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Hey everybody! I’m back!
I have been so scatterbrained when it comes to my writing this first half of the year. I’ve had so many ideas pop up, and haven’t finished any of them… until NOW.
This one started as a catharsis piece, that ended up with me killing both of my favorite characters I write — Tseng of the Turks and my original character Amira Shinra (his fiancee here, and Rufus Shinra’s twin sister). I read it, made myself cry, and had the inspiration of ‘Wait. I can do something with this.’
So Never Forget Them was born. It’s been a mess of emotions getting this thing done. FFX, as I’m certain you all are aware if you’ve played it, is a story MONSTER (It’s long, has a lot of lore, and is in-depth). FFVII is quite similar in that regard. And I’m the crazy person doing a crossover piece over here.
So, to give you an idea — several characters from Gaia die in that universe: some canon (ahem…Aerith), some sort-of canon (Tseng and Rufus, because OG makes you think they’re dead, then the follow ups say ‘gotcha’), some non-canon (Amira and Cissnei). The characters who wind up in Spira are Amira Shinra, Tseng, Aerith Gainsborough, Cissnei, and Rufus Shinra.
Amira goes first, and sets the stage for decisions that come afterward. She winds up in Spira after her death in Gaia, and becomes the High Priestess of the Djose Temple (where you find Ixion in FFX). I fleshed out some things and added to the lore, so if you don’t like a bit of creative liberty taken with canon storytelling — first, don’t read it; second, why are you reading fanfiction (I have had people write comments telling me they don’t like the liberties I take with the characters sometimes… sorry, not sorry).
The five of them join Yuna’s pilgrimage, learning early about the results of the pilgrimage, and what waits for her at the end. Amira, with the knowledge she’s gained after being a part of Yevon’s power structure for a while, is able to ask the question: what if there’s another way? What if you don’t have to die to do this? It makes Yuna sit up and ask the question she’s never been permitted to even think about, much less ask. And so, the journey begins.
This is an AU story, we stick to canon in some spots, and we deviate wildly in others. This story has a focus on love, loss, grief and dealing with grief. There’s humor, jokes, and plenty of shenanigans. I try to stay close to the in-game characterizations for each person I write, while, in some cases, giving them a bit more depth or agency than they do in-game. For those of you who read my stories, you know I prefer a world that’s shades of gray as opposed to black-and-white.
This story is HUGE. We are over 230K words for this one, and there’s a sequel coming that completely revamps FFX-2. I have edited part I, called The Weight of Hope, which ends just prior to the ascent of Mount Gagazet. Part II (called The Road Beyond Sorrow) is under edits now, and the sequel is a WIP. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
Other stories that are coming include a few shorter multichapter Tseng/Amira stories and a few long-form monsters: FFVII/Mass Effect crossover (titled Different Devils, Different Faces), a FFVII AU piece focused on Aerith/Tseng that has some heavy Legend of Zelda leanings in the adventure parts (titled Shards of the Void), and several ideas that are still outlines based in Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and FFVII.
Trigger warnings will be posted at the top of each chapter where any violent deaths occur. Warning in advance: You will HATE me for the first three chapters. Just power through it, and reap the rewards afterwards. Enjoy Part I: The Weight of Hope, leave kudos if you like it, and send me comments (no flames please! I moderate my comments.)