The Most Memorable Moments of the Compilation Contest

[Dashell]

Okay... uhm... I didn't have time to proof read so if you see a mistake lemme know... I don't like the ending either, cripes I never know how to end stuff. And lemme know if it's too long okay? I ended up writing way the hell too much:


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“Good to see you, Cloud.”

And it is with those words, one of the most amazing battles to ever grace anime movies begins. The sky turns black, swords clash, the stage is set, and you know no one messing around. The last time these two warriors met head on, it was about settling the past, unfreezing a smile and proving that with one's willpower, you are not bound by anyone but yourself to choose the paths you take in life. This time is much more personal. A planet is in crisis much like before, but this time, our young blond friend has to fight, not just for himself, but for his friends, his family and his beloved. He also must prove to himself that he is, in fact, worthy of calling himself a hero.

All though the battle starts much like the one in the previous Advent Children movie, right off the bat things are different. The atmosphere is darker, the music seems more sinister, and you can feel the tension between our two fighters. With every clashing of their swords, and every flame that burns from the fire, the scene pulls you to the end of your seat.

However, as well as Cloud is able to avoid injury throughout the start of the battle, and in Advent children, the same does not apply in the extended edition. Rather than kicking Cloud into a wall, our vicious silver haired friend sends him through the very wall, and we only hear as Cloud grunts loudly and painfully as he lands. But his torment doesn't end there. Glowing with the power of his limit break, he charges bravely at Sephiroth preparing his Omnislash, but it's unfortunate that the silver haired demon is fully ready to take the attack head on. Dodging and countering each attack, Cloud only grows more frustrated, taking a running leap into the air desperate to land a hit. This proves to be the most devastating move Cloud could make as Sephiroth smilies evilly upward at Cloud, and impales his Masamune directly through Cloud's upper chest. Cloud can do nothing but cry out in agony, and listen as his hated enemy taunts him, while easily holding up in the air by the sword.

Yet again, Cloud's pain is only beginning. Sephiroth reveals his wing, and tosses a surprised and pained Cloud into the air. Unable to defend himself, Cloud is helpless as Sephiroth brutally slashes and stabs at him a total of eight times. Blood is sent flying as the blond is stabbed in the arms, chest and even his feet and knee. The brutal attack stops only when Cloud grabs the Masamune trying to protect his face. He is then hurled downward, causing blood to rain from the sky as he crashes into the Shinra Building.

Barely able to move, or even breath, Cloud somehow finds the strength to grab onto his sword and try to get back up as the blood pours from his fresh wounds. Above him, his enemy asks him what he cherishes most, saying he would like to take it away. After this statement, he goes in for the kill and Cloud can only look horrified as his loved ones flash before his eyes. But it is at that moment he remembers a friend very dear to him. A friend he once lost, long ago.

Zack Fair.

Zack encourages Cloud, saying that he must not give up even if the situation is hopeless. He reminds Cloud that he must protect his honor in SOLDIER, and even though he never made SOLDIER, it's what's in the heart that counts. Cloud listens, as he slowly gets back to his feet, never once taking his eyes off his advisory. Above all else Cloud is reminded of one thing. He is Zack's living legacy and he must protect his dreams and honor.

With new resolve, Cloud leaps up to meet Sephiroth's attack head on. He tells Sephiroth that there isn't a thing he doesn't cherish, and their swords clash one last time. Cloud begins to glow with his limit break, and it is then that he unleashes the power that is Omnislash V.6. Cloud's swords separate surrounding a confused and shocked Sephiroth and almost as fast as light, Cloud attacks. He grabs each sword, moving too fast for Sephiroth to follow and returns to slash his enemy as he grunts in pain with each and every blow. A total of eight hits are landed, but Cloud's not done yet. He sends his energy copies out to strike Sephiroth four more times before landing on the Shinra Building and gracefully catching his sword before it hits the ground. He then looks up, a determined look upon his face, and demands that Sephiroth stays in his memories, where he belongs.

And with as great of a line as this battle began, it also ends with an epic line. Sephiroth almost appears to be shrugging as if he is unphased by these words. He looks down upon Cloud, mirroring his determined look and he speaks one last time, “I will never be a memory.” and fades away leaving those to wonder if he will ever return again. Cloud then finally realizes that he is, in fact, worthy of living with his family and friends. He then basks in the warmth of the Great Gospel rain as it begins to fall. He smiles as he sees his friends approaching. He will return to live with his family, he will live on, because above all else, he is, in fact, a hero.

 

[Tennyo]

*plays editor*

 

[S and G]

I felt a giddy sweet pang in my heart reading your post, S and G.

Thanks. It took me all of ten minutes to write.

Laziness + heartfelt = masterpiece.

Simple mathematics. I should know, I'm a Uni graduate in the subject.

 

[Dashell]

okay made a change to mine... well a couple, I wasn't aware of how many times I said "He can do nothing but..." so I removed all but one of those XD

 

[Tennyo]

Ah crap I haven't finished making all the edits yet. Sorry, Quex! I'll get on that! D:

 

[Ryushikaze]

Reposted from the poll:

Zack's demise and the inheritance of the Buster sword is the most memorable moment of the compilation for various reasons. To go into them all would take far longer than I'm sure everyone wishes to read, so I'll only go into a select few, the reasons that are true of both the original version, and the version presented in the end of Crisis Core.

The viewing of Zack's demise shows us a man, trying to get himself home to his girlfriend and to safety, but moreover, it showed us a man who was going to make sure his comatose friend made it to safety too. It showed us a man, within miles of his goal, who is nevertheless fighting, to the death, to save that friend even as it means he cannot return to the woman he loves. It showed us a man who died so that his friend could survive.

Nextly, it shows us death comes to everyone, and by any hand. While Aerith's demise was memorable, it showed us that the final boss of the game could kill someone, what Zack's demise showed us was that death could come at any hand, even the hand of the MP grunts you fight at the very beginning of both FF7 and Crisis Core. It made you appreciate the exploits of the hero more, because it highlighted their fragility, and made their deeds the more impressive because of them. It also added a further point to the suddenness and the sadness and brutality of death, both in FF7's recollection by Cloud in which the MPs finish him off once and for all with a riddling of machin gun fire, and in Crisis Core's version with Cloud's scream and Aerith's shock.

But lastly, it is memorable, because while it highlights the sadness and brutality of death, it also shows us that death is not truly the end. In FF7, this was Cloud holding the Buster sword and telling Zack he would live on for him. In Crisis Core, this was the hand grab with Angel, Zack's calling Cloud his living Legacy, and in both cases, Cloud managing to walk standing up only after taking up the Buster sword, and renewing Zack's struggle towards midgar. The passing of the Buster sword isn't just a handing of a weapon on, or a keeping of a memento, but a passing on of honor and dreams, just as with Angeal and Zack before, and as a continuation of Zack's role as a hero through Cloud. It is not the end of Zack's story as a hero, but as Cloud notes at the end of Advent Children Complete, it is the start of one. His.

Before Crisis Core, Zack's death and the passing of Buster was a scene that gave a little bit more information on who Cloud was trying to be, on why Cloud reminded Aerith of her old boyfriend, and on how Cloud came to be in Midgar's slums after Nibelheim.
Now, it is the defining point between the two major eras depicted in the Compilation, the capstone to the themes of life and death that prevail throughout the series, and as the end of Zack's life, but not yet the end of his story.

 

[looneymoon]

Oh god guys, mine is ridiculously long D: I'm going through the efforts of trimming it down. It's at a page where it stands.

 

[Dashell]

Mine was about a page, it's fine

 

[looneymoon]

Ok it's almost 3am, this really isn't the best thing I've ever written, and there's probably a crap load of mistakes... So, to those who read this, feel free to make edits as you see fit. I haven't really written on FF7 before and I want to get it right fgj.

The Compilation of Final Fantasy 7 has an abundance of high-action, emotionally charged scenes. In it we have numerous characters deaths, unexpected plot twists and epic showdowns. Yet somehow, amidst all this, there comes moments of quiet significance – moments that always seem to resonate just as brightly in our minds just as much, or maybe even more than any climactic confrontation. Such is a certain scene that occurs early on in the original Final Fantasy 7 title.

“Shit! Can’t hold on much longer…”

Hanging on for dear life, our hero finds himself falling to his inevitable death. As players, we assume he can’t do so shortly after the came begun… but when he wakes from his would-be fatal fall, the imagery makes it seem as if he’s woken up in a sort of heaven. In the abandoned church where he lands, flowers grow on overly polluted soil, bathed in light where light should not be able to shine. In many ways, it really is the imagery of the scene that makes it stand out from any other. Amongst all this there is also a beautiful young lady…

".....So, we meet again."

It’s an unlikely reencounter between two equally unlikely heroes. The meeting of Cloud Strife and Aeris Gainsborough is really one of the chief rising actions in the plot. They become entangled as two of the primary players in a fight for the life of the planet, as if this was a fateful encounter. From a story telling perspective, this is where the real action really starts to roll. Two heroes, heroes in immeasurably different ways, meet properly for the first time, unaware of the upcoming roles they are about to play…

More noteworthy, however, is amount of striking contrasts present in the scene. For one, the soft colouration of it is completely different all the harsh darkness thus far in the game. The armour clad soldier lying amongst a patch of flowers, tended to by a girl in pink is a soothing image, and the intense action just moments before comes to a gentle resolution. Aeris, light hearted and cheerful, is the complete opposite of the aloof Cloud. Like the radiant church in the middle of this downtrodden city, Aeris herself is the bright spot among an otherwise gloomy cast of characters. And really, that’s what this scene is all about – Aeris. Immediately we fall in love with her, even if it’s just a little bit. Her attitude is infectious, and provides relief. She eventually comes to be a symbol of peace to the FF7 world, much like the church is for Midgar.

I think I have probably noted every single thing I could possibly think of to stress the poignancy of this scene… but really, the fact of the matter is its value is rather inexplicable. It isn’t really all that dramatic, tear-jerking or filled with nail-biting action... but, I remember it because somehow underneath all its subtleties, there is something almost magical about it. I believe the team at Square Enix feels the same way, so much as to invoke nostalgia by making an allusion to it in Crisis Core.

edit: made a couple of small changes

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Ryu, looneymoon: Great job with those write-ups! You guys really captured the poignancy of those moments.




Here's mine, on the subject of

-Cloud throwing Sephiroth into the bottom of Nibelheim's mako reactor-
"No way." That was my reaction the first time I saw Cloud defeat Sephiroth in the original Final Fantasy VII.

Not when he defeated him at the end of the game, where he fought with the strength of a SOLDIER. Rather, this reaction was to the revelation of the truth of what had taken place in Nibelheim five years ago.

It's not even like I didn't know it was coming. Like so many others playing their first Final Fantasy, I was using the official strategy guide, published by BradyGames and written by David Cassady.

I'd spoiled myself on some of the upcoming details by reading ahead. I'd seen the line that reads, "He bested Sephiroth and saved Tifa and Zack's lives." I knew Cloud was able to beat Sephiroth somehow.

I didn't know yet that he threw him into the bottom of Nibelheim's mako reactor, though -- and I definitely didn't know that the two actually fought. My assumption was that Cloud simply took Sephiroth by surprise and wounded him, leading to Sephiroth fleeing, not to be seen again for five years.

After all, the strategy guide had also said, "Sephiroth defeats Zack, but Cloud grabs his sword and sneaks up on Sephiroth as he's reaching for Jenova."

The Mideel Sequence was already significant before this revelation. At that juncture in the story, the mystery of who Cloud really was still lingered, but was finally being unraveled. Sephiroth's lies at the Reunion were being revealed for what they were.

Until this point, it had seemed they may be true. At any rate, neither Tifa nor Cloud could dispute them. Hojo even corroborated them. Cloud certainly believed them.

This portion of the story was already resolving the game's primary mystery -- but the biggest surprises lay ahead.

My expectations for what was coming were completely blown away. Tifa gets wounded by Sephiroth, as we'd seen before in the Kalm flashback, but then -- instead of Cloud arriving on the scene, as shown prior -- his friend Zack, SOLDIER 1st Class, shows up ... only to be defeated as well. A particularly intense moment follows in which Cloud runs Zack's sword through an unsuspecting Sephiroth and reveals that he'd been there all along, his face hidden behind the helmet of a regular Shin-Ra soldier.

The mystery of Cloud's identity was solved -- he was real, and he'd been in Nibelheim. As exhilirating as this sequence was, an even more intense development awaited players just two minutes later.

Cloud mistakenly believed he'd delievered a killing blow to Sephiroth. To his surprise, the villain emerged from Jenova's room a moment later, her head in tow and his attention focused on escaping. Not even attempting to fight, Sephiroth, though severely wounded, made for the exit.

As this comrade who had turned on him left the room, the injured Zack made a request: "Cloud... Kill Sephiroth...." And with that, the regular Shin-Ra soldier, who lacked both Jenova cells and mako enhancement, set out to finish what the 1st Class SOLDIER could not.

And he succeeded.

As Cloud confronted Sephiroth on a catwalk overlooking the bottom of the mako reactor, Sephiroth quickly turned and impaled Cloud with the Masamune. He then lifted his "defeated" foe, who still dangled on the blade, into the air, confident of his victory -- but only for a short moment. Activated by Cloud's rage over the loss of his hometown, the loss of his mother, and the injuries to his friend as well as his secret love -- what could only be called a Limit Break emerged from Cloud as he grabbed the blade of Sephiroth's sword and pulled himself back to the ground.

The blade shaking as he wrested control of the weapon from his nemesis, Cloud then lifted Sephiroth himself into the air -- the music accompanying the scene rising to a swell as he did. So in disbelief was the legendary SOLDIER at this unexpected turn of events, Sephiroth didn't even think to let go of the Masamune's handle.

With a final effort before his body gave out, Cloud used the Masamune to hurl Sephiroth through the air and into the reactor wall. From there, humanity's self-declared enemy plummeted into the heart of the mako reactor -- defeated. Cloud had killed the most powerful man in the world -- the man who walked through flames in that commercial from 1997 and captivated so many of us in the West who had never heard of Final Fantasy before.

"No way."

He'd really done it. Cloud had achieved a feat that he'd thought impossible when relating the earlier flashback in Kalm. Even after he'd gained his SOLDIER enhancements while a captive of Hojo, Cloud didn't believe he could have beaten Sephiroth. Yet he'd it done while still a normal kid -- if, indeed, he could be considered ever having been normal after doing such a thing.

Suddenly, Cloud coming through the accident that had left Tifa in a coma and him with only scraped knees made a lot more sense. He had been something special all along -- and the only one who knew it was the man who hated him for it.

The fact that no one in the game comments on it afterward only serves to underline its significance. The characters didn't have to tell us how amazing this was -- it spoke for itself.

There was something in Cloud that one finds often in true heroes of fantasy and fiction -- a reservoir of strength that emerges in desperate times to meet the need at hand and save lives. This was no Punisher or Rorschach -- this was someone more akin to a Spider-Man or a Gohan.

Though presented to us for much of the game as an uncouth, cold antihero, Cloud's mind deteriorated and the typically lauded role of the antihero went without endorsement. It was, in fact, heavily deconstructed. The strong badass was revealed to be a mental weakling unable to face who he really was for most of the game.

Ultimately forced to confront the truth, however, Cloud had to square with his worst enemy -- himself. And when this process was finished, what were we left with? A hero.

One who possessed flaws, as any good hero should, but a hero nonetheless.

Though this climactic clash between Sephiroth and Cloud in the bowels of the mako reactor has been re-envisioned on multiple occasions, no iteration since has captured the magic of the original telling -- at least, in this author's opinion. Simple though it was in execution and limited though the graphics were by today's standards, this scene from the original FFVII stands as an example of powerful storytelling -- demonstrating what can be done with a good script, fitting music, and appropriate timing.

 

[aniron]

Umm... Should we write these mini-essays for all nominated moments or only the winning ones?

 

[Dashell]

All of them

 

[aniron]

Bugger! *runs off to write teh essay*

 

[Makoeyes987]

Okay, for all those who finished their write ups, THANK YOU. I appreciate this greatly. However, fishing through this thread and the voting thread for all write ups down so far is a bit disorganized, so instead, I want everyone who's doing this to PM me your thoughts on your nominated moment instead. That way I'll have them all in one place and won't have to fish through each topic to find them all.

So again. PM me your write ups so I can have them for the front page post. And for those who haven't yet started...START.

 

[Tetsujin]

Can someone else do it for me?
The bit about the final showdown? =p

 

[Makoeyes987]

So you're giving up your nomination, is what you're saying.

 

[Tetsujin]

Got a problem with that, bitch?

 

[Makoeyes987]

Well yeah, because now we have to find someone else to do it.

Do we have..any takers?

 

[Makoeyes987]

I'm going to repeat what I put in the other voting thread so no one can bitch about not hearing this.

This is taking too long, and if I don't have the write ups from the people who have yet to provide them by Friday, you'll just be SOL. There's no reason at all that it should take this long to write up a short ass paragraph on why you like the moment you nominated.

So either put up your stuff by Friday or someone else or whatever will do it. We need to get this project going; laziness/cba/etc can't be allowed to have this thing die.

 

[Cannon_Fodder]

If you don't mind another shitty write up I could do Tetsujin's, but otherwise someone else is probably better for it.

If there are no takers, I'll get it done.

 

[Makoeyes987]

If you don't mind another shitty write up I could do Tetsujin's, but otherwise someone else is probably better for it.

If there are no takers, I'll get it done.

I read your write up, and it was far from shitty. If you could do it, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you ^^

 

[Neutron Ronnie]

Sorry, I forgot... And btw, I'm a bit confused... Does it have to be a short ass paragraph, or much longer like some of the descriptions already here? Does it have to be your personal reasons for liking the moment, or just reasons why the moment may be noteworthy to any gamer following the story? And does it need to include a description of the event?

Anyway, if you're only looking for reasons, and not a description, just discard the first two paragraphs and use the last. I also kept it as impersonal as I could, so feel free to edit/rewrite:


CLOUD AND TIFA IN THE LIFESTREAM

SOLDIER First Class Cloud Strife is a mystery – from the strange voices in his head to his baffling actions as he surrenders the key to destroying the world to his greatest enemy, and tries to kill one of his friends. The mystery is apparently explained when Sephiroth reveals Cloud to be nothing but a failed cloning experiment, lacking a true will or emotions of his own. Believing himself to be only a copy of the real person in Tifa Lockhart’s memories, Cloud loses his grip on sanity, and once again delivers the Black Materia to Sephiroth – this time, with disastrous consequences.

The mystery behind Cloud is finally cleared at Mideel, where Tifa has been patiently caring for him in his traumatized, mako-poisoned state. After falling into the Lifestream with Cloud, Tifa is able to step into his memories and help him put the pieces of his past together. Gently, yet firmly, she rejects his initial recollection of the events at Nibelheim, and urges him to explore the memories locked deep in his heart. As Cloud describes a secret memory involving Tifa and his decision to apply for SOLDIER, it becomes obvious that he is more than just a product of a failed experiment - he is, in fact, the real Cloud of Nibelheim, his mind and memory sadly ravaged by the combined effect of mako and Jenova. The effects of Sephiroth’s lies are dispelled. Cloud, regaining his true persona, returns to his friends with Tifa, and resolves to take responsibility for Meteor by heading the strike against Sephiroth.

The events occuring in the Lifestream finally answer one of the game’s biggest mysteries – the true identity of Cloud Strife – by exposing his innermost thoughts and broken memories through Tifa Lockhart’s eyes. They provide the true retelling of the Nibelheim Incident, detailing the pivotal role played by Cloud, a lowly Shinra grunt, in Sephiroth’s fall. They also provide fresh insight into his history and relationship with Tifa. A plot twist upon a plot twist, and the resolution of Cloud's identity and his return to the party all mark a turning point in a bleak outlook, making the Lifestream episode one of the truly memorable events in Final Fantasy VII.

 

[Cannon_Fodder]

Alright then, I'll get up something for Tetsujin's moment by the end of the day.

 

[Makoeyes987]

And at this point, I'm going to say that those who are interested in having their write ups featured have submitted them, and the rest clearly don't care.

So I'm going to start working on this. The ones that don't have a write up will have ones provided by staff.

Spoiler: These are the ones that write ups haven't been done for

Aniron has the DC ending scene with Vincent and Lucrecia

User Name has Aerith's Death

Terra Branford has the Snowboarding event in the Gaea Cliffs

Race Driver has the event where Vincent tells of his relationship to Lucrecia and how she was Sephiroth's mother.

Itsuki Koizumi has the Cloud Cross-Dressing escapade in Wall Market.

ShikamaruNara has the Kalm Flashback battle with Cloud and Sephiroth, where they fought the green dragon.

Tai Kaliso has the event where Cid and the others finally launch into space and save the Huge Materia from the rocket.

Marcus Fenis has the scene where Barret watches Dyne commit suicide in the Corel Prison.

 

[Dashell]

Can i ask what moments don't have write ups yet/ Depending on what they are maybe I can do another.

And sorry if it's been stated but I don't know if anyone PMed you anything I haven't seen yet.