#ffviicc

[luxites]

"Hey, do you want to come over to my house? I want you to try Mom's cooking. The thing is, I haven't been home yet since I've been here. I hadn't been able to make up my mind about it, but I decided that I should show my face... but going home alone is a bit uncomfortable, so I was hoping you could join me."

Nibelheim pieces done for @crisiscorescrapbookzine! 🌌 I'd like to believe that Zack got a chance to take Cloud up on the offer....

[ryanthel0ser]

[st4rfunk]

Zerith doodles I drew waiting for rebirth 🫶 Square please drop Zack and Aerith reunion in Part 3 and my life is yours

[adpndrgn]

give her a spin

[finallyfantasy7]

Crisis Core PSP Japanese Version (2007)

ジェネシス：騒々しいな��子犬のザックス

(Genesis: So noisy Zack the Puppy.)

Crisis Core PSP English Version (2008)

Genesis: Settle down... Zack the Puppy.

Crisis Core Reunion (2022)

Genesis: Settle down...

...Zack the Puppy.

Aaaaaw, Angeal told his mom and his friends the private nickname he gave Zack. Angeal talked about Zack to them. That's so cute! 🥰

Ever Crisis - Crisis Core (2023)

Genesis: Hello, Zack.

You miserable mutt.

*record scratch*

Wait. WHAT?

[strayheartless]

Okay okay, but the Kunsel knows everything idea, except that’s how they prevent Crisis Core because Kunsel is actually clairvoyant and knows EVERYTHING.

————

Sephiroth: my… father is a less than savoury man.

Kunsel: hey that’s no way to talk about the man who took a bullet for your mom! Vincent was doing his best!

Sephiroth: … I’m sorry what?

————

Genesis: next time I face sephiroth, it will be alone.

Kunsel: well just do me a favour and don’t get stabbed, slashed or otherwise injured by commander Hewleys broken claymore -no that’s not a euphamism. Cause then you’ll leave the company, kill your parents, be responsible for Angeal’s death and send Sephiroth mad because your friendship was the only thing between him and burning down a sad twinks village and murdering the world.

Genesis: what even are you?!

————

Zack: oh man, I met this little trooper in Modeoheim, he said he wants to be a soldier. He’s a little skinny but I think he can do it!

Kunsel: you just met the greatest man ever to protect the earth, treat him as such.

Zack: ?!?

————

Angeal: honour and dreams are all I have, without them, I am not a man.

Kunsel: *incorrect buzzer noise* Absolutely not. *sprays Angeal with water* Get ahold of yourself sir, your friends are your power. Your swords nice - NO ITS NOT A EUPHEMISM - sure but your honour will be your downfall and the death of Zack if you keep that up. Here *thrusts a cup of hot chocolate at Angeal* drink this *gives him a granola bar* eat this, and come back to me when your rested.

Angeal: has anybody ever told you your a little strange Second Class Zelda?

————

Cloud: I think I should just give up on the whole “being a Soldier” thing. My contracts almost up… maybe I’ll move to kalm or something, become a florist.

Kunsel: *takes Clouds face in his hands, looks him dead in the eye, squishing his cheeks* or you could stay, become the last line of defence between the world and general Sephiroth, and protect innocent people from JENOVA and Hojo if my job fails. Throw me a bone here Strife, keeping these idiots in line is giving me greys. You might get a little mako poisoning and be in a coma for a… while… but it will be fine!

Cloud: … you know, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you had the gift of foresight. Like that lady in my village who told me I going to save the planet one day…

Kunsel: Preposterous.

[crisis-core-madness]

Lazard: That's it, you're grounded! Sephiroth, no adventures for you! Angeal, no fighting for you! Zack, no stealing for you! And Genesis... oh my god, is there anything that you love?

Genesis: Revenge.

Lazard: No vengeance for you.

Genesis: I was going to say "I'll get you for this," but I guess that's off the table.

[pine-needle-shuffle]

Felt a tenrec would be a good fit for Zack, spiky hair and all

[planetvries]

"Boy oh boy… The price of freedom is steep.”

[hammystarart]

Cloudy day

[jaysosillyart]

welcome home

[luxites]

Who says that you can't have fun on a mandatory vacation? ☀️

Costa del Sol pieces done for @crisiscorescrapbookzine! Seconds sale ends on 8/31 💫

[ryanthel0ser]

the real challenge of writing anything in the Crisis Core time period of FF7 is having to read Loveless for Genesis

[hollypollly]

Zack and Aerith Hug (Acrylic Stand Artwork)

[magistera]

Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul. Pride is lost, Wings stripped away, the end is nigh.

Loveless Act 2

[finallyfantasy7]

I've seen people accuse Angeal of being a coward.

Either for choosing to die, or for making Zack kill him instead of doing it himself.

Angeal Hewley was a hero.

I didn't see anything cowardly in his behavior. I only saw a person willing to sacrifice his life to protect others.

Not just the story but imagery and motifs support it too: his name, being the only one of the trio having a white wing, being called Angeal Penance in the final fight, the way he's depicted at the end...

As for the story, what drove Angeal to get Zack to kill him wasn't cowardice, but a wish to protect others. Suddenly faced with Genesis and unaware of motives for his desertion and behavior, Angeal disappeared in Wutai because he didn't want to drag Zack into the whole mess while Angeal takes time to reason with Genesis to come back. Being a SOLDIER had come to mean so much to Angeal but he left without hesitation to protect Zack. He left to get Genesis back.

Yet, despite Angeal's love for his friend, he stands between Genesis and Zack in the Banora factory, because protecting is what he does.

Angeal never joined Genesis because he couldn't justify the violence. Angeal was there only to convince Genesis to return with him to Shinra. Of course, once Angeal learned the truth of the horrible experiments that created them, and of all the disgusting things Shinra did, he couldn't morally justify returning either. He was left in a limbo.

On top of that, his own degradation got triggered and affected his mind and made him confused and unable to think clearly (G-SOLDIER degradation makes them irrational and more prone to violence), and he wrestled with the newfound knowledge of his twisted origins, his mother's willing participation in it, her lies, and that the fact that it was actually the sleazy lowlife Hollander who was his biological father (and not the man he respected and loved all his life and who was so proud of Angeal he had sacrificed everything for Angeal to have the Buster Sword). Hollander used Angeal's moment of helplessness to harvest his cells and with them started creating Angeal copies. Angeal never consented to this. Sephiroth's conclusions that both Angeal and Genesis are in league with Hollander when he saw Angeal copy is incorrect and comes from Sephiroth's own issues.

Yet, Angeal's own existence created the one thing he strove all his life to prevent. A danger to others. Aside from Lazard, all Angeal copies were monsters, not humans. And monster are dangerous. They attack people. They kill. They create suffering.

If he were to prevent it, he had to destroy the source of the cells - himself, or the world would never be safe from Angeal copies.

Now, it's very important to note that this decision to destroy himself was very different than the self-loathing wish to die he expressed to Zack in Banora, or the pointless attempt to get Zack to kill him on the bottom of the plate above the Sector 5 church.

By this point, Angeal had managed to overcome the degradation's effects on his mind by using his willpower and his SOLDIER honor, and he was not searching to die to end his own shame, he was searching to do his duty.

We see this change in him when he starts helping Zack and Sephiroth deflect Genesis' and Hollander's attacks, protecting people in Shinra Building, and informing Lazard of their plans, although never officially returning to Shinra. He retained the spirit of what it means to be an honorable SOLDIER without supporting Shinra that created it all.

Now, with his mind clear and his honor restored he does not loathe himself, but he can clearly see his copies have to be destroyed. And there is sadly no other way to do this than to absorb them and destroy himself in the process.

He is not a coward, he is selfless and brave for willing to die to protect others.

He did not saddle Zack with this. Zack consented. Zack agreed that their enemy is all that creates suffering, even if he didn't fully understand what that would entail. At that point Angeal probably didn't either.

But think about Zack's personality. Killing his mentor and friend is unthinkable to him, but how would he feel if he had refused and then Angeal copies killed innocent civilians? If they killed a little kid? Zack was devastated but ultimately it was Angeal's free decision. How much more devastated would Zack be if his refusal to fight Angeal led to deaths of people who had no choice in the matter unlike Angeal?

From what I saw of their last fight, Angeal faced several issues:

to collect his copies and destroy them

to prevent Hollander from getting more samples from him

to find a way to destroy himself while being merged with the copies which seems to rob him of self-awareness. He didn't seem at all in control as Angeal Penance, so how could he destroy himself?

So, what course of action is left? Who can Angeal trust?

Who is strong and skilled enough to fight a SOLDIER 1st Class strengthened by degradation? Who can be trusted to prevent Hollander from collecting more samples? Who cares enough about protecting others to crush his own feelings by killing his friend? Who has mental fortitude and emotional support to do it and come out on the other side still himself?

Gensis is still obsessed with a cure and revenge and is creating untold suffering himself, and Sephiroth was taught that collateral damage is no big deal and doesn't care about much except his friends. And besides, Angeal already saw Sephiroth had started spiraling into despair.

So who is left?

Only Zack.

And Angeal prepared Zack. He prepared him by training him, by loving him, by teaching him about being an honorable and moral SOLDIER. He certainly couldn't even dream this is what he was preparing him for, but he inadvertently did. Zack is powerful enough, and cares enough, and is emotionally strong enough. Zack is the most emotionally strong person Angeal had ever met.

Only thing left to do was to convince Zack to do it because Zack has shown he would rather die than fight Angeal. But while Zack was alright with sacrificing himself, he wouldn't hurt Aerith by never returning to her (which very nicely makes Crisis Core even more tragic).

Angeal did everything in his power to make sure Zack would be alright. He checked to made sure Zack has emotional support after Angeal is gone. He went to the Church to meet Aerith.

He made sure she is the kind of person to be there for Zack.

And she was.

He made sure to leave one of his copies he could influence from the Lifestream to protect Aerith.

And it did.

And Angeal knew Zack is emotionally strong enough to handle it.

And he was.