I may be reading too deep into this but bear with me. Sephiroth doing his damned best to reinforce that Cloud is nothing, that everything he feels his fake, that he's a puppet pulled along by Sephiroth's strings with no real purpose of his own. "Your tears are empty" is a line that really stands out to me, because Sephiroth insinuates that Cloud isn't a person and has no true substance as an individual. He's a shell.
Then much later, in the dream-esque Sleeping Forest, Aerith wants to spend one of their final moments focusing on Cloud, focusing on "finding the real [him]". Then Cloud hands Holy to Aerith, and she gifts him the clear materia in return, presumably having taken up Holy before she leaves. Aerith theorised earlier in the game that Holy was probably powered by her memories and dreams, and having lost them to the Whispers, to fate, has rendered the materia useless.
I don't know, man. The thing about being given an empty thing after being told and tortured with the idea that you yourself are an empty thing is getting to me.
Part 3 is most likely going to deal with the fallout of Cloud's broken psyche and piecing him back together to "find the real [him]". I'm theorising not-Holy is only restored once Cloud has finally figured out who he is and what he wants to do.
Because materia isn't just the crystallisation of mako and the Lifestream. It's the physical representation of hopes and dreams and desires. The Black Materia was created to deliver the Gi from their unending existence. The White Materia ensures the prayers of the planet are answered.
And now not-Holy belongs to Cloud, so that whatever he finds in himself will fuel not-Holy and provide it with new purpose, maybe even allow him to finally heal after over two decades of suffering, because as Aerith said, "it's about saving the world — and you"
astarion calling flowers gaudy and overbearing, bright even is so funny bc when tav places the simplest daisy on his grave, he bluffs and is like lol that’s cute…..
and then quite literally admits his deepest affection and devotion to tav, how they taught him to love (the gaudy) amidst the desperate, ravaging darkness (himself)
Karna just being deeply, deeply attracted to Deli and like any time he does violence is so fun to watch.
Lou just describes a fucking rad action sequence and it just cuts immediately to Aabria giving the best reactions possible. I love this. Thank you for making what I know will ultimately be a tragedy a fucking delight just the same.
Okay I need to blab about my thoughts on Good Omens S2 because ASKFJFHSJKSK I LOVED IT. Spoilers ahead of course, you've been warned!
Crowley was undoubtedly the MVP of this season for me. I was kicking my feet and giggling repeatedly every time I saw him in A Situation
Not David Tennant wearing a red fez in the same episode where they mention Doctor Who by name lmao. And then there's the "bigger on the inside" comment. And the fact that the actor for the Fifth Doctor showed up.
ALSO David getting the chance to revert to his normal accent and be EXTREMELY SCOTTISH was an absolute delight
WHOOPS STILL ON CROWLEY I LOVE HIM OKAY but him drinking poison and his body going all Alice in Wonderland was very amusing (not to mention Crowley calling out the issue of morality and the choices we make as it relates to wealth disparity??? Absolute king.)
GABRIEL AND BEELZEBUB?! 🥺🥺 They were so cute together?!?! Oh my goodness that entire montage and them running off together was so precious it really was
Speaking of romantic-ass scenes I cannot believe we got to see Crowley dance not once but TWICE for Aziraphale. Azi taking Crowley's hand to lead him out to the dance floor......my heart 💞
While we're here, I gotta talk about the confession. I was afraid he wasn't gonna be able to go through with it—it's such a fucking trope that whenever someone starts to confess and they are interrupted by the other person, the confession ends up not happening. Crowley did it anyway, and I once again have to commend David Tennant for his performance bc gosh the emotion in that scene... I cry
"I forgive you" yeah well I don't forgive YOU Aziraphale what kind of a response was that!!!! 😡😡
From Crowley and Azi's earlier "I don't think your 'not exactly' and my 'not exactly' are the same" conversation, to the two of them interpreting the phrase "nothing lasts forever" in entirely different ways in the finale hahahaha just end me 🥲
The rain symbolism. Idk just the raining of space matter in the beginning calling back to a similar moment when a wing provided protection from rain last season, the rain being conjured to bring Maggie & Nina together and having it ultimately fail.... idk I have nothing clever to say about this I'm just here like... *grips your shoulders* R A I N
Anyways season 2 was a jolly good time and I cannot wait to see where this story goes next!!!