@Sasseli that was poor wording and timing, I wasn't calling you a "rabid shipper". I was addressing your point (in jest, I might add) and then said some shippers are too serious.
But you're right, that kind of talk should go to the Cesspool and I apologize.
@DutchDread it's called a crackship for a reason. It doesn't make sense, it's crazy logic at work.
But I'd say that Zack and Tifa interact more than it would seem, I was surprised by how much she opened up to him in CC. If you're buying that Zack and Cloud were BFF when they barely see each other out of work and Zack and Aerith had a romantic relationship even if they rarely seee each other and Cloud and Aerith get close in days, Tifa and Zack being friends in a few days sounds par for the course with how relationships develop in FFVII.
And of course it'd morally wrong for Zack to get himself involved with his friend's crush while having a girlfriend, that's not even debatable. But you can't have an interesting or provocative story when everyone always do the right thing AND relative morality applies when it's convenient. Case in point: Zerith. People love Zerith and I dislike it, because surely Aerith withholding important info about who she is, and why Zack is being spied on as result is a moral dilemma, right?
Not for shippers.
And this is what I don't like. Who gets to decide what's a deal-breaker for ships and not? Just like all that stuff about Tifa and Zack's ages mentioned above: yes, it's a morally grey area because he's an older teen than her... but his mental age is younger so they're pretty even. If you find it icky and feel it's wrong, I'm not going to try to convince you shouldn't feel like that, you're entitled to your opion and preferences.
As closing statement and I swear I'll keep myself on topic from now on:
For the longest time, I couldn't even like Clerith/CloTi/Zerith because they were so *~*~* pure and wholesome *~*~* , and I'm still bitter about that "and by the way, Zack and Aerith's relationship was so perfect than we're going to describe it as platonic for a Ultimania" when their relationship was only perfect on surface level and swept a lot of unsavory stuff under the carpet just for the story's sake.
Any human relationship portrayed as "perfect" is boring at best and terrible example of how relationships work at worst, Twilight being the poster series for it.
I've seen people HERE talk harshly about Aerith's behaviour, like how she'd be a bitch if she gets between Cloud and Tifa knowing their complicated relationship (he's still single, let him choose!) and I'm here like "hello? that's
exactly what she did in the OG, Aerith gave no fucks about others' feelings as longs as SHE could have fun."
Do you have to like that? No, of course not. I don't, but I always found her a more believable and interesting character when she could be greedy and self-centered and not a total pink Jesus.
That being said, that's why I like her better in the Remake, her personality seems to have been developed with nuance and she's a good girl (this time, for real) because she seems to know that you don't fuck with people's feelings just for fun, like she did in the OG.
Tld; dr: this is a clash between tumblr internet culture (I know most of you come from tumblr) and Wild West internet culture (me). Don't take it personal because this is internet and it isn't serious business.
Anyway, I'll (mostly) behave from now on.
You have my word.
(Half-serious, because I don't get to decide, which is totally fine!)
I think new players are able to grasp the story changes much better than older players since our interpretations are already 'stained' from what we know from OG/discussions over the years.
