#but if i were to choose only one to represent me it's rinoa for sure HAHA we're the literal same and i love it | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dutchdread · 3 years ago

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In regard to what you said about how what Squall and Rinoa had wasn't necessarily true love because of them being teenagers, why is it that you even consider that Cloud and Tifa had true love when Cloud is technically a teenager too? Why do you say that you wouldn't like Aerith if she had survived and ended up with Cloud? You act as if Aerith ending up with Cloud is a bad thing. If Aerith survives things could've ended up happening differently for Cloud. He could've ended up happier with her.

To answer this question I think it's important to understand the difference between love and lust, I advise reading an earlier article I wrote about this:

"what is love, baby don't hurt me" There are a couple of things to address here. First, I am not sure I ever said that what Tifa and Cloud had at the end of FFVII was "true love". It's something that I think is up for debate, the fact that they haven't spent a lot of time together yet as actual adults makes me sympathetic to the idea that it's not really that far yet. Personally I find that they satisfy the conditions necessary for it to count as love, but you won't hear me pretend it's already at the same level as the love shared between my parents, who've been together for 40 years. Even in love there are degrees, love can always grow stronger, and I have no doubt that in case of Cloud and Tifa, it would. I am not pretending they start out as the ultimate pinnacle of perfect or true love. One of the most telling differences I think between people who support Cloti, and the people who support Clerith, is that the former are simply more in touch with reality. That having been said, like I mentioned earlier, I do think Tifa and Cloud satisfy the conditions of love that I describe in my article, I'll quickly go over why, but before I do, I think it's important to answer your first question first. "If being teenagers precludes Rinoa and Squall from having true love, why doesn't that same logic apply to Tifa and Cloud?" Well, the short answer is that being a teenager does NOT preclude you from loving someone, and I didn't say that it does. My argument is a bit more subtle than that. It's not that teenagers can't feel love, it's that it's very easy for teenagers to mistake infatuation with love. It's important here to distinguish between two different emotions, no one doubts of course that teenagers love, for instance, their parents, but we both understand that that's not exactly what is meant by love in the romantic sense. We also all know that we can be nervous around a boy or a girl that we barely know, and feel physically attracted to them. However, I think that everyone whose ever had more than one relationship in their life knows that that isn't love, it's merely attraction and a physiological response. It doesn't involve the same deep appreciation and closeness of a person that we associate with love. For me personally, the first girlfriend I ever had was someone I actually rather disliked before they suddenly confessed that they were attracted to me. When we were sitting on her couch a while later with her pressed against my arm my heart was beating out of my chest, I was more nervous than I ever had been before in my life and was borderline hyperventilating. But that had nothing to do with her, and all to do with me being a young boy who was about to make out with a cute girl. But that nervousness isn't love, I didn't love that girl, honestly, even while dating her I still didn't even like her that much as a person, and that "nervousness" quickly faded. My heart beating out of my chest...was not love, conversely, when I am with the person I actually do love, my heart is completely at peace. True romantic love I think lies at the intersection of those two emotions, where you long to be with someone physically, not because your heart is beating too fast, but because they're the physical representation of the complete and complex set of characteristics that make up that person. A state where you understand both yourself, and them, and understand that through everything you have become a part of each other. You would not be yourself if they're not there, because a part of you would be missing. The problem with teenagers in love isn't that they can't form the feelings of such a bond, but that they too often think that's what they're feeling when all it is is raging hormones. They think they can never live without each other but they'll have a new sweetheart 2 months later, because it's the nervousness, the beating chest, the excitement, and not the long deep appreciation of who the other person is and what they actually mean to you. They just feel new strong urges and emotions and ascribe meaning to them

when there barely is any. They lack the mutual understanding that sharing time together creates and which is necessary to understand who the other really is, and what that means. They lack the knowledge of the self needed to understand what is important in life and more importantly, what is, or should be, important to YOU and why. They lack the life experience needed to differentiate between love and infatuation, and they lack the wisdom needed make positive choices concerning which feelings to nurture, which often makes them subservient to their emotions rather than guiding them. Love takes time, it takes commitment, it takes understanding, it takes choices and the willingness to sacrifice, those are the things that bind two people together, through thick and thin, as they say. The good, and the bad. In a way, Cloud and Tifa perfectly represent that long slowly developing strength of mutual importance, while Aerith is more like a representation of the temporary hurricane of affection that we often ascribe with something new. This is the reason why Aerith was described by the developers as being like an exchange student who leaves midway through the schoolyear. This is the reason why Cloti is so often described as a "slow burn". The reason Cloud and Tifa are slightly exempt from the "teenagers in love" problem, although it does still factor in, is that their bond didn't start a week before the end of the game. Their bond started when they were kids. Tifa has been an integral part of Clouds life for his entire life, to the point where he decided to join SOLDIER, aka, the army, just in the hopes of getting Tifa to notice him. That is a decision, that is a commitment, that is Cloud tying Tifa into his sense of self ever since he was a boy, he didn't just sit around "wanting" her, he made a decision, to not just "desire her" or be "in love" with her, but an active decision to live his life with her as a central part of it. Those sorts of decisions and action form what you care about and value, what you deem as important, what you see as "you" and your life. Cloud had a type of love for Tifa long before he ever started developing any sexual urges. And Tifa doesn't just fit what he sees as important, he has made her important his entire life. In a way, he's molded himself over time so that the things he treasures, are the things she exhibits. More than that, the entire premise of Clouds character arc is rooted in him finding his true self. I mentioned earlier that a crucial part of love is knowing who you are, and what you treasure and why, and FFVII literally gives us a direct manifestation of Cloud finding himself in the lifestream.....and it's Tifa. There is no question here of whether Cloud knows who he is, what he treasures in a woman, and whether Tifa fits that mold, because Tifa made that mold. Concerning time, Cloud spent over a decade being in love with Tifa, she's not just a part of who he is, but she's such a part of who he is that when he lost her belief in him, he lost faith in himself and who he is. There is no question that these two characters lives are fundamentally emotionally intermingled. Cloud would not be Cloud without Tifa. And the same goes for Tifa, who has always held the image of Cloud close as a sort of representation of what is important. First like an unattainable star in the sky, then as a boy. Cloud is not just someone who has always been important to her, he's also her last link to her childhood, those things form bonds. Tifa is compassionate, and I've always been able to pinpoint the moment where in my opinion Tifa went from having a crush, to displaying true love, and its' the moment where she decides to spend that last days of her life caring for Cloud in a coma. That is not a small decision, and those decisions matter, they're not just telling the world something, they're telling YOURSELF something. When you make such a decision, you cement what is important to you. Through thick and thin. Tifa chose Cloud, she chose to believe in the memories they share together, not of the

memories of the last few weeks, but of the boy who asked her to the water tower all those years ago. Tifa, like Cloud, found herself during FFVII, Tifa knew what she cherished, it wasn't soldier Cloud, it was the Cloud she knew, the REAL Cloud, and her selflessness and conviction is rewarded.

I'd say that pretty much says it all, the groundwork is in place, the only thing needed after that is for a person to CHOOSE to go for it, to not give up, and that's what we get in the events before, during, and after ACC. That the two are willing to sacrifice and work on it, because they know that the other is worth it. And Tifa and Cloud have that as well. When Tifa is feeling down in case of Tifa, Cloud says he'll be there for her, when Cloud is having difficulties in ACC, Tifa never gives up on him. Ultimately Tifa is the glue of this relationship, because she has proven that she will never give up, and that's why her love is real, and why Cloud and Tifa ultimately will succeed as a couple. Cloud and Tifa have a difficult start to their relationship because of factors external to their feelings towards each other, but when you purely look at the basis of their relationship and feelings for each other, it's one of the strongest foundations in fiction. They have to weather a lot of storms together, but the reason the story can throw those storms at them, is that they have the foundation that allows them to handle it and grow stronger. "Why do you say that you wouldn't like Aerith if she had survived and ended up with Cloud?" I don't say that, I say that I don't like the Aerith version that exists in the minds of Clerith, and I don't. What I say specifically about Aerith surviving and ending up with Cloud is that I don't like that story, I think it would be a fundamentally bad story. I do say that I would not like Aerith if she knew the future, or anything really about the relationship between Tifa and Cloud, and still chose to try and get between that. Because setting aside all the shameless "Cloud/Tifa doesn't own Tifa/Cloud, they can do what they want" arguments, we all know that if your friend has someone they've cared about for a long time, and they're hitting in off, and you then try to get between that....you're scum, and I do not want you in my group of friends. I've known people like that, they're not kind. I also say that I wouldn't like that character, which is different from not liking Aerith as a person. A person can be sweet and likable and I can still not like their character if I think that the character is a hindrance to the story. "If Aerith survives things could've ended up happening differently for Cloud. He could've ended up happier with her." And if pigs had wings perhaps they could fly, or perhaps they couldn't. Perhaps had Aerith lived Cloud would have somehow married Scarlet, or perhaps if Aerith had lived Cloud would have been miserable and drank himself to death. I don't care about baseless speculation. Listen, I have no doubt that if Aerith had lived, Cloud would be happier, since it would be one less death on his consciousness, but he'd be happier WITH TIFA, Aerith living or dying has zero impact on who he ends up with and saying "maybe" is absolutely meaningless. Maybe if Aerith had lived, Tifa would have died, and the world would have ended because I don't need to be a fortune teller to predict that if Tifa died, Cloud wouldn't have come back from that. Honestly, saying "perhaps if Aerith had lived he'd be happier with her" is such a blatant attempt at trying to sneak shit past the radar that it honestly bugs me, you can take that implication back to the Clerith boards where dishonest takes live.

#Cloti #FFVII #ffvii remake #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #aerith gainsborough

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entergamingxp · 5 years ago

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The old-fashioned joys of journalling, and the modern comfort of maps • Eurogamer.net

I was browsing a Facebook group the other day when I came across a beautiful picture. Someone was avidly playing through Zelda: Breath of the Wild and they’d concocted their own physical journal of their progress. They’d drawn symbols to represent everything, even right down to tick boxes ready for them to, presumably smugly, tick achievements off. It was a work of art and something I doubt I’d ever have the patience or creative ability to do.

I thought about it for a while though, then saw someone’s Animal Crossing themed journalling on Twitter a few days later, and realised I actually already have done similar in the past. Sort of. See, back when Final Fantasy VIII was first launched, I was ridiculously excited. A huge fan of Final Fantasy VII (which changed my life in many ways, as cliché as it sounds), I wanted to extract every single tiny morsel from Final Fantasy VIII, so I got a tatty old notebook and started writing down my every gaming session. It was a diary of my exploits, tracing every single tiny step and feeling. I’d write about how exciting it was to see Squall fall for Rinoa, write about the latest boss battle and how much of a challenge it was, even simply write about the satisfaction of a useful Draw point.

It would be hideously boring for anyone else to read through, I’m sure, but it captured a moment in time for me that nothing else could do in the same way. Also, it’s not like the game had any way of tracking your progress in a clear and concise manner. Games were often terrible for proper guidance back then. Step away from RPGs for any length of time and you’d be entirely reliant on memory for knowing what you were meant to be doing.

Take EverQuest, for instance. One of my greatest gaming loves, it was also incredibly cruel. Imagine a vast sprawling world to explore and absolutely no way of mapping where you’re going in-game. That was EverQuest. A fantastically important MMORPG but one that had no in-game map feature for the first 3 or so years of its existence. So, what did you do? In my case, I tried recalling my routes from memory. I’m lucky. I have quite a good sense of direction. I once managed to find a beloved elderly relative’s home in Hatfield with no directions or street address, based solely on the fact I’d gone there once before. Like I said, I have a decent sense of direction. It translates well to games like EverQuest but it wasn’t perfect.

Instead, I started drawing up my own maps. I’m no cartographer – while I’m not bad at the writing and the remembering, I’m terrible at the drawing – and my maps reflected this. Fortunately, I came across the EQ Atlas website (http://www.allakabor.com/eqatlas/atlas.html) and went crazy with the printer. Many ink cartridges later and I had my own atlas ready for me to be able to go anywhere in EverQuest.

That was the thing back then. Memory was everything with so many games. Had a break from playing through an RPG? You’d better hope you knew what you were doing as there’d be no reminder of what to do next. Suikoden was another iconic game for me, but it did a terrible job of telling you what to do more than once. Old enough to remember ‘Allo ‘Allo? It was like that – ‘I shall say this only once’. Don’t pay full attention and you will be incredibly confused. It was genuinely revolutionary to me when The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time offered up Navi who would incessantly tell you what to do next. A little irritating, yes, but oh so useful when you’d forgotten what you were doing.

If you’re a fair bit younger than me, this will sound baffling, I know. Games are generally pretty kind to us these days when it comes to tracking and in-game journalling. Most RPGs offer a list of ongoing quests with a not so subtle nod to where you need to go, what you need to do, and often even objective markers so it’s super simple to do. Fallout 3, Skyrim and other Bethesda games are particularly great at giving you a checklist of what to do and when, along with plenty others. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild offers a journey tracker of sorts, courtesy of the Hero’s Path feature that came in its Trial of the Sword DLC, allowing you to see where you’ve been in the past.

The next big MMO love of mine after EverQuest, World of Warcraft, makes it almost too simple to know what to do next. Its maps are vast but it highlights where you need to go, who you need to talk to next – everything, basically. When it first launched, it wasn’t quite so streamlined as recent returnees have noticed via WoW Classic, but anyone who’d played an earlier MMO soon appreciated how straightforward World of Warcraft made things. It’s so simple that a lot of levelling up can almost be done in a mindless fashion. That’s actually why I find it the perfect form of comfort gaming. I can switch off and simply achieve without really thinking about it.

Is it better, though? I’m not so sure. Not to sound like an old fuddy duddy (do people even say that anymore? Have I just aged myself even more?) but I wonder if all these mechanics make us a little too lazy. Surely gaming is partly to do with adventure and exploring new worlds, with no idea of what’s coming up or even exactly where we are. The quiet thrill of taking down notes so that you feel like a true explorer, poking your way around uncharted lands.

And yet, just as much as there’s a thrill to figuring it out on my own, I now find myself instinctively leaning towards games that give me a glowing trail of what to do next, feeling a little cheated when recent titles like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order expect me to actually figure out where to go.

Ultimately, it probably doesn’t matter. Life has its own set of easily accessible maps these days thanks to Google Maps and sat navs aplenty. You’ll rarely find yourself truly lost, now, unless you go to a very rural part of the country. Life offers more than enough challenges along the way that perhaps always being told what to do next is useful, in the real world and the virtual. It’s not like there’s no shortage of more open-ended games either, so when it comes to the story-focused, maybe it’s best that we actually know what’s going on. Many allow you to switch off options too, or you can always choose to ignore a certain amount of guidance. It’s all down to accessibility and improved accessibility is always a good thing.

That way, after all, we’re not punished for taking an extended break and losing track of the storyline, even if we were 30 hours in and desperate to see how things concluded. Instead, we can simply enjoy the ride without feeling obliged to write up our own journals any more. Still, it was kind of perversely fun for a time, wasn’t it?

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/04/the-old-fashioned-joys-of-journalling-and-the-modern-comfort-of-maps-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-old-fashioned-joys-of-journalling-and-the-modern-comfort-of-maps-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

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