#Remnants Return [Yazoo]

[soulsfractured]

Starter for @umbral-stigmata-unbound [Kadaj]

Yazoo had returned from the lifestream. How, and why, the silver did not know. But he'd returned. He just knew that when he felt the rain on his face, he was no longer in the life stream. He slowly opened his eyes, blue green focusing on the clouds overhead. The remains of Midgar were no place to stay, and he'd quickly left them, once he had checked over the area to see he was the only person there, and neither of his brothers could be found.

Sephiroth had failed- they had been set to return to the lifestream, and that was, he had presumed, been the end of it. He didn't sense Mother- not a trace of her anywhere. And yet... Yazoo slowed to a stop outside the church. He stared across the rubble at it before carefully jumping down and making his way inside.

He didn't know what drew him there- perhaps there was a feeling, but he couldn't place it at first. Cloud had been here, he remembered. Big Brother. He wouldn't want to see any of them, he thought idly, looking around at the ruined building and taking in the sight of the large pool of water. The ancient- he didn't know her name, couldn't recall it either as he crouched beside it, fingers dipping in.

Yazoo didn't even react to the water- a small frown on his lips as he took in the sight of the damage on his arm. He had thought that, perhaps, seeing how it had cured people of geostigma, the scarring that was there would fade as well, but it did nothing. The materia had caused damage- he could feel it. But there was no point dwelling on that now, as he pulled his hand out of the water, and stood up a low sigh finally breaking the silence.

[soulsfractured]

Yazoo nodded slightly- as usual there was no expression on his face to really show what he was thinking as he handed it over to Kadaj and watched for his reaction.

"I know that when people find things that remind them of others they give it to them. I thought you might like it." He explained, as if that answered exactly why this small white and black rock made him think of Kadaj at all. At least it was smooth and somewhat warm- no doubt from Yazoo carrying it around until he'd given it too Kadaj.

Platonic Sentence Starters | Open

@soulsfractured asked: ❛ i found this cool rock that made me think of you. ❜ [Yazoo to Kadaj]

Kadaj held out his hand for the rock, and once it was passed to him, he immediately began examining it. Cool? He supposed it had a unique shake, with a fascinating and curious webbing of color and cracks that made one wonder how they appeared and developed.

But then, he finally looked at his brother, raising a brow. "...A rock, made you think of me...?"

He looked over it again, not sure how to feel, though he wasn't exactly feeling bad towards the gift. He could actually quite place how he felt. "...Thank you...?"

[kitsunefox1108]

How would remnants of Sephiroth (Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo) react Being self aware that all of them are just part of the game/ how would they react to player reader.

Kadaj given that kadaj is Sephiroth's madness, he will behave accordingly

at first he will pretend not to know about your existence, but later he begins to show signs.

For your own good, you better forget about the game for a while, if you don't want a problem in the form of an insane Kadaj, who will mock you very cruelly.

Yazoo

he is the embodiment of the charisma and coldness of Sephiroth

accordingly, he will behave in the same way towards you

also perfectly masks his emotions and a sign that he knows about you

but once he finds a way to interact with you..

Wait for him to do it

his charisma is very visible, and he will use it when communicating with you. and if he began to communicate with you, this is already a point of no return. Consider that he will not leave you until he calls you all the information. And if feelings arise, he will simply try to find a way to kidnap you into his world.

Loz

he is scared by this situation

it was unexpected for him to hear that his life was being watched so closely.

He is both afraid of you and not at the same time.

afraid because you may know too much about him

and not afraid because he is strong enough not to let you do anything to him

but over time, he becomes attached to you, and this … can interfere with you

[escortingsecrets]

Im working on multimuse account rn, but started thinking about Yazoo returning.

What if he lost his silver hair. What if it turned brown, like Lucrecia. The panic that his his is growing out and changing colour. That he's changing so much and doesn't fully know who he is now that he's not just a remnant of Sephiroth. Like, there would still be streaks of silver in his hair, not fully gone, but him being a brunette

[omegasquire]

Rose Gold: Ch 16

Just like when he had stepped through the marsh with Zack and Red, the environment around Cloud felt as real as reality. The only difference was that there was nobody around. Just as he had put in the settings, the town was empty. Only the buildings and nature surrounded him. Not even the sound of birds greeted his ears, giving the place a sense of haunting.

It was a bit eerie, but Cloud pushed the feeling aside as he took his first step into the empty town. The last time he had set foot in the real Nibelheim was over a year ago. No, that wasn’t the real Nibelheim either; it was a fabrication by Shinra to cover up the incident. The Nibelheim that he and those of AVALANCHE had crossed through was foreign to him. Though the buildings all looked the same, the people were different. Their stories were different. Everything about that place was odd.

This simulation that Cloud was in right now felt just as foreign, if not more-so. Stopping before the center square, Cloud’s gaze shifted up to the broken water tower that always seemed to hold up through all forms of weather until that nightmarish day. Looking at it lifted memories from the corners of his mind, of a time when he was young and ignorant, hopeful that he might achieve this grandiose dream.

At the same time, it brought forth a sense of rejection. Cloud had divorced himself from Nibelheim, no longer calling it his hometown. The Nibelheim that stood in his reality was a lie, his true home long since turned to ashes during his teenage years. The place he called his home now was Edge: a place that would take years to grow and stand on its two legs, a place that was full of scars and damaged souls, a place that gave him and his family a second chance.

Tifa was there, so were Marlene and Denzel, and their friends would always have somewhere to visit, relax and chat about their current life or reminisce about old times. Each of them was recovering from the tragedies that befell them and learning how to find a new purpose. Home. That was his home.

But who knew what was going on over there right now?

Cloud had no idea. His abrupt arrival in this parallel world didn’t even let him have the peace of mind of knowing if his friends and family were safe. Did Yazoo and Loz die? Did anyone know what happened to him? Did they think he was dead too?

Cloud pushed back those thoughts, as he had many times now, knowing that he wouldn’t have an answer no matter how much he questioned it. A part of him was bitter at Gaia for placing him here, but he remembered her plea and resolved himself to aid her even if he had no idea how.

Maybe if he could do whatever she wanted him to do, he could go back.

That was his wish. Especially in this stifling place that rejected him just as he rejected Nibelheim, he would do whatever he needed to in order to return home.

It was just easier said than done when there were so many obstacles in his way...

Not just his own friends treating him with hostility or wariness, but now there were these three men who were his lookalikes. Cloud didn’t even know where to begin. Pausing just before the water well, Cloud reached out his hand to touch one of the support beams. Somewhere in this simulation, somewhere in this town, there had to be an answer. A hint. Something.

Anything to lead him to understand who Strife was, his past, and why these events were happening. What Rufus had said was right: they were assuming too much that these Strife-lookalikes would behave like the remnants Cloud knew of. If there was some common denominator, then it was that they were reflections of the original body. The problem was that Sephiroth and Strife were different.

The question was how were they different? To start it, Cloud didn’t even fully understand Kadaj and his brothers. He didn’t know what aspects they represented of Sephiroth. Trying to figure out information like that wasn’t his forte; it was better left to one of the others. Unfortunately, those said “others” in this world weren’t likely to extend their hand out to him right away.

Which left him with the decision that he needed to focus more on Strife.

“Who...” he muttered to himself as he looked around. “Who was he? What happened to me here?”

Taking his hand away from the beam, Cloud turned his gaze to the other side of the town. It was the house that looked exactly like the one he grew up in.

“What about Mom?” He stopped and frowned. Surely he had a mom here too. If she was anything like his own mother, then she wouldn’t give Strife a reason to abandon all humanity. “Did something happen to her...?”

He didn’t like thinking about it, but he had to. If something had happened to Strife’s mom, then maybe he had no attachment to this place. But then what about the kids? Tifa? Was Strife treated the same way that Cloud was when he was a kid?

Cloud hesitated, wondering if going into that house would offer any answers, but in the end turned away. If Strife destroyed Nibelheim, then that house wouldn’t have any of Strife’s memories or belongings.

If he had to guess, the fabricated Nibelheim he was walking through right now was probably based on the recreated one post-incident.

Letting out a breath, Cloud turned his attention to another place. Just beyond the town, perched on its own hill as if to look down on the residents, stood a building that gave a sense of foreboding. The iron gate and tall fence denied people entry, discouraging any curious folks from snooping around the place. The fact that it had the name “Shinra” attached to it was another reason to avoid it.

Shinra Mansion.

The chances of him getting any answers here were slim to none, but he was going to look anyway.

“Easier than trying to talk to either of them,” he sighed and started to head for the mansion.

The only sound that followed his steps was the crunch of gravel under his boots. When he made it to the front gate, he pushed it open. The hinges had seen better days and made a sound that was too loud in this silent place. Cloud slipped inside the gap and continued to the front doors.

As soon as he opened it, a musty smell buffeted his nose. Despite being the one place that had survived the fire, Shinra Mansion didn’t see any use. It wasn’t cleaned or aired out; the furniture was aged and torn; the drapes were barely holding on and full of moth-eaten holes; the carpet was dirty and no longer held its original lustrous color. Just like the town, the mansion was devoid of life.

Cloud looked around, leaving the front door open to shed light on this otherwise dark foyer, and followed his memory up the steps to the second floor. Just like the mansion from his world, the general layout of this one was the same. It looked like some of the taste in décor was different, but he didn’t pay it any attention as he headed for the room at the far right.

It took a bit of searching, but he was able to trigger the mechanism to open the secret passage down to the basement. Where normal mansions had a basement for certain appliances and storage means, this mansion had a separate one that held many secrets.

Staring down the dimly lit spiral staircase that led to the bottom, Cloud felt his heart thump strongly against his chest. Without realizing it, apprehension had worked its way into his muscles, making him hesitate as memories rose up.

No matter how many years passed, he would still remember those awful days. That pain. That fear. That desperation and rage. He could close his eyes and recall the heat that enveloped his body, the smoke that invaded his lungs, the screams in his ears, the tears on his cheeks. No amount of manipulation or whatever brainwashing that had been put on him could erase such a vivid nightmare. Just being here in this simulation was enough to bring up that awful memory.  

“Time doesn’t heal everything,” he muttered bitterly, and shook his head.

Shoving those images to the back of his mind, Cloud descended the steps. The further he went, the more stifling the atmosphere got, but he didn’t stop. Once he was at the bottom, his hand searched for a switch on the wall and flipped it once his fingers brushed over it. Dull lights flickered on overhead, lighting Cloud’s path as he continued to the end.

He felt ill at ease the closer he got, causing his brows to knit. He shouldn’t be feeling any sort of reaction to this place, knowing it was all a fabrication, yet something in him was uneasy as he made it to the door leading to the laboratory.

Maybe it was just the memories?

Shaking his head again, Cloud opened the door and walked into the laboratory. He found another light switch and turned it on, illuminating the contents of the room. Abandoned tools, a broken table, and empty tanks of various sizes. There were stains where liquid was once held, and other signs of damage around the place as if a child had thrown a tantrum and wrecked it all.

Cloud glanced around, but he didn’t really know what he was looking for amongst the mess. If anything, it was the place beyond it that would be more useful.

Stepping over some broken glass, Cloud headed toward the library at the end. Even in this place, the design of the laboratory and library were similar. Cloud looked at the shelves as he slowly walked by them, trying to see if he could catch any titles that would help. He didn’t know how well this simulation would’ve recorded the information here; he doubted he could actually use any of these books.

He reached for one of the books that had been tossed on the ground and flipped open the cover. Just as he guessed, the pages were blank. He was disappointed, but he supposed he couldn’t rely on Shinra to reproduce this much information. If anything, anything down here was already breeching layers of confidentiality. The fact he was able to access it was already a miracle.

“Thought so. So much for that idea.”

Cloud already knew that if he tried to open any of the other books, they would be empty as well. Tossing the book back where he found it, Cloud continued past the shelves to what looked like an open study. Just like the rest of the library, books were scattered everywhere.

It was pretty much as he expected it. At least he hadn’t gotten his hopes up too high. If nothing else, it gave him some alone time to sort through his thoughts.

After what happened with Tifa, he needed some space to breathe and calm the emotions that stormed inside him...

Stopping in front of the desk, Cloud touched it with the tips of his fingers. He stared at the old varnish and noticed what looked like angry scratches along its surface. He didn’t know if they were from a pen or knife or some other tool. It didn’t seem important, yet his gaze lingered on those jagged lines. They didn’t look like they belonged...

For some reason, he felt like they meant something. But what?

I have what you seek.

Cloud flinched as a voice unexpectedly crept into his mind. He recognized it right away. It had been a while since Jenova last spoke to him, and he had wondered during that period of silence how long it would take for her to reappear. What ironic timing that it would be now.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. He didn’t want to have her in his head, but he didn’t know how to push her away.

I know the truth.

“I don’t care,” he replied out loud, even though there was no one around to hear him. He had a feeling she could still sense his response anyway.

Who else will tell you? Who else will freely and willingly answer all your questions? You rely on machines when you know they can’t help you.

He did know. He knew coming here was fruitless, but that didn’t mean he was going to seek her out in return. He’d rather confront Sephiroth instead.

He spurns you. He will not speak to you, only leave you in the dark.

Cloud already knew that too. It was clear neither of them was comfortable in the other person’s presence, but if these current events were going to result in another catastrophe, they had no choice. Much as Cloud didn’t want to talk to Sephiroth, it was still necessary, and considerably more tolerable than talking with Jenova.

If he could guess, from what Zack told him, and from Cloud had seen, this Sephiroth was level-headed. He would be reasonable and tell him the truth, however minimal those details were. The taller man probably loathed the idea of talking to him as well, but so far, they remained civil. That alone was enough to reject Jenova’s proposal.

Oh my precious child... you do not know... You will never know the full suffering. Such pain and loneliness... How pitiful...

Nausea rose in Cloud’s throat. Out of the corner of his eye he felt like something was there, a person or figure, yet their shape wasn’t clear. He wanted to turn his head, but his eyes remained rooted on the scratches on the desk. Maybe with fingernails...?

Cloud forced the question down. Now wasn’t the time.

Somehow, without even looking, he knew it was a younger person. Maybe a child? Without warning, a haunting sound reached Cloud’s ears. It made his back cold, goosebumps racing along the backs of his arms. It was crying. A solitary, pitiful, weeping sound like an abandoned animal in a forest.

Though the whimpering was quiet, it echoed in Cloud’s ears as though it came from his own mouth. It dove deep into his throat and clenched it tight, forcing on him emotions that weren’t his own.

They killed her. My miserable child...

Jenova’s voice filtered through the sounds of crying, soft and consoling as though she truly was speaking to him as her own son.

Such suffering. It is the fault of these people, these humans who you try to defend. They took it all away, and they will take it all again.

Cloud felt something try to reach for him, like a ripple in the water around his ankles. He mentally shook it off, his lips pulling back into a grimace as he tried to shut her out of his mind. He didn’t know how exactly he could do it, but he did know he couldn’t afford to listen to her any longer. The longer she lingered, the more dangerous it would be for him.

Rejected, despised... Unloved and abandoned, as you are. Loathed and feared, as you are. Alone.

Cloud wished he could somehow cover his ears and block her out. Why the hell wouldn’t she go away? Why couldn’t he make her stop?

“Shut up!”

Alone. Alone. Alone. Who will save you from this cruelty? Will love you? I can. I will give you what y—  

A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder and jerked him around, cutting off Jenova’s words. Without warning, Cloud found himself yanked forward and then slammed against a bookshelf, knocking the wind out of him.

Gasping, Cloud flinched against the tight grip on his shoulders as he looked up at who had pinned him against the bookshelf.

~*~

Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Cloud. The blond’s pupils were contracted into slits. The last time they had appeared that way, Jenova had been meddling in his head in Junon. It was clear that she was trying to seduce him again.

“Jenova. Is she talking to you?”

Cloud didn’t answer right away, almost like he couldn’t comprehend his question. “Yes?”

Sephiroth studied Cloud’s face, taking note of the slightly dazed look as Cloud tried to sort himself out. His complexion was a little pale, but Sephiroth couldn’t tell if that was a side effect from Jenova’s presence, or the poor lighting overhead.

“Is she still there now?” His voice was low. He didn’t want Cloud to say yes, but if she was lingering in the blond man’s head then he would have to do something about it.

“I—” Cloud was quiet a moment as if he was trying to listen for something only he could hear before shaking his head. “No. I can’t feel her.”

Sephiroth wanted to feel relieved, but Cloud’s answer was hardly worth rejoicing over. The fact that he had found Cloud in here talking to himself – to Jenova – was proof that Jenova’s silence these past few days was just a ploy. Whether she had been busy crafting those Strife-lookalikes, or simply biding her time, it was clear that she had not given up assaulting Cloud’s mind.

He knew there was no way Jenova would leave Cloud alone just because he was in a new location. Her reach was unlimited, expanding across the planet like Gaia herself. They all had some faint hope that her silence would continue for a little longer, but that clearly wasn’t the case.

That meant they were going to be even more pressed to put an end to her scheme. Neither Jenova nor those lookalikes were giving them time to breathe.

But why was she in a hurry?

This question lingered in Sephiroth’s mind before he pushed it to the side to contemplate later. Right now, he studied Cloud as the man briefly closed his eyes before opening them. His pupils gradually dilated, returning to their natural shape; his irises returning to their normal color as well. They were a bright, mako-enhanced blue. The mixing colors were so striking, Sephiroth couldn’t help but compare Cloud’s features to Strife’s.

His eyes, his nose, his cheeks, his mouth...

Cloud twisted his shoulders and tried to tug away from him. The action broke Sephiroth’s thoughts before they headed down the wrong path. His hold on Cloud lingered before he finally let go, though he didn’t step back to give Cloud more breathing room.

“What are you doing here?”

It wasn’t a question about the simulation room. He had crossed by Zack who was bringing two closed cartons full of food for him and Cloud to eat after Cloud was done in the simulator. Sephiroth’s question was directed at the designation of the simulation. Of all places to choose, Sephiroth found Cloud in the empty town of Nibelheim.

Cloud’s lips tugged into a line, clearly unhappy with his present circumstances. Still, he responded obediently. “I wanted to test how much information these rooms can replicate environments.”

By technological standards, the simulators were top notch. There was no other system that could recreate the environment or even lifeforms as well as these rooms. However, there were still limitations that Shinra couldn’t – or didn’t bother to – iron out. Finer details like texts weren’t bothered it; for training purposes, it wasn’t necessary for soldiers or Turks trainees to stop and peruse novels when they were supposed to be completing missions.

Whatever it was that Cloud was hoping to find, it wasn’t going to be here. Surely he already knew that.

“What were you trying to find?”

Cloud’s eyes shifted to the side as he sighed. Though he seemed in a stable state, Sephiroth could tell his gaze was troubled and frustrated. “Something to help me understand Strife or what happened to him.”

It was clear Cloud was avoiding eye contact, but he continued nonetheless, “I thought that if I figured that out, then we’d have a better idea of who those lookalikes are and how to deal with them. Everything in here is blank.” Cloud gestured at the library.

“You won’t find answers here,” Sephiroth responded bluntly.

His answer made Cloud frown. “Then where? The real Nibelheim?”

Were it so easy. Sephiroth shook his head. “What you see here is the state of the mansion before it was cleaned out.”

Cloud’s frown deepened. “What happened to the originals? Were they destroyed?”

“Yes. Shinra found no need to keep hold of them and removed all evidence.” He hadn’t known when exactly it happened, but by the time he had realized, it was too late. “There’s no one who knows details of the contents either.”

Cloud finally looked up at him. A silence stretched between them before he finally spoke. “You know.”

Sephiroth met that gaze. “Not enough. Shinra had tight control over all confidential material in Nibelheim.”

He took a step back, granting Cloud space. He looked to the side, where he could see part of the laboratory at the end of the library. “It’s a surprise they kept this simulation intact.”

He didn’t think the program would still be in place. Did someone forget to erase it? Or did they not care since nothing could be gained from it?

Looking back at Cloud, he saw the blond staring at him. His brows knitted slightly as he met those blue eyes that had finally decided to meet his of their own volition.

Yet the contact felt too brief, as Cloud looked away once more. “I meant you knew what happened.”

Though Cloud’s voice was low, Sephiroth heard it clearly in the silence of library. He stared at Cloud even after the other man had turned away. The comment had caught Sephiroth off guard, even though it shouldn’t have. They were bound to talk about it eventually.

Vincent’s advice suddenly came to the forefront of his mind. He and Cloud might never have any affection toward each other, but they needed to cooperate. Right now, this was the longest conversation they had with each other. In fact, it was their first proper conversation to begin with.

Cloud needed to trust him – trust that Sephiroth could and would support him when he was struggling. Though neither of them had any clue how it might work, they had to take the first step to combining forces. That was the surest way for them to fight against Jenova and whatever she threw at him.

To gain Cloud’s trust, Sephiroth found he had to speak plainly with the man.

His lips pinched slightly at the corners as he watched Cloud move through the library. Whether conscious or not, it created a gap between them that felt more than just physical. It reminded him too well of how he had watched Strife walk away, ignoring his words and rejecting the life he proposed. Nothing he said or did convinced Strife that he was in the wrong and there were better choices.

Not even... his love.

Sephiroth berated himself for lingering on the memory. This wasn’t the time.

Drawing in a silent breath, he turned in the direction that Cloud went. “Zack is waiting outside.” His long strides made it easy to meet Cloud’s pace as he headed off to the side. It wasn’t towards the entrance to the laboratory, but the adjacent wall. “Mission cancel.”

[ Cancelling Mission......... Mission Cancelled ]

The training system’s AI voice responded to Sephiroth’s command and the mansion’s basement began to break down. Particles disappeared, returning him and Cloud back to the training room’s true appearance. The direction Sephiroth was facing was the room’s exit, the same he walked through when he learned where Cloud was.

The door slid open, allowing the two of them to exit. Zack was waiting on the bench, his and Cloud’s lunches sitting next to him. As soon as Sephiroth walked through, his head jerked up and gave a sheepish smile. He looked like a puppy that got caught doing something it wasn’t supposed to. He brought up his hands as if he was ready to plead his case.

“Heyyy, welcome back.” Zack’s gaze shifted between them before settling on Cloud. “All done? I got our barbecue. Might not be as warm now, but nothing a good old zap in the microwave won’t fix.”

Sephiroth bit back a sigh. He was used to Zack’s behavior, but the man had chosen a poor time to go against his orders.

It did give him a chance to approach Cloud...

Still, that didn’t stop Sephiroth from feeling a little annoyed. As Zack stood up, holding the To-Go containers for Cloud to see, Sephiroth held out his hand.

“Huh?” Zack gave him a confused look. He glanced between Sephiroth’s face and his hand, cautiously holding out the food to him.

Sephiroth took the containers and looked at Cloud. “Follow me.”

It took a couple seconds for realization to dawn on Zack. “H-Hey!” He pointed at Sephiroth. “Wait a minute, you’re taking mine too?”

Sephiroth glanced at him. “You can get another.” He looked at Cloud again. “We have something to discuss. Come.”

Without waiting, Sephiroth started to walk out. He heard Zack squawk behind him, but what Sephiroth was paying attention to was the sound of another set of footsteps quietly following him.

[zimithrus]

Au: Cloud has to take care and raise toddler remnants 😆

Send me an AU and I'll give you 5+ headcanons about it

1. Cloud was sure Aerith's healing rain was supposed to send them back to the Lifestream, to dissolve them and return their forms to the free-flowing strands they once originated from. But they did not. Instead they shrunk, and shrunk, and shrunk, until suddenly instead of whisking away green into the sky, a chubby-cheeked remnant toddler lays in his hands. And two more laid on the ground a few feet away from him. Unsure of what to do, for the time being, Cloud brought them back to Seventh Heaven.

2. The remnants would not vanish. They were stuck here with them now as toddlers. But at least they weren't hellbent on killing anything anymore. (Merely hellbent on turning Seventh Heaven upside-down and giving everyone inside headaches from their antics). Kadaj remained the leader of the others, standing tall and proud at 4 and a half (anything older or younger would get a very loud protest). He got into everything he could, ran with sharp objects, and threw the poutiest tantrums. Yazoo stood in the middle right at 4 and was the quietest out of the brood. He got involved in some high-strung incidents with his brothers, but was main the most level-headed. He was still prone to fits and pouts however. But Cloud was lucky a good book could calm him down. And Loz stood wobbly at 3, having the most energy and getting into the most trouble. Constantly running around, jumping off furniture, screaming and shouting, and throwing himself to the ground when things didn't go his way, crying the longest and loudest out of the three.

3. It was hard and awkward to get used to. After all the trouble they caused, half the time Cloud wanted to wad up a newspaper and smack their noses like dogs. Marlene and Denzel were a little wary at first but grew the fastest to accept them as part of their crazy family. They saved Cloud and Tifa from a lot of headaches and threats, they'll say that much. After a while, they ended up becoming part of the Strife's.

4. Aerith visited Cloud in his dreams one night and asked how he was handling the new additions. He asked her why they didn't rejoin the Lifestream, but she just smiled and shrugged, 'Guess they're still really attached to their big brother.' Zack was with her and smiled as well. 'You're just a really popular guy, Cloud. And don't worry, we'll save places for all of you eventually.' He rolled his eyes at both of them, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

5. Getting the party reintroduced to the remnants as toddlers and not as world-ending antagonists took some adjustment as well. But the ended up coming around with their own stipulations. Cid was 'don't let those brats touch anything in my ship and we're cool' Vincent didn't say much, but if he wanted space from them he'd give him his phone and let them play centipede on it. Yuffie said 'stay away from my materia, unless we're up to something together then they can use it, because it's more fun that way!' Red XIII did not enjoy becoming a furry taxi to the three toddlers, but he was okay with it as well as some good-natured pets every once in a while so long as they didn't call him a dog. Barret took the longest to adjust as they had put Marlene in danger before, but when figuring out they turned into regular, crazy toddlers, warmed up to them much easier. Cait sith preferred to keep his distance from them based off that one time when the kids fought over who could play with him and nearly ripped him into three uneven pieces. But he didn't mind them aside from that he supposed. (He much preferred Marlene's tea parties though.)

[up-sideand-down]

cloud babysitting the remnants hc please!

So this probably isn't the AU you were thinking of. This is a bit more of a Preschool!AU.

1. Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj lose their parents when they are just 4 years old. Afterwards, they live with their older brother Sephiroth. Sephiroth is in his early twenties and has a highly demanding job with the ShinRa Corp. He's very overworked, but is paid very well. Well enough to afford therapy for his triplet brothers and family therapy for all of them. The only bad side is that Sephiroth often just cannot be there with his brothers. They terrorize three nannies who leave despite Sephiroth begging, and nearly bribing them. Now they're even being cold to Sephiroth. Their therapist recommends they go to Preschool to help them socialize with other people. He searches for the best, but finds the one with the best results are actually nearby and he's technically in the district: Seventh Heaven Preschool. He signs them up, terrified about how they will react.

2. He tries to explain to them what Preschool is, that it will be fun, and they will like it. In their new habit, the boys throw a fit and refuse to go. It is a fight to get them to go. All three are nearly screaming when they arrive and Sephiroth feels like a failure. Then one of the teachers steps away from the drop off line and approaches.

"You must be Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj," he says very calmly, as if the boys are not yelling at all, "It's so nice to meet you. I'm Mr. Cloud. You're my new students." His demeanor and tone shocks the boys out of their tantrums. Sephiroth is in awe.

"Now the first day is hard, but we can't begin unless you leave your brother and come inside. I can show you the classroom, the playroom, and your learning stations." The boys hesitate, but Cloud dives in.

"Let's go," Cloud says, "say your goodbyes." He's impossible to say no too and Sephiroth is shocked to see the boys go in willingly.

"I'll take good care of them," Cloud says. Sephiroth only realizes in the car that he didn't get to warn his teacher about what the boys are like.

3. The day does not start out very promising. The boys are quiet and withdrawn. Cloud knows enough about kids to know that it a bad thing, as is the fact that they keep whispering among themselves. Cloud raises his guard. He still gets hit with the contents of a lunch box...and it looks like one of the boys packed a rotten egg.

But this is not Cloud's first rodeo. He separates the three in different classrooms with the other teachers, while he cleans himself and the room up and keeps his own kids distracted. When the triplets return Cloud questions them after their time out.

"Why did you do that." The boys...cannot answer. Cloud didn't hurt their feelings, Cloud didn't upset them, they weren't upset at all...they just...did it.

"Well there has to be a reason," Cloud says, "you can rejoin the lesson, but we should use the break time to figure out why you did that to me. It hurt my feelings." Sure enough, while the rest of their classmates play the boys sit around the floor with Cloud doodling and trying to think of why they threw rotten food at Mr. Cloud. Loz breaks first, sobbing and apologizing. Cloud forgives him and lets him go off to play.

4. At lunch time Yazoo changes his mind. It was his lunch they agreed to sacrifice. Kadaj and Loz were going to share with him, but Mr. Cloud notices his lunch and snacks are missing. Mr. Cloud holds him back and gives him a new lunch. He sits with the new boys. Loz talks to him pretty happily. Mr. Cloud is nice to him. Yazoo notices that Mr. Cloud isn't having his lunch. He's always put things together faster than the other two.

Mr. Cloud gave him his lunch, even through he threw it at Mr. Cloud. The sandwich sits like a stone in his stomach. He knows Cloud chose to be kind to him anyway...and he's been awful. He could keep being awful until Mr. Cloud stops being so nice, like the nannies were. But...what if it doesn't stop. What if he's just mean to Mr. Cloud for no reason? Tears spring into his eyes.

"Yazoo, are you alright?" Mr. Cloud asks, "Are you homesick. That's okay if you are." Yazoo breaks and apologizes for the first time in his life.

5. Kadaj feels slightly betrayed by the brothers warming up to Mr. Cloud. He's alright with the school part, and the play part. But he doesn't understand why he has to be nice to the adults. They aren't Mom and Dad. Mr. Cloud is patient. He figures out Kadaj's favorite games and even gets some of the kids to join in and play with him. He's nice and all but-

Then Cloud finds the culprit when Kadaj mutters that Sephiroth never has time to play like this anymore.

"Do you miss your brother?" Mr. Cloud asks. Kadaj nods and the tears start. He misses Sephiroth so much. He knows Sephiroth is trying so hard to do what their parents did...but it's not enough and he's selfish.

"It's okay to miss him," Mr. Cloud says, "it's not okay to take that out on other people though...okay?" Kadaj nods. By the end of the day the triplets are clinging to Mr. Cloud when they have to go. Sephiroth is chocked.

"Boys you're coming back tomorrow," Mr. Cloud tells them, "now, say goodbye and go to your brother. I'm sure he missed you all." Sephiroth sees the pointed stare Mr. Cloud gives him.

"I did!" Sephiroth says, "I..." The boys look at him and he realizes it was true. As tough as they are he did miss them.

"I miss you guys," he tells them, "so much." They all smile and let go of Mr. Cloud.

"See you tomorrow!" Kadaj calls back. Mr. Cloud just waves.

[breezeinmonochromenight]

I'm dumb and didn't understand AC much beyond "Bad sickness, pretty animation and anime physics" but I want to guess that the anon before me got that response because the Remnants are indeed not that fond of kids beyond "Jenova cell minions to be used" or smth

If you wanna explain that would be much appreciated ^^

Geostigma happens when people come into contact with JENOVA tainted/negative lifestream, and it’s not contagious. It tends to infect children *more than anyone else, and essentially turns the infected into Sephiroth “clones” to participate in Reunion (the idea that JENOVA cells, once separated, will seek to reunite and return to the main body).

The Remnants are literal manifestations of Sephiroth’s will from the lifestream, and their sole purpose is to facilitate Sephiroth’s rebirth. Kadaj is the rage, Loz is the physicality, Yazoo is the demeanor. Since they’re spiritual manifestations, they have no Reunion instinct and cannot participate/cannot locate JENOVA’s remains on their own.

The lack of Reunion instinct is why they lure children afflicted with Geostigma to the Forgotten City by telling them they can be cured. The kids drink the water that’s been tainted with negative lifestream/Sephiroth’s will/whatever the fuck, have their reunion instinct awakened, and lead the Remnants back to Edge and to the Meteor monument.

TL;DR: You’re pretty much right on the money. It doesn’t really matter that they’re kids; it only matters that the kids are very easy targets for both the Remnants and the disease itself.

Tbh is a lot more of an entertaining read if you just picture me telling you all this in a straight jacket from a padded cell.

*I assume that’s just the writers operating off the idea that children don’t have fully developed immune systems yet and are one of the groups frequently more at risk for contracting disease, because I don’t remember it being mentioned in the movie. It’s been a long while since I’ve watched AC/AC Complete, though, so I may just not remember it. But yeah. Long story short the disease causes an extreme overcompensation from the immune system that’s ultimately fatal, so I’m guessing maybe this is why it works so well in children.

[krvla]

@hiislegacy​ / KADAJ

YAZOO FELT AS THOUGH he was still coming to terms with the unique nature of his existence. And he’d admit ( though only to himself ) that the prospect of Sephiroth’s return had , of late , made him weary. For what did that mean for them ?? Would the remnants still exist ?? Would he simply disappear ?? The more questions he asked himself , the less he realized he knew. Though Kadaj always seemed so assured. So certain and informed. Perhaps Kadaj might hold answers that he sought . . . 

‘ . . . hey , Kadaj ?? ’ His words fall in his usual drawl. ‘ . . . I have been , wondering. What do we really know about . . . Sephiroth. Are we not , mother’s children too ?? ’

[im-totally-not-an-alien]

Final Fantasy 7 prompts # 35

1. Everything is the same except all the First Class SOLDIERs have cat ears/tail, with the exception of Zack, who has dog ears and tail. No one seems to notice except Reno who is absolutely losing his mind because, "Can't you see them?! They're right there!"

2. Remake Au where Ghost! Zack goes around changing everybody's ringtones.

Cloud gets the chocobo theme and blushes a little everytime it rings. He keeps changing it back but it doesn't do him any good.

Renos however, is just Zack threatening that if he ever tried to hurt his precious chocobo again...well. He'd be missing at least one of his rods.

3. Zack playing with the remnants. They adore him and he comes with the added bonus of attracting thier wayward blond brother as well!

4. Ghost! Zack pseudo parenting Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz in the wild

5. Cloud has to save AVALANCHE but isn't strong enough to do it on his own. The revived triplets make a deal with him that they would help him...what could they possibly want in return?

6. "I will not end."

Cloud rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

The silverette dramatically turned to face him, "Nor will I have you end."

The blonds eyebrows launched into his hairline, "You going to toss me a ring?"

Sephiroth paused for a moment, just staring at the baffled blond. "Would you accept it if I did?"

Now it was Clouds turn to stare, ".....wat?"

7. Cloud accedently refers to Jenova as "Mother" and the triplets are overjoyed

8. *waking up in a cold sweat* Trans Jenova

9. Sefikura- And they were roommates

10. Strifsodos/ Clack/ ect. - and they were roommates, but they're trying too hard to flirt and making Cloud self conscious

11. Cloud playing the harp for Genesis, who praises him eagerly.

12. A!C! Cloud being thrown into a parallel world where everything is the same but he's in C!C! Era and AGSZC is real.

They immediately recognize Cloud and capture and interrogate him. Needless to say, everyone is a little shocked, and Older Cloud escapes with the younger blond as a captive.

It's alright though. He just asks if he really loves them and if they did anything he didn't like. He then gives C!C! Cloud a way to contact him if he was ever in trouble and sent him safely back to his enraged and terrified lovers...before blowing up a few reactors on his way out and leaving blueprints for solar panels behind.

13. Cloud was tending to the flowers in Aeriths church when he began to hear the sound of a violin playing in the distance. Intrigued, and possibly thinking this was a sign from Aerith, he follows the sound to what looked like an ordinary pile of rubble, but upon further inspection he found an opening to a tunnel that lead to a red door. When he opened it he discovered a remarkably intact theater.

14. One of the Shinra scientists builds a time machine, but it has a problem. It swaps the person in question with thier past/future self.

Aka A!C! Cloud and C!C! Cloud traded places, A!C! Cloud cried into Zacks chest, beat up Angeal, listened to Genesis's poetry, (and liked it) and stabbed Sephiroth. Not particularly in that order.

Yuffie is too busy cooing at little C!C! Cloud who is terrified that he's suddenly in enemy territory, (Wutai) and has no idea how he got there.

Also the Empress. The. Freaking. Empress. Was cooing at him like a freshly hatched chicabo! He didn't even know when she acended the throne, how would he get out of this one?!

15. Sephiroth revives far in the future where he is largely ignored by the ignorant population. Sure, they never forgot about him, but they seemed to think of him as a fan or a dedicated cosplayer. Odd.

He winds up in a museum dedicated to SOLDIER and AVALANCHE. Seeing Rapier in a display pulled at his heartstrings in ways he never would have suspected. But that was nothing compared to seeing the display housing First Tsurugi and Fenrir.

Sephiroth didn't think it was possible for him to break down like this.

[soulsfractured]

Starter for @chasingxfeathers [Cloud]

Yazoo studied the bike carefully, crouched down as he watched the blonde work on it. It was almost funny, watching how he tilted his head without really seeming to notice it, hands resting on his knees as he watched the other fix it. It hadn't been a major issue- just a small section that needed a quick fix. But he had no idea what the issue was, or how to fix it, even as Cloud explained what he was doing.

"Did Shinra make you learn how to do this?" He asked, cat like eyes finally moving from the motorcycle and over to Cloud. He hadn't been back long- he'd barely been returned from the life stream for more than a week. Yazoo still struggled- many remembered the damage the remnants had caused, and it took a long time for him to be able to explain he was here to make amends.

Which was why he was currently with Cloud. He had taken up residence in the church, and the blonde had found him only a few weeks prior. He'd thought Cloud would start a fight with him, but instead the mercenary had extended a hand to help. Yazoo was still hesitant to accept it, but at least Cloud didn't try and run in through or treat him rudely due to past actions. "I think I remember something from Sephiroth's past... About bikes. But I don't recall much beyond how to operate it."

[stardust-fragment]

Seeing a slight fear in his brother and being threatened, Yazoo quickly steps in and punches the threat with sheer force knocking them to the ground. "Don't touch him." (calmest-remnant)

@calmest-remnant

Kadaj wasn’t very strong at the moment. Quite a bit of his former strength had yet to return. However he also didn’t count on someone outside of Edge recognizing him. Maybe it was a family member. Either way this was a problem. At least until Kadaj saw his brother step in.

“Brother!” He managed to get out. Even though he was out of breath. The supposed threat coughed and tried to get up. Kadaj glared at the attacker. “That’s what you get, jerk ass!” Despite saying that he stayed close to Yazoo.

[goddess4302]

“Mother will know. When she gets here, she'll decide what's best.”—Loz

Loz is one of the three Remnants of Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. He is described as being the embodiment of Sephiroth's physical strength, as well as his fondness and emotional instability concerning "Mother" that Sephiroth shows during the Nibelheim Incident. While physically the strongest of the three, Loz has a real soft spot, especially on the topic of Jenova, as he apparently cries a lot, a fact that Yazoo points out, often in mockery

Appearance:

Loz is physically bulky and muscular, akin to the likes of Barret Wallace. His silver hair is short and slightly spiky with sideburns, and he has green eyes with cat-like pupils, the same as Sephiroth. He wears his weapon, the Dual Hound, on his left arm and uses a Velvet Nightmare handgun otherwise. His torso is also covered over with crossing black straps and shoulder guards. He wears a full body suit of leather that hugs tight upon his well built form.

Personality:

Of the three Remnants, Loz is the most child-like, which led to his lines about crying and his connection to Jenova. Tetsuya Nomura has stated Loz was meant to be a stylized version of Sephiroth's strength, but grudgingly admitted he could easily be described as "all brawn and no brains". In some scenes Loz can be heard making sound effects, such as "bruum!" when driving his motorcycle off the cliff in his opening scene, and "bang, buh buh bang!" when firing at a helicopter piloted by Reno, highlighting his childishness.

Story:

Loz first appears watching Cloud Strife drive through the wasteland around Midgar, and attacks him with Yazoo and Shadow Creepers summoned by Kadaj. Although the battle turns in their favor, Kadaj contacts Rufus Shinra and calls back the Shadow Creepers, and Loz and Yazoo also leave.

While Kadaj goes to see Rufus, Loz goes to the Sector 5 Church, believing Jenova may be there. Tifa Lockhart and Marlene Wallace are already there, and when Tifa claims she does not know where Jenova is, Loz requests she "play with him". Although Tifa gains a momentary advantage on Loz, he rises unharmed from and after a phone call from Yazoo, he exploits his speed to easily defeat her. Loz subsequently kidnaps Marlene and takes a chest of Materia Cloud had been keeping at the church, and returns to the Forgotten Capital with his brothers.

When Cloud arrives at the Capital he battles the three, and Loz and Yazoo easily overwhelm him by combining their abilities. Vincent Valentine saves Cloud and the three brothers return to Edge. While Kadaj meets with Rufus, Loz and Yazoo attempt to destroy a monument to the fall of Meteor, but are interrupted by Reno and Rude of the Turks. When Reno refers to "Jenova's friggin' head", Loz childishly calls him a "meanie". As Kadaj summons Bahamut SIN, Loz battles and defeats Rude.

When Cloud and his friends defeat Bahamut SIN, Rufus reveals Jenova's remains to Kadaj. Retrieving them, the three remnants drive onto the highways leading into Midgar, pursued by Cloud. Delaying him from reaching Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo battle him and Loz is exceedingly reckless in his attacks. At the end of the chase, the Turks have arrived ahead of their path via helicopter. Cloud, having gained a lead, drives by, and Loz and Yazoo are subsequently caught in the explosion of the bombs Rude and Reno brought with them.

Assumed dead, Loz and Yazoo return at the end of the film as Cloud defeats Sephiroth, and attack him with dozens of Materia orbs forced into their bodies. Already dissolving in healing rain called down by Aerith Gainsborough, the two are consumed in the explosions of their own spells and are destroyed at last.

[s-talking]

kadajh​:

Tragic, wasn’t? Even as an onlooker, you’d be able to guess and tell that this planet had taken a plunge and quickly began falling away to disappear within the cracks, hiding away from itself. Ah, but where does all the pieces fit? When did it begin fall away from being far beyond recognition? It was all very odd…and interesting. History had a habit of repeating itself. What was all so interesting about this? Knowing everything and all that he did, Kadaj felt like it was such a short time that he is to process it. But there was a mastermind he could thank for that But yet, still, he feels there was far much more he could learn–so much he doesn’t know. Repetitively, a numerous amount times there were examples shown just how far, and how low humans would sink in order to survive. Evidently enough, they were the ones who started it all. Poisoning themselves, killing themselves to climb and rise to the top. They started the decaying process. No wonder mother wanted to take control of what she lost and revitalize it. She wanted it to flourish, to live once more. That idea and those desires matched his own. She deserved that right to reign. Humanity at best is should be treated as the disease that is–in such a state. It found new ways and continued to find even more ways of reinventing it’s delayed destruction. Making itself sick for years and decades more to come. Taken away from his thoughts that always seem to intrude his daily life, it’s questioning that an inkling of calmness opened the way to him. The remnant is not phased by this noise, nor by the sudden reveal. Hmm, he mused ever silently to himself. Not too long now. It would take more than a slight change of the altered scenery, the tearing away of the sky to stir him. In a way, if anything terms itself to describe it—well, Kadaj needed time to decide of what he sees now and how he makes him feel. The thunder rumbled through him long enough to welcome an awe inspiring chill. From start to finish, he watches this once lacking scene shift and become something more interesting. As he stood, Kadaj couldn’t help the smile. It’s an eerie one in a way he began desire a shred in semblance of it. He liked being witness, a subscriber to shock given to those who lived in the slums. There was a reason he’s Sephiroth’s callousness and hatred personified. The more he bothered to deny it, the more he realized he’s more like him than he first imagined. Maybe much moreso than Yazoo and Loz. These humans were right to scream at what they saw. They could do nothing but attempt to run and fritter away; that’s all they could do. They failed bettering themselves of being capable of else. Once again, this remnant is….more pleased. He is…interested and wanted to know more of what in which this beast is capable of doing. He didn’t care of the measures, nor the extremities that he needed to take. The color of blood shed placed a color splash in this otherwise, bland world of waste, decay and pile of walking flesh, and ruble that it is reduced to. Shinra being the blame–they were masters for claiming and robbing others of their lives. The way that it wrote and spread across the pavement brought him joy. Finally, something much more interesting to settle his nausea that was not currently mankind. Blue green opened once things suddenly began to cease. 

“Oh..?” His voice falls into a bit of a silence where only his own ears notices it As though he’s taking to himself. “…You don’t intend to run away on me now. Do you?” Where there is disappointment, there is now wait as the planet returns to what it was before this chaos made it interesting.

𝐀 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍, 𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐊𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓  cuts  through  the  receding  clouds,  pouring  its  shimmering  warmth  over  the  crooked  rooftops  of  buildings  &  the  plaza  that  grows  gradually  silent,  now  barely  an  echo  of  whispering  wind.  he  slowly  opens  his  oriental  eyes  just  then,  long  lashes  flattering  over  the  pools  of  pitch-black  ────   so  very  cold,  bottomless  &  empty  ────  they  stare  at  the  heavens  for  a  while,  drowning  all  reflections  in  complete  darkness.�� when  was  the  last  time  he  even  saw  the  daylight... ?

                had  a  single  taste...   of  its  unrequited  love... ?

mindlessly  watching  a  pair  of  white  doves  flying  by,  the  young  serial  killer  smiles  &  bit  by  bit  reaches  up,  outstretching  own  black-nailed  hand  towards  the  sheer  beauty  of  this  other  world,  blood  still  dripping  fresh  from  his  fingertips;  ahh...  so  warm...  so...  very  warm...  i  could  almost  die  like  this... 

gently  capturing  one  of  the  little  birds  within  his  delirious  mind,  envy  grows  sweetly  intoxicated,  never  to  notice  how  the  entire  city  stands  still  ────  lithic  &  silent  ────  just  like  an  ancient  clock  without  a  wind-up  key.   well,  aside  from  a  single  child.  she  walks  around  the  smiling  remnant  &  carefully,  almost  dubiously,  approaches  the  spellbound  beast.    ❝    u-um...  e... excuse  me...  ❞    stuttering  softy,  she  stops  just  before  the  pulsing  mass  of  flesh  &  blood,    ❝    a.... are  you...  okay?   ❞

he  doesn't  answer,  seemingly  not  acknowledging  her  presence.  ❝   s-..... sir?  ❞   she  tries  again,  but  louder,  placing  a  tiny  hand  'pon  the  chest  as  if  an  iron  shield,  as  if  no  evil  or  harm  will  come  to  her  if  she  does.    ❝  are  you....  hurt?  ❞    taking  one  step  closer,  the  boot  slowly  sinks  into  mesh  &  envy  suddenly  glances,  making  the  poor  child  stumble  back  in  turn.  after  all,  those  eyes....  they're...  wrong.  completely,  utterly  wrong.  ❝   i-....  i'm  sorry!!   ❞   they  make  no  sense  with  that  boyish  smile. 

thus  instantly  falling  back,  she  runs  towards  the  only  other  person  brave  enough  to  be  this  close  &  in  that  very  same  moment,  envy  lowers  his  arm,  at  long  last,  raising  from  such  hellish  bedlam   ────   the  heavens  above  no  longer  of  interest  ────   following  her  with  haunting  gaze  alone  til   ' their '   eyes  suddenly  meet.  a  clash  of  two  evils.  oh,  how  peculiar.  he  can't  help  but  to  tilt  his  head,  most  shamelessly  examining  the  graceful  man  as  if  nobody  else  currently  existed,  including  that  one  little  girl  who  dares  to  steal  a  peek  from  behind  kadaj. 

such  interesting  clothing,  he  thinks,  maybe  i  really  have  gone  insane.  widening  the  smile  a  little  more,  the  young  serial  killer  chuckles  &  subconsciously  admires  how  kadaj's  hair  glimmers  beneath  the  sun,  looking  just  like  a  beautiful  mass  of  silvery  threads  ────  he  had  never  seen  someone  this  unique  &  stylish  before.  still,  as  the  sunlight  grows  stronger,  so  does  the  need  to finally  lurk  back  into  shadows  &  that's  precisely  what  he  does,  most  regrettably  breaking  their  mutual eye  contact  in  order  to  leave  for  the  nearest  alleyway.  oh..  such  a  terrible  shame.  it’s  been  a  while  since  he  felt  this  tempted  for  a  bite.

[adventhero-blog1]

GROUP VERSE INFO.

character name:  cloud strife. age:  23 years old. discipline:  rogue. faction:  nova. history ( prior to rebirth ):  cloud strife was born in gaia, nibelheim. his father disappeared when he was young, and he grew up with no siblings;  only his mother. as a child, cloud was alienated from the other kids. the only person who showed him kindness was a young girl  ( his neighbour )  tifa, & even she was too preoccupied with her own life to recognise that the other kids disliked, and even went as far as to bully cloud out of their friend group. there were stories in nibelheim that the dead passed through mt.nibel. one day, having lost her mother, tifa decides to venture through mt.nibel  ——  &  out of both curiosity and concern, cloud follows. she loses her footing on the mountain, and having made attempt to help her, both cloud AND tifa wind up falling. he only hurts his knees, but tifa winds up in a coma. the residents of nibelheim blame cloud;  claim that he was the one who convinced her to go in the first place. his childhood is quite lonely, and it is around that time that he learns of the great SEPHIROTH.  enamoured by the idea of becoming a hero, cloud decides that one day he’ll join SOLDIER, become 1st class  —— and become just like him. some time passes, and cloud leaves the village in hopes of joining shinra, then  ( eventually )  SOLDIER. not all goes to plan, and by age 15 he winds up becoming an infantryman. on his way to modeoheim, cloud meets a young ZACK FAIR,  and the two quickly become friendly;  bonding over their both being backwater experts. when the both of them infiltrate a mako excavation facility, they encounter genesis rhapsodos & dr hollander. although cloud temporarily manages to capture hollander, he escapes. alongside tseng, he attempts pursuit only to be taken down by the rogue 1st class, angeal hewley. at age 16, cloud encounters zack again while protecting junon from genesis’ attack, & then again  ( alongside sephiroth )  to visit a faulty mako reactor on mt nibel. incredibly ashamed of himself for not having made SOLDIER,  cloud keeps his identity a secret on the visit to nibelheim;  to the townspeople, and fore-mostly to tifa and his mother. all the same, he does plan on visiting his mother  —— & even sent a message to zack beforehand asking if he’d tag along. before long, however, they set off for the reactor with tifa as their guide. upon sephiroth’s discovery of the makonoids  ( humans that had been experimented on with the use of mako & jenova cells;  experiments of hojo )  he begun to question himself, and locked himself away in shinra’s manor. several days later, cloud awakens to smoke and embers;  his whole village set aflame. his mother, and everybody he’d grown up knowing perishes in the flames, and cloud sets forth for the mako reactor. here, he finds both zack and tifa gravely wounded. lifting the buster sword  ( a memento;  once angeal’s, & passed down to zack )  cloud makes for the reactor core, catches sephiroth off guard —— and lands a fatal blow with the BLADE.  upon returning to tifa, a direly wounded sephiroth emerges from the core and attacks again;  impales cloud with masamune. summoning an unknown bout of strength, cloud manages to grasp hold of the katana and hurl sephiroth into the mako pit before he collapses. the survivors of nibelheim, with the exception of tifa  ( having been rescued by zangan )  become test subjects for professor hojo. he injects them with jenova cells & exposes them to mako, with attempt to test his jenova reunion theory. the end goal was to create sephiroth clones;  people whose wills can be overridden by sephiroth’s. zack went through a similar process in joining SOLDIER,  but cloud’s body was weak  —— &  he contracted severe mako poisoning.  4 years later, and zack finally finds an opportune moment for escape. he helps a vegetative, unresponsive cloud out of his pod and aids him in getting out of the shinra manor. he gives cloud a SOLDIER uniform to wear since his infantryman uniform was soaked with mako, and then they’re on the run for almost a year. zack helps cloud with most EVERYTHING,  whilst he’s incapable. he talks about them becoming mercenaries together in midgar, despite the fact cloud is unable to respond. eventually shinra catch up to them, & made to fight against incredible numbers ... zack fights to protect cloud and himself. overwhelmed by fear and trauma, cloud musters the will to drag himself across the ground  ——  towards zack, as he lays dying. zack entrusts him with the buster sword, and tells cloud that he is his living legacy. 

having trudged to midgar with the buster sword in hand, cloud eventually winds up in the sector 7 slums train station. he collapses, and tifa happens to stumble upon him. though he does recognise her & becomes somewhat coherent;  considerably more than he had been, cloud begins acting STRANGE.  he has inconsistent memories and behaviours, sporadic headaches  ——  and sometimes even blackouts. some time later on, after taking up tifa’s offer to join the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE  ( whom he had once fought against as a shinra infantryman )  cloud begins to hear a voice, reminding him of something which happened in the past. all the same, he chooses to brush it aside & focus on the task at hand. his entire demeanour becomes inconsistent and somewhat askew. this is the result of the trauma of the nibelheim incident, mako poisoning and zack’s death. throughout his adventure, cloud lives with the FALSE understanding that he was once a 1st class SOLDIER, just like zack was. his memories are twisted, and he can’t recall the reality of everything which he endured. his adventure is a long and arduous one, beginning with the task of blowing up a mako reactor  —— & leading up to cloud’s discovery of who he truly is. after meeting and befriending a peculiar array of individuals, cloud eventually forms a group that will assist him in his  PURSUIT of sephiroth. although he believes himself being drawn towards the ex-SOLDIER out of a drive for revenge and the fundamental understanding that he is a threat to many people, it is later found that cloud is being summoned by sephiroth;  a failed experiment & sephiroth clone, but the only one that successfully carries out its duty. after handing the black materia to him at temple of the ancients, and almost killing aerith  ( the last ancient, and somebody he cared for dearly )  only to have her killed right before him, cloud begins to fear himself // what he is capable of doing with sephiroth’s influence. at the north crater, it is sephiroth himself that reveals the truth of his past to him  —— and with his trauma bubbling to the surface, cloud’s mind begins to break all over again. desperate for the truth & believing his true PURPOSE to be that of a sephiroth clone, he begs professor hojo for a number  ( only to be called a miserable failure )  and proves the reunion theory correct, by handing sephiroth the black materia:  meteor. amid the chaos, cloud falls into the lifestream and surfaces on the island of mideel. yet again, he contracts severe mako poisoning. tifa arrives some time later and keeps him company as he, very slowly recovers  ——  &  some time after WEAPON attacks, the two of them are thrown into the lifestream. it is here that tifa helps cloud find himself, by venturing into his subconscious and aiding him in his remembrance of his past;  who he was, and what really happened. leader of the group once more, cloud now  ( somehow )  needs to prevent meteor from destroying the planet. they next wind up getting trapped in the shinra no. 26 rocket, and upon returning to gaia in the escape pod reflect upon their desires to protect their planet. with bugenhagen’s help, they learn that aerith summoned the white materia HOLY to counter meteor, but that sephiroth was holding it back. the last battle takes place in the north crater, where cloud & the party take down each of sephiroth’s forms. it is in the lifestream that cloud and sephiroth have their final battle, and with him out of the way ... holy wards off meteor, with the help of the deceased aerith. 

midgar is destroyed by meteor. or, at least  —— the VAST majority is destroyed. a new city named ‘edge’ is built on midgar’s outskirts, and cloud lives with tifa & marlene there, with his own delivery service. he stumbles upon denzel outside aerith’s church  ( an orphan child with geostigma )  and later, denzel begins to live with them in 7th heaven // tifa’s bar. only just having come to terms with his memories, cloud falls into a cycle of guilt and depression. he moves away from tifa & the others, instead living in aerith’s church. 2 years pass, and he leaves on a hunt for the cure to GEOSTIGMA ——  only to acquire it himself, being a prime candidate;  what with his jenova cells.  three remnants of sephiroth  ( kadaj, loz & yazoo )  make themselves known, and attack not only cloud but president rufus shinra, who happened to survive the explosion at shinra hq. cloud is reluctant to fight again, still weighed down by his survivor’s guilt and past TRAUMA. even so, he travels to the forgotten city;  having heard that denzel & marlene, along with numerous other innocent children had been kidnapped. after fighting, he is rescued by vincent and escorts marlene home. reuniting with his friends, they take down the monster bahamut sin  —— and cloud begins his pursuit of the lead remnant:  kadaj. they encounter one another in aerith’s CHURCH, and kadaj is chased off by lifestream-infused water which begins to spout from the church floor. the rain which falls seemingly cures cloud’s geostigma. he travels to the ruins of the shinra building & once again confronts kadaj, only for the latter to absorb jenova’s remains and transform into sephiroth. after a grueling battle, cloud emerges victorious. sephiroth dissipates, and a weakened;  dying kadaj takes his place, and soon returns to the lifestream. 

just when cloud believes he has time to spare, a bullet punctures his torso from behind  —— & his body begins to fail him. the blood has smeared and washed away with the RAIN, but his injuries have yet to fully heal. lacerations mar pale skin from head to toe, and the gunshot does little to complement the agonising pain prevalent in his abdomen. lurched over, one gloved hand cradles the wound;  blood sticks to the leather, but there are more  TASKING  issues at hand. albeit slowly, cloud rises to his feet. he can’t go just yet, he thinks. marlene & denzel made him promise  ——  that he’d come back. in, then out. his breaths are raspy, but his movements are certain  ( excluding the way his fingers tremble as they curl about first tsurugi’s hilt )  and then he forces himself upright;  hurls himself forward, and it’s bright ...  TOO bright  ——  &  for just a moment, cloud swears he can hear a familiar voice. maybe ... he won’t make it back, after all.

friends / acquaintances:   @ofwalkingdawn:  upon waking in the snow, riku helped him to safety. cloud isn’t too sure what to think of him just yet. nice, but not too assertive. he’ll have to remember to say thanks when he’s more coherent. @emerandis:  a young, vibrant girl. she reminds him of someone, just slightly. they’re newly acquainted, but she seems to know more than he does about ‘solis city’.  he’ll stick with her for the time being. @faeriesforce:  pretty strange guy, but he seems kinder than most. laguna helped him out of the snow, & went as far as to offer cloud his own jacket with little to no hesitation. cloud feels a peculiar familiarity. @seishinhana​:  upon recognising her after reaching winterfin, cloud began to understand the reality of the situation. his memories gathered rapidly, & soon he was able to recall just who she was  —— but all the more sceptical  ( curious ), he thought to approach her. riddled with guilt and disbelief, cloud isn’t quite sure how to respond to the situation. if it is her, he thinks, he’ll be even more lost for words.

the story so far: the skies above blanketed with a thick, unwavering layer of grey & white  ——  snowflakes fall IDLY, resting on his dark attire. cloud is near motionless, but somewhat coherent. his body is capable of movement, but it would take him an exhausting amount of time to near civilisation without another’s  AID.  cloud’s memories are prevalent, but guarded;  hazy, almost. the longer he explores  ( and the more that happens to trigger his memory )  the clearer his memories of his life prior to this ‘rebirth’ become. he isn’t actively seeking the role of the HERO, but should he learn of evil that may befall him or anybody he allies with, cloud may consider joining the fight. a little begrudgingly, but that’s expected. for now, he’s just trying to find out where he is.

[tgunn64]

Favorite Villains - Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)

I initially began my foray into Final Fantasy for Cloud and Tifa--but the character that surprised me the most by far, was the most iconic villain in any FF game, and among the most popular in any video game. The One Winged Angel, Sephiroth. FF7 has heavy themes of war, and its mental as well as physical toll on soldiers, and this is exemplified no better than in Sephiroth, who was a prolific and popular SOLDIER First Class until the discovery that he is, in fact, a living experiment drove him insane.

And admittedly...who wouldn’t? Like you found out that your part alien, said alien is still in a stasis tube underground, and that your whole life is a huge lie. Sephiroth isn’t really justifiable, but very pitiable. He was never exactly a happy person to begin with, but any real hope he could’ve had went down the drain when he walked in to find Jenova. One of the most striking and memorable things about Sephiroth is his design, which is JRPG badass-ness taken up to eleven. Long hair, an even longer sword, and in incredible leather jacket lets him strike an imposing figure quickly.

Sephiroth is fascinating because we meet him through Cloud’s “memories”, where he was a good kong and part of SOLDIER. You see him one shot a massive dragon that you had no hope of even scathing, to really up the idea of “Man, I’m glad he’s on my side”--which in turn ups the idea of “oh shit” when he no longer is. He's tremendously powerful, the one you NEVER stacked up to in the academy. You used to admire him, but now you're dreading having to face him. He’s built up as massively strong--after exiting a swamp, hot on his trail, you see a massive snake that you likely ran into and got killed by dead by his hand. The idea that he could kill one of these so easily should be enough to instill TERROR in you to even face him. You see him hunt down people, leaving a trail of bodies on his way to his climax. He kills President Shinra, seeming the biggest threat you're dealing with, and brings everything up to eleven when you thought things were ALREADY intense what with the slum you're growing up in getting carpet bombed.

When he finally got his voice, he was given the vocal chords of George Newburn, who does a surprisingly good job. He’s pretty monotone, but he doesn’t have to jump his voice about to convey how he feels. He shows all of Sephiroth’s arrogance and condescension in his rather relaxed, but still menacing tone. He’s the kind of guy that could slice you to bloody shreds without warning. I love his chemistry in the Dissidia games, where he's incredibly stoic next to the more bombastic FF villains, going as far as telling Chaos that he can "do better than that" after he transforms. Similar to Darth Vader--Sephiroth has tragedy, but is unshaken by it. As flat and as dismal as he may seem, he really doesn’t seem to mind breeding despair as his Mother once did. Hell, he seems pretty damn convinced he's the good guy. He has this almost brainwashed way of speaking. He murders Aerith, one of the most shocking video game moments ever, permanently removing her from your party, and afterwards tells Cloud to "Stop acting like [he's] sad". His mind is so broken he's almost delusional, which shows how far he has fallen from his days as a SOLDIER that would give his life for others.

I often credit heroes like Superman for defending humanity despite how much stronger he is than humanity. He discovered his true origins, and resolved to do the right thing. This is where he juxtaposes to villains like Sephiroth just for instance, who discovers his true origins, and did the exact opposite. He became entitled and demented, bent on emptying Gaia and using it as a vessel to travel the galaxy. He saw the world as his birthright as originally stamped on by Jenova, and wants to finish what she began. Cue Advent Children, in which Sephiroth is largely dormant, but in his place are three ‘Remnants’ of him--Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz. Each of the three makes up one of Sephiroth’s primary traits. Yazoo is his allure and charm, that was more largely present during his time in SOLDIER, but is primarily pushed aside now, as Yazoo is the least active of the three brothers. Loz is Sephiroth’s strength and speed, but acts childish, perhaps to match up to Sephiroth using his own strength for explosive ‘tantrums’ of death, as well as attachment to ‘Mother’? And Kadaj, their leader, is his will, the head of the operation, and Sephiroth’s biggest motivator.

When Sephiroth returns from his demise, his tunnel vision turns to Cloud. In FF7, Sephiroth couldn’t even be bothered to REMEMBER Cloud, who was insignificant to him in the grand scheme of SOLDIER. Meanwhile, in AC as well as Dissidia, given the option to do any number of things, Sephiroth wants to see the buster sword wielding ex-SOLDIER beg for mercy. He hates that someone managed to stay in his way. He’s used to being the strongest, and has a major superiority complex, though he’d never admit it. His last words to Cloud before fading away in Advent Children; “I’ll never...be a memory.”

Sephiroth may be struck down any number of times, but in some ways, he’s become more an idea than a person. Even if he fades away, others like him will come, as long as there’s war and entitlement for land. His remains LITERALLY came to life, mind you. He’s all around and never truly gone, he was a DISEASE for a time, and that’s a big thing that makes him leave such an impression.

His six foot sword striking despair in many, there’s a reason he’s regarded as such a great.