Where is Aerith now? (spoilers)

[Neutron Ronnie]

Sorry if there is a thread dealing with this elsewhere!

My question is - where is Aerith Gainsborough now? "Now" being "end of Dirge of Cerberus". She didn't make an appearance there, if I'm right, except in a flashback of some sorts (I haven't finished the game yet)... So has she dissolved into the Lifestream, or is she still lurking out there somewhere?

... Which also brings up the question, "Do you think she'll make a major or significant appearance in any Compilation titles set post-DoC?"

Personally, I thought she disappeared with Zack into the Lifestream for good.

EDIT: To clarify, my question is this: Is her consciousness intact in the Lifestream, or has it "dissolved"?

 

[Vendel]

Sorry if there is a thread dealing with this elsewhere!

My question is - where is Aerith Gainsborough now? "Now" being "end of Dirge of Cerberus". She didn't make an appearance there, if I'm right, except in a flashback of some sorts (I haven't finished the game yet)... So has she dissolved into the Lifestream, or is she still lurking out there somewhere?

... Which also brings up the question, "Do you think she'll make a major or significant appearance in any Compilation titles set post-DoC?"

Personally, I thought she disappeared with Zack into the Lifestream for good.

The obvious answer is in the lifestream. Other than that...who knows.


She is not living inside Cloud. That's for fucking sure.

 

[Dark and Divine]

I think that Aerith had finally dilluted in the Lifestream.

There's no reason why she would still maintain herself as an individual spirit.

Sephiroth is gone and Cloud has surpassed the guilt he felt over her death.

There's nothing else left unresolved, so she can now rest in peace and join the Lifestream.

 

[Neutron Ronnie]

Ah, my bad for not clarifying... I added a line to the first post. I meant, do you think her consciousness is whole, or has she retired/dissolved/gone into a state where she can no longer manifest herself in front of Cloud and/or others?

She is not living inside Cloud. That's for fucking sure.

That's... just a disturbing thought... :|

 

[Vendel]

Until shown otherwise just assume she (and Zack) are still out there.

 

[I Am Not Me]

Aerith is now happily raising her Lifestream children with Zack.



But RLY, I think Aerith is at peace in the Lifestream now. On one hand.

On the other, there seems to be a hinted Sephy return, so maybe Aerith isn't really as at peace as she wants to be. DDD;

That's... just a disturbing thought... :|

Not to worry, you're not the only one who thought that as well.

 

[paoo]

I think Aerith finally returned to the Lifestream with Zack.
Like she said, "Everything is alright."
So.. I don't think she will show up again.

ILU Aerith <3 And I will miss u.

Spoiler

Aerith is now happily raising her Lifestream children with Zack.

True thing.

 

[ForceStealer]

She may have diffused, but perhaps not, the spirits of the Ancients in the Temple stayed themselves for at least 2000 years, perhaps Aeris is taking their place? Not to watch over Cloud or for Sephiroth but just, as a Cetra.

 

[Neutron Ronnie]

She may have diffused, but perhaps not, the spirits of the Ancients in the Temple stayed themselves for at least 2000 years, perhaps Aeris is taking their place? Not to watch over Cloud or for Sephiroth but just, as a Cetra.

Hm, I didn't think of that... Though there was no indication that Aerith met Ifalna there, was there? Just wondering...

Was Ifalna either a) not there, b) cba to talk to Aerith, or c) lost her sense of self, but just feels like she needs to protect the planet?

 

[Andalegogo]

I'm curious as to what her relationship might be like with Minerva, if Minerva is truly the Goddess and the Lifestream personified.

Seeing as Aerith was able to use the Lifestream to help stop Meteor in the end, does this mean that she is officially broskie with Minerva? Worse, imo, is the idea that Aerith actually IS the new Minerva. I liked Aerith, but it would suck if she suddenly gets to take on the role of Goddess right after we were introduced to that hot mutha Minerva in CC.

Sucks that there's really no way to know at the moment. But I don't think that Aerith would just dissipate her spirit so soon after AC, seeing as that she was the last of the Cetra and all. You'd figure she might think it best for the planet if she stuck around to help out.

 

[Neutron Ronnie]

Perhaps Minerva is more "of the Planet"... I dunno - maybe even a personification of Gaia... whereas Aerith (and the humans) are (originally) Cetra? Like, surface-dwellers.

OK, that's just me pulling stuff outta my butt, I'll go read up on Minerva again.

 

[Channy]

I'm curious as to what her relationship might be like with Minerva, if Minerva is truly the Goddess and the Lifestream personified.

Seeing as Aerith was able to use the Lifestream to help stop Meteor in the end, does this mean that she is officially broskie with Minerva? Worse, imo, is the idea that Aerith actually IS the new Minerva. I liked Aerith, but it would suck if she suddenly gets to take on the role of Goddess right after we were introduced to that hot mutha Minerva in CC.

Sucks that there's really no way to know at the moment. But I don't think that Aerith would just dissipate her spirit so soon after AC, seeing as that she was the last of the Cetra and all. You'd figure she might think it best for the planet if she stuck around to help out.

That's actually a really interesting theory. And yet for some reason I don't think it would be so far off to be placed into story.

But from what I remember of VII Cetra had the ability to maintain their consciousness in the Lifestream, separate from everything else. But does that ability fade with time? Or do they at one point accept it and move on into the Lifestream? Because if so, Aerith and Zack will dissipate... but if not, she can still hang around.

And another, htf does Zac hold himself together? He ain't no Cetra.

 

[Dark and Divine]

And another, htf does Zac hold himself together? He ain't no Cetra.

Maybe Zack has a will strong enough to prevent him to automatically dissipate in the Lifestream.

 

[Super Mario]

Simple. she's dead.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

And another, htf does Zac hold himself together? He ain't no Cetra.

He's ossum like that.

 

[Hinata Hyuga]

When I read Case of Lifestream White on the front page, it gave me the idea that

Spoiler

Aerith is the reason that Zack is able to exist as himself.

She rushed through the Lifestream in search of other souls to help her. Ancients, on the verge of diffusing. These fragments of consciousness accepted her undertaking. When she found fragments of consciousness of people she had once known– pitifully few in number– she infused them with her own memories and sought their assistance.

Because of that. It gave me the idea that he had more or less returned to the planet already. Until Aerith picked him up.

 

[Andalegogo]

But from what I remember of VII Cetra had the ability to maintain their consciousness in the Lifestream, separate from everything else. But does that ability fade with time? Or do they at one point accept it and move on into the Lifestream?

We saw the spirits of Cetra who had remained in the Temple of the Ancients, and were there long enough to forget how to speak. Ifalna stuck around and spoke to Aeirth from the Lifestream for a while.

And I just glanced over Case of Lifestream and it's stated pretty plainly in the first paragraph of Lifestream White:

"The woman was an Ancient. Which explained how she was able to maintain her individuality even within the Lifestream. If she so wished she could become part of the planet at any time, but the woman thought it too early for that just yet."

Looks like she can stick around for as long as she thinks she needs to.

As for Zack still being around, I would've posted the same thing as Rinali. In the end, Zack does seem to have a pretty powerful will, seeing as he can completely resist a second SOLDIER treatment, but I just felt as though his end in Crisis Core was a picture perfect Zack finding his "Promised Land". He seems to have died happy and with no regrets for the things he had done.

No doubt someone might always say he never got to see Aerith again, but Zack seemed like the type who would cherish the fact that he was able to meet her at all, and that she loved him enough to wait for him over the course of five years with no response from him. I figure he'd be satisfied just knowing that she would be able to live on.

 

[Reith123]

Aerith be dead. thats as plain as it gets, i believe she wont reappear unless SE comes up with a possible resurrection that i didnt hear about yet because my crazy mind was focused on other things. Other than that, she is with zack in the lifestream, watching over cloud and everyone until she fades away =X

 

[minimosey]

I don't believe she is fully merged the Lifestream yet, tbh, because of Sephiroth's persistence. As long as Sephiroth is a possible threat, I think she would want to stick around to protect Cloud and everyone else. Once he's no longer an issue, she'll probably let herself merge with the Lifestream.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

She's with Zack. The Lifestream carried them both to to Disneyland. She's a Princess now, and he's one of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Their children are ethereally beautiful.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

Aerith is busy fighting off Sephiroth and helping people merge with the Lifestream. Also, since she was the last Cetra, would that mean something bad for the planet since the Cetra help people merge with the Lifestream? I sense lots of unhappy souls.

 

[Kikyou]

ALL OF YOU ARE WRONG. CLEARLY, SHE IS LIVING INSIDE WALDO.

 

[Masamune]

I think it's unfair Aerith gets to bob around in the Lifestream to her heart's content, whereas everyone else gets their memories turned to mush and resurrected as.... a tree.....or Hell House!

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I think it's unfair Aerith gets to bob around in the Lifestream to her heart's content, whereas everyone else gets their memories turned to mush and resurrected as.... a tree.....or Hell House!

No! That Hell House was Biggs!!??

 

[DrakeClawfang]

Where Aerith is depends on your opinion of Sephiroth's fate. Nomura has directly said, "as long as Sephiroth exists, Aerith must exist". So if Aerith is gone, that means the threat of Sephiroth is gone as well. If he endures, Aerith endures as well.