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lucky-ladybugs-lovelies · 8 months ago

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When All the Paths Are Overgrown, 7/7

@week-of-silver-winds For Sephiroth Week, Day 7: Healing

Sephiroth is sane, he and Cloud are friends, Kefka decided to make Cloud forget Sephiroth just for kicks, and Sephiroth died stopping him from raining destruction everywhere.

"Director's Cut" version of the fic with added scenes throughout, including Sephiroth calling Angeal on the phone, will be posted on FF.net later (and on AO3 much later, after I catch readers up on the timeline over there). Thank you for a lovely event!

The ride home was horrible, heartbreaking. Cloud and Zack had laid Sephiroth on the back seat of the limousine and sat on the opposite side, facing him. There was never any movement, any indication Sephiroth wasn’t dead or that he could come back. Cloud just stared at him, not really seeing him after a while.

Sephiroth had tried so hard to help him. It must have hurt so much to find that Cloud had forgotten him and only him, especially when they had become close. And Cloud hadn’t finally remembered until after he had lain dead. He had never known Cloud had remembered him unless he had lingered in spirit form, and that was unlikely, wasn’t it? If he had been there, he could have re-entered his body.

Unless his body was too badly hurt. . . . But if that was the case, it would still be the case later.

Finally Cloud looked away. Sorry. . . . I’m so sorry.

He felt absolutely nothing in response, just as he had feared. If their bond was active again now that Cloud remembered, why couldn’t he make contact? Was this just a hopeless venture?

Sephiroth, please answer me!

Maybe Cloud wasn’t doing it right. He had never deliberately tried to make contact with Sephiroth through their bond. Maybe he just didn’t know how to do it. He had assumed all he had to do was think about Sephiroth and try to send a message telepathically. Maybe there was more to it.

But . . . if there wasn’t . . . and Sephiroth was not answering . . . what could that mean? Even when he was dead, he should be able to respond, shouldn’t he? Cloud dug his hands into his hair.

The limousine stopped in the driveway. “Hey,” Zack said softly. “We’re home.”

Cloud nodded and looked up, pushing the door open. It had been so hard taking Sephiroth down from the roof and all the way down to the limousine. This being a much shorter distance, it seemed it shouldn’t be as hard. But as he and Zack draped Sephiroth’s arms around their shoulders and gently drew him out of the vehicle, it seemed even worse the second time. Maybe because now they were home and they had to face the others with the horrible truth.

“. . . I didn’t warn Tifa,” he suddenly realized. “Marlene. . . . If Marlene sees . . .”

“I messaged Aerith,” Zack told him. “They already know. They’ll make sure Marlene doesn’t see.”

That was at least one relief. Marlene had come to love Sephiroth. Cloud could not bear to think of her innocent eyes seeing them carry him in dead. “Thanks,” he said.

“Sure,” Zack said with a sad smile. “I don’t want that happening either.”

As they headed up the walk, one of the lifeless white wings found its way under Cloud’s shoe. He gasped, getting off of it immediately. Of course, there was no reaction from Sephiroth.

“Sorry,” Cloud whispered in his ear anyway.

They arrived on the porch and Zack somehow balanced Sephiroth while unlocking and opening the door. Tifa was the only one in the living room as they came in, and sadness filled her eyes at the sight.

“Hey,” Zack greeted her. “We’re taking him upstairs.”

“Okay,” Tifa said with a nod. She looked skeptical about the idea of him being able to return, but she wouldn’t say anything . . . yet. Instead she walked around to better see Cloud, who was turned away and hadn’t spoken. “Cloud . . . I’m so sorry.”

Cloud managed a nod. “Yeah. Me too.” He held Sephiroth closer. “I forgot him. I told him I never would, but I did.”

“You couldn’t help it,” Tifa told him. “I’m sure he understood that.”

“It still must’ve hurt.” They started up the stairs.

Tifa hesitated. “How long are you going to wait for him?”

“Don’t know.” Cloud didn’t want to think about the inevitable if he couldn’t make it back. He quickly pulled them into Sephiroth’s room at the top to avoid the subject.

Tifa stared after them. She was losing Cloud again. His heart was broken. And if Sephiroth could not return, part of Cloud would remain lost too.

“Please . . . don’t do this,” she whispered.

Who was she even addressing? Cloud? Sephiroth? . . . God?

Right now she just wasn’t sure.

Maybe all of them.

xxxx

Zack sighed heavily as they finally laid Sephiroth on his king-size bed. “It’s a good thing there’s so much room here,” he said. “All the wings need it.”

Cloud managed a quiet nod. “. . . How long do you think it might take him?”

Zack shook his head. “I don’t know. This is just a gamble anyway. . . . If it was anybody else, I’d probably just figure there was no hope, but . . .” He gripped Sephiroth’s shoulder. “We know he’s made it back more than once.”

“It’s never been like this, though,” Cloud said. “We’re on this other planet and there’s no Lifestream here. Sephiroth knew how to use the Lifestream to help him. He doesn’t know anything about the afterlife here.”

“But he’s still got you, Pal,” Zack said with a sad smile. “You can call him back through your bond, or that’s what we’re hoping.”

“I’ve tried to reach out to him through it and I can’t feel him anywhere!” Cloud finally exclaimed. “He’s not here! He’s not. . . .”

“Don’t give up,” Zack said. “Keep trying to call him. Even though I don’t have that kind of bond with him through shared cells, I’ve got a bond with him too. I’m still calling to him.”

“I won’t give up,” Cloud said. “But . . . maybe it really is hopeless. Maybe this time he’s gone. . . .”

Zack knew that could be true, but he didn’t want to consider it yet. “Let’s keep hoping for now,” he said. He clasped his hands. “And I’m gonna pray too. I’ll pray that God will let Seph hear us and come home.”

Cloud slowly nodded. “We need all the help we can get.” He bowed his head, listening as Zack gave a heartfelt prayer. At the conclusion, he slowly looked up. “That was nice.”

Zack gave a sad smile. “I put my all into it. Let’s just hope it helps. Aerith said she’d pray too.”

Cloud looked forlornly to Sephiroth’s body. “Zack . . . you said you have a bond with Sephiroth too. Do you actually . . . hear each other through it?”

Zack hesitated. “Well . . . no,” he admitted. “It’s more like . . . our hearts are connected, you know? Sometimes we sense things about each other, like if there’s trouble. I can sometimes tell if Seph’s happy or sad, that kind of thing.”

“. . . Do you sense anything now?” Cloud asked.

“No,” Zack said quietly. “I haven’t felt him since he fell.”

Cloud’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know how to even reach out to him,” he said in despair. “I don’t know if I’m doing it right. But . . . if he could . . . why doesn’t he send something to me instead?”

“I don’t know, Pal,” Zack said.

“This is probably all hopeless.” Cloud sank back into the chair, staring sorrowfully at the body.

“Don’t give up, Cloud,” Zack whispered. “Please . . . not yet.” He took one of Sephiroth’s limp hands and held it between his own. “Please . . . believe in Seph.”

Cloud hesitated, then laid his hand on Sephiroth’s cold shoulder. “. . . I believe.”

He had to. Otherwise, he was afraid he would break.

xxxx

It was hours later now.

Zack took a deep breath in the hall as he got out his phone and speed-dialed Angeal’s number. This was a call he was dreading to make, but it had to be done. Angeal had to know. Zack could always wait longer for news and call later, but he wanted to do it now. It had already dragged on for so long. Maybe Angeal could pray for Seph too.

Angeal already looked serious and worried when he answered the video call. “Zack,” he greeted. “What’s going on? Has Cloud remembered?”

Zack blinked in surprise. “You already know about Cloud? . . . Did Seph call you?”

“Yes, he did,” Angeal said. “I told him I’d come back tomorrow. I’m in New York right now.”

Zack sighed heavily. “Well . . . things got really bad here, Angeal. . . . It was some guy Cloud and Seph knew from somewhere who made Cloud forget. He’s a real creep, just does things to hurt people because he gets a kick out of it or something. And he’s powerful like Seph. So Seph fought him in the sky and it just went on and on with them attacking each other. Me and Cloud couldn’t really see much of the fight. Seph won, of course, but . . .” He swallowed hard. “He died. . . .”

Angeal went sheet-white. “He’s dead now?”

“Yeah. . . .” Zack nodded, blinking back tears. “We’re hoping he can still make it back. Cloud remembers now and we thought . . . well, we thought he could call Seph back through their bond. It doesn’t seem like it’s working, though. . . . I left Cloud a few minutes to call you. I didn’t want him to hear. I’m still not giving up, but . . .” He shook his head. “I just don’t know what to do, Angeal! . . .”

“I never should have left,” Angeal said sorrowfully. “I’m sure Genesis is alright and just doesn’t want to be found. I’m needed there, not roaming all over creation. I think they’re still refueling the plane. As soon as it’s ready, I’ll start out for home.”

“Thanks,” Zack said. “And Angeal? Maybe you can pray for Seph?”

“I’ll do that,” Angeal promised. “I’ll pray for you too. And Cloud.”

Zack gave a weak smile. “We can all use ’em.”

“I should be there in several hours,” Angeal said. “Email me if there’s any change.”

“I will,” Zack promised.

He felt marginally better as he hung up. While he had understood Angeal’s desire to find Genesis and he hadn’t protested it, he really hadn’t wanted Angeal to go away. It was a relief to know Angeal was coming back. Then there’d be one more person here to figure out what to do.

xxxx

Tifa’s heart clenched as she stood at the doorway to Sephiroth’s room. Cloud was still there, as he had been almost constantly since he and Zack had brought Sephiroth back clearly dead. He was hunched forward in the chair by the bed, staring alternately at Sephiroth’s body and at the floor. Although Tifa and Aerith and Zack had all pleaded with him to get up and leave and eat and sleep, he always refused. He only left if he had to and then came right back.

The last time he had left for a brief moment, Tifa had gone in the room herself and stood looking over the man she had once hated but hated no longer. There had, of course, been no indication that he could or would ever be able to return. His skin had still been deathly pale, his expression eerie and sad, his wings completely limp.

“Are you really still here?” she had asked in the silence of the room. “Can you really come back? Because if you can, please, we need it to happen! Cloud can’t keep going on like this! Please, come back!” She had hesitated before adding, “And if you can’t, we need to know that too. Cloud can’t keep having false hope. If you really care about him now, you wouldn’t want that for him!”

But there had been no answer, and finally she had left, despondent.

It was strange to realize that despite all of the chaos and heartbreak they had gone through on this world, and the several times Sephiroth had been thought dead but wasn’t, he had only actually died for real one time before during their time here. That time he had been sent back by Cloud’s mother. This time . . . would he make it back at all?

This was the first time they’d had his dead body in the house too. The other time, he had revived on Cid’s airship. Tifa was rather uncomfortable having him here, especially when more and more, it looked like he would not be able to come back. This couldn’t go on much longer.

Now she turned, hearing Zack’s footsteps in the hall. “How is he?” he quietly asked.

Tifa stepped away from the doorway, pulling the door mostly shut behind her. “He’s still there,” she said. “Still dead. And Cloud is still with him!” Zack was there most of the time as well, but even he left a bit more than Cloud did—such as right now. She exhaled sharply. “I know you can’t stand to believe Sephiroth is really gone, but when is this going to end? Cloud can’t keep pushing himself like this! Maybe he would have accepted the truth before now if you hadn’t pushed this idea that Sephiroth can still come back!”

Something flickered in Zack’s eyes. “I’m really worried about both of them,” he said quietly. “I don’t want to encourage Cloud in something that can’t be either. But at the same time, I don’t want to give up on Seph. And I’m honestly afraid of how Cloud might shut down if he can’t believe anymore that Seph is going to be alright.”

“Sephiroth is dead!” Tifa exclaimed. “And I’m afraid that Cloud was lost when he died!” Tears slipped from her eyes. “They’ve had this insane bond for years, ever since Sephiroth was out of his mind. I never thought things would turn out like this, where Sephiroth is sane again and they love each other so much. I was honestly happy for Cloud when things worked out that way. But this . . . ! He just can’t keep going on like this!”

“It’s not just about Seph, Tifa,” Zack said. “This is how deeply Cloud feels about everybody he really loves. I mean, you know how he hung out at Aerith’s church after Meteor because he couldn’t deal with her death . . . or feeling like it was his fault. If you were the one laying in there, Cloud would be acting exactly the same way.”

Tifa really supposed that was true. She sighed heavily. “That doesn’t solve this problem, though,” she said. “What are we going to do?”

Zack sighed too. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get Cloud to leave sometimes too. Aerith brought him food in there since he won’t go, and he fell asleep for a while slumped over the edge of the bed.” Like I did myself. “I just . . .” He shook his head. “I wish I could help them both, but I just don’t know how.” His voice caught in his throat.

Tifa fell silent for a moment. “If he doesn’t come back soon, we’ll have to take him away,” she said at last.

“I know,” Zack said. “Believe me, I know. I don’t know how I’m gonna get Cloud to let him go if it comes to that. But I’ve been thinking about it.”

“I don’t want to be cruel, but . . . you’d better think harder,” Tifa said. “We both had.”

Zack bowed his head. “Yeah.”

xxxx

The cemetery was peaceful. Pleasant. But it wasn’t what Cloud wanted to see. He had not wanted things to turn out this way.

It had been days by now. Sephiroth still had not made it back. Of course, there had been no choice but to take him away from the bedroom . . . the house. But Cloud still hadn’t given up. They had the body in cold storage at the morgue in the company infirmary, constantly monitored to see if there was any change.

Both Tifa and Aerith were worried by now. Cloud was obsessed. Sephiroth being Sephiroth, yes, he potentially could still come back. But he might not, and they couldn’t stand to see Cloud in such turmoil and anguish. Tifa had pressed for him to come with them and look at plots in the cemetery, to try to prepare him for the inevitable. Cloud didn’t want to be there, but here he was.

Zack didn’t like it any better than Cloud did, of course. But he was biting back his feelings and putting up with it to try to encourage Cloud to be here. He was worried about Cloud too.

“These trees are nice,” Tifa said.

Aerith really looked reluctant to be in on this herself, but she said, “We could plant a rose bush here. . . .”

“Why are you so willing to write him off?!” Cloud burst out. “What about back on Gaia?! He came back after two years! Two years! But you act like there’s no hope after two weeks?!”

Tifa flinched. “Cloud . . . it’s not that,” she said. “It’s just . . . this isn’t Gaia. We don’t know things work the same way here. Sephiroth might not be able to get back. You haven’t made contact with him at all! And I can’t bear to see you tearing yourself apart over this! If we just ended it . . . put him to rest . . . maybe you could go on with your life. He would want that for you.”

“I told him I’d never forget him and I did!” Cloud spat. “I’m not going to just shove him in the ground and forget about him again!” A helpless tear slipped from his eye. “I’m not.”

“Cloud,” Aerith said, “I’m so sorry.”

“I hate this!” Cloud snapped. He took off running through the trees. “Sephiroth!” he screamed. “They’re trying to bury you! Do you hear me?! Get back here!”

He ran until he had to stop, breathing heavily. He reached to grip the tree trunk next to him. “I can’t do this anymore,” he whispered. “I can’t. They’re all giving up on you except me. Sephiroth, please . . . please come back. . . .”

Then he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. “Cloud. I’m here.”

He looked up. Sephiroth was standing behind him, still in his Safer form. The hand on his shoulder was firm, solid. He was alive.

“Sephiroth . . .” Cloud dove at him, clutching him, not wanting to let go. “Why? Why did it take so long?!”

“My body was spent,” Sephiroth said quietly. “I’ve had to fight all this time to get back to it. But I’m here now. I came home to you. You remembered me and called me back.”

“You’re home,” Cloud repeated in reverent awe. “You’re really home. . . .”

Sephiroth hugged him close. “Yes.”

In the room, Cloud started violently out of the dream he’d been lost in. He straightened, looking forlornly to the door. He could still hear the conversation in the hall even with it mostly shut. That was probably why he’d had such a dream—their conversation. Their horrible conversation.

It hadn’t been two weeks, only several hours. It felt like days. Weeks. And the nightmarish part of the dream would come true if something didn’t change soon.

If only the happy part was true. . . .

He turned back to Sephiroth, his eyes filled with sorrow. The man was still silent, still pale.

Still dead.

“Was I too late?” he rasped. “Did it take me too long to remember?” He leaned over the other, desperate to find some sign of life. “You said you’d always come back if I did, but . . . you’re not here.

“Will it be like after Meteor when it took you two years to get back? I mean, I’d wait for you, if I just knew, but . . . not knowing . . . I just don’t know what to do.”

He shut his eyes tightly, but tears still leaked out and splashed across Sephiroth’s cold face.

“I never thought . . . I’d care about you so much. Or that I’d ever forget you. I told you I wouldn’t! But . . . that creep, he . . .” He shook his head.

“Sephiroth, please . . . come back. I need you to come back. To me, to Zack . . . to all of us. And if you don’t . . . if you can’t . . . they’re going to take you away. So . . . please, I need to know one way or another . . . before it’s too late.” His voice caught in his throat.

Still there was no response. But then, at last, one white wing moved, just slightly.

Cloud perked up immensely. “Sephiroth?!”

The fingers on his left hand curled, lightly gripping the quilt. Finally he turned his head to the left, looking at Cloud through bleary eyes. “I think . . . they would have a very difficult time finding a coffin that would work,” he mumbled, weakly lifting all seven wings in emphasis.

Cloud just stared at him for a long moment. Was this real? He hadn’t fallen asleep again, had he? Sephiroth was alive? Awake? Making horrible jokes?

Of course it was real. This was the Sephiroth he knew.

Cloud choked, diving into his arms. “Sephiroth!” He clutched at the man who had once been his hated enemy but was now among his dearest friends. “That’s terrible! After everything we’ve just been through . . . !”

“I . . . haven’t been having a great time either,” Sephiroth grunted as he hugged Cloud. “I’m sorry for what I’ve been putting you and Zack and the others through. . . .”

Cloud shook his head and burrowed against Sephiroth’s shoulder. “You’re back,” he whispered. “That’s all I care about. You came back.”

The door burst open and Zack ran in. “Seph!” He dove into the hug, embracing Sephiroth on his right side. “Oh man, Seph, don’t do things like that to us! We’ve been so worried!”

Sephiroth smiled, pulling Zack in close with his right arm and all the wings on his right side. “If there’d been any other way, I would have taken it,” he said.

“I know!” Zack said. “Just . . . oh man, it’s so good to have you back. . . .”

In the doorway, Tifa watched the reunion in amazement and relief. She turned away, still reeling from what she was seeing.

Aerith met her as she turned. “Everything’s alright again,” she said with a smile.

“Yeah. . . .” Tifa shook her head. “I just don’t understand how it’s possible.”

“I don’t think we need to understand,” Aerith said. “Just knowing Sephiroth is okay is the most important thing.”

“You’re right,” Tifa relented. She smiled a bit. “I’m glad he is.”

Aerith smiled too. “Let’s go find the kids.”

Marlene had been devastated by the news. Denzel, who still didn’t know how he felt about Sephiroth, had been much more conflicted. But he had been trying to look after Marlene and keep her away from the room. No one had felt she should see Sephiroth like that.

Tifa nodded. “Are they still in the kitchen?”

“I think so,” Aerith said.

They headed down the stairs.

Sephiroth listened to them go. He was still tremendously weak. He would be stuck in this form for days again, most likely. It always took so much energy to undo it, energy that he never had right after pushing himself as hard as he always did during these times. And this time he’d had to fight for so long to get back to them too.

“Sephiroth . . .” Cloud looked up at him. “What happened to you? Why did it take you so long to get back? I thought . . . I thought maybe it was my fault, that I hadn’t remembered you soon enough and you wouldn’t make it back at all. . . .”

Sephiroth hugged him comfortingly with one arm and the wings on his left side. “It wasn’t your fault, Cloud,” he insisted. “I was alone in the darkness for what seemed an eternity. Then there was a light. I followed it and gradually began to hear you and Zack. You guided me home.”

Zack was unsettled. “You were in the dark?! Why?! You’re good, Seph! No one can deny that now!”

“It wasn’t Hell,” Sephiroth said. “It was just . . . dark. If I had to guess, it was either one final spell Kefka threw at me or else it was my own restlessness and refusal to die. Maybe it was some kind of limbo.” He looked a bit embarrassed as he added, “When I made it back into this room, Cloud’s mother told me I have to be more careful. Then she thanked me for fighting for her son . . . and for this world.”

“Mom . . .” Cloud whispered in amazement.

“It really seems like she’s looking out for us,” Zack said. He hugged Sephiroth again. “I’m gonna go tell Angeal you’re okay!” He smiled and straightened. “I’ll be back in a few!”

“Alright,” Sephiroth said with a smile. While he was sure Zack really did want to call Angeal, he was also sure Zack was leaving right now so he and Cloud could have a few moments to talk privately.

Cloud sighed. Where to even begin, though? He didn’t know how to unpack all the heartache and turmoil inside him. Sephiroth was still holding onto him comfortingly, and Cloud leaned into the warm, feathery embrace.

“. . . What happened with Kefka?” he asked at last. “How did you beat him?”

“He was threatening to destroy the entire city block,” Sephiroth said. “He absolutely could have and would have done it. I sealed us in a bubble so his attack would only harm us. Then I hit him with Supernova. In such close quarters, a second attack of such strength after we’d already been hitting each other with our strongest attacks left us both fatally injured. He was going on about bringing the company building down with him, so I blasted him through a portal and sealed it. I don’t know if he’ll survive or if he’ll find a way back here somehow. I can only pray he won’t. I doubt death will stop him any more than it ever did me.”

“Yeah,” Cloud frowned. “He’s already died before.”

Sephiroth nodded. “By that point, I couldn’t keep myself up any longer. I fell. I . . . was dead before I impacted.”

“. . . Did you know you were going to die?” Cloud asked.

“. . . I was afraid I would,” Sephiroth responded carefully. “I could have chosen to only put Kefka in the bubble, but I feared just being hit with his own attack wouldn’t be enough to stop him. I sealed us both in there so I could use Supernova.”

“So you sacrificed yourself for us,” Cloud said. “For everyone, really.”

“Yes,” Sephiroth said. “You could say that.”

“And it’s not the first time.” Cloud shuddered. “When you did it in South America to stop that stupid amethyst, that was when I finally admitted to myself that I really care about you. I thought it was too late to ever tell you. But . . . you came back.

“Are we ever going to have any peace, though?! I thought we would after that, but there’s always more things going wrong. The peace never really lasts.”

Sephiroth sighed wearily. “Perhaps that’s our lot. Perhaps the only way I can ever make some form of recompense for all I did while insane is to protect this world again and again. I have so much power, so much knowledge. . . . It would be a waste to never use it. Maybe God allowed me to be purified of my insanity so I could use it all for good.”

“We’ve already protected worlds multiple times,” Cloud said. “We should have a chance to rest too. It shouldn’t always be up to us.”

“Maybe it won’t be. But for now, it seems that it is. Or for all we know, maybe there are other protectors and what we deal with is only a fraction of the trouble this planet gets into.”

“That’s a scary thought,” Cloud scowled.

“Isn’t it. Although it would be nice to know that not all the burden is on us alone.” Sephiroth relaxed deeper into the bed.

Cloud leaned back. “You probably need to rest,” he said.

“I won’t be able to undo this form again for a while,” Sephiroth acknowledged.

“. . . What Kefka said about you redesigning it again. Why did you do that?” Cloud curiously wondered. “It’s not the first time you redesigned it to keep your legs and your right arm, but you left your hair silver and hanging down and you got rid of that creepy glowy look in your eyes.”

“I suppose . . . I redesigned it to look more human,” Sephiroth mused. “I am not a god, nor do I believe myself to be any longer. I also redesigned the positioning of the wings for greater air travel. The first redesign was mostly for ground travel in the gods’ realm. The wings weren’t really used for flying then—just to cover me.”

“Heh. Funny you even cared about that back then,” Cloud remarked.

“I’m not ashamed,” Sephiroth said, “but I’m not going to expose myself for no reason.”

“That doesn’t sound like you,” Cloud agreed.

“I had that much decency in my insanity, at least.” Sephiroth shifted position, getting more comfortable in the bed. “. . . You’ve avoided talking about what started all of this tonight,” he said. “But you’re thinking a lot about it, aren’t you, Cloud?” There’s no way you wouldn’t be.

Cloud stiffened a bit. “What’s to say?” he said bitterly. “I forgot you. I told you I wouldn’t, but I did, and so easily! Sure, I’m mad at Kefka for doing that to me, but I’m madder at myself that it worked. I really am just a puppet.”

“You’re not.” Sephiroth spoke with such firmness that Cloud looked up in surprise. “If that was really all you are, you never could have beaten me in the past. I wouldn’t have taken such an interest in you beyond manipulating you. I saw you were something special. You are something special. And those feelings about you will not change.”

“I don’t know how you can feel that way,” Cloud said.

Sephiroth shook his head. “And I don’t know how you could have forgiven me and allowed me into your heart.”

“Sometimes I don’t know either,” Cloud said. “It seems unreal. But . . . you’re not that creep I hated so much. You’re not the General I idolized either. You’re someone different. Sadder and wiser. . . . Just as kind, though. And same terrible sense of humor.”

Sephiroth smirked a bit at that. “Not everything changes.”

Cloud hesitated. “Sephiroth . . . I tried so hard to contact you through our bond, but I couldn’t. Was I doing it wrong? How does it work?”

“It’s not that hard,” Sephiroth said. “Or . . . it’s not for me,” he amended. “Maybe it would be when it’s something you’re not used to. To reach you, I concentrate until I can sense you. Then I send a message. Like this.”

Hello, Cloud.

Cloud blinked in surprise. “I heard that just fine.”

Sephiroth nodded. “I couldn’t reach you in the darkness. I was lost and alone. But you reached me. Zack did too. I followed you both back to the light.”

“I don’t know how we did it,” Cloud said. “Or me, anyway. I thought it never worked.”

“It absolutely worked,” Sephiroth said. “Try sending me a message now.”

Cloud nodded and leaned back, closing his eyes as he concentrated. He really wasn’t sure exactly what he was searching for, but when he had the sense of Sephiroth’s presence, he took a chance and tried sending.

Hi?

“I heard that,” Sephiroth said. “You see? It’s easy when you know how.”

Cloud opened his eyes. “Funny we’ve never really tried it before,” he said.

“It hasn’t really been that long since we became close,” Sephiroth said. “I wouldn’t have thought of using it before that. Not now that I’m sane.”

“You’re really thoughtful now,” Cloud said. “But it’s okay if you use it. I . . . I’d like to. At least if we’re trying to make sure each other’s okay or something. It’d probably feel too weird hearing voices in my head otherwise.” I already had too much of that before.

“Noted,” Sephiroth said. “I won’t use it randomly. Not that I would do that anyway.”

“Yeah, random is one thing you’re not,” Cloud said.

“And never will be,” Sephiroth deadpanned.

He fell silent for a moment. “. . . When you did remember me?” he asked. “Was it when Kefka was gone?”

“No. . . . I mean, that wasn’t what caused it,” Cloud said. “It was after you fell down dead.” He looked away. “Zack kept trying and trying to get you back, and I was just frozen, watching him and seeing everything come back. . . . When Zack finally realized it was useless and started crying, that snapped me back to the present and I remembered everything.”

Sephiroth sighed heavily. “I was afraid it would happen like that. I’m sorry.”

Cloud shook his head. “I don’t want to think about it any more right now.”

“Alright. That’s fine,” Sephiroth said. But he was sure Cloud would continue to think about it anyway.

“I should get up and go to bed,” Cloud mumbled.

“You’re already in bed,” Sephiroth smirked.

“I should go to my bed,” Cloud countered.

“I don’t mind if you stay,” Sephiroth said. “There’s room.”

Cloud couldn’t deny he didn’t feel like moving . . . or the thought of going back to his room and trying to sleep alone, where thoughts of the night’s horrors might plague him all the more. “Well . . . maybe just for a few minutes.”

It was several minutes later when Zack finally got off the phone with Angeal and went to check on his best friends. He had to smile at the sight. Both had fallen asleep on the large bed. Sephiroth was clearly breathing and at peace, smiling as he had an arm and some of his wings around Cloud. Cloud also looked peaceful, reaching up to rest his hands on Sephiroth’s arm.

Zack grinned. “Night, Pals,” he whispered.

Some time later, Tifa and Aerith looked into the room. Now Sephiroth had changed position again and had an arm and wings around Zack as well as Cloud. All were very peacefully asleep.

“Yup,” Aerith smiled. “Everything is the way it should be now.”

Tifa smiled too. She couldn’t disagree.

#sephirothweek #fanfiction #sephiroth #cloud strife #zack fair #tifa lockhart #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 #hurt/comfort #fluff #squee #happy ending

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silver-wield · 11 months ago

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A short popped up on my yt about Marlene telling Zack, Aerith likes Cloud. So many people were commenting on how they feel sorry for Zack and how it wasn't his fault for not being there. That you could tell he was hurt but was trying not to show it and that he was done dirty and deserved better.

Then you have the cleriths😑 commenting about how "Cloud is better, he was actually there for Aerith," "See, Zack is fine with Cloud and Aerith being together, " Zack is such a good friend. He saved Cloud so he could be with Aerith and make her happy because he knows their feeling for each other!" And of course, you also have that one clerith commenting the SAME THING under EVERY comment 🙄 " Cloud went on an entire adventure with her, not Zack! She has more feelings for Cloud!" Such a 💩 take, lol. She knew Cloud for what, a month? She dated Zack for 2 years, but ok...

These people have so much copium! Someone in the comments had the nerve to say Aerith fans are more mature🤣🤣🤣 Thankfully most people disagreed. They replied back, " You joking, right?" " cringe, y'all take the game too far. " " y'all Aerith fans are nuts! " You guys read too many doujins."You clerith fans are a lost cause." 😂😂

Seriously though, the only people who are happy about what they did to Zack in this game are Cleriths who think they still have a chance. Even though cloti got a kiss and all they had was hand holding and being friend zoned on a failed date. Oh yeah, and she died!

Cloud knew aerith for 3 weeks while he was under alien control. Which means she never knew him. All her garbage about liking him is just that. She don't know him.

She should've been faithful to zack instead of a back stabbing bitch. Maybe people would've liked her then.

Nobody likes her or talks about her "iconic" death scene. The devs took it away from her. That death scene was like watching a fucking yoyo go up and down.

#final fantasy 7 remake #ff7r #ffviir #final fantasy 7r #final fantasy viir

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cetra · 2 years ago

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@durandal Hope it's okay that i respond to this in a reblog because I have no idea how to condense my feelings on this into a handful of replies 🫡 but yeah seriously this is one of my least favorite components of the Remake like, how can someone think that "Who Is This Guy" is something that the original apparently suffers from when it's literally one of the most compelling aspects of the entire thing. People remember FFVII most fondly for the crazy twists and the slow burn of its reveals, and everything surrounding Sephiroth is the strongest example of this alongside Cloud's identity issues. and these mysteries are very gradually unraveled throughout the course of the story and that's what keeps it interesting as well as give other characters the opportunity to have a chance to have their own arcs along the way. It works really well the pacing is so solid!!!

and then Remake comes along and it's like, okay well now before we've even left Midgar we've seen Sephiroth probably more times than we did in the first two discs combined and we also know way more about him having a connection to Cloud (Zack and Cloud too for some reason) than we ever did in the original at this point in time and also iirc Aerith seems to know??? about the future?? I guess as some sort of composite for the audience consisting primarily of fans who also already know??

And i'm veering off track here but it all just leads into what is also one of my biggest gripes with Remake is that: it relies WAY too much on the audience already knowing everything that happens and is essentially seeking to point them in a direction where something different can happen, even if it's small or doesn't end up even happening in the endgame. But like..... it doesn't NEED to do that. there are ways to make a remake/retelling feel interesting and fresh without losing so much of its unique identity. That's how 2021's Nier ended up being such a hit amongst fans of the original and people like myself who never had the chance to play that. But FFVIIR is just like "okay well everyone who has played this game already knows Aerith dies and Sephiroth wants to destroy the planet with Meteor so let's make it so that Aerith KNOWS she's probably gonna die and get the audience's hopes up that they can save her and let's make Sephiroth's NEW main goal getting Cloud to join him and defy his fate instead of trying to break him and also because he's so popular let's make him have more appearances where he didnt before. Because the original FFVII was totally about disrupting the cycle of life & death (instead of accepting ourselves as a key agent in both) and split timelines and metanarratives" and it's like...... okay what game am I even playing at this point if not just Nomura and Kitase's glorious fanfiction. The most notable theme from the original that Remake manages to maintain is probably existentialism, but it doesn't even feel organic now because the characters are becoming aware of other timelines. Thank you FFVIIR very cool

Also sorry to keep making this about Remake but you cant be serious reserving "who is this guy" syndrome as a problem with only the original when Remake proceeds to make This Guy show up every couple of hours in the first installment where he barely did at this point in the original

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priceofreedom · 2 years ago

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rebirth is gonna destroy us i just know it

#as a zerith stan knowing aerith dies in zack's timeline is messing me up #like... they cannot meet unless they 'fix' the timelines or whatever #there's a chance the characters are not actually dead in zack's timeline but idk...#so yeah in the original timeline zack is dead of course #but in zack's timeline they are ALL dead. allegedly #so essentially it's like. if zack gets to live the others die instead??#what is zack's timeline gonna be like? i'm so curious and confused and lowkey scared aksjhkahlds #it's too soon to assume things but it doesn't look good for zack 🥴#he only has cloud atm and he's still in a bad condition apparently #he wasn't anywhere in that last scene in the DLC so either zack left him resting somewhere #or something else happened?#idk about y'all but i'm kinda going insane thinking about theories #the more i rewatch the trailer the more i realize how depressing it could potentially be...#also sephiroth might be travelling between the timelines #and i'm thinking... zackseph reunion maybe? 👀#he was also calling genesis but the trailer was from Ever Crisis right?#so what's going awn.......#i've seen ppl saying the tornado which potentially killed the party probably let weiss nero AND genesis out...#out of the deepground i mean #so does that mean zack will have to face the three of them at some point? that happened in HIS timeline #anyway i'm rambling ajskhakjs i HAVE TOO MANY QUESTIONS

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saanphoenix · 2 years ago

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You know what? I’m not done. I’m not done.

The following is not an apologist post, before that little thought pops up, it is, instead, meant to give some perspectives. You can agree, you can not agree, I care not.

“Sephiroth is a war criminal because he killed people in a war.” No. No, that’s not how that works. People are killed in war. That’s how that works. “Yeah, but like.. He did it really goodly and killed lots--” Doesn’t matter. “But the people he was killing were just trying to defend--” Yeah, that happens a lot in war. Now, if he, say, gathered a group of civilian Wutaians into a trench and ordered his men to shoot every single one of them while they screamed and tried to claw their way out of said trench, NOW we’re dealing with some war crimes. But we have no evidence he did that. And, yes, I am referencing an actual thing military has done in real life.

Now, I don’t like war. I’d like to think most people don’t like war. I especially don’t like wars fought over dumb ass shit like, “We want to use the land you’re on for resources and you won’t let us, soooo... :)” But, hey, that’s history for you. Whether it was thousands of years ago or right the fuck now. But you can’t just go throwing the term ‘war criminal’ around when it’s not fucking applicable. You can comprehend the horrors of war and acknowledge the situation is fucked up without using the phrase ‘war criminal.’ To me, going, “Zack was a war criminal because he followed orders and took out enemy combatants in an enemy Fort, which is an accepted target for war,” is honestly dulling the accepted amount of violence for regular ass war. That shit is allowed. That isn’t a crime.

“Sephiroth torched Cloud’s hometown. That is unforgivable.” Yeah. Yeah, that was a crime. It wasn’t a war crime because he didn’t do it for war reasons, he just did a regular ass crime. And there’s no excusing it. Even if you wanted to go the ~crime of passion~ route, like... Mmm, no. Anyway, I bring this part up because... Most people see this act of violence for what it is and appropriately respond with horror, disgust, rage at the injustice of it. “WHY would you do that?!” Even when you can see the why of it, you’re still--generally--like, “Bruh. Too far.”

What people don’t often do is look at the shit Avalanche pulls and react in kind.

“Yeah, but they’re the good guys.” I do not care. They are terrorists. And I don’t care that Remake tried to shift blame for the reactor explosions from Avalanche proper onto Shinra by going, “Well, technically, Shinra pushed the final button, so--” ORIGINALLY, Avalanche blew the fuck up two whole reactors, which damaged a substantial chunk of the city around each reactor, and killed people. People in the nearby sectors, asleep in their beds or walking along the streets, fucking died. And Avalanche was okay with that. They were so okay with that they were going to do it all the other times needed to stop Midgar for good. “Yeah, but the Planet--” DON’T CARE.

Your heroes, same as the villain, are a-okay with taking some lives to get what they want. To me, there is no moral high ground here. Now, as the game goes on, methods change and character growth happens and some guilt starts to set in a little bit, but... Don’t say Sephiroth is evil because he killed innocent people, and that’s it, and then just let Avalanche’s sins float under the radar because, “Well, they’re the good guys, so.”

If I do not require fans of the heroes to preface any show of love they have for them with, “I know they killed people, but--” Then I should also not be required to say, “I know Sephiroth/the Remnants/the Turks killed people, but--”

Love the characters you love. Hate the characters you hate. Do not assume someone’s morality or worth based on which character they like or don’t like. And, for the love of god, stop throwing around phrases like ‘war criminal’ and worse to justify to somebody else why you don’t like a character. You can just not like the damn character without diluting the meaning of words!

End rant.

#saan rants #long post #there i'm done i got it all out

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itsdappleagain · 2 years ago

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hell yeah baby backstory time

it is time for the boston tea party caper!!

notes under the cut assss always

this episode is a bit of a mix-up for me. i like it but not my favorite all things considered. i'm still excited though- some of the moments in this episode are GOLD

HQ!!!

JHSGHSD "hey red hows san diego" "not great" "im not talking about you girl"

"i thought he lived in the cloud"

player looks so unamused pls

PLEASE "though i am hearing voices again" HOW WAS THAT RELEVANT. WERE U HEARING VOICES BEFORE

shadowsan is the best character here he's so funny

THE "THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT"

if they vowed to use their "superpowers" for good and ivy hotwired that car later on i guess maybe they used to steal cars and then decided to go straight maybe

ivy is so cool

OH hey also by the way their younger designs. SO GOOD carmen should have gotten a dorky in between phase we were robbbbed

small

not trey and his butt chin

i like how the screen glitches when its paused on trey. new headcanon this is a powerpoint presentation they threw together right then and there

you dare knock LYDIA

"i got this" zack says with the confidence of a man who just ate taco bell learning they won't see another restroom for eight more hours on the road trip

the talking through the race kills me every time 😭you can't hear each other

man this racetrack has an overhead drone keeping exact pace with the leading car

zack had a chase devineaux phase too once

carmen sandiego: oh no no we're rated for seven year olds!! the boston tea party caper: the mafia boss who lent us money threatened to put a hit out on us if we didn't commit a robbery for him on a suspicious front for a money laundering operation for the mob

the main reason i dislike this episode and need for speed is because zack doesnt ever get to learn. he was impulsive and it was bad in duke of vermeer, he was impulsive and it was bad in boston tea (okay fine, it shows us his younger self! fine with that) BUT THEN HE IS IMPULSIVE AND ITS BAD AGAIN NEXT TIME. FOR THE SAME REASONS whyyy wouldn't they take duke of vermeer as an opportunity to show his growth instead of making him out to be some angry no control childish idiot who sacrifices untold amounts for a little payback. and drags ivy down with him EVERY TIME

there's something so cool and sinister about ivy smiling, reassuring him, and then slowly pulling down the ski mask to hide any emotion. ivy and zack seem like they could have been prime targets for VILE recruitment- they could have gone down a much darker path

shadowsan was so invested

carmen's puberty crammed in those few months between the boat and the boston holy shit

player accidently saved zack and ivy's asses by turning off those cameras jgjsgkd

the second perspective of zack crashing into the wall kills me every time pls

here goes carmen with "its for your own safety" who taught her that phrase

i love how z and i immediately think that this person couldnt possibly be...i dont know. an employee or a manager or someone who works at the donut place. she's gotta be another thief. i mean they are right but like why

the giant ass green vault behind the fridge door 😭

WE'RE FOLLOWIN THAT LADY FOLLOWIN THOSE BREADCRUMBS TO THE DOUGH

wait didn't they arrive in a truck parked on the other side of the building

carmen ALSO had a chase devineaux phase

???? isnt that truck she just stole the one they got there in???

i mean carmen. girl. you kicked them out of their own robbery and then stole their car did you expect them not to follow you

carmen's devineaux side coming out <3 also completely shameless carmen cant drive comic plug

there are so many car accidents literally everyone could have died in for these two (this and need for speed) episodes. credits roll as the paramedics show up to carmen who just CRASHED HER CAR INTO A FUCKING HOLE HEAD FIRST

they had to make sure to show us that carmen was literally the worst driver possible to justify zack being there

i love zack immediately getting super friendly with the random woman who just stole their car, crashed it, and then stole it again with them inside

carmen: haha suave quip zack and ivy, the two most neurodivergent bitches on the planet: IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR

also carmen looks hilariously uncomfortable wedged behind this shipping crate. she's experiencing her first infodump

the loaning money joke is actually very funny

i kind of like how awkward carmen still is in some areas. she still talks like a VILE operative- she reports her every move to player, she simply responds with "understood." because thats the only way she knows how to relate

ANGY

ivy: oh no camera: zooms out to show the most outraged face the animators could draw

screenshots of all time

can you imagine your weirdgirl little 16 year old classmate dips and you see her a few months later and she's turned into this trenchcoat wearing 5'7" long haired adult woman whose only goal is to make your life a thousand times harder

not quite sure how this episode said "oh yeah. her classmates who knew her as a kid constantly call her by the wrong name and disrespect her despite constant corrections. and also her mother figure, seeing the new her, disowns her with the proclamation that this new person killed her child when she took this new name and betrayed her" and made it not transgender

le chevre was so cool about everything for like three minutes

HEY okay my favorite detail of the show is that when carmen runs in this episode she gets way out of breath because she isn't in shape yet i LOVE that detail

i have never heard more emotion from gina than when she went "YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME"

THROW HER OVERBOARD

el topo is also cool about things for like three minutes

zack and ivy bounce constantly between dumb orange cat energy and golden retriever who would jump into the ocean for a guy who petted them once energy

legend has it carmen still manages to throw el topo and le chevre in the water every time they are within a mile of it

i love le chevre backing up and running away from her because he's like oh shit. wasn't she like the best in our class?? is she going to kill me or something?? why did she leave VILE what the fuck im booking it nah

YEAH I NEED THE ROPE CARMEN IS SO MEAN IN THIS EPISODE ITS SO FUCKING FUNNY

IVY RESPONDING TO THE ASK FOR "MUSCLES" WAS A UNIVERSAL LESBIAN WIN FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THE PLANET GOD WHAT AN ICONIC SCENE. MILADY. ALL SHE HAD TO DO WAS KISS HER HAND GOD

its never brought up ever again that ivy's "shirt" is actually a blue undershirt and a black vest and that is criminal we needed a gay vest. something

the slomo kick is so hot

LE CHEVRE STEPPING ON HER HEAD

those plates must have hurt so fucking bad

okay well. you DO commit crimes

"the police have no idea they exist" okay. TELL THEM

SEE? VEST.

"got any room for us on your next job?" "you know what? sure! come along and help me take down this global criminal organization. uhhh what are your names again btw?"

yall i dont think eddie is going to want to see you for the money

A FLYING CAR he said yeah zack that was smart

i love how offended by literally everything the bostonians do shadowsan is

THEY MADE SHADOWSAN GET IN THE BACK BEHIND THE SEAT HAHAHAHHJHD

that hq wont be so wasted when you die of hypothermia! good luck carmen

alrighty, thats the beantown caper all done! only two more to catch up on before I'm on time again for my favorite episode this saturday >:)

#carmen sandiego #carmen sandiego 2019 #cs weekly #csweekly #carmen sandiego weekly #liveblog

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mariyekos · 1 year ago

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Yeah, I'm 99% sure that the reason they changed who Aerith was supposed to breed with is because they didn't want to deal with the whole bestiality thing. While Remake/Rebirth ARE silly games, there are certain silly things from the original that they took out because they could be seen as "morally questionable" imo, and that feels like one of them. (Note: some of these silly things from the original are replaced by other silly things in Rebirth, which I'm fine with! And this one I'm fine with too, because the idea of Aerith breeding with a non-humanoid is ???. Some silly things make me sigh though.)

From what I understand, Deepground wasn't originally connected to Project G at its conception, but at the end of CC Genesis is picked up by members of Deepground and they end up injecting the Deepground members with Genesis' cells before he runs away. I don't know what this actually does. My memory of Dirge of Cerberus is SUPER shaky.

What's interesting is that in the OG, Hojo wants Aerith to breed with Red because he doesn't think his research can be completed in her lifetime, so he needs more specimens. I always assumed he chose Red because Red is part of a long-lived species, but that might've just been stretching things and he could've done it more to just have Aerith breed with anyone so he could work on future generations, whether that child lived hundreds of years or just a normal lifetime (meaning he'd have to breed the child eventually too...).

In the Remake though, the way Hojo and President talk make it sound like he wants to breed her in case she dies during experimentation or runs away like Ifalna, so they don't run out of viable specimens like they did when Aerith and Ifalna escaped. So, instead of wanting to breed her because the research can't be completed in her lifetime, they want to breed her to have backup if they lose her.

Wanting Project S and Project G to breed with her is probably both to reference CC stuff for people in the know, and maybe because they're still hung up on how JENOVA managed to survive in an Ancient body for so long? So maybe they want to try breeding an Ancient with someone with JENOVA cells because they know JENOVA cells can be passed from mother to fetus, so it would be a good way to get JENOVA cells into an "Ancient" (even if only 1/4). What's interesting here though is...something that's more elaborated on in Rebirth so it'll go in the cut below!

So you mentioned Project G and Project S not being available anymore, even in the original. Yes and no. This paragraph is about the original, though I'll get into how it appears in Rebirth briefly below the cut. Anyway, don't forget that Project S also produced all of the Sephiroth clones you see in the OG (the black robe guys)! Yes Zack and Cloud are the important ones, but Hojo kept on trying with project S even after Sephiroth died. While the whole "injecting unborn children/their mothers with JENOVA cells" part of Project G/S is over, that doesn't mean the test subject don't still exist. They're not in great condition, but they ARE alive. Project G doesn't exist in the original so there's no comparison there.

Now to get into minor Rebirth spoilers, in terms of how it deals with degeneration and not necessarily story events, as well as if project G/S are brought up:

Degeneration in Rebirth is treated like an inevitability for all SOLDIERS. It might not happen right away, but it will happen. This is obviously a huge change from the OG where there was no Project G and no degeneration. I feel...so-so about it.

Anyway back to the breeding thing, it's interesting that they want Aerith to breed with a Project G/S soldier since it seems like Degradation is an inevitability now for everyone with JENOVA cells, so her child probably wouldn't be very long lived, which goes against the idea from the original that they needed her to breed because research probably couldn't be completed in her lifetime. However it does work with the idea that they're just doing it for a replacement in case something happens to Aerith, since those replacements don't necessarily need to be long-lived if they can produce one after the other. That and maybe they think having Ancient genes will counteract the degradation, since JENOVA didn't degrade in the Ancient body. Sephiroth doesn't seem to have degraded either, but I feel like that's due to him being the perfect specimen. That or my headcanon that Sephiroth was degrading, it just started mentally and didn't have a physical component yet. I like to HC that gradually all SOLDIERS will go insane.

In Rebirth, it is revealed that Hojo still has some Sephiroth genetic material that he performed research with. This is the stuff he used to make the black robed men. So that's how project S is still "alive." I'll stop there for now, but if you want more elaboration, I can give some more before getting too spoilery!

i feel like the remake is fucking with me or i don't remember my CC lore but weren't Project G and S specific projects that like, aren't available anymore?

as in, Project G was the whole Angeal/Genesis fiasco and Genesis dragged all of the Soldiers who had G cells with him in his rebellion and by the end of CC only him and Lazard were still alive, and Project S only had Sephiroth and later experiments on Zack and Cloud and then later failed experiments that gave the Remnants?

Hojo is talking about making Aerith reproduce with Soldiers G and S and it's boggling me, this is a remake addition since those Projects only got named in Crisis Core (and also are they doing that to avoid talking about Hojo's bestiality plan for Aerith from the OG?), but i was under the impression that the end of CC showed how both of those projects were failure??

Or, i guess, Genesis being taken to Deep Ground is supposed to imply they restarted experiments based on him??

sorry like Hojo dropped the name of those two projects and it's suddenly so jarring to me, as concepts that were only developed in the prequel originally and seemingly that fell through so that any possible experiment subjects would not be considered viable. Unless Deep Ground ends up being an extension of Project G and S?

#ffvii #eruadds

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moira-shears · 2 years ago

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Wear, Tear and Rust

Life was going as it did any other day for Angeal in the lifestream. There he hung out with all his friends and family, including Zack who had talked about all his endeavours since Angeal died. One day, Angeal started to feel concerned. The concern? He was worried about his sword, the one first entrusted to Zack when he died until his apprentice passed it onto Cloud Strife.

That day, Angeal rose from the lifestream and up to the surface where he ended up in the sector 7 slums under the plate. In the renowned bar, Seventh Heaven, Angeal first noted the sight of Cloud flirting with the barmaid, Tifa Lockhart. Tifa was a very beautiful woman, Angeal thought, it was no wonder Cloud would flirt with her. By her reaction, Angeal guessed that she didn't mind Cloud's behaviour towards her, even going as far as giggling.

What he noticed next was that the bar was a mess, with slime and grime everywhere. There was dirt on the floor, and the dishes and cups were yet to be washed. What gave Angeal a gasp of absolute horror, however, was that the buster sword, the sword Zack entrusted to Cloud, was full of wear, tear, and rust. What a waste, Angeal thought. In that instant, the SOLDIER gave a loud roar of fury.

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

In the bar, it felt as though there was an earthquake going on. The mugs were clinking, the ground was shaking, and the plates were rattling. In an instant, Cloud jumped over the counter to grab Tifa, pulling her under the table where he knew they'd be safe. The shaking soon stopped though Tifa was still breathing heavily.

"You ok?" Cloud asked.

"Y-yeah," Tifa said with slight amusement, "That was scary..."

"I've seen worse," Cloud said cooly as the two got out from the counter. What met them when they came out from under the counter was a furious roar, and moments later, the faded figure of a man arose from under the floor. The man was tall with long dark hair reaching down to his shoulders, and a goatee. His eyes were the colour of mako, and he was dressed as a first-class SOLDIER. He must be a member, Cloud thought.

"Grar!" the man raged furiously, "Do you think that just because your friend gave you my sword that you can treat it however you want?!"

"What...?" Cloud asked dumbly, "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"Angeal Hewley!" the man said, "Zack's mentor!"

"Who's Zack?" Cloud asked.

"Augh, never mind!" Angeal said, "Use brings about wear, tear, and rust, and that's a real waste!"

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked.

Instead of giving a straight answer, Angeal pointed towards the buster sword, covered in grime and green moss as though it hadn't been cleaned in days. Cloud started to panic, as he looked back to the crimson face of Angeal marching towards him. Angeal then grabbed Cloud by the collar of his turtle neck, placing his forehead at his face.

"In life, that was my sword," Angeal said, "I trusted Zack when he gave it to you. Turns out, he gave it to the wrong man. I'm about to teach you a lesson!"

Tifa tried to push Angeal off of Cloud, only to realise she couldn't touch him. Cloud panicked even more before suddenly the door to the bar opened wide. There, there stood the PowerWash Simulator dude, dressed in his cleaners outfit. In his hand was his pressure cleaner, equipped with a water tank.

"Stand aside!" He said, walking into the bar, "I'm gonna get this place cleaned up."

The PowerWash Simulator dude activated his water gun and around the bar, mud and grime flew in all directions as Cloud and Tifa once again hid under the counter, avoiding the dirty ammunition of the war between water and grime. Angeal, however, was stationary as he watched the bar being cleaned. After the bar itself was clean, the PowerWash Simulator dude went to the buster sword, covered in muck. At first, Angeal panicked, knowing that the gun was high pressure, carrying with it the risk of breaking the sword. However, once the gun was turned on, it did its job of wiping off all wear, tear and rust from the buster sword, and Angeal sighed in relief.

Once the cleaning was done, the hose was turned off, and the PowerWash Simulator dude began to pack up.

"Wait, you forgot the dishes!" Tifa called, "And the cups!"

"I'll leave them to you," The PowerWash Simulator dude said, "If I tried to clean them, they'd break on impact, and I don't think your customers would be very happy about that. Not to mention how much I'd owe you."

"I'm happy to clean up," Tifa said, "Thanks for cleaning up the bar, and Cloud's sword."

"No worries," he said, "See you soon..."

As the PowerWash Simulator dude left, Angeal approached Cloud, still with a cross face.

"That was your first warning," Angeal said to Cloud, "If it happens again, you'll be sorry. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, Angeal..." Cloud said with a panic, "I promise to do better next time."

"Good," Angeal said, "Remember, use brings about wear, tear and rust, and that's a real waste."

Angeal turned away from Cloud and Tifa straight for the door. Tifa panicked and tried to stop him from walking into it, but soon, they were over when he walked straight through it and disappeared.

"Want me to help with the dishes?" Cloud asked Tifa.

"Thank you Cloud, that would be great!" Tifa said.

The two turned around to the sink where the two started to wash the dishes, all whilst listening to the ambience of running water. Cloud watched Tifa's hands which still trembled in fear.

"You ok...?" Cloud asked.

"Ghosts aren't really my thing," Tifa said, as she rubbed the soapy water onto the plate.

Suddenly the door opened again. This time, it was Barret who came in, along with Biggs, Wedge and Jessie.

"Hey, what the hell's goin' on here...!" Barret yelled before he saw the pristine condition of the bar.

"Oh, hey Barret," Tifa said, "Cloud's just helping me out with cleaning the bar."

"Wow, Cloud, you really outdid yourself!" Biggs said in praise.

"Yeah, it looks amazing!" Wedge joined in.

"You should become Tifa's cleaner boy!" Jessie chirped, "Well, we'll be downstairs talking about the mission if you need us. Have fun washing the dishes."

With this, Barret activated the pinball machine which played its jingle before the four members of AVALANCHE went down into the basement. A moment later, Tifa turned around to see Marle enter the building.

"Well, I'll be," Marle said, "Just look at how hard you two are working. Tifa, dear, you should really take a break after this."

Tifa turned around with a slight surprise to see the elderly woman, "Oh, Marle!" she said, "No, that's alright, Cloud and I are fine just washing the dishes together."

"Are you sure?" Marle asked, "It looks like you've worked your bones off. Come by the hotel once you're both done. You'll need a rest."

"Really, Marle, we're alright!" Tifa said.

"At least that merc's put himself to good use," Marle replied, "Just make sure he stays that way."

With this, Marle left, closing the door behind her. After the dishes were all cleaned, Cloud and Tifa put them, along with the cups away. With some stretches, Tifa looked to Cloud's side with a smile.

"Thanks for the help, Cloud," Tifa said, "Hey, do you want something to drink? Oh, and some lunch as well?"

"Sure," Cloud said, "I'll just make sure my sword's safe."

"Better not get any wear, tear, or rust on it," Tifa said, kissing Cloud's cheek, "Thanks Cloud."

Cloud blushed red, as he scratched the back of his head with a nervous chuckle before he left the room to put the buster sword back into his apartment. As he left, Tifa went to the kitchen where she got out the ingredients for lunch.

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

In the lifestream, Zack panicked, biting his nails and shaking his legs. He thought of all the possible scenarios in which Cloud could have found himself with Angeal, of which none were desirable. When he turned around, the SOLDIER reappeared, with a stern look on his face and a calm walk.

"Angeal, please don't tell me you didn't do anything!" Zack cried.

"Don't worry, Zack, I didn't do anything too brash," Angeal said, "I only yelled at him, and it was all over once that power cleaner came in. He's washing dishes with his girlfriend now."

"Angeal, I love you man!" Zack said, hugging his mentor, "Thank you for not killing my friend."

"Zack, relentless as a little puppy," Angeal said, "I won't be so gentle next time."

From then on, Angeal closely monitored everything Cloud did with the buster sword, and as per his warning, Cloud never gave any wear, tear or rust to it again. Until...

AO3 version: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45457705

#fanfic #cloti #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #angeal hewley #final fantasy vii #powerwash simulator #parody #crack fic

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iaintyourbro · 4 years ago

Text

The Unknown Journey Continues

Part 1

I know it's been a while... but I've been going down a rabbit hole with @starlight-samurai regarding time loops, Jenova, Minerva, and more fun. So I figured I'd try to put it into one post to get the insanity out of my head. Everything in here is based on things we've found by either going through more obscure Ultimanias, learning more about Dirge of Cerberus and trying to decipher what the hell Jenova is by putting together various sources - including other Square Enix games - and how they handled freakishly similar scenarios.

Did you know there is a companion mobile game for it that was out on the good old flip phones? Did you know there was an online mode in Dirge of Cerberus only available in Japan, but had story elements that were not in the main game?

The sad part is, there's still so much to go through...

(I've also had various discussions with @ourfinalheaven, Manu, who doesn't have Tumblr, so here is her Twitter. and Somebody's Nightmare (here is her Twitter). So I wanted to tag them here, as it's much more fun to discuss these ideas as a group, since it'll only help you build on and strengthen your own ideas.)

Please be aware, there will be Spoilers for FFVII - Almost all Compilation titles, Xenogears, and NieR Automata throughout this.

So let's go on a journey where we explore what actually already exists in the compilation - including the idea of the whispers and timeloops - how Minerva may play into everything, and what exactly Jenova is capable of doing.

I asked Sesi if he'd ever played any of the NieR games, because he'd said something that made me wonder if they were going to take a similar approach. As a very, very quick high level summary: NieR Automata deals with a time loop type of idea. The androids will be rebooted and repeat the same things over and over again. This is broken when 2B is killed by A2 because she becomes infected with a virus. That being said, you have the option after Ending E to either erase all of your data and end the cycle OR you can try again. The Pods have a discussion, and one asks, "But won't they just do the same thing again?" and the other replies with "Maybe. But it could also be different this time."

Here's Sesi's message back to me when I asked him about this (cleaned up a bit since we were having a casual conversation over Discord):

Maybe I could just guess based comparatively on the Dirge storyline, because that was sort of SE's first flirtation with “robots and androids” since they’re all programmed and locked behind like task managers and shit that can shut them down. The story of the online mode for DoC that came out in Japan, we never got to see it, you’re basically an Android OC and you have to get to “the end of the level” and then essentially die, and a new one takes its place. This keeps happening until Weiss is essentially freed from being able to be task managed by the guys who are suppose to be able to control them and I know from tons of years with Square games that they’re verrrrry bad at differentiating their narratives they tend to just keep “ripping themselves off” so is it anything close to that?

Cuz if so I think I kinda know what you’re saying and yeah, I agree, I think with CC bringing in its poetic symbolism and LOVELESS, and DoC bringing back the cyclic nature of the lore, whispers, premonitions and future visions, proto-Materia and the perversion of this next cycle since the planet can no longer cleanse and protect itself and its will is weakening lesser and lesser to the point where it’s fate is “in a true sense of jeopardy This time essentially it’s all tied in together and sort of played as though it's a fated track; a cycle of events and something has hitched it, thus the whispers manifesting and Sephiroth's higher implied control over his destiny. Of course, even all that is just their new red herring game, but it’s definitely a part of the lore they want to play with, in order to go back and reMAKE the OG with the comp inserted from inception. Also gut punch a lot.

Time Loops

I was somewhat surprised to find out that this concept is NOT new to FFVII's universe. It's discussed in Dirge of Cerberus... probably one of the least played and least understood of the compilation. (Trying to sell a third person shooter with terrible controls to a market of mostly people used to turn-based combat wasn't going to go well.)

On top of it, we didn't even get all of it, since online mode was never released outside of Japan, and the Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode was on Amp'd Mobile and Verizon flip phones back in 2006. Were you around for the cell phones in 2006? I had the ones on the list, and how somebody could play a game on those blows my mind.

Square has a tendency to reuse themes from their other titles. Probably one of the most blatant is the similarities between Xenogears and Final Fantasy VII. They were both being developed at the same time and a lot of ideas that didn't make it into FFVII ended up in Xenogears.

NieR

So how does this work? In NieR (both Replicant and Automata), you play the same path multiple times. Each time, it's slightly different depending on what side quests you did your first and second playthrough, but there's also other subtle differences throughout the story. In Automata, you get to play as 2B your first playthrough and 9S for your second. They follow the same path, but you get it from his perspective the second time and it reveals a bit more of what is going on. However, even with some slight differences, the main plot points stay the same and the ending result it also the same.

Then on your third playthrough, you wake up in the Bunker, and you're getting ready to go on a new mission. This time, though, 2B is killed and shit hits the fan. Things get crazy, you play as a new character: A2. In the end, pretty much everyone "dies", but you can choose to "reboot" and try again. You also can say you are done and let them all rest and delete your save data (the game gives you the option for both Automata and Replicant, and with Replicant, it actually leads to a new ending).

The striking thing for me is... There are certain events that will always happen, no matter what.

Fixed Points in Time

It's been years since I've watched Doctor Who, but there was something that stuck with me, and that was the fixed points in time. You can read about all of them here, but here's the basics:

Now, of course Doctor Who goes into this with much more detail and it's a recurring theme. However, as you read through that page, you'll probably find many aspects that have been used in various JRPGs that you've played. And Doctor Who most likely pulled some of the idea from classic Science Fiction novels. Each story puts its own spin on it.

How does this relate to FFVII Remake? Well, when they say that the major plot points will stay the same, it reminds me of this. No matter what, Cloud must fall into the Sector 5 Church, the Sector 7 Plate must be dropped, Aerith and Zack both must die, and Meteor has to be summoned, to name a few. So, with a time loop, those things would still have to take place in order to prevent a complete collapse of reality (at least in how Doctor Who uses it).

Therefore, the Whispers are ensuring that the Will of the Planet is followed.

One of the major themes in FFVII is that of loss. People die and they do not come back. Yes, other FF games do allow this to happen (FFX, FFXIII, FFXV), but VII is not those games. It was written with that idea in mind, that once a person dies, they, just like in real life, are dead and cannot be brought back.

I've previously written that I think they'll make us believe we are able to change fate, but we will eventually be slammed with the reality that we can't. That is because the planet has determined that certain events are fixed points.

Xenogears

Xenogears takes a bit of a different approach to the loop idea. Instead of repeating the same time period over and over, it has the characters reincarnated, and the same outcome happens each time: Elly dies. However, each time it's different. After all, they're in various time periods, in some cases thousands of years apart.

In all of the lives of Fei (who will have a different name in each time period) and Elly (who is always Elly/Elhaym), Elly will end up dying trying to protect Fei and the others. In one life, she is a religious figure at a totally not Catholic church, in another she's the wife of a scientist who was working to create children from nanomachines due to mass infertility issues. But she is ALWAYS with Fei, even if his name changes.

In her Mother Elhaym time, this is when Lacan (Fei) finally snaps. Though he's not fully aware of his past lives, he becomes aware, the anger consumes him, and he becomes Grahf. Fei is then reborn into the time period you play the game in.

There's a lot to unpack with this, so I won't go into it. Grahf wants to destroy God (Deus) because he thinks if he does, then it'll stop the suffering (his suffering).

If you do want to read more about Grahf, you can do so here, but it probably won't make much sense unless you've played Xenogears up to that point... Since it's much later in the game that this is all explained.

Lacan's desire was to stop the cycle of Elly always sacrificing herself for his sake. Though Grahf is not a perfect existence - he's not fully "The Contact", he sacrifices himself in order to let Fei move forward, and hopefully stop the cycle, by destroying the Deus system. (Elly also tries to sacrifice herself here, but Fei goes after her and stops her.)

Now, some people may think I'm saying that Cloud or somebody is going to do this in order to save Aerith or Zack (or his village or mom), but in FFVII if they do the loop method, I don't think Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and the others are aware of it. Most likely, it's only 'Sephiroth' and Aerith who are aware of it.

How this Could Be used for Final Fantasy VII

I'm stressing could because there's so many different possibilities on how they use this (if they are using this), so please, don't take this as fact. This is based on speculation based on what we know.

A time loop is a great way to explain away the differences in the story that we've seen: Biggs being alive, Wedge living for longer than he should have, etc. Since these are not major plot changes, they can simply say that this time it'll be slightly different... but your fixed points (major plot points) will remain the same.

It's a way to pull in some of the more obscure themes from Dirge of Cerberus and also play with the LOVELESS lore.

It could all simply be a big red herring and it's really just a remake of OG, but with the compilation tied together nicely... since it works much better when it's combined and not in 50 different games, books, movies, etc.

I don't think it's a "sequel" per say, not in the way I generally perceive a sequel. It's more of a loop of the same thing. The question is, when is the loop started and what will cause it to end? When will the planet (if it even is the planet) determine that it's good enough to begin moving forward?

JENOVA, Sephiroth, Genesis, and Minerva - Oh My!

Let's be real... Genesis isn't exactly the most popular character in the FFVII Compilation... but what if they make him one of the most important to the story? //Ducks as various fruits and vegetable are thrown in my direction//

I think what Genesis is probably most known for is his love of LOVELESS. He has the entire thing memorized and randomly says lines from it throughout Crisis Core. LOVELESS lore is still something I'm trying to grasp, so I am not going to comment much on it. Once I understand it more, I'll update this.

...And then this happens. The secret ending for Dirge of Cerberus, where Genesis picks up Weiss. Weiss, who has now been introduced along with Nero in FFVII INTERmission and is an optional ridiculously hard boss in the Shinra battle simulator in chapter 17 of the main story. There is some lore associated with the battle sim - so if you don't plan on beating it or you just can't, you can look up the pre-battle and post-battle cut scenes on YouTube. They're very short, but interesting. (I beat this asshole last night - it's a hell of a fight.)

....To Be Continued because apparently Tumblr won't allow more than 10 images per post now.... Next will be more on JENOVA and Sephiroth along with Minerva.

#ffvii #ffvii genesis #ff7 genesis #ff7 intergrade #ff7 intermission spoilers #FFVII intermission spoilers #FFVII Intermission #Final Fantasy VII #Dirge of Cerberus #FFVII Weiss #Xenogears #nier automata #final fantasy vii #ff7r #final fantasy 7 #timey wimey

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blackhakumen · 5 years ago

Text

Mini Fanfic #633: So.... About Sephiroth....(SSBU x Persona 5)

Ryuji: Ok. I know we should be focusing on Christmas Shopping and all, but can we PLEASE talk about how and why Sephiroth is in this mansion right now!?

Morgana: What?

Futuba: EX-F**KING-CUSE ME!???

Makoto: Futuba, what do we told you about texting out cuss words in our Groupchat?

Futuba: I covered up the middle words!

Makoto: Even still, that doesn't make it any less inappropriate. Please don't do it anymore, okay?

Futuba: Yes, ma'am.....

Ann: I'm already lost. Who's Sephiroth again?

Ren: Silver Haired guy with Long sword. He's also a one winged angel.

Futuba: The One Winged Angel.jpg

Ann: Wow he's hot. But alas, my heart still and will always belongs to my dear Shiho-kins~

Haru: Awww~

Ryuji: Okay, Ms. Shakespeare lol.

Ann: ಠ︵ಠ

Sonic: Cute lovers' stuff aside, let's not forget that this man has been the thorn in Cloud's side ever since day one......Whenever that is.

Haru: Goodness. I wonder what he has done to make Cloud-Senpai so upset.....

Morgana: That's what I've been wondering too now that I think about.

Futuba: Well, for starters, he murdered Cloud's best friend, Zack, and his companion named Aerith.

Haru: Oh my gosh, REALLY!!?

Yusuke: Oh dear.....

Makoto: Excuse me!!?

Morgana: My god! I didn't know all of that!!!!

Ann: Yep. Now, I'm definitely glad I don't any feelings for him now.

Ryuji: Right!? The guy's a ruthless monster! Even if he is cool looking!

Ren: So is he like.... Officially moving in the mansion now. I mean, I know people say that he's one of the new entries in Smash Tournament and all, but idrk.

Futuba: WAIT! HE'S A NEW WHAT NOW!!?

Sonic: Well, he doesn't really moved in or anything. He only comes here for Ganondorf's League of Villains Club or whatever. Not only that, but Hades actually brought him from hell and everything.

Ren: Now that's freaky.

Ryuji: I know, right. I'm guessing this was after Cloud killed him in that Advent Child movie I watched a while back.

Makoto: I can't believe Hades would go as far as to bring someone back from the dead....

Sonic: Tell me about it, but there is another reason why he did this besides joining some villains club.

Futuba: For real!?

Ryuji: Hey!

Sonic: Yep. You guys remember that whole World of Light fiasco we all been involved in, right?

Ren: Yeah. Those were some really crazy times for all of us back then.....

Ryuji: But what does that have to do with anything?

Sonic: Well, you guys remember we all had to split into two groups to clear out all of the remaining forces of Galeem and Dharkon.

Morgana: Oh yeah, I remember now. We were all assigned to deal with the rest of Dhakron's mess.

Sonic: That's right. While you guys did that, me and the other half of the group face off against Galeem on our own. It was hard work, but eventually, Sephiroth came in at the right time to slice that thing in half, causing an army of Master Hands to disappear.

Ren: Huh. That's.... actually pretty cool of him to do that for everyone.

Sonic: Yeeahh, but.....

Ren: Oh god. What did he do next?

Sonic: Nothing too major.....He just attacked us is all.

Makoto: Why?

Sonic: I don't even know myself, Queen. He just flew in and bodied almost all of us without breaking a sweat. Greninja, Pit, Rosalina, Samus, Bayonetta....

Ren: WITCH MOMMY!?

Sonic: Yup! Especially her! And I haven't even gotten to the part of what he did to my poor pops!

Morgana: You're talking about Mario, right? What did he do to him?

Sonic: Wellllllll......

Sonic: Fatal Strike.jpg

Ryuji: HOLY SHIT!!!!!

Ren: ........WELL!!!

Makoto: Oh my god!

Morgana: ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!!!?

Ann: (‘◉⌓◉’)(‘◉⌓◉’)(‘◉⌓◉’)(‘◉⌓◉’)

Yusuke: This can't be real.....

Haru: Oh my goodness. I think I'm going to cry....

Futuba: FHJKJVFFJN MARIO FREAKING DIED!!!?

Sonic: Everybody, CALM DOWN! Relax! Mario is fine. I repeat: Mario is 100% fine! Look!

Sonic: Sike! He Missed!.jpg

Ren: Oh thank Goddess Mom.

Futuba: Right!? That is such a relief!

Makoto: I agree. I don't think my could take it if he actually got himself hurt like that.

Ann: Hey, Haru, are you okay at your end?

Haru: I'm doing much better now that my sweet little Mona-Chan is here with me~

Haru: My Little Knight and Shining Armor.jpg

Futuba: D'awwwwww~

Ryuji: Damn, Mona. You really are her son lol.

Morgana: Shut it, Ryuji.

Haru: Mona-Chan, are you embarrassed of me? :(

Morgana: No! Of course not, mom! I love you with all of my heart! Really!

Haru: I know you do, sweetheart. I was only messing with you is all. I love you too~ ( ˘ ³˘)♥

Morgana: Haru why?

Haru: I just wanted to see that adorable face of yours flustered. I'm sorry.

Morgana: It's fine. I forgive you.

Haru: ( ꈍᴗꈍ)

Sonic: Adorable cuteness aside, the plumber dad was in no harm whatsoever. And mom makes extra sure he stays that way too, cuz I just saw her hugging him like a teddy bear in their bedroom.

Sonic: Protective Momma Peach on Duty.jpg

Ann: Yeah. Not gonna lie, I would totally do that for Shiho if she ever gets hurt.

Makoto: I would do the same for Ren.

Ren: Why?

Makoto: Because you're a reckless idiot and I love you.

Ren: Love you too, 'hon~ :D

Makoto: ( ꈍᴗꈍ)

Futuba: Ignoring the blantly obvious Married Couple, I'm glad all of you guys are safe.

Makoto: ಠ_ಠ

Ren: ಠ︵ಠ

Sonic: Thanks, Futuba. If Cloud wasn't there to fight the madman, we all would've been done for.

Ryuji: Speaking of which, how does Cloud feel about Sephiroth joining the tournament?

Sonic: He's not too happy about it. But he has been ignoring him since a day or two ago, so that's something.

Haru: That's wonderful news. I sure do hope his presence doesn't cause Cloud Senpai too much trouble in the future.

Sonic: Same. The poor guy look like he's been stressed about it for days.

Makoto: While we're on the topic of Sephiroth, I think it's best for all of us that we stay clear from him for now.

Ren: I agree with Makoto on this one. If.the guy's that strong enough to beat half of everyone in this mansion, I stutter to think what would it be like if any fight him. So let's not get in his way, alright?

Ryuji: Right.

Ann: Roger.

Yusuke: Very well.

Haru: Okay.

Morgana: Good enough for me.

Makoto: That means you too, Futuba.

Futuba: Why me specifically?

Ren: Because we all know how much of a fangirl you are in almost everythingg video game related. Sephiroth looks like the type of guy who is dead serious on everything and I don't my baby sister to get hurt because of him.

Futuba: Rennnnnnnn I'm not a baby!

Ren: You are one to me damnit.

Futuba: ಠಗಠ

Ren: Okay. Okay. I kid lol. But seriously though, just try and stay away from him for me, alright?

Futuba: 'Aye, 'Aye, Captain!

Yusuke: I apologise to ask you this so suddenly, Sonic, but do you still have the picture you showed us not too long ago?

Sonic: The one Fatal Strike one? Yeah, I still got it. Why? You need it for something?

Yusuke: Yes. I must make a painting of this immediately!

Ryuji: Dude, seriously? Why?

Yusuke: I am not too sure about the reasons myself, but.... the dark, gloomy atmosphere of the picture alone has already peaked my attention. And it's telling me to create a masterpiece of it immediately.

Futuba: Of course you would be interested in making something like that, Inari.....

Ann: Could we just focus on our Christmas Shopping plans instead please? I don't even wanna think about that photo.

Haru: Me too. It makes me sad every time I see it.

Yusuke: Very well. I suppose I can try painting it in memory. Or at least, I hope I can....

@keyenuta

@princekirijo

@26shann

@italian-love-cake

@albion-93

@chompycroc

@incorrectsmashbrosquotes

@toriwest

@caleb13frede

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rainbowcarousels · 5 years ago

Text

You can blame @aimeelouart for asking about my keeping track of how each relationship between AGSZC progresses for the fact this meta now exists. It was somewhat hastily written in the back of my maths textbook so please excuse the lack of polish and put it down to the fact I couldn’t take another 2 hours of algebra.

Fives Company, not a Crowd

Relationships with Love

(or how AGSZC functions in the JBSWM universe*)

Cloud

Love is something that is given without expectation of return. This is applicable both platonically and romantically, he's willing to put everything on the line for the people he loves but he doesn't really expect them to do the same for him. Some of that comes from the fallout from his and Tifa's trip up the mountains and the subsequent responsibility placed on him for that but other parts stem from wanting to feel included but not being able to put himself out there so it's a lot easier to be prickly and pretend you don't care when in reality, I think Cloud loves incredibly deeply and it's why he's easily hurt by it no matter how strong a front he puts up. At eighteen, he's still trying to find a balance between keeping everyone at bay so he doesn't get hurt and letting himself figure things out and take those risks. There's a fun parallel to Sephiroth there in that neither cut themselves any slack for mistakes so it's hard to get out there when you might make one when making a mistake – especially in his first real adult relationship – feels like the end of the world. His only really obvious love up till that point is his mother and I do think he misses her a lot, but is also deathly afraid of letting her down and that weighs on their relationship.

The rest under the cut!

Zack

Loves to love (and he loves to dance, kudos to anyone who got that reference). The walking embodiment of a carebear, loves quickly, easily and casually. The more affection and love you throw at him, you'll get it back tenfold. The trick with Zack is that he lives his life with his heart so open that he has a natural connection with most people but it does make it more difficult to spot the differences between puppy love and intense, romantic love. This is one of the reasons he and Gen clash so much, Gen is 10000% passion and intensity and Zack always seems casual even when he's not. Ultimately, Zack is only 20 and still has a lot of trouble balancing his life between love, friendship and work. Since he's a social creature by nature compared with Cloud's more introverted nature, he's pretty decent at reading people and what they're feeling and absolutely wants to listen to them and hear about what they're feeling instead of having to guess. Compared with any of the other four really, he grew up with a strong sense of his social community and it helped instil a lot of compassion and resilience in his ability to love.

Sephiroth

Big yikes on this front. A walking talking advertisement for dysfunctional attachment and it would not surprise me in the least if he has some kind of attachment disorder as a leftover from a childhood which has probably left it's fair share of emotional scars. If I consult my Master timeline (and my attempts to make sense of Gast's timeline since he appears to have left Shinra on a fact finding mission around the time Sephiroth was born and left again for real this time two years before Aerith was born taking Ifalna with him), his first experiences of emotional connection are Hojo (yikes), Gast (who must come back sporadically from his fact finding between 1979 and 1983 so even before he dies when Sephiroth is four it's probably difficult to pinpoint as a positive attachment), Ifalna (here is where I get a little creative with canon but I do quite like the idea that if she did end up at Shinra before Gast left that he would have wanted to be like LOOK AN ANCIENT BABY and have her be like um no no that is not but also he was probably a toddler at the time and has no real strong recollection of her) and then SOLDIER. We know he served with adult SOLDIERs so I really doubt he connected in any strong way with them having had an extremely sheltered upbringing and oh yeah HE'S TWELVE. Man this one needs splitting up because it's Sephiroth.

So Enter Gen & Angeal when he's around 13, maybe closer to 14. What we know from Zack!Cloud and see from some of Zack's memories in CC, Sephiroth is not cruel but he is a hell a taskmaster and I think there's two big reasons why I put his connection with Angeal first. One, Angeal is a hard worker, he tries to do as much as he can and get himself out there and Sephiroth can respect that.Genesis on the other hand is talented, which...means he actually has to work hard at the things that don't come naturally to him for the first time and since he had the hero worship thing going on and Sephiroth was not social, they did not get along easily until they had a better understanding of each other. This is the same understanding that Gen gradually loses through degradation in canon, whereas Angeal and Sephiroth remain close-ish. Two, Angeal doesn't take anything personally and remains at a respectful distance, even when trying to connect. Sephiroth for his part was perplexed by his continual attention and has no idea what to make of it. It's only when Angeal is still doing it a few months down the line, when Gen has calmed down a little from his perceived slight, that they're able to forge stronger connections and I think there's a tandem effect with those two where Angeal is emotionally open and unobtrusive and Gen is not about to talk about anything emotional but he's physically affectionate. Most importantly of all, they aren't afraid of him, even the parts that a lot of other SOLDIERs may find disturbing, Angeal wants to just check in on and Genesis is mostly thinking 'meh, I could do that'. So ultimately, what would end up being his relationship with love is largely impacted by people who keep him at a distance or leave for a long time and then it's like a bus, you wait for one friend and two come along at once.

So then we have his concept of love being defined largely by friendship because his concept of it is so heavily defined by two people who were friends with each other and him first. The potential problem being that his world gets very wrapped up in only two people and as such, he's obsessive and possessive of them because it's all he has. Then Zack comes along and he's hyper affectionate, social, loving basically in a way he hasn't really had thrown at him and he doesn't fully know what to do with. To a degree, Cloud is easier – he's independent, prickly and does not get on with people which for him is relatable. Zack comes in like nothing he's ever experienced and the way he loves is so different that it's left him trying to figure out how he feels about this new kind of love coming into his life.

Angeal

Hands down a nurturer. It's all about putting his time and energy and heart into a relationship and letting whatever kind of love blooms happen naturally. While I don't think he forms connections easily, he tries to keep himself open and supportive of people around him and that lends itself to connecting with people. I do think he had a strong, loving role model in his parents (well, mother and stepfather, fuck you Hollander) and he had good relationships with them so he has some model by which to judge what love looks like. I also think canonly this is the thing he never really gets over losing, his mother and his connection to his parents.

I think Genesis has always been his great love story. They were, when they were a couple, one that would tell the story of how they met bit by bit until Angeal let Genesis take over telling it because he knows Gen never ever stops talking. I think it's one of the reasons they work well together – Angeal has the calm, quiet and cosy sort of love compared with Genesis who is passion and intensity 24/7. They balance each other out because Angeal does also try to push at his partners to behave, he will be passive aggressive or take small measures to try and correct things (a good example in 7s9s is that he will lock the liquor up knowing Genesis can break it but it's the fact he at least tried to get him to behave that helps him sleep at night) but ultimately, he is more passive as a person. When it was just the trio, Sephiroth added to some of the calm from Angeal but also more than matches Gen for obsessiveness. As things progress, Zack's casual nature adds to the calm but his excitement adds to the intensity and Cloud's introversion adds to the quiet but he's also a mouthy little shit.

One of the major things Angeal brings to the table is that his default setting is to care, same as Zack and that everyone at this table needs taking care of in some way. Cloud is obvious, he's struggling the most but he also feels that way with Zack because he can't completely separate the mentor-ship role even he tries to respect Zack as a First Class in his own right, Sephiroth has so few connections that being able to read him and react in a way as needed is extremely valuable and Genesis is just extremely responsive to the first instance of a seemingly unconditional love in his life and even if he would hate to admit it, loves that Angeal tries to take care of him. I think he's happiest when he can express how he feels to each person in turn in their own language and watch them respond.

Genesis

I think with Genesis there's a very large difference between his relationship with love and his relationship with romance. Romance is easy, he can be lyrical and affectionate and flirtatious at the drop of a hat but the emotion behind it being love is tricky at best. For some reason, I've always viewed him as someone who was a very clingy kid, who wanted parental attention constantly, was constantly seeking reassurance and often didn't get it. We know that Gen at that point was confined to Banora so I do think his parents would leave a decent amount when he was young and it's one of the reasons he latches on so hard when he meets Angeal. Angeal is not only present all the time but wants his attention and doesn't seem to mind that he chatters on and on. It's probably something to do with the idea if he keeps talking, he'll stay longer or trying to just fill silence because I think quiet disturbs him on some level because he's actually terrified of loneliness.

As he's gotten older and he turned out to be good at a few things, he got some of the loving responses he'd wanted but I also think as much as this reinforced the idea love is earned and you have to pay for it, a part of him from Angeal, from seeing his parents relationship with him covetously, knows that love can be unconditional but fears it's not so for him and probably spent a great deal of their early romantic relationship waiting for Angeal to realise and leave.

It's why his relationship with Sephiroth when they make the decision to expand the relationship to include him is initially categorised as casual, he can walk away any time and so can they, it's super casual, okay? Except I don't really think it was, it was just an out and then with Zack, he has no out. Zack is happening and it's love or bust. There's no out and then Zack does not seem that into making an effort and he is Not Happy about that. If you then contrast that to Cloud, who is incredibly responsive to his attentions but without demanding it. There's a lot of control on his end when it comes to his relationship with Cloud so it felt a lot less high stakes. Then Hojo happened and all of that went out the window because it was obvious how deep in he was at that point, he was willing to try and comfort Zack and keep him out of trouble, he was willing to care for Cloud in a way that isn't totally to his nature (if Angeal is the gardener, he's a very finicky plant – needs much attention and the right amount of everything to grow properly and will pretend to be dying if you miss a day) and show concern where he would usually rather jump off the plate headfirst than show emotions that vulnerable.

*This is your standard disclaimer that this only applies to how I see them in this verse, it's not applicable elsewhere but I might use examples from elsewhere to back up the point.

#if you read through all that you deserve a medal #just be still with me #agszc #meta #Final Fantasy 7 #rainbow writes #rainbow rambles

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