Quote Originally Posted by Omnislash07
Are you sure? When she appeares to Vincent I didnt think she was really "alive" because you know she kinda disappeares in flashes of light and stuff. Plus were she alive she probably would have raised Seph, but she didnt because he thinks that Jenova is his mother.
Lucrecia explicitly states that she is alive, making reference to the fact that she wished to die but couldn't. Vincent also confirms this.

Vincent: Lucrecia... You're alive...

Lucrecia: I wanted to disappear... I couldn't be with anyone... I wanted to die... But the Jenova inside me wouldn't let me die... Lately, I dream a lot of Sephiroth... My dear, dear child. Ever since he was born I never got to hold him, even once... Not even once. You can't call me his mother... That... is my sin...
Obviously, then, Lucrecia survived long beyond Sephiroth's birth.


Quote Originally Posted by Omnislash07
He doesnt become inhumanly strong until after the Niblheim incident where Hojo injects him with Jenova cells and makes him a Seph clone. I believe that candidates for Soldier must already be extremely strong/athletic before they are allowed to join and Cloud was unable to join because of this. Also they do not inject the people with Jenova cells until after they join Soldier because if they injected it into all the applicants then all of their normal soldiers who failed to get into Soldier would have been drawn to the reunion.

He is physically built like a member of Soldier AFTER the Hojo experiments, not before.
This view directly contradicts Last Order, where Cloud is shown to have Mako eyes prior to being captured and experimented on by Hojo. Even if you disagree with the "reinterpretations" of Last Order, Cloud was able to hurl Sephiroth into the depths of the reactor, an improbable feat for anyone. Still further, Cloud's combat prowess in FFVII and AC obviously goes far beyond that of any member of SOLDIER; he is even able to defeat Sephiroth, something no one else could dream of doing. If Cloud is able to do this after Mako and JENOVA exposure, while other members of SOLDIER (e.g. Zack) cannot, it implies that his capabilities were also greater prior to SOLDIER treatment. Similarly, SOLDIER:3rds, 2nds, and 1sts are all defeated in-game without difficulty. Further still, Cloud is able to Advent Children Spoilerdefeat Sephiroth after having been cleansed of his Geostigma; this suggests that Cloud's abilities were extraordinary even minus any ostensible benefits derived from JENOVA cells.

The question of Reunion is a pertinent one, but there may have been other means of exposure, or limited degrees of such. This is not addressed by the game, but the Mako eyes in LO certainly imply at least limited exposure to SOLDIER treatment. Given Cloud's natural resistance to the effects of Mako and Spirit Energy, it's a reasonable conclusion.