So who can see Aerith and when and why and stuff?

[Dashell]

So we know Cloud can see and talk to Aerith because he does so a couple times in the film (AND BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING I'M NOT SAYING HE CAN SEE HER AT ANY TIME AND HAVE SEX WITH HER OR ANYTHING SO DON'T EVEN GO THERE )... we know the first time she appeared she was speaking to his mind or whatever. But then there's the end of the movie. It's very obvious he can see her there, Zack as well. There's two little kids sitting on the floor that she's talking to before she walks off, so it can be assumed that they see her too. No one else seems to see her though. As she's walking away and Cloud is staring, no one in Avalanche and none of the other kids seem to notice her. Do you think Cloud's the only one who can see her there?

There's also the part in the movie where she speaks to Kadaj. Cloud looks at Kadaj the whole time and doesn't react to Aerith's voice at all. In fact when Kadaj disappears, he looks confused almost. However it's obvious Kadaj can see her as he reaches out for her.

So do you think there's a reason only certain people can see her at certain times? Is it something she can control? Why didn't she want Cloud to see her when she spoke to Kadaj?

I dunno, just trying to get some discussion going

EDIT:
and wow I just got dejavu o.o;

 

[Isabella]

As she's walking away and Cloud is staring, no one in Avalanche and none of the other kids seem to notice her. Do you think Cloud's the only one who can see her there?

They all have their backs to her, so we don't know if they would've seen her or not. But as to your question, I think it's written somewhere that she appears to those in pain or need, "like a loving mother," or something. The most straightforward answer is that she appears to those who need to see her. Which would imply that she can control who sees her, I'd imagine.

 

[Ryushikaze]

Kadaj sees her. In AC, his eyes react as if seeing something, and he reaches out his hand very deliberately.
In ACC, they added a bit of her reflection in his eye.

And yes, she appears to those hurt and in need of help, like a loving mother.

 

[Dashell]

In ACC, they added a bit of her reflection in his eye.

Hmm I just watched this and I don't see it... but... interesting none the less. Thanks.

 

[Smaddy]

I had always assumed that at the end of AC,

Spoiler

only Cloud saw Aeris. I didn't even think the kids did. I thought it might have been more of a, "hey why's Cloud looking out the door, let me look too" kind of thing. AVALANCHE definitely didn't see her, as I recall, from what you can see, nobody's looking in that direction.

And then Kadaj, I wasn't sure if he saw Aeris. I understand what's going on there, that it's supposed to be her. But I'm not sure who Kadaj thought he saw. The only thing I do know is it wasn't his "mother"/Jenova.

 

[Carlos]

They all have their backs to her, so we don't know if they would've seen her or not. But as to your question, I think it's written somewhere that she appears to those in pain or need, "like a loving mother," or something. The most straightforward answer is that she appears to those who need to see her. Which would imply that she can control who sees her, I'd imagine.

and how do you explain him seeing Zack?

 

[Dashell]

Zack spoke to Cloud's mind the first time, he didn't physically appear.

Maybe Aerith was helping Zack in the end.

 

[Neo Bahamut]

Honestly, I always thought it had to do with Cloud being close to death for half of the movie. There are the kids, but then there's also the "ghost" of her that appears in the church in the original, so yeah.

 

[Raquelborn]

I had always assumed that at the end of AC,

Spoiler

only Cloud saw Aeris. I didn't even think the kids did.

Except the first time we spot her in that scene she is knelt down talking to a couple of children. They don't seem aware she's a spirit either.

 

[ForceStealer]

There are the kids, but then there's also the "ghost" of her that appears in the church in the original, so yeah.

Yeah I assumed it was the same kids that saw her in FF7, I thought that was pretty cool, actually.

 

[Loxetta]

Well as far as the ending goes, apparently Word Of God says that children have recently emerged from the Lifestream, and have greater ties to it. Cloud, at that point, had also recently emerged from the Lifestream.

This might also extend to explain why he can see her all throughout the movie. He had been in the Lifestream a lot in the original game, including at the ending. If children around eight or so are still tied to the Lifestream well enough that they can see her and feel her presence, Cloud having been in the Lifestream two years ago would still be enough of a connection.

Likewise, Tifa, who was also in the Lifestream at one point in FF7, senses her while it's raining and talks to her as well.

 

[Celes Chere]

So who can see Aerith and when and why and stuff

I can see Aerith all the time.

AND HAVE SEX WITH HER OR ANYTHING SO DON'T EVEN GO THERE

We have fun at night.

 

[Max Payne]

I can see Aerith too.

Cuz I'm Batman.

 

[Dark and Divine]

I see her everytime I play FFVII, CC or watch AC(C).

 

[Neo Bahamut]

Yeah I assumed it was the same kids that saw her in FF7, I thought that was pretty cool, actually.

It is a neat reference. Personally, I try not to attribute a mechanism to it. That just takes all the fun away. I figure it's more or less like stories about spirits in real life. You can come up with a lot of different explanations, up to & including "bullshit," but the fun is in the sense of mystery.

 

[Pucca_ness]

I always assumed Kadaj could see and hear her because he was dying and going to the lifestream. Since he had somewhat of a connection to Cloud I think Aerith was there to help him through. I think this because i beleive she was watching over Cloud throughout the entire movie hence why she helped him out at certain points and gave him a second chance at the end.

I think at times when Cloud was feeling particularly guilty about her death she cottoned on to it and entered his mind to help him... although doing this while he was driving was not her best idea =P

At the end i always assumed she and Zack were able to visit just that one time to make it clear to Cloud he does not have to feel guilty about what happened to them and give extra comfort/congrats that the whole Sephiroth affair was finally over.

 

[heroine22]

I personally consider that last scene was the only one Cloud actually sees both Aerith and Zack.

Previously, they always just back to back with each other. Like when "I wanna be forgiven" and "dilly dally shilly shally" scenes. As for the bahamut scene, that was just some kind of Aerith's shadow or something...I guess.

I just remember SoS's article about the LTD and quote from FFVII that in Cloud's promise land, he'd meet Aerith and the ending of FFVIIACC was pretty much explaining his promise land (with his beloved family and friends and children cheering and he realized that he was not alone) and he did meet her there. And Zack.

That was the second touching scene after his conversation with Zack.

Oh, and yeah, Kadaj's pupil reacted as if he literally saw Aerith. So yeah, he did see her. In Reunion Files, Nomura said that it was a kind of salvation for Kadaj, as salvation was one of the themes of AC/C.

cmiiw.

 

[Ite]

*puke*

 

[Masamune]

I'd still like to know how Aerith can make phonecalls from beyond the grave. In the Reunion Files, they said they'd toyed with the idea of Aerith leaving Cloud a message during the product placement voicemail scene but they thought it would be too creepy. Now she's haunting the entire city over the phone!

 

[Zealkin]

I always did find that creepy, the Cloud messaging thing would be a lot creepier though, how did she do that though? Did she possess someone and make them call everyone? Did she possess the phones? Can you possess phones? O.O

/mindblown

 

[ForceStealer]

It would absolutely have been more creepy had Aerith left a personalized voice mail message for someone. Contacting kids and telling them to go to the church in what could have been one of many ways is significantly less so. Put another way, would it have been better if all the children just stood and marched with an irresistible compunction to go the Sector 5 slums? Because...that's exactly what the original version of the scene implies. That girl just said "It's like she said, wait here and Cloud will come back," well how the hell did she say that?

 

[Guts]

Haha, Aerith horror movie.

 

[Zealkin]

Isn't the moogle girl special in some way or something, I can't remember exactly but doesn't she represent Square in some way? Maybe she was just that special and broke the fourth wall and got everyone to go to the church because Square said so

Then they tried to make it make actual sense in the complete version, and created phone possessing Aerith as a Deus ex machina

 

[I Am Not Me]

I always thought those kids at the end never saw Aerith or knew she was there... because they didn't even look up or react when she stood up and left. o.o

I think it's only Cloud who sees Zack and Aerith (emphasis on Zack because he's equally important D<), because from what I gathered (from the movie), the others only felt Aerith's presence--an example would be Tifa, talking to the leak in Cid's airship. But they never actually see her.

One explanation would be they only show themselves to Cloud because they were closest to him before they died. Or maybe Cloud's just insane. Or he has the third eye. Or it's the mako in him, or because he fell in the lifestream (then again Tifa did too, but maybe the additional exposure on Cloud made him more susceptible?).

Who's to say Vincent can't see them either? Maybe he does but is keeping it a secret because he's already creepy enough?

As for the phone... I imagine it's something like "SEVEN DAYS" except Maaya Sakamoto is speaking, telling them "Go outside and dance in the rain"... or something. I never really appreciated that part much. >.>

 

[Celes777]

I'd still like to know how Aerith can make phonecalls from beyond the grave. In the Reunion Files, they said they'd toyed with the idea of Aerith leaving Cloud a message during the product placement voicemail scene but they thought it would be too creepy. Now she's haunting the entire city over the phone!

I remember what they said was having Aerith appear at the backseat of Cloud's bike all of a sudden. Then they decided it was too much like a horror movie. But yeah both are creepy