#It was an interesting time for Elmyra really

[galactic-glamour-girl-posts]

Pinky, Freedom and the Brain

In the Pinky and the Brain episode “Leggo My Ego”, Brain is given a backstory that interprets his desire for world domination as wanting the world he was taken from back. An subconscious desire to return home. His real home.

In the Animaniacs reboot, he is given a backstory that interprets his desire for world domination as a conscious desire for complete control of himself and his environment, to avoid the feeling of helplessness, and ultimately, pain.

Both these origins can be true, with the latter likely taking place after the former. Brain's tail only became kinked after being shocked, this is consistent with his tail not being kinked in the flashback shown in “Leggo My Ego”, where he was taken to Acme Labs for the first time.

Either way, be it from Acme Labs or from the feeling of helplessness/pain, Brain's desire for world domination ultimately stems from a yearning for freedom.

He could escape his cage at any time, but that's not enough.

Not until he has the world.

So the cage will have to do. For now.

As for Pinky, in both the original Animaniacs and its reboot, he's fascinated by pop culture and things humans consider trendy. For example, he's usually seen watching TV/YouTube to pass the time.

There isn't much of an explanation for this in either show, not that there really needs to be. On a meta level, it's an easy way to satirize pop culture, it makes Pinky more relatable to the audience, it's a good way to inspire Brain and hence kickstart the plot, and it's an easy way to brighten the tone of the Acme Labs portion(s) of their segments just enough so that the kids at home forget that this series is literally about two kidnapped children who were genetically altered against their will and forced to grow up in a cage. Despite this, Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain, although it is not considered canon, does have a segment that implies what the reason for Pinky's fascination with human pop culture may be.

In the segment "Pinky's Dream House", after becoming enamoured with the vision of a perfect life displayed by 1950s television comedies, Pinky dreams of a domestic life. He even sings a song about it, which is where the implications come in:

"Someplace, next to a landfill, there's a house. With a shelf full of knick-knacks made for a little mouse. A modern house is such a gift, to keep it clean you barely lift a finger. At night we'll sit and watch the tube and laugh at all the toothless boobs on Jerry Springer. Sofa's covered in plastic, never stain. I wish I had a little house made for me and Brain!"

He becomes so enamoured with the idea that he (and Brain, albeit reluctantly at first) lives out his fantasy in a dollhouse Elmyra owns.

Pinky's a lab mouse too, and although he doesn't openly show signs of trauma from any experiments, perhaps his fasciation with humanity's interests stems from an internal desire to be human. Probably not literally, but in the sense that it would allow him to have a "normal" life. A house instead of a cage, home-cooked meals instead of food pellets, etc. He doesn't strive for glory like Brain does, he'd be perfectly happy with a mundane, domestic life; but it seems that, just like Brain, he be much happier if he were free from Acme Labs.

He could escape his cage at any time, but that's not enough.

Not until Brain has the world, and makes it better.

So the cage will have to do. For now.

Pinky and the Brain are opposites in almost every way imaginable, but ultimately, they both want the same thing.

Pinky and the Brain want to be free.

[silver-wield]

Same anon as before. I finally decided to actually read Aerith's chapter in Traces of Two Pasts, and holy shit it really made me hate her even more.

The part that sticks out to me the most is when she tells Tifa and the others about her first days in Sector 5 after Elmyra adopted her and she talks to Ifalna (who's now dead). Her ability as a Cetra to talk to people through the Lifestream led to all kinds of misunderstandings with the people around her and as a result, she assumed that people thought she was weird. Yet in the same novel, Tifa assured her that she's just mysterious, but not weird; and in CCR, Zack made her feel better by telling her that being normal is overrated.

So Zack and Tifa made her feel better about her thinking that she's weird... and she fucking betrayed them by sliming all over a very not-interested Cloud.

She absolutely deserved to be rejected by Cloud when he called her Nakama and weird, and he easily and readily calls her weird 4 times in Japanese (2 times in English) with no hesitation whatsoever. After she literally betrayed her devoted boyfriend and her nice friend.

Fuck her and I'm so glad that the creators have now confirmed 4 times that she's dead and never coming back.

The bit I hate the most about her story is when she throws a tantrum because her birthday party is cancelled because Meguro has a heart attack.

Epitome of selfishness.

There's lots of lil bits like that in it and it really shows how she does care about anyone but herself

[theonethatyaks93]

Animaniacs S3 Episodes 1 and 2 Opinions

Spoiler Warning: This review will go into spoilers for the first 2 episodes of season 3. Proceed at your own risk

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OMG!! It's finally here! Season 3 is finally here! After waiting one year, three months, and eleven days, we finally get to see the grand return of the Warners and Pinky and The Brain for all new adventures! I watched the first two episodes of this season, and boy, it was a doozy! Anyways, here are my opinions of these two episodes.

Episode 1: Honestly this was a mixed bag overall. The Warner segments were only okay while the Pinky and The Brain segment was great. Honestly, "Season 3 and WB" was kind of slowly paced and boring. The segment from the 2nd season that came before this was also pretty slow and boring. The Warners felt like background characters and the drama felt forced. I'll give them points for giving Nora Rita Norita a bigger personality and there were some clever movie parodies, but it felt slow. There were also some gross-out jokes that were super weird. There weren't many laughs to be found here, also. "How To: Friendship" was a nice follow-up to the previous segment. While I don't think it was as good as the first Pinky's How To, it still managed to be a funny and engaging watch. I feel like that this season is going to focus more on Pinky, since he basically had more screen time than Brain in these first two episodes. Pinky was very funny and I love how much he cares for Brain. His apology song to Brain was hilarious (and Pinky surprisingly has better editing skills than me!) Pinky playing around with Brain using the filters was cute and him moving his hand to pat Brain on the head when he was frustrated was just freaking adorable. I also liked the ending when Brain compliments Pinky for essentially saving him from an explosion. Also, this is the episode where Pinky makes a macaroni photo of him kissing Brain!!! And Brain keeps the picture even after tearing it away!! This was probably the cutest segment from the reboot and I was squealing like a little girl the entire time! There have already been more Brinky moments in these first two episodes than in the entire first season! I can't wait for more!

Episode 2: This was a slight improvement over the first episode but not by too much. "Soda-Pressed" was kind of interesting and Dot did have her shining moments. But all that character growth just goes down the drain at the end. The song in this episode was only okay, and I'm more excited for other songs to come later on. It was very slowly paced and only had a few decent laughs. This was an okay experience. "A Starbox is Born" is probably the best Starbox and Cindy segment but that's not saying much. There were some cute moments and the animation was beautiful but that's about it. I also got a laugh out of this segment so I consider that a win. It still had some slow pacing, but it thankfully didn't run on for too long. "Royal Flush" was a pretty good segment. There was some clever satire, good jokes, and a surprise song that I really enjoyed. I thought that this episode would be focused more on the poker game that Brain was in, but it was more focused on Pinky and his feelings. Pinky looked stunning in that dress and I liked the bond he formed with the Meagan Markle parody. The song they sang was a spoof of "A Whole New World" and it reminded me of the song from "Pinky's Dream House" (An episode of Pinky, Elmyra, and The Brain). This song was really good and I enjoyed it a lot. Also, Pinky is not straight! He literally envisions Brain in the stars during the parody of a romantic song when the Meagan Markle character was singing about her husband-to-be. Pinky is clearly enamored with his friend, and Brain hopefully will recuperate these feelings. I think the writers are hinting at a little something here! Anyways, I really enjoyed this segment, though it went in a different direction than I had thought. (Also, when the horse appears in the stable at the beginning, did anyone get nervous and think Phar Fignewton was back from the bin of dead Animaniacs characters? I sure did!)

Anyways, I think that the Pinky and The Brain segments are very strong, while the Warner segments were just okay. I still have eight episodes to watch, so maybe my opinions will change for the better or for the worse.

[etaleah]

An interesting little character analysis test I like to do with media I enjoy is ask myself which character would be the most likely to vote for Trump. And I’m not allowed to just pick whoever the villain is, I have to really think about it. Which good character could be fooled by the propaganda? Which flawed character has a selfish, “my people first” nature that Trumpism could appeal to? It really gets you thinking.

So far, here are my answers:

Sonic: Rough and Tumble, plus…as much as it pains me to say it…maybe Knuckles? He’s been tricked into working for Eggman enough times that I feel like he could be tricked into voting for Trump too.

Pokémon: This was a tough one. Butch and Cassidy maybe? Otherwise, I’m not sure. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Yu-Gi-Oh!: Gozaburo Kaiba, solely for the tax cuts. I don’t think he’d care about the other stuff. Maybe also Pegasus for the same reason and because he thought it would be funny. Rex and Weevil too, since they proved in Season 4 that they’re willing to ally themselves with sketchy people for the sake of power.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Slade and Jagger.

Animaniacs: Mr. Plotz for the classic, Nils Neidhart for the reboot.

Pinky and the Brain: This is another tough one since there aren’t many recurring characters. Maybe Rudy from the Elmyra run?

Good Omens: Shadwell and Arthur Young. Hastur and Ligur too, as part of their jobs. Maybe Crowley if Hell pressured him into it, though he wouldn’t like it.

Teen Titans: Billy Numerous.

Sherlock Holmes: Mr. Woodley.

Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood): Kimblee if he thought it would benefit him. Also possibly Maes Hughes? He fell for the propaganda regarding Ishval and seemed the least remorseful about his role in it, so I think he could be suckered into it. I do think the way Trump treats women would bother him though.

Feel free to switch out Trump for Brexit, Bolsonaro, or whatever your country’s far-right equivalent is if you’re not in the US and want to try this.

[omegasquire]

Rose Gold: Ch 19

Cloud allowed himself to be led further into the garden. When Aerith passed over an empty basket she had picked up from the garden supplies rack, he took it without a fuss and followed her toward one of the flower patches near the back. Cloud had practically no knowledge of the difference between the flowers or any of their unconventional uses, but even with a layman’s eye he could recognize the beauty of the scenery before him.

In a place that was surrounded by rubble and the scent of poverty, Aerith’s home was a secret haven. At least that was how it felt when he first visited it back in his world. It had caught him off guard, like walking into a fairytale that clearly didn’t belong.

That feeling didn’t change, and as he was led further into the garden, it was as though everything else was disappearing and only this little paradise existed.

Cloud followed Aerith along each pathway, holding the basket as she took flower shears and carefully selected certain flowers. Some were in full bloom, others were only halfway, but it seemed she still had a plan for them.

When it seemed like she was done with her selection, Aerith moved to an open patch where no flowers grew. At its center was an open gazebo, simple yet cozy. Like the rest of this place, it hardly belonged in a smog filled metropolis like Midgar. And yet, somehow it seemed right at home.

“You can put the basket there.” Aerith crossed the round table in the center and patted one of the benches that were opposite of each other. Considering this was the place where Aerith grew up with Elmyra, it made sense there were only two places to sit.

Cloud set the basket on the table and sat as Aerith did the same on the other side. He took off his helmet and set it down, secretly relieved that he could breathe freely again. Like many things in his past, even the simple inconvenience of a helmet that stifled his breath was something he could do without experiencing again.

“Have you ever created bouquets?” Aerith asked.

The question seemed out of the blue. Cloud didn’t have much flower knowledge, and what interaction he did have with them was minimal. “No.”

Marlene would sometimes try to make a wreath out of them if there were enough around to choose from, which she would bring home and give to everyone. That was a rare occurrence, as Midgar and its surrounding area had minimal foliage to begin with.

It was never a hobby or interest for him, leaving him much in the dark about what went into making one.

Aerith didn’t seem to mind nor was surprised at his answer, as she lightly nodded in return and started to sort the flowers that she had placed in the basket.

“Some people think it’s really easy to do, but I don’t think so. Creating bouquets require a lot of effort and thought.” She lifted two flowers and gathered them into one hand, contemplating a third before returning it to the pile. “You have to think: who is it for? What is the occasion? Are the flowers in season?”

Aerith picked up another flower and gathered it with the others. She did this a few more times before holding up the small bouquet to Cloud. She smiled at him. “See? Aren’t they pretty?”

Cloud made a quiet sound of agreement.

“I thought so!” She continued to work, carefully selecting each new flower. “Did you know? It’s not just about how they look or who it goes to. It’s also who gives it. What is the intention behind the bouquet? Each flower has a different meaning – a different message they want to convey – and behind that is the person or people who want to share those thoughts and feelings with them.”

Aerith looked at him again, a smile still on her lips. Yet, it wasn’t just a simple smile. Behind those softly curled lips was a knowledge that was only born from experience. How many bouquets had she made since she first started? How many people did she help share their feelings when simple words wouldn’t do?

Cloud met her gaze, his brows unconsciously knitting slightly. It was as if Aerith already knew his thoughts.

“People are like bouquets,” she said softly. “They contain so many thoughts and emotions, and depending on how they put those into words and actions, the person receiving them may react how they like or the complete opposite.”

Aerith neatly tied together the stems of the flowers and placed the bouquet in the basket. When she looked at Cloud again, her gaze settled on his wrist.

“Don’t think too badly of him.”

Cloud frowned; he’d heard those words before. 

These past couple days since receiving the gift from Sephiroth gave him plenty of time to think about the meaning behind it, and what it meant for him in turn.

There were a lot of feelings that he had to sort out, and that included his involvement with Sephiroth. Bitter though he was about their arrangement, he knew he couldn’t keep dragging his feet. Their circumstances wouldn’t allow him to.

Jenova was still squirming around in his head, and those Strife lookalikes were on their way to meet him. They would cause mayhem wherever they went, there was no question about it. If he didn’t make up his mind, he was going to suffer.

And not only him, but everyone here too.

This wasn’t his world, but he couldn’t ignore that he was stuck here. Until he figured out and saved whoever or whatever it was that Gaea was talking about, he didn’t know how long he would be in this world. Maybe he would never leave.

That thought scared him.

Tifa, Marlene, Denzel... everyone... even those bastards the Turks...

What if he could never see them again? What was going on with them now? Were they okay? Did they know what happened to him?

Cloud’s gaze lowered. He had thought about it many times, and each time he did, he told himself to just bear with it. The anger, the pain, the anxiety... just focus on doing what he needed to do. Cooperate even though he wanted to do anything but that. Work together with people who hated him, and people who he hated, so he could return home.

“Cloud.” Aerith’s soft voice reached out to him. When he looked at her, she gave him an equally soft smile. After a moment, she reached out to gently touch his arm. “Bouquets are pretty, but if they never make it to their intended person, then they can’t serve their purpose.”

Her touch lingered like a silent plea.

“I know it’s not easy, but I hope you can open up a bit to us. The others... it’ll take a while, but we’ll help you. Zack and I are on your side. And,” she paused briefly. “Sephiroth is too.”

Cloud didn’t move, unsettled by her words.

“He might not seem like it, but he does mean well. Talk to him,” she encouraged, slowly pulling back. “You’ll see. There’s a good reason everyone respects and listens to him.”

Cloud bit back a sigh. “If we have time.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand or didn’t believe her. The Sephiroth of his world, prior to his downfall, was respected and idolized. He didn’t gain his position as General simply because he was Shinra’s poster child. He was pragmatic and resourceful; he commanded people’s attention simply with his presence, and earned their trust with his actions.

He was perfect. 

Everything Cloud wished he could’ve been when he was a kid.

This world’s Sephiroth was probably just as perfect, or close enough to it. Maybe even more refined than the one Cloud knew. It only made sense that people here revered him, especially if he was considered the world’s savior on top of all his other achievements.

While he was sorting his thoughts, Aerith quietly continued to make bouquets. Cloud watched her as she carefully assembled each one.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed before she finally finished and set the last bouquet in the basket. She dusted off her hands and wore a satisfied smile.

“Done!” She stood up and hooked her arm through the basket’s handle. “Shall we go? We still need to deliver these.”

Cloud got up, helmet back in place, and followed her to the entrance of the garden and back onto the cruel streets of the slums. Even if Midgar was working towards a better future, poverty would take a long time to change. 

He walked with Aerith through the streets, letting her lead them to somewhere new. It gave him another opportunity to look at how the people of Midgar in this world were coping with what had happened with Strife and Meteor.

As they passed a man who was facing a wall, Cloud’s gaze followed his movements as the man bent over like he wanted to vomit but couldn’t quite get it out. It was a familiar sight, and Cloud couldn’t help but think about the Geostigma that had recently plagued the people of his world. 

The back of his arm itched with a phantom pain that he had yet to shake from his memory. 

Pushing those thoughts to the side, Cloud returned his focus to Aerith who seemed to be taking them to different stores and homes to deliver the bouquets. Cloud didn’t have much to do at that point, though he suspected she didn’t really plan for him to do anything. 

He knew she was tag-teaming with Zack to get him to go outside and open up to them. Even in another world, the two of them didn’t seem to be all that different from the ones he knew. In fact, much of what was in this world was very similar to what he knew. The main difference was himself and the fact that he and Sephiroth had switched roles. 

It made him wonder what else had changed, and if the people he knew were still around or not. It was a thought that had lingered in his mind since Sephiroth gave him the bangle, but a fear he didn’t expect to feel made him uncomfortable with the idea of seeking out answers. He wanted to know, and yet at the same time was afraid of what he would find out. What if someone he knew that was living happily in his world was dead here? And what if it was Strife’s fault that they were dead? 

But what if they were alive? What if they were doing better here than back home?  

This was also another thought that circled around in his head. He couldn’t get rid of the “what if’s” that kept popping up, and before he knew it, two days had already passed without him doing a thing. 

Looking off to the side, Cloud’s steps slowed down. Aerith turned around to look at him as if she could sense him stopping. 

“What is it?”

Cloud didn’t respond right away. He continued to look in the direction he knew was Sector 5. From what he had seen during the elevator ride, it was still mostly intact. 

He eventually looked at Aerith. “Do you still have that church in Sector 5?”

“Of course. Why?”

He hesitated slightly. “I want to go there.”

He couldn’t tell her why, but this nagging part of him just wouldn’t settle down until he saw with his own eyes. He needed to go there, even if it was just to prove that his mind was feeding him false hopes. 

Aerith studied him a moment before nodding. “Sure, I was planning to go there anyway. Let’s just go to one last stop first.” 

Cloud nodded and followed after her once more. 

It didn’t take Aerith long to finish her business; soon enough they were on the way to Sector 5. The rubble and trash that piled up on the sides of the pathways leading to and from the Sector were familiar to him, though the one he knew no longer was blocked from the sky. 

Here, the upper Plate still stood, only electricity providing the people below with any source of light. But despite how this fact hadn’t changed, as he and Aerith drew near to their destination, there was one thing that had definitely changed. 

The once dilapidated church showed obvious signs of renovation on the outside. Though its surroundings were still in poor state, Cloud could see evidence of construction on the siding and roof, and what probably used to be a courtyard. 

While not completely renovated, it was in a better state than it was before. There wasn’t even a broken window to be seen. Cloud walked along the path that had been swept clean of rubbish to stand before the double doors of the church. 

Aerith opened it with a light, “Welcome to Lily Bed Church!”

Cloud was confused at first – he didn't remember the church ever having a name – but then immediately understood as he saw the interior of the building. Much like the outside, the inside of the church was undergoing renovation. 

Benches and floorboards were replaced, and drapes had been added. Tilting his head, Cloud saw that the chandeliers and support beams had been replaced as well, supporting the newly fixed roof. 

What really stood out, though, was a garden bed at the center of the church. It was stationed where an altar and podium should've been. 

Yellow lilies flourished in the flower bed. They were a familiar sight that brought a lot of memories to mind. 

Cloud's chest was tight as he stared at it.

“That's a literal name,” he eventually spoke and moved closer to the front of the church.

Aerith stood next to him, her gaze warm as she looked at the flowers. 

“Isn’t it?” she laughed. “But did you know? Lilies have a lot of meanings. I think it's actually appropriate to call this place Lily Bed. Friendship, joy, thankfulness, even innocence and rebirth – it depends on the color. I love yellow ones, it's like the planet is saying thank you for taking care of her. Thank you for remembering and nourishing her. Thank you for fighting for her sake.”

Aerith glanced at him before moving off to fetch something behind one of the side doors. When she came back, she had a watering can in her hands. 

“I always come here when I feel like being alone. I tend to the flowers and talk to each one. I let them know all the feelings and thoughts I have, and even if they don't respond, I know they're listening.” Aerith began to water the flowers, slowly walking around to make sure she got all of it. “There are people who come here too. Not a lot, but they come every once in a while. Some pray, and some just like the silence. It's a place for them to put aside their troubles and find some peace of mind.”

“People still pray?” 

Somehow the thought of people praying baffled him. When was the last time he saw someone pray? In fact, when was the last time he prayed? Had he ever sought out the ear of a higher being? No. None existed; he always believed he had to do things himself. Praying solved nothing. It didn't help him as a kid, didn't help him when his mother died, didn't help him anytime after that either. 

“Can't they?” Aerith asked back, glancing at him. “Not all prayers can be answered, but doesn't it feel comforting to know your worries are being heard? Gaia is always listening.”

Cloud didn't respond. 

Maybe Gaia was listening, but she couldn't do anything for him when he was suffering. Even now when he had so many questions about what he was supposed to do here, he couldn't hear her voice or get any hint. He had to figure it out himself. 

Cloud mentally berated himself for having these thoughts. He thought he got rid of that bitterness, but maybe it wasn't so easy. 

He hated admitting that he always had a problem with viewing his own self worth. 

“Does she ever respond to you?” he made himself ask. 

“Sometimes. It's not always in words, but I can feel her nonetheless.” Aerith stopped walking and closed her eyes. She was quiet, as if she was listening for something. “Right now... She's in so much pain. I think it’s because of those three.”

Cloud scowled. Those three. There was no question who she was talking about. 

Aerith opened her eyes and looked at him. “I’m sorry.” 

Cloud shook his head. “It’s fine.” 

He wasn’t expecting to have a talk with the planet herself. If anything, he didn’t understand how he was able to hear her to begin with. Maybe it was because he was slipping between worlds and somehow that made him closer to her, but he couldn’t be sure. It was the first time he’d ever heard her. 

If only he could say the same about Jenova. He had the opposite problem with her. 

Pushing down the frustration that was building, Cloud had to set aside that issue for later. That wasn’t why he wanted to come here. 

Lifting his head, Cloud hesitated. “Aerith… Are you able to search for people?”

Aerith wore a quizzical look. “You mean using my connection with the Planet?” When Cloud nodded, she hummed in thought. “Well, not exactly, but if I concentrate I can sort of feel their presence. Are you looking for someone? I can try.”

His lips pressed together. It was a long shot, but he just couldn’t get rid of the urge. He needed to know. He didn’t see anything in the front courtyard; he wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. All he knew was that he had to lay his worries to rest somehow. 

Drawing in a deep breath, Cloud settled his nerves. “A boy, about ten years old. His name is Denzel. He should live here in Midgar.” 

Aerith’s gaze lingered on him before she closed her eyes again. She was silent, and every second that passed felt like an hour to Cloud. He wasn’t asking for her to geolocate the boy, but if she could just tell him if he was still around then that would be enough. Maybe. 

After what felt like a year, Aerith eventually opened her eyes and looked at him. She gave a small shake of her head.

“I’m sorry.”

Cloud’s heart sank.

“D–” His throat felt tight. “Does that mean he’s dead?”

“I don’t know. If I had more time, or if Gaia could help, I would be able to tell you for sure.” She cautiously asked, “Is he important to you?”

Cloud clenched his teeth before letting out a sigh. He wasn’t upset with her, only his own shaky feelings. Even if she was able to find Denzel, he wasn’t a savior here. He wasn’t even a normal person. He was the world’s enemy, or at least that’s how he would be viewed if he ever showed his face.

“Yeah. I took care of him.” 

He was glad he had yet to take off the helmet this time, or she would’ve seen the look on his face. 

“There were a lot of orphans after Meteorfall, and he was one of them. I…” Cloud looked back toward the entrance of the church. “I found him here. Kid was trying to steal from me, but I ended up taking him home.” 

The memory of that day surfaced in Cloud’s mind. He remembered it as if it was yesterday. He saw Denzel collapsed right beside Fenrir, his phone in his hand. Tifa’s voice was coming through the other end, confused and calling for him anxiously. He had decided on a whim to take him back to Seventh Heaven and eventually Denzel became part of their makeshift family. 

Denzel looked up to him like he was a role model. It made Cloud uncomfortable at times – he didn’t see himself as a good role model – but he couldn’t ignore how his actions swayed Denzel’s worldview. It was both a responsibility and a burden Cloud was stuck with, and he always felt like he was a failure at the job. 

He didn’t have someone like that in his childhood. His role model was someone far out of reach, and that person ended up being the subject of his absolute hatred. The one person who could tell him right or wrong was stolen from him when he was still a teenager, and in retrospect that was the same day his life grinded to a halt. 

His mental age was five years behind everyone else. There was a gap in his memories that he was better off not remembering. He was a mess, no matter how one looked at it. He had no right to be leading someone else, let alone an impressionable kid. 

Still, he couldn’t leave it alone. Tifa and Marlene were alive and safe here, but what about Denzel? Cloud needed to know for certain. If he was dead…

Cloud didn’t want to think about it.

“I’ll keep trying.” When he looked at her, Aerith wore an expression of determination. “I’ll find him for you. If he’s important, then I’ll put my best into it.”

Cloud gave a small smile. “Thanks.” 

“Of course!” Aerith smiled brightly in turn. She held up a finger. “I’ll let you know right away when I learn anything.”

He nodded. He had to just settle with what he got so far and find comfort in knowing that Aerith would keep looking for him. 

“Alright. I’ll hold you to that.”

[sarellathesphinx]

TOTALLY AGREE!! It says an enormous amount about him that he went through with it, even if we can extrapolate from the rest of his character that he would never have let Marlene and Elmyra get hurt if it was in his power to prevent it—regardless of his personal feelings about it or his ultimate intentions, he did commit some pretty heinous blackmail. And that’s fascinating! It’s something he probably has to grapple with about himself! He’s a conscientious and warm hearted person, but where does he draw the line and how does he justify his decisions to himself?

I think omitting the Marlene stuff is partly bc of her use in the Zack storyline (it would start to get confusing if we had to keep track of multiple Marlenes, bc at least for alternate Aerith and Cloud they’re both in a coma), and also bc perhaps the writers weren’t sure the audience would be able to trust Cait and Reeve to be good after. (Which is maybe true considering how common it was before Rebirth and still is now for ppl to dislike Cait a lot, lol.) Maybe they just didn’t feel they could justify it with remake Reeve’s already established Avalanche sympathy…?

I had been hoping he would at least be in the dark about Shinra really being responsible for the damage caused by the reactor bombings, so he could still have at least somewhat conflicting feelings about Avalanche’s methods, but nope… :/ it’s really a shame bc I think their arc is really interesting and meaningful for how little time Reeve gets!

Constantly torn between genuinely loving the remake timeline’s depiction of Reeve and Cait and being immensely sad that pretty much all of my favorite lines of theirs from the original were totally excised or bc of plot developments will never be said

[thebrownssociety]

what’s the sibling dynamic between buster and elmyra? since elmer and bugs are married in and the looney tunes cast adopted the tiny toons cast

Thanks for the ask! Sorry it's taken so long, I was trying to tie all the threads together.

So, I'm going to include Babs in this as well, as I headcanon Bugs and Elmer adopted Buster, Babs and Elmyra together.

So to understand this we've got to go back to after Tiny Toons had finished filming in early 1992. By that point the kids were all 5 years old and had basically formed a tight-knit group. They were also at the stage in there development when they were starting to expand a little bit beyond what their official characterisation was.

So, take Montanna Max, for example, although he was still hot-headed, obsessed with money and greedy [and those traits would never go away] he was now learning that his friends [and particularly the adults] weren't going to put up with his screaming at them all day and not sharing anything and that if he wanted to remain friends with them he was going to have to change his behaviour at least a little. The rest of the toons would accept what he was created as, but they wouldn't accept him using that as an excuse to act completely out of order.

Buster and Babs upon finishing filming were both enrolled in a two-year long course which was basically going to help them adjust to not being a protagonist anymore. It's a course that every protagonist of a TV show, or a film, does after the completion of there first show, and it basically helps them come to terms with the fact they are not the centre of the universe. The reason for this is because it's been accepted and realised that it's very hard for a toon who's had there entire show revolve around them to suddenly not have that anymore and be sent out into the world of Toons where most Toons don't care.

As a genreral rule in Toontown, unless you've achieved the fame levels of Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse, or are associated with them, no one really cares what film you were in. So Anna and Elsa are treated like goddesses in Toontown because, there film was really successful and they're seen as really good characters, contrast that with Princess Aurora [who's film was a box-office bomb at time of release, I believe] who is more respected and liked because she's royalty and she's really nice than because her film was successful.

In short, unless your film is massively successful at time of release, you're just another toon and the two-year course helps protagonists come to terms with that. There are positives as well, it's not all 'you're nothing now'. The toons work on their individual skills and how they may be transferred to other things. [Babs's impression are so good, for instance, that even if Tiny Toons never got rebooted, she'd still have a really good shot at becoming a Toon Impressionist, if she wanted to. Buster's flexibility and ability to 'read' other people means he'd potentially be good as a nurse/doctor/police officer or just a role that's with the public.]

While Buster and Babs were doing that Elmyra spent time with Bugs and Elmer and practiced her toon powers while benefiting from the individual attention being given by her dads. [Just a note, there is a two-year course for villains as well that was introduced in the 60's that helps them to...not be so villainous, but you have to meet a certain level of 'badness' like Maleficent OR Evil Queen to get in there and - obviously - Elmyra doesn't meet that requirement.]

So, back to the actual ask, Buster, Babs and Elmyra moved into Bugs and Elmer's 5-bedroom mansion shortly after filming ended. It was decided they would each have there own room, which they decorated to there own preferences [Elmyra's is very VERY pink]. So this relieved some tension, because Babs HATED the idea of sharing a room with Elmyra. [Elmyra, for her part, was happy about the idea and cried buckets when she was told it wouldn't be happening.]

At first Buster didn't really get on well with Elmyra at all. Over filming he'd kind of managed to build her up into the 'oh, help me, it's Elmyra' figure, and although he knew she was largely harmless, he still didn't like her. Her 'baby-act' and need to be constantly supervised also grated. This was the same for Babs.

Elmyra, at first, adored the idea of living with Babs and Buster and had visions of dressing them up all day in 'cutesey-wutesey outfits'. It may surprise you to know, that Buster and Babs did not WANT to be dressed up in outfits, cute or otherwise, and had no issue anvilling her to get the point across. This led to tears on Elmyra's part and frustration on Babs and Buster's.

This did eventually mellow out though, due to a couple of things, firstly - Bugs and Elmer's determination to teach Elmyra how to handle her new brother and sister properly [and vice versa for the bunny's]. Secondly - because Elmyra did have regular session with Doctor Scratchensniff every week during which they worked on 'how not to strangle animals when you hug them.' among other things and thirdly because Buster and Babs realised things where not all sunny for Elmyra.

That sounds really ominous, but what I may is that a few of you may have remembered that Elmyra actually had a family when she was on the show. A physical one, not just 'mentioned' parents like Buster. [Babs had a mother who was shown, but Babs's mother is a sufficiently flat characters, that if she doesn't have Babs in the house she assumes she's at school. It doesn't matter whether it's snowing, the middle of the school holidays or the middle of the night, as far as 'Mrs Bunny' is concerned, Babs is at school.]

It was decided after Tiny Toons ended that Elmyra should continue to see her 'designed' family [the family she was designed to have] at the weekends. Friday afternoon she walked home/would be dropped off by someone at her designed parents house and she would stay there until Sunday night until she was returned just after dinner. [So Elmyra would miss dinner with Bugs and co]

This worked for a little while until it got to when Elmyra was going into Grade 1 and Elmer realised she was always doing her homework when she got home. Her parents weren't helping her. In a rather tense conversation he asked Elmyra's designed parents if they would help her do her homework. They promptly replied that the homework was to difficult for 'there little baby' and she should be given something age-appropriate. It was during that discussion that Elmer discovered her 'parents' thought she was 4 years old.

Even by Toon standards, this was a warning flag and Elmer promptly excused himself and ran the conversation by Doctor Scratchensniff because the fact Elmyra's parents didn't seem to recognise the fact that A} her designed age was 12 and B} she was actually 6, not 4 - was concerning to say the least.

Now. Normally D.S. doesn't get involved with this kind of thing because otherwise he'd never do anything else, but as Elmyra was already a patient of his and he decided it wouldn't do Elmer/Bugs any good if they challenged Elmyra's parents themselves, he decided he better have a word with them herself.

He had his word. And they seemed to understand. Scratchy went back to Bugs and Elmer and told them they didn't have to worry, that Elmyra's parents understood her designed age was 12 and that she would get older and mature above that [hopefully]. Bugs and Elmer [particularly Elmer] were suspicious about this at first, but Elmyra came back from her parents having had her homework done and with tales of having done exciting things during the weekend. She was also - they noticed - being given age-appropriate things to play with and this lasted...until she moved up to middle school.

Elmyra moved up to middle school a year after Buster and Babs did, which meant they weren't in the same class. However they were in the same house and it became noticeable that Elmyra didn't seem very happy. Specifically she didn't seem very happy with the idea of going to her parents house at the weekend and was somehow even less happy when she came back.

Bugs and Elmer had noticed this and tried to ask her what was wrong, but she refused to tell them. Buster didn't really want to get involved - he felt it would open a long, emotional conversation he didn't really want to have - but when Elmyra came home one day in tears and he was the only one in the house it fell to him to deal with it.

Turns out Elmyra's parents did not like the fact she was in middle school. They thought the schoolwork she was doing was to advanced for her [it was perfectly acceptable work for her grade and she was doing well with it] and her mother in particular was concerned because Elmyra had started Noticing Boys. This did not fit with the notion they had that she was still a little girl who spoke in a babyish voice and called everything 'cuddly-wuddly' despite the fact that Elmyra herself was doing her best to drop the 'cuddly-wudddly's' [unfortunately she still had to keep the babyish voice] and asking that her parents maybe not buy her games and stuff that were clearly designed for a child under 10.

By this point all this had been going on for a few months. Buster - after calming Elmyra down and running the situation by Hampton - told there dads what was going on with Elmyra and they took matters out of his hands.

Doctor Scratchensniff paid another visit to Elmyra's parents with the intention of explaining to them, gently and tactfully, why they needed to change the way they were treating Elmyra because it was risking damaging her and no one has a clue what was actually said in that meeting, but the end shot was that Elmyra no longer saw her parents on the weekend. She could contact them again at 16 if she wanted to, but until then it was in her best interests to stay away from them.

You all may be wondering why I'm going into so much detail about Elmyra's circumstances, and that's because I feel it's necessary to understand the siblings dynamic. Buster, Babs and Elmyra - up until they were about 11 - only spent Mon-Thurs as a proper group. During that time they anvilled each other, teased each other and tried to actively avoid each other [or rather Buster and Babs tried to actively avoid Elmyra when she was at her most annoying] They also played games together, struggled through school-work together and dealt with there annoying parents together. They became a pretty effective sibling team.

Buster and Babs - despite being created to have a crush on each other - came to view each other as adopted siblings and remained close. They laughed together, joke together and messed with people together.

Babs and Elmyra go shopping together, they talk about stuff together - 'stuff' being the subjects of romances and Life in general that perhaps Buster wouldn't want to be a part off - they get on pretty well actually, mainly because they have a good few things in common and on Elmyra's sensible non-complete-moron days they can even have deep conversations about politics and the world in general as well as analysing TV shows and fangirling over there favourite characters.

Buster and Elmyra are a bit of an odd paring. On Elmyra's smart days the two of them can be quite devious and can throw adults for a loop easily. On her less smart days Buster just tries to stay out her way. The things with Buster and Elmyra is that he basically thought of her as an annoyance for the first 5 years off his life. When he was adopted by Bugs and Elmer and found himself now living with her he was essentially banned from insulting her to harshly. ["No anvilling at the dinner table, Buster!"] But part the issue was that Buster was jealous because Elmyra had another family she got too see and he didn't. He knew that Bugs and Elmer were his official family and it was great to be adopted by his mentor but he couldn't help a pang of envy every time Elmyra got in the car to go to her parents house.

And then the breakdown happened with Elmyra when she was 11 [Buster and Babs knew her parents had had a few problems with her before, but didn't know the exact details, To be fair not even Elmyra herself knew the exact details. Elmer had the conversation away from her and then the rest of it was kept away from her. The only thing she was told was that her parents would now be helping her with homework when she went to them at the weekend.] and Buster realised that Elmyra's home life was not a bed of roses and he made a conscious effort to not be so short with her and to be more patient in the way that Babs seems to be able to do effortlessly. [Babs's realised pretty quickly after they all started living together that Elmyra wasn't going to change and decided that rather than fight it she was just going to embrace it. She was hoping that Elmyra would go away after Babs played 'dress-up' with her, but it just made Elmyra like her more. After a couple of months - and a conversation with Bugs - Babs realised that Elmyra literally just wanted someone to spend time with and dress up. But it was more the spending time than the dressing up that Elmyra liked. They managed to work out a system where Babs would let Elmyra dress her up and do her ears, if Elmyra would give feedback on Babs's impressions and watch comedy tapes with her.]

Going back to Buster, it took a while and, while he and Elmyra are never going to be 'best friends', Buster eventually realised she wasn't that bad and started to enjoy spending time with her.

Elmyra, for her part, has made a conscious effort over the years to not hug her siblings [or any other cute, fluffy creatures for that matter] to tightly, dress them up against their will, or chase them round the earth till they just give up. She still hugs and does like going shopping [or 'grown-up dress up' as Babs calls it] and will chase them to give them a hug if she's having a particularly stupid day or thinks they look upset, but the main thing is that Elmyra is trying.

Very very trying.

[dutchdread]

Do you really think Claudia was talking about Tifa in the flashback? She was encouraging him to find someone else in Midgar, specifically an older girl, like...uhm...Aerith? I mean, he had the dream at Aerith's home, it's pretty obvious to me that scene is about her, not Tifa.

Hi, thanks for the question. Well, Claudia didn't know Aerith, so I know Claudia herself wasn't talking about Aerith specifically. But there are two ways to look at this sentence. "who is Claudia referring to", and "who is the narrative referring to?". Just because Claudia wasn't referring to Aerith of course doesn't mean that she wasn't referring to someone LIKE Aerith, and even if Claudia wasn't referring to someone like Aerith that still doesn't mean that Cloud wouldn't link her statements to Aerith. From a real life perspective who Claudia is talking about has little impact of course on who Cloud thinks fits the bill. Narratively though, it does matter. If the story presents a quote like that, and then explicitly links it to a certain character, that is usually done for a reason, which is why it becomes interesting to dissect why the developers decided to show this scene. So lets dissect it. First though, it's important to note that FFVII has two different narratives, that is, "the story they want the player to see". It has the narrative the designers want you to see when you first play the game, and the narrative they want you to see when you finally have all the puzzle pieces. First time you play the game for instance, they want you to think Cloud is a soldier, the second time you look at the same events in the game, the developers want you to have a very different perspective concerning Clouds actions. So when looking at a scene it's important to think "what do they want me to think the first time", and "is there a different interpretation here after you know all the facts?". First off, let me just state, that Claudia was ABSOLUTELY talking about Tifa specifically. Claudia doesn't want Cloud to find someone else in Midgar, she warns him of city girls and wishes Cloud would just settle down. The idea here is that Cloud should stop travelling and settle down with a nice "non-city" girl, aka, a village girl. Now, in the past, it could be argued that Claudia was just referring to a generic village girl, could be another village even. However, a trace of two pasts elaborates on the bond between Claudia and Tifa, and reveals that Claudia becomes aware that there is something going on between Cloud and Tifa just before Cloud comes back to Nibleheim. So Claudia realizes Cloud likes Tifa, and right after that she goes to Cloud to effectively tell him to leave Midgar and settle down with a girl who would take care of him...I wonder why? When playing FFVII for the first time I do think you're supposed to interpret the scene as referring to Aerith, because of the time it's placed in the story. You have the flashback right after meeting Aerith, so therefore, that interpretation makes sense. But on a second viewing, not so much. For one, it's not just Aerith that causes the flashback, it's the entire family situation that's going on there. Watching Aerith interact with Elmyra would be the first normal, familial, parent child interaction that Cloud has seen SINCE the actual scene in the flashback, it makes sense that he'd think about it. The idea that it would refer to Aerith is also completely something that the audience just assumed, but could easily be a red-herring. After all, this scene is not just placed after meeting Aerith, it's placed after you've met "both girls", and could easily be simply pointing to both girls, and that Cloud should settle down with one. You could also say that Aerith reminds Cloud about the "city girls his mother warned him about", let's not forget that this flashback scene isn't followed by Cloud settling down with Aerith, but by Cloud fleeing the house in the middle of the night to get back to Tifa. So at first this scene is really up for interpretation, it's the rest of the game and extra materials that clue us in to who actually fits the description more, and plot twist, just like with everything else in FFVII, it turns out that the interpretation you have during the first playthrough, that it refers to Aerith, is incorrect and intentionally misleading. We now know that

Claudia meant Tifa specifically. You said "older", but that's a common mistranslation, it's not what Claudia says, she says "oneesan", which isn't about age, but about maturity, and Tifa fits that bill perfectly. Claudia wants Cloud to settle down with a nice mature village girl who could take care of him, Claudia also just found out Cloud likes Tifa, Claudia also spent time teaching Tifa how to cook, and apparently they help out the elderly together. Tifa is EXACTLY the type of girl Claudia is talking about and 100% was talking about her, and trying to pry. It's not as if Claudia thought "oh no, Cloud likes Tifa, the girl who I spend a lot of time with, who can cook, who can fight, and who helps with the elderly, I must immediately go tell him to settle down with someone else, clearly Tifa isn't 'mature' enough for him".

Let's not forget, Tifa owns and runs her own bar, Aerith lives with her mother. And from the game themselves, Tifa literally becomes the girl who takes care of Cloud while he's in a coma, literally the girl who goes into the lifestream to save him. She's consistently positioned as the girl who ALWAYS has his back.

"Apart from being Cloud’s childhood friend, she is also the woman who understands him all too well and devotedly supports the mentally-weak side of him"

No one takes care of Cloud like Tifa does. Both narratively, and factually. Claudia is talking about Tifa.

[istanleyff7]

TOTP, Episode Aerith, Scenes 10-14

Final Fantasy VII Remake: Traces of Two Pasts Episode 2: Aerith Scenes 10-14 A Light Novel by Kazushige Nojima Translated by Stanley (@istanleyff7 on twitter)

Scene 10

It was the third day. The sun had set entirely, and Elmyra hadn't returned home yet. Aerith hadn't eaten anything after the bread and soup from noon. What should she do if she became any hungrier? Should she head downstairs to search for food? But suppose she did that at her convenience without asking her? In that case, Elmyra might dislike her for it — After thinking about things like that, there was an indication of the door opening.  

"It's me," the grumpy voice of Elmyra could be heard.

"I'll be prepping the food right away."

"Okayyyy."

However, there was no response. As Aerith sat down on the chair and waited quietly, the noise and the whiff from the cooking wafted over. Aerith then took out a collapsible table from the closet and set it up, imitating how Elmyra does it. Eventually, Elmyra came upstairs with a tray of a warm bean dish and bread.

"Thanks for waiting."

"Ahh!!"

Seeing Elmyra, Aerith shrieked involuntarily. A sizable plaster was stuck on her right eyebrow and the outer corner of her eye.

"I had a little fall. Don't worry about it."

After transferring the food from the tray to the table, Elmyra mumbled something from her mouth and then started eating. It seems that she doesn't want to talk about it in detail. If that's the case...

"Thank you for the food!"

Aerith started eating as cheerfully as possible.

"It's delicious!"

"It's canned food."

"Canned food is delicious."

"Whoever made it would probably be glad to hear it, perhaps."

"Who made this?"

"A Shinra factory. Well then, have your meal quietly."

After hearing that the canned food was a Shinra product, the joy in Aerith plummeted.

Without a moment's delay, Elmyra then said, "It's difficult to live without Shinra's products. I can't bake bread at home without ingredients and fuel from Shinra. You have to come to terms with it."

"What does 'come to terms' mean?"

"You probably somewhat got it, didn't you? Did you forget? I told you to have your meal quietly."

There was irritation in her voice, and Aerith was regretful. However, if her efforts to enjoy her meal had gone to waste, she also thought she shouldn't hold back anymore.

"Okay. But, tell me one thing. Elmyra, where do you go after breakfast?"

Elmyra stopped her eating hand and fixed her eyes on Aerith. However, she looked down at the plate after several seconds, she again put the beans in her mouth. Aerith couldn’t read Elmyra’s expression at all, and she didn't know what to do anymore.

"I used to bring along this table to a lot of picnics."

It seems that she was interested in having a conversation. Elmyra's voice was gentle.

"Picnic? I know what that is!"

"Even though I say so, it's still the slums. As much as possible, I would go to places without people and monsters, have a ham and cheese sandwich and even drink a little alcohol."

"Seems fun!"

"It really is."

Elmyra's expression became gloomy, and Aerith panicked. She cannot let this fun conversation come to an end.

"Did you go alone?"

"Nope, that's not the case."

Elmyra placed the bread back on the plate, went out of the room. She then entered her room along the corridor. Shortly after, she returned to the room, holding a photo frame in hand and held it out to Aerith. The photograph projected Elmyra snuggling up close with a man Aerith didn't know, with the upper half of her body. They were sandwiched in between this small table. The man's face and build were robust in comparison to the slender Elmyra.

They both looked like they were happily laughing.

"Clay Gainsborough. He's Gabriel's only son and my husband."

"Your husband!? I know what a husband is! A husband is a wife's important person. A wife is a husband's important person."

Elmyra let out a giggle.

"Yes, he's my husband and an important person to me. You can address him as 'Clay' when he comes back. He likes children, so he would welcome you."

"Where is Clay now?" Aerith asked as she looked at the photograph.

There was no response. When Aerith lifted her head, she saw Elmyra's face, which looked like she was about to cry. She then forcibly put up a smile once they made eye contact.

"He went to war. I got a letter saying that he would be coming home because he took work leave. It's already been six days since he was supposed to be back. The day I met you was the third day."

Aerith understood Elmyra's strange behaviour.

"Do you go to the station every day?"

"Yea... From morning till evening. I probably look like a moron."

"Not at all," Aerith shook her head.

"There’s no point asking Shinra where he is. They tell me something like the trooper's whereabouts is a secret. Shinra surely isn’t flexible at all."

"Clay is a Shinra trooper?"

"Yes, that's right. I should have talked about this first. It's my bad. This household actually has a deep involvement with Shinra."

Aerith's body stiffened.

"But don't worry. Clay and I, we won't do things like ratting you out to Shinra. Aerith, even though I don't know the situation, I'll never forget the desperate look of your mother. We won't do such things to betray you."

"Okay."

To hide her feeling of uneasiness, she hid both cheeks with her hands. However, Elmyra left her eyes fixed on the photo frame and continued her story.

"Clay volunteered to be a Shinra trooper to avoid public criticism that the Gainsborough household was getting preferential treatment from Shinra. Gabriel objected to it, but Clay had already decided, and he stuck to his choice. They haven't spoken to each other since then. I had to go back and forth between these two men to convey things to them."

"Clay and Gabriel, they didn’t get along well?"

"They clashed often, but they had the same personality."

If they had the same personality, maybe that’s why they became like this. Aerith didn't really understand that. However, she saw Elmyra's gentle look as she spoke. It made her inclined to believe that even though Clay was a Shinra trooper, he probably was a good Shinra trooper.

"Aerith, isn't there anything you'd like to talk to me about? Regarding things that are better if I know them?"

There are plenty of things that she should talk about. However, she should probably tell the truth. That she is a Cetra. That people refer to her as an Ancient.

She recollected the various tales of the Cetra that she heard from Ifalna. Elmyra was a good person, and there was no mistaking that. She was not only all words, and she acted upon to help strangers. Clay was also undoubtedly a good person. In the photograph, he had the same smile as Elmyra. However, people may change if she told them she's an Ancient. The Shinra Company wanted to know the secrets of the Ancients, and that was why everyone was gentle and kind. If they were to reveal their true self, everyone would probably be the same as Professor Hojo. They would be itching to inject needles and cutting skin off.

"My mummy and I were captured by this crazy scientist and locked up in the Shinra Building. My mummy had a lot of experiments done on her, that's why she became sick. If I were to be captured by Shinra, that would be me. That's why I want to be here. I also like it here—the house and the garden too. I will also eat Shinra's canned food, so Elmyra, please..."

Elmyra looked at Aerith with her mouth wide open. Shortly after, she reached out her hands across the small table and wrapped them around Aerith's.

"Is there even such a thing? No... there probably is. Yea, of course, you don't have to go back. I promise that I won't do anything that you would hate. Well then, shall we finish eating?"

The two ate quietly. And before long...

"There is a guest coming tomorrow, so I'll probably be cooking for the first time in a while. I like to cook, but it's troublesome if I cook alone for myself. Now that you're here, it'll be good if I cook more, right?"

"I... want to cook! I'd like to help!"

"I’m not sure about that... The kitchen is on the first floor. I think it's still too early for you. "

Aerith was dejected, but she soon looked up.

"That guest... What kind of person is he?"

"That guest... He's Meguro, the second in charge."

"Me-gu-ro-the-second-in-charge."

"Yes. I have to also talk about our family's business, and I’ll tell you about it tomorrow."

And then, after Elmyra finished her meal, she asked casually, "You probably are missing your mummy, aren't you?"

Scene 11

"At that time, I didn't feel things like longing or loneliness. When nightfall arrives, we'll be able to meet. And even if we weren't able to meet, she's connected with the Planet. I could believe that. Moreover, inside the pouch that I received from my mother was a materia. It does nothing other than shining a dim white light. It's not good for anything at all. But when I have it with me, I feel calm."

"It's good for something after all, isn't it?"

"Ahhh, I guess so!"

Aerith touched the knot in her hair at the back of her head. The materia from that time was still with her.

"I wonder who you will pass it on to..." Tifa uttered.

She didn’t understand what she meant at that moment..

"Hey, Tifa."

"Hmmm?"

"I haven't even thought about that before."

There might come a day where she would no longer be ‘the final descendant of the Cetra'. She imagined that scenario in astonishment and fixed her eyes on Tifa. She then flustered ―

"Sorry, I said something strange. Well then, may you tell me the rest of the story? About the second-in-command?..."

Scene 12

Unexpectedly, Aerith was allowed to sit at the lunch table. She was called to the table on the first floor. Meguro then got up from his chair and requested a handshake. Meguro was a plump and cheerful-eyed adult. He looked much older than Elmyra.

"This is Meguro, the second-in-charge. He's Gabriel's right-hand man, Clay's childhood friend, and he's an excellent advisor of mine."

"Good afternoon Mr Meguro. I'm Aerith."

"I heard it from Elmyra. It must have been tough for you."

Aerith was startled, and she looked at Elmyra.

"Meguro is fine. Even if I keep this from him, he's a well-informed and intuitive person. He'll get information from somewhere right away and notice it. That's why I thought it'd be better if I break it to him early on."

Aerith was unhappy about it. It was supposed to be a secret between the both of them. However, since it came to that, there was nothing she could do.

"Aerith. Shinra is making a fuss about you and your mother. In connection to that, there are also occurrences of kidnapping. There's a despicable gang that kidnaps the girls in the slums and tries to make money off it."

"How do they make money? There's probably no way they can fool Shinra."

"Of course, but there are also a bunch who would purchase the girl that Shinra is searching for. It's probably not too tricky to deceive greedy, mean bastards."

Meguro faced his giant body towards Aerith. "You're six years old, no, seven."

"I'm seven."

"Is that so? I also have a seven-year-old daughter. Her name is Rona. That's why this case is not just any other person's problem, and hence this is my suggestion. You two are to be parent and child from now on. Aerith to not be sneaking around, but to go out with Elmyra boldly. You both will meet people and introduce yourselves. You will..." Meguro said as he pointed at Elmyra.

"You will say this. This child was born before you married Clay. She was entrusted to your relatives, but you and Clay decided to live with her. That's about it."

"Hold up a second," Elmyra objects. "I don't understand your point."

"The purpose is to get Aerith known by the neighbourhood and to make them recognise that this child lives here. If she lives in hiding and is taken away by kidnappers and Shinra, no one would probably notice. Elmyra, you probably are acquainted with all the inhabitants in the vicinity, aren't you? If she becomes your daughter, everyone should take notice."

"I see. If that's the case, what about being a relative's child? Or a child who’s adopted from the orphanage? Isn't that good too?"

"The orphanage is just a short distance away. Why would you want to adopt one from there? You wouldn't want to be pried on things like that. Well, however, if she's adopted from a relative, that should be fine. That's right. That would be natural. Well, I think..." Meguro squinted his eyes and looked at Elmyra. "I think you should be addressed as 'Mummy'. Just like how Gabriel made me call him 'Dad'."

Meguro then shifted his gaze to Aerith.

"I was an orphan, and Gabriel picked me up and raised me like his son. Aerith, what do you think? While you're here as the family's child, you'll live as Clay's and Elmyra's daughter."

"I'd like that too."

It seems like an excellent idea. Even if Aerith asks for help now, clearly, no one will care. Just like when she was looking for a doctor at the station. But if she were the daughter of Elmyra Gainsborough, that would be a different story. Elmyra was still thinking about it. Please, Elmyra.

"I think it's a good idea, but this is not just important to Aerith but also for the Gainsborough family. I can't immediately make a decision."

"Well, give it a good thought. Anyways, if Aerith is to go out, it'll be good for her to change her name. Yup, please give this some thought."

Change her name? Aerith was confused at the unexpected suggestion.

"By the way, Elmyra, is the scar on your face Carlo's doing?"

Elmyra looked at Aerith with a side glance.

"Even if I’ve hidden it, you probably already knew about it, right?"

Meguro proudly snorted.

"That guy is a problem. I can't even guess how he became an in-charge."

"With Gabriel gone, he probably thinks that Clay would approve him. Moreover, I'm his representative. He believes that if he threatens a woman, she will cry and give him her signature."

"We have to tighten the whole organisation a little then."

Meguro made a serious face.

"Clay will probably succeed Gabriel, right?"

"Yes. He's taking his work leave this time to talk to you about it."

"No, no, he likely took it to meet his beloved. Business is just an excuse."

Meguro laughed happily and then stood up.

"Leave Carlo to me. And let's talk about the whole organisation after Clay returns."

Scene 13

"After Meguro went off, I was informed about the Gainsborough family business. Gabriel was a manager who manages workers at the construction site. They call him 'The Recruiter'."

"Ahhh, I've heard of this."

"He had been doing this work since the beginning of the Midgar's construction. There are other people in the same profession, but everyone moved onto the plate once it was erected. Only Gabriel and his subordinates remained in the slums. The slums support the plate, and there are many facilities in the slums, aren't there? When that time comes when repair or construction work requires manpower, the Gainsborough family will be contacted."

Aerith gestured and drew a triangle before Tifa's eyes and points at the apex ―

"Gabriel was the first in charge. Clay and Meguro were the second in charge, and they supported the first in charge. The third in charge consisted of six people, and each of them had their own men. They gathered them, and moved under the instructions of the second in charge. Carlo, the hooligan, was like Clay's sworn younger brother."

Scene 14

"Do you understand, Aerith? In other words, this is a very important matter for you," Elmyra said as she placed her hands on Aerith' shoulders.

"Most of the family's work comes from Shinra, and my husband is also a trooper from Shinra. With that, do you still want to be here?"

Elmyra was waiting for an answer with a serious face. She was different from Ifalna and talked to Aerith about anything. That's why Aerith had to think and respond to her thoroughly.

"They are our clients, but it doesn't mean that we adore them. You don't have to worry about that."

It would be a lie to say that Aerith wasn't bothered by the fact that the household has such close relations with Shinra. But if she wasn't okay with it, she couldn't stay here. What should she do? What does she want to do? She looked at Elmyra. Her skin and hair were drier than Ifalna, and she could see that she was tired. She still hadn't removed the plaster on her face. The wound inflicted by Carlo, whom Ifalna happened to bump into on the way back from the station, seemed painful. She went to the station to wait for Clay. She really wanted to see him. And that very same Elmyra fixed her eyes onto Aerith. Even though things are tough on her, she still thought about Aerith's feelings.

Aerith realised it and hurriedly asked what she should have confirmed first.

"Elmyra, won't this trouble you? If I stay here, would it be okay?"

"What are you talking about? Of course."

Without knowing how to express her relief and delight, Aerith hugged Elmyra. She pressed her face onto Elmyra's flat stomach, and Elmyra wrapped her arms around Aerith's back and brought her close for an embrace.

"Well, Clay and I don't have any experience in raising children. We've only learnt by watching others while doing the family's business. We can't say that we know much. There will probably be troubles along the way, and there's a chance Shinra may find you. But let's come up with a solution with everyone when that time comes. By everyone I mean Clay, Meguro, myself and you, Aerith."

Aerith nodded with her forehead still pushed on Elmyra's belly.

“Hey, Aerith. Can you call me 'Mummy'? Of course, you don't have to be serious about it because you only have one mummy."

"Mummy," Aerith tried saying while her forehead remained pressed.

"What was that?"

"Mummy."

"Once more."

"Mummy?"

"It's ticklish, but I don't think it's bad. What do you think?"

Aerith looked up, and she saw Elmyra's gentle face."

"It isn't bad!" Aerith imitated.

Elmyra let out a big laugh. The atmosphere in the room seemed like it started dancing.

↞↠

Ifalna appeared during nighttime, and Aerith told her about the happenings in the day. Ifalna closed her eyes and nodded with satisfaction.

"I'm glad, Aerith."

"But... I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologising?"

"After all..."

From the time after Aerith saw her face, she had feelings of guilt.

"I'm okay with it. Rather than thinking about me, I want you to have a good time. How's your new name coming along?"

"Elmyra told me to think about it myself."

"I see... Do properly give it thought. That name will be your ticket to freedom."

"Okay..."

"To me, I'll miss the name that I'm familiar with and cherish. But you'll always be Aerith. My adorable Aerith. That will not change."

"Really?"

"Of course."

Ifalna's figure wavered for a moment. Aerith panicked and called out to stop her.

"You know what, Mummy? What should I do if Clay doesn't want me? What should I do if he dislikes me and would be angry at me if I stay in this house? And if he says that, he'll return me to Shinra..."

"I think it'll be fine. He's the husband that Elmyra chose, after all, right?"

"Yup, that's right."

Her uneasiness did not precisely go away.

"I wonder where Clay is..."

"That's true... I'll try searching for him."

"Okay, please."

↞↠

It was the following morning. Aerith was drinking tea with Elmyra on the first floor. An old man with a small stature came to visit. He was Butch, a third in command. The wrinkles imprinted on his entire dark-skinned face was impressionable.

"Good morning Butch. You came earlier than the agreed timing, didn’t you?"

"Sorry. It's my bad. Shall I come back again?"

"No, no, it doesn't matter."

She handed over the documents she had prepared. These are the documents necessary for the job. After Butch confirmed its contents, he nodded with satisfaction and placed them inside a tattered bag.

"And, who is this child?" Butch asked Elmyra as he looked at Aerith.

"Ahhh, I have to introduce her, right?"

"She's my cousin's daughter, but my cousin passed away. So I decided to adopt her."

"She doesn't have a father?"

"Eh? Ah. Yes, yes. She doesn't."

Elmyra couldn't hide her nervousness.  Butch squinted his eyes and looked at Elmyra. He then turned them to Aerith. It was the first time that Aerith saw such a wrinkled face. His thin eyes were like a part of his wrinkles.

"Hey, young girl, what's your name?"

She was fascinated by his wrinkles, that when she was suddenly asked a question, she was shaken. And then...

"I'm Rona. Nice to meet you, Mr Butch."

After she said that, she thought she was done for. It was too late. Rona was the name of Meguro's daughter, and Butch definitely knew that too. Elmyra also became flustered.

"Ahhhh, what a coincidence."

Unsure if Butch saw their nervousness, he vaguely nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Rona."

After saying that, the old man went home.

"I'm beat."

Elmyra held her own head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't properly decide on it."

"No, no, I wasn't prepared."

Elmyra knelt on the floor and met Aerith's gaze.

"I should have expected that Butch to come early. He normally does. And also, the name too. I thought that the important thing about a new name is that it should be decided on your own, and I left it up to you, but of course, you need help with this. You're seven. Yeah, that's right."

That's right. Elmyra took a broom in her hand and started sweeping the floor while muttering to herself numerous times. It seems that doing the house chores calms her down. Shortly after, she poured Aerith a new glass of tea and invited her over.

“The next guest is Rodin. He's the same as Butch, a third in charge. He may be light-hearted at times, but deep down, he's a good kid."

"He's a kid?"

"No, no, he's only a lot younger than I am. And also, Aerith. He's scheduled to come here in the evening. I want to go to the station before that. There's a chance that Clay might come back. My bad, but may you hide on the second floor until I'm back? It'll be a problem if an unexpected guest comes over, isn't it?"

"Okay."

"It's fine if I bring you along, but it's probably still too soon for that."

"I'm alright with that. I do like the second-floor."

"Your name... Do think about it. I think it's fine if we talk to Butch about the situation. Rona is fine too, but it's still not an issue to change your name now. I'll be thinking about it along the way, so let's discuss and decide on it later on."

Elmyra mentioned that before she came back, no matter who might come over, be it even though it's Rodin, she was not to open the door or to give a reply. She then left the house. Aerith thought they were like the mother squirrel and the child squirrel she saw in picture books. She recalled the fate of these squirrels and hurriedly ran upstairs.

She intended to think about her name right away. However, she thought about Butch's wrinkles. She was surprised she thought about wanting to try touching it someday. She was also curious about Meguro's belly. What exactly did he stuff in there? Is it soft? Is it hard? Rona is also probably a big child, isn't she? Even if she changed her name, she had already introduced herself to Butch as "Rona", would problems not arise? If Meguro knows about this, would he be angry? She wondered how Rona would react to it too. How is Rona as a child? When will it be the day that she meets Rona? Will she get along with her?

As she thought about those things ― and she dozed off numerous times ― evening came. There was the sound of the door opening, and Elmyra cheerfully called out, "Come down."

There's good news, was it!?

Aerith noisily ran downstairs to welcome Elmyra, who was holding a paper bag with both hands.

"Welcome home!"

"Yes, I'm back."

"Welcome home~!"

"Alright, that's enough," Elmyra laughed as she placed the paper bag onto the table. When Aerith looked into it, she found lots of vegetables and fruits that she had never seen. "The vegetables were cheap today, so I brought home lots of them. It's been a while since I hung around at the market. What did you do today?"

"I thought about Rona, about what kind of kid she is."

“She’s a good kid. You’ll also have a chance to meet her in this house.”

After that, Aerith also asked questions about Rona. Elmyra listened with her back facing her, and she replied while starting to put away the vegetables in the food storage area in the fridge. She already stopped smiling. Her voice was also no longer lively. It was because Clay also didn't come back today.

The doorbell rang.

"It's Rodin."

Aerith felt a sense of relief. Elmyra probably did too.

Rodin was a young man around 20-years old. He was tall and slender and had big blue eyes and wavy blonde hair.

"Hello," Rodin gave Elmyra a small greeting.

He noticed Aerith right away.

"Hey, Rona. Nice to meet you. I'm Rodin, one of the third in charge."

After Aerith was called ‘Rona’, she flinched. He opened the bag he slung on his shoulders, and held out a thin book.

"Nice to meet you. Here's something I brought from Butch."

"Thank you."

On the cover of the book that she received, the words 'Let's play with letters' was printed in large font. Without thinking, she swelled up her cheeks. That book, which gathered the characters Midgar uses, was the same study book that she was assigned to study in the Shinra Building.

"Eh? Don't you like it? Butch chose it, but... That man, he cares about this kind of stuff more than you would think, so I'll keep this a secret."

"I'm happy about the book. But I thought I had to study."

"Is that so? Well, you're the same as me then. I'm also bad at studying. I'm pretty okay with reading, but writing... Especially Kanji, it'll be good if it doesn't exist."

"Rodin, don't tell her such weird things. Well... Rona. Read the book upstairs. We have to talk about business."

After replying as vibrantly as possible, she went to the second floor, looking like she was escaping. She felt uneasy every time she was addressed as Rona.

After Rodin went off, Elmyra apologised for not coming up with a good name and not taking the time to talk with her about it before Rodin came. And then...

"What do you think about the name 'Rona'? Do you like it?"

"Yes. I like it."

"Well then, shall we go with that?"

"Okay."

↞↠

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[terra-fatalis]

Aerith & Marlene: a special bond

Marlene Wallace is a little sweet 4 years old child and Barret’s adoptive daughter.

The strange interaction between Aerith and Marlene in Chapter 12 of the Remake raises the mistery: what kind of information did Aerith share with this kid? And, more importantly, why?

This scene brought up a longstanding question too: is Marlene a Cetra?

I don't presume to have an answer! I have no idea about what the devs have in mind for this character. With this post I'll just try to highlight all the elements that showed the bond between Aerith and Marlene in the FFVII compilation.

Key Art

Since the early concepts of this character, Marlene’s been represented holding a flower. Nothing really strange, if it were not for the fact that flowers in Midgar are true rarety and are mainly related to Aerith.

Marlene is in Barret’s key art. The picture is more or less the same both for the OG and for the Remake and it depicts Barret and Marlene staring at the flower bed in Aerith’s church, even if this specific scene has never been showed in any entry. 

Final Fantasy VII

In the OG Tifa asked Aerith to rescue Marlene from Seventh Heaven before the collapse of Sector 7 plate. They spent a relatively short time together, but Marlene became immediately very fond of Aerith and never forgot her.

The player could find again Marlene with Elmyra, while Aerith had been kidnapped by Shinra. Marlene told Cloud that Aerith liked him and she got really angry if he didn't answer in an interested way (”Stupid!”). But if he answered in a positive way she was also aware that it was the kind of information that could hurt Tifa (”I won’t tell Tifa”).

If the player had the date with Aerith, Marlene recognized her voice and, later, Cait Sith said she got really sad when she came to know about Aerith's death.

Marlene appeared again at the very end of the game where she perceived Aerith's presence when the Lifestream started to erupt from the surface of earth to reject Meteor.

On the Way to a Smile

Marlene appears also in the novel On the way to a smile, especially in Case of Tifa. She is described to be a very sensitive and mature child:

It was Marlene who noticed the changes in Cloud (...) Marlene was an observant child, sensitive to the grown-ups’ moods.

Maybe Marlene thought Tifa wasn’t listening when she said in a small, lonely voice, “Cloud and Tifa aren’t getting along”.

This would mean nothing if taken out of context but I think it fits the continuity of her character development until Advent Children, the entry where she is openly depicted to be a little copy of Aerith.

Advent Children

At the beginning of the movie Marlene is the narrator that resumes the events concerning Meteorfall, the Lifestream and the battle against Sephiroth. 

She has the same hairstyle and pink ribbon as Aerith, and her white outfit slightly recalls Aerith’s dress from Crisis Core. Her skirt and socks are decorated with floral motives. 

She behaves like Aerith: she is blunt, encouraging and she always sais what she thinks

Her room is full of interesting elements:

There’s a pink sleeveless dress in a corner

There are various pictures of flowers hung on the walls and a vase of Aerith’s flowers on the windowsill

There’s a picture of a church and the photo of the flower bed in Aerith’s church  

(Yes I know, the quality of the images is really bad. I’m looking forward for the 4K version of the movie in June).

Marlene has sort of a healing role toward Denzel, since she takes care of him when he has Gestigma symptoms (in the movie and the novels) and she is the only child who has no Geostigma. The Remnants seem to understand that she’s different from the other children and they keep a close watch on her

When she arrives at the church she tends the flowers like Aerith used to

When Loz’s going to kill Tifa she distracts him throwing a globe of Materia that looks exactly like White materia

She senses where Cloud has Geostigma (he has a puzzled look when she askes if it hurts, as if she wasn’t supposed to know it)

When Aerith intervenes in the battle she can feel her presence (in the Japanese version she sais お姉ちゃん, which means “older sister”).

Final Fantasy VII Remake

In the Remake Aerith meets Marlene in the same way as she did in the OG but this time Tseng finds them immediately at Seventh Heaven (I’m not sure if this is meant to be a relevant change or just a revised and more realistic way to show the scene, all we know is that the Whispers didn’t intervene). Despite this change something “strange” happens between them anyway...

Marlene, who was crying frightened, immediately calms down and hugs Aerith again. She notices that she smells like “their flower”, to which Aerith answers:

as if she already knew they won’t spend much time together in the future. 

Before Barret and the others leave to save Aerith from Shinra, Marlene tries to warn her father saying he should help Aerith but she can’t explain the real reason. 

And dulcis in fundo, at the end of the game, Marlene, once again, can perceive the “presence” of someone. In this case it’s her daddy calling her name.

And that’s all for now! 

I have no idea how the story is going to develop in the next entries of the Remake, but maybe it is not so wrong to think that this young character will have a more important role in the future!

[silver-wield]

So what was exactly the point making Aerith and Tifa look like they're best friends if in another moment she's trying to get it with Cloud KNOWING FULLY WELL what he feels for Tifa and what Tifa feels for him? Is this some kind of watery try to paint OG Aerith in a better light? Not really working for me. I don't care even if she's grieving...she's still a grown woman.

Making her to be a red herring and the whole ltd with it's vagueness is the most exhausting thing in the entire series by this point. The girls need NO equality with Cloud. Cloud is not "Aerith's too". I hope SE makes it up to the fans this whole mess BIG TIME by the end of the trilogy..since it pisses me off and doesn't look good at all in what light Tifa and Zack are painted too. Especially Tifa. Like she's some kind of punching bag and a doormat who just takes whatever is thrown in her way and forgives like she doesn't have any other options because "she was written to be with Cloud". Otherwise this whole mess looks worse than the worst soap opera with it's misogyny, sexism and bitchy "friends". If Cloud and Tifa aren't marked as lovers by the end...I most probably wash my hands off of the whole compilation.

Give Tifa some freaking dignity...jesus fucking christ.

It's on brand for Aerith though. She's always been a two faced selfish bitch. She literally throws a tantrum because her birthday party gets cancelled when a friend of Elmyra's has a heart attack. She bitches when a picnic is cancelled because a kid goes missing, and when she finds the kid, she doesn't take him home straight away because she wants to be out exploring the sector for longer. She bitches at Zack because she wants more than one flower cart and even he says she's being too picky.

Aerith is a spoiled, selfish, privileged two faced bitch who thinks she can have whatever she wants and never listens to or respects anybody else unless it benefits her. She's all about her own self interests, which is why she's a match for Sephiroth, who is also arrogant and self interested.

I think people forget that a foil isn't just someone who acts as the opposite for another character. They also compliment them. They are a comparative to each other. They can have traits or experiences in common. People just ignore and excuse her because "uwu so cuuuuuuuute!!!!" Or "awwww she so saaaad about Zack we have to understand why she's trying to sit on Cloud's dick and forgive her for it because she just misses her real boyfriend!!!!"

If some bitch tried to get on my bf and said she did it because she misses her ex I'd fucking slap her. People need to take off those stupid rose tinted specs and accept Aerith has some fucking rancid character traits.

[cateringisalie]

Aerith Week 2022 - Day 3

Written for the prompt ‘Guardian’

Elmyra knew almost nothing about being a parent when Aeris became her daughter. The ins and outs of parenthood had been a thing to be discussed later on, to learn as needed. Aeris was a bolt from the blue, a frantic moment of charity and desperation. The split-second decision to help her at Ifalna’s begging, to do exactly what she asked – get Aeris somewhere safe – revealed the complexities slowly as Elmyra guided Aeris home.

The mountain of factors she had brought into her life ramped up fast.

Aeris’s presence would need to be explained to Sector Five; the long absence of her husband thanks to the war was a common enough piece of trivia. She had no desire to let the notion of infidelity to take root. Not as if it should; Aeris was markedly too old. Claiming to adopt her was too sudden too. The bureaucracy of the city was on a continued spiral into irrelevance, but enough do-gooders would notice a child appeared out of nowhere to lead to someone asking awkward questions. A family situation seemed the best idea for now at any rate.

Acclimatizing Aeris to the slums would take time too; distressed at her mother’s passing, but distracted and intrigued by every sight around her. Almost as if she had never once set foot here. Which would not be such a strange notion; many of the Upper Plate denizens would never demean themselves sufficiently to come down to the lower city. But Aeris was too curious about everything; there was no comparison in her interest. Everything was new and everything was intriguing. Home was a strange experience for her. As was the television and her choice of sandwich filling.

Elmyra took an eternity to give Aeris something to drink and something to eat, all questions about preferences resulting in a blanket lack of knowledge of food stuff.

What had Aeris and her mother gone through to reach here?

A question for a later time and for when Aeris was not suffering. Really, she should stay here for the night to get to know her young ward, but she could not simply leave Ifalna’s body where it lay. How long since the church had performed a funeral service? Since anyone last ventured inside the hallowed ground. An old building, here for as long as Elmyra could remember. As long as her mother could remember too. Back before Midgar.

Burial should take place in the graveyard, but if the church ever had one it was long lost under trash and the packed earth of the road. Desperation lead Elmyra inside for the first time; crypts were a concept from the distant past and the church might have somewhere appropriate. Somewhere intended for a significant persons, but this was important.

And the solution presented itself without much work. Broken floorboards and actual soil beneath. A curious quirk, but not one she worried about. The goal was to bury Aeris’s mother, and she laboured to scoop out a shallow grave and laid Ifalna to rest.

How to relate to Aeris took some time. This was not a matter of communication problems; the girl delighted in talking and would ask any anything and everything. How their actual relationship functioned, Elmyra left vague to defer to how Aeris might relate. If nothing else she would be her guardian.

At first Aeris had no terms to refer to her. Questions were phrased without preamble; no Elmyra, no Mom, no Mother, no hey, no “Um”s. Ifalna she would refer to as Mother. And her past? Still beyond discussion; attempts caused her to evade the conversation and change subject. She adjusted; more company at home.

Best not to dwell on the day the letter game or the near inexplicable precursor Aeris offered blithely, the impact somehow beyond her understanding. Curiously differentiated from Ifalna’s death.

When Tseng arrived, the situation felt hopeless, missing sections of Aeris’s past slotting frighteningly into place. Everyone knew who the Turks were, knew what power structure they represented. Arriving at the house to ask for Aeris made starkly clear where she and Ifalna had fled from. Despite this all too visible shady side of Shinra, the knowledge of Aeris alone made the company so much more dubious. Really, Elmyra should have lost Aeris almost as soon as she arrived.

But there was another factor at play, some other guiding principle informing on Tseng’s attitudes and actions. When Aeris fled from him he did not give chase. He did not demand she inform him of her return, did not lie in wait. Tseng was bafflingly willing to leave the house with a veiled threat he would visit again.

Elmyra could barely keep still as he left, desperate to race out, to find Aeris before he could. Because of course this was the logical conjecture; there were no threats or promises because he had no need of them. He could find her effortlessly, catch up in a flash and carry her back into the faceless company Aeris and Ifalna had clawed their way out of.

The clocked ticked on with agonised slowness until at last, she had waited long enough and hurried out. No sign of Tseng on the path. No sign of Aeris either.

The vastness of the search was new overwhelming. The sector was massive and long minutes had passed since Aeris fled. And any search might be fruitless; Tseng might have plucked her up and ferried her away.

No. She would not simply give up, could not risk abandoning Aeris if she had got lost. Not like Aeris had spent much time in the slums, not like she would know where to go. Elmyra halted on the path towards the rest of the Sector. Aeris was curious, but would she blindly run out into the rest of the sector?

Behind her, the house offered few hiding places, except around the back of the house and Aeris should see there was far too close and too risky. Nowhere to hide in the yard, unless she was silly enough to try to swim, but given Aeris’s confusion over the bath, plunging into the river seemed unlikely.

The path to her home ran past two apartment blocks, screening the house and its grounds off from the rest of the sector. Right past those were some of the ubiquitous junk heaps before the various shops started near to the Sector wall. There was a gap between the heap and the wall of the apartment, the lower windows long since blocked from receiving the poor light down here. There was a gap large enough for someone of Aeris’s size to fit down.

There was a momentary flash of green far down moving out of sight.

The relief made her smile, but she resisted the urge to call out. Instead she found a suitable place to hide nearby and waited for Aeris to emerge.

Aeris’s patience ran out rapidly. She clambered out from her hidey-hole glancing in every direction but never once noticing Elmyra. More looking for Tseng in all probability. She crept down the path full of nerves and ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

Elmyra gave her a while longer to get out of sight before she emerged and followed.

Aeris jumped up from beside the door at Elmyra’s approach and proudly boasted of how far she ran and how she lost Tseng. And how she would do it the next time he came back.

Elmyra nodded and smiled and resolved to never break this assumption of hers, to let Aeris think she was dealing with the situation alone while Elmyra would be a silent guardian for her.

[enigmaphenomenon]

Cloud and Tifa - The Buildup pt. 1

Part 1 of the remake released finally and it covers Midgar. Let’s take a look at the scenes between Cloud and Tifa, and the scenes to come later in future installments. Let’s get started. Been a while since I last wrote an essay, it’s time. 

The first time she’s mentioned:

Those of us who know the story, we know who Tifa is and what her connection with Cloud is. But, without knowing the story this question sets up other questions. “Who is Tifa?” “What is her relationship with Cloud?” “There must be something if Jessie, who is flirting hard with Cloud, is asking so she can understand if she’s flirting with a taken man or not.”  Tifa is mentioned as early as chapter 1, both her importance to Cloud and the core mystery of Cloud’s identity are foreshadowed and setup.  Jessie’s question makes Cloud search his memories, are he and Tifa close? This is where we get more information.  We see through Cloud’s eyes as we get our first look at Nibelheim, and our first look at Tifa, as Anxious Heart plays in the background. 

Cloud looks up at the water tower and lingers on it as he’s walking. We know the iconic water tower and what it means, but this shot is setting up the importance of this water tower. Even more foreshadowing about Tifa and Cloud’s bond. 

As cool as this flashback is, it didn’t really answer the question. We see Tifa attempting to reach out to Cloud, but he seemingly ignores her. We never see what happens next as the flashback ends.

We don’t get our answer in the flashback, nor do we get our answer from Cloud. We know Cloud and Tifa knew each other as kids as well as in adulthood. We know that Jessie is curious about their relationship but other than that we didn’t get an answer. Only a question was posed. A question that will continue to be answered in small pieces before it is fully revealed.  At this moment, Tifa, her relationship to Cloud, and their promise at the water tower are all foreshadowed.  The second time she’s mentioned:

First we have Jessie asking Cloud if he’s close with Tifa, and now we have Barret giving us another piece of the puzzle. We know that Cloud and Tifa share history, but Barret is the leader of an anti-Shinra group and doesn’t trust Cloud at all. However, with this line by Barret we learn that he trusts Tifa and gave Cloud a chance based on Tifa’s words.  Tifa is the one who got Cloud the job, and spoke so highly of him that Barret begrudgingly hires a “Shinra dog.” it demonstrates that Tifa’s trust in Cloud is the deciding factor in Cloud’s role for Avalanche. The three members warm up to him quickly, leaving only Barret who continues to distrust him yet reluctantly works with. This would show that all the members, for the most part, trust Tifa’s opinion. It is Tifa’s trust in Cloud that influences the Avalanche members.  Another piece to the puzzle:

We already saw the water tower in an earlier flashback when Jessie asks him about Tifa. It served a purpose besides setting up the promise scene. As Cloud makes his way back to Sector 7 he has another flashback. The water tower appears once again as Cloud stands in the midst of flames. 

As the scene plays out, we see the water tower completely engulfed in flames before revealing the iconic shot of Sephiroth. 

We’ll dive into what this scene symbolizes and foreshadows in more depth in later parts of this essay. For now, it is another reference to his bond with Tifa that we don’t know the significance to just yet.  All it tells us is Cloud and Tifa’s hometown went up in flames, and that the water tower holds more significance than being a mere landmark.  The reunion flower: 

And here is our first real answer on what Tifa is to Cloud. When Cloud meets Aerith, a flower peddler peddling her wares, and she offers him a flower. Now, in OG the flower cost 1 gil and you had the choice to buy it or decline it. Your choice did actually impact the game in a small way as if you declined the flower you would walk away with no flower.  In the remake, however, even if you decline the flower it will still end up in Cloud’s possession. The flower no longer costs 1 gil it is completely free. The game does not let you walk away with no flower.  We are given some added information about the yellow lily. In FF7′s universe this flower means “reunion” and Aerith adds on a romantic connotation stating lovers would give them when they were reunited. There is a second romantic connotation here, as if you decline the flower, Aerith will state it will make Cloud’s “girlfriend” happy. Upon hearing this, he asks her “how much?”  Now who could this girl who Cloud holds romantic feelings for? Who was he thinking about when Aerith mentioned a girlfriend? With the flower in his suspender he reunites with Barret and the others where we get our third Tifa mention. 

Cloud is initially confused when Barret says he’ll see Cloud soon at 7th Heaven, taking the time to mention Tifa once again and stating it is where she works. Barret also urges Cloud not to keep Tifa waiting.  It is chapter 3, and Tifa has been foreshadowed since chapter 1, and now we’ll finally get to see her.  In OG, if Cloud bought the flower an additional choice was unlocked. Once he makes it to 7th Heaven, Tifa notices the flower and the player is given the option to give it to Tifa or to Marlene. In the remake this is removed. The story removes the option to walk away without a flower, and removes the option of who to give it to.  Again, who has been foreshadowed as having a bond with Cloud where a super flirty girl is interested in what exactly is going on between the two, who had such faith in Cloud it got him hired by someone extremely paranoid and hateful of Shinra, the girl he thought of when “a gift for [his] girlfriend” came up, the girl who receives the flower that lovers would give when reunited? 

5 years:

Through this interaction, we get out next clue. What’s been 5 years? Obviously, fans of the original already know, but let’s pretend like we don’t.  It’s been 5 years. We have a timeline now, and Chapter 3 keeps on providing us with more information.  After delivering the water filter to Marle, who is their landlady, Tifa tells Cloud that Marle helped her back in the day. Tifa reveals she’s been in Midgar for about 5 years. 

The puzzle pieces are forming together yet they are not completing the picture yet. After doing a few jobs for connections, Tifa brings up their home village. 

This makes it seem that 5 years ago, Cloud left the village as did Tifa. We heard Sephiroth say “Your hometown that burns so bright” but we don’t have a timeline on that in this part of the story.  We can assume Tifa left her village 5 years ago shortly after Cloud left. We know that Cloud returned to his home to witness it burning, and we know Tifa was confused when Cloud said it’s been 5 years, and we know Tifa has been living in Midgar for about 5 years. The picture is coming together but it’s still not clear. Cloud is reluctant to talk about it, but in a later scene we get more information.  Alone At Last:  And now we get Cloud’s answer. He finally talks about what happened when he left their village. 

We get some backstory on how they were on the news everyday when Cloud and Tifa were kids, and that back then everyone wanted to be a Soldier. This was when the war with Wutai was going on, and Sephiroth was hailed as a great war hero, it was also around this time that Elmyra lost her husband and met Ifalna and Aerith.  When Cloud first heard of Sephiroth, he would’ve been 9 years old or so. He talks about when he left the village the war was over and they didn’t needs heroes, and his job was just working for Shinra, nothing glorious like he had dreamt of. 

The conversation goes quiet as Cloud reflects on his time with Shinra, prompting Tifa to change the subject. Before she does however, we get an awkward silence hanging in the air as the camera shows the rug they are standing at. @silver-wield​ pointed out this is a flower design, and could be the reunion flower. 

This is apt as it’s shown right before Tifa brings up their reunion in Midgar. 

Here’s what we know so far, Cloud left the village to join Soldier, it has been 5 years since he last saw Tifa, and he learned recently Tifa has been living in Midgar for about 5 years.  She remarks on the odds of them going their separate ways what seems like 5 years ago and randomly bumping into each other in a city as massive as Midgar.  The Promise:  Finally, finally, FINALLY we get to the promise scene and I can talk about the significance of the water tower as more than just a landmark!  When we first see the water tower in Chapter 1 is when we first see Tifa, we see the water tower again in Chapter 2 being engulfed in flames, and now in Chapter 4 we get another flashback that shows the significance of the water tower and how it’s linked to Tifa in Cloud’s memories. 

It was at this water tower that Cloud told Tifa about wanting to join Soldier, that he will be the best of the best, just like Sephiroth.  This is also where Cloud and Tifa make their promise, and the soundtrack that plays here is called “A Tower, A Promise.” 

This memory was sparked when he was with Avalanche and was triggered by a rather random thing. A fan. Tifa was not mentioned, nor part of this mission, and yet a spinning fan is what brought memories of Tifa to the forefront. Seriously. A random fan triggered a memory of Tifa. 

The first time he had a flashback of Tifa it was prompted by Jessie asking what their relationship was. Tifa was directly mentioned. However, as the game goes on the memories Cloud has of Tifa are randomly triggered as his true self tries to resurface.  After Cloud remembers the promise he made to her, he remembers what she said back at the bar and the emotional turmoil she’s in. 

Cloud’s face says it all right here. He feels like he came close to failing her. This is the moment more of his true self is brought forward by his memories of Tifa. It was after this scene we see him truly get closer to Wedge, Jessie and Biggs and finally includes himself with them, even smiling and laughing with the group.  Now prior to this scene, we met Marle in Chapter 3 who had a lot to say to Cloud regarding Tifa. 

Marle’s words actively foreshadow a scene that takes place after Cloud remembers the promise. At the moment Marle grills Cloud, he hasn’t remembered the promise and when Marle asks him if he’s actually thinking about Tifa and her feelings, his face says it all. Cloud goes to answer, but is at a loss for words...He looks mad and when he goes to presumably tell Marle off, he stops and his face changes to one of guilt and puzzlement. 

Is he being a real friend to her? Is he really listening to her and thinking about her feelings? Or is he just going through the motions and pretending? Playing out a false persona...perhaps? Not acting like his real self maybe...? After the mission with Jessie is done and Cloud retires to his room, we get to see what Marle’s words foreshadowed and the change in Cloud’s demeanor after he remembered the promise. 

“She needs a friend--a real friend.” 

“So when she talks, are you really listening?” 

In Chapter 1, Cloud insists him assisting Avalanche is a one-time gig, and once he gets his money he’s out of there. He refuses to acknowledge he’s part of the group as he tells Barret he’s not one of them and he’s simply a sword-for-hire.

When Chapter 4 rolls around Barret kicks Cloud out of 7th Heaven, throwing his words back in his face about it being a one-time thing, and Cloud himself stating that those shady guys looking for Barret isn’t his business and has nothing to do with him. Cloud had only one reason to stay in Midgar: Tifa. Prior to him remembering their promise, he had no reason, but Marle’s words and his memory of the water tower form his reason for staying. After all, he said he’d be there for Tifa and he decides to stay of his own volition--honoring the promise of his own free will and remembering it on his own. 

We also see another flashback in Chapter 6 showing a distraught Tifa crying over her father’s body before taking Masamune and walking into the reactor. 

This memory will be triggered again by Tifa repeating what she said all those years ago, with Cloud thinking that he had failed his promise to her. 

This alludes to the promise he made to Tifa, and how he believes he failed her in Nibelheim. There is also another allusion to Nibelheim in Chapter 1. Reactor 5 has the same layout as Reactor 1, and while at Reactor 1 in the first chapter Cloud not only has a memory of Tifa and the water tower, but he also hallucinates a black feather as he sets the bomb. 

We finally see the significance of the water tower shown/foreshadowed in Chapter 1, but the full significance will not be revealed until the later parts of the Remake. The water tower - continued in part 2

Part 2 coming soon

[toobadmice]

man why these mice stay in the lab if they can go out and get jobs and houses n stuff. like. why they stay to keep getting experimented on

Well hi, this is actually a question I’ve actually been thinking a lot about this week, partly because I’m watching the og show and noticing differences in the writing between og Brain and reboot Brain. 

The literal answer is probably that the show is based around the idea of lab mice sneaking about and trying to take over the world, often via the lab, so to change the basic setting would be a kind of overhaul into something different. (see: Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain) I also just watched The Jungle, and Brain has a line that goes something like ‘The lab yes, we are lab mice, that’s where we live, put us back’. 

I also don’t think either the reboot or the og show ever explicitly depicts their current situation as horrible. (Except that one bit from Inherit the Wheeze I saw?) The reboot does spend some time showing Brain getting experimented on in a cruel way in the past, but during the episodes the lab itself never feels confining, or like something they would really need to escape from. And they show no interest in doing so.

But, I have been thinking about experimenting with the lab in fic and how it could potentially be used as an extension of what’s going on inside Brain. This is the neat thing about environments in fiction- they can be as much a part of the character as the narration or the action is, while being simultaneously being the setting that everything happens inside of. 

And here’s where the difference between og Brain and reboot Brain comes in:

I could, (for fic purposes) interpret the lab as something Brain needs in order to take over the world. It’s the base of operations, with all the tech and resources, ect. I’m sure by non-cartoon logic he could get things elsewhere, but the lab as their main source and workshop is sort of a thing. Get back to the lab by tomorrow night--> take over the world. So, if we’re rolling with the metaphor of staying at the lab= continue trying to take over the world, then the idea of giving up the lab and moving on, “go out and get jobs and houses n stuff” - that’s not just leaving the lab, that’s accepting not taking over the world.

Og Brain is motivated to take over the world because he wants to remake it as he sees fit. But he gives victory up to save Pinky at least twice? I’m a couple seasons into watching the original series + the Halloween special, and I can imagine og Brain mellowing out slightly and eventually leaving the lab one day. He’d be ok.  

Reboot Brain? Reboot Brain doesn’t just want to rule the world, Reboot Brain wants to be in control of a horrible memory gnawing at him from deep inside. He has a long ways to go before he’d ever, ever leave that lab.

[pines-troz]

Thoughts on Animaniacs (2020) Pilot

- I really enjoyed it overall. It was really nice to see the Warners and Pinky and the Brain again. The animation was pretty great, the music was spot on, and it was great hearing Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, Tress MacNeille, and Maurice LaMarche reprise their roles!

- I liked the two Warner shorts, and they definitely have that sibling banter (you just wasted your first line..), and I like how Yakko and Wakko were poking fun at each other’s voices. I enjoyed the songs, but I felt like the shorts were a little too meta at times. But this is the first episode, and I get that they wanted to address all the current events out of the way, so it’s understandable. 

- Out of the three segments, the Pinky and the Brain segment (Of Mice and Memes) was the strongest and the highlight of the episode. I love that it covers what they’ve been up to for the last 22 years (Brain essentially creating cell phones to take over the world, Pinky attending therapy for sort out his relationship with Brain, which essentially implies that Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain is erased from canon!). The Brain as a baby bit was a treat, the actual meme that got them famous was also a riot, and I appreciate how it makes fun of the rapid-fire nature of meme culture and most memes come and go from the public conversation. 

- I really dig the updates they made to the intro. Dot having wit as opposed to cute is an interesting change, but a welcomed one. And the middle section of the song is pretty great. “Gender balanced, pronoun-neutral, and ethnically diverse. The trolls will say we’re so passe, but we did meta first!” 

- Also, the Pinky and the Brain intro slaps. I love how Brain line delivery evolved from being super serious in the original show and spin-off to being super maniacal in the reboot. An evil smile, ominous thunder and lightening, *chef’s kiss*

- Overall, I had a fun time!

[zanyana626]

Animaniacs OC Bio #2: Taffy Sweetnsour

Picture of Taffy & my other Animaniacs OCs (The Misfits) here! This is the first time I've ever written anything this long on my OCs, so please be kind! I’ll probably edit/delete stuff. If there's anything else you guys want to know more about Taffy, the ask box's open!

Full Name: Taffyta Sweetnsour

Species: Cartoonus Characterus; Same unknown dog-like species as the Warners

Age: 11, about the same age as Wakko

Family: Laffy Joyjoy (adoptive big sister), Scott Braxley (adoptive little brother), & Cousin Libby Joyjoy (legal guardian)

Personality: Tomboyish, zany, spunky, lazy (sometimes), smart, athletic, sassy, witty

Likes: Inventing gag props/gadgets, cooking, singing & dancing, exploring/traveling, food (mostly sweet treats), sports, fashion, listening to music, reading, etc.

Dislikes: Getting yelled at/picked on by grownups/”Special Friends”, losing sports games, extreme cold & heat, thunderstorms, dresses or skirts, someone causing harm towards her friends/family (esp. Wakko), etc.

Voiceclaim: Cree Summer; NO she’s not gonna sound like Elmyra! Just picture Taffy’s voice sounding like Numbuh 5 from Codename: Kids Next Door with a few hints of Susie Carmichael from the Rugrats

Backstory: I already did a backstory on the Misfits and how they met the Warner siblings here!

Taffy is somewhat like your average tomboy. She’s athletic, has little to no interest in girly things, and is not really a fan of dresses/skirts (unless it’s for a special occasion or if there’s something she really likes!). But deep down, she’s a kind, good-hearted person who cares plenty about her friends/family and is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. Taffy's schtick involves using her crazy gag prop inventions on the "Special Friends" (think of them looking like those gadgets the Kids Next Door used).

Her relationship with Wakko is more of a BFFs who don’t know they’re crushing on each other, but it’s obvious to most. I feel like Wakko’s ‘type’ is a strong smart independent woman, which is why he had a crush on Hello Nurse for such a long time; he even sang an entire song about how great Hello Nurse is in the 90s show! Of course, Wakko has kinda moved on from her, especially when he first laid eyes on Taffy who’s a more feisty zany li’l badass.

Facts/Headcanons:

Taffy playfully calls her crush Wakko “Wakk”, similar to how Peppermint Patty calls Charlie Brown “Chuck”. She does address Wakko by his regular name whenever they’re in a sticky situation or are having a more serious conversation. And when they’re officially dating, Taffy calls Wakko her “Wakkaboo”, 🥰

Taffy’s also a pretty good cook! One of the reasons Wakko fell in love with her. Taffy knows her game & that “The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”, which she seriously takes into consideration.

And yes, Wakko likes to tag along whenever Taffy tries new recipes. He’s basically her taste-tester!

I already mentioned that Taffy’s pretty athletic, but specifically, she’s good at: baseball, basketball, ice skating, gymnastics, & boxing. If there’s an opening for new Tune Squad players, sign her up!!!

Taffy has a celebrity crush on Jason Momoa, just in case things with Wakko don’t work out, 🤷🏻‍♀️😅

Taffy loves hands-on projects (or any solving-type games/puzzles such as the Rubix Cube) because they keep her mind occupied. Even if she gets invested to the point where she won’t stop until she solves it!

Similar to her crush Wakko, Taffy can’t stand clowns either. However, simple party trick clowns that you normally see in the circus (like the Jerry Lewis clown) are weird & annoying to her. But scary movie clowns that shapeshift and eat kids, Taffy will kill ‘em with fire (or also send them into orbit on a rocket to Outer Space)!!