#zell will for ever be my favorite

[bite-the-bloody-hand]

6 SONG SOUNDTRACK (PART 3 - BLUEGRASS)

Rules: If you're tagged, make a new post with links to music and/or lyrics describing the following: 1. An event that defines your character's past 2. How your character sees themselves 3. How others view them 4. Their closest relationship (platonic or romantic) 5. A major fight scene 6. End Credits song

This is a very special mixtape. Today would've been my dad's 69th birthday (nice, pops) and in honor of him, this playlist comes from his personal record collection. I cannot stress enough that this man was a deeply closeted bisexual from Chicago who rode a horse exactly once and hated it the entire time. He was the farthest thing from a cowboy you could possibly get, excepting, of course, the loads of pot he smoked (and dealt), but god damn did he love him some country music. So here's to you, Mongo. This is the soundtrack for the gayass cowboy stoner action comedy epic you'd insist you only like for the soundtrack … kinda like how the Mapplethorpe flower print in your living room was 'just because you liked the flower.' <3

Spotify || Youtube music ||Part 1 - Disco ||Part 2 - Post-Punk GothRock

1 THE DOOBIE BROTHERS - Steamer Lane Breakdown [instrumental]

It's always about the leaving with Zell - running away from 'home' in Ustalav was the first huge decision he made for himself. He looks back on leaving with fondness, it was a moment of true joy, a wild and boundless freedom he hadn't felt in a long time.

2 EMMYLOU HARRIS - Born To Run

Well, I take the chances, sometimes I made mistakes But you don't get nothing unless you take the breaks Living is dangerous as dynamite Sure it makes you feel nervous, but it makes you feel alright Makes you feel alright

He's ambitious, but not so much competing with anyone else as competing with himself; finding out who he really is. He's impatient to find out what living really feels like.

3 GREGG ALLMAN - Midnight Rider

And I don't own the clothes I'm wearing And the road goes on forever And I've got one more silver dollar But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no Not gonna let 'em catch the midnight rider

Zell's stories of being a wanderer travel as far as the rest of his more imposing reputation; the idea that he's a criminal on the run (not… 100% untrue), a vagabond and roving lover (also not 100% untrue he just didn't believe anyone else was as serious about him as he could have been about them) are romantic ideas that really catch on among the general public. He doesn't disabuse people of this, because he digs how cool it makes him sound and not like. A kinda pathetic loser who's terrified of commitment.

4 THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND - Heard It In A Love Song

I'm the kind of man who likes to get away Like to start dreaming 'bout tomorrow today Never said that I love you even though it's so Where's that duffel bag of mine, it's time to go

I've always interpreted this song in a playful tone, like the singer has no intention of actually leaving. He's teasing the idea, but knows he's already so far gone that there's no way he's finding anything better down the road; after a certain point, Zell gets the same way. It takes the right kind of person to keep him off the road.

5 NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND - Foggy Mountain Breakdown [Instrumental]

Zell can't count how many bar fights he's gotten in when this exact song was playing on the jukebox but it's enough that he has something of a Pavlovian reaction to it now.

6 WILLIE NELSON - Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die* (Feat. Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Jonson)

When I'd go, I'll have been here long enough So sing and tell more jokes and dance and stuff Just keep the music playing, that'll be a good goodbye Roll me up and smoke me when I die

One of the most exciting things about finding yourself and falling in love with life is accepting the end will come, and making sure it'll be a damn good party when it does.

*Our outsider track of the list - it came out a few days after Dad passed. This one's close to my heart for that reason especially. We did in fact smoke out and play this at his memorial, it was a wonderful goodbye. I'm getting high as hell at this very moment, in his honor.

[surshica]

PRINCESS TREATMENT

: CL16

genre: stupid fluff, social media (smau)

warnings: translated french

A/N: let’s ignore everything that happened in this gp! this is my first EVER f1 fic so ernmmm bare with me! i’ve had this like whole thing in my head for a while but i was just too lazy LMAO ANYWAYS i’m also deprived of some fics..ENJOY ?!!

synopsis: soft launching a relationship with charles — charles leclerc x streamer fem!reader (fc: tina kitten)

yourusername

liked by lilymhe, alex_albon, georgerussell63, charles_leclerc and 793,610 others

yourusername when he gets the princess treatment instead of me..

user1 my streamer is in a relationship..🫠

user2 this means we can’t be parasocial no more…I HOPE THIS “MAN” CAN FIGHT.

alex_albon okay tell him to stop being clingy so you can play goat simulator with us

yourusername he said, “they suck at the game so they can wait, i like the princess treatment” soo…

user4 as much as i want to theorize and say it’s an F1 driver it’s unlikely…she’s just a twitch streamer.

user8 “just a twitch streamer” my ass..as if she isn’t the biggest streamer and influencer

user4 i mean itd be a downgrade for a professional to date a non professional athlete or like model or idol🤷‍♀️

charles_leclerc okay little buddy it’s past your bedtime

charles_leclerc aww so cute (HOP ONTO GOAT SIMULATOR LANDO IS BEING ANNOYINGGG)

landonorris okay buddy..don’t make me use THE blackmail.

charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername, carlossainz55, tomholland and 2,072,473 others

charles_leclerc my jpg era? nahh

user3 okay so are we going to talk about who took these photos cause i know damn well you didn’t take them..

yourusername whoever styled you should get a raise

charles_leclerc i’ll tell her that, it’ll inflate her ego some more

yourusername she doesn’t deserve you 😐

user5 HOLD ON. HER?? IS HE IN A RELATIONSHIP AS WELL.

user6 this is kinda suspicious..what if.

user2 WHAT IF????

user6 what if yn and charles are 🤞

carlossainz55 charlie finally got a sense of style !!

pierregasly groundbreaking ‼️

user9 okay but why does he actually look good in this outfit..

user10 f1 twt going crazy over this fit

liked by yourusername

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, landonorris, georgerussell63 and 628,927 others

yourusername stream today!! we’ll be playing among us vr with *drumroll* landonorris and georgerussell63, be sure to tune into it today

user1 WITH THOSE TWO??? it sounds chaotic..

user10 HMMM….

charles_leclerc where is my invite ☹️

yourusername you said no because chat would laugh at you..

charles_leclerc this makes it seem like those two are your favorites…

yourusername they are.

charles_leclerc hand back the paddock passes<3

yourusername IM JOKING HAHA YOURE MY FAVORITE!!

liked by charles_leclerc

user5 bye they’re literally flirting.

liked by charles_leclerc and yourusername

user6 THE HEART AFTER PADDOCK..am i seeing this correctly

user2 what if you actually predicted it…

alex_albon i can already hear lando screaming..

landonorris slanderous.

charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername, pierregasly, landonorris, lewishamiliton, alex_albon and 1,729,168 others

charles_leclerc désolé mon amour le secret est sorti..😅❤️

user6 YEAH I KNEW IT. everyone who made bets pay up! i do apple pay venmo zelle paypal

user1 bye you’re so unserious 😭

user3 aye they tryna make bank i don’t blame them

user2 it’s like they’re a mastermind..IS CHARLES GOING TO WIN THE NEXT GP?!?

user6 yes. he is going to podium and be at least 2 or 3

yourusername you couldn’t wait just a little longer..not till your next gp? ;;

charles_leclerc my fingers slipped!!

yourusername fat fingers!

charles_leclerc that’s not very nice chéri:(

yourusername yeah no more princess treatment for you.

charles_leclerc HEY NOW…THATS NOT FUNNY.

landonorris are mom and dad fighting..☹️

charles_leclerc i hope you never get imposter when you play amongus again

landonorris HEY MAN TOO FAR.

user11 “mon amour” BYE. I DONT EVEN WANNA KNOW HOW LONG THEYVE BEEN TOGETHER.

user10 the pictures..THE PICTURES. sleeping on a highway tonight 🤞

user4 interesting choice in a s/o…

user7 the floating lantern picture…I JUST WANNA KNOW WHO WAS THE ONE THIRD WHEELING THAT THING.

yourbestie that person would be me 😍

yourbestie took y’all forever, im surpised charlie brown over here didn’t spill the beans earlier

charles_leclerc who are you calling charlie brown? 😒

yourbestie you.

@ surshica | rb & follow.

[foreverdreamsds]

It’s a sad time at FDSDS. Our beautiful, handsome and precious tiny Roudy had passed away in his sleep. He was such a love of life and the light to our mornings. He was a big personality in a tiny body. He enjoyed being here with all his senior pup buddies especially his favorite tiny buddy Minikin.

He was a wonderful bossy little boy, who touched my heart and taught me lots of patience. He never showed any signs of struggling or pain, instead he laid on his favorite bed for his morning nap and restfully fell asleep forever. I miss him so much. He was such a kind little boy to all the senior pups. I will miss this sweet old man forever and ever. ❤️

Thank you everyone! Your support allows us to rescue seniors and special needs pups. To give them love and care for all their needs. We will be forever grateful!

If you would like to donate in his honor you can do so via Facebook, PayPal foreverdreamsds@gmail.com, Venmo @foreverdreamsds, Cashapp Sforeverdreamsds, Zelle: foreverdreamsds@gmail.com our website https:/ www.

foreverdreamseniordogsanctuary.org or mail to

PO Box 521 Tryon NC 28782

Thank you❤️

[angelosearch]

The other day I posted an FFVIII Christmas-ish fic on ao3. I wrote it for my health; I love sappy ass Christmas movies and such. But I was embarrassed about how poorly it was preforming, so I took it down.

I am posting it here under the cut where it's existence as a written work of mine feels more ephemeral. There's less data. If it doesn't do well here, it means a lot less 😂

Anyway. It's probably bad but I like the folktale I came up with. What can I say, ever since I finished Chaos Theory my fiction writing abilities have evaporated haha.

For your lame holiday viewing: The Tale of the Winter Sorceress

Julia Heartilly and Fury Carraway’s Light Night parties were things of Deling City legend.

On the coldest, darkest night of the year, their mansion would be covered in a kaleidoscope of glass bulbs. The rainbow lights (blown into a variety of shapes and blinking at various intervals) turned the home into a spectacle that rivaled the city’s landmarks in its grandiosity.

Guests would cross their stone footbridge, adorned with fresh pine garlands imported from Trabia, to their front door and pass through a veil of snow. Or, a veil of white puffs emitted from a machine. They just looked and drifted to the ground like snow.

Julia would spend her night at the piano, rearranging classic Light Night carols into jazzier stylings more suited to her voice. The band that usually recorded with her in the studio would join her on the stage in the middle of the mansion’s ballroom. They’d play together all night.

Fury was the master of the guestlist, inviting the top brass of the Galbadian military and every who’s-who on the continent, as well as important people from around the world. But it wasn’t hard to attract guests to the celebration. Invitations to this festive and extravagant event were sought after.

Of course—who wouldn’t want to come to what was basically a private Julia Heartilly concert?

Rinoa loved the Light Night party. Her mom would always dress her in something floofy and tulle covered, glazed with sparkles.

“Look, Fury,” Julia would say. “Our angel walked right off the tree!”

She felt like the star of the show, her mother allowing her the solos of some of the more childish songs. The crowd would oooh, ahhh, aww, and cry to their duet of “Have Your Self a Merry Little Light Night.” The chefs would let her cut out some of the cookies and proudly announce that she had assisted. And then her dad would let her do her favorite thing—light the tree.

Rinoa liked looking around the room during the dim, breathless moment before she pushed the plug into the socket. Then she’d do it, and the tree would ignite into its blinding radiance, multicolor lights refracting endlessly beneath fistfuls of tinsel. Each moving and sound-making ornament came to life at once, making a very specific and pleasant cacophony. She felt like she had some special power to summon the magic of the holiday as she plugged in the tree every day of the season—but nothing quite compared to plugging it in on Light Night.

Rinoa loved the Light Night party. But she didn’t know how to be excited about it this year, now that the most important person wouldn’t be coming.

---

“Cid, you can’t go… You know this is going to be their last Light Night together!”

“I’m sorry… But I have to,” Cid sighed. “I’m only going to be able to secure those contracts for the shelters if I find funding by the new year… There’s going to be a lot of folks there… maybe something will come through.”

“All the way in Galbadia? On Light Night? …What about that Shumi fellow?”

Cid mumbled, “He’s… not my first choice.”

Both Cid and Edea brought their voices low, too low for Squall to hear from the doorway. He tightened his grip on his Moomba plush in concern.

“Yoooo, what are they sayin’ over there?”

Squall turned to Zell and slowly shook his head.

“I think Mr. Cid is leaving…”

“Wait, like, FORVER?!”

This idea startled Squall, and he threw his Moomba out to his side.

“NO!” he yelled, mad at Zell for even thinking it. “Just… just for Light Night.”

Little loud-mouth Zell got word around the orphanage quickly, and it wasn’t long before all the children were huddled in the living room.

“If Mr. Cid isn’t here, who’s gonna take us on the midnight snow walk?” Quistis wondered sadly.

Selphie gasped. “Does Matron know how to set up the train?”

Squall sat with his Moomba in his lap. He looked down at its mane and played with it's hair nervously. It felt like the Light Night celebration lost a person every year, and he didn’t like it.

“Shut up about all that dumb stuff,” Seifer muttered as he sat on the back of the couch. “What you really gotta be worried about is our presents. I bet we’re getting nothin’ this year.”

Irvine turned and looked up at Seifer from his spot on the floor. “Are you sayin’ I’m not gonna get my Ruby Rider BB gun?!”

“You weren’t getting that anyway! You’ll shoot your eye out!” Seifer snapped. “Look, we don’t get much as it is and now Mr. Cid is leavin’? I’m telling you guys, were getting nothing, I know it.”

“Hey! You don’t know everything!” Zell said. “Whattabout the Winter Sorceress?”

Seifer sputtered. “You can’t tell me you still believe that kiddie story…”

“You’re lying,” Squall said from the corner. “She’s real.”

Seifer laughed and jumped down from the couch, approaching Squall with his arms folded.

“Aw, you too? What, you want a special gift? She can’t bring Sis back, ya know.”

Squall dropped his toy, ready to push Seifer.

Matron walked through the doorway with purpose, drawing everyone’s attention with her entrance.

“Children, I would like to dispel any rumors that are being spread… Come now, let’s gather round…”

Matron sat on the center cushion of the couch and waited for all her little ones to form a circle.

“So, yes, Mr. Cid will not be with us on Light Night… But he will be back the morning after, he’s promised me.

The children collectively sighed in relief.

“Now… We all know Quisty is joining her new family next month, and we’re all going to be moving soon, so we’re going to work together and make this Light Night really special anyway, okay?”

“Whattabout our gifts?” Zell quipped.

Matron grimaced. “Yes, well… we might have to focus on making the day special… in other ways.”

“See! What did I tell you!” Seifer pointed.

---

Rinoa’s nanny handed her a shiny, red velvet dress.

“Here’s your outfit for the party, dearie.”

“But… it’s not sparkly.”

“Your father thought this would be very becoming on you.”

Rinoa liked how the fabric felt in her hands, but she’d never seen an angel that wore anything like that.

She didn’t like how everything was different this year, like how her dad expected her to act like a grownup, and how the tree was decorated by staff the day before Light Night with new white lights and soulless baubles. She was used to hearing her mother hum music all through the season, but this year, the house was quiet.

“Ms. Annabelle…” Rinoa said shyly. “How can we have Light Night without Mommy?”

The nanny gave Rinoa a sympathetic look.

“Oh, sweet girl… Your mom would want you and your dad to have a nice Light Night no matter what,” Annabelle said, stooping to Rinoa’s level. “It’s going to be different, but try to have fun, okay? For her.”

The food was fancier this year, brought in from somewhere, so Rinoa couldn’t help with the cookies. Julia’s band was still on the stage, but no one was singing. It was all instrumental classical arrangements of the songs that Rinoa couldn’t sing to—not that she felt like singing, anyway.

Many people came—maybe more than ever—and the piles of gifts they carried for her were larger and shinier than before. And yet, the adults all gave her a sad stare as she greeted them.

Adults always looked at her that way now. She didn’t like it.

Rinoa felt heavy as she stood on the edge of the ballroom, watching her dad talk to men in military uniforms. He wasn’t smiling. He hadn’t smiled for months.

In the mansion, it looked like Light Night, but it didn’t feel like it, not to her. Rinoa wondered if, somehow, Julia had taken all the magic of the holiday with her when she passed.

“Rinoa, it’s time to light the tree,” Fury said, summoning her to the grand salon, where the twelve-foot tree stood proudly in front of a massive arched window.

This was her chance to bring the magic back.

She held the plug and looked around the room at all the expectant faces, barely visible, bathed only in the oblique light coming from the other room.

She thought hard about her mom and plugged in the tree.

The tree lit up brightly and efficiently. But it was monotone, and the absence of sound was deafening. There was a second of silence before the crowd began to clap, and Rinoa began to quietly cry.

The adults filed out, ready to start playing their strange gift-giving games and drinking their bubbly drinks. Rinoa found a spot between gifts to lay down on the floor, directly beneath the tree, so she could look up into its branches like she always liked to do. The shadows of the needles looked harsh in the cold white light of the tree.

There was a loud sigh.

“Guess that’s it…” a man said.

Rinoa carefully pulled herself out of her hiding place and looked up at the man. He was wearing a red vest.

“Oh!” he said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“You’re sad?” Rinoa asked. She sat on the floor and looked up at him, his eyes invisible in the light that the tree cast on his glasses.

“No, no… Don’t worry about me, I don’t want to ruin your holiday, young lady.”

“I’m sad…” Rinoa admitted.

The man slowly and silently made his way over to the armchair beside the tree.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

Rinoa nodded.

“It’s okay to be sad on Light Night sometimes,” he said, near-whisper. “Especially if you miss someone real bad.”

“Everyone says I gotta be happy… Cuz Mommy would have wanted that…”

The man frowned deeply.

“I have a little boy; he lost his sister… I think she would have wanted for him to be happy on Light Night, but only if he was actually happy. She wouldn’t want him to pretend,” the man said wistfully.

“I want the magic back…” Rinoa whimpered, feeling sad all over again.

The man paused and then said, warmly, “Little girl, have you ever heard the story of the Winter Sorceress?”

---

Edea sat down with a book in hand and a smile across her face. The fireplace crackled behind her. Her skin looked orange in its glow.

“Alright, settle down… It’s time to tell the tale of the Winter Sorceress.”

Matron cleared her throat. Then, she immersed the children in the story with her melodic and measured reading voice.

“Centuries ago, on the longest nights of the year, people would struggle to persevere through the winter. It was hard to feel safe in those times. Children were afraid of the frigid darkness, and with good reason. Food would become scarce. Monsters roamed freely. People would become cruel in their fear and harm others. The Winter Solstice, back then, was the most frightening time of the year.”

Despite the fact that Seifer had called the Winter Sorceress a myth, he, like the rest of them, was pleased to be wrapped in a blanket and cradling a cup of hot cocoa as he listened to Matron read.

“One night, a benevolent Sorceress was hiking through the Trabian countryside—Yes, Selphie?”

Selphie’s arm was straight as she held her hand emphatically in the air. “Where was she going? What was she doing? Was she the same Sorceress from the movie?”

Matron laughed.

“No, this was long before the Sorceress Knight movie. There have been many Sorceresses throughout time… Not all of them were good…” Edea’s voice took on an air of sadness. “People get afraid of Sorceresses sometimes. She was going to hide in Trabia, because she didn’t think anyone lived there… and she’d been chased from everywhere else.”

Matron took a beat and then started reading again.

“A benevolent Sorceress was hiking through the Trabian countryside. She came upon—Selphie?”

“Did she have a Knight?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. We’ll have to read some more books about it, okay?”

Selphie nodded furiously.

“She came upon a village at the base of a mountain—”

Matron broke off again, about to call on Selphie a third time when Zell interrupted.

“JUST LET HER TELL THE STORY SEFFIE!!”

Selphie brought down her arm and crossed it over her chest. She stuck her tongue out at Zell. Seifer snickered.

“Let’s hold questions til the end,” Matron said. “Now, where was I…

“She came upon a village at the base of a mountain and stopped there because she heard crying. There was a child who could not sleep because they were too cold. They wandered out of their home to sit by the fire in the middle of the village, but it went out, and they couldn’t start it themselves. The Sorceress was moved by the child’s sorrow. She wanted to help them.

“’Child,’ the Sorceress said, ‘How may I stop your tears?’ The child did not answer, as the voice came from the darkness, and they were afraid. The Sorceress summoned small orbs of light from her fingertips and affixed them to roof tops and trees until she and the child could see each other clearly.

“’Child, you can see me now,’ the Sorceress said, ‘But you still tremble.’ The child did not answer, because their teeth were chattering in their mouth—they were too cold to speak. The Sorceress lit the fire pit with a flare spell and gathered bundles of pine kindling so that it would continue to burn through the night. She pulled down the clouds and knitted them into a blanket, leaving a clear December sky above. She threw the blanket over the child.

“’Child, you are warm,’ the Sorceress said, ‘But you look weak.’ The child did not answer, because all they could think about was how hungry they were. The Sorceress went to every door and woke the people, asking them to feed the child. Enchanted by the lights and warmed by the fire, they were willing to cook and share their richest food.             

“Child, you have been fed and loved,’ the Sorceress said, ‘But you still cower.’ The child tried to answer, but the roar of a Snow Lion interrupted their words. The Sorceress belted a song that echoed over the snow, scaring away all the monsters of the night. The village rose up in song and continued singing to keep the beasts at bay.

“Child, you are safe,” the Sorceress said. The child smiled.

“The village gathered together and joyously went out into the snow, no longer afraid of the dark or cold or monsters. They invited the Sorceress to stay with them, and they feasted and sang and told stories in the light, all night.

“When the morning came, the Sorceress decided it was time to leave, as she wanted to give this gift of hope to other villages, all over the world. The child became sad when the Sorceress said goodbye.

“‘Child, why do you weep?’ the Sorceress asked. And the child replied, ‘I have been so scared and so cold and so hungry and so alone for so long. What if these times come again? After you are gone? How will I know they will pass?’

“The Sorceress smiled. She used her magic to summon artifacts from the wilderness—special stones, Phoenix feathers, star fragments, crystals of all colors—and fashioned them into gifts for all the villagers to enjoy. These mementos held magic within them, to keep the villagers safe and warm and happy until she could return the following year.

“We open our homes to the Winter Sorceress, gathering together, singing the songs she sang, marching out into the snow at midnight to show we aren’t afraid. We banish the darkness with light. But, most importantly…

“Can anyone tell me what the most important thing is?”

“The gifts, obviously,” Seifer said. Quistis nudged him for being so crass.

“That we put up decorations, like the train around the tree!” Selphie suggested.

“Is it that we all hang out together? For the whole day?” Irvine guessed.

“You’re very close,” Matron said, reaching down and mussing Irvine’s hair.

The room became quiet as everyone contemplated the question. Matron’s eyes fell on quiet Squall.

“Do you know the answer?” Matron prompted.

Squall hesitated. He looked at the floor as he spoke.

“Sis always said… it’s about helpin’ people who need it.”

Matron beamed.

“That’s right. Light Night is all about giving to others. It’s kindness that keeps our nights warm and bright this time of year… Squall, since you guessed it, would you like to light the tree?”

Squall did not want to light the tree, but he also did not want to say no to Matron. He left his Moomba plush carefully propped up on a pillow and went to the wall to plug in the tree.

“Alright, on the count of three. One, two, three—!”

The plug went in, and the little plastic tree came to life, the glitter from the handmade ornaments glinting in the light of the yellow bulbs. The toy train at the base of the tree began to do its circles, its engine loudly chugging. Squall looked up at the Winter Sorceress atop the tree in her flouncy blue dress.

Everyone clapped. Selphie threw herself next to the tree, watching the train with her legs kicking in the air behind her. Quistis excitedly went into the other room to gather the ornaments they’d made earlier in the day.

After dinner, and the snow walk, and the caroling, the children went to bed. Long after their departure, Edea lingered in the living room, staring at the tree, deep in thought. Squall, as he often did, wordlessly wandered out of the bedroom and came to Matron’s side. She gathered him onto her lap and played with his hair.

“Matron, what’s wrong?”

“Light Night is just going to be very different next year… I am going to miss nights like this,” Matron mused. Then, she added more hopefully, “But… I’m sure the Winter Sorceress will find some way to bring us all together.”

“Is the Winter Sorceress real?”

Matron took a moment before answering.

“I think… I think she was a real person once. I am not sure if she’s still around. But Sorceresses are real… And some of them want to do good, just like her,” she said. “Her magic is real, Squall, and we can all use it.”

Matron chuckled at Squall’s thoughtful expression.

“Are Knights real too?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Matron grinned. She angled Squall’s face upwards and pushed his bangs out of his face. “You know what, you look a little like that movie Knight, Zefer?”

Squall gave her a rare smile.

“Seifer’s gonna be so jealous.”

---

Rinoa sat at the kind man’s feet and listened, rapt, to the tale of the Winter Sorceress.

“The moral of the story is… The magic that Sorceress uses... it’s something we all have and can give each other.”

Rinoa hopped to her feet and proudly proclaimed, “I wanna do magic!”

“That’s wonderful,” the man said. “Is there anyone you can help?”

Rinoa pondered, looking around the room, and then back at the man.

“That boy who lost his sister… you think he’d want some gifts?”

The man laughed good naturedly.

“Oh, yes, but I have many children. I run a whole orphanage! I couldn’t take something back for him and only him.”

Rinoa said nothing and started grabbing her gifts and stacking them in front of the storyteller.

“Little girl… what are you doing?”

“If you take all of these… is that enough?”

Once the man got over his shock, he requested that before she do anything, she go ask her dad if she could give her gifts away. Fury was at the door sending people off by time Rinoa came looking for him.

“DADDY!” she yelled as she barreled into his legs.

“Where have you been all night, Star Light?”

Rinoa was heartened to hear her old nickname being used again. Maybe the magic was already working.

“I want to do magic! I wanna give my gifts to that guy!” Rinoa said, dancing on her tiptoes and pointing at the man walking up the hall.

Fury searched Rinoa’s face for a moment, attempting to steady her excited squirming by putting his hands on her shoulders. Then, he looked up at who she was pointing to.

“Mr. Kramer?”

“General Caraway… Please feel no obligation. It seems your daughter has really caught the Light Night spirit.”

 “Is this what you really want?” Fury asked Rinoa.

She nodded and smiled.          

“I wanna give em’ all away!”

A smile crept across Fury’s face and his eyes sparkled in a way Rinoa had never seen before.

“Looks like the angel walked right off the tree… Alright, Star Light. Your mom would be… very proud.”

Rinoa cheered, feeling like she just lit up a tree.

---

“Anyway… that’s the story of my best Light Night. What about you guys?”

The table was silent for a long time as all eyes were trained on Rinoa.

“That was you?!” Zell shrieked, standing in his seat.

“I basically opened my entire childhood library that morning…” Quistis said in shock as she held a hand to her face.

“Dude!” Irvine exclaimed. “I didn’t get my BB gun but… hell, that’s how I got my first cowboy hat!”

“So, then it was actually a cowgirl hat?” Seifer smirked.

“A hat’s a hat!”

Rinoa looked around at her friends, and then to Squall, who was staring at her with a cool amazement.

Rinoa gasped as it all clicked together. She stared at Squall, wide-eyed.

“WAIT! That was Cid? I didn’t recognize him! So then—the little boy—”

Squall shrugged.

“I think that was the day I got my first set of Triple Triad cards.”

“That’s sooooo cuckoo bananas!” Selphie said. “I think that was my best Light Night too! Cid coming back with all those gifts… it was like magic for sure!”

Rinoa was overcome with emotion. That day, she had given those gifts away to random children in the hopes it would bring them joy. She could never have imagined the joy coming back to her, ten-fold, in the form of a Light Night with her teammates, her friends—her family.

It was magic after all.

While everyone was still reeling and talking excitedly, Squall squeezed Rinoa’s hand beneath the table.

He leaned over and whispered, “I always knew the Winter Sorceress was real.”

[threepreludes]

Hiiii I’m going to be forced out of my home and while I have a job, it’s part time and barely above minimum wage and I need a way to afford rent.

Please please consider commissioning me for art or even writing…

Prices start at $50 (costs of these from right to left—$60, $200, $75, $100, $50) and YES I will draw your favorite kpop artist or mass effect alien or Harry styles or your cat or Guinea pig or your mom or grandmother or your father’s hand or a feather or a boat or a house or a frog etc.

Maybe I could get more work by pricing myself lower but I have a fine arts degree I earned ten years ago and I am learning that I am actually worth something. And by the way, the last piece is my favorite drawing I have ever done and I would love to do one hundred more of them every two weeks for the rest of my life or until I lose the use of my hands.

I accept venmo and zelle and PayPal and I would love to make art for you and I don’t charge with how big you want to print it out, I’ll draw it to whatever size you need

Also I do tarot readings—I’ve been doing them for six years now and you can order a reading on my Etsy here

I’m also about to start offering ceramic decorations like the following:

Which will be priced around the same as drawings though will not include shipping cost. I also make stick incense burners in varying shapes.

I will send you one chapter of my romance novel for free as an example of my writing style.

Thanks for your consideration and I appreciate any support I can get, including reblogs of this post.

[crystalelemental]

A while back, there was a Tumblr poll making the rounds asking gamers a simple question about which is worse, good gameplay/bad story, or bad gameplay/good story. At one point in time, I would've said obviously bad story is worse, because I was a pretentious little shit. As an adult, the answer seems a lot more obvious. If the gameplay is bad, it doesn't matter how good a story is, the full product is intolerable.

Anyway, completely unrelated, but I finished Final Fantasy 8.

FF8 is funny. I remember hating it in the day, and have long considered it the worst in the series, putting it below even FF2. Part of this was, as many in the current climate can identify, a matter of the big internet names of the time dunking on it, and teenagers are ever primed to recite opinions of people they look up to regardless of whether they understand it or not. So my main issue was "Story bad, bad game."

Having replayed it...yeah, no, FF8's story's actually really good. As someone who often considers themselves a character-centric person, FF8 is particularly nice because it really feels like a character-centric narrative.

Squall is great. Possibly my favorite protagonist right now? The story is primarily about connection and expression, centered on Squall's inability to just talk about what he's thinking and feeling with others. He's a fascinating protagonist because, despite all the edgelord accusations, Squall is deeply compassionate from minute one. His problem is not about caring or empathy. He cares greatly, and understands people pretty well. His problem is about opening up to others.

I think how the game presents it is my favorite part. This game involves a lot of internal monologuing from Squall, and his words often betray those thoughts. A good scene example is talking to Cid about protecting Balamb. When asked about his reasons, internally Squall has a laundry list of explanations - not wanting people to get hurt, caring about the people here, etc - but all he outwardly says is something to the effect of "It's my job." This complete disconnect really hits hard when we're switching between seeing his thoughts and seeing what he says.

Squall's reservations largely stem from the trauma of losing others; his parents first, then big sis Ellone. Squall doesn't want to make connections to people who could leave him. He's fearful of being hurt, and so makes himself lonely by refusing to open up to anyone. This is where his foil, Seifer, becomes more interesting.

Seifer is similarly lonely, but while Squall's is self-imposed, Seifer's is externally enforced. Squall is, for all his faults, well liked by his classmates and staff. He's not much for chatting, but his actions generally provide the appearance of a clever, polite, and caring young man. Seifer, comparatively, is an asshole and a moron. He demands to be seen by others and recognized, but everyone he engages with considers him intolerable. He approaches connection to others through authority and control, immediately taunting Zell and making threats about adding people to "the list." Seifer is alone because no one wants to deal with him.

What's interesting to me is that Seifer, much like Squall, cannot articulate himself either. He talks a lot, but he's not exactly honest. He keeps the truth of what he wants as his romantic secret, and when it comes to bear, it turns out his goal is...becoming the sorceress' knight. Now obviously, this isn't his goal. It's just what he has propped up in the moment. What he wanted is connection. Fujin and Raijin care about him, but he only reciprocates as far as his ability to boss them around. Ultimecia gives him a sense of connection, a sense of belonging and purpose, by carrying out her needs. He wants to belong just like Squall, and his reticence and lack of connection through peers puts him in a position he can be manipulated by someone.

Critically, Seifer mirror's Squall's "I don't want friends who will leave me" with this attitude. Fujin and Raijin aren't really important enough to be his friends. His sense of connection has to be bigger, more significant than these meaningless, small-time connections. We get to see this from Squall actively when Seifer is assumed dead. Squall freaks out, horrified at the prospect of people just talking about him loosely in past tense, and fearing what legacy he leaves behind. Squall wants friends, he's not opposed to connection. But he's convinced himself that this only counts if it's guaranteed forever; if it's something special and transcendent.

But...that's not most connections. Most connections are mundane and everyday. Most connections aren't guaranteed to be forever. And coming to terms with the fact that he does deeply care and doesn't want to lose them is his entire journey, and what makes the orphanage scene pop.

Okay, yes, it's a little goofy that all of them are from the same orphanage and no one remembers. It's a little silly to have the GFs be what removes memory. But I think that what it lacks in direct weight it makes up for thematically in spades. Squall doesn't remember these people from his past, in part due to this belief that his connections are more serious, but just as much because of trauma. He held a deep connection to Ellone, but even forgot about her, because the fear of losing others caused him to block out the specifics of those memories. Rinoa calls him on it later; he tries to brush off lack of recollection of something as a side-effect of the GFs, and is told "That's just an excuse, isn't it?" Squall hides away from these memories because they're hard to bear, and willingly severs his own connections for personal safety, symbolized by the Guardian Forces. It's why the ultimate GF summoned by Ultimecia is the one on his ring: Griever. Literally one who is grieving. That safety manifests as grief, a deep sorrow and loneliness for what is lost, unable to look ahead to what can still be. Time Compression, drawing everything to a single point, is collapsing that lived experience to that moment of trauma.

The other cast members don't get nearly the same development. This is very much Squall's personal journey. But I like Rinoa pretty well, as another who is deeply significant to the story. She's just got a fun personality. I could take or leave the rest. Irvine especially doesn't feel like he adds much. They're fine.

It really was staggering to come back to this game, feeling certain that my complaints were with the story being crap, and going...no, actually, this is really well done. That said, it may still be my least favorite in the series, because all the narrative significance in the world will not fix the gameplay.

I'm going to avoid specifics. You probably already know. But the big question that was raised for me here was...what is the intended first playthrough experience here?

The biggest draw, the thing that, as a player, you're going to go for, is GF skills. They require skill points obtained after battle, and you'll want a bunch of different ones, since they augment stats. So more than likely, you might stop and grind some out. Which results in EXP yields, which increases your level, which makes encounters harder before you have spells to Junction, etc. Playing this game like you would any other is immediately and severely punished, with no indication of why or how to avoid it. How are you to know that Card avoids EXP? How are you to know enemies scale to your level? How do you figure any of this out? It feels like a game that requires external knowledge. I've been watching someone play FF5, and they talked about FF8, saying "if you just beat the enemy then they're dead and you continue playing," but man I tried that when I first picked it up. It resulted in a softlock where I could not beat anything I came up against because I didn't understand Junctioning or level scaling. You kinda have to engage with these shitty systems. The remastered version is playable, but only because it has 3x speed and the ability to turn off all random encounters, which is the only reason I made it past Esther, which was about to drive me insane.

I feel like I at least somewhat understand the general vision at certain points in the game. Tutorial bosses all having Cure is a clever way to teach players to use the spells obtained from enemies to manage, and this kind of tutorial continues through the fake president having Esuna to draw while spamming status. There's a late-game boss in Ultimecia's Castle that is basically immune to damage, except for Demi, which can be drawn from it, and another boss that mentions "fearing elements it doesn't use," and it has Tornado and casts lightning, so you hit it with Fire or Ice (or others). Those are neat systems! I kinda like those! But scaled levels and junctioning magic to stats and having limited casts that if you use them the stat boost for junctioning goes down...it's doing too much. It's overly ambitious, and the system starts to break down very early, around the time you find out there are like 50 spells and only 32 slots, and oops some of that stuff you drew is basically useless now.

That's not to say combat is the only thing that drives me nuts. Junctioning also results in several situations where the party changes, but doesn't offer the "swap junction" option, so you have to do that shit manually. Looking at you, Laguna sections. Battle of the Gardens was the worst, because there are like four goddamn party transitions that result in needing to swap junctions, and none of those sections involve fights, but you wouldn't know that unless you'd done it already. It just eats so much time. And all of this is around constant random encounters you can't kill because level scaling, and hard to navigate PS1 maps where I can't tell what is and isn't traversible half the damned time.

FF8 feels like a more extreme FF7. I came away from that game feeling like the story was much better than I recalled, but I considered it the game I'd least like to replay. FF8 is the same but even moreso in both directions. I really enjoyed this story, it's one of my favorites, but I think I'd rather saw my arms off than play it again. So it is...very hard to consider this anything but my bottom of the barrel. It can be a beautifully presented narrative all it wants, but as a wise man once said: "It's a video game! I play the game to play the game!"

[suleikashideaway]

Updated October 3, 2024

Chapter 15: Precipice

Chapter length: 4,017

Chapter Summary: 

On top of it all, why did Laguna have to look at him like that? It made his skin crawl, and distracted him immensely when now, more than ever, he needed his wits about him.  He was certain Laguna was going to pass him a handwritten note or something equally stupid.  A low panic hummed through his chest at the thought. 

—

My poor baby Squall 🥺 He can’t be dealing with Laguna shenanigans right now. There just isn’t time for that!!

Also featured in this chapter is one of my favorite scenes between Squall and Quistis, and arguably the incitement of their friendship. Of all the arcs in this fic, the Squall & Quistis friendship is incredibly dear to me. I just adore them both. (And I’m glad to be getting this out around Quisty’s birthday since I don’t think I’ll have time to write anything for her character week! Wah)

More about Time Will Tell under the cut!

Fic Summary: Carefree, fun-loving, passionate, free spirited, can also mean impulsive, reckless, obsessive, thoughtless. Rinoa Heartilly is learning the dangers of her own personality, and who she will become if she continues down this path. 

Squall Leonhart is fully awake now, no longer a pawn in someone else’s plan. He’s ready to take charge of his own fate. But what if fate has other plans? 

Rating: M

Warnings: No archive warnings apply

Chapters: 15/? (expected 60)

Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII

Relationships: Rinoa Heartilly/Squall Leonhart, Selphie Tilmitt/Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht/Library Girl, Rinoa Heartilly & Selphie Tilmitt, Ellone & Squall Leonhart, Squall Leonhart & Quistis Trepe, Squall Leonhart & Irvine Kinneas, Ellone & Rinoa Heartilly

Characters: Rinoa Heartilly, Squall Leonhart, Cid Kramer, Edea Kramer, Selphie Tilmitt, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, Quistis Trepe, Library Girl, Laguna Loire, Ellone, Kiros Seagill, Ward Zabac, Fury Carraway, Seifer Almasy, Original Characters

Tags: Angst with a happy ending, Fluff in early chapters, Self discovery, Navigating relationships, Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Codependency, Sexual content, Drug & Alcohol use, Canon-typical violence, Debunking a fan theory, Friendship, Fandom blind, Post-canon, What is time anyway, Fate & Destiny, Tags to be added

[gardengalwrites]

Things That I Would Like To Know About My Fellow Writers

Thank you for the tag, @angelosearch! I tag everyone who's interested in participating. :)

Greatest literary inspirations: When I first discovered the FFVIII fandom in the early 2000s, I was especially captivated by four writers:

Ms Starlight

Lunatique

Ripley a.k.a. RipleyReprised

xahra99

I essentially learned how to write by reading their fanfics over and over again. It's hard to express just how deeply their storytelling has impacted, influenced, and inspired me. I wouldn't be where I am today without them.

If any of you beautiful souls ever read this, thank you for sharing your gift with the world! 💖 Last book I read: The Princess Bride by William Goldman.

Things in my current fandom I want to read but I don't want to write: All things Squinoa.

Things in my current fandoms I want to write but I think nobody would be interested in them but me:

I would love to continue writing the universe in which Xu and Zell become unexpected Best Friends Forever.

I am interested in developing the backstories of NPCs.

I want to try more stories in Second Person POV.

You can recognize my writing by: Happy endings.

My most controversial take (current fandom): I have never quite accepted Quistis as "The Ice Queen." 👀

Top three favorite tropes: This is almost impossible to answer. It honestly depends on my mood. I am always down for romance in any genre!

What’s your current writing mood (10 – super motivated and churning out words like crazy, 0 – in a complete rut): I am at a carefully controlled 8.

Share a fandom frustration: None at the moment. I love this fandom. 🌹

[madam-kumo]

Identity V characters as Music

(I did skip some because I had no idea what to do for them. Also Major spoiler warning)

Masterlist

Survivors

Emily Dyer (doctor)

Nurses Office by Melanie Martinez.

For obvious reasons

Freddy Riley (Lawyer)

The Fine Print by The Stupendium

He mentions in his backstory that he hopes to find a better job than the "menial" job he has with a low wage.

Kreacher Pierson (Thief)

Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson

He literally steals parts from the ciphers.

Emma Woods (Gardener)

Dandelions by Ruth B.

A happy song for a happy character. (Emma is literally so cute, she deserves it)

Servais Le Roy (The magician)

Circus by Brittney Spears

Where do we find magicians? A circus...

Martha Behamfil (Coordinator)

Bang! by AJR

Martha has a gun. That's it.

Fiona Gilman (Priestess)

W.I.T.C.H by Devon Cole

I was gonna go with Dragula by Rob Zombie but that felt too aggressive for Fiona.

Tracy Reznik (Mechanic)

Puppet Boy by Devo

It has the cheerful sound to it like Tracy does but I chose this song because I love her mechanical dolls (they underrated).

Vera Nair (Perfumer)

Francis Forever by Mitski

I feel like this song sums up how Vera felt after murdering her sister.

Kevin Ayuso (Cowboy)

Country Girl by Luke Bryan

I gave him the most southern song I could physically think of.

Margaretha Zelle (Female Dancer)

Liquid Smooth by Mitski

I think this song shows how Margaretha felt and how she saw herself just before coming to the manor.

Sergei (Weeping Clown or Joker)

Cigarette duet by Princess Chelsea

This song is pretty much a nutshell of when Sergei was having problems with Margaretha and was trying to convince her to stay with him.

Aesop Carl (Embalmer)

Coraline Opening Song

If you paid attention to when the other mother is making the doll then you can see when she lays the great aunts doll on what looks like a kit of some kind then you can see that it's an embalming kit. (My favorite movie song for my main)

Norton Campbell

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Set It Off

I saw somebody use it in an edit when he attacked Orpheus and Melly so I think this song fits.

Patricia Dorval (Enchantress)

Come Little Children from the Hocus Pocus 1993 film

I always got the vibe that Patricia is very family oriented and tries to avoid social conflict when she can so a peaceful song like this literally being sung by a witch is something Patricia would enjoy. (I love this woman so much)

Mike Morton

Freak by Sub Urban

I couldn't really think of one without repeating so I decided on this one.

Demi Bourbon

Alcoholic Friends by Dresden Dolls

I think this was how she felt after her brother got the invitation to the manor.

Victor Grantz

Message man by Twenty One Pilots

I think this song fits him because I'd imagine he's very observant since he's so quiet so not a lot of people know much about him but he knows a lot about others.

Andrew Kreiss

Tears to Shed from the Corpse Bride film

The movie is about death and the song is about comparing yourself to others. Nothing else fits quite like this one does. (I can't describe how much I adore Andrew)

Luca Balsa ("Prisoner)

Welcome to the Internet- Bo Burnham

I feel like Luca matches the overall chaotic vibes this song has and he would probably explain the internet just like Burnham did (very quickly and kinda passive aggressively)

Melly Plinus (Entomologist)

Entomologist by GHOST

Need I say more

Edgar Valden (Painter)

My Ordinary Life by The Living Tombstones

This song sounds happy like Edgar

Ganji Gupta (Batter)

The Sports Wii theme song

This is what he gets for beating up my poor Geisha during rank

Anne Lester (Toy Merchant)

Pogo- Living Island

A cheerful song because she deserves it (I have a soft spot for Anne mains)

Ada and Emil (Phycologist and the Patient)

Dark Red by Steve Lacy

I love their relationship so much

Orpheus (Novelist)

Satisfied by Marina and The Diamonds.

I don't know, just seems fitting.

Alice Deross (Journalist)

Ramalama (bang, bang) by Róisín Murphy

If you've ever heard this song, you know exactly why I chose this song.

Hunters

Leo Beck ( Hell Ember)

We'll meet again- Vera Lynn

This song is probably something he would listen to on repeat to hope that it will help him reunite with Emma. (I'm gonna cry)

Jack (The Ripper)

Run Rabbit Run by Flanagan and Allen

I have a feeling that he's one of those killers that taunts his victims so this song fits.

Violetta (Soul Weaver)

Spider's Web by Melanie Martinez (my favorite portals song)

She's literally a giant spider. (And I love her for that)

Michiko (Geisha)

Washing Machine Heart by Mitski

Michiko just wanted to marry the man the man she loved but it was ripped away by her lovers father. (I wanna give my main a hug so bad)

Joseph Desaulniers (Photographer)

Paparazzi by Lady Gaga

You saw this coming, don't lie to me

Burke Lapadura (Mad Eyes)

Rainbow Factory by Glaze

He works on machines and stuff. I don't know, I'm running out of ideas.

Yidhra (Dream Witch)

Puppet Boy by Devo

This is the only song I'm repeating because it fits so well.

Robbie (The Axe Boy)

Teenage Dirt Bag by Wheatus

I feel like it matches his energy as a kid with way too much energy and mischief in his little body.

Mary (Bloody Queen)

Where's your Head at? by Basement Jaxx

You could say she lost her head....I'm done.

BonBon (Guard 26)

Blow! By Ke$ha

His ability is that he can make these explosive thingies when he chair someone.

Ann ("Disciple")

Brutus us by the Buttress

This song was the first thing that came to mind when I saw her, obviously.

Antonio Paganini (Violinist)

Sex with a Ghost by Teddy Hyde

I feel like the "woman in the mirror" could be replaced by the devil he made a deal with.

Galatea Claude (Sculptor)

Breezeblocks by Alt-J

This perfectly describes how I think Galatea felt when her statue was destroyed by her father.

Percy (Undead)

Zydrate Anatomy by Alexa PenaVega, Paris Hilton, and Terrance Zdunich

Another song I can't really explain why but it feels right.

Grace (Naiad)

Siren by Kailee Morgue

Perfect for Naiad by the title alone.

Phillipe (Wax Artist)

Hidden in the Sand by Tally Hall

His backstory has always freaked me out a bit since he literally has a corpse covered in wax glued(?) to his shoulder.

Keigan Nicholas Keogh (Clerk)

The Principle by Melanie Martinez

I feel like Clerk would be the kind of person to subconsciously abuse her power like the principle does.

Alva Lorenz (Hermit)

Rat by Penelope Scott

Alva says he will never know the true answers to humanity so I feel like this song fits into that phrase.

Ithaqua (Night Watch)

Below the Surface by Griffinilla

This song was the first thing to come to mind for him so I'm gonna keep it.

Sangria (Opera Singer)

Ballad of Jane Doe from the Ride the Cyclone musical

Jane doe hits some of the highest notes in this song I've ever seen in a musical and I just feel like Sangria would really like this song.

[asoulofatlantis]

So guys I am back yet again, after almost 3 weeks of a Horror that still doesn't seem to end. First I had a mild stomach flue and since it was (relatively) mild, I decided to go to work, since... you know I work had for the money. After taking multiple warning that I should not take the symptoms so lightly, I felt like I've finally recovered but for some reason I was still feeling weak. Just a few days after seemingly recovering from the stomach-flue, my immune system decided to kick me for what I did and for the first time in many, many years (this was a normal ocurrecence back when I was a sickly child tho) I had the flu. Like the actual 6 days of dangerously high fever - kind of flue. It took an unhealthy cocktail of pain medicine to even get the fever down a bit. On day 7 the fever was FINALLY gone and I though my body would gain back strength and the ability to eat. (I was not having hunger nor did anything taste good, so whatever I had been eating was me trying to force some energy source into my immensly weakened body) BUT I did not. I was feelings worse, even with the fever gone. So the doctor found out that the flu had weakened my immune system even further, so on top off still recovering from the flue I had bronchitis and Sinusitis. Giving him no choice but to pump a bunch a medicine inside me, including some antibiotics. And after 3 days of Antibiotics I am still not feeling very well. I still have to take painkiller against the Sinusitis, while my stomach start to revolt against all the medicine, by making me feel nauseous (AGAIN) and I am also still couching slime. So... not sure how long it takes for the Antibiotiks to kick in, but I feel like if they don't, the doctor will see me yet again on Friday, while my work place won't see me again next week - which isn't such a bad thing, since I found out just the day when I broke down with the fever, that my colleagues told my boss I am a lazy bitch who never ever does anything anyway. So.... no one is gonna miss me around there anyway.

All that aside... I had a lot of brain fog fopr the past weeks but I think I am not capable of FINALLY going back to Squall and FF8, so that I can rush to finish this game soon. So... lets go!

Can someone please tell me why I was so stupid to think it was a good idea to stop playing right at the beginning of the Galbadia-Garden-Attack? I have no idea were to go XD

I know this was basically the last chance for the Ring exchange, but neither of them know that. So... the timing is really weird. Especially since, Zell was supposed to be tired because he worked on remaking that ring for Rinoa, but what did he do all night, if he didn't even have the original ring as a reference? Its all a bit weird, if you ask me, even if I get that it was supposed to be a secret from Squall.

THIS GIRL IS GOING ON MY NERVES! She constantly gets herself in trouble and for some reason, only Squall can save her, as if he has nothing better to do as the leader of the garden then to babysit that spoiled so called princess. ARG!

Personal preferences aside... I think it speaks for Squall that he didn't let anyone else die, just because "his" Rinoa was in danger. He IS the Leader. He can not afford to play favorites in a situation like this.

This is so unreasonable, its making me angry. "Hey Squall, we might be going to die soon under your leadership, but your biggest priority should be saving Rinoa right now, because this is a lovestory!" is basically what they are saying and I can not even put into words how stupid that is!

This minigame is so freaking stupid!

XD I mean, its nice that she managed to hold on for so long because she wanted to gave him back the ring an all... but it was not nice of Zell to just give the ring to her without Squalls permission, especially after promising to not lose it or anything like this.

They are his best and only friends and sometimes as a friend, you have to do what's best for them, even if they do not agree with you. And I think it is good that Raijin and Fujin understand that. They could have just followed Seifer blindly like they did so far, but they do understand that that is not the way to save him.

For some reason my mods don't work anymore. That is really bad timing...

I did not take Rinoa with me and it makes no sense at all that the other would let her come running alone when they don't know if we might be in the middle of the fight with Edea. And I mean, we already confirmed multiple times that Rino is stupid enough to try come running to Squalls side for no apparent reason but shippiness, but the other are not stupid enough to let her.

The problem here is that the game had to handle the situation in case you do not bring her along and they couldn't come up with anything better than her just randomly finding us in this room before the fight with Edea.

I can kind of understand him. He just couldn't fight his own wife. But he still should have done this whole thing a bit differently.

In the fight against the Galbadia Garden, when Squall thought Rinoa was lost, he was merely thinking a sad "Rinoa..." and now all of a sudden she is all he can think about, even tho when he previously mentioned everyone trying to get them together he did not sound that enthusiastic or interested at all. And I do get that some people only know what they had or could have had after they lost it and Squall certainly is the type for it. But the whole buildup for this ship until now was really, really bad to begin with.

They did? When? Just a short while ago in Fishermans Horizont you just had another argument.

I forgot that I still have to deal with Lagunas part of the story...

This scene is only in here to see Laguna with a Gunblade because apparently its important to see Laguna using the same weapon his son does ^^'

It is a bit more complicated than that. But I understand why Ellone feels like its her fault.

We are traveling into the unknown with a comatose friend and a witch that could be controlled by some evil being at any given time... what exactly makes you feel like this is a picnic?

[bite-the-bloody-hand]

6 SONG SOUNDTRACK (Part 1 - DISCO FUNK)

@chaosteddybear tagged me in the following game and the autism won. I decided to make an extra challenge for myself: a themed playlist with 1 'outsider' or anachronistic track that still fits the overall vibe. We begin... with Disco Funk.

PREPARE YOUR BUTTS

Rules: If you're tagged, make a new post with links to music and/or lyrics describing the following: 1. An event that defines your character's past 2. How your character sees themselves 3. How others view them 4. Their closest relationship (platonic or romantic) 5. A major fight scene 6. End Credits song

Spotify Youtube Music

1. AFRO CUBAN BAND* - Something's Gotta Give -

Dreams have done their share of dying love cries out but no one hears - oh, Something Something's got to give We can't, We can't go on like this

Is it a little on the nose? Sure. But a midnight revelation that he simply couldn't continue his life as it was going put Zell on the road to discovering his own path. He aches for the hurting, broken world he was brought into; he may not have the answer for fixing things, but he has to try something. Even if he's unsure of himself, even if he's convinced of his own fragility, he can fake strength if he can get out. He can't do anything while locked away in a Hellknight compound in Lepistadt, so he goes. And so it goes...

2. ARTIE SHAW - Nightmare - (Instrumental)

The problem with having an unclear sense of purpose and underdeveloped, poor self-esteem is that it can lead one down a path of introspection that keeps one in a spiral. Zell is an outsider when he isn't a rebel, never fitting with any authority and rarely synchronizing with any group; uncomfortable in his own body even when he's done everything he can to feel like himself. He desperately wants to solve the conundrum of connection - even when he's successful he has doubts that haunt him, especially in the lonely hours in the night.

(It's called Depression but they haven't invented therapy in Golarion yet)

Why this is the Anachronistic Outsider - Zell himself is a man out of time... even he doesn't know how old he is or how long he spent in Areelu Vorlesh's "care."

3. DEODATO - Also Sprach Zarathustra (instrumental)

I'm being a little bit of a shit with this; historically the misinterpretation of Nietzsche's Zarathustra have been that the title character is a teacher of doctrine/great leader/himself the 'Übermensch' he urges humanity to become. The actions of someone who wishes not to speak to the masses but instead live his own life of contemplation - and if he ever leads, to do it by example - often get twisted into fanatic parasocialization... if that isn't the life of the Knight Commander I don't know what is. Plus, this is just a bop.

4. EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING - Shame

Ooh-ooh, it's a, oh-oh, it's a shame (Shame) oh-oh, it's a (Shame) mama** just don't understand Oh, how I love my man (shame) It's a, oh, it's a (shame)

Falling for someone when you already don't like yourself a whole lot can be hard, but it's much harder when nobody else likes the someone you love. Sometimes you just have to whip around and be assertive: the real shame would be abandoning what you have. Especially when it's this good.

5. C.J. & CO - Devil's Gun***

Get a new direction Well, well, well another resurrection Well now don't wait hesitate Or it's gonna be too late Flames are getting higher Got to jump out of the fire

I felt this fit as a big combat piece for Azata path especially; deeply anti-authoritarian theme about bringing together the community and avoiding the Devil (literal, figurative, and so on) and rebuilding? Yes please.

6. FRANCO MICALIZZI - Stridulum Theme (Instrumental)****

I wanted to close us out with something that felt a little magical and strange; this is a longtime favorite that really fit the bill.

TAGGING~ @Rlainarin @thedosianexplorer @arendaes I'm pretty sure two of you have already been tagged so feel no obligation, naturally.

*Had to transcribe the lyrics here myself so I'm not 100% sure I got them on the mark. Frustratingly I think this group only did one other track, which was the b-side for Something's Gotta Give. Real bummer, I love what I've found.

**Mama in this context is 100% Irabeth. She does NOT approve of this obviously farcical union. She's watching Arendae like a HAWK .

***YES, OF COURSE I played this during the Mephistopheles fight, who do you think I am?! TBH it was a real close call between this and Stayin' Alive but Devil's Gun won out for thematic reasons.

****I've had this track on Zell's playlist for a long time simply because I love the sound. It's the theme to a truly bizarre 70s Italian horror flick called The Visitor / Stridulum that's worth catching if you're curious. Free on youtube via the link.

[aberooski]

Because I think about this far too much:

Yu-Gi-Oh GX characters as Final Fantasy classes in the context of my fic Sons of The Stars.

With explanations that might only actually make sense to me unless you've read the fic and played the FF games akaksk

Jaden - Thief

Fights with daggers/other short swords ninja sword if ur playing FFXII 👀 he doesn't ever actually steal anything except Jesse's heart 😏 but otherwise aligns well with the class imo. He's got the energy yet seriousness a lot of Thief characters in FF have Locke, Yuffie, Rikku, Zidane, etc, he's clever and agile, and he fights mainly for self defense and only if he has to. He tends to try a lot of stealth to get out of having to fight. Sneaky little man.

Alexis - Knight

Standard sword class, similar to Warrior. Fights with a two handed greatsword, and she chose to train herself to fight so that she could defend. That way she would be able to protect Atticus even though she'd left her station as princess of their dimension and was living in hiding on her own. She still cared about her people and wanted her brother to be safe, knowing there were people who wanted the royal family dead and gone. She'd rather protect the crown than be the crown in that sense.

Chazz - Warrior

Standard sword class similar to Knight. Fights with a one handed sword, but he didn't choose. He's been trained to fight to be a soldier for many years because of his family, and is being trained to fight to fight. Unlike Alexis, it was all about the glory for him because there was no other choice. He gained favor with Crowler, chancellor of their dimension, being so young and yet so highly skilled, which only ultimately put more pressure on him by his family to be the greatest warrior in their entire dimension. A feat which he attained by the time of the fic, when the J-Squad was only 17 years old.

Bastion - Black Mage

Not a dedicated Black Mage since he uses spells like Protect and Shell during the fic and even a standard Cure spell, but his main source of defense is his magic. His main elemental type would be water cuz water dragon ofc but he's only seen casting Thundara, Blizzara, and Thundaga during the events of the fic. And obviously as a Black Mage, he carries around a cool wizard staff 😌

Jesse - Summoner

Fairly straightforward, his main source of combat is summoning his Crystal Beasts and providing support to the others on the field.

Hassleberry - Berserker

Again. It's Hassleberry so pretty straightforward. He manages to never lose control in SoTS he loses it in OUAD though but very much has the capacity to. Having suffered for 2 years pre-fic as a military experiment in his and Jim's dimension after the accident with his leg left him with his animalistic side due to the dinosaur bone in his leg, and their scientists attempting to strip him of his humanity in order to weaponize him because they're fucking terrible people. Thx for breaking him outta there Jim 😭 Though he also aligns a little with the Monk class as well since like characters like Yang, Sabin, Tifa, Zell, and Snow, who in tradition FF job systems would fall under that class, his weapon is his fists 😌

Jim - Beastmaster

He'd also potentially fall under FFV's Chemist class since he's a scientist of sorts in the fic, or maybe even Geomancer dipping into his archeology and paleontology guy stuff. But factoring in Shirley, I'd sooner class him as a Beastmaster/Tamer.

Axel - Freelancer

Guy's a mercenary, he can do anything. If he had a weapons specialty, he'd be a Gunner/Machinist he literally gives Jim a gun before the final battle with Yubel, but he's a jack of all trades. He just kinda does whatever he feels like it or whatever is best to get the job done.

Bonus since he's extremely important to the fic but isn't actually a party member:

Syrus - White Mage

Sy actually was originally supposed to be an actual party member since he's my favorite character oh wow, I wonder why he's so important to the plot, like the fate of the entire universe hinges upon his safety 🤔 but it just didn't really end up happening, and considering his position in the fic it unfortunately makes sense to me that he isn't. But whether in the context of this fic or in canon, or literally any context, Sy is the team White Mage. Stereotypically a very weak and squishy, low defense/low attack class which I mean... yeah. But I've always thought he'd have a very strong magic stat which most White Mage's do Rosa, Porom, Aerith, Garnet, Eiko, Yuna (literally the strongest magic stat in FFX), Vanille and if he was able to be a party member he'd the team healer. Who can also tear holes in the space time continuum to open portals to travel through dimensions 😌

[lovemesomesurveys]

What was the last thing you spent more than $20 on? A bill. A bit more than $20. Sigh, adulting. 

Give us a lyric from a song you’ve recently listend to: “He said Cashapp or Zelle, never mind scratch that I’m gonna send you a stack just cause you fine as hell. And I said, thank you, baby. Anything for my favorite lady.”

Do you wear actual designated ‘pajamas’ to bed? I am now; it’s a short gown. It’s blue and says, “Eat. Sleep. Coffee. Repeat.” Typically, I just wear t-shirt dresses or oversized tees to bed. 

When was the last time you were tempted to do something you’d later regret? Hmm. 

Have you ever had feelings for someone who was seeing someone else? Yes. 

Have you ever had feelings for your best friend’s significant other? I’ve never been interested In a friend’s significant other. 

What color is your hairbrush? It’s gray and green. I want a new brush. I really like the Wet Brushes. 

How many times did you ride in a car today? I had my medical transport service pick me up with the gurney to take me to and from my doctor appointment this morning. 

Who was the last non-relative to call you? Some spam call. 

Are you comfortable in your own skin? No. I feel like I get so itchy sometimes and it’s an itch I can’t scratch and I just want to rip my skin off. Like sometimes whatever I’m wearing I can’t stand to have on my body cause it feels like it’s just rubbing against me and wrapping around my neck. 

That probably sounds crazy.

What are your plans for tomorrow? I don’t have any plans outside of the normal stuff. 

Are you in a good mood right now? I’m okay. I think after a few weeks I may have found the special gummies for me to help with my anxiety, pain, mood, and appetite. I have a few different ones; certain ones for certain things. I was trying to figure out what dosage was right for me and how each made me feel. I think I finally have found them. Game. Changer. 

When was the last time you had an ice cream cone? Uhhh. I have no idea, honestly. 

Did you eat breakfast this morning? Yep. I switched it up from my normal Cream of Wheat and had over-easy eggs, beans, cilantro and onions, guacamole, crema, and cotija cheese sprinkled all over. It was sooo good. 

Have you ever been in a cemetery at midnight? No.

Do you live on your own? If not, who do you live with? No, I live with my parents, my brother, and our doggo. 

How old are your siblings, if you have any? 23 and 39. 

Can you tie a cherry stem in a knot with your tongue? No.

Have you ever used your cell phone as a lightsource in the dark? Yeah, many times. 

Is your birthday in less than 6 months? Yep, my birthday is next month. 

How old will you be in 3 years? I’ll be 36. 

Do you remember who you were dating in August 2007? Yep, no one.

Why did you cry the last time you did? Mehhh, life. 

Where are your parents right now? My dad is asleep and my mom is at the gym. 

Would you rather be able to fly or breathe under water? Fly.

Have you ever had a crush on a sibling’s friend? No.

Do you know where your calcaneus bone is located? I don’t remember.

Have you donated blood in the last 2 years? I’ve never donated blood. I have severe anemia. 

What was the last free t-shirt you received from? Uhhh. I have no idea. 

Have you kissed your 10th contact in your phone? I’m not checking, but I can bet I haven’t. 

When did you go to bed last night? I think it was a little after 11PM. 

Is there anything you are looking forward to at the moment? No.

Who was the last person to piss you off? Blehh.

Are you a Scorpio? Nope. Are you an Atheist? I am not.

Are you Asian? I have some Filipino. 

Are you blonde? No.

Are you taller than 6'0"? Haaaa, no. I’m like 5′3. 

Are you fluent in another language? No, I wish I were fluent in Spanish.

Are you in the military? No.

Are you female? I am.

Are you single? Very much so. 

Are you a parent? No.

Are you an artist? No, I wish. 

Are you a musician? No. I sadly have zero talent. 

Are you an athlete? Nope, another field I suck at. I’m not athletic at all. 

Do you like winter? I love winter. The holidays, the weather, the scents, the colors, the decor, the coziness, the treats.... I love it all. 

Who did you spend last New Year’s with? My mom and my aunt. 

Did you do anything special for St.Patrick’s Day? No. I got into the whole ‘wear green’ thing as a kid growing up. I’ve had a few green beers. And my mom has made corned beef and cabbage every year for my dad cause he loves it. I personally don’t care for it.

Did you have a Valentine last time Valentine’s Day came around? No. I’ve never had one. 

What is your relationship with the last person to comment you? Comment me where?

Who was the last person to sit on your bed? My mom. 

Do you have a favorite flower? Not really. They’re all beautiful. 

What is the best gift someone can give you? What I really want isn’t something that can be bought or is even tangible. 

Was your last kiss a mistake? No. 

Would you rather be stuck on a desert island with your ex or a python? Oh hell nah, I’ll take the python! lol kiddinggg, I’d take the ex. There’s really no hard feelings there, it’d just be awkward as fuck. I’m terrified of pythons, so that’s a definite N-O.

Do you kiss on the first date? If it feels right. 

Would you rather visit Norway or BrazilI? I’d love to visit both. 

Name three objects within your reach? My Starbucks energy drink, my phone, and a notebook. 

What jewelry are you wearing? I have a ring on.  

Would you get a shamrock tattooed to your forehead for $5000? Uh, absolutely not. 

What do you smell right now? The cream of wheat my mom is making me. 

Are you very flexible? I’m not flexible at all. 

Where was your display pic taken? It was taken when Alex was at the Met Gala this year.

Do you like Chinese food? Sure. 

Where was the last place you went that was more than an hour away? Why were you going there? To the beach early last year for my dad’s birthday trip. 

If your best friend asked you to marry them what would you say? I don’t have a best friend. Or friends. 

Are you under the influence of anything at the moment? I’ve had an edible and a pain med.

Would you consider yourself open-minded? Yes.

Who was the last person to tell you you looked nice? I have no idea. I haven’t looked nice in a very long time.

Have you ever been to a nude beach? No, and I have no interest in going to one. 

What time is it? 11:33AM.

What are you going to go do now? Watch some YouTube, eat breakfast, scroll through Tumblr. I may do another survey at some point.

[foreverdreamsds]

Our Mother's Day this year has been a tough one. Our beautiful, handsome and precious Aries had passed away in his sleep this morning. He was such a love of life and the light to our mornings. He was a big personality in the senior pups world. He was 16 yrs old and enjoyed being here with all his senior pup buddies.

He was a wonderful bossy little boy, who touched my heart and taught me lots of patience. He never showed any signs of struggling or pain, instead he laid on his favorite bed for his morning nap and restfully fell asleep forever. I miss him so much. He had been such a trooper and when Ebenezer was adopted Aries took over his spot of guarding the kitchen door while I was preparing their meals. There will be no tail wagging and hitting the kitchen door tonight. I will miss this sweet old man forever and ever. ❤️

Thank you everyone! Your support allows us to rescue seniors and special needs pups. To give them love and care for all their needs. We will be forever grateful!

If you would like to donate in his honor you can do so via Facebook, PayPal foreverdreamsds@gmail.com, Venmo @foreverdreamsds, Cashapp Sforeverdreamsds, Zelle: foreverdreamsds@gmail.com our website https:/ www.

foreverdreamseniordogsanctuary.org or mail to

PO Box 521 Tryon NC 28782

Thank you❤️

[angelosearch]

Congratulations on finishing Chaos Theory! To celebrate this happy occasion and all of your works thus far, I chose ten random lines from your stories to see how well you know your own writing. 😉

Who said the line and which fic is it from?

As a bonus, please give us a fun fact or favorite memory about each fic!

"It's been a privilege cooking with you today." "How about you come live with me?" "Please forgive me, Rinoa said this wasn't your style but… I guess I was just being a little selfish." "Do you like Behemoth burgers or are you more of a Thrustaevis wings kind of guy?" "You told me to stop you if you did this again." "I just want this moment. I don't need to know what happens in the next one." "She gets some hot dog before I do? Seriously?!" "You will fix my Rinoa under the threat of death!" "That's why I have to get Chickenwuss off my squad!" "You know I care about you, right?"

This is... LITERALLY THE COOLEST ASK I HAVE EVER RECEIVED!!!! thank you so much 😭 I am so excited to play this game!! Let's see...

"It's been a privilege cooking with you today."

The Weiner Takes it All! These are the lunch ladies in Balamb Garden sadly packing up the hot dogs, per Squall's orders during the Garden Battle. I cry-laughed writing this scene in particular. One of my favorite forms of humor is taking very silly things absurdly seriously and this part of the fic was definitely that!

"How about you come live with me?"

This took me a minute but I think it's from Eyes of the Storm? If it is, Rinoa said this line! That fic remains my favorite of my works. I started writing it as a 5k AU... and then it got three times as long. WHOOPS. I wrote most of it in 4 days and actually pulled two (nonconsecutive) all-nighters working on it because it had that tight of a hold on me.

*goes through the rest of these and comes back*

Wait. WAIT. No, this has to be from The Ballad of Ma Dincht! This is what Muadine says to Zell when she decides to adopt him. 😭❤️ Honestly, I forget about this fic a lot! Not because I dislike it or anything, but it was a very quick piece to write and I published a lot of other stuff around the same time. BUT writing this definitely got me interested in all the other SeeDs adoption (or lack there of) stories. Just more projects I want to tackle.

"Please forgive me, Rinoa said this wasn't your style but… I guess I was just being a little selfish."

This is from August 23, and the line is said by Ellone. I really didn't think I'd have time to write Squall something for his birthday, but this one struck me at the last moment! I guess the fun fact here is that I looked back in my developmental psychology textbook to make sure his characterization at each age made sense.

"Do you like Behemoth burgers or are you more of a Thrustaevis wings kind of guy?"

Haha, awww! A Laguna and Squall bonding moment from A New Beginning! This fic is a Star Wars and FFVIII mashup. I remember watching the last episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch on Father's Day and thinking that Star Wars is all about family/parents/legacy. Then I was like WAIT FATHER SON FIC WITH SQUALL AND LAGUNA AND STAR WARS LET'S GO!!! I tried really hard to get chapter 1 done that same day but I think I posted a few hours after Father's Day.

"You told me to stop you if you did this again."

Chaos Theory: Rewind, and this is Xu, admonishing Quistis (or who she thinks is Quistis 😏) for being with Seifer. This fic is a spin-off of Chaos Theory entirely following Quistis's perspective. Rewind was supposed to be just a chapter of Chaos Theory but it got too long!

"I just want this moment. I don't need to know what happens in the next one."

Oh damn, I'm not sure! This is a classic Rinoa line, so classic I feel like she could have said this in most of my fics! I feel like it's likely Chaos Theory or Eyes of the Storm. Okay, I think I'm leaning toward Eyes of the Storm, but an earlier quote was that and I don't think you'd repeat fics... UNLESS THE QUOTE I ASSOCIATED WITH EYES OF THE STORM WAS WRONG!!! *goes to correct*

Lmao I already gave a fun fact about Eyes of the Storm but I'll give another one: Rinoa's library job is based on my own experience working in my college's library. I worked there for two and a half years as a circulation desk assistant and then manager, and also as a helper at the research help desk. (Gotta say, learning how to use those research databases to assist other students was a great skill to learn and it's so useful to me now.)

Particularly, there was an instance when I was working as an overnight manager and when I woke up at 3 am to go to my shift, I had an email saying campus was closed due to snow. Now, I went to school in Ithaca, NY, and that place never closed for weather. This was a SERIOUS snow. And because the campus was closed, the library should be closed... but it wasn't. I hiked across campus in at least 2 feet of snow which was still falling. I remember feeling like a Yukon explorer or something, muddling through in the small hours of the morning. When I got to the library, the stairs to the entrance were nothing but a mound and I had to climb it. I had to get the few straggler students to leave and lock up the place... and then, hike back to my apartment and go to sleep at 5 am. I think they reopened campus at noon.

ANYWAY, in Eyes of the Storm Rinoa contends with snow storms while working at the library, something I have very specific experience with 😆

"She gets some hot dog before I do? Seriously?!"

100% Angelo Reverse! Zell is complaining because sad Squall gave the last of his hot dog to sad Angelo as they are both worrying about Rinoa in a coma in the beginning of disc 3. Angelo Reverse is one of my faves because it has so much of my dogs in it ❤️ a lot of Angelo's more playful interactions with Squall are based on how my husband plays with our dog, Duey.

"You will fix my Rinoa under the threat of death!"

Heeheehee, Balamb Harbor Playhouse! Stage!Squall is threatening Stage!Odine in Stage!Esthar, and Squall is in the audience, mortified. I think this was my third fic I published and it was my first try at an all-humor approach. It's the FFVIII version of Ember Island Players (Avatar the Last Airbender). I wrote this fic in a day and I was laughing to myself the entire time.

"That's why I have to get Chickenwuss off my squad!"

Ah, Final Fantasy VIII: The Musical! Seifer is singing the "Gaston part" of the song introducing Squall, which is based on "Belle"! "Look there he goes that guy is cold, no question. / Mean and distant, that’s not all: / Never part of any crowd, / Yet he is strong and proud. / No denying he’s a funny guy, that Squall." Originally the first song in this fic was going to be Selphie singing a version of "I Think I'm Going to Like it Here" from Annie but I decided Squall needed top billing, even though he's not going to sing himself for awhile...

I haven't added anything to this in a long time but I promise you it lives in my head rent free. I have a playlist with all my planned songs and a whole doc outlining it and several songs later in the plot written and ready. I just need to be in a certain mood to work on it!

"You know I care about you, right?"

Quistis trying to talk Seifer down in the Chapter (I want to say 7?) "Live From Timber" in Chaos Theory! In the Chaos Theory timeline, Quistis and Seifer come together because Squall isn't there! Seifer is lonely and lost without his rival, and the feelings Quistis has for Squall in the game sort of shift to Seifer without him there.

Well, there it is! How'd I do? I didn't look at anything but my list of titles... hopefully I got it right! Thanks for this fun trip down memory lane ❤️

[originaltyphoonkryptonite]

Chapter 15: The Watch

Zella pov

I was sitting on my couch and being treated like china. Dick refused to let me do anything for myself, even after Gus gets here and says I'm fine. There's just going to be a bump on my head for about a week or so.

"I'm sooo sorry Zell!", Dick exclaims as he sits in a lazy-boy chair next to the couch I was on 'House Rest' as Dick called it.

"For the last time, I'm fine."

"But I shouldn't have shocked you like that!"

Gus chuckles from his favorite chair. "So when's the wedding again?", he asks with a smirk.

"Gus it is only pretend. I'll meet his family, and about a short time later we have a huge fight and break the engagement. His dad isn't going to push any marriages that quickly after a heartbreak."

"It's that part that worries me the most. How will you handle meeting The Bat without your powers going nuts?"

"I'm worried about that as well.", Dick says as he looks down at his feet to see Cippia laying on them.

"Gus you know how.", I reply.

"Oh not that! Please do not do that!", Gus yells at me.

"Not what?", Dick asks.

"There's a button on my watch that will block my powers for 8 hours."

"Don't forget the best part." Gus sneers.

"What 'best' part?", Dick asks with narrow eyes.

"I'm just in a lot, and I mean a lot of pain during those 8 hours.", I say with a shrug.

"What?", Dick asks looking and sounding horrified.

"No big deal. I'll just take some pain killers. Doesn't get rid all of the pain, just enough that I can ignore it, mostly."

"You said your dad made that watch, why would he even allow that button to be on there when he gave it to a ten year old girl!?", his yelling made Cippia hide in the shadow of underneath the couch.

"Dick it will be fine."

"Fine?! How will it be fine when you're in pain and willing to do it just to help me out!?", he stands up as he yells.

"This is my choice! I agreed to help and I will!", I say as I stand up as well.

"No you're not! I'm calling Bruce and telling him we broke up!"

"Do you honestly think that's a better idea?!"

"If it spares you pain then yes!", he says as he grabs my shoulders.

I blink at him. Not a lot of people have shown me care on that level in years. The only two are Gus and Cippia until Dick came along. I felt really touched he said that but I wanted to help him. He's helped me, now it's my turn to help him.

"I'm sorry Dick, but I am doing this!"

"You can't!"

"Yes I can!"

"No you won't!"

"Please let me do this.", I whisper to him.

"Fine. But we're only staying for an hour maybe two and you take the strongest pain killers got it?", Dick says in a grumpy tone.

"Thank you.", I say as I give him a hug.

"You're also to tell me the moment the pain is too much."

"Deal."

"For the record, I absolutely hate this plan."

"I don't like it either but I have to do this."

"Alright. But I am going to find a way to make you a watch that won't hurt you when blocking your powers and monitor them."

"Until then, I'll keep wearing this."

"Fine."

~Time-skip~

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dick pov

I called Lucius Fox since it was a quiet night.

"Lucius, I have a favor to ask."

"Sure. You can consider it a early wedding present."

"Bruce already told you?"

"Yep. He was really happy that you won't going to be forced to marry Tiffany and picked a girl on your own."

"Anyway my favor?"

"Lay it on me."

"Can you make a watch that blocks a person's powers without hurting them and monitor their power level?"

"Sure but why?"

"A  friend asked for it to help out a person to control their powers. And please don't tell Bruce."

"Alright. I can do that."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

I hung up and looked over the city lost in my thoughts.

"I can't believe Zell thought I would be OK with her having that watch when it can hurt her! Much less use it!"

~Flash-back~

Zell left to take a shower and Cippia came out of hiding. I sigh as I sat on the couch.

"Gus, tell me the truth: has she ever used that button before?", I ask as Cippia climbed onto the couch and laid his head in my lap. I started to pet his head.

"You sure kiddo? It's not a pretty story."

"The truth Gus."

"One time she had a bad scare. Some guy thought he'd be smart and tried to rob the bookstore at closing time. Lucky for us it was only me and her. Cippia was underneath the counter since he couldn't be seen."

I felt my hand that wasn't petting Cippia ball into a fist.

"Go on."

"The guy came in and pointed a gun at her. She couldn't breath and her powers got out of control. She flung that guy right through a shadow. No idea where it sent him. The shadows were forming around her in tendrils and waving and trashing around. I tried to calm her down and not even Cippia could do anything. Suddenly she pressed a button on her watch and the shadows disappeared. I was relieved but it was short lived. Very short lived."

I really didn't want to hear what happen next but I had to know. "What happened?"

"She collapsed in pain and could barely move. Every movement felt like agony to her. I panicked and gave her a tranquilizer. When she woke up about an hour later, I had put a shot of painkillers in her, but she could still feel the pain. We found out that if we get the dose right, she can mange. The pain will be there but she can ignore it most of the time."

"And the times she can't?"

"She can't move and any and all movement is pure torture."

"Once I get that watch that won't hurt her I'm destroying the one her father made myself."

"I don't blame you kid. I don't blame you."