Mystics Apprentice

I'm feeling really mixed about it. On the one hand it's not bad, but I feel that it heavily resembles Minnie Mouse.

I believe that this is fake. There's nothing about it that seems legit to me. As others pointed out, it makes no sense that they're about to announce a FF VII remake when they haven't even released part one of FF VII, and War of the Ethereal Crystal is such a lousy name for a Tactics game. What also struck me as odd was the mention of Nier Automata 2. Automata wasn't the first Nier game, so to make a direct sequel is possible, but I would've expected another Nier installment instead, to be honest.

Name: Athena Niles Gender: Female Race: Human Age (if fey, keep in mind that they are immortal, but can appear like a certain age): 21 Appearance: Magic (if any): None Weapons: Steel sword Personality: Timid, determined, and kindhearted. Athena strives to please others, though is unafraid to speak her mind. Biography: Only daughter to King Alderon and Queen Elincia and heir to the Sondon throne. Athena has lived a lonely life while under the influence of a wicked curse, transforming the elegant girl to possess canine features. Her subjects willing to burn her at the stake for sorcery, Alderon has kept her from the public eye and has isolated her to the palace, with only humble servants and noble guards for companionship. Her favor has fallen from many, save for a certain aspiring knight whom frequently visits the princess. She has greatly come to care for him, though assumes that her father would never allow her to wed a commoner. Upon Alderon's journey to the Overworld, Athena has remained behind to govern Sondon, which was well until her near assassination. Thereafter she was subject to abduction by the king of Helvadoria, mistreating her and allowing the public to shame and ridicule her. She now resides prisoner within the Kilkis Seres palace, under the guard of Helvadorian troops. I love how we're finding so many uses for these wishes now, haha! I think I actually have a possibility that could work. Thank you for proffering this nonetheless.

So, regarding the endgame trials: I've spent a little bit of time getting them together, and overall I think they'll make things interesting. Most will be a team effort, though I'm planning at least one individual task. I think I've figured out what it will be, though I hope that it works the way that I'm envisioning. The only problem I'm encountering is this: everyone would need to be together to complete the group trials, which looks pretty impossible with the way that things are going. Aside from Henry, Elia, Yev, and Nergal, does everyone else think that they can get their characters to arrive at Isopolis at the same time? That would make things work out the best. That, or I can try to create separate trials for group two, but that could be limited to just a couple of people working on these problems, and I think it would be much more enjoyable for everyone if working together. For Henry, Elia, Yev, and Nergal: since the three of us have other characters in the main group, I was thinking we'd go through the main trials together and then these four can just go through their individual trial separately, if that works. I just want to make sure everyone has a chance to get in on the other events. I'm mostly concerned about Sora's Baby and Sabre getting into the main group with at least one character. I know that we had a pretty good working plan for Aqua, and it looks like Eclaire might get to Isopolis around the same time as Henry. Would there be any way that we can just somehow make it so that everyone's there at the same time, save for Yev and Nergal (because let's face it: they can't be buddy-buddy with the protagonists. )? I'm curious to hear your guys' thoughts and suggestions. Also, I'm working on a barebones character sheet for Alderon's daughter. I'll try to get it finished tonight if I can do so in a reasonable amount of time.

--Elia Cabret -- Kilkis Seres palace gates-- Bring harm to the regent? Good, was all that Elia could think when Nergal commanded her to stand back. She squinted at Henry, placing her pastry-free hand on her hip. She didn't recognize him, yet something about him screamed familiarity; what could it be? "You should let him through," Elia commented, licking some syrup from the back of her hand. "I don't know why, but I get this feeling that he's telling the truth." What would her word matter, though? She was just some fairy passing through, though she did have a history with the regent. "Why don't I help you see him?" She smiled from Henry to Nergal in turn. "Why don't you tell Yevgeni Malachite that Ariana Cabret's sister is here to see him. He won't refuse me." Not that she particularly wished to see that elf's face, but she did desire to help this human, for reasons she herself couldn't fathom.

I'm going to be replacing Visco for a different character. She will still be Alderon's daughter, just will be a different character, so as not to use the Unversed's character. I'll try to work out her details a bit later. I'm heading out for some errands in just a bit, and the remainder of this week is pretty full for me, unfortunately. Did we decide to go with the wish idea, or the rescue mission?

All right, I'll update the rules to be more specific. Essentially if you abandon a RP I would assume that you've surrendered your characters, as they are apart of the roleplay and if you're not there to play them, well, I guess the host has to do something about it. In about 95% of RPs you'll see the host take control of the characters if they're important, with or without permission. I am sorry if it offended you, though. I never meant to hurt your feelings by taking control of your important characters. I appreciate you allowing them to conclude the roleplay, but I am quite fine in having them exit the RP here and now. I'll just replace Alderon's daughter with someone else. Sorry if my answer isn't to your satisfaction, but I don't have anything else to offer you? You wanted the truth, and you got it. Would you rather I make up some compelling story as to why I can't have you return? . Truly, five months without a word was too much, and we have everything planned for the final stages so trying to add you back in would be too complicated. I do not know how I could be more honest with you. Thanks for being understanding. Hope to see you around in the future.

I feel no explanation that I provide will be satisfactory to you, and that we're talking in circles. First, I had no way to contact you, and thus could not even acquire permission if I wanted to. I suppose in the rules I could've stated that I may take control of your characters in case of your absence, but I thought that went without saying as this is the case in most roleplays. As host I'm entitled to make sure that the RP continues to run smoothly. Not trying to be a jerk or take advantage here. Midnea and Visco were important to a lot of characters, thus I felt it important to finish their story for their sake. I apologize if this offended you. As I said earlier, I respect your character creation and will discontinue your characters. Now I went back through all of our PMs, and I saw no mention of Yuffie. It must've been brought up in the sign ups, and there's frankly too many pages for me to look through. If she came back in a reasonable amount of time: yes, I would have welcomed her back. Five months? That is too long, especially if she approached at the very end. There are limits to everything. Please stop using this argument here, as I promise there is no inequality here. In sum, I cannot let you back because it would be unfair to everyone else, five months is too long, and because we're at the end of the RP and we already have plans set into motion. It is too late to reintegrate your characters again. Take it for what you will, but it is the truth. There is nothing to further say or discuss. I feel like I have been very accommodating with you and have tried to work with you on multiple other occasions, but this is where I must draw the line and simply cannot bend. Thanks for your contributions and for joining us on this adventure. I do indeed hope to roleplay together again one day.

I am not trying to be mean or cruel, but trying to run a role-play while maintaining fairness. I do not see what kind of precautions I should've taken for missing players, unless I chose not to give everyone a pivotal role to the plot, which would've made no sense and would've been boring to everyone else. I figured that, worst case scenario, if a player did go missing we could either make use of the characters or compromise, which I did. I've left other role-plays where the host took control of my characters, so it is a common practice. It is the host's role-play and their job to ensure that it runs smoothly. That's just how it is. Yuffie was a different case entirely. She was gone for a shorter duration, and normally she is very good about keeping me informed so I decided to give her another chance. After she disappeared again I decided that I wouldn't allow her to return, thus, as you saw in the war, they were non-participating characters. I didn't make a public announcement saying "Hey! It's been too long, so Yuffie's not coming back now" because I'm just not like that. I also don't recall ever telling you that I would welcome her back whenever she came back. If it was within a reasonable duration, sure, but that wasn't the case. If she was gone for five months I wouldn't have let her back either. I wouldn't have let anyone come back after five months without any contact after my efforts of trying to contact them. I do not see how I'm being dishonest with you? I am telling you, very forthcoming, that you were gone far too long. Five months is a very long time, and I have sent you at least two PMs that I recall checking in to see if/when you would return. I never heard back, and so I assumed that you were gone for good. You could've at least kept me posted so that I could work something out with you, but you didn't even do that. How am I being unfair to you, or dishonest? I'm even offering to erase your characters from the RP, which technically I don't even have to do but am trying to be courteous of your character creation. It wasn't "convenient" to take control of your characters. Far from it--I didn't WANT to take on more characters because I already have plenty. Why would it be convenient? Once more, I apologize, but we are near the end and I feel that you were gone for too long without making an effort to contact me. It is nothing personal--I would do the same to anyone who left for five months without a word, as almost any RP host would. I hope that you understand.

Don't worry, I'm going to give everyone the chance to get their characters involved in this. I'll be PMing you with some ideas shortly.

I have tried contacting you over the course of two months over several PMs with no response; how would my request to use your characters have been any different? You were also gone for five months, which is an incredibly long time in an active RP. We are already in the end game, and truthfully I feel that your lengthy absence without a word was just too much. I understand that things come up, but letting us know would've been appreciated. I have no problem working with people, but I need to be kept informed on what's going on. Unfortunately I cannot let you return to the RP, though I am willing to absolve your characters from it, if that is what you wish. I will, however, rewrite Visco as a different character--Alderon's daughter--for the sake of the story. I'm sorry, Unversed. . It is good to see you, and I'm glad that you are well. I hope that we are able to RP together again one day.

I was just curious how Jynn came to learn of the Source of All Life, as very few do happen to know of its existence? Even Queen Shiva was not aware that such a thing existed. The only way that Yevgeni learned of it was through King Alexander, Midnea through extensive dabbling in dark matters and over a thousand of years of research, and Soren because he served there. I'm not saying that it would be impossible, but just very, very unlikely, and I was intending for this plot point to be something of a recent reveal to most characters, not something that would be commonly known.

I'm hoping to make the challenges be entertaining. I want to test each character on an array of aspects, some pertaining to strength, while, yes, others will be intelligence. I was thinking that there's also the possibility that some characters may simply not pass, and as such they would face either being left behind, or, potentially, death. If anyone has any thoughts or requests for the trials please feel free to share them with me either via PM or on here. I'm working on putting them together now, but am hoping to gain enough of them that this part of the RP lasts for at least a little while.

I had no plans with Yev and Visco, so she can be either rescued or wished to Mystras. Given the timing of other events I think it may work out better if she is wished to Mystras rather than saved (I'm also inclined toward this because Elrandir asked first), but if you guys want to work out the details I'm fine with that. Also: Effie is yours, Scrap. You can either have her be among the survivors, or imprisoned in the Kilkis Seres dungeons thanks to the king of Helvadoria, whichever works best for you.

I hadn't actually thought about Soren knowing of the Source of All Life, but that actually works out perfectly. Good call, Kunivas! I was struggling to figure out what would prompt Raiden's party to pursue the device, and that was perfect. Also, when everyone gets to Isopolis I'm going to try to do something a little different, in that there will be a series of trials and challenges that the players will have to undergo in order to reach the Source of All Life housed within. The end is nigh; I really cannot believe it. Lastly, does anyone want Effie? I considered taking her on but I truthfully have too many characters and do not see enough that I can do with her character plotwise. I'm thinking to let her be an NPC or just there, unless someone wishes to play her.

--King Alderon -- Raiden's Study-- The fey sympathized greatly with his loss, though no amount of apologies or understanding could bring back what had been lost. For several moments the man stood, palms against the smooth mahogany, shaking as tears streamed down his face. He gave pause, however, when Soren brought up The Source of All Life: an object with immense power hidden within the depths of Isopolis. Isopolis. He knew of this place; it was where their journey began all those months ago, back when excitement filled the air at the prospect of venturing through a new world. It was a place of many secrets, but the answers to his prayers? There was only one way to find out. "Let us go to it," Alderon spoke, striding over to examine the map that Soren proffered, his head bending in toward Raiden's. "All vengeance can wait. We must save everyone. But, I must ask: is revival of such great magnitude really possible? What will happen to the Overworld as a result? I thought the human world was draining your magic." Would it be a revival, only at the cost of their current world? He dared not imagine it, though he feared that it were so. At the cost of one life another must pay; perhaps that is why this Yevgeni made the decision that he had. --Everyth Castanova--Raiden's villa-- The witch's eyes glittered darkly as Mariel made her presence known to her, having just declined fruit prior to Arthur proffering it to her. She took the angel's advice and accepted one of the green fruits, turning it in several different angles before taking a bite. "Thank you," she told Arthur. "It really is marvelous. I never tasted anything like it back home." She listened to Arthur's tale, smiling as she too thought back on the fallen princess. "There certainly was something charming about her, wasn't there? She had the sweetest smile, and it was such a joy being in her service." Everyth met Arthur's eye. "I know that she cared deeply for you in like. She never said the words, or not to me, but you could see it within her eyes and hear it in her voice whenever she spoke of you. I do wonder how His Highness would've accepted your engagement." Everyth turned her head, glancing out one of the hall's long windows nearest her. "Sir Alastor would be correct: nothing good will come from mourning, though I think what he doesn't understand is that us humans all need a chance to get it out, at least for a short while. That's what makes us human." The raven-haired woman's attention shifted toward Mariel, whom had apologized for eavesdropping. She shook her head. "No need, we are out in the open anyway. If I didn't want you to hear I would've ensured that you wouldn't." Everyth regarded her for a moment before adding: "So what does this all mean for you? What are you going to do next?" Meanwhile . . . . "Idiots," Midnea thought to herself, ruby lips stretching into a contorted smile as she traversed the damp soil, spear in hand. It dug into the soft soil every few steps she tread, long violet dress trailing behind her. "They merely thought that I was after my kingdom. That blond bigot thinks everyone's intelligence is below his. Well, I've outsmarted him. What I was really after--" The wind picked up around Midnea, blowing her skirts and tousling her hair. She lifted her head toward the heavens and laughed, giving flight to all the birds in the deadened trees whom feared her. Before her rested the tower of Isopolis, its mysterious aura emanating a greenish hue that danced into the clouds. The Source of All Life: an object of collected energies from a great loss, spawned to rejuvenate and compensate for the destruction. Its creation occurred due to the loss of the World Below and the billions of lives, though what was done with it was all up to the beholder. Few knew of its existence, but Midnea was among the collective individuals who had. Too many years had she fingered through books and legends in the World Below, this one catching her interest most of all. With it she could be queen of both the universe and her beloved, she could inflict pain and cause her subjects to both love and fear her simultaneously. "Was this." (Will post for Elia after Scrap posts, and Yev is busy doing Yev things until Nergal is freed up.)

--Elia Cabret -- Kilkis Seres palace gates-- Sweet syrup excreted from the raven-haired fairy's pastry as she bit into it, strolling barefoot through the streets of Kilkis Seres. The concrete felt warm on the soles of her feet, the air strong and toxic to her nostrils. The humans had seemed to change the city, in ways that Elia could not exactly put her finger on. Her heart ached at the loss which the human's incurred, their entire world decimated by a mere curse. While furious with Yevgeni for his actions, there was nothing that she could do, save for try putting a smile on the faces of those who survived, and ensure that the remainder of the human race was preserved. Upon reaching the palace gates she stopped, sticky pastry to her mouth, staring wide-eyed at the scenario before her. Two unfamiliar men stood at the gate in place of sentries, appearing rather hostile to one another. There was something oddly familiar about the human . . . . Wait!" Elia cried, interrupting their banter. "Don't I know you?" Yes, this must've been one of the humans that had visited Kilkis Seres long ago; she recognized him now. It had been quite some time, though, and she wondered what sort of business he had in the palace. There was also something even more familiar about him, an aura or presence that soothed her soul, yet she couldn't quite place what that was. --Yevgeni Malachite, Lady Midnea, and a surprise prisoner-- Kilkis Seres Palace-- The dark witch laughed without mirth at the guardsmen's announcement. "And so the assassins emerge," she said, wiping at her eye with her sleeve. "Enjoy, my dear regent, the pains of ruling a rebelling nation. My time here is up, however, as you so kindly reminded me. I have a palace to return to." Yev's emerald eyes narrowed. "Fine, then go." A mischievous smile crossed her face as she strode out of the throne room, tearing a spear from one of the sentries as she went. What she planned to do next was outside of Yev's knowledge and control, though he'd had a sickening feeling about giving her any kind of power or authority. "Thank you, Nergal, my friend," was the elf's response as his companion turned to greet this potential assailant. It did distress him slightly that he'd managed to upturn an entire nation in less than twenty-four hours, though it was to be expected. There would be those who would praise his efforts, and of course individuals who would oppose him and desire to see him cut down. He could only presume that this was one of Raiden's men, for the lord's ways differed perhaps the greatest from his. Yevgeni left the throne room, striding through the palace that had survived several millennia and housed thousands of souls. It housed new thousands, however, the lives of the humans whom had been granted salvation. Some had been grateful for their survival, though the majority had been resentful, seeing Yev as no other than a tyrant who took pleasure in playing the role of a god. The elf saw himself as neither of these things, but respected the human's feelings. Had he been in their situation, he likely would feel no different. He fled up the steps of the west wing, approaching a room that was guarded by two men. "I've come to see the girl," Yevgeni explained, to which the men--both humans--nodded and granted him entry. The room was nothing splendid, though certainly decent. Pale-blue drapes blew in the gentle breeze from an opened window, and sitting upon a bed of a similar blue silk was a young woman. Her tail twitched irritably, her dog nose scrunched up in annoyance. She glanced over at Yevgeni with a contempt look. "Hello," Yevgeni said calmly, closing the door behind them. "I do not believe we have yet met, Princess Visco." Her expression did not soften. "You're not Helvadorian." It was a statement, not a question. "No, I am not," Yev affirmed. "I am elven, a race which I'm sure you've heard of only in those fairy tales." Dark matted locks fell forward into her face. "What do you plan to do with me?" she asked sullenly. The blond drew a few steps closer, reaching for her hands. Thick rope dug into her wrists, binding them together and fastened with several knots. He waved a hand slowly over the ropes, which slowly disintegrated until all that was left was charred remnants on the ground. The dog princess rubbed her wrists. "It brings me no great pleasure to see a young woman of your class brought to suffer," he told her grimly. "I understand it that the Helvadorians mistreated you." No reply came from the princess, though she hung her head, gaze penetrating a cobweb in the corner of the room. "I cannot yet free you, but I can reassure you: I plan to reunite you with your father, but only once it is safe. There are others seeking you as well, ones which I fear may do you harm," he explained to her. A frown furrowed her brow. "Just who are you?" "A friend," was his response, offering her a slight smile before adding: "You may call me Yev. However, I implore that you tell no one of our visit. It is imperative that the Helvadorians do not yet know of my plans to release you." "Why won't you do it now?" "Because I cannot." Yevgeni turned to leave, though was halted by Visco catching on to his burgundy robe. He turned to glance at her, his eyes meeting her wide blue ones. "If you see my father, tell him I love him," she implored. "And Arthur the knight, tell him . . . tell him . . . ." The regent could only hope that this Arthur was not one whom he had killed during the war. "It shall be done, Your Majesty." --King Alderon -- Raiden's Villa-- The king was silent while Raiden spoke, though his hands tightened around the chair which he'd been grasping. When he removed them they were shaking. "Peace? We're still striving for peace?" Alderon stated weakly. "My friend, allow me to enlighten you if you were not yet already aware: a world has perished. My world. There is no peace or alliance left to strike. It is all done, that's it. Finished!" In his fury he threw the chair on its side, knocking over a lamp in the process. It hit the ground and shattered into thousands of pieces, though Alderon's fury wasn't yet satiated. He pointed at the broken lord. "This is all your fault! My entire world has been annihilated! My people dead. My daughter"--his voice broke, tears finally escaping his eyes and running down his cheeks--"is gone. All that I've ever worked toward and loved has been ripped from me, all because of your shoddy efforts!" He stomped forward, vein bulging near his temple. He pounded a fist on the desk before Lord Raiden. "I cannot believe how selfish you are, trying to claim peace and unity while simultaneously bring justice for your fallen queen. The queen who caused all of this to begin with, mind you." Alderon shook with grief, fury, and fatigue. While trying to remain composed for his subjects, he was truly beginning to crack, and now it was showing. "You can't make things right, Raiden. It is over, and as far as I am concerned there is no common goal between us any longer. I cannot--will not--just watch you try to find this assailant of your queen, while there is the mastermind who destroyed my world out there. Unless they are one and the same, our paths will no longer converge. I am sorry." The broken king now leaned into the table that he had pounded, his entire body shaking as he broke into open sobs, something that, likely, no one had ever seen before. --Everyth Castanova-- Raiden's Villa, approaching Arthur-- "Some strange things in this world, isn't there?" The voice belonged to the woman leaning against the wall, dark hair pooling over her shoulder with her arms crossed over her chest. She opened her violet eyes to glance over at the aspiring knight, eyes that were reddened and puffy, likely from crying. "I guess we'll be calling it home for good." She approached the youth and gave him a once-over. "Are you holding up alright?" Everyth took the loss of their world as a deathly blow, though had little earthly attachment. Everyone that she loved was already gone, and down there she was a witch and an outcast. At least here she could use her magic freely without being called an abomination, though the loss of their home world was indeed upsetting. What distressed her most was all of the innocents that had to die, chiefly, and most especially, her dear princess. The tears that she shed were for her alone, for she loved the girl about as much as an older sister would. "I know that you cared for her," she said finally, assuming that Arthur would know whom she meant. "As did I."

--King Alderon -- Mystras-- Many emotions coursed through the king's heart upon the destruction of his world, each one presenting itself at different times throughout the day. At times it was anguish, other times resentment. This time it was fury that led him to rap his knuckles against the door to Raiden's study before he barged in without awaiting a response. The king did not appear as the powerful, honor-bound figure that Raiden once knew. In his place was a man who hadn't slept in days, dark circles engraved under hard, sunken eyes. His beard overgrown, his auburn hair greying. Permanent frown marks were embedded along the sides of his face, while his brows were furrowed into a perpetual frown. "Raiden, we need to talk," he said, a hint of urgency in his tone. "What's happened. What's happening"--he choked on his words, leaning into a nearby chair--"it cannot go on like this. Surely you have a plan, do you not?" He barely so much as glanced at the figures around, uncaring that they had been in Raiden's company before he arrived. He was king, gosh darnit. It was time that he took precedence. --Curvis Sourati -- Mystras-- The news hit him like a fatal blow. It seemed surreal that his world was swept away from him in less than half a day, and quite literally at that. Curvis sat in the soft soil outside the practice grounds, stabbing his sword into the earth again and again. Each blow let loose a small amount of his anguish, though his entire body still trembled. How could this have happened? What had he done wrong, and what could he have done differently? He was moments too late in meeting Queen Shiva before her death, but what would her survival have meant? Probably a fair bit, for she likely would never have permitted the utter obliteration of the world below. While this fate was inevitable, did it have to come to this? Ever since he learned of the End he did not feel very much up to eating, or socializing, or any aspect that made him human. Perhaps he would sit rooted to this spot forever, or at least until he wasted away like his world had. All the while he repeatedly asked himself this: was all existence this destructive? --Midnea and Yevgeni Malachite -- Kilkis Seres throne room-- The Queenslayer's presence was not warmly embraced by Midnea, who harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest. "How rude, whispering like that, as if I were not here!" she scowled. "We were not even through yet." The regent tore his emerald eyes from his accomplice, a silent fury burning within them as they fell upon the dark witch. "Oh, no, we are quite, thank you. You have what it is you sought, now I would like to ask you off the premises. You have no further business here." He waved his hand for emphasis. Clearly his distaste for Midnea ran deep, despite her efforts to aid him. He knew that the woman was only looking out herself, and no amount of make-up and fancy facades would change that. The longer that she resided within Kilkis Seres would only pose greater problems, chiefly among the civilians who knew of the witch and were well aware of her previous transgressions. This made the witch scowl even deeper, lips pursed in a fine line. "Well, no matter. It's not like you're my favorite person anyway." The look on Yevgeni's face made it quite clear that this didn't bother him in the slightest. Instead he turned his back on her, focusing on Nergal whom had whispered in his ear. "Yes, it should be complete," Yev responded, tone low. "We shall depart tonight for Isopolis, you and I. I will explain further on the way." A soft smile played on the elf's lips as Nergal placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. It felt good to have a friend, despite his mistrust in the Queenslayer previously. (Sorry for the short and incomplete posts--I had less time tonight than I previously thought. I will post for Everyth and Elia soon.)

For some reason I hadn't thought much about vehicles and vessels for the Overworld. The world below is set in a medieval era, though fey have lived for thousands of years and truthfully live in an entirely different era. Neither world has technology, though the world below has ships, and now an airship. I think the Overworld has no need for airships, for the most part. They have Pegasi and other winged beasts, not to mention many fey have the power of flight themselves. Most fey haven't really left the continent so I'm not sure what means of transport they would use. I suppose airships are possible, though they aren't mainstream and probably few in existence.

Loki befits Yevgeni almost perfectly. I'm not super familiar with Black Widow (I've only seen her in one Avengers film), but that may be a good match-up for Elia. Love the idea of Henry being the Hulk.

Happy birthday, Lea!! I hope that your special day was just as special and awesome as you. Thank you for being such an awesome friend and inspirational person. P.S.: the fancy image will be inserted here when I'm not writing on my phone.

Okay, the timeskip has been enacted. More info is to come, but that was all that I managed to post for the time being.

​ The beginning of the end had arrived, albeit sooner than the humans could have ever predicted. At first it was a glorious thing for magic to return to the world, life budding into the very soil and bringing forth plants that had long since ceased to grow. The sun rose each day, appearing just a shade brighter than it once had. Prices reduced from prosperous crops, bringing many families out of poverty. To many it seemed a miracle, their once decaying world springing with bountiful life that hadn't been seen in centuries. That was, until the End. To many, it was unknown as to what was happening. Children played in the streets as the sun shone high, while men labored smithing or tending their crops. Women cared for their young while hanging laundry, when suddenly the earth began to quake. At first it were small tremors, which slowly grew in intensity. The foundation of buildings failed to hold, causing bricks and soon entire walls to come crashing down. A group of teenagers screamed as half of a church began to fall around them, none of which making it out of the rubble. Quickly the villages grew frantic, snatching their children and loved ones from the streets and heading out into the open fields for safety. No one knew what was happening, though it wouldn't have mattered if they did. No one could stop the End, which had been ensured by what seemed fate itself. Under the heart of Sondon, within the sewers of the castle itself, glowed a crest embedded in the soil. A rune, to be precise. Its bright violet hue lit the tunnel for what seemed miles, and that was not all. In eight different locations around the globe this phenomena began to occur, one rune after another. With each ignited rune came greater tremors, instilling fear into the hearts of those left behind as lives started to drop in droves. There were those, however, who were being granted a second chance, one of greatness in a world of limitless possibilities. Lined outside the Kingdom of Helvadoria were droves upon droves of winged mythical creatures, fey that had been sent down by the regent of Kilkis Seres, Yevgeni Malachite. They began to flock the sky like birds flying south for the harshness of winter, only they soared up into the sky like none had ever seen. Five million souls were being saved that day, bringing men, women, and children alike into the world above, the Overworld. Among them was the Princess Visco of Sondon, now captive of Helvadoria along with her personal bodyguard and best friend, Effie. The Helvadorian king smiled upon this day, like a foolish child who earned his prized toy no matter how many he had to crush to get it. These were but a few of those saved, but the others were not so lucky. The final rune ignited, and a chain reaction occurred. The ground began to tear asunder, energy-charged beams forming crosses upon the land as it severed it piece by piece. The earth began to shatter in chunks as it was ripped from the inside out. It took billions of years for life to live upon it as it once had, and a mere matter of minutes to take it all away. Humans looked down in shock as the final fleets were escorted to the Overworld, watching in horror as their very world crumbled before their eyes. And with it, the billions of lives that could not be saved. But alas, all things came at a price, and this, some felt, was the price that must be paid in order to truly save both fey and humanity. The dark witch strode through the palace gates of Kilkis Seres, the most crazed of smiles upon her face. As others looked at her with disdain she merely waved, approaching the two infantryman that granted her entry to the palace. Neither looked particularly pleased about walking alongside Midnea, but did as they had been commanded by the regent. Once in the throne room they were greeted by the elf with an emotionless glance. "It has been done, my lord." Midnea curtsied, her long violet skirts sweeping across the marble floor, a floor that had once been enchanted ice during the late queen's rule. "As you have requested, your chosen ones have ascended to our world, and all that remains of the human world is rubble." Yevgeni showed the witch no delight in her words. He strode past her toward a window, hands clasped behind his back. ​So it had been done. At long last, after nearly two-thousand years, the era he'd looked toward was finally here, and soon the lives of those he cherished would return to him. But why was he filled with remorse and displeasure? Shouldn't he be thrilled? When he turned around he found Midnea standing a mere few feet away, the queerest of expressions on her face. "Yes? And why are you still here?" he snapped impatiently. Midnea offered him one of her ominous grins and said, "Remember our deal? You intend to keep your promise, don't you?" The blond shook his head and scowled, walking away from her. "It will be done. I will withdraw our troops from the Southern Palace. It is yours to reign once more." A crazed cackle emitted from the witch as she ran her tongue over her ruby-red lips. This was something that Yevgeni knew that he would regret, and yet it seemed an inevitable evil. Without her aid he wouldn't have been able to save even half the amount of lives that he had, nor would all of the runes been placed in such a short duration. The world below has been decimated, and word has spread across all the land. The End has come and gone for the human world, but for the Overworld? That remains to be seen. Your actions from here on out will heavily impact the outcome of those survivors. The main question is: now what?

Final Fantasy VI is definitely my favorite. The cast of characters was just phenomenal, with almost each one playing some role in the story and despite the lack of voice acting it wasn't hard to get attached to them. The music was fantastic, and overall I love the pace of the game. I have yet to find a Final Fantasy to fairly rival it. My runner-ups would be IV and IX if I were to choose.

To be honest, I was pretty content where the original X left off. It was a bittersweet note: the destruction of Sin and a new era of eternal calm, at the cost of Tidus. It had a sense of realism to it, which I liked, and overall I thought that it was a great conclusion to the story of X. X-2 sort of ruined things for me. While I do like the idea of Tidus and Yuna having a happy ending, I feel that both did get their happy ending in X, only they were not together for it. I really disliked the audio Will, as it completely negated the second game, and most of the first, as Allwil pointed out. I like to pretend that it doesn't exist, because the events of that story just ruin the X saga for me as a whole. Having said that, I wouldn't be opposed to X-3, depending on its content and what storyline it follows. If it goes down the path of Will, I'm definitely against it, but if, say, they made it a prequel to FFX as they discussed doing for I believe it was X-2, I would be for that. I don't really see any way of making a X-3 unless they sort of went with the concepts of Will, and I just don't like that. The prequel was originally intended to follow the story of Auron, Braska, and Jecht, which I think would've been awesome.