#tht: ff: fwc

[bardic-tales]

Thirsty Thursday: Issue 1: Backstory Mirrors

For this Thirsty Thursday, I am going to share a few articles for this. The first one is a 'backstory mirror' dive that @prehistoric-creatures once asked me to come up with. I never shared it since I forgotten about it, but as I was working on their relationship, I found it again. Sorry Prehistoric. There are 10, but I'm just going to share a few.

The ones I am going to share just were happy coincidences. But it's always amusing when that happens. Some of this is based upon my own character analysis of Sephiroth's character, observation of my family and friends who were in the military, study of psychology, and my own headcanons that I formed over 27 years.

Tragic Origins and Parental Betrayal.

Both Bianca and Sephiroth are born out of complex, unconventional unions: Bianca from a forced union between an archangel and a primordial demon and Sephiroth from a scientific experiment where his mother, Lucrecia, was deprived of raising him by Hojo. Like Lucrecia, Seraphine never got to hold Bianca as she made the choice of saving her child from Asmodeus' machinations. Bia's birth and future were overshadowed by her parents identities, her birth in a human vessel, and her celestial-demonic lineage while Sephiroth's birth was manipulated, making him a project of Jenova's cells and Hojo's experiment.

Both faced a deep betrayal by a parental figure: their fathers. Bianca was targeted and attacked by her father, Asmodeus, who seeks to control or destroy her all in the name of prophecy, and Sephiroth, who became aware of Hojo's inhumane treatment, which disregarded his well being for scientific game.

Upheaval in Childhood.

Bianca's early life is disrupted when the cult devoted to Asmodeus kills her adoptive mother, forcing her and her adoptive father, David, into a life on the run. This transient existence robs Bianca of stability and safety, fostering isolation and fear. She has trouble with her emotions because of this.

Similarly, Sephiroth, while not being chased by a cult, is shaped by the SOLDIER program and Hojo's cruel conditioning. This isolates him from a typical childhood and indoctrinates him into a rigid, miliatry existence. His exposure to violence and the lack of nurturing relationships parallels Bianca's feeling of disconnect.

First Love and Betrayal

Bianca's experience with Krista is a painful tale of shattered trust. Her first love turned out to be a member of the cult sent to manipulate and ultimately betray her, forcing Bianca to take Krista's life in self-defense, a trauma that strips her of her innocence and has marked her emotionally. She believes that closeness with others can lead to betrayal and loss. She was 16.

Spoilers for Ever Crisis' First SOLDIER.

Sephiroth's early relationships also carries a sense of betrayal, particularly the incident with Team Glenn during his mission in Rhadore. This mission, where he is misunderstood by his teammates, leaves him disillusioned and teaches him that closeness with others can lead to betrayal and loss. He was also 15-16, at the time. I need to check the dates.

Transformation through Trauma

At 20, Bianca's true powers are awakened in the wake of a brutal assault by Asmodeus, which takes almost takes her life (and she doesn't know about her reincarnation until after the final battle with Cloud at the North Crater) and scars her emotionally. This moment is a catalyst for Bianca's transformation, pushing her from a place of fear into one of empowerment as she learns to wield her powers.

Sephiroth undergoes a similar transformation, though much slower, as he grows stronger through rigorous and often painful conditioning by Hojo and Shinra. The isolation and trauma of battle missions, coupled with his genetic heritage, lead to a shift in his self-perception, guiding him towards a path that diverges from traditional morality, much like Bianca's path is guiding her.

Mentor Relationships Ending in Self Sacrifice

Bianca's relationship with Mordecai, her mentor and husband, mirrors Sephiroth's bond with Angeal. Both are anchored by these mentors who offer them a sense of direction and grounding. However, both Mordecai and Angeal ultimately die, leaving Bianca and Sephiroth with deeper scars and a heightened sense of purpose mingled with loss.

For Bianca, Mordecai's sacrifice becomes a driving force for her growth and determination, also leading her to fall in love with Sephiroth through trauma bonding. Similarly, Sephiroth's loss of trust in his mentors and friends -- culminating in Angeal and Genesis' betrayal - deepens his resolve but also his disillusionment with humanity until it snaps when he learns about his origins.

A Dark Legacy and Search for Identity

As mentioned above, they both struggle under the weight of their complicated heritage. Bianca's celestial-demonic bloodlines places her in constant conflict with forces pulling at her from either side: Asmodeus and Seraphine (who is in her conscious talking with and guiding her). Sephiroth's Jenova-enhanced origins lead him to question humanity and ultimately set him on a quest for answers about his true nature that culminated in a psychotic break fueled by his lack of sleep, hunger, grief over his friends, and, ultimately, Jenova's influence, herself. I remember reading a headcanon where Sephiroth was basically a corpse at this point fueled by the circumstances and betrayal around him, and I tend to agree with that assessment, especially when everything was pulled out from under him and told to him by his closest friend, no less.

This shared experience of grappling with identity is a powerful undercurrent in their relationship, making them kindred spirits in a search for purpose beyond the pain.

tagging some fellow mutuals: @themaradwrites @littleshopofchaos @serenofroses @megandaisy9 @watermeezer

@nightingaleflow @prehistoric-creatures @creativechaosqueen @chickensarentcheap @glbettwrites

@seastarblue

[bardic-tales]

Thirsty Thursday: Issue 2: Reconciling love with a new identity

This is the second part of the Thirsty Thursday posts I want to do today. I have been thinking hard on how to make the One-Winged Angel accept that he actually does love Bianca, since I like to keep the canon characters in my work as close to canon as possible.

With that in mind, I thought I would try to work out how Sephiroth accepts his love post-Nibelheim with his plans. One thing to keep in mind for this is that he did try to purge his love for Bianca when he was in the Lifestream, as well as his other positive emotions. Their soul-bond, which links them through dimensions, refused to let him do this.

Again, this only applies to Fantasy Worlds Collide. It is not meant to be an in-depth analysis of Sephiroth.

Sephiroth (Amused): Oh! Where did you find this strength? Cloud: I'm not about to tell you! (slams Seph into a building) -- Advent Children (2005)

Content Warning: manipulation, emotional dependency, emotional suppression, exploitation, psychological complexity, self-destruction, themes of godhood, toxic relationship dynamics, violence, and references to cosmic destruction.

This quote has been living rent-free in my head for the past few months. I wanted to keep the theme of this to Sephiroth's personality in any fan fiction that I wrote about him. With this in mind, he does several things to make sure that she is not a 'relic' or 'tether' to his past.

Sephiroth tends to reframe his love for Bianca not as a weakness tied to his humanity but as a testament to his superiority. In Fantasy Worlds Collide, he views their bond as something beyond mortal constrains: an eternal connection that transcends the boundaries of a normal relationship. Bianca's unwavering loyalty and shared vision for dominance allow him to justify her place in his life, seeing her as a asset and a partner in his ascension rather than a tether to his past.

As mentioned above, Sephiroth also attempted to purge all emotions, including those feelings he has for Bianca. However, their soul bond -- amplified by the threads of destiny, Jenova and S-cells, and telepathic link -- made her presence in his memory unavoidable. Instead of continuing to waste his energy fighting it, Sephiroth accepts this connection now as an unshakable part of himself. Her existence became one of the few emotions that he allows himself to retain, not as a relic of his humanity but as a manifestation of his new self. His fallen celestial and her identity is deeply intertwined with the chaos he sees himself creating.

He also does not see her as a reminder of his humanity but as a reflection of his godlike nature. Although Bianca was born in a human host, she is not human. Her celestial and demonic heritage, her devotion to him, and her willingness to embrace his darker path elevated her in his mind to something far superior then the humanity he despises. To Sephiroth, loving Bianca doesn't diminish his rejection of humanity, but it reinforces his believe in their shared purpose as beings destined to reshape existence.

Although he rejects vulnerability, his bond with Bianca forces him to confront his emotional dependency. He reconciles this by viewing her presence as inevitable and inescapable -- much like the Jenova cells that define him. He accepts her as part of the new Sephiroth, a constant chaos, rather than a visage of who he once was. In doing so, he can compartmentalize the emotional aspects of their bond, justifying his feelings as an extension of their shared power rather than a weakness.

Although I tend to portray their relationship as loving, there are times where he manipulates her love to ensure she remains aligned to his plans, reinforcing that their bond serves his goals rather than detracts from them. However, please know that this manipulation is not devoid of genuine affection. Despite his attempts to suppress his emotions, the connection between them is often too profound for him to deny completely. He convinces himself that allowing her to remain in his life when he is the One-Winged Angel is a calculated decision, even as his actions might betray some lingering humanity.

And, finally, Sephiroth is a very intelligent man. He saw her own descent into darkness as a mirror to his own path, which makes it easier for him to reconcile her place in his life. Her willingness to embrace her corruptive nature now and her role as his partner in chaos aligns with his rejection of his former self. He views her transformation as proof that she, too, has transcended humanity, making their bond a strength rather than a weakness in his eyes.

Also, I don't think he would pass off someone who can cast a kilo-nova to destroy the Omniverse and rebirth it into what he wants Creation to be.

tagging some fellow mutuals: @themaradwrites @littleshopofchaos @serenofroses @megandaisy9 @watermeezer

@nightingaleflow @prehistoric-creatures @creativechaosqueen @chickensarentcheap @glbettwrites

@seastarblue