The truth about Sephiroth
- Amaranthos -
Dedicated to my loving boyfriend: Nick
Friday. Perhaps the starkly-most wonderful day of the week. It's my instinctive character to thrill myself by jumping up and down and flinging my schoolbag as far as I could into the deepest bellows of my room. Nothing seems to rapture me more than leaving my school behind, buoyantly laughing aloud it was the end of the week, and weekend – here I come.
Forgive my drama, or rather my unstable peachiness, but today was Friday. In some cultures Friday symbolizes the end summation of a week, or perhaps the most unfortunate day as it signifies death and suffering in some remote tributes of Africa; but in my head it was the beginning of the weekend – a weekend packed with high action movies in HD baby, and then driving around in my car with my friends to places unknown, and it's all an adventure of good fun and good memories. But I think the highlight of my weekend truly begins with video games: any kind of good-loving game that I reviewed and mama thought good, well shoot I'm gonna buy.
I inwardly drew a sigh of relief. My lips thinned out and a smile of satisfaction drew to my face. Nothing truly starts the weekend like getting a good game to begin with. I needed a new game and my mother said she wouldn't pay for it, not even if I did well on exams. No problem, I thought. Consider it done, because I am Tifa Lockhart and when it comes to buying games for my Xbox 360, I will, I shall, I WILL CONQUER! So what's my ingenious plan you ask? I smiled. Of course I sniveled Yuffie into it, considering she's a major gamer like me. I told her the money she owed me since the beginning of the year I needed it urgently. She wasn't too happy about it, muttering she thought I had forgot about the money and I was allowing our better friendship to dissipate for monies owed. But what world was she living on, I'm a gamer, I'm not fair…
So I suckered her into paying me every last cent she owed me. I would confess now and say, money truly does waver a friendship, and you actually begin to see people for what they truly are when they pay up. Disgruntled as Yuffie was… I still love her, and I'll remember her when I'm buying my game, because she's my co-op partner.
"Tifa, Tifa" I heard a soft annoying voice. It was the kind of voice that resembled the buzzing of a fly. Dead annoying really. And as much as I tried to keep myself buoyant with the overflowing sensations of living in a world of video games, anime boys, action movies and no parents, that came crashing like ten panes of glass when my mother destroyed my perfect reverie. And I could no longer day-dream in peace, instead, I'm stuck in her car realizing how unfortunate I am to be, one – broke after I buy this game, two – my mother's annoying and three – I'm not daydreaming anymore.
Sighing aloud, almost flabbergasted, my mother who was driving and yapping heard my sigh and shot me daggers in her rear-view mirror. That woman, tsk tsk. Honestly, I wondered now how my poor father courted her. She's scary when she's ready, not to say the least.
"You better not be sighing at me young lady" she haughtily replied, all.. mother-of-factly.
I contained myself from rolling my eyes. Instead, I complacently held my being and composed myself for the worst. I didn't need my mother ascending into a full crescendo of quarrels, especially on a Friday. That would destroy the weekend.
And that brings me to something new. The 5 things that destroys the weekend. Yuffie and I made it up, we like to think of it more of a theory than being vague by saying 'things'. One of the things in our theory that destroyed the weekend were parents. Now, now I'm not trying to bash, or in any way trying to conduct myself with any misdemeanor to them, it's a theory and I have to be totally impartial to science, so yes, parents are one of the entities responsible for a bad weekend.
As I sat down and listened to my mother whine about why she had children, and why she didn't go to America and do her master's there, in my mind I'm thinking: blah blah blah.
"Now Tifa, don't go wasting all your money at that video game store." My mother started…
I looked up at her, "mother I would never" I feigned an unnaturally innocent voice, "besides, I don't have any money and you and father thought it in my best interest to not get me any of those violent, bloody, and coarse games which aren't good for my young developing brain. I mean, I'm a growing girl, I need to think properly in school, being a student to make intellectual answers when the teacher prompts me, is absolutely important. These rotten video games, they don't do anything but corrupt young children. But I guarantee you mother I won't go making those mistakes again. In fact I heard there's this new section of the video game store that sells intellectual games" I smiled, hoping she'd take the bait.
She was silent for a minute. I thought to myself she was gonna stop the car and pelt me out like stranger, instead she started all teary 'I'm proud of you honey'.
And I've done my job. Amen.
She dropped me off at my favourite store in Akibara called Ioudo. It was a popular Japanese video game store where all the major gamers, geeks, anime-lovers, hentai-crushers and even the odd cute foreigner would be. I waved to my mother and then I strutted gloriously toward the store. I greeted my common War Craft folks, and I smiled at my Dragon Ball Z anime friends. Oh this was the place to be any day of the week!
Ioudo wasn't particularly the big, beautiful store you'd see at the mall, no, it was rather more tiny. Like a crack in the wall, with faded yellow paint of anime characters and a broken neon sign that said open. Oh it was the kind of place people of any true character would run far from, but this store was the mother of all video game stores. Department stores would strive to be this excellent when it came to customer service and variety galore.
Entering the store I smiled. All my friends who I knew were here in their usual spots. Zack was in the magazine section, Reno in the hentai section – typical, Rude – well he was always deciding and – hang on, who's this in my place?
Oh no he didn't…
Usually on a Friday it's my obligation to be at the new releases section. Everyone who knew me, knew that, but of course this silver-haired boy didn't know that. I guess, I should make myself useful and elucidate the circulatory law.
I strode toward him, he not at all aware someone approaching. He was looking at a magazine and holding the new Bio Shock game for PS3. Pfft! PS3, who plays that except for … weird people…
I stopped to his side, taking a hard long look at him. He was a guy that had felony written all over him. Boy, would I teach him a lesson today. He not only was pulling off the first most illegal move, that is, he was in my 'spot' but two… he liked PS3, or rather I'm presuming he owns a PS3. So to destroy the ambience he resolved himself into, I would ever so notoriously as I'm naturally incurred to be – at times, would noisily open the same magazine he had been reading known as Game Play.
I tilted my head over to see the page he'd been reading, page 15. I flipped the magazine toward the exact page and skimmed through the contents, searching for what could keep his gaze so long, and there in the corner I could see the poll of what was the most anticipated game of 2010. Boy oh boy, was I pissed to discover it was God of War 3.
"What?" I could hardly believe this truck load…
"Moto!" I shouted, he's the owner of the place – a college dropout who lives with barely any prospects but runs one killer shop.
"Tifa… I told you, you can't talk that loud in this place" he replied, trying to plead again with me in highlight of my screaming tantrums.
I rolled my eyes. "Do you believe this crap? God of War 3 is the most anticipated game of 2010, when the hell did that happen? Don't people know that games like Halo and Bio Shock 1 are the best games ever and they're both Xbox 360" I shouted, I could not contain the burning hurt in what I read.
"You might want to correct yourself. Bio Shock is multiplatform" I heard a particularly cold voice to my side. It was the kind of voice that made a shiver run up my spine. How ghastly, I thought.
I turned to the voice and I was greeted by oh boy… a very devilishly handsome guy. It was the same platinum haired boy, but boy… did he have, pretty eyes and and… I'm staring. I flipped back to reading the magazine a huge blush like Mount Rushmore I'm guessing on my face. Gah!
He's really hott I thought. I mean, it was true. I'm not the type of girl to get gushy over cute guys, and there aren't many these days especially when their heads are as big as a baseball field and they're all filled up with crap. I'm not trying to say all of them fill their heads with that, but most do.
But oh man, the guy next to me was hot. Oh but wait, he said something. Or did he? Or was I too shock?
Gosh Tifa relax. Breathe.
I did that. I breathed in and then I remembered what he had said about Bio Shock being multiplatform. The statement irked me. Bio Shock was first an exclusive… and then it became multiplatform.
"Yes, I'm aware it's multiplatform" I started in a low voice, "but it was once an exclusive, you know. Then it became multiplatform. If you asked me it should have stayed strict 360 oriented" I spoke…
"Bio Shock was an excellent game and if it truly was to be game of the year it wouldn't have gain it through Xbox solely." He spoke…
A man who knows his facts. I don't know which is hotter, the fact he knows so much to counter me or the fact my anger is rising and I'm about to burst.
"I can tell you're a PS3 fan" I started in a new voice, making the observation of the PS3 game in his hand.
"And I can tell you're one of those heated Xbox junkies" he said most unceremoniously. He referred to 'us' Xbox fans like junk.
"Excuse me" I said, grating my teeth.
"I'm a proud PS3 fan" he stated flatly. As if I asked to know that.
"And yes I am one of those proud Xbox fans. The best console in the world" I took a shot at being heated.
"Don't flatter Xbox or yourself. The piece of crap could hardly be deemed a worthy platform against PS3" He scowled.
Damn him.
"And you know what? Xbox is still their opponent living big and strong as ever busting PS3's butt" I belted back
"Please, save me your pathetic ramblings about that insignificant platform. The cheap thing is made out of reused screws and metal, and to add to its inferiority it dies to a red ring of death. Wonderful, how about that for brand and quality. But I guess you diehard fans truly see against that, right?" he gave a small laugh.
I narrowed my eyes. Whoever this guy was, to be in my turf and this confident about what he stood for, surely was pissing the heck out of me.
"I'll have you know, pass the little hiccups it's still Xbox 360 that's responsible for HDMI and I don't see PS3 creating anything new of its own" I dared him.
Beat that one PS3 boy…
"I will top that by saying Sony, who owns already 80% of the games on the market don't need to compete with Xbox. Finally they're providing a small deliverable of all the flops they've made in the pass. Besides, quality in the end surpasses any trickle of a title Xbox has managed through their failures" he bit back hard.
"Damn you. What do you have with your so called perfect PS3?" I spat back. Man, was he infuriating me.
"I'll tell you what, as of now where Xbox's first platform is no more, PS2 still runs strong and has the most games per platform in the world. Additionally to add to the mayhem for you Xbox loving junkies, they're bringing triple the income with PS2, their PSPs and PS3 on the market, and lets not top the most anticipate game God of War 3 for 2010. Should I go on and drill the annihilation in or do you plead mercy?" there was a wicked smirk on his face. It was as if he was pleasuring me through his crude statements.
Damn him.
"So that's about the only wall you can hit. Forget that… besides, the greatest game of all time doesn't need to compete with PS3… Halo says it all" I had to bring Halo in. I had never lost with Halo and I wouldn't lose now.
"Halo?" he laughed. Almost bitterly his laughter entered my ear.
People by now were looking at us, I could see Zack and Reno both looking on confused. The manager was particularly quiet and some of the people I knew were staring absolutely shocked. Whatever, I didn't care.
"Halo? Is that what you intend to beat me with, surely you must think I would not forget my deserved bashings for Halo. The most contempt game I ever knew. It's a wonder how this game ever got as big as people - people like you, who are not open to discussion but bitter dispute; honestly, it's absolutely hilarious when you look at it especially when there are games like Resistance and Call of Duty, beautifully designed with story and in-play; with true army and military resemblance and noir. Could you honestly be as honest as you are so perturbed to your Halo, say that these games being birthed after Halo, are not as great as they ought to be?" he asked
Boy he had knowledge on this topic.
"No" I poured the words back in like dread.
"Typical, absolutely typical. You all never give any other game that is of same pedigree the credit it deserves, isn't that hypocritical or does that just state something about Xbox fans" he dared.
"And when people like you, who come with the intent to flame and besmirch the due title onto Xbox games, what does that say about you PS3 fans? Honestly, you mention us being all hypocritical, well if you asked me you all have quite sharp bite for no legacy at all" I bit back..
"Legacy? You want legacy. Let's take Metal Gear for instance an excellent game, with great game physics and its an exclusive to PS3, I wonder why? If we could step back and look at the integrity and power the PS3 produces we would see that Hideo Kajima openly confess' it's nothing against Xbox that their game can't be run on the platform it's just it would take 20 dual-layer DVDs to run on the 360, whereas 1 bluray for the PS3. Even your ever loving Bungi – the creators of Halo, openly confessed they were inspired by the advancements of Sony. Sony truly was pushing at a time where others weren't. And let's top that by adding the la piece de resistance, Uncharted 2. While you're sucking on the fable points of Halo, note this, Uncharted 2 was the only game of its time to have a character with a polygon count of 2 million verses the average character that uses 500,000. Not to mention the game simulates amazing AI, and I don't think it would be that bragged about as the editor's choice on MSNBC, CNN, Fuji TV, Gamespot, IGN, GamePro and others if it weren't good enough to be known as Game of the Year. I don't see the same for the 360" he snarled.
I snarled back.
"Uncharted 2? Oh please, it's the only accomplishment, made soundly to PS3." I paused, "it doesn't need to take flash like Uncharted 2 which has excessive hype and little bite behind it's name. In fact lets drop some notches. Xbox was the first to come out with Guitar Hero… and what do you have?" I laughed
"Oh wow, like I'd like to stand up after a hard day of school and rock out to songs I'd have to pay for, whereas on the Play Station network, which by the way is the biggest game network in the world - just thought you'd like to know, gives you the songs already decoded for free for Rock Band and oh yeh they made more instruments instead of the guitar - as if everyone wants to be Jimi Hendrix, but I'd leave the fathoms and dreams to Xbox fans." He laughed…
"Well wouldn't it be funny when we found out Square Enix actually became multiplatform. Kind of sad since it was all Japanese, don't you think. I mean this must reflect so badly" I glared him daggers.
"In fact, I do agree with you. When it comes to Square making their games multiplatform it is a shame. But Sony only owns so much of Square, but if they'd known loyalty they'd stick to the bigger company. The only reason however they're multiplatform now is to break up the Sony-oriented market, hence the multiplatform agenda. But, don't count Square out yet, people are anticipating they'll be making one more PS3 exclusive… besides, I guess you Xbox fans need every morsel of help you can get from buying everyone right?" he savagely attacked.
"Well it seems to be working. Can't blame Microsoft if they can afford people. I mean, don't hate it, in fact blame the people at Sony and PS for their bad misrepresentation"
"Hmm, strutting yourself on high horses aye, I could bite into this apple of Microsoft verse Sony all day, but you'd be crying when I'm done with you" he spat
Ohhh, this boy. This, this… urghhh!! Damn, he was fretting, annoying, aggravating. I had never met such a guy like him. This would be the part I would whip out my gloves and begin to beat him to a pulp.
"Considering it, are you?" he drew a wicked smile that was so foul and offensive. "you must be the first Xbox fan whose actually got some brains"
"Oh shut it, you big insufferable ape" I shouted out
He stopped and slowly turned to me.
"What" he breathed, "did you just say?" his eyes flickering a devious green.
"I'm betting 50 box on the tall guy" I could hear Reno whisper to Zack. Talk about friends.
"What PS3 loving fans don't understand simple sentences? Oh is it - apes like you who don't understand it?" I blinked back expectantly.
He smirked and licked his lips, "you're quite cute, you know that. Finally you find the charms to bring down the PS3 fan, and you can't openly do it on topic, but rather you squirm yourself into a new topic. Surely, I'd gladly destroy you in different means" he sputtered.
"Oh I'm not trailing off. You're the one whining on and on about how you can make me cry, so do it. I'd love to see that. Personally I don't think you can. Prove me wrong"
"And you call me the ape. I've never heard of a human that calls pain to herself; probably it is your brain that has not developed as you show more ape-like tendencies as the apes and monkeys do. Your Xbox brethren already share the same pity note, not being able to be told their console is crap, but of course, you think we're all dubious about challenging you fools. But that's when you and your kind get it wrong. We'll challenge, we'll deliver the facts, just open up and take it like everybody else" his eyes shone with passionate hate toward me.
I'm absolutely loving this. Oh here he thinks he can bring down the house and get the last crucial word of bad misconduct with me. Does he know who I am? I am Tifa Lockhart and my anger has seethed over the point that I'm drowning. This fool. Oh he started it.
"Let's not stray like the puppy you are bucko, and return to the discussion at hand." I paused to see him look at me menacingly.
"I don't see PS3 selling as much consoles as Xbox does. In fact 360 keeps dropping it's price, surely it should indicate something about the audience. They want everyone to own one. A good humanitarian gesture of Microsoft if you ask me" I smiled confident in my facts.
"That's because the thing they call a console, is actually made of reused metal and scraps. And the only reason they're price cutting is because PS3 is price cutting –
"I wonder why is that, too expensive for the every day joe" I interjected.
"I'd highly doubt that. With the amount of money people have in their pockets these days they can more than likely purchase a PS3, which was reduced just for them. But if the everyday joe resembles you, then, they certainly have no prospects of taste or quality if it crashed in their lap. Excuse the bleeding truth, but you know very well the only reason they sell that crap as cheap as they do, is due to 360 being old tech of yesteryear. The death ring and of course the demographics of it only centralizing in one location, isn't really boosting the morale of Xbox. So they could sell it for a cent, for what it truly is worth, because it should cost nothing to make scrap and make millions off of." He honestly went too far.
"You're doing as if PS3 is any better… they had to halt one of their consoles because it was too expensive. And they think they're doing people justice by having a tacky little thing called the PS3 slim on the market. Oh boy, who are they trying to help? At least Xbox is affordable" I explained…
"Most people in the world own a PS2 for a reason. Don't be hitting below the belt on who doesn't own this. Soon PS3 will become affordable enough that even you can afford it one day, I'll loan you the extra cents. But wait, you'll see. Besides, Bluray technology is the future… so why regress?"
It was then Moto slowly approached us. We both looked at him angrily and for a second we swore we heard a squeak escape from him.
"N-Now as, as manager of this store." He coughed to see our death stares.
"I'm going to have t-to ask you two t-to l-leave if you keep making such a commotion" he stuttered.
"And who's gonna make me?" my enemy said.
"Yeh, you gonna move me Moto?" I glared him daggers.
"N-Now, I have other customers and you two are disrupting the silence. Now the only way I'll allow you two to stay is one, if you stay quiet or two, if you buy something, but if its none of the above, I'm going to have to ask you two to leave" he paused, "now"
"What was that?" the silver-haired boy shot him a stare that even scared me.
"Please?" the man begged, "pretty please?"
"Pathetic…" he picked up his game and magazine and went the counter.
"Well, I can pay for this right?" the boy asked.
Moto dumbly nodded. He slowly walked to the counter. He cashed for the items and the boy left. How rude, we were in the middle of a fight.
"See you later, little miss wit" he winked at me
I swore a blush came over my face. Bastard. Handsomely-goodlooking bastard. I stormed out the store, pushing the door open and shouting out to him.
"Hey you, leaving so suddenly?" I clenched my fists.
He turned around, not at all perturbed.
"Got a boyfriend?" he started in a new voice.
"Ahh" I gawked, where did that come from.
"Just a question, no need to destroy your circuitry" he asked approaching me
I gulped, "no…"
"Let me take you out tomorrow. Pick this wicked chemistry up tomorrow. Surely I like it" he seem sensual in how he said that. But I was only 17 and I didn't know the first crap about flirting.
"U-Urh… well, I guess" I tried not to come off like, hell yeh I wanna go out with him, but, well whatever…
"Nice. You got a name little lady, or should call you little 360?" he came closer, his beautiful green eyes catching mine.
Boy if this was flirting, I loved flirting. It's absolutely… wicked.
"And what do I call you?" I chewed my bottom lip, "little PS3?" I cocked my head to the side…
"How about Sephiroth for now" he said charming himself with that unbelievably gorgeous grin.
I could die now and this would be the highlight of my years.
"I'm Tifa" I extended my hand…
He took my hand and shook it. Then he just held it.
"It's nice to meet your aggressive, witty, intolerable, feisty…oh a hell-of-a-lot-feisty, but pleasant acquaintance" he smirked…
"Same to you, you lil pain in the ass" I stuck out my tongue…
"Tomorrow Tifa…" he winked…
I sighed happily. What's the odds an XBOX 360-loving-girl falls for a PS3-gorgeous-hunk?
Well, that's anyone's guess…
Thank you everyone for reading. I appreciate it. Please, all derogatory statements are not intended to hurt anyone or any platform. I know there are strong PS3 and 360 fans and I don't really want a war on my hand, so apologies if I've offended anyone in any way. The facts about what was said, are true and I researched them. When it comes to my preference between which console I like more… it's a secret, but tell me yours…
This story is dedicated to my wonderful boyfriend who has been a great supporter at everything I do. Thank you... and this one is for you babe..
to Nick..