Unknown Date
October 16, 2006
October 20, 2006
November 2, 2006
November 7, 2006
February 18, 2007
March 1, 2007

Unknown Date

I was playing yesterday, and I reached the mine in Akzeriuth or however the hell you spell that. As soon as I got in, some soldier ran over and introduced himself as Hyman.

That's right; Hyman. And yes, it's pronounced how it's spelled. And he was in full armor, so of course I wanted to call him Iron Hyman*.

Anyway, Iron Hyman ran off with Tear, and it was at that point that I realized that Tear's name, as it's spelled, could also be pronounced tair, as in a rip. So...this means that Iron Hymen now has a rip. Huh.

*Yes, I know it's properly spelled hymen, but the guy's name was spelled Hyman.

Guy, after touching a girl: I...I wasn't scared!

Every fangirl in a ten mile radius: OH HELL YES!! *Buys a keg and runs off to play the Doors' "Touch Me"*

The Doors: Touch me, babe...(bada bada)
Can't you see
That I am not afraid (bada bada)

A short time later, Anise, Tear, and Natalia attempt to tickle Guy, and he runs of screaming.

Fangirls: FUCK.

More random thoughts:
-The music in Mushroom Road is the most ear-gratingly annoying music I've ever had the misfortune to hear. It's like what Earthbound's music would sound like if it had been written by Satan. Playing with the sound off is only mildly less annoying.
-I love the fact that Peony looks like nothing so much as some random surfer dude with his jacket tied around his waist. And that he's named after the girliest flower ever, second only to daisies.

I just came to a horrible realization: I'm older than Tear. I am older than Tear. How the fuck did that happen? Since when am I older than the main characters of video games? I mean, Anise, sure, but she's the kid of the group; Tear is the main character's love interest! And I'm older than her! Not only that, but I'm older than the main character!

This...this is too big of a step. I'm not prepared to be older than video game characters. My confidence is shattered. I've become old.

Thank God for Guy and Jade. And Natalia, though to a lesser extent, because she's the exact same age as I am - or maybe she isn't, actually. They did mention that her birthday occurred sometime during the span of the game, and her official age is eighteen, but it doesn't say if she was eighteen at the beginning or at the end of the game. I'm just going to assume she's nineteen, for the sake of my sanity, so at least I'm not older than the majority of the characters. That's something, anyway.

February 18, 2007

One strange thing about "Tales of the Abyss" is the monsters: very, very few of them look even vaguely threatening. Earlier today, I was fighting a dinosar, and my thought process went something like this:

"Oh, look, a dinosaur.
"A pink dinosaur.
"A rather short, pink dinosaur. How utterly terrifying."

And then there are those tuning fork monsters that show up at the passage rings. I can't help but wonder who on Namco's staff went, "Hey, wobbly, bouncing tuning forks would make a great enemy. I don't know anyone who doesn't tremble with fear at the sound of that single haunting note."

The strange part - stranger, anyway - is that they aren't called Tuning Forks, but rather Tuned Forks. I'm guessing that an Out-of-Tune Fork would be a horror rivalling the very worst of Lovecraft's machinations.

And of course, let's not forget the Green Ropers patrolling the area outside St. Binah, which look exactly like an upside-down pair of pants. It's like that one Dr. Seuss story, only instead of becoming friends with the animate article of clothing, the little furry guy would've been beaten to death by the wildly waving pant legs. That never would've made it to print.

Also, another kind of Roper I came across earlier today used an attack called "Filthy Hand." Now I'm half-expecting to see a higher-levelled Roper using a "Bad Touch" attack.

Let me clarify. Lorelei is from German myths, and she - yes, she, definitely, undeniably she - was a creature who lured sailors to their deaths on cliffs with her singing, rather like the sirens of Greek mythology. So, all in all, it's a rather fitting name for the sentience of the Seventh Fonon, considering its musicalness and whatnot.