#angeal and genesis are still alive at this point

[citrusici]

ngl I think it would be cool to read a Remnants fic where the premise is that something goes wrong and Sephiroth gets split into the Remnants pre-Nibelheim

[rottenpumpkin13]

What are AGSZC biggest fears?

Sephiroth: Being used by Hojo, being lied to, being betrayed, losing people he cares about, never finding out the truth about his mother, becoming a monster like the ones Hojo kept in glass cells that he'd walk past as a child and hope to never have to fight. Oh! And Angeal's "you're in big trouble" stare. He's fought wars, yet nothing instills fear quite like the sentence: "Sephiroth, come here and sit down." He'd rather fight Ifrit naked.

Genesis: That his body will betray him. He was such a sickly child that it's only natural. He fears it wearing down, breaking apart mid-battle, mid-sentence, mid-sonnet. That one day the words won't be enough to keep him aloft, that his glory will dim and there will be no encore and no blessing from the goddess to keep him alive.

Angeal: Hunger. Not just missing lunch, but real hunger. He has anxiety-induced visions of bare cupboards , rations drying up, mother skipping meals again so he can eat. He knows he's at a completely different point in his life now, but he's still that little boy worried about making a name for himself so he can give his parents a comfortable life.

Zack: Tonberries. Or more specifically, a ten-foot Tonberry in a maid outfit chasing him through a haunted house while wielding a ladle and whispering "You dropped this, Mr. Fair…" Also his underlying fear that he's actually not enough to save and care for the people he loves and that they'll all die one day because he couldn't be the hero they needed him to be because he's just a backwater kid from Gongaga who's only ever been good with a sword and sometimes the sword feels like it'll be the thing that grants him a premature death. But mostly the Tonberry.

Cloud: Public speaking. Eye contact. Accidentally opening up and getting attached and liking it.

[altocat]

What concept does Sephiroth have about love? About loving someone. Friends, family, a partner.

Throughout his life, Sephiroth's understanding of love is...complicated. He can feel love. And sort of sense it when it's directed at him--but his upbringing was predominantly devoid of such expressions and the abuse he suffered at the hands of Hojo have made him incredibly guarded and wary. He understands that love is a feeling of great care and kinship, a desire to be close to someone, to protect them from harm, emotional and sometimes physical intimacy. But he has no way of going about it, or openly expressing it to someone else. He believes he was always designed to be different from "normal" people, have different things, experience different outcomes. The only thing he can fully associate with love is his desire for his mother, a perfect, flawless guardian figure who would protect and cherish him. Or at least that's how he pictures it.

He doesn't fully come to understand pure, unconditional love for real until becoming close friends with Genesis and Angeal. And while he often struggles with his burgeoning awareness of his physical attraction towards them, he at the very least understands that they are people he deeply cherishes, people who are precious, people who he wants to protect, spend the rest of his life with. He loves them. Truly. Sincerely. And while he can't quite express that out loud, he will admit to himself that they are the closest reference he has to true, earnest human love. The most important people in his life. His soulmates.

After Nibelheim, however, Sephiroth throws away any understanding of love between humans and redirects these feelings wholly towards Jenova. He DOES genuinely love her. He worships her, retreating to that long-repressed childish instinct to go to his mother and never leave her side. His need for her is like an addiction--compulsive, euphoric, slowly eating him alive. But he wants more. He's craved her for so long. She is the drug that keeps him from facing the harsh realities of his lonely place in the world. She will make him a god. She will be his meaning, his muse, his ascension into glory and power. She is his world. He would die for her, kill for her. She is everything.

...And then he comes to find that his feelings for Cloud are, perhaps, not exactly as rancorous as he'd initially believed. Throughout their many battles, Sephiroth finds that he's come to lust for the other man, growing gradually more and more obsessed with him, hungry to possess him. Sephiroth's "love" for Cloud is layered. It's toxic and possessive. Unhealthy. Masochistic and sadistic in equal measure. It's not the pure, unconditional love he felt for Angeal and Genesis. It's angry and bitter. Smug and tyrannical. And, much like with Jenova, it's slowly driving him insane. At this point, Sephiroth wants to make Cloud his personal consort. But his human ability to love Cloud like a normal, tender lover has long since eroded away. He can only express love in violence and projection. Their fights are the only way he can properly express the weight of his emotions. He could never truly win Cloud's heart. Or take back the human heart that is long lost to him. That was another Sephiroth, one that was already lacking in the proper equipment in the first place.

Still, there are times when Sephiroth really does wonder. And, yes, perhaps laments just a little at the loss of something he's never truly known. And never will.

[secondarysefikura]

So those time travel ideas I gave, I will say that if you or anyone else wants to write one of these stories or story based off of these ideas I have please be my guest. I’m unfortunately not a writer, I would love to one day but for now I want to practice on my own writing before giving it a shot, that being said here’s some add ons to them:

In idea one Clond definitely heads to Nibelheim to wake Vincent up before burning the mansion and all of lies about Sephiroth down, and destroying the reactor along with Jenova. But before that he ends up standing in front of his childhood home for a good few minutes, because he’s in the past that means that his mom is still alive, which means he could see her. But he doesn’t know if he should see her because he’s afraid of freaking her out. Either Cloud ends up walking away and going to the mansion, or Claudia opens the door while Cloud is still deciding what to do and sees him.

In idea two while Zack and Sephiroth are trying to murder each other Cloud gets his own fan club. Everyone wants to know how on Gaia that blonde twink manage to win the affection of not just the puppy but also Sephiroth of all people. His fan club becomes more popular then the firsts’ combined.

In idea three Angeal and Genesis notice Sephiroth being very creepy and possessive when it comes to his student. After finding out that Sephiroth ordered that Cloud be allowed to move into his apartment with him, they try to separate the two and ask Cloud if Sephiroth has been forcing him to do anything. After that next mission the firsts go one together(Cloud is also with them) Angeal and Genesis mysteriously disappear during it, and when Cloud and Sephiroth return to Midgar Cloud now has the Buster sword. They both claim they found it ‘abandoned.’

In idea four Sephiroth at one point begins to notice that Cloud is barely sleeping. As time goes on and the bags under Cloud’s eyes become worst and worst Sephiroth is finally able to get Cloud to tell him why he’s not sleeping. It turns out that Cloud can only sleep if he’s in bed with Sephiroth and his arms are around him. So instead of having Cloud sleep in the guest room, Sephiroth let’s Cloud sleep in his bed with him, and as soon as Sephiroth has his arms around Cloud, Cloud is out like a light.

Hojo dies in all of the ideas. With the first one its either by future Cloud or Sephiroth, second one it’s Zack as soon as he realizes he’s in the past(and once he’s done he quickly goes to find Cloud and Angeal so he can give them both a hug), third one it’s both Cloud and Sephiroth after he’s made Cloud ‘perfect’ which means that Sephiroth doesn’t need him alive anymore, and for the fourth idea it’s Sephiroth probably because Hojo had Cloud captured and brought to him while Sephiroth is away, when Sephiroth finds out he returns to Midgar as fast as he can to finally rid the planet, especially him and Cloud of Hojo.

I hope one day you do feel confident enough to perhaps write fanfiction of your own. Honestly the best advice I've ever gotten for writing is that until you write a million words, nothing you write is good. Which may seem discouraging, but I've always taken it as an excuse to write without worrying if my work is 'good.' Of course I go through and edit things, but I don't have to be discouraged if something I write isn't good. It doesn't matter, it's counting towards the million words I have to write before my works are considered 'good'!

Anyway, onto your ideas!

In idea 1, I honestly didn't think about Vincent at all! It's a good thing Cloud thought to wake him or else Vincent would have woken up to a scene straight out of hell! Also Cloud trying to decide if he should visit his mom...so sad. PERFECT!

Cloud getting his own fanclub in idea two is hilarious to me, since I feel like it starts with Cloud getting his own conspiracy forum that then evolves into a fanclub. Move over Silver Elite, the "Who is this Blonde Twink" conspiracy group is now the most popular page in all of Midgar!

Idea three is evil~ You just know that Sephiroth prepped Cloud on what to do in the case anyone ever started asking Cloud about their relationship or tried to 'break them apart.' If someone ever tries to do such a thing, Sephiroth tells Cloud, you listen to them and play along then tell me IMMEDIATELY. Such a shame about Angeal and Genesis disappearing on their next mission, but is it really a surprise? Rumours have been going around for ages now that they were planning to desert...

Idea four, awwwww. It's both incredibly sad and incredibly sweet. You just know Sephiroth is a bit uncomfortable with the touch but also wants to see the poor thing sleep for once. And look how peaceful Cloud is when he's tucked in his arms! He hates whoever made Cloud feel this way, but he supposes he is willing to do this much to help Cloud feel better.

Also bye Hojo. Of course any time traveler worth their salt (or any caretaker of an emotionally terrified time traveler) would get rid of Hojo. He's the source of so many problems, killing him really is for the best.

[salternateunreality2]

AGSZC when their SO/roommate/friend is sick with a stomach bug:

Angeal:

Hon? Can I get you anything? I have leftover bones to make stock, it may be a bit (24 hours minimum), but that's the best thing for you. Here, have some vaporub. No, I don't care that you don't have clogged sinuses. Rub it on your elbow to stimulate the healing nerve. Yes, it makes perfect sense.

You don't need fancy drugs, chew on this ginger root. Have some tea. My mother swears by these potato skins, put them in your socks. No, not my biological mother, she was a scientist; the mother in my soul. No, not like Sephiroth's, she recommends bloodshed.

No, it's not my fault I save any and all food scraps; you know your stomach is more delicate than mine. If you're concerned, leave it for me and I will eat it.

Sephiroth:

Loyally hangs around looking like a sad wet kitten on your behalf. He doesn't know what to do, because no one mothered him as a child. He won't get sick, he's certain, so he WOULD be happy to sit there and rub your back while you throw up and cry, but somehow he always gets an important call as soon as the horrible retching noises start.

He does come back in, calls Angeal, and follows only his most sensible directions. He's happy to get whatever you need, put a wet cloth on your forehead, and SIT THERE STARING AT YOU UNBLINKINGLY BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU BUT HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DOOOOO.

Cloud:

Uh, sorry you're feeling bad, um...*dumps a huge pile of as many snacks and drinks as he can afford outside your door* Let me know if you, uh, need anything.

*Hangs around, but not very close, checking every now and then to make sure you're still alive*

Zack:

If he's not also violently ill because he ate more of whatever it was or got more up close and personal with whoever was sick...

He's popping in every 5 seconds until you beg him to stop, at which point he calls Angeal for recipes, makes EVERY SINGLE THING recommended, then offers them all to you. You will be eating soup and ginger root for weeks.

He's also surprisingly patient and tender, once he gets past that first round of excitement. He cleans your bucket, bathes your face, feeds you crackers, and inevitably comes down with it because he can't stop cuddling you to make you feel better.

Genesis:

*screeching sounds of his boots burning rubber as he flees at the first retching noise*

He calls you on the phone, asks if you're ok, talks you through things, reads you bedtime stories, sings to you, orders a special medical basket from the most expensive boutique nursing center, hires a nurse for you, and STAYS THE HELL AWAY.

If you cry and say you miss him so much, he might (might) show up like this:

and hold your hand. Because he's a sweetheart like that.

[invinciblevalentine]

okay concept. gaia is FCUKED from the Everything that’s happened and all life is dying. cloud eventually dies and aerith+zack meet up with him, going “ya so. unfortunately,,,,, this is still an us problem. we’re time traveling and this is the pla—“

cloud, used to being the planets hammer for a very Calamity’s-son-shaped nail: kill sephiroth, on it

zack reaching into thin air: SPIKE WAIT SEPH WASN’T—

but it’s TOO LATE. through the power of shear hatred and a desire to be DONE with this bitch, cloud has hurled himself directly into the lifestream that’s in the middle of reversing its flow, sending himself back in time before they finished explaining the plan.

aerith intended to rewind to before the jenova project, possibly before shinra even started on the mako reactor grind. but thanks to cloud not letting her finish the process, cloud drops into reality somewhere after both angeal and genesis defected but before zack had to kill angeal.

he wakes up in a pool of mako, his sword in hand and still in his haggard, apocalypse wracked form. cloud doesn’t know the plan, because cloud doesn’t CARE. He marches his ass down to midgar to kill sephiroth or die trying, and gets all the way to sephiroth’s apartment undetected.

this is in part thanks to the fact his normally distinct SOLDIER eyes are dull enough to pass for a trick of the light, which in turn can be credited to the aforementioned apocalypse wracked body and general malnutrition. all his enhancements are currently dedicated to the losing effort of keeping cloud’s bitchass alive, an effort the man himself is completely unconcerned with.

anyways, sephiroth’s quarters. Cloud’s holed up there, waiting, when he hears sephiroth approach and has a second to prepare himself before the door gets kicked in.

while fighting and trashing the apartment, sephiroth probes for information, which cloud is obviously not giving, until sephiroth manages to sus out that clouds not just a random type of trained or enhanced— he’s SOLDIER enhanced. More than that, while Cloud’s fighting style is a mish mosh of a lot of factors, the most prominent style Sephiroth can identify is a weird form of Angeal’s own style. With that conclusion drawn, Sephiroth quickly draws several follow-up conclusions:

1. This stranger is injured or sick to the point where the mako in his system is completely occupied with keeping him alive

2. the stranger doesn’t care about dying

3. He isn’t part of SOLDIER, not any that Sephiroth’s ever seen.

4. He knew Angeal.

Sephiroth, right now, is fresh off losing his two best and only friends. Genesis defected rather loudly, convincing a good deal of SOLDIERS and scientists to follow him while he was at it. Angeal defected much more quietly, but defected all the same. Something was off about both of them before they left, and he’s still got hope he can bring them back.

The strange attacker that moves like Angeal HAS to be related to the issue, and that’s a resource Sephiroth can’t afford to lose. So he fucking hits the stranger with chair and Cloud goes DOWN.

- seph keeps cloud “prisoner” in his rooms as cloud heals from the concussion and apocalypses damage on him and cloud goes from belligerent to suspicious to getting the dawning feeling that zack might’ve been trying to tell him something important.

- sephiroth is just proving to be a wet and pathetic human experiment missing his friends and like all basic forms of socialization, and is desperately alone. like CLOUD is his only constant friend at this point. the guy he’s practically holding HOSTAGE.

- (btw zack comes back during this time and is frantically looking for cloud. zack’s younger self is sharing a body with zack, and there’s a period of time Zee (Little Zack) is convinced he’s like, possessed. which he is technically but only by His Future Self. it’s making zack’s life heinously difficult bc zee WILL NOT LET HIM DITCH SOLDIER TO HUNT DOWN A BLOND TWINK.)

- also at some point modeoheim happens and zee is sent there, angeal is like Kill Me and Zack shoves his way into control, casts the strongest sleepel he can and goes AWOL to grab aerith and waterboard his once-mentor into mental+physical stability. Zee is horrified by everything happening. btw every problem that comes with ANOTHER soldier first going AWOL and carrying around the unconscious body of ANOTHER defected soldier first and HIS FORMER MENTOR AT THAT, is happening rn. good luck babe.

- Aerith’s busy haunting genesis bc she’s incorporal and with her limited power/control, she can do BARE minimum life stream shit and ghost shit, which, out of all the enhanced people still kicking, only genesis is alone enough and uh fanciful enough to believe that he’s being communicated with by a divine being to listen to her in the first place.

- Aerith is trying her best to be understanding of Genesis’s circumstances but she draws the line at turning people into genesis clones and literally rains on genesis’s parade with her magic gaia girl rain which does cure genesis of degradation! However it has the unintended side of effect of genesis seeing Aerith’s ghost as, like, Gaia jesus which creates numerous problems on its own.

- all culminates in The Nibelheim Incident (SOLDIER Firsts No Longer Required) where cloud zack and aerith combine their incredible avoidance powers to result in… something really scuffed regarding jenova and sephs origins. i’ll figure it out Later.

- cloud and zack and aerith are in their Darkest Hour of personal development when sephiroth stumbles in and on his hands and knees begs them not to leave him. zack tries to be like, ehhhhh we don’t belong here or something and aeriths like look at what you still have, what you won’t lose anymore, you’ll be okay, and when sephiroth grasps the leg of clouds pants, cloud jerks away and is like you can’t force me to do anything w a whole tirade and sephiroth raises his head and cloud is taken aback to see sephiroth’s CRYING, as the general chokes out “i know”

- they do stay. aerith realizes she’s grown so distant from the world that she doesn’t recognize her own personal importance or impact on it and that, Zack realizes that it’s not selfish to want something more than what you’re given, and cloud realizes that circumstances can make you a monster as easily as choice can.

[peony-pearl]

So what are your thoughts on Genesis being Hollander's son? 👀

OK SO

There's something so mirror-image about Hollander and Genesis that just makes me want to chew gravel (in a good way). Yes, obviously Angeal is meant to be Hollander's son, to say that there's a resemblance is like saying water is wet.

But there's something more intrinsically similar with Hollander and Genesis.

They are two failures who want to be seen.

"You glory should have been mine." - Genesis Rhapsodos.

Where else do we see this quote mirrored? In Hollander, about Hojo.

Ironically, Genesis is speaking to Hojo's own son, Sephiroth.

Imagine, Hollander wishing that Angeal was his son. Not only for the fact that he's the 'better' of his creations, but perhaps for Gillian, the woman he remembers working with; a woman he adored. After so many years, his memory becomes hazy, but he still yearns for her.

Like a goddess.

And her son, a perfect creation monster ange(a)l.

While Hollander gushes about Angeal, he ignores Genesis because of his failures.

Hollander, who remains stagnant in Shinra. Hollander, who hates the hand given to him. Hollander, who wants nothing more than to see Shinra burn.

"My soul, corrupted by vengeance."

Hollander does unto Genesis, his own son, what has been happening to him for some two decades. He is shown lack of interest, and is cast aside for a more favorable option... despite their similarities.

Hollander created the first specimens of the Jenova Project and paved the way for Project S.

With Genesis. And Angeal.

Hollander was the first failure of the Jenova Project. Genesis was the first success AND failure of Project G.

Leading to Angeal's success.

Leading to Sephiroth's even more desirable success. And yet Hollander is forgotten and left.

Left to rot.

But he is anything but quiet about it. His disdain for the job he is stuck in is a constant cycle in his mind. It's met with the same eyeroll as Genesis gets when he talks about LOVELESS. It's constant, never ending, dramatic.

Ironically, Genesis' greatest achievement before coming to Midgar?

Creating pasteurization for the Banora White.

Science.

And he's CELEBRATED for it.

Hollander even WEARS A SHIRT for it, but... it's only used as a visual clue, and you cannot convince me he didn't wear it because he enjoyed the drink, or for Genesis, but to strike up conversation with Angeal so he may get insight into how Gillian is.

And then, everything happens. Hollander gets his chance to escape his prison of working for Shinra - with Genesis' Degradation.

The cycle of their relationship is always teetering on life and death, with Hollander promising to cure him, to Genesis threatening Hollander, to saving him in Junon, and then even apparently injuring Hollander to the point that Hollander had to 'borrow' cells from Genesis...

Hollander relied on Genesis' very own cells to survive, and thus, became a failure twice over. The cells of his own son, who he deemed lesser than, just barely keeping him alive, until Zack cuts him down.

"Genesis was a failure..."

And yet Genesis is the last one standing years later.

[pine-needle-shuffle]

HI :3 does angeal die in riptide what's the situation there

at this point in planning, no, he does not die. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows either.

After what would have been his and Zack's last altercation in Crisis Core, Angeal survives. Zack couldn't finish him off, Angeal wasn't so desperate as to force Zack to kill him. Even if Angeal hoped he would have.

He flees in an effort to find Genesis again, who had been evading most contact the whole time. They both needed answers now, Angeal's condition was getting worse, like Genesis before.

During the 5 years between Nibelhiem and current day in the story, he's barely been living. Most of the time was spent in hiding, they didn't have anywhere safe to go. Once, maybe a year or two after his fight with Zack, he journeys out. He felt he needed to apologize, make ends meet, something. But he doesn't find Zack. So he goes back to rot.

I'm not sure if it will be in the scope of A Pulling of Tides, but in the future he and Zack do meet up. It's...bittersweet. Angeal has so much regret, and Zack, while glad to know he's alive, is still kinda pissed at him under it all.

[s-ephiroth]

ranting on here for once instead of twt (which is back for me!) because i'm too lazy for the thread format and i must yell A LOT

it's about cid, and angeal deniers in ec...

like, i'm absolutely hating the lengths some people have to go just to be all "cid will come first" or "i would prefer if cid came out first"

you can just say you prefer a character over another without dissing one of the characters, saying shit like "oh but he's just a bad zack clone/bootleg so he's not important the way cid is", "you're doing selective reading on the interview", "i'll quit the game if angeal comes first", "what's there to explore anyway," etc.

like excuse me if maybe i'm biased towards the guy, but being someone who does have some impact in sephiroth's life, i think angeal is much more important than "guy who has a beef with shinra over the space program and drives our airship"

sephiroth is a driving force of the main ff7 plot

if not for cloud chasing after sephiroth around the world, cid would stay in his near backwater rocket centered town yelling at shera and not going anywhere (aside from maybe driving the bronco around, if you consider rebirth additions and the implications of him owning the bronco in og)

sephiroth, cloud and aerith are the driving forces of the ff7 story and anything directly relating to them in any way will be always more important

angeal is sephiroth's friend (and if you read into it, sephiroth's anchor). sephiroth's behavior through cc is impacted by his friendship with him and genesis both; showcasing that sephiroth's loyalty is not fully shinra's, that he's willing to ignore orders, dump missions on others and make his own rules if that means possibly helping both angeal/genesis survive

hell, after angeal dies, before nibelheim and with genesis possibly still alive, sephiroth has enough of a wake up call and decides he'll abandon shinra depending on the circumstances

cloud's sword was angeal's before it was zack's, and aerith was there when zack mourned the loss of the guy by his own hands

cid's character arc is mostly done in og; he goes through the domestic violence arc and "i'll join you because that's dumb as fuck, i like that plan" to "oops, the woman i yelled at and scared and blamed all these years for something that i chose to do was actually right". he gets a few extra tidbits in the extended compilation (i.e: marrying shera, naming an airship after her, working for wro now, having met ifalna in the past) but they're afterthoughts. the character was already explored

all of this to say that people saying angeal has no/lesser importance to the narrative than cid is fucking insane shit

i get people not liking him (it's not easy to because we're given crumbs of character exploration and also the way people behave towards mentally ill characters not acting 100% as they claim their moral code to be), i get people not wanting to play as him for the possibility of Yet Another Sword User™, i get people liking cid for whatever reason

but the fact that they feel they're obliged to jump into the discussion whenever someone shows the slightest amount of angeal hype in the chat to go "but naaah, cid is in the data, so cid gotta be first uwu" or "cid superior" or some other crap? it's driving me nuts

like imagine being so against the exploration of a character who needs it because he got crumbs in canon that need expanding to also further the main antagonist's tale, to the point you have to use other character already being in the data as justification

just say you're an og purist and go at that point, smh

"oh, i'll quit if angeal is first"

it'll be fucking hilarious if that happens, would love seeing that kind of person quit so much

[locketsvault]

𝄢 Sephiroth is Blue by Billie Eilish ᝰ.ᐟ

Not the whole song imo, but a certain section of the song really reminded me of him. Even if my interpretation of the lyrics aren’t what they actually mean, it’s still very fun.

Cw: not proof read

(If you agree, disagree, or wish to add on, go ahead and comment! My only rule is please be respectful and kind in the comments, or they will be deleted.)

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

“You were born bluer than a butterfly

Beautiful and so deprived of oxygen

Colder than your father's eyes

He never learned to sympathize with anyone”

— “Colder than your father’s eyes, he never learned to sympathize with anyone” I feel sums up Hojo very well. He has no sympathy, for literally anyone. Not his own son, not his wife, he’s incapable of it. As for the colder than, referring to him being born blue, tbh we don’t know much about his birth itself. If he was born screaming at the top of his lungs, or if he was potentially stillborn. It’s neat to think that at first, he wasn’t alive.

“I don't blame you

But I can't change you

Don't hate you (don't hate you)

But we can't save you (but we can't save you)”

— “I don’t blame you, but I can’t change you” let’s dive into the fandom a bit. A lot of us have seen his backstory, how everyone either viewed him as an object, or betrayed him. Him turning evil was a devastating path laid out for him, and many in this fandom do not blame him for taking that path. But it’s obvious, there’s no changing him. He is who he is now. A villain.

— A further argument could be made that this lyric can be from the perspective of the crisis core gang. Angeal and Genesis who were close to Sephiroth, Zack who looked up to him, even Lazard. And the next lyrics I feel are definitely them.

— “Don’t hate you, but we can’t change you” Again a lot of us in the fandom don’t hate him, but again acknowledge that we can’t change who he is. But past that, the crisis core gang. Bus two closest friends, I don’t think they can find it in their hearts to hate Sephiroth for what he’s done. Genesis pushed him to that point, and still loved him. Angeal followed Genesis despite all the things he had done. Those three were a lot closer than I believe we get to see. They don’t hate him, but Genesis at the least, knows he cannot undo what’s been done.

“You were born reaching for your mother's hands

Victim of your father's plans to rule the world

Too afraid to step outside

Paranoid and petrified of what you've heard”

— “You were born reaching for your mother's hands, victim of your father's plans to rule the world” I absolutely adore this part for sephiroth bc it feels true. “You were born reaching for your mother’s hands”, he wanted a mother, he wanted his mother. But she was taken away from him. Why? “Victim of your father's plans to rule the world”. Sephiroth was never meant to be anything more than a science project. He was never a baby, never considered a human being with emotions. All his father cared about was how to further advance his research, how to become powerful.

— “Too afraid to step outside, paranoid and petrified of what you've heard” Sephiroth was raised in a lab, in Shinras building. You cannot convince me that they brainwashed tf out of him on what the outside world was like. Especially as a soldier. They don’t want to run the risk of him trying to run away, he’s a very valuable subject. He goes out to fight, maybe sometimes visit his friends, but I don’t think he really ever leaves the building. And I feel he was okay with that, bc that was what was normal.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

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1:22 am

[lunarianebula872]

so who wants to learn how @aimeelouart 's Calamity Zack and Cursed Cloud met this little Cloud? Well it was because that little Cloud's Sephiroth was angry and seeking aid because he didn't want kids to go through what he, Angeal, and Genesis went through and when Calamity Zack and Cursed Cloud were in his world he asked for their help to see if there were any kids Hojo kidnapped to use as experiments and it turns out there was

Sephiroth is angry about that and instead of marching off to behead Hojo he looks straight at Cursed and asks "would you like to do the honors?" As he wonders if maybe killing Hojo could aid Cursed of any Hojo related trauma by letting Cuesed kill the scientist however he makes sure to figure out if the kids were even alive however only finding out that two kids were still alive [Cloud and Zack]

Sephiroth quickly escorts Zack to a doctor who won't go to science and goes back to Cloud where he overhears Cloud talking to Calamity Zack about how they're so cool and such and that Cursed Cloud is to cool to be called a curse [bless your heart little chocobo], if wondering where Angeal and Genesis are is they made a distraction via letting the specimens out to cover Sephiroth and Cursed Cloud's tracks as that world's Kunsel fucks up the cams

Sephiroth after the events takes Cuesed Cloud and Calamity Zack up with little Cloud to the room where Little Zack is so they both can be updated on the situation this is where Sephiroth steps up and mentions he'll take two little ones in and looks at Cursed Cloud and Calamity Zack for some parental advice if they have any [unaware he's speaking to dads here lol] Angeal, Genesis, and Kunsel come in and state they will aid Sephiroth with the kids when Sephiroth is on mission and if needed they will take turns [Kunsel here ends up becoming Uncle Kuns]

[Sephiroth and his partners and friend suddenly getting bombarded by tons of dad info would be straight up funny] Sephiroth showing he does care for those around him but is still his awkward self as well however he gets called 'the protective silver dragon' at this point as he basically does his damn hardest to care for his adopted two sons

Calamity Zack at some point in time will notice that Sephiroth ain't resting much as he works a whole lot but also spends most if not all his free time with his partners, kids, and friend to the point he needs a break [the silver dragon needs a good nap lol] so Calamity Zack asks Angeal, Genesis, and Kunsel when they have their days off so Sephiroth would get some sleep but also help with a schedule

Sephiroth out of the blue since Calamity Zack is trusting would ask when Calamity Zack isn't busy to watch the two only when he isn't busy and if he wants to and that he's even willing to pay Calamity Zack and even make sure Calamity Zack even has lunch himself while babysitting [geez Sephiroth going to town on the dad instincts but also the abilities of cooking that Angeal bestows apon him so the kids are fed and even the babysitter]

Sephiroth at random does mention that he doesn't know if he's doing to much or to little so he might need more tips but even some tricks if needed.

I think Cursed Cloud is proud of the two little ones for making Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis become dads [who take their parental tasks very seriously just like their jobs since they love their kids dearly and Kunsel is being a great uncle to them] though one thing's for sure is that he probably didn't expect the firsts to go head first into but they did anyway [Cursed Cloud got like eight to go boxes full of food Angeal and Sephiroth made as a thank you for the help on top of that even let Cursed Cloud nap on the comfy reclining couch]

alright so it's 7:10am and I'm going to sleep because I haven't went to bed [I really need to fix my sleep schedule I swear, anyways enjoy this concept]

[withgreatpowercomesmyfuckingdick]

GENESIS CHAPTER!!! YESSSSSSS MY BOYY

Genesis is a hate-reader 🍷 Canon to me. I'm also glad you give him time to shine as a strategist, like, he IS a caster and one of the most proficient SOLDIERs in existence 💅stands to reason he does have to think things through on the battlefield and this isn't addressed nearly enough imo.

Zack "I'm not traumatized 😀" Fair is breaking my heart here. Both Cloud and Zack get to miraculously be together after losing the other, but the fear is fresh in Zack's mind. And unfortunately due to the rapidly developing situation (SCREAMS) he doesn't really have time to process and address it, and that's assuming he isn't avoiding doing so like the plague because Cloud's alive so everything's fine now right? 😀 Except it's super not and now Zack is the only one who really knows how not fine it is 💔

Speaking of not addressing emotions lol Angeal is in full repression mode and Sephiroth is isolatinggg 😬 I know how easy it is to withdraw when you're used to not having anyone there for you, when you have to figure out and manage everything yourself regardless of how unequipped you are for the task, but I also feel for Genesis here because it really does take a lot of work to gently coax people out of that over and over again. I like how you're addressing this in general, but especially from this pov! I really feel Genesis' frustration here. He knows it would get better if Seph just came home 😥

I really enjoyed the intel gathering scene with Bolin 👌👌👌 You're really serving up top shelf Genesis in this chapter and it's delightful to watch! But Camp 28 is stressing me tf out agagshshshshs Zack is somewhat reassured for now but even Kenny is worried about Cloud's lack of self preservation (physically and emotionally damn) and he doesn't even know how bad of a situation they're walking into! Though no one really knows and that's kind of the problem, but I love Kenny and I want him to survive this 😭 He needs to survive so he can be brave and trust Juvie with the kids!

Speaking of kids, CLAUDIA IS SO PRECIOUS I CANT 💕 I'm as bad as Vincent at this point. Claudia deserves the world (and she doesn't even exist anymore.. I will never be ok again 🫠)

I'm a little worried about whatever Genesis has planned to address the Camp 28 situation, because, well, it's Genesis lol but at the same time I love his constant rebellion against being told "no" 💅

Thanks for the amazing chapter!!!! Time to reread the whole thing again to distract myself from the incredible suspense of what's to come 😁🍿

HI HI HI THANKS FOR LEAVING ME THIS TO WAKE UP TO!!!

Genesis being a strategist just makes sense to me. Like. The man led a rebellion against Shinra that turned into a straight up war, waged it for a decent amount of time, and managed to not immediately get eradicated. That in itself says the man’s got SOME brains on him lol

Yeahhh Zack’s still in the “just happy Spike’s here” stage and honestly doesn’t even realize what he’s doing. The weight of carrying Cloud’s secret is kinda trumping his own emotions in importance, which miiiiiight not be good :/

It’s kind of sad when, to an extent, Genesis is being the most emotionally intelligent among them. I mean. Seriously. Genesis? Same guy that thought talking Sephiroth into insanity would make the dude help heal him? Yeah if he’s the smartest emotionally everyone needs some DIRE help.

But also guess what conflict is going to be resolved next chapter because I like making Seph suffer but not THAT damn much? Angeal’s repression might take a bit longer but gimme a second there’s five character arcs going on at once 😂

Camp 28 is, if you guys didn’t notice, another parade situation, except I’m dragging it out for effect LMAO. It obviously isn’t exactly the same but…well, you’ll see ;) Kenny’s just trying to look out for a buddy :( Cloud’s doing the same thing, just like…way more risky and possibly self destructive. Immortality went RIGHT to his head IMMEDIATELY

Cloud says it’s his daughter but that’s OUR DAUGHTER!!!

And like you said lmao—

Sephiroth: Genesis, no

Genesis: is that a fucking challenge

Nah seriously like, Genesis and ‘letting that slide’ don’t go in a sentence together. it’s just

Genesis, squinting at Camp 28: I don’t know what the fuck’s going on but TRUST you will be dealt with

Feel AWFUL for leaving this answer to you in my drafts for like…for fucking ever 😭 But thanks for leaving me this lovely!!! Always encouraging to read a lil smth from you 🖤🖤🖤

[rottenpumpkin13]

How would A/S/G and Zack react to their car getting hit by another driver? How do they handle the situation if the other driver is an unapologetic asshole?

Sephiroth: Unmoved, silent, so composed it's deeply unsettling. The car gets hit and Sephiroth just sits there, hands on the wheel, eyes forward, music still playing, engine still running. He's staring into the void, cursing whatever overcame him that morning that motivated him to drive. After a full minute, he finally opens the door and steps out. Hums disapprovingly when the other driver screams in terror upon recognizing him. "You have committed a violation of Shinra regulation 417-B: reckless endangerment within Midgar limits, with Class II military-grade assets onboard. That carries a ten-year prison sentence under wartime statute." Asks for the driver's license. Doesn't read it. Just holds it like it personally offends him. "Hm. Laminated. Bold choice."

That's all it takes for the other driver to hand him 100 gil, the keys to their car, and disappear into traffic on foot.

Angeal: Good-natured, lawful, tries to be the grown-up. But the minute the other driver starts talking and shows little remorse, he goes full Passive Aggression: Advanced Edition. "Hey, no worries. Accidents happen! That's what insurance is for. And common sense. Which you might lack." Casually takes pictures of everything. The scratch. The bumper. The other car's license plate. The driver's face. The driver's soul. Starts a very polite lecture (while using the Buster Sword as a pointing stick) about "defensive driving" while slipping the phrase "I've seen people dishonor their whole bloodline for less" into it. Ends up intimidating the driver just by smiling too much while muttering something about how "Genesis once dented my truck and I made him rebuild the entire rear panel with hand tools. You got a toolbox, friend?"

Zack: Too friendly, overly apologetic and accidentally makes everything worse. But it's okay because it's not like Angeal would allow him to operate a motor vehicle without at least three other SOLDIERs present. “Don't worry, we're all good! Angeal says accidents happen all the time, right, Angeal? Remember that time I drifted into a snowbank in Junon and you told me to 'get out and pray'?" Also says things like "Whoa! Oh no, are you okay? Is your car okay? Is my car okay? Is the world okay? Angeal, you good? Genesis? Sephiroth? We're all alive! Yay!" Tries to shake the other driver's hand like this is a networking event. Offers to pay for both cars' damages until Angeal grabs him by the collar. At one point, Zack tries to use Cure materia on the car. Genesis screams.

Genesis: Proving once again that Genesis should not be allowed out in society, he realizes insurance covers accidents immediately upon impact. He's bored and this week has lacked drama anyway. Car gets hit. Genesis throws himself sideways before it even comes to a stop, clutching his arm like he's been shot. Opens the car door like a wounded war veteran crawling out of wreckage. No one is injured. He still limps. "Oh, cruel fate. To be struck down in my prime. I should never have left the theatre district." Everyone panics because he collapses in the middle of the road. Refuses medical attention. Tells the responding officer he can "only be treated with poetic justice and a glass of expensive Wutai brandy." Tells the other driver "You have gifted me the muse of pain. This tragedy shall be immortalized in sonnet and lawsuit." Asks if he can write "vehicular victim of divine injustice" in the insurance paperwork under occupation. Calls Sephiroth as a legal witness. Sephiroth answers the phone and immediately hangs up.

[altocat]

Sephiroth passes out dramatically and pathetically from exhaustion and stress in front of post-desertion Genesis and/or Angeal. The only reason they know he’s still alive is because he still has a pulse. What happens? Does this finally make them come to their senses at least the tiniest bit (😭😭😭PLEASE PLEASE PLEAS PL <-haha point and laugh this user is reading angst and going through it)

Angeal might break a bit and tend to him for a little bit. Genesis, however, is too corrupted to budge. His sickened mind sees almost everything as an enemy, Sephiroth included. And both are under the impression that Sephiroth shouldn't leave Shinra, lest his life be put in danger as a result. The best Sephiroth could hope for is Angeal nursing him before getting dumped back off at Shinra HQ. Neither of his friends are willing to bring them into their battles.

[rivkae-winters]

A snippet out of something I'm writing in post canon that I started on a whim.

Nothing like coming back wrong, less human than the monster you'd been before, and meeting an old friend on the other side. The living side.

He was not one to take things laid out and waiting to die. No, like many times prior he had chosen to be here. Unlike those same prior times he was happy with that choice. Genesis had things now he never could have dreamed of before. The chair made of wood older than the village he spent his childhood felt alive under him as he nodded and commented at the appropriate times to words that washed over him like water. The previously upbeat, if off tune, humming was absent from the steady percussive instrument being worked greatly beyond what it had cost them at the counter. He was here because he wanted to be. He was here because he chose to give love and people and being alive awake another shot. Genesis wishes this choice was fully independent of the fact that the familiarity was comforting as much as it was his own perfect punishment. Like the long added lengths that now weighed on his scalp, choppy and rough in a way that would have once given him tremendous pause.  He catches the tail end of loose black hair flowing out the door to follow Cloud somewhere Genesis was probably just told about.  It was too short. It was too thin. Where the body flowing like water the same as the other the illusion vanished the moment red eyes locked on to his own. A patchwork of familiarity and novelty broke out before him and the familiar top lip curved just a little too far and a little too wide in a motion Genesis returned. There is the pressure of observation building in dark blue eyes that seem to be cataloging Genesis’s very soul as they practically meld into his own. Angeal’s eyes hum with a light more intense than they had prior to the world cleaving itself in two. What had been a mostly unobtrusive basking glow that painted the high points of his face was now molten and violent. Were he a weaker man his eyes might be watering for that reason instead. Then again if his oldest companion was a kettle then Genesis was the soot covered cauldron. They both were brighter in the eyes now, too intense to look at directly or too monstrous to try. They had been changed and it seemed even though the mortal coils wove them apart they were still at the end of it all chained in a way.  They are both performing the same act of self flagellation after all.

[hoshinierabareshimono]

[I'm not exactly making it a secret that I adore Hyde's work beyond words, but this song? Those lyrics?

So close to the vibes I envision for post-CC Genesis, especially before he learns that Sephiroth is still alive somewhere, as he ponders his existence post-degradation and has to come to terms with all those irreversible changes in his life and environment he had been disregarding via deliberately-induced tunnel vision that helped him survive and find a cure.

I think it's actually quite common for struggles of that sort to really mess with a person's sense of time, to the point a harsh awakening is pretty much guaranteed once they exist survival mode and it truly sinks in that several years have passed, and seemingly 'without them'.

"Once I've secured my survival, I can fix this."

"Once I've found a cure, I can focus on everything else that has been going wrong again."

"Once I've made it to the other side of this, I can pick up all those other ambitions I haven't been able to pursue for the time being."

I think Genesis' thoughts especially pertaining to Sephiroth as he was in survival mode encompassed those sentiments, making it especially painful for him to realize that with Sephiroth (and Angeal) both being dead, none of this is possible anymore.

Still, it is not like Genesis to give up on himself. He may seal himself away for a bit and do some serious soul-searching, but he will always get back on his feet.

Edit: Here's a link to the written lyrics.]