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

[Dashell]

Just to further clarify before I get torn to pieces, I think he did love Aerith, I think there was chemistry but it might have been Jenova's doing. I'm unclear on that... but I don't see why it matters WHY he loved her. It's obvious he still cared for her deeply even after her death and even after he found himself. Doesn't mean it was romantic, but he loved her alot.

BUT

I think after the Lifestream event, he realized that Tifa was the one he was meant to be with. Doesn't mean he hates Aerith, doesn't mean he's a big stupid jerk, doesn't mean he doesn't STILL love her beyond death, it just means he found his true love and he's happy with her and Aerith can always be in his heart

 

[I Am Not Me]

He could. I'm all for that. But I guess if you love Aerith you always love her. You can never love anyone else. It's against the Mary Sue rules.

This makes me wonder. Why are they making Aerith a Mary Sue? Really. If they love her so much, why butcher her character? It's the worst insult to her character ever. I mean, it's more acceptable (albeit sickening) to make a Mary Sue named Aerisia Marigold Faith Justice Hope Everlasting Forever, make it the actual last surviving pure Cetra, and ship that with Cloud. At least Aerith is still Aerith.

I just recently realized that I actually like Clerith almost as much as Cloti, but only Clerith that has the actual Aerith, not Sue-Goddess-Aerith. I think I only disliked Clerith for the stupid that is fandom.

I also don't like Clerith with Janova-Cloud, because that Cloud is unstable and not as awesome as real-Cloud. Real-Cloudxreal-Aerith is the Clerith I like. As fanon sometimes.

 

[Max Payne]

Why can't he (have) love(d) them both (depending on his mental state), and be with the one that's alive? People's feelings do change over time too. After all, he's only (a fictional) human.


X

Because he doesn't.

Stfu.

 

[Tennyo]

Aww lookiet da widdle kiddy! *huggles*

Um yeah...

Why can't he (have) love(d) them both (depending on his mental state), and be with the one that's alive? People's feelings do change over time too. After all, he's only (a fictional) human.


X

I don't really think this was the case anymore but I have no qualms what so ever with the idea. In fact I think many people always assumed this conclusion. However, there are still those out there whou would fight the "be with the one that's alive" train of thought. As Bella said, Cloud and Aerith are expected to move on from their first/childhood loves but they aren't allowed to move on from each other. That's the canon double standard.

 

[Vendel]

I've always said he loved them both

He was never in love with Aerith Q. They were never boyfriend and girlfriend. I don't care what the pinkers tell you about CoLW.

 

[Dashell]

Quit spying on me!

And I never changed my stance, I've always said that Cloud cared deeply for Aerith... I KNOW I've said this before. It resulted in me having to prove it and anything I came up with was thrown out because of the ZaCloud argument or something else. Look, I'm not saying they had hot burning love and passionate sex or that they even had an active romantic relationship OR that if Aerith had survived they'd be a couple... but he did love her.

But as I said, he realizes who he's meant to be with now.

You won't change my stance on that so nya nya

 

[Fighter]

This makes me wonder. Why are they making Aerith a Mary Sue?

Because a lot of them are in love with Cloud and identify with the Sueish Aerith. They also can't stand the idea of Tifa being better at anything.

 

[Dashell]

Too bad Tifa's better at having awesome boobs than they are
Course she's better at that than pretty much everyone.

Also I guess I'm quite different being in love with Cloud and wanting to chain him to a wall and feed him rice twice a day... among other things.

 

[Madame Mayor]

I just still wish there was some indication of Cloud having romantic feelings for Aerith at all...

I wouldn't care if Cloud did, cause I like the idea of Clerith, and it wouldn't change how the story ends up, ie. Cloti. However, I just don't see it in his actions or words and no one has ever been able to point anything out that shows, "look here, Cloud has some romantic interest."

I think when you have a boy and a girl character people like to throw them together/see something going on a bit to often. I have similar issues with other fandoms.

I just don't see why a boy and a girl character can't just be really close without romance being involved. Does it lessen the bond two people have if it's not romance? If Cloud is sincerely not romantically interested in Aerith does that make what she meant to him any less important? Maybe I just have really high standards for what makes a couple/what is romantic interest.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

Is the poll question supposed to be "Who did Cloud love at the beginning?" or "Who did Cloud love at the end?", because there's evidence ZaCloud loved Aerith and obviously that Aerith loved ZaCloud, but at the end, real!Cloud seems happy with Tifa.

 

[I Am Not Me]

because there's evidence ZaCloud loved Aerith and obviously that Aerith loved ZaCloud, but at the end, real!Cloud seems happy with Tifa.

Yeah, except...

Both Aerith, who is forthright, and Tifa, who is demure, have feelings for Cloud but he is none the wiser to them.

He clearly wasn't interested. In neither Tifa nor Aerith. So he couldn't have been in love with either as ZaCloud. He may have had a slight crush on Aerith, but then we can't possibly remove Tifa from that line of affection either.

 

[Makoeyes987]

Cloud loves Barret too. And Vincent, and Yuffie, and Nanaki, and Reeve...And Aerith...

Yeah. Cloud "loves" and cares about a lot of people. However he's only in love with one. What's your point?

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

He clearly wasn't interested. In neither Tifa nor Aerith. So he couldn't have been in love with either as ZaCloud. He may have had a slight crush on Aerith, but then we can't possibly remove Tifa from that line of affection either.

Then ZaCloud is clearly retarded. Or gay.

 

[Fighter]

ZaCloud liked who the player liked. If you choose to talk sexual innuendo about Tifa, tell Aerith she's your girlfriend, get jealous of Tifa and Johnny and not Zack and Aerith, etc. Then anything you perceive as ZaCloud's love for Aerith looses its meaning by comparison.

Arguably there are some examples of affection towards both girls that are not player initiated but on the whole you choose who Cloud likes during the first part of the game.

 

[Neutron Ronnie]

I agree to a large extent that Zackfied-Cloud's emotions were determined by the player, really. I just remembered one scene though...

I think in Cosmo Canyon, Aerith says she's alone. And Cloud says something like "But now I'm... we're here for you, right?"

... Why did he change it from "I" to "we"? Did he think she'd misunderstand, and think that he was hitting on her? Or did he really mean that he was there for her, and change it because it seemed too forward? (Unlikely, because of his Zackfied character, I thought...)

Or did he simply mean to include everyone? In which case, surely the script writers didn't need to make it sound so awkward and re-thought on Cloud's part...

Edit: Sorry if this has been brought up before.

 

[Tennyo]

Actually I'm not sure if that has been brought up before, ps (mind if I call you that? lol). I remember absolutely loving that scene the first time I played FFVII. When I first played I was under the impression that CloudxAerith was the canon couple and that theirs was an epic love story, so any type of interaction like this between them I just adored. lol I was really into that kind of stuff back then. lol

 

[Neutron Ronnie]

I honestly thought Cloud meant he'd be there for her, but that he changed it because it would've sounded too romantic...ish. This was during my first playthrough, and before I knew anything about Zack... I just wonder what Zackfied-Cloud was really thinking then...

The scene struck me because like you, I was under the impression that Clerith was meant to be, even though you get to choose to a certain extent... And I felt awful for Tifa, so this scene struck me as one that might have hurt her...

And no, I don't mind if you call me PS. Reminds me of PlayStation. XD

 

[Tennyo]

WEll when I first played FFVII I hadn't quite figured out the complexities of romance in a story yet. I was used to star struck forward type love where only the bad guy trying to destroy the world was an issue. Of course now I know better, and in fact to this day I still don't mind the idea of Cloud loving both girls making it a true LTD. Ultimanias seem to kind of lessen that thought and make it sound like it was all really Tifa while fauxCloud may have been responding because of Zack.

And blah maybe I'm rambling without any coherent thought. lol

 

[Ryushikaze]

I agree to a large extent that Zackfied-Cloud's emotions were determined by the player, really. I just remembered one scene though...

I think in Cosmo Canyon, Aerith says she's alone. And Cloud says something like "But now I'm... we're here for you, right?"

... Why did he change it from "I" to "we"? Did he think she'd misunderstand, and think that he was hitting on her? Or did he really mean that he was there for her, and change it because it seemed too forward? (Unlikely, because of his Zackfied character, I thought...)

Or did he simply mean to include everyone? In which case, surely the script writers didn't need to make it sound so awkward and re-thought on Cloud's part...

Edit: Sorry if this has been brought up before.

The line is brought up after Aerith laments she is alone. "But I'm... We're here for you" is essentially Cloud going, "How can you be alone with me, with everyone here?"

If it was meant to be romantic, the order would have been reversed, "We're... I'm here for you", emphasizing the singularity not the plurality. They emphasize the plurality to emphasize Aerith's loneliness despite her being surrounded by friends, because after what she's learned, she can't quite relate.

Sort of like Cloud's being lonely despite being happy with lover and children during the period of CoT.

 

[Neutron Ronnie]

The line is brought up after Aerith laments she is alone. "But I'm... We're here for you" is essentially Cloud going, "How can you be alone with me, with everyone here?"

If it was meant to be romantic, the order would have been reversed, "We're... I'm here for you", emphasizing the singularity not the plurality. They emphasize the plurality to emphasize Aerith's loneliness despite her being surrounded by friends, because after what she's learned, she can't quite relate.

Ah, I didn't mean to say that Cloud was trying to be romantic. If he was, he would've either reversed it (as you said) - or not bothered to change it. I was wondering why he changed it.

Like you said again, it could be to emphasize that there are so many people around... I just thought it was an awkward way for the line to come out, since there is more than one possible interpretation of the situation. (Unless that was the intention!)

I'm just trying to find evidence that Cloud - any form of him - was romantically attracted to Aerith. I want to be able to counter any such evidence before my Clerith housemate brings it up.

 

[Isabella]

I think that line can be interpreted as romantic. Doesn't have to be, but can be if you're so inclined. Cloud might have been embarrassed at expressing concern so he quickly changed it to "we."

 

[Tennyo]

Ah, I didn't mean to say that Cloud was trying to be romantic. If he was, he would've either reversed it (as you said) - or not bothered to change it. I was wondering why he changed it.

lol If it was really romantic I doubt it was intentional. Even back in the day when I did take it romantically I never thought it to be intentional as in Cloud was hitting on her. That's not really within is character.

 

[Anatoliae]

When I first played the game I just thought Cloud was fixing a mistake. He's used to be a lone wolf, it must come naturally. But then he realizes he's not alone either; he's not the only one cares for Aerith.

I can see it as being romantic but I don't think that's the case.

 

[Isabella]

He says something very similar in CoT -- tells Tifa he'll be there for her, then gets embarrassed at being sappy and blushes. Most Clotis take that to be romantic. Granted, in one case he's confused and being controlled, and in the other he's fully aware and in control. That's the primary difference to me, the context rather than the content. But you wouldn't know that playing the game the first time, and I don't think you can blame people for taking that scene as Clerith, at least initially. Of course, the Lifestream scene should prompt you to go back and question all previous assumptions, but not everyone knows to do that, apparently.

 

[Ryushikaze]

Despite the game being based on the mid game rug pull, and us telling them to go do so several times, of course.

But yeah, what always gets me, speaking of things being taken romantically, is not that the pinkers see things as being romantic, but that they deny the possibility of them being seen any other way. Like there being no non romantic reason for Cloud to want to 'unfreeze Aerith's memory' or whatever that line is when he's boosting the party up, which makes it quite odd, since one would assume they would have a non romantic reason for wanting to do so, resultingly being pumped up by it.

That and their even more absurd insistence that C/T's various scenes can't possibly be taken as such.