Halcyon Days Are Here Again

As you might have guessed, my battle with Naraku is over.

And despite not making any progress in my game in the time I had (heck, I didn't even turn it on during that time), I still beat him. For good this time.

I can't go into details about the battle now. But I can share the following information:

- Naraku summoned the Palace to him in my backyard and tried drain energy from it to strengthen himself with. We stopped him before he could. I then eliminated him permanently.

- The palace has been opened. All of my friends inside have been freed, the villains still in there having been wiped out for good during the months they were held prisoner. The enteched are still there, but they're all safe.

- Voldemort has been captured. My friends are currently holding him in the Palace until they can figure out how to get him out of Snape's body and switch Snape's mind and soul back into it.

- We've also got the Necronomicon under lock and key.

- The Heralds of Unicron, unfortunately, are still out there, along with their clone lovers.

And now, the time has come for me to say goodbye. My live-ins have all moved on, taking Babylon Palace with them. They've left the door to New Eden in my yard, along with the gate to Hell, but both of them have been locked for now. And though they've promised to drop by every now and then, all of them, even Vash and Knives, have chosen to move on. The YuYu Crew has gone off to Cho Chous’s place. The Newrima Wrecking Crew has returned to their respective dimensions. The Dinobots are going home to to Kentucky and Rose. Everyone else is still working in New Eden. But before he entered the portal to the paradise dimension he helped create, Vash reminded me that “No matter what happens, as long as you remember us, we’ll never really be gone.”

And then he left, with me sealing the portal behind him.

I am Anon e Mouse Jr. It’s been almost a year and a half since I joined this war against the forces of evil. I’m almost twenty-two years old. And though I’m now officially retired from the Terran Resistance, taking the time to just relax and enjoy the Halcyon Days that have come again at last, I’ll never forget the times I’ve had with all of you. If you ever need me to fight again, you know where to find me.

Until that day, this is Anon e Mouse Jr., signing off.

P.S.: I've got a Deviantart page now, and some day (hopefully before the end of the decade, at the rate I'm going), I'm going to get around to putting my abandoned fanfic ideas up there. If anyone wants them, go ahead and use them. Just let me know.

Another update

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I haven't been able to play my game in almost a week... and to top it off, I'm not done yet. I have just four missions yet to go...

1. Achieve the Jiminy Objective for the "Poster Duty" mini-game in Twilight Town.

2. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in Phil's Training - Maniac Mode in Olympus Coliseum.

3. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "The Paradox Battles: Hades" in Olympus Coliseum. I can get the objective easily enough... but getting past round 40 (and I've only managed to get to that point three times so far) is proving harder than I thought. With luck, I'll be able to do it again tomorrow, and maybe even finish the tournament.

4. Enter Kingdom Hearts for the final five-part showdown with Xemnas.

Not to mention I need to stock up on Elixers again, which means hunting for Living Bones in the Pride Lands while using the "Seven Lucky Lucky" setup. This does not bode well... fortunately, I got another message earlier today. Unfortunately, it was NOT from Vash... but from Naraku himself.

Here is the text in its entirety:

"Mouse,

I am well aware of the actions you are taking against me. And while others might fear such actions, I do not. Even though I no longer have the power of the Shikon Jewel or the armor of Mouryoumaru, I am still a force to be reckoned with, even when faced with such powers as you wield. I do not fear you. And to prove it, I am extending your deadline, giving you the time to reach your maximum power. When you finish your game, you will have seven days to prepare. But should you fail to complete it, I will come for you on the night of the next Blood Moon... and my army of darkness will not stop until one of us is dead.

You have been warned."

The Blood Moon, for those of you unfamiliar with the term, is the first full moon after the Harvest Moon, which falls on September 26 this year, making October 26 the night of the Blood Moon. In short, I've been given a two month reprieve in which to finish my game. And I'm going to finish it before my deadline, no matter what.

Until next time...

Anon e Mouse Jr.

Even more progress

I have just a few things left to take care of, and if all goes well, I hope to finish most of it tomorrow. Here's what's left:

1. Achieve the Jiminy Objective for the "Poster Duty" mini-game in Twilight Town.

2. Finish leveling up the Summon gauge to maximum.
3. Actually survive through the end of "The Paradox Battles: Titan" in Olympus Coliseum.
4. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "The Paradox Battles: Titan" in Olympus Coliseum. (Again, Stitch's Limit will be of great use to get that 10,000 or higher score. Or Peter Pan. I've heard he does good as well.)
5. Complete the "Meet Sephiroth Again" mission in Radiant Garden by defeating Sephiroth.
6. Having obtained Fenrir, get the Jiminy Objective for the "Junk Sweep" mini-game in Twilight Town.
7. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in Phil's Training - Maniac Mode in Olympus Coliseum. (With Fenrir and the Negative Combo/Explosion abilities equipped, it should be easier.)

8. Activate and attempt "The Paradox Battles: Hades" in Olympus Coliseum. (Spam Stitch’s Limit heavily during the first thirty rounds, except in boss fights.)
9. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "The Paradox Battles: Hades" in Olympus Coliseum. (Using Stitch in the earlier rounds should make this a heck of a lot easier.)

10. Enter Kingdom Hearts for the final five-part showdown with Xemnas.

If I can finish everything but Poster Duty, the last tournament and Xemnas, I'll be that much closer to winning the game... and my final showdown with Naraku. This time, he's going down for good.

Until next time...

Anon e Mouse Jr.

P.S.: You'll notice I've finished leveling up all my forms. Including regular Sora. :D That should make things a LOT easier from here on out.

More progress

I've been hard at work continuing my game, preparing for the final battle. And I've made some progress.

1. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in the SB Street Rave mini-game in Twilight Town.
2. Achieve the Jiminy Objective for the "Grandstander" mini-game in Twilight Town.
3. Achieve the Jiminy Objective for the "Junk Sweep" mini-game in Twilight Town.
4. Achieve the Jiminy Objective for the "Poster Duty" mini-game in Twilight Town. This will probably be the last (or one of the last) item I take care of before the final showdown.
6. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in Phil's Training - Maniac Mode in Olympus Coliseum. (I wonder if Stitch's Limit will work here?)
7. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in the Goddess of Fate Cup in Olympus Coliseum. (Switching between menus, or possibly mastering the Magic shortcuts, is key here. When you get to the sixth match, just have the Magic Lock ability equipped and break out your Thundaga spell. It's the only way I could beat my opponents - a Fat Bandit and a Large Body - within the 30-second time limit for that round).
8. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "The Paradox Battles: Cerberus" in Olympus Coliseum. (Of course, first I have to actually complete it - I got to Cerberus himself last time, but the clock ran out on me.)
9. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "A Blustery Rescue" in 100 Acre Wood.
10. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "Balloon Bounce" in 100 Acre Wood.
11. Finish leveling up Sora's normal form. I'm currently at level 90.
12. Use Sora's "Trinity Limit" Limit Break at least once. (I've heard it works well against Sephiroth. Use it, consume an Elixer and repeat until he's gone, according to one strategy guide.)
13. Having gotten the Summons activated, I still have to level up the Summon Gauge to level 5. And figure out a quick and easy way to switch between the two command menus. Losing access to the standard menu, even if it's just temporary (I hope) is most annoying.
14. Activate and attempt "The Paradox Battles: Titan" in Olympus Coliseum. (The Summon Gauge has to be at level 5 to do this.)
15. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "The Paradox Battles: Titan" in Olympus Coliseum.
16. Complete the "Meet Sephiroth Again" mission in Radiant Garden by defeating Sephiroth, thus gaining the last level of the Drive/Summon Gauge and letting me carry out the next five goals:
17. Level up Valor Form to maximum. (It, along with Wisdom and Master Form, is currently at level 5.)
18. Level up Wisdom Form to maximum.
19. Level up Master Form to maximum.
20. Level up Final Form to maximum. (I'm still working on getting it to level 5 at the moment.)
21. Level up the Summon Gauge to maximum. These last five goals have to be done to activate the final tournament...
22. Activate and attempt "The Paradox Battles: Hades" in Olympus Coliseum.
23. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "The Paradox Battles: Hades" in Olympus Coliseum.
24. Complete the Synthesis section by finishing the material lists. I still need seven Frost Shards (dropped by Hook Bats in the Land of Dragons), twenty Frost Stones (dropped by Aeroplanes and Hot Rods in Timeless River), seven Lucid Gems (dropped by Bookmasters in Radiant Garden), nine Power Gems (dropped by Aerial Knockers and Shamans in the Pride Lands) and three Twilight Gems (dropped by Assassin-type Nobodies in The World That Never Was). If all goes well, I should be able to finish this next time I start playing.
25. Enter Kingdom Hearts for the final showdown with Xemnas.

And all this before September 1st. Hoo boy.

Until next time...

Anon e Mouse Jr.

The battles are done...

The battles against the remaining members of Organization XIII in Kingdom Hearts II, that is. I've finished the story, making it all the way up to the last save point in the game and leaving only the final multi-part battle against Xemnas himself. But I still have a ways to go before I can enter the last door to face him. And just twenty-three days to do it in. Hopefully, if I can keep up the pace I had today, I can finish things within that time.

My remaining tasks, in no particular order, are:

1. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in the SB Street Rave mini-game in Twilight Town.
2-6. Achieve the Jiminy Objectives for the remaining four "job" mini-games in Twilight Town: Grandstander, Junk Sweep, Bumble Buster and Poster Duty (which I haven't even tried yet).
7. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in Phil's Training - Maniac Mode in Olympus Coliseum.
8. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in the Titan Cup in Olympus Coliseum.
9. Attempt the Goddess of Fate Cup in Olympus Coliseum.
10. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in the Goddess of Fate Cup in Olympus Coliseum.
11. Attempt "The Paradox Battles: Pain and Panic" in Olympus Coliseum.
12. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "The Paradox Battles: Pain and Panic" in Olympus Coliseum.
13. Attempt "The Paradox Battles: Cerberus" in Olympus Coliseum.
14. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "The Paradox Battles: Cerberus" in Olympus Coliseum.
15. Attempt "The Paradox Battles: Titan" in Olympus Coliseum.
16. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "The Paradox Battles: Titan" in Olympus Coliseum.
17. Attempt "The Paradox Battles: Goddess of Fate" in Olympus Coliseum.
18. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "The Paradox Battles: Goddess of Fate" in Olympus Coliseum.
19. Attempt "The Paradox Battles: Hades" in Olympus Coliseum.
20. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "The Paradox Battles: Hades" in Olympus Coliseum.
21. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in the Light Cycle mini-game in Space Paranoids.
22. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "A Blustery Rescue" in 100 Acre Wood.
23. Achieve the Jiminy Objective in "Balloon Bounce" in 100 Acre Wood.
24. Level up Valor Form to maximum.
25. Level up Wisdom Form to maximum.
26. Level up Master Form to maximum.
27. Activate Final Form.
28. Level up Final Form to maximum.
29. Level up Sora's normal form to maximum.
30. Grab as many synthesis materials as possible. I mostly need Twilight and Dense materials at this point.
31. Perform Synthesis and level up the Moogle to maximum, creating every single item in the journal in the process.
32. Use Sora's "Trinity Limit" Limit Break at least once.
33. Use the seven Limit Breaks for all four Summons at least once.
34. Complete the "Meet Sephiroth Again" mission in Radiant Garden by defeating Sephiroth.
35. Enter Kingdom Hearts for the final showdown with Xemnas.

Naturally, some of these tasks will be easier than others... but it's all worth it if I'm going to become strong enough to take down Naraku when the time comes.

Until next time...

Anon e Mouse Jr.

One month to go...

As usual, I failed to get to sleep at a decent hour last night. But after I did, I found myself having a dream. And it wasn’t an ordinary dream. It was a message.

“Mouse... oh Mooooouuuuuussssseeeee...”

Snort. “G’way.”

“MOUSE! WAKE UP!”

At that, I snapped to attention. Inside my mind, that is. Outside, I have no clue what happened.

The voice sighed. “Thank goodness. I was afraid I was going to run out of time just getting your attention.”

Then he appeared, and I immediately recognized him. Red coat, blonde hair, big smile...

“Vash!”

“Hey, Mouse! Good to see you!”

“Vash, where have you been? I’ve been worried sick! And what about the others? Are they okay?”

“Everyone’s fine, Mouse. But I don’t really know where we are right now. I just know I’ve got a lot to tell you, and a limited time to do it in.” At that, his voice took on a more serious tone, and I looked at him.

“What is it?”

“Naraku.” Vash sounded disgusted at the name. “He’s building up an army, Mouse. He found the book.”

“The book.” Then I realized what he meant. “That book. The one even Voldemort never tried to get his hands on.”

Vash nodded. “That book.”

I’m sure you’re all wondering what we’re talking about. Well, it’s the big one: Necronomicon ex Mortis, the Book of the Dead. Bound in human flesh, inked in human blood. If Naraku’s got that, it means we’ll be having a reenacment of Army of Darkness pretty soon. Good thing I’ve got my Boomstick.

Vash continued. “He’s got Voldemort on his side too now. I don’t know what he promised him, but it must have been something big.”

“Oh goody...”

Vash now looked even more serious. “Listen, Mouse. You have to start playing Kingdom Hearts II again. Your Keyblade is linked to both of your games, and now that Naraku’s gotten even more powerful, the only way you can become strong enough to stop him is if you make it all the way to the end. Beat every tournament, clear out every world, get up all your forms to their maximum level, and don’t forget to beat Sephiroth and get the Ultima Weapon too. He’ll be coming for you in a month.”

“September first?”

He nodded.

I snorted. “Figures. What happens if I don’t finish in time?”

“I don’t know, Mouse.” He was quiet for a moment. “I just don’t know.”

And with that, I woke up.

This is not good news. Especially with as long as it took me to start playing again since last time. But with the fate of the world riding on it... well, I’m not going to let Naraku win this time. I’m going to finish my game and beat him for good. I’ve already played some more today - I finished Agrabah, Hundred Acre Wood and the first part of Halloween Town. Tomorrow, I’m going to do my best to get that world, the Pride Lands and Atlantica finished. And then onward. I just hope I’ll have enough time to make it to the end.

To all members of the Terran Resistance: even with as strong as I’m going to get, one man is not enough to stop an army. Even my remaining live-ins (who’ve already started training to get more powerful in order to help me fight off an army of the dead) won’t be enough if Naraku’s going all out. If we’re to survive this, I’m going to need as many people as possible to be here, standing by my side when September comes. I have the feeling this is going to be the big one.

And when it comes, I’m going to be ready.

Until next time...

Anon e Mouse Jr.

P.S.: If Harry Potter is reading this, this’ll be your big chance to take Voldemort down for good. I hope to see you here in September. Just don’t kill his body: Snape won’t be happy if you do. (If you arrive early, we can talk further on this subject. If Naraku, Voldemort or one of their allies is reading this, I don’t want to give them any information they could use against us.)

P.P.S.: Finally got the title field active!

It's been slow. My remaining live-ins are getting anxious as to the fates of their comrades... as am I, but for now, there's nothing we can do except wait and hope for their safe return. Of course, I suspect such an event will not happen until we can get into Babylon Palace again... or destroy Naraku. Whichever comes first. Hopefully destroying Naraku. If we beat him, it may result in the Palace becoming vulnerable again.

But in the meantime, I've been waiting for something else. Like many, I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows... and found that after midnight on the 21st, I couldn't wait any longer and read a description online. It was definitely interesting, and after my copy arrived in the mail, I skipped to the end and read the last few chapters, then read the entire book later on after I got home from work. After I finished up... well, I suppose my reaction was not one that will be shared by many.

I found that despite all the negative comments I've already heard about the book, I had enjoyed it. I had no strong positive or negative reaction, I simply accepted it as being the end... and definately an interesting one, which will join the others in having a permanent home in my collection.

Then again, I may be somewhat biased. My favorite character did survive, after all.

I do have one minor complaint though: I could have sworn Rowling said Fawkes (Dumbledore's phoenix) would be back in this one, but I didn't see him anywhere. Did he get cut from the book for some reason, or did he appear and I missed it?

To all readers, feel free to share any constructive thoughts on this subject. Flames will be sent to Tabby's place for Axel to deal with.

Until next time...

Anon e Mouse Jr.