315 | a compilation of ff7 fic recs

[straightforwardly]

A collection of Final Fantasy VII fic recs from the past couple of months of reading, listed in chronological order of when I read them. Mostly because that was easiest for me, though I suppose it has the added side-effect that you could chart my descent into madness progression through different character relationships and concepts.

Once again, I originally intended to include “why I’m reccing this” commentary for all of these fics, and once again, I am accepting that I will never finish this recs list if I actually try to do so, so here we are. If you’re curious about any one fic in particular, ask and I’ll pull together some words! Otherwise, I am once again practicing “perfect is the enemy of the good” and sharing this as it is.

Piercing (Angeal & Genesis & Sephiroth, 5.1K)
"There’s also," Sephiroth said, "the paperwork to consider. I despise filling out the NT-22-B.”

Genesis knew his face had assumed an unflattering expression of bafflement in trying to work out the connection between ear-piercing and paperwork.

Angeal interjected in a rather obnoxious tone of well-meaning correction, “That’s the approval form for decorating your company-issued quarters.”

“No,” Sephiroth corrected right back, “it’s the one for cosmetic alterations to Shinra property.”

ne te mori faciamus (Angeal & Genesis & Sephiroth, 13.1K)
During his first week as a SOLDIER Second, Angeal Hewley injured SOLDIER First Sephiroth in a sparring accident.

Having had steel shrapnel temporarily embedded in his thoracic cavity was a small price to pay, Sephiroth felt later, for two friends who understood completely that he was as human as they.

In hindsight, this may have been the fic which truly began my descent into wanting to replay Crisis Core / getting very fixated on the Angeal & Sephiroth & Genesis friendship. I love how this writer writes their dynamic, and I’m so intrigued by the way this canon divergence plays out. Also, there’s some musings on the in-canon nature of LOVELESS in here which I found deeply interesting, and has definitely influenced the way I view it.

The Wooing of the Moon (Genesis/Sephiroth, 11.4K)
Angeal looked up judgmentally over the rim of his coffee cup. “You did kiss him without permission. Twice. That qualifies as sexual assault in several jurisdictions. It’s technically sexual harassment in Midgar.”

Genesis’ mouth was hanging open. He didn’t have the presence of mind to do anything about that. “Se…shu…” he wheezed.

“You need to remember,” Angeal said, “he grew up in Shinra Corporation.”

Also known as the fic which made me begin to ship Genesis/Sephiroth. I only clicked on this because I wanted more of this writer’s Angeal & Sephiroth & Genesis dynamic (and the summary did make me a little curious), and walked away completely sold on this ship. The Genesis characterization was excellent, and I really liked how it played with Angeal & Genesis’ incomplete knowledge of Sephiroth’s background.

the greenest light (Zack & Cloud & Sephiroth, 8.3K)
There's a man in the mako fountain.

A HAIRY DILEMMA (Genesis/Sephiroth, 7.2K)
Jenova isn’t just non-human, she’s not even from Gaia. Sephiroth has some weird throwbacks to her alien genetics. Weird, sexy throwbacks. Weird, sexy throwbacks that are very interested in Genesis.

Look, if I’m going to fall into a FF7 rabbit hole, the obvious first step is to reread all of Tozette’s works for it. While this one is… technically mostly an excuse for smut, what makes it stand out for me is the concept of Sephiroth’s alien hair and the worldbuilding Tozette does around it.

The Fifth Act (Cloud & Shinra, 161K)
Cloud has an accident with a Time materia, and finds himself in the middle of the Wastes at the start of the Wutai War. There are people to save... and for that, there are three people who need to die.

A NICE YOUNG LADY (Zack/Aerith, 4.8K)
Aerith was a nice girl. At least, Zack was pretty sure that Aerith was exactly the kind of nice girl of whom his mother would have approved. She was kind and gentle and fun and playful and -- okay, he could probably discuss the things about Aerith that were great for a while.

The thing was, this? This was not the sort of thing nice girls asked their boyfriends to do.

Essentially a PWP, with some good characterization details on the side.

A FAST CRASH COURSE IN POSTMODERN LIT (Genesis/Cloud, currently 18K, WIP last updated in 2017)
Cloud's squad mates are dicks and Commander Rhapsodos has illegible handwriting.

Comet (Cloud & Cloud’s Mother, 2.0K)
Cloud hopes he went to visit Cid on the Highwind, got drunk, and fell out of the sky while on fire. That is definitely the most positive explanation possible for waking up in scorched clothes, in a steaming crater, experiencing fantastic amounts of pain.

happiness and disaster (Angeal/Genesis/Sephiroth, 5.7K)
You can't have one without the other.

a hug a day keeps the crisis away (Angeal & Genesis & Sephiroth; Sephiroth & Zack, 13.3K)
What do both cacti and General Sephiroth have in common? They're both sharp, hard to kill, and nobody ever touches them.

Vignettes in the life and times of SOLDIER Firsts (and Zack!) as they accustom their prickly friend to the joys of physical touch.

haunted cloud strife doll that drinks all your pepsi (Cloud & Sephiroth, 4.4K)
Or, the fic where Cloud is turned into a haunted doll and sent back in time. Somehow a fix-it.

The premise sounds ridiculous, and… yes, it is ridiculous, but it’s also a very fun read. Sephiroth gets so attached to his homicidal doll, and it is both delightful and concerning <3

i see your star (Angeal & Genesis & Sephiroth; Sephiroth & Zack, currently 40K, WIP last updated 2022)
Sephiroth awakens drowning in familiar waters, again and again.

I’m not sure how to describe this fic, but what it’s doing is absolutely fascinating. I love both the character work and relationship work going on here. The tags mention that this is inspired by Hades (the game), but as I haven’t played that game—and this fic is more or less in the canon setting, not a direct AU—I’m not sure what aspects of the fic specifically are drawn from it. I can confirm that no knowledge of the game is necessary to have an excellent time with this.

Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) (Sephiroth & Aerith, 2.5K)
Tifa's in trouble! What should we do? Why don't you dress up like a girl... Sephiroth?

DELIGHTFUL. This is an Aerith POV on “what if the beginning of FF7, specifically the Don Corneo crossdressing mission, but with Sephiroth in Cloud’s role”.

The Best Laid Plans (Cloud & Shinra, 44K)
The Planet makes a simple plan, but chooses a complicated hero.

Death Does Not Us Part (Genesis & Sephiroth & Angeal & Zack & Cloud, currently 52K, WIP last updated 2025)
In the Northern Crater, a year after Meteor with the world just barely beginning to recover, there's a shift in the flow of Mako, a call only certain individuals can hear, and the dead wake up.

Angeal just wants to know what's happened since he died. Genesis has amends to make - if he can swallow his pride enough for it. Sephiroth thinks he wants to give destroying the world another go, this time with more support. And Zack mostly just wants to find out what happened to Cloud.

Materia (Cloud & Genesis & Sephiroth & Angeal, 3.6K)
As the Planet breathes her final breaths, Cloud is sent back to a pivotal point in time. He accepts the burden of fixing things but is very surprised by the method the Planet chose. Perhaps a few teenagers just need some guidance.

shall i find rest (Angeal/Genesis/Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud, currently 106K, WIP last updated 2024)
On the Planet of his birth, Cloud had destroyed Sephiroth years ago. The reactors are long cold, the world is saved, and he and Tifa keep their little family in remembrance of the dead.

In this new dimension, it's like the apocalypse Cloud remembers was half-averted. Mako's still around, ShinRa's in business, and Tifa supposedly died years ago under Cloud's JENOVA-fueled rampage. The other problem? Everyone's alive, looking for answers, and this dimension is a little more different than it seems.

It's hard, taking out reactors while being hunted across the continent by the people who are apparently your soulmates. It's hard, and no one understands.

I did not expect to genuinely like this fic. I only picked this up because I have an iddy love for secret reveals (one of the reasons why I like both time travel & crossovers so much), and I figured I’d just read a few chapters of this until I got my fix/got bored, and then drop it. After all, the alternate dimension canon!Cloud ends up in is one where the characters will use the word “packmates” unironically: not my personal cup of tea. But then… it turned out to be actually good? I love the platonic soulmates dynamic going on between canon!Cloud and Tifa, I love the ways the backstory roleswap is handled and explored, I love all the different relationship dynamics going on and how there’s no “one size fits all” way that the characters react to what’s going on, and I love how the soulmates aspect is handled, explored, and to certain extents deconstructed. There’s so many cool things going on in here, and I ended up up tearing through it.

when there's nowhere else to run (Zack & Vincent & Sephiroth, 2.3K)
On his way to find Sephiroth in the library beneath Shinra Manor, Zack Fair finds a man asleep in a coffin. He could close the lid on the sleeping man in red. Or he could change history.

shine on in the hearts of men (Zack & Sephiroth & Genesis, 3.4K)
After discovering the truth of his origins, Sephiroth asks Zack for a favor. If only it didn't involve the world's most annoying ex-SOLDIER First Class.

Sequel fic to the above!

these changes ain't changing me (Zack & Various, 13.5K)
Nibelheim still stands, Genesis has been cured, but Zack’s next challenge will be his greatest yet: destroy Jenova or die trying.

But this time, Zack's not the only one whose destiny has taken a different course. Turns out Cloud's been busy too.

Third part in the same series as the previous two fics.

Children of the Planet (Sephiroth & Zack & Aerith, 12.1K)
Midgar is in ruins, humanity is suffering, and the Planet is being wracked by an illness no one can cure. Sephiroth has only one goal: find Aerith Gainsborough, the last living Cetra, before it’s too late.

This is such a neat roleswap fic. I love the characterization and atmosphere.

all blood and salt (and stardust, you know) (Angeal & Genesis & Sephiroth, 1.6K)
Sephiroth learns about some nuances of humanity while plotting to keep his companions close. Whether they like it or not.

STRIFE (Cloud, 6.0K)
This is just your typical “Cloud gets sent back in time” time travel AU except... maybe it isn't. Because he forgets his name was ever Cloud... he forgets he was human. Strife. All he knows is that he is Strife. He is a dragon? He is a WEAPON.

Let the Calamity from the Skies come. That title will be his to take...!

I’m recommending this fully due to the power of that ending. I wasn't sure about this fic at first, but that ending absolutely nails it.

Patricide is Harder than it Looks (Cloud & Sephiroth, 24K)
Cloud made a promise to Gaia, believing he would return to the past to stop Sephiroth from erasing Cloud’s existence. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned. It didn’t help that the Goddess elected to solve the issue of his continued existence through the use of Sephiroth’s cells. Couldn’t she have made him a bit bigger at least?

When Sephiroth was called to an emergency in Hojo’s laboratory, he didn’t expect to find the Professor dead, nor was he expecting to walk out a father to a mysterious five-year-old boy. Nor was Shinra, for that matter. Nevertheless, he’ll adjust. He hopes.

Shinra’s SOLDIERs hadn’t expected to babysit Sephiroth’s new son, who may or may not be looking to commit patricide.

I briefly fell down a rabbithole of “Sephiroth encounters a time-travelling Cloud who is also now a child for Reasons”; this was one of my favorites.

The Angry Duckling (Cloud & Sephiroth, currently 23K, WIP last updated 2024)
Cloud, anticipating the end of the world, instead wakes up crammed into a body not his own. Or maybe it is his own—just tiny and enhanced and, oh yes, primed to be some kind of mind-controlled assassin. That wouldn't be so bad, if not for the fact that he'd arrived just in time to be imprinted on his handler like a baby duck. And even that wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact of who his hapless, unintentional new handler is: Sephiroth.

Good thing every single one of them is flying blind through this mess.

Spoilt (Angeal & Genesis & Sephiroth, 4.3K)
Friendship is a luxury Sephiroth never had before.

deeper than all roses (Genesis/Sephiroth; background Angeal/Genesis/Sephiroth, 5.6K)
Falling in love is easy. Admitting it is hard, especially when you're not sure if you should. Genesis learns the hard way that when it comes to Sephiroth, he has to make the first step - no matter how terrifying that is.

This is technically part of a series of works fleshing out the backstory for the author’s longfic, but this is fully enjoyable without being familiar with said longfic or the surrounding lore (source: I read this without that knowledge, and still had a good time).

if the stars get in your eyes (Angeal & Genesis, 3.4K)
Genesis, Angeal and the road to SOLDIER. One SOLDIER especially.

A very enjoyable backstory fic for Genesis & Angeal.

Angeal, Genesis & Sephiroth in the Great Wutai War Caper (Angeal & Genesis & Sephiroth, currently 3.9K, WIP last updated 2024)
An unlikely friendship strikes up between Sephiroth and two new SOLDIER Third Classes.

a kiss is still a kiss (Angeal/Genesis/Sephiroth, 3.1K)
A snapshot moment of Genesis, Sephiroth and Angeal during the Wutai war.

how we say hello (Sephiroth & Aerith, 10.9K)
Sometimes, it’s not the big moments that change the course of destinies but the small ones. The ones that are unassuming, that feel as if they had no real consequences at all in the moment and pass by without even a hint of ceremony. Sometimes the entire fate of a planet rests in the way one person reacts to a crying child.

In which Gast decides to bring Sephiroth with him when he leaves Shinra and sets the world on a different course.

the ghost in you (Angeal & Genesis & Sephiroth, currently 20.6K, WIP last updated 2023)
When Shinra's Jenova Project codename S-01 is lost in a freak weather accident on the way to the front, Shinra scrambles to find out where he went.

On an island in the Mideel area, Sephiroth washes up on shore. Unsure of where he is or what to do now, he gets his first taste of life outside of Shinra's purview in the small village and isn't sure he wants to go back. The only problem is his only help are two boys without any discretion or military training and a strange voice that calls to him in his dreams.

the definition of a SOLDIER (Angeal & Genesis & Sephiroth, currently 2.8K, WIP last updated 2022)
Several interconnected one-shots set from the very early days of their friendship through to Genesis and Angeal's induction to First Class that explore what being a SOLDIER means, from the desire to be a hero to the realities of the battlefield and what it means to be a SOLDIER First at the height of the war.

Lazarus, Bound Up In Silver Threads (Zack/Aerith & Cloud, currently 7.5K, WIP last updated 2023)
Cloud vanished just before the boys made it back to Midgar. As a consequence, Zack comes home alive.

Maybe this is better. Maybe it isn't.

Either way, Zack is determined to find Cloud and save his friend once more—even if this means saving him from himself.

Outsider POV on time travel: one of my favorite things! While this WIP is still early days in terms of plot, what is there is both enjoyable and intriguing. And the Zack and Aerith reunion here gave me many feelings.

till we meet tomorrow (Zack & Cloud & Genesis, currently 13.4K, WIP last updated 2022)
When Zack Fair wakes up in a ghostly version of the world, he's surprised to find he's not alone. By teaming up with friends and adversaries alike to find his friends and figure out what's real, new bonds are forged and they'll have to work together if they want to get home in one piece.

This is SUCH an intriguing concept, taking place during that period of time where Zack and Cloud are trapped in Hojo’s labs.

Final Disposition (Zack & Angeal, 1.7K)
Three different ways Zack could have dealt with what was left of Angeal.

End As You Mean to Begin (Cloud & the Remnants; Genesis/Sephiroth & Angeal, currently 130K, WIP last updated 2024)
At the end of Advent Children Cloud is offered a choice that he won't remember but that will change the destiny of two timelines. One will go forward without him, free of Sephiroth and JENOVA's corruption. And the other? Well. He's going to do his best to save everyone in this timeline, too, and he's going to do it while parenting three itty bitty little Sephiroth Remnants.

Otherwise known as the one where Cloud, disoriented from being resurrected in the past, kills a Shinra scientist by accident and sets off a chain reaction of events that may well bring Shinra to it's knees.

An ensemble cast, multiple POV, multiple story-line fic featuring:

⭐Found-family shenanigans as Cloud takes the itty bitty baby (~8 year old) remnants on the run from Shinra while being completely oblivious to the chaos he has wrought.
⭐Genesis and Sephiroth and Hojo and the super fun and not at all traumatic search for a cure for degradation.
⭐Angeal's amazing disappearing sword trick.
⭐The Turks being Turks, i.e: A Threat to Absolutely Everyone.

There is so much going on in this fic, and all of it is delightful! How Cloud (accidentally) kicks off a major canon divergence within minutes of time traveling without even realizing it delights me beyond belief. And while I usually don’t care about the Remnants, their growing bond with Cloud in this fic is such a pleasure to read. But this fic isn’t solely focused on Cloud’s part of the story, and the rest is just as good. What drew me to this fic in the first place was the Sephiroth/Genesis tag, and I love the way Cloud’s accidental canon divergence impacted that relationship, and I also enjoy how Angeal & Genesis & Sephiroth friendship in general is handled.

The Snowball Effect (Kunsel & Zack, Sephiroth & Angeal & Genesis, 7.4K)
He just wanted to find out who made the stupid Sephiroth sim. Revolution was not in Kunsel's plans.