#sephiroth at nibelheim mansion what will he do

[dark-konohagakure2]

hiii! I really love your writing and how accurately you write all my faves!💕 can I request Vincent Valentine punishing reader for having a crush on him? Much love!❤️

tw: noncon, age difference, size difference, humiliation, corruption, coffin sex, claustrophobia, breeding, biting, mild power imbalance

All characters depicted are 18+

Vincent has pretty much sworn off the idea of romantic love since losing the love of his life Lucrecia many years ago, in fact he swore off any human contact whatsoever until very recently when he joined Cloud's cause, but even then he's still a brooding loner. Vincent still isn't particularly close with anyone besides maybe Cid, so it will take him a while before he realizes that one of his teammates likes him a bit too much for his liking.

At first the former Turk will ignore her affections, brushing them off in his typical cold and aloof manner, but the dumb girl doesn't seem to get the hint, frequently wanting to pair up with him for tasks and always being so... nice to him. Her silly infatuation quickly goes from mildly annoying to infuriating, and Vincent is known to lash out when infuriated.

His patience with her will wear especially thin when the two of them are sent off together to search the Nibelheim Manor for possible clues on Sephiroth. Being in that place already has Vincent on edge, and her incessant concern for him certainly does not help matters, only expediting his inevitable outburst at her. Even Vincent himself doesn't realize he's already lost his patience until he's dragging her away to teach her a lesson on respecting her elders' boundaries.

Vincent's coffin isn't built for two, it can barely contain the tall man, let alone the both of them, but that's the least of his concern when he forces her into the coffin, his body directly on top of hers as he prepares to commit his latest sin against the insistent girl.

"Do you think you could handle a man like me? You can't. I'll give you the full weight of my sins now..."

Despite his fairly slender frame, Vincent is very well endowed, his cock thick and long, hard and throbbing from decades of neglect of his base needs. His composure is almost completely gone, practically growling and panting like a feral beast, and that's exactly what she has reduced him to.

Vincent is a 57 year old virgin, he has no experience with pleasing a woman, not even knowing where the clitoris is, but that's just fine for him, this isn't about pleasure, this is about punishment, she has to atone just as much as he does, and her sin? Daring to fall for him.

It's incredibly humiliating for her as he ruts away at her with little care for her discomfort. She thought her first time would be gentle missionary in a bed, not a feral mating in a coffin within an old, scary mansion. Her embarrassment just makes Vincent go harder, wanting to really hammer home the lesson; that naive little girls shouldn't pine for dangerous men like him.

If Vincent's composure was fading before, it's almost complete gone by the time he's about to cum. He's growing against her skin as he bites into her shoulder hard enough to pierce the skin and draw blood, as if there's a feral monster inside of him, aching to claim, to breed.

"There... Maybe that will teach you to keep your silly feelings to yourself, and you'll keep this little lesson to yourself too."

It's not like she can say anything about this to the others, Vincent is an invaluable member of their party, defeating Sephiroth would be next to impossible without the immortal former Turk, so she has no choice but to keep her mouth shut, lest she find a bullet in it.

[cozmic-ash]

I made this last year when I replayed FF7 again and forgot to put it up lol

(it's a ref to this old meme that was popular a couple years ago)

[rottenpumpkin13]

I was going to ask for baby Seph changing places with CC Seph because omg baby Seph and Dadgeal and Momesis but then I realised that means CC Seph will go back to the Nibelheim Mansion in the past and uh uh.

Anyway Dadgeal and Momesis for the win.

*Genesis and Angeal are caring for baby Sephiroth, Zack walks up to them and taps Angeal on the shoulder*

Genesis, bouncing Sephiroth on his hip: Can you believe three people have asked me if we've become parents already?

Angeal, shaking a baby bottle: We're just taking care of our friend until he turns back to normal.

*Zack taps Angeal's shoulder again*

Genesis, feeding Sephiroth: So now two men can't care for a child without being accused of being parents?

Angeal: You're feeding him too fast!

Genesis: I told you to make the formula thicker!

Angeal: Nothing I do is good enough for you!

Genesis: Don't spin this around on me!

*Sephiroth is crying*

Angeal, pulling out a toy: Oh no!

Genesis, hugging him close: He's upset!

*Genesis and Angeal start cooing and soothing him*

Zack: I have never been more jealous in my life.

(Meanwhile)

The first few minutes after Sephiroth wakes up in the past are visceral, as there’s only so much confusion and pondering before realization and fight or flight kick in. Several scientists, lab technicians and security guards were caught in the bloodshed, each blurred face no more guilty than the last in Sephiroth’s eyes.

The alarm was triggered, but by then, what could they do? He had already broken free from the caged crib he had woken up in, and one of the men they answered to had already been dealt with. Hojo’s scrutinizing face had been the first one peering back at Sephiroth through the bars, and the first to paint Masamune’s blade red.

He hadn’t seen Gast anywhere, but Sephiroth wasn’t looking for kind people or soothing words. Nothing could mollify or mend the nerves that spiraled out of control the moment he noticed the lab equipment and the assessment photos of his baby faced self staring back at him through the computer monitors around the room.

He had gone back in time, that much he knew. But the logistics of how such a thing could happen or where he would proceed from there would have to wait. Right now he was focused on escaping just as he had wished to do so many times before.

Except this time he was older, stronger, and had Masamune’s hilt in a tight grip in his left hand, a security measure as he kicked open door after door and looked for a way out. He held no memory of this mansion no matter how deeply he searched his addled mind for one. Nevertheless, he opened doors, flew down flights of stairs and ran down hallways all while the alarm blared behind him.

Sephiroth’s vision blurred in and out of focus, his heartbeat reverberating in his ear as a rush of blood prickled his hot skin. He needed to find an exit, a window or even a—

“Sephiroth?”

The slicing clink of Masamune being drawn followed by a woman’s gasp. Sephiroth kept the sword pressed at her neck, his vision sharp as he narrowed it at his target.

And then white noise all around him. Widened, slitted green meeting frightened soft brown. The yellow ribbon in her brown hair, the violet blouse, it was her. It was his mother—looking him up with the same alarm reserved for seeing one’s deepest horrors.

Sephiroth froze, the air caught in his throat, his grip on Masamune slackening. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, his mind fixated on the face staring back at him—a face he had always known, always feared, always yearned for.

"It really is you!" Lucrecia breathed, her voice filled with wonder, though her body remained stiff with disbelief. Her eyes moved over his form like she couldn’t reconcile the image in front of her with the baby she had seen only hours before. "But how—?"

Lucrecia’s expression shifted, her mouth clamping shut as her wonder dissipated into palpable urgency. Her hands came up slowly, one reaching for his sword arm while the other touched his chest—her touch set his skin on fire.

“We have to go. Now.” Her voice was urgent, cutting through the haze, but she didn’t wait for his answer, and didn't allow him to question her. Her fingers wrapped around his wrist as she tugged him forward.

Sephiroth stumbled after her, barely registering the doors they passed, the alarms still blaring behind them.

The elevator doors came into view, and she punched the button with urgency. Sephiroth still couldn’t speak, still couldn’t form the words that clawed at his throat, the tears in his eyes—why were there tears? Hadn’t he always wanted this?

The doubt was immediately shattered as the doors closed behind them. Lucrecia turned, grabbing his hand and pulling him into a protective hug, her fingers tracing his back as she held him close, gently, nurturing. “My son,” she whispered, “what have they done to you?”

And that was what did it for him. His choked cry came as a precedent to the soft sobs. He dropped Masamune, the hilt clattering to the ground and falling into the wall of the small elevator.

The contact was overwhelming, the senses in overdrive.

“It’s okay,” she whispered into his ear, as if one would speak to a child. “We’re going to be okay now. Trust me.”

[altocat]

I had an idea 🥺

What if Glenn survived unbeknownst to Sephiroth and heard about Sephiroth’s mission to Nibelheim. Something in him screamed to stop it from happening. A distant subconscious memory of a little boy in a library suffering. He has a gut feeling he has to stop Sephiroth from going into that place.

He rushes to Nibelheim, learns that Sephiroth is in the mansion. He breaks in, gets to the library. He finds Sephiroth, who is slumped down in the corner, head down, surrounded by books, breaking into a thousand pieces.

Glenn goes to him….can he pull that boy out of the dark again? 😢

At first, Sephiroth doesn't recognize him, lashing out, in such an unstable, unpredictable state that Glenn wonders if he really WILL die this time. Sephiroth's words are frantic, full of hate and malice and rage. He speaks of the humans, what they did to him, what his beloved mother has called him to do. He speaks of the Promised Land, of his birthright, of his sacred duty as the planet's chosen ruler.

For a moment, Glenn feels his heart falter, disturbed at the level of madness that stands before him, at the delirious light in Sephiroth's eyes. A stranger before him. A stranger he's never known before. Dangerous. On the verge of destruction. On the verge of murder.

He knows there's only one thing he can do.

Heh, it's funny. Some things never change.

He pulls Sephiroth into a crushing hug and refuses to let go, even as the soldier thrashes and snarls against him. He just pulls Sephiroth closer and squeezes him tight, cradling his face, mumbling words of recognition and love over and over again. It's alright. Everything's alright. He's here. He's alive. And no matter what Sephiroth's learned, no matter what they made him to be, it doesn't change the fact that he's not alone. He's human. He's real. THIS is real. And it's going to work out. Glenn promises. He won't leave him ever, ever again.

Sephiroth continues to struggle, clawing, biting, twisting, trying to get to his blade. Glenn just holds him until his movements slow, until the sharpness of his catlike pupils begins to soften in gradual recognition. His hesitant fingers move from Glenn's throat to his face, tracing across his arm and shoulder, feeling him as if finally seeing him for the first time, coming down to clutch childishly at the edge of his jacket.

"You're...you're..."

The words are unfinished, mouth agape, the buzzing in his head lessening to little more than a feeble trickle. His body slumps, shoulders drooping, gazing up into the face of a ghost, Jenova's deadly call dwindling as the light in Sephiroth's eyes begins to return.

He's here.

He's come back.

"Glenn..." A weak whisper, choked with disbelief.

Glenn just grins sheepishly, shrugs, reaching up to ruffle Sephiroth's disheveled silver bangs. "Hey, kid."

[dark-elf-writes]

I don't remember all the bits and bobs of the extended universe of FF7 and I don't know what goes on in FF7R's background...

But fun fact: Last Order - a short animated film set simultaneously during the events of Sephiroth in Nibelheim and during Zack's (and Cloud) run back to Midgar - has Tseng aware of "Subject C" and that Hojo has Cloud in the ShinRa Mansion lab.

If that stays true then it puts a really interesting/terrifying spin on Tseng/Cloud soulmates and what exactly Tseng is willing to allow both for himself and for someone he loves out of loyalty to the company.

(It also means that Hojo knows exactly what buttons to push both with the Turks and later on with Cloud in FF7's events. Which is just plain terrifying.)

I definitely thought about that but ultimately in Hide and Seek it doesn’t really fit. Like other versions yes but hide and seek Tseng is more loyal to the other half of his soul than the people who took him.

Those in power in Shinra know that Cloud and Tseng are soulmates and in order to keep their grip on Tseng’s leash they have to dangle the mystery of Cloud’s disappearance over him. They have to make him think that he can gain more by working with them than against him, to make sure he knows that they do have him somewhere and the only way he stays alive is Tseng’s continued cooperation.

It’s only after Zack and Cloud escape when it’s decided that Tseng needs to know. If anyone would be able to find Cloud it would be Tseng and as they still hold his leash.

(Tseng has to walk a careful line of being one step behind so Shinra doesn’t get their hands on Cloud again and close enough to watch Cloud’s six. He fails and it haunts him.)

Hojo still knows what buttons to press for both of them, however. He thinks it s particularly amusing to toy with soulmates in particular from a scientific standpoint. He has always wanted to see just what he could do to one half of a pair without the other noticed and when the golden opportunity presented itself, bleeding out and hands wet with the blood of his greatest work thrown into the reactor like nothing more than a failed experiment? Well he couldn’t refuse. Besides, Shinra wanted the evidence of Sephiroth’s origin hidden which means tying up loose ends.

[szynkaaa]

alright I'm finally watching a playthrough of the Ever Crisis halloween event and-

I love that even as a kid, he had a dry sense fo humor. He's so funny what for.

I'm putting the rest of my commentary under cut

you ever think about Sephiroth knows about those things because he read them somewhere but this is very likely the first time he is experiencing the festival.

he protecc

I fucking can't. he's so sassy.

I'm so confused though like is this event considered "canon"?? since they are in nibelheim and also in the shinra mansion?? wouldn't that be somethign Sephiroth would remember later in the main game if it was canon...

:(

NOO LET HIM HAVE HIS PUMKIN SOUP

well ok that pretty much answers my previous question then.

Knowing he said that, and just thinking about how he is always on constant alert about anything and everything around him, because shinra is watching every fo his move, but also he is the leader and doesn't want people under him to die...

This was a cute and fun event, I do think it also gave us more insight how Sephiroth/Miniroth is as a person

[accala]

Zack & Cloud: A Connection that Transcends Death

I don't think Cloud was as close to Zack compared to Kunsel, Cissnei, or even Sephiroth. Cloud was an infantry trooper while Zack was a SOLDIER. Even in Crisis Core, it's implied that they don't interact that much (with how Cloud was surprised that Zack even remembered his name).

And how could they? Shinra was running Zack ragged as one of the few First-Class left, treating him as a threat at the same time (Zack who also had a lot of baggage after Modeoheim and a few months after that, having to bury two friends in Before Crisis). And Cloud was an infantryman considered as canon fodder despite his untapped potential—potential remaining unseen because Shinra couldn't care any less. Cloud couldn't even close the gap between their rankings. Both stuck in positions that the company boxed them, not allowing for any reprieve.

And yet, despite all of that, Zack formed a deep connection with Cloud, more so after the Nibelheim incident. Only one can wonder what happened during those 4 years under Shinra mansion. But I imagine Cloud was not coherent during that duration due to his Mako sensitivity. Nor do I think they could have talked in-between experiments that often (due to the Mako tanks).

And. Yet. Zack. Formed. A. Deep. Connection. With. Cloud.

To the point that he decided to lug his acquaintance, a comatose trooper, all the way to Midgar, taking a higher risk of getting caught. He fed him, took care of him, protected him. Grew protective of him. Died for him. Gave his hopes and dreams to him.

In turn, Cloud’s persona was intertwined with Zack’s. Although this persona was mostly his idealized version of SOLDIER, he inherited Zack’s mannerisms and plans to be a mercenary. Even in death, Zack is shown through Cloud by being a living breathing legacy. A testament to Zack’s existence. (Although identity theft is not what he meant Cloud)

Maybe, in hindsight, it was the shared trauma and experience they both endured that caused this attachment. Maybe Zack needed to latch onto someone, in the wake of an accumulation of loss due to multiple deaths and confusion left by Shinra. Maybe Zack’s sacrifice was simply the right thing to do—an altruistic reason that fits his character’s resolve.

But these alone can’t simply explain the certainty Zack had for Cloud up on the Edge, to live on and carry his dreams for him. Nor does it explain Zack’s loyalty beyond death — his choice to stay as a separate entity, albeit in fragments, from the lifestream for 2 years (leading up to Advent Children); him manifesting as a wolf to help Cloud through his grief; and his presence at Cloud’s side during his battle with Sephiroth.

And isn't that astounding? A SOLDIER and an infantryman who weren’t even close, forming a connection that transcends even death.

[yourlilkaiju]

"Don't let the redemptioners see this." 🥺.....🙄 Please...

I could care less.

I could care less about whether or not someone hates Sephiroth or feels that he is better off being a compelling villain. I don't think that he should stay a villain. I think the villain should be Jenova. Should Sephiroth be considered for a normal life if not maybe somewhere along the lines of maybe an anti-hero? Perhaps. Maybe going up against injustices that affect people, which will eventually affect him. (A war veteran knows this shit.) And this will thus impact the normal life he'd so been hoping for. I honestly feel that there should somehow be a development in treatments as to how to separate Jenova cells from the body safely and effectively, which would thus lead to a gradual change in Sephiroth's appearance.

The key term here is gradual. As in expect at least a couple of decades before he is completely human again, if someone decides to break him out of the Mako crystal.

There are many things I feel on this topic. And frankly I could go on about it. But the issue remains that if I do, I would get nowhere in regards to the original intention of this post.

The fact that Sephiroth fans who believe in his redemption, are called redemptioners is kind of a step. Namely because this comes from a place of ignorance. For one, Sephiroth was a victim of circumstance. Two, the files in the underground library were not only kept in the Shinra mansion. But they were in Nibelheim, not too far off from a reactor that contained human experiments that disobeyed the laws of ethics and Jenova. All of this was run by Research and Development. Which was run by Hojo himself. The department that assigned the mission for Nibelheim was research and development. It was only to observe and report. Read that again.

So to be clear, the mission set for Nibelheim which was not intended for the neutralization and erasure of a town, but the observation and report of a Shinra reactor should have been completely harmless. And this observe and report mission, was coming from Hojo himself. Hojo knew that Jenova was in the reactor. The unlocked doors were too convenient. The access to the library and the classified files were too well placed. And what's more is that only one first class soldier was sent along with him. There weren't any others to train or attempt to bring into the fray. Sephiroth was intended to be the perfect soldier. He was frequently experimented on trained without kindness or reprieve. The only kindness he observed as far as we know was when he was fourteen, when he entered SOLDIER. Beyond that, everything he grew into could not be helped. He tried to be human. He tried to make the best of himself. In the end, the pressure became too much and the Jenova cells took to his brain like a parasite and soon, Jenova was in his head. Thinking for him, breathing for him- controlling his every waking thought and telling him that she's his mother. Even though his mother died shortly after he was born.

Many people are fans of Sephiroth because he is easy to relate to. Many want to see him live a normal life after so many years of adversity and sadness. Because he deserves to walk away from the misery. And usually, folks who don't like Sephiroth fans just like to grind their teeth at anything that doesn't worship the good guys that commit the same genocide that the good guys do for the sake of bringing down Shinra. (If they're reading this, sorry. You brought this truth upon yourselves. Now wallow in it.)

I understand that we all may have our stances and opinions about the one winged baddie. I get that he is one wicked babe. He's not for everyone and sometimes, for a lot of people, they just can't handle that much leather and sass. I get it. Not everyone is kinky or genuinely flirty with the black wingy feather boi. (Yes, I know there are some versions of him that are aro/ace. You can still be flirty with aro/ace so long as it isn't physical and doesn't actually go anywhere....also it must be enthusiastically reciprocated and CONSENSUAL. SSC, darlings.)

But I digress.

As a dominatrix towards people I don't know who ask for my...impactful consultations and integrative queries, Sephiroth is by far an inspirational being who very much represents abuse victims everywhere. And I don't think anti-Sephies understand that. Rather I don't know if they have the emotional maturity that's necessary to do so. Sephiroth has had his boundaries breached on numerous occasions and had been put into a situation where entropy was his life's motto. And when he was finally ready to leave Shinra, he did so. Just....not in the way he hoped.

Overall, it's okay for one to dislike a character. But don't make fun of others for wanting the devs to create a redemption arc for said character. With numerous pathways, please? We don't make fun of you for liking genocidal eco terrorists. No matter how you look at it, that's exactly what they did.

Hypocrites.

[rosy-crow]

REVENGE 2: The Revengening

One thing I find silly about Before Crisis is that now, EVERYONE, including the Turks, is present for Nibelheim. It's so crazy lmao especially since SEPH THROWS HIMSELF OFF THE PLATFORM again.

SO. Imagine if Glenn survived Rufus' attempt on his life and made it all the way to Nibelheim too! He makes it all the way towards the front gate of the Shinra mansion. He doesn't know why, but he feels he's been here before. And what's more, he senses Sephiroth here. He feels an instinctual pull. He has to help him. He has to save him from himself. Just... just like before.

He reaches the doorway JUST as the now-insane Sephiroth makes his way outside. And before he has time to do much as touch his old friend...Sephiroth cuts him down.

Just another illusion. Another hallucination. Another shadow.

It is meaningless to him. Inconsequential. There is only Mother now. Everything else is best left forgotten.

Discard it.

Cast it out.

Into the fire.

OHOHO-

THIS IS VERY GOOD, BUT AS IT WAS FOR US BEFORE, THE THIRD REVENGENING OUGHT TO BE THE DEATH BLOW, BECAUSE I AM MERELY CACKLING AT THIS CHILD’S PLAY!!!

Why you ask???

Because now I’m imagining Hojo coming in after the disaster and finding Glenn’s dying body and turning him into one of the black robes along with the rest of the citizens 😈😈

Sephiroth falls into the Lifestream and when he realizes what he did, how he killed the REAL Glenn in his delusion and left him to be turned into one of Hojo’s lab rats, he quickly throws any fond memories of Glenn away to avoid the anguish…instead channeling his sorrow and hatred towards Shinra…by conducting a false narrative around Glenn’s death with which he can use to pin the blame on his enemy….

[pen-and-umbra]

Yo. First things first. Thanks a bunch for writing and sharing these cool insights, appreciate it very much! I got a question of sorts. One thing is really bothering me. Miniroth saw Lucrezia and most likely had a locket for years. Why doesn't adult Seph recognize that the woman inside JENOVA chamber does not resemble his mother's pic?

My pleasure 👋✨

As to your question, there could be an entirely prosaic explanation: he may have forgotten. A significant amount of time has passed since the Rhadore days, and the details could have faded from Sephiroth's memory, as even cherished recollections can become hazy over time. Alternatively, considering the extensive medical experimentation and the exposure to liquid preservatives and chemicals, it is reasonable to expect that the “mother's remains” would have undergone some deterioration, such as hair discoloration and other changes. Or perhaps he came to believe that the photograph Hojo provided was yet another fabrication. More importantly, Sephiroth at that point had pretty much lost his marbles, so losing grip on reality and delusional thinking should not come as a surprise. His state hardly suggested a clarity of mind.

Then there's a more unsettling perspective to consider: we truly don't know what Jenova's true form is.

You see, the Nibelheim flashback is shown through “Cloud's” eyes. Sephiroth mentions his mother's name to Cloud shortly before they enter the town, then again inside the reactor, and later during his deranged ramblings in the mansion. So from Cloud's perspective, what does he see? Something misshapen and monstrous in the pod (similar to the pod monstrosities in the antechamber), resembling a female figure with silvery hair, a straight nose, sharp features, and a strong resemblance to Sephiroth. This makes sense, as the concept of “mother” does imply a degree of familial resemblance, while a pod container suggests experimentation.

Professor Gast's description of Jenova in his notes as possessing “ethereal grace” and a smiling expression seems to clash with the disturbing, misshapen creature Cloud witnesses in the reactor. Given Gast's research on the Ancients, one would expect him to recognize that they shared normal human features, without the wings, bulbous appendages, and other abnormalities observed in the reactor. Gast's observations simply do not align with the creature's unsettling physiology.

However, if we consider the remake's portrayal of Jenova, it becomes plausible that the creature possesses the ability to induce powerful hallucinations or illusions, in addition to its shapeshifting powers. Perhaps Jenova's true nature is not one of physical transformation, but rather a form of glamour or mind manipulation, where it projects a false, deceptive image to those perceiving it. This could explain the discrepancy between Gast's description and Cloud's experience in the reactor, as Jenova may have the power to alter perceptions and appear differently to different observers.

Cloud heard Jenova was Sephiroth's mother, so he saw someone resembling Sephiroth. Gast wanted to find one of the wise elder race, so he saw a graceful Ancient.

Sephiroth wanted to find the mother whose photograph he once lost, so for all we know, Sephiroth could have been seeing Lucrecia’s likeness —we don't actually know what Sephiroth saw. As mentioned in the beginning, the Nibelheim mission is shown through “Cloud’s” POV. Furthermore, whatever the party sees in ShinRA HQ may be also based on Cloud’s account of the story.

In fact, we can't even be certain that the body inside the tube was Jenova because we don't know whether Jenova is a complex organism or a sentient virus that infects and mutates its host. The body inside the reactor could have been an infected human or a Cetra for all we know, while the true form of Jenova is invisible to the naked eye.

@pen-and-umbra

[forgetfvlness]

ffvii’s importance of choice

1997 ffvii spoilers

one of the narrative choices i liked about 1997 final fantasy vii about zack is that his death is a completely optionable cutscene. if you played through the game normally, going from point A to point B, you (and by reason of control, cloud) does not know much about zack besides the fact that he was the soldier present during sephiroth's attack on nibelheim. by disc three, cloud has his memories intact and corrected but nothing is really focused on who zack exactly was besides being a soldier. zack’s only purpose was to be a paradox to cloud’s reality. but cloud no longer confuses himself as zack. well, zack is aerith’s ex lover. but aerith’s dead. zack, in all means, is unbounded to you and cloud at this point. 

then you return to the lab. cloud (memory intact and reality rescrewed) is immediately hit with a flashback to his and zack’s escape out of the lab, the ride to midgar, zack’s sacrifice, and cloud’s mourning. 

until this point, there is no suggestion that cloud had a reason to mourn zack. zack is never referred to as a friend of cloud’s or never even gave the hint that zack was anything more than his superior. cloud’s mental instability and fractured identity faults the destruction of his hometown, his shame, and the jenova cells manipulating him. while that is true, it misses an important aspect of cloud’s psyche, which is: why forget zack entirely? when did the fragmentation start?

there are simple assumptions you could make. question: why forget zack entirely? answer: to erase the potential of discontinuity within his new reality. question: when did it start? answer: after he left the labs. question: but when exactly? answer: does it really matter?

you go to the labs for answers. there is no motivation to go to the mansion besides curiosity. cloud remembers not the experiments but zack breaking them out. he remembers the ride to midgar, zack’s caring of a mako comatose cloud, and zack saying: “i won’t leave you hanging like that. we’re friends, right?” zack says they’re going to become mercenaries together. when shinra comes, zack protects cloud. when zack dies, swift and brutal, cloud mourns. afterwards, you can discover scratched coded messages between them in their old containers. 

unlike most games when it comes to optionable cutscenes, there is no reward for finding this secret. narratively, it establishes something new: zack was, in some capacity, cloud’s friend, possibly his only after hojo. narratively, this is important but gameplay-wise is completely useless. cloud gains nothing from reliving this memory. in the player’s decision to return to the mansion, cloud performs the act of remembering zack’s kindness and friendship even though this action has no purpose other than grief. 

zack was unexpectedly popular after the release of ffvii in 1997. i believe it is because the player, consciously or not, rebonds with zack after the rediscovery of not his death but his friendship with cloud. zack, before the flashback (and far before the creation of crisis core/before crisis), was only perceived as someone who cloud envied and imprinted on when his psyche destabilized. zack was not seen as someone who particularly cared for cloud. friendly, yes. a friend? not exactly. 

seeing zack’s escape with cloud and his death recontextualizes what zack meant to cloud as a whole. the player is in cloud’s shoes during the flashback: they feel the same shock and grief as cloud. to them, the flashback is not useless— therefore, the flashback is not useless to cloud. there is importance in their gameplay experience in the rediscovery of cloud’s memories of zack and importance in the grief that follows after, even if they do not materially gain from it. and the realization is completely optionable.

[rottenpumpkin13]

AC Cloud travels back in time but he's pocket size, and literally sits on Sephiroth shoulder and tells him things about the future. Sephiroth seems to be the only one that can see or hear him.

*Sephiroth walks up to Genesis and Zack*

Sephiroth: Genesis, the time traveler who sits on my shoulder says I should inject you with my blood to avert the apocalypse.

*Genesis reaches out and feels his forehead for a fever*

Sephiroth: But I assure you, it has nothing to do with vampirism. In fact, the only vampire he's told me about is the man who's in a coffin in the Shinra mansion back in Nibelheim who may or may not be my father.

Zack: Professor Hojo's a vampire?

Sephiroth: Actually, Hojo is dead. I killed him this morning.

Zack: WHAT? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT??

Cloud: Tell him to take it easy and enjoy life.

Sephiroth: The time traveler says you should take it easy and enjoy life.

Zack: Sweet!

[terraxcloud]

A Few Many Things...

There are 5 or more timelines, and it's not worth counting them anymore.

Biggs dies in one (the middle) but Zack at the church immediately talks about him being alive (this is the Zack that meets Cloud in the final battle I believe). The first image is the last Aerith date and the Stamp bag is to the left. Johnny appears with a plushie of a dog to show it's a different timeline instead of using a bag.

The reason it's not worth counting them is due to what Sephiroth says:

In this scene the FF9 Terra/Gaia "two planets becoming one" thing is shown again.

They represent the timelines as worlds, but what they're showing is an FF9 thing involving actual planets. I'll look at DFFOO Act 4 Chapters 4 & 8 again to see what's up there. Of course, they wouldn't say it's planets because of the implications, but that's not to say these timelines aren't coming together...they just need a reason since most people just think the devs are changing things just to change them. Gilgamesh has already appeared in this game from his own rift anyway.

After the Temple of the Ancients, Aerith and Tifa aren't able to stop Cloud from giving the Black Materia to Sephiroth. The date scenes between Aerith and Cloud are more than likely for Yuffie than Terra, especially since we have no idea of Terra other than the main theme lyrics.

The descriptions Cloud gives about what he prefers and how he acts matches what they show of Yuffie's interests (chocobos, getting paid for jobs or acting like a merc, smiling, seeing Red XIII as a dog, staring at Cloud, the poses for the photo with Aerith, being pissed off, etc.

This isn't saying that Terra is supposed to be like this. Yuffie was always a reflection of "real Cloud", however, both Terra and Yuffie are similar to him (the whole "siblings" dynamic). It could be that the Terra we got in other games isn't the same as the one when FF6 was being developed before the main character vanished (Kefka may have sucked her personality away).

The thing that makes Cloud "regain himself" is remembering the flower Aerith gave him in the beginning of Remake.

I don't know if Aerith will find the "real Cloud" herself. Tifa represents that part, but it's clear they're changing things with her. Obviously, they're going to use the "dream" this time around, which is what Aerith represents (she already has a shared dream with Zack), not Tifa. They also put a small shooting star bit with Aerith instead of Tifa, but if Aerith's technically dead the only character that can do these things is Yuffie.

The dialog Yuffie gives immediately gives after Cloud wakes up before the Lost Capital is the hint. It couldn't be encapsulated in a small scene, so they just left Yuffie out of it. If she's not going to do anything, why would she say it immediately?

Another hint was after the Demon Gate boss when Cloud starts banging his sword on the wall to break through. The two characters they show reacting to him are Barret and Yuffie, but the camera goes towards Yuffie in particular. Before this Yuffie was shadow boxing with Barret, which is what she does with Cloud at the end of her date scene (it also happens with Barret after leaving the Mansion at Nibelheim before the final Roche boss fight).

I believe Red XIII represents the change Cloud has personality-wise ("you don't always have to play the badass") while Barret represents the anger he feels at Sephiroth. Having Yuffie shadow box Barret for fun while Cloud is going crazy for the Black Materia shows that Yuffie will have a big role in preventing Cloud from doing this in the 3rd game.

The Corel sidequest with Cloud Jr. shows Barret's change to being "softer" as he explains that he was always hard on others and going after everything that ticked him off, making others suffer in the process. It makes sense why they show him and Yuffie reacting.

The other sidequests that show this "anger" issue are the Chocobo Billy ones with Yuffie in Nibelheim and the last one at the Gold Saucer with Tifa. The Yuffie one is more about the anger issue while the Tifa one is more about learning what happened in the past.

If you think about it, the only thing Cloud doesn't "remember" is being a normal Shinra foot-soldier, the one with motion-sickness (maybe the memory of him defeating Sephiroth from Remake is gone due to the whispers? He does react to the tubes in the Shina Mansion a bit).

The dialog Yuffie has about Chocobos are also noteworthy (since if we go by the symbols, Yuffie is the Moogle and Cloud is the Chocobo).

Btw, these two scenes are kinda similar:

Another "Yuffie represents the Moogle" hint is made at the Gold Saucer intro. Cait Sith summons a Cactuar, a Tonberry, and a Chocobo, but what about the Moogle? It's Yuffie since the moogle is on her pop star outfit. These four on the orphanage chalkboard in Remake. With the characters we've seen so far it may be like this:

Cactuar - Zack Tonberry - Sephiroth Chocobo - Cloud Moogle - Yuffie

The Tonberry King boss battle has MAI dialog that sounds similar to Sephiroth's dialog when he goes insane in the mansion basement. It's kinda fitting that this is a Yuffie sidequest and you need to steal his crown.

The Cactuar thing is Zack due to the "pose" which Cloud, Yuffie, and Red XIII also do in the last proto-relic quest. People know that's something Zack has done.

Every sidequest has it's own meaning. The one similar to Cloud's Dissidia story is the Barret one in Gongaga with the weaponsmith.

[case-of-traxits]

50 Random Character Asks:

Tseng, 1 - 50

You know you had this coming.

50 Random Character Asks: Tseng Edition

I can't even pretend to be surprised here, can I? Well, I got your second ask with your choices as well, so they're in here. 💖

50 questions. Whew. I'll give you guys a sampler on the first one, but the rest are going to be under a cut. This took me SO LONG to do. I've literally been working on it since the 17th! All together, there's 4934 words in this bad boy, excluding the questions.

So uh. Enjoy nearly 5k of meta about Tseng. XD

That said, please keep in mind that all of my answers are specific to how I personally write Tseng. I'm not going to necessarily distinguish every piece of canon from headcanon.

[For this ask game!] || [Still accepting]

1. Canon I outright reject

That Tseng knew Zack was being kept in Nibelheim. For me, it just doesn't work with the rest of Tseng's arc regarding Zack and Aerith and him keeping all of those letters. So. No. Technically, in BC, Tseng is aware that Zack and Cloud are both alive and badly injured, and Hojo orders for him to "prepare the mansion," but never actually says what he's going to be doing there. Tseng sends the Player Turk to clear it out, and then Veld shows up and sends all of the Turks to work on handling the townspeople and everything instead of the mansion. So it's entirely possible that Tseng never knew, according to BC, that Zack and Cloud were placed in those tubes in the basement.

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

Tseng is absolutely capable of slapping Aerith.  I realize that they took that out of the Remake, but I just feel like it's critical for his character for you to know that he is absolutely capable of that level of violence, even against someone he cares about.

3. Obscure headcanon

Tseng is the third (and youngest) son of Kisaragi Godo's older brother, who was emperor during the Wutaian War.  He was brought up in one of the Leviathan Temples to keep him as an effective (and safe) spare to the throne before he defected to Shinra. His forehead marking is a holdover from his time in the Temple, and he'll never admit to a single soul that sometimes, he feels the guiding hand of destiny (or fate or whatever you want to call it) in his life.

4. Favorite line

"It must have been a real thrill for you… Did you enjoy it?" I think this is everyone's favorite canon line.  With the possible exception of the "Mr. President," line from the Remake. That one's pretty damn good, but it requires actual explanation, doesn't it? XD I will say, he also has the canon line of, "I put everyone else at risk because I feared feeling guilty," in BC.  Which is... telling.

5. Best personality trait

Tseng's loyalty is easily his best personality trait, in my opinion.  We see a lot of it in BC, with his dedication to trying to help and save both Veld and the department, as well as in CC, with his devotion to getting those letters to Zack.

6. Worst personality trait

Tseng's devotion to doing things "correctly" is definitely his worst personality trait.  I am firmly of the opinion that this is the thing that's held him back on just killing the President and installing Rufus early. I mean, I have no doubt that there is technically more to it, including the fact that we have no idea what kind of succession clause might have been put in place for Rufus to inherit.

7. Age/height/weight headcanon

Age // Born in 1975, so he is 8 years older than Rufus and Reno, 2 years older than Sephiroth, and 3 years younger than Reeve. Height // I usually go with 5'8", but I'm a little flexible on this. I'll go up to 5'10".  He cannot, however, be taller than Rufus for me. Weight // Eh, I don't really do weight HCs.

8. Unpopular opinion about them

Hm... Do I have an unpopular opinion about Tseng..?  I don't know that I interact with enough Tseng fans to know.  Maybe my insistence on him being fairly easy-going when he isn't at work?  I see Tseng as the sort who can go with the flow to some extent, mostly because I don't think he'd work as well with Reno if he wasn't.

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character

Oh man, honestly?  This might be my unpopular opinion, but his "death" scene in the OG.  With Sephiroth.  And no, not just because of my ship goggles. But there's just so much implied trust there, at a point where Tseng probably shouldn't trust Sephiroth.  He just... He talks to Sephiroth like he's still sane, and Sephiroth cuts him down during it, and then he still drags himself back through the entire Temple of the Ancients to get to the entrance so that he can let AVALANCHE in.

10. Best moment on screen (or in the book)

 See above.  I just... I love that scene.  It's easily his best scene.

11. Faceclaim for the role

Satoh Takeru.

12. Crack headcanon

So, I don't think I have a straight "crack" headcanon for Tseng.  I do have some crack-treated-seriously headcanons, including that he doesn't heal well magically (explaining why he spends so much more time in bandages and recovery than basically everyone else), and that if he's not friends with Reeve or in a romantic relationship with a partner who insists otherwise, he would live entirely on takeout. Tseng does not cook, in my opinion.  He's perfectly capable, but why?  He's spent years curating an extensive collection of takeout menus he considers acceptable food, and he eats exclusively from restaurants that have passed his very exacting standards. Ooh! And this: Tseng drives a small black sportscar at possibly dangerous speeds in Midgar.  It also has no plates, but there's not a cop in Midgar stupid enough to try to ticket it.

13. Dumbest thing they’ve ever done

Possibly trusting Sephiroth when he ran into him at the Temple of the Ancients, but honestly, there was probably no way he was walking out of that anyway, right?  So excluding that... Probably, the actual 'dumbest' thing he canonically does is in BC, when he chooses to rescue a single lone reactor guard instead of destroying a ship full of weapons that Shinra can't afford to let get out.  That's definitely treated as his dumbest choice by the canon.

14. Most heroic moment

When he literally, while dying, drags himself through the Temple to make sure Aerith gets the keystone.

15. Worst thing they’ve ever done

I mean. He canonically murders people for his paycheck.  So probably that? Unless you're more offended by the 'abandoning his country' backstory, of course.

16. Deepest darkest secret they won’t even admit to themselves

He will always wonder if he could have made a difference for Wutai if he'd fought for them instead of going to Midgar. Not that he regrets leaving.  He is fairly sure that he was always meant to be at Rufus' side.  But there's always that small, lingering thought.

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

I actually have an old fanmix that more or less I still use. That said, you can also add "Secret (Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists Theme)," covered by Denmark + Winter.

18. What they’d go to see a therapist about

I am going to read this is what he should see a therapist about because I'm pretty sure if he had to go see one, he would spend the entire session silent, watching the therapist and making them horribly uncomfortable. (Unless it's Angel, but she's one of @ladykf-writes' OCs that I gleefully borrow whenever I can.  She's a counselor specifically for Turks, and Tseng knows better than to try to argue with her.) Honestly though.  If Tseng were up to date on mental health, I think he'd need to see a therapist about his inability to be settled with anything less than perfection from himself.  And, you know, probably talk to them about the killing people thing.

19. Vices/bad habits

Tseng smokes.  It wasn't a habit he was in before Midgar, but while he was being 'debriefed,' he discovered that asking for a cigarette meant he got to go outside and see the sky and breathe the (admittedly not great) air.  However, due to him not healing super well magically and needing to actually recover naturally, he did eventually notice a cough and slight shortness of breath that he couldn't shake. So he tries not to smoke as much anymore.  Still, he does keep a pack of his clove cigarettes on him at all times.

20. Scars

Oh plenty. All the Turks have them, and Tseng has a few more than most given his difficulties in healing.

21. Drink of choice (not just alcoholic)

Alcoholic // Junami sake, served warm.  He has a few brands that he likes, most of which need to be imported from Wutai. Non-alcoholic // Caramel Macchiato with extra caramel and extra whip.  Not that he'd let anyone catch him ordering it.  He has a single barista that he goes to in the coffee shop in the Tower (her name is Peony), and she knows better than to call his order out.  Tseng's sweet tooth is something he keeps very much under wraps.

22. Best physical feature

I mean. How do you pick? He's gorgeous. Maybe his hair, but I have a weakness for beautiful hair.

23. If they were a scented candle, what would they smell like?

Vetiver. But that's probably just because I HC his cologne as having notes of vetiver in it.

24. Most annoying habit

According to Reeve, it's Tseng's uncanny way of reading you.  There's nothing more frustrating to him than Tseng's little, "And is that all?" sort of question because he knows that Tseng means, 'I know there's something else and here's your opportunity to tell me what it is before I go digging.'

25. 3 things they’d want to take with them if they were dropped off in the middle of nowhere

Assuming he is not allowed to bring his phone, and assuming that a backpack full of his usual supplies (he has one in his apartment, one in his car, and one in his office; he finds it unlikely he'd be caught somewhere without it) doesn't count as a single item, and assuming that he's not stripped of his usual clothes/gear when he's dropped off... 1 // A survival radio with a rechargeable battery. 2 // A waterproof map. 3 // A first aid kit. Really, he'd probably be fine even if dropped off with absolutely nothing, but trust me, he would not be happy about it.

26. What they would do if stuck in an elevator with [Lazard]

At first, there would be a long stretch of silence as they both studied the number display and then the elevator panel itself.  Lazard would be the first one to move, leaning forward to punch a few of the buttons, but once it was clear that the elevator was not moving, Tseng would sigh and tip his head back and study the ceiling. He's cataloging everything he needs to do, wondering briefly what he can hand off, what he could text some of the others about to ensure it's done in time.  Then he looks over at Lazard, who is sighing and pushing his hand through his hair. There's another few moments of silence before Lazard pushes the emergency call button, and after they're both reassured by the voice on the other end that maintenance is aware of the issue and working to restore functionality, Tseng slides down to sit.  Lazard looks over at him, then sighs and takes that as an invitation to do the same. "Do you think it's inappropriate to text Reeve?" And Tseng looks up at Lazard, a small, knowing smile on his lips.  "That depends," he murmurs.  "Do you actually want to get to that meeting?" Lazard chuckles, reaching up to rub the bridge of his nose slightly, and he looks back down at his phone.  After a moment, he lays it face down on his leg and tips his head back against the glass wall of the elevator, and he looks out over the city on display behind Tseng. Tseng notices he doesn't start texting. The silence is comfortable.  Companionable.  Neither of them have any stake in impressing one another, and there's no need to fill the silence with talking only for the sake of talking. Tseng supposes that they're lucky that it isn't winter.  Else they would have to sit much, much closer. A glance over at Lazard, who has taken off his glasses briefly to rub one of his eyes, and a little smile touches Tseng's lips. Not, he decides after a minute, that it would be a bad thing, necessarily.

27. Their guilty pleasure

Tseng loves sweets.  Basically all kinds, but he does have a particular weakness for good chocolate and good caramel.  His secret indulgence that he'll never admit to anyone who knows him is that sometimes, during the winter, he'll order a large hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and get a caramel drizzle on it from the coffee shop in the Tower. But only if his usual barista (Peony) is working.  Since she already knows his coffee order is something equally ridiculously sweet, he finds that to be less humiliating than adding someone else in on the loop.

28. How they feel about [Reeve]

Complicated.  On the one hand, Tseng and Reeve are always, always good friends when I write.  One of Tseng's first long, solo missions with the Turks (and I really should rewrite that fic with my current Tseng's backstory and clean up the prose a little) was to function as Reeve's escort on a reactor tour.  That's a minimum of two weeks if they're taking advantage of helicopters periodically, more often three full weeks of travel when Reeve drives the whole thing.  And of course, the driving is definitely Reeve's preference.  Reactor tours are practically the only vacation he takes. But there's no way you don't spend three weeks on a cross-planet roadtrip and don't end up very close to the person you spent all that time with in the car (unless, of course, it's terrible and you just want to murder them).  But at the same time, there are secrets between them that they both know they can't know about one another.  Reeve can't know all the gory details about Tseng's life as a Turk, and Tseng can't know about Reeve's... let's call it his uncanny knack with the reactors. Now, do I ship them? Honestly, yes, sometimes.  I mean, I usually pair off Tseng with Sephiroth and Reeve with either Lazard (if I want canon to happen for something later) or Genesis (if I'm wanting a fix-it), but I can absolutely ship Tseng with Reeve.  Honestly though, that's kind of an unfair question.  I can ship Tseng and Reeve with nearly anyone.

29. Eating habits

 If it weren't for Reeve's insistence on a weekly meal with him and Reeve's occasional order of groceries simply arriving at Tseng's apartment unannounced (he only really sends dry goods these days; produce and dairy get delivered by Reeve himself when Tseng invites him over), Tseng would live exclusively on takeout. Expensive takeout. But takeout nonetheless.

30. Sleeping habits

Tseng slept in a Midgardian style bed for about a week while he was in debriefing after he defected, but eventually, he took all of his blankets and everything and just started sleeping on the floor instead. Now, in his apartment in Upper Eight in the middle of Little Wutai, he's found someone who can make him a gloriously oversized futon, and his one "concession" to the Midgardian way of doing things is that he no longer puts his futon up every morning.  He has four futons to rotate between, with a veritable army of sheets and blankets for them that he's gotten as what he suspects is something akin to 'tribute' from some of the Little Wutai locals. He's done his best to make it clear that he's to be treated as anyone else in the community, but he's hardly going to refuse these things. Tseng sleeps lightly, waking up at basically any sort of unexpected sound, but he has the enviable ability to drift right back off.

31. If the had a tumblr what would it look like?

Honestly? It would be all precisely curated images/gifs of nature. Probably of waterfalls and rivers and creeks. But it would be immaculate. Perfectly tagged and maintained.

32. Something guaranteed to make them smile/laugh

I don't know that it is guaranteed, but Reno's antics often get a smile or a chuckle out of Tseng; particularly so when someone is underestimating Reno in some way.  He has a tendency to find amusement in watching someone walk right into something they should have seen coming. That said, both Reeve and Rufus are also able to routinely get a smile out of him; Reeve because he's just so warm that Tseng can't help but to smile back and Rufus because, well, to be perfectly frank, he's a sassy little shit sometimes and Tseng loves that about him. (For the record, Aerith also often fits in that "sassy little shit" box, but Tseng does his best not to let her see him smile, or else she'll take it as encouragement.) If we're talking about something other than people though, the sort of thing that will routinely get a smile out of Tseng is people watching.  He likes sitting on a bench in the Tower or in Midgar in general and just... watching people go by. It helps him feel grounded in the world.

33. Something guaranteed to make them cry

I don't know that anything specific is guaranteed to make him cry.  He's very much a 'buckle down and take care of things,' sort of guy instead of the emotional reaction sort of guy. That said, he doesn't handle it well after Nibelheim.  Even if he's not in a relationship with Sephiroth, the whole mess of 'handling' the survivors and realizing just how far the President will go to keep himself in power and the uncertainty of what's going on with Veld and with AVALANCHE and just... It's isn't pretty.

34. How they react when they are feeling [excited]

Tseng has, as a general rule, muted outward emotional tells for anything he's feeling.  It was trained into him when he was at the Temple, both as a potential heir to the throne as well as because he was being trained to be a priest.  That said, when he's genuinely excited about something and not just 'looking forward' to it, someone who knows him can tell. He's distracted from other things.  And sometimes, if you're talking to him and he's excited about something, he might ask you to repeat yourself. Not like, "Oh, I didn't hear you, what?" But you'll get a lot more of those little noncommittal "Mm?" sounds out of him. Unless you're talking about the thing he's excited about.  In that case, you'll have his complete attention, and his usually small, amused smiles (the smug ones; you know the ones) are a bit bigger, more genuine and, dare I say it, softer.

35. Their idea of a perfect day

Tseng's idea of a perfect day... well, to some extent, that varies based on where we are in the timeline and if he's in a romantic relationship, but in general, his idea of the perfect day is as follows: Nothing disastrous happens. Barring that, he'll settle for: Anything disastrous that did happen was handled.  Appropriately. In all seriousness, Tseng is very much the sort who focuses on living each day as though he won't have another, and he doesn't let himself indulge much in idle fantasies. He's much more interested in perfect moments.  A good morning run with someone he likes.  An effective training session with one of the other Turks.  Watching someone grasp something that he's been teaching them.  An evening walk with someone he loves.  Sharing a ridiculously rich chocolate cake with them afterwards.  That sort of thing.

36. Their favorite season

Tseng's favorite season in Midgar is fall, when there's a near constant wind coming off the mountains.  It can be difficult to track the seasons in Midgar, since there's not much by way of greenery, but fall means a cool wind that helps disperse some of the excess heat that comes off the Plate under his feet. Back in Wutai, his favorite season was summer.  He liked watching the fireflies in the dusk at the Temple, and no small part of him misses that.

37. What they really think about themselves

Deep down, no matter what else, Tseng knows that he is an oathbreaker.  He can justify it to himself or dress it up all he wants, but he knows that his father, that his brothers, that his country counted on him, and he walked away.  He abandoned everything he'd ever known and walked into the camp of the enemy and swore to help them instead. It's part of why his loyalty is so fiercely held now, and part of why he's so careful to be as pristine and perfect at what he does as is possible. He knows what his family— had they survived the war— would have said.  Once an oathbreaker, always an oathbreaker, and now, he's tied to the oaths he has made in a way that he wouldn't be if he hadn't defected, because he's terrified that they would be right. That puts him in the position of conflicting loyalties, and why he is so careful not to make promises once he's in Midgar.  His first loyalty is to Rufus now, his second to the rest of the Turks, and if there's anything that keeps him awake at night, it's how he's supposed to juggle the additional loyalties that he's found himself collecting (Aerith, Reeve, Zack, Sephiroth, Veld, Reno, etc.).

38. Favorite holiday

Valentine's Day.  Or, to be more exact, the day after.  When Tseng can get a box of very nice chocolates for extremely cheap. XD No, in all seriousness, Tseng quite likes the Midgar celebration of the dead, All Hallow's Eve, with the fixation on costumes and frightening people.  He finds it fascinating for a culture that spends so much of its time not talking about the dead.

39. Favorite game

Tseng likes card games.  He's good at them for the most part, and in fact, when he first defected and arrived in the SOLDIER camp, he realized very quickly that his traditional Wutaian garb was only going to keep him Othered.  So he learned to play poker from watching several hands, and he won himself gil and spare clothing alike off those SOLDIERs who heard his— at the time— thick accent and thought he'd be an easy mark. He still has a soft spot for poker.

40. Favorite book

Have two of Tseng's favorites.  Both titles have been translated from the original Wutaian for your convenience, but Tseng only has the Wutaian copies in his home. "When the Sun Rises in the West," by Yurieva Aiko.  This is a collection of poetry made from the letters recovered from the belongings of Wutaian soldiers after the war. "The Sleeve Cost Me Nothing Compared to You," by Sato Ivan.  This is a collection of short stories and poetry about love and the fleeting nature of romance.

41. If they could have lunch with anyone in the world (living or dead, from any fictional universe or the real world), who would it be?

Before he defects // Tseng would like to have lunch with one of the previous emperors at this point, just to try to get some perspective on what's happening with his country.  Particularly, he desperately wishes he had someone to ask for advice from.  He's torn on what he sees going on, and he wonders what's wrong with him that he seems to be the only one who sees that there's no possible way for them to win this engagement with Shinra. After he defects // During his time in Shinra, given the option to have lunch with literally anyone, Tseng would like one more lunch with someone he loves.  He's very much of the opinion that the best thing to do is to savor every moment you get with someone, no matter how mundane or fleeting. Post-canon // He would like one more lunch with Aerith and Zack.  Just to see them again, and to convince himself to let their ghosts go.

42. 3 comfort items

1 // Tseng has kept, over the years, exactly one kimono from his time in Wutai, and while he never wears it anymore, sometimes, when he's feeling nostalgic, he'll go and run his hands over the silk. 2 // After he completed his training to be accepted into the Turks, before he left the Academy in Junon to go back to Midgar full time, the Acting Director of Operations in The Junon Branch of the Administrative Research, Anya (also one of @ladykf-writes' OCs), gave him an inlaid bone and black alloy knife with a blade cleaning kit.  This is the knife that Tseng wears strapped to his left thigh (the left pocket is cut open in every pair of his pants so that he can reach it). 3 // When Rufus was fifteen, he gifted Tseng a solid black watch with no markers on it besides a pair of mythril white hands and a single mythril accent on the face that marked the twelve.  Rufus never intended for Tseng to keep it as a staple, but while Rufus has gifted him other watches since then, this is the one that Tseng wears as his every day watch.

43. 3 favorite foods and 3 they despise

Favorite Food 1 // Sushi from a tiny hole-in-the-wall place in Little Wutai.  And when he says hole-in-the-wall, he means this woman literally just sells bentos out of her kitchen. Favorite Food 2 // Fiola's in Upper Six is one of his favorites.  They have excellent Mideelan pasta and even better bread.  The bread is, in fact, good enough that while Tseng usually doesn't eat bread with his meals, he'll make an exception for Fiola's. Favorite Food 3 // There is a tiny bakery in Upper Three that sells the absolute best chocolate cake that Tseng has ever had.   Despised Food 1 // The "sushi" for sale in the Midgar cafeteria.  One of them had mayonnaise in it. Despised Food 2 // Pork rinds, a surprisingly popular snack in Midgar.  Tseng suspects it's a holdover from when the area was much more farming-oriented.  As it stands, every sector, Above and Below, has their own 'special' flavoring for them, and Tseng has yet to find anything redeeming about them. Despised Food 3 // Tseng doesn't despise bread exactly, but he fails to find it enjoyable to eat most of the time.  He'd prefer his carbs come in sugar, pasta, or rice, given the choice.

44. Their happiest memory

Tseng has a couple. The first one is of one of the last times he saw his mother. He was about eleven, and he was brought to her rooms so that she could see him.  They spent the evening reading poetry and him showing off his sword forms and her telling him how proud of him she was.  He helped her brush out her hair and braid it for bed, and then she returned the favor and kissed his forehead and sent him on back to his own rooms.  He has a small jade comb that he found in a secondhand shop in Little Wutai that makes him think of her. His second happiest memory is nearly always with Reeve, of their drive around the planet on that first reactor tour.  It was the first time Tseng traveled that he could just enjoy the process, and he has fond memories of the times they rolled the windows down and Tseng could let his hand hang out of the car and just... feel the breeze.  Reeve had been content to talk about nothing or put on an audiobook— and those had been something delightful to learn about, something that Tseng had immediately invested in because that was a great way to listen to the language— and let them just ride.

45. Their favorite celebrity

Tseng is embarrassed to admit it, but when he first arrived in Midgar and Junon, his Standard was not nearly as good as he'd thought it was.  The tutors he'd had in Wutai hadn't been native speakers, after all, and while he'd learned very well from them, there was no way he'd be mistaken for a natural speaker.  So he'd immediately immersed himself, watching the news and reading everything he could get his hands on, and eventually, he'd discovered what were called 'soaps.' He never really followed a lot of the plot lines— he felt sometimes like they had put several novels in a blender and poured the resulting concoction on the screen— but he did eventually decide there was one actress, Gabrielle Cooper, that he enjoyed watching. She had one of the most neutral accents he'd ever heard, and he followed her from show to show faithfully. Even long after he'd stopped watching soaps to help with his Standard, long after he'd more or less shed his own accent completely, he would catch himself picking up a magazine or a tabloid if she was featured on the cover.

46. The person they most admire

For a long, long time, it was Veld.  And then everything with Felicia happened.  And it isn't that he no longer admires Veld, but he certainly seems more human now.  What Tseng admires most about Veld now isn't the seemingly perfect Turk persona that he presents, but his dedication to what he thinks is right. Post-canon, the person he probably actually admires most is Rufus.  Rufus Shinra, who was brought up to rule the world and has been barred from the throne.  Rufus Shinra, who should have had everything and instead has had to cobble something together from the ruins left behind. In that vein, Reeve is an extremely close second. Reeve was never intended to be the one in charge, and Tseng knows that Reeve would like nothing more than to hand it all off to someone else and go back to designing houses and buildings and parks. But there's literally no one else to hand it off to. So he trudges on, running the now-largest military force in the world, making decisions that shape the entire world with almost no oversight.

47. Their dream job

If Tseng wasn't a Turk and hadn't been brought up in the Temple and was just an average Midgar citizen?  He'd be a restaurant critic.  He'd write the most detailed and possibly scathing reviews possible, and restaurants would fear him.

48. Scariest moment of their life

A few months before he defected, during a ritual for Leviathan at the Temple, Tseng nearly drowned.  This was one of his big catalyst moments for abandoning Wutai, as he realized in that moment that no matter what anyone told him about how important he was, they all saw him as expendable. After Advent Children, the scariest moment in Tseng's life was watching Rufus jump from that building.

49. Favorite toy as a child

Tseng was given a wooden training sword very young that he absolutely used to menace every Temple Guardian he ran across until he was big enough for proper training, and he cherished it right up until he left the temple.  He didn't take it with him, but he made sure to polish it and leave it in a respectful place when he left. He is sure that it was broken and/or burned upon discovery that he had chosen to side with Shinra.

50. A memory they’ve blocked out

I don't know that Tseng has very many memories that he's blocked out.  Tseng is very unflinching when it comes to facing who he is and what he's done and what's been done to him.  He believes in facing things head-on and in dealing with the consequences that brings.

Congratulations on making it all the way down here, omg. IT WAS SO LONG!!

All of the love. 💖

[prismaticpichu]

Cloud tells his mom about Sephiroth locking himself in the basement and he hasn't eaten in days. She figures that is just NOT GOOD and makes him a home cooked meal and a jug of lemonade and determinedly goes to the mansion to deliver it...

Heck yeah! Them maternal instincts kicking IN! ❤️

Claudia is not at all unnerved by the ambience of the manor. Not in the slightest. She has the rawest of Nibelheim hearts, desensitized to anything and everything the town has to throw at her. Cobwebs? Nah. Creaky stairs? Please! She’s wrapped her delivery in layers upon layers of tinfoil so a speck of dust can’t so much as LOOK in the direction of her food. It was for the sad, confused military man!

Sephiroth is as oblivious as ever as she reaches the room, his nose buried in a book and about half of the library’s arsenal scattered around him.

“Excuse me… Sir?”

Sephiroth stiffens, and his world blips. It isn’t that fuzzy shape’s voice that he heard just then, pleading for him to come back, pleading for the 100th time. It’s… different. Completely different. Satiny, almost. Velvety.

Loving,

Is this—

Sephiroth’s voice leaves him in a crack. “…Mother?”

Claudia, standing by the door, is very confused. But it’s an amused confusion that flashes across her face.

“You can say that, dear. I’m Cloud’s mother. He came here with you on the mission.” She smiles. “He’s told me a lot about you.”

Sephiroth turns around then. The names don’t click in his mind, almost ricocheting. The only thing that truly sticks—that matters—is the fact that she is NOT his mother. She is no one then. Irrelevant.

“Get out,” Sephiroth snarls, that previous awe draining from his eyes. “Now.”

Claudia, though, is not deterred. Not in the slightest. She sees his eyes, and sees the ink splotched all around them. Clear as daylight, dark as bruises. Dark as the ones her poor Cloud used to come home with. These books—they are bullies. That’s what they are. They are hurting him. He needs to get out of here.

And by Gaia, he is so thin. So pale. He needs to eat!

Sephiroth takes a step back as Claudia steps forward, the unearthly shape of his eyes quivering. But them maternal instincts are already activated. She carefully unwraps the big, delicious grilled Chocobo and hands it out to him, her voice soft and gentle, channeling all the nights and tears and solaces ribboned between the very essence of her motherly soul.

“Would you like to talk about it?”

Maybe it’s the way she said it. Maybe it was the way she looked while saying it. Maybe it was how good the Chocobo smelled in that dusty library. Something in Sephiroth splinters then—a toxic, steely fortress mortared with instinct and vulnerability cracking from her presence. And a fortress can’t stand with one crack; so it crumbles entirely.

They sit together on the floor, and Sephiroth tells her everything. He breaks into a sob, telling of his friends, how he can’t let go of their betrayal, how it still stings. He tells her of the revelations in the Reactor, of what flowed through his veins and the lies he was built around.

And Claudia listens. She listens, and she tells him that it’s okay. Over and over and over. That it’s not his fault. That nothing is. That he’s…

“Dear…” Claudia takes her plate back, only shiny white bones remaining. “You are not a monster.”

There’s something about the way she says it—the kindness in her voice, the tenderness in her eyes, the warmth of her aura… Sephiroth brushes his hair aside, sniveling.

He thinks he believes her.

They leave the manor that very night, Claudia’s love squeezing through his plated shoulder as they return to the surface of the town. Zack pulls Sephiroth into a hug and thanks Claudia profusely for bringing him back, and as Sephiroth hugs him back, as he starts to cry, Cloud watches the scene unfold with a whole spectrum damn full of questions. He goes to stand beside his mother.

“Wow, Ma. What did you do to get the general back?”

Claudia only smiles. “Just what every mother knows best.”

And all of a sudden there’s a giant silver-haired man guy thing towering over Cloud in the family photo. Yippie-do!

[lucky-ladybugs-lovelies]

When All the Paths Are Overgrown, 5/7

@week-of-silver-winds For Sephiroth Week, Day 5 - Library

For those just tuning in, Sephiroth is sane, he and Cloud are friends, and someone made Cloud forget Sephiroth and only him. And I swear I was writing this before I learned of the collab event in Ever Crisis. Some of the antics in tomorrow's segment were planned 17 years ago, but never had a fic to go in.

There are a few passing references to past fics I've done, characters from another fandom who live in town, and my FF7 villains.

Sephiroth closed the heavy tome in his library with a clap of finality and leaned over the desk, a hand to his forehead. So many books, but indeed, none of them revealed a solution that might help this disaster with Cloud. None of them had discussed the problem of such a selective amnesia at all. Not that he had really thought they would. He had read all these books before and had not come across such a thing.

He had always loved books and research. Anyone who knew him for long knew that he could easily get lost in a library for hours. That had sadly led to his undoing at Nibelheim. But he still loved books and knowledge, and when they had come to this planet, designing a spacious library in his mansion had been one of his first actions. He was often found there during peaceful times. Cloud really didn’t read, but sometimes Zack would plop in a chair and read a thriller or some other novel just to be with Seph while he was there. It was special that they could share that after Nibelheim’s library had brought them so much pain and heartbreak for years.

Tonight, however, they really couldn’t enjoy the experience. Not when they were trying to save Cloud and had no idea what to do.

Zack’s expression as he was hanging up the phone was unreadable. “Well,” he said after a moment, “some of our businessmen friends actually had something like this happen to them in New Orleans.”

That startled Sephiroth. “What happened?” he demanded.

“They were at Lector’s sister’s place and a vengeful ghost caused Nesbitt to forget Lector and only Lector,” Zack said. “It was a real mess.” He frowned.

Sephiroth frowned too. “How did they fix it?”

“Nesbitt started remembering things on his own,” Zack said. “Then . . . well . . . Lector got hurt and that shocked Nesbitt into remembering the rest.” He sighed.

That suddenly worried Sephiroth. “Zack . . .” He looked up at his dear friend. “Just suppose something happens to me while this mess is not fixed. We don’t know who’s doing it or why; they could very well intend on destruction as the ultimate goal. If I die and Cloud doesn’t remember me, will I have any chance of making it back?”

Zack stiffened. That was not something he wanted to think about. “Seph . . .” He sat down next to the other man and hugged him close. “Of course you’d make it back! Remember when Cloud’s mom sent you back in South America? I mean, you don’t really think you only made it because of that mental bond with Cloud, do you?!”

Sephiroth hugged him close. “I didn’t at the time,” he admitted. “But I just don’t know. . . .”

“Well . . . what about when you died at Dismal after that messed-up fight with Gunju Rakesh?” Zack persisted. “You didn’t even know Cloud well then, so it sure wasn’t your bond with him that got you back!”

Sephiroth managed a smile. “True. Although I could argue that I wasn’t really dead yet that time. You got me back with artificial respiration.”

“You still came back!” Zack replied. “Artificial respiration doesn’t always work, you know!”

“Yes, I know.” Sephiroth leaned back, still with the smile. “You always know what to say to make things better.”

“Not always,” Zack remarked, and the horrors of Nibelheim flashed through his eyes for a brief moment.

Sephiroth hugged him now. “You do now.”

Zack smiled a bit and returned the hug. “We still don’t know what to do about Cloud, though,” he worried. “He probably won’t come back at all.”

“And we don’t know if it was some random spirit or someone more personally after us,” Sephiroth said.

“Maybe we should make a list of everybody it could be?” Zack suggested.

“I’ve gone over it and over it, but all I come up with is Dalton and the twins,” Sephiroth sighed. “Koseki is dead and the people we tangled with on the Diamond Rose Glass case would be unlikely to pull such a magic-based stunt.”

Zack sighed. “Yeah. . . . Well, we could always call Dalton and demand to know if he’s behind it. See if he makes any slips.”

“It just doesn’t seem his style, though,” Sephiroth said. “Not unless it was part of achieving some larger goal. Gunju would definitely be capable of it regardless, but would he have the knowledge to do it?”

“I guess if the ghost in New Orleans could do it, Gunju could learn how too,” Zack said.

Sephiroth shook his head. “Why do I feel like we’re missing something?” He tapped his hand on the book. “. . . I think we should go look for Cloud. Maybe whoever’s doing this will corner him while he’s alone and make everything worse.”

Zack frowned and nodded. “Yeah. . . . I don’t know where we’ll look, though. But that’s never stopped us before! Let’s go!”

Sephiroth got up too. “I’m taking the Masamune. We don’t know what we’ll run into, either.”

“Should we bring Cloud’s fusion sword?” Zack wondered.

Sephiroth considered that and finally nodded. “If we run into trouble, we may need Cloud to help us fight.”

Zack didn’t mention that Cloud might want to fight Seph. “Okay then,” he said instead. Sephiroth was surely aware of that dark possibility and likely didn’t want to discuss it.

xxxx

Cloud held a shaking hand to his forehead as he stood on the roof of Jenova Corp. What a weird name. He knew he co-owned the company with someone, but he couldn’t remember who. And that meant it was Sephiroth, didn’t it?

“Ugh. . . . Was it right to leave like that?” he muttered to the night. “I mean, I really know Zack and Tifa would never just give their trust to someone like Sephiroth for no reason. I can’t imagine Aerith would either, especially if . . .” If Sephiroth had killed her in the past. . . .

He shook his head. “I don’t know what’s happened to me. Maybe I should go back.” He’d be better off with people who knew and loved him, wouldn’t he? He shouldn’t try to take his chances all alone.

“It’s too late now, Cloud!” came the cackling evil clown voice from earlier.

“What the . . . ?!” Cloud looked up with a shocked start. Some guy who definitely looked like an evil clown was descending from the sky. Cloud took a step back. “Kefka. . . .”

“Oh, so you do remember me! I’m flattered!” Kefka giggled. “When you’ve been having so much trouble with your memory lately, I wondered!”

Cloud glowered at him. “What are you doing here? How did you even get here?!”

Kefka grinned a wicked grin. “It’s been so long since we were all gathered together in the realm of the gods to fight for them. I thought I’d just come looking for some of my favorite fighters and see what they’re up to now! Imagine my surprise to find that you and Sephiroth are friends! Or were!”

Cloud snarled. “It was you, wasn’t it?! You erased my memories of him!”

“Well, I blocked them,” Kefka said with a shrug. “No one can really ‘erase’ memories. Seems like whenever anyone tries, they just resurface again sooner or later! The mind is funny that way. Some people would say it’s the heart instead, but eh.”

“So why did you want to do that?” Cloud darkly asked. “What did either of us ever do to you?!”

“I could point out that you and I fought on opposite sides in most of the gods’ wars, but that’s beside the real point!” Kefka replied. “I just wanted to see what would happen!” He spread his arms wide. “The anguish! The heartbreak! The destruction! I live for that!” He sneered. “It’s all that’s really worthwhile in this world, after all.”

“You’re sick,” Cloud spat.

“Maybe, but I’m having more fun than you are right now!” Kefka said. “And Sephiroth should be arriving any moment now, once he sees me in the sky! Then the fun can really start.”

Cloud clenched his teeth. Hopefully Sephiroth was bringing the fusion sword. He was not going to stay out of this fight.

(Why does everyone remember Dissidia events if they're not supposed to? Because it's more interesting that way, lol.)