I love this question <3

Tseng has so much empathy (towards Rufus, Turks, Aerith, Veld, even SOLDIERs) and obviously as a Turk, he was trained to read people, so he’s a great match for Sephiroth, who is not always comfortable putting his feelings to words. Tseng also knows what to say and how to say it, is easygoing, playful, and very respectful. There is no way Sephiroth doesn’t appreciate those qualities in people. Being cheeky, classy and friendly on top of being professional, lethal and mysterious, Tseng would most definitely catch the attention of someone as curious as Sephiroth.

I think they would get along greatly (well, if you ignore the fact that Sephiroth apparently can only have 3 friends at any given moment and if you also ignore that Tseng most likely keeps no secrets from Rufus, so Sephiroth would feel like he has to be extra careful not to overshare).

Unlike some of his more preachy friends (looking at you, Glenn and Angeal), Tseng would probably just shrug and chuckle at the horrifying things Sephiroth sometimes does.

I’m sure they’d get joint SOLDIER + Turk missions done so very efficiently and perfectly, while also having a little fun and Sephiroth could learn to relax and not to have a stick up his…

I’m sure Tseng would also be greatly amused and entertained to have a companion like Sephiroth. No, we are not going to ignore the fact that Sephiroth is all like “on you knees, I want you to beg” (no matter how painfully suppressed for the longest time) and Tseng is doing way more than necessary to be good, obedient and proper for people who outrank him. You can’t convince me Tseng doesn’t enjoy being controlled and Sephiroth doesn’t enjoy being in control. So there’s that.

Thank you for the Ask.

12. What’s a headcanon you have for this character?

Being very ISTJ, loyalty and determination are his biggest strengths and biggest weaknesses. Once he makes a decision or a promise, he is very inflexible about it, going to unimaginable lengths to stay true to his word. “And what would happen if you allowed yourself to stay in the hospital for as long as you need?” one might ask. “Are there not other Turks who are willing and capable to protect Rufus?” But see, he made a promise and no amount of broken bones or common sense will stop him.

Being loyal to ShinRa hurts him sometimes and while others might allow themselves to be selective how far their loyalty goes, Tseng chooses a person to follow (whether it’s Veld, the President or Rufus) and he follows their command to the letter. He’s a perfectionist and cannot half ass a task even if he wants to. It haunts him.

Another one is that he is Wutaian (it’s a very popular fanon) and being a man of focus, commitment, sheer fucking will, he somehow manages to be both loyal to ShinRa and proud of his heritage. Imagine the anti-Wutai propaganda during the war and Tseng walking the streets with Huadian/Bindi/Tilaka (which is also a popular fanon, because nobody knows if it’s a birthmark or not). Does it make his life any easier? No. But will he power through it? Absolutely.

22. If you’re a fic reader, what’s something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don’t like?

For fics where Tseng is one of the central characters, I love when his complexity shows. In FF7 there are good people, like Tifa or Aerith, and bad people, like Hojo and Scarlet, however, most of them are somewhere in the middle (or goes from one extreme to another, looking at you, Sephiroth). Tseng is in most of FF7 titles and he manages to stay in the gray zone so perfectly well. If people make him a central character, they probably like him a lot or dislike him a lot, so I love when writers still add his duality to their work. He can be a good guy but still have a collection of dark traits.