Strongly disagree with all of this.
If it's "bad" for Aerith to shoot her shot knowing Tifa likes Cloud it's equally as "bad" for Tifa to shoot her shot knowing Aerith likes Cloud or thinks she does, doubt the intentions was for either of them to be seen as bad though. I don't see it as that extreme for them.
Cait Sith was done a lot better in this game anyway, and Reeve in Remake/here.
No, this I vehemently oppose, this I find preposterous.
Why on earth should Tifa care about Aeriths feelings for Cloud? These things are in no way similar.
Lets take the worst case scenario for Aerith since her behavior should be acceptable in all situations, as Tifas is.
Here we have this girl giving a flower meant for lovers to Cloud, and then smiles when she realizes he gave it to Tifa, this girl who encourages Cloud to go after his special person, this girl who befriends Tifa and pretends to be supportive of her, even telling Tifa to follow her heart. Yeah she forgot her memories of the future, but she didn't forget literally everything she did in Midgar I hope.
Not that it matters because Rebirth is where the real issues lie.
This girl then hears Tifa talk about how she and Cloud grew up together in ToTP, and then hears about everything they've gone through in Nibelheim. Tifa then chooses to open up to Aerith about her concerns about Cloud. Which is then followed up by a series of events where Tifa and Aerith confide in each other concerning their fears and worries about their respective Soldiers. Where Aerith engages Tifa in talks about "their first loves". Where Aerith talks to Cloud about not taking Tifa for granted, being jealous of the bond Tifa and Cloud have, realizing that Cloud used to sit on the water tower hoping Tifa would wave at him. Hear talks alongside Yuffie about how Tifa already had a massive crush on Cloud as a child. Sees Cloud lose his mind over Tifa in a bikini and how she flirts with him. Hear Cloud shyly giggle about the idea of multiple Tifas. See them go through Gongaga together and how close they are emotionally. See him scream his lungs out when he thinks she's hurt, see him go catatonic at the prospect. See Cloud sit at her bed, hear the people tease them about almost kissing. Pretending to be supportive and on team "you go girl" in that moment. See Tifa and Cloud on a date in chapter 8. See Cloud jump at the chance to do anything with Tifa while she has to force every single interaction out of him.
And rather than thinking "hmm, I've been using Cloud as sort of a stand in for Zack, but I'm starting to kinda like him, maybe I should check with Tifa about her feelings regarding him because she just lost her best friend and I've been setting myself up as her confidante for her worries regarding Cloud and the two of them seem to have a huge history and really seem to like each other so perhaps it's better if I recuse myself before I REALLY catch feelings, rather than causing my best friend to have her heart broken the same way mine was." she instead just goes "well, I'm starting to like this guy, so fuck it, live in the now, who cares about other people! I know that Cloud and my best friend are constantly excited to do stuff together and are being heavily suggested by everyone to be in love, but screw that, I'll just force my company on him when Tifa isn't looking! He has clear mental problems clouding his recollections of his past with Tifa so I can probably get between that LOL"
You're telling me that freaking YUFFIE, the 16 year old, understands that there is a thing going on between Cloud and Tifa, but the freaking empathetic ancient just had no clue? If Aerith doesn't know she should, because she should have asked! As any real friend would. If she really has no clue that just exposes a stunning callousness towards the life and feelings of her "best friend". And this would be so easily solved as well. During the flashback to her talk with Tifa in the GS date, just have her ask Tifa. "Can I just ask...do you like Cloud?", have Tifa respond with a suspiciously defensive denial, have Aerith reply with "..is it ok then if....if I try?", Tifa, in an shy panic that belies her true feelings: "no...I...ofcourse not, I don't mind...", cue Aerith walking with Tifa looking heartbroken.
But the game didn't do that, apparently the thought of Tifa never even enters Aeriths mind, instead it sets up a dynamic where Tifa is helping Aerith with Zack, and Aerith is helping Tifa with Cloud. Always the dynamic is Tifa and Cloud talking together, then Tifa talking with Aerith, with the topic either being Tifa helping Aerith with information regarding Zack, or Aerith helping Tifa with Cloud. And yet, within hours of Tifa telling Aerith that Cloud confided in her that he knew Zack Aerith is writing love songs where she takes one of Tifas most treasured memories, and stabs her in the back with it by incorporating it into a love song about how she and Cloud wouldn't need that shit.
The "homewrecker" allegations didn't just spring up out of the ground for no reason, I am not exaggerating when I say this version of the character sickens me. This version of the character is a snake who worms their way into your good graces by either pretending to be your friend, or by forcing her company on you until you accept her, but will never think of the feelings of other people before she acts. I have known people like this in real life, they were all disgusting selfish assholes who didn't care about the feelings of their friends because they thought about relationships as "well, they're free people aren't they, we can do what we want", yeah, you can, I am not saying it's illegal, just that this is the behavior we see in people who just do not care about the feelings of others.
And what is Tifas supposed "equally as bad" here?
"Oh, the girl I've been helping getting to terms with the death/disappearance of the boy she loved whom I entrusted with all my worries about the boy I love has now decided that she's over the guy she's always talking about and now wants the guy I'M always talking about, whom I've been in love with for 7 years and was finally growing closer with. I suppose I should get out of her way....
What? This is not the same, it's absurd to even propose that they are.
