#nor does hojo

[moldyycheese]

for the ship bingo uhhhhh

SephZack? 👉👈

I LOVE SEPHZSCK!!!!!

When I was first pkaying CC I was like... they got something going on

[silverflqmes]

Any HCs for Sephiroth with an s/o that's afraid of thunder? 👀💖

໒⦂ 𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐀 𝐇𝐂𝐒.

notes. hi hi, i did my best to compile some headcanons, personally i think sephiroth might also be scared himself, so a little comfort will go his way too :’)

genre. hurt + comfort

sephiroth x gn!reader.

⌗ the fear of thunder and lightning, otherwise known as astraphobia, is commonly shared among most and completely understandable to sephiroth whenever you find it in yourself to tell him.. unless you give yourself away on accident.

⌗ i feel that due to his enhanced senses and of all the bullshit hojo put him through, he might have developed a sensitivity to loud noises and flashes — but he has learnt to grit his teeth and bear it.

⌗ on some nights it can be a little harder for him, but he feels at ease if you are around and does his best to protect you since you are suffering from the same — if not, worse.

⌗ if you take it upon yourself to speak up about your fear, rest assured, it’s a judgment free zone. sephiroth neither has the place to judge, nor does he shun you for it because he understands it well and wishes to do all that he can to help you through your fear.

⌗ if you have difficulty telling him, trust me with how observant he is, he’s likely to put the pieces together pretty easily. but even still, he will wait until you are ready to tell him.

⌗ but if a thunderstorm comes and you have failed to do, he will take matters into his own hands and at the minute he catches wind of your discomfort.

⌗ it could be a flinch, the tiniest whimper, you ducking to cover your ears or a haphazard excuse to leave the room — but sephiroth will know.

⌗ he would give you a moment if you left the room, but when he doesn’t see you return, he will approach and either join you wherever you are hiding, no matter how small the space is ( this man will cram himself in there like a cat don’t underestimate him ), or pull you into his hold for you to hide in his chest while he soothes your shaking body with his touch.

⌗ from the day he discovered your fear, he would regularly check the weather, making sure to be home whenever a thunderstorm would take place to comfort you through it.

⌗ if he’s away or cannot be home on time from either a mission or meeting, he’s got you on speed dial and keeps you on call for however long you need.

⌗ if he cannot call you at all because fuck shinra sometimes ( all the time ), he took it upon himself to buy you one of those weighted anxiety plushies — or even a normal plush for you to cuddle to feel safe. personally i’m uh.. thinking a gray kitty with cerulean colored eyes to remind you of him :’) so that you feel like he’s still there in a sense.

⌗ another thing is maybe audio recordings of him ( probably just random stuff about his day and sweet nothings ) for you to listen to if you need to hear his voice in the case again, that he cannot be there or phone you.

⌗ throughout a thunderstorm, he would do his best to take your mind off it and make it a little more bearable if at all possible.

⌗ me personally, i like rain but i’m no good with thunderstorms that come with strong winds — the sounds give me a bit of ptsd, especially if i’m on my own. but i try to do things to take my mind off it, which i will list through sephiroth<3

⌗ thunder is a sound which can be solved by playing something over it. whether it’s a show, movie or music, even conversation — you bet your boyfriend is providing whatever he can to mask the unpleasant noises outside.

⌗ rainy days can be nice to get all bundled up in blankets with tea, hot coco or coffee — any warm beverage that you personally enjoy, and sephiroth is willing to use that as a way of making the storm a little easier to handle. pairing the experience with a good book or poetry is also nice — certainly if he offers to read to you. goodness his voice is so nice..

⌗ furthermore he has the curtains pulled in your shared apartment if you find it easier not to see what’s happening outside and he takes it upon himself to make homemade soup for dinner<3

⌗ when the storm drags into the evening, he takes you into his arms and holds you as tight as he possibly can, shielding you from the world beyond his windows.

⌗ even as you tremble and tears prickle at the corners of your eyes, you can hear sephiroth humming, the gentle and steady pitter patter of his heartbeat as he smooths a hand down your back. gradually, it relaxes you and your eyes begin to get heavy.

⌗ you hold on tight to your beloved, allowing his protective hold to envelope you wholly as you at last give into sleep, aware that he would keep you safe throughout the evening and remainder of the thunderstorm.

⌗ bonus for sephiroth.. on the rare occasions that his own fear gets the better of him, you do your best to muster whatever courage you can throw together and hold him closely.

⌗ you card your fingers through his silky hair, allowing him to bury his face in either your neck, shoulder, chest — wherever he feels most comfortable — as you rub his back as tenderly as possible, vowing to be there through the very end as he has with your moments of fear.

notes. i may have gotten a little too detailed and indulged a little more than i should have.. but i’m hoping it’s to your likings, tysm for requesting again<3

↳ return to main masterlist . request rules . send an ask

[phoenixcatch7]

Petition: Sephiroth doesn't have a father.

Half of his dna? Lucrecia

The other half? Jenova

None of this Hojo vs Vincent argument I humbly propose we get far more symbolic mileage out of a corrupted version of an immaculate conception via Jenova as the 'angelic' presence.

Mad science IVF, essentially.

This lasted about ten seconds as a crack theory but now I think I'm actually going to add that to my belief system

Like Jenova is generally given female pronouns and called 'mother' but we do need to remember it's an alien megafauna virus (often referred to with 'it' pronouns in multiple translations of the original game, including the original Japanese). Its cells do not work like human animal cells. It's entirely feasible that it was used in place of a father donor, and would explain why sephiroth has such strong Jenova characteristics (white hair, slit eyes) where Angeal and Genesis don't (and also just. The rest of him. Where you'd put the genes for halos I don't know).

Sephiroth does have huge issues, just, in general, but his real weak point was his mummy issues where he'd been primed by hojo and that was where Jenova squarely hit. And it's generally agreed no matter which side of the 'sephiroth is in control/a puppet' spectrum you fall on that she was preying on him in nibelheim.

And also, just in final fantasy in general, there is a LOT of religious symbolism and icons (as is fairly typical of rpg games of that type. Just look at the Persona or Shin megami tensei series!). The summons, the church, etc. Sephiroth, aka the paths of sephiroth, is taken from what Wikipedia calls 'esoteric Jewish mysticism' and describes, I quote, 'channels of divine creative life force or consciousness through which the unknowable divine essence is revealed to mankind' or 'the ten structural forces of nature'. No guesses for how that tied into Project S' original intent to re-establish the extinct cetra and lead shinra to the promised land of infinite totally-not-afterlife-compost mako.

And I'm sure there's been plenty of essays done on the meanings and themes in ff7 (not that I can find them under all the sephiroth character analysis) but sephiroth very clearly went the demi urge route where he should have been a saviour and guide so why not throw in some immaculate conception as well?

Disclaimer: this tumblr user does not think of IVF as corrupted mad science nor do they think children born of it are any less human, we're talking about Hojo's experiments with Jenova on an unborn child here.

This would also mean that any 'Jenova is not your mother!' dramatic reveal could be followed up with 'she's your dad!' which is hilarious and we know Sephiroth's opinions on father figures.

[rottenpumpkin13]

what if sephiroth had a child? maybe because hojo wanted to test if sephiroth's modified genes would pass on to the child. and what do you think would happen to the child after nibelheim?

Sephiroth's reaction to the revelation that he has involuntarily fathered a child is one of visceral rage. The sheer audacity of Hojo's brazen manipulation of his autonomy ignites a fury that is both immediate and uncontainable. This anger is not just for himself but also for his child that's now trapped in a lab, a mere specimen bred by Hojo for unspeakable purposes just as he once was. The thought of his child, his family, enduring the same remorseless torment he faced as a child is intolerable.

This moment rewires Sephiroth's brain entirely, causing all his previous convictions to crumble and for his priorities to shift. He makes a bold decision for the good of the small family unit he has now and leaves Shinra behind, fleeing with his child. Only Angeal and Genesis know where they are, and Sephiroth outright refuses their help.

Sephiroth is a dedicated parent and determined to offer his child a better life than the one Hojo gave him, despite him not having any experience with raising children. He does his research, has his moments where he's unsure if he's even capable of being a competent parent, but ultimately gives his child the unconditional love and support that he never had.

But the events surrounding Genesis and Angeal unfold whether Sephiroth is there or not. Genesis' degradation continues, leading him to desert, while Angeal meets his tragic end just as he would have. Sephiroth is no part of this, and while he mourns Angeal and wishes he could help Genesis, he focuses on his family.

Eventually Sephiroth decides to move to Nibelheim, because fate is persistent. He has no idea that this is the place he was born, nor did he know that he'd meet Zack once again during one if his missions. He hadn't even expected to see Genesis again, and feels guilty when he sees how the degradation has taken its toll on him.

Sephiroth would be more than willing to help, but Genesis' poor phrasing coupled with the way he drops a bomb on Sephiroth makes it so that Sephiroth never wants to see him again.

He drops his child off with Zack, finds the library, and the rest proceeds as it would, with the Nibelheim fire and Sephiroth's death. Except, years later when Zack breaks himself and Cloud out of Hojo's lab, he can't leave Sephiroth's kid behind, not with Hojo.

So Zack flees with Cloud and Sephiroth's child. Their escape is, regrettably, short-lived as Zack is ultimately killed. And now all Sephiroth's child has in this world is Cloud. Just the two of them.

Cloud stumbles into Midgar just as he would have if the fates had remained unchanged, except in this AU he has Sephiroth's kid clinging to his hand, placing all their trust in him.

Neither of them know that death rejected Sephiroth, who's watching them and intends to have his child back.

[esamastation]

Part fifty-nine of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-four, fifty-five, fifty-fix, fifty-seven, fifty-eight

-

By the end of the day Tseng has been left with answers, questions and a whole lot of sections unfelined in his original assessment to be removed as no longer applicable. Sephiroth… neither behaves nor reacts as expected, that much is clear. But that's not the most concerning thing, at all.

Sephiroth's Energy Alignment is. His cultivation is a concern. As is the fact that the man is absolutely certain that it can be taught to anyone.

There is a number of theories about what is happening to Sephiroth. Professor Hojo has one theory, the Science Department as a whole has another. Tseng himself had added a few more theories to the list, which have now been proven wrong.

Sephiroth's cultivation isn't Wutai in origin. It's similar in nature, self-improvement and self-betterment, the cultivation of your self in order to advance in your abilities is certainly part of it. But what Sephiroth is doing is taking all that to a metaphysical - or perhaps magiphysical - level. He is quite literally cultivating the energies inside himself, honing them in manner unheard of, into something no one has ever theorised.

And Tseng can't deny that it does indeed seem like it might be an Ancient doctrine. Sephiroth can already perform magical feats without Materia - and according to the man himself, he's still in the beginner stages.

"What will happen once your cultivation is complete?" Tseng can't help but ask, after the day's training and meditation is over and they're making dinner.

"I will ascend to the heavens as a new god," Sephiroth answers loftily and then laughs softly at the look Tseng gives him. "Cultivation is never complete. It doesn't have an end goal. It is a process and a journey - one you dedicate your whole life to."

"... During which you get more and more advanced in your abilities?" Tseng asks, setting aside the chopped vegetables.

During the day he's noted two things. One, Sephiroth reacts best to direct, unambiguous questions. Two, he can't resist a chance to explain. The man had also relaxed immediately when Tseng began asking those questions - and began imparting information with much greater ease.

Tseng had adjusted his approach accordingly.

"Isn't that the goal of everyone who is in progress of learning anything, to get better?" Sephiroth asks and adds the washed rice into a pot, closing the lid. "Cultivation isn't exactly a sliding scale with set points of improvements, but yes, the more you practise, the better you get."

In other words, there's no such thing as being done with Sephiroth's new practice. If the man was given leeway, he'd stay here indefinitely, training and meditating. Hmm. 

Well, it's good to know that there's definitely a way to remove the man from the volatile equation that is Shinra. 

Tseng makes a mental note to procure a permanent and suitably secluded safehouse for Sephiroth, should the need arise, and then moves onto preparing the rest of the food.

Sephiroth watches him with that smug look of satisfaction he's had on for most of the day, and then asks, "Tell me, Tseng, what do they think of all of this back at Shinra?"

Tseng glances at him. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm curious," Sephiroth smiles. "I know they have theories. I would like to know what they're saying."

Tseng shakes his head. "So that you can adjust your behaviour accordingly?" he asks pointedly.

Sephiroth huffs. "No, of course not. I just think it would be funny, that's all."

Tseng gives him a look, not believing a word of it. "One of the theories is that you have a case of confabulation."

Sephiroth blinks and then frowns. "What does that mean?"

"You have amnesia, you've forgotten most of your life - but not all," Tseng explains. "You remember some things and are subconsciously leaning more into those things. They take more space in your awareness and have higher importance. Your brain, unbeknownst to you, fabricates memories and knowledge around those few things, giving you a false sense of expertise in matters you probably only perceived peripherally."

Sephiroth looks taken back. "Like what?" he asks, sounding stunned.

"Home decor, fashion, Wutai martial arts, monster knowledge - tea?" Tseng points to the Wutai tea set, Sephiroth's most prized possession here, after his sword. "What little you remember you cling onto and wrap yourself around, to make it seem like you have a past, likes, habits, and preferences."

Sephiroth blinks at that, his brows arching, and Tseng adds, "Though you drank tea before, it was without such ceremony. You've expanded a minor habit into a full on hobby."

"Huh," Sephiroth says, sounding fascinated now. He folds his arms, looking at Tseng in a new light. "You really think that?"

No, not really. Sephiroth's new habits aren't just self-deluding mind-fronting in the face of his amnesia. He's far too well practised and skilled in them. It's not just the tea drinking - everything new he's doing now he does with an unnerving amount of prior knowledge.

His new talent as a teacher is the most damning of it all. It's not just knowledge - it's both expertise and experience. Sephiroth teaches like a man who's been doing it for years, who's had hundreds of students, and who both enjoys what he's doing and is very good at it. It's a mix of qualities that only time and practice can give you.

"I don't know what's going on with you," Tseng admits. "But I know it's not something you got from a simple Mako injection."

Thought he still isn't sure he'd call it necessarily Ancient knowledge. He's seen the things Aerith does without thinking, without effort, as natural as breathing. What Sephiroth is doing definitely takes effort.

Tseng still can't quite reconcile them as somehow being the same, with how fundamentally different they are. Though after today…

He's not so sure anymore.

Sephiroth hums, his expression going serious as he looks away. Then he shakes his head and offers, cheekily, "Tea, while we wait for the rice to cook?"

Tseng hums and joins him at the tea table, tugging at the knees of his trousers to keep them from stretching as he sits down. Sephiroth makes tea like an old Wutai master, pouring the first steep away and then pouring for them both. 

The tea is, of course, perfectly prepared.

For a moment they're quiet, listening to the fire crackling in the stove and how the rice pot start to bubble.

"Are they really trying to recreate what happened?" Sephiroth then asks quietly, somewhat guiltily. "With someone else?"

Tseng considers his mood and then answers honestly. "Yes. With several others. Almost the entirety of the SOLDIER program has been tested for viability, though very few suit Professor Hojo's criteria."

Sephiroth's full bottom lip draws into a line. "How many are…?" he can't seem to bring himself to finish the question.

Tseng fishes out his PHS and pulls up the report. "There have been four casualties - SOLDIER Second Class Laxey Jansen, and SOLDIER cadets Mick Rowley, Dient Wreck, Justus Owley, and Gus Fusel," he lists, watching Sephiroth's reaction closely as the man's face tightens with discomfort. Tseng continues, "There have been a number of candidates in and out of coma, too many to list. And there's one case of brain death, cadet Cloud Strife."

The teacup in Sephiroth's hand shatters to a thousand pieces.

-

>:3c

[strayheartless]

I want to talk about Genesis when he’s angry with his friends. Not his performative flying off the handle but his actual anger.

I’m imagining the first time Angeal comes into contact with it is just before they sign up for SOLDIER. Maybe he tells Gen that he’s too sickly to be a SOLDIER. Maybe he doesn’t expect Gen to go silent (he doesn’t do that usually.) he expects yelling and throwing things and being generally Genesis about it.

He doesn’t expect Genesis to go stone faced and silent, to look Angeal dead in the eye and to keep looking him in the eye until Angeal can’t keep looking at him. He doesn’t expect Genesis to stand solid and immovable nor did he expect the swift, soft and extremely final “get out”.

Angeal has talked to his mother and to Sephiroth about how devastating Genesis’s rage can be.

Sephiroth doesn’t really pay it much mind. He thinks he’s seen all that Gens anger has to give. He thinks he’s seen Genesis “rage”.

But then they are eighteen and Gen and Angeal are on the cusp of becoming Firsts. They are training together all three and Sephiroth gets fustrated with Genesis’s form, his lack of adherence to direction and order. He ends up yelling that Genesis has no place as a first class soldier, that he is a disgrace to the rank of soldier.

Angeal stops moving and goes to look fearfully at Gen. he expects silence and unblinking anger, but there’s a woosh sound and as he finally looks over he sees Sephiroth’s head has snapped to the side and a deep cut trickles blood on his cheek bone.

Gen isn’t breathing heavy. Hes not yelling or getting in Sephs face. Angeal isn’t even sure Genesis has registered his own movement. But his eyes are fire. His posture is what it had been that day Angeal had questioned his ability too, but he’d never struck Angeal. Genesis never would strike Angeal, he knows that. Gen is many things but he’s not that…

Sephiroth puts his hand to his cheek and sees the blood, notices that the strike has sliced hair from his bangs. Seph is in shock, because in all the time they’ve been training Genesis has never gotten a hit on him like that. NOBODY has ever gotten a hit on him like that except Hojo, and that is only because it would be more then Sephs life was worth to fight the man back.

He starts shaking. Genesis stares at him in silent unrelenting rage and says “How weak I must be. To make a God bleed.” And then turns and leaves.

The first time Zack ever sees Genesis Rage, it isn’t directed at him. Its in Wutai and technically Zack wasn’t even part of Gens company; he was part of Angeals. Except Angeals been Cut down, and Sephiroth is further up the battlefield cutting a way through the lines of soldiers.

Genesis watches Angeal go down. He watches Zack knee slide towards the man and pack his wound as the Medic struggles to get to them.

Zack sees Genesis face Angeal’s would be executioner. He watches him cut down the man with brutal efficiency that would give post Nibelheim Sephiroth a run for his money. He tries to keep up with the swing of Rapier, but suddenly the battles over and Angeals been taken off his hands and Genesis is stood above a sea of bodies.

Zack sees Sephiroth come towards them. He sees him check on Angeal, watches his Mentor grab Sephs hand and pull him down to tell him something from the stretcher. He watches Sephiroth nod and move to Genesis, placing a hand on the man’s cheek to clean the blood that’s flecked there.

And there the two of them stand.

The demon of Wutai and his angel of death. Beautiful in their terribleness.

Zack thinks later, when Genesis has deserted that Shinra does not have a clue what they have unleashed.

Zack KNOWS after Nibelheim that it is only by the grace of Gaia that Genesis and Sephiroth did not choose to inflict their rage together.

Cloud knows upon seeing Genesis rage after the events of AC that it is only by the Grace of Genesis himself that they do not fall to his mercy. Sephiroth will always be the distroyer of worlds. But Genesis has true potential to be a vengful god.

[altocat]

do you think current sephiroth is more evil then hojo

It depends on how you're ranking sadism.

Sephiroth's brand of malicious sadism is because he feels justified in acting in such a way. He believes himself to be the hero of his own story. If he wants to be nasty and manipulative, well it's everyone else's fault for getting in his way. They started this by making a monster. This planet is HIS and he'll be as awful and spiteful and violent as he pleases to get what he wants. It's his birthright.

Hojo is sadistic because he personally enjoys it. His flavor of evil is all to satisfy his own dark urges or curiosities. He doesn't see this as being a net good for the planet, nor does he want to rule the world. He just wants to see what will happen. It's the "some men just want to watch the world burn" sorta gig. He does what he wants because it feels good and he likes it.

[izunias-meme-hole]

Top 15 Final Fantasy Villains

(In My Opinion)

Number 1. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII) - Sephiroth is one of the hardest bosses in gaming and a genuine horror villain. He is a tragic monster born from science, and a loyal “son” fo his alien mother, Jenova, but he’s still scary as hell thanks to his god complex, unlimited strength, ethereal vibes, years of experience, his ability to live off of pure spite just so he can make the lives of his enemies (and Cloud) complete hell. His appearance in of itself is creepy due to how beautiful, yet unsettling it is, thanks to his silver hair, green snake-like eyes, and perfect physique which is complimented by a black coat. However the most dangerous things about him are that he’s completely delusional, his strength is unmatched, and just how far he’s willing to go to distort other peoples sense reality, specifically Cloud’s sense of reality. Sephiroth a tragic character and a phenomenal villain.

Number 2. Kefka (Final Fantasy VI) - Were it not for Sephiroth’s existence, and the fact that this clown’s debut game being at the end of an era, Kefka would definitely be number 1 on here, and get more respect. Aside from that, Kefka is basically what Majora is to the Zelda series. A completely insane, and legitimately funny villain with a desire to destroy everything, however the difference is that Kefka is a mere jester with magic powers that became god! Plus he actually did send the world into ruin, but because of a little group of heros with hope, he was utterly defeated. So while Sephiroth is indeed ethereal, delusional as hell, and a horrifying nemesis, Kefka is the better manifestation of the pure unadulterated evil a person can bring, with the right tools.

Number 3. Ardyn (Final Fantasy XV) - Ardyn Lucis “Izunia” Caelum is the near perfect mixture between Sephiroth and Kefka in a way. He’s got the same “funny man wants to watch the world burn” vibes like Kefka, but he’s also a creepy, vengeful, tragic, and very personal villain, much like Sephiroth. Ardyn was once a messiah, a healer who was going to become a king, before he was betrayed by his brother, Somnus, and the gods, and cursed to be made immortal via daemons. So after centuries of imprisonment, he decides to take revenge upon his own kin, AND the gods. A simple motive, but in all honesty the amount of trolling he does in order to achieve  it, is truly gut wrenching sometimes, and it gives you the motivation to plunge your blade into his chest, but at the same time… you kinda feel slightly bad while doing it too for some reason. He's a villain that you love, hate, and pity in the end.

Number 4. Kuja (Final Fantasy IX) - Kuja is one of the more unique Final Fantasy villains because of his personality. He’s a narcissist that wants to destory, which isn’t new for most JRPG villains, but he’s also flamboyant as hell, and talks as if he’s in some kind of play where the world is his stage. He isn’t funny like Kefka, nor is he as intimidating as Sephiroth, but you can feel that wasn’t the route the writers were taking with his character. If anything he’s a pitiable, destructive, and flamboyant narcissist, but the Dissida series expands upon his character a lot in a way that kinda gets you hooked. So yeah, Kuja is unique alright.

Number 5. Ultimecia (Final Fantasy VIII) - This time manipulating witch is all style over substance, but god damn her style is really terrifying. She also has quite the presence, much like Sephiroth before her, so its not like she's sitting on her ass all day.

Number 6. Professor Hojo (Final Fantasy VII) - Wow, another FFVII villain, and it's Sephiroth's piece of shit mad scientist dad, Professor Hojo. This walking mass of complexes is a perfect example of the "Greater-Scope Villain." Never taking away from the Big Bad's spotlight, yet is responsible for almost half of the shit in the narrative. Though responsible for many things, his most noticeable crimes against nature were his experiments with Jenova, and the creation of Sephiroth, whom he also experimented on throughout his whole life. Pretty easy to see why Sephiroth was doomed from the start.

Number 7. Vayne Solidor (Final Fantasy XII) - A politician who wants to give the freedom of choice back to man, and preserve his family’s status and power. Those were Vayne’s end goals, and his personality is that of the ideal of a politician. He’s charismatic, ruthless, and levelheaded, so he’s surprisingly one of the more sane Final Fantasy villains too, but that doesn’t mean he’s the least evil.

Number 8. Garland/Chaos (Final Fantasy) - The first man to go by the title of Chaos. Jack Garland was seemingly a generic princess kidnapping video game villain, and he was the first boss in the first game. Granted he did have a small bit of backstory that explains that he was a former knight of Corneria who went mad, and wanted world dominations, but it wasn't enough at the moment. A couple of hours of gameplay later, along with some buildup of the entity known as "Chaos," we find out that Garland IS Chaos, and has practically made himself immortal thanks to a time loop he created with the Four Fiends, whom he sent into the future. Granted he's still a very simple antagonist if we're talking about goals, but in terms of how he went about it, he set up a standard for other villains in the series to surpass.

Number 9. Exdeath (Final Fantasy V) - Raw menace, ham and cheese, presence, permanently killing one of the main characters, and THE VOID. Exdeath was just a delightfully evil bastard, and it's all explained by him literally just being all of the evil in the universe that was sealed inside of a tree of all things. Bro really was "born evil."

Number 10. Rufus Shinra (Final Fantasy VII) - This man is the literal definition of a "Magnificent Bastard." Calm in almost every given situation, legitimately intelligent and level headed, smug as shit, and has the occasional "pet the dog" moments. Rufus Shinra pretty much has it all.

Number 11. Emet-Selch (Final Fantasy XIV) - He has gone by several names, led two empires, and lived thousands of lives, one of the most prominent antagonists in the entire game, but this man will forever be known as Emet-Selch, a.k.a Hades and Solus Soz Galvus. While he never appeared onscreen at first, we did know him as the founder of the Garlean Empire, and the emperor in the first 2 parts of the game, until we saw him in the flesh in Stormblood and Shadowbringers, and good lord he's surprisingly good. He does share some of Ardyn’s vibes, but compared to that glorious troll, Emet acts like a worn out and bitter old man, which is very fitting when you remember that he constantly reflects upon his great his old life was, and lived in a replica of his former home with the souls of his fallen comrades. Jesus Christ, no wonder his real name is Hades, the man is constantly surrounded by the dead in both a literal and metaphorical sense. Compared to the top picks he isn’t that great, but considering how well done he actually is, in-spite of how much people kinda oversell him, this is a decent placement.

Number 12. Sin (Final Fantasy X) - Ever wanted to see Jaws in a Final Fantasy game? Well that's what Sin was. Granted, it’s goddamn terrifying, unforgettable, and moves the plot, but it doesn’t really have much to it outside of being this eldirch whale monster that was created to destroy. Still it makes the goddamn most out of what it is.

Number 13. Ultima (Final Fantasy XVI) - Oh god where do I begin? There's a great amount of stuff that the writers of this great game got right when deciding to make their main villain a literal eldritch god, and he's honestly fascinating in some areas. His buildup is similar to Sephiroth's, his terror level is 100% its own thing that's worthy of him, and good god the way he operates is honestly something to behold. Yet he falls off the mark in a lot of ways. He isn't a bad villain, and honestly is overhated sometimes, but good god a fair amount of potential was missed.

Number 14. Golbez (Final Fantasy IV) - The first Darth Vader expy of the series, and goddamn he’s surprisingly good. Keyword good, not great.

Number 15. Caius Ballad (Final Fantasy XIII-2) - Another tragic immortal, however this one is a former time traveling protector. My thoughts on this guy are mixed. On one hand, as the main antagonist of FF XIII-2, he's great on a lot of angles. On the other hand he, much like half of the FF XIII trilogy's cast, suffer heavily from its writing. Still, his stripes aren't unearned.

[strelitzia-mystery1097]

Cloud's memories

*spoilers for FF7 Rebirth and other FF7 stuff*

So something I see is this debate regarding Cloud's memories of being Zack. Are those actually Zack's memories that he absorbed or did Cloud make them up?

There's several points to be made in either argument.

Let's go through them.

(Also if I miss something then comment it!)

Okay...

So let's start with the accuracy of these memories. Well outside of the elephant Cloud in the room. What I mean is are the events and conversations taking place one for one comparisons? Especially for the stuff Infantryman Cloud wasn't there for.

Comparing FF7 OG with Crisis Core, most of the scenes are same or similar. Even the memories real Cloud wasn't present for are accurate-

With only one glaring difference. Genesis.

Even back when we first get to Nibelheim, Zack gets an extra line when Sephiroth walks off with Zack saying "Sephiroth's mother's name is Jenova? Hmm...?" to himself. He has this line because Zack already has heard this name earlier in the game due to this Genesis plot when in the OG, 'Cloud' had never heard of Jenova.

And then later on, Genesis shows up in the Reactor and straight up just tells Sephiroth about the stuff in the Shinra Manor.

This is something that isn't in 'Cloud's' version.

While the irl reason why 'Cloud' doesn't is because Genesis didn't exist. He was created for Crisis Core.

But we want an in-universe reason!

What's interesting is that in Rebirth, the valve thing requires you to leave the room and when you come back in Sephiroth is all angry and it feels like that a scene was kinda missing, which vaguely implies that the Genesis happened.

So overall these memories are fairly accurate with one or two glaring exceptions.

That's the evidence from the Nibelheim incident.

So let's go into some of the big arguments for either side.

-Did Zack tell Cloud about these events?

Most people who don't think that Cloud has Zack's memories say that Zack probably told Cloud and skipped over the Genesis stuff. I can't deny that with them being on the road for a year that Zack probably rambled to the mako comatosed Cloud. Zack talks a lot in general. Zack could of also have talked to Cloud during the week Sephiroth spent in the library.

But would Zack actually do that?

Yeah he talks a lot, but in Crisis Core, despite being a pretty open person, by Nibelheim Zack is little more careful.

Remember he tries to stop Genesis from telling Sephiroth about Jenova. He's supposed to be friendly to Sephiroth and is like a friend, but kept his own suspicion, deductions, and information from Sephiroth. And he was right to because well... Sephiroth did go insane.

Also when he sees Cissnei after Nibelheim he's guarded and doesn't explain what happened to him beyond the bare minimum.

Angeal's death, the Nibelheim incident, being experimented with Cloud by Hojo, and other traumatic events seem to eat Zack tends to deal with internally. Outside of crying at Aerith's Church, he doesn't seem to cope very well with what's happened.

Like when Zack has his talk with Cloud at Nibelheim. That's the probably the closest we see Zack actually talking about his issues.

"I'm sensing some issues here…shouldn't you do something? I'm one to talk… I'm with SOLDIER, so… …fighting's all I do. Sorting things out is someone else's job. What's going on? Who's the enemy? It makes no difference to me!"

And Cloud snaps Zack out of his moment of anger with accidentally reminding him of Angeal.

Zack does 'dreams and honour trademark' before saying thanks to Cloud and going to sleep, leaving Cloud very confused. He doesn't really understand what Zack means about SOLDIER being a den of monsters either. Zack doesn't really explain it.

And as for Zack telling him on their year on the run to Midgar...

I also doubt. Zack talks about Aerith and becoming a mercenary and all that, but the way he talks about it isn't very... deep? Like this isn't Zack pouring his heart out to Cloud. He's just treating this as normally as possible and trying to be upbeat.

Also I kinda doubt how much Cloud was actually aware during being all mako overdosed. Like he was gaining awareness and able to move only after a year. Maybe if Zack talked about the Nibelheim incident, mako comatosed Cloud on a subconscious level could be listening to Zack and develop the narrative in his head of what happened to Zack, but I'm not sure about it.

Moving on!

-Cloud and Tifa.

When Cloud got to Midgar he was... empty for lack of a better word. He acted a lot like a Sephiroth Clone with the groaning and such (look at Ever Crisis or OG FF7 scene if you don't know what I'm going on about).

But when Tifa ran into him, he was able to remember being Cloud and his mind frantically created his persona.

In FF7 OG Sephiroth at the Northern Crater mixed lies and truth together to break Cloud. One thing that stood out to me was that he claimed that he only thought he was Cloud because of his Jenova Cells being shaped by Tifa's memories of Cloud.

And I think that's true to a degree. If Tifa never found Cloud by the train station, I don't think he would of been able to snap out of it and remember being Cloud.

And in Rebrith Sephiroth keeps going on about Jenova's abilities and how she can become anyone. Add that with what Ilfana says in the OG about how Jenova could take the form of the Cetra's deceased and loved ones-

And I think that Cloud, or at least his persona was influenced by Tifa. She remembered Cloud as a loner that was happy by himself and started fights that wanted to be a SOLDIER and promised to protect her, and so that became a big part of his SOLDIER persona.

So why couldn't Cloud absorb or be influenced by Zack. Maybe the reason he doesn't remember Genesis if he has Zack's memories is because it doesn't fit the narrative Cloud has created therefore, it's just cut out.

...

Also I didn't know where to fit this in, but when we get to Gongaga in Rebirth, Cloud gets dejavu. It reminds me of Sephiroth getting dejavu in Nibelheim.

...

Okay I will admit I am bias in this argument (I believe that Cloud absorbed Zack's memories. I find Cloud copying Zack's mannerisms, words and other things to be too close to be a coincidence).

So if you have a great argument on the other point of the argument then please tell me. I am genuinely curious to hear other's perspectives on this.

[chocobochaserstories]

Shinra Executive Omegaverse Headcanons

Believe it or not, despite how I’ve called Hojo a greasy creep, I actually don’t hate him as much as I portray, and characters that I like I tend to torment. I won’t disagree with the fact that Hojo has done some messed up things, but hey, he’s an antagonist, isn’t that his job? Plus, come on, the villains are more fun to play with. Also, I know I forgot Palmer. I didn’t want to write him since A) I don’t really care for him all that much and B) I just didn’t really have any major ideas for him. Edit since writing Hojo’s part: Well, I really decided to not to be nice to him. Characters: Scarlet, Hojo, Reeve, Heidegger,

Scarlet

Scarlet is an Alpha

Scarlet prefers to keep the company of omega workers as her pheromones are more effective at keeping her workers on a tight leash.

This logic also applies to SOLDIERs and infantry, so for example she prefers her footstools to be omegas because she finds them easier to mold into being submissive

Scarlet is not bonded, nor does she plan to be (She claims it’s because she finds mates to be a waste of time, but really it’s because she’s too emotionally reserved to allow herself to let herself be open with another person)

She’s had omegas dedicated to blowing off steam, but she doesn’t know any of their names or remember any of them all that well since she really only wanted them for one purpose.

Scarlet also does not want pups, nor does she like them. She thinks children are messy, temperamental, and obnoxious.

This means she’s also particular about the ages of her employees and often won’t hire anyone under 21-22 (age of mature heat cycles, see Omega Heat Cycle A+P) to avoid any residual pup traits or habits that omegas can carry through their adolescent years. She just doesn’t have the patience.

Hojo

Hojo is a beta… or was.

This also spurred on his research in the field of secondary genders, and what lead him to genetically alter Sephiroth to be a guaranteed alpha, as Lucrecia didn’t actually carry the trait to produce an alpha pup.

Hojo spent so much of his life feeling inferior to Alphas, so he worked hard to prove himself and establish himself in the field of science and research… even if it meant sacrificing his morals and some of his sanity.

If Vincent didn’t annoy him enough before, Vincent being an alpha was definitely the pain in the ass he didn’t want to deal with, or in his workaholic frenzy, have time to deal with.

He also felt the insecurity that Vincent would somehow take Lucrecia from him, given how close she became with her bodyguard and the fact that he’s a workaholic, plus it’s natural for an omega to prefer an alpha.

Haven’t decided yet who did it, but I like the idea that Hojo got bitched, leaning on Scarlet probably did it, getting fed up with the beta’s shit and decided to “teach him a lesson” and “shut him up”.

As you can imagine… Hojo becoming an Omega doesn’t go over well with the scientist, plus with his thought process he believed he could outshine even an alpha if he worked hard enough. That drive consumed him, and he truly looked down on omegas and honestly began to think of them as an inferior race, which isn’t true.

His first heat cycle was brutal.

Something you have to realize, natural born omegas have their reproductive anatomy developed over a period of nearly ten years (see Heat Cycle A+P post), so you can imagine that a body speedrunning that process… it’s not exactly pretty. Plus given the fact that bitching can literally remold bone, not fun.

Heidegger

A no-nonsense alpha. 

He’s pretty closed off, stoic, doesn’t really show the touchy-feely side of himself. I mean, he’s an accomplished general, and I assume he’s got an extensive military resume considering where he stands in Shinra.

Heidegger knows how to channel the aggression and volatility that come with being an Alpha, and that means he knows how to be assertive and control a situation. 

Alphas are generally natural born leaders, and Heidegger’s no exception. 

He’s also the definition of burly, the man is built like a pirate captain. 

Heidegger is also the alpha that for whatever reason decided to have Hojo’s back after his incident. Maybe it was because they already had a level of trust, maybe he had feelings he hadn’t acknowledged, maybe it was instinctive, who knows. Not even Heidegger himself really knows.

He clashes with Scarlet often, given that Scarlet is the only other alpha on the Shinra Executives Board after the death of Shinra Senior, since Rufus and Reeve are omegas and Hojo is beta turned omega. 

Alpha vs Alpha is already a messy construct, given you have two very dominant forces going at each other, and then you have two powerful alphas who already don’t always get along because they clash. Yes, they work well together when they have a common goal, but when they don’t… They do their best to stay far apart and just respect each other’s territories like a pair of feral cats.

Reeve

Reeve is an omega.

Reeve has a maternal drive, and cares deeply about others, but he isn’t mated, nor does he have pups, though he doesn’t necessarily not want pups, he just realizes that with his job he doesn’t really have time to spend with pups the way he would want to.

Because Reeve grew up in the country, he wasn’t used to the struggles that omegas face in the big cities like Midgar.

His caring, gentle nature extends to the people of Midgar, and while he originally came to the city due to his role in its design and construction, plus the engineering and mechanical opportunities he had in the city, he truly does care for the wellbeing of Midgar.

His Inspire nature grants him a little comfort because while he doesn’t have time for pups like he wishes, he can dedicate love and care into the creation of the Cait Sith dolls/robots he controls, which at least partially fulfills his maternal nature. 

Reeve doesn’t forgive Hojo for anything, but he does sympathize with the beta turned Omega and offers help, which Hojo ultimately declines, finding Reeve to be “too soft”.

Reeve’s kindness and earnest nature give him a true omega “behavior profile”.

Also cute little fun idea: Reeve enjoys nesting and will enjoy taking his laptop to work on his work in his nest. He also always includes his mother’s sewing work in his nest, especially her handkerchiefs. They’re his favorite.

[bardic-tales]

It's now 3: 19 am, and I still can't sleep. As always, this means that I'm going to share the other half of the quotes of Crisis Core that has inspired these headcanons.

Sometimes, when my husband and I reply through the game we talk about how Bianca would react to this or that. One topic that always comes up is Angeal's quote: "What do angels dream of?". Bianca would have a very different react to this bit of dialogue.

Content Warnings: Abuse, body horror, existential crisis, experimentation, mental health struggles, religious trauma, self-loathing, societal rejection, themes of destruction.

source: imdb

Bianca’s perspective on existence is deeply tied to her identity as a hybrid of celestial and demonic origins. She resents both. Unlike the idealized notion of angels striving for humanity, Bianca sees no place for herself in either realm. Her human experiences are tainted by the rejection she faced due to her celestial origins, and her demonic heritage binds her to chaos and destruction. She curses the duality of her nature, which she feels only leads to suffering: her suffering and pain.

When humans first discovered she was part angel, they looked to her as a divine messenger: a being that could bridge the gap between humanity and the divine. But as soon as her Creator failed to answer their prayers through her, as the Creator is absent from the dimensions they birthed, humanity turned on her and used her as a scapegoat for their inability to understand the greater cosmic forces at play. This betrayal left her deeply scarred, fostering a hatred of human expectations and the idea of being a pawn in divine schemes.

Her captured by Shinra only deepened her self-loathing. Hojo's experiments, particularly the Project N (Project Nephilim), sought to exploit her hybrid nature by introducing Jenova and S-cells into her blood. These experiments were designed to see if her celestial blood could be fused with Jenova's, which would grant her unimaginable power on what she already possessed and help the SOLDIER program. While Project N was ongoing, she was experimented on by Diana Ravenscroft as a way to unlock the secrets of immortality, to prevent or cure life-threatening illnesses which plagued humanity.

But the result was far from empowering. Instead, it left Bianca feeling even more alienated and emotionally volatile, as her body fought between three irreconcilable forces: the celestial, the demonic, and the corrupted influence of Jenova. This process twisted her essence, amplifying the chaos within her and further obscuring her sense of self, as her demonic blood overpowered and corrupted the celestial essence within her. Her experiments were a constant reminder of her hybrid nature, a painful fusion of two forces that only led to torment. It was amid this agony that her opinion hardened - her heritage was a curse.

source: gamerant

While Angeal asks, “What do angels dream of?” and answers with the idea of angels yearning to be human, Bianca’s response would be the opposite. She dreams of escaping both her celestial and demonic origins, of ceasing to be a symbol of either side’s exploitation. Bianca does not dream of humanity. Humanity abandoned her, and angels have forsaken her, leaving her in the abyss between two worlds. Although she is entitled to ‘retire’ to the Celestial Realm when she tires of the mortal realm and Asmodeus wishes to use her for the prophecy surrounded her birth, Bianca is unwanted by the celestials and the infernal dominion.

In her mind, her existence is a blight upon the world—a cursed gift from her Creator. She is neither angel nor demon, but something far worse—a being that does not belong in either realm. Like Aerith, Bianca is the only one left of her kind: a Nephilim born of the union between angel and demon. She curses the very essence of her birth, and it is this curse that drives her toward her ultimate goal: the destruction and rebirth of the omniverse. Her plans to bring about a kilonova, wiping out all existence to start anew, stem from the desire to escape the confines of her existence, to erase the past that created her and the pain that shaped both her and Sephiroth, and to forge a future free from the limitations imposed upon her by her hybrid nature.

In the end, Bianca’s struggle is not about longing for the humanity she was denied or the purity of angelic ideals. It’s about rejecting both as false promises. What she truly seeks is freedom from the legacy of her origins—freedom from the chains that bind her to celestial, demonic, and human expectations. Her embrace of Sephiroth’s vision of destruction and rebirth is a rejection of all the forces that sought to use her, and through the coming kilonova, she seeks to tear it all down and build something entirely different—something beyond angels, demons, and mortals alike. It will be a place where the children she manifested into reality, Sephiroth, and those like them can thrive.

[flowerwiththemachinegun]

I CAN NOT WAIT FOR YOU RAINY DAY HC!!! IM CHOMPING AT THE BIT....

THE last anxiety H/C soothed my DNA beyond...I JUST CAN NOT WAIT..

Ok listen know this is a weird one but...your last Hojo got me REALLY thinking him as a person...does that man get any physical contact/needs etc. *wink wink* I'm GENUINELY curious...I figured men like that don't even process those thoughts because...brain focus is elsewhere...I always figured he'd consider an act like that dirty/beneath him or even "a thing for the common man/test subject" ...you can totally dedicate a separate ask just for this one because I have a feeling we're gonna deep dive on this one.

Nsfw.

And your feeling was absolutely correct! I am gonna deep dive on Hojo and fucking. I recently made all of the homies sick with Hojo. First I'll keep it sfw.

Cuddling? Hugs? General affection? Very below him. Might allow you to be touchy with him at times, he won't engage the same sort of affection. If you really want to cuddle he'll let you curl up beside him at times. Throws an arm around you subconsciously and claims he was just trying to adjust his position. If you come and lay down on top of him, he'll let out a heavy sigh but he's not going to move nor is he going to ask you to move. I'd say he would tolerate physical affection but it's not much of his thing. There was a meme that went "Trying to comfort the homies life" and it's someone patting their friends shoulder with a broom stick while hiding behind a door frame. It's giving Hojo.

I can't see Hojo as being completely uninterested in sex. I say he definitely fucks. The Costa Del Sol chicks?? Nobody can tell me he wasn't fondling them. idc idc. Lucrecia, yes yes I know it was for experimentation but he was probably hitting the fuck out of her from the back on a regular. Look at her! I don't see him having sex often but I do see him very occasionally indulging himself. I kind of doubt sex is beneath him, it's a natural function of the human body after all and he's a man of science. Hojo, in my eyes, probably has a breeding kink. (hope you don't mind the tag) @h0jos-f4vorite-t3stsubject got me thinking about a birthing kink with Hojo as well. He's probably bred way more experiments than we can imagine. Hojo fucks in the name of science. Anyways, he doesn't feel as though it's a necessity, just something he'll do from time to time.

[felixcloud6288]

Higurashi: Festival Accompanying Chapter 9

Hey look! The protagonists are coming back to the story!

I was curious about Satoko's last name and relation to Teppei. Turns out Hojo is just the latest in a long line of last names she's been given due to her mother frequently divorcing and remarrying. Meanwhile, Teppei isn't a blood relative. He's her step-uncle.

I think this drawing is Satoko's mother in a wedding dress. She probably has come to hate seeing her in that dress because it means the cycle of marriage and divorce has started over.

First thing's first, we're given a recap about Rika and her Queen Carrier status in the village. I don't think we ever learn how the research came up with that idea or how they determined Rika is the queen. Also, if it does exist, how does transferal between generations happen? Was Rika's mom the former queen and that queen had an offspring that infected Rika at birth and then abdicated its status?

Of course, the more likely reason for the village's behavior around Rika is that she actually is Oyashiro-sama incarnate.

A year later, Irie is still guilty about what he did and Takano is still as unbothered as ever. The only reason I think Irie hasn't reported Takano's behavior to Tomitake and Tokyo is because he'll likely be tried for killing someone during the research. Takano probably wouldn't be so open about discussing vivisections if inspector Tomitake were around.

Irie wanted to be a doctor to help people. And he specifically went into neurosciences to help people with mental illnesses. He started in the field of psychosurgery but was kicked out of academia due to the grave ethical concerns surrounding its methodology. This is his great second chance, but he killed someone for it.

He seems to look at Satoshi as another chance to prove to himself that he can be a doctor who can save someone. Irie is powerless to cure the festering wounds from the Dam War, and he is powerless to fix the Hojo's family circumstances, but he can at least give Satoshi some relief from everything and provide him some relief.

Massacre is the only time I recall where the village treating the Hojos as pariahs was ever really brought up or shown. I recall a scene in the anime where Satoko dropped her groceries and no one offered to help until Rika did, but there's never really anything that comes across as even passive-aggressive behavior from the villagers.

The introductory scene with Satoshi is the first time I think I've ever seen any villagers being openly hostile to a Hojo. The Dam War is still fresh in everyone's minds, so tempers are still high. In a few years, that anger will turn into sadness, shame, and fear.

Since this chapter is from Irie's perspective, I was afraid the first time he met Satoko would be accompanied by a shojo filter and the sound of an angelic chorus. But thankfully, he isn't being a creep...yet.

I just love seeing Satoshi smile. It genuinely makes me upset that all of Irie's efforts to improve his life are going to end up lost because of the aftermath of his parents' deaths.

The more these cases progress, the more and more Takano shows how unhinged she is. When she approached Irie about Satoko's condition, she started by giving him a serious status report. And then she got giddy at the idea that they now had another specimen to dissect.

She's not even trying to give a justification this time. She's not suggesting this will advance their research, nor that Satoko has done anything to deserve this. Takano's only reason is Satoko will die anyway so they might as well get some data before then.

Some quick thoughts on how Hinamizawa Syndrome works, particularly the throat scratching thing. One detail brought up a few times is the pathogen cannot be found in a dead body. They were only able to find the pathogen by dissecting the 1979 murder ringleader while he was alive. So even though this is an internal parasite, it has some way to quickly escape the body after its host dies.

Maybe the throat scratching thing is a method the pathogen uses to perform an emergency escape. It treats high stress as a sign the host is about to be killed, and it responds by amplifying the stress levels and inflaming the lymph nodes in the throat to make the host scratch at it. By combining the increased blood pressure from the host's stress response and them ripping their throat out, the pathogen can make a fast escape through the blood vessels and out of the host body.

But I have no idea what happens next. So much of this brain parasite stuff is fantastical to the point it feels more like some weird curse magic. The whole "It vanishes when the host dies" thing is such a bizarre thing and Irie actually having to dissect a person's brain to find the pathogen means it does not travel through the body at all. Otherwise, they likely would have found it from blood samples.

Y'know what you should do Irie? Get on the phone with Tomitake and report Takano's behavior to the board at "Tokyo".

NIPA BEAM!!!

back

[rottenpumpkin13]

Sephiroth grows his wing, but it's a slow and painful process.

Angst opportunity let's go

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

He first sensed something amiss at age twelve, when his right shoulder blade started itching one morning. At first, it was just a minor annoyance, a mild itch he could easily ignore. By that afternoon he found himself constantly contorting his arm, scratching his shoulder blade through his uniform. The sensation grew more insistent each passing day. He had to hide his discomfort from Hojo, knowing the man might resort to drastic measures with unnecessary surgical procedures to uncover the source of the problem.

In hindsight, digging into his skin to find the root cause might have been a mercy. By the time he turned thirteen, the itch had evolved into a persistent, dull ache, still tinged with that maddening itchiness. He started taking longer showers, hoping the cold water cascading over his shoulder blade would offer some relief from the strange sensation. Perhaps it was because of his age and changing body that Hojo didn’t question his prolonged showers. The cold water offered a relief from the relentless discomfort that had sunk itself into his daily reality, permeating every moment as he became more and more aware of the problem.

By age fourteen, the pain had intensified into a constant, throbbing agony. Mornings were the worst—he woke up aching, unable to share his distress with Hojo, fearing the man’s brutal methods. Asking for medicine was out of the question unless he wanted an invasive examination to be conducted, so he turned to books and medical texts, desperately searching for answers that seemingly did not exist.

The pain escalated as he turned fifteen, and a new, unsettling development emerged. Fortunately, he now had friends to confide in.

"It definitely looks like a bone," Genesis observed skeptically, brushing his finger over the small nub on Sephiroth's shoulder blade, which seemed on the verge of breaking through the skin.

Sephiroth sat shirtless on a cot in the command tent, Genesis behind him, with Angeal peering over his shoulder, both of them assessing the wound—if he could even call it that.

"Does it hurt when I press it?" Genesis asked before applying said pressure with his thumb.

"Ow!" Sephiroth hissed with a sharp intake of breath, his left hand shooting across his chest and instinctively grabbing at the nub. "Yes."

"Gen!" Angeal reprimanded, swiftly moving to gently remove the redhead's hands from Sephiroth's back.

"What?" Genesis protested splaying his hands defensively. "I'm just ensuring it's not serious. Pain often signals underlying issues, you know."

Angeal's response was an exasperated sigh as he shooed Genesis from the cot. "Okay, Dr. Rhapsodos, put a sock in it." He sat down in his place. "Let me have a look."

Though Sephiroth couldn't see Angeal's expression, he could sense his apprehension. Angeal, a stickler for rules, was clearly concerned about the implications of probing into Sephiroth's potential injury, especially given how "precious" he was to the program.

"What if it's fractured?" Angeal suggested, his gentle fingers dragging around the nub. "I've seen fractures before, and they can cause protrusions like this. It needs proper treatment."

Sephiroth reiterated that it wasn't bone protruding, explaining it was a chronic issue he'd managed for three years now. Their lack of a solution left Sephiroth with no choice but to endure it. He swallowed the pain medication they offered him and returned to the battlefield. In war, weaknesses were a luxury they couldn't afford.

At age sixteen, it had broken through his skin—a black nub, adding to the enigma as neither he nor his friends could offer any explanation. Sephiroth took to avoiding public showers and keeping his shirt on whenever possible. He anticipated the inevitable when Hojo summoned him for a full-body examination, dreading the moment when it would be revealed.

Though this time, perhaps a surgical intervention to remove it was the solution he had been seeking.

Instead, he found himself perched on one of those uncomfortable metal slab tables in Hojo's private laboratory, shirtless while the scientist scrutinized the protrusion, meticulously reviewing numerous X-rays Sephiroth had been forced into.

Each time he inquired about the anomaly, the professor responded with an unsettling silence, only expressing disappointment that Sephiroth hadn't brought it up sooner. It struck Sephiroth as eerie how casually Hojo treated the situation, as if having a foreign object piercing through his skin was common.

To his utter bewilderment, after hours of exhaustive examination, Hojo released him with a simple remark: "Everything seems to be in order.”

Sephiroth's mind went blank, his gaze fixed on the man before him, half-expecting the revelation that it was a joke—as if. Hojo was hardly one for humor. Instead, Hojo merely instructed him to leave. So Sephiroth obeyed, swallowing back the tears he was definitely too old for now.

It wasn't until he turned seventeen that he began to understand what was happening to his body. A solitary black feather sprouted from the nub.

"It's a wing," Genesis stated matter-of-factly. They were examining him, as they had done countless times before. This time, they stood in the communal showers, Angeal and Genesis observing the peculiar feather from behind him. "You're sprouting a wing," Genesis remarked, seemingly unfazed by the absurdity of the situation. "That's what's been happening."

Angeal remained silent, something he did when he wanted to agree without the need to verbalize it.

Sephiroth kept his hair draped over one shoulder. He had recently started growing it out, and found that its length proved useful in concealing the black nub when he found himself shirtless among others.

"How is this even possible?" Sephiroth mused aloud, though primarily to himself, yet Genesis seized the opportunity to respond nonetheless.

"I suppose Hojo would give you the same spiel he did about your peculiar eyes—that you're some kind of superior being, beyond the scope of mere humans..." Genesis huffed a breath of amusement. "And now, a blend of cat and bird."

Angeal's swift, wet slap against Genesis's skin prompted the redhead to retract his hands with a squeak.

"Not funny," Angeal reprimanded him before gently turning Sephiroth around. This time, he looked purposefully optimistic, his expression a mix of reassurance and determination to make everything alright. "You'll be alright," he stated simply. “If anything, think of it like an angel wing.”

For a fleeting moment, Sephiroth almost believed him, wing and all, if not for the nagging question lingering at the back of his mind: "Angel wings were white, indicating their purity. If his was black, what did that mean for him?

[silver-wield]

The thing about aerith you just shared is fascinating. If we're going with the theme of " there's nothing I don't cherish" and the complete 180° of Zack's character with aerith in terms of stereotypes of heroism.

With Zack, Cloud cries for a good person. Someone he idolized.

With Aerith, cloud cries for uh not so good person (I'm being generous here). Someone he treated severely most of the time.

But both he was grateful for. Both he cried for. Just like with anything. Like, look at how he described jessie in Rebirth. We know she didn't treat him well but in cloud's perspective he was grateful for her reaching out to him. Giving him materia, inviting him with the gang for pizza. I think once wedge told him that she's just being a prick, he ended up being more relaxed about it. But you know what's up? He doesn't think of her romantically AT ALL. Not even a prospect even for a milisecond. She's actually very similar to the way aerith was written here btw.

But yes, long story short. He cherishes everything. Good and bad. But there's only one person he'll ever come to be attracted to and in love with. Tifa obviously duh.

But yeah, like you said, she's an awful person who so happens to be one of the "good guys" in the story. If a clumsy guy can be a hero (Cloud), if the perfect hero can be a hero (Zack), if the perfect heroine can be a hero (Tifa), then, the most questionable person can also be a hero (aerith).

Lol the Sibling energy going strong here, if you noticed what I mean 😂.

But overall, It fits. It's a game with the theme of LIFE in it. We meet so many people.

So in short Nojima is challenging us through aerith to see that. Don't lavish her with flowery words nor look at her through rose tinted glasses (puns intended). LOOK AT HER. She's a POS but she got friends who care for her. She may take them for granted A LOT but she will be there to help save the planet they live in. That's one way to look at it.

But Cloti is TOO KIND still lol. So they need better boundaries and standards for friendship.

Also low key aerith reminds me of gollum here. Gollum is ACTUALLY a hero himself. And if Frodo (cloti) didn't let him into their circle, but they did due to their kindness. They will never be able to kill sauron. So Gollum, by sheer greed and all. Bit Frodo's finger, catches the ring and falls with it. So if they never let aerith into the group, welcomed her with open arms, she wouldn't have been able to do her task and see to it as much as she can. Than alone.

That was long but yeah. Sorry to aerith fans since I compared her to gollum. But it has nothing to do with his looks, just the function he has in the story. And HE IS A VERY IMPORTANT CHARACTER.

That's what I think. What's interesting tho is at least Cloud has the interest and self awareness of knowing he doesn't or does but wanting to prove he deserves Tifa. The modernized Yamato Nadeshiko. Meanwhile aerith is the complete opposite. She just believes she's entitled to it regardless. Zack has uh, an interesting type I'd say. It cringes me he's into "city mouse" but notice the animal she's being compared to lmao. Tbh they're kind of the same in one aspect not only their upbeat personality. Zack would never bat an eye on her if she didn't had the same complexity she had with being weird and different. Same with aerith, she'd never care at all. This will never apply to cloud even if he ends up being a soldier, because he wants to be special afterall, he will never understand aerith and zack's insecurities. But Zack doesn't think being a soldier is special, he feels like a monster but still he wants to be a hero.

I mean nobody has any issues with Cait Sith, a literal Shinra spy, being a good guy. Nobody has issues with Vincent, a former turk who probably did a lot of questionable shit, being a good guy.

Cid also worked for Shinra and knew Ifalna and never tried to help her despite seeing her around Hojo's lab, but he's a good guy.

Everybody is a flawed hero, but Aerith's flaws are worse because hers cause harm to her own friends. Everybody else's personality flaws are external in nature and project outward towards other characters who aren't part of their group, but Aerith and Cait Sith's flaws project internally to the group. Cait gets ousted after betraying them and Aerith dies.

It's almost like those harmful to the greater good of the planet are removed from the party. Cait returns with a better attitude in a new robot body, but the one that betrayed them also dies.

[bathsaltsmcgee]

The Potential Main Villain of Hazbin Hotel

Okay, so as I'm sure many people have already been made aware, the brand new teaser trailer for Hazbin Hotel just dropped yesterday and, like a great many people at the time, I was absolutely over the moon with glee.

After all that time waiting for it to appear, who wouldn't be, in that situation?

So, as I was watching the teaser and thoroughly enjoying myself, I noticed that there was a new character who appeared in the trailer that instantly set off all of my alarm bells.

Now, just so we're clear here, I love villains. I love to watch villains. I love to write villains. Stories need villains to function far more than they need their heroes, and a story without a good villain isn't much of a story at all.

Villains are what get stories started. Villains are who propel the narrative along, and villains are the only reasons the heroes get off their collective couches and retaliate to whatever it was that the villain just did. If there wasn't a villain, then why would the heroes need to be heroes?

Food for thought.

Furthermore, I've never been one for the 'Oh, let's redeem the villain and have them go through an arc where they learn valuable life lessons and become a better person' stories. Those characters, while valid in their own way, aren't true villains. Those are characters who made bad decisions and did questionable things that were not great. Mind you, I'm not saying they're good people, either. They're not. In fact, they can be downright awful, cruel, vicious, dangerous and antagonistic, but they aren't what I view to be true villains.

Villains, to put it bluntly, are not redeemable.

For instance, Sephiroth is not who I would view to be the true villain of FFVII.

Is he dangerous?

Yes.

Is he a threat?

Also, yes.

Is he an overwhelming antagonistic force that threatens to destroy everyone and everything in his path and has the power to bring about the end of creation?

Without question, yes, to all of that.

But is he the real villain of FFVII?

No.

Hojo is.

True villains are completely bereft of any sort of redeeming qualities at all. They're not the sort of character that can illicit pity from the audience. They just can't be felt sorry for. They are evil, depraved, monstrous, cruel, self-serving, conniving, often violent and manipulative, and there's no possible way to excuse what they do, for there's simply no excuse for it. That's not the point of a villain. Villains don't care about morality, nor have they ever. Villains do what they do because they want to do it, not because someone else is influencing their actions, or they had a sad backstory, or whatever. A villain does is whatever they want simply because they want to, and heaven help the person who tries to stop them or get in their way.

That's a villain.

Sure, they can be entertaining in a way, but at the end of the day, never let it be forgotten that they're soulless monsters who delight in using others and feeding off their misery, mainly because it fuels their primary personal motivation, and also because they can.

Think Professor Ratigan, or the Emperor from Star Wars, or the Other Mother from Coraline.

Fun to watch, but good Lord, what pieces of unholy garbage.

That's also why watered down antagonists don't really work as primary villains in a narrative. They can be antagonistic, sure, they can be horrible and cruel and awful and icky, but they can't be the main driving force of evil in a plot.

They're just not enough of an overarching threat.

When you have a villain in fiction, you better go all in and really ramp up the evil to eleven, and the more depraved they are, the more vile, and self-serving and twisted and manipulative and evil and amoral and petty, the stronger of a threat they'll pose.

Which then brings us back to the matter of Hazbin Hotel.

So, there was this one character in the teaser trailer who looked to be of an angelic persuasion who was smiling sweetly at something, but the reflection in her eyeballs suggested that she was delighting in watching something, presumably Hell, burn to the ground.

Charming woman, isn't she?

However, as I was looking at her, she starkly reminded me of a character that had been scrapped from the 'angels and demons' arc of the original zoophobia comic on which HH is based, who went by the name of Adina.

Adina was an angelic being who allowed her own twisted perception of how sin and morality functioned to corrupt her own judgment so much, she basically drove herself right off the deep end into crazy town. She became obsessed with purging all sinful beings of their sin, for that was the only way to properly 'purify' them of their tainted spirits, and, unfortunately for all of us, that pretty much included everybody who is, or has ever been, alive.

So, she's already veering into serious Judge Frollo territory right from the get go.

Additionally, her favorite pastime is torturing people that she views to be dirty and sinful, so as to 'purge' them of their demonic ways, and she does this by having them relive every single horrible thing they've ever done, all while telling them that 'there's no mercy for the damned'.

Seriously, there's art of her doing this to Angel Dust. I'm not kidding, go look it up.

So, while IMDB says this character's name is Sera, she's giving off serious Adina energy here, which does not bode well, and if she's anything like Adina, then the Hazbin crew are going to have far more problems to worry about than just a yearly genocide.