likable character in the game suddenly.
C-Character development? In a Final Fantasy game?!
I think Thou has earned a permanent place in our party, what do you guys think?
And we now know where the Veldt is. Two birds with one stone.
Before we go...
Machine books... wait, so Thou has recognized his faults and is trying to fix them? Has ANYONE ever done that in a Final Fantasy game?
...
I realize that this would normally be incriminating evidence, but keep in mind that Bushido attacks are more powerful the longer you charge them. He apparently has both endurance AND skill when it comes to women. Ladies and gentlemen, Kamina has been replaced as hero of forever.
Let's check in with letter chick.
Yeah, Thou has that effect on a lot of people, doesn't he?
Okay, be right back.
And of course we find him in the engine room of the Falcon because he knows machines now!
This man is the greatest ever to have not existed.
Also we found You a little while after. He's on the Veldt and appears if you have 3 or less characters in your party.
MAP PROGRESS FOR CHAPTER 33 END:
Again, sorry for the delays. Next one will come on time, seriously.
Not that anyone cares. Me, having fans? HA!
Fan interaction opportunity:
Where do we go next? I'm thinking we head to Doma or Narshe, having not explored either. And now we know where they are, too!
Also, party selection! Do you agree that Thou needs to be in the group all the time now? And if so, who should be his retinue?
EDIT: Wow, those maps are hard to read... I'll fix the quality for next time.