#and even Zack & Angeal’s friendship!

[kazumahashimoto]

this kid's gonna be the death of me

[prismaticpichu]

seeing your posts about encouraging others to write more platonic/green (gen) fics gave me the courage to make a teensy request.

would you consider writing a fluff fic of the remnants of sephiroth? they have very few fluffy fics and they deserve love 😭💕

I gotta be honest dhdhdhdh, my knowledge on the Remnants is very thin 😭😭❤️❤️ I’ve seen Advent Children once years ago and still need to read those books!! I just don’t want to keep this ask waiting, bc I don’t know if it’s something I’ll get around to in the near future x3 But I’ll definitely keep it in mind!! 💖💖 One of my goals this year is to expand my character palette!!

As for some wonderful existing Remnant writing, I very much recommend @holly-fixation!! You won’t be disappointed!! <333

[fcrir]

While It's true Zack left his home town with a dream of becoming a hero as great as Sephiroth, the one he truly admires and takes as a role model is in fact none other than Angeal. The man took him under his wing, watched over him &. always made sure he doesn't lose sight of what's important, constantly reminding him why he joined SOLDIER in the first place and the importance of being sincere to one's own values no matter the cost. Zack was young, reckless and thanks to his restless and overly enthusiastic nature he always received his famous lecture about dreams and honor, at which he would huff and nod -- only to realize how much he misses it in the years to come. Angeal was an important figure in his life, his guidance to achieve this level of success as a SOLDIER, as well as an example of nobility in man which inspired him to be faithful about everything he does. And although Zack always treasured his words and advice, he feels as though he hadn't appreciated his kindness enough.

Zack is a highly moral person by nature, he's never the kind to stay silent if he sees wrong and never allows his resolve to falter but acts upon it immediately, armed with an honest heart, good intentions &. his mentor's teachings. He would credit becoming the man he is today to those lessons drilled into him since early youth. As for what happened with Angeal, the final fight he didn't want to take part of ... he holds himself responsible for all that had transpired. It was a loss that impacted him heavily, a void of absence he doesn't know how to heal &. probably never will. It can be easily said that he felt lost without that reassuring presence in his life &. had often portrayed a front of confidence for others, and himself most of all, when he didn't have the slightest clue of what to do ... in those times he will stop and think "what would Angeal do ?" Sometimes coming up with an answer, in others, a much needed sense of comfort. Forgiveness is not a kindness that can be extended towards himself, but at the very least, he can allow himself to remember and be grateful for him.

[rottenpumpkin13]

Do SOLDIERs get productivity reviews?

Productivity reviews in SOLDIER are watching a bunch of hyper-athletic super soldiers remember they also have office jobs alongside the constant missions. Sure, they're elite fighters but Reports? Spreadsheets? Goddess help Lazard.

Sephiroth's "Areas for Improvement" include: "Be more civil to Professor Hojo." Sephiroth responds with "Do you have any father-son bonding tips, Lazard?" Lazard files for stress leave.

Kunsel submits a report claiming spreading gossip and keeping the rumor mill spinning counts as work hours and that he should be paid accordingly. Lazard pays him 10 gil to leave his office.

Cloud—who is not even a SOLDIER—gets the highest marks because Lazard likes him.

Reno somehow infiltrates the meeting pretending to be HR just to make fun of everyone's stats and write fake infractions for "dumb hair"

Genesis requests a formal acknowledgment of his contributions. Lazard asks for quantifiable results. Genesis submits a binder titled "An Honest Assessment of My Colleagues"which is just 80 pages of insults and rumors that open up three (3) formal investigations.

Zack submits a self-evaluation that just says: Big Sword, Bigger Effort, Biggest Smile :), Lazard lets it slide because he looked so proud of himself.

Sephiroth gets a note about "excessive solitary wandering." He writes back "These are meditations. Your bureaucracy hinders my transcendence."

Angeal racks up an HR complaint for creating a "Hostile Work Environment" by wrestling unhealthy snacks away from people. Lazard witnessed him confiscate Zack's thirteenth slice of pizza, proclaiming "WE FIGHT FOR HONOR, NOT HEARTBURN!" The last straw comes when Angeal is found bear-hugging Sephiroth to stop him from opening a bag of Shinra-brand spicy chips, whispering "I REFUSE TO WATCH YOU DIE FOR 40% AIR AND 60% MSG."

Genesis complains his full potential remains untapped due to office constraints. Lazard tells him to stop threatening to "bring forth the wrath of mine blade upon thy wretched form" or "unleash the fury of a thousand storms to smite thee where thou stand" whenever he's denied an upgrade to his desk chair.

Lazard schedules a group efficiency review. Sephiroth doesn't show. Genesis arrives 20 minutes late wearing sunglasses and holding an iced coffee the size of his ego. Angeal and Zack come in loudly arguing over "who would win in a fight: Tonberry or chocobo with a gun." Lazard ends the meeting 10 minutes in, sobbing into his hands.

Cloud accidentally walks into a review session looking for Zack. Lazard takes one look at him and says "Well done, Cloud" and gives him a commendation for "Unwavering Attendance." Everyone claps. Cloud is confused.

Angeal received criticism for "spending excessive time mentoring." He submitted a cost-benefit analysis showing how much money Shinra saved by having him prevent Zack from accidentally destroying company property. Angeal got a raise.

Sephiroth’s mission efficiency dropped by 2%. When investigated, it's revealed he's been taking longer to eliminate targets because "I don’t care anymore." He also claims that this has nothing to do with how the mess hall no longer sells spicy tuna rolls right around the same time

Zack's field reports always include a "Friendship Development Index" that tracks his relationships with the local populations. Surprisingly, the success of his missions directly correlates with how high these friendship scores are.

Lazard walks into Sephiroth's office for a personal productivity review. He finds him peeling wallpaper off the walls. When asked why, Sephiroth explains that when he's stressed, he pretends the wallpaper is Professor Hojo's skin. Lazard immediately schedules therapy.

Someone discovers that putting Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth, and Zack on the same mission results in record-breaking inefficiency

[strayheartless]

Okay okay, but the Kunsel knows everything idea, except that’s how they prevent Crisis Core because Kunsel is actually clairvoyant and knows EVERYTHING.

————

Sephiroth: my… father is a less than savoury man.

Kunsel: hey that’s no way to talk about the man who took a bullet for your mom! Vincent was doing his best!

Sephiroth: … I’m sorry what?

————

Genesis: next time I face sephiroth, it will be alone.

Kunsel: well just do me a favour and don’t get stabbed, slashed or otherwise injured by commander Hewleys broken claymore -no that’s not a euphamism. Cause then you’ll leave the company, kill your parents, be responsible for Angeal’s death and send Sephiroth mad because your friendship was the only thing between him and burning down a sad twinks village and murdering the world.

Genesis: what even are you?!

————

Zack: oh man, I met this little trooper in Modeoheim, he said he wants to be a soldier. He’s a little skinny but I think he can do it!

Kunsel: you just met the greatest man ever to protect the earth, treat him as such.

Zack: ?!?

————

Angeal: honour and dreams are all I have, without them, I am not a man.

Kunsel: *incorrect buzzer noise* Absolutely not. *sprays Angeal with water* Get ahold of yourself sir, your friends are your power. Your swords nice - NO ITS NOT A EUPHEMISM - sure but your honour will be your downfall and the death of Zack if you keep that up. Here *thrusts a cup of hot chocolate at Angeal* drink this *gives him a granola bar* eat this, and come back to me when your rested.

Angeal: has anybody ever told you your a little strange Second Class Zelda?

————

Cloud: I think I should just give up on the whole “being a Soldier” thing. My contracts almost up… maybe I’ll move to kalm or something, become a florist.

Kunsel: *takes Clouds face in his hands, looks him dead in the eye, squishing his cheeks* or you could stay, become the last line of defence between the world and general Sephiroth, and protect innocent people from JENOVA and Hojo if my job fails. Throw me a bone here Strife, keeping these idiots in line is giving me greys. You might get a little mako poisoning and be in a coma for a… while… but it will be fine!

Cloud: … you know, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you had the gift of foresight. Like that lady in my village who told me I going to save the planet one day…

Kunsel: Preposterous.

[rosy-crow]

Oh Goddddddd they are gonna have a beta Nibelheim incident in FS2 in Robio and Seph’s gonna lose his shit and Angeal is gonna be the Zack parallel in EVERY WAY and he’s gonna literally stop the catastrophe by NOT leaving Sephiroth alone and years later the only reason Zack isn’t able to repeat the process is because Sephiroth is just too beaten down after losing everything (including Angeal) the second time and Jenova’s voice is too strong because she’s RIGHT THERE and if Hojo’s behind anything then he learned from previous mistakes, making the mission extremely foolproof and Zack is there but he sadly doesn’t have the chance to understand Seph on the level Angeal did and even though he sees the signs that something is wrong, he assumes Sephiroth is okay….because Seph ACTS like he is okay, whereas he was much easier to read as a child….

So Zack leaves him be….whereas Angeal was more like, “Listen here you motherfucker, I am going to FIX YOU.”

And evidently he did for a while.

None of this is Zack’s fault either. HE DIDN’T KNOW.

But Angeal did, and he’s conveniently dead in Nibelheim.

And that’s why they wanna focus on his friendship with Sephiroth. To show why that’s significant to the Nibelheim Incident.

THIS IS THAT ONE CLONE WARS ARC WHERE ANAKIN GOES DARK SIDE FOR A LITTLE BIT BEFORE THEY PULL HIM BACK 💀

It’s gonna happen isn’t it.

[salternateunreality2]

The boys when they get sick

Angeal: insists he's fine until it really kicks in, then groans the biggest, baddest, saddest, daddest groans known to man for the next week.

Genesis hires a nurse for him because he refuses to get anywhere near that mess. Angeal feels this is unnecessary, but can't find the energy to argue and lets it happen so as to at least not waste the help. Genesis also offers to read him to sleep OVER THE PHONE, HEWLEY.

He's mega depressed the whole time and rots more than he might if this wasn't how his father had died.

Sephiroth shows up with a vat of specially formulated cafeteria slop because he read that friends bring each other healing soup when they're sick. Angeal thanks him and muscles through eating as much as he can, even though it is vile and he feels queasy. Sephiroth goes away proud of himself for nailing this social interaction.

Zack bounces over, a little nervous, a little too enthusiastic, a little too chatty...but he notices the cafeteria slop, replaces it with what his mom coached him to make over the phone, and promises Angeal the slop will not go to waste. He secretly feeds it to his pet wererats in the slums.

Genesis: it's a national emergency and Angeal has to work from home to tend to him.

Genesis requires fluffed pillows, hand holding, and babying to a truly epic degree. Angeal indulges him because he was there during Gen's sickly childhood: during the scarlet fever that almost killed him, the pneumonia that almost destroyed his lungs, the bug that nearly dehydrated him to death, and many other ailments that always hit little Gen extra hard.

Sephiroth stops by with his vat of slop and Genesis informs him he is kind, but Genesis is too ill to partake at this moment; perhaps later if the spectre of death ceases to whisper his name. Sephiroth asks if the spectre ever calls Genesis her child and Angeal and Genesis raise some eyebrows.

Zack was proactively banned from the premises at the first sniffle, so he sends his trooper friend with Mama Fair's soup and orders to accidentally spill or steal any cafeteria slop. Cloud doesn't know how to act around all these firsts, so he waits until midnight, breaks into the apartment, removes the slop, and leaves the soup. Zack is proud and unsurprised at his cunning, and Angeal is bewildered.

Angeal doesn't question it too hard--cafeteria slop is a health hazard, and if it's gone, it's gone. Plus, he recognizes Mrs. Fair's handiwork and makes a mental note to lecture Zack later and check in on his friendships with the Turks.

Sephiroth: zombie mode.

He's not sick. Being sick would mean reporting to Hojo. He is Not. Sick.

He's fine.

Everything is fine.

Angeal: Sephiroth, why are you telling my ficus that you are healthy?

Sephiroth, still talking to the plant: Sephiroth is fully operational. All systems fucktioning. Go. No maintenance required. Mission reedy.

Angeal: Ok, new mission: sleep on Angeal's couch until you can focus both eyes at the same time.

Sephiroth, still talking to the plant: Mission accepted, thank you Mr. President. *Passes out on the couch for 19 hours, wakes up refreshed*

Zack: makes it everyone's problem, but insists he'll be fine and everyone should stay away. While he sits on the SOLDIER break room couch wrapped in blankets and sniffling up a storm.

It's fine, Angeal, you don't have to make him your super special soup that only you can make because he's so sad and sick. 🥺

Don't worry about it, Sephiroth, the slop can be given to hungry pets in the slums, Zack's just a little too tired right now. 🥺

Genesis, it is a little dramatic to wear a full hazmat suit. Zack's sitting in a public space, not your private office. 😒

Yeah Cloud, that's the best fucking popsicle ever, but don't get too close, Zack might be contagious (after Zack hugs him). 🥹

Cloud: doesn't say a damn thing.

Muscles through infantry work until he passes out and is thrown in medical until he can stand again, then sent out until he passes out a second time.

Zack finds out later and moves heaven, earth, Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth to ask some hard questions about treatment of the infantry staff while force-feeding Cloud soup.

Genesis wants to know why clearly contagious troopers are allowed out of isolation while still clearly contagious. Angeal wants to know why the company is wasting human resources instead of caring for them to prevent rust, dust, and plague. Sephiroth wants to know if Heidegger would like to tour the barracks and discuss things over a hearty bowl of slop.

[altocat]

Alto you're so right about all the characters loving each other 🥰

In case you can't already tell, I'm kind of a cornball, sentimental person lmao I LOVE cheesy friendship crap. And so I get kinda worked up whenever I see folks in this fandom undermining or outright lying about the relationships between these characters just for the sake of shipping wars or proving Sephiroth is an "alpha male" or some shit.

Team Cloud loves each other.

Sephiroth loved Genesis and Angeal.

Cloud loves Tifa AND Aerith, who also love both him AND each other.

Zack loved Cloud enough to die for him.

Sephiroth loves his fucked up alien mom because he's a pathetic baby who loved the idea of HAVING a mom.

I'm not even talking about shipping stuff either. The characters in this story are tied together in emotional ways, whether that's tragically, comedically, platonically, romantically, etc. They are DEFINED by the connections they make. That's how you write compelling characters. It's okay for them to have those vulnerabilities, and for opposing ships to have no bad blood between the characters. I wish the wider fandom realized this. These characters ARE the connections they form with each other. And we don't have to tear ourselves to shreds in recognizing and appreciating that concept.

[silvergreenseraphim]

Angeal and Sephiroth (And Genesis?)—Dissidia Opera Omnia—Part One

Alright, so this chapter was a lot, and it opened with Weiss quoting “Loveless” for a reason, it seems.

“When the war of the beasts brings about the world’s end, the goddess descends from the sky! Wings of light and dark spread afar, she guides us to bliss…her gift everlasting!”

Weiss becomes our voice for Genesis, or his “brother,” in this chapter. When Seymour questions his quote, Weiss replies,

“It was a passage from a story our brother loved. He used to quote it for his best friend. That friend was Sephiroth, the hero and friend of the other “brother,” Angeal as well.”

This part was hard to translate into English, but Weiss essentially explains that Genesis used to quote Loveless for his close friend, Sephiroth, the hero, and Angeal was right there with them as the third friend in the trio.

Seymour is shocked and gasps, “Sephiroth and Angeal were best friends??”

Weiss replies, “It’s hard to believe of the now-evil “hero” that never reveals his heart. And yet, the exemplary First Class soldier that is a role model for everyone was his friend.”

I am on the fence about the translation of this part and may change it once my friend gets back to me, but for now, it seems like Weiss is pondering the friendship of Sephiroth and Angeal and how differently they turned out, because Seymour does make a comment like, “I suppose if you have dreams and honor, you can’t go wrong.”

But there is potentially more here that Weiss is saying about his own relationship to Sephiroth and Angeal—perhaps suggesting he is not their friend and doesn’t quite understand their past relationship himself. I will have to keep researching.

We cut to Sephiroth again, who is confused about his memory returning. He says he didn’t expect any memories to return from the Lifestream, but shakes his head and denial. He claims these memories Angeal brought back are unnecessary and that he most remove Angeal from the picture immediately. His motives are set.

Meanwhile, Zack and Angeal are talking about how Sephiroth changed. I translated this on Altocat’s blog and here is what they say:

Zack says,

“Angeal, I know you’re surprised…I can’t believe that Sephiroth changed like that…

Angeal replies,

“So, you were taken aback as well…”

Zack says,

“It was out of nowhere. We went to investigate Cloud and Tifa’s village…and I guess he discovered his origins. He killed everyone and burned down the village. He had always been the hero I strived to be…”

Zack and Angeal are both very crestfallen here, lamenting this knowledge. Angeal pulls himself together and says,

“I know…I’m disappointed too. Everything changed while I was gone, I guess.

Angeal further laments that he wasn’t there, and Zack reassures him that even though Angeal disappeared at the time and pushed everyone away, Zack would have stayed by his side and helped. Zack would have left Shinra, and he says he is sure Sephiroth felt the same way.

Angeal thanks his student but says that it was his choice and lonely path at the time—he had to carry the responsibility as a First Class soldier. Zack chastises him saying he shouldn’t think that way—after all, Zack is a First Class as well, and has enough experience. He could have helped Angeal. Angeal begins to reply, saying, “Zack…” but then they are interrupted by the others.

They say it’s time to make a decision about Sephiroth, and Cloud explains that the silver boi is planning to turn the world into an empty vessel that he may sail the cosmos with in order to find another world. An Advent Children reference, of course.

Rufus mentions that this goal is very similar to the desire of Jenova. He has to then explain what Jenova is to the other characters, as well as the Reunion theory.

This makes a lightbulb go off in Angeal’s head and he gasps, “So basically…Sephiroth is Jenova?”

He puts it together that Reunion implies that Jenova’s cells must be drawn back to their source, and since that source is currently Sephiroth, they must be the same.

However, the others simply say that Sephiroth/Jenova must be eliminated, and agree to hunt him down. Everyone nods and moves forward except Angeal, who lingers with hesitation.

In the next part, they are in the process of tracking Sephiroth, but the group notices Angeal’s troubled demeanor. They ask him if he’s okay and Kadaj says that he heard about Sephiroth being Angeal’s good friend. He says that it must be disheartening to see Sephiroth in his current state, since nothing is like it used to be.

Angeal notes Kadaj’s own tone of disappointment and Kadaj explains how Sephiroth used him as a puppet to find Jenova’s remains, which horrifies Kadaj because if Sephiroth and Jenova are the same, then his own “mother” used and betrayed him in such a way.

Angeal encourages Kadaj and gives him one of his classic pep talks, appealing to his usual “dreams and honor” code. Tifa notes that Zack often spoke the same way, prompting Angeal to recall teaching Zack all those things.

In response to Kadaj, he then says he was indeed surprised by hearing what Sephiroth did, but he says that,

“Sephiroth had his honor once too…and he has a tendency to hold onto things, so even if I am surprised, I can’t abandon him…”

The others say that they aren’t sure if Angeal’s words can reach Sephiroth, who was cruel enough to destroy Tifa and Cloud’s village. Tifa agrees as she recalls how she begged Sephiroth to explain why he did what he did, but she does say to Angeal that she believes he could have a better chance.

She kindly compliments him on how his “dreams and honor” philosophy had helped her as well. :,)

She encourages Angeal, saying that his words will surely be a beacon and that he should try to speak with Sephiroth again. Angeal hangs his head sorrowfully and agrees, saying,

“I don’t want to give up on him….so I’ll try as hard as I can…”

—

This is a good place to stop because the next chapters are where everything gets chaotic, but for now, we have some build-up for what Angeal wants to do, and for Weiss being a stand-in for Genesis later.

—

Some little notes:

The Zack and Angeal scenes were very sweet, as Zack wants to convince his old mentor to stop shouldering everything alone. Angeal’s absolute refusal to give up on Seph tugs at the heartstrings too, and I find it so sweet that Tifa actually encouraged him.

The “Sephiroth is Jenova” point is fascinating, but I believe we will soon find that Seph’s own will is blended into Jenova’s, as they are aligned, and this might be what reveals to Angeal that there may not be much hope for his old friend. :(

I am struggling with the Weiss and Seymour discussion, and this has been one of the parts that has slowed me down, because the context is hard to decipher, but I suspect that Weiss is comparing Sephiroth and Angeal to the figures in Loveless, which also becomes relevant later. I will update as soon as I can get an explanation from my Japanese friend. I am not skilled enough to decipher everything yet on my own, you see. 😅

But enjoy this for now, and I will be back with more soon! <3

[ilminnestrone]

Zack Fair strikes me as the biggest bisexual chaos and absolutely aromantic whose perfect relationship setup is living with his buddies who loves so deeply he would give an arm and a leg for them but not in a romantic way, like sexy besties he likes to fuck whenever they feel like it, but playing videogames and eating pizza is great too.

At the same time he strikes me as the type of guy who cries for the most basic romantic bullshit: sappy rom-coms, couples who propose in public, kids who fall in love for the first time, weddings, PDAs at Pride...

He just loves love and he loves romanticism even if it's not for him.

Zack: I mean, it just sounds like friendship with extra steps

Genesis: so you're a relationship anarchist

Zack: a what?

Sephiroth: it means you rejects relationship hierarchies and don't base the value of them on imposed structures

Zack: sounds more like Genesis to me

Genesis: excuse me, I'm a polyamorist

Zack: a what?

Angeal: he falls in love twice a week and cries himself to sleep when he realises he's very much polysaturated

Zack: THAT MEANS I CAN OFFICIATE YOUR WEDDING MULTIPLE TIMES *sobs uncontrollably*

[pen-and-umbra]

Abt CC, I think it made ASG work tho.The battle flashback says it all, with Gen and Seph bickering and Seph getting irritated and Angeal acting like a mother hen…that's the wholesome friendship right there packed into a single scene. It's clear throughout the game what kind of dynamics the trio had. 

YMMV. Crisis Core is a mixed bag for me. It got some things right; it got some things amiss. It managed to pull off convincing dynamics between Zack and Sephiroth, for example; they share sufficient screen time, and you can see the rapport and a kind of endearment between a junior and a senior colleague, which later organically flows into FFVII Rebirth. But when it comes to ASG friendship…not so much, given the lack of trio shared screen time and the fact that at least one of the characters communicates almost exclusively by rehashing the same poetry lines.  

Also YMMV, but in my perspective, the friendship between Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis did not feel genuinely balanced and harmonious. To me, it came off as if Sephiroth had always felt like a third wheel in the back of his mind, which was also fueled by his already present history of being left behind. Angeal and Genesis share a common past and an already established enduring bond; Angeal and Genesis are physiologically compatible for a blood transfusion, while Sephiroth is never given an explanation as to why he was rejected as a donor, or even properly acknowledged for attempting to be one; Genesis appears to desert with no parting word, then chooses to come open with Angeal but not Sephiroth; finally, the two of them disappear together, for the lack of a better word. Perhaps in some way, to Sephiroth, it felt like the two of them were more tight-knit, more closely bonded with each other than with him. It's just there in the way he quickly concludes that Angeal "abandoned" ShinRA as well, or in the way he never responds directly to Zack's question about whether the three of them were close. His response is ambiguous at best, as if he is unsure of it himself lately. Then there's a battle flashback that implies that, while Genesis was friendly, there was always a hint of jealousy and an attempt to instill rivalry over the hero title.

The most recent episode of First Soldier adds to this perspective. Most importantly, it demonstrates that Angeal, and Genesis by extension, had no idea what ShinRA was about until misfortune struck them directly following Genesis ailment. Or, in the case of Genesis, what it meant to be a ShinRA hero — a lie-filled campaign at best and a tool for murder at worst. It appears that Sephiroth never opened up about it. Or he did, but wasn't really HEARD — because in FS he blatantly talks about his take on the role ShinRA had forced onto him in front of Bachman and Angeal, but his words don't appear to be taken seriously. Either scenario calls ASG closeness into question, whether due to Sephiroth's tendency to keep his experiences private (he never comes clean about Rosen's death, letting Glenn project whatever motives on him) or on the part of A&G. It could easily be both. Young!Angeal's behavior in the most recent FS was bordering on overbearing in some instances, such as making rather ill-mannered statements about things he knew nothing about, namely Sephiroth's relationship with his former teammates. I'm sure Angeal's prodding over a recent and unhealed wound did not add to Sephiroth's sense of emotional security and caused just as much stress to Sephiroth as Sephiroth's crabbiness did to Angeal.

It all just makes you wonder.

[finallyfantasy7]

In defense of Angeal and Banora apples

I often see criticism of Angeal in Crisis Core Reunion for stealing from poor farmers while leaving the richest family's dumbapples alone just because Genesis was his friend.

I understand the immediate instinctive reaction to take from the richest, however, if you follow the story closely you will see that there were no poor farmers in Banora. Which Angeal explicitly says anyway.

But I want to dig a bit deeper:

The whole Banora village was fake and was staffed with Shinra's employees, as well as served to keep employees from Project G under house arrest.

The only reason why Angeal's family was poor was because Angeal's mother, Gillian Hewley, refused Shinra's compensation since she suffered from guilty conscience for participating as a scientist in Shinra's Jenova experiments, and even doing the experiment on her own child. That she unsuccessfully tried to escape Shinra's house arrest with her baby certainly didn't improve her living conditions.

So, we know Gillian was offered large sums of money, and from "The Kids are Alright: A Turks Side Story" novel we know that fake villagers, who populated Nibelheim after the Sephiroth incident, were also Shinra's employees, and received enormous sums of money to live there and keep their mouths shut. So it's obviously Shinra's modus operandi in such situations.

So again, there were no poor farmers in Banora because people there, in addition to having farms, were handsomely paid by Shinra.

Also, one child eating apples can't do any significant damage to a farm.

Ok, so if we accept Angeal eating apples was no big deal, then why didn't he just eat the tastiest apples from the biggest landowner who, even if everyone was rich, would feel it the least? Why not ask Genesis, like Zack suggested?

Why would honor stop him from asking, but not from stealing in general?

It wouldn't, it's mistranslation, it's supposed to say pride *sigh*

Angeal says in Japanese:

アンジール：しかし　そんな俺にも誇りはあった

Angeal: But I had my pride.

.....

アンジール：誇りというのは厄介なものだ

Angeal: Pride is burdensome/a tricky thing/troublesome.

I don't know why they translated it in a way that makes it possible to confuse it with one of Angeal's lectures on SOLDIER honor, and to make it seem like he's saying it's dishonorable to ask his friend but not steal from others. But this part has nothing to do with his code of honor as a grown man, he's just saying that as a kid, it would have hurt his pride to ask his best friend for food.

He stole because he was poor and it wasn't hurting anyone, he didn't ask Genesis because of his pride, and he didn't take from a friend because of honor - honoring their friendship.

[prismaticpichu]

The Zack & Sephiroth Friendship Timeline, According to Pichu

Just a random self-indulgent post based on my everlasting headcanons of these goobers <3

~~~

Timeline

• As a young tadpole in Gongaga, Zack discovers Sephiroth via the local newspaper, having caught sight of a glorified picture at the kitchen table. The spark to be a hero is born.

• At age 13, Zack leaves for SOLDIER; he is eventually adopted by Angeal, who keeps Zack’s awe alight by sharing stories and anecdotes about his time working with the famed silver warrior.

• Sephiroth, concurrently, is fed little tidbits of information about Angeal’s new student, is painted pictures of Zack’s jubilant spirit and puppyish nature. He immediately believes Zack to be childish and naive—even if a little curious. This “pup,” he thinks, is never going to make it in this big dog-eat-dog world.

• Angeal tells Sephiroth to take care of Zack, should anything happen to him. Sephirotn scoffs it off.

• Come Wutai, and Angeal is gone. So is Genesis. Sephiroth is left all alone, torn asunder over the the double betrayal. This is when he finally meets Zack, saving the distracted pup from Ifrit’s Hellfire, cleaving those furious flames in two as Sephiroth smites the summon himself. However, the marvel is short—and the gratitude even shorter. Tensions are high; Sephiroth’s on edge. And he takes his anger out on Zack, snapping at him to know where Angeal is. Zack is equally quick to raise his voice at the… the cold-hearted warrior, incredulous that he would accuse his so-called friend of betraying them—and affirming Sephiroth’s perception of him as a naive, moronic child. Things are off to a rocky start.

• Weeks pass without Angeal’s return. Zack’s hope begins to wane, but he refuses to let it fade entirely. He’s also promoted to First Class at this time; Sephiroth is the only one who joins Zack in Lazard’s office.

• Genesis clones attack the base thereafter. Zack & Sephiroth are ordered to work together, and the younger First is surprised at just how much… synergy the two of the seem to have. Not once do they trip over each other while fighting; they instinctively cover each other’s blind spots; they fight side by side, like a team, despite the wisps of vitriol that still linger in the air between them. Sephiroth senses the same, if not impressed with the Firsts’s combat prowess.

• On the same day, en route to Hollander’s lab, Sephiroth feels something inside of him splinter; a wounded part of him that needs to be heard, that craves for an ear that would understand. And he can’t articulate why, but he just begins to speak, to open his heart as he leans over the railing, to vent about the training room incident and all that had sparked from his selfish, idiotic, arrogance…

• And it’s there, listening attentively to Sephiroth tear himself up, that Zack’s venom turns to understanding

• Zack and Sephiroth hang out more and more during this time, their friendship truly beginning to blossom. Zack begins shortening Sephiroth’s name; Sephiroth begins inviting Zack into his home. And for the first time in a long while, things feel stable. Safe. Comforting…

• Modeoheim hits; Angeal’s funeral is brief. It would have been longer, maybe, if either one of them bothered to stay longer than ten minutes. Seeing Sephiroth storm out after such a short amount of time, Zack follows suit… Only to push Sephiroth against the corridor wall, seething, mako-blue eyes ablaze with fury as he GLARED into the worthless, weak, cowardly…. pathetic warrior’s soul, burning tears beginning to streak down his cheeks in the process. He’s furious that Sephiroth didn’t come to Modeoheim with him; he’s furious that he refused the mission; he’s furious that all he does is hide, avoid… He’s furious that he ever, EVER considered him to be a worthy friend, let alone anything resembling even the faintest ghost of a hero—

• Sephiroth slaps him, right on his still-healing scar, and sends the young SOLDIER tumbling to the ground.

• Zack calls him a monster; he rushes away

~

• Weeks later, Zack is sobbing in his lonely First Class apartment, broken and beaten from all that had imploded in the company. His dreams feel crushes; he doesn’t know if they were ever attainable; he doesn’t know what to do anymore, where to go, how he could still wield the worm and torn Buster Sword…!—

• Sephiroth walks in, needing to deliver a paper to Zack, having taken over Lazard’s place after the man’s desertion. He’d fallen into absolute tatters since their incident after the funeral, and seeing Zack’s state seemed to break the last piece of resistance he had left. He remembers Angeal’s promise; he remembers being told, with words so distant and sincere now, to take care of the young pup should anything happen to him… And now, staring at the young First curled up on the couch—a small, vulnerable teenager…—he wants nothing more than to make Zack’s pain go away.

• He pulls Zack into his arms, holding the sobbing First close; Zack burrows into him, apologizing profusely, apologizing wholeheartedly. Sephiroth apologizes too

• And promises to always keep him safe.

~

• Their friendship burgeons and blossoms from here on out, stronger than it had ever been. Zack spends more nights at Sephiroth’s than he ever has; Sephiroth cooks Zack his favorite meals almost every night; Zack begins to smile again, talking about Aerith and Cloud and all his other buddies, beginning to enjoy life again…; Sephiroth, meanwhile, begins to eat again. His sleep schedule is mended, thanks to Zack’s gentle nudging—and, of course, their countless sleepovers. Zack is promoted to Seph’s second-in-command, spending every day in the office with him, working side-by-side—on and off missions. They do everything together… and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

• It’s time to leave for Nibelheim.

~

• They go to the Reactor; Genesis spews what he spews, destroying Sephiroth’s soul, feeding poison into his brain. His cells are activated; Jenova begins worming into his mind, twisting his thoughts. She’s the reason that Sephiroth has a sudden act or aggression, when the calm, concerned hand comes down on his shoulder, when the kind, worried “Hey, Sephiroth..!” comes shouting from behind. Jenova doesn’t want Zack to get close; he doesn’t want him to break his despair, to shatter her spell. She wants Sephirotn to flee—to run, to learn, to change……..

• Sephiroth rushes out of the Reactor

• Zack finds him in the library, just hours later; he never took a minute to stop looking for him

~

• There, Zack is able to soothe his best friend’s aches—if only momentarily. He assures him that he’s not a monster; he assures him that he’s the kindest, smartest, most wonderful person that he has ever met. He squeezes his arm, tries to wring the poisonous thoughts out. He won’t bear to lose another friend to the same toxic mindset that had crippled Angeal. He won’t…!

• And Sephiroth hears him.

• He really, really hears him.

• He believes him…

…

• …But he still wants to remain in the library to read, to learn about what he may never able to learn about again. And it’s then that he makes a promise to Zack: the moment he feels overwhelmed, stressed, scared… he will come right back to inn. Immediately.

• Zack is hesitant, but ultimately agrees.

• After all, he trusts his friend with his life

~

• Seeing her puppet beginning to slip away, Jenova brutally seizes control the moment Zack is gone

• Sephiroth tries to fight, but is too weak to resist alone, to fend her off.

.

.

.

• He succumbs, and out into the town he goes

🔥🔥🔥

• Back at the Reactor, enter Zack. He’s mortified; he’s enraged; he’s confused… He tries to bring his blade to the other’s neck, as he’s standing before the Thing’s tank, but can’t bring himself to do it. His arm his numb. He can’t even manage a single word, a single breath.

• Sephiroth takes the opportunity to attack him. Brutally…

…

• And it’s thereafter, when Sephiroth is monologuing about all this nonsense, about this drivel about being the Chosen One, that Zack realizes it—laying on the catwalk of the chamber, his arms gashed and bloodied, his eyes wide and hazed with tears:

• This isn’t Sephiroth.

.

.

.

• They continue to fight, Zack forced to defend to himself now. Blood is shed; screams are made; clothes and skin are torn—albeit only on Zack’s side, with Sephiroth’s face marred only with crimson that had already been spewed….

…

• And yet, Zack still refuses to fight.

• He continues calling out to his friend, trying to get him to hear his voice.

• He pleads.

• He cries.

• Sephiroth laughs.

• Sephiroth scoffs.

• Sephiroth smirks.

• Sephiroth impales him.

.

.

.

• And Zack gets up, having been thrown to the ground like a discarded toy.

• And he limps toward the possessed man.

• And he opens his arms,

• and throws himself into Sephiroth’s chest, whispering:

…

• “I love you, Sephiroth…”

.

.

.

.

.

And in this world, in this crazy universe you have taken the time to read through… those words are enough <3

[idarafeka]

FFVIICC IS TRANS CODED

Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core is trans. And I don't know if anyone cares or will even see this post, but in it, I'm going to explain why.

FFVIICC is the prequel to the famous FFVII and the game where the story of Zack is told. In the original game Zack is a character only presented to us through small dialogues and optional cut scenes, so they had room to expand the universe however they wanted, thus presenting us two new characters, Genesis and Angeal. Our two trans characters.

Genesis and Angeal, as presented by the game, are two first class members of SOLDIER, who on top of the already standard mako infusion they were experimented on with JENOVA cells. Genesis after birth and Angeal even before his conception, being his mother the one who got the "treatment".

That is what happens to them in the game. But now let's see it from another angle. Angeal and Genesis were both childhood friends. One son of a humble family with no food to take to their mouths and the other heir to a great fortune. They used to spend all their time with each other, even after joining SOLDIER they were never not together. Or at least, that was the case until a third force came in, Sephiroth, the hero. We don't know much of their friendship, only that they fought. A lot. And that Genesis seemed to be jealous of Sephiroth, or at least that was the case when they spoke, since Genesis was usually more invested in reading, and reading and reading the book for the play Loveless it stands to reason to think social interactions were not top priority.

But why was Loveless so important? Loveless is a play that tells the story of a godess, her return, and how she brings the end of the world, or that's what's thought happens, given that the last chapter is lost to history. Genesis is obsessed with that story. In every single scene Genesis shows up, Loveless is quoted to show the ambition Genesis has to bring the godess to the world. To become the godess. Genesis Rhapsodos is a trans woman.

Thinking about her this way gives a whole new meaning for her story and actions. Her running away from home, her hate towards Sephiroth and the world and, mostly, her friendship with Angeal.

Going in order, is not hard to guess why she would hate her family. They didn't accept her, that's why she runs away to only end up killing them and burning the whole town down once she finally comes back. Which makes sense, given that her diary shows us she was a lonely child, she was likely also not accepted by the folks in her hometown.

After that, we have the hate and evny towards Sephiroth. I see it as something as easy as the resentment she felt at someone who was happy and didn't know anything about the pain it brings to not have parental love because they hate your kind. And yes, Sephiroth may have been an orphan, but Genesis clearly seemed to think that was a better option.

Finally, we have Angeal. As I said at the start I also belive him to be trans, but in a different light. Angeal is presented as an stoic, no nonsense character, contrasting with Genesis' explosive and theatrical persona, which for me represents a different way of dealing with the heart break that was his mother not fully accepting him.

At first the thought of his mother being transphobic seems unreasonable, after all, she loves her son, she seems worried about him when you speak to her. Well, yes, but the problem is both things can be true at once. The reject of his identity, while clearly a hate driven action, in the eyes of a parent can be confused with an act of love. The real problem begins when they refuse to change that view, such as she does.

When we meet her she doesn't answer to "Are you Angeal's mom?" but only to Zack introducing himself after she remembers her son wrote about him in a letter. Now she knows who he is asking for, who Angeal is, and her first question is "Are you with Genesis?", or, as we are seeing this plot, asking if he is also one of them queers. Zack says no, which in turn makes Gillian willing to speak with him about Genesis and her son, who I belive treats in masculine not out of acceptance in this scene but because she understands Zack might not know and doesn't wish to cause troubles to her only child. After this interaction, next time we see her is dead, after taking her own life and with her son staring at her corpse. This also marks the time Angeal's character goes down a spiral that makes him a "monster".

With both chracters' stories more or less covered, now I want to talk about their struggles and ultimately their demise. Both trans people not accepted by their families and town, they run away together to the big city. Once there they try their best to live their life, Angeal manages to, at least to some extent, while Genesis unable to transition becomes more and more consumed by the pain and hate she feels. Angeal is unable to let go of the mother he left alone after his father died, and tries to mend the relationship, but fails time and time again, taking a toll on him. Genesis, on the other hand, doesn't care about those who didn't care for her, killing everyone that dared to wrong her. Angeal suffers when her mother died, Genesis finds it just. Angeal cannot go any further with what he caused, he might be trans but wishes he wasn't, he sees himself as a monster, thus becoming one and asking Zack, his only friend left, to end him. Genesis, with each day that passes, which each second she feels is pushed further and further from her goal, she loses it more and more, beliving herself to be the godess who will bring forth the end of the world, and so she becomes a bastardized form of the godess, who also ends up defeated and left to rot, alone and broken. Both of them imitating the play loveless. Stories about revolution and change, cut too short, the last chapter lost to time, forever.

And that's my trans coded reading of the characters! I know it's depressing and also not at all what the story and plot is about, but it's also something I clearly see when playing the game, and art is suppoused to be a personal experience, so this is who I choose to see my own experiences through this silly guys:)

also if you read this shit I love you and are entitled to ask me to buy you a gift as prize

[rottenpumpkin13]

Is there a list of things AGSZC are prohibited from having in their possession?

Sephiroth: Prohibited from having access to sashimi on Shinra property. He has no self control. He'll order a plate of sashimi during a quiet dinner in the Shinra mess hall. Five minutes later, he'll go back in line for another plate. Then another. By the fifth plate, Angeal will lunge across the table to wrestle the plate of sashimi from Sephiroth's grasp. By the tenth, Genesis watches in abject horror as Sephiroth gracefully inhales entire slices of tuna like a malfunctioning office paper shredder.

Zack: Infomercials. His impulse purchases have included a bunch of crap that don't work. ChocoBoots (a pair of boots that make you run as fast as a chocobo), thirteen slap chops ("They save SO much time Angeal!") (he doesn't cook), 12 Snuggies modified into SOLDIER uniforms, a bedazzler, a roomba that sings, a CatGenie even though he doesn't have a cat, and most notably, 40 jackets with built-in cupholders that he swears would "revolutionize fashion." Kunsel now has parental controls on Zack's TV.

Genesis: Banned from possessing rubber bands due to a complete and utter lack of impulse control. The final straw occurred after he snapped a rubber band at Sephiroth, who didn't even flinch, tilted his head slightly to the side, and let it whiz past before calmly asking "Do you value your life?" What followed was Lazard entering the room just in time to witness Sephiroth stalking Genesis around the couch with unnerving patience, while Genesis hysterically bolted in circles, screaming fervent prayers, as though invoking the goddess to ward off a demonic entity.

Cloud: Banned from thermostat access because he's somehow perpetually humid and insists on setting every room to a crisp, subzero hellscape. One time, Zack invited him over for a sleepover. He woke up in the dead of night, teeth chattering, fingers an alarming shade of blue. He rolled over to see Cloud sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, fanning himself with a comic book like he was dying of heat in the middle of summer. Zack debated homicide.

Angeal: Banned from possessing post-it notes. He was accused of bullying after flooding the SOLDIER floor with increasingly passive-aggressive notes. HR had to intervene. Notable examples include "unhealthy" taped to Zack's soda can, "poor posture" on Genesis' back while he was reading in shrimp position, and "friendships require effort" on Sephiroth's office door after Sephiroth didn't answer his text.

[strayheartless]

friendship bracelets:

Zack makes them, obviously, because he’s a sentimental dork, and in Gongaga it’s considered a sign of great affection to give someone something like jewellery. I like to think there’s a Gongagan tradition/ holiday a bit like Valentine’s Day but it’s for showing appreciation to everyone. And on this day people swap hand made jewellery to signify their respect and love for a person.

Mostly Gongagan kids swap them, and it’s a big thing in school, but Adults do also observe the day with those closest to them -or someone who has done them a great service through the year!

Zack hasn’t really observed the holiday since he left home, but when he finally becomes FIRST he gets kind of sentimental and homesick for some reason. So he buys a bracelet making kit from a craft store and makes a bunch of bracelets for his fellow firsts and Cloud and Kunsel, he makes one for Aerith too!

Giving them to Kunsel is pretty easy. They’ve been friends for years and have talked a lot about Gongagan holidays before. Kunsel is pretty touched actually, and hugs Zack. It’s a nice little moment between them. Quality brotherly affection. Hense the reason the word “brother” is stamped on the bracelet.

Giving Cloud his is funny only because Cloud goes bright red in the face and stutters through accepting it. Zacks pretty smug throughout the entire encounter about making Cloud blush like that. But he’s also incredibly emotional when Cloud turns up at 12:00 PM the same night and pushes a bracelet into Zack’s hand. Zack hadn’t known what to stamp on Clouds “best friend” seemed too weak and and anything more then that felt presumptuous to the point of impertinence, considering he was still battling with how he felt about Cloud. In the end he’d gone with “legacy” which felt like a cop out but Cloud seemed to like it.

It’s only as he looks down at the word printed on his bracelet that he realises he needs to seriously get his act together with Cloud… the word that both brakes his heart and makes it soar “everything”.

Aerith is pretty happy with her bracelet, and as she does with most things, gives him a bunch of flowers for his efforts! He deliberated on what to put on hers too. “Girlfriend” made him feel guilty. He loves her, he does… but he knows, and she knows that they’re playing a game until Zack tells her about Cloud. Instead he stamps “soul” on hers because she will always know his soul better than anyone.

Giving Angeal his is nerve wracking because it makes Zack feel stupid. He knows Angeal wouldn’t make fun of his homes tradition, but still… in the end the worrying is for nothing. Zack gives Angeal the bracelet stamped “mentor” and Angeal is very touched and even a little emotional over it actually. He gives Zack a side hug and puts the bracelet on immediately.

Genesis is -if possible- even more nerve wracking, because Zacknis absolutely sure he’ll be made fun of. He positively shakes out of his skin giving the bracelet stamped “hero” to Genesis and for a second Gen does do his whole “shoot it down in flames” thing until he realises two things: 1. Zack had gone to extend a art lengths to match the colour red to Gens coat, and 2. he turns it over in his hand and runs his fingers over the letters stamped into soft leather.

Zack absolutely panics when Genesis starts to cry. Gens emotional sure, but Zacks never seen the man cry. Gen asks him “why would you spend time on this for me?” And Zack tells him the truth, “cause you are a hero Genesis, and I wanted you to know that people see you that way.”

Genesis is never taking the bracelet off. Ever.

Then the only person left to give a bracelet to is Sephiroth. It is exceptionally hard to pin the man down that day, and in the end Zack has to wait a week for him to come back from mission. And then it’s terrifying to hand it over.

What’s even more terrifying is that Sephiroth kind of stops breathing for a second when Zack gives it to him. He sits on the edge of his desk heavily and stares at the inscribed bracelet in his hand. Zack says his name at least three times before Seph responds to him. When he does it’s with a shaking “why?” And Zack can only hug him and whisper back “because you are,”

The stamp simply reads “best friend” but it’s enough to bring the great general sephiroth to his knees.

***

Alternative title for this little headcanon is:

Zack Fair stops crisis core with the power of friendship.