#and then later sephiroth was meant to be a war machine so he didn't get a typical education

[mariyekos]

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but that's probably just what the game says for enemies that can't be Assessed!

Ex, one of the ending enemies in the Remake that can be partially read):

Ex. 2: An enemy that can be fully read:

And Sephiroth himself (Remake):

SHUT UP

SHUT. THE FUCK. UP!!!

SEPHIROTH CANT READ!!! I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS OMFG!!!

shinra/hojo probably just never thought it was necessary to teach him to read, or probably teach him anything really, other than how to fight and be the perfect soldier, because he was conceived and born as nothing more than a test subject… and why would the lab rat weapon need to learn basic things like how to read…

this also just makes me think, since he canonically has to be able to read, at least enough to have been able to read all the stuff in the shinra manor basement, that he probably learned to read through simply watching others and needing to put the pieces together to figure it out for himself and through relying on other people (like his friends) teaching him at least the basics, though he still was never properly taught so he’s not very good at reading

plus this is such a wild place for them to actually just straight up state that sephiroth cant read? like its in the boss details segment in the event which i feel like is so easy to miss for most people? plus its not like it’s actually battle stats or anything… just the confirmation he cant read…

[pen-and-umbra]

It freaks me out that people fuckin revered Sephiroth while he was killing Wutaians, but when it were people in Nieblheim, he is suddenly a mass murderer?? like wtf. Those folks in Nibelheim effing KISSED the ground he walked on, wanting pics for posterity, to dine with him and whatnot. Um, helllooo?? You praised the guy for being good at his work, you considered hima goddamn hero BECAUSE he was a trained killer..but as soon as he turned on them they took off rose-tinted glasses and went OOOOH HE'S A MURDERER. Well guess what, he was and you were fine with it

I get what you're saying, and you make a reasonable point. For certain, there is an aspect of in-universe double standards being applied to Sephiroth and, by extension, the ShinRA and Wutai conflict. However, the way you phrased your idea is a touch crude, and it may mislead readers into thinking that you believe Nibelheim's inhabitants had it coming. So, as a preface, let me state unequivocally that they did not. They did not deserve it, regardless of how hypocritical or ignorant their ideas may have been. Now with that out of the way...

People in Nibelheim, Midgar, and pretty much anywhere ShinRA had established its turf saw Sephiroth as this larger-than-life hero who turned the tide of the Wutaian campaign (which, by the by, was a fabrication contrived to bolster ShinRA's recruiting numbers). It never occurred to the typical citizen that “being a war hero” entailed — directly or indirectly — murdering or otherwise harming people, potentially including civilians as collateral damage. Regular citizens, just like Nibelheim residents, in places just like Nibelheim. The difference was that the violence was happening off-screen and elsewhere. On Wutai's land — under false pretenses meant to conceal ShinRA's true goal of establishing an economic & power supply hegemony... Point being, it didn't involve them. The townpeople seemed utterly unaware of anything. Children like Cloud and Zack were transfixed by the romanticized notions of SOLDIER and war glory. Heck, even little Tifa during her water tower date with Cloud goes “SOLDIERs are heroes, heroes save people”. So when Sephiroth razes Nibelheim, people call him a monster, despite the fact that this is something they were okay with being done to *others*. Wutai, Rhadore—you name it. They regarded Sephiroth as if he were a celebrity, despite the fact that his trade and status as a Wutai war hero involved death and efficient destruction.

I suppose it is a testament to both Shinra's propaganda machine and the way society operates. An everyman is complacent and self-absorbed, relying heavily on the comfort of routine. It's very easy to cultivate a "us vs. them" and "rules for thee and not for me" mentality when you provide every gift of civilization, including jobs, amenities, and power supply, as well as exert control over the media to disseminate a favorable angle (all of which ShinRA is involved in). People in Midgar were certain of Wutai espionage machinations because Wutai was appointed as The Enemy, so to an average Joe ShinRA had every right to eliminate hostile foreign elements and their supposed allies, such as Avalanche. After all, ShinRA is the benefactor, Wutai is treacherous, and combat zone is far away, so who cares what happens there?

The same teenage Sephiroth appeared to struggle with reconciling killing Rhadoran youth and the elderly, and when Glenn questioned him, he reverted to spouting propaganda pieces supplied to him by ShinRA. Only after this does he begin to display signs of uncertainty in his actions, which Glenn notices. Or take Zack in Crisis Core for instance. It does not seem to register with him that by bombing Angeal's and Genesis' hometown ShinRA is pulling up a dirty black-op (and Rebirth further underscores that cover-ups were a regular ShinRA response, fake Nibelheim or Corel cleansing being such examples). He doesn't begin to seriously question their modus operandi until much later.

So to quote Barret, “screw ShinRA for deceiving honest folk” by brainwashing them and conditioning people to see the company as a sole source of good. Regardless of the ignorance and double standards that ShinRA city folk might have shown regarding Wutai and the nature of Sephiroth’s trade, Nibelheim is still a tragedy, and these people needn't have died. Just like people in Wutai needn't have died for ShinRA's lofty goals. That said, the way SE portrayed the average folk attitude is true to life and quite reflective of society. People care about whatever media tells them to care about and repeat whatever narrative is drilled into them. That's how it works.

👋 @pen-and-umbra