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Introduction: Many authors add notes to their works. The appendices to Resurrection will be both author notes and poetry inspired by or dedicated to characters.
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*NOTE: can be read prior to the story*
This section shall attempt to answer the ever-burning questions the reader has inside his/her head...just how the hell do you SAY Raieyana? When should I dedicate my site to Reeve in celebration of his birthday? How tall is Lia? (In this pronunciation guide, an "h" after a vowel makes the vowel sound short, and the emphasized syllable is capitalized.)
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Name: Raieyana (ray-AH-nah) Amine
Age: 16
D.O.B.: April 21
Height: 5'4"
Bio: Young, bright (with a near-genius intellect), Raieyana is a highly skilled fighter. Created in a lab by Hojo, Raieyana is the supposed offspring of Tseng Amine and Aeris Gainsborough. Highly emotional and empathetic, however, feelings never mar her judgment in regard to important decisions.
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Name: Reeve Jordan
Age: 26
D.O.B.: September 15
Height: 6'3"
Bio: Although a spy for Shinra (as Cait Sith), Reeve "found himself" and quit the business world. Smart, yet incredibly naive, he hasn't had much experience with pure motives or emotions, leaving him oddly childlike in some aspects. It is possible he could have been hurt deeply by something in his past and this holds him back from close relationships.
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Name: Aysta (I-stah) Laurince
Age: 16
D.O.B.: April 23
Height: 5'6"
Bio: Raieyana's "cousin," who shares many of the same gifts. She and Raieyana grew up together "like sisters." Manipulative and convincing, she must have persuaded Rufus Shinra to leave her the company somehow...
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Name: Ishmael Deline
Age: 17
D.O.B.: February 5
Height: 5'9"
Bio: One of Aysta and Raieyana's childhood friends, Ishmael have been in love with Raieyana for years. Sweet and pure, Ishmael is the epitome of the "nice guy."
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Name: Blane Stevens
Age: 18
D.O.B.: October 29
Height: 5'10"
Bio: Big, strong, and aggressive, Blane is willing to protect his favorite childhood friend, Raieyana, even if it is from Aysta. Blane dated Raieyana at one time.
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Name: Lia
Age: 19
D.O.B.: June 17
Height: 5'7"
Bio: Young and spritely, Lia leads the Undorians. A close fried of both Aysta and Raieyana; she finds it hard to believe Aysta would purposely go against them.
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Name: Legolas Masterson
Age: 21
D.O.B.: March 24
Height: 5'9"
Bio: One of Blane and Ishmael's Soldier buddies, Legolas is more spiritual than he appears. Among other things, he is fiercely loyal...
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Name: Ruther (ROO-ther) Randolph
Age: 20
D.O.B.: December 12
Height: 5'8"
Bio: Tough and quiet, Ruther is definitely a person you would want on your side in battle. His best friend is Legolas, with Blane or Denmae at second.
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Name: Denmae (den-MAY) Larsen
Age: 22
D.O.B.: February 29
Height: 5'2"
Bio: As a rare female Soldier, Denmae cannot be called normal by any means. She is a real enigma, not only smart, but an asset to any fighting team. Apparently, she was in close contact with Aysta prior to her appointment as a Soldier...
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This appendix will be my thoughts on parts of the story, part by part.
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Part 1: Wisps of Memory:
To begin with, "Wisps of Memory" refers to not only the memories of Aeris that Raieyana's presence must invoke in the party members, but also Ray's thoughts of Tseng, her childhood companions, and so forth. Wisps of memory are what link this story to the game.
The reason why the prologue is in first person, from Raieyana's point of view--the original structure of the story was to be alternating between characters' points of view. A new chapter would begin when the point of view changed. This made for some short chapters, and besides, I like being able to see all the characters' thoughts when I want to.
This story originally started out as a way for me to resurrect Aeris, and I thought I could do that through the presence of her daughter. (This is the reason why I used the name Raieyana, for it was what I called Aeris when I played the game.) Perhaps Ray could resurrect her mommy. Aww. However, I soon liked Raieyana for herself, if that makes any sense, and the fic materialized from there. Honestly, after the prologue was written, Raieyana came into her own and resurrecting Aeris was thrown out the window.
As I finished the prologue...."Tseng + Aeris = interesting"
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Chapter one. "It's two days after Meteor, dammit. No, they don't get a break." Now it's time to introduce the party to new main character. Party, meet Raieyana. She already knows you because Tseng was her father. How conveeeeeeeenient...could it be...SATAN? No, just makes a little sense. Party, meet Reeve. Reeve, meet party. Reeve sees Raieyana... Just a few sparks...a little...yay. Cloud sees Raieyana leaving...tries to make sparks...aww....no. I get to introduce a new location. How? It's legendary and hidden in the mountains so no one in the "real world" can find it. And remember, in the game, whenever you find a new town, you get weapons? Yep, that's good...for me at least. "Red Moon = foreshadowing of icky things"
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Chapter two. We meet the leader of Undor-Hai, a dear friend of our happy little Raieyana. Names are mentioned to pique interest in what's going on. Obviously Ray suspects some problems in our newly saved Planet...will we learn what these problems are? Eventually.
Aysta damns the word processing program. Why? Because MY word processing program deleted all of Part 1 and chunks of Part 2. That's correct. This part 1 you are reading is version 2!
Undor-Hai was originally going to be an Amazon community, but then I decided that I needed men there for it to be a "normal village."
We round out the minor arcana of the original characters, preceded by a "Let's Make a Deal" reference. I loved that show!
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Chapter three. The sepulchre lance is a reference to the novel Heart of Darkness' biblical reference about a "whited sepulchre (tomb)" being pretty on the outside but filled with icky slimy rottenness.
Reeve is obviously taken a bit with Raieyana. We are drawn to the fact that Yuffie's annoying behavior drives Vincent so far up the wall that he thinks about her slightly too much for his own good. I'm trying to ease into things here.
Airship recovery: good way to stick Raieyana and Reeve together, even if they aren't alone.
Tea reference. Cid likes tea. Almost as much as Shinra. When Cloud isn't concerned with the destruction of tea.....hehe....
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Part 2: As the Desert Rose Blooms
This "desert rose" dealie refers to the blossoming of love in an unlikely place. Is there one or two cases of that in this part? Hmm...that's a good question.
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Chapter four. Yuffie smacks Vincent. Vincent gets more annoyed.
Reeve does a bad, bad thing. To all of us, it's obvious that Reeve is smitten with Raieyana. Acting on these feelings makes him guilty, and for good reason (we learn he's 26!!!) I put this scene in because it shows that Raieyana has some interest in Reeve as well, no matter how mismatched they are age-wise.
The "scope quest" is introduced. For some valuable events to occur. Very valuable. Vincent must keep an eye on Yuffie at this point. Reeve and Raieyana get uncomfortably stuck together. Neither one argues with the arrangement, for to do that would mean revealing their accident.
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Chapter five. Yes you would be correct if you decided Ishmael's in love with Raieyana. Awww.
Shit. Three of our new friends are captured. This is so we can learn how invaluable someone like Denmae is to the Shinra president.
Vincent and Yuffie have an ACCIDENT and Cid sees. Enter my comic relief. :)
Nothing at Nibelheim but a missing report. At face value, Chapter five seems useless. SEEMS.
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Chapter six. Reeve in dream = villain. Aeris + Sephiroth = Aysta and Raieyana = plot complications galore.
Reeve + Raieyana = love. Aww. It's about time. This is the part about luv after all.
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Chapter seven. The moral of the story is: you touch Raieyana, Reeve kills you. Any questions? Important point here for future reference is that Raieyana cannot be healed by materia, at least simple White Wind/Restore materia.
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Part 3: The Darkest Hour
After the darkest hour, comes the dawn. Foreshadowing of sad events. In some ways, I believe this is the climax, Part 4 the denouement, and Part 5 the resolution. Five act play theory...but is this a Shakespearean tragedy? Either that or my double-climax theory.
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Chapter eight. The need to make haste leads to a splitting up to search for materia, after all. We learn one of the white materia is missing, but not required for Aysta's plans to still be dangerous. Take note: Faith disappeared according to a translation Raieyana did.
Vincent lets go of the past, finally, by looking to the future. He really cares for Yuffie, and she begins to mature. They find the Hope materia, and it is partially symbolic for their future as a couple.
We learn Blane is not quite p.c., to say the least. He calls Yuffie "chinese chick"....ugh.
Ishmael, the loyal man-child devoted to his love Raieyana, needs one last straw to tip the scales. Reeve + Raieyana make Ish-y go crazy.
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Chapter nine. Raieyana doesn't want to kill her sister. Understandable. Her father is dead. Her biological father is dead (and hopefully for good). Her mother is dead. I'd be sick of my family dying too.
We learn that Blane and Ishmael are under Aysta's control. So that's what they meant by being "persuaded" by her to join Soldier.
Reeve is called a "cradle-robber" and retorts that Cloud is attracted to Raieyana because of Jenova. *HINT*
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Chapter ten. Raieyana goes to meet Aysta alone. Showing the reader her "I don't need no help" personality.
Gets surrounded by mako-filled (Jenova-filled, too?) wolves. Sounds like one wants to.....violate her somehow. Luckily, Reeve decimates them all in a fit of rage. He follows her again. The question we need to ask ourselves here is how did Reeve get to follow Raieyana without the rest of the party joining him? I suppose he slipped away from them like the first night.
Blane and Denmae are utter puppets of Aysta. Ishmael still struggles with himself, painfully. *sigh*
(Aside here: I love Ishmael. No this isn't going to be some admittance of a real person insertion. Ishmael is my favorite original character. Yes, he's kind of one-dimensional, but he goes through a lot of pain. His decision to die was the only way for this story to go. But this part ached me. I cried when I wrote this. The first few times I looked it over I could not do it without tears. However, this made me learn why Aeris had to die, and even why Nick Andros in Stephen King's The Stand had to die. Because that's the way the story goes, and sometimes the author has less control over the plot than a reader would think.)
Aysta's death is anti-climactic. Why? Because Ishmael's death is the climax, or the first climax. Aysta was just a puppet herself. Her purpose was to unleash the cloud of Sephiroth's fury. She was consumed by the knowledge of her origins and maddened by it, like Sephiroth before Nibelheim went to flames. Like father, like daughter.
Reeve loves Raieyana. Raieyana hides Ishmael's wish for suicide. Vincent inquires about Ishmael because they are linked. Ishmael was the name for Vincent in one of my games. (Aysta was the name for Tifa, no offense to Tifa. Aysta was the first name for the main character in my novel, Circle of Stones.)
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Chapter eleven. Raieyana tries push Reeve away because everyone she cares for has a tendency to stop living. He persists. They make love. Raieyana thinks this "proves" Reeve's love. Other things do, she will eventually learn. (In due time...the poor girl is only 16, after all.)
Reeve = Sephiroth = confusion...okay, it's a foreshadowing...Sephiroth's spirit is free. Now who will he take over? How about the person who kills Raieyana in her premonition?
Flashback to Ishmael. He was too good for me, Raieyana says. Reeve takes offense. But Ishmael is now god or angel-like in her eyes. Reeve is her lover, and really has little to fear from the deified Ish.
Raieyana decides to prevent her own death by ditching Reeve. Admirable, I think. Her business in Junon is the business of her dead aunt. The lyrics I leave the reader with is the chorus of a song I wrote awhile back. I can't hold your hand/As I fly away. Foreshadowing of the inevitable.
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Part 4: A Glimpse of Truth. Cloud shows his first true motives in a long time, but we don't learn these motives until another tale. (These are explained away as Sephiroth.) Raieyana learns her destiny, and what she must do. Raieyana tries to leave words with Reeve so he does not torture himself after her death.
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Chapter twelve. Cloud's attack shows us another demonstration of regular materia having no effect on Raieyana. Perhaps it is her mako-filled bloodstream?
Raieyana's too strong for mind control. Tra la la la. I got sick of Sephy just being able to control who he wanted. So let's just say where Aysta was weak, Raieyana is strong. And since Aeris withstood Sephy... Raieyana Sephy
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Chapter thirteen. Tifa goes after Reeve for three reasons. 1) To make Cloud jealous. 2) To get back at Raieyana for getting Cloud all hot and bothered. 3) Her immaturity. (Don't worry, she'll grow up eventually.)
When Raieyana learns that her fate is to be slashed by her lover, she decides to stop trying to escape it. Like most people who learn big news, she neglects the few last details. Bad girl. You make things sound worse for yourself.
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Chapter fourteen. Absolving Reeve of any blame before his crime is committed. Raieyana knows her time is limited and she turns her concern to the state of others after the inevitable.
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Chapter fifteen. Raieyana is not perfection. Cloud wants Raieyana for her association to Aeris, shows a slight obsession on his part. The end of this chapter is the first time the phrase "it all ends" appears in the story, but it is in no case the last.
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Part 5: Final Fantasy. Destroying the illusions and coming closer to the light. The fantasy of the party is they will defeat Sephiroth with Raieyana's plan. The fantasy of Raieyana is that she will die, and in her death, defeat Sephiroth. The fantasy of Reeve is that he cannot be overcome by Sephiroth. The fantasy of Sephiroth is that he shall live again.
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Chapter sixteen. Reeve has nightmares, of Sephiroth's voice, but we don't learn much more than that. It is the beginning of control, and Reeve's fear makes his possession easier.
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Chapter seventeen. Yuffie's pregnant. It is a little soon to know, but there are reasons for that. Another hint at something? Perhaps...
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Chapter eighteen. All the people that can sense Sephiroth at the first bend have Mako in them in some way. Afterwards, Ishmael guides Raieyana to Sephiroth. A guiding spirit like Aeris had her mother.
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Chapter nineteen. Clues to Reeve's past. His mother committed suicide, and did this event cause Reeve to go into therapy?
Raieyana feels no resistance to what she feels is meant to be. She hands Reeve the sword that will kill her. Why?? She feels powerless to fate.
Raieyana is in the afterlife for a brief time, too brief to realize what the existence is. She is met by Ishmael who can only show her images from their past.
Is her resurrection the climax? If it is a climax, it is just a secondary climax. I've read a review and had some reader reactions that the Sephiroth's end (what they call the climax) is unclear. Destroying the Black Materia orb prevents his resurrection. Surrounding it by the white...that's so the "sacrifice" can be resurrected.
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Chapter twenty. This is just the resolution of vented frustrations.
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*Parts 4 & 5 lay the foundation for Reunion, with many clues to questions that will be answered in Resurrection's sequel.
*The title Resurrection therefore has double meaning. The first lies in the half-successful plan to resurrect Sephiroth, the other in the actual resurrection of the sacrificed Raieyana. (Yay, she doesn't die!)
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Bon Jovi - Keep the Faith
Blues Traveler - Yours
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven
Counting Crows - Children in Bloom
Sheryl Crow - Ordinary Morning
Hootie and the Blowfish - Goodbye
Journey - Who's Crying Now
Kansas - Dust in the Wind
Sarah McLachlan - Elsewhere
R.E.M. - Try Not to Breathe
Duncan Sheik - She Runs Away
Styx - Show Me the Way
Tonic - Casual Affair
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Raieyana
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I hear my destiny calling me
to what--I do not know
the only thing I realize
is I must go alone
to stay beside the one I love
dragging him behind
may be the one thing I want most of all
but the price could be my life
don't you see I love you
look into my eyes
and know I don't want you to be alone
with me--just to watch me die
as I write this I do cry
and I hope you understand
wherever this road's taking me
I'll want to hold your hand
but to save you I must give you up
when I haven't quite had enough
oh, sure I could lie
slink away into the night
deny your voice is calling me
back into the light
can't you see I must turn away
at the break of dawn
and end everything I've waited for
before it has begun
the only purpose I have had
destroyed my past completely
and now I'll leave it all behind
oh so indiscreetly
with everything I have lost
almost nothing have I gained
but the one thing I cherish above all
is the reason I must leave
(This is Raieyana's state of mind after leaving Reeve at the end of Part 3.)
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Cloud
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Maybe soon I'll understand
The very reason why
The good die young, souls burn eternal,
And angels have to cry
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A fleeting spirit--and it passed--
From heaven up above
It took too long to realize
She was the one I was meant to love
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And I know I'll always wonder
As surely as I breathe
The reasoning that chose how--
And when--this one had to leave
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As hell-fire lived, demons dwelt
Around this mortal life
Giving the supposed "chosen ones"
Heartache, grief, and strife
(A reflection on...who else....Aeris.)
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Tifa
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the stars were shining way back when
and are shining still right now
but everything has changed since then
and I can't explain quite how
the stars are the same, more or less
the night sky looms unaltered
but the world passed by, while they stayed
and brighter dreams have been offered
we all have a future now
when there wasn't one before
it seems as though destiny has
unlocked a tightly-shut door
concealed as we wandered
as helplessly we journeyed
seeking hope and dreams
or just what they mean
crumbling towers in the scheme of things
I'd lost you and then found you
but the vagueness lasts around you
it can still be seen--at least by me
and maybe you kept your promise
but I couldn't foresee the future then
when I asked you before
because if I had...
I would have asked for more
(Tifa thinking of Cloud.)
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Vincent
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forgive me
for my sin
of just watching
taking in
through my fault
(mea culpa)
I left you to be
harmed, maligned,
and suffering
from the greatest pain
now I sleep
drinking in the nightmares
of a monster's mind
for it is mine
because of my sin
letting a soul lie bleeding
yet staying idle
now it's futile to go on
what has happened
can never be undone
by anyone
yet I will try
as long as my life keeps on
to try to ease
this shameful mind
(Vincent's guilt about the events regarding Lucrecia.)
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Ishmael
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I see you
your face
speaking to me in the midst
of my hell
but it never goes deep enough
to the dark hole
where all of the demons dwell
how long will this misery last
I've waited for it to pass
but it lingers still with the
voices that call and
constantly bring me to my knees
can't you make it end, please?
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if you don't, it kills me
just the same
to stay in this world that
I've lived in much too long
in this sorry state
I pray this is my resting place
finally free from insanity
I've lost my mind--though you
still believe, intelligence
is leading me to betray you...
please, if you won't let me stay--here
it will kill me anyway
(Ishmael pleading for Raieyana to let him end his misery by staying in the Northern Crater as it collapses.)
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I find that some lines in the story really stick out when I read it, and I just wanted to collect them here. (I already did this for Reunion, for a certain reason, and was really happy with the results.) Hey, this list isn't static either, if I get feedback about a line I need to add, just e-mail me. ^_~
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"Notice how the Turks mysteriously reappear after both Sephiroth and Meteor have been destroyed."--Yuffie, Chapter 1
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Raieyana: (What to do first? See Aunt Aula or storm the Shinra building? I'll go with door number 2.)
Soldier: I'm sorry miss, you can't come in here.
Raieyana: (What has she won? She has just won a...jack-ass. Yes, a bona fide jack-ass. Tell her what she could have had if she chose door number one, Al. "A brand new Cadillac, and twenty-five thousand dollars in spending money for her seven-day cruise to the Bahamas...") "Why the hel--, I mean, why not?" (After all, I could have real, valid business here. Just because I haven't doesn't mean that I should be set apart from those who don't want to knock the whole damn thing down...)
--Chapter 2
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Cloud: Can I trade? I want the better sword.
Raieyana: I'm sorry, but no. You see--
Cloud: (with her, mockingly) The only one who knows how to use it.
--Chapter 3
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"You know, Dad, it was sooo rude to accept that materia. We are on a battle to save the planet. You told me to use my strength and determination, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda, and you're sitting here all ungrateful, demanding the materia when WE AREN'T DONE YET!" --Yuffie, Chapter 4
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"If you challenge us, you will end up being the gimp." .... (That decides it. I've been hanging around Yuffie way too long.) --Vincent, Chapter 4
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"...for the love of God, don't litter." --Tifa, Chapter 4
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Raieyana: So is that our plan? Use passwords, hope they work, find our friends, hope Aysta hasn't decided to torture them to a horrific death?
Yuffie: Better be ix-nay on the horrific death part. My stomach still hasn't settled yet. That would not be a good plan.
--Chapter 7
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Reeve: Floor 35, silks and fine linen.
Cloud: What was on floor 35 when you worked at Shinra, Reeve?
Reeve: Oh, the Soldiers' quarters...
They were greeted by ten heavily armed guards.
Reeve: ...umm, guess it still is.
--Chapter 7
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Lucrecia: I will never have peace. No, no matter what you do, what you say, Vincent, you cannot change anything for me. You couldn't change me then, and you can't change me now.
Vincent: That is my sin.
Lucrecia: No, your sin is letting the world and al it has to offer slip by while you sulk over the fact that I made a horrible mistake.
--Chapter 8
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Lucrecia: ...forget me, Vincent. I might as well be dead. I should be dead. But not you...
Vincent: Lucrecia...
Lucrecia: Go live your life, Vincent. Not for me, because there is nothing left for me. Live it for...I don't know, her. (points to Yuffie) But live your life, Vincent. It would be worse if I had to think I had destroyed another life besides my own.
--Chapter 8
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Blane: Eww, green blood.
Legolas: I swear, Blane, you are just like a girl.
Blane: Am not.
Legolas: Are too.
--Chapter 8
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Red XIII: My nose is drying out.
Cloud: (disgusted) What do you expect, it's a desert.
--Chapter 8
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Cloud: Oh, dig right there, Barret.
Barret: Why me?
Cloud, Tifa, Red XIII: Because you have the shovel!
--Chapter 8
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"Anyone who makes a lurid pass at you, dies. It's just that simple." --Reeve, Chapter 10
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"It's hard to get men who are really good slaves to mind control." --Aysta, Chapter 10
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"...don't worry. If Sephiroth comes back, and we still don't know where she is, I'll just kill him again." --Cloud, Chapter 12
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"A formless spirit willing me to die is one thing. A psycho Mako-enhanced human with a large sword is a totally different thing." --Raieyana, Chapter 12
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Raieyana: How much of this have you heard?
Ruther: Well, the first thing I heard was "cut in half first, ask questions later."
--Chapter 13
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"Wonder what it's like to live in a place that's boring..." --Barret, Chapter 13
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Reeve: I need a smoke. (sheepish) I'm trying to quit
Raieyana: It's nothing to be ashamed of. I've been known to have an occasional one myself.
Reeve: Really?
Raieyana: No. Just trying to make you feel better about it.
--Chapter 16
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Barret: How can I beef up for a fight without any meat?
Legolas: You could not use the term "beef." The term "bulk up" would be more appropriate. Besides, "bulk" makes you think of fiber instead of meat.
Barret: Legolas, you missed my point entirely. I want some meat with this meal!
--Chapter 17
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Tifa: I bet plants feel pain when you kill them just like animals...
Lia: I never considered that before...
Raieyana: Don't. You have to eat something Lia. If you stopped at plants, that would leave fungus, algae, and one-celled organisms, which aren't very appetizing.
--Chapter 17
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Raieyana: Do you see anything familiar?
Reeve: Nope, just the ordinary cold, dark, damp, dreary Northern Craterness.
--Chapter 18
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"Cloud, I can handle myself. No matter what is on the path ahead of us. Whatever danger lurks around the bend of that tunnel, we have to face it. If you have worries about me, worry as we head towards them. We're going to have to confront him again. Even if this time it's something we can't see, something some of us can't even feel. There will be risks. I think anyone who isn't prepared to handle them should probably go and walk back the Airship and wait for us to finish what we came to do here." --Raieyana, Chapter 18
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(It's like every word, every action, was scripted long, long ago. We're playing parts in a play where the script was written in stone. And we can't change a thing.) --Raieyana, Chapter 19
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"And I will leave your head and you will live in harmony with your 3 kids and your dog, Spot. You'll be normal. She'll be normal. No more bad dreams. I hate to burst your bubble, but nothing ever happens like that." --Sephiroth (in thought, to Reeve), Chapter 19
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"Look, I'm fine. Guess what? One of the nice things about materia. It's magic. I'm healed. And I sure as hell want to get out of this place. Can we leave instead of hanging around with our mouths hanging open? Or at least start heading towards the Airship with our mouths open?" --Raieyana, Chapter 20
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"I decided this hero stuff isn't right for me. I'm going to find a few of my buddies from business school, start my own company, make a million...or more. But then, I suppose you're not the type to worry about money. You're above that. And that's why you're above me..." --Reeve (to Raieyana), Chapter 20
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"It's still not the life for me. Up there. I need technology. I need meat food products." --Reeve, Chapter 20
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The End (for real this time)
Now go read Reunion. You know you want to.
