#cloti always watching

[pearl-aqua-fantasy]

❤️ Love this!

[pearl-aqua-fantasy]

Can never get over the zoom in on Tifa!! He's so dang cute 😊

(gif credit)

Cloud was looking at Tifa after his victory against Dio ♡

Getting the brawler’s approval! 🥰

[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.

[bardic-tales]

Title: So This is Christmas?

Pairing: Bianca (f!OC) / Sephiroth (Sephica), Cloud / Tifa (Cloti)

Characters: Aurora (f!oc), Lucien (m!oc), Barret Wallace, Marlene Wallace, Aerith Gainsborough, Zack Fair, Angeal Hewley, Genesis Rhapsodos, Vincent Valentine

Rating: General

Word Count: 1679

Fandom: Final Fantasy 7

Setting: Redemption!AU

Warnings: Mild Language, themes of found family, holiday celebrations, children engaging in festive activities, and moments of warmth and healing. Readers who prefer darker or more action-driven narratives or dislike depictions of happiness and redemption might not enjoy this.

Summary: On a snowy Christmas Eve in the mountains, Sephiroth, Bianca, their twins, ex-SOLDIERs, and the AVALANCHE team come together in a cozy safe house to celebrate the season, sharing laughter, decorating a tree, and finding solace in the bonds of their makeshift family.

Author's Note: My redemption AU reimagines Final Fantasy VII with a canon-divergent storyline set in the author-created town of Rinnos. Sephiroth and Bianca meet as children and endure Hojo's experiments together. Bianca uses her demonic powers to shield Sephiroth from Jenova’s influence, preventing the Nibelheim Incident and shifting the timeline as they join AVALANCHE to fight Shinra. This AU explores themes of redemption, identity, and the power of emotional bonds, featuring altered character dynamics, such as Zack’s survival and a deeper alliance with AVALANCHE, while Hojo remains a central antagonist.

🎄🎅Merry Christmas to all my amazing followers and mutuals! Wishing you a wonderful holiday season (if you celebrate it) and an awesome 2025 filled with love, success, and boundless creativity.

Snowflakes danced in the crisp night air, blanketing the quiet village of Rinnos, high in the mountains between Junon and Midgar, in pristine white. The soft glow of lanterns lit the cobblestone streets. Their warmth reflected the spirit of Christmas Eve in the sleepy little village. Green wreathes hung on the front doors of each home, as the families that dwelt inside celebrated the coming of the holiday and the safety that their unusual mercenary troup which moved in years earlier provided from the monsters lurking higher up in the hills.

Inside a safe house nestled on the outskirts of town, laughter and the scent of mulled cider filled the warm, cozy living room. The holiday was always the same, even more so since the arrival of the twins, as the unusual group of friends and allies celebrated the holiday season together.

A massive fir tree stood proudly in the corner, its branches stretching upward as though eager to embrace the make-shift family gathered around it. The smell of Christmas wafted around the room: cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, vanilla, ginger, orange, wood smoke, and honey drifted from the pot simmering on the stove in the kitchen.

“Mama, can I put the star on top?!” Lucien, Sephiroth and Bianca’s raven-haired, indigo-eyed son, tugged on Bianca’s hand, his small frame bouncing with excitement. As he bounced, his tiny wings covered with black, white, and purple feathers swayed with his excitement.

“Not until we finish the ornaments, cherub,” Bianca replied with a smile, her indigo eyes twinkling from the dim light of the brass lanterns scattered around the room. She adjusted the white ribbon in her wavy black hair and gently placed a glittering silver snowflake on a branch.

“Then I want to do the shiny balls!” Aurora, Lucien’s twin sister, piped up, laughing. Her voice was as bubbly as her giggle. She gripped a red glass ornament in her tiny hands, her feline-like pupils shimmering under the tree lights. Her long, grayish-silver hair flowed down her back, curling around the black Christmas dress with silver angels embroidered on it.

“Careful, Aurora,” Sephiroth warned, his calm voice carrying a note of protectiveness as he crouched beside her. Dressed in a simple black sweater, his silver hair framed his striking face. He watched over his daughter and her exuberance that would even put Zack Fair to shame. “If it falls, it will shatter.”

Aurora pouted but nodded, holding the ornament close to her chest. Nearby, Marlene clapped her hands with excitement, her dark locks bouncing after she dug through the box of baubles. “I found one that looks like a bunny!” she exclaimed, holding up a white ceramic ornament.

“Let’s hang it together!” Aurora said, running over to her friend. The two girls giggled as they carefully placed the ornament on the tree. As the young angel and human girl raced towards the tree, Aurora’s silver ribbon wrapped around her waist fluttered behind her. They carefully placed both ornaments on one of the lower branches.

“Shit.” Across the room, Barret grumbled as he untangled a mess of stringed lights with help from his prosthetic hand. “Damn Shinra can build a reactor that sucks the life outta the Planet, but they can’t make lights that don’t get all knotted up.”

Zack chuckled, his spiky black hair shaking as he crouched beside Barret to help. “Don’t worry, big guy. We’ve got this. Angeal taught me how to handle a mess. Back in the day, he called it ‘puppy duty.’”

“Puppy duty?” Tifa asked, raising an eyebrow as she handed Aerith a box of ornaments. The martial artist wore a red sweater adorned with snowflakes. Her dark hair tied in its usual thick, elaborate ponytail with the strands being held by a red ribbon at the bottom.

“It’s a long story,” Angeal said. He stood by the fireplace, carefully hanging colorful stockings and counting the number of them: one stocking for each member of their family. His calm demeanor and broad shoulders brought an air of stability to the bustling room.

“LOVELESS speaks of this very moment,” Genesis declared dramatically from the sofa, where he lounged admiring the tree with the well-worn book with its faded red cover laying over his stomach. “‘Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess; we seek it thus, and take to the sky—’”

“Genesis, we’ve heard it a thousand times,” Bianca interrupted, though her tone carried a hint of amusement. She turned from the tree and looked to the man who became like a brother to her. “You’re going to scare the children.”

Lucien gasped, his eyes wide. “What’s LOVELESS, Uncle Gen?”

“It’s a poem!” Genesis replied with a flourish, as though presenting a grand revelation. “A masterpiece—perhaps too advanced for you little one, but one day you’ll understand its brilliance.”

Aurora giggled. “You’re funny, Uncle Gen-Gen!”

“Can you teach us the poem, Uncle Gen?” Lucien stared at the red-headed ex-SOLDIER with his puppy-dog eyes and his rosy, cheeks that still were round due to baby fat. “Please.”

Genesis looked to Angeal and Sephiroth, smirking. “At least someone appreciates my talents.”

“That’s because you haven’t beaten it into their heads yet,” Sephiroth scoffed.

Aerith knelt by the twins and Marlene, offering them ornaments shaped like tiny animals. “Here, you can hang these next. Just pick strong branches, okay?”

“Thank you, Auntie Aerith!” The twins chorused, each carefully placing an ornament. Lucien approached the tree, a determined look on his face as he picked the perfect branch to hang the white chocobo ceramic he was given. In that moment, he looked like a tiny, darked-haired Sephiroth with his black dress suit and matching leather boots.

Barret snorted. “Kids are already callin’ you aunt and uncle, huh? Guess y’all really are part of the family now.”

Sephiroth met Barret’s gaze, a flicker of surprise in his cyan eyes. “It’s… appreciated,” he said, his voice softer than even its usual softness.

“Well, don’t get too cozy,” Barret grumbled. “Still ain’t forgiven Shinra for what they did. But I’ll admit. You’re doin’ right by AVALANCHE now.”

Bianca watched the exchange. A spark of gratitude warmed her chest. After their escape from Shinra, she never thought she and Sephiroth would have found a place to call home. Now, they had their friends and their children: a dysfunctional at times family but family, none-the-less.

“It means a lot, Barret,” she said sincerely. “We’re trying to make things right.”

“Mommy, Daddy, look!” Lucien and Aurora exclaimed in unison, pointing to the tree. The lights Zack and Barret had untangled now sparkled across the branches, reflecting off the ornaments with a magical glow.

“It’s beautiful,” Tifa said, her voice filled with wonder, stepping closer with Cloud beside her.

Cloud smiled softly, his bright blue eyes twinkling in the warm light. His usually shy demeanor was absent tonight, the joy of the season evident in the way he watched the children and their excitement.

“Yeah. Looks great.”

“We’re not done yet.” Bianca picked up the shining gold star and handed it to Sephiroth. “Would you do the honors?”

Sephiroth hesitated, his gaze flickering to the twins, Marlene, and then to Bianca. Slowly, he nodded and lifted Lucien onto his shoulders. “Hold on tight,” he instructed, his hands steady on Lucien’s knees as Zack guided the boy to place the star atop the tree.

“I did it!” Lucien cheered as Sephiroth lowered him back to the ground. Aurora and Marlene hugged him. The three children giggled with joy.

Cloud chuckled softly, stepping closer to Tifa. "You think they'll remember this when they're older?" he asked, his voice soft as he watched the kids play.

“I think they'll always remember this night," Tifa replied, her hand resting gently on his arm. "It's a new beginning for all of us.”

Vincent Valentine, standing quietly near the fireplace with Angeal, regarded the scene with a subtle smile on his lips. His crimson eyes, usually so distant and guarded, softened as he observed the laughter, the love, the joy that filled the room. It was a warmth he hadn’t experienced in a long time, and it stirred something deep within him.

His once solitary path, marked by loss and regret, had changed since meeting this group. Bianca, especially, had reminded him that there could still be hope, that redemption was not as out of reach as he’d believed.

“Everything looks wonderful,” Vincent said in his low, gravelly voice, drawing the attention of the others. His presence had become familiar over the years, and though his words were few, they always carried weight.

Bianca smiled warmly at him. “Thank you, Vincent. You’re part of this too, you know.”

The former Turk inclined his head slightly, a small, rare acknowledgment of her words. “I don’t deserve such kindness, but it’s appreciated.”

“I think you deserve it more than you know,” Bianca said, her voice gentle. “You’ve helped us all so much.”

Vincent’s gaze lingered on the children. His thoughts drifted. He had a past of his own, one marked by dark memories of being used as a weapon, of being trapped in an endless cycle of vengeance and mourning his love. But here, in this moment, there was peace. There was a family. He had come to see all of them as his own, especially Bianca and Sephiroth, whose struggles mirrored his own in so many ways.

“You’re part of our family now,” Aerith chimed in from across the room. “None of this would’ve been possible without you.”

Vincent nodded but didn’t speak. His heart was full of something he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in a long time. It was a sense of belonging.

“Merry Christmas everyone,” Bianca said, her eyes filled with sincerity.

“Merry Christmas,” the others echoed.

And as the night wore on, with laughter and joy filling the room and the snow continuing to fall outside, it was clear that this Christmas—this moment—was one they would all carry with them. It was a reminder of the family they had become and the love they had found in each other.

tagging some fellow mutuals. Happy holidays. Thank you all for showing interest in my Bianca. I can't wait to see what 2025 has in store for each of you.

@asirensrage @themaradwrites @whatwedointhecraft @serenofroses @megandaisy9

@watermeezer

@seastarblue @prehistoric-creatures @creativechaosqueen

@chickensarentcheap @arrthurpendragon

[daylighteclipsed]

What's it about cloti that you like? I'm curious, bc we otherwise tend to ship the same things. I love both cloud and tifa, and they have some cute scenes, but I don't feel it with them. Idk if it's because of the truly awful shippers, or something else. For me it feels like sokai in kh 1, I see why ppl ship them and that the narrative is pushing for them to be together, but i don't really care about that aspect of their relationship. Your answer doesn't have to be elaborate or anything, it's genuinely only curiosity on my part. Other than that, how do you like rebirth so far? I know some ppl dropped it pretty fast, bc they didn't like the crazy amount of mini games. Which I get, bc some of them were a hassle, but all in all i still had fun.

Short answer: I really like their individual characters and their complicated friendship and past that Rebirth starts delving more into, and that’s made me warm up very quickly to the romance between them.

Long answer: Cloud and Tifa’s dynamic is so interesting to me in Rebirth. I feel like the game does a good job of pulling back the curtain on a relationship that up to this point has been summed up as “childhood friends” to reveal how much more complicated it is than that. Imo, these are two people who have always yearned to know each other but never really have. They were friendly when they were very young, it seems, like under the age of 7. Then, Cloud started pulling away, and Tifa has never understood why. And they haven’t been able to really reconnect since then, made all the more difficult by Sephiroth and Shinra.

FF7 pushes romantic angles with both Tifa and Aerith, which I don’t really love tbh. I do wish it was a little more toned down and optional. But I really like the sense of yearning and desire to connect that threads Cloud and Tifa’s entire relationship — and the consistent symbolism of reaching for each other, trying to bridge that physical and emotional gap between them (usually when one is about to literally or figuratively fall), that goes with it. I like watching them bond and get to know each other now, so many years later, as best as they can (considering Cloud’s memories and sense of self are all screwed up), while navigating the unique trauma of being two of the only survivors of the massacre of their village. I like their mutual support, how they take turns supporting/grounding/saving each other.

I like that memories play such a big role, that they both have precious memories of each other that are key to who they are and which no one else knows. Fucking love when Tifa falls into the Lifestream and she realizes Cloud tried to save her from crossing the metaphorical bridge of death/falling when they were kids, and you see how much the past seems to parallel the present with their roles reversed this time. I want to see the whole memory so much. I don’t know if we ever will, but man. I really feel like even if Cloud couldn’t stop Tifa from falling, he must’ve saved her from drowning. There’s a river below that bridge, right? She hit her head and presumably passed out — someone had to keep her head above water, and he was the only one there because he refused to abandon her… I think, metaphorically, that’s pretty much what’s gonna happen in the game. I don’t think Tifa is gonna be able to catch Cloud from falling, but I think she’s gonna hold his head above water when they hit the bottom.

Sorry, I’ve been thinking about this part so much shsbdbsbs I just feel like it’s so interesting and crucial to the story. I think it really helps Tifa understand what’s going on with Cloud and Sephiroth on a level the others don’t. She’s much more conscious of Cloud’s behavior and notices the distinctions between Cloud and Sephiroth. She’s usually the first to notice when something’s not right and intervene.

I like that Tifa is established as the truth to Sephiroth’s lies and the one who can kinda “wake” Cloud up because, unlike everyone else, Tifa was there when Sephiroth (and Zack and Cloud) came to town and Tifa has seen what Cloud was like before the Jenova cells/false persona (even if she’s never been able to fully understand him). She’s the only one stopping Cloud from losing complete touch with reality, which is why Sephiroth is trying to undermine her credibility and eliminate her.

Like it’s really obvious, to me, that if Cloud and Tifa could properly reconnect by finally understanding the past and each other, Sephiroth’s manipulation wouldn’t work. Like, you know in the Loveless play how the bad guy’s weakness is true love. And then the hero (Cloud) and whoever is playing the princess (I had Tifa) try to declare their love, and it doesn’t work. The bad guy just laughs and says their love is an illusion or whatever? That’s what’s going on in the game, I think. I do think they love each other, but they don’t understand each other yet, Cloud isn’t even sure who he is, his identity is scrambled eggs, so it’s not a complete or true love. They have to bridge that gap, discover the truth and really meet. You know what I mean?

I still haven’t talked about the actual romantic stuff fbdbdbsbe I’m sorry, romance is usually always secondary to me. Um. I like that Cloud initiates a lot of those intimate moments with Tifa. Other people usually invade his space and make him uncomfortable. But Tifa’s patient with him and doesn’t pressure him. He reaches out to hold her hand and hug her and stuff. He opens up to her about his doubts and fears. It’s sweet how bashful they are, how realistically awkward they are sometimes. Yeah, idk, I just think they’re neat. I want them to understand each other, finally like really know each other, and I like when they hold hands.

As for how I’m enjoying Rebirth as a game (as someone who has never played the og FF7): I’m really loving it. I think it’s so much more fun and interesting than Remake. Love the open world, the different regions, the exploration, side quests, party bonding and banter, chocobos, whatever tf is going on with those protorelics and the Queen’s Blood creator, the battle challenges, Chadley (I know he was in Remake, but I grew more attached to him in this game), the return of other old NPCs, the new ones, the fun silly stuff like the segways in Costa del Sol. Rebirth fleshes the whole world and characters out, and I’m never bored. I have very little complaints. If it sticks the landing, it might be one of my favorite video games. Rip to the mini game haters, but I’m different. (Except the piano. The piano can go fuck itself.)

[dansantcaparet]

Hearing & watching Aerith sing brings out the REAL Cloud. Cloti’s don’t understand that Aerith ALWAYS brings out the REAL Cloud — especially when singing.

Use this photo against Cloti’s when they try to say “ALL of the dates are options!!”:

[wander-across-the-firmament]

When I saw Sephiroth for the first time

I've been wanting to share my personal story with you for a long time now, how I came to love FF7 and how I slowly grew to love Sephiroth. Since I don't have anyone else to share it with, apart from my best friend (she probably knows the story from the way I've told it so many times because this character just captured my heart haha. Love you best friend ♡ ), I wanted to write it here on tumblr and maybe also on twitter. The first time I saw anything FF7 related was the movie FF7 Advent Children. (Yep, I'm late to the party but I think better late than never) When the movie came out I was only eight years old and I can't remember how old I was when I saw the movie but I watched it with my family as well. Maybe I was older? Unfortunately I don't know. In any case, I was extremely excited about the movie from the start even though I didn't really understand the story. "It was from the FF series so it can only be good" thought my little self. I only saw action at the time and thought the fights were the coolest. When I saw Sephiroth appear for the first time I didn't know anything about his tragic story and had question marks over my head. My little self thought at the time "didn't the young man have short hair just a moment ago?" (It's not like Sephiroth was seen right at the beginning of the movie, silly haha) I found his style very interesting at the time and thought it was a shame that we didn't see him often in the movie and would have liked to have seen more of him (you'll see him a lot soon hehe) but my little self was always on the side of the good people and never questioned the backgrounds of the villains in FF7 (or in fiction in generel), so the focus on Sephiroth was gone for a long time and my focus was elsewhere and no longer on FF7 for many, many years.

The years flew by and pictures and videos on youtube about FF7 Crisis Core and FF7 in general kept appearing in my life but the focus was still not completely back. I knew that the story existed and that I liked it but my life took a different turn at that time and I was more focused on it. Until the trailer for the FF7 Remake was announced and shown at E3. From then on I started to show more interest in FF7 again and was still a Cloti fan to this day and initially concentrated on the story in general. By then Sephiroth was no longer unknown to me and I knew what he was doing, but when FF7 Remake came finally out I found Sephiroth already extremely pretty and ethereal (Oh yes, he is such an angel ♡ ) and my interest in him increased. However, I still had this "You're only allowed to like the good people" phase and asked myself internally whether it would be okay to like villains as well (oh dear you have no idea haha)

Because of the "you can only like the good fictional characters" phase, I kept my distance from Sephiroth and unfortunately this lasted until FF7 Rebirth. In the back of my mind, however, I wanted to know more about him and watched a few videos about him on youtube. Facts that I already knew, so I watched his scenes in the FF7 Remake many times until FF7 Rebirth was announced. The trailer came and you could see Sephiroth and Cloud both wandering around Nibelheim. From then on, the ice broke in me. I saw how Sephiroth behaved and my interest in him was enormous. I saw how he cared for others and because of that I was extremely happy about it. It didn't take long until I read all the content of FF7, watched all the playthroughs to understand what was happening around Midgar, Nibelheim, Gaia and then I turned my attention to FF7 Crisis Core again and was overwhelmed by the story and how Sephiroth was portrait at that point. The moment I read all the information and story lore about him, he grew closer to my heart. I could understand him and knew his pain. (Losing a mother is painful. I know that all too well. In his case he never had the chance to meet his mother what is extremely sad.)

After all the years he had to endure at the hands of Hojo, Jenova and Shinra, I just wanted a happy ending for him. Sure, he's an iconic villain. I agree with everyone there. I just think that he deserves a happy ending after everything he had to go through. I started to like villains and so I started to end my "phase" and concentrate fully on Sephiroth. FF7 Rebirth was released shortly after and the story was as exciting as ever. That was when I fell down the rabbit hole. Sephiroth became one of my absolute favorite characters in the entire FF franchise and I loved every second he accompanied the group in Nibelheim. It was refreshing to see him being helpful and kind to others. How he cared about others again while you could see his emotions. Since then I have hoped that he will also get his happy ending in the third part. No matter how, the main thing is that he can smile again.

It didn't take long before I heard about FF7 Ever Crisis and of course I was interested. A story for Sephiroth? That sounds perfect! So I watched videos about the game again and had mixed feelings. I was happy to learn more about him and was surprised that we see him in his younger years. However, this is by far the most tragic and saddest story for me in FF7. So I had even more reasons to hope for a happy ending for him and that will continue to be the case. Sephiroth building a wall around himself even though he is looking for social contact, how he searches for his mother in vain, how he is manipulated by Hojo and Jenova…The latest chapter broke my heart into a thousand pieces and Sephiroth simply deserves better than that. The worst part is that his tragic story could have been prevented if only he had been loved more especially as a child.

OK, I had to write all that out of my soul haha. I still find it funny how I used to "avoid" him when I was little because he was a villain and I didn't know him well, and now I love this character so much and his story that continues to be told. For me, he is a very well-written character and I am glad to have seen and read his story and that of FF7 in the right place at the right time. I can well imagine how he felt and that is why he has become my comfort character. I think Sephiroth also appeared at exactly the right time in my life because he gives me the strength to carry on and not give up. That's why he means a lot to me At the moment I'm catching up on all FF7 games and am currently playing FF7 Crisis Core Reunion and FF7 Ever Crisis. FF7 Remake and Rebirth will have to wait a little longer until I've finished the DLC for FF16, but then I'll get to work on those two games too. I can't wait for my journey! Thank you so much for reading this far. That means a lot to me! ♡

[silver-wield]

hello! when did you first become a tifa and cloti fan? during the og era, the ac/acc era, or remake? i ask because i feel like, on social media, i see a lot more fans who joined the tifa and cloti train after remake, and not too many who are from the ac/acc era, let alone the og era

I'm too young for og. The first ff game i remember is watching my older sister play ff8 which our dad got for her birthday. I think my brother maybe had ff7 but he's always been more of a zelda fan.

I think my sister was given ac by our brother. I remember him waving it around all proud and asking if she wanted to watch it like she was interested in ff7, but we all sat down together and I was obsessed with Tifa from the second I saw her ❤️

She's been my fave ff character since then, but i didn't really ship her with the king of issues until Remake. Tbh Cloud's a loser. Without Tifa giving him that drive to be cool and the reason to ve kind he'd just be another edge lord wannabe. But in Remake he was so sweet and attentive to her that it's impossible not to ship them ❤️

[asoulofatlantis]

You know... I do not want to partake in the shipping war and I belong to the people who say "Both ships are valid" even tho I do have my preferences. But while scrolling the tags on Tumblr I walked straight into the "Tifa got an actual Kiss and Aerith doesn't" - discourse and I think it's funny.

Cloti Fans always say that Aeriths feelings for Cloud are actually because of Zack. Yet, when she doesn't kiss him, even tho there is still a lot of Zack in him, it is a win for Cloti? Hardly! If you think about it that way, Tifa kissed a fucked up Zack version of Cloud in her event and not the actual, real Cloud. Aeriths wanted to find the "real Cloud". This is why they didn't share a kiss, because this wasn't the "real Cloud". Tifa was fine kissing a man who was not the "real" Cloud on the other hand. Which puts this Kiss kinda into a bad light.

I have not yet seen the scenes, but from what I saw and heard, I stay with what I said in the first game, that SE made it really hard for Tifa on multiple occasions. It does look like she has a leg up here, because she got a kiss. But thinking about it... how much worth did this kiss have at that point? It's not like I am saying real Cloud doesn't have feelings for Tifa, its just... Tifa kissing him, when she knows he is not fully himself and his brain is kind of fucked up right now makes you question her a little bit.

And that has been an issue ever since the first game. When the plate was about to fall on sector 7 and Cloud could choose who to wake up first, it so happens that Aerith is the one jumping up, being all like: "We have to save the people in sector 7!" even tho most of them were likely just a bunch of random strangers to her and she KNEW she couldn't save them and yet she desperately wanted to try anyway. When you wake up Tifa first, her first thought is not saving her friends and neighbors, her first thought is her jealousy and she asks Cloud about Aerith. If you watch both scenes in comparison, it makes Tifa look really bad. In her "Date" - Scene in Remake, she also first talks about Aerith. She eventually gets her cute moment with Cloud, but first we talk about Aerith. In Aeriths Dream-Sequence with Cloud, they only talk with and about each other and even possible feelings for each other. They do not talk about Tifa. Or Jessie. Or anyone else. And as I've heard, even in her freaking Golden Date, Tifa and Cloud first talk about Aerith (and Zack) and I do not understand why SE can not give Tifa a moment with Cloud that is just for and about them.

And once again, putting the dates in comparison, yes Tifa gets a Kiss, but if you watch Aeriths date afterwards, you are made painfully aware that the man Tifa kissed wasn't even the real Cloud for gods sake. Making you wonder if she was so desperate that she was willing to Kiss a Cloud that wasn't fully himself, instead of waiting to Kiss the "real Cloud" eventually.

I mean "Hey Cloud, do you remember our first kiss?" - "Ah yes. That was when I was still partly impersonating Zack and got controlled, manipulated and brainwashed by Sephirot every now and then." doesn't sound so good.

Also... if Aerith had kissed Cloud, people would have said she kissed him because of Zack. So this way, was the best outcome for the Clerith ship.

It is sad tho... that we likely never get the chance to get our Kiss-scene, given that fate was not prevented in the end... oh well...

[emiliosandozsequence]

tagged by the dear lovely wonderful ana <3 ( @trials-era-sam ) i'm doing this on my main since i'm more active on here!!

three ships: cesare/lucrezia; lauralynn/ray; gina/emilio; lemrina vers envers/slaine troyard; jude st francis/willem ragnarsson; harrowhark nonagesimus/gideon nav; chani kynes/paul atreides; frodo baggins/samwise gamgee (i know this is more than three, but i've been fixating on all of these guys lately)

first ever ship: the one that i remember the most clearly is cloud/tifa from final fantasy vii <3 what's so funny is now i ship cloud/aerith more, but cloti will always have a special place in my heart <3

last song: ego by indila (would u believe i found this song on an 8tracks mix)

last movie: sound of my voice (please please please watch this movie especially if you like the oa; it's so fucking good)

currently reading: the sparrow (again); this book will not set me free is2fg i still haven't been able to finish my annotating or my decorating or even this fucking read through. this book has had me in a fucking CHOKE HOLD since i read it the first time and i've literally been incapable of reading anything else since.

currently consuming: mobile suit gundam series!!! i'm currently watching gundam unicorn (after i'm going to watch narrative and then the og series). depressing mecha anime my beloved 🥰 i also need to buy myself some gundam kits to build.

currently craving: doctors that will help me with my poor health instead of just brushing me off lmao

no-pressure tagging @cithaerons @iloveyoumorethangod @thinking-in-broken-scenes @sarayashikis @sourkitsch @twochildreninamoteldemo @naysaltysalmon @cruelfeast @the-lisechen @mallahanmoxie @chateauofmymind @thesparrow1996 @twylla @palominojacoby @dreamscapedeluxe @waterfall @lolitadollanganger @deathandsensuality @mezentiuslongdeath

[karxx]

Cloud and Aerith have got to be one of my favorite final fantasy ships 💔 (I’ll always love zakkura though, they where my first ship). At first I didn’t like Clerith because I was all like “wtf. That was Zacks girl!! That has got to be breaking some sort of bro code or whatever” but after finishing the remake and reading/watching advent children I finally understood what the hype was about

For some reason, I feel like it’s a very unpopular ship? Like, I know it isn’t- I’ve seen the whole Cloti and Clerith ship war to know that it’s a very popular ship. But compared to cloti, its not as popular.

Now I don’t like cloti a whole lot, just because I sympathize with Tifa a lot and think she deserves better (this is based off of my opinion from the advent children light novel). Not saying it’s a bad ship, I understand WHY people ship it but personally it’s just not for me

No matter how many fandoms I move to though I always have a place in my heart for Clerith, wether that be ship wise or platonically, they make me so happy :(

[pearl-aqua-fantasy]

"Hey, remember when we were kids? How you'd - you know - always be looking at me?"

"I, uh... What?"

"Everytime we made eye contact, you'd look away."

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!! ✨️✨️

[ultimatebottom69]

Oh please I am not even American and I am not voting. Also it's so funny to see the USA people just sayinga nd screaming and thrlwing up about how both are bad meanwhile the whole world is watching you all with the batted breath of a parent watching their child once more trying to eat the fucking paint that contains lead. You know the paint that made the child go to the hospital which ruined the world's economic.

Like please. The USA has and always has been in a two major parties election debate. The one time you all whatever you are decided to go "Nooo Imma vote for the third option wawa" well Bush happened. So. The last 50% of all voters went "Hey I don't need to vote" Trump happened.

And see I love seeing post like this who are like "Hey convince me" and then when you pull out actual facts over feelings (a sentence a lot of you like by the way until we use it against you) suddenly it's "Waa No here is a false rule I invented to feel better about myself. You are a dirty dity cootie infested liberaaaal" .

It never fucking stops. Every election. Every comment under a presidential debate tag.

So your weak "I never said Trump" is absolutely hilarious. To me who knows the USA only has to fucking choices since no one seems to worry about the election system in the country until their is an election. It's like knowing there is a fucking gas leak in the building but you worry over it only when your two guns and a single metal pin who has no relevancy whatsoever start to talk everyone goes "Oh yeah I had that shit going on."

Like don't get me wrong. This is the USA website. And I did study you all very long and hard and frankly except between Magas who would vote for Trump even if....Well the only thing so far he hasn't done on camera is kill a fucking baby at this point. Like a living baby not a mere pile of flesh stuck in a woman's uterus because yeah in europe we don't even have that debate so I don't understand the struggle at all but whatever helps them sleep at night. Knowing that babies will be birted just to srink water infected with lead. Like sure fight for babies rights yea...It would be nice that the spirit follows when the fucker is out of the womb too but I disgress.

And now we have people like you. Who are on the fence about how both sides are bad that pretend they need convincing to vote for her. Well let's be clear honey. We both know you are not even going to go vote. Like you don't want to vote for Trump or Harris cool for you. Unfortunately everytime I meet someone like you I feel like explaining to a child how the world works because UNFORTUNATELY due to how your country is built. There is only these two options. Other votes are a waste of space since the one time it worked in 2000 where the child decided he didn't want either Mcdonald or Lûnchables. He wanted spaghetti...well the jury decided that yoi all would get lunchables anyway. Hi Bush.

And everytime. At every election i hear the fated "It will be only 4 years. Don't be such piss babies."

Well brenda. How did it work out so far ?

So sincerely OP. You can debate with me or whatever I don't mind I like hearing people's opinions and things but calling me a "filthy clotie filled liberaaaal" is so funny to me since I am a filthy European and I am just tired of watching the USA's people cry and whimper over the only real freedom they ever had which has no taxes unless I am wrong.

So anyway. What were you saying again ?

It's a simple request liberals.

"Who do I vote for that won't actively fund and participate in a genocide?"

Answer that without mentioning trump, and I'll consider voting harris.

[dutchdread]

A small rant

I've noticed that a lot of places that discuss the LTD are less focussed on analyzing and explaining final fantasy VII, and more focussed on throwing insults at either the characters, or the people who support them. I think I've done a fairly good job at making sure this place stays relatively matter-of-fact, and despite believing that "Cloti" is the only interpretation of the story that makes sense I am usually pretty positive about Aerith as a person, and more importantly, as a character. My stance tends to be that the only version of Aerith I think is fundamentally unlikable is the one presented by Cleriths. So permit me to slightly backtrack on that as I ask:

Am I the only one getting sick of Aeriths character?

And I don't mean "the only Cloti supporter who is sick of Aerith", I mean isn't the general fanbase of the game getting sick of her?

I ask this because I was watching the new Rebirth trailer, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes during the scenes where Aerith sings, or where it tries to survival-bait the viewer. In FFVII Aeriths death plays only a small part in the grand scheme of things. It neither prevents nor causes holy, holy was summoned before she died and is actually held back by the will of Sephiroth, which is the bulk of the external plot. And it doesn't cause Clouds mental break, which was an inevitable outcome of his history with Tifa, Sephiroth, and Nibleheim.

So why does the trailer make it feel like Final Fantasy VII is the story of Aeriths potential death? I thought the point of Aeriths death was that it comes suddenly and unexpectedly, without a large fan-fare, leaving nothing but a hole in its wake. I thought the point was to show a death that wasn't like "in hollywood". So why does her death now get it's own musical accompaniment and stage play?

Aerith was once a normal girl with a big destiny, one that she was as unsure of as any of us, she was just a person, just like us, with maybe a hint of something more. She got angry, she could be petty, she could be clueless. In another words, she was human.

But what is she now?

Aerith is now Jesus and Mary all in one. Fans got so upset at her death that Square-enix felt the need to include her in everything and every time Aerith became a bit less human, and a bit more idolized, until in remake she became a walking, talking, deus ex machina. In advent children she was presented as almost angelic, giving guidance to lost souls both good and bad and healing the children. But it was still ok because most of it was centered around Clouds psyche. The problem isn't with Aeriths death having importance to Cloud. The problem is square-enix trying to milk Aeriths death for all it's worth, making it into a soulless spectacle.

Aeriths death is now the horror monster that loses its terror once you see it. It's everywhere and everything has to revolve around it and because of it it's no longer a good story, but cheap emotional manipulation.

Within the remake Aerith is no longer the playful and innocent GIRL she once was. She's Gandalf the white, come back from the dead to pass down quests and wisdom from up on high. Step aside Cloud, this is Aeriths story, all you other side-characters are only here for back-up. Aerith is now a self-insert fan-fiction character. She has no flaws, everyone loves her, her death is more important than those of other people, the universe, time, and destiny will all bend to make sure the Mary-godessue doesn't die. Because everything has to revolve around her you know? So yeah, of course Aerith can sing! Who cares that there was never before any indication of this. Sure, Tifa will probably get to play the piano, but here is the thing….Tifa being able to play the piano has actually always been a part of the game! Since when is Aerith suddenly a broadway performer? Probably since the same time that she became a picasso at random wall art.

Years of fan obsession have deified away everything that once made Aerith interesting. The grand story of Final Fantasy VII, the quest to save the planet, and the internal heroes journey about accepting the past and the true self. Clouds backstory and struggles, it's all overshadowed by the once irrelevant plotpoint of "will Aerith die?".

Like with Sephiroth, fan obsession has caused square-enix to destroy all sense of mystery, magic, and restraint in order to "give fans what they want", even if it ruins the product.

While I think the cheap spectacle of hyper focussing the marketing and potentially early game around Aeriths death have already essentially poisoned the remake, making it into a mere shadow of what it could have been, I still believe that Square-enix has enough integrity left to actually kill her and move focus back on what actually matters. But I have to say, at this point it's not even just because I want the story of FFVII to be protected and experienced as it should be. But also because I am just getting sick and tired of what Aerith has become, and would now consider Sephiroth stabbing her as a mercy killing for what's left of her character.

[gaearise]

remake spoiler stuff in tags hehehe

[hartofhearts]

“Accelerated cellular degradation”

(Remake spoilers.)

We’ve touched upon this before--in OG, Tifa worries that Cloud may be going mad.

Interestingly, Remake is already setting up a similar (but slightly different) plot point. Did you see it?

It’s communicated in a single, two-second shot: 0:34 to 0:35. (Sorry, I don’t know how to make Tumblr gifs or I would.)

The full script (the text from the shot is emphasized):

President Shinra: Oho. The eyes of one who has bathed in mako... Which would make you...a SOLDIER? Cloud: Ex-SOLDIER. President Shinra: Once a SOLDIER, always a SOLDIER. Though not, alas, for very long. Accelerated cellular degradation being the most common cause of death by far. This is classified, of course, but every SOLDIER knows the truth. Cloud: ...That’s right.

(Watch here)

The camera gives us a great shot of Tifa’s worried face:

Followed by a gasp at the word "death" and a very conspicuous glance back at Cloud, which pulls him into focus (into her focus):

It's all in a single shot, so her thought process and the intent of the shot are obvious. She’s worried about “accelerated cellular degradation” and Cloud's premature end. She's not going to forget this, and knowing our girl, she's going to worry and she's going to keep this to herself.

Interestingly, Cloud himself “remembers” this and accepts this fact as his future... eventually. Again, in a single shot:

This fun fact is new to Cloud-the-fake-SOLDIER, who listens to President Shinra intently.

Every SOLDIER knows the truth, right? So shouldn’t Cloud? He looks away pensively.

Then we get a quick little zoom-in with Cloud’s line in fast pursuit. FACT ASSIMILATED. Cloud now thinks he’s known this all along AND he acknowledges its truth. The power of suggestion (and Jenova cells)!

(Sadly, Barret didn't get any airtime during this moment. This is the game implying that (1) Barret didn't notice and/or (2) Barret's feelings on the matter, if he has any, are ultimately irrelevant to the narrative.)

These two shots set up some great character drama that didn’t get any pay-off in Part 1: both Tifa and Cloud believe that Cloud has an imminent tragic demise.

I’m sure that future parts of Remake will have juicy callbacks to this moment. Maybe as part of the Norther Crater? Will the truth be revealed in the Lifestream? Will future fights with an increasingly crazed Roche end with an increasingly worried Tifa?? I have no idea! I guess time will tell. But I’m SURE we’re going to get some tragic cloti angst.