#Aerith is Tifa's friend not her foil

[runicmagitek]

Undo the Damage Done (Aerti - FFVII)

( some Aerith Lives feels for day 3 of @aerti-week with the prompts healing & hurt/comfort!)

It wasn’t intended for her.

One strike. One swift blow to sever any attempts at foiling his plots. Only once and it would be as good as done. Aerith thought the same thing when she reached the Forgotten Capital—reached the crystalline steps, the empty altar, the meditative state to complete the ritual. Then a shriek coveting her name broke the trance and snapped Aerith back to reality.

She wasn’t supposed to be there.

Aerith left, because she had to. She traveled alone, because only a Cetra could summon Holy. She did so without saying goodbye, because she intended to return. Every step, Aerith imagined what awaited her when it was all over. A celebration, perhaps. Revisit the Gold Saucer or Costa del Sol. Something full of life, of laughter, of good friends she never thought she’d meet. Her mind lingered on Tifa every time and... well, maybe more than friends, if she was lucky.

It wasn’t what she wanted.

A blur of movement. A shove, a tumble. A pillar of light, eclipsed by a descending figure. Like an angel. No, a guillotine. Her beloved friend—that’s what they were; nothing more—blocked the path. Stood her ground, brandished tight fists, and bellowed a war cry. Aerith blinked. Crimson splattered the pristine white floors. A cough, a whimper. And then that fearless determination buckled, crumbled. And Tifa fell.

It should’ve been herself instead.

[read more on AO3]

[silver-wield]

In your opinion what do you think the Devs frame of mind is with how they wrote A this game. Are they just out of touch and don't realise how shitty she comes across in this day and age or did they do it on purpose to show something? Like how she too was mentally distraught over Zack and none of her feelings were genuine at all even in OG. Even non shippers are literally baffled and don't know what to think of her and why she is so flip floppy this game when they thought she was written better last game.

Maybe it's just the way I played but it felt like we were meant to be pissed off with Aerith and avoid her because she's so frigging intolerable.

Even in Cosmo Canyon all she did during that speech was whine all "poor me I had no friends and I'm super special and I wanna be normal!!!" and the option to encourage that and indulge her self pitying bullshit just felt really icky, so I think a lot of the negative convo choice outcomes actually make her stop and think about her behaviour and how she hurts others. The fact the Gi also said as much about cetra as a whole being a selfish race also feeds into that view point. I mean if you've been sucking up to her and then suddenly you hear "oh yeah, cetra are self obsessed and don't care about others" you should stop and think about how you've played the game and whether what you've done is in line with how the characters are canonically.

For the most part with the multiple dialogue options and several versions of the same scene depending on how you played I think this game above Remake and part three are indulging the whole "it's player choice!!!" narrative. From what I've seen it's almost impossible to figure out the straight line in all the options, and if they hadn't included some mandatory scenes as waypoint markers I think the whole narrative would've got lost, but the one thing that is clear is that Cloud isn't as nice to Aerith as he is to Tifa and the point Kitase made about "by the end you'll be thinking I wish I had been nicer to her" factors into the non optional parts of the game as well as the optional parts.

That's not to say she's not still a back stabbing bitch who maintains a superficial friendship with Tifa because even though she likes her, she's jealous af of her in multiple ways and thinks if she can steal Cloud from under her nose then that validates her as superior.

I mean even Zack acknowledged Aerith isn't that pretty. She's pretty to him, but not in general. She also had no friends because her personality sucks and she was obsessed with being seen as normal and that made her act fake and resulted in everyone calling her weird, which she hates more than anything.

Aerith is a foil for Tifa and the devs really took that concept and made her the worst. She's not that kind, she's self involved, she's not pretty or capable or anything that Tifa is. She's obsessed with Cloud and doesn't really care about the planet or her role unless it's performative and makes her look good. Even as she's dying all she cares about is trying to get Cloud, which causes him trauma because she doesn't care how he feels.

Aerith is written as a bad person who happens to be a good guy and that's meant to throw up a lotta of conflicting emotions for players. Even though she's a "heroine" we don't have to like her because she's a horrible person. That's the devs intention imo.

[iaintyourbro]

Train Graveyard Part 5

This part is before and during the Ghoul Battle when Cloud runs off with Tifa.

So I find something interesting about this entire scene - well - the entire Chapter, really. We have a lot of LTD nods in it. I really think this is symbolic for us to get rid of the ghosts of the past.

In this particular part, the ghosts exclusively start attacking Cloud and Tifa. Aerith is almost protected by them. They tell her they’re coming to get her, like they think they’re protecting her.

Cloud runs off with Tifa, the ghosts start throwing boxes, books, and lights at them. Even Cloud is like “What the hell is their problem?!”

Okay, time to go! I’m not dealing with this shit!

Aerith runs off on her own. It almost looked like she did it on purpose.

So then  we get some boxes coming after them. Boxes don’t seem to like them. In Chapter 12 a large crate tries to fall on Tifa. 

WHAT IS WITH THESE GHOSTS?!

Alright, let’s go! Now the LIGHTS are coming!

Mmmmm Tifa’s back.

I’m suspicious of this scene even further... because Tifa puts her hand down shortly after and then Cloud moves forward... So, I’m wondering if there was a little hand holding going on over in that corner.

Okay, so during the battle, our Ghoul friend gets super pissed and starts jizzing out blue fire. So Cloud picks up both girls and tries to get them out of the way.

But yeah, they get tossed around like toys. I’m not really sure where one person begins and ends in this. I see a red shoe, I see Aerith’s black boots, I see Cloud’s flat ass. 

See, Aerith is protecting Tifa from the crazy ghosts. Look at that look. Don’t touch my girlfriend, ghosts. I’ll burn you.

[lockhartism]

Aerith and Tifa as Sephiroth’s Foils

There are a lot of moving pieces to Final Fantasy 7--something that has historically contributed to its infamous reputation of being confusing. But one consistent thematic pattern that FF7 utilizes is duality. Life and death. Meetings and partings. Loneliness and togetherness. Many of the main themes presented in FF7 fall into this same format. Even the characters can be considered dualities in and of themselves. One of the most obvious dualities in the game is that of Aerith and Sephiroth. However, in varying degrees, all of the main characters are in some way antithetical to Sephiroth.

Like in many other classic hero vs. villain tales, you’d think that Cloud is the perfect foil to Sephiroth--after all, they’re at odds, so it would make sense that they’d be opposites. However, what makes Cloud and Sephiroth’s conflict so fascinating is that they actually have a good amount in common. Both Cloud and Sephiroth struggle with their identities. They also experienced trauma and loneliness in the past, and tended to isolate themselves from others. It’s this commonality that actually makes them compelling rivals, as Cloud not only has to battle Sephiroth, but also the aspects of Sephiroth that Cloud himself struggles with.

The real foils of Sephiroth are Aerith and Tifa. While there is some debate as to whether Aerith or Tifa is the real heroine of FF7 (mostly spear-headed by weird LTD-pushers), the big-brained answer is that they’re both the heroines. This is evident in concept art from an older FF7 Ultimania, pictured below: 

As you can see, the concept for the story’s heroine started out as a hybrid of Tifa and Aerith. The character’s design resembles Tifa, and the name below the sketch reads “ティファ”, or Tifa. However, the character’s role was very different. She was intended to be both the childhood friend of Cloud Strife and a Cetra, the sister of Sephiroth (who originally looked more like Vincent). Eventually, the idea to kill off one of the main characters was introduced, and the role of the heroine was split in two: the Cetra, Aerith, and the childhood friend, Tifa. There is some evidence of the original concept still present in the series; Tifa’s iconic red eyes match Vincent’s, because originally, the two characters were designed to be siblings before eventually going to separate roles.

Based on this evidence, it would seem logical that both Aerith and Tifa retained their dualities with Sephiroth. And, indeed, even in the final product, both characters provide a foil for Sephiroth to balance the scales.

To exemplify the dynamic that Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Sephiroth have with one another, I’ve drawn a (crude) spectrum:

Obviously, Aerith and Tifa play different roles and have different importance to the story. Aerith’s role is more “big picture”, so to speak. She is responsible for the Planet and for protecting it from Sephiroth after discovering his plans to destroy it. Tifa’s role is more fine-tuned and detailed. She is the rock and the only stable element of the Nibelheim story, a key part of Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth’s backstories. To understand how each of them foils Sephiroth, we have to look at them individually and analyze how they interact with both Sephiroth and Cloud.

Part I: Aerith as Sephiroth’s Foil

As stated above, Aerith’s role as foil is a little more obvious. Sephiroth and Aerith are both “Cetra”--or, at the very least, they both claim to be. For Sephiroth, his identity as a Cetra is tied to his belief that Jenova, his “mother”, was a Cetra who was betrayed by humanity when humans left the traditional Cetra nomadic lifestyle in order to colonize the land and the Planet. 

However, Jenova was not a Cetra at all--she was actually a “calamity from the skies” that crashed down and created the Northern Crater two thousand years before the events of FF7. After encountering the Cetra, the creature known as Jenova began infecting and killing the Cetra one by one. These killings only stopped when the Cetra banded together to seal Jenova in the Northern Crater; but, by the time it was done, the Cetra were dying off.

So how did Jenova become known as a Cetra? That seems like more than a clerical error to me. It was actually Aerith’s father, Professor Gast, who uncovered Jenova from the Northern Crater and mistakenly identified her as a Cetra. The Shinra Corporation, desperate to find the Cetra’s “Promised Land” thinking that it would be rich in Mako energy, enlisted the professor to find a way to create a Cetra from a human specimen. Using the cells extracted from Jenova, Sephiroth was created, and after reading Shinra’s archives, he discovered his relationship to Jenova and embraced his identity as “Cetra”. 

Aerith, on the other hand, really is a Cetra. Her mother, Ifalna, was the last Cetra--making Aerith, by relation, half-Cetra. Her connection to the Cetra race is real, unlike Sephiroth’s.

This give her declaration in the final chapter of FF7 Remake all the more important:

There’s a duality between Aerith and Sephiroth in truth versus lies. Aerith’s heritage as a Cetra is founded in truth. She is connected to the Planet in a way that is real. She is a Cetra, in covenant with the Planet to protect it that was passed down to her by her mother. In contrast, Sephiroth’s claims to be a Cetra are lies--whether he’s aware of it or not. Jenova, Sephiroth’s “mother”, is not a Cetra. She is not even from the Planet, but rather from somewhere beyond it. Jenova acted as a parasite of the Planet and is actually responsible for sending it into chaos and draining it of its life. He has no real obligation to protect the Planet, and he is not truly connected to it the way that Aerith is.

Aerith and Sephiroth also represent the original duality between the Cetra and Jenova, with both parties continuing to be at odds with one another even two thousand years later.

Tying in a more overarching FF7 theme, Aerith and Sephiroth also personify the duality of life and death, respectively. With Aerith, her “domain” of sorts, the Sector 5 church, is bursting with life. It is the only place in Midgar where flowers will grow. Even gameplay-wise, she is a healer, and is constantly giving life to other characters in the party. Sephiroth, on the other hand, only destroys. He set fire to Nibelheim and killed the townspeople, including Cloud’s mother and Tifa’s father. Cloud even notes his strength while recounting his version of the events in Nibelheim.

Cloud: “Sephiroth's strength is unreal. He is far stronger in reality than any story you might have heard about him.”

Therefore, Aerith and Sephiroth represent two different dualities: life versus death, and truth versus lies.

Part II: Tifa as Sephiroth’s Foil

Tifa’s role as foil to Sephiroth is more understated but nevertheless important, especially in the latter half of the story. Tifa, Cloud, and Sephiroth are the only survivors of the Nibelheim incident, wherein Sephiroth burned the town of Nibelheim to the ground and killed the townspeople after discovering his “Cetra” heritage. However, Cloud’s memories are clouded due to his trauma and the Mako poisoning he endured during the five-year gap between the Nibelheim incident and the start of FF7; and Sephiroth purposefully twists the truth in order to weaken Cloud’s already-fragile mental state. Therefore, the only one who can decipher what’s true and what’s not is Tifa.

Like Aerith, Tifa also represents the truth, while Sephiroth represents lies and deceit. This is very evident in this scene that takes place in the Northern Crater, and again in a scene during Tifa’s journey into Cloud’s mind. In the Northern Crater, Sephiroth tries to convince Cloud that he was never real, and that all of his childhood memories, even the ones he shared with Tifa, were fabricated.

Sephiroth: “You are just a puppet... You have no heart... and cannot feel any pain... How can there be any meaning in the memory of such a being? What I have shown you is reality. What you remember, that is the illusion. [...] Five years ago you were... constructed by Hojo, piece by piece, right after Nibelheim was burnt. A puppet made up of vibrant Jenova cells, her knowledge, and the power of Mako. An incomplete Sephiroth-clone. Not even given a number. ...That is your reality.”

Sephiroth, at first, succeeds in convincing Cloud that he is not the “real” Cloud but rather someone who never existed, who never grew up in Nibelheim, and who clung on to fake memories as a means to cope with that fact. However, later in the Lifestream, Tifa expresses a different sentiment:

Tifa: “Sephiroth once said... Cloud made up his memories by listening to my stories... Did you imagine this sky? No, you remembered it. That night the stars were gorgeous. It was just Cloud and I. We talked at the well... That's why I continued to believe that you were the real Cloud. I still believe you're the Cloud from Nibelheim...”

By reminding Cloud of a memory they both share--a true memory--she is able to provide a solid ground, wherein Cloud can begin to rebuild his true self after falling for Sephiroth’s deception.

Obviously, Tifa’s relationship with the truth is complicated, and she herself suffers from her own self doubt throughout the story. But in this defining moment, Tifa finally realizes without a doubt what the truth is, and together both Cloud and Tifa are able to reconstruct what really happened in Nibelheim and solve the mystery once and for all.

But this duality isn’t simply about truth versus lies. It’s also about hope versus despair. In deceiving Cloud, Sephiroth strips him of all his hope. Cloud is filled with such fundamental despair that he can’t see the truth and believe that he is indeed an experiment created by Hojo. Tifa, in contrast, provides him with hope when she affirms his memories with her own. Separately, Tifa’s resolve to continue the team’s journey without Cloud is another example of her hope in the face of Sephiroth’s despair.

The idea of hope versus despair in Sephiroth and Tifa is exemplified in Kingdom Hearts (although KH is not canonically related to FF7, I think it’s a neat little call back):

Tifa: “Cloud, you can have my light.”

In Kingdom Hearts II, Sephiroth represents Cloud’s darkness, while Tifa represents Cloud’s light. This is a similar dichotomy to truth versus lies, metaphorically, where Sephiroth is “casting shadows” on the truth, and Tifa is “shedding light” on what really happened. (Okay, sorry for the puns!)

Another duality that Tifa and Sephiroth represent is the dual meaning of reunion in the context of FF7. It’s common knowledge among FFVII fans at this point, but to everyone who’s playing for the first time or who has recently picked up the franchise and not gotten all caught up yet, Sephiroth talks a lot about “the Reunion”.  Like, a lot.  Sephiroth’s “reunion” is a reference to the Reunion Theory, a scientific theory posited by Professor Hojo that states that Jenova’s cells--once separated from their host, i.e. Jenova--will seek out the main body.  This makes everyone who has ever been injected with Jenova’s cells essentially part of a massive Jenova hive mind, with the primary goal to eventually reunite with Jenova.

Obviously, this is a bad thing for Cloud, who was exposed to Jenova cells and is thus connected to Sephiroth.

However, Cloud and Tifa also have a reunion at the beginning of the story--a reunion between friends who haven’t seen each other in a long time. Unlike Sephiroth’s reunion, this is a positive thing. Cloud and Tifa, on multiple occasions, discuss “meeting again” and “finding each other” after so many years apart. Even after they reconstruct Cloud’s memories, he says:

Cloud: “Yeah...... Tifa...... We finally...... meet again......”

Sephiroth’s reunion with Cloud leads him astray from the path; Tifa’s reunion with Cloud sets thing right again. One reunion destroys Cloud’s perception of what’s real, and the other helps him to find the truth once again. Reunion changes meaning with Sephiroth and Tifa, and these opposing definitions of what “reunion” is make Tifa and Sephiroth perfect foils.

Part III: Final Thoughts

Part of what makes Sephiroth such a compelling villain are the striking similarities he shares with the protagonist Cloud Strife. In the original storyboard for FF7, Tifa and Aerith shared a role as the main heroine and the perfect foil for Sephiroth. But even after the role was separated into two distinct characters, the characteristics that made each one of them a foil to Sephiroth remained. For unique reasons, they balance the scales, providing an anchor of “good” to counteract the badness of the story’s main antagonist. 

That’s all I have to say about it! I’ve been thinking a lot about Tifa and Aerith’s unique roles in the story as deuteragonists, or dual heroines, and how they both represent antitheses to Sephiroth. I figured I share my thoughts!

[outbythehighwind]

Aerith & Tifa: Visual Design

An Analysis of the Final Fantasy VII Heroines [Part 1]

This is the first part of my in-depth analysis on FF7′s heroines, where they are depicted as perfect foils to one another. For those who don’t know, a foil is a character who contrasts with another and simultaneously highlights the qualities of that other character. Foils can range from protagonists & antagonists to, in the case of the FF7 girls, very close friends. In exploring this particular writing technique, I will examine their differences and similarities, friendship, relationships to Cloud and Sephiroth, and their differing but equally important roles as heroines in the overall story. Before starting though, I want to mention one thing: I adore both characters, and Tifa and Aerith are to me the exemplary role models of fictional heroines.

Now let us begin with the first thing we are introduced to: their visual designs. (Note that visual design, like narrative, is a tool that can be purposefully accurate and/or purposefully misleading. This should be kept in mind throughout the entire analysis, for FF7 - to no exaggeration - gets more than the average game's pleasure out of tricking, subverting and astonishing it's audience.) Now, onto our beloved flower girl...

AERITH

Aerith’s visual design, at first glance, is one of a meek and kindly girl. Her long, sleeveless dress, pearl pink in color, elicits an air of grace, of softness and serenity. She appears gentle and pure. These qualities are enhanced by the matching pink ribbon in her hair, which adds an additional purity to the character – one of youthful girliness, evoking a naive separation from the gigantic world around her.

Accompanying the dress and ribbon is a short sleeve crop jacket. And instead of enhancing this grace and naivety, its crimson shade shows quite the opposite. Red is a bold and brazen color. Coupled with the 90’s crop-style of the jacket, it enforces strength and vigilance. The loud (and somewhat rebellious) qualities of her jacket countervail the quiet elements of her dress and ribbon. They are a contrasting balance, as we will soon find out, of Aerith’s personality. She is gentle and pure, but she is no softie. She has complete confidence in herself.

These contrasting qualities are connected in the fact that red and pink are proximate colors. While the dress and jacket themselves are from two different worlds, the colors go together. Moreover, red and pink are the colors that represent love. Mixed together, they create ‘hot pink’ – a color used to communicate playfulness. A beautiful metaphor for both Aerith’s love for all life and her playful, sassy personality.

Moving on to her footwear, we find an even sharper contrast. One would expect that a person who so fashionably marries grace and strength would have stylish footwear to match. Yet here is Aerith with a pair of grimy, commonplace boots. While the dress, jacket and ribbon communicate her nature and personality, these grimy, commonplace boots inform the player of the life she is leading – the life of a girl who has grown up in the slums. These grimy, commonplace boots are the wise and fitting footwear to get by.

Aerith’s boots and hair are the same shade of brown, framing the vibrant personality her outfit presents. In addition to the bright, lively clothing, her hair is a standout feature of her character. And there is another character that shares this feature. Aerith’s trademark bangs share an almost-identical design to Sephiroth’s, an allusion to her in-every-sense enemy foil. Not only do the pair share similarities in their hair, but also in clothing: Sephiroth’s collar parallels Aerith’s jacket; his wrist-cuffs parallel Aerith’s bracelets; his cloak parallels the length of her dress; and his eyes – although mako-induced – are an even deeper green than Cloud’s, in direct match to Aerith’s.

Their bright green eyes further represent their foil-roles in relation to the external plot of FF7 – the plot concerned with the Planet. Aerith’s eyes are green with life, representing her connection with the Planet. Sephiroth, of course, holds a connection too, though his Mako-induced green is not his authentic color, portraying him as the false ‘savior’ he acclaims himself to be, in contrast to the true savior that is Aerith.

To see Aerith and Sephiroth’s designs as directly antithetical to one another, consider their concepts below, with Aerith’s weapon and hair trailing right while Sephiroth’s weapon and hair trails left – like a mirror image. Also, notice Aerith’s bright, vibrant design against Sephiroth’s dark, monochromatic design - a visual display of life and light against darkness. But more on Sephiroth later.

There is no FF7 character with a brighter visual design than Aerith – fittingly, for she is the party’s light. In the remake, her outfit is much the same, if not expanded upon. The jacket reaches her hips rather than waist, and the boots are black, yet about as commonplace as the original brown boots. The notable difference is her dress. The remake fits Aerith in a looser, frilly dress, which actually enhances her grace and creates a more deceptive air of naive youthfulness, much like the longer crop jacket further enhances her boldness.

TIFA

There are two roles incorporated into Tifa’s visual design: Tifa the barkeep; and Tifa the monk (that is, a martial artist of FF-verse). We will begin with the former, the first role introduced when the player meets her in Seventh Heaven.

Tifa’s barkeep design consists of black forearm sleeves matching a black skirt that is held up by suspenders. With her hair tucked behind her left ear, a teardrop earring is visible. Immediately, one gets the sense of warmness and invitation they would associate with a hostess. The skirt and suspenders appeal to the sensuous aspect of the design while the sleeve and earring give off an aura of classiness. Overall, an attraction is formed between Tifa and player – that sense of warmness and invitation drawing the player toward her. This attraction is enhanced by her long, dark hair and warm, wine-hued eyes. Not only is the color of Tifa’s eyes a clever nod to her literal bar-hosting, but it alludes to what her bar-hosting metaphorically symbolizes – a nurturing motherliness accentuated by their warmth. Not only is the player drawn in by the clothing she dons, but Tifa’s natural features are what inaugurates the invitation.

Next is the role of monk. Padded gloves and boots match the dark red shade of Tifa’s eyes, coupling her warmth and hospitality with strength. Strength and its associated qualities – firmness, power, intensity – are usually found in opposition to tenderness. But manifested in these items of clothing that are the same color as the defining embodiment of the latter (Tifa’s eyes), strength and tenderness are bridged together. Tifa is a fighter fueled by compassion. Tifa is a fighter who fights to protect. A matching dark red band ties the ends of her locks together to keep them collected, and on her left elbow and boot are armored guards, enhancing her aura of strength. Finally, she wears an ordinary white tank top for practicality in movement.

Put together with the elements of her bartender design, Tifa’s fighting gear gives her an unconventionally unique appearance: a smash-’em-if-required barkeep; a drink-serving monk. This overall appearance has an appropriate balance between allure and profession. It is attractive without being voluptuous. It is welcoming without hiding the fact that she could easily kick one’s ass if need be. And across her entire visual design, the two roles are in equilibrium. The player is drawn in to her design in the one sense, and then they are let in on what she is physically capable of. In other words, Tifa’s visual design uses its every component to give the player insight on her character. At the same time, however, it purposefully masks a great deal.

Accompanying this ‘smash-’em barkeep, drink-serving monk’ design so centered on conveying its dual-role aspects, are two items that educate the more observant player on Tifa’s circumstances. One of these has already been mentioned and is the classiest element of her design, while the other – which will likely go unnoticed – is the most ordinary. The former, Tifa’s aforementioned earring, is in the shape of a tear, subtly reflecting her past of sorrows and heartache. Yet it is her outfit’s grandest, most expensive item; this past of sorrows and heartache is what enabled her to become strong while remaining compassionate for others. Being a single teardrop on only one ear signifies how Tifa deals with emotions – the emotions she, as her name suggests, locks away in her heart. One drop for herself, the basic remembrance, the fuel, is all she outwardly allows.

Then we have the most ordinary item – a pair of woolly black socks. These socks are so subtle that even the exceptionally observant player might miss them, yet they are the single item that appeals to neither monk nor barkeep. They are distinctly… Tifa – Tifa the ordinary. Every other element is inch-perfect on what it communicates, yet here is a pair of ordinary socks that look as though they were thrown on in a morning’s rush. They give her this every-girl, neighborly quality which the player will be distracted from until the truth comes to light, with Tifa’s centrality and intimacy in the internal plot being revealed – the plot concerned with saving Cloud.

Speaking of literal neighborly vibes and intimacy, it is worth mentioning in brief that certain elements of Tifa’s outfit share similarity with Cloud’s. Both wear two metal guards only on their left side (Tifa on her elbow and boot and Cloud on his shoulder and wrist), a subtle allusion to their being ‘half’-selves on the surface (Cloud with his Zack-delusion and Tifa with her hidden feelings). Cloud too wears an earring in his left ear – a studded one, signifying, like Tifa’s teardrop, a certain brokenness of self. In Advent Children, both wear a black sleeveless vest with a high zip collar, a black cape, black boots (notice that Tifa has now replaced her trademark red) and a wolf symbol (on Cloud’s badge and Tifa’s ring) – a symbol associated specifically with Cloud. I mention these details because of Cloud’s centrality to Tifa’s story and vice versa, which will later be discussed in her role as heroine.

Tifa’s design for the remake is a nice though slight variation that fits in with the more realistic aesthetic. Her skirt has pleated segments, making for more realistic movements during combat, and her abs are toned, further enforcing her strength and perseverance in protecting her loved ones. Her black thigh-highs are an additional element, complimenting her forearm sleeves.

Despite the subtle, throw-‘em-on-in-a-hurry socks being foregone, Tifa’s remake outfit perfectly balances her barkeep and monk roles. The omission of such a neutralizing feature works even better with regard to Tifa’s character, in my opinion, for her true thoughts and feelings will be hidden for much of the game. Thus we are led astray, and the narrative will constantly push us further and further away from her inner emotions hidden beneath these two outward roles.

By visual design alone, and in the narrative that will follow, the player is led to believe Tifa has complete confidence in herself. But appearance of course, like narrative, can be deceiving.

SUMMARY

Straight away, by visual design, we have two heroines who are each a blend of multiple characteristics, yet not fitting a particular trope. They are completely unique in their own right, exemplifying both relatable and admirable traits.

Aerith, who we expect to be the meek and youthfully naive girl at first glance, embodies an undeniable self-confidence that compliments her kindness. Tifa, who looks extremely confident on appearance, has an emotional shyness masked by two bold outward roles. Aerith is the vibrant light who guides outer world adventure; Tifa is the inviting warmth who makes one feel at home. Aerith bridges the attributes of grace and toughness; Tifa balances the qualities of compassion and strength. While both exemplify these heroic traits by their very design, they are - however subtly shown - struggling slum girls.

[daxieoclock]

ship bingo for ren x ryuji, aqua x larxene(ithink you ship them?? if not uhhh sorikai), and tifa x aerith!!

Thank you for the ask!!!

Ren x Ryuji

Ryuji is absolutely in love with Ren this is not up for debate it is a FACT. Evidence: Every other g-ddamn line this sunshine boy jock says to his goth theater kid bestie. Harold, they're bisexuals.

Aqua x Larxene

Disaster sapphic perfectionist and mean girl lesbian with different but compatible trauma-based complexes. They're simultaneously the best and worst influences on each other and I love it. Also they literally haven't ever interacted in any piece of canon KH media bc this is Kingdom Hearts and Nomura has an allergic reaction to passing the Bechdel test or something.

Sorikai

Sora and Riku are in love with each other. This is not a disputable fact. And while I really want Kairi to be able to have a strong bond with Sora and Riku, (especially Riku, though I want her bond with Sora to be better than milquetoast half-assed "romance") since, you know, they're BEST FRIENDS and she shouldn't be treated as an outsider, the bond Kairi has with them doesn't have to be romantic. It absolutely could be, and I think there's potential for that to be really sweet and heartfelt, but "two bisexual guys who love each other and their childhood best friend who is a platonic part of a phantom polycule" makes far more sense to me than most of the KH plot points nowadays and I think it's plenty reasonable. I just want Kairi to have fuckin character and autonomy and get to show the unbreakable bond she has with her besties.

Tifa x Aerith

I love them so fucking much your honor. Butch x femme supremacy let's fuckin GO. They're absolutely adorable and maybe this is just Square Enix Not Knowing How To Write Women but their interactions in FF7R at least come off so strongly as like. if not flirting then SOMETHING with the intent of infatuation. The way so much of their interactions are physical, with Tifa especially finding every fucking excuse to hold this pretty girl's hand, the way they take leaps towards "I want to trust you so much that it makes me act like a dumbass" after barely knowing each other for a few hours, the way Cloud unintentionally bungles his way into being a third wheel for them in his very first on-screen appearances with BOTH of them (Aerith gives him a flower in a very flirtatious manner, and he immediately passes that flower on to Tifa; which is either Cloud being kind of a jackass or a completely oblivious wingman, and I like Cloud so I'm aiming for the latter). Tifa and Aerith also foil each other so fucking well as people with similar traumas who address those traumas in completely different ways. Tifa aims for a constant approximation of both strength and vulnerability, trying to maintain her composure through the hailstorm of bullshit she goes through during the Corneo Arc and subsequent reappearance of The Locus Of Her G-ddamn Trauma while rescuing Aerith. She also in my interpretation is focused very heavily on running from her issues, keeping herself busy and constantly micromanaging inconsequential parts of her life to maintain a sense of control despite the fact that she's bottled up her feelings. She has a debilitating inferiority complex, and tries so hard to be a good person, to be kind and gentle to the people around her, constantly second-guessing herself and has a habit of giving other people praise that she would absolutely not accept from them (calling Cloud a hero while her own actions exemplify a no-hesitation approach to saving people regardless of the risk to her own life, such as nearly throwing herself off the Sector 7 Pillar to save Cloud from falling off it, showing far more selflessness and heroism than he ever has). Aerith on the other hand is a human defense mechanism, her entire personality is a heavily controlled performance that rarely reflects her true feelings, which she generally refuses to actually address in ANY capacity. Rather than fostering vulnerability, she keeps herself guarded and safe to the detriment of her emotions, maintaining a constant control over herself while otherwise allowing life to take its course and going with the flow of what the world brings; she's also surprisingly nihilistic, having a long-term outlook that generally leads her to undermine the moment-to-moment, treating even mortal threats with the same consistent playfulness and snark. The closest she comes to solemnity in FF7R is expressing disgust for Sephiroth / Jenova, and warning Cloud not to fall in love with her. Despite the fact that she carries not only the burden of being probably the last Cetra in existence, carrying some very deep emotional and pyschological trauma, AND being burdened with the memories of alternate futures, she still carries herself that unshakable nihilistic optimism through even the toughest encounters (the "He's tough." "Yeah, so what? Screw him." exchange during the Sephiroth fight, for example).

Anyway I care about them a normal amount thank u

[killscreencinema]

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

We all have a precious work of art in our lives that made a profound impact on who we eventually grew up to be, whether it be an album, a painting, a movie, or especially nowadays, a video game.  Final Fantasy VII was that for me, and when it came out in 1997, it would go on to define my high school years.

Which would go a long way towards explaining why I never got laid during those said years.  Le sigh....

All kidding aside, I never got laid in high school mostly because I was a mess when it came to the social scene.  I had trouble connecting with others and taking what I perceived to be “big risks” like going to parties, joining after school clubs, or -GULP- asking out a girl I liked!  I was very withdrawn socially, but I did have friends, and one of them, whom I’d consider my best friend, managed to get his hands on the original Final Fantasy VII before I even owned a PlayStation (I had foolishly bought a Nintendo 64, believing the next Final Fantasy was going to be released on that). 

My friend and I were already very close, but we bonded even more as we experienced this new adventure together.  He had his own save file that he was pecking away at, but he created a new one for us both to play whenever I’d spend the night or vice versa.  The both of us were completely immersed in this world and these characters.  It was one of a few positive experiences I can remember from my high school years.

The reason for this preamble is to make you understand how much this game means to me on an emotional level.  So when the remake was announced years ago, I was extremely apprehensive.  First of all, Square Enix is a pale shadow of its former glory as Squaresoft.  Final Fantasy XIII was a goddamn mess and Final Fantasy XV was a step in the right direction, but hardly the stuff of legends like its PSone and SNES predecessors.  The Kingdom Hearts games... well, I’ll eventually talk about the rest of those in my blog.  Suffice it to say, I had completely lost faith in Square Enix as a company, whereas there was a day I’d play ANYTHING they released because I knew it would be quality.

So lets get to point - did they fuck up Final Fantasy VII Remake as well or is it an absolute masterpiece? 

Well... that’s kind of a hard question to answer right now as this is only “Part 1″ of what I assume will be a trilogy of releases that comprise the actual FULL game.  However, judging this game alone, I’m going to lean towards masterpiece... with huge “but”.  I’ll talk more about that below and warn of spoilers before I get to it.

Make no mistake about it, though, Final Fantasy VII Remake (part 1) is a goddamn masterpiece.  The care put into the game by the development team is evident from top-to-bottom, with even the most minute details from the original faithfully adapted.  However, this isn’t a strict beat-for-beat retread of FFVII, nor did I expect it to be.  While the game follows the basic story almost exactly, some tweaks have been made here or there to better pad out both the gameplay and the story as a whole.  I had no issue with any of these changes, until the final chapter revealed the implications of them, which I guess I’ll discuss next to get it off my chest...

SPOILERS

During the last chapter, your party is confronted by Sephiroth outside of Midgar, who then goads you into entering the “Singularity”, where you finally fight the ghostly “Whispers” who have been stalking you throughout the whole game.  These Whispers are a significant part of the new story “tweaks” that have been added, which I found annoying at first, but didn’t really mind so much as the story went on until now, because it is revealed that they are “arbiters of destiny”, whose jobs are to ensure fate plays out like its supposed to.  During your fight with them at the end of the game, after defeating each Whisper boss, the characters experience “flash forwards” to important story points in the future, such as Aerith’s death and the summoning of meteor, implying that they have more or less nullified these events now as a result of defeating “destiny”... I think.  Part of my problem with this portion of the game is Square Enix’s current “naval gazey, head-up-their-asses” story telling style is in full effect here, and I began to get Vietnam flashbacks to the completely incoherent plot of Final Fantasy XIII. 

Square Enix, it’s so simple - part of why Final Fantasy VII endures is because it’s a great story ALREADY.  By all means, give it a tweak here and there to give the characters more depth or make the story more dramatically impactful, but for the love of Jenova, please don’t tell me it’s going to turn into a philosophical shit show about the nature of destiny and fighting fate.  More importantly, Square Enix, please don’t tell me you are going to change CRITICAL plot points for shits n’ giggles or to “swerve” the audience.

For one, Aerith has to die. I love Aerith, especially his incarnation of Aerith in the Remake.  She’s so sweet and yet has a delightfully mischievous personality.  She’s absolutely perfect.  But the reason why her death still haunts fans of the game to this day is because THAT was the point in the story when shit got REAL.  The stakes were raised and Sephiroth cements himself as an evil son-of-a-bitch that must be stopped.  He doesn’t kill her just to be evil either - he kills her because she’s actively trying to foil his plans by using her white materia.  However, unbeknownst to Sephiroth, her death is what ultimately triggers the white materia to work when it needs to most.  It’s kind of like how Obi-Wan Kenobit warns Darth Vader “If you strike me down, I’ll become more powerful than you an imagine”, but in this instance it actually makes sense.

So that has to happen.  It can’t be Tifa, or Yuffie, or Cid, or Marlene, or some other swervy “gotcha” bullshit - it has to be Aerith. 

Secondly, Sephiroth must successfully summon the meteor - it’s in the fucking logo for crying out loud!  I can’t imagine what “imminent threat” for the whole world they could do instead.  Fat Chocobo gains a massive amount of weight and jumps on Midgar?  It’s baffling to imagine the developers would even *flirt* with the idea of changing these important story elements of the game, so hopefully we’ve all just hysterically misinterpreted the meaning of the last chapter.

Oh, one more thing - the final boss fight with Sephiroth was dumb too, if only because it cheapens the eventual actual final boss fight with him at the end of the game.  I liked how in the original he was basically a phantom that kept evading your party, leaving behind Jenova pieces for you to fight instead.  It’s like how in wrestling, a heel character talks tough, but then runs away when the “baby face” comes out to confront him.  Fighting Sephiroth now, not to mention beating him, kind of makes him look weak sauce.  Ohh legendary SOLDIER, my ass - I beat him at the beginning of the whole story.  To borrow from Star Wars again, it would be like Luke fighting Darth Vader in A New Hope and kicking his ass immediately.  Vader sure wouldn’t seem like much of a threat after that.

Anyway..

SPOILERS OVER

God, sorry, this review is out of control and much too long, but I have a lot to say!

Okay, so my worries above aside, the game itself is very well done.  The graphics are beautiful, despite the environment being a constant barrage of grey, industrial imagery (hey, that’s Midgar for ya).  They find ways to change things up visually, depending on what part of Midgar you’re in, such as Sector 5 having more greenery than usual (cause, you know, it’s Aerith’s home, so that makes sense!).  Wall Market, the “red light district” of Midgar, is a treat for the senses, especially at night, what with all the lights and the music playing everywhere.  It really feels like a lively, party town. 

One major change that had me, and probably a lot of FFVII purists, concerned is the combat system.  Gone is the turn based combat of old, replaced now with a more fast paced hack-n-slash style reminiscent of a From Software game than Final Fantasy (though not even as remotely as sophisticated).  However, I enjoyed the change, as this makes the battles much more engaging and fun, as opposed to the tedium that can come with turn-based combat, not to mention random encounters.  You can still use magic, items, and Limit Breaks like in the old days, so it still feels like the original, but with tweaks that make it better.

And you know, that pretty much sums up my super long review nicely - the game feels like the original but with tweaks that make it better.  Even the soundtrack is improved, which is a feat I didn’t think possible considering the original FFVII’s soundtrack is some of the best video game movie ever composed.  The Remake does a superb job of weaving in certain themes and remixing themes at appropriate points in the story.  “Aerith’s Theme” is more tear jerking than ever, while “One Chosen by the Planet” (otherwise known as Sephiroth’s theme) is even more chilling and fearsome than ever before. 

So overall, I fucking loved this game.  I rarely get emotional while playing video games, unless you consider cursing and screaming “emotional”, but damned if this one didn’t constantly give me warm and fuzzy feelings (especially whenever Tifa was onscreen - *growl*).  I’m eager to play the next part and explore more of this “new” world, despite my concern it might be “too new” in the worst ways.

[rhoeysama]

I used to ship Vincent and Aerith. Weird, I know. I still kind of do, even though it makes little to no sense, because Aerith loves Cloud (and arguably Tifa as well, really) and Vincent is hung up on Lucrecia and atonement. Sure. But even so, I want to see Vincent and Aerith have one or two bonding moments, establishing their friendship. Not romantically, because it wouldn’t fit into the story, but as friends. Perhaps we could have a moment where we see the two of them have a deep conversation; these two, who are very much like a foil to each other’s character, and yet so similar in many ways. If this happens, I will be crying with joy.

Here’s a headcanon/idea I have, about how it could potentially go down: Since Vincent was born in 1950, he probably grew up in a flower-power-esque era when a lot of young people were against the war with Wutai. Although he ended up working for Shinra in his 20′s, he had a rebellious streak in his teens, and a lot of the hippie culture and lingo rubbed off on him. And since he was technically secluded for 30 years since the 70′s, and times have changed, some of the time, old slang slips out when he makes an effort to partake in fun activities with the others, much to his embarrassment. Aerith pokes fun at him for it relentlessly, and teaches him some new slang, and she in turn has a lot of fun learning 1960′s and 70′s slang from him. Vincent, who is the most serious of the group, even finds himself chuckling from time to time.

One time, Yuffie loudly makes a point of that she’s been thinking about Vincent’s age and calculating, and comes to the conclusion that he must be around her dad’s age or more, and that once upon a time, Vincent used to be a hippie with big hair and wearing flowers in his hair. Vincent denies this, but he fails to mask his embarrassment, and Yuffie bursts out laughing and exclaims “I KNEW IT!”. Embarrassed, he clears his throat and tries to explain away that it was “just a phase”. But alas, his secret is out, and Yuffie points out that she can’t get the image out of her head, and is laughing hysterically, and says that she needs pictures of this. The girls especially, together with Cid and Barret, are having a ball, making comments and laughing. Vincent leaves the group behind to go and be by himself, and doesn’t return for several hours, and eventually everyone goes to sleep.

Unable to sleep, Aerith is out for a walk that night, and comes across Vincent by himself, and decides to sit down and join him. She makes it very clear that all of the joking was all in good humor, and they didn’t mean to pick on him, to which he says “It’s all right”. She tells him that she knows what it’s like to feel like one doesn’t belong. She tells him, sincerely, about growing up, feeling like she was all alone, and that she can’t imagine what it must be like to have been like a “stone in the river of time”; to being locked away for so long and to come out into a world that has changed and you no longer recognize it.

Aerith then also ventures to ask him if he knew Professor Gast. Vincent tells her that he has met him a few times, and wonders why she brought it up out of the blue. She then tells him that growing up in the Shinra building, Professor Hojo once referred to Professor Gast as her father, and she always wanted to know what he was like, and figured that since Vincent used to be a Turk working under Professor Hojo, he might have known her father. Vincent tells her about Professor Gast, that he was a great man in many ways. “He would have been proud of you,” Vincent tells her, “and...I think he is”. To that, Aerith smiles. They have a little bonding moment, the two most unlikely of friends.

[silver-wield]

So what was exactly the point making Aerith and Tifa look like they're best friends if in another moment she's trying to get it with Cloud KNOWING FULLY WELL what he feels for Tifa and what Tifa feels for him? Is this some kind of watery try to paint OG Aerith in a better light? Not really working for me. I don't care even if she's grieving...she's still a grown woman.

Making her to be a red herring and the whole ltd with it's vagueness is the most exhausting thing in the entire series by this point. The girls need NO equality with Cloud. Cloud is not "Aerith's too". I hope SE makes it up to the fans this whole mess BIG TIME by the end of the trilogy..since it pisses me off and doesn't look good at all in what light Tifa and Zack are painted too. Especially Tifa. Like she's some kind of punching bag and a doormat who just takes whatever is thrown in her way and forgives like she doesn't have any other options because "she was written to be with Cloud". Otherwise this whole mess looks worse than the worst soap opera with it's misogyny, sexism and bitchy "friends". If Cloud and Tifa aren't marked as lovers by the end...I most probably wash my hands off of the whole compilation.

Give Tifa some freaking dignity...jesus fucking christ.

It's on brand for Aerith though. She's always been a two faced selfish bitch. She literally throws a tantrum because her birthday party gets cancelled when a friend of Elmyra's has a heart attack. She bitches when a picnic is cancelled because a kid goes missing, and when she finds the kid, she doesn't take him home straight away because she wants to be out exploring the sector for longer. She bitches at Zack because she wants more than one flower cart and even he says she's being too picky.

Aerith is a spoiled, selfish, privileged two faced bitch who thinks she can have whatever she wants and never listens to or respects anybody else unless it benefits her. She's all about her own self interests, which is why she's a match for Sephiroth, who is also arrogant and self interested.

I think people forget that a foil isn't just someone who acts as the opposite for another character. They also compliment them. They are a comparative to each other. They can have traits or experiences in common. People just ignore and excuse her because "uwu so cuuuuuuuute!!!!" Or "awwww she so saaaad about Zack we have to understand why she's trying to sit on Cloud's dick and forgive her for it because she just misses her real boyfriend!!!!"

If some bitch tried to get on my bf and said she did it because she misses her ex I'd fucking slap her. People need to take off those stupid rose tinted specs and accept Aerith has some fucking rancid character traits.

[silver-wield]

May i rant for a bit? Why are there cloud x tifa "fans" who make tifa out to be like some kind of foil to that fanon ship?

Statements like:

*if tifa wasn't here "she'd have a chance".

*no matter how "amazing" she is, no matter how "attracted" he is to her, it's useless because there's an "elephant in the room" aka tifa.

*there's a "start or potential" to have the start of "attraction" but tifa exists.

*she be "pretty" but it's not like he's going to let go of the woman whom he started everything for.

*even if he "has feelings" he won't act on it because tifa.

*he wont think she's that "attractive" because tifa exists.

*we "don't know" what would happen had she lived.

*"no matter what they've felt" they can't turn away from their respective first loves. (In this case they use zack as a foil too).

Along those things, many variations. I don't understand. Tifa isn't the foil, cloud is. Because he isn't interested in that girl, never was and never will. Not even a "not that into you" because it's just "not into you". I didn't know people just think it's canon because of endgame. Cloud x tifa is something more than that. I thought they ship canon because they understood but they don't. Without truly understanding cloud, they'll never understand why this is canon, and what makes cloud x tifa incredible. Rather, what makes cloud incredible.

Maybe it has to do with others over focusing on two characters, but to the rest who don't look for "ltd" (it's a sham), they'll see how he treats everyone and that aerith is treated no differently compared to his other friends. In fact rather much less favorable because he seems to be much kinder and comfortable with the others because unlike her, they treat him as soldier cloud and respect.

🙇‍♀️ there is no room for interpretation even in OG, just shippers who cannot let go of a fandom made "debate". That's not part of the game. Play and truly understand the game.

Because they're pandering idiots who feel sorry for dumbasses or are low key slimy cleriths trying to gaslight people with brains into buying their bullshit

No cloti thinks Cloud has any feelings for aerith. If they start on that wishy washy bullshit then they ain't clotis and can fuck off.

[iaintyourbro]

Is it true that in the Remake that Cloud decided to save Tifa from Don Corneo and dance because of Aerith? I saw people say that Aerith was the reason, and I don't want to believe it, but as soon as Aerith told Cloud to go help Tifa he changed his mind. And when Andrea told Cloud he had to dance, he's like "screw this" but when he looked at Aerith he changed his mind again and decided to dance. It looks like he did do it for Aerith but I'm not sure and I don't want to believe she's the reason.

Hi anon...

From my perspective, no. He danced because at that point it was the only option they had (according to Aerith). He wanted to go in blowing shit up, but Leslie told him to watch it because if he did, Tifa or somebody else could get punished for it. 

Cloud would have found a way to save Tifa, but he wasn’t going to send Aerith in there by herself. That’d be messed up, no? How would he look if he said, “Okay, go in there and get this girl you keep telling me is super important to me (and she is cuz Tender Memories™), cuz yes, I’m worried, but I’m not dressing up or dancing cuz eff that, but you go in to the serial killer, sex trafficking murder dungeon and go get her out for me.”

He’d look like a dick. He’s not a dick. 

Let’s back up a bit, though.

Cloud let’s Tifa go because she tells him she’s fine and can kick all the ass. He trusts that Tifa knows what she’s doing - he’s seen her kick all the ass. On top of it... Cloud has no idea who Don Corneo is. He’s not native to Midgar and he just “woke up” about 3 or 4 days ago (in Remake timeline, it seems). But whether he woke up a month ago or today, he doesn’t know anything about Wall Market. He tells Aerith this at the beginning of Chapter 9 when she asks. 

So he’s back to Aerith. He looks harsh here, but also worried. I think he’s trying to convince himself of what he’s telling Aerith.

Then Aerith is like nah bro... listen... Aerith’s Street Cred (More info on Aerith’s street cred here)

And his face starts to change as she says this. It’s concerning to him. 

He has his OH SHIT moment after Aerith tells him this. 

So they go to Wall Market.

So Cloud goes through a few emotions during the Chocobo Sam scene, which I have covered in a previous post: Cloud and Chocobo Sam

He’s aggressive at the point he says this. He does want to save her. 

Ultimately, they first try to do the standard let me bust through and just grab her out of here, and that doesn’t work. So they have to go on a journey to figure out a way to infiltrate his mansion and get Tifa out. Aerith is just as invested in this as Cloud. She’s not showing anything to say “Haha, if she’s captured he’s mine.”

Why? Because at this point, I don’t think Aerith is interested in Cloud romantically, she’s interested in information on Zack. It just so happens that Tifa is in trouble, or else Cloud would have just gone back to Sector 7 and been on his way. 

Let’s fast forward to the point where Cloud tells Aerith, “I don’t know if you should go in there. You don’t know what they’ll make you do.”

He just went on a quest chain (most likely you’d do the Chocobo Sam once since it’s the default one) to learn about Wall Market and he quickly sees how messed up the place is. He’s not going to send her in there, but he’s also not going to give up on Tifa.

Aerith interrupts him at this point to pretty much tell him oh I’m not going in by myself, I have a plan, don’t worry. 

This wasn’t him saying welp, sorry, Tifa. 

Now we get to the dance. And they always say “He saw Aerith and that’s what makes him want to dance.”

No, he tried to get away, tried to get away, oh shit she’s in here and I can’t get away now. He looks absolutely miserable during this part. He’s not enjoying it. If he wanted to dance for her to make her happy.... wouldn’t he be happier? 

He’s loving it, huh?

He does this to get Tifa AND prevent Aerith from going in by herself.

Ultimately - what was the goal of the Wall Market mission? It was to save Tifa.

Cloud dresses up like a woman to save Tifa. In OG, Cloud actually doesn’t want Aerith to go with him, but Aerith runs after Tifa.

In Remake, Cloud takes off after Tifa, but is told to go back to Seventh Heaven. Aerith then tells him like you have no idea what you’re dealing with buddy, let’s go. 

This isn’t a damn shipping thing. This is Cloud being told about a very dangerous situation that Tifa is now in and Aerith, how is also not a dick, wants to help out a fellow woman AND she knows this person is important to Cloud. 

Cloud dances to get his dress. In OG, Cloud has to get in the dress to go save Tifa and prevent Aerith from going in by herself.

It’s as simple as that: Cloud isn’t a douchebag. If you look at the entire Chapter, you can see this isn’t just him trying to impress or entertain Aerith... not even close. I really do hate that argument. 

[iaintyourbro]

Train Graveyard Part 1

Yeah, everybody else has done the Train Graveyard stuff, but I feel like doing it, so I’m gonna just do a series of it since there’s a lot of scenes.

Alright, so first let’s talk about the “Who did Cloud ask?” moment.

I find the Train Graveyard interesting. It definitely has the most nods to the LTD... Almost like the Ghosts of the Past are bringing it up and you have to get rid of all the ghosts. Weird how the LTD legit stops completely after this chapter...

Alright, so at this point, the first person Cloud sees is Aerith. She’s closer.

As he looks further around, he does get a look of concern on his face.

And here’s why. He can see Aerith is up and seemingly okay. Tifa is still down and does look like she’s possibly in some pain here. 

Now, I have read posts saying he’s looking at Tifa, and honestly until I watched this scene at .25 speed, it wasn’t super obvious to me, but it’s very clear here. He knows Aerith is okay because she’s up. It’s not that he doesn’t care about Aerith, it’s just that she’s okay and Tifa is still on the ground (and it’s Tifa...)

So Cloud asks this and Aerith happily responds. She wasn’t looking up to see who he was asking, so she probably just answered assuming he was asking both of them. 

Tifa slowly gets up. I think the fear she has in this place may have affected her super ability to land on her feet. Fear can do some crazy stuff to us, and if I was walking around a haunted graveyard... well.... You’d better hope somebody has a box of Depends with them for me.

So BOTH Aerith and Cloud look upset here. Tifa just looks determined. I do not think that she’s jealous, because I think she assumed Cloud was asking them both. Remember, you lose points with Tifa in the OG if Aerith gets picked and Cloud asks about Tifa before Aerith... you get points if you tell Tifa you need to save Aerith. 

So I thought this part was interesting. You see a slight change in Cloud’s face. I’m not sure if she slightly touches him or something, but he almost has a little smile here....

And then it seems he thinks she’s upset. Now, notice Aerith looks upset the entire time here. She’s not smiling, she doesn’t think this is funny. I think she feels bad... She just made friends with this girl and now thinks she’s mad at her. It’s REALLY hard to see, but he does give Aerith a side look here like umm what the hell... what’d I do?

I think Aerith is back there like “Huh... not somebody special my ass.” Cloud’s head is hanging low, Aerith is trying to get his attention, but I don’t think it’s for malicious intent - time to question him. I think this is a lead-in to the next part - the ever famous threesome - the armgrab. It’s an armgrab.

After Tifa says “Guys...” and Cloud sees the Ghost graffiti. I just like this picture so it’s here. 

[iaintyourbro]

Train Graveyard Part 2

Okay, this is one of the most recognized scenes in the game. The triple arm grab. 

Here’s a nap moment for Cloud.

Here’s Cloud looking at Tifa like “I DID NOT TELL HER TO DO THIS.”

So the one interesting thing about this is that he does not look at Aerith until that eye slide over momentarily until Tifa swoops in.But he looks away from her and in the direction of Tifa during the bulk of this moment.

Here’s the, almost, annoyed look over. 

Here she comes! OH TIFA IS TOUCHING MY ARM!!!

So Tifa seems shy about this, of course... 

But you get to see how scared out of her mind she is. Oh, I think Cloud is blushing here. 

So this look kind of cracks me up. I don’t think she’s MAD at Aerith for grabbing Cloud. I think she knows what Aerith is doing. However, this is absolutely an LTD nod. This whole scene is. I also think Aerith is having a kick out of it.

“Ma’am, we are NOT interested in your wares!”

It looks like the girls are having a moment here. Aerith’s face looks like that somewhat comforting face when she’s trying to zap people with the green haze. Tifa looks a bit shocked, so I’m thinking she’s reading something on Aerith’s face. 

Ah, the light and dark shot - something that seems to happen a lot with him. Also, he may be a bit happy that Tifa’s boob is touching his arm. I know I’d be happy about that. Aerith is having a field day with this. 

I mean, Tifa needs a lot of hugs after this. It’s a good thing she gets two: one from Papa Barret and one from Cloud. 

[iaintyourbro]

Train Graveyard Part 3.5

Okay, this is a continuation of the last scene where they have to run from the falling train.

This is after getting up and realizing the way is blocked.

Oh, wait. This is one last moment from before. I love how Tifa looks back after this like. “Did that just happen?”

So we still have the shy awkwardness on his face here. PSPSPSPSPSPS

He looks almost mischievous here. Still shy, but also a lick of mischievous. 

The look slightly deepens here. Now at this point, you may not be fully aware of who he’s looking at with this look.

No, they don’t let you guess. They make sure you see who he’s staring at when they pan out.