#spelling their name is difficult hope one of those works | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

grailfinders · 10 months ago

Text

Grailfinders #337: Hai Bà Trưng

happy easter y’all, I hope you’re all enjoying your chocolate, eggs, chocolate eggs, and eggs in the shape of chocolate. we’re back at it again with a crisis, both a water monster crisis, and the fact that I can’t really spell the Trưng Sisters’ names right on this keyboard, so from this point on expect me to use the wrong kind of u.

spelling aside, the Trung sisters are a combo of Glory Paladin for their winning attitude and glowy weaponry, as well as an Echo Knight Fighter because… duh. there’s two of ‘em.

check out their build breakdown below the cut, or their characters sheet over here!

next up: “so what’s it like being split into a thousand consciousnesses?” “eh, it has its pros and Cons”

Ancestry & Background

the Trung sisters are probably human, unless you believe in that ascending to the heavens bit, but either way they’re close enough for it to work here. that means they get +1 Strength and +1 Charisma, as well as proficiency with Animal Handling for their elephants and the Ritual Caster feat to actually get those things. with this feat you get two first level wizard spells like Find Familiar and Comprehend Languages that you can ritual cast as many times as you like- the former one of your lil elephant friends, and the latter is the grail translating for you. you can even add new spells to your ritual book if you find them lying around in scrolls or other spell books, so keep an eye out!

also the Trung sisters are Nobles, so they get proficiency in History and Persuasion. if you took a shot every time we released one of these builds with a noble background the only thing that would save your liver is our update schedule. and again, we know noble is a big step down from king, but we do what we can.

Ability Scores

going off the standard array, Charisma should be your highest stat to start out with. it’s literally one of your abilities, and it makes all your paladin stuff extra juicy. second highest is your Strength, since you kill things with spears and swords. R.I.P., Infinitiger. your third highest stat has to be Intelligence since that’s how we qualify for ritual caster, and you definitely know your way around a battlefield. this means our Constitution is lower than I’d like again, but it’s okay for now. the real problem is your low Dexterity making your outfit choices a little difficult to work with, but at least that’s better than your Wisdom. half of you is too busy being a siscon to pay attention when they’re on watch, and you died because your underlings betrayed you. rough.

Class Levels

1. Paladin 1: starting as a paladin gives you proficiency in Wisdom and Charisma saves, as well as Athletics and Insight. despite dumping their wisdom, the Trungs are good leaders and judges of character. paladins also start out with a Divine Sense, letting you pick out extraplanar creatures nearby. you learn their location and what they are, but not who they are. I don’t think the kons are extraplanar, but if they were that would make them so much easier to round up. also if they get chomped on by a fishman you can patch them up with Lay on Hands- you get five HP per day per paladin level, and you can touch someone as an action to either heal them or use five HP to cure a disease of theirs. real useful when you live on a deserted island with no casters.

2. Paladin 2: second level paladins get a Fighting Style, and while Defense would be the smarter choice for +1 AC your spear and sword are both one-handed weapons, so I’m getting the Dueling fighting style instead. that gives you +2 to the damage done with a one-handed weapon every time you hit with it! extra armor might protect you from some damage, but killing will protect you from all future damage!

you also learn Spells which you cast and prepare using your Charisma, but the only spell I really want at this point you’ll get permanently next level so I’ll cover it then. for now, you can also use your spell slots for some Divine Smites- burn a spell slot, deal extra radiant damage when you hit something, deal extra extra damage when you hit a demon or zombie.

3. Paladin 3: third level paladins have Divine Health, so now you can never get sick. anime characters don’t get sick unless they do, and if they do it’s plot related anyway so your DM probably won’t let you off the hook even if you have this.

more importantly, you are now fighting for the Glory of your people, so you get some oath spells! they’re always prepared and they don’t count against your prep limits- Guiding Bolt hits a guy and gives the next person to attack them advantage, and Heroism is the spell I was talking about in level two. with this spell, you can give a creature immunity to being frightened plus some bonus temporary HP every turn for up to a minute!

you also get two Channel Divinity options, and you can use one of those each short rest. you can either become a Peerless Athlete for ten minutes to make up for how spread out your stats are, or you can use an Inspiring Smite to give temporary HP to nearby creatures after you make a divine smite. both of these options use your bonus action, so you can squeeze them into your turns pretty easily right now.

4. Paladin 4: now that you can cast spells you can become an Eldritch Adept using your very first Ability Score Improvement- technically I should save you getting your Armor of Shadows for later to coincide with your third ascension but I’m not going to leave you at 10 AC for the whole dang build. now you can cast Mage Armor on yourself for free, adding 3 to your AC total while unarmored.

5. Paladin 5: fifth level paladins get an Extra Attack each action, so now you can hit twice a turn! I mean. there’s two of you, that tracks. you also get 2nd level spells, including your freebies Enhance Ability, again to overcome stat spread, and Magic Weapon, to make your weapons all glowy for your NP. they also get +1 all attack rolls and damage rolls.

you can also Find Steed now to give your elephant the boost it needs to be ridable! sure it’s still not elephant sized yet, but you can get it up to a warhorse, that’s pretty neat! also you can use Gentle Repose to keep those water monsters from doing their con-eating trick. they might not be undead, but it keeps them from getting up again so it’s close enough.

6. Fighter 1: we’ve got plenty of Trung now, so let’s work on the sister part. bouncing over to fightergives you a Fighting Style, which means we can take Defense after all! or Dueling if you were smart and took the AC first. speaking of AC, you also get a Second Wind once a short rest, letting you heal up as a bonus action!

7. Fighter 2: second level fighters get an Action Surge, so now you can make a second action with a second attack for a total of four in a single turn!

8. Fighter 3: third level fighters can become Echo Knights, letting them Manifest Echo as a bonus action. this creates a copy of you with better AC and 1 HP that you can move around the battlefield as you wish, as long as it stays within 30’ of you. you can attack from its position as well as your own, and you can even swap places with your sister as a bonus action too!

you can also Unleash Incarnation up to Constitution Modifier times a day, adding an extra echo attack to your attack action! right now that’s only once, but it’ll get better as we go.

thanks to the echo knight’s funky splitting, we can use buffing spells like Magic Weapon and it will improve both sisters’ weapons at the same time!

9. Fighter 4: fourth level fighters get another ASI, so grab the Slasher feat to round up your Strength score as well as protect the precious cons! once a turn you can slow down a creature you hit with slashing damage, and your critical hits force disadvantage on the attack rolls of whatever you sliced through! if you’re going to bring marshmallows to the front lines, it’s best to make sure they don’t die.

10. Fighter 5: fifth level fighters get… nothing! extra attacks don’t stack like that.

11. Fighter 6: as a consolation prize, sixth level fighters get a bonus ASI, so bump up that constitution for 11 points of health (remember that +1 each level is retroactive) and for more unleashed incarnations! now you can attack up to six times in a single turn! that would use up literally every spell slot you have right now, but you can!

12. Paladin 6: sixth level paladins have an Aura of Protection, so everyone around you gets a +3 bonus to all their saves! now your cons won’t get blown up by a fireball… as much. I’m sure a successful save would still get the cons knocked out though.

13. Paladin 7: seventh level glory paladins get an Aura of Alacrity, so everyone around you gets a movement speed boost. again, it’s keeping the cons out of harm’s way!

14. Paladin 8: at eighth level you get another ASI, so bump up your Strength for stronger attacks!

15. Paladin 9: ninth level paladins get third level spells, and you get Haste and Protection from Energy for free! I’m sure you could argue a D&D build would have to be perma-hasted to even stand a chance at keeping up with a servant, but really the only third level spell I want here is Elemental Weapon. in contrast to magical weapon, you still get a +1 bonus to attacking, but the bonus damage is a little stronger, and you can make that damage an elemental type like acid or fire. I’d use cold damage here for their demon slayer-esque water sword attacks. or you could use something like Crusader’s Mantle to give everyone around you mini-smites for up to a minute.

16. Paladin 10: at tenth level your natural leadership abilities give you an Aura of Courage, so nearby creatures can’t be frightened while you’re around. it’s a shame it only has a range of ten feet, that would’ve really come in handy while you were alive.

17. Paladin 11: I hope you like radiant damage, because an eleventh level paladin has an Improved Divine Smite, adding a d8 of the stuff to every melee attack you make. that basically doubles your damage output most of the time- there’s a lot of doubling going on in this build, almost like you’re two people or something.

18. Paladin 12: twelfth level paladins get one last ASI, so bump up that Constitution again to not die! not dying’s my favorite hobby, and I bet its yours too, we have so much in common.

19. Paladin 13: our last level of paladin gets you Compulsion and Freedom of Movement and a bunch of other spells but who cares because it also gets you Find Greater Steed, letting us finally have an elephant-sized elephant. well, actually a rhino-sized elephant but it’s waaay closer than a horse.

20. Fighter 7: our true final level is going back to fighter to become an Echo Avatar. now you can transfer your mind to your sister and basically play as her, with the max range of the echo increasing to 1,000 feet while you do so. this also doesn’t prevent you from switching places with her, so you can trivialize a lot of traps by just sending the more expendable sister ahead of you.

obviously I don’t think this level’s in character, but it’s at least slightly moreso than the next paladin level where you can break curses by touching people, so here it is.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

while I didn’t go over it much in the build itself, Paladin has some nice spells, and unless you’re super dedicated to playing in-character I highly recommend you look at the full spell list before committing to just using spell slots for smiting and elephants. also, ritual caster doesn’t look like much on the surface but if you play your cards right it gives you access to a ridiculous amount of Utility, giving you plenty to do outside of combat. with ritual caster you have access to spells no paladin would ever be able to cast like drawmij’s instant summons, and you can become the party’s communication hub with spells like Contact Other Plane or Skywrite.

you can attack way more in a single turn than a paladin really should be able to, which means you take the paladin’s burst damage potential and crank it all the way up to eleven! with action surge and unleash incarnation, you triple the number of attacks a paladin should ever be able to get, making you a burst damage machine. assuming a regular longsword with elemental weapon on it, you deal 6d8+36 slashing + 25d8 radiant + 6d4 cold, for an average of just under 200 damage in a single round.

I know this last one isn’t much, but. riding an elephant is so cool y’all, it gets its own section.

Cons:

pretty much all the damage you do is either radiant or physical, so the second you come across something that can handle those two your damage output is completely neutered. I really hope there aren’t any celestial monsters on the islands…

I know paladin spell slots are really, really good for smiting, but as written we aren’t using them for anything else. okay yeah there’s summoning elephants, but that’s still a very small part of what paladins can do- they’ve got plenty of healing spells and defensive buffs they can offer, and while that might not be in-character, it’s a smart tactical decision.

your AC is bad. but you can just wear heavy armor if you feel like it. yeah two of these are just “if you deliberately kneecap yourself, you play worse,” and I’m sorry, but paladin’s a good class, fighter’s a good class, they’re just two great tastes that taste great together. their biggest real weakness is a lack of area of effect spells, but that’s not super punchy, and even then you can slice through six guys like it’s nothing with the only area you’re really affecting being your sword!

#fgo #fate grand order #D&D 5e #DND #Trung Sisters #Hai Bà Trưng #ha

36 notes · View notes

swimmingnewsie · 9 months ago

Text

midnight moon

summary: Going on a quest to save the Nightmare King's crown can't be anymore difficult than anything else in her life before. Her friends are fluent in sign language now, after all. // Sophomore Year for Deaf!Adaine.

author's notes: i started working on this fic in the summer of 2020 almost immediately after i finished it's predecessor silent sun that same summer. now almost four years later, i have finished and i've never been more proud. the first chapter was posted back in march to ao3, but now that both halves are complete, i'm sharing to my tumblr.

i hope you enjoy!

Adaine looked at the mist that formed below her finger tips. It wobbled and shook as mist formed into little clouds and those clouds took material form. It had small legs and a round body, with a collar wrapped around it.

Her familiar.

She reached within herself, feeling the magic swirl once again. When she had cast Find Familiar last night, she had felt something was missing. Though the spell was mostly complete last night, there was one final piece it needed once the time had passed: a name.

Her familiar was a little frog. Her little froggy. Without even thinking properly, she finished out a name sign for the spell. A clenched fist aimed downward, then open hands moving in a circular motion, and finally her fist once again clenched but moving her middle and pointer finger twice. Bog. Fog. Frog.

Boggy the Froggy.

[Continue on AO3]

#dimension 20 #fantasy high #d20 #adaine abernant #aelwyn abernant #sandra lynn faeth #fig faeth #kristen applebees #fantasy high live #fantasy high sophomore year #dimension 20 fanfic #fantasy high fanfic #d20 fanfic #my fic #i Do not remember if i have a writing tag and im not gonna remember now

27 notes · View notes

heyimcelery · 10 months ago

Text

Okay so I watched all of Ninjago Dragons Rising s2p2! I've got so many thoughts and I'm dumping them all here in a long list. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

to start: Cole!! He's a family man! He's got a boyfriend and they hold hands and they care for their kids and Bonzle so obviously came out to them and omg I wanted to cry. The joy of acceptance. I mean come one she kept saying how alone she felt, they're found family, she was repeating that she chose he town name and identity and the villains were insistent that she wants a person but just a spell like come on

But there's more than that, I have questions I have concerns!! Like wtf happend on Coles quest?? With Sensei Wu??? Like he disappeared and turned up again and said he would explain but never did.

Cole also came back from that in his bolder form so did he figure out he could do it on his own then? Is that what he learned on his quest?? If so it's gonna be a little awkward when he tried to explain that to his bf Geo.

With part 2 I really want to see the whole gang meet them and talk and catch up on everything. Like cole has been missing since the merge and no one this season cared. At all. They hadn't seen him in ages- didn't even know if he was alive until drs1 but nope no worries or concerns. Not even a question of what he was up to.

When he came through the portal Zane wasn't worried or confused at all, just oh? You need some help?? Sure let's beat these bad guys and not worry or show emotions! Is a tearful reunion for my fav character too much to ask?? Cuz he clearly deserves it. :(

And then into both Zane and Coke this season!! Love them!! They've always been my fav duo (gonna have to start shipping geo/Cole/Zane as poly now) it was so fun to see them going around together with Bonzle. They had some great moments and I'm praying we get more in the next part.

On the other hand it was a shame they got such small roles- just seperated from the others as a way to help Bonzle. It means they didn't have the same lessons or knowledge the others got which is totally unfair!! They have a lot to catch up on. They also never got a chance to be part of the main battle

It's dumb but I was kinda hoping for Cole to show off his stronger powers (he always seems to get new powers every other season but that's a discussion for another day). Like sure he could use his robotic mech suit but that's been done before! He can do his boulder thing now (unless somehow he still thinks he can't which means he kept up that form for several days on his quest) and when he made that giant mid hut to protect his family!! I want to see him do that again! Let me man go ape shit to protect Bonzle.

And on another note, Geo my beloved, you should get a chance to shine with your powers. A chance to show off or at least have a talk about them with Cole.

Next up WyldFyre. I was worried they would make her the annoying comic relief cuz if her injury but her talks about losing loved ones and dragon culture and her home were really sweet and it was great to see some development so driven by battles. I love those too don't get me wrong but like I needed to see this side of her. And I adore her relationship with Kai, being besties/mentors/dad for her works so great for both characters.

I will be first to admit that

Kai wasn't really my favourite. If you couldn't tell I love Cole followed by Zane. Always have and likely always will. I suppose that early Kai reminded me too much of some guys form my class and they turned into shitheads and I've always struggled to reconcile Kai's image form theirs. He was always a little too brash, hotheaded, and too often written as stupid to fall into my good graces.

And yet this season I adored him. Of course I've never hated him but like this season made me see what all his fans (many many fans) see in him.

I thought Kai being the first to master such a new, difficult and crucial skill was incredibly satisfying. Form all the way back to season 1 he's been the butt of jokes- having to learn he's not the centre of the universe and sometimes it's others like Lloyd who are the chosen ones. That's all great but him now getting a starting role, his ability being fueled by thoughts of his family, by his childhood and by protecting is friends was just too good to ignore him. Love this form of his character more than any other I've seen.

And now Kai is trapped :(

I'm glad he's got Bonzle with him tho so hopefully they can have each other's backs (she's meant to be a POWERFUL spell after all) they'll need each other if they're trapped with those other 4 guys. If they can apparently demolish everything then I'm rather worried for the duo. Tbh I'm sure they'll survive just fine, probably making jokes at Cole's expense all the while.

On a side note, I found it super cute how WyldFyre was willing to protect and go down with Kai. Besties I'm telling ya

Now Jay. I've never thought too hard about him I know he's one of the favs of the fandom but like Kai I was never so besotted with him. Still a great guy and omg I feel so bad. One of his worst fears was always being alone and now stuck, confused, forced to hide such a fundamental part of himself.

On the other hand he's got a gun now so that's fun!!

And you can't talk about him without mentioning Nya. He worst fears being him forgetting hurts my soul. And she was so sure it could never be true that she snapped out of her nightmare state!! She's going to break when she finds out.

She's already grieving her own brother, we saw her break down into WyldFyre (more proof she's an honorary sibling by now) but now knowing what's happening with Jay, I'm saying the angst is going to be overpowering. It's a greek tragedy fr

Part 2 is going to be rough. Jay only had a single scene but it's already a sign for the worst to come.

Speaking of things being rough, Lloyd is going THROUGH IT!! give this poor guy a break. I do appreciate that we physically get to see the effects of all his trauma- that everything that's happened has real consequences for his character and the story but I can't help but feel bad.

I've also suffered from anxiety for most of my life so to see it in a character like that feels really personal to me. Hope he gets a little break though, god knows he deserves it.

Have to say it's pretty funny that Lloyd's had so much Oni trauma that he forgot that he's part dragon too. Yes ninjas dragons can do spinjitsu why are you surprised at this point

The animation this season has been incredible, the fights were beautiful the angles so interesting and dynamic and I could go on for hours about how much I love it. It's always great when kids -and even animation in general is treated with respect. It doesn't dumb it's ideas and stories and characters for the sake of it's younger audience, and that makes it so much better for me who is definitely out of the age range.

I have my more points to make but I've been adding stuff in and off for ages so I'll probably go through this all later. Thanks for reading, please I want to know your own thoughts too I love discussing that kinda stuff!!

#cole ninjago #ninjago kai #ninjago cole #lego ninjago #ninjago #ninjago dragons rising #ninjago dr spoilers #ninjago analysis #dragons rising season two #spoilers #ninjago spoilers #thoughts #discussion

26 notes · View notes

simpforchuchu · 2 years ago

Text

Raoh x Cute Waitress Reader

a/n: I hope you like it guys <3

Sorry for the grammer or spelling mistakes.English is not my main language so...

Thank you and love you 🥰

Warnings: just a little fight but mostly fluff

It was a sunny summer day. The young girl was busy taking orders at the cafe where she worked.After the young girl gave the orders for table number 3, she smiled and walked to the counter. At that moment, the door opened and the small bell above the door rang.

Raoh and his team slowly moved to the empty table by the window and took 2 more chairs from the next table and sat down at the table. Binzo was full of energy as always, Mashii and Kamui were calm, Kansuke was watching around and Yamaguchi was chewing gum in his usual boredom. Raoh was trying to not look at the young girl.

This little cafe was not far from Suzuran.Raoh had come to this cafe with Kansuke in the early summer for a cold drink, and saw the young girl who worked here after school for the first time.And he was starting to feel those feelings that he didn't understand then, that he now knows as well as his name.

Raoh had been fascinated by the young girl's kindness and sweetness from the first time he saw her. That's why he started coming to this cafe often.

Although he didn't want to say anything to the others at first, he talked to Mashii and later told the others.

Raoh and his friends weren't as scary or serious as they seemed. They were of course laughing, joking, and teasing each other over petty things. But no one in this group made fun of Raoh about this situation.

They all knew about Raoh's difficult life and how sincere he was, so they wanted to give their friends full support. Also, they were all aware of how cute and well-intentioned the young girl was, so they thought she was the right person for their friend.

Smiling, the young girl approached the group of friends who comes here almost every day and heard their laughter every day, and stood in front of the table.

When the waitress girl, whose name they learned from the name card was y/n, came to the table, everyone calmly turned to her and ordered their ice cream.

When it was Raoh's turn, the young girl smiled and said, "Lemon and caramel, right? As usual?"

Everyone at the table was smiling as Raoh was surprised that the young girl remembered his favorite ice cream.Raoh smiled and nodded, and the young girl smiled wide.

"I'll bring your orders"

Raoh stared after her for a while as Y/n walked to the counter. Then he turned his gaze away, in case anyone saw his staring at the girl in the skirt and cafe uniform, they might think he's a pervert.

"Raoh, why don't you ask her out? She's pretty cute. Besides..."

Raoh turned to Mashii nervously.

"Besides what?"

"She looks like she likes you too."

The people at the table smiled as Raoh was surprised by what Mashii said. Binzo laughed and shook his head.

"Even I don't remember the order you made every day"

Yamaguchi nodded his head as everyone at the table laughed.

"Besides, you're Raoh.Who would reject you?"

Raoh became serious at what Yamaguchi said and shook his head.

"I'm sure she'll change her mind about me if she knows who I am."

"Huh? What does that mean now?"

Mashii knew exactly what he meant when Yamaguchi asked in surprise.

"The rumors about me aren't very nice. Also, take a look at her. She's kind,sweet and beautiful and fragile. I-"

Raoh thought she would hate him if she knew he was a delinquent.And his bad past and scary reputation didn't help at all. As he was about to explain this, he heard a voice across the table, and everyone at the table looked in that direction.

"I am a customer here!"

The man in his 20s at the table had shouted at the young girl. Raoh and the others had chosen not to react at the moment because they thought it was a normal, grumpy customer.

"I told you, sir, I'll be changing your order.Please lower your voice."

In fact, the situation was much different than it seemed. The problem of the young man and his friend was not that the dessert came wrong.

Raoh was silently watching the discussion. Everyone at the table was waiting to intervene in the slightest problem.

At that moment, the young man grabbed y/n's wrist, who wanted to leave the table, and Raoh and those at the table stood up. But something unexpected happened.

Realizing that she couldn't stay calm any longer, Y/n stabbed the fork into the table and glared at the man angrily.

"Let go of my wrist or I won't be calm any longer."

Raoh and her friends looked at the young girl in surprise. No one expected this cute girl to act like this. But Raoh was very pleased...

Y/n wasn't a violent person. She wouldn't fight, she wouldn't be rude. But she was definitely not one to keep quiet about injustice. So she couldn't ignore this man who was harassing her.

The man became even more enraged and stood up, squeezing the girl's wrist even tighter. It was then that Raoh realized he had to intervene.

Raoh interrupted the young girl's and the man's angry glances at each other, grabbing the man's arm hard.

"Let go of the lady's arm."

The man looked angrily at Raoh and laughed

"What happens if I don't?"

Raoh replied seriously and sternly

"I'll break that arm."

Raoh's stern demeanor frightened him a little.His friend at the table was watching what was going on silently. Raoh faction was waiting to intervene in the slightest problem.

The man removed his hand from the young girl's wrist. Y/n rubbed her red wrist and looked at Raoh and the man. Raoh was planning to leave without a fight, but the man was just looking for trouble.

As Y/n walked to the counter, the man said, "You're stupid enough to defend that little bitch, man," and Raoh punched him hard in the face. No one could talk like that about someone he cared about.Raoh shouted angrily and y/n turned around as soon as she heard the voice

"Watch your mouth! Now get the hell out of here!"

Raoh took a deep breath as the man fled from the cafe in fear. But when he turned around and saw y/n's scared face, he thought it was all over. He didn't know what to do.Actually, Y/n was just suprised. She wasn't afraid of him. But Raoh didn't know her well enough to read her reactions. So he got tense and nervously left the cafe. His friends looked at Raoh and the young girl in surprise.Then they all quickly left the cafe too.

****

"Raoh"

When Mashii called after Raoh, the young man stopped and turned to his friend. Yamaguchi was also with Mashii. But he chose to remain silent.

"Raoh, why did you leave without saying anything?"

Raoh closed his eyes and took a deep breath.Then he looked around and shook his head.

"I scared her. Did you see that look on her face? She was scared of me. She probably thinks I can hurt her, that I'm one of those delinquents."

Mashii knew very well what his friend was talking about.But he knew very well what he would say would be useless now, so he remained silent.

"I'm going home, Takehiko, I need to calm down a bit."

Mashii chose not to say anything as his friend left. He shook his head and started walking the way he had come.

***

A few days had passed since the incident. Raoh hadn't been to school much during this period. Besides Suzuran's daily events, there was no problem.

Mashii left school in the afternoon and took the road to the orphanage to meet with Raoh. He took a cigarette from his pocket, put one between his lips, and took out his lighter to light it. But before he turned the corner, someone appeared infront him.

Mashii looked at the young girl standing in front of him in surprise. He took his cigarette in his hand before he lit it.The girl in the cafe, y/n, was in front of him and was looking at him nervously.

"Excuse me, Mashii-san right?"

Mashii nodded and raised one eyebrow.

"I... I'm so sorry to bother you. But I want to talk to him."

When Mashii realized who the young girl meant, he smiled and nodded his head. Seeing him softening, the young girl slowly moved towards him.

"Im y/n... y/n l/n."

Mashii bowed slightly as the young girl bowed slightly.

"Nice to meet you l/n-san. I think you already know me."

He lit his cigarette and Y/n smiled

"You can say y/n. And yes... uhm... i found out you were from Suzuran when someone was talking from that day on. And your names. I've been waiting here to find you."

Mashii laughed and shook his head

"I wish we had met better way but I guess it's not that bad huh?"

Y/n smiled and nodded. Then she asked the question that was on her mind.

"Raoh-san... I wanted to thank him... i mean I still want. That's why I'm here. But I never saw him again."

"I can say he hasn't been around much for a while."

Y/n asked scared

"Did something happen to him?"

Mashii smiled and shook his head

"No, it's not like that y/n-san. But before you talk to him, there are a few things I want you to know."

After giving information about Raoh's life, Raoh's thoughts and why they went that way that day, Mashii gave the address of the orphanage to the young girl.

"It's up to you to go or not, y/n-san. But I hope you understand me."

Y/n smiled and nodded. Of course she was gonna go...

***

Raoh was playing with his younger siblings in the garden of the orphanage.The younger kids loved to play with their big brother and their giggles could be heard throughout the garden.

Y/n watched them from afar for a while. Raoh looked quite happy with the little children. Moreover, instead of his usual serious expression, he had a very sweet, peaceful expression on his face right now.

Raoh felt that someone was watching him and turned around. He looked confused at the young girl standing a few meters ahead of him.

Y/n waved with a smile and stepped towards the tall boy. Meanwhile, the 2 little girls around Raoh were looking at y/n with admiration. Y/n looked at them and smiled broadly.

"Nee-san is so beautiful!"

Y/n chuckled at what the little girl said while the other little girl tugged on Raoh's jacket

"Onii-chan is nee-san your girlfriend?"

As Raoh looked at the little girl in surprise, y/n laughed and held out the bag in her hand.

"I bought candies for the kids, would this be a problem?"

Raoh gathered himself, took the extended bag and shook his head. He handed the bag to the little girls.

"Take this and eat it with your siblings okay? I'll be right back."

"Okay onii-chan!"

As the little girls spoke at the same time, y/n chuckled and watched them go inside. Raoh was still in shock.Y/n noticed this and smiled and thought that she should be the first to speak.

"I... well... hello."

Realizing that she didn't know what to say and was being silly, she smiled shyly and Raoh thought he should react properly now.

"Hii, how are you ?"

"I am good, you ?"

"I'm a little confused"

Y/n laughed and shook her head.

"I came to say thank you."

Raoh had so many questions he wanted to ask. How did she find this place? Why had she come? She also brought candy for the kids, which was very sweet. He wanted to scream, but he also knew how funny he looked on the outside right now.

"Thanks? For what?"

"That day-"

Raoh nervously replied

"I'm sorry about that day. I didn't mean to scare you-"

Y/n waved her hands nervously

"No no. You didn't scare me. I... Okay, I'll tell you all over again. I asked Mashii-san about you and he told me everything. That you're here and… I'm not afraid of you, Raoh. I never thought you'd hurt me either. That day... I just wanted to thank you for protecting me."

Raoh nervously replied

"Someone like me-"

"You're a wonderful person, Raoh-san. Really. I... I want to smile every time I look at you. My day is better every time you walk through the door of the cafe. I realize we don't know each other very well, but I want to get to know you. Because I like you."

Y/n smiled as Raoh's eyes widened

"I don't think my feelings are unrequited. But if you may approve of me-"

"Me too. I like you too."

Although Raoh was suddenly surprised by what she said and said this without even thinking, y/n smiled broadly. And took a package out of her bag.

"I think you like things with lemon.That's why I wanted to buy this cupcake for you."

Raoh certainly didn't know what to say anymore when the young girl held out the cake in her hand. Y/n was also surprised when he excitedly took the cake and hugged the young girl. But she smiled and hugged the young boy's waist.

Raoh shyly averted his eyes as he realized what he had done and quickly stepped back.

"I'm sorry-"

"I like that. You're so tall and it feels... safe and warm."

Raoh laughed too at what Y/n said with a laugh

"We... Can I take you on a date?"

Y/n smiled and nodded

"Can we have a picnic?"

Raoh smiled big and shook his head. How could he say no to her?

#high and low #high&low #high and low fic #hnl #high and low the worst x #high and low the worst #suzuran #high and low suzuran #raoh #misaki mario #raoh x reader #suzuran raoh #suzuran x reader #misaki mario x reader #suzuran raoh x reader #suzuran lao #mercy #high and low x reader #high n low

189 notes · View notes

aclickbaittitle · 8 months ago

Text

Live blogging of the Podcast Jam's Pilots (Part 1):

First of all, I want to say congratulations to everyone who participated. Making a podcast is hard, making one with a time limit, through the internet, improbable but somehow possible.

1° The Ichorus Rot

I was so excited for this project and it did not dissapoint but went above. I was expecting something like the first few episodes of TMA, where Theodorus would read their findings and that would be it, but the team went ahead and produced a full-on radio play with 4 (?) voiced characters. That's incredible. I felt like I got a great introduction to each characters, and if you asked me to describe the personality of each I could. The sound design is gorgeous (i have so many questions of how they made that happened) and with the incredible soundtrack it puts you right in the setting and most importantly the mood.

It reminded me a bit of Sherlock Holmes, but with the great twist of making the detective a doctor.

There's just this one bit, I do understand the distortion as Theodore is talking into the recorder but it is a bit hard to understand (especially if you don't have headphones). This is just to say, I am asking for a transcript.

2° Beyond Repair

Oh no, doctor AIs. I really like the time they take to describe the ship, the camera/monitor details. Again I am astonished at the fact that this is again like an (radio) audio play.

What used to be canada? (What happened to canada!? Did it fell along with western civilazation, but then why is Italy still kicking?).

Oh shit, the AI has turned against them. Poor AI, I bet it is over worked.

I also really like the concept of a wellness cruiseship, because it allows a nice excuse to really get inside the characters mind.

3° The Garden of Baffling Beats

The audio is a bit low.

Uuu. Recent management change? Interesting.

Hey, give the Baseliks their own article piece, love the detail that they are shy.

Carnivorous cats!? That checks out. The journalist wants to pet them, jeje.

Also, werewolves? I love werewolves!

Really liked all the work that came in building the garden.

Aww, thanks for the shoutout.

4° World Fuse

Dont remember the name of the MC, but I too, repeat my order in my mind and then messed it up.

Aarush, thats their name. Also, Harlequeen August? (That is a statement name).

Yeah Aarush, no one trust the goverment for a good reason. So funny Queen and Aarush just started fliriting (?).

Is Queen an independent detective?

Idk if I like Indigo, but I am very intrigued by her. Aaa, candy is a lawyer. That explains things.

Wow, Queen, Aarush, stop fliritng, it is too funny.

Wait, queen is the fuse? I didnt really payed attention to the first exposition lines.

Aww, this very creepy voice is very protective, that is sweet.

I really like that most of the episode took place in a coffee/flower shop.

5° The Block

I really like the music.

Not gonna light the eq/reverb effects make it a bit difficult to understand.

Also, space, aliens, Tamareans!? Podcasting. I really like how podcasting is taboo in their culture, thats so funny.

Hey princess, stop being so harsh. You are alive arent you, dont matter if it is cartoonish.

Velma, he of the four trails and well known peneaut allergy. That is such a title, love it.

Humanoid form? They have humans!?

I really like the radio/cable format, is great to be able to jump between stories of very different moods.

I like the bear. I will watch the movie.

Ahg, re-runs. Donovan, you are the mentors of mentors.

I do hope they stick around. I did not understood half of it, but I loved it. Did i mention how good is the sound desing and the music. Amazing.

6° Schrödinger's Pledge

Oh good, water desing, its so cool. The sound design is so coool.

Better question, what is a sororety and a fraternity, and do I have those at my college? (I really hope not).

Uuu, they are childhood friends (?) Acuantainces (however you spell that word).

Love that Helen will jump in a pool just because.

Jared is like a good jock ?? Idk, but I like him.

Mentaly disturbed, such a weird way to say it. Oh shit, the ableism.

Her mom was a part of this sororety, thats so interesting.

Uuuuu, its through a line-phone that you contact the dead? So cool.

Also I really like how you could feel the Sority (?) lider walking around the room.

I am curious about how Helen's mom died. Uh, she died in the river and Helen jumps into a pool.

Oh no, poor Helen.

Oh, not her mom, ohhhh. Shes not dead...yet.

Okay, props to whoever desing this. So much water, its amazing.

Ohhh, and back to the begining, really nice circle.

Oh, toxic female friendships! Toxic female friendships!

Whoever sound-design this, please tell me your secrets.

Pagan Dupount, thats such a name. *A legacy must be paid*.

Wait, isnt Dupount also the name of the evil queen in miraculous? (Sorry).

Is Helen now going to be the Queen Bee? Jared is like "I have contacts".

As someone who loves the dark side of academia, I am in love with this. (Even if I still dont understand how fraternities work, like really, does anyone?).

7° Gavin's Window: Lost and Found

Right into the *ambience*.

"Is there a gift shop in the train station?" Asking the good question.

I really like how the sound design pulls you into the rttpg, like normally I dont listen to actual play or d&d stuff, but I think that this is a good getaway for me.

So Gavin is the GM. That is interesting.

Awww, I really like this candle story.

Uuuu, I want to know what Gavin saw. Are they human?

WAIT! POST CREDIT SCENE, POST CREDIT SCENE!!!

#podcast jam #audio drama #audio fiction #the ichorus rot #beyond repair #world fuse #garden of baffling beasts #The Block #Schrödinger's Pledge #Gavin's window

12 notes · View notes

gothyanki · 7 months ago

Text

@ardentkurashk tagged me in this meme forever ago (thank you!! <3) Now it is time. Lots of yelling about Vin'ath inbound.

Name: Vin'ath

Age: 31

Race: Githyanki

Class: Paladin (Oath of Vengeance).

Alignment: Trying their hardest to be a Lawful Good True Storybook Knight while also following vengeance oath tenets to the letter. This… does not always work out well.

Deity: Having been raised in a cult, Vin is deeply and understandably suspicious of all gods. They’ve dedicated their life to their oath instead, which is totally different.

Favourite spells: Shield of Faith for practicality; Colour Spray for aesthetics. They also love smiting. Divine Smite is their fave, although they couldn’t tell you why it’s the most satisfying.

Armour (Act 1): Scale Mail of Vengeance.

Armour (Act 2): Adamantine Splint Armour.

Armour (Act 3): Still Adamantine Splint Armour! High paladin fashion.

Favourite dye: Baby blue and gold. They flat-out refused to dye their gear at all until they got to Rivington, where they grudgingly agreed to try it out. The description points to a much more militaristic meaning, but to Vin those colours have come to symbolise the sun and sky over the world they love.

(I have a LOT of feelings about the default vengeance paladin colour scheme in light of “I see only blood-red and death-black”. Vin hasn’t drifted as far from their upbringing as they’d like to think.)

Weapon (Act 1): Monster Slayer Glaive (+ anything else they could grab that looked useful).

Weapon (Act 2): Soulbreaker Greatsword.

Weapon (Act 3): Silver Sword of the Astral Plane. Sorry, Lae'zel - it's just too perfect for a githyanki paladin. (In my headcanon, Lae does end up getting it after some token face-saving resistance from Vin. They’re not comfortable with the idea of wielding a silver sword and don't really want to give up the Soulbreaker - they've still got a lot of complicated feelings about the way they won it and they feel responsible for all those whispering souls.)

Buffs: Ooh, it’s been a while - I’d have to load up the game to see what they’ve got on. Githborn Psionic Weapon? Wielding the Soulbreaker Greatsword feels so right to them (ditto for Voss' silver sword, in the very brief space of time they had it); they’ve thoroughly compartmentalised that feeling so they don’t have to think about Why.

Main love interest: Karlach. It was a bit of a rough road to get there (the touch issue might have been the least of their problems), but now they’re an unstoppable team. To hell first, then onward to the stars!

Favourite NPC(s): Vin’s got a huge soft spot for the tiefling kids, especially Mol. (They’re very protective of children in general, for reasons they won’t admit have anything to do with their own upbringing.) Meeting Varrl and Varsh Ko’kuu gave them some hope in a difficult time, even though the circumstances were painful. They also greatly admire Dame Aylin and Isobel… and kind of see them as #relationshipgoals.

…and then there’s Kith'rak Voss. Yeah, that’s a complicated one.

Favourite enemy: Kith'rak Therezzyn and Inquisitor W'wargasm W'wargaz. There was a LOT of emotional fallout after the adrenaline crash, but for a while there they were riding the high of having faced down two terrifying childhood authority figures and lived (not to mention the staring contest with Vlaakith herself…)

Favourite battle: Gortash. That one was very personal - vengeance paladin mode on full display. (The conversation after it was… significantly harder for them to deal with.) Rescuing Halsin from Orin & co. was a close second - they were just so relieved they’d got there in time.

Favourite dialogue: Is “every single dialogue involving Karlach” cheating? Not just the overtly flirty/romantic ones - Vin would happily listen to her read the Faerûnian phonebook.

Aside from that, they got so much vicarious joy out of hearing Lae'zel reject Vlaakith - they don’t tend to show much emotion, but they may have done a little fist pump at “she has sinned against me!” Also, the conversation where Wyll opened up about the circumstances of his exile - Vin felt very honoured that he trusted them enough to let them see beyond the Blade of Frontiers persona, and it led them to drop their Perfect Paladin walls a little in return.

Decision about the Absolute: Red laser destroy destroy destroy + the Crown returns to Mystra. Unlike Lykos, Vin'ath isn’t tentacle-curious.

I tag anyone who hasn’t already done this (see: forever ago) and wants to!

#aaahhh that was a really fun bunch of questions #thank you for giving me the opportunity to vinchatter!#oc: vin'ath

12 notes · View notes

hivemuthur · 9 months ago

Text

the Ilithid

Or - diving into the original AD&D lore form Monstrous Arcana by Bruce R. Cordell on types of Ilithids players can encounter.

Colloquially known as "mind flayers", Ilithids universally elicit images of horror and fear in the minds of surface dwellers and underwolrders alike. Ilithids shock and repulse other races due mostly to their practice of cephalophagy (...). This abominable habit has such power to appal that the saying "The 'flayer hasn't eaten yet!" was coined centuries ago to convey hope in the face of near-impossible situations.

So - hot topic, tadpoles! Originally, they come from mind flayer eggs, which Ilithids can produce only twice during their entire life. From those eggs, little, helpless tadpoles hatch after a whole month of extremely well protected incubation. And they remain so for another decade, thus it takes this long for a tadpole to mature and be ceromorphosis-ready. The tadpole survival count is 1:1000 - most of them get consumed by the elder brain which resides in the depths of the briny pool.

The criteria for ceromorphosis are also somewhat difficult, as the only acceptable races would be humans, elves, drow, githzerai and githyanki, grimlocks, gnolls, goblins and orcs. After having a tadpole inserted into one's ear, the magic begins - the process completely replaces the original tissue of the victim with Ilithid tissue, therefore - the original victim is dead. From this an Ilithid is formed - any they come in many shapes and sizes.

Generally, all of this makes Ilithids an extremely rare race to encounter (lucky original characters) and also - an extreme threat. As a society they highly resemble anything produced for Alien saga (especially Prometheus).

Arcane Ilithids Which in the lore are said to not even exist, since they are most likely the wrongly recognized type by those, who are not aware of psionic abilities effects. As per most of handbooks, psionics being different to spells, since the source of this power is science.

Ulitharids Or super-jacked Ilithids. Forming from tadpoles seasoned for not 10, but 20 years, reaching over 7 ft height and 6 tentacles and live for at least 250 years.

Elder Brain A sentient disembodied mind that resides at the bottom of the briny pool and initially is a conglomerate creation of deceased Ilithid brains. That makes it a united consciousness for all Ilithid colony. The elder brain suborns individual egos to the gestalt consciousness that suffuses it's mass of tangled, fibrous tissues. Generally, it reaches a 10-foot diameter in size (it is believed that the rest of the brain mass is shunt directly into a node of Astral Plane and remains unified with the elder brain on the Prime Material Plane).

Alhoons (Illithilichs) Rogue Ilithids! Basically undead magical adepts - strayed away from the collective consciousness and general Ilithid teachings to find their own way (in death, apparently). They "live" in solitude, being frowned upon by orthodox Ilithids.

Ilithid Vampires Exactly what is says on the cover - now eating both brains and blood. Their main area of inhabitancy is Demiplane of Dread. They are insane, not able to pass the curse to their victims and are being hunted down by their original race, since Ilithids absolutely hate them. Thankfully, no plague of vampiric mind flayers is imminent.

Urophions So, sometimes Ilithids experiment and do put the tadpole where they shouldn't. If it works, what they get is a very brain-thirsty but also not very comprehensive or mobile creature that ends up as an Ilithid watch dog. Some of them escape into the Underdark, in search of their true purpose.

Neothelids An insanely cool concept named leviathan slug by the author of the supplement. How does it happen? If someone or something kills the elder brain, the entire Ilithid colony around it dies, which leaves poor tadpoles with no food and care. As they grow hungrier, they, well... eat each other. Until the greatest tadpole survives. And the greatest tadpole still has to lurk around for little creatures' non-sentient brains. But with the right measures it will grow enough to finally eat a mind that thinks and this does the trick. Something called reciprocal sentience is triggered, creating a dragon-size neothelid, whose breath dissolves everything but brains.

#ad&d #ad&d 2e #Ilithids #lore #d&d #bg3 #dungeons & dragons #the ilithid #Bruce R. Cordell #thoughts

10 notes · View notes

abidethetempest · 2 years ago

Text

Eliksni Conlang Progress

Velask! this is my first progress post, hopefully the first of many! i have been really waffling on whether or not i wanted to even share any early content yet, but then i realized that was really just me being scared to show off my art and i'm not about that shit (plus i want to have a record of my progress to look back on)!!! so i'm gonna show off my art >:DDDD

so here's most of what i have now! beware, very long post below the cut:

Phonology

i hope to god tumblr didn't totally cronch that image. so yeah this is the rough phonology, emphasis on rough. full disclosure, everything i know about the IPA i learned for this project like a week ago. i'm a total noob, and i'm sure an experienced conlanger or linguist would look at this and their soul would exit their body in horror or smth equally dramatic. but in my defense, i did have to work backwards to build this based on existing material instead of making it all myself, so it was a lot more restrictive and difficult.

Short Vowels

ɪ: i

e: e

æ: a

ə: e or a (always unstressed)

ʊ: u

ɑ: aa

Long Vowels

i: ii

ɔ: o (primarily used before r)

Diphthongs:

eɪ: written as “ey” or “eh”

eə, written as “eyr” (pretty much exclusively seen paired with r, which is the reason for that spelling)

aɪ, written as “ei”

oʊ, written as “oh”

these diphthongs are used to represent a number of sounds that canonical sources do not differentiate between in writing. There might have been a way to do this using rules for pronounciation instead, but it was honestly so frustrating to think i had nailed down a good rule only to find one or two exceptions that i just decided to chuck canon out the window and make some damn diphthongs.

(if you don't know/understand the IPA, I highly recommend checking out this video for a great overview)

Phonotactics

this is also a very rough draft version, doubly so since the only person who has to care abt writing/speaking Eliksni rn is me. but this is my current basis for how i make, pronounce, and write words. i will definitely clean this up if/when i start making guides on using Eliksni, but it makes do for now.

C^3VC^3

Onset: all phonemes

Nucleus: all vowels/diphthongs

Coda: all consonants including clusters

stress on first syllable in most two syllable words

in three syllable words, stress on second syllable if it contains a k or a long vowel/diphthong

stress never on prefix

single "i" is short if surrounded by other letters and long if left open on either side. "ii" is always long and is written that way in words where it is surrounded by letters. Words that start with single i will be spelled with ii if they are compounded with another word. ex) ikrim (time), draiikrim (forever, lit. “all time”)

Consonant Cluster Rules

I only have rules for clusters of two so far, but I am going to flesh out the rules for three-consonant clusters soon since a few of those have cropped up in my lexicon building exercises. The chart for these is in an earlier post if you want to see it all color-coded and whatnot

C: can only pair with H to for CH, all romanizations using C in place of K are done so for aesthetic purposes (i only preserved the use of C as an occassional K because I like how it looks in romanizations, the actual Eliksni alphabet will never substitute C for K)

H: can only precede another consonant as part of the vowel in the nucleus, except for Y (functionally, H being attached to a vowel makes it part of that vowel, but i wanted to highlight this feature to make it very clear that H cannot precede another consonant on its own)

J: never pairs with another consonant. (i wasnt even going to include J as a sound in Eliksni, but there had to be two (2) damn canon names w J in them so i felt a little obligated)

Y: functioning as a consonant, Y cannot pair with any other consonant.

Z: never pairs with another consonant at beginning

Making this bigass chart was unironically so fun. i love you spreadsheets <3 i love you color coding <3 no i am not neurotypical why do you ask

Syntax

VSO

verb-adverb

adposition-noun

possessor-possessee

Noun-adjective

thats it lmao! i'm not even sure if this is gonna stay the same, the only sentences i've written so far have been very basic and all like 3 words long. this is definitely an aspect i am expecting to change a lot over time as I refine how i want things to flow.

Stop! Grammar Time!

(i've waited three years to make that dumb joke lol sorry)

unfortunately grammar itself is no joke.

these are the affixes for conjugating verbs in Eliksni. There are 3 tenses currently (if anyone saw that post I made a few days ago abt the second past tense, i do still plan to implement it, just haven't had the time to think of affixes for it or decide how i really want it to work)

For the sake of time and bc this post is,,,, really damn long already, I won't be including the example conjugations i did here. might make a separate post with that so i can also show off how the mood markers work.

speaking of...

Mood time! i will readily admit this shit kinda confuses the heck outta me, though i understand the basics at least in theory. Some are more intuitive for me, like the imperative and interrogative. i might even drop the subjunctive, although i do want to at least try to grasp it first. Also shout out to the imperative for being irregular bc of ✨worldbuilding reasons✨, we love to see it.

and FINALLY

Noun case markers! Something my time learning German actually prepared me for!

There are only two cases in Eliksni, nominative and accusative. All other situations where other cases like dative or genitive would be used will be done periphrastically using prepositions and such. I was inspired by the lack of gendered third-person-pronoun in Mando'a, which is why there is one pronoun to refer to someone in the third person regardless of gender. If gender absolutely need be specificed, an adjective corresponding to their gender (ie: masculine, feminine, nonbinary, etc) is used.

and that's what i've got after about a week's worth of progress! for the sake of good recordkeeping, the date at the time of writing this post is 7-12-23.

feel free leave any thoughts (but please be gentle! i'm very new to this)!

#destiny #destiny 2 #eliksni #conlang #indee's eliksni conlang adventure

51 notes · View notes

y2klostandfound · 2 years ago

Photo

Space Channel 5 on Dreamcast Arena Vol.1 (Video game magazine) (Italy, 2000)

Translation in English

RELEASE DATE: ALREADY RELEASED

PRODUCT: SEGA

DEVELOPMENT: SEGA

GENRE:MUSIC GAME

Space Channel Five is Sega's answer to all the music games released so far. Here in Italy we know a few titles of the genre, Bust a Groove or Parappa the Rapper to give an example, but in Japan music is a genre that is quite fashionable, especially in arcades (see Guitar Freaks or the latest Drum Mania, both by Konami). In this same period, the Sonic Team also jumped into this genre with the coin-op Samba de Amigo. Behind this Space Channel Five is the mastermind of the genius who produced some of the greatest driving games of all time (including Sega Rally), Tetsuya Mizuguchi. He says in an interview: "To create this game I didn't want to think of a fixed genre". In fact, SCF is a mixture of different genres, a bit of action, a bit of shooter and a lot of healthy 007 model music. One fine day, mysterious aliens, the Moroseijin (Morolians), arrive on Earth. Apparently for no reason they start making all the earthlings dance, one after the other. At this point the producer of a television station on the verge of bankruptcy takes over who, with the hope of raising the audience of his network, sends a girl named Ulala who has been working for two years at her company as a reporter. Soon Ulala will realize that she has special powers that can break the spell that forces humans to dance. Her task will therefore be to save all the earthlings from alien control and drive those "nice guys" of the Moroseijin(Morolians) from the Earth. As for the game mechanics, just think of an aerobics class. You will first have to carefully observe the movements that the Moroseijin (Morolians) perform to the rhythm of the music. Then all you have to do is repeat them, using the buttons on your controller. If you don't make a single mistake, you'll move on to the next level. As you progress, the tempo of the music gets faster and faster and the number of keys you have to press will also increase. In short, everything will become more and more messy and difficult. On the bottom right of the screen it says "listening rating". The more you dance well, the more this index will increase in percentage. There are two game modes: Dance Battle Mode and Shooting Battle Mode. The purpose of the first will be to free the earthlings from the Moroseijin (Morolians) with the magical power of dance. As you progress through the story you will face increasingly complex levels and dance to the rhythm of ever more exaggerated music. The Earthlings you save will crowd behind you and follow you everywhere dancing with you. The longer the line of people, the higher the ratings will be. In Battle Shooting Mode, Ulala will have two weapons at her disposal: a pistol to hit the aliens and a beam to save the earthlings. In the various levels, either the Moroseijin (Morolians) or the earthlings may appear in the three directions (up, right, left). For example, if three aliens appear on the right, Ulala will have to press right and three times the A button with which you use the gun. If, on the other hand, two terrestrials appear on the left, he will have to press the button B once left and twice with which the beam is used. Everything must be done to the rhythm of the music. As you progress through the missions, the button combinations will become more and more complicated. There will also be a Watch Mode in which you can study Ulala's dance moves in depth. It will be possible to rotate and zoom the shot at will. This option is essential because SCF boasts a truly remarkable number of moves and the only way to familiarize yourself with them before executing them in the actual game is precisely this Watch Mode. Graphically speaking, this Space Channel Five is pretty awesome. Both the backdrops and the costumes of the various characters seem to have come out of a Z-series science fiction film. Very suitable for a sparkling game like this. The movements of the dancers are very fluid thanks also to the use of the motion capture technique. The music is engaging and almost all of it belongs to the rock genre. A little curiosity about SCF. To choose the voice of Ulala, a pompous audition was organized in the Sega studios in which more than 600 girls participated and from which a young housewife emerged as the winner!

#space channel 5 #sega #dreamcast #ulala

38 notes · View notes

holly-fixation · 2 years ago

Text

Perfect Timing

Summary: A newly fused time materia and good intentions leads to a child Silver Soldier and a delayed mako reactor mission.

Inspired by asks to @prismaticpichu with my very own twists. Instead of Sephiroth suddenly turned into a 3 year old while surrounded by his First Class friends and puppy, he’s time turned back to a 10 year old while literally on Mount Nibel.

Made with permission.

Please Enjoy.

…

Zack, The Apprentice Puppy, turned into Zack Fair: First Class SOLDIER about two years ago. He lost so much before even making it to First. He lost his mentor. Then he lost his faith in the company he dedicated his loyalty to. Human experimentation, exploitation of mako, the useless war with Wutai, all facts he came to realize as he spent more time at the top. SOLDIER truly was a den of monsters. Angeal, his mentor, and Genesis, former First turned enemy, were proof of that. Shinra lied, manipulated, betrayed. Zack didn't even hate Genesis for going after Shinra. Even after all this time, he hoped he could get through to the Crimson Soldier. Zack childishly and innocently, he knew that's how it seemed at least, still wanted to save everyone.

That was why he was thankful to be assigned this Mako Reactor mission with Sephiroth. The Silver Soldier was impossible to contact once he locked himself in the data room of HeadQuarters. After finding out both of his closest friends were experimented on by the company he dedicated his life to, no one blamed him for the rash decision. Days, weeks, months. No one heard from him unless the mission was mandatory. Even then, Sephiroth was the best of the best, the top soldier in the company and even the world. He had the option to turn down any mission he wished as long as he could push it on another soldier.

Sephiroth couldn't reject this mission. Every member of SOLDIER was sent to every mako reactor on the planet, under threat of attack from Genesis and his army along with the extreme rise in monster attacks. Sephiroth and Zack were assigned to Nibelhiem, so that was where they went. They found an escort up the mountain range, a teenage girl named Tifa Lockhart leading two of the world's strongest soldiers and two simple cadets. Of course she had no idea one of those cadets was Cloud Strife, an old childhood friend.

The mountains threw every natural defense it had at the party of five: hordes of monsters, winding labyrinths of caves, a bridge too weak to hold them all. There was nothing they could do when the other cadet fell into the valley of sharp rocks below instead of the safe path. Sephiroth was the only one who saw the body, urging the rest of the party away from the sight. Still, they went forward, onward in their journey. Everything was unnerving and dark and concerning. Sephiroth was silently on edge with every step they took closer, but Zack was the only one who noticed. The puppy tried to keep spirits light and help his friend whenever he could, but it was difficult with Sephiroth’s desire to control the situation.

The Silver Soldier took it upon himself to take down every monster in their path, barely giving Zack a chance to respond before their enemy landed at their feet. Finally a Zuu, the massive black feathered creature of the mountains, gave Sephiroth shreds of a challenge with its incredible maneuverability. Zack wanted to help, and he had this extremely powerful Time materia he fused before the mission. Everything about it screamed the ultimate magic. Stop worked for nearly a minute. Haste lasted five. That was absolutely incomprehensible compared to the average time materia he had before. Haste was a fantastic boost for taking out annoying enemies. Zack didn't even ask or warn Sephiroth of the coming spell. Knowing the Silver Soldier, he'd adjust and take the Zuu out instantly.

However, the materia ‘glitched’, sparking an unidentifiable purple lightning from Zack’s grip. Suddenly Sephiroth was held in the gears of a white Stop spell, frozen inside as the gears glowed brighter and brighter, blinding nearly everything in sight.

Zack was the first to regain his senses, the glowing still too bright for the Zuu’s hunting eyes. The younger First immediately went to action and took down the monster while it was still stunned.

Then it got…odd. Really odd. Impossible. How does that even happen?

Tifa and Cloud stared cautiously as the light fizzled, leaving the Silver Soldier in its wake. But a few feet shorter. With a different haircut. And a wee bit younger.

…Uh oh.

This was very much not part of the plan.

It took a moment before the boy’s mind began processing the world around him. This was Sephiroth, yes, at possibly ten years old. His posture and his stance were exactly the same, but his eyes revealed his lack of understanding. He jerked in bewilderment at the entirely unexplainable surroundings. Even the sky seemed like a threat to him as he gripped the massive blade in his hands for dear life with all the strength in his little body.

Zack was the only one to approach. Both companions held their hands up in surrender and concern. “Shoot. Shoot shoot shoot- I’m so sorry-”

“Who are you?” His little voice mimicked the intense voice they all knew, but it was much higher, lacking the natural intimidation of his baritone nature.

Zack really felt bad now. There was a small part of this that was cute, seeing all of Sephiroth in a fun size package in and of itself had some adorable nature to it. A large part was sad if his theory was correct.

“I’m Zack, your friend,” He gestured to the girl and boy. “That’s Tifa and Cadet ‘Spiky’. Are you okay, Sephiroth-?”

“What’s his real name?” He never lost the bite in his voice. “Where am I?”

Zack winced in realization. Big oops. Big oops. He slowly sheathed his sword to his back as he answered carefully, “We’re on the path to Mount Nibel. On the Western Continent.”

The boy tried to hide the shock on his face.

They definitely needed to turn around. No questions asked. Zack extended a hand calmly, bending down to a knee to be closer to the boy's height. “Let’s head back to Nibelheim and rest up for a bit-”

“Where’s Hojo?” The silver child cut him off sharply.

Why was he concerned about Hojo? Zack knew there was a history between them but it went back this far? “In Midgar. He’s not coming here either.”

Little Sephiroth’s gaze actually softened a bit. Hojo wasn’t here. Hojo wasn’t here? They could see the realization run through his mind. The boy looked up to the sky again, watching how the clouds moved between the peaks of the mountain. Zack couldn’t figure out what else he was trying to determine.

“Sephiroth?”

He forced his stare to harden again. “I’m not going anywhere until I know who you are.”

Zack accepted immediately and turned to the cadet with an apologetic look. Then he returned to the boy. “I can’t tell you much about them but I can tell you who I am. I'm Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class-”

“I will be the first SOLDIER. That's not possible.”

“We met two years ago on a mission in Wutai.”

“I've never been-”

“Well, maybe not yet you haven't.”

“What are you talking about?”

Zack rubbed the back of his neck. “This is going to sound insane but,” He took a breath, “I tried to use a new time materia to cast Haste on you and it malfunctioned and now you're a child again.”

“...that’s Asinine.”

“Yeah that's how it sounds but that's exactly what happened.”

“How do you mess that up?”

“Hey if you fuse as much materia as I do, you'll see just how much weird stuff you can make.”

The boy hesitated.

Zack knew the truth was insane but Sephiroth deserved to know, even if he was only nine or ten years old. “Let's go back to the village and rest up. I'll explain everything when we're settled, okay?”

“Is this a test?”

“No, it's not a test.”

“Then why does it feel like a test?”

“Probably because it's confusing and weird.” Zack carefully stepped closer.

Sephiroth immediately straightened his blade. “Stand back.”

The dark haired First simply moved the tip away with a gloved hand, the boy’s arms shaking in silent protest. “I promise, we’re not gonna hurt you. We just wanna bring you someplace safe, and that sword’s really not your size anymore.”

“I’m not going with you without a weapon.”

Oh. If that was the main concern, that wasn’t a problem at all. Zack turned back to the cadet. “Hey, Spiky, did you bring my old sword?”

The cadet nodded, carefully unsheathing the blade from his own back. It was significantly smaller than both Masamune or the Buster Sword, only a few feet in length with a brass hilt decorated with the SOLDIER logo.

“Would you trade for that one?”

Sephiroth glared analytically at the significantly more manageable blade. “Place it on the ground, and back away.”

The cadet and guide followed the ten year old’s order.

The boy took deliberate steps while moving the tip of his blade from the First to the smaller but closer cadet, both arms required for the simple shift alone. He took a knee and realized he could not lift both blades at once. Like a snake claiming its kill, he swiftly dropped the massive blade and claimed the smaller one, arriving back on his feet before they could notice the shift. Even if he didn’t like the weight, it was clearly more maneuverable than the massive katana.

“Alright, good. That works!” Zack wasted no time and walked over for the Silver Soldier’s blade. The young soldier backed away with a deadly glare in his eyes. “Don’t worry. We’re not gonna hurt you, but you might hurt me later if I leave your sword here.”

“That’s mine?”

“Always has been, as far as I know.” Zack replaced the Buster Sword on his back with the Masamune.

His eyes followed the entire length of his supposed blade to the tip. “It’s really long.”

Both Tifa and ‘Spiky’ flinched, but Zack actually laughed.

“Come on, let’s get moving.” The only First turned to Tifa. “Lead the way.”

She nodded hesitantly before walking ahead, “Oh, r-right. Yes, follow me. I know the another way back.” They all followed, some more willing than others.

“...What’s so funny?” Sephiroth questioned as he followed at the end, still ready to attack them all if necessary, but Zack wasn’t worried at all, brushing him off with a smile.

“It’s just funny. I asked you the exact same question and you know what you told me?”

“Of course not.”

“‘Nothing can strike back if they can’t get in range. You need to be able to take anything down in one blow’. Do you know what you fought when you told me that?”

“No.”

“A behemoth,” Zack laughed. “Something tells me it’s more than that and you just don’t wanna tell me, but that’s just my guess.”

Sephiroth huffed, glancing away and regretting asking in the first place. This dark haired man was weird. This ‘First Class’ kind of reminded the silver boy of a brown haired little girl with a bow he was forced to spend time with. Maybe that was why he was willing to follow.

* * *

Battles throughout the mountain range certainly took longer with only Zack on the job. Sephiroth clearly debated joining against the monsters, but the strange world around him and the strange situation in general had the boy backing away a bit in fear. Or he was trying to find a moment to escape, despite the long, long swim to Midgar if he tried. Luckily they all made it back to the town, Zack brushing off some significant scratches but everyone else squeaky clean.

Once in the village, Zack had no choice but to put Spiky in charge of explaining the situation to the locals.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, SOLDIER operatives are waiting one more day before approaching the reactor. They will continue to protect the village within their extended time here. The situation will be cleared as soon as possible with departure tomorrow morning.” Cadet Spiky repeated this message like an answering machine, devoid of life, emotion, and answers to any questions he did not already state in his explanation.

In the meantime, Tifa helped sneak the little Sephiroth into the inn with Zack. They only claimed the boy was a lost child and that Sephiroth stayed behind to clear out more monsters. Knowing the feats of the Silver Soldier, no one questioned his ability to stay behind and decimate any monster forces. They were confused when they found any clean look at the child in a First Class uniform but received no further details on what he was. Tifa left the two SOLDIERs once they were beyond the door and out of sight, leaving to tell her father she was back for another day and any updates she could give without slipping up about the ten year old Demon of Wutai.

On the second floor of the inn, Sephiroth suddenly stopped in his tracks. Zack jumped back and searched out the same window the boy couldn't stop staring out.

“What did you see? Another dragon? Which way did it go?”

The questions seemed to snap the boy back to reality. “N-no. It wasn't a monster.” He clearly forced his gaze down. “I apologize.”

Zack brushed his unneeded apology off. “Don't worry about it. You didn't do anything wrong. But what did you see? You seemed a little lost in thought there.”

Sephiroth swallowed and let his eyes return to the landscape. “It's just… It's familiar. The mountains. And the trees.”

Zack nodded. Right, this exact moment happened before they left, but the boy before him didn't remember anything about being a SOLDIER. He tried to justify Sephiroth's feeling while also moving him toward their room, “...Deja vu's weird like that. It's nothing to worry about. It's just how it is.”

That single word jerked his attention to the First. “'Deja vu'?”

“Yeah,” Zack answered casually as he held the door open. “It's that creepy feeling you get when you think you've been somewhere before.”

“Hm.” Sephiroth didn't respond beyond a small hum, only glancing down and walking to the room. He gave a perplexed look at the three beds against the wall, the room much larger than he expected.

“What’s wrong?” Every word out of the dark haired man’s mouth left without judgment. “Oh shoot, are you hungry? Thirsty?”

“N-No.” The child met his eyes. “...Why is there more than one?”

“Oh, it's a small town, so this is kind of the entire inn.”

“That doesn't explain the single large room.”

“For heating reasons. There's only one fireplace. Can't have travelers freezing to death just because they want personal space.”

Sephiroth couldn't agree, never really bothered by temperature. He just crossed his arms in a huff.

Zack waved him over while plopping on the bed closest to the window. He gestured to the bed next to him. “Go ahead. We have a lot to talk about when you're ready.”

The boy only took half the suggestion. He stood between the two beds, refusing to show the vulnerability this SOLDIER was clearly fine with displaying. He stayed silent, not moving a muscle as he continued scanning the room for any oddities.

“Let’s start with the basics,” The man interrupted the concerned look in his eyes. “How old are you?”

Sephiroth’s arms tightened, his head shifted down a bit. “I. I don’t know.”

After waiting a moment in silence, Zack realized the boy was waiting for him to continue their discussion. If he thought Sephiroth was quiet before, the Silver Soldier was silent unless spoken to back then. “So, what's the last thing you remember? You know, before suddenly appearing here.”

He was still quiet, a calculated pause before every answer. “...I was about to sleep.”

Okay. Alright. This was going to take a while, wasn't it? Not a problem. This boy was just a lot more sheltered than the man he knew. Zack just needed to be specific. “How about, what did you do today? I know you like schedules.”

For some reason, even such a basic question hitched his breath. He turned down and away, trying to avoid any gaze from the mako blues.

“What's wrong?”

The boy's will hardened, an almost teenage defiance creeping into his voice. “Shouldn’t you know this already if you know me so well?”

“You don't talk about your childhood. Believe me, I asked. I don't know what it was but… the way you avoided it… it wasn't good.”

He went quiet, contemplating silently.

“But did something happen 'yesterday'?”

His arms tightened. “...it wasn’t a good day.”

“What happened?”

The boy shifted anxiously, gripping the tight leather of his coat. Zack's eyes still held their…emotion filled gaze. He clearly expected something different. “...why do you care…?”

“Because in this time, you're my friend.” He stated simply. The small beat allowed Sephiroth to process his words. “And you probably feel like you’ve just been kidnapped. Which is fair.”

“'Kidnapped'?”

Zack swore he always received the fastest responses when the boy didn't understand something. “Stealing a person.”

He huffed softly. “Is it still considered stealing if it’s better…?”

The black haired man's heart broke.

Sephiroth just shook his head. “I apologize. That's a useless question.”

“No question is a useless question.”

He winced, but finally, the boy sat on the bed. The extreme control in his eyes faded ever so slightly to what Zack immediately recognized as exhaustion.

“When was the last time you slept?”

He fidgeted a bit. “...Um. Last night.”

“And you suddenly appeared here before you went to bed?”

“...Yes.”

“Oh my gods, dude, go to sleep!”

Inhuman eyes stared at him immediately.

Zack actually jumped to his feet, startling the boy a bit from the movement. “I’m serious. Look, I'll sit in the hall. Just don't crawl out the window and you can have the whole room to yourself, okay?”

“What if I want to go somewhere?”

“Just let me know and I'll take you. You're not a prisoner here. I just don't want anything to happen to you.”

Those simple words warmed Sephiroth's chest. Zack could see it in the way the boy's shoulders curled in on himself.

“Look, you'll get this whole room to yourself. Set it up however's comfortable and take whichever bed you want. Bathroom's right there so you don't even have to leave. Sound good?”

Sephiroth gave a soft nod, still not looking anywhere near the SOLDIER.

“Alright.” Zack jogged backwards toward the door to continue facing the boy. “Knock three times if you need me. I'll be right here.” With another small nod from the small Sephiroth, he closed the only door to the room.

In the hallway, Zack messaged 'Spiky' on his phone, giving the cadet new orders for how to help with their new mission number one.

* * *

Gods that boy could sleep. That or he really wanted to be nocturnal.

Sephiroth only knocked long after the sky turned dark, and Zack opened the door to a perfectly uniformed Silver Soldier. He almost looked like he was dressing-up as his favorite hero, even though he literally was said hero. The entire room behind him was comically clean, even cleaner than it was when they checked into the inn two nights ago. Every bedspread had perfect corners and symmetrical pillows, each one practically a copy of the other. The curtains were drawn, and not a speck of dust littered the floor. What did he clean with? Where did the dust even go?

None of this changed the simple fact that Sephiroth was still a pre-teen.

“Hey, Sephiroth,” Zack called in a slightly concerned but mostly casual voice. “Did you sleep well?”

“What time is it?”

Zack shrugged. “Eh. 2200 hours.”

His eyes widened before they fell in disappointment. “Oh. I apologize.”

“You've literally been dragged to the future. Well, basically. Either way you completely deserve a day of rest.”

“I'm not supposed to rest. I'm supposed to be perfect.”

Zack placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and Sephiroth flinched immediately, but he didn't try to attack or move. Zack slowly let go, releasing the boy carefully after realizing his mistake. He did not mean to startle him. “You're more than perfect. You're human. And that matters so much more.”

Sephiroth's brows turned in confusion and sadness. Zack's message didn't make sense.

“Now come on. Let's get you some grub.”

The boy shifted awkwardly, a small pout forming on his adolescent features. “Can't I just eat it here?”

“Uh, no,” Zack gave a kind smile in return and a small chuckle. “Spiky's really helping us out with this. We're going to him.”

Now his gaze hardened. “Who is he.”

“I'll tell you when we get there. Come on.”

Sephiroth followed a respectable distance behind the First as they traveled across the small town. It was weird, but different, seeing the world like this. And the sky. The boy stopped in his tracks around the water tower. Zack turned back and saw exactly why.

His cat-like eyes twinkled in reflection of the stars above them.

Zack gave a light hearted chortle. “Yeah, can't get a view like this in Midgar.”

“They're beautiful...” The boy spoke breathlessly. And he was right. The way the legs of the galaxy arched across the sky in celestial blues and greens could capture anyone, or even make them think of their place in the universe.

Zack allowed the boy a few minutes to just look, watching for any villagers that may question who the boy was. However, with the monsters along with their backwater town culture, most citizens already checked in for the night.

He just looked so happy. The First let him enjoy the moment until his stomach growled.

“Alright, come on. The stars aren't going anywhere. I promise.”

This time he really did pout as he followed the suggestion, walking behind Zack into a small home.

Apparently, this was Spiky's home. And Spiky's real name was Cloud Strife. For reasons Sephiroth could not understand, Cloud did not want to be recognized by anyone in the village. The nickname 'Spiky' was Zack's way of honoring the request. Thus, the silver soldier followed into their home and remained unseen under the promise of a meal. Cloud's mother, Claudia, couldn't resist the sight of the tiny war hero, making jokes about the abnormality of the situation and just how small Sephiroth used to be. Sephiroth quietly dealt with her comments, waiting for his single meal to appear in front of him.

But what was that smell? It was really, really different. Not bad, but why was it like that?

“Here, I know this is all you've been waiting for,” Claudia joked as she filled a bowl with some kind of liquid-esc meal from a pot.

He didn't say anything, analyzing the strange substance as she placed the bowl in front of him.

“It's a Nibel Deer stew,” She explained with a kind smile. “One of Cloud's favorites ever since he was a little boy. It’s perfect for a growing boy like you.”

Though her words were clearly intended to be kind, the boy glanced at the cadet for confirmation. The cadet stood shorter than the First. He didn't say anything, but Cloud glanced down in embarrassment at the realization.

Sephiroth looked back down at the bowl, confused by the various islands within the liquid. They were so many different colors, most cubic or spherical. Again, it was different. “...What's in this?” He asked curiously.

“Oh, just some venison, carrots, potatoes, onions, a few spices, and a bit of wine for the broth.”

Zack leaned over to Cloud and whispered, “Do you think he'll like it?”

“We didn't have any pasta so we'll just have to see…” The cadet looked away, clearly embarrassed.

Another confused countenance claimed his face before he began poking the islands. They didn't act the way he expected either, piercing from the soft pressure of a spoon rather than bouncing in gelatinous rebellion. “...you added wine to a meal?”

“Yes! Wine is good for flavor. And don't worry, you can't get drunk off of cooked wine.” Claudia's small town banter and soft joking shake of the boy's shoulder made Cloud hide his face in his scarf.

Sephiroth, like a nervous kitten, slowly scooped one cube of meat in half and took it to his mouth. Then he chewed, and time ticked by. He still chewed, contemplating, discovering, deciding. The intense silence bore into all the bystanders.

“Sir, I apologize for the lack of pasta, but I promise if you just give it a shot-”

Sephiroth devoured the plate before the mother could even finish her statement. Silence claimed them except for scraping of the spoon against the bowl, clearly debating deep in his mind.

Zack didn't even know what to say, but Claudia took over again.

“Oh I'm so glad you like it!” Her voice rang full of joy but Sephiroth gave her a nearly pleading look between glances of the remaining broth. Was he debating whether or not to lick the bowl? “Do you want more?”

“Yes please,” came his simple but by far his fastest response since he suddenly lost his years. He even held his bowl out with a kitten-like beg in his eyes.

Zack let out a hearty laugh, taking the bowl and handing it to the blonde mother. Claudia just couldn't wipe the proud smile off her face at the boy's enjoyment. She didn't mind a single bit when he polished off the entire pot. The poor boy didn't speak much, but his enjoyment remained undeniable. It took all the mother had not to pitch his cheeks and call him out for how cute he truly was.

* * *

The next morning, waking with the rising sun to begin the escort, a single command was decided immediately, no word from HQ able to change their mind even if HQ was informed in the first place. Sephiroth was still a child and showed no sign of returning to his true age any time soon. The only change he mentioned were weird dreams of being 'called' to something, a woman with blue skin and red eyes. Odd? Yes. Worth delaying even longer? No. But Zack couldn't afford to push the mission back with the sake of the townspeople at stake, so he came up with a plan using the only other Shinra employee he arrived with. The first half of said plan was Zack and Tifa going to the reactor alone. Yes it was more dangerous with only the two of them, and Tifa mainly hid during every battle under Zack's direct order, but knowing that the bridge was out allowed Tifa to map out the most efficient path from the start. This time, Zack left his time materia behind, and they finally arrived at the reactor.

“Alright, come on in,” The First immediately suggested as he walked ahead.

“Wait, I can go in?” Tifa grew confused.

“Yes. Why wouldn't you?”

“The cadet said it was ‘full of Shinra secrets’,” She mocked in the cadet’s tone before continuing, “and I should wait outside once we got here.”

“And under normal circumstances, he'd be right. But I'm not leaving you in monster infested mountains by yourself. That's a horrible idea!”

She gave a soft nod and followed inside, the stench of mako overwhelming and dizzying. Now Zack took the lead, guiding them to what should be the control room, but it had all these strange pods along with the valves and gauges he needed to fix. Zack quickly ran through his mental checklist of what to fix, starting with sealing the valves. As he did, Tifa noticed the stairs in the center and saw the marquee over the top door.

“Uh, Zack?”

“What's up?”

“Do you know what 'Jenova' is?”

My mother's name was Jenova. She died shortly after I was born. Sephiroth's true voice, the baritone the planet could recognize, ran through Zack's mind. He looked up and suddenly made a connection he should have known earlier. 'Jenova cells'. 'The Jenova Project'. 'Jenova'. He felt something shift in the air, a slight change that spelled doom.

A black feather.

Oh no. Genesis.

Zack jumped in front of Tifa and shielded her from the sudden fire spell with his body. He fell to the ground with a yell and she kneeled at his side to help him.

Then it came, floating down from above, the owner of the feather, the Crimson SOLDIER First Class with his degrading body and his unchangeable goal. “Well well. What's the little puppy doing here on his own?”

“Genesis… So you are alive…”

A contempt filled smirk was the only response to the First's realization. “I suppose I am. Where's Sephiroth? He was assigned to this mission, was he not?”

“...He's a little under the weather…” Zack mumbled in pain, but the look in Tifa's eyes revealed both her own fear and the half truth out of the Soldier's mouth.

“I'm not in the mood to play, puppy,” venom dripped from his words.

“I'm not exactly wrong.” Zack stumbled to his feet with the girl's help.

Genesis sighed. “Fine. If you want to waste my time, then you need to keep me entertained.” His red blade glowed at the ready.

Zack immediately told Tifa to stand back and drew the Buster Sword.

But the First failed.

A few parries that were too late. A few dodges and blocks that just weren't good enough. Magic negated, injuries growing on their skin. Each only needed to inflict more severe injuries on the other to decide a victor.

And by all the gods was the wrong victor chosen.

Genesis launched Zack against the wall, and the black haired boy fell with all air stripped from his lungs. Tifa ran to his side yet again to try to help him up.

“Where is Sephiroth?” The Crimson Soldier questioned before throwing another fire spell straight into the First, Zack falling again with a yelp of pain as Tifa yelped once in horror. “Tell me or I will destroy this useless town right now.”

“He's at the inn!”

“Tifa! No!” Zack tried to stop her but she couldn't watch her home be destroyed, not if it only took a few words to save it.

“Where?” Genesis questioned.

“The one in Nibelheim! Right by the water tower! Just take Sephiroth and leave!”

Though Genesis had little intention of following her lead, he did turn towards the exit. “If this is a trick, your people will burn.”

“It's not a trick! He's with a Shinra security officer at the inn in the center of town! Cadet Spiky!”

Degrading mako eyes turned to the SOLDIER. “Is this the truth, puppy?”

“If you dare touch him-” Zack growled through bloody teeth, but Genesis cut him off with a hand in the air.

“Protective of Sephiroth now, are you?” At first, the man couldn't help but mock, yet he quickly grew serious. “Regardless, I have no plans to harm him. He is the key, the perfect monster made from Jenova's cells. He's the answer to degradation, after all this time. There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess. Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds...” With a verse from the poem dictating his life, the one winged man in red flew through the corridors and out of the reactor.

Zack pushed himself up, Tifa attempting to support, as he looked up to the nameplate above the door. “Tifa,” He handed her an enhanced fire materia, “take this and break down that door…”

“Y-You're not mad?”

“Whatever's behind that door is more important… We have to get rid of the source…”

She took the materia as the soldier regained his strength, running up the stairs and trying to open the door normally. But it was sealed. Fire glowed in her hand as she casted and casted to break it down, only gaining a red glow in response instead of the collapse they needed. She was no mage, but she had the strength to keep trying.

Eventually, Zack placed a hand on her shoulder as he stepped forward. He unsheathed the Buster Sword and launched forward, cutting the weakened metal clean in half.

On the other side, they found a humanoid machine with metal wings connecting it to the walls. They destroyed the doll, the lights activating and revealing a woman-like body with blue skin and one glowing red eye.

“Oh my gods…” Zack mumbled in both horror and realization, everything clicking into place as he read the nameplate screwed into the forehead of the monster: J-E-N-O-V-A.

* * *

The second part of their initial plan was leaving Sephiroth with Cloud in the inn, Masamune resting nearby until her true owner was ready. They were not to leave except for finding meals. Sephiroth could not be spotted like this, lest they be hit with heavy repercussions due to media outlash and viral questions. He needed to be himself again before rumors truly spread. Luckily, their time together wasn't terrible. Perhaps the stew from the previous night made the boy feel a little closer to the cadet, and Sephiroth began talking about his life. Cloud always looked up to Sephiroth, the war hero, so he wasn't going to miss the opportunity to learn more about him.

“Life seems… quiet, in this town,” Sephiroth observed with a small mumble, glancing out the curtains in short increments at a time.

“Not a lot happens here,” Cloud forced his voice steady, still a bit nervous talking to his hero even under the current circumstances. “Midgar's much more exciting.”

“...is it?” The boy seemed hollow, and Cloud glanced at him in confusion. “I wouldn't know. I'm not allowed in the city.”

“Well… where can you go?” The blonde tried to keep the conversation going casually. Tried.

Now any silence before his answers weren't awkward, they were just a result of the boy developing answers. “...My room. The exam room. The training room. …'their' room…” Sephiroth caught the look in Cloud's eyes. “Where did you go here?”

The cadet picked up on these silent requests quickly. Eye for an eye. Information for information. It felt less like an interrogation that way. “Usually we stayed within the town square. I spent more time in the woods and the mountains when I got older.” Now more questions were allowed. “Who’re 'they'?”

Sephiroth's enhanced eyes fell. “...Aerith and Ifalna. Hojo said they're special, like me.”

“Wait, 'Aerith'?”

Inhuman eyes met pure blue ones. “Yes.”

“Isn't that Zack's girlfriend?”

“...that seems unlikely. He never mentioned a 'girlfriend' to me. And she's younger than me. That's weird.”

Cloud took out his phone and started searching through his messages. “Well, remember, you're a lot older than ten right now. You're older than Zack.”

“I am?”

Cloud nodded. “By a couple of years at least.” He walked over and handed the boy his phone. “Here. This is a photo of Aerith and Zack. He sent it to me after this mission was announced.”

On the screen was a photo clearly taken by a third party. Zack and the girl were sitting on a bench in a stone building. Zack had an arm around her shoulder, her brown hair draped over her shoulder in a spiral braid. They were smiling, and her planet green eyes shown like emeralds against the pink of the bow in her hair.

“That's her…” He was breathless, grabbing the phone tightly for a better view. “That's definitely her.” He turned to Cloud instantly like an owl, his eyes wide and desperate. “How is she? Is she okay?”

Cloud held his hands up in surrender. “I don't know- I think so. Zack's the best person to ask.”

He looked at her image with pain and regret. “Last I saw her, I… I hurt her… I'm glad to hear she's okay…”

“What happened?” Cloud asked hesitantly.

His hands were shaking, his eyes glazed. “We were playing, but I was tired… I fell asleep and she let me… I think she was singing and I hate singing but I was too tired to care… and then… I…” He went quiet.

The blonde held out his hand in offering, the silver child closed the phone and handed it over. He carefully, very carefully, tried to touch the boy's arm in comfort, but he was jerked away.

“I didn't mean to… I didn't want to… I was just so scared and-”

“Sephiroth-”

“It was just a nightmare- it was just a nightmare but it felt so real-”

“Sephiroth, it's okay-”

“Red eyes and blue skin- It grabbed me and I had to fight it- I had to-!”

Moving on pure instinct, Cloud grabbed Sephiroth's arms and threw caution to the wind, a command he didn't even know he was capable of leaving his throat, “SEPHIROTH, LOOK AT ME!”

The Silver Soldier froze, his eyes slowly clearing as he stared at the blonde in surprise. Reality began setting in just before an unseen force pierced into his skull. “I'm sorry- I'm sorry- Ah-!” Gloved hands flew into his silver hair as he tried to back away.

Cloud tried to keep him close, scanning him for the source. “What is it? What's wrong?!”

“My head-!” He yelped, gripping and pulling in a useless attempt to rip out the pain. “It burns! Everything burns!” He pushed Cloud back, stumbling back to avoid the cadet.

Then something broke through the window, and Cloud jumped and wrapped himself around the boy in protection, his shirt ripping from the shards but his body protected by armor. Both the blonde and a horribly wincing Sephiroth scanned for the projectile, their eyes landing on a single brass bullet.

Oh no. Another monster attack?

The cadet guided the young soldier to a bed before rushing to a window.

Now Sephiroth was grabbing his arms, trying to fight this flaming distraction with pathetic groans and grunts. “W-what happened?”

Cloud ripped the curtains out of the way just in time to see a winged man in a red coat enter straight through the door of the inn. There was no time to leave. “Ready your weapon and face the door. Something's coming.”

The silver soldier unsheathed his blade and the cadet readied his rifle. Both trained their eyes on the entrance as it opened far too casually, but Sephiroth's right hand remained gripping the main source of his phantom pain.

In walked the Crimson Soldier, his red hair leaking with grays and his back cursed with a single, crooked black wing. He brushed off his black pauldrons. “You know, this town isn't very friendly to outsiders.”

“Commander Rhapsodos?” Cloud didn't even realize he recognized the red headed First through his filter of degradation.

“Ah, you must be Cadet Spiky.”

Cloud glared away. “It's Strife.”

“Alas, I do not care,” Genesis brushed him off before drawing his blade, gesturing to both the cadet and the unclaimed Masamune. “Now where's Sephiroth?”

The child stepped forward, and Genesis almost laughed.

“You might be a cute cosplayer, but stand down, child.”

“I. Am. Sephiroth,” the pained boy countered through gritted teeth. “What do you want.”

The specific crack of the child's voice sparked a memory to the forefront of his mind. “Goddess…” He scanned the boy sharply, but every detail told him the truth. “Answer me this, what do you eat for every meal?”

The boy hesitated, his wincing only growing. “I…? Food…? The meat's not that bad…?”

Only known to the Crimson Soldier, those were the exact words Sephiroth used when they first met in Wutai, right before he promptly stole and threw the barely recognizable 'food' and cooked the Silver Soldier a proper meal with an old friend. “You poor thing… I do regret having to ask, but I don't have enough time left. I need your help, Sephiroth.”

Sephiroth stumbled back with a sudden scream, clawing at his own head.

Genesis stepped forward, trying to coax the boy, but Cloud actually backed away. Something was wrong. Very very wrong.

His caution was proven justified when Sephiroth savagely attacked. The ambush caught the Crimson Soldier off guard, each of the boy's feral slashes going straight through every defense, never ending screams leaving the boy's throat. Sephiroth was desperate, lashing, clawing, chopping anything in range as he cried out despite the lack of any injuries suffered.

“Stop it! Stop it! Make it stop! Don’t let me die!” The boy kept yelling utter nonsense as he tore through the man directly in front of him. His inhuman eyes glowed bright red.

That sudden, desperate strength somehow overpowered the degrading SOLDIER. Genesis retreated before he was killed.

Cloud watched the pain and terror that consumed Sephiroth fade slowly. Only a few minutes after the escape, the boy fell to his knees, gripping his heart and sobbing softly as tears ran down his cheeks. Cloud carefully approached, barely tiptoeing to not spook the boy.

His panicked breaths never stopped, his arms held tightly to his chest as he rocked back and forth. “W-what's happening…? What happened…? I… I…”

The blonde knelt down slowly and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, but he instantly found himself trapped in the child's embrace.

“I'm so alone…” He just kept repeating that single sentence as he pulled closer. “I'm s-so alone…”

His heart seized. Cloud felt his arms wrap tighter around the boy, around his hero. “You're not alone… You're not alone, Sephiroth… We're with you… We're here…”

* * *

Zack and Tifa returned an hour after Genesis left. Sephiroth had passed out in Cloud's arms, and Cloud eventually got the boy into one of the beds. At this point, Cloud's helmet was off, and Tifa absolutely saw him. There was a lot of explaining to do, first revealing everything that happened in their short time at the reactor before accepting that it was time for the truth. Despite his embarrassment, the two teens left the room to the two real SOLDIERs.

When Sephiroth woke, this constant worry and discomfort seated itself in his chest. Zack said nothing, but he recognized the timeline of events and each sudden shift in the boy's tone and pain connected directly with the body of Jenova. No, they didn't speak of the afternoon.

They spoke about Aerith.

“You know Aerith?! You never told me you knew her!”

The boy in front of him kind of shrugged.

“Right, of course. Sorry. What did you two do?”

“We were…forced to play together? It was weird.”

“Come on! Let's try to talk to her.”

“How?” His eyes went wide.

“On the phone!” Zack showed off the same device Cloud had before. “You can talk to anyone else with a phone at any time! Just gotta make sure the call goes through.”

He gave an awkward nod, but he was grateful for the distraction nonetheless.

Zack quickly dialed a number and crossed his fingers he prayed for a ring. The necessary purring finally went through and the joy on his face was undeniable.

Sephiroth guessed Zack and Aerith's joy were a perfect fit.

“Hello?” A woman's voice came through the device. She was definitely older than he remembered if this was truly the same Aerith.

“Hey Aerith, it's me,” He couldn't hide his toothy grin.

“Zack?! Yay! You finally got through!”

“I did. I told you I would. And I have so much to tell you, but first I have a surprise for you.”

“For me?”

Sephiroth gripped at his long coat in a pathetic effort to ease his nervousness.

“Yup yup! An old friend.”

“So far away?”

Zack nodded, though obviously she could not see it. “Right again! Well, I already knew him a little but I didn't know he knew you. The last time you saw him, you were probably…” He scanned Sephiroth's form and did a few quick calculations in his head, “six? Maybe seven?”

“Now who could you meet that knew me that long ago?” They could clearly hear the smile in her voice.

Zack chuckled. “Well, funny story. Had a bit of an oopsie with time materia earlier, so now they're really young, but they still remember you!”

“So there's no way I could guess?”

“Not a chance. I'm gonna put him on speaker, okay?”

“Alright.”

Zack hit a button and held the device flat in front of them before nudging Sephiroth a bit. “Alright, this is him!”

The boy curled a bit, trying to hide from his own anxiety. “...Um… H-hi, Aerith. It's probably been a long time for you... Um… D-do you. Remember me?” Good gods he stuttered more speaking to this girl than he did through his entire time here.

There was a pause on the line.

“...Waaaait… is your hair made of metal stars?”

That strange comment actually made him sigh in relief, clearly an inside joke or an old memory. “That's me.”

“Sephiroth?!”

He nodded. “Y-yes.”

“Zack, what did you do to him?! He sounds like a child!”

“Time materia,” Zack gave the simplest explanation. “He's about ten years old and doesn't remember anything after that. We're kinda waiting for it to wear off.”

“You need to be more careful with your synthetic materia.”

“How did you know that?”

“You showed me the high jump-frog one!”

He did, in fact, fuse Jump materia and Transform materia for fun to see what would happen. “Okay, you got me there. But talk to him! He seems really worried about you.”

“Wait, worried?” There was a pause. No one on either side tried to fill it. “…Oh. You haven't gone to Wutai yet.”

Sephiroth nodded, unable to read the emotion she responded with. “I'm still in training.”

“How's it going?”

“Th-the same.”

“Are you sleeping better?”

His throat hitched. She knew. Of course she knew. He was the only one with missing memories. “...Aerith, I'm so sorry-”

“Sephiroth, it's okay. We were okay. I just wanted to know for sure if they treated you better. And don't worry, you apologized right before you left for Wutai.”

“I see you again?”

“Mhm. So don't screw it up, okay?”

It was a little more mature, but every word she said gave him the same butterflies in his stomach. “I won't. …um… how are you?”

Another audible smile. “I'm good. I have a garden in a church in the slums where I grow those flowers I told you about.”

His lips curled in an unintentional smile. “Can I see them one day?”

“Of course! Please do! I promise, they're not going anywhere.”

His smile slowly faded as his final question popped into his head. “And how's Ifalna?”

Zack gave him a confused look and the moment between her answer was shadowed.

“She passed away years ago.”

His inhuman eyes grew wide with guilt.

“It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault at all.”

He stared down, grabbing his arm like a vice.

“Zack, did you tell him about our flower cart?”

The dark haired man immediately took control of the conversation, pulling it away from the dark despair pit. “I haven't! Hold on, I have pictures and I swear every single part of this cart has its own story.”

Zack's puppy-like energy seeped some joy back into the silver child, and their joyous reunion lasted hours into the night.

* * *

The next morning, the Silver Soldier finally returned to his full age and glory. Zack watched him rise and gave a little bit of space before gesturing to the waiting Masamune. Sephiroth lifted her without a word, but there was this discomfort that persisted through the transition. A loneliness.

“How are you feeling, buddy?”

Sephiroth took a deep breath and scanned up his blade, many beats ticking by as he thought of a response, before saying a command Zack never expected to hear. “...Be kind to her, Zack.”

Zack didn't resist the urge to hug his friend. “I will be. I promise.”

The phantom hollowness in Sephiroth's heart filled just a bit when he wrapped his arms around the boy in return.

Thanks for reading!

Author's note: I still don't know how to write Genesis so you might just be getting Ardyn with Loveless quotes even though I haven't written Ardyn before. I also may have imagined the Zuu from XV and not VII while writing this. Oopsie lol.

It is very hard for me to avoid Jenova when in Nibelheim so I hope you enjoyed this new take on the usual mess!

#ffvii #ff7 #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 #crisis core #ff7 crisis core #sephiroth #zack fair #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #genesis rhapsodos #claudia strife #aerith gainsborough #jenova

30 notes · View notes