Fight Against Angeal (ch33)

AKA FEELSY CHAPTER NUMBER TWO IN A ROW

Link to chapter: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9446325/33/What-s-all-Gone-on-Before

Link to tumbl: http://magiksbrain.tumblr.com/tagged/ch33/chrono

I wrote this chapter while simultaneously watching the scenes of Zack's fight(s) with Angeal repeatedly.  I'd already passed that point in the game about a week prior and basically just called on those feels, plus the feels of me WATCHING THE PLAYTHROUGH OVER AND OVER AGAIN.  Rar probably thought I was crazy.  When I wasn't watching the videos, I was blaring the Crisis Core soundtrack.  It was one of the scenes that literally requires I use headphones lest I drive everyone else bonkers with the constant sound-switching.

Clearly, this chapter is feels inducing.  And I wouldn't have it any other way.  I find the scene in Crisis Core to be so full of feels (granted, a lot of Crisis Core is more like Crisis Cries, as rar puts it).  All the same, this was definitely one of the more emotional scenes.  We've broken through Zack's core and it just makes you tear up a little.

by blazing-eyes on dA

Yes, I modified it a little bit.  I'd already sped up Angeal's degradation with the serum, which basically meant that Angeal's degrading cells tried to meld with the Heartless, which meant that Angeal lost hope, thinking he truly was a monster. The only foreseeable way out of it as far as he was concerned was death and death by Zack was more honorable.

Meanwhile, poor Zack is still convinced that Angeal is not a monster, even when Angeal's half-Heartless.  Yes, Zack does lose faith in Angeal's honor, but that becomes a moot point by the end of the battle.  The Angeal that Zack will remember will be quite an honorable man indeed, despite everything that happened.

Naturally, the battle leaves Zack more emotionally damaged than physically damaged, though Aerith will have quite the healing job to do.  But before I get too much into that, since that's next chapter, I'll just move on.  Spoilers and such.

So, KKBeckett, to respond more to your review a couple of chapters ago, Zack had everything he needed in his stock up until this battle.  He ran out of magic and had no ethers.  He had a crapton of remedies equipped (mostly because that's all I was using at the time and I based his stock sort of off of my stock, and I was using remedies because I kept getting poisoned) and thus no ethers.  Granted, he still won the battle, but is it really winning when you lose a friend in the process? We'll get to Zack's injuries more next chapter.

But yeah, Aerith at the end is mostly just like "I'll heal you now and we'll get to the talking later", because that's what Aerith does.  Heal now, questions later.  Though, I think there's a part of her who knows what happened.  Zack showing up with Angeal's sword, Angeal not around? All that stuff. Yeah, she knows Angeal's dead.  What she doesn't know is how.  And that's a good portion of the gut-wrenching feels.

And then there's the fact that Zack realizes his sword is still in Olympus and more feels!

So, yes, very feels-inducing chapter.  I'm surprised I'm not a puddle of feels at the moment.

Review Responses:
KKBeckett:  I'm... uh... sorry? About the feels? I suppose? Maybe... I can't help that rar's giving you feels, either.  Based on the fact that you've got Zerith feels, I have an idea of what chapter she just sent you.  I'm sorry, heh...

archsage: Yeah, when Phil's at a loss, there's a problem.  In my head, Phil is very much doing the thing when Meg died in the movie.  Except, unlike Hercules, who's a god and can go get her soul from the Underworld, Zack has no such ability.  Nor, do I think, would he want to go get Angeal, because Angeal wanted to go out.  Bringing Angeal back would devalue his death.  Meg's death was not supposed to happen and Hercules righted it.  Anyway! Enough of that philosophy.
Huh, Terra and Riku, though? I don't particularly imagine that happening in my story.  I want Terra to live! But it is an interesting image, I will give you that.
And no, nope.  Nothing's going to quiet down for a few chapters yet.  We're on quite the ride right now!

Um, so yeah, this video is appropriate:

A Whole Lot of Ice Cream... Oh wait! This is the end!! (ch70)

So, I was almost all the way done with Axel’s Million Dreams Festival scene (like, ice cream winners were being announced and I was totally going to try and work in some MickeyxMinnie fluff) when I realized that this was the last scene I was going to write for Betwixt and Between.  

chico-100 on dA

I mean, sure I had an epilogue planned... but this was the END.  And it came up so quickly that I barely even noticed it.  I mean, yes, it was a rather recent decision to split Betwixt and Between up... but... I was at the END.  And here I was thinking I’d have a tough time making my deadline, and I’m reaching it with a few days to spare! (okay, to clarify, I've had Betwixt and Between finished written since before November started, I've just been spacing out posts (and then I have to find time to post, and port, and blog, and etc). 

Anyway, rar and I are talking on messenger and she's like "scene? scene?" and I just told her she’d have to wait a bit longer for the scene because I was going to go back and add stuff so that everything was just perfect. It only added a little over a page more than what my usual chapter length is, and is still under 3000 words, but I feel it’s complete. And that’s what I wanted.  

In hindsight, or, rather, as archsage mentioned, I could have included the FF characters in the Million Dreams Festival.  I completely... forgot, honestly.  I’m sure Mickey would have invited at least some of them! The ones he was more acquainted with like Aerith and Leon.  Maybe they all were there and none of us see them.  I challenge one of you to write a scene with some of them at the Million Dreams Festival!

Anyway, I am aware that there was four chapters of no real action.  But, at the same time, I am really okay with Riku and Namine’s battle with CO being the last really big battle and then just having a really nice, happy time for the ending.  The Million Dreams Festival was a milestone for this story, to be completely honest.  No, I am not done.  There will be another sequel that will deal with the enemies hinted at and whatnot.  But, that isn’t the next thing on the writer’s tablet for me.  (More on that later.  Like, later post, later.)

So, with all that nostalgia out of the way, how about some review responses!

Flightfoot, yes, Sora knows how to skateboard from the memories inside of Roxas. And, yes, Terra still has yellow eyes. They are going back to blue, but it's taking time for the residual darkness to completely dissipate. Also, for that chapter title... whoops. I thought it had Rumble Racing in it so I named it thus. I completely didn't even think about how it was just kinda summary. And, I see what you mean about the Queen! (rereading it myself proved your point.)

archsage, I totally love your idea of Axel and Ven trying to matchmake Aqua and Terra. I mentioned it to rar and she basically said how she could totally see it happening. Anyway, so, I have shenanigans for the next sequel when I get to it.

No, I have not played Dream Drop yet. I have the game but not the system. *crosses fingers* Come on, Christmas!

KKBeckett, yes, Saix is who Axel was missing.

Erm...

I think that's all.

It's not complete yet because there will be an epilogue up soon. Then, it's a matter of staying tuned. Keep tuned here, I'm sure to post random blogs every now and then.

I love you all.

~magik

Aqua and Terra

The couple that's not entirely a couple yet. 

I mean, Axel and Kuin are bad enough.  But like... you can see that they're going to get together.

Aqua and Terra... I don't even know.  I mean, I figure that they're EVENTUALLY going to get together... it's certainly more likey than Aqua and Ven.  Definitely more likely.  Because Aqua and Ven isn't going to happen. 

So... like, why am I even posting about this if they're not official?

I don't know... maybe because I want your feedback?

Because I'm trying to see if maybe by posting this is helping things...

It's not.

Le sigh.

Though, upon porting this over, I’ve had a little bit more develop about the two of them.  When they were just sitting there, watching the sunrise, I got the feeling that one day, the two of them will actually make a rather cute couple.  Not blatantly cute like Namiku or Sokai, but a quiet cute, like…. Idk. Like them. 

Moving on.

On the Couples and their Darkness Levels

There are a TON of different pairings/couples in my KHverse.  What's amusing is the differing levels of darkness within any individual couple.  And, I'm posting about it because it's interesting.

First, the obvious one, Sora and Kairi.  Both have incredible amounts of light in their hearts.  Kairi contains no darkness whatsoever.  Sora has a little bit more darkness now that Ven is gone, but he's completely in-check when it comes to his darkness.  There is a SMALL possibility that I may play with Sora's darkness growing, but I mean, if I went too horribly far with it I might as well just be writing rar's story, so I'm not going there.  This is why their combo is called Fated Faith and is completely light-based. 

The next one in high lightness is Zack and Aerith.  Aerith has only the TINIEST bit of darkness inside of her.  Zack's is under control and not causing problems for him.  They don't have any epic combos together, but I mean, both of them are pretty darn powerful.  (Zack isn't the strongest magically, especially compared to Aerith, but he's all for the brute-force hack-and-slash.)  The reason why they don’t particularly have any combos together is BECAUSE they have such different fighting styles. Aerith is mostly magic with a little bit of melee, Zack is all melee with magic when he has to.

Anyway, Next comes Roxas and Xion.  Roxas has got a lot of light, but nothing when put up against people like Aerith and Kairi.  Xion's a replica with her heart built pretty neutral in light versus darkness.  She was originally put together like that by a Nobody who couldn't know the workings of a heart if he tried.  Her next design took on that essence to keep Xion's personality intact.  They can bust out light-attacks pretty quickly though, like Event Horizon and Call of Light.  

The one in perfect neutral balance is Squall and Rinoa though.  Well, they're at least in the middle of all the couples.  Though Rinoa has to maintain complete neutrality because of her Sorceress Status and Squall has to uphold her to that.  They can bust out both light and dark combos (holy vs meteor etc.) with no negative effects.  They are a force to be reckoned with.  I mean, come on, chain-casting Angel Wing and a Lionhearted Renzokuken on the side? You're dead if you're on the receiving end of that.  (Ultima Weapon, anyone? I could probably kill Omega with that too if I went and tried.  (It's on my list of things to do.)  That’s how I did it.  (Well, actually, I think with Ultima, I had Angel Wing going and then he killed Rinoa and I had a Limit lined up for Squall and I just got LUCKY and got Lionheart.))

Then, it's honestly a question of who's dealing with least darkness: Riku, Terra, or Cloud?

Riku's surprisingly dealing with the least.  Even though you could argue that Tifa has more light than Namine, Cloud CERTAINLY is dealing with more darkness than Riku to make up for it.  Riku will still have problems with his darkness.  He tries to keep it in check, but there are times when the power gets the better of him and he starts to slip.  Namine does her best to keep him in check and he's grateful for it.   Namine, on the other hand, it quite light.  She was formed from Kairi's heart which is pure light.  The only thing that can contain darkness is the data that was built into her to make up for her Nobody status.  In no way is Namine innocent and darkness free.  However, she's in check with herself--just a tad guilty and mopey sometimes.  Regardless of their (Riku and Namine’s) darkness levels, they're still ridiculously powerful.  I mean, just look at their Limit Decompression! And, I’m working on getting them a combo too.  (It’s coming up in a chapter that I haven’t written yet, but I’m in the sequence at least!)

Next comes, well, probably Terra and Aqua. Yes, I'm shipping them.  Or, I intend to.  They're not anywhere near a couple yet.  But, I figure they will be eventually.  I like Tequa better than Venqua.  They're closer in age.  Granted, this is a couple I haven't particularly explored all that much.  Terra's dealing with darkness moreso than Riku however, considering he was possessed by Xehanort for way longer than Riku was.  Aqua's pretty neutral and in check and she'll do her best to keep Terra in check.

Cloud and Tifa are at the bottom.  Cloud's got way more darkness to deal with, considering his is a physical manifestation of it.  Yay.  Once Sephiroth is gone, things'll probably change, but, Sephiroth has to die first.  And that's gonna be a while.  Tifa is a very bright person and is just what Cloud needs to help him.  However, he needs to learn to listen a bit more.

So, where do Axel and Kuin fit on this? Well... heheh... probably right after Squall and Rinoa now that I'm looking at it.  Kuin fights for the side of light, but in no way does that make her heart completely pure.  She's a flexor like Rinoa, as explored in the Magical Meeting chapter.  Axel is... well... heheh... far from completely light.  He's got his own darkness to deal with, though it's more in check than Riku's but less in check than Leon’s. 

And... yeah... that's the couples and darkness levels.