#cait uses her degree for something

[sgiandubh]

As usual you to try connect things that have nothing to with Sam and Cait to prove your fantasy. You have zero direct evidence proving relationship, marriage, children with Sam and Cait. ZERO. You are also admitting if people on screen are involved they are terrible actors. Give it up. As Sam again is off on vacation alone next week, beginning traveling for the next 8 weeks alone for various appointments which have nothing to do with Cait

Dear (returning, I suppose) Beauchamp and Fraser Anon,

Unlike other people in this fandom, I do not need to invent aggressive Anons: you provide the material almost on a daily basis, using the same old, same tired arguments. A very primitive harassment technique, indeed, that pushed many reasonable people in the shadows.

Because this is what y'all want. One of yours had the courage and honesty to write it down, just because a fencer (who should have known better) went on to engage with your faction. She got this response:

Note I did not publish the handle of the person who wrote this. I am only discussing people when prompted or when necessary. I usually discuss problems - and this is a big problem.

In other words, 'believe what you want, but verboten to write or discuss or even question'. I think it says a lot about your degree of tolerance and your democratic values. Or lack thereof.

I did not connect anything. I simply posted something and left it on the table for debate.

And now you invite me to 'give it up'. Because I piss off many, many people on both sides of the Great Divide and I am perfectly aware of it. Exactly what you want me to do, of course. Exactly what I am not going to do, Anon.

So, for the last time:

What really pisses you off is that I always did things my own way. Refused to post funeral pics. Refused to endlessly discuss the number of children S and C might have. Refused to disclose (completely against it) and discuss (unless absolutely necessary to do so) legal documents your side always ends up by revealing one way or another. And you do so usually via Anons, because you have no clue of what they really mean and you think you know (and you don't). Oh, and lest I forget: refused to judge C's attitude or behavior towards this fandom. Because Anon, I honestly don't know how I would react (if I were her) with all the bullshit you managed to ventilate their way and/or the brutal pressure under which she is living her life.

For all these reasons and then some more, you have decided I have to leave this fandom. Because this page, notwithstanding its mistakes, annoys the crap out of you. Because it strives to bring up reasonable dialogue, not circular discourse. Because it took upon itself to answer your insults: usually with irony, something that somehow escaped you. Because it managed to prove that when you deal politely with likeminded people, differences between factions of the same community can be put, if only for five minutes, aside. Because it also brought (or tried to) a new, no nonsense perspective informed by who I am and what I do. And because it is read on a daily basis by people who began to feel encouraged and valued simply for who they are: kind people, sharing a similar point of view of a given situation.

So guess what, Anon? I am not going anywhere.

Live with it. I can live with the daily dose, for sure.

I am also absolutely impressed by the illiterate confidence (I am sick and tired to correct your bad grammar and spelling) with which you suggest to be in the know of S's travel agenda or C's whereabouts. I should also hope someone, somewhere, financially rewards your efforts: if not, maybe you should ask them for a raise, or something. You surely are a very, very dedicated troll.

#anon #fandom #shitshow

[liz-allyn]

so you're ready to start reading tasm!peter...

Do you know someone who may be impacted by Andrew Garfield and his constant assault of incredible acting, boy-next-door-to-DILF-transition facial hair, colorful couture, and well-fitting pants? If so, there may be help.

If you're new to the TASM fanfic fandom and feel overwhelmed, you're not alone! I recommend any new reader START by following these incredible writers who have a large number of TASM!Peter fics, and taking a deep dive into their "masterpieces." These are works that I think truly illustrate their passion and storytelling style (not just their amazing TALENT):

@spidervee - Just read it all. Clearly one of the most prolific TASM!Peter writers on Tumblr, and worthy of being "Queen Vee" since a lot of us got back into writing because of her. Everyone knows her for her blurbs, but start with Band Aids on Broken Hearts, Even on Your Worst Days, and Fractured and Familiar (part 1 and 2), and be amazed as you track the progression into deeper, risker hits like End of the World As We Know It, A Little Wicked and The Wild. Her magnum opus masterpiece is (so far) The Spider and the Sunflower.

@blooming-violets - Such a brilliant and creative mind, it KiLLs mE. First work I came across was Pinky Promise, which is a phenominal story in re: pacing, characters, drama, action, etc. Then I am REVIVED by her naughty "angel" series she DOUBLE JEOPARDY MURDERS ME AGAIN with Something Unforgivable and I'm like "goddamn this is poetic and it hurts." Then she literally murders LOTS OF PEOPLE with Smitten, which I would call a masterpiece. stabby stabb death stab

@withahappyrefrain - Girl is on fire with ideas, patron saint of Daddy Kink and Sundresses. I could not possibly list all of the amazing works on here (especially all the blurbs which are my daily sustenance) but I'd say her crowned jewel is Here Comes the Sun.

@rae-gar-targaryen - Supreme Avocado, Attorney at Law. Has a great mix of content with a chunk of TASM!Peter, such a beautiful way with words, including her visually-sublime sweet masterpiece hang the stars upon tonight

@abibliophobiaa luna lovepine-piney-piningqueen-of-pineville - Perfect Places is a 3rd degree slow burn and is just FANTASTIC. Sleep Peter burns for it. And I burn for them. Speaking of which, I'd say the magnum opus is Another Love, which is an incredible AU feat of genius.

@fallensilencefics writes TASM!Peter almost exclusively and might also get me double-pregnant with her smut works. Also Angel of the Airwaves is like a fucking awesome superhero!reader / poc!reader fic unapologetically and it's also a masterpiece.

@mrshipsmcgee - CAIT! Dis bitch got me pregnant; current awaiting a DNA test. Also: our mother-goddess, because that's her energy, and she helped me with my first stories and inspired me to get back into writing, and I encourage you to check out In Another Universe, Symbiote and my other fav, A Lord & A Lady, her Bridgerton AU that I really loved even though I've never seen Bridgerton.

@p3mybeloved started her tasm writing journey a few months after some of the others on this list but i'm blown away by how OBSESSED i am now. Also I just fucking STARTED We Can Be Heroes because I suck at tasking let alone multitasking and now I feel like I want to read one chapter a month because I don't want it to end.

@luveline Writes 50 blurbs a day with bottomless talent like it's a Happy Hour Special at Applebees and so many of them have made me WEEP like I'm alone at a Happy Hour at Applebees, she is truly a gift.

@lanadelreyscokewhor3 Is the Patron Saint of Innocence Kink and I have to be alone in a forest every time she writes something that's TASM Peter because I should not be near other humans.

@peterthepark I think she's currently retired from TASM!Peter Duty but read her lovely oneshots and her spicy Ridiculous fics are required reading for Blonde Frat Boy Peter (what is blonde fratboy peter? *laughs nervously* it was is a thing)

If you haven't discovered @decadentpaperduck, @foreverrogers, @indouloureux, and @ddejavvu then what is the point of the internet...

and honestly this list can get so long but I really need to eat now. These are blogs that I feel like post majority TASM!Peter and have all been responsible in some way for crafting the way I write.

BUT enough about my opinions. I know I missed some excellent "must read" stories.

Moots, please help me out by reblogging with your favorites!

#Lizzy recs. #tasm!peter #peter parker #tasm peter #tasm peter parker #tasm!peter parker x reader #tasm!peter parker x you #andrew garfield #fic recs

[mermaidsirennikita]

i imagine you heard about the cait corrain stuff?

Oh, yeah. I saw her recent non-apology. A couple thoughts on that:

A) as somewhat with mental health issues that can be somewhat severe when I'm not properly medicated/doing therapy (I have bipolar disorder) I find it pretty offensive when people blame their bad behavior on mental health issues. I'm not perfect; I've definitely done some shit I'm not proud of when in the midst of depressive or manic episodes. But I've never been incapable of some degree of awareness, and I tend to feel (based on many years of therapy and psychiatric treatment) that it is relatively rare for people with serious mental health conditions (including substance abuse) to be absolutely "not at the wheel" as it were. Yes, people do have psychotic episodes (although, I feel as somewhat with the diagnosis I have--I often see people with the same diagnosis treat mania as shorthand for a "psychotic episode", but mania and psychosis are not the same; mania can result in psychosis, but they do not inherently go hand in hand; I've been manic multiple times, but I have never been psychotic, and I've never had true delusions). Yes, people have delusions. I don't think that's what happened with Cait, and I'll tell you why.

Cait says she had a "complete psychological breakdown". This does not track for me. Based on her general behavior, I think Cait would've mentioned if she suffered from psychosis. Hell, I think Cait would have mentioned if she'd suffered from mania, as again, people tend to get this incorrect idea that mania means you have zero control of your actions. Because she didn't mention those things, I can believe she suffers from mental health issues, I can believe she has substance abuse issues, but I do think she absolutely used manipulative language here that left a lot to be interpreted. Does she owe us her diagnosis or diagnoses? Of course not. But "complete psychological breakdown" is some vague wording that imo is there to imply something bigger than "I was really depressed/anxious" (which can be a big deal! You can say that! It doesn't deprive you of responsibility, ut it's a big deal) without committing to a false diagnosis.

b) The lack of responsibility for the racially targeted nature of her sabotage is honestly... not surprising, but still so abhorrent. Cait did not solely go after authors of color (correct me if I'm wrong--I think there was at least one who was white) but she did primarily go after authors of color. Additionally, she--and I'll be honest, I do think this was calculated--either sicced her friend or passively let her friend essentially slander a disabled Black woman (the "albino in the hen house" comments, which I don't think were at all meant in an ableist fashion, and I genuinely don't see how a logical person could interpret them in any way other than "there is a white person who is a fox in the hen house". Come on.).

Furthermore, I noticed that least two of the authors Cait didn't mention there were authors of color. We know she low-starred Thea Guanzon's book, and Thea was apparently a legit friend who met Cait in person and blurbed her book? She also low-starred R.M. Virtues's books, which is truly deranged as R.M. writes books that really don't have much crossover with Cait's, aside from featuring Greek myths (I think? I know that's what he writes, her book is murkier to me) and poc. R.M. is a Black trans man, by the way, so...

c) I personally believe these were calculated moves as well. Thea has a big fanbase that Cait didn't want coming after her any more than they already are. Cait left R.M. Virtues off the list because she was afraid of being accused of not only racism, but transphobia. And she of course left off authors like Xiran Jay Zhao and Bethany Baptise because they had her number and she's afraid of them.

Plus, the authors she specifically apologized to were authors she essentially admitted to with her staged "Lilly" situation, so she couldn't avoid confirming that.

d) I've already seen white authors trying to excuse what she's done. And that's just so disgusting to me--as a writer, as a reader, as someone with basic human decency. There is basically nothing Cait can say to justify her actions. The best thing she could have done was own up, sincerely apologize, and take full responsibility.

e) I've seen some discussion surrounding Del Rey apparently moving Cait's book to a 2027 pub year. In their initial statement, they did say specifically that she was being removed from their 2024 schedule. That does leave some room for her to be published later.

Now, this could have to do with them still working out contract issues; it could be cold cost-benefits analysis; this could be all of the above. The thing is that there are books that I kind of doubt will ever be published unless things really change (Maya Banks's next Scottish book) that still have dates programmed in. I don't think Cait's book still having a release date means it's definitely coming out.

No matter what, she hurt people. It would be laughably stupid if the harm caused wasn't a reality. Ridiculous.

#me when i owe someone money: i had a complete psychological breakdown #books

[songofsilentechoes]

1, 22, 42

If they were an animal, what would they be? What is the first thing they’d do when they learn they’re an animal?

"Well, Cait calls me 'songbird' and Sera calls me 'mousey'..."

// No idea, but it would probably be some small woodland critter. Mouse, squirrel, or bird. If she discovered herself to be an animal, she would probably try to climb up something to both test the body out, but also to see from up higher.

22. What one aspect of their physical appearance do they think is hot?

"W-well, I think that my smile is nice."

// Noelle is secretly proud of her butt, but wouldn't likely admit it easily.

42. When they’re stressed, do they stress shop, bake, eat, or clean?

"I guess I try to meditate and stuff, but I do like to cook and clean, too. Makes me feel more useful."

// Noelle gets stressed easily and technically does all those things to different degrees. She might shop for magic reagents, dive deep into her research, bake, cook or brew potions, or eat...either comfort food, or making an extra point to go out to eat. Something to ground herself or shake her out of her head.

#paleobird #dash games

[sky-ham]

it would suck if they make Vi an enforcer but there's little chance since that's her game description. thoughts?

Will it happen? Pretty sure it will. It doesn't make sense for a disconnect to happen between LoL Vi and Arcane Vi when the show would have been projected to bring in an influx of new players.

How do I feel about it? I'm fine with it. I'm aware of ACAB, and our cops are no better (possibly even worse IMO), but they're fictional characters. Fiction can be a commentary of real social issues but it also lets us be idealistic to a degree. So if Cait and Vi are going to rebuild the enforcers into something that better reflects their values then I'm all for it. Bonus if they learn along the way that they can't build something perfect, but will make do by being vigilant where possible. It's less realistic, but it's something we can dream about and strive for. (obv. setting aside LoL Vi's original voice lines. I'm also fairly sure they'll rework Vi eventually)

I asked around about why people are against it cause I wondered if it might be a cultural thing and was told about 'copaganda' in the US. Something about presenting cops or the military in a good light. In which case that made me understand a bit better why a lot of people are apprehensive about it. I think the writers may already have implied that that would be their challenge going into S2.

#anon #skyhamasks

[aus-wnt]

An interview with Cait and Macca about their nutrition studies: https://www.torrens.edu.au/blog/matildas-caitlin-foord-and-mackenzie-arnold-on-studying-nutrition

The Matildas are highly regarded at home and internationally and raise the profile of female players in Australia. How does this feel?

Caitlin: When I think about this it's crazy that myself and the whole Matildas team can have this effect on people. The Matildas have come a long way since I started playing and it's been amazing to see how far the women's game has come in general. It's exciting and rewarding to know I'll leave the game in a better place.

Mackenzie: I feel really grateful about what I have achieved with my football career to date. And I would encourage young women to dream big right from the start and pursue what makes you happy – that’s what it really comes down to.

In 2021 you both began your Diploma of Nutrition studies. What led you to choose a Nutrition course?

Caitlin: It was something I had been thinking about for a long time – to study again – but I didn’t know what I was interested in; what I should study. COVID finally helped me to put that thought into action – with a lot of time on my hands during the pandemic, I decided to do it. I picked Nutrition because, in recent years, I had found myself growing more and more interested in my nutrition and how I can use it to improve my performance. As an elite athlete, nutrition plays a big role in my performance and recovery.

Mackenzie: It took me a while to come to the point where I knew I wanted to study. I had a chat to the Matilda’s Player Development Manager, and we decided that Nutrition or teaching would be a good place to start, as that’s what I’m really interested in. I decided to go with Nutrition because I had learned about it when I was working on bettering myself as a footballer, and really enjoyed it. When I signed for West Ham, I had a lot of spare time, especially in the winter here in the UK when it’s too cold to do much, so I thought I should put that time to good use and start a course.

Choosing Torrens University

The Diploma of Nutrition is an online course, and all the classes are recorded. This allowed Caitlin and Mackenzie to study from the UK and fit their studies in around their demanding football careers.

‘Torrens University ticked all the boxes, and the lecturers and other staff were nothing but supportive to make it work,’ Caitlin says.

Mackenzie agrees: ‘I chose Torrens University because I knew they had a partnership with the PFA [Professional Footballers Australia]. Also, they were really flexible with an athlete’s training and playing commitments – so that all appealed to me.’

Finding study life balance

Talking about how she found time for her course work alongside training at an elite level, Mackenzie says, ‘It definitely was a challenge to juggle being a professional footballer and studying, but it’s not impossible to balance – you just have to be organised. Also, I did lean on Torrens’ flexibility and asked for a few extensions.’

‘It's essential to keep a balanced lifestyle,’ says Caitlin. ‘As elite athletes, our work is very intense and takes a lot of energy, mentally and physically. So, in the time I have outside of football, it’s important for me to switch off. That’s why study was actually a nice change and a new challenge. I could switch my brain off football and focus on something new.

‘I do believe it’s important for athletes to prepare for life after their sporting careers. This was something I was always told but never listened to. When I eventually did think about it, I realised that as professional athletes we have a lot of spare time and it’s a great opportunity to study. Even if it takes us a bit longer to complete our degrees because of our training commitments, it’s very rewarding in the end. I plan to use the skills and knowledge I gained through the Diploma to better my performance and recovery strategies. As well, it's important to know how to keep my body healthy post my career, when I won't be using as much energy as I do as a professional.’

What would you say to anyone who wants to combine their passion, such as a love of sport, with university studies?

Mackenzie: Pick something you’re interested in versus something you feel you have to do. There’s never a wrong answer though; if you start something and don’t enjoy it, chances are you can probably get future credits for the subjects you did anyway. Enrol and give it a go! I would recommend studying at least one to two subjects around your other commitments. There will never be a great time to start, so start chipping away at it and lean on Torrens’ flexible study options like I did. You won’t regret it!

Caitlin: Find something that interests you and give it a go. You'll know when the time is right for you to start your studies. If I can do it, literally anyone can; I was never the most academic kid at school. To be honest, before this I didn’t think study was for me. But my experience studying Nutrition has given me the confidence and belief that I can achieve anything academically if I want to. It just takes time and commitment. I would say keep working hard and enjoy the moment. It's so rewarding when you finally make or complete something you have worked hard for. Nothing worthwhile comes easy – I've found that in football and in my studies.

Mackenzie says, ‘I really enjoyed the course and loved studying online in my own time around training. A highlight was probably doing it with my teammate and friend Caitlin Foord – we enrolled at the same time so we would have study nights and support each other as we managed our study and football schedules. I highly recommend a good study buddy! I will definitely be applying my new knowledge about nutrition in my own game and using myself as a guinea pig to see how far I can take my game. And then, who knows? I might look to help others too.’

#Caitlin Foord #Mackenzie Arnold #Matildas #AUSWNT

[icharchivist]

Who in the FF VII gang do you think can bake? I've got cookies on the brain now

HELP

i think Tifa probably knows how to bake, with her running a bar both in canon and post canon, i think she probably got her hands in doing other stuff in the kitchen

in my heart i feel like Barret would be good or maybe was in the past before he lost his hand, but he would be a bit awkward with his prosthesis (especially when he was only having a gun there). But i think Barret would still try because it's important for him to be able to have those bonding moments with Marlene. So i think he probably wouldn't bake with ease but he'd help out as much as he can in the kitchen still.

(in fact i totally picture that when Tifa and Barret met each other they both teamed up to give Marlene as much of a normal upbringing in this chaos so they'd be in the kitchen with Marlene on Barret's lap, and Barret would whip the ingredients once they were all together, while showing Marlene how to do, while Tifa would help out for all the things Barret would be awkward with doing)

I also believe Reeve can cook pretty well because his mom taught him right (he's a real momma boy, watch On The Way To A Smile: A Denzel Story to learn more--), but he's always so busy that he keeps just feeding himself with energy drinks and food so much so he probably forgot how to cook. Save him.

the remake also leads me to believe Biggs would cook pretty well since he was very active at the Leaf House taking care of kids and the others folks there talk about how Biggs would effortlessly take good care of the place.

for the rest of the cast, i feel like most of them either are neutral or disaster in the kitchen. I don't think Cid ever set a food in the kitchen to help out. Nanaki cooking with his paws is out of the question. Cait Sith is a robot and probably inherited his creator's lack of focus on that. Vincent has been locked in a coffin sleeping for 30 years this man doesn't know how to even navigate in a kitchen anymore.

I feel like Yuffie is probably more used to survival cooking type to really know how to bake but who knows.

I don't believe Cloud, Zack, or Aerith would be able to not fuck something up in the kitchen. I genuinely believe Cloud and Zack would both have the idea of "if we need to cook 10 mins at 300° degree it'd be quicker if we cook it at 3000° right" "i'm getting out the fire materia brb" and then they would fuck it up, and for Aerith i believe she would try her hardest and all but something will go wrong somehow. I believe those three would be disaster in the kitchen, i believe in my heart--

oh and in the Crisis Core squad, i believe Angeal could bake quite well. Genesis would never dirty his hands with that but he'll be here reciting Loveless verses for mental support (his friends are not feeling supported there). Pre-Madness i feel like Sephiroth would help out but never be really good with it, since he was always made to focus more on war stuff anyway, and i feel like it'd add a layer to how his Madness was pretty much "well i'll be the monster they set me out to be anyway" by also reacting like "oh they think i can set a kitchen on fire? what about tHE WHOLE TOWN" (Nibelheim dying in the back)

Kunsel could probably bake but he's always busy with data collection so he's probably not having the head for it. Also Avalanche-wise i have no idea for Jessie and Wedge, could go either way.

and oh god there's the Turks too i can't forget.

before that: Rufus never cooked in his life he's a rich kid. I don't trust Reno in the kitchen at all, Rude, it's up for debate. I feel like Elena wouldn't be good either. The only Turks i'd trust are probably Tseng because he's a perfectionist, and Cissnei because she seems more put together at least

... so yeah in term of the main squad i really only believe in Tifa, and Barret is probably the closest to her because he makes effort damnit, else i include Angeal, Tseng and Cissnei on the list.

this is my final message--

#i thought too much about it i think #ichareply #anonymous #ichafantalks ffvii

[nevernevadahq]

Everyone suspects AMORY SIENNA JONES of at least one of the cardinal sins, but in Nevada, the worst sins are bound by blood and SHE has yet to roll the dice. HER fixation on the neon lights of Nevada started THIRTEEN YEARS ago but when the lights start to hum, they close their eyes. Under the desert sun, they claim the act of SHOWGIRL & ACTRESS. They’re often mistaken for LAURA HARRIER before those crimson colored glasses slide down their nose. AMORY better get busy living, or they’ll get busy dying by the ripe age of THIRTY-TWO. There are no second acts in a marked life, and it’s measured out by the melody of ESCAPE FROM LA BY THE WEEKND.  

DATE OF BIRTH: September 18th, 1990

GENDER AND PRONOUNS: Cis Woman, She/Her

HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, CA

CHARACTER BIOGRAPHY

If you had known Amory growing up you just knew she would be a star. She had dreams as big as the sun and an imagination to match. All she ever wanted to do was be an actress. She would put on shows for her family during the holidays giving all her cousins parts and making herself the lead. She would do school plays and was in a youth theater program. It’s all she ever wanted to do. But, her parents did not want that life for her. They wished she used her mind for a career that had more stability and certainty. They wanted her to be a doctor or a lawyer or anything but an actress. They allowed her to play her fantasies outside of school but wanted her to do well so she could get into a good college. The thing is she didn’t want that. Secretly she put in an application at the University of Nevada Las Vegas... and she failed to mention she applied for their arts program instead. Her parents were proud when she got in but wished she wasn’t going to Vegas. They never approved of the culture of the city.

When she got there she started working at a dinner Hamburger Mary’s where she learned all about drag and how to really put on a show. It was the most fun she could have had while working towards her degree in theater arts. Amory felt home in that dinner with those queens. They celebrated her and her dreams. She even got to perform a song or two from time to time. It was thrilling to have people support her dreams. But, it was something she was hiding from her parents. It was as if she was living a double life.

Even more so when she began working as a showgirl when she turned twenty-two. Oh how things changed for her. She loved working at Bally’s there was just something about the show that changed her life... not to mention all the hard work she had put into to even book the gig. So much so that she has been working that same gig for almost ten years now. The lights, the glamour, the cheers... it’s everything she loves. It took a long time to tell her family about her job but they soon realized that she was happy and accepted her career choices.

Amory is still hoping to make it to the big screen. She’s done small gigs here and there in commercials and she’d even done an episode of NCIS.. which she was certain was a start of something. The woman auditions regularly because you never know when you’ll get your big break.

AMORY JONES IS WRITTEN BY CAIT.

#crime rp #mature rp #mumu rp #city rp #laura harrier fc #nevernevada.bio #civilian

[that-blue-vault-dweller]

Can we please have the companions react to a sole that manages to get an old food factory working and is able to can food for people again? Lots of available food means less chance of starving!

This is an absolutely amazing idea! I actually wish they’d throw something like that in the game itself. That would be so awesome! 🥰

Thank you so much for the request! I hope you enjoy! 💙💛

Cait - Likes that there is a more plentiful supply of food. She is not usually much for helping others due to the fact that so many others never wanted to help her, but she cannot help but feel a certain degree of happiness when she sees well-fed children instead of the typical skinny beanpoles of kids that come in.

Piper - Is as proud of her Blue as can be. She loves how F!Sole has made such a huge difference in food supply and she loves that so many people are not going to have to scrounge quite so much for the next meal. She remembers herself as a young girl when harvest times were bad, and her family and she had to eat molerats that they found. It makes her very happy to know that food will be more widely available from now on.

Curie - Is very ecstatic that F!Sole is making such a difference for people in the Commonwealth. It brings her a sense of fulfillment to know that people will not be starving and that they will actually be able to keep food for quite some time. She thinks it is such a great thing.

MacCready - Thinks it's great but is not overly excited. Similarly to Cait, he is not too much for helping people other than himself because time and time again, life has proved that nothing is free. However, he tries to put aside his feelings and he focuses on how many kids just like Duncan will be taken care of.

Deacon - Is really happy to see that she has made a way to help people throughout the Commonwealth. He is really pleased with how it will definitely help synths that have just been freed. He knows that they will be much more well-fed, and he also likes that it will help the Railroad itself supply its agents.

Codsworth - As always, he is excited any time that a piece of the world he used to know returns to the present time. His inner caretaker just practically buzzes with happiness whenever he sees people heading home with tons of canned goods, and he loves the hope and happiness that is in their eyes.

Hancock - Feels very fulfilled at the sight of so many families fed. He also loves to see the way F!Sole's eyes light up every time she turns on the canner and starts fixing the food for the people that come to the factory. The whole thing is just making the Commonwealth a better place.

Danse - Is very pleased when he sees that she is taking care of so many people and helping them out. He thinks she is a true marvel and that she is a hero to the people of the Commonwealth. He often offers to help however he can, despite the fact that the machinery does practically all the work. He just is proud to be a part of it all.

Preston - Is practically beside himself with happiness, and he somehow respects and loves F!Sole even more for it. He is as excited as can be when she can supply the Minutemen and all of its members and also take care of any other settlers that need food. It just makes him so happy.

Valentine - Is smiling every time he enters the factory and sees all of the people happily laughing and talking as they wait for their goods to finish canning. The factory is not only boosting the food supply, but it is also boosting the morale of so many people.

X6-88 - Is happy that she is helping so many people. He cringes at the amount of filth there is above ground and how much filth and radiation has most definitely infected the food, but he puts that aside to appreciate the fact that she is doing such good for everyone.

Strong - Thinks that they should keep all of the food for themselves, but he does like how she is giving some to other people that really seem to need it. It'll help very tiny humans grow even stronger and it always makes him happy to see creatures and people that are on their side getting stronger.

#fallout companion reacts #fallout companions react #fallout 4 #fallout #fo4 #fallout 4 companion reacts #fallout 4 companions react #fallout companions #fallout 4 companions #piper wright #curie #cait #paladin danse #danse #strong #x6-88 #nick valentine #preston garvey #hancock #john hancock #deacon #maccready #robert maccready #codsworth

[fallout-drabbles-n-stuff]

Spooky Halloween themed ask for you (uvu)

Companions finding out the Sole Survivor is a vampire

Cait:

•Doesn't really like the fact that Youre what you are but so long as you were open and honest about it from the start, she won't be too crazed.

•Oh well, guess you can drain the raiders and shite.

Curie:

•Is..curious? Yes.

•If you would permit, she'd have a whole set of excitements and questions to ask...

Danse:

•Refuses to believe you no matter how great your evidence is. Even if he knows, he won't stand to entertain the thought of his only close friend being something so wretched.

•So long as you don't feed on an innocent, he'll keep his happy fantasy of you being completely human dear to his heart.

Deacon:

•To some degree, he thinks you've pretty cool. Definitely helps explain a lot of unknowns he stumbled upon during his initial "study" of you before you happened to walk your way into the railroad.

•However he is also quite scared that you'll one day go berserk from bloodlust.

Hancock:

•So long as you bear no ill will towards those who don't deserve it, Hancock treats you no different. Hell, he may actually be more partial to you because you're a true freak like him and the rest of his city's inhabitants.

Gage:

•Freaked tf out at first.

•Once you explain to him what you are and what you can do though, the wheels in his devious little head began to work. He likes this. He likes this very much.

Macready:

•Really doesn't like you being a "dang bloodsucker"..but if you're paying good caps or you've already helped him with his Duncan Dilemma, he can learn to love you as his friends despite your fearsome existence.

Maxson:

•The only way you'll get out of this with both of you alive is if you can prove to him that you'd only ever use your abilities to cause no harm to innocent people and further the advances of the brotherhood.

•He keeps it a secret from others, but a piece of him admires your species from several works of literature he had procured.

Nick:

•Sees a lot of likeness in your being and his own..but if he ever finds you guilty of feasting upon someone undeserving..all bets are off.

Piper:

•Is genuinely in awe whenever you tell her and show her the evidence. However this "awe" is soon to subside to anxious fear. She'll try to conceal it from you, but you'll know. You'll smell it on her.

Preston:

•Fuck no.

X6-88:

•Considers your very existence to be somewhat of a novelty.

•Your enhancements and distinct advantages help him rationalize exactly how you've made it in the wastes. They also make you quite the force to be reckoned with. You have his utmost respect.

#fallout halloween #fallout 4 #fallout #paladin danse #fo4 companions #fallout companions #danse #curie #elder maxson #deacon

[bish-0-p]

Pinned Post

I just realized I have never made a pinned post, so here we go! I’m Bishop and I use he/him pronouns. I’m neurodivergent and thus there will be random bouts of certain fandom posts out of nowhere. I’m bish0p on AO3. I am always open for asks on my OCs and my writing, so please send something in my inbox!

Below is a short list of all of my tagged OCs, in case you run across a post of them and want to know a little bit more!

Dragon Age

Amaara Adaar (She/Her) - Amaara is my Inquisitor, and she is a qunari mage (specifically a knight-enchanter). She was a healer for the Valo-Kas, taken in by Shokrakar after her parents, Hissera and Kost, feared for her life during the Mage-Templar War. She is a 19 year old lesbian and “romances” Lace Harding. Amaara is close with pretty much all of her Inner Circle, as they are her disaster found family. Amaara is also a botanist, and keeps a journal of plants she has come across in the world. She tends to use diplomatic or thoughtful options, but also uses sarcasm when it calls for it. Her favorite party roster is Varric, Iron Bull, and Solas or Dorian.You can find her playlist here.

Elyce Hawke (She/Her) - Elyce is my Champion, and is a duelist rogue. She is bisexual, romances Fenris, and is 31 by the events of Inquisition. She uses a pretty even mix of sarcastic and diplomatic dialogue options. Elyce has ADHD and is a compulsive lair; she wears mask upon mask to protect herself, and rarely lets anyone she the true her. Her favorite party roster is Fenris, Varric, and Merrill.

Mirwen Tabris (They/Them) - Mirwen is my warrior Hero of Fereldan, and they were only 18 at the time of the Blight. They are pansexual and in a polygamous relationship with Zevran Arainai and Leliana. In the first half of the game, they mostly use aggressive or sarcastic options, as their childhood issue with anger issues resurfaced after they saved Shianni from the humans. Their favorite party roster is Alistair, Zevran or Leliana, and Morrigan. They did the ritual with Morrigan, and so they have a son as well! They see Kieran on the weekends /j

Silvhen Lavellan (He/Him) - Silvhen is a hunter from Clan Lavellan. He started using his bow at a young age and became a prodigy among his peers, though struggled with learning close quarters combat. He is transgender, and began transitioning when he was a teenage with the help of his sister, Emith, who is the Second of the clan by the time of Inquisition. Aside from Emith, Sil also has a younger brother, Inaene. When he doesn’t have the role of Inquisitor, he joins as a scout. He is in his mid 20s and romances Dorian. Sil’s favorite party roster is Dorian or Vivenne, Iron Bull, and Varric.You can find his playlist here.

Fallout

Kieran Brooks (He/Him) - Kieran is my Sole Survivor. Before he was drafted, he was working on his computer programming degree. In the military, he was a sniper. He is bisexual and romances MacCready. He is also the General of the Minutemen and an agent of the Railroad. For companions, he most often takes out Preston, Piper, and Nick Valentine. You can find his playlist here.

Molly Brooks (She/Her) - Molly is the twin of my Sole Survivor, and the second half of my Two Soles AU. She did one tour in the war, mostly piloting Power Armor. She was also an engineer for RobCo, though she was unaware of the company’s practices. She is an agent of the Railroad and spent some time in the Brotherhood of Steel, mostly spying for the Minutemen and the Railroad. She is a lesbian and I like to think that she’s in a relationship with Glory. She is also in a QPR with Deacon, though it is strictly platonic. Her most frequent companions are Deacon, Hancock, and Cait, though she often joins Kieran and his friends as well. You can find her playlist here. 

Wanda Soriano-Li (She/They) - Wanda is my Lone Wanderer. She is aroace so I don’t ship them with anyone, but she is very close with Charon and RJ MacCready. In fact, she’s watching Duncan for him during the events of Fallout 4. Wanda became a ghoul after they sacrificed themselves at the Purifier, and was consequently kicked out of the Brotherhood of Steel as soon as she was well enough. She uses a modified baseball bat and an assault rifle. Her mother, Catherine, was the younger sister of Madison Li. You can find their playlist here. 

Ynes Najera (They/Them) - Ynes is my Courier, and they were 17 when they were shot by Benny. Like Wanda, I don’t ship them with anyone. They most often use Arcade Gannon and Craig Boone for companions. They are an independently-aligned Courier, and help New Vegas stand on its own. They are talented with repair and pretty good with science, and use a hunting rifle. You can find their playlist here. 

Eliazar Najera (He/Him) - Eli is Ynes’ older cousin by twelve years, and he helped raise them. He’s not a courier but is instead a companion character. He has major hatred for the Legion and the NCR, and prefers an independent New Vegas or one run by Mr. House. He’s a little but of an idiot, but his heart is in the right place. He runs into Ynes again at the Strip and is pissed that they got hurt so bad that they don’t remember most of what happened in their life. Eli doesn’t really act as a cousin to Ynes, but more of an older brother. I think he’d get along best with Cass and Raul Tejada. He’s very stealthy and good with weapons, but he sucks at talking to people. He’s also very risk-prone and impulsive.

Skyrim

Gruumsha gra-Dushnikh (She/Her) - Gruumsha is my main Dragonborn OC. She is an orc barbarian, and pretty much only uses greatswords. With her, I did the Companions questline. She adopted Blaise and Lucia, married Marcurio (though she had a fling with Lydia at one point), and was on the Imperial side of the Civil War. Her main companions are Farkas, Teldryn Sero, and Lydia.

Marth the Bowman (He/They/She) - Marth is a bosmeri archer, and is a non-Dragonborn OC. I did the Thieves Guild questline with them, as well as part of the Dark Brotherhood. They don’t really use travelling companions often, but when they do they travel with Erandur. They don’t get married or have kids, but make frequent donations to the orphanage in Riften. Their main companions are Erandur, Cicero, and Mjoll.

Dungeons and Dragons

Irein Flenn (She/Her) - Irein is a half-elf, and is both a bard and a sorcerer. She was raised by her older sister, and after she was murdered by an anti-mage crowd, was taken in by a tavern singer.

Azrael (They/Its) - Azrael is an archangel in my D&D universe, but I also play them as a paladin. They are known as the Archangel of Justice, and was gifted with an all-seeing eye of truth by the king of the gods.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Shu Ling (She/They) - Shu Ling is my ATLA OC, and the sister of Longshot. They were apart of Jet’s Freedom Fighters for years, becoming an expert marksman just like their brother. They left the group after Jet blew up the dam; in some universes they join Team Avatar, in others they wander around. Shu Ling is 16, autistic, and is selectively mute. They are bisexual, but I don’t ship them with any of the characters in the show.

The Walking Dead

Cassandra Torres (She/Her) - Cassandra is a 43 year old survivor of the zombie apocalypse. She worked as a pediatrician before the end of the world, sharing custody of her daughter, Claire, with her ex-husband. In the first few months, Claire was killed during a confrontation with another survivor. Since then, Cass has avoided groups as best she can. Cassandra is withdrawn in herself, and when surrounded by others she can be combative and stubborn. She is also very loving, and fears getting attached to someone when she knows they'll probably just leave her too.

#pinned post #amaara adaar #elyce hawke #gruumsha gra-dushnikh #marth the bowman #irein flenn #azrael #shu ling #silvhen lavellan #wanda soriano-li #molly brooks #kieran brooks #ynes najera #eliazar najera #mirwen tabris #cassandra torres

[teableeds]

“I’ve never much cared for flying.” She admitted, swallowing hard as the plane took off. She felt the weightlessness in her stomach, churning what she managed to scarf down in preparation of this adventure. Her anxiety tended to get the better of her, and she always had a bad feeling about travel. Mankind was meant to stay in one place, if they could help it. Travel was for the adventurous sort, of which she was decidedly not. Had she been born mortal, she would have stayed in her hometown and never left its borders. Alas, she popped an anti-nausea pill into her mouth and washed it down with overpriced water. So be it.

“Really?” The young man beside her asked, his attention drawn to the window, out of which the twinkling lights of a disappearing city could be seen - and, in Cait’s mind, the inevitable cracks in the glass that would shatter and suck out all the air and kill them all. Not that she’d ever witnessed such a thing, but Lord did she worry about it. The man turned to her, his NASA mask partially muffling his voice. “I would have thought you’d be quite comfortable with it. Especially air. Your people invented flight!”

Caitlyn nodded, politely avoiding looking at him by leading through the safety papers in the pocket in front of her. “Kittyhawk, Orville brothers, yes, I know. That doesn’t change my disposition against it. I was sick watching them on their little glider and I’ve been sick ever since. How anyone can stand such a contraption without heavy medication is beyond me.” She tapped her face with her fingertips. Not clammy yet. She wouldn’t throw up. Yet. But motion sickness was only one obstacle. There’s the image of their plane obliterating itself somehow that still plagued her thoughts. Crashing into another plane, a sudden engine failure, that damned window. Safest form of travel they called it. Ridiculous. A horse and coach was the safest. But no, the world needed to be faster than a horse could run these days.

The man shrugged, resuming his amusement with the terrestrial constellations. “Even so, I appreciate your company. I was really nervous about going to this interview.”

Caitlyn made the mistake of glancing toward him. Her stomach lurched. She quickly stared at the middle aisle, trying not to throw up. “Yes, of course. I’ve been assisting your family for generations. It’s only-“ She felt bile threatening up her throat. She forced it back down. “Ah, only fair that I accompany you in this endeavor. I’ve been to this town many times. Lived here for a while in the 60s, if you can believe that. They didn’t call it Rocket City back then. Cave City, I think, was the nickname. But it’s one of the best places to use an aerospace degree these days.” She took another breath, steadying herself. “I’ll take you to Marshall Space Flight Center myself tomorrow morning. What time was your uh-“

“Ten AM.” He supplied, not giving her a moment to guess.

“Right. Thank you. We’ll get there at nine. Gate nine can be backed up something awful in the mornings.” At least, that’s what she had heard. Or read. She couldn’t recall and her head was spinning anyway. How long was it until they landed? It was an hour from Atlanta…

“Do you think they’ll like me?” He asked, turning to her. “I mean, that I’ll get the job?”

Caitlyn paused, collecting herself. Must he keep talking? She’d much prefer to suffer in silence. “I’m sure they will.” The plane tilted to adjust and Cait’s head was filled with the sound of the wings cracking off and the whole beast crashing into the ground. Keep it together, Kitty! She gripped the arm rests beside her until her knuckles turned white. “You’re qualified, you’re charismatic, and you know which football team to support.”

“Tennessee?”

She gave him a disgusted look. “No. Whichever one the interviewer has on their desk. If you make it known that you’re a Vols fan, you won’t get a job anywhere outside of Rocky Top. You keep that to yourself.” She closed her eyes, leaning back against the headrest. The plane dipped up. Her stomach did not. “How much further is it?”

The man checked his watch. “We’ve been in the air for about ten minutes.”

She tried to think of happier things. Of landing. Where the wheels won’t pop out and the plane becomes a screaming, sparking, flaming mess on the tarmac. “Christ Almighty.” She hissed. “I hate flying.”

#drabble #iced i. #Things I write while trying not to throw up on a flight

[animus-inspire-archive]

reeves opinions on the Tsviets?

The Tsviets conjure up very unpleasant feelings in the Commissioner.

Not solely because they were thrust into the role of ‘the enemy’ during the war, but because their very existence is yet another visceral reminder of the dark side of Shinra. Which he either a) had to be aware of to some degree and wilfully ignored in favour of concentrating on his own priorities or b) he really was not on the “need-to-know list’.

If it were the former, which I suspect it might be (I cannot see that he was not at least aware of the Deepground facilities, a massive city that sits below the one he helped to build and maintain? Which has been shown in the Remake to be something that can just be FALLEN INTO?) then he has to live with that guilt of silent complicity.

Even if he did not know its true purpose (I HC that he probably helped secure some of the infrastructure as a potential alternative should surface-Midgar itself be attacked or destroyed) - that is still an incredibly uncomfortable thing to bear.

If it were the latter however - during the early stages of the Deepgound invasion and in recovering the files from Shinra, Reeve must’ve been exposed at a phenomenal rate to (yet more) horrors perpetrated by those he worked for and alongside for the entirety of his adult life. Probably with quite a bit more detail than he spares the rest of the planet from knowing.

He considers himself a pretty smart kinda fella - now how the heck did he miss that. Again, no doubt distinctly uncomfortable to realise, witness and process.

The Tsviets are basically the living embodiement for such emotions.

Does he think of them as the enemy?

In the sense that thousands of people start to go missing and it disrupts an already extremely fragile new world order where people are still trying to grieve and heal from a massive amount of trauma inflicted upon them? In that one particular circumstance where a new kind of war is being waged upon an already ravaged population? Yes.

Does he think of them as evil?

Not inherently, no. This is most apparent with Shelke, the Transparent.

Here is a woman who - through horrific experimentations, brain-washing and torture - is now a trained killer trapped in the body of a child. Who still holds the form of a beloved sister at the time she was lost.

Reeve faces off with Shelke. He does not back down, nor show his fear. Shalua has collapsed to her knees besides him and Vincent is there, but he does not tell him to attack. Instead he tries to appeal to the part of the Tsviet that he still believes could possibly have some humanity.

And whilst I have no doubt that he is trying to make up for yet more guilt through these actions (he had tried to convince Shalua that her search and scorched-earth efforts to find Shelke again were not worth the pain) he is shown not to automatically go for the kill-all-evil option throughout canon. Nor much black and white thinking at all. He himself has done some dubious things in the past, and has been shown to be intimately involved with those who have arguably done a lot worse.

Following Shalua’s sacrifice, Shelke starts to work alongside them. Cait Sith also undertakes an SND, and she helps them all navigate history in order to make sense of the present threat, ultimately enabling Vincent to defeat Omega.

By the end of the game, she is an ally.

Reeve doesn’t see them as monsters. He sees them as the products of Shinra’s cruel and senseless ambitions. It is the only the violent, occasionally eldritch, threat to the general populace and the planet at large that forces his hands.

Does he think they are deserving of kindness / redemption?

Reeve claims to not be locked into the past, he looks to the future and how people act in the present to assess what potential good or bad they may do in the world.

(And to judge their utility, let’s face it).

Whilst it would be nice to think anyone should be given kindness where they have only previously experienced cruelty, that all opportunity should be given for people to redeem their actions... in reality, it entirely depends on the individual Tsviet. What they do right now and how they are expected to act going forwards.

If they continue to be a threat to the safety of the majority, then Reeve will respond in kind, making use of others as he does so.

If they work to accept what they have done, and attempt to do different - especially if they use their own strengths and talents to help faciliate better change. Well, he is of course open to anyone being given that opportunity. But he is cautious, understandably.

Someone asked a while back on my ask-blog that sums up some of this already:

How do you intend to increase the security at the WRO and possibly in Cait Sith itself now that Shalua's sister is likely to be around more often? She can hack with her thoughts and she has no emotions. Don't you worry that she'll backslide?

Tl;dr

They make him very uncomfortable for varying reasons.

But he feels a degree of empathy for their suffering and tries not make judgements based on their previous actions, only their current ones.

#hey anonny nonny #hope this answers your question #headcanon #tsviets #also so happy that the tsviets are getting more airtime in the remake #i'm open to hostile RP threads with tsviets btw #though I do feel it would have to be with someone where trust has been built #cos hostile threads are hard to manage and require good comms #I love me some tsviets #and Reeve has a distinct soft spot for Shelke

[saltoftheplanet]

Your basement in Nibelheim: Unpacking the new themes of Final Fantasy VII Remake 

The story told by Final Fantasy VII Remake is a reconfigured one. It tweaks, adds, and cuts the original's narrative in ways that seem designed to bring something new and unanticipated to the experience. However, these alterations are neither random nor incidental. They follow deliberate themes and patterns in the same way a completely original story might. Though not as readily perceptible, the Remake has a coherent outlook that it expresses most clearly through changes to the original narrative. All of its major changes are expressions of internally consistent concerns, albeit ones that differ dramatically from the original’s. By examining the principles underlying those narrative changes, we can understand the thematic axis along which they have been made and the message the Remake ultimately expresses.

Spoilers for everything follow.

Good guys good, bad guys bad

The first major narrative change appears at the end of the first chapter. At the culmination of Avalanche's mission to bomb the Sector One reactor, we see Shinra was actually responsible for the subsequent massive explosion that claimed many lives. The bomb brought by Avalanche was several orders of magnitude smaller, only enough to destroy a few pipes. 

In the original game, the opening bombing mission serves as a moral orientation to the world, and as a keystone event by which that morality will later be re-evaluated. Avalanche examines the justness of their actions as early as a couple hours in and is confronted about them directly as late as forty hours onward. The moral ambiguity they express is echoed in many situations and characters in between, from the conflict between Dyne and Barret, the addition of Shinra kidnapper Cait Sith to the cast of heroes, and your frequent run-ins with the openly amoral but otherwise amicable Turks. The cast is a self-interested one and the world they navigate is tangled, often without a clear or righteous path forward. 

In the Remake, Avalanche is never made aware that they aren't culpable for the explosion of the Sector 1 reactor. In fact, they agonize far more about the loss of life they are no longer in any way responsible for. In doing so, they enact a kind of moral pageantry - we as players have already been assured of their innocence and each time they question themselves, we are only further reassured that our heroes are fundamentally good. The world of the Remake is morally uncomplicated, and any character it expects you to extend sympathy towards will voice their conscience clearly, up to and including the Turks before they drop the Sector 7 plate.

The corollary is that the villains have become morally uncomplicated. They no longer have any need for the sort of rumination that is regularly employed to reassert that the good guys are good. Sephiroth illustrates this with particular clarity. In the original game, Sephiroth is morally reprehensible but easy to understand and empathize with because we participated in the reflective journey of self-discovery that ultimately made him a monster. His turn toward annihilation is the highly motivated result of coming face to face with the truth about the impact Shinra has had on his life - in other words, roughly the same thing that drives the cast of heroes. 

He also expresses his goals in the same terms as Avalanche, orienting his actions around the hypothetical good of the Planet. There is an implicit condemnation of Avalanche's heroism embedded in Sephiroth, who clearly understands himself to be righteous. As the primary antagonist, Sephiroth is the most fleshed out, but most of the villains with any degree of screen time illustrate their own complexities. The shallowest among them, President Shinra, is summarily killed off in the opening act.

But the Remake is not a morally murky world, and neither is it's incarnation of Sephiroth. His motives are either inarticulate or entirely absent as he appears throughout the story at regular intervals to menace Cloud for menacing's sake. Evil is now one of his innate qualities, the same as President Shinra’s, and adding purpose to his actions will only muddy the waters. While Tifa wrings her hands over the harm she may be inflicting by turning off Sector 4's sun lamps - a surely temporary measure - Sephiroth antagonizes Cloud for no reason in particular. Shinra's newfound culpability for Avalanche's bombing has similarly flimsy and inconsequential motivation. Ultimately, nobody's reason really matters; the point is simply to display their moral character, which is always exactly as we anticipate it. 

Cloud may flirt with selling his friends out for gil and Barret may wish to kill President Shinra, but neither will follow through because they are Good, as solidified by their intention. Even Cait Sith appears to sorrowfully witness the plate dropping, thus absolving Reeve for his complicity by proxy. Bad outcomes are the result of bad actors with bad intentions. The good guys may feel conflicted and responsible, but no harm can truly come from them. Otherwise, what's the point of bad guys?

Sadness is unnatural

The point of bad guys, if you're wondering, is to bring harm, suffering and loss.

The penultimate boss of the Remake is an incarnation of the Arbiters of Fate, a newly introduced concept. Ghostlike beings known as Whispers appear regularly throughout the story, often during familiar scenes from the original game, interfering with events to keep them "on track." Before the main cast squares off against their ultimate manifestation, Aerith and Red XIII explain that the Remake's Planet is one with a fixed destiny, and these creatures are its enforcers.

"But this isn't how it's supposed to be," Aerith tells us, which is the point to their presence in the first place.

Over the course of the Remake, it becomes apparent that she anticipates certain plot points of the original game, and in particular her own death. This is a point that Cloud seems to remember, albeit vaguely, as well. The implication of the Whisper's presence and Aerith's dialogue about defeating them to "put things right" supposes that the original game's most famously sorrowful moment was the product of interlopers, working on behalf of fate. 

To be clear, destiny is not the point of the Whispers. The point of them is that they create outcomes, and the undesirable ones can be changed through their defeat. This is further underscored by the ending of the game following their defeat, in which we see Zack, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie's deaths undone.

Final Fantasy VII was a game very informed by loss and uncertainty. Aerith's death is memetic for how shocking it was, yes, but in its original context the shock comes from the suddenness and permanence of the loss. More sorrow follows, as Cloud breaks down completely and Meteor is summoned. It hangs in the sky over the last act, the physical manifestation of a pall that Aerith's death cast over the game. Even as we approach resolution, the game underscores the uncertainty of life as one of its key themes - no one can be sure whether Holy will work or not, and if it does, what effect it might have on humanity as a whole. Mortality is a neutral and inescapable fact of life.

The sad things that happened in Final Fantasy VII largely did not happen because a being or force made them happen. The most attributable tragedy is Aerith's death by Sephiroth's sword, but her death was unique in the broader media landscape in that it's purpose was not to rally the heroes against the villain. It was to convey the suddenness and pointlessness of the death of a loved one - how abrupt and unjust it is to lose someone. Hollywood-style farewell speeches were deliberately eschewed for a more realistic and sobering finality. Cloud's emotional reaction and Aerith's funeral are the focal points of the scenes that follow. 

When things happen for a reason in Final Fantasy VII, the long arm of consequence is usually at play. Most tragedies in the game, including those wrought by Sephiroth, trace their origins back to the Shinra Electric Power Company. There is no fixed destiny, only the culmination of callous decisions made in hubris, greed and self-interest. All suffering wrought by Shinra pays dividends, but the only organizing point to it is that inhumanity and cruelty are self-perpetuating cycles, all the more difficult to escape once you are caught up in the pain of them. Thus, learning to deal with the pains of life truthfully and gracefully is a vital endeavour. Their ability to do so is ultimately what marks Avalanche as the heroes of this story. 

The Remake does not believe in the random cruelties of the universe and is not much interested in depicting them either. Death is a markedly different affair. When it happens to Biggs and Jessie, neither can be sent off without a farewell speech delivered against stirring strings. The people in the Sector 7 slums largely escape their pointlessly cruel death. Aerith's death is reconceptualized from a tragedy to a universal wrong needing to be righted, something that never could have happened if things had gone the way that they were supposed to. Loss and sorrow and suffering are not a part of the natural fabric of this universe, but aberrations visited upon it by external actors.

This is why it all must be "put right" by bringing back Zack, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie, and by implicitly averting Aerith's death. Suffering can be avoided through direct physical confrontation with whoever bears the blame. Obviously this means Sephiroth, who is actually responsible for Aerith’s death and has no other narrative reason to fight you, but it also means the Whispers.  The concept of Fate is a stand-in for your prior intuitive understanding that Aerith and Zack’s death are integral and unassailable parts of the story Final Fantasy VII was trying to tell. Loss is not so inevitable after all.

It's all about you

Of course, there is another dimension to Aerith's impassioned plea to defeat fate and set things right.

The Whispers aren't an emotionally engaging concept. The rough idea of destiny doesn't really make for good table stakes. Their meaning is only revealed at the eleventh hour, so why should you care whether or not the events of the universe are on the rails when none of the driving action in the past 45 hours has suggested you should? The answer, of course, is that you've played this game before.

The glimpses of a predetermined future and the sadness that must be defeated aren't really concerns of the characters - the "future" that needs to be defeated is in your memory. This game was written for returning players almost exclusively. Sephiroth's every appearance and the Whispers every interference hang on your foreknowledge of what is about to happen. The climax of this game is a confrontation with the most culturally enduring feeling it inspired. Namely, sadness - and sadness at Aerith's death in particular, one that fans begged for an aversion to in the many years that followed.

In one of the most memorable sequences of the original Final Fantasy VII, we're given an up-close view of Sephiroth's becoming as he transitions before our eyes from ally to villain. What happens to Sephiroth is often colloquially described as a break from reality but is better understood as a deliberate reordering. Faced with a reality he can't accept, Sephiroth reconfigures his perception of the world. His new worldview places himself and Jenova at the center, where good and evil are stark black and white and he has no more need of pain. His role is to be the chosen hero, so what is there to be sad about? Later, the same Nibelheim basement provides the site for Cloud to forget himself and undergo his own reconstruction of identity.

The world of the Remake has undergone a similar reconfiguration, but it's not Sephiroth at the center - it's you. The Remake is an incarnation of Final Fantasy VII adjusted to accommodate your hazy memories of it. But no such project can truly tailor itself to the particular and personal memories and experiences of someone engaging with a story for the first time. It engages instead with the cultural memory - evident in the emphasis on rectifying Aerith and Zack's deaths - and rounds out the rest with one key assumption about who you were when you first encountered Final Fantasy VII.

Specifically, that you were a child.

That you remember the good guys being good, the bad guys being bad and the sad parts being sad. The complexities and nuances beyond those points were difficult to grasp. To include them in the Remake would be to transgress upon your memory of the original story. The clear political and philosophical voice of the original might feel intrusive and awkward now that you are old enough to meaningfully disagree with it. The Remake wants to surprise you, but not disrupt you. "Nostalgia" is usually the word people reach for but I think even more apt in this case is "comfort."

The Remake is a comfort game, and as you sit in your proverbial basement and devour it, it tries to tell you what it thinks you want to hear. It supposes that your memory of the original, however detailed, is emotionally and intellectually straightforward, and aims to remake its story from that memory rather than from the meaning of the original game.

Engaging directly with the player's hypothetical and emotionally charged memory is the culmination of the Remake’s first episode of the Remake because it is the point of that episode. Built on acknowledging and reinforcing the memory of the player, the game naturally ends differently. The childish memories of the player is the primary concern of the Remake, and the finale naturally rearranges itself into a tacit promise to fulfill equally naive dreams that never came true in the original.

Illusions of Nibelheim

The net result is that the Final Fantasy VII Remake tells a story with a very different meaning and focal point than Final Fantasy VII, and in fact an often antithetical one. This is not surprising, as their philosophical foundations differ vastly. Where Final Fantasy VII was concerned with human mortality, changing identity and locating ourselves in a broader environment, the Remake is concerned with reflection and personal recollection, and in particular how those reflections are distributed across two very different points in time (time - a theme we are likely to see plenty of as the Remake saga continues on). The original looks outward, and the Remake looks inward.

The striking difference between the two calls to mind another of Sephiroth’s scenes in the original, the one that forms the cloth from which his every appearance in the Remake has been cut. Taunting Cloud and Tifa, he conjures an illusory burning Nibelheim and confronts their faulty memory of the events that transpired there. Sephiroth’s point is this: “What I’ve shown you is reality. What you remember, that is the illusion.”

It’s an illustrative example of the gulf in meaning between two works we once believed were intended to tell the same story. In the Remake, memory is the foundation of reality. In Final Fantasy VII, memory is precious, but deeply unreliable, and never preferable to truth. 

#final fantasy vii remake #ffviir #ff7 remake #final fantasy vii #ffvii #ffviir spoilers #final fantasy vii remake spoilers

[mercurryblack]

Chapter 1: Lillian

Lillian spars with Rudyard, while her team is introduced in proper.

❃❃❃

Rudyard Millard had been around on Remnant for forty-four long years, over half of them spent as a Huntsman. He had had his fair share of challenges in his lifetime, but perhaps the most challenging of them all was mentoring his protégé, Lillian Armilde.

This was no act of derision of her skills; Lillian was a terrific fighter. If the decision was up to him, he would have let her graduate from Haven, even though she was only halfway through her third year at the academy.

But at the same time, that fighting skill was what made Lillian a tough nut to crack; she knew she was a great fighter. It begat a small degree of arrogance, and, while she respected Rudyard as a mentor, it led her to act on impulse even in his presence— not unlike a father and a rebellious teenage daughter. Despite a lack of any familial relationship, there was a similar connection between the two, and Rudyard had no living children of his own to pass his teachings down to.

“Remember what I taught you, Lillian. Eyes up front, ears alert—” Rudyard noted.

“Grip tight and strike. Yeah, I know.” she replied. She thrust forward her gauntlet’s heavy blade into the chest of a straw training dummy, up until her fist collided with the paper target ring over its chest.

He scratched his chin, nodding slightly. “Good form, but what if someone comes at you from behind, because you let your presence be known? The sound of your blade extending isn’t necessarily the quietest.”

As Lillian drew her blade out of the dummy, Rudyard raised the hilt of his sword and lightly bonked her on head. She winced at the unexpected blow— it stung a bit even with Aura, but she was used to her mentor pushing her to her limits.

A year or so ago practice spar. she had accidentally lost her ponytail by Rudyard’s blade, though he chalked it up as ‘you didn’t react fast enough’. Since then, she’d taken to wearing her hair short.

“See? You’re taken aback. You’re supposed to sneak up and strike at the right opportunity, not just charge at every opponent you see. Remember; Huntsmen need to know when to attack, not just how to. That second part’s pretty easy for you already.” Rudyard added.

“Yeah, but sometimes it’s nice to get right to the action the moment you get there.” Lillian abruptly spun into a sweeping kick, knocking Rudyard’s legs off the ground in the process.

Rudyard rolled on his side as he fell and leapt back to his feet. At the same time, his double-edged sword split with a snap into two single-bladed ones. He swung the longer of the two blades in her direction, but she quickly dodged the attack.

“You have to keep your act together, Lillian.” He said with a harumph. “The Vytal Festival is coming up soon, and as I recall, LLAC’s planning on competing in the tournament. How will you win if you maintain your cocky attitude? Keep in mind; a good huntsman never boasts about how good they are. They simply just show it.”

The two kept dueling; Rudyard acting as offense and Lillian acting as defense.

“Come on, Lilly! Show him what you’re made of!” Hattie crowed from the side of the arena. She and the rest of Team LLAC had gathered in the shade of a small ash tree to watch Lillian and Rudyard spar.

Harriet Lazuli— better known to her teammates (and nearly everyone else) as “Hattie”— hung upside down on a thick branch, her twintails dangling far enough to nearly touch the freshly cut grass below her, while her hands kept her skirt in place. Her small tophat, apparently unbridled by the laws of gravity, stayed right in its lopsided place on her head.

Reclining on the tree to the left of Hattie was Cait Miya. They seemed only mildly interested at the session, more preoccupied with something on their Scroll. Their outfit looked a bit haphazard— ripped jeans and a long sleeved shirt emblazoned with a weathered sigil of Haven Academy. It befitted their attitude— the genderless teenager had never preferred to be the ‘conventional’ sort.

Amaryllis Armilde sat on the grass beside them, sharpening her greatsword, Heartbreaker, across the lap of her scarlet blouse. It seemed odd, seeing a girl as kind-looking and reasonably dainty as her holding such a weapon, but Hunters came in all shapes and sizes. Amaryllis was no different— she was as gentle as a flower petal, yet three years of training at an Academy (and an even more grueling curriculum under her aunt, before that) meant she was a natural born fighter.

Turning her attention to the spar, Amaryllis stood and sheathed her sword before propping the chape into the lawn, resting her elbow on the pommel.

“So… who do you think’s going to win, Cait?” she asked conversationally.

Cait glanced up from their Scroll. “Isn’t it obvious, Am? Rudyard’s totally toying with her. He’s got this in the bag.” they replied.

“You think so?” Amaryllis replied, raising an eyebrow before she turned back to observing her sister.

Back on the arena floor, Lillian huffed and bucked her head, tossing a stray strand of hair from her eyes. Her muscles tensed for a moment as she leaned in, before she broke into a full sprint. Her feet fell rapidly, pounding down on the training ground floor as she rushed toward Rudyard.

He tensed, centering his balance as he waited for her to reach him, feet firmly planted and sword held high to meet her own blade.

“Raaaaah!” She leapt into the air. Her iridescent shield blocked her upper body as she raised her gauntlet blade above her head. In doing so, however, she had left her bare arm unprotected - neither her blade nor her shield reached any higher than her elbow, and from there to her shoulder was completely exposed.

Rudyard made one swift yet light flick of Endurandal, ensuring not to leave a bad wound, but enough to make his point clear. A red line appeared on the flesh of Lillian’s bicep, and he spun on his heel to face her as she landed to his side, her direction thrown off her leap by the sudden jolt of pain up her arm. “Remember. You have to consider every angle.”

Lillian raised a hand to the shallow cut, hissing slightly as her fingertips brushed the broken skin. A few rivulets of blood had begun to trickle down her arm, but the wound was already healing as a pattern of Aura flickered over it. “Yeah, I get it. Damn, that stings.”

Rudyard snapped his blades back together, lowering his sword before walking over to her, his arm outstretched. “You alright there—?”

Quick as a flash, Lillian lunged and grabbed onto his sword arm, twisting it back as she spun behind him, bracing her other hand on his shoulder. “And you remember; don’t let your guard down. I didn’t surrender, after all.” she smirked.

The linen of Rudyard’s shirt crinkled as she kept twisting his arm, ever so slightly. It was painful, he couldn’t deny that, but he was also a bit proud - he had given her the same piece of advice during their last session, and here she was applying it. Undoubtedly, she was stubborn, and it would likely take her another session or two to drill in this lesson about being careful. But once his point was across, she’d have it engraved in her mind. This moment just proved him right, if anything.

“Okay, smart aleck, I’ll be nice and call that one-for-one. Care to make this next bout the tiebreaker?” he asked, as she let go of his arm.

Lillian checked her arm, the injury now little more than a thin white line on her skin, before turning back to face Rudyard. “Absolutely.” she replied, turning back to adopt a defensive stance.

Back on the lawn, Amaryllis glanced at Cait, nodding toward the sparring duo. “…I guess that means we were both right?”

❃❃❃

After another quarter-hour of exhaustive practice, Rudyard decided that they could finally call it a day, and told Lillian to hit the showers. After a few minutes’ thorough rinsing, Lillian toweled off and changed into her usual civilian clothes— a sleeveless purple cropped hoodie and a pair of khaki cargo shorts.

“That was… a lot.” she remarked, heading out of the womens’ lockers to where Rudyard waited outside. The two of them walked back across the Haven courtyard to where Cait, Hattie and Amaryllis remained, sitting comfortably in the shade.

“Be grateful. I took it easy on you today.” Rudyard tried to hide the fact that he was still a tad tired, despite it having been nearly twenty minutes since the spar ended.

“Just admit that you’re past your peak, old man.” she lightly jabbed.

“Hey, even if I’m past the peak, you’re still climbing, Lil-Lil.” joked Rudyard.

“Ha ha.” Lillian responded dryly, before stopping in front of her team. “Right, you three indulged my morning training session, so… you guys get to decide what we’ll do this afternoon?” she asked.

“Ooh! OOH! I know!” Hattie piped up. “Why don’t we go to that new milkshake place over in the Sora District? I heard they make this awesome chocolate milkshake with tons of whipped cream and syrup and chocolate chips and wafers and—” She tapered off into daydreaming as drool began to drip from her mouth.

“Milkshakes sound perfect to me. It’s an especially hot day.” Amaryllis agreed, the hard heels of her leather boots clacking as they walked along. The way Hattie described the treat did make them sound appetizing, at the very least.

“Let’s go, then. Last one to get there has to paaaaay!” teased Cait. They were the fastest; they immediately knew that they weren’t going to be the one taking a few Lien from their wallet.

Harriet perked up and immediately raced after them, and Amaryllis followed suit when she realized her sister was hanging back with Rudyard at the courtyard.

Lillian angled her thumb in the direction her teammates had run off. “Want to come with us, Rudyard?” she invited.

“No, thank you. You go have fun with your team. Besides, I have somewhere else to be.” he said as he packed his bag.

“Is it anywhere interesting?” Lillian said, raising an eyebrow. “Or are you just looking for something a bit stronger than milkshakes?”

Rudyard chortled. “Bingo. I’d invite you and the team, but you’ve got two years to go before they’d let you in. Besides, you are still a teenager, and you deserve to take some time off from all this adult stuff.”

“Oh, alright. At least I tried.” she shrugged. “By the way, can I ask you a question?”

“What is it?”

“…Why do you always call me ‘Lil-Lil’ outside of sparring?”

Rudyard smiled to himself. He did treat her as if she was his daughter, in a way, so it wasn’t hard to come up with a nickname for her. “What, don’t you like it?” he asked, feigning a puzzled expression.

“I mean, it’s… okay to say, I guess. It’s just that no one else ever calls me that.” She’d had a few different nicknames growing up, but she found that ‘Lil-Lil’ wasn’t exactly the coolest one.

“Little Lil. Lil-Lil. You’re little, and your name’s Lil—lian. So, ‘Lil-Lil’.”

“Hey, I’m not little. You’re only a few inches taller than I am! You do realize I’m nearly six feet?” she argued.

“Oh, I realize. Everyone else who’s five-foot-ten says the exact same thing.” Rudyard retorted, laughing.

Lillian glowered, trying to think up a proper comeback. Before she could, however, she remembered what Cait said before they and the others had left. ‘Last one to get there has to paaaaay!’ echoed slowly inside her head.

At the same time, she realized she was still in the courtyard with Rudyard.

“I’ve gotta go, thanksforthesessionhaveagreatevening!” she blurted out as she took off in the direction of her teammates. Rudyard grinned and waved goodbye to Lillian as she dashed away.

No sooner had he turned around and began walking in the opposite direction than when his Scroll began to buzz. Taking it out of his pocket, he checked the screen of the device.

Incoming call from: SARDINE_S, the screen read.

Rudyard raised an eyebrow, wondering what his old leader Sardion had to say as he accepted the call, raising the Scroll to his ear. “What’s up, Sardi—” he uttered, before his friend abruptly cut his greeting off.

“Rudyard… We— we have to talk. It’s Yaara and Berilo. They’re—I…” Sardion spoke frantically, sounding like he was trying to repress a sense of panic.

Rudyard halted where he stood, immediately recognizing the names of his old teammates. Judging from Sardion’s tone, whatever was going on couldn’t have been good. “They’re what, Sardion? What’s going on?” Rudyard asked, a hint of worry appearing in his voice.

“They’re dead, Rudd. Both of them— they’re dead.”

#team llac #team llac fic #lillian armilde #harriet lazuli #amaryllis armilde #cait miya #team sybr #rudyard millard #sardion sarikaya #fanfic #fan fiction #rwby fan fiction #rwby oc #rwbyoc #rwby

[fantasyinvader]

I just want to explain my stand on the translation of 3H.

Whether it was in ignorance of the meanings behind the symbolism (or even if it was meant to be symbolism at all), or because someone decided to change the script for whatever reason (avoiding controversy after Fates, for instance), I’ve often argued that those changes change the story the game is trying to tell. Like, a few lines altered can change so much considering how crucial they may end up being. Hell, how a line is said can have the same effect.

If I may, I want to compare this to another video game. Final Fantasy 7. Now 7 has it’s translation issues, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not what I’m going to be talking about here. What I’m going to be talking about is the compilation of Final Fantasy 7 and what it does to the game.

See, one of the things about FF7 was how it used death. Writer’s can use the death of a character in any number of ways. They can make a heroic last stand, showing how awesome they are. Their death can clue the others into a greater mystery, or trigger development for them. It can reinforce themes, draw parallels, or serve as a motivation to stop the bad guy du jour. 

But with FF7, deaths were rather...mundane. They weren’t cinematic, they weren’t telegraphed, people just died. That’s why Aeris’s (I use this for nostalgic purposes) stood out so much, it was sudden and unexpected. You just completed a big dungeon after she went missing, Cloud stopped himself from killing her by not letting Sephiroth control him, and all seems right. She looks up to you, smiling, only to be impaled from above and die without another word. Cloud’s dialogue before the boss fight asserts that she is no more, and her theme plays all throughout it. Then your characters are left to process their grief. It’s a powerful moment, one that stuck with a lot of players.

And FF7 is filled with these sorts of deaths. Zack, Cloud’s best friend and the real 1st Class SOLDIER, he doesn’t get a big death. His death scene is completely optional, requiring the player to revisit the Shinra mansion without reason to trigger it, and in the end he’s killed by a few mooks outside of Midgar. Cait Sith reminds Barret that the terrorist attack you committed at the beginning of the game killed hundreds of people, pointing out their lives were all they had when Barret tries to claim the greater good (the greater good). The people of Sector 7 crushed under the plate, Cloud’s mother, Tifa’s teacher and parents, Tseng dying to Sephiroth in a mistranslation I find improves the game because it adds to this motif...The game does not romanticize death or it’s effect on the people around it.

But then you get into the Compilation. Zack’s death is fucking awesome after all, passing on final words to Cloud that he will be Zack’s living memory after saving the world from a crisis that was retconned in. Before Crisis tried to claim that the plans for the bomb were from an earlier, more violent version of AVALANCE while Remake makes it so the damage was worsened by Shinra themselves. Sephiroth can return from the dead because of his desire for revenge, making it so that he “will never be a memory.” Hojo uploaded his memory into the internet or something. In Remake, Barret will be killed by Sephiroth only to be revived by the Arbiters of Fate.

And let me take a second to talk about the idea that they’re meant to reflect fans who would be upset at changes to the story of FF7, while the implications of the game make it out that the original is meant to be a bad ending the protagonists now want to avoid. Like, that is one hell of a slap in the face right there. Yeah, now try to tell me that Remake will be more faithful from here on out and maybe try to sell ice in Alaska while you’re at it.

Part of that is the story being handed off to other people. Like, Nomura was given a huge hand in shaping what FF7 became while he mostly a character designer for the original game. People who pushed their own views of what FF7′s story should be, both in the game itself and the world around it. X has the same problem, where with each new addition I can only feel pity for what it has become.

That’s what I’m feeling with 3H. That I wasn’t given the game as it was intended to be. That Treehouse put their own spin on it, however minor it might appear to be. That the symbolism and messages the game was built around were either ignored or discarded, and the more I’ve looked into it I start feeling bad for it’s original creators. I mean, think about it. You create this game with a secretly villain protagonist in order to trick players and in Japan they seem to have caught onto it. But outside of Japan, people are arguing that she’s actually the real hero while everyone else is some degree of wrong. That people are fully willing to disregard the world building of your story, something you wanted them to immerse themselves in to discover the truth, simply saying that Edelgard’s right and everything else is a filthy lie.

(kinda on the fence about getting Remake...but kinda leaning towards getting it if there’ price drop. Still want to complete Type 0 first)