#unless something happened to Cerberus

[roguerambles]

Look, unless it turns out Hades and Persephone cooked Cerberus in a pot and ate him or something, I am fully on board for their hostile takeover of Olympus.

I mean, Zeus is dead and Hera is in the wind, and let's be real their management style really needed some work, let Hades and Persephone take the reins guys--

[the-unified-programs]

Sooo... has anyone ever gotten into a series (video game, TV show, book, whatever) before, somewhat dropped out of it or something along those lines, and then got back into but, like, ten tines more obsessed? Because that kind of just happened to us...

Seriously, when we first heard of the Final Fantasy VII Remake, we were like, "oh, cool! Final Fantasy! We remember playing one of the games when we were young! This one seems cool... don't know anything about it, but it seems neat." So we had pre-ordered it. When we were able to get it, we played it for a bit on and off, before kind of... forgetting about it. We didn't forget the series entirely, no. We still occasionally went online and found stuff about the game, we just... stopped playing for some reason. And then we got the Crisis Core Reunion and played that for a bit before roughly the same thing happened. And we stopped playing either game altogether for bit, but still looked things up online about the series to learn about some characters.

And then it hit us like gosh darn freight train. Like, really freaking hard. All of a sudden we want to play through the games. We literally have 22 posters now that we got today and covered the area of walls by our bed with. Don't know what caused it at all, but uh... there might be some FFVII related stuff being posted by us soon if we feel confident in our abilities to draw humans-

[amxrany]

!! CHAPTER 7 / DIASOMNIA ARC SPOILERS !!

Hi I just got home, so let's get to it (Part 1):

Picking up where we left off, where the main gang meet up with Idia. Sebek thought that all of them were awake in the real world but Idia was like "nah we're still stuck in the dream world"

I completely forgot that Idia barely touches grass (joke) in the main story so he introduces himself to the Silver and Sebek and when Sebek introduces himself Idia got scared cuz of how loud he was 😭

Since Idia's awake, Silver immediately goes on defense thinking that the darkness or even Malleus will attack. But then, Ortho comes on screen (like literally he appears on a monitor) telling the gang that they don't have to worry about that for a while.

Edit: There's this one part I legit forgot to add which I will now cuz it's funny where Silver and Sebek were just sandwiching Idia and Idia's says something along the lines of getting hurt from being squeezed between armor (Sebek) and HARD MUSCLES (Silver) LIKE WE GET IT IDIA WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE

Ortho then explains to the rest about how he managed to escape the dream world and transfer his consciousness to STYX. Although he's not able to conjur Unique Magic because he's not a mage, but rather a humanoid robot, he still has his unique perks (aw that's cute)

Flashback Time: So we have Cerberus Ortho investigating the current situation of Sage Island, trying to prevent the thorns from spreading as well as break through the shield, which is apparently much harder than the open gates of the Underworld. But don't worry guys the Shroud Parents are also there to help him out.

Ortho was given a 20 minute time limit to analyze Malleus's magic, because once those 20 minutes are up he shuts down, which was difficult. UNTIL THE MAN OF THE HOUR MALLEUS APPEARS, who's surprised that Ortho was awake. But Ortho tells Malleus that he simply switched bodies cuz he's an AI, which is something Malleus probably doesn't understand (damn AHAHAHAHAHA)

Knowing that he needed to buy some for the machinery thingies (idk what they're called don't even ask) to collect the needed data, Ortho challenges Malleus. Malleus admires the fact Ortho can keep his sanity for so long, thinking that it's the pinnacle of technology. It was a crazy battle, with Ortho losing one of his dogs

OH MALLEUS I LOVE YOU BUT YOU BITCHHHH (mostly the latter btw)

Ortho's running out of time, with only 30 seconds left and Malleus is about is to put him to sleep. he says he's sorry to his parents NOOOO

BUT SOMETHING HAPPENS, the attack stops; STYX came in just in time to intervene. The Shroud parents uses their drones to attack Malleus's shield and Ortho uses a full blast to get him out of Sage Island and land himself back to STYX and we get this moment of the Shrouds (minus Idia) collapsing into each other's arms.

MALLEUS NO

Ortho regains consciousness after awhile and tells his parents that he's guilty the the two robot dogs were destroyed (oh yeah forgot to mention the other one was destroyed too whoopsie), but Mama Shroud said that they can just repair them and we just have this heartfelt moment in the family.

That is, until Papa Shroud brings up that the magic used by Malleus reminds him of the ancient magic surrounding Grim. Another thing is that it's downright impossible to destroy Malleus's realm from the outside UNLESS Malleus himself disappears. They can't destroy the realm by force either because it will also permamnently lock all victims inside of it. The only thing they can do is to be as persuasive as possible to let Malleus let go of everyone (but trust me when I say I don't think that will work)

So they bring up Maleficia as someone who can persuade Malleus, but Mama Shroud has something else in mind and shows Ortho a live from Idia's dream, which is when he notices something was off. It's possible that she found a way to access everyone's dreams (and let's just say Idia is just like his mum). That;s when Ortho realizes what his mom meant, and that is to find a way to get everyone to wake up and find a way to disrupt the dream world.

Okay Ima end the first part here for now, sorry this took awhile guys I had lots of things to do the moment I got home 😭. But I promise to get things out as quick as I can (I still have a reflection paper to speedrun lmao)

Next: Part 2

[sephirthoughts]

The Ghost of Shinra Manor

Chapter 4 of this

summary: It's been two years-ish since the events of Dirge of Cerberus. Cloud visits his hometown, and investigates a rumor of a ghost, haunting Shinra Manor. If you're surprised by who it turns out to be, you are beyond my power to save, comrade.

tags: g-g-g-ghosts!!! sefikura, sephiroth x cloud, sane!sephiroth (sort of), post advent children, post dirge of cerberus, canon timeline, delusions, intermitten amnesia, low drama, enemies to…whatever the hell they have going on

warnings: references to death, PTSD, child abuse, etc. all of hojo's greatest hits, canon-typical violence

rating: teen and up [BE ADVISED: THIS RATING WILL CHANGE]

Part 4: Resolve

Cloud didn’t check his phone till they were back at the cabin, by which time he’d accumulated a number of alerts.

MISSED CALLS(4): Tifa

MISSED CALL: Barrett

New Messages(5)

He decided to deal with them in order of priority, and opened the messages app first.

Strife: hey what do you know about ghosts

Chadley: Hello, Cloud. It’s good to hear from you. Ghosts aren’t really my area of expertise, unless you’re referring to occurrences of unusual fauna, which are often erroneously reported as ghost sightings. May I ask what this is in regard to?

Strife: like how to identify one and how to get rid of it

Chadley: Hm. There are a number of so-called spirit mediums and exorcists, who claim to be able to detect and communicate with spirits, but since there isn’t an established scientific discipline, I’m afraid the field is fraught with charlatans.

Strife: so there’s no one who knows anything?

Chadley: Don’t lose hope, my friend. It just so happens that an acquaintance of mine is what I would call the world’s foremost lay-expert in spectral phenomena. If there’s anyone who could answer whatever questions you have, it would be him.

Strife: lay-expert?

Chadley: That means he’s highly knowledgeable, but it isn’t his day job.  

Strife: what’s his actual job

Chadley: He works as the concierge for the Haunted Hotel, at the Gold Saucer.

Strife: tell me you’re not talking about that upside-down lunatic bellhop

Chadley: Oh, are you acquainted?

Strife: forget it. i meant someone sane

Chadley: Don’t let his sense of whimsy deter you. That’s his professional persona. He’s actually a very astute and level-headed person. I assure you, there’s no one more knowledgeable in the field.

Strife: really?

Chadley: Indeed. Shall I put you in touch?

Strife: yeah ok

Chadley: Excellent. I’ll give him your contact information. Good luck!

Strife: thanks

Tifa: hey you, just checking in to see how you’re doing. how’s the job going?

Tifa: btw denzy managed to fix that old bike they found. he even rode it around today

Tifa: marley took these pics of him aren’t they cute? .img .img .img

Tifa: good news! i just got off the phone with barrett and he’s going to be in town friday. we’re thinking of having a big bbq dinner for everyone at the bar. you’ll be back by then right?

Strife: won’t be back by friday. something came up i have to deal with

Several minutes passed.

Tifa: i guess there’s nothing you can do when a rush job comes up. when do you think you’ll be back?

Strife: can’t say. could be a while

Tifa: oh i see

Tifa: ok well try not to stay gone too long ok? the kids miss you

Cloud was attempting to formulate a human-sounding reply, when his phone lit up with a new notification.

UNKNOWN: greetings cloud! my name is benjamin hopkins. my friend chadley said you’d like my help with some ghost related information. feel free to give me a call any time, and I’d be happy to assist you however I can.

He stared at his phone screen. A bellhop. Named Benjamin Hopkins. What the fuck ever. Of course that weirdo in the mummy bandages would have a weirdo name.

Sephiroth’s high-school AU version was still wearing the Gold Saucer t-shirt, with the addition of a pair of Cloud’s black jeans, which fit him far too well for Cloud’s liking. At the moment, he was sitting at the camp table, staring into space, because Cloud didn’t have any chores for him to do except wash dishes, and he’d done that already.

“Sephiroth,” Cloud said, giving him a start.

Big, blue-green eyes looked up at him, full of hope and trust. “Yes, sir?”

“If you want something to do, why don’t you go out and chop some firewood, before we’re ass-deep in snow. From the look of things, we’re gonna need it.”

Sephiroth jumped up eagerly. “Yes, sir. How much should I get?”

“Just whatever you can cut while I’m on the phone,” Cloud said carelessly. “The axe is hanging up over there. Shed is behind the cabin. I’ll come check on you, when I’m done with my call.”

“Yes, sir. You can count on me.”

“Sephiroth.”

“Mn?”

“Jacket.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And knock off that sir shit. Call me Cloud.”

“Yes, s—Cloud.”

With a sheepish grin, the boy pulled on the old down jacket Cloud had given him, grabbed the axe, and strode out into the snow, full of determination. Cloud stared at the closed door for a full thirty seconds, after he’d gone, and had to physically shake himself out of the reverie.

Seeing Sephiroth this way was wreaking havoc on his emotional state. The child version had been easy. Similar but unfamiliar. Cloud was able to dissociate him from the mental index he had for Sephiroth, and just see a little boy. The adult version was even easier. He was fully familiar and fit neatly into Cloud’s ‘mortal enemy, hated with the fire of a thousand suns’ index.

The teenaged version was more complicated. This was the Sephiroth who had been his idol and hero, when he was the bullied and ostracized poor kid in this tiny shit town. His reason for never giving up, when things seemed hopeless.

This was the Sephiroth he’d fallen in love with, in the innocent and wholehearted sincerity of childhood. The Sephiroth that a part of him, no matter how forcefully denied and deeply buried, still loved.

He clenched his teeth and swallowed the ache in his throat. If some fragment of himself was still idiotic and delusional enough to harbor anything approaching love for Sephiroth, that was just one more reason to quickly figure out how to end him, once and for all. The sooner the man was gone for good, the better. With fresh resolve, he pulled out his phone and dialed the bellhop’s number.

“Benjamin Hopkins, how can I help you?” said the man’s (not quite as deranged as Cloud remembered) voice.

Cloud sighed audibly. “Is that your real fucking name?”

“No, it’s not,” he retorted. “If you must know, my real name is Subject N-2, and thanks for bringing up that very painful memory. Would you like to talk about ghosts, now?”

“Uh. Sorry,” Cloud muttered. “Is this a good time?”

“Good as any. I’m at work, but it’s a pretty slow day, to tell you the truth, so I’m just hanging around.”

Cloud stifled another sigh. “Did you say that because you’re literally hanging upside-down right now?”

“Eh? Have we met before?”

“Couple years ago. My friends and I were looking for rooms at the hotel. One of them may have been a bit…aggressive.”

“Oh…oh! Are you the little blonde who came in with the giant, the vampire, the cowboy aviator, and a robot cat?”

“I’m impressed you remember us.”

“Ah, ha ha. Mr. Strife, how many times do you think I’ve had an arm-mounted minigun shoved in my face, at my place of employment? Just, ballpark estimate.”

Cloud swallowed. “Is it…one time?”

“Ding ding ding! Correct! Just the one time. So yes, I remember you. A man doesn’t tend to forget that kind of character-defining life and death experience.”

“Sorry about that guy. He has anger issues and trust issues and impulse control issues, and also he’s scared of spooky stuff, so he was acting tough to hide it,” Cloud explained, blithely throwing Barrett under the bus. “But, now that I think of it, I remember you seeming pretty chill about the gun. You didn’t even flinch.”

“Ok, you got me,” the bellhop tittered. “I was exaggerating about the character-defining life and death experience stuff. I’ve been through way worse than that.”

“You have?”

“Yes, yes, it’s all part of my tragic backstory. However! It was highly inappropriate of your friend to threaten a member of the hotel staff with a firearm. Imagine if a normal employee had been the one at the counter, instead. They’d have trauma! I’m sorry to be strict, but for the safety and mental health of the staff and guests, I’m afraid Mr. Barrett Wallace is not welcome on Haunted Hotel premises, until further notice. I hope he takes the opportunity to reflect carefully on his actions.”

“Fair enough. I doubt he’d go back there if you dragged him, anyway.”

“Good. Now that’s settled, let’s talk about your ghost problem. What seems to be the trouble?”

“That’s part of the problem,” Cloud said, feeling a little stupid saying any of this out loud. “I’m not even sure it’s a ghost.”

“Ah, say no more. I happen to have my ‘Got Ghosts?’ checklist handy. Why don’t we go through that, first. More often than not, the phenomena people misidentify as evidence of hauntings are perfectly mundane, explainable things.”

“Um. Ok.”

“Do you have any of the following: shadows or other unexplained movement in your peripheral vision?”

“No.”

“Sensation of falling, while seated or lying down?”

“No.”

“Cold spots in the house?”

“This is Nibelheim. The whole house is a cold spot.”

“I’ll go ahead and check no for that one. Voices laughing, or speaking in whispers/low tones?”

“No.”

“Thinking you hear someone call your name, when alone in the house or with others who deny having done so?”

“No.”

“Scratching or tapping on walls or under floors?”

“No.”

“Sound of footsteps, from empty rooms?”

“No.”

“Lights flickering, or inexplicably being turned off?”

“No.”

“Waking up to the certainty that there is a terrifying presence in the room with you, but unable to move or call for help?”

“No.”

“Pets behaving strangely, and/or interacting with something that is not there?”

“No pets.”

“Objects moved to strange locations, cabinets found open, doors opening or shutting on their own, et cetera?”

“Nope.”

There was a pause. “I’m a little confused, Mr. Strife. If none of these things are occurring, what leads you to believe you might have a ghost?”

“I found a dead person—”

“You found a body??”

“No. Let me finish my sentence, will you? I found a person who I know to be dead, except he’s not acting dead, and he was hanging around in an abandoned basement, naked and crying.”

“He was…that’s uh…wow. A lot to unpack. You’re sure he wasn’t just abducted, and presumed dead? Because, to be honest, that’s kind of what it sounds like.”

“I’m sure. I killed him, myself.”

The bellhop choked audibly. “I—I see. And, uh…the person you found in this basement, who resembles the person you killed—”

“Not resembles. It is him. He answers to his name and knew where he was. But he doesn’t remember me. He seems to be having some kind of weird amnesia, where he’s only getting parts of his memory back.”

“And, um. Not to belabor a point,” the bellhop said gingerly, “but, what makes you think he’s a ghost? I mean, apart from the fact that you claim to have killed him and are definitely one-hundred percent certain that he did actually die.”

“He’s pale. Like, corpse pale. His body is ice-cold. All of it gets kind of transparent, sometimes, but mostly his hands and feet. He has trouble touching things, without his fingers going right through them. And sometimes, when he talks, he fades in and out, like a radio.”

The sound of a pencil scratching, from the other end of the line said enough, so Cloud continued.

“Normal lighting hurts his eyes, so I have to use a gas lantern or just the fireplace. He doesn’t seem to see very well, or maybe he’s just seeing things that aren’t real. Less than two hours ago, I watched him walk straight through a solid wall of stone that he insisted wasn’t there. Also, when I found him yesterday, he was an adult. When I woke up this morning, he was a little kid. Now he’s a teenager.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Mr. Strife—”

“Cloud.”

“Cloud. If you would go this far, just to play some kind of mean-spirited prank—”

“Do I seem like the type of person who plays pranks, Benjamin?”

“Not really,” he conceded. “If anything, you seem to be the 'broody edgelord who takes himself way too seriously' type.”

“That’s not…inaccurate. So, can you help me, or not?”

Benjamin let out a long breath. “Hoo, boy. Let me be honest with you, I thought I was prepared, but none of my usual checklists cover anything like this. That said, your guy actually sounds a lot like a ghost. There are inconsistencies, but if what you’re telling me is the truth, I can’t think of any other explanation. Um. Let me look something up, real quick.”

“Sure, take your time.”

There was another lengthy pause in which Benjamin muttered to himself and Cloud heard pages turning.

“Alright, found it. So, the Cetra believed that the spirits of human beings could be temporarily unable to enter the lifestream, for a number of different reasons. A spirit can’t inhabit its dead body, though, so they show up as disembodied entities, mostly resembling intangible wisps of light. These are what people would commonly call ghosts.”

“But mine’s not an intangible wisp, or whatever,” Cloud pointed out. “He’s actually pretty solid. I even carried him a few times.”

“Right. Hence the inconsistency. The only stories of ghosts being able to take physical bodies and walk around interacting with living people, are from ancient oral traditions, and those were supposedly the spirits of demigods.”

“Ok, back up. Forget about the body thing, for now. What are the reasons someone could be unable to enter the lifestream?”

“Strong resentment, unfinished business, promises to keep—any kind of attachment so strong that it keeps them hanging on, past their time.”

“So, if it was that, what would we do about it?”

“Supposedly, the attachment has to be resolved, then the spirit can be freed and enter the lifestream. For humans. For the demigods…that’s a different story. They were considered to be corrupt beings, so they were rejected permanently. Pretty sad, if you ask me.”

“Corrupt how?”

“Well, demigods are the offspring of humans and gods, which is a big ontological no-no. Gods can’t die, and can’t enter the lifestream, but that’s a whole other thing. The children of an eternal god and a mortal human, therefore, are stuck between worlds. Their bodies can die, but their spirits can’t ascend to godhood, and they can’t join the lifestream either, so they just linger. Some of them go mad and turn into malicious entities, that spread plague and disaster and war, and some just gradually lose themselves, fading but never disappearing. Like Zeno’s paradox, but with existence, instead of infinitely shrinking distances.”

“Shit. That is pretty sad.”

“Yeah, man. Have you studied any mythology? Like, ninety percent of it is a huge bummer.”

“There’s another thing. I attacked him with a sword, when I first saw him. He wasn’t hurt at all, but the attacks backlashed on me, really badly. I’m still recovering from the internal injuries. What could cause that?”

“Huh,” Benjamin said thoughtfully. “A sword attack certainly shouldn’t be able to harm a ghost, but how does it backlash?”

“It wasn’t the blade I hit him with. It was a directed energy spell, using the blade as a catalyst.”

“You used a mana-based attack on the alleged ghost, and it backlashed on you? Holy shit.”

“What?”

“Well, in my experience—I mean, my experience researching ghost-related phenomena, obviously—untethered human souls are extremely fragile. An energy spell should have scattered it, if not destroyed it completely. I’ve never heard of one defending itself, let alone being able to harm a living person.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. So, to be on the safe side, maybe don’t do that anymore. In the meantime, are there any other extremely significant details that you haven’t bothered to bring up, yet? Because, I’d really like to just hear it all at once, if that’s ok.”

“Just a few things. He has these memory flashbacks, he gets caught in. He can bring me into them, but he doesn’t know how. It’s happened a few times. Also, when we were sleeping, last night, I dreamed a bunch of random pieces of his memories.”

“You believe he’s a ghost, and you went to sleep, in the same room with him?”

“I just said sleeping. Why do you assume we were in the same room?”

“Were you?”

“Yes. What does it matter?”

“I’m impressed, is all. You’re a different breed than most huma—ahem—most people, aren’t you.”

“He was a lot scarier alive. That’s why I want to figure out how to kill him permanently, as soon as possible.”

“Without killing yourself along with him, you mean.”

“Sure.”

“O…kay. Anything else you haven’t mentioned?”

Cloud opened his mouth to tell Benjamin about the pain in his chest, that had been growing since he approached Nibelheim, and how it had gotten unbearable when Sephiroth started to fade, earlier, but for some reason, he became extremely reluctant to talk about it. “Uh. No, that’s all.”

“Alrighty,” Benjamin said cheerfully. “I’m gonna have to do a little research and get back to you, because, um. Ha ha. I’ve never heard of anything like this situation, in my life.”

“Right. Well, thanks for doing this. I appreciate it.”

“Anything for a friend of Chadley. Hey, just out of curiosity, where’s your ghost, now? You didn’t talk about all of this in front of him, right?”

“No, I sent him out to chop firewood, so we could talk.”

“You sent him to chop firewood. And he just…obeyed you?”

“Yeah. He’s been cooperative, the whole time.”

“Wow. Are you sure you don’t want to keep him? Joking, joking. Oop, got some customers. It was nice talking to you! Bye!”

“See ya,” Cloud replied, but the man had already hung up.

What a strange person. Which, upon mature consideration, was rather unsurprising, for an upside-down bellhop at the Haunted Hotel, who dressed like a mummy for work, and studied ghosts in his free time. Despite all that, Cloud felt inclined to trust him. There was something familiar and reliable, in his aura. Like they’d already known each other.

Cloud’s hyper-tuned hearing didn’t detect any chopping, outside the cabin, so he went out to see how Sephiroth was faring. Fat snowflakes were falling heavily, and the world was still and silent, the way it only gets, when everything is muffled under several inches of snow.

Sephiroth was nowhere in sight, so Cloud went around to the back and stopped short. The woodshed door was wide open, and what appeared to be smoke was billowing out into the cold air.

“Fuck—Sephiroth!” he exclaimed, dashing for the shed.

The boy popped his head out. “Cloud? What’s wrong?”

“What’s going on?” Cloud asked, confused. “What is all this…steam?”

“I filled the shed all the way up, and now I’m using a desiccation spell, to dry the wood out, so it’ll burn better and it won’t rot,” Sephiroth explained brightly.

Cloud peered into the shed, and saw the neatly and tightly stacked wood, already split and free of twigs and foliage. Sure enough, there was a thin layer of yellowish light on all of it, and it was cheerfully releasing steam, like a huge stack of fresh baked buns.

“What about the wood that was already in here?”

“I moved it all to the woodpile, at the front of the cabin.” Misunderstanding Cloud’s expression, Sephiroth’s face fell, “I—I’m sorry, I know you didn’t tell me to do that, but I thought—”

“No, it’s ok,” Cloud interrupted. “I was just surprised that you worked so fast. You did everything right. Good job.”

The beautiful boy lit up like a firework, at that little bit of praise, nearly annihilating Cloud on the spot.

His cheeks and nose were touched with pink, from all the exercise in the cold, which only made him look even sweeter and more innocent, as he beamed up at him. If only he could’ve stayed this way. If only he hadn’t been tortured and horribly abused, until he became the very monster he’d always feared he was.

The moment his heart began to soften, a surge of black bitterness rose up in Cloud’s throat to choke him. How could Sephiroth ever have been like this? He was always beautiful, but he couldn’t have been innocent and sweet, even at this age. He was already a cold-blooded killer, after all. It must be a deception, to manipulate him.

“You look sad,” Sephiroth said. “Is everything alright?”

“You’re turning pink.”

“Am I?” Sephiroth reached up to touch his cheeks, self-consciously.

“Yeah. But why?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re dead,” Cloud said flatly. “You don’t have blood. So how would your cheeks flush from being cold?”

The boy’s eyes suddenly went hazy and unfocused. “I’m…I’m dead.”

Sure enough, the flush of color drained from his face, leaving his skin waxen white; so translucent, that his veins were visible in his cheeks, as faint, bluish lines. His whole person seemed to wither, and become greyer and duller.

Cloud immediately regretted listening to that bitter part of himself, and lashing out at the boy. Whatever evil Sephiroth had done, this child hadn’t done it, yet.

“Seph…I’m sorry,” he said, gingerly patting the boy’s shoulder. “I shouldn’t have talked to you that way.”

Sephiroth’s skin instantly began to brighten, again, and that dead, grey cast fell away. But now his eyes were dewy and pink-rimmed. “Wh—why did you call me that?”

“What?”

“You called me Seph.”

“Isn’t that how people usually shorten your name?”

“I don’t know.” Two big, round tears rolled down his rosy cheeks. “No one ever has.”

Cloud was utterly at a loss, so he just patted the boy’s shoulder again. “Come on, don’t cry. Let’s go inside. You’re covered in snow.”

They hung up their coats on the hooks by the door, and kicked the snow off their boots, which they set by the fire, to dry. While Sephiroth put more wood on, Cloud was assessing the food supply, in case this storm lasted a while. He wasn’t too worried, though. He’d stocked up well on canned and dry goods, had plenty of fish in the freezer, and could always hunt.

It was no problem for him to traverse the route into town in extreme weather, but that wouldn’t do a lot of good if the town was too snowed in to function. If worse came to worst, he’d go over and clear the main roads. That was work that would be long and arduous for an entire crew of regular people, but with his strength and fire spells, wasn’t even difficult. He’d done it before.

While Sephiroth was bathing, Cloud toasted up some simple, grilled cheese sandwiches, on the skillet, which he cut into triangles. Then he got out a saucepan and began to heat up some milk.

The heavy snow put him in mind of winters with his mother, in their little house, and the rare luxury that was hot cocoa. He didn’t have peppermint sticks or marshmallows, so he sprinkled a little cinnamon on top.

He was just pouring it into the mugs, when Sephiroth came out, in those old sweatpants and another of Cloud’s t-shirts. He’d pulled his damp, chin-length hair back into a mini-ponytail at the base of his skull, which looked ridiculously cute.

“Dinner,” Cloud said.

Sephiroth sat dutifully at the camp table. “What’s this brown stuff?” he asked, wrinkling his nose at the mug Cloud set in front of him.

“Cinnamon.”

“And we drink it?”

“If you want. You don’t have to.”

Sephiroth reached for the mug, which his solid-looking fingers picked up with no trouble. Putting it to his lips, he took a cautious little sip. He froze for a beat. Then his eyes went round and starry and he sucked down every last drop of the warm, creamy cocoa, smacking his lips and ‘mm-ing’ delightedly between slurps.

Cloud nearly spit his own cocoa out, laughing, at the tragic face he made, when he realized his mug was empty. “You like it, huh?”

Sephiroth nodded vigorously. “Mn! I love it! I want to drink cinnamon all the time!”

“It’s called hot cocoa,” Cloud corrected. “Cinnamon is just the stuff sprinkled on top.”

“Hot cocoa,” Sephiroth repeated. “What is it made of?”

“My mom made it with chopped up chocolate and sugar, but I just use the tinned mix. There’s more in the saucepan, if you want.”

Sephiroth’s expression became grave. “Your mother taught you to make this?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re sharing it with me?”

“Looks that way.”

“Thank you,” Sephiroth said, dipping his head, as Cloud poured more cocoa into his mug. “I feel very honored.”

“It’s just hot cocoa. I’m sure everyone’s moms made it for them.”

“My mother…would have made this for me?”

“Probably.”

Sephiroth fell silent, looking reverent and reflective, as he slowly sipped the cocoa, this time, carefully savoring every mouthful, seemingly lost in his own little world. He didn’t touch the grilled cheese, but Cloud hadn’t expected him to. He was surprised enough that the boy was able to drink the cocoa. He ate both grilled cheese sandwiches, himself, without remarking on it, then went to take his shower.

When he came out again, Sephiroth had washed the dishes and tidied up the kitchen. Cloud had never thought of Sephiroth as someone who would be able or willing to undertake such mundane tasks. He’d only seen the lofty and beautiful hero, standing at the vanguard, sword in hand, sweeping away enemies like chaff on the wind.

This ghost, however, was turning out to be quite the cheerful little domestic helper, willing to do whatever task was at hand, and very good at everything he put is hand to. He’d even piled more wood onto the fire, swept the floor, and tied up the garbage in a neat little bundle, by the door, to be carried away.

Cloud lay down in his bed, but seeing the teenaged boy curled up on the rug, by the fire, wrapped in his one blanket, was too much for his conscience.

“Seph,” he said. “It’s too cold to sleep on the floor. We can share the bed.”

The boy looked up timidly. “Are…are you sure?”

“Yeah, come on. If you get sick, it’ll just be more trouble for me.”

Thus reassured, Sephiroth hurried over in his blanket and threw it over the top of the others, then shimmied in under the covers.

“Oh,” he breathed. “Your bed is so soft!”

Cloud squinted. “Is it?”

“It’s the softest bed I’ve ever been in! It’s amazing!”

“It’s just a futon on a wood frame.”

“What’s a futon?”

“It’s um…a Wutaian mattress.”

For what seemed like a very long time, Cloud lay stiffly on his back, staring up at firelight dancing on the ceiling, and carefully avoiding touching the boy, who was writhing and wriggling about, like he had fleas. At long last, he seemed to get comfortable and settle down. But just as Cloud was closing his eyes to drift off—

“Cloud?”

“Hm.”

“Why does your hair stick up like that, but mine hangs down?”

“Dunno. This is just the way it is.”

“Can I…can I touch it?”

Cloud eyed him dubiously. “Can you touch it? I mean…I don’t know why you want to, but I guess so.”

Sephiroth reached out and delicately prodded the blonde spikes. “It feels just like my hair. I thought it would be more like goat hair.”

“What? Why goat hair?” Cloud scowled.

Sephiroth grinned and kept petting his head, absently scooting closer, till their knees touched.

Cloud’s stomach fluttered nervously, in spite of himself. Yes, he was an adult now, but this was his first love, after all. In his mind, he was suddenly eleven years old again, gazing at a Shinra recruitment poster he’d kept secreted away in his bedroom, daydreaming about what it would feel like to kiss those perfect lips.

“Ok, time to sleep,” he said abruptly, turning onto his side, with his back to Sephiroth.

“Goodnight, Cloud,” Sephiroth whispered, after a few minutes had passed.

“Goodnight, Seph. Now, no more talking.”

THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY credit to @soundcrusher for the bellhop's name and backstory, which they let me borrow for this fic 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

ao3

[masterqwertster]

54, Kidnapping with Ashton Greymoore

Prompt

So @lunarrolls had this fun little post a while back pointing out that according to the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, both the Cerberus Assembly and Kryn Dynasty are very interested in collecting genasi for research. And that Ashton would be an absolutely wild catch for them.

Now given Ashton's new outfit has a half-decent approximation of the Kryn Dynasty symbol:

Plus dunamantic abilities, it's possible for Ashton (and Bells Hells) to bluff a Kryn scout/agent into thinking he's already got some affiliation with the Dynasty. Thus skirting around a potential attempt to drag Ashton back to Rosohna.

The Assembly agents on the other hand, are only going to be all the more interested in capturing a "Dynasty" genasi with dunamantic capabilities.

The Cerberus Assembly's people, also, are going to be the the type of people to possess mindcontrol magics to get Ashton to "willingly" come along under his own power. Or some other form of magic to make Ashton less of a threat. Which definitely would make the whole kidnapping process easier.

Because let's be real: Ashton is not someone who is easily kidnapped via brute force or drugging.

Ashton is a beefy tank of a barbarian. If you want to take them via force, you're going to have to work for it. Ambush and numbers are going to be your friends. As we've seen time and again, hitting the barbarian before rage comes into effect is prime circumstance. And if you can't lay down the heavy hurt by yourself, having a team to pile on is a must. And you want to be fast, otherwise allies or other interference can occur, if Ashton doesn't just manage to book it like crazy.

Ashton also has a high Constitution score with proficiency on the Saves, so drugging them, which is usually resisted with a CON Save, is not an easy task either unless you've got something potent.

Of course, once you've knocked Ashton down, transport becomes an issue. He's made of rock and very heavy. I always put his minimum weight at 500 pounds (but the range is really somewhere between 450-600). So unless you're teleporting out, quick escape (particularly on foot) is not an easy task because you've got this enormous deadweight.

Plus, Ashton is a very noticeable figure to try and run off with, so their friends can very easily pick up information about what has happened if your tracks are not sufficiently covered. And that's not even accounting for magical means of locating them. Which, there are means of blocking Scrying and Sending. But, I don't think there's a way to block a Commune if the cleric asks the right questions to get your location.

And that's not even getting into the thrashing mess Ashton will become once he's got his senses back. Hope you've got some good chains and a sturdy cell, because you've got a barbarian baby titan with chaotic dunamancy in there, and he's fucking pissed. Oh, and he's got a criminal background in Breaking and Entering, so it's also entirely possible for him to pick the locks and sneak out if you don't have a solid setup.

If Ashton doesn't escape under their own power, eventually the rest of Bells Hells is going to show up in all their unhinged chaos. You've taken one of their voices of reason, and that was a mistake. If your base of operations doesn't seem suddenly haunted, that may not be a good sign.

For who knows which of their powerful allies they'll tap for the breakout. The Voice of the Tempest causing a political fuss? She can also call on her allies in other political spheres to add even more pressure. What about that Cobalt Soul monk with abs for days and her wizard friend who have jailed Assembly members? Bet you don't want them poking their noses into this.

Honestly, there's some really fun stuff to be done with Ashton getting kidnapped by a world power.

[thedevillionaire]

Oh this list has me thinking thoughts!! Can I get 3, 5, 15, 18, and 25 for my ❤️Cerberus, please and thank you!

Of course, absolutely! 💞 And thank you too, of course, for the asks!

3. does your oc usually have a lot of warning before they sneeze, or does a sneeze tend to sneak up on them? does it depend on anything?

Cerberus has solidly decent warning time, as a rule. Hell, as a very regular employer of the raised index finger "wait" signal, he's usually well aware of oncoming snz. He knows what's coming lol. But, yeah, it's not always. Intense allergic reaction can take him by surprise at times. It's definitely a rarity that he gets no warning, though. He's way more build-up/prep inclined than its opposite.

5. is your oc allergic to anything they haven't encountered yet and don't know about? is here!

15. does the sound, volume, or force of your oc's sneeze change depending on what's causing it at all?

It...can, though the most likely thing to change all three - and particularly the latter two - is if whatever the cause is doesn't let up. He will consciously moderate his force less if it's a fit that is not stopping, godsdammit, and he wants this Done. With. Now. In so many aspects of his life, Cerberus is driven by successful achieving of an endgoal, and this is...one of those aspects lol. He actually has reasonable success with this. It's more likely to work for him than stifling, anyway. His sound is heavier, deeper, when it's a cold as opposed to allergies, too, though only the people who know him particularly well or intimately would pick up on it. So Kia can always tell, obviously. 💘

18. what are some circumstances in which your oc really would not mind sneezing?

This is the vast majority of the time, actually. Cerberus, who - despite what my content here might suggest - only rarely gets sick and has just a few specific allergies, doesn't pay any real attention to everyday, 'usual' sneezing. One of my favourite qualities of his, actually, is that he will quite regularly sneeze for no apparent reason, not foreshadowing or signalling anything other than something briefly irritated his nose enough for it to cause a sneeze (or two, maybe even three if I'm extra lucky lol) and then...that's it. It doesn't make for good fic content but the sheer amount I watch this happen in my head is SIGNIFICANT. 🤣🤣 Anyway. He's not concerned about sneezing in day-to-day life, in pretty much any circumstance, unless it's more than incidental. And that changes things.

And 25. what's your favorite sneeze situation to put this oc in, and why? is here!

[bittyfromquotev]

(surprised this is even up.)

Hey. Yeah bro. You’re jumping to conclusions.

Also since when are people not allowed to block you????? Blocking is not a bad thing.

I definitely agree with the other two (whose names I’ve blacked out). If Lux/Cerberus was really sending/allowing people to harass you I’d be one of them. Either that or I’d have called him out on it because I don’t like harassment.

It’s not happening bro. Think for a moment instead of trying to still engrave the thought that Lux is evil after having a civil conversation where he kept his word into your and others’ brains.

Unless something else concerning happens this is my last analysis regarding the Cerberus situation.

[swaps55]

WIP Whenever

I am two scenes and an epilogue away from finishing Fugue, so have a snippet. Sorry it's short. Almost everything in the next couple of chapters contains BIG spoilers. ~

Muriel Aslany scowls at the bunker door once it shuts behind Alenko and Pendergrass. By the time they finally called it quits last night Alenko seemed to have shaken off whatever had been eating at him, but it sure is hard to tell these days.

The Alenko she used to know wore everything on his shirtsleeves unless they were playing poker. This Alenko…well, the one she used to know is still there. She just has to dig deeper to find him, and Beaudoin was the one who knew where to put the shovel.

He also knew what to do when a problem couldn’t be solved with a gun and a full ammo block. Turns out the hardest part of protecting a squad isn’t from bullets, but bullets are what she understands.

She scans the area just how Červenka taught her. Shepard was better at a lot of things than a lot of people, but stealth recon wasn’t one of them. Červenka knew her shit, though, and now Aslany knows hers. That’s something she can bring to this wounded squad, anyway.

If Cerberus is here, she’s going to fucking find them.

They almost lost Alenko once to a terrorist group that went too far, and she’ll go straight to hell before it happens again on her watch.

Shepard had taught her that.

[hot-footed-heir]

△ what have you lost from your old world that you know you cant get back here, and what would you do for it?

...Unless something happens, I'm pretty sure I'll never see any of my family again. Anyone at the House. Cerberus, Mother... I'll admit, I even miss Father now. It's been too long since a surly old man berated me for doing my job.

I'd give a lot to be able to see them again, but I draw the line at giving up any of the people and Pokemon I've come to care for in my time here. I'd sooner give my own life than those of my Pokemon or my friends.

8/10. That was... harder to admit than I thought.

[clericofshadows]

find the words! these will mostly be from WIPs I have in my drafts :)

tagged by @breadedsinner

tagging: not sure who to tag, so if you see this and want to participate, feel free!

your words are fear, risen, victory, insight

Word 1, Dark: (from a WIP)

Regis shut off his omnitool and sat down at his desk, head in his hands. Seeing Chakwas and Joker for a moment felt like a victory, finally someone he could trust on his side, someone who he knew had his back.

But a small, dark part of him despised that they thought Cerberus was the answer after everything that had happened, everything that they witnessed.  He doesn’t know if he could even trust them, truly.

It was a terrifying thought.

The only man he could trust right now was supposedly still with the Alliance, but Regis was afraid to contact him onboard this ship, knowing that his picture sat innocently on his desk.

A threat, a reminder, and a way to say that Cerberus knows about him. A way to say that they know who he loves and will do anything for.

If he finds out who put that picture there, who gave them that moment between them, they will meet the Butcher of Torfan.

A picture taken by Tali before Ilos, of Regis and Kaidan touching their foreheads together, temporarily switching their scarves for the mission.

Something only his crew should have, and yet, it ended up in Cerberus's hands...

Word 2, Fluffy: (from a WIP)

There was something so pleasant about waking up with Kaidan's arms wrapped around him, even knowing that the mission that awaited them could be their last.

Regis didn't want to move, didn't want to disturb these beloved moments of peace, but Kaidan started to stir anyway, slowing opening his eyes with a groan.

"Is it already morning, Regis?" he asked, not letting go of Regis just yet.

"Afraid so." He moved to run his hands through Kaidan's curly hair, fluffing it out before moving in for a kiss. "Ilos awaits."

Word 3, Embrace: (from a posted fic: late night conversations)

“I never made that decision lightly.” He looked away.  “I embraced it, but ultimately, it has pinned me as someone who will get the job done, no matter the cost.  While that may be true sometimes, it’s something I try to avoid.”  He sighed.  “But yes, I imagine he had a certain image of me.”

“I gave the order knowing damn well it was the only way out.  I took the fall so everyone else would survive, while I became the monster.  The demon.  The Butcher.  But the families of the dead know what I did for them, what I sacrificed to make sure they got what they deserved.  The thing is?  I wasn’t the only one in support of it, but I made damn sure that the Alliance thought it was only me.  And look what it gave me.  Scars, a path to N7, and a title that makes my mother hate me even more.”

Word 4, Slow: (from a WIP)

“Listen, you know what I want out of you.  Either you tell me where I can contact Kaidan, or I will find some alternative way to contact him,” Regis said, leaning against the railing in the office.  “I have no allies, no one I can turn to, and it is utter hell for me knowing what logo is debasing my ship.”

“You know I cannot do that.  The mission he’s on is classified, and you, for all intents and purposes, are now someone that the Alliance cannot trust,” Anderson replied.  “My hands are tied.”

Regis frowned.  “Then what the hell am I even here for? I didn't accept the Normandy, hell even the Spectre position, to be stuck unable to do a goddamn thing."

Anderson gave him an unimpressed look.  “You are on your own, Shepard, whether you like it or not.  Unless you turn yourself in, there’s nothing I can do except let you do what Cerberus wants you to do.” Regis felt his corona rise underneath his skin.  “I just woke up from being dead for two fucking years, Anderson!  I was dead!  Meat and goddamn tubes!  And somehow, I’m here, not knowing if I’m even still the man who I claim to be!  I have my armor, yet it feels wrong.  My biotics are more responsive than ever, but I feel so fucking slow and sluggish while using them, as if I was back at BAaT!   And I will die before letting the Illusive Man use me as his personal dog.”  He growled out.  “I’m only doing this because the Collectors are a clear threat, and I’m going to burn every resource Cerberus gives me to make sure my mission succeeds and try to destroy them in the process.  So, I’ll say it again: Either I contact him and jeopardize him, or you get me in contact with someone who can.”

[conkniving]

❝ i just feel because of my physical length, i could be a target for all kinds of misadventures. ❞ - Matevos

fallon's head lifted from attending to cerberus obediently stationed at her side on the coffee shop's patio. it was just on the brink of a proper spring now, warm enough to justify windbreakers in the face of the chill that jubilantly clung to its last hurrah. not that she'd be caught dead without her leather jacket as a substitute, but whatever. it was still nice to be able to return to lounging along sidewalks with another caffeine enthusiast, really the only reason she would ever get up early most mornings that didn't include a hangover of the substance or brawling sense.

"i dunno what to make of that statement..." she supplied slowly, hand not gripping the reinforced leash reaching for her mug and sipping lightly flavoured essence. dark eyes swiftly darted from matevos's eyes to the lowest point on his torso, then back up once more. "do we need to dish about some love life rumours or something seedier?" a wince and then disbelieving chuckle at her own choice of words, setting the porcelain back on the low quality café table. "mm, maybe not seedier. unless your love life gossip does happen to include illegitimate children, too. i meant bastard shit." considering there was few people milling around them at the hour, and none of them seemed interested in their presences, she felt less inclined to be inconspicuous about their affiliation.

[freyayuki]

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius Neo Vision Genesis Rhapsodos Banner

The banner for Neo Vision Genesis Rhapsodos from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII just showed up in the Final Fantasy Brave Exvius (FFBE) mobile game.

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius x Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion Collab Event

Been looking forward to the Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion (#ad) collab event ever since I first heard about it showing up in the Japanese version of FFBE.

After what feels like having to wait for forever, the aforementioned collab is finally here in the Global or English version of the game.

This event introduces a couple of new chars who are all from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion (CCFF7R) and they are as follows:

Zack Fair

Angeal Hewley

Cissnei

Genesis Rhapsodos

I talk more about this collab in this post, but to be more precise, what I was really looking forward to about this event was Neo Vision Genesis Rhapsodos.

Ever since I started playing FFBE, I’ve been hoping for Genesis to be added to this game. That’s because Genesis Rhapsodos is currently my absolute, most fave Final Fantasy char.

Needless to say, was really happy when I heard the news that he’d finally been added to the Japanese version of FFBE thanks to the CCFF7R collab event.

As soon as I heard the news about Genesis, I started preparing for his eventual arrival in the Global version of FFBE.

Among other things, this includes not using my lapis to pull on banners. This also means having to skip multiple chars unless I happened to get lucky with tickets.

The last time I pulled on a banner using lapis was for Neo Vision Flaring Aether Rain, and the reason why I did that is because of his Leader Skill.

Rain’s Leader Skill is called Passionate Aether, and it has the following effect:

Boost ATK and MAG by 500% and boost DEF and SPR by 200% for fire or FFBE category units

There are a lot of fire and/or FFBE category units. And in the Global version of the game, most of our Global-exclusive or Global-first chars are all under the FFBE category.

In short, having even just 1 copy of Flaring Aether Rain will enable players to boost the stats of a lot of their chars.

But, more importantly, at least for me, is the fact that one of Genesis’s categories in this game is fire, which means that he can benefit from Flaring Aether Rain’s Leader Skill. As far as I’m aware, so far, Rain is the only char who can buff fire chars by 500%.

I want to buff and boost Genesis as much as I possibly can, so I made sure to get Rain even if it meant having to use my lapis to do so. I talk more about that in this post.

Anyway, right now, my Flaring Aether Rain is at Ex+ 2/3. Also have 2 dupes of him which is equivalent to 100 fragments. Gonna need 100 more fragments to get him to Ex+ 3/3.

I’m hoping to be lucky enough to be able to get more dupes of Rain while pulling for Genesis so that I can get him to Ex+ 3/3 sooner rather than later. Getting him to Ex+ 3/3 will also give me access to his Vision Card (VC) which I want to equip to Genesis.

Neo Vision Genesis Rhapsodos Information

When the Japanese version of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius first announced that Genesis was coming soon, they didn’t give any more details about him so was free to speculate on what kind of unit he’ll be in this game.

Of course, I really want him to be good. I’ll still pull regardless, but of course I want him to be great.

I also really want Genesis to have a CG LB and to have a brave shift form. Maybe he can have his wing out in his shift form. Maybe he can wear his Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 outfit in one form then he can wear his Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII outfit in the other form.

I was kinda expecting Genesis to be a physical fire DPS since that’s what he is in the Final Fantasy Record Keeper (FFRK) mobile game. Or maybe they could make him a hybrid char so he can deal both physical and magical damage or something, I suppose.

Anyway, soon enough, we finally got more details about NV Genesis:

He’s an SLB unit, no brave shift

He’s a fire mage

He doesn’t have a CG LB

Not gonna lie - was kinda really disappointed about this. Well, at least Genesis is finally a playable char in this game.

Still can’t wait for him to get to the Global version of FFBE and will still pull for him, of course. But there are a lot of things that I’m disappointed about. I wish that FFBE had put more effort into this.

I wish that they could have given Genesis a CG LB, even if it’s really short. I wish that he could have gotten a brave shift form.

It also sucks to know that he seems to be locked to the fire element. I get why he’s a mage but I’m kinda miffed about that too because mages aren’t that good in this game. Well, there are a few good mages but most of the best DPS are all physical.

Heck, even the best mages might as well be physical too because they deal magical-based damage that’s physical-type. This means that while they make use of the MAG stat, they require physical killers and, unlike actual mages who use MAG and need magical killers, they can be imbued with any element.

At least it looks like Genesis is actually good. He’s being compared to NVA (Neo Vision Awakenable) Black Mage Golbez (from Final Fantasy IV) for having a Meteor-like ability that makes use of his magic and MP to deal damage.

The problem is that this ability of Gen’s is locked to the fire element while Golbez’s Meteor is not. Meteor can be imbued with any element so Golbez can easily fit in any team.

I’m really hoping that when Genesis gets added to the Global version of FFBE, he’ll be updated to also have the Meteor ability. Maybe they’ll give him some other upgrades and such too.

I mean chars like Flaring Aether Rain and Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII got upgraded so it’s not impossible. But I know that it’s not that likely either. Still, let me hope and dream, okay? LOL.

Anyway, in the Japanese version of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, the Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion collab event started with banners for Zack Fair and Angeal Hewley. The Genesis banner showed up about a week later.

But in the Global version of FFBE, much to my surprise, the Genesis banner showed up first. Not complaining since I’ve been looking forward to Genesis for what feels like forever.

Maybe Zack and Angeal will show up next week but who knows? There could be more changes and such.

Anyway, like I said, I knew it was unlikely for Genesis to get any upgrades but was still really disappointed when that turned out to be the case. This is because he’s not “premium”, isn’t it? Sigh. Well, at least that means it will be easier to get him to NV Ex+ 3/3.

Update: wrote that line I just crossed out days before pulling on Genesis’s banner. I’d been able to save so much lapis that I had very high hopes of being able to 3/3 Genesis right away. Didn’t think that things would turn out to be this bad. Now I’m basically all out of lapis with nothing much to show for it. Eff this game.

Vision Cards Comparison

Apparently, one of, if not the, best VC for Genesis is the Dazzling Demoness Vision Card. So I’m really sad that I missed out on this card.

Dazzling Demoness gives +500 MP and +120 MAG. It also has the following effects:

Increase MP and MAG by 100%

Increase static MP and MAG by 500

Increase physical and magic damage against aquatics and insects by 100%

Decrease MP used by 50%

The above effects applies to all chars while the ones below will only apply to FFBE units:

Increase chain modifier cap by 100%

Increase equipment MAG by 200% and accuracy by 25% when single wielding any weapon

Dazzling Demoness must have shown up twice or so by now but each time it became available, I never bothered to try and get it. Because I didn’t think that I needed it seeing as the chars who I have built are all mostly physical DPS.

But, as it turns out, Genesis wants this card too. Argh! If only I’d known that while the banner that featured this card was still up. Sigh.

I keep hoping for this VC to show up again but so far that hasn’t happened at all, which really sucks.

So now I’m looking at other Vision Cards that could be good alternatives to Dazzling Demoness. At the moment, I’m eying the following:

1. Flaring Aether Rain’s Miasma Meets Aether Vision Card

ATK/MAG +170

Another Regalia: Increase ATK and MAG by 80%

Power Entrusted: Increase LB damage by 100%

Strike Burning with Aether: Increase static ATK and MAG by 500

The last 3 effects can only be used or activated by a fire category unit.

2. Dark Rain’s Dark Rain Descends Vision Card

MAG +130

An Assailant Appears: Increase MAG by 80%

A Man Called “Emperor”: Increase LB damage by 100%

Another Rain: Increase static MAG by 500

The last 2 effects can only be used or activated by a mage unit.

3. Blade of Vengeance Ibara’s Wish-Granting Demon Vision Card

ATK/MAG +170

Hallowed Tree: Increase LB damage by 50%

Prayer Answered: Increase static ATK/MAG by 300

The True Demon: Increase chain modifier cap by 100%

Flaring Aether Rain, Dark Rain, and Blade of Vengeance Ibara are all “premium” chars which, among other things, means that their Vision Cards can only be obtained once they’re at Ex+ 3/3.

In contrast to that, you can get the Vision Cards of non-premium chars, like Genesis, once they’re at Ex+ 1/3. You’ll even get another copy after getting them to Ex+ 3/3.

Ahh, I wish Genesis was “premium” too if only so that he’ll have a great Vision Card as well. He could have had a really good Leader Skill too instead of just +100% stats to all Final Fantasy VII chars.

Anyway, as aforementioned, I still need 100 more fragments in order to get my 2/3 Flaring Aether Rain to 3/3. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get more copies of him while pulling for Genesis.

I have 1 copy of Dark Rain that’s at 1/3. Currently have 77 fragments for him so he’s a long way from being 3/3.

The state of my Blade of Vengeance Ibara is even worse. My copy of her is only at 0/3 and I only have 10 fragments for her. I’m debating whether to buy at least 40 of her fragments from the VIP Shop if only so I can get her to 1/3 and have access to her brave shift form.

But since she’s a premium char, her fragments will cost me a lot of VIP Coins. 5 of her fragments costs 300 VIP Coins. So even just buying 40 fragments will cost me 2400 VIP Coins.

In contrast to that, 5 of the fragments of non-premium chars will only cost 100 VIP Coins. So getting 50 of their fragments will only cost you a total of 1k VIP Coins.

Another reason why I’m reluctant to buy Ibara’s fragments is because I also want to buy Rain’s fragments. I’ll need 3k VIP Coins in order to get 50 of Rain’s fragments in the shop.

At the time I’m writing this part of this post, I only have 5525 VIP Coins. So if I try to get both Rain’s and Ibara’s fragments, I’ll basically be all out of VIP Coins.

I’m thinking it might be better to just skip Ibara’s fragments. Can’t really use her when she’s stuck at 1/3 anyway, and even getting 50 of her fragments won’t bring me closer to getting her to 2/3, much less 3/3.

I should just focus on getting Rain’s fragments since I’m kinda close to being able to 3/3 him already. But I’ll wait until after I pull on Genesis’s banner, just in case I get some more Rain dupes.

For now, will be equipping Genesis with his own Vision Card until I can get Flaring Aether Rain’s Miasma Meets Aether.

Genesis’s Vision Card is called The World Needs a New Hero. It has the following effects:

MAG +130

Battle Atop the Cannon: Boost MAG by 50%

Sephiroth’s Composure: Boost LB damage by 25%

The World Needs a New Hero: Boost MAG by 500 (only applies to FFVII units)

On a side note, ugh, what’s with the translation of this VC? No offense, but I hate it.

I looked up the Japanese version of this VC and its name is 俺も英雄になるんだ. According to Google Translate, the Romaji for that is “ore mo eiyuu ni narunda”, which translates to, “I too would like to be a hero”.

This is the exact same line that Genesis says in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII during that cut scene featuring him, Angeal Hewley, and Sephiroth. Here’s a video for reference:

I know that in the English version, he unfortunately says that blasted line instead, which really sucks.

I mean, “The world needs a new hero” is so different from “I too would like to be a hero”. Why’d they translate it like that? Needless to say, I prefer the Japanese version. I wish they had translated it accurately.

Anyway, I’ll talk more about that in another post, or we’ll be here all day. LOL. For now, let’s move on to the next line.

In the Japanese version of FFBE, Battle Atop the Cannon is called 砲塔上での戦い which translates to Battle on the Turret (according to Google Translate). So that sounds right enough. No problems with this one.

Sephiroth’s Composure is called セフィロスの余裕 which translates to Sephiroth’s Leeway (again, according to Google Translate).

Leeway means “the amount of freedom to move or act that is available” while composure means “the state or feeling of being calm and in control of oneself” (both according to Google).

So these 2 words are different too. But honestly though, what drew my attention when I first saw the English translation was the fact that Sephiroth was in the name when this isn’t even his Vision Card. Yeah, I know the animation for this Vision Card features him but still.

I actually thought the English version was just translating things their way again so was surprised when Sephiroth was also listed in the Japanese version.

Anyway, was also bothered by the last line because it was just a repetition of the title of the Vision Card. Like, seriously, why? And apparently, it’s like that in the Japanese version as well.

I looked up NV Legendary Hero Sephiroth’s Vision Card because this is one of the Final Fantasy VII Vision Cards that I have and, sure enough, all the names are different.

The Vision Card is called A Touching Reunion. The effects are called Tenacious Bond, Resurrecting Nightmare, and Experienced Swordsman.

You know, Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7 is featured in Sephiroth’s VC but his name doesn’t even show up in any of the text on said VC.

Ugh, just annoyed now because it feels like they didn’t even put much effort into this. I mean, come on, we have Vision Cards like Sephiroth’s and Flaring Aether Rain’s who have nice names and then we have Genesis’s Vision Card which is sadly meh. Sigh. Anyway, let’s just move on, or we’ll be here all day.

Weapons for Genesis Rhapsodos

Genesis’s STMR or Super Trust Master Reward is called Genesis’s Sword. This is a 2-handed sword which comes with +140 ATK and +234 MAG as well as +50% accuracy and 1.25-1.75x variance or damage modifier. It also has the following effects:

Scarlet SOLDIER’s blade: increase physical and magic damage against humans and machinas by 75%

Blade clad in magic: increase static MAG by 500 (this only applies to Genesis)

On a side note, again, what’s with these names? Ugh. “Genesis’s Sword”, really? They couldn’t even give it an actual name. Isn’t his sword called Rapier?

Sadly, the Japanese version is basically the same, calling this weapon ジェネシスの剣 which translates to Sword of Genesis.

But on the other hand, in the Japanese version “scarlet SOLDIER’s blade” is called 紅きソルジャーの細剣. Its Romaji is akaki sorujā no saiken, which translates to “crimson SOLDIER’s rapier”. So why couldn’t they have put rapier as the name of Genesis’s STMR?

In the Japanese version, “blade clad in magic” is 魔力を纏う剣の力 which translates to “the power of a magical sword”.

Note that this and all other translations are all from Google Translate unless stated otherwise so maybe it’s not entirely accurate but still. What’s with these crappy and uninspired lines and names?

Sorry, but I think FFRK did it better. It feels like Final Fantasy Record Keeper was more creative when it came to giving weapon names and such. Here’s an example from this post.

Anyway, Genesis’s Sword is good for him but it looks like the Dark Visions 2-handed Abyss Dark weapon sword is better.

The Dark Visions 2-handed sword is known as Dark Walküre and it comes with +202 ATK, +405 MAG, +50% accuracy, and 1.25-1.75x variance.

As soon as I was able to acquire this sword, I ran it in the Steel Castle Melfikya or Item World, wanting to get the best passives for Genesis.

Genesis wants a lot of MP, especially since I don’t have Dazzling Demoness, so I was trying to get the perfect MP roll for this sword. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done.

After what feels like hundreds of tries, the best I’ve managed to get so far is the following: +20% MP, +10% MP, and +5% MP.

The rates here really need to be higher. Seriously, it’s so bad. There is so much crap in the abilities pool.

Don’t want to give up though. Gonna keep trying and trying until I can get the perfect roll for Genesis’s sword.

Much, much later - after what feels like forever, I finally managed to get the perfect roll for the DV sword. That would be +20% MP, +15% MP, and +10% MP. Hell, yes! And freaking finally! Super pleased to see this.

Neo Vision Genesis Rhapsodos Banner Information

There are 2 banners that feature Genesis. The first one is the Genesis Step-Up Summon banner that has 6 steps and is limited to 1 per player.

Step 1 costs 3k lapis and will give you 11 units, 1 Summon Coin, and 1 NV Exchange Ticket

Step 2 costs 4k lapis and will give you 11 units, 1 Summon Coin, 1 NV Exchange Ticket, and 25 STMR Tickets

Step 3 costs 5k lapis and will give you 11 units, 1 Summon Coin, 1 NV Exchange Ticket, 25 STMR Tickets, and 100 VIP Coins

Step 4 costs 5k lapis and will give you 10 units, 1 guaranteed NV, 1 Summon Coin, 1 NV Exchange Ticket, and 1 Transcension Pearl

Step 5 costs 5k lapis and will give you 10 units, 1 guaranteed NV, 1 Summon Coin, 1 NV Exchange Ticket, and 200 VIP Coins

Step 6 costs 6k lapis and will give you 10 units, 1 guaranteed NV, 1 Summon Coin, 1 NV Exchange Ticket, and 1 Exchange Ticket (Original Armory III)

Step 4 has a 2% rate for Genesis. Step 5 has a 2.5% rate for Genesis. Step 6 has a 5% rate for Genesis.

You can exchange 10 NV Exchange Tickets for 1 copy of NV Genesis. You can exchange 1 Exchange Ticket (Original Armory III) for 1 global original equipment that’s featured in the Original Armory III shop. You can exchange Summon Coins for various items, including fragments for Genesis, in the Exchange Shop (Genesis).

The second banner that features Genesis is called the Genesis NV Premium Step-Up Summon banner. This one has 4 steps and is limited to 7 per player.

Step 1 costs 1k lapis and will give you 4 units

Step 2 costs 3k lapis and will give you 8 units, 1 Summon Coin, and 1 NV Exchange Ticket

Step 3 costs 5k lapis and will give you 11 units, 1 Summon Coin, and 1 NV Exchange Ticket

Step 4 is free and will give you 6 units

Neo Vision Information and Fragments for Genesis Rhapsodos

Once you have 1 copy of a Neo Vision char or unit, you need 50 fragments or shards to get them to Ex+ 1/3. Then you need 100 fragments to get them to Ex+ 2/3. After that, you need 200 fragments to fully max them out to Ex+ 3/3.

One copy of a NV char can be converted to 50 of said char’s fragments.

So in order to get Genesis to NV Ex+ 3/3, I need at least 8 copies of him.

As part of the CCFF7R Epic Poet Login Bonus, we will get up to 30 of Genesis’s fragments just by logging on to the game daily for the duration of the campaign period. Day 1, day 4, and day 6 will give 10 Genesis fragments each for a total of 30 Genesis fragments.

After Genesis’s banner ends, 50 of his fragments will be available in the Fragment Shops under the VIP Shop (Unit Fragments/Brave Insignia) for 1k VIP Coins.

In the Fragment Shops, under the Lapis Exchange Shop, 30 of Genesis’s fragments will also be available for 3300 lapis.

There is also a bundle called Genesis Fragment Bundle that costs 5k lapis. This one contains 50 of Genesis’s fragments as well as 900 Trust Coins.

The Exchange Shop (Genesis) contains various items including 50 Genesis fragments. You need 5 Summon Coins to get all of these fragments.

And, as aforementioned, you can exchange 10 NV Exchange Tickets for 1 copy of NV Genesis. The NV Ticket Exchange Shop (Genesis) contains 2 copies of Genesis. So you need a total of 20 NV Exchange Tickets to get both copies of Genesis in the shop.

My goal is to get Genesis to Ex+ 3/3 on day 1 a.k.a the day that I pull on his banner so I’m just gonna ignore the fragments that I can’t get right away.

The fragments and/or copies of Genesis that I can access right away are as follows:

The 2 copies of Genesis in the NV Ticket Exchange Shop (Genesis) for 20 NV Exchange Tickets

50 Genesis fragments in the Exchange Shop (Genesis) for 5 Summon Coins

30 Genesis fragments in the Lapis Exchange Shop for 3300 lapis

50 Genesis fragments from the Genesis Fragment Bundle for 5k lapis

10 Genesis fragments from the Epic Poet Login Bonus campaign

Hmm. Okay, for now, I’ll just pull on the Genesis banner first and see how it goes.

For Genesis, I’m willing to go all the way to the pity. Heck, I’ll pity him twice if I have to and spend even more if necessary though of course, I’m hoping that things won’t turn out to be that bad.

I’ve been saving my lapis ever since I heard that Genesis had finally showed up in the Japanese version of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. IIRC, the only time that I used my lapis to pull was when NV Flaring Aether Rain came, and that was only because I wanted access to his Leader Skill for Genesis.

I do readily use any and all tickets that I get basically as soon as I get them but it’s really rare to get anything good or useful from these.

It really sucks how bloated the unit pool in this game is already. There’s so much crap that it feels like it will take a miracle before you can get something good and useful from these pulls.

Anyway, I’m really hoping that I’ll be able to get a lot of copies of Genesis right away and without having to spend so much. Also hoping to be able to get some NVs that I don’t have yet or that I don’t have fully maxed out yet.

But considering how the results of my Flaring Aether Rain pulls were mostly crappy, I’m already bracing myself for something similar to happen on my Genesis banner pulls.

Genesis Step-Up Summon Banner Pulls Results

Currently, have 183,970 lapis on hand. Here are the results of my pulls on the Genesis Step-Up Summon banner:

Will only list any NV that I get since 5-stars and below aren’t really worth talking about. Heck, even some of the NVs aren’t worth talking about either. There are a lot of Neo Visions that are really old and outdated by now.

Step 1 - no NV. Meh.

Step 2 - no NV either. Ugh. Rate-up is a lie.

Step 3 - no NV again. Wow, eff this game.

Step 4 - finally, a NV crystal shows up. Please be my first copy of Genesis already, please.

No Genesis. But I did get 2 NVs. One was my first copy of Neo Vision Lion from Final Fantasy XI and the second was a dupe of Neo Vision Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII.

Don’t know anything about Lion. IIRC, she only recently showed up in the game so she’s not that outdated maybe.

As for Cloud Strife - he’s one of the more recent “premium” chars in FFBE. He’s also pretty good so glad that I was able to get a dupe of him. Right now, I have 1 copy of him that’s at 1/3.

Been running him in the Fragment Dungeon so I currently have 32 fragments for him. This dupe that I just got gives me 50 more so I’m now closer to being able to get him to 2/3.

Step 5 - dupe NV Fina -The Return-. Ugh, so much for that so-called 2.5% featured rate for the NV unit. Sigh. Well, at least this is like the last dupe of Fina that I need in order to get my 2/3 copy to 3/3.

Step 6 - argh! Eff this game. Only got dupe Roca who I already have at 3/3. Damn it.

Genesis NV Premium Step-Up Summon Banner Pulls Results

Now down to 155,970 lapis on hand. Here are the results of my pulls on the Genesis NV Premium Step-Up Summon banner:

Step 1 - no NV. Genesis, doko da? Please come home already. Need multiple copies of you.

Step 2 - no NV again. Ugh, sometimes, I really hate this game.

Step 3 - no NV. Again.

Step 4 - still no NV because eff this game.

Step 1 -

Step 2 -

Step 3 -

Step 4 -

Not a single NV showed up in my second lap on this banner. Eff this banner and this game. Rate-up is a lie. Damn it. I really hate this. Didn’t think it would be this bad. But this is really terrible. Absolutely terrible.

Step 1 - still no NV. Is this some kind of joke or what? It’s not funny. So freaking pissed off. WTF is going on here? This banner is cursed.

Step 2 - argh! The one time I finally get a NV it turns out to be Mazurka who is old and useless and outdated. Damn it. Eff this game.

Step 3 - back to no NV because of-freaking-course.

Step 4 - no NV again. What else is new?

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion Banner Pulls Results

This banner also has Genesis on rate up. It costs 5k lapis for 11 summons. Decided to try my luck here since the other banner is clearly cursed. I tried the single summon for 250 lapis too but that one didn’t even give me a 5-star.

Now down to 128, 720 lapis on hand. Here are the results of my pulls on this banner:

Did 4 multi-draws and yet not a single NV showed up. WTF? What is going on here? How is this freaking fair? Eff this game. So mad. Don’t even know what to say anymore. Damn it. Damn this.

Genesis NV Premium Step-Up Summon Banner Pulls Results

Went back to this banner because why not? And does it even matter anymore? I guess I’m just going to keep on pulling until I run out of lapis. Sigh. Eff this game.

I’d been looking forward to this banner for forever. Was so happy that it was finally here. Now I’m just sad and depressed. Why’d this have to happen?

Step 1 -

Step 2 -

Step 3 -

Step 4 -

Step 1 -

Step 2 -

Step 3 -

Step 4 -

Genesis Banner Exchange Shop

Went to the Exchange Shop for the Genesis banners. By now I have 20 Summon Coins. Exchanged 5 Coins to get 50 of Genesis’s fragments.

Genesis NV Exchange Shop

Then I went to the Exchange Shop where I can exchange up to 2 copies of Genesis. Each copy costs 10 NV Exchange Tickets. By now I have 20 of those tickets.

Proceeded to exchange all of my tickets for the 2 copies of NV Genesis.

Now I have 2 copies of Genesis plus 60 of his fragments (50 from the shop and 10 from logging in).

Neo Vision Genesis Rhapsodos

I have him now but - don’t really feel happy. Still feel so frustrated and angry. My pulls on these banners were so bad. I have no words right now. Just - argh! Insert multiple curse words here because argh! Eff this game! Eff this banner! Eff these cursed rates!

Also WTF? How come there are only 2 copies of Genesis in the NV Exchange Shop? Why aren’t there more? What if I want more copies of him?

I want to get him to Ex+ 3/3 and now I’m wondering how I’m gonna be able to do that. I thought that I’d be able to get at least 1 or more copies of him from pulling on his banner. But couldn’t even get more than a couple of NVs from these pulls.

Ugh. Thinking about how crappy the results of my draws were just pisses me off. Really wish that things had turned out differently. Why’d things have to happen this way? Couldn’t even get at least 1 dupe of Rain to get him to 3/3. Sigh.

Anyway, let’s see. So right now, with what I have, I can get Genesis to 1/3 then I’ll have 1 dupe + 10 fragments, which is basically equivalent to 60 fragments.

If I buy the Genesis Fragment Bundle now for 5k lapis, I’ll get 50 fragments which, combined with the 60 fragments I already have, is more than enough to get him to 2/3 already.

I’ll have 10 leftover fragments if I do that. Then I’ll need 190 more fragments in order to get him to 3/3. I can get 30 more of Genesis’s fragments from the Lapis Exchange Shop for 3300 lapis.

If I wait a few more days, then I can get 20 more fragments from the login campaign thing. If I wait even more, 50 of Genesis’s fragments will eventually be available in the VIP Shop.

So that’s 30 fragments from the Lapis Exchange Shop + 10 leftover fragments + 20 from the login rewards + 50 from the VIP Shop = 110 fragments. Ugh. That means I’ll still need 90 more fragments even after all of that.

Argh! This can’t be. I just want to 3/3 Genesis, damn it. I need to pull copies of him.

I still have lapis but - ugh, pulling feels like a waste since I keep getting trash and I can’t pity him anymore because there are no more copies of him in the NV Exchange Shop so even if I keep on gettng those NV Exchange Tickets, they’ll just be useless now.

But if I want more copies of Genesis, I have no choice but to pull. There’s no guarantee anymore though. Now I can only hope that these banners will stop being so awful.

Please, can I get something good now, please? How could things be this bad? Damn it.

Okay, for now, I went to level up one of my copies of Genesis. Gave him all the stat boosts and maxed out everything that can be maxed. Then I went ahead and got him to Ex+ 1/3 already.

Here are some screenshots:

Genesis NV Premium Step-Up Summon Banner Pulls Results

Decided to pull again first before buying the rest of Genesis’s fragments that I can buy. Fingers crossed that things will be better this time. Please.

Step 1 - LOL, of course, there’s no NV again because eff this game.

Step 2 - NV? What NV? This banner really is cursed, isn’t it?

Step 3 - oh, look, a NV actually showed up. Surprise, surprise. Watch this be trash so it might as well not be a NV. To my surprise though, the Neo Vision that I just got turned out to be -

Genesis! Hell, yes! And freaking finally. I can’t believe he only showed up now. Rate up really is a lie, huh? I mean, come on, isn’t he supposed to be on rate up?

I’ve basically pitied him twice by now and am practically on my way to pitying him for the third time (not that it’s possible to do so even if I want to) and yet this is only the first time that I ever got a copy of him. Seriously? Sigh. Well, at least I got another dupe of him.

Step 4 - and we’re back to 0 NVs. Is there actually something wrong with this banner or what?

Anyway, before continuing to pull a.k.a waste my lapis and be even more disappointed and mad than I already am, I thought I’d better reassess the situation again.

Let’s see. My Genesis is now at Ex+ 1/3. I now have 2 dupes of him which is equivalent to 100 fragments so he’s basically 2/3 now. Then I have 10 more of his fragments.

If I buy all the currently available Genesis fragments with lapis, I’ll have a total of 90 fragments for him. I still need like 2, preferably 3 more copies of him, so I can get him to 3/3 now.

Okay, I guess I have to keep on pulling. Before that though, let me just buy the 50 Genesis Fragment Bundle for 5k lapis already. For now, I’ll hold off on getting the 30 fragments since that won’t get me anywhere right now anyway.

After buying the bundle, I turned one of my Genesis dupes into 50 fragments then awakened my 1/3 Genesis to 2/3.

Now it’s time to keep on pulling. Hopefully, I can get more dupes of Genesis as well as more NVs. Please. This time, can I actually get something good instead of crap and more crap?

Step 1 -

Step 2 -

Step 3 -

Step 4 -

Did I mention that I hate this game? Because I freaking hate this game. Eff this cursed banner. Eff these blasted and crappy rates. Damn it.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion Banner Pulls Results

Went back to this banner because I can’t pull on the Genesis NV Premium Step-Up Summon banner anymore. Now down to 68,520 lapis. Here are the results of my pulls on this banner:

1 - no NV again. What else is new?

2 - what a waste of lapis.

3 - hate this game and this banner.

4 - ugh, can’t I get even just one good NV, please?

5 - Genesis, doko da?

6 - can’t even get a single NV from one of these pulls. Eff this game.

7 - rate up is a lie. Also curse this banner.

8 - finally, a NV shows up. Just got Determined Dagger a.k.a Garnet Til Alexandros XVII from Final Fantasy IX.

At least she’s new and at least I finally got a NV after all this time but - argh! Please, just give me more Genesis dupes. Isn’t he supposed to be on rate up on this banner? Where the eff is he?

9 - too depressed to comment.

10 - running out of lapis.

11 - Genesis, please. Come home again, please.

12 - aren’t there any NVs on this banner?

13 - ugh, can’t even get a single dupe of Genesis. So much for being supposedly featured on this banner.

Wow, I really freaking hate this game right now. Down to 4,960 lapis so can’t pull anymore even if I want to. It really sucks that I barely got any NVs. Damn it.

Shouldn’t have bothered pulling on this banner anymore since not even a single copy of Genesis showed up. Basically just wasted 60k+ lapis. I regret that now since not only did I not get even a single copy of Genesis, the only other NV that I got was Garnet.

If I’d gotten more NVs, this wouldn’t have been so bad. As it is, this just felt like a complete and utter waste of lapis. Maybe I would have been better off just pulling on some other banner instead.

Heck, Flaring Aether Rain’s banner is still up. Maybe I could have pulled there to try and get 1 more copy of him so that I can 3/3 him already and equip his Vision Card to Genesis.

In retrospect, I should have stopped pulling right after I got my first copy of Genesis from one of his banners. If I’d done that, I would still have some lapis left instead of being basically down to 0 now. I now regret continuing to pull.

Like I said, if I’d gotten more NVs and if I’d gotten more copies of Genesis, then I wouldn’t have minded spending this much. But as it is, right now, just filled with so much frustration and anger and sadness. How could this happen? Why’d this happen? Sigh.

Got 17 more of those NV Exchange Tickets. If there were more copies of Genesis in the shop, I could have pitied him for the third time and then be on my way to pitying him for the fourth time.

Used all the tickets that I had on hand too but still no dice. I just wanted to be able to get Genesis to 3/3 on the day that I pull for him. Didn’t think that would be so impossible. He’s not even “premium”. And yet here we are.

Only ever got 1 copy of him from one of his banners. Eff this game. Wasn’t planning to run him in the Fragment Dungeon but looks like I’m gonna have to do that.

Also went ahead and bought all 30 of Genesis’s fragments for 3300 lapis. Down to 1660 lapis now.

But since I’m clearly not getting any more dupes of Genesis, gonna need all the fragments that I can get my hands on. Now I also need to wait for the rest of the login fragments plus the ones from the VIP Shop.

In short, there’s no way that I can get him to 3/3 now or anytime soon because eff this game. Sigh. So freaking sad and depressed right now :-(.

Conclusion

So, what about you? Did you pull for Genesis Rhapsodos? What do you think about this game and its banner rates? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging or replying to this post.

Notes:

screenshots are from my Final Fantasy Brave Exvius game account and the Japanese version of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius

[freshthoughts2020]

Hey Mama, Chill Out!

Hey Mama, Chill Out!

November 18, 2024

The Viral Video: King Von’s BM Takes a Stand

A video of King Von’s BM has been making waves online after she pulled her son off the football team. The reason? The coach told her son, “Stop crying, or I’ll put you with the cheerleaders.” While the statement sounds crazy—especially directed at a child—Ms. Kema, you’re learning what every Black mother who puts their kids in sports eventually does: football is a different beast.

It’s a game where intensity rules. And Ms. Kema isn’t your average football mom—she’s got military experience. You know she’s been talked to greasy before! But football has a culture where the threshold for B.S. is higher than usual. Yes, the coach was an adult and her son is a child, but that’s just how football operates. It’s a hard pill to swallow.

Who Made Football So Toxic?

Who knows. To play football at any level, you have to be borderline insane. Think about it: running at top speed in armor to tackle someone, risking serious injuries? Nuts, beloved!

From day one, I knew football wasn’t for me. We used to play street football on concrete—no helmets, no pads. Satan himself had our minds in a chokehold back then. Even when we played in the grass, I got hit so hard one day I ended up at Henry Ford Hospital that night. I remember lying there thinking, “Cuz, why didn’t I just stay inside and watch Dragon Ball Z today?!”

Family Flashback: My Brother’s Hilarious Hazing

Ms. Kema’s experience reminded me of when my brother played football for King High School in 9th grade. He got hazed so badly one day, he came home with no underwear and broken glasses. I couldn’t tell if my brother had just come from school or Hades itself! He looked like he had wrestled Cerberus.

My mom was furious. She called my dad and half our family—ready to storm the school and run fades on Coach Reynolds and his staff. But the men in our family had to tell her, “Angie, this is football. It’s not abuse; it’s just what happens.” That’s the crazy normal you accept with this sport.

Now, unless the coach is dog-smacking your son, spitting in his face, or doing something truly out-of-pocket, you might just have to take it on the chin—figuratively, of course.

Kiyan’s College Decision: Lessons from La La

Watching clips of Kiyan’s college decision, I noticed La La said she told Melo that Kiyan could do anything except football. She knew what awaited her son on that field—CTE lurking in the shadows.

So to all the parents, especially moms, who love to parade around as “Boy Mom of the Year” and want clout for taking their sons to practice: chill out when those coaches go in on your kids. Football ain’t ballet, beloved.

As Snoop Dogg said, “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.”

Visit: gettothecorner.com Follow on Twitter: @OnlyOneJaevonn

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 3 replay, part one of Leviathan:

-I heavily debated whether to do the Leviathan DLC after Thessia or Horizon, but settled for Thessia.

Once Horizon starts, Shepard’s pretty much in the endgame.

After Thessia Shepard’s still at loose ends. They only have a tentative location for where Kai Leng went, and Cerberus doesn’t know that.

Dr. Bryson’s Lab

-If you go renegade, Bryson says Shepard discovered the Prothean Beacon.

Incorrect: The scientists on Eden Prime did. Shepard’s just the one that activated it.

(And ME3 never shows the vision Shepard received. Interesting with how much time Shepard spends around Javik. ME2 squeezed it in.)

-No one has any questions about a synthetic just showing up claiming they saw a C-Sec alert and will provide assistance to Shepard.

Edi passes on the Citadel by pretending to be Joker’s disability assistance device.

She’s clearly not performing the same task for Shepard and is more advanced than a regular VI.

I’m just going to handwave this by saying C-Sec knows Commander Shepard is a spectre and are turning a blind eye to the blantant AI they have with them.

-When interrogating Hadley, the Leviathan Orb is often framed behind him.

Nice touch, since that’s what indoctrinated him.

-My initial instict was indoctrination must be causing headaches for C-Sec.

It sounds like a free pass to commit any crime; if you’re indoctrinated, you can’t help yourself.

However, you’re also likely to spend the rest of your life in jail. The indoctrinated are far too dangerous to leave free.

It might also result in automatic execution if the war becomes dire enough.

So while I’m sure people are claiming it to avoid justice, false claims are probably not as rampant as I first assumed.

-The Leviathans keep saying “The darkness cannot be breached” through Hadley, and I don’t know what they expect that to accomplish. It’s not going to stop Shepard from hunting them down.

If anything, it should pique curiousity since the Reapers normally don’t speak through the indoctrinated. They’re either mentally destroyed like a husk or have their minds clouded like Saren and TIM. They’re not used as a puppet like Hadley.

-Hmm. So this starts with Bryson hunting down what killed the Leviathan of Dis. Reapers started following his teams, which is a clue that he’s onto something.

Somehow, this ends with finding the creators of the Reapers. That was not on anyone’s radar.

I’d like more detail on how that happened. Presumably the Leviathans were not the ones that created the weapon that took out the Leviathan of Dis. So how does this end in finding them?

Unless they guided the ones that did so? But even then, how did that create a trail that led back to the Leviathans?

-There’s a huge piece of Sovereign in the lab.

I dearly hope that the tech it’s encased in is proven to prevent indoctrination, but I’m not placing much faith in that. How is that something you’d even learn?

-Bryson suggests that the Leviathans may have influenced the rachni during the rachni war, rather than the Reapers.

That would fit with the hesistance of the rachni in ME2 to state they were definitively influenced by the Reapers. It was deliberately left vague then.

I do think this is a retcon since the Leviathan DLC was created after base ME3, but it slots in nicely with existing lore.

-It already feels pushed to have Dr. Bryson refer to what destroyed the Reaper corpse on Dis as the real Leviathan of Dis.

Having a batarian say the exact same in a recording is excessive. That phrasing is just not natural. A more natural phrasing would be, say, that they want to find the Leviathan Killer.

Kyzil

-Lihrat – Vorcha ships are often commanded by other species to make up for the lack of experience vorcha have due to their short lifespans.

I understand the logic, but it still doesn’t quite sit right. If true, shouldn’t all military ships be commanded by asari or krogan?

Aysur

-Arvuna – Why are the human colonies on this moon alienated from the Council?

The description just glosses over that.

[wolfclawd]

HEADCANON

Reputation. Part 2

What are some rumours about them? What would the average person know or assume about them? What would the average person not know? (shouldn't know)

Rumours:

He and Indigo are in a relationship (they're Not)

Alternatively (sometimes Additionally), he and Indigo are siblings

He's a vampire (someone saw his fangsies when he yawned once and it happened to be a spooky looking night). This one is particularly amusing to Indi.

He visits his parents every month (just so happens to coincide with every full moon, not suspicious At All)

Olexa is his long lost daughter

He was somehow involved in the 'death' of Lisanna Strauss (given that he was an s-class member of the guild, close to her, and left the same year of that event, some people were Suspicious instead of empathetic)

He left Fairy Tail and joined Quatro Cerberus because he just really likes dogs

He has scars all over his body, which is why he is never really seen showing much skin (there is truth to this and it likely started because one of his scars is visible on his neck and collarbone depending on what he's wearing)

Common knowledge (things most people would/could know):

He was a member of Fairy Tail and is a current member of Quatro Cerberus

He uses Fusion magic

He runs a shop called the Chimera Collection and crafts everything himself

His closest friend and teammate is Indigo

He holds classes/workshops sometimes and often visits markets/fairs (people might see him there)

He is quiet and generally pretty chill

Assumptions:

Based on his reputation and common knowledge, one can assume he is reliable, skilled, reserved, and is maybe hiding something.

If one believes the rumours, they might assume he has some sort of Relationship with Indigo, or that he is hiding some dark past

One might also assume he doesn't ever show a temper or get angry, because he's always mentioned as being rather calm or relaxed. They might think he's a bit of a pushover, that he might not stand up for himself.

As he's a former member of FT, they might assume he'll give discounts to FT members, as well as those from his current guild.

Since he is regularly commissioned by famous or wealthy people, it might be assumed that he might know some of their secrets or have some other connection with them.

Not common knowledge (things most people don’t/wouldn’t know):

The wolf fusion. Unless they were a member of FT at the time it happened (or are a current member that has been told the story), or are a member of QC (or are connected to it) or are Master Bob or Porlyusica, they won't know what happened. (this can change with plotting, i accept that certain muses might be able to sense something about it)

Where he actually goes when the full moon is approaching and that the moon is the reason for his disappearance.

[storyhaunt-a]

#STORYHAUNT.

a writing & roleplay blog, dedicated to several characters across sources. placing focus on original characters. mutuals only, and will exclusively interact with those who are 20+. basic rp etiquette applies. portrayed by vincent (he/him, 21+). rules and muses below the cut.

written in affiliation with … @proditeur, @redemnation, @cloistress

RULES.

this blog is 18+, and only interacts with muns who are 20 years of age and older. mature and otherwise triggering themes will be present on this blog, including but not limited to; general violence, discussion of mental health, and gore. i will rarely write anything intimate in nature, though the motivation may occasionally arise. all topics will be tagged accordingly. if you need anything specific tagged, or i forget to properly tuck something away, just shoot me a message and i'll take care of that.

i generally do not follow duplicates. this one may be a bit harder to keep up with, due to the fact that i will not be broadcasting my canon muses, but nevertheless, i am still going to be cautious when it comes to blogs which write the same characters as i do. miscommunications happen all too frequently in the rpc, and i would rather avoid potential drama altogether.

if you're going to unfollow me, i ask that you at least soft block. i will extend the same courtesy to you, unless your rules specifically state to hard block.

i am slow. there are going to be frequent bouts of inactivity, and writing will not happen every day. writing, being on this blog, it's a hobby, and i am an adult with a million and one responsibilities to prioritize above it.

i will not interact with anything that has to do with the boys, hazbin hotel, or disney star wars. there may be an extreme few exceptions for the utmost latter, but otherwise, i have no interest in touching or writing any of these things.

MUSES.

D&D.

amaris nightsong / jergalspawn, 'tiefling'. sorcerer. he/him.

andras / bhaalspawn, 'tiefling' (werewolf). cleric. he/they.

ateras / bhaalspawn, 'tiefling'. sorcerer. they/them.

kaedis / dragonborn. sorcerer. he/him.

rivalt stormblade / half-elf (undead). warlock. he/him.

seòras / half-elf. warlock. he/him.

the dark urge / dragonborn. sorcerer. it/its.

x'yra / drow. sorcerer. she/her.

FFXIV.

day breaker / hrothgar. she/her.

t'khot ndai / miqo'te. he/him.

DRAGON AGE.

amiyr tabris / elf. rogue, assassin. he/him.

calwyn mahariel / elf. archer. she/her.

hawke shrakaah / ?. rogue. he/they.

jace hawke / human. mage, apostate. he/him.

COMICS.

artemiy / cerberus. operative, freelance agent. he/him.

roman costea / wraith. vigilante, anti-hero. he/him.

STAR WARS.

atyur'os'eko, 'rose' / chiss. operative, aristocra. he/him.

havok / human. spy, operative. he/him.

kal tizaara / mirialan. force-user. he/him.

koa khel-halcyon / human. jedi. he/him.

n'aji karval / mirialan. jedi. he/him.

varik sunrider / human. dark jedi, bounty hunter. he/him.

URBAN FANTASY.

avallach 'bigby' kenward / the spirit king. he/him.

malahki rosewood / paranormal investigator, detective (werewolf). he/him.

mircea van helsing / monster hunter. he/him.

james yeung / sorcerer. he/him.

keva / vampire. he/they.

lucas greenwood / ?. he/him.

susan pendragon / eldritch knight. she/her.

CENTER-RING.

dhamrys alveron / rhaggar. he/him.

gwenaith / erynai. she/her.

kaarstelis, 'stella' / goddess. she/they/it.

rýsir fel / rhaggar, gyryth. he/they/it.