La Creature

Genuinely, looking for drawing references I found an entire genre of photo that was "buff men cooking in a kitchen" and thank you for giving me the chance to dig them up.

Added a bonus: genesis still waking up:

Link to a playthrough of the original Before Crisis

And a link to a shorter version without the battles.

He grows up as a prodigy, pioneering new pasteurization techniques and rocketing to the top of the world's most advanced elite squad in the world's most advanced elite military. He is a talented lover of the arts and fashion, he is a charismatic leader, and a skilled mage.

And he's not good enough.

He's always second or third, he can't compete with the weird super-prodigy, and all his efforts in science and combat are meaningless in the face of disease.

Not canon, but it's easy to imagine him being praised constantly for his genius and more importantly, only shown love/affection/attention when he brings his parents or Shinra glory/value/money, and how he now needs to be the best out of habit to keep that love.

If he asks for help, he's weak. He has no framework for asking for help. He has no habit of knowing others CAN help him--he's always been the best and smartest in the room.

So he uses what he does know: showmanship, theater, anger, power, charisma...and it shoots right past the person who actually could save him. Sephiroth is used to theater, anger, power, and charisma being used to manipulate him, but he would love to help a friend. He could be reached with the tiniest scrap of genuine kindness. He could be reached by asking politely.

But that's never worked for Genesis with authority figures, so why would he try?

<— guy who never remembers to crosspost