Some speculations about Rufus' mother & who it could have influenced his insecurity & his choices concerning his father.
I was re-reading translations of the interview that the devs recently made about Shinra's story and something that intrigued me is that we get an idea of how Shinra sr became who he is in OG/Remake. We learn how Heidegger became so loyal to him, that Palmer was his friend whom he kept around to liven up the room & we also get a quick mention about President Shinra's mistresses. However, there's no mention of a legal wife.
I then thought about the museum of Shinra HQ. As the museum is dedicated to Shinra sr's life, you would at least expect something addressing his family. After all, Why not pushing that image of the ideal capitalist entrepreneur who became rich due to his hard work, with his perfect nuclear family to support him in the propaganda?
It got me intrigued and I ended up checking parts of the novels mentionning Rufus' mother. And she is never addressed as a wife. Just his "mother".
The only seemingly romantic relationship that Shinra sr openly had was Lazard's mother, a waitress from the slums, as the npcs around the church in CCR implies.
It makes me wonder if it turns out that Rufus' mother is also another mistress.
It kinda work in the story , as it would explain a lot some of Rufus' fear & thoughts about Evan.
We know Shinra sr always provide severance money to his mistresses who often happened to be secretaries.
Rufus also explain that his other siblings could show up & they would get money after they got to listen their sob stories. And we know that Evan's mother went to beg Shinra sr to get more money for baby Evan's chirurgy. And Shinra sr gave it to her.
It makes me wonder if Shinra sr could have taken in Rufus because his mother died when he was really young & he had no one else to raise him.
During Rufus' childhood memory in CoS, his mother is not mentionned. He is waiting for his father, seemingly wandering around the house late at night. As if he's not worried to be scolded by her, as if she wasn't there in the first place. When Rufus see his whole life stream in front of his eyes, he mostly only sees his father.
Rufus refers to her birthday & day of passing in CoS and her look in TKAA, almost put his own mother on the same level as Annette. Rufus doesn't even show anger at the idea of his father "cheating" on his mother & seems more annoyed & scared by the idea they can provide "replacements for him".
And that's it. We have no glimpse about her personnality, no memories of her etc... just some sparse info. It makes you wonder if Rufus even knew her or misses her.
Something that I've also noticed in the continuity is that Rufus is born a year after Shinra HQ in Midgar is finished. Shinra sr is 37 years old & by that point in time, is becoming a huge political player of the world, which means he has a target on his back.
So he probably had to pick an heir just in case, to raise someone who can be an extension of himself so his legacy & the company can go on after his death
Thus it's another expression of generosity toward his mistress and children in his mind but also provide him an heir that he can mold however he wants, without worrying about his mother's meddling or influence if she's already dead. Killing two birds with one stone.
It adds a lot more weight to Shinra sr threats of potentially replacing him as a child, Rufus would probably that his value & worth as a son is tied to the idea of him being a successful heir. And that threat might feels real when your father has other hidden children laying around.
Now imagine if you add Lazard in the mix. From Rufus' POV, your father suddendly hire your older brother & said older brother not only get control of the most powerful branch of the army but also gets more achievements & acclaimed by the public for it.
And he's charismatic as the employees around like him as well, including the manufactured hero Sephiroth. Meanwhile, not only you have no real achievements to boast about but you are the VP but have no executive power. How would you feel?
