#Yeah that's...Seifer for ya

[ofmoonlily]

A group of children and a few elderly folk circle around Yuna while Seifer made use of the crusader's showers.

Yuna lowers to their level as a young girl shared the activities they did in school or how they definitely saw a giant spider with a unicorn horn skittering across the island cliffs. The elderly couple lean on each other while they barely uttered a sound. They were watching one of their own prepare to embark on a dangerous mission to save them all.

"Lord Braska, rest his soul, must be singing on the farplane seeing his daughter follow in his footsteps." the elderly woman says.

"Lady Yuna! Come back soon! We gotta play together to celebrate once you beat Sin, ya?" the little girl excitedly jumps, drawing a fragile chuckle from the brunette.

"Mm. I'll try my best.~"

The old woman buries her face into her husband's chest while he smiles like an overly proud father, "Spittin' image of Lord Braska himself. It was fate that she would walk the summoner's path, ya?"

"Lady Yuna! Look! Look! Look!" a little boy holds his palm up to Yuna, an oddly shaped rock present in his palm, "I found it at the beach! It looks like the moon!"

"Oh! It's very pretty," Yuna's lips curl into a smile, "One of your very own treasures, then?"

"Yeah! I bet it's lucky. Do you think it's lucky?

"Hmm…" the summoner playfully indulges in his antics, tilting her head as she analyzes the rock, "I think….it is very, very lucky. You should share that infinite luck with everyone in the village. Think of how happy it would make everyone."

The little boy ponders for a moment before the purest look of elation finds his visage, "Ya! Maybe if I offer it to the fayth, then Sin won't destroy the island, ya?" The other children gasped. Could it really be that powerful, like Lady Yuna says? This little moon shaped rock?

Their concerned faces pull fits of soft laughter from the summoner, cherishing this moment, this very conversation, so that she may turn it into strength for the long journey ahead.

As Seifer emerges from the lodge, Yuna finishes off her visit with a prayer before she takes a step away from the small crowd and waves her hand to her newest recruit from afar.

She heals him.

He doesn't know why, or how quickly she'd noticed, considering how much garuda blood he was currently wearing, but her small hand slides right beneath his coat and administers a cure like it's nothing at all.

Seifer is too stunned to speak for a second, until she's done and smiling at him again.

"Uh. Yeah. Sure. I'll try to keep myself in one piece," he says, and can't help but return the smile she gives him. He'd honestly just expected to bleed until he took the time to patch himself up-- Garden would have slapped him with a potion or a paramagic cure, something cold and artificial.

Her magic is warm, refreshing. And when he touches his side, it feels like there wasn't a wound at all.

She leads him to the showers, shows him right where everything is, and thanks him for saving her life in nearly the same breath.

She's damn cute, he's gotta admit.

"Anytime," and that's offered with a grin that can only really be called flirtatious-- anywhere else, and he'd have chatted her up in a bar, or at a party.

No different here, covered in blood and standing outside a bathouse, right?

"I'll be fast," he adds to her back as she goes, and rolls his eyes at the attendant at the door who's smothering a grin. "You think you can get blood out of this?" he asks, gesturing to the coat.

"Yeah, we'll hit it with a waterga or two and some soap, it'll be good as new in a few. Leave it on the bench and I'll bring it back before you're done."

"Great."

It's better news than he was expecting. Seifer does what he's asked, leaving everything piled on the bench, (except Hyperion, and the blade he takes with him into the stall, using the water pressure to clean off all the gunk and salt water damage it had taken from his initial arrival, and then setting it carefully to dry just outside the curtain.

The shower is the best thing he's had in months-- he is half-tempted to stay there forever, beneath the hot water, but everyone seems to be in a bit of a hurry for no reason, so he makes hasty work of a bar of coconut-scented soap, scrubbing himself down, eradicating any traces of monster blood from his skin.

Eventually, he shuts off the water, wraps a towel around his waist, and comes face to face with a mirror the second he steps out, hanging over the sink across the way.

Seifer nearly doesn't recognize himself-- he can't remember the last time he'd looked in a mirror after Ultimecia'd scooped him up and then dumped him like an unwanted puppy-- and he nearly doesn't recognize himself.

Hair's wild, sticking up every which way-- he rakes his fingers back through it, corralling the strands into something like a semblance of order-- but his cheekbones are sharper, and there's a faint crop of blond stubble all over, threatening to grow into a proper beard if he doesn't get his hands on a razor soon. He's scarred, a bunch of new ones he doesn't (or only vaguely) remembers getting, a big ugly one in his right elbow from the Garden battle that still feels numb when he presses his fingers into it. Seifer turns his back to the mirror slightly to assess the damage there.

It's as bad as he remembers, five massive, searing black stripes from his shoulder practically to his waist, healed over almost fucking tenderly by Ultimecia, telling him what a good boy he was, how well behaved.

The memory makes him want to puke. Seifer turns on the sink hastily, splashing cold water over his face to try to quell the urge, and comes up dripping, but feeling less like he's going to vomit.

"You are fine," he tells his reflection sternly, and he better mean it-- he's escaped. She isn't here. She is dead, hopefully.

(He hopes like hell Squall's managed that much, at least, and only regrets that he hadn't been able to do it himself.)

His clothes are, surprisingly, clean. Folded neatly, too, and his personal effects from his pockets are set alongside in a little woven bowl. Somehow, he'd managed to not lose his wallet, and there's fifty gil stuffed in there, still, along with his Garden ID and a bank card that undoubtedly will do him no good here. His watch, broken beyond repair; Seifer tosses it into the trash, because there's no point in keeping it. A comb, two tines broken out of it but otherwise okay. Good enough by him, and he uses that to fix what his hands couldn't manage with his hair. No gel, he'll just have to suffer looking like a teenage heartthrob from a boy band for a while.

Twenty-three cents in coins; he adds those to his pants pocket with the wallet. A crumpled feather from a black chocobo-- no idea where he'd gotten that. Trash. Pocketknife, still wickedly sharp and more than useful-- definitely keeping that.

The hem of his coat is mangled, torn to shit; he carefully uses the knife, cutting off an approximately straight line to get rid of the worst of the damage. It's dragonskin; it's not like it's going to unravel on him if there's no fancy hem.

He dresses. Shrugs on the coat, laces up his boots. Puts Hyperion back in its case, now that she's clean and dry, and slings the nylon, padded strap across his chest.

Time to go be a guardian. Whatever the fuck that means.

(But whatever gets him off this tiny island, he supposes. He'll figure the rest of it out as he goes.)

[meoproject]

More nostalgia fanart.

The Disciplinary Committee from FFVIII is p handy because it happens to be my 3 favorite characters all in one. I'm a big fan of posse dynamics, and basically I'm saying I want a FFVIII AU where they join Squall and co. and I have a whole game where Seifer argues with Trepies on online forums and we skip that whole "manipulated by a sorceress" thing, ya know? I recently replayed FFVIII. It was the first FF game I ever played, but it took me literal years to finish, mostly because my understanding of english was pretty poor, and I couldn't handle the Junction system well as a result, and I got brickwalled pretty bad by several bosses. It's ironic because the Junction system is easily one of the most broken systems there is, and it takes like 30 mins of setup, and you overpower like most of the game.  ANYWAY yeah the point is FFVIII is the first FF I played, and also, somehow, the FF I've played the least. I recently replayed it, and found myself finding it a lot better than I remember it being? There's a lot going on with the characters, and every one of them has something I like and something I don't like, and even the characters I don't like I kind of... get? Which is honestly pretty nice. But I'm probably enjoying the parts no one else enjoys. The whole time compression and whatever sorceress bullshit is ... fine? but that's not the part I like.  When it comes to VIII, I really found myself enjoying the idea of exploring the world where there are mercenary schools for orphans where they get their minds and memories fucked with para-magic. Which brings us back handily back to Seifer. Now, I understand that I am a hardcore apologist here, but I think the implications of the world makes Seifer the most interesting character of the bunch. There is a dark angst-with-happy-ending fanfic exploring ptsd, manipulation and mindcontrol there somewhere...! Raijin and Fujin are just fun characters who have fun interactions with main characters, each other and Seifer. A+ pals.                                    

[hyperionswrath-a]

@chosenbythecrystal​​ | | unprompted

⤷ "I feel safe with you."

There it was again, that notion he couldn’t understand and quite frankly, didn’t want to hear - not out of the mouth of the Prince of Lucis himself. Weirdly, he was much alike to his father in that, putting trust where it shouldn’t be and where it most certainly wasn’t deserved. Part of Seifer wanted to give the younger one a slap over the back of his head for even thinking such things, dangerous as it were. I feel safe with you. The last person that had felt safe around him had been tossed into the arms of a daemon to merge with the abomination, because she had ordered it so. Because she had his mind in a vice grip. And who could tell if it wasn’t still the case, simply slumbering somewhere in the depths of his broken mind? Exhaling a breath in form of a snort, the blond procured his trusty pack of cigarettes, slipped a stick between his lips and lit it with a snap of his fingers, calling on the King’s magic to bring the fire forth. His jaw was working as he held the smoke in his lungs for a moment before releasing it with a quiet exhale, shaking his head as a chuckle fell from his lips, rumbling in his broad chest. “Ya should stick with that trusty Shield of yours and whatever else your posse consists of.” He had seen the glasses-wearing know-it-all that reminded him all too well of his former instructor, and the blond boy that seemed to be more of a tag-along than any use in battle with how skinny the guy was. No muscle, no brawn. But not his problem, either. “You do know they send us Glaives to the frontlines, yeah? We’re not supposed to take care for you or your family.” And by the six, hadn’t they been over this a multitude of times… Sure, it catered to Seifer’s ego a damn lot that Noctis wanted him as some sort of personal guard, that he stuck to him like a lost puppy, looking up to him as if he was the answer to whatever it was the younger one had been dreaming of his whole life but when it came down to it? Seifer was still the traitor taken in for intel about Niflheim, he was still the asshole that started fights instead of ending them, making him more of a liability than anything else… and he was still someone that generally drew in danger instead of keeping it away. Which in conclusion was everything the royal family did not want their precious little prince to be around, no matter how stubborn the other one was. “I’d advise against feeling too safe around someone like me, princeling.” A glance out of the corner of his eyes down to the other, emerald taking in the ravenhaired one with a slight frown drawing his brows together. He had known such stubbornness before and he knew where it led if he wasn’t careful.

[uselessmateria]

F is for Friends, pt 1

“I think I met someone.”

Ah yes.  Those famous last words.

Seifer could recall the afternoon very clearly, even a year later.  That awful day she had told him about The Douche.  Though it hadn’t been awful at the time.

What it had been was innocuous.  The start of their second year and they’d been studying together – well, she’d been studying, he’d stopped for the night and started playing Wreckfest on his Xbox because week three of school was far too early to be studying.  She watched him play as she tapped her pencil against her cheekbone.

“Oh yeah?  Big Girl Quistis got herself her very first boyfriend?” The race he’d been winning left him partially distracted, and she went on.

“Maybe.  His name is Rexul, and he’s the TA for my psychiatry class. He’s very intelligent.”

“Well tell him he has to have you home by 9, and no funny business.”  She rolled her eyes.  He didn’t see it on account of the game, but he’d known her long enough to know that she’d rolled her eyes.

“Thanks for your permission, Dad.”

“Listen.  I am happy to step into that role for you, Q.  It would be my honor.”

“You are very good at intimidating people.” Her voice was mock-thoughtful, and he grinned.

“Do what you love, they say.”  He smashed his prized Gatecrasher into the side of a Gremlin, taking back his lead.

“Well he’s taking me out on Saturday for dinner, since you didn’t ask.”

“Your very first date! Papa’s so proud.  Thanks for asking my permission, I consent.  Hey hey!   Flying colors, baby!”  He tossed the controller in the air and caught it.

“It’s not my first date, you imbecile.”  She threw her pencil at him, hitting him squarely in the back of the head.  He ignored it, knowing that would irritate her more.

“Hey, maybe you’ll even have your first kiss!  And soon, your first period!  Oh, how they grow up so fast.”

“YOU need to grow up! I had my first period when I was 12 you sicko.”

“How could I forget? You came in crying thinking you were bleeding out.”  He started up a new race, settling in deeper into his black leather couch.  She’d marched over to him, standing in front of his tv and solidly blocking the view.

“Like you were a huge help. You just leapt on Zell, thinking he’d attacked me.  And hey - I had my first kiss when I was twelve too in case you forgot that as well.”

“Oh Q, how could I forget our romantic rendezvous on the beach.” He paused the game and reached out to grab her by the waist, wiggling his eyebrows and yanking her towards him onto the couch.  “It was your classic boy meets girl, boy saves girl from jellyfish.” She was trying to escape from where he’d sat on her before returning to his game.  “Remind me, Q, was it my rugged 12-year-old good looks, or an unnatural attraction to sea creatures that did it for ya?”

The couch pillow hit him in the face before he knew she’d grabbed it.

“You weigh a metric ton, get off me!  Just you wait, my new boyfriend’s gonna beat you up.” He snorted at that but raised himself up enough to free her.  She scrambled to the side of the couch, running her fingers through her hair and straightening her sweater.

“I always forget how funny you are, Q.  Why are you looking for a boyfriend when we have this amazing romance right here?”

“Maybe one kiss my whole life isn’t enough for me.  Maybe I’ll collect boyfriends like Pokémon.  Who knows.”

“If they’re Pokémon, I call Charizard.”

“Oooof course you would.”

He forgot how the rest of it went, but she’d settled eventually, using him as a backrest as she read her history textbook while he continued to pulverize other drivers.  

And that’s how they were. He teased her, she joked back, constantly at each other over something - but it was never serious.  They never actually got mad at each other.  No, Quistis was the closest thing in this world that he had to family.  Aside from the rest of the orphanage lot.  But him and Q, they’d always been their own thing. The older kids.  The pseudo-grown-ups.  (Not like he acted like one, she’d say.)

But the point was, he could always count on her, and she could always count on him.

And then along came The Douche.

[atomic-taco-muffin]

The Lost Princess Chapter 38

Warnings: same as the last chapter 

Rating: SFW

“A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory.”

“A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream.”

“I want to line the pieces up--yours and mine.”

It was your birthday yet again in Daybreak Town. All of the foretellers gathered together and released lanterns for your birthday. 

“How long do you think we’ll keep this up?” Aced asked.

“Till I get my daughter back,” Ira said. 

“But we don’t even know if she’s alive. How do you know that you’ll get her back?” Invi said. 

“I can feel it in my heart. She’s alive and she’s happy. And she will return.” 

~~~~

Xehanort smirked at the sight of the lanterns entering Scala ad Caelum. 

“So, he’s still hopeful of his daughter. He won’t be for long,” he said. He summoned his Keyblade and broke one of the lanterns. 

“That girl will fall into darkness. She just needs a little convincing,” he said.  

~~~~

Roxas walked through the basement corridor. He saw two capsules with familiar faces inside.

“...Donald. ...Goofy?” he asked. He turned to the door at the end of the hall and entered. DiZ was standing in a completely bright room in front of a single large capsule.

“At last, the Keyblade's chosen one. The protector of the Spirit,” he said.

“Who are you talking to? Me? Or Sora?” Roxas asked. 

“To half of Sora, of course. You reside in darkness. What I need is someone who can move about the realm of light and destroy Organization XIII.” 

“Why? Who are you?”

“I am a servant of the world.” DiZ laughed.

“And if I'm a servant, then you should consider yourself a tool, at best,” he said. 

“Was that... Was that supposed to be a joke?” Roxas asked as he summoned his keyblade. 

“'Cause I'm not laughing!” he said. Roxas ran up to DiZ and struck through him. The Keyblade created a wave of data through DiZ. Roxas, surprised, stood straight.

“My apologies. This is only a data-based projection,” DiZ said. Roxas screamed in anger, and futilely struck DiZ repetitively with the Keyblade. DiZ vanished and reappeared behind him while Roxas caught his breath.

“Come, over here,” DiZ said. Roxas stared at DiZ.

“I hate you so much...” he said. 

“You should share some of that hatred with Sora. He's far too nice for his own good,” DiZ said. 

“No! My heart belongs to me!” Roxas ran and cut again through DiZ. DiZ disappeared and the capsule glowed. The mechanical petals opened slowly and revealed what they contained.

“Sora...(Y/N)...” Roxas said. There, you and Sora were sleeping soundly in the capsule. 

“You're lucky. Looks like my summer vacation is...over,” Roxas said. Roxas turned around and faded to white.

“Sora? (Y/N)?” he asked. 

“Huh?” you asked. 

“Who's there?” Sora asked. 

“Sora! (Y/N)!” Donald said. 

“Wake up, you two,” Goofy said. You and Sora woke up and the capsule opened again in front of Donald and Goofy. You and Sora stretch and the other two laugh at how small your clothes have gotten. You and Sora jumped out of the capsule in front of them and grabbed them in your arms.

“Donald!” you said. 

“Goofy!” Sora said. The four of you laughed and hopped in a circle. Jiminy Cricket climbed on Sora's shoulder, yawned, and stretched. Odile did the same thing on your shoulder. 

“That was some nap!” Jiminy said. Jiminy hopped down to the floor.

“You mean, we were asleep?” you asked. 

“I guess we musta been, or I don't think we'd be so drowsy...” 

“When do ya think we went to sleep?” Goofy asked. 

“Uhh...” Donald said. 

“Let's see...we defeated Ansem...” Sora said. 

“Yep,” Goofy said. 

“...restored peace to the world...found Kairi... Oh yeah, and then we went to look for Riku. And my brother gave me Odile and showed me memories of my parents. I think that's right so far,” you said. 

“Then what?” Donald asked. 

“What does your journal say, Jiminy?” Goofy asked. Jiminy took out his journal.

“Gee, there's only one sentence... ‘Thank Naminé.’ Hmm... I wonder who that is,” he said. You, Sora, Donald, Odile, and Goofy looked at one another and shook your heads.

“Some journal that is,” Donald said. 

“Well, what do ya say we find out where we are!” Jiminy said. You and the group walked to Twilight Town and entered the Usual Spot.

“You know, I think I've been to this town,” Sora said.

“Me too,” you said.

“What's it called?” Donald asked.

“Hmm... Guess we must've imagined it,” Sora said. Hayner, Olette, and Pence were boredly lying around the room.

“What do you want!?” Hayner asked. 

“Uh, nothing. Just wondering what was back here,” you said. 

“Now you know. This is our spot.”

“Umm...” Pence said. 

“What?” Sora asked. 

“You're...new around here, right? I'm Pence.” 

“Hayner. Nice to meet you, but we got stuff to do, so catch ya later,” Hayner said as he left. 

“My name's Olette. Hey, did you finish up the summer homework, yet? Independent studies are the worst, huh?” Olette said. 

“Homework?” you and Sora asked. The two of you looked at Donald and Goofy, who shrugged. 

“Hey, what're your names?” Pence asked. 

“Oh. We’re Sora, (Y/N), Donald, and Goofy,” Goofy said. 

“And this is Odile,” you said. Odile popped out and looked at everyone. 

“Aww, she’s so cute!” Olette said as she scratched under Odile’s chin. Odile purred at the feeling. 

“You know, we just met someone who was looking for you,” Goofy said.

“He sure seemed in a hurry. He had a black coat on so I couldn't see his face, but he had these big round ears,” Pence said. 

“The King!” Donald said.

“Where'd you see him?” Sora asked. 

“At the station,” Pence said. 

“The station! Thanks!” you said. 

“Well, we'd better get back to that assignment,” Olette said.

“Later,” Pence said. Him and Olette lef the Usual Place, leaving you, Odile and the trio by yourselves.

“Oh boy! The King's trying to find us!” Donald said. 

“Yeah, let's get to the station!” Sora said. The five of you entered the Sandlot and found Seifer, Fuu and Rai.

“Hey you, where'd you come from?” Seifer asked. 

“Uhh...” you said. 

“You here to pick a fight with us or something?”

“Fight? We're not here to fight,” Sora said.

“Yeah, you big palooka!” Donald said. 

“Okay, smartalecks... Time to teach you how to behave in my town. Bring it!” Seifer said. Him, Fuu, and Rai took defensive stances. Odile stood in front of you and the trio in a hostile manner. 

“Calm down, Odile. We’re not gonna fight these guys,” you said. 

“Man, what a jerk,” Sora said. Donald nodded and the five of you continued your trek to find the station. The five of you continued to Central Station and were suddenly surrounded by Dusks. You all fought them, but were overwhelmed and became exhausted. Mickey appeared on the ledge of the station. As the Dusks striked again and Sora held up his Keyblade while you held onto your dagger and Odile, Mickey swooped down and destroyed the remaining Nobodies with his own Keyblade. You and Sora were amazed. Donald and Goofy pushed you and Sora down and out of the way. 

“Your Majesty?” Donald asked.

“Shh! You gotta board the train and leave town! The train knows the way,” Mickey said as he held out a pouch of munny. 

“Here,” he said. Sora took it and Mickey ran to Market Street.

“Your Majesty...” Donald said. 

“The King... Was that really him?” Sora asked.

“It coulda been... Yep, I know it was!” Goofy said. 

“Now we know he's okay!” Donald said. 

“The king was locked in the realm of darkness, right?” you asked.

“Uh-huh,” Goofy said. 

“But we just saw him,” Sora said. 

“Yep,” Donald said. 

“And if the king is here, that means Riku’s here!” you said.

“He’s gotta be!” Donald said. 

“Well, (Y/N) and I are gonna go look for Riku. Then we can go back to the islands together. Kairi’s there waiting for us! What are you two gonna do?” Sora said. 

“Gawrsh, Sora. Do ya have to ask?” Goofy said. You and Sora giggled. Odile nudged your cheek, grabbing your attention. 

“Huh? What is it, Odile?” you asked. Odile moved around, asking about Vanitas.

“Vani...I don’t know. I don’t know where he is or if he’s okay. But as long as I have you, Odile, I think he’ll be okay,” you said. 

“You really care about him, huh?” Donald asked. 

“Of course. He was my best friend and my brother. I have to know if he’s okay.” 

“Hey, what do ya say, guys? Let’s stick together for one more journey,” Sora said. You all nodded in agreement.

“To...where again?” he asked.

“We hafta board the train!” Goofy said. 

“Oh yeah.” You and Donald sighed while Odile shook her head.

“C'mon!” Sora said. The four of you ran inside the station.

“Wait up!” Hayner said. Him, Pence, and Olette caught up to you.

“Hey, Sora, (Y/N)...” he said. 

“What?” you asked. 

“Nothing, but...”

“We came to see you off. It just seemed like something we oughta do,” Pence said. 

“Oh...really? Thanks!” Sora said. Suddenly, there was a ringing sound.

“You should hurry and get your tickets,” Olette said. 

“Right,” you said. Sora took out the Munny Pouch at the teller and Olette noticed.

“What is it?” you asked. Olette took an exact copy of the Munny Pouch.

“They're the same,” Goofy said.

“Yeah,” Olette said. Sora looked to both pouches and shrugged.

“Four tickets, please!” he said. The teller gave him four tickets.

“I can't help feeling like we won't see this town again...” Sora said. 

“Why not?” you asked. 

“You're thinkin' too much,” Goofy said.

“Yeah, you're right!” You and the Trio boarded the train and followed it to Master Yen Sid’s tower.

~~~~

A girl was walking along the halls of a castle, trying to find her sister. She soon found her, reading a book in the seating area. She walked over to her and looked at her.

“Ugh, what do you want?” the sister asked. 

“Father wants to see us,” the girl said. The sister groaned and followed the girl to their father’s office. The girl knocked on the door and waited for her father’s response. 

“Enter,” he said. The two girls entered and saw their father at his desk.

“You wanted to see us?” the sister asked. 

“Yes. A spirit has awoken. Find her and bring her here,” he said. 

“A spirit? I thought that we were the only ones,” the girl said. 

“Well, you’re not. Now go and don’t keep me waiting.” 

“Yes, father,” the two girls said. They walked out of his office and walked down the halls. 

“Should we ask Uncle Xigbar for help?” the sister asked. 

“No. I think we can handle ourselves. Besides, it’s just one spirit. We’re far more stronger than she is,” the girl said. The sister smirked and summoned her weapon. 

“This is going to be fun,” she said. 

to be continued...

[irvinexxkinneas]

@hyperionswrath

It was up to Seifer to roll his eyes now, the notion he liked the Cowboy to his feet being an obvious taunt he was not going to indulge. Honestly, commanding the obnoxious man to do as he deemed right was kind of a power rush, but far was he from actually voicing that out loud. If the guy wanted to be cocky with him, he’d put him in his place, end of story.

Aside from that, he was, in fact, curious to see what the Marshal thought was useful for them in the long run. Could Kinneas really handle their training? And how would he react to a sparring partner that could warp - if poorly?

Feigning disinterest, however, Seifer made a point of not looking too obviously into the general direction of both men going at each other then. He was paying utter attention, his gaze slipping over the important motions when Solus took his fighting stance, analyzing Irvine’s as well, all the while seemingly being more interested in the structures of the Training Grounds.

Admittedly, both did quite the good job, all things considered. Solus was still sloppy in his approaches - he knew that much. The young Glaive had only joined their ranks a couple of weeks ago and thus was still mostly occupied with getting the ropes of how to warp and command the King’s magic in general. It took time. Kinneas, on the other hand, was mainly accustomed to guns and it showed, although he managed to not make a fool of himself in the way he handled the training sword, as well as the attacks directed at him by the Glaive.

Maybe it wouldn’t be too much of a pain to teach him. Naturally, he’d prefer to kick the brunet out right away, but seeing how low their numbers had become he knew better than to actually approach the Marshal with such thoughts. Even the worst trained Glaives were still better than none, as macabre as it might be to consider them nothing but better cannon fodder.

When Solus finally turned his back on Kinneas and darted away, Seifer quirked a brow, taking mental note of the situation to address it later. He knew what was coming now. Irvine, however, didn’t - and was knocked over when the young Glaive warped directly at him, bringing the tall man down on his back, sword pointing at him.

Huffing through his nose, Seifer pushed off the boulder he had been leaning on then, steering his steps back to the both of them when Solus helped the Sharpshooter back to his feet.

Ignoring Irvine, he turned to the younger man and shook his head. “Never turn your back on your opponent. Not even to get some distance so you can warp,” he admonished, eyes narrowing as he shot a sideglance towards Kinneas, nodding briefly in his general direction. “Kinneas is a sharpshooter, kid. He could have killed you then and there had he the means to. You wanna create distance?” - and without any preamble he flicked his right wrist, summoning Hyperion from his amiger, flipping her at Irvine and pushing her flat side against the other man, supporting the blade from the other side with his free hand and giving a firm shove in an attempt to force the Cowboy a couple of steps back, or send him back into the sand if he was able to surprise him enough.

“Push. Shove. Use what you have and force the distance. In a real spar, you might wanna consider using magic too. And if it’s not enough?”, he took a step backwards then, letting Hyperion vanish again, “...warp away before attacking again.”

Clicking his tongue, he shot the young Glaive an inquiring look, which earned him a quick nod from the man. “Y-yes Sir, sorry Sir!” Seifer snorted at that, giving a dismissive gesture with his right hand. “Cut the Sir, we have no ranks below the Captain and the Marshal. Now back to practise with you.”

Only when Solus scampered away did the tall blond turn back to Irvine, crossing his arms in front of his chest once more to size the man up once more, a sigh heaving from his lips. “Shit dude, you can’t even defend yourself against a new recruit… what did’ya do all those years?”

One hand went to his neck then, scratching while he grimaced, not liking what he had to do next. “We’ll see what you can do in the upcomin’ weeks.”

It was no surprise to Irvine that Seifer came over and began dissecting their spar, telling the young man everything he had done wrong. He stood, arms folded and listened. The blond haired man was correct; had this been a real fight, and Irvine had his gun, the kid would be dead with the stunt he pulled.

As such, while the materialization of the weapon was a minor distraction, it wasn’t enough for Seifer to lay him on his back and Irvine merely stumbled back a few steps by the force of the push in the demonstration of the proper way to put distance between yourself and foe. He shook his head at just how much Seifer intimidated Solus as the young man nearly ran off, before turning his attention back to the man.

“Maybe don’t put me up against a rookie who’s nervous next time? While he did well enough, I could tell he was jittery. Or perhaps warn me when something I’ve never seen before will be used against me. Yeah, I get we’re supposed to be ready for anything, but that.. Warping? That’s a new thing.” 

Irvine rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his stance. “I did my job. I’m a sniper first, remember? I take my targets out from a distance. Dave and other hunters taught me the basics of hand to hand combat and the use of some daggers, knives and short swords, but how they handle blades is different from how you lot handle them. I was taught to fight against beasts and daemons, not other soldiers. The tactics are a bit different, not by a whole lot, but enough.”

A soft sigh slipped out of the man. He would be useless if he couldn’t pick things up, and there was a small blossom of worry that began to bloom in his stomach. “Look, just give me a chance, Almasy. I know I run my mouth, I’m not your favorite person to be around. But I think I’m worth an attempt at least. Teach me what you can, and I’ll push myself to get the hang of it. Or I won’t, and ya can go back to the Marshal and tell him he made a mistake by bringing me on the Glaives.”

What Irvine wouldn’t admit was he was tired of living alone. He wasn’t hard wired to be a lone merc, he craved working in a team, having others to rely on and be with. He missed it. So he would do whatever he needed to ensure he could have it again, especially with people from his past.

[hyperionswrath--archived]

Coward! (when you have time <3)

A note with the proper address had been delivered to the Marshal by Seifer himself. On it: Quickly scribbled notes about a disclosed mission and an address, which would lead the Immortal to a ramshackle building on the outskirts of the Crown City.

Seifer was standing outside the very same, the gaze of jade-green eyes fixed on dark windows hung with torn curtains while a cold breeze tousled golden hair. The weather had significantly cooled down, trees turned red and brown and golden while autumn claimed Insomnia. Thus, Seifer had decided on a suited light-grey coat shielding his body from most of the moody weather, gloved hands buried in its pockets, simple black slacks,and boots disclosing he was not wearing any part of his Kingsglaive uniform.

Lately, he had been more or less living in it, so being about in his own clothes came for a nice change which he welcomed. A quick glance on his phone showed it was about time for the Marshal to arrive, and sure enough, he could soon see the tall man saunter down the street.

Cor Leonis was a man one would recognize simply by the way he held himself. There was no effort in his presence commanding respect, without him needing to appear hard or violent in any way. Far from it, seemingly the ever-persistent calm was what led people to pay attention to him all the more.

Both men exchanged a brief nod when Cor came to stand next to Seifer, eyes wandering to the building now too. "So, what's this all about?", the Marshal asked at length, no doubt referring to the note and the fact that the 'mission' had not been announced to him in the usual way - with a report and further information.

"Got wind of this while I was out the other day," Seifer explained, busying himself with procuring his pack of cigarettes, lighting one as soon as it slipped between his lips, inhaling the smoke and releasing it with an audible breath. "Allegedly people think the building's haunted?" At that, he smirked and bumped a brow, "Bullshit of course, but if there are Daemons in there we oughta check it out?"

Cor frowned at that, nodding with a stern expression. "And why this?" the Immortal queried, procuring a neatly folded note and waving it. "People felt stupid to report a haunting so they kept it all hush-hush," the blond answered after another drag on his cigarette, giving the man a one-sided shrug.

Standing in silence for a while, it was Seifer who finally fell into step, flicking his cigarette away as he approached the worn-down porch. Looking over the boarded-up door, he placed a probing hand flat against the wood, pushing to test its stability. "Should be easy enough to shoulder open, care to gimme a hand?"

A combined effort was made and soon enough the both of them stood in the dusty entry hall, boards and splinters spread over the floor witness to their forceful intrusion. Brushing his gloved hands against each other to clean them, Seifer looked around, blinking against the sudden dark engulfing them.

He took a few slow steps inside the foyer and cocked his head, listening for any suspicious noise, yet nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

Cor meanwhile methodically started checking the rooms, hand on the hilt of his katana, making sure no one was inside - as it sometimes happened these days that people who lost their home were seeking shelter in abandoned buildings. "Anything?" Seifer queried as he sauntered over, the tip of his tongue prodding against the back of his teeth as he continued glancing about with suspicion. Cor hummed negative at that, crossing his arms and turning towards the blond with a glint of mirth in ice-blue eyes. "If I didn't know better I would assume you are trying to prank me, Seifer." At that, the tall blond turned towards the Marshal, affronted look on his face. "I would never."

The commencing bantering was cut short when a sudden thud right next to them could be heard, making both Cor and Seifer spin around. Slowly approaching what looked like a fallen over candle-holder, the blond prodded it with the tip of his boot, shooting a glance at the older man. "Still think I'm prankin'?" The Marshal leaned down wordlessly at that, inspecting the candle-holder and looking it over for signs while Seifer took a couple of steps into the middle of the room. "Dunno 'bout you Marshal, but something definitely is weird about this..." he murmured, turning to head over to one of the doors.

The next moment, a loud creaking noise filled the air, followed by a loud crash as a huge chandelier landed where Seifer had been standing just a moment ago. Leaping aside out of reflex for good measure, the blond had summoned his gunblade from the amiger and pointed it at... nothing, except for said chandelier and broken wooden flooring. "Shiva's tits what the everloving fuck was that?!", he hissed, eyes wandering up to the far ceiling in hopes to spy something, anything.

Cor had jumped aside as well, his weapon now in hand as bewildered eyes glanced about, he too trying to gauge who (or what) had caused the attack. "Seems like I falsely accused you...", the older man murmured, stepping closer to the chandelier now to look it over. "Ya think?", Seifer retorted, snorting at the obvious. He then turned, circling around the battered up area, and approached the staircase leading to the upper floor, a weary expression clouding his features as he made to ascend the stairs.

Occasional creaking sounds emanated as the blond Glaive slowly made his way, one gloved hand on the railing to brace himself in case of another attack. "Don't hold me to it but I figure we have some Goblins on our hands here..." he mused lowly, about to add something else when he lost his footing, his boot going straight through what he had thought to be a solid step. "Fuckin' hell!!", he yelped as he yanked himself around to steady his body last minute against the rail to stop himself from tumbling down the stairs.

"Everything in order up there?", the Marshal queried, hasty steps now steered towards where Seifer stood. "Yeah, yeah..." the blond grumbled, straightening himself up again as he shot a forbidding look at the hole in the stairs he could swear had not been there before.

Making quick, and careful, work of scouting the rest of the house, both men encountered multiple occasions in which  whatever it was that lived here  tried to either break their bones or straight up kill them. They had been roaming the rooms for the better part of an hour when Cor finally sighed and shook his head. 

"It seems like we can't pinpoint where the activity comes from..." - "So let's just burn down the place and be done with it." Quirking a dismissive brow at Seifer, the Marshal shook his head, opening his mouth to scold the man when a crack and a wet slapping sounded from the back of his head, making the older man jolt in surprise and disgust as something slippery ran down his neck and under the collar of his coat. Reaching there, he made a sound of disgust. "An egg...?"

Much more couldn't be said as another one came flying, this time breaking against Seifer's chest, staining his coat as the broken contents slid down. "You gotta be kiddin' me!"

Finding themselves under the attack of a seemingly neverending supply now, both men made haste to reach the stairs again, swiftly descending while more and more eggs crashed around them, oftentimes hitting their mark. "I call for a tactical retreat!", Cor shouted as he bolted for the front door, Seifer on his heels. "Will gladly be takin' this order, Sir!"

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #300: Reactions of Someone Insulting their Love Ones Part 3 (Variety)

Moxxie and Millie

Random Guy: ('Tch') What kind of woman would ever wants to be married to a fucking pussy-boy like that guy-

Millie: (Immediately Push the guy towards a nearby wall and gives him a Death Glare) Who do you think you are?! Talking shit about my husband behind my back like that?!

Moxxie: Millie! Calm down. Please.

Millie: (Turns to Moxxie with a genuinely sad look) But, Moxxie....He was talking about you behind our backs....

Moxxie: (Gently Grab both of Millie's hands with a Soft Smile) I'm aware of that, dear. But trust me when I say that jackasses like him aren't even worth trouble.

Millie: ('Sigh') I guess you have a point there, 'hon. (Gives Moxxie a loving hug) I just don't want anyone to talk bad about my handsome husband like that~

Moxxie: (Chuckles Lightly as he hugs his wife back) I know you don't, Millie~

Random Guy: Yeah....Go ahead and calm down your tramp of a wife, jackass-

Moxxie: (Rushes over towards the guy and gave him a Death Glare of his own while having him on gunpoint) The fuck did you say about my beautiful wife, bastard?

Random Guy: (Starts Getting Scared Shitless) Uhhhhhhhhhhhh........

Millie: (Rooting for her husband from the distance) Get 'em, sweetie!~

Vantias & Namine

Seifer: That's the new girl? ('Heh') She's even more of a weirdo than I thought she would be. (Chuckling)

???: Hey, Seifer.

Seifer: Yeah? What do ya- (Starts Shutting his mouth quick once he's Sudden gets Surrounded by a group of dark-like creatures in his outter circle)

Vantias: (Standing by a nearby wall) Got yourself a death wish here today?

Seifer: (Starts Getting Scared Shitless) W-W-What the fuck is all of this?!

Vantias: Swarm of Darkness. Friends from the other side or whatever. Really don't take kindly too of you making fun of Namine like that.

Seifer: (Shivering in Fear) S-S-So What if you have some weird army to back you up?! I ain't scared of them!!!

Vantias: (Smirks while Shrugging) You should be. Cause I doubt they know how to hold back to any-

???: VANTIAS!!

Vantias: (Turns to See Namine making her way towards him with a Very Disappointed Glare) Ah shit.

Namine: Stop this madness. Right now!

Vantias: But-

Namine: (Glare Starts Piercing Harder) Vantias......

Vantias: ('Sigh in Defeat') Fiiiiine.....(Snap his fingers which instantly made the Army of Darkness disappear)

Namine: (Place Two hands on her hips) Why on Earth would you try using your darkness to scare Seifer like that? What were you thinking?

Vantias: Okay. In my defense....(Points at a Frighten Seifer) Jock boy over there called you a "Weirdo" behind your back. Couldn't let him get away from that so...I called in the squad to teach him a lesson.....

Namine: (Sigh as she Gently Grabs both of Vantias' hands) Oh, Vantias..... I know from the bottom from my heart that you mean well, but using the force of darkness to scare people is not the way to do it. You know better.

Vantias: ('Sigh') Yeah...I guess I went a bit overboard on the whole Army of Darkness thing. Sorry about that, Namine....

Namine: (Hugs Vantias with a Soft Smile) It's okay, Vantias. I'm really thankful for you always looking out for me.

Vantias: (Starts Blushing a little) Y-Yeah well... we're family, aren't we? I always got your back.

Namine: I know you do.

Seifer: Y-Yeah! That's right! Call off your goons and hang out with a Weirdo, you EMO FREAK!-

Before the bully knows it, Namine rushes over and punch Seifer so hard that he was sent flying towards a nearby wall.

Namine: ('Pants Pants') ('Whew') Well... I'm glad that's over with.

Vantias: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock) (Holy shit.....)

Namine: (Walks Towards Vantias and gently had his hand with a smile) Would you like to get something to eat together, Vantias?

Vantias: (Came back to Reality) Oh! Uhh...Yeah. Let's... do that. (Great...Now I know who else not to pissed off in the near future.....)

Byleth & Her Students

Random Guy #1: Ughhhhhh!!! Another Fire Emblem rep?! Are you serious right now?!

Random Guy #2: Yeah! And she's another swordfighter too! Like we even need more to begin with!!

Random Guy #3: Yeah, man!! She's already a waste of space as it is!!

Random Guy #1: Tell me about!!! Someone as garbage as her has NO rights to in this tournament-

Toon: Oh my God...(Throws down his bag in annoyance) SHUT UP ALREADY!!!!!!

Byleth: (Surprised by Toon's suddenly outburst) T-Toon?

Toon: You know what? No. I have had it up to here with these Self-Entitled Jerkfaces! (Cracking his knuckles) Enough is enough!

Ness: (Irritated) I agree, Toon. It's one thing to try and Insult us on a daily basis, but standing here and Insulting someone who has ever rights to participate in the tournament as much as the rest of us here is crossing the line. And I'm sick of it!

Byleth: Ness, I-

Ashley: (Hair Starts to turn White in anger and irritation) You know....I was hoping to hex some fools today.....

Lucas: (Grabs Ashley's hand) Ashley, wait!.......(Turn towards the three guys with a very rare piercing glare) Let me help you on this.

Ashley: (Squeezes Lucas' hand reassuringly) You're always welcome to help me anytime, Lucas.

Popo: (Step Forth with a hammer) Don't forget about us here too, you guys.

Nana: (Follows Pursuit) Yeah. Count us in.

Hat Kid: (Step Forth while patting her parasol on the palm of her hands with a very not pleased look on her face)..........

Byleth: Childern!

Random Guy #1: Oh shit.....

Random Guy #2: Why does this always happens to us?......

Random Guy #3: Knew we should've kept our mouths shut.....

Random Guy #1: (Turn Towards the angry group of kids slowly walking towards him and his friends) H-Hey, kiddo.....W-W-We don't want any trouble or anything.....

Random Guy #2: (Starts Sobbing in fear) Please have mercy!

Ness: (Unconvinced) Then answer us this.... What's our Professor's name?

Random Guy #1: Uhhhhhhhhhh............ Marth Junior?.......

Ness: (Fire Starts Flaring up from the tip is his fingers) Wrong answer.

Toon: Let's get em!!!

The kids were about to begin their attack when suddenly.....

Byleth: (Stomps her foot which caused the dust from the ground to clear off) ENOUGH!!!

Kids: (Turn their attention towards their Professor)

Byleth: (Took Deep Breath before speaking) Put down your weapons and calm yourselves....please. I understand that you all are doing whatever you can to look after me, but each and everyone of you should realize that violence is NEVER the answer for anything. Especially for something as trivial as this.

Ness: (Starts Looking back and forth at the Random Guys and himself before coming with the horrible realization) Oh my God....We really are becoming like them.....But even worse.....

Toon: (Starts Feeling bad) I guess we really let our anger get the best of us this time, huh?

Lucas: (Slowly Sits down while feeling terrible) Guys, I think I'm starting to feel horrible right now....

Ashley: (Kneels down and hugs Lucas reassuringly)

Ice Climbers/Hat Kid: (Put down their respective weapons while feeling guilty for what they've almost become)

Ness: (Turns towards Byleth with a very sad look) We're really sorry, professor....

Toon: Yeah....We didn't mean to embarrassed you or anything.....

Kids: We're sorry.....

Byleth: (Smiles Softly as Kneels down to her students) It's okay, my dear students. It really does means a lot to me that you would go as far as to defend my honor. The last thing I want for any of you is to let your anger and frustrations get the better of you in a situation like this.

Ness: Yeah.... (Slowly Starts to Smile) You're absolutely right, professor. We'll try to be careful next time.

Kids: Yeah.

Byleth: (Smiles Proudly at her students) Thank you for understanding, childern. I'm really proud all of you right now. (Starts Standing back up while brushing the dust off of her knees) Now then... Let's get back to the academy. Our lessons await us.

Kids: (Cheers Happily) Yeah!

Random Guy #1: (Watches as the Professor and her students starts walking away together) Man....that was even more intense than before....

Random Guy #2: No kidding...... They're even worse than their moms.....

Random Guys #3: Damn right.....

Random Guy #1: (Starts Getting up from the ground and Chuckling) Y-Yeah! You better keep walking you little brats!! Think twice before messing with us-

All of a Sudden, Byleth begins to reappear in from of the three guys in a not so please look.

Random Guy #1: (Squealed in fear)

Random Guy #2: (Scared Shitless) Oh God....not again....

Random Guy #3: Have mercy on us lady! Please!!

Byleth: (Took A Deep Breath before speaking in a Menacing tone) I'm only going to say this one.....Never talk to me or any of my students EVER. Again. Do I make myself clear?

Guys: Yes, ma'am.

Byleth: Good. (Smiles Professional before walking off) Good talk, gentlemen.

@keyenuta

@26shann

@cyber-wildcat

@chompycroc

@ink-correctsmashbrosbloo

@vizziepop-blog

@gengar-sans

@scribblehooves

[ssnakey-b]

FF8 English-French translarison, part 24: Return of the Translarison!

Holy shit, have I seriously not posted a new part since February?! Well, it’s time to get back to business. Since it’s been a while, in case you forgot, last time, the team was getting ready to face Edea for the second and last time. Let’s get to it.

We start with another example of Fujin telling us a bit more than in English as instead of just “FATIGUED!”, she says “I can’t take it any more!”.

Meanwhile, instead of “Let’s just go. ...Let’s get it over with, ya know?”, Raijin says “Come on, let’s keep going! We gotta end this!”

To this, English Fujin rplies “REQUEST” (which I’m still not sure what she means by that since she doesn’t actually request anything) while her French counterpart says “I’ve had it!”. A little dialogue follows.

English:

Raijin: ...We’re leavin’ Seifer up to you now, ya know? We don’t know what’s going on anymore, ya know? ...We just want the old Seifer back, ya know?”

Squall: (Seifer... He probably thinks he can’t go back now.) All right.

French:

Raijin: Seifer, we’ve had enough... this isn’t fun for us. We don’t know what’s going on! You weren’t like that before...

Squall: (Seifer won’t give up. No, not now...) I see...

I’ll give the English text that it’s a nice bit of characterization that Raijin is basically asking Squall to save Seifer from himself, or at least stop him from going even further down the deep end than he already has but man, do these annoying catchphrases and gimmick destroy any atmosphere for me. I really don’t understand why English-language translators are so obsessed with them (and if they were in the original Japanese, well, not everything needs to be translated directly).

Seriously, professional translators, you gotta understand that you don’t need to commit to a running gag every goddamn time to the detriment of everything else. Even if you don’t think it takes you out of the story, running gags get really old really quick.

Also, we once again get a hint that Seifer used to be better, which would have been nice to actually see in the game rather than constantly be assured that it used to be the case because again, we see more genuine chemistry between the Jin Team & Squall than between him and Seifer.

Anyway, with that rant over, let’s continue. This guy, who gives you the first key card, says mostly the same thing in both versions, but I wanted to bring it up because of an UNFORGIVABLE mistake in the French version. That’s right, despite the sentence being pluralized, they used the pronoun “Il” without an S, which is the singular form!! I really hope whomever wrote that atone by cutting off their pinky at the first knuckle.

On a more serious level, there is also an interesting little bit in the English version where he mentions that most students were kicked out, which is absent in the French version. And I mean, I guess it doesn’t need to be stated explicitly, but I think it’s nice to have it confirmed that Galbadia Garden was completely recycled into a military base, as it adds to the tragedy that the student basically lost their home IMO. Although I guess at least it means they’re not being held hostages.

And now it’s time to finally meet these hockey-playing monsters we’ve been told about so long ago. I just love that the devs actually made those, and that they decided that their reaction to a massive battles would be to take the opportunity to get involved in the fight for no real reason.

And yes, as you may have noticed the Slappers are called Jason in the French version of the game, because why not throw in a Friday the 13th reference for good measure? And if you remember (in which case, congrats on the good memory considering how long ago that was), this ties into another reference that’s been invented by the French version, where they explained that these guys psych themselves up for a match by watching horror movies such as Friday the 13th. Just amazing!

But wait! That’s not all! Because if you scan them, the French version also explicitly mentions that the Jasons are, in fact, students at Galbadia Garden. I mean, you could gather that information in the English version as well, but to have it explicitly stated here just makes it that much funnier to me. Just imagine having to take classes with these things next to you. Do they keep the masks on? What do they look under there? Please, Square-Enix, cancel the remaster and put your resources towards giving us a spin-off expanding on this lore. THIS is what the world needs!

Sadly, we must leave the Jasons, but we do get to meet Cerberus! The original dog from Hell!

Massive difference in tone between the versions when it comes to Cerberus, or Cerbères in French (the last E is silent, as is the S). In English, he’s very blunt, talking less like an immortal demonic being and more like a pro wrestling Heel, yeeling in all caps “PRETTY CONFIDENT. LET’S SEE HOW YOU DO. SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!” which by the way, really makes me wish he went “I LIKE WHAT YOU GOT” upon being defeated.

In French, he is more eloquent and collected, saying “What arrogance! Mere mortals! Show me what you’re capable of!”. And while his actual line upon defeat is “NOT BAD...MORTALS” in English, in French, he simply says “Interesting”.

One last detail about this fight I’d like to mention. After Irvine mentions he doesn’t know that Guardian Force, French Squall simply says “Let’s take it!” but I like the English version a lot more here, as Squall goes “Ahh... let’s just take it.”

Yeah, sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. And I think that says a lot as to where Squall is mentally at this point. Just done. Fuck it. I mean, he just fought a team of horror-inspired hockey monsters, there’s no point in questioning anything any more.

Much to my dismay, it’s time to meet up with Seifer again. The dialogue stays mostly consistent across both versions, with the one notable detail being that in the English version, when addressing Linoa, he says “remember a year ago we...” whereas in French, he says “and yet, a year ago...” so the English version hints at a slightly deeper, perhaps more reciprocal relationship.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the only acknowledgement Seifer gives of any previous relationship between the two in either version, and it’s in an optional bit of dialogue that only appears if Linoa is in the party at this point. This is why I am not buying this supposed love triangle for a second. Much like every part of the supposed rivalry between Seifer and Squall, it barely exists, what little is there is completely superficial and Seifer is blatantly outmatched right form the get go.

And look, I’m not here to tell you you’re right of wrong in your headcanons or fanfics or whatever, I really don’t care. However, it always annoys me when people go on and on about how deep and meaningful this love triangle when it’s really not. In fact, it barely is at all. So again, I’m not giving people shit if they want to make it a thing, but you gotta keep in mind that whatever story you give them is entirely your creation. Because when it comes to what’s actually shown in the game, well, it’s almost nothing, which makes me wonder why it’s even there to begin with. The extent of their story is: Linoa thought Seifer was hot, Seifer might have thought the same about her, maybe?

Anyway, second rant over, there’s a small difference in the dialogue with Irvine. In English, Seifer says “Hey, you’re a Galbadian student, get over here.” to which irvine replies “I’m happy right here, thank you.”

In french, Seifer says “Hey, the Galbadian, you’re coming back home?” and he answers with “I like my new country better” which I don’t think is actually quite what’s going on but I will admit is an interesting take on this scene.

Again, things are pretty similar in the dialogue between Squall and Seifer leading up to the battle, with Squall saying Seifer is just another monster in both versions, although Seifer’s last line before the fight is different... and very stupid either way. In English, he says “You guys are the monsters” and in French he says “I think of myself as a Boss, yeah”.

Well I’m glad both lines are equally cringeworthy, with English Seifer cribbing his from a 12 year old trying to sound deep and French Seifer just coming across like the kind of douche that The Lonely Island likes to parody. Also, I think the French version may have attempted to be cute. Get it? Because he’s a boss battle! HA HA no.

In the auditorium, we have a slight difference in Edea’s opening line. In English, she refers to Squall as “the legendary SeeD destined to face me”. In French, she calls him “the famous Seed whose coming is announced by all”. It seems a bit weird to me as I’m not getting the impression that Squall is all that famous in-universe so it would be weird that “all” would announce his arrival.

So I think the English version works a little bit better as it gives the impression she knows that due to her insight into future events. Then again, you could argue that French Ultimecia is talking about her original timeline, where perhaps Squall was leading the charge against her and he had become some kind of hero to the people of that time, and that she is trying to stop him before he can become that hero. After all, for someone like Ultimecia, it would make sense to view the various timelines as one and the same.

So we fight, I grab Alexander (known in French as Alexandre, so almost the same, but the English name will still show in my game due to my save file getting confused) and during Squall’s blackout, we get a slight difference that once again at the two translations being based off the original Japanese rather than each-other, as in English, Squall complains about his body hurting whereas in French, it’s specifically his head, so it appears we have different interpretations going on.

Similarly, after Edea asks if she was able to protect Ellone (which interestingly, shows that Edea is at least not always aware of what Ultimecia is doing), English Squall thins “I don’t understand”, showing general confusion at the situation, whereas French Squall thinks “I don’t know.” replying directly to her question about Ellone.

And that’s it for today! Next time, we’ll see how differently Squall reacts to Linoa’s situation in both versions as we finally start taking on the 3rd CD content. I hope you all enjoyed this return of the translarison, I honestly didn’t realize it had been this long. I promise I’ll try and be more regular again, even though as I’ve said before, the only schedule for this is “when I feel like it”.

Now speaking of future updates, in case you missed it, I would like to start streaming my gameplay sessions on Twitch as I take screenshots and comment on what’s happening, and hopeuflly take your questions and observations. If it”‘s something that sounds interesting to you, I would really like you to say so by commenting on this post, dropping me a line or however you see fit, and if/when it happens, you can join us at twitch.tv/ssnakeyb. Either way, likes and reblogs are always appreciated to help spread the word.

Have a nice day, everyone! I’l be seeing you next time!

[mellz117]

Hi! I’m Mellz and I’m starting up Kingdom Hearts 2 on the PlayStation 2! 

Just below are links to the first parts of my previous Kingdom Hearts plays.

[ KH1 ] _ [ Re:CoM Sora ] _ [ KH Re:CoM Riku ]

It’s been a hot minute, like 3,155,763 smoldering hot minutes, which would be 6 years including leap years. Yeah it was 01/27/2014 last I touched this game, exactly 6 years ago to this day (01/27/2020) as of me starting up again. This was an accident.

Guide thingy: Things like long gaps between commentary and days will be separated by a line of dots like that ->  ……

Text relating to an image posted will have a blockquote either above and/or below the image

Dialogue exchanges will also be separated by a blockquote

Ok I'm playing on standard difficulty, if I'm having a hard time, then I just suck. If you’re reading this and haven’t experienced KH2 for yourself, why are you here? Go away, there’s spoilers for things that aren’t revealed until later.

SO LET’S JUST JUMP INTO IT

……………………………………………………………………………………………

I always liked this fancy CGI opening. There’s a lot of things I missed last I saw it.

IT’S HIM. Look how cute he is! 

So we start off with a recap of Kingdom Hearts via a dream it seems and our protagonist, my precious boy Roxas, wakes up his own home all alone because apparently DiZ didn't create a digital family for him. But KH is notorious for forgetting parents, so maybe they did. I’m not Cinema Sins so I wont ping this game for not giving Roxas fake parents lmao

In the next scene Roxas is more interested in his own hands than he is in his friends' conversation. 

blurry ring textures, blurry checker pattern. Not everything holds up well on a flat screen TV

He hasn't been paying attention so he's just as confused as the player is at this point when he finally takes his attention off his hands.

This dialogue is so early 2000's. KH1 and CoM avoided this but with the urban setting of Twilight Town it's DEFINITELY noticeable and outdated. So rumors have spread about Roxas, Hayner, Pence, and Olette that photographs are being stolen, and THEY'RE the theives. Who is the operator of the rumor mill? Seifer and his posse. Also the actual WORD is gone too, they try to say “photo” but it just DOESN’T EXIST. This is where the game gets a bit odd.

TUTORIALS GALORE. I JUST WANT TO PAUSE AND CHANGE THE CAMERA CONTROLS STOP TELLING ME ABOUT MY NEXT OBJECTIVE but no no it’s telling me how to lock on, control my camera, context sensitive buttons, etc 

This girl’s dress looks like shes wearing a bra over it 

I like how the animal AI hasn't changed at all in this entire series. And by like I mean hate, KH3 doesn't change that. Sven is as boring as this cat we have to look at.

The gang heads to the sandlot where Seifer, Fuujn, Raijin, and Vivi like to hang out I guess? Vivi is a little, solid black, wizard dwarf amongst all these regular humans and no one bats an eye. This shit is normal. Seifer with his stupid Seto Kaiba jacket, shows up to further accuse Roxas and his friends of stealing photos, one specifically of Roxas flat on his face and Seifer standing triumphantly over him (which we’re actually shown later). "That was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers" he says in regards to it and challenges Roxas to a rematch.

A+ dialogue

Seifer. My dude, ya dumb-dumb. If you think for one second that I'm gonna let my boy lose to you, you are sorely mistaken. 

“If you get on your knees and beg, maybe I’ll let it slide.” Seifer says and Roxas plays it slick, taking a knee and looking through a convenient selection of foam weapons. Battle ensues.

So of course I win because Seifer is a pleb, and Pence takes a commemorative ______ of Roxas's sound victory, but oh no! Something stole the camera right out of Pence's hands! Roxas gives chase, because apparently he's the only one who cares enough to do so, and confronts the actual thief, a Dusk type Nobody. Roxas is taking this creature encounter rather calmly. Like mild confusion at most.

I hate these things, they're creepy. When you do a reversal on them they like, plant their hands on the ground behind them and their legs wrap around their arms while they spaz out. Ughghdhahh

Of course Roxas's foam bat doesnt cause any damage to the Dusk, and suddenly a familiar giant key digitally manifests in his hands. DiZ is installing mods I see. I have a Keyblade mod in Skyrim, so we have something in common.

After we defeat the thief the next scene shows the gang at the usual spot with the recovered photos. Ok ok so was "photo" the only word deleted from the vocabulary or were any other alternative words taken away too? Like, if they could have said "picture" this whole time, they would have had much less stupid sounding dialogue exchanges. Whatever lmao.

“Tell us about the picture thief.”

“Not much to say. The pictures were just lying there.”

You liar. Tell them about how you fought a wormy, white boy.

Pence notices all the pics are of Roxas and speculates the picture thief wanted to take the REAL Roxas and Hayner is like

The best friendships are ones where you can take jabs at each other and know there’s no malice intended.

 In the scene thereafter, the kids go their separate ways, the evening(?) sun assaults Roxas's eyes, and whenever he closes them he gets another vision? Idk what time of day it is it always looks the same.

God ok as someone who hadn’t played CoM before playing KH2 for the first time, I must have been SUPER lost regarding who DiZ and Namine were and why Sora is in the pod. More recaps of KH1: I don’t know why they found it necessary to redub over the old voices with the new actors in these flashbacks.

Moving on. Roxas learns what the Keyblade is through his dreams. On his way to meet up with his friends, he tries summoning the Keyblade with a stick, when that doesn’t work he carelessly throws it aside and it hits this cloak clad man behind him. This dude is either completely unfazed by that is or so offended he can’t even say anything and walks away before he goes all Karen on Roxas’s ass.

We’re back at the usual spot and summer vacation is nearing it’s end. Hayner wants to go to the beach before school is back in session! You poor fuckers...

Same, dude. I’m waiting on my tax returns, looking forward to that.

SKATEBOARD

“TO DEFEAT THE HUNSSSSSSS!”

Pretzels at the beach? Salty and not refreshing. I got you fam, I’ll make enough money for a watermelon. Roxas is so poor omg... How much is 150 Munny in American currency?

Just BEAT the cargo with a foam bat. What’s IN the bag? Is it trash? Clothes? Is it potentially breakable? Next. Time to beat some bees!

So Poster Duty was my go-to job in this game in the past because you could get 100 Munny if you did well. But now that I’m older I realized how annoying it is. I had an efficient route planned out, hit as many of the 3 poster placements in that route, and be over and done with that in about 1:10....

But then Roxas goes aND DOES THIS!

FUCKING SKIPS THE ONE DIRECTLY NEXT TO HIM, DEFYING GRAVITY IN FAVOR OF THE POSTS BELOW

HE DOES THIS CONSISTENTLY!! I do have a live reaction to this but it’s too big for tumblr. I’ll have it up on youtube one of these days

Eventually I stopped sticking posters to walls and became a mailman until the game made me stop.

Black-clad man is back with his own stick! Oof, Roxas eats the pavement and is manhandled by cloaky boy. WAS THIS ROUGH TREATMENT REALLY THAT NECESSARY? You might wanna treat Sora's Nobody with a little more respect. AND YOU STOLE HIS HARD-EARNED MONEY! YOU BASTARD!

The gang is on the clock tower, very dangerously high up. Wtf what if someone falls?! Roxas feels so guilty about what happened and Hayner gets over this little fiasco pretty quickly and the next day he already has another fun plan.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

On his way to the station, Roxas crosses paths with Pence and Olette, the latter two freeze and Roxas meets Namine. Is her interest in Roxas linked to her desire to be Sora’s friend? A strange girl tells Roxas she wanted to meet him “at least once” and he doesn’t know what to do lol. Namine doesn’t stay long, leaving Roxas with his confusion. What is going through his head? A girl he doesn’t know seems to know him well enough to want to see him. Pence and Olette unfreeze after Namine is out of the shot. Pence and Olette have such a cute relationship, I’d love for them to be siblings. Pence goes shopping with her even if he might not want to. I can relate, I hate clothes shopping.

These Dusks don’t seem like too much of a threat tbh, they just kinda swagger slowly towards Roxas and grab his hand. Roxas hardly struggles to escape to the sandlot.

Chicken wuss

WE FINALLY GET SOMEWEHERE, we end up on the stained glass pillars in the Station of Serenity (?). Time to grind for like 5 minutes because this giant noodle boy already killed me once.

This thing really unsettles me. All the creature Nobodies do! They’re all twitchy and stretchy. DISGUSTING

DAMN THAT IS A HIGH FALL HOW DO YOU SURVIVE THAT?!

Upon defeat, this big noodle boy falls on top of Roxas and Namine saves him from being enveloped by darkness.

Namine really seems to like to silence him. First she shoves her hand in his face but that was too forward. This time she daintily places a finger over her lips and says her part. Black-cloak guy shows up, rough handles Namine a little bit but not as roughly as he did Roxas. AND SHOVES ROXAS INTO A PORTAL

SEIFER IS AN OPPORTUNISTIC SHITLET POSING IN FRONT OF HIS UNCONSIOUS BODY. Bitch you didn’t earn that. Hayner, Pence, and Olette see Roxas with Seifer’s gang, Hayner feels betrayed thinking Roxas ghosted him in favor of Seifer. He stays pretty salty about it for a good while

IM NOT WORKING ON THIS LIKE I SHOULD. ITS ALMOST A MONTH SINCE STARTING. In my next post we'll be "Struggling" to progress. Eh? Eh? Get it? Like the tournament?

I'm not funny.

Here’s the next part: [ _2_ ]

Below is a compilation of my live reactions and comments throughout this point of the game.

[youngrevolutionary]

@meialesait​ said, “ i can handle myself. ”

"Yeah, you say that and act all brave 'til you’re not. You ever stand face-to-face with a T-Rexaur?” With the way his eyebrow quirks up like that, it’s almost like he’s excited at the prospect. 

An official notice has been left at the main entrance of the Training Center prohibiting Operatives and Cadets from training solo until further notice. Something about the monsters in the TC being particularly hostile around breeding season. Not like this should stop either of them-- 

Seifer unlocks the gate, “C’mon... what are ya? A wuss?”  

[lunamanar]

Alright, then. What do you think would each character's favourite genres of fiction? Bonus points if you go into specifics per medium.

Wow, two inquiries for the entourage in a row. Like the last one, I might not do everyone in this response, but I’ll tell you what comes to me. 

My Rinoa doesn’t actually read a lot of fiction, but when she does, it’s usually because there’s some character or other in it that really grabbed her attention, someone she could relate to on a personal level. She likes fiction that can help her sort herself out, haha. So what catches her eye really varies, sometimes it’s a standalone YA novel with teenager who’s particularly fed up with being held down, sometimes it’s a space opera with a misunderstood alien who feels isolated in a crowd, sometimes it’s historical fiction about a bisexual sorceress escaping with her knight from the tyranny of her own brethren. But really she prefers nonfiction! She’s curious and likes to know new things, and likes to read stories about real people, preferably autobiographical ones. 

Squall...doesn’t read for pleasure that much. Usually he views it as a waste of his time. Unless he’s studying, or has otherwise been assigned to read something, it takes some specific circumstances for him to pick up a leisure book, and even moreso if it’s fiction. He read all of Battle series from Tim Mani because they [headcanon] described and illustrated actual martial arts and techniques, so they were an entertaining way to learn, especially when he was a bit younger. But as adulthood sets in? Not so much. If the environment of a piece of fiction really appealed to him...say, a complex, philosophical post-apocalyptic journey (he’s probably “enjoy” The Road, for instance), he might try it to see how the characters went about surviving. Or if Rinoa pestered him enough to convince him to read something less bleak but still thoughtful and not too purple, he might try it to satisfy her and then find himself getting sucked into it anyway. 

Zell likes comic books. Super heroes. I don’t think he tends to like stuff that doesn’t have pictures in it, and I don’t mean that like he’s not smart--just the opposite. I think he’s a particularly visual person, and his brain is just sort of easily bored by information he can’t take in all at once. So actually having to read a book line by line is too slow for him, most of the time. 

I think we already know what Seifer likes to read. 

I like the idea that Quistis has a secret stash of raunchy romance novels and only Xu knows about it, and Quistis has no idea she knows about it. 

I think Xu also has a bunch of raunchy lesbian romance novels and she displays them prominently on a shelf at eye level in her bedroom. Quistis keeps asking her how she can stand that stuff and Xu only says “you tell me,” and Quistis gets uncomfortable and changes the subject, every time. 

Selphie reads novels that eventually get turned into action or horror movies. That is, she sees the movie, is dazzled by all the explosions and blood, then dives into the books because she knows there are even more gory details and swearing to be had. 

Irvine...I think, probably, Weird West kinda stuff? Especially if there are ladies with big guns in it. 

...Yeah, I’m surprised I got this far. 

[livelyfellow]

"Teaching him to be good is like teaching me to be not hot."

Zell quickly darts ahead to stop Loqi in his tracks, wanting to have a quick moment before they made it into the canteen. 

“Yo, look -- let Seifer screw up his own kid, yeah? Ya don’t need to do or teach anyone anything. If Ryon steps out of line, jus’ go an’ tell his dad. Or his other dad. Or--or his... other other dad?” Like Zell’d know-- he keeps his nose out of all... whatever that is. 

“Look-- my point is, the kid’s got enough dads to teach him how to behave, yeah? Don’t worry too much about it,” He paps Loqi’s cheek. “You’ll get wrinkles.” 

[princee-ace1]

CH. 002 - What Was Missing

When the raindrops come tumbling, remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine.

Title: Bringing Back the Memories Series: Kingdom Hearts Pairing: You/Roxas, You/Sora

---

Suspecting eyes follow you and your friends the second you enter Market Street. You hear the accusing whispers, your names tied with words of theft. It’s an unsettling and unjustified feeling.

Hayner ignores the looks and turns to face you guys. “Here’s the plan.”

There isn’t much any of you know about this mysterious thief. If you ask around enough, someone is bound to have some information on them: what they’re after, what they look like, where they went. The five of you decide to split up. Hayner takes off on his own before anyone could stop him, Olette drags Pence with her when she spots a new sale at her favorite shop, and you and Roxas are left staring after them.

“I guess it’s just you and me.” Roxas winks as he says this, and you try your hardest to will away the blush coloring your cheeks.

As usual, the shopping district is bustling with life: mom-and-pop shops are open for business, odd jobs are listed in bulletin boards for hired help, townsfolk are hanging out and running errands, and a trolley slowly circles around the entire area. You and Roxas enter a few different shops together, only to be met by unwelcomed anger and disappointment.

“Yo, Roxas. Never thought you’d do such a rotten thing.”

“Oh, it’s you Roxas… Please don’t let me down. You used to be one of my favorite customers.”

“I’d like to believe you but … who else would steal that stuff?”

An exasperated sigh falls from his lips, and Roxas suddenly rests his head against your shoulder. In despair, he grumbles, “I’m not a thief.”

You pet him gently. “I know you’re not, Roxas.”

Still, even you have to admit that out of everyone in your group, Roxas is taking most of the heat from those stupid rumors.

“It’s no fun having everyone suspect me, ya know.”

“Hang in there. We’ll get through it,” you encourage gently, trying to comfort him. A short silence falls between you two, and you feel his slow breath against the crook of your neck. “Hey, remember that time when those seven little men thought we were trying to steal their diamonds? We never could convince them we weren’t a couple of thieves.”

Roxas raises his head and blinks at you. “I don’t remember that.”

“Really? We were in the mines beyond the scary woods, and we spent almost an hour chasing after them because they kept running away from us. One was really mean and grumpy, another kept sneezing all the time, and another had this dopey look on his face…” You pause as you recall another important detail of the memory. “Then again, I was really young when that happened.”

It wouldn’t have made sense. Roxas looks the same as he did back then.

“Silly,” he muses with a soft chuckle. “But thanks. I can always count on you to cheer me up.”

You return his smile and shyly admit, “You make me happy too, Roxas.”

Something catches his attention, and you turn to see what he’s looking at. At Auntie Elmyra’s candy shop, you can see she must have lost sight of her cat again. The poor, old woman is calling out its name, worriedly looking for it.

“Roxas,” you begin, pointing to the awning above the shop where the missing cat is casually licking its paw.

“I got it!” he replies, and the two of you help return the pet. Auntie Elmyra is grateful, and even helps with your investigation. She also had something stolen from her, and when she tells you what they took, you and Roxas exchange looks. Even she isn’t able to say the missing word.

Eventually, the five of you regroup. Hayner, Pence, and Olette weren’t able to find any new leads; no one is willing to cooperate with the top suspects of the crime. However, while you and Roxas can confirm what the thief is after … none of you know why or how they’re doing it.

“There’s only one group we haven’t talked to yet,” you mention quietly. Hayner scowls when he catches on, but even he admits you guys need all the help you can get.

“Fine,” he reluctantly agrees. “To the Sandlot.”

-*-

Twilight Town’s Disciplinary Committee -- a small group composed of the biggest, most self-righteous bullies around. Although they like to use their power to push people around and do whatever they want, they’re highly regarded by the adults as shining examples and diligent peacemakers.

Yeah, right. You roll your eyes at the thought.

It’s no secret that you and your friends dislike them. When they’re not busy trying to run the town, they’re out to terrorize your group … which is how the Usual Spot became your safe place to begin with. Accusing you and your friends for petty theft is surely something they’d do.

Peering behind a nearby wall, you see Rai, Fuu, and Vivi gathered in front of the town’s message board. None of them notice they’re being spied on as you and your friends make a vertical line around the corner of the building with Pence crouching at the very bottom, Hayner leaning above him, you looking over his shoulder, Olette standing on her toes to see over your head, and Roxas standing on top of a trash bin..

“Seifer and his gang might know something. I’d hate to ask them though,” Hayner remarks sourly.

Just then, someone grabs you and Olette by the elbows and pull you two out of the way. In the same motion, the person roughly shoves the boys to the ground. A familiar voice taunts, “What’re you sneakin’ around for?”

“Are you guys okay?” you ask as you and Olette help them back to their feet.

Meanwhile, the person draws attention to your group. “Hey guys! The thieves’ve been checkin’ us out!”

“What’d you say? You better take that back!” Hayner growls at what he calls you guys and runs straight toward them. Roxas is the first to catch up to him and quickly holds him back.

“Ha, nice comeback there, blondie,” Seifer -- the head of the Disciplinary Committee and Hayner’s sworn rival -- mocks despite being blond himself. He instigates the others to heckle and continue to call you all thieves, each insult lighting a fiery anger under your skin.

“Oh yeah? You guys started that rumor!” Hayner roars, lunging forward as Roxas struggles to hold him back.

“Roxas,” Seifer sneers, blatantly ignoring Hayner, “you can give us back the --- now.”

Rai is quick to agree. “Yeah! You’re the only ones who would take it, y’know?”

“That was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers. And you wanted to erase it. That’s why you took it. Am I wrong?” Seifer snidely continues. “So, what did you do? Burn it? Or perhaps you asked your girlfriend to hide our glorious --- for you?”

His haughty gaze falls on you. Worried, Olette touches your arm as Pence mutters under his breath, “It’s not worth it, Haruna.”

“It must’ve been embarrassing, right? Seeing how your chicken-wuss boyfriend was defeated like that. Maybe it wasn’t Roxas that wanted to get rid of the --- after all. Maybe it was you, Haruna.” He scoffs and waves his hand dismissively. “Ha, not like we need some --- to prove that you’re losers.”

Roxas abruptly drops Hayner, causing him to fall on his face. When he looks at Seifer, there’s a look of pure anger in his eyes. His voice is low as he warns, “Don’t talk down on her like that.”

“What a look! Did I hit a sore spot?”

“Replay,” Fuu suggests, causing Seifer to burst out in laughter.

“Now you’re talking!” He picks up a couple Struggle Clubs -- toy weapons that resembles cushioned baseball bats -- and tossed one by Roxas’ feet. He points the other at his chest; his stance ready for a fight. “Take it. I just have to own you again.”

Roxas takes a breath and steps up, however you grab his hand to stop him. “Roxas, you don’t have to do this.”

However, he squeezes yours and murmurs, “It’s okay. Trust me.”

“Isn’t this romantic?” Seifer interrupts sarcastically. “I guess if you get down on your knees and beg, maybe I’ll let it slide.”

Roxas lets you go and continues to step forward. Mocking laughter reaches your ears as you watch him get on his hands and knees and bow before them.

Seifer crosses his arms and smirks. “Magic mirror on the wall, who’s the biggest loser of them all?”

“Roxas!” Hayner starts, but Pence stops him.

You’re not sure what to think -- if Roxas is swallowing his pride and doing this to avoid further conflict or to save face for your group. Then, you notice the calculating look on his face. When he stands, he’s holding the Struggle Club that Seifer threw him. The determination in his eyes show he isn’t going to back down easily.

You and your friends smile excitedly, sending your cheers. “Come on, Roxas!”

Just as loudly, Rai shouts, “Get ‘im Seifer, y’know!”

Seifer strikes first. His club hits Roxas, who blocks him at the last second. While Seifer is doing all the hard hitting, Roxas manages to stand his ground and stay on guard.

“Come on,” Seifer instigates, his movements strangely delayed. “Quit playin’ around and fight.”

He hits a distracted Roxas in the face, nearly making him fall backward.

“Roxas, focus!” Pence shouts, his voice also sounding a bit off.

Clenching his teeth, Roxas sees Seifer swinging his arm down for another hit. At the last second, he parries the attack and knocks the weapon right out of Seifer’s hand. He holds his club out at Seifer’s chest, breathing hard as the committee stares at him in disbelief.

When did … Roxas get so strong?

Rai and Fuu are quick to defend their leader. With wild gestures, Rai insists over Hayner and Pence’s cheering, “Seifer’s not feelin’ so hot, y’know! He’s just savin’ his strength!”

“Tournament decides,” Fuu adds, pointing at a poster for the upcoming event later that week.

With a grin, you pull out your camera and decide to capture this victory. “Roxas, look sharp!”

Seifer yells and blocks his face with his hand. Rai steps forward to take your camera away as Fuu squints with an annoyed glare. Roxas looks over at you, momentarily confused, but cracks a small smile for you.

You take the shot, and just when the proof develops, a flash of white circles around you from out of nowhere and snatches the camera out of your hand.

“What was that?”

“The thief?”

“Whatever it is, it took my camera!”

“Get ‘im!” Hayner shouts as you and the others chase after the culprit.

-*-

“Which way did it go?” Hayner asks as the five of you end up back at the Market District, frantically looking for the thief.

The culprit is so fast … you don’t even think it’s human.

Just what the heck IS that thing?

“There!” Roxas shouts, spotting something in the distance. He takes off toward the woods as you follow after him. As you stare at his back, you suddenly see him in a different attire.

He wears a black coat and carries a key-shaped weapon on one hand and holds onto your hand with his other. You two aren’t in Twilight Town anymore … actually, you’re not sure WHERE you are. It’s raining so hard and everything is all black and gloomy. Your chest tightens in panic, and his face is unreadable. The two of you are running away from something … someone? Who is after you? Where is he taking you?

Seeing the strange vision makes you dizzy, and you try not to faint right on the spot. You look to where your friends are and they seem … frozen. It’s as if time has suddenly stopped and the world became silent.

You lose feeling in your legs and fall on the ground. There’s a ringing in your head that you can’t stand, and it makes it so hard for you to focus on anything.

Footsteps approach you. The sound seems to be the only thing you can hear as they come closer to where you’ve fallen. You turn your head to see who it is before you pass out.

All you see is a man in a black hooded coat.

-*-

You’re falling.

A bright light surrounds your small body, warm and blinding. Echoes of loud voices and soft whispers fill your ears as you continue to descend from the sky like a shooting star. They tell you not to be afraid, but you dare not open your eyes. You’ll get hurt…!

“Float!” a woman’s voice shouts, and the air drastically changes around you. You’re floating now, and when you slowly open your eyes, you see your shadow circling the tall, green grass below you.

“Hurry!” another voice shouts -- a male this time -- as they run toward you before the hastily-casted spell breaks.

“I got her!” yells another voice belonging to someone younger than the first two. Like a bubble, the short spell suddenly ends and you feel yourself falling again. A frightened scream escapes your lips as you brace yourself to land face-first on the ground.

Instead, two arms catch you and brings you to his chest. He breaks your fall and he tumbles on the grass a little; his breathing a bit heavy from running to you as fast as he could. Gently, he murmurs, “It’s okay, I got you.”

“Are you guys all right?” the woman worriedly asks as she and a man around her age finally catch up.

“I’m okay!” the person holding you answers. You finally peek up at him; his side-swept hair is the color of dandelions. Then, he looks back at you with the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen and curiously asks, “Where did you come from?”

-*-

You wake with a jolt. Sitting up, you frantically check your surroundings: the rusty pipes, the wooden crates, the rumbling of a train passing above you. It takes you a moment, but you realize you’re back at the Usual Spot.

How did I get here?

Across the room, your friends are huddled together. Hayner is holding something in his hand as he asks, “What’s this?”

“I was his first customer after he took over the shop,” Roxas answers fondly. “So, we took a picture together.”

“It’s a really nice photo,” Olette compliments. She gasps when she realizes what she said.

“Hey! You just said ‘photo’!” Pence brightly exclaims. “We’ve got the word back too!”

“So, what happened out there?” Hayner inquires, but Roxas shakes his head. By now, you’re sure they’re talking about the thief you guys were chasing.

“Not much to say,” he admits, though you have a feeling he might be hiding something. “The pictures were just lying there.”

“Then how do we prove we weren’t the ones who took ‘em?” Hayner grumbles as he inspects the next photo. His annoyed tone changes to a playful jeer. “What do we have here?”

“You look happy in this one, Roxas,” Olette teases.

“Do not,” he cuts in, obviously embarrassed.

“What’s going on?” you ask, finally deciding to join them. Roxas is quick to snatch the photo from Hayner’s hand and hide it from you. However, he couldn’t hide the knowing looks Hayner and Pence exchange with each other.

“Haruna, you’re awake! Are you feeling better?” Olette asks with concern. Supposedly, you were chasing the thief, tripped over a stick, and knocked out. She stayed behind with you as Hayner and Pence went to catch up with Roxas. By the time they reached him, he was in front of the Old Mansion. The thief was gone and he was picking up all the photos that were scattered on the ground.

Apparently, that’s all the thief took from everyone too -- photos.

Your brows furrow in confusion. You’re certain you fell but … you don’t remember it happening like that.

“So, like, anybody else notice that all the pictures are of Roxas?”

All of you fall silent at Pence’s observation. Roxas stares at him in disbelief. “Are they really all of me?”

“Yep. See? Every single one.” He shows you all the photos that’s been stolen, and it’s true -- Roxas is in every one of them. You feel the blood drain from your face when you realize something else about the pictures.

These are all the ones I took myself!

“Oh, so that’s why everyone thought it was us!” Olette remarks.

“You mean Seifer didn’t go around accusing us after all?” Hayner trails off and your friends begin voicing their concerns, hoping that whoever is stalking Roxas isn’t digging through his trash, peeping through his windows, or bugging the device in his room.

“Gimmie a break!” he yells in response, though he swears he’ll be more careful.

“Wouldn’t it be weird if the thief wanted to steal the real Roxas or something?” Pence muses, clearly not making the situation any better.

Hayner snorts. “C’mon, get serious. Why would anyone wanna steal a bonehead like Roxas?”

“Oh, thanks!”

Laughter fills the room, but you couldn’t bring yourself to crack a smile. The stolen photos, the stolen words, the strange thief … if what Pence says is true, why would they be interested in Roxas? Why doesn’t anyone else feel a little bothered by this?

“Oh, hey, guys! Here’s a picture of all of us.” Olette holds up a picture of the five of you in front of the Old Mansion. She places it back in the empty frame, and you smile a bit.

This was taken the day the five of you guys split up in the woods for a childish dare. First one to arrive at the gates of the haunted manor would take a picture, and the losers have to buy ice cream. You remember how scared you were, thinking the trees had creepy faces on them and jumping at every little sound you heard. And how Roxas held your hand and encouraged you to be brave. The five of you ended up arriving at the same time, relieved and happy that you all made it in one piece and decided to all be winners that day

Hayner suddenly nudges your side. “Yeah, I look pretty good, huh?”

Pence laughs. “Not seeing it.”

From across the town, bells from the clock tower chime the hour. You and your friends fall quiet as you count each toll and realize how late it’s getting.

As you guys lock up and get ready to leave, Olette reminds you all that you still need to get started on that summer assignment. Hayner waves it off as Pence laughs.

“I’ll return all the missing photos to everyone before I go home. There’s something I need to ask them anyway,” Hayner tells you as he clutches all the pictures in his hands. “See you tomorrow!”

“Okay, see ya!”

“Later!”

Olette and Pence walk together in another direction, waving goodbye to you and Roxas. Once the two of you are alone, Roxas turns to face you. “Okay, what’s up?”

“Hm?”

“You’ve been really quiet since you woke up. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

There are a number of things on your mind: the thief isn’t human, the story of you falling over and losing consciousness is not what happened, the photos that's been taken around town with Roxas in all of them, and all the weird stuff that’s been going on with the people and the town.

“Roxas, all those pictures that’s been stolen…” you trail off a bit, deciding to at least start with this. “They’re pictures that I took with my camera. Some of them were in my memory book at home.”

His face pales a bit. Roxas doesn’t seem too worried about something supernatural stalking him, but for them to go after you is a different story. “Are you sure?”

“There’s something strange going on in this town,” you start, wanting to tell him everything.

But something stops you.

The setting skies become much brighter -- blindingly brighter -- making it hard for you to see.

It couldn’t have been more than a few moments, but when it all clears up, you find yourself in your bedroom and dressed in your night clothes. A new day has risen, but … you’re sure you were just with Roxas at the Usual Spot.

What’s happening to me?

To be continued… ⇷ prev | news ✩ tip jar ✩ ao3 | next ⇸

[irvinexxkinneas]

@hyperionalmasy

Naturally, not even the slight tensing of muscles was hidden from prying eyes, Seifer all too keen on analyzing the sharpshooter whom he had only known as an enemy back then - and as a kid at the orphanage. They were basically strangers, and thus, there was no amicable feeling whatsoever for the man who suddenly barged into his life like a shadow of the past, uninvited and unwanted.

Even worse, somehow he had the feeling the Marshal had found him suitable to teach the untalented twit how to use the King's magic and, as if that was not enough of the blatant unfairness, wielding blades on top of it all. But then again, better him than Leonhart spending more time than was necessary with the man.

Snarling at the cocky words retorted to his question, Seifer fought down a growl building up in his throat, instead taking a drag from the cigarette he had stolen and releasing the smoke with a huff. "I'm never afraid, Kinneas," he insinuated, shooting a forbidding glance towards the auburn-haired man, "and I wouldn't recommend getting in my way." The other better shouldn't try this friendly banter nonsense with him, he wouldn't have it.

Silence fell for a moment in which Seifer pondered ways to get rid of the other - maybe if he managed to sever a limb he'd have his six-bedamned peace - but of course, the marksman had to open his mouth again. And what came out of it had Seifer chuckle darkly.

Pushing himself off the pillar, the tall blond rounded the other, standing in his line of sight now, chin raised as he glowered at the brunet, arrogance and disdain oozing from every pore of his being. "Unless you learn how to wield a fuckin' sword or at least a six-bedamned dagger, you won't be of any use for us whatsoever, Kinneas," Seifer snarled, huffing his disbelieve at the fact someone really had deemed it a good idea to enlist the man to the Glaives instead of the Crownsguard.

Grimacing, he turned away again, watching the younger, less battle-experienced newcomers on the Training Grounds as he took one last drag from his cigarette before snipping it away. "But yeah, guess the Marshal wants me to teach ya."

“Never? Really? You’re telling me there’s nothin’ out there that shakes you to your core and would make you do anything to stop it from happening?” 

Irvine knew it wouldn’t be wise to poke the beast, as they say, but couldn’t help himself. Something about seeing Seifer again after so long, knowing they had stood on opposite sides, made him want to press his luck. See if the man had changed at all. So far, it didn’t seem so.

He chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “I can’t promise anything. I just go where I’m needed, and if it’s in your way well….” he shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ll try not to do it intentionally, however.”

It wasn’t that he wanted to start anything with Seifer, especially so soon after arriving. It just so happens that he cannot always keep his mouth shut. A terrible habit of his that has gotten him into trouble more often than not. Despite all of that, he did want to try and become… Friendly? With the man. If friendly was really the term that could be used here.

As Seifer stepped in front of him, all Irvine could do was smile when he blocked his view of the grounds. An infuriating, easygoing smile. “Somethings just never change, do they Almasy? Always gettin’ riled up and upset over simple things.” He took a final drag, blowing the smoke away from the man before bringing his gaze back to those emerald eyes. “That’s fine, though. Lucky for you I’ve picked up a few things in my travels. Swords are still tricky, but I can use a dagger well enough.”

Lifting a boot up to rest on his knee, he put out his cigarette and tucked the butt in his jacket pocket. He saw no sense in tossing it aside when there was a trash bin somewhere he could deposit it into. Setting his foot down, he relaxed again, sliding his hands into his pants pockets. He looked back at the newcomers with Seifer and sighed softly.

“Look, I have no doubt you’ll be a good teacher, hard, maybe. Thorough I would hope. Just have a little faith that I can pick it up. I may be better with my gun, but I am capable of learning new things.”

[hyperionswrath--archived]

[Story?] Ask about my muse’s scar (chest)

It had been with much displeasure that Seifer had observed a certain longhaired brunet nuisance make it to the ranks of the Kingsglaives. Certainly not approving of the man, there was no doubt in Seifer's mind that it was Squall's doing getting the sharpshooter into their ranks - a disturbance in their fragile state of rebonding the tall blond did neither approve of nor would he quietly tolerate it.

Irvine Kinneas had kept a watchful eye on him ever since he arrived, and it irked the ex-knight in ways he could not put into words. Much like right now, as they were standing under the showers in the changing rooms, the training sessions over and done with. Seifer could feel the probing stares of violet blue eyes rest on him, and not in a way he could tolerate or even find remotely enjoyable. Military upbringing on both their sides caused the scene to not be awkward for either of them when Seifer turned around, brushing wet strands of hair back with one hand, shooting a forbidding glance at the man.

"You wanna take a picture, Kinneas? Lasts longer," Seifer sneered then, clicking his tongue as he reached for the towel and made quick work of drying up, before he wrapped the cloth around his hips and made for the changing rooms again. He had only just reached his locker when Irvine caught up with him, crossing his arms over his chest as he took his former enemy in with unreadable eyes.

"That scar... it's were Squall got ya in Galahd, isn't it?" The sharpshooter's voice was strangely tentative, as if not to cross any invisible line - which only raised Seifer's hackles more. "Yeah, so what? You're a nosey little fucker, ain't ya?", he shot back, turning away to start getting dressed again. The last people he wanted to discuss that time of his life with was Squall’s little fan club, he owed them no explanation nor apology. The only person he’d do that for was the smaller brunet himself, and no rundown, good-for-nothing gunsman that didn’t even know how to wield a damn blade.