First off, Calvin: Jenova was only encased by the ENTIRE race of the Cetra, thousands of them. And she killed off almost all of them in the process.
"A small number of the surviving Cetra" actually. I shouldn't think thousands of them could only trap her, when AVALANCHE easily ruined her trout.
Cloud spent who-knows-how-long in there as well, and didn't gain any of it. Plus, if it was that easy, why wouldn't he, and many others, have jumped in the mako themselves? Mako is NOT Lifestream.
You're right, it's not, but Sephiroth did get into the Lifestream, and gained a whole heap of knowledge and power. Also, when Cloud spent a little time in the Lifestream, there is mention of something along the same lines...
"I'll say it again, he's got Mako poisoning. I've never seen a
case this bad..."
"An immense amount of Mako-drenched knowledge was put into his
brain all at once......"
Why would he do that if Jenova wasn't calling for him? And you still haven't said how he went from "I must free mother" to "I must kill you all; you're traitors to the Cetra!"
Why would he do it? Because he was under the impression that Jenova was an Ancient, and his mother. I'd want to see her if I'd come across a revelation like that. And he resented the humans because of everything he read in the Library concerning them turning their backs on the Cetra (his race, or so he believed).
Again, pure assumption. THINK. He's TALKING about the Reunion, he ONLY knows about the Reunion.
If I'm making an assumption, then so are you. Neither of us can prove what Hojo meant.
It's stated in the game by Cloud that Sephiroth went insane in Nibelheim. Since it was not refutted later in the game, by your reasoning, it must be pure fact.
I'll give you that, but it's the same clichéd reasoning that someone who's evil is insane.
And why would he control his mother?
Oh leave it out, I've already said -- he's not controlling his mother, he's controlling the near-lifeless blob that used to be her body.
That "power of Jenova" quote I stated before. Jenova has the power to manipulate ALL minds, including Sephiroth and Cloud's.
The power of Jenova quote concerns her shapeshifting abilities, not her manipulation abilities -- I'll grant you that her shapeshifting is how she manipulates, but we're talking about directly controlling a person's actions. Give me a quote that says Jenova can do this.
Then how come NOBODY recognized him? Only the executive Shinra guys an AVALANCHE knew he was even moving around.
Uh huh, and they all saw him - doesn't that mean he's not being very stealthy?
There wouldn't be an FF7 without Jenova. Sephiroth could have been substituted with anyone with Jenova cells; his connection with Cloud just made the story more endearing. Jenova and her cells is the story.
Anyone with Jenova cells? So the entire ranks of SOLDIER had the potential to be the main villain? They could all manipulate Cloud into fetching and delivering the Black Materia? No. Sephiroth is a key component as much as Jenova, moreso since the entire "oh we must kill the villain~!" focus is on him, and never Jenova.
If Sephiroth wanted revenge, why didn't he kill Cloud? He certainly had the chance.
Maybe taking Cloud's mind apart piece by piece was more fun? You tell me why he spun the bulltrout story of Cloud's "construction".
1. To deliver the Black Materia, as you have mentioned. Whether you believe it was by Jenova's design or not, Sephiroth wanted the Black Materia at the Reunion.
2. Then why didn't anyone notice him in Disc 1, huh? Because he was being stealthy. A human being can be stealthy, a gigantic monster cannot.
3. Well, Sephiroth was a well-respected SOLDIER and a great Shinra general. Can't you see how she could use that to her advantage?
1: So now Jenova's working for Sephiroth?
2: Nobody noticed him? And you're telling me to replay the game?
3: Not since he was also a well respected DEAD SOLDIER.
If Sephiroth could manipulate anybody because of his strong will(why does he have a strong will? He's human, except for Jenova cells. Whatever powers you grant Sephiroth you must grant Jenova in greater power), which he doesn't really have 'cause he's insane, then how come Sephiroth didn't just control everybody? Why didn't he overtake AVALANCHE? Why was Cloud the ONLY person in the group he controlled?
1: Have you considered the powers of his strong will (which he DOES have for god's sake, I proved it already) came from his stay in the Lifestream?
2: I don't grant Jenova anything that Sephiroth gained in the lifestream. He became a hundred times more formidable after that event (as evident from the fact that Jenova is the FIRST and WEAKEST in the series of final enemies -- not counting the one inside Cloud's mind, since...it was in his mind)
3: When you use manipulate materia, how many enemies can you control at once?
Lastly, concerning your quote, if gaining the power of gathered Lifestream was his sole concern, then why didn't he just stay down there and gather?
Because he wanted more -- as much as was possible. That's what the Meteor plan was all about.