The San Antonio city council has decided NOT to bid on the Republican National Convention. Since the Republican party, led by the likes of a man who’s last name rhymes with “rump,” Paul Ryan, and Mitch McConnell, that allows Steve King to stay in Congress, and tried to bring in Roy Moore, is a bunch of fascists out to destroy everything I love, I consider this good news because I was furious at the prospect when I first learned of it in an article titled, San Antonio City Council Warned Not to Talk Politics of GOP Convention Bid in Closed Session. This is the party that put a disgusting racist in the White House because they agree with his bigotry. He’s called Mexicans, my neighbors and ancestors, rapists, to start off his campaign along with plenty of racist history before that (questioning President Obama’s birth certificate, calling for the execution of the Central Park Five, denying rent to Black people and so on). Another more recent item that sticks out in my mind is his calling Haiti a “shithole” (or possibly “shithouse”).
I live in District 9 and met John Courage in person some months before he was elected. We talked for maybe 30 minutes about several topics (it could have been longer, my point is that it was to me a significant amount of time). We agreed on many points, and he listened to my frustrations and fears. My district electing a person who leans more on the liberal or progressive side of things than conservative was a pleasant surprise. I call or email him from time to time though not sure if he or his staff ever remember me by name. After Hurricane Harvey hit, I stopped by his office to make a donation. I was disheartened to read the following comment on his take on, “whether [he] thought the city should submit a bid to host the Republican National Convention.”
Councilman John Courage (D9): Maybe. “I believe in the freedom of speech and the freedom of assembly,” he said. “Whatever they decide to do is up to them.” Asked whether the same level of scrutiny would be applied to a bid for a Democratic National Convention, Courage said, “Absolutely, I would think so.”
Freedom of speech and freedom of assembly? What does that have to do with a bid to get the RNC here? Nothing. The “Whatever they decide to do is up to them,” sounds more like a response to a question like, “What do you think if the Republican party decided to have their convention here?”
I am exhausted of anyone making the argument that bigotry is free speech, and that is what I feel a Republican convention is based on the leaders of that party and their actions, votes, and so on toward myself and the people I love. As my Twitter mutual Amadi has said in one tweet of this worthwhile full thread, “There’s no such thing as just speech. Speech is an act. Opinions matter because they motivate people to action. We know it.” That is all true, and I feel it when I see the current party in power do everything they can to take away my family’s health care or to hurt my career by working to destroy Net Neutrality, or to threaten my family’s right to exist because they hate our Mexican heritage.
Please take a look at the following from one of the other councilmen, Rey Saldaña:
“One week of economic boost two years from now does not [override] all of the feelings that my constituents have,” he said. “The fact that our president has gone out of his way to personally offend so many residents who I represent and personally offend …. folks who are transexual or Dreamers or disabled – the list goes on – it’s been very difficult to say yes to this and controversial because the president has made it so.”
Another councilman, Roberto Treviño, referred to our “cultural heritage.” and it hurts that they are the only two on the council willing to specify to that degree the harm caused by this alleged “president” because so many want to give the appearance of concern for financial and economic benefit and not opposing the party of bullies.
Even if I personally felt it were acceptable for the Republicans to have their big hate convention here, and I don’t, the obligation of the government for freedom of speech is to not prevent the gathering itself. They have no obligation to bid, so the answer simply ignores the question and relates it to something that is not really the question at hand.
I am disappointed because all too often I see people arguing with the words “free speech” about things that are most certainly not a debate about “free speech,” that those arguments are harmful, and now I can count my representative that municipal level in that group.
Slither.io is a video game you can play on iOS, Android, or on a browser online. I first played it on an iPad after my daughter expressed interest because she saw Ryan, from Ryan’s Family Review, playing it. After awhile, I paid to get the ads removed and one day, curious about the purpose of the game, I played it myself.
I liked it.
You play as a Slither, a snake with two eyes and a body. You can build your Slither, if you so choose, from a select set of colors or you can choose from a pre-made set. At first, I made my own but eventually settled on a pre-made black and yellow. The more pellets you eat, the longer your snake. The snake’s length is essentially its score so the goal is to grow your snake as big as possible. If your head hits into another snake’s body, you die. While the pellets one can eat on the map increase your length, the dead snakes give even more, adding a competitive edge to exploring and slithering around on the map, though it doesn’t have to be that way.
To my relief, a lot of other snakes are actually happy to simply eat and try not to kill each other. Some do, some don’t. I find it more relaxing when we’re all happy to just eat to get big and go on our merry way. Lately, I’ve been playing on my phone more since that has the option to play against the A.I. The game-play is faster and to me, maybe the most noticeably different thing, is the A.I. snakes are maybe not quite as aggressive or coordinated as some snakes online. By coordinated, I mean both that at least once online, I did feel two snakes were actively working together to kill mine, and they succeeded, and also that the other players know the exact right way at the exact right moment to destroy me with ease. They have good coordination in their own timing.
In any case, both experiences give me a little snake to make into a big snake, and I think I’m so cute when I’m little and so proud when I get big. I’m generally content to get over 1,000 though lately, I’ve even managed to get on the leader-board against the AI. In fact, as I type this review, my latest and best score from tonight (4/12/2018), is 18,501.
My approach is to mostly just work on eating whatever I can get to with as little danger as possible. I tend to play with caution though the more willing you are to risk, the faster you can get big. One strategy I saw on YouTube was to get on the leader-board and then make your snake into a big circle and go in and out of your coil to eat whatever is nearby in or out of it. I sometimes use that even when I’m not on the leader-board. It does put me at risk of being wrapped, but it’s a risk I take. I mean, playing the game itself and being near other snakes is a risk too. Sometimes instead of a circle, I just go up and down and hope maybe another snake ran into my tail.
Once I do get bigger, I might try wrapping the smaller snakes. Some do their best to spin and hope and work to getting out, and they do, because I might move on, and others outright give up and kill themselves. Another video I watched suggested a lot of good, aggressive tips, but I prefer to play at a calmer, passive pace. Slither.io helps me unwind, literally and figuratively.
You can play on a browser for free and see ads. The iOS version is also free with ads though for that one, you can pay to have them removed. It cost $4.32, and I do feel I have received my money’s worth from both my daughter’s and my own enjoyment. Since I paid for it on the iPad for her, the ads were removed when I put the game on my own iPhone as well.
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Recently at work, a manager asked that I show some records but restrict them based on the calendar Sunday through Saturday week of a given date.
I did my usual Google search for this particular request, which gave me some ideas though none really gave exactly what I wanted because for some reason, Sundays throw certain expected calculations off.
With that in mind, I decided to write some extra lines just to make it more clear to me what I was accomplishing to get the dates and figured it might be useful to other visitors to this blog.
So, here it is, this is written specifically for SQL Server 2008.
Declare @DateToCheck datetime
Declare @SubtractForSunday int
Declare @AddForSaturday int
Declare @SundayDate datetime
Declare @SaturdayDate datetime
Set @DateToCheck = DATEADD(d, 0, DATEDIFF(d, 0, GETDATE()))
Set @SubtractForSunday = DATEPART(dw,@DateToCheck) - 1
Set @AddForSaturday = 7 - DATEPART(dw,@DateToCheck)
Set @SundayDate = DateAdd(day,-@SubtractForSunday,@DateToCheck)
Set @SaturdayDate = DateAdd(day,@AddForSaturday,@DateToCheck)
Select idThing
From tblThing
Where 1 = 1
and dtSomeDate between @SundayDate and @SaturdayDate
To break it down a little so you know what I am doing:
The DATEADD(d, 0, DATEDIFF(d, 0, GETDATE())) portion is to set the current date/time to midnight. You can get around this by making the @DateToCheck variable a date variable, instead of datetime, or making sure the datetime variables you are working with already set to midnight, which was the case for my own particular situation. I’m showing the midnight here because that is not always the case and is useful for my own reference.
Sunday is always day 1 and Saturday is always day 7. Those are known quantities. Once we have a date to check, we can get that date’s day of the week number that is 1 through 7 using algebra. If the day we are checking is 1 (Sunday) and we are aiming to get to 1 (Sunday) , we will want to subtract nothing, 1 – 0 = 1. If the day is 2 (Monday), we will want to subtract only 1, so 2 – 1 = 1. If the day is Saturday we will want that number to be 6, 7 – 6 = 1. We are starting to see a pattern where y is the day of the week are checking and x is the number that will give us the necessary subtraction for reaching 1: y – x = 1. We take that same logic to give us Saturday: v + w = 7. The @SubtractForSunday variable is determined by re-working this equation to look like x = y – 1 and the @AddForSaturday variable is determined by re-working it to w = 7 – v.
Because once we have that number, we can proceed to the original form of the equation and use the DateAdd function, making sure to have our minus sign in front of our @SubtractForSunday variable.
If you wanted to condense it instead of lay out all like that, you could do:
Set @SundayDate = DateAdd(day,-(DATEPART(dw,@DateToCheck) - 1),@DateToCheck)
Set @SaturdayDate = DateAdd(day,(7 - DATEPART(dw,@DateToCheck)),@DateToCheck)
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Android gymnast, Melvina, in a yellow leotard with gray bionic legs. She has dark blue hair tied in a ponytail with a red ponytail-holder and brown skin.
I wanted to make a WordPress post that showed a drawing’s progression log like I have done in the past on my Tumblr. For Tumblr, the web application interface lets you re-arrange the images in size and order and makes the photoset a slideshow. You can also put captions in that will appear under the photos in the slideshow, and that slideshow lets you navigate using the right and left arrow keys. This is not specific to only Tumblr but uses the Javascript library, Lightbox, which I have little experience with. However, I do have plenty of experience making Tumblr photosets.
This post will break down the steps I took to accomplish that goal should I need to find it again or if any readers find the information useful. Before I start, I will say that Tumblr Photoset Grid/Masonry Gallery for WordPress by sike is a $12 plugin I found that, by its description at least, would have done exactly what I wanted. Most of the information you would need for what I ended up doing instead are in this video, How to create masonry style gallery in Elementor Page Builder for WordPress.
As I made this post, I noticed the Simple Lightbox alone would also work for my main goal of a series of images in a single column and through regular WordPress posts, without Elementor so long as the images link to the media file. Still, this information is useful for if I ever want to do more columns in masonry gallery format.
1. Use the Elementor Plugin
Install and activate the Elementor plugin if you are not already using it in your WordPress site. Elementor alone can let you put in an image gallery that can be a single column and act as a slideshow, but I ran into an issue where the captions would not show, not even on the actual post as described that it should in the documentation. For some users, showing the captions below the images within the gallery is actually unwanted. In any case, I wanted to put text somewhere, it didn’t have to be image captions per se though it was preferable at first, and Elementor alone was not going to be enough.
2. Update the Elementor Plugin’s Global Setting to Turn Lightbox OFF.
To prevent double opening of a lightbox, we are turning off the Lightbox setting, which is on by default, in Elementor.
3. Use the Simple Lightbox Plugin
Install and activate the Simple Lightbox plugin. If you need to update any of the settings, you can do so through the Plugins page or under Appearance from the WordPress dashboard, then choosing Lightbox.
4. Create Post Using Elementor
For the type of post I was trying to do this for, I created a single-column post where I show a starting progression at the top and finished image at the bottom. You can do the actual columns and sizes however you want, that is the benefit of this masonry gallery approach. The next step is the really key one.
5. Create Image Widgets and Link Each One to Media File
Because we are using individual image widgets instead of an overall image gallery, we have more freedom with the content between the images so instead of putting the captions with the image properties and showing in the Lightbox, I’m actually placing them above each image as I explain my process. With our Elementor plugin already set to have Lightbox OFF by default, we can now leave it to the Simple Lightbox plugin to create the slideshow and group the images together automatically. Preview or update the page too see the Lightbox single-column in action.
6. Adjust CSS
This step can be skipped if you are happy with the Simple Lightbox default look. I updated some of the CSS to my own preference because of past familiarity with Tumblr photosets.
The following was added through Appearance, Additional CSS:
/* Removes 16px border made through padding within this container */
#slb_viewer_wrap .slb_theme_slb_baseline .slb_container {
padding: 0 !important;
}
/* Changes box shadow to black and new radius, more closely matches a Tumblr photoset */
#slb_viewer_wrap .slb_theme_slb_default .slb_container {
border-radius: 3px !important;
box-shadow: 0 4px 30px #000 !important;
}
Within the post I was working on, I also hid the details in case I end up using captions more often in the future and the post being worked on turned out to be an exception rather than a rule for how I want the text describing images to look.
Another option I considered was to have a slideshow at the top and then show the progression log as individual images below it. I also tried out a plugin called Smart Slider 3 that looked really good for slideshows in general but then realized I still wanted my single column of each image in the set to be visible on the page. I even thought of having 7 different slideshows and putting them all on the same page but that was too much work for something that could be done better another way.
If you appreciate any of the work that went into making this post, please consider giving a tip to my PayPal account or supporting me on Patreon.
The header image above is the final image I will be working toward. The idea is based on the Greek mythological character Chaos, sometimes personified as a woman, and the inspiration for the look is drawn from Sailor Chaos in the Sailor Moon Sailor Star series, the digital artwork by GENZOMAN titled Chaos, the digital artwork by sandara titled Black Angel, and the Succubus persona from the Persona video game series, mainly Persona 5. Also, I very much wanted to do a picture of someone or something with claws. Click on any image below to see the progression log as a slideshow.
Original photo. I did not take it with the idea of drawing myself in mind, but it looked like a good reference while I was brainstorming ideas.
I learned about Janelle Monáe from my favorite writer, Trudy on her blog, Gradient Lair, in this piece: Janelle Monáe’s Womanist and Afrofuturist Trilogy of Songs. Since then, she’s been one of my favorite musicians and definitely someone whose work I appreciate and anticipate.
Last week, she released two new music videos, Django Jane and Make Me Feel, that will be on her album premiering April 27th, Dirty Computer. They were a treat, and I’m especially happy with Make Me Feel: the beat, the colors, the inclusion of her close friend, Tessa Thompson, the celebration of the feelings described in the lyrics, and the visual queer celebration of a woman flirting with and lusting for another woman.
Rumours have long been whispered about her sexuality, but Monáe has thus far resisted publicly defining it; she characterises herself again as “sexually liberated” and she declines to frame Make Me Feel in literal terms. “It’s a celebratory song,” she says. “I hope that comes across. That people feel more free, no matter where they are in their lives, that they feel celebrated. Because I’m about women’s empowerment. I’m about agency. I’m about being in control of your narrative and your body. That was personal for me to even talk about: to let people know you don’t own or control me and you will not use my image to defame or denounce other women.”
When I watch Make Me Feel, it sends my heart a flutter and gives me a little smile.
My favorite visual part is probably where she’s crawling behind a lot of legs in different-colored pantyhose, herself wearing a yellow bodysuit and knee-pads as she makes her away across the floor. The first time we see her behind them, she’s singing the “powerful with a little bit of tender” lyric and playfully taps one of the legs. My favorite audible part is probably where the drums (or something that sounds or reminds of drums) kicks in and she runs to Tessa. It’s a fun, powerful shift.
The close-up of her butt in jeans reminded me of George Michael’s music video, “Faith,” with some notable differences. In the George Michael video, he is wearing blue jeans that have stains and are ripped. Janelle’s jean’s are instead almost like a special type of pantyhose jeans adorned with red roses and green stems and leaves, an expression of her femininity. I went to re-watch the “Faith” music video and some Prince music videos to look for similarities of possible inspiration. One of the feminists I follow, Melissa McEwan, referenced Robert Palmer on Twitter (“I hope this video makes Robert Palmer weep and scream at the heavens.”), so I took in a quick reminder of that music video too.
Prince helped Janelle with this album, which I am grateful we are able to experience after his passing. Thank you, Prince. Thank you, Janelle.
Django Jane is another celebration of oneself as she lists off her accomplishments, what’s been said about her, and her identity as a Black woman. I want to take a moment to acknowledge that the lyrics specify body parts (pussy, vagina) and that while one can certainly talk about one’s own body, which she does, to understand and recognize that some women, trans and non-binary, may not have those parts and are still women. Giving birth is also not a woman-specific thing, noting since that is part of the lyrics of what “we gave.” The “we gave” portion leads into this part: We fem the future, don’t make it worse/You want the world? Well, what’s it worth? And I do like the challenge in those last two questions. Another audible part I liked was the lyric, “cue the violins and violas,” along with the actual music to follow. Also, if anyone in any kind of official capacity or can even just reach those who are and have the power to do so, the music videos really should have closed captioning to make them more accessible. As of my typing these words, they don’t. I hope in the future those who benefit from such things will have them so that we can all enjoy this delightful and inspiring work together.
I have not played all Kingdom Hearts games so am not completely up-to-date on the story from that though I did look up some information while writing this post. This post will contain spoilers from previous Kingdom Hearts games.
Monsters Inc. Trailer
The Monsters Inc. trailer starts with a scene between Sora, with Donald and Goofy to each side, talking to Marluxia, the main antagonist from Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. I have conflicted feelings about this sight because Marluxia is supposed to be done with after Sora defeats him in Castle Oblivion. Then again, if Marluxia’s back, then maybe Larxene is too, and she was one of my favorites from a recently completed Chain of Memories play-through, being delightfully devious and alas, the only girl in the entirety of the Organization XIII cast up until 358/2 Days with the introduction of Xion. That makes two girls out of fourteen characters in just that one group.
In any case, the sight of Marluxia and his exchange with Sora indicate the Organization is still a significant antagonistic presence. Indeed, I have learned of True Organization XIII and will find out more on that if I ever get around to playing Dream Drop Distance. Sora, Donald, and Goofy do not remember Marluxia in particular, them still having forgotten all the events of Castle Oblivion to have their memories put back together by Naminé.
The trailer then moves onto scenes and characters from the likes of Toy Story and Monsters, Inc., followed by game-play footage of a Tangled world though no scenes to introduce Flynn and Rapunzel. Much of the footage shows movement with transforming keyblades and various interactions between characters. Of note is that in each of the three worlds, Sora is shown as being accompanied by Donald and Goofy, as usual, but rather than them being interchangeable with a given party member from the world, two characters from each world are shown in the lower right, indicating a five-character party rather than three. The pairs from each world are Woody and Buzz from Toy Story, Sully and Mike from Monsters, Inc., and Rapunzel and Flynn from Tangled. That makes Rapunzel one girl out of each of the three possible parties shown.
In the Tangled world, we do see a glimpse of, presumably, an Ariel summon. Ariel’s world is one Sora has visited in both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. In Kingdom Hearts II, Sora had forms where his clothes would change and affected his abilities. Again, in the Tangled world, Sora’s clothes do appear to change color as he is doing something with special commands though the entire party still shows in the lower right of the screen. Instead of “Drive,” we see “Focus” as part of the gauges available to him.
Each world shows a lot of interaction with the environment and affecting Sora’s available weaponry and attacks with Monsters, Inc. Part of the Monsters, Inc. footage includes a LAUGH POWER meter with a Boo icon in the upper left part of the screen.
As the trailer nears its conclusion, Sora is confronted by none other than Vanitas, with the Birth by Sleep antagonist saying he will take the half of him sleeping inside, addressing Ventus. Sora addresses him by name though acts surprised, indicating he doesn’t know why he knows Vanitas’ name.
Theme Song Trailer
In addition to the Monsters, Inc. trailer was a trailer for the theme song, again done by Utada Hikaru. This time around, there is only dialogue at the end and so most of the video is visuals to the song. These visuals include a Young Xehanort, an introductory scene between Sora, Donald, and Goofy meeting Buzz and Woody, a scene of Vanitas addressing our heroes in the Monsters Inc. world, seeming to anger Mike in the process, and a glimpse of returning villains Maleficent, Pete, and Hades in probably the Tangled world. We also see Xemnas meeting Sora and another character next to him, who resembles Ansem from the first game (which is also the same appearance Riku has for most of Kingdom Hearts II). I assume this is more of True Organization XIII.
Speaking of Riku, the trailer concludes with a scene of Riku and Micky in the Dark Margin where Riku stares at a broken keyblade, notes he cannot use it anymore, and says he will leave it in this place in case the “other me” needs it. Micky looks surprised as he says, “Huh?” If he means his replica that disappeared in Chain of Memories or something else, we do not know yet.
Both trailers end with stating the game is “Coming 2018.” Familiar with long waits and delays from Square-Enix or other video game development companies, I can’t help remaining a little skeptical though I am happy to be wrong and see it release this year, especially since I am making 2018 my Kingdom Hearts Year, as I am going through the games in Kingdom Hearts I.5 + II.5 ReMix and might even follow that with Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. The timing will work out nicely at this rate.
Hi everyone, Cathy here. In this video, This video is going to cover taking on Sephiroth in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix through two methods. The first method I will show is the Strike Raid method. I saw it in a video by EliteWaffle on YouTube. And it did look very familiar, like maybe I’ve done that before myself. And then the other method was, I had a guide in mind. I looked one up by Soraalam1 “Boss Busters Sephiroth.” It was a very helpful video. And I tried to remember the general tips, but I also did a lot of the stuff that I usually do. Eventually, I felt like I could be more aggressive and just heal up and just be ready for a move called Descend Heartless Angel. If you don’t already know about it, it’s a move that Sephiroth has where he can knock your HP down to 1 and if you are hit by it, you pretty much need to have an Elixir ready to heal you before he hits you again.
So, when you’re prepared for that and you’re leveled up like I am, maybe not quite this high, but you’re leveled up, you can take him on I think. Here I am, I’m at level 100, I’ve got great equipment, and I’ve got lots of HP and lots of MP so, ’cause I saved battles like this one for close to the end. So, we’re going to wrap it up here and then I included his little intro movie because I like it so much. He’s one of my favorite characters and let’s go check it out very, very soon. Here we go. Here we go, gonna pick it. You know the rules, right? Question mark.
That was so cool. I lost on my first attempt, but that beautiful movie, so I made sure that I had at least the clip saved so that I could put it in this video because I like it so much. It’s actually on my old YouTube channel, just by itself. So, as you can see, if you’re watching the video, that we are really just doing Strike Raid over and over, locking on, and Strike Raid. And I’ve got lots of HP, lots of MP, and I didn’t show my equipment, but I have very, very strong equipment because I synthesized all the items, and I’ve equipped mostly things that increase my strength and/or MP and/or HP. So, here we go. You also want to be stocked up on Elixirs for when you do run out of MP. Alright, oh, now he’s starting to teleport around so according to the Soraalam1 guide, we have entered stage 2, and you can see he did Descend Heartless Angel right away, and I got my Elixir. And that move is pretty much why I had to try repeatedly at this fight. I even failed on the Strike Raid attempt, even the easy way. If you do not get your Elixir ready in time, it’s over! So, but you know, if you’re Strike Raiding fast enough, you will get him. And if you’re nearby and you hit him, you will get him. So, that was good, I did get him a couple of times before he actually pulled it off. I think that’s, I think for the Strike Raid version, I think that was really the only time he pulled off Descend Heartless Angel, but I’m not 100% sure.
So, oh he’s swiping at me, he’s swiping at me! You’ll see in the next one, you can guard a lot of those if you try. Alright, here we go, okay, I did get hit by that one. So that’s two. That’s two Descend Heartless Angels he’s done on me. And you can see both times, I made sure I got my Elixir in time. Alright, he’s starting to run around. He’s starting to run around. Oh okay, I was wrong, and there’s three. There’s three, so yeah, I guess I just let him do it over and over again.
Let him do his fire. Here we go. Oh, there he goes again, but we’re just going to keep doing Strike Raid. We’re just going to keep doing Strike Raid. Teleporting again. Ah! Yes! Yes! I got him. I got him in time. Did you see that? I got him before he did Descend Heartless Angel on me. Teleporting. Ah, the fire, but I’m fine, I’m fine because I’m Strike Raiding. I’m Strike Raiding. So, what’s he going to do, right? He’s going to-well, that. He’s going to do that, but I’m going to get him. I’m going to get him, I’ve just to keep trying. Well, as you can see there, I pretty much just took the hits and then healed right up. Haha, that did nothing because I am Strike Raiding him.
We are down to grass green. We are going to get him. He’s going to keep trying to get us, but we’re going to keep getting him. There goes our Strike Raid. Thank you Strike Raid. Almost got him and in the other method, this is about where I pull out the Strike Raid as well. Last health bar. We are so going to get him. We’re a little low on MP, but that’s okay. Do you know why? Because we have Elixirs for just such an occasion. Going to finish him off. Boom! Got him! We got him! And then we’re going to get an Ansem’s Report and probably a keyblade and probably a trophy too. Oh, there he goes, floating up in the air, looking all cool like Sephiroth. Okay, I will give you something. I will give you something for using Strike Raid on me over and over and over again. There you go, obtained One-Winged Angel, Ansem’s Report 12. Alright, my little victory pose. And if I did get a trophy, I cut it off right then because this is the next method over here.
Alright! So this time, we are going to save Strike Raid for later. Here we go. Here he comes, dodging, dodging right away. Lock on, got hit already. You’re going to see a lot of that actually. We’re going to start to hit, one hit, and then he hits me right back. So, and it takes awhile, and there’s the fire. And I have Sliding Dash equipped, thanks to the Soraalam1 guide. And I know that if you are close enough, you can try and close in once the fire starts to subside. There I am healing. So you see, I get caught in it a lot, but I’ve got a lot of HP. I’ve got my healing magic, and I’m not wasting my MP on Strike Raid, so I can heal quite a bit. So, he’s following me around. We haven’t even made a dent in his health bar yet or because his health bar is over the limit, I actually can’t see how much of a dent I have made on him yet. So, I’m just going to keep going, keep dodging while he does the little leap forward, trying stay out of-oh, didn’t stay out of his range and almost got caught in the fire but then zoom in and do a little combo there.
And we’re going to basically repeat that over and over and over again. So it’s still kind of a repeated action, it’s just, it’s not Strike Raid. It’s a three-hit combo if we can get one and a lot of evasive action. Running. There’s a swipe. Okay, near the fire. Oh, I got hit by it, but I was trying to wait for it to subside and get in there without getting hit by it. You see that I tried to glide over to him, but he was too fast for me. We have finally cut into the health bar. Yay! So yes, yes, I am damaging him, even if slowly. There’s the fire again. Gliding, not in time. Running. Dodging. Dodge Roll. An aerial attack. He got me, oh caught right in the fire. Oh, oh that hurt. That hurt. But hey, I got a combo. Now I’ll heal. And I got hit again by the fire. That just keeps happening.
Alright, and he does his little leap there. Running. Running, running! And there’s the fire. Get in! No! Too soon, too soon. Too soon on the hit. Heal again. That’s just happening over and over again. And at some point, I’m like, you know, I’m running and getting hit, so I may as well just be more aggressive and go after him. ‘Cause yeah, getting hit, still having to heal, even when I’m trying to run away as much as I am. Running again. Dodging. Dodge roll, dodge roll, just out of reach. There’s the fire. Slide Dash! Still not close enough, oh, oh, there! There. Now he’s started to teleport, so that means he will attempt Descend Heartless Angel soon. Probably. I mean, I guess, he attempted it very quickly on that Strike Raid version that we did. So let’s see what happens. I’m Dodge Rolling. And there he is. There’s the fire again. Got hit by the fire again. Slide Dash, miss, or rather, we both clashed there and then I could do my combo. Ah, not that time though. Heal! Alright. He leapt. Oh, right smack dab in the fire. Yeah, he still hasn’t done Descend Heartless Angel yet. I’ll be ready when he does though.
And there it is. So, and you see, he’s doing it, got it, just in time. Like so close, he almost had me there. He almost had me. There, yeah, I got a combo. Yes! Ah, stopped and in the fire. Stuck in the fire. He’s running now. He’s running around the stage now while he’s still going after me. So, now, he’s being more aggressive, which I guess means in a sense, I can be more aggressive because he will be near me more.
Okay, here we go. Start blocking. Oh okay, I’m not blocking here, but there I go. Block, block, block. So it actually looked like at least three hits there. Oh, there he does his thing again. So, got my Elixir ready and now! Still just in time. Here he is, running, leaping, teleporting, He likes to teleport. And I like to get my hits in. Oh, there’s the fire. Heal. Nice, powerful healing magic thanks to all my wonderful MP there, thanks to my synthesized weapons and accessories, weapon and accessories. Jump! Combo! Yeah! Yeah! Oh, and then I’m stuck in the fire. Heal! And we’re going to keep doing that. Uh-oh! Here it comes again! Alright, time to block. Block. Block, oh, not there. Block, block. Augh! Well, got some blocks in. So that’s still good. More combo. Another combo.
Alright, so now I’m being a lot more aggressive myself because he is being a lot more aggressive, and he’s just coming after me, so I’m like, “Alright, fine! Fine. I will just come right at you and heal a bunch.” Like usual. Yup. I’m sure I’m going to heal soon because I’m pretty low on health. There we go, right there, right in the middle of the fire. Make sure you have Leaf Bracer on. If you don’t have that ability, maybe you should wait to get it ’cause it’s a big help during this battle. Alright, so he’s going to send those things after me. And I’m going to run around going “Aah aah, okay, can’t block that.” Can’t block that. I’m trying to be like, “Should I glide? Am I supposed to glide? I don’t remember.” *laughs* And there he throws the thing. I got hit, but it wasn’t that bad. Oh hey, hey, I see some grass green life bar there.
Alright, and he was twirling at me, there he goes, does a little twirl slash there. So, alright, alright, yeah, I’ll hit you back. I’ll hit you back. There he’s teleporting again. Okay, heal! Okay, yeah, we’re doing good. We’re doing good. We can bring out the Strike Raid soon. We can bring out the Strike Raid soon. Alright, I’m getting more combos in now that I’m getting closer, and he’s staying closer. And I’m like, “yeah, bring it!” Do the Strike Raid. Do the Strike Raid! And, there he is! Almost got him. Yeah! Yes! Yes! We have done it, with Strike Raid and other stuff this time. Way to go. We did it! Yay! And that’s it. The End.
Hi everyone, Cathy here. This video is going to show you how I defeated the Phantom on my play-through in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix for the PlayStation 4. I am going to share with you the strategies that I looked up and used, the main one being the Phantom FAQ provided by GameFAQs by Wirewyrm. I also watched a video by Missiledine Online and another by Soralaam1. So, I’m going to go ahead and explain a few things to you and then show my preparations for it. The Phantom Heartless is a heartless at the clock tower and you need to have Peter Pan in your party because Tinkerbell will be the one to take you there. And the Phantom casts Doom on Peter Pan first. Then if the Doom finishes, he will die and the Phantom will cast Doom on the next party member, be it Goofy or Donald who is with you. And then if that party member dies, the Doom will be cast on Sora. So it’s a kind of scary, pressured situation if you are not prepared for it.
Here are my shortcuts that I am going to use. In case you missed them because that was a pretty quick look: triangle for Aeroga, square for Stopra, and X for Cura. I could have had Curaga at this point, but I forgot to talk to Aerith a couple of times more in Hollow Bastion at the library. I did talk to her like another one or two times, but she didn’t give it to me until I talked to her still even more.
Oh, here I am stocking up on Ethers for Goofy and Peter Pan. At this point, I had already given Sora several Mega-Ethers and two Megalixirs. So, here I am running through and giving Ethers to both of the other party members.
To go back to the Phantom explanation, the Phantom can only be hurt based off of the glowing heart at the bottom of its cloak: white for physical attack magic-I mean, I’m sorry, white for physical attacks, and then the red means fire, blue means ice, yellow means thunder. And so my teammates, their only going to be good for giving Sora MP for the magic-casting or doing the physical attacks. And you can press triangle to tell them to attack the Phantom, so I made a habit of doing that when I would see the white heart at the bottom.
Alright, we are almost done stocking up on Ethers here. And then I’m going to double-check the abilities and remove any from Peter that uses MP because I do not want him giving Ethers to himself. I only want him giving Ethers to Sora. And then I will, in a moment, double-check on Goofy, but Goofy is already setup to have MP Gift. If you do nothing else from any of the strategies that you hear or read on this boss, give Goofy MP Gift. And I already have him removed on the abilities that cost MP. I don’t think he can even do them because we are flying, but I can’t say that with 100% certainty and may as well be safe.
Alright, so Peter is in my party, more saving, I save a lot, like all the time and then I’m going to remember to also change his equipment. Sora and Goofy already have very strong equipment that mostly boosts their MP because we want strong, strong magic for this fight. Alright, so then for Peter since I don’t want him casting magic and he’s not, he doesn’t have an MP Gift, I want him to be very strong, as strong as he can be, so I will loan him my Titan Chain and my Golem Chain. So, Titan Chain and then Golem Chain. And this is me just double-checking that those are the strongest ones that I have, which they are.
More saving.
Okay, now we are finally ready, I think, to talk to Tinkerbell.
And here we go.
Now I’ve already explained most of this and the preparations involved, so most of what you’re going to hear from me now is just what’s happening on the screen. So, here’s the Phantom.
And it is going to cast Doom very, very soon, not quite yet, I want to make sure I wait ’cause I think when I have done this in the past, I have done the Stop a moment too soon. So, there, I’m going to make sure the number’s over Peter’s head before I do it. And here I go.
I am not used to casting magic, so you’ll notice I’m a little slow on the casting, and I have trouble aiming, but I manage to pull it off all the same with all the preparations done for this fight. You do not have to be this high-level to do this fight, it just makes it a lot easier, especially with the preparations. And I wanted it to be easier. Now the Phantom hits really hard, even with as strong as my characters are at this point, which is one of the reasons I keep my cure on, so that, that way I can cure very quickly when I will need to. And here I’m pretty quick about putting that Stop on because I, I have had my teammates die on me when I’ve done this battle before.
Alright and when there’s no heart there, you can’t hurt the Phantom, so you can use it take a moment to re-stop the clock, to cast wind in case that, that attack that you might have seen right there, the Wirewyrm guide calls it a Heat-Seeking Worm. The Phantom will arch its back a little bit and put the hands near the hood and maybe kind of groan or howl, and they hurt you very hard, very harsh, very hard hit, so casting Aeroga will make them bounce right off. The Wirewrym guide suggests finding a safe place to hide, even provides a map. So if you want to do it that way, you can. Myself and several other people find it easier to just cast Aeroga. Like that. Thankfully because of the visual cue, it helps a lot with making sure you have enough time to do that kind of magic.
Alright and here we are, attacking it as best we can. I’m telling my teammates to attack when I remember to. Also when there is no heart down there, if you’re not stopping the clock or casting Aeroga, you can also use that moment to pop in an Ether or a Mega-Ether or a Megalixir, whatever items you have given yourself to help with this battle.
Go and stop the clock.
When I have played Kingdom Hearts and before, even though you could switch targets, I would usually just use R1 to lock onto one and then off and then find the next best thing, but you can also switch between targets using L2, and I went to the trouble of making sure I knew that during my play-through and so that was very very helpful during this battle, so if you don’t already know how to switch targets, I would suggest familiarizing yourself and learning how to do it. Regularly.
Megalixir time. I think it was the first one that I used. I have two. Now if you’re wondering why I have the sound off, it is because when I have made videos about games before on YouTube, I have other companies claiming copyright ownership of the music, companies that I don’t think have ownership of the music, but then, neither do I. So even though I might be able to say, “Hey this video is okay by fair use,” I honestly don’t want to. I’ve had some unfortunate experiences with YouTube that go even beyond that.
So, here we go. Pop that right off. And then, oh we are in grass green now, for the health bar, so that’s nice, which means that at this point I think I’m feeling pretty good about my team’s chances, especially with Peter still having a 12 over his head. I definitely like that number being as high as it is.
I think when I have done this battle in the past, I have waited for the Stop to wear it off because I don’t know how long it lasts, but because I’m so high-level here, and I have so much MP, even as precious as it is, I felt good about being able to Stop as often as I did. So I did. You see right there, my MP was getting pretty low, but Goofy gave me some, so I’m still alright.
Thunder. Stop the clock. Attack! Wrong magic. Fire! There we go. A little low on health. I don’t remember if I heal since I’m so close to doing it. Yeah, I think I do. Next Megalixir. Here we go. Alright, and now we’re going to attack again. Thunder. Attack. Deep freeze. Stop the clock. So close. So, so close to being done. Almost there. Alright. Very, very close. Here we go. Yeah! We did it. Alright. So then for our trouble, we will see a short movie of the Phantom. We’re back. We’re going to see the heart come out. And then we will be rewarded with Stopga because I already have Stopra. And that’s it.
