#Strago returns

[sunsetzer]

As I was drinking coffee this morning I started thinking about what the returners' drink preferences were and this came out of my head (under a cut because it's a bit long):

Terra is very sweet so I imagine she likes sweet coffee drinks, something like a vanilla cappuccino. She doesn't enjoy it if it's not sweetened enough but isn't going to complain if someone brings her coffee that isn't quite to her liking.

Locke is the kind of guy to show up to a meeting 10 minutes late with starbucks (that Edgar probably paid for). What he drinks could barely qualify as coffee and is more along the lines of "very wet cake". One sip would probably send Gau into orbit.

As a guy who lives in the desert, I imagine Edgar would rather drink iced coffee than hot, with a little cream and sugar in it. Even if the party is staying in a snowy place like Narshe, he's just in the habit of liking a cold drink. I also picture him as someone who only has coffee in the morning, and enjoys iced herbal teas through the day. His favourites aren't the expensive imported teas he is gifted by noblemen and politicians looking to get on the king's good side, but rather those that are made with the leaves and petals of plants endemic to the Figaro desert-- they remind him of home. (Where do they get ice? He's probably personally responsible for the creation of the ice box in their world.)

Sabin doesn't particularly like coffee, but he loves tea. Since he doesn't live in the desert 24/7 like his brother, he drinks it hot. After a hard day's work training he relaxes with a pot of his favourite herbal tea (similarly to Edgar, his favourite is a tea from Figaro for the same reason) in a peaceful manner that would surprise anyone but his brother.

Setzer has expensive taste in coffee, and prefers dark roasts with stronger flavour. He doesn't drink it black, though; he adds a splash of liqueur or an alcoholic cream (like putting bailey's in your coffee except way more ridiculously expensive). He swears it's only for the flavour, but there are maybe some of his worse days where that's not entirely true. He also drinks several cups of the stuff in a day, because the man is perpetually tired. He's possibly built up a tolerance to caffeine at this point like one does for alcohol (which I imagine he also has a high tolerance for).

Celes says she only enjoys coffee with a splash of cream, but she actually does like the same sweet drinks as Terra occasionally. She'll never admit it to anyone but Terra.

Resident feral child Gau had a sip of coffee one (1) time and has since been banned from all caffeine. He tore through the Falcon faster than any human person should be able to run and knocked over many things, including but not limited to a very disgruntled Setzer, who taught him a new curse word in response. Gau then hopped around shouting this new word for everyone to hear. Locke thought it was hilarious.

Shadow prefers his coffee black, but isn't picky if someone offers him a drink with something added to it. He strikes me as someone who likes it almost hot enough to burn.

Strago wants to drink coffee but Relm manages to sneak decaf into his mug more often than not. The man's 71 years old, too much caffeine might send him into cardiac arrest.

Relm herself thinks coffee is gross and adults are weird for enjoying it. She sneaked a sip of Shadow's black coffee once and was turned off of the stuff forever, despite being told that there are sugary drinks that aren't as bitter.

Cyan doesn't drink coffee, but occasionally drinks tea. Specifically, he drinks a traditional calming Doman herbal tea that reminds him of peaceful nights spent with his lost family, on nights when his mind wanders to his darkest memories. If he closes his eyes in the quiet, he can almost feel as though he is back in that castle, before the kingdom fell. It doesn't make him sad, though; it's cathartic.

Mog doesn't drink much coffee or tea, but he does like hot cocoa. Relm thinks he's the only sane one because adult drinks are weird and gross.

Absolutely under no circumstances should Umaro be given coffee. The consequences are very much the same as with Gau, but with much more devastating results. A caffeinated yeti managed to storm his way into the Falcon's engine room once and proceeded to knock several things out of place, causing the airship to make a crash landing. Edgar and Setzer spent three days repairing the damage.

Nobody knows what Gogo's coffee preferences are, mostly because nobody knows what Gogo exactly is. They have revealed nothing and will continue to be an enigma.

[terraxcloud]

Final Fantasy 6 drawing by Nomura that was found around 2013. Can be found in the FFWiki.

An additional image of Cloud's prototype is under the Mog section.

This version of Cloud was used to create Squall - the reason why the FF6 Opera featured so much in FF8.

You can see that the characters are unfinished. Relm's hair is straight, Terra doesn't have a ponytail and has a circlet on her forehead instead (she doesn't have her earlier short hair at least), Celes has a piercing (which became Cloud's), Strago has a mohawk, Lara is Strago's wife but didn't make the cut just like Cloud (his original name is unknown), etc.

When this image was put on the internet, people began referencing a very early 1994 V-Jump interview with Sakaguchi where he said that the main character was originally Terra as a male. Well, Cloud takes a lot of stuff from Terra, so maybe it was a half-truth. Many also latched onto the idea that it was originally Squall, but appearances are deceiving. Squall was made after this prototype of Cloud as Squall & Rinoa's relationship is a modified version of the storyline that was cut in FF6.

This is why the symbols of shooting stars, orphans, witches, angels, a flower field, and the late game promise are found in it. Some of these things seem to have come from FF7, but it's older than that.

Another character that was made after this prototype of Cloud is Leslie from FF7 Remake.

Leslie's talk with his Fiancée is about Cloud (as the FF6 main character) talking to Terra (as her earlier prototype?). Did you wonder why Cloud reacted so strongly to his story? This is why.

It's similar to the ending of Loveless as Cid originally said at the end of OG FF7:

"When the sister of the lead asks her lover, 'Do you really have to leave?" And the guy says, 'I made a promise. The people I love are waiting.' '...I don't understand. Not at all. But, take care of yourself.' 'Of course...I'll come back to you. Even if you don't promise to wait. I'll return knowing you'll be here."

Tifa immediately mentions that Leslie's necklace means "Reunion".

The ending of Loveless isn't the beginning of that storyline. It started in the FF6 Opera, which is actually about Terra saying that she'll wait for Cloud to return. Yes, it's sung by Celes, but it's actually about Terra. The character who represents this FF6 Opera/Loveless thing is Aerith (who also lost her love). Aerith borrows Celes' opera design and her theme song starts exactly like the FF6 Opera main theme.

Regardless of how few people talk about this, it's far more important than anything in the game. Honestly, the entirety of FF7 may have been crafted around this one thing. The game's theme is "Loss", and the game keeps reminding Cloud of what he had lost.

All main themes of FF7R are in Terra's words. I know that confuses everyone, but I promise is makes much more sense seeing it this way than it does forcing the meanings into the other characters of FF7. What character hasn't yet met Cloud in any timeline? Well, maybe they're not in the game yet.

I'm not sure if Rebirth will be the one that'll reveal this "secret" to the light, but I'm sure that any hints it gives out will start to be noticeable. The main portions of FF7 Remake to include these "hints" are Biggs/Wedge/Jessie, Marle/Mireille, Betty/Oates, Tifa/Aerith, Leslie's sewer mission, and the Sector 5 slums, although there are many other random things. Moogles are used as a symbol for Terra, which is why it appears heavily in the area that highly implies her, The Children's Hideout.

Oddly enough, it's well known that FF7 was made with elements from FF6 and Terra herself, yet no one has ever asked why? I guess no one played Dissidia.

Yes, there are hints in games last decade that Terra would make a visit to FF7 land, even get attacked by Sephiroth. They're very subtle, but if you can pay attention to patterns you'll notice them. You just have to find out what Cloud does in every game and it'll make sense...it really is that simple! It has nothing to do with canon, since what the developer thinks is not what the fandom thinks, and the best hints are found in the games no one will readily believe in.

[alynnl]

FF VI Rambling Notes 9/?

So picking up where I was before, I was headed to the town of Mobliz.  I took my level up squad (who are honestly only 2 levels behind) of Setzer, Sabin, Gau and Cyan.  I wanted to approach Terra again because she said that she needed more time.

When I arrive in Mobliz, I noticed that Terra, Duane and Katarin are absent from the underground.  The kids mention how Duane and Katarin aren’t really happy now because Katarin is pregnant.  My first playthrough, I didn’t really process what this meant, and my second playthrough I sort of laughed off the drama. (I was trying to hard to be edgy at the time, I’ll admit.)

 But during my third playthrough, gosh.  I can’t imagine what it’d be like to know that you’re bringing a child into a place like FF VI’s World of Ruin.  I’d be scared too.

After a cutscene behind the abandoned relics shop, your party faces off against the scary green ogre that you had to chase off before, that Terra couldn’t fight against.  For a while, I was holding my own as long as I kept up the heal spells, attacks, etc.  Gau’s Stray Cat rage was a great help since it does so much physical damage.  You fight on, and the ogre uses Sneeze to blow away two of your party members.

Terra fills in one of the spaces, and she stays morphed the whole battle.  Driven by her love and desires to protect the orphans, she does incredible amounts of damage with Fire 2 and ends the battle in no time flat.  There is a nice little cutscene where she talks to the kids, Duane and Katarin with her esper form before she decides to join you, for real this time!

So I have my second magical powerhouse back in my party!  

And I have to say that I really like how her arc played out.  Terra wanted to help the orphans the same way her friends helped her, when her memory was gone and she didn’t really have anyone else.  She was paying it forward, and felt like her fight to defeat Kefka was a way of bringing these kids a future.  

Terra even promises to go back to Mobliz, which couldn’t be a better place for her.  There, she’s not tied to her past where she was a Magitek soldier, nor does anyone care about her unusual heritage.  They just love and cherish her as a person.  As much as younger me used to ship her with Edgar, I realize that she’d be unhappy to leave Mobliz and the sort of family that she’s formed there for a strict life in the castle.  ... Then again, Edgar’s technical expertise could help them rebuild it into a place suitable for the kids to grow up in and they’d have a sort of long-distance relationship that becomes closer... okay, I’m heading into theory territory!  On to the actual gameplay!

I fly around to get Terra the best equipment from the weapon and armor shops, and then I go to the next town that has clues about one of our companions.  The snooty town of Jidoor is the next stop.  The NPCs mention an artist (sound familiar) and how she’s doing a painting for the guy who owns the biggest house in town.

I go inside the mansion and it’s straight out of survival horror all the sudden.  The lights are out, and monsters are running about the mansion’s basement.  Luckily they’re all weak against fire and all my people know Fire 2 at this point, plus Sabin’s Fire Dance as essential for outright cheesing this basement dungeon.

I saved Terra’s Morph skill for the actual boss, and spammed fire commands or cure commands.  The only annoying thing about the painting demon is that it has huge amounts of HP and MP and then does a seize/slip attack when it gets close to dying.  But I still did it my first try, so you have to give me credit for it!

Relm joins the party after the hideous painting demon is defeated, and our airship is looking a lot more lively!  I also got the Starlet esper, which has all the cure magic.  Cure 3 only has a x1 multiplier but I will learn it eventually...

I took a small detour to Narshe, which has now become a spooky ghost town.  Since some of the building are locked and I need Locke’s... skills to get inside,  I went to the almost empty Moogle Cave to recruit Mog and get his Moogle Charm. Then I talked to the esper Tritoch with Terra so that I could possibly learn Bolt 3, Ice 3 and Fire 3.  These also have a x1 multiplier so Terra is going to hold on to Tritoch for a while.  I was going to step into Umaro’s dungeon but I found the monsters’ levels to be a bit overwhelming, so I warped out of there with Mog and Tritoch in tow.

I remembered where to go next from the other two times I played, but there was a also a clue from an NPC in Figaro Castle that said people who were brainwashed by the cult of Kefka would wake up if they heard the voice of a loved one.  I bring Relm along so she can snap Strago out of his trance at the Fanatic’s Tower.  They have a pretty touching reunion, and then he also takes a ride on the Falcon!

I can’t remember if there are in-game clues to it, but I am off to the Phoenix Cave next.  When it doubt, just use a map to find it!  A certain treasure hunter is waiting and so is the Phoenix esper.  The whole gang is almost together, and then some!  Just make sure you have 8 amulets for your two four-person teams: you’ll need them if you want to resist the poison attacks.

That is all for now, until next time!

[runicmagitek]

For Wip ask

👀👀👀

Celes/Terra post-canon angst?

XD

aaaaaa this one is really sad, but will have a happy ending 🥺 Celes goes with Terra back to Mobliz, but the presence of the children triggers Celes with multiple flashbacks to her time growing up in the Empire. It's very heavy in the angst as Celes tries to bottle up her trauma, but she eventually breaks down. Not to worry tho! Terra is there to comfort her and give all the smooches and snuggles.

I originally started drafting this as a treat for Yuletide back in 2020. I had a lot going on and it was really comforting to just, you know, write about some darker stuff. I only got 3.5k words into it and realized it was becoming A Thing. And then 13 Sentinels punched me in the face aaaaaand I haven't come back to this fic since 😭 I'd love to return to it someday! Until then, here's a snippet~

Duane’s voice faded as he drifted into a nearby building. Terra followed, her lively words bouncing along the way. As for Celes, she stood outside, unable to calm the racing pulse thrumming in her cold skin. That's what it was, right? The sensation of a million needles skittering across her skin? Strago explained it when she regained consciousness after Kefka’s Tower collapsed and they escaped—the magic in her veins subsided, as did the Shiva’s boons, thus she was susceptible to elements she once took for granted. A slight breeze shot through her and she gasped. Maybe she should have packed warmer clothes or an extra blanket. Maybe she should have agreed to go with Edgar instead, where it was warmer. Maybe she should have— “Celes?” Another chill, but the wind wasn’t to blame. Holding her breath, Celes turned to meet Terra, who stood in the disheveled doorway. Red and pink cotton draped her form, complete with a fleece-lined cloak. Her loose curls swayed in the gentle breeze, framing her pale features. Celes lingered on that gaze; she looked lovely with her hair down. Terra tilted her head, eyebrows knitted together. “Are you… okay?”

[mortallyclearwonderland]

Star Wars Alien Species - Cathar

Cathar was the homeworld of the Cathar species, filled with many ecological niches and huge insect predators.

The natives lived in city-trees, while wide areas of the planet were made barren by kiltik beetles.

The Giant horned hopper were often killed by the Cathar species in blood hunts.

The planet of Cathar was devastated by the Mandalorians during the Battle of Cathar, leading to the enslavement and near-extinction of the Cathar species. Over 90 percent of the species was killed by the Mandalorians in the battle. The few survivors were forced to flee off-world to survive. After the Mandalorian Wars, Cathar began to resettle their world. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, it had fully recovered from the damage the Mandalorians had done.

With the return of the Sith Empire during the Great Galactic War, most Cathar sided with the Galactic Republic. By the time of the Cold War, many Cathar had settled on Ord Mantell. Others attempted to settle on Taris to aid in its rebuilding, but were attacked by the Sith Empire just prior to the outbreak of hostilities. As conflict was renewed with the Galactic War, Cathar support for the Republic began to mildly diminish due to galactic events.

The Sith Empire had liberated a Cathar political prisoner and his followers who were covertly imprisoned on Belsavis for twenty years at the behest of the Republic Strategic Information Service. This incident was leaked by Imperial Non-human Relations, which damaged the public trust between the Republic and their alien citizens. After Malgus' betrayal, the Sith Empire began an alien initiative which saw multiple Cathar clans being freely inducted into the ranks.

Cathar was conquered by the Yuuzhan Vong during the Yuuzhan Vong War. The invaders overran the planet prior to their attack on Coruscant in 27 ABY.

On their homeworld, Cathar lived in cities built into giant trees, and were organized into clans governed by "Elders." Stories of their great heroes were often carved into the trunks of these tree-homes for following generations to see. The Cathar mated for life, to the extent that when one mate died, the survivor never had a relationship with another. Cathar clan society included great pageants and celebrations, especially for their heroes. Their religion included a ritual known as the "Blood Hunt," in which Cathar warriors individually engaged in combat against entire nests of Kiltik in order to gain honor and purge themselves of inner darkness.

Cathar were born into a litter. The Cathar species was biologically similar to the Bothan species. The Cathar species had two subspecies, known as the Juhani (The Juhani was one of the subspecies of the Cathar species that was notable for being less cat-like than the baseline Cathar.) and the Myr Rho (The Myr Rho was a subspecies of the Cathar, notable because they appeared to be less catlike than the baseline Cathar species.). Both of these were notably less catlike than mainline Cathar. The baseline Cathar had fur-covered bodies with thick manes. They had prominent, retractable claws that could deliver powerful killing attacks on foes and prey. These traits made them the perfect hand-to-hand specialists.

On average, Cathar were 1.5 to 1.9 meters or 4.9 to 9.2 feet tall and weighs 85 kilograms or 187 pounds.

Cathar age at the following stages:

1- 10 Child

11 - 15 Young Adult

16 - 40 Adult

41 - 62 Middle Age

63 - 79 Old

Examples of Names: Crado, Elashi, Feeth, Ferroh, Juhani, Larducias, Marnshara, Nodon, Nodak, Stragos, Sulvar, Tinisho.

Languages: Cathar speak Catharese and Basic, using low growls and similar sounds to emphasize their point.

[renatogpadilla]

FFVI as a D&D Campaign:

OK, so I've been watching "Critical Role" (Campaign 1, Episode 31, no spoilers!) a LOT lately and it got me thinking how FFVI (arguably the BEST "Final Fantasy" game out there) is essentialy that. The biggest moments could be atributted to CRAZY rolls! I can see each of the characters being played by one of the people at the table! * Marisha as Terra Branford: Would be phenomenal. Her mentality is kinda in-line with Keyleth's. The "Kill Their Own Emotions" moment in the boat shakes the table as a whole. And when it's time to run an orphanage and protect her kids from Humbaba, the emotion in her voice destroys everyone in the Party. The "Mama?" moment becomes the most fan-arted moment for her character until the final fight. Her Trance ability is agreed to be the coolest looking skill at the table. To say nothing of the way she'd react to the whole Slave Crown bussiness!

Matt: "She killed 50 imperial soldiers in a few minutes." Marisha, and the whole table: *S H A K I N G*

* Taliesin as Locke Cole: "Treasure Hunter!" every single time somebody calls him a thief or a rogue. The "Rachel" story would be absolutely heartbreaking with Taliesin's expressions. The solo-sneak through the town while meeting Celes would be one of the highlights of the Campaign... That and his frienship with Terra would only be accentuated by Taliesin's and Marisha's irl friendship. Not to mention him puking on the ship would serve as some comedic timing straight out of "Critical Role"! Also, "That bow looks good on you" LAUNCHES the ship to heights undreamt of.

* Sam as Edgar Figaro: I mean, COME ON! IT WRITES ITSELF! Besides, it would be enjoyable to see him use his -Artificer- Machinist abilities as creatively as he does! Can you IMAGINE him rolling high enough one day and then he just creates the Noiseblaster? And with that he pulls out the microphone every time he uses it and proceeds to shout some thing Scanlan would be proud of... Not to mention his friendship with Sabin would be amazing if played by Sam! "The little shrimp has become a mighty Lobster!" You can HEAR Sam Riegel's voice come out of that! And the two headed coin? Now THAT's a Scanlan! This without mentioning the violations of the Geneva Convention that the Bioblaster would certainly entail...

* Laura as Celes Chere: I mean, OBVIOUSLY. Meeting Locke in the dungeon? The apparent betrayal? THE OPERA HOUSE?! "I'm a former General, not some... Opera floozy!" TELL ME you don't hear Laura Bailey saying that! And then she rolls a Natural 20 on performance and EVERYONE looses their shit! Her Runic ability is the target of MANY close saves. Also, the way Locke and Celes' interactions happen, she'd be perfect opposite Taliesin. The chat on the bridge in Albrook? HEARTSTOPPING. The attempted suicide? You KNOW Matt would call the sesion there!

* Travis as Sabin Figaro: This one was obvious. Monk/Barb that gets mistaken for a bear, and acts like an absolute teddy bear around Terra? Yes. Gods above, YES. "You think a tiny thing like the end of the world was going to be enough to keep me down?" You heard Grog too, right? The moments would be worth MILLIONS. The Opera house and Travis going "Why is everyone singing?" and then getting more and more into it! Him holding up the house for Celes! "MISTER THOU"... But best of all, and probably the single most famous Sabin moment EVER, The Phantom Train:

Matt: The train tracks suddenly lurch to the side. Even after this long and hard-fought battle it seems *chukles* it seems this train isn't letting you get away with your lives. That brings us to you, Travis! Travis, on his 5000 IQ shit: I grapple the train.

Entire Table: ARE YOU FUCKING NUTS?!?!

Matt: No way in hell are you gonna- You know what? Roll for it. *Picks up dice for the Train* Taliesin: He's dead. He's so fucking dea-

Travis: NATURAL 20.

Entire Table: *Silent disbelief, everyone looks at Matt*.

Matt: *Also in disbelief* ...Rolled a 1.

Entire Table: *Inintelligeble gasping and hyperventilating*

Travis: I'm going to use my last Blitz as Meteor Strike and suplex the Train!

Matt: *Looking at the sheet, knowing damn well what's about to happen* Go ahead and roll for damage...

Travis: *Rolls for damage*

Matt: *Braces for impact* How do you wanna do this?

Entire Table and the Internet: *EXPLODES*

The Fanart keeps coming, even YEARS after the Campaign is done...

* Liam as Setzer Gabbiani: Since he's LITERALY "Mister Steal Your Girl", I think Liam would be PERFECT. Just imagine him getting set up as this suave and smooth rougue who wanted to kidnap a beautiful singer and then gets Laura instead! (Which isn't entirely wrong...) IMAGINE his expresions and his dissapearing under the table laughing as the others barely climb aboard The Blackjack. THE ENTIRE PARTY giving him shit for a low roll on a Wisdom Check (the double-headed coin) and him segwaying that into joining the party, only to find out that he actually knew all along... Priceless. The total and undistilled heartbreak as his ship falls apart, him trying to reach out for Terra and everyone falling on different places. And then meeting Celes a year later and doing the whole Daryll story... Liam would be the one to steal the audience every time he takes the spotlight! Though he would be a little like Percy in the sense that he doesn't get much to do until his arc happens.

"Money, Money, Money!" every time he throws coins to attack, the loaded dice (in character, not at the table?) and the card throws would make him so stylish in a D&D setting I'll be surprised if somebody hasn't done it already.

* Ashley as Relm Arrowny: She takes forever to join because of her constantly being away for filming, but once she's here? HOO BOY, does the fun keep coming! Her paintings coming alive and helping them fight? Her giving Sam shit for Edgar's love life? "Fuddy-Duddy!" becoming A Thing? All of those moments would be hilarious... But probably her most notorious moment comes when they find her a year later, serving a posessed brush, telling her to paint, paint, paint under the Magic House... "Keep painting until I'm complete..." The party snaps her out of it before she finishes the greatest painting she's ever done, her Magnum Opus, and then the painting coming alive prematurely in order to force her to finish... To give her form. And then the Lakshmi boss fight happens... Matt: And with the last of her strength gone, the banshee-like apparition dissipates into mist, and before any of you can react, Relm's magic brush begins to glow, like it had when you first came in here. The glow slowly creeps off the hairs and darts! Off towards the mistified form of it's mistress, enveloping itself into a thicc layer on top of the mist, swirling around... and around and around.

Ashley: Oh god, now what?

Matt: The colors dissipate, and Lakshmi unleashes a terrible wail! *DM monster noises* As it is now joined with this colorful cloud... And it compresses, smaller and smaller... And more solid until it's not mist anymore.

Marisha: *Gets it* ¡WAIT A MINUTE!

Travis: *Exited* ¡OH SHIT, HOLD ON!

Matt: The fog dissipates... And the calm returns to Relm's senses. Ashley you are now holding an innert, ordinary paint brush. However! Floating in the air, you see a crystal with a small glowing core, the particular essence of Life embeded in the middle, Terra you *points at Marisha* feel this and recognize it instantly, as it falls to the ground, and bounces a couple times... A brand new shard of Magicite.

Party: *FERAL LOOTING*

"Lakshmi" becomes the most PAINFUL fanart to make, and it's ALWAYS the one that's valued the most among the fandom.

The rest of the Party (Strago, Umaro, Mog, Cyan, Gau and GoGo) can be the guests that come over every once in a while (I particualrly see Wil Wheaton as Strago Magus, Mary McGlynn as GoGo and Will Friedle as Clyde "Shadow" Arrowny) with Shadow coming and going with the excuse that "His contract is up" (and let's face it, after surviving/witnessing the Phantom Train? My contract would be up too...) and coming back whenever his schedule/the plot allows. Eventually, everyone comes together for one last session and the battle with God Kefka. Setting their affairs in order, the reveal of who Shadow really is during a lone chat with Strago shakes the Critters to their core. Everything makes sense! Why Interceptor went straight to Relm when they met... Why his nightmares kept showing a village of magic users, yet they never mention Shadow in Thamasa! The group is RATTLED and wether or not he survives at the end becomes a HEATED argument between everyone at the table. Only Strago knows the truth...

The sendoff on The Falcon with everyone saying goodbye and seeing what the World will bring next is regarded as one of the most emotional scenes in "Critical Role" history... But the most completely DESTRUCTIVE force in this entire cast is Matt Mercer as Kefka Palazzo:

The personality... the narrative... The absolute slime in his voice when he poisons Doma. When he kills Leo and brings forth the Light of Judgement. Matt definitely has his moments playing Ultros. He's fun! And Emperor Ghestal was more of a political "Darth Sidious" villain. But Kefka? OH, LORD. NOBODY was ready for Kefka. "Enjoy the barbicue!" gets memed to no end, while also sending a horrible shiver down people's spine whenever somebody brings it up. Truly, the villain to end all villains. I can see it happen so vividly... If anybody wants to talk about this more, PLEASE hit me up! This just feels too good! Until off course the party moves on to their next Campaign in the setting for "Final Fantasy 5" but that's a whole OTHER can of worms!

[fast-moon]

Returners Assemble!

(due to being occupied by his ongoing event, the part of Strago Magus will be played by Leo Cristophe.  Everyone liked that)

And I was also super happy they went around and each gave a "what I'm fighting for" line like they did at the end of the original game, and even Leo gets one this time!  His is "For the sake of the survivors of my homeland."  Then Kefka throws a tantrum and calls him a goody-two-shoes.  Then in the battle against Kefka itself, Gilgamesh randomly shows up and is like "LEO-CHAN, I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU!" and Leo is all happy.  The bromance between those two is strong.

[touhou-gensoudairantou]

Terra Casts a Spell On You! (Magitek Elite Madame)

Overview: Beautiful, mysterious, kind… all great words to describe Terra Branford. A young half-Esper lady taken from her home by the Gestahlian Empire and raised as a living weapon before a mission in Narshe gone wrong has her wind up in the company of the Returners. Her magical capabilities are incredible, even without factoring in her power-doubling Trance, her incredible Apocalypse sword, and the abilities she gained from Magicite. But be warned, she lacks useful recovery a good amount of the time, and she can be quite frail.

Gimmick: Terra's Trance morphs her body into her Esper form upon maxing out her Gauge, which fills over time. In this state, she's all around much stronger. With doubled speed, power, and defense… that is, until she uses a Special Move, Bomb, or Final Smash… or y'know… gets launched off-screen or loses a her Stamina. Also, when at 100% damage or higher, all Smash attacks gain a 1/16 chance at becoming the powerful Desperation Attack Riot Blade, which has great range and four strikes. Riot Blade will also get rid of your Trance, so please keep that in mind.

Standard Attack: A slash, a stab, and a Fire spell. Quite basic really, but the stab has Terra advance forward.

Her tilts are various slashes.

Her Dash Attack is a jumping slash.

Smash Attacks: Do you know the name Cyan Garamonde? He’s a party member in Final Fantasy VI who is sadly quite outclassed. A real shame too, he has a great design, and his samurai motif is very appealing. Well Cyan, today is the day of your vindication! Terra, who spent quite a long time studying your Bushido skills, is ready to use them to great effect in Smash! They're way cooler than what I initially planned. Keep in mind, the names used here are combinations of their Japanese names and their original English localizations. (To put it better, JP first, Woolsey second!)

-Side Smash: Kiba Dispatch. A quick, ultra-strong stabbing lunge.

-Up Smash: Mai Quadra Slam. Four upward sword strikes that do good damage.

-Down Smash: Sora Retort/Tsuki Stunner. Essentially a counter attack that has a 3 second window of effect. If struck during this window, Terra will retaliate with a slash that has a decent range. If she's not struck, she will rain down blades made of ki, which are very prone to stunning enemies.

Neutral Air: Blizzard. A spin of ice that can freeze enemies.

Forward Air: Fira:

Up Air: Blizzara: An icy somersault that can freeze enemies. Deals much more damage than Blizzard.

Back Air: Thunder. Kicks back a bolt of lightning.

Down Air: Thundara. Does a lightning-charged stomp.

Neutral Special: Active Time Battle Menu. A variant on Hero's Command; this one has all options available at a times. Can move around a lot more, but you don't really have very few options for buffs and such. If you're having trouble with the movement while the menu is up, the Taunts have been disabled in this state so you can use the buttons to help make your selection. Better make it quick, this menu lasts only 2/3 of the time of Hero's!

-Bio: Sends forth a poisonous cloud a few feet in front of Terra. If it hits, it does about 9% and leaves the enemy with fast-acting poison for 5 seconds.

-Flare: Does damage in a very high column that can counter enemies.

-Protect: Halves all damage for 10 seconds.

-Thundaga: Fires off a massive beam of electricity that does great damage. It's very easy to jump over, however.

-Cura: Restores 30%. (50% in Trance)

-Graviga: Slams down every enemy within range of the platform Terra is on. Hurts an awful lot more if they were in the air.

-Quake: Trips and damages all opponents on the ground you're on. Deals 10% to you.

-Banish: A spell that can instantly defeat an opponent. Increases in effectiveness at higher percentages.

-Flood: Sends rushing water that can damage and carry away enemies.

-Meltdown: Deals the most initial damage out of ATB Menu's spells (at a whopping 50-80%) and has the longest burning effect, range, and spread, but at the cost of dealing a flat 30% to Terra herself, which triples in Trance.

-Tornado: Rips up everyone's percentages to 300%. And I do mean everyone. Only use if you're extremely desperate. Considering Terra's pretty light, you'd better be ungodly careful.

Side Special: Holy. Think Robin’s Arcfire, but with no burning damage. To compensate, it'd be a bit stronger.

Up Special: Firaga. Propels Terra upward with a concentrated burst of flame. Deals 20-28% on direct contact and leaves a burning effect.

Down Special: Summon. Using the power of your Magicite, you can summon an Esper's power to devastate opponents with powerful magical attacks! But beware, during this you stand completely still, and are unable to move until the Esper disappears. You're resistant to knockback and damage, but if your opponent can get in enough damage that can break your concentration/launch you, you're a sitting duck. In addition, the Esper Terra summons is entirely random, so you'd better make sure your teammates are covering you or pray for your own safety. And if you get it off, you can't activate this special again for 30 seconds. She has 4 potential summons.

-Maduin: Chaos Wave. Unleashes a tide of raw anger upon all opponents within Terra's range. Functions similarly to Mario Finale or Marisa's Master Spark.

-Valigarmanda: Tri-Disaster. Fires off a series of screen crossing beams with wide-ish range in many directions. Can burn or freeze opponents.

-Midgarsormr: Abyssal Maw. A far more powerful version of Quake that can even hit enemies in the air in a wide radius around Terra.

-Bismarck: Breach Blast. A far more powerful version of Flood that significantly increases spread and damage.

Bomb: Meteor. Summons down a series of meteors that strike enemies. It's basically a slightly less good PK Starstorm.

Final Smash: Trance Ultima. Terra goes into Trance and rushes across the stage. Like Joker, if she misses her target, she can turn the opposite direction and attempt to strike again. Once her targets have been struck, a cinematic plays where she charges up, then casts Ultima. Once it finishes, they are launched quite far.

And I know I don’t usually talk about Shields and such but eh… this time I'll make an exception.

Shield: There's a second long window where Terra will Reflect all projectiles. It’s quite easy to miss, but if you can hit you'll be rewarded.

Stage Entrance:

-Rides in on a Chocobo, and jumps off as it rides away.

Taunts:

-Imitates that piece of her Yoshitaka Amano artwork at the bottom.

-Turns to the screen and looks down.

-Briefly takes on an aura colored after her Esper form.

Victory Screen: Like Cloud, she uses the Victory Fanfare from her game.

-Celebrates in earnest with FF6's victory animation, often giggling.

-Hopes back onto the Chocobo, and rides toward the screen, saying “Apologies…” or “You won't be forgotten.”

-Downs an Elixir, and smiles at the camera.

Alts:

-She also has palettes based on her fellow Returners’ sprites from the same game. Specifically, Locke, Edgar, Shadow, Gau, and Strago. No Celes? How come? Well… that's currently a trade secret. It will be revealed in due time, dear readers.

-One of her alts is based on her sprites from Final Fantasy VI, as done by Kasuko Shibuya. Essentially, her Second Form from Dissidia.

-Her last palette is based on the battle sprite of one Kefka Palazzo. He's a very iconic villain among western fans, thanks to, in no small part, his dark but humor-filled dialogue and his Joker-like mannerisms. He just might be worthy of his own character slot.

Special thanks to @spooner-the-trinity for the suggestion. ...and apologies for taking so long oof.

[randomkposts]

Hello

I figured I should start with wall of quotes. Cause whynot

Quotes “It's hard to hate my prep team. They're such total idiots." - Katniss.”

“Here's some advice. Stay alive.” “The cat that Prim got hates me, I think partly because I tried to drown it.” “District 12: Where you can starve to death in safety.”“No. Now, shut up and eat your pears."

” It's lovely. If only you could frost someone to death." "Don't be so superior. You can never tell what you will find in the arena. Say it's a gigantic cake-”“Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying.”

“Technically, I am unarmed. But no one should ever underestimate the harm that fingernails can do. Especially if the target is unprepared.”

"Well, leprechauns. You know they're not real, don't you?""Let us proceed under the assumption that the fairy folk do exist and that I am not a gibbering moron."

"I majored in Ancient History. You have your own page in the 'Criminally Insane' section."

"Really, Butler, I must begin choosing my business associates more carefully. Hardly a day goes by when we aren't the victims of some plot.""The punching is not helping my concentration, by the way.""Oh, brilliant. I must write that one down in my witty retorts book."

"The pixie is crazy! Give me your gun, Holly. I'm going to shoot him.""Excuse me, Captain. Are you two going to weep salty tears of admiration over a helmet all night, or do we have matters to discuss?"

"This is a well. You might think that there is something to it... But in fact it is just an ordinary well."

Woman in Ur : Hey, where are you four brats off to now? What...? You're going to go save the world...? Did you get hit on the head or something!?

Gilgamesh : Enough expository banter. It's time we fight like men. And ladies. And ladies who dress like men. For Gilgamesh...IT IS MORPHING TIME! Galuf : Bartz! Stop that! Bartz : But it's fun! poke, poke, poke... Bartz : Jumping Christmas!

Edgar : "That's Shadow! He'd slit his mama's throat for a nickel!" Kefka : "This is sickening! You sound like chapters from a self-help booklet! Prepare yourselves!" Locke : "Hey! Call me a TREASURE HUNTER, or I'll rip your lungs out!" Edgar : "If something were to happen to me, all the world's women would grieve!" Setzer : "My life is a chip in your pile. Ante up."

Yuffie : So! I saved the great Vincent Valentine! Do I get any thanks?

Squall : Right and wrong are not what separate us and our enemies. It's our different standpoints, our perspectives that separate us. Both sides blame one another. There's no good or bad side. Just two sides holding different views. Squall : I dreamt I was a moron...

Seifer : Great, I have one chicken-wuss and one kid who just entered puberty in my team! Squall : ...Whatever.

Auron: The red carpet has teeth. Auron: Outside the dream world, life can be harsh, even cruel, but it is life.

Rikku: Memories are nice, but that's all they are.

Kimahri: Pick spot. Shut up. Wait.

Rikku: Do you think we need a password? Paine: How about 'Kick..it's..ass' Paine : The hardest person to know is one's self.

Raogrimm: People are capable of kindness beyond angels, yet we also commit sins that would put a demon to shame... Lonely Chocobo: Warkkkkk!!! Gweh!!!! Warkkkk

Naja Salaheem : (After Abquhbah faints when he realizes that he's speaking to the empress) Nothing to be concerned about, Your Magnificence. Mercenaries are trained to sleep anywhere, anytime if the opportunity presents itself.

Lightning: Worst birthday ever. Lightning: It's not a question of can or can't. There are some things in life you just do. Lightning: We live to make the impossible possible! That is our focus!

White Mage: Hi. I was just wondering if you knew how much we've suffered because of you. Good day. [after finding the Falcon Rydia : It's not yours. Edge : That's okay, it would be happy to be used by us!

...That's General Leo.. He could be my friend if he weren't my enemy.

You think a minor thing like the end of the world was gonna do me in?

"What a cute doggy!' "Leave us. The dog eats strangers...'

This should be fun. When do we leave?

Read my lips - mercy is for wimps! There's a reason "oppose" rhymes with "dispose"...If they get in your way, kill them!I don't care for the appearance of this pitiful little hamlet... So burn it!!

Figaro Guard : Kefka's "One shy of a six pack!" Imperial soldier : I oppose peace! Narshe resident : Narshe is a neutral city.! We want no war here, but that %#$@& Empire won't listen! South Figaro Resident : We may be thieves, but at least we have goals in life!

Cyan: This is the Phantom Train. It carries the departed to the other side. Sabin : Wait! I don't want to go THERE!

Strago: Go to your room! Relm : I will not! What a fussy old man! Strago : Relm! Is that you, my dear? You're alive! Relm : Idiot! Of course I'm alive! Strago : Oh, I'm so happy..." Relm : Did you think I was gonna check out before you, old man? Strago : You're as foul mouthed as ever, bless your heart!

Shadow: I know what friendship is... and family...

"It's not my problem."

"Don't fight here! You'll ruin the flowers!" "I think they believe I have what it takes to be in SOLDIER!" "Mine is special. It's good for absolutely nothing!"

Don't need no appointment... This is a 'mergency! Anyone who don't wanna get their face bashed in better git outta the way!! "I've got the wrong person."

W-wait a second. I won't run or hide. Yes, I was a spy. I was hired by the Shinra. I couldn't help it. How 'bout if we continue like nothing ever happened?

Shut up! Sit your ass down in that chair and DRINK YOUR GODDAMN TEA!

This's gonna be a big splash. Hold on to your drawers, an' don't piss in 'em!!

Maybe God'd forgive an ugly shit like you, but I won't!

I don't know what the hell it is, but it's falling from the sky. Hmpf! It's not even an omen.

Hey, do you know who I am? I'm Cid—that's who the hell I am! Now just let me handle it!

I don't want to regret not having done something later.

I always thought this planet was so huge. But lookin' at it from space, I realized it's so small. We're just floatin' in the dark. ...kinda makes you feel powerless. On top of that it's got Sephiroth festerin' inside it like a sickness. That's why I say this planet's still a kid. A little kid sick and trembling in the middle of this huge universe. Someone's gotta protect it. Ya follow me? That someone is us.

We're busy runnin' back and forth! Even my bikini goddess would be pantin' about now!

Oh, GAWD! If I knew this was gonna happen, I would've taken rope escape lessons more seriously!!

Escape from a world of illusions... Hmph... I wonder which is better.

I know you want my help because I'm so good!

Cloud, put me in your party, so I can get off this ship. Cloud...sign this. It's a contract that says when the war is over, all the materia will belong to me.

The stars shine so bright, like glowing materia... reach up and grab one. GROSSNESS! Don't mess with me old man! You don't even have any Materia!

Citizens, unite! Come to the light, Mako energy. Power is truth. Shinra is the future. Real happiness can be found in obedience to the company People are ignorant. They'll feel better as long as someone is punished.

Godo : Go! Survive till the end! And return! With the Materia! Doctor in Mideel : You can see for yourself what things look like, but at least no one was seriously hurt. We're just very unhappy now. Junon soldier : I'm learning to be a delinquent soldier!! I just can't seem to get the hang of it! Reeve Tuesti : What may be a few to you was everything to those who died...

Barret : She ain't gonna show up. 'Least this time she didn't steal our materia. Guess we gotta be thankful for that. Yuffie : How could you say that!? I came all the way here after being seasick as a dog! I didn't go through all that just to have you guys have the best parts all to yourselves!

...A speech? Forget it. Cut the mic!

You're-going-to-like-me! You're-going-to-like-me! Did it work?

D-Do you have any...hot dogs left?

...The HELL! Man...Now this is what I call boring. This ain't right, man!

YOOOO!!! The HELL you doin'!!!?

I'm a pretty lucky guy. Hand in hand with two beautiful girls.

That is sooo vague!

Super-Duper-Mega-Bummer!!

Well, Zell was riding his T-Board in the hallways of Garden. He made a sharp turn and went straight into the woman's res...

Sharpshooters are loners by nature... We hone our instincts, pour our whole being in a single bullet. The pressure of the moment... An instant of tension... That's what... I have to face alone...

Well, fine then! We WILL have a good time!

Thanks for the support, but I never miss my target.

Well, we could skin this little guy and wear him as a disguise...

I say things that get a rise out of some people. Just don't let it bother you and we'll get along fine.

Ooh neato! A hole in the middle of no-where!

You've all heard this before. How life has infinite possibilities. I don't believe that one bit. There weren't many paths for me to choose. Sometimes, there would only be one. From the limited possibilities I faced, the choices I made have brought me this far. That's why I value the path I chose... I want to hold true to the path that HAD to be taken.

Let's just fire like crazy and make a big hole, BOOM!

...Speeding. Let's go arrest that student for violation of academy regulations. Listen up! Teamwork means staying out of my way. It's a Squad B rule.

This is the scene where you swear your undying hatred for me!

And so, Laguna runs for dear life. She got upset and put fruit jam in your shoes. You were almost in tears!

Fujin: DISTURBING.RAGE!SHOCK!GOOD. CONVENIENT.PERSUASION, USELESS. SEIZE!IGNORE.RUN!ELLONE? NOT HERE.FATIGUE POSSE... We are. We always will be. Because we're a posse, we want to help you. Whatever it takes to fulfill your dream, we're willing to do. But... You're being manipulated, Seifer. You've lost yourself and your dream. You're just eating out of someone's hand. We want the old you back! Since we can't get through to you, all we have now to rely on is Squall! It's sad... Sad that we only have Squall to rely on... Seifer! Are you still gonna keep goin'?

Big Sister: I can't wait until I meet a guy that I can scream at and exchange blows with!

Quistis : You're the squad leader. Good luck to you. Seifer : ...Instructor. I hate it when people wish me luck. Save those words for a bad student who needs them, eh? Quistis : Alright, then. Good luck, Seifer. Seifer : [to Fujin and Raijin] Add Instructor Trepe to the list. Zone : Our plan is to...Selphie : ...Blow it to smithereens with a rocket launcher!? Zone : [taken aback] ...Ahh...not quite... Rinoa : Oh, shut up! I made it like that on purpose. It represents my hatred towards Deling. Zell : Hatred, eh? Yeah...right. Selphie : It's one of the...ugliest things that I've ever seen in my life. You must really hate him.

You don't need a reason to help people.No cloud, nor squall shall hinder us!Piece of cake. I'm an escape artist.

In the end, it boils down to two simple choices. Either you do or you don't. You'd think with all the problems in this world, there'd be more answers. It's not fair... but that's the way things are. The choice is yours.

SON OF A SHOOPUFF!

Al Bhed is Al Bhed. Rikku is Rikku. Rikku swore to protect Yuna. And Rikku is not a liar. Kimahri can tell. So, she is a friend.

Why are you still here, sir? (pause as Auron looks at him) I beg your pardon. We Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane.

Rikku : Did you...hit your head or something? Tidus : Um, you guys hit me. Rikku : Oh, right...do you remember anything before that?

Sometimes, when I got a lot on my mind, it just helps to go, "AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave." "Guard your emotions first, then guard your summoner." "Ha! Legendary guardian? I was just a boy. A boy about your age actually. I wanted to change the world too, but I changed nothing. That is my story." "Don't look to others for knowledge. This is your story."

Don't think it's just a game. Your life's on the line. "You. It's what's for dinner." You. Are. Hired."

Barkeep : Mish Yoona, what can I do for yoo?

Yuna : Duck Soup! Paine : Duck what?

Rikku : I'm gonna kick you in the spleen! Paine : Spleen?

Lightning : (to soldier).Nice gun. Noctis : Goodbye, whoever you are.

You sure are a keen observer of the obvious, kupo!

And I know some "little girls" who can kick your butt!

"You hit the Lord of the Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush."

Rachel: They asked me a lot of questions about you. I played dumb. Annabeth: Was it hard?"

"Love conquers all," Aphrodite promised. "Look at Helen and Paris. Did they let anything come between them?""Didn't they start the Trojan War and get thousands of people killed?" "Pfft. That's not the point. Follow your heart."'

“Ever had a flying burrito hit you? Well, it's a deadly projectile, right up there with cannonballs and grenades." "The ADHD part of me wondered, off-task, whether the rest of his clothes were made the same way. What horrible things would you have to do in your life to get woven into Hades' underwear?"

Rachel: You're a half-blood, too? Annabeth: Shhh! Just announce it to the world, how about? Rachel: Okay. Hey, everybody! These two aren't human! They're half Greek god! . . . They don't seem to care."-

"What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should’ve been named ADHD poster child of the year."

“You're a stalker with hooves." "I am not! I followed her to the Big House and hid in a bush and watched the whole thing.”

Well, we kind of tried to kill each other in a duel to the death." "I see. You tried the diplomatic approach.”

"Well, Percy, what have we learned today?""That three-headed dogs prefer red rubber balls over sticks?""No," "We've learned that your plans really, really bite!”

"Dude!" said a party pony as he unloaded his gear. Did you see that bear guy? He was all like: 'Whoa, I have an arrow in my mouth!”

“Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp…” She looked at Zoe. “Which one was it?”"That boy in Colorado,” Zoe said. “You turned him into a jackalope.”Ah, yes.” Artemis nodded, satisfied. “I enjoy making jackalopes…”

“Christmas in the Underworld was NOT my idea. If I'd known what was coming, I would've called in sick. I could've avoided an army of demons, a fight with a Titan, and a trick that almost got my friends and me cast into eternal darkness. But no, I had to take my stupid English exam.”

“Meat!" he said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian." "You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans," I reminded him."Those are vegetables.”

"How about this: stealing is not always bad?""I don't think my mom would like that moral."

I thought about the lines Rachel had spoken in that creepy voice: about storm and fire and the Doors of Death. "Maybe," I said, "but it didn't sound so good.""No," said Apollo cheerfully. "It certainly didn't. She's going to make a wonderful Oracle!”

"My son here convinced me that perhaps I should prioritize my list of enemies." He glanced at me with distaste. "As much as I dislike certain upstart demigods, it would not do for Olympus to fall. I would miss bickering with my siblings. And if there is one thing we agree on - it is that you were a TERRIBLE father.”

Running with a drowsy child of Hades was more like doing a 3 -legged race with a life size rag doll.”

“Yay!' he said. 'Now we can eat peanut butter sandwiches and ride fish ponies! We can fight monsters and see Annabeth and make things go BOOM!”

“You know how teachers tell you the magic word is 'please'? That's not true. The magic word is 'puke'. It will get you out of class faster than anything else.”

" He tossed me a jar of thick green liquid—Greek fire, one of the most dangerous magical substances in the world. Then he threw me another essential tool of demigod heroes—duct tape”

“Juniper: Are you guys busy? Percy: Well, we’re in the middle of this game against a bunch of monsters and we’re trying not to die. Annabeth: We’re not busy. ”

Though "peanut butter" is a strange battle cry. It shall be as you say. But my son, pray this works."I am praying. I'm talking to you, right?"Oh . . . yes. Good point.”

“Let us find the dam snack bar," Zoe said. "We should eat while we can."Grover cracked a smile. "The dam snack bar?"Zoe blinked. "Yes. What is funny?""Nothing," Grover said, trying to keep a straight face. "I could use some dam french fries."Even Thalia smiled at that. "And I need to use the dam restroom." "I do not understand.""I want to use the dam water fountain," Grover said."And…" Thalia tried to catch her breath. "I want to buy a dam T-shirt."

"with great power... comes great need to take a nap"

“Oh no." I said panic rising in my chest. "No, no, no, Somebody get a can opener. I've got a god in my head!!”“Well," I said. "If you need me, I'll be outside, playing with sharp objects.”

“Fairness means everyone gets what they need. And the only way to get what you need is to make it happen yourself.”

“I guessed his name was Face of Horror. I wondered how long it had taken his mom to think of that. Bob? No. Sam? No. How about Face of Horror?”

“Now the tattoos," Zia announced."Brilliant!" I said."On your tongue," she added."Excuse me?”

“I just love family meetings. Very cozy, with the Christmas garlands round the fireplace and a nice pot of tea and a detective from Scotland Yard ready to arrest you.”

“Carter Kane, 14, died tragically in Paris when he was eaten by his sister’s cat Muffin.”

“There will be guards,” Bast said. “And traps. And alarms. You can bet the house is heavily charmed to keep out gods.” “Magicians can do that?” I asked. I imagined a big can of pesticide labeled God-Away.”

“I believe you, Sadie.""Oh really. I'm holding the bloody feather of truth, and you believe me. Well, thanks.”

I guess it started in London, the night our dad blew up the British museum.”

“The baboon is driving,” I noted. “Should I be worried?”

“Thank Ra!” She exclaimed. “Yeah, I’m alive.” “No, I almost jumped in after you. I hate the water!”

“Why did adults have to be so thick? They always say “tell the truth,” and when you do, they don’t believe you. What’s the point?”

“I must admit I’m impressed, Sadie. You controlled your magic and controlled Isis. And you, Carter, did well turning into a lizard.”

“That’s Narmer with the spoon,” I guessed. “Angry because the other bloke stole his breakfast cereal?”

“Most of Set’s forces were running towards our boat, screaming and throwing rocks (which tended to fall down and hit them, but no one says demons are bright).

"Great another mystery. I was about to suggest we ram Amos’s head against it and see if that worked.”

The stuff was so thick and rough, it made me wonder if the poor Egyptians had had to use toilet papyrus. If so, no wonder they walked sideways.”

“I looked back, but Bast and Sadie seemed fine. They were still staring at the water as if it were some amazing Internet video.”

. Why would someone display a rock? Aren't there enough of those in the world?”

“Dejardins was so stunned, he momentarily forgot how to speak English. "Ce n'est pas possible. On ne pourrait pas-”

[runicblade]

     as much as a part of celes would have wished for the flight on the falcon to go on forever , it seems that everyone had somewhere to go , a place to return to ... ... or a home .  terra was naturally the first to leave ; a mother had to be reunited with her children , after all .  the next was edgar to figaro castle ; sabin joined his brother , of course , but she suspects that he’ll take to training or assisting other towns like tzen once again .  cyan requested to be dropped off to maranda to check up on lola and gau went with him , while strago and relm returned to thamasa , though the latter announced that she would be painting in jidoor really soon .  mog , umaro , and gogo have yet to choose their destinations , not that setzer appears to mind , despite his half-hearted complaints of being reduced to mere transportation ; perhaps he enjoys the company more than he is willing to say — something that celes could agree on .  and shadow ... although his name is seldom spoken , his presence was undeniably felt .  they have to hold onto hope that he is still out there somewhere , that he made it out in his own way and on his own terms .  as the night carries on , celes slips away from the festivities of the lower deck , the lively and hearty conversations of her friends fading as she reaches the surface .  truly , the former imperial general cannot quite say where that leaves her .  she could go to other towns to help with the rebuilding efforts or she simply stay aboard the airship , but the truth of the matter is this : she has no place to return to .  vector is gone , cid ... has been laid to rest .  she has no family , no home —— no one , she might have thought , but as if the cue , the last person she wanted to think about when it came to this particular subject comes into view , his back covered by his trail-worn vest facing her , arms hanging loosely against the railing as he looks on into the unfathomable unknown , moonlight beaming down perfectly on the very bandana that she had once carried like a treasure , a path that would bring her back to him .

     ( locke ... ... )

     where did that leave him ?  would he go back to kohlingen or return to his treasure hunting ways around what remains of the world ?  would he leave without her ?  did he think of her at all ?  celes had neither the courage nor the heart to ask .  after all , they weren’t ...  they never talked about it — what happened when he reunited with his beloved rachel , the reason why she held onto his bandana all this time ... what they thought of each other and what that meant moving forward .  not that he owed her anything and she did not expect anything either .  celes supposes that she had wanted to give the adventurer some time to himself after everything that had happened , but it is possible that was her way of protecting herself .

     ❝ i'm all right .  rachel put my heart at ease ...  from here on out ... everything'll be okay . ❞

     ( that’s right .  he accepted me .  not as a traitor ... or as a replacement ...  locke accepted me .  that has to be enough . )

     no matter what , it needs to be enough .

     over one year ago , she had stood beside him on a bridge in albrook under the same night sky , anxious and confused and angry , two people unable to understand each other until they were on the brink of the end of the world .  now , she chooses to step forward bravely into the night , standing tall beside him , come what may .

     everything will be okay .

     ❝ hey . ❞  it is a simple greeting — but there would always be more words between them ... ... even if they weren’t said .

@fantaseis ( feat . locke )  /  starter call .

[siverwrites]

Trick or Treat Letter

Ao3 - Siver

Dear Creator

Thank you for taking this on! Here there are some general prompt details if you want them and if you already have some idea of your own, awesome. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

All requests are for fic or art.

Art: Interactions of some sort: emoting at each other, talking, sharing some activity, taking a walk, hugs are always welcome, soft things, whatever suits the pair/group

Likes: fluff, hurt/comfort, comfort, missing scenes, friendships, long-term friendships, close relationships of any sort whether romantic or platonic, familial bonds, found family, sickfic, fandom crossovers or fusions, angst with a happy or at least bittersweet end, bonding, cuddling/hugs/holding, banter, mutual care and support, emotional bonding, loyalty, pre-canon, post-canon, reuniting, slice of life, supernatural stuff, mystery, adventure, worldbuilding, creepy or unsettling atmospheres

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, underage relationships, unrequested ships, infidelity, explicit gore

Any combination of tags within each fandom is cool. Heck, any crossover/fusion between any of these fandoms is welcome too, go nuts.

For treats you can’t go wrong with fluff! Friendship, familial bonds, found family, romance for the few ships listed here.

On the trick end I like it atmospheric. Unsettling atmospheres. Unresolved mystery. Making use of the stranger environments the game may already provide. The surreal. The strange. The supernatural.

Ghost Trick                   

Cabanela (Ghost Trick)

Sissel (Ghost Trick)

Jowd (Ghost Trick)

Alma (Ghost Trick)

Kamila (Ghost Trick)

Missile (Ghost Trick)

Pigeon Man (Ghost Trick)

Lovey-Dove (Ghost Trick)

Mino (Ghost Trick)

Lynne (Ghost Trick)

Amelie (Ghost Trick)

Ships I’m good with: Alma/Jowd/Cabanela, Alma/Jowd, Cabanela/Jowd (where the focus is there but without infidelity to Alma), Alma/Cabanela (with assumption of Jowd’s involvement, again just the focus landing there)

I love this game, its characters and pretty much everything about it, so whatever you want to do will be great I am sure. New timeline mysteries and missing memories are always welcome where it makes sense. Alternate timelines and what-ifs are cool to explore. Fluff, comfort, family found or otherwise and friendships are always a go. Spooky ghost shenanigans, mysteries in the night. Any combination of these characters is more than welcome too!

Any combination of Jowd/Cabanela/Alma or Jowd & Cabanela & Alma is always welcome.

Always down for various combinations of Pigeon Man with Cabanela, Jowd and/or Kamila. Or PM with someone less expected like Alma! Or Sissel! Or Missile!

Animal shenanigans and fluff is great.

Final Fantasy VI

Edgar Roni Figaro (FF6) 

Cyan Garamonde (FF6) 

Relm Arrowny (FF6) 

Sabin Rene Figaro (FF6) 

Terra Branford (FF6) 

Gogo (FF6) 

Mog (FF6) 

Strago Magus (FF6) 

Celes Chere (FF6)

Phantom Train

No ships here please.

Any gen combination of characters is welcome here. Always down for some found family opportunities. All that travelling time is ripe for more interaction or character exploration in either world of balance or ruin, but particularly interested in world of ruin moments. Also interested in what they might be doing after the world is saved too.

Anything with the Phantom Train is ripe for the trick side of things either during the Phantom Train stuff in-game, or maybe they somehow run into it again in the Word of Ruin...

Pyre

Jodariel (Pyre) 

Ti'Zo (Pyre) 

Sir Gilman (Pyre) 

Big Bertrude (Pyre) 

Volfred Sandalwood (Pyre) 

Tariq | The Lone Minstrel (Pyre) 

Celeste | The Gate Guardian (Pyre)

Ships I’m good with: Volfred/Tariq (and Oralech involvement is good too)

Found family joys. Daily activities while they travel? Post Peaceful revolution activities? Any combo here is great. I’m good with Volfred/Tariq or Volfred & Tariq. Volfred and Bertrude friendship gives me life. Snakes doing snake things. Imps doing imp things. More adorable moments with Ti’zo and Volfred. Heralds doing herald things.

Chrono Trigger

Nu (Chrono Trigger) 

Lucca Ashtear (Chrono Trigger) 

Belthasar (Chrono Trigger) 

Robo (Chrono Trigger) 

Maou | Magus (Chrono Trigger) 

Sara | Schala (Chrono Trigger)

No ships here.

Lucca: Lucca’s just cool. Anything with Lucca: tinkering, planning, another hobby she might have? Lucca and Robo doing stuff together.

For Magus and/or Schala I’d be interested in anything Zeal related.

Nu: The world begins and ends with Nu. I honestly don’t even know. Just Nu. Whatever Nu may inspire I’m interested in seeing.

Belthasar: End of Time stuff? Or before he was sent there. Early days there?

The Last Guardian

The Boy (The Last Guardian) 

Trico (The Last Guardian)

Give me all the cat-dog-bird fluff/shenanigans/playfulness/warmth/coziness. Anything while they’re together. Barrel feeding, snuggle time, riding, flying. Sweet or silly (Trico has his moments for sure) or something else. I adore Trico. I adore the boy and Trico’s companionship.

Alternatively something in the future. The boy grown up reuniting with Trico. A flight with Trico. A temporary willing return to the nest. Meeting Trico babies!

英雄伝説 VII | The Legend of Heroes VII (Video Games)

Randy Orlando (LoH VII)

Alex Dudley (LoH VII) 

Zeit (LoH VII) 

Campanella (LoF VII) 

Tio Plato (LoH VII) 

Sergei Lou (LoH VII) 

Lloyd Bannings (LoH VII) 

Elie MacDowell (LoH VII) 

KeA (LoH VII) 

No ships here please.

Bonding and found family is the name of the game here! Tio and Zeit spending time together. Lloyd and Randy having bro time or Lloyd trying to remind Randy that he does indeed belong with SSS. KeA and “Uncle” Sergei time! What might they do together, or what does KeA get Sergei to do with her? Lloyd and KeA spending time together, Lloyd spoiling KeA, KeA being a comfort to Lloyd. KeA turning on the charm on Dudley. Dudley and Sergei interaction. Any combination of any of the SSS related characters is great if you want a bigger SSS gathering. I love them all.

As for Campanella have fun. Go for the strange or unsettling. Ouroboros activity or out for a wander doing his own thing. Whatever it is Campanella does...

Traills in the Sky

Renne Hayworth (Sora no Kiseki)

Julia Schwarz (Sora no Kiseki)

Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor (Sora no Kiseki)

Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese (Sora no Kiseki) 

Cassius Bright (Sora no Kiseki) 

Tita Russell (Sora no Kiseki) 

Ries Argent (Sora no Kiseki) 

Joshua Bright (Sora no Kiseki) 

Mueller Vander (Sora no Kiseki) 

Kevin Graham (Sora no Kiseki) 

Estelle Bright (Sora no Kiseki) 

Ships I’m good with: Kevin/Ries, Olivier/Mueller, light Estelle/Joshua

Ries &/ Kevin: Anything in 3rd or after, pre-Ao no Kiseki, or after Ao no Kiseki. Give them some much needed soft times. Or could expand on a moment in Gehenna if you want to do something creepier, or really anything in Phantasma in particular or another Gralsritter mission.

Any combination of the Brights and those they adopt: Really feeling the family/found family vibes strongly with any combination of the Brights and Renne. Please give Renne some warmth, peace and happiness, or at least 2 out of 3. Father daughter bonding time with Estelle. Father/Grand(?)father new bonding time with Renne.

Tita & Renne: Girl time! Bonding time! Give these girls some joy. Send them plushy shopping or engineering nerding. Spooky story telling.

Olivier & Cassius: I’m just really interested to see more interaction between these two whether while they’re still planning or something before Olivier goes back to Erebonia after Sky SC. Cassius can’t help himself when it comes to giving advice…

Always welcome close friendship moments between Julia and Kloe.

Friendship between Mueller and Julia is cool.

I’m great with Olivier/Muller or Olivier & Mueller stuff.

Trails of Cold Steel

Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor (Sen no Kiseki) 

Mueller Vander (Sen no Kiseki) 

Laura S. Arseid (Sen no Kiseki) 

Fie Claussell (Sen no Kiseki) 

Emma Millstein (Sen no Kiseki) 

Alfin Reise Arnor (Sen no Kiseki)

Celine (Sen no Kiseki)

Ships I’m good with: Olivier/Mueller

Always great with anything either Olivier/Mueller or Olivier & Mueller. Alfin and Olivier are fun siblings with or without the beleaguered Mueller. Alternatively in CSII on the Courageous, Olivier is only a call away; some quiet talk between Alfin and Olivier would be good, share some worries and comfort.

School times are fun for those who are applicable. I’d also be interested in seeing something with Emma and Laura while they’re in Legram during the month between CS I and II. Further exploration of Lohengrin Castle?

Or with Fie while she’s with Machias and Elliot. Emma and Fie or Fie and Laura or all three is great too.

Unexpected combos are more than welcome to if you can make it work. Olivier and/or Mueller coming across Celine on one of his trips to Thors? Celine and Fie times? Alfin and anyone else here? Etc.

Dragon Quest XI

Seña | Serena (Dragon Quest XI) 

Sylvia | Sylvando (Dragon Quest XI) 

Graig | Hendrik (Dragon Quest XI)

No ships here please

Adventure! Exploration! Missing scenes are always great. All those campfires are ripe for interactions or singular character activity or introspection. Other characters are welcome to make appearances if desired.Interested in any gen combo of these three, but in particular Sylvando and Hendrik, or Sylvando and Serena.

[ladyloving]

Hello, it’s Sad Boy Hours again!!!

So upon saving Figaro Castle from being stuck underground in the World of Ruin, one of the ladies in the castle has this to say:

Yes, it’s partly a hint to go and fetch Strago’s stupid ass... But also???? Figaro Castle’s citizens??? In the Cult of Kefka?

Ouch. Can you imagine what a toll that would take on Edgar? It would kill him to think that his disappearance had left some of his people so hopeless and fearful that they would abandon the very idea of his eventual return and sell their heart and soul to the man who helped bring war to their doorstep, set their home on fire, killed countless innocents and ultimately ruined their world. 

Those are the actions of people who are frightened and desperate. It definitely adds an extra +1 on the “oh my god i’m a failure” counter and it makes me sad for my boy. :(

[jolienjoyswriting]

Mortem In Contumeliam FFVI, Epilogue

The epilogue (and, final) chapter of "Mortem In Contumeliam Final Fantasy VI," a Final Fantasy VI fan fiction story.

I bet you expecting more of a finale than this, weren't you?  Weeell… I could have gone on-and-on, but I figured the story was getting a bit long.  Besides, this part of the game goes by in a flash, depending on how you approach it! But, really… I just thought a nice, simple ending was in order, after everything. … if there's interest, though… I might write an extra chapter (or, two) which goes into greater detail on certain events. Hell, who am I kidding?  I may just do it, anyway.  Just, not right away. … that comment might be invalid by the time this is posted.  I wrote all these descriptions on August 1st, ha hah.

Word count: 2,869 – Character count: 16,340 Originally written: July 29th, 2019

Two years after the end of the world…

Final Fantasy VI, Wedge, Biggs, and related characters, scenarios, and properties created by Square Soft, Inc. and © Square Enix Co, Ltd.

[ ← Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter → ]

    “I’m an Imperial soldier!  Or, at least… I survived being one…”

    That was the story a man wearing a facsimile Imperial Army uniform told people passing through the Dragon’s Head Colosseum.  Sometimes, he would mention something about the Emperor and “talking to him twice,” while other times, he’d offer friendly hints and suggestions about what to bet… though, that usually ended up with customers losing their items to an opponent they couldn’t win against.  Still, it was relatively honest work for modest-but-fair pay, and it kept him off of the streets.  But, one day…

    “Welcome to the Dragon’s Head Colosseum!  I–”     “Wedge…?  Is that you?”     The fake soldier tilted his head as he was interrupted by a blond-haired woman wearing a form-fitting, red dress.     “I’m an Imperial soldier!” he told her.  “Or at least… I survived being one…”     Without warning, she threw her arms around his shoulders, giving him a tight hug.     “You were right, Celes!” she called.  “It is Wedge!”     “No,” said another blond lady wearing a green unitard, white cape, and a blue bandanna.  “I said that I think it might be him.  I’d never forget that voice, after what I did…”     “I’m sure it’s him!” the first woman said, brightly smiling as she held him close.  “You’re Wedge, the former Magitek Soldier who tried to help save the world!”     “I… I did…?” was the “soldier’s” confused response.     “Mm-hmm!”     The woman finally stepped back, continuing to smile.     “You still have the sword I gave you.”     He looked down at the sword on his belt.  Unlike the rest of his costume… that was real.

    “A… a close friend gave me that…” he told her.     “I’m that close friend!”  She giggled a little before telling him, “Wedge, I’m Tina!”     “Tina…?  Y… you’re… Tina…?”     “I’m Tina!” she repeated with a bright smile.     As she calmed down and brought red-wrapped arms in front, the man took off his helmet and gave her a closer look.  Something was familiar about her bouncy, blond hair tied up in a ribbon, and her pinkish-red dress with its and lavender sash and stockings…  But, more than that, something about the way she smiled at him reminded him of… better days – days that weren’t just filled with fighting, days where “peace” didn’t seem like such a foreign concept, and days where he had dreams of spending a quiet life running a small shop with a sweet, hope-filled girl and his best friend… who, he suddenly realized, he hadn’t thought about in ages…     “B… Biggs…”

    As he started to cry, the woman named Tina pulled him inward.  She softly shushed him, telling him everything would be alright as she stroked his short, red hair.  It was kind of awkward for the other lady to watch… but, kind of heartwarming, too. –––––

    “And… that’s what you’ve missed.”

    Sometime later, Wedge found himself seated in a small, semi-decorated room.  After quitting his job at the coliseum, he’d followed Tina and Celes out and wound up climbing aboard an airship not unlike the one he remembered snapping in half during the end of the world, more-than-a-year prior.  The new one, though, was much faster… but, also had a severe lack of rooms, which is why he and Tina ended up talking in what looked to be a closet with a chair and a well-dressed window.

    “So, I didn’t dream all that?  The world really did end…?”     She gave a nod, having finished telling him everything that had happened after the cataclysm, then everything she’d been involved with, since.     “Heh.”  He rubbed his face.  “I… I guess I kind of lost my marble, for a while…”     “A lot of us did…”  She frowned as she told him, “Celes nearly ended it all when her friend, Doctor Cid, died.  Kaien gave up searching for us only to give hope to a sweet woman in Maranda whose husband died.  I’m… not entirely sure what happened to Stragos, but we found him at a building, worshiping Kefka as a god!  Thank goodness sweet little Lilum was with us,  though I wish she hadn’t physically slapped him…  She can be so strict with her grandfather!”

    “You’re… a mother, now, you said?”     “Adoptive mother,” the woman corrected, to his relief.  “It… it feels so… so…”     He tilted his head.  Tina was blushing, all-of-a-sudden…     “All my life,” she started over, “I never knew what love was.  When I found my way to Mobliz and saw all of those children with their sad faces… something inside just… called to me.  Before I knew it, I was taking care of them all.  I… I’d finally found the love I was looking for…     “When Humbaba stormed the village…”  She looked away, pausing.  “I was defenseless…  There was nothing I could do.  I almost gave up… but, Miss Celes and Mister Figaro saved me and the children.  I thought I’d failed them and swore to never leave their side… but, it wasn’t until Humbaba returned that I found a new reason to fight with all my power.”     She looked up, giving a soft smile.     “I’m fighting for the future.  For their future.”

    “Heh.  You’re an amazing lady, Tina…”     She smiled a little more, but…     “You seem sad…”     She’d noticed how quiet he’d gotten, since her story.     “It seems like everyone has something to fight for, now more than ever…”     “Don’t you?” she quietly asked.     “Nope…  I don’t have any reason to fight…  Nothing we can do will fix this world.  But, you guys are hellbent on trying!  I just… don’t belong with you guys.”  He sighed.  “Never have.”     “That’s not true,” the girl politely countered.     “Yeah?”  The former soldier crossed his arms.  “Why, exactly, should I stick around?”     He gave a blink, then.  Tina had leaned down and given him a soft peck on the cheek.  As she drew back, brushing her bangs away from her face, she gave a soft smile and whispered…     “For me.” –––––

    “Oh, gods, what’d they do?!  The place is falling apart!!”

    The assembled forces of fourteen unique individuals had done the impossible and destroyed not only three warring gods of destruction, but the person who had focused their power and become a god, himself.  And, as Kefka Palazzo fell… so did his tower of junk.

    Twelve of the New Returners had gone into Kefka’s Tower, leaving the former Imperial soldier named Wedge to keep the airship hovering nearby.  He had been freaking out, knowing that Kefka’s “Light of Judgment” could go off at any time, ripping right through the flying vehicle… but, he stayed true to his course.  Not just because he was supporting a noble goal… not just because Setzer, the owner of the new airship, threatened to track him down and murder him if he chickened out… but, because he was waiting for someone to come back… and, he wanted to be the first person she saw after climbing up the ship’s hook.

    When the tower shuddered, Wedge looked over just in time to see something at the apex explode!  He was sure the Falcon – Setzer’s late friend’s airship – would get hit by the blast, but he managed to steer it away from danger… only to pull back as the rocks and metal of the tall structure began to crumble and collapse.  Whatever those crazy adventurers had done… it had done a number on the tower!  He just hoped… that they’d done the same to its owner.

    “Come on… come on…!”     He nervously paced back-and-forth.  It had been several minutes since the mimic called Gogo and the mostly-friendly cave beast named Umaro climbed down and ran into the tower in an attempt to guide everyone out, and he was getting anxious.     “They’ve gotta be okay…  They’ve just gotta!”

    After a bit more pacing, he finally sat down, pressing his hand to his chest over his tunic.     “Gods…  This can’t be good for my heart,” he sighed.  “It feels like it’s beating like a war drum!  Actually, it feels like it’s vibrating…  And… tugging at my– waugh!!”     Without any warning, something ripped free of his top, knocking his hand out of the way!  A second later, he looked up… only to remove his goggles and go wide-eyed.     “What are you…?” he squeaked at the creature floating before him.     “You don’t recognize me?” it called in a voice that practically pierced into his mind.     “Sh-should I…?!”     “I spend the better part of two years with you, and you forget I even exist…?”     The brown-skinned creature with long, angular horns and purple-blue hair grinned.     “I shudder to think of how you’ll treat my daughter, later on in her life!”     He narrowed his eyes…  “Your daught–”  Only to open them right back up.     “Son of a submariner…  You’re Madin?!”     “You’re right,” he said with a warm smile, “and, I need to tell you something…”

    Madin had never appeared to him quite so clearly and, in fact, he wasn’t sure that, despite having his very soul next to his heart for over two years, the Eidolon had ever spoken to him, prior.  Needless to say, Wedge was all-ears, at that moment.

    “Wedge… I’m afraid that this is both the first time, and the last time, that I can appear like this.” he sadly told the man.  “The Eidolon’s souls are vanishing from this world.”     “What?  No!  Wait, that’s not fair!” Wedge exclaimed, his eyes going wide, again.     “Magic is dying…” he explained, “and, with it, all it has birthed.”     Well, that explained why Kefka’s Tower was falling apart, at least.  But…     “So, this is really it…?  I’ll never–”  The ex-soldier paused.  “Wait, Tina!  You– you have to say goodbye to Tina!!”     “I wish I could…”  He gave a forlorn smile as he said, “You’ll have to do it for me.”     The man slowly nodded, feeling himself tear up.  “I will, Madin, I will…”     “If you get the chance…”     “If I…?”  He looked up.  “What?”

    “Tina… my daughter…” the Eidolon quietly murmured.  “She is half of what I am.”     “Okay… but, what do you mean–”     “She may well vanish with the rest of us.”     Wedge was immediately sent into a panic.     “No– no-no– no-no-no…!”     “But…” the magical creature sighed as his form started to fade, “if she has been able to feel something precious, as a human…”     “If she’s… wait, what does that–”     “Then perhaps… as a… human…”     With those last, enigmatic words… Madin ceased to exist.

    For several moments, Wedge just held his head, sitting and rocking in-place.  He couldn’t believe… refused to believe… that, not a few days after being reunited with the woman he’d grown to love, she was going to… vanish.  Just like her father…  It was almost too much for him to bear.  But, eventually… he pulled himself up, leaped overboard, and started climbing down…     “Tiiinaaaaa…!!”     “Follow me!”     Only to see her whizz by in her Eidolon form.

    “Oh.”     He blankly stared, hanging onto the airship’s hook for a moment.     “W-wait, no– Tina!”     “Move it!!  We’ve got to get out of here!!”     Wedge yelped as Setzer clambered up the chain – and, subsequently, climbed him – before getting onto the deck.  A couple more people did the same before he finally got the message and returned to where he was, himself.

    Not long after everyone boarded, the airship roared away from the crumbling, exploding tower, led by a pinkish-purple light in the shape of a girl.     “Tina…!” Wedge called out.     “The last of the Magicite!”

    He looked back.  A crystal floated away from Edgar’s hand before bursting into dust.     “Tina…” the former soldier worriedly whimpered…     “Tina!  That’s enough!!” Celes cried to her friend from the ship’s head.  “Your power…”     Wedge had never felt so much sympathy for the former general as he did, then.  He, too, could see the half-Eidolon girl starting to falter… and, it was scaring him to a point of silence.

    As the tower collapsed and burst into a pile of rocky, molten slag, the Falcon pierced the dark clouds, closely following the half-Eidolon into open airspace.  It was strange… but, somehow, the previously-purple sky seemed like it was losing its ominous glow and reverting to a long-forgotten, familiar shade of blue.  Tina, on the other hand…     “No– no!!”     Suddenly, Celes and Edgar ran over to the side of the ship.  When Wedge looked that way, he noticed that Tina was slowing and starting to fall.  She looked a little pale, too…     “She’s losing her power!” the other blond woman shouted.     “Setzer!” Edgar called.  “After her!”     “Leave it to me!” the captain called from the steering wheel.  “Hang ooon…!”

    Everyone hung on to whatever they could as the airship shot straight down, breaking back through the clouds and chasing the falling woman.     “Tina!”     Wedge, who was starting to get used to a life of excitement, found himself losing focus…     “Tina…”     He squinted his eyes, his consciousness starting to slip.  And, soon…     “Ti… na…”     He blacked out.

    “Wedge?  Wedge…?  Are you alright?”     The ex-soldier groaned, shaking his head…  “Who… where…?”     “Relax, Wedge.  You’re with friends.”     He slowly opened his eyes, having trouble seeing straight.  All he could see was blurry shapes and colorful splotches…     “Can’t… see…” he huffed.  “What… happened?”     “What happened?” a smart-sounding voice repeated from nearby.  “What happened?!  I’ll tell you what happened, Cheese Wedge!  Setzer just saved your girlfriend’s butt after she flew us away from Kefka’s Tower – which is just a big pile of trash, now, by the way!”     “My… what?”  Wedge was… very confused.     “Lock…” the voice from before said, sounding shy.  “He’s not my boyfriend…”     “Not yet!” Lock laughed, “but, I’ve seen the way you two look at each other!  Plus, Shadow recently told me a fun little story from the past…”     “He– he didn’t!”  The female voice sounded nervous.     “He sure did!” her companion laughed.  “Never would’ve pegged this guy as a romantic…but, two people can learn a lot about each other when stuck on a flyin’ island, huh?”     Wedge heard a long, embarrassed groan and felt a weight compress his chest.  He tried to get a look at it… only to see what appeared to be someone’s blond-haired head resting on a pair of arms with pinkish-red opera-style gloves.  It didn’t take him much thought to realize…     “T… Tina!”

    The former soldier shot up like a rocket, accidentally throwing his friend’s head off of his body.  A second later, he felt incredibly dizzy and slumped back down.     “Careful…” he heard Tina say.     “What… happened?” he sighed, feeling her stroke his head.  “I remember a nosedive…”     “That’s ‘cause Setzer put the ship into a nosedive!” Lock explained with another laugh.  “Like I said, he saved Tina!”     “I told you, didn’t I?” a voice called from somewhere behind.  “The world’s fastest ship!”     “As far as we can tell… you passed out from the speed,” Tina added after that.     “Gotta say, that’s pretty embarrassing!”     “Lock!  Be nice!”     “Hey, just sayin’…”     “Anyway…” the kind woman continued, rubbing his cheek with the back of one hand.  “You just lay there on the couch until you feel better.  We’ll try and be quiet for you.”     “Once we’re done partying, anyway!  Not every day ya kick four war-gods’ asses!”     “You… what…?”

    Wedge slowly sat back up, then looked at his companions.  Tina was seated on the floor, fondly smiling at him with gentle eyes while Lock stood behind her, his arms crossed and a grin on his face.  When he tossed a random thumbs up, Wedge just tilted his head.     “Where… is everyone?” he found himself asking, suddenly noticing a lack of people.     “They’re celebrating up top!” Lock answered.  “You’re welcome to join us when ya feel better!  I mean, you just drove the airship while we did all the heavy lifting, buuut…”     “Lock!”     Tina gave her friend a dirty look as he shrugged and walked away with a smile.

    “Anyway, you just rest, and I’ll–”     “Tina, there’s something I need to tell you.”     She tilted her head.  “Can it wait?  You still haven’t recovered.”     “I…”  He hesitated before telling her, “I saw your dad.”     “You did?”     Somehow… she didn’t seem as surprised as he was expecting.     “He said to tell you ‘goodbye…’  He also said you might vanish… b-but, you didn’t!”     The man smiled… before looking down at the couch he was seated on.     “Tina…  I’m so sorry…  He was a good dad.”     When he looked back up, he saw that Tina was still smiling… but, she also looked sad.     “If I hadn’t kept him all to myself for the last two years…  If I’d only give him back…!”     “It’s okay,” she said, shaking her head with a little sniffle.  “You needed him more.”     “But–!”     She pressed a finger to his lips, her smile brightening a little.     “I’m going to Mobliz, soon.  I want to check on the children.  Come with me?”     “Uh…”  He blinked… then, he smiled.  “It’s a date?”     “About time!” she exclaimed.  “It’s not nice to keep a girl waiting for two whole years!”     He had to blink, again.  She’d used a scolding tone… but, she was grinning.  And, that was enough to get him smiling, again, which put an even brighter smile back on her face!

    “You… are a precious cinnamon bun, Tina…” was all he had to say before finally resting…

[runicmagitek]

Dépaysement (Celes & Strago - Final Fantasy VI)

(( my fourth fic for Chocolate Box! ))

She didn’t belong there. It wasn’t her home, but she never bestowed such a title to anywhere. Vector might have confined her throughout her youth, but a military fortress wasn’t a place for a child. It wasn’t until Celes found children laughing and playing in the streets of Thamasa that she realized what normalcy she was robbed of.

She tried not to think of what came after that. The flames swallowing the houses were no different from the fires rolling through Maranda.

Maybe that was why she returned to Thamasa. The fires weren’t her doing, but Vector was in ruins and Maranda was abandoned. Where else was she to go? Nothing but silence answered her, much to her dismay.

Strangers gazed at her as she ambled down the broken streets. Her search was short-lived; despite his size, Strago’s voice carried into the clouds. For all Celes knew, it was a genetic trait, thus explaining Relm’s behavior. In a clearing behind a caved-in house stood Strago, flailing and barking orders to the townsfolk. They fumbled with wood and stone meant for repairs and Strago sighed and smacked his face.

Read more: [AO3] [FFN]

[offlineclouds]

World of final fantasy valley 7 treasure chests

Also, look around other places in Doma during Cyan's dream. In Cyan's Dream, when you drop into Doma, go into Cyan's room before you fight Wrexsoul. Walk around to the right of the boxes, then go down and to the right to get a White Cape. In the Returners Hideout, go to the northmost room (there are three chests and a bunch of boxes in it). There are some nifty items in that secret basement. In south Figaro, when you play Locke's scenario, go staight down after it asks you if you want to change clothes (right before you go and save Celes). Repeat these steps several times, and eventually you will get a Tintinabar. Go back to the soldier, and he will have another letter to send. Send it by going to the post office, then take a rest at the Inn. He will ask you to send a letter for him. In Mobliz in the World of Ruin, visit the wounded soldier. Leave one party on a save point, then venture forward until another party reaches a save point, then trade. If you are in a multi-party situation (like the Phoenix Cave or Kefka's Tower), you can save and use tents for all party members when only one of them is at a save point. Be sure to cast Life3 on party members, because he'll cast Ultima at the end of the battle. He won't be able to WallChange and he'll lose a lot of spellcasting abilities. To beat the MagiMaster with no problems, simply cast Bserk on him.

The only attack that can cause damage is LifeShaver, which is cast by TumbleWeeds. Fights can give you character up to 20,000 experience points per battle, and there is very little risk. Cast Vanish, and walk around on the green (grass), fighting monsters (don't forget the Exp. You might want to wait before you get Raiden, because Odin is the only Esper which gives a speed bonus at level up.Ī good experience building tactic for the World of Ruin: Take one party member who knows Vanish to the island Doma Castle is on. Go down the stairs and talk to the Queen. Walk five steps down from there, and you'll step on an invisible switch, which creates a stairway to the right.

You can change the Esper Odin into Raiden by doing as follows: Get Odin in the Ancient Castle, then go to the Queen's throne (the one on the right from your view). There is an invisible walkspace by the bottom-left tube check for a treasure chest down there. To find the Break Blade: in the MagiTek Factory, there is a corridor of empty, intact glass tubes (just before the room where you meet Cid and get a lot of Magicite). Go to the second treasure room, go to the space directly to the right of the treasure chest, face up, and press A. You can get an Air Anchor in the Fanatic's Tower, instead of betting Genji Armor at the Collosseum. Could this one be Shadow's Memento Ring?) (Note that only Relm and Shadow can equip the Memento Ring. On the top floor of Strago's house, in Thamasa, you can get another Memento Ring by going to the left corner of the room, by the table and chairs. (This isn't TRULY getting Kappa, but it is a neat trick anyway.)

If you want your old character back, just use a Green Cherry or cast Imp again. Now you have Kappa, the Imp in your party! He won't be able to use any special abilities or magic other than Imp, but he will be a very strong fighter with great defensive capabilities. Now equip a character with all the Imp Equipment, and rename him/her "Kappa". You can find most of these in the World of Ruin around Narshe - steal from the enemies. Then, collect all the Imp Equipment (Imp Halberd, Imp's Armor, Titanium, Tortoise Shield). First, get a Rename Card from the Colosseum (wager an Elixir). Remember Kappa, the Imp who told you about Gau? If you want him in your party, do the following.

[gal-the-violet]

Gal Talks Blue Mage in FFXIV

This is mostly me having verbal diarrhea about a topic that I have been thinking about WAY TOO OFTEN lately. So read it up if you want, or don’t, I’m not your mom, I’d remember ripping myself from puss to butt to birth something as ugly as you. This post will contain rumors, so if you count rumors about possible playable classes as spoilers, please don’t read this pile of shit?

Quick overview of what’s a blue mage:

There’s one thing that’s pretty consistent about blue magic is that it’s about gaining enemy abilities and being able to use them for yourself. They first appeared in FF V, one of the 4 main series FFs I have yet to touch. Later in the series, Blue Magic did return, but at times, it simply was not called that, but its spirit was very true. So beyond V, what other blue mages were there? There’s Strago Magus, the old guy from VI, though he was referred to as a Lore Master. He did not even have to be on the receiving end of an attack to learn it, he simply had to witness it. VII had a materia that helped you learn enemy attacks, but that’s not super pertinent to this conversation, thank you. Quistis of VIII used Blue Magic as well, girl had a whip as a main weapon and as a limit break used blue magics learned from items dropped by enemies. IX, one of my favorite entries, brought us Quina Quen s/he would EAT low-healthed monsters to gain their abilities, gurl was famished and used forks as weaponry. X had Kimahri Ronso, the big panther guy was able to learn enemy abilities with his lancet and use them in his overdrive. Then came XI, an expansion brought Blue Mage as a class for your main character! Awesome! In the MMO Blue magic had a pretty dark connotation as you were using abilities that were not meant for mortals, effectively perhaps tainting your soul! They were mostly assassins, with their choice of garb being absolutely Arabian inspired, no? (I won’t talk about FF tactics, but I do believe there are blue mages at some point in there, the above image is from that, while the one below is from XI)

The FFXIV rumors:

I’m not gonna actually provide proof of leaks or what have you. You’ll do your own little work and will google for your own self. But, the next expansion, which might be called Shadowbringers, would be bringing Soldier(gunblade tank), Dancer(Healer) and Blue Mage(DPS). This would have come from some datamining, I don’t understand datamining, never understood datamining, never will understand datamining, so take this with a grain of salt.

The three distinct possibilities for blue mage in FFXIV:

It’s hard to imagine a system where your character will need to fight a certain monster or number of monsters to learn abilities. In FFXIV, abilities are learned through quests or level. It is my belief that this will continue still with blue magic, even if it kinda goes against what it means. Your quests will simply be about gaining the new spells by fighting a specific enemy/boss. So, the possibilities I see:

Learn magic from beasts/enemies: Pretty likely. I heard that some of the leaks did point towards this.

Learn magic from beastmen: Somewhat likely. I, as a player of an IC beast tribe researcher, would die if this was the case. Instead of having to beat them, perhaps they actually teach your unique forms of magic?

Learn magic from primals: I totally see Square coming from behind with this. It would be disappointing for roleplayers though. Summoners already have this, by having to have been present when a primal dies to be able to summon their egi, would they do it again by having your character learn abilities after defeating primals? I would hope not, but it’s possible, though I think it is less likely than the two others.

How I would make BLU:

With any future implementation of a new job, you need to figure out why it’s not part of today’s Eorzean society. Machinist is new, Red Mages fell twenty years ago to infighting, etc...

I’d go for option 1 and 2 though, that blue magic is learned from monsters or beast tribes, and such a type of magic would be ill received by most modern city states, hence, the blue mages are nomadic, they keep to themselves, teaching one another the art and passing down soul crystals. They do not write down their traditions because their writings could be found, and could lead to persecution, or worse misuse. So, it’s all oral and soul crystals, I’m taking some inspiration from the Speakers of the Castlevania Netflix series, admittedly. Perhaps instead of being from Eorzea, they are from Ivalice, another reason why Blue Mages are not mentioned anywhere yet, because people do not know about them! One master could have come to Eorzea to perhaps scout out if it is safe for the blue mages to follow, the WoL meets them, stuff ensues, and you’re the first Eorzean accepted in the order and taught blue magic. So roleplayers COULD get away with it, while still putting on clear limits like Square Enix seems to love to have for their jobs.

For their choice of weapon? I would SOOOO go whip. Though this would be the wet dream of dominatrixes, I just feel it ties well with the whole dealing with beasts well, keeping them at a distance while you copy their abilities, etc... We already have a few classes that have swords, I’d rather not go sword!

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Well, that is about it honestly, thanks for reading :3