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altocat · 2 years

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what would have happened if Vincent had stolen Sephy and raised him away from Shinra? I like the Vincent dad theory too!

I think they'd be both simultaneously really awkward and really emotionally clingy around each other. Sephiroth's father figures in canon either hurt or abandoned him so the idea of him having an actual dad around to take care of him would probably change him a great deal...

Whenever I make Vincent the biological father, both Sephiroth and Vincent don't actually know. Nor did Lucrecia until she ran the timeline later on in the pregnancy. So this is all in the universe where Vincent gtfo'd out of the mansion and managed to escape with a very small Seph in tow.

-Vincent would probably tell Sephiroth about his mother a lot, but likely leave out all the bad stuff. So Sephiroth would grow up with an idealized version of his mother in his head. But at least it's better than no reference at all?

-Vincent isn't great at small talk around the kid, and he IS troubled at how supernatural and...off Sephiroth can be sometimes thanks to the Jenova cells. But it's his son, accident or no. And he will wordlessly dote on him in a silent, offhand sort of way. He's very protective of Sephiroth and will gruffly shelter him away from other people. They both live on the outskirts of society, mostly as hermits. Sephiroth doesn't question this as a child, only ever going where his father goes.

-Sephiroth would be VERY young when they escaped so a lot of the trauma manages to fade in time. His personality would probably be a lot different. I like to think this version of Seph is a LOT more interpersonal. Maybe this AU version grows up to be a subtle smartass who can occasionally be overly confident, but is a lot more relaxed overall. Kind of calmly smug, but good-natured. And emotes a lot easier.

-That said, they ARE being hunted by Shinra. So Vin has to teach Seph how to fight and defend himself if the time ever comes where they're in danger. This version of Sephiroth's a lot cockier and probably eager to fight so Vincent had to pull them away a lot.

-Sephiroth is a lot more eager to mingle with people since Dad is always trying to keep him out of danger. IT'S NOT A PHASE DAD! So he sneaks off a lot to socialize. Low-key Seph being more of a flirt who isn't at all ashamed to pursue his interests.

Vincent: That boy ain't right.

-At the end of the day though, they're good for each other. They both bring each other out of their shell. Vincent learns to find something new to believe in. Sephiroth gets a level of safety and reassurance. Happy ending for a pair of edgelords.

-....They also engage in mutual brooding hour. Sitting around sulking. Probably over a stupid disagreement but they both look super edgy and dramatic while doing so.

#Sephiroth #Asks #Sephcanons #vincent valentine #ff7 #crisis core #ffvii #final fantasy 7 #loling #Lucrecia Crescent

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aimeelouart · 3 years

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A new AU, you say? I am intrigued!

Oh yes. There's an entire channel for it on the Discord already because I Cannot Be Stopped. Here's all my notes, because god only knows how long it will be before I actually write it she says as she pushes Make Peace With the Stars further under the rug

Spoilers below?

The setup is just like Duckling, where Cloud was tailor-made to be a SOLDIER-killer. The imprinting may still be a factor, but he doesn’t manage to summon his alternate-universe self for help, so it’s not a time or dimension travel story. One way or another, ShinRa manages to get their hands on him.

He’s raised as a secret asset between the Turk and SOLDIER departments, never quite fitting in with either. Some of the SOLDIERs even babysit him when he's little, but they never learn that he becomes a strategic asset. His real status and purpose is highly classified and known to only a few people. In this universe, it’s not cellular degradation that kills the SOLDIERS—no, when their cells start to go bad, they become monsters. Cloud’s job, from a very young age, is to kill them, and to kill SOLDIERs that turn traitor.

Just like in Duckling, his code name is CN-17, AKA Cyanide, or Asset Cyanide, or Asset. There’s a saying in ShinRa: “the only poison that can kill a SOLDIER is Cyanide." Very few people understand the full context of what it means.

Zack meets Cloud, who says he’s employed by the Department of Administrative Research and works in "Personnel Evaluation." Despite how quiet and withdrawn Cloud is, Zack manages to befriend him. Occasionally on missions, Zack is paired with a “strategic asset,” by the name of Cyanide, who’s a silent dual-wielding man in helmet that covers his entire face, head, and neck. [Concept art link]

Cyanide kills Genesis. Cyanide kills Angeal, too. Zack realizes what the saying means, once he hears Tseng call him "Cyanide" directly.

Life continues, and Nibelheim maybe happens like this:

Cloud isn't supposed to be there, but as he gets older he gets more autonomy and his judgment is trusted. Sephiroth goes nuts in the basement as Cloud is poking around trying to figure out what TF Hojo's game is. Sephiroth also finds info on what the little lab kid he babysat turned into, because even he didn't know. He didn't know who was behind the mask that killed his friends. His Friends? It doesn't matter. Sephiroth is now gunning for Cloud specifically in addition to torching the world. Claudia isn't a factor, so when Seph burns Nibelheim he stabs Zack instead. Cloud, thinking Zack is dead, chases Sephiroth into the reactor and puts him down.

Zack is retrieved and Hojo experiments on him. Sephiroth's body is also retrieved and ???? maybe he comes back in a not-crazy way for Zack to drag around the continent.

Hojo is furious with Cloud for killing Seph, but it's his own damn fault because he underestimated just how good Cyanide was, considering he'd been barred from ever getting his hands on the kid.

And then, one day, Cyanide is sent out on a mission to kill two monsters who escaped Hojo's lab, and "...Zack?"

#ask #story asks #written reply #CN17 AU

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im-totally-not-an-alien · 3 years

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Final Fantasy 7 prompts # 73

1. Puppet! Cloud drops out from a random vortex after his master was defeated. Where did he land?

On Sephiroths office desk in Shinra tower of course. Sephiroth poked him with his pen a few times before Cloud woke up.

"Master!" The blond exclaimed as he wrapped the larger man in a hug. Of course. Of freaking course, thats when Genesis barged in with a stack of paperwork tucked under his arm, (not even bothering to knock mind you!) "Ugh, Seph, you are not going to believe-" the redclad figure stopped in his tracks.

"...this isn't what is looks like."

Genesis wiggled his eyebrows suggestivly, "Sure it isn't." And he was back out in the hall without another word. The soft click the door gave seemed much too loud in the silence and only seemed to add to Sephiroths humiliation.

Thus began Cloud following around his "Master" wherever he went while Sephiroth and the SOLDIERS/Turks did everything in their power to stop him, only to fail hilariously or get beaten up by the (comparatively) petite blond for thier efforts

2. The Holy Trinity encounter Winged! Cloud from the future or a parallel dimention or something and instead of viewing him as a monster they think he's an actual angel and treat him accordingly.

3. Cloud had just finished burying a dead chocobo (may she rest in peace) he had found when he heard a twig snap from behind him.

He reached for Tsurugis handle only to pause when he saw a bright yellow ball of plumage peek out from behind a tree. The blond let out a small laugh. That was by far the fluffiest chick he had ever seen, hells, it was a perfect circle/

Cloud reached down and picked up the baby, "Hello there, are you lost?"

"Kweh!" The little circle cried out and Cloud was quickly surrounded by three other chicks, all wild and overly fluffy. He absently wondered if this was a new breed while they preceeded to peck at him with little effect. He just scooped them up and drove them to Bills place after a ruddementry search of the nearby area.

That was the end of it.

Until he woke up the next morning with three of the chicks sleeping on top of him. The blond was baffled and got up to search for the fourth, only to find it perched on Denzels head, shifting its balance as to not fall whenever Denzel began nodding off, threatening to fall asleep and plant his face in his breakfast.

If Cloud took a picture-or a dozen-no one would have to know

4. A mysterious ailment has been effecting all the creatures Hojo created using Jenovas cells causing them to run amok. With Cloud missing and AVALANCHE busy dealing with rampaging monsters, Denzel and Marlene sneak off to search for the missing blond, but will they find him in time? Or will Cloud be in the same state as the others?

5. Reno found Cloud at a mall in some nowhere town dressed as a girl. He was originally planning to use this as blackmail material before Cloud came out to him as trans.

Now Reno goes out with him and helps him keep his cover...while disguised of course. Wouldn't want anyone to recognize him and- by extention- Cloud.

Besides, if anyone did recognize them, Cloud had full permission to blame Reno and let him take the fall for it.

6. The SOLDIERS apparently had a "Chocobo protection squad" when Cloud was a trooper. He had no idea why Reeve had insisted he read this annoyingly thick file on it until he realized half way through the first page that it was about him

He was the "precious cutie chocobo that must be protected from the evils of the world"

Cloud wanted to burn it on principle...but was too curious to stop reading. Apparently most of the members were still alive and it seems he owes them a great deal, so maybe he should take Teef and the kids to visit some of them. Maybe bring gift baskets...

7. Cloud cursed as he stepped on the edge of his cloak, sending him tumbling down from the path and deeper into the cavern.

Cloud picked himself up from the ground, grateful his goggles kept any of the dirt and debris from entering his eyes.

He heard something from behind him and whirled around to slash at them with his dagger...except there was no one there.

Poink

Oh no. He looked down at the little creatures, wearing cloaks much like his own, only brown instead of the worn black fabric the professor gave them. The blond looked down sadly at the number tattooed on the back of his hand.

Guess I won't be going to the Reunion after all. Shame. Mother had said Zack would be there as a guest and he really wanted to see him again.

Poink!

One of the little creatures- Tonberry- mother supplied - was clutching the edge of his cloak and attempting to lead him somewhere.

Did...did this creature think himself one of them?!

Aka Numbered! Cloud! gets adopted by Tonberrys

8. Hojo waking up strapped to one of his own tables with Cloud and Sephiroth standing over him, grinning like mad men.

9. Au where Sephiroth escaped as a child and fled into the wild and was eventually taken in by the "dead" professor Gast and his wife Iflana

He was "never found" by the Turks and eventually grew up to be a bad ass vigilante.

Cloud shared a similar fate but kept running instead of being taken in, eventually becoming a vagabond until the fateful day when their paths crossed and the pull of Reunion drew them together

10. Enraged blue eyes locked on to the blond. It may have been nearly a thousand years since Shinra fell, but he would know that man anywhere.

Not just anyone could have destroyed a corporate entity as powerful as Shinra and in the span of a single month no less! But he didn't care much about that, oh no.

He cared about the fact that this lovely creature killed him and his fellow firsts and then had the audacity to just disappear into the sands of time, stripping materia of its power and somehow causing Gaias mako to sink deep beneath the soil, never to be seen by mere mortals again. After it did, monsters began appearing less and less frequently, until they stopped appearing at all.

With Shinra so thoroughly destroyed and no other sustainable power available, information and records deteriorated, leaving Shinras history spotty at best and non existent at worse (probably didn'thelp that records seemed to conveniently disappear). Now Shinra, monsters and magic are all considered fairytales from a bygone era.

He and the others occasionally visit the lake that was once the city of Midgar to light candles in honor of all they had lost. Like hell he was going to let the blond escape again. Genesis opened his phone and made a call, "Seph, I found him."

11. Cloud meeting Female Sephiroth. Shes rather impressed that he's completely unaffected by the boob window. It had been the death of many men before him, that was for certain.

Too bad he wants to kill her, she has a feeling she would have liked having him around. Maybe she'd introduce him to Angel's puppy? She had the peculiar ability to befriend everyone she met

12. Time traveler Sephiroth saves time traveler Cloud from the labs with Genesis and Angeal.

Cloud is wondering why Sephiroth saved him and what he's planning.

Meanwhile, Gen and Geal are freaking out and asking annoyingly sane questions, like "Who is this guy?", "Why do you seem to know him so well?", and my personal favorite "Why is there a man being held captive in the labs?!"

13. Lab Experiment Cloud au where teenager Cloud barrels into Sephiroth in the middle of escaping the tower and asks if Sephiroth is his dad.

Sephiroth stops functioning and he just stands there frozen in a full battle stance while Genesis fights and subsequently captures the teenager, who he then promptly kidnaps.

*later*

Sephiroth bursts into the labs and confronts Hojo, asking if he was a father.

Hojo laughs and says "Of course you are! Do you have any idea how many creatures I've spawned with your DNA?"

Cue Sephs mental breakdown and Genesis's rampage on behalf of his friend.

Angeal does his part by babysitting with some office secretaries

Aka: the trinity raising a broody teen

14. Post OG Nebilheim is super duper haunted and Yuffie is NOT okay with that.

Cloud is even less okay and they talk about it while sitting on the roof of Clouds abandoned house...well, the fake one anyway

15. Everyone gets therapy but its from the perspective of a therapist who is %1000 done with Hojo

Bonus: This is actually questions posed by a friend and it helped spawn number 10.

What would Shinra do if Mako where to suddenly disappear? How would that even happen?

Bonus Bonus: What would be the quickest/ most brutal way to take down Shinra and/or SOLDIER? How would the Firsts feel about being completely owned by a stranger who appeared out of nowhere? (This was also my thinking about 10)

Announcement: Due to lack of interest, list #75 will be the final one. Thank you for reading my ideas. It made me super happy!

#tumblr prompt #ff7 #ffvii #sephiroth #final fantasy vii #genesis rhapsodos #angeal hewley

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buffaloborgine · 3 years

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Of Zack Fair, Genesis Rhapsodos and the strange narrative POV of FFVII-Crisis Core (Part I)

Everyone will agree on one thing when talking about FFVII-Crisis Core: The plot line is so hard to understand, it even feels like the narration is badly executed. I believe whether you love Crisis Core for the characters, or that you get to understand more about the beginning of FFVII compilation, you will still come to a point: find it very hard to grasp on what the heck is going on in Crisis Core.

Why did Genesis become a deserter in the first place? What was his motives for that? Why did Angeal become dramatic and seek a suicidal ending? Why did Sephiroth mentally snapped into an unfathomable path? Why did anything happen in Crisis Core after all? Overall these questions are for the bigger picture. How about some smaller ones? How did Hojo know that the writings about Jenova in the underground library of Shinra mansion are false? Why did Genesis choose to go after Hojo instead of after President Shinra if all he wants is to seek revenge? Did Genesis stalk Zack and Sephiroth as they come to Nibelheim? Why did Hojo not try retrieving Sephiroth’s body from the Nibelheim’s Reactor? Who actually helped Zack escape the mako tank? Why would we only know that four years had already passed at the end of the game? Why could Shinra troops find out Zack and Cloud faster than the Turks did? etc...

These questions, after all, are normal, because, at least, we still have them instead of blindly following the narrative of Crisis Core. After I do rethink and retour on the storyline and narrative of Crisis Core, I think the director, the screenwriters and the plot writers actually did a very good work. Because bamboozling the players is their true goal.

Crisis Core’s narrative went with the point of view of Zack Fair, a kind-hearted, light-minded and naive young protagonist, following the trails of the enigmatic, deceitful antagonist, mainly by following his words. The very frequent scene that you came across while you play Crisis Core is Genesis reciting a verse from LOVELESS and Zack will say “I don’t understand at all.” The fact is, that’s our case as well. The whole time we played Crisis Core, we follow Zack’s POV, and for someone that’s too naive, Zack didn’t ask any questions. Instead of asking questions, he tended to assume how things went as the events progressed, or if he can’t find a way to assume things to his logic, he will say, “I don’t understand at all.” As we progressed the story through this kind of “forced” POV, for we don’t have the option to raise the questions, we slowly accept things at it is laid out in front of us. The more we follow this kind of narrative, the more we stop wanting to ask questions, because we know we don’t have that option no matter what. That’s why we become more and more like Zack in Crisis Core, we accepted the story as told instead of seeking answers for the out-of-place details, which just, narrows our chance of understanding the story.

So if you reach this part of the post, please let me suggest you a way to get out of the “foggy Zack’s POV”. Just ask questions about things you don’t get in CC, and stop using the way Zack sees thing to explain for it. Also, like I said, Zack’s POV is one thing that make understanding Crisis Core very hard (because Zack himself is so dull), Genesis’s words are also misleading as we saw him said one thing did something else all the time. Therefore, the best option is to stop seeing things the way Zack sees and stop trusting Genesis’s words totally. We can try to think out of the box, the narrative, and ask more questions so we can look for clues that can stitch things together.

For example, the first one, we can start with the case of Genesis murdering his parents. As Zack and Tseng arrived in Banora for their investigation, the two came to Genesis’s old house. There, Tseng found a newly made grave, with gravestones, in which he found the corpses of Genesis’ adoptive parents along with some Shinra people.

When the two got to met with Genesis in the abandoned facility, Genesis got agressive as Tseng talked about his parents and processed to say “My parents betrayed me from the very beginning”, which sounds to have very much disdain and hatred, so Zack (and we too) assumed Genesis cold-bloodedly murdered his parents.

Let’s halt here for one second. Had Genesis really cold-bloodedly murdered his parents, why did he have to make them a grave? A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral; so the requirement to call burial place as a grave is to have a funeral ahead of it. You may ask “What if Genesis does that to hide the body?”, ho boi, he knows the Turks will come for investigation, and Tursk are like intelligent units, hiding dead bodies from them doesn’t really sound smart, does it? Besides the gravestones are quite blatant, no one make gravestone over a grave to hide dead bodies. That took out one possibility. So the assumption that he really did murder his parents cold-bloodedly doesn’t really sound logical either, because he can totally just leave the corpses laying around there, why bother giving them one last rite and a proper grave if he just wants them dead? One other possibility out then. Now there’s one detail that I want to bring in for discussion: the “newly made” grave. This detail shows us one thing: the grave has just been made not long ago before Tseng’s and Zack’s arrival. Why should we take note of this detail? Because as we progress the story, we soon know that Shinra is about to bomb Banora into dust to erase all evidences of Genesis’ betrayal there. Therefore, why would there be a newly made grave just before the time the town getting bombed when Genesis surely had been in the town for quite a long time ago? He could have killed all the people and made them a grave a while ago. Or he could just not make them any grave at all. Or, being a SOLDIER for Shinra, he surely knows when the Turks come means the Shinra’s bombing planes is close, Genesis can totally leave the people of Banora die in the bombing. Or he could simply turn them all into the copies. So why not any of those options above? Logically, if you know someone is going to die miserably and you choose to end them quickly then even make them a grave, that probably shows you are not a cold-blooded killer, because obviously, this kind of killing people is killing out of mercy. This kind of explanation may help you change your view on Genesis and the narrative of Crisis Core, although it’s still just a theory.

Thank you for coming to my Ted-talk, I will dissect other “dubious” events in Crisis Core in the next part. Part IIa: https://buffaloborgine.tumblr.com/post/651997384235171840/of-zack-fair-genesis-rhapsodos-and-the-strange

#FFVII #Final Fantasy VII #FFVII Crisis Core #Zack Fair #Genesis Rhapsodos #narrative discussion #FFVII theory #Tseng of the Turks

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zeroth-writes · 4 years

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I have 2 Cx 1. Sephiroth responding to physical affection for the first time, and 2. A reader who used to work for shinra that managed to run away, who actually has a higher kill count than sephiroth. She is easily more threatening than him in the right setting, but normally she is smol and "cute". lmao. Sephiroth has to track her down and bring her back, gets his shit rocked, and somehow falls in love with her the more he learns about her Cx im sorry if this is quite long hahaha

masterlist | request | physical affection hcs

Prompt: ‘ 2. A reader who used to work for shinra that managed to run away, who actually has a higher kill count than sephiroth. She is easily more threatening than him in the right setting, but normally she is smol and "cute". lmao. Sephiroth has to track her down and bring her back, gets his shit rocked, and somehow falls in love with her the more he learns about her Cx im sorry if this is quite long hahaha ‘

Pairing: Sephiroth x Female!Reader

Summary:

Word Count: 908

A/N: I love this prompt so much! Thank you for sending this is! I also used she/her pronouns, mainly because you used them in your request. I may or may not have gotten carried away with this one, I hope you like it!

When Sephiroth first got to the Shinra building, he expected an ordinary day. Spend a majority of it dealing with paperwork, mess around with Genesis and Angeal a little, maybe train himself or lower ranked soldiers. So getting a note first thing in the morning say ‘ Lazard needs to see you immediately’ he became curious.

The moment Sephiroth step foot in the director’s office he was briefed on his new mission. “I need you to bring back a former Solider who ran away then broke their surveillance, I know it’s short notice but hopefully you’ll get it done quickly.” Raising his eyebrow he gave the director a confused look. “Why are you sending me? This seems like something anyway could do.” Lazard sighed “You know Shinra has eyes everywhere, yet we lost contact. Plus she’s dangerous.” Lazard reached down to pick up a folder from his desk and hand it to Sephiroth. “That’s her folder. All the information you need should be in there.” With only a nod Sephiroth turned around and walked out. Once he got situated in his office Sephiroth began to think over the mission. He was aware that Soldiers could retire from Shinra, He was also aware that the people that leave are monitored, So finding out your somehow evaded that surveillance made him more interested in you. Glancing down at the folder, he quickly reached for it and began reading.The majority of it was expected. A very high mission completion rate, several accommodations for your work. However what caught his eyes was your kill count. A kill count that was somehow higher than his. A smirk arose on his face the moment he started to enjoy this mission.

Walking up to your front door, Sephiroth stood and watched. Carefully taking notice of any moment he could see. Not seeing any he move to knock on your front door. After a minute of knocking, listen for a reply but only hear silence, then knock again, he gets tired so he tried the door. He chuckles to himself when he find it unlocked.

Stepping inside he saw you, someone who was easier a foot shorter than him Standing in front of him with your sword pointed directly at him. He looked you up and down. “Well, You are not what I was expecting.” After a couple of moments of silence you swing your sword at him “I wish I can say the same. I see Shinra finally decided to track me down, took longer than expected though.” Sephiroth chuckled, easily blocking your attack. “I only got this mission yesterday. Believe me, you weren’t hard to track down.” With your free hand, you place it over your heart. "Your words hurt, I put a lot of effort in hiding. Though I guess I did start to get comfortable.”

After exchanging several sword strikes and a few more words you decided enough was enough, Lowing your sword you proceeded to throw it on the floor next to you. “Look, I know you came here to kill me so go ahead and do it.” Sephiroth tilted his head to the said as you spoke your words. “You’re giving up? That easily?” Shaking your head you told why “No, I’m just not an idiot. I know who you are and what you’re capable of, I also know I’m not going to beat you in a one-on-one. Seemingly satisfied with your answer the man in front of you hummed in response. “I suppose that will make my job easier.”

As Sephiroth walked towards you he stopped suddenly. After standing still for a few seconds he spoke. “I see no need to rush things. They aren’t expecting me back for a few days. So, I might as well spend them wisely.” As he spoke he started waling towards your dining room and promptly took a seat at your dining table opposite were you placed your still warm cup. You gave him a confused look until he spoke again. “You intrigue me. Not only do you have more kill than me, but you even managed to escape Shinra.” After taking a moment to think, you slowly nodded at him as you got another mug down.

For the next few months, you started to get more comfortable with Sephiroth. He would occasionally come by after work. Eating dinner with you, watch a movie or your favorite tv show. Slowly he started to become closer to you, both physically and emotionally. While watching a movie he started off on the other side of the couch. Now he lets you cuddle with him while he tells your stories about his job,his friends and himself. You still remember the shocked expression on your face the first time he opened up to you.

One night while laying on the couch watching a movie Sephiroth suddenly sits up and paused the scene. Giving him a questing look you follow suit. “I have something to confess. I was never going to kill you, I was only suppose to bring you back.” You’re eyes widen in shock. “You never gave me the chance to explain. I figured there was no point since you wouldn’t have gone anyway. Nodding at his confession you take time to think about what he said, until he began to speak again. “I’m happy with how things turned out.” Leaning back to your original spot with a smile on your face, you had to agree.

taglist: @ravusnfleuret

#Final Fantasy #final fantasy imagine #Final Fantasy headcanons #Sephiroth #sephiroth imagine #sephiroth x reader #requested

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whetstonefires · 4 years

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Sephiroth, 1, 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 20. I find your take on him so interesting! (And kind of sad too...)

Oh gosh this is so many! Haha okay, here goes.

1.Their physical weak spots

Huh. He’s programmed to be literally impossible to damage in the one actual fight in the Nibel flashback, the dragon. I theorize this might have been his first-level Limit? But of course you can’t use a Limit unless you’ve been injured first. (Apparently they reversed this in the Remake which is a major thematic change and I don’t like it? Anyway tho.)

So on one level his physical untouchability is part of his trademark and there’s a temptation to say ‘none’ and be done with it.

Normal human weak spots, I imagine, he’s not as alien as all that. The throat is the throat, I mean. His disinclination for wearing shirts may suggest an indifference to thoracic damage, but between his tendency to not get hit at all and the existence of healing magic that doesn’t necessarily mean much.

The vertical pupils which can dilate much further than normal would make him particularly vulnerable to flashbangs used in a dark or even dim environment. I assume Wutaian ninjas exploited the heck out of that. :D

2. Their emotional/moral weak spots

Abandonment issues was a big one, I think, and all the huge gaping vulnerabilities created by being a child with no one to love, or who loved you.

Thinking outside of Shinra’s standard pathways is a matter of some anxiety to him, in Crisis Core–his idea of resistance is ‘find my friend first and then oops fail to kill him they can’t prove it was on purpose’ and then later ‘turn down the assignment to find my friend and kill him.’ There’s just, a lot of emotional dependence on a toxic structure indicated by his behavior patterns.

I’m sure that was deliberately instilled, but it’s not that hard. His superpowers aren’t Superman scale self-sufficient until after he ‘dies’ once, and capitalism does what it does. He’s not much less dependent on the Company for survival than the average worker, and more so for identity.

Morally he was disadvantaged by being a corporate supersoldier with Hojo as his parent–the details of his upbringing have never been clarified but they sure didn’t put him anywhere outside Shinra enough for him to form external attachments, or even powerful internal personal ones prior to the rather shaky ones he managed with two peers sometime in adolescence, which leaves fairly few possibilities really.

Anyway morally he’s nothing but weaknesses, even before he got tangled up with The Thing From The Northern Crater and decided he was God and should consume all life. ^^;

5. Guilty pleasures

You know, I don’t think even pre-evil Sephiroth did guilt much? Waste of energy, and (see above) he wasn’t socialized for it, it’s counterproductive in a soldier. The ‘guilt’ in guilty pleasure is really a species of shame though, and anyone with that much pride is vulnerable to the opposite, even if they weren’t exposed to someone like Hojo growing up….

You know, it was probably novels? He was a reader, and one of the most personal things we know about him from the OG is the deep impression left by Hojo’s furious rant about how inappropriate it was to use poetic expressions about magic. Even ‘magic’ was too sentimental for this domineering science twit.

So, every so often growing Sephiroth would get his hands on a piece of fiction, and the quality wasn’t necessarily great because it was whatever he could pick up in the break room or wherever, but he’d hole up out of sight and scarf it down. Even once he had his own living space and salary and could buy whatever books he wanted and store them, he’d pick up novels on the sly and get rid of them once he was done, like someone was going to catch him. One of the things he used to pick out of the ruins in Wutai during the looting was books.

He always felt a confusing mess of jealousy and scorn about Genesis’ Loveless thing. That he could just like it like that, constantly, right out in the open, where anyone could laugh at him. That nobody had ever taken it away.

Less tragically, I think sometimes he’d go home and watch bad TV. Whatever Midgar’s stupidest soap opera was. Sephiroth caught enough of the reruns to know most of the main plots. He had an opinion about who the father of Jaqueline’s baby should have turned out to be. He would never admit this.

9. Humiliating memories

Okay, as touched on above repeatedly, he grew up with Hojo, who loves breaking people down and laughing at them, so he’s probably got a lot of these.

The worst one is one time when he had a weak moment or an optimistic one, and asked out loud in words for something he really, really wanted, and Hojo said yes, and gave Sephiroth just enough time to get desperately excited and express gratitude before laughing at him and saying of course he was lying. Don’t be stupid.

That isn’t something important enough to bother with.

12. Grudges and vendettas

‘Burning inside with violent anger’ isn’t there for no reason. From Nibelheim on these define him, and according to bonus materials of middling canon status he eventually sheds almost all identity elements but his grudges.

I think, based on the shape of his breakdown? That for most of his life he told himself that holding onto anger and pursuing grudges was a waste of time and energy. But that didn’t actually help him let any of it go, he just internalized and ignored things. Because he wasn’t actually not holding grudges, he was just reacting like someone who didn’t have any choices, and marinating in spite.

Spite against Hojo surfaces on the way up to the reactor in a way that says to me it’s a habit, almost a reflex. But it manifests in profound pettiness, and I think that’s the only way he normally felt he was permitted to act out against the people who really bothered him, though I’m also sure he channeled a lot of anger into unrelated killing. Natural thing to do when you’re a frustrated teenager who’s supposed to be killing people anyway.

By the time he did it in Nibelheim, it was an old habit.

The fact that he bothered to personally kill the Shinra President as his big debut says to me he was holding a grudge about his entire life against the person who commissioned him and declared the war and shaped the floating Midgar-world that defined his life. I think there were probably a lot of personal insults in there too, just because of the way Shinra Sr. seems to have conducted himself generally.

He’s a Donald Trump expy wouldn’t you.

Sephiroth is written as a much softer person in Crisis Core, almost absurdly so, but even there you can see him resenting Genesis and Angeal more than a little for abandoning him. It probably brought back his whole mess of feelings about Gast, who really did abandon him quite unforgivably but Sephiroth never knew the full circumstances, just that he was gone and later dead. There are signs he blamed Hojo, who doesn’t seem to have gloated openly about the murder even if he did make sure to inform the boy his favorite person was dead now.

And of course later on there’s Cloud, which doesn’t actually make that much sense until you loop in the retcon about Cloud throwing him into the reactor and cutting short his initial rampage. There’s the grudges he seems to have inherited from Jenova, against the Cetra.

It’s not out of the question that he killed Aerith the way he did in part because she was the thing Gast abandoned him for, as well as all the other less personal reasons. I sort of like to think so.

16. Dark secrets/’skeletons in the closet’

Of his own, as opposed to ‘about him’ that he found out about, I don’t think he really had many? He wasn’t much accustomed to privacy.

I think most of the worst things he did, as a human being rather than a transhuman monstrosity, were pretty unavoidably public; they were war crimes, and happened in front of some fraction of the rest of the army. He was praised for them.

There probably were a lot of dark things he never talked to anyone about, that weren’t really known, but except for outright humiliating childhood incidents like above he wasn’t particularly hiding them. He was just never in a position where it would have made any sense to him to bring them up.

Genesis wasn’t ever someone it was safe to be vulnerable around, and Angeal was uncomfortable with too much emotion, and besides they were fellow soldiers and it wasn’t like the things he didn’t talk about from the war were anything special, and he wasn’t going to complain about his childhood to them. And who else was there?

Dude needed so much therapy.

20. What-ifs/Alternate Timelines

I go absolutely nuts with alternate timelines for Sephiroth. He’s so much fun to work with that way.

Lucretia and Vincent stole the baby and went on the run: Firo grew up kinda isolated in the woods with his parents but runs away at thirteen to fight Shinra because he’s so mad they had to leave Wutai because of the invasion. Parzival AU.

Ifalna recruited Sephiroth to her escape scheme and he wound up raising Aerith on the run, under the names Rith and Roth. Beloved Dust AU, that one’s actually online as you may very well know lol.

Vincent blew up the Nibelheim reactor with Hojo and Jenova in it when Sephiroth was six, and then later Midgar blew up as well and the Shinra world order collapsed, and the recently married Mrs. Strife adopted the weird lab kid. Later on Cloud pressures his big brother into starting an anti-bandit militia. Time Of General Strife AU.

Cute three-way blood brothers ceremony contaminates Genesis’ body with Sephiroth’s DNA and sets off his degeneration several years early, when they’re all teenagers and not nearly as famous, powerful, or fucked in the head. Brother and Brother AU.

And so on. ;}

#ask #ask meme #sephiroth #ffvii #hoc est meum #a nonny mouse #any time tags on asks could come back that would be great #meta #headcanons #backstory #thank you!#hope this suited

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enbiart · 4 years

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Just a Gal from Gongaga

A little plotbunny, more-or-less. Basic premise is that Gast and Ifalna went to Gongaga instead of the Northern Continent, and managed to get the Fairs to take Aerith before ShinRa did.

"Zack! You get your butt back here, or so help me!"

"So help you, what?"

"ZACHARIAH!"

"Okay, okay...Jeez, Aerith..." Zack mumbled, pouting. His sister tapped her foot impatiently as he carefully made his way back from the creek they'd found, cheeks puffed in annoyance. When he finally stood before her, she placed her hands on her hips and scowled.

"Mom's told you time and time again to stay away from those things!" She scolded.

He groaned. "But they ain't even Touch-Me's, they're just frogs! Can't I catch a frog?"

"Uh-huh, and how'd you know for sure, huh?" She asked skeptically, eyes narrow.

He opened his mouth to reply, but before he got a word out she 'poof!'ed, dropping to the ground as a pretty pink toad. Behind her and previously unnoticed, a Touch-Me hopped away, having done its duty.

She croaked. Angrily. Zack winced.

"Oop- Sorry Aerith! Super, duper sorry! Here, lemme just, uh..." He blanched, and crouched down to pick her up. Her amphibian eyes squinted at him in accusation, and he dropped her into the front pocket of his overalls to avoid the glare. Even as a slimy little frog, she still managed to make him feel like HE was the little brother. It was embarrassing!

He hastily made his escape, dodging flora and fauna alike as he scampered back home. The longer Aerith stayed as a frog, the angrier she was going to be with him. So, he ran and jumped and sometimes even climbed as fast as he could back home, where they hopefully still had some Maiden's Kisses left.

All the while, she croaked threateningly at him, promising sweet death. Doubtlessly she was vowing to throw away one of his MonsterMon cards for every minute she remained unchanged. He had no doubt she'd do it, too (though he did wonder how she knew about them, he thought he hid them pretty well under their parents' bed), and the fear of losing his ultra-rare Tonberrichu card spurred him into running faster than he ever had before in his eleven years of living.

Minerva sang as he finally reached their house and flung the door open. It swung open with a 'BANG', startling their poor mother that was in the middle of making lunch. He ignored her, depositing his sister on the kitchen table and shooting off to rifle through the fridge.

"Aha!" He yelled in triumph, grabbing the woman-shaped bottle. He struggled to pull the cork off, even going as far as trying to use his teeth, before his mother tsked and took it from his hand. She opened the bottle effortlessly, probably because she's had plenty of practice, and poured it on the poor pink frog sitting on the table.

With a 'poof!', ten-year old Aerith Fair was once again whole, sitting cross-legged on the table and ready to tattle.

"Mo~om! Zack went catching Touch-Me's again even though you told him not to!" She whined, too busy glaring at the boy in quesiton to glance at her mother.

He was aghast. "You went with me, you broke the rules too!"

"Only to try an' keep you outta trouble! You're lucky I didn't eat a fly, or you'd really be in for it, idiot!"

"Mo~om! Aerith's calling me names!"

"Only 'cause it's true!"

They bickered back-and-forth, not even noticing that their audience had went back to preparing lunch. It was only when the clink of plates and silverware on the table appeared that they stopped their fight.

"Aerith, get of the table, dear. Could you two go make your drinks, please?" Their mother said, distributing the food. The children scrambled off with a 'yes ma'am', argument already forgot at the prospect of food. Their mother shook her head fondly.

Soon enough, the three of them were sitting aound the table, happily munching away at their meal. Silence didn't last long, though, as it never did around Zack Fair.

"Hey, hey, did you see that guy that was walking around earlier?" He asked to the both of them, bouncing in his seat. At their confused looks, he elaborated, "The cool guy with the sweater and the sword! His eyes were all glowy and he was super buff!"

"Ohh," Aerith said, nodding, "that guy. I didn't get a good look at him, I was too busy runnin' after you." At that, he huffed, and rolled his eyes. She stuck her tongue out at him. He ignored it, looking at their mother instead.

"I've never seen a guy like him before, d'you know who he is?" He asked her. She hummed, and tilted her head in thought.

"Glowing eyes, you said?" She asked. He nodded enthusiastically. "I think that might be one of those SOLDIERs I've been hearing about. I'm not sure, though."

His eyes lit up. He leaned forward excitedly."SOLDIER?! What's that?!"

His mother shrugged. "Some sort of...military that ShinRa's been starting, I think. All I know is that they've got glowing eyes, though."

Her lack of knowledge did nothing to dampen his spirit. He sat back, face alight with excitement. Suddenly, he turned towards his sister. "Hey, hey Aerith! Wanna come with me and talk to that SOLDIER guy?"

"Gotta keep you from making a fool of yourself, don't I?" She sassed, eyebrow raised. Her own eyes were sparkling with excitement, though, and he grinned. They started shoveling food into their mouths with new enthusiasm, wanting to hurry up and finish before the man left. Their mother sighed, eating her food at a more sedate pace.

Meal done, the kids shot up, said goodbye, and hurriedly ran out.

Collecting the dished, Mrs. Fair called after them, "Don't bother that man too much! Stay safe!"

Thankfully, the man was still in town. They caught him as he was leaving the item shop, putting away a new bottle of Maiden's Kiss. The kids shared a look, giggling to themselves. Touch-Me's always got travelers good.

The man looked up at their approach. Aerith's breath caught in her throat; His eyes really did glow! He was so big, and his sword was really sharp and shiny! It was...a little scary, actually. She stepped a little closer to her brother.

Zack, on the other hand, didn't seem intimidated or frightened in the least. He was practically vibrating in excitent, bouncing in place. He asked, "Are you a SOLDIER?!"

The man blinked, and raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I am. You heard of us?"

Zack squealed. The man winced a little, and Aerith hit him lightly. He looked briefly apologetic, but went right back to his questioning. "Do you fight monsters with that sword?!"

The man nodded. Then, smirking, he pulled the sword off his back, showing it off to the two kids. They stared at it in awe. Suddenly, the man was under a barrage of dozens of questions. Even Aerith, with her previous fear forgotten, shot out question upon question. Everything from "How come your eyes can glow?" to "Have you ever fought a dragon?" and "Why do you have three belts?" The SOLDIER laughed, and answered all their questions with an ease that showed it probably wasn't the first time he'd been hounded by children.

After a lull in their questioning, the man chuckled, and said, "If you kids think I'm so cool, just wait until you see the General." They froze, and looked back at him with wide eyes. He blinked at them, and asked, "What, you never heard of General Sephiroth?"

"General Sephiroth?" Zack asked, breathless.

He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You kids seriously never heard of Sephiroth?" At the shakes of their heads, he whistled. He kneeled down to their level. "C'mere, listen closely..."

They did, leaning forward and listening with bated breath as the SOLDIER weaved the tale of the heroic General, the first SOLDIER. Only just barely older than them, and already leading the campaign against Wutai, Sephiroth was a master on the battlefield. Stories spread like wildfire of the Silver General, of his exploits on the battlefield and his prodigal prowess with a blade. The man described the Masamune, of how the General could wield a blade twice his size with more skill and grace than men with decades more experience. He explained how the General was practically a god of war with his genius strategies and strength to fight a whole army by himself and come out on top.

"...He once stabbed his sword into the ground, and it caused an earthquake so big that Mideel got hit with a tidal wave."

Aerith gasped. "No way!"

The man nodded. "Yeah, way."

Zack's mouth was wide open, amazement twinkling in his eyes. He snapped his mouth shut, determination setting his features, and said, "I wanna be a SOLDIER!" The man laughed, and ruffled his hair. He huffed. "I'm serious! How do you be one?"

"April 21st's the deadline to apply. Head up to Midgar, and recruitment posters'll be everywhere." The man answered, watching Zack with amusement. "Gotta be at least fourteen, though." Zack's face fell, and he pouted. The man laughed, and ruffled his hair again. Even Aerith giggled. The SOLDIER got up, then, and dusted his pants off. He gave Zack a assessing look. "Seriously, though. Grow up a little, and if you still think you got what it takes, then we'll be happy to have you."

Zack perked back up at that, and nodded resolutely. The man chuckled, and, wishing them both well, walked off, probably to finish whatever mission sent him there.

The children stood there for a moment, watching him walk past the outskirst and into the jungle. Zack watched him go in awe, clearly smitten with the heroism of SOLDIER. Aerith, though, frowned a little. She liked talking to that man, and thought he was pretty cool. Her intuition, though... Something about him set her nerves on end, made her feel uneasy. She glanced at her brother's starstruck expression, and hoped it was just the man himself that her intuition didn't trust. Her brother was obviously planning to go join SOLDIER, and she didn't want to feel this bad around him when that happened.

#pls dont tag as z*rith #my writing #ff7 #final fantasy 7 #ffvii #final fantasy vii #zack fair #aerith gainsborough #how...#how do you put a read-more on mobile

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ego-driven-one-wing-angel · 4 years

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1.2 BLOOD_WATER | Sephiroth

A/N: Here’s chapter 2, I hope you guys enjoy!!

TAGS: Slow Burn, Mild Language, Angst, Future Bed Sharing, Future Angst, Original Male and Female Characters. Mostly Slow Burn.

CHAPTER ONE FOUND HERE

1.2 - Chapter II

🌒 - FEAR

“Bitterness is venom that consumes its host.”

-Matshona Dhiliwayo

[TRACK: Track 02, Vampire Knight Guilty Main Theme]

Citlali kept her distance as John entered the room.

From the moment she heard his footsteps, the familiar thud of a heavy man, the breathing set beside her, the overwhelming sense she was not yet welcomed, her back straightened, stiff, and she would have puked on the floor if it wasn’t Director Lazard’s office. She even felt as if her stomach caved in on itself as if she hadn’t eaten in days. John’s overbearing military persona had her on edge more than she cared to admit, and even more so now that he was pissed. His voice losing what little warmth it possessed.

“No.” He said flat out, not even giving the Director time to issue any orders or ideas. “I’m not letting her back on the field.”

Ouch. She swallowed hard. Citlali should have figured.

But that hadn’t hindered Director Lazard’s original plan. Merely shaking off his commanding officer’s orders with a shake of his head and a weak smile. The same persona Citlali had seen when she was promoted. Undeniably fake.

“Even faced with an unattainable amount of work, you still say no to your trainee?” He asked, and John gave one small glance to Citlali, who didn’t say a word. She knew better than to argue in front of the Director. Even giving lip in the comfort of their training room had sent CItlali down the path of extra assignments, in front of the Director’s face, she would be seeing literal Hell. An assignment list all wrapped up in a glittery green bow.

John’s brows furrowed slightly, “you didn’t actually finish all that did you?”

Citlali shrugged. Swallowing the lump in her throat. “Yeah,” she bit her lip as she remembered paying off the leading scientist to auto-simulate battle intel. Giving her a chance to get something to eat and take a nap. “In a way.”

John didn’t have to pester any longer, he knew she was lying the moment she started talking.

“I trust in my decision. It remains no.”

Citlali rocked on her heels, like a child being reprimanded. Or a child stuck in the middle of a divorce court, awkward, painful to watch, and she’d have paid to just leave the room. Let John and Lazard figure things out amongst themselves. She hadn’t a need to watch the bickering, especially if it was slowly ripping her report piece by piece as if she wasn’t standing there in the first place.

The two of them often argued over the fate of Citlali’s career, especially fieldwork in the slums or the sectors following the Turks. Simple by all means, but John knew, even at the most basic level, Citlali would find some way to disobey orders. And that was her biggest problem. If only she figured it out.

Citlali raised her hand, “if I have any room to speak-”

“You don’t.” John said, “keep quiet.”

She rolled her eyes, going back to the semi-obedient student she was meant to be.

But it was as if her lifestream ancestors were guiding her because Floor Fifty-Three’s odd, yet charming, director had walked in. An angel of auburn hair, tattoos decorating her neck and shoulders. accompanied by a stack of papers, a low-level Turk following behind, and a heavy scent of vanilla mixed with tea leaves and honey. Citlali sneezed, and John gave the newcomer a stare.

Citlali, as did most of the other Soldier personnel, had a brief encounter with Adara however-her-last-names-pronounced quite a few times. The reasoning being Adara was the headmistress of SOLDIER’s floor. Close enough to the main floor, and far enough from President Shinra’s office to have a sense of privacy they used to say, but sadly, Citlali had yet to move to fifty-three, but John knew Adara well enough. Or so said the rumors circulating Shinra headquarters.

“I apologize for interrupting,” She said with not a hint of remorse coating her honey voice. “I have news, said to be delivered to you as soon as I received it.”

She placed the reports down, and Citlali almost took the chance of escaping, but what she said had all their hairs standing on end. The air now tense, and John and Lazard kept their mouths shut long enough for Adara to deliver the unexpected news.

“Sephiroth and the others failed negotiations, sir.”

Just as they all feared.

“You sure?” Director Lazard asked, fully knowing Adara wouldn’t lie. Not about something as extreme as an upcoming war. At least, Citlali hoped so.

“Positive.”

John knew just as well as the rest of them, that first-class SOLDIER personnel would be on the front lines no sooner than tomorrow morning. That meant Citlali’s training just increased ten-fold. No more battle simulations. Only war. If Citlali had done a terrible job during her mission to the wastelands against beasts, he had an idea of how she’d go about things in a real battle. Where people truly died, where her actions and attitude meant the most.

He took one gander at her.

“What had been the real reason you called us up here?” John asked the Director, gaining some sort of solemn look in return. Fear.

“I was originally going to have the two of you escort some Shinra personal to Junon, but it seems our plans just took a different direction.”

“It seems that way.”

He gestured for the Turk and Adara to leave, waiting until the door shut closed behind them before he proceeded.

It seemed the caved-in feeling returned, and Citlali almost threw up again.

“First class John, Second class Citlali, I’m having the two of you report to Sephiroth the moment he returns. The three of you will be on your way to Wutai first thing tomorrow morning. O-six hundred.”

Citlali’s jaw locked, as did John’s. Both for completely different reasons.

#Final Fantasy #final fantasy vii #final fantasy sephiroth #Final Fantasy 7 #sephiroth fanfics #fanfics #sephiroth fanfiction #fanfiction #sephiroth

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squinoas · 4 years

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Final Fantasy VII: Remake is both a blessing and a curse, to newcomers and series veterans alike - a (kinda) in-depth review of Final Fantasy VII: Remake.

Final Fantasy VII: Remake is both a blessing and a curse, to newcomers and series veterans alike.

As the latter, and someone who has played and enjoyed (and watched, in the case of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children), most of the compilation that followed the original, I feel confident in saying this game is a worthy remake of the standout hit that put Final Fantasy on the radar of the Western audience. The blessing is an imaginative and fleshed out retelling of a fraction of an original thirty-hour story – stretching it out and giving backstory to returning characters, while introducing some fresh (and welcome) faces along the way. The Midgar section in the beginning of the original Final Fantasy VII clocks in at around 3-4 hours of a player’s overall journey.

Not this time.

But is that also the aforementioned curse of this game? That those players who have enjoyed the original many, many times know of what it still to come? Throughout my play through of the game this felt like it was going to be its main detractor, when actually the ending completely throws this into the air.

Only time will tell if this is a good decision that will pay off, or if it will backfire. Nevetheless, I’m optimistic that the best is yet to come.

How long will we have to wait for more? That’s anyone’s guess at this point, especially with the Coronavirus situation. Safety comes first, and any delays to the second and third parts of this episodic epic (and I hope it continues to be epic) will be understandable – and hopefully, much like this first part, well worth the wait.

GAMEPLAY (COMBAT, MATERIA, WEAPONS)

Much furore has been made about the series ditching a turn-based system – one still employed by Dragon Quest (another Square-Enix property, and the most recent instalment, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, one of, if not my favourite, recent JRPGs).

Final Fantasy now employs an action-based model, more akin to another property, Kingdom Hearts.

Sometimes erratic and frenzied in 2016’s Final Fantasy XV, I’m happy to say that Square-Enix appeared to fine tune most of the aspects I disliked about that game’s playstyle and the result is Final Fantasy VII: Remake’s fun gameplay.

Keeping the ATB gauge involved was a good move, and gave the game a familiarity. The oscillating difficulties mean that there is a playstyle for everyone to find. I managed the entire game on normal mode (even my first time fighting the Whispers), until the Sephiroth boss battle. I have my own narrative issues with us fighting Sephiroth in the first part of this game anyway, but the difficulty spike in this battle on Normal mode felt unreal. I’d managed the slog that was the Hell House boss battle, and the annoyance of the escape from Shinra section, including that boss battle, but this was another level, and the only boss I had to change to easy mode for (which meant redoing the Whispers fight on that mode too).

On the other hand, there were bosses where, understanding their attack patterns and developing a strategy meant that winning the fight felt genuinely rewarding, as opposed to just time and energy-draining. An example of this was the Ghoul fought in the Train Graveyard – a new inclusion, and a whole strand of story that I enjoyed immensely. That battle really made use of switching between party members – Cloud and Tifa taking the lead in physical attacks and Aerith using her magic whenever necessary.

Materia has been updated, but not massively. Rather than a huge overhaul of the system, it still works largely how it did before. It’s been adapted for an action-JRPG but still comes down to strategy. However, an option to change materia mid-fight might have been prudent, considering the variety of enemy weaknesses. I found myself having to restart more than one fight because a batch of enemy scrolled through at least three different weaknesses and I was never adequately prepared for them at first. But at least restarting these fights was easy and hassle-free.

I liked the additions of new materia; such as Synergy which is another way to control what your other party members do in a fight, and the Magnify materia which works like the All materia of the original game. It made finding new materia fun and fresh, and meant I was constantly changing up my strategies to see what worked best.

The weapons system has been changed significantly, however. The upgrade screen looks stylistically like the crystarium from Final Fantasy XIII and the Historia Crux from Final Fantasy XIII-2. Therefore, it looks interesting, but is actually kind of boring when it comes to upgrading weapons. I ended up letting the computer upgrade my weapons with the balanced option, and this was a cool feature for people like me who found the task of upgrading tedious; especially when having to click out of each character’s weapons to only click into another one.

But the abilities that came with the weapons and having to develop a proficiency for these abilities was a nice addition. The only time I felt hindered by this was when Barret had to learn an ability on a close combat weapon. I like the fidelity to the original, but at the same time it was a handicap. Of course this is probably my own problem as I could have chosen not to use those weapons, something I may not do in a second playthrough.

Nonetheless, I felt like it encouraged me to play as every party member, and some were just downright cool. Special mention has to go out to Aerith’s Ray of Judgement, and Barret’s Maximum Fury which are so OP it isn’t even funny.

STORY (CHARACTERS, PLOT, ADDITIONS)

The original Final Fantasy VII is well known for the infamous ship wars. Clerith vs Cloti has been the ongoing debate for the past twenty years, and I don’t think this game is going to convince anyone that their side is right or wrong. It’s still left open to interpretation, at least in my opinion, and perhaps this was the best way to keep everyone satisfied. However, the game adds the additional element of having Aerith confirm that she did indeed love Zack Fair, the main protagonist and her love interest in Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. As a ‘Zerith’ and ‘Cloti’ shipper myself, this game gave me plenty of moments to love for both couples. As someone who does have a liking for Clerith and Aerti, it kept me more than fed.

I have to give kudos to those involved with the game that they stayed true to the very canon interpretation that Aerith and Tifa are friends, and always were. True, they both expressed some small mote of jealously in the original game (and, at times, in this one too), but it quickly becomes obvious that they are both strong-willed young women who admire each other greatly. There are great examples of their burgeoning friendship but my favourites have to be kicking the lecherous asses of Don Corneo’s lackeys, and discussing a shopping trip for stuff for the bar.

All in all, the characters are kept true to their original incarnations. If anything, they – as with everything else in this game – are given to breath and work through things organically. They are fleshed out, and given further backstories, motivations and plot. I think this was best done with the doomed member of AVALANCHE, Jessie. She’s given a last name which, to begin with, makes her feel less like an ancillary plot device and more a character in her own right. To add to this, we meet her mother and father; which absolutely tugged at my heartstrings, what with her father’s tragic accident leaving him in a comatose state. We find out Jessie wanted to be an actress and was working at the Gold Saucer (this also works as a nice nod to places we know exist in-universe but will not visit until a later instalment).

Marle, Leslie, Madam M, Andrea Rhodes – every Chocobo Sam – are all fantastic additions, and I hope we see them again. In particular I would love to see Leslie reunited with his lost love in a future game.

Now, in terms of the story, I have played the original inside and out for many years, and always thought I would be against changes made to the story. Throughout most of the game most of these additions are simply changes that just make things more interesting for someone like me who’s played the original before. Towards the end, however, things take a drastic turn, and turn everything we’ve known on its head. As I said before, I have no idea where this is going to go in the next part, and there were some aspects that left me scratching my head.

The main of these being Zack. As far as anyone who has played the original or Crisis Core will know, Zack died in a last stand against the Shinra corps sent after him and Cloud after their break out from Nibelheim. However, the ending raises some interesting questions. At first I thought us defeating the Whispers had rewritten Zack’s fate, but maybe that’s not the case. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see where they take it (one change I did not like was Zack’s voice actor. I know all the English VAs were changed – which I wasn’t a big fan of in the first place – but the new voice actor does not sound good compared to Rick Gomez).

Overall, our characters end the game in more or less the same position as the end of the Midgar section of the original, but after the events of the battles with the Whispers it appears that certain events that would have been due to happen (the original ending with Red XIII, Aerith’s death, etc) may not happen at all – or at least, not in the way we think.

#GUESS WHO FINISHED THE GAME THIS MORNING SUCKAS #this girl #this post contains spoilers so do not go any further if you haven't finished the game #it's not really that in-depth but i was trying something new #it got kinda long tho #and a lot of this was written before i finished the game #if you guys want to know my opinion on anything i've missed out just send me a message #and yes this means the hiatus is OVER #gifs are incoming #everything will be tagged #ffviir spoilers #for at least the next few months #text post

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im-totally-not-an-alien · 4 years

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Final Fantasy 7 prompts # 45

1. Cloud couldn't except that Zack was dead, so he dragged Zacks corpse with him to Midgar.

2. Cloud traded places with Zack the first moment it became an option.

Zack was confused at first, what with suddenly being alive and all...until he realized what Cloud had done to himself

3. Sephiroth had left the scene of the battle once the blond had been captured. It was a thrilling fight, sure, but it was over now.

He watched as the winged blond was dragged down by the heavy capture chains the troopers had been shooting out of the modified cannons. He saw the confusion in his eyes as his sword failed to cut through the reinforced metal alloy, and saw those same eyes fill with fear before he hit the ground.

He made a mental note to track down this subject before the science department could have it's way with him, if he could, he'd keep him all to himself, after all, when was the last time someone had been his equal in combat?

The general was already deep in the surrounding forest when he stopped. The sounds of fighting had resumed. He cursed before sprinting back to the battlefield, but he was too late.

He wanted to puke. There, surrounded by the bodies of nameless troopers and SOLDIERS, was the man...with Genesis, his friend impaled on his sword.

He was frozen, whether it be from the shock or horror of the situation he may never know. He could do nothing but watch as Genesis used the last of his strength to place a bloody hand onto the blonds shoulder and grin. "Nothing awaits you but a somber morrow, no matter where the winds may blow."

4. Cloud wasn't happy to have Sephiroth on the back of his motorcycle, but he needed all the help he could get to save Vincent from the scientists.

He should have seen the betrayal coming long before it happened

5. Time traveler Cloud disguised as a SOLDIER 2nd Class threatened Sephiroths precious paperwork so that the silverette would go out and have fun with Zack.

It worked, but the general became curious about the 2nd Class who never took off his helmet and refused to tell them his name or show his face, despite sparring and hanging out with them so much.

By the time they discovered the truth it was too late and the man escaped. Sephiroth didn't understand why his heart ached so much at the loss.

6. Bad end where Cloud finally breaks and is forced back in time by Jenova.

The blond still absolutely hates Sephiroth and avoids him like the plague as he uses the pull of Reunion to find and collect most of his mothers missing cells.

At some point she begins to self heal and becomes more coherent, praising her little blond and promising love and comfort to him once they're among the stars

7. Cloud winds up in the home of happy Sefikura and is drawn in by the sound of a crying baby.

He can't help but coo and care for them, saddened that these are the children he will never get to have, but greatful he got the chance to meet them anyway. He finished changing a diaper when this worlds Sephiroth quietly complemented his diaper skills from the doorway.

8. Time traveler Cloud casually curing Angeal and Genesis's degradation with vials of Aeriths holy water.

He feels betrayed when they try to drag him to Shinra, despite thier benevolent intentions.

9. Clone Cloud au where Cloud starts visiting the true Clouds grave more frequently and Reeve gets suspicious.

Out of worry he has Cait Sith, Vincent and Yuffie tail him. They weren't prepared for what they overheard.

10. Sephiroth gets trapped and tangled up in Clouds mess of broken memories.

He actually feels a little bad for his poor unwanted puppet.

11. Jenova's Cloud comes to Shinra to bring CC Sephiroth back to Mother

12. CC Sephiroth hearing the planet scream at random points throughout his week.

People start to notice how jittery he is

13. Demon Cloud was sleeping peacefully in his underground lair in Wutai when he was startled awake by the sounds of a battle above him.

He expected it to end quickly, as battles tend to do, only for it to drag on, each explosion more nerve grating than the last, until finally he dragged himself out of bed and joined the frey.

He recognized the human ninjas, as they had been friendly with him before, treating him with the reverence and respect of a god. Naturally, he sided with him and the battle was quickly ended in thier favor.

14. Sephiroth is revived as a toddler with no memory of his past life. Vincent decided to raise Lucrecias son, but without telling the other members of AVALANCHE

15. 10 year old Cloud has been having wierd dreams lately, not the In your math class while wearing a banana suit wierd, but the prophetic We're all gonna die unless I do these specific things wierd

So he sneaks out at night and managed to break into the Shinra mansion...

#cloud strife #sephiroth #sefikura #yuffie kisaragi #vincent valentine #cait sith #clone au #zack fair #jenova #angst #genesis rhapsodos #angeal hewley #ff7 story prompts #ff7 prompts #ff7 #ff7 crisis core #final fantasy 7 #final fantasy prompts #prompts

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