I have not really found a sympathetic ear to my triumph, and so I crow it to the internet: I beat Sephiroth.

Final Fantasy VII, people, keep up with the game. I left off playing it for most of this semester, and under some misguided impulse I spent extra hours and hours doing some unecessary leveling up before I faced Sephiroth for the final battle. But all that is water under the bridge now, because I have to say, the feeling of having gone through this battle is immense.

You might be thinking: oh, brother. A video game. You might be wondering if I am so disattached from 'real life' that a mere video game is so moving to me, or that I feel some actual emotion at having experienced something entirely imaginary. I don't subscribe to that view, though obviously, I can imagine it. I think my attachment to any experience, be it 'real' or storied, is an important part of being a feeling being. (Brushes the chip from her shoulder and gets down off her high horse.)

But oh man, let me tell you. Sephiroth. I've played my share of games, and the reason I like RPG's is because of the characters. Every character has a story, so you absorb and create the connections between them, and in your mind you flesh a person out of their bits on screen. You have your favorites, the ones you identify with or would admire (were they real). Let me tell you about Sephiroth. As a person, he takes up a vision which he believes to be great and right; at a certain point, he is confronted with the truth that he must choose between a path that is great and terrible, or right and small. Out of a certain bitterness, and disillusionment, and possibly insanity, he chooses greatness. He would rather destroy the planet than give up that claim. He was a person once, who made a choice; but he is far beyond that choice, and now he is our villain, and we defeat him, face to face. And man, if he isn't beautiful in his full power - he truly wanted to be a savior, and almost was. A one-winged angel. He is huge, and bright, and godlike; we defeat him. And then, he is only human - sword to sword, we defeat him again. And Sephiroth is gone.

And I love Sephiroth. I love him more than any of our good-hearted, brave, tough heroes. And I didn't realize how much I loved him until I killed him. Fuckin great, huh? What a game it's been. I can't wait to play another.

11:41 p.m. 2004-11-22�