A Few Things That Are Confusing Me - Please Explain!

[FF_Lavindathar]

Ok, I've just awoken the weapons, and am now with Barrett and Tifa about to get executed.

But, some things are confusing me, even though I clocked FFVII before (albeit many moons ago), and I cannot remember how things are going.

But, I wish no spoilers as the game is surprising me with things I didnt remember from last time, ok, so here we go:

I understand that Weapon was created by the planet, to protect and has been dormant waiting for the return of Jenova, but where did Jenova come from? Is it just a natural entity, or was it created in some way?

I understand all about the Jenova Theory, but Sephiroths will is confusing me.

If Sephiroth has been dead in the crater for the last 5 years, is it his will that is bringing the followers to the crater? Or is it Jenova's? Or Jenova acting through the dead Sephiroth?

Who is the Sephiroth that I have been chasing, i.e - at the temple of the ancients if the real Sephiroth is at the North Crater? An illusion that Jenova has created?

Is this the reason you never fight Sephiroth before now, only Jenova, because the Sephiroth you see is just a part of Jenova?

I get about how Cloud is a clone of Sephiroth, and I am guessing was given Zacks memorys (or some of), and that Jenova has created Clouds past inside Tifa's mind, but why are the Jenova followers gathering for a reunion? Is it because through all the experiments, Jenova was infused into people, and they are being summoned to create Jenova once again, at her full power?

If you could please explain these things to me, I would be very grateful!!!!

[Jolts]

I understand that Weapon was created by the planet, to protect and has been dormant waiting for the return of Jenova, but where did Jenova come from? Is it just a natural entity, or was it created in some way?
She came from space. Dr. Gasts videos in his house in Icicle INN will tell you that.
Who is the Sephiroth that I have been chasing, i.e - at the temple of the ancients if the real Sephiroth is at the North Crater? An illusion that Jenova has created?
Many people think it's Jenova in Sephiroth's guise.
I get about how Cloud is a clone of Sephiroth, and I am guessing was given Zacks memorys (or some of), and that Jenova has created Clouds past inside Tifa's mind, but why are the Jenova followers gathering for a reunion? Is it because through all the experiments, Jenova was infused into people, and they are being summoned to create Jenova once again, at her full power?
I personally think they're all trying to get the Black Materia to Sephiroth, but since they couldn't, they're bringing him other stuff (which would be why you can examine them to get whatever they have).

[Zifnab]

I understand that Weapon was created by the planet, to protect and has been dormant waiting for the return of Jenova, but where did Jenova come from? Is it just a natural entity, or was it created in some way?
She's the Calamity of the Sky. She fell to the planet from space and caused the Northern Crater. It doesn't mention where she came from before that.

Is it because through all the experiments, Jenova was infused into people, and they are being summoned to create Jenova once again, at her full power?
That's pretty much it. I don't think it was Sephiroth that willed Jenova's cells to him, but rather Jenova's head which Sephiroth took. Most of "Sephiroth"'s dialogue in Disk 1 wouldn't make sense if that was Jenova. There were many times when some of it was definitely Sephiroth speaking, but there were also times when Sephiroth seems out of character, which could be Jenova speaking. The way I see it, there's either two Sephiroths wandering around, or Jenova occasionally lets Sephiroth talk through her body.

I get about how Cloud is a clone of Sephiroth, and I am guessing was given Zacks memorys (or some of), and that Jenova has created Clouds past inside Tifa's mind
Close. Cloud isn't really a clone of Sephiroth. He was just injected with Jenova cells when he was taken from Nibelheim. His urge to become a member of SOLDIER messed him up, and changed his memories so that he was in the shoes of Zack, rather than his own as a lowly ShinRa grunt.

[Jolts]

But, I wish no spoilers as the game is surprising me with things I didnt remember from last time
Jenova-Rebirth must not have seen that part...

[Zifnab]

But, I wish no spoilers as the game is surprising me with things I didnt remember from last time
Jenova-Rebirth must not have seen that part...
FF_Lavindathar has passed the Jenova reunion. Anything after that I put in tags.

[FF_Lavindathar]

Thanks for your help!

The reason I took to posting was because I knew I had heard where Jenova was from somewhere, but really couldnt remember.

Now you say it it has come back to me, cos I remember the calamity from the sky, and that is why weapon is around to stop further damage caused by Jenova!

Thanks once again!

[FF_Lavindathar]

One more thing -

Is it correct that Prof. Gast is Aeries' father, but was it Prof.Gast who started the Jenova project or not?

I know he worked for Shinra and was replaced by Hojo, but who started the project? If it was Hojo, why is Sephiroth such a fan of Professor Gast?

[Jolts]

Yes, Gast is Aeris's father, you see that in the videos as well.

[FF_Lavindathar]

Thought so, but who preceeded who?

And who started the Jenova project?

[TheAbominatrix]

And to note, JENOVA created nothing inside Tifa's mind. The only reason Tifa isnt telling the truth as she knows it is because she fears shattering Cloud's very fragile mind. If he's straight-out told that everything he believes is a lie, it's very possible that he'll break down. She knows this, and thus she very gently 'tests' his memory ("Do you remember the promise?") seeing how much of the real Cloud is still there, and very slowly trying to correct his memories.

[Zifnab]

I believe they both started it together. Hojo used Lucrecia and their son in the experiments and Gast left the ShinRa.

[Carnage]

Yes, Gast is Aeris's father, you see that in the videos as well.

Where are these videos and can i view them even though i beat the game? Or will i hafto play through to a certain point?

[nik0tine]

You can view them any time. Just go to Icicle Inn and there is a house which has the movies in it.

[Jolts]

Just so you're not mislead, I felt I should tell you that they're not FMVs or anything. They're "tapes" done with regular in-game polygonal graphics and whatnot.

[FF_Lavindathar]

Ok, just another question on this:

In the scene where you realise that Cloud is the Shinra soldier and not the 1st class Soldier, when Sephiroth stabs you, and you fling him into the mire below, is that how the real Sephiroth died and came to be preserved in the northern crater?

[Jolts]

Duh! :p

Although, I don't know how he got to Northern Crater from Nibel Mountains...

[Ouch!]

He fell into mako. It travels through the planet like the lifestream, if the two are one and the same. When Cloud fell into the Mako in North Crater and washed up in Mideel, it was the same concept. They just kind of floated around until they got to their destination. It's actually likely that Sephiroth ended up where he did. The Northern Crater was fertile with mako, so if he's going to flow through mako, why not go to where it's most abundant?

[Jolts]

I guess that makes sense, but that doesn't explain how he got all the way up in those branches...oh well, no matter. What's done is done :D.

[Ouch!]

Maybe the moon caused the mako to have a hide tide and when it lowered he was already stuck?

[Jolts]

What about the glob of mako that magically stayed around his body? See, he was conscious, I think. At least a little bit. That, or Jenova did all that before you actually get there.

[DJZen]

I'll explain this the way I explain everything weird in the FF series.

Magic.

[Big D]

What about the glob of mako that magically stayed around his body?When Mako condenses, it becomes Materia. Basically, Sephiroth was suspended in a semi-solid blob of congealed Mako - not quite solid, since Cloud was able to reach through it, but substantial enough to contain Sephiroth.
See, he was conscious, I think. At least a little bit. That, or Jenova did all that before you actually get there.That's the general understanding - that Sephiroth was conscious, but immobile; able to exert his superhuman will through the Lifestream, which is pretty plausible since he was practically in the Lifestream, which is a powerful flow of spiritual energy - the same stuff that forms the human consciousness.

[Blue Typhoon]

No I'm REALLY upset about saving a new file over my old perfect FF7 file, because I didn't know about this stuff.

[DJZen]

What?