lswriting

[lswriting]

Chapter 16 is up!

Director and General Index

Final Fantasy VII AU (takes into account Crisis Core and Advent Children, started before the remake dropped).

Summary: Vincent wakes up nearly thirty years after being locked up in a coffin by Hojo and Lucrecia to find that they’re both dead and Sephiroth, against all odds, is alive and well—or as well as a genetic experiment can be. After a bit of coercion and emotional blackmail from Rufus and Veld, Vincent decides to rejoin the Turks as Head of the Department. Things go rather well until Vincent starts getting hot flashes and, almost at the same time, Sephiroth approaches him with a desire to be friends.

Language: English 

Chapters: 16/?

Rating: M

Main pairing: Vincent/Sephiroth

Other pairings: Vincent/Turks/Rufus, Genesis/Angeal, Cloud/Tifa, Zack/Aerith

Part 1 of Tangled Ties universe

AO3 / FanFiction.net

Latest update: June 3rd, 2023

Chapter 1: Reminiscence

Overwhelmed with the plans for security for the upcoming energy summit at Modeoheim, Vincent remembers how he got to where he is right now. Way out from left field, Sephiroth invites him for drinks and strange hot flashes begin to bother the otherwise cool Director of the Turks.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

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Chapter 2: Dinner and a Shock

Sephiroth wants to be friends but Vincent doesn't think he can have those anymore. To make matters worse, Chaos finds out what the hot flashes are about. Hint: it's all Galian's fault.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

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Chapter 3: Limit Break

Finding out the creatures you play grudging host to are in heat is never fun. Being forced to let a not-so-mad-scientist poke you with needles and request all kinds of samples from you is even less amusing. It can always get worse, though.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

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Chapter 4: Cell-Deep Connections

The General finds out that his connection to the Director of the Turks runs deeper than anyone imagined . Dealing with this won't come easy to a man that can hardly understand his own emotions, let alone those of the man who's been avoiding him for the last four years. Luckily, Sephiroth has a sister that can talk to the Planet and a friend who knows Loveless backwards and forwards. That out to help… right?

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 5: All (Turks) For One

"Once a Turk, always a Turk is not just a cute motto--it's a pledge we live by."

When one spent their days and nights chasing after rebel factions, catching spies and turncoats, carrying out assassinations and generally being the shady shield of the most powerful corporation on the planet, while at the same time trying to avoid getting killed by loathsome executives in the aforementioned company, one tended to dance dangerously over the line between heartlessness and despair. Only someone in the same position would understand; only a fellow Turk would know what it felt like to crave the reassurance that your humanity had not disappeared along with that last bullet fire, that last detonation, the last lie filtered ot the right people.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 6: Hojo's Horror Show

Refusing to let Gast use him or Sephiroth and his friends as guinea pigs, Vincent embarks on a journey to Nibelheim to look for answers in Hojo's hidden laboratory. The gruesome secrets he and his team find there are enough to make their blood boil, but they have little time to delve into the information they found. In their absence, a crisis has emerged inside Shinra, forcing them to rush back and leave their research behind for the time being.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 7: Whack-A-Mole

Planning a rescue mission, dealing with fidgety executives and Soldiers, executing the aforementioned rescue mission, and dealing with its aftershocks--all within the span of eighteen hours. All to receive on more gut-wrenching call from Gast claiming to be as important as looking after an injured family member. Vincent can't help but wonder when will the storm centred around himself will end.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 8: Fail-Safe

Hojo had a lot of fingers in a lot of pies, and he wasn't afraid to mix and match now and then. Not only that, but the man's ego drove him to record every little thing he did in one way or another. Thanks to this, Vincent as some answers as to why Hojo and Lucretia used him as Chaos and Galian's hots, as well as how his existence became tangled with those in the Jenova Project. Not only that, but he also finds out the role his father played in the whole thing. In the end, will the truth be too much for Vincent to bear?

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 9: Sun Showers

In the wake of the discovery of Fail-Safe, Genesis starts treatment for his cellular degradation and Gast is forced to do more tests on Sephiroth. Vincent has gone missing, leaving Tseng in charge. Nothing out of the ordinary, except Galian has taken over Vincent's body and is threatening to put an end to Jenova. Now it's up to Tseng and the Turks to deal with this crisis without Vincent's leadership.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 10: Family

Needing comfort and support, Vincent decides to explain his recent behaviour to the Turks and Rufus. Dinner turns to something else and Vincent's adopted family gains a new member.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 11: Back in Business

A day in the life of Vincent Valentine, Head of the Turks, after he returns to work following the Avalanche raid and the Fail-Safe debacle.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 12: Machinations

In order for Vincent and Sephiroth to sit down and have lunch (Galian permitting, that is), many preparations must be made. Said preparations are the start of a series of schemes aimed at bringing the Director and the General closer. But will they work…?

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 13: (Un)Disclosed Desires

Sephiroth takes every chance he gets to spend more time with Vincent. When his feelings and desires finally get the better of him, he forces Vincent's hand and the gunman explains his complicated situation to the swordsman. How will Sephiroth react to the news?

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 14: Silent Jealousy

Genesis and the Turks are left trying to build bridges between Sephiroth and Vincent after the General's disastrous nighttime visit to the gunman. As their relationship becomes even more tense, complications arising from the enhancement session for the new Firsts threaten to shoot holes in their personal lives and at work.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 15: Let It Sink In

Sephiroth returns to Midgar seeking answers after Jenova threw a fit in his head. After getting an explanation (and a scolding) from Genesis, he gets to witness just how much Vincent needs and relies on Chaos. This leads the General to reassess his behavior and sets him on a path to make amends with Vincent and the Turks.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 16: All Apologies

After much deliberation and consultations, Sephiroth decides to leave his ruffled pride aside and start mending the many bridges he scorched along the way.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

[lswriting]

I want to see characters being taken care of in an explicit and worshipful way. Home-cooked meals. Hair brushed and braided by gentle hands. Little gifts just because.

I want to read about characters who are not used to kindness being bombarded by acts of service. This trope works romantically and platonically. Give me found family and acts of service - all the ways a character is wrapped up in wordless, explicit care after years of cruelty and having no idea how to handle. I need it.

[lswriting]

[lswriting]

You’ve just joined an adventuring party. The rogue wordlessly gives you a handkerchief and slinks away. “Ah, it’s his way of handling his kleptomania. Instead of stealing things at random, he’ll be going specifically for that.”

[lswriting]

Love the experience of writing a character who is absolutely, completely, and unapologetically an asshole. They never stop bitching, not even in their internal monologue, and they are the very embodiment of a cranky goat.

It’s incredible, more writers should write characters who are in no way meant to be unproblematic favs. Write problematic favs instead. Good for the writing soul.

[lswriting]

something about the discourse on if fanfiction is Good or not has bugged me for years and i think i finally put my finger on why: even if reading and writing fanfiction is bad for women– because let’s not pretend all these judgements don’t hinge on whether or not women are having fun in the wrong way–it’s a voluntary activity that people enjoy doing, and that should be that.

fanfic degrades your morals– cool so does football. look at the way football players and football fans behave. when’s the last time supernatural fans set pittsburgh on fire, or tore up a strip club, or assaulted flight attendants? fuck, it would be cool if fanfic was on the level of literally any national sport.

fanfic lures you into sexual activity you might not otherwise have engaged in– so does dancing and drinking and especially drinking and dancing, activities women are also warned against but have enjoyed anyway for thousands of fucking years.

fanfic is a waste of time when you could be reading or writing Literature– almost no one does that anyway! like, if this is your beef you’re not allowed to turn on the TV until you finish Wuthering Heights. meanwhile the rest of us are going to do things that are easy and fun, because humans like doing things that are easy and fun.

fanfic is masturbatory– masturbation is actually healthy and good for you if you care to partake in it. it reduces stress, improves your mood, and acquaints you with your body’s likes and dislikes. isn’t it suspicious that this is something women are also not supposed to be doing?

IN CONCLUSION i don’t care if fanfiction is good for you and neither should you. i don’t care about the latest thinkpiece that argues that fanfiction is intelligent, sophisticated, analytical, healing, creative, revolutionary.

i care that hundreds of thousands of women like it.

because that’s enough.

[lswriting]

Pour one out for all the stories you'll never find again, that you barely remember in totality, but that left an impression on you that you'll never forget.

The short stories from standardized tests that you only had a few minutes to read, but those minutes will last a lifetime.

The books on the library display shelf you used to occupy time until your mom could come pick you up from school.

The graphic novel you picked up when you were first getting into comics and could never find again.

The single lines or themes from stories you otherwise don't remember, save for the one thing that you saw and internalized as a new part of your personality.

Let's pour one out for the books that built us, even if we never could find them again, and couldn't of we wanted to.

[lswriting]

i don't know who needs to hear this but if you ever wrote livejournal or fanfic dot net or even wattpad fic back in the day that you aren't totally embarrassed of....repost it on AO3 now. you don't have to actively write there now, use a different username even, but for archiving purposes it is so important. and with streaming and other things making older fandoms becoming popular again, newer fans are going to AO3 and not finding any of the wonderful history of the fandom. please if you see this and you don't write fanfic but you have a favorite on another site PLEASE tell them to repost it to AO3. not just so more people will see it but for posterity.

[lswriting]

Fic Writer Problems

[lswriting]

Me, an author, side eyeing my WIP: you're not going to do anything weird, are you? We've discussed this. There's a plan. We're going to stick to the plan, aren't we?

The WIP: *presents subplot, presents additional conflicts, presents character development, laughs in my fucking face*

[lswriting]

when fanfic authors say that they don’t decide what happens in the story that the characters make the decisions i imagine it like this:

writer: *sitting down* type type type type *squinting at the screen* type type type

writer: *gasp* WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT…… type type type

[lswriting]

Reminders for new ao3 users (in no particular order):

- filter your searches like you would on a library website or in an online catalogue

- don’t post placeholders, fic searches, or recommendations as fics. DON’T! It’s against ao3 TOS

- there is no algorithm. ao3 sorts by date posted/updated unless you filter with specific search criteria

- ao3 is a non profit. that means it doesn’t sell ads to make money — it only survives on donations. this is why it can show you so many fics without ever flashing an ad or pop up at you!

- report fics that break TOS when you see them (I.e., placeholder fics, searches) to help other users navigate better

- the tag “dead dove, do not eat” doesn’t equate to gore/awfulness automatically. it is a complementary tag that enhances current tags. E.g., if the fic is tagged “gore” and “dead dove, do not eat” the author really wants you to mind the gore tag

- most fandoms have a variation of “no beta, we die like (x character)” and they all link back to the “No beta” tag

- publishing a new fic sometimes means it won’t show up in the fandom/pairing tag for a few minutes

- subscribers receive update emails at different times, depending on when you update/publish your fic. there’s no good way to predict when an e-mail will be sent — it can be in 30 seconds, or two hours later

- some fics are restricted by authors to those with ao3 accounts only. if you see a blue lock in the upper right corner, that fic is only visible to logged in ao3 users

- you can block commenters now! this didn’t use to be a thing

- updating a fic just to stay at the top of the pairing tag/fandom tag is a dick move. unless you’re legitimately editing or adding chapters, this just annoys readers and fellow authors, and people will skip over your fic

[lswriting]

They say you should write every day, but sometimes a functional writing process looks like writing 1k in a sitting because you're getting a head of yourself, writing 500 words because you had a chapter to wrap up, writing 50 words because you felt too sad to write, writing no words because the state of the world overcame you for a few days, writing 1.5k because sometimes ennui turns into fury and purpose, and then 700 the next day because you remembered that there was a cool scene you wanted to get around to and—

[lswriting]

It makes me so sad when fanfiction writers come to me for writing advice, and they say something along the lines of "I write fanfic (and I'm trying to get into real writing too)", "I'm a fanfiction writer and I plan to write original fiction someday but now is just not the right time for me", or "I'm not a real writer but I write fanfic"

babes you don't have to justify writing fanfiction to me. you also don't need to tell me your plans to eventually write original fiction to be worthy of asking for writing advice.

Writing original fiction is not inherently better than writing fanfiction. Writing fanfiction is real writing. If you want to write original fiction too, great! If writing fanfiction is all you want to do, that is wonderful as well.

Do what makes you happy and be proud in the knowledge that writing isn't easy, and you're actually doing it!

[lswriting]

there’s this rush and this pressure, sometimes, for huge, mind-blowing numbers on ao3. thousands of kudos and comments and ppl obsessing over ratios, but like - there’s something so incredibly wonderful about, idk, even ten kudos. ten? you mean ten people, TEN total strangers, found something I wrote and clicked on it and read it and liked it? ten comments: you mean ten people took the time to tell me what they thought about my work, took the time and energy to write about MY WORK in their little comment bubble? ten people?? fifty?? one hundred???

but even just one - if one single person took the time out of their day to tell me how much they appreciate the little bit of my soul I just put out into the world - idk, it just means everything, doesn’t it?

[lswriting]

I hope all low income writers are having a lovely day. If you're losing writing time working impossible hours to make ends meet, I see you. If you're having to stay at a job you hate just to have money coming in, I see you. If you can't justify sparing cash to pursue self-publishing because you need it more for groceries, I see you. If your ability to write is impeded by caring responsibilities for vulnerable children and/or adults, I see you. If the stress and responsibility has compounded into mental and physical ailments that further makes it difficult to write, I see you.

It's a hard world out there but you're doing the best you can with what you have and that's all anyone can ask of you. Don't make anyone feel as though you're worthless for not having the luxury to pursue your dreams as you see fit. I've been there and am there and I'm rooting for us all to catch the break we deserve.

[lswriting]

The most important piece of writing advice I can give is that there is no such thing as a synonym. Your English teacher made those up. If we didn't need multiple words, we wouldn't have them.

Your job as a writer is deciding whether a forest is green or verdant, whether a space is expansive or merely wide, and whether a farmer is shoveling manure, dung, muck, excrement, turds, or shit. In time you'll learn how entire worlds exist inside lexical gaps.