#sheori

in the end all there is to my name (aerti-wise) is my poorly-written outline regarding their relationship over the course of ff7, some random headcanons, Aerith lives au, and i think that's largely it. i managed to put them in a poly relationship with my oc too, i guess, but it's a work in progress

in theory, being a trans woman as well, it should make things easier for me, since i chose to tell the story from the first-person perspective. and as much as i'm sure that Claudia would be a literal sweetheart to her, as cathartic as it would feel to write their interactions (even more than it ended up being), there were rather good reasons for me to not go that route.

their heart-to-heart in the fic is structured so they switch places confiding in one another, growing closer as they learn how much they have in common, in spite of it all; them both getting an even share of stories to say. i already had the outline for it ready and changing anything would put Aya more in the center of attention, while i didn't only want her to be comforted by Claudia, but vice versa as well - instead i would be just making her already traumatic experiences possibly much worse. that would be also a lot of stuff to plan out, treat with the right amount of respect and write, for a smut that started out as a dumb joke. it could've also hit too close to home, though i'm not even sure if i went that far thinking about the idea.

the elephant in the room was the actual smut part. while it obviously should be easier for me to write it, it would probably result in unnecessary dysphoria, not the comfort i wanted. Aya already had a task, as someone experienced with women contrary to Claudia, of slowly leading her into it as they were getting intimate. i already had a few actions of hers straight cut out, since i didn't feel too good writing her being dominant in any slightest way - it felt masculine, in a way, which is dumb. but i can imagine how much worse it would be if Aya had a different set of genitalia. i can know my truths, but since at the time i wasn't even feeling alright writing a cis lesbian being, well, a lesbian, there was no reason making it even tougher on myself.

that being said, sometime after writing it, i actually wanted to go back to it, rework it and release a version with Aya being trans. as i said, there's still a lot of potential there for something very self-indulgent, but if i'm not mistaken, i already made Yori trans at this point, so the need wasn't internally there anymore.

Yori, being a would-be-won't-be girlfriend to Aya, and a natural born caretaker at that, just naturally made me want to create an entire AU where they end up together. writing sex from her perspective, with how lovely she is, would be much easier too, whether it would be with Aya or her canon partner - Shera. and they both, just like Claudia, would be perfect girlfriends to someone like her, giving her a proper amount of consideration and care, making her feel loved and safe. it's actually funny how similar they ended up being, coincidentally so. i even had Aya share this observation with Shera post-crisis.

because you're not telling me she married the guy that was her domestic abuser for quite a few fucking years, blaming her over just doing her work. he said that the thought of marrying her makes him sick? now when asked about the name of his ship, he embarrassingly brushes it off, saying that it's named after his "wife", ashamed of leading to her finally leaving, with someone who actually treats her well. here, i fixed it.

honestly, fuck the og Cid. i enjoy him in general, but if ff7 treated itself more seriously, i would despise him. and hopefully he would get a lot of shit from the party members for the abuse he had put her through.

that's why i wrote Aya the way i did btw. to fix this (among many other things) and make someone speak up.

after all, despite countless AUs where they end up together, i've never really forgiven myself for not letting Aya x Yori be canon. and yet, i still love Aya x Claudia and Yori x Shera with all my heart, so it was only natural for me to start exploring the possibility of it being a post-canon thing at some point.

since a polycule like this one specifically is a tough thing to make work, for the most part i stuck to coming up with minor scenarios involving mostly Aya, Yori and Claudia, to get the feel on how they'd act, but of course at some point i wanted it to have a detailed start, which has proven to be very tough to figure out, and i still have ways to go to make it all work, potentially getting everyone together, but today i managed to write a very detailed outline for how Aya and Yori get together, starting off the polycule.

Hal was supposed to help me brainstorm but they kinda forgot, and i myself barely had anything, but the moment i started expanding on the vague idea i had, i couldn't stop until i was done.

i made it so it was Claudia who came out clean before Aya, proving that she probably knows her better than Aya knows herself at this point, pushed her to try to talk to Yori and convinced Shera that it could be the way to go. Claudia ending up as the catalyst is cute. it fits her caring personality, her love for Aya and knowing what's best for her, and contrasts her upbringing (even though i've already made her a huge leftie and a lesbian long ago so...). even though months ago i wouldn't see her in this situation, turns out that it actually is just Claudia, the way i always imagined her, all things considered.

it's all work in progress obviously, since it only covers the start of the polycule, but there's a lot of potential in the pairings in general. i've been thinking quite a bit about Yori and Claudia, Aya and Shera, and while writing this, i realized the chemistry i accidentally gave Claudia and Shera. so far these are only disjointed scenarios, but i already have vague ideas on how to make them happen.

and like. imagine. Claudia x Shera being a thing...

it's just a dialogue, but unless i don't like it anymore, i might turn it into a short fic.