Cloud's Mom

[opiumcloud]

Do you guys think that the scene between Cloud and his mother in Nibelheim, as recounted by Cloud at the Kalm inn, actually happened between Cloud and his mother, or between Zack and Zack's mother, or between Zack and somebody else? If the whole scene was from Zack's point of view, then what do you think that the significance of the Cloud's mother bit was? Also, during the fire, Zangan tells Cloud (Zack?) to check in Cloud's mom's house, and he checks in it, then runs back out and just shakes his head. Any theories about this?

[Levian]

I don't think there's anything hidden to that scene really, I think it's just Cloud and his Mom talking. Besides, Zack's parents lives in Gongaga.

[Psychotic]

I'm pretty certain that was between Cloud and his mother, and I think that the reason the scene kept "flashing" or skipping bits was because they were contradicting with Cloud's own belief that he made it into SOLDIER.

As for the running out of the house and shaking his head thing, I think he realised he couldn't do anything more for Cloud's mother.

[opiumcloud]

Thanks, psychotic. That makes sense. So I guess it was Cloud and not Zack who was told by Zangan to search for survivors, so Cloud saw his own dead mother in his house, then?

[Psychotic]

Oh, sorry, I guess I wasn't clear enough. I think the guy who Zangan told to search for survivors was Zack, because we can see a Shinra soldier, ostensibly Cloud, lying on the floor at the time, and because of the scene that Sephiroth shows the party at the Jenova reunion. The person who was in Cloud's house and spoke to his mother before Sephiroth burned the town to the ground was Cloud.

[vorpal blade]

I'm pretty certain that was between Cloud and his mother, and I think that the reason the scene kept "flashing" or skipping bits was because they were contradicting with Cloud's own belief that he made it into SOLDIER.

I figured it was just skipping over boring parts of the conversation and just giving us the gist of it all. I doubt there's anything special about Cloud and his mom.

[opiumcloud]

Actually, the skipping bits makes sense now, along with the fact that Cloud didn't really want to talk about the scene with his mom. Since his memory of the event is his own, it somehow seems less real/important to him than the rest of the story, which comes from the memory of Zack, whose memories Cloud has embraced more strongly than his own. Also, it makes sense for Zack to be the one searching for survivors, because the scene where he finds Cloud's mom is so downplayed, which it wouldn't be if Cloud had found his own mom.

It's amazing how little sense most people could make of this game's plot on their first play-through, and I think that I put things together better than most, but little things like this keep coming into focus. One of my friends who played the game beginning to end 12 times in the first year of its release, was still trying to tell me Jenova was an ancient :/

[d£v!l'$ ph0£n!x]

another thing was bugging me about that scene too. when cloud starts talking about seeing his mum he says "when i saw her she was fine, but she died a few days later" he says this really confused . . . people don't usually survive 3rd degree burns!

[vorpal blade]

Wasn't the fire a few days later? Or maybe "a few days later" wasn't the best translation for what the Japanese said?

[Ashley Schovitz]

i thought Cloud was created in a lab how did he get a Mom and if he does really have one, how come she didn't show up in AC?

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Cloud wasn't created in a laboratory. If you're that confused about the plot, you should probably play the game again.

She doesn't show up in Advent Children due to flammability.

[opiumcloud]

Cloud wasn't created in a lab. He was born as a human, and his mom was killed when Sephiroth burned down Nibelheim. Cloud was later experimented on in a lab. I'm sure someone else will go into a more specific explanation for me.

[Ryushikaze]

i thought Cloud was created in a lab how did he get a Mom and if he does really have one, how come she didn't show up in AC?

Cloud is a human being, born and raised (Normal is a questionable statement, especially if people's speculation about 'G' is true), and lived the first 14-15 years of his life in Nibleheim town with his mother (His father died when he was young, apparently). He had a large crush on Tifa, but his general akwardness made it hard for him to express himself, as did several other circumstances in his childhood. At the age of 14, with the purpose of trying to express himself to Tifa, he told her he was going to leave town and try and join SOLDIER in the spring, which he did. He failed, however, to qualify for SOLDIER, being deemed unsuitable (likely mentally) for the Mako/Jenova therapy. He instead became an standard trooper, though his physical abilities were far above average.
Two years after he left, the Nibleheim incident occurred, and Cloud was captured by Hojo and used as a subject in the Sephiroth Copy/ Jenova Reunion project. Cloud was a lab expiriment, but he was hardly created in one.

Sephiroth, simply put, was lying when he said Cloud was a 'fake' Cloud, and he did it in order to destroy Cloud's mental defenses to take control of him.

Oh, and his mom doesn't appear in Advent Children because she's been dead for 7 years.

[MJN SEIFER]

It's Cloud and his mother.

Square planet a "preview" for the Mideal scenes here.




Mother: So is this a "SOLDIER" Uniform?

Cloud: (Looks disapointed) Mum, I'm...

(Screen flashes)

Obviously he was going to admit he wasn't a Solider here.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Cloud never says "Mum." And he only drinks tea at Cid's behest.

[MJN SEIFER]

did I mention Tea?

[MasterX]

Zack could have been sad for Cloud's mother, them being best friends and all. Plus, Cloud was outside his house when Sephy burned the village. When people alter stories, they tend to include a few details of their own reactions to things they saw. It could have worked either way. In actual truth, my Zack feeling for Cloud's mum is perfectly logical.