#just finished crisis core for the first time

[annlar]

and they dated happily ever after, the end

[randoimago]

Could I request Aerith, Sephiroth, and Cloud with an s/o who loves cooking up a feast for them whenever they've done something amazing (which can be anything in s/o's eyes)?

Fandom: Final Fantasy 7

Character(s): Aerith, Cloud, Sephiroth

Note(s): I wrote Sephiroth as if during/before Crisis Core since I prefer his personality in that game! There aren't any spoilers though, just his personality not being obsessed with Jenova/Cloud.

Aerith

Idk if this is actually canon and I read it somewhere or my mind made it up, but I love the idea that Aerith can eat. Her metabolism is just insane. She daintily eats everything you made for her and gives you a bright smile afterwards, giving her compliments to the chef.

She just gets so happy whenever you show her all the food you made and say that she deserves it. Probably saves some for the others, but she is happy to sit down and eat.

With all the gardening and fighting and not dying she does, she really loves you making her feasts. You always know when she needs the little treat too!

Cloud

Makes the "?!" anime noise when he sees all the food. Being an ex-soldier, he does have a big appetite, but he doesn't expect you to be the one to cook him such a big meal.

He'd eat some of it then say he's done, only to pause if you give him puppy dog eyes. Then he sighs and eats the rest. Cloud does enjoy the food very much, he hasn't had anything home cooked in a while, but it's just so much and he doesn't want to weigh himself down because his body is digesting all of it.

He has had to try and stop you many times from just (in his eyes) randomly cooking him a feast because you thought he did well. All he did was open up a bit more to someone and he has to pull you to him to stop you from making a whole roast or something.

Sephiroth

There's amusement in his eyes the first time you make him such a grand meal. He just finished a mission and came home to this. You get a pat on the head as he thanks you and sits down, asking that you eat with him.

He wouldn't eat all of it, saving some to take as lunch or rations when he's out on the field again. Sephiroth does ask you what the occasion was and ends up shaking his head with amusement if you mention he did something small that you found amazing.

Has pondered aloud, teasingly, if you were trying to fatten him up with all the food you make him. He doesn't mind it, but it's just something very sweet and amusing. He'll give you a gently kiss to your forehead as thanks after each meal.

[flowerwiththemachinegun]

One of the cutest things I’ve seen written is the reader who loves to cook and a thought that helps me get through meals that feel like they take centuries long to finish. anyways, I guess here’s this little thought.

———————————————————————

During their last exam Hojo couldn’t help but notice something a bit different about Sephiroth, but after taking his weight he finally put his finger on it. “Are you eating more? Your weight typically doesn’t fluctuate.” More so stating than asking Sephiroth looks down on himself almost self consciously.

Of course he’s still his usual muscular self, but I guess you could says he’s bulked up. He has been eating more but that’s because you love to cook. Making random dishes you come across, or dishes you’ve grown up with and want him to taste. Sephiroth relishes in this considering he’s grown up off of military rations, given he would have some of Angeal’s cooking from time to time, he’s never been too spoiled to home cooked meals.

Hell this man would rarely eat anything, usually eating just once throughout the day. Staring at you in confusion the first time you asked him if he ate for the day. Of course he hadn’t, he doesn’t have the time to feed himself. Somehow you still make time to do so though, making enough for him as well. Never too sure how much he eats, you usually make him a larger serving, considering he finishes the food every time you never saw it as a problem either. Taking pride in the fact that he would pout the days you didn’t have time to make him lunch, practically getting him out of the habit of eating company meals all together.

Later that day while eating dinner together he’ll mention that maybe you’re feeding too much. Joking that Hojo is worried about him losing his figure. He definitely doesn’t want you to stop, every meal that you make him warms his heart.

———————————————————————

After thought?

The thought also stems from crisis core and I’m a bit addicted to feeding my bf. That scene where Angeal comments on Sephiroth’s weight also has stuck in my mind quite a bit. It would be so devastating to watch him go from eating anything you make him to barely eating so much he drops in weight. Imagine if something happens to you? He may never eat again.

[snapscube]

hiii - i watched your ffvii story mode stream up until the shinra manor segment.. then i got so hyped.. that . i: went and played the full original game through, watched your crisis core vod, watched advent children complete (i saw the original as a kid in 2006 as my first ffvii thing, very coolconfusing)... aaaand played read the wiki page for dirge of cerberus......

i had played remake before but Also stopped just before The End (literally in shinra tower) - so watched your playthrough to that point and finished it and my own playthrough! tysm for the coverage and encouragement in playing the OG, genuinely gonna get so much more from playing rebirth now :)

THIS IS AWESOME WAHOOO im legit SO EXCITED for u!!!! rebirth has been INCREDIBLE so far i hope u enjoy the hell out of it!!!! thank u for taking my advice and Playing Final Fantasy VII. it’s something everyone should do all the time!

[panthera-tigris-venenata]

What happens in the Apothecary... doesn’t stay in the Apothecary.

When the Core 4 return on the Isle, Harry is just finishing his shopping in Maddy’s Apothecary. It is only natural he decides to steal their bikes and run. It is... probably less natural that Maddy decides to join him and Gil on the ride.

I borrowed Malvina from @tiredflowercrown cos I’ve got plans for this and I think Audrey and Chad would have absolutely marvelous time babysitting Malvina Mim.

Harry stalks through the hovering shelves of Maddy’s Apothecary, idly pushing the odd item just slightly out of its proper place, and only raising the corners of his mouth in a parody of smile when darling Maddy hisses at him. 

Gil sighs as Maddy’s hisses slip into ancient curses – probably – and Harry doesn’t know what’s the fuss about, really.

He’s gonna pay.

Eventually.

Probably. Maybe.

But even so: Uma is not there to see. Uma is not there, and so Harry hardly finds it in himself to care.

He blinks away the memory of her and sweeps away a little package of poisonously coloured candy; it lands with a dull thud. (It doesn’t break and shatter, scatter all around. He isn’t suicidal enough for that, is he?)

„Oops,“ he says with approximately no regret in his voice as he grins at Maddy.

Fine, so maybe he was lying earlier, but can you blame him? There’s no one to hold him accountable for his lies. No Captain to answer to.

For that thought, another package joins the first one on the floor, and a phial disappears into his pocket. He doesn’t bother reading the label.

Gil says something that must be an apology to Maddy, who in turn points to the rules scrawled violently vivid over the grim wall.

We do not give first aid.

We do not give refunds.

Do not ask about correct doses, do not ask about opening hours.

Keep your relationship problems outside. 

Harry giggles: As if Maddy would actually throw him out, what with all the profit he’s been making her lately.  She’s a bitch, alright, but she does have a mind for business, that she does.

She screeches something that sounds suspiciously like „Go have your existential crisis somewhere else and stop sulking about your non-existing love-life in my shop,“ and Harry slips another vial into his pocket.

And he won’t be paying – that’s just what she gets for the love life comment.

Cold-hearted bitch.

Harry gives it a moment of consideration and sneaks another – different – package into his pocket. Maybe if he mixes all this stuff together, it’ll be worth a damn. Worst case scenario, it kills him, and considering his current predicament, Harry figures there are worse things.

He figures not to push his rotten luck any more and disappear the english way before Maddy notices the disappeared proviant; he turns to Gil to tell him so.

„We’re–“ he says before he notices unusual movement outside. It’s barely recognisable through the cloudy, scratched window, but Harry knows a traitor when he sees him. Not that he could mistake the red-black-white of the youngest deVil anyway, no one’s clothes shine like that on the Isle.

Disgusting, if he can say so.

He twists his features into a smirk as he finishes a different sentence than he started: „– going on a field trip!“

A heartbeat of silence, and then: „Maddy, darling, you should join us.“

„And why the fuck would I do that?“

„Also, where are we going?“ adds Gil.

Well, Harry is only too happy to explain: „Oh, why. The traitors are back. They just run by on bikes – we’re gonna nick them and we’re gonna be out in a nick of time, we’re gonna find Uma!“

„Amazing,“ deadpans Maddy, insultingly unimpressed, „Go do that and get the fuck out of my shop.“

Harry blinks as the possible scenarios shift through his mind and no, no, he can’t just jump out there and expect his Captain to do all the work. He ought to figure out some means to find her; he zeroes on Maddy. 

She’s magical, innit, she could find Uma–

She could find Uma, and therefore she must go. He tuts in response to her crude comment and raises on hand: „Oh, sunshine. We can get out. Out is Mal. And magic,“ he raises both of his hands, as if weighting the words, „Mal. Magic. Perfect revenge.“

„…I’m listening,“ allows Maddy reluctantly.

„Amazing,“ Harry states with such amount of poison it rivals some of Maddy’s substances, „Now lets hitch a ride and get the fuck out of there.“

He stalks to the exit, Gil half-a-step behind, but Maddy’s voice stops him.

„Wait.“

Great, what the fuck does that harpy want now?

„Malvina!“ she screams at the top of her lungs, „Move your bones and get up there this instant.“

A scrawny figure scurries just barely into sight and Maddy pulls her into a ray of light. The child blinks in confusion as Maddy says „We’re going out,“ with a decidedly nasty smirk.

Ah, that’s terrific. That little bloodsucker is coming along for the ride – Harry glares at the Mims and mutters curses in a language he thinks the kid doesn’t understand yet though Maddy does, and he makes sure she hears, too. 

She only smirks more as she says: „And if you complain, Hook, I’ll curse your mouth shut so bad not even your beloved Uma will be able to fix it.“

Harry sneers at her. He‘s sure Uma could fix it. She might just decide to wait for that a little bit.

And either way: „Let’s go, there’s no time to loose.“

„No time to die like today.“

„Cheers.“

[regina-bithyniae]

Finished The Wages of Destruction.

Solid 9/10.

Core ideas to take away:

work creation was a minor element of Nazi economic policy, a distant secondary concern after rearmament

rearmament had widespread public support in germany

shifting to autarky took extremely hacky and likely long-run unsustainable export controls, and even *export subsidies* because imports were still an inescapably vital input to industrial production in

controlling big business was largely a "soft co-opting" project while the agriculturalists were insane morons who were much more staunchly pro-nazi

once at war, Germany was going for broke from the very beginning and there was near-zero slack they could've squeezed out more war production from

truly pitiful productivity rate from Germany's conquered continental empire - the workers were far far more productive if deported to Germany than working in home countries

German surface navy seems useless, they didn't even have the oil to run the ships, and metal would've been better used elsewhere

Speer was a shit, Tooze hates hates him

bombing campaign actually was successful! specifically taking out the Ruhr

"blitzkrieg" doctrine was developed as they went; original 1940 invasion of France battleplan was to go "right up the center" not through the Ardennes and pre-battle production focused on heavy artillery ammunition

Bigger points: German "Strategy"

Germany escalated from diplomatic crisis to war with Poland/UK/France, and to war with the Soviet Union, and then America, out of a series of perceived closing windows of opportunity. First one was seeing UK/French production overtaking them in rates and catching up on stocks. In 1940 the US fully commits to aiding Britain, creating sense of "the bombers are coming eventually" and need to gain immediate advantage by conquering the Soviet Union.

Bizarrely, German production was focused on the Luftwaffe in preparation for fighting US/UK air war as Germany was getting ready for Barbarossa!

Declaration of war on US pitched as confirming alliance with Japan, but still feels stupid. Germany could just stay quiet and force US to either engineer entry to European conflict another way or stay out. Still seems less stupid, considering this is at a time when Barbarossa is coming apart.

But overall, a sound if massively risky plan assuming you accept the insane basic assumptions. Hitler's strategic vision often gets assumed to be terrible out of disgust for the consequences of his actions and their failure.

I really do wonder what the vibe was among German economic elite from 1942 onwards, it's obvious the war is not winnable, that you're very fucked, and that everyone is coming to kill you.

Anyways, good book and worth reading/listening to. Tooze could've slimmed down on the pre-war stuff. I find him vaguely irritating with how he brings up irrelevant things just to show how smart he is but that's probably just envy.

P.S.

The original Volkswagen was just a massive scam with no actual civilian cars being produced despite taking all the payments for the vehicles. Possibly suggests two dominant strains of conservatism? Former is old aristocratic conservatism of the nobility or classic US elite; latter is the populist oppositional culture right-wingism which is about 64% scam artists.

[violetganache42]

Highlights from a swashbuckling, futuristic watch party on this fine 6th anniversary of "The Shadow War!":

"No Sail"

The sail deactivating every ten seconds after despositing a nickel

"Warning: Never. Drink. Sea water! Tempting as it is, it'll just make you thirstier."

Mine!

Goofy pulling up a fake shark fin while Donald gets a real shark

Return of the Perfect Cast!

"Duck to the Future"

Godfrey and I DREADING this episode

Not Doofus Drake! ><

WriteBackAtYa: "Who doesn’t want lemonade made by 87 Doofus Drake’s feet?"

(No! Bad Will!)

Magica appearance?!

This episode predicting Scrooge being Doctor Who

$500 BUS FAIR?! DAMN INFLATION!

HDL's "adult" designs (It's not fucking hard to make them look like actual adult ducks!)

Old Man Gyro

Me: "Where's Time Baby when you need him?" Godfrey: "Again, same brain"

Take a shot every time WriteBackAtYa says "It gets worse"

Us HATING Future Webby's design (Her outfit is fine, but everything else? Bless me bagpipes, it's bad!)

Pay no attention to the witch behind the curtain!

Future Doofus being an absolute dick (Webby deserves someone better, and that someone is Lena!)

puffywuffy8904 and Alex: *pointing out how Drake is dead* WriteBackAtYa: "The orange traffic cone above his grave should be stolen by now"

Johnny Quest ass shot

Future Louie riding shotgun

Even in the original series, Dewey crashes a plane

Suddenly, THE HINDENBURG DISASTER

Scrooge disrupting the timeline with Webby saying she's not into Doofus (Thank you for setting the course for a good future, Scrooge. This episode was… UGH… Never again! ><)

"Sky Pirates…in the Sky!"

Dewey wanting to tell his family how he got his hat

"Hey feet off the merchandise!"

Us singing the Sky Pirate song!

Scrooge's golden reaction after the song finished and the treasure was stolen

puffywuffy8904: "even though it was SHIT"

Any: "Busted" Me:

Webby casually gaslighting Louie into believing the Sapphire of Souls is real

Louie being the Gollum of the family

Don Karnage being a bad actor

puffywuffy8904: "you know who ELSE is a botanist" Me: "MY MOM"

Cater-chiller

Godfrey and Kaito stealing my thunder

Discord dunking on Dewey by freezing the stream during his Sky Pirate reprise

Even LAUNCHPAD was mad at Dewey for what he did! LAUNCHPAD OF ALL PEOPLE! That's how you know you and your ego trip fucked up!

Magica having a better disguise than Don Karnage

Sky pirates: "A Duel!" Godfrey: "(cue duel of the fates)"

The way Scrooge boards the Sunchaser with his hat full of treasure. XD

Webby revealing to Louie she tricked him: GASLIGHT GATEKEEP GIRLBOSS

Marshmello x DuckTales - Fly (Music Video)

Scrooge and the kids embodying the element of sassy

Puffy panicking about the family being out in space

"MARSHMELLO IS A DUCKTALES FAN"

This song being in a Fortnite event apparently

Treasure Planet

Everyone realizing Missy hadn't joined yet (The lack of "smash" was noticable.)

Me sharing Treasure Planet Lorcana cards

The offended "Ewww"

melcat33: "family clearly having a huge crisis" "MY JUICE" Tokuvivor: "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the kitchen drinking… juice."

puffywuffy8904: "HEY COOL A DEAD GUY"

Alex pointing out how the dying guys always have to give a vague warning

Jim: "Treasure Planet." Me: "Roll credits."

Delbert immediately being on board to tag along with Jim

The meta in "character-building months"

The TRANSITION from the Hawkins' residence to the Spaceport!

Captain Amelia appearance!

CYBORG…

John Silver 🤝 Hugh Neutron Calling Jim and Jimmy "Jimbo"

MORPH APPEARANCE

Learning the original Treasure Planet novel popularized a lot of pirate tropes

Everyone praising how it is a fun yet underrated movie

puffywuffy8904: "wait are they gonna kiss eww" Me: "Outside. Now!"

Subtitles dying as John Silver was berating the crew

"I'm Still Here" screaming 2000s-core

Subtitles near the end of the montage:

Star Wars doing the "Your father is the true villain" shtick first

TransedMyGender: "You know what's worse than a supernova?" Alex: "see your father leave"

Scroop killing Arrow!

puffywuffy8904: "there ain't gonna be a treasure planet 2 for us to worry about" melcat33: "don't you dare jinx us"

"oh shit, guess i have a kid now"

Morph messing with Jim

Missy FINALLY joining the watch party!

Morph custody fight

Everyone saying who they consider the best duck waifu (Morph can be a duck if he wants to. lol)

Suddenly, ROBOT

Learning that Jim was voiced by Joseph Gordin Levitt (NGL, he sounded a lot like Ben Schwartz at various instances)

The violins playing

"We're not a couple" Delbert and Amelia LITERALLY having a shipping moment immediately after

puffywuffy8904: "this guy stinks" Me and WriteBackAtYa's first thoughts:

THE MEME

"Woof."

Delayed subtitles

🎵Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!🎵

The WONDERFUL meshing of 2D animation and CGI

Us @ Scroop's death:

Me: "BITE OF 87" WriteBackAtYa: "87 like ducktales?"

BATHROOM BREAK SPEEDRUN

puffywuffy8904: "hey you know what ELSE has robots and supernovas" Alex: "not Jimbo's dad"

Suddenly, HUEBERRYSHORTCAKE APPEARANCE!

This movie being TaleSpin in Space

Family is the greatest treasure of all!

WriteBackAtYa: "His mom is cool" Me: "She did her very best." WriteBackAtYa: "Like no one ever was"

SHIPPING UP TO BOSTON

Delbert and Amelia already having quatriplets quadruplets

DuckLooneyHistoria bringing up the 1988 Russian Treasure Island movie

[ficsbyuzi]

Wait

Part-1

Aemond Targaryen x Alys Rivers (Modern Westeros)

Summary - Amidst family crisis and dissolution of his engagement, Aemond relocates to Harrenhal, a place that stirs an inexplicable sense of belonging in him. As he settles into his new role , he meets the intriguing Alys Rivers.

word count - 2217

warnings - +18, mention of smoking and alcohol

A/N - This part is a set-up. I am reposting this from my previous account. I began writing this in February, and now intend to finish it.

I am writing what I wish to read. I am a hard core Alysmond shipper. If you are not, you may wish to scroll past :) Flashback and internal monologue are in italics.

“I don't understand,” Floris uttered incredulously, her voice wobbling in a whisper. She was pacing back and forth restlessly in front of the fireplace, casting shifting shadows across the walls of Aemond's opulent living room. The sound of her sniffles mingled with the crackling flames in the hearth, as she struggled to contain the tears trickling down her flawless cheeks. 

"Floris, please just hear me out,” Aemond insisted, letting out a deep sigh of exasperation, burying his head in his palms to avoid facing his fiancée. 

“I can't believe you are doing this,” she choked out. “After everything I have planned, all the..all the prepar..” she faltered at the last word, her chest tightening as she began to rub it, breathing unevenly.

“Please, sit,” Aemond’s tone turned concerning.

Floris halted her steps at his request. Taking a seat on the ottoman, she waited for his next words. She stared at the wall with a fierce intensity, gripping the giant sapphire studded in a band of platinum that adorned her ring finger. As if she feared the ring would somehow slip off her finger, carrying with it the promise of a future that now seemed blurred.

“My dad's passing has thrown everything in chaos,“ Aemond said, running a hand across his face, “My mother can't handle everything alone, especially now when Aegon is gravely injured. Nobody suspected the fire at the Rook's rest, it's a disaster at home.”

“So, you're just going to leave me? And move to Harrenhal?” She asked, locking her big, brown eyes with his disparate gaze - one eye, the color of amethyst, the other, a prosthetic, the color of which was of the stone gleaming on her engagement ring.

“Floris, please understand, my uncle is trying to gobble up our business, and ruin everything, I just can't..” he blew out a sharp breath through his nose, pursing his lips and standing up, 

“Right now, I can't give you the attention you deserve. I need to take a step back and reevaluate things..” He walked towards the mini bar to make himself a drink, grimacing in pain as his scar had begun to sting. The pain always resurfaced whenever he was in emotional turmoil, even though years had passed since the unfortunate accident that took his eye. 

“I need to sort out my priorities,” he said, pouring whiskey into the glass.

“What about..what about our wedding?” The crack in her voice on the realisation that his priorities did not include her, mirrored the shattering of her heart. She was dreading his response, almost not wanting to hear it. 

Aemond closed his violet eye, sighing and mustering all his strength to keep his composure. He had already suspected that Floris might not fathom the gravity of the situation. 

“How can you expect me to think of the wedding at such a time? Why don't you understand I need a break!” He struggled to keep his voice from escalating, speaking through gritted teeth, but his frustration inevitably seeped into his tone, causing it to grow louder with each word.

“You don't need a break, you want a break up,” she blurted out, sniveling and trembling at her own audacious, high-pitched response. 

Their gazes remained locked in a tense standoff. Aemond set his whiskey glass down on the table, the sound of which shattered the heavy silence that hung between them..

Floris broke eye contact first, and began picking up her belongings.

 “What will I..tell my father,” she sputtered, “what will my sisters think?” She began to sob uncontrollably.

“Floris!” Aemond clicked her tongue, “Floris, Floris wait!”  

He tried to stop her, but she hurried out of the house, slamming the door behind her with a loud bang. 

The closing of the car door shattered Aemond's reverie, jolting him back to the present. He did not notice that the car had stopped moving and now sat parked on the mouth of a winding path leading to a rustic mansion, nestled on the eastern shore of God's Eye Lake.

"We've arrived, Sir," the driver announced, opening the backseat door with a courteous nod. "I'll take care of the luggage.” 

“Hmm.”

He glanced at the sapphire engagement ring in his palm, enclosing it in his fist, before slipping it into the pocket of his black overcoat, as he came out of the car. 

Aemond stood outside his new dwelling, taking in the serene sight of the countryside. The colors of the autumn landscape appeared to blend into the oranges and pinks of the dusky sky. The crisp autumn breeze stirred his silver hair, as the earthy scents of the God’s Eye lake and pine from the woods caressed his senses. Lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag, he watched the gigantic Harrenhal Castle that stood across the shimmering expanse of the God's Eye Lake, astride its northern shore. 

Despite having never set foot in that part of the country in the twenty-eight years of his life, he couldn't shake off a strange, overwhelming familiarity suffusing through him. The deafening peace of the countryside was engulfing him, stirring memories he could not possibly possess and an inexplicable longing for something he did not even know. 

Why do I feel as if I have come back home, when I have just driven miles away from it?

He reached for his phone exhaling a plume of smoke in the air and sent a quick text to his mother about his safe arrival, ignoring the unsettling feeling creeping into his heart. 

Perhaps, he reasoned, he was merely moved by his proximity to nature. The last few weeks had been tumultuous and taxing on his physical and mental health. 

As he made his way to enter the house, he reminded himself that he made the right decision in choosing not to stay in one of the suites in the resort. 

—

Vhagar’s ceaseless howling throughout the night, made it clear that she did not approve of her new abode.

A hopeless dream in which he was falling into an endless abyss, haunted the wink of sleep he could get and jolted him awake. After a night of restless, fragmented sleep, a headache had started to set in. Neither the taste nor the strength of the Riverlands’ coffee did much to stave it off. 

The dull ache in his scar had not stopped bothering him too, since the night he met Floris. A nagging twinge of guilt of not feeling remorseful about the dissolution of their engagement, kept gnawing at him, only making it difficult for him to forget about it and move on. 

He could not afford to dwell on the past, distracting himself from the hardships that awaited his family. If the business at Harrenhal resort failed to repay the losses incurred due to his uncle’s recklessness, they would be in huge trouble.

An hour later, clad in black from head to toe, Aemond was sitting in the speedboat to cross the lake en route to his new workplace. 

He found himself oddly apprehensive of the rippling water, as the speedboat sliced through the surface of the God’s Eye lake. The brief journey from his mansion to the castle only took ten minutes, and yet, he couldn't wait to be on land again. His discomfort with water persisted since childhood; he had always detested his swimming lessons and never found enjoyment in any of the beach outings to the Blackwater bay. 

Upon entering the castle, that peculiar sense of belonging tugged at his soul once again. 

He dissociatively heard the welcoming remarks by the staff, as his good eye darted across the massive expanse of the edifice, whose premises rivaled the size of a city itself. 

Its majestic ruins had been restored and transformed into a luxury resort which served as a major revenue source for the Targaryen empire. The responsibility of its smooth operation now lay in Aemond's hands as its new managing director.

The entire place displayed a perfect blend of historical charm and modern comfort. Its once-humongous stretch had been halved, with only the tallest of the five towers- the Kingspyre tower, serving as the main functional building. The remaining four towers now stood as historic spots for tourists to explore. A network of zip lines connected all the towers, offering visitors the thrill of flying fox adventure sports. 

The grand hall, formerly known as the Hall of Hundred Hearths, had been repurposed into a museum housing an art gallery, conference hall, and party venue. The expansive stable, still preserved, housed horses of all breeds and colors for riding training and racing activities. A large patch of woods, once a part of the Godswood, had been cleared to make room for resident quarters for the staff. 

The towering curtain wall that once confined the woods within the castle's boundaries had been dismantled, allowing the vegetation to seamlessly blend with the plains. The middle ward had been transformed into a lush oasis of gardens, courtyards, and winding pathways adorned with water fountains.

Once derelict and desolate, Harrenhal now teemed with life and frolic, and yet, Aemond found it bleak and barren. Perhaps his history books had deeply ingrained a certain image in his mind. He only rejoiced in witnessing the parts of the castle that time had not fully consumed - the charred stones stubbornly clinging to the remnants of walls, defiant against the passage of centuries.

As Aemond and the accompanying staff made their way inside the museum, the last spot in his tour of the entire place, 

The manager informed him enthusiastically, "There is a small get-together organized the day after tomorrow, to celebrate the Festival of Mother, and also to welcome you into your new role here.”

"Who all will attend?" Aemond inquired.

"A select group VIP guests from Dorne and Braavos, heads of the staff team, and some shareholders," the head of the operations beamed at him.

"Hmm, you should have consulted me before finalizing any event," Aemond's disinterested tone dampened the hopeful smiles on the faces around him. "I will consider it. I don’t particularly enjoy such social gatherings," he added.

"Sir," the staff nodded in acknowledgment.

Despite the slight annoyance at the invitation, Aemond found himself invigorated in the museum, feeling more alive than he had in weeks. Even the stubborn headache had begun to mitigate, as he traversed the spacious aisles, admiring the streaks of the past on time, preserved and on display there. He had been anticipating a visit since his arrival.

Halting near an art piece that captured his attention - an oil on canvas depicting Aegon’s conquest of the castle of Harrenhal a millennium ago, he asked his personal assistant, “Arrange a guided tour of the museum for me, sometime in the next week. I would also like to have a meeting with the director of the art gallery and the museum curator. Why aren’t they here already?”

“I will send for them at once, Sir,” the assistant replied, pulling out her phone and leaving hurriedly.

He stood there for a few more minutes, admiring the artist's nuanced brushwork in creating the blast of fire from the mighty Balerion the Black Dread, unleashed upon the very castle where he stood centuries later. As his thoughts drifted back to the historical accounts he had studied, a female voice calling his name interrupted them.

“You asked to see me, Mr. Targaryen,” an ordinary, plain voice broke his concentration. The voice was a stark contrast to the sharpness of the speaker's countenance.

A petite woman, unmistakably in her thirties, but not a day above forty, was standing before him. Her dark hair- swallowing the ambient lighting in which his own silver hair gleamed, was immaculately tied in a sleek bun. Two charcoal gray pearls in her earlobes matched the hue of the well-tailored pantsuit that perfectly fitted her curvaceous form. An elegant, age-defying aura surrounded her. 

Her professional veneer didn't seem seamless to him; he could perceive a few fragile fissures in it, as if her untamed ruggedness threatened to burst forth, tearing the veil of her soignè.

 As if she would unravel her real, unrefined self, with a simple act of loosening her hair. 

Like a glimmer of light reflected off obsidian, momentarily brightening it and revealing its majestic darkness, a welcoming warmth twinkled in her piercing eyes. It lingered for a moment, until her unblinking gaze turned somber.

Perhaps that spark shifted from her kohl-lined eyes to her thin, downward-turned lips painted in nude pink, as they curled up in a knowing smirk. But even that smile didn't go beyond a moment. And in that very moment, an oddly comforting, yet a disconcerting sensation enveloped him.

He felt seen through. Exposed. Stripped bare. And for someone as reticent as himself, he liked what he had just felt. 

She shifted the file folder she was carrying to her left hand and extended her right hand in a casual, confident greeting. Aemond's lips twitched into an enamored half-smile as he took her hand and noticed a tattoo of a miniature dragon inked in black, breathing fire with its wings spanning the back of her hand.

“Alys Rivers, manager and the curator of art. Welcome to Harrenhal.” Her smirk returned.

Part-2

[theworldendswithsho]

hi everyone this is my first (and probably pinned) post!!

i am a retired fanfic writer coming back out of retirement because i recently finished NEO: The World Ends With You and there is NO sho minamimoto content on the internet and I'm in love with him. I'm passionate about a number of fandoms and would love to get back into writing, so along with some self-indulgent stuff, I'll also be taking requests! I don't have plans to write anything too long (so don't expect 8k word fics) but I don't mind headcanons, oneshots, etc. Some fandoms/characters I will write for (though not all of them!) Also I am 20 and comfortable with writing both SFW and NSFW! Send your requests in ♡

Final Fantasy 7/Crisis Core

- Sephiroth

- Zack Fair

- Cloud Strife

- Reno

NEO: The World Ends With You

- Sho Minamimoto

- Neku Sakuraba

- Bito "Beat" Daisukenojo

Jujutsu Kaisen

- Satoru Gojo

- Kento Nanami

- Choso

Resident Evil 2/4

- Leon Kennedy

Genshin Impact

- Wriothesley

- Wanderer/Scaramouche/However else you like to characterize him

- Lyney

- Ningguang

- Beidou

- Yae Miko

- Itto

- Tartaglia/Ajax/Childe

This isn't a full list but its just what I can think of off the top of my head! There's a lot of content I've interacted with and a lot I haven't, so feel free to ask! I can't guarantee I'll grant every request/I am a busy college student and I don't have time to learn new characters and plots BUT I will do my best :) This is all for fun! Happy requesting ♡

[moonstoneraven]

more sephiroth's self saving system! lore beneath the read more

Sephiroth's name is seth and if u can't read my hand writing it says: he has albinism, ff7 hater, ff7 is a book series, he died by falling through a hole in a contrustion site after finishing crisis core, zack is his favorite character, he is autistic, and he wants friends but is a loner

some context about ff7 in this au: in this au final fantasy as a whole is a really long (trashy) web-novel series written by multiple authors. final fantasy vii is a trilogy including Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. ff7 was written first ff7:a second and ff7:cc last as a prequel. there are two protagonists cloud (ff7 and ff7:a) and zack (ff7:cc). the writer goes by the username Soldier1stClassFenrir (yes cloud is the author the character cloud was a self-insert). ff7 and it's other works are just trashy not very good novels that sephiroth totally hates and totally does not secretly like. since it's a shitty web-novel characters and plots are dumbed down heavily and some things like characterization or the way some characters interact is changed.

also cause i know my hand writing is a pain to read when small i'll put it here:

first comic: sephiroth(thinking) Why did I become Sephiroth of all characters he's a murderous lunatic and super anti-social and he even dresses in a way no one would ever dress and- WAIT Sephiroth spends most of his time in story around Zack (behind him is himself screaming LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOO!)

second comic: Sephiroth holding Cloud by the scarf: WHY TF DID U WRITE SEPHIROTH LIKE THAT??? Cloud: I'm so sorry i didn't think this would happen

third comic: Sephiroth in front of Zack (thinking): Man how am I supposed to make Zack at least tolerate me* so Ican not be killed and become some weird ghost thing? (he is unconsciously smiling) Zack noticing the smile and quickly falling in love (thinking): Holy- General Sephiroth is smiling. He's really pretty

*In this au since Final Fantasy 7 is a shitty novel series in crisis core Sephiroth is immediately disliked by Zack who is seemingly the only one who seems to realize Sephiroth is actually evil

[roseprincessarts]

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis The First Soldier Episode 2 Theory and Prediction Discussion

Good evening Final Fantasy VII peepsters!

Welp, it's November. Today we are going to be discussing what's been in my head while playing FFVII Ever Crisis. Before we get started, this is probably my first theory and prediction to ever discuss. I've probably seen other theories that relates to the episode 2 of First Soldier, so I decided to do this in my own thoughts and my own words, and could agree what other theories could be true or not true. It all takes some patience to find out what will happen in the future in First Soldier! So the topic tonight is going to be about Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis: The First Soldier Episode 2 Theory! (also made a presentation art for future discussions :) )

I was going to do this before and after Halloween, but hadn't got the chance to finish up so I feel like this will be rushed lol. I had a blast yesterday for Halloween, though!

Oh! Before I forget, I must warn to each and every one of the FFVII fans that have never played Ever Crisis, and/or did but hadn't gotten into the second episode of First Soldier, Crisis Core, FFVII, etc., just to warn y'all that this will contain spoilers! Read this at your own risk! Or have an experience on EP 2! So beware of ghosts of spoilers! Ooooooooooo~ 👻

*clears throat* Well, with no further ado, let's get on with the discussion!

Episode 2 of Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier

I have indeed finished The First Soldier episode 1 just before starting the second one. It was just before Halloween started. I really enjoyed the first episode! Really shows the past of Sephiroth! Young Sephiroth looks handsome as when he was a grown handsome man as well hehehehe <3. I really liked how they did Sephiroth as some sort of a 14-year-old hero before his fall into a psycho villain. It also shows who he was before the Nibelheim mission, what he really thought of his friends, which would be Glenn, Matt and Lucia, and what he had wanted other than a hero, but a normal ordinary life as other kids unlike him had. This also shows how he ended up being Shinra's golden SOLDIER (why I called that because he was the first one to even have incredible powers). However, we get to see more as we dive into more of Sephiroth's past. Let's begin!

Sephiroth and Angeal First Meeting

In episode 2 of First Soldier, we see how Sephiroth and Angeal met.

Angeal Hewley was introduced in Crisis Core as a SOLDIER with honor, pride and the most respected member, gifted with the iconic Buster Sword in the FFVII series before the real thing as a symbol of his family's honor. He is also the mentor of another character that was also important to the series is Zack Fair, another SOLDIER member that dreams of becoming a hero like Sephiroth.

Until learning about who he really is, Angeal dreamed of becoming human due to the fact that Dr. Hollander was responsible for the Jenova Project, or rather Project G to make him a perfect monster, as Genesis was a failure at this point, as well as Angeal claiming he has created his very own suffering.

Now, in ep 2 of The First Soldier, a young Angeal plans to leave to Midgar to join SOLDIER to honor his family before his stepfather’s death. He was to dispatch to Robio in Wutai, and boom! Angeal meets Sephiroth for the first time. Sephiroth appears to be pissy, and Angeal tries to cheer him up and lighten him up. Angeal looked handsome as a young fella ^^.

I think Sephiroth and Angeal would be going separate ways. However, what I think would happen is that they would bond later on. Plus, they were friends along with Genesis in Crisis Core.

Masamune Origins

Wondering how Sephiroth got the most iconic sword in FFVII history, and how it became a main thing? Wondered how he got the Masamune? Look no further! As most of the players were playing through all the sections, we now see a new character in the game named Masamune, based on a sword of its namesake.

Now, Masamune appears to be swordsmith of Robio, and he had the katana by his name. What my prediction or theory may be is there could be the possibility of Sephiroth obtaining the iconic Masamune in future chapters. Plus, Sephiroth's Nameless being sliced in half, I would how the aftermath might be ^^;

Well, this is going to be interesting and I'm actually looking forward to how Sephiroth obtains the Masamune from… well, Masamune (character) is going to go. Dark, climaxing, we won't know until future chapters!

Now, about the character Masamune of what I first saw him, he almost reminds me of the actor Christopher Lee lol. Also, I wondered how Sephiroth and Masamune would communicate or how they would have a bond, friendship, or even become enemies. We'll have to see on that one. This will become interesting to see!

Bachman

Bachman, or is another character that appears as a journalist for Shinra as he records Sephiroth and Angeal in action to have a detailed report.

I'd say he could be a documentary guy or something like that!

Well, to be honest, I am not sure if I have an interest about Bachman, but I'll have to see for myself what he could possibly do in future chapters. I thought he was just a minor character, but he could be important. We'll just have to sit back for more of his development as well.

Alissa Goldie

Hey, look! Another female character! Another feminine SOLDIER! Wow! Interesting!

*coughs*

Whoops. Gotten carried away there, am I not? Ahem… where was I? Ah, yes! Alissa Goldie, indeed!

Next subject to discuss in this FFVII theory is Alissa Goldie (it's a pretty name for her btw ^^).

Alissa Goldie is another female 2nd class SOLDIER appearing in this episode of First Soldier. She appeared as another missing SOLDIER I believe until found before Sephiroth and Angela's encounter with Masamune as some sort of upbeat kind of person, until she sassed Sephiroth for staring at her after meeting or seeing her.

Now, some people may be in shock when they see Alissa at first. Her character development intends to look identical to Sephiroth's birth mother Lucrecia.

Oh boy! This is going to be nerve wrecking, but here are the list of predictions of what I think will be happening with Alissa and Sephiroth.

Prediction 1: Prediction number 1 of what I am about to say is later on, I believe that what will happen in this episode 2 if that Alissa Goldie will turn out to be either an antagonist, maybe villain and/or a Jenova clone that will trigger Sephiroth’s mental disturbance. Well, we probably have seen clones in the FFVII original story. We'll probably find about this kind of prediction for Alissa’s character development

Prediction 2: This option of the prediction will indicate what I might also think if Alissa will be Lucrecia in disguise. Lucrecia is Sephiroth’s birth mother, as Hojo gives him the photo of her in episode 1 of TFS and claims her name is Jenova, who is actually a calamity from space that tried to destroy the planet but was pulled out of the 2000-year-old rock layer and experimented and was kept enclosed in the Nibel Reactor. We all have seen the Nibelheim Incident, presenting Sephiroth’s descent to madness and his death after his massacre in the village, when Cloud starts to be a real deal for the FFVII series, and Zack as well. In this prediction for First Soldier, I believe Alissa could be Lucrecia in actual see her son in person after what Hojo had done to him, and her. He does dream about his mother after couple of chapters, which warms my heart to see the moment is real mother and son ❤️

Prediction 3: This is probably the weirdest, obscure or awkward prediction, but could be shocking. This would have the Sephiroth fans to freak out over this, but in the third prediction, Alissa could be whether just an ordinary girl and/or to be (here I go) Sephiroth's love interest. Yes, awkward. However, Sephiroth is flustered by Alissa's facial identity to look like his mother. She also tells Angeal the world will change if Sephiroth continues to use his sword. This is the prediction I doubt that would happen. I could be wrong, but this has been in my head that I LITERALLY had been bragging to myself about. Spehiroth’s canon love interest? This would freak the Sephiroth fans out. Even me. Now, my apologies if it does freak you out, but it would be doubtful if Alissa could be a canon Sephiroth's love interest. I was hoping for prediction 2, but we'll sure better get some really good sleep with patience for future chapters to hope if either of the theories are true. This isn't to intend to freak those fans out on purpose. Just to explain which prediction could be true or not.

And that's it for tonight. Well, I hope you enjoy my theory, and this is my first time, so my apologies for the messy typo or not much ha ha ha!

Let's sit back and wait for future chapters to witness more of the story of Sephiroth, and Angeal as well! This could give me some ideas how my CC fanfic is going to go. Better get started (to myself) with it! I can do another discussion that relates to this if there's a new chapter coming. Plus, I'm getting better with catching up with Ever Crisis now! I do plan to do as much as possible so I can catch up to the stories! I was going to add more, but I might do another theory since I don't have time now. Plus, don't want it to make it too long anyway lol. I'll do more theory details later on!

And it's getting late so I hope you enjoy and have a good night! And now I need some sleep before turning into a zombie!

Have a wonderful day, my lovely rose petals!

RosePrincessArts, signing off! Good night!

Art ©RosePrincessArts (Used from Sketchbook app from iPad)

Final Fantasy VII, Ever Crisis, Crisis Core, The First Soldier and Characters belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and SQUARE ENIX

[achoshistor]

final fantasy 7

spoilers for everything idk (ff7, remake&dlc, crisis core but only till like chapter four because thats how far i made it)

bro ive been tweaking out for like three months now. i bought the ff7 remake bc it was 50% off a few months ago and I was like I'm never gonna find a deal like this ever again (only for it to go on 50% again lmfao) but ok whatever it was literally 35 for the game and the dlc which is one million times cheaper than what splatoon 2 and octo expansion were and its ok because i can never own it physical anyways but bro I didn't even want to buy this game in the first place i was gonna buy ffxv cause i saw a clip of notcis or whatever that guys name is putting his lettuce on a nother guy's plate and i was like "wtf is final fantasy even about" SPOILER ALERT: TERRORISM like ????

i feel like i can never every play another game after finishing the remake and the intermission i bought crisis core reunion and theres literally LESS fighting in that game so far but it was also cheaper and i got it physical (after scouring ebay for two months to find a us edition because i dont want to even risk seeing things spelled in the british way because last time when that happened when I played great ace attorney 1&2 i couldn't stop spelling things in british every time i'd write an essay and then i couldnt tell what was wrong "its just an extra letter" no bro its messing up my diction) but anyways please just let me beat things up with a sword i wish people still used swords to fight then the fights would be more fair and the world would be a better place. but man sephiroth is lowkey a nice guy and the crashout was 100% valid not the killing people part but i would also crash out if i found out my mom was actually some 2000 year thingy they found in the ground. today i saw some snowflakes fall (they were the big ones) and freaked out for a second because i thought they were white feathers (I NEED TO GO OUTSIDE)

i also "finished" (AKA gave up right before the final boss) the original ff7 because i didnt want to deal with spoilers cause the main plot points should be the same anyways but i don't have enough patience to play retro games (the last one i finished was kirby super star three years ago) and they are like ten times harder than modern games too like i think i only got 10 game overs max in the remake but like one hundred million in the original and i was like at this point i dont even care anymore like we just need to beat sephiroth right? speaking of i really did think we just had to beat sephiroth and that he was just evil for the love of the game because all i knew was from that smash bros trailer but really everything is hojos and lowkey lucrecia's fault bc theyre bums like are you jealous of vincent or something how do you get a girl who's literally just broken up with this guy pregnant like no time bro literal bum activity im glad vincent was able to beat up hojo at the end. he was also my strongest party member (and had the hardest spell post out of all of them).

i was lowkey tweaking when i saw genesis cause i thought something seemed awfully familiar lo and behold hes just evil gackt. i saw a picture of some genshin character's sword and i was like holy sigma is that genesis rhaspodos but nope it was some genshin twink this is off topic but i HATE how like half of the characters in genshin look like children/teenagers and the other half are either whitewashed (brighter than printer paper) or have the most awful color scheme like unpleasant gradient just showed up to your door. i kept thinking angeal was named angelo because ive only ever met people named angelo and not angeal but so far his story seems too similar to sonons. zack = onika angeal = burgers OH his name is angeal like angel LMFAo

I barely edit my tumblr posts for coherence sorry if youre not one of my like 4 followers but anyways episode intermission gave me a genuine crash out. I was like "who is yuffie" but then i found out. yuffie is my goat. i hate fort condor and i still hate fort condor but i didnt know there was a literal fort with a condor on it. i was out of it bro i have nobody here that may hear this and i will be ashamed i genuinely couldnt pay attention to the game cuz of sonon hes so fine bro too bad he DIED bro i even felt bad for nero cause they forcefully made him shut up with that muzzle thing but as per usual he was a bum but theres no second part to the dlc (yet) 40 dollar 32 gb ram stick please find me (my computer will blow up) before rebirth comes out (my computer will blow up regardless) like watch the requirements be some esoteric classified government only processor like the ryzen 56 or intel i5412 like u gotta play it on one of those government super computers so the game doesnt lag the minute you start walking.

ok im done ive exhausted myself thank u for coming to my ted talk see u later my little minions

[shahrwrites]

I will never ever stop calling out Bruce for the abusive hypocrite that he is and here’s one of the many instances why:

**WARNING: the following contains spoilers for events Identity Crisis and Gotham War.**

Also, this is gonna be a lengthy read because I'm gonna elaborate on Identity Crisis a little first, so grab a snack, I guess? lol

A couple of days ago, I finished reading Identity Crisis, and a recent visit to twitter revealed to me that... it's not as well received as I had thought?? I mean, sure, it had its flaws, but most of the arguments I have read about it arises from a lack of a sufficient grip on the essence of the story.

One such argument being that "Jean only wanted to scare Sue, yet she brought a flame thrower with her." So did everyone collectively forget that she was institutionalized at the end of the story? Not to mention that she had a history of mental instability already, (Or so I've read about her) meaning she was mentally ill. She was very definitely lying through her teeth saying that she didn't mean to kill Sue.

Another was the leaguers being morally compromised because, 1) they altered Dr. Light's brain after he threatened to repeat everything he did to Sue and worse to their wives and family, and 2) Because they wiped away memories of a certain leaguer and kept what they did to Dr. Light a secret?

I don't know about you, but to me, that only shows that for the exception of one literal alien, they're all human at their core. They have flaws, they have fears, and they're not above making mistakes. For me, it painted what would be a bunch of one dimensional characters, in a more complex picture.

On another note, I understand that there may have been continuity errors, but honestly, what comic run doesn't have them? It's just become a feature of the comics over the years and given them a flexibility to explore new stories, ideas and themes.

Now, if Deathstroke was buffed up from fighting kids to one-man-up the League, if Firestorm died a little too randomly, you'll just have to excuse the poor writing in those respectives. This happens to the best of stories. At age ten, I found such ridiculous plot holes in Harry Potter of all stories it was seriously embarrassing.

Moving on,

Why did reading this comic specifically strike a nerve in me about Bruce and Jason in respect to the events of Gotham War? Because after what Dr. Light did to Sue and threatening the leaguers to do the same to their families, too, they made the choice to jumble his brains a little so as to stop such tragedy to ever befall again. Of course, Bruce wasn't there for the voting, but then he comes back when they're in the middle of transforming Light's personality. And this is what ensues:

* Identity crisis (2016)

Say what you wanna say, it was more about Batman's authority than anything else or whatever. But don't you think Bruce would have stopped it and lashed out, either way? Well, I do. Because so many times, he's shown to be more sympathetic to monstrous criminals than to a boy he raised.

* Batman – Catwoman – The Gotham War – Red Hood 002 (2023)

* Batman (2016) #138

I think you've all had enough of reading about how Bruce took away Jason's autonomy in the name of giving him a normal life when he can't even be a normal human being anymore, all without an ounce of regret, so I won't go there.

[pikahlua]

Hey pika! Do you have any thoughts in the run up to leaks later this week? Maybe a POV switch? Maybe more core!shiggy stuff? Maybe even core!izuku stuff?

So this is funny. This will sound like it's not related at first but bear with me.

For funsies, I tried to break down the chapters into episodes for season 7. In the process, I noticed an interesting pattern. In my opinion, Horikoshi has written all the chapters that will go into season 7 as if they are storyboards for the anime. If we assume an adaptation rate of 3 chapters per episode, the mysterious little narrator we've been wondering about often falls at the beginning of an episode. Some recap moments also fall at the beginning of an episode as a result. The adaptation rate gets a little wonky later in the season because of Horikoshi's shorter chapters in some cases, so I also accounted for that.

Based on all this, I am now convinced that season 7 will end on adapting chapter 405 (holy shit holy shit holy shit!!!!). That means chapters 406+ will be in season 8.

So, if I assume a similar adaptation rate of 3 chapters per episode for season 8, then chapter 417 was the end of an episode. With chapter 418, we're beginning a new episode. I don't think it's a bad approach to start taking these chapters in groups of 3. So yeah, there is every possibility there could be a POV change incoming because it will be a new episode.

That said, I'm not convinced there will definitely be a POV change. Even if there is one, it could possibly be very short, like a quick update on what's happening elsewhere before it goes back to Izuku and Tomura. The reason I don't think we're at a POV change just yet is because there will very likely be something that happens with Izuku and Tomura that creates a segue to Kurogiri. My current theory is that the story will need to mostly finish this little sub arc of Tomura's inner world so that it can lead into some other crisis where the heroes will need to converge on Izuku's battlefield, and Kurogiri is the best candidate to make that happen. That would be my best guess at this time.

[mrhaitch]

Hello Mr. Haitch! You inadvertently recommended the Southern Reach series all the way back then… so of course, I bought the book Annihilation.

I’m only on page 61, but by page 9, I knew that this book was probably going to be my favorite for this year. The thing is, I probably would have devoured it all in one go if I didn’t stop to jot down notes and ideas every five pages. This book has already given me an existential crisis.

Can we have a book discussion?? There are just so many thought-provoking quotes. But for now I’ll only show one (from page 8):

I have quite a few thoughts about this line. First of all, this is what drives the biologist: it’s the reason why she’s in Area X and why she’s there to stay. And it also relates to her identity. There was this one line… I didn’t save it… where she admits to pretending to be a biologist. She’s simply someone in pursuit of knowledge. Or the “truth.” Some understanding of why things happen the way they do.

(The urge to connect the theme of pretending… but it should be saved for another time.)

If someone asked me why I like exploring character analysis, I’d say to learn more about the characters. But if they ask me why I want to learn more specifically, I don’t really have an answer to that. Like the book said, it’s a “self-immolating desire.” Curiosity is something that needs to be satiated.

Lastly, this quote made me wonder… does truth even exist? Is it just something that humans made up? Because everything is based on perception, with what we perceive with our senses which is where it becomes subjective. It’s the reason why the same event can have a different event from two different narratives. Like in JJK, the cycle of war between curses and humans, for example… hold on, I feel like this is an interesting opportunity to connect the idea of “truth” to Mahito. Because he’s kinda like “I know more than you, I know how things actually work” with the soul and body theory. Oh… well that’s just a tangential idea I have not developed yet, and I’d have to go back and take a closer look at his character. Anyways, I found this interesting because the “self-immolating desire” is what drives some people’s choices, decision-making, and purpose. And it brings up the question of whether in the long haul, it is a hopeless pursuit.

Ehh, I just came here today to prompt something maybe relatively interesting. You’ve already read the book, so this isn’t anything new to you of course. But I am in dire need of discussion or I might actually combust and never finish the book 🥲🥲

Curious to hear what you have to say,

formerly curious anon but not anon anymore

Amazing, people normally ignore my book recommendations as being too esoteric, and I am delighted to see someone else joining the freakish Vanderfamily.

You've hit on the core challenge the Biologist faces: she wants to be objective, to be impartial, but knows she can't be. She knows no one can be truly impartial or objective - to be sentient, to hold thoughts, feelings, opinions, to have experienced or learned anything is to see the world through a lens or a filter. We might be aware of the lens, its edges, or the way it distorts the light, but we cannot completely remove it.

To live, to exist, to be is to become a subject, an individual, a perspective.

What she's pushing against is Area X's unknowability. Its inherent alienness, its knack for altering and shifting depending on who is looking at it and how they're looking at it. It's a living, breathing manifestation of humanity's epistemic limits and it is horrifying. It is indifferent to us and that is the source of much of the series' psychic horror - that the thing which might destroy us doesn't even know we're there. Or if it does, we're a momentary blip on the radar that is easily forgotten.

It's a confrontation, a fundamental and necessary one from Vandermeer's perspective as the entirety of the Southern Reach series is an exploration of climate change and ecological collapse, and humanity's reaction to it. The government agency responsible for studying and controlling the thing has got nothing, no useful plans, no solid theories; not even metaphors to grasp Area X. They're just doing the same thing over and over again, hoping this time something will be different, this time they'll see, or hear something, or a switch will flick and all will be made clear.

The Biologist, then, is an argument towards acceptance. Accept where your limits are, what you do know and what you cannot know. Try to understand and appreciate things on their own terms, and see yourself in the context of the cosmic whole rather than in our modern notions of isolated individuality. Feelings of nihilism are part of this process, of shedding old meanings and old purposes but only so we can be free to find new meanings and new purposes that make space for the world.

There's a lot to unpack in this book and I am here for any discussion of any length on this series, because I love it with an intensity normally reserved for stars, nebula, and my wife.

Some of what I've talked about makes more sense if you can wrap your head around Timothy Morton's work on hyperobjects. It's pretty dense and borderline-mystical but I'm happy to expound on it at some point if you'd find that helpful.

[roseartsandfics]

Tifa (OG) -- Rose

I'm baaaaaaaaack!

Golly, I hadn't even displayed anything for awhile, now ^^;. I've been busy, yes. First time back to displaying after the hiatus! Here is another rose artwork featuring my favorite FF character Tifa Lockhart, in the original FFVII, of course ^^

So wondering why I am not active as much? I was doing another virtual career camp. And I've been dealing with mental health issues for a while. It lasted for days, and I am still trying to recover, but I hope this helps.

Some spoils as I am about to say, for those who hadn't played CC, so yeah, be aware of that lol

I beat Crisis Core Reunion last month just before starting FFVII OG. So I managed to get up to the Minerva optional boss, and holy crap I could not defeat her 0_0. I knew she was going to be hard to defeat 0_0. One of my biggest mistakes is not getting the Genji Shield (which is missable to me, and impossible because I only mastered one Octaslash, and I was not going to take FOREVER to master three more), and possibly not having enough materia to convert to SPs, which I was losing due to the SP materia things I used to prevent more damage. Hey, Ziedrich and SP Turbo or Mastered works! They say Costly Punch works, but it made it a lot worse for my SP and getting damage and die every time without getting a Phoenix Down on time (no offense). Aerial Drain and Jump are slower. Surprisingly (prepare for what it works on her), Darkness works on her. HP wa getting low, but I can be fast on healing, and so I beat her! I gave her multiple tries because I am afraid of how other battles in other FF will be, and I don't want to lose the chance on beating them (Jevil from Deltarune I gave up because he was impossible to defeat XP)

Anyways, so I finished Tifa today, and did I little experiment on coloring and made more designable rather than make my coloring more crappy lol. It's been awhile since drawing her in the OG, and I've been playing the OG for a bit, and so here she is! I started using the Crayola Colors of the World pencils to actually color something more divergent and shadowing her hair and skin. I did her eyes differently because I don't feel like drawing her eyes in my style the way I always draw eyes (I am bad at drawing eyes lol). I am actually really happy how this turned out to be ^^. I actually liked how this piece turned out! ❤️ I just love her, and her characteristics as well in the game (and film) <3. I am still writing my fanfic, just hadn't gotten around to it.

We are supposed to have a tropical storm, so I can get this displayed before potential power outage. There… probably isn't going to be much gaming, unless I can play my 3DS and switch handheld, or write (which I can write my fanfics are awhile if the interent isn't wonky, or so, idk), or read, or draw, or whatever the hell I'm doing. I might be on hiatus again after the storm due to potential outage, so this will be the post before the storm. At least we are prepared, tornadoes are the ones I am worried about, but I'm watching. Stay safe and have a good night!

For those who don't know, any rose portrait arts are inspired by a friend of mine on Deviantart (still)! Welp, good night, and sleep well!

Tifa Lockhart and Final Fantasy VII ©Tetsuya Nomura, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yoshinori Kitase, Yusuke Naora and SQUARE ENIX

Artwork ©RosePrincessArts

No copyright infringement is intended

Used: Soho Studio pencils and colored pencils, Crayola regular and Colors of the World colored pencils, Cra-Z-Art colored pencils and blending stumps