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

[GamerSkull]

It's Tifa. The first four notes of her theme hit in that scene lol. Yes, some CT fans have a really good musical ear (which I am thankful for lol).

Is that actually true? I might have to watch it again to see if I can catch it.

 

[Eerie]

I think it's when Cloud nods or something like that. I couldn't listen properly when they talked about it and well after that I forgot xD

 

[Stiggie]

But I don't think any of the Ultimania are inconsistent at all? Nor the devs honestly? How so? Do you mean it's not consistent with the Digicube guide because I talked about how it's the same idea. But if you have something else I will hear you out .

Also I'm really just not agreeing w the idea of Ultimania being wrong somehow.
It used to be used as a way by extremist CA's to discredit Ultimania back in the day when they were first translated. They said stuff like it can be anybody who wrote it doesn't mean the devs approve it so they could easily ignore the argument.

And to be honest I really do not like that implication sorry.

Because if we do start saying yeah Ultimania or the devs are inconsistent it just becomes the easiest open door to discredit a bunch of other stuff in the Ultimania. And can now apply to anything anyone wants to ignore any part of it. So then its credibility greatly falls. Anyone can then cherry pick which parts of Word of God they agree with or argue that this or that passage is the truth while this one is a mistake and that just makes this debate a whole million times worse. And if this is inconsistent who is to say we should listen to X interview too etc.

It really would never end. I know you're not trying to do that but honestly that's what would happen. Which is why I basically say if it's in the Ultimania it's official it's approved that's good enough for me. And that has always been my argument when it came to questioning passages in Ultimania. Or anything official. I don't question it. Bc we don't need to add to the chaos. I'm just saying that's what it says.

Also saying Aerith here does make sense because it's her hand as I said her theme literally plays before this. Then he tells Tifa what he saw and she is happy because in a previous scene she was talking about wishing to see her. It's a culmination. I don't understand all this doubt?

I do think this scene is perfectly fine as is because it is implied to be about how seeing her means a door to seeing everyone in the afterlife. Maybe it could be clearer in ReTrilogy to avoid bad faith interpretation sure but that doesn't make the original wrong or the Ultimania or devs inconsistent.

No, mostly meant the digicube guide. Thought I remembered having a few more quotes on the matter but fewer than I remembered, and slightly different in nature.
There is, like you said, the digicube guide, which paints the quote as a more inclusive sentiment, then there is page 203 from the Ultimania Omega, which talks about Bugenhagens passing and specifically notes that the teams insistence that they "might meet him again somewhere" is mirrored in Cloud and Tifas talk in the ending. There is also a final fantasy art museum card, but while that one has some elaboration that makes it sound more generic it can still be argued to only apply to Aerith, plus wouldn't really be canon anyway. And lastly there is the original storyboard for the scene, which also paints a more general picture of going to see the dead, inspired by earlier talks concerning the dead existing past mount Nibel.

Thing is, for me, I am not worried too much about people ignoring ultimanias or other quotes, I am more worried about people taking a quote and lashing onto it as though it perfectly represents some unchanging perfectly articulated word of god. I prefer taking a wider view of everything that's being said to see what the general theme is in all relevant statements and events, and then using that to interpret the lines themselves.

While I think that Aerith is specifically pointed out as the vehicle for the sentiment being expressed, I don't believe the focus of the quote is about Aerith. I believe the focus is on Cloud and Tifa and their fate, with Aerith being used as the most symbolic example to express a general sentiment. For one, people usually tend not to make their deaths about someone else, so going "their last thoughts are about how they're going to meet Aerith specifically" feels intuitively bizarre to me, it feels arrogant to make someones death about someone else. If they really were thinking about meeting the dead in concrete logistics, I would assume that Tifas father, Clouds mother, Jessie, and the others, would all feature in there somewhere as well.
It's like if I were bitching about having to go see my mother in law, but then me and my mate end up in a plane crash, and to comfort me he says something like "well, at least you won't have to go see your mother in law". Then that sentence is technically about my mother in law, sure, but the sentiment is still more about the impending end to all our problems in general.
Similarly, while Aerith is singled out by the ultimania as the person they're talking about, I still find it more likely that she's used as a sort of symbolic user case.

 

[GamerSkull]

As far as I know, there aren't. Certainly not any where they're teasing him about his potential romantic feelings for her (You do have Red telling Cloud he needs to protect Aerith and Zack asking him to save Aerith, but uhh...oops). Whereas in the OG there was at the very least the Barret date where he tells Cloud to choose one (and makes it weird about Marlene), whereas now their bro-date is a very sweet and I guess more ambiguous re: who Barret is talking about.

Meanwhile, re: Cloud's feelings for Tifa, you have this side quest with Yuffie (which happens almost immediately after she joins the party, so it's hilarious how quickly she clocks him), Yuffie and Cait Sith whispering for them to kiss outside the door in Gongaga, Yuffie bringing up Tifa's crush on Cloud/asking if he liked her too in Yuffie's own GS date, oh and Aerith teasing him about wanting little Tifa to wave at him when he was a kid. They're really not being subtle at all, lol.
In any case, can't wait for the part 3 Yuffie vs. Marle showdown to see who's the biggest in-universe shipper

Pre-Rebirth, one could argue there were few explicitly, unambiguously romantic scenes in general (like I guess the Lifestream and Highwind scenes are written to be ambiguous enough to go over the heads of some children at least, lol), and Cloud is kinda just clueless/unresponsive in this part of the OG's story, so I guess I can see how people could still argue we don't know his feelings either way.

Rebirth changes that completely. If someone is still legitimately confused as to who Cloud's love interest is supposed to be and wants to find the answer in good faith, then they have to look at every scene, optional or not, to get the full context for his character.

The Tifa GS date is a gamechanger, not just because he kisses her, but because it shows us exactly how Cloud would react if a woman he is romantically interested in expressed her romantic interest in him: he confirms his feelings with words and actions.

This is now the lens through which we have to view his interactions with every other person who expresses their romantic interest in him. Before, you could argue, well Cloud deflecting, "pretending" to be annoyed is just him being shy/clueless.

Well, with Tifa, he's clearly not clueless. Tifa's "confession" in Rebirth is arguably even more ambiguous than it was in the OG. She phrases it in such a way that he could deflect/let her down easy if he doesn't feel the same, but he understands what she's saying immediately. It takes less time for Cloud to extend his hand and verbally confirm his feelings than it does for Tifa to process what's happening and take his hand.

As for being shy -- again, in Tifa's date, we see what Cloud being shy around someone who he's romantically interested in actually looks like. He does not deflect/put an awkward end to conversations, instead he actively engages while stealing glances/staring at her, but is unable to maintain eye contact when he's caught, lol.

On the other hand, Rebirth also has Cloud verbally confirming that his relationship with Jessie wasn't romantic. So his reactions in Remake to her overt advances weren't him secretly reciprocating her feelings. Now, does that dynamic remind us of his relationship with someone else?

Rebirth gives us all of that before we even get to the Yuffie of it all. Before, we had a bunch of people commenting on Cloud/Tifa's closeness/childhood friendship, in an implied but not unambiguously romantic way. Rebirth basically has Yuffie barging in every other chapter screaming, "Hey, Cloud, do you have a big fat crush on Tifa???" just in case some people still don't get it.

The current cope with this, however, is that this is all Soldier Cloud and Aerith draws out the Real Cloud.

Yes, an inverse of the OG. Yes, the Ultimania says different but it is being ignored.

I think the fundamental issue at the heart of the matter is that shippers on the other side likely wish Tifa and Aerith’s roles were swapped. The portion of Cloud’s arc that regards Tifa is hard to square away, especially after the Northern Cave. Since Cloud is at the height of his identity issues at the moment, the idea that his interaction with Tifa in Rebirth could just be his SOLDIER persona coming out is something that can be clung to.

 

[LunarTarotGirl]

@Stiggie I see. Yeah I'm not against that idea. In fact I'm pretty sure I said that somewhere before that this quote is about the truth of Promised Land in general. And Aerith is a symbol of the loved ones. Seeing her hand leads Cloud to realize the truth and basically it means there is proof to them that death is not their end they will be reunited with their lost ones. All of them. Not just her.

I was just saying I don't think the translation itself was wrong or that the Ultimania was inconsistent. It's just people misunderstood that this is a symbol of a bigger topic in context.

 

[Rin]

One thing I don't think people are prepared for (but they should start getting themselves prepared for it now) is that it's no longer going to be just Aerith waiting for them in the LS. Zack is gonna be there, too. In fact, I won't even be surprised if SE has Aerith reach to Tifa and Zack reach to Cloud. I'd gladly welcome that change, personally if only to make people stfu lol

 

[Gym Leader Devil]

The worst thing about the LTD to me has always been how much attention it takes from other character relationships. You can't appreciate Barret's dad-ass energy fully if you're forcing him and Tifa together to keep Tifa away from Cloud. You can't appreciate Aerith's incredible success at socializing the shy, scared stray dog Cloud has become fully if you just nitpick it for romance. I've seen the entire rest of the party fully marginalized or ignored save for facetious claims that they back up Clerith in some way. And most damning to me is how it overshadows Tifa and Aerith's stunning friendship. It was bad enough in the OG, but after RE and RE2 it just blinkers me to deads and back. Those poor souls put on Shipping Goggles(TM) to avoid seeing CT, and look what they miss for it. Cloud isn't the one healing Aerith's hide and seek trauma, Tifa gets that beautiful "Found you!" moment. Look at them fangirl for each other after wrecking Corneo's goons. Look at them in Costa del Sol. Aerith and Tifa hit it off so hard and stayed best friends/road roomies the whole journey and hardcore, extremist shipping could have you believe they're bitter enemies if you let it. Extremism is bad, and in LTD terms this is the worst of it to me.

 

[Eerie]

I adore the Aerti friendship but I think it was more superficial than in Remake, because DAMN they didn't SHOW their chats and I wanted more of that. YES I AM GREEDY.

At least I got my Costa del Sol aerti shopping date as I envisioned in Remake :p but still, I loved their friendship in Remake because you could see them supporting each other, here you see that they have convos but you are privvy to none except the Kalm one I feel it's missing compared to Remake, even though yes, I can see how and WHY they developed it that way, I still wish for more.

 

[Stiggie]

One thing I don't think people are prepared for (but they should start getting themselves prepared for it now) is that it's no longer going to be just Aerith waiting for them in the LS. Zack is gonna be there, too. In fact, I won't even be surprised if SE has Aerith reach to Tifa and Zack reach to Cloud. I'd gladly welcome that change, personally if only to make people stfu lol

Honestly, I'd even say I'd love that change. I tend to hate change but that just feels right, makes more sense.

 

[Stiggie]

The worst thing about the LTD to me has always been how much attention it takes from other character relationships. You can't appreciate Barret's dad-ass energy fully if you're forcing him and Tifa together to keep Tifa away from Cloud. You can't appreciate Aerith's incredible success at socializing the shy, scared stray dog Cloud has become fully if you just nitpick it for romance. I've seen the entire rest of the party fully marginalized or ignored save for facetious claims that they back up Clerith in some way. And most damning to me is how it overshadows Tifa and Aerith's stunning friendship. It was bad enough in the OG, but after RE and RE2 it just blinkers me to deads and back. Those poor souls put on Shipping Goggles(TM) to avoid seeing CT, and look what they miss for it. Cloud isn't the one healing Aerith's hide and seek trauma, Tifa gets that beautiful "Found you!" moment. Look at them fangirl for each other after wrecking Corneo's goons. Look at them in Costa del Sol. Aerith and Tifa hit it off so hard and stayed best friends/road roomies the whole journey and hardcore, extremist shipping could have you believe they're bitter enemies if you let it. Extremism is bad, and in LTD terms this is the worst of it to me.

The whole Aerith and Tifa bond brings up a host of issues. Don't get me wrong, I love the dynamic, and I want more of it. But it comes back to what I've been saying about Clerith poisoning everything.
The developers could do such a better job telling this story if they completely stopped trying to give Clerith wiggle room. One of my main gripes in story telling is when stuff seems to revolve around the main character for no reason.

So for instance if people fall in love with a person, simply because they're the main character. My biggest gripe is probably when someone dies, and even though they have friends and family that have known them for years, the main character is the one who gets the focus, who does the eulogy or gets some sort of inheritance, or is the one getting comforted, even though they only just met them. There are times and ways to do it where it works, but quite often it feels like some sort of weird "center of the universe" complex thing that I find off-putting. What I love about Clouds story, originally, is that it really is the opposite of that. He's not the center of the universe, and not only that, but the hubris of the player in assuming they're the center of the universe is what allows the OG to so effectively pull the wool over their eyes. No one suspects they're just a grunt, because everyone assumes they're the chosen one.

This is one of the reasons I love the idea of Aerith not genuinely falling in love with Cloud, it reinforces the idea that he's not the typical self-insert fantasy. I hate the idea of "Yeah, I know I've been pining over my wonderful loving ex boyfriend for 5 years, but after spending one week with you being an asshole, braindamaged, and trying to get together with another woman I've gotten over all of that, you are what I really want! what? You're channeling my ex-bf's spirit? A meaningless triviality, I love the real you and can't wait to meet him!".

But to come back to why I think Tifa and Aeriths bond has come with a host of issues.

Right now it has become more annoying than ever to me that the game is presenting Cloud and Aeriths bond as special....because from everything I've seen, Tifa is the one who had the special bond with Aerith. She's the one she should be wanting to talk to post death, hell, she's even the one she should want to go on a dream date with, even if only to go clothes shopping and fulfil the date they had planned in Remake.

I like that Cloud was paired more with Tifa in rebirth, and I liked seeing Tifa and Aerith. But man does it make chapter 14 weird as all hell. Love the Tifa/Aerith friendship, wish they'd just axe Clerith bait entirely so they could properly explore it.

 

[LNK]

Yep, ol' Toxic Tifa they call her. The woman Cloud kisses while staying true to Aerith's love story. It was just a kiss between siblings so it doesn't count. Well, as long as they're not anime siblings. (Protip: never ever watch anime with Sister in the name)

Also did they forget Cloud literally called Tifa beautiful lol

Gross, I always had a suspicion Cloud kept it in the family

 

[LNK]

Called us all "Blankbeat's victims who were coping" or something lol...Let me see if I can find it...

Jeez, not Blankbeat again

 

[Hellenic]

I adore the Aerti friendship but I think it was more superficial than in Remake, because DAMN they didn't SHOW their chats and I wanted more of that. YES I AM GREEDY.

Yeah it felt like they wanted to hide way too much from the players here by not showing almost anything from their POV. We can only hope we get some insight to their conversations in the third game, but i don't have too high hopes for that right now.

 

[Gym Leader Devil]

@LNK Well Cloud and Tifa are rural mountain folk like all Nibelheimians... Nibelians? Nibelheimers? Fuck it, they're hillbillies

Also, BlankBeat was actually very tame, trust me. The Cleriths of yore would have considered them borderline Cloti tolerant

 

[Ryeleigh]

One thing I don't think people are prepared for (but they should start getting themselves prepared for it now) is that it's no longer going to be just Aerith waiting for them in the LS. Zack is gonna be there, too. In fact, I won't even be surprised if SE has Aerith reach to Tifa and Zack reach to Cloud. I'd gladly welcome that change, personally if only to make people stfu lol

You have no idea how much I want Zack and Cloud to interact, lol. I don't even care if Zack goes the way of the lifestream right afterwards as long as I can see them acknowledge and interact first for a brief moment. Same for Zerith reunion. We're all greedy here, lol.

 

[LNK]

The villagers mostly.

Spoiler

she says what she saw while with Weapon in the Lifestream and they all think she’s nuts. Bugenhagen doesn’t think she’s necessarily crazy but he doesn’t believe her at all.

I'm not there yet, but hopefully people aren't saying that's necessarily a bad thing. It's just a reflection of real life

 

[LNK]

@LNK Well Cloud and Tifa are rural mountain folk like all Nibelheimians... Nibelians? Nibelheimers? Fuck it, they're hillbillies

Also, BlankBeat was actually very tame, trust me. The Cleriths of yore would have considered them borderline Cloti tolerant

Shit, they're probably both products of incest

As for Blankbeat, they definitely weren't tame for this forum. At least in my experience haha

 

[GamerSkull]

@LNK Well Cloud and Tifa are rural mountain folk like all Nibelheimians... Nibelians? Nibelheimers? Fuck it, they're hillbillies

Also, BlankBeat was actually very tame, trust me. The Cleriths of yore would have considered them borderline Cloti tolerant

Ahem, they’re referred to as “Nibelheimerino(s)”. Check your lore, mate.

Also, I’m starting to dread thinking what shipping must have been like without the Compilation. When it was only the OG.

 

[Sacky]

As far as I know, there aren't. Certainly not any where they're teasing him about his potential romantic feelings for her (You do have Red telling Cloud he needs to protect Aerith and Zack asking him to save Aerith, but uhh...oops). Whereas in the OG there was at the very least the Barret date where he tells Cloud to choose one (and makes it weird about Marlene), whereas now their bro-date is a very sweet and I guess more ambiguous re: who Barret is talking about.

Meanwhile, re: Cloud's feelings for Tifa, you have this side quest with Yuffie (which happens almost immediately after she joins the party, so it's hilarious how quickly she clocks him), Yuffie and Cait Sith whispering for them to kiss outside the door in Gongaga, Yuffie bringing up Tifa's crush on Cloud/asking if he liked her too in Yuffie's own GS date, oh and Aerith teasing him about wanting little Tifa to wave at him when he was a kid. They're really not being subtle at all, lol.
In any case, can't wait for the part 3 Yuffie vs. Marle showdown to see who's the biggest in-universe shipper

Pre-Rebirth, one could argue there were few explicitly, unambiguously romantic scenes in general (like I guess the Lifestream and Highwind scenes are written to be ambiguous enough to go over the heads of some children at least, lol), and Cloud is kinda just clueless/unresponsive in this part of the OG's story, so I guess I can see how people could still argue we don't know his feelings either way.

Rebirth changes that completely. If someone is still legitimately confused as to who Cloud's love interest is supposed to be and wants to find the answer in good faith, then they have to look at every scene, optional or not, to get the full context for his character.

The Tifa GS date is a gamechanger, not just because he kisses her, but because it shows us exactly how Cloud would react if a woman he is romantically interested in expressed her romantic interest in him: he confirms his feelings with words and actions.

This is now the lens through which we have to view his interactions with every other person who expresses their romantic interest in him. Before, you could argue, well Cloud deflecting, "pretending" to be annoyed is just him being shy/clueless.

Well, with Tifa, he's clearly not clueless. Tifa's "confession" in Rebirth is arguably even more ambiguous than it was in the OG. She phrases it in such a way that he could deflect/let her down easy if he doesn't feel the same, but he understands what she's saying immediately. It takes less time for Cloud to extend his hand and verbally confirm his feelings than it does for Tifa to process what's happening and take his hand.

As for being shy -- again, in Tifa's date, we see what Cloud being shy around someone who he's romantically interested in actually looks like. He does not deflect/put an awkward end to conversations, instead he actively engages while stealing glances/staring at her, but is unable to maintain eye contact when he's caught, lol.

On the other hand, Rebirth also has Cloud verbally confirming that his relationship with Jessie wasn't romantic. So his reactions in Remake to her overt advances weren't him secretly reciprocating her feelings. Now, does that dynamic remind us of his relationship with someone else?

Rebirth gives us all of that before we even get to the Yuffie of it all. Before, we had a bunch of people commenting on Cloud/Tifa's closeness/childhood friendship, in an implied but not unambiguously romantic way. Rebirth basically has Yuffie barging in every other chapter screaming, "Hey, Cloud, do you have a big fat crush on Tifa???" just in case some people still don't get it.

Ive heard that in Barrets Date, the start of Tifas theme can be heard in the music near the end (i personally cant really tell though)
I would argue the biggest in-game shipper for Cloti was actually Thea Tifas Mom XD. Setting them up as children.

Traces of Two Pasts Tifa - Cloud has such a beautiful face. She recalled her mother's words, and how her mother went on to say, "Well, I think he's even more beautiful than your great hero, Sephiroth." Her mother compared Cloud to a Soldier from Shinra Company – who the youth in those days touted as the great hero, Sephiroth – as a way of complimenting Cloud. Tifa remembered thinking in her head at that time, "Oh, is he?"

 

[Sacky]

I'm not there yet, but hopefully people aren't saying that's necessarily a bad thing. It's just a reflection of real life

I'm confused by people talking about this scene as anything bad. Theres nothing against Tifa at all; the villagers don't believe her but encourage her to speak and are very supportive.
The main party also supports her, and there is no indication of them not believing her. Its mostly played for comedy from Bugenhagen thinking shes wrong but we know that Tifas theory is correct

 

[Gym Leader Devil]

As for Blankbeat, they definitely weren't tame for this forum. At least in my experience haha

This forum is the only place I've ever engaged with the LTD, I'm talking about the bad old days. LTD threads were a lot funnier back then, but it's undeniably healthier now. I stand by what I said, BlankBeat now seems tame to me compared to back then.

Ahem, they’re referred to as “Nibelheimerino(s)”. Check your lore, mate.

Nibelheimerinos... I like it!

Also, I’m starting to dread thinking what shipping must have been like without the Compilation. When it was only the OG.

Honestly, LTD with OG only should be the easiest thing in the world. Aerith died, Under the Highwind happened, move along people. I vaguely recall a time when the Compilation was often referred to as the Complication

 

[insanehobbit]

I always thought it wasn't all that serious from Jessie's side either? That she just liked riling him up because she thought his reactions were cute/funny?

That's how I read it too, so I always found the fandom hate for her a bit over-the-top (the behavior of a certain user aside...) Maybe it's just because I know so many theater kids IRL who act just like her so I always took her whole "thing" for Cloud as a "I'm joking! But what if I wasn't...?" kind of situation where if he was actually interested, great! But she's not really expecting him to reciprocate, and it's no big deal to her if he doesn't.

The entire party dynamic is done really well in Rebirth, which was pretty crucial since the first 6 chapters of the game is basically just Jersey Shore Final Fantasy Family Vacation. Barret and Yuffie, especially, are just so well-integrated with everyone, and their dynamics with each and every other individual party member are so clear.

Unfortunately (out of the human party members at least), I found Aerith's relationships with everyone else were the least distinct, which is a real shame. I thought it was odd for her to comment on how jealous she was that Cloud and Tifa were childhood friends after the Kalm Flashback and in fake!Nibelheim -- like you're jealous that they went through unspeakable trauma together? But then I realized, she's also been through unspeakable trauma as a child and she had no one to confide in/commiserate with at all, until she met Zack.

Her loneliness is huge part of a her character, so the whole found family aspect of the game should have hit the hardest for someone like her. Which I think was the intent, given her speech in Cosmo Canyon, but I wish the game had actually bothered showing us.

The tension between Aerith finally finding the "family" (or family of friends) she's been searching for her entire life vs. her duty as a Cetra (the very thing that made it so difficult for her to find this in the first place) meaning that their time together will have to be cut short is already such fertile ground for character on its own. It's a damn shame the game gave this part of her character the short shrift to focus on her complicated feelings for Zack/Cloud. Especially since the game left very little to "debate" re: the LTD, her relationship with Cloud doesn't have the same narrative heft compared to his with Tifa. So why spend so much time on that vs. the other (honestly more interesting) aspects of her character?

 

[LNK]

This forum is the only place I've ever engaged with the LTD, I'm talking about the bad old days. LTD threads were a lot funnier back then, but it's undeniably healthier now. I stand by what I said, BlankBeat now seems tame to me compared to back then.

Oh ok, I see. I've only been here for about 5 years, so for me, Blankbeat is one of the worst. I guess I'm just thankful to not be apart of the days you were lol.

 

[Gym Leader Devil]

Bear in mind I'm not defending BB, they're still a goal post moving, strawman building, teal deer herding, walking bad faith argument Just with less actual screaming insults and such.

Also insanehobbit, that whole post? Win.

 

[Sacky]

That's how I read it too, so I always found the fandom hate for her a bit over-the-top (the behavior of a certain user aside...) Maybe it's just because I know so many theater kids IRL who act just like her so I always took her whole "thing" for Cloud as a "I'm joking! But what if I wasn't...?" kind of situation where if he was actually interested, great! But she's not really expecting him to reciprocate, and it's no big deal to her if he doesn't.

The entire party dynamic is done really well in Rebirth, which was pretty crucial since the first 6 chapters of the game is basically just Jersey Shore Final Fantasy Family Vacation. Barret and Yuffie, especially, are just so well-integrated with everyone, and their dynamics with each and every other individual party member are so clear.

Unfortunately (out of the human party members at least), I found Aerith's relationships with everyone else were the least distinct, which is a real shame. I thought it was odd for her to comment on how jealous she was that Cloud and Tifa were childhood friends after the Kalm Flashback and in fake!Nibelheim -- like you're jealous that they went through unspeakable trauma together? But then I realized, she's also been through unspeakable trauma as a child and she had no one to confide in/commiserate with at all, until she met Zack.

Her loneliness is huge part of a her character, so the whole found family aspect of the game should have hit the hardest for someone like her. Which I think was the intent, given her speech in Cosmo Canyon, but I wish the game had actually bothered showing us.

The tension between Aerith finally finding the "family" (or family of friends) she's been searching for her entire life vs. her duty as a Cetra (the very thing that made it so difficult for her to find this in the first place) meaning that their time together will have to be cut short is already such fertile ground for character on its own. It's a damn shame the game gave this part of her character the short shrift to focus on her complicated feelings for Zack/Cloud. Especially since the game left very little to "debate" re: the LTD, her relationship with Cloud doesn't have the same narrative heft compared to his with Tifa. So why spend so much time on that vs. the other (honestly more interesting) aspects of her character?

They really failed at writing Aerith in this game for me personally. They did a lot of tell not show which they did not do with other characters. They said she was angry at Hojo but the one time we saw it she let him go and it was never talked about again. In Nibelhiem she says she is lonely but unless you read traces, this aspect of her character is rarely shown. Which makes the conversation seem out of place when its Cloud dealing with something very traumatic. She talks about how hard it is being a Cetra but the game barely expands on this and you would think that after being insulted by the GI they would let her character learn more about her heritage as motivation but sadly no. The worst thing for me, though, was not showing her bond with the rest of the party and there is no excuse Since Yuffie arguably one of the best characters in Rebirth, has some of the most fun dyamics that are all different with the rest of the cast, and she isn't even in the party at the start. I wanted more moments like her trial which was amazing but they easily could have made her Bond with Barret over wanting to help the planet.