#MASAMUNE IS HAVING A CRISIS]

[guhamun]

you will never understand the bdsm community or whatever me and my nobunaga-kou have got goin on, masamune.

I WOULD LIKE TO have my memory wiped of everything you just said.

[yinza]

My only real knowledge of Ever Crisis continues to be "they're doing outfits wrong" but really Squeenix, what are you doing?? General Celes, Magitek Knight, is right fucking there for the perfect parallel.

Do you not have the courage to let him wear yellow? For god's sake let the man have colors he's got nothing else going for him.

[Image Description: Digital artwork of Sephiroth dressed as Celes Chere from Final Fantasy VI, using her Amano-style yellow outfit with the poofy sleeves. He stands holding the Masamune in his left hand, looking away from the viewer with his right hand raised. /end ID]

[phantomyre]

It is time... to obsessively hyper analyze Vincent. Come on. You knew it was coming.

So first off, while there isn't a lot to glean per se, there are a few interesting design choices that I'd like to go over. One thing that I was surprised about is the complete lack of round shapes/edges. Vincent looks overall a lot more 'sharp', 'edgy', whatever you want to term it. Take his buckles for example. The round edges have been replaced by sharp edges. Artistically speaking, these design choices are meant to depict the character's personality. For example, if you have a soft character, you use soft colors, soft edges, round shapes, etc. If you want a more harsh character, you give them dark or vivid colors, lots of squares, triangles, etc. In Vincent's case, they've virtually removed all of the round/soft edges he always used to have. We will delve further into this as we scan down his body *cough*. Edit: Forgot to point out that he has double the spokes on his buckles, so instead of 4 prominent spokes, he now has 8, which is the symbol of Chaos.

Anyways.... speaking of Chaos.

Continuing to analyze his upper body, the most obvious are his eyes (or single eye). It's hard to tell, but judging by the few clips we've seen along with the still images, it looks as though only his left eye is glowing. Nevertheless, he does have the Chaos inner-glow. While he's always had a touch of yellow/orange in his eyes, it looked more like natural eye reflection rather than an actual glow. This is likely the change the dev team hinted at during an earlier interview. His pupils are also notably very small compared to all of the other characters with the exception of Sephiroth's cat-eye slits. Overall, they've made it a point to give Vincent predatory eye(s) this time around, leaning more heavily into the fact that he is no longer fully human. The material that makes up Vincent's cape and headband seem to be of slightly different material, and the colors are even slightly different. His headband looks to be made of a very thin cloth of fine thread. His cloak, though also seemingly thin and light, is only slightly thicker. His cloak looks to be made of either felt or very fine linen which looks to be heavily worn out (of course). Also, Vincent seems to have snake-skin on his gun-wielding arm which I've only seen the Turks and Sephiroth wear. In general, this luxury material seems to only be worn by those connected to Shinra. Thus, it is likely this is meant to coincide with Vincent's past as a Turk. But in terms of his role as Turk, I will get to that a little later.

I think we can all agree that the weapon he is currently wielding is Quicksilver. It would make sense that he would start off with the same weapon he has in OG, though I and many others were surprised he wasn't wielding his most iconic weapon, Cerberus. While it isn't confirmed, and with the inclusion of many DoC elements, this makes me think that we could get an origins story for how Vincent obtained Cerberus in the first place. We are getting an origins story for Sephiroth's Masamune in Ever Crisis, and we already know the Bustersword's origins, so it's not out of the question. (And there are a lot of parallels to be drawn between Cloud, Sephiroth, and Vincent). Side note: I didn't write this in the graph but you can also see Vincent's left eye glowing through his bangs yet again even from such a distance. Natural white room bounce-light wouldn't have this affect on normal eyes. Rebirth Vincent seems to be sporting his OG button-top which is a design that we haven't seen since OG. It too has a little bit of snake-skin accents. A few other not so important changes are the alterations of his buckles, and the fact that it looks to be more obvious that he is wearing a two-piece set instead of a single piece jumper. Makes it much easier to remove, am I right?

Going down to those luscious DoC hips, some belts are shifted around or missing, but then we have the thigh guard which was responsible for giving Vincent that unusually thick hip appearance. However, he is still sporting that gorgeous slutty tiny waist we all love from DoC. Thank you, Squeenix. The armor on his side is an odd choice, though more than likely it is meant to protect those birthing hips from that extra dangerous looking set of claws--- which I would like to remind is also lacking in round edges. Yet again, all of the round shapes/edges have been replaced by sharp ones. Take the knuckles for example. I will miss his AC/DoC claw. It was less of a bitch to draw. The gauntlet looks to serve not only for offense but for defense as well. It is heavily armored for impact, and as we will see going down the rest of his body, heavy protection and sharp edges continue to be a theme for his new Rebirth look.

Once again, we can see how thin and light the material is on his cloak. It is in contrast to his very elaborate and possibly expensive gear/suit. His cloak and headband seem to be the only things that clashes with the rest of his gear in terms of quality and practicality. While there are signs of use on his armor, it pales in comparison to the possible age and wear of his cloak. As a matter of fact, it almost looks like it is about to fall apart... like it was hand-made years ago. Very different from the heavy material we see in AC and DoC. And then of course there are the sabatons/greaves. While I cannot pin-point it, his armor design seems reminiscent of the Ancients/Minerva for some reason. That aside, the heavily layered armor makes it seem like he will be doing a lot more damage with his claw and legs going forward, on top of being heavily protected. The design on his shin reminded me of an army symbol, but that's neither here nor there. ....And I'm so happy they kept his tiny ankles. In general, Vincent's Rebirth design seems to lean into a Vincent that is much more guarded, 'edgy', and ultimately a lot more reserved, albeit self-reliant. We've seen as much in his room where it doesn't appear that he has only been moping in a coffin all these years. What's more---

--He points a gun at Cloud and threatens the group. This did not happen in OG. Vincent appears to be even more distrusting and hostile this time around. This yet again is depicted in how he is dressed in the heavy armor and ample sharp edges.

And what's with a vending machine and protorelic(?) dispenser in his mancave? Vincent boss fight, maybe? Please? Sure seems like Vincent hasn't been lacking anything... But back to Vincent being a lot more distrusting this time.

Unless this is merely for the audience and new FF7 fans who know nothing of his character, this implies that Vincent doesn't divulge his connection to the Turks and instead calls himself "Security" guard. And not only that, it's spoken as if it's current tense. Not past tense. So yet again, if Vincent is indeed avoiding the term Turk and doesn't even tell Cloud and Co that he used to work for Shinra, this adds to the idea that his level of distrust is much higher than before. At this point, it wouldn't surprise me if joins the party much later, even after learning who Cloud's foe is. And since his connection to Sephiroth aka Lucrecia/Hojo is the mystery factor, he may not even divulge this to Cloud and Co when they first meet until much later. Either way, Vincent might actually prove to be a much tougher egg to crack this time around, along with more layers to uncover. (take that last phrase however you'd like)

[getvalentined]

I've never done a full breakdown of everything that happened to my version of Vincent while he was under the knife (although there is a partial breakdown from like 12 years ago on Ask Vincent Valentine), but @spinejackel tagged my recent Vincent doodle gushing about autopsy scar (Vincent Has a Y-Incision headcanon supremacy!) so I figured it was probably a good time. This is also probably the best method, since I can apply the right tags and trigger warnings to hopefully keep it from hitting the people who would be disturbed.

For anyone who doesn't know, figuring out the fucked up physiology of victims of science is like my entire jam. I think this is what happens when you let a chronically ill child watch Akira and the original Bubblegum Crisis OVA and most of the works of Masamune Shirow. All that before FF7 even existed. This means that the explanation under the cut may seem excessive, and this post is very long. I've been building it over over a quarter century, I don't think there's any avoiding it at this point.

Warnings for body horror, nonconsensual body modification, medical horror and torture. Basically, if there's anything you can think of related to becoming a victim of science under the rule of an unethical sci-fantasy oligarchy, it's probably in here to some degree. It's explained plainly and simply, in clinical but not visceral detail.

My headcanons for what Hojo did to Vincent are pretty specific, albeit not precisely comprehensive; 27 years later I still don't really have a particularly solid concept for how he turned Vincent into a shapeshifter, although at least we know it's not something entirely specific to Vincent—Hojo repeated that facet of the experiment in Azul, but not in any other SOLDIER operative even in DeepGround, implying that it's only possible if very specific physiological conditions are met. The minimal concept I do have involves a twisted application of the concept of incarnate summoning as it appears in FFXIII-2, but it's very vague and also not the topic of this post. Maybe later.

Regarding the Y-incision/autopsy scar, my headcanon is that once Hojo tweaked Vincent into being able to regenerate from any injury—an enhancement that is confirmed to be entirely Hojo's work in Dirge—the professor of course felt it necessary to run various tests quantify the usefulness of his handiwork. He did this first by inflicting various surface injuries, then by causing more extreme bodily trauma, which eventually culminated in Hojo removing the majority of Vincent's internal organs in order to measure how long it took them to grow back and, assuming they did grow back, how the new ones compared to Vincent's original parts.

To be able to observe this as closely as possible, Hojo kept Vincent's torso open for the entire process—which he repeated twice more in order to check the weight, size and structure of the newly-grown organs in comparison to the originals. This study proved that most of them did grow back, but the majority of them stopped developing much earlier than was appropriate for Vincent's age and size. The difference was consistent, Hojo just never figured out why most of them grew back smaller and less-developed.

The reason this happened is based the fact that most of the organs in the human trunk are used in digestion and other related processes, and Vincent's regeneration means he doesn't need to eat or drink anymore. His body only expended as much energy as was completely necessary to develop those organs to the point of being functional rather than normal, because they're not really necessary. Vincent is glad he still has them, though, because he does still occasionally eat (usually in social situations) and also he'd be really sad if he couldn't even have coffee.

Vincent's brain activity remained normal during the entire process, although that may have something to do with Hojo driving a bunch of fluid lines into his head and flooding the inside of his skull with mako to keep him awake the whole time even while deprived of oxygen. (Rebirth spoilers, but seeing the bit in the Nibelheim Protorelic questline where Hojo does something super similar to this, after this has been my headcanon for decades, was a trip.)

Two organs didn't grow back at all: Vincent's appendix and one kidney. This was also the result of efficient energy expenditure, as the human appendix isn't necessary for survival, and only one kidney is really required. (Each time Hojo removed the new kidney, the one that grew back would be on the opposite side, which bothered Hojo to no end.)

His lungs grew back a little larger, possibly because his skeletal structure never quite recovered after his first transformation into Galian—his arms and legs are noticeably too long for his body, although not to the point of looking impossible, and likewise his ribcage settled to breadth that would allow for larger lungs. He doesn't really need these anymore either, related to his brain being exposed to so much mako during the process that it can now operate without oxygen if necessary, but switching himself over from aerobic to anaerobic respiration is really unpleasant and Vincent tries to avoid it when he can.

His heart was pretty normal by the time Hojo was done with him, although his heartrate had dropped to like 20bpm even when elevated. Again, if respiration isn't necessary, there's not much reason for the system to be active. (By the time Lucrecia was done this had dropped to around 5bpm on average, although it's completely arrhythmic and jumps all over the place when he's not either particularly active or on the verge of a transformation.)

This was the experiment that left Vincent susceptible to degradation, which Hojo didn't realize until after finally closing him back up. Upon realizing that Vincent's body wasn't responding properly to a different test (a repetition of an earlier experiment related to the regeneration of external tissues and features), Hojo just kinda threw him in a tube to be disposed of at a later date, kinda like that scene in Arrested Development where there's that dead dove in a bag in the fridge. The incision healed at some point during the period that Lucrecia was working on him, but early enough in her work that the tissue couldn't flawlessly regenerate (like it does in the present), leaving him with one more gnarly scar on top of all the rest.

Vincent is self-conscious about all the physiological changes brought on by what was done to him, often to the point of loathing. His left arm is the worst—it rotted off while he was in the throes of degradation and grew back as something that he hesitates to call his arm—but Vincent hates that Y-incision scar almost as much. Some days they tie.

(It has come up in appropriately horrified conversation with Shalua that, considering how his regeneration works, Vincent could probably get rid of all the scars on his chest if he somehow peeled the skin off his torso in a single swath. He will not be doing that. Besides, it might grow back the wrong color/texture/etc, like his left arm. Not worth the risk, much less the suffering.)

Also I gotta finish off this entry with the extremely stupid headcanon reveal that Vincent's (honestly fairly impressive) dick was cut off during the first round of bodily trauma regeneration tests—and Hojo has never felt the sort of rage he experienced upon discovering that it grew back bigger than before. This occurred early enough in the experiments that Vincent was not awake for it, and thus has no idea how the fuck this happened, and does not want to talk about it ever thank you very much. I've never mentioned it in public anywhere because it is extremely stupid, but I hope someone out there finds it as funny a concept as I do.

[freelanceexorcist]

OK. I watched the first chapter of Ever Crisis First Soldier episode 2 and of course I have thoughts.

Cut for spoilers and length.

Sephiroth has officially become a sympathetic character. I mean, he always was, but there's no doubt about it being official now.

The way he's acting toward people, pushing them away? He's not being arrogant or sullen or a dick. He's a sad, traumatized kid with crappy self-esteem. He's in pain and grieving the loss of Glenn, Matt and Lucia's friendship. He's trying to convince himself that he's a soulless machine because machines don't have to feel what he's feeling. He's pushing everyone away because he doesn't want to make the choice he had to make between saving Rosen and saving himself and his friends. If you're cold, calculating and ruthless, such choices are a lot easier.

Except he's not any of those things or he wouldn't be acting the way he is. He wouldn't care, but he obviously does here. If you push everyone away and keep them at arms length, it doesn't hurt so much when they inevitably leave.

Except Angeal ain't havin' none of that. He's gonna make Sephiroth his bro if it kills both of them. The dynamic between these two so far is

And you know it works, too, and at least they get ten good years as friends after that.

So yes, the Sephiroth from Episode 1 is still there, but he's depressed and traumatized. If he returned to Midgar between episodes, he probably got a good dressing down from the top brass at Shinra and suffered who knows what at Hojo's hands. He's hurting and I think on some level Angeal knows that, which is why he's trying so hard to break through.

Now let's talk about Sephiroth's dream. I hope that was just a regular dream and not Jenova fucking with him because that would be a real kick in the nuts. I'm going to say it was an actual dream triggered by seeing Alissa "Definitely Not Jenova" Goldie and her uncanny resemblance to Lucrecia. And he was handed an empty bowl and told it was pumpkin soup because he doesn't know what pumpkin soup looks like. He just knows it would be good and that his mama would make him some if she could.

And speaking of Definitely Not Jenova. Nope, definitely not Jenova or Hojo mindfucking him. Not at all.

But since I'm a glass half full kinda gal when it comes to these things, I'm considering another angle. Yeah, purple and purplish pink are colors associated with Jenova, but those lights swirling around Alissa remind me of will o' the wisps or spook lights. Depending on which culture's folklore you're looking at, these can represent elemental spirits, the fae or demons (demons as in "spirit that never walked the earth in physical form" and not the Biblical nasties).

What if a forest spirit or similar entity took an interest in Sephiroth and wanted to get a closer look to see what makes him tick? Such an entity wouldn't really understand humans, so throwing Hojo in his face wouldn't strike it as being cruel or malicious. It was just curious to see how he would react.

Yeah, it's probably Jenova. "Those you hate, those you fear, those you love" after all. The other idea is worth considering, though.

Some odds and ends:

*i'm glad that the existence of female SOLDIER operatives has been confirmed. Not sure how I feel about them having to wear coochie cutters while the guys get real pants, though.

*I wonder how Sephiroth will get Masamune from its namesake. I'm going to be optimistic and say Mr. Epic Eyebrows will deem him worthy of receiving it, because that's how that seems to be shaping up at first glance. My prediction is that Masamune will pop up at times throughout the story to observe Sephiroth and test his mettle. He already knows Sephiroth is worthy, and these interactions will serve to verify that.

*Bachman's kind of a pain in the ass, isn't he? Sephiroth isn't your show pony, dude. He didn't even know you'd be tagging along.

*EC is really playing up how innocent and good these kids were back in the day. Angeal certainly had it helped along by his upbringing, but it took work for Sephiroth to maintain his goodness. He's the way he is despite his childhood, not because of it.

*I know I sound like a broken record but bog standard villains just don't get that kind of development. We're not supposed to see them sympathetically. At least not the ones for whom a redemption arc isn't in the works. We're supposed to cheer when they get what they have coming in a movie or on a show. We're supposed to feel accomplished when we beat them as the final boss in the game. We're not supposed to see their inevitable defeat as the heartbreaking last act of a tragic life.

*EC took pains to make the connection between the purehearted pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth and the Sephiroth at the Edge of Creation. It's looking more and more to me like EoC Sephiroth and the Sephiroth menacing the party are two different people. Or, more accurately, two versions of the same person from two different universes/timelines and one of them isn't answering to Jenova anymore (if he ever did in the first place).

*I mean come on. The symbolism. The white feathers (which pop up all over Rebirth, too). This:

*That's not there by accident or because it looks cool. It's a single white wing to contrast with Jenovaroth's single black wing and highlight the differences between the two. The battle theme that plays during the behemoth fight is called White Winged Angel, fercryin' out loud! I will die on this hill.

That's all for now. Thanks for sticking around to the end of this if you did.

[altocat]

Alto, your writing on Sephiroth seeing the Buster Sword and thinking of Angeal…oof. Beautiful. Thank you.

I’ve been thinking about Angeal a lot lately, and why Crisis Core made a big point of him not using his sword. Angeal says it’s because use brings wear, tear, and rust, but there’s a lot more to it than that - the more he uses his sword to kill, the more he tarnishes his honour.

The limit break Zack learns from Angeal is Rush Assault, which is primarily a melee attack, so Angeal was quite literally out there throwing hands on the battlefield and he still rose to First Class doing so. This is why I think Angeal throws the best punch out of all the Firsts, and also why I think he never aimed to kill (except in a justifiable circumstance, like when a monster is about to kill his protégé).

He must have come to understand early on that Shinra was ordering SOLDIERs to do some pretty fucking dishonourable shit, and found a workaround. I hope the new First Soldier instalment features Angeal and Sephiroth bonding over their shared growing hatred of the company that wants to traumatize and use them as no more than killing machines.

I definitely think there's going to be a section in Ep. 2 that further discusses Angeal's philosophy with the Buster Sword. It's a precious inheritance from his deceased father--which may play into Sephiroth's OWN dynamic with Hojo as a comparison, as well as tie in with Sephiroth obtaining the Masamune.

I'm really excited that we'll get to learn more about Angeal as a person in Ep. 2. Between this and the closure we got from Opera Omnia, Angeal feels a lot more fleshed out now. And a lot more sympathetic overall. I really love the guy. And getting to see more of his psychology at play is going to be fun. I just hope Genesis gets the same treatment later on.

[crisiscutie]

I read some of your yan!Sephiroth posts along with the fem! Sephiroth ones and umm 😳😳 it's safe to say or unsafe *looks at the twin crisis cuties* that I'm down bad for all of them.. can I possibly have headcanons for the HoS sephies plus fem!Sephiroth with the darling admitting she loves them? Also love the work you do 🤗

Even though Darling loves all the Sephiroths equally, it would be interesting to imagine how the winner of the Darlingbowl would react in a non-canon scenario... Sorry for the wait. This was sitting in my drafts for a short while. Enjoy the fluffy yanderes!

OG Sephiroth: He'd have his traditional smirk on his face, pulling the darling close to him by her hip. His JENOVA tentacles happily stroke her face and dance around her in celebration. Though it was difficult, he just knew he had to play the game of Sephiroths patiently to win the darling's love. He'd suggest that they consummate their love and finally become one with each other.

Dissidia Sephiroth: He's honestly surprised. He expected to play the very long version of their waiting game, just like how they did back in the World of Light/Darkness. He caressed her cheek, his thumb tracing gentle circles as he kissed her. Moving his thumb downwards, he revealed that her choker had once belonged to her counterpart. Urging her to embrace her old self, he invited her to complete the "Reunion" with him, so they could return to their paradise together.

7R Sephiroth: Excuse him, but he couldn't help but play his cryptic games with the darling.

"Are you certain that it's ME you love?" 😈

"...How do you know it's ME you're talking to and not my 'twin'?" 🤔

At first, these games would frustrate the darling, but then she realized it was his way of deflecting his uncertainty and worries about whether she truly loved him. The darling playfully booped his nose, expressing her love for him again. As his smirk vanished, he rested his head on her chest. "You still haven't changed..."

AC Sephiroth: For a brief moment, relaxation and relief graced his weary eyes, all but telling her that his desire was simply for her to love him, and him alone this entire time. Despite the several obstacles that threatened to prevent their reunion, he finally fulfilled his wish. He held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, assuring her they will find a path back home together. You could say that he finally learned true peace in this scenario.

Female Sephiroth: She goes into full "deredere" mode, almost practically glomping the darling. It's almost out of character for her, but she just couldn't contain her excitement. She's like a little girl who finally got her princess doll for Christmas. However, her yanderness resurfaces as she softly whispered her sweet, dark declaration of protection into the darling's ears. She will not lose her as she did in their previous world, by any means.

C.C. Sephiroth: He didn't process the darling's words at first. He only continued to stare at her with his weary, lovesick eyes until they finally sunk in: she loved him. The foolish Sephiroth. The youngest Sephiroth. The weakest Sephiroth. His head drooped low as tears streamed down his face. Whether it was relief or happiness, only he knew… This time, it was she who took the lead and wrapped her arms around him, confessing that her heart had been set on him from the very beginning, regardless of his shortcomings. Once he calmed down from repeatedly whispering "mother," he would loudly proclaim himself as the winner of the Darlingbowl, not just as her chosen son but also as her chosen mate. 🤭

(Bonus Sephy) KH Sephiroth: He lowered his Masamune, brushing a lock of his hair out of his face as he slowly approached the darling. Her heart skipped a beat as she worried about his lack of reaction. But then he gave her a soothing head pat, praising the strength she had developed during their sparring sessions. Sporting a cool smile on his face, he would boldly assert that it is only fitting for him to assume the role of her personal champion, given that her love for him has transcended the boundaries of memories and realms.

[rottenpumpkin13]

Hey, so do you think Buster sword is better quality and sturdier than random standard issue swords SOLDIERs get?

Do you think Angeal asked himself what would have happened if he wasn't so obsessed with his sword and used it instead of whatever broke apart and injured Genesis?

(I'm not blaming him, he didn't do anything malicious. Still, I wonder if he blames himself)

Considering it survived the combined forces of both Zack and Cloud and lived to tell the tale, it's safe to say the buster sword is pretty sturdy. We've seen a standard broadsword break on two occasions (that I can think of) in Crisis Core and both were due to impact during a fight, while the buster sword survived the Masamune countless times. I don't think Angeal should've been too worried about wear tear and rust. It survived Zack Fair, it could survive anything lol.

Oh definitely. It probably killed him at one point when he realized just how bad Genesis' condition was, and realized that it was caused by the broadsword he was using at the time. He might've known it was prone to breaking since he saw it happen with Zack when he was fighting the Sephiroth model in the training room. But it's not something he could've foreseen, and using the buster sword was likely the last thing on his mind at that moment. No single person is at fault for what happened in the training room—or better yet, Angeal is as much at fault as Genesis and Sephiroth. I think it was a really shitty set of events that would've transpired either way, because something was bound to trigger the degradation at some point.

[megashadowdragon]

volume 0 of jjk is more important then you think

because the idea that a burdensome level of strength is nothing but a curse, is literalised with Yuta. Rika is literally a curse that's formed out of love. this same plight is not as apparent with Gojo Satoru and Kashimo Hajime. with these two, their mannerisms say far more.

what's noteworthy is that the resolution of Gojo's own crisis is 100% opposite of how Yuta's was resolved, and it looks to be the same for Kashimo as well. Yuta forgoes his overwhelming strength by dispelling the curse on Orimoto Rika, and prioritizes his bonds with his people.

after all, that's the central theme of volume 0. as such, the most interesting thing about the shift between the prequel and the main series is just how COMPLETELY the main series contradicts the themes of the prequel.

the main series, so far, has severely punished anyone that prioritizes their bonds over a robust sense of self + selfish pursuit of power. the special grades are the best example of this. Tsukumo Yuki worked with Tengen and Choso; she didn't fight with her own domain.

only in death could he stand on an equal footing with his comrades. the framing of these demises in the main series is so deliberately opposed to how the thematic framework of JJK 0 functions. and the reason is none other than the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna.

Sendai, the City of Trees. established in the year 1600 by the daimyō Date Masamune. Date Masamune was a descendant of the Fujiwara. any JJK reader knows the significance of the Fujiwara clan in the series

the emphasis JJK gives to the Fujiwara cannot be understated. lemme run through some key examples rq. the turning point of the series, the Shibuya incident, happens in the vicinity of the Meiji Jinguu, a shrine dedicated to Empress Shōken, a deified member of the Fujiwara clan.

the revival of the Heian era, which saw the supremacy of the Fujiwara clan in the political scene, also plays a part in this. Onmyōdō, or sorcery, was at its peak in the Heian era. Ashiya Dōman, one of the most prominent sorcerers in history, was a hiree of the Fujiwara.

and this specific fact is called back to in the New Shadow Style: Simple Domain, developed by Ashiya Sadatsuna, being utilised widely in the series. the relevance of all this to the topic at hand is that Yuta is a descendant of the Sugawara clan.

symbolically, literally and meta-textually, Yuta is removed from a position of importance, and a guy from a Fujiwara-established city replaces him.

all of this is why some wouldn't feel confident about Yuta continuing to be in good health for the rest of the series 💀🚩

all the special grades in the series have been murked, except Yuta. you can clearly see why people would think he's next. BUT NOT ME! and here's why: in the Sendai colony, i.e. in the same city established by the Fujiwara, he beats Uro Takako, a hiree of the Fujiwara.

he cyclicality that JJK is obsessed with plays out on various levels, but Yuta is the only exception. and I mean the ONLY exception. not even Gojo was exempt. Yuta, a Sugawara, beats someone that was associated with the Fujiwara. it plays out the opposite of how it's meant to.

in conclusion, i think we should put our stocks in Yuta. someone that won't be the next Gojo Satoru sounds about desirable rn. Vol-0 is a treasure trove of hints when we reread with new context. i hope i gave you new insight, or at least a fun read.

"

I can’t wait for Yuta vs Sukuna, the themes of strength, loneliness, love and modernity vs history finna clash like crazy

The Queen of Curses vs The King of Curses 😤😤😤

Furthermore Yuta as the previous MC whose succeeded despite contradictory themes with Sukuna…

"

[roseprincessarts]

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis The First Soldier Episode 2 Theory and Prediction Discussion

Good evening Final Fantasy VII peepsters!

Welp, it's November. Today we are going to be discussing what's been in my head while playing FFVII Ever Crisis. Before we get started, this is probably my first theory and prediction to ever discuss. I've probably seen other theories that relates to the episode 2 of First Soldier, so I decided to do this in my own thoughts and my own words, and could agree what other theories could be true or not true. It all takes some patience to find out what will happen in the future in First Soldier! So the topic tonight is going to be about Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis: The First Soldier Episode 2 Theory! (also made a presentation art for future discussions :) )

I was going to do this before and after Halloween, but hadn't got the chance to finish up so I feel like this will be rushed lol. I had a blast yesterday for Halloween, though!

Oh! Before I forget, I must warn to each and every one of the FFVII fans that have never played Ever Crisis, and/or did but hadn't gotten into the second episode of First Soldier, Crisis Core, FFVII, etc., just to warn y'all that this will contain spoilers! Read this at your own risk! Or have an experience on EP 2! So beware of ghosts of spoilers! Ooooooooooo~ 👻

*clears throat* Well, with no further ado, let's get on with the discussion!

Episode 2 of Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier

I have indeed finished The First Soldier episode 1 just before starting the second one. It was just before Halloween started. I really enjoyed the first episode! Really shows the past of Sephiroth! Young Sephiroth looks handsome as when he was a grown handsome man as well hehehehe <3. I really liked how they did Sephiroth as some sort of a 14-year-old hero before his fall into a psycho villain. It also shows who he was before the Nibelheim mission, what he really thought of his friends, which would be Glenn, Matt and Lucia, and what he had wanted other than a hero, but a normal ordinary life as other kids unlike him had. This also shows how he ended up being Shinra's golden SOLDIER (why I called that because he was the first one to even have incredible powers). However, we get to see more as we dive into more of Sephiroth's past. Let's begin!

Sephiroth and Angeal First Meeting

In episode 2 of First Soldier, we see how Sephiroth and Angeal met.

Angeal Hewley was introduced in Crisis Core as a SOLDIER with honor, pride and the most respected member, gifted with the iconic Buster Sword in the FFVII series before the real thing as a symbol of his family's honor. He is also the mentor of another character that was also important to the series is Zack Fair, another SOLDIER member that dreams of becoming a hero like Sephiroth.

Until learning about who he really is, Angeal dreamed of becoming human due to the fact that Dr. Hollander was responsible for the Jenova Project, or rather Project G to make him a perfect monster, as Genesis was a failure at this point, as well as Angeal claiming he has created his very own suffering.

Now, in ep 2 of The First Soldier, a young Angeal plans to leave to Midgar to join SOLDIER to honor his family before his stepfather’s death. He was to dispatch to Robio in Wutai, and boom! Angeal meets Sephiroth for the first time. Sephiroth appears to be pissy, and Angeal tries to cheer him up and lighten him up. Angeal looked handsome as a young fella ^^.

I think Sephiroth and Angeal would be going separate ways. However, what I think would happen is that they would bond later on. Plus, they were friends along with Genesis in Crisis Core.

Masamune Origins

Wondering how Sephiroth got the most iconic sword in FFVII history, and how it became a main thing? Wondered how he got the Masamune? Look no further! As most of the players were playing through all the sections, we now see a new character in the game named Masamune, based on a sword of its namesake.

Now, Masamune appears to be swordsmith of Robio, and he had the katana by his name. What my prediction or theory may be is there could be the possibility of Sephiroth obtaining the iconic Masamune in future chapters. Plus, Sephiroth's Nameless being sliced in half, I would how the aftermath might be ^^;

Well, this is going to be interesting and I'm actually looking forward to how Sephiroth obtains the Masamune from… well, Masamune (character) is going to go. Dark, climaxing, we won't know until future chapters!

Now, about the character Masamune of what I first saw him, he almost reminds me of the actor Christopher Lee lol. Also, I wondered how Sephiroth and Masamune would communicate or how they would have a bond, friendship, or even become enemies. We'll have to see on that one. This will become interesting to see!

Bachman

Bachman, or is another character that appears as a journalist for Shinra as he records Sephiroth and Angeal in action to have a detailed report.

I'd say he could be a documentary guy or something like that!

Well, to be honest, I am not sure if I have an interest about Bachman, but I'll have to see for myself what he could possibly do in future chapters. I thought he was just a minor character, but he could be important. We'll just have to sit back for more of his development as well.

Alissa Goldie

Hey, look! Another female character! Another feminine SOLDIER! Wow! Interesting!

*coughs*

Whoops. Gotten carried away there, am I not? Ahem… where was I? Ah, yes! Alissa Goldie, indeed!

Next subject to discuss in this FFVII theory is Alissa Goldie (it's a pretty name for her btw ^^).

Alissa Goldie is another female 2nd class SOLDIER appearing in this episode of First Soldier. She appeared as another missing SOLDIER I believe until found before Sephiroth and Angela's encounter with Masamune as some sort of upbeat kind of person, until she sassed Sephiroth for staring at her after meeting or seeing her.

Now, some people may be in shock when they see Alissa at first. Her character development intends to look identical to Sephiroth's birth mother Lucrecia.

Oh boy! This is going to be nerve wrecking, but here are the list of predictions of what I think will be happening with Alissa and Sephiroth.

Prediction 1: Prediction number 1 of what I am about to say is later on, I believe that what will happen in this episode 2 if that Alissa Goldie will turn out to be either an antagonist, maybe villain and/or a Jenova clone that will trigger Sephiroth’s mental disturbance. Well, we probably have seen clones in the FFVII original story. We'll probably find about this kind of prediction for Alissa’s character development

Prediction 2: This option of the prediction will indicate what I might also think if Alissa will be Lucrecia in disguise. Lucrecia is Sephiroth’s birth mother, as Hojo gives him the photo of her in episode 1 of TFS and claims her name is Jenova, who is actually a calamity from space that tried to destroy the planet but was pulled out of the 2000-year-old rock layer and experimented and was kept enclosed in the Nibel Reactor. We all have seen the Nibelheim Incident, presenting Sephiroth’s descent to madness and his death after his massacre in the village, when Cloud starts to be a real deal for the FFVII series, and Zack as well. In this prediction for First Soldier, I believe Alissa could be Lucrecia in actual see her son in person after what Hojo had done to him, and her. He does dream about his mother after couple of chapters, which warms my heart to see the moment is real mother and son ❤️

Prediction 3: This is probably the weirdest, obscure or awkward prediction, but could be shocking. This would have the Sephiroth fans to freak out over this, but in the third prediction, Alissa could be whether just an ordinary girl and/or to be (here I go) Sephiroth's love interest. Yes, awkward. However, Sephiroth is flustered by Alissa's facial identity to look like his mother. She also tells Angeal the world will change if Sephiroth continues to use his sword. This is the prediction I doubt that would happen. I could be wrong, but this has been in my head that I LITERALLY had been bragging to myself about. Spehiroth’s canon love interest? This would freak the Sephiroth fans out. Even me. Now, my apologies if it does freak you out, but it would be doubtful if Alissa could be a canon Sephiroth's love interest. I was hoping for prediction 2, but we'll sure better get some really good sleep with patience for future chapters to hope if either of the theories are true. This isn't to intend to freak those fans out on purpose. Just to explain which prediction could be true or not.

And that's it for tonight. Well, I hope you enjoy my theory, and this is my first time, so my apologies for the messy typo or not much ha ha ha!

Let's sit back and wait for future chapters to witness more of the story of Sephiroth, and Angeal as well! This could give me some ideas how my CC fanfic is going to go. Better get started (to myself) with it! I can do another discussion that relates to this if there's a new chapter coming. Plus, I'm getting better with catching up with Ever Crisis now! I do plan to do as much as possible so I can catch up to the stories! I was going to add more, but I might do another theory since I don't have time now. Plus, don't want it to make it too long anyway lol. I'll do more theory details later on!

And it's getting late so I hope you enjoy and have a good night! And now I need some sleep before turning into a zombie!

Have a wonderful day, my lovely rose petals!

RosePrincessArts, signing off! Good night!

Art ©RosePrincessArts (Used from Sketchbook app from iPad)

Final Fantasy VII, Ever Crisis, Crisis Core, The First Soldier and Characters belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and SQUARE ENIX

[selenacosmic]

Oda forces and an mc who brings her friend with her, but the friend is from stranger things? Fights demogorgons and stuff?

This idea is pretty cool! Thank you for the request.

MC’s friend from stranger things.

Oda forces.

Nobunaga Oda.

Different from MC, the friend was fearless when it came to war, or at least for the most part, which wouldn’t be a surprise if not for the fact that you both came from the future.

Creatures that invade from another world? That sounds absurd… and yet he feels intrigued and more curious by it, so he would want to learn more about this friend’s experience with this… demogorgon creature.

Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

To Hideyoshi, there was a clear distinction between MC and her friend, for instances the friend seemed to treat war and the battles they faced as if she had experienced bigger ones, her reactions to dangerous situations, as if she had faced worse, was alarming to the point of worrying him.

If the friend were to ever reveal her experience with the upside down world and the demogorgon, he would understand her reactions even more, and would feel even more overprotective of her considering her experiences.

Masamune Date.

Now that’s a fierce lass! From day one, Masamune would pester MC’s friend to know from where she got that fearless attitude, hoping to know more about her as well. It would naturally take a while for her to reveal it considering how insane it may sound, specially to someone from the past.

Once she talks about her experiences, specially the scary ones, masamune gets pretty excited to hear everything. While it sounds insane, it gets his blood bumping with energy just hearing everything.

Mitsuhide Akechi.

Mitsuhide was already on to know how MC’s friend knows how to fight and seems to react better to battle when MC herself seems to be the opposite. His suspicion grows even stronger when, upon investigation, he finds out that both are from the future.

He would slowly pressure MC’s friend with questions to understand more about her past, and what he learns… is nothing of what he was expecting. A creature that comes from another world? And the fact that she fought it? Truly, an impressive little mouse.

Mitsunari Ishida.

Mitsunari had noticed the clear difference between them, but he never really bothered digging deeper for it, mostly because he wouldn’t want to impose on MC’s friend. It was easier to assume that her friend likely experienced war far too many times.

If she ever feels comfortable telling him about her experiences involving the upside down world and the creatures she had faced, Mitsunari would very much like to study about this other dimension, although he would need to also study the concept of dimension, and how it would work being an upside down version of their own.

Ieyasu Tokugawa.

Ieyasu didn’t really bother to know much about both MC and her friend, since he thought that he would get close to neither of that, which proves to be wrong. He notices that MC’s friend knows how to fight better and has more experience in it, as well as a better understanding on what to do in crisis situations.

He probably wouldn’t believe at first when she talks about the demogorgon and all the other creatures you had faced, but it became difficult to deny that it was all true, despite it sounding crazy.

Ranmaru Mori.

Ranmaru had naturally noticed the difference between MC and her friend, but he didn’t give it much thought, as he became close with both of them. Despite him thinking that MC was kinder at first, he noticed that her friend was more protective, which reminded him of his master a lot.

If she tells him about her experiences with the demogorgon, he would likely get scared but also be filled with admiration since she fought it.

Keiji.

Keiji doesn’t pay that much attention to it at first, he had seen people of all genders and ages having that same fierce gaze when faced with battle, he himself was like that, despite not showing much of that side of his.

All of that changes mostly because of the reason why MC’s friend is so fearless when it comes to battle, her experience involving a creature sounds crazy, he couldn’t help but think that she might have gone mad when she talked about it. He might be a very big and strong man, few people would want to face him in battle. But even he had to admit that the idea of a creature like demogorgon made him feel uneasy.

[closedrop]

Okay now that I’ve thoroughly processed the ending of Crisis Core, I have some thoughts

- I’m kinda upset that I was wrong about what was gonna go down because honestly I would’ve found it really interesting to see like the mako reactor blow up(?) is that what happened in Gongaga? And then Zack have to see that happen or something. It’s alright though I can deal without it ig…

- I didn’t actually realize Genesis liked poetry (cough cough LOVELESS) when I got my first impression of him and said “he seems like he’s into poetry so that’s a plus” and then when I realized I was right that was really funny.

-Speaking of Genesis liking LOVELESS he HAS to have read that book more times than anyone else imaginable. It’s just not possible for anyone to have read LOVELESS more than he has. Simply impossible. You can’t do it.

- I am still a big fan of all the little details that cause the future in Crisis Core, like Aerith’s bow and her dress too, Zack’s limit break, Zack helping name 7th heaven. And even foreshadowing like LOVELESS, because especially in Act I where it says “Three friends go into battle. One gets captured, one flies away, and the one that is left becomes a hero.” (Even though the game touches on this a little where Rothy and Genny discuss it) it can clearly reflect onto the fates of Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth. Although Sephiroth in his and Genesis’ discussion of Act I says that Genesis is welcome to have the role of hero it is actually he who becomes the hero I believe? That or he’s the one who flies away. It’s unclear to me because there can be multiple interpretations but here’s my take basically. *Ahem*

Scenario 1: Rothy is the Hero because he’s the only one from the AGS that appears in FFVII so hence “the one that is left” and he’s known AS A HERO before he kinda goes mad and kills a bunch of people. And that makes Genesis the one who flies away, this could be evidenced by how he is a deserter who worked with Hollander to try and stop the degradation orrr something like that but yeah.

Scenario 2: Genny is the Hero because of how Sephiroth and Angeal both died technically (idk the lore is weird there, Sephiroth like died but then he came back to life in FFVII because he was preserved or something?? I forgot- anyways-) this makes him the one remaining though, and Rothy flies away, as in he dies I guess. And also in the cutscene where he gets thrown with the masamune or something I guess he kinda like willingly throws himself down there using his singular wing (iirc) so that could be interpreted as flying away.

And Angeal… ehh let’s not dwell on it and say “being captured” just means he like kinda was killed by Zack or something. Sorry this kinda turned into my interpretation of LOVELESS mb

- IIRC Genesis basically created the idea for Banora white apple juice? Which is insane to me because how did nobody think of this before him?? Like, what’s with this child inventing apple juice? Let’s go?? I guess??? Good on him???

- I literally watched Zack go through the stages of grief throughout the whole game like at first iirc was like whaaat? SOLDIER and Shinra wouldn’t do this, naaaaah. Then it was how could they do this??! And just cover it up too!?? For why! And after that it was, him like (iirc) begging Cissnei to let him and Cloud go on since they didn’t do nothing but escape from testing that Hojo was putting them through in those test tube thingies. After this Zack is all depressed (not like he wasn’t before but he is super depressed now) because he feels like one, he can’t save anyone, and two, like he’s just been living a lie (especially after finding out about Lazard’s betraying Shinra), after that he continues to be tested on what he believes in choosing to in the end not to back to Shinra and instead protect Cloud then finally accepting his fate and knowing that the price of freedom is steep (haha reference TvT) and goes in to fight that whole army I guess which he most likely knows is going to get him killed, but he fights anyway for his freedom. And yeah that’s the stages of grief. You got Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, “testing” apparently according to Google, and then acceptance.

- This game made me like Sephiroth “Rothy” Sephiroth a little bit more than FFVII did because I got to see the side of him that shows before he’s lost to the madness. It’s interesting especially when you realize he is how he is in FFVII because he’s found out what made him. Poor guy 😔

- The probability of the “Silver elite” Sephiroth fan club being run by any of Angeal, Sephiroth, or Genesis is really high, especially when you consider the fact that they have information that nobody outside of those people would have. And the “never before seen” photos of Sephiroth/“photos that only not your average fan” could see. That information being though, the part about the training room and how apparently they’d like shoot an apple off the head of one of em. (Thin k it was Rothy slicing an apple offa Genny’s head? IIRC?) if I recall, it was said that they would SNEAK to be in the training room. Implying that nobody else knew about it other than them. It’s either that or they were really bad at sneaking. But the mail from Silver Elite said something along the lines of them sneaking to the training room to use as their personal playground, and if I recall Sephiroth says something similar in his flashback, saying they’d like sneak to use it when the seconds are out. (Sorry repetitive but yeah) so either it’s run by one of them OR that chairperson is very good at getting interviews with them.

Yes I joined all the fan clubs what about it? I’m a dedicated fan of all of them. Or something like that.

Idk I probably have more thoughts but it’s late and I’m tired soooo that’s all I have for now

[silvergreenseraphim]

I lately have wondered if they will use the character quest option to show Sephiroth receiving Masamune, and The First Soldier will focus on other things.

I hope it will be in TFS because I would say Masamune is very important to Sephiroth’s character design, and keeping it in a story quest accessible only through a mobile game might not be for the best. That’s just my opinion though.

Just to clarify, Nomura-san did confirm the depiction of Masamune’s origin:

“Nomura says that between the beginning of EC's First SOLDIER arc and Crisis Core, Sephiroth obtains the Masamune, and he plans to depict how that happens. Toriyama suggests Sephiroth got it through gacha. Nomura jokingly confirms this. (FamitsuApp, 9/7/23).”

[case-of-traxits]

Sephiroth 1-26

[From this prompt!] [Still accepting!]

Omg, 1 through 26? That's a lot. Okay. Here we go. This got really long. I hope you enjoy!

Character Ask Game!!! 💫

Character Questions: Sephiroth

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Right off the bat, my favorite thing about Sephiroth is definitely how surprisingly soft his character actually is. Like, I've been eating well with the release of Ever Crisis, since it confirms a lot of how I've always written Sephiroth. As for dislikes... Let's see. I dislike how inherently tragic his character actually is? Like, that sounds odd, coming from me, an angst queen, but I mean it more... He really never stood a chance. I usually love angst for my characters, but often because they've done it to themselves? Sephiroth is heartbreaking because of what's been done to him rather than because of anything he's specifically done. And no, I'm not discounting Nibelheim or anything. I don't want anyone to read this and walk away thinking I think that I... I don't know. Don't think Sephiroth was responsible for anything. Of course he is. He's a villainous character, and he goes completely mad and falls. That's the entire point. But his madness and his fall itself is inevitable within the canon of the game. His character is a relatively innocent one who lacks almost all agency, and when he finds out why, he completely loses himself in being the monster that they've created. Like, to be perfectly honest, is it a surprise that so many fangirls glommed onto him, hotness aside?

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

I love how his canon materia set up is as follows: Masamune Materia Slots: Revive Restore Earth = All Fire = [empty spot] Gold Armlet Materia Slots: Ice = All Lightning = All Like. I love that he has a restore and a revive? And an open slot? I don't know. It's just fun to think about.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

His fixation on Cloud. Like, don't get me wrong, I do completely understand it. I just don't like it. I can recognize that canon has made a decision that I personally disagree with.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Ooh, any other media... Honestly? This is going to sound weird, but I'd put him in FF8. I think he'd fit right in with the SeeDs, and almost none of them have parents either, so it would just be... normal.

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

So fuck you, fuck you, fuck you And all we've been through I said leave it, leave it, leave it It's nothing to you And if you hate me, hate me, hate me Then hate me so good that you can let me out, let me out Let me out of this hell when you're around -- Rootless Tree, by Damien Rice

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

We both suck at making friends. We both got like, two of them and were like, "well, here we go. Our entire sense of self-worth hinges on these two people. Hope nothing happens to them. (:" In all seriousness though, I am extremely bad at making friends. And Sephiroth clearly is too. So. SOLIDARITY BBY.

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I love when fandom puts him in just... normal situations. I love seeing Sephiroth cook or run in the morning or go to the gym or really anything besides being effortlessly perfect. I like seeing his humanity under there. Probably because he rejects it so thoroughly after Nibelheim.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Well. I don't click on these fics anymore because it's just easier to not engage than it is to deal with my feelings about it, but I hate when fandom just reduces Sephiroth to purely his post-Nibelheim state? Like, I'm aware that part of it is because that's the timeline most people are writing in. And in that case, go right ahead! Do your thing! But if you're writing pre-Nibelheim, you need to contend with who he was before that event.

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

I suspect I am not a tidy enough individual to be roommates with Sephiroth. I think he would be extremely particular.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

I mean, as much as he can be best friends with anyone? His biggest problem is letting people in, and not because he doesn't want to, but because he has no idea how.

11. Would you date this character?

Hah! Look. I have a wonderful husband already. XD

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Sephiroth has a blue pick-up that he drives on the few times he leaves the Tower.  He dislikes taking the train, and technically, the car belongs to the company, but no one would ever stop him.  He has a string of those fake materia beads that are so popular in Midgar hanging from the rearview mirror, and he likes to periodically just leave Midgar and drive on the dirt roads that go nowhere.  He finds it soothing, particularly with loud music blaring in the truck. -- Pulled from my headcanon blog. I mean, I could give you new ones, but I love this one.

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

I really cannot imagine Sephiroth using any emoji except the thumbs up and thumbs down ones, to be perfectly frank. Except, possibly, for texts with Genesis and Angeal, if they use emoji? If they do, I think he would slowly assimilate their styles of use, and do his best to mimic them.

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

Cottagecore. No, no! Don't go! Hear me out. Sephiroth in giant, oversized, cozy sweaters and his hair in a loose braid. It'd be great, and he'd be so happy.

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

Tseng and Sephiroth. I just. Tseng is so good for him, all quiet acceptance of anything odd about him, and gentle instruction when Sephiroth looks uncertain and just... I love them dearly. I have a ficlet series! I should add more to it, but here, look. ENJOY. I Fell (heavy) into Your Arms (like a stone) For the record though, I am also 100% on board for Genesis/Sephiroth. Super excited for Sephesis Week in January. I'm going to get so much new fic to read.

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

Ooh, spicy question there. Uh. I don't want to start anything, but I am not a huge fan of Sephiroth/Cloud. I mean. It's fine. It's just not my thing.

17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?

Mm... As a general rule, I am flexible on ships. Even my least favorite ship for Sephiroth is someone's ship, and I wish them the best in their shipyard.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

I love his relationship with Genesis. Huge, huge feels when I started Ever Crisis and he was calling Gen and just... T_T Babies.

19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?

That would require him to have actual relationships. That said, his only other real relationship is with Cloud, and as I said in the ship questions, that's... fine. It's just not my thing.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

Honestly, I do really like Sephiroth with Genesis and/or Angeal, and I think Tseng would be a good friend for him, even disregarding my shipping tendency. That said, Reeve would be good for him too. Not the least of which because Reeve would probably be able to help him get some answers about his mother if Sephiroth would ask him. Or maybe that's just my Reeve, who has been with Shinra since he was five.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

Something I like: I like seeing him interact with people outside of missions. I like watching him be normal and having to deal with everything that comes with that. Something I don't: I hate fight scenes. Have me write 7k of introspection any day, but please, as few fight scenes as possible. XD

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

Something I like: I love when other characters are super warm to Sephiroth and he's just like, "Do you like me? Do I want you to like me? Is that okay?" I just... it melts my heart every time. Something I don't: I find it difficult to believe people when they write Sephiroth as a sex god. Weirdly specific, right? But true. He's such an awkward teenager in Ever Crisis, and while he's very calm in Crisis Core, 90% of his "perfection" comes from just... not talking. I cannot imagine that he picks people up or hooks up very often. XD

23. Favorite picture of this character?

Currently? This one. Seph/Gen, kissing. But if you mean "ever," that's impossible. There's been so many fantastic pieces of fanart over the years.

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Mm. So little baby Trax, all those years ago (seriously, I watched FF7 being played when I was about 9, when the game was released), was basically like: Traxits: "Wait, why don't we like Sephiroth?" Cousin: "He murdered the President." Traxits: "The guy who dropped the sector? The one we were going to kill?" Cousin: "Yeah." Traxits: "And that's... bad?" Cousin: "Murder is bad." Traxits: "... but we were going to kill him first, right?" And then my cousin (age 13) made me go play in a different room.

Now, of course, I understand more about what was going on and everything, but the fact is, he's one of my favorites just because of how ... Mm. Doomed he is, maybe? I just. I love writing moments of happiness for him. He deserves them, despite everything. Because of everything. Because in the end, he's going to completely surrender himself to the alien cells in his body and he's going to lose himself. And there isn't, as far as we can tell, any way to save him.

26. Freebie question; Per discord discussion: Most obscure headcanon?

Oh, that's a fun one. Mine is probably that Sephiroth is a vegetarian. Actually, I'm not sure how widespread this is, but it used to be popular (I sound like a lady discussing what was "fashionable" in her time) to have Sephiroth be wildly sensitive to all kinds of foods, but from what I've seen in the current meta/jokes/etc., most people seem to headcanon that he has an iron stomach now. I go the opposite way and say thanks to the degree of experimental testing and the lack of exposure to a wide variety of foods, he's almost overly sensitive to new foods. To the point that he pretty much subsists exclusively on things from the SOLDIER cafeteria (who have a list of things that they can prepare for him) or things that he himself has prepared.

THANK YOU FOR READING ALL OF THAT.

[freelanceexorcist]

FFVII Rebirth spoilers under the cut.

I thought I was watching chapter 1, but I was actually seeing all the Zack Fair cutscenes. Yeah, yesterday was one of those days when giant brain farts are all you have to work with.

But yeah.

So from what I gather so far, any time one choice is made or event takes place, it creates a world where the opposite happened, and the white Whispers are involved in that. In the world where Stamp is a beagle, Zack and Biggs both die. In the world where he’s a Yorkie, they live thanks to the white Whispers.

Black Whispers = inescapable fate, white Whispers = choices and multiple outcomes of events. Black Whispers = weaponized by Jenovaroth from what I can tell, White Whispers = maybe created by the planet because it turns out that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results really is insanity and the whole cycles/destiny thing was a bad idea after all. Black Whispers = Watashi Sephiroth, white Whispers = Ore Sephiroth.

I think I’ve got it. Zack’s choosing to visit Hojo creates another world where we see what would have happened if he’d chosen to save Biggs instead, and in this world, Stamp is a pug. Yeah, now that I think about it, they kinda beat us over the head with that one.

And then there’s of course The Thing, which I didn’t understand AT ALL without the context from the Zack scenes. The Thing happened in the Beagleverse, which created yet another where Stamp will be some other breed of dog and we seem to see the existence of both of them at once briefly, like we did at the end of Remake. We see the world where Cloud doesn’t get there in time and Jenovaroth holding a bloody sword as Aerith collapses and we see the one where Cloud does get there in time, Jenovaroth is disarmed and Masamune gets stuck in the stone. The final scene before the credits roll where Aerith leaves the party to do what she needs to on her own may take place in this new universe.

Interesting.

They’re going full quantum multiverse on this bitch, it seems, and I. Am. Here for it. I’ll leave it at that because theoretical physics is so not my wheelhouse. And by saying that, I may have spawned a universe where I’m Michio Kaku.

Makes me think, though. If those white Whispers had just paid a visit to the Shinra mansion library and worked their mojo on a  certain someone, it would have spared at least one universe a whole lot of misery. I’m just sa—

Whoa.

Whooooooooaa.

Where’s my speculatin’ hat? No, not that one. This gets the fancy one. Ah…

I’m gonna guess this is how we got Ore Sephiroth. Him losing his shpadoinkles and going HAM on Nibelheim spawned a world where he didn’t. Might have still gone crazy, but didn’t cross the Face-to-Heel event horizon in such a spectacular and devastating way. Maybe he was puzzled by why all of a sudden there was so much wind in a closed basement room and the next thing he knew, he woke up on the floor with Zack and some vampire-looking dude in a red cloak standing over him. Maybe he decides to return to Midgar and throttle the truth out of Hojo instead of spending any more time in that damn basement.

Speaking of Hojo, maybe him refusing to give young Sephiroth any information about his mother besides her “name” spawned a universe where he had some mercy and gave him at least a picture of her, giving us the Ever Crisis world. I hope Stamp is a golden retriever in this world, because if anyone needs the presence of a golden retriever, it’s young Sephiroth.

Because who, I mean who, could turn to the dark side after looking at this even just briefly?

The worlds starting to blur together is why he can be in the Beagleverse as well as his own.

Zack, it seems, can also move between worlds, but it doesn’t seem like he realizes this. Maybe Cloud also has the ability.

Damn.

You want a Cloud/Zack/Sephiroth team-up to take down the final boss of the trilogy along with the rest of the party? Because this is how you get a Zack/Cloud/Sephiroth team-up to take down the final boss of the trilogy along with the rest of the party.

I guess we’ll have to wait another four years to find out if we ever do (only about halfway through all the cutscenes so far so *shrugs*). No problem, I can have lots of fun with it while I wait.

I wonder in Ore Sephiroth’s world, if that ends up being a thing, what Stamp’s breed will be. Maybe an Italian greyhound. Those are some cute little buggers.

I mean, look at this little derp:

Odds and ends:

So Barret, Tifa and Red really did die in the Yorkieverse and poor Marlene is an orphan now. Damn.

“If she wakes up, the scary man is gonna kill her!” So, I guess her waking up would be like sending up the Bat Signal and letting Watashi know where she is.

Look, I got no skin in the game when it comes to the Cloud/Aerith pairing. It does nothing for me, but if others love it, great. But that scene with the photographer? Oh lord, I cringed so hard my face caved in.

And wait, what? How can two Clouds and two Aeriths exist simultaneously in the same universe? We’ve got the two who are comatose and the two who became a couple. Could this be foreshadowing the Reunion and the worlds are already starting to meld together? Seems like it, and that rift in the sky may be part of it.

Which kinda makes me wonder: does this open the door to the final installment having multiple possible endings?

Oh yeah!

That’s all for now. Gotta take a break before this story makes my head explode. If you’ve stuck around this long, thank you.

[altocat]

I saw the image...

WHERE THE HECK IS OUR FAVORITE RED POET SQUEENIX!? GIVE HIM TO US YOU COWARDS!

There are three player slots for Ever Crisis. With the exception of having just Zack in Crisis Core, they've been very keen to fill up all three of those slots across the stories. I don't think Camera Rando is doing any fighting, so that third slot is likely for playable Genesis.

During the teaser, we saw Sephiroth and Angeal in the spooky woods, with Sephiroth still with his old sword. Since Masamune will be a heavy feature later on, I think this footage is early on in the actual story, meaning that there's a very strong chance that Genesis shows up LATER to join the group. It would make no sense if he never shows up at all--not only did he specifically join SOLDIER to meet Sephiroth, but he and Angeal enlisted together. Not having Genesis would be really stupid. Like cosmically stupid.

So my theory is that it will be Seph and Angeal bonding for a bit by themselves before Genesis shows up much in the same manner Sephiroth did in Chapter 4 of FS ep 1. And then we'll have a complete trio. I think Episode 2 is meant to tie in with the extra Crisis Core chapters we're getting, so there's no way Genesis isn't showing up--he was mentioned by name in the opening cutscene for the story. He'll come with time. It was probably too much adding in both playable Genesis and Angeal at the same time for the dev team. So they're integrating him gradually.

.............pretty funny how Angeal got to meet Seph first tho lmao