#it's important and insightful to the way I write Seph

[onewingedxngel-moved]

Why Sephiroth is not human, and that’s Okay

So this is PART 2 of this. But you don’t have to read it to understand this one. The first one is Sephiroth’s view of things, while this one is my own as the mun.

I’ve kept this in my drafts for a while, because... I dunno, I was nervous? But whatever, fuck it, here you go, enjoy your food (or don’t). It gets personal though, so be warned about that.

All righty, after much deliberation, I decided to write this up and actually fucking publish it, regardless of if this essay was prompted or not. Because I got something to say, and to hell with it, I’m gonna say it.

You will see, in the majority of my muses, a little something I like to call ‘monster sympathy’, which is exactly what it sounds like. Either they sympathise with monsters, or they literally ARE the monster. And do you know why?

Because, as a kid, I was always able to identify better with the monsters in the stories. Yeah, even the dangerous man-eating ones. And it’s partially why I find myself relating so much to Sephiroth.

Does this sound weird as fuck? Yes? I’m not surprised, but to hell with it, I’ll continue.

I’ve always been seen as the ‘different’ one. The so-called ‘weird’ kid. And, growing up, when I was exposed to stories involving man vs monster, I always found myself sympathising with and relating to the monster, because in the weirdest of ways... that’s kind of how I felt. I felt like the ‘other’. Seeing monsters being hated and demonized just for existing and trying to survive*, by not just the stories but much of the audience themselves (so, for example, the dragon in the story of George and the dragon), and with their point of view always being left out and glossed over: it left me upset, but also, with this weird comfort. Yeah. I know how that feels.

*Granted, Seph is not ‘just trying to survive’, but he has every reason to despise humanity, and I still find myself relating since I myself dislike humanity as a whole.

(This is what led to me writing cringe fanfictions about various movie monsters in an attempt to help others see what I was trying to get across. This includes the MUTO’s, xenomorphs, the Indominus rex, and the kaiju in Pacific Rim. But that’s another story for another day.)

Now, Sephiroth is a very relatable character for me, for a MULTITUDE of reasons: but I will focus on one today. His role as the ‘other’. His role as the ‘monster’ (there are technically many monsters in FF7, but I shall focus on Sephiroth for today).

I will cite part of my favourite paragraph from my previous post pertaining to this subject:

‘Why is that [being a monster] so terrible? Why is it somehow ‘better’ to be part of the species that exploited you, hurt you, and mistreated you? Is it because it’s ‘normal’? ‘Oh no, Sephiroth, you’re not a monster, you’re human, you’re normal, you’re one of us. No, being a monster is terrible, because then, you’re different, you’re abnormal, and that’s a horrible thing to be’.’ 

You know... in a way, I can relate this. Maybe I haven’t literally been called a monster, but I’ve been called ‘weird’, ‘odd’, ‘an outlier among outliers’ (all spoken in tones that imply that being any of those things is disgusting). And, hell, in some ways, I’ve been treated like a monster too. I don’t want to go into it because then we’re gonna get all personal, and I’m not comfortable doing that yet (maybe someday), but let’s just say... it was bad. But, the point is- being any of these things is in no way a negative thing. And yet, I’ve been in so many situations where people treat my individuality like it’s a bad thing, purely because they don’t understand it.

Being a monster- being different- means that some people simply aren’t going to like you. Hell, some people may even go beyond simple dislike. But that’s no reason to cave in and try to be like everyone else, to deny your uniqueness. If anything, it’s something to embrace. Yes, be fucking different, don’t you dare change yourself or deny who you are for the sake of some small-minded conformists.

This is part of why I avoid this concept of Sephiroth being human rather than a monster. Because by insisting that he’s human, it firstly implies that in order for him to deserve being treated with respect and kindness, he can’t be different from others- he has to be like everyone else, he has to be human, because being anything other than that is so terrifying and wrong. Secondly, it implies that for him to be accepted, for everything to be okay, he needs to conform. If he embraces his differences, oh no, you’re not one of us, and if you’re not one of us, then you can’t be with us.

You know, maybe I’m taking things personally. But that’s because I’ve been through some shit, and I relate to him a lot. For me, it sounds like human=normal=good, and monster=different=bad. Like it’s something to be ashamed of and denied, not embraced and accepted.

Ultimately, the way I feel about Sephiroth is this:

Why does he have to be human? Why can’t he just be accepted?

And, for a while when I was in certain bad environments, the question I would ask myself was:

Why do I have to be ‘normal’? Why can’t I just be accepted?

(Also I am certain that like 95% of his fans wouldn’t sympathise with him if he didn’t look like a conventionally attractive human being, but instead physically resembled a monster)

#(ooc) #mun #headcanon #this... got fucking personal #and... angrier than I intended #but I had to voice my opinion #because this is VERY important to my portrayal of him #ESPECIALLY redeemed!Sephiroth #also the majority of characters I write fall under this 'different' category #not just in RP #but also in my original stories #with some it's more subtle than with others #oh God I hate getting all ~open~ about this but #it's important and insightful to the way I write Seph #and hell #the way I write almost all my stories and characters #I spent quite some time on this so if I reblog it again don't be surprised #essay #ramblings #long post #will i regret posting this? probably #oh whatever