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

[The Twilight Mexican]

There was also Johnny being in SOLDIER, which I've never seen

Yeah, no doubt. Sure, the dude claimed to have been in SOLDIER, but most of what he says is a red herring and doesn't make a lick of sense.

That is a change of reading, isn't it? Instead of the usual アース for 'earth', it's changed to read more like it looks.

That's a good point. Thanks for bringing it up.

I think the way I choose to do it makes more sense to someone unfamiliar with "aasu/aath," though, and gets more to the point as far as answering the question, "What's the etymology of her name?"

Maybe it's an explanation that works better for Japanese than English.

Probably so. XD


EDIT: What do you think of "Tifaret" as the origin of Tifa's name?

 

[Makoeyes987]

LOL he wasn't

 

[Strangelove]

Yeah, no doubt. Sure, the dude claimed to have been in SOLDIER, but most of what he says is a red herring and doesn't make a lick of sense.

When I replayed FFVII (International) earlier this year, I looked out him saying he was in SOLDIER, but I don't remember finding that either. I don't know if I just missed it, or if it's one of those things that someone says and it ends up getting take as a fact.

That's a good point. Thanks for bringing it up.

I think the way I choose to do it makes more sense to someone unfamiliar with "aasu/aath," though, and gets more to the point as far as answering the question, "What's the etymology of her name?"

But I can't be pedantic that way

EDIT: What do you think of "Tifaret" as the origin of Tifa's name?

I could see it being possible (since they already took 'Sephiroth' from Kabbalah), and I've seen the 'Tiffany' origin on Japanese sites before. But without anything definite, I don't bother to think much about it

 

[Ryushikaze]

That's a claim that's been made for years by the owner of the Loveless site, but it's not true. She said that the Kaitai Shinsho says it, but it's nowhere in the damn book.

I thought I'd seen it somewhere myself, but pfeh. My point is, Tifa IS a nickname for Tiffany. And either way, Theophania or Tifaret...

She also says that the book tells us that Johnny is the guy who wrote that letter to Tifa that Cloud can read during the Kalm flashback. Also not in the book.

So who wrote the letter? If it was Cloud that'd be hilarious.

I think "Tifaret" (an element of the Kabbalistic Sephiroth) is the most likely origin of Tifa's name. I mean, seriously, Seventh Heaven, Final Heaven, providing balance for Cloud? That can't be unrelated.

There is that, yes.

 

[Eerie]

I really thought Tifa came from Tiffany from an interview - but maybe it was on this site o___o Oh wait, I think it was on the FF7 wiki page about Tifa, which may explains lot of things

I remember it clearly, 'cause I thought that I really hated it XD

As for Aerith coming from "Earth", yeah, that's the explanation I read too. It makes sense, given that she's the last Cetra and that it's thanks to her that the world is saved, blablabla

But again, how is this linked to the LTD? XD

 

[Raquelborn]

Theophania

I'm going to consider calling my future daughter this.

So who wrote the letter? If it was Cloud that'd be hilarious.

This. When I first played the game I thought it was Cloud but I realised later that wouldn't make sense. It would make more sense for Johnny to be the boy.

 

[Strangelove]

The letter was written by the general store owner's son (Ultimania Omega, p.100).

On the (off topic) subject of names, Ifalna's name is an anagram. It's 'final' with an extra 'a' because that's what it's like in Japanese (i-fa-ru-na = fa-i-na-ru). I can't remember if that was ever officially confirmed or not, though

 

[Raquelborn]

The letter was written by the general store owner's son (Ultimania Omega, p.100).

So it's safe to say the general store owner's son got into SOLDIER? And Johnny may well, or may well not have.

 

[Strangelove]

Did he? I don't remember what the letter said

 

[Raquelborn]

Did he? I don't remember what the letter said

I remember it saying something about SOLDIER, or they. I recall there was more than one. That's why I originally thought it might be Cloud. I'll see if any scripts online have the contents of the letters...

 

[Strangelove]

Actually, the Ultimania has the text of the letter in it. Looking at it, it should be plainly obvious who it's from (if you remember what it says ), since it mentions taking over his parents' shop and asking if they're still opening the shop everyday. He says he sent them a fake letter telling his parents he found a position at Shinra, but nothing about SOLDIER.

Maybe the English game messed it up, though

 

[Raquelborn]

Actually, the Ultimania has the text of the letter in it. Looking at it, it should be plainly obvious who it's from (if you remember what it says ), since it mentions taking over his parents' shop and asking if they're still opening the shop everyday. He says he sent them a fake letter telling his parents he found a position at Shinra, but nothing about SOLDIER.

Yeah, I was just reading the text of the particular letter on here: http://www.ff7citadel.com/secrets/s_tifa.shtml

No mention of SOLDIER, only going to Midgar and being a bit of a failure.


I saw this on a forum I stumbled across though:

I dunno if Johnny remembering Cloud from SOLDIER is necessarily a plot hole. Not only does Johnny claim Cloud was in SOLDIER, but he claims Cloud was a "lady's man"(clearly he has mixed up Cloud and Zack) and that him and Cloud were close friends growing up, all of which is false.

Now I'm wondering where Johnny got all this rubbish from. Did he ever meet Zack?

 

[Strangelove]

None of his profiles in all these books seem to mention any of this SOLDIER stuff or growing up with Cloud. These seem like pretty major things, given that beyond that you don't really have much else to talk about when it comes to Johnny in FFVII. I'm almost curious enough to play through it again to look more closely at what's there.

Almost, but not quite enough

 

[Ryushikaze]

There is a line in Costa Del Sol

Johnny
"What's with YOU!!"
"Hey, is it........ you?"
"We were in SOLDIER, and childhood friends before that. You were
such a playboy."
"And a $#&^ murderer!!"
"Why can't I remember your name?"
So, yeah, this is where people get the idea that Johnny was in SOLDIER and from Nibleheim from.

Oh, and Syne, it's 'related' to the LTD because it stemmed from the old 'Aeris means Cloud in greek' argument, then spun into snark, especially re: Eris being the goddess of strife.

 

[DrakeClawfang]

LOL UR FUNNAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

I know, but thank you.

 

[Strangelove]

There is a line in Costa Del Sol

Johnny
"What's with YOU!!"
"Hey, is it........ you?"
"We were in SOLDIER, and childhood friends before that. You were
such a playboy."
"And a $#&^ murderer!!"
"Why can't I remember your name?"
So, yeah, this is where people get the idea that Johnny was in SOLDIER and from Nibleheim from.

Doing some searching:

「ああっ、あんたは？
　もしかしてぇ！」
「元ソルジャーかつ幼なじみで
　モテモテの遊び人」
「そ、そして……人殺し野郎！！」
「えっっと……お名前なんでしたっけ？」

He doesn't say they were both in SOLDIER or childhood friends. It doesn't actually specify who it's about, but since he's talking about who Cloud is it's safe to assume that's who he means. He called Cloud 'childhood friend' a couple of times before in reference to his relationship with Tifa, so that wouldn't necessarily mean he's talking about himself and Cloud.

Rost in transration

 

[Isabella]

But C and T weren't childhood friends. They didn't become friends until the HW scene, right?

 

[Dashell]

The fact they would try to pin such a nonsensical and out of character allusion to Aerith, just for the sake of connecting her to Cloud speaks volumes of the rabid Clerith agenda and their mental state.

I think it more speaks volumes about just how bad their ship is in.
I don't think anything will top the monkeys though

(and to be fair, I found the "strife" one, I just thought it was funny)

 

[Ryushikaze]

I think it more speaks volumes about just how bad their ship is in.
I don't think anything will top the monkeys though

(and to be fair, I found the "strife" one, I just thought it was funny)

No, you didn't, and that's the sad thing. I forget who did it, but the 'ZOMFG Eris is the Goddess of STRIFE TRU LUV !!!!1111Eleven' has been trotted out before. On Gfaqs, I think.

Addendum: Ah, yes. The 'They weren't even friends til under the highwind', even though even if you only count from the trainyard, they were friends longer than Aerith got to remain alive after meeting Cloud.

 

[Eerie]

It's kind of sad to wish your favourite character to be a bitch just so you can have a very wonky argument. Yes, I'm talking about Eris. _o/ Resorting to what names mean is, in general, a bad idea anyway. Even if the creators look for a special meaning, chances are slim that it's going to favour a ship. XD [That also applies to Tifa]. I've only seen a mangaka admit it once, and it was an afterthought, not the original meaning

 

[Dashell]

But Tifa was said to be friends with Zack and this disproves that Cloud and Tifa were childhood friends... or something

 

[Tennyo]

Well we all know that Aeris was a mistranslation anyway and that her REAL name is Aerith now anyway, so why do people still make the goddess argument?

 

[Eerie]

Because people like to live in delusion. I still know some fans who truly believe that CloudxAerith are canon. I didn't bother with them though; I rather not have anything to do with them

 

[OneWingedDemon]

The Aeris/Eris argument is FFG's child.
As are the monkeys.

At least, that's where I've seen them first.

 

[Tennyo]

LOL I remember the X-2 monkey thing. I've never been able to quite wrap my head around how someone actually made such a connection. XD