#tonight it's cosmo canyon!

[lavellenchanted]

I'm with you.

[villainshit]

Yokohama Final Fantasy VII Rebirth orchestra tonight!! It was a lot of fun and we were allowed to take photos at the end so I did!

Seeing Cosmo Canyon and Gold Saucer performed live was pretty much a dream. The overworld medlies were really fun! Galian Beast was GREAT with the choir especially.

Going again tomorrow but in cosplay, more pics then!

[praesparo]

〆 —  @eueclid  ,    ❝ i don't feel like being alone tonight.  ❞

                    poisoned hues lingered on her vulnerable state, almost trembling as her tone burrows its way into his chest. it stung, filling his veins with fire & confusion. he knew what he wanted to say, how he felt, he was just confused on why he couldn't say it sooner ... or easier. the ex-soldier turned his body away from the door, heading back towards the bar. ❝ then i'll stay. why don't you close up early? i've got a craving for one of those cosmo canyons.  ❞

[holly-fixation]

An Instinct To Protect: Part 2

Summary: Hojo successfully bred Sephiroth without the soldier's knowledge or consent. Sephiroth took the child and ran from Shinra. Now, years later, he could finally begin settling down. He didn't expect his child to be any different from him, just a young creature with high strength and intelligence.

He was wrong. Extremely wrong. 

Inspired by this post by @altocat with many of my own twists

...

Shinra agreed to a ceasefire with the Silver Soldier. It took the former Firsts and the company three years to solidify the terms and conditions, but Sephiroth and his friends were finally free of their grasp. After the encounter in the forest, the father took up camp in the colorful canyon on the western continent. It took time to convince the people of Cosmo Canyon that he meant no harm and would bring no harm. He just wanted a safe place to raise his daughter, and options were thin regarding towns and cities out of Shinra's control. Planetology never interested the company, so this canyon was the perfect place. 

For the first year, he purchased an extended stay from the only inn he could find. He would leave Nova there during the day with her own key while he made money through hunts. Whether he hunted monsters in the open lands or the soldiers that searched for him depended on the day. At night, he’d bring her out of the canyon and train her until her bed time. She wasn't afraid of the dark, but she was afraid of being alone at night. Sephiroth stayed with her in their tent until she fell asleep then left to continue his hunts. Some nights, Nova woke up to the clanging of his blade and the roars of monsters, but it didn’t bother her. She knew he could protect her. She knew he was protecting her. 

By the second year, the people of the canyon believed he would not do any harm and allowed them both a small home, but the canyon's protector followed him everywhere with a growl, his flaming tail flicking in a silent threat. However, Nova found the proud beast absolutely adorable. Poor Nanaki was not prepared for her constant badgering for rides and answers to questions. He brought these bouts of harassment to the elder of the canyon, but the old man laughed lightly and informed the teen-like protector that she was merely looking for someone to spend time with. Sephiroth was silently grateful when he found the lion-like beast walk his daughter to tire her out, as backwards as it was to have a beast walk a child and not the other way around. Other days he found himself hiding a smirk, especially when he found her completely passed out in his red fur as Nanaki carried her home. 

Finally after three years, with Nova just over five years old, the ceasefire was signed. They could finally live in the canyon in some semblance of peace. Angeal and Genesis visited regularly, and Nova practically and sometimes literally bounced with joy when they were around. 

“Angeal Angeal Angeal! Are you gonna cook tonight?!” Nova's excitement greatly increased her volume as she hugged his leg. 

He gave her a small smirk and ruffled her hair. “Yes, I am. Do you have any suggestions?”

She shook her head like a wet dog. “You always make good food. I trust you!”

Genesis squinted at her playfully, flicking his head dramatically in a scoff. “You always have an opinion when your father or I cook.”

“Don't bring me into this,” Sephiroth countered with his usual emotionless tone, but they could all see his little smirk.

She gave a little shrug. “Sometimes it's nice to be surprised?”

“Are you asking me?” Genesis gave her a challenging glare but she gave one right back. “I get that your father's a bad cook but what did I do?”

Nova glared sharply and let go of Angeal. “Father's cooking is just fine.”

The red head rolled his eyes with a soft smirk before suddenly scooping her up. Her size and age did not phase him. He lifted her with ease as his little way of spoiling her. She pouted at him for his comment but also rested her head right on his shoulder. He gently petted her waterfall of silver hair and watched her resolve loosen as she settled against him. “Looks like somebody's ready for an afternoon nap.”

She groaned against his red coat and stirred slightly. It was the only piece of his old uniform he kept after leaving the company, and she liked the texture. “No…” Her mumble earned her a small squeeze. “I don’t wanna go…”

Of course she didn't want to go to bed; all her favorite adults were here. 

“Then maybe Genesis can hold you through your nap. Does that sound good?” Her father suggested. 

However, her sleep staining mind only registered one word. “Genesisisisis…”

They all hid a little chuckle at her enjoyment of the name. He adjusted her weight for a more comfortable position then waited until her breathing slowed. “Look at her,” He whispered. “All tuckered out.”

“She's been going non stop since we arrived. She's like a little puppy.”

Nova let out a little yawn before nuzzling into the fabric.

“Are the townsfolk still weary of you?” Angeal chose to continue their earlier conversation.

The former silver soldier nodded. “About half of them are, but they accept Nova like she’s one of their own.”

“Last I checked, they’re concerned about your training as well.”

“A bit. But I will not leave her without the skills to defend herself.”

“Fair enough. Any new problems with Shinra?”

He shook his head. “Not since the ceasefire. As long as we stay within the canyon’s territory, they agreed to avoid any attacks on the town and Nova.” He watched Genesis give his daughter a confused look. “Is something wrong?”

His red brows were completely knotted in bewilderment as he scanned her body. “Does she usually vibrate?”

Now it was their turn to grow perplexed expressions. “What?” Sephiroth questioned flatly. 

Genesis leaned his head down and pressed an ear to the side of her ribs. “I think she’s… purring?”

The silver haired man assumed the soft rumbling was just the pipes or from a motor outside, not his little girl.

“Here. Let me see her,” Angeal suggested with open arms and a gesture of his hands. 

Genesis gave his oldest friend a glare. “She doesn’t like it when you hold her.”

“She’s asleep. She won’t know.”

He huffed softly before adjusting the child. She fussed a bit as she was transferred, trying to rest her head on Angeal’s shoulder but flinching away from the prickly nature of his beard. Once she settled, Angeal felt it too. “She…is. She definitely is.”

Sephiroth decided to test something. “Nova?”

His call made her stir with a small murmur. 

“Nova.”

She made a little noise before rubbing her eyes, her internal motor stopping before she even adjusted her eyes to the light.

“Are you alright?”

She nodded.

“Do you feel anything odd?”

She shook her head. “Just sleepy…” When her father didn’t ask another question, she requested, “Can I go back to Genesis…?”

Sephiroth didn’t even answer before Genesis yoinked her into his arms and sat back on the couch. Instead of fighting or pouting, she snuggled against him and fell right back to sleep. Her purrs returned. He petted her hair to pull her farther into the realm of dream.

“Well,” Angeal started before looking at the father, “It doesn’t seem to bother her.”

“I believe she doesn’t know it’s happening.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not necessarily. But she only purrs when you two are here. She doesn’t make that sound without you.”

Genesis held his free hand to his heart. “Then we’re honored.”

Sephiroth rolled his eyes softly at his friend’s joke, but he couldn’t stop his rushing thoughts. “I want to test something.” Without explaining, he stood and left the hotel room. Sure enough, as her father traveled away, her purring lessened and ultimately stopped. When he returned, he suggested Angeal leave for a moment, just to confirm. Sure enough, her sounds faded to nothing as he left. When he returned, so did they. 

How did she produce such inhuman sounds? Why didn’t she notice? And why did she only purr with all three of them in the room?

“What does that mean?” Angeal thought aloud. 

“Perhaps she’s just happiest when we’re all together,” Genesis suggested as she tugged on his coat innocently. He adjusted the leather around her and she curled into the red cocoon, another soft yawn leaving her lips as she slept against his shirt.

Sephiroth prayed that his friend’s simple reasoning was true. 

* * * 

A couple days later, Nova could not hide her excitement for her first quest. Her father let her go hunting with Genesis in the canyon. If she could accomplish this, then she could finally aid her father. She could finally fight alongside him as she was always meant to. At least, she was told that by a vague memory of a horrible man in a white coat. 

She literally ran ahead of Genesis in search of prey. She wanted to be the absolute best she could, even though her father wasn't watching. He always had an eye on her during training, especially with the small monsters. Now, they were looking for a big one: a griffin. She was simultaneously excited and terrified. She needed to gather five of its feathers for the village healer. Sadly the remainder of the beast was inedible, so her true goal was to carry as many quills as she could in order to stock the clinic as much as possible.

However, nothing went according to plan. 

Multiple monsters ambushed them, each far too strong for Nova to damage with her current skill. For her sake, Genesis shifted his full attention to the battle before him. He didn’t see that she spotted a griffin. He didn’t see her try to take it down on her own, only to chase the injured creature as it fled. He only saw her run into the Ancient Forest alone. 

“Nova, come back!” He yelled his command as he dashed after her, but she either did not hear him or truly believed she could defeat the creature. He couldn’t track her within the trees, his enhanced hearing only working against him as every creature in the forest completely drowned her footsteps. He kept calling her name as he moved deeper and deeper into the unknown, until he heard her scream. Genesis’ heart sank as he rushed after the sound, but again he didn’t find her upon arrival. What he did find were three Shinra security troops with their throats slit and stab wounds through their hearts. 

Nova was gone. Shinra was hunting her. This forest wasn’t within the canyon’s territory. It was free reign for battle. 

Genesis rapidly searched for any clue where she ran off to, desperately racing for his best friend’s little girl. He only hoped whatever killer instinct she unlocked could keep her alive until he found her. After wasting too much time, an idea finally hit him. Yes he would confess to losing Nova in possibly the worst case scenario, but at least they could find her. 

He would never forget the look on Sephiroth’s face when he said the phrases no parent should ever hear. “Nova’s missing. Shinra troops are after her. She’s somehow killing them, but she ran away. We need Nanaki to track her down right now.” 

Sephiroth did not say a single word to Genesis. He moved so quickly he practically teleported to the canyon’s guard and asked for aid. Nanaki sensed the urgency hidden behind his expressionless wall. The protector agreed without hesitation.

Even with Nanaki’s nose, it took an hour to discover her scent not only entered the forest, but it exited the forest. It returned to the direction of Cosmo Canyon, but she was nowhere near the home. Her scent led them to the river between the canyon and a small mountain town called Nibelheim. It didn’t take long to spot their target by the river bank, but something surrounded her. Sephiroth knew without a doubt his daughter was trapped by whatever that creature was, ensnared in a large wing of shaking ebony feathers. The creature wasn’t large but it could be deadly. Thank gods that even with his blade in his hand, he did not attack instantly. 

The wing was decorated with a confetti of white and an adhesive of red. Bones and blood. He didn’t understand what he was seeing until he got close.

It wasn’t a creature capturing Nova; it was Nova, hugging her knees with her head resting on them as she sat on the ground just before the water. Her body trembled, her blood stained sword laid at her side with dirt on the blade. The wing only curled around her, but she couldn’t control her breathing. She couldn’t control her tears even through tightly closed eyes. When she finally looked up to see them all, her left eye was glowing red.

What the hell did Hojo do to her?

“Father-” She sobbed, her hyperventilating breath tainting her voice and her thoughts. “I-I don't know what happened- I don't know how- I-”

He knelt down and put his hands on her shoulders. He knew how to calm panic. He’d done it dozens of times back in Wutai with new recruits. “Follow my breathing.”

“I didn’t mean to- I just wanted-”

“Nova.”

She let out a long whine. She was reaching for the wing at her back.

“Nova, breathe with me, alright?” He didn’t wait for her to answer before he demonstrated. 

In. One. Two. Three. Out. One. Two. Three. 

In. One. Two. Three. Out. One. Two. Three.

She watched him desperately and tried with all her might to copy him, but she couldn’t. The adrenaline running through her body left her in a panic attack-like state.

In. One. Out. One. In. One. Out. One. In. One. Out. One. In. One. Out. One. In-

She was only a bit calmer before her father dared place a hand on the newborn wing. She cried and flinched horribly, almost falling back to hide. “Don’t touch it!” The limb was tender and fresh, barely even dry. Even her own touch hurt. 

Sephiroth’s hand was drawn away long before she spoke a word. “I won’t. I apologize. We’re taking you back home, okay?”

Nova forced herself to swallow hard and gesture to the river. “There’s something out there, Father- I don’t know what but it’s there-”

The silver haired father hushed her never ending string of panic as softly as he could, but she didn’t stop.

“It came back- it came back- it came back-” She grabbed her own hair, each lock knotting around her fingers, rocking back and forth. 

Sephiroth’s hands froze. He didn’t know what to do. He only knew she needed him and he couldn’t let her stay like this. 

“We need to take her to my grandfather. He’ll know what to do,” Nanaki suggested reassuringly.

The father didn’t even remember the beast led him here with his red headed friend. He saw his auburn friend cautiously remove his iconic red coat and attempt to wrap the little girl in it. 

She tensed and couldn’t hide her cries of pain from the contact against the feathers.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” He spoke softly as he leaned down, finally pulling her attention away from her cursed sobs. “We just need to keep you safe. I’m gonna pick you up, and we’re gonna take you to get help, okay?”

She nodded with terrified tears leaving her eyes. “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?! Am I a monster?! Why am I a monster!?”

Genesis saw his friend tighten immediately at the question, all his worst fears about her breaking the surface at once. “You’re not a monster. You never have been and you never will be. I’m gonna pick you up now, okay?”

Nova nodded again yet she couldn’t stop her tainted repetition of ‘I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry’.

He carefully hid her entire body in his coat. Instead of the usual way he lifted her, he picked her up with an arm beneath her knees and the other supporting her shoulders. Her wingless side was pressed against his chest. He felt the wing trying to move under the fabric. “Are you alright, Nova?”

Another nod, but she was clearly in pain, the wing trying to wrap around her in defense but only exposing more of itself to outside touch. 

“I know. I know. I’m sorry, little one. We just need to get back to the canyon. I promise you’ll be okay. We’ll keep you safe.”

“Daddy…” She whimpered against him. 

Did she just call him…? 

Genesis looked to Sephiroth as if his friend was the angel of death from her call alone, yet the silver soldier was already on his feet and marching back to the canyon, clearing every monster in their path without hesitation. Nanaki gave the redhead an almost angry look before flicking his head toward the canyon.

* * * 

No one dared approach the party, not with the look in Sephiroth’s eyes. They scaled the canyon to the observatory at the top with ease. The only exception was Angeal joining their little party. He saw the size of the wrap in Genesis' arms and feared for the worst. Luckily, Nova's panicked breath worked to her advantage for once. The sound instantly relieved the former First, but he kept his hopes down for everyone's sake. 

The elder may not have known what was happening, but he did have a plan for it. He told Angeal to fetch the village healer and explained that it may be a stress response to Shinra. They would attempt to cure that first. 

She was terrified, but she obeyed every command they gave her. She followed the healer to the bathroom to clean her wing with only hesitant whimpers. She sat perfectly still as they analyzed and searched her for wounds. She barely blinked as they shined lights in her eyes to test for concussions.

The lab. She acted like she was in the lab. 

They gave her some kind of mixture in a small blue bottle of glass. She needed to drink it a single shot to be effective, and they expected Sephiroth to help ease it through her throat. They didn't expect the little girl to down it all at once, her only reaction was a disgusted expression on her face. Her heart, however, stayed rapid as her breathing drowned. 

“Ask her anything you need,” Bugenhagen suggested. “But be gentle. She knows what she did. Do not barrate her yet. After that, I have something to ask of you.”

They all accepted. 

“Nova,” Sephiroth called softly and though her breath was much better, she still felt fear. In this moment, the pitiful look she gave him clawed at his parental instincts. He wanted to hold her until everything was okay again. Until she smiled or laughed again. “What came back? What's across the river?”

“The woman with red eyes…” She whimpered weakly, the potions effects already showing themselves. “The one from my dreams…”

The silver soldier was ready to burn down everything past that river if it meant helping his daughter. 

“I think… She was trying to protect me…”

His brows knotted. 

“Everything went red… I don’t remember…” She couldn't focus past the medicine, her wing covering half her body like a blanket as she looked up through the feathers. “I'm sorry… I can't… I’m too… tired…” She tried to reach for him, hoping for the smallest touch. “Father…”

He never wished he understood how to give basic affection any greater than he did in that moment, her innocent eyes begging weakly as the accursed red glow faded away. He hesitantly placed his hand on the cushion near her head, and she placed her own hand on top and leaned her forehead against it, taking the single offering as a pillow for her medically induced sleep. The pained look on her face lessened but sustained. 

“When she wakes, we must focus on lowering her stress. You must do something calming with her. It can’t be too exciting, even if it makes her happy. We think the wing is a sort of survival instinct and she still feels like she’s in danger.”

“Why a wing?” Angeal asked out loud, instantly regretting the words as Sephiroth glared at him softly. 

“Hojo did this to her. Whatever he injected her with caused this. I'm sure of it.” He returned his eyes to his little girl, watching her chest rise and fall with each strained breath. “There's no sane logic behind his decisions.”

They quickly silenced.

“Angeal. Genesis. I'd like to speak with Sephiroth alone if that's possible.”

Angeal accepted the request and gave a nod before turning to the door. 

Genesis, however, stood his ground. “What do you need to talk to him about?”

“Genesis,” Sephiroth spoke calmly at first. 

“If this is about Nova, I want to hear it.”

“Then I will relay the message to you later.”

That tone silenced him. Getting any information about her condition was far more important than all of them knowing it right now.

“...Very well.” With those final reserved words, Genesis left, and Angeal followed. 

Both the elder and the silver father waited until the two friends were out of hearing distance before daring to speak to each other. 

“What happened to her?” 

Sephiroth sighed softly. “It was supposed to be a hunting trip.”

Bugenhagen took a breath. “My apologies. That’s not what I meant.”

His inhuman eyes flicked away. He knew exactly what the elder meant. “...I did not have a single part in making or raising her until I pulled her out of Midgar. She was playing with weights when I first saw her.” He glared down at the memory. “They gave me the choice to raise her. I didn’t answer. They told her I would only go see her if she was a good soldier and listened without protest.”

“Was she trained to kill?”

He shook his head. “Not anything living. She was still fighting training bots.”

“Has she killed anything living before today?”

He sighed. He already answered these questions when they first arrived, but he explained truthfully. “Yes. When hunting with my aid. Nothing more.”

The elder hummed before he spoke again, though it seemed to Sephiroth that he completely changed the topic, “I’m worried about her. And I’m worried about you. I believe you both should seek out counseling here. It may help you and prevent this from happening again.”

“I can’t stop Shinra from appearing in the forest.”

“It’s not about Shinra. Our counselors can teach the skills to regulate and deal with stress in healthy ways. It can even stop episodes like hers from happening again. At the very least, it can help her identify what they are and let her ride out the waves without crippling fear.”

He tensed. “How?”

“First they help you adjust in the moment while together you search for the deeper reason. Usually, over the course of months, you explain your anxieties or your childhood and then-”

“Absolutely not.” Sephiroth cut him off.

Bugenhagen paused before questioning cautiously. “...May I ask why not?”

He pulled his gaze away from his daughter to the floor, taking a breath before explaining as conservatively as possible, “...Speaking of my past gets people hurt. I refuse.”

The elder decided he pushed enough for one day. The man had been through enough. 

“I…” He sighed. “I’ll look into it for her.” The gaze on him softened. “I just want her to be okay.”

“That’s all any parent wants. All we can do is raise them better than we were, and hope for the best.”

* * * 

When she awoke, her rapid breath and the fear deep in her heart returned to a significantly lesser extent than before. Sephiroth had stayed with her through her entire rest, and watching her panic return stung his chest. However, he had a plan, with permission he already obtained from Bugenhagen. The elder warned him not to speak of whatever happened to her until she was ready. If she chose to speak, he could listen until her fear returned, but he could not ask questions or prod into her just yet. She needed this unnatural panic attack to stop first. 

When her eyes finally focused on her father, he offered his hand again. “Come with me.”

She grabbed his hand as they both stood up. “Where are we going? Where's Genesis? I need to apologize-”

“We'll meet with them later,” He led her to the door, but she kept rapidly searching the room. 

“Where's grandpa Bugenhagen?” She was hanging out with Nanaki too much if that's what she called him. 

“By the bonfire with Nanaki. Don't worry about them right now,” He spoke as softly as he could.

“Where are we going?”

Pity claimed his expression for only half a second. She usually didn't ask him questions until their tasks were usually complete. She was scared of what would happen, needing to know if she would be safe. “Just outside. I promise you'll like it.”

“What's outside?”

Sephiroth simply held the door open, and she left through the open path. 

Nova immediately checked her surroundings, searching for any and every threat of the terrain, but at the top of the canyon there was nothing. The only items that seemed out of place were the thick blanket with two pillows on top laying on the ground. 

“Look up,” Sephiroth gave his only command. 

When her head tilted to the sky, she couldn't help but gasp. The sun was long gone, and the stars of the galaxy made themselves visible once again. Yet here, at the top of the canyon, she could almost make out the color of each one. It was breathtaking, a perfectly clear night with a new moon, not a single disturbance in the sky. 

Sephiroth put a hand on her shoulder and one carefully on her wing. She jerked away at first, but she didn't feel any pain. “Is it better?”

She touched the feathered limb with pokes, grabs, and light smacks. It didn't hurt anymore. She sighed in slight relief. “Much better. Much much better.” 

He watched the slightest calm in her eyes fizzle to despair that the limb still existed in the first place. Tears welled in her lids as she looked at it, so her father gave her a gentle tap on the shoulder before gesturing to the blanket. “Go get comfortable.”

She nodded hesitantly, trying to swallow her emotion as she headed over. She always had too much emotion. Before she could sit, she stared down at the fabric in challenge. What was she supposed to do with her wing?

Sephiroth originally planned on waiting for her to get comfortable with the new limb before joining her in staring up at the stars, but after a few minutes of silence, he identified her dilemma. He took a seat and held out a hand again. 

She didn't take it this time. She was trapping herself inside her own head to hide what she could. 

His gaze softened again. She was acting like she was back in the lab. Gods she was afraid. He hated seeing her like this. 

“Take your time.” He coaxed her into trying with just a few simple words. Nova gave a little nod and sat down, leaning her head all the way back to stare up at the stars. Her wing rustled in the breeze, its feathers extending to prevent falling to the ground. 

They enjoyed a few minutes of silent calm before a question rose in the daughter's mind. “Father, why are we here…?”

He took a breath before answering truthfully, “To help you feel calm again.”

“Can I be calm after I apologize to Genesis?”

He stared at the stars to avoid her gaze, trying to follow the elders advice not to prod. 

Nova glanced at him. “Father?”

His only response was a small glance. 

Now she looked away too, deliberately facing away from her new limb. “Do you think I'm a monster…?”

She might as well have stabbed him through the heart with the question alone. “No. You are not a monster. Nova, answer me honestly, do you want to talk about what happened in the forest?”

She nodded softly, but he heard her heartbeat increase nervously. “I just wanna explain… I want these thoughts out of my mind… They keep repeating… I just want to stop thinking about it…”

“Talk then. Start whenever you can.”

Another nod came in response before a pause claimed them both. She stared at the sky as she explained, using the cosmos to ground herself. “I missed the killing blow on the griffin... I tried to take it down myself, but it ran away… It wasn’t going to survive its injuries and I didn’t want it in pain…”

Her father sat up as she explained. She didn’t have a desire to kill. She wanted to end its suffering.

She used his breathing technique to keep her heart steady. 

In. One. Two. Three. Out. One. Two. Three. 

“So I chased it… And I almost had it before Genesis called me back… But I was so close so I kept going anyway…” She shook her head at her own decision and took another slow breath. “Then it ran past three Shinra soldiers and by the time I saw them they already knew I was there…” She suddenly grabbed his arm, using the touch as a lightning rod for her focus. 

“Nova,” He called in a small warning. Her heart was beating too fast.

“I can do it,” She denied. “I can, just…” One. Two. Three. “I tried to run but they chased me… I was so so scared… They didn’t use any magic or their guns for a while but then a bullet just missed me and…” She squeezed his arm and squeezed her eyes closed. The stars would not protect her from this. “I saw her… I saw the thing from my dreams and she grabbed my neck and everything went red- and then I was in the canyon and there was blood on my sword- and I was too scared to go home- and when I ran away- I felt this pull in my chest- and when I made it to the river- the wing came out- and it hurt so much- and-”

Tears fell from her eyes and he grabbed her shoulders to pull her attention away. “Nova, stop.”

She obeyed, stopping her explanation but not her flood of memories.. 

Damn it he was supposed to keep her calm. The fear and panic in her eyes only increased with each word as she relayed the events of the incident. He should have stopped her sooner.

“F-Father…” she cried as she tightly grasped his arm. “Can you pick me up…? Please…?”

She always felt safe in his arms.

He stood and lifted her up, keeping his hands on her only as support. He didn’t know what else he could do but her sobs peaked quickly as tears dropped into the fabric of his shirt. He walked around the top of the canyon with her in his arms, hoping the motion soothed her even a little. 

He didn't want to tell her that the same nightmare creature grabbed him as a child. He remembered fighting it off, screaming, kicking, clawing, completely forgetting it wasn't real. Only when the lab techs finally tranquilized him did he truly see who he attacked: the brown haired woman and little girl with a pink bow that Hojo took far too much interest in. He didn't want to hurt them but his fear made him. Yet Nova didn't remember killing the troops or leaving the Ancient Forest. This was different. Why did her sight only go red? Why did her eye glow red?

Nova was far too fragile to answer these questions now. Her breath regulated, and her mind calmed a bit. She just held her father tightly, her wing wrapping around his shoulders and aiding her squeeze. The feathers were warm and soft. 

Eventually, he managed to hush her into worriless silence. He coaxed her into laying next to him and staring calmly at the universe before them. With each passing moment of her eyes on the stars, she seemed more and more tranquil. This did not stop her from asking every question she had, however. Luckily Sephiroth knew the answers to nearly all of them. He always loved the stars too. He studied them as much as Hojo allowed in his youth, and he certainly made time for the occasional book on the topic during his time in SOLDIER. 

Some of her questions were still fairly complex considering all the time she spent with Nanaki and subsequently Bugenhagen. He answered as best he could to slow her questions and keep her from getting too excited. 

He wasn't sure when, but he felt exhaustion grow in her tiny body, her heartbeat slowing and her breath deepening as she began falling into a real rest rather than a chemically induced one.

“Are you ready to go home?” Sephiroth asked softly, trying not to disturb her too much. 

Nova shook her head. “I wanna stay by the stars…”

It was such a beautiful night. Why would he dare argue with her, even as she fought her own eyelids open? Not much time passed before she curled herself into her own wing and leaned against him, her purrs violently returning. Now he felt the vibrations against him. This sound was much stronger than before, and judging by the frustrated and fearful look on his daughter’s face, she felt it too.

He swallowed before forcing himself to tell her what she needed to hear. “You’re okay. You’re not a monster. And Genesis thinks your purring is cute.”

She barely murmured with small surprise, “really…?”

Sephiroth nodded. “Really.”

Nova gave a small hum in response. She didn’t last much longer. Sephiroth waited until he was certain she would not wake before wrapping her in his long coat and carrying her home.

* * * 

Days passed of trying to calm Nova enough to trigger some kind of reaction with the wing. A normal life would be impossible to manage with the extra limb no matter how cool or fluffy people claimed it to be. Sephiroth and Genesis purchased her new shirts and dresses that wouldn’t interfere with the wing. Angeal just tried to make her comfortable by cooking as many meals as he could for her. Nova spent her few hours alone with Nanaki hidden in alleys and just talking. Any time she dared lay next to him or fall asleep on him, she’d purr. 

In fact, she purred almost constantly now. Instead of a subtle hum the former Firsts could barely hear, she was unignorable and unavoidable, as if standing next to a washing machine. Despite the abnormal nature, Genesis couldn’t help but make it his mission to make her purr as loudly as possible. He’d wrap her in the fluffiest blankets he could find, and she’d giggle from the fuzzies along her skin in response. He’d trap her in his lap before tickling her until she couldn’t stand it. He’d coax her into sleeping against him, petting her hair and her feathers. The louder she purred, the more accomplished he felt.

Nova spent a lot more time with Genesis than either Angeal or even her father due to the wing. Instead of silently encouraging her to be calm enough to send the wing away, if that was even possible, Genesis sneaked her out at night and sparred with her. He told her to try to use the wing in any way that felt natural. Of course he didn’t expect her to fly away or anything. She probably couldn’t fly at all with only one wing. Nova may have sorta accidentally called Genesis ‘Dad’ during these little hidden sessions. Though she was terribly embarrassed when the word fell from her lips, Genesis cherished the moment. 

It took three weeks for the wing to dissipate into a swirl of black magic and feathers right in front of all of their eyes. Sephiroth hugged her tighter than he ever had that day, and she was so happy. 

She can be normal. She can be normal. 

Nova hugged him back with no knowledge of his internal worries. She told him she was thankful it was gone, but that it was still there. She felt it lying in wait in her back, ever present but not pressured to release. 

Sephiroth just kept her close. It was the first time he hugged her that he didn't feel like a copy or a mimic. He did what felt right and held her in his arms until his own heart calmed. 

.

.

.

.

Thanks for reading! 

[oh-my-may]

I finally got around to play Cosmo Canyon! Took me a while to get there bc family stuff and i was feeling a bit under the weather some days, but today I'll finish the protorelic quest and then do the side quests and that was it for Cosmo Canyon...

Thoughts on story: RED (or should I say Nanaki?) IS SO CUTE LEGIT A TEENAGE BOY TRYING TO PASS AS AN ADULT MAN the way I was hollering. The city is beautiful and very huge... Felt very overwhelmed when I first got there. Generally loved the focus on Red, had lots of questions about him originally. Now I wonder how old his kind can get if he's like 15 in human years but actually 48... huh. The story with his parents is pretty basic i guess? Didn't really blow me away, i could see the turning point coming from a mile away but it was very sweet nonetheless. Really enjoyed the gameplay during the trial, the Gi enemies WERE SO COOL. Also loved that we could scale walls with Red, I wish we could do that in the open world... The final boss almost kicked my ass because I'm not used to playing Barrett and Red actively, BUT THEY SLAYED. Shoutout to Titan, homeboy always comes through for me. Also couldn't help but be reminded of Genshin's Misty Dungeon event during the trial. And the mines of Moria. My weird interests meet in the most unusual of circumstances sometimes. My brain does that occasionally.

Also, the Gi Nantaak first scared the shit out of me. Then he kinda reminded me of Vision (you know, from Marvel) but that also wore off. The random sequence with Zack almost made me cry again. Whenever I see him on screen something just urges me to. Him and Biggs also looked so damn good during that entire scene I took so many screenshots 😭 I'm still so confused tho... Biggs ended up in Zack's timeline because of the Whispers/ the Wind for whatever reason? Really have no clue where they're going to take this part of the story, I just know it's going to hurt me so bad in the end.

I also let out an audible ' Hear me out' when they showed Seto... I'm not sorry.

On the exploration side of things... The flying chocobos are so confusing to me, I started the chocobo quest right as I landed in Cosmo Canyon and I immediately failed the first part because the controls as you fly are just??? Therefore everything that was placed so that you could only reach it through flying was a bit of a pain at first. I figured it out eventually, but i still haven't continued that quest... Also saw a bunch of people complain about this so at least I'm not the only one struggling lol.

Everything Else was very enjoyable tho. Go to explore team was Cloud, Aerith and Cait Sith this time and I gotta say Cait's Moogle Magic skill is busted I was so surprised when a full ass Ifrit suddenly stood on the field 😭 Bahamut Arisen was a surprisingly quick clear after I got all the Intel, Tifa just died in like the last minute. A worthy sacrifice tho. Immediately tried Bahamut while beating the Jabberwock, huge Dragon Battle was crazy insane to watch. He's busted. Put him on Cait for now.

I haven't finished the protorelic quest yet, but I didn't expect it to have this much lore right from the get go... So you're telling me Wedge is dead in Cloud's timeline???? Just like that?? The whispers killed him? MY BOY. Also Yuffie's friends (?) - the NPC's for that quest - immediately reminded me of Bella's High School friends in Twilight 😭💀 They just look like they belong in these movies idk

Now I wonder if the last two parts of the protorelic quest are gonna be as much a pain in the ass as Fort Condor was... I managed to clear the first two stages quite quickly so I hope it's gonna be okay with the AI helping me for the configuration part...

So that's that! Will definitely finish Cosmo Canyon tonight and then maybe start Chapter 11... Just a few more steps until meeting Vincent. Heard Chapter 11 was quite long so it'll probably take me the whole weekend to finish next to work and all. My goal of finising this game before easter is probably gonna be left unfulfilled... But I'd rather take my time.

Will add screenshots to this post after I get home from work!

[wingsdreamt]

@steeleidolon (happy birthday, Kunsel)

Today's date is significant, even if Zack has not done or said anything outwardly to acknowledge it beyond what their friends already have planned for the night outing. Not yet, at least.

It always starts with an idea.

His ideas are never fully formed from the get go, taking on shape as time and circumstance guide him towards the right moment.

Okay, he isn’t not so much waiting for a nebulous ‘right moment’ in this case considering he’s had the date highlighted on his calendar app for practically as long as they’ve known each other, but that’s the general gist of it.

In the rare moments where Kunsel was occupied but Zack was not; that had been the time to conduct his research in secrecy. Saving gil was the easy part in all this. His drawings may have been a bit crude, his attempts at a description may have been eyebrow raising, but he was earnest and persistent no matter how many parlors turned him away.

Last week, and not a moment too soon, he finally found someone willing to sit down with him long enough to put together a general picture of what earrings he needed to get.

--

The Clandestine Rabbit had seen many an odd client in Haley’s many years working here, but never one with such an unusually simple, albeit particular request. He’d been going about it all the wrong way, of course. She could not tell from a drawing alone what sort of piercings a person might have worn. No matter how detailed or passionately of a description of ear scarring Zack could deliver after visuals failed, it took her several minutes of talking the young man down to convince him that he needed to rethink his approach to his little problem. Coaxing out the story behind the giftee in question put them on the right track.

“You said he’s from Cosmo?” Haley asked, seeking final confirmation with eye contact as she tucked a choppy lock of black hair behind her ear and reached up above her head to pull a navy binder labeled ‘Excerpts from Intersection of Anthropology and Jewelry’ in silver by a felt-tipped marker off a black, spray-painted bookshelf plastered on all sides with all sorts of stickers and decals. Tracking from left to right as she scans the contents, Haley flipped through a few plastic-sleeved scans in the binder before leaning down and pushing it across the glossy, faux marble coffee table. “Personally, if you guys are as close as you say you are, I don’t think he’ll care if they’re not exactly the same as the ones he used to have.”

Zack’s nose scrunched minutely at the advice, but the way his lips twisted to one side showed he was giving her suggestion serious thought. Looking down at the black and white spread of photos and illustrations of peoples from Cosmo Canyon, Zack traced his fingers lightly over the image of a woven mat and the items arranged on top of it. A small clay bowl held precious stones and metals that have been shaped into wearable jewelry. Dried plant stems and delicate, angle-point needles, carved from various natural materials like wood or possibly bone, are laid adjacent.

"Yeah...okay," Zack decided, looking clear-eyed and resolute. "Can I book an appointment for two on the twentieth sometime in the evening? I can put down a deposit and everything. And…If you have similar ones like these–" he pointed to a few simple designs charted out on a magnified view of the pictured bowls' contents "-- I'd love to purchase them for my friend."

--

Since then, the week passed by at what felt like an agonizing pace.

Essai and Sebastian have a self-satisfied, knowing look about them as Zack casually posits an evening walk over to check out Sector One's Night Market after dinner. Where the Clandestine Rabbit is conveniently situated against the backdrop of colorful and ephemeral canopies, of course. The crowd parts around them like a moving river as they discuss their plans.

"Sorry, Zack. Seb and I are accounted for for the rest of tonight. We've got service tech duty in the garage in the morning so we need to go wrestle Roche for the toolkits. You and Kunsel have fun though!" Essai reaches over to playfully ruffle Zack's hair before he turns to drag Sebastian off down the street with him. No chance given for Zack to even get a word in edgewise, though he does glower at his friends’ backsides with a stuck out tongue as they go. Well, that’s fine. It probably works out better this way.

They start off in the opposite direction under a sea of neon lights. Zack stretches out his arms, then crosses them behind his head as he steps out in front of Kunsel and keeps pace in reverse with an easy grin.

"Okay, okay. But I've been thinking. I wanted to get both ears pierced."

Planet, does he look nervous? Why does he feel so nervous? He's been planning this for ages.

Maybe it's too obvious what he's planning.

No backing out now.

"There's a tattoo and piercing parlor right out by that stall we always grab taiyaki from and I figure we could check it out while we're there."

[foxgirlmoth]

Watched (I don't care about getting a ps5 lmao) some ff7 rebirth tonight and it was all Nanaki's story in Cosmo Canyon and I forgot how much I adore this dog. Imagine having parents care for you ;^;

[the-fandom-crossroads]

Lessons in Gi and Cetra | FF7 Rebirth Ch 10

Terry and Light complete Chapter 10 of Final Fantasy vii Rebirth. It's time for Red XIII/Nanaki to face the trial to become Guardian of Cosmo Canyon. Along the way we learn about an alien race known as the Gi and their ancient war with the Cetra.

You can join us live at twitch.tv/dougligaming every mon and Fri at 6! We might be starting early tonight to get as far as we can through chapters 11 and 12!

[icharchivist]

all i did today on ffvii was talking to Zack’s parents (and therefore fighting the Turks and the wildlife before that but hush) but It was surprisingly (or not) emotionally taxing so i’ll stop here for tonight.

Things should go more smoothly from that point on.

[youngster-monster]

Wear your heart on your cheek

1. Zack

“Hey, Cloud… Are you single?”

Cloud’s head snaps up. He stares at Zack, blinking owlishly, until the question registers fully in his brain. He can feel his face heating up as a blush takes over it. He gapes like a fish, mouth works open and closed uselessly as he tries to come up with an answer that isn’t straight up sorry but what the fuck. The SOLDIER laughs at his expression, and his gloved hand drops on top of Cloud’s head.

“Don’t worry, buddy, I’m already a taken man.” Zack’s face takes on a wistful look, as it always does when he mentions Aerith. It clears quickly, replaced by a mischievous look as he viciously ruffles Cloud’s hair. “But you are pretty cute when you blush—”

Cloud bats his hand away with a scowl, but there’s a part of him that stays warm from the compliment despite the mountain cold.

2. Tifa

There’s a moment after the battle against Sephiroth where they’re all adrift. They won — they could go home. But they’ve lived through so much together, it feels wrong to part so soon.

So they stick together a little longer. Midgar is in ruins, most of its population now homeless and grieving, and over half the world has suffered an apocalyptic blackout. There’s always work to be done and they might as well do it as a team. It’s almost a vacation, in its own way. At least no one is trying to kill them this time.

They do go home after a while, though, an inexorable departure that sees them break off from the group one after the other. First Red, back to Cosmo Canyon; then Yuffie, to her father; family seeking family. Soon enough they’re all gone, all but Tifa — and Cloud.

She intends to stay, but he just doesn’t know where to go. His only home burned down to the ground five years ago, and he’s been on the run ever since. It never occurred to him he could settle down anywhere — and now that he can, he’s not sure where he would.

“You could stay here,” Tifa offers, one day. 

There’s a shine in her eyes that betrays her meaning. Here is Edge, the new Seventh Heaven, at her side. Here is companionship and a childhood promise he’s not sure he can make good on.

Still, it’s kind, and he loves her, even if it’s not in the way she’d prefer, so he says, “You know I don’t—”

“I know. It’s alright.” She smiles, and it’s a bit wobbly but her eyes are dry — Tifa’s always been the strongest of them all. “I’ll be happy just having you around, honestly. You’ve been gone for a while. You can stay in the guestroom, maybe keep an eye on Marlene while I’m behind the bar.”

I’ve been here this whole time, he thinks, but that’s not what she means. And honestly, he feels like he just came home, too. 

“I’d like that,” Cloud replies.

3. Rufus Shinra (and Reno)

Shinra is more rubbles than company, but that won’t stop Rufus Shinra from scheming. Somehow, those schemes always seem to involve Cloud; he refuses to ask why. Rufus would like that too much.

He’d screen the man’s calls, but that would just encourage him to go through the Turks instead.

Still, the least Rufus could do is look less smug when Cloud walks into his office in the barebone building he calls the new Shinra HQ. He’s a delivery man; if Rufus has something he’d like delivered, sure, Cloud will do that. Dealing with Rufus’ smarmy attitude costs extra.

“Before you go—”

Cloud stops before the door, restraining a sigh, and faces Rufus again.

He leans forward, resting his chin in his hand in the perfect image of innocence. His smile is too sharp, though, for all that it doesn’t show a single tooth. “I’m not usually one to mix business with pleasure, but would you be free to have dinner one of these days? Tonight, perhaps?” 

“No.”

“A shame. What about—”

“Bye, Rufus,” Cloud says, flat.

He nearly runs into Reno on his way out. The man grins, leaning against the wall with exaggerated swagger — he hopes it’s exaggerated.

“I know you told the boss no, but do I have my chance?”

Cloud doesn’t even dignify that with a response. 

4. Yuffie

Being old enough to save the planet and nearly die in the process is one thing; being old enough to drink is another. Yuffie complained at length about that fact, but Tifa cared about her bartending license more than she did about the teenager being able to share a beer with the rest of them.

So of course the first thing Yuffie does upon her 18th birthday is call Cid for a ride to Midgar, crash into the Seventh Heaven, and demand her First Drink Ever.

It quickly turns into one hell of a party — no one wants to miss Yuffie’s first drinking session. Cloud even bought a special bottle for the occasion, months ago; some fruity, sparkly liquor with an honest-to-Planet materia in the bottle for “flavor”. He saw it in a shop while he was on a delivery and immediately thought of her.

She laughs when he tells her that, the loud, honking laugh of the quickly inebriated. She likes it, and she makes sure to tell him. Multiple times. Among other things. Talking for months about her right as “a fellow warrior of the Planet” to drink has not made her resistant to alcohol in any way, shape, or form, to everyone’s amusement.

“This is why I had a crush on you back then,” she says in a conspiratorial tone that utterly fails to be secretive by virtue of being at the right volume for everybody in the room to hear. “You’re such a softie deep down.”

She goes on some more about pretty and biceps but by then she’s started to slide off her chair and Cloud ignores her babbling and his furiously burning ears to scoop her up and carry her to bed.

Her ensuing hangover is entertaining, at least; he’s unsure if it makes up for the ribbing he got from the rest of the group after her unexpected confession.

5. Barret & Cid

“Okay, never have I ever— wanted to kiss Cloud?”

“No fair,” Tifa says good-naturedly as she grabs her beer. “You would have if you were human.”

Nanaki gives her a toothy grin and crosses his paws primly. “I’m only making use of my natural advantages. Besides, I—” He stops abruptly. 

Barret freezes with his glass halfway to his mouth. 

“No,” Yuffie yells, delighted. “You too?”

“He’s good with children!” He says in a defensive tone, taking a grudging sip of his drink at last. 

“As if that’s any kind of explanation—”

“Listen we’ve all thought about it at least once—”

“Even Cid, apparently,” Tifa notes with a chuckle.

Cid, seated next to Barret, looks at her over the rim of the glass he just brought to his lips, shrugs, and throws back what’s left of his drink. “Man’s pretty, what can I say?”

“This is the best day of my life,” Yuffie whispers-shouts while Cloud hides his red face in his hands and prays for a quick death.

+1. Vincent

“This is ridiculous. Is there anyone in AVALANCHE who hasn’t had a crush on Cloud?”

Tifa’s outburst is met with a chorus of denial. She shakes her head as if she can’t believe what she’s hearing — as if she is in any position to be throwing stones on that subject.

Cloud lets out an embarrassed chuckle. He doesn’t understand how this came to become a thing, but he has to admit it’s a little funny. Leaning back in his seat, he watches as his friends tease each other over this unexpect common trait of theirs.

The only ones to escape the friendly ribbing are Nanaki, who still enthusiastically participates in it, and Vincent.

The man is rarely in Edge — although he’s been coming around more often since Deepground — but he’s here tonight, sitting on the windowsill with a glass of wine held loosely in one hand. It’s nice to have him around; at least Cloud can expect some support from him when everybody else seems on a mission to make him flustered. 

Their eyes meet across the room, both observers to the chaos of a reunited AVALANCHE. Vincent raises his glass in a silent toast, somehow managing to communicate a kind of wry cheer to Cloud’s popularity without a word or even the slightest change of expression. 

(Cloud notes, less casually than he’d like, that Vincent did not openly deny Tifa’s earlier claim. It might only be because he wasn’t paying attention, or didn’t bother to speak up, but—)

“What about you, Cloud?”

He tears his eyes away to look at Yuffie. She’s flushed with joy and alcohol, though she holds the latter much better nowadays, and leaning so far into his space he thinks she might fall over at any moment. His free hand comes up instinctively to steady her, but she bounces back now that she has his attention.

“What about me?”

“We keep talking about how we’ve all had a crush on you,” she says with a mischievous grin. “But did you ever—”

He rolls his eyes, shrugs, knowing the dismissal will only buy him a second before she starts hounding him for a real answer. 

Instinctively, Cloud’s eyes dart back to Vincent, quick enough he thinks he can pass it off as discomfort rather than a tell. He looks around the room as casually as he’s able — but when he comes back to Vincent, the other man is watching him. He tilts his head slightly, hair falling off his face in silky strand, and levels Cloud with a long, thoughtful look. 

I saw that, it says. He lifts his eyebrows ever so slightly, a silent question that Cloud answers despite himself as his face heats up. He looks away, but the weight of Vincent’s stare is a tangible weight on the back of his neck even then.

Yuffie notices his fluster immediately. “You did!” She crows, grinning wildly and nearly jumping in his lap in her excitement. “When? Who was it? Come on—”

Silence hangs for a moment as they all process his answer and, as one, come to the same conclusion.

“I’m not answering that,” he says, and realizes too late he should have denied it instead. 

The room explodes into wolf whistles, with the occasional yell of “what” and “tell us” thrown over the noise. At the back of the room, Vincent’s eyes widen slightly. Cloud stares at him, face burning, heart beating too fast. 

A loud bang cuts it out. Tifa slams her hands on the bar counter then points an accusatory finger Cloud’s way. She affects the exaggerated outrage of a childhood friend who was not kept up to date with his personal gossip, but the way she bites her lip to keep herself from laughing betrays her true feelings. Either way, Cloud is not getting out of this with his dignity alive.

“When?” She asks. “And don’t bullshit me, Cloud, I’ve known you all your life.”

(In the corner of his eye, Cloud can see Vincent taking a sip of wine, seemingly unperturbed by the chaos. Were it anyone else, Cloud might believe the man is nervous. But why—)

Groaning, he puts his hand over his eyes and mumbles, “Since—”

Cloud never gets to voice the full answer, which is for the best. His words are immediately drowned out by Yuffie’s shrill “SINCE?”, which sets off another wave of chaos as they all reckon with that new information. He closes his mouth and refuses to utter any more words on the subject, lest he humiliates himself completely. His face speaks for itself anyway: he has no doubt that he’s become red all over.

Ducking his head, he inadvertently meets Vincent’s eyes across the room. The other man seizes him up quietly, unperturbed by Cid howling in laughter near him.

Cloud can see it the moment it happens; the way Vincent’s whole face softens, not quite a smile but near enough for him. It’s a rare sight, and one Cloud can never tear his eyes away from. The surrounding noise fades into a dull roar as he stares, face burning, entirely captivated by the fact that he caused that expression, somehow. He can feel the way his throat works soundlessly to produce some kind of response. He swallows; his mouth is suddenly so, so dry.

It’s a blessing when Yuffie comes to shake him until an explanation drops out, freeing him from Vincent’s laser-focused attention. It’s also a bit of a curse; Cloud could have spent the whole night just looking at that almost-smile on the man’s face.

The excitement dies down, eventually, even though it seemed it never would. They tire themselves out yelling and end up calling it a night after a few more drinks punctuated by jokes that Cloud barely hears through the disbelieving buzz in his ears.

He’s so out of sorts, he doesn’t really notice when everyone goes to bed— everyone but Vincent and him, that is. It’s as if he blinks and all the lights have gone dark and Vincent is right there in front of him, hand flashing in front of Cloud’s face to catch his attention. His face is unreadable as always. It feels unfair, all of a sudden, that Cloud cannot see all of it. He had all his feelings bared for the whole group to see; the least Vincent can do is bare his face. He’s rising to his feet before he can think it through, reaching for Vincent’s cowl.

The man goes to lean back as soon as Cloud gets up, but he stops the moment Cloud’s fingers brush against his cloak. He holds himself very still as Cloud tucks the fabric down and just— stares.

“I—” He stops, unsure whether he wants to apologize or double down or perhaps deny everything, as if that would help. 

Vincent’s face does that thing again, that unbearably soft expression that leaves Cloud short of breath. His hand comes up, carefully not touching up until it does, resting feather-light on Cloud’s shoulder, at the junction with his neck. 

“Thank you,” he says, apropos of nothing. “I think Yuffie might have started asking about my romantic situation, next.”

“And— what would you have told her?”

“That I am not immune to the Cloud Strife effect, most likely.”

Cloud blinks, mind blank, and the only thing that comes out of his mouth ends up being, “Why?”

It gets a smile out of Vincent, at least.

“It’s just so easy to love you,” he replies, as if that explains anything.

(Maybe it does. Cloud gets it: how easy it is to start, how impossible to stop.)

He tugs on VIncent’s cowl, and the man obligingly bends down. Cloud meets him halfway. His lips taste faintly like red wine, and he steals Cloud’s breath away.

“They’re going to be unbearable,” he mutters when they come apart.

“Well, there must be some downsides to your popularity.”

Cloud groans and lets his forehead hit Vincent’s shoulder. He pats his shoulder; it’s comforting, but he doesn’t think the other man has a lot of sympathy for his situation at all.

[peterparkersnose]

peter and y/n 💕🕷

spotify playlist

sparks- coldplay

style- taylor swift

honest- the neighbourhood

happier than ever- billie eilish

line without a hook- ricky montgomery

dress- taylor swift

rhiannon- fleetwood mac

love in the dark- adele 

make up your mind- florence + the machine

sweater weather- the neighbourhood

baby i’m yours- arctic monkeys

canyon moon- harry styles

i love you- billie eilish

roslyn- bon iver, st. vincent

mind over matter- young the giant

the night we met- lord huron

when we were young- adele

ever since new york- harry styles

temporary fix- one direction

flawless- the neighbourhood

rock your body- justin timberlake (peter’s favorite)

pretty boy- the neighbourhood

golden- harry styles (your favorite)

wolves- one direction

turning page- sleeping at last

yellow- coldplay

ghost of you- 5 seconds of summer

meet me in the hallway- harry styles

les- childish gambino

dreams- fleetwood mac

lover- taylor swift

stockholm syndrome- one direction

from eden- hozier

sweet creature- harry styles

friends- chase atlantic

fine line- harry styles

from the dining table- harry styles

stay- rhianna

woman- doja cat

leaving tonight- the neighbourhood

like real people do- hozier

je te laisserai des mots- patrick watson

505- arctic monkeys

afraid- the neighbourhood

girl crush- harry styles

middle of the night- elley duhé

another love- tom odell

vienna- billy joel

softcore- the neighbourhood

sign of the times- harry styles

male fantasy- billie eilish

cruel summer- taylor swift

light my love- greta van fleet

claudia- finneas

lover of mine- 5 seconds of summer

mr loverman- ricky montgomery

fool’s gold- one direction

two ghosts- harry styles

getaway car- taylor swift

wonderwall- oasis

out of my league- fitz and the tantrums

friday i’m in love- the cure

jenny (i wanna ruin our friendship)- studio killers

fool- frankie cosmos

[ofdraiocht]

"You owe me a rematch for sure!" He laughed a little, giving Cloud a friendly pat on the back before letting the next group have their fun with the darts. "What are you drinking tonight then? A Cosmo Canyon? Costa del sol?" He hummed. "Something new and exciting?"

a soft little chuckle escapes him, amused at the obscurity of how the final shot lands on a one, when biggs had been doing so well throughout the game. perhaps cloud's luck is rubbing off on biggs and he is sharing the burden of having such poor fortune. perhaps, for once, cloud had won fair and square. past experiences aside, of course. "better luck next time. now, about that drink you promised?"

[sephyathredon-writing]

Ooh what's Even Though It Hurts??

Actually, I've posted the first chapter of Even If it Hurts on this blog.

This fic is based on an RP I did with a Lazard blog over on WillfulWayfarer and Defiant-Ex-SOLDIERs as my FFVII Terra. Basically Terra shows up in Banora while Zack is underground fighting the final boss of Crisis Core. He recognizes Lazard and they talk for a bit before Lazard hands Cloud over to him and tells him to protect him. Terra then has the idea to take Cloud to Cosmo Canyon, since that's where he spent his days shortly after becoming an Ex-SOLDIER

First part of Last Man Standing is here:

(https://willfulwayfarer.tumblr.com/tagged/unrequiteddeath)

The second part and the follow up thread is here:

(https://defiant-ex-soldiers.tumblr.com/tagged/unrequiteddeath)

Fic is here. The title is based off the song of the same name by Sam Tinnesz.

I have written out a good majority of Chapter 2 but I never felt there was enough interest in the fic to really post it.

Here are some snippits

---

  “Not too shabby.” He closed the door behind him and moved to lay Cloud down on the bed. He shifted a bit. Terra guessed that he was unused to the feeling of a mattress under him. It wasn’t the softest, but it was better than the cold hard ground, for tonight. Terra sat next to the blond, propping him up on a pillow, “Bet you’re glad to finally have something soft to lay against, huh? I definitely know you’re glad that we’re off the boat.” He gave a light chuckle. “You did not have a good time there at all.”

  Terra wasn’t phased when he didn’t receive a response. He hadn’t known Cloud for very long at all, but talking to him seemed normal, natural even. He hoped the other could hear him, and maybe just hearing his voice constantly gave him comfort, some sense of stability for him to grab onto after he had been taken away from what he had been used to.

---

  As Terra was cleaning up, he always made sure to leave his rooms as tidy as he found them for the staff that would be cleaning it after as a courtesy, he caught sight of Cloud laying in the bed, a peaceful look on his face. He couldn’t pull his gaze away. He’s not sure he’s ever seen Cloud’s features relaxed like that, at least not in the past few weeks. He found himself awestruck at the sight. 

  Unfortunately, they had to keep moving.

---

  By the time Terra got to his home, he was juggling a few containers of food along with Cloud, one of them rested on the blond’s chest as he tried to get his keys out. Once the door was open, Terra stumbled into his childhood home, plopping Cloud lightly on the couch in the living area before going to set the containers down and retrieve the key from the door. Once everything was in order, he began to reheat food for them.

  The two of them sat together on the couch and Terra talked up a storm while he was feeding Cloud some soup. He told the man about his father, Eraqus. Terra mostly recounted stories from his childhood. Some were about various bouts of trouble that he found himself in, some were about Eraqus training him, one was about Eraqus teaching him about the stars.

---

  Several minutes later, the sound of glass shattering somewhere nearby made Terra jump and he got to his feet with the same amount of alarm and concern as the people around him. For a few moments, he was paralysed with fear. Then, without even really thinking about it, his feet carried him away from the graveyard and down the road to his childhood home.

  When he got there, he was surprised to see that one of the windows of the house had been broken through. He’d locked the door on the way out but that didn’t stop them from forcing their way in.

  “No… No!” He didn’t stop. He thundered his way in the house, up the stairs, and into the bedroom he thought he left Cloud in…

  ...Only to find it empty. No signs of a struggle.

[michaelbogild]

Quotes written April 18 2021

our mutual melodies, our ancient lights that are wed to each other

her soul is spangled with astral grace

our love had florid stretches, our love had terrible pits

Give me, Life, a draught of oblivion.

she entered the truth of this love with a heart about to burst

Of course I love her, I am eternally fond of flowers.

how easily charmed I was, how deeply you travelled into my soul

in her heart, a lone buttercup whispering something true to his ethereal dreams

she answers his soul with all the colors of her affections

the ghostly waves of her forsaken ocean

I am just a floating phantom that once were in love but now is lost

he sailed into the star-spangled night of her sirenic beauty

the florid touch of her soul's amorous eloquence

I met the angels that wrote the harmonies of our love. They were devils.

though his love her emotions became songs of starry beauty

your roses were not without their shades, shades that swallowed me and all my eternal foolishness

tonight, tonight you look like the muse of the moon

I felt in her love the true pulse of life

I writ her absence upon the heart of the unknown

Our poem died too soon, but so does all beautiful things

he set aflame the saddest moon of her heart

surreally pulled by the gravity of her cryptic songs

I still linger in the illusion that you actually loved me

finally we meet, two souls divorced for centuries

in her heart, a fearless daffodil that knows how to dream

I am not a great guitarist, but I play the piano really badly.

Touch me with the mystic silence of all your moons.

nothing is mundane when I close my eyes and dream

her love wears the spirit of an infinite rose

Your are the blue skies that lives in my soul as lies.

her beauty is a bird fluttering in the half-light of his heart

Her bohemian soul, her fancy everything.

you broke the spine of my entire universe

Lady luck, what the fuck?

she wore the endlessness of his love, an invisible dress of mystic grace

I will never see you again, I know that, but how you shine in my lyrics.

the flaming music of her wildflower affections

her roses are now praying, where is his love?

her wraithlike eyes, eyes that saw everything and nothing

time dissolved by the power of our touches

the seraphic enchantment of her gorgeous eyes of spring

I am higher than the star of her love and beauty.

A love that could deluge the heart

we ran full-tilt into what we mistook for heaven

the ambiguous rose of her half-light love

What shall tame this heart now that it has gazed into eternity?

the sad whispers of your absence is nothing but ghosts, but I can't forsake them

she is the temple I pray in, she is the darkness outside of it

our love unfolded a higher reality

see was too ethereal to embrace

Writing poetry has become a psychedelic for me.

timeless temptress, muse of my heart, sing, sing into this night that never ends

we were the throbbing pulse of that night, we burned harder than the stars

he orbits her beauty with his delirious verses

I am suspended in a sky that exist beyond my life.

the ascending poetry of our young love

I am as broken as the autumn that gave birth to me.

the burning cathedral of our star-crossed love

The canvas is empty...and will remain so until she returns.

he excites her heart with the force of a thousand dreams

you deserve an ode that will survive the stars

I planted flowers of poetry on the grave of our love

I will rebuild my life, brick by brick, without you.

the bleeding bride of the moon, whispering to me something unclear, in a night, in a night of a thousand oddities

we took flight towards heaven winged with a thousand hopes

I read a page from her mystic heart and fell irretrievably in love

there are definitely moments when I feel like a cosmic child

she rejoiced in the spring with all the roses of her dreams

thinking about you is flirting with melancholy

I exist outside of my brain, in the world of a dream that can't possibly be real.

they married the vastness of each other's love

we were fit for paradise, but we burned it down

a poem written by the ink of God

You do not own my heart, the night does, which has stopped calling out your name.

we belong in the heart of the cosmos, our love will take us there

He scored the royal flush of women, but did he know?

her beauty, a mystic pearl

her heart was slighted by the summer of his beauty

how easily she stirs the depths of his wonder

no one will ever find the broken crown of our love, except of course they read my poems

All her stars were enchanting, she sang their light into his heart.

the lyrical dreams of our far-travelling souls

her love was a hollow poet

he brushed the marigolds of her feelings

the resounding canyon of his hearts flaming love-poems

As you played with my heart your own slowly rotted.

in this mystic night of oddities, a profound deepening, whispers, subtle lights, and all my future seen as memories

She lit a candle in the darkest room of my heart.

the elusive butterflies of her more-than-divine love

her love felt like an ancient secret, a hidden star

she wears the yoke of a thousand yesterdays

the yawning abyss of everything I have become, the endless darkness, oh the infinite darkness

The soul of midsummer has turned into the stars of her eyes

I lost my way when I decided to love you

dancing on the shore of his love, daydreaming with the waves

her hopes are now weeping within the saddest cadences of nightingales

she loves with the persistence of a waterfall

the secret rose of her soul was perfumed with the miracle of his love

the radiant songs of our hearts are now wounds of unutterable darkness

this stranded homeless soul, this soul without a dream

From soulmates to strangers, what a beautiful ending.

every song is a knife that cuts me open, how I bleed your absence

she drinks the wine of his soul

His captivated heart sails upon the waves of her songs.

her soul wears the perfume of his heart's golden poetry

the moons of her love were nothing but mirages

the transient dance of shallow love is all she has experienced

I am stranded in a desert void of her love

...and I drank a cup of stars, and I forgot the world and every traitor in it.

the ink that praises you ought to live forever

she weaves into his soul the astral charms of her wildflower sensuousness

the perpetual darkness of her devilish gravity

the astral flare of our young and burgeoning love

she could dream forever in the warmth of his arms

everything this girl does is shaped like poetry

he painted his dreams with all the colors of her personality

he shapes with his summery love the budding constellations of her dream-wild soul

we stand outside the seasons, touched by colours that don't exist

like a careless wave is fate when she washes over us

I keep circling the soul of what we had, I am knee-deep in memories

her love, my lethe

he held her in a mystic embrace, entering her heart like a thousand pulsating truths

his strong affections are madrigals of summer, strains of serendipitous light

she is perfectly scented with the roses of God

But her songs have shades and only them am I allowed to embrace

Where is my mind? Have you seen it? Did her love steal it? I will ask the moon.

at the threshold of true love, two souls ready to be united forever

kissed by a moon-goddess on a night of sweet surrender

the dreadful dissonance that is now between us, how harrowing to my heart

Snowflakes, so many snowflakes. Where are we? Oh yes, in a dream.

She basks in his vast beauty, transfixed on his beautiful lips.

her imperial eyes of sure victory

His flames are French, his warrior-heart Greek.

he is on every page of her heart

only he can read the pages of her blood

the fleeting muse of my crepuscular soul

we ascended into the heart of a sea-born mystery

I kept dancing at the edge of illusion, trying again and again to trap reality

only through love could we flow into each other's souls

the imperial flame of her ruthless soul

lonely lips, aching skin, fevered heart

the astral joys of simply just holding you

We are satellites in a sorrowful twilight, drifting further and further away from each other

Yes, I fell, but into poems.

The spring moon took us into his dreams.

You emptied day by day my soul of stars.

the spirit of the darkness, her eternal twin

richly charmed I was, deep in dreams that sang your name in rainbows

Not even Shakespeare could produce poetry this rapidly.

I live at the periphery of something that shouldn't exist

another love, another soul whose beauty will grow back my wings

We will live forever. Our love is one of divinity's rhymes.

so wondrously colored were the dreams of our burgeoning love

her words are courtesans, her eyes are lies

we turned into ethereal light in those resplendent moments of sensual love

They interwove their imaginations and composed a dream of endless splendour

you were a secret path to paradise

she liberated with a tender kiss the sunlight of his soul

he crucified with his goodbye all the roses of her hopeful love

the songs of her beauty, chains

She charms his emotions with all the summers of her heart.

the astral richness of her dreamily divine eyes

the wistful dusk has a song for our hearts

my dreams are becoming more and more solid

Often did he sail to the moon when she loved him, often did he enter the pulse of life.

bathing in the moonlight of his faithful love

I feel the alluring gravity of her notes, I throb with every beat of her wildflower airs

we met within the colors of a sudden mystery

The evanescent music of those dreamy spheres, how I miss it.

I imagined a heaven that could never exist

her love is a conduit of colours, the spring of eternal songs

she breaks the borders of my very thoughts, her soul is pure endlessness

the truest colour must be that of your eyes

the soft whispers of angels can still contain lies

the infatuated moons of her sea-kissed heart

he reached with a perfect kiss the secret lyrics of her spring-blessed soul

I clung to a dream that didn't want me.

your love and beauty is the true world and the only world I will worship

our moonstruck hearts spoke in the poetry of sensual touches

To think of you is to walk at the contour of a mystery.

We have never been further apart, so why do I feel you so deeply in my bones?

Venus herself could not have slid into my soul any faster than you

the velvet paradise of her seraphic love

our love had a spiritual chorus, but this religion had to die

the aching ocean of her breakable heart

the burning pilgrim-notes of her desirous love

His imagination has taken on the shape of the universe.

she is made entirely of night-songs

she floats into empty spaces and decorates them with all the colours and shapes of his translatable beauty

she invites another universe into my heart

Everything she is, everything she does, summons poetry from his soul.

the sunset knows my heart better than you ever did

I amorously burn through verses and visions. I miss you all the time.

the liberated Venus of her bashful beauty

he rides on the crests of her oceanic emotions

the luscious strains of her beauty's cosmic song

black tears, all I shed now are black tears

you darken my writings, your dusk is everywhere

I was enslaved within the songs of the sea-nymphs, I felt a thousand waves curse my bones and blood.

though naked she wears the spirit of the night

I am restlessly rooted in nights that call out your name.

her poems like ornately-colored butterflies

I can finally drink the wine of my own spirit.

she danced with the soul of his love on a shore of exotic dreaming

foolishly anchored in the elusiveness of his love

vaster than the dreams of God is her summer-born beauty

nothing can dream like a pair of green eyes

he chases immortality through sonnets of glorious devotion

they were ready to drown in each other's blood

she is the throbbing pulse of his verdant poetry

love, the mirage I supposed real

I am high on the poetry of this life, this life with you

She plays with the unsung darkness, places the dusk upon her tongue.

Ever a slave to her sorcerous spirit.

how rapidly we turned into stars, how deeply we felt the cosmos of love's deepest truths

loving her was like dancing next to an abyss, drunk

I stand in the rich blaze of her mystic spirit

he courts her jasmine heart with a poem of unbeatable eloquence

the sea-nymphs of her silken voice speaks of endless love

[final-fantasy-imagines]

Can I request a drabble Tifa x reader how Tifa has feelings for the reader but doesn't know how to confess them to the reader but she really wants to tell the reader and also Tifa getting Jealous when girls flirt with the reader?

Yes, here you go! Hope you like the drabble and have a good time reading. Feedback is always appreciated. 

Helpless – Tifa x crush!reader

Tifa wanted you to be happy. She wanted you to fall in love and live the life you wished for. But all of that didn’t mean that it was easy for her to see you with someone else. The hours she spent behind the bar were both the best and the worst of the day – the best because she got to see you and most of the time even talk to you about your day. The worst because she had to watch while someone else flirted with you.

She had never told you about her feelings for you. At first, it had been nothing more than a crush, the urge to get to know you better but as the time went by, Tifa discovered that she was head over heels in love with you. It was exciting and scary at the same time, especially since she never thought that she would find someone she wanted to be with, but despite everything she had gone through in the past, she still didn’t have the courage to confess her love to you.

With a quiet sigh, she turned around and grabbed another clean glass from the counter to put it away. It didn’t make her feel better to wonder what would’ve happened if she actually had been brave enough to flirt with you or maybe even ask you out. In fact, it only made her feel worse.

She could still hear your voice; every word you said to that other girl seemed to echo in Tifa’s ear, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. She heard you laugh, and just the thought that it wasn’t her who made you laugh was enough to make her heart ache.

Damn it. Tifa had never been a coward; still she couldn’t imagine confessing her feelings to you. It would be the easiest way to find out if she meant something to you but instead, she spent her days wallowing in self-pity and watching other girls hitting on you. It wore her out, yet she couldn’t bring herself to do something about it.

You laughed again, and when she turned around she saw that you had your arm around the girl’s shoulders. A hot wave of jealousy washed over Tifa as she watched you leaning in to whisper something into the blonde’s ear. She hated to see you this close to a woman who wasn’t her, even though she had never considered herself as the overly jealous type. Then again, she hadn’t been so in love before.

She continued to watch you from the corner of her eye as she continued to polish the glassed until they shined. Thankfully, there weren’t a whole lot of people at Seventh Heaven tonight, so she could focus entirely on you, even though it made her furious and sad at the same time to see you with another girl.

Maybe she should finally get her act together and tell you how much you meant to her. She really wanted you to know but at the same time, she was incredibly unsure about it. How did other people manage to find the right words when it came to a situation like this? How did they know what to do or to say? To her, it seemed to be almost impossible to form a proper sentence in that special moment, even though she rarely found herself being at loss for words.

The next second, someone clearing their throat snapped her out of her musing. Absent-mindedly, Tifa looked up, still trying to gather her thoughts when she met your gaze. For a brief moment, she felt like her heart had stopped beating. “C-can I get you something?”

Your lips curled into that magnetic smile she adored so much, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“Two Cosmo Canyons, please,” you ordered.

Two. One for you, one for the blonde girl. Tifa’s smile faded, and she quickly turned around to make sure that you didn’t notice it. While she prepared the drinks she asked: “How’s your date going?” Everyone who knew her better would’ve realized how fake her sudden cheerfulness was but you just laughed. “Oh well… it’s not exactly a date.”

“I see.”

This time, you noticed the harsh tone in her voice. “Tifa. Everything okay?”

She shrugged and kept silent as she put a few ice cubes into two glasses and poured the drinks over it. “Yeah. Don’t worry,” she sounded bitter, even though were well aware that she tried her best to suppress it. It was unusual for Tifa to be this short with you, typically she loved to have a little chat with you while she prepared your drink but today it almost seemed like she was upset about something you did. But today wasn’t any different from yesterday or the day before, except…

The next second, it hit you like a brick. She was jealous. Every time you got into a conversation with another girl, Tifa reacted like that. She got close-lipped, sometimes snippy and often stared at your dating partner with a withering expression in her eyes whenever she thought you didn’t notice it. Up to this point, it hadn’t made any sense, except maybe the fact that she didn’t like the girls who flirted with you but today you finally realized that she hated to see you with someone else.

“Tifa…” The way you said her name almost made her forget how much she hated herself for not being honest with you right from the start. With a quiet sigh, she raised her head to look at you. “Yeah?”

“I think we need to talk… like, in private. When the bar’s closed,” you replied. An insecure smile tugged at the corner of your lips. “I’ll wait for you. Okay?”

For a brief moment, Tifa didn’t say anything. She was pretty sure that you were going to end the superficial friendship you had formed over the past few months and had already opened her mouth to tell you that she wanted to go straight home after her shift when she realized the softness in your gaze. She gulped. “Okay.”

“Awesome.” Once again, you beamed at her before you took one of the drinks and headed to a table in the corner – as far away from the other girl as possible. Tifa giggled. The bar wouldn’t close before midnight, sometimes even 1 a.m, and she already knew that the next three hours would be the longest in her life. But hopefully it was worth it.

[redkardinal]

@smilegirl64 you should get in on this! ❤️

tagged by @madscientist2739 :]

(starting a new chain bc it was quite long but here's the original post if u want to scroll through the polls)

Put your music library on shuffle, then list the first five songs that come up in a poll to let people vote for which one they like the most!

tagging: @crystal-mouse @s-h-a-s-e @orangexmachina @andietries and anyone else who wants to! no pressure as always feel free to ignore :3