#3am thinking about aerith

[jammboe]

Flower girl

[thecloudstan]

A valenwind/cidvin Rebirth headcanon from my twitter:

Incoming valenwind/cidvin Rebirth headcanon that woke me up at like 3am.

Imagine that the group is at one of the ports for some job or another, and maybe Cloud is thinking about wrapping up a request for Snaps, too. So it’s been a day of photos and Yuffie sort of bullies him into getting a group shot. Vincent is so far off in the distance that he doesn’t really even notice the commotion or anything, but late in the day, before everybody regroups, Cloud trudges up to him. Vincent would be leant against something, taking advantage of late evening shadows to hide himself away. He can hear Cloud approach but doesn’t really look up until a gloved hand shoves a photo in his field of view. Vincent goes a bit wide eyed in surprise for a second, inspecting the picture.

“Here. Thought you might want one, too.”

Cloud’s tone betrays no ulterior motive as Vincent scans each individual in the image. Yuffie is centered, down on one knee making some sort of pose or gesture that looks like it’s from a children’s morning cartoon. Tifa and Aerith are left of her, hands clasped together and held aloft in a sort of victory pose, while Red is to Yuffie’s right with Cait Sith seated on his shoulders. Vincent notices himself clear in the distance, off to the side and slightly out of focus.

And standing behind Yuffie with hands on hips is their pilot, Cid, half grinning to camera as Barret leans an elbow on his shoulder. Vincent wordlessly takes hold of the picture, forgetting altogether that Cloud is still there, quietly waiting.

“All yours,” he says gently, though this time there’s a peculiar sureness to it. Vincent’s eyes dart up to meet his, brows pinching together ever so slightly as Cloud gives a nod, an almost imperceptible smile on his face as he turns and walks toward the Bronco. Vincent’s attention once again returns to the photo as he’s left to drag a clawed finger over a particular handsome engineer in private.

[darkheartedprince]

x. @firexfvalisthea sent : Top 10 favourite characters? Your OTP? (for final fantasy munday meme)

Accepting from this meme.

TOP TEN FAVOURITE CHARACTERS:

This one's a little too easy to answer, but I'm gonna rank them in order of 1 - 10 . This is based on a lot of internal factors , but also one game holds my heart so tight and I write in this fandom a lot , so . . . on that note !

Noctis {ffxv}

Ignis {ffxv}

Cloud {ffvii}

Prompto (ffxv)

Aerith {ffvii}

Zack {ffvii}

Yuna {ffx}

Lunafreya {ffxv}

Tidus {ffx}

Sephiroth {ffvii}

BONUS/ HONORABLE MENTIONS {BECAUSE I CAN}: Kadaj {ffvii}, Cindy {ffxv}, and Somnus {ffxv}, Joshua {ffxvi}.

OTP:

I'm breaking this one down by games I've played . So , that being said here we go:

FF X: Yuna and Tidus all the way . They're literally so cute ?? I could write essays about them , and I just might . I will happily die on this hill. They're also from the very first FF game I've played , so no matter what they will always hold a special place in my heart.

FF VII: Surprise to no one, I have a few in this fandom/game . Aerith and Cloud . I think they are really soft together , and she brings out a side of ClouPd that we don't normally get to see . On the flip side , Cloud brings out a certain spunkiness in Aerith and they balance each other out well . Cloud and Zack . I'm a sucker for a good best friends to lovers , ride or die trope . I am . Cloud changes so much around Zack , and Zack helps him open up and not be so stormy. They're cute . Zack and Aerith . Classic , tried and true that can do no wrong in my heart . They have great chemistry , and their story is just . . .delightful .

FF XV: Same thing as FFVII , I have a lot of OTPs for this game . This game has me in a stupid chokehold . That being said . Noctis and Prompto . Best friends to lovers . Awkward best friends since childhood , falling in love during sunrises . Late night pizza , and 3am talks about nothing . They get each other and just . . . I love them , okay ? Following that path, Ignis and Noctis . Listen , this one tickles my senses . I adore them . They are the classic 'prince falling in love with his advisor' trope. Ignis knows every little hair on Noctis' head, while Noctis knows Ignis' routine backwards and forwards . They have really tender moments . And don't get me started on Ignis actually willing to die for Noctis to keep him safe . Okay ? Okay . Noctis and Lunafreya . The game did them justice but not enough justice {we got so little screen time with them, don't come for me}. That being said , the moments we did get were beautiful between them . You could tell how much she cared about him from a young age , and how much he valued her and respected her . They had a really particular bond and it was remarkable . {One of my favourite threads I've written on @rexelectus was a thread of just letters between Luna and Noctis and it's my favourite in the universe}. I have too many OTPs for this game, Ravus and Ignis , Prompto and Cindy , Iris and Talcott , Aulea and Regis. I could write even more about this game than I already have , so I'mma stop .

[leeus-writing]

Hi I love ur prompts, is it ok if u do cloud with 8 and/or 9 since they go together so well? Tysm In advance!

Hi, I hope you like what I've written. This is Gaurd!Cloud,

Late-night Visits

You bit down on your pen trying hard to concentrate on the words before you. Your brain was like fog. How on earth were you going to finish this essay before university in the morning. You’d not even started it and all you could think of was a cheeseburger. You pulled on your hair and groaned looking at your clock. 3am.

Crunch…

“What the?”

You got up and headed towards your window. Another crunch. You grabbed your hairbrush and slowly opened the window. Looking down you spotted your boyfriend, Cloud. A ShinRa Guard.

“CLOUD!” You hissed.

“Yeah?”

“Can you help me?” You asked then thought Why did I ask that!?

“… Mmm Yeah? but you’re going to have to kiss me first.”

He climbed up the side of you house using the drainpipe and climbed in through the window. He was wearing his stupid scarf.

“Cloud…”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you climb through my window at 3am?”

He laughed, “I just got off guard duty. I bumped into Zack and all he was talking about was seeing Aerith. it made me miss you so… I wanted to see you.”

The ex SOLDIER walked over and looked down at your essay. You’d written the title and that was it.

The Purpose of Law in Midgar and that was it.

Cloud frowned. He didn’t understand why you were studying law. It was so boring, but he loved you and your big brain. He chewed his lip and pulled a book closer to him, “Have you started off with the history of Midgar?”

You laughed at him pulling a sarcastic face and picked up the book. Suddenly you saw what he meant. Go back to the roots! Filled with inspiration you furiously began to write. Cloud mean while yawned and curled up on your bed.

“Nah Aaaa! My housemate gets funny about boys sleeping over,” You said throwing a pillow at him, “Then lets not sleep. Finish that Essay and I’ll reward you.” His eyes full of passion.

You grinned and continued to work.

[100wendybirds]

FF7 Remake ~ Translation Matters (14) - Hide and Seek with Tifa and Aerith, aka Chicks Before Dicks

There are some cultural differences that are interesting to note in the Train Graveyard scene. But first, some photo context: Tifa is usually the one protecting Aerith but when they enter the haunted train yard, Aerith tells scared Tifa to get behind HER in this moment. Very sweet.  When the first ghost boss (can’t recall it’s name) is defeated, Aerith seems to be reading what the monster is thinking. She is surprised because.... Jpn: 隠れん坊...? Eng: “That was fun”…? My trans: “Hide and seek?”

In Japan, Hide and Seek is called kakurenbo (the word is literally something like “hidden boy”). It is different from how we play Hide and Seek in America (or at least how I remember playing it).   1. The kid looking for the others is called Demon (Oni) and not “It.” 2. Oni covers his eyes and counts to 10 or whatever.  3. Then Oni says “Are you ready now?” or “Mo ii kai?” whereas “It” just says “Ready OR NOT, here I come.”  4. The other kids have to answer “I’m ready!” or “Mo ii yo!”  or otherwise the Oni gives them more time to hide. 5. When you find someone, the kid usually say “I found you!” (mitsuketa). 6. The other thing is, there is a Japanese urban legend about “1 person hide and seek” (hitori kakurenbo). It involves hiding from demons that you basically compel into a stuffed animal at 3am and that’s all I want to write about because it is scary. You can google it in English too. Basically it is a pretty NEW kind of urban legend but there is even a wikipedia article and a few recent horror movies about it. I’d say the creepy possibilities of Hide and Seek are still in the consciousness of many Japanese players.

Why is this important? You hear the pattern of words throughout this entire scene. When they are creeping through each area and Aerith finds a ghost, she says teasingly “I found you!” (mitsuketa). In Aerith’s sad memory of being isolated from her peers, you can hear the other kids doing their little Marco-Polo-like call back to each other. The same Japanese words are repeated each time, as would be in kakurenbo. The English is different every time because there is no part of that in Hide and Seek. So...

「もういいかい/mo ii kai」becomes “Are you ready?” and “Well are you?” 「もういいよ〜/mo ii yo」becomes “I’m ready now!” “Me too!” Child Aerith’s words become “I said I’m ready” or "Come get me!” or “I'm right here.”  「みつけった/mitsuketta」　becomes “Found you!” and “We found you!” 「みつかった・みつかっちゃた/mitsukatta, mitsuka-chatta」becomes　No way! and “Aw, you got me.”

Similarly, when Tifa finds Aerith, they exchange the set pattern of words that kids use in kakurenbo. I find it to be a much more powerful exchange just due to the meaning that is now embedded in those words. Tifa is the one who finally “completes” the childhood game by finding/including Aerith and to whom Aerith can finally give her response to. The impact just isn’t quite the same in English since different language is used each time, imo. 

Tifa says Jpn: 「みつけた　エアリス」mitsuketa Aerith   Eng: “Hey. We found you.” 

Aerith replies Jpn「みつかっちゃった」mitsukachatta Eng: “I guess you did.” The true friendship between Tifa and Aerith gets well established in these scenes.      

[flowerslightning]

What do u mean Cloud (AC) didnt smile anymore? The devs made a specific song to celebrate the moment when Cloud was smiling (and blushing) in AC

(scripts credit)  And to whom he smiled?

Well, you know whom…

It was HER. He smiled shyly to her ! Tifa gave him a satisfied nod flying kiss. (THEY SHOULD MENTION ABOUT TIFA BLOWING A KISS TO CLOUD) And Cloud smiled back at her with a blush (or I think he was a little bit blushing bcause he was embarrassed) 

Shy shy Cloudy

Oh, hi Vincent and Cid interrupting the frames

Looking sharp as always eh.. I’m so excited to see you in the Remake Part 2

And cant wait see THEM too

Okay, here is the real analysis, 

I am nooo music expert. Totally not, but something caught my ear while listening to Cloud Smile song.

Listen very very closely, and repeat the whole song if you must. 

Now, does it remind to you of something? Still no? Okay.. Let me help you

“One of the staff’s favorite scenes was where Cloud smiles in an embarrassing way towards Tifa. Nomura liked it as there was almost no dialogue, and the expression on his face communicated his emotions to the viewer” “Upon reading that scene in the script, Uematsu was inspired to write the score.”-Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Distance: The Making of Advent Children (DVD). Square Enix.”

From 0:00 till 0:06 - Only piano that plays there

And 0:07 till 0:30 - The violin (I guess) the tune there, it is soft and it plays in a very high note

And 0:34 till 0:57 - The violin (or flute maybeee? IDK) plays the almost the same rhyme but in gentler melody

I’m focusing on the beginning of the song. There are like two different tunes there

Yup, I am hinting about Tifa’s theme. The Cloud Smile song perhaps (IDK.. MAYBE??) similar to Tifa’s 

Idk if it was just this 3am mee that felt like this song reminded me to Tifa’s theme song, or Nobuo Uematsu really wanted this song to compliment with Tifa’s. You know, kinda like foreshadowing of something, but keep it well hidden?

Tifa’s theme song is soft, gentle and warmth. It has two tunes that play the same rhythm , the first sounds rough and the second sounds much gentler. 

And here’s another thing. I know it doesnt sounds exactly the same, but,

Jump at 0:57 - 1:01 Focus on the violin at the background in Cloud Smile and 1:53 - 1:56 in Tifa’s Theme. They are different. Yes, different. But they both have ‘ascending same musical notes’, except Tifa’s in higher notes (and more 3 or 4 notes at the beginning) while Cloud’s is in lower notes (and more direct)

I tried to find similarity with Aerith’s theme, but man.. Her theme song is special on her own way. But Cloud smile gives Tifa’s theme vibe, even if it just a little

I am probably delusional right now. Forgive me.. It’s 2am at my place here.

Any music composer or anyone knows how to read music chords wanna support or debate my statement, I will highly appreciate that. Or anyone wants to share their thoughts with me? That’ll be nice. 

Overall, what i am trying to say is, after listening to Cloud Smile song a few times, it reminds me to Tifa’s Theme song. Just my personal opinion. That’s all. 

Goodnight !!!

[eldritchwriter]

Defeating Sunrise by @eldritchwriter | Fandom: Final Fantasy VII | Rating: Explicit | Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough

Additional Tags: Time Travel Fix-It, Found Family, Slow Burn, Pining, Hero Worship, Cloud Strife Needs a Hug, Sephiroth is Oblivious, Denzel is So Done With Them Both, Grown-Up Cloud

Summary: Cloud isn't good at this whole 'parenting' gig, and even when he tries, it doesn't seem to be doing him any good. He's ready to give up, when he is inexplicably pulled into the past with his young protege in tow. The last thing Cloud expects is to be dropped straight into the Wutai War and in front of a Sephiroth who is younger and still in charge of his own mind.

As Cloud spirals headlong into his trauma-filled past, trying to make sense of his memories and discern truth from his own fictions, long-buried feelings for Sephiroth begin to emerge. With Denzel's help, he can surely change the future, but the biggest question of all is what that future should look like at all. Read here on AO3 or read more below:

Chapter One

“It’s not so easy. We’re all traumatised by what we went through. Cloud most of all.”

Cloud rested his head back against the door to the rebuilt Seventh Heaven and let out a soft sigh. He hadn’t meant to intrude on the conversation between Tifa and Barret, but now it was inevitable. He guessed he was lucky that he hadn’t just walked in and that his enhanced hearing had picked up the urgent tone of Barret’s voice before he’d opened the door.

At least this way he could steel himself for whatever Barret was going to ask him to do.

“Well, we all got heaps of trauma. Enough to keep the shrinks goin’ for decades. But Cloud’s tough. He’ll do it, no problem.”

Do what? Cloud wondered. What more could you possibly have to ask of me?

“When he says no, I don’t want you to push it,” Tifa’s reply was exasperated sounding, and Cloud detected the sound of a bar towel hitting the floor. “I mean it, Barret, I know that Cloud needs… reminding sometimes that people need him to do things, but I don’t want you pestering him. This isn’t something he’s duty-bound to do.”

“I wasn’ planning on it,” Barret said, a creak of a bar stool. “It’s just the easiest way, is all.”

“Well, have a Plan B ready.” The sound of glasses being thrown into a dishwasher, one of the newest additions to Seventh Heaven, now that there was running water into the place.

Cloud had plumbed it in himself, after several assurances from Reeve that the water was definitely clean and not contaminated. Cloud had made him drink it straight from the tap when it was plugged in just to prove the point.

“Roger that. Say, how’s Denzel been doin’ in school? Marlene’s been tellin’ me all kinds of stories- “The conversation turned to the children and Cloud stopped listening. Whispered conversations about him rather than with him were the norm, and he’d long grown used to people acting in his best interest without consulting him. Sometimes he was glad that Tifa acted as a buffer between him and the ridiculous requests of his onetime comrades, other times it frustrated him.

Today, he was just tired.

He pushed away from the wall, steeling himself to head inside, to listen to whatever Barret’s request was and to grit his teeth and give his answer whatever way it went, but then…

Why?

Why indeed. Why did he have to? He had his own plans for the rest of the week. Nothing urgent, certainly, but he had a few delivery jobs, a run out to the Chocobo Farm… Hell, it was Parent-Teacher Meetings this week and he’d promised Denzel that he’d make it to this one despite not feeling remotely like an appropriate paternal figure.

If he stayed away, eventually Barret would leave. Tifa had made it clear she would not bring up whatever this was. He didn’t have to deal with it now unless he wanted to, and quite frankly, he didn’t want to.

He stepped off the porch and walked towards Fenrir, kicking his leg over it. It showed how lost Tifa and Barret had been in their conversation that they hadn’t heard the thing roaring up next to the bar in the first place.

No, he wasn’t going to deal with this now. He’d pick it up later, much later.

He disabled the kickstand and revved the engine.

Cloud was not in the mood to deal with this today.

*

It somewhat surprised Denzel to see Cloud outside his school. Some older boys had gathered around Cloud’s bike, trying to strike up a conversation with him. Cloud remained detached though, his arms folded on his chest and his eyes showing that he was completely lost in thought.

Not so unusual, and it probably made him look cool to the kids who had flocked around him, but Denzel knew better. He knew that, no matter how cool Cloud looked with the all-black motorcycle and the enormous sword strapped to his back, that his unwilling mentor was just a shy space cadet.

“Er, hi?” Denzel leaned around the front of the bike to put his face in front of Cloud’s and snap him from his reverie.

Cloud blinked slowly, then the corners of his mouth tilted up a bit. “Hey. Thought I’d give you a ride back from school today.”

Denzel wondered what had spurred that decision, but he knew he wouldn’t get an actual response from Cloud about it. Cloud and Tifa had been involved in his life for years now. He was in his teens, but they had nowhere near what could be called a father-son relationship. Cloud was too distant, his reasoning for his actions too coloured by his own past, to be much use to Denzel in learning to navigate the world.

But still it was useful, especially when wanting to seem cool in front of some upperclassman.

“Sure. Can I shove my backpack in the storage?” Denzel asked, like it was an everyday occurrence for Cloud to let him ride on the back of Fenrir.

Cloud got off the bike, showing an impressive show of strength by just casually holding it upright with a one-handed loose grip while the other opened the under-seat storage to let Denzel dump his bag in. The other kids were goggle-eyed at Cloud, and that made Denzel smile a bit.

Cloud shoved a helmet and goggles into his hands, causing Denzel to pout. It was less cool to wear this thing. Cloud pulled on his own goggles though, without a dorky helmet though. Denzel knew that Cloud probably couldn’t be killed by coming off the bike at speed like he could though, and if it meant that Cloud might rev the engine harder it was worth looking stupid for.

Helmet in place, Denzel clambered onto the back of the bike. Cloud leaned forward, then looked over his shoulder, waiting for Denzel to adjust himself.

“Hang on,” was all Cloud said, before the engine roared and Cloud was already kicking the bike into a higher gear.

Denzel scrambled to wrap his arms tightly around Cloud’s waist before he fell off the back and found out precisely how effective his helmet would be. Cloud weaved the bike through traffic and crowds and back allies that definitely shouldn’t have been driven down.

In anyone else’s hands, this would have been suicide, but though it was exhilarating, Denzel felt safe. For all Cloud’s faults and sometimes dumb decisions, he never purposefully put anyone in danger. The incredible strength to manoeuvre the bike through tight gaps, and the lightning-fast reflexes he had meant that it was rather more like riding on a rollercoaster. The safe journey to their destination was all but pre-determined, so Denzel could just enjoy the ride there.

Pulling up outside Seventh Heaven wasn’t exactly welcome, but his arms were sore from holding on. Cloud kicked down the stand and waited for Denzel to dismount before making sure that he had his bag and that the helmet and goggles were stored appropriately.

Cloud reached out, self-consciously ruffling Denzel’s hair in a way that was a shadow of paternal instinct that just made both of them feel awkward.

“Go say hi to Tifa,” Cloud said, grabbing a box from inside the storage attached to the bike.

“You mean, go check the coast is clear, don’t you?” Denzel asked, putting his hands in his pockets. “Not that I’m not grateful for the ride, but you only come pick me up when you want a buffer between you and whoever’s in there.”

Cloud’s shoulders hunched. “That’s not- “

“It’s fine,” Denzel said, shrugging. “But at least be honest about it, at least to yourself if not to me.”

He didn’t wait for Cloud to turn round, instead announcing his entry to the bar and greeting Tifa brightly. No one else was here, so maybe Cloud was just trying to avoid being alone with Tifa. It wouldn’t be the first time for that either.

When Cloud entered, he didn’t meet Denzel’s eyes, but there didn’t seem to be a tension between him and Tifa, so Denzel let it go. Whatever this was about, he’d find out in the end anyway, when the row inevitably started and Cloud roared off on his motorcycle at 3am to Ancient’s knew where.

“Denzel!” Denzel turned to see Marlene running from behind the bar, pink bow bouncing in her hair. “Papa says I can stay for dinner tonight! Let’s do our homework together?”

Cloud groaned. “Is Barret still-“

“’Sup. We need to talk.”

*

Returning to Nibelheim, to this Nibelheim, left Cloud with an itching soul. The people here, the few that had returned, were not originally from the town. They didn’t know the legends of the local mountains, or the best way to trap Nibel Wolves, or which paths to avoid so they didn’t run into dragons.

Most of them didn’t even know that Nibelheim had once burnt to the ground. All they knew was that there was a town here, rebuilt and mostly empty, and that the WRO was interested in generating hydropower from the waterfalls in the mountains. That was enough for them.

As usual, it was capitalism that was the driving force of Nibelheim’s destiny, and a new flow of money brought a new flow of residents and washed away the blood and soot and smoke. Even the acrid tinge of mako in the air had long since dissipated except in Cloud’s mind.

“I didn’ think you’d come, bein’ honest,” Barret said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Cloud had fully intended not to, but there were some things that he still felt he couldn’t say no to. This was one of them. Nibelheim was a wound on his soul that wouldn’t heal and that he couldn’t stop picking at.

“Right, not feelin’ talkative, got it,” Barret scratched the back of his neck with the barrel of his gun-arm, looking sheepish. “I’ll be headin’ out into the mountains a bit, gotta check up on the generator to report back, y’know? But you’ll be alright here, right?”

“I’ll be fine,” Cloud waved him off. “But you can’t take longer than a few hours. I have to get back.”

“Yeah. School shit. I remember. I won’t make you late to play daddy, promise.”

Cloud didn’t want to question Barret’s parenting skills, but he thought out of all his former-comrades, the one was most likely to put work above ‘school shit’ was probably Barret. For all his bluster and dedication to Marlene, he had a somewhat lax attitude towards the formal things that it seemed children needed. Like routine. Or regular schooling. Or a parent figure who didn’t disappear on them at the drop of a hat.

Well, Cloud couldn’t really judge any of that. He hadn’t exactly been a model guardian either.

He didn’t bother to answer, instead turning towards the hotel and hoping that there’d be somewhere for him to sit and wait. He had no desire to explore the town the way he had done coming back here five years ago, where he had frantically run from house to house trying to work out why it was different, his own fear and horror reflected at him from Tifa’s eyes.

The hotelkeeper was new, a man with a Rocket Town accent and clothes that were just a little too thin for the mountain temperatures. He greeted Cloud warmly, offered him a room for the night – which Cloud politely declined – and then offered him a warm meal instead.

And so, Cloud spent the afternoon eating Nibel Stew that someone who had never tasted the original had clearly prepared, and waiting for Barret to return. He kept his eyes firmly on the woods outside the window, trying not to give in to the ghosts in his vision of the old townspeople, of the flames, of the shuddering clones.

He didn’t think much of it when it started to rain.

*

Cloud didn’t expect Denzel to actually throw something at him in frustration. It was only a towel from the bar, soaked in beer, but it still hit him in the face with a soft whump all the same. Cloud let it slide to the floor, just as he’d let it hit him. He deserved this.

“I waited for you for hours!” Denzel yelled.

Tifa reached out hesitantly for Denzel’s shoulder but he caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and jerked away from her.

“Denzel, I’m sorry. The dam that Barret was working next to burst and-“

“I don’t care! You should never have gone! You could have gone next week! Or he could have found someone else to go with him!” Denzel shouted, his fists balled by his sides. “No one would have died if you’d waited!”

Well, that was debatable, as it wasn’t like Cloud or Barret’s presence had set of the chain of events that caused the dam failure. In fact, their being there had saved many lives. But none of that was going to make an angry thirteen year old like him any more, Cloud was sure of it. Long gone were the days where Denzel was impressed by heroic tales from far-off places. No, now he wanted something more concrete from Cloud, stability and dependency, both things that Cloud had never been in the best situation to provide.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Cloud offered, putting up his hands in a placating gesture. “I should have said no. I shouldn’t have let you down.”

It seemed like the wind went out of Denzel’s sails at that but instead of doing what he usually did and apologising too, it seemed that Denzel truly had settled into his teenage years because he stormed out of the front door of Seventh Heaven instead, letting it bang behind him.

“It’s late, you should go after him,” Tifa said after a few moments silence.

Cloud shook his head. “Better if it’s you. He doesn’t like me much right now.”

“Which is why, it’s got to be you.” Tifa began to push at Cloud’s shoulder, forcing him towards the door. “You might not be forgiven, Cloud, but you have to sort this one out yourself. Family don’t go to bed on fights.”

“We have plenty of times,” he pointed out. “You’re always yelling at me late at night after the patrons have gone.”

“Yes, well, I’m not thirteen years old and I didn’t just wait for you for hours,” Tifa countered, pushing Cloud towards the door again. “Just sort things out, Cloud. And next time… just don’t be late.”

Cloud reluctantly stepped out of the door and onto the porch. Denzel hadn’t gone far. He had a rock in his hand and was standing next to the Fenrir, but Cloud couldn’t see any scratches on it. Clearly Denzel had entertained the thought of scratching it, but thought better of it.

Good, because Cloud would have hated to add that to the fight as well.

“We’re going for a ride again,” Cloud said, walking past Denzel and getting on the bike without looking at him. “Hop on.”

“No,” Denzeil said stubbornly.

Cloud waited as seconds rolled by to become a minute.

He felt hands on his shoulders as Denzel climbed on and waited until the boy was settled before he took off.

He hadn’t really known where he was going until he ended up on the cliff edge. He’d brought Denzel here once before, to show him the place where a hero had died. It seemed fitting that they were here now, in the place where the hero that Cloud had tried to emulate before all else was memorialised, to have this conversation with a child who emulated him.

Cloud got off the bike and went to sit on the edge of the cliff, looking over at the lights of Edge and the ruins of Midgar. There was still so much rebuilding to do.

“I’m only human,” Cloud said finally, mostly to the night, but knowing that Denzel was still awkwardly perched on the bike and no doubt watching him. “If there’s one thing I learned, through all of it, it’s that I’m only a human with faults and flaws.”

“Yeah, well, one of them is being really shitty about remembering to show up for things.”

Cloud couldn’t deny that. “Memory is not my strongpoint, agreed.”

“You’re just never around, even when you promise you’re going to be.”

Again, not something Cloud could deny. How many birthdays and holidays had he missed? Sometimes on purpose, sometimes because he simply forgot about them? His thoughts were always scrambled, stuck in a past he fuzzily remembered and one that he had constructed for himself from pure trauma.

None of those were things that a teenager would understand though, even one like Denzel. Cloud had no intention of burdening him with the knowledge of it either.

“I won’t promise you I’ll always be around,” Cloud conceded, and he heard Denzel getting off the bike. “But you know, there are some things that you get to do that others don’t. You’ve never seen me let Marlene anywhere near the bike.”

“Only because Barret would riddle you with bullets.”

It seemed Denzel wasn’t going to join him, so Cloud stood up, giving up on the male bonding moment over the edge of the cliff with a sight.

“I know it doesn’t mean much, but I am doing my best. This… this whole series of events is just…” Cloud struggled to find the words. “Every event in my life has taken the worst possible turn. Even when I try, I still mess up. It seems inevitable at this point, and though I’m going to try my best, I know that I’ll still disappoint you.”

Stood before Zack's grave, with Denzel's quiet censure worrying between his shoulder blades, Cloud couldn't remember a time when he'd last felt good about himself. He hadn't asked for this hero-worship, or to be the guardian of a teenager who was turning out to be just as taciturn and unruly as Cloud had been at that age. He hadn't asked for any of this, and duty could only take him so far down a path before he had to put some effort in.

"If you truly think this is the worst timeline, the worst it might get, then do you really think it's okay to throw in the towel?" Denzel asked, eyes hot and accusing. "Is it really okay to just give up and not even try for a better one?"

"A better timeline?" Cloud rubbed his temples. "Sure. We'll just magic one into existence for everyone, shall we?"

“Now who’s acting like a kid?” Denzel challenged him.

Cloud turned now, ready to just apologise again, but what he saw chilled his blood. A shrouded figure with long, reaching fingers.

“Denzel! Come here!”

But it was too late, the creature had snatched Denzel, dragging him into a dark portal.

Cloud’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He lunged after the creature, into the dark and cold unknown. It lasted only a fraction of a second where he felt like he was floating in the Lifestream once more, before his boots hit ground at a different level than he’d been expecting and he tripped.

He landed on something soft, and was relieved to take in a surprised expression under a mess of red-hair.

“Where’s the monster?” Cloud asked, looking around them.

Their environment was completely different. From the vegetation, Cloud guessed they were somewhere near Wutai, which was not only impossible, but was also deeply worrying. How had they got so far from home?

“Cloud! Behind you!”

Cloud didn't think, he reacted, immediately bringing First Tsurugi up to parry the blow he vaguely caught from the corner of his eye that would rend him and Denzel in two. He didn't expect for the katana to spiral through the air, landing six feet away, embedded in the dirt with the moonlight reflecting off its blade.

Masamune.

No.

Sephiroth was frozen, hand empty. Green eyes, glowing and surprised, fixed on Cloud and for the first time Cloud recognised that this Sephiroth was not the same Sephiroth he had fought last. He was younger, his features still a little softened by adolescence. The Sephiroth that Cloud had seen in the papers fifteen years ago. The Sephiroth that he had idolised, left home for, joined Shinra for.

"You have got to be fu-" He remembered Denzel was still behind him. "'Effin' kidding me."

[thememcry]

Aerith x Tseng?

       whose a bigger gremlin, ship edition. get that question mark out of here, kyrill. give me your tseng and let me tease him about fetching her at 3am.

who the fuck put the peeps in the microwave?

      please don’t hate aerith, tseng. she just wanted to make you grin. did it work? is it funny to see the peep grow 4x the size before it explodes? she’s cleaning the mess up, i promise.

who forgot to put the cat outside before sex?

      i have an image of very serious smooching going on and tseng just ... slowly pulling himself away and and making direct eye contact with the cat before silently slipping off of the bed and scooping a hand under the cat, then suggesting them out the door. because once again, aerith is weak when it comes to cats and she would never tell one what to do.

who posts vines of the other doing embarrassing shit?

      tseng doesn’t do embarrassing shit. so it’d be aerith doing the embarrassing shit, and i don’t think tseng’s first reaction is to record and post it online anywhere. so neither of them. that being said, aerith does do things to try and make him smile often. he needs to smile more.

who breaks the most phones?

      neither, really. tseng is careful. even if his work had something happen to his phone, it’d be what? once? twice? if that? and aerith uses her phone only to text people. sparingly, otherwise. 

who dies first?

      ha. aerith. but gods tseng, it wasn’t for lack of trying, was it? (just take my heart out of my chest cavity, why don’t you? i don’t need it, i promise.)

which one I could see as being lactose intolerant?

      neither. 

who thinks they can do something really well even though they can’t?

      once more, both are particularly capable adults. tseng is the image of patience, dangerous poise, and perfection in his work (even if it isn’t all the time), and aerith isn’t dumb enough to try anything she’s barely done and think she’s good at it. if she is unsure, she won’t make a show of it.

who is more likely to get kicked out of the bed?

      tseng is very welcome to try and kick aerith out of bed. he will then discover that she’s little more than an actual strangling weed when she wraps herself around him and latches on. and aerith would never dream of kicking him out of bed.

who uses the computer most?

      i need literally all of aerith’s ship partners to get the fuck off of their computers and pay attention to her. like right now. tseng pls, she wants to shower you in soft things.

[an-old-archive]

Some FFXV Thoughts

Keep in mind I’m just now at the start of Chapter 10.

Just some thoughts to throw into the void or to see if anyone agrees.

I feel like the overall game is good but I have some gripes about it.

I rather dislike that the game has to be explained by its extra content (Brotherhood and Kingsglaive). I feel like the game should’ve been enhanced by the anime and the movie.  Currently with how abruptly they throw you into the realm of Eos and the story, it feels like they trusted that everyone playing the game would have watched Brotherhood and Kingsglaive first.  I think that’s a rather major flaw in storytelling and assumes way too much about the person playing the game.

I’ve also experienced quite a lot of glitching.  Especially during the Leviathan fight holyshit.  I actually couldn’t move Noctis around for some time.  He just sort of... sat there.  Controller was plugged in and working, I swear, he just decided to get his face nommed by the sea goddess for a bit.  I’ve also encountered similar situations if I warp-strike a certain way.  I’ve gotten caught on a weird invisible pixel and Noctis got like... stuck flailing in the air a few times.  Beyond bizarre. The game has also crashed a few times, but thank God for autosave.

I do like how immersive the world is.  I like how it’s dangerous to be out at night, even if it’s kind of inconvenient for questing purposes (forcing you to take breaks instead of letting you just endlessly do quests without turning in EXP at a campsite).  I like that hunts are still a thing.  And the music is godly.  After Chapter 9, I had to listen to more of the music playing during the Trial of Leviathan-- it’s really good.  The opening scene with the group pushing the car is very memorable, especially with Stand By Me playing in the background. 

The characters are great for the most part, although, I question a lot of Ardyn’s writing and character choices.  Same with just about anyone in the Empire that actively watches Ardyn help Noctis along and just sort of twiddles their thumbs about it.  Aranea, I could understand, as she really doesn’t dislike Lucis or anything.  But Ravus??? Like??? I feel like his introductory scene where Ardyn makes him back off was awkward and didn’t seem to match character motive.  Also why is Ardyn more helpful than people like Cor Leonis, who is a marshal of Lucis and Regis’s old pal?  I feel like Cor should be doing more in the story instead of just showing up here and there.  That being said, I really like Noct and his gang and Luna was a great character (really sad she was offed in such a way and would’ve liked seeing more of her).

Some of the story elements feel a bit recycled from previous FF games. Ardyn gave me a Kefka vibe and from my chatting with friends, apparently I’m not alone in that sentiment.  Luna’s death felt a little eerily similar to Aerith’s.  Noctis has some similarities to FFVII’s Cloud (no, not Advent Children but VII proper) in terms of personality.  I know FF as a series is notorious for reusing elements but it does sort of feel like they’re borrowing popular elements to try to amp up FFXV as a game.  Not sure if I like this or not, but I hope the remaining chapters bring about some freshness to the story.  And hopefully less death and maiming characters that I like.  Speaking of which, I actually kind of like that Ignis was blinded-- it was the extra punch to the gut that Chapter 9 needed, and a lesson to Noctis that his friends aren’t invincible.  In other words, it was a nice story touch.

I dislike that quite a bit of the story/lore is told through idle dialogue during transition.  I feel like it should be shown a bit more, not just revealed through character chatting as they drive or ride a boat.  It just feels a little too exposition-y (is that even a word lmao its 3am pls forgive me) and like most of it could be handled better.  What I DO like about the dialogue is that usually it’s golden.  The interactions are golden.  Prompto’s references to gaining EXP are hilarious. 

Also Aranea is great and I’d love to learn a lot more about her.  The entire dungeon where she replaces Gladio as the 4th member in the party was really well done, I thought and the boss fight was interesting and epic. 

I also like how you can just be walking then suddenly boom, there’s an enemy that’s like 30 levels higher than you.  It adds some fear to venturing out and exploring lol.

This wasn’t supposed to be this long omg but yep, these are my feelings. 

[runicmagitek]

A Fanfic Writer Interview

Was tagged by the awesome @deemoyza! Many thanks, my dear :D

Name: What it says on the tin - Runic, at your service!

Fandoms: I jump all over the place, but if it's a video game, there's a high chance I'll play it and possibly want to write fics for it. The Final Fantasy series tends to be my comfort zone, especially VI, but I have a soft spot for Supergiant Games' stuff, mostly Transistor and Pyre. I also haven't stopped thinking about 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim since I beat it in March, so that's my life forever now.

Two-shot: First off, I had to look this up, because I've never heard this term before. Second off, I combed my works and this is barely a thing I do. Most of my oneshots exist on their own and even if there is overlap in themes and headcanons, I don't really write anything as a conscious follow-up. That said, for shits and giggles one Yuletide I wrote Untitled Yuletide Fic and the sequel no one asked for, Untitled Yuletide Fic: Madness Edition. And yes, it is exactly what you think it's about.

Most popular multichapter: Finally, Beautiful Stranger. Easily.

Actual worst part of writing: Starting :\ no matter how much I outline or research or get myself excited about a new story, sitting down and getting those first few paragraphs out is excruciating. I get such awful anxiety over it every time and I do not know why.

How you choose your titles: 90% song titles and 10% shitty attempts at coming up with my own stuff.

Do you outline: Always! Granted, not every 1k oneshot gets a detailed outline, but I do jot down ideas of what I'd like to see happen. The longer I anticipate a fic to be, the more time I'll spend on an outline. It's like preparing for a road trip; I want to know where I'm going and how to get there.

Ideas I probably won’t get around to, but wouldn’t it be nice?: Oh geez, I'm just going to bullet point this because my brain leaks out ideas:

Sailor Moon/Shadowrun crossover fusion

Legend of Zelda Asian-inspired AU where Hyrule is falling apart and no one remembers the Goddess' chosen hero

Another Legend of Zelda AU where Midna is also with Zelda during the 100 years trapped with Calamity Ganon

Aerti AU where Tifa and Aerith are childhood friends who grew up in the Shinra labs, ran away together, and tried to have a semi-normal teenaged life in the slums

The kinky Darkest Dungeon PWP where the plague doctor is banned from the brothels after the place shuts down temporarily to "clean up" and the hellion is absolutely into kinky shit and enlightens her when there are no available rooms to use (100% based on actual events in my playthrough THEY'RE GIRLFRIENDS YOU CAN'T CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE)

The continuation to that one Jaina/Kael Diablo fusion I wrote for a friend, because I still think about it but I need to clone myself if I want to get anything done anymore

The Pharmercy high school AU I absolutely will never finish either tho have 90k written so far

And more!

Callouts @ me: Honestly, just listing my ideas above was enough of a callout lol also stop adding plot and character development in your dumb smut fics wtf this is not the D you were supposed to work on.

Best writing traits: I've gotten to a point where I'm really comfortable with editing, which in turn has made me more aware of things like character arcs and pacing and hitting all the right beats to make shit work.

Spicy tangential opinion: Oh geez, bullet points 2.0, because I have Thoughts:

Fandom would be a much better place for everyone involved if people stopped approaching every piece of media with shipper vision, so to speak

Unless the author explicitly asks for feedback, no one gives a shit about your ~profound critique~ on a fic you actually didn't enjoy at 3am on a Sunday

If at any point you feel the need to be hostile towards another human being online over Fandom Things? Just turn your computer off, walk outside, and find a new hobby.

You don't magically abandon all the things you love when you turn 23 or whatever people think is old these days. Honestly? The best fics I've read are from "older" people, probably because they have more experience with both writing and life.

If I take the time to put up tags and warnings on my fic, it's not my fault if someone stumbles on it and doesn't like it.

For fuck's sake, do not tag every character and ship that makes a guest appearance in your fic. If I'm searching for my rarepair, I'm expecting an actual fic dedicated to them, not a mention of them holding hands on page 5 of chapter 14.

Series of individual works > a single work with countless, unassociated fandoms and pairings tagged.

Gen fic is not boring. Maybe you're boring.

And on that note, I'll be tagging @wingsyouburn @aliatori @dvske @fury-brand @rosemochi and any of my other writer friends who'd like to jump on this! 💕