Final Fantasy 19: BOSS: The Enchanted Cookies

Enchanted Cookie x3
Level: 1, HP: 300, MP: 0
Rewards: Flour x3 (Always)
Special: None
Vulnerable to: Mini
Attacks: Speech Attack
Sketch: !Chocolate Chip Missile, Explode
Blue Magic: Explode (Sketch)
Draw Spell: Curaja

BGM: My Favorite Trick (Breath of Fire III)

The Enchanted Cookies are the easiest bosses in this entire game. There is no competition: it is literally impossible to lose this fight unless you target your own characters. The Cookies will never, under any circumstances, deal even a single point of damage.

They certainly are chatty, however. Every one of their turns, they have a chance of saying one of the following phrases:

   "You're losing serious brownie points, buster!"
   "Butter me up enough and I might let you pass!"
   "It looks like you've been caught with your hand in the cookie jar!"
   "You ugly beasts! Looking at you makes me want to toss my cookies!"

When attacked physically, they will scoff, "So, you think you're a tough cookie, eh?" When attacked magically, they will sniff, "So, you think you're a smart cookie, don't ya?" When defeated, they will cry out, "That's the way the cookie crumbles!"

If you hit them with fire magic (such as Phoenix's Fire spell,) they will yelp, "OUCH! I think you turned the oven up a little high!" If you miniaturize them with Badger's Compression spell, they will exclaim, "Bite-sized!"

Talkative little buggers, aren't they?

The most interesting things you can get out of these bosses-in-nothing-but-name are their Sketch attacks. Most of the time, you will get the !Chocolate Chip Missile, which is unique to the Cookies and features an animation never seen anywhere else (although the power is actually less than a regular physical attack). There is a 25% chance of getting the Explode spell, however, which is a Blue Magic that can be learned by Ferret. Granted, it is a USELESS Blue Magic that can be learned by Ferret, as you will almost always get more use out of a live Ferret that can Shriek and dispense items instead of a kamikaze Exploding Ferret (amusing though the image is,) but this IS the first chance you have to learn it, so it's interesting for the novelty if nothing else.


When it comes to the actual disposal of the cookies, you will find that the greatest danger in this fight is that you, the player, will die of over-exposure to bad jokes. Burn Owl Aye's "trap" to a crisp with Phoenix's Fire, which they are weak to, and move on.

Final Fantasy 19: Owl Tower

Location: The World of Darkness, Owl Tower
Party members: Badger, Ferret, Phoenix
Opponents: None
Items: Star Chart x13, Potion x2, Hi-Potion x2, Phoenix Down x3, Phoenix Pinion
       x1, 333 G, 444 G, 555 G, 666 G, 777 G
BGM: Welcome to Bukki Tower (Super Mario RPG)

The lair of the terrible villain Owl Aye! Traps lurk in the floor panels. Monsters lie in wait behind every corner. Utter terror enters your very soul from the chilling background music. Owl Aye is bringing Princess Peahen snacks.

Wait, what?

Preparation: You'll want to be fully decked out in World of Darkness equipment before venturing in here. Whether "World of Darkness equipment" means a store-bought Flashy Robe or the Scholars' Library's Librarian's Robe is your own prerogative, but Cotton Robes just ain't gonna cut it anymore.

Despite being the lair of an evil enchanter, Owl Tower seems suspiciously homey from the outside, with a neat little welcome mat and some pretty flowers on a windowsill. Phoenix fears that the welcome mat may have teeth and try to eat you, but Ferret smacks some sense into her and the animals breach the entrance only to come out again at the entrance to the tower's glade. A space/time distortion!

Ferret attempts the front door again, with no more success than before. Phoenix curses Owl Aye with the power of Crimper/Cheese. Badger ponders. If Ultimecia gave him a portion of her Sorceress Power over time and space, perhaps he can use it to unbend this spatial loop and gain entrance to the Tower!

Unfortunately, Badger has no idea how to access those powers.

Fortunately, Ferret discovers a door labeled "For Guests" that goes right inside.

Several stories up, a small grey kitten that has been watching the invaders intently now runs off to warn her master...

In the cozy parlor at the top of the castle, the Great and Terrible Owl Aye is threatening the beauteous Princess Peahen with...incredibly insignificant threats of bodily harm, such as tickle-torture and rib-poking. Princess Peahen, who is as dumb as she is beautiful and as brave as she is dumb, valiantly refuses to remain his prisoner, despite the "danger" to her person. The charade would probably continue indefinitely if the kitten did not appear, raging at Owl Aye that intruders have entered the castle! Owl Aye does not understand; how did they surmount his repeating space loop? "By taking the LABELED side door, you imbecile!"

Owl Aye is confident that Peahen's rescuers, no matter how powerful they may be, will never surmount his next defense. Kitty demands to know if this is the one in the kitchen and, when told that it is, informs him that she will be taking over Castle Defense duty herself.

The inside of Owl Tower is filled with books, tchotchkies, and a surprising number of chinchillas, who appear neither rabid, violent, nor even in the least bad-tempered. Above the nearest doorway is a plaque reading, "Lord Chaos, bless this humble home." It has birds on it. Ferret is not impressed.

Wandering through the rooms on the first level of Owl Tower, you will find a carefully labeled "Care Package" containing a Potion, a Phoenix Down, 333 gold, and a note wishing you to have a nice day. Ferret's respect for the place is dwindling into the negatives by now. Things only get worse when you enter the kitchen and find Owl Aye's "next defense"...

In Humanity Lies Hope: Introduction

It's high time I introduced some new ideas on this blog, so let's begin with an idea I've been turning over in my head for over a year and a half now. Despite the large amount of time I've had this idea in mind, it's honestly not very well-formed, so this isn't a concept I'll have huge, in-depth posts on like I do for Rambling or Spectrum.

Some of you are probably quite relieved by this!

Anyway, "In Humanity Lies Hope" is imagined to be an RPG that looks like a Tales game and plays like Dissidia: Final Fantasy. It takes place in a world of demihumans, and it is a game plot that runs on curiosity and the desire for freedom rather than a world-threatening danger. Like Star Ocean: The Second Story (and other games,) the game has two main characters, both dog demihumans: Haruki, a shiba-inu-inspired archer who is quiet and sheltered, and Tess, a collie-inspired street-thief with a noble spirit.

Combat takes place in large, interactive, three-dimensional battlefields, as in Dissidia. The maximum party size is four characters, but you only control one, although you can switch who you are controlling at any time. The remaining characters in the party are either controlled by the A.I., directed by a Tales-inspired set of directives you can set in the Options menu and change during battle, or by up to three other people. I'm a big fan of multiplayer RPGs, and it's my personal opinion we really need more of them!

In a way, I intend the plot of "In Humanity Lies Hope" to be a mystery story. Mysteries drive the characters to leave their homes and embark on this journey. Mysteries drive the religions of the world, and mysteries inspire the ones who turn against these religions as well. Mysteries will, I hope, pull the player into the story. Who is right about the nature of the world? What is the real plan being woven within the shadows? Why do the worshiped gods have such familiar forms? And most important of all...do we all turn pink or blue in the afterlife?

Yuunaru! Characters: Taro

TARO
Nicknames: None
Age: 17, Taurus
Grade: High School Senior
Hair: Black
Eyes: Black
Build: Large, but beautiful
Profession: Sumo-wrestler-in-training
Family: Orphaned
Personality: Kind, caring, dedicated
Dream: To open a restaurant
Likes: Feeling needed, rice
Dislikes: Cracks about his body
Weapon: Gloves
Transformed Costume: Fundoshi
Element: Earth Sun

SKILLS
 Quake
 Earthquake
 Magnitude 10
 Encourage (heals both of Taro's allies)
 Cure (full-heal for one)

UNISON ATTACKS
 Taro, Hiro: NOT AGAIN
 Taro, Motoki: Bakery Attack
 Taro, Konosuke: Powerful Song
 Taro, Kiyoshi: Blitzkrieg
 Taro, Yukio: Elegant Song
 Taro, Shimei/ Fuma/ Jin/ Yukio: First Aid
 Taro, Makoto/ Ai Len/ Kisho/ Kohei/ Atsushi/ Zen: Martial Attack

TRIPLE UNISON ATTACKS
 Taro + Two (Mizumaki, Konosuke, Kiyoshi, Tsuruya, Zen): Exhibitionist Attack
 Taro + Two (Shimei, Fuma, Jin, Yukio): Medical Emergency
 Taro + Two (Junichi, Konosuke, Hikaru, Yukio, Hanako): Concert Attack

The youngest and newest member of the school's unpopular sumo wrestling team, Taro is a sweet, gentle, soft-spoken, food-loving student with a strong work ethic and a humble dream of someday opening a cozy little restaurant somewhere in town. Shy and often found studying with extensive supplies of food at his side, he has been teased throughout his school career but has somehow held onto his kind and innocent nature. He can be gently teasing sometimes, but is much more often the shoulder others run to cry on, as he radiates calm, acceptance, and comfort like a space heater.

Although Hiro's wish grants him, among many others, magical powers, Taro doesn't realize this for quite a while (although his encouraging words to others have been having surprisingly dramatic effects recently). It's not until Arata and Hayato crash a festival and Taro shatters the earth to defend others that he realizes something's different. Once the situation is explained to him by the others, he cheerfully agrees to help Fight Evil (disappointing Ryuu temporarily by ruining his sentai team, until he learns that Taro can cook).

There are two different ways to hang out with Taro: you can train with him and follow him to sumo, which will get you lots of easy extra EXP but not too many relationship points; or you can cook with him and help him look into owning a restaurant. You can try switching back and forth, but both event trees are riddled with crucial events that you can easily miss, which will screw you up. Basically, if you want a relationship with Taro, encourage his foodie side, not his fighting side.

Yuunaru! Characters: Hayato

HAYATO
Nicknames: None
Age: 210, appears 18, Scorpio
Grade: N/A
Hair: Brown (Yellow when transformed)
Eyes: Brown (Red when transformed)
Build: Strong
Profession: Tengu
Family: N/A
Personality: Calm, vain, competitive
Dream: To be idolized
Likes: Tea, early mornings, bitter gourd crepes
Dislikes: Pepper, strong scents that disturb his sensitive nose
Weapon: Hauchiwa (mystic feather fan)
Transformed Costume: Elegant ceremonial robes
Element: Wind Star

SKILLS
 Cyclone
 Tornado
 Typhoon
 Tailwind (speed up, all)
 Galewind (speed down, all)

UNISON ATTACKS
 Hayato, Arata: Demon Attack

TRIPLE UNISON ATTACKS
 Hiro, Arata, Hayato: Summoning Attack
 Hayato + Two (Shimei, Ai Len, Kisho, Yukio): Bishounen Attack

NOTE: Scarred during the course of the first game

Like Arata, Hayato the tengu is summoned by Hideki to be Hotaru's secret weapon against Hiro. Hotaru holds back on utilizing Hayato until Ai Len defects, at which point he sends Hayato to keep an eye on Arata's hijinks. Hayato is a calm, logical individual - an excellent counterpoint to Arata's energy - but unlike Ai Len, whom Arata grated upon, Hayato also appreciates Arata's sense of fun and humor and is easily roped into going to amusement parks or festivals instead of attending to his work. Hayato is also fantastically vain and can easily be manipulated by appealing to or pricking his vanity; he often gets involved in beauty/ swimsuit/ talent competitions and is not above resorting to underhanded methods to win. He tries to portray himself as a tranquil, traditional, nature-loving individual, but his quick temper often ruins the image before he's even done creating it.

Hayato joins Arata in attacking Hiro after Ai Len leaves Hotaru's side, and he considers Ai Len - whom he replaced and whom often foils his carefully laid plans - his eternal rival, frequently challenging him to compete in the afore-mentioned beauty/ swimsuit/ talent competitions (although Ai Len inevitably wins). Eventually, however, the demonic duo's lack of results enrages Hideki and by extension Hotaru, who puts Raye in charge of them both. Hayato handles Raye's strict micromanagement better than Arata, but becomes dissatisfied enough that he joins Arata in hiding from him at mission time and accidentally stumbles across the Destroyer Laboratory with him. Hideki, furious at their intrusion, thrashes them both with extremely powerful magic, and only Hayato's wind powers get them out of the fight alive. Arata, the slightly less injured, tows Hayato to safety and gets them both to Hiro, who takes them in. Hayato, whose face is now scarred (albeit handsomely so,) is willing to do anything to get revenge on Hideki - even assist Ai Len.

Being as vain as he is, Hayato responds well to flattery. However, since he spends so much of the game getting beaten by Ai Len, the important part to winning his affections is comforting him afterwards, and words won't do the job there. Show him how well you know him by taking him out to do things he enjoys
after his crushing defeats - such as crepes, tea, hikes, or KILLING THINGS - and your relationship will blossom.

Yuunaru! Characters: Arata

ARATA
Nicknames: Little Devil

Age: 199, appears somewhere between 13 and 16, Leo

Grade: N/A

Hair: Long, crazy, and silver

Eyes: Red

Build: Short but strong

Profession: Oni

Family: N/A

Dream: To find something to care about again

Personality: Mischievous, seductive, single-minded

Likes: Playing pranks and causing chaos

Dislikes: Words of optimism and cheer

Weapon: Gloves

Transformed Costume: Horns, samurai-esque garb, tiger-skin-loincloth, massive rosary beads

Element: Fire Moon

SKILLS

 Pulsar

 Quasar

 Super Nova

 Meltdown (defense down, one)

 Smelt (attack up, one)

UNISON ATTACKS

 Arata, Hayato: Demon Attack

 Arata, Kiyoshi: Shota Attack

 Arata, Chinami: Volatile Attack

 Arata, Atsushi: Oni's Sake

TRIPLE UNISON ATTACKS

 Hiro, Arata, Hayato: Summoning Attack

 Arata + Two (Ryuu, Isao, Hotaru, Jin, Tsuruya, Kiyoshi): Brawlers' Attack

 Arata + Two (Makoto, Kisho, Konosuke, Tsuruya): Bara Attack

Arata is an oni summoned by Hideki and given to Hotaru as a secret weapon against Hiro. A passionate, mischief-making trickster, Arata takes great joy in having fun in any way: eating good food, going to amusement parks, going shopping, getting drunk, going clubbing...if it's high-energy and engaging, you can bet Arata wants to do it. He's been locked out of the world for almost a century thanks to a long-dead exorcist and is very excited to walk it again. Despite his youthful appearance, Arata has the benefit of many years of experience and is more intelligent than he lets on; in fact, although he enjoys being treated like a child for the happy-fun-times of it, he has a strong mature side underneath all the fun and games.

Hotaru releases Arata from his magic-induced slumber and orders him to help Ai Len after Ai Len's concentration is shattered when Shimei fires him. Arata's excessive energy clashes horribly with Ai Len's methodical planning, which eventually results in Ai Len defecting to Hiro's side and Hotaru releasing the tengu Hayato to help Arata defeat them both. With Hayato to help him plan his moves and control himself, Arata causes chaos with gusto until his lack of any genuine results provokes Hideki to put pressure on Hotaru and Hotaru to put pressure on Arata. When Raye returns from America, Hotaru puts the cowboy in charge of Arata and Hayato, and Raye's tight management causes Arata's free spirit to chafe. Upset and sullen, Arata accidentally discovers the Destroyer Lab hidden within Hotaru's headquarters and is, along with Hayato, severely injured by Hideki for trespassing. Supporting each other, the two barely escape with their lives and struggle to find Hiro and warn him about Ifrit, whom they barely caught a glimpse of before Hideki found them. Arata may be a demon, but his demonic nature makes him fond of the material world, and he doesn't want to see it destroyed. After Hotaru and Ifrit have been defeated, Arata - pleased at the excitement he's had with Hiro's group - begins to bother them on a permanent basis.

Although Arata often acts like a child to the point that you want to smack him, he really longs for someone who will put up with his rapid persona changes, both enjoying and valuing all the different roles he likes to take on without judgment. Arata takes a lot of attention and money - part of wooing him is doing whatever he wants you to do and buying him all the things he suggests you buy, which will take grinding - and also requires walking a fine line between playing along with him and humoring him. If he feels he's being treated like a child, he will speedily lose interest in you...unless, of course, he wants to be treated like a child at that particular point in time, in which case he will speedily lose interest if you DON'T.

Rambling: Monsters: Witches

Method of Attack: Hexes, jinxes, general bad-luck curses
Omega Attack: Witch's Kitchen

Types

Witch

Hag

Crone

Black Annis

 Movement: 3

 Spellbook Slots: 3

 Magic Experience Gain Rate Chart

   Fire: 20  -  Water: 20  -  Wind: 20  -  Earth: 20

   Lightning: 20  -  Holy: 20  -  Darkness: 20  -  Medical: 05

   Strength: 05  -  Weakness: 30

Skills

Learns magic up to Level 4 of one random element.

Skill Statistics

Normal Attack  -  Lvl 0, MP 1%, Long-range

Witch's Kitchen  -  Lvl 0, MP 0, Omega Attack

Level 1  -  Lvl 5, MP ?, Long-range

Level 2  -  Lvl 15, MP ?, Long-range

Level 3  -  Lvl 30, MP ?, Long-range

Level 4  -  Lvl 60, MP ?, Long-range