#SephZard

[rivkae-winters]

[snowbanshee]

This is how people acquire cats. They just march in making demands, and you can't help but fall in love with them.

[pine-needle-shuffle]

Can I please get Lazard and Sephiroth (whichever number you think suits them best)?

perfect height

[altocat]

Ship bingo: Sephzard and Sephgeal addition

SEPHZARD:

SEPHGEAL:

[genjishimemeda]

How do you think Sephiroth and Lazard's first meeting went? Any preconceived opinions? How much of a culture shock they were for one another?

so if there's one thing lazard is, it's that he's perceptive when it comes to interpersonal relationships (aside from the GAPING blind spot re: genesis and hollander that ultimately leads to his downfall). i'm sure the guy has a tight read on basically everyone in shinra, and especially on the higher ranking ones.

his first meeting with sephiroth i figure he keys into sephiroth's obvious… well, i'd call it autism, since that's how i hc sephiroth, but i think he'd know that something's a bit off about sephiroth psychologically. he'd probably consider how to use it to his advantage. he's also going to spot right away that sephiroth despises the limelight, resents his fame, and overall seems just resigned to his position. that could both prove troubling, yet useful. sephiroth may not be able to divine lazard's true intentions (if he plays his cards right), but he could also be a serious threat if sent after him.

sephiroth, i think, would initially really not like lazard because it's just another shinra suit and the person who's going to be giving him more direct orders. but lazard is immediately weirdly disarming. he addresses sephiroth like a person rather than a tool, and is nothing but warm and cordial. he finds his opinions listened to and respected, and his insight appreciated. lazard isn't interested in just telling him what to do, and that's. important, i think, for sephiroth. (crucially, though, sephiroth's lack of interpersonal skills relative to lazard's means he probably wouldn't be able to deduce the real reason why, which… well, read on.)

little tangent, it's hard to tell how old lazard is exactly. rufus is apparently 30 in FF7R, so if we backport that to OG, lazard could be as little as a few months older to as many as, like, 5 to 7. i'd say he's mid-twenties start of CC at least, to mid-thirties at most. anime age is hard to tell. the only reason i say this is, how old sephiroth is when they first meet informs how lazard would treat him:

if he meets him when sephiroth is like. a little bit older than ever crisis age, he's going to lean in on treating sephiroth like one would an actual teenager. i think he'd be (reasonably professionally) caring and perhaps authoritative, in a healthy parent type way. if they're closer in age, lazard would treat him like a peer. it's important to lazard to foster a sense of camaraderie with sephiroth, even if it's only for his own spiderweb-planning. learning more about angeal and genesis? more about the other shinra execs from sephiroth's POV? learning about… hojo, perhaps? the president? ­rufus~?

sephiroth never comes to see him as a friend, and lazard is pretty careful about that, but he certainly is willing to come across as trustworthy enough to have sephiroth feel he can at least tell him certain things. less emotional, deep, personal things but more like. events and goings-on that would be relevant for them both. useful things. and sephiroth's not going to think it's strange if lazard asks him what rufus has been up to because lazard can easily spin a yarn about how it's relevant.

shit would get weird if/when lazard finds out about sephiroth's origins though. i think he'd feel bad for sephiroth in a somewhat… ah, another person screwed over by shinra way. but probably wuld do his best not to let that distract him from his real goals. once he's got angeal's cells though if he thought back on it, BOY would he feel horrible. a child born into that? a spirit crushed and broken before it ever bloomed? someone who simply… did as he was told, never thought to question it, but had the power to absolutely overturn it if he weren't the elephant staked into the ground? lazard is torn between horror and a pitying jealousy. if he'd had that power… but the cost. heh. the cost was too high. something something price of freedom dot mp3.

okay i think i'm done waxing poetic if you wanted something more gay PLEASE slap me with another ask.

[salternateunreality2]

Hi, I'm not ok after imagining Cloud, Tifa, or Zack singing this to Aerith.

It hurts the most with Cloud because I think he was the most changed character-wise after meeting Aerith.

If you need me, I'll be writing more YSF with this in the background (bless all our hearts).

OH HECK I JUST REALIZED THIS COULD BE EQUALLY DEVASTATING WITH Zack/Seph, SephGen, SephZard, or SephGeal, with Sephiroth being the star boy. Just imagine his sweet little murder kitten face lighting up as he talks about the cosmos. I am u n w e l l.

[snowbanshee]

Sephiroth is a combined effort of everyone he met in life. He was so incomplete fresh out of the labs. And of course he learned some slang from Zack, surprising everyone who knew him so far.

Also, my friends writing SephZard is the best thing I could have hoped for, thank you Salty for being such an amazing person.

Zack, Sephiroth, Lazard, and Slang

(Sephzard romantic ship)

Zack teaches Seph slang. He teaches him to say "bro" and "my dude" and says they're declarations of love and deep affection for your manly friends. He does not clarify that these apply to platonic relationships.

Sephiroth also learns "bussin" and "tubular". To an extent.

Lazard: well hello, handsome man *trails fingers over sephiboobage*

Sephiroth: my dude. 😻

Lazard: *chokes*

Lazard: 😉

Sephiroth: *blinks slowly like a cat 🐱😸🐱* bro ❤️

Lazard: ☠️

Sephiroth: Hello Director. I assume you are curious as to why I have visited you in your office today. Well, it is because I noticed that your buttocks are bussin' in those slacks, and I think the view from behind is totally tubular.

Lazard: ...Sephiroth...

Sephiroth: *proud kitten face*

Lazard: ...thank you, sweetheart, I think your booty is pretty bussin' today too.

Sephiroth: 🥰

Zack, 30 minutes later, and for the next 3 hours:

[snowbanshee]

That scene in crisis core where Sephiroth is hanging out in Lazard's office:

Thank you, lovely and beautiful Pumpkin ♡

I love the idea that despite being a strong, self-sufficient, smart, and capable man, Sephiroth still gets to be loved and pampered. Goddess knows his inner child needs all the love and security he can get. I'm sure Lazard would be more than happy to provide it for his precious General.

[snowbanshee]

The first meeting

[snowbanshee]

How do you think Sephiroth realizes he has feelings for Lazard? And vice versa.

(Sorry if you've already talked about it on this blog)

Oh my goodness, please do not apologise for sending me an ask about my favourite topic, this made my (looks at the clock)... uh... week.

So I do have long and needlessly complicated headcanons about this specific topic and I have at least 3 variations of how that happened, some of them are so sad they would make Nomura cry.

But back to the topic.

There were many factors that added up. Sephiroth was the property of Research and Development. SOLDIER department was supposed to be founded (before that it was simply a program, not a department) and Sephiroth was supposed to answer to Heidegger, but after a lot of meetings, bickering and hurt egos, Lazard was promoted to that position. After returning from the war, Sephiroth was too depressed to even bother to get to know people. He knew Hojo, he knew Heidegger, he knew ShinRa, there was no reason to assume Lazard was any different.

First thing Sephiroth noticed was how different Lazard and Hojo were. Lazard was all about tailoring the missions to SOLDIERs strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. He encouraged his men to talk about themselves and never used that information as ammunition against them. How naturally safe and comfortable it felt being vulnerable around him. How much he cared about physical and mental wellbeing of SOLDIERs and even went on missions to do as much for his men as possible. How easy it was for Lazard to admit that he doesn't know something, but is willing to learn. How effortlessly Lazard balanced the fine line between being their boss and being a gentle guardian, always pleasant, always accommodating. This was how Sephiroth realised he didn't need all those walls and masks as they were only getting in the way.

The second thing was Lazard's self-respect and healthy attitude. Despite being the youngest director and working with some of the Planet's most fucked up people, Lazard did not let others mistreat him and always spoke up. Sephiroth became fascinated with Lazard's self-love, ability to forgive himself if he miscalculated, his resilience and well... the lack of self-destructive habits. Everyone else Sephiroth knew was punishing themselves one way or another. Lazard treated himself with respect and encouraged others to do it. This realisation made Sephiroth interested in Lazard, not necessarily in a romantic way, but Sephiroth did go out of his way to spend time in Lazard's office. There Sephiroth noticed how talented, hard working, efficient smart and capable the new director was.

What made Sephiroth realise he really wanted Lazard in his life forever was Lazard's willingness to face Sephiroth's inner demons with no prejudice or fear. All those parts that Sephiroth decided were vile, shameful, inhuman and simply wrong were accepted, respected and loved.

Now, let's talk about Lazard. He did have a mother that loved him very much, but there were so many times he was beaten up or his things were taken away, because he wasn't strong enough to fight off other kids in the slums. Encouraged by his mother, Lazard pursued education as a way to escape the slums and never hoped to be physically strong enough to win fights. He saw Rufus on TV, never hungry, never beaten up, always near their father. There was some longing in Lazard's heart. At first he noticed other boys with their fathers. Later he noticed boys and girls with their boyfriends.

And while Lazard joined ShinRa only to make sure it fell apart, he knew being surrounded by SOLDIERs was going to be... distracting. Lazard knew about Sephiroth long before meeting him. He promised himself not to fall in love, despite Sephiroth being exactly his type. And he kept that promise for the entire 3 seconds of their first meeting. Then he fell for Sephiroth, hard, but didn't act upon it for years, because he had a position to secure and Sephiroth was drowning in trauma. Years later, when SOLDIER was a well established and respected department, when Sephiroth was much healthier and happier, Lazard sent Sephiroth on a rather boring mission to a remote and beautiful location and decided to join him.

[snowbanshee]

Happy Halloween!!

"Ah, it's you!" Sephiroth’s eyes light up with recognition, recalling your visit last year. He's prepared this time, with an impressive assortment of candies and cookies.

Sephiroth has gone to great lengths to make sure everything is just right and he's generous in sharing (just as he was generous to himself when he ate a handful or two).

"Oh? What’s this?" His gaze sharpens as he takes in the gift you brought, a flicker of curiosity dancing in his eyes. He inspects the images on the wrappers, then a slow, genuine smile appears on his face.

"Thank you." His tone is warm, though there’s a trace of amused disbelief in his expression. He’s a seasoned warrior, a grown man—and yet, the sight of these sweets fills him with a childlike excitement he just can’t hide.

And somehow, he doesn't want to.

----------------------

Thank you sweet and lovely Pumpkin! I can't believe you personalised this ask so much for me, it makes me feel so honored!

Happy (late) Pumpkin day to you, you beautiful, kind soul.

[snowbanshee]

For @ffviirarepairweek

I'm eternally grateful to @salternateunreality2 who not only bears with my constant babbling about those two but also encourages me.

[snowbanshee]

[snowbanshee]

Do the other Firsts+ Zack know of Sephiroth and Lazard's relationship or are they keeping it a secret? What about the company?

Pumpkin, you are a beautiful angel. Thank you for the asks, they totally made my day <3

Since it's a subject I love talking about, I'm gonna start from the dinosaurs walking the Planet Gaia.

Sephiroth wasn't socialised as a puppy before he was thrown to the Rhadore archipelago, where he suffered a great loss and was immediately thrown into the front lines of the biggest war in recent history, and from there he was thrown into something much more horrible - the Headquarters of ShinRa.

He, Angeal and Genesis were not dealing well, but the new director of SOLDIER was doing his best to take care of them. And it helped, a lot. All of Sephiroth's rage, guilt, shame and mourning went unnoticed on the battlefield, but it was painfully obvious he was not meant for the sweet yet poisonous pleasantries, meetings, intrigues, antagonistic and abusive workplace culture, and seeing Hojo daily. Eventually, people realised SOLDIERs were happier, calmer and easier to manage around Lazard. He had his way of talking Genesis out of setting the building on fire or Sephiroth out of stabbing a person or 10.

So while Lazard and Sephiroth didn't want everyone to know and did their best to keep it a secret, it's not like people who eventually noticed were against it, as long as the silver demon was fed, exercised and calm. They chose to turn a blind eye, there was little incentive for President, Vice president or the Turks to make it a problem.

Zack didn't notice.

Genesis was the first to notice, even if he had a couple of incorrect guesses, asking Sephiroth if he liked that cute nurse who checked his vitals after injuries and if there was a reason he chose to go on a mission with Tseng rather than Reno. And when Genesis started dropping hints like "come on Angeal, let's give them some privacy~", Angeal reprimanded him before realising that Genesis indeed had a point.

The third person to notice the romantic tension was... Sephiroth. Yes, he can be a little... uh... slow when it comes to his own feelings. But we love him nevertheless.

[snowbanshee]

Because @salternateunreality started it and then it just didn't stop.

What I mostly like about the little S/L ship is how healthily balanced their relationship seems to be. They both seem to be equally powerful, but in different ways.

Lazard is not physically strong, but when it comes to social situations, he’s an expert. The youngest Director in ShinRa, at 23 years old he is already in charge of ShinRa’s most powerful force, SOLDIER and is doing a good job when dealing with other directors, SOLDIERs, the president, etc. People like Domino and Palmer (sometimes even Reeve) do not get much respect because of how soft they are. And SOLDIERs are apparently not above talking shit about people they do not respect (and you might say duuh, well of course Sephiroth would talk badly and openly disrespect Hojo. And in real life I would agree, but in fiction I guess you can only say a character does smth if they’re portrayed doing smth? So yes, Sephiroth will let people know if he disrespects them). So despite being young, poor and unenhanced, Lazard compensates it with social expertise to gain position of power. We can see that when he predicts Genesis’ parents are lying to ShinRa. And once again, in real life one might say duuuh, but in Crisis Core it is shown that Lazard makes a prediction about people’s motives and behavior and even Zack needs an explanation why he made that guess and later it is revealed that Genesis’ parents indeed cannot be trusted as they falsified info about Genesis (that he wasn’t any special from the G cells – Sephiroth finds their falsified reports later in game). So yes, this short game about Zack takes time to point out how well Lazard can read people.

Which brings me to my point: apparently Sephiroth accepts hugs and affirmations if people interpret his needs correctly. I would have never thought Sephiroth lets people hug him when he’s in a sulky vulnerable mood, but here we go.

I think Lazard is much more protective of Sephiroth than vice versa. He is very conventional and modern when it comes to ideas about leadership – mutual respect, trust, good communication. Which had without a doubt severely clashed with everything Sephiroth believed in when he was transferred from prof Hojo to SOLDIER. Of course Lazard’s main goal in life was to end the evil ShinRa corporation and to do it by destroying SOLDIER department. But for that, he had to establish himself as a leader of SOLDIER first. And Sephiroth needed a lot of conditioning to be undone. Lazard is very hands-on leader who wants to see in person how his SOLDIERs are performing their tasks, to personally evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. So imagine Sephiroth returning from a mission where he slept outside in horrible weather for a week because he was given the wrong key, but he didn’t want to complain, because hardships made him stronger. Or being injured and not having the means to return to the base so he’d walk for miles and miles before getting any medical attention. "Pain is good for you!" After finding it out, Lazard would call him to his office and try to gently suggest that maybe instead of hiding the fact that something is wrong, he can trust him and openly discuss it. I imagine Lazard having to explain to Sephiroth such concepts as survivor’s guilt, etc, to tell Sephiroth what he is feeling and why he’s feeling that. And at first it was probably just so Lazard can have Sephiroth as a functioning team member, but in CC it appears to evolve further and Sephiroth goes to sulk in Lazard’s office when things are bad.

Lazard is portrayed to have a lot of empathy and he fights for the greater good. He sacrificed Genesis, Angeal and himself to destroy ShinRa and yes it was a scummy thing to do and he felt a lot of guilt because of it. But imagine an empathetic person who believes in making the right choices being in charge of young Sephiroth. That young man is so broken even Glenn tries to adopt him. FF7 timeline is a mess, but CC lasts for at least 7 years. So I would say S and L know one another for a decade, give or take a couple of years.

Lazard is pretty upset about his father abandoning his mother and him in the slums. For a young fatherless child, slums must have been a very scary place, especially in dystopian hellscape that is FF7. And while he is well adjusted, having someone as strong and loyal as Sephiroth must feel very nice for him.

And Sephiroth never found his mother, but there was this soft and gentle guardian who probably understood his needs better than he ever could.

This is the part where I wipe a tear and say that in another scenario they could have been perfect for one another. Both professional, respected adults, very strong in their own ways, perfectly fulfilling each other’s needs. But Lazard’s main goal was to destroy the evil corporation and Sephiroth was loyal to ShinRa until it was too late.

Genesis: I hate ShinRa, so I will desert and attack it.

Lazard: I hate ShinRa so I will join it and undo it from inside.

Sephiroth: METEOR.

[snowbanshee]

Got any Protective!Sephiroth HCs? What would he and the gang do when someone's bothering or attacking Lazard?

I do!

I think Sephiroth is protective of all his allies, as a leader by nature and nurture. Without a second thought he would shield others from a bullet, offer to donate his blood, take the longest shifts so others can rest, try to help people with motion sickness, etc. Very much like a sheppard dog amongst toddlers, he would let his instincts and sense of duty guide him, completely disregarding his own needs, survival instinct or annoyance towards those he protects, so he would protect the President, Rufus, Tseng, Palmer, etc. That is his job.

When it comes to Lazard, there are multiple reasons for Sephiroth to protect him. His duty for his direct superior. The imbalance in physical strength. The fact that if Lazard dies or gets severely injured, Heidegger will overtake SOLDIER and treat them way worse. And the fact that they’re friends.

(But I also think Lazard is very protective of SOLDIERs as well.)

Here are a couple of headcanons:

During a meeting, Lazard disagrees with the shorter, more effective yet more violent approach where civilians are put in danger. He suggests a different approach that would require more money and longer preparations, but is safer for people of a small village near the base. So some harsh opinions are exchanged and the meeting is no longer productive, so they’re all dismissed. After a while another meeting is called unexpectedly and Sephiroth is handed a mission plan. He is very aware Lazard didn’t make it, because he and Lazard developed a very specific way to make mission plans for him. So Sephiroth is just standing there in front of the directors and the president with several sheets of paper in his hands.

Sephiroth: What… is this? From the first glance it almost looks like a mission plan for SOLDIER, but in a way that a small child accidentally inhaled too much glue vapor, passed out and had a dream of what SOLDIERs do on missions.

(Lazard is trying not to laugh).

Sephiroth: Heidegger, I appreciate the efforts of whichever overworked, underpaid intern did this, but please do not call me into a meeting if you have nothing better than… (puts away the mission plan as if it’s some smelly diaper) … this.

--later that day--

Lazard: It was Heidegger who made that mission plan.

Sephiroth: Oh I know (:

-------------

Lazard and Heidegger have an argument about a joint military and SOLDIER operation and Heidegger in the heat of the moment, not being able to contain his anger at the insubordination of Lazard, pushes him.

Sephiroth seemingly teleports there, turning over a couple of chairs in his way.

He looks absolutely feral as he bares his fangs at Heidegger.

Sephiroth: This is your first and only warning. Touch him again and I’ll rip your arms off

President: you will do no such thing.

Sephiroth: you wanna bet, old man?

And while Sephiroth is not actually planning to do something stupid, he does know how to look like he’s 1 wrong facial expression away from relieving someone from their mortal duties on this planet. The tension is palpable.

Lazard, cheerfully: Come on, Sephiroth, there’s something I want to show you, let’s go.

--------------------

Also, Sephiroth is hyperaware of the surroundings. So imagine situations when they’re in some questionable neighborhood, Lazard wants to look at souvenirs and Sephiroth wants to return to the base, so he leaves. A minute passes by and Lazard hears Sephiroth saying “yes, this one looks nice” and he raises his head in surprise to see some thugs walking away in a hurry.

------------------

And while I want to believe Lazard is not a complete idiot, he does seem to yolo into a battlefield as long as his SOLDIERs are nearby.

-----------------

I think SOLDIERs would completely overdo it if Lazard had the flu. Being able to barely walk or barely talk, for SOLDIERs it means being nearly dead, once in a lifetime situation. And while they're aware it's different for unenhanced people, they do feel bad seeing Lazard so miserable.

Sephiroth takes Lazard's coffee and drinks it, making a silly expression as it contained way more sugar than he expected.

Lazard: ???

Sephiroth washes the cup and makes him tea with lemon.

Lazard: I appreciate your concern, but with the amount of work I have to do I'm gonna need that coffee.

Sephiroth: two hours.

Lazard: uhhh??

Sephiroth: you have two hours to finish the most important tasks, don't make me force you to get the rest you so obviously need.

-----------------

(I also have this long and elaborate and weird headcanon where Lazard does break up a lot of fights between Sephiroth and Genesis when they start fighting in an inappropriate time or place. And Tseng asks how he’s not afraid to basically just stand there between those two while they’re trying to kill one another. And Lazard explains how well Sephiroth responds when he’s told to deescalate. And some months later Tseng questions Lazard’s words, because Sephiroth snapped and absolutely destroyed some poor soul who was being annoying. And Lazard is just like… "eh…"

So Tseng points out Sephiroth is nowhere near as obedient as Lazard says, and he doesn’t deescalate when ordered to… and then in absolute and complete horror Tseng realizes that Lazard never said a word. He just stood in a corner looking all innocent, watching Sephiroth tearing someone apart. And decided not to stop it. Even when Sephiroth looked up at him, he made no effort to express any concern. “Boys will be boys” Lazard says as he calls in the cleaning staff).

So yes, Lazard is safe with his SOLDIERs, but he respects the fact that they're murderkittens. And Lazard is very protective of them as well: