#● the hero the saved the sky || zack's answered

[ducitestella]

● – || @tragidies sent: ‘zack, baby ??’ nico’s quiet as he sits next to zack, pressing himself entirely against the swordsman’s side. ‘think i could needle you into staying for dinner ??’

Zack's eyes looked over at Nico with a light smile as he draped his arm around Nico's shoulders . He enjoyed this a lot , how close they were . It was a nice change , to be so close to someone . . . While he knew that it wouldn't last forever , he was happy that he could at least have this for now .

" You don't have to needle me into staying for dinner . I'd stay if you asked me to . " He leaned down and pressed his lips into Nico's hair , " I'd like to stay for dessert too . " His voice was low in volume but still light in tone as he slowly drew away from his favourite flower keeper .

[fairdom]

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎UNDER THE STEEL SKY LAY TWO HEARTS HELD TOGETHER BY TRAGEDY . a thundering pulse alights under his skin, sending waves of panic up through his veins until they escape into the choked sob he releases into the quiet night air . a moment — and he is back. the tinny drown of static reels him back from the precipice, away from lab coats and cold metal, dry desert air washed out by rain and the blood staining his hands . it lingers in the back of his throat, but moves no further, stuck in the grip of unconsciousness he retreats from .

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎he rises from the mess of sheets he has created, both by the night's activities and his current turmoil, and inhales what remains of his sanity . beside him lays another, body warm and pleasant, still undisturbed by his outburst and leveling the air with her quiet, even breath .

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎is this what remains ? once great deeds on the battlefield dwindled into tawdry, pathetic grasps of valor ? [ would you say .... i became a hero ? ] zack fidgets with the reality that the answer to that lies abandoned atop a cliffside, far from view and farther from the home he promised to make . the grimace that resides across his lips shakes his jaw, locked tight between his molars, and strains the muscle of his cheek long enough that the ache that presents comforts him with its familiarity .

there, under the plate and aside the buzz of electricity, falls @sherez' hand across the valley of two shuddering shoulders .

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎he freezes, confronted with more than just his own humility as the violet gaze pierces the back of his neck . zack knows he may as well be in the most understanding hands he can be — the things they have both seen ... but the rivulets of shame trickling down his throat make any acceptance of that fall short of his own volition . the body winces in quiet response, and tears itself asunder between soul - baring truth and the subtle disguise of self .

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎" sorry, didn't mean to wake you... " replacing his shaking chin, is a smile that illuminates the empty void of his eyes. they don't meet her gaze, drift down to the pad of sheets that lay across his lap, and burn themselves new views of his shaking surroundings . idealism seems so far from where he last saw it : tucked between leather and steel, in the clash of metal that rang through empty air, eons away from now and the residuals of a " hero " .

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ there are things he know he cannot change, and still despite, he yearns for the relief of a retribution far away . in another life he could be saved, another life and it is him gone and another remaining. fate's cruelties are enough to cut to the bone — but the damage has already been done for the night. so he rights himself, adjusts, and rises - grip just shy of bruising as he parts from her with a reassuring squeeze . ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ " i'm gonna get some air. i'll be right back. "

sent from loud and deafening silence .

[sakurarisen]

웃:  three people that are important to my muse

Headcanon Time!

There's Zack - It's him who Sera can and will always credit with saving her, in more ways than she can actually put into words, but he's also someone she loves more than there's stars in the sky. To her, he accomplished his goal of becoming a hero long ago; he's generous, kind, sweet, helpful... Zack is an eager puppy in human form, and even when he comes back to her after Nibelheim, he's still putting everyone else before himself. He fusses over others in his own unique way and never has a harsh word for anyone who doesn't outright deserve it, and it's his smile that makes everything right in her world.

He's her other half in several ways, and he understands her ad gives her a place to belong, even when she feels she doesn't deserve it. Sera's been able to bounce things off him and show him her worst sides, and even though things started out rocky, he's never failed to prove himself willing to learn and to explain, and take her hand with a gentle touch she's never found in anyone else. Zack is her star, and she'll never not have him on a list like this. <3

There's also Sephiroth, who while she's heard stories of and fully believes them, she can't for the life of her see them when she looks at him, especially pre-Nibelheim. Sera's sure he's as fearsome as the stories told imply - He wouldn't be called a hero for no reason, after all! That's a titles one has to earn, especially when it's all of Midgar who agree with it and call him such! But to Sera herself, he's warm. Friendly. Comfortable.

She's sure she should probably be more respectful or fearful with him, but it's so hard to be when even silence is comfortable, something she doesn't normally like, and 'time out and about' is often walks around Midgar and soft talks. He's very brotherly, Sera's long since decided, and she's come to see him as such - Though it's perhaps that reason exactly why his later turn on the planet itself hurts so badly. Even though she's had a reputable source come to tell her the Sephiroth she knows is long since gone at that point, it's hard to believe it... She only hopes he find peace when he's done with whatever it is he feels he needs to do.

And thirdly, there's Shayan - Her son she really wishes would stop asking for his own pet chocobo. XD He's a miracle in and of himself and she still doesn't understand how he's here - really, she never will understand and that's fine by her - but she absolutely treasures him. He's what gave her the strength to escape Midgar after Nibelheim, kept her breathing and functioning, and above all else, helped her see she wants to see tomorrow even more than Zack did - She wants to see a world where he can grow up and thrive, and despair over what had become of her and her family after having to run was something she couldn't allow to win.

He's a gentle, kind, and considerate child with his father's eyes and determination, and she's almost certain he knows more than he lets on. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't... Whatever the answer there, it doesn't matter, so long as she can see him safe and smiling. <3

[yumetohokori]

Aerith is sitting inside Zack's room at the Icicle Inn and she keeps trying to figure out how they wound up here--

One day, years ago, Zack left on a secret mission out in the world... and he never came back. He called a few times, but then, abruptly, she never heard his voice again. She scribbled him out desperate letters that she gave to Tseng--the only person she felt could reliably reach Zack, somehow--but she was never given any replies. Yet, she kept writing... until it made her cry to jot down even one more word.

Aerith had believed Zack was dead for so long... but now he's standing and leaning against the wall in front of her, waiting for her to say anything at all.

Thank you for saving me, should be the first words out of her mouth and yet she still hesitates before him, shocked he looks the very same after all these years apart. It's all she can think about--how he stayed exactly the same, yet she changed into someone entirely different without him.

Aerith had gone to the Forgotten City to pray for Holy with all her might. Of course, Cloud and the others were quick to pursue her there. By the time Cloud stood before her she was already kneeling upon the ground, eyes closed, a serene smile playing on her lips--

Then, a demon from the sky began to cascade down towards her, sword unsheathed and aimed for her heart--

She opened her eyes, smiled at Cloud as she knew--she knew--she was about to die--

And then the shining hero appeared from among all that light: Zack Fair came charging out of the gloom, leaping into the air, batting away Sephiroth's killing blow with such ease it terrified her...

The timing was eerie--if he arrived one second later, Aerith would be dead now. But there he was, the very moment she needed him the most...

The whispers churning inside the Lifestream SCREAM at her. But she ignores them, her whole world consumed with only Zack.

"Cloud knows you, doesn't he? He hasn't said a word since you arrived, but that could be due to the circumstances..." Aerith says softly, looking to her hands folded upon her lap. She's sitting on the edge of Zack's bed, finding it hard to look into his Mako-drenched eyes for long. "He never told me, but I had a feeling."

She lets a gentle silence lull between them.

"I don't understand--you've been gone for years... and then you find me now. I wrote you eighty-eight letters asking for you to come home, but you never replied. What happened between then and now...?" She asks numbly, the words throbbing in the cozy room.

She wonders if she's ready for the answers. | AERITH TO ZACK |

Zack can’t explain it either. He’d been dead. Well and truly gone from this world. It hadn’t been so bad, being in the Lifestream. He’d felt content, at peace with his end and the fact that he’d at least saved Cloud’s life before death took him. Somehow, something had called him back though. Brought him back. He’s not sure if it’s the planet itself, or something else, but he is grateful for it. 

He’d been able to save Aerith’s life from being snuffed out by Sephiroth’s sword. Even in the bizarre situation he’d suddenly found himself in, he’d somehow instinctively known what to do. He’s not even as surprised as he probably should be about the fact that Sephiroth is still alive. 

It’s so good to see Aerith again. And Cloud too, even if the blond’s been acting a little strange around him. Almost like he doesn’t know him... 

After some hasty explaining to Aerith and Cloud’s new companions (and Cloud’s friend from Nibelheim, Tifa, who did in fact remember Zack), they’d got this moment alone. There’s a need for it, definitely. They have a lot to talk about, but Zack doesn’t even know where to begin so he figures he should let Aerith speak first.

It takes a moment, but finally she does. 

“He never told you?” Zack can’t help but to feel a little hurt, but maybe... the trauma had simply been too much and Cloud just hasn’t been ready to open up about any of it. “Yeah, we were friends. I met him on a mission where we’d brought along a couple of infantrymen. He was one of ‘em.” He smiles a little as he remembers. Their bonding over being from backwater towns, Cloud being the only who could keep up with him in the mountains... He seems pretty different from that sweet kid with the big smile now though, but considering everything that had happened, everything he’d lost... Zack can hardly blame him for having changed. 

When Aerith asks what happened he visibly tenses before letting out a soft sigh. “It’s a long story.” He sighs as he seats himself next to her, though he keeps a bit of a distance. As much as he would love to just... take her into his arms and embrace her, she seems rather stand-offish at the moment and so he doesn’t make a move in that direction. It’s been five years, after all. 

“But... I didn’t stay away because I wanted to. I really tried to keep my promise.” He gives her a solemn smile. “Do you know anything about what happened in Nibelheim five years ago?” He figured there would have been some reports about it, though obviously Shinra would have tried to cover up as much as possible. He doubted even they could have completely covered up the “deaths” of the two remaining SOLDIER First Class though. 

@storyofpetals

[miss-tc-nova]

A SOLDER’s Memories - Cloud Strife x Fem!Reader Pt 3

I’m gonna have to put this series on hold for now. I just wanted the first 3 chapters out because I am happy with them. But I’ve hit a bit of a road block with where I’m going from here. I’m sure once I listen to more P!ATD I’ll come back an attempt to work more of it but for now, on hold. Thank you. 

WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR FF7 AND POTENTIALLY THE FF7R SERIES! Thank you. 

A Favor Owed

                Being in this relationship feels like being on cloud nine; no pun intended. I couldn’t be happier, though Zack does give us hell sometimes. Sephiroth has also taken note of the relationship and warned me of Shinra’s policy on retirees. He doesn’t do much more than that though; even if I’m sometimes a handful, I’m well on the fast track to being First Class. I’m sure the disappearance of his two friends did not help either; it’s made him rather sullen as of late.

                My poor chocobo steps off the back of the truck, holding his head. I push my water into his hands and join my mentor in greeting our guide. She’s a feisty thing and not very impressed by us, by that I mean Zack, and she seems to be looking for someone among us. With instructions of meeting in front of the inn at dawn, we’re given permission to explore the little town of Nibelheim.

                “Come on, you,” I hum, grabbing Cloud’s wrist and pulling him along. “A walk will do you good.”

                It’s a quiet little place, only known for the reactor waiting at the top of Mt. Nibel. It makes a lot of sense that someone like Cloud would come from a place like this. It’s nice.

                “So this is where country bumpkins come from,” I hum. “You must know everyone, huh?”

                “Shh! I don’t want anyone to know,” he hisses. When I give him a look of skepticism he goes on. “I left telling everyone I would get into SOLDIER…but I didn’t.”

                “Ah, I see.” I push his helmet up enough to see his eyes. “That’s not really anything to be ashamed about.”

                Cloud pulls his helmet back down. “Still.”

                “Alright,” I sigh. “So what should we see first?”

                “Actually, there is one person I need to go see,” he hums, suddenly getting timid. “You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.”

                I smile. “You know I’d rather spend time with you than do anything else.”

                The infantryman nods and leads the way to a little house with a nice little yard and a little fence; exactly what I would imagine of a small town home. Cloud gives a sharp knock and a woman with pale blonde hair and unmistakable eyes answers the door.

                “Can I help you?”

                Cloud finally removes his helmet. “Hi mom.”

                The woman’s face instantly lights up and she wraps her arms around him. I can’t help smiling as I watch them reunite.

                “Come in! Come in!” She quickly ushers us into her home that matches the same coziness as the rest of the village. “You must be one of Cloud’s colleagues,” she says, closing the door behind me. “It’s nice to meet you.”

                I hold my hand out, planning to make this as professional as I feel Cloud will feel comfortable with. “Yes ma’am. I’m _____. Your son and I work together frequently.”

                She takes my hand in both of hers. “Thank you for keeping an eye on him.”

                “No problem. He keeps me out of trouble too.”

                From there, Cloud explains to his mother that he didn’t make it into SOLDIER. Relief washes over me when she reassures him that she’s proud all the same. I make myself comfortable, watching a family catch up and reminisce, something I never had. It makes me wonder if I can have that someday, if maybe one day, I can join them.

                It gets late and we inevitably must bid his mother goodbye. At the inn, I give the infantryman a goodnight kiss and turn in for the night.

                The next day is eventful, chaotic even. In the morning, Cloud’s late and we almost leave without him. The rope bridge breaks with us on it and we lose the other infantryman. Zack and I enter a mako reactor for the first time, finding tons of pods filled mutated people and we learn some of the dark secrets of Shinra and our own existences. Genesis, a rogue SOLDIER falling apart, antagonizes Sephiroth about his mother before asking for his help. When Sephiroth refuses and leaves in a panic, Genesis follows leaving Zack and I to fight the mako infused monsters. When we don’t find either of them, we have to take Tifa and an unconscious Cloud back to the town. I didn’t know that a single day could turn my world upside down so quickly, making me question what I’ve been doing with my life, the people I’ve saved, the work I’ve done, the pride I had in being SOLDIER. In reality, I could’ve been just another monster, one of those that Zack and I had struck down today, maybe I already was.

                Thankfully, Cloud wakes up without any repercussions, though he quickly takes note of my sour mood. I try not to let it get to me but with my mentor AWOL in some mansion and my whole reality put into question, I just can’t help it. My boyfriend tries to make me feel better but I just can’t shake it and I feel bad for making him worry. I refuse to tell him what I learned though; I’m afraid. If I feel this strongly about what I’ve learned and who I am, I’m absolutely terrified of what he might think of me.

                Cloud returns to the inn just as I’m pulling my boots on. “Where are you going so late?”

                “I need some air,” I reply, not even looking. Boots tied, I start for the door only for the infantryman to block my path.

                “Would you please just tell me what’s wrong?” he begs. He’s been begging for a while now and it breaks my heart.

                I jam my hands in my pockets. “It’s nothing you need to worry about, okay? Just…Leave it alone.”

                I leave him standing there and make my way out into town to wander. I’m not even sure where I’m going, letting my feet just take me away. It comes as a surprise to find myself in front of the little home my boyfriend had grown up in. Before I can even question myself, I knock on the door. In the next few seconds, I contemplate running away, but the door opens before I can make a decision.

                She’s confused but not angry. “Hello dear. Do you need something?” I hesitate. “You look pale. Is something wrong?”

                “I…” The tears break through and everything I’ve been holding in begins to overwhelm me. The sweet woman pulls me inside and sits me down.

                “What’s wrong, darling? You can tell me.”

                I try to pull myself together; it’s a shoddy attempt. “I…I love Cloud.” Her eyes widen. “I love everything about him and I want to be with him forever!” My hands grip at my hair. “But how can I let him spend his life with a monster?!”

                 And from there, I confess all of the fears that have haunted me since we arrived. She learns about my relationship with her son, what happened in the reactor, that my mentor is probably losing his mind, and sees the darkest despair in me. Yet she just listens, listens as I bawl my confessions to her.

                “What if he gets hurt because of me?” I sniffle, nearly cried out.

                Her hand rests atop mine. “Were you planning to hurt him before?”

                “No. Never,” I blurt out.

                A smile plays across her lips. “Then I don’t think you have anything to worry about, dear.”

                “But-But you’re his mother. Aren’t you worried something will happen to him by being associated with a SOLDIER?”

                “From what Cloud tells me, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him.” That strikes confusion in me. “And from all your exciting adventures, especially from this, I’ve learned that you must care about him too much to let something happen to him. I’m so very grateful that Cloud has someone as strong as you to look after him.”

                “You’re not…mad me?”

                “I’m not. I can’t say that I agree with everything going on, but you and Cloud must make your own choices. And for you to have enough courage to come to a mother and confess all these fears, I don’t believe you’re a monster at all. Only humans worry about hurting others.”

                My tears return, though they’re born of relief instead of the fear of earlier. Cloud’s mother embraces me, having rescued me from the chaos I’d fallen in.

                I thank the woman and apologize profusely for the late visit and uncontrollable sobbing. She assures me multiple times that it’s alright, sending me on my way in a far better mood than I’d arrived in.

                My reprieve dies out when I see the smoke rising in the sky, followed by an orange glow growing among the houses. Taking off, I find the burning house, and the man I’ve looked up to for years.

                “Sephiroth!” I call, racing towards him. “We have to get in there! We have to save-”

                I’m cut off with a fist to the chest that sends me flying back. Gasping for air, I struggle to my feet. His eyes are cold, empty. He has no intention of saving anyone; he’s the cause of this.

                “No…What are you doing?!” I scream. I thought I was done crying. “You’re a hero! How could you do this to people that trust you to save them?!”

                “Because I could be more than a hero. I could be a god.”

                He’s gone. This is no longer my mentor, my friend. I draw my weapons. There’s no way in hell I’m going to beat him, but letting him go freely about murdering others is not an option. For everything I’m worth, I do nothing against him. I’m slashed down at every point, bleeding through my shredded uniform. That I’m still standing is a sheer miracle and I’ll use it to stop him, if only to stall him.

                “Sephiroth!”

                My heart stops along with time. It’s him; he’s racing towards us with fury across his face. Then he’s gone, or rather, everything goes dark when I collide with a building.

~~~~~ 

                The pain is awful and only getting worse. I’m becoming very aware of just how beaten I am. Then I become aware of the heat; the fire engulfing the village. Nibelheim has been doomed.

                He catches my eye. Off in the distance, Cloud is fleeing the burning town, heading for the reactor.

                No! No, he can’t! He doesn’t stand a chance!

                Against my protesting muscles, I stand and stagger out of town after him. It’s a long, difficult trek to the reactor, but every second that passes is a second that I could lose the person most important to me and that drives me forward.

                Outside the tower lies several men, all dead. Most of them consist of Shinra employees; it’s bitter to lose coworkers, but a relief that none of them are Cloud. Shouting from inside urges me on. I freeze, my blood running cold. Tifa is out cold on the floor and so is my best friend, Zack.

                The shout tears me away from my friend. Cloud is running at Sephiroth, holding Zack’s Buster Sword. My feet carry me after him without hesitation. I was never going to make it in time; Sephiroth throws the man into the room behind him.

                I throw a khopesh, looping the chain around his blade and earning his attention.

                “So you’re still alive,” he drawls.

                “How could you?” I snarl. “After everything, everything you taught me! This is not what a hero does!” A jerk of his weapon pulls me in and frees the sword. With his lightning reflexes, he’s already swinging at me. I just manage to throw the blade still in my hand up to block his attack. “You told me that we were supposed to save people! No matter what our past was like, we fought so others could have a better future!” I shove his sword aside and swipe. “WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT?!”

                Brushing off my attack, his word flashes again, slashing across my arm. “I suppose it’s easy to believe that nonsense when you’re human.”

                Once again, I face off with my teacher and come up short. At least this time, I’m fueled by anger and adrenaline of saving someone important to me; I avoid more attacks. This draws out the battle unfortunately, and he’s better than I am.

                “I trusted you! You were my mentor!” I scream. “You were family! I loved you!”

                “You were mistaken.” His cold words are accompanied by blinding pain across the chest. The blow sends me into the back room, rolling me right off the walkway. It’s a miracle that I manage to grab onto the side before plummeting into the mako below.

                “You know, I had high hopes for you. You’re a great SOLDIER, my successor. Just another unfortunate event to add to your life, isn’t it.”

                My hand, the one injured by him, loses its grasp. I’m hanging here on the edge of life here, five fingers preventing me from drowning in mako; despite that, I glare at him. “I’m nothing like you!”

                His dead gaze never falters. “No. You’re not.”

                His sword is poised to deal the final blow. I stare him down, bearing my fury even in my dying moments.

                The sickening sound of steel sliding through flesh reaches my ears but I’m not in pain, nor am I falling to my death. Looking up brings my heart to a halt. Cloud is hanging from the sword.

                “NOOO!”

                Sephiroth appears very displeased with the surprise. “Don’t test me.”

                To my astonishment, and the villain’s as well, Cloud begins to drag himself along the blade towards his attacker.

                “No…Impossible!”

                With fire in his eyes, Cloud gives a determined look as he grips the sword and plants his feet back on the walkway. With his entire body, he turns, flinging the madman into the wall and sending him into the pit below.

                I heave a sigh of relief. It then becomes clear just how battered I am. I attempt to regain my grip on the walkway, but the blood-coated hand slips. A few more failed attempts and I find myself starting to lose grip in my other hand. Everything is going cold and numb; the control I have over my own hand begins waning. Against my will, my hand let’s go.

                The fall doesn’t last as a grip snatches my wrist. The fire hasn’t died in his eyes, but he’s clearly exhausted. “You’re not going anywhere,” he heaves.

                When the boy attempts pulling me up, he instead slips a bit further over the edge and the futility of my hope begins to sink in. I’m not meant to survive this; this is the end for me. Even as I come to terms with my end, there’s no way I’m going to bring him down with me. I can’t let her faith in me be overshadowed by my selfishness.

                “Cloud, you have to let go,” I rasp, the tears threatening to blur him from sight.

                “No.” He winces, muscles shaking to keep a hold on me.

                “It’s okay. You did it. You were amazing,” I try to soothe, smiling in spite of the tears. “Good enough to be in SOLDIER I’d say.”

                “Just shut up! I’ll get you out of here!” This attempt to pull me to safety results in my arm slipping a little from his grasp. “You…You can’t leave me!”

                “Sorry,” I say, my voice just short of breaking.

                “We made a deal!” he growls. “You owe me! No exceptions!”

                I’m afraid of the favor he wants; he’s right as the winner of the race yet I’m terrified he’s asking the impossible of me.

                “I’m sorry. I can’t do much from here,” I breathe.

                “You can’t die. You have to live,” he grimaces, tears dripping onto my face. “So we can grow up and get married. And be happy together! You cannot die! YOU OWE ME! NO EXCEPTIONS!” Cloud’s ceased struggling, leaving the two of us dangling there, reduced to tears. “I love you.”

                My heart breaks; even so, I’m so happy. The future ahead of us had never been certain; our jobs always came with this risk so I never thought as far ahead as he had. I barely thought about dating, let alone marriage and sharing an entire life together, but Cloud had. He truly loved me enough to think that we could have that happily ever after.

                “I love you too.”

                That’s it. My fingers slip from his and I plummet towards the pool of mako below. The last thing I see is Cloud, reaching out for me with a face full of fear and sorrow, getting further away.

~~~~~

                I’m cold and my body aches yet feels strangely heavy and light at the same time. I’ve never felt my eyelids so heavy, just wanting to continue sleeping forever.

                Orange scenery flickers through my mind; bodies scattered about, and Cloud jolts my mind back to reality. Eyes snap open to find myself floating in green liquid attached to wires and tubes. Beyond my container are people in white coats. Pounding on the glass, I gain their attention and they scatter about, freeing me.

                Then I learn the terrible truth of what happened: I’m the sole survivor of the Nibelheim incident.

[goddessofroyalty]

(1/?) Sephiroth Does Not Know how to flirt, at this rate, he is never getting a date with Cloud. And he didn't even kill his mom this time around! (oh, this could be Shinra's midwife stuff!) I love that the kids are about as arrogant and sure of themselves as Sephiroth was pre-Nibelheim. Yes, let's join the megacorp so powerful that only a literal Calamity from the Sky dwarfed it as the greatest threat to the planet, no biggie. Also, they noticing Uncle Zack first... they never knew but he is

(2/?) still family T.T... and then they make eye contact with Parental Unit 2 and All Thing Descent Into Hell. I feel Sephiroth would also freak, - with deepground being a thing can you blame him, oh god what if he finds out about deepground while trying to find out Where. The kids surely know - it's part of the family saga (and it isn't funny how they have SO MUCH SHIT on Shinra?). Now, that'd be interesting, maybe that's the closest he gets to going Dark Side in that timeline. And Hojo is

(3/?) around making everything worse, as always. When you mentioned Nibelheim I was like 'yeah!, visiting the grandmas (two of three!)' but then it occured to me that they have NEVER had to handle flesh-and-blood Jenova's mental powers, and that could be... bad. Also Dad Is Coming and Wants Answer, is Uncle Zack even there with him this time, what do we do, oh! let's set everything on fire! And aunt Aerith coming to pick them up and leaving a huge mess behind... nice. 

Does Sephiroth even realise he’s flirting? Or does he think he’s just having small talk with Cloud by telling him he knows exactly what their future children will look like?

I do very much think the triplets inherited Sephiroth’s arrogance. They feel themselves a tad untouchable. Probably because of how a lot of people treated them (considering clearly somehow related to Sephiroth + children of one of the heroes who saved the planet). So, yeah, they don’t see a problem with joining Shinra in the past - probably thinking that if shit does go bad they can just reveal some of the backroom shitfuckery that goes on there and bolt during the chaos that would result.

Sephiroth is... yeah... a bit thrown by the three and how much they look like him. Which is why he decides he has to figure out who they are and where they come from. Because the answer to that might be a big threat to Shinra/Sephiroth himself. And it doesn’t help that the three possibly keep leading him to different in-play conspiracies to keep him away from figuring out the truth about them. Just... every time they do he eventually realises that, yes, bad, but not their origin.

Yeah Jenova flesh and blood would be a new experience for them. And probably part of the reason they almost pre-emptively burn the place down. They can hear her and she seems to be making sense? But they know that’s a bad thing and dad is coming and will probably be more susceptible to her and okay they’re just gonna’ torch the place and hope she goes down with it.

Which ends with them looking very sheepish with a very confused Sephiroth AND Vincent on the burnt rubble of Shinra Mansion. And honestly they’re kind of glad Aerith shows up then because they don’t think they can dig themselves out of this one.

[strifescloud]

blame not death’s cruelty, but cease your own

2.3k words, genesis rhapsodos/sephiroth, T rating

“Sephiroth, I need your help. My body is continuing to degrade.”

Perhaps it is too much to ask a friend who Genesis had betrayed, abandoned, and now irreparably hurt - but it is his last hope, a prayer from one monstrosity to another for a damned salvation, two monsters wrought of Shinra’s hubris who were both more alone than they had ever been.

read on ao3

Genesis follows Sephiroth to Nibelheim - of course he does.

He knows what is stored there, Hojo’s prized secret, an ancient and ruinous monstrosity whose cells run rampant through the bodies of SOLDIERs. The ploy is obvious, though he knows not its goal, but it is not what Hojo seeks to awaken by placing Sephiroth within Hojo’s reach that interests him.

What interests him is simply Sephiroth himself, as it always has been.

He stares down from the iron beams of the reactor’s roof in silence, eyes fixed on the light that reflects off the back of silver hair. The sight is familiar, as is the fire it stokes in his heart, resentful and adoring in equal measure - always chasing after Sephiroth, left in the wake of the world’s perfect hero, desperately trying to grasp the sparks of his attention even as they slipped through his fingers. 

But the longer Genesis stares, he feels the gap between them widening, a yawning chasm that he cannot hope to cross.

Here was Shinra’s perfect monster, returning to the arms of his mother unharmed - the years had not withered him, had not stolen the strength from his limbs or the lustre of his hair and skin, had not forced misshapen growths through yielding skin in a haze of blood and pain and slick black feathers.

The bile rises in his throat at the rush of bitter anger but he swallows it down to fuel the fire burning in his chest, the sensation familiar by now like the embrace of an old friend - not that Genesis had many of those, these days.

His eyes hadn’t failed him even when his body had, and so he tracks the fine tremble of Sephiroth’s hands as he stares at the misshapen creatures, the discarded precursors to perfection. The facade that had been drilled into him was cracking, falling apart at the seams, the trembling questions Sephiroth throws at Angeal’s boy a swan song for Shinra’s flawless general.

He wishes fleetingly, though, that he had told Sephiroth he loved him just once, before he stopped being sure whether or not it was still true.

“Am I...a human being?” Sephiroth asks, voice pained, and Genesis smiles.  He needs Sephiroth’s cells more than anything, the only path he has left, and finally he can offer something Sephiroth desires just as much - answers.

“No such luck.” He calls out, a sweet poison dripping from his words, “You are a monster.”

The tremble of Sephiroth’s hand stills as he deflects the blast - good, Genesis thinks.

“Sephiroth,” Genesis begins, but Sephiroth still won’t turn to look at him, “you were the greatest monster created by the Jenova Project.” 

Face me, look at me - look at what they did to me.

“Genesis!” Zack calls out, face twisted and tumultuous “So you are alive.”

Am I?

“I suppose I am, if you can call this living.” He runs his hand down his face, highlighting the pallid cast to his skin, and feels it crack and flake beneath his worn gloves. His bones creak at the movement, the ever-present pain shooting through his muscles every time they shift.

He’s sick of it, sick of hurting, sick of the tremble in his limbs, the way he can barely hold his sword, the way it hurts to think through the fog that permeates his mind, and salvation stands right in front of him if he can just-

“What is the Jenova Project?” Sephiroth asks, Genesis focusing on the familiar voice as he slowly turns back to him. Sephiroth is facing him now - good, look at me, you can save me - brow furrowed but eyes as piercing as ever.

A fleeting memory strikes him, a flash of Angeal’s laughter and Genesis’s red gloves smoothing away the wrinkles in Sephiroth’s forehead - don’t look so dour at a press function, my dear, it’ll haunt you for weeks - and Genesis buries it beneath the way his chest aches as he takes a deep breath.

“The Jenova Project was the term used for all experiments relating to the use of Jenova’s cells.” Sephiroth turns away from him again, eyes downcast.

“My mother’s...cells?” The bewilderment on his face, in his voice, infuriates Genesis - how blissful such ignorance must be, to not know of the monstrosities that birthed you.

“Poor little Sephiroth,” he taunts, and some truth seeps into the words even though he intends them to hurt, “you’ve never actually met your mother. You’ve only been told her name, no?”

His muscles ache, and Genesis lowers himself to sit on the stairs, masking his weakness behind a cocky posture and bold words.

“I don’t know what images you’ve conjured up in your head, but…”

A shadow of delight unfurls in his bitter smile - let Sephiroth have his foundations crack under him, leave him flailing and alone in the dark like Genesis was, let them be equals at last.

“Genesis, no!” Zack yells, but Genesis pays him no mind.

“Jenova was excavated from a 2000 year old rock layer. She’s a monster.”

The shock painted across Sephiroth’s face is both familiar and unfamiliar - how unlike Sephiroth to be so shattered, but fear and anguish had been Genesis’s constant companion for so long.

We are the same, you and I, he thinks desperately, so please-

“Sephiroth, I need your help. My body is continuing to degrade.”

Perhaps it is too much to ask a friend who Genesis had betrayed, abandoned, and now irreparably hurt - but it is his last hope, a prayer from one monstrosity to another for a damned salvation, two monsters wrought of Shinra’s hubris who were both more alone than they had ever been.

“SOLDIER 1st Class Sephiroth!” He calls, a reminder, and Genesis watches the way Sephiroth’s back straightens up. The sight of it makes him waver for a moment, the fog taking hold of his mind once more, but he shakes it off as he continues, “Jenova Project G gave birth to Angeal and monsters like myself.”

Genesis smiles, stretching out his arms in a facsimile of his old theatrics, but the movement nearly makes him falter from the pain.

Weak, feeble, pathetic-

“Jenova Project S,” he continues, ignoring Zack’s quiet murmur, “used the remains of countless failed experiments to create a perfect monster.”

And how it burns that even in their bodies wrought of an ancient aberration, irreverent mockeries of the Goddess’ work, Sephiroth is ever-perfect, while Genesis withers in the shadows.

“What do you want of me?” Sephiroth’s voice is low, venomous, his face a portrait of heartbreak and loss that twists something in Genesis’s chest, some lingering spectre of sympathy that was buried beneath his anger.

“Your traits cannot be copied unto others. Your genes can’t be diffused. Therefore, your body cannot degrade.”

Sephiroth would never feel the slow crawl of death like Genesis does, like Angeal had - but pity the dying, fair one, not the dead.

“Share your cells with me.” A last prayer as he moves to stand alongside him, both of them equals in monstrosity at last, Genesis repeating well-worn words in some measure of comfort to both himself and Sephiroth, “My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the Goddess.”

Sephiroth’s glare burns through the dumbapple he holds out, cutting right through to Genesis’s decaying soul. His profile as he turns to gaze upon Jenova’s doors is achingly familiar, poised and proud, and Genesis feels his own fingers now begin to tremble.

Sephiroth, please.

Sephiroth’s shoulders set determinedly, jaw shifting, and Genesis wonders if he made a mistake.

“Whether your words are lies created to deceive me or the truth, that I have sought all my life...it makes no difference.”

Sephiroth reaches up, pushes the offered gift out of Genesis’s hand in disgust. The dumbapple hits the ground.

“You will rot.” Sephiroth says, and Genesis stops. The mako glow of Sephiroth’s eyes, this close, illuminates through the fog that settled over Genesis’s mind in a moment of sickening clarity.

You’re abandoning me. I’m dying, and you’re abandoning me.

I drove you away.

I love you, but it’s too late. What am I doing?

I hate you, I hate you so much, you’re just what Hojo wanted, an unfeeling monster-

Sephiroth turns without hesitation, away from Genesis, and leaves him behind.

“I see,” Genesis says to the empty room, to the Goddess, to himself, to his traitorous heart, “perfect monster, indeed.”

The familiar words of Loveless bring him no comfort. He will rot, but the world will feel the fury of his end - and let Sephiroth see him in Genesis’s final moments, and know he could have stopped the cold hand of decay.

He leaves the apple there, one of the last of its kind.

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

Genesis does not want to watch Nibelheim burn. The glow of the flames reaches his tiny hideout in the Nibel mountains, fire stretching across the sky, and he turns away.

He doesn’t have to look - he knows monsters, what Sephiroth can do. But curiosity draws him closer anyway, a perch far above the reactor, close enough to see - Shinra.

He thought he would find a triumphant Sephiroth, and yet all he sees are a swarm of scientists, and the sight of them makes him sick.

“Professor Hojo needs to know what happened to Sephiroth. Find out at once!” The tallest one says insistently, voice carrying to Genesis’s enhanced ears, and one of the more timid amongst them shuffles backwards slightly.

Hojo. Hojo is here.

“B-but the security footage - he fell into the reactor! Surely no one can-”

The reactor?

“Shut up!” The taller scientist barks, “We don’t leave until we have what Professor Hojo wants.”

No, no, no-

If he had not been degrading, Genesis’s tight grip would have shattered his sword’s grip in moments. But his feeble muscles can only summon a phantom of their old strength, and he simply flexes his fingers around the familiar shape. It’s not possible for Sephiroth to fall like this - before Genesis gets his chance to take the last life he values for himself. 

Genesis waits, and waits, until the scurrying of scientists slows, until the snowfall blankets their footprints, before he ventures down from his spot. The area around the reactor is quiet, the snow crunching softly beneath Genesis’s feet, and as he climbs the stairs slowly he finds that his legs still of their own accord.

He wants to see it for himself, so he pushes on.

The security footage isn’t hard to find - Hojo’s men are sloppy, incompetent, no doubt blanketed in the security of Hojo’s own hubris. Genesis is sure that Shinra will come clean all of this up before long, but for now he fast-forwards through the endless blank days, trying to find a glimpse of his rival - his friend.

And then he sees - he sees-

The grainy figure of Sephiroth reaching its arms out in reverence, in belonging-

The trooper’s furious grip on Angeal’s sword, he would never have turned that sword on Sephiroth, it was never meant to know his blood-

The way the trooper dangles in the air, suspended by the Masamune-

Sephiroth, falling, swallowed by the depths of the reactor-

Genesis’s grip on the security console tightens, metal buckling beneath his grip, and he thinks faintly oh, so I have some strength left in me after all.

Sephiroth is-

When you hate someone, does it burn this much to lose them?

Genesis straightens, turning his back on the screen, on the truth he doesn’t want to see. He walks measuredly out of the reactor, down the metal steps that clink with every footfall, and back out into the frigid snow.

Genesis laughs.

He laughs until he is howling, bent over and on his knees as he supports himself with one hand. He laughs until he is crying, tears he forgot how to shed streaming down his face until his laughter turns into choked sobs, the force of them against his chest pushing until he coughs violently, breath strained. Flecks of blood fall from his lips onto the snow, staining the perfect white, pinpricks of red amongst the monochrome as the frost blends in with the grey of his decaying body.

Sephiroth is gone, defeated by some nobody trooper whose name wouldn’t be remembered.

What a terribly tragic end for a hero - and for Genesis’s last hope at salvation.

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

The five years are not gentle - Genesis wonders, in fits of hazy irrationality, whether the snows of Modeoheim and Nibelheim had crept up through his limbs, regrets staining him with white.

But then the white is gone, the degradation healed, but Genesis is as lost as before - spurned by his Goddess for his sins, cast out from paradise, and so terribly, terribly alone.

Zack leans him against a chair, basking beneath the Banora sun, and Genesis turns his face into the warmth. The light glints off Angeal’s sword, that damned trooper who carries Sephiroth’s cells propped up behind him, and if Genesis closes his eyes he can pretend.

Pretend it’s Angeal’s broad shoulders that carry the buster sword, warm hands and an easy smile as he throws Genesis a dumbapple.

Pretend it’s Sephiroth that sits beside him, a smile that’s both stilted and genuine fixed upon his face, caught between his habits of decorum and the way Genesis’s arm slides around his shoulders, kissing him on the cheek, it wouldn’t kill you to relax, even for the great Hero of Wutai, the words lacking any real bite despite the spark of true bitterness Genesis had always held close to his heart.

A heart that aches now, to have loved and hated in equal measure, and to mourn the loss of it.

“Angeal, the dream came true.” He murmurs, even if it’s a lie.

He’d shattered his dream with his own hands, broken beyond repair.

[zaxxusu]

Character Sheet (Answered by Zack!)

Mun’s Note: Filling a character sheet or even writing a character meta is not my thing. So I cudgel one's brains to keep filling what I’m tagged with... by interviewing my muse [laughs]. FYI, I roleplay him mostly as a spirit from Lifestream. Here we go! 

BASICS.

full name.   Zack Fair pronunciation.  Zek Fe-Ir nickname.  You aren’t Angeal so don’t call me Puppy! Would you say I became a Hero? gender.  male height.  185 cm age.   I thought I was still 18 but the reality is... I'm now 23 zodiac.   I should ask Square Enix my Mom first when my birthday is!  (//mun goes with Libra) spoken languages.  You can talk to me? Nah, guess Gaia have international language for Earth haha.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

hair color.   Jet black eye color.    The color of the sky! skin tone.    FAIR! Haha, kidding, it’s Light to medium. Guess I burned my skin a lot when I was kids; can’t just stay at home most times! And it’s gettin’ darker due to SOLDIER missions body type.    muscular, build accent.  idk, man voice.   upbeat dominant hand.  righty posture.  no backbone is bent here scars.   I was a SOLDIER, so I have some here and there behind my clothes due to fight. tattoos.   none birthmarks.  none, even if I had, I wouldn’t tell you most noticeable feature(s).   x-scar on my face, my stylish spike hair, buster sword

CHILDHOOD.

place of birth.  Me? Gongaga! hometown.    Gongaga Village birth weight.   how could I know that? ask my mom. birth height.  same as above manner of birth.   what is it? first words.   again, ask my parents for this siblings.  Sadly, I have none. It must be nice to have siblings! Maybe I should adopt Cloud as my ‘lil bro haha. parents.  it’s silly, I never ask their name, but my family name is Fair parental involvement. They raised me in good way. They’re harmonious. And you know what? They have no shame to show how romantic they are in front of their kid haha. Idk if it involved me, sort of... whaddaya think?

ADULT LIFE.

occupation.  Ex-SOLDIER current residence.  Is Lifestream counted? close friends.  Kunsel, Cissnei, Tseng; I think that’s all. Haha, kidding, Cloud too! Well, I also used to be close with Sephiroth since Angeal passed away, but that was before he completely lost his mind. I also sometimes hanged out with Luxiere since I was promoted, but he... ah, that’s what you call bootlicker. Essai and Sebastian were also my close friend, but they returned to Lifestream long before me, I missed ‘em. relationship status.   it’s complicated, Man. Last thing I know, my girlfriend broke me up through her 89th letter and I never had a chance to explain it ‘cause I never did what she might think I did. Unexpectedly we’re now reunited in Lifestream, so.... is it happy end or not? But if I could, I wouldn’t let her go. No way! financial status.  Well, Turks are paid better and Shin-Ra have sealed my bank account where I did saving, so ... you can see it. driver’s license.  You don’t know that I even could fly a helicopter. criminal record. Nah, I don’t wanna call myself a criminal, but Shin-Ra really made me a wanted man vices. Well, I admit I’m impulsive, but following your heart isn’t that bad, right? I commit not to be as reckless as I used to be.

SEX & ROMANCE.

sexual orientation.  straight! love women! romantic orientation.  straight too! preferred emotional role.   submissive  |  dominant  |  switch   preferred sexual role.  submissive  |  dominant | switch libido. Mhmm..., give me any porn magazine or video, and yeah, I think I’m horny then. turn on’s.  Pretty much anything except the things below. turn off’s.  clingy, over-sensitive/sentimental, and possessive. love language.   Not sure, I enjoy my time with Aerith whatever silliness we did haha (even if it was just me sitting on the bench to see her tending), I also feel her love when she embraced me (or maybe that she’s just being there when I was in my lowest point)... but one single letter also could easily broke me up! relationship tendencies.  Right after everything is so click, I’ll go with the deep. No postpone and wait!

MISCELLANEOUS.

character’s theme song.  I think “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi and “YOLO” by Smash Into Pieces are  very me, haha! (//mun goes with Last Order and The Price of Freedom from the OST) hobbies to pass time.   I used to do squat... not sure right now since time doesn’t exist here. Scarin’ naughty kids seems a good idea! mental illnesses.   none physical illnesses.   Mhmm.... okay, I was totally wounded so badly that it finally stopped my body functions left or right-brained.  Math isn’t my thing so I guess it’s right? fears.  Tbh, I’d never think or feel about it--not good to discover it until... the 9 months on the run was really a nightmare I never felt before

My biggest fear is perhaps loosing a freedom... well, when I was being a lab rat, I was mostly unconscious to be able to feel it but... NO! Don’t make me imagine if I was captured and return there ‘cause I knew there’s no guarantee. I'D RATHER DIE TO FIGHT FOR MY FREEDOM. Ssstt... maybe that was also a kind of reason why I left home... I mean, my mom didn’t want me to join SOLDIER and it’s against my freedom.

I also hate being alone or feeling lonely so maybe I’m afraid of being abandoned by the whole world. I’m glad I knew Kunsel didn’t abandon me through what I read on mails, Cissnei also helped me too. Those made me still able to cope with, not a total loneliness... and Cloud (whatever his state) is with me, I would never abandon him too. But..., the final letter Aerith sent to me was another nightmare. I’d never did what I’m afraid the most to my one and only love--I tried to fulfill my promise, heck I never knew I had been stuck for 4 years; but I feel Iike she did it to me, crushin’ my hope. Can’t blame her but still....dammit!

self-confidence level.  Are you askin’ me? When was I ever not being confident? vulnerabilities. Whatever it is, I never wanna show you that.

Tagged by: @brawlfists (//you can see Zerith here!) Tagging: @gaeaheal @finalhxaven​ @finalheavn​ @fatescourge @blackcowledbat @penjarah @illecebrcus​ @unforestalledreturn​ @coscuvilheiro​ @brokeniisms​ @elaceto​ @holywhitemateria​ @hatredheld​ And anyone who didn’t do this yet. No force, it’s a freedom!

[albedosoyna]

46! Let's get a sneak peek at Soy's fic workshop! ^^

Well, here is a chapter of unpublished story.  This is FFVII

Tease:  RevivalConversations

Fandom:  FFVIICharacters:  Reno, Rod, Cloud (and mentions of others)Rating:  M  Content:  Unrequented love.Pairing:  Onsided Reno and Cloud.—-

Rod was nervously tapping his hands against the steeringwheel of the car and staring out the windshield, and not being a very good lookout.   Reno jumped in the air-conditionedcar and hit Rod in the side with his EMR.

“The fuck ya doin’? Quit lookin’ at the babes!   Yaare supposed ta be watchin’ my back when I did the drop.”  Reno poked Rod again as he tossed thebriefcase in the back seat.  Rod yelpedand he gripped his side.

“I’m not looking at chicks!” Rod quickly defended.  “I’m looking at that nice bike overthere.  I was contemplating taking it fora ride.���

Reno rolled his eyes as he adjusted the package in theback seat.  Rod was known for hisinfatuation with motorbikes.  It was howhe got into Shin-Ra, and he still had issues with going for joyrides on bikesthat caused him to drool.  Reno got thepleasure of knocking some sense into Rod before Tseng asked him to join up.

“It’s so sweet,” Rod crooned and chewed his lip, “Allthat black and gold.  I bet it has anitro switch.  The engine on that issurely custom and it can drive backwards as fast as it can drive forwards.  Oh man, look at the curves on that bumper.”  Rod made a groan that made Reno slap theyounger man in the back of the head.

“You own twenty bikes already, ya moron,” Reno said as hecrawled into the front seat and looked to where Rod was looking.  The bike was really familiar, even at thisdistance.  It was sitting in front of abookstore, and he could see the back end of it. It looked highly customized from what he could see.  It probably belonged to some rich kid thathad too much time on his hands.

“Can never have enough bikes, man,” Rod exclaimed.  “Can you go talk to the guy and convince himto let me ride it so I don’t have to borrowit?”

“Quit being a moron. Why would ya think that I can talk to him and convince him to let youride it, yo?” Reno said as he sank into his seat.  He was enjoying the feel of the airconditioning on his hot skin.  There weredays that he wished that he didn’t have to wear the suit, especially in themiddle of a heat wave.

“Well, it’s that Strife dude’s bike, right?  You know him from way back, right?  So you can talk to him and convince him tolet me drive it around the block a couple times.”  Rod hands were wringing the steering wheeland he was leaning forward in the driver’s seat.  “Dude, I bet that ride goes real fast.”

~Cloud~

Focusing on the bike, he saw Cloud walking out of abuilding with a clipboard in his hand. The red head’s heart skipped a few beats at the sight of the blondman.  Swallowing hard and leaning forwardhe examined how wonderful he looked as he absently leaned against his bike.

He had not seen Cloud since that day on the bridge whenhe had zoomed past him on that high-tech bike that the blond was now leaningagainst.  He looked great.  Cloud was wearing his usual bike gear; looseleather pants and belts, his sweater vest that was unzipped and showed hischest and bare arms, a pair of sunglasses pushed up into his soft-looking blondspikes.  Those amazing bright blue eyeswere focused on the paper that was in his hand. Reno could hardly breathe as he watched him stretch, stuff the clipboardin a compartment on the back of the bike and gracefully straddle themachine.  His graceful, lean body twistedand reached forward toward the handles. The leather pants stretched with him, and it showed Reno a well-defined bottomthat was the definition of perfection. He continued to watch as Cloud moved back on the seat before pulling hisphone out of his pocket.  He talked towhoever was on the other end and smiled.

Reno missed that damn beautiful smile.  It was gorgeous and made him miss Cloud allthe more.  The blond ran his gloved handthrough his hair and looked at the sky for a moment as he continued to talk onthe phone.  The redhead wondered what hewas saying and who he was talking to.  Itwas nice to see him looking relaxed as he leaned back on the motorcycle as ifhe was a model posing for a biker magazine.

Cloud was never one to realize how he looked to otherpeople.   He was oblivious as always tothe looks from the women who walked by him, nearly causing one to walk into apole when he stretched his back and continued to talk into the phone.  There were even a few guys who were givinghim appreciative looks.  He was a hero,through and through, like how Reno knew that he was going to become, even wayback then.  

The blond led the group that saved the world; he was areluctant hero, but still a hero.  Renolet out a sigh as the blond tilted his head as the clipboard appeared in hishand again and he began writing things down. There was still a wonderful smile upon his face.

“Hello!”  Fingerssnapped in front of his face, forcing him to focus back on the person that wasin the car with him.  He frowned andpushed at Rod.

“What the fuck is that about, yo?” Reno snapped.

“You went into la-la land, dude,” Rod said with achuckle.  “What?  Do you have the hots for him or something?”

Reno glared at him. “Shut up, ya dork.”  He lookedback over to Cloud, who was taking a new position on his bike as he was puttinghis sunglasses over his eyes.

Cloud was leaning over, checking something inside in oneof the compartments.   There was nothingwrong with that pose at all.  The blond’sshirt pulled up slightly, and a slip of his skin could be seen as well as the pullof his lean and strong muscle that was normally hidden from view as the shirttightened.

“You have it bad, man.”

Glaring at Rod, he thought about sparking the EMR intohis side.  Rod was really pissing himoff, and it would be worth a couple of night shifts, but he didn’t want to blowthe car’s starter.  “Drop it, dweeb.”

“Sure, whatever,” Rod said with a chuckle as he leanedback in the seat.  “So, did the job gowell?”

Reno nodded.  “Yawould’ve known if ya had been payin’ attention like ya were supposed to.  Were ya even listenin’ to me, rookie?”

“I’m not a rookie anymore, Reno.”  Rod ran his hands through his hair and laidhis head against the back of the seat. “I know what I’m doing, dude. Those guys were bit players, and they weren’t going to cause you anyproblems.  You knew that.  You didn’t need to bring me along to beginwith.”

Reno wanted to do this job alone, but he wasn’t given achoice of the matter, being still on light duty and all.  Tseng didn’t want him to be without a partnerof any sort on any mission — low risk or not — until the boss-man decided thathe was cleared for duty.  He wasn’tcertain what that meant and when he asked the old stick-in-the-mud Wutaian hadsaid it meant what it meant.

Normally, he would be on duty with Rude, but he wasn’t onany mission that was far from Costa Del Sol at the moment, as Cissnei was aboutto pop any day now.  He hoped that thekid would hurry up and crawl out of her already.  She was super bitchy about how swollen herbelly, ankles, wrists were, and complained about the heat in the house — evenwith the air-conditioning on full blast.  Also, there was the matter of her clothing and food choices; oversizedgrey sweatpants, and noodles mixed with pickles would be things that he couldwish he could forget.

Having a screaming baby around the house was not his ideaof a wonderful situation, but it would be better than dealing with a whiny,grumpy Turk that had access to a gun, who also knew how to use martial arts andthrow a knife.

“Yeah, yeah.  Easyas pie, yo, but ya should still do your job, dipstick.”  Reno looked over to see Cloud stretching andwalking away from his bike and heading toward a restaurant with one hand hookedin a pocket and the other hand swinging lazily at his side.

The name of the pub that Cloud disappeared into wascalled, ‘Goblin’s Shadow’.  Reno’s mindwas a swirl of thoughts of the past.  Allhis happy moments that they had together were mixed with the grief of havingTseng tell him that they had both died on the mission back to Nibelheim.  The brief moment of hope quickly disappearedwhen he heard they were alive and tried to find them, to find the remains ofZack on a cliff’s edge.   At that moment,he had been more concerned about the asshole that had stolen Zack’s sword.

He didn’t expect to see Cloud at the church, talking tothe flower girl in the slums.  He waseven more stunned to see him holding Zack’s sword as he defended her.

Cloud was different than when he last saw him, but it wasstill him.  He stood strong and in afighting stance with Zack’s sword drawn to protect the woman behind him.  When Reno asked the question if he knew hewas, trying to be confident as he bounced the EMR on his shoulder.  He didn’t expect the harsh answer to rip hisheart out.  It hurt like hell.  The lack of recognition in his former lover’sbright SOLDIER-like eyes and the coldness in his tone that made him feel likehe had lost the people he loved all over again.

It was pain that he had to push back and lock away so hecould continue on and do his job.  He hadto get Aerith and bring her back to the fold of Shin-Ra.  There was also a slim hope that he couldbring back Cloud and make him remember who he was and … what they had oncebeen.

Things did not turn out like they had planned throughoutthe whole adventure.

He was over-thinking of a way to talk to Cloud, and woundup drowning his sorrows in booze and bad company.  Having tried to show Cloud he wasn’t that badof a guy in Wutai, and let him walk when they were in the bar.  He knew he was acting like a jerk to them allas they rescued Elena and Yuffie from the clutches of the Don.  Sake and sorrow did not mix well and hardlyset him in a good light in this version of Cloud.

There was a small moment between them when he could havesworn that Cloud gave him a look, and almost a smile, but it was brief and toolittle for anything else to happen.  Itwas disappointing when the reluctant hero went on his own way, back on hisquest to save the world, and Reno had to go back on his, which was to stopthem.   He was Reno the Turk, and he hadto move on and do his job.

Now, he was sober and everything was different than backthen.  There was a slim chance that hecould be something more again; it was slim because the blond still didn’tremember him.  If he had a chance, hewould show Cloud that he was more than a jackass Turk, and that he could be theman that he was when they were together … when they were happy together.  They could talk about things that didn’tinvolve saving the world, swords, guns, or explosions, but maybe on how theyboth had moved forward.  He also wonderedwhy the hell Cloud was a delivery boy and not taking up Reeve on the job offersthat were constantly thrown at him.

For once, he was going to take Rude’s advice and try totalk to him.  Cloud didn’t need to joinShin-Ra or the WRO for them to talk to each other, or hopefully have arelationship.

It would not be the same as it was before, and he shouldnot expect that and had to put that aside The silly councillor had told him that as well as pretty much everyoneelse that he had talked too.   Rude evenmade him admit that his counselor who was helping him at one point.  It had helped to have someone that wasn’tgoing to judge him when he talked about something.

~They could startover~

It was risky and there was a pretty big chance that Cloudmay never remember that part of his life, as it may have been so far repressedto keep himself from going mad and losing his mind.  But it was a chance Reno was willing to take… for a chance to have a bit of happiness that he had before.

Reno straightened his jacket and took a quick look in thevisor mirror to make sure that he was presentable.  Cissnei was in her nesting phase and wasfuriously ironing everything in the house, and that included all his shirts,suits and socks.

He had never looked better as a Turk since she starteddoing his laundry.  The meeting he hadjust finished hadn’t wilted him and he figured that it was like a sign thatthis was the day that his life was going to change.

Hopefully.

“I’m gonna go talk ta Cloud,” Reno said abruptly as heworked on the cuffs of his jacket.  Hefrantically tried to think about what he was going to say to him.  How was he going to approach him?  How was he going to break the ice?

“Really!?”  Rodsaid and bounced in his seat.  “Do youthink he would let me ride his bike?”

Reno glared at him. “He’s not gonna let ya touch his bike, jerk wad.  Take the briefcase back to Tseng.  I’ll take a ferry back to Costa bymyself.  I got some other things to talkto Cloud ‘bout, yo.”

“What?”  Rod had adisappointed look on his face and frowned. “No way.  I’m not supposed toleave you alone, dude.”

“I’m a grown man, yo. I can go talk to Cloud without a babysitter,” Reno said as he opened thedoor, and Rod reached over to grab his arm. “Fuck, Rod.  I’m not gonna doanythin’ stupid.”

“Tseng will have my ass,” Rod whined.  “This is your transfer.  I’m just supposed to be the driver.”

Reno leaned back in the seat.  “This is somethin’ that I’ve been puttin’ offfor a long time, yo.  Take the caseback.  Cloud’ll most likely kick my assoutta there in no time, so I’ll meet ya there if that’s the case.”

Rod looked unsure; Reno was certain that there were amillion ideas rushing around in his head. “Ya won’t be blamed for anythin’. Just finish the job.  This issomethin’ I gotta do, yo.”

“If I get shit from either Rude or Tseng for leaving you,you’re going to owe me, dude,” Rod said as he rubbed his hands together.  “Big time. Rude threw me in the ocean last time I pissed him off, and I didn’t meanto break his sunglasses.  Tseng just canmake my life miserable.”

“It’ll be fine,” Reno said as he stepped out of the car,closed the door with a firm thump and started to walk towards the pub thatCloud walked into.

His heart was beating frantically, his mouth dry, hisstomach knotted up, and he felt like he had a fever, but this was his chanceand he had to take it.  He had to forcesome calming breaths so that he wouldn’t make a total fool of himself.  It was a make-or-break moment and he reallyhad no idea how he was going to approach him.

Standing before the entrance to the bar, he pulled outhis phone and looked at an old picture that he cherished.  It was one where Cloud was sitting betweenhimself and Zack in the mess hall.  Itwas before they had all been together. Cloud had just put them all in their place, and Cloud’s friend —John—had just taken the picture of them.  Hehad to confiscate the phone to get a copy of it, and he made sure he had backupcopies so that it would never be lost.

~couldn’t bearlosing all those pictures~

It was one of his favorites.

Taking a cleansing, deep breath he put his phone back inhis pocket, and put his hands and walked into the bar.

[emeraldwaves]

Title: Silent Screams Rating: M Word Count:  1,695 Read on AO3 Summary:   When Cloud is lost in a white haze, it's Zack's voice that keeps him connected to reality.

Full fic under the the cut!! @youaremynewdream read this ahead of time and it’s based on the prompt  "Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always."

So many things are hazy. The world is coated in white smoke and bright lights, his body heavy and aching. The pain is hot and throbbing, coursing through his blood. If he could move his hands, he'd want to scratch his nails down his arms and rip his skin off; peel it away piece by piece, if only to get relief from this pressure. This poison will surely kill him; it's too much for his body.

He's always known he wouldn't make it. His body isn't compatible. He's bound to die. He wants to. At least it would make him lighter, euphoric when the heat and throbbing pain is gone.

But no, somehow he is alive, hanging by some sound in the far distance.

"I got you..."

The sound is a voice. It's one he is so familiar with, one he's heard in so many different ways. It's in the distance of the white haze.

"...-ght Cloud?"

It fades in and out, like a distant memory, hidden in the deepest recess of his mind.

"Cloud!"

Who... why is it impossible to place? It makes him feel so warm, so comfortable, like a blanket of words wrapping around his skin, fighting off the angry heat.

"I got you buddy. I promise."

 Zack.

Cloud wants to scream his name, is desperate to. He wants to cut through the haze with his voice and tell Zack to escape on his own. However, the words get lost in his throat; they can't break through the invisible barrier blocking his throat. He can hear Zack so clearly, the only ounce of clarity he has in his white world of pain.

Nothing is clear but Zack.

But why? And why is Zack here? Or a better question is perhaps why is Cloud with Zack? He needs to run if he's capable. There's no reason for Zack to take Cloud with him. Knowing Zack it's probably because he feels the need to be a hero, embarrassing idiot. He's already Cloud's hero without having to rescue him. He still wishes he could be as cool as Zack, not that he ever will be; he'll never escape this lifeless state.

A hand is on his shoulder. "Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always."

No. Cloud thinks, and through his white haze he sees Zack's bright blue eyes and spiky dark hair. Why?

He's useless. Utterly useless. Always has been, always will be. He couldn't even rescue Tifa. No, Cloud is incapable of doing anything remotely useful, so there's no reason for Zack to save him.

But he still does. He's Zack, and being a hero is what he does best.

There are times when Cloud is directly pressed against Zack's back. He's carrying him. He can smell his musky scent, hear the way his boots drag heavily against the ground. Everything around him is so Zack, Cloud can't deny the obvious. He wants to beg Zack to put him down and run. Run away.

"Hey..." Cloud hears Zack's voice, can make out his face among the darker backdrop. Everything still looks so white, but he can see the smile on Zack's pale face. His eyes shimmer with loneliness, and Cloud wants to reach his hand out and touch Zack somewhere, anywhere, just so he knows Cloud is with him and he knows he's not alone.

"...Do you remember when we first met? I know, I know, you can't answer me..."

 I want to!

"...and who knows if you can even hear me when you're like this."

 I can hear you!

Zack laughs and the sound is heavenly, so soothing for the pain collecting in his veins. "I probably should stop talking to you, you probably want rest-"

 Please, don't stop. Never stop.

Zack's voice is the only thing keeping him alive.

"But I also am kind of tired right now, and I don't want to fall asleep so I'm going to talk to you. Anyway, the first time we met... man, that mountain was damn cold wasn't it?" Zack laughs again, running his fingers through his messy black hair. "But we handled ourselves better than all of them, us country boys! Do you remember?"

Cloud does, but he has a confession, one he doesn't know how to make. He met Zack a few times before, once in the hallways at Shinra... another time when Zack gave a motivational speech to his squad. He'd seen him around plenty of times, but it wasn't until that particular mission they'd actually talked.

"Kinda silly, but I always thought you were cute, even back then. You looked so beautiful... your blond hair so bright against the white snow."

Cloud wishes he could push him for being so damn embarrassing.

Zack starts talking to him every night, or what Cloud perceives to be every night. It's a little darker when he talks more intimately like this, though the white is constantly threatening to take over his vision. Cloud fights it; fights it to hear Zack's voice.

"You know, I wanted to take you on a date somewhere cool, but you always got so sick whenever you had to travel on moving vehicles, so I didn't want to risk it."

 You should've, I would've survived.

He laughs sadly. "You always looked so miserable. And I wanted you to enjoy our private dates. Hell, I'm probably making you sicker, driving you around like this."

Cloud does wonder where exactly they're going. It's impossible for him to see, but he trusts Zack, relies on him. He won't let anything happen to them.

"You know sometimes when we're just sitting here, me and you, I wanna kiss ya! But then I think that'd probably be weird."

 Do it.

"I mean... I know it's nothing we haven't done before, but with you barely being conscious it feels, uh, a little awkward..."

 No, do it, please!

Cloud remembers his first kiss with Zack. Together, they had hid down a corridor in the hallways of Shinra. He recalls how rough his hands were, but they were so gentle when they pulled Cloud's cheeks forward, slotting their lips together perfectly. Cloud had kept his eyes open for a moment before realizing they probably should be shut. Zack's lips had caressed his own, and he hadn't meant to let Zack do all the work, but he had been mesmerized by it.

"But then again who knows! Maybe true love’s kiss will break you from this spell!" He laughs so loud at that, his smile pulling across his cheeks. Cloud almost believes his smile will be enough to clear the fog away.

"I do, y'know," he shrugs. "Love you, I mean. I don't know if I ever told you."

He hasn't, but Cloud knows. He knows from the way Zack moves inside of him, and keeps his blue eyes locked on Cloud's when they kiss and make love. Zack is gentle and loving, a tease too sometimes; he loves pulling beautiful sounds from Cloud's lips. He's so kind and generous, how could Cloud not know.

 I love you too...

And this is how it goes; Zack speaks and Cloud attempts to think as loud as he can, in hopes that Zack might hear him...

The truck rumbles, and he can see Zack's face, but he's having a difficult time hearing his voice. Why? Why can he only hear the sounds of the truck as it rolls over the dirt? There are shouts when the truck comes to a screeching halt, and though Cloud can still only see a vast whiteness, he can sense something is wrong.

Zack's back is the last thing he sees after everything stops moving. His back is rest against something hard, and he sees Zack running away. He tries to scream because he knows; there is no way Zack will come back alive.

Finally, he raises his hand, reaching, hoping to grasp at any part of Zack to stop him, but Zack's already turned around. Far away. He's gone.

The color starts to return to Cloud's world when he hears the massive amount of gunshots. The sky opens up to cry, and he actually feels the water on his skin. His limbs are heavy, his legs incapable of moving.

 Zack!

He has to see him, he has to.

He pulls his body towards Zack's bleeding form. The red is so bright, soaking into the ground, mingling with the water flowing onto the ground. Of course he can see colors so clearly now, a cruel miracle.

"Zack..." he grunts, his voice hoarse and quiet. He glances down at Zack's face, watching his chest rise and fall sporadically with his labored breathing. Water soaks his hair, droplets falling onto Zack's chest, spreading the blood across his shirt.

"Cloud..." he breathes, his hand rising to cup his cheek. He wants to tell him to save his strength, but Cloud can see the bullet wounds. There are far too many.

He's dying.

 "Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always."

So much for 'always'... There are so many things he has to say! Zack can't die yet, not like this. He wants to know his story, how he got them this far. He has to thank him for rescuing him! He has to tell him he loves him too...

"You have to live... for both of us."

But how? He tries to listen to every world Zack says, absorb every word his voice speaks; the voice which kept him alive.

"I..." He hates how much his voice hurts, as though he hasn't spoken in decades. He's never been great with words though, so maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

"My honor... my dreams..." He holds out the handle of his sword, Angeal's sword. Cloud knows all about it, Zack's most treasured item.

He can't let him down. Not now. Not after everything Zack has done for him.

Wrapping his hands around the handle of the heavy sword, Cloud bites his lip with determination. He will live. He will. After all Zack's done, how could he not? He has to live for both of them.

"I'm your... living legacy."

Zack's breath stops silently. His world goes white once again.

And Cloud screams.

[leonawriter]

In attempting to figure out if there was a way of getting a version of the LOVELESS book cover out onto say, a redbubble item (I was disappointed to find that no one had done this already. Why. Give me my LOVELESS notebook. I probably wouldn’t use a pink phone case, though...) I found out some other interesting things.

For one thing, one forum thread had compiled all the speculation and interpretation of each act and WHY WAS THIS NOT READILY AVAILABLE BEFORE. SERIOUSLY, WHY. I’ll include it under a cut.

Also, though, I was reminded of the fact that Zack is in Genesis’ fan clubs, and at one point the Study Club puts together an entire work based on Genesis’ theories on Act V, and they say everyone has to purchase a copy if you’re part of the fan club. And I hadn’t put together until someone mentioned it that this means Zack was strong-armed into buying a book with all Genesis’ fanboy musings on his special interest in.

I don’t know whether that’s sad or darkly hilarious, or both. Probably both. Especially since this happens between chapter 5 (the first email is sent around when Zack’s in the marketplace with Aerith) and chapter 6, while Zack is still in Midgar, and still able to talk and interact with people there.

So, I also now have a mental image of Zack lying back and trying to read this thing, not so much because he likes it or anything, but because he wants to figure out what’s going on in Genesis’ head. The guy was Sephiroth’s friend, right? He was a SOLDIER, and Angeal’s friend, too. And there are times Zack probably thinks ‘could he be reasoned with? Is there something I could say to make him listen? At X time, he almost looked like he might.”

But of course reading the book probably just makes Zack frustrated, because for one thing he can’t focus and for another thing it feels almost like he’s prying, reading something private, or like he’s reading the guy’s diary after he’s dead, even though he isn’t, because to everyone he’s turned against it feels like that sometimes.

But mostly he just can’t focus. 

LOVELESS ( INTERPRETED )

Loveless - Prologue

When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end The goddess descends from the sky

Wings of light and dark spread afar She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting

Loveless - Act I

The Infinite mystery The gift of the goddess is what the three men seek But their fates are scattered by war

One becomes a hero, one wanders the land And the last is taken prisoner

But the three are still bound by a solemn oath To seek the answer together, once again

Loveless - Act II

Though the prisoner escapes, he is gravely wounded His life is saved, however By a woman of the opposing nation

He begins a life of seclusion with her Which seems to hold the promise of eternal bliss

But as happiness grows, so does guilt Of not fulfilling the oath to his friends

Loveless - Act III

As the war sends the world hurling towards destruction The prisoner departs with his newfound love And embarks on a new journey

He is guided by hope that the gift will bring bliss And the oath that he swore to his friends

Though no oath is shared between the lovers In their hearts they know they will meet again

(I thought it was a reddit thing but it’s a gamefaq’s thing. I found it here.)

[ducitestella]

● – || @tragidies sent: “I’m trying to avoid talking because I know what it’ll lead to, and I don’t want that to come.” // cloud @ zack :)

● – || Zack couldn't help the little smirk that tugged it's way onto his lips . Leave it to Cloud to not want to talk . The man of few words wanting to avoid conversations didn't really strike him as much of a surprise .

" Maybe it'll lead to something great ? Did you ever think of that ? "

He asked gently . It felt like Cloud was shutting down the conversation before it ever began . The problem with doing that , was he didn't know where the conversation would end up . They could end up laughing on that couch , smiling well into the night . They [ [ c o u l d ] ] end up talking about everything until three in the morning , while the world shifted around them .

. . . Or they could walk away where nothing happened at all .

" What are you afraid will happen by talking ? Sometimes you have to talk . People can't read minds , as much as they pretend to . "

He shifted in his seat on the couch so that he could properly look at Cloud , draping his right arm over the back of the couch so that he could fully give Cloud his attention .

" Whatever happens by talking , I'm not going anywhere . I'm always going to be here , right by your side . " He smiled , reaching over with his left hand to curl his index finger under Cloud's chin . He turned his head so their eyes met , his expression softening to one of endearment and admiration .

" I'll take that to the grave . So talk to him ,or show me what you're feeling if you don't want to talk . I've heard actions speak louder than words . "

[shanedakotamuir]

How Watchmen’s giant squid attack changes everything

Looking Glass in Watchmen | HBO

Watchmen’s fifth episode is about gods, monsters, and a psychic squid.

The fifth episode of Watchmen takes us back to the ’80s — the age of hairspray, leather jackets, Howard Jones’s hit “Things Can Only Get Better,” the Cold War, and, in this universe, a psychic squid attack.

The 1980s-era of the Watchmen world is seen through the eyes of Looking Glass, the stalwart police officer with a mirrorball face and the uncanny ability to tell when people are lying. We meet him as a teen trying to promote the good word of Doomsday, how the end is near, and how God has pandas in heaven. To Looking Glass’s chagrin, the apparent apocalypse comes sooner rather than later, and he plays witness to mass death, destruction, and disorder in the form of a genocidal squid storming his local fair.

Though the squid attack is indeed bizarre (director Zack Snyder nixed the cephalopod assault from his 2009 cinematic adaptation, for example), it’s part of the most important question in writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons’s graphic novel: Who holds accountable the most powerful people, and what decisions will they make when they’re left unchecked?

Looking Glass finds out the answers to these questions first-hand. He watches a recording of the space-bound billionaire Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, a.k.a. the villain of the Watchmen graphic novel, who explains that the squid was a fake attack for the better of the nation. Veidt claims responsibility for the scarring event, and Looking Glass learns that Americans are just statistics and disposable figures to the very powerful, including Veidt and the government. And through his revelation, the viewer learns that the ultra-violent squid attack in Watchmen, like everything in Watchmen, means so much more than what it originally seems.

The squid attack is about theology, morality, and choosing between one evil or another

The Watchmen graphic novel encompasses a variety of strange elements, ranging from an omnipotent blue man who prefers to be naked all the time to the power politics at play in the United States and Great Britain in the 1980s (which we’ve come to associate with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher). But the most challenging bit comes at the end of the novel, forcing us to examine our own ideas about morality and humanity — and that would be the squid attack.

Gibbons/DC

Watchmen

In the final chapter of the comic, Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, unleashes a colossal alien squid upon New York City. He sees it as the only way to keep the world’s superpowers from killing each other in a nuclear war. Ozymandias’s plan wasn’t without its supporters, either. Moore writes the story in a way that gives Ozymandias intellectual authority, and as such, other heroes (like Doctor Manhattan) go along with him.

The squid, with a brain cloned from a human psychic, releases a shockwave that instantly kills millions. Those who survive the shockwave go mad and are driven to violence by the sensory overload. In the novel, World War III: Nuclear Party Time is inevitable, and Ozymandias’s plan works. Countries around the world, including Russia, see the terror in New York City and offer support to the United States, burying any simmering political hostilities until the horrors are stopped.

Gibbons/DC

Ozymandias celebrating his plan in Watchmen

With the plan and the people executed — and the story’s heroes unable to undo what Ozymandias has wrought — everyone who had learned about the plan beforehand is faced with a moral dilemma: Tell people about the mass murder Ozymandias committed and inevitably trigger nuclear war, or remain quiet about the fact that the genocide was man-made. Only Rorschach, the most obstinate of the heroes, doesn’t go along with the cover-up.

Though Rorschach sticking to his morals is noble — lying to people about millions of deaths is unconscionable — the situation is positioned in such a way that if he spills the truth, it will inevitably wreck the fragile peace Ozymandias achieved. In order to prevent that from happening, Doctor Manhattan obliterates Rorschach in the name of the greater good.

The result is two unappealing choices for who is right: the unapologetic, objectivist moralist who risks armageddon based on what he believes to be “good,” or the clinical amorality of a genius utilitarian who kills millions of people to achieve harmony. There’s no simple nor tidy answer, especially with the stakes heightened to the point where Rorschach’s noble deed seems detrimental and Ozymandias’s “saving” the world seems moot. And perhaps the greatest lesson here is not that these are the only two choices, but rather that people should be wary of relinquishing personal responsibility to those in power.

HBO’s Watchmen asks how the squid attack preserves the status quo of government power

At the end of the comic, world peace has been restored. But The New Frontiersman newspaper (which has been referenced in the HBO adaptation) obtains Rorschach’s journal, and it’s implied it will publish Rorschach’s thoughts and observations of his investigation into Ozymandias’s scheme. What we don’t see fleshed out in the original graphic novel is the aftermath of how the attack changes the lives of everyday people, the ones who aren’t privy to the knowledge that the attack perpetrated on them was a hoax.

HBO’s adaptation examines, through Looking Glass’s story, at least one perspective of that. Unlike the heroes in the graphic novel, Looking Glass witnesses the attack firsthand in Hoboken. It shakes him to his core, and today he lives with a type of PTSD and fears the potential for another attack, hence the emergency alarm system and drills in which he’s invested. For Looking Glass, each day is spent revisiting the attack and dreading that it may happen again — a stark allegory for Americans who still remember 9/11 and its immediate aftershocks.

But episode five is not the first to reveal the lingering effects of the giant squid attack.

In the first episode of the series, Angela’s son Topher’s classroom displays a poster touting squid anatomy alongside one depicting America’s presidents, indicating that squids are still very important in this world, and all across the country at that. In the same episode, Angela and Topher drive home from school and pull over when they hear an alarm. Out of nowhere, several dead squid suddenly fall from the sky — or possibly from another dimension. This appears to be another connection to the squid attack of 1985, perhaps a direct result of it.

Topher sees the “squid falls” as little more than a gross nuisance. We haven’t yet seen Looking Glass’s reaction to the event, but judging from how serious he is about the alarms and how worried he is about another attack, I doubt that he’s able to just brush those squids off.

Knowing the backstory of the fake squid attack changes the complexion of the squid falls. We know the squid assault was fake, so presumably the squid falls are fake, too. So what’s their purpose? Who’s orchestrating the squid falls? And what benefit is there to arranging said squid falls?

I’m guessing the squid falls are a government act, as it’s difficult to imagine someone being able to pull off that kind of scheme. I could also see it being Lady Trieu, since she has the resources and money to accomplish such a grand feat.

Regardless of who is orchestrating the squid falls, they manage to keep the ’80s squid attack on people’s minds. The squid falls send the message that there’s danger looming, that the government and military could be the only things standing between you and another attack — which is, essentially, Ozymandias’s end goal in the graphic novel.

And if the squid attacks are used to get people to trust authority figures in this world, it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to believe that the people in Tulsa, Oklahoma, should be wary of any authority figure’s power.

What’s a little less clear is how Sen. Joe Keene factors into the big reveal, when Looking Glass learns the attack was a hoax courtesy of Ozymandias. Keene’s planning something, but at this point, his endgame is still a bunch of moving pieces — a teleportation device, Ozymandias’s recording, framing Angela.

What we do know is that this revelation destroys everything Looking Glass thought he knew about the attack that changed his entire life. Finding out it was a hoax, that his whole life has revolved around this fake attack, is shattering. Just like the end of the graphic novel, Looking Glass is now in Rorschach’s position of keeping a secret that could change the world for the worse. The question becomes what he will — or won’t — do with this knowledge.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/32YDhsy

[corneliusreignallen]

How Watchmen’s giant squid attack changes everything

Looking Glass in Watchmen | HBO

Watchmen’s fifth episode is about gods, monsters, and a psychic squid.

The fifth episode of Watchmen takes us back to the ’80s — the age of hairspray, leather jackets, Howard Jones’s hit “Things Can Only Get Better,” the Cold War, and, in this universe, a psychic squid attack.

The 1980s-era of the Watchmen world is seen through the eyes of Looking Glass, the stalwart police officer with a mirrorball face and the uncanny ability to tell when people are lying. We meet him as a teen trying to promote the good word of Doomsday, how the end is near, and how God has pandas in heaven. To Looking Glass’s chagrin, the apparent apocalypse comes sooner rather than later, and he plays witness to mass death, destruction, and disorder in the form of a genocidal squid storming his local fair.

Though the squid attack is indeed bizarre (director Zack Snyder nixed the cephalopod assault from his 2009 cinematic adaptation, for example), it’s part of the most important question in writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons’s graphic novel: Who holds accountable the most powerful people, and what decisions will they make when they’re left unchecked?

Looking Glass finds out the answers to these questions first-hand. He watches a recording of the space-bound billionaire Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, a.k.a. the villain of the Watchmen graphic novel, who explains that the squid was a fake attack for the better of the nation. Veidt claims responsibility for the scarring event, and Looking Glass learns that Americans are just statistics and disposable figures to the very powerful, including Veidt and the government. And through his revelation, the viewer learns that the ultra-violent squid attack in Watchmen, like everything in Watchmen, means so much more than what it originally seems.

The squid attack is about theology, morality, and choosing between one evil or another

The Watchmen graphic novel encompasses a variety of strange elements, ranging from an omnipotent blue man who prefers to be naked all the time to the power politics at play in the United States and Great Britain in the 1980s (which we’ve come to associate with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher). But the most challenging bit comes at the end of the novel, forcing us to examine our own ideas about morality and humanity — and that would be the squid attack.

Gibbons/DC

Watchmen

In the final chapter of the comic, Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, unleashes a colossal alien squid upon New York City. He sees it as the only way to keep the world’s superpowers from killing each other in a nuclear war. Ozymandias’s plan wasn’t without its supporters, either. Moore writes the story in a way that gives Ozymandias intellectual authority, and as such, other heroes (like Doctor Manhattan) go along with him.

The squid, with a brain cloned from a human psychic, releases a shockwave that instantly kills millions. Those who survive the shockwave go mad and are driven to violence by the sensory overload. In the novel, World War III: Nuclear Party Time is inevitable, and Ozymandias’s plan works. Countries around the world, including Russia, see the terror in New York City and offer support to the United States, burying any simmering political hostilities until the horrors are stopped.

Gibbons/DC

Ozymandias celebrating his plan in Watchmen

With the plan and the people executed — and the story’s heroes unable to undo what Ozymandias has wrought — everyone who had learned about the plan beforehand is faced with a moral dilemma: Tell people about the mass murder Ozymandias committed and inevitably trigger nuclear war, or remain quiet about the fact that the genocide was man-made. Only Rorschach, the most obstinate of the heroes, doesn’t go along with the cover-up.

Though Rorschach sticking to his morals is noble — lying to people about millions of deaths is unconscionable — the situation is positioned in such a way that if he spills the truth, it will inevitably wreck the fragile peace Ozymandias achieved. In order to prevent that from happening, Doctor Manhattan obliterates Rorschach in the name of the greater good.

The result is two unappealing choices for who is right: the unapologetic, objectivist moralist who risks armageddon based on what he believes to be “good,” or the clinical amorality of a genius utilitarian who kills millions of people to achieve harmony. There’s no simple nor tidy answer, especially with the stakes heightened to the point where Rorschach’s noble deed seems detrimental and Ozymandias’s “saving” the world seems moot. And perhaps the greatest lesson here is not that these are the only two choices, but rather that people should be wary of relinquishing personal responsibility to those in power.

HBO’s Watchmen asks how the squid attack preserves the status quo of government power

At the end of the comic, world peace has been restored. But The New Frontiersman newspaper (which has been referenced in the HBO adaptation) obtains Rorschach’s journal, and it’s implied it will publish Rorschach’s thoughts and observations of his investigation into Ozymandias’s scheme. What we don’t see fleshed out in the original graphic novel is the aftermath of how the attack changes the lives of everyday people, the ones who aren’t privy to the knowledge that the attack perpetrated on them was a hoax.

HBO’s adaptation examines, through Looking Glass’s story, at least one perspective of that. Unlike the heroes in the graphic novel, Looking Glass witnesses the attack firsthand in Hoboken. It shakes him to his core, and today he lives with a type of PTSD and fears the potential for another attack, hence the emergency alarm system and drills in which he’s invested. For Looking Glass, each day is spent revisiting the attack and dreading that it may happen again — a stark allegory for Americans who still remember 9/11 and its immediate aftershocks.

But episode five is not the first to reveal the lingering effects of the giant squid attack.

In the first episode of the series, Angela’s son Topher’s classroom displays a poster touting squid anatomy alongside one depicting America’s presidents, indicating that squids are still very important in this world, and all across the country at that. In the same episode, Angela and Topher drive home from school and pull over when they hear an alarm. Out of nowhere, several dead squid suddenly fall from the sky — or possibly from another dimension. This appears to be another connection to the squid attack of 1985, perhaps a direct result of it.

Topher sees the “squid falls” as little more than a gross nuisance. We haven’t yet seen Looking Glass’s reaction to the event, but judging from how serious he is about the alarms and how worried he is about another attack, I doubt that he’s able to just brush those squids off.

Knowing the backstory of the fake squid attack changes the complexion of the squid falls. We know the squid assault was fake, so presumably the squid falls are fake, too. So what’s their purpose? Who’s orchestrating the squid falls? And what benefit is there to arranging said squid falls?

I’m guessing the squid falls are a government act, as it’s difficult to imagine someone being able to pull off that kind of scheme. I could also see it being Lady Trieu, since she has the resources and money to accomplish such a grand feat.

Regardless of who is orchestrating the squid falls, they manage to keep the ’80s squid attack on people’s minds. The squid falls send the message that there’s danger looming, that the government and military could be the only things standing between you and another attack — which is, essentially, Ozymandias’s end goal in the graphic novel.

And if the squid attacks are used to get people to trust authority figures in this world, it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to believe that the people in Tulsa, Oklahoma, should be wary of any authority figure’s power.

What’s a little less clear is how Sen. Joe Keene factors into the big reveal, when Looking Glass learns the attack was a hoax courtesy of Ozymandias. Keene’s planning something, but at this point, his endgame is still a bunch of moving pieces — a teleportation device, Ozymandias’s recording, framing Angela.

What we do know is that this revelation destroys everything Looking Glass thought he knew about the attack that changed his entire life. Finding out it was a hoax, that his whole life has revolved around this fake attack, is shattering. Just like the end of the graphic novel, Looking Glass is now in Rorschach’s position of keeping a secret that could change the world for the worse. The question becomes what he will — or won’t — do with this knowledge.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/32YDhsy

[timalexanderdollery]

How Watchmen’s giant squid attack changes everything

Looking Glass in Watchmen | HBO

Watchmen’s fifth episode is about gods, monsters, and a psychic squid.

The fifth episode of Watchmen takes us back to the ’80s — the age of hairspray, leather jackets, Howard Jones’s hit “Things Can Only Get Better,” the Cold War, and, in this universe, a psychic squid attack.

The 1980s-era of the Watchmen world is seen through the eyes of Looking Glass, the stalwart police officer with a mirrorball face and the uncanny ability to tell when people are lying. We meet him as a teen trying to promote the good word of Doomsday, how the end is near, and how God has pandas in heaven. To Looking Glass’s chagrin, the apparent apocalypse comes sooner rather than later, and he plays witness to mass death, destruction, and disorder in the form of a genocidal squid storming his local fair.

Though the squid attack is indeed bizarre (director Zack Snyder nixed the cephalopod assault from his 2009 cinematic adaptation, for example), it’s part of the most important question in writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons’s graphic novel: Who holds accountable the most powerful people, and what decisions will they make when they’re left unchecked?

Looking Glass finds out the answers to these questions first-hand. He watches a recording of the space-bound billionaire Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, a.k.a. the villain of the Watchmen graphic novel, who explains that the squid was a fake attack for the better of the nation. Veidt claims responsibility for the scarring event, and Looking Glass learns that Americans are just statistics and disposable figures to the very powerful, including Veidt and the government. And through his revelation, the viewer learns that the ultra-violent squid attack in Watchmen, like everything in Watchmen, means so much more than what it originally seems.

The squid attack is about theology, morality, and choosing between one evil or another

The Watchmen graphic novel encompasses a variety of strange elements, ranging from an omnipotent blue man who prefers to be naked all the time to the power politics at play in the United States and Great Britain in the 1980s (which we’ve come to associate with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher). But the most challenging bit comes at the end of the novel, forcing us to examine our own ideas about morality and humanity — and that would be the squid attack.

Gibbons/DC

Watchmen

In the final chapter of the comic, Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, unleashes a colossal alien squid upon New York City. He sees it as the only way to keep the world’s superpowers from killing each other in a nuclear war. Ozymandias’s plan wasn’t without its supporters, either. Moore writes the story in a way that gives Ozymandias intellectual authority, and as such, other heroes (like Doctor Manhattan) go along with him.

The squid, with a brain cloned from a human psychic, releases a shockwave that instantly kills millions. Those who survive the shockwave go mad and are driven to violence by the sensory overload. In the novel, World War III: Nuclear Party Time is inevitable, and Ozymandias’s plan works. Countries around the world, including Russia, see the terror in New York City and offer support to the United States, burying any simmering political hostilities until the horrors are stopped.

Gibbons/DC

Ozymandias celebrating his plan in Watchmen

With the plan and the people executed — and the story’s heroes unable to undo what Ozymandias has wrought — everyone who had learned about the plan beforehand is faced with a moral dilemma: Tell people about the mass murder Ozymandias committed and inevitably trigger nuclear war, or remain quiet about the fact that the genocide was man-made. Only Rorschach, the most obstinate of the heroes, doesn’t go along with the cover-up.

Though Rorschach sticking to his morals is noble — lying to people about millions of deaths is unconscionable — the situation is positioned in such a way that if he spills the truth, it will inevitably wreck the fragile peace Ozymandias achieved. In order to prevent that from happening, Doctor Manhattan obliterates Rorschach in the name of the greater good.

The result is two unappealing choices for who is right: the unapologetic, objectivist moralist who risks armageddon based on what he believes to be “good,” or the clinical amorality of a genius utilitarian who kills millions of people to achieve harmony. There’s no simple nor tidy answer, especially with the stakes heightened to the point where Rorschach’s noble deed seems detrimental and Ozymandias’s “saving” the world seems moot. And perhaps the greatest lesson here is not that these are the only two choices, but rather that people should be wary of relinquishing personal responsibility to those in power.

HBO’s Watchmen asks how the squid attack preserves the status quo of government power

At the end of the comic, world peace has been restored. But The New Frontiersman newspaper (which has been referenced in the HBO adaptation) obtains Rorschach’s journal, and it’s implied it will publish Rorschach’s thoughts and observations of his investigation into Ozymandias’s scheme. What we don’t see fleshed out in the original graphic novel is the aftermath of how the attack changes the lives of everyday people, the ones who aren’t privy to the knowledge that the attack perpetrated on them was a hoax.

HBO’s adaptation examines, through Looking Glass’s story, at least one perspective of that. Unlike the heroes in the graphic novel, Looking Glass witnesses the attack firsthand in Hoboken. It shakes him to his core, and today he lives with a type of PTSD and fears the potential for another attack, hence the emergency alarm system and drills in which he’s invested. For Looking Glass, each day is spent revisiting the attack and dreading that it may happen again — a stark allegory for Americans who still remember 9/11 and its immediate aftershocks.

But episode five is not the first to reveal the lingering effects of the giant squid attack.

In the first episode of the series, Angela’s son Topher’s classroom displays a poster touting squid anatomy alongside one depicting America’s presidents, indicating that squids are still very important in this world, and all across the country at that. In the same episode, Angela and Topher drive home from school and pull over when they hear an alarm. Out of nowhere, several dead squid suddenly fall from the sky — or possibly from another dimension. This appears to be another connection to the squid attack of 1985, perhaps a direct result of it.

Topher sees the “squid falls” as little more than a gross nuisance. We haven’t yet seen Looking Glass’s reaction to the event, but judging from how serious he is about the alarms and how worried he is about another attack, I doubt that he’s able to just brush those squids off.

Knowing the backstory of the fake squid attack changes the complexion of the squid falls. We know the squid assault was fake, so presumably the squid falls are fake, too. So what’s their purpose? Who’s orchestrating the squid falls? And what benefit is there to arranging said squid falls?

I’m guessing the squid falls are a government act, as it’s difficult to imagine someone being able to pull off that kind of scheme. I could also see it being Lady Trieu, since she has the resources and money to accomplish such a grand feat.

Regardless of who is orchestrating the squid falls, they manage to keep the ’80s squid attack on people’s minds. The squid falls send the message that there’s danger looming, that the government and military could be the only things standing between you and another attack — which is, essentially, Ozymandias’s end goal in the graphic novel.

And if the squid attacks are used to get people to trust authority figures in this world, it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to believe that the people in Tulsa, Oklahoma, should be wary of any authority figure’s power.

What’s a little less clear is how Sen. Joe Keene factors into the big reveal, when Looking Glass learns the attack was a hoax courtesy of Ozymandias. Keene’s planning something, but at this point, his endgame is still a bunch of moving pieces — a teleportation device, Ozymandias’s recording, framing Angela.

What we do know is that this revelation destroys everything Looking Glass thought he knew about the attack that changed his entire life. Finding out it was a hoax, that his whole life has revolved around this fake attack, is shattering. Just like the end of the graphic novel, Looking Glass is now in Rorschach’s position of keeping a secret that could change the world for the worse. The question becomes what he will — or won’t — do with this knowledge.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/32YDhsy

[gracieyvonnehunter]

How Watchmen’s giant squid attack changes everything

Looking Glass in Watchmen | HBO

Watchmen’s fifth episode is about gods, monsters, and a psychic squid.

The fifth episode of Watchmen takes us back to the ’80s — the age of hairspray, leather jackets, Howard Jones’s hit “Things Can Only Get Better,” the Cold War, and, in this universe, a psychic squid attack.

The 1980s-era of the Watchmen world is seen through the eyes of Looking Glass, the stalwart police officer with a mirrorball face and the uncanny ability to tell when people are lying. We meet him as a teen trying to promote the good word of Doomsday, how the end is near, and how God has pandas in heaven. To Looking Glass’s chagrin, the apparent apocalypse comes sooner rather than later, and he plays witness to mass death, destruction, and disorder in the form of a genocidal squid storming his local fair.

Though the squid attack is indeed bizarre (director Zack Snyder nixed the cephalopod assault from his 2009 cinematic adaptation, for example), it’s part of the most important question in writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons’s graphic novel: Who holds accountable the most powerful people, and what decisions will they make when they’re left unchecked?

Looking Glass finds out the answers to these questions first-hand. He watches a recording of the space-bound billionaire Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, a.k.a. the villain of the Watchmen graphic novel, who explains that the squid was a fake attack for the better of the nation. Veidt claims responsibility for the scarring event, and Looking Glass learns that Americans are just statistics and disposable figures to the very powerful, including Veidt and the government. And through his revelation, the viewer learns that the ultra-violent squid attack in Watchmen, like everything in Watchmen, means so much more than what it originally seems.

The squid attack is about theology, morality, and choosing between one evil or another

The Watchmen graphic novel encompasses a variety of strange elements, ranging from an omnipotent blue man who prefers to be naked all the time to the power politics at play in the United States and Great Britain in the 1980s (which we’ve come to associate with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher). But the most challenging bit comes at the end of the novel, forcing us to examine our own ideas about morality and humanity — and that would be the squid attack.

Gibbons/DC

Watchmen

In the final chapter of the comic, Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, unleashes a colossal alien squid upon New York City. He sees it as the only way to keep the world’s superpowers from killing each other in a nuclear war. Ozymandias’s plan wasn’t without its supporters, either. Moore writes the story in a way that gives Ozymandias intellectual authority, and as such, other heroes (like Doctor Manhattan) go along with him.

The squid, with a brain cloned from a human psychic, releases a shockwave that instantly kills millions. Those who survive the shockwave go mad and are driven to violence by the sensory overload. In the novel, World War III: Nuclear Party Time is inevitable, and Ozymandias’s plan works. Countries around the world, including Russia, see the terror in New York City and offer support to the United States, burying any simmering political hostilities until the horrors are stopped.

Gibbons/DC

Ozymandias celebrating his plan in Watchmen

With the plan and the people executed — and the story’s heroes unable to undo what Ozymandias has wrought — everyone who had learned about the plan beforehand is faced with a moral dilemma: Tell people about the mass murder Ozymandias committed and inevitably trigger nuclear war, or remain quiet about the fact that the genocide was man-made. Only Rorschach, the most obstinate of the heroes, doesn’t go along with the cover-up.

Though Rorschach sticking to his morals is noble — lying to people about millions of deaths is unconscionable — the situation is positioned in such a way that if he spills the truth, it will inevitably wreck the fragile peace Ozymandias achieved. In order to prevent that from happening, Doctor Manhattan obliterates Rorschach in the name of the greater good.

The result is two unappealing choices for who is right: the unapologetic, objectivist moralist who risks armageddon based on what he believes to be “good,” or the clinical amorality of a genius utilitarian who kills millions of people to achieve harmony. There’s no simple nor tidy answer, especially with the stakes heightened to the point where Rorschach’s noble deed seems detrimental and Ozymandias’s “saving” the world seems moot. And perhaps the greatest lesson here is not that these are the only two choices, but rather that people should be wary of relinquishing personal responsibility to those in power.

HBO’s Watchmen asks how the squid attack preserves the status quo of government power

At the end of the comic, world peace has been restored. But The New Frontiersman newspaper (which has been referenced in the HBO adaptation) obtains Rorschach’s journal, and it’s implied it will publish Rorschach’s thoughts and observations of his investigation into Ozymandias’s scheme. What we don’t see fleshed out in the original graphic novel is the aftermath of how the attack changes the lives of everyday people, the ones who aren’t privy to the knowledge that the attack perpetrated on them was a hoax.

HBO’s adaptation examines, through Looking Glass’s story, at least one perspective of that. Unlike the heroes in the graphic novel, Looking Glass witnesses the attack firsthand in Hoboken. It shakes him to his core, and today he lives with a type of PTSD and fears the potential for another attack, hence the emergency alarm system and drills in which he’s invested. For Looking Glass, each day is spent revisiting the attack and dreading that it may happen again — a stark allegory for Americans who still remember 9/11 and its immediate aftershocks.

But episode five is not the first to reveal the lingering effects of the giant squid attack.

In the first episode of the series, Angela’s son Topher’s classroom displays a poster touting squid anatomy alongside one depicting America’s presidents, indicating that squids are still very important in this world, and all across the country at that. In the same episode, Angela and Topher drive home from school and pull over when they hear an alarm. Out of nowhere, several dead squid suddenly fall from the sky — or possibly from another dimension. This appears to be another connection to the squid attack of 1985, perhaps a direct result of it.

Topher sees the “squid falls” as little more than a gross nuisance. We haven’t yet seen Looking Glass’s reaction to the event, but judging from how serious he is about the alarms and how worried he is about another attack, I doubt that he’s able to just brush those squids off.

Knowing the backstory of the fake squid attack changes the complexion of the squid falls. We know the squid assault was fake, so presumably the squid falls are fake, too. So what’s their purpose? Who’s orchestrating the squid falls? And what benefit is there to arranging said squid falls?

I’m guessing the squid falls are a government act, as it’s difficult to imagine someone being able to pull off that kind of scheme. I could also see it being Lady Trieu, since she has the resources and money to accomplish such a grand feat.

Regardless of who is orchestrating the squid falls, they manage to keep the ’80s squid attack on people’s minds. The squid falls send the message that there’s danger looming, that the government and military could be the only things standing between you and another attack — which is, essentially, Ozymandias’s end goal in the graphic novel.

And if the squid attacks are used to get people to trust authority figures in this world, it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to believe that the people in Tulsa, Oklahoma, should be wary of any authority figure’s power.

What’s a little less clear is how Sen. Joe Keene factors into the big reveal, when Looking Glass learns the attack was a hoax courtesy of Ozymandias. Keene’s planning something, but at this point, his endgame is still a bunch of moving pieces — a teleportation device, Ozymandias’s recording, framing Angela.

What we do know is that this revelation destroys everything Looking Glass thought he knew about the attack that changed his entire life. Finding out it was a hoax, that his whole life has revolved around this fake attack, is shattering. Just like the end of the graphic novel, Looking Glass is now in Rorschach’s position of keeping a secret that could change the world for the worse. The question becomes what he will — or won’t — do with this knowledge.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/32YDhsy