The Fellowship of the Planet: Why I Choose the Path of the Uplifter
I’m sitting here doing some last-minute laundry, waiting for my clothes to wash before we hit the road at dawn, and my mind is doing that classic monotropic flow thing that it does where it completely hyper-fixes on the architecture of this space we’ve built together. I was talking to a very good friend about this yesterday, and I needed to get this out into the world because it is sitting so heavily and beautifully on my heart tonight.
I’ve been a part of the Final Fantasy VII universe since the very beginning, all the way back in 1997 when those blocky polygons and the deep, ecological mythos of Gaia first captured my imagination.
Having that kind of longevity in a fandom means I’ve watched this community evolve through every single iteration, compilation, remake, and shift over nearly three decades.
With that amount of historical knowledge under my belt, I easily could have taken the "purist" route. I could have been the type of fan who sits at the gate, challenging people’s interpretations, nitpicking their lore accuracy, policing their headcanons, or tearing down ships and favorite comfort characters that don’t align with a rigid, dogmatic reading of the original text.
But honestly? Why choose to be a hater when you can choose to be an uplifter? Life outside the screen is already filled with enough sharp edges, sudden storms, and unpredictable grief. Fandom should never be an extension of that hostility. It should be a sanctuary.
Final Fantasy VII is built around friendship and found family, and it has lead me to some wonderful people in the fandom.
The Two Paths of The Veteran Fan
The Purist Route
Lore Gatekeeping: Restricting or policing access based on rigid adherence to background data.
Canon Policing: Constantly monitoring and enforcing strict compliance with the official storyline.
Tearing Down Ships: Criticizing or dismissing alternative romantic pairings or fan interpretations.
The Uplifting Route
Unconditional Warmth: Approaching the community with genuine kindness and open-minded acceptance.
Headcanon Sanctuary: Creating a safe, protective space for creative liberties and personal interpretations.
Uplifting Every Voice: Actively encouraging, supporting, and celebrating the unique creativity of others.
The truth is, I view the friends I regularly interact with on here as a genuine second family. Because I grew up chronically friendless with severe trauma—navigating an isolation and abuse that heavily mirrors the profound, solitary containment of Sephiroth’s own childhood—finding a community where people actually see each other is incredibly important to me.
When you spend a long time wandering alone, you learn to deeply appreciate the warmth of a shared family. That is exactly what this dashboard represents to me: a chosen family where we all get to sit together, laugh, support each other, and create.
Because I look at you all as family, your interests, your original characters, your self-ships, and your creative projects are immensely important to me simply because they are important to you.
It doesn't matter to me if a headcanon diverges from the ultimanias, or if an OC completely rewrites the timeline of Nibelheim, or if a ship defies conventional canon. What matters is the spark of inspiration that lights up your face when you talk about your universe, your Sephcanons, and your ships. To see someone pour their heart, their passion, and their lived experiences into a story or a piece of art is a beautiful thing to witness.
Giving back to this community through support, validation, and encouragement isn't just something I do casually. It is my way of tending the soil of the fandom that helped raise me from when I was 17 until now at 45.
Every single person who shares an OC post, writes a fluffy AU, or drops a massive block of meta is contributing a unique, invaluable drop of energy to our corner of fandom.
You all give me a safe harbor when my real world gets too heavy to carry alone, and in return, I want to make sure my corner of the internet remains an absolute fortress of kindness, validation, and safety for your imagination.
