#the shadowblood queen

[flowersbane]

rebirth villains, summarized: no cloud belongs to me >:(

like, bruh

leave this man’s autonomy aloooooneeee

[lordfentongaming]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Chapter 12 Queen's Blood Shadowblood Queen guide

[getvalentined]

Thinking about Vincent's involvement in the Queen's Blood storyline and how it's the perfect explanation for everything going south with the game in fairly recent history even though the game has canonically been around for decades. It's genuinely so clever, I'm in love.

So, for anyone who hasn't done the full questline, Vincent is the highest ranking Queen's Blood player in the entire game prior to facing off against the Shadowblood Queen herself and the completion of the questline. (After this, ranks are adjusted worldwide because of game mechanics; Nanaki is rank 10 in the QB Arena at Gold Saucer.)

A lot of people have poked fun at this, like Vincent apparently learned the game really fast and was just naturally really good at it—but no, actually, Vincent played the game before. He's this good because he was champion level back in the 70s, back when he was human.

We know this to be the case because when you match against Lidrehl, he says "the Emerald Witch sleeps in Nibelheim with a monster of chaos, and that is where it will remain." This means that Vincent already had the card when Hojo killed him. It's not clear how the Emerald Witch came into his possession, but you don't make his rank without being a very active player, so it's clear that he was very prolific in the scene back then!

And back then, it was just a game. No mysterious deaths or disappearances. The myth of the Shadowblood Queen and the Emerald Witch was still there, as Lidrehl developed the game based on the story, but everything was fine.

This is definitely because Vincent was active in the scene, and he had the Emerald Witch. The Rebirth Ultimania implies that the Shadowblood Queen is a piece of Jenova (which I thought was pretty obvious since she calls Cloud a "puppet" and he's also apparently the only one capable of facing her head-on), and the Emerald Witch is the soul of a Cetra that serves as the silent warden to her imprisonment within the game. (Imprisoning monsters in cards is not new to the series, either, since FF8 literally allowed players to turn monsters into cards rather than fighting them.) Vincent being so active in the circuit allowed him to spread the Emerald Witch's influence through the scene and kept the Shadowblood Queen quiet, reminded her to keep her head down, kept her from trying anything at risk of being spiritually shitmixed again.

But then Hojo killed Vincent, and the Cetra warden Emerald Witch was in his deck, and that deck was tucked away with his things in Nibelheim. And so she spent thirty years unable to perform her ongoing duty to assure the safety of the planet. This time allowed Jenova the Shadowblood Queen to regain the power and confidence to manifest and start wreaking havoc again, finally building up enough strength to directly possess her current holder—during the period that Sephiroth is calling for Reunion, which presumably helped to really draw her back to full consciousness.

There's a whole detailed storyline here that makes perfect sense, with Vincent's murder literally being the catalyst leading to the resurrection of the Shadowblood Queen, and Hojo never having a clue what he'd done.

This is super interesting to me not only because it actually showed some of the more far-reaching consequences of Vincent's death, but also because it indicates that Hojo has unwittingly been Jenova's most loyal emissary for decades. He gave her his wife, his son, himself—and the first murder he ever committed served to imprison the only power holding a piece of her thought lost to history at bay, allowing her to manifest decades later with her own will and personality completely intact, something that she can't do through Sephiroth.

As it turns out, Hojo and Vincent have been opposing forces in supporting fate's "chosen ones," the forces around them capable of choosing the final fate of the planet, for much longer than either of them ever thought.

Still not a huge fan of the card game itself, but I adore the way it's been woven into the story, and strengthened it as a result.

[rottenpumpkin13]

I want to see Sephiroth get upset that this stupid card game (queen's blood) is taking up hallucination time in Cloud's head

*Sephiroth manifests out of thin air*

Sephiroth: You cannot escape me, Cloud.

Cloud, playing QB: Can we do this later? I'm kind of in the middle of something.

Sephiroth: You can indulge yourself all you want, but infantile games will not save you in the end.

*The Shadowblood Queen manifests out of thin air*

Sephiroth: !?

Shadowblood Queen: Who are you?

Sephiroth: Who am I? Who are you?

Shadowblood Queen: I'm the entity who occupies Cloud's mind.

Sephiroth: No you're not. That position has already been filled. By ME.

Shadowblood Queen: I FILL HIM MORE

Sephiroth: I FILL HIM BETTER

Cloud: WHAT THE FUCK

[pen-and-umbra]

Jenova, Minerva, LOVELESS, The Queen and the Gi connection, pt. 2

Part 1 - Jenova, Minerva, LOVELESS, The Queen and the Gi connection, pt. 1

The most astounding lore connection, however, is found elsewhere, concealed within one of the mini-games. At a certain stage, Queen's Blood becomes a fully fledged side quest, and the now-deceased creator of the game, Lidrehl, contacts Cloud to relay an intriguing story behind it.

(“Once, there lived a queen of peerless beauty and compassion. She loved her people, and in turn, they loved her. But one day, a change came over the queen. In a blink of an eye, her love turned to hate, her compassion to cruelty. Fair and beauteous though she remained, her heart became black as pitch. Conquest was now her cause, her subjects mere fodder to feed her boundless ambition. And so her kingdom grew as her subjects perished. Until, that is, a ray of hope appeared – a sorceress who would be their salvation. The Emerald Witch they called her. And with her arcane powers, she led the people into rebellion, captured the queen, and put her to death. Yet from the tyrant’s body spilled blood as dark as shadow. And from this wicked ichor, the myriad fiends of the world were born. And that... is the story of the Shadowblood Queen. Some call it a parable. A myth. A fairy tale. And I wish it were! But she is as real as you and I! And she is coming. Her resurrection is nigh.”)

“In a blink of an eye, her love turned to hate, her compassion to cruelty. Fair and beauteous though she remained, her heart became black as pitch”—this passage describes the metamorphosis Sephiroth undergoes during Nibelheim flashback to a tee. The language used to depict the queen's transformation - "in a blink of an eye, her love turned to hate, her compassion to cruelty"— parallels Sephiroth's own shift from heroism to villainy. “Conquest was now her cause, her subjects mere fodder to feed her boundless ambition” — anything rings a bell?

“This planet is my birthright! [FFVII Remake & Rebirth]”, “What I want, Cloud, is to sail the darkness of the cosmos with this planet as my vessel, just as my mother did long ago. Then one day we'll find a new planet. And on its soil, we'll create a shining future [FFVII AC]”, “My dominion shall reach into infinity” [FFVII Rb], “I am the chosen one. I have been chosen to be the leader/ruler of this Planet [FFVII OG]”. Birthright, dominion, and leadership are all expressions associated with the concept of a ruler or sovereign, much like a king or queen. Similarly, the excerpt stating "her kingdom grew as her subjects perished" signals a conquest and the losses suffered by the queen's people as a consequence.

Lidrehl's story thus appears to be the first case of Jenova infestation, offering a plausible explanation for the origins of the “female” entity known as Jenova. A female ruler of an unnamed people (possibly the Cetra or the Gi) appears to have had an inexplicable change of heart and embarked on a path of destruction. It is conceivable that this entity, possibly the ruler of the Gi, descended on the planet via a meteor (“subjects perished” = perhaps the Gi old world perished as a result of their queen's conquest? This implication is discussed in pt.1) in order to pursue its “boundless ambitions”. This mirrors the plan Sephiroth outlines to Cloud before their confrontation in Advent Children, emphasizing the parallel between the two narratives. “<...> …to sail the darkness of the cosmos with this planet as my vessel <...> Then one day we'll find a new planet. And on its soil, we'll create a shining future”.

On the other hand, the ruler could be Cetran, and whatever caused her to change bore virus-like nature (think of how AC! Sephiroth released Geostigma, which infected people with Jenova's organics). It's somewhat puzzling that the Temple of Ancients makes no mention of their supposed queen when referring to the malicious “celestial adversary”. Then again, it could be reflected in the account of their “enemy” being a shape-shifter who wore the faces of their deceased to spread discord among people.

In fact, the supposed queen may have been killed by this alien entity and wound up dead (as human Sephiroth was after Nibelheim), but the alien entity was impersonating her (again, much like Jenova at various points takes the form of Sephiroth in OG and Remake). Whatever corrupted the queen came with the meteor (the Gi connection again?). Incidentally, the Northern Crater is sitting on the same continent where the Forgotten Capital is located. If there was an alien virus-like substance there, it could have potentially reached the city — a detail that also resonates with Shiva summon lore, as she allegedly froze the impact region to “staunch” the wound.

“An ice-elemental entity and ruler over the world of ice. It is said that she once saved the planet from certain destruction by staunching a great wound with a glacier.” [Loading screen description of Shiva]

Conversely, the ruler of Cetran people could have taken measures to address the disaster, and got infected or killed on site. 

“Until that is, a ray of hope appeared—a sorceress who would be their salvation. The Emerald Witch, they called her. And with her arcane powers, she led the people into rebellion, captured the queen, and put her to death”. Given that the Cetra are described as being more attuned to magic and the arcane, it is reasonable to assume the Emerald Witch was indeed a Cetra. Furthermore, the term “emerald” directly alludes to the color of Mako and the Lifestream. When Aerith pacifies the Lifestream at the Temple of Ancients, she effectively becomes a Lifestream whisperer, or a sorceress.

Therefore, it is reasonable to assume the powers the Emerald Witch possessed were likely linked to the ability to manipulate Lifestream energy on a grand scale. Not too dissimilar to what Aerith does in the original ending, huh?

“Yet from the tyrant’s body spilled blood as dark as shadow. And from this wicked ichor, the myriad fiends of the world were born”—this is highly reminiscent of the Negative Lifestream from Advent Children or the dark essence Kadaj was using to infuse water at the Forgotten Capital. Or even the Geostigma.

Viewed in a broader context, this suggests the passage is referring to the manner in which Jenova's cells spread to infect individuals and animals, potentially reflecting its virulent nature or hinting at the deliberate experiments conducted by ShinRA.

The Shadowblood Queen card bears striking resemblances to the wall depictions of Jenova in the Temple of the Ancients, including hidden eyes, flowing locks, and a hairstyle reminiscent of a meteor shape. The latter, in turn, oddly echoes Rosa's portrayal in LOVELESS, the headpiece in particular.

Conversely, the Emerald Witch card shows similarities to the Goddess Materia statue (the cowl) in Crisis Core, suggesting a possible association with Minerva. The Cetra connection is further solidified by FFVII Remake's ShinRA HQ VR tour. It highlights the traditional Cetra white robe and a cowl when touching upon the subject of harnessing Lifestream's power [through creation of Materia].

As the Planet's avatar, Minerva is an ideal candidate for being a sorceress capable of manipulating the Lifestream. This implies that Minerva may have once been a mortal Cetra, the Emerald Witch. Furthermore, the flower-garland garment on the Emerald Witch card shares surprising similarities to the one Aerith wore while performing her song in the LOVELESS play.

Interestingly, the flowers depicted on the card are of the yellow variety, which provides a nod to the flowers associated with Aerith throughout the franchise. This might hint at Omni!Aerith's new role and mission, drawing a direct parallel between the Emerald Witch card and Aerith's mission.

There's another dead giveaway that connects the Shadowblood Queen and Jenova. As Lidrehl wraps up his story, we are given a glimpse of a robed figure putting their arms threateningly over him. There's no mistake here, as the robe sleeves bear the telltale tears and tatters of “failed clones”. To highlight this, the figure vanishes with distinctive purple/magenta effects similar to those of Jenovaroth and Jenova. 

What's more, when relaying the account of Shadowblood Queen, Lidrehl uses a very specific language, used only by Aerith to describe Jenova in the first part of the Remake.

Lidrehl: “That foul thing is the source of this nightmare <...>” Aerith: [before Jenova Dreamweaver battle] “The source. Of everything.”

Lidrehl’s final words are full of grim promise. 

(“Some call it a parable. A myth. A fairy tale. And I wish it were! But she is as real as you and I! And she is coming. Her resurrection is nigh”.)

Her resurrection. Not Sephiroth's. It is Jenova who will come back.

This detail lends more weight to Sephiroth's cryptic speech about his “fragmented mother” in the Temple of Ancients.

(“My fragmented mother, these errant worlds… All shall be one again.”)

From a broader perspective, the purpose of the Reunion remains the same: to bring Jenova's cell bearers together, but this time the meeting will span across timelines to make the “fragmented mother” whole again [as extensively discussed here], thus fulfilling Lidrehl's prophetic statement of Shadowblood's Queen resurrection looming. Additionally, Sephiroth's message about creating infinity/eternity to rule all the creation forever aligns with Jenova's boundless ambition for conquest, as described by Lidrehl: "Conquest was now her cause, her subjects mere fodder to feed her boundless ambition." In fact, the godhood aspiration that Sephiroth exhibits in the original game can be seen as a reflection of Jenova's/Shadowblood's own limitless ruling ambition.

(“It shall encompass worlds unbound by fate and histories unwritten. <...> My dominion shall reach into infinity”)

In essence, the Queen's Blood game retells an ancient myth about Jenova's origins and supposedly the Cetran victory over it. Lidrehl's story also seems to reveal the original identity of Minerva, suggesting that the Emerald Witch's true identity and arcane knowledge could hold a key to defeating Jenova. Whatever the case may be, Lidrehl was unquestionably killed for this knowledge, as evidenced by the threatening presence which appeared by the end of his speech, and generally we can surmise as much from the card game quest. Based on the earlier discussion, it seems that the LOVELESS play is another aspect, a precursor, or perhaps a (human?) perspective of the same story. Although some details may have been altered or mixed up over time, the similarities remain. As such, Rosa's character prototype may have once been the Queen who became corrupted. Similarly, the character Aerith portrays during her vocal performance might have been inspired by the Emerald Witch, who I believe was the mortal form of Minerva.

Lidrehl's story also seems to point in the direction of Jenova's resurrection, with Jenova being an active, sentient and autonomous agent that has a history of mindjacking other living beings. The account of a fair and kind Queen suddenly and inexplicably becoming corrupted serves as a deliberate parallel and a precursor to Sephiroth's case of a renowned hero drastically turning wicked and cruel. FFVII Rebirth's version of Nibelheim flashback further corroborates this idea, from strongly emphasizing Jenova-esque glitches Sephiroth experiences to outright superimposing Jenova's face over his, thus conveying a sense of possession.

If Jenova was indeed once a Cetran ruler, or more accurately, if it once actually infested a Cetran body like a virus and NOT shapeshifted into one, then this brings a layer of paradoxical irony to ShinRA's early findings. They were not wrong to classify the being as an Ancient. This would also lend more weight to Jenovaroth's ability to bend and control the Whispers, as he would have some of the Ancients' blood in him, much like Omni!Aerith supposedly does with White Whispers. The “choking” and “corroding” of the Lifestream to overpower and command it does evoke the Cetran characteristic relationship with the Planet, albeit twisted in nature.

This also raises intriguing questions about Sephiroth's biological makeup and may offer a clue to defeating Jenovaroth. If the Jenova substance was foreign to the Cetra's ruler own organism, then it is equally foreign to Sephiroth. If the being we know as Jenova is merely an infected Cetra, then Sephiroth was implanted with Cetran cells harboring something else. Therefore, to eradicate the Jenovaroth threat permanently, the party may need to devise a method not only to defeat Jenovaroth in battle, but to “cleanse” the infection, thereby severing the symbiotic/parasitic grip Jenova has on living organisms. This approach echoes how Aerith purged the Geostigma infection in Advent Children.

.......

Screenshots courtesy of Mapocolops comprehensive video on Queen's Blood quest. Other reads:

Jenova, Minerva, LOVELESS, The Queen and the Gi connection, pt. 1

Jenova being awake & Was Sephiroth possessed?

Jenova resurrecting itself across timelines?

👋 @pen-and-umbra

Jul 26, 2024

[umbralstars]

HIGH FANTASY SEPHIROTH?!?!?!?! AMAZING design, and badass concept!! do you have an au about it?

and do u have a comm page i could bookmark? 👉👈

I do! I actually just finished a commission sheet, so I am very glad you asked! Typically I do commissions through my Kofi (linked below) and will take payment through PayPal and Stripe. I am a college student who can't work much, so any comm would be really helpful in paying for expenses.

Also I would like to get the new Dimitri statue before pre-order ends or have some money for when I go to the FF7 Rebirth concert in a few months.

All comms should be expected in about 2 months after purchase due to my schedule right now, and I am thinking about expanding my options in the future! Purchase instructions are included on the page.

Current slots are: 1/4

Anything would be greatly appreciated!

As for my high fantasy AU if you're here for that:

I was heavily back into LOTR when I was drawing that Sephiroth a few months ago, so I was thinking about him as an elf within the universe. Possibly a descendant of a Ainur version of Jenova or what have you.

But! I have also started thinking about FF7's past with the Cetra and the humans before and started wondering about an AU where Sephiroth himself is a Cetra and a descendant of Jenova. Possibly an AU based on the "Shadowblood Queen" storyline mixed in with the version of Loveless seen in Rebirth with Sephiroth being a Cetran prince or king corrupted by Jenova (also taking the role of Varvados) and Cloud & Aerith being the Hero/Emerald Witch who seals them away.

There's also always an FE au I could have where Sephiroth is a manakete/god within the storyline. Maybe he could operate similar to a Yune or Ashera?

Thank you for asking!

[secondarysefikura]

Minor spoilers for the final Shadowblood Queen sidequest.

Honestly the most shocking part of this scene when I saw it a month ago was the fact that Nanaki was the one to help Cloud and not Sephiroth descending from the sky to kill this lady who dared claim ownership of Cloud.

(Unless, of course, the lady was Sephiroth in disguise. Cause this is very much something Sephiroth would say to Cloud (with some added stabbing.))

[evil-robot-cat]

I'm in Queen's Blood hell.

I've battled EVERYONE except the final three, but on two different saves, and now I have to check every single person to find out which TWO I'm missing on the main save.

This is punishment for my "fill the field, play a joker, then kill my own entire army" strategy, isn't it? Well, I won't apologize.

It's what the Shadowblood Queen would have wanted.

[strife-geographic]

Beat the Shadowblood Queen by exactly one point thank godddd I’m gonna burn her card

[invincible-heaven]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Queen's Blood Spoilers

Queen's Blood Final Match - Cloud VS the Shadowblood Queen

[grayfeather]

Shadowblood queen don't call him that

[rydiathesummoner]

So was I SUPPOSED to use the Emerald Witch card against the Shadowblood Queen? I tried. I got what they were wanting me to do. She used cards that lower points to boost the Shadowblood Qieen card, and so I stacked my deck with cards that boosted my points and would enhance the Emerald Witch. You know, like the plot said. I understood the poetic meaning. And yet she repeatedly rubbed my face in the mud, then stood on my neck and laughed.

I finally gave up on a poetic ending and just stuffed my deck with Rictus and Chimeras for the win 🤷‍♀️

[thegamerstationn]

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Shadowblood Queen Kartı Nasıl Alınır?

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth oynarken efsanevi Shadowblood Queen kartını nasıl elde edeceğiniz bu rehberde sizlere açıklanmıştır. İşte yapmanız gerekenler...

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’te uzun bir yolculuk sona eriyor. Hayır, Sephiroth’un avından bahsetmiyoruz. Burada sadece bir kart oyunundan bahsediyoruz. İşte Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth oynarken efsanevi Shadowblood Queen kartını nasıl elde edeceğinize dair rehberimiz. Bu rehberin spoiler içerdiğini hatırlatmak isteriz. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’te Shadowblood Queen kartı nasıl alınır? Shadowblood Queen…

[getvalentined]

Cloud Strife 🌩 FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH

Praise to whoever decided he should make these faces the Shadowblood Queen.

—

[ screenshots free to use with credit ]

[rottenpumpkin13]

Have you played the full Queensblood quest? How obsessed would Sephiroph become with the game?

Nope, I haven't played Rebirth yet. Although I got the ps5 and plan to get the game soon, so stay tuned for my "not shutting up about Queen's Blood" arc 🫡

He gets really into card collection and building the perfect deck that fits his strategies—playing against people he encounters on missions, joining unofficial tournaments hosted by Shinra (where he comes out on top and Hojo loves to brag about even though he was initially against Sephiroth enjoying "that silly game"). Although how obsessed he becomes with the game is not entirely up to him....if you know what I mean....

*Sephiroth walks up to Genesis*

Sephiroth: Would you like to—*cough cough*

Genesis:

Sephiroth, possessed by the Shadowblood Queen: In due time, my reign will rise once more, and no goddess or witch will be able to stand in my way.

Genesis:

Sephiroth: Sorry about that. Would you like—*cough cough*

Genesis:

Sephiroth, possessed by the Emerald Witch: You must not let the Shadowblood Queen prevail. Though her vile ichor taints your blood, you must resist her from invading your mind.

Genesis:

Sephiroth: Forgive me. I—*cough cough*

Sephiroth, possessed by the Shadowblood Queen: J̠͕͓̟̭E̴̡͙͚̪͕̭͈̬ͫͩͤ́̅ͪ̎N̩̫̤̯̊̈ͤÓ̧̢̞̭͉̮̳͚̲̙͇̯̙͖̭̭̻͈͗̉̈́̍͐ͦ͋̋̂̔̀̇̌͆͂ͧ͆̋͆̏ͫ̉͜͠ͅV̶̢̛̻̰͙̱̦͙̳̪̼̺̠̥̩̭͖͕̠̻̞͈̓͐̌ͪ͑ͦ́͑͂ͭͨ́͑̾̾͟͜͝͞͝Ä̫̳͎́ͣ̆͌̃

Genesis:

Sephiroth: My apologies. Would you like to play a game of Queen's Blood?

Genesis: I would like to call a priest.

Sephiroth:

[pen-and-umbra]

I believe the shadow on the right could correspond to the Emerald Witch from Queen's Blood Game, who may be the same character who would later become known as Minerva.

The cowl and general dress outline appear to match, and the story of the Shadowblood Queen's defeat at the hands of resistance led by a powerful mage is not too dissimilar to the story of five heroes defeating the beast with powerful scorching magic.

Until, that is, a ray of hope appeared – a sorceress who would be their salvation. The Emerald Witch they called her. And with her arcane powers, she led the people into rebellion, captured the queen, and put her to death.

Could the Shadowblood Queen's story be a retelling of an even older story that originated from the fight of Ancients against the fiend? It's also worth noting that the concepts of several heroic friends banding together and the “war of beasts” are also present in LOVELESS.

Speaking of Shadowblood Queen, Masamune and Sephiroth cases, all of them feature an inexplicable and rapid change of character. Both Sephiroth and Masamune are described as acting possessed, then violent, while the kind SB Queen becomes cruel and conquest-driven in the blink of an eye.

These behaviour patterns are way too similar to be attributed to fatal character flaws. It sounds more similar to an external influence.

@pen-and-umbra