I know he's just a video game character, but I would like to try to reach him anyway and remind him that he's human and can do better. The kindness and warmth I saw within him in the events of the original Crisis Core impacted my life years ago in a profoundly positive way, and I'd like to try to help him remember himself, even in an abstract way.

Last time around, what I saw was an otherwise kind person being pushed beyond his limits in a variety of cruel ways, while still doing his best to live up to the expectations that everyone had of him. And then when he inevitably broke down, rather than anyone trying to help him, instead they tried to destroy him, as though he is nothing more than a rabid animal to be put down. It was sad. I was so sad. I don't want to see that happen again. I know he made some very bad and inexcusable choices in the throes of his suffering, but still...

There is an old saying that goes, "The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth." And... I don't want to see him thinking like he has to resort to those kinds of choices anymore. In the words of Papyrus: "I believe in [him]. [He] can do a little better, even if [he doesn't] think so... I promise..."

I want to see an ending where he chooses to throw off the shackles of his past trauma. I want to see an ending where he realizes that he is and always has been lovable and good. I want to see an ending where he gets to live, and then move on to a peaceful life, surrounded by friends who love him, tasty snacks to delight in, and plenty of fun stuff to do. I want to see him finally be happy and at ease. And I want to see a version of him who believes that he deserves to have these things, a version of him who no longer believes he is an outsider, a monster, or an aberration. I want to see a version of him who knows he is human no matter how he was modified. I want to see a version of him who knows he belongs.

So, I wrote a letter. I think it's as done as it's going to get. Many kind, intelligent, and virtuous people have helped me to polish it. I tried to be inspirational. It's long and probably more than a little clumsy, but it's made with all the love I can muster, and seasoned with all the things I've learned during the course of my life. There are many gifts of various sorts for him contained within. I would love very much if it could reach the hands of the people who made this character.

If you can leave a kind or encouraging word for Sephiroth here, or a kind word to the developers, and maybe share it so that more people can see it so that it eventually reaches the relevant folks, I would be very grateful. I just want him to be happy and safe and to feel like he belongs somewhere. I'd like to try to get through to him, or maybe at least make it a little easier for the people of his world to get through to him and help him remember that he's not a monster so that he can stop making choices that are reflective of that belief.

Square Enix: please, help me to help him. Or please help him yourselves; I don't care who gets through to him, as long as someone does. Sephiroth is a victim in this story. He was raised as an orphan in a scientific/military/industrial complex amongst people who cared nothing for him, except for what use he could be to them. He was cruelly experimented on, and then put in the role of a child soldier. He was manipulated, lied to, and led to believe that he doesn't truly belong with other people. And even at the end of all this, he managed to grow into someone who was caring, empathetic, and kind, even if a little shy, quiet, and socially awkward. You have to remember that there are so many people in the real world who live with a kind of suffering similar to this; what message does it send to us if he is slaughtered like an animal, never allowed to recover, while the people who twisted him up see no accountability for what they've done? Where is the justice in this?

I am not the only person who wants to see Sephiroth overcome everything he has been put through, and to make amends for the mistakes he has made. Sacrificing his life for the safety of the planet is NOT making amends; it is running away. So please: even if it takes him a long time, let him heal. Give us games in which we can explore his healing, even! Please. Us humans who have lived with trauma and are trying to be someone who is gentle need a role model, and there is no better representation of those who are lost, broken, and misunderstood than him. There is no better representation for those of us who are invisible and voiceless than him. What's more, he has repeatedly held out his hand to the weak and the frightened with a gentle smile, challenging them to get up off their knees and use their voice and their power for justice and good. The lost, the broken, the black sheep - people like me, and so many, many others - need a hero to look up to, too. Please let him have that role. Please let us be able to look to him for healing, and for an avenue by which to move forward with the same brave, gentle smile that he wears, despite everything he's been through.

You can find the letter I wrote here:
Original Letter

You can find even more letters that I wrote to him here:
Additional Letters

I have since written one more letter; it is where it needs to be:
Otakon Letter

To anyone who helps me: you have my sincerest thanks.