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

[Empyrea]

LOOOL I remember this and it's kinda funny bc I was telling my friend there's weirdly a lot of parental foreshadowing around Zerith (both are shown to be loved and adored by every child they meet and they have a natural affinity w/ them) but it's not like I somehow expect them to have a kid. Realistically, it's just foreshadowing their roles in ACC as the two 'parents' watching over Cloud & co.

But when Hojo was talking about the potential of a Cetra/S-cell SOLDIER baby, I immediately thought of Zerith having a child in some AU.... And now we're doing some cracked out versions of AUs in Rebirth but I still don't expect a Zerith child in an alternate timeline or anything.

I usually don't expect kids for any pair. At least not in any way that'll be relevant. It usually surprises me when it does happen, ala Cecil and Rosa having...Ceodore, was it?

Had a friend finish the game recently who isn't a shipper in the slightest, and said its his observation that Cloud and Tifa end up together. I'm fairly certain anyone who has played the game without a shipper brain can see it.

When Remake first came out, I had 0 interest in it cause I already played FF7, then my sister watched playthroughs and told me, "You should see this! Cloud and Tifa are flirting for literally no reason!" And she isn't a shipper nor did she play FF7.

 

[Rin]

I usually don't expect kids for any pair. At least not in any way that'll be relevant. It usually surprises me when it does happen, ala Cecil and Rosa having...Ceodore, was it?

Ya me neither cause FF doesn't really do it but they did give Luna and Noctis kids in some random novel w/ the laziest character designs I've ever seen in my entire life lmaoooo

 

[thetriplerhyme]

Latest take is that CT fans wanted Tifa to die so that Cloud would be broken up about her. Do some of these people truly think that Aerith dying is romantic? That just shows they have 0% awareness of the actual world around them. Death is not romantic. Have they ever experienced someone close to them dying? Make it make sense please.

- I sometimes do feel C/A just winging it all these time even in Remake. They must have felt the difference on Cloud with Tifa and Aerith. Even it shows more in Rebirth.

The main issue I have with them is they never accept Tifa is part of the main story with Cloud's.

The kiss technically is just cherry on top.. the last date is the final straw for me

For Cloud another 'date' with Aerith is just friendñy one. That's it!

 

[gulava]

They want Cloud as their boyfriend. Plain and simple. Aerith is less of a threat than Tifa for Cloud's affection, so they cling to her. Nothing else matters in the story to them, even Cloud's whole character arc.

They also cling desperately to the idea that both Cloud and Aerith were always bullied (Tifa being queen of the bullies to Cloud) and had horrible childhoods and that's why they bond. Nojima's response to those suggestions was pretty clear and I love him for it. There's also a nice bit of dialogue in a sidequest in Rebirth where Cloud notes that they actually "had it pretty good" as kids (this is in reference to home-cooked meals, but I think he's also realizing his childhood wasn't that terrible overall, and he made it harder for himself) In the cat sidequest he also talks about how he wasn't happy to play alone, but that it was kind of his own fault. This is something that he doesn't really come to terms with in the OG until the Lifestream sequence, so this is more setting up for that to really hone in on his feelings for Tifa, and not just the village in general.

speaking of his childhood, i keep seeing CAs claiming the entier village ostracized cloud (including'tifa'), but we know cloud was the one pushing everyone away because he was insecure. or how cloud never received affection until aerith came into the picture? even tho he had his mom???

 

[GamerSkull]

speaking of his childhood, i keep seeing CAs claiming the entier village ostracized cloud (including'tifa'), but we know cloud was the one pushing everyone away because he was insecure. or how cloud never received affection until aerith came into the picture? even tho he had his mom???

It’s just another attempt to make Tifa seem like a bully that doesn’t deserve to be happy.

Pay them no mind.

 

[Nancy]

Had a friend finish the game recently who isn't a shipper in the slightest, and said its his observation that Cloud and Tifa end up together. I'm fairly certain anyone who has played the game without a shipper brain can see it.

Same as my colleagues who went to watch advent children complete with me when it came out in theater

She knew nothing about FFVII or it's characters but after the movie ended she ask me if Cloud and Tifa were a thing, her words, lol

 

[r_monk]

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.

I'm not a ZA technically because I'm one of the rare few who didn't care for Crisis Core or most of the compilation. I just didn't find it compelling (again, I realize I'm in the minority). I sort of preferred when Zack was more of a shocking plot device from OG. I'll never forget how I felt when I watched him get gunned down in cold blood, then shot up with bullets with his eyes wide open.

That being said, he seems like a total sweetie pie and he and Aerith are really cute together.

 

[r_monk]

Had a friend finish the game recently who isn't a shipper in the slightest, and said its his observation that Cloud and Tifa end up together. I'm fairly certain anyone who has played the game without a shipper brain can see it.

To piggyback off people's comments, one of my closest friends who teaches videogames at a university level and who somehow had never played FFVII (I think they were annoyed by the people who kept pushing them to play throughout the years lol), juuuuust started their first playthrough a few months ago. We've been chatting about it the whole time. They loved Aerith (as do I) and liked Tifa.

Guess what plot point they just finished? The Lifestream. Their mind was fucking blown and their whole take was that Aerith was a bit of a red herring love interest, but that it also makes sense that Cloud would be into Tifa. They're very much not a shipper and not involved in any of the crazy discourse and fighting from over the years, and their impression (Zack and identity stuff aside) was that Cloud always seemed intimidated by Tifa, even though she was the one he always liked. Then this fun, cute girl comes along and gives him attention, which is easier to engage with than his actual love interest.

 

[AncientGrimoire]

Just did the Aerith Costa del Sol date side quest.

They are for sure keeping the Love Triangle Debate alive and thriving

But also, aside from the quest being kinda fun and sweet, it’s also a little bit awkward? Like the rest of the party is just tagging along while Cloud and Aerith do all these things, not saying a word…

Also that line about Aerith and Cloud riding a chocobo together, like the entire quest Aerith is soo trying to make it romantic and Cloud pushes against it but also sort of goes with it.

There’s also the beginning bit where one of the swimsuit girls says Aerith looks like a girl who goes after what she wants… I honestly don’t know what to make of this quest really, it’s awkwardly written to be truthful, seems oddly placed, and just completely fuels the LTD.

Like it’s a romantic date and Cloud fully accepts riding a chocobo with Aerith so he reciprocates the romantic parts with her. But he also calls her mean?! Like I need to properly take this all in context with the rest of the game as a whole but yeah, the devs are totally playing up both girls.
And Cloud.

It’s great they’re making Aerith and Tifa such close friends. But then they do them dirty like this by just making Tifa silent and having Cloud and Aerith go on this date. I know the Gongaga stuff is coming and there’s other moments where you get Cloud and Tifa, and Cloud and Aerith, and we’re supposed to be convinced that Tifa and Aerith are just ok with both them doing this with Cloud?

There needs to be better peer review when it comes to the writing in moments like this I just feel it’s a disservice to all the characters involved. They NEED an actual woman involved in the writing here, cause yes it’s great they’re really establishing the close friendship of Aerith and Tifa, but then they selectively choose for that friendship to not be relevant to the plot where it’s convenient for CT and CA moments.

It makes Cloud look like a really bad person.

I need to finish the game for the full context I know but right now my head just hurts lol

 

[r_monk]

They are for sure keeping the Love Triangle Debate alive and thriving

Lol, I thought the opposite with that "date." It was super awkward and not romantic at all... to the point where I almost felt bad for Aerith and also wanted to smack Cloud (a few of us have said this in this forum in regards to that side quest, haha).

 

[Rin]

Yeah I had the opposite reaction because Cloud kept saying mean shit the entire time lmao If I got treated like that on a date I'd have the ick.

 

[AncientGrimoire]

Lol, I thought the opposite with that "date." It was super awkward and not romantic at all... to the point where I almost felt bad for Aerith and also wanted to smack Cloud (a few of us have said this in this forum in regards to that side quest, haha).

It did feel awkward. I mean for starters having the three women who were previously fawning over Hojo be the ones to give the quest felt really off to me. Like they were all over him throughout the boss battle where he was saying the absolutely twisted things about the party.

The bit that stood out as a massive bit of dark foreshadowing was Cloud’s line about the shells and it being an omen of death. So yeah it had its awkward moments, and I guess overall the tone was in keeping with the similar sorts of dates and scenes you had with Aerith in Remake.

But that bit at the end with the riding the same chocobo felt very forward, and kind of out of place, I don’t know. Also the fact not one of them objected to the fact they kept on being called a couple in love multiple times is just going to be fired across the bow now with every LTD argument on Twitter. Thank god I don’t have to see it.

Yeah I had the opposite reaction because Cloud kept saying mean shit the entire time lmao If I got treated like that on a date I'd have the ick.

Some of the stuff he says is questionable. I mean he’s sweet in places but also just says stuff that doesn’t respond well to what Aerith was saying. Like she thinks he’s going to say something romantic about the shells, and he’s like nope omen of death. He doesn’t care about food when she wonders what some of the seafood is like. And him calling her mean completely threw me especially when she wasn’t saying anything mean.

Ultimately I guess in the bigger picture I’m glad that they are allowed moments like this since it’s unlikely we’ll be getting Aerith sidequests in Part 3, but the writing here is just all over the place for me.

No other sidequest has been this mixed, they’ve all been really good. This is the first one that’s got me feeling off about it. Everything else in the main story so far with the characters has been perfect.

 

[r_monk]

Yeah I had the opposite reaction because Cloud kept saying mean shit the entire time lmao If I got treated like that on a date I'd have the ick.

Didn't he also keep insisting it wasn't a date? Like, OKAY!!! lol

 

[Rin]

But that bit at the end with the riding the same chocobo felt very forward, and kind of out of place, I don’t know. Also the fact not one of them objected to the fact they kept on being called a couple in love multiple times is just going to be fired across the bow now with every LTD argument on Twitter. Thank god I don’t have to see it.

Tbh I haven't seen any shippers bring up this date at all, only Aerith fans (myself included) who didn't like it bc of how Cloud was treating her.

 

[r_monk]

Tbh I haven't seen any shippers bring up this date at all, only Aerith fans (myself included) who didn't like it bc of how Cloud was treating her.

Oh, that's so interesting, but also makes total sense. Even the bizarre dream date was far better than this one.

 

[Rin]

Didn't he also keep insisting it wasn't a date? Like, OKAY!!! lol

Yes LMAO and he kept saying all the ideas were cheap and bad. Aerith said she thought they were romantic and he was basically judging her lmaooooo and when she asked what he would do instead he was like "I'm no romantic" and wouldn't even humour her on his idea of what a good date would be in his opinion. Like damn, he's so strict.

 

[r_monk]

Yes LMAO and he kept saying all the ideas were cheap and bad. Aerith said she thought they were romantic and he was basically judging her lmaooooo and when she asked what he would do instead he was like "I'm no romantic" and wouldn't even humour her on his idea of what a good date would be in his opinion. Like damn, he's so strict.

Yeah, I was like damn, dude, what climbed up your ass and died? Maybe one of Hojo's monsters. I did laugh out loud when she asks him about swimsuits and he says something about picking something functional so he could fight underwater. Like..... bro lol

Although, didn't she ask if he liked long walks for a date? And he said yes and she reminded him of their first "date" in sector 5. I guess that was pretty cute?

 

[Rin]

Yeah, I was like damn, dude, what climbed up your ass and died? Maybe one of Hojo's monsters. I did laugh out loud when she asks him about swimsuits and he says something about picking something functional so he could fight underwater. Like..... bro lol

Although, didn't she ask if he liked long walks for a date? And he said yes and she reminded him of their first "date" in sector 5. I guess that was pretty cute?

There are cute moments interspersed but it's mostly cringey. I, unfortunately, laughed when she said they should ride the same Chocobo next time and he said "And slow down the bird?" I was like "Why are you such an idiot??? Also Zack would've offered for them to ride one bird at the start! This why you're NOT the man for her!!"

 

[GamerSkull]

There are cute moments interspersed but it's mostly cringey. I, unfortunately, laughed when she said they should ride the same Chocobo next time and he said "And slow down the bird?" I was like "Why are you such an idiot??? Also Zack would've offered for them to ride one bird at the start! This why you're NOT the man for her!!"

Maybe he’s doing it on purpose…, Heh.

 

[Rin]

Maybe he’s doing it on purpose…, Heh.

Oh he most certainly is lmaooo and that's half the issue

 

[GamerSkull]

Oh he most certainly is lmaooo and that's half the issue

The same guy who held up his drink and said “Beautiful” to Tifa.

 

[Rin]

Oh, that's so interesting, but also makes total sense. Even the bizarre dream date was far better than this one.

Honestly, they don't even talk about CA moments lol all they talk about is CT and trying to downplay every moment they have. It's.... embarrassing. The hyperfocus is a little too real lol they just want everything CT has while pretending what they have is better but somehow never talking about what they have....

 

[r_monk]

There are cute moments interspersed but it's mostly cringey. I, unfortunately, laughed when she said they should ride the same Chocobo next time and he said "And slow down the bird?" I was like "Why are you such an idiot??? Also Zack would've offered for them to ride one bird at the start! This why you're NOT the man for her!!"

Omfg I forgot about that hahahah. Humorless min-maxxer Cloud Strife.

 

[r_monk]

Honestly, they don't even talk about CA moments lol all they talk about is CT and trying to downplay every moment they have. It's.... embarrassing. The hyperfocus is a little too real lol they just want everything CT has while pretending what they have is better but somehow never talking about what they have....

I've seen that and also seen them talk about the church moment and the crazy ending. The worst takes I've seen so far is that Cloud is, in fact, mentally stable and happy that Aerith is there. Huh??

 

[Rose Alive]

I've been trying to view the Remake project in the most unbiased way possible, especially because I didn't think we were going to get any answers regarding CA and how they felt about one another (pleasantly surprised we did though).

And that date was anything but romantic. Even though you had people referring to them as a couple like in Wallmarket, I think that's just an assumption made when a guy and a girl are seen together. It's happened to me, and I'm sure to many people here as well. Or the devs are trolling the players, idk.

Cloud told her not to view it as a romantic date. He wasn't joking or playing mind games. It really sounded like he meant what he said and that he was trying to set some boundaries.

And if things were reversed and this was a date he'd had with Tifa, and he acted the same way as he did with Aerith (although I can't see him treating Tifa that way going by how he's been with her in both Remake and Rebirth) my view on this would be the same.