SPOILERS LTD Remake — It's like New Coke except ... no, it's exactly like New Coke

LunarTarotGirl

Pro Adventurer
AKA
Lunarae

Talking about ff.net….i came across several fan fictions that claim to be Cloti, but have Tifa holds one side, unrequited love. And Cloud is just there, waiting to die to find Aerith. That is the worst honestly. I mean people can ship whatever they want to ship but don’t step on other people’s ship.
Sounds like an anti ship fic. Which yeah unfortunately a lot of those exist. Unless it was like angst. I hate when ppl don't tag properly. Unfortunately this LTD lead to a lot of spiteful stuff like that.
 

liuliuliu

Pro Adventurer
Back then, when I read still fanfics (and more so CT fics), I stumbled on a fic like that (it was worse since Cloud and Aerith had sex after their GS date, although it wasn't described it was clear enough lol). That made me mad, but also... aware of the LTD. I had NO idea. Like, I finished the game, the LS scene was for me the scene where Cloud confessed his feelings, and there was an answer right there, CT was canon. Until internet, I guess. :mon:
lol so I’m not the only victim.
It was a long time ago, and I stop reading fanfics for yearsssss…but I still remember I got really mad at this
 

Rin

Pro Adventurer
AO3 has a much better tagging system, I've been able to avoid anti ship fic entirely. Thank god cause I read fanfic a lot, but mostly for my other fandoms
 

Hix

Pro Adventurer
Oh… wait what? Cetra look like normal humans, Remake confirms this.

Even if they were, Aerith looks like a normal human so… her baby with Cloud would look human too. Especially since the Ancient blood would be even more diluted at that point. Quarter-Ancient because Aerith is already only half-Ancient.

It's from a blue alien baby sticker you see on a vending machine in Wall Market while with Aerith, an early forerunner for Pupus in VIII and X etc. In typical Clerith fashion they conjectured that it's not just random graffiti but a picture of a real Cetra baby that the Devs added in as a bizarre romantic gesture (?)

If you think that's bad, it gets worse. When Advent Children came out some CA fans doubled down on the blue baby thing because there's a picture of a very young Denzel - who they believe is actually CA's child, Tifa may as well not exist remember - wearing all blue.

Sounds like an anti ship fic. Which yeah unfortunately a lot of those exist. Unless it was like angst. I hate when ppl don't tag properly. Unfortunately this LTD lead to a lot of spiteful stuff like that.

The LTD was never just your average ship war, it was always mostly about one side being canon. For this to happen, CT doesn't need to do anything and passively wins by default, but by it's very nature CA needs to attack/delegitimise CT (mostly Tifa, let's be real) to enter this discourse.

Mercifully the more straightforward approach of the Remakes, where there's not nearly enough ambiguity to argue that Cloud doesn't love Tifa, seems to have made this no longer an issue. Hopefully as a result we see less "anti-shipping" and more just "shipping" and enjoying CA for what it is, rather than what it never will be.
 

faefolk

Pro Adventurer
HELLO!!! YES, SAME. Sorry, I got excited at an SNS mention
They will forever be my headcanon. My boys light each other up so much. Ugh. Beautiful.

Also I will forever cry at Naruto's mental breakdown over Sasuke in the snow. My god. Just everything about their relationship is so precious. And thank god Kishi indulged us enough haha.
 
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faefolk

Pro Adventurer
So… is nobody going to clue me in on this blue baby business?
I don't even know how to explain it. The information just did not register as anything other than nonsense in my brain... But the picture seems to have burnt in there forever. Lordy.
 

faefolk

Pro Adventurer
If you think that's bad, it gets worse. When Advent Children came out some CA fans doubled down on the blue baby thing because there's a picture of a very young Denzel - who they believe is actually CA's child, Tifa may as well not exist remember - wearing all blue.
I keep seeing that apparently Sora is their lovechild too lmao. They just have all the children. Across all universes.

Maybe that's our multiple timeline twist 🤣
Cloud and Aerith bang in another dimension, have Sora and kickstart the events of KH. Dun, dun, dunnnnnn!! BAM. Clerith confirmed.
 

LunarTarotGirl

Pro Adventurer
AKA
Lunarae
@Hix While that is sadly true the anti CTs were and are horrible the opposite is also true. It took me a very long time to find people who even admit Cloud and Aerith are friends.

I feel with these things the sane response is "Hey these two people are both cool and have a nice friendship. I just don't think they're together romantically."

But that's not how antis of anything ever are. In any shipwar. It's never oh theyre just friends. It's
the girl involved is a terrible person and a traitor lliar snake and look at how much she hurt the guy and look how annoying and terrible she is insert misogyny here

But I'm pretty sure the majority of ppl who don't spend their life online trying to discredit ships out of insecurity just go. "hmm they look like just friends." Or "hmm they look pretty romantic"

And so I remind myself antis in shipwars are just like 10% of thousands of fans
. A very loud and obnoxious 10% percent. But still.

Listen I like to pretend there are no blue baby theories in the same timeline as me. Nothing to do with my reality and I object.

And I can guarantee you most CAs don't want it near them either.

Antis are their own group. In their own timeline.
 
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Ryushikaze

Deus Admiral Parsimonious, PHD, DDS, MD, JD, OBE
AKA
Tim, Ryu
I will say that CA is the only pairing I can think of where I "jumped" ship. I almost always go with the canon pairing---except ATLA. I will always ship Zuko and Katara (I still like Aang and Katara though).
Oh and Boys Over Flowers. Why didn't she pick Ji Hoo? :rage:

Right?!! Look at him he's so angry!!

@Rose Alive I respect that. I ship the enemy canon ship in ATLA but can appreciate Zuutara. I think in the end we just gotta always see it as the story going one way doesn't mean all is lost and you can't enjoy your ship or favorite characters.

Cano is literally just the story. It doesn't mean it's better or worse. It's just what happened. If something else had happened it could also be good. But it just didn't and that's ok.

Sadly LTD makes people forget often we're not fighting over the better pair. We're just trying to figure out what happened.

And yeah on BoysOverFlowers I 100% agree.

I'm probably in the very small minority who thinks very little of ATLA, but I also liked Zutara more than the main pair. Apart from not liking Aang all that much, their dynamic struck me as a little odd.

I heard of Boys over Flowers before but I never heard the entire story. Funny enough, I recall most of my classmates shipping the main pair.
You're all horrifically wrong, there is one pairing in all of the Airbender franchise that is canon and that is Iroh x Tea. All others are merely pretending.

Comparisons between FF games and also developmental behind the scenes don’t actually count unless it’s the writer’s intention.

Otherwise, I could point to Clive and Jill sharing the same mocap actors as Cloud and Tifa as confirmation the ship.
People are pretty sure the kiss in 16 is the same capped motion as the Cloud and Tifa kiss, too.

Cloud and Aerith = Squall and Selphie?!

Honestly add this to the list of takes worth outright ignoring.
I am reminded of the fact that Squall shares Amano art with Selphie but not Rinoa. But Amano actually has a weirdly low record for depicting the endgame romances in his art. Quite notable it wasn't until FFIV: The After Years that Cecil and Rosa appeared in his art together. If it's saying that in response to the "Amano drew Cloud and Aerith" arguments then it's valid, but otherwise nah.

I was gonna say, that’s definitely the definition of shipping that I was familiar with. I guess it’s changed over the years. But yeah, I guess I don’t have a lot of ships then. I tend to like the canon couples. I think it also relates to the “will they won’t they” relationship too. Like Zelda and Link. So I guess I ship them.

Pretty sure those two have something going on in Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom. And Skyward Sword. At least that's the way I see it. :mon:
Skyward was confirmed by the devs, IIRC and BOTW/ TOTK are not explicit but VERY heavily implied. Interestingly most other Zeldas and Links are not overtly romantic.

It's from a blue alien baby sticker you see on a vending machine in Wall Market while with Aerith, an early forerunner for Pupus in VIII and X etc. In typical Clerith fashion they conjectured that it's not just random graffiti but a picture of a real Cetra baby that the Devs added in as a bizarre romantic gesture (?)

If you think that's bad, it gets worse. When Advent Children came out some CA fans doubled down on the blue baby thing because there's a picture of a very young Denzel - who they believe is actually CA's child, Tifa may as well not exist remember - wearing all blue.
Now you're reminding me of a trolly counterargument I made in response to that argument (I remember Sora was ALSO supposed to be a C/A baby) and that's Denzel the Water Tower Accident Baby.

Hey anything cool going on in this thre-


why do I keep coming here?
Because you secretly love it and can never look away.
 

Empyrea

Pro Adventurer
You're all horrifically wrong, there is one pairing in all of the Airbender franchise that is canon and that is Iroh x Tea. All others are merely pretending.
I can ship that xP Iroh is the one good thing with no caveats that came out of my ATLA experience. And you can't have Iroh without tea. :mon:
 

Empyrea

Pro Adventurer
We used it like this in my circles: Shipping just means you support a pairing. Canon or otherwise.
Like you can accept a pair is canon but if you don't like them you don't ship them.
This has been my go-to definition of shipping and still is. That's probably why the need to be validated/confirmed by canon others have boggles my mind. Sadly, it also soured my fanfic experience because I've ran into one too many anti-fics where everyone is wildly out of character...which, imo, defeats the entire purpose.

I feel with these things the sane response is "Hey these two people are both cool and have a nice friendship. I just don't think they're together romantically."
Like, yeah, romantic ships are always heartwarming (when done right) and love is special, but friendship is the best ship! Or at the very least, you can never go wrong with it :D
 
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Eerie

Fire and Blood
I've always said it but there's a minority, very loud, for who the LTD will never end. It's not them that needed convincing, it's the rest of the fandom. To me those people? Just ignore them, by answering you make it sound like their arguments hold some weight, that they are logical.

The vast majority of the fandom holds CT as good as canon now.
 

Graymouse

Pro Adventurer
Is it fair to say that most C/T are Z/As by default?

For the most part I believe this statement to be true. Simply, because it follows the logical conclusion that most C/T do not want Aerith to be completely alone.

However, the other extreme C/A wants Tifa to be alone or be a slut that is throwing herself at Cloud because she is jealous of the relationship between C/A?
 

Hix

Pro Adventurer
Is it fair to say that most C/T are Z/As by default?

For the most part I believe this statement to be true. Simply, because it follows the logical conclusion that most C/T do not want Aerith to be completely alone.

It's pretty natural to be both, I think.

Objectively both CT and ZA compliment and enhance each other as their stories are connected from the beginning. Zack dies trying to be with Aerith and, by virtue of this, Cloud is able to be with Tifa. Cloud and Tifa, in a way, live out the story that could have been for Zack and Aerith.

As events progress, Aerith actively tries to recapture her lost love, shared with Zack, with Cloud. Similarly, Cloud is able to live out his SOLDIER bodyguard fantasy, created to impress Tifa, with Aerith. In the end, it doesn't work out. The right feelings but with the wrong person on both accounts.

By virtue of that duality we can come to appreciate just how much both ZA and CT are meant for each other. Where Cleriths sees Tifa and Zack as narrative obstacles to be avoided, Clotis and Zeriths can celebrate Aerith's relationship with Cloud knowing everything that happens comes to compliment CT/ZA rather than challenge them.
 
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thetriplerhyme

Pro Adventurer
AKA
thetriplerhyme
LTD is over
Cloud kissed Tifa, didn't do it with Aerith
That's the only truth

Some people may still feel bitter bout it but that's what's in the game~ optional or not still happens
He didnt do it with Aerith optional or not because again that's what's in the game.
 

Empyrea

Pro Adventurer
Is it fair to say that most C/T are Z/As by default?

For the most part I believe this statement to be true. Simply, because it follows the logical conclusion that most C/T do not want Aerith to be completely alone.

However, the other extreme C/A wants Tifa to be alone or be a slut that is throwing herself at Cloud because she is jealous of the relationship between C/A?
I don't see why CTs won't be ZAs unless they're on the extreme side (so yes, I'm also ZA).

My sister, as an example, is vehemently against Yuki (from Fruits Basket) ending up with someone else and declaring his feelings for Tohru as loving her like a mom. If I remember her words correctly, she finds it a bit forced to not have Yuki lose against Kyo for once. I personally think it's irrelevant because everyone's happy, but part of the Zodiac curse is that Yuki having the rat spirit usually has him earning everyone's adoration and just wins at everything, so I find that my sister's irritation makes sense (plus, it removes the excuse to just neatly solve the triangle in a way that I honestly felt was a cop out, regardless of whether or not it actually is).

In contrast to that, CT+ZA is basically a happy ending for all 4 characters in a way that makes narrative sense. That's rather rare and I think that deserves to be appreciated more.
 

Eerie

Fire and Blood
I don't see why CTs won't be ZAs unless they're on the extreme side (so yes, I'm also ZA).
I'm not ZA though, if only because there is something missing from their relationship - I guess in CC/R they were just too young. I wanted him and Aerith to do more I guess? IDK but compared to CT, it feels something is missing - or maybe I'm too wary because of CoLW. I do see Rebirth as very pro-ZA though and hopefully the last game will push me over for that pair.
 

Rin

Pro Adventurer
I'm not ZA though, if only because there is something missing from their relationship - I guess in CC/R they were just too young. I wanted him and Aerith to do more I guess? IDK but compared to CT, it feels something is missing - or maybe I'm too wary because of CoLW. I do see Rebirth as very pro-ZA though and hopefully the last game will push me over for that pair.
Their young love is def why I like them but I agree with you in that I want to see them interact as adults who are choosing to love each other and be dedicated to each other, which I think that's where the retrilogy is going. I found Aerith's "He's never given me a reason [not to like him]" in Rebirth very romantic, especially as he's been gone for 5 years.

Now, I wouldn't say ZA is my OTP or anything but I love a good ship that's got yearning. What pushed me firmly into ZA territory was the end of CC/CCR where Zack's DMW gets destroyed as he dies but just keeps looping Aerith over and over as she's his reason for fighting. That makes me cry every time and makes the DMW mechanic totally worth it.
 
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