#sephiroth-centric

[starbursterr]

✦　a modern adam　⁺　.ᐟ

a sephiroth-centric oneshot. religious trauma. vent work. tw: suicidal ideation, religious trauma, self-cannibalisation. any muslims that may be offended, just continue scrolling. there is no hatred towards islam here, it is just me venting about my experiences as an ex-muslim through writing. an extra note! this work does not reflect my perception or headcanons of sephiroth, he just so happens to be my muse for this vent work.

masterlist　|　ao3

There was no god. Not in the abandonment he felt. Not in the silence of the mosque. Not in the stillness of the morning prayer. Certainly not in the stirring in his chest that kept tugging him towards something greater, something beyond.

If he were to open his mouth and denounce faith, denounce the religion that raised him, the sharp words on his tongue that he was taught to speak upon entering the bathroom, upon beginning to eat, upon laying down to sleep—would there then be something left for him upon the hill which he so desperately wanted to climb? Would there then be anything left of his dying organs, his beating heart, his imminent doom. His unavoidable mortality. The mortality that clawed at him, at every pore, that insisted on a sacrifice—a sacrifice that would be made to him, for him, of him. What then would freedom be like? Could he then lay any claim to any such freedom, any sense of liberation, or would he be weighing the shackles heavier than they were? Would such a thing be worth the scrutiny, the threats, the constant looking over his shoulder?

To denounce a faith? Easier than he thought. To denounce a people? Easier said than done.

Sephiroth's fingers traced over the trigger. Mindless. Cold as the blood that would pool beneath him should he choose to pull it. Basics, basics, all of it. There was not that much to misunderstand or ignore. To choose or to exist.

The stray black feathers that littered the floor were only then disrupted by small paws, scurrying through them to jump up onto the silverette sitting at the edge of the bed. The cat mewled, its movements clingy and desperate—unsure how to climb its owner but determined do so nonetheless. Sephiroth picked it up, holding it close to his chest. The purring that erupted from the small creature was enough to hook his heart and pull the tears into his eyes.

It did not have to be so complicated. He could by all means reach into his own chest and rip out the beating heart that he so loved to pretend he did not have, and he could by all means pretend at the puddle that he was the ice, pretend at the saints that he was the sinner, pretend at the sheep that he was the wolf. For all the world, he could have been. But what he asked himself then gave him the pause he so desperately needed. Would then the ice, the wolf, the sinner—grieve as much as he were? For a life that he clung to as if it were his own, for a people that he seized as if he were one of them, for a place he begged for as he belonged to it?

He did not need to know the answer. He held the cat instead of the gun. That was, perhaps, enough for now.

But eventually, he knew he would have to approach the altar and give it. To feast himself on the flesh that held his bones together, to take his sin within himself and hope the acids in his stomach could act as the hellfire that would purge him of it. And he would be the god that oversaw it. That thought alone was enough to make him gag on the metal filling his mouth, but something soothed his mind.

He would be Allah for himself. He could. And he would be his own Muhammad and his own Jibril and his own Qur'an, and he would consume himself over and over so that it would be Allah's purity he took in himself and his sins that he burned so that maybe one day, one day he could look up to the sky and see the aurora borealis carry him up to the stone steps of heaven, and heaven would not be a garden but further torture for the houri may take to his flesh too and feast on his organs, but they could not open him up, they could not, for then they would see the filth and sins that built him up and even they would be so repulsed by his grime that he would be cast down only for the cycle to repeat again. An ouroboros of neverending creation and destruction, of vice and virtue, wolf and sheep, sinner and saint, ice and puddle.

And to exist outside of this cycle, he could not bear, because it was all he knew, and all he'd ever known.

[certifiedsungod]

Woooow...... More ghost Rosen because I love him 😺

Ghost Rosen's appearance in this silly AU is actually fully dependent on Sephiroth's memory & feelings 😺

He gets... A more smiley expression eventually..... Because they start depending on each other's company so it's a friendship-ish thing which paints him in a more positive light in Sephiroth's mind....

Rosen is eventually more just a voice that Sephiroth mostly ignores,,, like very later on,,,,,,,, something he sees in the corner of his eye but it really just blends in with all the other stuff happening in his mind and brain..

Live laugh love making silly AUs.........

[catboyidia]

Zack gets de-aged bc of reasons, asg have to coparent him, how does that go?

well it definitely depends what age we’re talking but overall i think it would be hell for asg but it would go pretty smoothly, but by vague age ranges i think:

- baby zack: a sweet little angel, babbles a lot, but isn’t super fussy! i think he sleeps a lot, and is kind of noisy, but isn’t a big crier and just wants to be held and sleep for the most part! they divide the work between the three of them, although none of them have many complaints

- toddler zack: the worst nightmare you could possibly imagine… constantly getting into things, having a fascination with doing really dumb and dangerous stuff like trying to put knives in electrical outlets kinda dumb and dangerous, and he runs around everywhere and hides, he’s the nightmare toddler that people complain about basically! poor genesis is stressed out of his mind trying to find zack, sephiroth is running around to hide all the potentially dangerous things and cover the outlets, and angeal is trying to make sure zack stays in timeout because if he looks away for one moment zack will just vanish

- child zack: loud and rambunctious but not nearly as bad as toddler zack would’ve been! he runs around and likes making a mess of things, he thinks everything is something he use as a training object because he’s in his wanting to be a hero phase, but he doesn’t get himself into too much trouble otherwise. since zack wants to be a hero and asg are all first class soldiers, zack would probably look up to them and beg and plead for them to train him, and they all bond with little zack because of it, with angeal teaching zack the basics, genesis desperately protecting the furniture, and sephiroth agreeing to “spar” with zack and letting zack win every time. i also think zack would be very polite and willing to help, so long as he’s given incentive to do so! he follows (most) instructions and rules that angeal sets, and he doesn’t get into *too* much trouble, although he makes a lot of messes and more often than not genesis has to take care of any wounds zack sustains from playing and training! overall very chaotic but asg can manage him, and they wouldn’t hate the experience

[sephirthoughts]

Vincent Got a Phone

rating: not explicit yet

they will fuck eventually i swear

tags: valenwind, cid/vincent, fluff, humor, background sephiroth/cloud, background aerti

link to prev chapter at bottom

Chapter 3: Because Men

It was just after sunset, and Cid was strolling down the bustling street with his good hand in his pocket, and a cigarette in his mouth. He was feeling inexplicably down, since the other day, when Vinnie knocked him on his ass, and then Tifa and Yuffie told him about Vinnie and Aerith’s secret relationship.

He sighed, ejecting a plume of blue-white smoke with his breath. He guessed he should be happy for his buddy, finding a pretty girl who liked him, but he just couldn’t shake the feeling of intense repulsion, to the idea of Vincent dating Aerith.

Of course, he didn’t stop to question whether he only felt that way because it was that specific girl, or if he’d feel that way about Vincent dating any girl. He just assumed it was probably because the two really didn’t seem like a good fit, like Tifa and Yuffie said.

As for talking to Vinnie about it…he’d agreed to give it a whack, but this type of thing was just about as far out of his wheelhouse as it got. He’d always been focused on his work, and never got past a date or two with any woman, before he got bored, or went heads-down on a project and forgot about them entirely.

The closest thing he’d ever had to a relationship was with his cradle-to-grave, ride-or-die platonic life-partner Shera. Come to think of it, maybe Shera could help. She had more girlfriends than you could shake a stick at, she had to know more about this shit than he did.

“I have no clue how to talk to heteros, those people are freaks,” she said, when he called her. He could hear thumping music in the background and a crowd whooping and cheering. “All joking aside, if you really think your boy is making a bad decision, you gotta be honest with him about your concerns. But you have to be prepared for him to push back. People don’t like to be interfered with, when it comes to romance. Hang on. Baby, there you are! Are you ready to—yeah, I’m coming, just a sec! Cid? I gotta go. Just be honest, ok? Especially with yourself. Love you. Bye.”

Cid stuffed his phone back in his pocket and leaned on a nearby wall, puffing disconsolately on his cigarette. As he did, he happened to glance over and catch a flash of golden-blonde hair, across the street. Sure enough, it was Cloud. He was typing on his phone, and it was too far to call out to him, so Cid kept smoking his cigarette and waited.

When Cloud looked up, Cid tried to wave to him, but the young man was directly accosted by a group of scantily clad women, and didn’t see him. After brushing the ladies off rather brusquely, Cloud turned around and walked in the door of the place he’d been standing in front of. The Ramblin’ Rose Love Hotel, to be exact.

Cid stood there scratching his head. Now, what would their resident clueless virgin be doing going into a shady-ass place like that? Usually folks brought hookers back to those places, but he just couldn’t see Cloud doing something like that.

So…he must be meeting someone. Damn. Was there something in the water? Everyone seemed to have the spring fever, all the sudden.

Cid flicked his cigarette butt away and walked off down the street, about ten seconds before an extremely tall and broad-shouldered man, in a large, black, hooded overcoat, came up the street and entered the Ramblin’ Rose Love Hotel.

Oblivious to any potential pursuers, Vincent and Aerith once again departed the group’s hotel, in one another’s company. Aerith had the ingenious idea of renting a room in a karaoke bar, which was both private enough that they could talk freely, and not so private that it would cause proper old man Vincent to panic, and so that was where they went.

Presently, they were seated on the long, red couch, under the disco lights and the colorful illumination of a neglected video screen, proclaiming ‘Mega Karaoke!’ in big, bright letters, interrupted by an animation of dancing microphones, every few minutes.

“Today’s lesson: talking,” Aerith announced.

Vincent crossed his arms. “I know how to talk.”

“How many words have you said to him—”

“Thirty-three.”

“—today.”

“Oh. I thought you were going to say this week. Today…two.”

“Bearing in mind that grunting does not count as a word.”

“…”

“That’s what I thought. Here’s what the sisters and I think is the core of the issue, Vincent. You are the type of person who doesn’t talk much, due to a whole big ball of social anxiety and self-esteem issues. However, you are also the type of person who is extremely good looking, and because of that, other people don’t see you as the awkward anxiety-ball you are. Your weirdness actually makes you seem aloof and a bit cold. Like you don’t care about anyone or anything. We think that may be hindering your progress with Mr. Highwind.”

“I seem cold?”

“Yeah, kinda. I mean, not to me, because I understand how you are, but to other people.”

Vincent scowled and hid in his cloak. “I don’t know how to not seem cold. I tried your advice, and I couldn’t do any of it right. Maybe I’m better off not trying to connect with another human. I only make a terrible mess of things.”

“No, no, no, don’t give up, now!” Aerith urged. “We’ve made so much progress!”

“I frightened him, injured him, and nearly burned the hotel down, trying to bake cookies. How is that progress?”

“It’s personal growth! Getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new is the hardest thing in the world, and you did it. Whether or not things work out with Mr. Highwind, I’m really proud of you. And I’m grateful to have got the opportunity to know you, and become your friend.”

“I…I am, as well. Even if the advice hasn’t quite panned out, you encouraged me to come out of my shell. More than that, you made the effort to get to know me, when everyone else is either afraid of me, or doesn’t think I’m worth their time. You are a good person, Aerith. I am truly grateful for your friendship.”

“Awwwww, Vincent!” Aerith laughed, then she burst promptly into tears and threw her arms around him.

Just as she did, the door to their karaoke booth banged open. They both leapt to their feet, only to see Cloud stumbling backward into the room, looking very much like he’d been pushed by someone in the hall.

“Cloud?” Aerith said.

“Gah!” Cloud yelped, spreading his arms out in front of the open doorway, as if to hide someone. “I can explain! It’s not what it looks like!”

The other two looked past him, then back at him. The hallway was empty. If there had been another person there, they had already vanished.

Sensing their confusion, Cloud turned and peered out the door, then stepped all the way in, letting it swing shut behind him. “Aerith? Vincent? What are you two doing here?”

“Us? What are you doing breaking into other people’s booths and acting like a lunatic?” Aerith countered. “Who were you with? Why were you trying to hide them?”

“N—no one. I wasn’t with anyone,” Cloud said, laughing nervously. “I was just…I was talking to the waitress, and I tripped. And fell into the door.”

Aerith and Vincent both crossed their arms.

“You tripped,” Vincent said dubiously.

“And fell into the door,” Aerith said, even more dubiously.

Cloud nodded. “Yep. Yes. That’s what I did. You know me. Clumsy Cloud.”

“It was closed all the way,” Vincent pointed out. “How did you turn the knob while tripping into it?”

“I must’ve grabbed it to stop myself. You know, it’s all kind of a blur. Just out of curiosity, are you guys here by yourselves, or are there, like…other people from the group lying in wait, nearby?”

“Lying in wait?” Aerith asked. “What are you, on the lam?”

“You’re behaving strangely,” Vincent observed. “As if you have something to hide.”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” Cloud assured them. “I was just, uh. Startled. To run into you guys, out of nowhere. Also, you never answered my question. What are you doing here?”

“Karaoke,” Vincent said grimly.

“Obviously. What else would we be doing at a karaoke bar?”

Cloud squinted doubtfully at Vincent. “You sing?”

Vincent’s crimson and gold Chaos eye glowed ominously in the disco-ball lighted half-dark. “Yes.”

“Vincent happens to have a lovely singing voice, not that it’s any of your business,” Aerith sniffed. “But you’ll have to hear it some other time. We were just leaving.”

Cloud looked back and forth between them, then crossed his arms. “Wait a minute, is there something going on betw—”

“Think carefully before you finish that sentence,” Vincent warned, laying his hand on Cerberus.

Aerith put her hands on her hips. “Vincent, what did we say about violence as a first resort?”

Vincent sighed and took his hand off the gun. “Only when they have it coming.”

It was fortunate that he didn’t have his hand on his weapon anymore, because at that moment, the door banged open again, and two people burst in, one of them shouting, “Ahhh-ha!”

Cloud, Aerith, and Vincent all turned, to see none other than Tifa and Yuffie. Both young ladies stopped short, looking confused, and Yuffie dropped her pointing finger.

“What are you doing here?” Tifa asked, meaning Cloud.

“Karaoke,” all three answered in unison.

Yuffie squinted doubtfully at Vincent. “You sing?”

“We’ve already been through this, Vincent has a lovely voice, et cetera,” Aerith cut in. “What are you two doing here, now?”

“Also Karaoke,” the two newcomers answered.

Vincent looked around at the group, from behind his collar. “This situation is ridiculous. I’m leaving,” he said, and walked past them, out the door.

“Yeah, me too,” Cloud added, following him. “D—does anyone know if the doors on these rooms lock?”

Back at the hotel, Vincent ran into Cid—not literally, this time, he’d learned his lesson about that—coming down the path, in front of their rooms. He winced at seeing Cid’s arm still in the sling and lowered his head, thinking to let the man pass by.

“Hey, Vinnie, there y’are!” Cid said affably. “Feel like a drink?”

Vincent nodded, as an intense feeling of relief welled up in him, to find his friend behaving normally. “Yes. Yes I do.”

“I never seen him with anyone, so I can’t say who he mighta been meetin’ there,” Cid was saying, after they’d been seated at the hotel bar, with tumblers of whiskey in front of them. “It ain’t the kinda place you bring a respectable lady.”

“He can’t have stayed more than a couple of hours,” Vincent said. “I just saw him at the Mega Karaoke, acting very strangely.”

“Uh. Mega Karaoke?”

“Yes.”

Cid squinted doubtfully at him. “You sing?”

“No. Aerith and I went there to…talk about something, privately. Which did not work out, at all. Somehow, nearly everyone we know arrived and barged into the room, during that one hour.”

“Y—you went there to talk privately, with Aerith?”

“Yes.”

Cid swallowed the rest of his whiskey in one go. “So, speakin’ of Aerith. There, uh…there anything you wanna tell me?”

Vincent froze, with his hand on his glass. How the hell did Cid know what he’d been talking about with Aerith? Did someone overhear them, and tattle? He wouldn’t have thought so, a week ago, but the bizarre behavior of their group in the past few days had him feeling like they were all in a slapstick comedy, set in a high school. Well. Fuck it. If Cid already knew, there was no point attempting to deny it.

He nodded slowly. “There is something I want to tell you. But I don’t think this is the right place to talk.”

About ten minutes later, they were strolling through the completely deserted hotel garden, which no one but Vincent ever used at night, chiefly because it was very dark and a little creepy.

“So, here’s the thing about relationships,” Cid said, much to Vincent’s relief, as he had no idea how to open such a topic. “Sometimes, just cause someone’s good lookin’ and fun to talk to, don’t mean the two of you’d be any good together. Ya gotta be sure it ain’t just, like…infatuation. Those kindsa feelings go away pretty quick. If you act on ‘em, before you’re sure it’s more than that, people could wind up gettin’ hurt.”

“But what if you’re sure it’s more than a passing infatuation?” Vincent asked. “What if you know it?”

Cid puffed thoughtfully on his cigarette. “Even then, there’s people who’s good for each other, and people who ain’t. Like, say, people who are different ages and got different kinds of lives. They likely ain’t a good fit, in the long run. No matter how good it feels at the beginning, one day, those cracks’ll start showin’.”

“I disagree,” Vincent said flatly.

Cid blinked. “Ya do?”

“Yes. I don’t think things like being the same age and having the same life experience are all that important, in the grand scheme of things. The important thing is finding a person who…who feels like the missing part of you. Like you could spend every day with them, forever, and never get tired of them. When you find that person, it isn’t something to take lightly, or to give up on, just because of what might happen in the future, or because of what others might think.”

“Shit. The missing part of you…” Cid trailed off, looking dazed. “Ya really feel that way?”

Vincent took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yes. I do. I’ve felt that way for a while, but…I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“I guess if that’s how ya feel, then that’s that.” Cid flicked his cigarette away and pushed his hands back through his hair, then rubbed them together in an agitated manner. “Look, I’ll always support ya, Vinnie, and I just want you to be happy, so…I’ll learn to accept it. But I might need a little time. I—I can’t talk about this, anymore. I gotta go clear my head. Give Aerith my best.”

With that, Cid walked off, leaving Vincent standing in the inky-black shadows of the hotel garden, alone.

He’d felt the rejection coming, since the conversation started, but he had no idea why Cid should become more upset, the more they talked. Now, it seemed as if he’d lost his best friend, and the man he’d fallen for, all at once. Dejected and disoriented, he went back to his room, shut off all the lights, closed the curtains, and slid under the bed, to try and sleep off the pain.

Cid, meanwhile, was walking briskly, without a destination in mind, unable to shake off the intense feelings of loss and disappointment, that had nearly crushed the air out of his lungs, when he heard Vincent say Aerith was the missing part of him.

Why should hearing his best friend say something like that about a woman be so painful? He had no clue. He only knew he’d had to either escape, or implode, so he chose escape. And drinking. Some things could only be properly examined from the bottom of a bottle. He found a different shithole bar than the shithole bar he and Vinnie had been in, earlier, and opened a tab.

A few drinks in, he wasn’t feeling any better, and was in fact, feeling much worse. All he could think about was Vincent with that pretty, young girl, holding hands and laughing (her laughing, that is, Cid doubted Vincent was capable of such a thing), being ‘together’ the obnoxious way couples are, when the relationship is new.

Tch. When the shine came off that apple, don’t expect ol’ Cid to be around to pick up the pieces. Cause he damn well wouldn’t. He’d be hangin’ out with someone better, who wouldn’t run off after the first pretty skirt that wandered by, and leave their best friend all alone, to nurse his broken heart over a bottle of cheap ass whis—wait a goddamn minute, broken heart?

“Oh,” Cid said, staring wide-eyed into middle distance, as he quickly reexamined everything he believed about himself. “Fuck.”

THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY

sephiroth: (waiting in the next karaoke booth) that little brat better get his ass in here soon

sephiroth: ...

sephiroth: i can't believe they don't have "i'm just a girl" what the fuck kind of place are they running

link to prev chapter

[achillean-knight]

WAIT A SECOND, I NEVER SAW THIS UPLOADED HERE WAAAAAA

Giggling and kicking my feet and and

[rosy-crow]

Wait wait wait wait HOLD UP

^ MUSIC THEMES AND SUS PURPLE ILLUSIONS IN SEPHIROTH-CENTRIC TRAILERS FOR FIRST SOLDIER + JENOVA DREAMWEAVER THEME FROM REMAKE

Jenova Dreamweaver. The DREAMweaver.

HMMM

PURPLE SUS

The Dreamweaver is an illusion of Jenova…

“False images into its victims”

Purple sus….

[kaonarvna]

The next SMIM decision poll -

Small Moments in Midgar (SMIM) is a series of isolated scenes and short stories pre-crisis that feature more mundane, work-centric, and intimate moments focused on FIRST CLASS SOLDIERs and those around them. It primarily focuses on Sephiroth and Genesis (in a sephesis/sephgen sort of lens).

It's something I keep up with as a "breather" while working on larger projects.

I decide the next entry with a fun little poll! I posted the most recent update a couple weeks ago, and it's time to feel it out again. Pick your poison, including tone/additional info:

If there is something you'd like to see explored in this series, whether it's an extremely mundane subject, something SHINRA working culture specific, or more personal? I encourage you to dump it in my ask box. If it's something I can work with, I may pop it in the next poll.

*will include depictions of (both normalised and actively countered) disordered eating behaviour.

[prismaticpichu]

Genesis Rhapsodos.

Ooooooh! Absolutely!!! 🐦‍🔥

~

First impression ~ *Genesis opens his mouth—* SHUT THE FUCK UP THIS IS WHY YOU HAVE AN INSUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF LOVE

Impression now ~ hehehhehe silly guy is actually a layered blast in fandom!!! <33333 (thank you @altocat @rottenpumpkin13 for sharing your amazing characterizations!!!)

Favorite moment ~ I love when he goes “heh, you remembered” in reference to Sephiroth’s knowledge of Loveless back in the training room scene; it’s very sweet! <333

Idea for a story ~ Not Genesis-centric, but got a crack fic in the works wherein a sick Gen & Angeal make Sephiroth play doctor for them xDD

Unpopular opinion ~ This man shouldn’t have copied Seph’s get-up dhdbdbdbdbd xD

Favorite relationship ~ Platonic friendship with Seph!!

Favorite headcanon ~ This man is actually a sweetheart who’d do anything for his friends under that douchebag exterior xDD

[mojavejourneys]

I am sick and slightly loopy from cold meds but I am about to explain why the song Compliance by Muse actually fits really well with Shinra and why it could also be particularly centric to Sephiroth in particular.

The overarching theme of Compliance is the whole 'if you follow and comply with our demands then you needn't worry about anything again' which honestly fits in with Shinra's entire doctrine. Because as long as people follow Shinra and give everything they have to the company, they needn't worry about anything ever again.

Sell a strong enough spiel and you can hide all kinds of horrors under it, not just the whole thing about sucking the lifeblood of the planet up, but also the various war crimes that the company was committing in order to maintain that lifestyle.

We just need your compliance You will feel no pain anymore No more defiance Just give us your compliance

Is this not how Shinra is able to get them? And this doesn't just cover the employees who work with their deepest, darkest secrets. This also applies to the citizenry of Midgar that has come to rely on Shinra for their many needs. Give everything to Shinra and you needn't worry about anything anymore, right?

Now where it gets really interesting is this one lyric in particular.

Our toy soldier, you'll do the dirty work Stay loyal to us, we'll take away the hurt

This is the lyric that made me realise that this could apply to Sephiroth, but also to SOLDIER as a whole. And potentially the Turks too. Because as long as those who gave their lives to the company also gave their loyalty, they'd never need to worry about anything ever again, right?

After all, it is known that those who could compromise Shinra are met with the fate to be eliminated from the picture. As soon as someone questions the status quo, they're done for.

anyway I'm sure this made more sense in my head but enjoy my weird analysis

[pen-and-umbra]

I was just wondering something. OG spoilers I guess? 🙄 Anyway FS makes it so that Sephiroth sort of knew about mom in a sense that he had that picture locket until Glen kicked it away. Then,,Crisis core through Gen tells us that Sephiroth got told only her name, which doesn't hold true now. It got me thinking that in OG Seph is supposed to learn everything, and then come up with his big bang plan…but he never learns that the woman from the picture was REAL, as in his real biological parent, not some lovecraftian monster?? does it represent that he never finds anything about Lucrecia or just no longer cares and accepts Jenova's wat?🤔 Or is it supposed to mean that once he went psycho in Nibelheim, he never gained clarity in the lifestream afterwards? Many fans say that Seph got his mind back after “death”, but then there's the fact that he never bothered to look for the lost photo and the woman in it. Now I know it's a retcon, but it kinda bothers me 

Yk anon, I was thinking along similar lines; not Lucrecia-centric, specifically, but similar. Had you asked me this question years prior to Remake’s release, I would have told you in no uncertain terms that, yes, after falling into the Lifestream Sephiroth embraces Jenova as the only thing that is left for him — the only thing that provides his existence with a purpose, a place, a connection. Whether it's the result of a mental breakdown and subsequent psychosis, or a conscious choice motivated by a desire to feel superior to humans who „wronged“ him.

Eh, but Rebirth and now First Soldier episodes definitely muddied the waters for me, although I had always considered the Nibelheim incident to be a very — tragically — gray area.

Even if Sephiroth is not mindjacked by Jenova, as Rebirth seemingly implies, why is there such a strong belief that he regained his marbles in the Lifestream? The game's extended compilation promotes the idea that anguished spirits are still delusional, hateful, and anguished after being swept into the Lifestream. IIRC, some of the Aerith side novellas (Lifestream White or The Maiden Who Travels The Planet, can't recall which) touch on the idea that these spirits must be pacified, which is what Aerith tries to do in order to bring back balance. Sephiroth would remain just as delulu in the Lifestream as he was when he took the dive. As you mentioned, one could also argue that he never truly learns the whole truth, such as the fact that he actually had a human mother who is, in fact, still around.

Yet Jenova's mindjacking, as hinted at by his possessed-like behavior in Rebirth, really drives this angle of skewed perception, of overlooking bits of information and acting as if they never existed. Cloud's case exemplifies this well.

Right after Cloud finishes his account of the Nibelheim massacre, Jenovaroth raises some doubts in his mind about Tifa, which eventually leads to the two of them having a little spat about it in Kalm.

Tifa shows Cloud the scar she received that night when she attempted to stab Sephiroth. Cloud takes that information in. Spool forward, and during the fight in the Gongaga reactor, Cloud effortlessly forgets about the scar and attacks Tifa. All because Jenovaroth used suggestion to mind-control Cloud and plant specific ideas.

The most fascinating aspect is that Cloud later regains memory of this event, but only as a passenger or passive observer. He is horrified when he sees his limbs act independently and sees himself move.

The scene made me rethink the previously held black-and-white belief that Sephiroth had found out „the truth“ in the Lifestream but CHOSE to act according to Jenova's will. I believe it's a much more of a grey area now, and various conflicting pieces of information from the extended compilation and old Ultimanias (and such like) really do not help it. Who is to say Jenova didn't do the same thing to Sephiroth? Changing his perception or ability to perceive in ways that benefited the creature, both before and after Nibelheim. To prevent certain pieces of information from being consciously processed, such as those of Jenova being a parasitic monster who wiped out the Cetra. Or, as you point out, the piece about the woman in the photo.

There's something else to think about. Sephiroth's physical body is eventually repaired with Jenova cells in the Northern Crater, resulting in a symbiotic/physical link. Who's to say her hold on his mind/spirit ever weakened? In fact, I'm not sure if the Sephiroth that emerges after Nibelheim is entirely Sephiroth who has lost his mind, or if it's a chimera. Not in the sense that the party encounters and fights bits and pieces of Jenova that shapeshift into Sephiroth, but in the sense that the consciousness that controls them isn't entirely Sephiroth's, as in he's not the sole driver (hence why I usually use „Jenovaroth“). Jenova „wears the faces of the dead“ per Cetra. I don't think it solely reflects the entity's ability to change its appearance, but something bigger. An ability to „become“ the subject it imitates by emulating their personal traits. After all, „she can peer deep into your soul“, in other words, to learn all that makes up a person.

Now this is just guesswork. However, the Remake — and quite possibly FS too now — appear to be oddly insistent on revising Jenova's abilities and related lore. Who knows what purpose it serves. But honestly, the very fact that Jenovaroth is capable of making someone “forget” or “ignore” certain knowledge they had by overriding it, like in case of Tifa’s scar, is truly terrifying.

[browniefox]

Anyway, finished Rebirth which means I get to plug my FFVII Fics!

The Never-Ending Road Trip

Zack trying to get Cloud to Midgar, with a fun (and very long) time loop thrown in to make it all the harder!

Puppet, Off Stage

Cloud and Cait Sith, Post-Game bonding and discussing what it means to be someone’s puppet.

The Man Behind the Curtain

Short one shot of the gang meeting Reeve face to face for the first time.

All Along the Watchtower

In the same universe as Never-Ending Road Trip but can be read without it. Reeve’s Point of view time loops as he tries to figure what’s causing them, what he can do to save Sector 7, and also maybe getting to go a little crazy while he’s at it.

And if you like this one, check out the parallel Cait-Centric one Singing the Sound (That You Found for Me)

Meeting Behind Enemy Lines

Red XIII, while in Hojo’s lab, gets an unusual visitor in the form of a mechanical cat.

Death Does Not Us Part

My only ongoing fic right now! Post-FF7, Zack, Genesis, Angeal, Sephiroth, and a bunch of other Firsts and Seconds wake up in the Northern Crater. Sephiroth wants to destroy the world again, Zack needs to find Cloud, Genesis is avoiding confronting his actions, and Angeal is trying to just keep everyone alive.

[altocat]

another thing i was shocked to learn was fanon was sephiroth being a general. the vast majority of the sephiroth-centric fics i’ve read have given him that title, but he isn’t actually one (or it at least isn’t confirmed in universe)! his official title, from what i understand, is just SOLDIER first class. we don’t even know exactly how much control he had over the rest of SOLDIER.

Yeah, that's another one. Sephiroth's official rank is NOT General, or even Commander. He actually holds extremely little authority in terms of Shinra's hierarchy, apart from being their strongest soldier. The only real distinguishing factor about his position is that Shinra seems to send him out on the biggest missions, usually the ones that require a high body count or the highest level of importance or difficulty.

It's not clear if Sephiroth himself is the reason why First Class soldiers are allowed to refuse certain missions. He at the very least has enough status to withdraw from missions he doesn't wish to pursue, though I'm not sure if he's done it before Angeal and Genesis leaving. Either way, Sephiroth wasn't even given a spot on the council, or even mentioned to have potentially been in the running for taking over SOLDIER after Lazard fled the scene, something that might have been a no-brainer if he really WAS a general. I really do suspect he was little more than Shinra's pet. Occasionally treated better than the others given his fame and talent, but still a pet.

[matriphagic]

Rating : general

Warnings: no archive warnings apply

Fandoms: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth (Video Games 2020-2024)

Categories: F/M

Relationships: Sephiroth & Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife

Additional Tags: Dreams and Nightmares, Hallucinations, Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Literal Sleeping Together, Cloud Strife-centric, Kalm (Compilation of FFVII), implied sefikura but it isn't enough to tag, Minor Violence

Summary:

“Someone’s burning the midnight mako,” Aerith says, sitting down beside him. There's a glass of water in her hand, and he stares at it quietly, tasting the drought on his tongue.

“Just a visit from my guardian angel,” Cloud mutters. He's sure that half the inn heard him screaming in his sleep – Tifa's brought it up enough times back in Midgar that he'll never forget that it happens sometimes. Embarrassment colours his cheeks just as brightly as the illusory fire had.

⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆

Cloud doesn't take retelling Nibelhiem's destruction as well as he wishes he did.

[tunafishprincess]

If you like Sephiroth being Cloud’s dad would you like Cloud being Sephiroth’s dad? There’s a few fics with that premise and they’re good so far.

I’ve seen them and read some but I’m more invested in Cloud being a feral gremlin country boi to match Sephiroth’s military raised in a lab lifestyle.

Also Cloud is easier for me to write and read. I have a thing for scrappy underdogs.

I’m working on getting more into Seph centric stuff tho, as I would like to write more of his povs in the future.

[sephirthoughts]

ok i got that nasty one out of my system here’s the nice one

Vincent Got a Phone

[but to the tune of Janie's Got a Gun you're welcome]

WARNINGS: none yet but we’ll get there keep your pants on (for now)

INFO: CID/VINCENT, BBFs vincent & aerith it makes sense i swear, background sefikura, fluff, eventual smut, humor, no angst just idiot-related shenanigans

SYNOPSIS: Vincent had a crush, then he got a phone, which has started him down a road toward genuine human connection that he is in no way prepared for. Aerith, his self-appointed friend and wingman (who may not be nearly as sweet and innocent as one would think, based on the dresses and flowers), is determined to steer her favorite ship on the right course!

Chapter 1: The Friend-ship Sails!

BIGDICKDADDY: hello everyone. i bought a phone.

SolidStrife: sephiroth?

SolidStrife: typo oops

SolidStrife: i mean who the fuck is this

.*･｡ﾟ☆Ti-chan☆｡ﾟ･*. : yeah how did you get our group chat ID creep! >:C

BIGDICKDADDY: this is vincent valentine.

SolidStrife: ...

SolidStrife: quick question

BIGDICKDADDY: cid chose this name for me. i don’t know how to change it.

TheChief: hahaha it’s a real good one why would you change it

✿FlowerGal✿: i thought Dick was short for Richard? shouldn’t it be Big Vince Daddy?

.*･｡ﾟ☆Ti-chan☆｡ﾟ･*. : oh honey

✿FlowerGal✿: or Big Vic Daddy? that works too.

SolidStrife: but the daddy part is ok with you

YiffYuff: i think it’s a funny name lol

SolidStrife: you would

YiffYuff: wtf what is that supposed to mean

SolidStrife: it means i know what your username means

YiffYuff: ????

VValentine: nevermind. cait sith showed me how to do it.

TheChief: aw boo y’all are no fun

TheChief: damn robot cats these days

✿FlowerGal✿: I’m really glad you got a phone, Mr. Valentine! Now we can all talk to you and you won’t miss anything! :-D

[VValentine has left the chat]

.*･｡ﾟ☆Ti-chan☆｡ﾟ･*. : wow rude

SolidStrife: he lasted longer than i expected

YiffYuff: what does my username mean!!

YiffYuff: what the hell are you talking about!!!

YiffYuff: CLOUD!!!!

SolidStrife: why don’t you ask cait sith

Vincent had a phone, now. That was…good. A phone was a thing one used to communicate with other people. It was a step toward humanity. Toward the light. Out of the abyss.

Only, he found himself reflexively wanting to retreat back to the safety of his coffin. After all, was taking such a step even allowed, for him? Was this not just collecting another sin with which to freight his soul and trouble his sleep?

But…when sin felt so much like sunshine on your skin, when it was blue and brilliant gold, so vivid you could almost taste the colors—when sin was a wisp of that heartbreaking warmth, so desperately craved during those long, cold, solitary years in the dark…how was one meant to choose atonement?

He would never try to touch the sky, he reasoned. He would only slip out of the shadows and stand in the sunlight for a little while, to quietly absorb some of its warmth, before he sank back into the eternal darkness. Even such a creature as himself yearned for some small comfort, after all.

A soft voice broke in, drawing him from his ruminations. “Um. Mr. Valentine? Are you coming to dinner?”

It was the lighter haired girl. Aerith Gainsborough. And she looked like she was cautiously approaching a rabid dog.

Vincent suppressed a sigh and withdrew deeper into his cloak, in order to appear less threatening. He couldn’t tell from her expression whether or not it was working. But all he had to do was politely decline, and she would go away.

“No, thank—”

“Hey, Vinnie! Vin!” Cid called out, just then, from ten meters behind her, where the rest of them were gathering. “We’re goin’ to eat, you comin’?”

“Yes, thank you,” Vincent said to the girl, as he pushed himself off the wall he’d been leaning on, and strode away toward the group.

Aerith paused for a moment, with an unreadable look on her face, before she trotted after him.

“Did you not like your food, Cloud?” Tifa was asking, as the party exited the restaurant, a couple of hours later.

“Huh? Food?” Cloud said distractedly. “Oh. It was fine.”

“Do you even know what you ate?” Yuffie retorted. “You were staring at your phone the entire time.”

“I wasn’t staring at my—” Cloud pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen a few times. “I gotta go. I’ll be back…later.”

“Where are you going? Cloud!” Tifa shouted after him, as he hurried away down the street. Annoyed with the young man’s wayward behavior, she naturally turned to her friend, for support. “Can you believe how rude he’s being? What is going on with him?”

Aerith was looking the other direction, however, apparently engrossed in something else. “Hm? Oh, yeah. Totally. What a jerk.”

“You weren’t even listening!” Tifa said, stamping her foot. “Why is everyone acting like this tonight?”

“You mean, why’s no one paying attention to the princess?” Yuffie smirked.

Tifa scowled. “Shut it, brat. Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

Yuffie rolled her eyes. “Don’t you know frowning gives you wrinkles?”

“Oh, ho ho! Did you guys see that?!” Aerith exclaimed, startling them both.

“See what?” they replied, nearly in unison.

“Mr. Valentine just yawned, and exactly ten seconds later, Mr. Highwind said he was tired and wanted to head back!” She gave a delighted little giggle and then squealed, clutching her phone to her chest, like a teddy bear.

Yuffie and Tifa looked at each other, then back at her, with expressions one might adopt when addressing a mental patient.

“Mr. Valentine yawns all the time, Aeri-chan,” Tifa pointed out.

“Yeah, what’s so interesting about old men being tired?” Yuffie scoffed. “They both fell asleep in the theater, the other night, and you weren’t wetting your pants about that.”

Tifa made a face. “You want to rethink that phrasing, maybe?”

“Hehehe it’s nothing, nothing at all. You wouldn’t understand,” Aerith gloated, while rapidly typing something on her phone. She hit what must have been the ‘send’ button, with an air of triumph, then finally looked up. “Hey…where did Cloud go?”

Over the next several days, Vincent began to get a feeling that he was being watched. He had this feeling because he was definitely being watched. By the Gainsborough girl, of all people. She seemed to have taken an unusual interest in his activities, and had been surreptitiously observing him, at random intervals throughout each day.

He was aware of it pretty much immediately, due to his high level of training and artificially heightened senses, and also the fact that she was really bad at spying. Like, he literally saw her ducking behind a trash can, once. Whoever among their enemies had got to her, they obviously hadn’t given her much in the way of instruction, before they sent her to work. Maybe it was a blackmail job.

Either way, if she was under hostile influence, she was now a threat to the group, and it was his duty to get to the bottom of it. It’d be better not to alert the others, yet, in case anyone else was compromised, so he’d be going this one alone. Besides, it wasn’t as if he needed help handling one little teenaged girl.

That night, after supper, he took a walk around the general area of the group’s rooms, making sure he was clearly seen, then faded into the shadows, to lie in wait for the spy. Three minutes and seventeen seconds later, he heard stealthy footsteps coming down the walk.

Tch. Amateur. She didn’t disguise her gait, control her breathing, or even try to mask her scent. When she passed the dark space between the buildings, she was playing with her phone, pretending to be looking at it, but glancing stealthily about, obviously looking for her target.

In less time than it takes for a human heart to beat once, a whirl of crimson whipped out of the narrow alley, silently engulfed the young woman, and vanished. Behind the building, in the deep shadows, Aerith suddenly found herself pinned against a brick wall, with the big triple-barrel of Cerberus pressed to her throat.

“Scream and it will be the last sound you make in this life,” Vincent said, in a low, menacing snarl (which was just his usual voice but slightly quieter). “Who are you working for?”

“Mr. Valentine?” Aerith replied, in a normal, conversational tone, looking at his face, rather than the gun, for which he had to inwardly applaud her cool-headedness under duress. “What are you doing lurking around in the alley?”

The hammer clicked back. “A name, Ms. Gainsborough. Or I paint this wall with your—”

“Oh, please, you’re not going to kill me,” she laughed (Actually laughed! At him!!). “If you were, you’d have cut my throat or strangled me right away, instead of trying to scare me with your very loud gun, with all our friends right within hearing distance.”

He wrapped his other hand around her neck and holstered the weapon. “You’re right. There are plenty of ways to kill you quietly. Answer the question. Who are you working for? How did they get to you? Are they blackmailing you? Holding someone hostage? If so, why did you not come to us for help, rather than betray us?”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” She eyed him doubtfully. “Are you…feeling ok, Mr. Valentine?”

“I am never feeling ok. That is beside the point. You have been following me and spying on me, for five days. You appear to be recording my movements and reporting them to someone. I also saw you take several photographs of me and Cid Highwind, when you believed yourself to be unobserved.”

Her eyes went wide. “Eh? You saw tha—I mean, I have no idea what you mean! You have no right to interrogate me! I want a lawyer!”

“A lawyer? I am not with the police, Ms. Gainsborough. In case you forgot…I’m a monster.” As he said this, he leaned closer, baring his sharp canine teeth, and letting his irises flash brilliant crimson-gold, in the darkness of the alleyway.

“Ooh, that was so cool!” Aerith breathed. “Wow, you’re really sexy, Mr. Valentine.”

Vincent choked and actually took a step back, letting go of her neck, from sheer astonishment. “What are you—that’s not—how can a nice young lady like yourself use such a word, so casually!”

“What, sexy? You really have been living in a coffin, haven’t you. Times have changed. Nice young ladies like me can say and think and do whatever we want. That includes thinking you’re sexy and telling you so. Not that I’m into you! Even if I swung that way, you’re like a million years too old for me, yuck.”

When she said that last bit, she laughed and stuck her tongue out, with a little shudder of disgust, to which Vincent took great umbrage. He was old, sure, but he didn’t look old. He looked pretty good, he thought. Anyway, he definitely wasn’t worthy of a shudder.

Also, how did this tiny girl flip the situation around on him, so fast! Saying all these bizarre things and confusing him! On top of that, she wasn’t even a little bit scared of him! That hurt his pride even more than the shudder, and he became morose.

“As I was saying, you’ve got the situation all wrong,” Aerith informed him, flipping her braid over her shoulder. “I mean, yeah…maybe I was spying on you a little. But that was for my own reasons. No one got to me and I’m not betraying anyone. I’m actually your ally, here. Maybe the only one you have.”

Vincent was hiding in his collar, with his arms crossed sullenly, glowering down at her from the shadow of his black bangs. “What nonsense are you talking? What do you mean, ally?”

“Let’s just say, I represent a certain community, of very devoted, extremely supportive enthusiasts, who take a special interest in…gentlemen such as yourself.”

This was definitely some kind of trick, to trip him up, but he couldn’t see the hook yet. Better play along, for now. “Such as myself, in what way?”

“Gentlemen who, you know,” she winked suggestively, which nearly sent him stumbling back another step, “prefer the company of other gentlemen.”

“I prefer no one’s company,” he growled. “Try again.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Not even…Mr. Highwind’s?”

What the hellfire? What did she know?? Would he have to kill her, after all?!

“I can tell by the look on your…forehead, that you know what I’m talking about,” the infuriating and deeply bewildering young woman continued. “It’s also clear from my observations, that no one else knows. And that, if it’s left up to you, he never will. That is where your dearly devoted fujoshi sisters come in.”

This was obviously an attempt to baffle him with more gibberish. Vincent’s hand was already on Cerberus’ stock again. “You’re stalling. So, you have backup coming. You think they can kill me, before I kill you?”

“Seriously, tone down the drama, Mr. Valentine. I’m trying to tell you I want to help you. Look, I’ll show you.” She pulled her phone out and held it up so he could look at the screen. “This is our server. These are all sisters—that’s what we call our members. Each channel is devoted to a different ship, but we encourage multi-shipping and no ship hate is allowed, whatsoever.”

“Channel? Ship? You like…nautical engineering?” Vincent attempted, utterly at a loss.

“Ship is short for relationship. The Fujo-Friends server is dedicated to fanship of the MLM variety.”

He blinked stupidly at the screen, as she scrolled through what she called a channel. It looked like a group chat, sort of like the one their party used on the phone, but it was made up of far more participants.

They all had little cartoon avatars, and inexplicable names, like ‘Mrs. Genesis’ and ‘disco slut kadaj’ and ‘sefikurafan’ and ‘rudeXlovesXreno’, and even a ‘Sephiroth’s Daddy’ which he did not like, at all. Messages were popping up, constantly, and they seemed to be talking about…

Vincent’s head spun, and he had to lean on the wall, to catch his breath. He had literally never seen so many euphemisms for that crucial part of the male anatomy, in his life. He didn't even know most of them, before.

How…how could all of those people talk so openly about these things? How could they all care enough about total strangers, to say so many weird and perverse (and also a lot of very sweet and supportive) things, about them? How could they know so much more about that kind of thing than he did?!

He passed a hand over his brow. “You, and all these other women…you talk about men, having…sexual relationships, with other men? Why?”

“Oh, it’s not just women,” Aerith chirped. “We welcome sisters of all genders. Why do we do it? For a ton of reasons. Mostly because it’s fun, but honestly, a lot of us are just sick of the heteronormative status-quo getting pushed on us in every form of media, and want to imagine more people in happy, queer relationships. I mean, there are toxic ships, too, but those are strictly for the sake of hotness. We don’t condone any abusive or unhealthy relationships, IRL.”

Vincent shook his head helplessly. “I—I don’t know what any of those words mean.”

“It’s ok, that’s why I offered to help you. You don’t seem to know what you’re doing in that area. Like, at all.”

“What I’m doing in which area?”

“Well…you like Mr. Highwind, right?”

“If you already know, why do you keep asking,” Vincent returned crossly.

“Good! The first step is talking about your crush to a trusted friend,” Aerith encouraged.

“Who said you were a trusted—”

“As for the other steps, a socially challenged but otherwise high-spec man, like you, is just the kind of person who could benefit from the sisters’ help! Don’t worry, I won’t put you on the server, or anything. Unless you want me to.” Vincent’s glare intensified. “Ok, I’ll take that as a no. What I can do for you, is act as your relationship consultant. With the input of the sisters, of course. The Fujo-Friends will help you make a plan to get your man!”

Vincent nodded. “I’m leaving. Goodnight.”

“No, no, wait!” Aerith said, stepping hastily in front of him. “Just hear me out, ok? I know this all probably seems ridiculous to you, but…I can’t stand seeing you so sad, Mr. Valentine. You’re a good person, and you’ve survived through so much. You deserve happiness. You deserve love. And I deserve to see you and Mr. Highwind together.”

“A good person.” His lip curled in a sneer, which was totally lost on Aerith, as it did so behind his collar. “What could possibly have lead you to believe that about me? Do good people live in coffins in the basements of disused bioengineering facilities?”

“They do if they’re trying to protect other people from something. I know your story. What happened to you. And I know all you’ve done is help people, since you went underground. You’re even helping us, now. So…let me help you, a little. Consider it a thank you, for being on the team.”

Vincent withdrew gloomily into his cloak again (like a turtle retracting into its shell, which was far more adorable than he realized or he’d never do it again), and said nothing. But he didn’t say no. The moment he failed to say no, he handed Aerith the reins.

“Great! So excited to get started!” She clapped her hands delightedly and bounced up and down, like a child. “I'll message you tomorrow morning, with the details!”

Vincent sighed heavily. “Alright.”

He was still in a daze, musing on how he’d even gotten into this mess, when he found himself back in his room. It was…something of a relief, to be honest. He had no idea how to ask for help and wouldn’t have accepted it, if it was offered.

But if it was urgently pressed upon him, what choice did he have? He couldn’t hurt Ms. Gainsborough’s feelings, after she’d been so kind as to reach out to him. Aside from Cid, she was the first one in the group to speak directly to him, excluding strictly necessary communication.

Also, he had a sneaking suspicion that this small girl could be scarier than Sephiroth, if she took a mind to, and he had no desire to find out if he was correct.

link to it on my ao3 just in case you want to leave me a nice comment. or a mean one fuck it bring it on

[gcdwinged]

the best part about the remake series sephiroth is that he's everywhere. every character is influenced by him, characters both old and new. he's already jenova. he's already taking the form of someone you know or whispering in your ear.

that being said, like this for a little rebirth-centric starter.