Cloud and Marlene... Just wondering

[Unlucky]

Ok, I'm a lil confused about this one. I know that Cloud and Tifa are acting like parents to both Denzel and Marlene. It's pretty clear that Cloud is a father figure to Denzel, but how about Marlene? Given that she already has a father figure (Barret), does that make Cloud father figure no. 2 or something else...?

 

[Tifabelle]

yes. Cloud is a father figure to Marlene. A child can have multiple father figures.

 

[Unlucky]

yes. Cloud is a father figure to Marlene.

Somehow I always thought so until I watched their additional scene in ACC. Cloud does act fatherly but she speaks to him like he's a... friend. Guess she just acts mature for her age and that's why I think she's annoying.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I always looked at it as she thought of Tifa as a mother-figure and Cloud just happened to be slipping her the length so therefore he was more of a friend.

 

[Unlucky]

I always looked at it as she thought of Tifa as a mother-figure and Cloud just happened to be slipping her the length so therefore he was more of a friend.

Exactly one of the reasons why I'm confused. Yeah Cloud could be a father figure to her somehow while she's away from Barret but.... ??

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Barret has and always will be the main father figure in Marlene's life.
However she will of course know each of the group from after the events of ff7 meaning in essence you could surmise every male figure is a friend/father figure due to their age and at the same time every female member is a potential mother figure to her/friend.

 

[Unlucky]

Oh well that explains it I just wish SE made her speak to him as such, their new scene in ACC was sweet but I don't really see a father-daughter connection in there (except of course on Cloud's part)

 

[Octo]

I think Cloud is more like a fun uncle. A funcle

Its complicated I guess. I figured that when Barret returns from his travels he'd probably move in next door (or maybe 7th heaven as I don't know how many bedrooms there are anyway) and Marlene would be with him, only in close proximity to Tifa and Cloud.

This idea of the nuclear family is only a relatively recent thing, for many years you'd have several generations all living under the same roof. There are places in the world where this still happens. So I imagine a similar sort of set up happening here.

Marlene still calls Barret daddy/papa so hes always going to be her number 1 in that respect.

 

[Unlucky]

I think Cloud is more like a fun uncle. A funcle

I always thought something more like a family friend or even a big brother... but 'funcle' seems to suit it better I guess

This idea of the nuclear family is only a relatively recent thing, for many years you'd have several generations all living under the same roof. There are places in the world where this still happens. So I imagine a similar sort of set up happening here.

Actually in my country a nuclear family is a very common set-up. I grew up in a home with all my uncles and aunts and cousins but without a present father. But we keep in touch (he is just away because he's not a citizen) so I never really saw anyone else as a father figure, not even my uncles or any friend of my mom's. So it's pretty much like Marlene's case. Barret may be physically absent but I don't think she will ever see anyone else as a father figure, that's why I highly doubt she sees Cloud as one though he plays the part in his absence.

 

[Octo]

Yeah, I think SE have a bit of a simplistic view when it comes to families. Denzel is a different case entirely, because his parents are dead and he has no connection to anyone but Cloud and Tifa. With Marlene, shes being looked after while her dad is away, which is something I think everyone has experienced at one time or another, even if only for a few days. That doesn't mean that you forget about your parents does it?

I think Marlenes creation of a 'family' is just to do with her wanting to keep the people she cares about close, so why not call it that? Doesn't mean Barret isn't her dad, just that she has an extended family.

Though I do think Tifa is the nearest Marlene has got to a mother figure. I don't think she's going to want to talk to Barret about bras and periods and stuff

 

[Celes Chere]

Cloud kind of has the role of a 'legal guardian' (doesn't neccessarily have to be a parent) since Barret entrusted Marlene's care to him. Barret's her Dad, but like Kripey said a kid can have more than one father figure. I don't think she'll start calling Cloud 'Daddy' or anything, but she probably looks up to him like a guardian with father-like qualities. . . Kind of like a step parent.

 

[Octo]

I kind of feel sorry for Marlene, I mean Dyne and Eleanor died, and then Barret wasn't going to win father of the year leaving her alone in a fucking slum pub, and then leaving her again to go off with Cloud and Co to fight Seph and then leaving her again to go off to find an alternative fuel source (which is almost as bad as mako. When will they learn?! :lol)

On top of that Cloud leaves them too!

I just worry that she'll grow up with abandonment issues and end up being with totally unsuitable men who treat her badly for fear of being left alone

 

[Shademp]

Though I do think Tifa is the nearest Marlene has got to a mother figure. I don't think she's going to want to talk to Barret about bras and periods and stuff

Both Barret and Tifa will suit great though when Marlene becomes a teenager and has to leave on an epic quest to save the world, then in her early 20's to save the universe.

Ya know, like the Japanese tradition.

 

[Octo]

I just had a vision of Barret in the 'lady things' aisle in the supermarket:

"Huh what ones did she say I gotta get?....medium flow....light flow...heavy flow? Pads? Daisy fresh....lavender?....@#~$%!!? This ain't right! GOD DAMN IT!! DAMMIT ALL TO HELL!! What the hell's it all for!? ARGGHHHH!!"

*Shoots the shit out of the feminine hygiene shelf

 

[Ryushikaze]

I always thought something more like a family friend or even a big brother... but 'funcle' seems to suit it better I guess



Actually in my country a nuclear family is a very common set-up. I grew up in a home with all my uncles and aunts and cousins but without a present father. But we keep in touch (he is just away because he's not a citizen) so I never really saw anyone else as a father figure, not even my uncles or any friend of my mom's.

That's not a Nuclear family, actually. That's a classic extended family setup.

So it's pretty much like Marlene's case. Barret may be physically absent but I don't think she will ever see anyone else as a father figure, that's why I highly doubt she sees Cloud as one though he plays the part in his absence.

Seeing someone as a father, and being someone's father figure are entirely different things.
Cloud is definitely Marlene's father figure, just as Tifa is hers. She doesn't have to see them as that for them to fill that role for her development.
By way of comparison, Lightning is Serah's elder sister, but also her replacement mother figure. She is not seen as a mother by Serah, but that is the role she has taken on.

 

[Roger]

I dun think Denzel will be calling Cloud "Father" very soon either.

 

[Vendel]

Cloud kind of has the role of a 'legal guardian' (doesn't neccessarily have to be a parent) since Barret entrusted Marlene's care to him. Barret's her Dad, but like Kripey said a kid can have more than one father figure. I don't think she'll start calling Cloud 'Daddy' or anything, but she probably looks up to him like a guardian with father-like qualities. . . Kind of like a step parent.

Well said. Marlene has two daddies.

I'm not sure why this situation confuses people. If it were a divorce would there be a question as to Cloud's status?

What Marlene and Denzel call Cloud and Tifa is irrelevant. Heck when my Uncle got remarried it took several years before her kid called him "dad".

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

idk if i agree that she really sees cloud as another dad? father figure, yes, but there's a difference between that and dad. i have one mom and then i have a stepmom who i called by her first name and thereafter i call whoever my dad's married to my dad's wife. marlene sort of sees tifa as a surrogate mom, and cloud as her stepdad, i guess? even though there's no marriage in the situation, she treats him like a friend in a way i treated a lot of my steparents.

 

[Unlucky]

That's not a Nuclear family, actually. That's a classic extended family setup.

Oops sorry my bad.

Seeing someone as a father, and being someone's father figure are entirely different things.

I didn't have a father figure so I can't really tell the difference, guess that explains my confusion.

I just worry that she'll grow up with abandonment issues and end up being with totally unsuitable men who treat her badly for fear of being left alone

Sadly, Octo, I already developed abandonment issues due to my situation, despite my support system being stable. So it's not a surprise if Marlene ends up the same. It depends on the child-- she may grow up like a normal kid, or become over-independent, or the opposite (uber-clingy) and be abused for it. And the fact that Cloud is being a douche in AC doesn't help.

I'm not sure why this situation confuses people.

I thought at first that SE's portrayal of Cloud and Marlene's relationship is vague but from reading replies it turns out that I'm the one confused, so there

What Marlene and Denzel call Cloud and Tifa is irrelevant.

Mama Tifa and Funcle Cloud.

 

[AvecAloes]

Though I do think Tifa is the nearest Marlene has got to a mother figure. I don't think she's going to want to talk to Barret about bras and periods and stuff

What, you don't think Marlene would feel comfortable talking to

Spoiler: Cloud

about stuff like bras and periods?

 

[Dashell]

I'm not sure why this situation confuses people.

I think it's pretty damn obvious why it "confuses" people

I thought at first that SE's portrayal of Cloud and Marlene's relationship is vague but from reading replies it turns out that I'm the one confused, so there

I don't think he was talking about you specifically here

 

[Danseru-kun]

If you ask me even though Denzel and Marlene might see him as a daddy I think Cloud himself isn't that mature enough to be a father and feels that he must give more effort. His attempts to be a better dad can be seen in CoT when he spends more time with the children and buys them gifts from his travels. Cloud himself grew up without a father so he has to learn things without relying in his own experiences.

Sadly, Octo, I already developed abandonment issues due to my situation, despite my support system being stable. So it's not a surprise if Marlene ends up the same. It depends on the child-- she may grow up like a normal kid, or become over-independent, or the opposite (uber-clingy) and be abused for it. And the fact that Cloud is being a douche in AC doesn't help.

I agree with you that it depends on the child. And I'm sure the OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) setting being common here in the Philippines has social costs like what you have experienced. But despite that, we have lots of aunts and uncles willing to take care of us since families here ARE ALWAYS EXTENDED

I think Marlene is used to Barret being gone for long periods. In FFVII Barret's already doing more dangerous work in AVALANCHE and it's not unlikely that Marlene is taken care of by a lot of people other than his dad. Marlene is still very young so it's hard to tell what she will be when she grows up.

 

[Unlucky]

I don't think he was talking about you specifically here

Cleriths?

His attempts to be a better dad can be seen in CoT when he spends more time with the children and buys them gifts from his travels.

That's actually one of my favorite parts from CoT, very touching and unlikely of Cloud. At least he has an idea what it's like to play daddy.

I agree with you that it depends on the child. And I'm sure the OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) setting being common here in the Philippines has social costs like what you have experienced. But despite that, we have lots of aunts and uncles willing to take care of us since families here ARE ALWAYS EXTENDED

True. I personally think that a child who grows up to become normal or without issues is a strong child. It's hard getting by while seeing other families with a male figure when you have none. In my case, we finally moved out on our own when I reached puberty but still I didn't get to have a 'father figure' as you folks call it, cos while there is a male in the house (one uncle who moved in with us), he is (as I have always known) -- GAY. (BTW my dad is not an OFW, he's an American citizen)

Marlene is still very young so it's hard to tell what she will be when she grows up.

I'm a lot more worried about Denzel than Marlene, Marlene seems like a tough kid and thinks mature for her age while Denzel is like... Cloud in the making. You know... quiet and miserable and insecure.

 

[Mariketsu]

I'm not really worried about Denzel and I agree with the one who said Cloud is a second father-figure to Marlene. Cloud is pretty much a second father to her, however she can also see him as a good friend too. As for Denzel, he does have some of Cloud's traits, but he has already shown himself to be stronger than our favorite blonde swordsman . Denzel was miserable, insecure and quiet because he was sick from Geostigma through most of the movie, but when he got the chance, he got up and fought back (i.e. the scene where he breaks a water pipe to spray a Shadow Creeper). That's just my say, tho.

~ Raz

 

[Danseru-kun]

True. I personally think that a child who grows up to become normal or without issues is a strong child. It's hard getting by while seeing other families with a male figure when you have none. In my case, we finally moved out on our own when I reached puberty but still I didn't get to have a 'father figure' as you folks call it, cos while there is a male in the house (one uncle who moved in with us), he is (as I have always known) -- GAY. (BTW my dad is not an OFW, he's an American citizen)

OOohh, I see. I don't want to dig deeper about what happened in your family but I think you can learn from my dad. My dad has no father figure himself because our grandpa was terrible; he lost our farmlands in gambling and had more children with his other women and left our grandma which is his legal wife. Despite this, my father is a good man and he once told us that he will not repeat the mistake of his father.