LOVELESS



LOVELESS is a story from the world of Final Fantasy VII, and has made several cameo appearances in the Compilation. Originating as a book of poetry, the story was adapted into a popular play, growing in popularity enough to have a street named after it in Midgar. The story focuses around three men who set out on a quest to find the fabled Gift of the Goddess. It plays a major role in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-. Posters and billboards for the play always show a female figure who seems to be the same woman with the words "Open 6/25 6:00" and "18:00" underneath her. Many posters also include "My Bloody Valentine" along the side.

Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
In the beginning of Episode One, a billboard for LOVELESS can be seen while the camera pans Sector 8. It is located in multiple locations in the sector as the game unfolds.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
LOVELESS has a great impact in Crisis Core, as Genesis Rhapsodos recites quotes from the book during each encounter Zack has with him. It is learned that the book has a theme which carries on throughout Crisis Core known as the "Gift of the Goddess", which Genesis often quotes. These "Gifts" to Genesis were Jenova Cells, to halt his degradation, and the Banora Apple, which was meant to have a rich taste to it.

At the beginning of the game the play LOVELESS is on stage. It is largely based on acts II and III, being told from the viewpoint of the girl who helps the male lead. To make it closer to the original context it also contains additional scenes of two friends. Kunsel mails that he has seen the stage production and quotes the last line:

More of LOVELESS is engraved upon stone tablets within the cave in Banora Underground where Zack faces Genesis for the last time. These stone tablets tell a short story on each of them about a group of three friends who go in search for the "Gift of the Goddess". These three men take the roles of a "Hero", a "Traveler", and a "Prisoner". The Prisoner escapes and is critically wounded, only to end up in the care of a woman from the enemy faction whom he eventually falls in love with. He lives a peaceful life, but he is tortured by the promise he made to his friends.

The phrase "My friend, the fates are cruel. There are no dreams, no honor remains" is told to Zack early in Crisis Core by Genesis when he is saying something regarding the fateful duel between the two friends in the story of LOVELESS, referring to himself and Angeal. Professor Hojo, who is present at the time, also mentions this part of the story. When Genesis is taken away by Deepground, the missing final act or ending is concluded as the act Genesis creates is added to the original LOVELESS book.

Final Fantasy VII
LOVELESS appears, but very briefly in Final Fantasy VII. Posters are seen all around the city of Midgar, but first seen in Sector 8. There were also rumors that the player could go and see a LOVELESS play, but this has not been proven correct.

Due to the posters seen during the first FMV, it is obvious that the name LOVELESS comes from the 1991 album by My Bloody Valentine, the Irish shoegazing band. Loveless is regarded as their best work, and is generally thought of in high regard, usually doing well in British music press polls. Also, the woman on the posters seems to resemble My Bloody Valentine's singer/guitarist Bilinda Butcher. In the PS3 technical demo and the cutscene at the end of Crisis Core, the scene that features the poster is remade, but the poster has been changed.

Near the end of the game, Cloud can talk to Cid Highwind, who mentions he went to see the play and fell asleep, being awoken in time for the final act, and he quotes the following from the final scene, between a woman and her lover, who is leaving:


 * "Do you really have to leave?"
 * "I promised. The people I love, are waiting."
 * "...I don't understand. Not at all. But...please take care of yourself."
 * "Of course...I'll come back to you. Even if you don't promise to wait. I'll return knowing you'll be here."

This bears a slight resemblance to the opening lines of Final Fantasy VIII.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete
Again, LOVELESS is only hinted at. First, a LOVELESS poster is seen in the opening before the scene cuts to Denzel and Marlene. Secondly, a poster is seen behind Rude when both he and Reno appear at Edge to challenge both Yazoo and Loz. A LOVELESS poster is also seen when Aerith Gainsborough walks into Midgar with a flower basket. And finally, a LOVELESS billboard falls and hits Rude on the head, before Reno falls on him, knocking him down momentarily. If the shot is frozen at the right moment, the head of a woman is seen on it. The woman looks almost exactly like Aerith Gainsborough, due to the woman's resemblance to her menu portrait in the original game.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
LOVELESS posters have also been sighted in Dirge of Cerberus in Edge during Chapter 3. These posters are seen outside on the streets, and inside houses.

Loveless Poem
Prologue (Poem) When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end The goddess descends from the sky Wings of light and dark spread afar She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting

Act I (Poem) Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess We seek it thus, and take to the sky Ripples form on the water's surface The wandering soul knows no rest.

Act II (Poem) There is no hate, only joy For you are beloved by the goddess Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds

Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul Pride is lost Wings stripped away, the end is nigh

Act III (Poem) My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I? All that awaits you is a somber morrow No matter where the winds may blow

My friend, your desire Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess

Even if the morrow is barren of promises Nothing shall forestall my return

Act IV (Poem) My friend, the fates are cruel There are no dreams, no honor remains The arrow has left the bow of the goddess

My soul, corrupted by vengeance Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey In my own salvation And your eternal slumber

Legend shall speak Of sacrifice at world's end The wind sails over the water's surface Quietly, but surely

Act V (Poem) Even if the morrow is barren of promises Nothing shall forestall my return To become the dew that quenches the land To spare the sands, the seas, the skies I offer thee this silent sacrifice ________________________ { Prologue } (Interpreted) When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end The goddess descends from the sky Wings of light and dark spread afar She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting

Act I (Interpreted) The infinite mystery The gift of the goddess is what the three men seek We are disquieted by our actions But their fates are scattered by war

One becomes a hero, one wanders the land And the last is taken prisoner

But the three are still bound by a solemn oath To seek the answer, once again

Act II (Interpreted) Though the prisoner escapes, he is gravely wounded His life is saved, however By a woman of the opposing nation

He begins a life of seclusion with her Which seems to hold the promise of eternal bliss

But as happiness grows, so does guilt Of not fulfilling the oath to his friends

Act III (Interpreted) As the war sends the world hurtling towards destruction The prisoner departs from his newfound love And embarks on a new journey

He is guided by hope that the gift will bring bliss And the oath he swore to his friends

Though no oath is shared between the lovers In their hearts they know they will meet again

Act IV (Interpreted) the prisoner meets the friend who wandered. The wanderer is dying and the world is ending. he is furious that the prisoner gave up on there quest to pursue lovewhile he remains loveless. The wanderer knows that in order to end it one of them must die. And so he initiates afight to the death. The prisoner is unable to kill his old friend, and alows himself to be killed.

Act V (Interpreted) The prisoner's sacrifice was the gift of the goddess, and its realization saved the world. The prisoner never returned to his lover, rendering her LOVELESS, the namesake of the poem. She was not alone however for her lover died and saved the world, and she would have him as long as she lived in the world. And so the prisoners sacrifice saved the world and his love.

Theory of LOVELESS LOVELESS is a short poem often shown as a thick book. Also there is long play of LOVELESS and plenty of quotes that never apear in the poem. One theory is that the book LOVELESS is apoetry collection named after the book's most popular poem. The play is most probably an expanded story written around the plot featured in the poem. The mysterious quotes are probably quotes from the play and not the actual poem. Another theory is that the book is divided into acts as the poem is, and the poem act corresponding to that act is either at the beginning or end of that act of the story, and the book's acts are where the story from the play is derived from.

Namesake of LOVELESS The namesake of LOVELESS is often thought to be the prisoners lover who is left loveless when he never returns. Another theory says that the lover was not left lovless as the prisoner was made one with the world through his sacrifice, and that the actual namesake is the wanderer who never found love because he stuck to the quest. Alternatley the namesake could be the hero friend, who, it is implied, also stuck to the quest and never found love, but there is little evidence of that being relevant.

Trivia

 * In the fight scene between Genesis, Sephiroth, and Angeal, Genesis is seen holding a thick book in which he is reading LOVELESS from. Though the poem LOVELESS is only five verses, it is possible that the poem is merely a part of the book. Kunsel and Cid quote many lines that are not seen in the poem, but are a part of a story. The game's tagline also offers a line from LOVELESS that is not present in the poem. As there is also a play based on it, that Cid fell asleep during, which means that it could be quite long.
 * In Crisis Core, if one looks closely at the action cutscene that occurs when Genesis's DMW is activated, one will notice for a split-second that there is writing on the ground, around the enemy. This writing is actually the Fifth and Final Act of LOVELESS (except for "I offer thee this silent sacrifice", which should be written where the single enemy is standing).

Video
This is Loveless read by the English voice actor for Genesis, Oliver Quinn. thumb|314px|left|Loveless

LOVELESS