Hidden in Plain Sight: A Final Fantasy VII Theory | EXP Required

[@mediumbob4735]

For 3 easy payments of $19.99 you can buy the translated book of the cetra

[@axemtitanium]

The latest chapter of Ever Crisis reveals that Wutai is directly descended from Ancients. They settled on the island and founded a nation called Igara 2000 years ago but were forced to abandon it after a calamity (hmmm timing...), after which they moved to the other part of the island to found Wutai.

[@EXP-Podcast]

VINDICATIOOOOON

[@myfriendsaremypower]

I'm pretty sure The Promised Land is the Lifestream itself. Hence why Advent Children's second scene opens up with the Lifestream on screen while the soundtrack "The Promised Land" plays.

[@ComradeOgilvy369]

Japan been low key knowing more about obscure Christianity/Gnosticism than a lot of people in the West 😂

[@myfriendsaremypower]

@@ComradeOgilvy369 Fr lol

[@EXP-Podcast]

And what a fantastic track that is! Great interpretation, and I really love not having a solid answer. It makes everyone's interpretation "correct" at the same time. Schroedinger's Cetra, if you will! -Mol

[@Tattybeanpie]

I always thought of the game as true to life in many ways, including but not exclusive to the use of metaphors. We all dream of a "promised land", a state of mind, or a place, or freedom from struggle or even just enough happiness to get through the day. Its something since the beginning of time, we chase as humans, without every really knowing where we are going or what we are actually looking for, we just have to keep believing our promised land exists and we have to keep searching for it, within ourselves and within our Earthly journey.

[@LunalovaniaGaming]

Yes. I like to believe that the promised land is actually the farplane, considering the turks description of the promised land, the fact that little Shinra in ffX2 is connected to ffVII, and the fact that nobody alive can get there. I like to think the planet itself is actually inside the farplane somewhere, and the only way to physically go there is through death alone. I believe yunalesca is in fact Jenova. Came from Spira to Gaia. They look so similar, and have very similar abilities. Akin to sin. You could say that Jenovas sin, her protective armor, is in fact, Sephiroth himself. Yuna never performed the sending on yunalesca, so she's still unsent. Also, you can see the similarities between Aerith and Yuna. With the sending/using the lifestream. Thoughts? Thanks so much. 💕🙏

[@ArcaneEther]

Two things about the party hearing the Planet's screams. First, they only heard it in Bugenhagen's Lab. This could mean that the screams are simply louder there, more easily heard, or Bugenhagen might have instruments that make it audible to non-Cetra. Second, being able to hear the screams and being able to understand them are two different skills. Not even Bugenhagen understood the screams in their entirety, only that they are calls of pain. I don't think this is enough evidence to suggest that Cloud and crew were "gaining Cetra powers" or if that is even possible.

[@EXP-Podcast]

We do hear the same effects played again when Tifa falls unconscious (I think it's the beginning of disc 2? If not, then during the Lifestream sequence later, I can't recall immediately)! But that's not a party wide thing and Tifa herself doesn't acknowledge the sounds. I'd be interested to know if the planet is able to actually "speak", or if it's only base emotions it's able to communicate! From what Aerith tells us, the voices she hears are that of those returned to the Planet, which seems like a separate entity to the Planet proper to me. I definitely don't think they're "becoming" Cetra again - if it was going to happen at all, chances are it would've happened long before, likely multiple times over (as in the way of random genetic mutations in the real world). I just thought it worth mentioning as an indication of humans not being as ignorant of what the planet is capable of - with or without instruments - without having true Cetra lineage :) -Mol

[@DarkMuu666]

One person I've talked to considered it more along the lines of culture -- instead of Cetra being another species, it was their culture separating them from the more modern cousins, who had stopped listening to the Planet. But it's clear that humans can hear the Planet, but that they have no idea how to understand it. They were never raised to.

[@yoboom21]

I'm pretty sure he just has specific instruments to make them audible to normal humans. That's just my opinion though. Mostly because iirc when we hear them, the camera pans up to some machinery.

[@jessl1934]

Bugenhagen was gifted his equipment from Shinra, specifically Professor Gast. Given Shinra's keen interest in mako and the ancients, and in particular Professor Gast's, I'd say that it's all but said directly that the equipment is designed to measure and observe the earth so it's likely that it picks up on the cries of the planet and translates them into sounds that the party can hear.

[@nicholasmorgan7609]

Sephiroth is, technically speaking, part Cetra. Jenova no doubt absorbed Cetra and added that to it's own structure. So when Sephiroth was injected with Jenova cells, there was a little Cetra added to him. Mind you, that doesn't really matter to him by the time the game starts.

[@GamerGami]

I always took it that Sephiroth was partially an ancient since he was injected in the womb with Jenova cells from an infected ancient's body found in the northern crater. A cimera mix of Lucricia, an ancient, and Jenova that infected that ancient. Maybe that ancient was responsible for traping Jenova in the crater, maybe she had gained control over Jenova which is why Sephiroth could control Jenova and not the other way around.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Hm, interesting! Hadn't considered that angle, honestly! Ifalna tells us via recordings that a group of Cetra were responsible for finally defeating Jenova so I don't think it was just a single person who managed it, but that's a really good point that there's definitely Ancient DNA somewhere in there! -Mol

[@100thMkey]

Great job on the video, I hope the algo catches it because it definitely deserves way more views

[@EXP-Podcast]

Thanks for watching. And thanks for your kind words :D - Jack

[@Bozebo]

" I hope the algo catches it because it definitely deserves way more views" [generic words for the algo because comments matter a lot] :)

[@ShinzouKatsune]

I want to say that I really appreciate how you present this information. I like your cuts and the ways you talk about Aeris other party members is very personal and pleasant.

[@scramblex2692]

cosmo canyon is not untainted by shinra. Bugenhagen used to work for them, and Ghast gave him all those machines you see there. It may not have turks crawling around, but it is built out of parts of shinra.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Excellent point! Bugenhagen did leave Shinra and definitely didn't set up on their dime or anything, at the very least. Add that to the list of things I wish there was more of a focus on in the game...! -Mol

[@Windraesa]

when does Budenhagen say he was ex-shinra?

[@BEARCRAB]

@@Windraesa He doesn't. Cait Sith does. Cait Sith: This's just between you 'n' me but... That there Bugenhagen feller, used to be a pretty handy Shinra worker. Yep, he ain't never bought no weapons or Mako though......

[@Windraesa]

@BEARCRAB at what point in the game does he say it?

[@gordyhowitzer]

My impression was always that the Cetra were not so much an evolutionary ancestor to Humans, but that being a Cetra was much more about the practice of communing with the Planet and the Lifestream, similar to how Jedi commune with the Force. It seems pretty clear to me that some number of Humans in the plot of FF7 are more attuned to the Planet than others - Barret, Bugenhagen, and Marlene come to mind - and perhaps the knowledge of the ancients could be regained through study after the events of the games.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Provided the teachings aren't lost entirely! Mind you, with the knowledge kept at the Canyon, and also to a certain degree, the library at Shinra, that's not necessarily entirely impossible. Thanks so much for the response, I'm so glad this has opened up and avenue for discussion! -Mol

[@notapplicable8957]

5:34 - So another point on this: Cloud himself is absorbed and spat back out by the life stream. This is a big hint that the Cetra came from the life stream in the first place.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Great catch! Not just the Cetra, though - every living thing, going by the presentation Bugenhagen gives us! -Mol

[@notapplicable8957]

@@EXP-Podcast Correct! It's neat that this happens to corroborate during the story.

[@FutureDeep]

Marlene could have a bit of Cetra in her. She senses Aerith at the end of FF7.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Excellent point! And now I'm kicking myself for not thinking of that either... -Mol

[@Mukation]

Yeah and given Aeriths reaction when she met her and sensed that Marlene could see the same images as she did and her reaction was to show her to not say anything is to me an indicator that Aerith knew, but decided to not tell _anyone_ about Marlene, because of her own upbrining. It's sort of an open secret in my opinion, like Vincent possibly being Sephiroths father.

[@Dhamphir]

Hojo is Sephiroth's father, there's no open secret. While not a completely unrequited love she chose to run from him to Hojo for comfort in Dirge of Cerberus because she couldn't face her guilt.

[@Mukation]

@Dhamphir she's pregnant virtually the moment she leaves Vincent and 5ft7 Hojo doesn't particularly resemble 6'7 Sephiroth, with a barritone voice and androgynious face. 6ft Vincent on the other hand does. It's definitly intentional.

[@Dhamphir]

It's explicitly stated that Hojo is the father. It's to show how guilt ridden of Vincent's very correct concerns Lucrecia is. She turned to an actual monstrous person that sees everyone, including his son, as nothing more than experiments. Sephiroth looks like his mother, children tend to favor one parent more than the other in appearance when they're older. It's intentional in the original game but it's explicitly stated in the expanded media who his parents are.

[@jpowell6418]

Been thinking about playing the whole compilation of ff7. Obviously ive played the OG numerous times and played the remake. But id like to know more lore in general since ff7 is my favorite game of all time after all

[@Hushoo]

Yuffie's cetra-ninjitsu connection was something I was also interested in seeing the FF team explore but it seems that this connection has been quashed since Rebirth introduced elemental based attacks (not to dissimilar to ninjitsu) for all the other party members without giving Yuffie that healing limit break (which incidentally is something Zack only retains in crisis core)

[@EXP-Podcast]

I'm still waiting on the PC port so I haven't played yet and was trying so hard not to get spoiled while I was looking up the names for limits and the like! I must have overlooked the other abilities in my haste, haha. That's something of a shame, but I can understand it from a gameplay perspective at least! -Mol

[@Chris-x7i5o]

If you liked the first part you are going to love it. I can't wait for the third

[@OverlordShanbo]

My question has always been if the Cetra were always a travelling species or not. They talk about finding the Promise Land, and maybe that's why they were itinerants? They were going from place to place, searching for their own Promise Land. Sephiroth himself says it when he's reading the history books in the Shinra Manor, that some of the Cetra wanted to settle on Gaia while others protested. Maybe they *found* their Promise Land in their communing with the Lifestream on Gaia and decided they wanted to stay, while others didn't believe it was their end destination and wanted to keep travelling. I can't imagine there's a Lifestream on every planet, so maybe they were following the call of something they could feel out in the Cosmos when they arrived on Gaia.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Great interpretation! I love that idea, that some of them continued looking. So you think that the Cetra also came from a different planet then? -Mol

[@Mukation]

Gongaga is also apparantly said to be a former Cetra settlement, sending a small nod to the fact that Aerith and Zack bonded.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Really! That's fascinating. I'm guessing that info comes from Rebirth? -Mol

[@Mukation]

@EXP-Podcast i believe it was from Ever Crisis actually, so how "canon" it is, would be debatable, i just found it interesting 😊

[@EXP-Podcast]

Oooh, okay! Ever Crisis is a complicated addition to the overall lore... and dead set on annoying me, haha! -Mol

[@haileeraestout5567]

These Two Are Actually MARRIED In Real Life Zack Would've Been PEEVED If He Knew That Aeris Was CHEATING On Him In OG😂 (And I'm Not Talking About Rebirth Here) I'm Talking About How Zack Never Wrote Back Aka She Broke Up With Him

[@haileeraestout5567]

Mol? Do You Mean Lol? Ya Misspelled There 😂

[@Azlykumos]

I did always wonder where her ninjutsu abilities come from, yeah... Great vid! I loved the editing hehe and the theory is really interesting!

[@EXP-Podcast]

Thanks so much! The obvious answer is "FF ninjas just can", but we like to dig into things deeper than that! -Mol

[@BEARCRAB]

@@EXP-Podcast problem with this I see is that I dunno if it would make so much sense for a person with more potent innate magical ability to be obsessed with collecting tools that enable 'regular' people to use magic. feels like maybe they'd have different priorities, y'know? I kind of assume anything yuffie does to just be a scam or sleight of hand, haha

[@PixelHeroViish]

​@@BEARCRAB Doesn't Yuffie obsessively collect Materia to make all of Wutai strong again and fight back against Shinra? We know she can use Ninjutsu and the people you fight in that one tower can even transform (not sure if they're stated to use Materia as well) without us even knowing what else they can do. It'd be 100% possible that many people of Wutai haven't learned any Ninjutsu or are unaware they can learn them, ontop of their complacency, so they'd naturally assume they need Materia like everyone else on the planet does

[@mkooij]

Amazing video! And I say that as a 27 years long fan that paly3d the game over 35 times start to finish. I wish it was way longer. Subscribed

[@kasajuskds3092]

Great video! FFVII left a deep mark on me and I love knowing about other people's thoughts about its lore.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Thanks so much! I've been playing it for far too long and it occupies a worrying amount of my life, so I'm just happy to share the love! -Mol

[@dracolithe4450]

A great, comprehensive video. Your channel is sure to grow a lot larger if you're making more videos at this quality. All the best to you

[@reenchanted]

“Cetra adjacent” - haha! That joke was so understated but gold!

[@XDenyDefendDeposeX]

The Algo knows what i like. Great video ❤

[@ShinzouKatsune]

So, the whole sephiroth thinking he's of the indigenous people's thing. I think in many ways this was how thr creators of ffvii were expressing their feelings about the native Japanese people, the Ainu. There were numerous debates going on in japan at the time of FF7's development, but long story short, they only in JUST 2008 were legally recognized as Japan's native indigenous people. There were politicians that would lie about their heritage to save face/political position.

[@typical_snowflake]

I love your analysis even if it hurts to look at those parts of the game again and hear that music. I can't hear Aerith theme without having a tear. Please make more of those if you want to, it's interesting and your narration is good :) Btw Aerith, Nanaki and Cloud were my go to squad. It's funny I can't remember my new squad after Aerith's death 😆 It will be forever ANC for me

[@EXP-Podcast]

I know the feeling! It's been decades and I still get choked up at the end of disc 1. Great team, too! Thanks so much for your comments, it really means a lot! -Mol

[@ZombiiChix]

Part 3 better give us a deeper dive into the ancients, because I was personally fairly disappointed with what little exploration there was of them and their culture, especially in regards to Aerith. I think it would have been cool to have a side quest where Aerith learned more information about her heritage.

[@Windraesa]

I think you'd really like the FF7 lore videos on the first lore channel, dealing exclusively in OG FF7 Lore www.youtube.com/@TheFirstLore

[@EXP-Podcast]

Ooh, thanks so much for the rec! I'll be sure to check it out when I've got time! -Mol

[@CH-tg6rr]

This showed up on my home screen! Thanks EXP

[@airget]

I think in the case of Yuffie we may get a connection as to what Wutai does with the materia. Materia is potentially a catalyst they infuse into their soldiers to allow them to use Ninjutsu.

[@MMasterDE]

I don't think they are related, at all, but more that both cultures developed a closer relation to the planet, perhaps. Though, it's obvious that it's supposed to be a culture that developed a bit more separate and independent from main land.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Also a great interpretation! I just think it's fascinating that they're so different to the rest of the world -Mol

[@MMasterDE]

@@EXP-Podcast Yeah, sure, but I think they are supposed to be "Japan" + some connected cultures like China and Russia, especially considering the art, buildings and the geography of the island. Like in real life, they have a very distinct culture. I do agree however that they should have some common ancestry with mainland, and there might be more or different things left of the culture and whatnot. I don't think it's that deep though, I think they just wanted to do Asian culture / Japan.

[@EXP-Podcast]

If there's one thing I appreciate in FF it's the way the areas blend cultures together to create something new altogether! You're definitely right though - I don't think there's really much to it overall, but having said that, even unconscious decisions mean something. Plus, where would we be as fans without digging into something that no one intended to be looked at too closely?! -Mol

[@romo_lampkin]

Loved your edit! Good stuff. Also, cool theory I’d never considered even a littke

[@PinkMawile]

I always assumed the difference between humans and ancients was epigenetic. When the ancients stopped migrating, their environmental pressures changed, and thus the expression of the genes responsible for heightened magical abilities. Possibly the planet being a semi-conscious entity itself might also be tied in; physically wandering might enable a greater interaction between people and that consciousness, allowing it to activate epigenetic triggers.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Fantastic interpretation, I can't disagree with that at all! I'd really love to know what (if anything) the dev team decided on way back in '97 and before for an explanation - that is, if there even was one! (Somehow I doubt it...) -Mol

[@DonShotta24]

You’ve earned a new sub! Loved this theory vid!

[@EXP-Podcast]

Thanks so much! Hope to please you in the future as well! -Mol

[@tsarthunderland2275]

Maybe the promised land was the Centra we knew all along. Don't tell Hojo.

[@el_oh_ell]

Great voice and great content. Subscribed

[@danieldishon688]

What about the theory that the Summons ARE the Cetra. Shiva, Ifrit, Odin, Ramah, Alexander....they are the Cetra

[@charliewild2367]

I suspect that Ancients and Cetra are actually separate entities that became confused. When Seohiroth snaps he refers to himself as an Ancient never a Cetra... I think. When he appears at the Temple of the Ancients he says, he traveled the planet and learned the wisdom of the Cetra and those that came after or maybe I miss remembering. I think that an Ancient is akin to Jenova and Minerva. They move into a planet, settle it then move on, but Minerva settles and remains in Gaia, because parts of it's energy were being burned off as energy. I think Jenova considering this as treturous agains't the nature of Ancients or just by chance collide with the planet and tries to assimilate it much like Minerva. This would be why he calls the Cetra and their decidndents traitors. Due to this, the Gi can't return to the Planet as they are trapped in the center unable to die or return to the Lifestream because Jenova their Goddess or Ancient is trying to do what it naturally does. Humans lose their connection with the Planet due to either no longer worshipping Minerva. Or possibly because they could drain her power and they stole the fruit of knowledge by creating materia. Who's to say if Jenova is inheritly evil or doing it's actual job. Also, Aerith at the end of Advent Children allows Kadaj to enter the Lifestream even though he is literally alien to it. Red XIII could be an entity that is part of Jenova... The Cetra may have struck a deal with them as able to return to the Lifestream on the condition they eliminate the Gi. Which may be why he can sense Aerith/Jenova at the end of Rebirth. This is all a theory I have been working on.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Ooh, love this! Wonderful interpretation! I personally disagree but I can't argue with the way you've laid this out at all, and that's a really fascinating concept. Do you think Minerva and Jenova could be part of the same race, then? or is it just simply coincidence they came to the same planet? -Mol

[@charliewild2367]

​​@@EXP-Podcast I think they are Ancients or what we would call God's alien only means other than. They could be similiar beings that settle planets and move on. It would also explain how a Black Lifestream is possible and why certain things have played out the way they have. They move in settle a planet and leave. The planet they settle dies when they leave. It would also explain why in Dirge of Cerberus (urgh) Omega Weapon tries to absorb the entire lifestream and leave the Planet. It makes no sense why Seohiroth refers to the Ancients and Cetra separately. Calling one tretuous and then fighting for the cause of another. If you WATCH vicktor Maluf(?) video it gives this theory a bit of extra weight.

[@charliewild2367]

​@@EXP-PodcastIt also runs concurrent with almost every many other Final Fantasy games. Ultima in XVI, FFV, FFIV and most importantly IX houses Terra trying to reform inside of Gaia like we see with the Gi in Rebirth praying to statues of Jenova. Additionally, it is canonical that Shinra from X used Vegnagun to absorb energy from the Farplane and is in the picture in the Shinra building. Or maybe the humans moved in and became the Cetra.... I don't know what I'm trying to say there. I'm lost now!

[@charliewild2367]

And Omega Weapon trying to Absorb the Lifestream and leave. Maybe the Cetra actually tried to live forever by taking the Lifestream and forming it into crystals/materia the humans just were doing their natural process of using the energy until the planet dies. Either way something is to be revealed. The revelation of the Gi and their link to Jenova is significantly important as is Sephiroth's stating that Cetra and Ancients are separate and that beings in the original. This isn't just after he leaves the planet it's before he snaps. In the Remake certain information has been redacted.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Huh, interesting! We're still waiting on the PC port for Rebirth so we haven't seen any of that stuff yet... and it feels like with every addition to the Compilation things get more and more convoluted in their attempt to explain everything. That's a big part of the reason why I wanted to look at the original game only and not worry about other additions - but that's not to say that I don't really like this idea as well! Thanks so much for sharing it :D -Mol

[@Bennett1784]

The key stone is not the black materia, the temple that you're running around in is the black materia.

[@EXP-Podcast]

That's right! But the keystone is noted as being a materia as well - the image we used is from supplementary materials and is specified as a materia, just not the black materia. -Mol

[@Bennett1784]

@EXP-Podcast not sure where the supplementary material came from, but according to the game and the story. The key stone was first thought to be the key to the promis land. As they ran through the temple. They learned about the Ancient, Joniva, and meteor, as well as finding out that the black materia was the temple.

[@BEARCRAB]

as far as cetra becoming humans goes, two things. 1: i take everything sephiroth says with a grain of salt. He certainly wouldn't be lying here, but Sephiroth notably... jumps to a lot of conclusions. It's probably at least half-true, but maybe not the whole truth. 2: I kinda view it similar to homo sapiens and neanderthals. we (homo sapiens) all... or I think a lot of us have neanderthal DNA. Just so happened that the bigger community absorbed and diluted the dna of the smaller through generations of interbreeding. I assume this is what happens with the cetra. If we think that's true and that cetra magic potential is determined by your genetic material, maybe the areas around known cetra ruins would have humans with the greatest degree of 'cetra power.' the people of icicle inn probably use their greater affinity for magic to navigate the snowboarding minigame without bashing into walls/snowmen/trees/rocks every three seconds.

[@BEARCRAB]

also cool vid

[@EXP-Podcast]

Great points! I like the comparison to real world humanity - certainly brings up a nice idea of areas denser in magic or natural talent, I suppose! Love the idea that Icicle peoples are more capable of going balls to the wall down the mountain, too! -Mol

[@deatho0ne587]

Cetra do not seem all that nomadic, extremely when you look at the two structures. To have that advanced structural/engineering prowess means they would have had to been building buildings like them for hundreds to thousands of years. Now yes they might have started out nomadic (like humans on earth) but over time they became less so.

[@godzilla2k26]

Why are we assuming the Cetra are another species or are different than any other human genetically? I get that they seem different but they are just supposed to be another tribe of humans on the planet, granted they had greater tech. Is it because of the way Aerith, I believe that is because of her materia.

[@AysahSpades]

Nice vid, subbed.

[@r4z0r84]

I'm sure you could look at the data itself in the dev area and find more stuff that might help

[@EXP-Podcast]

If I knew how, I absolutely would! Mind you, I'm sure 7's been mined to death - if anyone had found anything furthering the connection I'm sure we would have heard about it by now! -Mol

[@lloydnorval1989]

I often wonder if humans evolved from the Cetra, isn't that one of the theories or things in the lore? My memory fails me haha. I can't remember if the Cetra sorta devolved into humans, rather than evolved, as in losing their spiritual powers and connection with Gaia, and becoming lost in greed and thirst for power, much like a lot of real-world humans?

[@EXP-Podcast]

According to the book that Sephiroth reads in the library under Nibelheim - which we can't read ourselves, so I suppose take with a grain of salt! - the Cetra turned into humans when they stopped migrating and settled down -Mol

[@lloydnorval1989]

@EXP-Podcast that's the one, thanks for clearing that up for me! I was racking my brains 😅 - Lloyd Edit: love your videos btw, they're so informative, and as an adult with Asperger's and ADHD, I don't lose focus easily listening to you talk about these things.

[@CloudsWolf]

Just liked and subscribed.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Thank you so much, glad to have you aboard! -Mol

[@mystbunnygaming1449]

So.. what was the theory?

[@sulferzero]

great job on the video this is my first of your videos, but wont be my last

[@EXP-Podcast]

Much appreciated, thanks so much for the support! -Mol

[@FtanmoOfEtheirys]

Jenova is Ultima, the High Seraph The Black Materia is Black Auracite aka, the Heart of Sabik The Cetra are Amaurotines :D

[@EXP-Podcast]

Oh god, the worlds are colliding! I'd say that Hojos experiments are the Amaurotines since they have the black robes, haha! -Mol

[@FtanmoOfEtheirys]

@@EXP-Podcast Our poor Etheirys, being destroyed by all sorts of wicked beasts q.q

[@paulohtobias]

Very interesting video

[@EXP-Podcast]

Thanks so much! -Mol

[@jonothanthrace1530]

I thought Jenova was the last actual Cetra.

[@jesse1381]

Fooled ya. Sephiroth thought so too but man was he wrong. Maybe Hojo just isn't a very honest guy?

[@Bynk333]

Finale Final Fantasy VII-3 Reunion: Cloud and his party is lost int the northern crater, Sephirot laught and then something hapen, dark long tunel of energy.... "Where we are?" "Wait! Someon coming" Everyone draw weapon. From dark come sword, then ... "Wait you are not Sephirot, who are you?" "Im Squall" And from dark there goes group of 3 womens and 3 mans. "Whats going on?" Questioning Cloud. "Ultimecia compresed all time," say Squall... "And Sephirot united all multiverses" answered Aerith. "So thats is the reason wy are we here too!" Say anoter person from dark. The Zidane group arived too.... "Whatewer!" "Now what?" "We must them defeat all! And forever so that they cannot return again in time.....!" The final battle is upon us.....

[@samgrant4827]

Aeris

[@EXP-Podcast]

😅 The OG - Jack

[@ComfortZoneComic]

07

[@stephbun]

I didnt learn anything.

[@Loreweavver]

I think its ironic that most Americans get their mistaken opinions about native Americans due to the depiction of fictional progenitors in Japanese video games.

[@EXP-Podcast]

We'd love to know what we got wrong, having certainly been under the impression that many indigenous peoples worked the land not to overwork or plunder for resources the way others later did! (Though I do agree that getting "knowledge" about the real world from fictional sources is definitely an issue...) Mind you, not being American ourselves, there's a good chance that we misunderstood what we've heard ourselves -Mol

[@Loreweavver]

@EXP-Podcast there's this mistaken impression that Native Americans behaved like fantasy elves who were stewards and caretakers of the land and animals where every plant and creature has a name and they paint with all the colors of the wind. Native Americans were human beings. They had the same relationship with nature that every single other pre agricultural nomadic culture had. They ate and were eaten. They dominated where and when they could. The only thing that Europeans introduced to them were domesticated livestock.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Excellent points, and well worth bringing up - thank you! During that segment of the script I admittedly was thinking of the "three sisters" of agriculture and how European colonisers didn't know to rotate their crops appropriately to manage the soils while it was something that was previously known to those native to the area (similar to the way that the Irish populace didn't know about the process of nixtimalisation of maize and so starved while eating it, but for the native Americas the processing of the maize with I think it's lye? broke it down and rendered it edible - the knowledge just wasn't known to the people that weren't originally from the area!). If you have any resources on Native American history I'd be very interested in checking them out! -Mol

[@Loreweavver]

@EXP-Podcast that's fair. They had a relationship and knowledge of their environment, that's to be sure. I guess I'm just saying that's to be found with all of our cultural ancestors. Agriculture eventually leads to settlement and domestication. What we see with Native Americans and Europeans is a contact of civilizations in different stages of advancement. I like to remind people that it doesn't get much more indigenous than the neolithic North Americans and Siberians driving the mammoth to extinction using the same methods Native Americans used in bison hunts. The Europeans, no doubt, sped up the process.

[@chuchu9649]

It would be helpful to cite sources on either side of this. It's hard to know what claims to believe when no one has cited any evidence to support them.

[@nickmurkel2469]

If you're going to do some sort of Deep Dive, and/or some serious analysis, and you want me to actually take it seriously, do not get Nanaki or Reeve's names wrong. I mean it's like, you're supposed to be doing some serious analysis but can't even get basic facts right. Not something that makes you look knowledgeable.

[@EXP-Podcast]

Sorry to have upset you! It's just a game and all done in fun and good humour, didn't realise using one name over another was make or break! Hope you have a good evening otherwise :) -Mol

[@nickmurkel2469]

@EXP-Podcast it's definitely a fair point that a name is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, and it certainly didn't upset me, though I suppose my presentation may be responsible for that misunderstanding. I just have trouble taking detailed analysis seriously when they get small things wrong, unless maybe it's an understandable mistake. But I just don't see how in this case because it's rather known that his name is NANAKI.

[@DichotomousRex]

@@nickmurkel2469 Except Red XIII says he doesn't mind being called Red XIII and some of us like to call him Red XIII. Likewise, many of us refer to Reeve when he's not controlling Cait Sith, and call him Cait Sith when he is. People can have more than one name.

[@DragonBallUltra2024]

You deserve more subs

[@EXP-Podcast]

Thanks so much, that's really sweet of you! -Mol

[@DragonBallUltra2024]

@EXP-Podcast np, i have a small fan base with my dbz fan manga, im all about support