Worked so much for nothing?

[PaladinPie]

Hey again.
Me again with my speculations.
Anyways, don't you think it's odd that Cloud was exercising etc. to become a SOLDIER, and after Dirge of Cerberus, he suddenly doesn't really NEED those skills anymore?
What could he possibly use THOSE (I mean like the GREAT skills, not the minor battle skills in order to kill enemies on the road) for?
And at all, if Edge is lying in those ruins, what are all our heroes supposed to do with their lives? Will Tifa work in that bar until she retires? Will Cloud deliver stuff until he retires? Will Marlene take over the bar?
What do you think? Don't you think that after that Cloud killed Sephiroth and the planet is saved that his life will be kind of boring? I can't imagine Cloud going to the cinema with any of his friends to be honest :/

 

[Stoic Hero]

Yes, his life will be boring. That's a generic "happy ending" that most video games, movies, and books end with. Safe, quiet, and happy. Would you rather he fought epic battles all the days of his life? Then he wouldn't be very human, and it would be that much harder to relate to him. Look at any disney movie (ignoring the sequels) and you'll see a generic "happy ending," for example, Hercules. He could have been a god (again) but instead, he gives up eternal life for a woman. Now I don't know about you, but I wouldn't give up eternal life for a woman. However, this is the generic "happily ever after" ending that people love so much. That's just the way people like endings to go, would you rather everyone just died at the end of everything you ever read, watched, or played? How cynical and depressing that would be!

 

[Morrigan]

It's not only in this game,it's everywhere.I believe there are still monsters lurking around so someone might need Cloud's skills and hire him sometime for that mission.
But that's as far I can say.It's not that boring to lead a happy normal life,maybe not as exciting as before but nothing we can do about it.
I know that as an FF fan you get disappointed when yu know that you won't see your favorite characters in action anymore,but we can get it over.T_T
All we have to do is just get busy with another RPG.

 

[Dragon Mage]

Anyways, don't you think it's odd that Cloud was exercising etc. to become a SOLDIER, and after Dirge of Cerberus, he suddenly doesn't really NEED those skills anymore?
What could he possibly use THOSE (I mean like the GREAT skills, not the minor battle skills in order to kill enemies on the road) for?
And at all, if Edge is lying in those ruins, what are all our heroes supposed to do with their lives? Will Tifa work in that bar until she retires? Will Cloud deliver stuff until he retires? Will Marlene take over the bar?
What do you think? Don't you think that after that Cloud killed Sephiroth and the planet is saved that his life will be kind of boring? I can't imagine Cloud going to the cinema with any of his friends to be honest :/

Well, I can list a number of fanfictions that would be OVERJOYED to answer all those questions for you! My own 'fiction' addressed exactly those questions, as I had intended. If you want the long explanation, you should read it here.

As for the short explanation, there are several applications, when you think about it. Cloud could easily become a mercenary, a bodyguard, or even set up a training school of his own. I can very easily believe he would start instructing classes on swordplay. I wouldn't doubt that it'd be very successful either, since no doubt all the heroes would be wildly popular, over-night celebrities considering they saved Edge and all.

Also, Edge is built AROUND the ruins of Midgar. The heaps of rusting metal that is Midgar is a sort of hub around which Edge has grown.

I think it is very possible that Tifa would work in the bar, seeing as she appears to be fairly content there. Also, because of the popularity I mentioned previously, I think the Seventh Heaven Inn would become wildly popular and she would eventually get a contract to make the establishment an international chain. It's very possible -- has been known to happen before.

And his life may seem boring to you but if you were in his shoes, would you always want to be living on the precarious edge of disaster all the time? No. If I were him, I'd want to find a cozy niche in life and to settle into a job that meets all rigorous requirements and is enjoyable. To keep his life up to the requisite standards of 'excitement', as to not be boring, would mean the man never gets a smithereen of peace and quiet. He'd likely die at the age of 30 when his heart just goes ka-blooey.

Actually, I can perfectly imagine Cloud going to the movies with his friends. I think he'd watch the screen rapturously as someone is disemboweled and Tifa making small squeaking sounds of terror next to him. I mean, the man is only human after all. Why wouldn't he enjoy a good movie now and then?

 

[Encirnia]

Well Cloud is a more tragic hero due to his emotional and psychological problems, and the fact that we can't see him going to the movies adds to his...special value.

Otherwise, there is a possibility that "evil" will return. For instance, Sephiroth comes back. Now while I don't believe we'll see another movie or video game where the same thing happens again, the fact is that anything can happen. Humanity is still corrupt, there are some Shinra survivors, and to be honest another band of idiots can come together and start another coalition for selfish means. Reeve's organization can be an example of this, if calamity strikes (no pun intended).

While there aren't any truly epic monsters or battles to be fought that we know of, there is the potential for more, as evidenced by the development and release of Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus.

On the other hand, that could have been the end and Cloud will suffer in his boredom forever.

Now THAT would be depressing, at least in my opinion. Maybe if he had a partner he was overjoyed to be with it would be alright, but stress may actually be good for Cloud. Sephiroth gave him a reason to exist (at least in my opinion).

To summarize, Square can do what they want. The end.

 

[Dragon Mage]

Well Cloud is a more tragic hero due to his emotional and psychological problems, and the fact that we can't see him going to the movies adds to his...special value.

I protest to that. I'm well on may way to being considered a legitimate author, and I can tell you this with absolute certainty: If you cannot imagine a character you've created using the facilities, then you've made a bad character. If such a natural thing like answering nature's call would be too horrifically compromising and unnatural for that character to perform, then your char is unrealistic, and the audience will not sympathize with him at all.

But we all know that Cloud is very realistic! The fact that he isn't really certain about anything, has issues, and is emotionally unstable, makes him one of the most realistic, sympathetic characters ever known.

And I wouldn't call him a tragic hero -- he doesn't die, which is a defining characteristic of that type. Either that, or they fail at life an everything. And Cloud does pretty well, in that perspective.

 

[HighwindPilot]

Hey again.
Me again with my speculations.
Anyways, don't you think it's odd that Cloud was exercising etc. to become a SOLDIER, and after Dirge of Cerberus, he suddenly doesn't really NEED those skills anymore?
What could he possibly use THOSE (I mean like the GREAT skills, not the minor battle skills in order to kill enemies on the road) for?
And at all, if Edge is lying in those ruins, what are all our heroes supposed to do with their lives? Will Tifa work in that bar until she retires? Will Cloud deliver stuff until he retires? Will Marlene take over the bar?
What do you think? Don't you think that after that Cloud killed Sephiroth and the planet is saved that his life will be kind of boring? I can't imagine Cloud going to the cinema with any of his friends to be honest :/

Well that's not working so much for nothing is it? Mustering up the strength to stop Sephiroth (CC), saving the planet once (FFVII), saving the planet again (AC), and taking down the WRO (Dirge), with whatever else in between... Sounds like his efforts were put to grand use. That doesn't mean that he's going to be subject to a life of heroics for all of eternity, although that was the idea behind Dissidia wasn't it?

The novellas following VII depicted the mellow life suggested above, and it's presumed that he committed to the same type of lifestyle after Dirge (considering he seemed happier there).

Anyway, this question isn't exclusive to Cloud, but to all heroes of any story that doesn't end with their death, so I'm curious as to why he's singled out?

Lastly, Cloud is not a tragic hero.

 

[Solid Link]

First of all, I don't think Cloud is sitting around thinking to himself that his life is going to be boring once Sephiroth is gone. Plus, Sephiroth will never truly be gone until Cloud roots out the Darkness within himself.

If anything, Cloud is glad to have the world at peace, and he can just sit back and relax. But Cloud will never be at peace, because that little tiny bit of darkness will always remain inside him, waiting for the right time to break free. Sephiroth will keep coming back, and Cloud will keep defeating him, thus, Cloud will never be bored.

Once Cloud learns to see the light for what it is, only then will Sephiroth be gone for good. Remember, Sephiroth is nothing more than a dream now.

 

[King Sean]

Strife Delivery Service anyone?

He delivers things for people who can't travel due to the monsters, so I don't think that his life is boring at all. I mean deliveries may get boring after a while, but he is not sitting around doing nothing.

And as for him being a tragic hero, I don't see that. He overcame his psychological and emotional problems and defeats Sephiroth twice. If anything, he is a persevering hero.

 

[ThatOneGuyWithDaFace]

If you just had to slice some over-rated guy with a over compensating sword to ribbons TWICE, would you want a vacation? I'm sure in the story cloud didn't go springing after the WEAPONs because he felt like it.