Final Fantasy VII/Fanfic Recs

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth entering the Lifestream for here:

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Final Fantasy VII, all of which have been signed. After a few samples, you will be able to judge whether you might be interested in the 'fic, based on who recommended it. No-name recommendations will be Zapped (wiki). Nobody would back up the rec. Discussion of the recommendation is welcome on the discussion page. As such discussion is important, do remember to add the discussion page to the watchlist, if need be.

Do warn when a fanfic may head into homosexual or non-canon territory. Some people just don't like it, and as we all know, Shipping is Serious Business.

Authors, and Websites
Final Fantasy VII Internet Series by Frank Verderosa
 * Recommended by Clendy82
 * Frank Verderosa's Final Fantasy VII Internet Series has more or less set the standard for all FFVII fan fiction. The first story is quite rough, particularly the action sequences which seem to be drawn directly from the game, and a somewhat cliched storyline. But somewhere in the second or third stories he really begins to hit his stride; all of a sudden the characters cease to be borrowed video game guest stars as he makes them his own with in-depth characterization and increasingly impressive storylines. As far as shipping goes, there's only one major one, . that comes about after wagonloads of fan input and weighing of pros and cons. Two others,   and   might throw more traditional fans off a bit, but they turn out to be quite well written.
 * User:Scifantasy: The copy of the stories linked above, though, cuts off early, halfway through the eighth (yes, eighth) story. A mirror of the original site has been made here (lots of popup ads, though)--it finishes story eight, and mentions a ninth story, which seems to have never been written.
 * Through sheer awesomeness bordering on prophetic foresight, the final story ends with  For having been written several years before it's release, it's an almost perfect lead-in for the Advent Children OVA.

FF7 Comic by Obstinate Melon
 * Recommended by oztrickster, Meteor, yrosx
 * A comedy re-telling of the plot of FFVII which uses the characters and dialogue to make fun of the original game's mistranslations, out of character moments and weird plot threads.

General Fics
''Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.''

Let's Do the Time Warp Again by dogmatix
 * Recommended by Soulseller
 * Synopsis: Cloud gets a chance to save the world.
 * Comments: This is not the standard Cloud-goes-back-in-time-to-fix-things-fic. It is perfectly canon-compatible with the Original Game and Crisis Core as much as anything can be. And shocking and depressing if you think about it too hard.

Terrorism & Anarchy by Varian N
 * Recommended by Mirage, yrosx, Soulseller
 * Synopsis: Cloud's first thought on waking in the Shinra training grounds..."Where's the hidden camera?". What is one supposed to do when they find themselves inexplicably in the past? Become a terrorist four years early, of course. And look up a few old friends.
 * Comments: Another fic that sends Cloud back into the past to prevent the Planet's catastrophe's caused by Sephiroth. However, rather than try and relive his soldier days, Cloud decides that it's better to do what worked before and becomes a terrorist.

Cities of Poison by Jules KD
 * Recommended by User:Hunter Knight
 * Synopsis: It's ten years after Meteor and Cloud still has Jenova in him. Sephiroth returns looking for Cloud and tries to get the Turks to help. The Turks disbanded but are trying to get back together to fight Sephiroth. But should they be worried about Sephiroth, or about Cloud?
 * Comments: There is angst in this fic but not a lot of wangst. And it is justified. The story starts off like she doesn't know where she's going with it, but it really hits a stride. This fic hits the spot. This has great characterization, especially of the Turks. Especially if you like Elena.
 * This fic was published before Advent Children so if there's no mention of AC, that's why.

Writing of Wrongs by James Chilcott and Mike Dixon
 * Recommended by wescotta
 * Synopsis: In Writing of Wrongs, God's own Literary Task Force (they write the book of Life) is blackmailed into saving Aeris, of Final Fantasy VII fame
 * Comments: Rarely takes itself too seriously, and has some brilliant individual scenes. It is also quite lengthy.

Avatar by kitsune13
 * Recommended by User:Ben Allen 52
 * Synopsis: AU, set game-time. Given the opportunity to become the will behind their favorite video game characters, no one hesitated. Little did they know that the 'game' was more than anyone thought or that it would spiral so far off course. NO OCs. Cloud/Tifa.
 * Comments: A fun story that follows the game and keeps characters "in character", while adding a second layer of the game world to the story, with real life attached, but without a gajillion angsty details (just enough to keep us hooked). Became addicted to this story after one chapter, and new one's release pretty often. Plenty of fourth wall smatterings while remaining in character. Any description I give won't do it justice; just go read it.
 * Note: This is a CloudxTifa story, however it also has smatterings of CloudxAerith and even CloudxJessie if you squint.

Frigging Fantasy VII by Bleys Maynard1
 * Recommended by FLCNPNCH
 * Synopsis: An utterly hilarious retelling of the game.
 * Comments: Any story where Cloud is renamed Trent because his father thinks that 'Cloud' is a pussy name, Shinra gets taken over by the Hair Club for Men (the president of which isn't just the president - he's also a client), and the Midgar Zolom subdues its prey using a bunch of children that sing 'Every Sperm is Sacred' has to be worth at least a look.

My Disjointed Life by Pendrum
 * Recommended by Bufu, seconded by User:Arc Varanus
 * Synopsis: "Cloud Strife is just a typical first year University student trying to make it on his own. Throw in two attractive female students, crazy demanding professors, psychotic classmates, along with other challenges and you've got yourself a story."
 * Comments: Absolutely hilarious story- at first- with the game characters in a college setting. Notable for the funniest Internal Monologue I've ever seen on the part of Cloud's conscience, beating even Harry Dresden or J.D from Scrubs. The story takes a turn for the emotional later on, and does so superbly. Possibly my favorite FF7 fanfiction ever. Take a serious look at it -- you won't regret it. If one of you has already read it, please feel free to chime in after me -- my persuasive writing is hardly my strong suit.
 * Warning, this story gets fucking DARK and the ending was just...I don't even know if tragic is the proper word to describe it. I haven't been this emotionally affected by a story in a long time. Easily one of the best I've read.
 * Agreed. The story is Tragedy in every sense of the word, even the most stonehearted of Tropers will find themselves affected. The swerving emotions of the story hit like a car crash, to such a degree that I was left staggering from it for days afterwards. Any story that can convey such vast and powerful emotions as this story can deserves a recommendation.
 * I have to disagree. While I'm fairly sure that I understand what the author wanted to convey with the ending, the writing led me to believe an entirely different conclusion.

Time Paradox By User:Sam Jaz and User:Raven Wing Corps
 * Recommended by User:Vengence Rain, Seconded by User:Arc Varanus
 * Synopsis: After all has been said and done after the Advent, Cloud Strife gets sent back in time to a world where things were a little bit diffrent.
 * Comments: Funny enough to kill
 * Whilst pulling off epic in it's stride. Awesome stuff.
 * Note by User:Raven Wing Corps We are challenging Eir's Tomorrow to the title of Best time travel fic in FFVII
 * Note by User:Arc Varanus: Aw hells yeah!

The Fifth Act by Sinnatious
 * Recommended by ayleia, seconded by Hiatus, pointysparkles, User:Kris Mahai, calantian, User:Caterfree 10, Meteor, User:Keyseeker, moooomoooo, yrosx, Soulseller
 * Synopsis: The Fifth Act is a Set Right What Once Went Wrong fic, which brilliantly defies the ‘formula’ set by other fics. After being returned to the past through an accident with a time travel material, Cloud is not placed into his old body, and instead of trying to save Sephiroth, he sets off to kill him.
 * Comments: Wonderfully written, with haunting parallels to the original game. Fifth Act is my favorite of the FFVII time travel genre. Complete at 38 chapters, this story is lengthy, suspenseful, and extremely epic.
 * Note by Haustere Just recently finished reading through this. I've gotta say it was a great read and things really heated up towards the end.
 * Note by Hiatus: The fight scenes are written very well, and the characterizations, Cloud's in particular, are fantastic.
 * Note by Jesajew: Ditto all of the above comments. I'm having trouble describing The Fifth Act, so I'm just going to go with So Cool Its Awesome and leave it at that.
 * Note by Nobody Famous: By far, perhaps one of, if not THE best time travel fic I've seen. It keeps close to the original canon interpretations of most of the characters while studying what possible differences in their actions and relationships could come with the sudden appearance of another player. Here, Cloud is attempting the fairly sensible thing of trying to kill Sephiroth and avoid Shinra altogether. And while he does have his adult body, full use of his abilities, and foreknowledge to aid him in his goal of stopping Sephiorth before he can go insane and try to destroy the world, it turns out to be little things he didn't plan on that end up making the most difference, resulting in several characters switching places in a reversal of roles that few honestly would have seen coming. And as Cloud keeps changing things and as whatever he does attempt to change seems to go wrong, he doesn't realize just how much of a difference he's made in the smallest of ways simply by being there, to the point that the defeat of the real Big Bad itself may seem anticlimactic up until Fridge Brilliance kicks in and you realize just HOW they got there.
 * Note by Ninasnum: There is a sequel written by another author named Eriol-sama with Sinnatious' permission. After The 5th Act is a collection of stories that picks up right after the epilogue of The Fifth Act.
 * After the Fifth Act has hints of yaoi thus far, hasn't been updated in a while.
 * The Fifth Act is currently being translated into Spanish on Fanfiction.Net.
 * "Note by Keyseeker": carzla wrote two one-shots based on "The Fifth Act"; Midnight Exchange, whichtells what happens when Sephiroth needs to spar with Cloud at night, and Visitations, which tells about Sephiroth visiting Lucrecia. Sinnatious also wrote a one-shot about Yuffie's misadventures after "The Fifth Act" The Fifth Act: Yuffie Redux . Also, a fic in the same universe where Cloud has to cross-dress again, Spike finds out who Cloud really is, and a crossover between "The Fifth Act" and "Fallacious Deity".
 * "Note by Ninasnum": Sinnatious created a masterpost The Fifth Act: Expanded Universe that includes all known fics, by Sinnatious and other authors, that expand on this fanfic.

Minerva's Gift by Little House in the Woods
 * Recommended by Uchiha_Naruto, Soulseller
 * Synopsis: Yet another time travel fic, this time with Cloud ending up with Genesis as his mentor as he tries to stop the events seen in Crisis Core from happening
 * comments: Though the fic can be quite wordy at times, I adore the characterisation of Genesis (which is no mean feat considering how much I hated him first playing the game) as well as Cloud's relationships with the SOLDIERs.

The Zor's Pizza Chronicles by Vile
 * Recommended by Agent0042
 * Synopsis: The party reaches the Northern Cave only to discover that Meteor's threatening the Planet is all just due to a bad call-- Sephiroth wanted to order a "Meaty Zor" pizza from Zor's Pizzeria but they screwed up and sent him a Meteor instead. Now allies with Sephiroth, the group bands together to fight a new threat: a strange man named Bob who wants to close down Zor's Pizzeria.
 * Comments: An extremely comedic fanfic filled with pop-cultural gags and various bits of Lampshading. Highly entertaining. Definitely not canon.

Final Fantasy XVI: Revenge of the Fishglobe by Hugh Jass
 * Recommended by User:Dolt Boy
 * Synposis: Sephiroth (pronounced Seephiroth) attempts to destroy the world and Cloud (pronounced Clood) gathers a bizarre party of OCs (and Tifa) in order to stop him. And kill Mark.
 * Comments: One review puts it this way: "Revenge of the Fishglobe is not intelligent, nor sophisticated, nor cleverly crafted. But silly and stupid as it is, I have seldom laughed more in any given 5 minutes than when I was reading this fic." The author himself puts it this way: "If this story makes any sense to you, you need serious professional help." This is a Crack Fic of no particular quality per se, save that its extreme and unabashed silliness will definitely appeal to some readers--the more you value the ridiculous, the random, and the nonsensical in humor, the more you'll probably enjoy this.

Conflicts of Interest Redux by Madamhydra
 * Recommended by Bethany Syn, yrosx
 * Synopsis: Shortly after the events of Advent Children, the WEAPONs suddenly reappear, signaling a new crisis for the Planet. A resurrected Hojo soon shows up, and he's up to no good, of course. As Cloud and his friends join forces with Rufus and the Turks to stop Hojo and save the Planet yet again, they soon discover that Cloud and Zack endured a lot more than Hojo's Sephiroth Clone experiments during those four years in Nibelheim.
 * Comments: A semi-dark AU fic that explores what happens if Cloud manages to be even more completely screwed up than he is in canon, along with plenty of other interesting 'what-ifs' about his parentage, etc. Some of the side stories ("SOLDIERs Just Wanna Have Fun") are pretty funny, however. The Redux version is a major reboot of an earlier fic "Conflicts of Interest" that went on hiatus sometime in 2000. Started in May 2010, the new version incorporates lots of new material and characters from the Compilation, especially from Advent Children, Crisis Core, and Before Crisis.

Sink to the Bottom with You by Catalina
 * Recommended by User:Zack Faire 13
 * Synopsis: One year has passed since the defeat of Sephiroth, and everything seems fine. But then Reeve, the President of Neo-Shinra, is being kidnapped from his office...
 * Comments: Written before Advent Children, so Rufus is dead and Reeve has taken control of the Shinra company. The characterization is dead on, and there are many genuinely chilling moments. Within the main plot are two sub-plots: one concentrating on Vincent and his demons, the other on Reno's past. An amazing work. You can find an ongoing comic of it here.

Thorns by Vathara
 * Recommended by Nimhrodell, seconded by User:Caterfree 10, Meteor, Love Psycho, moooomoooo, yrosx
 * Synopsis: What if Aeris found unexpected help before Zack broke out? AU.
 * Comments: This is a long one-shot Zack-fix of exemplary quality. Vathara's SOLDIER OC's are well thought out and interact with snarky and sarcastic wit.
 * So freakin' good, there is just one low point - there is no sequel.

Why Waist Length by Silver Pard
 * Recommended by Slow Mercury
 * Synopsis: Enough was enough. He'd looked at all the possible courses of action and their consequences. He'd researched it intensively. It was time to cut the damn hair.
 * Comments: In spite of being complete crack, a surprisingly canon compliant look at the events of the game. Sephiroth and Jenova stumble around on a (literally) insane quest to conquer the world, annoy Chocobo Head er Cloud, stomp on each other's last nerve, and finally get a haircut. Hilarious, with special mention going to the scissors... Complete, with an equally funny oneshot Kingdom Hearts crossover sequel.

The Art of Innocence by TwinTrouble
 * Recommended by Arc Varanus, seconded by User:Caterfree 10
 * Synopsis: Zack has returned, not from the dead, but from hiding. Cloud is relieved to see the old friend he had to keep swearing was dead, but Tifa and the others don't quite get what's going on… No slash.
 * Comments: Hilarious from start to finish. Zack returns, alive and well despite what Cloud believed - and series of misleading situations between them leads to Zack showing off just how much of a Magnificent Bastard he can be. No slash, not that you can convince Tifa of that!

Professor Strife by Bastilton
 * Recommended by Ninasnum, Soulseller
 * Synopsis: Denzel stumbles into the past, Cloud follows to protect his son. The Crisis is beginning again, but as head of the science department Cloud can change it. Before, the world was saved by the lives of millions. This time, can he save those lives as well?
 * Comments: Totally got hooked on it by the first chapter. Story goes back and forth between what's happening to Cloud and Denzel in the past and what's happening with the others back in the original timeline. Unlike most time-travel fics, instead of Soldier, Cloud joins Shinra's science department as their top scientist. Three guesses on what happens to Hojo. :)

Butterfly Effect by Kiraya and Bard Linn
 * Recommended by User:Caterfree 10, partially seconded by User:Mr Magi
 * Synopsis: When a little blond boy awakens an old Turk from his long sleep, no one could've guessed how things would change.
 * Comments: If The Fifth Act shows one one unexpected change can have all the difference, then Butterfly Effect creates a whole other universe in which a multitude of things shift from changing when Vincent awakens and expands so wonderfully. Cloud and Vincent's interactions are lovely and seeing Cloud and his life shift as it does is very intriguing.
 * Note by Mr Magi: The first half of the Butterfly Effect is really good. The interactions between characters, especially Vincent and Cloud are great. It actually gets better in some ways when Cloud goes to Midgar and plays off of other characters (Zack comes to mind). However, I dislike the second half due to its shift in relations that are more... intimate I may say. I just felt that the more friendlike atmosphere of the prior half was ruined by the latter half. Plus I got less engaged with the characters later on and it felt like more of a chore reading it. But maybe that's just me. This fic still has a lot of good points, and despite my complaints, it's still at least worth a look.

Making It Work by Etrixan
 * Recommended by Love Psycho, Soulseller
 * Pairings: Seph/Cloud, small Zack/Aerith,
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Zack knows the Nibelheim mission isn't going well. Taking Cloud along to dig the General out of the basement is a gamble, but his only hope. There's no way he could've foreseen everything that would result from it.
 * Comments: A Zack fixes it fic in a different manner, with Zack fixing things from the part where things really did go wrong. The plot and writing is fascinating and the characters fun - I especially liked the hyper Zack portrayed here. The pairing is only thing that can drive off people, that and the M rating, but despite that it is a very good fic. It also includes one the more...interesting methods of getting rid of Jenova.

Mad World by Etrixan
 * Recommended by Love Psycho
 * Pairings: Seph/Cloud, Zack/Aerith, Seph/Zack/Cloud, Vincent/Tifa,
 * Status: Complete
 * Synopsis: Sephiroth returned from the Lifestream determined to find the two who saved him. Hojo and Deepground control half the planet. Shinra is in shambles. That's not going to stop him. Saving them is only half the battle, now he has to save the planet.
 * Comments: This story takes Making It Work and adjusts some of the timing, thus pushing the ending to something much darker. The story starts with Sephiroth saving Zack and Cloud from Hojo's abandoned lab, with Cloud comatose like in cannon. It quickly dives into an aspect of Making It Work and expands on it to save Cloud, then follows with a plot that combines the originally FFVII with Dirge of Cerberus, plus a little from Advent Children. Like Making It Work it holds the M rating, though also for certain graphics and greater mention of Hojo's "science" than just sex scenes. There are quite a bit of shout outs, to both the original games and pop culture. If you have no problem with the above, I seriously recommend it.

Called Forth by mystiri1
 * Recommended by Soulseller
 * Synopsis: When Zack tries summoning with a new materia, he finds more questions than answers.
 * Comments: I love how this fic deals with summons.

Dictionary by Silver Pard
 * Recommended by Soulseller
 * Synopsis: Knowledge has always been his balm against the sores made by lack of understanding.
 * Comments: Believable and progressingly darker and scarier look into Sephiroth's head.

''Satisfaction of a Job Well-Done by LastMinuteWitness
 * Recommended by Soulseller
 * Synopsis: Disciplinary duty takes a turn for the surreal when General Sephiroth uses Cadet Strife for his personal errand boy. However, when Cloud starts to notice something wrong with the General, he takes it upon himself to do more than just scrub the ceilings.

Crossover Fics
Princess Tohru Series by chibirisuchan
 * Recommended by chibiaries, Meteor, moooomoooo
 * Synopsis: Tohru meets Sephiroth in the universe of Kingdom Hearts. Dancing mushrooms are involved.
 * Comments: The author somehow makes this crossover work, with increasingly hilarious oneshots after the The Edge of the Map, the fic that detailed Tohru's first encounter with a Final Fantasy VII character. Passing familiarity with the fandoms involved is required for understanding this piece, although more in-depth knowledge is better for catching all the in-jokes. Tohru uses her skill of Talking the Monster to Death very well, leading to several Crowning Moment of Funny and Crowning Moment of Awesome. For a Crack Fic series everyone is surprisingly in character.

Prudent by Chibirisuchan
 * Recommended by Thinks Too Much, Meteor, Soulseller
 * Synopsis: Yazoo, Loz and Kadaj, while searching for "Mother", end up on Discworld. Granny Weatherwax has a few things to say about this.
 * Comments: Told in third person limited from Granny's perspective, it milks the clash between worlds for all it's worth. Short and utterly, utterly hilarious.

Imperfect Tense by Jukebox Hound
 * Recommended by Meteor, moooomoooo
 * Synopsis: Jenova's legacy, living on through the Sorceresses, is forcing Squall to face an unstable Seifer, Cloud Strife, and yet another potential end of the world. Maybe paperwork really wasn't so bad.
 * Comments: This is a revision of a previous completed fic. I would recommend only reading this one, though, because minor plot elements have been changed and it's generally much more streamlined. That said, characterization is excellent, parallels between the series abound, and the writing is phenomenal.

Living Chemical Child by Jukebox Hound
 * Recommended by Meteor
 * Pairings: Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud. Yaoi.
 * Synopsis: It wasn't like Hojo had left clear instructions on how to reverse a sacrifice to the Gate. FMA crossover/fusion.
 * Comments: A series of dramatic one-shots centered entirely around the relationship of Sephiroth, Cloud and Zack, with a few other references to other FFVII characters. The interesting premise is a bit mitigated in that it's still in its beginning stages. The one-shots, however, are quite stand-alone -- enough so that it doesn't really matter. The interaction with Roy is gloriously in character -- I didn't expect him to be written half so well.

Shipping Fics
Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

Eir's Tomorrow by Jukebox Hound
 * Recommended by User:Ellipsis, User:Lockea, notsomuch, User:Kris Mahai, User:Caterfree 10, Meteor, moooomoooo, Soulseller
 * Pairings: Sephiroth/Cloud with the Zack/Aerith on the side
 * Synopsis: Cloud goes back in time to Set Right What Once Went Wrong--the best time travel fic in FFVII fandom, hands down.
 * Comments: Very haunting, with creative use of Fanon and Alternate Character Interpretation. Essentially, Cloud relives his life knowing the future, and works to save it by saving Sephiroth himself.

''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1580443/1/ Why Me? A Love Story for Manic Depressives]'' by Dust Traveller
 * Recommended by Racheakt
 * Pairings: Vincent/Yuffie
 * Synopsis: With war brewing in Wutai, Vincent is given the task of hunting down Yuffie and bringing her back to the throne she abandoned- before someone else finds her first. Bounty hunters, Chocobos, conversational demons, sarcastic ninjas, manic depression, topped off with a generous helping of Vincent/Yuffie fluff.
 * Comments: Spot-on characterization, a logical, coherent plot. Yuffie and Vincent's dialogue is especially fresh and engageing. Interesting, in that some aspects of Dust Traveller's Vincent blends Asshole Victim and The Atoner, with Beleaguered Assistant and Liz Lemon Job for humor.

Of Petals and Piano Keys by dreaming-of-storms (M-rated, Contains femmeslash, folks. Set after Advent Children)
 * Recommended by inkweaveramara
 * Pairing(s): Aerith/Tifa
 * Synopsis: Tifa, Aerith, and the warmth of the Promised Land.
 * Comments: The summary may give you the impression of a silly little PWP. But this couldn't be farther from the truth. Well, maybe it is a bit of a PWP, but it's certainly not silly. The whole story carries a bit of a cold, bittersweet tone to it. The characters (particularly the heroines) are a bit more bitter about their respective fates: Aerith is a ghost who can only watch over her friends, and Tifa keeps getting left behind by Cloud. The lemon that follows is very, very tastefully well done, and the end gives you a sense of things getting better. All in all, a good story.

OneWinged Angels by FenixPhoenix
 * Recommended by missmollie, seconded by User:Caterfree 10
 * Pairing(s): Sephiroth/Tifa
 * Synopsis: Jenova's control over Sephiroth broke with his death. Now, he is sent back to protect Tifa and save the planet from the entity that threatens it. The problem: how to convince her of his good intentions?
 * Comments: A beautifully written fic, with a believable, logical reason for Sephiroth's descent into madness, and his attempt for redemption in protecting Tifa. The fic is also very diverse, with some chapters focusing on the antagonists of the story, as well as the POV of other characters like Cloud, Vincent, Yuffie, Cid etc.

A Long, Hard Road by Twig. (NC-17 Lemon, Angst, spoilers, mild language, violence)
 * Recommended by Did It, Soulseller
 * Pairing(s): Sephiroth/Cloud, Zack/Tifa, Rude/Reno/Elena, Yuffie/Vincent, Jenova/OC
 * Synopsis: Five years after the end of the game, Cloud Strife is fighting a losing battle against the dark forces of Hojo and Jenova. What will happen when the decision is made to resurrect the very man who nearly destroyed them all?
 * An incredibly dark, dramatic, beautifully written fic. Fluff and humor bits are few and far between, but there are just enough to keep the audience from completely drowning in the angst, and they're all the more rewarding after the characters(especially Cloud) are put through hell again and again. Occasionally borders on Wangst and Purple Prose, but still a very good read.

Fusion by Knowing Shadows (Slash)
 * Recommended by Jesajew
 * Pairings: Cloud/Sephiroth, Zack/Sephiroth
 * Synopsis: Cloud Strife finds it hard to deal with what he had to do to save his world, but now the Planet will give him a chance to change things for himself and for General Sephiroth.
 * Comments: This premise is well-trodden ground in this fandom, but Knowing Shadows does it justice, and Fusion is very well-written and well-thought-out despite not being completely original. Definitely one of the better FFVII Peggy Sue fics, and very enjoyable despite being unfinished, especially if you're into slash.

Unspoken by Mihoyonagi
 * Recommended by mintfresh, seconded by Chizu, User:Caterfree 10
 * Pairings: Aerith/Sephiroth
 * Synopsis: Sephiroth is offered a chance by the planet; he may return to life. But strings are attached. Aerith will return with him, and if she dies, so does he. He also loses the power of Jenova, and, he later finds, his voice.
 * Comments: While clearly not in the least bit canon, this fic is well written, with good writing from the start that only improves as the fic goes on. The focus is on character growth and interaction, with a unique plot that introduces interesting complications. The reviews for this fic often contain people saying that until they read this they didn't like the pairing, and the fic is a wonderful example as to why people should read fics for the quality of the writing and plot, not just the names on either side of the slash. Also, the fic is complete, always a bonus.

Sins Of The Father by Mystwalker
 * Recommended by Chizu
 * Pairings: Aerith/Sephiroth, Yuffie/Vincent, Cloud/Tifa,
 * Synopsis: 20 years after Meteor, the world is finally at peace and the heroes (and villains) of Final Fantasy VII are living out somewhat normal lives. However, all is not well with the Planet.
 * Comments: Obviously, this fic is non-canon *points at the first pairing*. Part Gen Fic, part Shipping Fic, it takes the Aeriseph pairing and examines it, taking it to its logical conclusion. The fic attempts to look at what would really happen if you combined Jenova and the Cetra by giving us three cases to look at: Zephyr, Ciel, and Faye. It starts off light and funny but becomes gradually darker over time, although it still employs some comedic elements. Aside from Aeriseph, it also looks at the children of the popular Yuffentine pairing, and throws in Cloud and Tifa's sons and Cid's son as a side character.  Despite having quite a few OCs, this fic is thankfully devoid of Mary Sues.

Still Not Afraid by Saya Moonshadow
 * Recommended by Unlucky Normalcy CLO, seconded by User:Caterfree 10
 * Pairings: Yuffie/Vincent
 * Synopsis: Yuffie Kisaragi fears very few things, and to the Galian Beast's surprise, it isn't one of them.
 * Comments: An interesting oneshot depicting Yuffie and Vincent's relationship through Galian's point of view, as well as giving a bit of insight on how Vincent's feelings might affect the demons in his head. While there is some direct Yuffie/Vincent romance, the primary focus actually turns out to be the interaction between Yuffie and Galian, which is not only written well, but is also very touching.

Splintered Dreams by Fairheartstrife
 * Recommended by Bellec, seconded by User:Caterfree 10, Meteor
 * Pairings: Tifa/Zack
 * Synopsis: At the end of Crisis Core, Cloud dies and Zack survives.
 * Comments: Basically, Zack takes Cloud place in the main game.

Us and Them by Madcap Minstrel
 * Recommended by User:Caterfree 10
 * Pairings: Sephiroth/Aeris with Cloud/Tifa, Rufus/Jessie (yes, you are reading that right), and one sided Zack/Aeris
 * Synopsis: "Sephiroth was given the chance for a happy childhood when he was rescued from the Shinra labs and taken in by Professor Gast. Now eighteen years later, he is forced to face his past, and his own personal demons."
 * Comments: Oh my goodness, where do I even start with this fic? A few small things causing one hell of a change in the course of events. One of my favorite parts besides the whole Sephiroth and Aeris growing up together thing was the exploration of the relationship between the Cetra and Jenova's race of aliens (known as Seraph in this AU). I'd say more on the subject, but it'd be spoiling far too much. All in all, a wonderful exploration of a timeline that could have been and one that's more than fueled my own personal headcanon. There are also a couple of sequels and some oneshots within the same AU on the author's profile worth reading.

Love Thy Enemy by chipmouskin
 * Recommended by User:Caterfree 10
 * Pairings: Zack/Aerith with Cloud/Tifa on the side.
 * Synopsis: "Aerith is part Cetra, a 1st Class Mage, and most importantly, Shinra's secret weapon. Zack Fair is a country boy from Gongaga, living with an incurable, life-altering condition, and a hatred for Shinra. Can they save each other?"
 * Comments: Role reversal at its best. While there are some parts that make me side eye, especially in relation to Aerith's growing up in Shinra, it's still a well done fic that explores both the alternate possibilities opened up by the shift as well as the altered relationship between the main couple.

Those Awkward Moments by Inspector Inspection
 * Recommended by User:Caterfree 10
 * Pairings: Sephiroth/Genesis
 * Synopsis: "We've all gone through some awkward times at some point in our lives. Now those problems are put on our favorite guys in SOLDIER."
 * Comments: Alternating between the downright hilarious (often sexual in content) and emotionally turbulent relationship issues, this fic is rather different than other Sephisis fics I've picked up in that it's Sephiroth doing most of the pursuing rather than Genesis. The humorous parts make up for some damn dark stuff in the fic but it's the balance between the two moods that really works its magic. WARNING: THERE IS NON-CON IN THIS FIC, DO NOT READ IF THAT IS NOT YOUR CUPPA.

The Mission by Ardwynna Morrigu ""Fifty push-ups, you pansies! And then fifty more! God, I can't believe I've got to man up such a bunch of sissies! And quit your whining! The way you girls carry on it's like you expect the Generals themselves to come down here and rescue you! Well I got news for you, dollfaces. You might be as queer as a duck in a g-string, but ain't a one of you pretty enough for that! Not even you, Strife, so get that smirk off your face and give me fifty more!"
 * Recommended by Mismoree
 * Pairings: Sephiroth/Genesis/Cloud, Angeal/Zack, Sephiroth/Genesis/Angeal
 * Synopsis: When Angeal abandons them for his puppy, Sephiroth and Genesis find something else to keep themselves entertained. Something small, cute and blond.
 * Comments: A series of explicit ficlets, this story is one of the more entertaining ones out there. It's both serious and humorous; the dialogue is witty, and some moments will send you into fits of laughter from the sheer absurdity of them. The smutty scenes aren't cheesy either. And, of course, I have to put my favorite quote here also:

A SOLDIER's Weapon by Oniko
 * Recommended by User:Caterfree 10, Meteor, Soulseller
 * Pairings: Cloud/Sephiroth
 * Synopsis: "There is a mysterious new SOLDIER at Shin Ra. Sephiroth searches for the truth about Cloud Strife, Shin Ra, and himself, while being haunted by the possibilities of darker futures."
 * Comments: Yet another entry into the realm of time travel fics in FF 7 fandom, but this one takes a different approach: rather than being from the Time Traveler's POV (Cloud in this case and others hinted at, but not confirmed at this time), it's from young!Sephiroth's. This originated as a prompt at one of the FF 7 kink memes, but it filled out into a wonderful AU.

Handle With Care by Xpaperplane X
 * Recommended by Illiad And Oddity, Soulseller
 * Pairings: Cloud/Sephiroth, although it's platonic until the epilogue of the sequel.
 * Synopsis: "Cloud had no idea how his life would change on the day he was sent to deliver some papers to the former general Sephiroth's office. A mistaken identity turns his world upside down."
 * Comments: Handle With Care and its sequel Mislabelled are a pair of Final Fantasy 7 fics that manage to be both mind-bendingly hilarious and gut-wrenchingly sad. In this fic, instead of burning down Nibelheim, Sephiroth destroyed Jenova and in doing so basically gave himself a psychic lobotomy. Severely brain-damaged and mentally ill, one day he mistakes a small trooper (Cloud Strife) for a chocobo toy. What follows is a hilarious and heartwarming account of how Cloud does his best to help Sephiroth heal. Despite the number of times you have to say it's better than it sounds, it's a brilliant fic, which will toy with your emotions like a yo-yo. The alternate ending to the sequel, in particular, will have you tearing up a box of tissues. One of the best (and most unique) FF 7 fics out there.

Summoning Ghosts by kasoku
 * Recommended by Soulseller
 * Pairings: Cloud/Sephiroth, Zack/Aeris
 * Synopsis: Materia are formed from crystallised Mako...
 * Comments: I think the way Sephiroth is brought back in this fic is my absolute favourite.