#ffix stuff

[spoonybird]

[leonawriter]

Based on Garnet’s introduction in Opera Omnia, and Zidane promising to ‘kidnap her once again’, I offer up the following suggestion:

Even well after they’re married and Zidane is basically King (or in this case, Prince Consort) to Garnet, every so often when he knows that they’ve been getting really, really bored, Zidane will go down on one knee or take her hand in his, and ask if she wants to be kidnapped. Just for a while, of course.

Garnet almost always says that she would be honoured.

Steiner is always left in the dark, and always ends up in conniptions even though Zidane is now technically his boss and ‘respectable’, because there’s no forgetting that he used to be a thief and a scoundrel and don’t use words like that to describe taking the Queen on an outing, it’ll give everyone the entirely wrong idea!

Beatrix just smiles and shakes her head. It’s fine, she thinks, as long as everyone’s happy.

[leonawriter]

I was looking at a tab that had the words “Embrace Your...” on it, and then my eyes flickered back to my phone, which had my FFBE game open, and the first member of my party was Kuja, so now?

Embrace Your Kuja. 

Let Him Know He’s Loved.

Do It Today For Free!

[leonawriter]

Kuja in FFBE has Curaga as one of his moves, and since he’s also got an innate Dualcast, I sometimes use him as a secondary backup healer when just one Curaga from Fina (I’m still using her as my main support unit) doesn’t cut it. He’s actually capable of using lv.8 white magic.

Which led me to think - ‘what if in a version where he survives in the game, trying to figure out what he can be other than a Reaper leads to him learning white magic. Healing, and all that. And... actually using it to help others.

Which gave me feelings and emotions because of the mental image of a Kuja who’s going around the world attempting to fix what he caused and did and it’s like putting a band aid on a gaping wound, and the more he does the more he gets this, but he’s also still himself, so he doesn’t just stand by if he’s being threatened or anything. As some have found out too late, staring a ball of magic in the face in their final moments.

....and now I’m imagining him having helped out people who’ve been in abusive situations and having great enjoyment from being especially vicious with the abusers. Because, of course he would. He’s come from that place himself. 

[leonawriter]

Zidane: *moping, depressed, certain that the first person he's been serious about is about to be a queen and too above him to want to spend more time with a lowly thief, let alone be in a relationship with one, unable to carry on looking for leads on Kuja* I get she's too busy to want to talk to me now anyway...

Garnet: *in the middle of preparing for her coronation* I want to talk to Zidane. No, I don't want to hear how this 'isn't the right time'! I want. To talk. To Zidane.

Tantalus Troupe: *looks aside to the audience* Are you seeing this? This is what we have to put up with. It'll make for a good play, at least.

[leonawriter]

strangefellows replied to your photoset: Zidane starting to go “wait, what gives. Kuja...

My theory is that Kuja is from a later place in the timeline of IX than Zidane, possibly from post-game or just before post-game, and so has all the character development that comes with that, and just…hm. Well, we’ll see when we recruit him. Good for Zidane, finally picking up on it!

Tbh I’ve shared that idea for a while now? Kuja just seems too... 

It wouldn’t make sense if he was from any point mid-game before at least that time in the Iifa tree where he tries to save Zidane and the others, because otherwise?

All the rest of the game, he’s playing the perfect part of a villain. He’s killing people without remorse. And then he’s having a breakdown and trying to destroy the entire world because of his abusive father’s words to him, because he was told that since Zidane is here now, Kuja’s gonna die.

So, like, yeah! Zidane reads like he isn’t getting what’s going on, and it’s taking a while for it to sink in, whereas Kuja’s trying to figure his head out around the whole... where he is on things here.

[leonawriter]

And tbh I thought ‘not all characters would be self-aware enough to think of themselves as ‘hero’ and ‘villain’ so maybe having them refer to themselves as such is unrealistic for most situations’ but.

Zidane is literally part of a theatre troupe? Sure they’re thieves but they’re also apparently damn good actors. They know their theatrical history. At least he does, and he doesn’t just know the one play they’re working on right now, he knows lots of plays, which means the rest of them probably taught him about All The Plays.

And Kuja... he sure does seem interested in theatre as well. He uses theatrical terminology! He seems to be quoting and using references to old works half the time, or at least whenever he wants to be dramatic!

So... honestly? If anyone’s going to be having a conversation where they refer to themself as a hero or a villain it’s going to be those two. 

[leonawriter]

Okay, so you know what? I know the game implies Kuja dies but I refuse that.

My version of events is that Zidane’s able to shield him so that he doesn't sustain even worse injuries, which is half the reason it takes so damn long for Zidane to reappear to his friends - he ends up needing time to look after not only Kuja, but himself.

And... the other thing is, despite knowing his friends would probably understand and say ‘well, that’s Zidane for you’, he doesn’t... he wouldn’t want to burden them with this task at least at first. Wouldn’t want to expect them to look after this person who’s hurt them so much, knowing they’d be treating Kuja with fear and uncertainty, and they’re justified to.

So he gives them all time. He gives Kuja time to be able to come to terms with himself a bit more, with his mortality as well as his self-destructive thoughts (because yeah, you’re still gonna die, just not today, damn it) and the fact that he can be someone who deserves to live on in peoples’ memories. 

He gives himself time to adjust to everything that’s happened, and understand himself a bit better, too.

Mostly it’s to make sure they survive the trip back home, though. And he isn't leaving without his brother, or before he knows Kuja can make it wherever he feels he needs to be without help, so that takes a while too.

But eventually they make it. With a bit of help from the moogles in Madain Sari and Mognet, the Tantalus gets word and comes to pick them up... and because of how the moogles are, they only have a vague, sneaking suspicion who ‘that person! THAT person!’ is. Kuja’s still on the ship and watching on when Zidane pulls his... theatrics.

(Or at least, that’s one version of how it could go.)