#Genesis tries to help save the world

[m-ilkiee]

Deadly Affairs: Bonten! Manjiro ‘Mikey’ Sano x Bonten Reader (+ Bonten)

Chapter 1: Genesis

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞ [series summary]: you’ve seen this story multiple times, where the girl does everything to end up as the wife of the king. In any other timeline, you would have done the same. This time is different. You don’t want to marry the king. You want to be him.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞ [chapter summary]: your destiny starts on your 23rd birthday, at the back of Manjiro Sano’s car, with the loss of your virginity

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞ [content warning]: DARK CONTENT, NSFW, DUBCON, bonten timeline, fem reader, power imbalance, age-gap relationship, sexual harrassment/abuse, sexism and misogyny, implied torture, flashing, alcohol/drug use, slight manipulation, drunk sex, public sex, fingering (f. recieving), virginity loss (reader), unprotected sex piv, rough sex, dirty talk, degradation, slut shaming.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞ [r-18+] [not suitable for 17 and under]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞ [wc]: 4.5k

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞ [masterlist] [chapter2] [taglist]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞ [notes]: I will no longer be using the series colours on each chapter, since tumblr keeps glitching. Sorry guys :(

BONTEN, one of the most dangerous organizations that has ever arisen from Japan and possibly, the world. Led by men born from the era of brutality, Japan had never seen such a business successful with covering the tracks of organized crime as much as BONTEN has.

Despite the brutal murders, torture chambers, human and drug trafficking and even bodies found with teeth missing and finger prints skinned off, the police could never completely trace it back to BONTEN. They knew it would have something to do with such a deadly corporation, but as far as the higher ups and Japan's government were concerned, they were just business men with the usual ethical issues.

Anyone who tries to dig in too deep will face Bonten's hammer of judgment.

It's the life you've grown accustomed to for a while ever since Kokonoi had picked you up from the street.

Poverty made you sell your morals to the devil in the designers before you could regret it; Bonten sponsored your university course in accounting, trained you how to use a gun and taught you how important you were to them. Inappropriate touches and comments on your appearance by your fellow workmates and your superiors, you knew that no one would give you the time of the day to care about your accusations.

Besides, you've seen prostitutes that went missing after complaining so much about bonten members being rough with them.

"When is my flight for Makarti scheduled?"

You break out of your thoughts and raise your head to meet the dark eyes of the man sitting in front of you with his head down, Hajime Kokonoi, the man who took you out of the gutters to become his personal assistant who helped with calculations, estimates and other errands.

"It's supposed to be by twelve," you say, preparing yourself for his complaint as you explain the situation. "But your private jet needs a few maintenance checks before it's ready for your flight, so I had to shift it to two pm."

You waited for him to say anything to berate you for not doing the maintenance checks yesterday like he told you to, but instead he kept his head on the work he was doing and brushed it off, making you sigh in relief internally. "That's good, I have some meetings to attend to anyways, so I can avoid having extra work when I return. Also, you've gotten my suits from the dry cleaners?"

"Yes sir."

"And you've sent a message to Mochizuki and Kakucho about the change in flight times?"

"Yes sir."

The room falls silent, save for the noise coming from Kokonoi's fingers typing away on his laptop. You tap your feet lightly, waiting for either his next question or for him to dismiss you until he raises his head to look at you with confusion and annoyance written all over his features.

"Yes?" He stops typing to pay complete attention to you. "What are you still doing here?"

"Sorry sir."

You immediately stand up from the chair with your bag and scramble for the door in haste, adjusting your dress that had ridden up to your thigh. The last thing you wanted was for him to scold you again with disapproving eyes glaring down on you.

Hajime Kokonoi was very hard to please and easy to anger, you could never tell when his switch would flip and you don't like being around whenever it did.

You don't see the way Kokonoi's eyes rest on the curve of your ass strained against the office skirt you had worn today, before looking down your legs as you struggled to open his large office doors

"Wait."

You stop halfway, leaving the door half-open as you turn to the man sitting some feet away from you. Kokonoi rests his angular jaw on his intertwined fingers before clearing his throat. "I just remembered that you would be joining Mikey and Sanzu for a meeting tonight."

You feel the blood in your veins turn cold as you process Kokonoi's words, your fingers curl around the door handle tighter than before, anchoring you to the ground and keeping you from stumbling at the news. Kokonoi doesn't miss the way your face turns sour at the news he had broken, and frankly, he can't exactly blame you for your reaction. The top two executives are frightening, even more brutal than he himself was, especially when it came to you.

"I'm giving you the rest of the day off to prepare." He goes back to his laptop screen and keeps working on the audit he was doing before. The world of the yakuza cares for no man, and if you despise someone, either you kill them or you stick to them like glue. "Someone will come get you by 7pm so be ready by then. You can go now."

The room goes quiet again. Kokonoi can feel your questioning glare asking him why he would break his promise of not letting those men come near you, again.

"Yes sir."

You stomp out of the room angrily and the door slams shut after you, leaving Kokonoi all by himself to keep doing his work. He had to admit, the head on top of your shoulders wasn't just for decoration, you actually do know how to use it.

You knew better than to ask him questions.

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THE noise from the club was deafening the moment you stepped into the place.

Once upon a time, Ran had told you he and his brother used to rule this place with an iron fist, before finding a much smarter way to make everyone submit to them. Now, practically all the clubs littered around Japan, including this one Manjiro Sano had decided to be the venue of the meeting, belong to them in Bonten's name.

Dressed in a sequined two piece cream top and skirt paired with heels, you certainly turned heads with your looks. You could hear whispers of men and women asking about who you were, seeing as you walked up to the V.I.P area with an air of confidence, somewhere only known Bonten members, business partners of Bonten or unlucky women foolish enough to entertain any executive were allowed to enter.

As expected, the guards in charge stopped you in your tracks. You could practically feel the predatory gazes of the men aimed at your choice of clothes, oozing lust, before flickering into disapproval at how you were dressed.

"V.I.Ps only."

His tone was condescending for someone that just stared at you like a piece of meat, although it was nothing new to you when it came to the men in Bonten. You don't pay mind to his attitude, instead lifting up your skirt partially to reveal the Bonten tattoo on your inner thigh. You could see his eyes practically entranced by the flesh of your thighs and the panties peeking through the skirt, greedily absorbing the details of every inch of skin as you lowered your skirt down.

You blame Kokonoi for letting you go through with that idea. Flashing people to reveal your tattoo isn't exactly ideal for you.

"Can I go in now?" You say and without waiting for them to finish, you push past them and got into the entrance to the V.I.P lounge.

IF you had a nickel for everytime Kokonoi lied to you about something, you would be extremely wealthy by now.

You could see the collection of wine bottles distributed across the tables, each to every individual's taste. Smoke billowed around the area, mixing with the scent of weed and alcohol. Voluptuous women were strewn on their laps, sides and even at their feet, smiling and pouring drinks, talking loudly or laughing at something they said.

This is not a meeting. This was a private party and you want nothing to do with it.

Haruchiyo, Bonten's number 2, is the first person to notice you awkwardly standing there and staring at the rest of them in horror and shock. His lips break out in a smile aimed at you, calling your name loudly and garnering everybody's attention, including Manjiro Sano who looked tired and bored, despite the woman who was sitting on his lap and feeding him. "The birthday girl is here, come sit down."

'Birthday girl? Does this look like a party I would like to attend?'

You mindlessly walked towards the space Haruchiyo had made between him and Manjiro, and sat there stiffly. You notice Haruchiyo hasn't touched his drinks at all, as if he was waiting for you to see this madness while he was sober. Electricity runs down your spine as he leaned so close to your ears, lips brushing it lightly to whisper;

"So, do you like it? Boss said I could plan it however I wanted since Kokonoi wasn't around."

'You shouldn't have.' The voice in your head is dry, sarcastic even, but you know better than to trigger him on his good days. Even if the urge to slap him across the face is creeping along the surface, you decided to keep things to yourself.

You glance briefly at Manjiro who was following (or trying to) a conversation the chatty escort he had hired had started. Your gazes meet briefly and you shyly avert your eyes away back to your lap.

Of course it was him that gave Haruchiyo the reins to host this party. Who else could do something like this?

You sigh weakly and turn to Haruchiyo, who was still waiting for your answer with a huge expectant grin on his lips. It wasn't like you could tell him the truth about how this party felt like it was for the men of Bonten and not for you.

"It's um…" you forced a smile at him before you continued lying. "... nice. Thank you sir."

A sigh of relief escapes your lips when his grin widens. You feel his arm drape over your shoulders, drawing you closer to his body. He dips his head into the crook of your neck, hot breath dancing along your body as he whispers in your ear again.

"Anything for you princess."

You sit frozen when he pulls away from you and goes back to the escort he was chatting with as if he didn't just make your heart race. You didn't get to think about it for long when a wine glass is put right in front of your face. Manjiro does not look at you as he shakes the wine glass in your face and you take it from him, trying to ignore the electricity running through your fingertips that brushed his.

"Thank you sir."

"Try to relax." His voice is low enough for only you to hear him speak. Your body grows hotter when he turns his gaze completely on your body, slowly scanning your attire for the evening before focusing on your face again. "We're not punishing you this time."

You nod quickly, making a huge effort to keep the glass in your shaking hands. Being so close to Manjiro Sano and Haruchiyo Sanzu proved to be more difficult than it should have been. Was it the fear that had been instilled into you by these men themselves?

Or was it the fact that you were surrounded by the constant reminders of your twisted sexual fantasies?

"A toast, to the birthday girl!" Ran's loud voice brings you out of your thoughts and you absentmindedly raise your glass up into the air. Whatever it is you feel about them doesn't matter, you couldn't afford to get anymore involved with Bonten beyond office contact.

"To life and a fatter ass!"

You don't notice Manjiro watching your facial expression morph into a scowl before hiding it with a fake laugh and repeating. "To life and a fatter ass."

────────────୨ৎ───────────

  "YOU didn't like the party.

You don't say anything in response, with the light hum of the car's engine serving as the only sound in the vehicle and opting to look out of the window instead, watching the cars drive past yours. Of course you absolutely hated everything tonight; hell even your sour facial expression couldn’t be hidden by your usual fake laughter and flirty words. Manjiro Sano had noticed and offered to take you home early when you said you were tired.

You don’t feel bad for cutting his time short despite him having little time to be frivolous. It’s his fault anyways for setting up a disaster like this in the first place without even being considerate enough to assume you wouldn’t want it and you don’t owe him any gratitude for a job terribly done.

He sighs after a while, now looking out of his own window to distract himself from the way your skirt rode up to reveal the flesh of your thighs. "I'm sure Sanzu tried his best given how he ... is."

Something in you snaps at that moment and you face him with annoyance in your eyes. You were just about done with the way he kept digging the knife deeper into your gut. "I had plans for the evening Mr. Sano." You put it bluntly, not caring if he took offense to your words or just ignored you completely. "I did not ask for anything. I'm beginning to think you do this to make me miserable."

Your frown only deepens when you hear him chuckle quietly before turning around to face you with a curious look written all over his face. Somehow, seeing you upset made you cuter in his eyes; You always looked so vulnerable in times like these, whether you're walking on eggshells around him or outright being ungrateful to him. Maybe it's the alcohol giving you an extra boost to speak your mind, and he'll allow it for now because he wants to hear what you have to say.

But it won't go unpunished.

"What were the plans you had for this evening?"

Manjiro doesn't miss the way your face contorts slightly into an uncomfortable smile. It's not like he didn't know anyways, he had overheard your discussion with Ran’s assistant about what you wanted to do about two weeks ago and it was what made him call Haruchiyo to plan the most disastrous party ever to stop you from going ahead with your plan.

"It's nothing, never min-"

"I know you wanted to hook up with some idiot you met on a dating app, don't play coy with me."

You swallowed hard at his harsh tone, flickering your eyes anywhere but his face. The ridiculous last minute party made sense now that he had ripped the band aid off. Manjiro must have heard of your plans to hook up with someone you had met, since Kokonoi never let you even breathe in peace or left you alone whenever you wanted to do something.

"Today was my only chance and you ruined it." Your voice cracks slightly as you hiss at him. It was frustrating honestly, the one time you had to yourself without Bonten breathing down your neck, they found a way to make you even more miserable. "I have needs too for god's sake! I have a life outside being your lackey-"

"So you were going to let some lowlife stick his dick into you because you can't keep your legs shut."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

You try to reply to him again but no words come to your head. You can only close your mouth and look at your lap; it's unbelievable that he was berating you for wanting some form of intimacy in your life after being so pent up and going through so much shit. "So what do you expect me to do Mr. Sano?" Your voice is bitter but you didn't care any more at this point. "Ask Kokonoi to fuck me? Or should I go to Ran or Haruchiyo? Or…"

A smile makes its way to your face the moment an idea pops into your mind. You raised your head sharply towards him and jabbed a finger into his chest to buttress your point.

"Or should I ask you to do it? To corrupt and taint me?"

"Stop that."

"Do you want to fuck me, Mr. Sano? Is that why you hate seeing me with those low-lives? Is that it?"

"Don't start something you know you can't finish, (name)" it's a stern warning and you know Manjiro Sano isn't just being petty as usual. He was actually getting riled up from your constant taunting, which only served as entertainment with you because when was the last time you saw Mikey ever react to anything? "Or else."

But you don't listen to him. Even though you know from past experience that angering your volatile boss could end up with a bullet embedded in your brain, you push yourself closer to his body until you were flush against him, watching him stiffen as you lowered your lips next to his ear and rested your hand on his muscular thigh. It's obvious you're not thinking straight since you've had a couple of drinks and he's trying to keep that in mind, especially when you begin to trace a line towards his crotch area.

"Or else what, Mr. Sano?"

It happened so fast you could barely comprehend how he had you on your back to the seat with his body hovering over yours. Bleach blond bangs frame his face, highlighting the once empty, soulless eyes into darkened gazes full of lust and greed, hot breath hitting your face. A strong pale veiny hand pins your arms above your head, his knees separating your thighs, your jaw in a bruising grip of his other hand.

"S-sir-"

"A bit too late for that." He cuts you short, before turning his head to the driver of the vehicle. "Stop the car, now."

Your heart thuds loudly against your chest as the driver pulls the car into a dark corner hidden from the streetlights, coming to a stop. Manjiro does not ease up his grip, nor does he stop gazing into your soul as he tells the driver to "get out" in less than polite terms. You can hear the door of the car open and close quietly, along with the faint flicker of a lighter as the man walks away from the car.

With the two of you alone, Manjiro doesn't hesitate to crash your lips against each other in a messy kiss. Your boss wins the battle of dominance almost immediately with the sheer force he uses to force your mouth open with his hand so that he could explore your mouth. Your moans are silenced with each bruising kiss from him, his teeth grazing your lips before his tongue swipes over the marked place, engulfing your mouth with his until your lungs burn for air.

Moans of "sir" escaped your lips in sync with every wet kiss he placed on your face and cheek. Manjiro moves his lips from your lips, to your jaw and then settles onto your neck. The feeling of his teeth grazing your neck has you mewling and leaning into his touch. His hand leaves your jaw and quickly makes its way to your skirt, hiking it up a bit to reveal your panties and the Bonten tattoo on the plush of your inner thigh.

Manjiro pulls away from your neck and you let out an annoyed whine, already craving for his mouth on your neck again. His eyes sizes up the lace panties you had worn, a wet patch forming on it and he begins to trace a finger up and down your slit, teasing you through your panties. You let out a soft "hngh" from your lips as he moves to your clothed clit, rubbing tight circles, sending waves of electricity all over your lower region.

"Don't think I'm going easy on you." He mutters whilst pushing your soaked panties aside to reveal your bare cunt. A soft whine escapes your lips as two of his fingers start entering into your tight pussy, forcing its way into your walls until you accommodate the intrusion. "As soon as I'm done stretching out this cunt, I'm going to ruin you for anyone else."

You don't get to reply as his fingers begin to move at a pace that has your body trembling.

His fingers curled into you, pumping them in and out of your pussy. A loud moan escapes your lips when his fingers brush that spot, making your eyes roll back and pussy pulse around his fingers. "You like that?" He whispers close to your neck, biting and sucking marks into your skin, not letting up his rough finger fucking, curling his fingers even the more that has your legs shaking and the coil in your belly tightening. "Of course you do. You like it so much, look at how you're clenching on my fingers like a needy slut." His tone is mocking and yet, it only seemed to add fire to the flame.

Your body spasms in his hold, breathing fast as a violent orgasm rips through you until it becomes a dull throbbing and your head hangs while trying to catch your breath. Manjiro pulls away from your cunt and kneels upright. You peek through your lashes, watching him impatiently unbuckle his belt with one hand and toss it aside on the floor, followed by him working down the zipper and buttons of his pants, tugging it to his knees along with his boxers to reveal his thick, veiny cock springs free of its confines, drops of pre leaking from it.

He takes his dick in his free hand and smears the tip with pre before lining it up with your hole. A quiet groan escapes your lips as he rubs his length against your glistening pussy gathering all the slick, your heavy breathing matching his own. His grip on your hands above your head tightens, keeping you in place as he positions his tip in front of your entrance.

The pain when he pushes his tip into you is almost unbearable.

Your eyes snapped shut in response and you bit your lip to keep yourself from screaming as he slowly inched into you. "It'll be much easier for the both of us if you relax." He hisses at you, before reaching for your clit and circling it gently, trying to distract you from the pain. "Breathe."

His words were like a mantra and you found yourself taking in a deep breath and letting it out, trying your hardest to relax. Slowly, the pain from being stretched out gave way to feeling so full for the first time until he was buried at the hilt. A groan escapes Manjiro's lips; the feeling of your velvety walls around his hard cock was divine and if he didn't have any ounce of self control he would have cum immediately. His hips experimental rolls against yours and the loud "Manjiro" you let out had his brain short circuiting.

Everything is a blur after that.

His pace is fast, angling himself to your g-spot and abusing it, the whole car shaking with the power of his thrusts. His finger plays with your clit, despite you screaming "too much sir, too much!" in between moans and trying to squirm away from his brutal ministrations.

"Don't run away now, (name), I'm just doing what you want. Look at how well you're doing for a virgin." He says in between pants, thrusting into you even faster. He doesn't miss the whimper escaping your lips as his tip abuses your g-spot repeatedly- in fact it only encourages him to keep up the pace. "You're so obedient, I like this version of you. Might make you my personal slut- shit-"

His balls tighten at the feeling of your cunt fluttering around him at that sentence. Seeing him staring down at you condescendingly as he fucks into you hard is shamefully arousing, and your mouth can't help letting out loud moans of pleasure when his fat tip prods against your cunt.

The noises of skin slapping skin from the intensity of his thrusts in the car is obscene and noisy, you're sure the guard standing outside is well aware of what is going on.

He lets go of your clit briefly to put your leg on his bony shoulder, bringing you even closer to him and presses a hot, messy kiss on your lips, his tongue playing with yours again. You answer his kiss with another weak moan, the coil in your belly tighten once again with the urge to snap.

"You look so fucked out, it's pathetic" he laughs against your lips and moves his head to the crook of your neck. His grip tightens on your hand as he holds your trembling body in place. "I would have mistakened you for a slut if you weren't so fucking tight." His hips stutter, before regaining his pace again. He spits out darkly; "Since you're so cock hungry, maybe you should be our personal slut, huh? Bonten's cumrag?"

Maybe it's the alcohol coupled with the intense feeling of pleasure that has your mind completely dumb for him. Maybe it's because he's the one in control of everything as he rolls his hips into you, bringing you closer and closer to edge, his dark eyes clouded with lust and greed peering into yours that had you saying "yes, yes yes yes-" until your second orgasm washes over you, more intensely than the first and knocks you out completely soon after.

He falls over the edge too, pumping loads and loads of cum into you as he bucks into you with a few more thrusts, more than anything he's produced before until he's spent completely. He pulls himself away from your cunt immediately and sits on his heels, dark eyes watching cum leak out of your abused hole and pool down your cunt with interest. Manjiro's eyes flicker up to your face and realized you have passed out.

'It must have been too intense for you, huh.'

He releases your hands above your head, taking note of the fingerprint bruises on his hand and reaches for your bag to take out your wipes. He cleans the cum and specks of blood outside your cunt and tries to dab off the stain on the chair as well before tugging your skirt down and adjusting his pants. Wounding down the window of the car, Manjiro signs the driver outside to come in and he obeys immediately, putting out his cigarette on the concrete wall.

A sigh escapes his lips, in sync with the car engine revving up again. Manjiro's eyes flicker down to your sleeping figure that he's maneuvered to his lap and trails his gaze down to the marks littered all over your jaw and neck. Deft fingers circle around the swelling skin, still lost in thought about how pretty you look with his markings.

Something in him is selfish when it comes to you. He’s never been outright with his affections, but there’s just something about you that makes him want to have you in his cage, trapped with him. Perhaps it’s why he let Koko take you in all those years ago and why you haven’t died yet despite your misdeeds. Maybe it’s because he sees himself in you; the pain and the loss, the madness that you’ve buried deep down in your heart.

But for now, he’ll settle with whatever you both have. As long as you stayed with him. And as long as you stayed loyal to Bonten.

"Take us to my house."

Forever. Even in death.

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special thanks to: @officiallyjaehyuns @haikyuusboringassmanager @cockonoi @rindou24689 @short-cxke @kokoch4n3l @genawi @getonite @reiners-milkbiddies @gh0stgirl333 @kawaiikoalagarden @raven-nevra @ilovetwodmen @kodzubaby @straightfromheaven @manchie55 @tenjikusstuff4 @hapikiou @Lovelyartistz @lik0

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➞ layla 2024, do not repost, translate or plagarize my post on this platform or any other platform. before you follow or apply to my taglist, read my info caard first.

[hendersister]

that's all

summary: steve is concerned when he finds out that you're going to start tutoring billy.

pairing: steve harrington x henderson!sister reader

title 🎵: that's all by genesis

You’ve just finished grabbing some books out of your locker before first period starts. You close your locker and turn to see Steve Harrington approaching you. Your eyes widen. What is he doing here?

Even though you and Steve had become friends while you helped save the world last fall, you both still mainly stick with your different cliques during school hours. Steve’s social status has gone down a bit over the past year, but he’s still popular. He just won “Best Hair” in his senior class superlatives. Steve is one of the cool kids and you definitely are not. As president of the National Honor Society, a tutor and only girl in the school’s Mathlete team, you are considered a nerd in the Hawkins High social hierarchy. It’s all very The Breakfast Club.

“Hey Steve! What’s going on? You lost?” you joke.

Steve’s locker is at the other side of the school. This is the first time Steve’s visited you at your locker.

“What? No!” Steve shakes his head, and then, “Hendseron told me that you’re gonna start tutoring Billy Hargrove. Is it true?”

You nod. The only reason you were assigned to be Billy’s tutor is because you’re the best tutor at this school. Billy is on academic probation and needs to get his grades up if he wants to play on the basketball team next season. In rural Indiana, high school basketball means everything. You didn’t really have a choice in the matter. If you said no, you mostly likely would’ve faced some repercussions. 

“Yeah. He was just assigned to me. We have our first tutoring session tomorrow during study hall,” you explain.

Steve sighs. He looks concerned.

“C’mon, Y/N, do you really think that’s a good idea? Billy’s an asshole. Remember when he got violent with the kids? I mean, Billy’s a piece of shit…” 

You take a deep breath. Remember when he got violent with the kids? Of course you remember! How could you forget? Billy attacked Dustin’s friend Lucas at the Byers’ house a few months ago. He was scary and aggressive. Steve had to intervene to protect Lucas and the rest of the kids. The fight between Billy and Steve was rough. Steve lost that fight but won your respect. You were impressed and proud of Steve for keeping the kids safe.

“Yeah I know,” you quietly agree, “It’s not like I asked to tutor Billy. Mr. Carpenter assigned him to me…”

“Can’t you just ask Mr. Carpenter to assign him to someone else?” Steve tries.

You shake your head.

“No,” you answer coolly, “But if it makes you feel any better, I’m meeting Billy in the library. He won’t get violent in a public place.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Steve mumbles. He sounds uneasy.

You roll your eyes.

“Relax! I’m just tutoring Billy. It’s not like we’re eloping to Vegas or anything.”

“I’m not joking, Y/N!” Steve shrugs.

“I’m not laughing, Steve,” you brush off his concern, “Why do you care so much?”

Steve scrunches his forehead, confused.

“What?” 

You cross your arms against your chest.

“Why do you care if I tutor Billy or not?” you question him.

“Dustin was worried,” Steve gives you a non-answer.

“And you?” you keep pushing.

“I’m… I’m just trying to look out for you because… Dustin asked me to,” Steve stumbles through his response.

You raise your eyebrows. 

“That’s all?” 

Steve is quiet for a beat. Deep down he knows the truth but he’s not ready to admit it to himself just yet. Steve really cares about you. He’s trying to convince you not to tutor Billy because he’s trying to protect you. Steve doesn’t trust Billy and he doesn’t want you to get hurt. 

"Yeah, yeah that's all," Steve sighs.

You shrug, unconvinced. Since becoming friends with Steve, you’ve felt a spark between you two. You’re starting to believe that Steve feels the electricity too. But he won’t act on it. He’s an athlete and you’re a mathlete. And even though Steve is set to graduate soon, he still takes the high school social hierarchy seriously.

“Look, I appreciate the concern but I’ll be okay. I can take care of myself just fine. I’ve been doing it for a long time now…” you tell him.

Steve nods his head, defeated. He leaves without another word. You watch Steve go. After a beat, you turn and walk away in the opposite direction.

[rottenpumpkin13]

Pumpkin! Thoughts on the First Soldier pt. 1 finale? What did you think? Rosen’s death? Miniroth? The locket? Adult Seph? Glenn?

Thoughts on getting young Angeal and possibly Genesis? 👀

Also Hojo…

(I didn't play the First Soldier 🥲) But I do have thoughts! Wall of text incoming

It was really good to see Sephiroth form a bond with Matt, Glenn and Lucia, since everyone kinda had the idea that Sephiroth didn't have any friends before Gen and Angeal came along. But the trio were his first real friends :') Uncle Glenn was the best older brother figure, and it sucks that they didn't have that much time together.

I like the glimpse we got into Sephiroth's personality/life as a youngster, especially since it confirmed things like him wishing he knew more about his mother with the photograph, his reaction to being called a cyborg hinted at a possible struggle with his humanity from a very early age. Overall he portrayed the lack of experience and awkwardness you'd expect from a teenager who grew up isolated from kids his age, trained to be a weapon. I saw people on Twitter say they woobified him in FS, but he's literally just being a child?? A child who didn't have any experience interacting with the outside world at that.

We got confirmation that Sephiroth was abused by Hojo, and the teaser we have for chapter 2 kinda leads us to believe we're gonna see more about that. It feels like I'm strapped onto a rollercoaster going 200mph in the "Hojo is a creepy abusive bastard" direction and I don't like it.

Another thing I noticed is that Sephiroth's tendency to prioritize the safety of those he cares about over Shinra's orders was evident even from a young age. I'm curious to see how this trait will unfold when Angeal (and hopefully Genesis) roll around.

The thing with Rosen's death: Sephiroth was ultimately cornered into an inescapable situation, but I think what happened in Rhadore could've only ended in Sephiroth's losing his friends or them all dying. Glenn's unwavering determination to save Rosen and leave the island likely would have overridden any attempt to listen/adhere to Rosen's wishes. It's doubtful he would've even considered Rosen's reasoning, which could've ended in disaster.

It's still mind boggling to me that it was Glenn of all people who ended up being responsible for losing the locket again lol. I think we're gonna see it resurface again but this time without Lucrecia's photo. (because that would be mean to Sephiroth) (Square loves torturing Sephiroth 🙃)

Speaking of which, what really stuck out to me about the cutscene with adult Sephiroth is how— despite his involvement in Shinra's war crimes and every vile thing he did for them—he still tried to do good in his own way. AND THE WAy he mentioned Glenn when he was going on about compassion being able to counteract evil, hinting that Glenn planted that seed in his heart....🥲🥲🥲💔💔💔

Sephiroth never aspired to be a hero, he was forced into it, but he had a deep desire to help people, and it makes his pre-Nibelheim personality as a whole so bizarre. (Bizarre in a good way because he was a cinnamon roll stained with the blood of Shinra's enemies). Despite Shinra's (and Hojo bitch ass) attempts to mold him into a weapon, he retained that genuine kindness within him. When he saved the troopers you could see the genuine pride he felt in his actions. But the moment a camera appeared his joy was shattered, I guess because he knew that his act of heroism would be twisted into Shinra propaganda, and he would once again be celebrated not for the good he did, but because it played into this untouchable celebrity image they stuck him with.

I hope we see more Glenn in part 2 (before he dies) (ouch). I wanna see how his, Matt's and Lucia's desertion unfolded and how he ended up joining Wutai's side. Another burning question I have is whether Glenn and Genesis ever crossed paths. Considering Glenn's comment to Sephiroth about "looking for a friend," it seems he knew about Genesis' desertion in Wutai. But I wonder if there was an interaction between them where Glenn shared his own experiences of desertion and possibly even encouraged Genesis to do the same. It's just a theory I have that won't even be touched on BUT I WISH, OKAY? A Glenn + Genesis interaction about Sephiroth is all I ask for lol.

I'm dreading Glenn's death because it's going to be utterly heartbreaking for Sephiroth, especially considering he's already grappling with Genesis' desertion based on the timeline.

Another mini theory I have is that the introduction of Angeal and Genesis could mirror Sephiroth's initial encounter with Glenn, Matt, and Lucia, who eventually deserted. It seems like a parallel storyline, and by the end of chapter 2, we might dive into the Crisis Core storyline that explores Angeal and Genesis's desertions. Idk it's just a theory, since Sephiroth befriending people who later abandon SOLDIER is a pattern 🙃

That coupled with Glenn's death sets up a scenario where Sephiroth loses everyone he cares about in a very short span of time.

Also,

FUCK HOJO

No actually don't fuck Hojo, fucking Hojo and people in white coats is what lead to the entire FF7 storyline.

Thank you for letting me rant lol ❤️

Btw the thing I'm most excited for is Baby Angeal idc. If you couldn't tell already by this blog, I'm a Crisis Whore big fan of Crisis Core :)

[ominous-feychild-writes]

“What if we just… quit?” I ask suddenly.

Noah is washing the dirt and plaster off his arms, scrubbing them so hard that what little of his skin isn’t scarred is bright pink. His scars are so faded that they look decades old.

We’re only twenty, but he looks so much older.

“I can’t,” he says simply, not looking at me as he washes the last bit of soap down the sink. His voice barely even broke.

The television host’s voice chatters for us.

“Stormwalker and Supernova: heroes, or no better than the villains?” it says, staticky from poor connection.

Our apartment is on the outskirts of the city—even as government workers, we’re paid far too little to live downtown. Even if it’d make our jobs easier to be there.

“—today the two heroes helped make a record number of arrests, stopping three riots and two villain attacks within one day. But are they any—”

“Why not?” I ask, pushing myself off the stool and moving to put a hand on his shoulder.

He shrugs it off.

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

He finally turns to look at me, silent resignation written all over his face. He tries to fake a reassuring smile, but I know better.

“—left thousands of dollars in damages and thousands more homeless as—”

That’s their excuse for paying us so little. ‘Because they need it to repair the destruction left in our wake.’ ‘If we want to be paid better, we should do a better job; don’t cause so much damage.’

If it’s so easy, why don’t you do it yourself? Try dodging lasers while saving people, while leading the villains away from populated areas, while trying to take them down! Then—then you can tell us to ‘do a better job!’

“Even if they can’t appreciate it,” Noah finishes defeatedly.

The pain in his eyes makes me want to fly all the way to the reporters, standing out front of the half-destroyed West Bank and talking trash about us, and to punch them so hard they go flying into the wreckage themselves.

Like Noah was when Genesis made him pick between himself and the people trying to flee the streets.

Lasers do an incredible amount of damage, even to people whose skin is hard as rock and bones are hard as steel. Even Noah—Stormwalker himself—couldn’t fight against those.

That kind of force—powerful enough to send a man of steel through stone walls—is strong enough to cause cuts and scrapes and bruises on one of the strongest heroes in the world.

But, yeah. ‘Do better.’

I can’t even step in myself. I have to stand back from afar, watching Noah get bloodied and bruised while reporters salivate at the thought of talking shit about us once the danger is over. I have to wait for Noah to get close enough for me to heal him.

Because that’s all I can do. Heal.

Next to Noah, I feel useless.

I’m just as squishy as everyone else, but I still put myself at risk in order to help the heroes. Well, mostly just Noah. But he and Supernova are the only heroes in this city, so.

‘Do better,’ they say.

I want to spit in all of their faces.

‘It’s the right thing to do, even if they don’t appreciate it,’ Noah says.

“Okay,” I say gently. I fight the urge to cup my hand around his cheek.

Part 2 | Part 3

Divider from @cafekitsune

[ominous-feychild]

“What if we just… quit?” I ask suddenly.

Noah is washing the dirt and plaster off his arms, scrubbing them so hard that what little of his skin isn’t scarred is bright pink. His scars are so faded that they look decades old.

We’re only twenty, but he looks so much older.

“I can’t,” he says simply, not looking at me as he washes the last bit of soap down the sink. His voice barely even broke.

The television host’s voice chatters for us.

“Stormwalker and Supernova: heroes, or no better than the villains?” it says, staticky from poor connection.

Our apartment is on the outskirts of the city—even as government workers, we’re paid far too little to live downtown. Even if it’d make our jobs easier to be there.

“—today the two heroes helped make a record number of arrests, stopping three riots and two villain attacks within one day. But are they any—”

“Why not?” I ask, pushing myself off the stool and moving to put a hand on his shoulder.

He shrugs it off.

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

He finally turns to look at me, silent resignation written all over his face. He tries to fake a reassuring smile, but I know better.

“—left thousands of dollars in damages and thousands more homeless as—”

That’s their excuse for paying us so little. ‘Because they need it to repair the destruction left in our wake.’ ‘If we want to be paid better, we should do a better job; don’t cause so much damage.’

If it’s so easy, why don’t you do it yourself? Try dodging lasers while saving people, while leading the villains away from populated areas, while trying to take them down! Then—then you can tell us to ‘do a better job!’

“Even if they can’t appreciate it,” Noah finishes defeatedly.

The pain in his eyes makes me want to fly all the way to the reporters, standing out front of the half-destroyed West Bank and talking trash about us, and to punch them so hard they go flying into the wreckage themselves.

Like Noah was when Genesis made him pick between himself and the people trying to flee the streets.

Lasers do an incredible amount of damage, even to people whose skin is hard as rock and bones are hard as steel. Even Noah—Stormwalker himself—couldn’t fight against those.

That kind of force—powerful enough to send a man of steel through stone walls—is strong enough to cause cuts and scrapes and bruises on one of the strongest heroes in the world.

But, yeah. ‘Do better.’

I can’t even step in myself. I have to stand back from afar, watching Noah get bloodied and bruised while reporters salivate at the thought of talking shit about us once the danger is over. I have to wait for Noah to get close enough for me to heal him.

Because that’s all I can do. Heal.

Next to Noah, I feel useless.

I’m just as squishy as everyone else, but I still put myself at risk in order to help the heroes. Well, mostly just Noah. But he and Supernova are the only heroes in this city, so.

‘Do better,’ they say.

I want to spit in all of their faces.

‘It’s the right thing to do, even if they don’t appreciate it,’ Noah says.

“Okay,” I say gently. I fight the urge to cup my hand around his cheek.

Parts 2&3

[cairavende]

Worm Arc 13 thoughts:

Everything is fine, everyone is doing great, but Brian might need to use some vacation days. Just, I dunno, something tells me the dude might benefit from a short break.

We start right off with Taylor refusing to admit she kicked Mannequin's ass, even though all of her allies and all of his allies both agree she did. Which is my daughter 101. I wish she could love herself a little more.

Lisa got her game. It might not be perfect but I think it was well done by her. It still gives them more structure to work with, and more ways to fight back. As this arc shows.

Aisha is way to fucking reckless. I mean I feel for her I really do, but god damn girl. Sometimes your teammates are right! Even if your brother can be a bit of a dick about it.

General note, I absolutely love how Wildbow wrote stuff around Aisha using her power. Just every bit of it. It is very good. I have legit multiple times during this went "Oh fuck I forgot about IMP!" and that is perfect.

Mannequin kills Lucy, so he goes from being on my shit list to being on my super shit list. I'm going to be sad if I never get to see him die.

If Bentley had died I would have burned the world down. So luckily that didn't happen.

Sucks that Mannequin also killed some of Skitter's people. And that he ended up living in the end. But it was fun to watch him get his ass kicked a second time and have to get saved by Burnscar.

I fucking LOVE Genesis. I'm so glad we get to see more of her. Her power is so much fun.

WOLFSPIDER! Taylor bonding with Bitch over trauma. Taylor basically thinking you want someone to tell you want to do. And then “You had me at no holds barred"! AHHHH! Murder lesbians. Go fuck them up girls.

Skitter had a pretty decent plan for attacking the Nine, all things considered. Very good use of their strengths and the abilities they had on hand. But she did make one major mistake. Well, to be fair everyone involved did. And that was having Trickster be the only sniper. They should have brought a few of Coil's troops. Even one more half competent sniper and they would have killed one of the Nine in that first attack. If they had brought Coil's Sniper? 2 of the Nine dead minimum, maybe 3.

Also, the mannequins for Trickster to swap people with were very clever. Though they could have prevented Brian getting captured if they had brought 1 more. And you don't even need a good sniper with those. Point a gun at the head of a mannequin. Swap and shoot at basically the same moment. Bullet hits them before they even know they've swapped and you can't miss. But still, they did pretty good.

I mean maybe not from Grue's PoV, but whatever. He didn't die! He's fine.

Cherish getting absolutely fucking DESTROYED by Tattletale! Oh god it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Cherish tries to get into Tattletales head and Tattletale is just constantly 10 steps ahead and just gaaahhh! Fuck I love it. I would read 100 chapters that was just Tattletale fucking with people like that.

The setup Skitter used to talk to the Protectorate was so fucking cool. Full blown mimicking human speech with only bugs?! She's amplified her words before, but never had the bugs speak entirely on their own. Just the most badass thing. The thing that makes everyone remember you! Swarm of bugs shows up at the superhero base, takes the shape of a person and starts talking with bug sounds, saying "oh hey we just kicked the fuck out of the Nine and captured two of them, wanna actually be heroes and help us finish this?" God damn.

Also Trickster getting through a locked door by teleporting the lock away was very neat.

Of course the heroes don't help. Miss Militia and her "We can handle that on our own, with more calculation and less recklessness." Really? Are you really going to have less recklessness? Cause I've read the interlude. But more on that later.

HOLY FUCK IT SUCKS TO BE BRIAN! I mean, he got better. But still!

I knew my daughter wasn't going to die. I knew her two girlfriends weren't going to die. I was pretty sure Imp and Grue weren't going to die (I wasn't sure how Grue was living but it seemed likely) but even with all that I was kinda panicking during the whole Bonesaw thing.

SECOND TRIGGER EVENT! SECOND TRIGGER EVENTS CONFIRMED! FUCK YES! I'M SO SORRY THAT HAD TO HAPPEN TO YOU BRIAN BUT THAT WAS SO COOL!

Fucking power thief! So much possibility here!

Siberian a projection confirmed. I mean basically confirmed. Confirmed enough for me. Like sure the details aren't revealed and such, but they are totally some form of projection. (I don't list my predictions on here usually so everyone will just have to trust me when I say I guessed Siberian was a projection in arc 11 or 12.)

Also saw some (I assume) other alternate earths in that trigger event, which is neat. I'm sure they'll never come up again.

Skitter sending a note to the Protectorate that was basically "We killed one and injured another, you are a bunch of cowards that suck, fuck you!" was wonderful.

I am very sad for Doll Lesbian and I hope someone can help her! She needs care in this trying time. Cause I love her and she is so cool and it isn't fair that shitty things are happening to her.

"It isn't fair that shitty things are happening to her" is like, 85% of Worm I'm pretty sure though, so I'll probably just have to deal.

Lisa put a blanket on Taylor when she fell asleep. GAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!

Interlude 1 - Aisha's mother sucks. I'm so sorry for the poor girl. Aisha also makes very bad choices. She got so fucking lucky she got away from the Nine the first time and then just went and got herself caught anyway! The fact that her power is passive and she has to work to turn it off sure fucking sucks though.

Interlude 2 - Hey Miss Militia, remember how I said I was going to get back to the "more calculation and less recklessness"? Cause we're back to that. Piggot is planning on dropping WHITE PHOSPHOROUS on part of a city! And then dropping a bunch of bombs made by a dangerous supervillain! Bombs that no one knows exactly what they do! How is that "less recklessness"? Also the PRT is just horribly run. God damn Piggot shouldn't have to be requesting stuff from other offices directly, they should have a central admin that manages reallocation of resources in situations like this. And they should have a full system of teams setup that aren't attached to a city, but instead deploy where they are needed! The government already has systems like this for disaster response and stuff. And between Endbringers and the Nine and other stuff the PRT knows that sometimes certain locations need more support. Terribly managed, badly run, they need better admin staff. They need people that know how to use a god damn spreadsheet. I have a lot more to say about Piggot and her plan but I feel like I'll get some chances to comment on it in Arc 14.

[dark-elf-writes]

Anyway third time travel au idea because I have no self control

Genesis doesn’t get grabbed by Deepground but isn’t allowed to join with the lifestream so he just kind of wanders as a force Lifestream ghost and watches over Cloud because there’s… not much else he can do.

(He tried following Sephiroth, or the thing that was once Sephiroth really, for a while. The mix of guilt and grief and fury has nearly knocked him senseless and made him ache for his materia… and a physical form to use them.

It would be a mercy to end his once friend, he knows. Sephiroth would have hated to be anyone’s puppet. )

So he follows Cloud, a not so silent spectator as he watches the man save the world.

And then do it again.

And again.

There are others watching now, Zack who had thrown a spectral arm around his shoulders and called him soft, the ancient girl with her sweet smile and sharp eyes.

It her that offers it. The chance to change all of this as the thing puppeting one of Genesis’ best friends bodies resurrects itself once again.

What meaning does time have to the three of them? They were as much of the Lifestream as they were not. What was to stop them from going back and changing all of this.

He would never admit to it, but Genesis had grown fond of the man who was once the boy, of the one who stood between the world and destruction time and time again. How could he not after following him for so long? Truly a hero worthy of the Godess’ blessing.

And Genesis… wanted better for him than those ever tired eyes and lonely days between fights spent kneeling in a shattered church staring at his hands for hours at a time. Better than silent panic attacks in dark rooms before he took up his sword to slay his demon yet again. Better than the never ending drive to move forward when all the man wanted was rest.

Perhaps he could give that boy something better. Give him a world that didn’t need saving. Give him rest after all this time.

No hate; only joy, for Cloud was beloved by the Goddess.

Nothing will forestall Genesis’ return.

So in the end he goes back and has to figure out how he’s going to get his hands on his son future apprentice, make sure he and Angeal don’t start to degrade again, and stop Sephiroth’s Not Mother from assuming control all while he’s still technically a teenager himself.

The Not Vampire he collects from a certain mansion isn’t incredibly helpful for any of those goals, but Cloud is fond of him or will be anyway and Genesis is nothing if not generous.

[sparvverius]

Hi Kes :) I am wondering if you have any thoughts on IwtV/TVC classpects 🤔💭

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sorry it took me a bit to respond i had to enter classpecting mode.

to start out, space and time are the most fundamental aspects of the narrative, and given that iwtv/tvc is so heavily focused on narrative and its own narrative framing device i think having space and time players is essential.

daniel i think is a space player--he provides the literal "space" for the interview, and in the show, he could be considered through his journalistic work an accomplished artist himself, he's a much more effective interviewer and is less of an empty vessel for the story and more of someone who helps to write it himself and find the truth. for this reason he could also be a light player i think. he is definitely a passive player, so i would lean toward page or sylph? in the show i would say certainly page, and the season 2 finale is evidence of how powerful a full-fledged page can be!

claudia i feel fairly confident in saying is a time player. maybe thief of time--she is literally living on stolen time--but she also had time in one sense, the natural progression of aging, stolen from her. she is also an essential part of the narrative and i think that her death was in some sense its genesis. even more so in the book, which is imo so clearly written about the horror of the loss of a young child who will now never get to grow up. it doesn't hurt that she's driven and a fighter and musically gifted.

i like the idea that the space and time players never get to meet each other also!

louis was kind of harder for me. i think he must be a destroyer class blood aspect, and he certainly is not an active class, so i think he has to be a bard of blood. he ghosts breath in the sense that he has this sense of constant alienation from the world, but the core of him is extremely family-oriented. he tries to escape from this feeling of alienation through lestat, claudia, armand, whoever, and is continually frustrated by his inability to truly connect with anyone after paul's death. and yet he continually blows up his chances for connection despite their sincerity--in the book he plays an unintentional role in paul's death, in the show his relationship with his family disintegrates after he chooses to become a vampire/be with lestat (DID YOU EAT THAT BABY LOUIS??!?!?), he kills/aids in the death of lestat, he fails to save claudia and chooses armand over her, he can't ever connect with armand again. in the first book this ends for him in total solitude and despair, just trying to be listened to for a little while, and in the show he seems to have gone back to embracing the freedom of his opposite aspect while also having a new bond with daniel and briefly reuniting with lestat. (there is also a joke here somewhere about blood and his reluctance to embrace his vampire nature.)

armand is, i feel, a total void player. my read on him as a character is that he has completely hollowed himself out and no longer has any sense of self beyond whatever convenient lie he is telling in the moment or whatever is being imposed on him from the outside. i would say perhaps heir of void--it's something he can use and weaponize (maybe tied to how he can and does excise memories, definitely tied to how he tries to look like the guy who holds the key to all the mysteries) even though it has taken him over completely. like louis, incredibly and sometimes (frequently) maliciously passive. depressing ass classpect but at least it is not the end of his story!

lestat was actually the hardest for me and i expect that my opinions will change while i read tvl and qotd and whatever else.. he might be a light player in a vriskaesque sense, he might be a heart player in the sense of struggling with the concept of the self especially the emotional self, he seems maybe like a prince but i would have a hard time connecting that with an aspect cause i don't really see him ghosting void or mind... i really am not sure. i will think about it more.

i would love to hear your thoughts on any of these!!! or anyone elses!!

[holly-fixation]

Perfect Timing

Summary: A newly fused time materia and good intentions leads to a child Silver Soldier and a delayed mako reactor mission. 

Inspired by asks to @prismaticpichu with my very own twists. Instead of Sephiroth suddenly turned into a 3 year old while surrounded by his First Class friends and puppy, he’s time turned back to a 10 year old while literally on Mount Nibel. 

Made with permission.

Please Enjoy.

…

Zack, The Apprentice Puppy, turned into Zack Fair: First Class SOLDIER about two years ago. He lost so much before even making it to First. He lost his mentor. Then he lost his faith in the company he dedicated his loyalty to. Human experimentation, exploitation of mako, the useless war with Wutai, all facts he came to realize as he spent more time at the top. SOLDIER truly was a den of monsters. Angeal, his mentor, and Genesis, former First turned enemy, were proof of that. Shinra lied, manipulated, betrayed. Zack didn't even hate Genesis for going after Shinra. Even after all this time, he hoped he could get through to the Crimson Soldier. Zack childishly and innocently, he knew that's how it seemed at least, still wanted to save everyone. 

That was why he was thankful to be assigned this Mako Reactor mission with Sephiroth. The Silver Soldier was impossible to contact once he locked himself in the data room of HeadQuarters. After finding out both of his closest friends were experimented on by the company he dedicated his life to, no one blamed him for the rash decision. Days, weeks, months. No one heard from him unless the mission was mandatory. Even then, Sephiroth was the best of the best, the top soldier in the company and even the world. He had the option to turn down any mission he wished as long as he could push it on another soldier. 

Sephiroth couldn't reject this mission. Every member of SOLDIER was sent to every mako reactor on the planet, under threat of attack from Genesis and his army along with the extreme rise in monster attacks. Sephiroth and Zack were assigned to Nibelhiem, so that was where they went. They found an escort up the mountain range, a teenage girl named Tifa Lockhart leading two of the world's strongest soldiers and two simple cadets. Of course she had no idea one of those cadets was Cloud Strife, an old childhood friend. 

The mountains threw every natural defense it had at the party of five: hordes of monsters, winding labyrinths of caves, a bridge too weak to hold them all. There was nothing they could do when the other cadet fell into the valley of sharp rocks below instead of the safe path. Sephiroth was the only one who saw the body, urging the rest of the party away from the sight. Still, they went forward, onward in their journey. Everything was unnerving and dark and concerning. Sephiroth was silently on edge with every step they took closer, but Zack was the only one who noticed. The puppy tried to keep spirits light and help his friend whenever he could, but it was difficult with Sephiroth’s desire to control the situation. 

The Silver Soldier took it upon himself to take down every monster in their path, barely giving Zack a chance to respond before their enemy landed at their feet. Finally a Zuu, the massive black feathered creature of the mountains, gave Sephiroth shreds of a challenge with its incredible maneuverability. Zack wanted to help, and he had this extremely powerful Time materia he fused before the mission. Everything about it screamed the ultimate magic. Stop worked for nearly a minute. Haste lasted five. That was absolutely incomprehensible compared to the average time materia he had before. Haste was a fantastic boost for taking out annoying enemies. Zack didn't even ask or warn Sephiroth of the coming spell. Knowing the Silver Soldier, he'd adjust and take the Zuu out instantly. 

However, the materia ‘glitched’, sparking an unidentifiable purple lightning from Zack’s grip. Suddenly Sephiroth was held in the gears of a white Stop spell, frozen inside as the gears glowed brighter and brighter, blinding nearly everything in sight. 

Zack was the first to regain his senses, the glowing still too bright for the Zuu’s hunting eyes. The younger First immediately went to action and took down the monster while it was still stunned. 

Then it got…odd. Really odd. Impossible. How does that even happen?

Tifa and Cloud stared cautiously as the light fizzled, leaving the Silver Soldier in its wake. But a few feet shorter. With a different haircut. And a wee bit younger. 

…Uh oh. 

This was very much not part of the plan. 

It took a moment before the boy’s mind began processing the world around him. This was Sephiroth, yes, at possibly ten years old. His posture and his stance were exactly the same, but his eyes revealed his lack of understanding. He jerked in bewilderment at the entirely unexplainable surroundings. Even the sky seemed like a threat to him as he gripped the massive blade in his hands for dear life with all the strength in his little body. 

Zack was the only one to approach. Both companions held their hands up in surrender and concern. “Shoot. Shoot shoot shoot- I’m so sorry-”

“Who are you?” His little voice mimicked the intense voice they all knew, but it was much higher, lacking the natural intimidation of his baritone nature. 

Zack really felt bad now. There was a small part of this that was cute, seeing all of Sephiroth in a fun size package in and of itself had some adorable nature to it. A large part was sad if his theory was correct. 

“I’m Zack, your friend,” He gestured to the girl and boy. “That’s Tifa and Cadet ‘Spiky’. Are you okay, Sephiroth-?”

“What’s his real name?” He never lost the bite in his voice. “Where am I?”

Zack winced in realization. Big oops. Big oops. He slowly sheathed his sword to his back as he answered carefully, “We’re on the path to Mount Nibel. On the Western Continent.”

The boy tried to hide the shock on his face. 

They definitely needed to turn around. No questions asked. Zack extended a hand calmly, bending down to a knee to be closer to the boy's height. “Let’s head back to Nibelheim and rest up for a bit-”

“Where’s Hojo?” The silver child cut him off sharply.

Why was he concerned about Hojo? Zack knew there was a history between them but it went back this far? “In Midgar. He’s not coming here either.”

Little Sephiroth’s gaze actually softened a bit. Hojo wasn’t here. Hojo wasn’t here? They could see the realization run through his mind. The boy looked up to the sky again, watching how the clouds moved between the peaks of the mountain. Zack couldn’t figure out what else he was trying to determine. 

“Sephiroth?”

He forced his stare to harden again. “I’m not going anywhere until I know who you are.”

Zack accepted immediately and turned to the cadet with an apologetic look. Then he returned to the boy. “I can’t tell you much about them but I can tell you who I am. I'm Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class-”

“I will be the first SOLDIER. That's not possible.”

“We met two years ago on a mission in Wutai.”

“I've never been-”

“Well, maybe not yet you haven't.”

“What are you talking about?”

Zack rubbed the back of his neck. “This is going to sound insane but,” He took a breath, “I tried to use a new time materia to cast Haste on you and it malfunctioned and now you're a child again.”

“...that’s Asinine.”

“Yeah that's how it sounds but that's exactly what happened.”

“How do you mess that up?”

“Hey if you fuse as much materia as I do, you'll see just how much weird stuff you can make.”

The boy hesitated. 

Zack knew the truth was insane but Sephiroth deserved to know, even if he was only nine or ten years old. “Let's go back to the village and rest up. I'll explain everything when we're settled, okay?”

“Is this a test?”

“No, it's not a test.”

“Then why does it feel like a test?”

“Probably because it's confusing and weird.” Zack carefully stepped closer. 

Sephiroth immediately straightened his blade. “Stand back.”

The dark haired First simply moved the tip away with a gloved hand, the boy’s arms shaking in silent protest. “I promise, we’re not gonna hurt you. We just wanna bring you someplace safe, and that sword’s really not your size anymore.”

“I’m not going with you without a weapon.”

Oh. If that was the main concern, that wasn’t a problem at all. Zack turned back to the cadet. “Hey, Spiky, did you bring my old sword?”

The cadet nodded, carefully unsheathing the blade from his own back. It was significantly smaller than both Masamune or the Buster Sword, only a few feet in length with a brass hilt decorated with the SOLDIER logo.

“Would you trade for that one?”

Sephiroth glared analytically at the significantly more manageable blade. “Place it on the ground, and back away.”

The cadet and guide followed the ten year old’s order. 

The boy took deliberate steps while moving the tip of his blade from the First to the smaller but closer cadet, both arms required for the simple shift alone. He took a knee and realized he could not lift both blades at once. Like a snake claiming its kill, he swiftly dropped the massive blade and claimed the smaller one, arriving back on his feet before they could notice the shift. Even if he didn’t like the weight, it was clearly more maneuverable than the massive katana. 

“Alright, good. That works!” Zack wasted no time and walked over for the Silver Soldier’s blade. The young soldier backed away with a deadly glare in his eyes. “Don’t worry. We’re not gonna hurt you, but you might hurt me later if I leave your sword here.”

“That’s mine?”

“Always has been, as far as I know.” Zack replaced the Buster Sword on his back with the Masamune.

His eyes followed the entire length of his supposed blade to the tip. “It’s really long.”

Both Tifa and ‘Spiky’ flinched, but Zack actually laughed. 

“Come on, let’s get moving.” The only First turned to Tifa. “Lead the way.”

She nodded hesitantly before walking ahead, “Oh, r-right. Yes, follow me. I know the another way back.” They all followed, some more willing than others.

“...What’s so funny?” Sephiroth questioned as he followed at the end, still ready to attack them all if necessary, but Zack wasn’t worried at all, brushing him off with a smile.

“It’s just funny. I asked you the exact same question and you know what you told me?”

“Of course not.”

“‘Nothing can strike back if they can’t get in range. You need to be able to take anything down in one blow’. Do you know what you fought when you told me that?”

“No.”

“A behemoth,” Zack laughed. “Something tells me it’s more than that and you just don’t wanna tell me, but that’s just my guess.”

Sephiroth huffed, glancing away and regretting asking in the first place. This dark haired man was weird. This ‘First Class’ kind of reminded the silver boy of a brown haired little girl with a bow he was forced to spend time with. Maybe that was why he was willing to follow. 

* * * 

Battles throughout the mountain range certainly took longer with only Zack on the job. Sephiroth clearly debated joining against the monsters, but the strange world around him and the strange situation in general had the boy backing away a bit in fear. Or he was trying to find a moment to escape, despite the long, long swim to Midgar if he tried. Luckily they all made it back to the town, Zack brushing off some significant scratches but everyone else squeaky clean. 

Once in the village, Zack had no choice but to put Spiky in charge of explaining the situation to the locals. 

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, SOLDIER operatives are waiting one more day before approaching the reactor. They will continue to protect the village within their extended time here. The situation will be cleared as soon as possible with departure tomorrow morning.” Cadet Spiky repeated this message like an answering machine, devoid of life, emotion, and answers to any questions he did not already state in his explanation.

In the meantime, Tifa helped sneak the little Sephiroth into the inn with Zack. They only claimed the boy was a lost child and that Sephiroth stayed behind to clear out more monsters. Knowing the feats of the Silver Soldier, no one questioned his ability to stay behind and decimate any monster forces. They were confused when they found any clean look at the child in a First Class uniform but received no further details on what he was. Tifa left the two SOLDIERs once they were beyond the door and out of sight, leaving to tell her father she was back for another day and any updates she could give without slipping up about the ten year old Demon of Wutai.

On the second floor of the inn, Sephiroth suddenly stopped in his tracks. Zack jumped back and searched out the same window the boy couldn't stop staring out. 

“What did you see? Another dragon? Which way did it go?”

The questions seemed to snap the boy back to reality. “N-no. It wasn't a monster.” He clearly forced his gaze down. “I apologize.”

Zack brushed his unneeded apology off. “Don't worry about it. You didn't do anything wrong. But what did you see? You seemed a little lost in thought there.”

Sephiroth swallowed and let his eyes return to the landscape. “It's just… It's familiar. The mountains. And the trees.”

Zack nodded. Right, this exact moment happened before they left, but the boy before him didn't remember anything about being a SOLDIER. He tried to justify Sephiroth's feeling while also moving him toward their room, “...Deja vu's weird like that. It's nothing to worry about. It's just how it is.”

That single word jerked his attention to the First. “'Deja vu'?”

“Yeah,” Zack answered casually as he held the door open. “It's that creepy feeling you get when you think you've been somewhere before.”

“Hm.” Sephiroth didn't respond beyond a small hum, only glancing down and walking to the room. He gave a perplexed look at the three beds against the wall, the room much larger than he expected.

“What’s wrong?” Every word out of the dark haired man’s mouth left without judgment. “Oh shoot, are you hungry? Thirsty?”

“N-No.” The child met his eyes. “...Why is there more than one?”

“Oh, it's a small town, so this is kind of the entire inn.”

“That doesn't explain the single large room.”

“For heating reasons. There's only one fireplace. Can't have travelers freezing to death just because they want personal space.”

Sephiroth couldn't agree, never really bothered by temperature. He just crossed his arms in a huff. 

Zack waved him over while plopping on the bed closest to the window. He gestured to the bed next to him. “Go ahead. We have a lot to talk about when you're ready.”

The boy only took half the suggestion. He stood between the two beds, refusing to show the vulnerability this SOLDIER was clearly fine with displaying. He stayed silent, not moving a muscle as he continued scanning the room for any oddities. 

“Let’s start with the basics,” The man interrupted the concerned look in his eyes. “How old are you?”

Sephiroth’s arms tightened, his head shifted down a bit. “I. I don’t know.”

After waiting a moment in silence, Zack realized the boy was waiting for him to continue their discussion. If he thought Sephiroth was quiet before, the Silver Soldier was silent unless spoken to back then. “So, what's the last thing you remember? You know, before suddenly appearing here.”

He was still quiet, a calculated pause before every answer. “...I was about to sleep.”

Okay. Alright. This was going to take a while, wasn't it? Not a problem. This boy was just a lot more sheltered than the man he knew. Zack just needed to be specific. “How about, what did you do today? I know you like schedules.”

For some reason, even such a basic question hitched his breath. He turned down and away, trying to avoid any gaze from the mako blues. 

“What's wrong?”

The boy's will hardened, an almost teenage defiance creeping into his voice. “Shouldn’t you know this already if you know me so well?”

“You don't talk about your childhood. Believe me, I asked. I don't know what it was but… the way you avoided it… it wasn't good.”

He went quiet, contemplating silently. 

“But did something happen 'yesterday'?”

His arms tightened. “...it wasn’t a good day.”

“What happened?”

The boy shifted anxiously, gripping the tight leather of his coat. Zack's eyes still held their…emotion filled gaze. He clearly expected something different. “...why do you care…?”

“Because in this time, you're my friend.” He stated simply. The small beat allowed Sephiroth to process his words. “And you probably feel like you’ve just been kidnapped. Which is fair.”

“'Kidnapped'?”

Zack swore he always received the fastest responses when the boy didn't understand something. “Stealing a person.”

He huffed softly. “Is it still considered stealing if it’s better…?”

The black haired man's heart broke. 

Sephiroth just shook his head. “I apologize. That's a useless question.”

“No question is a useless question.”

He winced, but finally, the boy sat on the bed. The extreme control in his eyes faded ever so slightly to what Zack immediately recognized as exhaustion. 

“When was the last time you slept?”

He fidgeted a bit. “...Um. Last night.”

“And you suddenly appeared here before you went to bed?”

“...Yes.”

“Oh my gods, dude, go to sleep!”

Inhuman eyes stared at him immediately. 

Zack actually jumped to his feet, startling the boy a bit from the movement. “I’m serious. Look, I'll sit in the hall. Just don't crawl out the window and you can have the whole room to yourself, okay?”

“What if I want to go somewhere?”

“Just let me know and I'll take you. You're not a prisoner here. I just don't want anything to happen to you.”

Those simple words warmed Sephiroth's chest. Zack could see it in the way the boy's shoulders curled in on himself. 

“Look, you'll get this whole room to yourself. Set it up however's comfortable and take whichever bed you want. Bathroom's right there so you don't even have to leave. Sound good?”

Sephiroth gave a soft nod, still not looking anywhere near the SOLDIER. 

“Alright.” Zack jogged backwards toward the door to continue facing the boy. “Knock three times if you need me. I'll be right here.” With another small nod from the small Sephiroth, he closed the only door to the room. 

In the hallway, Zack messaged 'Spiky' on his phone, giving the cadet new orders for how to help with their new mission number one. 

* * * 

Gods that boy could sleep. That or he really wanted to be nocturnal. 

Sephiroth only knocked long after the sky turned dark, and Zack opened the door to a perfectly uniformed Silver Soldier. He almost looked like he was dressing-up as his favorite hero, even though he literally was said hero. The entire room behind him was comically clean, even cleaner than it was when they checked into the inn two nights ago. Every bedspread had perfect corners and symmetrical pillows, each one practically a copy of the other. The curtains were drawn, and not a speck of dust littered the floor. What did he clean with? Where did the dust even go?

None of this changed the simple fact that Sephiroth was still a pre-teen. 

“Hey, Sephiroth,” Zack called in a slightly concerned but mostly casual voice. “Did you sleep well?”

“What time is it?”

Zack shrugged. “Eh. 2200 hours.”

His eyes widened before they fell in disappointment. “Oh. I apologize.”

“You've literally been dragged to the future. Well, basically. Either way you completely deserve a day of rest.”

“I'm not supposed to rest. I'm supposed to be perfect.”

Zack placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and Sephiroth flinched immediately, but he didn't try to attack or move. Zack slowly let go, releasing the boy carefully after realizing his mistake. He did not mean to startle him. “You're more than perfect. You're human. And that matters so much more.”

Sephiroth's brows turned in confusion and sadness. Zack's message didn't make sense. 

“Now come on. Let's get you some grub.”

The boy shifted awkwardly, a small pout forming on his adolescent features. “Can't I just eat it here?”

“Uh, no,” Zack gave a kind smile in return and a small chuckle. “Spiky's really helping us out with this. We're going to him.”

Now his gaze hardened. “Who is he.”

“I'll tell you when we get there. Come on.” 

Sephiroth followed a respectable distance behind the First as they traveled across the small town. It was weird, but different, seeing the world like this. And the sky. The boy stopped in his tracks around the water tower. Zack turned back and saw exactly why. 

His cat-like eyes twinkled in reflection of the stars above them. 

Zack gave a light hearted chortle. “Yeah, can't get a view like this in Midgar.”

“They're beautiful...” The boy spoke breathlessly. And he was right. The way the legs of the galaxy arched across the sky in celestial blues and greens could capture anyone, or even make them think of their place in the universe. 

Zack allowed the boy a few minutes to just look, watching for any villagers that may question who the boy was. However, with the monsters along with their backwater town culture, most citizens already checked in for the night. 

He just looked so happy. The First let him enjoy the moment until his stomach growled. 

“Alright, come on. The stars aren't going anywhere. I promise.”

This time he really did pout as he followed the suggestion, walking behind Zack into a small home. 

Apparently, this was Spiky's home. And Spiky's real name was Cloud Strife. For reasons Sephiroth could not understand, Cloud did not want to be recognized by anyone in the village. The nickname 'Spiky' was Zack's way of honoring the request. Thus, the silver soldier followed into their home and remained unseen under the promise of a meal. Cloud's mother, Claudia, couldn't resist the sight of the tiny war hero, making jokes about the abnormality of the situation and just how small Sephiroth used to be. Sephiroth quietly dealt with her comments, waiting for his single meal to appear in front of him. 

But what was that smell? It was really, really different. Not bad, but why was it like that?

“Here, I know this is all you've been waiting for,” Claudia joked as she filled a bowl with some kind of liquid-esc meal from a pot.

He didn't say anything, analyzing the strange substance as she placed the bowl in front of him. 

“It's a Nibel Deer stew,” She explained with a kind smile. “One of Cloud's favorites ever since he was a little boy. It’s perfect for a growing boy like you.”

Though her words were clearly intended to be kind, the boy glanced at the cadet for confirmation. The cadet stood shorter than the First. He didn't say anything, but Cloud glanced down in embarrassment at the realization. 

Sephiroth looked back down at the bowl, confused by the various islands within the liquid. They were so many different colors,  most cubic or spherical. Again, it was different. “...What's in this?” He asked curiously. 

“Oh, just some venison, carrots, potatoes, onions, a few spices, and a bit of wine for the broth.”

Zack leaned over to Cloud and whispered, “Do you think he'll like it?”

“We didn't have any pasta so we'll just have to see…” The cadet looked away, clearly embarrassed. 

Another confused countenance claimed his face before he began poking the islands. They didn't act the way he expected either, piercing from the soft pressure of a spoon rather than bouncing in gelatinous rebellion. “...you added wine to a meal?”

“Yes! Wine is good for flavor. And don't worry, you can't get drunk off of cooked wine.” Claudia's small town banter and soft joking shake of the boy's shoulder made Cloud hide his face in his scarf. 

Sephiroth, like a nervous kitten, slowly scooped one cube of meat in half and took it to his mouth. Then he chewed, and time ticked by. He still chewed, contemplating, discovering, deciding. The intense silence bore into all the bystanders. 

“Sir, I apologize for the lack of pasta, but I promise if you just give it a shot-”

Sephiroth devoured the plate before the mother could even finish her statement. Silence claimed them except for scraping of the spoon against the bowl, clearly debating deep in his mind. 

Zack didn't even know what to say, but Claudia took over again.

“Oh I'm so glad you like it!” Her voice rang full of joy but Sephiroth gave her a nearly pleading look between glances of the remaining broth. Was he debating whether or not to lick the bowl? “Do you want more?”

“Yes please,” came his simple but by far his fastest response since he suddenly lost his years. He even held his bowl out with a kitten-like beg in his eyes. 

Zack let out a hearty laugh, taking the bowl and handing it to the blonde mother. Claudia just couldn't wipe the proud smile off her face at the boy's enjoyment. She didn't mind a single bit when he polished off the entire pot. The poor boy didn't speak much, but his enjoyment remained undeniable. It took all the mother had not to pitch his cheeks and call him out for how cute he truly was. 

* * * 

The next morning, waking with the rising sun to begin the escort, a single command was decided immediately, no word from HQ able to change their mind even if HQ was informed in the first place. Sephiroth was still a child and showed no sign of returning to his true age any time soon. The only change he mentioned were weird dreams of being 'called' to something, a woman with blue skin and red eyes. Odd? Yes. Worth delaying even longer? No. But Zack couldn't afford to push the mission back with the sake of the townspeople at stake, so he came up with a plan using the only other Shinra employee he arrived with. The first half of said plan was Zack and Tifa going to the reactor alone. Yes it was more dangerous with only the two of them, and Tifa mainly hid during every battle under Zack's direct order, but knowing that the bridge was out allowed Tifa to map out the most efficient path from the start. This time, Zack left his time materia behind, and they finally arrived at the reactor. 

“Alright, come on in,” The First immediately suggested as he walked ahead. 

“Wait, I can go in?” Tifa grew confused. 

“Yes. Why wouldn't you?”

“The cadet said it was ‘full of Shinra secrets’,” She mocked in the cadet’s tone before continuing, “and I should wait outside once we got here.”

“And under normal circumstances, he'd be right. But I'm not leaving you in monster infested mountains by yourself. That's a horrible idea!”

She gave a soft nod and followed inside, the stench of mako overwhelming and dizzying. Now Zack took the lead, guiding them to what should be the control room, but it had all these strange pods along with the valves and gauges he needed to fix. Zack quickly ran through his mental checklist of what to fix, starting with sealing the valves. As he did, Tifa noticed the stairs in the center and saw the marquee over the top door. 

“Uh, Zack?”

“What's up?”

“Do you know what 'Jenova' is?”

My mother's name was Jenova. She died shortly after I was born. Sephiroth's true voice, the baritone the planet could recognize, ran through Zack's mind. He looked up and suddenly made a connection he should have known earlier. 'Jenova cells'. 'The Jenova Project'. 'Jenova'. He felt something shift in the air, a slight change that spelled doom. 

A black feather.

Oh no. Genesis. 

Zack jumped in front of Tifa and shielded her from the sudden fire spell with his body. He fell to the ground with a yell and she kneeled at his side to help him. 

Then it came, floating down from above, the owner of the feather, the Crimson SOLDIER First Class with his degrading body and his unchangeable goal. “Well well. What's the little puppy doing here on his own?”

“Genesis… So you are alive…” 

A contempt filled smirk was the only response to the First's realization. “I suppose I am. Where's Sephiroth? He was assigned to this mission, was he not?”

“...He's a little under the weather…” Zack mumbled in pain, but the look in Tifa's eyes revealed both her own fear and the half truth out of the Soldier's mouth. 

“I'm not in the mood to play, puppy,” venom dripped from his words. 

“I'm not exactly wrong.” Zack stumbled to his feet with the girl's help. 

Genesis sighed. “Fine. If you want to waste my time, then you need to keep me entertained.” His red blade glowed at the ready. 

Zack immediately told Tifa to stand back and drew the Buster Sword. 

But the First failed. 

A few parries that were too late. A few dodges and blocks that just weren't good enough. Magic negated, injuries growing on their skin. Each only needed to inflict more severe injuries on the other to decide a victor. 

And by all the gods was the wrong victor chosen.

Genesis launched Zack against the wall, and the black haired boy fell with all air stripped from his lungs. Tifa ran to his side yet again to try to help him up. 

“Where is Sephiroth?” The Crimson Soldier questioned before throwing another fire spell straight into the First, Zack falling again with a yelp of pain as Tifa yelped once in horror. “Tell me or I will destroy this useless town right now.”

“He's at the inn!”

“Tifa! No!” Zack tried to stop her but she couldn't watch her home be destroyed, not if it only took a few words to save it. 

“Where?” Genesis questioned. 

“The one in Nibelheim! Right by the water tower! Just take Sephiroth and leave!”

Though Genesis had little intention of following her lead, he did turn towards the exit. “If this is a trick, your people will burn.”

“It's not a trick! He's with a Shinra security officer at the inn in the center of town! Cadet Spiky!”

Degrading mako eyes turned to the SOLDIER. “Is this the truth, puppy?”

“If you dare touch him-” Zack growled through bloody teeth, but Genesis cut him off with a hand in the air. 

“Protective of Sephiroth now, are you?” At first, the man couldn't help but mock, yet he quickly grew serious. “Regardless, I have no plans to harm him. He is the key, the perfect monster made from Jenova's cells. He's the answer to degradation, after all this time. There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess. Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds...” With a verse from the poem dictating his life, the one winged man in red flew through the corridors and out of the reactor. 

Zack pushed himself up, Tifa attempting to support, as he looked up to the nameplate above the door. “Tifa,” He handed her an enhanced fire materia, “take this and break down that door…”

“Y-You're not mad?”

“Whatever's behind that door is more important… We have to get rid of the source…”

She took the materia as the soldier regained his strength, running up the stairs and trying to open the door normally. But it was sealed. Fire glowed in her hand as she casted and casted to break it down, only gaining a red glow in response instead of the collapse they needed. She was no mage, but she had the strength to keep trying.

Eventually, Zack placed a hand on her shoulder as he stepped forward. He unsheathed the Buster Sword and launched forward, cutting the weakened metal clean in half. 

On the other side, they found a humanoid machine with metal wings connecting it to the walls. They destroyed the doll, the lights activating and revealing a woman-like body with blue skin and one glowing red eye. 

“Oh my gods…” Zack mumbled in both horror and realization, everything clicking into place as he read the nameplate screwed into the forehead of the monster: J-E-N-O-V-A.

* * * 

The second part of their initial plan was leaving Sephiroth with Cloud in the inn, Masamune resting nearby until her true owner was ready. They were not to leave except for finding meals. Sephiroth could not be spotted like this, lest they be hit with heavy repercussions due to media outlash and viral questions. He needed to be himself again before rumors truly spread. Luckily, their time together wasn't terrible. Perhaps the stew from the previous night made the boy feel a little closer to the cadet, and Sephiroth began talking about his life. Cloud always looked up to Sephiroth, the war hero, so he wasn't going to miss the opportunity to learn more about him. 

“Life seems… quiet, in this town,” Sephiroth observed with a small mumble, glancing out the curtains in short increments at a time. 

“Not a lot happens here,” Cloud forced his voice steady, still a bit nervous talking to his hero even under the current circumstances. “Midgar's much more exciting.”

“...is it?” The boy seemed hollow, and Cloud glanced at him in confusion. “I wouldn't know. I'm not allowed in the city.”

“Well… where can you go?” The blonde tried to keep the conversation going casually. Tried. 

Now any silence before his answers weren't awkward, they were just a result of the boy developing answers. “...My room. The exam room. The training room. …'their' room…” Sephiroth caught the look in Cloud's eyes. “Where did you go here?”

The cadet picked up on these silent requests quickly. Eye for an eye. Information for information. It felt less like an interrogation that way. “Usually we stayed within the town square. I spent more time in the woods and the mountains when I got older.” Now more questions were allowed. “Who’re 'they'?”

Sephiroth's enhanced eyes fell. “...Aerith and Ifalna. Hojo said they're special, like me.”

“Wait, 'Aerith'?”

Inhuman eyes met pure blue ones. “Yes.”

“Isn't that Zack's girlfriend?”

“...that seems unlikely. He never mentioned a 'girlfriend' to me. And she's younger than me. That's weird.”

Cloud took out his phone and started searching through his messages. “Well, remember, you're a lot older than ten right now. You're older than Zack.”

“I am?”

Cloud nodded. “By a couple of years at least.” He walked over and handed the boy his phone. “Here. This is a photo of Aerith and Zack. He sent it to me after this mission was announced.”

On the screen was a photo clearly taken by a third party. Zack and the girl were sitting on a bench in a stone building. Zack had an arm around her shoulder, her brown hair draped over her shoulder in a spiral braid. They were smiling, and her planet green eyes shown like emeralds against the pink of the bow in her hair.

“That's her…” He was breathless, grabbing the phone tightly for a better view. “That's definitely her.” He turned to Cloud instantly like an owl, his eyes wide and desperate. “How is she? Is she okay?”

Cloud held his hands up in surrender. “I don't know- I think so. Zack's the best person to ask.”

He looked at her image with pain and regret. “Last I saw her, I… I hurt her… I'm glad to hear she's okay…”

“What happened?” Cloud asked hesitantly. 

His hands were shaking, his eyes glazed. “We were playing, but I was tired… I fell asleep and she let me… I think she was singing and I hate singing but I was too tired to care… and then… I…” He went quiet. 

The blonde held out his hand in offering, the silver child closed the phone and handed it over. He carefully, very carefully, tried to touch the boy's arm in comfort, but he was jerked away. 

“I didn't mean to… I didn't want to… I was just so scared and-”

“Sephiroth-”

“It was just a nightmare- it was just a nightmare but it felt so real-”

“Sephiroth, it's okay-”

“Red eyes and blue skin- It grabbed me and I had to fight it- I had to-!”

Moving on pure instinct, Cloud grabbed Sephiroth's arms and threw caution to the wind, a command he didn't even know he was capable of leaving his throat, “SEPHIROTH, LOOK AT ME!” 

The Silver Soldier froze, his eyes slowly clearing as he stared at the blonde in surprise. Reality began setting in just before an unseen force pierced into his skull. “I'm sorry- I'm sorry- Ah-!” Gloved hands flew into his silver hair as he tried to back away. 

Cloud tried to keep him close, scanning him for the source. “What is it? What's wrong?!”

“My head-!” He yelped, gripping and pulling in a useless attempt to rip out the pain. “It burns! Everything burns!” He pushed Cloud back, stumbling back to avoid the cadet. 

Then something broke through the window, and Cloud jumped and wrapped himself around the boy in protection, his shirt ripping from the shards but his body protected by armor. Both the blonde and a horribly wincing Sephiroth scanned for the projectile, their eyes landing on a single brass bullet. 

Oh no. Another monster attack?

The cadet guided the young soldier to a bed before rushing to a window. 

Now Sephiroth was grabbing his arms, trying to fight this flaming distraction with pathetic groans and grunts. “W-what happened?”

Cloud ripped the curtains out of the way just in time to see a winged man in a red coat enter straight through the door of the inn. There was no time to leave. “Ready your weapon and face the door. Something's coming.”

The silver soldier unsheathed his blade and the cadet readied his rifle. Both trained their eyes on the entrance as it opened far too casually, but Sephiroth's right hand remained gripping the main source of his phantom pain.

In walked the Crimson Soldier, his red hair leaking with grays and his back cursed with a single, crooked black wing. He brushed off his black pauldrons. “You know, this town isn't very friendly to outsiders.”

“Commander Rhapsodos?” Cloud didn't even realize he recognized the red headed First through his filter of degradation. 

“Ah, you must be Cadet Spiky.”

Cloud glared away. “It's Strife.”

“Alas, I do not care,” Genesis brushed him off before drawing his blade, gesturing to both the cadet and the unclaimed Masamune. “Now where's Sephiroth?”

The child stepped forward, and Genesis almost laughed. 

“You might be a cute cosplayer, but stand down, child.”

“I. Am. Sephiroth,” the pained boy countered through gritted teeth. “What do you want.”

The specific crack of the child's voice sparked a memory to the forefront of his mind. “Goddess…” He scanned the boy sharply, but every detail told him the truth. “Answer me this, what do you eat for every meal?”

The boy hesitated, his wincing only growing. “I…? Food…? The meat's not that bad…?”

Only known to the Crimson Soldier, those were the exact words Sephiroth used when they first met in Wutai, right before he promptly stole and threw the barely recognizable 'food' and cooked the Silver Soldier a proper meal with an old friend. “You poor thing… I do regret having to ask, but I don't have enough time left. I need your help, Sephiroth.”

Sephiroth stumbled back with a sudden scream, clawing at his own head. 

Genesis stepped forward, trying to coax the boy, but Cloud actually backed away. Something was wrong. Very very wrong. 

His caution was proven justified when Sephiroth savagely attacked. The ambush caught the Crimson Soldier off guard, each of the boy's feral slashes going straight through every defense, never ending screams leaving the boy's throat. Sephiroth was desperate, lashing, clawing, chopping anything in range as he cried out despite the lack of any injuries suffered. 

“Stop it! Stop it! Make it stop! Don’t let me die!” The boy kept yelling utter nonsense as he tore through the man directly in front of him. His inhuman eyes glowed bright red.

That sudden, desperate strength somehow overpowered the degrading SOLDIER. Genesis retreated before he was killed. 

Cloud watched the pain and terror that consumed Sephiroth fade slowly. Only a few minutes after the escape, the boy fell to his knees, gripping his heart and sobbing softly as tears ran down his cheeks. Cloud carefully approached, barely tiptoeing to not spook the boy. 

His panicked breaths never stopped, his arms held tightly to his chest as he rocked back and forth. “W-what's happening…? What happened…? I… I…”

The blonde knelt down slowly and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, but he instantly found himself trapped in the child's embrace. 

“I'm so alone…” He just kept repeating that single sentence as he pulled closer. “I'm s-so alone…”

His heart seized. Cloud felt his arms wrap tighter around the boy, around his hero. “You're not alone… You're not alone, Sephiroth… We're with you… We're here…”

* * * 

Zack and Tifa returned an hour after Genesis left. Sephiroth had passed out in Cloud's arms, and Cloud eventually got the boy into one of the beds. At this point, Cloud's helmet was off, and Tifa absolutely saw him. There was a lot of explaining to do, first revealing everything that happened in their short time at the reactor before accepting that it was time for the truth. Despite his embarrassment, the two teens left the room to the two real SOLDIERs.

When Sephiroth woke, this constant worry and discomfort seated itself in his chest. Zack said nothing, but he recognized the timeline of events and each sudden shift in the boy's tone and pain connected directly with the body of Jenova. No, they didn't speak of the afternoon. 

They spoke about Aerith. 

“You know Aerith?! You never told me you knew her!”

The boy in front of him kind of shrugged. 

“Right, of course. Sorry. What did you two do?” 

“We were…forced to play together? It was weird.”

“Come on! Let's try to talk to her.”

“How?” His eyes went wide. 

“On the phone!” Zack showed off the same device Cloud had before. “You can talk to anyone else with a phone at any time! Just gotta make sure the call goes through.”

He gave an awkward nod, but he was grateful for the distraction nonetheless.

Zack quickly dialed a number and crossed his fingers he prayed for a ring. The necessary purring finally went through and the joy on his face was undeniable. 

Sephiroth guessed Zack and Aerith's joy were a perfect fit. 

“Hello?” A woman's voice came through the device. She was definitely older than he remembered if this was truly the same Aerith. 

“Hey Aerith, it's me,” He couldn't hide his toothy grin. 

“Zack?! Yay! You finally got through!”

“I did. I told you I would. And I have so much to tell you, but first I have a surprise for you.”

“For me?”

Sephiroth gripped at his long coat in a pathetic effort to ease his nervousness. 

“Yup yup! An old friend.”

“So far away?”

Zack nodded, though obviously she could not see it. “Right again! Well, I already knew him a little but I didn't know he knew you. The last time you saw him, you were probably…” He scanned Sephiroth's form and did a few quick calculations in his head, “six? Maybe seven?”

“Now who could you meet that knew me that long ago?” They could clearly hear the smile in her voice. 

Zack chuckled. “Well, funny story. Had a bit of an oopsie with time materia earlier, so now they're really young, but they still remember you!”

“So there's no way I could guess?”

“Not a chance. I'm gonna put him on speaker, okay?”

“Alright.”

Zack hit a button and held the device flat in front of them before nudging Sephiroth a bit. “Alright, this is him!”

The boy curled a bit, trying to hide from his own anxiety. “...Um… H-hi, Aerith. It's probably been a long time for you... Um… D-do you. Remember me?” Good gods he stuttered more speaking to this girl than he did through his entire time here. 

There was a pause on the line. 

“...Waaaait… is your hair made of metal stars?”

That strange comment actually made him sigh in relief, clearly an inside joke or an old memory. “That's me.”

“Sephiroth?!”

He nodded. “Y-yes.”

“Zack, what did you do to him?! He sounds like a child!”

“Time materia,” Zack gave the simplest explanation. “He's about ten years old and doesn't remember anything after that. We're kinda waiting for it to wear off.”

“You need to be more careful with your synthetic materia.”

“How did you know that?”

“You showed me the high jump-frog one!”

He did, in fact, fuse Jump materia and Transform materia for fun to see what would happen. “Okay, you got me there. But talk to him! He seems really worried about you.”

“Wait, worried?” There was a pause. No one on either side tried to fill it. “…Oh. You haven't gone to Wutai yet.”

Sephiroth nodded, unable to read the emotion she responded with. “I'm still in training.”

“How's it going?”

“Th-the same.”

“Are you sleeping better?”

His throat hitched. She knew. Of course she knew. He was the only one with missing memories. “...Aerith, I'm so sorry-”

“Sephiroth, it's okay. We were okay. I just wanted to know for sure if they treated you better. And don't worry, you apologized right before you left for Wutai.”

“I see you again?”

“Mhm. So don't screw it up, okay?”

It was a little more mature, but every word she said gave him the same butterflies in his stomach. “I won't. …um… how are you?”

Another audible smile. “I'm good. I have a garden in a church in the slums where I grow those flowers I told you about.”

His lips curled in an unintentional smile. “Can I see them one day?”

“Of course! Please do! I promise, they're not going anywhere.”

His smile slowly faded as his final question popped into his head. “And how's Ifalna?”

Zack gave him a confused look and the moment between her answer was shadowed. 

“She passed away years ago.”

His inhuman eyes grew wide with guilt. 

“It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault at all.”

He stared down, grabbing his arm like a vice.

“Zack, did you tell him about our flower cart?”

The dark haired man immediately took control of the conversation, pulling it away from the dark despair pit. “I haven't! Hold on, I have pictures and I swear every single part of this cart has its own story.”

Zack's puppy-like energy seeped some joy back into the silver child, and their joyous reunion lasted hours into the night. 

* * * 

The next morning, the Silver Soldier finally returned to his full age and glory. Zack watched him rise and gave a little bit of space before gesturing to the waiting Masamune. Sephiroth lifted her without a word, but there was this discomfort that persisted through the transition. A loneliness.

“How are you feeling, buddy?”

Sephiroth took a deep breath and scanned up his blade, many beats ticking by as he thought of a response, before saying a command Zack never expected to hear. “...Be kind to her, Zack.”

Zack didn't resist the urge to hug his friend. “I will be. I promise.”

The phantom hollowness in Sephiroth's heart filled just a bit when he wrapped his arms around the boy in return.

.

.

.

.

Thanks for reading!

Author's note: I still don't know how to write Genesis so you might just be getting Ardyn with Loveless quotes even though I haven't written Ardyn before. I also may have imagined the Zuu from XV and not VII while writing this. Oopsie lol.

It is very hard for me to avoid Jenova when in Nibelheim so I hope you enjoyed this new take on the usual mess!

[minsarasarahair]

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the Susanoo event story. I love the theme. It revolves around question like "Why parents raised their child even tho they will die eventually?" and connect it to another question "Why heroes/soldiers fight in a war even if they probably won't survive?". Basically they are fighting a battle for the future that will not reach by their lifetime but all the benefits goes to the future generation. Its about how past affects the future and how the future was entrusted to the new generation.

I also love that the three stories focus in the relationship of parent figure and their child.

1. Susanoo with his adoptive father, Izanagi. - Susanoo was alienated in realm of Gods because of how different he is but adopted by Izanagi. Every time Izanagi came home, he brought human eating creatures as present for baby Susanoo. Susanoo in return became independent child who can take care of himself whenever his father is away from home. Izanagi treasure Baby Susanoo to the point he murdered creatures that harm him when he sneaked out to mortal world one time and sadly, Izanagi died for him as well. He's not technically dead tho. A version of him died in that world but he's actually an immortal genesis God that reside between worlds. In the end, Izanagi had a fight against Susanoo who's traveling in different worlds trying to change the end of the world he wish to protect. Susanoo won and they bid their farewell. A jade gift given by Izanagi is the reason why Susanoo didn't lose himself traveling different worlds. He gave it to Seimei and mentioned it was given by his important person but Seimei returned it to past Susanoo when he travelled back in time and past Susanoo mistook him for Izanagi so all is well.

2. Susabi with his teacher, Tsukuyomi. - Tsukuyomi is a fake prophecy god created by Amaterasu because they have no time to wait for the real one. One of Tsukuyomi's task is to take care of starborns borned in Moon Sea. Susabi is one of starborns and he's the most talented among them because of that he became Tsukuyomi's favorite disciple. They are very close as if they are parent and child. When Tsukuyomi conspired with Orochi to frame up Susanoo and even forced Susabi to lie, Susabi is actually agains it so he secretly helped Susanoo to travel in the future to save the world from Orochi and Evil Gods. Later on, it was revealed Susabi is the true Tsukuyomi and fake Tsukuyomi is the evil god of lies. During their fight against each other, Tsukuyomi attacked Susabi without hesitation but the token given by Tsukuyomi before Baby Susabi have gone to mortal world for protection in the past is what saved Susabi. So what happened is Past Tsukuyomi protected Susabi from Future Tsukuyomi. Learning that, Susabi believe Tsukuyomi really care for him despite him being the god of lies.

3. Kagura and her father. - All this time she thought her father hated her but Susanoo tried to convince her that her father care about her by telling his childhood with Izanagi. In the past whenever baby Kagura showed the maiden Kagura dance, he's not happy about it and said it doesn't suit her. She thought her father abandoned her and offered her to be a maiden sacrifice of Minamoto clan for fallen God Orochi. She's actually wrong. Her father don't like the dance because its a dance for maiden offerings and he's against that his own daughter will be a sacrifice. He actually fought the Minamoto clan main branch family so hard and it resulted his horrible brutal death. He died before he reached Kagura to save her. It seem Kagura knew what actually happened but denied it or forgot about it because she blame herself for being weak.

[scruffyplayssonic]

Are the ArchieSonic comics actually an 80's/90's syndicated cartoon? Episode 64 - 65: Two Multi-part Finale (part 8: The lead-up to the death of pre-boot ArchieSonic)

Welcome back to my investigation of how Archie Comics’ Sonic the Hedgehog series was actually a syndicated cartoon from the 80’s and 90’s!

Well friends, it’s finally time for me to talk about the moment that changed the ArchieSonic comics forever. Almost, at least. Before I talk about the final issues of pre-boot ArchieSonic, I think a brief summary of how they got to that point is in order.

Hahahahaha! Brief! Oh, that’s rich! Let’s be honest - there was so much that happened leading up to the activation of the second Genesis Wave that it really deserves a post all of its own to catch everyone up to speed.

After the Iron Dominion was ousted from New Mobotropolis, Sonic and his friends had a bit of a respite. Well it was a respite compared to what they had recently gone through, anyway. Sonic and Sally caught up with their friend Lupe, newly crowned chieftain of the Wolf Pack Nation, and helped her negotiate a peace with a rival tribe. Bunnie was reunited with her long lost Uncle Beauregard, only to find that he’d had to join Eggman’s forces out of desperation to survive. Antoine and Bunnie finally got to go on their honeymoon courtesy of Tails and his submarine, but the happy occasion was rudely interrupted by the Battlebird Armada. Just your everyday shenanigans for the heroes of New Mobotropolis. The real problems began when Geoffrey St. John asked Sonic to help him retrieve a Chaos Emerald from the Special Zone, at which point Geoffrey left Sonic incapacitated and took the Emerald for himself.

It was then revealed that the entire time the Freedom Fighters had known him, Geoffrey had secretly been an apprentice to the wizard Ixis Naugus, who was currently an insane, drooling shell of his former self. Geoffrey used the Chaos Emerald to restore Naugus’ mind, and together they started plotting to take the throne from King Elias.

While the former King Max had been trapped in the Zone of Silence he had sworn fealty to Naugus for his own protection, so Naugus felt he had a legitimate claim to the throne. To help in his takeover, Naugus used his magic to increase the fear and mistrust the citizens of New Mobotropolis had for Nicole, who had been mind-controlled (albeit briefly) to help the Iron Queen take control of the city during the recent invasion of the Iron Dominion. When Naugus came to the city council claiming that he could protect everyone from Nicole, some of the councillors were scared enough to think he was worth listening to, as was a large chunk of the public. 

Before the rightful King could be determined, Eggman launched his new Death Egg and the Freedom Fighters scrambled to try and stop him. Sonic and Sally managed to infiltrate the battleship, but Sally got gunned down while Sonic was distracted fighting a new Silver Sonic.

At this moment Eggman activated the Genesis Wave, rewriting the entire world to become an adaptation of Sonic 1 and 2 but with the Freedom Fighters along for the ride. Super Sonic was able to undo the Genesis Wave and restore the world to normal, even rewinding time enough to be able to save Sally from being BLAM-BLAM-BLAMed, but unfortunately this didn’t last. Eggman had a backup weapon ready to roboticise the entire planet and Sally sacrificed herself to destroy it, becoming a robot herself.

Things quickly got worse from there. Eggman escaped with his shiny new Mecha Sally, and Naugus was able to seize the throne. Bunnie was accidentally crystallised by Naugus when he was deflecting a laser attack on the city, and when Naugus tried to reverse the crystallisation he also accidentally removed her cyborg parts, restoring her to a fully flesh and blood rabbit. While Bunnie was initially ovejoyed, she she soon became concerned that without her bionic parts and special abitilies, she would no longer be able to be a Freedom Fighter. The city was devastated in an attack from the Battlebird Armada, with King Naugus forbidding Nicole from helping to rebuild. Geoffrey was put on trial for treason against the former King Elias and found guilty, but was officially pardoned by Naugus and continued to serve him. For the safety of his family Elias left New Mobotropolis, and while protecting his convoy the Freedom Fighters came under attack by Eggman.

Antoine valiantly saved Elias and his family from Metal Sonic but was blown up in the process. He survived but was left comatose, and Bunnie, wracked with guilt for not being able to protect him, also left the city, “To make things right.” Nicole was also overcome by guilt and grief at being unable to protect her friends, and with the citizens and the council both demanding her removal, she agreed to be exiled to Freedom HQ.

With the team at their lowest of lows and only himself, Tails and Amy remaining, Sonic dejectedly declared that the Freedom Fighters were finished. Tails and Amy weren’t going to stand for that though, and helped Sonic to not give in to his despair.

At the same time Rotor had resigned from the city council in protest of their treatment of Nicole, and so he worked with Sonic, Tails and Amy to figure out their next move. Rotor ended up staying in New Mobotropolis and becoming the leader of a new group of heroes with the mission of protecting the city: Team Freedom.

For this team Rotor recruited Big the Cat, Cream the Rabbit (and Cheese the Chao), and Heavy and Bomb, two robots that had formerly served on Geoffrey’s Secret Service team but had had to be destroyed after Eggman had captured them and reprogrammed them to take the Royal Family hostage. Meanwhile Sonic, Tails and Amy formed Team Fighters, and flew off in the Tornado to take the fight to Eggman. 

Unbeknownst to Team Freedom and Team Fighters, there was a third team operating from the shadows to keep the people safe. Elias’ departure from New Mobotropolis had actually been a ruse, and he soon returned to subvert his successor’s regime. Working together with former intelligence head Harvey Who, Elias found himself the leader of an extremely unlikely group of individuals. First on the roster was Silver the Hedgehog, who was back from the future to try and prevent the end of the world (again). On a quest to root out a “traitor” that had destroyed the Freedom Fighters, Silver had accused first Sonic, then Rotor, and now on this most recent trip back in time, Antoine.

As you can see, that didn’t exactly go well. But afterwards Silver had met Harvey Who, who had offered to help him discover and prevent the real cause of the destruction of the Freedom Fighters. Leeta and Lyco of the former Wolf Pack Freedom Fighters travelled to New Mobotropolis to sign up, and former Substitute Freedom Fighter Larry Lynx the super jinx also joined, hoping to make a difference for his city after having been absent from the comics since the 1990’s (aside from a small cameo where Rotor had accidentally blown him up). But perhaps the most surprising member of this team was a newly rebuilt model of Metal Sonic - specifically, the one that had tried to murder Sonic and Tails immediately following the Sonic Adventure arc. This model had been powered by a… power gem (really creative name there, Ken Penders) that had enhanced his speed, given him the ability to repair himself, and also caused him to develop a personality. Sonic had fought this Metal Sonic atop an active volcano and tried to reason with him, telling him he could live his own life rather than being ruled by a thirst for power and vengeance. Metal Sonic had been unconvinced at first, but when Tails refused to abandon his friend despite the volcano starting to erupt, something clicked in the robot’s programming.

Metal Sonic sacrificed himself to hold back the lava flow long enough for Sonic and Tails to escape, and was reduced to a molten husk. Much later back in the present day, Uncle Chuck had gotten his hands on the power gem that still contained Metal Sonic’s personality and programming, and combined it with the parts of other previously destroyed Metal Sonics to create a new robot, Shard.

And so after all the lows and losses they’d recently experienced, things finally seemed to be looking up for the heroes.

Team Freedom worked well together, managing to save the city from an attacking Eggman as well as several bizarre “accidents” that could have seen many people hurt if they’d not intervened.

Team Fighters managed to intercept Eggman at a number of locations where he was causing trouble, and while they were unable to capture Mecha Sally on any of those occasions, they were at least able to save the local citizens and disrupt Eggman’s plans. With with some help from Mina Mongoose, Nicole was able to overcome her grief and guilt and start working with the Secret Freedom Fighters. These masked heroes secretly provided backup for Team Freedom from the shadows, as well as stopping King Naugus’ plot to take over the city council with a mind control spell.

Surprisingly they got some help in this mission from none other than Geoffrey. Naugus’ apprentice had been aiding the wizard because he legitimately thought he would be an improvement over the rule of the Acorns and would provide stability, but started to turn against him when he realised Naugus was still a moustache-twirling villain with plans for world domination. 

But while things were getting better for the comic characters, there was a big problem behind the scenes at Archie Comics, and that problem’s name was Ken Penders. I won’t go into detail because it’s a long and tedious whole thing, and many others have written about it better than I. But to cut a long story short, Ken Penders was trying to claim copyright ownership of the characters he’d created back when he was working on the Sonic series, and he and Archie Comics eventually wound up in court because of it. As Penders was hired under a work for hire contract, everything he’d written under that contract should have been the property of SEGA. However Archie were unable to provide that original documentation, and so the whole lawsuit debacle was eventually brought to a close with a settlement. The details of this settlement weren’t exactly public knowledge, but the fans reading the comics noticed a number of changes and were able to read between the lines that things hadn’t exactly gone well for Archie. 

While there were a number of little indicators that made the readers theorise about what was going on behind the scenes, the first massive red flag came with the Chaotix Quest arc in Sonic Universe #46 - 49. The solicits for the first two issues of this arc had said that Vector, Charmy and Espio would be linking up with the Mercian Freedom Fighters, and everyone assumed that would include Rob o’ the Hedge (especially as he was shown front and centre on the originally advertised cover for Sonic Universe #47). However when the issues came out both Rob and his wife Mari-An - two of the many characters that Ken Penders had been trying to get copyright for - had been written out of the story, and in their place were two new characters with similar appearances and roles, Bow Sparrow and Thorn the Lop. 

Things got even worse in the main Sonic series because the now-infamous arc called Endangered Species was kicking off in Sonic the Hedgehog #243. This four-issue arc originally involved Team Fighters travelling to the echidna homeland of Albion to aid the locals against an invasion by the Dark Egg Legion. Unfortunately, the majority of the comic-exclusive characters in this arc were also ones that Penders had been trying to get copyright for.

While the first issue survived mostly intact aside from some dialogue and minor art changes, the rest of the arc had to be tossed out and completely rewritten at the eleventh hour. Issue #244 picked up a few hours after the climax of the previous issue with Knuckles arriving on the scene to find every last echidna was gone, banished to another dimension by Thrash the Tasmanian Devil.

Thrash was on a quest for revenge against the species that had doomed his own to near-extinction, and was taking great pleasure in returning the favour. Now instead of fighting against the Dark Egg Legion, Knuckles and Team Fighters found themselves dealing with Thrash and his devil-dog siblings, as well as a previous enemy called the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra, who was now inhabiting the robotic shell of a wrecked Metal Knuckles. Shard, who also wasn’t originally planned to be in this arc, showed up to lend a hand too.

Jesus bloody christ, what a nightmare. Mad props to Ian Flynn, Tracey Yardley, Steven Butler, and everyone else on the Archie team who had to scramble to make all those changes with little to no warning. I can’t even imagine what must have been going through Ian’s head when he was told that on top of the numerous changes he had to make to the scripts for those Sonic Universe issues and the first issue of Endangered Species, that he would also have to throw out and entirely rewrite three entire issues at the last minute. Not to mention the frustration he must have felt to have multiple stories planned around so many characters he could no longer use. Both Geoffrey St John and Elias Acorn were central figures in the plots for the Secret Freedom Fighters and King Naugus arc, and they were now off limits. Most of the other Secret Freedom Fighters were also now banned, as was the New Mobotropolis council, the Freedom Fighters’ parents and other family members, Chaotix members Julie-Su and Saffron Bee (who were written out of the story in Endangered Species by having them among Thrash’s victims), and hundreds of other characters. Some readers theorised that Ian had let his frustration with Penders find its way into the dialogue of the comic.

At any rate, the Endangered Species arc ended with Team Fighters once again in pursuit of Eggman’s Death Egg while Knuckles mourned his losses and had to come to grips with once again being the last echidna.

But now Ian and the team at Archie had a giant mess on their hands. With such a large part of their cast and planned plots no longer usable, how were they supposed to move forward? That’s what I’ll be looking at in my next post, when I discuss the final two issues of pre-boot ArchieSonic: Sonic Universe #50 and Sonic the Hedgehog #247. Stay tuned!

[up-sideand-down]

ffvii hades-like au?

1.) Sephiroth is the waward son of the god of the underworld. He's never taken neatly to his own role, but he flourishes in learning to fight and what to fight for under the mortal spirits his father employs. He also just hates his father. He leans much more closely and much more affectionately to Jenova, night herself. Jenova is stern, but holds much more warmth than his father ever could. And Jenova usually tells him the truth. Sephiroth believes the house would collapse if Jenova was gone. Most others do too.

Jenova tells him the truth when Sephiroth finds undeniable proof that she is not, in fact, his real mother. She tells him what she can of Lucretia. Literally no one will say why Lady Lucretia left. Sephiroth's father forbids it. So Sephiroth goes to find the one person who can.

Jenova agrees to help Sephiroth reach Lucretia however she can.

2.) Sephiroth's father is furious when Sephiroth tries to leave. He manages to turn most of the house against Sephiroth, because technically he is in charge. But Sephiroth fights anyway using the weapons his own family once used to best the Titans and boons from their family itself.

He feels a little bad when he has to face Genesis...his ex. Their relationship had ended badly before and this didn't help things. Genesis is pretty much convinced Sephiroth is going to bring ruin to them, but he has to keep going. He has to know why.

He feels worse when he faces Cloud, death himself. Cloud claims to understand his friend's plight, but Sephiroth knows he doesn't, but appreciates the help.

Progress is slow, but he is able to brush up against the surface more and more often.

3.) Sephiroth is finally able to reach the surface, bribing Zack the hellhound with his favorite snack to avoid a final fight. Except now he faces his own father.

It's shocking how little love he has for him as they fight. Sephiroth realizes he may be a fool, throwing away a loveless parent for one that could possibly just hate him.

But she might love him too. She might love him more than Jenova ever could. He just needs to know why she left. His father will not say.

It takes more than one attempt, but finally Sephiroth stands over his father as he goes to the Styx...and Sephiroth steps out into the real world.

4.) He finds it cold, but strangely beautiful. He finds a garden at last, just like Jenova said. The woman tells him it's private and he explains he's looking for Lucretia...his mother.

She is furious, angry he would bring up such a name...until it clicks for her.

"You died," she says, "you died. He said you were beyond saving. How can you be here." Their reunion is wonderful, but brief. Sephiroth knew it would only be temporary, that he is tied to the underworld forever.

"I'll be back soon," he says weakly. Lucretia holds her son in her arms. "You must!" she tells him.

He does. To the wonder of all, he keeps reaching his mother learning the cruel truth of her marriage. That his father bargained for her, that she thought she did love him. That his father lied to make her leave because the house held more power for her than it did him.

The final time she is waiting at the docks by Angeal's boat.

"I'm going with you, Sephiroth," she tells him, "things are going to be different."

5.) If fighting to get out was hard enough, fighting to overthrow the god of the underworld was harder. It was easier since everyone was more or less on Sephiroth's side.

The thing that really turned the tide was the figure in red who appeared and disappeared at whim. Jenova recognized her brother Chaos, but not the man with him.

Sephiroth met him. Vincent.

"I'm still Chaos," he said, "just the part that humans would understand, the less...primordial one." With Chaos's boon Sephiroth managed to best a god for good.

But leading isn't at all what he wanted. He passed that to Lucretia and Jenova...still feeling like...history was going to repeat itself.

At least he did until his mother gave him a new job: security expert. He had to try and escape the underworld over and over.

"So you can protect the house and get out all that restless energy," she said with a smile.

[salternateunreality2]

Preggoroth: F3male Presenting N1pples and Newborns

TW: boobs, lactation, and board member death

-----------

3 babies are a lot to feed, and Sephiroth is up to the task, but even he needs a break sometimes.

So they're all breastfed as much as possible, but sometimes formula is used when it's just a rough day or busy or Lazard wants a turn.

Sephiroth tried pumping, but his body seemed to instinctively recognize that it wasn't babies asking for food and immediately shuts down production. He is still miffed because he can totally take the pain and discomfort, but if it's not going to produce anything, there's no point.

----------

As soon as the public finds out that his man-titties are actually producing food for babies, the media goes wild, accusing him of showing off sexual, private things, as if he hasn't had them out for years before this.

Zack and Kunsel immediately go "OH, HELL NO!" and run a campaign where they're constantly in low-cut dresses. Going on a mission? Titties out. Gym? Tatas on display. Interview about politics? Boobies bustling.

They make peekaboo shirts with "breasts are breasts", "it's food", and "My man titties are just as sexy as any woman's" on the back.

Genesis and Angeal are uncomfortable but supportive, especially after they see the small smile that Sephiroth gets whenever he sees ZK.

----------

Sephiroth gives no shits and whips a melon out any time the bebes are hungy. This includes during board meetings.

Meaning Palmer and Heidegger both die, from a heart attack and fatal nosebleed respectively. Oops. 4 birds with 2 boobs: two babies fed + two assholes dead.

He also scares people with the tentacles he grew that mostly act as extra arms so he can hold all his babies. Sometimes he leaves them out on the desk in front of him, giving people jump scares (only the ones who deserve it).

With help from @snowbanshee

----------

The babies are, of course, Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj, and keep their personalities from Sephiroth, but are tempered by their upbringing and Lazard's influence.

That doesn't stop them from wreaking havoc on Shinra at all times and ultimately destroying the company and Hojo, much to everyone's delight. Everyone who matters, that is.

---------

The babies also latch onto Cloud, having imprinted on him during delivery. They're smart little cookies and can see his value, just like their daddy.

So now Cloud has a little posse of miniroths at his command. He's one of three (3) people who can reliably sooth the little terrors, and they decide he's theirs now. If you mess with Cloud, you mess with the miniroths.

They love their other uncles too, especially Genesis, Angeal, and Zack, and have formed a special bond with Dark Star/Nation, who adopted them as her pups instantly. Therefore they tolerate their blood uncle, since he's the one that brings Dark Star around.

---------

Their tails and tentacles recede over time and disappear, and their eyes and ears open pretty quickly. They grow teeth alarmingly fast, and locomotion is a high priority for them.

-----------

Finally, because Sephiroth's too busy with the babies, it's Zack, Cloud, Cissnei, and Kunsel who get sent to Nibelheim. They find Jenova and kill it, saving the world.

Sephiroth, the kittens, Angeal, and Genesis get sick all at once, but with Jenova's death, the cells stop trying to kill or enslave them and everyone lives happily ever after because fuck it I make the rules.

[noirhistories]

Welcome to Antioch, JEN BLUME ! Local sources report that you’ve been in town for YOUR ENTIRE LIFE and are known to be HELPFUL yet SECRETIVE. Others have dredged up rumors that you’re involved in THE VAMPIRE OF ANTIOCH as JEFF BLUME’S TWIN SIBLING, but most know you for your work as a CASHIER at ONCE UPON A BOOK. We’ll see you around town soon !

BASICS

Character Name: Genesis 'Jen' Yvette Blume Nickname (s): Jen (she doesn't care if you use a J or a G), Sisi, Blossom, Princess Face Claim: Florence Pugh Birthday: May 1st Place of birth: Antioch, Oregon, USA Zodiac: Taurus MBTI: ESTJ Moral Alignment: True Neutral Sexuality: Bisexual Occupation: Cashier, former florist Place of work: Once Upon a Book, former employee of LoveCrafts (fired) and Secret Garden (quit) Subplot affiliation: The Vampire of Antioch 3 positive traits: Helpful, detail oriented, patient 3 negative traits: Manipulative, Secretive, vindictive Languages: English Love language: Physical touch

TRIVIA

Believes herself to be psychic

BIOGRAPHY

tw: death, one mention of suicide

You came out seven minutes after Jeff and he never let you forget it. You were the baby and you played up to it, letting everyone think you're so dainty and that you need protection. But they were all wrong because the only person you ever needed was your brother.

It was a stereotype how close you and Jeff were. Most siblings you knew fought constantly and hated each other, and sure, the pair of you could fight, but you would also burn the world for him. At nine years old, you spilled lemonade on a sleeping bag and screamed about how one of the most popular girls in school peed the bed because she hurt your brothers feelings. You were never doubted and never caught.

At ten, when a boy put gum in your hair and you had to cut it out, your brother stole a letter opener to cut his bike tires. Jeff was caught, but everyone understood by that point - The Blume twins were a unit, you always fought against both of them.

So when you lost Jeff, of course you lost part of yourself. You knew long before they ever found Jeff's body that he was dead, because he never would have left you, and the way you grieved for the lost part of your soul long before the cops ever came knocking caused more than a few heads to turn in your direction once the Blume name blasted across televisions and newspapers.

Did she do it? They whispered, gossiping about how much the codependency you were known for had rotted away at your better judgement. After all, they murmured behind hands, Jeff could never leave now. No one would ever have the chance to be closer to Jeff than you.

They were right about that, but it didn't mean you were guilty, and you didn't give them the satisfaction of saying anything.

It wasn't only the people suspicious of you, but the cops as well. You went to them when Jeff first disappeared and they wrote you off as some foolish, ditzy blonde that bought into too much mysticism. Claiming to know someone was dead because of a feeling seemed the realm of psychics, and the law doesn't believe in those.

So much attention was put on you, and part of you wanted to scream that the attention belonged to Jeff. There was a funeral that needed to happen, a remembrance, a hunt for the real killers. You were so angry at them, and sometimes that seemed like all you could feel, no matter your best efforts.

You were always good at growing things, but the new life of blooming plants while your brother was cold beneath ground was suddenly too unfeeling for you, so you quit your job as a florist.

You tried to feel alive again and keep from replaying the ways all those people could have died and the way one simple change might have saved them by throwing yourself into an affair, becoming the other woman without concern about who you might hurt.

It wasn't really a surprise when you ended up fired, but it was a shame because you'd been enjoying the job. It seemed as though without Jeff, all you did was keep finding ways to implode, doing it so quietly that no one even noticed.

You heard once that when women committed suicide, they were more likely to do it in a bathtub because they were aware of the clean up that would be left for others. Considerate even on their way to death. You understood that. You recognized and resembled that, even when you wished that you didn't.

But you couldn't fade away, not when someone out there hurt Jeff. As long as the guilty party was out there, you would remain quiet and waiting because after all, the Blume twins are a unit. Hurt one, and the other hurts you back.

CONNECTIONS

Wanted Connection #1: Someone that she was having an affair with, a coworker she got caught fooling around with and she/they ended up getting fired for it.

Wanted Connection #2: Someone that suspects she or her brother were somehow involved in the killings. She and her brother were incredibly close and people think Jen has changed since losing her twin, just like the details of the crimes have changed.

Wanted Connection #3: People close to her brother! Best friends or exes of Jeff's that Jen keeps up with and looks out for, or who check in on her. Or maybe even people that she hates for not doing enough for her brother and keeping him from getting killed.

[chellyfishing]

i’m trying to finish one last book before my year-end book post goes up so i’m gonna talk about games and tv first. not too many of either to talk about this year tbh but i apparently still have so many words.

no movies post bc i don’t log my films anywhere and i simply cannot remember what i watched. maybe i should make 2024 the year of using letterboxed. not enough to talk about with new music either. 2024 can also be the year of getting back into music.

games: i actually haven’t played much ffxiv this year. well in the first half i sorta did but i have barely touched it since like. august. except to keep my houses from getting demolished. i did finally finish myths of the realm last week, since they wrote that entire storyline for me specifically. i need the minion so bad yoship help.

in march capcom gave me a birthday prezzie with the release of the resident evil 4 remake which i’d had preordered since last year (the only games i’ll preorder and pay full price for are resis and ffxiv expansions). i don’t need to explain this to you. it’s incredibly good, the best of the extremely good remakes so far i think. i haven’t played the dlc yet but i’m excited to think there is more of this game i still have to play. btw ashley defense squad. i’ll brook no ashley slander in my house.

i can’t remember exactly when but i think it was some time in the summer that i finally, finally finished breath of the wild! i’m so behind the curve on this one, but i did at least get to start tears of the kingdom in the same year as everyone else. umm, i have to admit i remain ambivalent to this approach to zelda. i have to challenge myself to figure out how much of that is because iT’s DiFfErEnT but genuinely i think the things i dislike about it, i would still dislike even if i had nothing to compare it against. i really wish i thought it was the best zelda ever like so many do but i guess i just struggle to find a flow state with either of them which is why it’s taking me so fucking long to finish them lmao. still obviously extremely good and beautiful! like still head and shoulders above most games, easily, a good time overall!! (wish nintendo wasn’t the way that it is.)

i should mention that one day in july i fucked around in catlateral damage while streaming for bella. this is a very basic game, literally you are just a cat’s paw knocking things over, but man when you just need a brain-free giggle? it did its job.

also in july i played the sequel to oxenfree, which is a game that i love. this game didn’t click with me quite as much, i haven’t revisited it since i finished it, but there are probably also other reasons i shan’t get into that aren’t the game’s fault. idk i feel a bit unqualified to give a final verdict without playing it to completion but i guess the fact that i’ve had it for months and not bothered to do that yet is a kind of verdict in itself since with oxenfree i went straight back in till i got that final ending and platinum trophy.

for basically all of autumn i of course played baldur’s gate 3. i’m very sad that my extreme anhedonia has hit before i could play the new epilogue. i tried to load up one of my finished games but i ran into a problem because the only way to back up your saves is in the cloud so you can’t shuffle files around or make copies, only overwrite, and don’t get me STARTED again or i’ll start spitting i’m so SICK of PROFIT PROFIT PROFIT AAAAAHH. anyway it’s a pretty good game. i won’t be surprised or mad if neil wins the bafta but it really really should be samantha please if there’s justice in this world.

tv: season 3 of only murders in the building. umm, idk. it’s not a revolutionary show but it’s comforting, it doesn’t feel stale yet, and there’s just a lot of talent at work here. just fun to watch.

i watched almost all of neon genesis evangelion but couldn’t finish it because i decided to have an (unrelated) emotional breakdown instead. i’ll finish it eventually if for no other reason than i owe it to phil. shinji is baby.

finally got to the first season of our flag means death. just a delight. i love fun pirate adventures and i love the queers. unfortunately watched it right before the second season released and haven’t gotten to that yet.

did watch the second season of good omens though. i think they made the right choice to scale it back because honestly once you’ve averted the apocalypse trying to outdo yourself becomes a fool’s errand. also, jon hamm’s butt what who said that.

that’s it i think. as i said no season 2 of ofmd, not even the new flanagan yet which i had really been looking forward to for a long time. i dunno ya girl is struggling to find any pleasure in life atm.

[theytistic]

May I offer some nitpicking commentary about your power system?

The Turtle's Aura, I remember it being able to build constructions, but now when it can make any object, it kind of becomes just another Lucky Charm/Genesis and stops being about Protection.

What is the difference between the Bee and Dog? I like your version of the Bee's power, but your Dog has both basically the same concept (about authority) and very similar power (you can block a person's skills and give them orders via either the Dog or the Bee's toxin)

Your Rooster being future sight makes it a bit too similar to the Snake? The purpose of Second Chance is to learn future, and while it isn't this notable in Kari's system because of ~60 Miraculouses, in a 19 Miraculouses system it kind of strikes the eye more.

I like your idea of Rabbit's multiplication vs Mouse's shrinking, it works very well both with the animals and as a pair (Rabbit's extraversive power to "be everywhere" and Mouse's introversive power to hide in holes), but if your Mouse allows also to grow it kind of disrupts this picture? Less sure on this one, through.

The Horse's weapon being a sniper rifle doesn't fit the Miraculous world much, especially considering the Miraculouses were made in ancient times.

First of all, thank you very much for taking an interest in my au and thank you for your comments.

1 - About the Aura, I thought about protection, because it's almost unbreakable, and although it's not a Lucky charm and Genesis, since even if I tried to create something functional, it would only be the format; I didn't really think about it, it's a bit far from protection. I have some ideas that I've left out, I'll review them, of course they may also be a bit out of protection, but I don't think I'll be back with Shellter from the series.

2 - Ah, I think I know what happened, in the first version of the bee's power, it was to free people from the influence of akumatized people, but then I ended up changing it because it was similar to the Bee Palm from Scarlet Lady, and again I ended up not noticing the similarity in the exchange. I'll probably change the bee rather than the dog, since it hasn't been changed.

3 - I consider the second chance to be more of a save point than a vision of the future, since you have to live and try again and again, just like in the series, the longer you use the second chance, the older you get, not to mention that the vision of the future is more accurate, even if it is limited. But I think it's even better to change the second chance, since it's the only one that hasn't changed its power.

4 - Oh, that wasn't initially thought of, but it really is a good analogy, the rabbit was just one part of the original Mullo's separation of powers, but as well as making sense with his new concept, proportion, he was slightly influenced by two Yokais, Tesso and Kyuso, with Tesso being the main one, since in the legends I've read, he can change size, small or large.

5 - Oh, that was a translation error, English isn't my native language, I use a translator, originally it was supposed to be "rapieira", but I don't know why it came out snipe rifle. Here's my notepad in Brazilian Portuguese.

Thank you very much for warning me about this, I will change it, but I'm confused, when I put "rapieira" it comes out "snipe" Your comments will help me enrich my au, thank you very much.