LNK
Pro Adventurer
- AKA
- Nate
Oh OK. I just saw it'll be in the upcoming world preview book. Thanks!
SPOILERS LTD Remake — It's like New Coke except ... no, it's exactly like New Coke
- Thread starter The Twilight Mexican
- Start date
Ok, I won't answer your rhetorical question, but I will point out that my answer was the 180 degree opposite of what you intended it to be when you proposed it.They are talking about that event between A and C before that other major event at the very end. The scene with the
Judging from that long WOT from earlier, they didn't understand that event either, and I don't expect them to ever will.Flower brooch
If they missed it in the original, they will keep missing it going forward. Peak tunnel vision.
Cloud mourning a dead "friend" and having "guilt" over it.
They were always star-crossed lovers, and he loved both Tifa and Aerith. He started with a crush on Tifa, accidentally met Aerith (also with a crush on someone else), they're two lonely people with a sad past bonding with each other, thing is cut short, she still left a huge mark in his life.
It's same issue with Tifa.
Don't really answer this, it's a rhetorical question: if Cloud and Tifa's relationship was always so deep, compelling and set in stone since 1997 why did it take them until 2021 to come up with the novel? Why did they completely rewrite the way they interacted in the original with Remake and Rebirth? They're not "expanding on", that's a headcanon of a retcon.
Also, characters often get pushed/retconned/cleared of their character flaws often due to fanservice
CxA got tons of fanservice until 2024.
It's been misrepresented for 27 years since people still think Tifa cared for Cloud before the promise.
Since he always loved her, she always loved him. That's how it works. (...)
Read the rhetorical question above.
Tbh even as someone who prefers cloud/tifa I do think that they are only getting such a huge win this time around because of how much more popular tifa has gotten compared to aerith. they played both sides for a long time. I think if aerith was more popular than tifa we probably would not have gotten such a conclusive answer already in part 2.
null
Mr. Thou
- AKA
- null
I mean, Tifa was like 12 at the time of the promise. That’s really young to discover love for the first time (and more so for Cloud who caught feelings even earlier).
Do we really need to go further back than that? Like, does it make their adult relationship less valid if child Tifa was oblivious during elementary school?
GamerSkull
Pro Adventurer
I agree to an extent but I think you’re underestimating Aerith’s popularity.
I actually think this is more of a case of “well, Aerith has Zack” so we can still give her a “happy” ending. And since we can do that, we can focus on Cloud and Tifa.
I definitely know aerith is also loved. I guess I mean tifa has become much more popular as a love interest compared to aerith.
GamerSkull
Pro Adventurer
Yeah, and I think one of the reasons for that is Zerith has increased in popularity.
Tifa won.
Even if Cloud loves both girls, Tifa wins for obvious reasons. At the end of Advent Children, Cloud realizes his promise land is with Tifa, Denzel and Marlene. He spends the rest of his life with them. The Aerith endgame is only possible if Cloud has absolutely zero interest for Tifa. I can believe Cloud likes Aerith. I dont believe that Cloud likes Aerith to remain a virgin for life living next to Tifa. Tifa, in case anyone hasnt noticed, looks like Tifa.
Rebirth shows us that not only does Cloud like Tifa, but Cloud's feelings for Tifa are stronger. So the only thing shippers have to bicker about anymore is whether or not Cloud also likes Aerith. Which again, ultimately changes nothing.
Y'all wanna know why the LTD went on for so long? And why remake is only now making things so obvious? Because the graphics sucks back in the day. It woulda been awkward af to animate blockheads making out, so almost everything was toned down and/or implied during the highwind scene. Now that we can get these characters in 4k 30fps, there's no way Square Enix isnt milking the highwind scene for all it's worth. Which means they gotta set itnup in the previous games so Cloud and Tifa get progressively more intimate. So they dont just confess, and immediately start having sez in the last game.
Even if Cloud loves both girls, Tifa wins for obvious reasons. At the end of Advent Children, Cloud realizes his promise land is with Tifa, Denzel and Marlene. He spends the rest of his life with them. The Aerith endgame is only possible if Cloud has absolutely zero interest for Tifa. I can believe Cloud likes Aerith. I dont believe that Cloud likes Aerith to remain a virgin for life living next to Tifa. Tifa, in case anyone hasnt noticed, looks like Tifa.
Rebirth shows us that not only does Cloud like Tifa, but Cloud's feelings for Tifa are stronger. So the only thing shippers have to bicker about anymore is whether or not Cloud also likes Aerith. Which again, ultimately changes nothing.
Y'all wanna know why the LTD went on for so long? And why remake is only now making things so obvious? Because the graphics sucks back in the day. It woulda been awkward af to animate blockheads making out, so almost everything was toned down and/or implied during the highwind scene. Now that we can get these characters in 4k 30fps, there's no way Square Enix isnt milking the highwind scene for all it's worth. Which means they gotta set itnup in the previous games so Cloud and Tifa get progressively more intimate. So they dont just confess, and immediately start having sez in the last game.
GamerSkull
Pro Adventurer
But you don’t understand, all that happens during the Highwind scene is that Tifa rests her head on Cloud’s shoulder. /s
Ryushikaze
Deus Admiral Parsimonious, PHD, DDS, MD, JD, OBE
- AKA
- Tim, Ryu
The difference is that if Aerith lived and Cloud picked Tifa, there wouldn't be a horde of shippers claiming he only did so because he had no choice. I agree, the outcome is the same IN NARRATIVE, it's outside the narrative I'm discussing.
I've said it many times, the LT is solved, it's the debate that continues despite that.Anyway, my main point was that no matter how compelling and obvious the case for Cloud x Tifa, there will always be some who simply don't want to believe and find ways to ignore it. Indeed, one of my favourite articles on this site back in the day was your own, now 14 years old, declaring the LTD officially over. How little we knew
The FF15 Novel is called Dawn of the Future and includes what was meant to be in the game as various DLCs including a "true ending" where Noct, Luna and Ardyn join forces to fight Bahamut for rigging the game from the start.
GamerSkull
Pro Adventurer
See, I don’t think it would make much difference. I think the LTD would basically be the same had Aerith survived. Possibly worse because people could just head canon that he left Tifa for her post-AC.
Maidenofwar
They/Them
Aerith is a virgin for life though, and remains so those lips untouched 
GamerSkull
Pro Adventurer
I’m sure Zack will fix that.Aerith is a virgin for life though, and remains so those lips untouched
If that were the case we'd see more shipping wars as vitriolic as this one, but they all died down once a girl was picked. Hinata vs sakura, orihime vs rukia, rem vs Emilia, the list goes on. Sure, people still prefer whichever girl or story they prefer, but no one is arguing canonicity
GamerSkull
Pro Adventurer
Hmm… that’s a good point. Although I do remember how bad those got lol
I still fail to see the difference though since Tifa was picked and Aerith is simply dead. Any sort of reunion in the Lifestream would not be a conscious one.
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starcape91
Pro Adventurer
- AKA
- starcape91
For the mental health of all, it needs to be resolved with 100% clarity so that those who struggle with media literacy can grieve and let go.
Edit: if this sounds like an insult it’s seriously not meant to be. Stringing people along is not fun for anyone.
Edit: if this sounds like an insult it’s seriously not meant to be. Stringing people along is not fun for anyone.
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billy22
Pro Adventurer
Re: the traces/Tifa's past love stuff, most posters have already answered this nicely. How Tifa really felt about Cloud when she was 12 has no bearing on what her or his feelings are when the game starts or ends. It doesn't matter.
...oh you mean this "debate" thingy we still do. No, this is purely for our own entertainment. And because we're all masochists.
It was resolved 15 years ago.
...oh you mean this "debate" thingy we still do. No, this is purely for our own entertainment. And because we're all masochists.
Ryeleigh
Pro Adventurer
- AKA
- Rye
I know this is from, like, pages ago but I just wanted to say that I honestly doubt Cloud will treat Aerith like trash. C'mon, even if Cloud never had romantic feelings for her (because, you know, they're both kinda irrevocably in love with other characters), they're still friends. Nakama. He's the symbol of all she holds dear and she's one of the things he cherishes.
Just because there isn't a romance there, it doesn't mean it wasn't important? I honestly don't understand why people keep downplaying their friendship for romance? (And that goes to both sides of the ship war, I think.)
Edit: Wanted to add that I certainly want to see Zack and Aerith kiss too, lol. They deserve it.
He doesnt treat her like trash at all and the npcs in the game don't treat Aerith badly at all. The thing people are referring too isn't really npcs in a sense. The brutal thing people talk about isn't something from cloud its what aerith wants from cloud which he isn't
Maidenofwar
They/Them
Alright, thank yous 
Edit: Thank you both so much, that sounds great, honestly was just feeling kind of emotional today with life in general, and that just brightened my day.
Edit: Thank you both so much, that sounds great, honestly was just feeling kind of emotional today with life in general, and that just brightened my day.
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LNK
Pro Adventurer
- AKA
- Nate
Oh, I have that. I thought you were talking about an ff7 novel
faefolk
Pro Adventurer
Where is a new trailer?? :o
LNK
Pro Adventurer
- AKA
- Nate
That's on those that struggle with these kind of scenarios though. Those that create the art shouldn't change things because some people lack the ability to cope with things.
Those people have bigger things to work on outside media literacy.