[ooc] I found this dialogue from Heidegger fascinating, largely because throughout the entire free Midgar DLC, he’s been picking this fight with Hojo specifically, as though the Professor gets under his skin.
Hojo, being Hojo, wouldn’t give more than a cursory piece of attention to Heidegger, and I doubt the man is ever on his mind for any reason other than the necessity of interaction or possible, fleeting usefulness.
But, it’s a fascinating thing to note the “long-haired” comment. It stood out to me at first, because why mention Hojo’s hair length of all things when there are countless other “low hanging fruits” that a machismo military man could have picked on? Heidegger could have brought up Hojo’s heritage (as he’s been headcanoned as Wutaian for years), his intellect (second rate to Gast, stole Lucrecia’s research for himself, etc.), his personality or way of carrying himself (could’ve mentioned him being a “creep” or “unsettling”, etc.), and if addressing his appearance, he could have brought up his small frame, his perpetual scowl and the way his eyes take in everything you didn’t like people to know, his wrinkles or how he appears disheveled because appearance is secondary to his studies and work. But we went for, specifically, long hair?
Oh, but wait. Because it comes full circle in a very interesting way. Because look at what Heidegger has to say about Sephiroth.
There’s a surprising affection mixed with Heidegger’s admiration of Sephiroth. He says, “I could tell he was going to be special the moment I first saw him.” And in the following messages, he speaks with a moving elegance that we don’t often see him express, mentioning how Sephiroth slashed mechs in half “with ease” and how it wasn’t just his strength that “endeared him” to people.
If you’re beginning to see the signs, then “he had quite the face as well” really swings us into queer leanings. Small wonder the world was in love with Sephiroth though, born of Jenova’s shapeshifting and deceptive prowess and cultured under the guidance of the best equipped scientists on all of Gaia. But to see that Sephiroth had sway over even a man like Heidegger, to the extent that he still talks with such open compliments about him five years after his disappearance, shows that Sephiroth left a lasting impact on Heidegger’s thoughts. He must have seen him often enough, considering his executive role would have put him in contact with Sephiroth during the efforts of the Wutai War. I think anyone who would have been physically around the offspring of Jenova wouldn’t have been able to resist that innate allure to at least some minor extent. Heidegger, with his lust for power, would have been exactly the right kind to fall in awe of Sephiroth’s casual feats of strength.
You can feel how Sephiroth’s disappearance still bothers him. When talking about it, we get one of the rare instances where Heidegger mentions public opinion. “After Sephiroth went missing five years ago, we - and the entirety of Midgar - felt his loss.” One of Heidegger’s defining characteristics is his absolute disdain for the concerns of others, let alone the public. He placates the will of his employer and gets away with his boisterous arrogance because President Shinra tolerates and even enjoys, on occasion, his displays of machismo. But he doesn’t answer to anyone else, and therefore, he doesn’t consider their opinions. He has no need or desire to do so, and his seat of comfort at the right hand of Shinra means he doesn’t have to care what the public thinks. President Shinra does that for him.
But here, we see him confessing his attachment when he uses “we” and then we see him swiftly excavate himself from the confession by bringing in the one thing he doesn’t care about: public opinion-- “and the entirety of Midgar - felt his loss.”
Using this shielding technique, he continues, “He fought admirably in the war against Wutai, and the people absolutely adored him - even more than they do our mascot Stamp!” Whereas “admirably” is acceptable, he’s flying too close to the truth he doesn’t want to address when he uses “absolutely adored him”, so we get another instance where he cuts off into another side note that’s got nothing to do with what he’s talking about, public opinion about Stamp, the canine mascot for the Shinra armed forces. But if you haven’t played FF7R, then you wouldn’t even know Stamp was a dog, because Heidegger never explains it. It’s a throwaway comment, added to the end of a sentence that maybe runs too near to thoughts he never speaks aloud, unless he’s talking to a lonely powerwasher who isn’t going to have anyone of import to tell this to, and who doesn’t know Heidegger well enough to piece two and two together.
And then what does he end with? A hollow bluff, severing his connection to his feelings about Sephiroth with his comfortably arrogant persona: "Although, once they see the military marvel that is the airbuster, they'll forget Sephiroth even existed! Hahaha!”
Feelings for Sephiroth aside, along with the potentially dangerous implications this reveals and that we could at some point get into about how much possible sexual abuse/harassment Sephiroth had to go through, growing up under Shinra’s unblinking eyes and invasive influence, let’s pull it all back--full circle.
Because, what does Heidegger say right smack in the middle of all his praise of Sephiroth? Right before he starts confessing more potential attraction for the former First Class SOLDIER and then cutting himself off over and over again?
“Though, in my opinion, a hero shouldn't grow his hair quite so long.”
Where have we heard this before? *Raises an eyebrow*
“I find it hilarious that long-haired lunatic [Hojo] doesn't think his 'precious creations' are next. Hahaha!”
Well. This wasn’t what I thought I was going to discover while playing this free DLC, but~ It certainly lends credence to Heidegger’s ostentatious arrogance--coupled with his military machismo--being a deflecting tactic to hide possible self-hatred for any homosexual thoughts about Sephiroth and Hojo. And if there’s the potential for it there, then it makes me wonder what else we might garner from other dialogues Heidegger’s involved in. I can’t remember anything right off the bat from FFVII or FF7R, but if I find anything else, I’ll be certain to share. Just thought this was quite the interesting little tidbit, and a complexity to Heidegger’s personality that I find very intriguing.