#wolf of nibelheim

[protemporescitor]

Murasame Cloud

Always outnumbered, never outclassed.

Murasame outfit mod by Ninjagrime.

[rottenpumpkin13]

What is ASG +ZC personal style?

Zack: His entire aesthetic is aimed at looking cool, but keeping his clothes easy to move around in. He's a fan of leather jackets, sleeveless shirts, baggy pants, fitted tees, and combat boots. He wears his dog tag as an accessory likes fingerless gloves. He used to always wear his favorite pair of old sneakers until Angeal had him throw them out.

Genesis: What happened to your sneakers?

Zack: Angeal happened! He made me throw them out. They weren't even that bad!

Angeal, from the other room: THEY SMELLED LIKE SEWAGE. YOU TOOK YOUR SHOES OFF IN FRONT OF CLOUD AND HE FAINTED. SEPHIROTH APPROACHED TO HELP, COULDN'T HANDLE THE STENCH, AND WRAPPED HIS HAIR AROUND HIS NOSE.

Sephiroth: Minimalist, lots of black and dark shades with the occasional splash of silver here and there. He's very comfort over style, however he does have style elements to his wardrobe that he enjoys adding that oftentimes lean towards goth fashion; long coats, button-ups, black leather, fingerless gloves, and turtlenecks (ironically). Genesis got him a mesh top as a gag, which he has worn a few times "purely because it's comfortable" (or so he claims). That being said, he will choose sweatpants and one of Angeal's hoodies over all of that any day.

*Sephiroth is wearing all black*

Zack: Woah! Hehe. Who died?

Sephiroth, confused: Professor Gast, my mother, Glenn Lodbrok, Rosen, [he keeps going]

Zack: .......

Angeal: "Casual and comfortable" is what he calls it, "a cross between a hippie, a dad, and a wannabe musician" is what Genesis lovingly dubs it as. He keeps a flannel tied at his waist in case he or someone he's with gets cold, he likes to reuse old band tees by cutting them out and fashioning them into torn muscle shirts, and if you leave a white article of clothing out for too long and don't use it, Angeal will tie-dye it. He likes black jeans and jean jackets. He would wear more hoodies, but....

*Angeal walks into the room*

Angeal: Has anyone seen my hoodies?

Zack, wearing hoodie #1: Nope!

Genesis, wearing hoodie #2: Not that I recall.

Cloud, wearing hoodie #3: I wonder what happened to them.

Sephiroth, wearing hoodies #4, #5, and #6: Perhaps you misplaced them.

Angeal: Oh my god.

Cloud: He chooses his clothes based on maneuverability and how easy they are to fight in, but there are specific style choices he makes, such as preferring all black over color, wolf emblems, and loose clothing if he can help it. He doesn't like jackets, claiming that since he came from a cold mountain region, he doesn't get cold easily.

*Cloud isn't wearing a coat*

Zack: Are you sure you're not cold?

Cloud: Of course not. I grew up in Nibelheim. This kind of weather is summer over there.

Zack: Your arms are blue.

Cloud: It's a fashion choice.

Zack: You're shaking.

Cloud: No, I'm trembling in excitement.

Zack: What are you excited for?

Cloud: FOR THEM TO TURN THE DAMN A/C OFF.

Genesis: It depends on the month, weather, his horoscope, and his mood. If you send Genesis into his overflowing closet, he'll either walk out looking like a 19th century poet, an English professor, head to toe designer labels, or as if he's about to walk the runway. True to his fanclub name, he loves red leather and tries to incorporate it into each of his looks, all of which have red as the main color. He's praised by his fans for his style, meaning he has a certain appearance to maintain, which often makes him highly fashion-conscious. He disregards traditional gender norms when selecting his clothing, and he likes to experiment with makeup.

*After spending two hours selecting a look, Genesis walks out with a button-up that has a heart cutout on his chest*

Genesis: I'm ready.

Sephiroth: Your chest is exposed. Are you aware of that?

Genesis: Yes, I—

Sephiroth: Whore.

Genesis:

[secondarysefikura]

Pre-Nibelheim, the favourite game of many a SOLDIER was the little known game of "what random, made up bullshit can we convince Zack Fair." Because as it turns out, so long as you say it with enough confidence, you can typically get Zack to believe just about anything for at least a short period of time.

Unbenosted to the SOLDIERs, it is Cloud Strife who is the ultimate king of the game as he has dedicated several minutes of his life to fucking with Zack after being laughed at about being from the middle of nowhere. With very little effort, Cloud has convinced Zack that:

He had never seen or drank water before coming to Midgar (people didn't believe in it in Nibelheim)

At the age of 5 children are expected to spend a month living in the mountains where they must tame a wolf. Failure to do so within a month will result in exile.

Chickens are illegal and anyone harbouring a chicken must be put to death.

[salternateunreality2]

Highlights of: Cloud was actually raised by wolves + Zakkura AU

TW: scary wolf pictures

from a conversation with the lovely @strayheartless

Angeal giving Zack the most bombastic side eye when Zack talks about Cloud's wolf traits.

He loves Zack so much because Zack GETS things.

Cloud lovingly chewing on Zack's shirt.

Zack accurately discerning what different grunts mean.

Cloud ducking his head to Zack and only Zack; in human, this is shy/flirty/awkward/cute/ashamed, in wolf it's respect.

Cloud's hair bristling. How he does this is anyone's guess.

Headbutts. So many headbutts.

Play fighting that looks completely vicious and feral to outsiders.

Cloud panting when he's nervous, so everyone thinks he's just hot all the time because he's from Nibelheim.

Cloud vibrating or sneezing when Zack walks up as a friendly move.

Cloud bopping people with his paws, er, gloved hands. He had to really concentrate and learn how to punch instead of bopping, but he's great at both now.

Cloud leaning on Zack instead of hugging him.

Sefikura's first meeting being extremely quiet and tense, but eventually they come to an understanding.

Zakkura's first kiss... They both lean in close, stars in their eyes....and Cloud licks Zack's teeth.

Angeal finding Zakkura sleeping in the cutest puppy pile ever.

Cloud sleeping with his limbs all twisted together or curled up into a tiny ball.

Cloud watching Zack eat fries out of the corner of his eye. Zack watching Cloud eat chicken the same way. Both of them instantly caving and sharing.

Cloud being a good Nibel boy and not wanting to come inside if there's even a hint of snow outside, and Zack being the "shorts, no shirt, all weather" frat boy.

Cloud being an escape artist and dragging Zack with him.

Lots of bite marks on people who try to steal Cloud's food.

Very shiny and sharp teeth.

These interactions:

Heidegger: look at me when I'm talking to you, cadet!!!

Cloud: 👁️👁️

Zack: shit shit shit shit shit *running across the room to de-escalate*

---------

Genesis: it seems your friend is friendly with me, he hasn't made a single growl at me! I can see his eye so clearly! And his posture is great!

Zack: SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT

Cloud: 0.3 seconds away from biting

---------

Siren: wooooooo

Cloud: *looks uncomfortable*

Siren: wooooooo

Angeal: don't do it, I believe in you!

Cloud: *sweating*

Siren: wooooooo

Cloud: WOOOOOOOOO

Zack: WOOOOOOOO

Angeal: *sigh* maybe next time

-----------

Roche: your boyfriend has a cute smile

Zack: excuse me what

Roche: look, there he goes again!

Cloud: *baring teeth*

Zack: shit shit shit...

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

Angeal, Zack, and Cloud standing around a campfire, and...

Zack: ...

Angeal: ...

Cloud: ....

Zack: we should go pee in a perimeter to scare off wild animals and monsters

Cloud: *nodding*

Angeal: ...

Zack: *unzzzzziiippp*

Cloud: *starts wandering towards the perimeter*

Angeal: *finally stops buffering* WAIT NO

[demigod-of-the-agni]

Pray ardently, my empty puppet; Among brothers you roam, the black sheep.

• • •

lore, variants and ID under the cut !!

what is the significance of the snakes? no idea. i probably drew them badly, too.

but hinduism claims snakes represent life, death and rebirth; northeastern indian cultures consider snakes and serpentine dragons to be symbols of good luck and fortune, and protectors of water sources; and funnily enough, the sanskrit word "naga" has often been used to refer to snakes, serpentine demigods, and, very very rarely, clouds.

and maybe this is a long-winded way of saying desi!Cloud finds himself leaning towards the serpents in his journey for self-forgiveness and recovery, much like how AC Cloud is often paired with Fenrir and the wolf motif.

if i were to really follow through with desi!Cloud and the snake motif, then it almost makes sense to have desi!Sephiroth be attributed to birds, maybe specifically the garuda, not because of the wings but because most indian cultures consider snakes and birds to be enemies. Nagas and snakes were thought to reside within the underworld (and the original Nibelheim is the land of the dead); and birds, specifically eagles and the garuda, have been associated with the gods, which ties into Sephiroth pursuing godhood for most of the game.

And that little tidbit of snakes being protectors of water sources? hmm. I can see Cloud regularly visiting Aerith, him as the guardian of her grave and her gift to the world.

so. yeah, I have no idea what the purpose of snakes are in this picture. Cloud bound by fate? holding himself back from forgiveness, from growth? hmm. much to think about it

START ID: A piece focused on Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7, who stands in the centre of the image. A black backdrop, with green wisps and tessellating textures over it. Cloud stands in front, hands clasps in prayer, similar to Aerith Gainsborough's iconic prayer pose; he is staring at the viewers with an absent gaze. He is awash with green light, his right eye is glowing an eerie shade of green and has a vertical slit pupil, and the left side of his face is covered in blood. His SOLDIER uniform has south Asian influences, notably in the design of the pauldrons, arm guards and belt. Wrapping around his head and neck is a snake, which rears its head over his hair and covers Cloud's left eye with its coils. Around his clasped hands is another snake, looping around his wrists like rope. Around Cloud in the foreground are small, tiny green sparks, floating aimlessly to the side. The overall piece radiates a foreboding, desolate atmosphere. /END ID.

[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.

[dark-elf-writes]

Ok so Hojo half sibling au what happens when cloud tells mama Strife about his new brother?

Cloud didn’t call often.

It was a sad truth that Claudia had learned to live with. Long distance calls were expensive, and a trooper’s salary only went so far. She certainly couldn’t afford to call as often as she liked even as the closest thing to a medical professional in Nibelheim (the others in the village only came to her as a last resort, like she was something tainted. A witch of old waiting to swoop down and steal their souls. It didn’t matter she had been seventeen when she got pregnant with her son. Didn’t matter that she had been an intern and scared of losing her job. Didn’t matter that she had lost her job anyway and become the village pariah all at once.) Still they wrote often enough that it dulled the worst of the ache in her chest when she looked to her son’s empty bed, still waiting for him should he come home.

So it was a surprise when her rarely used landline rang with no mention in Cloud’s most recent letter that he was calling.

First came the dread. The terror that those monsters she had let her son go to wouldn’t even grace her with a face to face discussion to tell her the worst had happened. But Claudia Strife had always been stubborn.

“Mama?” Cloud’s voice was strained when she picked up the phone, like it always sounded when he was trying to pretend everything was okay. “How are you?”

“I’ll be better when my son tells me what is going on. You never call out of the blue, Stormcloud. Are you okay? Were you hurt? Did those basta—“

“Ma. Mama! I’m fine!” Cloud huffed a quiet laugh. “It’s good news, really it’s just. A lot, ma. I don’t know where to start.”

“If you got some girl pregnant, Cloud.”

There was a laugh on the other end of the line, too deep to be her son’s. Oh. Oh.

(Suddenly Cloud’s childhood fixation on the shining stars of Shinra’s SOLDIER program made a lot of sense… and why her sweet boy wouldn’t act on those feelings until he had left their home far behind. Nibelheim was anything but open minded.)

“Cloud, are you—“

“I have a brother!”

A paragon of tact, her son was not.

Claudia pulled the towel from her shoulder and dropped it to the counter as she leaned back on it for support. How many other bright eyed girls had been ruined like she had? How many experiments ran on the most vulnerable? How many—

“Ma? Ma are you there?! Ma!”

“Here, baby. I’m here. In that who’s with you? Your brother?”

Cloud sighed. “Yeah and he promised to be quiet.” The last word was hissed in a tone so familiar that Claudia couldn’t help but laugh. She could almost see the narrow eyed look of annoyance her baby was shooting his half-brother.

“It’s a bit hard for us to meet if he’s quiet, Stormcloud.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not all.”

“Oh?”

“We… allegedly and completely unable to be proven... might have committed some slight arson.”

“Cloud Strife.”

“It was allegedly against our… fuck, I don’t know what to call him. No way it’s going to be ‘father.’”

“Donor perhaps?” That voice offered again. Familiar in a way she couldn’t place.

“… Good boys.”

That deeper voice from before choked. Claudia could hear the smug satisfaction in Cloud’s voice when he spoke again. “There’s more still.”

Claudia laughed almost hysterically. “If you’ve allegedly committed mur—“

“Sephiroth is my brother!”

Everything in Claudia froze.

Sephiroth.

Shinra’s Silver General.

The boy who had been dropped into the middle of a war and come out a blooded hero. A child made into a killer too young.

The perfect experiment.

She wanted to throw up. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry.

Instead she forced a smile with no kindness. No gentleness. A mother wolf baring her teeth. “I’m coming to Midgar.”

“Ma!”

“I have enough saved up for this, Stormcloud. I need to see my sons.”

“Sons?” Sephiroth’s voice was carefully neutral. A brilliant mask that would have fooled the world. A mask that did nothing against a mother’s intuition. (Under that careful calm Claudia could hear the tremble of a child, alone and scared even now that he had grown larger than life. A little boy who desperately wanted to be loved. It only made her more certain of her choice.)

“Sons,” She confirmed. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Cloud sputtered. “At least let me buy your ticket ma! I’m a SOLDIER now! They gave me a sign on bonus.”

“I know Shinra bonuses as well as you do, young man. Save it for yourself.”

“Then let me pay,” Sephiroth offered. “Firsts make far more than new recruits and I can hardly allow my… allow you to be put in a difficult position, Ms. Strife.”

“Claudia or mom, or ‘ma’ I suppose if you’re impatient like our little stormcloud.” Claudia was rewarded with a flustered squawk of ‘Ma’ from her son… her youngest son. She smiled even through the ache in her chest. “And no, Sephiroth dear, you don’t need to spend money on me. It’s your money to use for yourself, sweetheart. Now I need to pack, boys! I’ll call when I have a set date of arrival!”

“Ma!”

“M— Claudia, I must insist—“

Claudia hung up the phone before they could try to push further about paying. This had to be her choice. Had to be her money. Had to be her doing. After all, they had confirmed it. Hojo was in Midgar, and Claudia was allegedly going to greet him as she should have all those years ago. With her boot knife to his throat and the assurance of exactly what she would do to him if he touched her boys.

Maybe she should take a look at some of those old files in the Manor before she left. Hojo was always a squirrelly bastard. It would be just like him to stash away some of his previous findings in the labs deep underground and she would bet her life that the information on Sephiroth’s past would be down there too along with gods only knew what other demons lurked in Hojo’s past.

[rocketbirdie]

You know dæmons? Like, Phillip Pullman, physical manifestation of your soul, you-but-an-animal-and-also-next-to-you dæmons?

What kinda dæmon do you think Zack would have. Obvious answer is a wolf/canine but I feel like that’s so overdone. But also I can’t think of anything more fitting for him post-labs. Maybe a jaguar? Something jungle, feral. Big. Idk, what do you think?

(Cloud’s dæmon would be a bobcat methinks. Reeve’s dæmon is just Cait Sith)

I'd never heard of it before so I had to look it up! Curious question... are there any rules against having a human as a dæmon?

Because if not, consider this: Zack and Cloud being each other's dæmons post-Nibelheim, due to Hojo's experiments. Humans are animals too, after all 👀

[raphahsleon]

For some reason I ended up with a fox boy au

Somehow I think Sephiroth ended up generating that obsession with Cloud in some way, to the point that he clings to him like the relationship of the foxes.

In other words, fox couples only have one partner for their entire life... And unfortunately, Cloud has everything to lose.

Sephiroth is a nine-tailed fox, although for its large size, I had to use a maned wolf to have the divine long legs, specifically the entity that guards Wutai.

Cloud on the other hand, is the fox of Nibelheim, an entity that should protect the world, but was found and raised as a human (His eyes are like a cat due to his recent awakening/release from his fox side.)

I like this ship, when I can I will make some of its human form (warning about ears and tails).

[vvooper]

I forgot to take my meds last weekend and accidentally spent way too much time dreaming up pokemon teams for ffvii characters, so here's the one I made for cloud

I'll put details under the cut. I tried not to make the team complete trash but I definitely chose form over function when I had to lmao. I accept no responsibility for what would happen if you tried using it

I'm not skilled enough to make custom sprites, so I just did a recolor of volkner. blond, spiky-headed, depressed... good enough

species: altaria

ability: cloud nine

item: grip claw

moves: fire spin, will-o-wisp, substitute, roost

well of course I need to give cloud the cloud pokemon. named nibel because nibelheim's name is derived from niflheim in norse mythology, meaning "home of mist/fog..." or maaaybe cloud, if we stretch it a bit. that's right, nibelheim is a big ol pun.

no meaning behind the ability choice other than more cloud.

as far as the set goes, well. we're immediately getting this out of the way: I am a terrible person. grip claw causes binding moves to last for seven turns every time. and our binding move is... fire spin. and we also have will-o-wisp for good measure.

substitute because a fake nibelheim was reconstructed.

roost because it was cloud's home I guess

species: perrserker

ability: steely spirit

item: life orb

moves: iron head, close combat, double-edge, foul play

I chose perrserker to represent cloud's punisher mode because he can use it to self-induce the berserk status.

the life orb as well as the stronger but more reckless moves like close combat and double-edge reflect how the berserk status makes cloud deal and take more damage

species: revavroom

ability: overcoat

item: adrenaline orb

moves: gunk shot, spin out, high horsepower, shift gear

thought about naming it fenrir, but decided to save that for another mon, so here we are with the hardy-daytona.

adrenaline orb raises speed when intimidated, which felt pretty appropriate for the bike cloud uses to escape the shinra building. spin out, high horsepower, and shift gear should all be pretty self-explanatory

species: aegislash

ability: stance change

item: razor claw

moves: iron head, sacred sword, retaliate, swords dance

quintessential big sword video game character needs big sword pokemon. named after cloud's ultimate limit break of course.

omnislash guarantees critical hits, so razor claw boosts the holder's critical hit ratio. sacred sword and swords dance are... sword-related. as for retaliate, its power doubles if an ally fainted in the previous turn. since cloud uses omnislash in his final duel against sephiroth and sephiroth is directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of multiple people that cloud cared about, it seemed appropriate

species: lycanroc (dusk form)

ability: tough claws

item: assault vest

moves: stone edge, drill run, trailblaze, accelerock

here's fenrir! it's just a wolf pokemon lmao, inspired by whatever cloud's got going on in advent children. I went with dusk form specifically because cloud has both light and dark in his character arc.

honestly, the rest of the set is not super thematic, aside from trailblaze raising speed and accelerock having priority

species: deoxys (normal form)

ability: pressure

item: life orb

moves: psycho boost, meteor beam, superpower, extremespeed

cloud can have one (1) mythical pokemon, as a treat. or maybe not a treat, considering. space virus pokemon seemed too perfect not to use. I chose normal form because cloud eventually becomes the most well-adjusted of the four big Jenova Havers in the end, somehow????

the real reason that jenova has the pressure ability is because that's the only one deoxys gets! but let's pretend I chose it because of the compulsion of reunion or whatever.

item is life orb again because being infused with jenova cells gives you cool powers, but Watch Out! similar with superpower. extremespeed has no drawbacks though, so we've got that going for us. and I'm a terrible person again, because here comes meteor beam ready to destroy the planet. and we also have, uh. psycho boost. for the psychosis. yeahhhh

since I've already spent way too much time thinking about it, I might do this for the other characters too

[protemporescitor]

Fenrisúlfr

From the wiki: "In Norse mythology, Fenrir is a monstrous wolf. Fenrir is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda and Heimskringla, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, Fenrir is the father of the wolves Sköll and Hati Hróðvitnisson, and is a son of Loki."

"Upon the coming of Ragnarök, along with his sons devouring the moon and the sun, Fenrir is said to destroy the planet, his lower jaw reaching the earth, his upper jaw reaching the skies. It is foretold to kill the god Odin during Ragnarök, but will in turn be killed by Odin's son Víðarr."

"The name 'Fenrir' refers to the giant wolf 'Fenrisúlfr' in Norse mythology, who is bound by silk chains and is destined to devour Odin at Ragnarok. Fenrir is considered by many to be a hellhound due to his link to the guardian of Hel, Garmr. This leads to an interesting set of coincidences, as it means Cloud, represented by Fenrir, hails from Nibelheim, named for the land of the dead, where Odin is found in Final Fantasy VII."

"Cloud being represented by the hellhound who devours a god may be a deliberate distinction with Sephiroth, who wishes to achieve godhood, but is repeatedly defeated by Cloud. In another interesting coincidence, Cerberus, a hellhound of Greek mythology, shares its name with Vincent Valentine's gun."

[chthontoya]

Cloud is a werewolf AU. Strifesodos week "Rot". @strifesodosweek

Warning, if you do the math, you'll notice there's an underage relationship, but that's not what story is about at all, thank you.

TW: cannibalism, death of secondary character, child neglect mentioned

Werewolfs are old almost extinct race with a curse on them left by Gaea for their traitorous nature. Strifes are the last family alive. To be precise, Cloud is the only one left. Cloudia died few years prior as a lone wolf without her mate. Even after she burnt her fur coat to stay with Cloud and grow him up, she couldn't live for too long. Cloud is traumatized by his mother's death and own wild nature, he is gloomy and sarcastic.

This has consequences for every SOLDIER with J-, S- or G-cells. All Genesis' clones die. Many of SOLDIER first and second class die too, most are in coma. The whole company is in chaos.

Date: early Autumn. Cloud as his initiation into adulthood kills Jenova completely (details later).

Genesis himself flew to help Jenova from the Eastern continent at her first call but was too late. He fell before an abnormally large black wolf and fainted from psychotic pain caused by Jenova dying.

Genesis condition was terrible. He wasn't tending his wounds properly after Angeal's death. Cure was barely working on him and most of his regenerative abilities depended purely on J-cells which all were mutated, similarly to cancer. With Jenova's death all Genesis unhealed or mutilated wounds opened anew.

Genesis wakes up in a cosy house in a small room with old but well kept wooden furniture. It's warm and smells with dry fur, which is a lot around him.

Through a headache, foggy feeling and hurting in the whole body, Genesis finally realises what have woken him up. The commotion outside, well heard even through a closed window. People fighting and screaming but two persons in the centre of attention: a blond man with a heavy looking black wolf fur on his back and much older one who looks like a victim and a villain in the same time.

The crowd is forced apart and people leave, what seems to be, the main square. The blond man with the coat comes closer to the house, accompanied by a beautiful woman of the same age.

Genesis finally meets Cloud properly. He's overwhelmed with how heavenly Cloud looks, and the man's aloof attitude doesn't worsen the situation but gives some exceptional charm. Genesis himself doesn't notice how he calls the man an angel. Cloud, though, looks like he's used to it - Genesis couldn't memorize his name during past weeks and was calling him this way.

The name "Cloud" is so unearthly that Genesis see it as a sign from Goddess.

Cloud tends Genesis' wounds and says the SOLDIER is lucky he wasn't killed by the black wolf. Or that Cloud found him earlier than any other predator.

Cloud have taken Genesis in and with help of local medics and nurses, he was able to heal the SOLDIER at least a bit. Cloud isn't going to release Genesis anywhere, until Genesis won't be able to leave the place through Cloud (physically fighting him).

Cloud explains the commotion that was outside: one of a local drunkheads, a widower, the last night almost lost a daughter to the local wildlife because he was too drunk to properly close his house. Cloud is full of killing intent talking.

Nibelheim is dangerous by itself with aggressive and powerful creatures roaming in mountains and in the mansion. O-whisps, hypnotic lights, make locking up in a house for a night a mandatory, especially for families with children.

The worst thing around Nibelheim however is the black wolf. The creatures have been seen only at night. There's always one in each generation. They are big, strong, drink mako like it's water, can use magic (presumably because of mako), and they eat people. There was no a generation in Nibelheim that not suffered from the bad wolf. At least, they rarely eat children for some reason.

Genesis has to stay for a few more days. Genesis learns more about Cloud, his family. Cloud is a hunter but he also watches the town's children in his free time which is a lot (the hunting isn't main priority for the town and Cloud earns enough money for a small/average family while living alone in his family property).

Both man find each other enchanting, but despite absolutely shameless flirting atmosphere between them, both proceed with care. Genesis doesn't stop calling Cloud an angel. The SOLDIER can't help but feel happy and needed when Cloud respond to his poetry reciting as if Genesis talked normally, even if there's so much salt and poison in the sarcastic responses that it makes Genesis wonder.

To the deep amusement of the Cloud's only friend, Genesis trains Cloud to use active-effect materia who is really bad at it. Cloud's problem, to Genesis' surprise, is that he tries to fully skip materia while drawing at the livestream. Cloud himself refused the training, knowing how bad he is. Genesis persuaded Cloud, though, promising to gift one of his summoning materia if he won't hate the time spent.

However Genesis wouldn't be himself if he would have not messed up here too, being a product of ShinRa, albeit not of the sorts they needed him to be.

The life with Cloud would be a good end for still gradually physically degrading Genesis. Cloud wouldn't hold him in the house or near, as soon as he is healed enough. They proved already that they are fine in mundane life together. And obviously for anyone staying around, Cloud and Genesis are romantically attracted to each other.

But it wasn't enough for Genesis. The SOLDIER, the Bloody General of Wutai craved revenge. And he hated himself for this.

With time Genesis was becoming more and more agitated, especially with rumours about few ShinRa SOLDIER first class sent to investigate the reactor.

So Genesis left. Slipped into the night during one of Cloud's hunting hours and decided to not to return until he'll make a hell for ShinRa.

Genesis is flying above Nibel mountains when he hears human screams and gun shuts. Genesis comes down. And he sees it.

The black wolf. A big, coal black creature, could easily bite off Genesis' head by the neck. Enraged. Blue mako eyes were glowing in the night. How much mockery of the "SOLDIER visit card".

The beast's nuzzle in blood and flesh. Seconds ago it had half of its head deep into some Nibelheimer's guts. Its paw, as soaked in blood, is on the place where the victim's hip bone should be. Judging by mess around the paw, the beast just squashed human there with its weight, maybe not even intentionally. The beast snarls.

The man's friend was now behind Genesis' back, and Genesis stops the other from firing again. The situation changed for the townfolk to act as mindless before. The morning is close and the beast might run away but to give the civilian a chance to escape, Genesis would have to engage it into the battle. Well, it's something Genesis is famous for.

The beast snarls warningly the moment Genesis gets out the rapier. The snarl intensifies when materia in the weapon start resonate. They launch into each other. Fire and blizzard power fill the air immediately.

In pure kill or die situation, Genesis would have died. Luckily for him, he just needs to hold off the beast long enough and this means he has enough power to spare on defence. They lock again and again. Air full of magic: smell of melt water, ozone and fresh dirt.

Finally Genesis sees an opening and slashes harshly at the beast's front. The creature howls agonizingly. It looks even more enraged now and somehow betrayed.

The beast runs away.

Genesis sinks down to the ground. The healed wounds hurt from the inside. The bitch on his shoulder burns especially viciously.

Genesis looks down. The beast's dead victim is the drunkhead from the scandal at the first coherent day in Nibelheim. Genesis wonders if Cloud will take his daughter in now, when both of her parents are dead.

Cloud. Should Genesis see him? Panting the SOLDIER gets up. He should've said his goodbyes properly, not fleeting like with Angeal.

The thought of Angeal makes Genesis get up, panting from the pain, and go back to the familiar house. The light from morning sun isn't warm but pleasant.

Genesis lands in the backyard. He opens the door and goes inside. There's so much blood. A lot of it. Too much. It was as if Cloud returned with a deep injury. Genesis doesn't like his conclusions.

A click of Cloud's gun. A grunt to get the fuck out and never return. A sound of a slight uncharacteristic for Cloud trembling in the hand, as if fighting with himself.

Genesis finally rises his eyes at Cloud. Yes. Deep shoulder-chest cut of his rapier is there and still bleeding even through rapid healing - Genesis isn't "Bloody" for his hair colour. Genesis laughs hystericaly and leaves. Of course, he fucking would. Injuring his dear people engraved into his soul like a rot that started from a seed.

Genesis gets on Cloud's roof to finally say his goodbyes. In autumn air of Nibelheim some red orb slips to the flue of Strife's house. Genesis sets off into the brightening sky.

P.S.: Okay, knowing it's a much shortened version of what I planned for a first of seven chapters, I really was too harsh on myself expecting me to write it all in a month, planning included.

P.p.s.: Yay! I'm finally not late for the event, even if it less than what I was hoping for

[rottenpumpkin13]

In the Dog AU, I feel like it would be PuppyZack would be the one to bring Wolf!Cloud home, thinking he's a stray dog and not a threat.

You're correct but I love how this applies to their hypothetical friendship as well.

Zack: Guys! Look at this cute infantryman I picked up!

Angeal: Zack he's choking Sephiroth.

Zack: He's so short, and sweet and his hair is spiky—like a chocobo!

Genesis: He is actively trying to murder Sephiroth as we speak.

Zack: And guess where he's from. Nibelheim! He's a country boy too!

Angeal: Sephiroth has turned blue.

[legitimatesatanspawn]

Final Fantasy VII - Fic Search Help? and Some Recs

This is gonna bug me I know it. To the vast and fanfic-reading side of Tumblr, I have a few questions on finding a very specific story .

There was a Final Fantasy VII fanfic where Cloud, for whatever reason while a cadet, had to fight off at least three other cadets. He got stopped and the officer (could've been one of the Firsts, could've been an OC) paused and noticed that while the other guys were wrecked Cloud was fairly unharmed in comparison.

Cloud straight up asked something to the effect of if the other cadets were sick. Because to him, they look like they should be strong but think about the OG game's level rates. Midgar is weak af being the first area in the game. Nibelheim though? Mid to mid-late area.

The bully cadets are in shock because they did not expect this twig to pull it off like that. There's even bigger shock when they hear that Nibelheim's monsters are not weak things like those trash ghostly mobs but wolves and dragons. The reason why they were able to beat up Cloud before was because he was used to fighting people around his level and was expecting more of a fight.

This was probably a oneshot or an unfinished fic with only one chapter. It also wasn't a shipfic or leaning towards erotic or pre-relationship encounters.

If you know it, please say the name and author. If not, don't worry as this is just a shot in the dark.

As a token of thanks for reading this here are some other BAMF Cadet Cloud fics that I can recommend. For the record these aren't ship-focused and they don't involve Older Cloud time traveling into his past body as it doesn't count for this.

They Grow Them in Nibelheim, a short series where pre-cadet Cloud is tough and shows just how someone from a mountain that far away from Midgar would be determined to join SOLDIER. - https://archiveofourown.org/works/1966350/

Secretary to the Generals, a fairly long oneshot where Cloud wound up using his SOLDIER First fanboyism to become their secretary and help them out. Why this popped in my head? Because part of it involves them in Nibelheim for some Shinra reason and he orders himself the steak and them soup and something eggy because the only meat around those parts is wolf steak. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7033765/

Thorns, I remember more about exploring monster physiology (nonsexual!) and how the FF7 world's ecosystems and animals work. But it's a thriller sort of setup with Cloud and Zack (Zack more, really) on the run with SOLDIER in hot pursuit with a terrified scientist forced to help the SOLDIERs track down the "escaped lab specimens" and to explain stuff for the readers. It also explores the idea of what magic and mako and limit breaks mean for people. Why's it in the list? Cloud's discussions with Zack help Zack survive Nibelheim's wilderness. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14679768

Thanks again.

[salternateunreality2]

Claudia has a pet dragon AU

cute ideas that @strayheartless and I chatted about <3

Claudia probably had a pet dragon at some point that still visits and bothers her for snacks

Dragon: *tail wagging, dancing around, breathing fire* Claudia: *shoves its nose away* go on, git, I ain't got nothin more for ya, you ate all my wolf liver!

Dragon: *rolls on its back asking for belly rubs*

Claudia: ugh, fine. *Delivers belly rubs* Go on, ya daft dragon, I'm taking Cloud to school!

The villagers: ...

-----------

Claudia and her dragon had their babies around the same time, and babysat for each other.

Claudia and Dragon Mama exchange snacks occasionally; Claudia brings special parts of her kills that she and Cloud shouldn't eat, and Dragon Mama sometimes drops off whole carcasses.

Dragon: this deer ain't worth my time, but I killed it and Claudia might give me wolf liver if I drop by!

-----------

Mama Dragon is named Asil, and Baby Dragon is named Knarf. Because backwards, that's Lisa Frank, and they look like Lisa Frank characters. And they're scratch-n-sniff.

-----------

AGSZC visit Nibelheim and AGSZ are panicked when Cloud hears a dragon in the distance and runs off to confront it...only to discover Cloud GIGGLING and play-fighting it. They are more concerned about the giggling, as they've never heard it before.

They expected the Steve Irwin vibes from Zack, who has a pet sahagin in Gongaga, but Cloud was a surprise (he shouldn't have been, he's feral AF).

--

AGSZC: *walking to Nibelheim*

Dragon: ROAR

Angeal: We'd better steer clear, right Cloud? Cloud?! CLOUD!!!

Zack: Where did he even go?! That was so fast!

Sephiroth: Towards the dragon.

Genesis: Of fucking course.

AGSZ: *runs up just in time to see cloud, unarmed, jump on a dragon*

Cloud: KNARF YOU FUCKER I GOT YOU FIRST WAIT NO NOT THE FACE NOT THE FACE HAHAHAHAHAHAHA GET OFF

--

The dragons immediately like Zack because all animals immediately like Zack.

Angeal wins them over through snacks.

And they're obsessed with Genesis' sword and materia, and Sephiroth's hair.

They keep Sitting On Sephiroth and grooming his hair or staring at it, and they keep trying to steal Gen's stuff. You wouldn't think a puppy-lizard-cat is very sneaky when it's the size of a house, but clearly you would be wrong

--

Sephiroth: Please, Miss, I don't know how dragon saliva affects hair, and I can't afford for it to go spiky like Cloud's.

Asil: *still sitting on him and licking*

--

(turns out it's really really good for hair and makes it thick, shiny, and healthy...after you wash out the top layer of slime)

Knarf and Asil leave Genesis gifts when they steal from him. Sometimes it's worthless crap like a leaf or a rodent carcass; sometimes it's sparkling gems, rare materia, or their own scales, which are hard to come by. There is no pattern.

Genesis tries to bargain with them, bringing an assortment of Wall Market jewelry.

--

Genesis: Shall we trade? What will you give me for this diamond necklace?

Knarf: *holds up a leaf*

Genesis: How about this fake ruby bracelet?

Knarf: *5 rare materia*

Genesis: Ok, then you must give me something great for this fake ruby necklace, which only differs from the bracelet in that it is longer...

Knarf: *dead skunk plops on Genesis' head*

--

Talking about their childhoods:

--

Sephiroth: My sperm donor would order me to kill kittens.

Genesis: My parents didn't care, but my nanny would hit me with a ruler.

Zack: I'd be sent out into the backwoods to work off my energy and made friends with monsters!

Cloud: I'd go to air jail, where Asil would pick me up by my shirt and dangle me in the air.

Angeal: MY MOTHER SENT ME TO TIME OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR CHILDHOODS

--

Air jail:

I'd like to think that Sephy starts to have his breakdown, Claudia hears about it and the mysterious head in the reactor, and then sends the boys to help Seph while she and Asil take care of Jenova.

Asil both sits on Jenova and incinerates her, while Claudia shoots Jenova with her biggest shotgun.

[prismaticpichu]

Weenie Hut Jrs anti-Nibelheim request!

Flock of puppies🐶

Nibelheim Roadblock #2 ~ “Flock of Puppies 🐶”

Omg that is GREAT!! Ahhhhhh <3333

~

No one could believe their eyes.

No one.

No. One.

And it was a completely, utterly rational response too. Anyone else would have had the same reaction had they been watching the spectacle unfolding before them—them, as in one Zack Fair, one Cadet Cloud Strife, one other sadly irrelevant SOLDIER, and one tour guider Tifa Lockhart. To all four of these nonplussed individuals, the great dome of reality itself was starting to seem mighty suspicious.

Because the sight of General Sephiroth, melted to his knees, absolutely swarmed by a litter of Nibel wolf pups as he struggled to stroke and fondle them all, was not exactly something one could prepare themselves for.

“Gaia… look at those eyes…” No one had ever heard such raw, heartfelt fondness in the General’s tone before, two strong gloves squishing the cheeks of one of the slate-shaded pups—a pup whose tail was nothing but a whipping grey blur, wagging and smearing against the garnet sky that blanketed their morning.

“Ruff!”

“….Unbelievable,” Cloud breathed through his helmet.

“Can you believe this?” Zack folded his arms, watching now as the slaty pup rolled onto its side to receive a series of loving tummy rubs.

“No, I really can’t.” Cloud looked at his friend. “That’s why I said, ‘unbelievable.”

…How had this happened? How…? How had their unmovable, stoic leader possibly devolve to such a squishy state…?

Well, for one thing, it only happened about nine minutes ago. And what did happen was really just a perfectly-aligned amalgamation of over-efficiency, convenient timing, and a heart that was caught by surprise.

————

About 9 minutes ago

They were just about to cross the bridge when he heard it.

Sephiroth stopped in his tracks, bristling, snapping one hand in the air like an armored traffic cop to halt the rest of the squad behind him. Somehow he had managed to walk ahead of their designated tour guide and take the reins; either way, though, those reins were his, and the rhythmic sound of boots crunching into dirt froze all at once behind him.

“…What’s going on?” Cloud asked his friend, having hung in the back of the train with Zack.

“Seph senses something,” Zack answered easily. He blinked towards the General, well-accustomed to his odd and somewhat spooky ways. “What’s up, buddy?”

Sephiroth didn’t respond; he just merely narrowed his eyes, focusing on the sound—on what had plucked his attention. It was faint, yes…. distant… but there was an underbelly of aggression. A veneer of something violent. And that was enough for concern.

He wasn’t about to let another monster ambush them like that dragon had. He wasn’t going to fail again.

The graceful song of metal echoed through the air as Masamune was unsheathed. Sephiroth turned his head, turning towards the source of the sound—a small, natural barricade of jagged rock.

“Alright, we tackling something?!” Zack lit up with a smile, reaching behind his back for his own hefty sword.

“No.” Sephiroth stopped him before his hand could make it. “You stay back; keep the others safe.”

And before Zack nor the others could protest about their adequate survival skills, Sephiroth made his way over to the rock formation.

The sound got louder, the closer he got. More defined. Sharper.

A snarl.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes further, shifting his blade in his hand, pearls of raw daylight scintillating off the metal as he reached the slab of stone. As he reached it, and slunk around it, and prepared to—

…

…

…

Well, one could probably predict what happened next.

———

“Shouldn’t you, y’know, intervene or something?” Tifa cast her own glance to the spiky SOLDIER. “We kinda got a job to do.”

By now, all the puppers were on their backs, Sephiroth running his gloves over the combined terrain of their fuzzy bellies as they kicked and squirmed and chirped with all sorts of playful barks in a hopeful plea that the massage wouldn’t stop. Zack’s eyes softened to dough.

He’d never seen Seph look like that before. Never seen him so… so… relaxed. So calm. So at ease. So open.

He’d never see him smile like that.

So much warmth flooded Zack’s heart then, as he caught sight of the soft, genuine curl on Sephiroth’s lips. It was veiled, yes, discrete… but he could still see it. And it was the biggest smile Seph had ever given.

No…. he couldn’t pry that happiness away from his friend. He wouldn’t. He’d let Seph cherish every second of this, even if they had a “job” to do. Gaia knew Seph did enough as it was.

“Alright, new plan!” Zack clapped his hands together, grasping everyone minus Sephiroth’s attention. “Me & Tifa are gonna head to the Reactor ourselves. Spiky and, erm… other guy, you stay back and keep an eye on Seph.”

“My name is Carl!” the infantryman corrected.

“We… we have to watch over the General?!” Cloud added with obvious confusion. “Isn’t that—“

“Yes you do!” Zack chirped. “No telling what kinda danger Seph’ll miss while he’s infatuated by puppies.” He didn’t wait for another response before whirling back to Tifa, smiling like the rising sun behind them.

“On we go!”

———

The trip to the Reactor went smoothly, all things considered. Genesis showed his face when they got there—Ifrit knows why—and completely blew up upon hearing that Seph got sidetracked by puppies. Anyway, guy eventually flew away and they fixed what needed to be fixed no problem. Bridge was a little wobbly on the hike up and back though—prolly couldn’t handle more than two folks. But they made it across just fine, both ways, and the sun was just beginning to descend as they rejoined the rest of the squad.

And lo’ and behold, Seph was still playing with the puppers.

Whatshisname had fallen asleep against a rock, Spiky still standing on-guard as instructed. But he did look tired. And bored. And kinda numb.

Alright. Prolly time to pack it up.

“Hey, buddy.” Zack started towards his friend, all the wolves having fallen fast asleep against his lap in a myriad of different positions. Sephiroth glanced up to meet him.

“You ready to go back yet?”

Sephiroth returned his gaze to the sleeping puppies, silent. It was clear what was unspoken in the air between them, what plea was being made.

“I know you don’t wanna leave them, Seph.” Zack kneeled beside him. “But….” The words twisted his heart, knotted his tongue. “We gotta go back. Reactor’s all clear.”

Sephiroth blinked slowly, letting out a sigh, looking back to the swathes of grey draped all over him.

“They… trust me,” he said then. “They know… I won’t hurt them.”

Zack was quiet for an undeterminable amount of time. Nothing seemed right to say, really. Not in that moment.

No wonder Seph got so attached so quickly. He had found someone—multiple someones—who weren’t afraid of him. Who didn’t run away, who didn’t flee when catching sight of him. Who didn’t assume the worst.

He didn’t want to let that go.

Doughy eyes melted even further. “Seph…” Zack leaned closer to him. And then, a soft smile of his own graced his lips, raising his arms to gently wrap around his friend’s form.

“Hey…. I trust you…” he said softly.

Sephiroth could only blink again, this time in surprise, in confusion, the tender weight wrapped around his upper body too delicate to make him stiffen.

Tifa and Cloud watched on, struck incredulous all again.

“…The folks back home are never gonna believe this trip…” the girl muttered.

Zack held his older friend’s figure and gaze, gazing deep into the emerald eyes rippling with awe of their own.

“See? I know you’re not gonna hurt me,” he said with a lingering smile. “You’d never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it.”

…Never.

Sephiroth blinked again—and again, and again, and again, swatting away any remnants of glass trying to invade his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak.

“Aha! I’ve found you!”

And before any words could leave, a crippled blur of crimson and black shot down from the sky, alighting with a stirring of dust and stones as the figure collected himself and straightened.

“Genesis!” Zack shouted indignantly, tightening his gentle hold upon feeling Sephiroth bristle. “What you want?!”

“So you think you can hide from ol’ Genesis, do you?” He let Zack’s question ricochet from his ears, sailing towards the still-sitting Sephiroth—Sephiroth, whose eyes were narrowing by the second, a grid of slightly uncanny teeth flashing into view. Think you can avoid your fate by… by what?” He squinted for a closer look, looking at the snoozing fuzzballs. “Babysitting wolves?”

“Stay away from them!” the warrior snapped darkly. “I’m warning you, Genesis.”

It would have been a little more intimidating had he not been sitting criss-cross applesauce, but he digressed.

“Oh believe me, I’m not here for your whelps.” Genesis not so subtly eyed Zack, who didn’t have time to think of a retort before continuing on. “I’m simply here to inform you about something. Something that is LONG overdue.” He strode closer, closer, a certain haughtiness pulling at his leaden lips as he shouted,

“You, Sephiroth, my old friend, are a—

And just as Sephiroth had been rudely interrupted moments before, just as the words had been pried from his lips, every wolf snoozing on that warm leather coat snapped awake then.

��monstaaaaaaaAAAHHHHHHHHHH!”

And every wolf proceeded to lunge at Genesis then, an entire stampede of grumpy Nibel puppies proceeding to chase the shrieking auburn across the mountains and out of sight.

Tifa and Spiky exchanged a Look.

Sephiroth, meanwhile, sat flat on the ground, staring off into the horizon that had taken his friends away.

“Goodbye…” he mumbled quietly, completely stripped of the fluffy, fuzzy, indescribable warmth that had been enveloping him just moment before.

Well… not for long.

Zack rewrapped his arm around the crestfallen warrior’s shoulders, that gentle smile resurfacing as Sephiroth turned again to face him.

“Let’s head back to town,” he offered kindly. “I saw a really cute wolf plushie in one of the windows—and, well… I just soooooooo happen to have brought souvenir change.”

It took a few beats, but Sephiroth smiled.