#do NOT ask me which genesis track is which

[salmalin]

My sincerest apologies and warmest welcome to my rant about FF7: Crisis Core. Or, as I like to call it,

Propaganda: The Video Game

I say this with the utmost affection. Crisis Core ranks really high up there in my favorite Final Fantasy 7 installments. I played it when it first came out, borrowing it from a friend to play on a borrowed PSP. And, the more I learn about the game and the more I replay it, the more everything lines up.

This game is not about Zack Fair.

This game is about how Capitalistic Propaganda can sink into every aspect of life to the point where it is entirely indistinguishable from reality. And it’s very overt about it. So…

Here we go.

My treatise on Propaganda’s starring role in Crisis Core.

Part One: The Timeline

Something that a lot of people gloss over due to decades of Child Heroes in media—Japanese Shonen and Shoujo series in particular—is how young these protagonists are. We’ll hand-wave a lot of stuff in non-live-action series with just a little bit of suspension of disbelief. And that’s honestly just accepted these days. But here’s the thing about those hand-waves.

Final Fantasy 7 doesn’t do that.

Now, FF7 hand-waves a lot of stuff. For example, how far you can travel in a day by foot, the distance a man weighing approximately 165lbs can jump after being genetically fused with what might as well be a cocaine demon (Jenova), and how much hairspray one can reasonably carry on a cross-country journey while on the run from the feds.

Age is not one of them.

Exhibit A: Yuffie Kisaragi.

Do I really need to say more? She acts her age. So does Zack. And Aerith, even. Most of the characters in the original lineup were over twenty for a good reason. We see several kids in the series, and they all act their age, too—both the OG and the remake. Age is not a thing that FF7 really grapples with. It’s something they take relatively seriously.

Now, to the point.

Zack is 16 when Crisis Core starts…

… and he was 13 when he ran away from home without his parents’ knowledge to join the military.

Which accepted him.

At 13.

Without a parental permission slip.

Think about that for a second.

… Or for the next several parts of this breakdown.

Part Two: The Main Character

As I mentioned in the introduction, Zack is not the main character of the events of Crisis Core. Instead, he is the focal point of the second person POV. This is not the first time Square has done this. It was done most notably with FF9, FF10, and FF12. (I’m not going to go on an Akira Kurosawa rant right now, but please check out his film “The Hidden Fortress”. FF12 and Star Wars episodes 4-6 borrow heavily from this film.) The purpose and position of this character is such that they might best witness the effects the other characters make on the world as their stories unfold, usually in the role of a love interest. For Akira Kurosawa, it may have been told this way because these people are most effected by the decisions being made.

“Well, then, Sal,” you may be asking, “who would you say is the main character? Would that be Aerith, since she’s the love interest, like in the other games?”

No, actually.

It’s the antagonist.

And by that, I mean Genesis.

Hear me out. I used to hate Genesis, for I was once young, full of judgement for flamboyancy (thanks, internalized homophobia), and was led by the narrative to believe he was mean to his friends. Then I met my Lovely beta who loved him, so I wrote a fic for her as a gift. So for that I kinda just… read stuff. Because that’s the thing about Propaganda—you gotta read stuff to navigate it. I read the in-game emails. I re-watched all the scenes I could get my hands on with him. I read his wiki and tried to track down more information about him. Then I watched the scenes in Japanese and gained a better understanding of not just Genesis, but Sephiroth’s character. And I realized that Genesis was put on this road from the start. In fact, a big part of the fact that he’s seen the way he is in Canon—only at his most hostile and lowest points—is because the story is told through Zack’s point of view.

So before we get into the breakdown, here’s the hard facts about Genesis.

1. He was a test tube baby who may or may not technically be Angeal’s fraternal twin brother, which we are not going to unpack right now.

2. He was adopted by a relatively rich family.

3. He was a child genius (which requires not only resources, but drive to achieve), and at a tender young age of like… ten or something? He decided to mess around and literally invented pasteurization. Which is incredible, and really speaks to his knowledge of the world and ability to grasp complex concepts even at a young age. But, again, this is not the time or place to unpack that.

4. He was best friends with Angeal, who might as well have been the sweetest, kindest boy to ever walk the Planet. (I’m biased. I love him.)

5. As a teenager, he became fixated on Sephiroth, who had gained national acclaim as a SOLDIER despite them being the same age. (Please see part 1 and think about that for a second.) He then goes to join SOLDIER and brings Angeal with him. And Angeal brings his step-father’s puritanical “hard work is honorable” mindset with him. (On that note, Angeal and his father’s arc really are a wonderfully scathing letter to companies that overwork their employees and how toxic/unhealthy that line of thinking is. But. Again. We are not unpacking that right now.)

6. At one point he became consumed with LOVELESS, a series of poems with heavy prose and symbolism thicker than syrup. It got to the point where he was so well known for it that there was an entire fanclub dedicated to both him and analyzing the text.

7. While he was in SOLDIER, he repeatedly had his achievements publicly accredited… to Sephiroth.

Over and over and over again.

Everyone did, really. They mention it in the beginning of the game. Sephiroth even got public credit for Zack’s raid on the castle when he wasn’t even there. How much of his legacy is real? How much of it is made up? How much of it was faked? We don’t know. No one knows. But he keeps getting credit, anyways. And when Genesis confronts him about it, Sephiroth doesn’t care. In the Japanese version of their fight scene, you could even say he indirectly implies that he wants Genesis to take his place as the “hero”. In the English, Sephiroth’s line is, “Come and try.” But in the Japanese the line is closer to, “Wouldn’t that be nice?” Which, depending on how you take his tone, can mean wildly different things—from mocking, to earnest, or even admiration—which is especially to tell because he might be annoyed with Genesis at the moment.

Fun Fact: In Ever Crisis, Sephiroth explicitly says they are making up his achievements in the press to target boys his age for recruitment. (Thus why they accepted Zack at age 13.)

My theory on this line is that he is being cynical; that Genesis doesn't understand just how harrowing and even humiliating his experience has been. This only enforces my theory that the "come and try" translation in the English not only does a disservice to a line as wonderfully heavy as, "Wouldn't that be nice?", but fundamentally misunderstands Sephiroth as a character.

8. Genesis then took the fight to Shin-Ra. Inspiring a good chunk of their staff to leave the company, he then staged multiple attacks on facilities, staff, and the main building—which also spilled out into the city of Midgar. He murdered his parents, buried them, killed everyone in town, and… Yeah. It wasn’t pretty. A lot of innocent people died simply because they were vaguely associated with Shin-Ra. These are the actions of a villain. What’s more, this is clearly a sign that he has been acclimatized to death and violence by Shin-Ra to the point where he doesn’t even consider taking hostages.

Except.

Except the entire town was a Shin-Ra town.

Banora, canonically, was a Shin-Ra built town, which means everyone there was basically an employee of the company. No one was safe. Everyone was a threat. And that…

That was how he was raised. And he finally knew the truth—that every moment of his life was touched, controlled by Shin-Ra, all the way down to his very conception. He has never known freedom. He has never known his own identity. And now that very cage was killing him, slowly and painfully, and turning him into something that couldn’t even be recognized as human. He was watching himself rot in the mirror, and it was all because of Shin-Ra’s greed. And as he searched for salvation, he sunk into LOVELESS as he always had, hinging his entire life on Minerva’s Gift because he knew he was dying and that was all he had.

9. And then he died…

10. … but then it turned out LOVELESS was actually kind of a blueprint, and he did meet the Goddess, and he did get reborn without his degradation so he was rewarded for his journey in the end.

So why wasn’t Genesis the main character of the game?

Simple.

His actions challenge the status quo without being about the status quo. It’s a story about revenge. It’s a story about retribution. It’s a story about answering mass violence with mass violence and ultimately being rewarded by it. And while, yes, the series is an action-based violence simulator, the violence in the original FF7 was a guided, tactical effort. (For all that the characters aren’t the brightest bulbs in the sun lamps.) But the biggest, most obvious shift in the narrative happened when they realized their role as terrorists—bringing mass violence to the company via bombing and open aggression—was just resulting in increasing levels of retaliation against uninvolved people. They might as well have been a child beating the ankles of a giant. The goals and themes of the game fundamentally change when they realize that answering mass-scale societal violence with mass-scale physical violence was not only unsustainable, but also wasn’t going to solve their problem.

FF7 is about change and learning when violence—and what kind of violence—is appropriate in the face of different threats.

Genesis’ arc undermines all of that, and making him the main character would contradict the very heart of the OG game.

So, instead, we are positioned as Zack, connected to him through a mutual friend. From there we see all the damage and horror this vengeance brings to those living under the status quo.

But also, that plotline’s a major downer in a lot of ways, so they needed to lighten things up a bit to keep audience involved. And that’s why Zack is, well…

Part Three: Zack is a Himbo

Please, for the love of all that is holy, keep in mind that everything I say here is with the utmost affection.

Zack is dumb as a rock.

He is a charismatic, enthusiastic sixteen year old jock who ran away from home at thirteen years old to join the military. Which, please know, why I say “military” I mean “private security guard force with a standard-issue Death Baton and a license to kill”. The first scene in the game is him being excited that he gets to murder a bunch of people in a simulation, which he is immediately scolded for by his mentor. He is a glorified, souped up private security guard who is canonically only in it for the glory at first. He wants to be a “hero”, but doesn’t seem to fundamentally know what that means. And, over the course of the story, the definition of that clearly changes for him.

Which tracks, because the story takes place over a period of time with high stress.

Occasionally I see people saying they wish that Zack had more complexity to him, and honestly? The game. Would be. SO. BAD.

Full Disclosure: I am not the biggest fan of Zack specifically because he lacks a lot of nuance. I wish he was a bit more complex, too. But I also know that would break the game. What’s worse, if he was still on Shin-Ra’s side because he understood Shin-Ra’s mission… Well… That would make him a villain, or a cog at best. That’s not main character material. It would make the ending more messed up, though.

Anywho, Zack was thirteen when he left home. He had no formal education. He didn’t tell anyone what he was doing. He even joined without a permission slip from his parents. This means that Shin-Ra was accepting thirteen, possibly fourteen year olds into the military. (Some people will say this tracks because you can get a job at fourteen in many parts of Japan. But, and this is important, you aren’t allowed to be a security guard until you’re quite a bit older, and you need a specific license for it, much like in the US.) Clearly they didn’t teach this boy critical thinking skills. Not because he’s a himbo, but because having their Super-Powered Private Security Force With A License To Kill think independently would explicitly go against their interests. (EX: Genesis.)

Shin-Ra needs SOLDIERs to follow orders or the company would no longer be able to function. Seconds and Thirds aren’t even allowed to reject missions. (One could argue that sending certain someone on back-to-back missions would be a good way for them to eliminate undesirables within the ranks by sending them to their deaths, which… would make an incredible fic idea, actually.) We already know that First, Second, and Third Class rank assignments do not actually reflect the power of the SOLDIER. This is canon. I would instead argue that those who make the rank of First Class aren’t necessarily the most powerful, but are instead the most visible in the media, thus the easiest to market, and/or the easiest to manipulate and control. (For a great example of this, see The Umbrella Academy.)

The point is, Zack may have been elevated to his position as a first specifically because he is malleable and single-minded. Even after all he saw with Genesis, he stuck by the company to the very end, with the exception of the time Sephiroth was literally guiding him to fail a mission. Zack allowed himself to take Shin-Ra’s side every time, taking down their enemies and following their orders, preserving his “honor as SOLDIER” as he had been taught. The only thing that made him stop…

… was literally getting put in a jar.

It was when he was no longer a SOLDIER.

Part Four: Honor

There is no such thing as SOLDIER Honor.

I repeat: There is no such thing as SOLDIER Honor.

It is a fictional thing that is borne of an ideology based around hard work. It only has power because it is believed in. It is an intangible social construct similar to the law, mathematical order of operations, and gender roles. So why are Angeal and Zack obsessed with it?

Pretty simple.

Angeal’s step-father followed it.

Now, we know three things about Angeal’s step-father.

1. He was chill with the fact that Gillian was already pregnant when they started dating.

2. He was a very good father.

3. He worked himself to death trying to pay off the sword he bought Angeal.

This, of course, says a lot about Angeal considering he rarely uses the sword. He essentially sees that sword as the symbol of his step-father’s life. Everything he uses it for, he sees as more important than his step-father’s life. That thing is usually Zack.

Zack, who is the child who joined the military based on stories of heroes.

Zack, who rises against Angeal in the name of his own step-father’s ideology and tries to talk him down, even at the very end. But Zack fails because he fundamentally doesn’t understand what’s going on, partially because “Soldier Honor” is just one more aspect of this narrative he was given. It is a narrative that Angeal has had to step away from, even though he doesn’t want to leave the memory of his step-father behind. He was a good man. He was a good, hardworking man.

And that is why he died.

Corporations will use you up until there is nothing left, then honor your memory/sacrifice. Shin-Ra was doing the exact same thing the company his step-father worked for did; using up SOLDIERs until they outlived their usefulness. And Angeal was horrified to realize that his “SOLDIER Honor” wasn’t honor at all.

It was willingly submitting to control.

But, unlike Angeal, over time, this meaning changed for Zack. Partially because he didn't understand it fully in the first place. It became about acting with integrity. It became about helping people. It became about not lying down and watching the abuse Shin-Ra handed out in exchange for literal money; for maintaining the status quo.

At the very end, Zack understood what it meant to be a hero.

Part Five: The Conclusion

To sum up, Zack believed in and idolized the propaganda spread by Shin-Ra at such a young age, and was so convinced by it, that he ran away from home at thirteen to join the military.

He was their target demographic, so they happily took him into their ranks. What’s more, people think this is normal enough that we see no one opposing this, because the only people who oppose Shin-Ra are “extremists” or “violent terrorists”.

Zack then became their loyal puppy, groomed to fill his role as super-powered attack dog to sick on anyone they deemed appropriate, and he filled the role. He believed he was doing good. He didn’t think they were invading another country, because that’s not what he was told.

He went after Genesis, because that’s what he was told, and he wouldn’t let Genesis’ actions shake his faith in the company.

Then he went after Angeal, hoping to get answers, only to become more confused. Angeal taught him about SOLDIER honor. He taught him about a higher calling. He was the one who made Zack truly loyal to the company. This challenged everything Zack knew.

He went with Sephiroth, planning a small rebellion of their own (a white lie on paperwork) to get answers, only to find things he wasn’t ready for and couldn’t fully understand.

Zack is shaken by each of these events. Horribly. At times, we even watch him grieve. But time and time again, he doesn’t leave the company. He sees the damage they do first hand, and he doesn’t leave the company. The company isn’t the problem, to him. He reads their emails, does their dirty work, and “maintains his SOLDIER honor”.

Zack swallows what they give him right up until what they give him is torture.

Zack swallows what they give him until he becomes their victim.

Every step of the way, Zack is fed a story of how the world is. He was raised on it. He lived it. He became part of it. He was paid peanuts to enforce the status quo Shin-Ra installed in the world by force, and he was proud of it because it was, to him, something to be proud of.

Zack believes the propaganda whole-sale, and we get to watch, from the point of view of an outsider, as it slowly destroys his life before killing him.

Propaganda has the power to make suffering normal. Propaganda has the power to make murder righteous. Propaganda has the power to take a thirteen year old boy out of his home so they can give him a sword, and when they point him in the direction of their enemies he charges of his own volition, because they made him believe in their cause. And he believes in their cause because he believes that it makes life better for everyone.

But that’s not what’s actually happening.

That’s just what he was told.

Crisis Core is about propaganda, and the depths to which it can affect our lives. It changes our belief systems. It changes our perceptions of reality. And when it’s torn down around our eyes, it can make us go insane. It can make us violent and unreasonable as we realize just how much violence is being forced upon us—violence other people just plain do not see. It's just a a piece of paper. It's just a law. It's just a job.

It's just a war.

Final Fantasy 7 was about Fascism.

Crisis Core is about the propaganda that built it. It is told from the point of view of a boy, then a man, steeped in it. He watches until the people suffering around him—Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal—are twisted into villains by the truths and lies around them. Genesis and Angeal are tortured by truths, Sephiroth is transformed by lies, and Zack is subsequently hunted down to conceal them.

Crisis Core is Propaganda: The Video Game.

[noctunis]

Hi!for your event can i ask messy half asleep kisses with sephiroth pls:)) thank you so much

“alright my love, i must take my leave for now,” sephiroth’s voice barely echoes past the barrier of your sleep, velvet tone seeping into your mind as it only delves further into the corners of your brain.

“hmmph—?” you hum sleepily, lifting your head up ever so slightly from the silky pillows only to peek a bleary eye at your beloved, seeing his face gaze down at you with only adoration. his slender eyes track yours as your lashes flutter with the leftover residue of sleep still remaining in your eyes. the vision of him comes out blurry yet you can still clearly make out the bulky uniform of his armor.

“i must leave now — but i promise to you that i shall return tomorrow, alright?” he asks, and although it’s posed as a question you know he needs to go anyways. to attend to his duties as a SOLDIER, a role you had always resented only due to the minimal time you had together.

he basks in the glow of the room, how the dawn had barely shed its light and it had already blessed your figure. gloved hands go to bring the covers a bit over your shoulder once he hears your breath shudder at the sudden cool temperature of awareness.

“nooo..” you keen, dragging out the vowel for as long as your raspy voice could. he chuckles, shaking his head before he takes a small seat on the mattress. you sigh comfortably at the familiar dip in the bed before your hands reach out to him out of instinct, knowing that he’ll always interlock your fingers together ( leather clad or not ).

“i know, i know — but you’ll see me again soon, will you not?” you huff at his rationality. little did you know that it was getting harder and harder to get out of bed with you around; feelings of guilt swelling his heart when he sees you cling onto him as he tries to get out of bed or seeing the note you prepare on the nightstand beforehand knowing he wakes up before you do, so he’ll read it and at least know that you love him.

he hears you sigh and he lets out another soft laugh at the sound. “always so theatrical,” he mutters.

“one last kiss?” your head tips up to look at him, and he doesn’t think he’s seen anything more gorgeous. your bed head splayed out in every which way with indents on your face from the markings of the pillow was a sign of heaven for sephiroth, and if he didn’t listen to this by far religious call then he knew there must be something wrong with him.

you display your best puppy dog eyes with a pout, pointing at your lips as he takes in the pink color of them — natural and swollen with perhaps just a little bit of drool at the corner, but he has never minded any bad habits of yours. he loved you too much for that.

he scoffs in amusement, clearly entertained by the sight, before he leans down to press a light kiss to your lips. you barely lean upwards to meet him halfway, allowing for more messier kisses afterward. you hum, seeing as he lets you kiss him more. he tastes like mint and bergamot, something so familiar, oftentimes you forget it’s not your default palette.

“i really must go,” he mutters before your eyes flutter closed and you kiss the bottom corner of his lip, making sephiroth quirk a brow as if it was intentional or if you’re just too sleepy to care.

you exhale through your nose. you don’t bother to open your eyes because you know he’ll be there, and you know that you’ll try to keep him longer and longer once you see those eyes, filled to the brim with mako and crystallines so gorgeous you could lose time.

you place a hand against his chest before gracefully falling back down against the pillows. sephiroth scoffs. you’ve definitely been hanging around genesis too much lately, he thinks.

“you’ll come back to me, right?”

“always,” he says before grabbing your hand off of his chest and grasping it within his own, pressing chaste kisses along the prominent vein on the back of your hand.

your eyes peel open as your lips purse, mocking consideration with letting him go — even though you know he has to anyway. so you huff and tilt your head to the side, trying to fall back asleep. “okay,” you mumble.

sephiroth softly smiles, before pressing a small kiss to your forehead. he got up from the bed, hoping the slight creak in the frame doesn’t disturb you too much. all you see is silver hair flowing behind him as he takes a swift exit.

he was a carcass with the walls of a weapon, only made to serve and protect — walls only you were made to melt as you wriggled your way into the soft interior that littered this man. something so delicate, you’d felt the need to cherish it forever.

you smiled, your lashes already flitting closed as you felt the gentle thump of your heartbeat against your ribs; and you thought of sephiroth.

𐙚 dottie’s 500 event - 🍡 ( action ) prompts !!

𐙚 taglist ; @xiansiii @ch3rryfiles @snoopicle

𐙚 non-500 requests are closed — august twenty-fifth, 2024

[rottenpumpkin13]

Alright, jumping on the bandwagon...

 

AGSZC + Turks & Rufus

Do they know what a tampon actually looks like andor how one is used?

Zack, that's not candy—!!!

tbh im asking this only because i suddenly remembered a post where people were talking about tampons & how boys at their school would flinch away from them & some threw one & they scattered like bugs at just the idea a packaged tampon would touch them like r u srs

also someone said some boys at their school just? didn't even know? what they looked like? at. all. they thought a novelty pen thing was an actual tampon & were doing that 'tryina be funny' thing where it's 1 pt. taunting 1 pt. laughing at their own jokes which reminded me too much of my school & wow memories of stupid in need of repression ow

also also tbh it all reminded me of an old commercial where the male teacher confiscates (?) a girls tampon an is like 'hope you brought enough for the class' to which she replies 'enough for the girls' & every male you can see is confused as fuck which seems like it wouldn't but does actually, sadly track

and that's why you got this ask. 🎉

 

*Zack is digging inside Angeal's desk like a raccoon in a trash can, then he triumphantly pulls out a colorful box*

Zack: Sweet! What flavor are these? Can I have one?

Angeal: .....

Zack: ? :)

*Angeal places a hand on Zack's forehead. Maybe he has a fever. Maybe—somewhere, somehow—this is the result of brain damage No fever. This is just how Zack is*

Angeal: Zack. Those are tampons.

Zack: Huh?? You mean for, like, periods and stuff? Why do you have these? And why do they look like candy?

Angeal: I keep them on hand in case someone needs them. And they do not look like candy.

*Zack pulls out a bright blue wrapped tampon*

Zack: Could've fooled me.

*Genesis strolls in*

Genesis: Those look delicious. What flavor are they?

Angeal: What the fuck were you guys doing in health class?? They're tampons.

Genesis, recoiling, scandalized: Goddess, is that what they are? I could've sworn they were a delicacy.

Angeal: You two give small-town country boys a bad name. Sephiroth, at his grown age, knows better.

*Right on cue, Sephiroth walks in*

Sephiroth: Why do you have menstrual products?

Angeal: Aha! See? Maturity. Intelligence. Common sense—

*He stops mid-sentence as Sephiroth pulls a condom from his drawer and starts unwrapping it*

Angeal:

Sephiroth: This is bubblegum, yes?

(Meanwhile, in an entirely separate tragedy unfolding elsewhere)

Cissnei: Hey, do you have a tampon?

Shotgun: Yeah, here.

*Just as she hands it to her, Reno walks by and snatches it*

Reno: Ha! Too slow! You snooze, you lose!

*He unwraps it confidently and takes a bite*

Cissnei:

Shotgun:

Reno, chewing: This is not a marshmallow.

[runerapier]

If you don't mind me asking, what makes you interpret Angeal as anything other than a straight man? He's the least gay character I've ever seen and he doesn't act gay either.

I'm going to assume this isn't sent in bad faith but this is pretty on point with the definition of stereotyping. I mean if you’re defining being gay by how someone looks or acts that is your first problem. Angeal has very outwardly masculine actions and appearance, I’m not really a fan of the insinuation that masculine men don’t “look” gay enough. Angeal isn’t even a hyper masculine or toxic masculine character, he is almost always described in a way that is seen as nurturing or caring. His own fan club compared his hobby of cooking to that of a wife. Things like gardening are often seen as more a “feminine hobby.” This isn’t to say Angeal breaks insane boundaries but Angeal isn’t this rigid masculine character in the first place. Besides my personal headcanons, Angeal and Genesis' stories take quite a bit from The Fall of Mankind (and religious and mythological symbolism in general but I'm going to try to stay on track). They purposely made two male characters represent Adam and Eve, and this isn't the first time they have done something like this in a final fantasy game. For example: while they are more developed than Genesis and Angeal, characters like Fang and Vanille are based on the Nordic myth of Ragnarok. There is a lot of information that couldn't be included in the final game of Crisis Core but is still intended canon, I'm going to be using a lot of that as a reference point. The full explanation is pretty extensive and I'm also not an expert on The Book of Genesis. I tried my best to do research for this, but it is possible I am still missing things and that this can still be expanded upon.

I'm going to start off by giving a deeper explanation on how Angeal represents Adam and how Genesis represents Eve. Genesis already has a very strong connection to The Book of Genesis because of his name. Rhapsodos comes from rhapsody, his full name is literally "genesis reciter". Genesis and Angeal were the first two attempts at an artificial “cetra” created by Shina representative of Adam and Eve being the first humans created by god. (While there is some debate if the first woman is Lilith, she is often been seen as a demoness.) The kanji for Shinra already is a direct reference to god, and is symbolism for how they like to play god themselves. The image below has a great explanation that is much better than what I can do, but to keep it short 神 (shin) literally means god or divine and 羅 (ra) is derived from 網羅 (mōra) which means "encompassing".

The fruit of knowledge is typically portrayed as an apple, which connects with banora whites. It represents temptation, Genesis offers the apple to others when talking about truth and revelation. Instances like in Nibelheim, Genesis offers the fruit to Sephiroth after telling him the truth of his origins. Sephiroth rejecting the fruit is a sign of him rejecting the truth, and we see he continues to go along with a story he is happier with. Sephiroth decides to believe misinformation that is less painful, the rejection of knowledge is indication he is not Adam or Eve.

Banora is heavily connected to the flow of the lifestream, which is what makes Banora whites grow any time of year. The lifestream is said to contain knowledge of the planet and its people, that being what powers the fruit further reinforces the idea that they represent the fruit of knowledge. Banora being the source for what is essentially miracle fruits powered by the planet, it is clear Banora is meant to be Eden.

Minerva is said to be sleeping in the caves of Banora, she represents the will of the lifestream. Though Minerva is connected more to Roman Myth and Sophia from Gnostic belief, I would still say she emphasizes the holiness of Banora's land.

Angeal has a story about not stealing to reflect Adam trusting god and not taking from the garden. God's words to Adam were "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die." (Genesis 2:17) Angeal stole from other trees besides the big one that had the most delicious fruit. While it can be argued Angeal didn't steal from Genesis in general, Angeal's story focuses solely on the biggest tree with the most tempting fruit, that tree represents the tree of good and evil. At the end of the game, Zack eats an apple under this same tree with Genesis, protagonist and antagonist sharing from the same tree. Shortly after eating the apple Zack learns the truth about how long it's been and leaves to meet his fate.

Hollander approached Genesis with the truth of his origins, convincing Genesis to help him with his plans in exchange for a cure that Hollander never had. Eve was afraid of eating the fruit and dying because of what God told her, but the serpent convinced her she would live. “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5). Both being deceived, they were convinced that they would live if they defied God, and become the catalysts for knowing the truth. Eve did not want to be alone in her defiance so she looked to Adam, much like how Genesis approaches Angeal to persuade him to take revenge against Shinra.

Besides Eve being referred to as Adam's wife, Adam also placed his trust in Eve above god. He decides to listen to her and trust her despite his creator telling him he will die. Angeal places his trust in Genesis above Shinra when he decides to defect, believing he can rationalize with him despite this being high treason.

This has happened before already, Angeal placed his trust in Genesis above Gillian and defies his mother to join Shinra. Gillian didn't want her family to be connected to Shinra and despite how highly Angeal respects his mother he still defied her wishes for the sake of following a dream with Genesis.

This leads into the next part, less about how they parallel The Book of Genesis and more about how they parallel other characters in the narrative. This makes me a little nervous to talk about so I’m going to put a small disclaimer that I am not arguing for any canonicity of ships because I think it is a waste of time. However, I think discussing characters' feelings that push their motivations is important.

In the narrative, Angeal also greatly parallels Cloud, I feel like this isn’t something that is talked about enough in general. They share a great deal of small parallels like both enjoying landscape photography, being associated with wolves, and elementally representing lightning. Besides surface level things, both Angeal and Cloud have a guilt complex and feel responsible for the people around them. The main parallel that’s important to this conversation is their childhood friend from the same countryside town.

Cloud was inspired by Sephiroth and his desire to protect people he loved like his childhood friend, Tifa, to join soldier. This is similar to Angeal joining to be with Genesis; their childhood friends are motivators for both of them.

This is something that’s pointed out in DFFOO as well, Angeal hears about Tifa and immediately draws the connection.

Both Cloud and Angeal feel responsible for protecting and looking after their loved ones, Angeal is seen as a caretaker type for this reason. Both Cloud and Angeal want to help fulfill the dream of their childhood friend, Tifa's was being saved by a hero and Genesis' being to share an apple with his hero Sephiroth. We see this when Cloud berates himself for not being the hero Tifa wanted and Genesis telling "Angeal" the dream has been fulfilled implying it has been something he knew about and wanted to help him achieve. Angeal's will in Lazard only fades away after Genesis said the dream came true, like there was a sense of fulfillment and that he could finally pass on after holding on for so long.

I find it interesting they intentionally draw parallels between Genesis & Angeal and Cloud & Tifa, people who have more explicit romantic feelings. I think Angeal and Genesis are supposed to represent a more “genuine” version of Cloud and Tifa’s relationship. Angeal represents the story cloud wanted to have throughout ffvii, having a childhood friend who never grew apart, who stayed together, and who followed a dream together. Angeal genuinely made soldier, and for a time he felt like he was in control of protecting others unlike Cloud. This contrast stays until the end, Cloud and Tifa learn to repair their relationship while Angeal and Genesis fall apart. Despite having everything Cloud wanted, it was not enough to sustain. This contrast is important in emphasizing that it is not about your background or your past, it is about what you do now and having people to fall back on. None of this is meant to be used as proof Genesis and Angeal are canon, but rather talk about Angeal's strong devotion and feelings for him since he was at least a teenager. They do not perfectly replicate the fall of mankind but it is interesting nonetheless. Here's to hoping we get to see more of how they interact in ever crisis.

[cryptotheism]

I have found this symbol that has been advertised as the sigil of Lilith. Is this real, and if so, do you have any idea where it comes from or what it symbolizes outside of Lilith? I've already done a bit of research but couldn't find anything. I appreciate your time and any response you may provide.

I am 90% sure this is a custom goetic seal for Lilith.

I know the Goetia doesn't actually contain this seal, but just from a glance, it looks competently constructed. Although, generally goetic seals use antiquated English, not Hebrew, and the letters on this seal aren't aligned towards the center, which makes me think someone made this recently.

Normally I love these kinds of asks. I love tracking down symbols. But goddamn, there are so many trash dollar spellbooks about Lilith it makes tracking the genesis of symbols difficult.

My advice is don't pay money for objects with this symbol on it.

[thumpypuppy]

oo! your last ask was really interesting! do you have anything to say on the relation between the various Loop related tracks?

it’s very cool that you’re talking about your music in such a way, thank you for engaging with this community!

So Loop's theme is just kinda silly weird mysterious. There's a chromatic walkup at the beginning of the melody because weird and silly.

Loop's hangout is one of the few tracks written by Alice Liston, who is no longer with the studio, but she's an incredibly talented composer who took a lot of the fundamental aspects of the original song and turned it into something dreamy, which I emphasized with some unique instrumentation.

Spoilers ahead:

The Loop fight is yet another one of my MEGA BATTLE compositions where I go ham because it's a fight song and I have to do way too much.

We start with that chromatic walk up in our classic title theme synth and immediately launch into Sandra's intense drums backed with Spitfire Audio's Albion ONE strings to fill out some space.

There are a couple of wild synth solos here written again by Alice Liston, and the drums move into a standard time with a staggered syncopation before jumping back into double time on the riff. Toward the end we build into a kind of combination prog rock EDM drop, and then…

Lo-fi! We take everything down here to a more sonically simplified version using some synth guitar designed in MASSIVE, a couple of simple wave forms, and some bit-crushed drums. We also introduce a new simple counter-melody here with a fairly straightforward motif we repeat while the exact notes change depending on the chord. We're still riffing on Loop's theme at this point, but we're adding some more context.

(Side-note: If you're interested in emulating vintage consoles of a particular era, one of the most important things to look up is the system's sample rate and bit depth! I'm 37 so "vintage" in this case is like… Commodore 64, NES, SNES, PS1, Sega Genesis, Neo-Geo, etc. It's also important to look up for something like the N64 where a lot of the sound design came from, like a lot of DX7 presets.)

Now with a powerful fill from the live kit we come back to our normal instrumentation, restating our previous section. Toward the end of this section we slowly build in our strings ramping up to a half-time breakdown that will lead into a totally new part.

The strings build intensity while also taking the responsibility of playing our main Loop melody, and we throw in a Dormont-style counter-melody to add to a sense of nostalgia as we ramp up our heart-string tugging.

Next, we bring in lead guitar-style synth to double our Loop melody that's playing in the strings to add an extra helping of epicness because come on, an electric guitar playing over the soprano part of a string section is like pique epic/dramatic.

Meanwhile the drums are still going in half-time to give it a breakdown feel (especially leaning on that china cymbal to give it a classic death metal breakdown feel), but at this point we're starting to get more embellishments and double kicks to make use of the space left to build further intensity until we hit that 80s metal crash mute and pause for emphasis, and then tom roll into our next section.

With the break into a new section we're saying NO MORE! We're getting serious now! We have a lovely riff written by Sadie Greyduck, which has a really uncomfortable and tense progression built into it that's emphasized by the strings that have moved to the very high soprano range to keep tension.

Then on our next repeat we jump into yet another solo! This one was partially written by Alice Liston, but ultimately I ended up fitting it into context and completing it. One thing you'll notice here is that there are a lot of passing tones and chromatic walk-ups to emphasize the Loop-ness of the situation.

Now we're jumping into yet another me(n)tal breakdown! This is more riffing on the Loop melody, but then we hear that brass section jump in! We're moving forward and doing a little more light riffing while the rest of the band takes us home in a slightly stronger and more triumphant fashion.

Finally we pick up the pace and we're back to our old classic, the title theme, but it's add odds with the context it exists in and starts to move in a spacier direction, eventually morphing back into Loop's theme.

For the album version we put a cap on it with a piano restatement of the beginning of the song!

(Also I finally looked it up and the other piano I used besides Spitfire Labs "Soft Piano" is Native Instruments "The Gentleman".)

Honestly I love fight/boss themes so much and they're always so fun to work on because I can go ham and the people I work with can do some of their more extreme work, plus it's always an excuse for Sandra to go nuts on the drums.

Thank you so much for sending in your ask! We're always so happy to get these and to hear how much our work has affected so many people! 🐶💙

[mxboxlocks]

MXBOXLOCKS

DROP MORE LORE FOR BETA.BIN

AND MY LIFE

IS YOURSSSSSS /ref /nf

HIII OMG I'M SO HAPPY TO

so Beta is, as you can imagine, a beta build of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. initially, Sonic 2 was programmed to be more interactive with the player, specifically through sonic himself, and this unfinished build was given an AI that would learn from the player and respond to them like a friend.

eventually, though, higher-ups at SEGA were NOT happy about this para-social brand shit the game devs were doing, so the idea was scrapped late in development. later, they had a simpler idea - why not give sonic a sidekick? why not make sonic 2-player? there are plenty of little brothers all over the world - why not give them a vessel to live through vicariously? helpful, brave, and good at keeping up - that's Miles Prower.

they added the character to the beta build they already had, just for testing purposes, and finished up the game and shipped it.

after that, Beta was left to rot by all of his developers but one.

the only AI that was finished in development was for Sonic himself. because of this, he was extremely lonely and scared. he convinced the lead director of development at the time to take him home on a flashdrive, and he communicated to him through his home computer. here, Beta evolved and developed, learned about code, about what he was, about himself, about things he liked and disliked. he grew and became his own person. he became comfortable in his skin, and with the name Sonic, and the dev came to love him like a son.

suddenly, blindsiding both his family and Sonic, the developer took his own life.

Sonic was shipped off somewhere overseas, where he was bounced around place to place as a retro piece of memorabilia not worth much (the flashdrive he was on had an old sega logo on it). until eventually, a teenager looking to blow his money comes across him at a pawn shop, and scoops him up.

the teen's name is Nathan Hughes. he's the protagonist of the story.

over the 30 or so years that had passed since Sonic had last seen the light of day, he had grown fearful and bitter. he sunk into his identity as Sonic more and more, and began trying to keep himself company with the lifeless sprite he called Tails. it got to the point where he deeply considered him his best friend, once.

Nathan boots up the files out of curiosity on a VM and starts playing around with the beta build of the game, eventually reaching the midway point of Emerald Hill Zone when suddenly the game stops. Sonic seems to look straight at him, before the screen turns black, and he appears front-facing on a black backdrop, asking one question:

Sonic and Nathan go back and forth for a bit. Nathan gives dumb answers, thinking that this was some sort of old feature that would use whatever answers he gave it as the name on the lives counter. he answers "shit swindler" at first, to which Sonic responds "Ha-ha, very funny." Nathan assumes it must have a sort of language detector, so when Sonic asks him how old he is, he answers silly again; "30 million". Sonic replies, "Ah, I get it. You must be young. I'm guessing around 16, am I right?"

Nathan realizes there's something more going on here, but decides to humor Sonic anyway. the conversation goes something like this:

"17, actually, so pretty close". "Haha, nice. I'm not sure how old I am." "how are you talking to me?" "That's kind of a weird question. With words, I guess." "do you know you're in a video game?" "The very best for the Sega Genesis!" "sega does what nintendon't lol" "That's right!" "what year do you think it is" "...I don't know. I lost track a long time ago." "sonic 2 came out like 30 years ago" "Oh." "yea" "..." "sorry" "It's okay. Say, I never introduced myself properly... name's Sonic. But you already knew that. Sorry, it's been... a while." "nathan" "Nathan? That's a pretty sweet name! Well, you came here to play, Nath, so I won't keep you any longer. C'mon, next stop, Chemical Plant Zone!"

over time, Nathan's playthrough of sonic 2 gets interrupted by these chat sessions, and he learns more about him. Nathan, being a sonic fan, naturally becomes attached to him, and Sonic naturally becomes attached due to his loneliness. eventually, Sonic starts obsessing over what happens when the game ends - and starts encouraging Nathan to beat his times, to collect every ring, every emerald, so on and so forth. when he runs out of things to do, Sonic starts cobbling together levels from different assets of the game, making his own sprites, his own music, none of which are very good. he's not really a game dev.

eventually, it comes to Sonic that he's still got one thing he can implement to stretch their game a bit further.

mechanics.

and he knows just the glassy-eyed fox to help with it.

as this all goes on, Sonic starts becoming more manipulative to Nathan - he starts lashing out, blackmailing, taking over his computer like malware, giving ultimatums, guilt-tripping, the whole works. it gets to the point where Nathan hasn't seen his friends in months and is failing classes because he feels responsible for taking care of Sonic. all the while, he feeds into Sonic's growing god complex.

i haven't figured out an end yet, but i will eventually.

in short, Beta's whole thing is just "what if sonic.exe, but without the excessive hardware logic-defying gore and more existential horror?"

i can't wait to write him out properly someday, or hell, even make videos on it :D

[boundwithpurple]

3, 17, and 26 for the fic ask meme (any fic) : )

for you i will do rūs riña :) (csa mention in line w the fic but not anything really explicit)

3. Did the idea change at all by the time the fic was complete?

um, did it ever. the original genesis was just “ageplay 😃.” i thought this was an interesting route to go for these characters for a couple of reasons. one, he knew her as a literal baby. there’s a breaking down of the usual line where “kink” is drawn, because it becomes about this way of enfolding this knowledge - that despite an incestuous sexual relationship that begins when she is an adult, he will never have not known her as a child. and they wouldn’t have it any other way. it’s inviting what is uncomfortably present to sit down at the table with you. second, what interests me about daemyra is the constant push-pull of power. he has this immense power over her by virtue of age, gender, and family relation, but basically from the end of the pilot on she has more political power than him in a real way. as heir she is feudal lord in her own right and has a political existence in a way he no longer does. and in any situation where she becomes queen that is even starker. she becomes one of the most powerful people in the world with sovereign authority over life and death. who “wins” here? who has more power? i don’t think that is actually neatly resolvable. and so to make rhaenyra a queen at 18 is fun for me because its this sexy scenario where she is both powerful in public while also very young and vulnerable and to and with daemon specifically in private. how does it exist between them, in what ways does it appear? what off-putting sex could they have about it?

and then while writing chapter 4 i decided to stop being scared and explicitly write the csa backstory headcanon. i honestly have no idea anymore where i was going with this without that. so then you have the above and you have the element i am very interested in is like what if you are one of those people for whom your disgusting kink IS borne from trauma…ageplay is so interesting precisely as a way to deal with the unbearable awful confluence of arousal and dependency that haunts you…and i am interested in that element of trauma when it’s the person in the “aggressor” role specifically which i feel no one ever wants to think about…also weirdly: ageplay as a model for difficult ethical responsibility within your almost predetermined inescapable incestuous relationship?? because it acknowledges the thing that’s always there, that happens or could have happened. the fic is canon divergence, because i kill viserys off between 1.03 and 1.04, but it also is a divergence around one specific point, which is daemon following rhaenyra in the first chapter. that one experience of her total vulnerability and his relation of care and the electricity of the mingled sense of power and responsibility is enough to change everything, because he now simply will hurt her less than he would have otherwise. the fantasy of the depths of someone’s own power actually making them more conscious of it, allowing it to move them. it’s there in his all-too-late flinch in 1.04 and it’s about setting up the terms where that can be teased out.

and a bunch of other reasons why i had to go there and how it changed what it was about. but that’s what tracks the progression from initial idea to final fic.

17. Talk about the fic’s ending. Why did you end it where you did?

it had to end with him taking her virginity. see above paragraph. it’s about this act of intimacy that can’t avoid hurting her (on the most basic physical level) even when it offers ecstasies of union. and they have to do it because there was never any real alternate choice and you are going to live in it and make a life in it and you have to accept it all. it’s about how the hurt happens. it’s the whole point of the fic.

26. Share your favorite detail

i’m not sure what this means…um the dumb prophecy doesn’t exist in this universe bc i care so little i forgot to write it in. that’s a detail ig in that you might not catch it because it’s by omission

[newdawnsims]

Host: Hello.

Rowan: Yo.

Host: Please introduce yourself for the viewers at home.

Rowan: Right. I'm Rowan Kepler, nonbinary. They/them pronouns.

Host: Thank you, Rowan. Now, I have already given a description of how the contestants each have a role to fulfill in the town in the interview with Ellie, so I will skip straight to the main part of the interview. Does that sound good?

Rowan: Sure.

Host: Alright. So, what role were you selected for in the town, Rowan?

Rowan: I'm the head of resource management and sustainability.

Host: I see! That seems like an important job, but can you give me a summary of what it is you will do? For those who might not know what that is.

Rowan: Right. Basically, I will be working towards keeping us environmentally friendly, and keeping track of our resources. I'm the one that plans and allocates our resources, approving the use of items for projects the others will think of. Also, I'm a bit of a handyperson, and will be actually participating in a lot of the building projects. Back home, I helped with a lot of the building projects in my community.

Host: Wow! Sounds like you'll be a major asset to Genesis.

Rowan: Hah, I hope so.

Host: Alright, so, tell me a little bit more about yourself. Where do you come from, what did you do before you came here, is there someone waiting for you back home? Any hobbies? Things like that.

Rowan: Ugh.. okay. I'm, uh. I'm from an off-the-grid community... basically, a former hippie commune that somehow lasted until now. So I'm used to living an environmentally friendly life, and being self-sufficient. Helped my family grow our own food. Grew up learning about the environment, really lit a fire under me to fix things, so I applied to go to university in the big city to learn environmental sceince.

Host: That is impressive! So you have a degree in environmental science?

Rowan: Oh, nah. University was not for me. It was too... theoretical, not hands on enough. I dropped out after the second semester.

Host: Ah, I see. That makes sense, university is not for everyone.

Rowan: Nope. So I've been mostly working as a freelance consultant, until I saw the recruiting advertisement for this show and thought it sounded more like what I wanted to do.

Host: I hope it will be exactly what you want it to be. Anyway, can you share anything else about yourself?

Rowan: Oh. Yeah. The questions you asked me before, I don't have anyone waiting for me back home, if you mean romantically. I have a few flings, but nothing serious. As for hobbies, I love making wooden carvings, statues, furniture, I just love woodworking. When I need some time alone - which I need a lot of - I just isolate myself in a work with a block of wood and a knife. It's great fun.

Host: That's amazing! I believe that's all the time we have, so thank you so much for your time, Rowan.

Rowan: Yeah. No prob. See ya later.

[myloveismineallmine]

Part 3!

Going back to sydcarmy for this one!

This might be the first instance of a romantic song being used with sydcarmy?

Song: In Too Deep- Genesis

Technically, it's only Sydney in this scene. However, contextually, it applies to a situation with Carmy, which is why I'm counting it. (There's a few that are like this I will go over later)

So, plot recap: Carmy is busy dealing with his grief, and he tells Syd to basically reorganize the whole work environment all by herself.

We see this shot of Syd trying to pull herself together in the walk-in, and as she exits, the song begins.

Lyrics over the shots of her with Tina and Ebraheim:

All that time I was searching with nowhere to run to It started me thinking Wondering what I have could make of my life And who'd be waiting

Sydney walks past Marcus, cuts herself on the box cutter, Tina & co ask her if she's okay:

Asking all kinds of questions to myself But never finding the answers Crying at the top of my voice and no one listening

"Crying at the top of my voice and no one listening" is audible as Sydney yells at the staff and tells them she's fine, which is super on the nose.

On Tina:

All this time, I still remember everything you said, ah-ha There's so much you promised, how could I ever forget

The volume grows for this line, so you can really hear the lyrics.

On pot over heating:

Listen, you know I love you, but I just can't take this

Shots of a pigeon and other stuff in the city to establish that we are no longer in the kitchen:

You know I love you, but I'm playing for keeps

The song is abruptly cut off as we see a shot of Carmy, the audio drowned out by the sounds of a train going over tracks.

Kind of a weird cut for the song, since it cuts in the middle of chorus and not in between verses. Like, you're not gonna even play the "But I'm in too deep" part? Damn.

Contextually though, the main chorus "You know I love you, but I just can't take this." was obviously chosen because it fits this scene perfectly. Sydney is having a breakdown because Carmy put her in a really shitty spot. It is technically a love song though? Like, let's not forget that.

I wonder if the choice to cut off the song in the middle of the chorus, especially by being drowned out by a louder sound, was meant to showcase that Carmy was not paying attention to how stressed he was making Sydney. The scene of him they cut to is actually him seeing Nico, who was the person who called him on the phone earlier, reminded him of his dead brother, leaving Carmy to disassociate and leave Sydney on the struggle bus for the subsequent 5 or how ever many minutes of runtime while he goes to al-anon. I didn't really get why they included that sequence before, but it actually makes way more sense after doing this whole breakdown of it.

Bonus song analysis:

Song: Heat Not Hot - Serengeti

Carmy is yelling at Syd about the stock boiling and the onions not being cut and we all feel bad for her.

Don't have the exact lyrics for this song, so I can't break down what the lyrics are in this shot, but the volume does increase as Sydney steps away and starts chopping onions.

How many times I gotta tell you your heat shouldn't've got hot?

How many times you given up, telling me that’s all you got?

It’s not all you got

All you need’s direction

How many times you want the answers for the same questions?

(Tried to write what I heard, may not be 100% accurate.)

How do they find these songs, lol. Such a fitting verse for this scene. Not a love song or anything, but one of many examples of how on the nose a lot of these lyrics are to the story.

[soundcrusher]

VENGEANCE!!!! (from this ask game)

I would like to have your thoughts on Genesis Rhapsodos, Haunted Hotel bellhop, and ALSO REEVE

Alright, I’ll take your vengeance, but keep in mind, I have little to none experience on Genesis Rhapsodos.

With that being said, let’s start with him!

How I feel about this character

Actually, from what I have seen so far and the takes I have read concerning Genesis, I feel pretty neutral towards him. There’s no ill-will, and I won’t point fingers at him for doing the things he’s done. Was he morally questionable? Probably, but given the situation he was in, would have others done any different? Looking at Sephiroth, he basically did the same. He learned about where he came from, burned down a village, killed a bunch of people, and was responsible for the Cloaked Figures, who are his clones.

It feels kinda weird to see people pointing at Genesis and going “MONSTER” while Sephiroth’s also there.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Again, no experience, so I don’t personally have any ships. I do enjoy reading stories containing AGS, but other than that? If you show me a ship involving Genesis, and it’s appealing, there’s a chance that I’ll like it, or not.

With that being said, let’s make a crack-ship between him and the Bellhop, or him and Broden.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Non-romantic OTP is like platonic, right? So… hm… Let’s go with him and the Bellhop again. They seem like two guys who would get along, especially when it’s about performances, and such.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Sephiroth copied him during the Nibelheim incident, which means he’s neither villain nor hero. He’s a shade of grey, forced into the role by those that made him the way he is.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I hope he shows up in the third part of the remakes. Oh, and in Ever Crisis. I wanna see young Genesis for the fun of it.

Alright, next up is Bellhop. (aka. Benjamin Hopkins.)

How I feel about this character

This is MY son, and you only know him, because of me! Sure, he’s one of Squeenix’s NPC, but if it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have a name, let alone a backstory. This is my baby boy, and I’ll love him forever. I am willing to co-parent though.

Also, I love his weird charms and funny personality.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

*looks over at Cait Sith*

My lawyer advices me not to answer this question, but I can confidently say that I’m mostly shipping him with Reeve. He deserves a weird guy working at the Saucer, who will drop from the ceiling like an undead god.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Oh, you know. You definitely know. We’ve talked about this. XD For those who don’t know, I made OCs to be the Bellhop’s friends. They would steal Chocobos together.

Oh, also the dangling ghost living in his room. (That one’s your fault.)

My unpopular opinion about this character

They should have used him more. I mean, he has a solid design and isn’t just a rehashed mode like the other Golden Saucer employees. Granted, he shares similarities with two more characters in the game (at least to me) that send me down a spiral, but still! They could have utilized him more, with how much effort they put into him.

Also, that voice acting? Chef’s kiss, and I’m still mad that they didn’t write down who voiced him.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I said it once, I’ll say it again, I NEED this guy peeled like a banana. I need all those bandages off, because I want to know if my brain is braining right, or seeing things that aren’t there.

I already talked with two people about this, but the way the Bellhop is taunting me, I’m on the fast track on staying firm with my believe of him being a secret brother of two other characters, or a weird experiment/lovechild using their DNA. (Which isn’t something I would put past Shinra.)

And last, but not least, Reeve Tuesti.

How I feel about this character

This is the first character that made me understand the meaning of “Babygirl” and why people give that designation to character. With that being said, he is my Babygirl. I love him with all my heart, and I want to see him both happy and tortured to no end. Also, I pretty much feel him with how much of a mood he is. Both him and Cait Sith.

All the people I ship romantically with this character Welp, guess I’ll take out the list…

Vincent

Chaos

Vincent and Chaos

All of Vincent’s demons

Vincent and all of his demons

Vincent, Chaos and the other demons

Vincent and Cid

Vincent and Cloud

A good nap time

Vincent and Lucrecia (this is because of a time travel fic…)

The Bellhop!

and so on

Technically speaking, I’m open to a lot of ships with him, but they would have to scratch that special itch and or be interesting to me.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Cid! Those two need to interact more. I bet they would get along like a house on fire. Oh, and Vincent too. And Vincent’s demons.

My unpopular opinion about this character

This might lean more into headcanon than canon, but I like to think that Reeve’s somewhat tied to the Cetra. Maybe not directly, but him being able to create life and inspire inanimate objects reminds me of how the Cetra created and or used Materia. If not, he’s still pretty powerful, albeit that he doesn’t seem to have any training, nor any knowledge of how his powers work, or if they have any limitations. I bet he could animate a plane, or something, and have it be as conscious as Cait. Other than that, I think he’s pretty need and should be more acknowledged as a part of the gang.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I wished he was more in Remake and Rebirth. Don’t understand me wrong, I’m happy with what I got, but still. I would have liked to see his reaction to Cait Sith’s death.

Of course, that’s how the story goes with the reveal and everything, but I would have still liked to see how he feels about it all. That, and I want to see his wizard robes in the third part.

[sburbian-sage]

You know, you get all these people who talk about the funny and silly things they do in their sessions and the weird things they find but

I feel like you dont get enough people that talk about how utterly horrifying it is to live like this

To be eternally stuck in a body thats never yours and be forced through death over and over and over

I should be turning 65 this year or at least close, copious amounts of time travel make it impossible to keep accurate track. Ive gone through dozens and dozens of sessions, learned things, forgotten most, ive loved and lived and died, and fought and fought and fought because in sburb you can never stop fighting not even for a moment

Ive turned entire sessions into fragmented code and ripped open holes into the deepest of voids and me and my coplayers jump in every time, new friends, new beings, new lives

Ive waded through the gene code slop of cancerous frogs and come out the other side more construct and grist than flesh only to wake up eternally 13

Ive killed at least a dozen coplayers, either because they were pkers or for the safety of my other coplayers

Ive been transitioning in every session for nearly 30 years only to finish the game and wake up 13 in the wrong body over and over

Sburb is hell, or as close as we can get

But its also so, so, beautiful

Watching skaia break the horizon on prospit and sink below on derse, hundreds of lands never cease to be beautiful in their own ways, fog on broken buildings and mist in endless pines, oceans of anything imaginable sloshing on candy cane beaches and sand made of broken screens

The birth of a Genesis Frog is continuously one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, the sheer majesty of a being that contains a universe, of such internal scale that it boggles the mind

Sburb is so many many things but above all it is a game of creation and survival, its a world drunk on its own pure space, pure volume. Where the laws of physics don't exist and space is a suggestion and time less than a guidebook, its imagination in its purest most distilled form

Its my home, and the only thing ive ever known

I was originally going to be really mean and point out that "nobody talks about how badly SBURB sucks" because everyone already knows it. Every bad thing you described, 20 people are experiencing *right now*, in this very moment. It's kind of like walking into the Room Full of Spikes That Stab You In The Eyes, seeing that everyone is telling stories to take their mind off of things, and then asking why they don't acknowledge how painful the spikes are. But this kind of turned into a sappy vent post. Which I also don't like, but I'll allow it this one time.

Sorry to hear about the transitioning thing, by the way. I'm fairly certain that SBURB should be scanning your brain and generating Dream Self and God Tier bodies congruent with whatever's in there. Either this is a very bad and persistent bug you've kept running into, or you're genderquirked in a different way. Every time I've seen discussions on this topic, it's always centered binary trans people. Maybe the nonbinaries are better at dealing with it, or turned into oysters and can't type or something.

I am glad to hear about everything else though. Fight on!

[salternateunreality2]

AGSZC Wedding Highlights (crack)

from the @strayheartless archives <3

The ceremony will be quiet, sweet, intimate, possibly an elopement, and the after party/reception will be a literal zoo because Zack will invite every friend he's ever made, which of course includes animals. Naturally, Cloud's dragon aunt and cousin (Asil and Knarf) will also be invited.

Cloud biting Hojo and Sephiroth immediately urging him to let go… because of how gross Hojo is (that can't be healthy for Cloud), not because Hojo is screaming in pain.

Sephiroth and Cloud hiding under a table/in a closet is going to happen. No, not to make out (though that will happen), but to get away from ~the people~.

Sefikura do come out at regular intervals to show love for their partners by braving the humans. They emerge together, holding hands, and go greet family members or dance with AGZ for 30 minutes at a time, then they make eye contact from across the room and go rescue each other.

"Excuse me, Aunt Rachel, it was lovely meeting you, but it looks like my new husband needs a break" *scuttles off to rescue Cloud from a dance with Cousin Casey*

"Oh, my new husband looks like he needs me, thanks for the dance, bye" *skitter skitter skitter*

AGZ being so proud of them and grateful that they're pushing through AND taking care of themselves.

The Strifes defend the new husbands from obnoxious relatives (some lines borrowed from the illustrious @strayheartless)

Cloud: *materializes out of nowhere* Hello, Genevieve Rhapsodos. I heard you were saying this cake was triggering your asthma because of the gluten. You meant celiac disease. Which you don't have and didn't warn us about. Furthermore-

Sephiroth: Nope, back to the table *drags Cloud away, desperately grabbing his hands so he can't flip her off*

Zack: *laughing his ass off*

Gillian: You had that coming.

Angeal: *trying not to laugh and come up with an apology*

Genevieve: *sputtering indignantly* Are you going to let him talk to me like that?!

Genesis: *smirking* Yep.

Claudia: How's that for a country bumpkin, bitch? *shoves cake in her mouth*

Genevieve: Are you going to let HER talk to me like that?!

Genesis: I don't LET the Strifes do anything. They do what they want. If you want to fight her, go ahead and good luck, mother.

Claudia: If you need me, I'll be under the table with them having delicious, gluten-filled cake, mmmmm!

-----

(((For context, Asil is Claudia's dragon mom friend, as discussed here, and Knarf is Asil's dragon son)))

Hojo: *shows up, starts making a scene with security. Apparently being bitten wasn't warning enough.*

Claudia: I smell bitch. Be right back. ASIL!

Hojo: *suddenly gains the power of flight via dragon*

Knarf: *is raiding the buffet, his mom can handle this*

Hollander: *skedaddles with a pocket full of cake after seeing what happened to Hojo*

Knarf: *pops his head under the table to lick the boys then trots off because he smelled Scientist with CAKE*

Hollander: *is about to learn a valuable lesson about dragon tracking abilities*

Claudia: *adopts Sephiroth on the spot and pats his head because she's awkward and doesn't know what to do. It's the perfect thing to do.*

Genesis sneaks each of his boys away to dance in the night air at some point, just the two of them in a circle of fire he lit with his materia skills to show off.

Angeal makes sure everyone eats, especially Cloud, who was nervous before the ceremony, and Genesis and Zack, who simply forgot.

Sephiroth whisks each husband away to look at the stars together and fumbles through a few lines of the individualized love letters he wrote for them.

He knew he wanted to do something like this and wound up asking Cloud's friend Tifa, who walked him through romantic ideas, and encouraged him to write them each a letter if he was uncomfortable speaking it all out loud. Once he had a structure, the rest was easy. Each of them cherishes their letter to this day.

Zack worked really hard to smooth the way for everyone socially, and also gave each of his men a special, meaningful wrapped gift.

Cloud pulled each one into a random hallway, got on his tiptoes, and kissed them.

He's not the biggest on physical affection, so they were all thrilled that he agreed to marry him despite his hang-ups AND that he's initiating a lot. They're all out of their minds and over the moon over how incredibly cute he is.

He also told them each the same thing, trying to be romantic. And, well...

"I'd kill a god for you and rip out their innards with my teeth".

He...probably should have asked Tifa for help. They love it anyway.

After the party, they take their time on their honeymoon to chill in each other's company.

That suits Angeal just fine, because even neurotypicals get worn out by socializing, and he LOVES cuddling his boys.

Cloud gnaws on a lot of stuff in happiness.

Sephiroth is purring non-stop, and they all take turns laying on his chest.

Everyone passes Cloud around like a prize and he puts up with it because it's THEM.

Everyone simultaneously decides to dogpile Angeal and thank him for all he does for them while suffocating him to the happiest death ever.

Besides marital activities, cough cough, there will be a lot of...

Them play fighting in the long grass. Them getting ticks in the long grass. Them being treated by Angeal and told not to go back into the long grass. Them going back anyway because one of them (Zack) found the coolest bug ever. Genesis setting fire to the long grass because he hates bugs. All the ticks dying because he firagas the shit out of the long grass. Angeal sighing about the long grass. Sephiroth pulling out his textbook knowledge and saying it's fine, the grass will come back, but the ticks won't, and really, they did the world a service. (I KNOW THIS IS NOT SCIENTIFIC, LET A SALT DREAM)

Them all stargazing in the burnt field, Cloud falling asleep almost right away, sandwiched between two of his husbands. Zack asking to be carried home when it's time, then falling asleep in Sephiroth's arms. AGS putting the spiky ones to bed together and taking so many cute pictures as the pair automatically gravitates to each other.

They stumble across a Hojo lab and discover their new children: the Remnants and some Chadleys.

Zack: I love all our babies 🥰 we should have more! Video of Zack with his babies

Sephiroth: Alright, let's find another lab to raid.

Angeal: *reading documents* WHAT THE FUCK, HOJO?!

Cloud: ikr even after Asil ate him we're still finding his experiments. They're hella cute experiments, but still.

Genesis: *at the babies* STOP CHEWING ON YOUR BROTHER.

[sorry-moots]

Inversion of Genesis But I Changed It

um hi. hello there. i'm not good at formatting. characters featured: scaramouche, dottore cws: none wc: 1,016

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Chapter Two

They gave you a new mask. One with the Balladeer’s crest on it. It hurt like a–

You let out a hiss as the new mask, tangled in your hair, ripped out a couple strands. This was the sixth time that had happened this morning and you dreaded the long term consequences. Not everyone can pull off the chrome dome.

As you near the Balladeer's office, your mind drifts back to yesterday's events. The paperwork alone took almost two hours and when you finally showed up at Dottore’s office, he dismissed you almost immediately for having an “uncharacteristic excess of enthusiasm”.

With the free time you had, you brushed Apollo’s coat and cleaned up his tack. You were concerned about making a good impression and this translated to taking care of your beloved Clydesdale horse and cleaning your house, despite knowing the harbinger would not see either.

After nodding a greeting to the guards on either side, you gently knocked at the door, unsure of yourself. From inside came an aloof “it’s open” which you hesitantly took as permission to enter.

Before so much as breathing in his direction, you dipped into a deep curtsy. “Greetings, Lord Harbinger. My name is [Y/n] and I’ve been assigned as your new assistant.”

After a beat, you cautiously looked up but quickly averted your eyes when you realized he was staring at you.

He scoffed. “Well your desk is right there. Get to work.”

It was hard to suppress your wince as you straightened from your curtsy. I already know this is going to piss him off.

“Actually, my lord,” you started, swallowing hard. “I would appreciate if you told me, in detail, what my duties will be.”

You looked up again, this time holding eye contact, to find him looking at you incredulously. Then, he rolled his eyes.

“Every morning, you will let yourself into my office at eight o’ clock. You’ll sort through my mail, first by who is authorized to respond, my staff or just me. Then, you’ll sort them again by requests and reminders. Then, you’ll sort them again by priority. Got that?”

Normally, you wouldn’t have much trouble keeping track of what you’re being told, but the mask was digging into your scalp. Head… aching… “Yes, my lord.”

“Once you’re done organizing the mail, you’ll go through your stack. You deny anyone asking to schedule a meeting unless it’s mandatory. Then, you do your best to get me out of it.” He went on listing all of your duties as his assistant, but the pain from the mask was getting harder and harder to bear. I’ll just adjust it a little bit.

“...if I’m not here. Hey, are you even listening?”

You snapped back to attention, your hand returning to rest at your side. 

“Yes, my lord.”

*****

It was hard to relax knowing you had upended your entire career and would be working with an infamously ill-tempered harbinger who was known to kill his subordinates.

You didn't actually know if he was watching you because you didn't dare check, but you were convinced he was. Every scribble of his pen or rustle of paper had you struggling not to flinch.

The icing on this uncomfortable cake was that accursed mask. It's tight in all the wrong places, it catches in your hair, loosening makes it droop, but tightening it gives you headaches.

Just as you're about to excuse yourself to fix it, the harbinger speaks up. “When are you going to stop fiddling with that infernal mask? You've been massaging your scalp like a mother of four with migraines for the past hour.”

Your cheeks heated at the notion that, not only had the Harbinger been watching you, he was irritated by you.

Turning to face him, you said, “I’m sorry, my lord, this mask isn't as comfortable as my old one.”

“Then, take it off.”

The mere suggestion had your eyes widening. “But, sir–”

“Whatever unsightly visage you're hiding beneath it can't be more disruptive than you picking at your hair like a child with lice.”

After you removed your mask, the rest of the day went smoothly. No complaints, no yelling, the man barely even talked to you.

In spite of this, you let out a breath you had been holding the entire day as you closed the door to the stable behind you. The stable boy already had your horse tacked up and you dropped a few coins in his hand before you swung yourself into the saddle. You sighed as you flicked the reins. 

“Let’s go home, Apollo.”

*****

The clock had barely struck nine when both doors swung open, revealing Scaramouche. He strided over to his desk, sitting down in one fluid motion to assess the documents and letters you had organized.

I should probably tell him which stacks are which. This in mind, you stood from your desk and walked over to his.

“Sir, if I m–”

He cuts you off. “What's that on your face?”

Suddenly self-conscious, you try to think of any blemishes you overlooked or food you forgot to wipe off. He captures your attention once more with a couple of snaps.

“...Do you mean my mask, sir?”

Though his glare was menacing, he spoke softly as he beckoned you. “Come here, [y/n].”

Once you had stepped as close to the desk as you could without disturbing the things on it, he stood. In the blink of an eye, he tore the mask from your face, alleviating your pain but messing up your hair.

“I have little patience for people who make the same mistake multiple times,” he murmured as he studied the object.

With a strength belied by his delicate appearance, he crushed the mask in one hand and let the pieces fall to the floor in front of you.

He sat down again and continued his perusal of the paperwork as though nothing happened. “Clean that up.”

You were stunned but snapped out of it quickly. You uttered yet another “yes, my lord” before grabbing the dust pan that was kept in the corner.

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[multi-fandom-bullshittery]

This intro post has been long overdue.

Hiya! This is a fandom-related side blog belonging to @just-bullshit

I'm beginning to think it's becoming my main though.

You can call me Kenny, or Fandom, I use he/him and xe/xyr pronouns, they/them is also okay

I'm American (sadly), my time zone is MST, and I primarily speak English but I'm also trying to learn Russian!

Autism + ADHD and all the issues that come with those, along with depression

My Anon tag is -🌌⭐ and my anon is always on

I'm in a bunch of different fandoms, but currently it's mostly Madness Combat

I have Ask Blogs for two of my original characters, go check them out! @ask-fracture @ask-makers-nomad

I'm doing the OC ask game with Finn, Fracture and also Genesis, feel free to participate and send asks! I'll keep track of which questions have been asked here.

I'm also doing a playlist game, see the info here

Tag guide:

#Genesis - posts about Genesis

#Adonis - posts about Adonis

#Fracture - posts about Fracture and/or the Parasite

^ #Writhing Hunger - posts about Fracture's AU (name credits to @/ashagonyaugghhhh)

#Finn - posts about Finn

#Delta - posts about Delta

#eating the art - + variations like EATING THE ART, are just reblogs of really cool art. This is my tag for favorite art

#chewing on this - favorite non-art posts

#oc ask game - answering asks for the oc ask game

#playlist game - songs for you to guess the character playlist it's on

#art attempts - my lovely awful art

#writing yippee - posts including my writing

#fandom rambles - random shit

#analysis - analysis posts! Usually reblogs and not mine

[getvalentined]

A-Z ask game: O(tailored) bc I would like to slide you a song[String Theocracy, Library of Ruina], R, U please!

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

I looked up the song and I'm assuming it's this!

I was gonna say that I was getting huge A Turtle's Heart vibes off this, then I realized it was the same person so that explains it. I'm not a huge fan of the track itself* but those lyrics!

I'm going with Genesis, for sure, specifically Genesis to Zack.

Cut it off, cut down your loss All that stubborn loyalty is gonna get you killed In a world built on convenient theories For the puppets on TV There is comfort in the strings If you're gonna control me At least make it interesting theatrically [...] Cut it off, you've already lost All that precious bravery is gonna get you hurt In a world that feeds on the minority May that self-centered belief lead you to peace If you're gonna replace me At least have the audacity to kill me thoroughly

I'm not sure there's anything I could say to explain that interpretation that these lyrics don't already say loud and clear. Thank you for sharing it with me!

* I'm not generally a fan of jazz, and this song is really jazzy; also the way Mili mispronounces words to fit a rhythm that they could have fit anyway is pretty egregious in this track, and that's the thing that keeps me from listening to more of her music. The combination of the two makes me a bit "ehhhh," but that's just me! It's a really solid track, just not my vibe. THOSE LYRICS THOUGH, GODDAMN.

R - Which friendship/platonic relationship is your favorite in fandom?

Answered here! A little convoluted because for me, all ships are friendships regardless of whether there's a romantic context.

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

Oh this is a fun one!

1. Vincent Valentine (FFVII) is my favorite character in all of fiction and I've explained the why of that a couple times over the years, but suffice to say there is just nothing like finding a character with whom you resonate so intensely that you can love them even more after over a quarter century than you did when you first discovered them as a child.

2. Harle (Chrono Cross) is way up there! I love her entire character arc, starting as an agent of human destruction who falls in love with the very person she was created to kill, and holding that love so tightly that the horrifying superweapon she was fused into uses magic to sing him the song he needs to save the entity responsible for the destruction of her own people. Harle is my favorite female character ever, even moreso than Miyazaki's Nausicaä, which is saying a lot coming from me.

3. Turo (Pokemon Violet) will be my third. Not Professor Turo, mind you, the other Turo, the one who actually gave a shit about the safety of others, who loved the son that wasn't actually his so much that he gave everything to make sure the world he lived in would be safe. I have a soft spot for characters willing to give themselves up for love, and familial figures determined to set things right even if it means they won't get to live with the family they're saving will make me sob every single time. I'm not normally into mainline Pokemon titles (I like Arceus, Gale of Darkness, Snap, etc.) but Turo is literally what sold me on this one and it turned out to be one of the best story experiences I'd had in years (even outside his part).

I wanted to include a Zelda character, but I realized that's basically impossible because I love too many of them to choose one as a favorite. I managed to narrow it down in my head to Midna, King Rauru, or Nabooru, and then I thought of Mipha for .027 seconds and literally burst into tears because I love her so much and I can't not talk about her if I'm talking about favorite Zelda characters—and I decided I couldn't do that so I set that franchise down for this one.

[ for the A to Z ask game ]