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#seph thinks too much
a-model-of-propriety · 6 months
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I find it fascinating to trace the development of Jekyll and Lisa's relationship through the various versions of the musical. On the surface, not much changes; Lisa (or Emma, depending on the version) Carew, fiancée of Henry Jekyll, watches helplessly as he dives deeper into his obsession with his experiments, only discovering the true reason for his isolation when it is too late. Whether we look at the Lisa of the early demo recordings, the Emma of the Broadway productions, or any version in between, her role and her fate remains largely unchanged.
Even so, her relationship with Jekyll, specifically its portrayal in their song(s), underwent arguably the most rewrites of the entire show. While (very early drafts of) some songs, such as "Alive" and "Murder, Murder", appear as early as the very first demo recording in 1986 (and by 1987 Lucy's main songs make their appearances as well), Jekyll and Lisa's main duet of "Take Me As I Am" does not appear until 1994's "Gothic Musical Thriller" album, after which the song does not undergo any significant changes.
In TMAIA's place, the pair sing several different songs, including "Love Has Come of Age", a duet version of "Someone Like You", "The First Time", and several more. In the 1986 demo, half of the songs are duets between Lisa and Jekyll!
Out of all the rewrites and cut songs, why did "Take Me As I Am" manage to stick? And why was it the only true Jekyll/Lisa duet to survive revisions?
Though earlier drafts of Jekyll & Hyde devoted more attention to Lisa and Jekyll's relationship (which I, as resident Lisa fan, thoroughly enjoyed), the extra songs did very little, if anything, to progress the plot or develop the show's major motifs. Most early Jekyll/Lisa duets were generic love duets, serving no other purpose but to tell the audience that Jekyll and Lisa were, in fact, in love with each other. Most of these early duets exist mainly to serve this purpose, bogging down the story because they did nothing to address any other aspect of the story than their love and longing. The songs were, in the grand scheme of the show, redundant.
This is where "Take Me As I Am" stands out from the cut songs. While it still serves the important function of Duet To Show How Much They Love Each Other, TMAIA also speaks to the underlying motif of "known vs. unknown". The reason Lisa and Jekyll love each other, at least when we first meet them, is that they truly know, understand, and accept each other. Only when Jekyll starts hiding (pun intended) things from her does their relationship start to show cracks.
From the very beginning of the show, Jekyll's "need to know" the secrets of humanity is set forth as a driving factor of his character. It is in the pursuit of knowledge that he starts down the destructive road of the plot. His desire to know is central to who he is (and, through him, central to the show). Because "knowing" is central to Jekyll's character, Wildhorn centered his and Lisa's relationship on knowing each other. For Jekyll, Lisa is security. She is the only person that knows him, and he knows that he can depend on her to remain a constant in his life. She won't abandon him, no matter how far he dives into his experiments.
Where Lisa represents knowledge and stability, Lucy represents the unknown that Jekyll dives into as the show progresses. Lucy says herself that "no one knows who [she is]", framing her as the opposite of Lisa. Her life is foreign to Jekyll, and she is the person that inspires Jekyll to experiment on himself. Lisa is the known, but Lucy is the unknown that Jekyll desperately needs to understand.
Without "Take Me As I Am", Lisa loses the "known vs. unknown" significance that makes both her and Lucy more compelling characters. None of the earlier songs (with the possible exception of "If You Only Knew", which I desperately want more productions to include) provide that symbolism, which is why, in the end, TMAIA was the only one that could survive revisions.
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altocat · 1 year
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"Sephiroth and Genesis clearly hated each other even before Crisis Core! They were always rivals and Sephiroth always disliked him!"
Sephiroth: *Waits broodingly outside injured friend's hospital room for hours*
Sephiroth: *Unquestioningly and instantly offers to donate blood to keep his friend alive and pouts like a kicked puppy when denied*
Sephiroth: *Friends gone? Hunger strike lmao*
Sephiroth: *Company orders? Lol Treason time*
Sephiroth: *Two seconds away from quitting lifelong career that literally began with him exiting the womb because he might accidentally get Genesis' outfit dirty 🥺*
Also in all seriousness Square literally went out of its way to change the flashback scene storyboard from Sephiroth intentionally hurting Genesis to it being a stupid accident due to Gen's own arrogance there was a clear intention that Sephiroth never felt genuine malice for Genesis
Also they're in love
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gncrezan · 8 months
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anyone get it or
#was the fig tree from the prologue intentional. maybe not. did it cause a heart attack when i reread foa. most certainly#not to mention the tone shift in the songs too. and theyre about descent. its too easy LIKE WHATEVER.#like im being realistic about how figs are quite common in ancient greece etc but lord fucking almighty....#plus the patreon snippet of a younger pc and hermes. im going to be sick#<- about to start making some shit up about how they have shared so much with each other their entire lives#traded kindnesses and gifts and confided in the other with their worries . and the other being there is just SO EASY!!!!!#and when hermes offers seph a fruit. like of course they accept#and OF COURSE they try to share it. and like every time they've sat together (on olympus/in the underworld/in the gardens/during a party)#hermes gladly takes it!!!! it's a habit !!!!!!! IT'S AN INSTINCT!!!!! the offer is almost a surprise but hermes shouldn't have been#not really when his hand moves faster than he thinks and he realises he expects that kindness#not in an unkind way or a selfish way. but because he knows seph the way they know him !!! and seph has always been kind!!!!!#and then he realises that he expects /seph/ in his life and suddenly cannot imagine it without them !!!!!!!!!! LIKE CMON#yes this has me by the throat and im ALMOST webweaving but this is mostly about me forcing de selby onto these two#have been fixated on this moment and the sharing and the exchanging since ch8 dropped . hozier is just exacerbating the visions#('sure sunshine. let's share') <- this is not just about that fucking fig#foa
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tell me about your blorbos from your brain...
i have this post where i said random stuff about my ocs
so now ill do more of that 👍
update! its 12 am and sun is my mind so so so so much
the sun is so close yet so far from earth. we literally feel its light every day and yet its like millions of miles away from us. then it just becomes night and theres just the moon, reflecting the suns light
ironically i never thought about sun being like the Actual Sun until now but. damn (she is so close yet so far but she could never come to earth) (the moon is only a reflection of the sun. it is still there, just barely. even when she's completely gone shes still reaching out for earth) (also she can be the earth too. a computer monitor and a star both emit light after all. and without a sun? the world ends) (...but the earth mostly represents people outside of unreality - all of x535/l corp but specifically mason, basil, miho, farrow and ex. but most of all mason and ex bc they have the most banger ask responses ever)
(AGH <- obsessing over a literal side character) (does anyone else even think about her. i mean either way i make up for it via this shit but still lmao)
also the opposite: darkness. 'binah' eventually cracks and cracks like glass until becoming a shadow, the opposite of sun.* and sun eventually kills her, finally gaining her power to control unreality. the light consumes the darkness, destroying it. even when she killed her she followed in her footsteps and her goals, and really the goal of unreality - destroying evil. but at this point, she knew that. and thats why she did it, to continue to her legacy and goals
*update! the sun makes shadows appear. hehe. there has always been a thing of unreality being made from peoples minds (which is canon - poussey and miku are able to meet in unreality by thinking of the same place. but you know that lol). 'binah' does bring sun into unreality to punish her for killing angela, which sprouted from paranoia. so she kinda is her shadow, like the dark parts of her mind ig
"i do not want to be in a cell and i do not want to mindlessly kill" <- lol. lmao, even (tbh this just lives in my head just bc. but sun is trapped in unreality and repeatedly killed, so this could totally match that. or she could say its about l corp. "arent you trapped, mindlessly killing others yourself? ill free you.")
also "murder happens all the time. sometimes as a necessity. maybe it does [mean youre a better person]." [!] sun will remember this (she's probably gonna repeat it to him when she eventually gets back to the facility as an arbiter ["arent i the better person for this?"])
im so normal. writing this just feels like this. i hope you understand these autistic swag beams directly from my mind
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wulft-arc · 2 years
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ok so i definitely want to plot out / flesh out a bond between caleb and those he bites and turns.         i definitely feel like,   those bitten are accutely aware of his presence when it comes close to the full moon,   like they’re drawn to be near him because of a pack mentality.         i also think caleb has had a lot of time spent learning to control his heightened emotions like we saw in nick,  so he can help those he’s bitten with controlling their emotions / ect.         i dont think there is necessarily a hierarchy in place,   but there definitely is something different abt caleb aka being the first bitten / directly bitten by silas.      i kinda use it as the reason why his blood lust is so high, and why he has a problem with control for the first few years, also why he’s such a proficent hunter when he’s a werewolf and is seen doing most of the turning/attacking/killing.   i hope this all makes sense!
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astrxealis · 2 years
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emet is so wow for being kind of a mix of sephiroth + ardyn but much better
#⋯ ꒰ა starry thoughts ໒꒱ *·˚#idk. emet and shb thoughts. they did that expac SO fucking good.#i barely have any gripes about shadowbingers tbh... i can't think of any rn >.< in terms of story at least!#he's SUCH a compelling and amazingly written character. defo one of the best out there ( may be a bit biased but yeah )#ffxiv in general for sure has one of the best stories out there >.<#at least especially with my preferences! but emet for sure is a no brainer. he's such an amazing character#i don't want to delve into spoilers bcs not all of my followers play ffxiv ^^; the opposite tbh. most of y'all don't lol but dwdw#i will never stop advertising for ffxiv tho <3 it's not a perfect game but it truly tries it's best ( bless the devs )#i'd say he's much better written than seph and ardyn both & has done more in damage too! also has the best reason for being the antag#also. his character is like ardyn but more ??? yeah. he's canonically even a theater guy so yeah#wait did i say this yet. but yeah for sephiroth... tbh the biggest reference i'd make there id that emet has a similar scene#but there's more meaning in it. like uhh... what do you call it? oh yeah. his hunched back#idk the details in the characters of ffxiv really amaze me tbh#euwufsijdodnskdnksjs still not over shadowbringers. oh MAN. it's been more than a year#then again i still think abt all the expacs kind of daily so :') <3#don't bully me or anything btw LMAO i don't hate sephiroth or ardyn + emet isn't perfect still ^^ but yeah. yeah.#also i nerd a lot abt these stuff and think a lot abt them so ... >.< <33 it makes me happy hehe#tag later#??? tbh these are just my random thoughts while i'm sitting in my seat at 2 am and listening to pop music LOL#but yeah. wld love to expand on this more in my notes or whatever even if i'm unorganised hehehe
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aria0fgold · 26 days
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Oh yeah I remember now! The thing I was supposed to post that I forgot! It was about my dead OC. Turns out I DO have a dead OC, it's Seph's older sister. I'm thinking bout her now and the more I do the more I realize how tragic her life is so now obviously I gotta expand on that. As a treat for the other OCs that'd be affected by the death (something that past Aria forgot to do so I'm taking up the mantle for that).
#aria rants#gotta search up terminal illnesses too. cuz sera (her name is seraphina!) died young due to an illness (died at around 18)#i think its tragic in the way that she didnt get to rlly live out her life fully. she went about living her life as best as she can#in the short amount of time she has. she rlly wanted a younger brother too so having seph was the best thing ever for her#but she didnt even get to spend much time with him anyway (seph was 4 years old when sera died) and seph doesnt even#remember the time he spent with her too cuz he was way too young for it. then theres the parents that went and neglected#seph after sera's death. every part of the house has remnants of sera everywhere cuz the parents couldnt move on#sera's ghost haunting the house long after she died all because of their parents that couldnt let go while practically treating#seph as the ghost... and then theres also alec who was around 11 when sera was 18. sera who adored alec as a lil brother#before seph came. and even after seph was born she still liked being around alec and is always visiting their house while#carrying seph. and then theres alec dragging ray along with him whenever sera visits so she ended up gaining another lil brother#in the form of alec's childhood best friend. sera created a small lil circle to make herself as happy as possible before she died#but even then that wasnt rlly enough. she had so much she wanted to do and dreams she wanted to fulfill but all of that#just vanished... thinkin bout how all the ppl sera gotten close to in the short years she's been alive felt after her death#thinkin bout how sera felt as the days passed by and her illness grew worse. what she thought as her death neared
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drowning-in-neon · 2 years
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yeah it’s another vent in the tags post sorry lmao ill try and spam reblog stuff to make up for it
#vents#i've just been missing a lot lately. like. memories and places and people and shit.#i really miss my cat#but i also miss seph (name changed for privacy) like. a lot. and that's almost worse than missing my cat#because at least with her; yeah of course i miss her and it's normal even if it sucks ass but with seph; missing them is almost worse#because i also end up so pissed off that i miss them because jesus christ. i love them so godamn much and things aren't the way they used to#be; which is arguably a good thing - they've grown so much and have come so far and are living their best life and i'm happy for them#for that; but despite still seeming to want to be friends they don't feel the way they used to for me and they are allowed not to but it#fucking hurts like hell to be the one who still loves him so goddamn much and somehow be unable to get over it. like. i want to get over him#so bad; so i can just let myself be friends with him without all sorts of little things reminding me of the pain but nothing seems to work#i've tried going on dates with other people and just generally trying to see other people; i've tried journaling and i've tried all sorts of#shit and nothing works. and i can't bring myself to step away either because like. one i don't think it's gonna work because even#though seph has BPD spells where he splits and blocks everyone on social media - sometimes for months on end - it never#helped; i still felt exactly the same after a separation like that. so even that doens't work and even if it did work i wouldn't want to do#it because i'm just. i'm afraid i'll lose them. i'm afraid thta one of these separations; whether by him or by me; it'll be the last time#hell i just went to instagram and found out that his account was private and i somehow wasn't following him anymore so i'm assuming i just#missed another split. but he genuinely seems to want to stay friends; if only for the fact he always comes back. despite how many people he#has simply blocked and not brought back after a social media blackout; i've stayed. i genuinely believe he wants to be friends and i am#okay with that; i want that too; i don't want to imagine a world that he isn't in. but it hurts. i don't try and force it because that's#fucked up but even so; it's hard to let myself enjoy a friendship when i'm still heartbroken that it isn't the same connection we used to#have. i wish i could just forget but i can't; every time i think i've gotten over him; every time i think 'oh hey i havent been#in much pain about seph lately; i think i've finally moved on hell yeah' my stupid brain is like SYKE lmao you dumbass you really thought#you were done? nope every little fucking thing reminds you of him and it's gonna still hurt because like. fuck you that's why#and some nights i just can't stop thinking about all the littlest damn things. the way he took a greyhound nine hours just to come visit me#in person for the first time after we connected so deeply on fucking faecbook dating of all places; the way we were so awkward#sitting at a booth in a pizza and bar combo place that night; the way he would tease me about how i tasted like castor oil because i was#trying to solve a bad case of chapped lips but even so he couldn't stop kissing me; the way his eyes sparkled every time he got passionate#about music; sitting at his feet while he wrote a short poem in golden marker on my brand new guitar#and it. it just hurts. and i wish it was the way it used to be. but i also don't because he's so much healthier now. i guess i just wish i#could have the good stuff but not keep the bad. i dunno. it just hurts. i miss him so fucking much and i hate it.
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silverflqmes · 8 days
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hi!! i hope this request finds you well, do you think you could write agszc with a s/o whos good with kids please 💕?
໒⦂ 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐒.
notes. hi hi anon — i wasn’t sure how to go about this so i took a little inspiration from the interactions cloud and zack have with the sector five kids and applied them to everyone a bit! went for headcanons, i hope they are to your likings<3
genre. fluff + crack
ft. sephiroth, cloud strife, zack fair, genesis rhapsodos, angeal hewley
gender neutral! reader.
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➫ 𝓢𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗛 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
⌗  i hate to break it to you anon but i gotta slap some angst in here — sephiroth finds himself a bit confused, yet curious watching you among kids. had he been raised as normal kids were, would he have received this sort of attention too..? this kindness that was given without effort or consequences?
⌗  in the beginning he just let you do your thing, hanging out with them as you did while he waited to walk you home later.. but then he was slowly urged to join- by the kids no less.
⌗  he felt awkward, out of place and unsure of how he should act — but everyone was patient with him and something oddly warm began to spread in his chest. you didn’t pressure him into anything either — which he was grateful for.
⌗  the girls would braid brush his hair, place flowers in, and when the boys marveled at his height and overall build, begging to be carried, sephiroth obliged and found himself feeling elated — at peace among them.
⌗  you always told them bedtime stories but over time, the kids began to whisper and ask you if sephiroth could because his voice was so smooth and lulled them to sleep effortlessly
⌗  one time the children found a gray, stray kitten — and didn’t want to give it away.. so it became a combined effort between you, the kids and sephiroth, too.. who felt a strange empathy for the feline. it became an everyday thing from then for all of you to take care of the cat and welcome it among your group<3
⌗  someone crying or hurt? masamune’s out and ready to take out the reason behind those tears and wails — which you have to stop seph from doing, but it’s cute how much he cares<3
➫ 𝓒𝗟𝗢𝗨𝗗 𝓢𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗙𝗘 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
⌗  he’s um- cloud is uh.. he’s doing his best, remember?? ahem.. in other words, he is still trying to get accustomed to kids — it’s a work in progress, but you seem to be amazing with them??
⌗  bro is completely awestruck at how well you get along with them, how you have them following you around with such ease and looking all excited when you arrive. literally how is that possible?? it makes no sense..
⌗  but cloud, as stated before, is doing his best. during the times that you ask him to help out, he manages to provide a lending hand in busying them.
⌗  a lot of the kids are in awe with him and want a chance to ride on fenrir with him or learn how to wield such an impressive weapon like he does — so cloud does what he can to indulge in those requests..
⌗  not the best or worst with cooking but he does know some recipes from growing up with his mother and has shared them with you to cook together on occasion for the children<3
⌗  over time cloud does get better with them, becomes more natural and less stiff.. though he can’t help but stop at times and stare when he witnesses you with them — so serene and kind, delicate and careful. unknowingly, it brings a tint smile to his lips and thoughts of the future.
⌗  ..and then the kids call him out and he becomes a flustered, tsundere, mess — which has you stifling a laugh into your hand LMAO
➫ 𝓩𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝓕𝗔𝗜𝗥 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
⌗  you’re good with kids?? him too!! zack is so so good with kids, they absolutely ADORE him ( can’t blame ‘em ) — he’s just so chill for an adult!
⌗  seeing you with kids literally clenches at his heart, your exchanges with them are just so so cute and you speak in such a sweet, gentle voice towards them. could honestly listen to you all day if he could😭
⌗  the kids always tease you guys about getting married and make kissy faces at you guys which has your face burning up with embarrassment meanwhile zack is like hell yeah!! ofc he’s gonna marry you, duh!!
⌗  the girls like to pick flowers for you both and do your hair all pretty<3 and zack’s too, cuz ofc he needs to look his best too!! he has little reluctance and is excited as a puppy✨
⌗  oh no a kid is crying?? zack is on the case.. had it not been for you comforting them already oops. but-! he’s on his way to find the culprit! even if it’s just a pebble or branch that happened to be in their path..
⌗  cooking? not his domain, but you seem to be good at it! especially making these cute bunny looking apple slices<3 he helps with cleaning instead ( sometimes )
⌗  now what he does do good in is bedtime stories! has the craziest things to tell and even some folklore from his hometown, gongaga! the kids eat up everything he tells them and are out cold within minutes🫡
➫ 𝓖𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦 𝓡𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗦 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
⌗  surprisingly, he’s very good with kids! more so the girls because they’re all heart eyes for genesis, thinking him to be some sort of a prince.. especially with the way he dresses, speaks and carries himself in general..
⌗  he often entertains their fantasies, going along with them and accepting the flowers they picked for him or the colorings they’d hand him — it was just so cute!
⌗  the boys enjoyed to see him in action more with combat, literally watching with stars in their eyes when he fights.. but they always seem to gravitate a little more towards you ahaha..
⌗  genesis has to pinch himself occasionally from staring at you, watching how loving and caring you were towards these random kids that attached themselves so easily to you because you had given them the time of day
⌗  as the kids are lining up for your cooking, so is your boyfriend — he is SO there for that food and is very much enjoying not only the meals you prepare but this overall side of you.. it’s refreshing, he feels special to see it🙁
⌗  organizes a little play for the kids to take part in — of course it’s loveless, it always has to be with him.. and the kids beg him to read it to them at night which brings tears to his eyes. finally some loveless enjoyers!! unlike his friends who make FUN of him..
⌗  always brings baskets of dumbapples to share a piece of home with the kids and even makes different deserts and pastries that he came up with personally! might not do much cooking but baking — and with his hometown’s fruit? yes he will!
➫ 𝓐𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝓗𝗘𝗪𝗟𝗘𝗬 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
⌗  you would think he is another one of the awkward few ( seph and cloud, unfortunately im looking at you guys.. ) but he is not! angeal is really good at taking care of zack, almost as if he’s his own family.. so i believe he must be good with children too despite his stoic appearance
⌗  it was by chance one day during a mission that he had ended up helping you out with the kids you regularly took a detour to visit and hang out with, always bringing stuff from your missions — it was super cute honestly😭
⌗  he is a pretty family oriented guy tbh and totally seems like malewife material?? cooks for the kids, cleans up too, patches up them up if they get injured and tells stories to put them to sleep!! he’s doing it all, guys!
⌗  he wants to lessen your load as much as he can but you seem to have things pretty much under control and the kids are just so chill with you — it’s impressive honestly, he might need a tip or two for handling zack..
⌗  he was telling a story one time — about the buster sword, actually, and as attentive as the kids were, even you since it was your first time hearing, you’d ended up fast asleep along with the kids — it was the cutest sight seeing them curled up against you
⌗  games aside, you do try to teach the kids norms and values to keep with them and angeal also throws in a few words about dreams.. honor.. etcetera..
⌗  a few days later the kids ended up making cardboard and wooden cutouts of the buster sword and repeated his words along with the gesture — yourself included..🫣
notes. sorry for the wait, i hope these were okay and to your likings! i went in with no plan and this was the result basically.. i know it was meant to center around the reader but it shifted over to the boys ahaha.. my bad, hope you don’t mind :’)
↳ return to main masterlist . request rules . send an ask
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rottenpumpkin13 · 3 months
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Ok, one of those amazing prank shenanigans but it’s the Firsts and Zack, but they are all pulling an elaborate prank on Hojo for Seph’s birthday <3
The "Sephiroth's Wedding" Prank
Lazard is sitting at his desk while Sephiroth dials up Hojo's phone number for him. Angeal, Genesis and Zack are all standing around, watching as the phone starts ringing. Lazard presses it to his ear and waits for Hojo to pick up. On the fifth ring, the professor's grating voice answers.
Hojo: Professor Hojo speaking.
Lazard: Good evening, this is James from Bloomwood Event Planning. I'm calling on behalf of Sephiroth to confirm your presence at the wedding next weekend.
*There's a pause, Sephiroth has to slap his hand over his mouth to contain his snort*
Hojo: I beg your pardon? What are you on about, you imbecile? How dare you disturb me while I am working.
Lazard: You heard me correctly, sir. You were sent an invitation a month ago, and I'm calling to confirm your invite.
Hojo: My invite to what?
Lazard: Sephiroth's wedding, of course.
*There's another long pause. Zack has to leave Lazard's side so that he doesn't make any noise*
Hojo: Clearly there has been a mistake. There is no possibility that Sephiroth would ever waste his time on marriage, let alone copulate and breed with another being without my expressed approval.
Lazard: Am I to understand that you won't be in attendance? Is that what I should tell the couple?
Hojo: What couple?
Lazard: Ah, forgive me. The correct term is polycule.
Hojo:
*There's another incredibly long pause, Genesis is quietly laughing while Angeal shushes him*
Lazard: Sir? Sir, are you still there?
Hojo: Which individuals are involved in this⏤in this⏤filth?
Lazard: Why, Sephiroth is set to marry Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley, of course.
Hojo:
Lazard: They're a very happy trio⏤
Hojo: How could he do this to me?
Lazard: Sir⏤
Hojo: His apparent attraction towards the same sex is useless on its own, but Hollander's brats!?
Lazard: Professor⏤
Hojo: It was the visibly homosexual one with the red coat who coerced him, wasn't it?
*Genesis sinks and curls into a ball on the floor, Sephiroth is in tears as he covers his mouth, Angeal is in the corner laughing, and Zack is grinning as he listens intently*
Lazard: I can assure you that they are very much in love, Professor. I'm fortunate enough o have gained their trust, making me privy to the extent of their dynamic.
*Sephiroth is quickly writing it all down for Lazard to read*
Hojo: You don't say.
Lazard: Yes, Angeal claims that Sephiroth is a very obedient and perfectly submissive partner.
Hojo: WHAT?
Lazard: He and Genesis take very good care of him. The last time they swung by my office to discuss some last-minute details, Sephiroth was on a leash.
Hojo:
Lazard: Sir, are you there?
Hojo: I'M HAVING A HEART ATTACK.
*Genesis, still on the ground, grabs Sephiroth's leg and makes Sephiroth lose it. He crouches to the ground too, laughing under the desk*
Lazard: Do you need me to call for emergency services?
Hojo: THIS ISN'T HIM. SUCH A POSITION IS BENEATH HIM. I DID NOT MAKE HIM TO TAKE ON SUCH AN APPALLING ROLE.
Lazard: No, no, I'm positive that it was him. They were here with their son.
Hojo: THEIR WHAT? WHO? THEY HAVE A CHILD? HOW?
*Zack starts frantically pointing at himself*
Lazard: Oh, you haven't heard? They formally adopted Angeal's mentee, Zack, and are now his parents.
*There's a loud sound of something falling from the other end, along with a commotion as multiple voices of lab technicians start speaking at the same time*
Lazard: Professor? Professor Hojo?
*The line goes dead*
Sephiroth: I think we killed him.
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a-model-of-propriety · 6 months
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Anyone else ever think about why the song "Letting Go" exists in the first place?
I mean, it's a part of the show from pretty much the beginning (i know for a fact it's in at least one of the '80s demos) and, despite undergoing significant rewrites over the years, it always remains a part of the show.
But... why?
Narratively, the song doesn't seem to do all that much. It gives us a glimpse into the dynamic between Lisa and Sir Danvers, but we don't really return to that dynamic very often throughout the rest of the show, so it doesn't seem like an integral enough part to survive cuts where other songs like "The World Has Gone Insane" get left behind.
And yet, the song inexplicably survives.
Though the song in its final form doesn't do much in the show, I see a couple ways that I think it could have become a masterstroke in storytelling.
First: In both the 1987 demo and the 1990 highlights album, I believe "Letting Go" is sung by Jekyll and Lisa. This made me consider an alternate version of the story where, instead of Lisa's "When you need me, if you need me, you know where I'll be" after "Once Upon a Dream", they break off the engagement because they have become so distant.
What if, in this hypothetical version of the show, they reprise "Letting Go" as they part? This song then becomes a gut-punch to the audience; though we know both Jekyll and Lisa adore each other, the time must always come to "let go" of the person you adore, even though it hurts.
(I will admit, this idea is heavily inspired by the song "Your Father's Eyes" in Frankenstein: A New Musical. I am adamant that that song only exists so that Victor can reprise it to the Creature at the end. The Danvers + Lisa "Letting Go" would serve a similar purpose in this: it exists solely so that it can be reprised in a far more emotionally devastating setting.)
Second: In the Broadway version, Sir Danvers sings the line "I think I would die if any harm should come to you." In the end, harm very nearly did come to Lisa/Emma. Hyde had her in his grasp! And yet, Danvers survives the tale to become a narrator, despite the fact that he is one of only two major deaths in the original story.
What if—in the musical—he didn't survive? What if that line was foreshadowing his death in the Wedding Reception? Say, for example, Hyde moves to grab Lisa and Danvers gets in his way, encouraging Hyde to send him off to follow Stride and the other Board members who got in Jekyll's way.
"Letting Go", then, signals to those in the audience that the writers know Danvers' fate in the book, reminding us that Danvers truly was doomed from the beginning.
TLDR: The song "Letting Go" doesn't serve much of a purpose in the current iteration of Jekyll & Hyde, but it has the potential to set up incredibly heart-wrenching moments later in the show if anyone is ever brave enough to do a proper revival.
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altocat · 7 months
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I'm still not over the fact that the Nibelheim Flashback in Rebirth has Cloud picturing Seph doing... whatever the hell this is
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While the real Sephiroth in CC was actually extremely exhausted, depressed, and two inches from retiring permanently from Shinra. The man was in no mood for smug smirking. He was so checked out it's not even funny. Further proof that anything that happens in the Kalm scene is 100% Cloud's unreliable narration. I don't even think Seph ever even talked to Cadet Cloud, other than unused dialogue in the OG or asking him about his hometown. Seph pretty much didn't even know Cloud existed.
Cloud had to specifically conjure this image from his mind. This is completely Cloud's self-made perception. And Cloud's self-made perception has apparently been reading one too many fanfics.
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fandomwritingbit · 7 months
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👻Hallowe'en Special👻
Ghosting.
Michael Afton x fem!reader.
Synop: After being abandoned by a friend at a stellar Halloween party, reader hooks up with someone in a Ghostface costume... turns out to be Michael Afton. This is a very distant sequel to Hateful with both Mike and reader being arseholes with an enemies to lovers thing going on.
Warnings: drinking, swearing, horniness, smut, public sex.
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You’ve been looking forward to tonight for months. A friend of a friend spread the word about their ‘killer halloween party’ almost as soon as August rolled around and rumours of fancy dress, live music and drinking games followed suit. It sounded like just what you needed to perk you up after weeks of studying. 
And now, looking at your costume laid on your bed, you can’t help but grin, it’s cheesy and a little old-fashioned, but hey, if it ain’t broke…
You’ve spent much too long getting it just right, using several sharpies, glitter and lipstick to perfect the face on your blanket, huge eyelashes on top of your eye cut-outs and big pouting lips. A fucking perfect, tarted-up blanket ghost. You complete the set-up with a pair of fishnets and chunky heels, unable to hold in your giggles when you check out the outfit in your mirror.  
“Oh my god, you look crazy.” Your friend Gemma laughs, looking at herself in the reflection next to you, her playboy bunny costume a much more basic choice than yours. One could argue a more sensible one too, because you'd had to layer up so all your secrets couldn't be exposed by one big gust of wind.
“Yeah, crazy hot.” You put your hands on your hips and pose, both of you tittering like schoolgirls. It is funny, but you’re aware that the pre-drinks you’ve had are probably making it seem funnier than it is. 
Your friend grabs a jacket and slings it over her shoulders, gesturing with her head that it’s time to go. “Can you even see anything?” She asks as you join her outside, looking at you sceptically as you turn around to lock your apartment door, missing the keyhole on the first try. 
If she could see your face, your eye rolling would be very evident. “Yeah. I know what I’m doing.” You bring your hands to the lips of the blanket, “I even cut a hole so I can stick a straw through.” Showing her by sticking your tongue through the gap, though quickly cringing at the feeling and taste of the fabric. 
“Oooh, she’s prepared.” Gemma says sarcastically, before putting a hand on your shoulder and all but forcing you to get a move on, you don’t want to be more than fashionably late after all. 
~
One giggly taxi ride later, you and her are struggling to get out of the car without flashing anyone. And then, you're heading up the front steps to the house, where the party is already in the swing of things. A werewolf sits next to an inflatable flamingo on the steps, one smoking, the other vaping, you’re admiring their costumes when you realise the wolf is a lad from your tutor, so you stop to tell him how amazing he looks. 
“Come on, y/n.” Your friend again takes your arm, her voice faux-whining. “We haven’t even got drinks yet, you can mingle in a second.” 
You let her guide you, though not without a sharp glare, quickly turning to the wolf before you go, “See you later, Joe!” 
As you step away, she grins at you, almost knocking over a witch’s drink sitting beside her on the top step. “Really gushing over Hoe-seph, huh?” She wiggles her eyebrows, her tone a little condescending. 
You can’t help but laugh, “Shut up, you knob.” you nudge her, making her wobble on her huge heels. “You’ve got to admit he looks great.” 
She scoffs in response. “Sure, he does. But it’s fucking Joe! We can do better tonight.” 
So much for that, you think to yourself as you sip probably the cheapest lager you’ve ever tried through a curly straw. Not even an hour after you and her had arrived, she’d found a group of people she knew from law studies and buggered off with them. Right now, you can see her bunny ears peeking over the crowd and swaying slightly to the music. 
You probably should have anticipated being on your lonesome. 
Though that doesn’t make it any less shit.
“You alright, y/n? You here all on your own?” Someone you recognise talks loudly over the music, pulling you out of your silent thought. 
You sigh, though they probably can’t hear the extent of it. “Yeah… Gemma pulled her signature move and left me in the dust.” You try to explain, having to repeat the words twice before they understand. When they do, their expression shifts in pity and they put a hand on your shoulder.
“Awww, come drink with us then, screw her.” You pull a face as you consider, before nodding and following them over to the kitchen where they and six others stand around an island drinking. It’s much brighter in there with the big lights on and you blink after being so used to the muted multi-colour lights of the living room. 
Your new buddy catches your reaction. “Hey, don’t let the light sober you up. What are you drinking?” They ask, and man, you really need to buck up and ask their name. 
“Uhh… whatever this is.” You twist the bottle around so they can see the label and their expression instantly reveals disapproval. Which you completely understand.
“You want another one of them?” A bloke standing next to the fridge pipes up, who you'll come to learn is called Ash.
“...Not really.” You admit and they laugh. 
“Vod and coke?” Your saviour prompts with a huge bottle of smirnoff in their hand and you beam under your costume. 
“Now we’re talking.” 
~
As enjoyable as the change in drink was, it didn’t take much for it to take effect and pretty soon you’re hanging off the arm of someone you've just formed a strong drunken friendship with, and singing along to someone’s halloween playlist. 
The drunkenness itself wasn’t so bad, everyone else was too and surprisingly this group was an excellent match of personalities. The main problem was that drink makes you horny. Like seriously horny. Horny enough to scan these people for a viable and interested partner. But you swiftly realise the seven of you are made up of two couples, someone that doesn't date girls and that Ash guy.
You struggle to think of who around could be your hook up. Yes, you could go find your werewolf friend, or his flamingo buddy, but that doesn’t feel too appealing. 
“I’m gonna go outside… I want to smoke.” You try not to slur your words, and pat the arm of the person that led you to this drunken safe haven as you walk, or rather stumble, past. The struggle is real, especially in these heels, but you manage it. Squeezing through masses of guests and trying not to get decked by tipsy people dancing, some of them shouted sorrys at you, others stared after your form like you were in the wrong. 
The cool night air was pleasant and you soak it all in as you check faces around. You recognise lots of people even through costumes but you know them too well for a quick drunken hook up, and there's no need to make your social circles awkward. But, god, you’re thirsting. 
Moving down the steps and being really careful not to slip, you pull a packet of cigarettes out from under your blanket, the box warm from being pressed against your skin for so long. Then you go down the side of the house, flinching when a motion-sensor light kicks into life and illuminates the path in a dingy yellow light. It’s like the party doesn’t exist back here, the noise completely dying when you turn the corner into the back garden. 
And that’s when you see him. Some guy in a full Ghostface get-up, one glove pulled up to let him scroll through his Instagram feed. You can’t help but grin under your covering, you have a special place in your heart for Ghostface, the movie one of your favourites for many reasons. Not all of them wholesome.
Placing the cigarette through the slit in your costume, you light up. Taking yourself over to slasher and standing beside him. 
“Uhh hey…” He turns to you tilting his head, no doubt trying to figure out who you were under your mask and failing. “That costume is-”
You smirk as you cut him off, “Amazing? I know. Proving to be a little inconvenient though.”
“Yeah I’ll bet. Do I know you?” You make a humming noise, trying to decide if you want to know who he is. There’s something really hot about the anonymity of it, hell you can play with the idea of a Matthew Lillard or Skeet Ulrich under there. And just the thought of that spurs you on immensely. 
“I’m not sure. But there’s fun in that.” The guy nods, but you can imagine a look of confusion under that sexy mask. You’re not usually this bold, but liquid courage and boredom can make anyone risqué. 
The two of you fall silent for a moment, before you break it teasingly, “Well, aren’t you going to ask me?” 
Ghostface scoffs in hesitation before he bites the lure. “Ask you what?”
You dramatically place a hand on your chest as you pretend to gasp. “... The Question. From the movie, you know, the one Ghostface is famous for?” 
“Ohh.” he laughs as he catches on. A hand digging in his robe for a small black device that looks like a radio. He holds it up to the mask and does as you ask, “... What’s your favourite scary movie?” The voice changer is scarily movie accurate, that iconic voice that is the perfect mixture of terrifying and ridiculously hot. 
You gasp for real this time, losing yourself in giggles, “That is awesome, holy shit.” You move a little closer, deciding that yeah, you want to test the waters with this fella. “Scream…” You answer, “Because I think Ghostface is really hot.” 
The flirtation in your tone isn’t hard to miss and although he’s surprised you just walked up to him and staked a claim, he certainly isn’t complaining. “Yeah?” 
You nod, alcohol making you brave enough to lay all your cards on the table. You lift up the hem of your blanket slowly to show him how good your upper thighs look in these fishnets. “You interested?” 
 He laughs, “Hell yeah.”
~
Right there against the back of the house you pull the sheet up over your hips and your little shorts down, grinning in excitement as you watch him pull his gloves off and set about doing the same. He tries to help you take the fishnets down, but at this point you just hook your fingers into the holes and rip them enough to allow him access to your slick seam. “Fuck.” he breaths when his fingers come into contact with your wetness. How the hell has he gotten this lucky tonight?  
The vodka in your veins doesn’t let you feel the cold, right now there’s nothing you want more than a good fuck and you hope that whoever is gripping your hips right now can do that for you. And judging by how quickly he finds your clit and begins to slowly rub circles, he absolutely can.
It’s clumsy, but exactly what you want and pretty soon you’re arching your back and pulling at the waistband of his boxers. You free his cock and he’s delightfully big and thick in your hands, so much so that you have to commend yourself, you really picked a good one here. Your hurried grabbing of his dick pushes him to press into you, hands cupping under your behind and lifting you to his perfect angle. It’s unexpected and you grab onto his shoulders to steady yourself, leaving him to slide his cock between your folds, coating himself in your slick, before pressing firmly inside you. 
“Shit-” You hiss instantly, a buzz in your core becoming apparent at the gorgeous feeling of him filling you up. You move your hips against him as much as you can, spurring him on to a rough pace of fucking in and out of you. Neither of you consider that you’re completely exposed, lewdly hooking up outside next to someone’s house, anyone could come round the back and catch the two of you but that’s the furthest thing from your mind. 
His grunts match the pace that’s quickly bringing both of you to your ends, gradually becoming whiny as he tries to make you come before finishing, but your tight walls are making that fairly difficult, as are the sweet sounds he’s pulling from you. He doesn’t realise how close you are and so the second he again starts to stroke your clit, the waves of your climax hit you hard. Your pussy sporadically tightens around him as you cum, your head tilting back against the wall and just like that he has to pull out, his release immediately hot and sticky on the top of your thighs. He thrusts into his hand as he finishes, groans dripping from his lips. 
By now you’re recovered enough to be annoyed that he’s covered your lower body in cum and you push against him to get him off of you. He obeys and leans against the wall next to you, both of you staring forward for a moment of realisation. How the Hell are you supposed to go back in there with this costume fucking sticking to you? God, you probably should have discussed logistics beforehand but hindsight is 20/20, huh? Your still tipsy brain nearly laughs at the situation but stops when the bloke next to you starts shifting in his costume, grabbing at his mask in an almost panicky way. 
He manages to pry it off and closes his eyes for a moment. The very moment he does you practically jump 30 feet in the air. A gross knowledge snapping through you so fast, you swear you touch all five bases on the grief scale. Your Ghostface was fucking Michael. Michael Pissing Afton. “Oh. Fucking Christ.” You snap out of nowhere, making Mike flinch. 
“Woah, what? What’s wrong?” Your reaction is so strong he thinks you must be in pain of something and swiftly turns towards you, hands hovering over you like you were about to hit the deck. 
You neglect to answer him, just angrily pulling the blanket up and tearing it off your form with an exasperated sigh. Only Michael Afton could make you completely sober in the span of two seconds.
He watches with wide eyes and almost winces when he reaches the same conclusion you did. “Y/n?” He laughs a little in surprise, still staring as you toss your costume on the floor and stand there in the tiniest shorts and top going. “Why didn’t you say anything?!” 
You scoff, “I didn’t fucking know, did I?” You say loudly, the silence following it deafening. Honest to God, how didn’t you realise sooner? You definitely should recognise him from your fling nearly a year ago- must be the alcohol, but still, if you’d have known you probably would have shopped around a bit before settling for Michael Fucking Afton.
A stupid smug smirk coats his lips, that pinch between your brows is just funny. He speaks through a chuckle, “I actually can’t believe it’s you… How’re you doing, it’s been a while?” 
The sharp gaze you fix him with just makes him laugh harder. “Yeah, that was intentional.” 
And there was that side of you that got on his last nerve, props to your attitude for being able to ruin a perfectly good shag. “Why are you pissed off? You came on to me.” He asks the questions incredulously, his tone irritating.  
“Huh, bet that’s a first.” You retort, a condescending smile increasing tenfold when he scowls.
How in the name of all that is holy did this happen?
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A/n: Hope you enjoyed, stay tuned for the next one xxx
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silvergreenseraphim · 5 months
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Angeal and Sephiroth (And Genesis?)—Dissidia Opera Omnia—Part Three
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I AM ALIVE!!
Of course, a bunch of crazy real life things had to happen right as I was trying to translate this chapter, but I am back now and it’s time to get to work! So sorry for the wait, but I thank you all for your patience!
Also, Dissidia being literally cancelled while I was away was a very odd and unfortunately timed occurrence. I was upset to see the news, but I suppose that was a strong impetus to keep translating since we may never get official English translations now. Whew!
Well, let’s dive in!
So, after the last encounter with Sephiroth where Angeal had to accept that Sephiroth’s will was also influencing his choice to destroy the world, part of our team is gathered around Zack, resting and talking.
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They express concern for Angeal, wondering if he is okay or if he is in shock after meeting his best friend who has changed so much. Tifa is prompted to then ask Zack what kind of person Sephiroth had been before the insanity.
Zack says,
“I didn’t really know him from the start. Only since I began working with Angeal, but I heard that they (Sephiroth and Angeal) were really close, as well as with their other best friend (Genesis). That one (Genesis) would play around with him (Sephiroth), and when things crossed a line, Angeal scolded them both. Sephiroth explained to me that Angeal gave him endless lectures about discipline, dreams, honor/hope, etc….”
A reference to this scene in Crisis Core:
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This is so cute, but of course everyone else is bewildered! One of them says something like, “Wait, we are still talking about Sephiroth, right??” and Zack just laughs saying, “I don’t blame you for thinking that/wondering that.”
But Zack reassures them about how Seph used to be, saying,
“He was strong, he took good care of/helped people, and he cared about his juniors/younger colleagues. That was the Sephiroth I knew once.”
Cloud seems in awe over this. Zack goes onto explain,
“Then something went wrong with Genesis and Angeal’s bodies (reference to degradation), and they didn’t tell Sephiroth. That’s why everything got so tense. They probably didn’t want to involve him in all that, but I think Sephiroth felt alone/was lonely. I was also left behind by Angeal, so I shared the feeling.”
Cloud teases Zack, saying basically “Oh, so that’s why you acted like that when you met Angeal again,” and Zack laughs in embarrassment. Krile comments that Zack’s best quality is being always honest to himself, and Zack is grateful for the kindness. Then he goes back to talking about Sephiroth, saying,
“So back to Sephiroth. Later when Angeal and the other friend (Genesis) were gone, something went wrong with Sephiroth this time. It seemed like he uncovered the secrets about his birth/creation, but he didn’t tell me much about that. But what occurred made it clear to me….that wasn’t Sephiroth, I am certain. It’s why I want to help Angeal. I want to bring Sephiroth back to who he was.”
There is a sad moment here where the others understand Zack’s wishes, but Tifa and Cloud admit that they aren’t sure if they could ever forgive Sephiroth for destroying their village and killing their relatives even if he were to return to sanity. Cloud in particular admits that he feels anger and then sorrow, a pain in his chest, when he thinks of Sephiroth. Cloud is kind to Zack, saying that he owes him so much, but on this subject their wishes diverge. He says he is sorry for that, but Zack understands saying,
“No, it’s okay. I am sorry too, Cloud.”
They all accept the fact and agree that everyone has a different position, moving on. However, Cloud does briefly stop to wonder if it is indeed possible to bring Sephiroth back to his old self.
We cut away from this scene and go to Angeal, who is talking with some of the elder Final Fantasy characters. They ask him if he is calm now, wondering,
“So, he (the current Sephiroth) is indeed not your good friend?”
This statement sounds like a casual, “So, you aren’t friends anymore” type of observation, but it is actually in reference to the Jenova-Sephiroth dilemma. They are basically asking Angeal if the real Sephiroth is truly gone. Angeal confirms in a sense, saying that,
“That’s why I was so disturbed. It wasn’t just strictly a matter of “he has changed.”
The others remind Angeal that if Sephiroth is no longer human, then he doesn’t have to feel so weighed down by the whole thing, but Angeal says,
“No, even if that is true, even if he is physically Jenova, I can sense his will still inside.
The character Aaron says, “Then there is a strong chance Sephiroth wills himself into this state (being one with Jenova).”
Angeals says he knows and that Sephiroth does indeed not seem to be human anymore. He then confirms,
“This is why I should be the one to finish this…for the sake of my other friend that I failed to save (Genesis).”
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Aw 🥲
There is a sequence here that follows where the elders talk to Angeal about his serious and responsible reputation, and how he trains his juniors like Zack. They offer Angeal some pleasant advice, saying not to worry so much about Zack anymore because the latter has truly grown. Angeal agrees, noting how much Zack matured and how he passed down his own little legacy to Cloud, who carries the buster sword. The elders encourage Angeal to realize that his strong and powerful words likely helped influence this and enliven others. They note Angeal’s persistent personality as well, but Angeal sadly says,
“Tifa told me that as well, but it wasn’t enough to get through to my friends (Gen and Seph). I was just too confident that we all understood each other. I should have been there for them more…”
Basch, one of the elders, encourages Angeal further, saying in regards to the situation with Sephiroth,
“Even though you are friends, don’t let this be such a burden to you. There were changes in his heart that you simply could not foresee, despite your regret.”
Furthermore he says, “Just because you two were close did not make it your duty (to fix everything). After all, a friend’s presence alone can be strengthening for another even when far away. But if you don’t want to regret, why don’t you try to come across him again now that you are both reunited here.”
Angeal, throughout this little pep talk, still feels badly and hangs his head, but he is surprised to hear the bit about a friend’s presence offering strength, and perks up when the others suggest he try to at least be there for Sephiroth this time around. He agrees, saying,
“You’re right. I will do what I could not do back then…but…”
Angeal pauses to speak one lament amidst his decision.
“…in this world…my other friend (Genesis) isn’t here….and I know he would have wanted to start over/have a second chance with Sephiroth as well…”
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Small note section before we move to the final battle:
There is so much to unpack in these two scenes because of all the dialogue and all the things finally said about the issues we have been wondering about as fans.
For one, now we know how it would be if the idea of Sephiroth’s redemption were to be discussed among the Crisis Core characters like Zack and Angeal, and the OG characters like Cloud and Tifa.
Zack and Angeal fully want to bring Sephiroth back because he was their friend that they loved, but the perspective of Cloud and Tifa is completely different and understandably so. They never knew Sephiroth as a friend, but instead the great SOLDIER that simply snapped and ruined their lives.
However, they are kind and understanding towards Zack, empathizing with his wishes, as well as with Angeal. It was Tifa who encouraged Angeal earlier, saying that his heroic speeches about dreams and honor had helped her, and that maybe he could reach Sephiroth’s noble, good side with such appeals.
But at the same time, Tifa and Cloud do admit that Sephiroth has wounded them too deeply, and even if he were to come back to his old self, they are not sure if they would ever be able to forgive him for what he did.
Zack is very peaceful about this disagreement, knowing that Cloud in particular means to deal with Sephiroth and not let him go freely. He knows why and accepts it. It’s ultimately very tragic and heart-rending, but we understand why their viewpoints are so different.
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As for the scene with Angeal and the elders, it was very endearing to see Angeal being the one getting a pep talk this time. He also speaks very politely and respectfully in Japanese, in contrast to his usual stern tone with Zack. We are reminded that Angeal himself is still just a young man, even though he comes off like a serious, older mentor. He is just as lost and confused as his friends and Zack.
He is very much still beating himself up over not having been there for Sephiroth and not having been able to save Genesis. What was said to him about “It was not your duty” initially caused him to protest and feel some kind of shock. He may have heard that the way anyone else struggling with regret would have. He may have thought, “No, it was my duty.”
In truth, what happened to his friends was not Angeal’s fault. He also quite literally died and couldn’t be there for everything, Yes, perhaps he is right in saying that assuming they all understood each other perfectly was a mistake, but the elders are also right—there were issues that he never could have foreseen. Angeal didn’t know how far Genesis would fall or how broken Sephiroth’s already-damaged psyche was without his friends.
Yet the one thing Angeal surely believes he could have done more was simply be by his friends’ sides when they were going down, which is fair and honorable. I think this is a reasonable conclusion, and so we now see Angeal’s resolve come into full view.
Even if Sephiroth cannot be brought back, Angeal intends to be there for him, to make up for his past mistakes, to make up for Genesis, and to find peace. He also knows and admits that Genesis would have wanted to do the same with Sephiroth if he were present.
The plot of this chapter became clear to me here.
This DOO story is about Angeal’s personal redemption within himself, and perhaps a bit of Genesis’ own as well. It is about closure with the Firsts’ trio, even if it doesn’t lead to Sephiroth’s own redemption. It is still about them 🥲
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The final battle begins.
There are a few interludes with the Tsviets, Vincent, and Weiss that establish their inclusion in the final battle, and the plan to restore everyone’s memories within the world. The other FF characters also discuss a few things about Seymour’s loyalty, and the team comes up with a final plan to take down Sephiroth for good.
This leads to Sephiroth himself, who is once again worried about the memories Angeal has brought back and how that might interfere with Sephiroth’s anchor to Cloud. He needs Angeal gone in order to not be shaken and take over the world.
Right then, the others run up. Cloud calls Sephiroth’s name and Angeal says,
“I’ve come to stop you!”
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Sephiroth announces that they are too late, and that he is ready to take control. The others claim they are stronger, but Sephiroth has the upper hand, of course. He uses a fake Tifa to trick Barret into giving up the power crystals that Sephiroth needs. When this succeeds, Sephiroth summons the great materia called Crystal that apparently holds the world together. He attempts to shatter it and the world starts to crumble. Aerith rushes in front of Crystal to defend it.
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Barret and Cloud are struck with horrible memories and premonitions, seemingly about Aerith’s death when this happens. They call for her to get away, but are unable to stand with the weight of memory crashing down on them.
There is a moment of panic as Sephiroth gets ready to charge Aerith, but then Angeal and Weiss actually sweep in to block his path in the nick of time.
And so, the Crisis Core tribute battle formulates, a memorial to the spar that once occurred between three friends. It even plays the music from the CC scene.
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Vincent and the Tsviets are shocked to see Weiss, who did not seem to be interested in the final battle before, but something seems to have possessed Weiss. He begins quoting Loveless once again. He says,
“Hm. “My friend, the fates are cruel. There are no dreams, no honor remains. The arrow has left the bow of the goddess.” So, is that how you became a monster, Sephiroth, the “hero”?”
This is a strange moment of questioning from Weiss because it seems confusing with the English translation of Loveless, but he is essentially asking if Sephiroth lost his pride and honor due to a cruel cause or turn of fate. Angeal walks up and fondly reminisces, saying,
“Ah, Loveless…how nostalgic. Genesis quoted that tale until it wore me down.”
Sephiroth is oddly quiet.
Then, funnily enough, Weiss’s intentions are revealed to be about taking Sephiroth’s place. Weiss doesn’t care about what happens in the world, but believes he should be the one to reign over it instead of Sephiroth, making an amusing callback to Genesis wanting Sephiroth’s role as the hero. Angeal laughs and responds to this with,
“Oh pfftt, you two (Weiss and Genesis) are exactly alike in your competitive nature then. Do as you will.”
Essentially, Angeal accepts Weiss to fill the empty space left by Genesis in this particular world, calling back to Angeal’s earlier lament.
Weiss and Angeal prepare for the fight, but Cloud and Zack protest, telling Angeal that he doesn’t need to do this, and that they can help now that they are back to normal. But Angeal only says,
“I know you guys are reliable/strong, but I need to do this.”
Cloud understands and says,
“I see….you want to talk to him (Sephiroth) like a person…to the real Sephiroth buried behind Jenova.”
This seems to be a callback to Cloud and Angeal’s earlier discussion where Angeal told Cloud about how he treated Sephiroth like a human. Even now, Angeal wants to speak to his friend as though he were person, not a monster blended with Jenova. Angeal also jokingly adds,
“At the very least, let me show off a little bit as your senior soldier!”
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The fight begins with Angeal saying to Sephiroth that he will speak to him in this way even if the latter tries to stop him. Sephiroth only dismisses this with his same, “There is nothing to talk about in this world. It will soon become an empty vessel” statement. Angeal teases a bit with,
“Come on, don’t hold back! Test your skill with us like you did that day…”
Sephiroth only says he doesn’t remember.
Their fight is familiar and striking, full of quick and clever movement. The others are thrilled watching, with Zack even recognizing some of the moves Sephiroth taught him back in the day.
The nostalgia hits Angeal in the midst of the spar and he calls out,
“Ah, I’ve missed you, Sephiroth!”
They continue, with Sephiroth still aiming for Aerith, but being pushed back by Weiss and Angeal. Angeal further recalls the memory, saying,
“Remember, we used to do this in the old training room at headquarters, playing around in there when the 2nds weren’t looking!”
Sephiroth can still only say he doesn’t remember. Angeal persists with,
“Alright then what about dumbapples? And your friend that was so eager to share one with you that he never gave up his research on them?”
Sephiroth becomes agitated at this and says,
“I told you, I don’t know/remember!”
Weiss laughs and says, “Well, you’re a sorry excuse for a Sephiroth!”
But Sephiroth only says he doesn’t need these memories, and that he erased them. Weiss says,
“Then let me remind you what our brother (Genesis) wanted. My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess!”
At this, Sephiroth finally snaps in anger and says,
“Shut up…! All I need is my pure will!”
With this, Sephiroth exerts an extreme amount of power and proceeds to attack the crystal with his raw strength and will, causing everything to tremble. The others begin to panic. Sephiroth viciously says,
“There is my response! My gift to you!”
So yeah, the spar was fun until Weiss and Angeal brought back that memory of Genesis. Unfortunately, it seemingly angered Sephiroth a little too much, and from this point on, things seem hopeless. Sephiroth’s will is too strong, and in the midst of the chaos, Seymour arrives at last, taking Sephiroth’s side and betraying the others.
They begin to destroy Crystal together, and this is when a certain scene occurs that I have translated here:
A very important moment with Vincent, who tries to intervene by telling Sephiroth that Jenova is not his mother, and that his real mother cried for him. Sephiroth, sadly, does not believe Vincent.
Sephiroth grows in his power, drunken on the feeling, and Cloud, Zack, and Angeal stand at the front, ready to take him on, Yes, even Angeal has found his resolve and admits that while things look hopeless, they have to face it. Cloud summons everyone, rallying them all to fight together.
That’s when Sephiroth ascends and takes on his Safer form. Upon seeing this, Zack grows angry and says,
“If this really is Jenova, don’t hold back. How dare she mask as Sephiroth!”
But Safer Sephiroth tells them that he has gathered all the energy of the world to himself, and that they have lost because they did not have the power and strength that comes with pure hatred of the world. Angeal says,
“So, that’s your will. To destroy the world with Jenova’s power. I suppose that’s why I still can’t turn away from you or my past mistakes…because I’m your best friend.”
Angeal is at full acceptance here, understanding that he can’t let Sephiroth do this because it’s his responsibility as Sephiroth’s best friend. It’s a very loving way to say,
“I have to put you down because it’s what’s best for you in this situation.”
So, the battle ends with Seymour and Safer Sephiroth defeated. There is a moment of uncertainty as the world hangs on the edge of collapse, but the team, mainly Angeal, are able to bring Seymour back to his senses in the aftermath. Seymour falls to the earth in regret, much to Sephiroth’s disgust, who would never have let go of his hatred so easily.
Sephiroth then vanishes, summoning Cloud to the final confrontation. Cloud rushes through a portal, into the void where Sephiroth is waiting. The fight is a direct callback to the OG scene.
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Cloud beats Sephiroth at once like he did in the original game, everything ending with Sephiroth’s voice echoing through the void, promising that he will return one day with his mother as long as Cloud remembers him. Cloud reassures Sephiroth that he will fight him again and again if it means protecting the world.
When Cloud returns, Zack is overjoyed and Angeal solemnly thanks him for putting Sephiroth to rest. There is a brief intermission where the other FF characters work to bring the shattered world back into balance, but overall, the fight is over and everything is fine again.
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Angeal looks to the sky, and is unable to keep from lamenting Sephiroth’s loss, saying that,
“I lost my best friend twice now…I must admit I am filled with regret, pathetic as that may seem…”
But Zack encourages Angeal, reminding him that he was there for Sephiroth this time, and Sephiroth even responded in small ways. Zack also is grateful that Angeal was by his side in battle, saying that he wouldn’t have been able to face everything alone. Angeal warmly says that Zack could have easily stood strong with the way he held onto his pride and honor. There is kind reconciliation here, and with the other characters as well. Small scenes of forgiveness and new promises made.
It was sad, and everybody was hoping that Seph could be brought back, but in the end it was more about Angeal finding peace with the loss of his friend and giving himself a second chance to be there with him until the bitter end. He full-filled this wish, whether Sephiroth knew it or not. For that, I am grateful to Dissidia. They gave Angeal the closure he longed for and that he never would have been able to gain in any other game because of his death. Now I can only hope similar opportunities are granted to the others.
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Final Notes:
Thank you so much again for everyone’s patience with this! I can’t believe DOO actually ended as I was in the middle of translating, and all for the sake of Rebirth too! But it had a good run and this bit of closure we got with the CC and OG characters was a pretty decent way to end it. I would have loved to see Genesis involved, but I suspect they knew DOO was ending too soon and so they found a way to at least include his precense before actually adding him to the game.
I also have to wonder if this version of the OG’s story was so Angeal-focused because the Remake will include Genesis and how he will deal with the final battle against Sephiroth. Who can say?
Either way, it was sad and beautiful and it gave us Crisis Core fans a lot of satisfaction and understanding for these characters we loved but felt were a bit deprived by Crisis Core’s writing. It was lovely to have Angeal and Zack reaffirm over and over that the Firsts’ trio were such close friends that were ultimately torn apart by tragedy. They all loved each other dearly, and Sephiroth’s loss to darkness was a massive heartbreak for them. For Zack as well.
I found so many scenes interesting, but the spar tribute was my favorite. Originally, I thought it was Angeal’s attempt to bring Sephiroth back to himself, but I then realized it was Angeal having some fun with his old friend before the real battle began and it was time to end everything. It was like Angeal’s goodbye to Sephiroth ;-;
There are some scenes I may have to edit or retranslate again if anyone finds any mistakes, but hopefully most of it came out okay, and a big thanks to @ansfair on Twitter (please check out their translation as well!) for the extra help with certain scenes, as well as my Japanese-speaking friend! I want to eventually translate a bit more from Dissidia and the earlier scenes from when Angeal first showed up, but for now, I hope this is fun for you all to read!
Much love everyone! ❤️
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Hi! Imma do something rare and actually make content, but its 11 at night and i just had a brain worm
for those of you that don’t know, i work at an accounting office. we do taxes. it is tax season. and now im thinking abt how AGSZC does taxes and what their papers are like and im inflicting it on the rest of you even if its gibberish
Angeal: A godsend. Keeps his forms in order and filed properly, calculates everything else himself like a good man. Papers honestly aren’t too bad, maybe 10-12 just because of his career/insurance plus his doubtless donations to charity, but aside from that. straightforward and done at his kitchen table
Genesis: A fucking NIGHTMARE. no doubt pays someone else to do it. and for fucks sake, i know he invests. constantly and consistently and probably in anything he thinks stands the slightest chance against shinra on the market. his 1099-B is a mess and definitely Not Totaled, so his is the bullshit you have to insert one. investment. at. a time. He’s the type that keeps fucking calling too, I can just tell. but, aside from the 1099-B, he’s probably got simple stuff as well. probably several 1099-INTs from several different bank accounts, maybe a couple 1098s floating around from vacation houses or some shit.
Sephiroth: Does his own. In ridiculously early. Makes almost no personal purchases so hardly has anything to pay. I can’t imagine not having a last name or not knowing his birthday doesn’t end up a legal problem somehow, so he likely has to walk directly into a damn tax office to say hey this is me and this is my shit no, someone isn’t stealing my identity. has one singular document and it’s his W-2. Which is. Fucking astronomical. Like, the number doesn’t even look right. His paycheck as a SOLDIER isn’t taxed, so he doesn’t really get much back on his refund. The only first without a healthcare /insurance form because why tf would Sephiroth have healthcare? What’s he gonna do, get sick?
not getting into how doing his own taxes was definitely a fight between him and Hojo at some point and ended up getting hashed out in a board room. Hojo didn’t like him having the autonomy of filing for himself instead of being claimed ad Hojo’s ‘dependent’. Sephiroth deadass threatened to go to court abt it. The President told Hojo to suck it up so they didn’t have to deal with scandal, Hojo wouldn’t tell Seph his birthday to be difficult, and here we are
Zack: Panicking. Late. Doesn’t know if his forms came in the mail, doesn’t know where he put them most of the time. Scrambles around for a fuck ton of receipts, ultimately has to request Shinra send him his shit again. DEFINITELY pays someone else to do it. W-2, 1095-A, 1099-C(s)(he has several debts i can feel it i love him but he screams bad financial decisions), probably some shit for his bike too. He customs it so I can see him listing some parts he buys for it as work expenses. Jokingly puts some money he gave aerith for flowers and what he spent to make her wagon as donations to charity and it actually goes through because the church is still considered a legal entity. Definitely has to pay late fees.
Cloud: Pays Tifa to do it. Filing for both of them is a nightmare cause all their shit burnt in Nibelheim, so once Edge gets right with the WRO they have to do all their paperwork from scratch and get reassigned SSNs. He genuinely has a fuckton of paperwork from doing the Strife Delivery Service. Luckily, only ‘employee’ he has is Tifa, and even then she doesn’t do things regularly aside from pick up the phone. Doesn’t make his business an LLC until he’s literally forced to due to his number of clients and someone trying to sue him for damages. 1099-NEC for TIfa for sure, then once he’s an LLC, some yearly maintenance to keep legal. Mileage and gas expenses go CRAZY on his self employment form, I fucking bet. I bet Cloud’s handwriting is shit tho. Tifa’s at her desk counting up his gains and losses for fucking ages because his fives look too similar to sixes. Eventually she wrangles him into installing some shit on his phone that counts it up, if only to cure her headache. Funnily enough, he does get veteran benefits from what’s left of Shinra’s shit, reparations of sorts, but he doesn’t keep it. All goes to charity, so that ends up in the books too.
alright, that was unnecessarily in depth and way longer than i planned. good night LMAO
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lunargrapejuice · 14 days
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LUNAAAAA ily 🤭 anyway i've read a bunch of your fics and i never thought i would like sephiroth until i read what you write so pls pls pls if you can write smth smutty and sweet of seph it would kill me (p.s. preferably after him and reader have their first baby and they've been so pent up after almost 2 years of not being able to do it)
hi babes!! ily too!🥰🩷 im so glad i could help bring you over to loving sephiroth heheh🤭 i did take this idea but i did change it a bit and then kinda ran away with it? i still hope you like it! thank you so much for reading and requesting something!
the sweetest of dark dreams
sephiroth x fem!reader | 6.3k + words
warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, porn with plot, un named daughter, hurt/comfort, post ffvii story, violence and drugging (not by seph), he's not pre-nibelheim sane but not crazy seph either?, possessiveness, explicit sexual content, mating press, cream pie, implied multiple rounds, i think that it but please let me know i missed anything!
synopsis: the first thing you saw upon opening your eyes is sephiroth with your daughter smiling at his side and tugging at his sleeve but you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t considered that maybe you never woke up in the first place and you’re still dreaming. is it a nightmare or a sweet dream? you wonder again and again as two days pass, questioning if any of this is even real because how could it possibly be real when your husband who should be dead is suddenly.. here, alive and breathing and making your daughter smile. you don’t know what to believe but all of this feels so unbelievably real it’s hard to tell your brain and your heart otherwise and he doesn't wait long to show you just how real this is.
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you’ve yet to decide if this is a dream or a nightmare or which you would even want it to be if you knew.
it started off as a nightmare. no it was so much more than that when you lost sephiroth after the nibelheim mission and somehow even worse than that when you found out you were pregnant. pregnant and utterly alone. on the run from shinra, desperate to ensure your baby would never be known by them, would never have to come close to one of their labs or needles.
then your daughter was born. a mix of you and your soulmate and beyond perfect. the rays of light in her eyes, his eyes, helping guide you through the darkness that had clouded the path in front of you for those first nine months without him and thus nightmare began to turn into a bittersweet dream.
the sweetness of it was easier to take in the more she grew, with each successful day that you’re both free of shinra, but a day never passed that you didn’t think of sephiroth or feel the permanent ache in your chest that had been present since you were parted. and you were never blind to the threats that still lingered. the truth that your daughter shares sephiroths jenova cells and if shinra ever found her.. well you would be sure they never got to her so you would not have to find out and she would never have to know any of the pain her father was put through.
it's what sephiroth would have wanted too. 
nearly six years of you and her, safe and sound, six years of giggles and smiles and you doing everything you can to protect her, a dream you live out for both you and your beloved and when you heard of the explosion of shinra, what sephiroth had done, you had hoped maybe the running could finally be over, but it only took one moment for it to turn into a horror you didn’t dare dream of, that you could hardly take and have relived every night since in your dreams.
“mommy?”
“yes baby?” you replied as calmly as you could and prayed that your daughter couldn’t feel the rapidness of your heart beat under her hands that cling around your neck but you couldn't suppress it no matter how hard you tried.
“is something wrong?”
she’s always been more aware than you know how to handle at times but how could you lie when at this moment everything seemed wrong, so very fucking wrong, like everything you did to try to keep her safe wasn’t enough and never would have been. you remembered crying about how you couldn’t do this without sephiroth during her birth and maybe you were right all along..
you heard he died along with many others that fateful day but there was no mistaking hojo when you spotted him in the city you visited for supplies near the place you had called home for the last half year and the devilish expression on his face when your eyes met let you know he had not mistaken you either.
that sickening smile had only grown when his gaze came to the small child holding your hand, her silver hair so similar to her fathers if her slitted pupils weren’t enough to give her away to him. though you honestly don’t know how much of a look he got of her because so quick you had your daughter in your arms and slipped back into the crowd that frequents this market street.
you didn’t look back but you felt him and others following you.
“whatever happens, just don’t let go of me, okay?” you asked of your daughter, hugging her closer to your body. you had dropped your groceries somewhere on the side of the road to help lighten the load and get you moving faster as she wordlessly buried herself into your chest, holding on like her life depended on it.
she held on just as tightly when she was ripped from your hold by a man dressed in a shinra infantry uniform only minutes outside of the city. like they had been waiting for you, they cornered you against an abandoned building and before you realized it, hojo was behind you and you felt the prick of a thick needle sinking into your side. 
there were a dozen others that surrounded you, some pulling your weakening body away from your daughter as others tried to make her let go of you. you’ve never felt so helpless, so scared and even though you know it’s only a dream this time around, the emotions flood back like they had then. 
“what did you do to me?!” you screamed at hojo in your fight to reach for her but no matter how much you tried to move you couldn’t get your body to do anything and the place where hojo had injected you burned like the heat of it was draining every ounce of your strength and consciousness. 
you hardly heard his answer over the cries of your daughter and the adrenaline pumping through your veins with no way to release after whatever the hell hojo put inside of you. you screamed, unable to hold it back when your mouth felt like it's the only thing that could move or do anything at all. it made your lungs burn with dry heat, you thought they may even burst with how it rages inside of your chest but you could only hope in the explosion it would take hojo and these ass holes with you.
by some miracle it ignited your muscles and you tugged at the hands that held onto you, your strength surprising them and their hold slipped, allowing you a moment to tumble away towards your daughter, reaching out for her with bruised arms just as gunshots echo all around you. 
a gust of wind, like the beat of a giant wing, swirled around you, sending hojos lackeys flying in every direction but you and your daughter remained steady, not a hair flying in the wind. before your hands can connect with her she’s being lifted into the air by gloved hands and when you follow them to the person picking her up, feeling your body succumbing to the serum hojo injected you with, you see sephiroth holding her on his hip, reaching down for you with his other arm, a dark black wing surrounding you like a shield before the entire world faded away.
you awake with the same jolt you had once the serum had run its course, body jolting and gasping for air but unlike then, you’re quick to realize where you are and that things are okay. a weird, uneasy definition of the word but your daughter is safe and hojo is dead and that is enough for you. at least that’s what you keep telling yourself.
it had to be enough because right now nothing else aside from those two things make any sense to you and even the latter you’re only taking at the word of the familiar stranger currently asleep with your daughter in his arms on the plush chair in her bedroom. 
it’s only been a few days since you woke up after being asleep for two weeks thanks to hojos concoction and the first thing you saw upon opening your eyes was sephiroth with your daughter smiling at his side and tugging at his sleeve but you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t considered that maybe you never woke up in the first place and you’re still dreaming. is it a nightmare or a sweet dream? you wonder again and again as two days pass, questioning if any of this is even real. 
how could it possibly be real when your husband who should be dead is suddenly.. here, alive and breathing and making your daughter smile and claiming hojo is no longer a threat because he personally saw to it and you’ll all be safe now. he’ll be sure of it. you honestly don’t know what to believe but all of this feels so unbelievably real it’s hard to tell your brain and your heart otherwise and regardless of whether it is or not, you need to continue to protect your daughter. so even in this foggy state between reality and a fucked up beautiful dream, you do what you’ve always done to keep her safe.
she may be a heavy sleeper but sephiroth never has been himself and you doubt that’s change in the years you’ve been apart so when you sneak out of the house, you hold your boots against your chest as you tiptoe out of the front door and hold your breath with every step until you’re on the edge of the small garden you keep, sitting on the wood plank of the garden box and lace up your boots before making your way back towards the city.
two weeks you’d been asleep. two weeks of not earning any gil and you don’t even know how sephiroth has paid for or gotten the food currently in your pantry. it’s just another worry on your shoulders that makes it hard to breath or think straight but it’s one you can do something about at least. you’d have made better care taking plans for your daughter in your absence had you not been asleep all this time and the fights you planned to join in the undercity for gil being only tonight until next month. you couldn’t wait that long and having joined them before, you know you’ll be fine. thank the goddess there were no lingering effects of the serum as far as you could tell.
that doesn’t stop how sickly on edge you feel the entire walk, like hojo or sephiroth might pop up from the shadows, like you’ve done a terrible thing by leaving your daughter with a man you aren’t sure is real. a stranger, you had called him earlier but you’re just as much of a stranger to him now too. so long without him, your only focus being keeping your daughter alive and safe at any cost and despite your heart with a wound that not even time could heal. you’re not the same person and if he really is the man you once called your husband, the same one who had tried to destroy the planet, he isn’t the same either. 
he had been gentle with your daughter over the past two days of you carefully watching his every move though. she had hardly wanted to be away from him since you’ve awoken and he had seen to her care during the time you were drugged to sleep without as much as a scratch on her little body. she trusted him and though you aren’t sure that you did, you didn’t think he’d hurt her and you’d do your best to get back before either of them noticed you were gone.
your dream replays in your mind as you walk past the place where sephiroth had reappeared before you, right when you needed him. in the moonlight you’d never guess it was the place of a slaughter or the return of someone you never thought you’d see again. it looks almost peaceful in your slowed steps taking in the blades of grass that flatten under your footsteps but it does anything but bring you calmness. 
on the brink of losing it, your mind running a million miles an hour with how to wake up from this dream, how to discern what’s real and what isn’t, you’re thankful the undercity is filled with more life than the actual city is thanks to more than just the townsfolk being here to watch the fights happening in an arena that sits in the center of it all. no one pays you any mind and the endless chatter along with the announcers echoing in the background nearly drowns out your anxious thoughts.
you’d need to figure them out at some point. you know you can’t avoid it forever but it would have to wait for tonight, until you could control just one thing and be sure there was enough gil for whatever your family might need in the coming weeks, until you could feel something that was undoubtedly real to knock you out of this sorry state if for no other reason but your daughter.
like always, you would need to push through for her even when you’re breaking in ways you don’t know where to begin to cover up or fix. then again, maybe you’re just unfixable to begin with. 
having made your way through most of the crowd, you’re nearly at the carved out side entrance of the arena to look over the fight lists and sign up for one’s you know you’ll be able to win against other people and monsters but like he had been waiting for you to arrive, you see sephiroth leaning against the wall with his arms folded and his head down, silver locks covering most of his face just a curtain of starlight. he no longer wears his normal armor but there's no denying it’s him. in the busyness no one seems to notice him either but he’s all you can see.
in a blink, his attention is on you, as if he felt your presence, and you’re frozen in the street, unsure what it is that’s gluing your feet to the ground. fear? guilt? worry? you can’t begin to describe the feeling properly but it's like black tendrils root you in place and make your heart beat uncontrollably, uncomfortably.
unfolding his arms, he takes long strides towards you, his eyes never leaving yours, the expression on his face completely unreadable and as composed as ever. every conscious part of your body tells you to run as fast as you can in the opposite direction, all the while your heart whispers that he would never hurt you. run towards him. you push the urge down, remind yourself he isn’t your sephiroth, and when the nerves in your feet finally get the message and move, it’s away from him that they choose. he’s so close to you by then though and you know you only get away because he’s letting you.
you can’t get out the ‘excuse me’s and ‘i’m sorry’s that sit on the tip of your tongue as you hurry away from the arena and back towards the entrance you came from, accidentally knocking into patrons without looking back. you don’t even know why you’re running when you know there was no getting away from him. even if he’s letting you go now, he was faster. stronger. dangerous. and worst of all and more likely than anything else, maybe you’ll realize he’s just some twisted joke conjured by your subconscious or shinra in order to get whatever they want from you.
it’s just outside the dimly lit entrance to the undercity that sephiroth has had enough of chasing after you and before you can stop in your tracks, he’s standing in front of you, the lights of the undercity reflecting back on his handsome features, and he’s quickly changing your direction and backing you into metal wall of the normally closed off entrance with his steps only inches from yours. it’s only the two of you around with the arena growing louder, telling you the event is about to begin. 
he doesn’t touch you, there’s not a place your bodies connect, no where you’ve dared to reach for in the two days you’ve been awake but you can feel the warmth of him at this distance, smell his familiar leather and flora scent, and it wraps around you like a blanket you had nearly forgotten the touch of but you hesitate to melt into its comfort. his strong arms cage you in, not letting you escape his intense gaze and towering height, and on bated breath you wait for him to make the first move, to say something, anything because for two days you’ve hardly had any words between you but it seems he was not going to let that continue any longer.
“what are you doing here?” he asks and you feel your heart skip a beat at the sound of his voice that wavers with what you swear is worry.
but it couldn’t have been, you tell yourself.  he’s not real. this isn’t real. wake up - wake up!
“it looks to me like you already know,” your words are like venom on your own tongue. you hate the taste but you can’t stop it with the overwhelming feelings currently consuming you, that you don’t know where to begin to process. before he can say anything you continue, finally finding the strength to move and using it to shove him away from you with your hands planted firmly on his chest. it’s the first time you’ve touched him since waking up and you’re almost surprised that he feels solid. it steals the poison behind your words, makes you falter and they’re only defeated now. “you don’t get to judge my choices. i do what i have to for her. i always have and i always will.”
free from his caging, you don’t try to go back to the undercity. you know he wouldn’t let you and gods dammit your daughter is alone right now - your feet start to head back towards home at a quick pace, not waiting up for him or looking back to see if he is following you.
“that’s not the issue here,” his voice is close when he speaks again, as though he’s right on your heels.
you stop in your tracks, turning on the balls of your feet to meet his gaze. goddess how is he even before you.. 
“not the issue?” you can’t help but laugh. it feels horrible though, bitter and heavy and brings tears to your eyes. “then tell me, what exactly is the problem because i can think of so many bigger issues than earning gil to keep my daughter safe!” so quickly you’ve lost your cool, every word you speak brings you closer and closer to bursting into tears.
“you’ve done so much for her,” he says and despite the flinch of the words you used to claim your daughter without him, there’s a soft adoration in his tone that makes you think this really must be some kind of mirage meant to torture you further, to break you, and it’s working. he takes a step closer to you, reaching for you with his gloveless hand but his touch never connects. “but putting yourself in danger is no way of protecting her.”
your tears begin to shed without your permission, letting go with them the floodgates of your emotions. this was too much to take, too much to process when you don’t know what to believe or do when years of longing pain crashes to the surface in a suffocating wave. “what would you even know about it when you’ve been goddess knows where - what - trying to destory the fucking planet - while ive been in agony without you?! trying to get through every day-”
you take a step away from him, thankful there seems to be no one else around you to hear your loss of control, to see the way you run your hands over your face and hair and take in breaths that only seem to fuel the heat inside you that is cracking you with ever added degree.
“did you even come back for me after nibelheim? did you know i was pregnant or about our daughter?!” you’re sobbing uncontrollably, unsure if he can understand your words but you couldn’t stop them just as much as you couldn’t control your weeping eyes. you can’t meet his either when you continue, “i - i don’t even know if you’re real sephiroth! the only thing i know that's real is her and even if this, right now, is some kind of messed up dream hojo’s put me in, i have to take care of her in the chance it’s not and if it is then- then i have to wake up so i can save her. i have to do something! - anything - i -”
the touch of his hands on your face, cradling your jaw with gentle strength, stops you in your tracks before you can fully succumb to fear and grief and every little emotion firing off inside of you, before you drown in your own tears. 
sephiroth says your name and though you can’t tell if it’s helping or making your tears worse, you don’t fight him. “you don’t think i’m real?” he asks, his voice deep and eerily tranquil but before you can protest or reply, his lips are on yours, pressing together in a deep, claiming kiss. one of his hands carding into your hair while the other grabs your trembling hands and brings them up to his chest. 
you can feel his steady heartbeat under your palms, taste him on your lips with each kiss you return that’s coated in your tears and the way he handles you feels like a distant memory. you want to melt into it, let yourself be weak and handled by him like you had years ago but you can’t bring yourself to give in. it’s not real and it hurts that much worse because of it. 
with unreserved strength, he presses you against him with a hand now at your back, splayed across you in a possessive grip, keeping you completely flush against his larger body, your feet nearly off the ground in your reach for him. you gasp against his lips at the sudden contact and when he takes in a deep breath, he affirms you as though he had read your mind, “this is real,” you feel the pressure of his forehead on yours and hiccup in your sobbing at the contact. “and you will never be without me again.”
“sephiroth..” you hold onto the shirt he wears, the fabric bunching in your fists as if he might disappear in the wind if you did not hold onto him. in this state you don’t know if you can believe him but so badly do you want it to be true and you think maybe for a moment you can give in, let yourself believe it for the sake of your heart that’s filled with a hope you worry might break you like you never before if it turns out to not be true.
you couldn’t bear to lose him again. even if neither of you are the same as before, there is no doubt in your mind that he is a part of your soul and heart just as you are a part of his. that you will always be tied to one another in a bond you can’t explain in words but that you’re certain transcends lifetimes and universes.
˚ ༘♡ ⋆。˚
the front door to the house creaks open slowly and for the first time since you gave in, you break from sephiroths lips, trying to catch your breath in quiet gasps thanks to the tears still flowing from your eyes. he’s carried you the entire way home, with your legs wrapped around his thin waist and his ever present strength helping him support you with minimal effort. he isn’t keen on letting you go now that you’re home either. 
the house is quiet and in his walk to your bedroom at the end of the hallway, you both peek into your daughter's room to see her sleeping peacefully where sephiroth had tucked her in before following after you. you reach down and shut the door and in his next step, he captures your lips once more in a kiss that makes you light headed and dizzy.
he’s quick to press you against your bedroom door as the click of the lock fills the room and is quickly replaced by your whimpers. aside from when you slept here for those two long weeks, unmoving but with your heart still beating, he hasn’t stepped foot back in your room despite the fact it was torture to be so close and yet so far from you. he had wanted to devour you from the moment you first woke up and looked at him with those eyes that were so closed off but still so full of the love that changed him, that made him realize there was something he could not live without.  
he wasn’t well without you by his side either and regardless of whether you believed him or not, he hadn’t known of your daughter but when he found out, all he had done was search for you until he heard the planet vibrate with your scream that shook his soul and brought him to you, never to be parted again.
“have you remained only mine angel?” he asks low against your lips, with an urgency that tells you he needs you to tell him. he gives you the chance, lifting up further up on his waist and stepping away from the door, latching his lips on the base of your neck, nibbling and sucking on your supple skin.
you’re quick to nod, your words following after he has you on the bed and is on top of you, not letting an inch between your bodies. “only ever yours,” you promise and you mean it whole heartily. there could never be anyone but him in your bed or in your heart.
“only mine,” he echoes, the words vibrating through his chest and then his teeth are sinking deeper into your flesh. you hold back a cry, feeling your body break out in goosebumps as you writhe underneath his broad frame, trying to keep quiet. he shifts and presses his hard, clothed cock over your sex, rolling his hips with a soothing lick over the marks of his teeth on your flesh. “all mine.”
the way he strips you of your clothes is such a stark contrast to how he handles your body. the fabric is carelessly ripped and torn in a ravenous fashion, the fibers easily giving way to his strength but when his fingers touch your skin that lay beneath, they’re acutely aware to your fragility compared to what had become of his own body and maps out every change in your own since sephiroth last saw you like this.
he remains completely clothed above you, his pupils the thinnest of slits underneath thick dark lashes that grow heavier with aching hunger the longer he stares at you. a piercing gaze that makes your entire body tremble and burn with heat. a predator gaze. the eyes of your other half that you only saw in your dreams for so long. but your dreams had never been this real. your heart had not beat like this in six years, not even your endless tears could begin to replicate the feelings coursing through you right now and you couldn’t control a single one of them but you didn’t need to when you surrender all of yourself to him.
the pressure of his body against yours once more grounds you, the warmth of his breath and lips on the skin below your ear, his hand that travels down your inner thigh towards where you want him the most making you whimper in a plea for more. at this point you aren’t sure you’ll be able to stop crying but your tears are slower now, your hands tugging at his clothes for purchase or to get them off of him or some mix of them both.
“i’ll show you how real i am darling,” he whispers against you, placing a kiss to the space below the lobe of your ear right as you feel his fingers on your cunt, slowly parting your folds from your entrance to your clit, groaning at the soft and wet feeling of you. “be a good girl for me.”
in all the time you’ve been apart you’ve never forgotten the feeling of him but have never been able to mimic it with your own hands and could not even dream of it with another, let alone follow through with it just to sate your needs. there’s nothing compared to the way he knows your body better than yourself, the intense adoration he shows it and how easily he finds the perfect pressure against your clit that has you clenching around nothing, arching into his chest, and soaking his fingers.
and when he finally sinks two of his digits into you, you have to bite your bottom lip to keep from screaming out. it feels so good, so right, so real. his body lifts from yours, spreading his legs and yours thighs on top of his follow, giving him the perfect view of your glistening cunt. 
“‘s real,” you don’t mean for the words to be spoken out loud despite the fact they echo over and over again in your mind and you say them so quietly he might not have heard you had he not been so keenly aware of every inch of you.
his other hand comes up to your face, the pads of his thumb soothing below your bottom lip in a gentle caress that coaxes your jaw to slacken and hear the your sweet noises as he thrusts his fingers in and out of your tight hole, curling them when they’re buried knuckles deep inside of you.
“i’m real,” he confirms, running his thumb along your bottom lip.
your hands hold onto his muscular arms, your nails leaving crescent shapes in his skin with every lewd squelch from between your legs each time he pulls his fingers away and pushes back into you with skilled movements until you’re coming so quick, so hard, around his fingers. he massages that perfect spot inside of you that has you seeing stars behind your closed eyes, his thumb pressing against you clit in time with his movements and your orgasm rocks your body, adding to your tears that he begins wipes with his hand on your face as he watches you break around him, feeling himself growing impossibly harder behind the confines of his pants at how beautiful you are. 
his chest is full of the anguish and relief of all these years without you, what he thought he had lost that only drove him to further madness but that was here before him now, that he would never be let out of his grasp again. 
a whimper escapes your lips when he leaves you so very empty with the withdrawal of his fingers but you can’t bear to take your hands off of him. you need to feel more of him, all of him, and don’t stop your pitiful movements that pull at his clothes, shaking and needy. you can’t hold onto him tight enough but it doesn’t bother him, he doesn’t make you stop, and his much steadier hands help you take off all of his clothes, revealing every last bit of porcelain skin that you thought you would never see or touch again and the silken strands of hair that tickle your skin nearly everywhere your hands roam.
settling between your legs, he helps you stroke his cock in languid movements, his larger hand enveloping your own, mako filled eyes entirely focused on you, slitted pupils blown wide taking in the sweet divine bliss on the beautiful features of your face, the delicate curve of your breasts with every deep breath you try to take, the sticky slickness of your pussy that makes his hands on you tremble in held back strength and makes his mouth water. 
“spread your legs for me,” he instructs, his free hand supporting your leg helping you move as he wishes. “spread them wider,” his voice falls deeper, your legs shake but not from the stretch. you do as he says and you let go of his big cock to reach your hands up around his neck to bring him down to your lips. his hair falls around you like streaks of moonlight, bringing you back to the place you always belonged and the softness of his lips on yours, the pressure of his leaking tip at your entrance, all reminding you how real this is. “just like that sweet girl.”
the thickness of him stretches you in a lovely ache that you only want more of and he takes it slow sinking into your tight walls until he’s buried to the hilt, all while kissing so passionately to muffle your shared moans, to feel and claim all of you that he could. his strong grip keeps you still, at the mercy of his movements. even when his hands travel from your hips to your legs while he begins to pull out of you just to sink back in with a powerful thrust, they have you at sephiroths will and you easily give it to him.
grabbing onto the fat of your thighs, relishing in the feeling of you in his hands once more, so pliant and desperate, he pushes your legs to your chest, spreading them wide, and sets a deep and brutal pace when he gives into everything he’s feeling that's only amplified by taking you like this. 
at this angle he’s so deep, fucking you into the matress, and with how unchecked his power is, you don’t doubt you’ll have bruises where his hands hold you open for him but you want the proof that he’s yours again. that you won’t wake up to and he’ll be gone. you hold onto him with just as much fervor, your grip moves from his arms and bury in the thickness of his hair, tugging at the roots with every time you feel so full of him, so close to your release again already, and it only seems to spur him on more.
the bed posts move along the ground in time with his thrusts and when it’s somehow still not enough of you, his chest meets yours, his arms barely holding the majority of his weight over you that has you folded in half, whimpering underneath him with every jolt of his hips inside of you, the slap of his heavy balls against your ass joining your quieted cries of his name and his heavy breaths, his sweet praises. 
“you’re taking me so well - ngh, fuck,” you clench around him, greedily sucking him back in when he’s pulling away from you. “my good girl.”
“‘m so close,” the words are breathless, barely there when they escape past your lips and the heat of them soaks into his own that can’t stop kissing you, delving his tongue into your mouth and tasting you again and again.
“i know,” his voice is octaves deeper, sensual in a way that only brings you that much closer. “don’t hold back. cum for me angel,” it feels like a gentle command, even with all the desperation and love behind his words. “need to feel you cum on my cock.”
“ah! s - seph-!” you can’t get out his name before the pressure between your legs bursts like it never has before and when you feel him throbbing inside of you, painting your walls with his seed, it only adds to the ethereal heat that washes over you and leaves you trembling in the drugging, hypnotizing atmosphere of him still hard inside of you, the feel of his body against you, the numbing tingle of your legs as he helps them unfold and settle comfortable around his hips.
he doesn’t stop there. your heart skips far too many beats at the loss of his chest on yours, not knowing where you began and he ended and your hands that try to pull him back to you are too weak to do anything but follow the way he moves you but he soothed you with his lithe fingers caressing your skin as they help you move onto your stomach.
you mewl at the sensation of his cock moving inside of you while he shifts you into this new position. the sticky mess between your legs drips onto the sheets below you but makes it easy to sheathe himself fully inside you with a gentle and small pull of your hips upwards.
most others would be terrified to be in such a vulnerable position with sephiroth but you’re nothing if not pliant and perfect when he plants his hands beside you, leaning down to kiss your neck as he bucks his hips into your sensitive pussy and whispers against your skin before sinking his teeth into your tender flesh again.
“i’m not done with you yet.”
bonus!!!
in the morning you wake up alone but the noise that erupted from somewhere else in the house and caused you to stir eases your heart before your mess of thoughts begins to come back to you. your daughter's giggles and though quiet compared to her own unrestrained shriek of laughter, you could still make out the deep chuckle of sephiroth.
slipping out of bed, you move slowly thanks to the ache in your muscles and between your legs, your steps a bit wobbly with each one you take to dress in something more decent and walk to the door. the more you move, the steadier you become and by the time you make it to the living area, stopping in your tracks to watch your beloved peel an orange for your daughter who talks to him animatedly, it’s a pleasurable hum throughout your body with every movement reminding you of the words he told you last night.
there’s still a lot to consider. a lot of questions to be answered. a lot of healing to be done. maybe you’ll never be back to normal or you'll be stronger than ever. you don’t have any answers, not for yourself or from him but for this morning, you can let yourself hope this will be the start of the dreams you shared with sephiroth since his days in soldier, whatever version of a normal life might be left for your little family.
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comments & reblogs would be so greatly appreciated!<3 thank you for reading ♡
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