Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-203.14.52.144-20150518014116/@comment-12.27.66.8-20151027220142

As to Cloud: He was emo from childhood, having apparently never known his father, always having trouble fitting in with other kids and having an unrequited crush on the girl next door. He followed them all when they tried to adventure up the mountain and as a result was blamed for Tifa's coma. He joined Shinra hoping to overcome his own weaknesses but only managed to become a grunt so ashamed of his failure he couldn't show his face in his hometown when they traveled there with Zack and Sephiroth. After Sephiroth torched the place, Cloud and Zack had to escape from Hojo and Shinra, but Cloud was catatonic. After he watched Zack die, Cloud subconsciously resolved to live his life the way Zack would have, including taking on his personality traits and behaviors. 5 years later, he joins up with AVALANCHE and meets Aerith.

As to weapons: given the level of technological advancement in Remnant, it's plausible to assume younger generations can easily be taught to forge weapons granted the availability of certain processes and key phlebotinum. Naturally, the most likely process would be the existence of 3D printers. We're not necessarily talking about plastic here, but some form of unobtainium that can be concentrated in liquid form and subsequently hardened to become strong enough to cut steel. If the material is strong enough, the wielders would not have to worry about "folding" the metal to remove flaws.