#Cloud x Aerith x Vincent

[thebirdqueen]

Aerith going from being stalked her entire life by scientists, Shinra, and especially Turks to being around and protected.....by a Turk. Ex Turk yes but still. Same with a Shinra trooper. Two aspects of her life that are sources of pain later become sources of joy and comfort. She might not always see it as that way like with caring about Tseng, but they still were painful. Pushing uncomfortable boundaries at times that she took face front.

[flummoxx]

unfortunately, I’ve been diagnosed with cloud strife brain rot the other day and it seems to be incurable

[canned-pears]

ACC Cloud and Tifa!

[little-black-dress-zack-fair]

Yuffie: I am the ultimate third wheel.

Aerith: *cuddling with Tifa* You shouldn’t think that way.

Barret: *holding hand with Vincent* Yes, what makes you say that?

Cloud: *sitting on Zack’s lap* Completely untrue.

Cid: *with Shera arm in arm* Just like they say.

Yuffie: Wow. I have leveled up to nineth wheel. I am truly powerful.

[c0smoshit]

Comfort headcanons!!

⋆ ࣪. ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 ≫ Cloud, Zack and my bby Vincent

⋆ ࣪. 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 ≫ none, just fluff

⋆ ࣪. 𝔸/ℕ ≫ First little fic after a while, hope you guys enjoy!!

Cloud

★ As we all know, he isn't the best comfort buddy

★ But, through all the years he had to slowly leave behind all his trauma, he definitely has softened up

★ Secretly loves the way you would fall asleep on him after bawling your eyes out

★ Obviously not much of a talker, he prefers to listen and just be there for you

★ I just love to think that it always ends up in a hours-lasting cuddling session, doesn't matter if he was the one who needed to be comforted or the other way around

"It´s fine, really" However, your puffy cheeks said otherwise as you adverted your gaze from him. Your arms hugging your body wearily, soft sniffles and of course, your ragged breathing was all you had let him see. His approach was sincere, walking slowly up to you just to place a hand on your shoulder, he sure had improved on how to just... listen over the years. "Talk to me" But still you wouldn't budge, turning your face from him, embarrassed he had to see you like this once again. So after huffing out a sigh he seemed to have been holding for quite a while now, he placed his left hand on your unoccupied shoulder and pulled you closer to him. Then you let go, ugly sobbing into his chest as you fisted his shirt. His hands trying the most soothing patterns he recalls you drawing on his back after a rough day. He would caress as tenderly as he could, not quite being used to touching a texture softer than the handle of his sword, to hear such pretty cries and not from death. "Sorry, I just-" You hiccuped after you had rambled your sorrows into the tension-filled air of your room. However, he didn't budge, muffling your priceless apologies into his chest as he opted to just hold you for however you needed him to. That was his way of showing you how much he appreciated you, everything you had done to soothe him, he will reciprocate too.

Zack

★ MAJOR comforter

★ I mean, he doesn't even have to do anything, his meere presence is just so comforting

★ He feels bad about it but he loves your face whenever you're grumpy or upset, he just finds your tear-stained cheeks so cute!

★ Oh and btw, you aren't crying more than 5 minutes when he's around

★ He would do anything to make you forget it, want some icecream? He's already bought like 10 of them. A massage? Face down lying on your mattress asap

"C'mon y/n" You felt his saddened voice ring through your ears, his hands holding your waist as you hid your face under your palms. Your cheekbones glistening and getting irritated from the saltiness of your tears, and the more he tried to sneak a peek out of the them, the worse he felt. "Look at me please" He whispered as he delicately placed his still gloved hands over yours, finally prying them off your gorgerous face. "There we go, as beautiful as I remember" You didn't know why, but at first glance, his dumb but somewhat anxious smile looking down at you made you mimic his own expression, earning a playful laugh from him. It really wasn't fair, you thought, you could never be upset around him. "What? Got something funny on my face?" He joked before swiftly moving his hands and reaching the sides of your waist, nagging your sides until he had to catch you from falling on your ass as you laughed. "You're such a dork" You giggled out after he lifted you into his arms, your feet dangling off the floor as your arms were trapped under a bear hug. Hearts beating shakily into each other the more he nuzzled into you. "Yeah, but you love it"

Vincent

★ Tbh I think he's the most compressive of the three

★ Would and will listen to you ramble for hours of necessary, he's such a hopeless romantic

★ Not a fan of physical contact but if you are, he would not complain if you wanted to cuddle with him

★ (I mean this mf is always sleeping on his coffin)

★ Will do whatever you felt more comfortable with, if you just want him to listen and be there, he will, if you want to be alone, he will leave you be (but ofc he later would be looking for you to see if you were fine)

"Who was it?" A sudden deep voice rang through your ears, making you jolt up from the floor as you looked around to spot the source of it. And of course, it was your deary sneaky vampire. "Jesus" You choked out before turning your back to him, telling him that one, he really should stop sneaking on you like that and two, of course it was nothing. Either way, as soon as he heard your pained voice he knew you required some comfort, he's been there already. The more you stepped away, the more he tried to approach you, finally getting to wrap his cold arms on your waist as your back pressed against his chest. . . . You both stayed like that for a while, rocking back and forth as he lulled you, letting you cry out your last tears before you finally felt relief, slumping down on him as sleepiness took over your features.

He huffed out what seemed a quiet laugh before dragging you back into your bed, sitting on it first as he let you nestle on his lap, your cheek pressed against his shoulder as you slowly dozed off on him. His cloack sure was comforting.

Bonus!!

"Don't let such a stupid thing get into your head dummy" "Yeah, she's right y/n" You swore you couldn't feel any warmer in that moment, the girl's you've always looked up to were sweeter than ever. And yeah, it was a stupid thing you were upset about too.

Then they both took you on one of the best improvised little dates ever, taking walks and admiring the (not-so-clean) streets of Midgar. Then Aerith took you to her house, Tifa following shortly behind you as they both giggled playfully.

A cuddling session followed closely and you were absolutely living it. Snacking on some homemade food Aerith's mom had worked on the day before and nuzzling your head onto Aerith's chest meanwhile Tifa had her arms around you for behind.

"You both are the best, really"

You sighed out, your eyes not puffy anymore as you glanced at both of them. Earning more sweet comments from the brunnete and nods from the bartender.

[ff7-has-taken-me-over]

I’m surprised it took me this long to do one of these for these two but here we are! A list of head canons and random thoughts I’ve had of them, with maybe a couple on other characters sprinkled throughout.

- Surprisingly enough, Cloud’s the more emotionally intelligent one between him and Zack. His social awkwardness just gets in the way and he struggles to show it to anyone other than Zack

- Zack and Cloud both know how to cook. Cloud having grown up with just his mother learned to help her out and Zack’s mother refused to let her son go off to Midgar without at least basic knowledge in cooking

- Despite Zack being the chronically flirty one, Cloud gets hit on more when they go to clubs and bars

- Zack hogs all the blankets like his life depends on it the second the temperature drops more than 10 degrees

- Cloud sleeps in boxers and nothing else. Unless it’s winter then you’ll catch him in a shirt as well

- Zack fucking hates doing the dishes. He will quite literally bribe Cloud to do them when it’s his night cause of how much he hates them 😂

- Kids absolutely adore Cloud and the blond never understands why despite going all soft on them and playing along with their dumb games when asked

- Zack once tried to convince Cloud it was a fantastic idea to get a dog for their tiny ass apartment but got shut down cause he got so excited over the idea he broke their dining table

- Zack came out of the closet after Cloud only because Aerith dragged him out by the ear and shoved him onto the blond

- Aerith and Tifa had an argument (not really it was more playful and halfhearted) over who would get Cloud as a best man/bride of honour cause they both wanted to put him in a dress

- Cloud wore a suit to Aerith’s and Tifa’s wedding and Zack was but hurt that neither of them wanted to see him in a dress

- Zack drinks his coffee black and Cloud puts enough sugar and milk in it your teeth would itch at the sight

- Cloud consumes salt like Zack does spice and neither of them can handle the others preference for them. Zack’s face screws up like he swallowed sea water and Cloud starts sweating at the mere whiff of spice

- Zack was so thrown off guard about all those people in sector 5, 6 and 7 knowing Cloud that he thought it was some massive, elaborate joke that everyone was in on

- Tifa was in mad denial about her feelings for Aerith but the second Cloud tried to ease her into the idea she caved pretty quick (she couldn’t stand the idea of Mr. Discovered Narnia himself giving her that talk)

- In Shinra days Zack most definitely used Kunsel to sabotage one of Cloud’s dates, only to discover the blond had never even gone on the date cause he thought it was a joke from his squad mate

- The only time Cloud ever showed an ounce of curiosity at gossip was when Vince had casually kissed Cid on the cheek before leaving and the latter had done nothing more than smile fondly after him

- Zack definitely mourns not having his mentor at his and Cloud’s wedding

- Cloud and Zack hung out so much in Shinra days that not only did Cloud get a fan club of his own, but a sub fan club that shipped the two of them together was created (and people lost their fucking minds when they spotted the two of them years down the track holding hands out in public)

- Genesis would have taken a liking to Cloud purely because he wanted to have a little protege like Angeal and the blond had enough of a spine to sass back and glare when Genesis had threatened him

- If Sephiroth hadn’t lost his mind to Jenova and all he would have been all too ready to go against Shinra and help take them down. Not because of his own feelings on any of the matters but because his friends had turned and he cared about them more

- Zack definitely got mildly jealous when he found out Cloud had been an avid member of Sephiroth’s fan club but had absolutely preened for weeks on end when he found out that he’d also been in Zack’s fan club

- Aerith proposed to Tifa and enlisted the help of Cloud cause he knew Tifa better and Zack unfortunately couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. But Zack did help keep Tifa distracted while Aerith made her preparations

- Barret is the unwilling dad of the group, Cid and Vince are the tired uncles that don’t actually know how they got there in the first place and literally everyone else are the chaotic children that only pull it together for eco terrorism and organised crime

- When Cloud gets sick he basically hibernates for like a week and only eats and drinks just enough so he doesn’t die. Zack freaked the fuck out the first time it happened and took him to the hospital after the first 24 hours of near constant sleep

- Zack becomes a big, whiny, clingy, cuddly mess when he’s sick and always tries to insist he’s all better the second he feels anything more than on the brink of death. Cloud almost spiked his food with sleeping pills so he’d just lie down and finally go to sleep and allow himself to heal somewhat

[eschercaine]

Aerith tries to snatch the Black Materia from Sephiroth but fails.

[kay-i]

𝒜𝑒𝓇𝒾𝒮𝑒𝓅𝒽 𝒲𝑒𝑒𝓀 2023 ꜰʀᴇᴇ ᴅᴀʏ ☄️🌸 Lived rent free in my head for a while… Aerith as Sailor Venus Sephiroth as Kunzite

I sketched it, but did not have time to finish it completely. so it's just an idea.

original:

[owarinaki]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Trailer

[aramo-art-archives]

the aftermath of my six year old sister becoming a fan of final fantasy seven

for context: she plays cloud in smash bros, so when i played ff7 rebirth, i let her watch me play it. she's been addicted ever since. the results:

-she is a dedicated cloud x tifa shipper -she drew a picture of cloud and tifa holding hands, then looked me dead in the eye and said "what if they held hands... and had a wedding 😏" -i told her yuffie was my favorite character, and she disagreed. i asked why. she said, and i quote: "tifa best girl!" -she firmly believes tifa is best girl. -she keeps forgetting yuffie exists, much to my disappointment -"yuffie looks... good" (she forgot who yuffie is) -"vincent looks cool!!" (she remembers who vincent is) -she thinks aerith is "annoying" (probably because of her aforementioned dedication to cloud x tifa) -i have heard her humming one-winged angel on multiple occasions -when playing smash bros, she INSISTS on playing as one of cloud’s advent children alts, and for someone to play as sephiroth (usually the shirtless alts, or, as she fondly calls them, "naked sephiroth!!!") -still on the topic of smash bros, you HAVE to pick a ff7 stage, no buts, and the song playing HAS to be Advent: One-Winged Angel -she drew a picture of sephiroth. there was blood on his pants and boots "because he's evil!!", and he was surrounded by multicolored crayon scribbles. i asked what the crayon scribbles were, and she said "did you forget? it's the portals!" -she once stole my phone for roughly ten minutes. i discovered two things when she handed it back: she had looked up the word "sephiroth" on google, and multiple images of sephiroth were downloaded onto my phone from google

i don’t know if i should be proud, concerned, or both. probably both

[thebirdqueen]

Aerith is the flower field that blooms with the comfort of the sunset. Cloud in this case can't help but direct his energy to those flower fields. Soon the night dawns on both as they are hushed by his dark blanket. Vincent.....

[firstknightvulion]

More unhinged shipper Aerith.

Cloud and Tifa stand in the threshold of Tifa’s hotel room at Gold Saucer. Awkwardly. They fidget and glance at each other, happy but with a cloud (lol) of nervousness hanging over their heads.

Cloud: I…I had really good time.

Tifa: Me too! It was, um, really nice!

Cloud: *smiling earnestly* It was. Um, good night. *turns to walk away*

Tifa: *a little desperately* Wait, Cloud!

Cloud instantly turns to Tifa but moves too fast and collides with her. She stumbles back but his arms shoot out like lightning, stopping her fall and pull her into an embrace. Time stills. The world recedes. The two stand in each other’s arms, only the sensations of one another existing in this moment.

And sound of someone going “yes, yes, yes” excitedly from another room.

Tifa slowly looks up at Cloud. Her eyes yearning, her cheeks red, her breath quick and shallow. Cloud looks into her eyes, the same emotions churning across his face. Their lips inched closer.

Then reality flooded back into their space like the ocean rushing into a sinking ship.

Tifa: *quickly pushing herself away* I wanted to say thank you for such a wonderful time.

Cloud: *staring at her helplessly* Of course. *shuffling from side to side* Night.

Tifa: *sadly* Good night.

Aerith: OH COME THE FUCK ON!!!

The door of the hotel room next to Tifa’s is kicked open. Into the hallway steps a VERY irate Aerith, glaring daggers at the both of them.

Aerith: That moment was fucking perfect! You don’t just walk away from that! You need to kiss, you fucking virgins!

Cloud and Tifa stare in stunned silence as Barret and Cid burst out of the same room Aerith came out of. They attempt to restrain her and to everyone’s (except Aerith’s) shock, she easily fights them off. She kicks Barrett back into hotel room and slams Cid’s head through a wall.

Aerith: You ruined it with your weak ass crap! You should be in pound town right now!

Yuffie appears in cloud of smoke behind Aerith, while Vincent materializes out of the shadows in front of her. In an instant it was over. With an almost casual backhand, the flower girl knocks Yuffie to the floor. Vincent attempts to reach out to her but before anyone could blink, Aerith was behind him, arms around his waist. The German Suplex that followed was truly epic.

Aerith: *standing up, her shoulders slumped* Kiss…*turning around to face a terrified Cloud and Tifa* KIIIIISSSSS!!!

Red XIII jumps from the shadows but Aerith shadow steps behind and grabs him by the tail. Cait Sith appears to help only to get taken out but the large, furry, red bullet hurled his way.

Aerith: Do you turbo virgins need a demonstration?! I’ll get a strap! I’ll show you how it’s fucking done! I’ll—

Barret, Cid, Yuffie and Vincent dog pile Aerith, each taking a limb.

Aerith: You can’t stop this! They need to love each other! I’m just trying to make them happy!

The clusterfuck moves its way back into the other hotel room.

Barret: Get the Chocobo Tranquilizer!!!

Cid: How much?!

Barret: ALL OF IT!

Yuffie: She’s biting me! SHE’S BITING ME!!! Get her off, get her off!

Red XIII and Cait Sith run past Cloud and Tifa. Red XIII offers them a pained smile.

Red XIII: I hope you had a pleasant evening. *closes the door behind him*

I might be slightly projecting and using Aerith as a mouthpiece. This was fun to write.

Edit: Visual representation of Aerith fighting off the party.

Edit: Edit: So imagine my surprise when part of my fanfiction actually happened during the game. Just involving Cait Sith and Yuffie in Gongaga.

[getvalentined]

This piece has been affectionately titled My Man's a Noodle since it was just a rough concept sketch, which I feel like is important to know for the overall vibe.

A piece of spot art drawn for @vinvalenzine! Although the version used in the zine is cropped down and edited so dramatically that it's almost a different picture...I did that a lot. For some reason.

(This one goes with Control or The Lack Thereof by @vinjaryou!)

✨GET A PRINT✨

[ff7-has-taken-me-over]

Randomly, I had a thought on how likely it would have been for different characters to have fallen for Cloud and why they would have fallen for him and now I’m here! Once more! So going in no particular order let us begin (this is just the main sort of batch of characters, let me know if you wanna see any of the side ones like the Turks or Rufus)

Also keep in mind this is just me, my opinions and my blog. Don’t like, don’t read, don’t bring your ship hating or ship wars in here or I’ll punch you. Please and thank you!

Zack: I am being mildly biased with my own shipping head canons when I say that he would’ve fallen head over heels upon first meeting, but also it is canon that he was a chronic flirt and had multiple ‘girlfriends’. So I say it’s not entirely out of the question.

Sephiroth: before he lost his mind there wasn’t a chance in fucking hell it would’ve happened I think. Besides the whole difference in rank thing Seph was already far too traumatised and probably would have just seen Cloud as another guy that saw him as nothing but a war hero. He might have entertained the thought of sleeping with him, maybe, but I really don’t think it would’ve happened. We all know how he is after he loses his mind so I don’t think I gotta delve into that.

Angeal: probably not. He definitely would’ve taken some sort of liking to Cloud, whether as a friend he could find good conversation with or a sort of protege like Zack, I dunno. But ultimately I don’t reckon they’d have too much of a connection, not without some form of poly going on or something. Which leads me to this next one.

Genesis: I for sure reckon he would’ve fallen for Cloud. It would’ve been fucking messy and drama filled and more than likely would have stemmed from an enemies to lovers cause they’re both so incredibly stubborn and head strong, but they would end up loving each other. They’d definitely still butt heads and get into useless arguments but there were far too many pros to even think of giving up on the other.

Aerith: without the whole Cloud resembling Zack thing, maybe. There’s a chance that she could have but it would have been slow. Would’ve been one of those things where they hung out and talked and did all this stuff together so often that one day she would’ve turned around and realised she was in love with him. Like a full on ‘oh’ moment.

Tifa: this is another thing that’s mildly biased based off my own head canons but I honestly don’t think Tifa would have fallen for Cloud. If not for the Nibelheim incident and Cloud being exactly what she always wished for as a kid I do not think it would’ve happened.

Barret: definitely fucking not 😂 besides the fact that he hated Cloud when they first met, Cloud is so far beyond his type it’s not even funny. Plus I feel like Barret would either be one of those guys who’s like ‘my wife was the only woman for me’ or he just wouldn’t wanna put Marlene through the stress of suddenly gaining another parent.

Biggs: maybe. Like a heavy ass possibly honestly. I feel like it would have been the most generic romance in history and it would’ve been so unbelievably normal and it most likely would have been short lived, but maybe.

Wedge: I’m not gonna lie. Wedge gives me aromantic vibes for some reason. I dunno why, he just does. He’d definitely befriend Cloud (eventually) and be willing to wingman him or something if he needed it but yeah, I don’t think Wedge would’ve fallen for him.

Jessie: she absolutely loves flirting with Cloud and teasing him and being all over him, but she is definitely a lesbian. Don’t even argue with me! That woman is a full fledged lesbian and she only flirts with guys so heavily cause it’s funny to watch them scramble.

Vincent: nah, not really. Would they have a friends with benefits thing? Probably. But I feel like Vincent is far too emotionally unavailable and traumatised to even entertain the idea of being with someone again.

Cid: I feel like this is similar to Angeal. He’d definitely like Cloud and they’d bond over mechanic shit and complain about the people they chose to surround themselves with, but he definitely wouldn’t fall for him either. Cloud is way too young for him and not nearly his type in a guy. Plus he has a wife.

[kissami]

MOSQUITO ~ series’ masterlist

SUM. food and nutrition is your favorite class to attend, what happens when you're assigned partners with a dude you've known for years yet never had a decent conversation with and from two completely different groups of friends. To make things worse, he's cousins with the dude who played you the summer before.

fem! reader with she/her pronouns

warnings: language, short chapters, slow burn

CHAPTERS:

0: profiles

I: new partner who this?

II: Tifa let me be yours?

III: you don’t want some grapes?

more coming soon…

INSPO: literally an incident that happened to me freshman year... except this is more magical lol.

“This fucking sucks.” Looking at tifa, you frown as you both scanned the paper that was taped to the white board in front of class.

The two of you always were paired with one another. You two were the power duo when it came to cooking and exams during food and nutrition.

So why the heck were you guys changing partners in the middle of the semester?

The both of you were clearly upset, so used to being with another, going to each other’s houses for assignments, just overall having a great time.

Then Mr. Hewley just had to ruin it all. Maybe it was because you two would be the ones always answering questions, finishing quickly, etc. but why did you feel like being good students was becoming a punishment now.

“We all are comfortable with our partners, so why not mix it up to see how challenging this can be for everyone,” he waved his hand in the air slightly as he walked around slowly.

“We need to be uncomfortable in order to succeed. So, I have advised a new approach to this class. Being partnered up with a completely different person, different social groups, and different personalities.”

‘Who tf will I be paired with. I know everyone in this class, not by choice but still.’ You glanced around the room, frowning.

“The group to make the best Confit de Canard at the end of this semester ; one of the most difficult dishes to make, will not be needing to do finals.” Some of you ooh’d as Mr. Hewley’s finals were one of the most difficult to pass.

“Now then, all of you know your new partners so go and sit with one another.” Looking back at the sheet of paper, you were confused on who the heck is a cloud? Is this a real person? Was this a joke?

You felt tifa shift next to you, frowning as she waved you goodbye as she walked over to Yuffie.

You looked around again, seeing a tall figure huddled into themselves. The person had blonde spiked hair, piercings on the eyebrow and ears, along with dark clothes.

‘Is this him?’ You slowly walked over, tapping his shoulder. He hummed, looking up and you saw bright turquoise eyes you’ve seen before.

Wait a second…

“You’re Zack’s cousin aren’t you?”

“I have a name. But yes i am. Cloud strife.”

Oh fuck me.

[planckstorytime]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: A World Beyond Anger (Part Six)

VI. … And Why It Doesn’t Matter

You thought I was done complaining? No, never.

Doubtless someone will punch holes in my theory, and I wouldn’t even feign indignation. The truth is that none of the explanations posed by fans have established a coherent story. But the fact that this is where our attention has been directed – away from the emotional moments that give stories relevance in the first place – exposes the shallowness of this trade-off. Even if my desired theory comes to fruition, I don’t think it redeems Rebirth’s rendition of Aerith’s death.

The consistency, or lack thereof, between the obnoxious multiverse stuff and the franchise’s established lore ultimately matters little when you’ve already squandered that critical moment that makes us care. From whatever universe you view it, Rebirth demonstrates a puzzling ambivalence to Aerith’s passing. The impact of loss never lands, because moments later you have Zack stepping in for a tag-team match with Cloud against Sephiroth. It’s framed as some fist-pumping “fuck yeah” moment, complete with embarrassingly out-of-place musical callbacks and quotes from Crisis Core (2007). It doesn’t feel like purposeful whiplash to create a sense of disorientation, but rather completely tone-deaf and disrespectful fanservice, all during a moment that should leave the player feeling hollow. And no sooner has Aerith left the building than she rises again like the goddamn Undertaker, kicking ass and eliminating any modicum of loss. Whether she’s in the lifestream or a parallel timeline or a phantom of Cloud’s addled mind is a distinction without a difference. Her death – and perhaps all death in the series – has lost its significance, because it feels merely inconvenient.

Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy series and story planner for the original FF7, channeled the pain and shock of his mother’s death into the loss of Aerith. Where once there was a source of joy, now there is only a void that will never be filled. In the original game, you’ll always have that empty slot on your party selection screen to remind you of who you’re missing. It’s an aching, uncomfortable treatment of death in fiction that was unconventional for its medium at the time. It cut straight to players’ hearts. With this is mind, does Rebirth capture anything remotely comparable? Should we call Sakaguchi and tell him his mom is still kicking somewhere?

When asked about the scene by Game Informer, Nomura had this to say:

“Prior to Final Fantasy VII, there have been other titles where characters have experienced tragedy, but many of them have come back or been revived in some ways. But I believe that loss is something that happens unexpectedly, and it’s not something so dramatic or drawn out, but is something in which a person that you have just conversed with is suddenly gone and never to come back. I believe that the person who dies should not return in this title, and that is what we did with the original… I do believe that the way we have depicted it brings about a new emotion and a new feeling for both players who have played the original Final Fantasy VII and newcomers.”

I struggle to conceive what this “new emotion” could be. Bewilderment? I can’t imagine another response when the developers diminish the tragedy of a lost friend because they want you to be more invested in keeping track of the stupid cartoon dog! Nothing can rationalize the cluttering of this sequence with a shell game that asks us to follow the Black/White/Clear Materia. This sequence, and the events immediately leading up to it, should not have been reduced to a gimmick of prestidigitation. We’re not wondering what we’ll do without Aerith – we’re wondering which sleeve she’s hiding in, so to speak. All of these unnecessary contrivances dare you to solve them, encourage you to switch off your Lizard Brain. But if you turn off your Lizard Brain and welcome those higher mammal functions, you’re bound to see how stupid all of this truly is. For Christ’s sake, we’re naming these worlds after dog breeds! Is that really worth what we’ve lost?

Mechanically-speaking, too, I feel the 1997 game better executed the subsequent battle. There’s an often overlooked quality of the Jenova LIFE fight: It’s really easy. Equip the Water Ring you picked up five minutes earlier and you’ve essentially won the fight. This works really well because you’re not supposed to be thinking hard about strategy and tactics or rocking out to Jenova’s awesome theme song – the battle just gives you time to chew on what’s happened, all the while Aerith’s theme softly rings in your ears. Rebirth gives you a complicated, high-flying, multi-stage boss fight that drops your dead friend’s musical motif midway through. Now, your party is dropkicking an eldritch monster and shouting quips, while electric guitars and synths blare in the background. You need to be actively paying attention for the hour-long boss gauntlet that follows, and it feels wrong to me. I didn’t party wipe; I’m not bad at this game (I beat Gilgamesh at level 49, prior to the endgame) – but micromanaging a chaotic battle drains what little emotion remained. I just felt numb in between fits of laughter.

That is to say, the ending of Rebirth feels like a trip to the dentist.

New mysteries take priority over an earnest portrayal of events, and I just don’t think they’re compelling enough to warrant that. Our knowledge of them has barely advanced since part one. We knew going in that Zack was in a different world, denoted by a different Stamp. And now we know… that there are different worlds denoted by different Stamps. For all the rigmarole, we learned shockingly little. The mystery didn’t really progress, aside from showcasing such a circus of inconsistencies that we’re basically forced to accept that it operates on dream logic. The true ending remains to be seen, but if the clues only amount to “the clues not adding up”, then I’d say that this plotline hasn’t felt rewarding.

My gut tells me this all leads to a cul-de-sac. I judge these riddles as cynical mystery boxes with little concrete direction. Rebirth backtracks on several of Remake’s more audacious changes, completely dropping plot points in some cases. I suspect the final game will do the same, and we’ll have something approaching the original. After all, this “adds up” to Advent Children, by Kitase’s admission. The man likewise expressed that the story will likely be adjusted based on audiences’ responses to the ending of the second part. Given that the narrative disruptions have had mixed reactions at best this time, I believe it’s fair to guess that we’re just looping back to the OG plot anyway.

With all of this in mind, attempting to unravel these unknown elements seems like a massive waste of time. I don’t find this ending quite as intolerable as that of Remake, but it still comes off as tacky and desperate. I think the third part will likely still be fun and contain many of the great moments from the latter half of the original. But I can’t hide my disappointment that, even though my worst nightmares about the project didn’t come to pass, it didn’t fully rehabilitate itself in my eyes either.

I won’t lie – when I started to feel that familiar anger rising again, I got scared. I didn’t get the clean resolution that I wanted, and I worried that destructive obsession would take me over again. I feared I was about to relapse into the world’s stupidest addiction.

All of a sudden, it clicked together. I spent 120 hours staring straight at the answer, oblivious to it. Yet it finally came to me.

FULL ESSAY: https://planckstorytime.wordpress.com/2024/05/11/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-a-world-beyond-anger/