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thestormishere) wrote2010-04-03 06:20 pm
thestormishere) wrote2010-04-03 06:20 pm
Entry tags:
FFVII AU for Luceti's world anchoring event
One of Lightning's most famous lines in her own world is declaring that her 21st birthday is 'the worst ever.' However, Lightning as 'anchored' to Final Fantasy VII has a life that... well, isn't anywhere near as easy as growing up on Cocoon was. As an unclaimed, apparently orphaned infant, the fact that she was found first by Shinra and, more importantly, its scientists, more or less doomed her right from the start-
Hey, unwanted babies are always sad, but-- FREE EXPERIMENT FODDER, AMIRITE? In one single stroke of luck, at first there wasn't really anything particularly interesting about her - she definitely wasn't an Ancient, at least - and various tests showed that despite some unusual traits (hello, pink hair), the infant wasn't responsive to the sort of thing they had in mind at that point in time. Therefore, she was pretty much simply sloughed off to be raised on the side, under a careful eye and with only the occasional experiment performed on her.
Eventually, though, she does turn out to be ridiculously powerful when it comes to magic; because of being exposed to mako very young on top of her XIII biology, she gains the ability to manifest from nowhere what appears to be an unusual materia-like pink crystal in the shape of a blooming rose - something that, when exposed to actual materia, actually absorbs them, giving Lightning the ability to produce whatever effects they might have given equipped on their own.
She's pushed into working alongside SOLDIER. Shortly afterward, when she is 15, the crystal is outright taken from her - something that deeply disturbs her, as she's started to believe that the thing might be an actual manifestation of her soul. She is essentially blackmailed into further loyalty, although considering the organization is practically all she knows, even when everything else is in chaos with large numbers of SOLDIERs being killed (or you know, warping into horrible monsters) she has little other choice.
And yet, over the next few years, the crystal's absence continues to eat at her - she's rarely free to even touch the thing, even when new experiments are undertaken to determine her connection to it, if it's possible to replicate the same effects, etc. Eventually, when she learns the crystal isn't even at Shinra headquarters any more, taken to Nibelheim instead for some reason, she can't stand it any more and travels there on her own.
.... Needless to say, things do not go well, and as on par with the course, the woman finds out more than she should and is detained. She's held for almost two weeks- long enough for the decision to be made that since she's there now and probably irreparably tainted by what she's seen, they might as well try something they'd held off on before for fear of completely killing her - tapping into the connection and source of her power, or basically, extracting her soul.
Unfortunately for them, the intense pain caused by the attempt to separate out what is in actuality her XIII-version-Chaos spirit (which is known in its own canon to cause CRAZY SHENANIGANS why did a goddess make souls out of something that destroys time but anyway) causes her to completely lose control and break free, destroying everything in range as she attempts to escape. In her rampage she breaks through into the Mansion above and comes across a materia she'd never had before- the Summon materia for Odin.
Less than an hour later, everyone is dead, save for two other experimental subjects - a SOLDIER and an infantryman who were supposed to have been declared dead several years beforehand, at the same time the war hero Sephiroth had. The three flee in earnest, leaving behind little more than residual magic and smouldering wreckage that had been the hidden lab.
AND THEN STUFF. Having to elude a corporation that doubles as an overly powerful, corrupt government with two superpowered fugitives dragging along a third, catatonic one has pros and cons. It probably doesn't end well, but fortunately, Lightning's point that she's pulled from isn't much further than finally gaining her freedom.
LUCETI
Luceti in general is honestly not all that different than what Lightning would be used to, aside from the experiments not generally involving such blatant, sadistic awfulness like being restrained against her will and such. In fact, there's actually an enormous amount of freedom compared to how she grew up- the available area is smaller, yes, and while the inhabitants are still undoubtedly watched, there isn't anyone outright telling her what to do.
Mainly, she likely would have been living with the VII characters from much earlier on, if not from the very first day they showed up. Meeting Aerith, finding out she's that girl from the labs way back in the day, would have been an interesting point, as would meeting Cloud, who she only ever knew as rather brain-addled after escaping Hojo's experimentation. She also would have had to meet and build up trust with Hope in Luceti, rather than 'back home,' obviously.
Power-wise, because she's not exactly a proper l'Cie, and because Luceti doesn't have any materia around, she doesn't gain any new abilities; however, the ones she does have do slowly strengthen over time. Also, obviously, the effects of any summon materia she had before would be unavailable as well.
Physically, she's the same... except for the glowing mako eyes, of course- probably a freaky effect for those who notice and aren't used to SOLDIERs... or those who already know that she shouldn't have them.
Hey, unwanted babies are always sad, but-- FREE EXPERIMENT FODDER, AMIRITE? In one single stroke of luck, at first there wasn't really anything particularly interesting about her - she definitely wasn't an Ancient, at least - and various tests showed that despite some unusual traits (hello, pink hair), the infant wasn't responsive to the sort of thing they had in mind at that point in time. Therefore, she was pretty much simply sloughed off to be raised on the side, under a careful eye and with only the occasional experiment performed on her.
Eventually, though, she does turn out to be ridiculously powerful when it comes to magic; because of being exposed to mako very young on top of her XIII biology, she gains the ability to manifest from nowhere what appears to be an unusual materia-like pink crystal in the shape of a blooming rose - something that, when exposed to actual materia, actually absorbs them, giving Lightning the ability to produce whatever effects they might have given equipped on their own.
She's pushed into working alongside SOLDIER. Shortly afterward, when she is 15, the crystal is outright taken from her - something that deeply disturbs her, as she's started to believe that the thing might be an actual manifestation of her soul. She is essentially blackmailed into further loyalty, although considering the organization is practically all she knows, even when everything else is in chaos with large numbers of SOLDIERs being killed (or you know, warping into horrible monsters) she has little other choice.
And yet, over the next few years, the crystal's absence continues to eat at her - she's rarely free to even touch the thing, even when new experiments are undertaken to determine her connection to it, if it's possible to replicate the same effects, etc. Eventually, when she learns the crystal isn't even at Shinra headquarters any more, taken to Nibelheim instead for some reason, she can't stand it any more and travels there on her own.
.... Needless to say, things do not go well, and as on par with the course, the woman finds out more than she should and is detained. She's held for almost two weeks- long enough for the decision to be made that since she's there now and probably irreparably tainted by what she's seen, they might as well try something they'd held off on before for fear of completely killing her - tapping into the connection and source of her power, or basically, extracting her soul.
Unfortunately for them, the intense pain caused by the attempt to separate out what is in actuality her XIII-version-Chaos spirit (which is known in its own canon to cause CRAZY SHENANIGANS why did a goddess make souls out of something that destroys time but anyway) causes her to completely lose control and break free, destroying everything in range as she attempts to escape. In her rampage she breaks through into the Mansion above and comes across a materia she'd never had before- the Summon materia for Odin.
Less than an hour later, everyone is dead, save for two other experimental subjects - a SOLDIER and an infantryman who were supposed to have been declared dead several years beforehand, at the same time the war hero Sephiroth had. The three flee in earnest, leaving behind little more than residual magic and smouldering wreckage that had been the hidden lab.
AND THEN STUFF. Having to elude a corporation that doubles as an overly powerful, corrupt government with two superpowered fugitives dragging along a third, catatonic one has pros and cons. It probably doesn't end well, but fortunately, Lightning's point that she's pulled from isn't much further than finally gaining her freedom.
LUCETI
Luceti in general is honestly not all that different than what Lightning would be used to, aside from the experiments not generally involving such blatant, sadistic awfulness like being restrained against her will and such. In fact, there's actually an enormous amount of freedom compared to how she grew up- the available area is smaller, yes, and while the inhabitants are still undoubtedly watched, there isn't anyone outright telling her what to do.
Mainly, she likely would have been living with the VII characters from much earlier on, if not from the very first day they showed up. Meeting Aerith, finding out she's that girl from the labs way back in the day, would have been an interesting point, as would meeting Cloud, who she only ever knew as rather brain-addled after escaping Hojo's experimentation. She also would have had to meet and build up trust with Hope in Luceti, rather than 'back home,' obviously.
Power-wise, because she's not exactly a proper l'Cie, and because Luceti doesn't have any materia around, she doesn't gain any new abilities; however, the ones she does have do slowly strengthen over time. Also, obviously, the effects of any summon materia she had before would be unavailable as well.
Physically, she's the same... except for the glowing mako eyes, of course- probably a freaky effect for those who notice and aren't used to SOLDIERs... or those who already know that she shouldn't have them.