This is another long entry. lol I didn't even intend to write this much but I just got started...and kept going. ^^;; Even though I know no one will read this. lol
Day 21 - Favorite Final Fantasy pairing/ship.
Soooooooooooo at first I was like "ya know, Lyn, maybe you should make this entry about canon pairings from the actual games only" but then realized...I don't really like that many of the official pairings in the games. lol So was like screw that! And yes I'll admit right now that most of my ships in FF games tend to be of the yaoi variant. I do like some of the het pairings but not many. And sadly there aren't really any good yuri ones 'cause of the general lack of good female characters. Hell Square even gave us a practically canon yuri couple (Fang/Vanille) and I don't even like it. x_x 'Cause I love Fang but I HATE Vanille. T_T
But yes, I think just about everyone that knows me knows what my real favorite pairing is anyways and even if I tried to make an entry about the "canon pairings" you all know what I really want to post so lets just get it over with...
My OTP:
Final Fantasy VII - Sephiroth/Cloud
And I'll have it noted that this was one of the very few worksafe pics I have of this pair on my harddrive. ^^;; *cough* But yeah this has been my guilty pleasure for...oh god...at least 10 years now? I'm honestly not sure when I actually first started getting into it as my memory of my early FFVII days are really cloudy and jumbled. I know it wasn't right away since I was still pretty innocent and naive when I first played the game. Knew very little about sex in general and was still in my homophobic stage. Though really it was just me not understanding what gays were, just that it was a bad thing because people told me so. And its sad to say but FFVII fanfics really were what turned my world around. As my very first encounter with yaoi was in this fandom. I don't remember how I stumbled across it or why. Just that despite how homophobic I was, for some reason, the idea of Sephiroth and Cloud together DID NOT disturb me. I immediately started agreeing with the theories I saw around. Kinda a "hmmm...that really does kinda work."
Though I'm not sure if my first NC-17 yaoi fic was Seph/Cloud or Zack/Cloud. It may have been the latter actually. Just that I remember going "OH! That's how gays do it?! I had no idea!" lmao ^^;; But yeah, I got into the pairing at a kinda young age. Probably too young for what I was reading at the time. As I think I had to have been about 14 when I first really got into it. And for a while it varied as to whether I liked Cloud with Seph or Zack more. But in the end Seph wins overall. And part of it did have to do with the corrupting the internet did of my young innocent mind and of my internet friends back then that also were rather inclined towards the pairing.
But yeah, I do get a lot of shit about my liking of it. I get a lot of eyebrow raises when I mention how much I like it. A lot of "what the hell?!" etc. I know generally speaking its a pairing not many people think of at first. The whole argument that Cloud is in love with Aerith (whether you want to argue its one sided or not), but ultimately ends up with Tifa in the end and so what the hell, how can you say he's with Sephiroth? Well. An important thing to point out here is that I don't see this pairing as being very romantic. I do see it as violent and slightly disturbing and gotta admit, that's part of the appeal to me. ^^;; I don't talk about it often as I'm always afraid people will judge me for it but I do have a tendency to like disturbing and violent pairings. But at the same time, I have read many fanfics where it does work for them. Mostly with the idea of young Cloud pre-game developing his little hero-worship into more of an obsession and a huge crush on the General. Now whether he gets to act on this or not depends on the author. But I've enjoyed both the stories where they do end up together and then Seph goes insane and destroys Cloud's little world and also the ones where Seph never knows and Cloud can't help but still have that crush despite how awful things have gotten. So then you have the whole "I have to kill the one I used to love" thing going on in game. Except that Cloud, for a good chunk, doesn't remember this until later. And then of course the fact that Sephiroth can manipulate Cloud...is kinda what got me into the pairing in the first place. 'Cause my favorite fics involving them usually are ones dealing with Sephiroth playing with Cloud's poor mind during the game and literally fucking him up. ^^;;;; And often there is no love involved at all. Its just about obsession and the fight to dominate.
And really I disagree with anyone who states that Cloud is just with one person because he is sooooo complicated in the romance sense even just between our two female leads. I really don't think there is any definite route for him. He's a character you can pair with pretty much anyone and it will still work. Because his feelings are never really clear and I actually like that. 'Cause don't you get tired of the whole "I see this girl. I am in love instantly. Love forever! Never love anyone else." type of plot? Because seriously how often does that happen in real life? Most people have quite a few romances and flings. And so I find it much more realistic to say that Cloud probably had a few different loves. I like the idea that he did like Aerith and maybe there was something there for a short period of time but I don't really think she loved him back quite as much. And with Tifa...oh that's such a complicated thing there too. And really with Cloud's personality its really hard for me to think of him as being completely straight. I see him as bisexual. Granted I do like to play with the idea of him being 100% gay but truth be told he's probably bi because yeah I'll agree he probably does have at least some interest in the two girls.
But pffft that aside! Its sad to say that while my obsession with them started pretty early on...I was still pretty homophobic in real life. I was one of those "Its ok in fiction but not in real life!" type of people. And it took a friend to get me to realize how stupid that way of thinking was and that surprise I was actually gay myself and just heavily in denial. And as silly as it sounds, two things really did help me realize this. Utena and FFVII fics. XD Because really my obsession with FFVII yaoi was making it kinda hard to stay homophobic for long. That and I tended to really enjoy RPing them with someone who ended up being my first girlfriend in the end.
Favorite actual Canon Pairing:
Final Fantasy VII - Zack/Aerith
See? I do like het pairings sometimes. XD Its just the ones in FF tend to make me want to gag. But this one doesn't! I have always found Zack and Aerith INSANELY ADORABLE! And it also tends to be why I lean more towards Seph/Cloud over Zack/Cloud 'cause even though I do think Zack/Cloud has more chance of actual romance...its hard because I always feel like Zack is cheating on Aerith then. XD But I've also read some amazing fics where play Aerith into the whole Zack/Cloud story and it works. But anywho! That's not about that. This is about the actual pairing. And I must admit AC and CC made me love the pairing a whole lot more than I did originally. Because dear god are they cute in Crisis Core. T_T And this is also why I have an issue with diehard Cloud/Aerith fans. Because seriously how can you ignore the fact that Aerith loved Zack? And that really Aerith's interest in Cloud is just because at first he seems just like Zack. And well there's a reason for it and Aerith is the first to realize it before anyone else. Which is shown in the Gold Saucer date if you get Aerith for it (and really her date is so much more important to the storyline than Tifa's) when she says that she would really like to meet Cloud. And of course Cloud has no idea what this means at the time. But basically Aerith is making the point that right now she knows this is just Cloud pretending to be Zack and that she really hasn't met the real Cloud yet. So yeah, this is why I don't see that pairing as really working because in the end Cloud isn't really who Aerith wants, despite the fondness that she has for him.
And of course there's that bit in AC of Aerith and Zack's spirits hanging out together in the end and walking off. XD So obviously kinda stated right there that the two of them have been reunited in the Lifestream which does make me go "awwwwww" big time. 'Cause I'm a total sap for them. Yes my favorite type of pairing tends to be the violent and disturbing type when it comes to fandom but my other favorite type of pairings are the tragic pairing. And I feel like they kinda fall into that category. Because for starters Aerith is someone who doesn't like Shinra and is hiding from them. I mean Shinra killed both her parents and is kinda messing up everything the Cetra stand for. And of course the fact that Shinra would love to get their hands on her for experiment purposes (which I gotta say is why I always loved the fact that Tseng, even though he's watching over her for Shinra, is obviously not in any hurry to turn her over, obviously showing he does have some heart after all). And then this SOLDIER drops in on her (literally lol) and despite the fact that she should hate him...she can't. And they develop such a cute romance that you can feel your teeth rotting from the sweetness during Crisis Core. But in the end of course, Shinra once again takes what's important to Aerith away from her. Zack disappears. She never hears from him. But we all know that when Zack dies, she felt it. I mean she's a Cetra so she gets that extra ability and just the scene where you see her look up the instant Zack dies....T_T You just know she knows. And granted there is that bit in FFVII in Gongaga where she talks to Zack's parents and has that little hope he might be alive but I think even then she realized it wasn't possible for him to be alive. I think its more like she tricks herself into thinking there may be a chance for a slight moment but the whole bit where she runs out of the house I think kinda proves she knows in the end its pointless. Because I'm pretty sure she felt him die.
So despite how sad her own death is. At least she can finally be with him again. And the one nice thing about death is that at least they no longer have to worry about Shinra getting in the way anymore. And hey probably pays to have a Cetra girlfriend as Zack gets to be more involved in the Lifestream than a normal person does. Getting to talk to Cloud as well in AC and all. And I will also admit I do have a slight thing for Zack/Aerith/Cloud OT3 as its one of the few OT3s I could really see working well. 'Cause both Zack and Aerith have such a gentle fondness for Cloud and I really do think the two of them are probably the closest people he's had in his life. (Though you can argue Tifa is closer, yes, but like I've said before, I have such mixed feelings on her. >>;)
Other Pairings:
FFIV - Kain/Cecil - Because Cecil is so freaking pretty and its kinda hard to believe he's straight. lol While I do agree and fully support his marriage to Rosa in the end...I've always felt the whole rivalry between them over Rosa might actually have nothing to do with Rosa. XD And especially the stuff between them in Dissidia...Cecil seems awfully fond of Kain in it. lol So I kinda see it more as a thing that happens on the side, in secret. And well I only just now started playing the sequel but from the little I know of it, I can already see like Kain's protective-ness over Cecil's son kinda adding more to my obsession with this pairing. XD; And come on, they're freaking pretty together. >>;
FFIX - Kuja/Zidane - lol I don't think I have to defend this one much. The ending of IX always makes me T_T a bit. 'Cause Zidane never really hated Kuja and Kuja is such a tragic character in general. And it actually surprises me the amount of depth they have to their interaction in Dissidia. 'Cause Kuja is seriously only interested in finding Zidane and playing with him (hell his obsession with it enough to rival Seph's obsession with going after Cloud in Dissidia. I always found it so amusing how both of these silver haired villains are really not interested in the schemes of the rest. They really just want to find their butt body obsession rival and havewonderfulhatesex fight them). And then the bit in Shade Impulse where Zidane holds out his hand to Kuja, wanting to help him is just..."d'awww" inducing.
And a note on the canon pairings...I do actually like Zidane/Garnet and Tidus/Yuna (yeah yeah I know, most people hate them but I actually thought they were really cute and they were my fav canon pairing a few years back actually) and hell I even like Shuyin/Lenne. Cecil/Rosa is cute but to be honest I found them...really boring which is kinda sad considering FFIV's most famous music piece is "Theme of Love". lol I can't stand Rinoa or Squall so their romance just makes me gag. I hate Snow so wasn't really able to get into his romance with Serah. Locke/Celes and Edgar/Terra are cute but once again didn't see their romances as being much of a romance really. Especially the latter. I kinda felt they were both after thoughts to the story and thus not all that important. Easy to forget about. I would have liked Fang/Vanille a lot if I didn't hate Vanille so much because their actual story is really cute but ugggaaaaah why did it have to be Vanille?! x_x; And I think that's really it for the pairings in the games I've played. 'Cause while I do like both Balthier and Fran a lot...I honestly don't really see them as a couple. I see them as partners but not really in the romantic sense. I mean I can totally see sex being possible between them (even if I personally don't like it) but can't see it as anything serious just because of how their personalities are. So I really do prefer them just as close comrades.
Day 01 - Your favorite FF game!
Day 02 - Your least favorite Final Fantasy game.
Day 03 - Your favorite Final Fantasy theme/song.
Day 04 - Your favorite Final Fantasy party from your favorite game.
Day 05 - Your favorite Final Fantasy City/Town.
Day 06 - Favorite part of your favorite Final Fantasy game.
Day 07 - Least favorite part of your favorite Final Fantasy game.
Day 08 - Favorite Chocobo Version.
Day 09 - Favorite Moogle Version.
Day 10 - Best Final Fantasy scene ever.
Day 11 - Final Fantasy game that disappointed you.
Day 12 - Final Fantasy game you’ve played more than 5 times.
Day 13 - Your favorite version of Cid.
Day 14 - Favorite Final Fantasy male character.
Day 15 - Favorite Final Fantasy female character.
Day 16 - Your favorite Final Fantasy limit break.
Day 17 - Favorite Final Fantasy mini game.
Day 18 - Favorite Final Fantasy opening sequence.
Day 19 - Best Final Fantasy outfit.
Day 20 - Best Final Fantasy hair.
Day 21 - Favorite Final Fantasy pairing/ship.
Day 22 - Favorite Final Fantasy summon.
Day 23 - Least Favorite Final Fantasy mini game.
Day 24 - Best Final Fantasy quote.
Day 25 - Final Fantasy game you plan on playing (old or new).
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Final Fantasy moment.
Day 27 - Best Final Fantasy storyline.
Day 28 - First Final Fantasy game obsession.
Day 29 - Current Final Fantasy game obsession.
Day 30 - Saddest Final Fantasy character death.
~Lyn