#inspired by ff8

[tr1ck5]

FFVIII text posts part 3 babyyy

[umbrvx]

fuck it *ff8s ur jd*

[nihilistikal]

Eh. Guess I have to come to terms with the fact that I'm an itty bit burned out rn.

I just can't really sit down and write, or do art, or anything creative really which isssss .... frustrating to say the least.

But it is what it is.

I might be a bit quiet(er) and just focus on being as relaxed as possible (main focus currently is working on myself and getting my workload at my job done. Only a little more than two weeks until my vacation, that's doable).

Hopefully this will help so I can spend my vacation doing things I enjoy and usually don't have much time for.

[angelosearch]

FF8 muppets - FF8 but all the dream squences are muppets, or everyone is a muppet but Squall?

[windupaymeric]

A Sorceress and her Knight

[ffviiicharacterweek]

Need some interesting quotes for Laguna's week? Search no more ☺️

[sheikfangirl]

During the events of Tears of the Kingdom, Link is so tired, sleep deprived, gloom poisoned, unhinged and filthy...He is devoid of what makes Link himself: his warmth, his humor...

And that's why no one in Hyrule but his close friends recognizes him💔

-----------------

Note: I know it's Linktober but life got in the way and gave up at "mirror prompt". I'm busy and whatever free time i got goes on Echoes of Wisdom (which i ADORE btw) So please accept this random doodle from my folder 😘

ALSO: I was overwhelmed with the positive reaction to my FF8 inspired Zelda and Hero's shade reunion. Seems like the Internet loves bittersweet angst as much as i do. And YES, there's a sequel in progress ;) I was already drawing it when i posted my first batch of panels.

Cheers!

[petrabraveheart]

Soriku week 2024 day 2: Eyes on me/Like the sky is new

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒆 𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖?

FF8 lyrics meant to represent Riku's feelings for Sora; always watching over him and yearning for more than just a friendship.

The scenery is inspired by the lantern scene from Tangled, fitting with the Disney lyrics for today's prompt.

Also, fun fact: the scenery is based on a real festival held in Shibuya meant to celebrate the blooming of cherry blossoms! 🌸

Here are some reference photos:

It's also seen as romantic to attend these festivals with someone you care for deeply, so I wanted to depict that with my art 🥰💖

[flowerwiththemachinegun]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you for the tag @sephirthoughts. Had fun answering these, or what I could of them.

1) how many works do you have on ao3?

5 works. I only upload multipart fics there. Save for a Hojo one shot there and an Angeal x Reader x Sephiroth that desperately needs to finish being rewritten and expanded.

2) what's your total ao3 word count?

33,204

3) what are your top five fics by kudos?

seeing as I only have 5 on ao3, I'll do top 3

Why Don't You Join Me- Angeal x Reader x Sephiroth

Misconduct- Genesis x Reader x Tseng

Made for You- Sephiroth x Reader

4) what fandoms do you write for?

Final Fantasy 7 and that will probably be the only thing I ever write for. Maybe will sprinkle in some more ff8 really just for Laguna and Seifer.

5) do you respond to comments? why or why not?

I respond to everyone and if I didn't respond to you it's only due to it being lost in my notifications.

6) what's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Misconduct is not finished but the ending is certainly not a happy one.

7) what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I don't really do happy endings, most of my other writings are plotless. OH- well, the happiest thing I wrote was probably that cat thing with Tseng when he turns into the best cat dad after you snuck a little feller in.

8) do you get hate on fics?

If I do, they do not say it to me ever.

9) do you write smut?

Lmao. Bro I only started writing because I wanted some freaky Hojo shit and some Sephiroth foot fetish material. Someone's gotta write about riding his boots dude. Hell yes I do.

10) do you write crossovers?

Ahhh...no but does a Silent Hill AU for Tseng count (another wip smh.)

11) have you ever had a fic stolen?

Boy if you out here stealing this donkey cheek ass shit you're diabolical as hell

12) have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of, but I feel like the answer may be no.

13) have you ever cowritten a fic before?

no but with the grammatical fixes and inspiration from that alone from @ghost-analogy to take Misconduct more seriously it just about feels like it lmao.

14) what's your all time favorite ship?

Ugh I do not have a favorite ship. I desperately want everyone to love and fuck each other.

15) what's the wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Made for You often feels like I will not be finishing it. I do not want to leave anything unfinished, especially this because I love where it was going. I also have this Tseng x Rufus thing where of course Tseng can't stand that man and is only in a "relationship" with him because it became, seemingly, mandatory.

16) what are your writing strengths?

None. I'm just dragging ya'll along for the ride. I might be funny or some shit I dunno lmao.

17) what are your writing weaknesses?

I can't focus most of the time, my ideas are too big for my brain, my grammar is absolutely ass and I have to actually learn, I am not good at adding emotions into my writing (I'm trying)

18) thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I have 2 braincells that fight each other until one is out for a few days. If I was capable of doing this I'd absolutely would. I imagine it's a very cool concept.

20) favourite fic you've ever written?

To be honest it was Sapphire x Sephiroth for @sapphirothcrescent for some reason it is the most proud I have been of a writing. Misconduct would be runner up.

[aleheartilly]

On the blackboard there’s still Raine’s handwriting, proudly announcing the day’s special.

Reblog with a random sentence from your wip.

[warmcoals]

Queen Mom (queen of mothers, mother-queen, just her name too @frankenfran) is a benevolent, powerful, and only slightly evil ruler. hailing from unknown fae lineage, she is capable of manipulating her garb, appearance and size at will, tho she prefers to hold onto one look for years at a time. her charm magic is well known to all her loyal and adoring subjects, and she is always generous with attention and adoration for good girls. she is a doting queen and a natural mom.

her aesthetic is right at the intersection of classically regal and emphatically magical. she built her fashion foundation out of original rococo nobility and derivative, OTT lolita styles. this, combined with mahoushoujo final-form color coordination and overdesign, means every hyper feminine fit for this queen is Big: big hair, big accessories, big power. she tends to prefer pink and white/black and gold colorways, but frequently mixes the two, and isnt afraid to dip into the rainbow as she sees fit.

her outfit inspirations are:

magia baiser (mahoako)

marie antoinette (berubara)

godoka (pmmm)

edea (ff8)

[silalcarin]

Squall's greatest fear is losing Rinoa

During the ending FMV, when Squall is trapped in Time Compression, he starts hallucinating. He tries to focus on Rinoa and their memories together (mainly their first meeting) to return to the present time, the flower field at Edea's house, and fulfill his promise to her. However, the images of Rinoa — and, notably, only of her — become increasingly blurry and distorted, and occasionally she'll even disappear for a few seconds. At the end of it all, he sees a clear vision of her dying in space, with her helmet shattering. This vision completely and utterly breaks him, to the point where he starts crying and collapses.

The very thought of Rinoa leaving Squall or, worse, dying, causes him to actually cry and completely lose his will to live. By the second half of the game, she's not just his love interest; she's also his Living Emotional Crutch. That's how damn important she is to him.

Like I said in my previous post, never doubt, for a second, just how deeply in love Squall is with Rinoa, for him to have such a strong reaction to a hallucination of her dying. (Although, considering how he reacted when she was in a coma in Disc 3, this actually isn't all that surprising. Still, if he reacts that strongly over a hallucination, just imagine how badly he'd react if she really did leave him, either of her own volition or by dying...)

P.S. — Special shout-out to @squinoas because one of their posts inspired me to write this!

P.P.S. — This is the very first time I've ever created a GIF! (Over 6 years after I first created this account... oh well, better late than never!)

P.P.P.S. — I'm posting this on Final Fantasy VIII's 25th anniversary! That's right, FF8 was originally released in Japan 25 years ago today! 2/11/1999 — 2/11/2024

[lucky-ladybugs-lovelies]

I used to post scenes for upcoming fics sometimes. I don’t so much anymore, but I felt like posting this one, especially since if the fic it goes to gets written in full, it probably won’t be for a while. And this scene will probably end up a lot different in a finished fic. This was inspired by the Promised Meadow location in FF8 and the hurt/comfort scene in the ending cutscene. It would be the final fic of the Dalton arc in my Twilight and Dawn verse, the aftermath of the battle over the Promised Land (which is actually discovered, probably in an in-between place bridging Earth and Gaia). Everyone would have a part to play in fighting the bad guys in said fic, but Sephiroth would have to take on the final stretch alone.

Cloud didn’t know how long he had been there, waiting, worrying, knowing something was wrong. When a lone white feather floated into his hand, his heart caught in his throat.

“Sephiroth!” he screamed. “Where are you?!”

Of course there was no answer.

Cloud took off running. The meadow was endless. Pink and purple flowers everywhere, in every direction . . . and then . . . a man’s lifeless body, majestic wings spread out for yards.

Cloud collapsed to his knees, devastated, reeling. “Sephiroth . . .”

One shaking hand reached out, gently brushing away the silver hair from his loved one’s face. Sephiroth’s head was turned to the side, the long, thick eyelashes brushing against his cheekbones.

“Wake up,” Cloud whispered hopelessly.

He could see the chest was still.

A sudden burst of helpless anger. “You said you wouldn’t die again!”

That wasn’t exactly what Sephiroth had said. He hadn’t wanted to, and he would try not to. But that didn’t mean he would succeed.

He hadn’t succeeded.

Cloud sobbed, slumping forward over Sephiroth’s upper body. No reaction, no movement. He was completely still. None of the wings moved. His arms were limp, spread out at his sides.

How Cloud wanted to feel those strong arms embrace him again. . . .

He pushed himself up, staring down at the pale skin. Gently he reached out with one hand, turning Sephiroth to face him.

“I wanted to be with you, to fight alongside you,” Cloud rasped. “Why . . . why did it have to be this way?”

How had they come to this? After so many years of pain and anguish, how was it that now the greatest pain was losing the one who once had caused it? He was no longer insane, but the kind, good person he had once been. They had come so far, deeply caring for each other, and now . . .

Now . . .

“Wake up,” Cloud whispered without real hope. “Come back. . . .”

He drew Sephiroth into his arms, just holding the other close as he mourned and as tears slipped from his eyes. The wings were everywhere, beautiful and majestic and so still. The flowers still bloomed all around them.

Flowers . . .

Flowers always made Cloud think of Aerith.

How could he possibly be grieving over losing the one who had once killed her?

No. This was not that man. That man was long ago gone. This man was noble and good, someone who still could not forgive himself for all he had done in his madness but had tried to move forward in the future and protect everyone, as he had always wanted to do.

Everyone . . . except himself.

Cloud rested his cheek against the top of Sephiroth’s head, staring blankly at the limp wings on his right side as they all hung down into the grass. After all they had come through, all the agony and suffering and growth and love, how could it have come down to this?

“This is what the Ancients called the Promised Land,” he rasped. “You gave your life to save it. But . . . if you can’t be here with me, it can never be the Promised Land for me. Or for any of the others. We all love you, Sephiroth! So much. You have to be alright. Please . . . please. . . .”

But there was no response.

Finally Cloud laid him back down in the grass. He was so still and cold. . . . Was there anything Cloud could do? Anything at all?

He bent down, listening in vain for a heartbeat. As he rose again, he took in the sight of how pained and not at peace Sephiroth looked. It was haunting. Chilling.

If only . . .

Cloud moved a bit closer. How he wanted to hear Sephiroth breathing, to feel that on his cheek, to listen to him talk again! He was silent.

Sephiroth had been concerned he wouldn’t always be able to come back on this other world, where he wasn’t familiar with how the afterlife worked and couldn’t manipulate it like he could the Lifestream. And of course . . . knowing there was a God here, He might not allow Sephiroth to come back.

That thought was more than Cloud could bear.

Please save him. Please bring him back. Please!

If he really wanted to get ridiculous, the sight of Sephiroth here, laying dead in a beautiful meadow, reminded him of fairytales in some outlandish, bizarre way.

How stupid. This wasn’t a fairytale. It wasn’t as though Cloud could revive him with a kiss and all would be well.

Except . . . he was so desperate, he almost felt like trying it.

He was going to try it. He’d never tell anyone about it.

Well . . . maybe he would tell Zack. Tifa and Aerith too. They would all understand. And they’d mourn with him that it hadn’t worked.

“Sephiroth, please,” Cloud begged. “Come back to me.”

He leaned down, kissing Sephiroth on the lips before he could talk himself out of it.

Of course, as he had known, nothing happened. No gasp of breath, no twitch of wings, no returning the kiss.

If he would have returned it.

He would have, if he could have. Cloud knew that.

He drew back, heart clenching, staring in agonized anguish at the man he had first idolized, then hated, and now loved. So still . . . and dead.

But then the black wing gave one tiny flutter.

Cloud went absolutely stiff. “Sephiroth?!” His voice came out like a desperate, choked gasp. It couldn’t be . . . could it?

Green eyes weakly opened, gazing up at Cloud as their owner smiled. “Cloud.” Sephiroth reached up with a hand, so limp and lifeless moments before and now strong again. “You called me back.”

Cloud just stared at him, still trying to process. ��I . . . you’re here?” he rasped. “This isn’t me losing it?” He took Sephiroth’s hand in both of his, shaking, feeling the warmth, the movement.

“I’m here.” Sephiroth sat up, drawing Cloud tenderly into his arms. Now he returned the kiss, sweetly, sincerely.

Cloud clutched him close, still rejoicing, still reeling, still trying to comprehend this was reality. “This really is the Promised Land,” he whispered, as somewhere behind him Aerith broke Dalton’s barrier at last and she led the others running through to reunite with their loved ones.

Sephiroth wrapped Cloud warmly in all seven wings. They were all here together, so it really was.

[pallisia]

various asks

my inbox is full of nice messages and i don't want to flood the tl so i'm going to answer a big batch of 'em! warning for spoilers:

thank you! this is great to hear. i've always loved the modern touches in ffs like 8, 13, etc., and it was a flavor i'd wanted to incorporate into a fantasy setting of my own. i still think about the part in ff8 where the president gets assassinated by a witch on live television.

even if their circumstances aren't realistic at all, i wanted the characters to feel down-to-earth, so i'm glad they came off that way. i only realized this after hearing from others, but "desperation" is a major theme throughout the story. she's gotta have "it"

thank you so much! to be fair, i was never planning to do fully rendered 3d backgrounds, only to use them as a foundation to draw over. it's something a lot of comic artists do these days, which i respect, but...i think it's not for me. i just don't like thinking about perspective unless it has an "atmospheric" in front of it. but i'm glad the approach i went with was a success! i also love "i felt like i was really getting mugged"

i'm not a musician in any capacity, and i'd never considered releasing any of my piddly little compositions until this. i'm lucky to have worked with such an encouraging friend.

i gotta look out for my clowngirls. thank you.

these two messages came one after another for a critical hit combo... thank you so much for letting my little freaks into your heart.

this is another thing i was hoping would happen! thank you.

ysme uses artisanry to augment her body. we'll get more into how that magic system works later!

thanks so much! i've never played any of the pmd games, but that's very high praise. and i'm honored to hear that i inspired you to make a vn of your own! it really is such a flexible and fun medium, so i hope you enjoy the process.

thanks! that was absolutely an inspiration. when i was outlining the script, i had the vague idea that i wanted ysme to coerce loic in a way that would make sense considering the magic at his disposal. personally if i were mugging a wizard i would simply not give him the chance to think about it .

thank you. i don't have the mental bandwidth to make an rpg, but i still wanted to make something that evoked the same feelings, so that's fantastic to hear.

thank you so much! i can only be myself, and thus there will be more titty.

[angelosearch]

I'm kind of annoyed that FF8 was supposed to be the first game in the franchise to be all about romance, yet Squinoa only share 1 hug, never say I love you directly (they do sort of indirectly say it at separate times in Disc 3 — he says "I've fallen for you" in his head, and she admits that him saying "Just stay close to me" had started everything for her... but again, those aren't direct love confessions), and their 1 kiss panned away from them so quickly, it ended up being a discretion shot.

But... on the other hand, we are talking about a JRPG game from 1999. Eastern countries like Japan were and still are very iffy about PDA, hence why, if any kisses occur between couples in the FF universe, such kisses literally only happen once, and only between a canon couple. Of course, that doesn't really explain why, just 2 years later, in FF10, Tiduna (which I love, btw!) got a real, fully-displayed kiss... not sure what happened in the 2 years between those games to change gears like that 🤷‍♀️

Sorry, I just had that thought pop into my head and wanted to share it with you 😅😜 What are your thoughts?

Hello anon! Thank you for sharing. Haha, I am always down to talk FF8!

In terms of why the PDA was at a minimum, I think you're right that it has to do with the culture around the game. Why was FF10 so PDA heavy in comparison? This is all conjecture, but I wonder if it was an overall increase in Western influence on the company. (or just an increase in wanting to appeal to a Western audience)

Right before the release of FF10 was the release of Spirits Within. That movie required a new level of localization because of the voice acting. Then, FF10 was the first game in the franchise to require voice acting. Working with Western voice actors and translators throughout the production of the game may have had some bearing on how the story was told. Of course, FF10 was also being produced alongside Kingdom Hearts, which was a MAJOR Western Influence. I mean, it doesn't get more America than Disney, in my opinion. Whatever American executives that were working on the Kingdom Hearts storyline may have inspired changes to FF10.

Not sure if this had any bearing, but when SquareSoft was working on FF10, they were attempting to appeal to Enix for a merger. Some of their decisions around major cinematic moments may have been made to make them more competitive. I mean, when I think of 10, I definitely think of the kiss scene, so I really do think it appeals to a Western audience.

Now, in terms of if FF8 was successful in illustrating a romance... From my perspective, the way FF8 shies away from the more typical signs of love (saying the words, physical contact, etc.) makes it all the MORE romantic to me. It's like... their love transcends what is normal and expected. Maybe they don't hug and kiss much, but they do so much more. Squall carries her half way across the world on his back. Rinoa travels across time to bring Squall back to life. Squall throws himself into space. Rinoa gives Squall a metric fuck-ton of patience. Everything is so grandiose and epic, a kiss on the cheek or occasional hug, I think, would have ruined the rhythm of it all.

(Although, I am Ace, so to me, physicality and romance can exist in two completely separate spheres.)

In terms of saying "I love you" - I don't think it will be easy for Squall to come to identify with those words. He knows he feels something, but he's probably never said that to anyone but Ellone. And for Rinoa, she probably knows saying something like that to Squall could chase him off, especially because by the end of the game they've known each other for about... two weeks.

(Rinoa does say something like "We love you. There, I said it!" in the middle-of-the-road interaction at FH on disk 2 though, which I've always imagined as her saying it in a covert, "I've got a crush on you" sort of way.)

That is to say, I do think FF8 is all about romance, and I love how they portray it. Would I like a high-definition close-up kiss shot for AMV purposes? Damn right, I do. But I don't think the lack of PDA or specific wording takes any love away from the story. Anyway, that's my take! Thanks again for the ask!

[verseleth]

An Echo of Fate

“Who are you? Why are you here?”

“I'm waiting,” the maiden answered yearnfully. “He promised. If I come here, I'll find him.”

A slight tilt of her head over her shoulder gave him the impression that she was regarding him with wonder. “Are you waiting too?”

He couldn't see her face yet her query resonated with his soul, evoking an ache unfathomed.

Am I also waiting? For who? Why?

────────

This scene was inspired by a discussion with a friend about the parallels between Ardyn and Ultimecia, especially if she's regarded as the future self of Rinoa. We discussed what if during his imprisonment in Angelgard, Ardyn's soul traversed through dimensions and encountered Rinoa in the ending of FF8.

Special thanks to the aforementioned friend for helping me tremendously with Ardyn's Healer outfit, as well as the props and background. Without their generosity and assistance, this render wouldn't have been made.

Kudos for my Bestie Prom for suggesting to remove the sky in the background to emulate the impression of a dreamscape.