Well, I didn't get to my goal of catching up with the original COI fic by the end of 2011, but I came close (at least for me)! ^_^;

And the moment many of you have been waiting for. Guess who finally shows up! Things really start to diverge from the original COI, but I hope you like it. Enjoy!

Title: Conflicts of Interest Redux 10
Author: MadamHydra
Beta: none, rough draft
Fandom: Compilation of FF7; post-Advent Children AU
Type: work-in-progress
Character(s): all
Pairing(s): gen (at the moment)
Rating: R
Wordcount: ~11,000
Warnings/Content: mature/dark/disturbing themes (e.g., obscene language, violence, abuse, torture, rape, etc.)
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all related prequels, sequels, and works belong to Square-Enix.

Summary: When the WEAPONs reappear two years after Meteorfall, Cloud and his friends discover that his connections to his dead friend Zack, his arch-nemesis Sephiroth, and Rufus Shinra are much more complicated than he could ever imagine. And who is the *REAL* Cloud Strife?

( 'Those two gold chocobos over there are Essai and Sebastian.' )

Tags: coi-redux, ff7-fic

Sorry for the long delay! The next chapter is already done, and just required polish and proofreading! ^_^

Title: Conflicts of Interest Redux 9
Author: MadamHydra
Beta: none, rough draft
Fandom: Compilation of FF7; post-Advent Children AU
Type: work-in-progress
Character(s): all
Pairing(s): gen (at the moment)
Rating: R
Wordcount: ~9500
Warnings/Content: mature/dark/disturbing themes (e.g., obscene language, violence, abuse, torture, rape, etc.)
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all related prequels, sequels, and works belong to Square-Enix.

Summary: When the WEAPONs reappear two years after Meteorfall, Cloud and his friends discover that his connections to his dead friend Zack, his arch-nemesis Sephiroth, and Rufus Shinra are much more complicated than he could ever imagine. And who is the *REAL* Cloud Strife?

( 'You tried to kill us. Repeatedly. With a giant ROBOT.' )

Tags: coi-redux, ff7-fic

Another chapter in less than a month! Woohoo! \^_^/

This chapter is basically all Cloud and Reno. It really helps if you're familiar with Crisis Core, but hopefully it will still make some sense even if you're not.

Comments and criticism always welcome! ^_^

Title: Conflicts of Interest Redux 8
Author: MadamHydra
Beta: none, rough draft
Fandom: Compilation of FF7; post-Advent Children AU
Type: work-in-progress
Character(s): all
Pairing(s): gen (at the moment)
Rating: R
Wordcount: ~7,500
Warnings: mature/dark themes (e.g., obscene language, violence, abuse, torture, rape, etc.)
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all related prequels, sequels, and works belong to Square-Enix.

Summary: When the WEAPONs reappear two years after Meteorfall, Cloud and his friends discover that his connections to his dead friend Zack, his arch-nemesis Sephiroth, and Rufus Shinra are much more complicated than he could ever imagine. And who is the *REAL* Cloud Strife?

( ...the exact same baffled 'Huh...?' expression, complete with that little cock of the head that reminded one of a friendly, but not overly bright puppy dog. )

Tags: coi-redux, ff7, ff7-fic, fic
Current Mood: mischievous

With these shorter chapters, the story is progressing more slowly than I expected, but hopefully the chapters will be coming out more often. ^_^;

And for those who are wondering, Sephiroth will be showing up in person with the next 2-3 chapters. So hang in there!

Enjoy!

Title: Conflicts of Interest Redux 7
Author: MadamHydra
Beta: none, rough draft
Fandom: Compilation of FF7; post-Advent Children AU
Type: work-in-progress
Character(s): all
Pairing(s): gen (at the moment)
Rating: R
Wordcount: ~8,900
Warnings: mature/dark themes (e.g., obscene language, violence, abuse, torture, rape, etc.)
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all related prequels, sequels, and works belong to Square-Enix.

Summary: When the WEAPONs reappear two years after Meteorfall, Cloud and his friends discover that his connections to his dead friend Zack, his arch-nemesis Sephiroth, and Rufus Shinra are much more complicated than he could ever imagine. And who is the *REAL* Cloud Strife?

( 'Is Cloud the type to get butt hurt or jealous over Tifa?' )

Tags: coi-redux, ff7, ff7-fic, fic
Current Mood: creative

I've been distracted from working on COI Redux by the Casey Anthony murder trial (partying young woman waits 31 days to report her toddler missing, comes up with endless litany of lies to explain her child's disappearance).

I thought the Prosecution were professional, passionate, and did an excellent job, given what they had to work with. The defense was inexperienced, sleazy, and definitely lacked credibility. The family is hopelessly dysfunctional and enabling of their daughter's narcissistic and sociopath behavior.

Disappointingly, the jury "deliberated" for barely 10 hours and returned a verdict of 'Not Guilty' to all substantive charges (murder, child abuse, and manslaughter). It's the OJ Simpson verdict all over again.

All I can say is that this reminds me to never underestimate the ability of people to be unscrupulous, selfish, and/or morons.

So I do what I usually do when I'm annoyed and frustrated at Real Life(tm) -- work on my fic. I'm afraid that the poor characters are in for a rough time....

Current Mood: pissed off

In case any of you guys missed it, chapter 6 of the main story is out! It was posted on Easter, so it might've gotten lost in the holiday shuffle. ^_^;

This is just a quick side-story for COI Redux-verse. More background material for the main COI Redux story, but it does have major implications later on in the plot.

Title: Confidential Report on the Genetic Origins of Jenova
Author: MadamHydra
Beta: none, rough draft
Fandom: Compilation of FF7; post-Advent Children AU
Type: oneshot; side story
Pairing/Characters: gen
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: ~1700
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all related prequels, sequels, and works belong to Square-Enix.

Summary: An internal Shinra research report on the genetic origins of Jenova.

( ...the Jenova specimen found by Dr. Gast in the Northern Crater is.... )

Tags: coi-redux, ff7, ff7-fic, fic
Current Mood: amused

Sorry, chapter 6 took longer than I expected, but I had to do a fair bit of tweaking.

While hopefully not OOC, Cloud's reactions might appear a bit... skewed. Then again, in this fic, he IS majorly screwed up. ^_-

Enjoy!

Title: Conflicts of Interest Redux 6/?
Author: MadamHydra
Beta: none, rough draft
Fandom: Compilation of FF7; post-Advent Children AU
Type: work-in-progress
Character(s): all
Pairing(s): gen (at the moment)
Rating: R
Wordcount: ~6,800
Warnings: mature/dark themes (e.g., obscene language, violence, abuse, torture, rape, etc.)
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all related prequels, sequels, and works belong to Square-Enix.

Summary: When the WEAPONs reappear two years after Meteorfall, Cloud and his friends discover that his connections to his dead friend Zack, his arch-nemesis Sephiroth, and Rufus Shinra are much more complicated than he could ever imagine. And who is the *REAL* Cloud Strife?

( Cloud knew that avoiding Kunsel was a cowardly thing to do. )

Tags: coi-redux, fanfic, ff7, ff7-fic
Current Mood: busy

Finally, a new chapter! I've gotten fed up with LiveJournal's character limit and the need to split my chapters for posting, so this chapter's significantly shorter than previous chapters.

Part 6 is also finished and just needs a few tweaks and proofreading before posting, so don't be surprised if another short chapter shows up in a day or two.

And here we go!

Title: Conflicts of Interest Redux 5/?
Author: MadamHydra
Beta: partially betaed for content, rough draft
Fandom: Compilation of FF7; post-Advent Children AU
Type: work-in-progress
Pairing/Characters: gen (at the moment)
Rating: R
Wordcount: ~6,000
Warnings: mature/dark themes (e.g., obscene language, violence, abuse, torture, rape, etc.)
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all related prequels, sequels, and works belong to Square-Enix.

Summary: When the WEAPONs reappear two years after Meteorfall, Cloud and his friends discover that his connections to his dead friend Zack, his arch-nemesis Sephiroth, and Rufus Shinra are much more complicated than he could ever imagine. And who is the *REAL* Cloud Strife?

( '...the fact that Shalua was packing a hand cannon that even Vincent would envy was a pretty clear sign that she was not someone to be taken lightly.' )

Tags: coi-redux, fanfic, ff7, ff7-fic
Current Mood: creative

Just a short side story containing some background information for the COI Redux-verse that I cut from the main story. It's certainly not essential, but it provides some interesting hints and background for the main plot.

Title: WRO Security Report on Cult Activity
Author: MadamHydra
Beta: none, very rough draft
Fandom: Compilation of FF7; post-Advent Children AU
Type: oneshot; side story
Pairing/Characters: gen
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: ~1450
Warnings: mature/dark themes (e.g., obscene language, violence, abuse, torture, rape, etc.)
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all related prequels, sequels, and works belong to Square-Enix.

Summary: An internal WRO security report concerning certain fringe groups.

( '...significant potential for violence or terrorism against others...' )

Tags: coi-redux, fanfic, ff7, ff7-fic
Current Mood: tired

Heh. I cooked up yet another teaser as I'm nursing my aching hip. Yeah, one turns forty-something and the body becomes totally decreipt. *mutter*

WARNING: This particular teaser has hints of MAJOR plot spoilers.

( 'His opponent stood, calmly waiting for Rufus to make the first move.' )

Tags: coi-redux, fanfic, ff7, ff7-fic
Current Mood: grumpy