#Angeal Masters

[ulalalune]

Cloud would definitely be an idol stan. He would go from Sephiroth no.1 fan in his pre-teen/teen years and then become his no.1 anti-fan after studying hard to work into the Shinra Ent. only to realize he's like a huge asshole. He'd never bring himself to burn the merch he has, though! Like his ass has limited edition merch, he can't let that go...

[fairboy]

“I only came to be polite, and now I’m going home.”

"Angeal, if I have to be here you do too." He sighed before clapping his hands together in a near desperate plea. "Please stay! Wouldn't want all that attention on me, would ya?" His cheesy grin evident as he offered a hand to his companion.

His suit barely holding together as he moved closer to Angeal. It was obvious the suit was definitely not meant for someone of Zack's build but what else could he have done with what little money he had?

[rottenpumpkin13]

I think Sephiroth would have somebody to curate his social media for him. Any head canons about what the SM manager would be like & if they get along with Seph?

Sephiroth's social media manager thinks they landed the opportunity of a lifetime. Not only are they curating a hero's social media, but Sephiroth is notoriously likes to keep his personal life private, so this will definitely be easy. This SM manager has worked with unhinged celebrities before, and Sephiroth is definitely not going to cause any trouble.

That is until they find out the hard way that Sephiroth was recently ordered to post to social media frequently, and the man is a master at malicious compliance.

Highlights of things his SM manager has had to delete quickly include:

• A selfie with a notorious Anti-Shinra group leader where Sephiroth is smiling and doing a thumbs up.

• A mirror selfie taken in Angeal's apartment after a sleepover. Genesis is seen in the background with cannabis leaf pajama pants, Angeal is seen with NO pants. The caption reads "We make a nice threesome."

• A candid photo he took of Rufus Shinra in the distance. Sephiroth's middle finger is photo bombing the picture.

• A screenshot of a text conversation that should not have been shared. Sephiroth captioned it "Help your friends ❤️"

Zack: This energy drink is doing nothing for me. I need something stronger.

Sephiroth: I know where you can acquire crack cocaine.

• A photo of an empty mako tank in R&D, Sephiroth captioned it "Childhood memories ❤️"

• A picture of Angeal shedding tears while chopping onions. Sephiroth zoomed in on Angeal's face and captioned it "How I feel inside."

• A five second video taken in Reeve's office, where Sephiroth and Reeve are toasting pill bottles.

• A screenshot from the SOLDIER group chat.

Kunsel: The fridge in the break room is on fire. Where the fuck is Lazard

Sephiroth: *sends a photo of him and Lazard doing shots together*

• A mirror selfie of him and Genesis. Sephiroth is wearing a T-shirt that reads "I'M INSANE" while Gen's reads "I LOVE INSANE BITCHES"

• A group photo of Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal and Zack posing with the President Shinra statue, all of them doing the middle finger.

• Sephiroth took a photo of the fish aquarium on the SOLDIER floor and captioned it "I relate to them on a spiritual level"

• A five second video of him coming up behind Professor Hojo on the stairs and kicking him down said stairs.

[prismaticpichu]

Angeal: And what was that rule I taught you when writing reports?

Zack: I before E except after C!

Angeal: Excellen—!

Zack: —Except in the words caffeine, beige, freight, weird, deign, height, surfeit, weigh, and a whole bunch of other common examples!

Angeal: ……

Zack: Sephiroth has been giving me grammar lessons too!

Zack: He also says grammar rules are just a deceptive illusion to make us believe that there is any continuity to the language we speak and that the endeavor to master any sort of pattern will only drive you into linguistic insanity.

Zack: He also gave me a scented sticker :D

[sephifrog]

(NSFW) MINORS PLEASE DNI

First soldiers and general nsfw

Sephiroth

He has a sensitive chest and loves when you put your hands on it, warm or cold it doesn’t matter as long as their gentle and your looking up at him he folds.

Tugging his hair-if you tug his hair expect a growl that turns into a chuckle as he pulls you closer

He’s quiet other then the occasional groan or growl

He heals quickly so when you leave your marks on him he wants you to bite as deep as you can so he can keep them longer

Virgin™️ no one can tell me otherwise

Researched virgin however - he’s read books when he can, their hidden somewhere outside his apartment because he doesn’t want anyone to see (he knows Hojo’s put bugs in his apartment he just can’t find them)

Speaking of bugs he refuses to let you over until he knows for sure his apartment is safe

So midnight rendezvous ensue

Going back to books for a sec I feel he has a guilty pleasure for romance - and smut he learns most of his moves from those books and even if you can tell you don’t say anything because he looks awkward and adorable

He first kiss with you wasn’t magical like in all his books, he was clumsy and on guard not wanting anyone to ruin this moment, he actually knocked his teeth against yours but the second one was much better

He wants to have a normal life and you make him feel like a normal person, not treating him as some god or hero just another person and he appreciates that

The first sexual encounter you two have was you riding his thigh

He cums a lot, it’s thick and usually fills you until you leak

Tastes bitter but the right amount of bitter it’s not overpowering

Genesis

Praise this man, he may have an ego but it works in your favour

Also likes hair tugging

Honestly feel like Genesis is the most freaky out of the trio- it’s the red leather that gives it away/j

Bet he would have nipple piercings if he was allowed

And a cock piercing

But anyway

His neck is super sensitive and unlike sephiroth he’s loud, especially if you get embarrassed

Moans and panting would fill the room

He prefers leaving marks on you but doesn’t mind if you litter his thighs and chest with marks

He’s not a virgin but he’s also not as experienced as he lets on feel he’s been with two or three partners

He may be a freak but he’s not afraid to be soft and vulnerable with you if your a long time partner

Likes being pampered

Hero complex- definitely into master and dom stuff

He cums a lot less then sephiroth but it’s still quite a bit

He tastes sweet and salty

Angeal

Lovely man, home maker his thighs are his most sensitive area scrape your nails against them and he’s a goner

Not into hair pulling he’s softer then the other two- more vanilla

King of aftercare, the other two do it but I feel Angeal is just better at it focuses more on you then himself (not to say the other two are selfish or anything he just seems the type to pamper his partner)

Honestly I don’t see him with a high sex drive like he would enjoy it and never say no to you (unless really not in the mood) but he rarely seeks it out

When he does it’s usually after a mission or after training the adrenaline spiking it

A secret romantic more modest then Genesis though

Would take you to a secluded area to watch the sunset/rise

Always walks closer to the road so he can protect you

He cums the least out of the three and unless prompted won’t fill you up

It tastes salty and he doesn’t mind if you can’t swallow

I also feel all three of them would have stronger breeding instincts after a mako injection- they all have breeding kinks- I don’t make the rules

I believe all soldiers have a breeding kink they just get stronger the more mako you get

[strayheartless]

Random body headcanons for AGSZC:

Zacks hyper mobile. His elbows do the thing where they bend to far out when he sticks them up. He can also touch his thumb completely to his wrist and crack his hips. Down side of this is so many broken bones.

Cloud has got little scars on the back of his hands and calf’s from various canings.

However the stupidest scar he has is the one on the inside of his lip where zack bit him as a joke… they were not dating at the time.

Angeal has a couple of scars on his right forearm and elbow from the time he had to get the bone pinned because Genesis pushed him out of a tree when they were eight.

Sephiroth doesn’t really scar unless it’s a deep deep wound. He’s got a few surgery scars but the dumbest one is the one on his wrist that is a suspicious match for Genesis’s dental records (it’s exactly what you think.)

Cloud and Genesis and both incredibly flexible people.

Angeal is about as stiff as a board. Genesis has tried to loosen him up with yoga. It did not work.

Zacks not inflexible, however he overestimates how bendy he actually is and usually hurts himself.

Zack can dance he just chooses to be bad at it. The only time you’ll catch him dancing properly is when he’s trying to wooh his partners.

While Cloud and Genesis are very flexible, Sephiroth has mastered the ability of being able to fit all six foot five of himself in the gap behind the boiler in the airing closet. Many hours have been lost to that place.

Zack runs hotter than the sun.

Genesis runs surprisingly cold for someone who favours fire materia.

Cloud frequently does not recognise that he feels cold. He will walk around with blue lips until Angeal wrestles him into a jumper.

Angeals shoulders have been known to be wider than some door frames.

Don’t ask me where this came from. I do not have the answer.

[rainbowcarousels]

Baby Genesis Headcanons (just because)

Genesis was the first baby born from the project. We know it was canonly either Angeal or him, but with a name like Genesis and the fact Deepground was set up after his birth rather than Angeal's, it makes sense he's the first baby.

He was also a premature baby. Given what we know of the process of the jenova babies happening, it's likely his biological mother died from mutations not unlike we see at Nibelheim given this was where the Jenova project was set. That would also imply that Genesis and Angeal were also Nibelheim babies as it seems there were multiple labs there from what we've seen in DoC and Rebirth.

Since we know whatever is in Genesis's genetic structure that's unusual was there at birth from the DoC guides, I tend to think this means some aspects of cell degeneration were already there there too. As such, I don't think his pre-SOLDIER immune system was great and he was the type of kid who got every cold and cough under the sun. It led to him spending a lot of time curled up books.

Spent more time at Angeal's or in the caves than he did at home. By the age of ten, he had mastered getting out of Angeal's window just to knock on the door as if he was arriving. Angeal's parents know of these shenanigans, point out they know but Genesis still continued to do it because he has always commited to the bit.

I do think Genesis is far more fond of Angeal's parents than he is of his own. Loves his own, obviously, but their relationship is far more complicated for reasons he doesn't understand and I think it says something Gillian displayed pictures of both of them. The woman might be stone cold in some ways (such as putting her guilt before saving her kid) but I think there is a sense of responsibility with Genesis and for whatever it was worth, I think Genesis honestly thought she'd help without getting Angeal involved because of that relationship.

Genesis had private lessons compared to Angeal doing the village hall packet classes. Whether he actually studied all of it is questionable, but he's always had enough charm and unapologetic gumption to get away with things. The utter hilarity that Angeal seems to have been seen as more of a bad influence will never get old.

Genesis did not know he was fostered at all, so this provides a certain amount of confusion to his childhood interactions with his parents. It's said that they 'grew' to love him, but he absolutely remembers that detatchment and doesn't really understand it. It's a wedge that sits between them for a long time, assuming maybe they didn't particularly want kids when he happened so he's a bit of an inconvenience and they're just dealing with that.

I absolutely believe Genesis' biological father is Gast. If he's the first baby and Gast is definitely caught in the excitement, I can see him deciding well he's too human, he can go have a quiet life in an apple orchard and given Shinra's surveillance, it's easy enough to check in on him if need be. I don't think he ever really considers Genesis his, it was very much a clinical process unlike with Ifalna, but does consider the kids his in a very broad sense of being part of the project. There's a disconnect there that - not unlike Gillian - he can really only see his own guilt and mistakes rather than the living, breathing kids it produced.

Genesis's first summon was found in the caves under Banora. It was a summon - for me, I use Ifrit - and he spent so much time and energy leveling it up and delving into fire and magic that they became his most intense disciplines as an adult. That said, people definitely....misplaced materia around him, oops, how did that happen? (Yuffie would be proud)

Given that Banora was the freezer for Project G, I think he and Angeal were the only kids around their age for a long time and they've been codependent as hell ever since. I think there is an aspect of Jenova cells recognising each other as much as it's being the only two little kings of the castle for their village for a good while, but the result is the same: getting seperated for great lengths was a lot harder when they got into SOLDIER because they'd spent their whole lives around each other (more than they know).

Genesis's interest in exploration of gender nonconformity grew out of the magazines and things that he could get from Midgar. I think originally it was just a bonding thing with his mum, like he learned how to make drinkslike a Little Adult from an early age. I think that doing things like nails or learning about make up was just a way to get his mother to talk at length without any weirdness creeping in but he developed a genuine passion for it as a form of individualistic self expression. Especially later around Sephiroth.

I think Genesis talks at people more so than to them because he grew up in a big house with very few people around and the silence was deafening. Even as a little kid, I think he just talked aloud. It just made him feel lonely, so filling that silence became a way of dealing with that and so, years on, when no one is listening to him, he's used to that. It's a good way to get past the 'you never told me that' thing because he can sneak in that he knocked over one of Angeal's bug infested monstrosities when Angeal isn't listening between LOVELESS arguments.

[ilminnestrone]

Angeal Hewley.

Angeal Hewley, the child who learnt too early that things like money, toys and food are scarce commodities. That if you buy that fabulous wooden sword from the carpenter, you might not have the money to buy bread. That if you eat more than one slice of said bread with your dinner, you might have to skip breakfast tomorrow. Whose father taught him that values like loyalty, respectability and honour are also scarce commodities that you can't afford to diminish or lose, because they're not easily earned back.

Angeal Hewley, the boy who soon learnt that health and time are scarce commodities too, when the same father fell ill in order to buy something beautiful, powerful and ultimately superfluous to make him happy: an equal exchange, a life for a life-taker, a death for an instrument of death. Happiness, however, was not part of the deal. Tears, however, he used all of them, and never cried again.

So Angeal Hewley, the young man, began to think that everything around him was a scarce commodity. Opportunities and failures. Victories and losses. Friends and foes. Leaving for Midgar meant holding on to the scarce commodity that was Genesis; joining the army, not losing the privilege of his time. Missions were a way out of poverty. Returning victorious was a way out of dishonour.

But he couldn't afford to waste even his days off sleeping in and lazing around. Every free minute was hoarded for the lean times. Every hobby was a way of saving for later: cooking a meal in advance for the bad days when even chewing seemed an insurmountable obstacle; growing plants so that when the time came for them to bloom, there would be something pretty to look at; taking a photograph to remember happy moments when in times of misery.

He couldn't waste kisses on people he'd never see again. Pleasure was a scarse commodity too, lovers just another beautiful thing not to be overused for fear of rusting or scratching them: the rare times, their satisfaction came first, and he was happy with the leftovers, as if it were impossible to enjoy both equally. “Live a little,” someone told him, while he was still buried inside them; but what if he had wasted a little life in doing so?

Angeal Hewley, the man who wondered if love was a scarce commodity when he discovered there were two men he wanted by his side. Who wondered again as he became more father than teacher to a boy too young to play in the war. That he was certain that innocence surely is, when he saw him kill for the first time and saw him realise that it was anything but a game.

Angeal Hewley, who would discover that unspoken words cannot be saved for later. Who  hoped to the last that even pain was a scarce commodity, as he watched the man he had grown up with rotting before his eyes, and the mind of the only other companion he had ever had fading day by day: the day he realised that his body and mind were degrading, he hoped that his suffering might lessen that of Genesis and Sephiroth. Who prayed that death itself was a scarce commodity, when he asked Zack to kill him, and that his sacrifice might spare that of others.

It turns out that if there is one thing that is by no means a scarce commodity, it is the greed of the masters.

[esamastation]

Part thirty-eight of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven

-

What have we learned? Well, for one, Sephiroth really misses qiankun storages, and the fact that Final Fantasy VII infinite inventories don't seem to be actually real is very disappointing. Two, he seems to have brought back more than just knowledge from PIDW.

His meridian system, though still scarred and unyielding, has already adapted to a cultivator's natural defences against outward energies.

Which makes sense! If a cultivator lets stuff like Final Fantasy VII EXP into their system without properly working that energy into something safe they can use, they'd be courting Qi-deviation all the time. That kind of openness, in a world with the Five Phases and resentful energies - never mind demonic ones! - would be deadly to any cultivator.

One of the first things he'd learned as Shen Qingqiu was to shield himself from that kind of thing. Shen Qingqiu was prone to Qi-deviations in the original text, something he didn't have the time for! So he'd figured out what he was good at, what his element was, and he stuck to it. And he's proud to say he didn't have a Qi-deviation, not even once, in all his years as Shen Qingqiu. Not even with Without a Cure gnawing at his meridians!

But Final Fantasy VII works by different rules. They have different energies. Everyone takes in a portion of the Qi from their kills - a portion of their share of the Lifestream, maybe? And that's normal! The whole world is mired in this huge energy recycling and redistribution system, and Qi-deviations simply aren't a thing.

There's just, you know, madness and memory loss and weird mutations, though that was mostly Mako and Jenova… probably.

Running a hand over his neck, Sephiroth glances to where Angeal sits propped up against a crooked tree, arms folded and head nodding with his breaths, fast asleep. Angeal… who's been acting as a sponge to all the stray energy coming off from their kills.

The whole thing makes Sephiroth feel a little ill. It's probably fine - Angeal actually seems to think he'd benefited from it at Sephiroth's expense! It's what the people of this world are used to, it's what they've evolved with! They actually can grow really strong with it! Sephiroth should know, he grinded both Cloud and Zack to the highest level, and they were really OP!

And yet it… still feels wrong. Sephiroth feels kinda like an awful master, making ignorant disciples to absorb resentful energy so that he didn't have to. They were a couple of those in PIDW, awful shifus abusing Binghe's future wifes for their own benefit, and Shen Yuan hated each and every one of them. 

Ugh.

Okay, okay. EXP versus Qi. Maybe it's different? Since this world has an energy recycling system, not a rebirth system, maybe there are just aspects to it he doesn't get? There probably are! Honestly, for all that it all feels familiar, it also feels a little.. off.

Even here, in the middle of this very lively and monster-filled forest… Sephiroth can't feel much nuance from the place. The forest feels alive, just teeming with energy, but that's… kind of it? For a place that should be aligned with the element of Wood or maybe Earth, it doesn't exactly feel like it.

So, maybe instead of different elements, here there are different stages of energy. Like Lifestream and Materia are the same thing in different stages of matter, maybe everything else is… somewhere in between? MP, magic, and EXP, all just different expressions of the same energy? Hmm…

Maybe EXP is like - like natural photosynthesis? No, that doesn't make sense, uh… spiritual respiration, maybe? Energy digestion? A whole different, but fundamental aspect of local evolution, either way. It would make sense, on a planet that's literally alive, like an organism.

Ugh, he hates making guesses. Where's his wikis and fan sites full of meta analysis and worldbuilding theories when he needs them?!

Sighing with frustration, Sephiroth looks through his phone again, reading the pertinent tutorial entries. They aren't particularly useful. There's nothing about the Lifestream, very little about Mako and not much at all about Materia, aside from how to equip it and use it. People believe that the knowledge of the Ancients is trapped within the Materia, yeah, sure, but like. How? What kind of knowledge? 

Thoughtful, Sephiroth reaches for Masamune, resting on the tree roots beside him, and carefully eases one of the marbles of Materia out of its handle. Unlike the forest, the Materia definitely has an element. Specifically, Fire. Rolling the little green orb in his fingers, Sephiroth considers the feel of it at length, sending his spiritual senses, such as they are, into it.

It feels kinda alive. A bit like the ginkgo tree, actually, but much more. It feels like the accumulation of energy over generations and cycles, and lives.

It also feels a bit like Fire burns. Which is. Uh. Well. It certainly is a type of knowledge? 

What does that mean for other types of Materia? Ice is cold, lightning goes boom, maybe? Recovery means to heal? Huh.

Interesting. But not as much as the knowledge that the Materia, like Angeal, is still growing. Which, yeah, Sephiroth knew that was a thing, it happened in the games, Materia levels up and even spawns offsprings and everything, but man. It's something very different to feel it with your own spiritual senses. 

Materia are a breed of sorta-kinda awakened spirit stones! Wild.

None of which helps him with his EXP dilemma. At this rate he might have to just set aside everything that holds true about cultivation back home and write a whole new cultivation manual, or something. Call it… Lifestream Cultivation. Evening You Need to Know, Cultivating in a Sci-fi Fantasy Dystopia On the Brink of Collapse!

Yeah, Sephiroth would like to know what he needs to know, please. Not that it would probably help, he'll still need to do the work…

… and none of it makes his overall situation as Sephiroth any easier. It's anything, he's probably making everything worse, acting all weird!

Sighing, Sephiroth lowers the orb of Materia and puts it back into its proper place before looking up at the sky. There's a moon shining past the tree branches. The forest is softly rustling around them as Angeal quietly snores, and a gentle breeze moves through the treetops. Thankfully, the old edict of random encounters holds true - they only happen when you're moving! Very handy, that.

It doesn't quite sound or smell or feel like home. Spiritual Mountain Bamboo has its own distinctive vibe, and Sephiroth hasn't even seen any regular Bamboo in this place. Still, it's beautiful. Wild and full of life and extremely inhospitable to its hostile invaders.

Yeah.

Sephiroth isn't sure how long he can put off making a decision here.

[little-black-dress-zack-fair]

Sephiroth: I just hid four fun sized candy bars in Zack's room and told him there were five of them in there, so we should have at least a few hours of peace around here.

Angeal: Teach me your way Master.

[altocat]

It is SO cold here. I give the Firsts plus Zack and Cloud one of those Japanese heating tables (Kotatsu). What do they do with it?

Sephiroth: Has burrowed under most of the blankets and refuses to come out. Occasionally swipes at whoever passes by. Might maliciously bite your ankle.

Angeal: Uses it as a good excuse to make food and tea. Happily sharing snacks with everyone while goading Genesis into a game of cards.

Cloud: Is trying super hard to sit there with the others like an adult but he's so eepy and ends up nodding off within twenty minutes. Jumps nearly five feet when Sephiroth swipes at him.

Genesis: Playing cards with Angeal, getting increasingly agitated because he previously declared himself a MASTER player and now he's losing. Thinking about flipping the table in revenge.

Zack: Building a fort. Camp Zack. Periodically kicking Sephiroth away. DEFINITELY flipped the table.

Stay warm!

[closedrop]

So far I am 25 hours into Crisis Core and learned many things

(Crisis Core spoilers and theories ahead)

- Genesis has a Bible (most likely related to LOVELESS and his theories) and I joined his fan club

- Sephiroth has a fan club with “images that your average Sephiroth fan could never ever dream of seeing” apparently which is a bit worrying but I am also a Sephiroth fan club member so

- Tseng knows Aerith somehow? Willing to bet this is either related to her having been in I think Shinra facilities for a while. Orrrr something love related(?)

- Cid is in space training :) (I love Cid.)

- Cissnei is a character, don’t know much about her but she’s there and I don’t THINK she’s in the original FFVII but if she is she’s hidden because I dragged Cloud around on SO MANY side quests. (Cissnei your chances of living do not look good in the future I’m not gonna lie)

- I believe Gongaga is still intact and hasn’t yet been destroyed by theeee Mako Reactor I think it was sooo that’s probably gonna be an important plot point if that happens

- At least two of the SOLDIERS are gay for Zack or at least find him attractive in some way (which if they are, good for them, good for them)

- The fact that once you’re in the science dept. you can’t leave because they deal with too much sensitive information, that’s a really nice detail and I really love it. I learned that a few days ago I think and I really appreciate that because it makes Hollander’s stuff make more sense I guess from what little I do know

- I lied about Sephiroth he’s not the comedy character it’s Genesis, my man just shows up, spouts poetry(It’s always LOVELESS) and then dips. “My friend, will you fly away now. To a world that abhors you and I 🤓” (I’m sorry Genny ily I’m in your fan club 😞)

- Apparently nobody likes Angeal because from what I saw there was one person in his fan club and it’s getting shut down because she’s too depressed to do anything about it (unless Zack intervenes, which can’t be possible anymore because I missed that chance, sorry Angie 😞)

- There’s a lot of definitely not relevant small details(lie) Like Zack’s whatever limit break that he uses when you haven’t gotten the character’s image in the DMW yet. It’s just cross slash, which is Cloud’s 2nd limit break in the original FFVII (I can’t say anything about the new one since I haven’t played it yet- but yeah) Another one being Aerith’s bow, since Zack buys it. (I’m sure there’s more I can’t think of right now but yeah)

- Zack is 6’1” and his hobby is squats apparently which makes sense but I figured he’d more of a casual baking kind of guy. (Though he’d also be the kind of guy to burn like Kraft Mac n cheese so I don’t know if I’d trust him in the kitchen ever-)

- Zack got doxed lol (and Yuffie got his address)

- Zack the puppy.

- Wutai spies are very bad at being spies

- Every child is a con artist (except for that one that one time)

- Zack, master treasure hunter (Me because I have spent most of my time doing just missions and side quests-)

[pen-and-umbra]

idk if everyone checked out latest halloween special, so SPOILER alert ahead. why do you think sephiroth stuck w/ shinra for so long with all the crap they out him thru? i mean ec is EXPLICIT abt sephiroth suffering mistreatment at hojos hands, not to mention those lies shinra created abt him being this hero figure. and he only starts thinking about *maybe* quitting on the eve of Niebelheim mission, like whyyyyy??

Who can say? There could be numerous reasons.

For one thing, I believe Sephiroth understood he couldn't truly escape ShinRA's clutches and sever all ties with the organization. He was too valuable to lose, the pinnacle of ShinRA inventions, a source of non-degradable cells; they wouldn't let him go. At best, he could hope for a life like Aerith's: loosely free but on a leash, watched over by Turks and whatever other means of surveillance were available. It doesn't help that half the places in the area have a strong ShinRA presence, and Sephiroth is a well-known public figure with an eye-catching appearance. He couldn't just blend in with the crowd because he was too famous and well-publicized. Perhaps Angeal and Genesis were not the first SOLDIER members to desert active duty, and younger Sephiroth witnessed other deserters being chased to hell and back (I have a theory that the FS trio might eventually face this fate). If such an incident occurred, it could have left an indelible mark. After all, living under constant surveillance or a threat of pursuit is not exactly the normal life Sephiroth desired.

One could argue that ShinRA couldn't do anything against him if he chose to quit or flee. I disagree to a point. They did manage to bring down Zack — it took an army, but they did it, and Zack, mind you, held his own against Genesis. Now Sephiroth is on a whole other level, but he is still human — at least before Nibelheim events. He requires sleep, sustenance, water. If a direct confrontation is out of the question, ShinRA could always resort to subterfuge. Poison, gas, sedatives, in water/food/air when he's less vigilant — you name it. The only issue left would be containment. If they wanted him for cells and tissue, they could just arrange something to keep him comatose. Not to mention that the remake makes it abundantly clear they have no regard for collateral damage. They could burn down an entire town just to get to him. ShinRA most likely had dirty tricks up its sleeve that could cause problems even for SOLDIER members — not necessarily in the form of firearms or other weaponry.

Another reason could be one of existential nature. Sephiroth had been raised his entire life to be a killing machine. He lacks both the vision and the skill set to be anything else. Ever Crisis openly states that Sephiroth had little prior experience with people prior to his first field mission with the FS trio, meaning that it was mainly lab and training staff that influenced him during his formative years. As a true psychopath, Hojo is a master manipulator; in FF7R, it is he who suggests using psychological torment to break Aerith, so it's fair to assume a young child might have also received a chunk of that. Knowing Hojo, I wouldn't be surprised if he made it a point to instill this belief in Sephiroth: you're only good for killing, and without ShinRA, you're nothing (or maybe it was even more personal, with Hojo substituting ShinRA for himself). Those ideas are very likely to have become absorbed into the very core of Sephiroth's sense of self as he matured. And once something has been drilled into your head since childhood, it is difficult to break the mold. When you combine that with the fact that his legend began as a deceptive marketing ploy, you have a potentially damaged sense of self-worth. You'll get someone who is confident on the battlefield but lost beyond it. Fighting, as short-sighted as it was, gave him a sense of purpose. It sufficed for a while, being as good a reason as any other.

There's also the matter of belonging. Sephiroth's obsession with finding his family stems from a sense of rootlessness and an unsatisfied need to belong. The game is subtle about it, but it's still there: it's his sense of being different from others, his inability to relate to normal experiences (having a hometown, for example), his sensitivity to cyborg comments (the implication here being that the question of his own nature was salient for Sephiroth already back then), and his reaction to "it's not cool to ask about mother" (which implies that people teased or berated him for wanting to know). Still, as bad as ShinRA was, it gave him purpose and provided whatever meaningful relationships he had. It gave him stability. Unlike the world outside, it was a known variable, and as the saying goes, better a devil you know. As far as my guess goes, Sephiroth was in no small part simply reluctant to shift the status quo and go for drastic changes, which is very human in hindsight. Humans are conformists by nature; uncertainty generally frightens us, so we avoid it. To him, the outside world may have appeared to have no place for him: no place to belong, no place to mingle, no skillset for a living other than wielding a blade. He eventually considers leaving once he realizes that whatever anchored him to the company is no longer there, with his friends gone and ShinRA completely discrediting itself with human experiments.

It's tragic in retrospect, too; as Ever Crisis points out, Sephiroth knew the company was using him from a young age, but his need to belong and have a purpose was strong enough for him to willingly turn a blind eye to its questionable ethics.

[rottenpumpkin13]

Not sure if you've been asked this already but....

Nice things Genesis does for his friends?

Something tells me he's actually very sweet

Genesis is a master at "backhanded kindness"

• "I got you this candy because you mentioned that you liked once 2 years ago. Don't expect me to do this again. And say thank you, Genesis, for the gift."

• He offers to write Zack's important emails for him when he's not sure how to word them better himself.

• Will accompany his friends anywhere they're too nervous to go alone, does this without question or judgement, typically Sephiroth when he's summoned to R&D.

• During a day when he's not feeling great, Sephiroth returns to his office to find a pack of sour gummy worms sitting on his desk, complete with a note attached to it that reads "Sour worms to sweeten your sour mood - G"

• Angeal: Hey Gen, can you do xyz for me?"

Genesis: "No." *Immediately proceeds to do xyz*

• He's the friend they go to when they need to vent/get something off their chest/cry to because for all the teasing he does, he's going to listen to them without judgement and offer his advice.

• Physically affectionate, but not in the way Angeal and Zack are where they'll pull you in for a hug, but in a *drapes himself over Angeal's shoulders like a cat, fixes Sephiroth's hair, pulls Zack's head into his lap* type of way.

• They have fallen asleep on him because he radiates a ton of body heat and he smells like cinnamon apple. They have woken up to him either humming, carding his fingers through their hair, or reading Loveless. His response is "Oh, but if I were to throw you to the floor and walk off I would be accused of being wretched."

• "Would you like some gum?" "Want some hand lotion?" "Do you need a hair tie?" "Would you like a slice of my apple?" "Do you want me to talk to them for you?" "You can have some of my water" *Gets accused of being nice and caring* "It's called HAVING MANNERS."

[prismaticpichu]

*Angeal, staring at his watch with great intent, the tiny hands reading 23:59pm*

Angeal: Could this really be happening? Am I dreaming…?

Angeal: Am I FINALLY going to go a day without having to break up an idiotic fight between—

*the door bursts open, and in come Genesis & Sephiroth*

Genesis: Angeeaaaal! Sephiroth thinks he can pick the marshmallows out of a bowl of lucky charms faster than me!

Sephiroth: Only because I can.

Genesis: Excuse me, I am a MASTER at marshmallow management.

Sephiroth: Oh, I just had the most astonishing revelation…

Sephiroth: You are wrong.

Genesis: OH—?

*Angeal slumps into bed as the two chickens squabble in front of him, his watch striking midnight*

[miss-midnightt]

Intimidation doesn't work on Lazard. How do 1sts convince him to do or not do smth? Bribery? Puppy eyes? Promises they do or don't intend to keep? Charizma?

Ah, here we are. The three Bs of getting favors from Lazard:

🅱️est behavior - Sephiroth acts all perfect and sweet before asking for a favor. He puts up with Genesis’ shenanigans, calmly does paperwork, and causes as little trouble as possible before asking for something from Lazard. Works about half the time, and if it doesn’t work he’ll definitely offer to vacuum Lazard’s apartment (Lazard has severe dust allergies so needs his apartment to be vacuumed weekly, but vacuuming stirs up dust.)

🅱️ribery (with food)-

Angeal: So, um, I need to ask a favor…

Lazard: one pan of brownies.

Angeal: half a pan.

Lazard: three fourths, take it or leave it.

Angeal: deal.

🅱️lackmail - Genesis is the master of blackmail. While Lazard attempts to constantly keep up a professional persona, he does have his moments. Moments that he wouldn’t want anyone to see ever. Meaning he will do anything and everything to keep Genesis from leaking that one video of him singing really bad really off key karaoke to ‘Talking to the Moon’ by Bruno Mars.