I've been a FFVII fan since circa 2006, but the game remake, FFXVI and FFXIV rekindled my love and attention for the franchise, and now I've been writing an AU about it!
"Life's Requiem" is an AU of FFVII (OG) and a sequel to FFXVI... making this a crossover as well (that's why I call it an alternative "universe" and not "timeline"... if you know, you know).
Everyone is 2 years old than canon! (So, their ages from FFVII-AC)
Plus, to make it clear from the beginning: this is a Cloti (Cloud x Tifa) and Zerith (Zack x Aerith) focused story.
Now, about this AU's plot:
*WARNING FOR HEAVY CANON SPOILERS*
Life's Requiem's events takes place roughly 2000 years after FFXVI's end.
After the Nibelhein incident, Hojo began experimenting with some SOLDIERS using summoning materias as a measure to trying to stop Sephiroth when he shows up again. He wanted to recreate the Eikon Dominants from the Cetra's legends Shinra is aware of. Cloud was taken too because of what he did to Sephiroth, despite being just a trooper back then.
This leads to: Cloud doesn't question "who" but "what" he is instead, through most of the story, while dealing with post-traumatic amnesia about the last 7 years of his life and an unquenchable rage in his heart towards Shinra and Sephiroth.
With that said, Cloud is his true self all the time, but with poor anger management. Hence, he doesn't have a memory/personality mashup with Zack's because he's alive (thanks to his Eikon powers), but he's also amnesiac (for different reasons than Cloud).
Aerith and Zack lives because of all the stuff abovementioned (the story rolls totally differently because of the crossover with FFXVI anyways).
Cloud received battle training from Zack and the other SOLDIERs during the seven years they were held captive, so he's still badass but at 100% his own merit.
Denzel (from the FFVII AC movie) is introduced at part 2, and he is half-Cetra, too, and Marlene goes on the adventure with the gang.
It will have some lore expansion on the Cetras and Jenova; it's a mix with the Bearers and Mothercrystals lore from FFXVI.
Note: Although we'll have, most of the time, canon-typical violence, I will not "censor" it, so we'll have FFXVI levels of blood and gore.
*This pinned post will be updated again with links and any other info I decide it will fit here, too.*
During the start of the equivalent to the Part 2 events, Cloud and Zack have an idea to give a kind of a new accessory to Tifa and Aerith, respectively.
Every new region, Cloud gives Tifa a flower for she to use as a hairpin, while Zack gives Aerith a new ribbon to decorate her hair.
Imagine that, gameplay-wise, every time you switch regions, Tifa's and Aerith's hair accessory would change (with a cutscene showing the change the first time you arrive at the region). I think such a thing would be hella cute, ngl.
Side note: Cloud and Zack developed a brotherly relationship in this AU, and consequently, they share one braincell.
During the start of the equivalent to the Part 2 events, Cloud and Zack have an idea to give a kind of a new accessory to Tifa and Aerith, respectively.
Every new region, Cloud gives Tifa a flower for she to use as a hairpin, while Zack gives Aerith a new ribbon to decorate her hair.
Imagine that, gameplay-wise, every time you switch regions, Tifa's and Aerith's hair accessory would change (with a cutscene showing the change the first time you arrive at the region). I think such a thing would be hella cute, ngl.
Side note: Cloud and Zack developed a brotherly relationship in this AU, and consequently, they share one braincell.
Thanks to Pinterest, I found out there is a mod for FFVII Remake that gives Cloud his young teen hairstyle with the ponytail.
My FFVII Remake copy is for PS4-5, so no mods for me, but this is a nice reference for how he would look on this AU (even though his hair is waaaaaay longer than that).
My polish friend just told me that the word "kupo" Moogles says by the end of their sentences, in Polish, is the vocative case of "kupa," which means "poop," and now I cannot unsee it... and unhear it because they even pronounce it like the polish word.
I've been a FFVII fan for the past 15 years, but the game remake rekindled my love and attention for the franchise, and now I've been writing a fanfic about it!
"Life's Requiem" is an AU of FFVII (OG+Remake), which is a sequel to FFXVI... making this a crossover as well (that's why I call it an alternative "universe" and not "timeline"... if you know, you know).
Plus, to make it clear from the beginning: this is a Cloti (Cloud x Tifa) and Zerith (Zack x Aerith) focused story.
Now, about this AU's plot:
*WARNING FOR HEAVY CANON SPOILERS*
With that said, Cloud is his true self all the time, but with bad anger management. Hence, he doesn't have a memory/personality mashup with Zack's because he's alive (thanks to the powers he got from Hojo's experiments), but he's also amnesiac (for different reasons than Cloud).
After the Nibelhein incident, Hojo had an idea to experiment with some Soldiers and troopers using summoning materias instead of trying to create another Sephiroth. He wanted to recreate the Eikon Dominants from the Cetra's legends Shinra is aware of.
This leads to: Cloud doesn't question "who" but "what" he is instead, through the majority of the story, while dealing with post-traumatic amnesia about the last 5 years of his life and an unquenchable rage in his heart towards Shinra and Sephiroth.
Aerith and Zack lives because of all the stuff abovementioned (the story rolls totally different because of the crossover with FFXVI anyways).
Cloud received battle training from Zack during the five years they were held captive, so he's still badass but at 100% his own merit.
Denzel (from the FFVII AC movie) is introduced at part 2, and he is half-Cetra, too, and Marlene goes on the adventure with the gang.
Note: Although we'll have, most of the time, canon-typical violence, I will not "censor" it, so we'll have FFXVI levels of blood and gore.
It will have some lore expansion on the Cetras and Jenova; it's a mix with the Bearers and Mothercrystals lore from FFXVI.
We'll probably have OCs, too.
*This pinned post will be updated again with links and any other info I decide it will fit here, too.*
Somehow... I'm managing to make this FFVII AU a sequel to FFXVI... 🤔 It's possible to connect a lot of stuff between these games. The biggest difference is mostly the nomenclature of things.
Don't ask me how and why! It's just happening as I play FFXVI hahaha
This AU will be something like "1000 years later" kinda sequel, almost Breath of the Wild style.
