i think someone mentioned before that cloud's not saying that he didn't miss aerith. he says "not really, he's tough" meaning that he doesn't want aerith around because sephiroth is tough. so this line actually shows that cloud cares about aerith's well-being and he doesn't want her to get hurt. idk what the japanese version says though, the meaning might be different.
Faith v. 3.0 (Cloti Club)
- Thread starter Tennyo
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i think someone mentioned before that cloud's not saying that he didn't miss aerith. he says "not really, he's tough" meaning that he doesn't want aerith around because sephiroth is tough. so this line actually shows that cloud cares about aerith's well-being and he doesn't want her to get hurt. idk what the japanese version says though, the meaning might be different.
I think that's reaching a bit too much. "good to go?" "You know it" and "He's tough" "Yeah? So what, screw him" seem like obvious new lines to me, not connected to the previous ones. They come with a shot change, and there is a clear pause there that to me indicates a new sentence.
If Aerith had responded with "don't you worry about me", or something to that effect, I might have seen how people could read it like that, but atm I just don't see that interpretation as likely.
The line mimics his line when catching Aerith from falling, the wording and delivery are basically identical, I just don't get any sense of "damn, I wish she'd stayed back because she might get hurt" from that.
yea it's an interpretation that i saw somewhere else. i thought he was dismissing her at first too so i definitely think your interpretation could be right. but i can see how someone else would have a different interpretation. idk if anyone has the japanese translation, maybe that would give us a better idea of what the tone of the scene should be.
Yumelinh
Pro Adventurer
So many great posts!! Also, I'm totally in love with that Playstation JP post!! It's so cute! 7/7 should be the FF7 day for real.
@insanehobbit You're the second person who recommends this movie to me just this week! I'll take that as a signal to watch it ASAP
Thanks!
@loozzer I don't take Cloud's line to Aerith as rude or dismissive simply because he's past acting like this with people, especially with her, so I think he's was just being his pragmatic self there. However, I agree with @Stiggie that those lines they share when she arrives don't connect with their next sentences and that it is somehow a little more "distant?" than Cloud's line to Tifa ( but maybe we are looking too much into it). Maybe @odekopeko can help us with the lines in Japanese? ( sorry for summoning you Peko!! You can ignore it if you want ^^)
@insanehobbit You're the second person who recommends this movie to me just this week! I'll take that as a signal to watch it ASAP
Thanks!@loozzer I don't take Cloud's line to Aerith as rude or dismissive simply because he's past acting like this with people, especially with her, so I think he's was just being his pragmatic self there. However, I agree with @Stiggie that those lines they share when she arrives don't connect with their next sentences and that it is somehow a little more "distant?" than Cloud's line to Tifa ( but maybe we are looking too much into it). Maybe @odekopeko can help us with the lines in Japanese? ( sorry for summoning you Peko!! You can ignore it if you want ^^)
insanehobbit
Pro Adventurer
I lean more one way than the other, but I think both interpretations are valid. That's the thing about analyzing dialogue/actions. It's inherently more subjective because we bring our own life experiences to the table when interpreting their meaning. When I did this, I actually meant that -- everyone is going to have a slightly different take on things.
Which is why I think the the way the specific shots are chosen for these scenes, and the way those shots are framed is so revealing. Short of the devs explicitly telling us via interviews, it gives us such clear insight into their intentions. I've been rewatching some stuff here and there and feeling like I'm turning into Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind.
Yay! You're in for such a treat!
Which is why I think the the way the specific shots are chosen for these scenes, and the way those shots are framed is so revealing. Short of the devs explicitly telling us via interviews, it gives us such clear insight into their intentions. I've been rewatching some stuff here and there and feeling like I'm turning into Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind.
Like when AerTi are planning their date in the sewer....why include Cloud in the frame when Tifa begins to respond? He's not in focus, but the camera holds on them long enough for us to notice his head turning.
Later, when the girls are joking about him being their pack Chocobo, I never noticed before that when Tifa responds to Cloud, Aerith is actually out of focus? This is not a first-person Cloud shot, but it definitely feels like a subjective shot from his POV and it's like........what are you telling me???
Finally, during the Shinra building rescue:
Sure, both Tifa and Cloud talk to Aerith, but the AerTi dialogue gets a nice shot-reverse shot combo, where the two girls are the sole focus, while Cloud gets nothing. I had to rewatch multiple videos to make sure I wasn't missing a frame. Why do this??? (Obviously because AerTi is canon and I've been posting in the wrong club all along
)
Later, when the girls are joking about him being their pack Chocobo, I never noticed before that when Tifa responds to Cloud, Aerith is actually out of focus? This is not a first-person Cloud shot, but it definitely feels like a subjective shot from his POV and it's like........what are you telling me???
Finally, during the Shinra building rescue:
Sure, both Tifa and Cloud talk to Aerith, but the AerTi dialogue gets a nice shot-reverse shot combo, where the two girls are the sole focus, while Cloud gets nothing. I had to rewatch multiple videos to make sure I wasn't missing a frame. Why do this??? (Obviously because AerTi is canon and I've been posting in the wrong club all along
)@insanehobbit You're the second person who recommends this movie to me just this week! I'll take that as a signal to watch it ASAP
Yay! You're in for such a treat!
odekopeko
Pro Adventurer
- AKA
- Peko
@Yumelinh it's no bother, but I'm going to have to say it's not really a difference in language here. Personally, it just sounds like cute banter to me.
A-さみしかった?/samishikatta? "Did you miss me?"
C-べつに "Not really." He is being dismissive, but not of her, just of her teasing him. He knows she's teasing him. It's just Aerith's way of lightening the mood. It just sounds like the kind of banter Cloud and Aerith usually have. They sound like good friends.
Edited to say: It's just one interpretation. Everyone's is valid like @insanehobbit mentioned. I agree with that.
C- 強いぞ/tsuyoi zo: He's strong.
A-うん でも行こう/un, demo ikou: I know/Yes/He is, but let's go.
The one thing I'll say is her personality seems slightly different in the NA version. She does tease, and is sassy, of course, but she goes into serious mode by that last line without making quips.
I didn't get Tifa first. Does anybody have a clip of that cutscene in Japanese? ?
A-さみしかった?/samishikatta? "Did you miss me?"
C-べつに "Not really." He is being dismissive, but not of her, just of her teasing him. He knows she's teasing him. It's just Aerith's way of lightening the mood. It just sounds like the kind of banter Cloud and Aerith usually have. They sound like good friends.
Edited to say: It's just one interpretation. Everyone's is valid like @insanehobbit mentioned. I agree with that.
C- 強いぞ/tsuyoi zo: He's strong.
A-うん でも行こう/un, demo ikou: I know/Yes/He is, but let's go.
The one thing I'll say is her personality seems slightly different in the NA version. She does tease, and is sassy, of course, but she goes into serious mode by that last line without making quips.
I didn't get Tifa first. Does anybody have a clip of that cutscene in Japanese? ?
I think y'all will enjoy the Japanese dialogue for the scene in which Tifa arrives first, and it actually ties in quite well with @insanehobbit's analysis of the framing in that scene.
@odekopeko Here's a video (timestamped 2:43):
Tifa: ピンチだった? (in a pinch?)
Cloud: そうでもない (not really)
Cloud: 準備はいいか? (are you ready?)
Tifa: 当然 (of course)
It's a direct reference to the Promise scene, as Tifa teases him using the same wording ("pinch").
@odekopeko Here's a video (timestamped 2:43):
Tifa: ピンチだった? (in a pinch?)
Cloud: そうでもない (not really)
Cloud: 準備はいいか? (are you ready?)
Tifa: 当然 (of course)
It's a direct reference to the Promise scene, as Tifa teases him using the same wording ("pinch").
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odekopeko
Pro Adventurer
- AKA
- Peko
Aww, thanks @minami758! Yeah, it's adorable how she teases him over the promise. They have cute banter too. Also, I can't really imagine Cloud going into battle without Tifa by his side. Just based on the fact that his comment really makes it seem like he trusts she will have his back. He doesn't even question her. I love it. Power couple goals.
Graymouse
Pro Adventurer
Odd, I didn't receive notifications that there were updates to the thread. I come back here to dump some tweets and there are many new posts. Anyways, I have nothing to contribute except a few tweets before bedtime. Enjoy!
Both of their stories are filled with so much sorrow and despair. It would be really cruel to not have them be together and find solace in each other.
Both of their stories are filled with so much sorrow and despair. It would be really cruel to not have them be together and find solace in each other.
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iamhorde
Pro Adventurer
Sure, both Tifa and Cloud talk to Aerith, but the AerTi dialogue gets a nice shot-reverse shot combo, where the two girls are the sole focus, while Cloud gets nothing. I had to rewatch multiple videos to make sure I wasn't missing a frame. Why do this??? (Obviously because AerTi is canon and I've been posting in the wrong club all along
I was replaying this chapter a few days ago and if I recall correctly, there were several other scenes in that chapter where Tifa was responding to Aerith when it very well could have been Cloud. It was Tifa who was asking about Aerith's well being and showing concern for her. Honestly, I'd be a lot more disappointed to have you leave the club than for AerTi to be canon. Having you join this club with your amazing film / visual background is like having Cloud join Avalanche with his SOLDIER skills. I've had more hope for CloTi being acknowledged by the developers than ever before after reading your analysis.
I love how this community has so much skills to offer, some have awesome translation skills, some provide amazing context and insights and the daily CloTi tweets are always a welcome. We're kinda like Avalanche or the neighborhood watch in a way, each playing our part to nurture this ship. I'm probably one of those neighborhood watch NPCs in Sector 7, no special skills to offer but I'm still here playing my small role whenever there's a poll to vote or a post to share. Haha.
Yumelinh
Pro Adventurer
@odekopeko @minami758 Thank you! 
And yeah, now that you pointed that out, It does seem like their usual cute banter. Cloti's line is also super cute! It's just so nice to see Tifa teasing Cloud with their promise once again ( she mentioned it to him as well at that Shinra HQ scene)
All interpretations are definitely valid, but I think we can all agree that Cloud wasn't being rude to Aerith at their moment, he was just being...Cloud lol.
AerTi is the only answer ofc! Tbh, I didn't give much thought to this scene the first time I saw it, but after playing this chapter again, I realized that this was supposed to be the "pay-off" moment after all the build-up from before (where Cloud seems to have a single mind to save Aerith), but in the end, it was brushed off as an AerTi group moment between Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith.
What I mean is that I expected it to be a shippy moment between Cloud and Aerith, since even Tifa had her little reunion with Cloud at Corneo's mansion on her "rescue" mission, but that never happened. In fact, the only shippy moment in these last chapters was actually the one at the top of Shinra's HQ and it was Cloti. But again... it can easily be my shipping bias talking here, so idk lol.
And yeah, now that you pointed that out, It does seem like their usual cute banter. Cloti's line is also super cute! It's just so nice to see Tifa teasing Cloud with their promise once again ( she mentioned it to him as well at that Shinra HQ scene)All interpretations are definitely valid, but I think we can all agree that Cloud wasn't being rude to Aerith at their moment, he was just being...Cloud lol.
Finally, during the Shinra building rescue:
Sure, both Tifa and Cloud talk to Aerith, but the AerTi dialogue gets a nice shot-reverse shot combo, where the two girls are the sole focus, while Cloud gets nothing. I had to rewatch multiple videos to make sure I wasn't missing a frame. Why do this??? (Obviously because AerTi is canon and I've been posting in the wrong club all along
What I mean is that I expected it to be a shippy moment between Cloud and Aerith, since even Tifa had her little reunion with Cloud at Corneo's mansion on her "rescue" mission, but that never happened. In fact, the only shippy moment in these last chapters was actually the one at the top of Shinra's HQ and it was Cloti. But again... it can easily be my shipping bias talking here, so idk lol.
insanehobbit
Pro Adventurer
I thought it was just my bias too when I was playing it the first time through, but honestly, rewatching Ch. 16 + 17, it almost feels like game goes out of the way to avoid anything that could be construed as a Cloud-Aerith moment, romantic or otherwise. A real stark contrast to the OG.
They very rarely share a frame with just the two of them, and even when they do, one party's head is turned away or it quickly cuts away to a different shot. Nor do they have any meaningful exchanges visually.
There's a moment when Cloud turns to Aerith after Wedge & Domino's video interlude, but even in that scene - Barret is also in the frame turning his head as Cloud turns, and when we cut back from Aerith's reaction - it's Cloud, Tifa and Barret in the frame, so it's not clear if it's meant to be a Cloud-Aerith moment or a team moment.
When Cloud saves Aerith/Barret/Red from Heidegger, we do get a close-up of Aerith calling his name, but I would say Cloud is too focused on the task at hand to really reciprocate in his reaction shot.
Like take the scene on the roof when Cloud is asking Barret to take Aerith to safety so he can fight Rufus along. Even though Aerith is ostensibly the subject of their conversation, the game never cuts to a reaction shot of Aerith during the entire exchange. It's honestly kind of weird. Compare it to the seemingly similar conversation Cloud has with Barret in the Sector 5 Reactor about taking Tifa to safety. The vibe is totally different.
@iamhorde Aww, you're too kind. Your posts are really great too! I echo your thoughts about this club. I'm always looking forward to seeing new posts in this thread because they always leave me with much to think about. And, don't worry, you're not getting rid of me so easily. I am in the stage of quarantine where I was reading a twitter thread about the worst parking garages and traffic intersections in my city and thinking 'wow, I miss that' -- so uh, yeah lol
odekopeko
Pro Adventurer
- AKA
- Peko
Personally, I don't think it's your shipping bias. Their reunion at Shinra HQ definitely felt a bit lackluster (in terms of the LT, not the story), but I was so happy that we got more AerTi moments.
It makes so much more sense to me that Tifa would be the one voicing out her concerns for Aerith. Cloud, even though I'm sure he cares, would probably not say it out loud.
The more I go over the scenes, and after reading insanehobbit's analyses of the camerawork, and how many times Tifa is the focus in Cloud's POV, and the way the camera lingers on her expressions, the more I feel like he views her as not just someone he cares deeply for, but also as a woman.
We get these moments where he is looking at her with concern, of course, but we also get those interesting moments where he's aware of and is conscious of her physical traits, like her eyes and her lips. These camera angles,
Like, if we go back to the Train Graveyard. He wasn't really surprised when Aerith grabs his arm since he was preoccupied with the ghosts. BUT the moment Tifa grabs onto his arm, it's quick, really quick, like a split second quick, but his shocked expression is priceless! Haha. I just like how they gave so much focus on Cloud being affected by the motion of Tifa simply grabbing his arm.
Don't mean to say he only wants Tifa for her body. I think it's a very normal thing for people in love, to care deeply for the person, but also to desire them physically. Anyone who says otherwise can fight me.
I agree with all sentiments about the Shinra HQ sequence. Don't wanna get too deep into LTD territory lest I incur Tres's wrath, but I was rewatching some segments of the OG and even with the polygons, the Shinra rescue there is much more CA-heavy than it is in the Remake. Notably in the OG, Cloud runs into the holding cell to check on Aerith individually and tasks someone to take her away. The Remake very much puts the focus on both Tifa and Cloud as rescuers in that particular scene, as insanehobbit pointed out. They're both equally in the frame, and Tifa and Aerith even have a moment to themselves.
Then, after Cloud wakes up from his fainting spell, Tifa is the one right by his bedside/the one he sees first right after he wakes up. I thought that little scene was really cute. He slowly gets up from the bed, clutches his head for a moment, Tifa leans forward to double-check if he's okay, and Cloud averts his eyes out of embarrassment. (Beginning to about :40)
Gonna go full shipper goggles here, but I can't help but think that the several instances where Cloud and Tifa wake up to each other's faces must have some sort of significance for later on, perhaps during Mideel/Lifestream. Off the top of my head: Cloud wakes up to Tifa's face in Corneo's dungeon, Tifa wakes up to Cloud's post-plate fall, Cloud wakes up to Tifa in Shinra tower. (And if you pick Tifa in the sewers that's another one.)
This scene is especially interesting because while it's Cloud asking Barret to take Aerith to safety, the shot as the group runs away lingers on a close-up of Tifa, which then of course later pays off when she saves him. So even in a moment where Aerith is the topic of conversation, the focus actually pivots to Tifa instead.
It's super cute because Tifa's also totally not that type of person. Cloud definitely did not see that coming, haha.
Then, after Cloud wakes up from his fainting spell, Tifa is the one right by his bedside/the one he sees first right after he wakes up. I thought that little scene was really cute. He slowly gets up from the bed, clutches his head for a moment, Tifa leans forward to double-check if he's okay, and Cloud averts his eyes out of embarrassment. (Beginning to about :40)
Gonna go full shipper goggles here, but I can't help but think that the several instances where Cloud and Tifa wake up to each other's faces must have some sort of significance for later on, perhaps during Mideel/Lifestream. Off the top of my head: Cloud wakes up to Tifa's face in Corneo's dungeon, Tifa wakes up to Cloud's post-plate fall, Cloud wakes up to Tifa in Shinra tower. (And if you pick Tifa in the sewers that's another one.)
This scene is especially interesting because while it's Cloud asking Barret to take Aerith to safety, the shot as the group runs away lingers on a close-up of Tifa, which then of course later pays off when she saves him. So even in a moment where Aerith is the topic of conversation, the focus actually pivots to Tifa instead.
It's super cute because Tifa's also totally not that type of person. Cloud definitely did not see that coming, haha.
insanehobbit
Pro Adventurer
I think it's foreshadowing as well. IIRC the only other instance of someone waking up to someone else's face is when Cloud falls in Aerith's church, and that is something that also happened in the OG. All the Cloti instances are additions to the Remake, I believe.
Honestly, the entire Shinra HQ is such a trip in the Remake. Even going back to the moment when Cloud wakes up in Aerith's room. He sees Tifa first, of course, but even when Aerith responds, she doesn't even get the frame to herself. Barret is there as well. Like why???
Haha, yeah. He is so thirsty in Alone at Last. Like the extreme close up of her lips at the end...keep it in your pants, dude. We've got at least another 2 parts of the Remake to go before we get there.
Back to all of Cloud's concerned looks. At first, I thought they were just nice little Easter Eggs that hawk-eyed Clotis found, but upon rewatching the scenes, the game deliberately frames them that way so that we will notice. A lot of times, when Tifa is having an emotional moment, Cloud just happens to be in the background of the frame. He usually doesn't say or do anything, but we can see him react to her. It's not like we have to go 'Computer, enhance' to catch these moments. The game wants us to be conscious of how conscious Cloud is around her. He's probably also looking/turning his head whenever Barret/Aerith/Red talks, but don't have nearly as many of those shots in the game.
Like the scene when Tifa falls off the chandelier in the Shinra building. The camera pans all the way around so we can see Cloud frantically running down the stairs. Barret is equally concerned (he screams for her too), but we never see his reaction on screen. That doesn't mean he cares for her any less, but Cloud's concern is what the game wants us to pay attention to.
Eerie
Fire and Blood
I remember, actually, Cloud follows her as she advances on the chandeliers lol. It's not "he starts running when she falls", it's, "he was already here because he was following from the stairs". There was a video like that where the player turned around every time s/he advanced on the chandliers, and you could see Cloud following as closely as he could lol.
I'm still thinking over some posts, will post my thoughts later on! This is very interesting to read!
This one especially really stood out to me, because I didn't expect it. When Cloud has his reunion with Tifa, the first thing he sees is her face as he wakes up.
This moment is more like a reunion with Aerith, they hadn't really had the time to just take the time and check up on everything. So I expected this to be more of a moment for Aerith, I mean, the entire room and scene in general is logically Aerith centered, and yet, what do we see? Tifas face, concerned, watching over him, while Aerith for some reason is literally the furthest away of everyone in the scene. The game even gives us a group shot establishing that Tifa is the closest, Aerith is the furthest away.
And then when Aerith is surrounded by whispers, who pulls her out? Tifa.
Honestly, this is too different from what you'd expect to be the case for it to have happened by accident.
It's the friendship angle they're emphasizing this time around, and boy am I glad for it. For the OG, I know I often had to make up the conversations and relationships that developed off-screen, because of the technological limitations at the time. You only really got to interact with whoever you kept in your party, and it was all mostly Cloud interacting with others. Now we actually get to see everyone together and the different dynamics that come with it. It then sets Cloud and Tifa's relationship apart from all the others, because their backstories are so closely tied with each other. Romance is only really necessary (in terms of the plot) for Cloud and Tifa, since the Lifestream is such an intimate sequence.
iamhorde
Pro Adventurer
Yes! This was one of those moments I was trying to recall. In previous chapters too, like in the sewers, it was Tifa who caught Aerith. At the Train Graveyard, it was Tifa who reached out to Aerith and told her "we found you" (Cloud did get Aerith out of harms way before that). So many potential relationship moments were given to AerTi. I'm gonna stop here before I break the LTD rule.
On a slightly different topic, what do you guys think about having Barret together with Cloud and Tifa in majority of the chapters? It was brought up before that while Cloud and Tifa has more time together, it's mostly with Barret whereas Cloud and Aerith gets more 1 to 1 time. Personally, I actually like having Barret around so much so that I call him Uncle Barret. He feels like this brash and slightly immature but endearing father figure and his presence actually shows how much Cloud cares for Tifa. All those scenes where Cloud leaped to Tifa's rescue first and even that "premonition" scene at Shinra HQ where we see Cloud's widely different reaction towards both Tifa and Barret. It makes a nice contrast. Curious to hear @insanehobbit's professional take on these scenes and the rest of your thoughts too.
insanehobbit
Pro Adventurer
I also really appreciate that the Remake is able to develop the friendships/relationships among all the characters as opposed to just with Cloud.
That being said, there is something about Cloud's reaction (or lack thereof) at the Shinra Building that felt super anti-climactic to me, LTD aside. He's the one who's constantly reminding the other two that their mission is to rescue Aerith, but when they finally rescue her...there's no payoff. Everyone else - Tifa, Barret, even Red - gets a nice one-on-one moment with her. With Cloud, it looks like it's going to happen when he goes to talk to her in her room, but instead he's all 'Hello Ancient. We are now in the penultimate chapter of the game. Please give us some exposition.'
Could just be me, but again, it felt really weird. Like I don't want to read too far into the devs' intentions here, but especially compared to the OG version, it really felt like they went out of the way to make sure that the rescue wouldn't be construed by the average gamer as something explicitly romantic. (Which is still a valid interpretation, just not one I hold)
But yes all of these as well. Really felt like they were going out of the way to avoid any one on one moments between them once Tifa is back on the scene.
Haha, I was just going to write something about Barret's relationship with Cloud, but yes, I agree, it makes for a meaningful contrast. You can argue there's nothing inherently romantic about Cloud saving Tifa so many times, but uhhh, I think there's a reason we don't see Cloud saving Barret all the time (size difference aside) even though he's in just as much danger.
I loved the way Cloud and Barret's friendship was developed in the Remake, especially w/r/t to their relationship with Tifa. Not that their entire friendship revolves around Tifa but it was very much a situation where they're two people have who absolutely nothing in common other than a good mutual friend and she's the only reason they're even willing to be in the same room together.
You can actually kind of track how Cloud & Barret's friendship develops based on how Barret brings up Tifa to Cloud:
-First reactor mission: Barret tells him to prove he's the man Tifa says he is. Cloud acts like he doesn't care. Barret clocks him as a total POS from then on.
-Sector 7 arrival/Train to Sector 5 Reactor: both times he tells Cloud to check up on/go to Tifa because she'll worry about him. Very much situations where he doesn't give a shit about how Cloud is doing, but knows that Tifa cares for him, so he's doing it entirely for her sake.
-Post-Airbuster Fight: They're already liking each other much better during this mission, but it's only when Barret sees Cloud putting Tifa's safety above his own that he explicitly says that he was wrong about him
-Post-Plate drop: They have a quiet moment of understanding when Barret is able to physically comfort Tifa while Cloud still cannot. It felt like a way for Barret to include Cloud in the group. He might not have been in Sector 7 as long, but their loss is his too.
-Barret's Ch. 14 resolution: They're definitely bros at this point, and it felt like Barret brought up Tifa's Avalanche suitor at least in part to troll/get a reaction out of Cloud.
Another plus side of not having the time/technological limitations of the OG. Cloud and Tifa's relationship no longer feels like it exists in a vacuum, instead our understanding of it is deepened by how they each relate to others.
EDIT: Also want to add that Cloud-Tifa having any one-on-one time at all is a completely new addition to the Remake. Cloud/the player never gets to know Tifa on her on in the OG. They were always a Trio in the OG.
That being said, there is something about Cloud's reaction (or lack thereof) at the Shinra Building that felt super anti-climactic to me, LTD aside. He's the one who's constantly reminding the other two that their mission is to rescue Aerith, but when they finally rescue her...there's no payoff. Everyone else - Tifa, Barret, even Red - gets a nice one-on-one moment with her. With Cloud, it looks like it's going to happen when he goes to talk to her in her room, but instead he's all 'Hello Ancient. We are now in the penultimate chapter of the game. Please give us some exposition.'
Could just be me, but again, it felt really weird. Like I don't want to read too far into the devs' intentions here, but especially compared to the OG version, it really felt like they went out of the way to make sure that the rescue wouldn't be construed by the average gamer as something explicitly romantic. (Which is still a valid interpretation, just not one I hold)
But yes all of these as well. Really felt like they were going out of the way to avoid any one on one moments between them once Tifa is back on the scene.
Haha, I was just going to write something about Barret's relationship with Cloud, but yes, I agree, it makes for a meaningful contrast. You can argue there's nothing inherently romantic about Cloud saving Tifa so many times, but uhhh, I think there's a reason we don't see Cloud saving Barret all the time (size difference aside) even though he's in just as much danger.
I loved the way Cloud and Barret's friendship was developed in the Remake, especially w/r/t to their relationship with Tifa. Not that their entire friendship revolves around Tifa but it was very much a situation where they're two people have who absolutely nothing in common other than a good mutual friend and she's the only reason they're even willing to be in the same room together.
You can actually kind of track how Cloud & Barret's friendship develops based on how Barret brings up Tifa to Cloud:
-First reactor mission: Barret tells him to prove he's the man Tifa says he is. Cloud acts like he doesn't care. Barret clocks him as a total POS from then on.
-Sector 7 arrival/Train to Sector 5 Reactor: both times he tells Cloud to check up on/go to Tifa because she'll worry about him. Very much situations where he doesn't give a shit about how Cloud is doing, but knows that Tifa cares for him, so he's doing it entirely for her sake.
-Post-Airbuster Fight: They're already liking each other much better during this mission, but it's only when Barret sees Cloud putting Tifa's safety above his own that he explicitly says that he was wrong about him
-Post-Plate drop: They have a quiet moment of understanding when Barret is able to physically comfort Tifa while Cloud still cannot. It felt like a way for Barret to include Cloud in the group. He might not have been in Sector 7 as long, but their loss is his too.
-Barret's Ch. 14 resolution: They're definitely bros at this point, and it felt like Barret brought up Tifa's Avalanche suitor at least in part to troll/get a reaction out of Cloud.
Another plus side of not having the time/technological limitations of the OG. Cloud and Tifa's relationship no longer feels like it exists in a vacuum, instead our understanding of it is deepened by how they each relate to others.
EDIT: Also want to add that Cloud-Tifa having any one-on-one time at all is a completely new addition to the Remake. Cloud/the player never gets to know Tifa on her on in the OG. They were always a Trio in the OG.
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Graymouse
Pro Adventurer
I guess I will do what I do best in this community. Today will be a real heavy Tweet drop!
Look at Tifa's reaction! Talking about someone lighting up!
Look at Tifa's reaction! Talking about someone lighting up!
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It's to be expected, so I don't really think anything of it. That's just what the story naturally leads towards. Tifa and Barret are both Avalance, that naturally puts them in a similar position, both in the story, and geographically. While Aerith is the only Ancient, she naturally has a diverging set of things going on. Especially in the remake, which has to operate within the bounds set out by the OG, this was always gonna happen, I am just happy that we got SOME one-on-one with Tifa.
Maybe he just doesn't like old chicks?
odekopeko
Pro Adventurer
- AKA
- Peko
I really love the trio together - Barret, Cloud, and Tifa - so it doesn't bother me at all that Cloud and Tifa don't get a lot of one-on-one time. I've grown to love Barret so much in the game, especially his hilarious banter with Cloud, that
Tifa views Barret as family. Feels like his daughter brought home a strange guy, and dad didn't like him at first, wanted him to prove himself worthy of his daughter, and turns out they're best buddies now.
I also like that they don't get a lot of one-on-one time but you know they want it. We want it. I like that Cloud is never forced to be alone with Tifa, but he has to work his butt off so he could be rewarded with spending time alone with her. And even when other people are around, they have their sweet moments.
- Barret and Marlene walk into Seventh Heaven, and sit at the counter, but you still get a moment with Cloud giving the flower to Tifa where no one else is in focus.
- Barret calls Tifa into the Avalanche meeting, but they still have a moment where they flirt over drinks. I really love how Cloud kinda relaxes, with his hands on the table, and watches her in admiration while she's making him a cocktail. (Respectfully keeping his eyes upward.)
- Cloud and Aerith at Evergreen Park, but he dashes off after the chocobo carriage and hops on, and Aerith is out of the frame for the entirety of this scene, while he's pouting like a sad puppy at Tifa, until he hops back off and turns around.
So many moments like that, even in later chapters. It's like Cloud and Tifa create an intimate space just for themselves, even though circumstances won't let them be physically alone. She doesn't really get one-on-one time, but sometimes you feel the other person is third-wheeling.
That's why I can't wait until they finally do have a moment alone together, like really alone, when they can finally ascertain their feelings without being disrupted. Doesn't have to be under the Highwind like in the og, but I'm hoping for something similar.