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sanctum_cResulting from a conversation with raaj came this idea of Avalanche finding a long-forgotten camera that Aeris had used to document her travels between Costa del Sol and the Temple of the Ancients. I wound up specifying forty-eight pictures that Aeris had taken, and I really wish I could draw to illustrate this.
Avalanche's annual reunion was scheduled to happen in just two days time and after a certain amount of relucance on everyone's part to leave the same day, Tifa had taken the additional step of making sure their guests were comfortable for at least one night. Cloud had grumbled slightly; always eager to see his friends, but not looking forward to the obligatory moment of explaining to Yuffie that she couldn't live in the bar. No, not even if she promised to get out of the way in the mornings (a promise Cloud would always gently reminder her she had broken the very first time she'd had to stay out from under their feet as they ran the Seventh Heaven and Strife Delivery service).
He knocked a cupboard as he was hauling two of the camp beds out from the corner they'd been stacked. Even after just a few years the attic storage space of the Seventh Heaven was a riot of debris, spare glasses, his old swords carefully wrapped in oil-skin while he pondered what to eventually do with them, clutters of books and scavenged odds and ends that might once have been useful he'd brought back from visits to Midgar. Here too was spare furniture, various decorations and the odd really rare beverage that Tifa maintained for the truly special occasions. And seemingly the few objects they had carried from Midgar to the very top of the world, into the south and by a circuitous, winding route, all the way back to the outskirts of Midgar. There were four bags here, and Cloud felt an odd swell of excitement build in his belly. That bag was his, containing only the thick thermal clothes he'd needed in the far North - he'd exited Nibelheim with nothing but a donated uniform to his name and had never been intending to saddle himself with mementos. His meagre possessions were all mostly laid out in his office below. He'd never minded, while a memento of Nibelheim would seem charming, those days were long gone, and the night his town died was one he wished he could forget. He was following the advice of a long-gone friend, looking to the future and building his life around his present.
This bag was Tifa's; a pair of thick leather gloves tumbled out like some escaping reptile, only to flop lifelessly onto the floor. Materia sockets gleamed in the dull light up here. There was more debris, more memories, and for a moment Cloud almost mourned his barren bag. Ticket stubs for the Gold Saucer were mixed among leaflets for Rufus's celebratory march through Junon and receipts from a hundred shops scattered through-out the world. He suspected, if he was so inclined, he could recreate their journey purely from the shops she'd visited. Scraps of desert sand lurked in the linings of the bag and... a pink ribbon. Cloud's heart skipped a beat as he realised what had been left lying up here all this time. It was frayed, aged and one edge was darkly stained, but he knew immediately what it had to be. She had kept it; even as he'd been wracked with guilt and concerned with her body, Tifa had kept this one final memento of their friend. He carefully extracted it and pocketed it. He was unsure of what to do with it now; it was a deeply personal memento not easily used - not stained with blood as it was.
The third bag was Barret's; littered with empty shell cases and a plethora of plush toys. Cloud smiled to see a miniature moogle amongst them; the toy bearing a close resemblance to a certain mechanised entity he'd spent a goodly amount of time in the company of. Wrapped in crinkling paper was folded silk; it puzzled Cloud for a moment before he realised what it was; a kimono, purchased at some expense in Wutai. Too small for Barret or even Cloud; he estimated it had been intended for Marlene aged five. Barret's daughter had grown too quickly to ever make use of the present.
Heart-thudding Cloud pulled the last and least full bag from the shelf. It felt almost empty and Cloud steeled himself for what it might contain. It couldn't be hers... could it? It had to be Yuffie's. Maybe Cid's. Cait Sith's? No, he'd never needed or carried a bag... He flipped it open, eyes darting trying to find some evidence. The bag was empty... almost. At the bottom in a black case however was an inexpensive camera and a roll of film. It had been used and stored for later developing. He looked at the camera itself gingerly and found it was almost used... Hands shaking with excitement he shuffled out of the attic and down to the main bar.
"Cloud? I think I'm going to shut early today. I'm bushed and with the others coming to..." she trailed off as she saw Cloud staring at the object in his hands. "Cloud? Are you alright?"
He glanced up at her and smiled. "Say cheese!"
"Wha-?" A flare of light washed over her accompanying the click of the shutter. "...okay, I'm confused. What's the occasion?"
Cloud wound the film on, checking it would go no further, and then began to wind the film back. "I found this while getting the beds down."
"I'm flattered you wanted another picture of me, but I think we have a better camera somewhere..." She stared at the camera, something surfacing deep within her memories. Something about that particular camera.
Cloud's voice was shaking ever so gently as he continued. "I found it in amongst our bags; the ones we were carrying when we were hunting Sephiroth."
The camera. There was something vital about that camera. Frustration itched across Tifa's brow. What was it?
"I think... I think this was Aeris'"
The memory broke open, and Tifa gasped, recalling fractured moments of the grinning Aeris clicking happily away at the landscape, members of Avalanche and anything else that took her fancy. "Now I remember... she was always taking pictures... I just forgot about that..."
"There's two rolls of used film here, Tifa. Two rolls of film that she used. We don't have any pictures of her; not even Elmyra has a picture from before Aeris left Midgar. But..."
"...there might be a picture of her on that film," Tifa completed the thought.
Cloud nodded. "Do you think we should see what's on here, or should we let the past be...?"
Tifa gingerly took the camera and studied it. She remembered her friend's face appearing from behind it as she snapped another picture of her as she was looking elsewhere, only aware that the moment had been caught as she heard the click of the shutter and the ratcheting of the film as Aeris wound it on another position. She remembered being curious about what the flower girl had seen through that view-finder, and that she would never admit precisely what she had photographed. Some landscapes she could guess at as she'd seen her take the picture... but others... She wanted to know.
"I think we should see them. And I think our friends should see them too."
Cloud smiled and nodded. "Exactly what I was hoping you would say." He began to walk away. "I'm going to try and get these developed in time for the anniversary." Tifa smiled. "Do you think we should have a sneak peak?" he called back over his shoulder.
"Depends how long it will take to get them back," replied Tifa. "Actually I think the tension might kill us..."
"This is going to be one hell of surprise for them all," mused Cloud in the doorway. "So not a word to any of them."
"Oh, no," Tifa grinned. "Not a word."
Twenty-four hours had rarely felt so interminable. Cloud had been almost reluctant to leave the precious momentos with the chemist, but did resolve himself that he'd get them back tomorrow. That and he had no faith in his own ability to develop the film. He could try, but he'd be terrified of potentially ruining the images within, so he would leave it with someone who knew their job. He distracted himself as much as he could, throwing himself into every activity as thoroughly as he could, just to spur on the passage of time a little more, hasten tomorrow and the return of the pictures. His over enthusiastic help eventually frustrated Tifa who ordered him to take Denzel and Marlene to Sector Five, just to get him out of the way for a short time. As soon as the door closed though, she realised she felt the same way. The sheer possibility that the photos held was hard to resist, and she was easily as impatient as he.
He waved with a glint in his eye as he came back a few hours later, some rectangular packages clutched in one hand. Tifa felt her heart leap as she saw them. He'd detoured past the chemist's on the way back; it had been earlier then he'd been told but he'd chanced it. Too many hours left. Too many by far. She made a decision, and cleared the bar. Gently coaxing regulars out with causal lies that she had to prepare for her visitors tomorrow; the bar would be closed for a private gathering for the next three days, but she hoped to see them all after that. It'd be back to business as usual.
The four of them gathered around a table after the main door was locked, and the kids had gotten a drink. Cloud carefully explained to both Denzel and Marlene just where the photos he held had come from. Tifa looked at him with a pretence of calm and asked if he hadn't already snuck a look. Cloud replied he'd wanted to - but this was an experience best shared with them all. He half regretted not waiting one more day, but the temptation was just too great. He lifted the flap on the first flap and pulled out the thick stack of printed images. The top one was of Tifa from where Cloud had finished the roll of film in the camera. The next showed a pyramidal structure surrounded on all sides by forest...
The next day things were already buzzing within the Seventh Heaven when Cid trudged through the door muttering something about fuel efficiency's. His face lit up when he saw the rest of Avalanche gathered; Vincent had been found waiting stoically outside the front door that morning, with Yuffie attempting a stealth entry around noon, which would have worked this time (dammit) had Tifa and Cloud not decided to re-arrange all the furniture again. Reeve was early this year; having nearly missed last year's gathering due to demands on this time, but he'd arrived early afternoon with the increasingly independent Cait Sith perched on a shoulder. Barret and Nanaki had arrived together, the former Avalanche leader insistent on giving the quadruped a ride to the city.
Tifa glanced over to Cloud with a smile as she handed Cid a drink and waved him down onto a seat. He nodded back and she cleared her throat. "Welcome, to the third annual 'We helped save the Planet party!'" The bar drowned in cheers as glasses were raised, Denzel and Marlene adding their own voices to the cheers. "And this year... we have a little surprise!"
"You're pregnant!" shouted Yuffie from a table near the door. Cloud flushed.
"No!" said Tifa with a sigh.
"Gotta be marriage then," Cid said flatly.
"Not that either," Cloud put in trying to distract from his embarrassment. "This is something for all of us."
"You better not be suggesting an orgy," murmured Yuffie. Barret flicked a peanut towards her. Tifa ignored that comment.
"Okay, I need you to all get into a line... and try to stay sober for this."
"Shit, woman; this is my first drink!" yelled Cid.
"Come on, come on," Cloud clapped his hands and with some grumbling the guests arranged themselves into a tangled line; with a grinning Denzel and Marlene at the front.
"I think we're a bit old for party games," Yuffie said as she scrapped her chair across the floor.
"Its not a game. We have some pictures to show you."
"What holiday snaps? Ah hell, count me out. I'll see you guys next year." Cid moved to get up.
Tifa spoke quickly. "They were taken by Aeris."
He froze and then awkwardly slumped back down. "...ah shit... She had that camera didn't she?"
"She did." The bar was silent as Tifa spoke. "And we all forgot about it. Cloud found it the other day, and we thought you'd all like to know what was on it."
Reeve was the first to speak up. "Having only ever experienced that adventure second hand, I would be delighted to see Aeris' pictures." He was joined with murmurs of assent and Tifa pulled the pack of photos from underneath the bar.
"Couldn't you have them done as slides or on a computer or something?" moaned Yuffie as she stared at the packets.
"Yuffie, do you know how much getting all these developed cost? Let alone know where we could even find a working slide projector?" Cloud asked pointedly. He ignored Yuffie's grumbling response.
"Okay! If anyone has any questions just shout them out. We've had a look through these once already, and we think we know what most of the photos are of, but if anyone's got any comments..."
Tifa slid the first photo from the pack as Cloud walked to the other end of the bar to collect the precious pictures back up again. She bypassed the first picture of herself and handed the first photo to Denzel, and he to Marlene before handing it to Barret.
They all recognised the Temple of the Ancients; how could it have failed to make an impression? The moment all their efforts seemed to count for nothing as Cloud handed the Black Materia to Sephiroth and the first Cait Sith met his end. Cait Sith mark III stared inscrutably at the image as Reeve passed it to him. He had as much of the original's memories as could be transmitted before the implosion, but what Cait Sith really felt about the lose of his predecessor was something Reeve felt oddly reluctant to pry into.
The next few photos were all of the Gold Saucer; a view of the complex from high up, the air bursting with fireworks, Cloud staring at a sheet of paper in consternation as a man half dressed as a knight seemed to be speaking to him, the theatre with an attendant excitedly walking towards the camera and lastly Cloud striding out into the middle of Battle Square. Two required more explanation and all eyes turned to Cloud. He glanced towards Tifa a moment before speaking.
"That first picture is a view from the Gondola on Enchantment Night... Aeris wanted to settle her debt for helping get her away from the Turks in Midgar. It was for one date and she chose that night to have it. I never noticed her taking the second one... We'd wandered into the theatre, and the guy on the door told us we were the hundredth couple and got to be the leads in that night's show. It... didn't go that well." He bowed his head. "I completely blew all my lines and what I was meant to do. I think Aeris wound up saving the day."
Reeve laughed the loudest at the explanation, commenting he'd witnessed several performances via Cait Sith and could well imagine how easily the short production could be screwed up by a less then willing participant. The next six photos all pertained to Wutai and there was no confusion over their significance; Yuffie fighting Shake in the central Pagoda as she proved herself to her father, a picture of the huge carved forms of the Da Chao statues, a high up view of the city, a trio of Turks; Reno, Rude and Elena huddled around a table, looking up and towards the camera with a mix of suspicion and guilt, Cid crouched on top of the Tiny Bronco as it lay on the beach at Wutai. He was scowling at a component, cigarette held tight between his teeth. They assumed the last picture must have been in the sea just off the coast; an almost nondescript strip of land visible rising up out of the blue water - someone's arm just caught along the bottom edge of the frame.
Yuffie in particular took an additional moment to stare at these pictures; herself caught mid-movement as she battled and the wonderful view of her home. Everyone chuckled at the Turks' combination of emotions as they looked towards the errant photographer, Reeve commenting they still stuck together like glue, even with Tseng now up and about again.
The next three photos pertained to Rocket Town; here was Shera brewing a pot of tea and pushing her glasses back up her nose with her free hand. A view of Cid's house showed the Tiny Bronco parked in the back-garden, and another was of from the outskirts of the town, the rusting form of the Shinra 26 standing high above all of the other buildings. Cid cursed slightly as he stared at the picture of Shera, and asked, almost nonchalantly, what it would take to get some copies of the pictures. As mementos naturally; Shera had been bugging him that he'd had this trip around and around the world and had nothing but some scars to show for it ultimately. Tifa grinned bringing 8 batches of photos up from beneath the counter, each tied with a red ribbon.
Seven photos traced the path from the Nibel Mountains to the rolling plains that surrounded Rocket Town. A thin strip of mountains could be seen to the right of the image, which showed little else then the rolling green grassland and the wonderfully blue sky - a pleasing contrast to the overcast skies above the Mount Nibel reactor in the next photo; the reactor itself just visible in amongst the twisted outcrops that thrust out from the mountainside. Vincent took a moment to study the next photo as it passed along the line. It depicted him stepping from the doorway of the Shinra mansion and blinking in the bright sunlight of Nibelheim.
"The first sun in thirty years..." he murmured as he stared at the himself, holding up his clawed hand to keep the direct sunlight out of his eyes. Cid smirked as he saw the picture, Yuffie just about visible along the left hand edge gawping at their newest party member. The remaining photos were of the town; there was the mountain path that they had all learnt would lead up to the reactor and the place Cloud first defeated Sephiroth, here was the decaying mass of the Shinra mansion, black cloaked figures clustered in front of it, and the gates of Nibelheim, a sight that Aeris must have never suspected she would see given the nature of Cloud's story. The final Nibelheim photo showed the vast mountain range through the window of the buggy as they had made their way from Cosmo Canyon.
Nanaki stared at the next picture for a long spell, seeing himself and his grandfather talking at the gates of Cosmo Canyon as Bugenhagen had urged Nanaki to keep on travelling with the others after finally learning the truth about his father. He thanked Cloud and Tifa again that they already had copies of the photos prepared; he would have otherwise asked for a copy of this one. The last picture in the first set was the New Avalanche as it had been declared by Barret that night in Cosmo Canyon - they had not yet met Cid and Vincent, and Aeris was the one taking the picture so it showed Cloud, Tifa, Nanaki, Cait Sith and Barret sat around the Cosmo Candle and staring into the flickering flames.
"Hey... we've gone through one entire roll of film and there's not one picture of Aeris. Don't tell me she got everyone on film except herself?" Yuffie directed the question at Cloud as he carefully put the first set of pictures back into their folder and carried them back to Tifa at the bar.
"There's one picture of her..." he replied.
"Just one?" asked Reeve concerned. Tifa nodded.
"She was too busy taking the pictures to remind herself of the trip - she never meant for us to be using them to reminisce about her..." replied Tifa with a sad note in her voice.
"But there is one, right?" rumbled Barret.
"Yup!" Tifa grinned wider then he would have expected for the answer.
"So when is it?" asked Yuffie.
"Last picture in the set. The first taken," Cloud replied as he walked back to his position at the end of the line.
"Aw, so we have to wait through all of these to see her again? I, mean, I remember what she looked like, but it's just nice... y'know. It's a good picture right? It's not blurry or anything is it?"
Cloud allowed himself a smile. "You'll see Yuffie. Patience."
The ninja let out an exasperated sigh and looked further up the line as the next images were passed from friend to friend. Aeris had changed rolls of film within Cosmo Canyon and the next three images also pertained to Nanaki's home; showing the view from outside Bugenhagen's observatory and the sprawling settlement spread out below, and then it's twin showing the view up to the observatory from the canyon floor. The final image was of deep red rock from the window of the buggy.
The immediate next image had taken Cloud and Tifa sometime to place, or even realise the significance of. It had been taken in Gongaga; the style of the huts in the third photo and the exploded Mako reactor taken just after that made the location unambiguous. But why photograph that house in the village? It had been taken in the evening, the scene lit with reddening light as dusk fell when the rest of their party was resting in the town's only inn. Tifa had been the one to realise, gasping as she connected the situation; it was Zack's parent's house. The Seventh Heaven had fallen silent on both occasions as she explained the picture, everyone slightly uncomfortable at the mention of the man so few of them had met, who had sacrificed himself to get Cloud to Midgar and as a result began the chain of events that would draw them all together.
There was a moment of silence as they contemplated this other absence from their celebration. Reeve broke the silence, clearing his throat and asking if Cloud had been to visit Zack's family since the last time they had visited Gongaga. Cloud ducked his head slightly and admitted that he had never been able to make the trip back there to finally put their minds at rest. He looked at each person in the bar in turn and vowed that he would make a special trip to the village and let them know.
The next photo provoked more amusement from the gathered members of Avalanche. Cloud sat staring forward through the windshield of the buggy as Yuffie seemed to be bouncing in the passenger seat. Nanaki was slumped across two seats in the back, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Tifa had been caught in a half turn towards the buggy as Cait Sith stared up at her. "Shit, you were driving around in one of those things?" muttered Cid. "Pile o'crap."
"It wasn't our choice," retorted Tifa. "Dio gave it to us after Cloud won the Chocobo race."
"Can't see it getting more then a few hundred miles before keeling over. Definitely got yourself a lemon there..."
"To be fair to it, it did break down almost on my doorstep," put in Nanaki.
There was a run of photos that related to the Gold Saucer now; the retreating forms of Cloud, Barret and Tifa as they strode out into the blistering heat of the Corel desert around the Gold Saucer. Barret passed the photo on without comment, and no one present wanted to press the issue of what it depicted; Barret gone to confront his past and fight with Dyne. The next image was also of sand, but showed the ramshackle collection of buildings that clustered against the support column of the Gold Saucer, trying desperately to stay in the shade thrown by the towering structure.
Cait Sith stared again at the next photo; Cait Sith mark I beckoning Cloud over to read his fortune. Reeve smiled as he saw it and mentioned that he had been controlling the robot directly for that little encounter. There were two more photos of the entertainment complex in quick succession; a view from the lowest level of the park up towards the towering spire, the gondolas visible suspended high up above the park and a slightly blurred picture of the cable car's arrival as they headed into the station.
Barret paused longer at the next two images; the first showed the lower cable car stop to the Gold Saucer, the rest of Avalanche clustered around a decidedly unhappy Barret after his confrontation with the former denizens. The next photo had caught Barret on the right hand edge as angry people strode towards him; Aeris had captured the dilapidated ruined former settlement of North Corel. The next three images were easier for Barret to look at; three photos of the Corel mountains - the Gold Saucer clearly visible in the sky ahead of them, a nest of Chocobos and the mountains themselves. Marlene adored the picture of the tiny chocobo chicks huddled in the nest, looking nervously up at the photographer. The collection of photos was rapidly thinning when Tifa passed along the photo of Cloud sat by a campfire, staring into space. Tifa was pushing open the flap of her tent, and beyond Cloud they could just about see Barret waving with his good hand.
"Seven photos left," murmured Yuffie.
"Six," corrected Cloud.
"Huh? I thought there were twenty-four photos to a roll?"
"There are. But I had to use the last one up before I could get the rest developed."
"Oh...? And just what did you take a picture of... Wait, what came before the Temple then?"
Cloud looked a little flustered. "Oh... just a picture of... Tifa..."
Yuffie smirked. "Way to go Cloud! Getting kinkier in the bedroom are we?"
A bread roll bounced off her head. "It's just a picture of me here," said Tifa with a sigh, holding up the missing photo. "I just didn't think anyone would want to see it." She passed it along the line, Yuffie rolling her eyes at Tifa's expression of surprise.
The final group of photos all related to Costa del Sol. Tifa explained that this was where Aeris had picked the camera up; while they bought swimsuits, the flower girl had noticed a display of them in the shop and had delightedly bought one too. The first image was embarrassing though; their party asleep. Tifa edged to the right-hand side of the single bed she'd been sharing with Aeris, next to her was the space encompassing form of Yuffie and in the next bed along was Cloud, sleeping flat on his back, everything but his head hidden below the covers. Barret was dressed in his sailor suit and resting against the far wall, and Nanaki had curled up at the bottom of Aeris and Tifa's bed.
"I forgot you actually used that as sleep-wear in the end," Cloud commented almost laughing.
"Shut up," growled Barret. "It was comfortable. Don't go bringing up marshmallows again."
To Yuffie's embarrassment there was an additional photo of her asleep; arms hanging over the sides of the bed and as a result taking three times as much space as any of the other sleepers. She seemed to be snoring. The ninja scowled when she saw the picture and threatened to sneak it out of everyone else's sets. Tifa piped up and noted it was already too late as they'd had extra copies of that one printed and kept in a safe location. Yuffie slumped back grumbling that she was sure she could find them. Barret made a similar threat when he found the next picture was a much clearer one of him asleep in his sailor uniform.
Three photos now; Cloud approached by a suited man who had tried very eagerly to sell Cloud the huge villa that over-looked the beach. The picture had caught Cloud looking confused as the man gestured back towards the structure. The penultimate picture was Yuffie working part-time in the little shop in Costa del Sol. So incongruous to how they normally perceived the ninja girl, she was smiling and pushing things into a bag when the camera caught her. A more suspicious eye might have noted the crumpled money just visible sticking out of her hip pocket - Yuffie insisted that was her pay.
Tifa sighed slightly, her face lightly flushed as she regarded the last photo in the set. She couldn't hold it back now; certainly not after she already told them that this was the only one of the flower girl. She handed it down, each member falling silent as they regarded it before smiling or laughing slightly.
"This truly is the only picture?" Reeve asked.
Tifa sighed. "Yep. By this stage I think we're just grateful to have one..."
Cloud claimed the photo at the end of the line and took them back to the bar as Denzel and Marlene distributed the bundles of photos to everyone present. With a renewed toast to Aeris Gainsborough, Avalanche carried on with their annual celebration.
"Here we are," said Cloud as he powered Fenrir off. He and Tifa had made a special trip out three days later to visit Elmyra Gainsborough in Kalm. They'd always extended her the invitation to attend their gatherings, but she had always politely declined, never wanting to intrude in the close knit group's affairs. Cloud tried to see her more then once a year when she sent bouquets of flowers to the Forgotten City, but between the delivery business and spending time with Tifa and the kids there were simply not enough hours in the day and so this would be the first visit in a while. And this time, Tifa had asked to come with him; she clutched the carefully wrapped present against her chest, and worried just what Elmyra would think of their unprompted gift.
Aeris' adoptive mother answered the door moments after Cloud had knocked; she probably heard the motorbike arrive thought Tifa and she bid them both come inside. She was always pleased to see them, never once holding them responsible for the loss of her daughter.
"Tifa! It's good to see you. It's been quite a while now... I think the last time was just after Meteorfall?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, I would loved to have visited more often..."
Elmyra shushed her. "No need to apologise; you've got your hands full with Denzel, Marlene the bar and him." She gestured to Cloud who played at being offended. "So what do I do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Cloud cleared his throat. "We found... a camera that used to belong to Aeris. It had some used film that we had developed." He put out a hand as Elmyra's hands rushed to cover her mouth. "There was one picture of Aeris on the film."
"And we brought it for you," said Tifa holding out the present with both hands. Elmyra's hands shook as she took the package and then with shocked calm pulled at the tape holding it closed and slid out the plain white box within. She pulled the lid off, eyes widening as she took in the contents.
And started laughing. Cloud and Tifa couldn't help but smile, remembering how their own companions reacted to the image. But somewhere along the line, Elmyra's laughter turned to tears, and she cried, staring down onto her only image of her lost daughter. "Of course," she whispered. "Of course this would be the only picture of her."
Cloud and Tifa hurried over to comfort their friend's mother. "Thank you," she murmured, drying her tears. "Thank you for this."
Tifa felt she had to say something. "We're sorry... that this is the only one..."
Elmyra shook her head. "Don't be sorry. I didn't think there were any pictures of her at all, so even just this is more then I could ever hope for. And look how happy she is..." She rose and proudly put the frame so it could be seen prominently within the room.
No matter who visited, Elmyra never hid the picture of Aeris Gainsborough. The intricate silver frame always remained on display (Tifa was never sure where Cloud had gotten it, but agreed that it felt right as a tribute to their friend), surrounding a picture of two girls in bright sunlight. An observant person would have realised the image was taken in Costa del Sol and might have wondered who the photographer was. Tifa never knew, and if Aeris had ever asked she took that little detail back to the Planet. The flower girl stood on the left of the picture, her face lit up with a brilliant smile, the edges of her pink ribbon just visible on either side of her head. Her right hand was held up in a 'v' to the camera, while her left was around the waist of Tifa. The martial artist's right arm was in turn back around Aeris' waist and her left hand was held up in a similar 'v'. Her smile wasn't quite as dazzling, but her gentle smile was intoxicating as she gazed out of the photo. The photo itself was of both girls in their new bikinis; purchased at the same time as the camera that had captured this singular moment of the last Cetra.
[End]
The photos:
1. Tifa in the Seventh Heaven
2. Temple of the Ancients
3. Gold Saucer date - Gondola view of the park
4. Gold Saucer date - Cloud trying to learn his lines back-stage at the theatre
5. Gold Saucer date - the theatre
6. Gold Saucer - Cloud entering Battle Square
7. Yuffie in the pagoda fighting Shake
8. Wutai - landscape shot of the Da Chao
9. Wutai - view of capital from Da Chao
10. Wutai - interior Turtle's Paradise - The Turks
11. Cid Highwind - crouched on the top of the Tiny Bronco scowling at a component
12. Sea - the coast of Wutai
13. Rocket Town - Shera making tea
14. Rocket Town - Cid's house
15. Rocket Town - distance shot of settlement
16. The plains on the other side of Mount Nibel
17. Mount Nibel & the Reactor
18. Vincent Valentine blinking in the sunlight for the first time in thirty years. Yuffie is just visible staring curiously at the new companion
19. Nibelheim - the mountain trail
20. Nibelheim - the Shinra mansion & Sephiroth clones
21. Nibelheim - the gates
22. Nibel mountain range from the window of the buggy
23. Nanaki talking to Bugenhagen at the gate of Cosmo Canyon
24. Cosmo Canyon - Avalanche gathered around the Cosmo Candle - minus Cid, Vincent and Aeris.
25. Cosmo Canyon - the view down into the canyon from Bugenhagen's observatory
26. Cosmo Canyon - view up towards Bugenhagen's observatory
27. Red-rock canyon from the window of the buggy
28. Gongaga - Zack's parent's house
29. Gongaga - the destroyed Mako reactor
30. Gongaga - view of the village
31. Picture of the buggy - Tifa is calling to Cloud who is sat at the controls with Yuffie beside him. Nanaki can be seen lying across a seat in the back
32. Cloud, Barret and Tifa walking out into the desert in search of Dyne
33. Gold Saucer - desert prison
34. Cait Sith beckoning Cloud over
35. Gold Saucer - view from the docking station up to the rest of the park
36. Gold Saucer - docking station
37. North Corel - cable car station
38. North Corel - town entrance, Barret is visible on the right, with the residents walking towards him angrily
39. Corel Mountains - Distance shot of the Gold Saucer
40. Corel Mountains - Chocobo nest
41. Corel Mountains - distance shot
42. Plains - campfire. Cloud is centred in the picture, Tifa just visible exiting a tent and Barret is waving his good hand in the background
43. Costa del Sol - Tifa, Yuffie, Cloud, Nanaki and Barret still asleep - Tifa is curled onto the edge of the bed she was sharing with Aeris
44. Costa del Sol - Yuffie still asleep after the others - limbs outstretched from the bed
45. Costa del Sol - Barret asleep in his sailor suit pyjamas
46. Costa del Sol - Cloud approached about buying the beach villa
47. Costa del Sol - Yuffie working in the shop
48. Costa del Sol - Aeris and Tifa
raaj came this idea of Avalanche finding a long-forgotten camera that Aeris had used to document her travels between Costa del Sol and the Temple of the Ancients. I wound up specifying forty-eight pictures that Aeris had taken, and I really wish I could draw to illustrate this.Avalanche's annual reunion was scheduled to happen in just two days time and after a certain amount of relucance on everyone's part to leave the same day, Tifa had taken the additional step of making sure their guests were comfortable for at least one night. Cloud had grumbled slightly; always eager to see his friends, but not looking forward to the obligatory moment of explaining to Yuffie that she couldn't live in the bar. No, not even if she promised to get out of the way in the mornings (a promise Cloud would always gently reminder her she had broken the very first time she'd had to stay out from under their feet as they ran the Seventh Heaven and Strife Delivery service).
He knocked a cupboard as he was hauling two of the camp beds out from the corner they'd been stacked. Even after just a few years the attic storage space of the Seventh Heaven was a riot of debris, spare glasses, his old swords carefully wrapped in oil-skin while he pondered what to eventually do with them, clutters of books and scavenged odds and ends that might once have been useful he'd brought back from visits to Midgar. Here too was spare furniture, various decorations and the odd really rare beverage that Tifa maintained for the truly special occasions. And seemingly the few objects they had carried from Midgar to the very top of the world, into the south and by a circuitous, winding route, all the way back to the outskirts of Midgar. There were four bags here, and Cloud felt an odd swell of excitement build in his belly. That bag was his, containing only the thick thermal clothes he'd needed in the far North - he'd exited Nibelheim with nothing but a donated uniform to his name and had never been intending to saddle himself with mementos. His meagre possessions were all mostly laid out in his office below. He'd never minded, while a memento of Nibelheim would seem charming, those days were long gone, and the night his town died was one he wished he could forget. He was following the advice of a long-gone friend, looking to the future and building his life around his present.
This bag was Tifa's; a pair of thick leather gloves tumbled out like some escaping reptile, only to flop lifelessly onto the floor. Materia sockets gleamed in the dull light up here. There was more debris, more memories, and for a moment Cloud almost mourned his barren bag. Ticket stubs for the Gold Saucer were mixed among leaflets for Rufus's celebratory march through Junon and receipts from a hundred shops scattered through-out the world. He suspected, if he was so inclined, he could recreate their journey purely from the shops she'd visited. Scraps of desert sand lurked in the linings of the bag and... a pink ribbon. Cloud's heart skipped a beat as he realised what had been left lying up here all this time. It was frayed, aged and one edge was darkly stained, but he knew immediately what it had to be. She had kept it; even as he'd been wracked with guilt and concerned with her body, Tifa had kept this one final memento of their friend. He carefully extracted it and pocketed it. He was unsure of what to do with it now; it was a deeply personal memento not easily used - not stained with blood as it was.
The third bag was Barret's; littered with empty shell cases and a plethora of plush toys. Cloud smiled to see a miniature moogle amongst them; the toy bearing a close resemblance to a certain mechanised entity he'd spent a goodly amount of time in the company of. Wrapped in crinkling paper was folded silk; it puzzled Cloud for a moment before he realised what it was; a kimono, purchased at some expense in Wutai. Too small for Barret or even Cloud; he estimated it had been intended for Marlene aged five. Barret's daughter had grown too quickly to ever make use of the present.
Heart-thudding Cloud pulled the last and least full bag from the shelf. It felt almost empty and Cloud steeled himself for what it might contain. It couldn't be hers... could it? It had to be Yuffie's. Maybe Cid's. Cait Sith's? No, he'd never needed or carried a bag... He flipped it open, eyes darting trying to find some evidence. The bag was empty... almost. At the bottom in a black case however was an inexpensive camera and a roll of film. It had been used and stored for later developing. He looked at the camera itself gingerly and found it was almost used... Hands shaking with excitement he shuffled out of the attic and down to the main bar.
"Cloud? I think I'm going to shut early today. I'm bushed and with the others coming to..." she trailed off as she saw Cloud staring at the object in his hands. "Cloud? Are you alright?"
He glanced up at her and smiled. "Say cheese!"
"Wha-?" A flare of light washed over her accompanying the click of the shutter. "...okay, I'm confused. What's the occasion?"
Cloud wound the film on, checking it would go no further, and then began to wind the film back. "I found this while getting the beds down."
"I'm flattered you wanted another picture of me, but I think we have a better camera somewhere..." She stared at the camera, something surfacing deep within her memories. Something about that particular camera.
Cloud's voice was shaking ever so gently as he continued. "I found it in amongst our bags; the ones we were carrying when we were hunting Sephiroth."
The camera. There was something vital about that camera. Frustration itched across Tifa's brow. What was it?
"I think... I think this was Aeris'"
The memory broke open, and Tifa gasped, recalling fractured moments of the grinning Aeris clicking happily away at the landscape, members of Avalanche and anything else that took her fancy. "Now I remember... she was always taking pictures... I just forgot about that..."
"There's two rolls of used film here, Tifa. Two rolls of film that she used. We don't have any pictures of her; not even Elmyra has a picture from before Aeris left Midgar. But..."
"...there might be a picture of her on that film," Tifa completed the thought.
Cloud nodded. "Do you think we should see what's on here, or should we let the past be...?"
Tifa gingerly took the camera and studied it. She remembered her friend's face appearing from behind it as she snapped another picture of her as she was looking elsewhere, only aware that the moment had been caught as she heard the click of the shutter and the ratcheting of the film as Aeris wound it on another position. She remembered being curious about what the flower girl had seen through that view-finder, and that she would never admit precisely what she had photographed. Some landscapes she could guess at as she'd seen her take the picture... but others... She wanted to know.
"I think we should see them. And I think our friends should see them too."
Cloud smiled and nodded. "Exactly what I was hoping you would say." He began to walk away. "I'm going to try and get these developed in time for the anniversary." Tifa smiled. "Do you think we should have a sneak peak?" he called back over his shoulder.
"Depends how long it will take to get them back," replied Tifa. "Actually I think the tension might kill us..."
"This is going to be one hell of surprise for them all," mused Cloud in the doorway. "So not a word to any of them."
"Oh, no," Tifa grinned. "Not a word."
Twenty-four hours had rarely felt so interminable. Cloud had been almost reluctant to leave the precious momentos with the chemist, but did resolve himself that he'd get them back tomorrow. That and he had no faith in his own ability to develop the film. He could try, but he'd be terrified of potentially ruining the images within, so he would leave it with someone who knew their job. He distracted himself as much as he could, throwing himself into every activity as thoroughly as he could, just to spur on the passage of time a little more, hasten tomorrow and the return of the pictures. His over enthusiastic help eventually frustrated Tifa who ordered him to take Denzel and Marlene to Sector Five, just to get him out of the way for a short time. As soon as the door closed though, she realised she felt the same way. The sheer possibility that the photos held was hard to resist, and she was easily as impatient as he.
He waved with a glint in his eye as he came back a few hours later, some rectangular packages clutched in one hand. Tifa felt her heart leap as she saw them. He'd detoured past the chemist's on the way back; it had been earlier then he'd been told but he'd chanced it. Too many hours left. Too many by far. She made a decision, and cleared the bar. Gently coaxing regulars out with causal lies that she had to prepare for her visitors tomorrow; the bar would be closed for a private gathering for the next three days, but she hoped to see them all after that. It'd be back to business as usual.
The four of them gathered around a table after the main door was locked, and the kids had gotten a drink. Cloud carefully explained to both Denzel and Marlene just where the photos he held had come from. Tifa looked at him with a pretence of calm and asked if he hadn't already snuck a look. Cloud replied he'd wanted to - but this was an experience best shared with them all. He half regretted not waiting one more day, but the temptation was just too great. He lifted the flap on the first flap and pulled out the thick stack of printed images. The top one was of Tifa from where Cloud had finished the roll of film in the camera. The next showed a pyramidal structure surrounded on all sides by forest...
The next day things were already buzzing within the Seventh Heaven when Cid trudged through the door muttering something about fuel efficiency's. His face lit up when he saw the rest of Avalanche gathered; Vincent had been found waiting stoically outside the front door that morning, with Yuffie attempting a stealth entry around noon, which would have worked this time (dammit) had Tifa and Cloud not decided to re-arrange all the furniture again. Reeve was early this year; having nearly missed last year's gathering due to demands on this time, but he'd arrived early afternoon with the increasingly independent Cait Sith perched on a shoulder. Barret and Nanaki had arrived together, the former Avalanche leader insistent on giving the quadruped a ride to the city.
Tifa glanced over to Cloud with a smile as she handed Cid a drink and waved him down onto a seat. He nodded back and she cleared her throat. "Welcome, to the third annual 'We helped save the Planet party!'" The bar drowned in cheers as glasses were raised, Denzel and Marlene adding their own voices to the cheers. "And this year... we have a little surprise!"
"You're pregnant!" shouted Yuffie from a table near the door. Cloud flushed.
"No!" said Tifa with a sigh.
"Gotta be marriage then," Cid said flatly.
"Not that either," Cloud put in trying to distract from his embarrassment. "This is something for all of us."
"You better not be suggesting an orgy," murmured Yuffie. Barret flicked a peanut towards her. Tifa ignored that comment.
"Okay, I need you to all get into a line... and try to stay sober for this."
"Shit, woman; this is my first drink!" yelled Cid.
"Come on, come on," Cloud clapped his hands and with some grumbling the guests arranged themselves into a tangled line; with a grinning Denzel and Marlene at the front.
"I think we're a bit old for party games," Yuffie said as she scrapped her chair across the floor.
"Its not a game. We have some pictures to show you."
"What holiday snaps? Ah hell, count me out. I'll see you guys next year." Cid moved to get up.
Tifa spoke quickly. "They were taken by Aeris."
He froze and then awkwardly slumped back down. "...ah shit... She had that camera didn't she?"
"She did." The bar was silent as Tifa spoke. "And we all forgot about it. Cloud found it the other day, and we thought you'd all like to know what was on it."
Reeve was the first to speak up. "Having only ever experienced that adventure second hand, I would be delighted to see Aeris' pictures." He was joined with murmurs of assent and Tifa pulled the pack of photos from underneath the bar.
"Couldn't you have them done as slides or on a computer or something?" moaned Yuffie as she stared at the packets.
"Yuffie, do you know how much getting all these developed cost? Let alone know where we could even find a working slide projector?" Cloud asked pointedly. He ignored Yuffie's grumbling response.
"Okay! If anyone has any questions just shout them out. We've had a look through these once already, and we think we know what most of the photos are of, but if anyone's got any comments..."
Tifa slid the first photo from the pack as Cloud walked to the other end of the bar to collect the precious pictures back up again. She bypassed the first picture of herself and handed the first photo to Denzel, and he to Marlene before handing it to Barret.
They all recognised the Temple of the Ancients; how could it have failed to make an impression? The moment all their efforts seemed to count for nothing as Cloud handed the Black Materia to Sephiroth and the first Cait Sith met his end. Cait Sith mark III stared inscrutably at the image as Reeve passed it to him. He had as much of the original's memories as could be transmitted before the implosion, but what Cait Sith really felt about the lose of his predecessor was something Reeve felt oddly reluctant to pry into.
The next few photos were all of the Gold Saucer; a view of the complex from high up, the air bursting with fireworks, Cloud staring at a sheet of paper in consternation as a man half dressed as a knight seemed to be speaking to him, the theatre with an attendant excitedly walking towards the camera and lastly Cloud striding out into the middle of Battle Square. Two required more explanation and all eyes turned to Cloud. He glanced towards Tifa a moment before speaking.
"That first picture is a view from the Gondola on Enchantment Night... Aeris wanted to settle her debt for helping get her away from the Turks in Midgar. It was for one date and she chose that night to have it. I never noticed her taking the second one... We'd wandered into the theatre, and the guy on the door told us we were the hundredth couple and got to be the leads in that night's show. It... didn't go that well." He bowed his head. "I completely blew all my lines and what I was meant to do. I think Aeris wound up saving the day."
Reeve laughed the loudest at the explanation, commenting he'd witnessed several performances via Cait Sith and could well imagine how easily the short production could be screwed up by a less then willing participant. The next six photos all pertained to Wutai and there was no confusion over their significance; Yuffie fighting Shake in the central Pagoda as she proved herself to her father, a picture of the huge carved forms of the Da Chao statues, a high up view of the city, a trio of Turks; Reno, Rude and Elena huddled around a table, looking up and towards the camera with a mix of suspicion and guilt, Cid crouched on top of the Tiny Bronco as it lay on the beach at Wutai. He was scowling at a component, cigarette held tight between his teeth. They assumed the last picture must have been in the sea just off the coast; an almost nondescript strip of land visible rising up out of the blue water - someone's arm just caught along the bottom edge of the frame.
Yuffie in particular took an additional moment to stare at these pictures; herself caught mid-movement as she battled and the wonderful view of her home. Everyone chuckled at the Turks' combination of emotions as they looked towards the errant photographer, Reeve commenting they still stuck together like glue, even with Tseng now up and about again.
The next three photos pertained to Rocket Town; here was Shera brewing a pot of tea and pushing her glasses back up her nose with her free hand. A view of Cid's house showed the Tiny Bronco parked in the back-garden, and another was of from the outskirts of the town, the rusting form of the Shinra 26 standing high above all of the other buildings. Cid cursed slightly as he stared at the picture of Shera, and asked, almost nonchalantly, what it would take to get some copies of the pictures. As mementos naturally; Shera had been bugging him that he'd had this trip around and around the world and had nothing but some scars to show for it ultimately. Tifa grinned bringing 8 batches of photos up from beneath the counter, each tied with a red ribbon.
Seven photos traced the path from the Nibel Mountains to the rolling plains that surrounded Rocket Town. A thin strip of mountains could be seen to the right of the image, which showed little else then the rolling green grassland and the wonderfully blue sky - a pleasing contrast to the overcast skies above the Mount Nibel reactor in the next photo; the reactor itself just visible in amongst the twisted outcrops that thrust out from the mountainside. Vincent took a moment to study the next photo as it passed along the line. It depicted him stepping from the doorway of the Shinra mansion and blinking in the bright sunlight of Nibelheim.
"The first sun in thirty years..." he murmured as he stared at the himself, holding up his clawed hand to keep the direct sunlight out of his eyes. Cid smirked as he saw the picture, Yuffie just about visible along the left hand edge gawping at their newest party member. The remaining photos were of the town; there was the mountain path that they had all learnt would lead up to the reactor and the place Cloud first defeated Sephiroth, here was the decaying mass of the Shinra mansion, black cloaked figures clustered in front of it, and the gates of Nibelheim, a sight that Aeris must have never suspected she would see given the nature of Cloud's story. The final Nibelheim photo showed the vast mountain range through the window of the buggy as they had made their way from Cosmo Canyon.
Nanaki stared at the next picture for a long spell, seeing himself and his grandfather talking at the gates of Cosmo Canyon as Bugenhagen had urged Nanaki to keep on travelling with the others after finally learning the truth about his father. He thanked Cloud and Tifa again that they already had copies of the photos prepared; he would have otherwise asked for a copy of this one. The last picture in the first set was the New Avalanche as it had been declared by Barret that night in Cosmo Canyon - they had not yet met Cid and Vincent, and Aeris was the one taking the picture so it showed Cloud, Tifa, Nanaki, Cait Sith and Barret sat around the Cosmo Candle and staring into the flickering flames.
"Hey... we've gone through one entire roll of film and there's not one picture of Aeris. Don't tell me she got everyone on film except herself?" Yuffie directed the question at Cloud as he carefully put the first set of pictures back into their folder and carried them back to Tifa at the bar.
"There's one picture of her..." he replied.
"Just one?" asked Reeve concerned. Tifa nodded.
"She was too busy taking the pictures to remind herself of the trip - she never meant for us to be using them to reminisce about her..." replied Tifa with a sad note in her voice.
"But there is one, right?" rumbled Barret.
"Yup!" Tifa grinned wider then he would have expected for the answer.
"So when is it?" asked Yuffie.
"Last picture in the set. The first taken," Cloud replied as he walked back to his position at the end of the line.
"Aw, so we have to wait through all of these to see her again? I, mean, I remember what she looked like, but it's just nice... y'know. It's a good picture right? It's not blurry or anything is it?"
Cloud allowed himself a smile. "You'll see Yuffie. Patience."
The ninja let out an exasperated sigh and looked further up the line as the next images were passed from friend to friend. Aeris had changed rolls of film within Cosmo Canyon and the next three images also pertained to Nanaki's home; showing the view from outside Bugenhagen's observatory and the sprawling settlement spread out below, and then it's twin showing the view up to the observatory from the canyon floor. The final image was of deep red rock from the window of the buggy.
The immediate next image had taken Cloud and Tifa sometime to place, or even realise the significance of. It had been taken in Gongaga; the style of the huts in the third photo and the exploded Mako reactor taken just after that made the location unambiguous. But why photograph that house in the village? It had been taken in the evening, the scene lit with reddening light as dusk fell when the rest of their party was resting in the town's only inn. Tifa had been the one to realise, gasping as she connected the situation; it was Zack's parent's house. The Seventh Heaven had fallen silent on both occasions as she explained the picture, everyone slightly uncomfortable at the mention of the man so few of them had met, who had sacrificed himself to get Cloud to Midgar and as a result began the chain of events that would draw them all together.
There was a moment of silence as they contemplated this other absence from their celebration. Reeve broke the silence, clearing his throat and asking if Cloud had been to visit Zack's family since the last time they had visited Gongaga. Cloud ducked his head slightly and admitted that he had never been able to make the trip back there to finally put their minds at rest. He looked at each person in the bar in turn and vowed that he would make a special trip to the village and let them know.
The next photo provoked more amusement from the gathered members of Avalanche. Cloud sat staring forward through the windshield of the buggy as Yuffie seemed to be bouncing in the passenger seat. Nanaki was slumped across two seats in the back, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Tifa had been caught in a half turn towards the buggy as Cait Sith stared up at her. "Shit, you were driving around in one of those things?" muttered Cid. "Pile o'crap."
"It wasn't our choice," retorted Tifa. "Dio gave it to us after Cloud won the Chocobo race."
"Can't see it getting more then a few hundred miles before keeling over. Definitely got yourself a lemon there..."
"To be fair to it, it did break down almost on my doorstep," put in Nanaki.
There was a run of photos that related to the Gold Saucer now; the retreating forms of Cloud, Barret and Tifa as they strode out into the blistering heat of the Corel desert around the Gold Saucer. Barret passed the photo on without comment, and no one present wanted to press the issue of what it depicted; Barret gone to confront his past and fight with Dyne. The next image was also of sand, but showed the ramshackle collection of buildings that clustered against the support column of the Gold Saucer, trying desperately to stay in the shade thrown by the towering structure.
Cait Sith stared again at the next photo; Cait Sith mark I beckoning Cloud over to read his fortune. Reeve smiled as he saw it and mentioned that he had been controlling the robot directly for that little encounter. There were two more photos of the entertainment complex in quick succession; a view from the lowest level of the park up towards the towering spire, the gondolas visible suspended high up above the park and a slightly blurred picture of the cable car's arrival as they headed into the station.
Barret paused longer at the next two images; the first showed the lower cable car stop to the Gold Saucer, the rest of Avalanche clustered around a decidedly unhappy Barret after his confrontation with the former denizens. The next photo had caught Barret on the right hand edge as angry people strode towards him; Aeris had captured the dilapidated ruined former settlement of North Corel. The next three images were easier for Barret to look at; three photos of the Corel mountains - the Gold Saucer clearly visible in the sky ahead of them, a nest of Chocobos and the mountains themselves. Marlene adored the picture of the tiny chocobo chicks huddled in the nest, looking nervously up at the photographer. The collection of photos was rapidly thinning when Tifa passed along the photo of Cloud sat by a campfire, staring into space. Tifa was pushing open the flap of her tent, and beyond Cloud they could just about see Barret waving with his good hand.
"Seven photos left," murmured Yuffie.
"Six," corrected Cloud.
"Huh? I thought there were twenty-four photos to a roll?"
"There are. But I had to use the last one up before I could get the rest developed."
"Oh...? And just what did you take a picture of... Wait, what came before the Temple then?"
Cloud looked a little flustered. "Oh... just a picture of... Tifa..."
Yuffie smirked. "Way to go Cloud! Getting kinkier in the bedroom are we?"
A bread roll bounced off her head. "It's just a picture of me here," said Tifa with a sigh, holding up the missing photo. "I just didn't think anyone would want to see it." She passed it along the line, Yuffie rolling her eyes at Tifa's expression of surprise.
The final group of photos all related to Costa del Sol. Tifa explained that this was where Aeris had picked the camera up; while they bought swimsuits, the flower girl had noticed a display of them in the shop and had delightedly bought one too. The first image was embarrassing though; their party asleep. Tifa edged to the right-hand side of the single bed she'd been sharing with Aeris, next to her was the space encompassing form of Yuffie and in the next bed along was Cloud, sleeping flat on his back, everything but his head hidden below the covers. Barret was dressed in his sailor suit and resting against the far wall, and Nanaki had curled up at the bottom of Aeris and Tifa's bed.
"I forgot you actually used that as sleep-wear in the end," Cloud commented almost laughing.
"Shut up," growled Barret. "It was comfortable. Don't go bringing up marshmallows again."
To Yuffie's embarrassment there was an additional photo of her asleep; arms hanging over the sides of the bed and as a result taking three times as much space as any of the other sleepers. She seemed to be snoring. The ninja scowled when she saw the picture and threatened to sneak it out of everyone else's sets. Tifa piped up and noted it was already too late as they'd had extra copies of that one printed and kept in a safe location. Yuffie slumped back grumbling that she was sure she could find them. Barret made a similar threat when he found the next picture was a much clearer one of him asleep in his sailor uniform.
Three photos now; Cloud approached by a suited man who had tried very eagerly to sell Cloud the huge villa that over-looked the beach. The picture had caught Cloud looking confused as the man gestured back towards the structure. The penultimate picture was Yuffie working part-time in the little shop in Costa del Sol. So incongruous to how they normally perceived the ninja girl, she was smiling and pushing things into a bag when the camera caught her. A more suspicious eye might have noted the crumpled money just visible sticking out of her hip pocket - Yuffie insisted that was her pay.
Tifa sighed slightly, her face lightly flushed as she regarded the last photo in the set. She couldn't hold it back now; certainly not after she already told them that this was the only one of the flower girl. She handed it down, each member falling silent as they regarded it before smiling or laughing slightly.
"This truly is the only picture?" Reeve asked.
Tifa sighed. "Yep. By this stage I think we're just grateful to have one..."
Cloud claimed the photo at the end of the line and took them back to the bar as Denzel and Marlene distributed the bundles of photos to everyone present. With a renewed toast to Aeris Gainsborough, Avalanche carried on with their annual celebration.
"Here we are," said Cloud as he powered Fenrir off. He and Tifa had made a special trip out three days later to visit Elmyra Gainsborough in Kalm. They'd always extended her the invitation to attend their gatherings, but she had always politely declined, never wanting to intrude in the close knit group's affairs. Cloud tried to see her more then once a year when she sent bouquets of flowers to the Forgotten City, but between the delivery business and spending time with Tifa and the kids there were simply not enough hours in the day and so this would be the first visit in a while. And this time, Tifa had asked to come with him; she clutched the carefully wrapped present against her chest, and worried just what Elmyra would think of their unprompted gift.
Aeris' adoptive mother answered the door moments after Cloud had knocked; she probably heard the motorbike arrive thought Tifa and she bid them both come inside. She was always pleased to see them, never once holding them responsible for the loss of her daughter.
"Tifa! It's good to see you. It's been quite a while now... I think the last time was just after Meteorfall?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, I would loved to have visited more often..."
Elmyra shushed her. "No need to apologise; you've got your hands full with Denzel, Marlene the bar and him." She gestured to Cloud who played at being offended. "So what do I do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Cloud cleared his throat. "We found... a camera that used to belong to Aeris. It had some used film that we had developed." He put out a hand as Elmyra's hands rushed to cover her mouth. "There was one picture of Aeris on the film."
"And we brought it for you," said Tifa holding out the present with both hands. Elmyra's hands shook as she took the package and then with shocked calm pulled at the tape holding it closed and slid out the plain white box within. She pulled the lid off, eyes widening as she took in the contents.
And started laughing. Cloud and Tifa couldn't help but smile, remembering how their own companions reacted to the image. But somewhere along the line, Elmyra's laughter turned to tears, and she cried, staring down onto her only image of her lost daughter. "Of course," she whispered. "Of course this would be the only picture of her."
Cloud and Tifa hurried over to comfort their friend's mother. "Thank you," she murmured, drying her tears. "Thank you for this."
Tifa felt she had to say something. "We're sorry... that this is the only one..."
Elmyra shook her head. "Don't be sorry. I didn't think there were any pictures of her at all, so even just this is more then I could ever hope for. And look how happy she is..." She rose and proudly put the frame so it could be seen prominently within the room.
No matter who visited, Elmyra never hid the picture of Aeris Gainsborough. The intricate silver frame always remained on display (Tifa was never sure where Cloud had gotten it, but agreed that it felt right as a tribute to their friend), surrounding a picture of two girls in bright sunlight. An observant person would have realised the image was taken in Costa del Sol and might have wondered who the photographer was. Tifa never knew, and if Aeris had ever asked she took that little detail back to the Planet. The flower girl stood on the left of the picture, her face lit up with a brilliant smile, the edges of her pink ribbon just visible on either side of her head. Her right hand was held up in a 'v' to the camera, while her left was around the waist of Tifa. The martial artist's right arm was in turn back around Aeris' waist and her left hand was held up in a similar 'v'. Her smile wasn't quite as dazzling, but her gentle smile was intoxicating as she gazed out of the photo. The photo itself was of both girls in their new bikinis; purchased at the same time as the camera that had captured this singular moment of the last Cetra.
[End]
The photos:
1. Tifa in the Seventh Heaven
2. Temple of the Ancients
3. Gold Saucer date - Gondola view of the park
4. Gold Saucer date - Cloud trying to learn his lines back-stage at the theatre
5. Gold Saucer date - the theatre
6. Gold Saucer - Cloud entering Battle Square
7. Yuffie in the pagoda fighting Shake
8. Wutai - landscape shot of the Da Chao
9. Wutai - view of capital from Da Chao
10. Wutai - interior Turtle's Paradise - The Turks
11. Cid Highwind - crouched on the top of the Tiny Bronco scowling at a component
12. Sea - the coast of Wutai
13. Rocket Town - Shera making tea
14. Rocket Town - Cid's house
15. Rocket Town - distance shot of settlement
16. The plains on the other side of Mount Nibel
17. Mount Nibel & the Reactor
18. Vincent Valentine blinking in the sunlight for the first time in thirty years. Yuffie is just visible staring curiously at the new companion
19. Nibelheim - the mountain trail
20. Nibelheim - the Shinra mansion & Sephiroth clones
21. Nibelheim - the gates
22. Nibel mountain range from the window of the buggy
23. Nanaki talking to Bugenhagen at the gate of Cosmo Canyon
24. Cosmo Canyon - Avalanche gathered around the Cosmo Candle - minus Cid, Vincent and Aeris.
25. Cosmo Canyon - the view down into the canyon from Bugenhagen's observatory
26. Cosmo Canyon - view up towards Bugenhagen's observatory
27. Red-rock canyon from the window of the buggy
28. Gongaga - Zack's parent's house
29. Gongaga - the destroyed Mako reactor
30. Gongaga - view of the village
31. Picture of the buggy - Tifa is calling to Cloud who is sat at the controls with Yuffie beside him. Nanaki can be seen lying across a seat in the back
32. Cloud, Barret and Tifa walking out into the desert in search of Dyne
33. Gold Saucer - desert prison
34. Cait Sith beckoning Cloud over
35. Gold Saucer - view from the docking station up to the rest of the park
36. Gold Saucer - docking station
37. North Corel - cable car station
38. North Corel - town entrance, Barret is visible on the right, with the residents walking towards him angrily
39. Corel Mountains - Distance shot of the Gold Saucer
40. Corel Mountains - Chocobo nest
41. Corel Mountains - distance shot
42. Plains - campfire. Cloud is centred in the picture, Tifa just visible exiting a tent and Barret is waving his good hand in the background
43. Costa del Sol - Tifa, Yuffie, Cloud, Nanaki and Barret still asleep - Tifa is curled onto the edge of the bed she was sharing with Aeris
44. Costa del Sol - Yuffie still asleep after the others - limbs outstretched from the bed
45. Costa del Sol - Barret asleep in his sailor suit pyjamas
46. Costa del Sol - Cloud approached about buying the beach villa
47. Costa del Sol - Yuffie working in the shop
48. Costa del Sol - Aeris and Tifa
Tags:
- character: aerith gainsborough,
- character: barret wallace,
- character: cait sith,
- character: cid highwind,
- character: cloud strife,
- character: denzel,
- character: elmyra gainsborough,
- character: marlene wallace,
- character: nanaki,
- character: reeve tuesti,
- character: tifa lockhart,
- character: yuffie kisaragi,
- fandom: final fantasy vii,
- fanfic: 48 exposures,
- fanfiction,
- setting: ac,
- tone: comedy,
- type: post-canon
no subject
Date: 2013-03-18 16:19 (UTC)Cloud feels just a bit wordy in some lines. It's not how much he's saying so much as how he's saying it, if that makes any sense?
The digression into how much he originally took from Nibelheim when leaving confused me a bit, since I'd expect any of that would have all been lost when he was captured for experimentation anyway. On rereading it became clearer that it was showing he had never really been sentimental with possessions; might help to just add a note like "and that inclination had continued into his journey across the Planet" or something. While the outgrown kimono makes sense, why does Barret's bags still have the plush toys in there, without them being given to Marlene?
"leaflets for Rufus' celebratory march" in Tifa's bag makes me picture Yuffie scrawling a pair of devil horns and/or goofy mustache on Rufus' black-and-white picture and Tifa keeping that for the humor XD (and then I want to turn it into a loose group-bonding episode of "yep, no one likes Shinra here, what else can we add?", passing it around)
"At the bottom in a black case however was an inexpensive camera and a roll of film. It had been used and stored for later developing. He looked at the camera itself gingerly and found it was almost used..."
That last "it" maybe should be clarified to "the current roll of film" or something similar? But I do like had Cloud's so excited that he's being a bit goofy and snaps Tifa's picture.
Is Cloud really asking if they should develop the pictures, or if Tifa's okay with them being developed? I mean given his excitement it really seems like he's already decided XD
...What are the kids drinking in the bar, HMM (okay, that's me deliberately being dense, but it did make me laugh a bit to see the kids "get a drink"). And haha, of course Vincent would wait stoically. Could not risk knocking and waking anyone up XD
I love the mix of the pictures. While most I expected in some way, ones I really loved for the bit of surprise was that Aerith got a picture of the Turks in Wutai--makes so much sense for her, and their expressions were nice too. Shera's was so nice, and I really, really loved that Aerith would realize that Vincent's first sunlight in 30 years is a momentous occasion of its own. Cannot emphasize that one enough. A lot of the candid shots of people feel very nice.
Hmm...I forget if you were planning to write Cloud going to Gongaga to tell Zack's parents, but wouldn't it also be possible for this fic to say he has been there? Unless this is supposed to be helping to set that up. Mostly saying because while it's frustrating compilation never addressed it, it does feel a bit knotty to explicitly state that Cloud hasn't been there in three years despite traveling the world over for deliveries, especially since the fic otherwise doesn't deal with Zack.
Surprised Tifa doesn't rib Cid that the buggy was better than walking, and they'd used his crashed Tiny Bronco for transport too XD (though then I picture Cid getting pissed and also pointing out that so, yeah? Even when the Bronco got shot down by those bastards she was still plenty useful!)
I'm torn between getting more detail on the photos in and being worried it might drag the pacing a bit...like, if noting that the Temple of Ancients is at still a bit of distance, because once they got close Aerith was distracted by I HEAR PLANET, and making it clearer that the North Corel picture was taken before Aerith could recognize that there was a situation going on with Barret and the townsfolk (at least, I'm assuming this was the case? Feels a bit odd to have her take the picture otherwise--and I got a similar feeling with the one of Cloud, Tifa and Barret heading out to the desert, like why did she want a memento of that?
...although now I'm picturing her getting a candid of that NPC who follows you throughout the prison, with her suddenly whirling on her foot and surprising him with the camera.)But still, I really like the whole of the collection! And the camping pictures especially. Cute.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-18 21:44 (UTC)Mmm... re-reading this, I can see Cloud is a little more eloquent maybe? then he should be - might re-do some of his dialogue, give some of his lines to Tifa (or just mangle things around a little). Ah, yeah that was what I was going for with his mention of momentos; so I'll clarify that on the newx revision. The plush toys... You have a good point there; I think I just wanted something to bulk out Barret's bag... but there is no good reason why he wouldn't have showered Marlene with them when he does get to see her again. So maybe one stray Moogle or something...
Oh! I seriously like that idea of the defaced leaflets like that, so I might borrow that one (and that sounds like a whole different fic of a group-bonding excersise in defacing the leaflets; almost something that might have happened on the ocean crossing - maybe after the first day (as that looks like it should have taken at least a day or so to cross that much open water) when the novelty of stowing away has waned and they're a little bored. (I think the ship is a bit of a problem time-line wise. Unless the continents really are that close to each other...)
Heh - yeah I think Cloud would get those pictures developed regardless, but I was thinking that he wanted just to check it wasn't going to seem creepy going through the contents of the camera after all that time... and heh - I did like making him a little goofy by taking a picture of Tifa...
(on a side-note, I re-checked ACC last night and noticed the Seventh Heaven has a surprising number of framed photos around the place; some almost look like you can make out what they're of, but in general its too blurry. Curious as to what the photos are of (they extend up the stairs to the bedrooms too, so those are likely more family pictures. I'm just wondering if any of Aeris' pictures might end up on their walls - probably more out the back, but some of the landscape ones they might put up in the bar)
Marlene favours irish coffee, while Denzel starts his day with Jack Daniels (I kid! I kid!), but its still a little weird that Marlene could easily be helping out in the bar much as she did back in Midgar. I suppose with Shinra in charge, or after an apocalypse like that, minors working in bars is the least of anyone's problems (that tragic lack of schools...)
Really glad you liked the pictures; there were a few moments when I didn't feel I was going to be able to cope up with the additional 45 I needed, and then the frustrating moment when I had to remove one to allow Cloud to take the picture of Tifa at the start (and ignoring all the possible problems with messing with rolls of film like that). And I always like to bring the Turks into proceedings... Shera's is oddly one of the ones I can see clearest in my head, and really glad you liked Vincent's moment.
You're right about Cloud visiting Zack's parents; I was mostly working off Compilation timeline for this, but it would be more satisfying to have him already have taken care of this - it is sort of tempting to write, but I'm really not sure where the sequence would go... I do agree it doesn't seem likely that he could have delivered all over the world but entirely failed to stop by Gongaga just once...
Haha! Liking the Tifa/Cid ribbing there. Might put a bit of that in as well.
Yeah, I was also really torn on more detail to the pictures and how that might drag everything down... I'll try to embellish some of the hastier described ones on the next pass to see how that sits (and you are entirely correct on why the Temple is a distance shot (I was at one point wondering about having her take a picture inside which defied explanation when developed, or having the last pictures be at Gongaga before she left, but I figured the call of the Planet was going to override that desire to photograph things) and why the picture of North Corel wound up like that - it's hard to get across she simply wanted a picture of the remains of the town and not the imminent fight that's heading towards Barret... might need to alter that one a little).
You do have a point on the desert prison photo of them heading out to Dyne; I think I had that one as a clear plot-marker then anything else, but you're right it is a little odd (I was wondering about realism, as I had wanted to take some definte fluffed photos; since this isn't a digital camera and Aeris has no way of previewing her efforts so she could easily photograph something she liked not realising the significance or even chaning her mind aferward). Tempted now actually to have her getting that picture of the guy at the Desert Prison; spinning around to catch him just behind Cait Sith, Yuffie and Tifa - and in the distance you can just about see Cloud, Barret and Tifa heading out...
no subject
Date: 2013-03-20 22:39 (UTC)Seems like it would work as well. (To me, anyway; not sure if that seems too terse to you. And feel free to tell me to knock it off if I'm being too nitpicky for you at any point.)
lmfao I'm finally responding and I am complete ineloquence myself over here.
Oh, I think that'd work for Barret's bag! Like a smaller doll that got overlooked and now Marlene seems a bit too grown-up for that kind and they should really do something with it but they never find the time...just one of those odd knick-knack XD
The canon timeline is so, so weird. For a Planet that draws comparison to Earth...why did they then try to go back and make it teeny-tiny o___o In some ways it does seem right for it to be a bit smaller, but with the travel times it's like they went way too far on downscaling.
It'd be kind of cute if the pictures ended up scattered all throughout Seventh Heaven, yeah! With landscapes in the public areas, especially fun ones like the Gold Saucer from the Gondola, more personal ones in back.
You mentioned "fluffed" photos (which do make sense)--maybe the North Corel could be one, to make it obvious that she hadn't realized? Like, she had it in her sights, was about to take the picture, then realized something seemed to be going on with Barret, so she snapped it hastily to get back to whatever was going on with Barret and the resulting picture's tilted at an angle/out of focus somehow.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-20 23:27 (UTC)And no! Please do keep being nitpicky! It's very helpful, and I do prefer to get characters sounding right, so please keep letting me know if something does sound off (as long as you don't mind pointing them out).
I also had this weird fondness (as I noticed when flicking through the Ultimania about the Gold Saucer - there are giant Moogles which look almost identical to Cait Sith to either side of the stage) for the idea that maybe Caith Sith really is a mascot for the Gold Saucer, and Reeve either conciously or unconciously based Cait Sith on the place's mascot character - and that the one you spotted in Honeybee Inn is genuinely a souvenier from the place... But yeah, an overlooked knick-knack (and maybe something Cloud could remember in future if he ever does become a father/Denzel or Marlene ever get kids).
Totally agree on the canon timeline - I first heard about it a month or two back and just couldn't believe it was that brief. I do wonder if they were worried about the AC being two years later, and someone asked exactly two years later from which point (well, 498 years later then Nanaki revisits Midgar), and someone worried about the timing of the group crossing the Planet and how that translated time-wise forwards... (then visions of someone sat down replaying FFVII to count every stated day-night cycle/specified time-gaps (like between loosing Cloud at the Crater and Tifa re-awakening is seven days and its another seven on top of that before Meteor impacts)
Ah - like the photo placements... I was wondering actually if the Turks photo might go up in the bar if they ever came by to visit - and then Reno takes exception/gets nostalgic and swipes it...
Liking the idea that the North Corel one is fluffed like that - I'll take that one up as well; she was just getting a picture of the village when the commotion happened and that picture is ata completely skewed angle...
no subject
Date: 2013-03-21 00:05 (UTC)I do kind of like--in BC Cait Sith was just the cat, so I like the idea that when it came to ideas for the mount his thoughts strayed to Gold Saucer...
To be honest even just Midgar seems like it takes too much time when I was trying to figure it out (night 1, reactor 1... reactor 5 starts the next morning, but Cloud's fall explicitly shows nighttime so that must have been night 2, with Cloud waking up during day 3, night 3 spent at Elmyra's house, night 4 is Don Corneo's search for a wife, with the slightly generous assumption that they figured out right away how to get up to Shinra HQ and didn't need any time to recover from shock/wounds from the pillar fight they got up at the beginning of night 5 and bust out at the dawn of day 6. Travel times between cities and having to ferret out gossip about where Sephiroth's been spotted haven't even gotten involved yet. ...Yes, I really am one person who has sat down and counted out stuff XD). It adds up pretty much to seeming technically possible but not sounding right at all.
...I like how Reno discovering the picture him and his coworkers and finagling it from Tifa sounds like a short little one-shot of its own to me, haha. But I really need to just focus on the things I'm already writing!
no subject
Date: 2013-03-21 23:09 (UTC)Ah, interesting that BC just had Cait Sith as the cat (much like AC)... and its a nice thought he took the design from the Gold Saucer (now wondering if its a guilty pleasure/holiday destination for Reeve away from Shinra, or its somewhere he went in childhood and just *loved*. And then he figured he could hide inside the Gold Saucer and hopefully not attract much attention at all - everyone would just go "Huh. The animatronics really improved this week apparently").
Ah, but that's really useful to actually track the time within Midgar like that (and it feels so different to the other FFs which will usually take you out to the world map very quickly - FFVII on the other hand keeps you locked in Midgar for hours - but the city is so huge it practically feels like a whole world in and of itself (its a bit like FFIII which opened up after a contained area - the difference is that one had a two-scale world map)). I think this is always going to be one of the points where staying true to word of god estimates just sounds silly - as you said, its technically possible but they're moving so fast around the world; and all their friendships feel like they'd need much more time to be as strong with each other as depicted.
Travel time between settlements and the not necessarily having a clear heading at times also feel like they should push the time taken up pretty far as well (I remember at least one fanfic conjectured the game took place over 1 year... which I think is too long, but its a more sensible time-frame at least)
(very interesting its almost a week inside Midgar like that as well... That at least feels just about right for the events as depicted (as you say, very generous in recovering from the pullar collapse)
Ack! Sorry for giving you ideas for other fics (though that sounds an amusing one to read....)!
no subject
Date: 2013-03-23 05:50 (UTC)And then with AC travel times it's possible for him to have been sent there and come back anyway.But yeah, it is cute for Reeve to think of "hiding" Cait Sith there--somewhere where he's so normal for the setting he can just walk about as he pleases!Midgar does have so much detail in the original game... I've always liked a ballpark figure of six months--never exactly mapped it out, but it just feels right that each town would take a few days to get to, and trying to find the next lead, and building up relationships in the party (Transitioning to Gold Saucer to Gongaga alone suggests there should have been quite some time passing in travel--Cloud apparently has completely forgotten the suspicious nature of Cait Sith forcing his way into the party as he quickly declares he trusts everyone... very odd for a timeline where he would have had, what--two days to forget?)
no subject
Date: 2013-03-25 20:08 (UTC)The detailedness of Midgar is part of why I think FFVII's world is so fascinating - I don't think there has ever been any location rendered in that much detail in an FF game (Lea Monde might give it a run from Vagrant Story but that's near entirely set within that location). There probably are larger cities (like in XIII), but there is so much of Midgar to see and explore (and all those other places we unfortunately never got to see - wonder if there was a possibility that the game would take place entirely within the city at one stage).
Six months does sound about right; for distances and the occasional sped-up travel (buggy, Chocobo, Tiny Bronco, Highwind, sub). And a very good point about Cloud and Cait Sith - that really does need a period of time for Cloud to trust him as fully as his other companions - not least as there was (or would likely be depending on when/if you find Yuffie) a substantial gap between meeting Nanaki (or Yuffie) and meeting Cait Sith...
Yeah, within two days, he'd still be dubious of the newcomer - especially as he was so adamant about tagging along...
no subject
Date: 2013-03-27 03:45 (UTC)Were there more locations set to appear in the city? That's interesting. But yeah, the relationships really just seem off for a two-month journey/I'm pretty much convinced the party needs a significant time to build up rapport to have seen all of Cloud's weirdness too and still be like "OUR LEADER" right away.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-27 22:10 (UTC)I don't actually know if there was more intended for Midgar (sorry if I gave that impression - I've never seen anything to suggest it), but given the size and detail of the areas we do see, it seems it might have been possible to have more events within the city... and I just get curious as to what the other Sectors were like - both above and below the plate (the areas we see are so diverse).
no subject
Date: 2013-03-28 15:22 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-28 17:16 (UTC)That said, someone at SE should know the make-up of the Upper Plates at least as there was a huge scaled model of Midgar commissioned for AC or ACC I think, and the level of detail was really good, so it should be possible to get a sense of the other Sectors... Alas, photos of it are hard to come by...
no subject
Date: 2013-03-29 03:25 (UTC)...I'm now wondering how well toy-scaled models of Midgar would sell. xD It does sound very interesting to look at.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-29 23:31 (UTC)But yeah, a model of Midgar would be really neat (I did start trying to replicate Midgar in Minecraft once, but got nowhere close to the ones I linked you to on Tumblr...)
no subject
Date: 2013-03-30 04:21 (UTC)Hahaha, I'm sure the Minecraft Midgars took *many*, many hours (and probably more than one person!) I've seen my brothers work together at building with both their characters so I'm kind of curious how many people you could get working together on a structure... /I don't play minecraft myself.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-30 10:48 (UTC)There is a slight hitch with Minecraft in that it wasn't necessarily constructed by hand; some of the more elaborate/larger structures are created in an editor first and then imported (though its still quite amazing). And yes, many, many hours (I started with Sector Seven and the support pillar). Not actually sure how many people can work together - I think it can be a very large number and if they are all working to a consistent plan...
(I haven't played Minecraft in quite a while; its a game that can happily eat time, but eventually you just find yourself not knowing what to do)
no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 03:04 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 11:39 (UTC)(the other unfortunate thing is that the really detailed Midgar Minecraft map isn't available for download, plus it requires a number of mods to look as good as it does)
Suddenly remembered there are other Midgar maps for games, which I have failed to check out; I know there's one for Jedi Knight 3, and at least one attempt to build the city for Oblivion...
no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 18:55 (UTC)It's just not my kind of thing I suppose; there's some kind of mental disconnect for me there. But the creations that have come out of it are incredible (...! Stinks that the Midgar Minecraft map can't be played with though.)
no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 23:06 (UTC)Ah, yeah that's the Minecraft end. Comparing it to Legos is very apt (and yeah at least with Lego you have a 3D physical object at the end of it).
I do know what you mean though, even with the hours I once lost to the game, I just cannot sit down and play it for longer then thirty seconds anymore. And yes, for nothing else the creations produced with it are nothing short of astonishing (the Midgar map is a real nuisance as I would have loved to stroll around the place...)
no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 03:31 (UTC)Yeah, my sister was utterly LOST in Minecraft herself--now she sits down and helps the brothers when they're over if they want to play, but I think it's been a while since she's played herself. (Though she's talked about that 2d game that was inspired by Minecraft...I want to say Terraria? So maybe she's taken an interest in that.)
no subject
Date: 2013-04-01 10:43 (UTC)Completely correct; Terraria is like 2D Minecraft. ... I think I lasted thirty seconds on that too before moving on to something else. I think I need storylines in my games more; sandboxes like that are nice but some momentum is better.
fff I think I just forgot this notif.
Date: 2013-04-04 20:17 (UTC)Re: fff I think I just forgot this notif.
Date: 2013-04-04 21:02 (UTC)