Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
at adventu, we believe that colorful story and plots far outweigh the need for a battle system. rp should be about the writing, the fun, and the creativity. you will see that the only system on our site is the encouragement to create amazing adventures with other members. welcome to adventu... how will you arrive?
year 5, quarter 3
Welcome one and all to our beautiful new skin! This marks the visual era of Adventu 4.0, our 4th and by far best design we've had. 3.0 suited our needs for a very long time, but as things are evolving around the site (and all for the better thanks to all of you), it was time for a new, sleek change. The Resource Site celebrity Pharaoh Leep was the amazing mastermind behind this with minor collaborations from your resident moogle. It's one-of-a-kind and suited specifically for Adventu. Click the image for a super easy new skin guide for a visual tour!
Final Fantasy Adventu is a roleplaying forum inspired by the Final Fantasy series. Images on the site are edited by KUPO of FF:A with all source material belonging to their respective artists (i.e. Square Enix, Pixiv Fantasia, etc). The board lyrics are from the Final Fantasy song "Otherworld" composed by Nobuo Uematsu and arranged by The Black Mages II.
The current skin was made by Pharaoh Leap of Pixel Perfect. Outside of that, individual posts and characters belong to their creators, and we claim no ownership to what which is not ours. Thank you for stopping by.
[attr="class","ayab-lyrics"]be as you've always been
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[attr="class","ayab-text"] Aerith was unsure whether to take his statement as an observation or as an insult. The young woman could not help but glance down at her pink dress and the red, jean jacket she wore over it. Plain, brown boots laced up to her ankles and had always been perfectly sturdy for her to wear as she had traversed nearly the entirety of Gaia in them. It was not that she did not have other outfits, but there was just a practicality in her mind to having a simple, consistent wardrobe. Her childhood had not been an especially rich one while living within the slums of Midgar, and she had made do with what Elmyra had generously provided her. "You know, some people just enjoy having a consistent look. I think it works for me perfectly fine!" [break][break]
The names he uttered meant absolutely nothing to her in the least as she merely gave him another puzzled expression. Friends of his most likely? Alexander had to be one of the most baffling of people she had met and one of her closest friends was Yuffie. Shaking her head, she simply tucked the blue ribbon away in her jacket pocket to try on later. Aerith did not wish to risk losing her mother's materia on a simple whim when there were so many people about, and she almost worried Alex would hack it to pieces with his scythe simply because he had seen something shiny on the ground. "This festival is not literally about harvesting, you know. It's just a celebration for people to gather about and enjoy themselves. Honestly, that scythe is better used on farmland to get rid of weeds." There was no way he considered himself an actual botanist, did he? Aerith had worked with flowers nearly all of her life, and that did not consist in using a scythe for anything other than getting rid of weeds. [break][break]
Briefly, she considered simply walking away and leaving the eccentric man to his own devices. There was only so much patience a woman could muster before she gave into exasperation! But, well, then Alex had to mention Sephiroth and that certainly kept her attention upon him. Emerald eyes narrowed as the new information was taken in no small amount of deliberation. Aerith crossed her arms over her chest as she rested her chin within the palm of her hand. "Did he really?" she mused thoughtfully. "Then I guess he was summoned here before he lost his sanity." It certainly explained a lot, especially when she compared it to what Cloud had told her of his encounter. Perhaps it was time for her to seek him out herself?
[attr="class","ayab-lyrics"]be as you've always been
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[attr="class","ayab-text"] Aerith hummed to herself as she continued to consider the current color options before her. It had been quite a long time since she had worn another color ribbon after all! A change could be quite a good thing to indulge in, especially when it was over a relatively small matter like a change in an accessory. Her White Materia was still safely tucked beneath the tie of her ribbon, and she had no wish to lose the precious keepsake. The young woman nearly started when she heard an unexpected and familiar voice jar her back into reality. Blinking owlishly, Aerith glanced over her shoulder to see a young, blonde man in full armor with a hatchet loosely held in his grasp. If she was anyone else, she was quite sure she would be screaming that the man was attempting to murder her. Who in the world went about walking around a festival with a hatchet? There was no need for it at all as far as she could tell. [break][break]
The blue one? Aerith eyes Alexander a little dubiously for one more moment before turning back around to pick up the pastel blue ribbon. Had she worn a blue one before? Most likely yes, but she could not quite remember. There were parts of her childhood that she did prefer not to think about, and she remembered Elmyra had bought her a yellow one after bringing her home. "I guess so. It might be time to update my wardrobe a little bit," she mused lightly. Pink and red had been her signature colors for so long that she worried if she would be recognizable to herself if she changed them. [break][break]
"I thought I'd get out of Sonora for a bit and see more of Zephon. I heard about the festival here in Provo and wanted to have a bit of fun before going back home." Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled disarmingly as she gave him the white lie. There was certainly no way she would tell him her true reasons for being here, nor did he need to know. Cloud had enough worry about his own anxieties about seeing Sephiroth again and recovering from his wounds. Aerith tilted her head to the side at his sudden offer to buy the ribbon for her before she shook her head quickly with a knowing smile. Oh, did he think this was a way to pay her back for the information she had given him months prior? [break][break]
"I can buy it on my own. Besides, with how you seem to lack gil you should be saving it for more important things." He had not been able to afford even a single mug of hot chocolate for himself and did he not have a shop he had to rebuild? The ribbon was a small enough thing for herself to buy, anyway.
[attr="class","ayab-lyrics"]be as you've always been
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[attr="class","ayab-text"] Aerith could feel the restlessness settle in the longer she spent in Provo. The young woman felt the nearly overwhelming urge to do something in regards to the predicament concerning Cloud. One of her best friends was still recovering from the almost fatal wounds he had received in his battle with Sephiroth, but there was only so much healing magic she could pour into his weakened body. There was time that was needed for his body to repair itself on its own after all. The best medicine was often time, no? At least, Aerith wished to believe in that, but now she was not quite so sure. How much time did Cloud need to move forward from the traumas of his past? The answer was never an easy one and sometimes there was never enough time to move forward. Tifa and herself could say all the platitudes in the world in an attempt to sway and ease his mind, but only Cloud had the power to make that decision for himself. [break][break]
Had it not taken her so many years to accept her own place in the world and the part she had to play? A soft sigh escaped her lips as she tried to push back her morose musings. Aerith had come to this festival in an attempt to ease her own worries and stresses. Cloud had Tifa to keep an eye on him, and she was sure the younger woman would be more of a comfort to him than herself. How funny was it that a part of her still hurt at that realization? She smiled a little sardonically to herself as she realized that feelings really were difficult to shake off no matter the time and space given to settle them. In a sudden motion, Aerith clapped her hands together to rouse herself into a more cheerful mood. Now was not the time to be saddened or feel down! This was a sudden opportunity for her to meet new people and to enjoy herself after all! The others needed her to maintain her high spirits and so she would! [break][break]
Moving forward, she hummed to herself as she perused a few stalls offering their various wares. Handmade bracelets and ribbons and other such trinkets for the people to buy and enjoy. Aerith found herself pausing in front of a stand that was selling hair ribbons. She reached up with her hand to tug at the pink ribbon Zack had bought her so long ago. Was it time to buy something new for herself? The accessory was so important to her in so many ways, but she felt the urge for something new. It was not as if she would ever rid herself of the piece! Oh, no, but it would be nice to wear another color. Should she go with a green one? Or blue? Or even yellow?
[attr="class","ayab-text"] Aerith could see that Cloud did not really believe their words, and she could not blame him. The young woman wished she could convey that she did in a way. For so long, she had lived her life denying her heritage and the voices she had heard ever since she was a child. Especially after her mother had died and it seemed her bond had deepened with the Lifestream. Voices that were not her own that wished to convey their thoughts and feelings through her. The voice of her mother speaking that everything would be alright and that she was not alone. If she deafened herself to the voices of the Planet, then perhaps she could pretend she was a normal girl. A normal girl that had nothing to offer to the world or to Shinra or to herself. Oh, if she could just stay beneath that steel sky and dream that life would continue as it always had for her. [break][break]
Her thoughts were shaken as a familiar name broke through her brief haze. Emerald eyes widened as she recalled Angeal and the brief meeting she had held with one of his clones. Zack's mentor and a fellow First Class SOLDIER. Had there not been three of them? The golden trio that all SOLDIERs had aspired towards: Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis. Zack had spoken of them so fondly in the beginning and then he had told her of how everything had fallen apart. "Angeal was Zack's mentor and friend," she replied quietly. Had she ever told the two about her past with Zack? How intimately she had known the details of those golden SOLDIERs? Sometimes Aerith forgot how many secrets she had kept to herself in her desire to forget about her past. Biting her bottom lip, Aerith slowly stood from her position by Cloud's side as she wrapped her arms around herself. [break][break]
"Angeal and Sephiroth were close friends back in the war and I guess afterward, too. It doesn't surprise me that he would defend Sephiroth if he was nearby." Aerith hid her face behind the fringe of her hair as she listened to Tifa try and steer the conversation away from the current topic. If Angeal was still here, then maybe she could find out what was going on for herself. If she introduced herself to the man, then she was sure he would know who she was. Zack always loved to speak of those he was close to, and she was quite sure he had annoyed his friends with talk of her. A fond smile curled on her lips at the thought, but she quickly shook those musings away. [break][break]
"If Angeal is still here, then I can find out. We don't know the entire situation, and it would be best if we could find out what's going on," Aerith mused as she turned to face Cloud and Tifa. "We should find out if we need to handle Sephiroth again, but maybe we don't if he was brought here before all of the terrible things that happened. I know how much this means to you, Cloud, and I'll do whatever I can to help you with this." If it meant preventing Cloud from going over the edge again, then Aerith would get the information they needed without a second thought. "There's a lot that I know that I haven't told either of you. Things I wanted to forget or didn't really think were important." [break][break] [break][break]
[attr="class","ayab-text"] Had to know? Aerith could feel her beginning to evaporate as Cloud explained himself, but she still could not condone his utter recklessness. The topic of Sephiroth was a sensitive one for him after everything her friend had experienced at the hands of the SOLDIER. The only reaction Cloud could have was the need to eliminate his enemy before any harm could be done once more. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she rested her hand upon his back as he managed to sit himself up. These wounds were extensive and would take time to heal even with her innate healing magic applied. The trauma his body had suffered was too much and Cloud would simply need a long amount of bed rest before he was ready to stand and go after Sephiroth once more. Hopefully, it would give herself and Tifa enough time to talk him out of doing something idiotic again. [break][break]
"I understand, Cloud, I really do. But you went after him in a crowded place where anyone could have gotten hurt--not just yourself." One of those disgruntled citizens was still hunting Cloud down to pay him back for the destroyed shop. Aerith wondered how she would evade another conversation with Alex if they met again. Then there was still the revelation she had for Cloud that Zack was upon Zephon as well. Should she tell him now? Or would it be too much? Perhaps it would distract him with the happy news that another friend had returned, or it would remind him of what had happened to both himself and Zack back at the reactor. Her gaze shifted to Tifa as her friend did her best to calm down Cloud. No, Aerith believed it would be best to keep this truth to herself until her friend was in a better state both physically and mentally. [break][break]
Shifting herself, Aerith sat on the edge of the bed as she kept her hand upon Cloud's back. "Did Sephiroth remember you at all?" she asked quietly. The young woman had a hunch that this version of Sephiroth was not the same as the one they had tried to track down. Zephon was capable of bringing back anyone from whatever moment in time that it wished. Was she not proof of that? Cloud had told her of her death that had been caused by Sephiroth, but she had never experienced it in her own memory. Aerith believed the SOLDIER had been plucked from before his plunge into madness by Alex's recollection of the events alone. Should she seek him out and see for herself? It was an idea to be thought upon later on. [break][break]
[attr="class","ayab-text"] Ever since she had learned of Sephiroth's return, Aerith had been torn between fear and curiosity. Was he the same man that had threatened the Planet, or was he the hero Zack had often spoken to her of fondly? There was so much for her to discern and figure out for herself. But, no, the main reason she had come to Provo had not been because of her need to hunt down the former General. No, she had been hunting down a stupid, reckless blonde that had attacked Sephiroth the moment they had crossed paths. Alex had told her as much and she had been able to piece together the puzzle on her own. Her friend had not returned to Sonora as he should have, which made her believe the worst may have befallen Cloud with him out on his own. [break][break]
Luckily, it really did not take that long to find out where he was. A few questions around the city had led her to a healer's place by the name of Yuna. Aerith made a mental note to herself to thank the unknown woman for tending to her friend after his disastrous battle. The city was certainly crawling with guards as well, which did not surprise her. Everyone would be on the lookout for any more trouble that may come forward with so much destruction that had been caused. Aerith did pause for a moment before what looked like a ruined shop, and she had to wonder if this was Alex's store that he had bemoaned about. Well, it seemed she owed the poor man an apology when they next met with how it was literally in shambles. A soft sigh escaped her as she reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb. [break][break]
"I think I might kill him," she muttered to herself. Shaking her head, she moved on from the sight to make the final venture to this healer's residence. It took her a few more minutes to locate the room Cloud was staying in, but the young woman was taken aback at the sight of Tifa already there. When had her friend arrived in Provo? But she did hear Tifa's question as Aerith lingered by the door for a moment longer before walking inside. "He got into a fight with Sephiroth and clearly paid for it." Her green eyes were narrowed as she placed her hands over her hips as she took in the sorry state Cloud was in. Big, ugly bruises mottled nearly every inch of visible skin and she wondered if he had suffered a broken bone or several. [break][break]
"You're lucky you're already injured and in bed, or I'd be sorely tempted to hit you with a chair for being so reckless, Cloud." The threat was certainly not an idle one as she eyed one of the chairs that visitors likely sat in not too far away from his bed. Aerith was torn between anger and relief as she viewed her friend. He really did deserve a good slap to the back of his head, but she found herself sighing as she walked over. Placing a hand upon his forehead, she allowed her innate magic to gather as a rush of healing wind surrounded the bedridden man. Hopefully, it would be enough to ease the pain he was in rid himself of some of the obvious bruisings. [break][break]
[attr="class","ayab-lyrics"]be as you've always been
[attr="class","ayab-tagged"]for @jessie
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[attr="class","ayab-text"] Oh, how Aerith wished Tifa was here to enjoy this event with the both of them! It would have been so fun to coax her friend out of initial hesitation and simply let loose for one evening. But, for now, Aerith would simply allow herself to live within this moment. She did not believe anything more than friendship would form between herself and Jessie. The woman before her was quite attractive and certainly someone she could allow herself to fall towards, but she had the sense Jessie had done this more on a whim than for true attraction towards a woman. There was no harm in trying something new, right? There was something more to be seen to a person than the mere identification of their gender. No, Aerith found herself truly attracted to what made a person who they were beneath outward appearances. She wished to know the true self of a person and not much else beyond that. [break][break]
Perhaps she would not be winning any awards for being a dashing rogue, but Aerith was more than content to hear Jessie laugh at her antics. Her emerald eyes glittered with her mirth as they both headed onto the dance floor. Tonight was a night to forget all of her stresses and woes and to simply be herself. She did not often have the opportunity to let go of her inhibitions after all! Even with Cloud and Tifa, she still found herself keeping up a positive front to reassure her friends. The two of them needed her strength and she had no wish to falter when the both of them needed her to remain steadfast and familiar. The lights and her present company are a wonderful distraction as she simply allowed Jessie to lift her hand to press a kiss against the back of it. [break][break]
Her cheeks blossomed a vivid pink at the forward gesture before she fell into another fit of giggles. A hand upon her shoulder and another upon her waist. Aerith felt her lips quirk into an impish smile as she grasped the hand upon her shoulder and twined their fingers together. "I believe this is the proper way! Or as much as I can remember," she teased. No, she had never had anyone dance with her before like this, but she had seen enough silly television shows to know the proper posture. A handsome, tall man to sweep away the beautiful, demure heroine into a dance of dreams and love. This was certainly not that, though! No, she was more than happy to lead the dance in a somewhat graceless, amusing dance of delights.
[attr="class","ayab-text"] A big, dumb idiot that still resembled a puppy! [break][break]
Aerith felt her breath catch in her throat as Zack admitted how much she had meant to him. Of course, she had known that, but it was relieving to hear for herself. It had been fives years without a single clue or idea as to what had happened to him. And, then, she recalled that singular moment in her church when she had sensed him go. A fact she had denied to herself so strongly because she could not fathom a world without Zack in it. She would have rather believed he had moved on than think of him as dead for even a moment. Someone so vibrant and full of life should never be dealt such a cruel hand as death, no? "It's still good to hear," she murmured against the soft fabric of his shirt. [break][break]
Things were not the same as they had once been and even her feelings felt confusing to her now. Five years of denial and moving on and now her past had collided with her in an instant. How should she feel? No, Aerith did not have to think of such an answer right at this moment. The present mattered more to her than the ever-changing future and she wished to prolong this sensation of being in Zack's arms again after all of this time. For once, she was the one being comforted instead of being the one for her friends to depend on. Was it selfish of her to bask in this and take what he was offering to her? The tears continued to stream down her cheeks and she could not have stopped them even if she had wanted to do so. [break][break]
"Well, I wonder why? You do such silly things without thinking and just smile like everything is alright," she said with a watery laugh. All Zack had ever seemed to want was to be a hero and to make the people around him happy. He was everything a First Class Soldier should have been and embodied what it meant to be a personal hero to others. Friendly, caring, and stupidly heroic. Oh, how could she be so hypocritical at this moment? Had she not been willing to do the same? Aerith had gone off on her own because she knew she was the only one capable of stopping Sephiroth and because it was a path she needed to walk. Even if she had promised to come back when it was over. Maybe a part of her had wanted to be a hero, too. [break][break]
Huffing a little, she leaned slightly back to glance up at him and that silly smile. Aerith narrowed her eyes somewhat as she moved her hand to poke him in the cheek with her finger. "You're not making it easy to stay mad at you when you just accept it! Honestly, I almost want to make you beg! But that would be too mean of me to do." Her lips twisted into a slight pout before her expression eased into slight humor and she laughed. The brief, sweet moment of levity was precious to her even as her lips curled into a more somber smile. "There's a lot to talk about, you know. What happened to you and what happened to me."
[attr="class","ayab-text"] Aerith found herself still frozen in place even as Zack turned to her and said her name. It had been years since she had heard his voice anywhere but within her memories. The sound and lilt of it were still the same even after these five years--no, it was more than five years now. Did she count the time she had spent here in Zephon as well? Her life had finally come to a semblance of normalcy and now all of it was gone in the span of a single moment in time. All of her grief and anger had risen to the surface as if no time had passed. What should she say? What should she do? She still wished to slap or throw something at him, and the irrational thought had her laughing for a brief moment. The sound of it was strained and high-pitched to her ears as she quickly swallowed it down. [break][break]
And then he moved towards her with that same, casual air he had always held about him. She had always admired how easily Zack had gone with any odd situation thrown his way and continued to smile through it. Had she not also tried to do the same after meeting him? Perhaps Cloud had not been the only one to adopt some of his mannerisms as well. Trauma had a way of changing a person's personality to hold those shards of a person lost. If she kept some of Zack's easygoing smiles for herself, then she could still have a part of him with her. Slowly, she lowered her hands from her mouth as she clasped them together tightly. It felt as if her entire body was shaking at this point and her own handle of her emotions broke from her. [break][break]
"It's been awhile? That's the first thing you think of to say to me, Zack?" Her green eyes were narrowed before she unclasped her hands and walked towards him as she jabbed her index finger harshly into his chest. "It's been over five years and eighty-nine letters! You left without a word and I thought you just forgot about me and moved on." Why would he not? He was a First Class SOLDIER and she had been no one special but for her heritage and what Shinra thought they could gain from her. Aerith felt the tears begin to burn in her eyes as she jabbed her finger into his chest again for good measure before hugging him tightly as she cried. He was an idiot! The biggest idiot she had ever had the displeasure of meeting! [break][break]
"I know it wasn't your fault," she whispered after a few moments. "You tried to come back, and that's what matters. But you're still an idiot and I'm mad at you." Oh, what would have her life have been like if he had come back? If he had not died in such a horrible way? But he had died like the hero he had always wanted to be and had saved Cloud. Things had happened as they were meant to at the time and she could not regret meeting Cloud and the path she had chosen as a result.
