#and then they can't stop thinking about it because they are having a miniature crisis

[i3utterflyeffect]

What if ava 5 stick Alan tries to hide gets found, and then the others try to surround him to keep him safe. He would probably try telling them to run and get safe, but they would stay with him.

i'm not going to lie i don't feel like i fully understand this ask but i can definitely imagine the others all trying to defend him, assuming this is abt the dark lord fight-- honestly the only one who probably wouldn't is chosen and that's mostly because they're incapacitated--

he's definitely not happy about the others risking their lives to defend him when they did LITERALLY NOTHING to deserve this

[naamahdarling]

Hi. I’m feeling sad too, I think that tends to happen late at night. At least we can be sad together lol

Yeah it's just a 3:00 thing. Literally I call it the "three o'clocksies". One of the best mental health things I've ever done for myself is learning to look at the time, and if it's after 3:00 a.m., I just tell myself I will put those feelings away until the next day, and I can feel them then if I have to. It doesn't work every time, but it works about 70% of the time, which is a lot better than the maybe 15 or 20% of the time I managed to deal with it by just powering through. Big fan.

Learning to approach strong negative emotions not arising directly from a currently unfolding crisis as temporary, and strong positive emotions as gifts and memories that I will get to have later has been really helpful. "All things pass" can be barbed, because that means good stuff too will pass. But that's just the nature of things, and we have a lot more control over what memories and feelings we keep with us than we think we do.

That is part of why I try so hard to find goodness when badness is around me. Because it really does make bad things easier to bear. I don't mean like spinning bad things into good things, or saying that bad things happen for a reason, I just mean things like moments of common kindness between strangers (which are actually a thing we can create ourselves instead of waiting to have happen to us or to observe), or a beautiful sunset the day you break your ankle, or the very very small child in the corner at urgent care who won't stop talking very articulately and at great length about how much he fuckin' loves chicken nuggets, or the person who took one look at me and didn't charge me anything at the gas station the night we lost Raleigh, no questions asked.

These moments aren't actually insignificant. They're the fabric of our lives, and by observing them even in the bad moments, we prepare ourselves to see them the rest of the time, it makes things easier. It's like putting flowers in a hospital room inside your mind. I may feel like dying, but somebody brought a miniature goat named Tom Brady to PetSmart with them and I got to pet him.

I'm not full of shit here, I have really been through it this past year. It really is worth it to struggle to look and see ordinary life around you as full of small surprises and little kindnesses. It isn't about some kind of bullshit healing through positivity thing (I think "positivity" as it is pushed at us is toxic bullshit) it's not going to cure your mental illness or whatever, it isn't going to take you out of the terrible circumstances fucking you over, it isn't going to undo your trauma, it's just seeing all the small good things that are easy to overlook, and realizing that some days, seeing the small good things really can be enough. That isn't pathetic or bleak, that isn't trying to fill your belly with nothing but crumbs and telling yourself you're lucky, it's just an underlying kind of warmth that it would be really unfortunate to not look for and allow yourself to feel.

It's a way of inhabiting life deliberately, and not just suffering through it. And it's taking me years to develop, and no, I can't always hold on to it, it isn't something that you can be successful at 100% of the time. But man, things got a lot better for me when I started taking pictures of the sky almost every time I go outside, and admiring strangers' questionable fashion choices, and wondering about things like what kind of person would buy this puzzle featuring a John Deere tractor, and enjoying small brown birds having a dust bath next to the drive-thru at Sonic, or taking pictures of interesting graffiti, or noticing the single mirror-spangled drag queen platform high heel on the side of the road, all of that. Things got better for me when I started to really care that I got to see those things.

IDK this got long. But I think...it's all right to be sad, I think sometimes we just have to be even when we aren't sure why. And that can and should coexist with the rest of the world being out there and ready to be seen, even through tears.

[astoryofalove]

Do you not feel there's a few quotes from that exhibition that seem to be about Zack? Her saying her feelings don't change, the sky takes away those she loves. Even when she is saying that she keeps seeing that person with the same eyes but won't ask (cloud I assume) about them? Then says she "can't stop thinking about you". Makes it seem like she is thinking of her feelings for Zack? I'm hoping not but I'm just worried it could be.

Anon is referring to this, y’all. 

I think ONE is, others aren’t. I also read what Japanese fans thought of these quotes, and they interpreted these quotes as Aerith being afraid of moving on because she’s afraid she’ll be left behind again. Other’s interpreted some of theme to be like Aerith doesn’t think she deserves to move on and be happy. Keep in mind, there’s no date on what time during the compilation Aerith thinks any of this. 

“Sometimes I see someone who has the same eyes. Same as you, I mean. And I wonder, should I ask: Do you know him? Do you know where he is? But I never do.”

「時々、同じ目の人を見かけるよ 君と同じ目 そのたびに、迷うんだ あの人、知ってますか？ どこにいるか知りませんか？ 訊いてみようか、やめようか……って」

Clearly about Zack and her seeing other soldiers/people with blue eyes. Which shouldn’t surprise anyone. I mean, Zack up and left Aerith (was even going to see other women instead of her), Aerith didn’t get closure at all, this kind of behavior is normal, especially for a young teenage girl that never had any friends or a “crush” before. That doesn’t mean she’s continued to love him when she’s clearly expressed how she has moved on. Another thing  is, we don’t know when Aerith says this quote. It could be a week after Zack went missing, or a year. We just don’t know so it’s relevancy isn’t much. 

“I hate the sky. It carries away everyone I love.”

「空、嫌いだな 大切な人、連れてっちゃうから」

[x]

This quote is about Aerith’s mother, NOT Zack. The “sky taking away” people is just how people die in FFVII (Zack, Kadaj, Angeal, etc). As the original game AND the Ultimanias state, Aerith did not know Zack died. She cannot be referring to Zack because she didn’t know he died. However, Aerith was there when her mother died and she would have “seen” the sky “taking” her. On top of this, Crisis Core said Aerith was afraid of the sky because she felt like it could take her away. 

エアリス：空なんて、なくていい。

ザックス：年中プレートに覆われてたら　　　　　　空が恋しくなるだろ？　普通。

エアリス：ごめん、普通じゃないの。

ザックス：……わけあり？

エアリス：空、恐いんだ。　　　　　　吸い込まれそうで……

エアリス：変、だよね。

This was also hard for Japanese fans to understand or come to a conclusion on, but I feel like it is entirely about Aerith sensing her tragic future as well as about her mother.

“This is a strange place. Flowers bloom all year long. The seasons never change— My feelings never change— I’m stuck.”

「ここ、不思議な場所なの 1年中、お花、咲くんだ だから、季節が巡らなくて——だがら、気持ちが変わらなくて—— 困っちゃうな」

Not👏about👏Zack👏

 People are just interpreting it that way. I instinctively thought this was about her Cetra heritage and her “sensing” her destiny/sacrifice. 気持ち isn’t just for romantic feeling, it’s for a wide range of feelings. And the last part  convinces me that it’s about her anxiety and reluctance to accept her Cetra destiny. So from what I’m reading, it’s about her knowing that something bad is going to happen in the future, hence  the “困っちゃうな“.

And my theory is proven by this next quote:

“Things won’t last forever. Sure, it’s lonely. It’s sad. But I can say "bye” with a smile. Right”

「この道も、いつか終わるよ 寂しいけど、悲しいけど またねって笑顔で言おう？ ね？」

If people are going to say that means anything BUT Aerith knowing/accepting her sacrificial destiny, then they need to replay the game. 

“You came. Thank you. I’m glad. But, you’re already—”

「来てくれたんだ ありがとう うれしいよ でも、君はもう……」

Clearly this is from Aerith’s death scene, which is why Aerith’s saying she’s happy Cloud came for her but that he was “already too late” (logically what she was going to say) and her sacrifice was completed. 

“That’s it. I give up. I can’t stop thinking about you. Ugh, I can’t stand this!”

「参りました 降参です 君のこと、気になって…… ああ悔しい！」

I think this is about Aerith accepting that she’s fallen for Cloud. She’s frustrated with herself because she’s worried that she’s just going to get hurt again. 

Hence:

“Stamp! Stamp?! Oh… Guess you’re gone, too.”

「スタンプ！スタンプ！？ ……そっか 君もいなくなっちゃうんだ」

While this confused Japanese people, too—I believe this is about when Aerith hears Cloud sneaking out of her house in the middle of the night. The “stamp” sound is the floorboards creaking (Japanese people were utterly perplexed by this word). This quote clearly displays how Aerith is afraid of being left behind by another man. Think something along the lines of:

“You’re so far now. I’m so far from you. Oh… I’m rising. The sky is carrying me away. I can see you. You’re crying. Don’t cry. You’ll make it rain.”

「君が離れていく 君から離れていく ああ……昇っていく わたしも空に消えるんだ…… 君が見えるよ…… 君が泣いている…… もう、泣かないで 雨になっちゃうよ」

This is NOT about Zack. I saw a youtube video present it like it was but it isn’t. This is PURELY about Cloud and Aerith being separated and how Cloud was so heartbroken by her death his tears were falling so much that it was as if it was raining.

The entire exhibit was solely focused on Cloud’s love and heartbreak over losing Aerith and how Aerith was a major influence in Cloud’s life. Clerith quotes were used to advertise the event, Cloud and Aerith’s separation was given a special miniature calendar picture, all of the descriptions are about Cloud and Aerith’s relationship. 

If people honestly think for a single second that Square Enix did all of ^this^ just to throw in “z/erith” quotes, then there’s no helping them out of that rabbit hole. 

So, hon. Don’t worry for a second about Z/erith. That ship has been nuked since 1997. 

[the-family-fortune]

razputinrp​:

Thinking about their bizarre lot in life was the last thing on his mind. He’d already had that miniature crisis when she’d invited him to swim and then kept her word to keep him safe. She was his friend now, not a predator or any other kind of threat. She could still be dangerous, sure, but now he viewed it on a similar level as being friends with a human child - be respectful and know your place, and it should stay just fine.

“We will escape.” It was said just as much for his benefit as it was hers. “They don’t know I can walk on land just fine, so I’ll use that. Actually, maybe I can…”

Raz pressed his head against the tank lid, pushing against it to see if he could knock it open in this form. The strain of it made his nostrils flare.

No such luck, it didn’t budge. He’d have to try as a human. And that…made him hesitate.

What if the curse came back stronger while he was humanoid? What if he couldn’t swim in that form? His tail fin barely brushed against the floor of the tank while his nose was above the surface; if he was shorter as a human, it would be much more difficult to tread water, because he didn’t have the seal instincts to propel him nor the gills to give breath if he couldn’t keep his head up.

Not to mention the scientists sounded like they were stopping sooner rather than later, to report - something, he hadn’t actually caught what that was about. If they came back here and found him like that, or found the tank lid loose before he could even do anything else, it would really be over.

“I don’t…think I should try transforming yet. They said something about talking to someone soon, right? I don’t want to get caught like that if I can help it.”

She pressed herself desperately against the side of the tank closest to Raz, listening with wide eyes and great care. "No," she whispered back, thoughtful. "It's best if you stay like that for now. If they think you're just some kind of weird seal, they might not..." she trailed off, not really wanting to say it. She knew that humans were fascinated with all kinds of new and unusual sea life. They wouldn't risk hurting some new species, if that's what it is. Sirens, though...

She put the thought from her mind, shaking her head to clear it away as she peered at the selkie in the darkness. "Besides," she continued, "this way, we have the element of surprise. A seal and a siren can't just get up and walk away, with no legs, right?"

It was a ditch hope, but it was the strongest one they had. If they could get out of these tanks, Raz could use his weird human legs to get them out of here - wherever here was - and back to the ocean. They'd be safe in the ocean, she was certain of it.

She just hoped that she'd be able to convince him of the same thing.