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Seph

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One of the little touches I like best about Advent Children, flawed movie though it is, is that we never see Aerith's face until the very end. Up until that point, her face is always hidden or obscured.

She feels almost otherworldly. Distant from Cloud's life, almost like a faded half-memory. She feels, well, dead. Something that only half-exists now only in visions and memory. There, but never really there. Maybe it's a commentary on the nature of faith. Or maybe it's Cloud still feeling disconnected after losing her.

Which is why THIS moment at the end

feels genuinely powerful. We finally get to see her face again. It's the moment where Cloud fully seems to accept her death and move forward. It's a final moment of real catharsis where he recognizes that his dead loved ones are still with him but he CAN finally let go--he's not alone anymore.

Everything is alright.

And that's beautiful.

I don't care if AC is goofy and kind of messy. It has its problems. But there are just as many highs in there as well. I think the team behind it was being 100% sincere with what they made here and it shows. The ending is genuinely moving for me. And a poignant close to the world of FF7 as a whole.

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It is interesting to see how Tyler and George differ in their portrayals of Sane Sephiroth. George's version is a lot weightier and sounds more confident and even occasionally kind of cocky. He oozes authority and a certain gravitas that almost seems...paternal? Almost??? Idk I view his version of Sephiroth as definitely suiting the famous war hero image. He commands a lot of respect, but he also seems prematurely aged, like he's seen some serious shit.

Tyler's version is much different. His version of Sane Sephiroth is a lot softer and a bit more down to earth. He sounds depressed and mentally checked out. He lacks a lot of George's authority, but he adds an extra layer of humanity in that Sephiroth just sounds drained and exhausted. But he's also a bit more sassy and playful, too. He definitely has more of a dryly sarcastic vibe to him. And he's a bit more visibly socially awkward. His version feels less grouchy imo, more approachable.

Idk which one do you prefer? I think they're both very good.

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A random Hojocanon:

He may be an abusive ass, but at least he positioned Sephiroth’s head around consistently when he was a baby.

*Baby skulls are malleable for the first few months, so if you leave them lying their head on the same spot they can get a flat side on their head.

Don’t worry Sephiroth! You may have not gotten a father’s love but at least you have a round head! 😄😭

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A detail that I find makes me speculate is the books Sephiroth reads in Nibelheim are filled with black lines censoring information.

It's interesting because he seems to believe he (incorrectly) has learned the truth. Yet, details still remain hidden.

Now from my understanding and experiences with redactions in text is that usually the text is redacted when the text is going to be distributed.

So the question I have is like are original copies of classified documents, not meant for distribution or public viewing, have redacted text like this book Sephiroth is reading.

Furthermore, if this book was in a secure area that few were aware of its existence, is the redaction necessary? (I mean it makes sense in some ways don't want information being leaked) Who is the primary audience the censors were concerned about accessing this information?

And correct me if I'm wrong but I have yet to stumble upon any texts in the game that have redacted text.

Which makes me wonder. Were these books censored in order to prevent Sephiroth from learning the full truth? Was any information purposely redacted so that Sephiroth would come to this conclusion that he's an ancient for example despite that being proved false shortly after his birth? Did someone want Sephiroth to obtain this information?

And now these pages that Sephiroth is reading most likely have parts of text redacted primarily because it mentions names, locations or dates, which is typical for declassified publications. However, I guarantee you that some parts of that book look more akin to a declassified document from the Bush administration given how Shinra is

Anyway I just love seeing that Sephiroth goes mad from the revelation but yet even then he is still not given the truth.

I want to know your thoughts. Maybe I'm thinking too much here

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i love Sephiroth's eye color change 🥲

I'd always wondered why Sephiroth's eyes were a different color from the rest of the soldiers. Theirs are flecked-blue while his are a very prominent green.

One cool (and fucked up) thing that FS recently established in the lore was that Hojo was DEFINITELY using Sephiroth as a guinea pig to test the limits of soldier strength. Meaning Hojo didn't have to stop. Sephiroth could be modified, tortured, and pushed to the brink as much as he liked. So it makes perfect sense why his eye color is different.

Sephiroth was probably pumped with way more Mako than the average soldier is able to withstand without dying. And he was very likely given more than a small handful of treatments. Supposedly, Mako/Jenova cells are so hazardous to the body that they significantly shorten the person's life expectancy. Sephiroth is more durable. It's EASY for Hojo to do as he pleases with him. For all we know, Sephiroth was still being pumped with it even as an adult.

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I was curious so I decided to go check this. There is a place where you can see the the entrance to Shinra Manor in the flashback, and it is indeed locked (would've been crazy if the gate was open tho). Still begs the question of the How of Sephiroth getting in there.

It's made clear in Chapter 11 you need very specific clearance to get into the manor in the first place; clearance that I don't think even the mayor of Nibelheim at the time would have. Zander also notes that Sephiroth ignored him, so he obviously didn't ask.

So we think that Sephiroth opened the gate himself? Does he have the clearance to do that? Or did Hojo given there's more than likely surveillance feed in the Reactor?

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Life finds a way? No.

Strife finds a way. :)

 

 

(This is absolutely about Cloud being able to handle damn near anything with the tenacity of a Nibel Wolf and squirmy-cleverness of a baby chocobo that has — or thinks it has — been d e p r i v e d. Also, puns.)

Sephiroth: The enemy is down this hill. However, we cannot bypass it without a proper distraction to divert their attention.

Cloud: I'm way ahead of you.

Zack: Aw, yeah! Do you have some cool trick you learned in Nibelheim? Like a stealth move or some crazy sword technique? C'mon, Cloud, show us what you've got!

*Cloud calmly kicks Zack down the hill*

Sephiroth:

Cloud:

*Sephiroth nervously shuffles away*

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Is it normal to have a brain shaped like this?

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What do you think Sephiroth’s relationships with people who aren’t Hojo in science is like?

Apart from Professor Gast, Sephiroth despises most people who identify as "scientists". He doesn't trust them at all. He is convinced they are all in league with Hojo somehow. This comes from growing up in an atmosphere in which most of Hojo's colleagues performed the usual round of painful procedures at Hojo's side. Sephiroth resented their indifference, their constant dehumanization. He found them arrogant and often just as sadistic as Hojo himself.

As an adult, he is very likely to react to such a person with total hostility. His hatred for Hollander, for example, is almost as bad if not worse than his hatred for Hojo.

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How would other scientists in Hojo’s department feel and treat Sephiroth? Would they be afraid of him? Would any remember him as a kid? Would scientists be friendly towards him?

There are predominantly two brackets of scientists working under Hojo: Those who are completely terrified of Sephiroth, and those who are indifferent to Sephiroth and treat him like any other lab specimen. Sephiroth has been handled by both varieties in his lifetime, but in both instances, he was mostly avoided on a personal or emotional level and only ever given special attention whenever he was trapped on their tables.

Hojo does not like the idea of any of his colleagues giving his prized specimen special treatment. Sephiroth should NOT be coddled. He is a valuable weapon. He must be strong. He doesn't NEED to be treated like a child because that's not what he was born to be. Do your job, keep your head down, and engage only when given permission. For many scientists who find Sephiroth unnerving, this is an easy task.

There are a rare handful that occasionally do attempt to be gentler or friendlier with him. But they never usually last very long.

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Something something mommy issues something something obsessed with how the only people Sephiroth seems to take seriously as threats are both women

Most of the party Sephiroth could not give less of a shit about. He is a god and they are all ants, so why should he? The only meaningful interactions he has with anyone besides Cloud, Tifa and Aerith im Remake/Rebirth is killing Barrett that one time, which was probably more of a meta reference to how Barrett was originally supposed to die when the original game was in development.

Cloud is a threat, of course, but even if Sephiroth believes that he mostly just views Cloud as a toy. He's a pet, he's his little puppet that he loves to break down and mess with so that he can bend him into the perfect tool. The closest Sephiroth gets to putting Cloud on his own level is at the Edge of creation when he offers Cloud his hand. Cloud rejects it so Sephiroth thinks, fine, if you won't be an equal you'll still make a fine plaything, and he acts with that mindset throughout Tebirth.

Aerith and Tifa, though? When the opportunity presents itself, he doesn't dick around, he tries to kill them, because it can and will cost him if they get in his way.

Aerith he seems to respect on some level as an adversary. He actually talks to her in some cutscenes, unlike the entire rest of the party, and he sometimes drops the usual smug face when he does. In Remake he answers her telling him "everything about him is wrong" with a serious expression, even if what he says is utter Jenova nonsense. He makes a jab at her during the dream sequence in the alternate world at the end of Rebirth, more then what he usually offers anyone but Cloud (and Rufus in one cutscene), and the "So this is where you've been hiding," line sounds almost playful. The vibe I get is very similar to Death from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Aerith is powerful, the closest thing to an even match the Planet can offer him, and I think he enjoys the thrill of it, even if he's certain he'll win. Might be because of how she, as the last Ancient, is a fellow "chosen of the planet." Like I mentioned here, he is visibly happy after he kills her in Rebirth, as if this victory over her is actually satisfying to him, compared to most of the time when he sees his success as a forgone conclusion. Then of course, the dead serious "I underestimated you," he gives her at the end like??? He's still condescending to her, that's a given, but that he gives her any attention at all is worth a lot coming from him.

The other woman in the party who gets attention from him is Tifa, and if Rebirth made one thing clear, it's that Sephiroth hates her. Not like the general aloof disdain he has dor humans, but genuine contempt. He tries to turn Cloud against her, makes Cloud try to kill her (which he doesn't even really seem to do with Aerith this go round, it's mostly the Whispers who make Cloud raise his sword, both the black and white ones), tries to finish the job himself when that doesn't work and, when he does address her, blatantly taunts/insults her by dangling his control over Cloud. And he doesn't address her very often, because where Aerith is someone/something on his level whose power he can respect, Tifa is just a normal human who is forcing him to take her seriously because of the threat she poses. Tifa is the strongest tie Cloud has to who he was before Sephiroth got his hooks into him, and Cloud cares about her a lot. Enough, as we saw back in the original, that their bond can break Cloud out of Sephiroth's control. Assuming this Sephiroth knows all the details of the original timelines, his targeting of her in Rebirth makes perfect sense. Tifa's mere presence is a monkey wrench in his plans. She's the most tangible threat to his control over his favorite puppet, and she doesn't even have the nerve to be anything other then a normal human. So he gives her more attention then the passive indifference the rest of the party gets, but it's more like he's trying to kill a bug. He doesn't say a word the whole time he's trying to tear open the Weapon to get at her. She's not worthy of his respect, but she's am actual problem and he can't afford to ignore her.

The only other person besides Cloud Sephiroth gives this kind of attention is Rufus, and it's a pragmatic thing more then anything else, since he just sends one of the black robes to keep him distracted with Wutai and only shows his real face to Rufus right at the end (and honestly I don't think Sephiroth would take the time to do that if the black robe was impersonating anyone besides Glenn. The only time he makes it personal with Rufus is when Rufus is about to fill one of his first friends with lead for a second time.)

Thesis statement. Seph drinks his respect women juice. Be like Seph

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I want more sephzack snacking headcanons

Oh lmao. They're the WORST together.

Before Zack, Sephiroth refused to so much as LOOK at a potato chip. Or pizza. Or bacon. Or ANY sort of strict no-no item that was not on his Shinra prescribed diet.

Zack has a funny way with words though. And a funny way of directly advertising things without doing anything at all. The sheer AUDIO of those loud cronches was enough to get Sephiroth to hesitate and try a damn Pringle.

Five minutes later and Zack is trying to pry the container from Sephiroth's cold dead hands.

They are horrible influences on each other. Zack is Sephiroth's #1 dealer. They meet covertly so Zack can slide him a couple of donuts or a hotpocket or whatever Sephiroth is in the mood for at any given moment.

Friday is Pizza Day. Usually they're both pretty depressed at the end of the week because of drama with their friends. So they share two giant boxes together and wallow in comfortable pizza-bloated silence.

Zack has also introduced Sephiroth to the joys of breakfast. Before, Sephiroth was always used to some sort of synthetic rice gruel from the lab. Then Zack gets him hooked up on fluffy pancakes or greasy bacon and egg sandwiches. Sephiroth would literally commit Nibelheim 2.0 if someone tried to take his Mcmuffin away.

Whenever they are going through a mission together back at the base, stooping over paperwork or holding a private 1-1 conference sussing out a region, the loud sounds of crunching, slurping, and chewing can be heard between them as they most definitely have brought a big pile of snacks to share with each other.

Sephiroth introduces Zack to his love for cup noodles, with Zack often bringing Sephiroth uniquely flavored items as a "gift"--whether it's to apologize or just because he wants to make Sephiroth happy.

Both of them have gotten a sugar high at the exact same time and were basically speaking in another language to each other.

Both of them have also entertained private "celebrations" at the biggest buffets in Midgar together. Zack finds Sephiroth's appetite honestly rather alarming whenever he's in a good mood.

Zack likes to pretend it's a secret "Club" that only he and Sephiroth share together. Sure, they're bad influences. And a LOT of it is stress-eating. But it's a special bond that they can share together, however unhealthy.

Hojo is NOT PLEASED by this development between them and cracks down on it as much as possible. Zack and Sephiroth are not permitted to eat together. EVER. Anyone who spots them chowing down together is to immediately report it.

No one actually follows this rule though. And Zack and Sephiroth find as many ways to get around it as possible.

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I have been kinda obsessed with this cello cover of One Winged Angel for the past few weeks and for some reason I have the urge to share it with people.

It's also on Spotify and probably the other sites too.

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SEPHIROTH FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE (2020) dev. Square Enix

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Instead of doing a 90s anime style I was curious if I could pull off an 80s instead. I thought Genesis was a good guinea pig so I ended up recreating the scene when he meets Minerva in Crisis Core.

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I am posting things in my drafts today to keep people with something while I translate, do forgive me 🙈