the heart is the philosopher's throne

the fight goes on in this the babylon
FF7 || NC-17 (sex, mild D/s, trauma recovery); post-AC || Sephiroth/Cloud || ~29.5k words

When Sephiroth is discovered in the heart of Aeris' church, floating naked on his back in the shallow pool of rainwater, time stands still. It stands still like every cliché in which Cloud's heart stops, fear and hatred and his heart clawing at his throat like rats. It stands still and for a moment Cloud exists as a hollow shell, a rain of bullets on a lonely cliff, a sword through the back and the slow fall of a little marble into a still lake.

[AO3]

The Outsider says, "I will give you a name, as I did for Daud. I do not play favorites, Corvo, but I'm interested to see which future you will choose when you realize how easily it could have all fallen apart, no matter how hard you tried or how many despots you ruined."

Corvo's tempted to ask why are you doing this even though he already knows the answer.

"Find Delilah."
...

• Born from my mumbling Tumblr post, heyo.


• While it's a wandering conversation in a coffee shop, bits of canon from FFVII, FFVIII, FFXIII, and FFXIII-2 are mashed in with a cameo from FFX's deity, Yevon.


• a few of the referenced non-canon events are still real-life events. What can I say, I’m a winner.

wasteland
FF7 || PG-13 || Cloud, Zack || ~1,200 words
Sometimes your worst enemy is just day-to-day life. Modern!AU.

• Lyrics come from Rise Against, "The Approaching Curve"; Plowed, "Sponge"; The Killers, "Runaways." Because they're favorites, and I can, and this is semi-pretentious self-indulgence (i.e. therapy!fic for disaffected twenty-somethings) anyway.

the world cuts deeper (when love's in my hands)
Dishonored || PG-13: classism, racism, sexism || Billie Lurk || 3,800 words
When Daud dies, Billie is heading for a ship to take her to Morley.

• Present for ochrelock for the Dishonored Secret Santa - happy winter, hope you like it.  :D


• High Chaos!Corvo, Low Chaos!Knife of Dunwall


• Warnings: classism, racism, sexism, brief mention of past attempted sexual assault (not against Billie)


• Past casual Billie/Delilah


• Title from Tryad's "My Piano Sings (Part 4)"

[AO3]

1. Got an apartment downtown with Boyfriend and another friend and we're three blocks from my fave coffee shop, you can see my priorities here.  Also a ten minute walk from the wharf with all the hacking of sea lions and the pervasive smell of ocean that creeps through your window at night.


2. (Which reminds me, fateofshadow, I keep meaning to send you more saltwater taffy.  Goddamn international shipping costs.)


3. Stealing sporadic Internet from various coffee shops and the community center across the street, but since it is so sporadic I've done more actual reading of books in the last two weeks than the last several months.  Somehow I fail to regret this.


4. Discovered I still have a problem with spending grocery money on books.  Exacerbated by now living four blocks from the nearest bookstore.


5. OH SHIT I'm going to be representing the 'sky' realm in the upcoming three-realm-Celtic-inspired Samhain ritual, which means ritual performance!  In public!  In front of other people!  With the Morrigan!  Why the fuck did I volunteer for this!


6. Found a leather jacket for ten bucks today.  Booya.


7. Still no full-time job AHAHA who needs to eat


8. The Assassin's Creed series is giving me feelings.


9. Writing fic, what does that mean.

• warnings for human sacrifice, descriptions of slavery, and the aftermath of torture


• iambickilometer's belated birthday gift, woot


• for your edification, my rambling on why I wrote the myth bits the way I did

"In the beginning was the Void – "

"But what made the Void?"

"Emily," Corvo murmurs at the same time Samuel says, "Beggin' your pardon, Your Majesty, but that's the kind of question best left to people more learned than I."

"Go ahead, Samuel," prompts Callista.