i always fall for opening the comments section and then go ahhh right i forgot. the concept of nuance and non-universal experiences just doesn't exist to some people
My hottest fanfiction take is I think people should stop posting multi-fandom oneshots as a single fic with like 50+ chapters and instead post them as individual fics
finding new songs for character playlists is fun bc sometimes it's like oh yeah this song kinda fits and i like it so i'll add it and other times it's a song you stumble upon one day and it gives you psychic damage so intense you have no other choice
Summary: As the amount of crystal's appearing grows, two new heroes are summoned to Tokyo and one of them is a very familiar face to Lightning.
ao3 link
Lightning frowned as she scrolled through the messages that had come in while she was busy dealing with a crystal. Some of them were frivolous, but it seemed that something had happened involving a new crystal being discovered. There had been more and more of those lately, and it was worrying.Â
Although the number of people summoned to this world to fight had also increased, she worried that it would reach a point where it wasn’t enough. Where there were too many crystals and their numbers would be stretched too thin. They’d already seen how public support had wavered when they had failed to prevent people from being hurt, if it became a common occurrence then the Ghosts might stop being the heroes and become the hunted instead.
It wasn’t like she had a solution though, they still had no idea what was causing the crystals to appear, nor how heroes were summoned to this world. And even if they did know and could summon more people to fight, Lightning didn’t know if she could justify it.
It was well and good to say they were fighting to save this world, and no one who had arrived seemed to hold any deep resentment for being pulled in, but it was still stealing people away from their old lives. They didn’t know if time was still passing while they were gone, it was very possible that the fate of someone’s home world might be put at risk in order to protect this one.Â
She was getting ready to put her phone away, figuring out there was nothing else to learn for the time being, when her eyes caught sight of some messages in one of the group chats that had just come in..
Zidane: Oh hey, did you guys hear we got two new members?
Rinoa: Oh, who are they?Â
Zidane: Their names are Hope and Iris, don’t know much about them yet.Â
Zidane: They’re still talking with Mog.
Lightning froze. Hope. It couldn’t just be a coincidence, right? It wasn’t exactly a common name for guys, at least not in her world. She supposed it could be different elsewhere though. She shouldn’t get her hopes up.
Lightning: Hope…does he have silver hair?Â
Her nails tapped impatiently against the back of her phone as she waited for a reply. Although she didn’t want Hope dragged into another fight, he had more than earned his peace, her heart desperately needed it to be him.  Â
Zidane: !!!!
Zidane: Do you know him, Lightning?
Although he hadn’t directly said yes, it was clear enough what the answer was from the way Zidane had replied.Â
Lightning: Yes
That was the only reply she gave before muting the chat and shoving her phone into her pocket, ignoring the sudden flurry of notifications she could see from the app. She didn’t know for sure if Hope had been pulled from the same point in the timeline as her, so she didn’t want to say too much until she knew what his specific situation was.Â
At the very least she felt certain that he must have come from a point in time where they had already met, whatever forces had brought them here was unlikely to pull in anyone who wasn’t capable in a fight.Â
Thankfully she was relatively close to the Ghost’s headquarters, but it was a struggle not to just run the whole way there. Given what had been going on with the crystals and monsters, it might panic people.Â
Once she actually made it into the building though, she no longer hesitated, taking the stairs up to the second floor two at a time. Thankfully there was no one else in the stairwell to judge her. It was only once she neared the meeting room that she slowed down and took a moment to compose herself; she didn’t want to alarm Hope by seeming too frantic. Â
The door was slightly ajar already when she approached and made no sound as she pushed it the rest of the way open. There in front of her, listening intently to Mog, were two figures.Â
One was a teenage girl with dark brown hair, and the other…
Hope.Â
Any fears she had of him being from earlier in the timeline then her vanished as she took in the sight of him. He was clearly an adult and dressed in a blue button up shirt that she remembered buying for him because he had happened to mention it matched the color of her eyes. Â
What was most telling though, was the engagement ring she could see on his figure. It matched the one she wore on a chain around her neck, where it would not get caught on anything during a fight. They had gone to buy them together.Â
It was Mog who noticed her presence first.
“Ah,” He began, “Here’s one of the other warriors, kupo!”Â
Hope and the girl both turned in her direction, and she could see the exact moment that her partner fully registered her presence, his eyes first widening in surprise, before softening in relief.
“Lightning!” He breathed out, almost like a prayer.Â
Mog looked between the two of them in surprise.Â
“Ah! Could it be, you’re from the same world, kupo?”Â
Lightning didn’t answer, and instead closed the distance between her and Hope, to pull him into her arms. It was only once she could feel the familiar shape of his muscles under the hands, and breathe in his familiar scent, that she could finally relax and truly believe he was real.
She wanted to bury her face in his shoulder, to pepper his face and lips with kisses, to check every inch of his body to make sure that no harm had befallen him while she was gone. There were other people around though, so it would have to wait.Â
Thankfully she had tomorrow off, and Mog generally gave newcomers a few days to settle themselves before adding them to the rotation, so they had time. And she would be insisting that Mog partner her and Hope up, she didn’t share him with others.
After lingering for what was probably a moment too long given they were in mixed company, Lightning finally let go of Hope, contenting herself with intertwining their fingers together instead.Â
“We are,” Hope told Mog, after she had let go. His grip on her hand was firm, and she could tell that just like her, he had no intentions of letting go anytime soon. “We’ve known each other for a long time.”
Lightning resisted the urge to let out a snort. That was an understatement. Even if most of it hadn’t been spent by each other’s side, there was still over a thousand years of history between the two of them.Â
“I see, kupo.” Mog said, nodding his head solemnly. “I’ll have to rearrange the teams then, you two would probably work best together.”Â
Hope gave a small smile, “That would be appreciated,” He said, always the diplomatic one. Or at least these days he was, Lightning distinctly remembered a time he’d wanted to solve his problems by stabbing them. “We’ve always been partners.”
It was true, even when there was time and space separating them, even when they hadn’t been able to communicate, they had still been partners. Still been working together towards a common goal.Â
Lightning had almost forgotten about the girl, Hope’s presence proving far too distracting, but she was reminded of it as the girl let out a sigh.
“Ah, I wonder if there’s anyone here I know.” She wondered outloud, before giving Lightning a smile. “I’m Iris Amicitia,” She said, sticking out her hand.Â
Lightning took it briefly, considering the girl as they shook hands. She didn’t look like she could be that much older then Hope had been back when they were l’cie. She wasn’t the only teenager among their group, but Lightning still didn’t like it. Children should be allowed to be children, not have to carry the fate of a world.
“Lightning Farron.” She said, “And I suppose you’ve already met Hope.”
Iris nodded cheerfully, “Yup! Hope Estheim. We arrived at about the same time.” She let out another sigh, “Not really sure how I feel about being dragged into another world though, things back home are a bit of a mess right now.”
Lightning pursed her lips. This was the kind of situation she had been worried about. She didn’t know what exactly Iris meant by things being a mess, but clearly she had been pulled away from a situation that was worrying.Â
“I don’t think you need to worry too much.” Hope assured Iris. “From my point of view it’s only been a few hours since I last saw Lightning, but I’m guessing it's been longer for her.”
He glanced at Lightning, raising a questioning eyebrow. She nodded.Â
“I’ve been here for about two months.”
Hope's eyes looked sad for a moment, and she knew he must be thinking about the time in the past when she had also been separated from her friends. She gave his hand a quick squeeze, letting him know she was okay. It had only been two months, while she had missed everyone, she had endured longer. At least this time she was in a place where she could live a normal life in between fights, instead of being a constant guardian.Â
The look on Hope’s face said he wasn’t fully convinced, but he let the subject drop for the time being.
“That’s quite a difference in time.” He said, reaching up to run at his chin thoughtfully. “Is it the standard difference between here and all worlds though, I wonder, or does it vary.” He turned to look at Mog, clearly hoping the moogle would have answers, but he just shook his head sadly.
“I’m afraid I don’t know, kupo.” He told them, “I was brought here like you guys and put in charge, I don't know the specifics of things anymore then the rest of you.”Â
Lightning let out a sigh. It seemed like all they got these days were more questionions, never answers.Â
Hope echoed her sigh. “It seems we need more data then.” Hope said, turning to look at Iris. “If there turns out to be anyone here that’s from your world, let me know. Even two data samples will be better than just one.”
Iris nodded in understanding, and Lightning couldn’t help but give Hope an affectionate look. She knew he was tired of leadership, he had done his best to stay out of the limelight since being reborn, but he had not lost the ability to step up and take charge.
Still, as proud as she was, she also felt sorrowful.Â
She had wished just a few weeks earlier that Hope was there, had thought that he might be able to get this figured out so they could all go home, but now that he was here, she felt guilty. Guilty that he had to bear that kind of weight again and guilty that she was happy he was here.
Hope gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, he had always been good at reading her emotions, even when they had been gone. She was sure he would bring it up later, wanting to know what was bothering her.
“For now, let’s just focus on getting you guys settled in, kupo!” Mog said, “It’ll be easier to take care of that kind of thing once you have phones….you do know how to use phones, right?”
Both Iris and Hope nodded, and Mog let out a sigh of relief. Lightning couldn’t blame him, while everyone was fine with using cell phones now, it had been a bit of an ordeal to teach certain members how to use them. Not everyone came from worlds where phones were a thing. Â
“As for living arrangements…” Mog continued, but Lightning cut him off.
“Hope will be staying with me.” She said, her tone brooking no argument.Â
Mog blinked. “There’s enough…” He began, before seeming to finally take notice of the way that Lightning and Hope’s fingers were intertwined. “Ah…I see, kupo!”
He seemed to think for a moment, his bobble wiggling back and forth as he did so.
“We’ll have to see about getting you a bigger place.” He finally said, “The dorms aren’t really meant for two people. Just bear with it for now, okay kupo?”Â
“It’s fine.” Lightning said. If necessary she was sure she and Hope could figure something out, they were both good at being resourceful. Besides, while Mog was right that the dorms weren’t really meant for two people, it was a little bit different when those two people were a couple. She and Hope were used to sharing space, they’d be fine until they found somewhere else.Â
“Well, I suppose that’s settled then. Would you be willing to show them where the dorms are and introduce them to others?”
Honestly, Lightning really didn’t want to. What she wanted to do was find a nice quiet spot and spend some time catching up with Hope. It wouldn’t be very responsible of her to refuse though, so she nodded.Â
There would be time later to catch up with Hope. She could give him and Iris an initial tour of the dorms, and then once they ran into someone else, she might be able to pass the responsibility off to them and have time alone with Hope. Â
And if not, there was always after they were done.Â
guy who's having gauzy idealized wife flashbacks for the whole adventure but it turns out she isn't dead or anything he just really misses her and wants to get home
Fandom: Final Fantasy 13, Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy
Characters: Lightning Farron
Summary: Lightning didn't dislike this new world she had found herself in, but it was not her home. She had made friends here and she would fight for it, but she missed her loved ones. For now though, all she could do was take things one day at a time.
ao3 link
Lightning let out a sigh as she put her phone away in her pocket. They still had no answers as to what exactly was going on with the crystals, and there was now also the fuss about people wanting to actually see their faces.
She could understand somewhat where Zidane was coming from with his decision to not hide his identity —in times of trouble you did what you could to keep morale up— and if it was what worked for him then she was hardly going to discourage him, but it certainly wasn’t the way that she wanted to do things.
Lightning didn’t want just anyone on the street being able to recognize her. Since she had been dragged into this other world to fight without her consent, she wanted to at least be able to live normally between battles. Though really, she’d prefer it if everything could be solved so that she could go back home.
It wasn’t that she disliked this world, aside from the monster attacks it was a nice place, one that reminded her somewhat of the world she and her friends had been reborn in. Though there were definitely differences
She’d met people here who she’d come to care for as well, that she wanted to be safe.
But this wasn’t her home. Her loved ones weren’t here. Not Serah. Not Hope. Not anyone else. And even if she had come to care for the comrades she fought alongside here, they couldn’t replace those she had been separated from.
She wouldn’t abandon this world, even if it hadn’t been her choice to come here, but she missed them dearly.
Although she didn’t wish for them to be dragged into another fight, there was still a part of her that desperately wished they were here. Especially Hope. He would be able to figure out what was going on with the crystals surely, and then they would be able fix things for good.
But more importantly, they would be together. Just like they had promised.
It had been a long road they had walked, one that neither of them had ever foreseen back when they first met, but it had ended in each other's arms. They had been talking about marriage, and trying to figure if they could get away with just eloping —they had both seen the hassle that even Serah’s small wedding was, and neither wanted to repeat it— when she had ended up here.
She couldn’t help but wonder what was going on back home. Were they searching for her? Did they even know she was gone? She didn’t know how the force that had brought her here worked. Perhaps no time had passed back in her own world, or perhaps no one there remembered she even existed.
No one knew who or what exactly had brought them here, not even Mog —who was not her Mog, despite the shared name and species— seemed to know. Although they had been tasked with protecting this world, Lightning knew better than to assume that meant whatever force was behind their arrival was benevolent. There was no telling what might be going on behind the scenes, Lightning wasn’t about to let her guard down.
For now she would keep fighting and protecting people while she investigated things, and if she found anything nefarious behind their arrival here, then she would get the others involved. She didn't want to add to their worries for the time being, she might just be being paranoid and they really had been brought here just to protect this world.
Her phone let out a soft buzz, and Lightning pulled it out of her pocket to check. It was a text from Rinoa, asking if she wanted to go shopping with her, since they both had the day off.
As she typed out a reply, Lightning smiled softly. Back when she lived on Cocoon she hadn’t ever really gone shopping with friends for fun, or really had any friends she could go with. After being reborn in the new world she had gone with Serah sometimes , but having other female friends to just hang out with and do stuff was new. There was Fang and Vanille back home, but Fang wasn’t super interested in that kind of thing, and generally just tagged along because Vanille was going.
In the end Lightning always felt like she was third wheeling for the two of them.
Even if coming to this world wasn’t her choice, it was nice to have some new experiences, and she knew that she’d carry those memories with her even once she returned home. Maybe if she was lucky there would even be some way to stay in contact with the friends she had made here even then. There were some she’d really like to introduce to her loved ones back home, she was sure Snow and Zidane would get along well for one.
For now though, she just had to live each day at a time, and see what the future would bring.