So, what do you think the LTD conclusion is? (Round 2)

[Makoeyes987]

I think Zack definitely is a special man in her heart and the one she'll always love, since he was her first and deepest romance. But there's definitely a romantic attraction to Cloud in her heart too. A sizable one that can't be ignored.

I just don't see why there has to be an either/or dilemma when it comes to Aerith loving Cloud and Zack. I think its a false dilemma. She loves both of them. Zack because she was his first, and she had the longest most meaningful relationship in her whole life with him.

Cloud because despite their short time together, she grew to care and love the guy for all his dorky awkwardness and him being there to help her and support her in their adventure. She was the new guy she got to meet after she lost her first and he was a good guy despite his screwed up head.

This isn't the Highlander blood feud after all.

 

[Vendel]

I think Zack definitely is a special man in her heart and the one she'll always love, since he was her first and deepest romance. But there's definitely a romantic attraction to Cloud in her heart too. A sizable one that can't be ignored.

In FFVII I could see that. Anything after that? Not really.

Taking koibito out of this. What about her actions or words in CoLW or ACC indicate romantic love for Cloud? And vice-versa btw pinkers.

 

[Splintered]

Really? In the flashbacks it's apparent Cloud was always hard up for Tifa.

That's what I meant. Tifa, Aerith, and Zack had really strong feelings triggered during a short period of time. Cloud's always liked Tifa, from as early as the game allows us to see.

 

[Makoeyes987]

Well, in ACC, there's nothing. Clearly Aerith is concerned for Cloud on a more serious, and emotional level beyond romance. She wants Cloud to move on with living his life happily. Thats beyond romance. It's her caring and loving him selflessly. She wants him to be happy and live with Tifa so that he isn't burdening himself with regret.

In Lifestream White, Aerith is just thinking about how she felt about him while alive and all. I mean, going by her actions in FFVII, she clearly was flirting with him and admiring him while apart of the party. He may have not been wise to it, but she still was romantically hoping that they'd have something. And the potential was there given his fragmented ego, and circumstance during Disc 1. They could've bonded even further and Cloud could've found himself torn between two women. But that didn't happen and Cloud's feelings that were sealed up in his true ego came to light.

It's just unrealized potential. It's a hypothetical that could've happen, and Aerith certainly would've been open to it.

 

[Isabella]

I just don't see why there has to be an either/or dilemma when it comes to Aerith loving Cloud and Zack.

I don't either. I'm not saying you can't love two men. I'm just asking where it happened, in context of everything else we know. Attraction, absolutely. But we're talking about a deep romantic love here. Perhaps it's as Ryu said: feelings aren't rational. She may have only had a short time of being aware of the duality and "searching for the real Cloud," but whatever instant appeal she felt carried over even as she became more aware.

 

[Dashell]

Well before I came into the LTD I used to think that Cloti wasn't canon at all. I was pissed that Tifa and Cloud didn't share a kiss or anything in ACC. THen I found all these wonderful resources and ultimanias and now I'm happy

I also used to think Clerith didn't have a leg to stand on, but I can see I... well it has a couple toes at least

Also since it's been brought to my attention, how many of you are actually members of Final Fantasy Forums.net?

 

[Dashell]

Who remembers the "there's a fish blocking the way to the Ancient Capital. This shows that Cloud loves Aerith because fish=love" theory?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgXYz8A4d3I#t=1m18s

 

[Frostwave]

For me, I'll say that at first I was very dubious of the prospect of Aerith ever really loving Cloud in a meaningful way, because I felt that it shat on Zack since that was her first. But with Lifestream White emphasizing her feelings for Cloud, it seems pretty hard to say that she didn't. The fact is, is that she loved the guy. Doesn't mean she can't love Zack too. It's reality that over time we love more than one person. We'll always love our first, and sometimes we find others to love too. So I've come to terms with the fact Aerith definitely loved Cloud in her own way in the brief time she knew him. I always chalked it up to rebound but not anymore.

That's the main shift in perspective I've gone through. What about yours?

Well, when I first started getting into visiting LT threads, I was the type that would get mad when people would suggest that either Aerith really had feelings for Cloud, or Cloud had any romantic feelings for Aerith. I was immature, and didn't like the idea of either Cloud or Aerith liking anyone other than their true loves, at all.

So, yeah. Basically when I got a little older, I realized that stuff doesn't really work that way, and that feelings aren't that simple.

That's basically it.

 

[DrakeClawfang]

Who remembers the "there's a fish blocking the way to the Ancient Capital. This shows that Cloud loves Aerith because fish=love" theory?

So wait....this means Cloud and Aerith are gay fish?

Lo, comrades, I hath brought ye forum full circle!

 

[Splintered]

So wait....this means Cloud and Aerith are gay fish?

Lo, comrades, I hath brought ye forum full circle!

Well played, good sir.

 

[DrakeClawfang]

Well played, good sir.

Best. Post. Ever.

 

[Tennyo]

So these people who accuse TLS of being cruel and oppressive ... do they look anywhere other than the LTD thread? Are there no other aspects of FF7 they're interested in?

Nope.

 

[Vendel]

In Lifestream White, Aerith is just thinking about how she felt about him while alive and all. I mean, going by her actions in FFVII, she clearly was flirting with him and admiring him while apart of the party.

Then she died.

And nothing from CoLW or ACC indicated her pining romantically after Cloud.The only indicators we have of her current relationship status (such as it can be) is her and Zack.

 

[Splintered]

Then she died.

And nothing from CoLW or ACC indicated her pining romantically after Cloud.The only indicators we have of her current relationship status (such as it can be) is her and Zack.

You mean besides her calling Cloud her lover, or the one that she deeply loves, whatever: indicating that that she has romantic feelings for him. Granted, precedence is his mental health, but there's nothing to say that her feelings are just one dimensional...

 

[Vendel]

You mean besides her calling Cloud her lover, or the one that she deeply loves, whatever: indicating that that she has romantic feelings for him. Granted, precedence is his mental health, but there's nothing to say that her feelings are just one dimensional...

The koibito statement was past tense. And if she really thinks Cloud is her lover as of CoLW and ACC than she is the one with the mental issues. And all indications point to no on that. So no I don't think she has any romantic interest in Cloud AT ALL by that point. She doesn't even think about him until she confronts Sephy in the goo and finds out what he is obsessing over.

The only one she could be said to 'be' with is Zack. Unless you missed the three big Zerith scenes right at the end of the movie.

Neither Cloud nor Aerith do anything that should be considered pining over or trying to be with the one that they love. Towards each other that is.

 

[aniron]

The first thing I did after my grand comeback at TLS - I voted for Tifa in the new TLT thread.

111 votes! Woo, Tifa wins!

 

[Makoeyes987]

The koibito statement was past tense. And if she really thinks Cloud is her lover as of CoLW and ACC than she is the one with the mental issues. And all indications point to no on that. So no I don't think she has any romantic interest in Cloud AT ALL by that point. She doesn't even think about him until she confronts Sephy in the goo and finds out what he is obsessing over.

The only one she could be said to 'be' with is Zack. Unless you missed the three big Zerith scenes right at the end of the movie.

Neither Cloud nor Aerith do anything that should be considered pining over or trying to be with the one that they love. Towards each other that is.

LOL, no I don't think she's pining over Cloud romantically at this point. This is all of course indicative of her being alive and within the same realm of existence as Cloud. Her thinking of Cloud fondly from while she was alive just shows that back while alive thats how she felt and she had feelings there too. I think now she's at peace with Zack, which would of course make sense.

@Splintered

Wow...that's epic. I definitely could see Kanye West being a rabid Clerith fan

 

[Celes Chere]

Wow...that's epic. I definitely could see Kanye West being a rabid Clerith fan

So that'd make Taylor Swift a Cloti? x'D
"I never thought that as a Cloti, I would win an award like this..."
Okay Splintered, now make a gif of it happening. >=D

Anyway, my sides hurt from laughing.

 

[Cthulhu]

imo, make one of Aerith getting nekkid, with Kanye interrupting and making a note about how Tifa's knockers are one of the best pairs evar. Or something.

 

[Kikyou]

My list of perspective shifts as a result of reading LTDers posts:

1. I was introduced to the idea of "canon" and supposed winner status of having your pairing be "official".
2. Games which are purely fan service and AU to the original game = relevant.
3. CxA and CxT are hot pairings, but CxZ is even hotter.

On a serious note, reading LTD threads helped me a lot on how people can see a scene, a few sentences, or a single word different from others. It was rather applicable to real life. I had no qualms about liking pretty fanart of pairings I wasn't really fond of. CloTi, hell, the rest of the entire FFVII fandom, had amazing fan artists. It'd be a shallow reason not to like someone's craftsmanship. But I didn't actually become more open minded about multi-shipping until I got involved in the shounen fandom.

 

[Splintered]

Spoiler

On a serious note, reading LTD threads helped me a lot on how people can see a scene, a few sentences, or a single word different from others. It was rather applicable to real life. I had no qualms about liking pretty fanart of pairings I wasn't really fond of. CloTi, hell, the rest of the entire FFVII fandom, had amazing fan artists. It'd be a shallow reason not to like someone's craftsmanship. But I didn't actually become more open minded about multi-shipping until I got involved in the shounen fandom.

I'm sort of like that, but rather than being open minded to them, I accepted them yet hated any pairing discussion. The idea of getting into any romance debate in Naruto makes me skin crawl. The only reason why I'm here is because my FFVII fandom has been going on since I was twelve, and back then I actually cared about pairingness.

Pairing fandoms drive me insane. Which is why I don't particularly think the Cloud/Aerith fandom is bad, because they act like like most pairing fandoms I've dealt with. It's less culty and more like... a political organization. You know, the fanart/fiction (donation) drives, and the campaigning, and the smear campaigning, the debates, the party lines. Then there's the inner political squabbles, and the casting out of members, happens everywhere. That thing with Hito, where they demonized him for translating something not to their liking. Same thing happened to a girl I knew with the Naruto fandom, she translated a part of the databooks for her fandom and people tore her a new one even though she had translated for the opposite pairing fandom in the past.

So that'd make Taylor Swift a Cloti? x'D
"I never thought that as a Cloti, I would win an award like this..."
Okay Splintered, now make a gif of it happening. >=D

I'm pretty sure I would have made it lame. So I made something else for you. Which is equally as lame, but at least it's not another Kanye thing.

Also, note my self-righteous bullshit about pairings above and I go and do this crap. I love the sound of my own hypocrisy<3 (and see how that "Clerith" on the shirt disappears. Man, that was such a good idea... until I realized there were forty frames.) (Also, it's a lot harder to find fanservice of Aerith than I thought it would be)

iEDIT

Spoiler

I get about a week's grace period before people tell me to stfu, it's no longer funny, right?

 

[Kikyou]

@ Splintered: Okay. You got me. I lol'd at the GIF. XD

Yeah, that's the problem with pairing fandoms. You start loving your pairing more, hate your pairing more, or just hate being associated with the fandom. Usually the latter because of tards. Like the Harry Potter fandom, for all the lulz that it's worth. It might be because the fanfics that portray the characters differently, or the way people bash certain characters that are "in the way" of the couple. But I think its worth wading in that muck in for the glittering pieces of work (analysis essays, fanart, etc.) out there.

 

[Celes Chere]

I'm pretty sure I would have made it lame. So I made something else for you. Which is equally as lame, but at least it's not another Kanye thing.

ROFL, moar.... MOAR. >x'D I don't know, yours are as funny as the other gifs that members were posting from... the old Faith, right?

Okay. You got me. I lol'd at the GIF. XD

I take it you didn't care about the essay, Mira? I'm wondering what your feelings are about it since you're a Clerith. =O I'm wondering if you think it's unfair too or if it's no biggie. x]

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH CELES WHY ARE YOU NOT CELES ANYMORE I'M GOING TO GO CRY IN MY LONELINESS NOW.

you triple crosser

But Clerith fandom is pretty similar to a lot of other fandoms, its just that its age and lack of resolution have allowed people to grow older, more bitter, and more convinced their pair is the right one.

 

[Sublime]

I think that the conclusion is so obvious that it doesn't even need to be said, and that this thread will never reach 7 pages, let alone 700.

I guess you stand corrected.