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Weekset 217 - Money Money:

A theme week on money. Ebenezer Scrooge would be proud.

Which is generally cheaper when recovering from a lost battle, a) staying at a Hotel then going to the Hospital to revive your friends, or b) going to the Hospital to revive your friends and then staying at a Hotel? (No parents, Frank Flys, Instant Revitalising Machines, Your Sanctuaries or geysers are to be used in the answering of this question.) Hotel first, as you're charged per "live" person. Paula, Jeff and Poo recover from a battle at 0 HP/full PP, while Ness covers at full HP/0 PP.
Other than "nothing" and synonyms of "nothing", what can happen if you ever underpay at the Self-service Stand? You get into a fight (with an Unassuming Local Guy who watches over said stand).
In what dungeon can you find the most money just lying around? Dungeon Man. Dusty Dunes isn't a dungeon.
What's the total amount of money the Runaway Five accrue in debts over the course of the game? One meelyun, ten thousand dollars.
Where is the first place where transaction fees are levied on withdrawals from your bank account? This is Deep Darkness. The transaction fee is equal to the value of the withdrawal.

Artemis251, bluegoo26, Captain "Jack" Jovi, CodPor, Culix, Cyan683, darklink570, DJ Gear, Dr. Baconman, Gauntlet, Giegue, Jeff of Dalaam, KoW, Matilda Caboose, Nearsighted Orange, Pinstriped Eva, shivndragon, Silver Streak, SimonBob, sirsteve, Spoony, Strawberry Tofu, Tails98, Waitohooru and zztman all won.



Weekset 218: Fight Song:

Sing a song of theme week, fighting it's about~

Aside from Jeff's guns, what (if any) other weapons replace "Bash" by "Shoot"? All the Slingshots and all the Yo-yos.
Why is the T-rex's bat so unaffordable if you try to buy it when you first reach the store where it's sold? Because when you first reach it, you're Jeff, don't even have $5, have no access to an ATM account, and the bat's nearly $700.
Whose most powerful weapon (Offense-wise) is the only one that can be purchased? Paula's Holy fry pan. All the others are found in present boxes (remember, enemy-dropped items are found in presents after a battle).
What weapon dropped by an enemy is someone going through the game most likely to find in a present after a battle? The Casey bat. It's one of the few 128/128 items in the game.
What's the only status that affects the chance of an attack connecting? Crying. Any other statuses that can affect attacks affect the chance of someone attacking (homesickness, for example).

Mainly due to a series of non-inclusions in answers, only BlackMageofPain, David Shelton, DDR Paladin, DJ Gear, Dr. Baconman, EB Master, Gauntlet, Goggles, JeffMan, Lord Bob Bree, MadAdder, Ninten1, notalentjew, poik007, Silver Streak, SkyCroc and Tails98 won.



Weekset 219 - Fishing for compliments:

Straight from the state of Denmark, it's Theme Week Fish!

What embarrassing-for-them-to-have-done embellishment does Mayor Pirkle add to his description of what Ness did to the Sharks? Ness made them wet their pants. (Wetters.)
What's the least human-looking fish enemy in the game? (Treat the Kraken and similar enemies as a serpent and therefore not a fish.) The Zap Eel. (The Manly Fish and its brother are identical, and as I specified "the ... fish enemy" I intended for there to be only one answer. The Kraken exclusion was intended to exclude the Kraken and the Bionic Kraken alone.)
To what Onett building should you head to if the hint man starts speaking of fishmongers? (Highlight between the asterisks for a hint. **You should have anywhere from two to six melodies recorded in the Sound stone by this point.**) The library. It's time to pick up Overcoming Shyness.
What weapon do the Manly Fish and its brother brandish? (And for no extra credit, why is that weapon potentially ironic?) Spears (as the weapon was explicitly named as a spear in the Manly Fish' attack, I only took answers containing spear as correct). And it's ironic because fish are/were hunted with spears.
Keeping in mind this week's theme, what is the item known as "Strawberry tofu" in the Mother games, and as "BerryTofu" in the EarthBound (NES) prototype, known as in EarthBound? Trout yogurt. And to be honest, I'd eat strawberry tofu but would pass on trout yogurt. I'm probably not alone in this.

Culix, Cyan683, Dragonfire, Goggles, JeffMan, Kahran042, Lord Bob Bree, TheLosar, Ninten1, sawbladex, SilverStreak, SuperStarmanDeluxe, WolFox and zzzk10110001 landed the perilous pike this timea round.



Weekset 220 - Snakes on a Theme:

Yeah, I went there.

If you beat a Thirsty Coil Snake and get an item from it that you intend to sell, when should you sell that item: immediately, after waiting a while, or at any time after receiving it? You wait a while, and that Chick will grow up into a Chicken. That's a much better sale.
Ignoring the Bionic Kraken, what is the only land-based serpent enemy that doesn't contain "Snake" in its name? The Lethal Asp Hieroglyph. Eels are fish and not serpents.
What snakey battle-use item is the most money efficient for the damage it deals over its "life time"? The Viper and Snake are both one-use and more expensive than the infinite-use Snake bag, so the Snake bag is most money-efficient.
Which two serpent/snake enemies are the only ones that can't induce a negative (but not necessarily "not positive") status on your characters (e.g., poisoning)? Eels are fish and not serpents. The Bionic Kraken is the only enemy that can't induce negative statuses (it can neutralise, though). That the Kraken uses PSI Flash (which by its definition can inflict negative statuses) slipped my mind. Eels are fish and not serpents. And the snakes proper can all solidify an ally. (Also, eels are fish and not serpents.)
Which serpent/snake enemy is least likely to leave you a little present after defeating it? The Kraken, which has a 128/128 chance of leaving you nothing. Nothing!

Because people mainly thought I thought eels were snakes (they're fish), only becca, CodPor, Cyan683, JeffMan and WolFox won this time around.



Weekset 221 - Stock Market:

A week on the stock market.

What's the only item that you can purchase, but can never sell afterwards? (Hint: it's really, really cheap.) I was thinking of the Pak of bubble gum, but the For Sale sign also works.
If you don't want to buy a ruler in Burglin Park, what does the person selling it assure you? It ain't hot, he tellsya.
Which two player characters have the smallest/largest number of equippable items (both unique and otherwise) that cannot be sold? Indicate clearly which has the smallest number of such items and which has the largest. Jeff has the largest amount (he has five unsellable weapons, plus the various unsellable defence equipment that he can equip). Paula has the smallest, relying only on the various unsellable defence equipment that she can equip. (And there's fewer than four of those.)
Where's the only store (i.e., pay a price there and get an item) in the game that does not directly require the use of money to shop there? The trading post in the first Tenda village, where Horns of life are the currency. Alternately, the self-service stand in Happy Happy Village.
What item is most like a store in its function? The For Sale sign, of course.

bluegoo26, Christopher Bemis, CodPor, Culix, Cyan683, Goggles, Hlavco, WolFox, sawbladex, SimonBob, SkyCroc, stevenx4, and Tails98 all won.



Weekset 222: Things Rhyming With Troll:

This week, the goal was to make a whole bunch of questions whose topics rhymed with troll.

Using what PSI on Mondo Mole makes him a pushover? PSI Paralysis.
Which Your Sanctuary was incorrectly described as a "Hole" in the player's guide? (Highlight for a hint: Note that the player's guide is neither horseshoes nor hand grenades, so something doesn't count.) Lumine Hall, but also the Milky Well.
What's the rarest roll item in the game, overall (in terms of enemies dropping it, availability at stores, availability in presents, etc.)? The Plain roll. I think the only ones in the game are available at the Trading post.
Among the areas that have friendly moles, what's the most common friendly-mole density (as "measured" in moles per area)? One friendly mole per area.
In which city/town/whatever are the most polls explicitly conducted over the course of the game? (Note that if a poll on someone's favourite ice cream is 60% chocolate one week and then 50% vanilla the next, that's still two polls.) Fourside. Monotoli's addicted to approval ratings.

Cyan683, Dr. Baconman, Strawberry Tofu and Tails98 won.



Weekset 223: Clear and Present Danger:

Whooey, a dangerous topic this week.

If it were fought one (well, one plus two) on one, what would the least dangerous enemy in the Gold Mine be? The Mad Duck.
What are two of the four status conditions you'll be alerted to if they become dangerous enough to the continued survival of the character(s) with them? Colds, nausea, sunstroke, and poison. Essentially, those conditions which you can lose HP while suffering from.
What actually falls if you read a sign somewhere that's warning you about falling rocks? The cameraman. Say fuzzy pickles!
If for some reason you're very low on HP and are fighting a Mr. Molecule, why shouldn't you be worried about it if it uses PSI Freeze α in the first round? Mr. Molecules begin the battle unable to concentrate, which means that if it tries a PSI attack, it won't work.
What's the most dangerous enemy north of Lake Tess that you can fight before riding Tessie for the first time? The Gruff Goat.

Druidhiro, Asanyne, WolFox, Salookanana, billybobfred, bluegoo26, Cap'n Muffin, Ninten1, chuggaaconroy, Codpor, Culix, Cyan683, David Shelton, Strawberry Tofu, Nearsighted Orange, golbez, JeffMan, (Night of the Living) guruzeth, EB Master, Lithium, Lord Bob Bree, Matilda Caboose, Moochie, nuker, Earthboundrockssomuch, boshankles, Ravenshaw, rightbelow, sawbladex, Starphoenix, shivndragon, Kale, SimonBob, SkyCroc, kota12, bowser, Giegue, DJ Gear and Tails98 won.



Weekset 224: Chain Gang:

Disclaimer: this was something that was really difficult, and which in retrospect I'll be shying away from.

What's the only incorrect answer to the game's one pop quiz? (Your answer should be one word, and at least four letters long.) Noterday.
To whom must you answer a question with your first non-"No, I don't want to hear your story again" "No" in order to progress in the game? (Full name. Yes, this character does have a full name. Further hint: if you say Yes, the conversation will be over after he says his next line.) Yes Man Junior. You know, the one guarding the backyard of the Arcade?
What non-common--er, wait, that's too stilted a construction. What "high-class" beverage can be bought in all of one store? (Full name of the item.) The Royal iced tea.
I don't mean to be a bother, but what enemy might complain about the minors of 199X if they interrupted his festivities -- or even worse, lecture those minors? (Full name of the enemy, please.) The Annoying Reveler.
Here I apologise for convolutedness. There is some generic item type X, such that X and band have something in common, as do X and coin (multiple times, in the case of "coin"). What's X? (Your answer should be one word. It is not a modifier (like, say, Silver), but rather a base type (like, say, bracelet).) Ribbon. There's a Goddess band and a Goddess ribbon. There are also Talisman coins and Talisman ribbons, and Coins of defence and Defence ribbons.

It took two weeks, but SimonBob and bluegoo26 won.



Weekset 225 - Easy Trivia:

This was, in theory, an easy week.

Ignoring Starman Junior, what do all the bosses that are so "easy" that they can be defeated even if the characters you direct in battle only either defend or heal (not praying) for the entire battle have in common? They employ lightning-elemental attacks, which can be reflected by the Franklin badge - which is how they can be defeated without your characters laying a hand on them.
Roughly, what's Captain Strong's opinion on how easy EarthBound is? He's having a hard time; it's not that easy.
Why isn't it an easy task telling someone in Twoson what your favourite kind of nut is? Because "Yes" and "No" aren't nuts, and those are the only responses you can give.
What boss always telegraphs the fact that he'll be attacking the turn before he does, which makes it easy for you to know when to attack, defend or heal? Frankystein.
What's the common-bond word in the name of the enemies that make it disgustingly easy to gain levels with all your non-unconscious characters, even when you fight just one of those enemies? Criminal.

It was so easy, only CodPor answered it right.



Weekset 226: Commoner-than-thou:

Can you figure out what's more common?

As enemies go, what's more common in EarthBound - birds that are shown flying, or birds that are never shown flying? Neither. There's one flying bird enemy, and one non-flying bird enemy.
What's the common misconception surrounding the Gutsy bat? Regular Krakens drop it.
In terms of percentages, for which main character are enemy-dropped equippable weapons most common? (It's easier than it may seem.) I intended Poo, because his exclusive weapons are all enemy-dropped, though Ness is also arguable.
What boss do you fight most often? Third strongest mole for the win!
What food item is most commonly requested in the Monkey caves? (And no, it's not "Banana".) Hamburger.

CodPor and EB Master won this week.



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