Part 79: Revelations

Chapter 78 - Revelations


So this is it, the most important update. Be ready for a lot of images.



Last time Cloud had told Tifa he used to have a crush on her.



Tifa seemed confused, but Cloud wanted to show her something...









"Was it?"



That's both so sad and creepy.





These scenes are the first time we get a different, closer angle to the characters in these Nibelheim buildings. They always have this very static, clinical feeling to them.



"That's right. We lived next to each other. But I really didn't know you that well. I've known you since we were children always thought we were close..."



Past the issue of "obvious amnesia", I like how this game deals with partially obscured memories, or things we just forget.



"I used to think... they were all stupid."







I really like this exchange here.





Cloud's line-of-thought as an introvert kid, rationalizing his situation.



"That I was different from those immature kids. That then, maybe..."





This is so depressing.



Cloud's journey throughout the game is curious because, since things get progressively more messed up, so does he. Maybe the EU was right all along!



Cloud's a human landfill.



I think these parts get skipped by a lot.



They're not really very important story-wise (we'll get to it soon), but they're some of the most in-depth characterization you get in the game.



"I wonder if Cloud was able to get into SOLDIER?"



So I recommend giving this update a re-reading when you're done.



This is a long chapter and the things that come after this sequence tend to eclipse their talk about their past and their relationship.



Some disconnection between Cloud's personalities. Cloud states here that she's talking to a part of his subconscious.



"This was the day..."





Oh.



This is also something that would be pretty minor in other RPGs, but that is explored here.



Depending on the kid, this can be a pretty traumatic and life-changing event and it's not downplayed. Tifa is depressed.



"No one crosses that mountain alive..."



"Did mama pass through the mountains?"



Well that IS a most stupid idea.



Go, red cap kid. Show them you have basic survival instinct!





I would say "And thus, kid with the red cap survived, lived his life fully and decades later had children of his own, thus passing on his genetic code" but he probably died when Sephiroth burned Nibelheim, so all we have is a very Futurama-esque note on the meaning of life.





'I'm not paid enough for this shit.'







Yea, if memory serves me correctly, this is what happens to every single person who decides to walk through Mt. Nibel.



At some point they should just block the passage altogether and make more helicopters.





Poor Cloud just wanted to help .



"We all thought she wouldn't make it."



Yea.



And now we get Cloud's motivation for applying to SOLDIER.





That sure will show that mountain who's the boss.



"If I got strong like Sephiroth, then everyone might..."



Well, all these sound like plausible, very human-like reasons and motivations.





The best way they could have helped each other is by going to a goodpsychiatrist.



Of course, there's a point to all of this.



Tifa: "My childhood memories weren't all made up!"





And finally, finally, we're getting back to Nibelheim to figure out what the hell is going on.



This is it. The big fucking moment. Oh my God we're gonna go to the reactooor



Cue Lux Aeterna.
















The question is -



How did Cloud know about this if he wasn't there?





He was.











Holy shit.











This part



is fantastic.







This is the part that was missing.





The reason Tifa hadn't seen him, even though he knew everything. He was too ashamed to reveal himself.




I think this is the real big spoiler-worthy moment from FF7, which thankfully no one mentions because Aeris' death is too famous. This is the place where all the plot converges. This is the resolution of the biggest mystery we've had. It's the culmination of every plot point.



It's what makes a second playthrough so interesting.







Cloud is not the hero we deserve,







Oh crap.



This never ceases being creepy. Need I remind you that guy just got stabbed in the back.








Cloud









Jesus Christ, Cloud.























For fuck's sake, Cloud.















And this is how everything happened. After Cloud tossed Sephiroth down to the Lifestream, he effectivelly disappeared and was declared dead. Much like Cloud who moved from the Northern Crater to Mideel, Sephiroth was carried through the lifestream flow to the North.





The multiple aspects of Cloud's personality gather together...







Cmon, give the guy a break.



Yea guys, I don't mean to interrupt you two, but...



You guys are drowning in spirit juice, which by now must be Cloud's new hobby.





And with this, I conclude this update.


NEXT TIME:

Stop worrying about next time and go back read this chapter again to make sure you didn't miss anything!