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silver-wield · 4 years

Note

If you don't yet have an analysis of when Cloud saves Tifa from the collapsing staircase, I'd like to hear it!

Sorry this one took awhile, Nonny, I was gonna do it yesterday, but I got super tired and then I was gonna do it earlier but I got pissed off and had to walk away from the internet before I threw my computer through a window.

So, the collapsing staircase aka the cloti hand grab. Bring it!

Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven’t played – do I still need to do this? Eh ok, (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it’s gonna be long and awesome! Because I saw things and I have suspicions!

Also, this is one person’s interpretation of the scene, so if you disagree that’s cool and we’ll agree to disagree.

You’re also gonna have to excuse the janky quality on some of the screens, I’m grabbing them from Youtube and it’s frustrating af trying to get the exact moment I want.

Please check my master post to see if I've already covered your question, thanx

Let's mosey!

Recap time!

Let's backtrack a tiny bit first. Cloud's making his way up the pillar, had his bro moment with Biggs – damn you Square – and he's heading up to where Barret is on the top level.

Reno and Rude are in their chopper, throwing shade at Shinra while doing their jobs. I love how idgaf Reno is during this bit. Like, honey, you not even trying.

As Cloud comes into view on the staircase, Reno spots him and it's time for revenge! Nothing personal, bitch!

Ok, nothing very special here. SOLDIER!Cloud taking a look about for whatever resources he has to hand – none – and we've got Reno in the background waiting for him to get in range. (Yall also almost ended up with my gif of Nyx Ulric loool he pretty but Cloud’s prettier)

Reno's impatient. He fusses with the joy stick, drums his fingers, then puts his arms behind his head. The fact he's done this last move suggests he has no doubt he'll be gunning Cloud down sooner or later. We can see Rude keeping his eyes front – you can just catch the direction of his gaze behind the left lens of his sunglasses.

HOLY SHIT! Rude blinked! Like several times in quick succession! (gotta slow the frames down to 0.25 to catch it btw) Now, this could be nothing since Rude is very hard to read and has even smaller micro-expressions than Cloud does, but when someone blinks like that it usually means they recognise the person they're looking at. He's seen Tifa running up the stairs. I don't know why he might recognise her, aside from having a headcanon about it, but I'm telling you, I saw him do several rapid blinks when he caught sight of her, then draw Reno's attention to her. His eyes behind those sunglasses are ever so slightly wider than usual btw. It's really hard to see, but there seems to be a definite look of “I know you” about him.

Reno shooting at her might have been a mistake on Rude’s part. He could have forgotten himself in that moment of recognition and didn't mean to direct Reno to a new target. That would explain why he pulled away from the attack and made up an excuse about his hand slipping.

This makes me excited to find out if Rude knows her and what the deal is with that OG crush. My headcanon? He's a former student of Zangan too and helped get Tifa to Midgar when she was injured. She doesn't remember it since she was at death's door for most of the trip. I saw a bit saying Zangan had to use a lot of healing materia on her and she stayed in the hospital too, so it's reasonable she wouldn't recall Rude. But, we don't know for sure yet, which is why headcanon.

Still exciting though!

Cloud's heard footsteps on the stairwell, so turns to see who it is and you can just catch a glimpse of Tifa appearing through the metal slats. This is the first time Cloud spots her. The camera then pans up to the helicopter again where Reno prepares to shoot Tifa.

I don't wanna say for sure that Rude's jaw clenched here. The lighting is suspect because of the angle it strikes his face. He did something. I noticed something, but it's so utterly subtle I can't tell what. He either clenched his jaw for a brief second or his lips firmed, again for a brief second. It's probably easier to catch if you slow the frames down then don't look at Rude and rely on your peripheral vision to see it. That's how I end up replaying things a million times because I saw something and then have to spend half an hour trying to find it again lol

Reno definitely smirked, I caught that no problem.

So yeah, moving on from Rude's super micro-expressions, before Reno's even finished speaking he's pulling the helicopter away from Tifa. Like, Reno's still saying “bullets” when it happens. That's a very snap decision, especially with how fast Reno talks usually. And the entire time Reno's speaking Rude is looking at Tifa. I mean, he's expressionless – he could give Cloud lessons – but there's also emotion coming from him. I kinda feel a bit sad looking at him in this screen.

Guess we'll get more Rude backstory in part 2!

Reno bangs his head and I always laugh at that part. Get rekt!

Cloud's all da fuq? since it's so very obvious Reno was lined up to shoot and then suddenly not. But there's no time to think about why because Tifa's still running up the stairs.

Omg I'm so good I even impress myself sometimes! Check either side of the screen. Tifa at one edge and Cloud at the other, already in motion to save her as the first bullets from Reno's miss start destroying the staircase. You could not get closer to the start of this catch!

Tifa's foot is on the second step here. That's not even a second after the last screen. Her sub isn't even fully solid that's how soon she yelled for Cloud. Going by common sense, the staircase is collapsing to her right and she needs to get up another 12 steps? In a couple of seconds? Yeah, she knew that wasn't happening. She needed him. I question how she knew he was there. She couldn't see him from where she was. Maybe she guessed the chopper was shooting at him, but it could've been anyone from Avalanche. She's not looking up the stairs, her eyes are at her feet.

I think she yelled for Cloud because that's who she wanted. Like Aerith said to follow her heart, Tifa's heart cried out for Cloud when she was in danger.

Well, if that isn't a look of surprise right there. She really didn't expect him to be right there at that moment. She was screaming for him, hoping he'd save her and there he was. Her face goes from this tense “I'm about to die” look, to this wide eyed shock that there he is, right in front of her, reaching for her. Right when she needed him most. If he wasn't there she'd have been shot and the last thing she said would've been his name. That's how important it is that she screamed for him there. It wasn't that she knew he was waiting for her. She didn't know he was there at all. She just wanted him to be the one to save her so desperately and he came through.

So I bet a lot of people have looked at this so romantically that he's reaching for her. Hell yeah in a way, but what makes it even better is when you remember you're looking at Cloud through Tifa's eyes. This is how she sees Cloud looking at her in this moment, all heroic and brave and just right there for her. That confident stance, totally out from behind any kind of cover, just waiting and reaching for her. It's funny she never calls him a hero in the game, except as a motivator at the end when he's dangling off a building, because he absolutely is pulling off the hero moment here. She called his name and he appeared to save her. It's exactly how she said during their promise.

He is taking her hand. That's his fingers wrapping around hers, while hers lay open against his palm. She is the passive party in this hold, while Cloud is the active one. She could've mutually grabbed him, but she didn't. This is him saving her. This is not an equal grab. This is Cloud grabbing Tifa. Only after his fingers close over her hand do hers do the same back.

Cloud backs up, dragging Tifa up the last of the stairs to safety, while keeping himself safe as well. There, he spins her around and puts his free hand on her back, while keeping hold of her other hand in his. He doesn't let her go at all during that move. In fact, you can also see that Tifa now has both hands on Cloud. The one he took is still holding his and she's put her other hand on his arm. She was likely very scared during that moment he saved her and she's holding onto him as an anchor to feel safe. Cloud saved her and she feels safe with him.

Cloud's expression is wary and alert, since he's focused on the danger, while Tifa's is scared. Just because she can fight, doesn't make her a fighter.

Cloud lets got of Tifa's hand so he can lean out from behind their safe spot and check on the danger, but he's left his other hand on her back. During this moment, Tifa actually leans back which would increase that contact.

Her face is quite blurred since we're focusing on Cloud in the foreground, but her expression seems to hint at a “thank god I have you” look.

Oh look, the camera refocused. Definitely a “thank god I have you” look, not to mention the tears in her eyes. She was terrified.

Also, that hand is still on her back.

But, she can't be weak in front of Cloud. She wants to prove she's his equal, that she doesn't need a hero. She just wants him. I mean, before he turns to look at her, she's staring at him like he set the stars in the sky for her.

As he takes his hand off her back and pulls out his “what the hell?” line, which is clearly him mad at her for being so reckless and almost dying on him, she gives him a brave smile and puts on her own persona as someone who can totally handle all this chaos. Scared? Tifa? Noooo.

She says “nice catch” all casual like she wasn't petrified and screaming his name less than thirty seconds ago and he is not impressed by this one bit. He's unconvinced Tifa's as blasé about this as she's acting, which is why he continues to challenge her. Which isn’t the first time he’s done it. He doesn’t let her bullshit him.

Basically, she's trying to be brave and support him, but he doesn't want her to put herself in danger because he wants to protect her. They're both trying to prove they're worthy of each other and doing stupid shit in the process.

This is actually a very good moment for them because we know Cloud pretty much does whatever Tifa wants because he wants to make her happy, but this shows he's not above arguing with her or challenging her when she's being reckless and endangering herself. He's not got her on a pedestal. She's not some unobtainable dream woman. She's real to him and he feels comfortable getting mad and showing negative emotions to her. That's why he can call her crazy without worrying it'll sour her opinion of him.

Remember, Tifa is non-confrontational by nature. She doesn't like fighting and will usually agree or let things go for the sake of an easy life. But, she disagrees with Cloud or tells him off several times throughout the game. This shows she's comfortable having confrontations with him. She's not worried about upsetting him and being rejected during a typical interaction. She worries about scaring him away when she’s unsure he’ll stay, but once he’s said he’ll stick around she relaxes and doesn’t seem as worried about him leaving her. It was only when she tried to move their relationship from friendship to more during alone at last that she worried about rejection.

Tifa accepts Cloud's feelings, even the negative ones and deals with them in a mature way. She doesn't dismiss him or ignore how he feels. She just relates her feelings to his and points out that he's still going up the pillar, so she will too. She wants to stay by his side. Her heart led her to him. If he's going, then so is she. Her expression is earnest here. There's nothing more than what she says. She's not leaving. Nothing can change her mind.

OK WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, RUDE?! DO YOU KNOW TIFA?!

He swallowed! His mouth tensed and he swallowed! Lips pulled down. Behind those sunglasses I caught movement. There's definitely something going on with Rude here and it's something that Reno doesn't know about since he doesn't recognise Tifa and he has no idea why Rude did that.

Ok, one last quick shot of yet more unnecessary touching between Cloud and Tifa. Why is he doing that? Literally to keep her within arm's reach. She said she's not leaving, so he's gonna keep her safe no matter what. To do that, he needs to know exactly how far away from him she is. Also, he wants to touch her lol

Conclusion

Well, there was lots of good stuff hidden in there and I'm even more convinced that Rude knows Tifa after I caught some of his micro-expressions. I'm excited to see if it's true in part 2, but more so the fact that we're gonna get the Turks characters' fleshed out compared to OG. We've already learned that Reno while not giving a fuck, also actually really gives a fuck. I love him. He's such a snarky butt.

But, this was about Cloud and Tifa, not Rude.

Yeah, she literally couldn't see him at any point when she was running up that staircase. She screamed his name because that's who she wanted in that moment to appear and save her. The surprise on her face is genuine. She didn't know he was there. Cloud's in full “I must save Tifa” mode, so it's real!Cloud motivating SOLDIER!Cloud to do what he doesn't think he's capable of. They then have a lover's spat about Tifa being reckless and show the healthy disagreement side to their relationship by not screaming and shouting at each other or being sarcastic – like Cloud is with someone else. While Cloud might not like Tifa going with, he understands her need to. She's also put it in terms that he can understand, but part of him is very unhappy about it, which is why in that last shot we see him with his hand on her arm ready to protect her at a moment's notice. He's not letting her out of sight or arm's reach.

It's some damn good solid relationship building from them during a tense moment.

#final fantasy 7 remake spoilers #scene analysis #hand catch #cloti #cloud/tifa #cloud strife #tifa lockheart #wtf is up with Rude tho

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lowritesthings · 4 years

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Resonance

Part 5 of ?? (Part 1) << Previous // Next >>

The Sector Five undercity is buzzing with anxiety as the three of you make it to the edges of the slum. People have gathered into small crowds to rant against Avalanche’s extremist actions. You glance up at Biggs and Wedge to see their reactions, but other than a hard swallow (Biggs) and a slightly wounded air (Wedge), neither betray their feelings about it. You walk past the weapons shop and are about to turn up one of the streets leading to the Leaf House when Biggs grabs you and ducks behind a corner. Wedge follows his lead without hesitation.

“What is it?” you ask. More of Don Corneo’s men? But Barret doesn’t come to Five and Avalanche are persona non grata here so that doesn’t make sense.

“Turk,” Biggs replies, his hand tight where he’s still gripping your arm. You peer around him and spot a slender man with long, shocking red hair in a ponytail. He has a security team with him but he barely seems to notice them. He’s moving through the main street and out toward the train station, or perhaps even further to the old church.

“Wonder what he’s here for,” you say.

Biggs’ lips tighten into a flat line. His eyes find yours. “Let’s get you home safe.”

You nod and take the lead. You have a small apartment back near the Leaf House in one of the cramped side streets. You head directly to it, unlock the door and usher your companions inside. Everyone seems to relax now that you’ve made it to your destination.

“I’ll fix you something to eat,”’ you say, smiling as Wedge’s face lights up.

“I was getting empty,” he tells you. Biggs follows you into the small kitchen area and you get the feeling he’s reluctant to let you out of his sight. It’s both strange and thrilling to see him there in your apartment, and his eyes are taking everything in: your decorations, the pictures of your Leaf House classes over the years, and the neat rows of books you have in a homemade bookshelf.

“Cozy place you’ve got,” he says.

“Thank you,” you reply as you pull out ingredients for sandwiches. You make two for each man, loading them up with meat and whatever vegetables you have left. Then you make a quick salad and filter some water while Biggs continues to explore the small space.

“I know you can’t stay, but maybe I could have everyone over some time,” you say as you wrap up the food. Then you laugh. “Though it would be a tight squeeze to get all six of you into my living room.”

“Barret would probably break your couch,” he adds, eyeing your ancient but well-kept furniture doubtfully.

“Well...maybe you’ll come for dinner one night,” you suggest, not quite brave enough to look into his eyes.

He glances at you, surprised, and the quiet lasts just long enough for you to regret making the offer when he nods. “I’d like that.”

You catch sight of Wedge out of the corner of your eye, focusing extremely hard on one of the photos from the Leaf House. You know he’s trying to give you a modicum of privacy in this small space and you’re grateful for his thoughtfulness.

“Biggs,” you say, “Before anything else insane happens, I think you should know that I—”

There’s a knock on the door before you can finish. Biggs’ eyes shoot to Wedge and he nods to it. Wedge gets the message and heads over to answer the knock while Biggs tucks you into a corner in the kitchen, keeping his body between you and the door.

“Hey—oh! Hi Wedge, long time no see...is Y/n here?” you hear Folia ask.

Instantly the tense mood disappears and Wedge steps aside to let Folia in. She lifts her eyebrows at you when she sees Biggs easing out of his protective stance, but he smiles at her, glad to see an old friend..

“How are the kids?” he asks.

“Well, they miss you guys and Jessie. You’re like folk heroes to them. The tales about you get taller every day. How’s Sector Seven?”

They make small talk for a few moments while you pack up the food for the guys. Then Folia turns to you.

“I really just came to see if you’re okay. I was worried when the bomb went off and you weren’t anywhere to be found.”

“I got stuck in Seven, but I’m fine.”

“Glad to hear it. I’ll let you get some rest. Good to see you boys again.” With a wave at all of you, Folia leaves once more.

“We better get back and see what Barret wants to do about those Corneo thugs,” Biggs says.

“I had a feeling you’d say that.” You hand him the food parcel. “Try not to do anything dangerous for a few hours, okay?”

“No promises,” Wedge says. Then he gets a very sly smile on his face and says, “I’ll wait for you outside, Biggs...but don’t be too long, you’ve still got our food.”

“I—” Biggs is bright red. “Yeah. I’ll be right out.”

He waits until the door closes behind his friend and turns back to you. “Well…”

You hesitate for a half second...and then you dart forward and wrap your arms around him in a tight hug, like you’re afraid this might be your last chance.

“With everything that’s been going on, it just...it seems like something is coming, something bad. It scares me a little to let you and Wedge go right now. I have this horrible feeling I might not see you again,” you say against his chest, trying to explain your sudden need to feel his body, warm and solid, in your arms.

His come up to wrap around you. “I think I know what you mean...I’ve been thinking about omens lately...I know it’s silly, but I think Wedge feels it too.”

“It’s probably useless to tell you to be safe, but try.”

He pulls you closer, his arms tightening around you so that there’s no space left between your bodies anymore. You tuck your face into his neck and you both stand like that for a few delicious moments. To be held by him, surrounded by his clean scent and the warmth of his body, is one of your most deeply held dreams come true. His breath stirs your hair and his fingers splay wide over your back, keeping you close, and you’re glad you were brave enough to reach for him before your opportunity slipped away again.

“I should go,” Biggs says after a moment. His voice is so low and husky that you nearly drag him to the bedroom by the front of his shirt, but you control the urge.

“Yeah. Poor Wedge is stuck out there waiting.” You lift your head. He shifts back a few inches, then he tucks some of your hair behind your ear and kisses your forehead.

“Keep my gun with you. I’ll show you how to clean it next time.”

“I will.”

He lets you go and you trail after him to the door. He puts his hand on the knob, pauses, and then looks you hard in the eye. “We’re going to see each other again,” he promises.

“Good. I’m going to hold you to that.”

“And when we do see each other again...we should talk,” he tells you. A smile curls one corner of his lips. You smile back, maybe a little shyly, but with real anticipation.

“I’ll be looking forward to it. Now...go help Barret. And keep Tifa safe.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says, clipping his heels together and giving you a salute. You laugh and he leans down and brushes his lips over your cheek in farewell. With one last look, he’s gone, striding out of your apartment to join Wedge for the trek back to Seven. You watch them go until they turn a corner out of sight, hoping it won’t be long until you’re all together again.

But that night, the plate falls.

Next >>

#biggs x reader #ff7 biggs #ffvii biggs #ff7 remake #ff7r #fic: resonance #lo writes things

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saibh29 · 7 years

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Survival 101: Confession (Part 9)

Pairing: Bellamy / Reader

Warnings: Violence, Swearing, Angst, mentions of punishment and retribution.

AN: I’m sorry this took me forever to update this time, it just wasn’t working right and i’m still not completely happy with this chapter. Hoping it’s alright anyhow though.

If you’d like to read the other parts of Survival the link to the masterlist for the series is here....SURVIVAL 101 MASTERLIST

Also if you’d like to be tagged for this story please add yourself to my taglist which can been found here.... TAGLIST

@no-other-names-availible-blog @angelaiswriting @selldraug @angryares @thenovarose @georgiagrl1990 @punk-rock-5-sos @mindofthescattered @dontstopxx @iamabeautifulperson18 @madelinecraig03 @ka-x-in @im-hurric4ne @mesmericbell @something--awesome @weirdpotato-14 @putinontheritzz @soulslaststand @fuckthatfeeling @ember1201 @morganlb23 @maria-tifa @kitkatbadass @cordelia-stark-jones @tomhoppersarms @fakingintrest @itsbubbaog @coffeebooksandfandom @diaryoftherealme @blusnowflakee @ineedyourloveandsupport @neverunderestimateacelt

You hadn’t thought that life could get any more difficult, then of course Charlotte had to go and announce to a full blown mob that she was the one who had killed Wells. Bellamy had acted quickly and grabbed Charlotte pushing her forwards into the tent you’d previously all been in. Finn had stayed outside to keep the mob away from the doors and you and Clarke had followed Bellamy into the tent.

“Why, Charlotte?” Bellamy begged running his hands through his hair as he paced the full length of the not huge tent. “Why would you kill Wells?”

“I was just trying to help” she sobbed “his dad locked us all up, sent us down here to die. I couldn’t sleep at night for dreaming about him”

Your heart hurt for the little girl, she was just a child and had made a somewhat fatal mistake. You understood what that felt like.

“Charlotte?” you asked gently “How did you even know where to stab him like that?”

She wiped her eyes looking at you “I copied what you did to Atom”

“What?” the air had rushed from your lungs “I sent you to get Clarke from camp”

“I stayed. I wanted to see, to be brave”

“Fuck” you were the one who was rubbing at your neck this time as guilt hit you. She had copied how you had killed Atom. She had watched you push a knife into Atom’s artery and then done the same thing to Wells.

“BELLAMY, BRING THE GIRL OUT NOW!”

Murphy’s voice had apparently come back quickly enough as he yelled out for Charlotte. She had started crying again reaching out to grab at Bellamy’s sleeve.

“Please don’t let them hurt me. Please”

Bellamy looked torn, not knowing what to do. He obviously didn’t want to hand Charlotte over to a crowd who only moments before had been ready to watch Murphy hang.

“If you guys have any bright ideas speak up?” he scowled when Clarke remained silent “Great, now you stay quiet”

“Those are your boys out there Bellamy” Clarke insisted. “Get rid of them”

“This is not his fault” you didn’t know when you had suddenly turned into Bellamy’s cheerleader. It was the truth though. “If you had listened to us in the first place those idiots out there would still be building a wall”

“Y/N, we had to tell the truth, you know why I had to give them a chance”

“YOU WANT TO BUILD A SOCIETY PRINCESS? LET’S BUILD A SOCIETY. BRING HER OUT”

“The truth?” you snorted “yeah they seem real concerned with the truth Griffin”

“Look” Bellamy interrupted cutting off your and Clarke’s brewing argument. “Just stay here, watch her. I’ll talk to them”

With a sigh Bellamy set his shoulders and marched out of the tent leaving you with Clarke and Charlotte. Finn came back in as well staring at the three of you.

“It’s time to leave”

“Leave where?”

“We have to get Charlotte out of here. Now” he insisted as he took the girls hand pulling her to the back of the tent. Clarke following instantly, both of them stopping to look at you who hadn’t moved. “Y/N please, we need your help”

“Fine” you ducked under the tent canvas along with the other three.

Finn took hold of Charlotte with you in the lead and Clarke behind. You moved quickly through the trees ducking under low hanging branches and moving around ditches filled with putrid water. You moved easily however the others behind you were struggling to keep up.

Gasping Clarke came to a stop. “It’s going to be night soon. Where are we going? At least tell me you have a plan and we’re not just wandering aimlessly through the woods”

“I have a plan” Finn agreed pointing off to another direction this time you all walking until her stopped once more.

“CHARLOTTE! CLARKE, FINN AND Y/N CANT SAVE YOU”

Murphy’s voice was loud and far to close for you to feel comfortable about.

“We should run” Clarke said eyes nervously flicking around the trees. Waiting for Murphy to jump out and force you all to hand over Charlotte.

“Yeah that’s one way to go. I like my plan better” he reached into seeming grass and pulled on something, opening a type of hatch. “Get in. Get in” He helped Charlotte down into the hole then Clarke.

“I’m not getting in there”

“What? Y/N come on”

“No” you could feel panic starting to build in your chest at the idea of being in a hole once more, locked in a cell. “I can’t”

Finn must have heard the panic because his eyes softened slightly. “Y/N it’s bigger down there than it looks. It isn’t a cell. I promise”

“CHARLOTTE”

Your head snapped to the left Murphy was about to come through them.

“I can’t Finn” you shook your head “I’m sorry I just can’t. Get in and I’ll lead them away from here”

Finn hesitated but you were running out of time, the sounds of footsteps so close now that any second Murphy would appear.

“Run fast Y/N”

Finn dropped into the hatch as well pulling it closed. Disgusted at yourself for the panic that still welled up in your chest at the thought of being trapped within 4 walls once more you took a deep breath trying to clear out the panic there, waiting until Murphy had just come through the trees to run. You knew he’d caught sight of you from the sudden shouts of success. You weren’t worried about them catching you though as you flew through the forest, bypassing trees and jumping over obstacles on the floor.

When you could run no longer you found the sturdiest tree near and scaled it, settling into the branches.

Strange, you could hang above the ground on nothing but a small branch but the idea of being put in a hole with 4 walls made you hyperventilate to the point of uselessness.

Underneath a group of delinquents passed by with Murphy in the lead still hollering for Charlotte. He was moving remarkably quickly for a man who had just been beaten and hung. Apparently vengeance and malic highly motivating emotions. You let them pass content in the knowledge that they were going in the opposite direction to where Finn and Clarke had Charlotte hidden.

Smirking to yourself you watched the next man come into view. You couldn’t help having a little bit of fun with him pulling a chunk of bark off the branch and throwing it down at his head.

The bark hit Bellamy square in the back of his head as he spun knife out as he looked desperately for what had attacked him.

“Hey Blake!”

Bellamy jumped finally looking up eyes meeting your own in the soft dark of the light. “Fuck Y/N. What the hell are you doing up there?”

“Well there happens to be a mob running around looking for blood. I’m avoiding them”

“Where are they?”

“Safe”

Bellamy let out a relieved sigh at that still frowning at you though. “Will you please come down from there?”

“Sure” taking a step out of the tree you dropped to the ground in a crouch, looking up from your new position into Bellamy’s face. “I’m down”

“I can see that” he rubbed at his face. “What exactly are we going to do?”

“I honestly have no idea. I don’t have a plan here Bellamy. Finn and Clarke have her safe but they can’t stay there forever” you paused thoughts bubbling in your brain. “It’s one or the other I believe. Murphy won’t let it go and Charlotte would never be safe. So either we keep Murphy or we keep Charlotte”

“We can’t hurt a 13 year old girl”

“Murphy will be more useful to the group”

“Y/N” Bellamy snapped a horrified tinge coming to his face. “You cannot mean that you want to give her to Murphy”

“I’m not saying that” you insisted “I’m just… thinking out loud. We have very few options here Blake and none of them are particularly appealing” From the tree’s the sounds of shouting became loud once more as Murphy’s group turned around heading back towards you and Bellamy. “We can’t stay here Bellamy”

Obviously he agreed because without thought Bellamy grabbed your hand linking his fingers with your own and pulling as the two of you took off back into the forest away from the sounds of shouting.

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up-sideand-down · 7 years

Text

This is part of an AU that @satan-onii-chan listened to me prattle on about and convinced me to write. Thank you Boo.

A young lady-in-training goes to save a friend from a vicious up and coming gangster, but she never imagined he’d decide to make her one of his allies.

Cloud pulled on the ends of her gloves nervously as she walked through the darkened streets. Ms. Myrna told them this street was dangerous at any time of day, let alone at night. Cloud kept walking forward. She had to for Tifa’s sake.

She’d never liked that Don Corneo. When Mr. Wedge had to sell Saint Freya’s School for Girls he had been one of the first bidders, and Cloud disliked him at first sight. He dressed to lavishly, smelled to much like expensive cigars, and looked at the students like the were disposable.

And they probably were to him. Just this morning he had lined them up and divided them. Cloud was allowed back upstairs. Tifa was one of the girls he wanted to “talk” to.

And she didn’t come back.

Cloud did the asking and found out where she was. The word on the whole block was that Corneo was selling the girls with, “less funds” were sold off to a brothel. And the word on the street was that the Honey Bee Inn had a new owner: Sephiroth Crescent.

Cloud didn’t even want to hear any more about the stories he had around him...but she was going straight to his headquarters.

The streets were oddly quiet for their reputation. Cloud pulled her arms down to her sides when she realized she was checking that her hair was still in the bun under her hat. She shook herself and steeled herself.

She was going to get Tifa back.

There were two men right outside of the building she wanted to get into. She squared her shoulders and walked up to them.

“What’s a nice girl like you doin’ in a place like this?” One of them drawled. Cloud took a deep breath.

“I want to see Mr. Crescent,” she said firmly. Both men laughed at her.

“You stupid or something?” the first man said, “You don’t make an appointment to see the boss, the boss just sees you.”

“I said I wanted to see him,” Cloud said a lot more bravely than she felt, “I brought payment and I’m willing to wait.” More laughter. The man who hadn’t spoken to her, stepped forward all mean and intimidating. He pushed her shoulder, nearly knocking her over.

She knew it was meant to scare her, make her leave. Instead it just made her angrier.

“Listen you!” She said, “I’m not leaving until I speak with your boss. I have the money for it and I will wait all night if I have to. Now let me see him!”

Just inside a man paused when he heard a woman shouting. He looked outside and watched a young woman begin a tirade. At first he was amused, then he listened, and then he really saw her.

She was small, and looked frail, but she was also determined. Her jaw was set, her eyes were steely. She had tried to make herself look grown up wearing that dress.

It was a familiar sight, one he knew all too well. Perhaps that was why he waved Zack over.

“Yeah boss?” Zack asked.

“Go see what she wants,” Sephiroth told him.

Both men straightened when the next man came out. Their postures spoke of respect...and nervousness.

Cloud swallowed thickly as he walked up to her, standing a head taller than she did. The scar on his face looked nasty and he had an empty gun holster under his jacket, but like hell she was going to back down now.

“The boss said he’ll hear you out,” the man said. He looked relaxed, if a bit confused about his mission, but Cloud took her chance.

“It’s my friend...we’re both students at...she’s just a kid and she doesn’t want this. I buy her back but-”

“Woah, woah,” the man said, “slow down, start from the beginning.” So Cloud did.

She told him about Corneo, about the girls who left, about what she heard about where they went. The man listened, at first looking patient, then worried, then angry.

“And I have money for her,” Cloud finished, holding out her small purse. It had taken months of saving from all the hemming and tailoring she’d done for the other girls and neighbors. But this was for Tifa. She’d do anything for her.

“The boss will want to know this,” he said, he took the purse slowly, thoughtfully, “Essai, Sebastian you come with me to tell the boss. Kunsel, look after Miss...”

“Cloud,” she said.

“Miss Cloud,” Zack said with a nod. A new man came out. He had his hat pulled down low, but he smiled at Cloud as he sat on the steps.

Cloud paced a little, now feeling more nervous than ever. She rubbed her arms, hating the way the gloves made her sweaty palms feel.

She jumped when the door opened again. Then she nearly cried.

Tifa ran towards her, hugging her desperately.

“I knew you’d be here,” Tifa whispered, “when they said someone had come for me...I knew it was you.”

“Are you alright?” Cloud asked.

“I’m fine,” Tifa said, “They put us in with other ladies...and they all thought it was weird that a bunch of kids got brought there. They were nice to us though.”

“The other girls?” Cloud asked, “Priscilla? Cindy?”

“They’re here,” Tifa said, “we were all together.” Cloud sighed in relief when she saw them filing out after Tifa. All looking relieved to see Cloud.

“Excuse me, Miss Cloud?” Cloud looked up at the black-haired man with the scar on his face.

“I’m to escort you all home,” he said, “as our apology for this...fiasco.” Cloud nodded, squeezing Tifa’s hand.

They were going to be alright.

The man with the scar, who wasted no time in introducing himself as Zack. Chatted lightly with them as they found their way back to the school. He seemed a decent fellow...for a gangster. He certainly was handsome enough when you got past that though.

Cloud let all the girls back in, sneaking them into their rooms as quietly as she could. She heard a scuffle outside her window. She peered out.

Zack had Corneo pinned against the wall. He was the opposite of the friendly gent who led them home.

“The boss is not happy to be brought into your traffic ring,” Zack growled out, “He’s not happy at all.”

“I didn’t mean any-”

“Shut up,” Zack said, “If you know what’s good for you, you won’t try a stunt like that again. If you’re really smart, you’ll make sure those kids in there have a new landlord by Tuesday. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes, yes I under-”

“Good,” Zack said, “Because if they don’t...then I personally will see that they will.” Zack let the man go and brushed off his jacket. He caught Cloud looking...and tipped his hat at her.

She gave a soft nod in reply and closed the window.

A week had gone by. Corneo had sold the school’s deed, this time Mr. Dio who was strange, but blessedly uninterested in what the school did. Life was almost back to normal.

Almost.

Cloud looked down at the kid who had asked for her by name.

“Are you the Cloud Lady?” he asked.

“My name is Cloud,” she said.

“Then Mr. Sephiroth wants to see you,” he said. Cloud’s blood went cold.

“See me?” She asked.

“Yeah, he says you left your money from the other night,” the boy said, “wants to give it back all personal-like so he can ‘pologize too.”

“Tell him...” Cloud paused, “Tell him I appreciate the offer, but I can’t. He can keep the money and I accept the apology.” Cloud dug out a one gil piece. The child’s eyes lit up as he took the coin.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Thank you, I am,” Cloud said. And with that he ran off.

Twice a week kid would show up at the school doors to invite Cloud to meet with Sephiroth in person and twice a week Cloud would refuse. She wasn’t sure how wise it was, but she really just wanted to get back to the way things were, if it was possible.

Then she noticed other things. When she went out to help with the shopping or to have fun with her friends, there were always men in sharp jackets tipping their hats.

It was only when they starting greeting her as “Miss Cloud” did she realize where they were from.

She simply looked at the ground and blushed. How else could she respond.

The breaking point finally came though.

Cloud opened the door, not to find another kid with a message, but Zack.

“I hope you haven’t forgotten me,” he said with a charming grin.

“I remember,” Cloud said, “I hope you are well.”

“Yep,” Zack said, “but...I bet you know what I’m going to say.”

“I do,” Cloud said, “and the answer is still no.”

“I have more,” Zack said, “He says you can pick the meeting place. He’s...pretty determined to meet you. He says he has a...business proposition for you. It’s all legal on your end, and you have nothing to worry about. He just wants you to hear what he has to say.” Cloud said nothing for a long time.

“The coffee shop where the old flower shop used to be,” Cloud said, “The one at the corner of Main Street.”

“Tomorrow?” Zack asked.

“Tomorrow,” Cloud sighed.

“Good,” Zack said, “I’ll let him know. Good day Miss Cloud.” She was too preoccupied to reply.

Cloud fidgeted again at the table she had gotten. This time she dressed more simply, comfortably. If she was going to be negotiating...she wanted to be comfortable. That purple dress just made her stand out more than she wanted to.

And she ditched the gloves too.

She eyed every man who walked in, wondering if it was Sephiroth. All of them found their own tables and their own meetings though. And Cloud fidgeted.

“Miss Cloud,” a voice said, “It’s nice to finally meet you.” Cloud looked up. The man who had come up to her was...impossibly young. He looked well dressed, and had even brought a small bouquet of flowers for her, like a proper gentleman would. The only difference was his hair, long enough to wrap in a bun. It looked neater than hers did.

“Mr. Sephiroth?” she asked. He nodded with a small smile.

“I...I thought you’d be older.” His face went blank for a moment, and then he laughed.

“I get that a lot,” he said, “I am much more mature that I appear though...much like you.” Cloud blushed, taking the flowers with a small mutter and offering him a seat.

He set a familiar pouch on the table.

“I meant what I said,” Sephiroth said, “I can’t take your money. No in good conscience. Had I known before...they never would have been in that situation. It was my error...and I’m sorry to have put you and your friends through that.” Cloud hesitated a moment, then took her purse back.

“Thank you,” she said.

“That leads me...to the second thing,” Sephiroth said, “I’m sure you’re aware that my...business...tends to run toward the unpleasant side of things.” Cloud nodded warily.

“Don’t look so worried,” He said, “I’m not asking you to get caught up in it, not directly. I smuggle many things, but one I cannot abide is people. Human trafficking. What might have happened to your friends if you hadn’t told me how they got there.” Cloud blinked.

“My competitors have no problem with it,” Sephiroth said, “but I do. That’s how I’m fighting them, shutting down their traffic lines. That’s where I want your help.”

“How can I help with something like that?” Cloud asked.

Sephiroth grinned at her and leaned forward conspiratorially. Cloud realized she was leaning towards him too...

“It’s very simple,” he started.

#my writing #Fem!Cloud #Sephiroth #Cloud Strife #Tifa Lockhart #Zack Fair #Mob! AU #still working out the kinks #eventual sefikura

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silver-wield · 4 years

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I absolutely can't get enough of you analysis and I was wondering if you could do one of cloud and tifa after the plate fell and after barret hugged tifa? when sephiroth visits cloud again. like how'd that have been from tifa's perspective too?

Sorry this took a while to get to, Nonny. I would've had it done yesterday, but instead I wasted my time banging my head against a brick wall. Lesson learned lol

Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven’t played – do I still need to do this? Eh ok, (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it’s gonna be reasonably long.

Also, this is one person’s interpretation of the scene, so if you disagree that’s cool and we’ll agree to disagree.

You’re also gonna have to excuse the janky quality on some of the screens, I’m grabbing them from Youtube and it’s frustrating af trying to get the exact moment I want.

Please check my master post to see if I've already covered your question, thanx

Recap time!

The sky has fallen and our brave failures have escaped by the skin of their teeth! Cloud watches over Tifa until she wakes up, then follows her until they locate Barret.

AH MY HEART! Cloud's so adorably concerned for Tifa. (also far too goddamn pretty! Someone shove mud in his face or something I can't stand it!)

Who knows how long he's been waiting for her to wake up. There's a couple of times it looks like he wants to reach for her – there's a definite twitch in her direction with his left hand – and then as she goes to get up, he takes her hand to her help her. Someone remind me, how often does Cloud offer Tifa his hand? A lot? Yeah, that's what I thought.

It's a very demoralised journey through the rubble to find Barret.

Well, I was aiming for a screen showing him punching the wall, but this is better. His rage and grief burst out. He's punching the wall with his actual hand and not shooting at it with the gun. This is because he wants to feel physical pain to dull the stronger emotional pain. Those were his friends. He should've stopped it. You can hear him sob Marlene's name once that rage is spent. He thinks they're all dead, including his innocent little girl. It's a powerful moment for his character.

Here's a hint of a grief stricken Cloud too. He cared about the trio. He wanted to save them. Nobody had to offer payment for his services. He tried to be the hero and failed. He doesn't know how to handle these emotions or how to comfort anyone either.

Tifa blaming herself is typical for her character. She puts a lot on her shoulders and keeps her feelings locked up tight. She sees the situation from the pov that if they hadn't blown up the reactors then Shinra wouldn't have dropped the plate. Barret sees it as, if Shinra weren't destroying the planet then they wouldn't need to blow up reactors. It's a pointless back and forth, round and round with no true winner. They have different povs, morals and principles and that's why Tifa just agrees with him in the end. Why argue on top of everything else that's just happened?

Tifa is very much the peacemaker, who doesn't want people to get into unnecessary fights. She'd rather back down than fight if there's a possibility of another choice. She says this in chapter 3 with her “I know we have to make a difference, but not like this.” And to the Shinra manager she says “I don't want anyone to die”

She's a goddamn sweetheart who can pack a punch, but doesn't need to rely on her fists first.

This is why later on with Elmyra, she stops Cloud from arguing to go get Aerith. It's not that she doesn't care. It's that she doesn't see the point in forcing your opinion on someone. By giving Elmyra time to think through their side of things she's letting the situation settle and everyone can approach it calmly and rationally. Which is exactly what happens. Elmyra had time to think and agreed with them. Because of Tifa. Because she’s the mature one.

The real!Cloud hand twitch lol we know what this means and I think I've already mentioned is plenty of times in other analyses.

Barret and Tifa's body language here is very placid, not romantic in any sense of the word. Her body is turned to the side and he has one arm around her shoulder. He's not got his head tilted down towards her and hers isn't tilted up at him either. Her arms are by her sides. This is minimum contact and barely qualifies as a hug. It's perfunctory comfort between friends. What it does is motivate Cloud – who harbours romantic feelings – towards the urge to comfort Tifa in the same way. He wants her to rely and find solace with him. Because his feelings are driven by romantic urges the way he comforts her is different.

And we're on our way to Aerith's house, where Cloud suspects Marlene is. Barret's highly emotional – shocker – and begs Cloud for hope, then admits it doesn't matter what he says he'd get mad. Cloud accepts this with a bland face, what else is there to say? He can't admit he might be wrong, but he can't say with all certainty that he's right.

He asks Tifa about the Ancients and then we get a visit from Sephiroth.

So after we see a future flashback of OG Sephiroth talking about the Ancients like before, Cloud gives us a blurry 1st person view and pan up of Sephiroth. Now, this one is a vision that only he sees, but that really doesn't matter to him. He sees that creepy ex-boyfriend stalker smile and freaks tf out. You can hear him whimper.

So, we don't get much of the scene from Tifa's pov. She's noticed Cloud freeze, probably heard that whimper. She's definitely concerned – you can see her frown just before we move back to Cloud – but she's unsure what to do about it. She's not a doctor after all. She has no idea if the right thing to do is insist on talking to Cloud about it, or pretend it didn't happen. She has to take his lead, which is to forget about it.

“Through suffering you will grow strong. Isn't that what you want?”

Cloud's a sweaty mess of fear at this minute, but you can still see this question on his face and his answer that no he doesn't want to suffer. The part of him that's real!Cloud definitely doesn't want to suffer, but it's too scared to do anything.

I find the possibility of this being a different aspect of Cloud's personality interesting. It's a vision, after all. So while we have real!Cloud in chapter 8 trying to encourage himself and repair the broken parts, we have this Sephiroth aspect that wants Cloud to remain broken and afraid. It's a good metaphor for how Cloud tackles his mental illness, and of the 4 different Sephiroths, the hallucination is the one that speaks the most and talks about Cloud as a person. It's the one that tells him to run away in chapter 2. It's the one that calls him a failure. It's the one that murders Tifa.

It's a manifestation of his mental illness. Not totally because there's more happening than just that, but of the 4 Sephiroths we see, this one is the one that causes Cloud to freeze the most. This one is the one he's terrified of more than the rest. The one that's not actually there.

I had to choose between this and Cloud looking terrified, but this one has Tifa edging into the frame with a concerned look on her face. Cloud's lost in his own head, probably overthinking everything Sephiroth just said to him. He dismisses Tifa again – remember, he doesn't want her to have a bad opinion of him, so he's pretending to be ok as usual. A lot of his reluctance to confide in her is his fear of her being disappointed in him. A lot of Tifa’s reluctance comes down to the aforementioned need to avoid confrontation. She doesn’t want to fight. If Cloud refuses to talk, she’ll respect that. She’s not pushy.

Conclusion.

Tifa and Barret have known each other for 5 years, give or take, but Barret doesn't even know the story of Nibelheim because Tifa keeps emotional things to herself. The way she's struggling to contain herself is mistaken by him as anger. It's not anger. It's self-blame. And because Cloud understands Tifa better than Barret – despite them having been apart for years – his real self has the urge to comfort her. He doesn't know how because he lacks social skills and emotional maturity, but after seeing Barret's example he understands this is the way he wants to support her.

I just added my suspicions about this version of Sephiroth to another post, so to sum that up, I think most of what he says is induced by Cloud's own feelings of failure and fear. The times Sephiroth shows up can be attributed to the connection Cloud has through Jenova, but the content of Sephiroth's speech comes across more like it's Cloud's inner self dragging him down. Sephiroth is the darkness within Cloud – the representation of his mental illness that won't ever become a memory, that's something he has to fight against every day. The fractured parts of Cloud's psyche aren't strong enough on their own, which is why the one in chapter 8 was chased away. It's only once they're reunited because of Tifa that Cloud becomes stronger overall to fight against his inner demons.

#final fantasy 7 remake spoilers #final fantasy 7 remake analysis #character analysis #Cloud Strife

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