So although Cloud wasn’t completely himself during disc 1, parts of the 'real’ Cloud were present during his time with Aerith. It is also stated that the Jenova cells inside Cloud mimicked Tifa’s memories of him. Since Tifa’s memories were of the 'real’ Cloud, Jenova’s cells mimicked portions of the 'real Cloud’ and fashioned yet another personality for him.
Further – Aerith Gainsborough met Cloud Strife during a very troubling time in his life. His memories were jumbled and he was being controlled by Jenova’s cells. However, despite these challenges, Aerith was able to reach through to Cloud’s core and leave a long-lasting impression on him that he carries with him to this very day.
Well said! And I agree with you.
One needs to look no further than Cloud’s behavior and actions after regaining his memories to see how much Aerith meant to the real Cloud: he remembers her often, fights to avenge her death, carries grief and guilt over not being able to protect her, and eventually begins living in her Church. Zack’s memories and Jenova’s cells weren’t enough to stop Aerith from reaching Cloud’s heart.
Zack’s memories and Jenova’s cells weren’t enough to stop Cloud from truly caring about and developing a love for Aerith that has stayed with him forever.
All of this makes the case even more compelling for Cloud x Aerith because Cloud developed a love for Aerith despite Jenova’s cells and despite Zack’s memories — a love he has carried with him long after regaining his memories.
.....and that's where we disagree. This type of "all or nothing" mentality that you have is probably what
@DutchDread was trying to make you reflect in one of their posts ( in this thread or in the other..idk anymore lol) with their "what if the opposite is true, would this still make sense?". So, what if Cloud didn't love Aerith romantically would he still remember her often? Would he still fight to avenger her death? would he still feel guilt over not being able to protect her? And the answer here is yes because that's just who Cloud is and this just shows how much impactful Aerith's presence and her sudden departure was for Cloud ( and the rest of the group as well.. but I know... I know.. they're not a part of the LTD, right?)
And yes, in any other story all that you described could be an indication of a romantic build up if the narrative supported it, but here in FFVII, it simply doesn't. The story goes on to show us that our main character was in love with the other "part" of the LTD all along, they go through a difficult time because of our main character's guilt towards his dear friends that he couldn't save but eventually, he's able to forgive himself and is happy again with the girl he loves and the kids he's raising with her. This is all fully supported by canon material and that's exactly the nuances you're missing here simply because you tend to ignore everything that doesn't corroborate with your own interpretations.
And tbh, I could give you "It's a possibility, indeed!" If what we're debating here was OG only, but after AC/C and pretty much the whole compilation, your interpretation is simply erroneous and shallow, imo.
But you know what, BB? This post of yours here is probably the first time in a while that I see you writing a cohesive argument that doesn't feel like you just copy/paste what you wrote before. I think I came to understand a lot more of your views regarding Clerith and I can even see where they could be coming from. Kudos to you for that.
Anyways, this is the Remake thread, right? I think all of this here should go in the other one? idek anymore..........
