Final Fantasy VII Part #80

Part 80: Status Quo

Chapter 79 - Status Quo

After a long sequence of flashbacks, the two rise up to the surface.

Tifa: "Barret... you came back... I... Cloud, where is he?"

Barret: "Don't worry about him, he's a tough one."

This is one of those scenes with intense use of Vertex-based lighting to color the characters. You can see the intense green/teal light coming from the lifestream.

What? You're not making any sense, Tifa. Here, take some sleep pills.

No, you should have. Keep it going like this and you guys have a chance.

Tifa: "And they can forget so many things..."

Barret: "Yo, Tifa! Snap outta it!!"

Goodnight, sweet princess.

"And as you can see in this green graph, I am batshit insane."

This place reminds me of Xenogears, for some reason.

Seriously now, this is the first time in a long-ass time our heroes are all back together. We've been a long while without Cloud!

And this is the abridged version of everything we learned in the flashback, for those who missed it.

It's also very meaningful, because it marks the total transition from the Cloud-that-was to the Cloud-that-is. His personality, his ego, his motivations.

He's exposing himself to his fellow members. Prior to this series of events, he hadn't exposed himself even to us, we didn't know anything at all.

The Cloud who was cocky and belittled Barret and the others back in Midgar can't be the same Cloud who outright tells you that he is a farse.

Barret is addressing the first thing we'd see as a plot hole - the fact Cloud could actually act the farse, since he has superhuman traits.

Cloud: "It was just the same procedure they use when creating members of SOLDIER."

This is interesting.

So it isn't just the lifestream. The lifestream gives them a boost, but the key of the SOLDIER members is that they're all selling their souls to the devil to get their strength.

Cloud didn't "fail" at SOLDIER, he never had whatever he had to have to begin with, the strength to resist the influence of the Jenova cells.

The result of making a failed SOLDIER is what we saw - Jenova and Sephiroth had total control over him.

Powerful stuff, Cloud. Powerful stuff.

Hahahaha. When even Tifa tells you that, it's definitely time to start things anew.

Oh Cloud, you whacky crazy fella.

Last I checked you were still a spy.

This isn't the answer to what he asked, Cloud. Oh no, this is it, the start of the guilt-trip.

Ah, alright. This sounds much better.

Yes, yes.

Hell yeah.

And we're back to the fantastic Highwind theme. All is well when it ends well.

Cloud, an inspiration to the meek and oppressed.

Let's roll with Team Nibelheim for now. We'll change it later.

Go away, Cait Sith. I'm busy planning my next vacation to the Chocobo Farm.

I don't know, are we? I just woke up from a massive coma.

I'm glad you guys did all the job for me while I was asleep. Now go away.

Cloud getting to know his employees. Or Cid's. Who pays these guys? Is Cid paying the crew with our money? How are they splitting the finances? We should investigate that.