#clerith moments in the game

[lavellenchanted]

I'm with you.

[deathberi]

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH (2024)

[kiiseru]

Her dream.

[marcirose]

Getting this off my chest before I go to bed and this time it's related to ff7 but like I'm not a cloti like at all but I can recognize how important Tifa is to Cloud cause I actually played past disc 1.

Like I'm a zakkura through and through, but I'm not gonna ignore that Tifa was part of Cloud's motivation for why he wanted to join SOLDIER as well as part of the reason why he wanted revenge. I'm not gonna ignore how Tifa was willing to stay with Cloud in Mideel like fuck the planet fuck Sephiroth and you know what that's dedication and commitment right there lmao. I'm also not gonna ignore Tifa texting Zack and asking him if he's seen a blonde guy in SOLDIER like girlie is not subtle.

The point I'm trying to make is I don't need to be a cloti to understand what the story is showing and telling me because I have eyes and I passed my 3rd grade reading class which is why I think it's funny how people in this fandom just be saying the wildest things that just aren't true.

[senxitive]

I'm thinking about it again (chapter 9 ff7r when Cloud and Aerith steal away in the dark of the night together)

[dutchdread]

Ouch, that's gotta hurt.

Watching Cleriths celebrate NPTK these past weeks, knowing they'll, as always, be proven incorrect has been an exercise in patience. Sometimes it's just clear that you won't be able to convince people of a complex truth when so often discourse is limited to 280 characters. The reason Clerith exists is that people are unable to see the big picture, it survives by people squinting and not seeing the "but" that's located right after every piece of evidence they put forward. This means that you'll often be perceived to be arguing against what is to them the blatantly obvious. It's futile, nuanced argument never wins from emotion, so often you just have to take solace in the idea that "well, it will be fun to see their surprise 4 years from now". So when you get an interview like this, mere weeks after the game releases, which confirms everything that Clotis had been saying about, and had been mocked for, NPTK, you can't help feel a sense of schadenfreude.

Man that's gotta hurt. This is the difference between Clotis and Cleriths. Cleriths don't really like Aerith, because they want to assassinate her character. Rather than a sad tragic tale of a lifetime of love and loss they want to reduce her character to a shallow cliche rom-com about a capricious girl whose fickle affections change by the hour. The fact that the first person Aerith starts developing feelings for after 5 years of pining after Zack is a man who is almost literally channeling Zack becomes a meaningless coincidence in the story. The fact that she knows Cloud for 2 weeks, most of which is also spent pining over Zack is viewed as confirmation of how special their love is. It doesn't matter that Aerith doesn't even know who Cloud is. It doesn't matter that Cloud is shown to very obviously be in love with another woman. It doesn't matter that Cloud is clearly losing his mind. It doesn't matter that Cloud is constantly show as being apathetic towards her advancements. Even them fighting is recontextualized as "good chemistry" just to avoid facing reality. Usually nonsensical romances are seen as bad-writing, but here the cope makes people excuse all the nonsense as "how brilliantly written is this story? They love each other despite it making no sense, now THAT is romance". Zack is called irrelevant, CC is a "ret-con" and can be ignored, ACC is about how romantic it is to want to die to be with someone. The reason Zack is so predominant in Rebirth is in no way connected to Aerith yearning for exactly the bond he's constantly showing to have with her. The contrast with Clouds apathy means nothing, he definitely isn't there to have some sort of pay-off with Aerith in part 3. Nah, he's just there to give Cloud and Aerith his blessing and to F-off. The reason Tifa is silent and heartbroken at the end has nothing to do with her best friend dying and the man she loves losing his mind. The distance between her and Cloud at that moment is totally not used to illustrate the severity of the situation, or to set-up Tifas importance in the events for part 3. Nah, she doesn't get lines because she's just a side character duh!. That is how they think, every single character and story is assassinated, everything happens only to service Cloud and Aeriths romance, even Cloud and Aerith themselves are pushed through the mud. Screw the death of Ifalna, screw the death of Zack, screw the complexity surrounding Clouds Zack shaped psychology, screw Aeriths childhood and desire for real bonds of friendship, screw even the story of Aerith dying and how maybe, JUST MAYBE, the scenes surrounding Aeriths death have SOMETHING to do with the strong emotions surrounding death rather than just being "a cute romance scene uwu". Never have I seen any story interpretation reveal such rampant hatred for a character as Cleriths reveal for Aerith. To them, Aerith is totally the kind of person who would bond with Tifa, hear the very personal and intimate story about the promise shared between her and Cloud, hear that Cloud thinks that Zack is dead, and not 5 minutes later write a story about how "she loves Cloud and they wouldn't need no promises like that other girl". But sure, I'm the one who hates Aerith, not the people who think this is who she is, but me, the person who assumed she'd be less vile than that and that any song she'd write would encompass more than that. I stand up for her character and get mocked, called an Aerith hater, and called "toxic"....and then you get an interview like this. God it feels good to always have all your positions validated by future content. One has to wonder if the people still arguing for Clerith ever sit back and think "wait, the last 100 times I dismissed these peoples arguments I was proven wrong almost immediately, I am constantly having to shift my goalposts while they're just happily sitting there laughing as they consume media about Cloud kissing Tifa, or proclaiming to become her special existence....maybe I am the delusional one...." God I can't wait for part 3, it will be hilarious.

[ladyyomiart]

I came up with this scene before FF7 Rebirth was even released while listening to Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" (widely known for being Max's theme in Season 4 of Stranger Things 😉), so imagine how touched I was to find that Rebirth's plot went exactly as I envisioned it in this artwork. 🥺💕

This game was amazing and I loved the many Clerith moments as much as the heartbreaking ending where Cloud and Aerith's paths split... 💔 So please, Square Enix, give them a happy ending in Part 3! We Clerith fans want Aerith to live! 😭🙏

[roeyliteratiforever]

"My impression of Cloud and Tifa relationship is that is based on guilt trip, projection and childish infatuation, mostly coming from Tifa."

I'm sorry when has Tifa ever guilt tripped Cloud?? She's been nothing but supportive to him. She's the sweetest girl she's never guilt tripped him at all. She has been worried about him because she knows his mental state is not well, but she has held his hand and helped him through it along the way.

What is Tifa projecting on to Cloud anyways?? She hasn't projected anything onto Cloud.

Childish infatuation?? Tifa has loved Cloud since she was a little girl, but grew up and still loved him and stood by his side despite all the obstacles and trauma her and Cloud both went through!

"This is why I don't like Tifa, because of how she treats Cloud and her jealousy issues when in reality...Cloud never was hers to begin with, so I don't see why she has this mindset that 'he promised to save me so he must still like me' which is false Tifa, in my opinion, needs to grow up and realize that Cloud isn't the only option."

Tifa treats Cloud wonderfully I don't know what game You've been playing, but she definitely does not treat him bad. It's normal for people to get jealous sometimes! Aerith gets jealous all the time and it's cute but when Tifa gets jealous it's not?? Cloud made a promise to her and she held that close to her heart as did Cloud! They both valued that promise because that was the moment they realized the both had deep feelings for each other.

I'm so over the Tifa hate! I love Tifa and Aerith both, and it's perfectly fine if you ship Clerith, but Tifa is an amazing character and y'all are just making stuff up at this point!

[my-current-obsession]

Something I both love AND hate about FF7 (the original game and everything after, including the Remake trilogy) is that it is just ambiguous and/or player-driven enough that no matter which side of the love triangle you fall on (assuming you do in fact ship Cloud with one of the girls), the majority of fans for that ship are 100% CONVINCED it's the correct/canon option.

Like, certain scenes are definitely up to interpretation, and people are going to thus have varying reads on those scenes and the characters/relationships the scenes are about. It doesn't help that several scenes change depending on the player's choices, which acts as a confirmation bias as you naturally get more time and romantic moments with the girl of your preference. It really seems to me that MOST people who ship Cloud and Aerith have one solid interpretation (with a plethora of supporting evidence) of the series and the romance, while most people who ship Cloud and Tifa have their own solid interpretation with plenty of evidence that is VASTLY DIFFERENT from the Clerith reading of the game.

This is not a case of "one ship is clearly, explicitly canon and fans of the opposition just like their pick better and/or think it made more sense narratively and WISH it was canon" - for an example of that, look to the Avatar the Last Airbender shipping wars. This is a case where both sides literally interpret the story just differently enough that they come to entirely different conclusions about which girl is Cloud's true love. And if either side reaches out to try and explain their viewpoint to the other, they're just met with "uh, no. You're wrong." Try and explain what Cloud might be thinking in a given scene with one of the girls, why he acts a certain way... "That's not it at all, where are you getting this? Are you delusional?"

Like, I am a Clerith shipper. I have played all the games in the compilation and watched Advent Children. I tried to be as completionist as possible, even. And I came out on the other side of really digging into the story of this game loving Cloud and Aerith's dynamic and pretty firmly convinced they were canon. Or as canon as possible in the timeline where she died.

As any Clerith fan who participates in the fandom would know, if you try and explain your interpretation of these characters and the romance to a diehard Cloti supporter... you're met with a lot of "you're misinterpreting! Cloud and Aerith were just friends! She loved Zack to the end and Cloud loved Tifa since childhood and never stopped! Also Aerith is actually BAD for Cloud because she's too pushy/abrasive. She's not helping him open up, she's just forcing him to go along with her and making him uncomfortable!"

All of this is of course infuriating, but I'd like to think I'm self-aware enough to know we are kind of guilty of the same thing. The majority of Tifa fans are SO happy about the kiss in Rebirth, while we're over here dismissing it because, one it's optional, and two Cloud is "obviously" using Tifa as a rebound or settling for her since Aerith is seemingly unavailable. But that's not how Cloti fans see it at all.

We can talk until we're blue in the face about how TIFA deserves better than Cloud because she shouldn't be the second choice - the one he settles for. But I think most people who really love Cloti genuinely don't see it that way. In their eyes, she's NOT second-best. Cloud loved her all along and this kiss is finally confirming that. And nothing we say will dissuade them, just as nothing they say will actually change OUR minds about Clerith.

It is honestly really difficult for me to try and see the story and romance the way Cloti fans do, but I know the reverse is also true. Both groups of fans interpret the characters and relationships differently. The compilation ALLOWS us to interpret them differently. And this is why the ship war for a game from 1997 is still raging on.

Because both camps are certain they're right, they defend their position viciously. Sometimes that means invading the "other side" to tell them how wrong they are. This discussion/rant was prompted by a Cloti fan on a Clerith vid who wanted to debate MY comment about how wonderful the ship was and how good they were for each other. He was "confused" and "concerned" because Clerith fans were reading the story wrong or warping it to suit our ship.

I wanted to tell him, "buddy that's what YOU'RE doing". I wanted to write a goddamn essay explaining why Clerith is canon actually. But considering in my INITIAL comment that he first responded to I'd already brought up why I thought Clerith was great, and he was IGNORING that... I knew it would be pointless. There is nothing I could possibly say that would change his mind. There is nothing he could possibly say that would change my mind.

As long as both sides of this war are fully convinced they're right, this war is going to be endless and brutal. And that's why my absolute biggest fear for part 3 is an open, ambiguous ending regarding the ships. Maybe it will canonize nothing. Maybe it will canonize BOTH by having the actual ending change depending on which girl the player favors.

Either route will offer no relief to this eternal battle. I would honestly prefer for Cloti to explicitly and unambiguously win than an ending where neither girl does. Because I can accept a loss. I can accept being told that actually I WAS interpreting the story wrong, but I'll only accept it from the text itself. If anything, a Cloti ending might encourage me to go through the entire compilation again trying to view it with that canon couple in mind. I'm sure I'd see things differently, even if I'd always have a place in my heart for Clerith. And I sincerely hope that if Clerith were to win that Cloti fans could do the same.

All I know is that I'm sick and tired of this ship war. I personally have never gone after Cloti fans or engaged in Cloti content with the intent to debate or hate on the ship. But I don't speak for all Cleriths. I'm sure at least a few fans of my ship are guilty too. I have seen many obnoxious Cloti fans invading our spaces to disparage us - mostly on YouTube and Twitch, less here on Tumblr - but I KNOW there are plenty of kind Cloti fans who just happily enjoy their ship and leave us to ours as well.

At the end of the day, regardless of how part 3 ends things, I just wish we could live in peace. Please enjoy your ship. Your interpretation of the text and romance is valid. But so is mine. If neither side can agree, then the best thing to do is leave each other alone.

[deadbydad]

As much as I love Clerith and think they should be canon....

I actually don't want Clerith or Cloti to be canon at all and to be honest if Square Enix where to make either canon that would be a death sentence or a cash grab, probably both, but it would make everything so much worse than it is.

At this point, SE should probably have it be where Tifa realizes that she is worth more than someone who's heart belongs to someone else, and that there are so many other guys who would treat her better than Cloud ever could. (Rude for example would treat Tifa a lot better than Cloud could to be honest let's be real for a moment)

Aerith should be able to travel the world and explore it the way she wants to, if it's with or without Cloud is fine, but in the end Aerith is such an amazing character when she is just being herself and she doesn't need Cloud or Zack to be able to help her do that.

And Cloud needs to get help and find who he actually is before he even gets in a relationship with anyone. He's stuck and nobody really knows how to actually help this man in the ways that he needs it.

Also, Cloud just being single makes more sense than anything in reality.....Or just have him and Zack get married that works too.

Both ships are valid but....Making clerith or cloti canon would be so fucking boring also to be honest......

If they haven't made either canon yet, they probably won't do it now or anytime soon because that's not what the game is about anyway.....

I'm not hating on ships by the way, so yes I am adding clerith and cloti tags to this. Not trying to hate on anything, just stating something that has been on my mind for a while.

I would also love to have an adult and nice and calm conversation with someone about this to be honest....Just don't be a dick to me.

[cuethetea]

A Perfect Clerith Song!

To those of you who make beautiful videos of these two, may I suggest the song Rain by Sleep Token?

It is the perfect Clerith song from Cloud's perspective (other than the official one, Hollow).

If you're unconvinced, these are the lyrics:

For so long, I have waited So long that I almost became Just a stoic statue, fit for nobody And I don't wanna get in your way But I finally think I can say That the vicious cycle was over The moment you smiled at me

And just like the rain You cast the dust into nothing And wash out the salt from my hands So touch me again I feel my shadow dissolving Will you cleanse me with pleasure?

It's that chemical cut that I can get down with Up like the moon and out like the hounds A dangerous disposition somehow Refracted in light, reflected in sound I'm coiled up like the venomous serpent Tangled in your trance and I'm certain You have got your hooks in me

I know, I know, the way that it goes You get what you give, you reap what you sow And I can see you in my fate And I know, I know, I am what I am The mouth of the wolf, the eyes of the lamb So darling, will you saturate?

Nobody can say for certain If maybe it's all just a game When I open my eyes to the future I can hear you say my name

So rain down on me Oh, rain down on me

*manifests to the lifestream*

[jackietaylorsghost]

i'm curious, do you know why or have and theories on why they make cloti kiss but clerith only hug/hold hands? I was thinking that clerith is more pure and their love is slowly blossoming aka slowburn which I find cute and very fitting for them but the clerith shipper in me is angry bc I would have loved to see them kiss LOL what are your thoughts?

I’ll be real with you, I don’t think either ship should have had a kiss yet and im astonished CT did and how it happened, i think its spoiled all the build up having it there when they’ve been arguing a lot and that it would have been so much more poignant after the LS sequence but now the moment is gone on a poorly framed kiss they’re never going to talk about again bcus it has no relevance to the plot. Thats why they have them agree not to talk about it. I think it’s a shame for people who have waited for 27yrs for that moment. And then after it no matter what they all have to play as Cloud has many non optional romantic moments with Aerith in ch 13 + 14. Reviews have mentioned how off and disjoined it is. I think that’s why they made sure to emphasise before the game came out that the dates were meant to be fun but don’t impact the story. But id be pissed if id waited that long for a kiss and that’s how i got it. and especially that in one route cloud looks like a dick but in another he doesn’t; that should really tell them something about the story. Why they gave them one idk, but I kinda wonder if it was getting them on the hook for p3 cus the last 2 chapters made CT fans real mad (even if they’re pretending otherwise on main, ppl have seen their discord and they’re not happy).

I think CA don’t kiss for a few reasons:

Cloud has remembered Zack, albeit incorrectly, much earlier. Through the game he has instances of jealousy towards him and that becomes more uncomfortable and confusing once he’s remembered they were friends. This has just happed before the dates and why when they get on skywheel he’s a bit awkward and won’t sit beside her! Of course that doesn’t last long; it was either nojima or nomura but one of them said in remake that cloud tries to keep distance between him and Aerith but he can’t do it 🥰🥰 but Zack definitely makes him more reluctant and unsure. Even when he reaches to take her hand it’s slow and cautious bcus he doesn’t know if it’s okay. And of course it is!

Aerith is fully aware Cloud is not himself. On his GS date she tells him she’s trying so hard to find him but in case you missed that as you did a different date, she also says it again in the sleeping forest; that cloud should focus on the real him she’s been looking for and leave Sephiroth to her. She knows there’s something up and kissing him knowing that is not something I think Aerith would do.

CA are the love that could never be ship. In the trailer for the 97 game, that was what they were described as. Part of the tragedy of clerith is that they have these budding feelings but before they have a chance to go anywhere Aerith is murdered. In the original cloud realises the depth of his feelings too late: at the end he says ‘I think I understand now’ and then expresses his desire to meet Aerith in the promised land. And all crossover material he’s in emphasises that he’s always looking for her. They are a star crossed lovers ship. And cloud is also dense and emotionally a mess; yes he likes her clearly, he shows jealousy for Zack, he goes on dates with her, he holds her hand and looks so happy to do so, but he can’t put all those feelings he has and come up with the right answer. In the church she confesses and he doesn’t quite get it and she, linking to her resolution imo (don’t fall in love with me) drops it and apologises and hugs him instead. This is all in line with the OG, that he’ll be hit with the full force of his feelings and what she meant in p3. Remember he’s just said he wants to go on more dates to create more ‘our spots’ with her. She looks happy and then sad when he says this because yay he likes her he wants to do this again, but of course she knows what he doesn’t: that they are about to run out of time.

So that is why I think they don’t kiss. I think it makes sense they didn’t! But I do think they’ll kiss in p3 for sure.

[leapypeanut]

What do you feel like the Remake does BETTER/WORSE compared to the OG ff7?

I like how they expanded a lot of the characters. I feel like they came more to life in the remake games (probably because of the graphics so they’re more expressive than those polygons, also the voice acting and way more dialogue) also I’m a very big Clerith lover (as you know) and the remake series is very Cloud and Aerith heavy which is nice because before the remake trilogy all the extra ff7 content we got was AC (after Aerith died) and CC (before they met) so to get so much more screen time of them interacting and really showing their chemistry in such a beautiful way makes me really happy!

Also in the OG Tifa was a very minor character that’s whole character revolved around Cloud. which i really dislike for obvious reasons. Tifa was actually originally outsourced from another studio and they only added her last minute after they decided to kill off Aerith. They didn’t really expect the fandom to get so attached to Tifa. But because of the love for Tifa from the fandom they gave her a lot more screen time in the remake trilogy. Which imo is kinda a double edged sword. Cause on one hand it sometimes feels like they’re trying to shove her in the narrative where it’s not necessary so she has the same amount of screen time as Aerith. Which is odd because Tifa is a side character and Aerith is a main character. And since they’re both technically the “heroins” of the game I feel like the developers kinda felt pressured to give Tifa more screen time to appease her fanbase. But on the other hand, while Tifa does still have a lot of the problems she has in the OG and is still very codependent (duh, she’s still the same character) but I feel like they’re gonna give Tifa more of a character arc in part 3. Where she realizes she doesn’t need Cloud and she doesn’t need her self worth tied to him. They kinda started going in this direction in the OG with Barret telling Tifa “"we did just fine before without him (Cloud), what happened to the strong girl l used to know?” But we never really got closer for that so I have a feeling they’re gonna go in that direction and if they do I’ll like Tifa a whole lot more. I also think Tifa going to the life stream by herself in Rebirth instead of with Cloud like the OG helped a bit in this. Because although what she saw in the life stream was still Cloud, and she still said “Don’t take him away, I need him” abt Cloud to Sephy in the life stream (showing she’s just as codependent as ever) further in the game (cosmo canyon) she talks abt how she feels closer to the planet and more motivated to save it since she fell into the life stream. Which I like because it gives her her own motivation because of her own experiences outside of Cloud yk?

I do think Cloud just randomly remembering Zack outta no where in Rebirth is kinda a cheap way to do it but I can kinda excuse it a bit because it does help with the plot further in Rebirth so it’s just a bit of a nitpick.

Something that did bother me was after cloud literally tried to KILL Tifa and push her into the life stream Cloud just walks into her room casually and Tifa’s not even remotely wary of Cloud at all, even tho he literally just attempted to murder her just a few hours ago. Also right after Cloud opens up to Tifa (the only time he’s ever really willingly remotely opened up to Tifa within the whole FF7 compilation) and tells her about why he almost killed her and how he’s having an identity crisis, this is a very vulnerable moment for Cloud. And Tifa thinks this is a good time to try and KISS HIM?! And Cloud looks completely confused. I don’t wanna accuse Tifa of trying to take advantage of Cloud in a vulnerable moment, I don’t wanna think Tifas that typa person, but that’s kinda how it comes across. the whole scene is very awkward and out of place. I’m very glad Yuffie, Nanaki, and Aerith walked in tbh.

Also I know this is kinda an unpopular opinion within the overall fandom but I like the multiverse stuff. I’m glad it’s not a 1 on 1 remake. Because the “remake trilogy” although it’s called “remake” it’s more of a sequel to the OG. So if you don’t like the remake trilogy it won’t affect the OG. The remake isn’t trying to replace the OG but just add onto the narrative. And honestly the multiverse stuff is a great way to market the game tbh. Because the Remake trilogy is gonna take at least 8 years to completely finish it. And nobody’s gonna be excited for 8 years if it’s exactly like the OG. That doesn’t make ppl excited, because they already know what’s gonna happen. But because of the multiverse stuff we have no clue what’s gonna happen in part 3. And that’s what makes you anticipate it, it’s the fun part. It’s fun to look forward to how they’re gonna take the narrative and making theories.

One last thing that kinda disappointed me was Cloud going insane. It was quite underwhelming compared to the OG tbh. Like I was expecting him to go completely crazy and the entire party to ostracize him and is completely scared of him under Sephiroths control. But that didn’t happen in Rebirth like in the OG unfortunately. But I do think they’re gonna include this within part 3! What i think they’re gonna do for part 3 is that they are not only scared of Cloud being controlled by Sephiroth but also creeped out because Cloud still thinks Aerith is alive. which she is alive in another time like that Cloud created right before she died in the main timeline but the party members don’t know that and just think Clouds going completely crazy because of grief and is just acting schizophrenic and hallucinating Aerith because he misses her so much.

[devilhacker]

This is a community board sidequest and easily be ignored if you didn't take the mission. I even did this mission on New Game+.

You can still complete this mission even WITHOUT triggering that "romantic Clerith moment" by NOT POINTING the camera at Aerith

😂😂😂

Just another proof of Clerith never play the game at all.

[aerithisms]

i think maybe i need to replay rebirth some time to look at this diplomatically because aerith is My Favourite and i might be biased but i think my biggest story critique of rebirth is that i wish they'd done a little more with her. given that this is the game she dies in i found it strange that they didn't push her into the foreground a little more since this is their last real chance to do that with her as a living member of the party (i'm sure she'll show up in some limited capacity in part 3 but dead lifestream!aerith is pretty different to alive!aerith i think).

i know that sounds like a weird thing to say when you consider stuff like them giving her the game's theme song to sing during loveless and the fact that the last chapter is basically The Aerith Movie but there is a strange lack of focus on her in moments where it feels like we should get more from her throughout the narrative. this game pushes tifa and cloud's relationship more in the mandatory story segments, and i LOVED what they did with that relationship in this game, but it felt odd that the same focus was not given to cloud's relationship with aerith throughout the story given that the ending hinges on him being so devastated by her death that he enters a delusional state of grief. and this isn't even a shipping thing bc as far as shipping goes i'm an aerti truther and i feel pretty equally neutral about both cloti and clerith as romances (if anything i prefer cloti!). it's about giving proper narrative buildup to the relationship that the game's tragic ending hinges on - a lot of aerith's most interesting scenes with cloud in the bulk of the game are optional, which i think is a weird thing to do given what the game is building to.

i also wish they did more with her being a cetra! again, the last couple chapters put focus on this but prior to that aerith is weirdly quiet about it. particularly in cosmo canyon, while we do get the lovely bonfire scene, aerith otherwise has a weird lack of dialogue when it comes to the lore dump scenes with the gi and bugenhagen. i expected her to feel some type of way about these revelations but any indication of that is at best subtext and she doesn't really say a lot about it. and for all that they emphasise aerith and nanaki's connection early on as beings closer to the planet, once you get to cosmo canyon there's a weird lack of payoff for it. same with tifa's dunk in the lifestream - i kinda thought aerith might have something to say about it as a cetra, and in fairness i think it's possible she did and the game is withholding some of aerith and tifa's offscreen interactions for part 3 (i swear this isn't even just an aerti cope lol i think the fact that they deliberately show them talking without us getting to hear it might be something they come back to), but i also wish we got to connect with this part of aerith's character more NOW, while she's still here, so it can inform our understanding of her choices and feelings at the end. i just find it kind of a bummer because aerith's complicated relationship to her heritage is a fascinating aspect of her character and her tragedy that i think goes a little untapped in this game, which means it's likely to go untapped in the story as a whole since she's. you know. dead.

[dansantcaparet]

In 1997, it was obvious to me that Cloud loved Aerith more than Tifa.

Not until I went online all these years later did I discover (shockingly) that the American FFVII fanbase had been purposely misled by egotistical, pompous, self-righteous nerd boys (who now have egg on their face in-light of the Remake).

If you notice, Cloti’s have been working double-time since the Remake came out. Why is that?

Well, it’s because the Remake is confirming what we have always known since the OG: despite technically being a love triangle, SE wanted most gamers to play their first playthrough the Clerith way. Aerith automatically starts off with more love points than Tifa, and the Clerith date is the “normally occurring” date.

Clerith is the “normally occurring” couple.

So why did Cloti’s decide to launch a campaign to delegitimize Clerith? And how did they do it?

When FFVII first came out in 1997, many western gamers didn’t understand Aerith. She was (literally) foreign to them. Japanese animation was still very niche back then.

Though the Japanese adored Aerith’s spunky personality & pink dress (and saw her as the obvious romantic interest for Cloud), many men in the United States thought her hair was “ugly,” and that her personality was “annoying.” Far too “anime” for their taste. They preferred Tifa — the loyal, more American looking childhood friend — the “girl-next-door.” Plus, her big boobs didn’t hurt, either.

Of course, since FFVII inherently revolves around a love triangle, there is an OPTION to play it the Tifa way.

However, as a kid in 1997, I never saw Tifa as a threat. I saw her as the secondary, optional way to play the game. The girl you would pick on your second playthrough.

When you consider...

—Official Yoshitaka Amano artwork depicting Cloud x Aerith

—Beginning love point totals (you have to make counterintuitive choices to catch Tifa up to Aerith’s automatic 1st place position)

—The non-optional bodyguard agreement

—The “normally” occurring CxA Gold Saucer date

—Numerous flirtatious moments & obvious hints

—Tifa’s constant jealousy

—Promised Land scene non-optionally occurring *AFTER* the inherently variable Highwind scene

—Frequent CxA cameos

—Aerith being the first & last image we see in the entire game

…it is clear Tifa never held a candle to Aerith as the heroine, or as the primary love interest for Cloud.

To put it simply — Aerith was created first by SE. Tifa was created second. Aerith is the primary love interest. Tifa is the secondary love interest. Obvious common sense.

Unfortunately, fueled by their unyielding, irrational hatred of all things Aerith, they successfully sold the myth (for years) that Cloud x Tifa is the official canon couple of FFVII, thereby brainwashing the entire American fandom against Cloud x Aerith.

They reduced & twisted Cloud’s “undying” love for Aerith as “guilt.”

Saying that even though Cloud chooses to live in Aerith’s Church, has his heart broken every time he visits her grave, reconnects with her in Flower Fields (and cameos), and seeks to find her in the Promised Land, it is somehow all due to guilt over the death of a mere friend. Saying that anything romantic shown in the OG is all a result of Zack (ie: attempted delegitimization).

I guess the symbolism of Cloud’s continued love for Aerith, and all the nuances that entails, is too cultured & sophisticated for them to comprehend. Or maybe they are purposely not comprehending the obvious?

Thankfully, the Japanese understand what all of this means. So why don’t western fans?

The only logical conclusion is because of their deep, burning, irrational hatred of Aerith as a character. Always minimizing & downplaying her role as the first & true heroine & love interest to Cloud.

But now, with the Remake perfecting Aerith’s look & personality, and making it crystal clear that these are Cloud’s REAL feelings, and that Aerith wants to move FORWARD from Zack, you are now seeing a significant swing within the fandom towards Cloud x Aerith.

The myth has finally been exposed & debunked.

Due to this, Cloti’s are currently working double-time to try to convince us that their ship is a “slow-burn.”

Sadly, the other side has spent years using Crisis Core & Advent Children to their advantage by manipulating & brainwashing those new to the FFVII fanbase. Pretending as if Disc 1 of the OG never happened. Saying Crisis Core makes Zerith canon, and Advent Children makes Cloti canon. Simple & easy for the masses to understand, right?

So how, exactly, did they convince millions to believe their great myth?

1. Cloud & Aerith only liked each other because of Zack.

Response:

The relationship between Zack & Aerith in CC is officially described as a minor infatuation between two juveniles, much like Cloud’s childhood crush on Tifa.

In the OG, Aerith says her and Zack were NEVER serious, that their relationship is “in the past now,” and that he probably moved on to someone else because he’s a “real lady’s man.”

On the “normally occurring” CxA Gold Saucer date, Aerith confirms that although she initially liked Cloud because of Zack, she has grown to like Cloud for Cloud.

Within the lifestream, Aerith tells Zack that she prefers Cloud’s personality over his, and that she will only call Zack if she gets “really lonely.”

In the Remake, Aerith states she wants to move FORWARD with her life in regards to Zack.

In official sources, Aerith is stated as saying she loves Cloud MORE than Zack.

Cloud is stated to be Aerith’s “koibito” (“lover” in Japanese).

Yes — Cloud adopted some memories & mannerisms from Zack, but he never transformed 100% into Zack.

It is a myth that Cloud & Aerith’s love is null-and-void because of Zack.

CC is a retcon.

Don’t let them use Zack to erase Clerith.

2. Tifa wins by default due to being alive.

Response:

Tifa winning by default due to being alive is why the other side hopes to god Aerith doesn’t live in the Remake.

You may personally prefer Tifa, but in the OG, Cloud himself clearly prefers Aerith over Tifa, and the other side knows it (just look at the Shinra jail cell moment). When Tifa observes Cloud and Aerith falling in love, she flips out in a jealous rage.

Tifa only has a chance once Aerith is out of the picture. If Aerith lives, it is all but over for Tifa.

Even in death, Cloud has an “undying” love for Aerith that will never go away. Tifa knows this to be true and is stated to be jealous of Cloud’s continued feelings for Aerith.

In the AC credits, Tactics cameo, and the Dissidia cameo, it is clear Cloud still wants to meet and be with Aerith in the Promised Land. Denying the common sense symbolism of this is a sign of someone who has a deep-rooted bias against Aerith.

Furthermore, Cloud and Tifa are in an established “family of friends,” share zero romantic moments, have tons of continued jealousy, fighting, and sleep in separate rooms. Plus, Barret returns to living with them in DoC. Tifa is never upgraded to anything beyond “childhood friend.”

Cloud & Tifa only have the possibility of being a thing if Aerith is out of the picture. Aerith is #1. Tifa is #2. The other side better pray to god Aerith doesn’t live in the Remake.