#and Shinra said no

[azuree1733]

Bro I forgot I draw sometimes 😟

[rocketbirdie]

🎵bow wow wow, bow wow wow, he's a good boy who never stops~🎵

[rivkae-winters]

[axyo]

i think i will keep rolling on today too

[xiiiwayfinders]

It breaks my heart that we never learned Wedge's backstory and now we probably never will

[areax]

Our promised land will become reality. A father’s dream... accomplished by his son.

FINAL FANTASY VII: REBIRTH (2024) dev. Square Enix ↳ Rufus vs. “Glenn”

[aceduooooooooooooooooooooooooo]

Is it bad that I like Rufus more in advent children than I like him in ff7r like both personality and design wise

[shizuchansmilk]

22.05.2024

(any pronouns ^^)

[rottenpumpkin13]

Can we get an angsty scenario of Rufus having a nightmare about Sephiroth? Or Sephiroth tormenting him in his dreams? (Post-rebirth after Rufus goes nuts and empties his gun into the Glenn/cloak thingy)

This was going to be shorter, but then the Rufus angst sneaked up on me and now we have p a i n ; enjoy

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Regret wasn't acquainted with regret; after all, his veins coursed with the blood, sweat, and tears poured into Shinra's relentless pursuit of power and profit. To suggest he harbored regret for his actions in Wutai that day would be overly optimistic and insincere, even for him.

The aftermath had indeed been uncomfortable, he conceded—sitting through the debriefing with members of SOLDIER and the Turks alike, rehashing the events in excruciating detail as Sephiroth’s glare bore into him with a scathing intensity.

For the first time in Rufus’ memory, Sephiroth sat alone. Typically, Angeal and Genesis flanked him, but fate had intervened, and Rhapsodos had deserted, swiftly followed by Hewley, leaving Sephiroth to occupy his seat utterly alone.

How was Rufus to know that Sephiroth had any connection to Lodbrok? All he had been aware of were the desertions of SOLDIERs Glenn, Matt, and Lucia following the mission to Rhadore years ago, when Sephiroth was still a young boy.. Rufus didn't doubt that Sephiroth had formed some attachment to them; after all, he had read the reports detailing how Sephiroth had defied orders and had been aboard the stolen chopper en route to the rapidly vanishing island. The reports contained snippets of additional information, mentioning a child named Rosen and alluding to Sephiroth facing consequences after his betrayal, but beyond that, the details remained sparse.

Even if Rufus had been privy to the full extent of the situation, he wouldn't have cared—or so he told himself. Glenn's death had been a calculated necessity, a sacrifice to uphold the order Rufus desired and nothing beyond. How could he have possibly known that the anguished cry that followed the gunshot had been Sephiroth's? How could he have fathomed that Glenn held a significance to the SOLDIER far beyond their shared mission years ago?

He often wished that Sephiroth could’ve seen his perspective, as maybe it would’ve been a pathway for Sephiroth to comprehend that forming attachments to people only led to pain and suffering—a lesson Rufus had learned all too well. After all, he had long ago relinquished any desire for a bond with his father, and his mother was only a distant memory. Rufus was intimately familiar with the unfortunate bond he and Lazard shared, both tethered by the same father. He admitted that he longed connection sometimes (and only sometimes), for closeness. It often gnawed at him, knowing he had an older brother who had grown up in vastly different circumstances, yet could potentially offer understanding.

But that had been years ago. Lazard was long dead, just as Sephiroth and Glenn—proof that people died, reinforcing Rufus's belief that nurturing attachments was futile and stupid. Sephiroth served as a poignant example, his rapid descent following Genesis's and Angeal's desertion serving as a reminder that friends were enemies.

Rufus lamented it. If only Sephiroth forgone friendship, perhaps he would have been spared the anguish, and maybe he would still be alive if the Nibelheim incident had been avoidable in any way.

It had been the reason Rufus felt compelled to keep Sephiroth at arm’s length when everything had still been ordinary. He returned Sephiroth's occasional smiles and waves, and often engaged in the small talk they shared at events. Though jealousy had once gnawed at Rufus's feelings towards Sephiroth, particularly when they were children of similar ages and he could sense his father's pride as he read about Sephiroth's achievements in magazines, time and maturity had gradually eroded those emotions.

Rufus awoke swamped in his silk bed sheets, sweat clinging to his bare skin like a second skin. His first instinct was to seek out Darkstar, who lay peacefully asleep at the foot of the bed, undisturbed and softly snoring.

Then, his gaze fell upon Sephiroth, whole and alive seated beside him. Rufus blinked, momentarily stunned by the sight of the long-deceased SOLDIER, before shifting his attention back to Dee—so much for keeping a guard dog.

"This is a dream," Rufus declared, his tone more a reassurance to himself than to the apparition. "I'm dreaming, and I'll wake up any moment now."

"Shall I pinch you?" Sephiroth grinned, the expression far too unsettlingly lifelike for Rufus's liking.

Rufus shook his head, his hand instinctively reaching for the gun tucked beneath his pillow.

"That won't work on me," Sephiroth stated matter-of-factly, his gaze following Rufus's movements beneath the sheets. "Unless you're trying to frighten me, but I assure you, it will be equally futile."

"What do you want?" Rufus echoed.

Sephiroth leaned in, and for a fleeting moment, Rufus could swear he caught a whiff of that unmistakable scent—the bitter tang of mako and blood that clung to him. Rufus reminded himself that this was merely a dream. "I want Glenn back.”

Rufus shifted uncomfortably, putting some distance between himself and the apparition. "You know I killed him," he admitted bluntly.

"Something you regret?" Sephiroth's question was calculated.

"Of course not," Rufus snapped.

Sephiroth hummed thoughtfully, then rose to his feet, his body outlined by the moonlight filtering through the windows, casting a shadow against the backdrop of the green glow of Midgar below. "Then you won't mind if I do the honor," Sephiroth remarked, "If I bring him back."

"You can't resurrect the dead," Rufus rolled his eyes—look at him, arguing with the dream apparition of a man long gone. "I'm sure you'd love to, considering the many you've lost—yourself included."

"But I'm not dead," Sephiroth countered, his smile aunting and subtle. "And neither is Glenn. You'll be working with him soon enough, with me, with her."

"Her," Rufus echoed.

Sephiroth took a deliberate step towards the shadowy corner, his movements slow and calculated as he kept his gaze focused on Rufus.. "All born are bound to her," Sephiroth's voice resonated throughout the room. "Should this world be unmade, so too shall her children."

He slinked into the shadows, gone in the blink of an eye.

Rufus released a series of tense sighs, struggling to contain the rising panic as he buried his face in his hands. Darkstar, sensing his distress, lifted her head and rose to her feet, stretching her body before padding over to him and offering comforting licks.

It was in that moment that Rufus realized: he had been wide awake the entire time.

[demial4]

This translation from FF7R Material Ultimania from HERE about Rufus' design tickles me so much.

OOP has other translations so please click the link

[the-midgar-blues]

Been having fun writing Diana into Rebirth's story and being friends with the cast. Part of her story is she hasn't seen Rufus in a couple of years so the Junon chapter gave me all sorts of ideas for reunion scenarios. This being one example!

[fridjitzu]

Can't believe Shinra Pride Month is canon in FF7 Rebirth

(where I sourced the pride month Shinra logo, btw)

[m-kyunie]

“Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he does the beauties of nature. The starry sky, the sea, and every sight afforded by these wonderful regions, seems still to have the power of elevating his soul from earth. Such a man has a double existence: he may suffer misery, and be overwhelmed by disappointments; yet, when he has retired into himself, he will be like a celestial spirit that has a halo around him, within whose circle no grief or folly ventures.”

- Frankenstein

[scrawnytreedemon]

People are headcanoning Sephiroth as illiterate now. As in. The fucking reason he took so long in that basement was because he had to finger-read every single fucking book.

I'm putting Sheltered Sephiroth on the top shelf until you goons stop veering into outright ableism. For fuck's sake.

[soultiio]

day 5: roommate au

shinra: so? do you like her?

shizuo: I'm gonna kill her

shinra: okay but do you LIKE her?

[intheticklecloset]

Heya!!! I saw you were looking for fire force requests, and I'm currently in the process of reading the manga so I thought I'd send something in! Maybe you could do something with Captain Obi and Shinra, with blueberry 🫐 and stargazing ⭐? I've always loved their sort of parental dynamic, given Shinra's backstory and all. No pressure or anything though, and I hope you're having fun with your event!^^

🍋 Lemonade Special Order 🍋

~~~

Shinra couldn’t remember the last time he’d really stargazed for the sake of actually being mindful about it. He’d taken in the night sky with his teammates before, but it had been years since he’d just lay down on the ground and stared up at the stars and the moon, truly taking in their beauty. It was nice. It was peaceful.

At least, it had been until Captain Obi had come to join him.

Now – thanks to a comment he’d made about feeling unsure about everything regarding the White Clad and the Evangelist – he found himself reaching for the stars as though they could help him escape the situation he suddenly found himself in.

“Cahahahahahahahaptain!” he cried, pushing uselessly at Obi’s heavy form while his company’s leader tickled his ribs ruthlessly, drawing out desperate shrieks and giggles from him as he did his best to move any part of his body at all. He couldn’t even bring his arms down protectively thanks to the captain’s deviously ingenious positioning. “Plehehehehehehease, nohohohohohohoho!”

“I know you smile a lot because you’re always tense,” Obi chuckled, thoroughly enjoying himself, “but I want to see a real smile, kid. Come on – just relax and take a minute to enjoy yourself.”

“Buhuhuhuhuhut it tihihihihihihickles! Cahahahaptain, I – no!” Shinra nearly screamed when Obi teasingly squeezed a thigh, making him spasm and choke out a panicked laugh. “Nonono, not there plehehehehehehease – CAHAHAHAHAHAHAPTAIN!!”

Smirking, Obi swiftly snatched up Shinra’s wrists in one hand and pinned them to his chest, using his free hand to pinch and knead along the boy’s thighs, kneeling over him so he could barely kick to relieve the ticklish sensation. “There, now, isn’t that better? Must feel good to laugh, eh, Shinra?”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE, SIR!! NO MOHOHOHOHOHOHORE!!” Shinra begged, laughing so hard tears sprang to his eyes. “YOU WIHIHIHIHIHIN, YOU WIN, JUST PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE!!”

Obi finally stopped and released him, ruffling his hair as he climbed off of him and lay on the ground at his side. “Take it easy, Shinra. We’ve been over this. Company Eight has your back. We’ll go after the White Clads with the assumption that your brother is with them. You don’t have to worry about any of it as long as you’ve got us.”

After taking a second to catch his breath, Shinra clenched his fist in his shirt and whispered, “Thank you, captain. That means the world to me.”

The two of them spent the rest of their night together, observing the beauty of the stars above. Shinra couldn’t help but wonder if Sho was watching them, too.