#Sephiroth adjacent

[jessieleaf2]

Day 6: Possess

[secondarysefikura]

Sephiroth: Cloud, my mother wants to talk to you.

Jenova: My child-

Cloud: Don't call me that.

Jenova: Fine. Son-in-law.

Cloud: Nope. Do not like that.

Jenova: Daughter-in-law?

Cloud: Significantly worse.

Jenova: Too bad, you vetoed the other ones. This is what you're stuck with.

Cloud: God damn it.

[friedfriedchicken]

I made a Venn diagram

The next step is to scientifically classify their species

[finalism]

WYM MORIKAWA IS CALCHARO'S JP SEIYUU

[cmdr-ceylon]

I need the internet to know that the thing that's made Sephiroth okay with me is Varis. I just sort of visually meandered into a Sephiroth-like space with my art of Younger Varis and after years of needing FF7 on mute for my mental health, I have smacked right into the wall that is the brain cell going " Okay but I'm pretty sure the way people revered Sephiroth was very similar to the way Varis was obsessed over by the citizens of the Empire when/if he was young and beautiful."

I know this occludes the prospect of Varis not being beautiful when he was younger, but it's one of many manic rhizomatically spreading headcanons that have been percolating silently in my brain because I've been too intimidated to infodump because some people on the internet are mean.

Anyway, Brock Sampson, Broly, and I guess Sephiroth hit different post-Varis and I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I opened this door.

[prokopetz]

Okay, so: the premise of the Final Fantasy VII remake is that the audience's demand for the remake to follow exactly the same plot as the original has manifested as a horde of evil ghosts who intervene in order to keep the story on the expected rails, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that characters in the remake die at the same times and under the same circumstances as their original counterparts. At the end of the remake's first instalment, Cloud and friends fight and defeat the king of the Evil Plot Ghosts, an act which breaks time and creates a multiverse where everybody's fanfic is real. Sephiroth subsequently merges with all the fanfic versions of himself and becomes some sort of fucked up metanarrative god. Later, Cloud simultaneously succeeds and fails in preventing Aerith's death, which partially dislocates him from the prime narrative reality, and he begins perceiving an adjacent universe where Zack never died. The Aerith of that universe then teams up with Cloud to fight Hyperdimensional Meta Bullshit Sephiroth, a battle that ends inconclusively when Sephiroth flees, stranding Zack-lives-universe Aerith in the prime narrative reality, though only Cloud can see her. The game closes with the revelation that, unbeknownst to everyone else, Sephiroth slipped the Black Materia into Cloud's pocket during their fight, setting in motion the events of the unpublished third instalment. Have I got all that straight?

[calamitysshatteredson]

@themageofmany

He appreciated the silence as Skylar thought. It gave him time to breathe steadily, to get emotional reactions back into the territory of logic. Surely it was some bit of cruel or tragic humor that such things only seemed more difficult over time. Easier in a cold environment where that sort of thing was simply expected, perhaps.

Best left in the furthest, darkest corner of his mind, anyway. He supposed it might all be starting to look like an attic overcrowded with boxes, metaphorically. "Deal." An extremely easy agreement to make. If there were any chance of them truly ending it all...

The question got a soft hum followed by a long bout of silence, contemplating. "Shinra had too much faith in their computer systems. If we find any computers, they're likely to be half destroyed to begin with." And would wind up fully so, Sephiroth didn't need to say. He was tempted to skip the other matter he'd thought of, but perhaps it needed mentioning. "I'm not sure about personal notes. Things that went unreported because the data wasn't specifically asked for." And that was as close as he wanted to get to thinking about the sort of handwritten information Hojo might have jotted down for himself. In more need of burning than official records, as far as he was concerned.

@calamitysshatteredson

Skylar contemplated his offer a moment. Instinctively her answer was no, she did not want to look up her old records, or any records and reports from that place. But on the other hand, they would be safe with Sephiroth. No one would be able to see them, no one would be able to replicate them.

"...Maybe." was her final answer. "If we find them, we burn them. Deal? That way, the final piece of that place dies."

The truth of the matter was that there wasn't a lot that Skylar didn't remember about her time in that place. There likely wasn't much that those papers could tell her. But she understood Sephiroth's curiosity and trusted him more than any person on the Planet.

"Do you think they'd still have anything on paper anymore? Or would it all be on the computers?"

[tyrantchimera]

FFVII Theory: Jenova’s True Target

I’ll try to be brief: I think that, while Sephiroth was the main vessel for Jenova for the majority of FFVII lore, he very well might have been a (admittedly rather successful) bonus or a secondary objective. Her primary and initial target was, in fact, Vincent Valentine.

TL;DR: Jenova is a manipulator and her main target was always Vincent Valentine. But she was smart enough not to put all her eggs in one basket, so this fact never became obvious despite the many, MANY plots revolving around him. Sephiroth was little more than one of her more successful Vincent-adjacent backups. She was wise to target Vincent; In the end, he ended up being the one to foil many of her plans (perhaps once and for all).

The full theory can be found here, including more more in-depth explanations.

Credits to multiple people for gathering and summarizing information, including: @altocat, @pen-and-umbra, Danteppr (Reddit), RoflWotl (Reddit), @phantomyre,  XTurkValentine (Twitter/X), and @getvalentined

[rottenpumpkin13]

What if there's a contest to see who can last the longest time staying on a mechanical bull? How would it go?

• Someone sets up a mechanical bull in the training facility on the 49th floor, it takes a total of 12 minutes for someone to notice, and so far the theories are A) someone is trying to avoid work by setting up a distraction, B) this is a new training machine because SOLDIER will soon be implementing the use of bulls as a mode of transport, and C) Lazard set this up because he wants them to have a contest.

• Option C is the most widely believed option, and soon enough they're lining up to have a go on the mechanical bull.

• Zack is up first, he excitedly jumps on the mechanical bull, Angeal turns it on, Zack is launched 20 feet into the adjacent wall. He stayed on for a total of 1 second.

• Zack claims the mechanical bull is rigged.

• Next is Angeal, who mounts the bull with a round of applause from the other SOLDIERs. He stays on for 44 seconds before he falls, pathetically.

• Zack tries again. He's determined. He will beat the bull this time. His hands were just a little sweaty the first time! That's all!

• Zack mounts the bull.

• The bull throws him into the wall yet again. This time he stayed for 0.4 seconds.

• Next is Sephiroth. He manages to stay for an impressive total of 2 minutes before he lets go and hops off.

Genesis: Ha! Couldn't hang on any longer?

Sephiroth: ?

Sephiroth: I thought the maximum amount of time you could stay on was 2 minutes.

• Genesis is now determined to surpass Sephiroth's record. But before he can mount the bull, Zack pushes past him and hops on again. THIS time he's gonna stay on! Mark his words!

Zack: Turn it on, Kunsel!

Kunsel: Are you sure? Your nose is broken.

Zack: Turn it on, Kunsel!

Kunsel: You're missing a tooth—

Zack: TURN IT ON

• Kunsel panics and turns it on, Zack is launched into the air and smacks into the wall face first. They can actually hear his bones crushing this time.

• Genesis is very smug as he mounts the bull, proclaiming how easy this will be for him considering he's ridden an actual bull before. Genesis fails to mention that the bull was a chocobo, he was 3 and his parents were holding him the entire time.

Sephiroth: Hang on tight. It's not so difficult. If I can do it, so can you.

Genesis: I know what I'm doing, Sephiroth.

• Sephiroth powers on the mechanical bull.

• Genesis is flung to the ground pathetically, lasting a total of 3 seconds.

Sephiroth: Did you mean to do that?

Genesis: SHUT UP.

• Another SOLDIER is supposed to go next, but Zack, a vision of anger and lost dignity, pushes them out of the way and mounts the bull.

Zack, through clenched teeth: On.

Angeal: YOU'RE BLEEDING.

Zack: On.

Angeal: SOMEONE CALL THE PARAMEDICS.

Zack: TURN IT ON!

• Sephiroth turns it on.

• The mechanical bull senses Zack's presence and violently jerks upward, launching Zack into the ceiling.

• Sephiroth is encouraged to beat his previous record, so he hops on the bull and tries again. This time he surpasses the two minutes, to Genesis' utter chagrin, and goes up to 5 minutes before he hops off.

Genesis: A-ha! So you can only last 5 minutes, huh?

Sephiroth: No, I stopped because that vein on your forehead was becoming more and more prominent the longer I went on, and I was concerned for your health.

Genesis: UGH.

• Sephiroth takes pity on Genesis and decides to ride the bull with him so he knows what it feels like to last longer than 3 seconds.

• Somehow even with Sephiroth's expertise, the bull launches the both of them into the wall, where they fall to the ground. They lasted 1 second.

(Later)

Lazard: How was your afternoon?

Sephiroth: Pleasant, but confusing. I usually last a lot longer when I ride, but then I rode with Genesis and only lasted one second.

Lazard: What do I do with this information

• Meanwhile Zack has been stuck in the ceiling for 2 hours.

[esamastation]

Shizuroth, part four.

-

Sephiroth's phone isn't a proper smartphone and has no internet, and he's being very brave about it.

Well, it has something. It is… kinda like a half-assed smartphone? Sorta. It's like that old flip phone his grandfather used to use - probably still does, if he's still alive, somewhere in another universe. It was more brick than a phone - no touchscreen, and the closest it got to any kind of smart features was running an email app, somehow. Sephiroth's phone is a bit like it. It has email - or just mail, apparently. It also has tutorials? Which is useful. Also online shopping? But no apps, no search function, no internet, no wikis, no websites, nothing. It doesn't seem to have photo or video options either - but apparently it keeps track of all his missions.

It's like somehow people invented most of everything that goes into a smartphone - but no one got around to inventing the internet, or anything like it. What a waste!

The tutorials are useful, admittedly, though they're more like manuals, really. Not like cultivation manuals, sadly, more like user manuals. "How to use your PHS" and "what key card opens what floor" and "missions, what are missions" and "materia, what is it and how does it work". There's dozens and dozens of tutorials on the phone, just like you might expect to find in a videogame that couldn't trust its users to remember how everything works. 

The mission roster is, uh. It's definitely something. There's categories, subcategories, levels, and then under those there's info and completion status. And Sephiroth, apparently, does a lot of missions. Like. A lot. He kinda despairs at the idea of having to keep up with it, because it looks like Sephiroth is a workaholic. Though, thankfully, half of the missions are training, experiments in the labs, or experimental training. Still! Isn't he supposed to be the Big Bad? Why is he working so hard?!

The shops' menu on the phone, though very bare bones and lacking any pictures, has his heart leaping with joy - as does the adjacent menu detailing Sephiroth's wallet situation. Which is… very good. Like, Shen Qingqiu wasn't exactly short on change either, he was the second Peak Lord of the most powerful sect in the world - but comparing the Gil Sephiroth has to the price of stuff in the various shops listed on his phone…

Sephiroth has that fuck you money. Guess that's what you get from being a workaholic Big Bad, the strongest and scariest in the evil dystopian planet-sucking mega corporation! You get money. And lots of it.

… Which, along with the details of all the clothing stores on his phone, makes his wardrobe situation even sadder, doesn't it? He should've definitely been able to afford a coat that actually fit him.

Ultimately though, what he figures to be most useful is the mail. There's a lot of it, and it looks like mailing lists are all the rage these days. Because Sephiroth's barely got anything else in his inbox.

News mailing list, SOLDIER mailing list, Shinra mailing list - professor Hojo telling him to go to the labs - another news mailing list, Shinra business mailing list, Wutai News mailing list - Genesis telling him to meet him for a spar - another mailing list, mailing list, mailing list - urgent meeting with Director Lazard - and some more mailing lists.

There are not that many personal messages, honestly. A few requests for a spar, and that's about it. Is that all he does for fun? What is Sephiroth, Liu Qingge 2.0? All he does is work and spar! Just skimming through his schedule makes him feel exhausted.

At least thanks to the mailing lists - and phone's bare bones calendar app - he'd figured where he's at, story-wise. Pre-Crisis Core, pre-Genesis' whole thing, pre… just about everything he remembers from each game.

Wutai war is still going on. And, rather distressingly, Sephiroth has a lot of Wutai missions coming up.

That's… not ideal.

Resting the phone against his lips in thought like he once held a fan, he sighs and tries to think it through. 

There's a squeak as the other SOLDIER steps out of the stall. Must've been the door hinges. "Sir," the SOLDIER says, carefully.

"Mn," he answers and tries to look as Sephiroth-like as he can while also projecting an aura of don't talk to me, I don't even know your name at the man. It works, because the man clearly doesn't want to talk to him.

It's very useful, having a villain halo.

The SOLDIER washes his hands like he can't wait to get away and then hesitates at the door. "Sir, I - there's someone -" the SOLDIER says, tentatively and then flounders at his slow blink. "Someone will be here soon."

With that said, the SOLDIER flees before he can think of a suitably Sephiroth-like answer.

Someone will be here soon? …Okay? Why? 

Making a face, he looks around in confusion and notices that one of the bathroom lights is burned out.

Oh, someone will be here for the light? Right, of course, he's the scary Big Bad here, can't subject the scary Big Bad to a less than stellar environment. Heh, guess that's an upgrade of sorts!

He… really didn't want it. 

It's all rather concerning, really. What is he actually supposed to do here? Go on missions, train, clad himself in barely fitting leather with a ridiculous amount of buckles, and go to war? Over building a life-sucking factory? By a vaguely western, very unsubtle Big Oil Allegory, at that. In what was a vaguely Chinese-coded land, too. The whole thing was very iffy, from what he remembers! He doesn't want to get involved!

And then what is he supposed to do, play out Sephiroth's life to its fiery, insane conclusion? Resurrect and then attempt to destroy the world?! Like all the good Big Bads of old! But he isn't even sure when that is supposed to happen! The timeline in these games is super vague!

At least with PIDW there was a very clear end goal, ah! It was awful and trying to survive had given him grey hairs, but there was a clear forward momentum and an end point! If he survived past it, then… then he won? Maybe?

He hadn't survived past it, though.

He'd died.

… Again.

Closing his eyes, he sighs against Sephiroth's phone, shaking his head. Depressing, depressing, it's so depressing! He'd really grown to like his life as Shen Qingqiu too! All his cute disciples, his books on Qing Jing Peak, his art works, all the things he'd got… all the things he'd done… the friends he'd made…

And Binghe…

Ah, his sweet, terrifying Black Lotus. As scary as Binghe had been towards the end, he's really sad he wouldn't be able to see Binghe grow into his own! Reading about the protagonist growing stronger and overcoming all obstacles had been his favourite part. And he'd rather been looking forward to watching it. Safely at a distance, mind you, disguised in another, unknown, body, under a new name and everything. Because if Binghe found out he survived…

Well.

Probably just as well. This is a new world and maybe, just maybe, he can now -

There's a sound that is an awful lot like an explosion, and he nearly drops his phone in shock as the restroom door is nearly blown off its hinges with the force it opens.

"What torment hath your soul suffered," espouses the runaway idol standing dramatically in the doorway, "to find the end of your journey here, of all places?"

In the immortal words of Airplane Shooting Towards The Sky.

W. T. F?

-

No System needed to gamify the world when the world is already a video game!

[altocat]

Given the way Shinra market the Firsts - especially Sephiroth - it seems like they're trying to go with some influencer vibes. So my question is this - how far do you think this goes?

Are there make up palettes or nails along the lines of holo taco, an energy drink like Prime marketed as SOLDIER adjacent, Vegas style restaurants where you have someone's name attached to it or even happy meal style toys (moogle meal toys?) in partnership with with other companies? Maybe cafes like you get with K-pop stars where you go and can order a person's 'favourite' drink?

I think they probably tailor brands depending on each Firsts' area of personal expression. Genesis owns hair, makeup, and general fashion. Angeal is outdoor gear, professional clothing, and really anything that involves a level of manly responsibility. Sephiroth is mostly military, with lots of time spent on stupid meaningless things like shampoo, colognes, etc.

That said, I think that Shinra also tends to go apeshit when it comes to cutesy nonsense too--just look at Stamp. So Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth are probably subjected to all kinds of silly and unwanted fanfare related to innocuous child-friendly media. The goal is to have them be warm and cuddly mascots for the kiddos to enjoy (SO THEY'LL ENLIST!!!) and Shinra makes sure to have its hands in EVERYONE'S pockets. There's something genuinely disturbing at having Genesis be an adorable chibi fridge magnet one moment and then having a rather scantily clad beach shoot for a men's fashion magazine the next.

Angeal is probably the least popular of the three, and mostly just gets shoved onto "assignments" that don't require that much self-debasement. Which is good news for him because he's not stuck making special guest appearances at the In-N-Out every other week. Genesis honestly enjoys the attention regardless of the circumstances. Sephiroth, conversely, is almost always completely miserable and his clear disdain for the audience requires a LOT of late evening hours spent on the editing floor.

[icycoldninja]

Fluffcember #6: Comfort (EC! Sephiroth x Teen! Reader)

A/N: This is a platonic fic.

You awoke to a guttural scream that seemed to come from the room adjacent to yours. It was abrupt, startling you from your sleep like a thunderbolt to the head. You leaped from your bed, dashing out the door and towards the room across the room—Sephiroth’s room. Your heart pounded loudly in your chests as you rapped wildly on the door. “Seph, you alright?” There was no response. Fearing the worst, you jiggled the doorknob, hoping that whatever was happening, you weren’t too late to stop it. After a few moments of panicked trying, you realized that the door was locked. The only way to get through would be to break the door down. Sucking in a deep breath, you prepared to slam your entire body against the door, in the hopes of forcing it open. You were just about to throw yourself against the heavy metal slab when the lock click and it slowly opened. You froze up. “Seph?” Silence followed for a few moments, before you heard a stifled sob. “Seph…” You gently pushed the door open and entered the dark room. Though you could barely see anything, you could make out a short, thin, shivering figure huddled in the corner behind the door. “Oh, Seph…” You mumbled, squinting at him in the darkness and noticing how he kept rubbing his eyes. “Did you have a nightmare?” Sephiroth nodded, sniffling as he did so. “Do you want to talk about it?” Sephiroth sniffled, wiped his teary eyes, and nodded. “Ok,” You smiled, sitting down in the corner next to him and wrapping your arms around his shoulders. Sephiroth took a deep, shaky breath, then nestled into your hug. “I dreamed that Hojo took me away. I dreamed….that he locked you in a containment tube and did…awful things to you…and forced me to watch.” His lips trembled as he spoke; he clung tightly to your shirt and buried his face in your shoulder. “I don’t want you to leave!” He wailed, tears streaming down his face and soaking the hem of your shirt. “I won’t leave, Seph.” You assured him, rubbing his back comfortingly. Why would you, anyway? The boy was like a sibling to you; protecting him was your life’s mission. You wanted to make sure he was safe, loved, and happy; you wanted to give him a family. Even if that bastard Hojo got it into his head to separate you two, you’d fight your way back to your little brother. “I’m not leaving.” You stated, squeezing him into a tight, protective hug. “I swear it.” Sephiroth nodded, body still trembling from shock and fear. “It’s gonna be okay,” You whispered, “Y/N’s always gonna be here to protect you, okay?” Sephiroth took several deep, slow breaths before relaxing in your hold. “Okay.” He sighed softly, enjoying the warmth and comfort your embrace brought him. “I love you, Y/N.” You chuckled, rumpling his hair. “I love you too, little bro.” Sephiroth let out an amused little giggle before prying himself out of your grasp. “I should get to bed.” He said, heading towards the mess of sheets and blankets that was presumably his bed. “Want me to read you a story?” You teased, helping him straighten the tangle of coverlets. For a moment, Sephiroth looked like he was going to deny your request and brush it off with the cliched “I’m too old for that” line. But as he slipped under the covers, he thought it over, a childish gleam soon lighting up those normally serious neon green eyes of his. “Actually…yes. I’d like that. Read me a story.” A soft smile on your face, you snatched up a bedtime story book from one of the bookshelves, and took a seat on the edge of the bed. “Once upon a time….”

[koukouture]

FFXIV Dissidia AU where Omega summons the champions to do battle in order to understand what mortals fight for.

Cloud got pulled away from a date at the Gold Saucer so he wants to finish this- NOW

Anyways, I just thought this squad would be funny because these are arguably the most popular Final Fantasy games. Which is also double funny because everyone but Cloud is from a new gen FF game. Also also Elysia already knows Noctis and Clive because of those crossover events so... the dynamic is fun.

I will make more screenshots of this because I have soooo many ideas for the squad's dynamics. Like, Clive is the quiet responsible one, Noctis and Elysia are having wayyyy too much fun, and Cloud is just... broody lmao. It's also kinda funny how Clive, Noctis, and Elysia are all royalty or royalty adjacent but Cloud is just a normal fucking guy.

Also, this group's main foes are Sephiroth and Zenos- aka psychopathic pretty boys who are obsessed with their respective heroes.

[kaonarvna]

Here we are! The first entry into the slice of life adjacent series of sephiroth & genesis centric short stories, which I discussed here a month or so ago. I'll be putting up another decision poll soon about which piece to write up next; another is nearly finished.

"Chapter" Name: An Even Temperament — Sector Zero, Midgar 199X

Summary: A THIRD seeks out Genesis' support in handing Sephiroth's "mood" in the absence of other FIRSTs and Lazard.

Tags: Slice of Life, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort.

WC: ~2000 (5-10 minute read)

Short sample below the cut!

...

            “Thank you—“ the boy nods emphatically. Ascending the stairs two at a time, he looks back at Genesis through his helmet when pausing at the first landing. “He is up here Sir! He is not talking with anyone and he looks furious and—”

            Genesis takes a deep breath, walking far more calmly than the excitable boy. “He will be alright. Do you know where he was before this started?”

            Climbing the stairs quickly, the boy waits at the door to the fifty-first, and holds it for Genesis, who walks through with just a nod of acknowledgement.

            “No sir! He wasn’t on the forty-ninth this morning, we only saw him maybe an hour ago here, and—”

            Genesis sighs, trying to remember the man’s agenda, where he should have been, what could have possibly dysregulated his even temperament. They walk together into the open foyer-like space of the fifty-first, past the hallway to the director’s office, past the meeting rooms and briefing rooms, past the copier and lounge.

            “—he’s refused to speak with anyone, and he went in the library when I tried to ask him for help, and—”

            Holding up a hand in a ‘stop’ gesture, Genesis waits for the boy to quiet. “I can handle him. Go back downstairs and stay busy. If you need something administrative done, just…see if a SECOND can help you. If no, email me.”

            “Yes sir, can I ask—”

            “Downstairs.”

            The boy emphatically nods, catching his slightly unsteady breath and repeating a script of gratitude before leaving Genesis to his own devices.

            Walking quietly despite the heavy click of his modest boot heels, Genesis opens the library door slowly, fully turning the knob to make opening it as smooth and soundless as possible. He enters the room with the most deliberately calm and inoffensive posture that he can, setting his coat on the low shelf to the right of the doorway.

...

Read the full piece on Ao3

[finalism]

wuwa comes out at the most inopportune time for me but please note that this will become a calcharo simp blog when it does.

[fyresaber]

i like how dissidia writing captured lightning and cloud’s parallels better than half the fanbase is capable of understanding through her “i know what it feels like to be a tool,” line.

lightning a puppet of the fal’cie/gc and he of sephiroth/shinra is the common ground under which they find solidarity.

in their first in-game interaction she’s a vehicle through which he seeks to protect tifa, because she too is a protector (of women). in nt she takes up his mantle in avenging sephiroth’s victims (women). in woff he chooses going after and protecting her (aerith adjacent via maaya sakamoto) over revenge, embracing his new creed. i've posted before about lightning's reappropriation of the buster sword in her own efforts to overthrow bhunivelze, and in an abandoned nt plotline she was set to do the same with sephiroth. she gets her own lightning returns quotes that emulate his personality and are her impersonation & interpretation of his journey.

woff pairs cloud with lightning and zack with serah, serah using her experience with lightning distancing herself from her to convince zack not to do the same with cloud in this world. through their dialogue we learn lightning's also introduced cloud to snow, a man whose heroic mantra and swagger echo that of zack's, to say the least. (in opera omnia cloud rolls his eyes at snow's bravado and surety, not unlike lightning's initial impression of snow.)

the canon lightning post-lumina and cloud strife dynamic is actually just her teasing the shit out of him as established in woff and opera omnia. “want to make it a race, cloud? 😏" “so i take it that means you cherish us 😉" “you can practice all that cherishing on the way home 😌🫦" "let me guess, sephiroth? there's only one person who can get cloud like this 🙄🤭 " cloud respects lightning's strength to the extent he absolves himself of her responsibility when terra accuses him of leaving lightning to face a summon alone. at the end of woff the lone two nod and work together to ensure escape of their comrades and thee ff princesses.