#meteor garden icon | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hollowwhisperings · 1 year

Text

Star Symbolism in KH

Kairi

was a literal shooting star (arrived to Destiny Islands via meteor shower).

was possibly the SAME 'star' that Riku & Sora swore oaths/wishes to each other on (as in Necklace Theory)

her face replaces the central paopu fruit of Sora's first Heart Station, when comparing Sora's DDD station with the one Ven enters in BBS.

in Sora's Heart Station, the paopu fruit/star/Kairi is the central icon... and is directly between Riku (formerly a sailboat) and the Sleeping Sora's face.

as one of the Seven Lights/Princesses of Heart, Kairi is the KH equivalent of a solar system's sun.

is depicted as 'starcrossed' with Sora in their childhood cave drawings of each other, a scene they recreate IRL in KH3 with two paopu fruit (that neither of them actually eat??).

has her first KH1 'reunion' with Sora in Neverland, located via Second Star On The Right (etc). in KH1, Kairi is narratively equated with Wendy (& Riku with Tinkerbell).

when the mural in Traverse Town's 'Secret Waterway' [are these sewers plz say they aren't merlin why is your house here] changes from depicting [a sun?] to a 'Moon' (i cannot find any screenshots of this mural for the life of me but, across the KH series overall, Riku Is The Sun/Light to Sora's Moon & the mural change happens between visits to Hollow Bastion and Riku). since Kairi remains, unchanged, and immediately gives Sora the [Promise Charm] keychain BY THIS MURAL, Kairi can again be interpreted as a 'star'.

Kairi's promise charm is made of five thalassa shells knotted/sewn together to form a star: it symbolises good luck and safe voyages for sea farers (who traditionally use stars to navigate by).

her [Promise Charm] keychain allows Sora to form the Oathkeeper keyblade, which looks like this in KH1:

in Sora's KH1 Dive to Heart, the "free" Princesses of Heart (Kairi, Jasmine, & Alice) share a Heart Station. They are depicted as three crowned silhouettes: one with a radiant sun (Jasmine?), another with a moon & stars in a cracked sky (???), a third with... what could be a hand? idek, have a pic:

(i would guess that Kairi is either the one held? in a hand OR the one with a moon & fractured, starry sky: Jasmine has Aladdin & comes from a hot world, thus Sun; Alice kind of only works with the "hand" holding her, playing into her being in imminent danger & her Looking Glass role as pawn-that-becomes-queen. KH3 frequently uses pawn imagery for Kairi AND Sora, both becoming 'Alices' in that game... nope, Kairi's probs the one with a moon & two stars: the silhouette is uses to imply Wendy & thus Kairi. the tendrils look like vines in the top image so that's likely a callforward to the Garden Maze in Wonderland)

Riku, as The Light, is replaced or halo'd by The Sun throughout the series: the opening cutscene of KH1 has Sora blinded by Riku before they sink into the ocean... Kairi means 'sea', btw. Kairi's primary role in KH thus far has been that of a Shiny & Distracting Star that draws attention away from Riku, The Sun.

in That Tunnel Scene in KH3, where Sora follows Riku's Light, Sora & Kairi easily become two 'stars' crossing in the night. Kairi's association with Neverland makes instances of her with Two Stars possibly Significant.

Sora means 'sky' (& void). One of the "Arc Phrases" in KH is "One Sky, One Destiny": Sora is the sky, Riku is the Sun, Kairi is a Star, Ventus is the wind... you see where I'm going with this.

Kairi, post Melody of Memory, will be studying with Master Aqua... and thus Ventus. Both Kairi & Ventus have been "falling/shooting stars" from Sora's POV (Kairi & Ven also just have A Lot in common: amnesia, mysterious pasts filled with Lore, mad scientists experimenting on them, getting kidnapped as bait, getting kidnapped for their 'pure' hearts, strong associations with childhood, staying in Sora's Heart Hotel... uh, maybe they should have their own list). Ven & Kairi would be 'Two Stars' studying under a 'Moon' (Aqua).

Naminé, Kairi's Nobody, is also associated with stars: paopu fruit, wishes, promises, lucky charms, childhood, magic, etc.

if i've missed any "Kairi Is A Star" moments in KH, do add them in reblogs. there's bound to be a star reference in the KH soundtrack. Kairi's association with 'promises' is referenced in Chikai (mostly as a Dig from Riku's POV of the Paopu Scene in KH3), for example. i'm also curious as to where else Ven is associated with Stars (& if Stitch has any Kairi connections beyond his whole "E-Stitch Go Home" thing).

#kh meta #kh spoilers #kairi meta #kairi is a star #riku is the light #star symbolism in kh #i kind of love how being a star distances kairi from soriku BUT MAKES HER CLOSER to all the deep lore & keyblade master stuff #riku is off being orpheus while kairi has Conspiracies to unravel #the boys get the heroine's journey arc and kairi having a hero's

30 notes · View notes

mynonblwatchlist-bl-bam-beyond · 10 months

Text

Hana Yori Dango-Boys Over Flowers & Meteor Garden

The Final 2 Men That Make Up F4

My intro into Asian Dramas and such was these series and I don't pretend they were all perfect. Quite the opposite each adaptation had it's issues but when you look pass issues and still adore something or someone even. That's real admiration and love. So let's meet the 2 guys that help make up F4

Number 1: The 2 men that help make up F4 in the 1995 movie were just wallpaper. Unfortunately they were just there with no real storyline. And it was sad but I won't leave them out.

SAEKI KENSAKU played Nishikado Sojiro...surprisingly this gentleman had one acting credit and it was Hana Yori Dango in 1995. Then He retired from acting and no other information is available.

HASHIZUME KOICHI played Mimasaka Akira...this actor had many series to his credit but sadly he died 4 years after Hana Yori Dango in 1999 in a bike accident.

Number 2: 2001 Meteor Garden Adaptation seemed almost in the 70's or 80's F4 were all long haired cutie pies.

VANNESS WU (in the yellow) played Mei Zuo..

KEN CHU played Xi Men

Number 3: In 2005 Japan's Hana Yori Dango Series. The other 2 Members of F4 was back to the same names as the 1995 Movie of the same name.

ABE TSUYOSHI played Mimasaka Akira

MATSUDA SHOTA played Nishikado Sojiro

Number 4: South Korea's Boys Over Flowers was unlike the others because no others used these names while both Japanese Versions used the same names as did Taiwan and China.

KIM BUM played the ladies man So Yi Jung

KIM JOON played Song Woo Bin

Number 5: China's Version called Meteor Garden just like Taiwan's Version returned Xi MEN & Mei Zuo. China's Version was excellent like the rest but it was a whopping 49 Episodes. All F4 Members had story arcs. Well they did in other versions as well.

Xi Men was played by CEASAR WU

Mei Zuo was played by CONNOR LEONG or LEON LEONG

So these handsome gentlemen rounded out the F4 in the Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese versions of this iconic story. Do you have a favorite of them. Or were they just friends of Domyouji Tsukuba & Hanazawa Rui/ Daoming Si & Hauze Lei

Actually I do like all of them but I do prefer Number 4 & Number 5. Because I am a huge fan of KIM BUM & KIM JOON and CEASAR WU & LEON LEONG were also excellent for me. But again I love all these guys.

@pose4photoml do you have a favorite?

#THE REST OF F4 #THE OTHER 2 MEMBERS #HANA YORI DANGO #BOYS OVER FLOWERS #METEOR GARDEN #My GIFS #MYGIFSET #MyGIFedit #INTRODUCING THE ACTORS OF 2 OTHER F4 GUYS

10 notes · View notes

wellthatwasaletdown · 1 year

Note

If you look up Clown and the word cult, quite a few articles pop up. There is a small group of media recognizing the toxicity of his cult hood.

Vinay Khosla | The cult of Harry Styles

Iskra (The Spark) | Parasocial relationships damage our ability to hold public figures accountable

By Vinay Khosla 10/19/22 11:29pmCredit: Becky Lee

The meteoric rise of Harry Styles has been undeniable in the past few years, recently culminating in his record-setting fifteen-day residency at Madison Square Garden and release of the star-studded film Don’t Worry Darling. However, while his following has grown into the tens of millions and provided a community for many, there have been arguably complex and damaging manifestations of this fandom.

The obsession with the singer is a clear example of a mass parasocial relationship, a situation in which people exert a disproportionate amount of energy and interest in a relationship in which the other party is largely unaware of their existence. Often mediated through social media, this fosters highly idealized, virtually infallible, versions of public figures.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying Styles’ music or other work, the dynamic created can result in a critical lack of public accountability while facilitating Styles’ ability to take advantage of his fan base, through manipulating his image to garner ever-increasing profits and stardom.

Whether intentionally or not, there has been very little discourse on what I consider remains a harmful and intentional aspect of Styles’ messaging and brand: his co-opting of queer identity. Behind his apparent earned success is a calculated image which is arguably the reason he has skyrocketed to fame. This very image, finding an obsessive audience after his 2020 Vogue cover in which he was clothed in a dress (heaven forbid!), is one which associates him with the queer community while maintaining just enough distance for a necessary ambiguity.

Styles’ choice to appear on the cover of the famed fashion magazine in a dress was merely a prelude to what would become a trend for the artist who is now widely known for his bending of gender norms in his confident wearing of dresses, stockings, makeup, and other typically (what are considered) feminine items. While gender is certainly a social construct that is maintained by the invented division in items of expression — like clothing — it cannot be ignored that queer communities have been engaging in these distortions of norms for decades. So much so that it has become part and parcel of queer expression.

Here we get into the tricky question of whether Styles’ continued fashion choices — that could be said to appropriate those of the queer community — constitutes queerbaiting and, more importantly, whether identifying them as such is a slippery slope. Either way, because of the brand he has curated, Styles has become somewhat of a queer icon — without being queer himself. And therein lies the issue.

While profiting off his gender-bending image, and by extension the queer community, he has insistently denied being queer (or straight), opting to remain unlabeled. After all, wouldn’t it destroy his brand if millions of teenage girls couldn’t realistically fawn over him? Equally problematic, he has never given credit to the trailblazers of this identity in the entertainment industry including Elton John, David Bowie, Billy Porter, and countless others.

Of course, it is Harry’s prerogative to keep his sexuality private; fame should not require him to bare his identity for public consumption. But Harry has seemingly taken it upon himself to speak to the queer experience, pontificating in an interview leading up to the release of "My Policeman," “So much of gay sex in film is two guys going at it, and it kind of removes the tenderness from it.” But what does Harry Styles know about gay sex? And more importantly, as someone who’s consistently profited off of queer aesthetics and identity while refusing to explicitly align himself with the community, what ethos does he have to speak on the subject?

All of this taken together, Styles has understandably become a problematic figure for many queer people, and yet all of this has been eclipsed by a perpetual mass obsession with him.

This parasocial relationship also shields Styles, and his fans, from interrogating the effect his comments or image have on various communities. The phenomenon, however, does not start and end with Styles. Increasingly, exacerbated by mediation through social media, mass obsession has shielded celebrities like Taylor Swift or the Kardashians from being held meaningfully accountable for their environmentally damaging behavior, for example.

Additionally, one could see how this becomes crucially more dangerous when applied to politicians who have amassed cult-like followings including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Donald Trump. To empower individuals with representing, and legislating for, our country on the basis of their personas as opposed to their policies or body of work poses a grave threat to the very purpose of elections. This mechanism of accountability cannot be tainted by blinding biases. Our politicians and representatives must work for us, not in the interest of creating a cult of personality to sidestep accountability.

Parasocial relationships can quickly find their way out of Twitter or Reddit and into the real world, where they insulate public figures from necessary criticism — but as digital citizens we must be vigilant of this fact and work to extract ourselves from the cults of Harry Styles and others.

Well written!

#harry styles #anonymous

24 notes · View notes

nono-bunny · 10 months

Text

I tried watching the 2009 K-drama of Boys Over Flowers, but unfortunately by the fourth episode I decided to drop it because it just felt like a bad attempt at recreating the 2005 J-drama while also attempting and failing to create a new backstory for Tsukushi. I tried to write a post about why exactly I didn't like it, actually, but I shelved it because honestly, it was difficult to put into words why everything about it felt so wrong, but like. It did, and I dropped it

Anyway, I went on to try the other HYD adaptation on Netflix, which is the 2018 Chinese Meteor Garden. Going into it, I mostly just knew it was gonna kinda write out the bullying thing, and also that apparently Yoko Kamio really likes that version in particular anyway? So like, I didn't really know what to expect... But ngl, I was not expecting to like and respect it as much as I do

First of all!!! It is undoubtedly the adaptation with the most true-to-manga version of events, which. While I actually really enjoy the weird timeline mashup of the J-drama, after reading the manga I definitely really did wish to see a version that didn't cut out Kazuya and Kinsan, among other things, but yeah honestly I just really wanted to see these two lmao

It also??? Does a fantastic job at creating new things (they might have been in the OG Meteor Garden but I didn't watch that so,,) and adapting to the weird censorship around the instigating events of the story in a way that's genuinely so fun, while also managing to find ways to keep the characterizations of the characters that very easily could've been lost when taking out the whole malicious and violent nature of the F4. It does GREAT character work in general!! Li Zhen being a Makiko-turned-Sakurako as opposed to just erasing Makiko (which I still find hilarious considering the manga literally acknowledges that) by introducing Sakurako in her place is such a unique and fantastic solution to get around the bullying again while giving her a new, sympathetic motivation that feels much more in tune with this less extravagant (as in, making it just slightly less about the class disparity lol) version of the story, and!! As much as I love Sakurako, I feel like I appreciate Li Zhen just as much for like,, losing herself over her jealousy, and coming out of the whole ordeal as a much more confident person who's able to be a better, more proactive friend. Their motives and backgrounds are different, but the results end up roughly the same, and! I'm fine with, heck, I actually rather like Li Zhen not being the cackling narcissistic love rival (as much as that's probably like, my favorite trope), it works well for the story and she's portrayed really well by her actress!

Also, as expected, I love Qinghe, he's my boy!!! God fr I simply do not understand why Kazuya is only a part of the Meteor Garden adaptations of the story, he's so fucking great and it's heartbreaking that he got taken out of most of the adaptations when you can see how much he adds to the dynamic. Like, fr, Kazuya and Tsukasa competing over fishing is so iconic, it's such a dumb, joyous thing they do, like, peak of what "boys will be boys" should be, and!!! As expected it's SUCH a fun thing to see adapted

Kazuya being the loveable loser comic relief added so fucking much to the manga, because like, fr, both of the versions that I've seen that cut him are infinitely more depressing to watch!! He's so important to preserving the emotional balance of the story, not to mention how much better the story feels when Tsukushi DOES have an actual, genuine friend that goes to Eitoku with her. J-drama Tsukushi hangs out with Yuki and Okami A LOT to make up for the lack of any supportive people in her school life outside of F4, and without Kazuya around, ultimately, Tsukushi is definitely less close to the F4 than she is in the manga where his hijinks allow them to genuinely become friends, and the K-drama just didn't have any fun(ny) characters to replace him and it made it so difficult to watch!!! But Qinghe is such a bro, he's just as fun as I expected him to be if not *more*, and! Him being included makes such a huge positive difference

So far, the K-drama is obviously my least favorite adaptation, but I'm genuinely having trouble deciding whether I like the Japanese or Chinese one better, because both offer very different things and I actually love both!! The Japanese version is definitely like,,, the easier version for me to connect to, just because I already know the character names, and the jokes and most of the plot is consistent with the tone of the manga because it's the same setting (my very basic knowledge of Japanese definitely helps too lmao), but. The Chinese version is more fun to watch by virtue of being less depressing (fr, Kazuya makes ALL the difference), which also in a way makes it easy to get invested in it

Overall I'm actually very happy with what I've seen from Meteor Garden so far (I'm about halfway through it rn), and it's great to have another version of the story to cycle through because HYD has very quickly become one of my comfort media

#boys over flowers #hana yori dango #meteor garden 2018

4 notes · View notes

bl-bam-beyond · 2 years

Text

PLUS...BLOCKBUSTERS_HANA YORI DANGO

A shout out to one of my favorite stories from Yoko Kamio (MANGA/ANIME)

Several countries have brought there own version of this story. I'm sure fans have their favorites. But I have an appreciation for all these actors and their version of DOMYOUJI TSUKUBA. So here they are..

Number 1: Made into a movie in Japan in 1995, this version isn't as popular. It did not follow the full story of the trials and tribulations gone through by Domyoji & Makino. But it had its own charm. Domyoji Tsukuba was played by SHOSUKE TANIHARA

Number 2: The first series in live action went to Taiwan. In 2001 it went from Hana Yori Dango to Meteor Garden. It was followed by a sequel Meteor Garden 2 after Meteor Rain. Domyouji Tsukuba name was changed to Daoming Si and Taiwanese dynamo JERRY YAN step into this iconic role.

Number 3: Japan decided to step back into the game with a series version that blew the 1995 movie out of the water. Back to the original name HANA YORI DANGO (aka BOYS OVER FLOWERS) it was 2005. A sequel in 2007 called HANA YORI DANGO RETURNS and a final movie in 2008. Domyouji Tsukuba was played by multi-talented JUN MATSUMOTO.

Number 4: Then it was SOUTH KOREA next. BOYS OVER FLOWERS came out in 2009. Domyouji Tsukuba became GU JUN-PYO. And was played by popular South Korean actor LEE MIN-HO.

Number 5: Another Remake with a much milder story but still damn good IMO. Once again the name changed to Meteor Garden as China did a remake of the Taiwanese version. And of course Domyouji Tsukuba became Daoming Si again. And newbie actor DYLAN WANG took on the role. And he was A M A Z I N G!!

In conclusion this is an iconic story and will probably will continue to be remade with a new name for Domyouji and his lady love Makino and the rest of the F4. But no matter what I will always have an appreciation for the characters. I may not like every version but I won't slam it. I just won't watch it.

For fans who choose to diminish these men and their outstanding performance by saying BEST ADAPTATION YET for their favorite is ridiculous. One is not better than the other. They are all BEST ADAPTATIONS. Each actor brought their best. And should be applauded. Each version should appreciated.

So to all the men here that played DOMYOUJI or DAOMING SI or GU JUN-PYO. YOU DID MARVELOUSLY ALL OF YOU.

@pose4photoml I posted this a long time ago. Just tagging you to check it out.

#HANA YORI DANGO ADAPTATIONS #JAPAN #TAIWAN #SOUTH KOREA #CHINA #1995-2001-2005-2009-2018 #TSUKASA DOMYOUJI #DAOMING SI #GU JUN-PYO #HANA YORI DANGO #METEOR GARDEN #BOYS OVER FLOWERS #THE LEADERS OF F4 #in love without MAKINO TSUKUSHI #in love with DONG SHANCAI #in love with GEUM JAN DI #GIFS by ME

31 notes · View notes

yilinglaozu · 2 years

Text

ok but “if apologies worked why would we need the police” is the funniest and most iconic line from meteor garden

#he really said that with a straight face #daoming si the idiot that you are <3

13 notes · View notes

mason-fanfiction · 2 years

Text

Chapter 7: The Hoe

Previously on Age of Mellophones 2:

A few weeks ago, Mason returned from The War with only one limb after a tragic incident, in which Mason believes he was targeted on purpose. Upon almost losing his second father, Mel makes it his mission to avenge Mason, and sets out to determine who is responsible, along with his best friend Bryan Brown.

Recently, Mel, Tarny, and Spider discover an underground base containing incriminating artifacts that seem to mark Shelly as the culprit behind Mason’s attempted murder.

As they discover this information, they come to realize that they have walked right into a trap. Spider has been taken, and as they call Mason, the call is abruptly cut off.

Mel and Mike Tarny are left edging their seat as to what has occurred.

—-

“ah!” Mike Tarny exclaims in fear. “He’s definitely getting attacked right now. I’m gonna freak the freak out.”

Mel stands frozen like UConn’s student admin website. He doesn’t have time to react to Mikey’s stupid comment. “I have to get home.”

Eyes searching frantically around the room, he can’t decipher a clear exit.

“Mikey what do I do,” Mel says, flailing his hands around in frustration, resulting in a motion that resembles conducting an orchestra or band of some sort.

Mikey pats his head in support and comfort. “Get the fries. You’ll need the energy in the coming days,” He hands Mel four soggy french fries from his pocket. Mel accepts the present and scarfs down that warm salty goodness like a baby bird.

“Listen, we’ll be okay Mel. Let’s take the helicopter out of here and check back at your house. I’m sure Mason is fine. Maybe he just fell off his bed like Paulina.”

“We can’t leave Spider! Shelly’s goons must have taken him! I can’t believe we led him right to her. He was figuring everything out, he must have known she was behind this and she wanted to get rid of him.”

“Spider will be okay. Mason is defenseless right now and we should check on him.” Mike Tarny says, frantically looking at his watch and surveying the room.

Mel sighs. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

The boys enter the side-room marked with an overhead neon sign spelling out “Helicopter Pad”. Inside, they discover a sick black helicopter with flames on the side. Mike Tarny takes the wheel as Mel sits beside him.

Away they soar. Mike Tarny turns the helicopter keys to the right as the engine sounds. With a gurgle the helicopter begins to hover over the indoor patio space. It’s uncomfortably tight, and the blades are lightly tapping the concrete walls, causing Mel to spill his delicious Frosty from Wendy’s. The helly ascends as a latch shifts open above them, and Mike Tarny steers the big boy out of that room. A glass tube shoots out from the indoor space, and the boys witness the Wallingford River yet again as they F.L.Y. high. A *doing* sounds from the helicopter radio as Fly As Me begins to play. Mike Tarny jams, and rams the helicopter into a flock of doves while he’s distracted, killing the birds instantly.

They continue to soar. The copter passes over the iconic landmarks of Wallingford with a solemn hum. Mel tries to calm down and observes the many landmarks of Wallingford. The river, the school/hospital, the planet fitness, the battleground, the mysterious meteor that recently landed outside of Town Hall and burned down an entire block of small businesses. It all seems so far away as Mel soars across his charming little town.

What if this ends badly? He can’t help but think.

Do I even know what I’m doing? As he spots his house, he shelves the thoughts for another day.

After a few minutes, they arrive at Mel’s house and land on the roof. There’s no landing pad, and the helicopter slides off the roof the second they step out of the vehicle. It crashes obnoxiously into the neighbor’s tomato garden.

They slide into the hole in the roof, down the stripper pole, and land in Mason’s stinky bedroom. They land in a pile of seltzer cans and they comedically go all over the place you know like in cartoons when it kinda explodes everywhere. Mel straightens into set. For a moment, he’s relieved as he sees someone sleeping in the bed. As he approaches the squishy bed he realizes it’s not Mason.

“Bryan Brown?” Mel shakes his head. Bryan is sound asleep, snoring peacefully with a snork mimimimi sound.

As Mel tugs on his hair, Bryan snaps awake and screams in falsetto. He’s a soprano.

“Where’s Mason?” Mel demands.

“Wot? I’m not sure. I wanted to hang out so I came over, and the door was just unlocked. You guys should really rethink your home security. Have you heard of Arlo?”

Mel ignores Bryan and checks the rest of the house while Mike Tarny stays behind to acknowledge Bryan as a person who exists. He checks his bedroom, then the bathroom, then the attic, then the bowling alley, then the sunroom, then the hallway, then the basement, then the second bowling ally, to no avail. Mason isn’t home.

Mel returns to Mason’s room. Mike Tarny and Bryan are discussing hopes and fears and journaling their feelings.

“He’s not home,” Mel sighs, exasperated. He saunters to Mason’s bean bag chair and plops down, defeated. He covers himself with a blanket and retreats into the darkness it provides.

A muffled “I don’t know what to do” can be heard from under the blanket. Bryan exchanges a look with Mike Tarny, and crouches adjacent to the bean bag.

“We’ll find him, mate.” Bryan looks to Mike Tarny for support, but he be on that phone, texting frantically.

“Maybe he just fell in that hole outside and can’t get out. Remember when that happened last month? We were quite worried for some time.”

Mel chuckles at the memory. “Yeah, I remember that.”

“See? He’s probably fine. Want to go check? The hole?”

“Sure.” Mel emerges from his cocoon, wipes his tears, and walks confidently out of the room, with Bryan trailing behind.

As they open the door to the kitchen, they are halted in their fucking tracks. Mel’s heart races and his movements are shocked frozen.

Sitting at the kitchen table, on a chair, is Shelly Hoetown. She glances up as Mel and Bryan enter the room. Mel catches a triumphant look in her eyes, like she’s calculated this moment from birth, or at least she thinks she did.

Shelly speaks with a similar cadence to an academic essay, with unnecessary synonyms and more words than are necessary. “Greetings! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Shelly and I am delighted to meet your acquaintance. You identify as Mel- Am I correct in my assumption? I remain a close companion to your father.” She holds her hand out for a firm handshake. Mel examines her demeanor quizzically, sensing an air of impending danger.

Outfit check!

Shelly is wearing a platinum brooch containing a carving of herself wearing a suit in front of the White House. Across the top of the brooch has the words “Eczema Survivor” crossed out, and replaced with “Strong Woman” underneath, making an inspiring statement about her resiliency. Bryan almost sheds a tear as he is reminded of the strong women in his life. He mentally adds Shelly to the list of strong women.

Shelly also sports a blazer, khakis, and platinum black shoes that increase her height by four inches. They look stupid as hell, objectively. Her hair is pinned up in a tight bun and her eyes are marked with a minimal amount of blue eyeliner. She’s secretly hoping someone compliments her for the bold makeup choice.

After thinking about her outfit for a full minute, Mel responds to the question. “Hey, uh, nice to meet you. Mason has told me a lot of great things about you.” He avoids eye contact as he obviously lies. “We were just heading out, so this isn’t a great time actually.”

Shelly knocks out Mel and Bryan with a lead pipe.

—-

Mike Tarny opens the kitchen door, finding it desolate except for a fresh drop of blood on the tile. He creeps into the living room, the other bedroom, the bathroom, the attic, the bowling alley, the sunroom, the basement, and the second bowling ally.

“I can’t find them,” He says aloud, scratching the vibrant red tuffs of hair on his chin. He glances in a silver-plated mirror on the wall. And I look so bald today, he thinks.

His pocket square vibrates. Retrieving his phone, the screen displays an incoming text from Sea Man.

“Any ideas?” Tarny had asked.

“Come to the docks. You’re gonna want to see this.” Sea Man replies.

“In a minute.” Tarny texts with his pointer fingers only. “I’ll be there soon.”

He flaps his flip phone closed with a sigh and continues his search.

—-

Mel snaps awake. His temple is throbbing with pain.

He’s in a desert temple of some sort, like in minecraft. He’s strapped to a table. There’s an iron device on the ceiling of the temple in the shape of a corkscrew winding down to a single point. Definitely a laser, Mel thinks.

Shelly starts slow-clapping in a poorly-lit corner of the temple. “We’ll we’ll well”. Autocorrect changes her words.

“Are you gonna murder me?” Mel asks. “That makes zero fucking sense. I don’t know you, bitch.”

She turns her head 52 degrees. This isn’t weird but it’s slightly farther than most people can turn their heads. “Throughout history, women have been referred to with this unappealing term,” she snaps, tears in her eyes. Regaining her composure, she recites an ancient proverb:

Mel starts sweating like a puberty boy. “Ugly,” He tries to point with his restrained arm, in an attempt to persuade Shelly to rant about women’s beauty standards, to no avail. She’s already said her daily proverb.

She meanders to the wall and lowers into a chair, nonchalantly retrieving her quill and parchment as she converses with Mel. “I quandar, has the concept of the death penalty ever appealed to you, Mel?” Shelly quanders.

“Yeah, actually,” Mel responds. “I think my enemies should perish, like in anime. My dad tells me-“ He pauses. “-told me… used to tell me… that I play too many violent video games and I should learn how to build a bridge instead.”

Shelly watches his expression lose energy. “Ryan?”

“Yea.” He sulks.

“A tragic, tragic demise. Influenza, correct? Quite unexpected.”

Mel is silent for a moment. “Where’s Bryan?” Mel tries to turn his head but he can’t see anyone else in the room. It’s just him, the laser, and Shelly in a chair.

“Excellent query. Mel, to speak without restraint, I am not invested in Bryan’s impending doom, or even yours, although yours is more certain. I’m aware that you voted republican in your second grade mock election, but I forgive you. Unfortunately, I must see to it that you are destroyed. And if I’m being true, I remain the most qualified individual for this task. I purchased this temple of sand and desert off of Facebook marketplace. Isn’t it cool!”

“Yeah, it’s like minecraft,” Mel says, appreciating the intricate carvings on the walls. “Where’s Bryan though?”

Shelly continues to write her manifesto with the feathered quill. “Ah, the pawn to a pawn. He’s in a compromising position. Make a wrong move and you’re sacrificing him to save yourself.” She shifts her position to sit up straight. “Tell me, Mel, where does Mason keep things hidden in your house?” She pauses, and waits for his reaction.

“Oh…” Mel reacts. He knows the answer: in the handle of the katana Mason used to kill Mickey that one time. Mel had found his vape hidden there when Mason confiscated it. Mel doesn’t vape he just wanted to bring it to parties. Mel wasn’t invited to any parties.

“How do I know Bryan will be safe?”

Shelly adjusts herself to sit on the chair the wrong way, assuming a more casual demeanor. “You are not aware of the full truth of the situation. We don’t need to kill him. Mason is the antagonist of this tale, and you are a weaker villain who stands in the way,” she explains. “For the story to continue, you must be eliminated. Should Bryan enter into the crossfire, it would be due to your lack of cooperation. So?”

“Well… well what’s even your plan here? It seems stupid.”

“This plan lacks stupidity entirely!” Shelly frowns. “It’s a carefully crafted blueprint, by a genius, and a hard-working- I was required to rise with the sun this morning- and my helicopter was occupied therefore I rely on Uber due to the absence of a drivers license within my possession. Fuck you.”

“It seems stupid,” Mel whispers.

“It’s clever!” Shelly glares at him with rage in her eyes at the lack of acknowledgment to her accomplishments.

She collects herself. “Lend an ear, young Armstrong. The hero of this journey is not in this room. Foolish boy you are, defending your creator. Your father took Mike Tarny from my hands,” she proclaims, looking out a window. “At one moment I was crafting a revolution, and without notice Mike Tarny ends our agreement in pursuit of Mason James Armstrong,” she says with disgust.

“I thought you were only dating Mike Tarny for the drama, and none of it was real,” Mel interjects.

“False! Not a soul has managed to inquire my true feelings for the handsome boy. Well, I did require a virgin man for an endeavor I was pursuing at the time.” She smiles fondly. “My witchtok era. Alas, this lacks significance in the present day.”

“Nonetheless, Mason opted for Ryan’s body and soul in the finale. However, Mike Tarny became consumed in despair at the loss of his first love. I craved a fulfilling and sexual relationship with my red paladin, but the only object he desired was his dear Mason. Likewise, I was incapable of seeking a lover other than Mike Tarny. Sexy, sexy man. That body of his is absurd. Cock and Balls and All. Alas, there’s a cheerful epilogue to this story-“

Just then, Shelly’s celular rings. She flips it open. “Shelly Hoetown speaking.”

A pause.

“Hark, Mel, reveal where Mason hides his treasures at once. Consider this button in front of which I stand.” She gestures to a stone button on the wall adjacent to a large lever. “This toggle will cause Bryan to perish violently in a pool of lava.”

Mel gasps. This really is like minecraft, he thinks.

“Ten seconds remain for the truth to be spoken, afterwards the lava will flow.” She begins to count down, in Roman numerals, with a complete lack of emotion. “V…IV…III…II…”

Mel stammers, “Uh-it’s- it’s in the katana handle.”

“I tip my hat to you, Mellophone.” She holds the phone back up to her ear. “Katana handle. Yes, the one that killed Mickey, do you recall that occurrence? Lol, ok, bye love.”

Shelly turns back to face Mel. “Hip Hip Hooray! At present I must depart. I pledge that Bryan will be freed from his chains. Woefully, it is now the hour of your revelation.”

Mel rolls his eyes at the stupid way Shelly said that sentence. I can’t believe that’s the last sentence I’m going to hear, he thinks.

She flicks the wooden lever on the wall and exits the room as a lock sounds with a clang behind the door.

#chapter 7 #the hoe

2 notes · View notes

yashvitours · 1 month

Text

Discovering Dubai: A Journey of Luxury and Adventure

Introduction:

Welcome to the dazzling city of Dubai, where opulence meets adventure and every corner tells a story of innovation and ambition. At Yashvi Tours And Travels we specialize in crafting unforgettable travel experiences tailored to your desires. From exploring the majestic desert dunes to marveling at the iconic skyline, Dubai tour package offers a kaleidoscope of experiences waiting to be discovered.

Dubai, a city synonymous with luxury and modernity, has emerged as one of the most sought-after destinations for travelers worldwide. Nestled along the Arabian Gulf, this vibrant metropolis seamlessly blends tradition with innovation, offering visitors a unique glimpse into the future while honoring its rich cultural heritage.

Exploring Dubai's Iconic Landmarks:

No visit to Dubai is complete without marveling at its iconic landmarks. The Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, stands as a testament to human ingenuity, offering breathtaking panoramic views from its observation decks. Nearby, the Dubai Fountain mesmerizes audiences with its choreographed water and light shows set against the backdrop of the towering skyscraper.

For a taste of traditional Emirati culture, a visit to the historic Al Fahidi Fort, home to the Dubai Museum, is a must. Here, visitors can delve into the city's fascinating past, from its humble beginnings as a pearl-diving village to its meteoric rise as a global hub of commerce and innovation.

Indulging in Luxury and Entertainment:

Dubai is renowned for its extravagant lifestyle and world-class amenities. From extravagant shopping malls to exclusive beach resorts, the city caters to every indulgence imaginable. The Dubai Mall, a shopper's paradise, features an impressive array of designer boutiques, gourmet restaurants, and entertainment venues, including the famous Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo.

For those seeking adventure, Dubai offers a plethora of adrenaline-pumping activities. Take a desert safari and experience the thrill of dune bashing, camel riding, and traditional Bedouin hospitality under the starlit sky. Alternatively, soar above the cityscape in a hot-air balloon or conquer the waves with exhilarating water sports along the pristine coastline.

Culinary Delights and Cultural Experiences:

Dubai's culinary scene is as diverse as its population, with a myriad of flavors waiting to be savored. Indulge in a gastronomic journey through the city's eclectic restaurants, where world-renowned chefs fuse international cuisines with local ingredients to create culinary masterpieces.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of cultures that call Dubai home. Explore the bustling souks of Deira and Bur Dubai, where fragrant spices, intricate textiles, and dazzling jewelry beckon passersby. Witness traditional dance performances, such as the mesmerizing Tanoura dance or the spirited Al Ayala, and gain insight into the rich heritage of the UAE.

Must-Visit Places in Dubai:

In addition to its iconic landmarks, Dubai boasts a plethora of must-visit attractions. Lose yourself in the enchanting gardens of the Miracle Garden, home to over 50 million blooming flowers arranged in stunning displays. For a taste of Arabian Jewellery, wander through the bustling alleyways of the Gold Souk where merchants peddle gleaming treasures.

Discover the architectural marvels of Palm Jumeirah, an artificial island shaped like a palm tree, adorned with luxury resorts, pristine beaches, and world-class dining options. Indulge in a leisurely stroll along the picturesque waterfront promenade of Dubai Marina, lined with upscale boutiques, trendy cafes, and vibrant nightlife venues. Dubai Trip Package for Couples:

For couples seeking romance and enchantment, our package dubai trip package for couple offers an array of intimate experiences to cherish together. Set sail on a romantic dhow cruise along the Dubai Creek or Dubai Marina, where you can enjoy a candlelit dinner under the starry sky while admiring the glittering city skyline. Treat your loved one to a private beach picnic on the shores of Jumeirah Beach, complete with gourmet delicacies and breathtaking views of the Arabian Gulf. For a touch of adventure, embark on a private helicopter tour, soaring above the city's iconic landmarks hand in hand, creating memories that will last a lifetime. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply enjoying each other's company, Dubai provides the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable romantic getaway.

Conclusion:

In Dubai, the possibilities are endless, and every moment is an opportunity for discovery and adventure. Whether you're seeking luxury and relaxation or thrills and excitement, this dynamic city offers something for everyone. At [Your Company Name], we are dedicated to creating personalized travel experiences that exceed your expectations. Let us tailor a bespoke Dubai tour package that captures the essence of this captivating destination and leaves you with memories to last a lifetime.

We provide customized tours and travel packages, ensuring that your journey to Dubai is as seamless and unforgettable as possible.

So, what are you waiting for? Embark on the ultimate adventure and explore the wonders of Dubai with us today!

0 notes

freyayuki · 4 months

Text

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia In the Garden of Evil Boss Rush Lufenia Quest

Lufenia Quests are currently the hardest kind of fight in the Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia (DFFOO) mobile game. They’re level 200.

In the Garden of Evil Boss Rush Lufenia Quest

The In the Garden of Evil Boss Rush Lufenia quest has 4 waves. To get all the time-limited rewards, you need to win using at least 3 parties or fewer. If you bring a char that’s synergy for this fight, the rest of your team will get boosted stats as well.

My first party was Garland from Final Fantasy I, Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII (#ad), and Paladin Cecil Harvey from Final Fantasy IV with Ramuh as my summon.

My Calls were Bartz Klauser’s (from Final Fantasy V), Cloud Strife’s (from Final Fantasy VII), and Ramza Beoulve’s (from Final Fantasy Tactics). Tifa is synergy for this fight.

Cecil, Garland, and Tifa are fully MLB and Purple, including their LD. They have their Bloom Stones and all of their Boards have been completed.

Tifa’s High Armor has been upgraded to Blue. Cecil and Garland are equipped with their Burst weapons and they have their High Armor.

Garland has 3 ATK 108 with He Who Thirsts for Strife Boost★★ (Raises MAX BRV, ATK by 5% while Soul of Chaos buff active) Artifacts. Tifa has 3 ATK 108 with MAX BRV 330 Artifacts.

Paladin Cecil has 3 ATK 108 with Ordeal Grasping Light Boost★★ (Raises own INT BRV, MAX BRV, ATK, DEF by 5% if HP is MAX at start of last wave) Artifacts. Should have replaced Cecil’s Arts with triple 108/330 instead since this party didn’t even get to the last wave, but I forgot. Ah, well.

Tifa is equipped with the following real Spheres:

Shadow’s (from Final Fantasy VI) Single Critical Attack Up Longer A Sphere

Raises ATK by 10% for 6 turns when dealing critical hit to single target

Leo Cristophe’s (from Final Fantasy VI) Single Power A Sphere

When attacking single target: • Increases BRV damage dealt by 10%

Lyse Hext’s (from Final Fantasy XIV) Break Hit Attack All Longer D Sphere

After inflicting Break or attacking target afflicted with Break: • Raises party’s ATK by 5% for 6 turns

Garland is equipped with 3 of Vayne Carudas Solidor’s (from Final Fantasy XII) Breaking Power (RF) A Spheres:

When attacking target afflicted with Break: • Increases BRV damage dealt by 4%

Paladin Cecil is equipped with the following RF Spheres:

Cloud Strife’s (from Final Fantasy VII) Critical Power (RF) A Sphere

Raises BRV damage dealt with critical hits by 4%

Maria’s (from Final Fantasy II) HP Heal Base Attack All Shorter (RF) C Sphere

After recovering HP: • Raises party’s INT BRV, ATK by 2% for 3 turns

The first wave only has one enemy. The Lufenia orb is increased every time the boss takes critical BRV damage. The boss has some pretty annoying gimmicks so it’s better to not let him get a turn.

When the fight started, used Cecil’s LD right away for the buffs and auras. Used Tifa’s Battle Cry then Meteor Crusher.

On Garland’s turn, had him use Bartz’s regular Call. Was second-guessing myself on whether it would work or not though because the boss was immune to all debuffs. But reading through Bartz’s Call again, there was nothing there about inflicting a debuff.

Looks like the wind enchant and imperil were both tied to the “C” icon that Garland got underneath him when he used Bartz’s Call. So I took a chance and, thankfully, it worked. Right after activating Bartz’s regular Call, I had Garland go into his Burst mode. By then, the boss was down to 88% HP.

By the time he was about to cast Ultimate Conflict, his finishing Burst move, the boss was down to 76% HP. Thanks to Garland, the boss’s turns got pushed back a lot.

Just kept on spamming everyone’s skills since I only had 50 turns with this party anyway so there was no point saving ability uses. Garland kept on delaying the enemy and dealing a lot of damage.

Tifa dealt lots of damage too. She’s really amazing. Her DPS was off the charts, especially with her Blue armor, Garland’s BT effect, and Cecil’s auras and buffs. With her Ex, she can launch an enemy and delay them by 1 turn.

Cecil didn’t deal much damage. His healing wasn’t that useful either since the enemy never got a turn but his auras and buffs were amazing and really helped Tifa and Garland dish out a lot of damage.

I’m sure wave 1 would have been a lot harder if the boss actually got a turn, but since that never happened, he basically just stood there while my chars attacked and attacked some more.

My party only had 24 turns left when they finished off wave 1′s boss and got to the second wave. There are 2 enemies on this wave. The Lufenia orbs here are increased when the enemies take BRV damage.

Once again, just spammed skills and delayed the enemies to oblivion. Summoned Ramuh when I only had 5 turns remaining. By then, one enemy was down to 34% HP while the other was at 24% HP.

On Tifa’s turn, used the last of her LD, Meteor Crusher. On a side note, it’s really nice to see her with so much brave. She can get a lot even outside the summon.

Was already more than pleased with this team. They’d already done more than enough by getting past wave 1 and like more than half of wave 2 so I didn’t mind if they weren’t able to finish wave 2. But they’re all so super special awesome that they were able to finish off wave 2′s bosses by the time the summon ended.

Two turns before the summon ended was Garland’s turn. One enemy was at 1% HP while the other was at 14% HP. His Bind of Chaos+ finished off the boss who was at 1% HP and left the other at 5% HP. Tifa finished off the last enemy with her Beat Rush+.

My chars entered the 3rd wave with 5 turns remaining. I think they might have been able to go all the way to the last wave if there was no turn count limit per party and they had ways of dealing with the rest of the Lufenia orbs. Nevertheless, it’s really great how they were able to get this far.

Anyway, so Paladin Cecil was all out of his LD. He still has 4 uses of Saint’s Fall and 5 uses of Holy Flame left.

Garland has 1 use of Bind of Chaos+, 4 uses of Round edge+, and 5 uses of Soul of Chaos+ left. On his turn, used the last of his LD.

Tifa has no more uses of her LD but she still has 4 uses of Beat Rush+ and 1 use of Battle Cry left.

By the time it was Tifa’s turn, there were only 3 turns left before I had to switch my party. Used the last of her Battle Cry then her HP Attack (Full Throttle) for the instant turn rate then either her Ex or Beat Rush+ for her last turn.

For my second party, I decided to bring Terra Branford from Final Fantasy VI, Ramza, and Galuf Halm Baldesion from Final Fantasy V with Shiva as my summon.

My Calls were Bartz’s, Tifa’s, and Amidatelion’s (from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers).

Galuf, Terra, and Ramza are fully MLB and Purple, including their LD. They have their Bloom Stones and all of their Boards have been completed.

Galuf’s High Armor has been upgraded to Blue. Terra and Ramza are equipped with their Burst weapons and Terra has her High Armor.

Terra has 3 ATK 108 with Trance Boost★★ (Raises INT BRV, MAX BRV, ATK, DEF by 5% if HP is MAX at start of last wave) Artifacts.

Galuf has 3 ATK 108 with Buff Attack Up★★ (Raises ATK by 5% with active buffs) Artifacts.

Ramza has 3 ATK 108 with Mightiest Squire Boost★★ (Raises INT BRV, MAX BRV, ATK, DEF by 5% if HP is MAX at start of last wave) Artifacts. Should have replaced Terra’s and Ramza’s Arts with triple 108/330 but I forgot.

Galuf is equipped with the following real Spheres:

Eight’s (from Final Fantasy Type-0) Evasion Attack Up Shorter A Sphere

Raises own ATK by 20% for 3 turns when evading enemy attack *Does not stack with same sphere

Galuf Halm Baldesion’s (from Final Fantasy V) Evasion Attack Up Longer B Sphere

When dodging attack: • Raises ATK by 10% for 6 turns

Wakka’s (from Final Fantasy X) Buff Attack Boost All 5 D Sphere

With 5 or more buffs: • Raises party’s MAX BRV, ATK by 5% *Does not stack with same sphere

Terra is equipped with the following real Spheres:

Gau’s (from Final Fantasy VI) Full HP Power A Sphere

Increases BRV damage dealt by 10% while HP is MAX

Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca’s (from Final Fantasy XII) Buff Success Attack All Longer D Sphere

After granting buff: • Raises party’s ATK by 5% for 6 turns

Yuffie Kisaragi’s (from Final Fantasy VII) Debuff Success Attack Boost Up Shorter E Sphere

Raises own MAX BRV, ATK by 10% for 3 turns when inflicting debuff on target

Ramza is equipped with 2 of Sazh Katzroy’s (from Final Fantasy XIII) Critical Attack All Longer RF D Sphere:

When dealing critical hit: • Raises party’s ATK by 2% for 6 turns

The third wave has 2 enemies. The Lufenia orbs here are increased by dealing magic BRV damage.

When I started wave 3 with this team, one of the enemies was already down to 88% HP while the other was at 75% HP thanks to Garland, Cecil, and Tifa.

Terra took the first turn. Had her use one of her base skills. On Ramza’s turn, used his LD to get his overhead buff up and running for the party auras. On Galuf’s turn, used Shirahadori+ and Dawn Katana for the buffs and auras. Also had him use Bartz’s LD Call.

When Terra got to move again, had her use Tifa’s LD Call then activated her Burst mode. By then, the Lufenia orbs were at 1. Was really pushing it since only Terra can handle the orbs here.

By the time she was about to cast Trance Ultima, her finishing Burst move, the orbs were at 9 and 7 while the enemies were at 66% and 57% HP.

Afterwards, just continued spamming skills. Everyone did pretty well, especially considering no one has synergy stats. Terra took a lot of turns thanks to her LD. In retrospect, I should have spammed her LD more since I didn’t get to use it in the last wave.

Also in retrospect, maybe I shouldn’t have brought Glauf to this wave and with this party. I wanted to use him in the boss rush, especially since I even upgraded his armor to Blue but I feel like he didn’t get to shine much with this party. He batteried his allies and he provided decent buffs and auras.

However, thanks to Terra being able to get multiple turns, the enemies only got to move a few times which also meant that Galuf only got to counter their attacks a few times.

Ramza supported the party with his buffs, auras, and battery. The primary reason why I brought him here though was that when the enemies get down to 29% HP, they gain massive amounts of brave and you’ll deal 1 BRV damage until you break them. Ramza’s Shout can instantly break one enemy.

The timing got a bit messed up though. It was Terra’s turn when the massive brave damage reduction happened. Had to summon Shiva so I could quickly get to Ramza’s turn already.

Then when he finally got to move, I ended up just having him use Amidatelion’s LD Call instead of his Shout skill. Amidatelion’s LD Call reduced the brave of all enemies to 0 so it’s easy to break them. I opted for this instead of Ramza’s Shout since it’s AoE whereas Shout was single target.

Another thing I kinda regret was using up all of Ramza’s LD on this wave. Should have saved at least 1 for the final wave since his LD launches. It’s fine though. I mean, things still worked out anyway. There were only 21 turns left by the time Terra finished off both bosses.

The final wave has 2 enemies. The Lufenia orbs here are increased by dealing wind BRV damage.

My current party has no way of taking care of the orbs here other than by using Bartz’s regular Call since I didn’t think that they’d be able to get this far.

This team wasn’t prepared for this wave at all, but they did well enough, all things considered.

Terra was gimped here since the bosses heavily resist magic and I didn’t have anyone to imperil and enchant her. However, thanks to the battery from her allies and her brave gains before her attacks, she was able to deal decent enough damage.

Refrained from using Terra’s LD, so the enemies got to move more often. This also meant that Galuf got to counter more as well. Then I managed to get both bosses down to below 79% HP.

When that happened, a message appeared on the screen, saying something about the bosses. From looking it up, it seems they just used Sylvan Union and they need to be launched to get rid of this.

Couldn’t do anything about that though and by then my party only had a few turns left so I didn’t think it mattered anymore. Was basically just waiting for time to run out and for the game to prompt me to switch parties.

Before that though, the enemies were set to move. Didn’t think that’d be so bad since I had Galuf. I thought, why not let him deal more damage via his counters, right?

So the enemies attacked and suddenly Galuf was at 1 HP. All his buffs had disappeared. Welp, guess I should have paid more attention to that Sylvan Union thing.

At least Galuf didn’t die thanks to his Last Stand. Still, was very annoyed about this because now instead of 0 HP damage, I ended up with 10685 HP damage.

One of the mission requirements was to take 15k or less HP damage so the HP loss wouldn’t cost me the run. Nevertheless, this was infuriating. So I decided to “Retry from wave 4″. Did pretty much what I did before.

That is, until the bosses dropped down to 77% and 79% HP. The orbs were currently at 15.

It was Ramza’s turn and I still had 6 turns left with this party. Didn’t want to risk Galuf being brought down to 1 HP again though so I decided to “Retire current party and continue with next party”.

My third and final team was Bartz, Kadaj from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and Dark Knight Cecil Harvey from Final Fantasy IV with Pandemonium as my summon.

My Calls were Keiss’s (from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers), Tifa’s, and Fujin’s (from Final Fantasy VIII).

Bartz, Kadaj, and Dark Knight Cecil are fully MLB and Purple, including their LD. They have their Bloom Stones and all of their Boards have been completed.

Kadaj’s High Armor has been upgraded to Blue. Bartz is equipped with his Burst weapon and his High Armor.

Cecil has 3 ATK 108 with MAX BRV 330 Artifacts. Kadaj has 3 ATK 108 with Remnant Up★★ (While Latent Thoughts active: Raises own MAX BRV, ATK by 5%) Artifacts.

Bartz has 3 ATK 108 with Simple Mastery Boost★★ (Raises party’s INT BRV, MAX BRV, ATK, DEF by 5% while 2 abilities mastered) Artifacts.

Kadaj is equipped with the following real Spheres:

Garland’s (from Final Fantasy I) Break Hit Raging Attack Up A Sphere

Raises ATK by 2% when inflicting Break or attacking target afflicted with Break up to 5 times, once per turn

Oerba Yun Fang’s (from Final Fantasy XIII) Break Hit Attack Up Longer A Sphere

Raises ATK by 10% for 6 turns when inflicting Break or attacking target afflicted with Break

The Emperor’s (from Final Fantasy II) Debuff Success Attack Up Longer E Sphere

Raises own ATK by 10% for 6 turns when inflicting debuff on target

Dark Knight Cecil is equipped with the following RF Spheres:

Jecht’s (from Final Fantasy X) Critical Base Attack Up Shorter (RF) A Sphere

When dealing critical hit: • Raises INT BRV, ATK by 4% for 3 turns

Alphinaud Leveilleur’s (from Final Fantasy XIV) Buff Success Base Attack All Shorter (RF) C Sphere

After granting buff: • Raises party’s INT BRV, ATK by 2% for 3 turns

Seymour Guado’s (from Final Fantasy X) Debuff Success Raging Attack Up (RF) E Sphere

When inflicting debuff on target: • Raises own ATK by 3% up to 2 times, once per turn *Does not stack with same sphere

Bartz is equipped with the following RF Spheres:

Seven’s (from Final Fantasy Type-0) Weak Power (RF) A Sphere

When attacking target’s weakness: • Raises BRV damage dealt by 4%

Alphinaud Leveilleur’s (from Final Fantasy XIV) Buff Success Base Attack All Shorter (RF) C Sphere

After granting buff: • Raises party’s INT BRV, ATK by 2% for 3 turns

Hope Estheim’s (from Final Fantasy XIII) Buff Success Attack Boost All Shorter (RF) D Sphere

After granting buff: • Raises party’s MAX BRV, ATK by 2% for 3 turns *Does not stack with same sphere

I brought Bartz to deal with the Lufenia orbs here. He’s synergy for this fight and he’s a good support with pretty decent buffs and auras, especially with his Burst effect.

Brought Cecil for the launches. He also provides HP damage up and he batteries the party when he launches.

Brought Kadaj since I wanted to use him. He’s the first char I Blued. He’s a debuffer with some DPS capabilities. He can gold frame his debuffs so they can’t be dispelled.

When I started the last wave with this party, the Lufenia orbs were at 15, the enemies were at 77% and 79% HP, and it was turn 60.

Used Kadaj’s Additional Ability (AA), Tifa’s LD Call, then Kadaj’s LD.

On Cecil’s turn, used both of Keiss’s Calls (with his regular Call, I targeted Bartz), his LD then Valiant Blow+.

On Bartz’s turn, used Fujin’s LD Call then went straight into his Burst mode. By the time he was about to cast Quick Spellblade Dual-Wield Rapid Fire, his finishing Burst move, the enemies were down to 53% and 49% HP.

Afterwards, just kept on spamming skills. Got to launch the enemies a lot thanks to Dark Knight Cecil. Between him and Bartz and even Kadaj’s own brv gain, there was a lot of battery to be had.

With all the buffs, debuffs, and auras that were currently up, everyone was able to deal a lot of damage. It was really awesome to see my chars with so much brave, especially Kadaj who got brave that broke the 99999 cap thanks to his Blue armor.

To prevent the bosses from getting a turn, I summoned Pandemonium on turn 67.

Dealt even more damage during the summon so before it ended, the bosses were down to 8% and 9% HP.

On the last turn before the summon ended, one boss was at 1% HP while the other was at 8% HP.

It was Cecil’s turn. Bartz and Kadaj had more than 100k+ brave. Used Cecil’s Valiant Blow+ to launch the boss who was at 8% HP. Bartz’s HP attack took the enemy down to 3% HP. Kadaj finished him off.

The summon ended, leaving one enemy who was basically dead already since he only had 1% HP remaining.

It was Bartz’s turn. Any one of his moves could have finished off the last boss already. Was hoping for Kadaj to be the one to deal the killing blow though. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible since even Bartz’s BRV+ attack deals HP damage.

So Bartz was the one who ended the fight on turn 69. Managed to get the score and all the other mission requirements.

The bosses on the last wave never got a turn. Bartz, Kadaj, and Cecil had plenty of skills left. Heck, they still had 36 turns left before I had to switch them out.

Feels like they really steamrolled this wave. I think I could and should have just switched to them the moment Terra, Galuf, and Ramza got to this wave.

Anyway, here are screenshots of my parties:

Party 1

Party 2

Party 3

All parties

Conclusion

So, what about you? Which chars did you use to complete these Lufenia Quests? Have you decided to Blue a char’s High Armor? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging or replying to this post.

Notes:

screenshots are from my Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia game account

0 notes