#maybe del sol is kinda off that way too but more to the left

[rebouks]

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Ivan: If y'don't get that thing outta my face I'mma smash the fuck outta yours. Oscar: C'monnn you haven't eaten all day. Ivan: I ain't fuckin' hungry!

[cloudstriffes]

Final Fantasy VII Remake Review

I’ve officially finished the game and I have soooo many thoughts and theories and emotions, so imma jump right in about what I loved, what I wanted more of, what I disliked and what I want to see for part 2. This is gonna be long, but Spoilers below the cut! (also I am not including anything about ships in this)

What I enjoyed/loved:

Characters:

Like with FFXV, I think this games biggest strengths lie with it’s characters (unlike FFXV, I think the story has the potential to be strong too, but I’ll get to that later).

It goes without saying that for me this is the best characterization of Cloud Strife since the original game. I really love the character development we see with him just within part one (we see him go from lovable jerk to really caring about his companions and making the effort to listen to them and comfort them, even if it’s not easy for him and he struggles a lot). I really have a soft spot for characters like that and I think it’s done really well here.

Tifa Lockhart is BEST GIRL! I have so much love for this girl and she’s hands down my favorite to play as (I even made her the leader in the fights because I can don’t @ me). Tifa shows that you can have your cake and eat it too, in that she can be gentle, considerate, kind, and even shy at times, but she still takes names and kicks butt; she doesn’t have to sacrifice who she really is to be considered a bad*ss female character. I think her character is greatly expanded on here than in the original and we get to see just how everything affects her and not just Cloud (which is important since they have been through a lot of the same traumatizing events).

I always thought Barret Wallace was an interesting character, especially seeing his backstory in the original game (something I can’t wait for in the next installment). Here, it’s down 10x better and I love every second he’s on screen. I’m very excited to see how that Black and White morality view he has on the world will be broken down and really put a strain on how he view himself and the things he’s done. I also adore to the heavens his relationship with little Marlene. Also the way he starts to Dad towards Cloud 😭😭😭

Now on the the best character of the entire game. Mere words cannot express how much I adore Aerith Gainsborough. Her characterization is a god-send that I definitely wouldn’t have appreciated had I not looked into other FFVII properties and saw the disservice they do to her. Fortunately for us, in Remake, Aeirth is everything we originally loved about her and more. She’s got a mischievous and sassy side that I adore and just love how she plays off of Cloud. Their interactions were so sweet and genuine and got quite a few laughs out of me.

Other characters:

Um where to start. First of all, Avalanche. I can relate to Jessie on spiritual level because I too thirst for Cloud Strife. All said and done though, he characterization is great and she’s a lot of fun. Her backstory is good too and her relationship with the rest of Avalanche is very genuine. And I love Biggs and Wedge with all my heart. I overall think the expanded character development for these 3 is spot on and really makes their “deaths” hit hard.

Marlene Wallace is a precious baby and I can cry all day about how precious her scenes with Barret are😭😭😭😭

Red XIII is the best boy and he’s hilarious. I can’t wait to delve more into his backstory when we get to Cosmo Canyon.

The Side characters in Wall Market are some of the best in the game. They're all interesting and I really hope we see more of them. 

I hate everyone at Shinra HQ but also Reeve is a good boy, but also screw Hojo x10, but also Scarlet can step on me, but also THE TURKS (where tf is Elena😭), but also SCREW HOJO, bust also that Kunsel/Crisis Core reference tho, but also Rufus Shinra CAN GET IT.

I said it before, but Sephiroth is actually very intimidating (not that he wasn’t in his other appearances, especially Advent Children) but hoo boy, the way we actually see how it terrifies Cloud really makes it stick for me. Sephiroth can get it too don’t @ me.

Story/Other:

I know a lot of long-time and even recent fans won’t agree, but I thought the story was very, very good. Don’t get me wrong, it’s flawed, but would I have honestly been happy with a shot-for-shot high definition update with some expansion here and there? Yeah probably, but I know how that story goes. 

I think doing a complete 180 to the story we know is a huge risk that I have hopes will pay off. I really love the idea that by changing fates of certain characters for the better (ie. Zack, Biggs, maybe Jessie and Wedge), Cloud and the others may have doomed themselves to an even worse fate with Sephiroth and I absolutely love that I don’t know where it’s going to go from here. I mean, I sure we’ll still get our fan favorites like Costa del Sol, the Gold Saucer, Yuffie, Vincent, Cid and ELENA, but we’re in for so many twist and turns and whatever the heck Zack being alive will do to the universe (or alternate universe? Idk I have theories).

My favorite areas in the game were the Sector 7 Slums, Aerith’s House, Wall Market, the Collapsed Expressway and Shinra HQ.

I think the voice acting is good, and for some character’s it’s great. The main cast (Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, Red XII and Avalanche) is VERY GOOD and the major side characters are good too. I already know there is discourse about Sephiroth and Zack’s English VA’s so I’m not sharing my opinion right now on that. 

Also the soundtrack is god-tier. I cannot stop listening to “Hollow” and hearing updated renditions of tracks from the original soundtrack somehow made me nostalgic for a game I only started playing last year. It’s top-notch imo.

What I didn’t like:

There’s nothing in the game I genuinely hated to the point where it ruined things for me.

I did enjoyed the second half of the sidequest for Sector 5 Slums (when you have Tifa and Barret back in your party), but the other sidequest were either annoying or hit and miss.

There’s also the issue with padding and certain areas seeming to go on forever. I really liked the Train Graveyard, for the first 20 minutes and after that it kinda dragged on too long for me (we had like two major boss fights in that one area😩) especially when the next major story part was the drop of the Sector 7 plate. I did love the little scene with Aerith waiting to be found; that was really good.

I also am confused about the back and forth about how much Aerith may know about her and the others’ fates. At times, it seems like she knows much more than she’s letting on and other times, she either really doesn’t know or she subconsciously is aware of something, but I guess it’s to be revealed.

Enough people have commented about the graphics and npcs in certain scenes (you know what I mean) so imma just say that at best it’s hilarious and at worse it’s very distracting.

What I want to see next and my overall rating for part 1:

As expressed before, I’m excited to see how much the story diverges and if the Arbiters of fate are really gone. I just feel like there’s more than Sephiroth pulling the strings here, but who knows. I also can’t wait for more references to Crisis Core (if ya’ll show me Kunsel I’ll cry) and I definitely hope we get more scenes of Zack and Cloud in the, I guess, alternate reality? Also playable Red XIII and If ya’ll think i’m thirsty for the characters in this game, just want until Vincent freakin’ Valentine shows up. 

All and all, I think I can confidently rate part one with a solid 9/10. It’s flawed, but it’s going in such an unexpected direction I didn’t anticipate that I’m left hungry for more. The characters are stellar and the expansion of certain parts of the game is amazing. I cannot wait for part two guys. I hope you all found something to enjoy too. Now I’m in the process of replaying it along with some other games I need to finish. I’ll still be tagging spoilers for now (ffvii remake spoilers)

[transgamerthoughts]

Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Thoughts and Ramblings

Surprised to dust this off but I want to collect my thoughts quickly now that credits are rolling on Remake:

In general, I enjoyed it quite a lot. As one of many players with a unique relationship to the original (I first “played” it watching a childhood friend over the course of several sleepovers before playing on my own and occasionally returning to it) I was skeptical. I’ve express some of that skepticism at Kotaku , a website I write at. Remakes and remasters sometimes fall short or deviate in strange ways. Remake forges its own path and I’m grateful for it.

SPOILERS AHEAD KIDDOS

So! Here’s some scattered thoughts. Maybe they end up on Kotaku, maybe not. And while I’m loathe to immediately rush to create content on a Sunday night, this game has my mind spinning. Here we go.

The characterizations in this game are very strong, perhaps stronger than the original’s Midgar section. Some of that is owed to a very bad localization in ‘97 (you can get insight into that from my former colleague Tim Rogers’ series here) but Remake takes a lot of effort to allow the cast to breathe. That can come from the ways in which Cloud alters his way of taking with Tifa, and it can come in the moment where Barrett is more explicitly an ideologue. It’s quite good even if the script has a flaw that we’ll talk about in a second. 

That flaw is, frankly, that if you’ve not played the original then Remake is going to end up impenetrable in the final hours. This is particularly true once characters like Zack are brought into the fold and the visuals begin to mirror the original. (See: the hard cuts before Sephiroth and Clouds final duel mirroring the Omnislash moment from ‘97.) I don’t think that diminishes the character work here but I think that the more interesting meta-narrative stuff *so* damn crucial to this game that I can’t imagine what a newcomer will think. 

Connected to this, I’ve seen folks disappointed that this is not a perfect remake but in this instance, I think that sentiment is misplaced. Valid, but shortsighted? You can’t make Final Fantasy VII today. Not in the way it existed in ‘97. Which isn’t to say the visuals or script but the context cannot be reproduced. New hardware, FMVs taking a forefront, an advertising campaign that positioned the game in competition with movies, and a cultural splash that the series hasn’t ever quite replicated. Because the weight of expectation hovers over Remake—folks have been obsessed with a new version since the PS3 tech demo stirred imagination at E3 2020—the game *needs* to be about that. To be a game about this moment, the moment gamers have waited decades for, Remake needs to be about itself in a very explicit way.

I can’t not see the Whispers and Arbiters of Fate as anything other than stand-ins for gamers, fans, and the culture as a whole. That’s an obvious reading but an undeniable one. The core question of Remake doesn’t really have much to do with the fictional stakes. It’s this: who owns Final Fantasy VII, and who owns the Remake? Is it the story tellers or the players? I have a cheat answer: it belongs to the characters. In unbinding themselves from player expectation, they claim ownership over the narrative now. 

Aeris just flat out knows she’s in a sequel/alt-timeline thing. Her final line is about missing the surety of something as presumably ever present at the metal sky of Midgar’s plates. 

I like the combat here more than FFXV, which isn’t saying a lot but worth saying. There’s more participation from the player. That’s it. I don’t think *more* active choice inherently makes a combat system better but it is the key reason this works better than XV.

Character swapping breaks things somewhat since enemy aggro is (save for using the provoke materia) focused on the player. Wish the combat design took this into consideration a bit more. It’s the one glaring flaw in the system.

Tifa is the most fun to play as in this game. It’s not even a contest. Starshower is overpowered as hell and Chi Trap rules. Love using her to increase the potency of the stagger meter when the time comes.

Fights do get occasionally Too Busy. Airbuster is a big culprit here. Too many phases for what was essentially a jobber of a boss in the original game.

Train Graveyard section is an atrocious pace killer as well. Again: “too many notes.”

I never found the Nail Bat and that was a bit of a bummer.

I tweeted out a quote from Barrett this weekend and it made the rounds. In general, for this game, Barrett works best in this revolutionary mode even if certain scenes (Shinra middle manager for instance) deploy visual language that’s dated. Of any character, he has the highest highs and lowest lows. Not surprising.

re: that tweet some folks kinda lost their shit about it(?) but I think the quote still holds. Remake does a good job of showing *individuals* within Shinra but Barrett does rightly note they are complicit to an extent in Shinra’s crimes. You can disagree with what Barrett does about it but that’s 100% true. Sorry, not sorry. (The discourse today was just a hassle frankly. Multiple things can be true at once, but I don’t think Twitter is a place where that’s ever acknowledged.) Whatever eventual regrets he might feel about methodology in ‘97′s script, he’s not wrong on this individual point. I’m interested to see where he goes as a character when it comes to all this.

Kinda related to the above, Remake arguably does a better job than ‘97 showing the alternative to Shinra. It’s the communal nature of the individual sectors. It’s the Neighborhood Watch and local leaders in Sector 7, the trio in Wall Market. Remake rejects Shinra’s autocracy and favors the various slums communes. This is made ever more clear by how little of Reeve we see in this script. Who are the leaders shaping life into a passable experience in Midgar? It’s not the Urban Planning guy with the cat robot. 

Also: hey, is that Cait Sith in the plate drop cutscene? Yep! Hope you played the original or there’s just this sad cat that shows up for 4 four seconds.

Is he a Chad? Well, he’s Chad-ley...

Not sure what to think of the Wutai stuff being more explicit but it feels right for 2020 for a variety of reasons. I’ve never been too interested in FF7′s realpolitik tho. It’s not really much of an expansion so much as a background element but one that’s deployed a bit lazily. 

Roche owns in a way I was not expecting. He’s a balls to the wall anime motherfucker and I kinda love him? I’m really, really surprised that (as far as I could tell) he didn’t even come back for the final bike sequence tho.

I don’t really have the energy to litigate or talk about Wall Market much. I think it’s better than the original but pandering in the sense that it’s a very safe and commodified version of queerness. I appreciate that Nomura and folks looked at the original and were like “well, we can’t do *that*” but it doesn’t quite land for me.

That said: “yes, I know, nailed it,” is a fantastic line with a fantastic read from Cloud’s English VA.

Hell House announcers rule. Hell House fight? Kinda terrible actually.

Nice shout out to Kunsel in Shinra Tower. Crisis Core is a messy game but I like Tabata’s work a lot. Even the messy stuff, which is most of it. That game’s story is bonkers but I like Zack and I actually like the idea of the Digital Mind Wave as a mechanic. If nothing else, Squeenix lost a pretty exciting designer when he left.

Less nice? This game’s tendency to pad out dungeons. The whole approach to the Sector 5 reactor comes to mind. Train fight then tunnels then sun lamps then reactor. It’s a lot. Also: all of the extra Hojo stuff. I know we’re padding out like 5 hours but some of the sections could have been abbreviated. Probably would have made the game better.

Even less nice? Zack’s English voice actor. Maybe the only voice actor I didn’t like. Really miss Rick Gomez on this one. 

 Conversely, Red XIII? They nailed it. 11/10. Nanaki, I love you so much.

 Counterstance is an amazing move and I can’t want to carry that over into Hard Mode. 

The Jenova fight fuckin’ ripped. I was a bit huffy when I learned through leaks that there was a Jenova fight (since the first fight in the original is on the boat to Costa Del Sol) but this was a great set piece. One of the moments where everything worked.

Also good: Rufus fight. Bad: losing Rufus’ speech to the party.

Not a ton more thoughts right now? Sephiroth fight was good although for all his presence in the story I think we suffer without the full Nibelheim flashback to round things out. In all really liked it. Want to play again pretty much immediately. Will write something more cogent for the site I guess? Got a few ideas. But yeah! entered as skeptic and left mostly a believer on this one. 

[lightwarring]

REALLY LONG CHARACTER SURVEY. // ESTELLE CASTAGNIER RULES. repost ,   don’t  reblog  !  good  luck  !

TAGGED. @cielcrd​ tysm for this !! TAGGING. did it at luke’s answer sheet.

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Erina ( 恵里菜 ) ‘ Estelle ‘ Castagnier. 

NICKNAME: Elle ( by luke ), luckless golem ( by laiph ) 

AGE: 24

BIRTHDAY: 12th sun of the fourth Umbral Moon (12 August)

ETHNIC GROUP: Midlander hyur, half doman.

NATIONALITY: Ul’dah

LANGUAGE(S): Because of the echo, she knows most forms of languages

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Demisexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Panromantic

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single, Pending engagement she’s trying to get out of

CLASS: Lower class

HOMETOWN / AREA: Eastern Thanalan

CURRENT HOME: Castagnier inn

PROFESSION: Warrior of light, sort of. Part time server at the Quicksand

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Ash brown and till her collarbone with bangs reaching till her brow. 

EYES: Dark brown with big irises. Usually has a spark or energy in them, becomes narrowed and focused when working on a task at hand.

NOSE: Small and average

FACE: Triangle shaped with a smooth jawline

LIPS: Small but notably a tad pouty and in the color of cherry red.

COMPLEXION: Fair and smooth.

BLEMISHES: None

SCARS: Has a medium length one walking down her left side after being attacked by a monster when her star globe becomes weathered during battle.

TATTOOS: None

HEIGHT: 163 cm

WEIGHT: 55 kg

BUILD: Average height and quite lean. Typical curves that a woman would have.

FEATURES: Nothing too outstanding.

ALLERGIES: -

USUAL HAIRSTYLE: Tied up loosely with a band along the crown of her head.

USUAL FACE LOOK: Welcoming and friendly. As the daughter of the inn, she is used to greeting people and customers. Her eyes usually shine when her friends talk, and has face that shows how interested she is in learning about them. 

USUAL CLOTHING: Brown ramie poncho with tights around her legs and wears short boots. Wears a flower at the left side of her head.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR(S): Ghosts, being rejected (again), losing, failing on promises she made, wolves

ASPIRATION(S): Wants to beat Garleans’ asses and expand her family’s inn.

POSITIVE TRAITS: Strong willed, optimistic, big hearted, energetic, extroverted, expressive, supportive, loyal

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Reckless, laid back, slow, forgetful, headstrong, gullible, obstinate, very laid back

ZODIAC: Leo

TEMPERAMENT: Hot

SOUL TYPE(S): Priests / Server

ANIMALS: A butterfly

VICE  HABIT(S): Pride, becoming too overstimulated, overexcited and ends up exhausting herself, is really competitive with laipheaux

FAITH: In herself.

GHOSTS?: No, no, no, no, no.

AFTERLIFE?: Maybe.

REINCARNATION?: Maybe.

ALIENS?: It might be cool to think about.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Liberal.

ECONOMIC  PREFERENCE: At the moment, she is saving as much as she could so she doesn’t really shop unless it’s really necessary.

SOCIO POLITICAL POSITION: No opinion

EDUCATION LEVEL: Pugilist guild, astrologian guild, before that - at a lower tier level.

FAMILY.

FATHER: Cassius Castagnier ( biological )

MOTHER:  Kaiyo Harumi ( biological, deceased )

SIBLINGS: Luke Castagnier ( adoptive )

EXTENDED FAMILY: The other children at the inn.

NAME MEANING(S): Derived from ‘ stella ‘, meaning star.  ( 恵里菜 ) comes from the kanji of  恵 ( blessing ),  里 ( village ) and  菜 ( vegetable or some sort ), which is her mother’s happiest experience when she first left her homeland and into Girdania and met her father.

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: One of the bearers of the echo and various warriors of light that was chosen by Hydaelyn to fight as her companion.

FAVORITES.

BOOK: Doesn’t like reading and tries not to. Picture books are more of her favourite, along with recipes and books with historical paintings.

MOVIE: None

5 SONGS: None

DEITY: Oschon

HOLIDAY: Starlight Celebration

MONTH: July

SEASON: Summer

PLACE: Quicksand, Costa del Sol

WEATHER: A sunny day with blue skies and white clouds.

SOUND: Chattering from a crowd, chimes on wind bells, many laughter, soothing voices

SCENT(S): -

TASTE(S): Adventurous and rich, willing to test the flavors with her cooking and food.

FEEL(S): Chiffon fabric and the tenderness of meat

ANIMAL(S): Rabbit

NUMBER: 8

COLORS: Red, green

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Cooking, mining, drinking competitions, organizing, teasing

BAD AT: Reading, directions, sitting still, luck based games, pre planning

TURN ONS: 

TURN OFFS:

HOBBIES: Cooking, going to the market, 

TROPES: The Gadfly, The Social Expert, And Now You Must Marry Me, Mirthless Laughter, The Rival ( to Laipheaux )

AESTHETIC TAGS: Sundress, food, cakes, white cottages, mountains and rocks, tarot decks, hairstyles, sunflowers, glass ornaments, starry night skies, constellations

GPOY  QUOTES: Not sure what this is.

FC INFO.

MAIN  FC(S): Herself

ALT FC(S): Can’t think of any.

OLDER FC(S): Well... she IS an adult.

YOUNGER  FC(S): Can’t think of any.

VOICE CLAIM(S): Kana Hanazawa - Japanese. demo

GENDERBENT FC(S): None.

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1: IF YOU COULD WRITE YOUR CHARACTER YOUR WAY IN THEIR OWN MOVIE, WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED, WHAT STYLE WOULD IT BE FILMED IN, AND WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?:

-

Q2: WHAT WOULD THEIR SOUNDTRACK / SCORE SOUND LIKE?:

-

Q3: WHY DID YOU START WRITING THIS CHARACTER?:

A long time before Luke. I think I started her character in game for like... one or two years ago but I only added her in this blog after Luke since I wanna revive her and see what I can do with the small identity I gave her before I mained Luke.

Q4: WHAT FIRST ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS CHARACTER?:

As I played her, in my head, she seems to be a very upbeat and obliging person when asked for help - probably because she hates doing nothing too. And that I feel she has a sisterly vibe too. I also like how she can be at ease with people and has her own social grace, really loves chatting and listening to others. Man, I wish I had half the energy that she has.

Q5: DESCRIBE THE BIGGEST THING YOU DISLIKE ABOUT YOUR MUSE:

Hmmm, it’s the competitive part, probably. I don’t really like competitions myself and I’m a very, very low key person. 

Q6: WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN COMMON WITH YOUR MUSE?:

The fact that we’re both girls ?? lmao. We’re kinda like polar opposites, to be honest - but that’s what makes it fun for me to write her. I guess one of the common things I have with her is we like to settle and resolves things quickly and then move on rather than beat around the bush, complicate things and drag it on and on. We don’t hold grudges either.

Q7: HOW DOES YOUR MUSE FEEL ABOUT YOU?:

Probably feels that I should get my ass off my room from time to time. And maybe stop trying to shorten my own lifespan with my cooking. Man,,,,,, she does not agree with what I throw into the wok. She’s friendly though so she still feels pretty okay with me. 

Q8: WHAT CHARACTERS DOES YOUR MUSE HAVE INTERESTING INTERACTIONS WITH?

With my other muse, Laipheaux ( man, he is famous with my two muses, huh ). They have a friendly rivalry, mostly due to the fact that they can’t fully understand each others’ behavior well but still able to feel a sort of caring vibe from the other. Laiph didn’t think so at first until he realizes that Estelle still gave him birthday presents like she do with everyone else and left the grand company in girdania for reasons involving him too.Estelle, though she doesn’t read too much into things, acted with Laiph pretty much like she does with friends and didn’t have the same thought process about their relationship like he does. Though they used to roughhouse a lot, they’re much more calmer with each other ( at times, yeah ).

Q9: WHAT GIVES YOU INSPIRATION TO WRITE YOUR MUSE?:

Like in Luke’s answer sheet, my love for the game. Also that I really wanted to start writing female characters who aren’t outright tough and badass like Merlwyb. Sort of trying to exit my comfort zone and see how I can have fun trying new things. Estelle is still a strong character in her own right though, but has a sort of sisterly / motherly vibe ??

Q10: HOW LONG DID THIS TAKE YOU TO COMPLETE?:

Faster than Luke’s page now that I know how this works lol

[keeperprinceling]

Honeymoon

Khit’li and Yvaine’s honeymoon, part one.

He stepped off the boat and sunk into the soft sand of the island beach, his eyes blinking with discomfort in the reflected sunlight on the bright and tiny grains. He paused for a moment to recalibrate his senses – the short ride over hadn’t been bad, but the speed that the Roegadyn rower achieved combined with the already-peculiar sensation of riding on water had thrown him off, and now with the glare surrounding him and the heat rising through his feet, he needed just a moment to compose himself. As his pupils constricted enough to make out the rest of his surroundings, his brows raised in appreciation – he had already thought it nigh-on incredible that Gegeruju had offered to let them be the first to partake of his exclusive island resort, but he hadn’t actually expected many if any of the amenities that were there, especially as the trip had been “on the house”. But then he supposed it just made good business sense – now Gegeruju could boast that the Warrior of Light herself had stayed on that very island.

His heart fluttering nervously, he transferred his knapsack to his other hand and turned to offer his hand to Yvaine to help her step out of the boat, his fingers thrilling at her touch. She thanked the oarsman as soon as she was settled on “solid” ground beside him, and the Roegadyn nodded and started back towards Costa del Sol, leaving them nearly alone on their island paradise. He kept hold of her hand, lacing his fingers into hers, and smiled down at her, Yvaine Aradia, his wife.

The ceremony had gone off impressively well, especially considering it had been sponsored, organized, and managed by moogles. It had been short and sweet and exclusive to them, and the surprise at the end wherein his draught chocobo’s feathers had been dyed white for their recession had been a great touch. The audience had been larger than even he had expected, but then they had made quite a few allies along the way, and with Yvaine handing out most of the invitations he hadn’t been too surprised to see them all gathered there. After the pictures and the small party held afterwards at the Rising Stones, he had only been too happy to escape with Yvaine to make their way here.

Judging from the sky, there were only few bells left before sunset. Running his thumb across the back of her hand, he asked quietly, “So, what would my bride like to do first?”

She hadn’t quite gotten over the cloud nine feeling. Not since they actually floated by some magical wings somehow summoned by the moogle officiant—who wasn’t… really an officiant, apparently?—not since their kiss, or when they were pronounced husband and wife, the whirlwind party and celebration, the ride upon his chocobo’s back, and not even the rather choppy boat ride here. When she stepped on solid ground again, the feeling of floating remained, as she took Khit’li’s hand—her husband, she reminded herself, despite the questionable legitimacy of that ceremony—as she looked at his eyes, one of them perpetually hidden under that hair. She smiled, thanked the oarsman, and waited until they were left alone.

For a little while, she stood there, at the beach, watching the boat go further and smaller in the horizon, until it became nothing but a dot in the distance. And now, they were alone.

She turned to her husband, who asked her what she wanted to do, and she grinned. “Let’s check out the inside of the resort. I’m itching for a nice bath and then a very long time just relaxing in a nice plush bed where I won’t have to go anywhere or save anything for a while.”

“Just relaxing,” he repeated, a slight purr making its way into his lowered tone. With a mischievous gleam in his eyes and a certain curl to his smile, his fingers still entwined with hers, he curled his arm up and kissed the back of her hand softly, maintaining eye contact. “Sounds good,” he agreed, walking slowly towards the canopied structures further in, their hands still near his face. “Check out the resort,” he kissed her hand again, “maybe grab something to eat,” and again, “a nice bath,” and again, this time keeping her hand lingering near his lips, “and then just relaxing, with nowhere to go and no one to save.”

She couldn’t suppress the giggle that escaped at his teasing. It felt so good to see him all nice and relaxed like this, all flirty but, for once, just for her, and not overthinking everything a couple times over. Her steps felt light as she walked towards the resort building, her skin tingling with his kisses, and every part of her wanted for them to be closer, to be joined forever. “Relaxing… just like on that nice big fluffy Moogle throne,” she replied casually.

He grinned, enjoying her laugher and that oh-so-casual response that hinted at so much more, and rolled his eyes up playfully, “I mean, I’m kinda worn out already from everything that’s happened today,” he lied lightly, “Maybe we should move that relaxing bit up to, I don’t know,” he trailed off, bringing his gaze back to hers and kissed her hand again, “first?”

She had to at least try not to look so… eager, right? But screw all that, they were bonded now. And they needed to celebrate. “Only if you carry your bride into the room,” she answered, pulling her hand away a little from his lips but only to replace it with her own. "I heard it's a tradition in some far away place," she whispered in between kisses, "And I happen to find it very romantic.”

His ears perked forward the moment she kissed him, his tail frozen in place as her soft lips pressed against his. She kissed him softly and repeatedly, vexing him to the point of wanting to drop his bag, release her hand, run his fingers through her hair and hold her close so he could kiss her long and hard and properly. He could barely think with her lips on his, so his thoughts were short and in the moment where she infuriatingly pulled away. He didn’t need a room. The beach was fine. No one was here. Except maybe a chef. But they’d be busy. And maybe a masseuse. But they’re probably with the chef.

A low growl rumbled in his throat as her teasing continued, his tail starting to lash back and forth with agitation at her expert seduction – where did she learn this stuff, anyway? – but she wanted to be carried into a room and he would do that. As she kissed him again he quickly released her hand, slid his freed fingers through her hair, and kept her against him just long enough to open his mouth a little wider and run the tip of his tongue along her bottom lip to surprise her, then kissed her deeply. It was brief, but long enough for him to take her bag into the hand that held his own. As they separated he bent, his luggage-laden hand going to her back, his free hand going down to her knees, and lifted her into a carry. “Then let’s get romantic,” he said, his gaze leaving her to find the bedroom, and spotted a circular platform above the sand with gauze curtains all around it, wafting in the breeze, a bed visible up against the central post. There, then.

With several kisses along the way, he walked over the sand and up the wooden incline towards the platform, found the break in the curtains, and stepped into the room. He dropped the bags and pushed them aside with one foot and proceeded to walk over to the bed to deposit his wife on the soft mattress, planted his hands on either side of her, and kissed her again.

His kisses were like fire in the setting sun, its flame burning deep in her core. She felt heady in the rush of adrenaline, lost in the beating of her heart that felt so hard and so loud in her ears. She was tempted to bite a little when her feet were swept under her and she let out a pleasantly surprised laugh. She slung one arm around his neck, feeling warm and content and happy pressed up against him, where she could hear his heart beating, where she could feel the warmth of his skin, to be reminded of his being so close to her, keeping her safe. Just the presence of him alone had always made her feel so calm and, strangely, invincible, like nothing could ever hurt them if they were together.

They went towards the bedroom, separated from the elements only by thin-looking gauze curtains. She raised an eyebrow at this, but then again, they were mostly alone here, right? And the staff probably knew to keep away from them unless called. Also, if they had snuck into the moogle throne, this shouldn’t even bother them.

He put her down on the bed, soft and unimaginably plush on her back, and bent to kiss her. Her hand went to the back of his neck and pulled him further down still, deepening the kiss, closing her eyes, letting herself get lost in the pure happiness of it.

When she came up for air a long while later, she looked at him and smiled, raising her left hand close to her face to look at the new ring that now settled there, never to be taken off as far as she was concerned. Then something occurred to her.

“Does it bother you that the moogle might not actually have powers to conduct an eternal bond ceremony?” she asked, frowning a little. “I know Mog… one of them said the chief did, but it turned out he was too busy, but I thought his replacement would actually be… you know, official.”

She felt kind of guilty because the whole Moogle deal was her thing, and Khit’li was just putting up with it, and now if this might not even be legally binding, had she disappointed him?

Her cool hands pulling him towards her, her lips eagerly responding to his, her eyes closing as she deepened their kiss… Khit’li was lost from that moment forward, everything else – the soft rush of waves onto the shore, the light flickering through the wafting curtains, the breeze that ruffled his hair and teased hers – fading away completely as everything he was and everything he knew of the world narrowed down to only her. He wanted more. He wanted to make her breath catch, wanted her to arch towards him, wanted to run his hands all over her, in places only he could; he wanted her to feel all of the intense sensations she elicited in him, but he was about to make his move when she pulled away, smiling, to examine her ring.

He nuzzled the side of her left hand with his right cheek, his bangs moving back from his face only to fall in place again as he gently took her hand so she could still stare at their symbol of love, a physical reminder of future they had promised each other, and lightly kissed the base of her thumb in an attempt to keep her in the moment. Her question caught him; kissing her one more time, he then leaned his forehead into her hand and hummed softly, thinking. “Well, the way I see it,” he finally replied, “a lot of people witnessed it, our names have been officially recorded in the books, and the Twelve blessed our rings; even if that moogle hadn’t been an officiant, it was official enough for me.” His brows furrowed with a thought, “Why? Does it bother you?” he asked, quickly adding as he sat up, his knees on either side of her as he glanced at the break in the curtains and the wooden ramp beyond, “I’m sure we could get one of the Grand Company leaders to quickly officiate a private ceremony to be sure?”

If Yvaine wasn’t comfortable with what had happened, he’d do anything within his power to alleviate that discomfort, even if it means pausing their honeymoon to get bonded again.

He did have a point. It was a ceremony, was it not? Even if it was sillier than a regular official ceremony would have been… “That’s true,” she admitted. “All the necessary things were there. And no, it doesn’t bother me. I feel… I feel it was real. I feel bonded to you,” she said the last part softer, almost shyly. “I just… I know you put up with the moogles for the most part, and I just didn’t want to disappoint you. I know they can be… difficult creatures, but they have our best interests at heart… I think.”

She thought about doing a second ceremony and laughed. “I wouldn’t say no to a second wedding if only because that was the most fun I’ve had in… ever.” She remembered all the Free Company members that had been there, other guests—people she’d come to know along the way—the Scions, even her mother had been there. His family was conspicuously absent—in fact, the only official guest from his side had been another Free Company member, which, to be honest, rather concerned her. She still wanted to meet his family, wanted to see his sister in particular, the yearning to adopt his people for her own so strong.

“Maybe someday we can even do one where your family’s there…” she added wistfully, then, teasingly, “Or one where your side of the room is, at least, a bit more populated.”

He looked back at her, relieved that she wasn’t bothered, and returned her soft smile with her shy remark of feeling bonded. He felt it, too, and while he had felt that way before, now, after the ceremony and the rings and pronouncing it in front of everyone, it just felt that much more permanent, moogles or no. He rolled his eyes playfully at her remark about the creatures having their best interests at heart, but paused, listening intently to rest that she had to say, his smile growing when she admitted how much fun she had had; her comment about his family coming made him a little nervous – he didn’t want to think about them or the complications they could bring to this, especially not now, when all he wanted to do was to be wrapped up in her, but he didn’t hold it against her. Family was important to Yvaine; he just hoped that when he went to his family about this, they’d accept that his family – his new family – was just as important to him as they were. Her final comment gave him a way out, and he took it.

“Hey, my side was fine,” he replied lightly, “Adelpha and the handful of people who couldn’t find a seat on your side of the room was good enough for me. And besides,” he added, his voice lowering, “the view on my side wasn’t nearly as good as the view from yours. If more people sat over with me, they might have missed seeing all that they could of the most beautiful thing in the Sanctum.” He leaned back down, placing his elbow down to the left of her for support as he traced the right side of her face to tuck her teal hair out of the way of the light sea breeze. His fingers lingered on the line of her jaw, his eyes looking her over, both marveling at her and memorizing her. “You are gorgeous,” he said, the words almost a whisper, and closed his eyes as he lowered himself to kiss her forehead. How was he so lucky to be with someone like her?

She blushed as he spoke of her beauty, looking up at him and wishing he could see what she did too. The way his eyes captivated hers—even if the other wasn’t always visible—that darn hair that was always in the way yet such a good place to bury her fingers in, his strong jaw with the short beard that always grazed against her chin when they kissed—he was beautiful, too. And so capable. She would have been lost without him—figuratively and literally, a thousand times over. She would not be a Warrior of Light without him by her side.

“You’re quite the handsome cat yourself,…” she said with a giggle, and pulled his face down so his lips met hers again. “…husband,” she finished, savoring the way the word sounded on her lips. Her hands began to roam over his clothes, slowly peeling away the layers and the buttons and whatever other thing stood in her way. “Take me now,” she whispered, yet it was a command.

Fade to black ;D

Later, after the sun had set and twilight had fallen around them, Khit’li, calm and collected and satisfied beyond words, traced his fingers up and down the pale arm stretched across his naked chest and sighed in contentment. “We are not bad at this,” he commented playfully and turned to kiss her nose, his other hand wrapping around her waist to pull her even closer, even though she was already snuggled in as close as she could possibly be in the crook of his arm. “What do you think,” he asked, blowing to clear his bangs from his face, “Should we venture out for food, or enjoy the view for a while?”

It was impossible to feel this content, she thought. Or at least, it was before. Before she knew him. Before she could lay her head on his chest, listening to the rhythmic thumps of his heart, almost like a lullaby. She was content and tired, and did not particularly want to move. She laughed at his remark, looking up at him as he kissed her, her fingers absent-mindedly tracing circles on his chest. “Mm… I really don’t feel like moving. Ever,” she admitted. “But I am hungry. Perhaps we could ask for them to send the food here.”

She watched his stubborn bangs flop back in place and reached up to push them away, so that both of his eyes were clearly visible and in full view. “I love your eyes,” she said, her voice soft and a little bit hoarse from the sleepiness. “Both of them. I don’t know why you don’t like that one.”

He chuckled, completely agreeing with never wanting to move again, and was about to lean over to check the tiny tables beside the bed for anything that looked like a linkpearl – room service sounded perfect – but paused as she pushed his bangs away, both eyes now with an unobstructed view of her. He leaned into her hand, smiling at the tired tone in her voice, his nose crinkling as her mention of liking both of his eyes, though some nervous part of him relaxed when she did. “I don’t know,” he replied, giving away in the tone that he did know, and continued. “It’s just - it’s not exactly pretty,” he said, shrugging his shoulders, “It’s black, there’s a scar across it – I just like the other one better.” Smiling self-deprecatingly, he nuzzled her hand again, “But I’m glad you like it. Now let’s see about that room service.”

Grinning, he rolled over onto her and reached for the table beside the bed, bracing himself on his elbow so he wasn’t really squishing her, and played around trying to find a linkpearl; when his hands met nothing, he made a thoughtful noise, then rolled back into his original position and, keeping his arm hooked around her, whirled the other way, entangling them both in the sheets as she moved from one side of him to the other and his hands searched his side for a pearl. He found one, glad that it hadn’t rolled off the table while they… “relaxed”, and leaned back, placing it into the unusually empty cuff of his ear (they had both decided to leave their linkpearls at home), and tapped twice, playfully ignoring the mess he had made of Yvaine and the sheets.

“Huh, no answer,” he commented, tapping the pearl again, “What would you like, assuming they could make anything you’d like?”

She wondered if his self-consciousness about that eye had anything to do about his upbringing. About how he needed to be perfect at all times, in all things, and so he felt he needed to hide any flaw, no matter how small? She made a mental note to ask later about how he got that scar, as he searched for the linkpearl, laughing when he got her all tangled up in the sheets. She playfully tickled his neck, then replaced her finger with kisses, trailing along it down to his collarbone, then to his stomach, amused at the thought of the noises he’d make for whoever picked up on the other end.

Unfortunately, no one did. She looked up from her little trail, disappointed at the lack of room service. Briefly, she thought about how odd it was—that maybe something was wrong, but she brushed it off, because this was her wedding day, how could anything possibly be wrong.

“I don’t suppose cake for dinner is acceptable. I guess I’m addicted to those chocolates and cookies you gave me. Hey, maybe you should cook for me,” she grinned. “What’s your specialty? I’m in the mood for just about anything. But especially a meat Miq’abob with a side of popotoes. And maybe some eggs, too… ugh, I’m starving. I can eat anything.”

He struggled to stay quiet as she “explored”, unable to help the faces he made or the way he grabbed at the sheets, all the while mentally swearing he’d get back at her for this, but when the line stayed dead and she spoke of cakes, cookies, and miq’abobs, he sat up completely, tossed the linkpearl back on the table – ignoring the sound of it hitting the floor – and flipped them both over again, pinning Yvaine’s back to the bed as he kissed her again, his mouth moving from her lips to her neck, his hand moving through her hair to trace around her ear – and then made a soft growling noise and pulled away. Food. He’d get her back later – they had all night. With a wink, he got off of her, off of the bed, and then started poking around for clothes.

“You are in luck,” he said, deciding against his usual wear – it was too warm a night for the heavy robe and all that – and instead bent over his knapsack and pulled out the beach pants from the first attempt at proposing to her. “I happen to be an expert with Miq’abobs.” A container of body paint rolled out with the pants and he caught it with his tail before it could get too far, then flicked it back towards his hands. Picking it up, he glanced down at it and then back to Yvaine with a curious smile; would she let him paint her? He’d never asked before, but he kind of liked the idea. In any rate, he had to refresh his forehead mark so he put it on the little table between two cushions – an intimate sitting dining table? – and slipped into the black capris, arching his back up off the floor to get it up and around his tail, and then fastened the buttons at the front and back. “And I’m not bad with popotoes and eggs, either,” his voice was distorted by his weight being primarily on his shoulders.  Lowering himself he then strapped into the weird beach shoes to protect his feet and stood, ready to go. “Would you like to come with me, or would you like to lounge a bit?” he grinned flirtatiously, “I personally think you should stay; this view is something I’d like to come back to.”

He wasn’t looking at the sea.

She yelped in surprise as he flipped them over and kissed her, seemingly returning the favor. She cradled his head as he moved to her neck, closing her eyes and craning her neck automatically to give him better access. His kisses left a trail of flames on her skin and she wanted to— He pulled away suddenly, making her groan. Before she could protest, he’d hopped off and started getting dressed.

For a moment, she just watched him, raising an eyebrow as he easily caught a can with his tail. He’d have to teach her that trick sometime. She looked at him, clearly thinking about something, mischief in his eyes. He said nothing, though, so she reluctantly climbed off the bed and went to find her own bag, containing only some light attire and her bow. She pulled out a white summer dress that would suit the setting and the season, feeling… naked without the usual armor, but she could get used to this. She found a pair of sandals to complete the set.

She swatted playfully at him upon hearing his question. “You can watch it all night later. Right now I’d rather not be separated from you, and I’d also like to see this so-called talent for cooking that you keep boasting about. Now, lead the way, Master Chef.”

“Ha!” his bravado-infused laughter left him like a bark, “You doubt, but I’ll make a believer out of you,” he winked as he parted the curtains to the ramp and took her hand, lacing his fingers between hers, and chose the ramp leading to an outdoor bar and grill. There was no one in sight; were they on a break? Had they already gone back to Costa? The sun hadn’t set that long ago… fleetingly he wondered if Gegeruju had actually staffed this place for them or if he expected them to hire their own people. Some resort experience.

He led her to one of the stools outside the grilling area, lifted their hands above their heads to twirl her once, loving how the little white dress fanned out around her, and released her so she could sit down as he got to work. Surprising him – as he had been leaning towards the second option and Gegeruju hadn’t actually hired anyone – the grill was still on. His brow furrowed – who would leave a grill going? How long had they been gone? Kneeling, he opened the grate to see the fire burning merrily, the wood well stocked, obviously having been tended to by someone recently, but whom? Standing he looked around again, keeping an eye out for people standing around or taking a break, but there was no one to be seen… and nowhere for them to hide.  He stood still, staring just left of Yvaine to concentrate on listening, and put his finger to his lips in a request she stay quiet.

Something wasn’t right.

Action exploded all around them, gunshots firing and fighters crying out as they emerged from behind palm trees and rushed them, weapons gleaming in the firelight like angry bolts of lightning. Garleans. Quickly, Khit’li looked around and tossed the first weapon he could to Yvaine – a butcher knife – and picked up the grill’s fire poker. Heart hammering in his chest, he jumped over the cabinet embankment, landing beside Yvaine, and pushed her forward towards the stairs and their weapons.

A trap. An ambush. He grit his teeth as he ran, his eyes everywhere for imminent danger, cursing them and those who sent them. Yvaine braced ahead of him, holding the knife up to block an incoming sword, and Khit’li pushed her aside to catch the blade with the poker; it slid down and connected with the handle of the metal instrument – something that would not have happened with the knife – and braced both hands in place to keep the sword where it was, and then kicked the Hyur holding it hard enough to knock him down. As the man fell, Khit’li twisted to send the sword flying and continued towards the ramp leading to their room, following Yvaine.

part two

Yvaine --> @yvainearadia