gengealweek2025

[gengealweek2025]

Hi! So Tumblr decided to drop a post of yours in my lap and I wanted to know if it had a continuation or was part of a series?

It was this one if that helps! I have SO many questions about it. And having watched Advent Children (Complete Edition) a few hours ago doesn't help. 😅

https://www.tumblr.com/birdblacksocialclub/654784223028330496/see-he-still-thinks-its-zacks-ass-hes-gotta?source=share

Thank you so much if you decide to answer!!! Have a great day/night!

Hey hey!!! Thanks so much for the ask! That post is basically a snippet of these pieces:

Which are kind of sort of in the same universe as IKIO and is also a prequel of sorts to Love Like Ghosts

Basically the idea is what if Genesis wakes up before AC happens and how would it change the universe at large. And the answer is: soul crushing guilt and confusion of how to exist in a world that’s not only moved on without him but also has forgotten him entirely.

I do actually plan on expanding a bit on it with the IKIO sequel I’ve got in the works but it’s at the mercy of my current Angeal brainrot so I’m not exactly sure when that will come into being properly.

I hope this helps, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it if you have any so hit me up anytime!!!

🖤

[gengealweek2025]

assorted gengeal sketches from last year

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@ilminnestrone & @impossiblewynaud

He held out a single finger, the index. "Two drops," his finger glistened with a golden viscous substance, "taste". Angeal sighed, but leaned in to taste the golden droplets on the nymph's finger. "It's honey." he said, as if it wasn't obvious. "It’s… really sweet." The boy blushed slightly behind his auburn hair: "Thank you," he chuckled, "it's mine. I mean, they made it, but... it came from me, so I guess I can call it mine".

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Bigmouth strikes again ;)

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A doodle for some feels. Genesis being heartbroken over finding Angeal dead on the ground.

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 Angeal thought of the collar and leash stored in the closet, along with the military-issue cuffs specifically designed to subdue enhanced SOLDIER operatives, in the event that it became necessary.  There was no rule that said he absolutely had to be rough with Genesis to get him properly restrained.  In his condition, the redhead couldn't put up a fight against a kitten.

[gengealweek2025]

[gengealweek2025]

If you don't mind me asking, what makes you interpret Angeal as anything other than a straight man? He's the least gay character I've ever seen and he doesn't act gay either.

I'm going to assume this isn't sent in bad faith but this is pretty on point with the definition of stereotyping. I mean if you’re defining being gay by how someone looks or acts that is your first problem. Angeal has very outwardly masculine actions and appearance, I’m not really a fan of the insinuation that masculine men don’t “look” gay enough. Angeal isn’t even a hyper masculine or toxic masculine character, he is almost always described in a way that is seen as nurturing or caring. His own fan club compared his hobby of cooking to that of a wife. Things like gardening are often seen as more a “feminine hobby.” This isn’t to say Angeal breaks insane boundaries but Angeal isn’t this rigid masculine character in the first place. Besides my personal headcanons, Angeal and Genesis' stories take quite a bit from The Fall of Mankind (and religious and mythological symbolism in general but I'm going to try to stay on track). They purposely made two male characters represent Adam and Eve, and this isn't the first time they have done something like this in a final fantasy game. For example: while they are more developed than Genesis and Angeal, characters like Fang and Vanille are based on the Nordic myth of Ragnarok. There is a lot of information that couldn't be included in the final game of Crisis Core but is still intended canon, I'm going to be using a lot of that as a reference point. The full explanation is pretty extensive and I'm also not an expert on The Book of Genesis. I tried my best to do research for this, but it is possible I am still missing things and that this can still be expanded upon.

I'm going to start off by giving a deeper explanation on how Angeal represents Adam and how Genesis represents Eve. Genesis already has a very strong connection to The Book of Genesis because of his name. Rhapsodos comes from rhapsody, his full name is literally "genesis reciter". Genesis and Angeal were the first two attempts at an artificial “cetra” created by Shina representative of Adam and Eve being the first humans created by god. (While there is some debate if the first woman is Lilith, she is often been seen as a demoness.) The kanji for Shinra already is a direct reference to god, and is symbolism for how they like to play god themselves. The image below has a great explanation that is much better than what I can do, but to keep it short 神 (shin) literally means god or divine and 羅 (ra) is derived from 網羅 (mōra) which means "encompassing".

The fruit of knowledge is typically portrayed as an apple, which connects with banora whites. It represents temptation, Genesis offers the apple to others when talking about truth and revelation. Instances like in Nibelheim, Genesis offers the fruit to Sephiroth after telling him the truth of his origins. Sephiroth rejecting the fruit is a sign of him rejecting the truth, and we see he continues to go along with a story he is happier with. Sephiroth decides to believe misinformation that is less painful, the rejection of knowledge is indication he is not Adam or Eve.

Banora is heavily connected to the flow of the lifestream, which is what makes Banora whites grow any time of year. The lifestream is said to contain knowledge of the planet and its people, that being what powers the fruit further reinforces the idea that they represent the fruit of knowledge. Banora being the source for what is essentially miracle fruits powered by the planet, it is clear Banora is meant to be Eden.

Minerva is said to be sleeping in the caves of Banora, she represents the will of the lifestream. Though Minerva is connected more to Roman Myth and Sophia from Gnostic belief, I would still say she emphasizes the holiness of Banora's land.

Angeal has a story about not stealing to reflect Adam trusting god and not taking from the garden. God's words to Adam were "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die." (Genesis 2:17) Angeal stole from other trees besides the big one that had the most delicious fruit. While it can be argued Angeal didn't steal from Genesis in general, Angeal's story focuses solely on the biggest tree with the most tempting fruit, that tree represents the tree of good and evil. At the end of the game, Zack eats an apple under this same tree with Genesis, protagonist and antagonist sharing from the same tree. Shortly after eating the apple Zack learns the truth about how long it's been and leaves to meet his fate.

Hollander approached Genesis with the truth of his origins, convincing Genesis to help him with his plans in exchange for a cure that Hollander never had. Eve was afraid of eating the fruit and dying because of what God told her, but the serpent convinced her she would live. “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5). Both being deceived, they were convinced that they would live if they defied God, and become the catalysts for knowing the truth. Eve did not want to be alone in her defiance so she looked to Adam, much like how Genesis approaches Angeal to persuade him to take revenge against Shinra.

Besides Eve being referred to as Adam's wife, Adam also placed his trust in Eve above god. He decides to listen to her and trust her despite his creator telling him he will die. Angeal places his trust in Genesis above Shinra when he decides to defect, believing he can rationalize with him despite this being high treason.

This has happened before already, Angeal placed his trust in Genesis above Gillian and defies his mother to join Shinra. Gillian didn't want her family to be connected to Shinra and despite how highly Angeal respects his mother he still defied her wishes for the sake of following a dream with Genesis.

This leads into the next part, less about how they parallel The Book of Genesis and more about how they parallel other characters in the narrative. This makes me a little nervous to talk about so I’m going to put a small disclaimer that I am not arguing for any canonicity of ships because I think it is a waste of time. However, I think discussing characters' feelings that push their motivations is important.

In the narrative, Angeal also greatly parallels Cloud, I feel like this isn’t something that is talked about enough in general. They share a great deal of small parallels like both enjoying landscape photography, being associated with wolves, and elementally representing lightning. Besides surface level things, both Angeal and Cloud have a guilt complex and feel responsible for the people around them. The main parallel that’s important to this conversation is their childhood friend from the same countryside town.

Cloud was inspired by Sephiroth and his desire to protect people he loved like his childhood friend, Tifa, to join soldier. This is similar to Angeal joining to be with Genesis; their childhood friends are motivators for both of them.

This is something that’s pointed out in DFFOO as well, Angeal hears about Tifa and immediately draws the connection.

Both Cloud and Angeal feel responsible for protecting and looking after their loved ones, Angeal is seen as a caretaker type for this reason. Both Cloud and Angeal want to help fulfill the dream of their childhood friend, Tifa's was being saved by a hero and Genesis' being to share an apple with his hero Sephiroth. We see this when Cloud berates himself for not being the hero Tifa wanted and Genesis telling "Angeal" the dream has been fulfilled implying it has been something he knew about and wanted to help him achieve. Angeal's will in Lazard only fades away after Genesis said the dream came true, like there was a sense of fulfillment and that he could finally pass on after holding on for so long.

I find it interesting they intentionally draw parallels between Genesis & Angeal and Cloud & Tifa, people who have more explicit romantic feelings. I think Angeal and Genesis are supposed to represent a more “genuine” version of Cloud and Tifa’s relationship. Angeal represents the story cloud wanted to have throughout ffvii, having a childhood friend who never grew apart, who stayed together, and who followed a dream together. Angeal genuinely made soldier, and for a time he felt like he was in control of protecting others unlike Cloud. This contrast stays until the end, Cloud and Tifa learn to repair their relationship while Angeal and Genesis fall apart. Despite having everything Cloud wanted, it was not enough to sustain. This contrast is important in emphasizing that it is not about your background or your past, it is about what you do now and having people to fall back on. None of this is meant to be used as proof Genesis and Angeal are canon, but rather talk about Angeal's strong devotion and feelings for him since he was at least a teenager. They do not perfectly replicate the fall of mankind but it is interesting nonetheless. Here's to hoping we get to see more of how they interact in ever crisis.

[gengealweek2025]

My friend, do you fly away now?

To a world that abhors you and I?

All that awaits you is a somber morrow

No matter where the winds may blow

My friend, your desire

Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess

Even if the morrow is barren of promises

Nothing shall forestall my return

- Loveless, Act III

[gengealweek2025]

I'm gonna start adding select entries from deity Angeal's personal diary for you! In this entry, he writes about his partner (a deity Genesis from another au) whom he recently began seeing. Enjoy, and feel free to comment or ask any questions you may have :)

To my dearest dove,

Whether you snoop through my diary and read this entry is unknown in this moment, though I shall write as if you were reading anyway.

I have never been one to outwardly express emotion, but you have quickly melted my cold exterior. You have revealed a new part of me— one that loves you unconditionally.

Every moment I am away from you is a moment wasted, and every night I do not sleep beside you is a sleepless one.

You are the very fires of passion, blazing for me endlessly. What could I possibly have to give that could surmount to such a gift?

The first time you referred to me as your Camellia, I simply froze in time. No one had ever called me such a thing endearing as that. I wish to be yours for all eternity, as you will be mine.

I will love you even after this world ceases to exist, my dear.

Honorably,

~Angeal 🪻

[gengealweek2025]

Need a little nudge?

Try Work-In-Progress Week to boost your entries!

It starts tomorrow!

WIP WEEK (WORK-IN-PROGRESS WEEK) RETURNS IN 2025!

WIP WEEK is a week dedicated to updating fic or art WIPs.  All fandoms are welcome to participate.  Original works are also accepted.  Please tag your entries with the #wipweek or #wip week tag. Since multiple fandoms and ships are participating, please clearly list the fandoms, ships, and content warnings in the post so that they can be properly tagged for any potential readers.

After an extended, unplanned hiatus, WIP Week will be returning. WIP Week will now be every four months rather than two months. The first WIP Week of 2025 will be held February 23-March 1. 

Each day will have a theme, but you do not have to post every day. You are also not obligated to follow these themes. You can work on one fic or artwork for the entire week if you choose. If you’re not comfortable posting full updates but still want to participate in the week, you can post your daily word count and/or a small snippet from your work.

Here are the prompts for WIP Week:

Day 1: Your Oldest WIP

Day 2: Your Most Popular WIP

Day 3: Your Canonverse WIP or Your AU WIP

Day 4: A WIP Featuring Your OTP

Day 5: Your Favorite WIP

Day 6: Your Previously Unpublished WIP

Day 7: Any WIP

For those who are returning, welcome back and thank you for your patience. For those who are new to WIP Week, welcome and I hope you that find this event helpful.

[gengealweek2025]

Prompts

4/21 - Day 1 | Leather and steel

4/22 - Day 2 | Dirty talk

4/23 - Day 3 | Trial and error

4/24 - Day 4 | Just a scrape

4/25 - Day 5 | Liquid warmth

4/26 - Day 6 | Body worship

4/27 - Day 7 | Muscle memory

[gengealweek2025]

Prompts

4/21 - Day 1 | Harvest season

4/22 - Day 2 | Special interest

4/23 - Day 3 | Birds of a feather

4/24 - Day 4 | Growing pains

4/25 - Day 5 | Pen and sword

4/26 - Day 6 | Joining the dots

4/27 - Day 7 | Fight of flight

[gengealweek2025]

How is it even possible?! 😱

It seems like yesterday we were posting the prompts!

In the meantime we collected 10 resources for (mostly digital) visual artists who still have a long way to go (just like us)...

Colour palette resources by @color-palettes

Blend Mode Types from Procreate Handbook

Drawing bases and pose references by @albanenechi

Free or affordable design resources by @cavalierfou

300 free drawing tutorials by @etheringtonbrothers

Free brushes (background focused) by @tamberella

Free brushes (texture focused) by @bunabi

Affordable (+ a freebie) brushes by Heygiudi

Dealing with Art Block by @barananduen

...and don't forget to take a 5-10 minutes break every hour and to stretch your hands!

If you're partecipating in GenGeal Week as an artist, consider writing an alt-text for your work to make the event more accessible! 🎨

[gengealweek2025]

"My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I? All that awaits you is a somber morrow, no matter where the winds may blow" ... (c)

[gengealweek2025]

“Another SOLDIER hopeful?”

@rainbowcarousels wrote this ridiculously amazing one shot: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33051952 and then this happened (after I finished sobbing). Please do yourself a favor and go read it. IMMEDIATELY. I mean it. Go. Shoo. I’ll wait…

[gengealweek2025]

He looks like the real thing, he tastes like the real thing…