When some people describe post-OG Cloud as pining for Aerith, or waiting to die so he can be with her in the Promised Land, many people including myself rightly dismiss these notions as, not only being horrible thematically, but also regressive readings of both Cloud and Aerith as characters.
I wholeheartedly agree with you that they are regressive readings and woefully incorrect by any respectable accounts.
There is no sign anywhere in ACC or official supplemental notation that supports the idea Cloud wanted to die to reach Aerith, only that he had been working to find a cure for Denzel when he too fell terminally ill, felt defeated & guilty, & left home to avoid becoming a burden to his family. He goes to the church as a place of familiar sanctuary, but it is specified that his family is actually his personal peace & happiness—Cloud leaving his family is indicative of him falling into his old pattern of isolating himself from what he truly wants.
So while the church remains a symbol of Aerith, it is not proof that he came here for positive reasons or to willingly die to be with her, romantically or otherwise. He’s in a horrible place mentally & physically, and seeks forgiveness.
To think that a protagonist who so triumphantly recognizes at the end of OG that the natural cycle of the planet will indeed one day reunite him, and Tifa (and the entire party) with Aerith and their lost loved ones when the time comes, & now with the context of Retrilogy assumedly understands Aerith’s lesson that every moment matters, could then eagerly detach himself from the happiness of his life, the woman he loves, and the children they raise at the first chance to be romantically united with Aerith in death, is so disconnected from the reality of what this story is trying to tell us that I would seriously question anyone who considered it.
Do you think there is some similarity when people say that Aerith shouldn't hit on Cloud because "She has Zack"? Yet Zack is dead (I believe he is dead in the Remake timeline for reason I've outlined elsewhere). It does seem to imply that Aerith has to die in order to reunite with him. I see Aerith as too strong of a character to be hung up and unable to move on. In this case, it seems Aerith dying is just a convenient way to match the two characters. Is there something more insidious behind the ZA ship considering that Aerith has to die to reunite with him?
All that is to say, I do think anyone who thinks Aerith shouldn’t hit on Cloud because she
needs to be with Zack is also incorrect—she doesn’t need to be with or belong to anybody, and Zack has been gone from her life for years.
I think the act of her attempting to move on is somewhat demonstrated in her pursuit of Cloud’s affections, and is proof that she is definitively
not wasting away on the hope that Zack will return. Moving forward is still very clearly difficult for her because Zack is someone she loves, but she undoubtedly takes steps ahead for herself bc she values her own progress too.
As a personal aside, I believe Aerith is within her right to pursue Cloud regardless of it actually helping her move on or not. I am a proponent of letting characters do messy things or have complicated feelings if it effectively make sense within the context of the work. Cloud & Tifa are not exclusive or even together yet, & neither truly understand how deep and tender those secret memories that orbit Tifa go for him, currently. At least for me, it is still not entirely clear how much Aerith really knows about the extent Tifa’s feelings for Cloud go. I personally do not think Tifa has divulged that to anyone, has only explained them away as an old crush as a child, and despite any visible hints toward their romantic connection, I think Aerith might have a bit of tunnel vision & so isn’t catching on to the current signs.
But maybe I am trying to see that situation in the best most streamlined light, it’s just my personal interpretation.
In regard to the idea of ZA together in the afterlife, I don’t think a normal approach of this implies anything insidious in a ZA reading because it’s simply a logical & optimistic way to perceive Aerith and Zack finding their joint happiness in eternity. I find the concept of ZA to be the silver lining to their tragic storylines, the idea that they are rewarded in death with love and companionship after the trials they faced in life (& by the Powers That Be who wrote those doomed roles for them in the first place). Aerith’s 23 wishes to spend more time with Zack multiplied and granted to infinity.
But then, I also believe their feelings for each other are actually the same type of longing that is often projected onto CA, with Zack fighting to reach Aerith across the Lifestream “multiverse” while Aerith struggles to move forward yet still ending up attracted to someone who reminds her of Zack. I understand not all people will or do see their connection this way, and that’s fair.
However I refuse to look at the idea of their romance beyond the grave in bad faith. I will always prefer to see that, despite their doomed narratives, the “afterlife” does not further torment them through separation.
It’s not a “pair the spares” situation either because these are characters who again have a longterm romantic history and pined for each other after they were separated for years. I also find it extremely difficult to see their union in a negative way given the alternative is an Aerith dutifully traveling the planet in eternal solitude.
Is there something more insidious behind the ZA ship considering that Aerith has to die to reunite with him?
I am sure there are plenty of CT shippers who find it easier to praise ZA bc it removes Aerith from being any kind of complication in their minds, but I’d argue there are disingenuous people like this in all ships and fandoms.
I don’t believe Cloud would die to be with Aerith, and I don’t believe Aerith would die to be with Zack. The canon tells us this is incongruent with their characters.
I think Aerith lives her life cheerfully and exuberantly despite how short it was and the pain she experienced during it, and dies while selflessly praying to the planet for her friends’ safety—and is subsequently reunited with Zack because the writers decided for that to be a sweeter and more hopeful way to end their story & depict their appearance for AC.
I think Retrilogy is now going to visually show us how that happened.
