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

[Ryushikaze]

As per the laws of feline human interaction, you are blameless. Script h the kitty's ears and move on.

I don't think she'll sit still long enough for me to write in there, so I'll scratch the ear and call it a day.

Good news Johnny, this proves you're alive and aware and little else.

Johnny's response. "I'm aware! Awesome!"

I missed that bit, sadly my source for a Rebirth longplay skipped a lot of Johnny's side quests material. I'm willing to get that if it's not actually ADHD or a similar condition, it's still what a real world diagnosis would say.

Oh, most likely. And I do recommend watching the Johnny sidequests. Johnny takes care of Johnny, you know. You just have to help the Johnnys.

Hmmm... It's worth considering. I know if my Internet was fully reliable and I was on a device with a proper keyboard I'd probably jump at the chance, I haven't done any serious writing in far too long. I'm a bit afraid to commit at present, I'd hate to repeat my having to fall off the FF Unlimited viewing or have the whole thing fall apart like the TLS Pokemon League.

Definitely no pressure, man.

Oh that's a memory I didn't need dredged up. I've been there twice. Though in my defense I was quite drunk the second time.

Mine was while watching Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead

Worth buying a popcorn machine for though.

Agreed

Ryu, we go way back, so I'm gonna forgive you for this, but honestly you failed to use reapermon for this? The smiley I personally made for just such occasions?

YOU SEEM QUITE UNWILLING TO GET INTO THE SPIRIT OF THINGS.

And you know as a rule, I don't use the emojis. Besides, we all know Death wouldn't understand emoji for the longest time, then somehow at the end of the book he'd speak the picture of the emoji... somehow.

So what you're saying is... mission accomplished? Fuck that's kinda sad.

I mean, trolley problem is asking if consequences of actions verse consequences of inaction are worse, so...

I do not, should I?

You should. Mike Nelson and another writer from Rifftrax (Not Bill or Kevin) reading books they don't expect to like, starting with Ready Player 1.

Fair play, it's not like you can hear the capital letters in spoken dialogue. No ma'am, I said your package would be delivered by an ex-soldier, not an ex-SOLDIER

I remember a lot of jokes about suddenly shouting every time someone said SOLDIER. Now I'm wondering if making a backronym for it might be funnier.

Hence the uncertainty. You never know, maybe they grew as a person and are now enjoying their preferred ship without cutting down others to pretend their own is canon. But I doubt it.

Hope springs eternal.

Despite what Capcom might pretend, there is nothing stopping you from doing both. Ask Ultron, he knows what's up.

I mean, the internet universe is overall the more peaceful one, even if it literally built the internet atop another dimension.

Honestly fewer of them are doing this than could be. You can tell on account of people practicing what you quoted here tell convincing lies.

Sometimes the lies people tell convince only themselves.

That is one of the best ominous, threatening lines I've heard in a while. Time gone by, I'd have added that quote to my sig already.

I've been told I have a way with words.

Both true classics. For all the attention Holy Grail gets, and tightly so, there's so much more to be had there.

Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Amazing setup and punchline.

It's so surprising, thanks to the internet. One trip to somewhere like TVTropes can drag them off down a rabbit hole if shit we've forgotten or straight up missed back in our own youth. Then something every single person our own age intrinsically knows flys right overhead. It's fascinating how old information can come round or not, often at the whims of an algorithm.

It was fascinating to compare it to my own childhood because I devoured tons of media from before my birth as well, so I have references nobody else in my generation gets.

As is right and proper. Tifa only became even more best girl upon confirming her cat-person status.

Fluffy/ Maru is a good cat. I hope they wind up adopting some of her kittens for the new 7th heaven.

This. Even if he keeps his facial expression under some kind of control, he's ugly crying inside. Straight One Piece tears.

We need to hear the most emotion from Cloud in the trilogy so far at that point.

Then I can dig it.


These sound like DnD outsider species. Culeriths sound like Daemons, Culotis like Devils. Now we need one for Demons and we're all set.

Culuffies, obviously. Complete the trifecta.

This does feel most likely. I'd still like it as they exit the stables, possibly while picking hay out of each other's hair.

A Chocobo gives a knowing "kweh."

Reminds me of their last "work" where the water tower scene and promise is now a Clerith moment lmao.

I guess it must operate on the rule of "Aerith touched the tower last therefore it's HER ICON NOW"
Nevermind it's a recreation of the actual watertower the promise was made on and not the original article.
Nevermind that getting the most affection up there requires admitting Cloud longed for Tifa and that Aerith is jealous of Cloud up there getting to grow up with a childhood friend, not Tifa having cloud look in on her.
They're just trying to claim everything for C/A because it can't be allowed to stay on the C/T side.

 

[nepheneethedestroyer]

Yeah i think that's partially the idea with the dream date too. Maybe the materia wasn't fully lighted up till they got that experience there and with it, Aerith managed to fill it up fully with this one last moment to be able to pass it on to the other Aerith, whose White materia got emptied of all the memories thanks to the Whispers.

Overall i imagine the White materia collects happy/positive memories or feelings, which then forms it, while the Black materia does the opposite and collects sad/negative memories and feelings.

Sephiroth says in the beginning that materia are formed from memories, information, right? That's how humans can cast magic (which is from the Cetra), because materia infuses them with knowledge? I honestly thought this was the devs signposting pretty hard because it's a pretty direct piece of exposition (and is brought up a second time, in Ch 11).

I assumed literally that the White Materia contains the memories/information of the future (AKA OG + ACC plus maybe other compilation material). Aerith and Red XIII say as much, both in Ch 6 and in Red's HA Gold Saucer date. The reason why it gets emptied at the end of Remake, then, is because the "divergence of fate" functionally eliminates that future? Since we diverted it onto a different path? (Given that the WM holds the knowledge of the future, it would also functionally allow Aerith to cast Holy, since the knowledge to cast Holy, from the OG, is there too).

I'm not the biggest lorehead but is it confirmed that the Black Materia is actually materia? I was confused about this because I was sort of under the impression that the Gi could not create materia by virtue of being completely disconnected from the Lifestream. I viewed the Black Materia as basically a vessel for negative emotions (despair, sadness, rage, all felt by the Gi due to their inability to die/enter the Lifestream in death), and Sephiroth is trying to fill it with emotions from all the fragmented worlds to augments its power.

(I'm ready to get absolutely chump-checked by people who know what they're talking about lol)

 

[Yoru]

I'm not the biggest lorehead but is it confirmed that the Black Materia is actually materia? I was confused about this because I was sort of under the impression that the Gi could not create materia by virtue of being completely disconnected from the Lifestream. I viewed the Black Materia as basically a vessel for negative emotions (despair, sadness, rage, all felt by the Gi due to their inability to die/enter the Lifestream in death), and Sephiroth is trying to fill it with emotions from all the fragmented worlds to augments its power.

I'll have to check again but if I remember correctly, the Gi during their war with the Cetra put their hand on an empty materia and used their death prayers to forge the black materia. Kinda the same thing with the empty one Aerith is giving to Cloud.

 

[Yoru]

"We succeeded in acquiring an immaculate materia, which the planet had produced, and we then infused it with the desire of our people."

So yeah, it's actually a materia. And like any other materia, you can store "anything" in it. So I think it's safe to assume our Holy can be much more than its OG counterpart

 

[nepheneethedestroyer]

So yeah, it's actually a materia. And like any other materia, you can store "anything" in it. So I think it's safe to assume our Holy can be much more than its OG counterpart

Oh, that's right, they do say that in the cave. Same as the JP, so that checks out. They didn't make it, they just turned it black.

 

[Yoru]

Oh, that's right, they do say that in the cave. Same as the JP, so that checks out. They didn't make it, they just turned it black.

In checking around, I just saw an interesting dialogue in French that may explain why black materia summons the meteor.

""Planet Gi declined over time and became part of yours. The sky cracked, the earth shattered but a small fraction of the Gi survived and began living on your planet.""

It reminds me a little of what happened IRL when the earth was hit by another celestial body that ended up forming the moon.

So maybe their collective consciousness is doing the same thing only to really die this time? The mental image of two planets colliding can explain why a meteor is the answer to their prayers.

 

[LunarTarotGirl]

I don't know if this is the intention of the scene but I found this analysis of the Aerith dream date which is basically a meta commentary that Aerith can't change her fate even if the fanbase desires it. That's why you can't choose her gifts and why everything goes wrong.


I have to say it's very interesting.

https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasyVII/comments/1bu6qn4
And if the Lifestream is memories and materia needs memories and desires maybe that's why she is doing this. Trying to create happy memories to fill the White Materia is her desire but her impending doom is looming over her? And the shopkeepers are her subconscious telling her she has no choice here.

 

[Yoru]

I don't know if this is the intention of the scene but I found this analysis of the Aerith dream date which is basically a meta commentary that Aerith can't change her fate even if the fanbase desires it. That's why you can't choose her gifts and why everything goes wrong.
]

I have to say it's very interesting.

https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasyVII/comments/1bu6qn4

Yup. Just remember that the candy you get is bitter. Aerith suggests to add more sweet to it.

Bittersweet.

 

[LunarTarotGirl]

Yup. Just remember that the candy you get is bitter. Aerith suggests to add more sweet to it.

Bittersweet.

Okay see. I like this interpretation a lot better. It also makes more sense. Though maybe they should put more explanation in the game to what was happening here? Because yeah in that case it connects with the lore a bit better.

 

[Yoru]

Okay see. I like this interpretation a lot better. It also makes more sense. Though maybe they should put more explanation in the game to what was happening here? Because yeah in that case it connects with the lore a bit better.

That's the downside of meta-comments. You can't openly say what's going on.

It's the same thing with the whispers in Remake, which can be understood as a representation of OG players who are afraid of anyone touching FF7.

It's all about personal interpretation, different levels of reading. So in a way it can be both. Some will see only the date as it is. And some will see the comment on Aerith destiny. That's the beauty of it.

 

[Eerie]

I don't know if this is the intention of the scene but I found this analysis of the Aerith dream date which is basically a meta commentary that Aerith can't change her fate even if the fanbase desires it. That's why you can't choose her gifts and why everything goes wrong.


I have to say it's very interesting.

https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasyVII/comments/1bu6qn4
And if the Lifestream is memories and materia needs memories and desires maybe that's why she is doing this. Trying to create happy memories to fill the White Materia is her desire but her impending doom is looming over her? And the shopkeepers are her subconscious telling her she has no choice here.

I agree with the first part of their explanation, but probably not totally fully with the second (we're not getting deaths in a romance scene, I insist). I'll add that they've got the meaning of the flower wrong because both Cloud and Aerith know the meaning of that flower and Cloud clearly refuses to touch it when Aerith wanted him to put it on her. So to me it's the refusal of romance from Cloud in this part and it's not subtle at all.

 

[Yoru]

For example my friend saw another meta comment.

Shop owner give you choices but in the end you don't get what you want. So :

• The fans who want to save Aerith
• The fans who want her dead to not change the story
• The game telling you : It's neither of them. Kinda what's happening with this ending.

 

[Hellenic]

Sephiroth says in the beginning that materia are formed from memories, information, right? That's how humans can cast magic (which is from the Cetra), because materia infuses them with knowledge? I honestly thought this was the devs signposting pretty hard because it's a pretty direct piece of exposition (and is brought up a second time, in Ch 11).

I assumed literally that the White Materia contains the memories/information of the future (AKA OG + ACC plus maybe other compilation material). Aerith and Red XIII say as much, both in Ch 6 and in Red's HA Gold Saucer date. The reason why it gets emptied at the end of Remake, then, is because the "divergence of fate" functionally eliminates that future? Since we diverted it onto a different path? (Given that the WM holds the knowledge of the future, it would also functionally allow Aerith to cast Holy, since the knowledge to cast Holy, from the OG, is there too).

I'm not the biggest lorehead but is it confirmed that the Black Materia is actually materia? I was confused about this because I was sort of under the impression that the Gi could not create materia by virtue of being completely disconnected from the Lifestream. I viewed the Black Materia as basically a vessel for negative emotions (despair, sadness, rage, all felt by the Gi due to their inability to die/enter the Lifestream in death), and Sephiroth is trying to fill it with emotions from all the fragmented worlds to augments its power.

(I'm ready to get absolutely chump-checked by people who know what they're talking about lol)

This definitely sounds like you're on the right tracks here.

Honestly i'm not the most lore knowledgeable person in general either and tend to forget tidbits like this pretty easily. I'm more of a "soak the moment" person, but quick lines here and there i can easily miss or forget, so bigger events leave more of an impression on me .

 

[LunarTarotGirl]

If

I agree with the first part of their explanation, but probably not totally fully with the second (we're not getting deaths in a romance scene, I insist). I'll add that they've got the meaning of the flower wrong because both Cloud and Aerith know the meaning of that flower and Cloud clearly refuses to touch it when Aerith wanted him to put it on her. So to me it's the refusal of romance from Cloud in this part and it's not subtle at all.

If Cloud is really refusing romance there with the pin I'm sorry but that is super disrespectful and once again I am knocking the devs if that's the case because her farewell scene is not the place for that. I understand the truths are hard to swallow part but that is cruel to do it that way.

That flower was a gift of reunion a symbol of meeting again and also her own fate because she needs to follow the yellow flowers. Cloud needn't look so inconvenienced because it's not him that needs to die.
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I agree with this part the most.
"However, I think Aerith's Dream is them saying, "No, guys, these possible changes are what some of us think we want, but you know it's not right, it's not 'real', and it's ultimately not going to be the ending of the game." It's all a comment on the fandom, all of us wanting different things."

I took it as the gifts they do get are destiny, fate we probably don't want but it's reality.

 

[Eerie]

If Cloud is really refusing romance there with the pin I'm sorry but that is super disrespectful

Why? If a character is not interested, it's better for him to refuse it, isn't it? I find leading on the other character much more disrespectful. Cloud is a loyal guy as per SE, he's not going to accept to romance Aerith out of the blue. Again her farewell scene is her closure to her feelings for Cloud so she has to be rejected to get closure. Because it's something he cannot reciprocate because his feelings are somewhere else, and Aerith knows that. No matter which Aerith, all the Aeriths know that it's Tifa whom he loves. Sometimes getting a rejection is better than being lead on for one's own benefit.

That flower was a gift of reunion a symbol of meeting again and also her own fate because she needs to follow the yellow flowers. Cloud needn't look so inconvenienced by it because it's not him that needs to die.

Cloud doesn't know she's going to die, really. It's a symbol he already chose to give Tifa, he remembers the promise between Leslie and his lover: this isn't going to fly past by him.

And yeah Aerith's dream date never bothered me because it's a meta commentary. It's saying a lot of things, one of which is that those "AU" are, ultimately, fantasies not going to happen.

 

[nars305]

If
If Cloud is really refusing romance there with the pin I'm sorry but that is super disrespectful and once again I am knocking the devs if that's the case because her farewell scene is not the place for that. I understand the truths are hard to swallow part but that is cruel to do it that way.

That flower was a gift of reunion a symbol of meeting again and also her own fate because she needs to follow the yellow flowers. Cloud needn't look so inconvenienced because it's not him that needs to die.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I agree with this part the most.
"However, I think Aerith's Dream is them saying, "No, guys, these possible changes are what some of us think we want, but you know it's not right, it's not 'real', and it's ultimately not going to be the ending of the game." It's all a comment on the fandom, all of us wanting different things."

I took it as the gifts they do get are destiny, fate we probably don't want but it's reality.

I really don’t know how to interpret that moment in any other way. I thought Cloud’s reaction was very strange because what reason does he have to not take it?

 

[LunarTarotGirl]

Why? If a character is not interested, it's better for him to refuse it, isn't it? I find leading on the other character much more disrespectful. Cloud is a loyal guy as per SE, he's not going to accept to romance Aerith out of the blue. Again her farewell scene is her closure to her feelings for Cloud so she has to be rejected to get closure. Because it's something he cannot reciprocatebecause his feelings are somewhere else, and Aerith knows that. No matter which Aerith, all the Aeriths know that it's Tifa whom he loves. Sometimes getting a rejection is better than being lead on for one's own benefit.


Cloud doesn't know she's going to die, really. It's a symbol he already chose to give Tifa, he remembers the promise between Leslie and his lover: this isn't going to fly past by him.

And yeah Aerith's dream date never bothered me because it's a meta commentary. It's saying a lot of things, one of which is that those "AU" are, ultimately, fantasies not going to happen.

I would accept her getting rejected in maybe another scene. Or showing as I said unrequited feelings another way. But if that's the way it's done with her in own symbol in a scene before she dies then I would have preferred it done in any other way. Acting like her own flower she gave him to start is poison he doesn't want to touch and basically again it's his feelings that are the focus here. With the implication she is delusional because she wants him to put on the pin. I don't know how else to say it but it's very disrespectful.

Not of Cloud the character who is clueless but of the devs to choose this depiction at this particular moment.

There is just a lot I don't like that they did with Aerith's scenes in general but this dream date even with it's bitter truths shows me they keep using her for meta commentary they can just outright make scenes for.

Edit for clarity. And yes I mean the scene is a disrespectful scene for the character if in her farewell. Like this character is about to die and that's part of the legacy of her goodbye? I do have a problem with that.

 

[nars305]

Maybe she’ll give the pin to Zack like Cloud did Tifa lol.

 

[Yoru]

I agree with the first part of their explanation, but probably not totally fully with the second (we're not getting deaths in a romance scene, I insist). I'll add that they've got the meaning of the flower wrong because both Cloud and Aerith know the meaning of that flower and Cloud clearly refuses to touch it when Aerith wanted him to put it on her. So to me it's the refusal of romance from Cloud in this part and it's not subtle at all.

I agree that there is no romantic subtext regarding Cloud's point of view. But that's not the impression I got from reading the commentary, maybe I missed something.

On the other hand, I don't agree that the flower brooch is a clear sign of rejection. Cloud is already sulking when the seller offers him something other than his choice. So I don't think it's very fair to tell Clerith that Cloud's refusal to take the brooch is simply his way of rejecting her outright. His astonishment and lack of response in the church is more than enough to understand that he's just never considered this date as romantic (because yes, he's already in love with someone and it's part of his character trait to be faithful).

All this to say that there's no need to be "petty". Don't take it the wrong way! I know it's not what you wanted to say. But in a way... "We have already won. There's no need to overdo it" kind of things. I don't know if you see what I mean.

 

[LunarTarotGirl]

Maybe she’ll give the pin to Zack like Cloud did Tifa lol.

At this point I would not be surprised. If that's the correct intention then it's also showing me Zack deserves the flower way more than Cloud.

And again why is her farewell all about this guy? Is my main thought here if that's the case.

 

[imach0c0]

Regarding the dream date, this was my initial impressions on it. It felt very reminiscent of Zack for the following reasons:

- The stamp had a likeness to Zack (spiky hair and blackish fur)
Note: there is a also a stamp sign that has the "Zack" stamp holding a puppy with a bandage/wrap on its right arm. Cloud has wrap around his right arm. Make that what you will. Perhaps its a coincidence and means nothing. Buts its an interesting detail nonetheless.

- One of the first things Zack and Aerith do on their first date is Zack buys Aerith a bow. In the first stall, Aerith wants Cloud to buy her something.

- When Aerith mentions "place of memories" (JP version), Cloud does not seem to know. Then the scene cuts to Zack sitting at the church.

- Throughout the date, scenes of Zack keep cutting

At first I was not able to tell if all these "Zack" elements were a misinterpretation without any purpose. However, after the dialogue of Aerith being uncertain about her "like" (going with the JP dialogue), I think there is some symbolic storytelling that is showing rather than telling.

I do not think this "date" is Aerith reliving her Zack moments through Cloud. Instead, I think this scene is showing us her conflicted emotions as she navigates through the date. Aerith is trying to enjoy a moment with Cloud and she is the one constantly initiating everything. However, its not really working out because her love does not reside with Cloud. In the GS date, it may seem she had moved on and is developing feelings for Cloud. However, it feels like Aerith has not gotten over Zack and her romantic feelings for him still linger in her heart. (whether she realizes it or not). If this dream world is created from memories/dreams and it was made by Aerith, perhaps the environment is representative of her true subconscious regarding where her romantic feelings lie. Despite her efforts to enjoy the moment at each stall, she is met with rejection not matter the choice. Also, the photographer says they do not look like a couple and Aerith denies it. It gives the impression that Aerith could be in denial and is struggling to see the reality of where her feelings lie because she is trying to move on but can't get over Zack no matter how much she tries.

Regarding the koibito note, that Aerith died before she could meet or talk to Cloud. Perhaps she developed "love" for Cloud but was unable to figure out what kind of "love" it was because she died. If this Aerith is the same one from COLW, I can see why her feelings are conflicted because this is her first time meeting Cloud after death. However, after going on the "date" with Cloud, perhaps its through having that experience with Cloud, where she comes to the realization that the "like" she initially thought she had for him is not necessarily that. Meaning, its perhaps leaning into an emotional love, not a romantic love.

This all could mean nothing but its interesting storytelling choices.

Let me know what you all think. I'd like to see your perspectives on this.

I don't know if this is the intention of the scene but I found this analysis of the Aerith dream date which is basically a meta commentary that Aerith can't change her fate even if the fanbase desires it. That's why you can't choose her gifts and why everything goes wrong.


I have to say it's very interesting.

https://www.reddit.com/r/FinalFantasyVII/comments/1bu6qn4
And if the Lifestream is memories and materia needs memories and desires maybe that's why she is doing this. Trying to create happy memories to fill the White Materia is her desire but her impending doom is looming over her? And the shopkeepers are her subconscious telling her she has no choice here.

 

[Yoru]

And again why is her farewell all about this guy? Is my main thought here if that's the case.

This.

That's the main reason why this scene bothers me. It goes against her character in my opinion. Basing everything on Cloud at that moment annoys me. Even more so if it's a bridge to Zack in the last game. As long as it wasn't something romantic but just a goodbye, turning everything into a date was a bad idea.

 

[nars305]

At this point I would not be surprised. If that's the correct intention then it's also showing me Zack deserves the flower way more than Cloud.

And again why is her farewell all about this guy? Is my main thought here if that's the case.

I like to think since this is an Aerith who is more aware of things, enough to tell him not to feel guilty, that she is doing what she can to protect Cloud. She knows he’s fragile, and she cares for him deeply.

So all she can do is properly say goodbye this time, tell him not *to feel guilty, and show she is not mad at him. I imagine perhaps that is all she could figure she could do to help him as far as his mental problems go.

Edit: Thinking on it more, I just think this scene can have many interpretations. I feel it’s classic SE loving to make things that encourage debate and conversation.

 

[Eerie]

And again why is her farewell all about this guy?

You tell me, you're the CA fan. I wanted a farewell with the whole team, especially since we didn't see her spend that much time with them, honestly. It nearly all happens offscreen, it's really one of my "please don't do that" comment to the devs.

On the other hand, I don't agree that the flower brooch is a clear sign of rejection. Cloud is already sulking when the seller offers him something other than his choice. So I don't think it's very fair to tell Clerith that Cloud's refusal to take the brooch is simply his way of rejecting her outright.

I will say this, but Cloud made the sidequest with Leslie one or two days prior. The flower while not primarily about lovers (that's an EN fault there) definitely has a romantic subtext because of Leslie. I will agree with you that Cloud's strong stance melts away during the date, especially with the photograph because it's one thing he is interested about, and that when Cloud makes a choice, he doesn't like when people override him. But this is Aerith's subconscious dreams and hopes, and she is on a romantic date with Cloud, with a flower that has a romantic subtext. I am sorry but I do think Cloud at least picks up the intention behind Aerith's insistance and he disagrees with it. Also maybe that is a bit reflective of Aerith's comment in Under Junon and her being pissy about him giving the flower to Tifa. Those two scenes kind of answer each other.

 

[Stiggie]

At this point I would not be surprised. If that's the correct intention then it's also showing me Zack deserves the flower way more than Cloud.

And again why is her farewell all about this guy? Is my main thought here if that's the case.

I'm going to be honest with you, I can't think of any take in this story, including a Clerith one, where my main thought isn't "why the hell is her farewell all about this guy".

In fact, I'd argue that this is one of the reason this version is better, because if it's a rejection then it's NOT about Cloud. The thing is that I don't think the refusal of the flower is a conscious rejection by Cloud, who sees the flower and conciously thinks "that would make her my lover, I must reject her". This entire world feels like it exists as a construct of the sub-conscious, the rejection is more symbolic. And the the thing with a symbolic rejection is that it implies that there is something wrong about Cloud and Aerith, something that doesn't fit, they're not right for each other.

And that means that this entire thing is NOT about Cloud, it's about Aerith, it's about Aerith and her feelings and getting them sorted and Cloud is essentially just helping her sort those things out.

Meanwhile, if this WAS romantic, then I have to throw up a bit and call bullshit.

That would make me think "ok, so Aerith dated Zack for over a year, pined over him for 5 years, wears pink for him, wears the bow he gave her, wrote him 89 letters, and became interested in Cloud because of he reminded her of Zack. Then while on a journey with Cloud she confirms that she still likes Zack, and after that her and Cloud split up, then Cloud spends the evening taking care of Tifa and almost kissing her, next day they leave for Cosmo Canyon where Cloud potentially yells at her (all playthroughs should be valid) and she connects with Zack spiritually in the cave of the GI. Then they leave for Nibelheim where Cloud first talks about how simping over Tifa is "totally his thing", after which they split up AGAIN. Then after getting back together they go to the Golden saucer where Tifa tells Aerith about Cloud remembering Zack, which inspires Aerith to write a song about wanting to meet people again, she sees Tifa and Cloud on a date, maybe see them hold hands while she's singing her song assuming she's kinda aware of his presence, she also presumably spends some time with a Tifa who seems strangely giddy. Then they all go to the temple of the ancients where THEY SPLIT UP AGAIN! After which Cloud acts like a psycho, tells her to Hurry the fuck up after the trials, he kills some people and finally tries to steal the black materia from her....... ok, lets pretend for a second that I accept the ludicrous notion that these events were so endearing that it made Aerith fall in love with him, HOW THE HELL is it that this crush is enough to justify making her final farewell all about Cloud?"

Nah, in that case I prefer the farewell to be about Aerith with Cloud being symbolic, mixed with a sense of her feeling like Cloud is someone in need of care or something. But if this were to be truly romantic then...well, I don't think I've ever come across writing this bad.