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somebodys-nightmare · 7 months ago

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Those Chosen by the Planet: Are Cloud & Tifa Soulmates?

We know from the OG/Compilation that Cloud & Tifa share a deep emotional and spiritual bond. But after Rebirth, I am curious about the true nature of their connection and how soul-bound they really are - and why.

In order to organize this efficiently, I’ve broken this down into parts to best explain both background information as well as specific events that have led me to my conclusions/thoughts. The outline is as follows:

Part 1: The Lifestream (Background)

Part 2: What’s Happening with Cloud?

Part 3: The Lifestream Scene (Chapter 9)

Part 4: The Reunion Flower & Tifa’s Trial

Part 5: The Ending

Part 6: The Lifestream Scene (OG/Part 3)

Part 7: Those Chosen by The Planet: Soul-bound

Let's get started!

Part 1: The Lifestream (Background)

To set the context, I want to first explain my thoughts on the nature of the Lifestream, which is the primary worldbuilding and lore context of FFVII and in particular, how it is being explored in the FF7R trilogy.

In the FFVII Rebirth Ultimania, scenario writer Mr. Nojima shares that he studied Buddhism’s Yogacara & Jung’s theory of the ‘collective unconscious’. He states these concepts inform the “worldview” of the story and give hints about the mysteries and the ending of the trilogy.

I believe that he is referring specifically to the multiple “worlds” that we see in FF7R, which in turn are manifestations of the Lifestream. Let’s break these down first. I will try to explain these concepts as succinctly and relevantly to FFVII as possible.

Yogacara is a school of Buddhist philosophy that states our experiences of the world are shaped entirely by our mind. What we perceive as the external world is really a projection of our consciousness. Thus, everything we experience is a result of mental activities & states.

There are 8 levels of ‘consciousness’ in the Yogacara philosophy:

1-5: The 5 Senses Consciousness: Sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. These are the things we “experience” in reality through our body’s physical perceptions.

6: The Mind Consciousness: The mental process that integrates and interprets the above sensory information. This is how our mind translates the Sense consciousness of what we see, hear, feel, etc.

7: The Self Consciousness: The aspect of consciousness that involves the sense of self and ego. This is the level of consciousness that revolves around our identity and how it relates to everything else.

8: The Storehouse Consciousness: The deepest level of consciousness that stores all past experiences and ‘karmic seeds’, influencing current and future experiences. These also shape and store an individual's hopes and dreams.

I believe that the Yogacara philosophy forms the lore’s basis of the ‘individual’ consciousness of a person, or their soul, as it relates to the Lifestream. Every human being has their own individual “Lifestream” which becomes a part of the “collective” Lifestream at death.

In this process, a person’s consciousness diffuses into the collective consciousness of the Lifestream. Considering what is happening to Cloud in the game, it is important to understand how the Yogacara and its levels of consciousness influence this lore.

Additionally, it's important to understand that both Sephiroth & Aerith are able to maintain their individual consciousness & not “diffuse” into the Lifestream. This is why after death they are still both ‘whole’ & able to traverse the Lifestream “worlds”.

Which brings me to…

The Collective Unconscious: In psychology, Jung’s collective unconscious describes the part of the unconscious mind that contains shared memories and archetypes common to all humanity.

These universal symbols & experiences influence our thoughts, feelings, & behaviors, connecting us to the broader human experience. It explains why people from different cultures or time periods can share myths, symbols, & themes in their stories and dreams.

I believe these both set basis for the “collective consciousness” of the Lifestream & its relation to the indivdual, which contains the essence of the planet & the memories, emotions, & knowledge of all who lived on it. In Rebirth, we see two representations of the Lifestream:

1. The Physical Lifestream: below ground, represented by ethereal green liquid, energy wisps, and rocky landscapes of the planet’s core. This is where Tifa falls in Gongaga, where the WEAPONs & Whispers are fighting, and where Sephiroth’s true form is.

It is also where Tifa sees fixed memories represented by holographs. This also seems to be the form of Lifestream reality in which the OG Lifestream scene takes place, again seen by the physical structures and the manner in which Cloud and Tifa fell into it in Mideel.

I believe the manifestations of individual consciousness/soul, or an individual’s lifestream, are seen here. Note that there is a physical battle between “the planet & its enemies” seen here and that Sephiroth is seen fighting perhaps more strenuously & aggressively than anywhere else, where we typically do not see his true form.

2. The Metaphysical Lifestream: This seems to be the “plane” of existence that manifests in infinite branches & paths, represented by rainbow imagery we see throughout the game & manifests the “worlds” present in 'Zack’s Story', each marked by a different breed of Stamp.

I believe that this is the manifestation of the “collective” Lifestream, thus containing memories, emotions, knowledge, AND hopes and dreams of the collective spirits within it.

This is where Zack’s realities manifest, representing, it seems, unfulfilled desires or unfinished business, creating a purgatory of sorts or a confluence of memories and emotions. Sephiroth and Aerith seem to have great power in and over these manifestations in different ways, which I believe is also a source of the conflict involving Zack (a separate conversation).

Now that we understand how the Lifestream seems to be functioning, this brings me to…

Part 2: What’s happening with Cloud?

Cloud’s true self/spirit/psyche is currently shattered within the collective unconscious of the metaphysical Lifestream. This is the definition of mako-poisoning, especially in a severe case like Cloud’s.

We see this explained with Jessie’s dad, as well as with Cloud in Mideel in the OG. When a person comes into prolonged contact with mako, they are at risk for information overload from the knowledge of the collective of the Lifestream.

This can cause a person to lose their sense of self, similar to how a person’s consciousness/soul diffuses into the Lifestream upon death. In the case of a living person who cannot withstand the mako poisoning, however, they become “trapped” or “shattered” in the Lifestream.

At this stage, Cloud is still functioning because his contact with Tifa allows him to “wake up” & build a persona, aided by the Jenova cells reading her memories, by his own desires & delusions of grandeur, and his memories of Zack’s experience.

However, we see his true, broken consciousness throughout the collective unconscious of the metaphysical Lifestream (Zack’s side story).

Tifa’s role, as we know, is to help Cloud restore his sense of self after further mako poisoning following the events of the Northern Crater when his false persona is broken and he falls into the Lifestream.

Which brings me to…

Part 3: The Lifestream Scene (Chapter 9)

There’s a lot to say about Chapter 9 and Gongaga, but Tifa falling into the Lifestream is arguably the most important scene in the game as far as foreshadowing for the final installment of the trilogy.

This scene’s purpose is to solidify Tifa’s heroine role for the third game and to prepare her for the task she will undertake, while giving basis for it - a basis that was famously unexplained in the OG but has now been fleshed out.

Tifa falls into the reactor’s mako pool & is carried directly into the physical Lifestream by the WEAPON in the earth’s core. Here, she sees her fixed memories, represented directly in the rocky terrain of the planet, & surrounded by energy wisps and liquid of the Lifestream.

While locations are fixed, images of memories are represented and play out with green holograms, and voices by green pulsing energy wisps. She also sees the white Whispers of the planet & the black Whispers of Sephiroth/Jenova fighting, & Sephiroth’s corruption of the Lifestream via Jenova, aka “Black” or “Negative” Lifestream, represented by purple energy.

Note that Sephiroth, in his true form, physically attacks Tifa & the WEAPON carrying her here.

I can’t say for sure, but while these are definitely Tifa’s memories, they also seem to be Cloud’s. Before Tifa falls into the Lifestream, Cloud becomes vulnerable to Sephiroth’s mental attack because of the effects of the mako fumes in the reactor. This leads me to believe there is an opening for Cloud’s consciousness in the Lifestream to be connected to Tifa's, and that the Planet took the opportunity of Tifa being pushed into the mako (by Cloud) to connect them.

The memories Tifa sees are her own but are also Cloud’s, and given the context of Gongaga but also Cloud’s identity crisis and the entire internal conflict, this is significant and what we must focus on.

The perspectives of the memories are more Cloud-centric - in 2 out of 3 the camera is behind Cloud (bridge and Tifa’s house) and in the third, the memory focuses on what Tifa is saying to Cloud (water tower).

We also have to consider Tifa’s lack of awareness of events and her memory loss during these memories. The Planet seems to be showing her these scenes from Cloud’s perspective to inform and prepare her prior to her duty in disc 2/part 3.

There are also untouched memory locations you can spot in the scene: the gates of Nibelheim, Stargazer Heights, and Seventh Heaven. The Nibelheim gates we know are important for Cloud’s identity from the OG Lifestream scene.

Stargazer Heights is where Cloud tells Tifa he remembers the promise (curiously, that memory is placed close to the water tower memory.)

And while Cloud and Tifa have obviously a lot of interactions in Seventh Heaven, I think the critical moments are actually those seen in Ever Crisis after Tifa finds Cloud at the train station, as those memories directly influence Cloud’s identity.

The “planet and its enemies” - The WEAPONs, Whispers, and Sephiroth and Jenova - are physically fighting over these memories. Sephiroth tries to kill Tifa here. We see the purple corruption of Lifestream Black occurring in this scene.

We see Tifa on the brink of death and seeing Cloud’s spirit being led away from her and her voice silenced from him by Sephiroth.

It seems to me that following this event, Cloud and Tifa’s consciousness’ are already linked. Tifa also has been given preemptive strength and knowledge to save Cloud when the time comes in part three.

Which brings me to…

Part 4: The Reunion Flower

The Reunion Lily appears on the mailbox of Tifa’s house twice: In Cloud’s flawed flashback of the Nibelheim Incident in Kalm, and during Tifa’s Trial in the Temple of the Ancients.

It does not appear at her house during the fixed memory in the Chapter 9 Lifestream scene. I think this is because the flower wasn’t actually there, but is rather a “totem” or marker of Cloud’s psyche.

Cloud knows from events in Remake what the flower symbolizes. In his flashback, he falsely remembers that he and Tifa reunited with him being a SOLDIER, though we know this isn’t true because he hid himself from her.

The flower reappears during Tifa’s Trial in the ToTA. Her trial takes place during the promise scene & the Nibelheim Incident, the same period as Cloud’s flashback, and when she was hoping to reunite with him - but thinks that she did not (because Cloud hid himself).

In the OG, the appearance of young Cloud is representative of the Real Cloud and his psyche. My belief is that his appearance here is another indication that after Tifa falls into the Lifestream, Cloud and Tifa are mentally and spiritually connected.

Next...

Part 5: The Ending

While the ending may be confusing, several replays make it clear to me that Aerith is dead & that once again, the metaphysical Lifestream (indicated by rainbows) is in play in what we see.

Cloud, who is shattered in the collective unconscious of the metaphysical Lifestream, can see what is “manifested” in these worlds. Similarly, these worlds are influenced not only by memories, and knowledge, but by hopes, dreams, and desires.

Without going off on another tangent, I think Cloud is seeing the manifestation of his desire to save Aerith’s life in the metaphysical Lifestream & that she is temporarily aiding him in this delusion (remember, Aerith can maintain her sense of self within the LS after death).

After the murder, Barret & Tifa run up & we are given BOTH of their perspectives of this death scene. Barret very clearly only sees the real-world scene - Aerith dead, bleeding, etc.

However, when we get Tifa’s perspective, she sees glimpses of what Cloud sees - including his mental static - with interspersed scenes of the real-world death and the rainbow Lifestream where Aerith is not dead or bleeding but is "saved”.

Tifa is quite confused & horrified but seems to accept the actual scene - her death. She is not deluded or blocking things out, she knows what is real.

It’s confusing but it is purposefully clear to me that Tifa is seeing, or can see, what Cloud sees. It is not revealed how much Tifa knows is Cloud’s delusion but it is clear that she is deeply affected, not only by the murder of her friend but by something else.

And Tifa remains disturbingly distraught for the rest of the game. In fact, when she calls Aerith’s name in this scene it’s her last line in the game - she does not speak again. Once again, this is a clue to me that Cloud & Tifa are soul-bonded bc of the chapter 9 events.

In the ending CGI, Cloud tells the group not to look up. Barret does and says he doesn’t see anything. Tifa looks up but doesn’t comment, instead continues to look distressed. Does she also see the rift that Cloud sees? Her behavior is the most jarring of the entire party.

In the penultimate cinematics, we see the WEAPONS circling Tifa & Cloud’s memories again, trying to protect them from “the planet’s enemies”. We can see Tifa’s house, the bridge, and the gates of Nibelheim under them.

These sequences are plot arrows for what we should expect to see in Part 3. It should be lost on no one that the planet is actively fighting to protect Cloud & Tifa’s precious memories, especially after personally guiding Tifa through them.

Which brings me to...

Part 6: The Lifestream Scene (OG/Part 3)

All of the above has led me to conclude that Cloud & Tifa are now spiritually or “soul-bound” in some way, explicitly for the preparation of the Lifestream Scene of Part 3.

Tifa’s role is to help Cloud “restore his sense of self” by entering his individual Lifestream and navigating their fixed memories and the truth about his identity in the physical Lifestream, which occurs when they fall in Mideel.

Rebirth has not only prepared Tifa for this role, but has given us the navigation, insight, and background lore for how it will occur and what the experience might actually entail. This may include elements of both the physical and Metaphysical Lifestream mentioned above.

It has set the stage for an in-depth expansion of the original scene that does not solely focus on what happened when rebuilding Cloud’s psyche, but the why behind his choices and decisions that let them to this moment.

These scenes have also demonstrated why Cloud’s consciousness - his individual Lifestream consciousness that contains his “self-consciousness” and “storehouse consciousness”- is and will remain closed off to anyone other than Tifa.

This is where Cloud’s true desires are concealed and must be revealed to Tifa in the Lifestream scene to facilitate his restoration and their reunion and reconciliation.

Which brings me to…

Part 7: Those Chosen by The Planet- Soulmates?

Why is all of this happening? Cloud is the boy who is destined to save the planet, and Tifa is destined to save him. If the planet has memories of the future as well as the past, then it knows this.

Just like the planet knows that it needs the last Cetra in the Lifestream to help save it, it also knows that it needs Cloud to defeat Sephiroth. And I think the planet has known this for a long time.

Is it far-fetched to wonder if the planet is somewhat responsible for the genesis of Cloud and Tifa’s bond? That, in keeping with the theme of fate, it has influenced the circumstances that have both brought them together and pulled them apart throughout the Compilation?

Is it possible that the planet kept baby Cloud and Tifa alive during the bridge incident? Now, with the context of the Remake Trilogy, I don’t see how two small children survived that fall.

Are Cloud and Tifa chosen by the Planet?

Are they soul mates?

Maybe we’ll find out.

Thanks for reading!

#ffvii #cloti #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #final fantasy vii #ffviir #ffvii remake #ffvii rebirth #theories #ffvii theory #lifestream

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bardic-tales · 3 days ago

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Title: First Kiss

Pairing: Bianca Moore (f!oc) x Sephiroth

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 1537

Fandom: Final Fantasy 7

Setting: Two days before the Nibelheim Incident

Warnings: Blood (mention of slight injury from claws), breathlessness, Emotional manipulation (through the intense bond and unspoken promise), Imbalance of power (emotional and physical), Intimacy, Kissing, Overstimulation (heightened sensory experience), Sexual tension

Summary: Bianca and Sephiroth share a passionate, intense kiss, connecting emotionally and physically in a moment of vulnerability.

Squared Filled: Jan: First Kiss

Created for: @yearoftheotpevent

The air in the underground library of Shinra Manor was thick with the scent of old parchment and dust, mingling with the faintest trace of something sweet and comforting—pumpkin spice. The warmth of the room contrasted with the chilling void that enveloped the mansion’s deeper underground levels. Bianca stood there, taking in the labyrinth of bookshelves and the haphazard piles of files scattered across the cold stone floor.

How many books had she dodged that he threw in search of his origins? She had lost track on the fourth day, but she could sense that something was off about him. Bianca didn’t know how to even approach it or why the string tied around their wrists was blackening. She was only wearing a cream-colored oversized sweater, the fabric soft against her skin, and dark slacks that hugged her legs with each step. The heels of her sandals clicked across the stone floor as she walked towards him. Despite the overwhelming darkness that pervaded the air, there was a quiet softness to her presence, a vulnerability that softened the harsh edges of the dimly lit study. Sephiroth stood across from her with his back towards her and running his fingers over the dusty spines of the books, searching for the research that would answer all of his questions. His tall frame radiated a tension that seemed to stretch out and consume the surrounding space. The weight of his turmoil — the relentless pursuit of truths that seemed to slip further from his grasp — was palpable. His normally composed demeanor was cracking, the edges of his sanity teetering. In that moment, as she had the previous days, Bianca could sense the rawness beneath it all.

She stepped closer to him. Her breath was shallow, yet her heart pounded in her chest. A pull, something magnetic and uncontrollable, drove her forward. As her eyes met his, she found something in the depths of his gaze that mirrored her own inner chaos: a longing, a pain, a quiet desperation. She needed him, aching for the sense of belonging that this man could only give her. He had become the only stability in the mooring of her soul: the wound left behind by her first husband’s death days before.

Without a word, she reached out, her fingers brushing against his, the touch light but electric. The contact sent a surge of heat through her body, and she could feel the rapid pulse of her own blood mingling with the undercurrent of energy between them. There was no plan or expectation, just a need that was almost primal.

Primal. That scared her. Bianca had never just followed her primal instincts, as she knew well that it would unleash the beast dwelling deep within her: the gift of her father, the archdemon who went by the name of Asmodeus. She feared losing control of her inner demon, but Sephiroth and his sad — and a bit crazed eyes — called to her.

Sephiroth turned towards her. His hand still rested upon the book he was about to pull from the shelf. His gaze softened slightly; a flicker of something unspoken passed between them. His mouth parted, barely a breath between his top and heavy bottom lips. In that fleeting moment, Bianca saw the raw, unguarded Sephiroth—the man not defined by his legacy or his dark search, but the person beneath it all. She only saw him in that moment, and he only saw the woman beneath all the pain and torment: souls tied beyond something greater than their heritage and circumstance.

Then, without warning, he closed the space between them and bent down. His lips crashing into hers in a kiss that was as fierce as it was tender. It was as if the world around them ceased to exist, leaving only the taste of their shared breath and the warmth of their bodies. Bianca gasped into the kiss, her senses igniting in an instant.

The kiss was intoxicating, rich with the taste of the breakfast they shared earlier and the faint scent of lily of the valley on his skin. His lips were firm, yet his touch was careful, as though testing the waters of something he had long kept at bay. As their mouths moved together, Bianca felt a sharp pull deep within her, a gravity that seemed to tether her to him in a way that transcended logic. She kissed him back. Her own lips were soft but insistent.

The thread around their wrists now glowed a vivid crimson, the heart-shape loops pulsating from the desire that pooled between them.

Bianca tasted the salt of his flesh. Her body shivered against him, the warmth of him pressing against her own as her hands slid up to grasp his chest, feeling the taut muscles beneath his SOLDIER suspenders crossing the broad expanse of his chest, the tension coiling in every movement. Her fingers curled around the middle of the straps, as her claws nicked his skin just slightly, but not enough for Sephiroth to bleed.

Then her right hand slid over to his arm. She felt his forearm flex beneath the ebony coat covering his entire body. Her hand gripped the silvery strands, brushing against his arm, trapping his hair between their skin.

A low hum reverberated through her, the sensation of his touch flooding her senses. The scent of him—a mix of sharp floral and earthy warmth — invaded her senses, making her head spin.

Need him. Need him. Need him. The thoughts kept repeating as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. Her heart raced, the rhythm erratic as she sank deeper into the kiss. The heat between them growing.

His powerful hands found her waist, pulling her closer, as though trying to erase the distance between them. How his hands now trembled against her. She could feel the heat of his body seep into hers, a quiet fire that matched the burning need coursing through her veins. The kiss was no longer just an act. It was a communion, a shared moment of understanding that transcended the chaos of their individual experiences.

The sound of their breathing mingled, becoming erratic as the kiss deepened. Bianca’s mind raced, her body responding to the undeniable pull of Sephiroth’s presence. A flash fire of wanton attraction spread within her body, engulfing her senses just below her flesh. His fingers trailed up the soft fabric of her sweater before his hand dove beneath her clothing, brushing against the warmth of her skin beneath. The touch was almost too much, sending waves of sensation rushing through her, as it made her feel both lightheaded and grounded all at once. It was like drowning and soaring at the same time.

Her lips parted against his, and in that moment of minute separation, she could feel his breath on her mouth. Hot and unsteady. Full of want and need. For a fleeting instant, the world outside the confines of the library ceased to exist: Zack wasn’t tossing and turning in his bed as he tried to make sense of Sephiroth and why the other 1st Class SOLDIER locked himself in the basement or a creature of unknown origins named J.E.N.O.V.A wasn’t in the containment tank in the reactor in the mountains. It was just the two of them. An unlikely pair bound by something darker and deeper than either of them could fully comprehend — beyond Jenova, beyond Asmodeus, beyond Shinra. This union was fated to happen by a prophecy she had been running from her entire life.

His hand cupped her cheek. His thumb grazed her skin with such tenderness that it contrasted with the intensity of their kiss. Bianca leaned into the touch, as if she were a thirsty man deprive of water in the desert and his touch was her only oasis, and felt the pulse of his hand against her skin and the warmth of his presence anchoring her in a way nothing else ever had. No one had ever made her feel like this before.

The kiss lasted for what felt like an eternity. When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads touched, as he still bent down to her level. Their breaths mingled. Both of them were silent. A thousand unspoken words hung between them, as they stared up into each other’s eyes: gold peering into cyan hues. Bianca’s lips tingled from the kiss. Overwhelmed, she could still taste him, feel the warmth of his skin against hers, and his hand, a feather-light touch. The pumpkin spice of her scent clung to the air, providing a soft contrast to the sharpness of Sephiroth’s presence.

In that moment, there was no past, no future—only the now, the bond they shared, and the unspoken promise of something more. The silence between them was comfortable, filled with the unvoiced understanding that this moment, raw and unguarded, was a turning point in their tangled fates.

Bianca stood there. Her heart still pounded. Her body hummed with the aftershocks of the kiss. She didn’t know what the future held, but for the first time in a long while, she felt connected—truly connected—to someone who understood the weight of the circumstances that shaped her life.

tagging some fellow mutuals: @themaradwrites @whatwedointhecraft @serenofroses @megandaisy9

@watermeezer

@seastarblue @prehistoric-creatures @creativechaosqueen

@chickensarentcheap

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