#I want to see in side Aerith's brain

[flipomatic]

Arm's Length

Summary: Aerith had learned to keep people at arm’s length. All it took was a little deflection here, a question turned around like barbs instead of answered there, an engulfing smile or sometimes a pout stretched coyly across her face. She learned that if she acted as they expected, then they would accept her.

Though Aerith felt safe, she was also so often alone. There was one person though, someone who Aerith had only known for a few months, who she felt could see right through her.

Aerith glanced up at the window where that one person had waved from earlier, but Tifa was gone.

Word Count: 2,000

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Aerith glanced down at the high ankles of her boots, which dangled back and forth beneath her. The gap below extended far past the reach of her limbs, all the way down to the dusty dirt paths that led through town. Gravity kept water moving through the pipes, from the water tower to the surrounding buildings and then back to the ground, with a force as unstoppable as souls returning to the planet. If Aerith were to gently kick one of her boots off it would succumb, perhaps beaning an unsuspecting black cloak over the head in the process.

The thought brought the hint of a chuckle to her lips, but no she wouldn’t do that. Instead, her eyes tracked a distinct spattering of spiky blonde hair emerging from the house across that distant path. Cloud staggered slightly when the sun hit his gaze, right foot faltering as he turned towards the inn.

When he stumbled again, this time bumping roughly into a pedestrian, Aerith’s hand tightened against the edge of the scaffold. His behavior had been worrying for a while and had been even more troubling lately. Especially in Gongaga, though Aerith hadn’t seen it Tifa told her later what had happened. Even knowing that the Weapon hadn’t meant any harm didn’t stop her from remembering the chilling wash of fear and panic as she had searched the mako desperately for any sign of life. Learning that Cloud had knocked her in, put Tifa in immense danger, only made the feeling worse.

When he reached the inn, vanishing inside without so much as a glance back, Aerith released a sigh. It had felt strange to sit up here with him, to be together where so many of his childhood memories had been formed. It must’ve been nice to have a normal childhood, she thought, with friends who actually liked you.

That was a sour thought, bitter in the back of her throat as Aerith swallowed it back. It wasn’t that she didn’t have any friends as a child, but even as a young girl her heritage had hung like a hammer over her head. When they found out, or even if they didn’t, things would always change for the worse. When they decided she was rude, or angry, or introspective, or as so many unkind kids had put it, creepy, they always turned away.

Aerith had learned to keep people at arm’s length. All it took was a little deflection here, a question turned around like barbs instead of answered there, an engulfing smile or sometimes a pout stretched coyly across her face. She learned that if she acted as they expected, then they would accept her.

Though Aerith felt safe, she was also so often alone. There was one person though, someone who Aerith had only known for a few months, who she felt could see right through her.

Aerith glanced up at the window where that one person had waved from earlier, but Tifa was gone.

Her eyes were next drawn down to the entranceway of the house. On the right side, near where the mailbox was, she found Tifa. The other woman leaned against one of the pillars that supported the second floor, eyes closed with her head tilted back against it.

Perhaps it was time to go see her. Aerith carefully gathered her feet beneath herself before standing up, brushing any loose dirt from the back of her dress. The breeze rustled her braid as she descended slowly from the platform one rung at a time.

Once she reached the bottom of the ladder, her destination was only a few steps away. Tifa hadn’t moved from before, not so much as an inch. From this distance Aerith could see that she almost looked relaxed if not for the familiar clench of anxiety in her fingers.

Tifa’s eyes fluttered open when Aerith approached, a hint of red visible within them even in the shaded light. Her hair was mussed slightly as she rightened herself from the post, lips lifting in a warm smile.

“Enjoying your tour?”

Aerith tucked her arms behind her back and nodded as she responded. “The water tower made for a great look out point.”

“I bet.” Tifa broke eye contact to glance up at the tower. “You can see everything from there.”

“Pretty much!”

When Tifa’s gaze came back to meet her own, her expression had shifted into a more pensive one. “Well, not quite everything. I know you saw through the window but…” She faltered in her words and turned her eyes down towards her hands, which came together to fidget. Tifa’s tone was soft, almost uncertain. “This is where I grew up, well, it used to be. Would you like to see it?”

Aerith’s heart panged in her chest. “Of course, if you want to show me.” She stepped forward and placed her hand gently on Tifa’s joined ones. “Lead the way.”

Tifa nodded once, mouth setting in a resolute line, before turning to do just that. Aerith trailed behind her through the front door of what used to be her home.

They passed through the downstairs areas one at a time, dodging around men in black cloaks throughout the first level of the building.

Tifa told her a story about how she used to train with her dad in the living room, but one time he deflected her kick straight through the wall and that was the end of that. She pointed out where the damage would’ve been in the old house, though this new one showed no sign of it. Tifa ran her hand over that spot on the wall, closing her eyes for a moment before pulling back.

“He sounds like a wonderful dad.” Aerith said, trying to keep the melancholy out of her tone. She hadn’t realized it until long after breaking out of Shinra, but she had never known her father or even a real father figure. It didn’t bother her too much, but in times like these she couldn’t help but think about it.

“Yeah, he was.” Tifa looked over at her with a hint of emotion in her eyes, head tilted slightly. Then, inexplicably, she smiled broadly. “I’m sure he would’ve loved you, you know. He looked after everyone; he was always kind like that.”

Aerith inhaled sharply, the response being an unexpected one. It cut straight through her thoughts, directly to her concerns and worries. This time when Aerith’s heart throbbed, it was a warmer feeling. It took a few moments for her to gather herself for a soft reply.

“Like father like daughter.”

This drew a hint of pink to Tifa’s cheeks, as well as a shake of her head. “Those are big shoes to fill.”

“I believe in you.” Aerith said strongly, her voice steady and firm. She believed every word.

Tifa’s reply came low under her breath, her face already turned away from Aerith. “Thank you.”

The two continued their trip through the house until they reached the upstairs. There were only two rooms up there, one of which Tifa pointed out as her dad’s room.

“And this one is mine.” Tifa didn’t hesitate as she pulled open the door, allowing both of them to enter.

The room itself was small and looked about the same from the inside as it had from the view on the water tower. There was a cabinet, a bed, and a piano all occupying space within the room.

Tifa went over to linger by the piano, while Aerith moved to look out the window. She could imagine past her sitting out on that platform, staring down at the abyss beneath her feet. She was on the second floor here as well, but with an entire building below her.

Aerith sat down on the side of the bed, longing again for a childhood home like this one with a childhood friend right next door. How was it that Cloud was lucky enough to know Tifa his whole life, but Aerith didn’t get to meet her until a few months ago?

“A gil for your thoughts?” Tifa’s voice came chipper and inquisitive from right in front of her.

Aerith looked up at her, covering up her surprise by lifting one finger to her chin. “For anyone else they’re not for sale. But for you, hmm…” Tifa’s eyes glimmered with emotion, concern or worry perhaps, as she waited for Aerith to finish her response. She must’ve been watching her think for a while.

They had come here into Tifa’s house to dig up her old memories, haunting and sad and terrible memories, but she wanted to know what Aerith was thinking about? If it was anyone else Aerith would’ve thought they were prying, or perhaps stalling or deflecting, but not Tifa. No, Tifa asked because she cared.

Lately, in what felt like a completely incomprehensible way, Tifa had pushed past the invisible boundaries Aerith erected around herself. This was just another moment, one of hundreds or thousands or more. In the gaze of Tifa’s kindness and care, there was nowhere for Aerith to hide. And, for perhaps the first time, she didn’t want to.

“Free.” Aerith declared with a smirk.

Tifa let out a half chuckle, gaze softening a little. “Tell me then, please.”

Aerith followed Tifa with her gaze as she sat down to her left, their knees almost touching. She took a deep breath, warm from just how close Tifa was. “I was thinking about this town. It feels odd to be where you and Cloud grew up. I never had that kind of childhood.”

Tifa moved one hand to cover Aerith’s in her lap when she paused, a silent gesture of support.

Aerith kept talking. “I always wished for a childhood friend, someone who would understand the real me. Even after escaping Shinra it was hard, being here just reminds me of that.”

“I see.” Tifa replied quietly, voice barely audible. Her face was close too, their foreheads only inches apart.

“But I’ve also been thinking that we only have so much time ahead of us, I can’t just dwell on the past.” Aerith continued, smiling softly as she spoke. “I need to appreciate the friends I’ve made, who see me for who I am. Especially you, Tifa. Ever since we met, my life has changed for the better.” Aerith finished without hesitation. “You’re the best friend I could ever ask for.” Maybe there was more to add to that once Aerith had more time to work through her feelings. For now, this was enough.

“Aerith….” Tifa’s slow inhale, so close yet still too far away, sent a tremor down her spine. “And you’re mine. You brighten every day and inspire me to push on despite the odds. No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you.”

“Thank you.” Aerith blinked away the start of a few tears, unable to stop one from escaping. Tifa’s hand released hers and rose gently to brush that tear away. “Thank you…” She repeated, voice trailing away this time.

The touch of Tifa’s finger lingered against Aerith’s cheek for a heartbeat longer as silence took over the room, quiet but safe and warm.

Aerith leaned her head against Tifa’s shoulder for what she told herself would only be a few minutes. The warmth of an arm around her back followed, pulling Aerith even closer. The two sat together in this small room, on the second floor of a rebuilt house, in what should’ve been a destroyed town, enjoying the kindness of each other’s warmth.

What did Aerith do to deserve her? She didn’t know, but she prayed to the planet, to the lifestream, to any being out there that would listen for this relationship to last. She hoped against all odds that the cruelty of her fate would leave well enough alone and not tear the two apart, that the inevitability of gravity wouldn’t send them tumbling to their doom.

She prayed to be able to spend another day at Tifa’s side.

#aerti #ff7 rebirth #ff7 rebirth fanfic #aerti fanfic #aerith gainsborough #tifa lockhart #flip writes #continuing to cross post on tumblr cuz why not #spoilers through chapter 11 of rebirth #character study #I want to see in side Aerith's brain #is that too much to ask

[andrewwtca]

when are we reborn? a messy Final Fantasy VII Rebirth essay

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH SPOILERS AHEAD

I just finished Rebirth yesterday. It took me 72 hours. There were some things that I didn’t love—but I loved the majority of it, and god were the things I loved amazing. This is genuinely one of the greatest video games I’ve ever played and one of the most immersive stories I’ve ever witnessed. This is what video games can be. I’ve seen some people call it a must-play and I have to agree. It’s just such an experience.

And, in my typical fashion, my brain already started to literary analyze. The game presents so much in nearly every aspect a theorizer or analyzer would want, leading me to wonder what its forefront means. So behold a very messy impromptu essay about the meaning of Rebirth.

what’s in a name?

Let’s start with Remake. What does its title serve to do? It informs about what the story will give us from three angles: first, a meta angle. It’s letting us know that this is, obviously, a remake of FF7. Secondly, it provides a narrative angle. It’s letting us know that everything we hold true about the world of FF7 will be remade. We learn this through the inclusion of the Whispers, who provide a literal narrative reason for why the story is different this time around. Destiny and fate are now active forces in the narrative. And finally, it provides insight into the characters. It tells us that what we are going to see is the same characters but in a completely new light. This is especially true with Cloud, who we see in the original (hence dubbed ‘OG’ and ‘the OG’) act stoic and standoffish until hours and hours in the game. In Remake, we see the ‘true’ Cloud shine through very early on, through his kindness and headaches.

And Remake is also just a badass name for the series. The Remake trilogy. That’s just good.

What is the meaning of Rebirth then? From a meta angle, we can see that it’s giving birth to a completely new world, one we never got to experience in the OG. With its tens of quests and hours upon hours of side content, we are witnesses to a rebirth of what FF7 is and can be. From a narrative angle, rebirth refers to the establishment of new timelines. The world is reborn time and time again, branches of the original timeline that are usually doomed to end in disaster. (Hence, Sephiroth Reborn.) And finally, when considering the characters? That’s where the word rebirth truly shines.

role call

FF7 is praised for having such a strong cast of characters. While some people may fairly argue how this holds up over the compilation, the OG has a diverse, fun, and just alive cast of characters. From a vengeful man learning how to let go of his anger to fight for justice and his daughter to a teenage ninja wanting to liberate her country, we get such a colorful range of stories that it’s no wonder FF7 attracts such a wide range of fans.

And it’s not just as individuals: as a team, the characters are a delight. They are the essence of found family with a connection to one another that highlights the true theme of the game: that the true way to combat capitalism, threats to the planet, and evil as a whole is through love. It’s hard for me to even pinpoint a single relationship that highlights this the most because they’re all so important to the narrative of each other’s character growth.

We have Cloud who inspires the cast and the cast helps learn him to accept and love himself. We have Aerith who teaches the cast about the world and the cast gives her friendship that she never felt in her life. We have Tifa who teaches the cast about willpower and the cast teaches her self-confidence. We have Barret who teaches the cast about the will to never give up and the cast gives him the steps to giving up his pursuit of revenge and fighting for the ones he loves. We have Nanaki who teaches the cast about their authentic selves and the cast lets him be his. We have Yuffie who teaches the cast about the importance of community and the cast gives her a community that unconditionally cares for her. We have Cid who teaches the cast about finding new dreams and the cast gives him a way to achieve those dreams. We have Vincent who teaches the cast about responsibility and the cast teaches him about self-forgiveness. We have Cait Sith. This is the most bare-bone summary of what they bring each other emotionally, not even touching on individual relationships or their place in combat.

But when talking about this story from a meta perspective, what actually ties these characters together? In the OG, it’s a bit unclear. They all have some reason for fighting Sephiroth and they all have some reason for wanting to save the planet. They have some introduction that gets them on this wild train ride, but what was the reason for putting this cast together? What lets them build this relationship?

Remake and, in particular, Rebirth makes it simple: loss.

giving and taking

With all that Rebirth gives us, we have lost so much. In going from Midgar to the rest of the world, we’ve lost the familiar steel sky, we lose the familiar streets, and we’re thrust into the unknown journey. All our characters lose their normality: Cloud is no longer a slum merc, Barret is no longer with Marlene, Tifa is no longer a bartender, Aerith is no longer a flower seller, and Nanaki is no longer an experiment. (Note for that last one: loss is not always a negative experience.)

In this unknown journey, we are constantly exposed to these two extremes of gaining and losing. Following the Bandits' journey, they lose their bandit identity, gaining one of a corporate entity before forgoing that one and returning to their roots, but in a new light. Following Kyrie’s journey, she constantly tries to gain a new life as a merc but due to her laziness, loses it before reuniting with her grandmother, the Angel of the Slums, and re-establishing her life in a new light. It might seem like they are gaining, losing, and then returning to their original state, but that original state is gone. Just like how Sector 7 may one day exist again, the plate is gone, those people are gone, and things cannot go back to how they were.

Zack’s entire episode is about this loss of normality. His normal before Nibelheim was Shinra. His normal after Nibelheim was the labs. His normal after the labs was that struggle to survive and take care of Cloud. And finally, when he makes it to Midgar? The world is ending. He’s gained a second chance and he’s about to lose everything for good this time, when he’s already lost so much of his identity. With Aerith unconscious, he has lost any sense of direction and doesn’t know where to go or what to do. He just wanted to start where he left off, but where he left off no longer exists. He has no choice but to forge forward.

All the different timelines show him gaining something: in the timeline where he goes after Cloud’s cure, he gains apathy toward the end of the world. In the timeline where he goes after Biggs, he gains a will to keep going, to reclaim his life. In the timeline where he does nothing, he gains access to an entirely new world; that ending doesn’t quite hit the mark, but it follows the pattern. With all that Zack has lost, at the very end, he gains something, for better and for worse. He has forged forward, through loss gaining something new.

The very game starts with that showcase of loss: Cloud’s retelling of the Nibelheim Incident. Despite his version not being accurate, this tragedy is the epicenter of Cloud’s character and goes on a tidal wave of losing and gaining. It starts with something lost: Nibelheim burning. And then, something gained: Cloud’s status as an experience. Lost: Cloud no longer knows who he is in those experiments. Gained: Zack saves him, and his status is now free. Lost: Zack dies. Gained: Claiming Zack’s memories, Cloud Strife, First Class Soldier is created.

Or, in other words: Cloud is reborn. Again and again, Cloud is reborn. Once as an experiment, again as a free, comatose man, and once again as a SOLDIER (see: a mentally ill, conscious man). Cloud ‘dies’ and is ‘reborn,’ and he is constantly redefining himself, whether by choice (such as in Advent Children) or against his will (such as pretty much every other moment in his life.)

This theme of loss leading to rebirth is shown masterfully in the beautiful Trial of the Ancients sequence. We have Nanaki who loses his freedom, even loses his name, becoming Red XIII. We have Tifa who loses her home, loses her father, and loses everything she’s ever known. We have Yuffie who loses Sonon, leading to an extreme mental breakdown. We have Barret who loses his wife, loses his best friend, and loses his home indirectly due to his actions. And we have Aerith, who loses her mother and loses the only life she’s known.

Not shown in the trials, we know what the others have lost: Cid (whose backstory in OG was his losing the ability to make his dream of going to space come true) who loses so much freedom due to Shinra and loses Elmyra. Vincent who loses Lucrecia and loses his place in life. Cait Sith (see: Reeve) who loses the lives of thousands.

These characters do not know the extent of each other’s losses—they are not even aware of each other’s losses. But they are connected through it. They have all lost so much; and yet, they are reborn.

Nanaki becomes Red XIII who becomes a new, loved Nanaki. Tifa becomes a bartender who becomes a warrior for the planet. Yuffie becomes a part of a new team who becomes her true glowing self. Barret becomes a father who becomes the leader of an AVALANCHE branch. Aerith becomes a new daughter who becomes a florist. Cid becomes a pilot who becomes the team’s pilot. Vincent becomes a non-literal vampire who becomes a leading force against Sephiroth. Cait Sith literally died and was literally reborn.

They are reborn from their memories and through their love. Their loss carries them forward, oftentimes hindering them from connecting with others. And yet, it is that hindrance that connects them. It is the struggle that connects them. What they lose in immediate friendship, they gain in lifelong comradery. For example, Cloud and Barret couldn’t see on the same planet, let alone eye-to-eye when they first met, and they, throughout Remake, became each other’s ride or dies.

Even we, the players, are reborn in the story. We experience the loss of Aerith once again in a new light, in a new tragic twist, and we have gained so much by the reimagining of her character and here we are again, losing.

With every step we take, we are leaving the one behind us. They are footprints that we have made, footprints we cannot erase, but we have left them behind us. And we continue to forge forward a new path. We cannot be born again, for we are already alive. Yet we can reinvent ourselves with the knowledge we have.

who we are

So, who gets to be reborn? All of us.

Every gain is a loss and every loss is a gain. There’s loss, gain, and grief everywhere. Grief is love lingering, and there is love everywhere. Grief is loss and grief is gain. These characters have lost so much, have had so much grief piled onto them that it should surely destroy them, and yet they gain: they become new versions of themselves, for better and for worse.

That is the meaning of Rebirth and that is the message of Rebirth: love, live, lose, and then do it all again. That is what ties us together in life. Love and loss are two sides of the same coin like life and death. There cannot be one without the other. And if you let loss overtake you, you stop living; much like Sephiroth. He let the loss of his normality define him. He lost everything and was reborn one last time as a monster.

We lose every single day. We lose keys and we lose arguments and we lose our minds. And we gain every single day. We gain friends and we gain insight and we gain new ways forward. And so, we are reborn every single day. Every step we take, every word we say, we are redefining who we are, who we want to be, and who we can be. Just like how all of Cloud’s new hobbies (dancing, crossdressing, photography, cards, chocobo racing) in Rebirth give him a new path forward, so too do all our choices. Our fates are up to us, just as it is up to them. We are the ultimate harbingers of our destiny.

So when are we reborn? Every single second we are alive. So make the most of life, and above all, love and lose.

I hope this ‘essay’ was readable. I hope you gained something and hopefully didn’t lose your mind. Thank you for reading!

#ff7 #ff7 rebirth #rebirth spoilers #media analysis #literary analysis is my special interest #andrew's essays #meta essay #ff7 meta #if there's any big issues lmk I wrote this on 5 hours of sleep while fasting #they just make me feel things #grief and love and all that...

[silver-wield]

OF COURSE the “cloud strife is mentally fine” shit ass take is gonna come from *that* side of the fandom. they truly are brain dead. every single thing i see from them makes me question if they can dig themselves into a deeper hole, and the answer is yes. every single time, undoubtedly, YES. they just get worse and worse. every single thing they say points to the obvious: they don’t play the game and/or they’ve very successfully trained themselves to only see what they want to see.

because honestly even if you say there’s multiple timelines, there is not one single timeline in which cloud meets aerith with a non damaged brain. cloud being brain damaged is LITERALLY how the game starts, at which point the only party member he knows is tifa. everyone else he meets and develops a bond with, they’re interacting with a hodge podge version of him. doesn’t mean that their bonds are worthless, it just means he’s NOT MENTALLY FINE.

and if cloud and aerith had met if he was well? then cloti would just cloti even harder, because then jenova/sephiroth (ie the main driver of his brain damage) wouldn’t be there to get in the way of how cloud feels about the girl he planned to build his entire life around. like hello??

i’m not even all that shippy but their dumbassery makes my head spin holy hell

They're too dumb to understand the plot 🤷

#ship war #for the plot

[freelanceexorcist]

FFVII Rebirth spoilers under the cut.

I thought I was watching chapter 1, but I was actually seeing all the Zack Fair cutscenes. Yeah, yesterday was one of those days when giant brain farts are all you have to work with.

But yeah.

So from what I gather so far, any time one choice is made or event takes place, it creates a world where the opposite happened, and the white Whispers are involved in that. In the world where Stamp is a beagle, Zack and Biggs both die. In the world where he’s a Yorkie, they live thanks to the white Whispers.

Black Whispers = inescapable fate, white Whispers = choices and multiple outcomes of events. Black Whispers = weaponized by Jenovaroth from what I can tell, White Whispers = maybe created by the planet because it turns out that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results really is insanity and the whole cycles/destiny thing was a bad idea after all. Black Whispers = Watashi Sephiroth, white Whispers = Ore Sephiroth.

I think I’ve got it. Zack’s choosing to visit Hojo creates another world where we see what would have happened if he’d chosen to save Biggs instead, and in this world, Stamp is a pug. Yeah, now that I think about it, they kinda beat us over the head with that one.

And then there’s of course The Thing, which I didn’t understand AT ALL without the context from the Zack scenes. The Thing happened in the Beagleverse, which created yet another where Stamp will be some other breed of dog and we seem to see the existence of both of them at once briefly, like we did at the end of Remake. We see the world where Cloud doesn’t get there in time and Jenovaroth holding a bloody sword as Aerith collapses and we see the one where Cloud does get there in time, Jenovaroth is disarmed and Masamune gets stuck in the stone. The final scene before the credits roll where Aerith leaves the party to do what she needs to on her own may take place in this new universe.

Interesting.

They’re going full quantum multiverse on this bitch, it seems, and I. Am. Here for it. I’ll leave it at that because theoretical physics is so not my wheelhouse. And by saying that, I may have spawned a universe where I’m Michio Kaku.

Makes me think, though. If those white Whispers had just paid a visit to the Shinra mansion library and worked their mojo on a  certain someone, it would have spared at least one universe a whole lot of misery. I’m just sa—

Whoa.

Whooooooooaa.

Where’s my speculatin’ hat? No, not that one. This gets the fancy one. Ah…

I’m gonna guess this is how we got Ore Sephiroth. Him losing his shpadoinkles and going HAM on Nibelheim spawned a world where he didn’t. Might have still gone crazy, but didn’t cross the Face-to-Heel event horizon in such a spectacular and devastating way. Maybe he was puzzled by why all of a sudden there was so much wind in a closed basement room and the next thing he knew, he woke up on the floor with Zack and some vampire-looking dude in a red cloak standing over him. Maybe he decides to return to Midgar and throttle the truth out of Hojo instead of spending any more time in that damn basement.

Speaking of Hojo, maybe him refusing to give young Sephiroth any information about his mother besides her “name” spawned a universe where he had some mercy and gave him at least a picture of her, giving us the Ever Crisis world. I hope Stamp is a golden retriever in this world, because if anyone needs the presence of a golden retriever, it’s young Sephiroth.

Because who, I mean who, could turn to the dark side after looking at this even just briefly?

The worlds starting to blur together is why he can be in the Beagleverse as well as his own.

Zack, it seems, can also move between worlds, but it doesn’t seem like he realizes this. Maybe Cloud also has the ability.

Damn.

You want a Cloud/Zack/Sephiroth team-up to take down the final boss of the trilogy along with the rest of the party? Because this is how you get a Zack/Cloud/Sephiroth team-up to take down the final boss of the trilogy along with the rest of the party.

I guess we’ll have to wait another four years to find out if we ever do (only about halfway through all the cutscenes so far so *shrugs*). No problem, I can have lots of fun with it while I wait.

I wonder in Ore Sephiroth’s world, if that ends up being a thing, what Stamp’s breed will be. Maybe an Italian greyhound. Those are some cute little buggers.

I mean, look at this little derp:

Odds and ends:

So Barret, Tifa and Red really did die in the Yorkieverse and poor Marlene is an orphan now. Damn.

“If she wakes up, the scary man is gonna kill her!” So, I guess her waking up would be like sending up the Bat Signal and letting Watashi know where she is.

Look, I got no skin in the game when it comes to the Cloud/Aerith pairing. It does nothing for me, but if others love it, great. But that scene with the photographer? Oh lord, I cringed so hard my face caved in.

And wait, what? How can two Clouds and two Aeriths exist simultaneously in the same universe? We’ve got the two who are comatose and the two who became a couple. Could this be foreshadowing the Reunion and the worlds are already starting to meld together? Seems like it, and that rift in the sky may be part of it.

Which kinda makes me wonder: does this open the door to the final installment having multiple possible endings?

Oh yeah!

That’s all for now. Gotta take a break before this story makes my head explode. If you’ve stuck around this long, thank you.

#FFVII Rebirth spoilers #FF7 Rebirth spoilers #Zack Fair #Sephiroth #mind. blown.

[glowyjellyfish]

Once the demo loaded for me, I only had about an hour and a half to play before I had to quit and go to bed, and I spent most of that time on the piano minigame.

Some thoughts:

Cloud is such a baby omg. Part of it is the obvious Zack dialogue blatantly coming from his mouth, of course. Loved the obvious swap where Secret-Cloud-Grunt (Ramirez, if you will) was clearly assigned the lines Zack said to Cloud. Cloud’s brain what are you doing.

Sephiroth will take some time to master, especially as I barely remember the controls. He looks like an idiot when I am controlling him, lol. Perfect acting on him and everyone really so far, A+.

I am going to miss so many climbable surfaces

the mountains are so spiky

NIBELHEIM PORK SANDWICH. Well there’s my themed meal! (May not actually do, but come on they threw that out for me a couple weeks in advance??)

I am gonna master every song on that piano dammit. I got very close to star rank tonight, only 2 Goods and the rest Great!

Pretty sure that on my first play through, I am going to do as much as possible and whatever feels right with regards to the affection system. I can’t not rifle through Tifa’s room, for one thing, and I’m never gonna say no to a side quest. Aerith or Tifa would be preferred for the date on my first playthrough, but if I wind up hanging with Cait Sith because I wanted to glean all available information on how he functions and whether Reeve is talking directly to me, so be it.

It’s possible I got some things right in my wild guessing since Remake—more likely character stuff than actual plot, I think—but honestly I am looking forward to being completely wrong about most things.

Also it warms my heart how much Cid and Vincent were in that trailer. Maybe Vincent won’t be spilling his major trauma immediately after we meet him?

Day 2:

Took me probably another hour to get star rank on the piano

Something about Obvious Zack Behavior is incredibly cute when it’s Cloud doing it

I feel like I may have missed a lot of crates and chests

The normal chit chat with Sephiroth and Cloud and Tifa? Omg

Trooper cloud saved Tifa’s life without her knowing!

Sephiroth saved Tifa’s life in the river and Zack saved Cloud’s life, poor nameless other guy but ❤️ Zack and boy must Tifa feel weird about that memory

I want to explore the whole Shinra mansion so badly, I found Vincent’s room and the tubes

I really like how rebirth made it a little clearer that Sephiroth snapped because Jenova started having influence on him once he reached her. Not that I’m trying to make her the villain and him the victim—pretty sure once he falls in the Lifestream, he’s running the show with all his own villainy going, Jenova’s basically The Thing—I just like that the flashes compared to flashes Cloud has had show her influence on him. I like that they didn’t go too hard in making him Evil; you can still see the underlying tragedy.

(I mean, we all know Hojo is the real villain and I think even Sephiroth would agree on that)

Also on multiple occasions I asked Sephiroth why he was so pretty

I REALLY like how those who are in the know about cloud and Zack can easily read between the lines and see what Actual Cloud did—not only showing us Random Trooper on the ground saying “Mo…” but also showing that Cloud’s memories match.

the struggle of having cloud drag himself along the ground while Sephiroth murdered people was AMAZING.

How dare they stop right there before the flashback is over. I know the point is to be tantalizing and they probably changed a thing or two but. Come onnnnnnn let Cloud deliver the cliffhanger.

(Oh, I did look at Tifa’s dresser but then said it was a joke, did not impress anybody lol. Should’ve stayed away!)

(I would like a screenshot of Cloud saying “hey Sephiroth, whatcha got there?” Sephiroth: A KNIFE

#ff7 rebirth #ff7 rebirth demo #ff7 rebirth spoilers

[phoenixcatch7]

Because my brain has three fanfic ideas on rotation, I have of course gotten struck by the idea of reincarnating Ichigo Kurosaki into someone from ff7. But I'm torn - I can't decide which character to choose!

Obviously, I can't have him overwrite someone too different from him; it'll take out all the tension and character relationships. No one around him would believe it's the same person as before, and no one would trust him nor could he 'continue' to fill the original role. There'd be an intervention of some type, he'd lose his job, and be pretty quickly shunted out of the story, thematically (and literally). The dissonance would be too great. On the other hand, anyone too similar might lead to negligible differences to their original role in the story, bar the new overwhelming power, which again doesn't make for very good stakes.

You've got to achieve a good blend of before and after, to achieve that perfect sweet spot of believable assumptions and explanations for the change. 'We think he had amnesia' or 'we don't really know what happened, but trauma changes everyone' or even 'I wonder what happened when he was gone?'. You want to achieve that down but not gone energy, unintentional on the arriving character's side or not. So:

Options and explanations under the cut! (kinda long lol)

Aerith: Unconventional but huge potential!! Would be very cool indeed! Good parallels, good plot relevance to enter the final fight - there'd be some snags, mostly with the flowers and turks, and she's way more smiley than Ichigo lol. But the determination to help the community and (most of) the individuals in it remains, either through his help at the clinic or stubbornly maintaining and defending memorials to the dead. He's used flowers before, heck it's his opening scene. It's easy to imagine him seeing the affect greenery has in this new world and throwing his all into working with it like aerith did. Her connection to the lifestream, which is basically the reiatsu/afterlife of the world, would translate seamlessly to his sensory abilities. Heck, his full bring has green light effects!! It's perfect! And even if he followed canon and got killed he's got his shinigami form and copious amounts of bloodlust.

But fr imagine, it's cloud v sephiroth, the fate of the world hangs in the balance, sephiroth is obsessed with cloud - but what's this! It's aerith with a steel chair and a giant glowing sword!

(also I really don't care about the gender difference lol, so here Ichigo wouldn't either!)

Sephiroth: visually their ideal/true designs are very similar (long statement colour hair, very long thin sword, inhuman eyes, big billowing black coat/trousers) and it'd be annoying to have two people with such similar designs and bloodline selling points, but on the other..... I can't NOT have an Ichigo vs sephiroth, come on! If I went this route I wouldn't even bother changing the hair colour lmao, and it'd combine with his hollow characteristics perfectly! Wings AND horns!!! Strong 'I can be your angel or your devil' energy, new sword combos, his job is basically being the biggest scariest threat out there, which Ichigo excels at. But as an equivalent captain role, he'd also get stuck with the paperwork LMAO. Sucks to suck, pretty boy. And of course the jenova issue would just result in Ichigo and Co (zangetsu and ossan) eating her for breakfast, let's be real. He finds those papers he's burning the mansion to the ground himself, not nibleheim. Of course that means no world ending threat to kick-start the story, but hey, shrinras still around, which is basically the same thing.

They've got so many parallels; hybrid entities specially engineered to be (in)human weapons, raised oblivious to their true heritage, mothers purposely infected with monsters that got passed on to them, weapon and fighting prodigies of insane proportions rapidly out classing everyone around the despite their young age, a human shaped mf of a villain who claimed they did this on purpose to forge them into what they are today... Falling to their monstrous forms in rage and pain, voices whispering cruelty in their heads... But where sephiroth fell to madness and cruelty Ichigo responded with unexpected maturity, determination and was able to accept his demons as his own, and not be consumed. He came out the other side a better person. The potential is IMMENSE.

But.... Ichigo vs sephiroth. And the personality change would basically be an inversion XD.

Angeal: he was who I originally considered - a side character enough to be interesting, honour bound like Ichigo, big black special broadsword with special origins, down to adopt small children (like teenage (?) super soldiers) and would actually take very good care of them (if with a... Unique training style XD). Perfectly positioned to massively affect the story through small changes or be an amazing wildcard. The story would be able to be SOLDIER 1st domesticity too, which I love, and there'd be a wonderfully interesting dynamic with the other two as his massive new strength and skills become known, throwing off the long established power balance and getting the attention of Science. His own storyline in crisis core is ripe for aus. I had the idea of his old orange bleeding into his black hair and making it look like tiger stripes, but genesis has bright orange hair already and it'd be too similar lmao.

You could do so much with the similar codes of honour and how that plays into fighting people so much weaker than you and just comporting yourself when you're capable of that much damage. Angel's loyalty and honour being bound to shinra and SOLDIER vs Ichigos notorious and categoric refusal to bend the knee to authority and his history of stubbornly toppling similarly injust regimes. Not to mention the modern general loathing for... The very foundation of shinra, really lol. And the circumstances when that honour falls apart. Angel dropped it like a hot potato when his degradation started setting in (which, under the circumstances understandable if not to that degree) vs Ichigo who will go down with this ship UNTIL you touch a hair on his protected's heads and even then you'll get a proper burial.

But... I just can't make him work thematically. Out of everyone in the list, he's got the weakest connection to the world's fate. What satisfying ending could I use?? What would it be working towards? Curing the degradation, perhaps?

Genesis: I just... Don't like him as a character, I confess. His bull headed 'rivalry' and lack of care for collateral (even before the degradation) and constant sniping never endeared himself to me. It reminds me more of grimmjow or noitra than anything else. But I couldn't consider the other two and not also him, and he does come with the orange hair already! And the love of theatre! Ichigo loves Shakespeare especially, so I can definitely see him giving loveless a go and loving it (pun intended). He'd for sure be compelled by the lack of ending, especially given his own thoughts on fate. His ability with materia would differ greatly from Ichigo's norm, he who is horrendous at kido but fantastic at breaking it, so that'd be a problem. And again he suffers from lack of narrative weight on the world scale, but maybe something could be done with the G cells?? Them and S cells were both very similar after all. But nothing that wouldn't already be happening with sephiroth.

Taking this role would probably be the hardest for Ichigo of the three, but it'd be very interesting to see him stretch his literary analysis muscles (which, again - this is a Japanese teenage boy reading Shakespeare in the original middle English in his own time who then occasionally gives hard hitting monologues on the nature of fate and humanity and his hollow sure didn't that verbose and metaphorical from nowhere lol). The amnesia plot line would be very interesting indeed to work with, as long as he got a hair cut.

Zack: Zack is a Shiba through and through. He's fiercely loyal, capable, goofy and hardworking, a shooting star in the ranks and friends with the most unlikely people. He would and does endure the worst torture and saves Cloud. He leaves an enormous legacy, and dies a hero. If it weren't for his chill, happy go lucky golden retriever energy I'd have chosen him over the rest, but it's not a good match for Ichigo, it'd be a crying shame to lose that and have zack go unmourned. I think Ichigo and zack would get on EXCELLENTLY.

If Ichigo did reincarnate into him, I'd have to put it either right when he enters shinra, or surviving hojos lab with cloud. But Ichigo would probably just turn and leave if he wasn't solidly integrated, but by that point zack would have made too many friends XD! Surviving the lab would be the perfect cover for the new super insane strength/abilities and his new reticence, and he'd pretty quickly adopt Cloud so that'd be all well. He'd still be stuck with the effects of heavy mako poisoning like cloud, but hey. I feel he'd overshadow Cloud a LOT though in every way, which is a huge part of the story and the cloud-sephiroth thing isn't something I'm too happy to replace? Idk. It'd be very cool to see, admittedly. He could have tiger hair too!

Cloud finding out Zack isn't who he used to be would be heartwrenching though, possibly replacing a good chunk of the sephiroth gaslighting subplot that would be dropped. An identity reveal in these kinds of fics are rare, but it'd have so much payoff here.

Vincent: ok listen listen listen. Vincent gets a fresh start in a way very very few other characters do. With him Ichigos original personality could shine through the strongest, without any pre conceived notions from the people around him. However! His past and connections make him very well rooted in the grand scheme, should we use it right. He's already used to one feral op monster living rent free in his head (and the interplay of Chaos and Zangetsu, the hollow one especially, would be hilarious lol) and he wouldn't have to explain ANYTHING to anyone lmao. And his hair could do the tiger thing, he could do pretty much anything he wanted in regards to his powers! Hollow bits like horns and eyes? Sure! Quincy stuff with his gun? Why not! And he'd certainly join avalanche, given they woke him up. Ichigo already knowing of ff7 would work fantastically too, but it'd work great even if he went in blind. Vincent's main gun weapon and his solitary ways could remain or go, but it'd also be a good opportunity for Ichigo to flex his meagre quincy abilities, with old man zangetsu as his teacher. And he'd be a good choice (along with sephiroth) to portray Ichigo's feelings of being an outsider in this new and crazy world. Vincent's pretty out of place normally.

But either way you play sephiroths father he'd be so ready to try and save sephiroth once he finds out about lucrecia. Whether sephiroth would be willing to be saved, however... Also he could probably kill jenova lbr. I mean the hardest thing would be getting her head back from sephiroth. Also he'd love that tattered cape coat thing.

Cloud: and of course the most obvious for last - protagonist to protagonist! Letting his new friends assume his 'amnesia' isn't for the reason it actually is, a grouchy but loyal underdog beloved and trusted by the eclectic friends he leads, trying to uncover the truth of this body's past simultaneously before it comes back round to bite him and to discover who it is he's replaced to mourn, guessing at what he can't intuit, clueless as to basic world mechanics. Traumatised by the death of his mother. Struggling with identity issues and something in his head and so so so ready to kill g-d OR BECOME HIM. Spikey hair.

But it's just too obvious and it makes me unhappy. I like unconventional or weirdly fitting options, and well, is it weird I don't want to deprive Cloud of his growth and life in general? Ichigo's had his time as protagonist, I just feel it wouldn't be the best we could do. Ichigo would be such a guiding light for Cloud, an equal in ways so few others can be. They'd be able to connect on so many levels. There's great potential, yes, but I feel it'd almost be too easy. Ichigo would be swept along by the plot rather than being able to change it from the outside. What do you think?

Guest mentions:

Tifa: probably the best match for Ichigo personality wise, and I love the martial arts stuff, but too much of her story revolves around cloud. If she forgets, even with the best intentions, how is anyone going to help restore cloud's memory??

Tseng: it'd be so cool to have a spy Ichigo, admittedly, and also the 'I have super powers that put me on par with sephiroth' reveal would be insane, but Ichigo would probably be sacked if he took over Tseng XD. He is NOT cut out for that sort of subtlety.

Nanaki: I'm a sucker for people turned into creatures when they enter a new time/dimension, and Nanaki being another hojo victim would give him the thematic right to also fight sephiroth with cloud. Also with Ichigo's hollow form we could get a giant monster transformation!! Come on! He'd also be a good fit for Ichigo's sensory skills with reiatsu (listen I know Ichigo is renowned for being kinda bad if it's not intent or people he knows well but it's miles above what normal people have).

Rufus: this would be hilarious. Poor, poor Ichigo. He'd stage a coup. Finding and cleaning up deep ground too would be a very entertaining story lol.

Jenova: okay I know this is bizarre but this is the closest ff7 has to the soul king and Ichigo's soul is pure concentrated reiatsu, which is a pretty one to one equivalent of mako. Like, the life stream as the afterlife instead of a place would freak him out, but come on. Alien King Ichigo. 2000 yo or arriving during sephiroths meltdown or even just before hojo gets hold of her, it'd be so cool to explore. He'd be so not ready to parent a grown mass murderer traumatised lab experiment but man would he be willing to try.

Also, this would be one of the only timelines where sephiroth is saved/talked down. Ichigo being of equal strength already would get even stronger, he'd be able to handle sephiroth, probably take the attention off Cloud at least. You could take any point on the sephiroth spectrum from 'totally unwilling and mind controlled' to 'very eager to continue killing everything and will throw hands with whatever dares get in his way including jenova herself' and it'd work so well! Also I could finally give Ichigo wings. Him vs the WEAPONS would also be super cool. Maybe he could bargain with the planet? And the idea of her and sephiroths hair suddenly flushing neon orange for no discernable reason would be funny lmao.

#This is for fun btw I'm not going to write it... #Right?? #long post #tumblr poll #tumblr polls #polls #poll #ff7 #ff7r #cloud strife #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 #ffvii #sephiroth #aerith gainsborough #ff7 aerith #ffvii aerith #tifa lockhart #Cloud Strife #ff7 cloud #ffvii cloud #sephiroth crescent #You know I like that tag I'm glad we're not accepting hojo even if they were married #ff7 zack #zack fair #angeal hewley #ffvii angeal #ff7 angeal #genesis rhapsodos #vincent valentine

[kimmimaru]

Ok, so for anyone who may be interested I thought I’d list some of my personal headcanon’s for some ff7 characters. Just as an FYI, my headcanon’s tend to fit into canon, this isn’t because I think ALL headcanon’s should fit into canon but because my autistic brain just really likes it when things fit together. People may disagree, that’s perfectly fine but some headcanon’s crop up in my fanfic all the time so wanted to share.  Reno: My main headcanon for Reno is that he’s from the slums, an orphan and was homeless for a time before being picked up by Veld to become a Turk. This is because in all the FF7 canon material out there Reno has an obsession with family (The Kids Are Alright, he is very insistent with making Rufus reconcile with his half-brother) and home. To me it just feels right that he’s like this because he didn’t have a family of his own. I think it could also be used to explain some of his other behaviors, being homeless as a child would have been extremely dangerous. It’s dangerous if you’re an adult, so I assume it’s worse for a kid. I am obsessed with the possible idea that Reno actually encountered Aerith before he joined the Turks. (there is absolutely NO reasoning in canon for this, I just like the idea). He would have been a teenager and she would have been very young. But following my previous headcanon of him being slum-born they do have that in common so possible bonding over that. They also have a very sibling-like relationship in the remake, they bicker like brother and sister. He considers the Turks (and later Rufus) as his family. This is implied pretty heavily in canon (at least to me) but also found family is just so good. This next one doesn’t have any basis in canon at all but it’s an idea I like; Reno was the leader of a small gang of other homeless children. In a kind of Peter Pan/Lost Boys kind of way. Makes sense, there’s safety in numbers and kids will gravitate towards others their age anyway. Reno is a functioning alcoholic. Ok, I KNOW a lot of people may have issues with this but I can’t see Reno having many healthy coping mechanisms and he’s also human and therefore has emotions in a job that involves a LOT of very dark things. Shinra doesn’t seem like the kind of company that would be willing to provide care for the mental health of it’s employees either. So no therapy for the Turks. Alcohol is easy to get hold of too, bars are everywhere. It seems like the simplest of vices to give him tbh. You can’t tell me Reno helps murder thousands of people and walks away without being affected at all, the plate drop was one instance in what is likely many traumatizing jobs he’s had to do.  Reno is artistic or otherwise creative. I don’t think he paints or draws (although I did put that into one of my fics I believe) regularly but I like to imagine he can if he wanted. This is mostly because I like people having surprising talents. I feel like he might be good at lots of creative pursuits, the kind of annoying person who can pick up something creative and be good it at it with minimal practice. Also the job of being a Turk likely involves a certain amount of creativity anyway, so it’s not such a huge leap to imagine. Also, and I know this sounds silly, but look at his hands. He has long fingers, fine bones etc...I dunno if anyone else has had this but I’ve had people tell me I have artists hands (I mean, I DO because I am an artist) because although I’m very small my fingers are quite long...sorry, it’s a weird one I know, lol.  So, these are just some headcanon’s I have for Reno. I will do others later. As a side note: everyone’s headcanon’s are valid.

[steeleidolon]

✿ wingsdreamt + breathofthearth :3

Aerith and Zack. Oh. Oh.

PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP MEME 0.2

bold for things i could definitely see or want,italics for things i could see or am unsure of and strikethrough for things i don’t want or cannot see

FRIENDSHIP.     childhood friends  /  work buddies or coworkers  /  family friends  /  friends with benefits  /  smoking buddies  /  adventure buddies  /  fake friends  /  recently friends  /  party buddies  /  friendship of need  /  dying friendship  /  circumstantial friendship  /  partners in crime  /  old friendship  /  [ your muse ] is the good influence  /  [ your muse ] is the bad influence  /  [ my muse ] is the good influence  /  [ my muse ] is the bad influence  /  opposites attract  /  ride or die  /  frenemies  /  roommates or flatmates  /  penpals  /  exes to friends  /  enemies to friends  /  other-"AND MY AXE"

ROMANCE.     childhood sweethearts  /  [ your muse is mines ] childhood crush  /  [ my muse is yours ] childhood crush  /  exes  /  exes to lovers  /  forbidden lovers  /  highschool sweethearts  /  secret relationship  /  opposites attract  /  long distance  /  unrequited [ from your muses side ]  /  unrequited [ from my muses side ]  /  unrequited [ from both sides ]  /  skinny love  /  friends to lovers  /  enemies to lovers  /  spurious relationship  /  power THROUPLE /  newly entered  /  soulmates [ metaphorical ]  /  soulmates  [ literal ]  /  awkward  /  turning toxic  /  toxic love  /  cheating [ on your muse ]  /  cheating [ with your muse ]  /  other 

FAMILIAL.     siblings [ half ]  /  siblings [ step ]  /  [ my muse ] is an older sibling figure to your younger sibling figure  /  [ my muse ] is a younger sibling figure to your older sibling figure muse  /  [ my muse ] is a parental figure to yours  /  [ my muse ] is a child figure to your muse  /  guardian figure  /  legal guardian  /  adoptive child  /  foster child  /  [ your muse ] is taken under mines wing  /  [ my muse ] is taken under yours wing  /  other-Surprisingly functional unit even if they sometimes share one (1) brain cell

ANTAGONISTIC.     dangerous to each other  /  dangerous to others  /  unpredictable  /  rivals  /  petty  /  developing into sexual or romantic tension  /  based off family matters  /  based of off circumstance  /  based of professional matters  /  based off misunderstanding or lies  /  conflict of ideology  /  betrayal  /  hero - villain dynamic  /  enemies  /  fight club  /  friends turned enemies  /  lovers turned enemies  /  exes turned enemies  /  other-lemme double up on the 'dangerous to others' situation

#answered prompts #this was fun! #breathofthearth #wingsdreamt #don't wake me i'm not dreaming -- wingsdreamt

[chosenbythecrystal]

✿ for aerith :3

@heartwillcd – I decided to go with SOLDIER Noct

over a year ago, i made this meme & since then, it’s blown up. so, over a year later — i thought i would make a new one. so here it is, after several requests & a pile of brains,  THE PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP MEME 0.2 send me a  ✿  and i’ll fill out the template below. bold for things i could definitely see or want, italics for things i could see or am unsure of and striked out for things i don’t want or cannot see.

FRIENDSHIP.     childhood friends  /  work buddies or coworkers  /  family friends  /  friends with benefits  /  smoking buddies  /  adventure buddies  /  fake friends  /  recently friends  /  party buddies  /  friendship of need  /  dying friendship  /  circumstantial friendship  /  partners in crime  /  old friendship  /  [ your muse ] is the good influence  /  [ your muse ] is the bad influence  / [ my muse ] is the bad influence  /  opposites attract  /  ride or die  /  frenemies  /  roommates or flatmates  /  penpals  /  exes to friends  /  enemies to friends  /  other

ROMANCE.     childhood sweethearts  /  [ your muse is mines ] childhood crush  /  [ my muse is yours ] childhood crush  /  exes  /  exes to lovers  /  forbidden lovers  /  highschool sweethearts  /  secret relationship  /  opposites attract  /  long distance  /  unrequited [ from your muses side ]  /  unrequited [ from my muses side ]  /  unrequited [ from both sides ]  /  skinny love  /  friends to lovers  /  enemies to lovers  /  spurious relationship  /  power couple  /  newly entered  /  soulmates [ metaphorical ]  /  soulmates  [ literal ]  /  awkward  /  turning toxic  /  toxic love  /  cheating [ on your muse ]  /  cheating [ with your muse ]  /  other 

FAMILIAL.     siblings [ half ]  /  siblings [ step ]  /  [ my muse ] is an older sibling figure to your younger sibling figure  /  [ my muse ] is a younger sibling figure to your older sibling figure muse  /  [ my muse ] is a parental figure to yours  /  [ my muse ] is a child figure to your muse  /  guardian figure  /  legal guardian  /  adoptive child  /  foster child  /  [ your muse ] is taken under mines wing  /  [ my muse ] is taken under yours wing  /  other

ANTAGONISTIC.     dangerous to each other  /  dangerous to others  /  unpredictable  /  rivals  /  petty  /  developing into sexual or romantic tension  /  based off family matters  /  based of off circumstance  /  based of professional matters  /  based off misunderstanding or lies  /  conflict of ideology  /  betrayal  /  hero - villain dynamic  /  enemies  /  fight club  /  friends turned enemies  /  lovers turned enemies  /  exes turned enemies  /  other 

#heartwillcd #answered #so i can definitely see them being friends #even though Shinra have their hooks in him pretty deep #he's a good guy

[leeus-writing]

Hi I love ur prompts, is it ok if u do cloud with 8 and/or 9 since they go together so well? Tysm In advance!

Hi, I hope you like what I've written. This is Gaurd!Cloud,

Late-night Visits

You bit down on your pen trying hard to concentrate on the words before you. Your brain was like fog. How on earth were you going to finish this essay before university in the morning. You’d not even started it and all you could think of was a cheeseburger. You pulled on your hair and groaned looking at your clock. 3am.

Crunch…

“What the?”

You got up and headed towards your window. Another crunch. You grabbed your hairbrush and slowly opened the window. Looking down you spotted your boyfriend, Cloud. A ShinRa Guard.

“CLOUD!” You hissed.

“Yeah?”

“Can you help me?” You asked then thought Why did I ask that!?

“… Mmm Yeah? but you’re going to have to kiss me first.”

He climbed up the side of you house using the drainpipe and climbed in through the window. He was wearing his stupid scarf.

“Cloud…”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you climb through my window at 3am?”

He laughed, “I just got off guard duty. I bumped into Zack and all he was talking about was seeing Aerith. it made me miss you so… I wanted to see you.”

The ex SOLDIER walked over and looked down at your essay. You’d written the title and that was it.

The Purpose of Law in Midgar and that was it.

Cloud frowned. He didn’t understand why you were studying law. It was so boring, but he loved you and your big brain. He chewed his lip and pulled a book closer to him, “Have you started off with the history of Midgar?”

You laughed at him pulling a sarcastic face and picked up the book. Suddenly you saw what he meant. Go back to the roots! Filled with inspiration you furiously began to write. Cloud mean while yawned and curled up on your bed.

“Nah Aaaa! My housemate gets funny about boys sleeping over,” You said throwing a pillow at him, “Then lets not sleep. Finish that Essay and I’ll reward you.” His eyes full of passion.

You grinned and continued to work.

#cloud ff7 #cloud strife x reader #cloud strife #ff7 #final fantasy vii #ff7r #final fantasy 7

[buffaloborgine]

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

Part I: https://buffaloborgine.tumblr.com/post/650462647672766464/of-zack-fair-genesis-rhapsodos-and-the-strange 

Part IV conclusion: https://buffaloborgine.tumblr.com/post/658109128619802624/of-zack-fair-genesis-rhapsodos-and-the-strange 

______________________________________

Warning: As always, I copy paste this warning over and over just in case you ignore it and keep reading down. “This series is very controversial, it may not fit with what you know or remember about Crisis Core. So please, read the former parts (I did put the link to Part I in case you are new reader) before putting your foot further down below.”  P/s: I welcome all kind of discussion. I love discussion. But this subject is an OBJECTIVE subject, please make sure to keep your bias and prejudice out of discussion, also, I don’t welcome character dissing or using fallacies in arguments, thank you.  ______________________________________

Do you sometimes find that when you are focusing on a scene in a movie, suddenly the screen goes black, and then you couldn’t remember all the details that appear on the screen just several seconds before it? 

Or when you focus your sight too much on an object in front of you, you cannot see clearly what is going around the two sides of your face? Or when you focus too much on an event happening, you lose your attention on the other events happening in the background?

These are normal phenomena happen with your brain when you force it to focus on something, either it’s your temporal memory or your peripheral senses, they all cause you to lose grasp on the events or details happening in the background of a scenario. 

And believe it or not, the writers/directors of FFVII, especially Crisis Core, know that you love Zack so much, that you will simply focus on him, without paying attention to what’s going on in the background. I did say this in the other parts, but I have to repeat it here, in case you forget about it.

So, in this part, we will talk about another problem in the narrative of Crisis Core. Since I don’t have a proper definition for it, I will simply call it... 

Desyncing Information. 

Do you feel like there are some certain information that you should have seen/read at a certain scene in the game, but instead, you get it a lot sooner, or a lot later than it should be given to you?  Well, that’s exactly the problem here. 

The first detail I want to point out is the “four years” information that was given to you through Aerith’s letter at the end of Crisis Core. It gave you the knowledge that Zack and Cloud has been stuck in the underground laboratory for approximately four years since the event of Nibelheim. 

So, what’s the matter to it? 

While focusing on Zack, you didn’t realize that Genesis’ degradation didn’t even change at all through out all four years, you can see clearly that in Nibelheim, Genesis was greyed from his head to his chest, and during the scene on the bridge, it stayed the same.  According to the 10th Anniversary Ultimania, the time that the incident in the training room was midsummer [ μ ] - εγλ 0000. We see Genesis started to get greyed by the degradation was on April 2nd, [ ν ] - εγλ 0001, during the event of Modeioheim, less than one year since he got the injury. 

And after that, we see him changed from half greyed to fully greyed, if we count from the time Zack met him after breaking out of the laboratory, December 19th  [ ν ] - εγλ 0006, then the time we see him fully greyed, is on September  [ ν ] - εγλ 0007, in Banora Underground.  

Without the “four years” information, you would normally think that his degradation is not weird, because you assume that it only took Zack less than one year to break out of the laboratory. But now you realize that huge time gap of 4 years, and Genesis just stayed the same.  Don’t you find it weird that those four years that Genesis’s degradation stayed the same is also the four years that Zack is stuck in the laboratory?  Could there be any relation between Zack and Genesis’ degradation?  Welp, at first, we literally see nothing relating between them, but if you consider one factor, that Zack is the only one chasing and killing Genesis’ copies, then there may be something.  Remember that to create those copies, Genesis literally cuts off his cells and give them to his followers. My theory is that, if the connection between Genesis and his copies are kind of similar to the connection between Angeal and the A-copies, then Genesis would have a part of him inside each of the G-copies. Therefore, it works like the hocruxes in Harry Potter, each copy carries one part of Genesis, so when they die, Genesis get weakened. And without anyone going around killing the copies during those 4 years, Genesis doesn’t degrade more. 

So... that’s it, for the first section of part V.  I will see you in the next section. 

(do you remember what Genesis was holding in his hand during the first time Zack encountered him in Banora?)  _____________________________________

Part Vb: https://buffaloborgine.tumblr.com/post/660157966511751168/of-zack-fair-genesis-rhapsodos-and-the-strange

#FFVII #Final Fantasy VII #FFVII Crisis Core #Genesis Rhapsodos #Zack Fair #FFVII Theory

[cultivatxr]

Not strictly Aerith related, but I was thinking about SOLDIER and it’s representation in the slums again. There’s two types of people, those who accept the company line and those that don’t. Yet those that don’t are too often either silent or speak up and painted as the enemy. Which leaves a huge gaping hole in which the darker side of the job is never addressed. Children grow up seeing the firsts plastered on billboards, elevated to this grand celebrity status symbol. They’re tricked into thinking that maybe one day this could be them too. Dressed in haute couture, posing for cameras, giving speeches, off on some elaborately contrived diplomatic mission. Or even if they do confront the nature of war, it’s always decidedly more palatably illustrated. They’re fighting the bad guys, killing monsters, keeping people safe. 

Yet nobody ever points out that they’re not the ones that get to decide who is good or bad. They have to follow orders, to sacrifice pieces of themselves day after day when they fall in line with the real atrocity of conflict. The price you pay isn’t noble, it’s the slow diminishing loss of humanity for financial gain. Yet by the time these poor kids realise, they’ve signed their lives away; bought by the promise of some idealised fantasy because nobody dared to speak up. And I guess in a lot of ways, this misleading nature also adds to a lot of the mistrust of SOLDIER on the whole. 

How many of these recruits knew what they were signing up for and how many didn’t? And how many have been gagged once enlisted, to stop them from baring the bloodied and twisted reality of what Shinra is having them do? Yet to the outside world it makes them complicit, and that again fosters conflict. I mean, sure you get the lifers that figure they’d be dead in a few years anyway if they stayed in Midgar - and it’s three square meals and a roof over their head for a little dirty work. They’ve costed it up and gone in because it’s a more viable option, but then you’ve got the others that were lured in by empty promises and false hopes. Families torn apart because nobody is being honest, partly because they won’t and partly because they can’t be. 

I know this is a bit of a ramble, but I just wanted to share my brain worm for the day. 

#; musings

[andrewwtca]

I've been having Thoughts about Cloud Strife in a dress all day and this is my silly self-indulgent corner of the internet, so here we go! a silly scenario.

takes place between Kalm and the Temple of the Ancients. for some reason (post Cait Sith, Cid, and Vincent joining) - probably to gain info - the party has to infiltrate a party in some filthy rich mansion. Cloud needs to go inside to make sure the info is helpful, but he's wanted. he can't just show up.

and he specifically needs to go inside... the party is brainstorming when Tifa and Aerith lock eyes. Cloud groans. he knows exactly what they're thinking, but c'mon Cloud! isn't this the best way to sneak in?

Cloud is adamantly against it, but he can't openly protest it, because that would be suspicious and then they'd know. so Cloud finally huffs and agrees to it. the girls giggle and lock arms with him, looking at the others.

Aerith: hmm... he'll need someone to go in.

Tifa: it can't be us since we're wanted... can't be Barret either...

Aerith: and can't be Cait Sith either - sorry!

Tifa: that just leaves Vincent and Cid...

Cloud: ...do I get a say in this

Aerith: hush. which one of you would be better at a party?

Cid points to himself and Vincent looks off to the side. Aerith would clap her hands in delight and Tifa points to Barret.

Tifa: please get him in a suit! we'll be back in an hour?

Barret: a suit? Tifa, what are you- Tifa!

the girls giggle and drag Cloud off.

they're in the middle of the mart, and they break it up into three sections: hair, make-up, a dress. the hair and make-up is easy, but the dress? do they even have the gil for that?

so, regrettably, they can't get Cloud into an elaborate dress. it's probably for the best, anyway, because his goal is to fit in. after lots of dragging him around, lots of him protesting and whining, they finally have completed the look: a black form-fitting dress reaching down to his ankles; sheer black gloves reaching up to his forearm; black pumps; light lip-gloss; mascara; and an extension braid wrapped around the back of his head. so safe to say, Cloud is a fucking vision.

Aerith: wait, wait! we can't go yet! we need to come up with a name for him

Cloud, speaking in near mumbles, brain still reeling: why? girls are named Cloud...

Tifa: Aerith's got a point, Cloud. if someone finds you familiar, hearing your name could get you in trouble. we'll have to come up with something-

Aerith: Blue.

Tifa, Cloud: blue?

Aerith: yes, I've thought of this a lot! his eyes! or, well, her eyes. her mother saw those baby blues and just knew she had to name her Blue.

Cloud: Blue Strife?

Aerith: no, silly! you're not keeping your last name either.

Cloud: it feels like you're shipping me off for marriage...

Tifa: hmm... how about... Woolf?

Cloud: ...wolf.

Aerith: oh! I love it! because he's such a lone wolf, right?

the girls giggle while Cloud crosses his arms, looking absolutely stunning and absolutely annoyed.

Cloud: you want my name to be Blue Woolf.

Tifa: c'mon, Ms. Woolf, let's go see if your date is ready!

Cloud: kill me...

they drag him to where the rest of the party is. they managed to find Cid some really cheap suit, it's just well-put enough that no one would give Cid a second glance, especially not with his charming attitude.

Tifa: we're back!

Cait Sith: we were about to get worried! er, where did Cloud wonder off to?

Aerith, biting back a smile: he's right here!

Tifa and Aerith step aside to do a dramatic reveal of Cloud. he's not posing and refuses to look up at the shocked expressions of his friends. burning, he stomps forward, grabs Cid's wrist with as much rage as he can manage, and begins to yank him towards the party.

Barret: so that's how he helped Tifa out...

Aerith: bye Cid! bye Ms. Blue Woolf!

Cid: blue? wolf?

Cloud keeps mumbling under his breath for someone to kill him.

and of course, Cloud gets hit on a lot at the party <3

#andrew.txt #andrew's writing #rambling #ff7 #cloud strife #cloud x cid #kind of? #cloud crossdressing fuels me #it's my entire religion #aerith and tifa #they're menaces to cloud #they tease him and then they make out. good for them!

[silver-wield]

As disappointing as all of these are and the message they're about to send across whatever that is, I also discovered that surprisingly there's a good chunk of people who actually think Cloud is just not himself and whatever he did, he was probably acting out thinking he was Zack (if his crossed arm held any indication that he was posturing like Zack always does). I mean of course by Jenova's BS. Sadly I do see some who thinks Cloud is indeed acting like a pos human being despite knowing full well what's up.. at least these people should have.... But it makes me wonder why there's more criticisms on cloud's side where in fact he's just brain fcked yet meanwhile aerith knows he gave tifa the flower and I think that "follow your heart" shows she goddamn knows it's mutual for tifa as well. Building up this so called "friendship" and then doing whatever pleases her after? Regardless of her reasons, she's still fcked up for doing this. People be acting like everything is fair game despite hurting people yet still pretending she's a good person and this is just her therapy session despite probably knowing cloud isn't well . I imagine tifa talked to her about the weird thing about cloud already like in the second trailer? But I wonder if that's why she gets that cloud isn't zack.. in the GS.. doesn't this make her an opportunistic bitch? Like good luck with making dedicated tifa fans sad for her death then. Man, I really hoped I could've liked her but SE relying on this "preference" to make it hurt for "this" people when she gets offed. 🙄 I thought they improved with their writing not to rely on such gimmicks. Still, this could still be all misdirection like the warped character descriptions (like stating cloud is a soldier on his profile) but yes depending on how they portray aerith and cloud, how would I feel for zack and tifa? Like yo, is SE coming at zack fans too like they are with Tifa's? I don't want anything less for them and I want an explicit explanation why those two are acting like pos. Like I don't care if it's optional, fcking explain yourself.

I just want this ltd bs to just die already that or I'd just go and play other games and forget this even existed because it's turning out to be getting pathetic if it wasn't already.

#ship war #for the fandom

[crossedcrows]

dumb ffviir theory I came up with while procrastinating, let's go

If the Remake is your first time experiencing FFVII and you don't want spoilers, then I'd recommend skipping this because I'm going to spoil the hell out of the og game, which could potentially be spoiling the Remake.

This is literally stupid, but my brain spat it out, so here we go.

At some point in the Remake, the Cloud Strife you play as is going to side with Sephiroth and be a bad guy.

Now let me explain myself.

For the sake of clarity, the Cloud you play as is going to be Remake Cloud while the one with Zack at the end of Part 1 is going to be Alt Cloud.

Maybe this isn't an odd as it sounds to me, but it sounds pretty weird to me.

Why is Remake Cloud going to be a bad guy? Well, because he wants to save Aerith. Several of the visions he sees throughout Part 1 revolve around Aerith's death, one of which iirc brought him to tears. I think Sephiroth is intentionally showing these to Cloud to weaken his resolve to fight him. Because if they fight Sephiroth, Aerith will die. In order to keep Aerith (and likely the rest of the party) alive, Cloud is going to strike some deal with Sephiroth, like a classic "I'll help you if you let my friends live" or maybe he thinks he can stop him if he's on his side. Of course this is going to go to hell because anything involving Sephiroth is legally required to fall to pieces.

On top of that, it's clear that Sephiroth has some knowledge of the future and that he fails. He may also know that he fucked up big time by killing Aerith. Thus, he's going to get the only person who has ever been able to kill him to join his emo band.

This is the section of the theory where I'm going to have to assume that things are similar to the og game.

Now we come to Alt Cloud, who I'm going to assume is with some kind of doctor in the slums because that would be the responsible place for Zack to take him, plus Alt Cloud is noticeably absent at the end of Intermission. Alt Cloud, aside from mako poisoning, is in the same condition as Remake Cloud. So, logically, he could take the place of Remake Cloud, though that would lead to some drama among the party.

I'm kicking myself for not having a link (and if someone knows what I'm talking about, please send it to me or reblog with the link), but one of the writers said that the Remake's story isn't going to differ much from the og game. And if you think about, the og game features a fight between two sides of Cloud—one that wants to defeat Sephiroth and one that wants to give up and help him. Technically, having two opposing Clouds would be a similar subplot.

And if I got what the article said backwards, the point still stands but with less mental gymnastics.

If nothing else, I could totally see the Remake being a "this is what happens when Aerith lives, are y'all happy." In other words, solidifying the idea that for Sephiroth to be defeated (for the time being anyway), Aerith has to die.

BuT tHaT's jUsT a tHeOrY.

#ffvii #ffvii remake #cloud strife #fr tho i will die on this hill unless canon says otherwise

[yyxy-seph]

FF7 DEBATE CLUB : Part 1

Disclaimer: This was inspired by my “WHAT TYPE OF STUDENTS WOULD THE FFVII CHARACTERS BE IN SCHOOL??” Posts. For more context, you can go read those if you like! I hope you all enjoy and my inbox is always open! Feel free to request imagines and tell me your thoughts on things.

I hope you enjoy @birdblacksocialclub !! :)

_____________

The defensive members gradually collected in the empty, dry classroom that’d soon feature all types of dilly-dallying and possible throat-clutching arguments. The first attendant was a young and drowsy Sephiroth. He remained punctual with every meeting and never failed at being the first to enter the room. A quality Genesis truly despised, as he felt HE was the main event and Seph’s early-bird tendencies were outshining his presence. Thus, it was another reason for Sephiroth to stay on his game.

Non-Ironically, Genesis made his appearance with a raised chin and firm shoulders, the usual, confident stance.

“Well, hello there.” He began.

“Genesis...” Seph returned the greeting.

“It’s unfortunate that you’re here first, like always, but If it’s the Goddess’s will, I’ll live with it.”

“As you should.”

Genesis’s eyebrow twitched in slight irritation but he carried on, seating himself behind Sephiroth.

A tensioned silence resonated in the room for a while.

“Hmm, you’re quite soundless today.” Gen finally spoke again.

“Just as you are loveless.”

A tiny smirk flared from the red-head’s lips.

“You know me too well. It seems you’ve figured I’ve picked the topic for today’s discussion, hmm?”

“Again, the topic is not up to you. It’s up to our instructor. And Genesis, even a deaf man would know you’re up to no good.” He spoke, throwing his silver locks behind his shoulder.

“Dammit. What did I tell you about that!” Genesis yelled, moving Sephiroth’s hair off of his desk. “I might just cut it and leave you bald for school the next morning.”

A chuckle fell from Seph’s lips.

The door creaked with an ear-splitting noise, signaling the arrival of their teacher. He settled his books on the dumbapple-colored desk. And with a clear of the throat, he said

“Genesis and Sephiroth...man, am I glad to see you two. You two are my fiercest competitors, keeping this club alive. Like really, I’d call for the Shinra helicopters if you two were to resign.”

Slightly concerned gazes held the boys’ faces.

“Hah, Just kidding! You should’ve saw your guys’ faces!”

Sephiroth spoke to relieve the weird situation.

“Yeah...anyway, Reno, I was just gonna say....I’m not really-“

Just then, Cloud Strife appeared; another fierce competitor.

“-feeling it today- you know what. Nevermind!”

Cloud sat two seats away from Sephiroth in the same row.

Best believe, the Nibelheim boys are always going head-to-head in Debate Club. Outside of club, they’re quite peaceful and social. But when school work has already worn them out for the day and there is added passion for the premise of their arguments, things get pretty tense.

“Good Afternoon, Cloud.”

“Not today, Sephiroth.” He replied, not even looking over at him.

Genesis leaned over his desk to whisper in Sephiroth’s ear.

“If he’s a puppet, you’re the ventriloquist.”

The silver boy rolled his eyes with an attractive smile. “Very well.”

“That’s the spirit!” Gen said.

Truth is, Genesis loves the drama that comes with Debate club. That’s why he’s the self-proclaimed drama king. He only wanted to hype Seph up so he could push past his drowsiness and argue with him and Cloud.

More students began filling up the room, but not too much. There we only like 12 members that engaged in this weekly mess.

Zack, Angeal, and Aerith snuck in as well to get a taste of the tea for today.

Zack is actually in a language club. It was an impulse decision for what he described as “broadening his horizons”. He said it’d probably be a good thing for him to learn French in case of a future mission he’d have in his dream spot as a first-class SOLDIER.

Angeal was also in a Spanish learning club. And as expected, he exceeds at it. His intermediate level and sexy accent grabs everybody’s heart in a way they’ve never felt before. No, seriously, people have swooned and fainted before. But he joins occasionally to save himself from the after school bickering.

And in Aerith’s case, Yoga club was cancelled for the day so she just decided to join and sit with her friends.

Their (somehow hired) teacher Reno began class promptly.

“Alright, everybody. I have a gratifying topic for you all today. It’s so temper-inducing that your brain won’t be able to handle it.”

“My brain can’t take this shit as it is”. Cloud mumbled under his breath, earning a few laughs.

“What was that, Mr. Stife??” he questioned furiously.

“I see you’re living up to your last name. Save it for the subject!”

He carried on.

“The subject is-“

“I have the PERFECT topic!” Genesis interrupted.

“I- did I ask for your input, Genesis??”

The drama king fluttered his eyelashes. “No, yet you always receive it, don’t you?”

Reno sighed. “Look, is it LOVELESS again?

“No.”

“Let’s hear it then.”

“Is Vincent Valentine, the former Turk, a hero or an Incompetent-

“Alright, we’ll have none of that. No shaming of the turks is permitted.” Reno cut him off.

“Anyways, my topic was “Should Shinra continue to experiment on future SOLDIERs to give them superhuman abilities or should they train them as natural human beings?””

“Sounds like a good topic to me.” Cloud responded.

“Same,” Angeal joined in “This seems like a topic where I won’t have too much trouble trying to pull these three from each other’s throats.

“Good, before we begin, don’t forget the rules! All weapons and devices should be in the weapon closet which I see most of you HAVEN’T DONE!”

At the mention of the said closet, everybody directed their attention to it. It had various scratches and dents, complimenting it’s dusty tone. And how could we forget the sizable hole on top of it. It emerged the moment Sephiroth tried shoving his masamune in the closet. Yeah, never again.

Everyone exited their desks, one by one, placing their weapons in the closet.

“Hey, what about your tasing rod, Reno?” Zack asked.

“I’m the teacher. I can do as I please, thank you.” He answered, classically.

“And don’t forget, we need an equal amount of girls and boys on each side. Too much testosterone on one side can cause hands being thrown as we’ve seen from previous experiences.”

“Umm I know I’m not really in this club and all but us girls can equally throw hands just for the fact that there are NO female SOLDIERs.” Aerith added.

“Fair point. You must join this conversation.” Sephiroth agreed.

“That’s my girl!” Zack praised while giving his girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek.

Reno let each of the students pick a side and then he split them into two groups.

“Everybody ready??”

“Yes!”

To Be Continued...

#ffvii #ffvii remake #ffvii cloud #ffvii crisis core #ffvii sephiroth #ffvii imagines #ffvii zack #ffvii genesis #ffvii angeal #ffvii aerith #reno ffvii #ff7 imagines #ff7 turks #ff7 remake #cloud strife #zack fair #aerith gainsborough #writers on tumblr #sephiroth imagine #long post #yyxy-seph