#•°. *࿐ Tifa | character study .

[flipomatic]

Arm's Length

Summary: Aerith had learned to keep people at arm’s length. All it took was a little deflection here, a question turned around like barbs instead of answered there, an engulfing smile or sometimes a pout stretched coyly across her face. She learned that if she acted as they expected, then they would accept her.

Though Aerith felt safe, she was also so often alone. There was one person though, someone who Aerith had only known for a few months, who she felt could see right through her.

Aerith glanced up at the window where that one person had waved from earlier, but Tifa was gone.

Word Count: 2,000

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Aerith glanced down at the high ankles of her boots, which dangled back and forth beneath her. The gap below extended far past the reach of her limbs, all the way down to the dusty dirt paths that led through town. Gravity kept water moving through the pipes, from the water tower to the surrounding buildings and then back to the ground, with a force as unstoppable as souls returning to the planet. If Aerith were to gently kick one of her boots off it would succumb, perhaps beaning an unsuspecting black cloak over the head in the process.

The thought brought the hint of a chuckle to her lips, but no she wouldn’t do that. Instead, her eyes tracked a distinct spattering of spiky blonde hair emerging from the house across that distant path. Cloud staggered slightly when the sun hit his gaze, right foot faltering as he turned towards the inn.

When he stumbled again, this time bumping roughly into a pedestrian, Aerith’s hand tightened against the edge of the scaffold. His behavior had been worrying for a while and had been even more troubling lately. Especially in Gongaga, though Aerith hadn’t seen it Tifa told her later what had happened. Even knowing that the Weapon hadn’t meant any harm didn’t stop her from remembering the chilling wash of fear and panic as she had searched the mako desperately for any sign of life. Learning that Cloud had knocked her in, put Tifa in immense danger, only made the feeling worse.

When he reached the inn, vanishing inside without so much as a glance back, Aerith released a sigh. It had felt strange to sit up here with him, to be together where so many of his childhood memories had been formed. It must’ve been nice to have a normal childhood, she thought, with friends who actually liked you.

That was a sour thought, bitter in the back of her throat as Aerith swallowed it back. It wasn’t that she didn’t have any friends as a child, but even as a young girl her heritage had hung like a hammer over her head. When they found out, or even if they didn’t, things would always change for the worse. When they decided she was rude, or angry, or introspective, or as so many unkind kids had put it, creepy, they always turned away.

Aerith had learned to keep people at arm’s length. All it took was a little deflection here, a question turned around like barbs instead of answered there, an engulfing smile or sometimes a pout stretched coyly across her face. She learned that if she acted as they expected, then they would accept her.

Though Aerith felt safe, she was also so often alone. There was one person though, someone who Aerith had only known for a few months, who she felt could see right through her.

Aerith glanced up at the window where that one person had waved from earlier, but Tifa was gone.

Her eyes were next drawn down to the entranceway of the house. On the right side, near where the mailbox was, she found Tifa. The other woman leaned against one of the pillars that supported the second floor, eyes closed with her head tilted back against it.

Perhaps it was time to go see her. Aerith carefully gathered her feet beneath herself before standing up, brushing any loose dirt from the back of her dress. The breeze rustled her braid as she descended slowly from the platform one rung at a time.

Once she reached the bottom of the ladder, her destination was only a few steps away. Tifa hadn’t moved from before, not so much as an inch. From this distance Aerith could see that she almost looked relaxed if not for the familiar clench of anxiety in her fingers.

Tifa’s eyes fluttered open when Aerith approached, a hint of red visible within them even in the shaded light. Her hair was mussed slightly as she rightened herself from the post, lips lifting in a warm smile.

“Enjoying your tour?”

Aerith tucked her arms behind her back and nodded as she responded. “The water tower made for a great look out point.”

“I bet.” Tifa broke eye contact to glance up at the tower. “You can see everything from there.”

“Pretty much!”

When Tifa’s gaze came back to meet her own, her expression had shifted into a more pensive one. “Well, not quite everything. I know you saw through the window but…” She faltered in her words and turned her eyes down towards her hands, which came together to fidget. Tifa’s tone was soft, almost uncertain. “This is where I grew up, well, it used to be. Would you like to see it?”

Aerith’s heart panged in her chest. “Of course, if you want to show me.” She stepped forward and placed her hand gently on Tifa’s joined ones. “Lead the way.”

Tifa nodded once, mouth setting in a resolute line, before turning to do just that. Aerith trailed behind her through the front door of what used to be her home.

They passed through the downstairs areas one at a time, dodging around men in black cloaks throughout the first level of the building.

Tifa told her a story about how she used to train with her dad in the living room, but one time he deflected her kick straight through the wall and that was the end of that. She pointed out where the damage would’ve been in the old house, though this new one showed no sign of it. Tifa ran her hand over that spot on the wall, closing her eyes for a moment before pulling back.

“He sounds like a wonderful dad.” Aerith said, trying to keep the melancholy out of her tone. She hadn’t realized it until long after breaking out of Shinra, but she had never known her father or even a real father figure. It didn’t bother her too much, but in times like these she couldn’t help but think about it.

“Yeah, he was.” Tifa looked over at her with a hint of emotion in her eyes, head tilted slightly. Then, inexplicably, she smiled broadly. “I’m sure he would’ve loved you, you know. He looked after everyone; he was always kind like that.”

Aerith inhaled sharply, the response being an unexpected one. It cut straight through her thoughts, directly to her concerns and worries. This time when Aerith’s heart throbbed, it was a warmer feeling. It took a few moments for her to gather herself for a soft reply.

“Like father like daughter.”

This drew a hint of pink to Tifa’s cheeks, as well as a shake of her head. “Those are big shoes to fill.”

“I believe in you.” Aerith said strongly, her voice steady and firm. She believed every word.

Tifa’s reply came low under her breath, her face already turned away from Aerith. “Thank you.”

The two continued their trip through the house until they reached the upstairs. There were only two rooms up there, one of which Tifa pointed out as her dad’s room.

“And this one is mine.” Tifa didn’t hesitate as she pulled open the door, allowing both of them to enter.

The room itself was small and looked about the same from the inside as it had from the view on the water tower. There was a cabinet, a bed, and a piano all occupying space within the room.

Tifa went over to linger by the piano, while Aerith moved to look out the window. She could imagine past her sitting out on that platform, staring down at the abyss beneath her feet. She was on the second floor here as well, but with an entire building below her.

Aerith sat down on the side of the bed, longing again for a childhood home like this one with a childhood friend right next door. How was it that Cloud was lucky enough to know Tifa his whole life, but Aerith didn’t get to meet her until a few months ago?

“A gil for your thoughts?” Tifa’s voice came chipper and inquisitive from right in front of her.

Aerith looked up at her, covering up her surprise by lifting one finger to her chin. “For anyone else they’re not for sale. But for you, hmm…” Tifa’s eyes glimmered with emotion, concern or worry perhaps, as she waited for Aerith to finish her response. She must’ve been watching her think for a while.

They had come here into Tifa’s house to dig up her old memories, haunting and sad and terrible memories, but she wanted to know what Aerith was thinking about? If it was anyone else Aerith would’ve thought they were prying, or perhaps stalling or deflecting, but not Tifa. No, Tifa asked because she cared.

Lately, in what felt like a completely incomprehensible way, Tifa had pushed past the invisible boundaries Aerith erected around herself. This was just another moment, one of hundreds or thousands or more. In the gaze of Tifa’s kindness and care, there was nowhere for Aerith to hide. And, for perhaps the first time, she didn’t want to.

“Free.” Aerith declared with a smirk.

Tifa let out a half chuckle, gaze softening a little. “Tell me then, please.”

Aerith followed Tifa with her gaze as she sat down to her left, their knees almost touching. She took a deep breath, warm from just how close Tifa was. “I was thinking about this town. It feels odd to be where you and Cloud grew up. I never had that kind of childhood.”

Tifa moved one hand to cover Aerith’s in her lap when she paused, a silent gesture of support.

Aerith kept talking. “I always wished for a childhood friend, someone who would understand the real me. Even after escaping Shinra it was hard, being here just reminds me of that.”

“I see.” Tifa replied quietly, voice barely audible. Her face was close too, their foreheads only inches apart.

“But I’ve also been thinking that we only have so much time ahead of us, I can’t just dwell on the past.” Aerith continued, smiling softly as she spoke. “I need to appreciate the friends I’ve made, who see me for who I am. Especially you, Tifa. Ever since we met, my life has changed for the better.” Aerith finished without hesitation. “You’re the best friend I could ever ask for.” Maybe there was more to add to that once Aerith had more time to work through her feelings. For now, this was enough.

“Aerith….” Tifa’s slow inhale, so close yet still too far away, sent a tremor down her spine. “And you’re mine. You brighten every day and inspire me to push on despite the odds. No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you.”

“Thank you.” Aerith blinked away the start of a few tears, unable to stop one from escaping. Tifa’s hand released hers and rose gently to brush that tear away. “Thank you…” She repeated, voice trailing away this time.

The touch of Tifa’s finger lingered against Aerith’s cheek for a heartbeat longer as silence took over the room, quiet but safe and warm.

Aerith leaned her head against Tifa’s shoulder for what she told herself would only be a few minutes. The warmth of an arm around her back followed, pulling Aerith even closer. The two sat together in this small room, on the second floor of a rebuilt house, in what should’ve been a destroyed town, enjoying the kindness of each other’s warmth.

What did Aerith do to deserve her? She didn’t know, but she prayed to the planet, to the lifestream, to any being out there that would listen for this relationship to last. She hoped against all odds that the cruelty of her fate would leave well enough alone and not tear the two apart, that the inevitability of gravity wouldn’t send them tumbling to their doom.

She prayed to be able to spend another day at Tifa’s side.

[dragoncantus]

Man, I've been watchign streamers playthough ffvii remake lately after all the rebirth news. And like, I still notice or learn or realize new things every time. Or just think about things another way or a deeper way.

I've long since held that the members of team avalanche that we know are interesting. The two that join our party in the long run (Barret and Tifa) we learn throughout the og game that they're motivations are (or at least started) selfishly. And in remake we learn that Jessie's is similar in that vein. They all have a personal grudge against Shinra that led them to seek out Avalanche.

I was thinking about that again as I'm watching them board the train for the Mako 5 reactor job and watching all of Tifa's reactions and sighs about how much she hates it. And it suddenly hit me. (incredible obvious in hindsight). Her's might be purely driven by her hatred for Shinra. Sure saving the planet is a nice side effect, but Tifa wants to hurt Shinra. And for her, hurting Shinra shouldn't also be hurting anyone else. She's a kind and caring person.

While Barret's motivations started wtih his personal grudge against Shinra I definitely think that he at least believes that it's about saving the planet now. He's convinced himself. Jessie actively wants to stop the mako reactors to save her dad (whether just his essence or actually him). Saving the planet is the way to save her dad. But Tifa's here to stand against Shinra specifically. And standing against Shinra shouldn't hurt the innocent bystanders.(I wish we knew why Biggs and Wedge joined. Maybe they're team planet first but we do know biggs was probably an orphan so that could be smth.)

She grapples with this concept because it's not about the bigger picture of saving the planet. It's not about the ends justify the means. Its about putting a stop to someone who ruined your life so they cant ruin anyone else's. (or the less noble sounding version of that also known as revenge.)

Again, all incrediby obvious in the long run. It just suddenly jumped out at me in this round of watching and I was like "that's what's so hard for her, compared to everyone else." She's not quite on the same page or wavelength, even though ultimately their goals are the same.

And that's smth really cool remake did, I think. And makes me more excited to dive into more backstory in rebirth.

[kuhatoarchive]

tifa is, romantically speaking, emotionally unavailable for a significant portion of her life (teens-early twenties). i’ll elaborate on it below, discussing issues of gender roles, objectification, idealization, and intimacy with it. 

    nibelheim is a place that upholds “old traditions”, and this includes gender roles. there’s the belief that a woman’s happiness depends on the man she will spend her life with, and tifa, as the sole girl of her generation, grows extremely anxious over the notion; if divorce is frowned upon and considered a personal failure, then she ought to choose wisely— which turns into not choosing at all, both in her time at nibelheim and midgar (but we’ll get there in a bit). clearly, this puts a dent on her ability to make sentimental decisions of this nature.

    in small villages, kids have a limited pool of contemporaries to choose from, so it’s almost an unspoken agreement that they should all hang out with each other. tifa plays into this, of course. however, as they all start growing, she starts to notice that she’s not only being approached for being their age, but also for what she could possibly represent: a girlfriend, a wife. tifa is notoriously uninterested in any advances, but, in the spirit of not forsaking the only bonds she has (and can have) in town, she learns to fake obliviousness or gently turn down advances. by this point in time, she becomes familiar with the value and subsequent idealization placed on her. i also think that her own father’s overprotectiveness (out of love, yes, but still a little overwhelming) post thea lockhart’s death informs tifa of the ways men can be kind of... possessive, and she sees that too in other nibelheim marriages. why wouldn’t she be intimidated?

    traces of two pasts* mentions: “[Tifa] disliked whenever [adults] brought up how her body looked so grown. There would be someone who sensed her discomfort or resentment, and would try to change the subject, but then it would turn into whom she should be with and things of that nature.” two things to note here, which are frustrations that will further estrange her from romance: 1) her aversion to her body being a point of conversation, which only worsens as her body matures even further and makes it hard to believe her appearance isn’t solely why she’s pursued (hello objectification); 2) just how sick she grows from romantic relationships being such a focus of conversations her way, which, while not ill-intentioned, still make her feel confined. these conversations’ timing coincide with her self-improving via zangan’s training, when her focus is solely on herself and what she’s good at doing/wants to do in the future.

   so, ironically, the incessant talk about partnership only drives her away further from the idea, and she certainly gets scrutinized for it as she grows older: “tifa is at that age, she’s pretty/kind/polite, she can cook/clean/tend to ppl/etc, why doesn’t she have a partner?” i think these sentiments are especially prevalent when she lives in midgar. it’s worth noting that she only gets the tools to deconstruct the gender roles she was raised with while living in the city (though obviously midgar upholds some of them too, but regardless, the diversity of backgrounds helps to broaden her vision), but, by then, pursuing or even looking for a romantic interest is… not even on her list (what with running 7th heaven and helping AVALANCHE). she most certainly gets a bit of fame from rejecting all advances her way, especially at the bar, but she can’t help it; she’s so used to being idealized that she’s almost convinced her pursuer will change their mind once they know her better and realize she’s not just those good traits— her insecurities, her traumas, her depression, her temper (which is notably less meek and more volatile than people tend to acknowledge lmao, especially as a teen).

    evidently, her teens-early twenties are marked by being pursued the same way one seeks a prize, and in response, she becomes averse to it. this all results in tifa… not experiencing any sort of romantic emotional/physical intimacy when reaching adulthood, and it makes the prospect of doing so all the more intimidating. add to that the dizzying journey she’s thrust into during the main game and, well, there’s no time and nor does she have the headspace to establish a relationship; it can only happen post main game. 

* even if the writing is more remake-oriented, there are some entries in "Traces of Two Pasts: Episode Tifa" that i'm going to reference in my main verse (most worldbuilding-related), since there’s enough wiggle room on the more unexplored parts of tifa’s past in nibelheim (and nibelheim altogether). i’m making a post highlighting these specific points soon enough!

[oubaitorisouls]

now that I can come back here and do this, time for another tag dump!

•°. *࿐ Tifa ; to be added to as I think of more tags for her!

[crisiscutie]

Hi! Sorry for bothering you. Is it alright if I want to make a request?

Like, where the Turks+Rufus, Sephiroth and maybe others that you think relevant, find out that the reader is also an Ancient/Cetra like Aerith but instead of being half-Ancient, the reader is like, fully Ancient. If you understand what I mean. How would they react? What would they do? It can be them being yandere or normal,up to you tho. Again sorry for bothering you.

And sorry if you have hard time understanding this. English isn't my first language 😅.

Hello anon, thank you for the request/scenario. You are not bothering me! Though, I'm sorry to say that I can only do Sephiroth and Rufus for this request as that is too many characters for a scenario (Limit is three) and that I hadn't decided if I want to write for the Turks yet. For the third character... I will do Tifa for this since I hadn't written her yet!

Rufus Shinra: He'd be surprised for sure. He thought there was only one ancient left, and the chances of the company capturing her again were slim to none. So for his darling to be an ancient, he would do his damndest to make sure that they are well-protected. And yes, this means he's going against Shinra's interests to protect them. Even if it means the darling could be Shinra's key to the promised land. They will find another way to it (if it exists) without compromising Darling's identity and safety. I think the only other person who would know about this is Tseng, since he is the loyal right hand of Rufus. He'd be just as dedicated to protecting Darling. Especially since this would certainly bring up memories of the times he watched over Aerith. But this time, this watch will be permanent.

Fluffy Sephiroth: He's honestly amazed as he read about the Cetra during his childhood. Hojo had him study these people in his "free" time. His curiosity would drive him to ask his darling a few questions about it since it'd be interesting to hear first accounts from a legitimate cetra. Still, he is careful not to reduce Darling to their heritage, having firsthand knowledge of what it feels like to be treated like an exotic tool rather than a human being. He'll also keep it a secret, knowing that Hojo would be more than interested in his darling once he finds out. Eventually, he'll make the decision to leave SOLDIER sooner rather than later, in order to protect his darling from a life of experimentation.

Tifa Lockhart: When her darling first told her about their heritage (during their childhood), she told all the other kids in Nibelheim about it. Darling's adoptive parents quickly debunked the "rumor" once it reached the adults, leaving Cloud as the only child who still believed it. Now, as adults, Tifa would feel guilty about it once she learnt more about the Cetra and what Shinra wanted to do with them. She'll approach the darling and apologize for spilling their secret out during their childhood, even though nothing really came about it. But even as darling forgave her and reassured her, Tifa couldn't shake some of the guilt off. So now, she always glances at Darling when the topic of the Cetra comes up, making sure they're fine and their secret stays safe. If someone asks Darling about it, she will definitely jump into the conversation, either by quickly changing the subject or diverting attention to herself to protect Darling.

[dutchdread]

“She is is envious of the bond Cloud has with Tifa”

Genuine question here because I see a lot of CloTi discourse talk about how Aerith is envious of Cloud and Tifa’s bond, but is this ever mentioned officially or explained? I can’t find one single inference or implication that she is, only that one could argue via subjective interpretation that she maybe wants to try to learn Cloud for who he is and not who he reminds her of.

Arguably, one could say that this interpretation is inherently describing an envy, but I’m looking at it from the perspective of Aerith wanting to learn who Cloud is in an effort to like him for him and not Zack.

(Full disclosure: I’m actually a huge CloTi, but I’ve been out of the fandom for a decade+, and I’ve been reading a lot of discussions on the LTD, and while my personal opinion is that CloTi is more or less canonical at this point, the nuance that they’ve developed with Aerith that just wasn’t there in OG is interesting/perplexing to me because I don’t have a full scope of info. And I like it when things are proven by the devs. It’s possible that there’s information I’m missing or have missed, but otherwise what I have consumed doesn’t seem to indicate she’s envious of Cloud/Tifa’s relationship specifically.)

The idea that Aerith is envious of Cloud and Tifas bond became a thing mostly after Rebirth. Before that it was also put forth at times when someone did a character study of Aerith and the evidence back then was mostly just that it fit and made sense. In essence it was an amateur diagnosis. We saw in Remake that Aerith had unresolved issues concerning her childhood during the Eligor scene, that combined with what we learned about her childhood in TotP made it so that a lot of her outgoing "life affirming" behavior made a lot of sense if she was, in essence, trying to catch up for lost time. She's enthusiastically, perhaps even desperately, trying to have the same experiences everyone else has, to have a normal life. This is also congruent with other parts of the story, like her seeing Zack in Cloud. If Cloud reminds her of Zack, and she had a bond with Zack, then watching Cloud and Tifa express that same young love that she once felt would naturally lead to her wishing she had that. After all, we've known for a long time that Aerith still isn't over Zack, so her being slightly envious of that is natural. And that doesn't have to be a bad thing. You can be happy someone has something and because of that have a positive longing to experience something similar. But where this was really made explicit is in Rebirth, where there are multiple scenes that hint or outright state that Aerith wishes she had something like what Cloud and Tifa have. The main two being the Kalm "date" and the watertower discussion. In Kalm Aerith takes Cloud on a date as a pretense to talk about the prior night, and almost the first thing she does is mention Cloud and Tifas friendship and mention that she'd have given anything to have a friend when she was growing up. As soon as she thinks of their bond her first thought is to link it to her own desires.

She continues by saying to not take Tifa for granted. Since this is something Aerith lacked she thinks it's important, and the idea of it being sullied or undermined instinctively bothers her. She wants them to value it as much as she would value such a thing. This is not her living vicariously through Cloud and Tifa or anything, but just a small nuance that paints the picture of a girl who yearns for these bonds herself enough that she is hyper aware of them with other people. All this is then stated explicitly on the water tower, where Aerith states: "Must be nice..."

She generally willfully daydreams about how nice Nibelheim is. It all paints the same picture, a girl without a childhood who never got to experience the things that Cloud and Tifa had and lost, but wishes that she did. This is a huge part of her character and establishes the background needed to understand stuff like "no promises to keep". Some people are upset that NPTK is not a love song from Aerith to Cloud, but a deeper look into Aerith shows why it would be weird for it to be one. Because Aeriths journey isn't about romance, it isn't even just about Cloud. It's about her experiencing and developing the bonds that she felt she was denied for so long. The song is "even about Tifa and Barret" because it's about all the precious bonds she made on her journey. It's one of the things that makes Clotis version of Aerith superior to the Clerith version, because we give her so many more layers.

[cburambles]

My favs bits of 7R! Elena is how they subtly hint at how calculated she is and that her cunning side could be almost as equal as compilation!Rufus in her group & how also the group dynamic often foils her.

Her first scene has her pondering about their orders & what is actually going on.

Elena reitere that point on Mt Corel as well.

In their situation, you need to be clear & share as much intel to your subordinates so they can understand the nature of this mission which Tseng doesn't (if he even knows). & we know Rufus knows the black robes might lead to Sephiroth, which could caught the Turks out of guard & potentially lead them to their death (see what happens to Tseng in the temple).

The scene also immediately establish that Elena thinks they shouldn't follow orders blindly tho it seems she's still willing to do what she thinks Tseng would do in some situations due to her idolization of him.

During her boss fight in the mines, Elena only uses stun grenades

But during the next cinematic, a vicious smile start to appear on her face as she switches her grenade to an explosive one.

It's the only time it happens during the game & the explosion is strong enough to blow off the cliff they were standing on. She was ready to decimate the party there by taking them by surprise. if it wasn't for Red parrying the grenade. It's a good plan that get foiled by the fact Elena isn't aware of Rufus' plans of letting Cloud & Avalanche walk away to find the Promised Land & kill Sephiroth & her lack of awareness towards the way Tseng feels about Aerith.

Next we get GS & Under-saucer chapter. During this, we learn that Cloud, Tifa & Barret are now officially wanted. Dyne then appear in the GS & kill some of Palmer's men.

Elena is seemingly the one who is sent to track him down & likely found his location with the help of Gus' intel (who likely hidden from her that he had captured Tifa & sent Cloud to run in the race so he can get his money)

But instead of capturing the culprit, Elena restrained Dyne & waited for Barret & the rest of Avalanche to show up since she & Rude sent up ambush them with a whole motorized brigade & Palmer's mech,

Elena probably put that plan in place likely in the hopes to make herself look good in front of her superiors by not only capturing Dyne but Avalanche as well. And she's willing to go as far as to jump from a crashing helicopter on a moving buggy to accomplish that goal.

But once again as in the next scene, we see Reeve change the wanted posters portraits under the eyes of Tseng and we discover Rufus decided to let Aerith walk away in the hopes that she will go find the Promised Land while remaining under Shinra surveillance via Cait Sith. Goes to show that once again, her plans diverge from her superiors because she lacks the necessary infos.

As a proof of that, In chapter 12, she state she took the initiative to study what the Promised land is & compliment the whole plan with Aerith

The way she approves about the plan is interesting as well. She talks about it with a lot of enthusiasm, which goes to show that she may be naturally inclined to delve into that type of manoeuvers & calculations. The only character in their group that has been clearly depicted as being the same type until now is Rufus.

Then there's the temple of the ancients. When they discover Avalanche is on the way, Elena immediately bring the idea of ambushing them which is actually smart: They still have troops at their disposition & the advantage to know the terrain better than Avalanche by that point.If they don't take them out now, they might end up in trouble later. (Which is what happened since Reno & Rude end up being outnumbered by monsters & Tseng understimated how ready Elena was to throw down to show herself off, which result in Tseng getting wounded & Elena having to do a sacrificial stand so he can accomplish the mission)

& this is her reaction when Tseng refuses.

Reno, who seemingly had a similar idea as Elena & likely couldn't wait to have a revenge match react as well, which goes to show that it would have been the right course to take but Tseng as his own agenda as he wants to protect Aerith by avoiding her.

Elena can be brash & vicious but it's interesting to note that through the whole game, the devs keep showing us constantly the gears turning in her head & her independance & how some of the mistakes & "bad" decisions she makes could be avoided if her superiors weren't so secretive about things.

It makes me wonder if it might be a set-up for the events of Wutaï, knowing the Turks were there in OG & that there's now this new plot with Glenn's Avalanche cell & Sarruf/Rufus.

With the way they are hiding informations, it's really likely she & maybe even Rude & Reno as well are not aware about Rufus' role in all of this & I wonder if Elena inquisitve & calculated side could have an impact on it & maybe potentially lead him to share his secrets but also connect with his Turks, with the way they emphasize that he is lonely & isolated, which make it easier for Sephiroth to manipulate him. In OG timeline, it always felt to me that the Turks loyalty to Rufus was emotionnally not worked enough & un-earned post- Meteorfall (in particular knowing that the text emphasize who they are in a way a group of friends in all but name because they're seemingly afraid to get rid of that company hierarchy they've always known) so hopefully they are put in the works in 7R.

[chronosh0t]

Spiral of Chronos came to an end today. Weirdly enough —or maybe not— I am quite sad. I became overly attached to this patch for obvious reasons, needless to say.

There was not a single thing I disliked about it. Even the different game modes were absolutely enjoyable and never got bored. But leaving that aside, what made me so attached to it, was of course, because Lee was finally the main character.

I am Lee biased, yes, no need to clarify that. As I am also a Gray Raven team by heart, but Lee had been quite neglected for quite a long time. The two girls got new frames, their own chapter and character development as well, while this boy was in a corner since the game saw the light. And don't get me wrong, I loved seeing the girls as the main characters as well, their stories were absolutely amazing, sad, but with a happy ending —considering the situation, of course, lol— however, after more than two years, Lee finally got his new frame, took the spotlight and didn't disappoint.

Spiral of Chronos was a roller-coaster of emotions. Every single detail was placed at the perfect time, thoughts and emotions were described perfectly. Because boy, he does have a lot of the latter. How he endured so many things and shouldered them all alone, ever since Tifa, he had left traces for other "selves", fought so many battles against third parties but also against himself for endless possibilities. He studied, he learned, he failed, he succeeded, all that while keeping his cool, while remaining the same Lee we knew. He kept so many secrets just because he didn't want to risk anyone, risk not a single chance of winning against fate.

—only to be scolded later for not relying on us a bit more lol—

I adored seeing him taking the lead. And I will definitely gonna miss him on the log in screen.

[strayheartless]

a nsfw situation i can read basically any person's interpretation on over and over again and never be bored is sephiroth's first time!!! especially in ags, like if he's topping who's bottoming for him and who's coaching? if he's bottoming who's topping and who's holding him and keeping him safe? i think it's a good entry point for nsfw because you can do a loooooottt of character study and just throw in some smutty parts. like is it all fluff or are seph and gen still playfighting the entire time? is angeal mediating or is he too busy working as the top or the bottom to focus right? do they even go all the way or is seph going to be too overwhelmed and finish before the "main event"?

sorry if that's not specific enough haahaha, but starting smut can be intimidating and sometimes just dipping your toes into sharing the thoughts is the best way to start! and at the end of the day I am but a mere sane!sephi being a bottom truther 😌

oki doki! I've gotten over the fear with the first ask, so I'm gonna try answering some more. I am once again shocked by how fast people jumped into my asks for this one lol.

okay Sephs first time with AG. (why didnt I do this one first its so much less scary than Aerith and Tifa!):

*warnings for suggested non-con of someone underage. there will be no detail (ever) but its implied. please be careful*

the first thing that Angeal and Genesis have to seriously concider when approaching the topic of sex with Seph is that he is all at once, completely new to it and knows about it in disturbingly clinical detail. They don't really want to know why, and they can see in his eyes that he doesn't want to tell them either.

Sephiroth has been a symbol all his life and the issue with that is that at a certain point in his teen years it became strangely acceptable for people of all gender expressions to fawn over him in ways that make him uncomfortable. People seem to always speak and act without thinking without considering him and its upsetting.

Meeting Angeal and Genesis however is different. mostly because the first time he met angeal the other boy just wanted to get the job done and be friends. nothing more nothing less. He'll admit to being a little infatuated with Angeal from the word go but 'Geal had said he was in "a commited relationship" and Sephiroth had taken him at his word.

To bad he had a crush on Angeals "committed relationship" the second he layed eyes on Genesis. why? well because Genesis was beautiful and also trying to activly kill him at the time.... you know that scene from Princess Mononke? the one with the knife and the ill timed realisations of beauty? yeah thats Sephiroth meeting Genesis.

As time goes on and their relationship changes the topic of sex starts to come up more and more, much to Seph ire. he doesn't want to talk about it but they always seem to circle back to it. Usually at Genesis' behest. usually at Angeals allowence. its how they find out he's a virgin in the first place.

And nothing is done about that for a VERY long time. At least not until Sephiroth wants something more.

The night that he asks them to be his first time they look at eachother and agree they will never hurt him this way. it is the only promise they made that they did not later brake. they NEVER used sex as a way to upset him. not ever. instead they run him a bath, and clean him up. Genesis brushes his hair while Angeal massages his calfs and he relaxes into it.

When he's slightly boneless they take turns kissing him and helping him discover what feels good. They go slow, and when it doesn't feel good they stop and try something else. Its a lot but he finally decides a list of things.

He likes being in Angeals arms a lot.

he likes it when Gena kisses up his thighs and teases his cock.

he likes having Angeals fingers inside of him

His chest is sensitive and after a while its not fun anymore, but he likes a little bit.

He loves letting Genesis ride him.

But he loves letting Angeal fuck him slow and gentle like he's worth everything.

he doesnt like pain play

he does like sensory deprevation play

he adores being praised but he stuggles to accept it

he goes into subspace a little too easily.

being on his knees for Either Gen or 'Geal is intimidating every time but he is eager when they guide him through it.

having something in his mouth calms him down. it can be his partners cocks of their fingers.

he doesn't like being restrained

but he does like being fucked while either man laces their fingers with his.

his favorite pet names include 'pretty baby', 'my heart' and 'sweet boy'

he likes calling Angeal 'sir'

being hand fed puts him in subspace

he has a thing about cock warming (as in he loves it) both with his mouth and his body.

and the last and perhaps most devistating detail is that he is so irrevicably in love with these men. They won't just be his first. they will be his only. And on nights when he stands on the edge of creation and lets himself stray a little from his mothers voice, a fantom ache will start deep within his soul. An ache to be laid out on Angeals bed as he is slowly taken apart on his side, angeal behind, Genesis in front... all of them in love.

aimed for smut, made it sad.... oh well.

[wingedclouds]

Sephiroth Week 2024

Title: We Will Reunite

Ship: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife

Tags: Insane Sephiroth, Time Travel, Rebirth Spoilers, Possessive Behavior, Character Study, Implied Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart, Puppet Cloud, Jenova shenanigans, Bad Ending

Link

Summary: Sephiroth is sick and tired of losing against Cloud. So, what better way to change history in his favor by going back in time?

[frozen-fountain]

Get to know the fanfic writer

Thank you once again to @late-to-the-fandom for the tag. In turn I tag: @visualheresy, @laboradorescence, @oceangirl24, @bees-and-sunshine, @0nelittlebirdtoldme, and @hrh-spinach.

When did you post your first-ever fanfic?

All the way back in 2005.

First Character(s) you wrote?

That's for me to know and most of you to hopefully never find out.

Main Character(s) you're currently writing?

I'm alternating between Shadow (FFVI) and Cloud and Tifa (alternating viewpoints).

Character(s) you haven't written about before but plan to soon?

Well, he's been the secondary character enough times now that I really need to give Reeve his spotlight some time. Cloud's viewpoint also requires giving Zack and Sephiroth more of a voice than they've directly had in this project so far. And then my next longer project puts me in Setzer's head which... joy. But I think I've at least written a few lines for just about everyone in these ensembles at this point.

Fandom(s) you're currently writing?

Final Fantasies VII and VI.

Platonic Pairing(s) you're currently writing?

Shadow and Baram, though ngl the relationship on the page has turned more ambiguous than I had in mind at the outset. Let's throw Shadow and Relm's not-relationship in there, too. More broadly I'm also getting into Cloud and Tifa's ways of interfacing with a whole village of faces old and new; it's been fun characterising them through different reactions to the same person.

Romantic Pairing(s) you're currently writing?

Cloud/Tifa (messy), and I suppose Shadow/Relm's inevitably unnamed mother (barely romantic at all).

Your top AO3 tags?

Character Study, Post-Canon, and Romance.

Current platform you use for posting?

AO3, and Tumblr and Reddit for attempts at promotion.

Snippet of the WIP you are currently working on?

Ooh, I really liked this part even though it's still unpolished:

“Ain't no ord'nary train on its tracks.” The fire outlines him in gold as he says it, makes darker the dark hole where another eye used to be. He cackles with his eyes on the woods as the train passes by, its lights making prison bars from the shadows of the trees. “That just gone by's the Phantom Train, on its way to the next life after this one.”

You scoff as the clack of metal on metal fades into the night and take another swig of your liquor. Some paint stripper stolen and not missed from a falling-down bar outside of Zozo. The woodsmoke-scented air is warm as tobacco and silent, now that the search has been called off. “Stories for kids and old folks,” you mutter.

He shakes his head, lifts his bottle. Pauses with his hand on the neck and no closer to his lips. “Not this one. And it was you and me put a few more faces in those carriages, you bet your ass.”

“You say so, buddy.”

He smirks, a red and sinister thing in the firelight. “Oh yeah? Then you tell me, Mr. Scholar,” and he nodded towards the tangled briar behind you, “where it gone and went, if it ain't passed outta this plane altogether.”

You turn your head and there is nothing. Only unbroken inky black and the hoot of an owl rustling in the treetops. A shiver racks your body as the forest slides back into place, as though nothing had ever passed this way at all. Shrugging it off, you drain your bottle. “The woods is dark. Awful lotta things can get lost in there.” A grin, and you toe the bounty by your feet with the flapping, ragged toe of your boot. “Worked out real swell for us.”

You pulled it off. The garrison abandoned you to the night some hours ago, their torches guttered and the strong arms of the law returned to their homes and leaving the darkness for the crickets. Another train passed out of sight a little lighter than it embarked, and you'd both be eating good when you made it to the next town. A day or two, no word of the hooded figures that held a driver at knifepoint, and no-one would ask questions with the right amount of gil dropped onto their counter.

He cackles and sits back, the joints of his elbows cracking as the wear and tear of the dash through the bracken sets in. “Think what you want.”

You humour him with a smile. “How'd those dear departed souls get the afterlife way back when, then? 'Fore trains was running? Answer me that.”

“Well, you know folk. Tale gets a little update every couple hundred years. Way back when it was a long road you gotta walk on, I guess. Little later comes a carriage with a pale rider to take you to the next world. Chocobos with fuckin' death rattles comin' outta they beaks. Go down south where it's marshland and they'll tell you to watch for the pass of the will-o'-the-wisp, 'cause that's the light that guides the ferryman and his dead cargo. Fella told me they got a big steamboat these days. You can see the ghosts hangin' off the sides and wavin' their ghost kercheifs when the moon is -”

“Shut the fuck up.” Another of his stories – always the biggest brute in the bar whose head he bashed in, or the tart with the biggest tits throwing herself in his way.

“I'm tellin' ya.” He chuckles then and raises his half-empty bottle to the sky. “Here's to progress!”

[kuhatoarchive]

tifa jumps off the train first btw. always, always.

[freelanceexorcist]

It’s speculatin’ time again! And it’s just capital C-Crazy enough to almost be as crazy as some of the stuff that actually made it into canon. I know I usually use the term timeline, but the trailer’s mention of “worlds” makes me think we’re actually dealing with multiple universes. I know it seems like a distinction without a difference, but they really aren’t the same thing.

FFVIIR spoiler-ish stuff and TL; DR under the cut.

So what we know so far from the trailers is that Ore Sephiroth may possibly be from a different universe. Possibly the Zack Survives one. And we know that Watashi’s idea of Reunion is to merge these timelines and bring about some kind of rebirth, hence the name of the game. Ore thinks that he killed Tifa, so it follows that he is also responsible for the Nibelheim incident and that the point of divergence is some time after that.

Buuuuut…what if Ore had nothing to do with any Nibelheim variant in any timeline/universe? What if Reunion began before the story started? It comes down to memories.

I’m working off of the assumption that if Rebirth is what I think it is, one of two things could happen. Either the merging of the worlds will cause the variants (if you'll pardon the Marvel-speak) in each universe to fuse together and be reborn as “perfect” beings or the many worlds will cancel each other out and cease to exist. And Watashi is so pants-on-head crazy that he’s not even considering that the latter will cause him to disappear as well.    

I mean, what if the former is what's happenin and those aren’t Ore’s memories of the Nibelheim incident, but Watashi’s? What if he “remembers” torching Nibelheim in the same way Cloud “remembers” being in SOLDIER? With Cloud, it happened inadvertently but maybe Ore is having it forced on him Then it becomes a race against the clock to stop this from happening while Ore fights like hell to keep himself intact and not be subsumed by Watashi. Perhaps he does succeed in stopping at least himself from being assimilated and him having his pre-Nibelheim memories as well as the separate memories of Watashi is the key to defeating Watashi and stopping disaster from happening.

There are fans, me included, who are thirsty for pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth never having fallen from grace to become the villain. There are fans, again me included, who wouldn’t say no to Chaotic Neutral Sephiroth who is neither good nor evil. And then there are those fans who lose their shit at the very notion of the word “redemption” being used in the same sentence as the name Sephiroth. What if this is how we get all three?

As for what the point of divergence was for Ore, I guess it doesn’t really matter. Maybe he caught on to Hojo’s bullshit sooner and refused the Nibelheim mission because why did they need a pair of SOLDIER 1sts to fix a damn valve anyway? Maybe on his way to the library he saw the bookshelves in a certain well-appointed and well-lit study, decided to start there first and woke Vincent, who gave him the verbal smack upside the head that he badly needed at the time. Or maybe the guy in the robe in Junon really is young Sephiroth’s new surrogate dad Glenn, who universe-hopped with him, and it’s him who kept Seph on the straight and narrow all these years and helped him find information on Lucrecia. Sure, why not? He’s a Gary Stu and we all know those characters can bend time and space to do whatever they want.

Anyway, I’m off to reread this a few more times to find ways to poke holes in it. I’ll let you know what I come up with. Thank you for reading, if you did.

[starlightdaggers]

Character Study for Cosplay & Writing: Aerith Gainsborough

"People hate the steel sky, the slums… but I don’t. How could I? All that passion, all those dreams, flowing and blending together into something greater…"-Final Fantasy Remake Integrade

This character study is primarily about remake Aerith with some inspiration from the original game. Aerith seems to be a fairly different character in Crisis Core and I have not seen her in any media expect the remake and original ffvii

Surface

Aerith is a Florist living in the slums of sector 5, she’s optimistic, cheerful and always willing to lend a helping hand. Her helpfulness and likeability has made her well-loved in the sector 5 slums. Her mother and her have helped to bring greenery and life into the slums, especially into the leaf house. She’s not afraid to be feminine with long hair, cute bows and dresses. 

Underneath

Although Aerith seems rather feminine in appearance and mannerisms she’s actually quite tomboyish( to mirror Tiffa who is seemingly tomboyish but more feminine when you get to know her). For example she seemed to thrive exploring the dirty grungy collapsed expressway and beating up the local criminals. With many in sector 5 taking a liking to her you’d expect her to have many friends but she’s actually really lonely. The only real close relationship she has is with her step-mother. Beyond that Aerith doesn’t let anyone get to see the real her. Because of her past she’s developed a fear of others leaving her and is rather lonely.

Voice

-Very lighthearted and gentle voice even when saying something extremely dark.

-Apologizes in battle “Sorry!”

-Shortens many words, probably from growing up in the slums

-“Gotta”

-“Shit”

-”Ought to”

-” ’em”

-”Hey!”

-”Mister”

-”That’s the spirit!”

-”Hmm”

-”I see.”

-”Huh?”

-”Gotcha”

-”C’mon”

-”Uh-uh”

-”Heya”

-Addresses people by name alot (Cloud rather than you/he)

-Compliments and encourages those around her “Let’s keep on truckin’”

Habits

-always smiling, smile will drop for a moment but quickly returns

-clasping her hands together in prayer and closing her eyes

-Tilting her head

-Leaning towards the person she's talking to

-Reached towards her hair (and the materia) when thinking about her biological mother

-pointing index finger upwards upwards to gesture when using the word one or just being cheeky

-Makes a lot of hand gestures when she talks

-dusting off her dress skirt with her hands (Normally after almost falling)

-Prepares herself for jumping by swinging her arms back and forth while clenching her fists

-Double fist pump in front of her chest when determined

-Hands on hips 

-Often leans down to talk to kids

-Looks away to collect herself whenever thinking/talking about something that upsets her about and then smiles and tries to distract the other person or brings renowned optimism

-Tends to hold others' hands (Marlene, Cloud, Tifa…)

-Heel sits, likely because her dress restricts her from sitting in other positions

-Will also sit with her legs tucked in, more of a sad/bittersweet position

-Rolling back and forth gently on her heels

-Clasping her hands together behind her back when shes being mischievous

-walking in a sort of march while humming when pleased

-Loves High fives

-Placing a hand over her heart

[crisiscutie]

Characters

I mostly write about Sephiroth and the different versions of him, but I can write for the other characters on this list too, case-by-case. 

Sephiroth (THE Crisis Cutie) I typically write C.C. Sephiroth (Pre-Nibelheim and Nibelheim Incident), OG Sephiroth (and Jenova!Sephiroth), 7R Sephiroth, Dissidia Sephiroth, EC Sephiroth, AC Sephiroth, and KH Sephiroth. That’s a lot of Sephiroths I know. They will be considered as separate characters in requests. Please note that different Sephiroths in requests are acceptable, so don’t be afraid to ask! 

C.C. Sephiroth (Pre-Nibelheim Sane/Fluffy) or 7R Sephiroth (Insane/Yandere) are often my defaults if there isn’t any Sephy specified in requests/prompts. Check the Masterlists for other Sephiroth-centered AUs.

Sephthoughts - a collection of random shitposts thoughts about Sephiroth

Sephology 101 - A basic course offered by Shinra University, focusing on the study of Sephiroth. (Academia AU and Analysis of everything about Sephiroth)

Fluffy Sephiroth tag for Pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth related stuff. 

Darlings FAQ for newcomers or those who might be confused. 

Aerith Gainsborough (THE Miracle Cutie)

Zack Fair

Angeal Hewley

Genesis Rhapsodos

Cloud Strife

Vincent Valentine

Tifa Lockhart

Rufus Shinra

Remnants of Sephiroth (Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo)

Other FF Characters (non FF7) will be written for occasionally and typically within the Dissidia AU, case-by-case.

If you are willing and able, I would greatly appreciate any donations on Ko-fi.  

[bronzewool]

Final Fantasy VII: Traces of Two Pasts by Kazushige Nojima is a novel exploring the backstories of Aerith and Tifa, two party members you acquire early on in the game.

Traces of Tifa starts with a young Tifa in the small village of Neibelheim, playing with the other boys her age (minus Cloud) and reconciling over the knowledge their childhood is coming to an end as each boy is already making plans to leave and follow their future career paths. The boys try to cheer her up by promising to write to her, but it soon becomes clear to her that everyone has already decided she will marry one of these boys without bothering to ask her opinion. After Cloud and the other boys leave for Midgar, she becomes lonely and has no direction in life until a wandering material artist, Rashard Zangan, shows up, scouting for students to join his dojo, and finding the perfect pupil in Tifa. Throwing herself into her training, she proves to be skilled in the art form and even starts teaching a morning class for the other villagers. Fast forward to the Neibelheim Incident, where Tifa lost her father and is mortally wounded by Sephiroth, she wakes up in a Midgar hospital that managed to save her life, but she no longer has a home or any means of paying her medical bills. The doctor's son, Rakesh, also a student of Zangan, sets her up with a room in one of the slum container rows, and a job working at a steamed bun cart. Although Tifa is grateful for the help, she is still in the process of mourning the loss of her home while recovering from a near-fatal stab wound and yet still expected to work off her heavy debts. During her time living in the slums, we see how she met Barret, and the rest of Avalanche and would eventually become the bartender of Seventh Heaven.

The segment has a well-paced coming-of-age story of Tifa having no control over her life, and becoming the confident kickboxer and math-savvy bartender we meet at the beginning of the game. The story is slow in several areas, the major one being the attention to detail it goes into regarding her workout routine (to the point it starts feeling like an actual textbook) and her work rota at the food cart and preparing the bao buns (which starts feeling like an actual cookbook). Other than that it has a satisfying twist near the end with how Tifa manages to get out of debt and find a supportive community that becomes her newfound family.

The only minor complaint I have with this story is how little Zangan is in it, considering he is meant to be Tifa’s sensei, but he is only shown teaching her through textbooks that he leaves for her to study before disappearing for months at a time and returning to test her progress and handing her the next volume before disappearing again. This works in the context of the games as characters can level up by reading textbooks, but from a story standpoint, it's rather disappointing how little these two interact.

Traces of Aerith covers the timeline after Aerith and her mother escape Shina and hide in Sector 8 Slums, right before she dies and Aerith is adopted by Elmyra. The game briefly covers how Aerith and Elymra first met, but the book goes into greater detail about how they became a family and that it wasn't as smooth a transition as was implied. Elmyra's husband was a soldier who had been deployed during the Wutai War and was finally coming back home. Elymra would stand at the train station waiting for him with each passing day and on one such day, she finds Aerith weeping over the corpse of her mother and takes the girl in before Shinra finds her. Aerith is in the middle of mourning her mother and Elymra is overloaded with the responsibility of being a single parent while trying to maintain peace within her husband's business. Aerith's presence complicates things for Elmyra and they come up with a fake identity for Aerith which quickly backfires the more people learn of her existence.

The book tries to address minor details in the framing device of a polygon game and has various degrees of success while doing it. For example, Aerith's home is strangely bigger than the rest of the slums, with a two-story house and a garden filled to the brim with flowers. In the game, this area is heavily detailed because it's a set-piece that represents Aerith and the party spends quite a bit of time here. In the context of reality, this area makes no sense when just outside the gate the rest of Sector 8 is a shanty town. The book works around this by giving Elmyra a backstory where her father-in-law owned a construction company and stayed in the slums to oversee that company, as opposed to other businesses that would start a shop in the Slums and immediately abandon it once they earned enough to move onto the upper plate. Her father-in-law employed all those redundant employees and gained a lot of respect from the community for providing employment, hence why they live more lavishly in comparison.

My only complaint about Aerith’s segment in particular is how it glosses over major details in her childhood that fans were probably picking up the book to read about. We know the Turks have been spying on Aerith since she was a child, but they barely have a presence in this segment beyond one vital scene that needs to exist because it happened in the game and the climax where we can assume they saved Aerith’s life. Instead, we spend a lot of time setting up Aerith having a fake identity, and her panicking and using another girl’s name, and this somehow causes everyone to panic because two girls can’t have the same name I guess? (it's as stupid as it sounds and I don’t know why the book dives into this when we know Aerith uses her real name in the present timeline).

Is this book well written? Yes. Did it need to exist? No. There is nothing new we learn in this book that changes your worldview of the game or about Aerith and Tifa as characters. Hardcore fans will enjoy it but casual fans are not going to get anything out of it.