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shinraapologist · 1 year

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Hey there~

I was wondering if you had any HC's regarding what a shincelty wedding may look like? What kind of decorations, flowers or music they might choose or what the dresscode may be?

I DO!!!! i think they would have a very small wedding, but almost everybody they care about is there. i think a wedding for them would come a few years post canon after all the dust of the final arc has settled and everyone involved has at the very least started healing from some of what went down. (none of these characters are ever going to like.... actually fully heal. lmao to the very idea. ) i like to hc that shinra wants to cut contact with shingen but cant figure out how to unentwine himself from his father and also is just overall too afraid to actually do it, altho we do see him slowly stand up to him more thruout the canon, so id like to think that he continues to work on that. either way, his dad is at the wedding, because theres no way in hell he realistically could be kept out of it. part of shizuos best man duties are shingen wrangling. he does a terrible job. i do like to think shinra has a relationship with kazane, i think she would be happy to be welcomed into his weird world and is thrilled by how similar they are. id like to think they get pretty close. so she's there also. ive been thinking since i got this ask about whether i think shizuo and izaya could be in the same room with each other post canon and eventually i came to the conclusion that realistically... shizuos not the only person in attendance that would have some issues with izaya at that point, and frankly im not sure izaya would want to be in ikebukuro or near anyone at all. not for a long time at least. i do think shinra and izaya would stay in contact, though- i do think izaya knows about the wedding and initially made some kind of joke at shinra and celtys expense, but deep down hes not sure if hes happy for his friend, bitterly jealous, amused by the concept of something nonhuman getting married, or any other combination of feelings.

the fact that its small does NOT mean shinra didnt drop a fortune on it, though. this is a no expenses spared event. as for decorations i think they lean hard into the black and white. also.. if we want to say cannon started in 2002, this is probably, like. 2013. its tacky. its ugly. its so disgustingly shinra and celty. honestly, i think shinra would have more opinions than celty during wedding planning (which is not helping the tacky thing). theres one thing celty puts her foot down on- she doesnt want to wear a white dress, she wants to make a dress from her regular shadow clothes. shinra whines about that for a split second before he decides that means HE can wear white and then proceeds to get a lab coat/suit jacket monstrosity made which becomes his lifelong go-to formal wear. celty would make her dress something extremely dramatic, like this. after he sees her in her dress shinra feels like an idiot for ever thinking he wanted her to wear white because shes so beautiful and so her in it. they dont give their guests a strict dress code but everyone shows up in the nicest outfit they have.

for flowers, they go all white, but they dont choose typical wedding flowers. i think they would be drawn to things like this:

for music, i think they would play a mix of old love songs and cheesy 90s music they loved as teens. there would be SO much dancing. none of them dance well.

#THANK YOUUUUUU for the ask

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soul-dwelling · 2 years

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I dont get it, couls Shinra creat any worls he wanted or was he limited, cause wouldnt be people be pissed if they werent living in a paradise by the end. Or is this supposed to be the best possible world?

Given how many times he did it, and how much he could change on a whim, yes, it seems like, until Lord Death took away his ability, Shinra could make any world he wanted. He seemed only limited by his imagination (e.g., he can make a whale--but since he barely remembers what that hologram of a whale looked like, it's not a realistic representation of a whale).

And yeah, I think this ending really needed at least one person upset that Shinra was catering to his own whims, and those of Haumea, or was upset Shinra made death and life mean less, or got stuck with fatal injuries and amputations (Hajiki, Takeru) or mutations (Burns), or was upset that they lost their pyrokinetic abilities.

This is the best possible world, in the opinion of primarily and maybe only Shinra and Haumea, because it lets Shinra prevent Haumea from constantly destroying the Earth, and by making life mean less it means people despair less so that Haumea isn't constantly having to feel everyone's despair (even though, as I'll type below, Lord Death takes away her abilities anyway so that she can no longer feel their despair, which makes this all the more pointless). And even among those people ambivalent about what Shinra did, like Ogun and Sho, their complaints are largely glossed over or treated as no big deal ("Monsters running around that can kill people, who cares?!"). It just doesn't come across as believable that everyone is on board with this--and, if they are, that may be a "happy" ending, but the lack of any conflict makes every character just seem like a cipher to praise Shinra, as if Ohkubo isn't confident enough that what Shinra did is obviously the right thing.

More below, sticking to just Chapter 300 to answer the rest of this (I may come back to this another time if I re-read any of this manga):

(EDIT before the read more, March 6, 2022, 11:50 PM Eastern: Reading some interpretations elsewhere, it's pointed out that it was not just to stop Haumea despairing, but to pretty much stop the world from despairing, so that the Evangelist can't keep feeding on despair, and by making sure the Evangelist can't keep feeding on despair, then Shinra can destroy the Evangelist with one kick. ...Which still doesn't work: as I say in this post, despair doesn't just come from a fear of death. Despair just means a lost of any hope--even if you made death seem less scary and worrisome, people are going to despair about something. Maybe they won't despair the same amount, and, fine, okay, lowering despair just enough was all that Shinra needed to defeat the Evangelist--but that is so abstract, and leads to silly "power level" computations, so even if I tried to quantify for myself why this didn't work for me, it would be a losing battle because the in-story logic doesn't even work for me, and I just hate this ending. -_-# )

By this point, Shinra has re-made the world twice–he made a Garden of Eden-esque setting with just all the animals brought back to life (from what he imagines those animals look like, since he wasn’t actually there and is going off of memory or images in books he remembers).

He finally just brings back the world as he thinks it would have looked 250+ years ago along with just about everyone who died in the series, even people who died or were Infernalized 250+ years ago.

And everyone is just fine with this, even as they still have fatal injuries. And how are they surviving with these fatal injuries? Because Shinra says he made life less valuable, something you are less worried about losing. And how do we know this? Because we see characters with fatal injuries literally going “Whatever,” and Viktor, who up to this point has been the scientific expert who just happens to get every last hypothesis correct, says the world is full of madness, so people are now just conditioned to accept this.

Let’s table for a moment that this still irks me, as it is this attempt to make everything tie in so well to Soul Eater–even though it doesn’t quite. First, by the time we get to Soul Eater proper, no one is really looking at a world of madness as a good thing. Granted, 800+ years since Shinra did all of this, sure, people may realize you need balance to the world, and having this much madness is a bad thing, hence why Lord Death imprisoned Asura (Madness of Fear) and people don’t seem that upset about locking up the Great Old One of Power (Madness of Power) and that Eibon (Madness of Knowledge) has disappeared. But it is still really bizarre to have the characters just treat this madness as fine and dandy, when Soul Eater shows that people like Stein really don’t like having to deal with it all the time, and what it did to Justin, Black Star, Kid, and others. But we’re to just treat the setting as “everyone is so happy just to be alive again that they aren’t worried about the ramifications.” Second, if everyone is just “LOL I have a fatal injury but still alive, oh well, whatever,�� and Shinra says he made life less valuable, then why should we care that people nearly die or do die in Soul Eater? Again, a lot can change in 800+ years since Shinra did this, but why should the characters care that Soul almost died, that Tsubaki’s brother was killed by her, that Sid was killed by Meme (before they knew he was brought back as a zombie), and that Buttataki died?

But like I said, let’s table this and get to the point: the whole world is just fine with this? Really? I mean, one person, Haumea, is upset by all of this, but we’ll get to her in a moment. If I was editing this manga, or working on the anime adaptation, I would press hard for including scenes showing people thanking Shinra (my friend @elliotthezubat already points out, wouldn’t people treat Shinra like a literal god and start worshipping him, to his chagrin?) or being upset with him (I can imagine enough people freaked out about all these changes, especially if you were someone who actually liked having your fire powers and don’t appreciate that Shinra had Lord Death take them away from everyone on Earth).

But one person is upset, Haumea, who argues the following: she worked to kill all humans so that their despair would stop overwhelming her, and so that humans would stop despairing; Shinra brings back all humans, which means they will feel despair again and die again eventually. To quote her from the scanlation, “[A]s long as there is life in this world, the fear of death can never be escaped. As long as there is human consciousness, despair will never cease." This is supposed to sound like Crona’s speech to Maka at the end of the Soul Eater manga, that fear will always be here, that madness will always be here. And that is fine–that’s actually a good enough ending, to tell people, yes, mental instability and fear will be with us, but that doesn’t mean you don’t stop trying and don’t stop living. But Haumea’s argument is that life sucks, just die. And Shinra’s solution isn’t to somehow get through to her that despair can be overcome but to just eliminate enough despair completely by making people just not give a shit about whether they are alive or dead so that they never feel despair.

…That’s not how despair works at all. You can feel despair even if you know you aren’t going to die, you can feel despair over a bad work day, a bad break up, or a manga having a shitty ending.

(Plus, if all of this was to make Haumea stop feeling despair, that point is kind of sacrificed anyway: once Lord Death takes away Haumea’s pyrokinetic abilities, she can’t read people’s minds anymore, so she will no longer be overwhelmed by everyone’s thoughts and despair, which means, if Shinra had just said, “I made this shinigami to take away your superpower so that your brain isn’t overloaded with all of this,” that would have been enough for this ending.)

But Shinra concludes that, if Haumea is still not satisfied with this world he made, "I'll kick the world into shape all over again. Let's live it again and again!" Maybe he just means this is the same world he is giving Haumea, and he’s not giving her another choice–or as he has already done, he’ll just keep re-shaping the world over and over until he makes one Haumea likes. Real glad to know that the world has to agree to just what Haumea and Shinra want and not what anyone else wants. Again, as I said, if this ending had shown other people directly approaching Shinra with how they feel–whether they are overjoyed at what he did, or hate what he did–this ending would go down better. Instead, the best we get is, in subsequent chapters, Sho being pressured to agree with his big brother that this is fine, Ogun saying that having so many monsters around is exciting but not exactly good, and Inca thanking Shinra for making things exciting and making her want to live, none of which really shows that what Shinra did was a good idea, just characters telling him it’s good he did that, it’s very good.

#fire fore spoilers #long post #dwells whines about fire force

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discoclubofvenus · 4 years

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The moon’s routine

✧ Nightly routines w/Hinawa, Vulcan, & Obi

Type: request, headcanons, fluff

Reader: gender neutral

Warnings: None

A/N: This was a nice little switch up! I apologize that these are shorter than what I would normally put out, I haven’t been feeling the best these past few ^^

This man has a strict skincare regime that he doesn’t skip out on, okay well, he does whenever there was a particularly rough fight with a flame

He usually does his skincare silently so he can gather all of his thoughts together and run through how his day went

This usually ends up making him reminisce the past and I encourage that you give him silent support without much physical contact (touching him while he’s so out of space might trigger his fight or flight)

Once he’s calmed down from his memories, a nice long hug will do him some good

If this man is tired, expect a kiss and a small ‘I appreciate you so much (f/n), you have no idea how much my love runs deep for you’ then he’ll clock out lol

If he isn’t all that tired expect him to be cuddling up to you (whether it be as a big spoon or little spoon) more often than not he finds himself being the big spoon

He doesn’t snore loudly, but he tries to go to sleep with his mouth closed but as he falls into the embrace of your warmth and the calmness of sleep his breath gradually gets heavier

With this, his arms would tighten around you ever so slightly and he would nuzzle closer to you

If he’s the little spoon, he’ll unconsciously adjust himself as to where his ear is on your chest, just so he can listen to your heartbeat, anytime you’ve asked him about the habit he always stares blankly before answering with an “I don’t know what you’re talking about”

After a long day with Hinawa entails a lot of pampering on both sides

If you massage his back or arms while in the shower, he will melt and turn around to give you the same treatment

A long session of just embracing each other, no music or anything in the background, just the comfort of being in each other’s arms

He would help you fix your hair up, while you brush your teeth/do facial treatments

He’d insist that you guys eat before retreating to your bedroom so there won’t be any need for a midnight snack (translation: once you get into bed he’s not letting you go)

If you insisted he would keep a hidden spot full of snacks for you (the man is weak for your puppy-dog eyes)

Once in bed there would be quiet conversations and bouts of silence that would fill the atmosphere but most importantly, alone time together

You guys would talk about the future of your relationship, hobbies, his weird fashion sense, and anything else that wouldn’t have to do with the company (it’s a nice refresher)

During these conversations he would hold you close and hum in acknowledgement, he wouldn’t care much for talking unless you specifically asked for his opinion (he finds listening to your voice soothing)

He likes to get a full night’s rest so he can start his next day nice and early but this usually doesn’t happen due to needing to wrap up unfinished paperwork

“There are mountains of paperwork left to do that the other’s hadn’t finished that need tending to (f/n), I’ll be upstairs shortly” DON'T FALL FOR IT!

On nights like those, you usually drag him away from the paperwork and help him finish it the next day (not without cussing out the rest of the team for not completing their paperwork)

The type to have blues or smooth jazz in the background as you two commence your nightly routines

If you asked he would back hug you and sway to the music while his eyes are closed

If he could, he would spend his entire 24 hours tinkering with inventions and blueprints to reach his goal but luckily he has you to drag him away from his inventions

His sleep schedule is literal ass, so you took it upon yourself to help him improve it

This includes helping him wrap up his latest blueprints, dragging him into the shower, massaging his neck and upper back (his posture is AWFUL from looming over the table all the time), dragging his sleepy ass to bed at 2am

However, he would get restless and not be able to properly clock out (not until 3-4am but thankfully this isn’t every night)

When you two are just laying down and facing each other, this is the time that he would be at his most vulnerable

He would complain about his day (even if you were there for most of it),he would reminisce about days spent with his dad, how Lisa’s betrayal had hurt him, literally anything that was on his mind

This is the time to reassure him and just hug him as he pours his heart out

“Do you think I’ll actually be able to bring all the animals back (s/o)?”

“I believe in you so yes I do think you’ll be able to bring them back. Maybe not now, and maybe not all, but the first couple is what matters most”

After each heartfelt conversation it would always end up in giggles and shared kisses

You always make it a point to comment on all of your favorite features of his, which turns the man into a literal tomato

He wouldn’t verbally express his gratitude but the way he would pull you in closer and stare lovingly into your eyes would tell you more words than he could say

When he has a nightmare he would just snuggle into you more while keeping quiet

He doesn’t want to burden you with his own demons but he soon learns (from you lightly scolding him) that he can just wake you up

“Nightmare?” “yeah…” and that would be all you needed to just hold him for the entire night

There isn’t a specific routine he follows other than brushing his teeth for the night and randomly writing down new ways to improve his inventions

However, he would definitely help you with your nightly hair care routine (he’s come up with a few things to help detangle your hair!)

He would have some soft rock in the background and if he knew the lyrics he would mouth them with the hairbrush

He has built a mini fridge in his room so whenever you guys want some midnight snacks “They’re right there! No need to sneak out and possibly piss off the lieutenant”

He has had to kick Shinra and Arthur out of his room because they tried stealing his mini fridge

On particularly restless nights, the two of you would set up a speaker and act like you were performing at a concert (with the music at a low volume ofc)

These nights he finds himself falling in deeper in love with you

The next morning you guys are literal sloths from how late you stayed up

When you guys finally get into bed you’ll start off cuddling (with him as the big spoon) but in the morning you’ll notice that he has tangled all of your limbs together and he ended up being the little spoon

It takes a lot to untangle yourself and by the time you finish, he’s already awake

Nights with him are all about unwinding from the day’s events, no matter how mundane the day was

There’s a lot of reminiscing memories every night especially about how you guys met, how you’ve managed to adopt all of the younger company 8 recruits

He has cried before when he walked into the house and found you cooking dinner for him

Extra tears were spilled when you gave him a greeting kiss

There’s an unspoken rule that if the other has had a rough day that they would be pampered

And if you both had a rough day? Looks like you’re both getting pampered by each other

Nights sheds a layer of Obi’s walls and more often than not he finds himself feeling particularly vulnerable (especially around you) you will find him in his thoughts more than usual

In bed there would be soft conversations about how much he loves you, the dreams you guys share together, the direction where company 8 is going

“Do you think we’re doing the right thing? It feels like more problems arise with each new thing we find..”

“I think that if it’s in your heart to genuinely help others then you’re doing the right thing”

Obi would have you laying on his chest, while one hand is behind his head and his other one is rubbing circles on your lower back

It gives you the chance to hear his heartbeat and it gives him extra reassurance that you’re there to protect his heart

His nightly routine includes: Stretching out any tense muscles, face masks (courtesy of his sweet s/o who laughs at the faces he tries making in the mask), his hair, moisturize, and anything that you need help with

If there is music playing then expect him to start slow dancing with you and randomly dipping you

He doesn’t hold his balance too well so expect a few falls every now and then

You guys usually bathe together, so he usually sneaks in a few kisses while you wash his hair

If you guys end up showering that night, he’ll give you massages and whisper about how much he appreciates your presence in his life

He would be extra gentle when helping you take care of your hair and wrapping it up for the night

If your scarf/bonnet slips off in the middle of the night he would fix it and then kiss your forehead

Another one who would start off cuddling but find yourself in a whole ‘nother position

Exhibit A: Tangled limbs and a loving (?) headlock

Exhibit B: He’s upside down on the bed, your foot is on his chest and your head is on his leg (?)

Exhibit C: He ends up being the little spoon and you ended up clinging onto his back like you’re a backpack

It’s always a good laugh whenever you mention it in the morning

He is the one that would risk running into Hinawa to get some midnight snacks

If he doesn’t come back in 10 minutes, you know the lieutenant has him or he didn’t know which snack to choose

Before going to sleep he would share a slow and passionate kiss with you

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fauzhee10069 · 2 years

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Decided to draw it in JoJo style because the shot is so JoJo-like, reminds me of this Jolyne-Weather’s scene.

I should have done it in digital form, but I don't have time, sorry if it's a bit rough.

(keep reading is my personal thought about shipping, nothing important tbh)

Now, let's talk about ship for a while. If you follow my posts then you may find that I'm not a fan of either clerith and cloti. Tbh, romance in FF7 in general is not my favorite thing (it is not really well-written enough to me).

With whom do I ship Aerith with? Probably Zack, the actual designated canon FF7 offers. Personality wise, they could be the funnest pair ever. But there is issue in their development, I know Crisis Core but I still see that clerith will develop better than zerith because... .

Tserith? Better to stay as platonic to me.

And my thought of cloti? I like them best as opposite gender friendship with platonic feeling rather than romance. Cloti romance is a failure (at least in my opinion). So, with whom do I ship Tifa with? Probably with Rude, then Barret.

You know how's cloti in AC? It sucks.

Cloud's emotional state and Tifa being lockheart makes their relationship going nowhere.

Whose fault is that? No, there's no one to blame.

Okay, I don't think I need to explain in detail about cloti in AC, many people have already shared their metas (of why Cloud behaves like that... and why Tifa is like this... bla bla bla) and I mostly agree to them.

What I really want to say is that Cloud's emotional state and his feelings of guilt makes him unprepared for romance. He is not ready for that, in my opinion. He needs time, to sort himself out, first.

I think he needs a friend more than a lover. Thus, he can't treat Tifa properly as his lover, in AC. Though yeah, he is not actively seeking friend as well, even though he really needs it. He shuts himself, alone and depressed.

Therefore, he is not ready for romance, as 'a woman', we shall just leave him alone. Tifa needs to wait until Cloud is ready for that.

A lover, in a sense of... living together, sharing & caring to each others, then raising a family.

Tifa needs to wait...

But Tifa is a woman, and a woman has more limited time to make all that happen (you know what I mean, biologically).

A woman who is willing to wait for her loved one to be ready for it is such a precious.

But will I? I personally won't. I don't think I can waste my time for that, I prefer to move on with someone else ASAP because I'm getting old.

And for someone like Tifa, surely she has plenty of options... including Rude.

Rude looks nice, he could be a better man than Cloud (if only he doesn’t belong to Shinra was on the same side). Or... Cloud can be a much better person than Rude, but it needs time, which may take years for that.

Will Tifa wait? I do think she will. She is not me, and looking at her personality, I believe she is a woman who is loyal and willing to wait even if it takes forever.

TL;DR Just leave Cloud alone. Aerith and Tifa deserve better men. Unless, when it comes time for Cloud to be that better man.

But guys, I won’t gatekeep you to ship clerith and cloti because in fact, I love some cute fanarts of them too :3

Yeah, I shouldn't have mixed up real life and fiction too often.

#aerith gainsborough #tifa lockhart #ff7 remake #final fantasy vii #jojo-style #ammeldaini_fanart #my drawings #my thoughts #my personal opinion #i don't like the ship #but you can ship them as much as you want

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melinabeana · 4 years

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Lemme explain why I love this scene so much. Cloud “not interested. Gimme my money. I don’t give a eff about nothin’ and no one” Strife makes it known to the entire party that his main concern here is making sure Aerith gets out safely. He doesn’t say “Get everyone out of here.” He says, “TAKE AERITH and get out of here.”

Barret protests and wants to stay and help take on Rufus and his Shinra thug troops, and let's be honest, the entire party probably could have pretty easily taken them on, but Cloud doesn’t care. He only wants Aerith out of there. He doesn’t even want to risk losing her again, to the point where he turns and softens his voice and asks Barret politely. Something we know he does not do.

You can LITERALLY see the realization on Barret’s face why Cloud is asking him to do this. His eyes widen and his mouth opens and he scratches his head. Maybe Barret thought Cloud felt he owed something to Aerith too, like he feels he owed Aerith for saving Marlene and Tifa feels she owed Aerith for involving her. Cloud doesn’t owe anything to Aerith. He is here because he wants to be. Because she was in danger and he wanted to save her.

Then we see Tifa’s reaction. To me, I see admiration and pride. Everyone obviously overheard Cloud call out Aerith personally, and all this time, while Tifa has been asking and wondering what is actually going on between Cloud and Aerith, she gets it. She got her answer. It’s Aerith, not her. It was, but it’s not anymore.

All of them had to have known this was a dumb plan on Cloud’s part, but they went along with it anyway. Tifa is the only one who made sense as a character to go back to help Cloud. Red wouldn’t have made sense. He had already helped Cloud a few times while there, plus ya know, how’s he gonna lift him up? Barret couldn’t because Cloud had tasked him with getting Aerith out, and he wasn’t about to go against that. Aerith couldn’t have because it would have made everything Cloud had just done worthless.

It had to be Tifa, the new comrade, the new friend, the new wingwoman. The one who understands now that Cloud doesn’t want to be the hero for her any longer. He wants to be the hero for Aerith, so she helps him and says, if you want to save Aerith and play the hero, “you have to be better than that.”

In my opinion, this is the one place where Tifa really redeems herself and we truly get to see the “badass brawler” we’re told she is. She actually saved the hero of the story here.

TL;DR This entire scene is amazing and I’m in love with it.

#clerith #Cloud x Aerith #aerith gainsborough #cloud strife

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iaintyourbro · 4 years

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Imo Tifa is Cloud’s real catalyst. Some people say it’s Aerith... yeah sure... she is in some way, but only on soldier Cloud in OG. Like, in the first place he wanted to be someone strong hence why he became soldier, cuz of Tifa. She saved & brought real Cloud back in the lifestream. She vented and knocked some sense into him to bring him out of his misery. Why does everybody sleeps on Tifa’s efforts like 🤷🏻‍♀️

Hey anon.

I honestly have a very difficult time comprehending it myself. Generally when I play these games the first time, I take them at face value. I think most people do that. From a logical standpoint, the first time a person plays OG, they probably do think that Aerith is meant to be the love interest because she’s pink and cute and a white mage type of character.

This is the fun thing with stereotypes... Whether or not there’s any romantic interaction between Cloud and Aerith, people automatically assumed the moment he wakes up in that church that she’s the love interest. I think this was also done on purpose to further the whole illusion thing. It used people’s preconceived ideas about romance against them.

In Remake, they make it much more obvious that Cloud has an issue with his memories and personality, and that his subconscious is heavily attached to Tifa. He stares at her constantly.

Aerith then dies. In real life we do not continue to pursue dead people that we knew for a very short amount of time. That seems... ridiculous. They also don’t really dwell on it in game. After her death, she’s not mentioned again until they’re trying to figure out what to do with meteor. This is well past her death.

You first go snowboarding and through all of the Icicle Area, then up to the Northern Crater where you’re slammed with the line from Cloud that Tifa’s opinion is the only one that matters to him, then Cloud falls into the Lifestream. Then we get Tifa who is very upset about everything, almost gets executed, has to slap a bitch a few times, gets back on the Highwind, and her number one priority is to save Cloud. You get him back and go on some more Huge Materia missions, can do side quests, and then when you actually start to go down the what to do with Meteor path, is when she’s brought up because of Holy.

But for the whole Lifestream thing...

Tifa is mostly selfless throughout the game. She puts others before herself constantly. I honestly thought her turning to what she felt and what she wanted was a good character building moment. I think her one desire to find Cloud was the most selfish thing she did during the entire game, and it was about her feelings. And about Cloud. She knew nobody else was going to look for Cloud - she didn’t want him alone.

When they do find him, she’s done. She’s staying there no matter what. At this point I think she’s already lost everything else, and finding Cloud somewhat alive, the last thing she really has from her past, she’s not letting it go. She sticks by him. She helps him find himself. She continues to stick by him.

She almost dies sticking by him. She saves him from himself by helping him rebuild who he truly is. All is revealed, it’s obvious he has feelings for her that go way back, and that’s that. At this point, I think most people who played the game with no preconceived ideas realize what’s mostly going on. I do think FFVII requires multiple playthroughs to get everything, but the jist of things is there.

So most people don’t question this - Cloud loves Tifa, okay - let’s mosey.

The ending I think is where people start to argue, even though it’s not supposed to be romantic, I don’t think. He says the line “I think I can meet her there” which people take as he’s going to meet Aerith there. Tifa doesn’t react badly to this. This is after the Lifestrem, after the Highwind, and then suddenly he’s just gonna drop her? No. This is about them realizing they’re probably going to die.

Some people couldn’t accept she died, they can’t accept what happens after that, so they shit on Tifa. They know she’s the catalyst for him, she’s the reason he wanted to join SOLDIER (he tells us this himself), she’s the reason he finally snapped at Sephiroth in Nibelheim (after everything else), she’s the reason he comes out of his first bout of severe mako poisoning, and ultimately she’s the reason he survives the second bout.

After all the shit that happened, after almost killing their friend twice, ultimately causing Meteor to get summoned, after it all, she still stuck by him.

Then we get AC. Now AC is interesting because people think Cloud acted like he did in AC the entire two years after FFVII ends. He doesn’t. He’s happy - the devs came out and made sure people knew that he was very happy with Tifa and the children. He runs from Tifa for a week or two. People think he took off for months. He runs off due to getting Geostigma, and can’t bear to have Tifa and the children watch him die. He knows what happens to Tifa when people close to her die - she starts doing really stupid, drastic things. So you have Denzel dying already and now Cloud has the same problem. He ran, but it wasn’t to go find Aerith or get away from Tifa because he didn’t love her - he ran because he did love her, and in his mind.. well... he couldn’t deal with the fact that he was going to ultimately hurt her. Badly.

Cloud realizing Tifa is injured and knocked out in the church shows how much he cares about her. The second Tifa that he yells is fully of emotion. Geostigma also acts up when he has high anxiety or an emotional event. Right after this, he has a major Geostigma episode and passes out. You can’t say he doesn’t care - deeply - about Tifa. He’s scared out of his mind here. He thinks she’s going to die. And he blames himself because she came to the church looking for him.

Cloud sees Tifa is alive in the simulation here.

After he thinks she dies.

A lot of people think that Tifa is attached to Cloud and useless without him, but I think it’s the other way around. Tifa could live a normal life without Cloud. Cloud wouldn’t be able to live a normal life without Tifa with the story of the game. You can’t say what if he didn’t get experimented on, because he does get experimented on, he’s injected with Jenova cells, and has severe mako poisoning. Which she can at least get him out of to function. Tifa was literally created for Cloud so he actually has a shot at life and doesn’t die in the gutter of the Sector 7 train station.

FFVII had a main theme of life and death and learning to live after death.

And that learning to live wasn’t just about Cloud.

It was about Barret who lost his wife, hometown, and ultimately ends up losing his best friend when he thinks he found him. He deals with his loses by channeling his passion for revenge. He vows to care for Dyne’s daughter. He does blame himself partially for the entire thing even happening, since he agreed with Shinra, but ultimately doesn’t let it consume him. He goes back during AC to help rebuilt Corel to make amends.

Tifa also learns to live after heavy loss. Tifa loses her mother as a young child. Her entire hometown is burned down, her father killed, she’s almost killed. In both cases of her parent’s death, she makes very irrational decisions to cope with it. She thinks going up Mt Nibel will allow her to see her mother. She thinks she can take on Sephiroth after he kills her father. She also does this after she thinks Cloud dies. She decides she can go to a brothel and question a crime lord to give her info... Not a good choice. I’m sure at this point, most of the folks reading this have had to deal with somebody they loved dying. The first few days really is bizarre. You’re in a daze. Your decision making skills are shit. You’re tired. Tifa ignores the fact that she’s in a daze and makes decisions anyway to cope with it. But she lives. She rebuilds her life in Midgar, she has a job, has a place to live, and then decides to go the Barret route and get revenge.

Vincent is the most similar to Cloud in how he deals with loss and guilt. He sleeps. For 20 years. Vincent goes from Turk Viincent to Eternal Sin Vincent. He blames himself for all that happened to Lucretcia. He’s alone. Sleeping. For 20 years. This probably would be a good example of what would have happened to Cloud if Tifa wasn’t there. He would have spiraled in to guilt and - ultimately - would have died. Vincent couldn’t die, so sleep it was.

As for Tifa and Cloud, specifically. Cloud probably wouldn’t have joined the military if Tifa never fell down Mt. Nibel. He probably would have stayed in Nibelheim (or followed her wherever she went, he did have it pretty bad for her) and then they all would have perished. It’s to be assumed that Sephiroth would have still come to Nibelheim and burned it down. Cloud and Tifa had nothing to do with him doing that. All of the catalysts for that were from before those two were even born, so nothing was going to stop that.

Without Tifa, Cloud probably would have died at the Sector 7 train station. I think the flashback with Zack in the OG (even though its optional) is to show how bad of shape he was in. The guards say to leave him because he’s pretty much done for. Somehow he does make it to Midgar, but I don’t think he would have lasted much longer. Zack got him 90% of the way back. Tifa did the rest and ultimately brought him back to “human status” even though it wasn’t really him at this point.

People start to shit on Tifa because she doesn’t come out and tell Cloud right away that somethings wrong with him. She doesn’t correct him about the flashback in Kalm. She keeps it going. The thing is, she admits this was wrong. That it’s a character flaw. Literally right after Cloud falls in to the Lifestream after giving Sephiroth the Black Materia, she tells the story of finding Cloud at the Sector 7 train station, and how she’s always been this way... She’s non-confrontational. She didn’t want to upset him. I think she thought that something bad really would have happened to him.

And ultimately, she saves him again.

Nobody else could have helped Cloud rebuild himself. Nobody.

Tifa is the only person in the world at this point that knew Cloud prior to the events of the Nibelheim Incident. She is the only one that could guide him. She’s one of the only survivors from the Nibelheim incident. Nobody else could have done it. Cloud’s subconscious is almost entirely made up of things about Tifa. The Promise, Tifa’s mother’s death and the Mt. Nibel incident, the reactor and how he hid from her because he was ashamed he didn’t make First Class SOLDIER. Every piece of his subconscious has to do with Tifa somehow.

#cloti #cloud x tifa #ff7 advent children #ff7 #final fantasy 7 #final fantasy 7 remake #final fantasy 7 spoilers #ff7 spoilers #cloud strife #tifa lockhart

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rosaguard · 3 years

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❀ . ━ ❛ ON AERIS’ DESI IDENTITY.

for the sake of making this question easier to answer, I’ll be breaking it up into parts ( yes, i tend to ramble about other things before fully getting to my overall point ). as always, i’m black - not south asian - but i do my best to research before speaking about a culture i do not belong to.

verumking asked : some questions about brown aeris because i'm. forever heart eyes tbh. // you've drawn a lot of parallels between hinduism and the cycle of life on gaia, and also the conflict between aeris' human desires and her duties as a cetra. is her desi identity something she specifically attributes to her cetra heritage? does she begin to embrace it in her day-to-day life at all-- i.e. making and wearing henna, cooking traditional food, etc? how do her views on her identity change with each incarnation?

this is a somewhat difficult question to answer simply because fin.al fa.ntasy often picks and chooses which game is going to be the one™ where the culture and identity of the people within the game actually matters and when it does not ( on a side note: the series in general has a bad habit of using real locations with brown people as inspiration for settings in the game and not reflecting the real people and culture of those locations within the games. half of xii’s party being white people from a desert region literally inspired by the middle east is a glaring example of this ). anyway, i would say vii itself easily places itself within the category of there not being any real sense of culture - or at least nothing of any real substance in my opinion. by that i mean things like how the sector 5 and 7 slums are essentially the same in the remake ( outside of the former being ‘greenier’ ) even though it doesn’t make sense for the equivalent of two mini-cities that are kind of semi-lawless / mostly left to fend for themselves by shinra to not have more of a difference regarding their identities: how they operate, how the people act within them, etc.

there’s also the fact that one of the most well known locations within the game is a christian-styled church within the sector five slums...and yet no religion is ever mentioned within the game’s worldbuilding. the church’s very existence could be seen as ironic if there was actual commentary on humans ( unknowingly ) building a false religion over time as a result of the void created after their ancestors willing choose to abandon their connection to the planet but there isn’t any. humanity, at least within the context of this universe, are essentially treated as the equivalent of atheists that don’t ‘believe’ in the planet being a living organism that deserves to be respected. meanwhile the cetra, the closest thing the game has to a religious group, don’t really seem to follow any specific tenets of a faith outside of protecting the planet and cultivating life on it. basically, i find it weird that a human-made structure and the symbolism that comes with it is imprinted onto aeris of all characters.

on one hand i get the logic behind it: she’s easily the most ‘spiritual’ character of the group ( if not the whole game ) and is canonically white / ’western’ inspired as nom.ura put it so western concepts of what is pure / holy is going to be applied to her from a pure aesthetic standpoint alone. from the church, to her somewhat overused prayer pose™, and her own final limit break which has white angels taken straight out of christian art descend from the heavens in its animation sequence, this specific imagery is given to her a lot - even if it doesn’t make sense from an in-universe perspective. the reason i even bring any of this up is that i think how culture is used and applied to certain characters is already inconsistent which is worth pointing out. aeris’ own identity already clashes with itself in canon - some of it being fully intentional and a part of her arc ( her desires as an individual vs her duty as a cetra ) while some of it ( basically everything stated above ) is...definitely not?

✿ : is her desi identity something she specifically attributes to her cetra heritage?

yes and no. however, before i fully elaborate on why, i have to touch on how i view the cetra as a whole. i’ve always saw them as people who, while nomadic, still have individual ‘tribes’ they belong to / travel with and it would’ve been common for members of one group to branch off and intermingle / travel with another ( or even just travel on their own for a while ). the more the cetra travel and expand their ‘network’ across the entire planet, it’s only natural that groups are going to start forming their own unique differences, whether it’s with looks, how they speak, and their culture, with their bond to the planet and their duty being what ties them all together. the cetra being separated into specific tribes is also directly supported within canon:

ifalna: 2000 years ago, our ancestors, the cetra, heard the cries of the planet. the first ones to discover the planet's wound were the cetra at the knowlespole*.

ifalna: then, just as it had at the knowlespole. it approached other cetra clans...... infecting them with... the virus.

while the cetra capital, the city of the ancients, is in knowlespole ( the modern equivalent of the region that the icicle inn and the northern crater is ), ifalna confirms that other clans beyond it exist. although the details around jenova’s arrival and defeat are unclear, from ifalna’s retelling of what happened ( and her distraught response while doing so ) it seems as if all of the cetra that first encountered jenova were either killed or infected before jenova moved on to do the same to other clans. this more than likely results in entire sub-cultures and histories lost before jenova is sealed away by the cetra aeris descends from ( which would explain why there’s not much recorded information on the cetra within the universe ).

one also has to remember the groups of cetra that branched away from the others and become humans. although they abandoned their duties, it’s very likely that they still retained aspects of cetra culture and it just changed / adapted over a period of two thousand years. with the cetra mostly wiped out and forgotten about, i don’t find it realistic for aeris, at least at the beginning of the game, to really know which ‘parts’ of herself come from where; especially since there would realistically be desi-coded humans that haven’t had ties to the cetra in thousands of years. although i headcanon both her mother and father as brown / desi, aeris doesn’t know who her father, professor gast, even is and the years she spent with her mother were in complete captivity. based on aeris’ ignorance about the white materia ( ex. her thinking it was useless originally ) and the cetra in general, one would assume that ifalna wasn’t able to teach aeris much due to not wanting to reveal anything to shinra since they were likely under constant surveillance. there’s also the fact that aeris outright rejects being a cetra as a child and tries ( yet fails ) to assimilate into ‘human’ culture:

“well…” kyrie replied. “there’s a crumbling church in the slums, where we played together. we did things like pretending to hold wedding ceremonies. aeris was always in the church, taking care of the flowers on her own. sometimes we talked about it. one day, aeris told me to go home quickly. i thought she was being mean because i stepped on her flowers.”

“when i got home in a bad mood, my parent’s bodies were being carried to the house. i heard it from my grandmother. about the lifestream and the ancients. i thought it was just a fairytale at the time, but after that— i figured aeris was an ancient. ...hey, what do you think i said when i met aeris after that? i said ‘you creep me out’.” - kyrie revealing her relationship with aeris after learning of her death in the kids are alright novel.

i guess the real world equivalent of what i’m trying to say would be similar to how i’m black / african american but do i really associate myself and my identity with africa beyond a surface level? the answer is no. how could i when i don’t know anything of my ancestors, african americans are generally robbed of learning about our history, and i don’t even know what ‘part’ of africa i come from. navigating your identity, your culture, and your heritage is extremely complicated and i don’t really see it being any different for aeris. she doesn’t have any way to truly ‘discover’ and connect with her cultural identity - even if she wasn’t actively rejecting it.

✿ : does she begin to embrace it in her day-to-day life at all? i.e. making and wearing henna, cooking traditional food, etc?

she does - although it’s a gradual process that doesn’t start until she leaves midgar. canonically, it’s not even until cosmos canyon that aeris finally begins to ‘connect’ to her heritage and fully understand what it means to be a cetra:

aeris: i learned a lot. the elders taught me many things. about the cetra... and the promised land...i'm...... alone... i'm all alone now...

however, in between chasing sephiroth, almost dying, and then saving the world, she doesn’t have much time to come to terms with everything that she learned there. in my blog canon, she does eventually leave edge a few years after its built to begin traveling on her own and eventually finds herself back in cosmos canyon. realistically, the elders there don’t have all the answers for her but her simply studying there is an important stepping stone to reclaiming a part of herself that she never got to know - or really accepted ( her parents also studied and met there so her life would be coming full circle in a way ).

so with all that said, i see aeris’ ‘embracing’ her desi heritage the most with fashion at first since she technically already does - regardless of whether she realizes it or not. the ultimania for the remake includes concept art for the cetra ( which can be viewed fully here ) and they’re specifically said to have been designed to have similarities to aeris - meaning that aeris’ current style of clothing is meant to embody her ancestors. highlighting a cetra design that looks weirdly similar to aeris herself, this cetra’s outfit - at least to me - feels similar to clothing popular in india and other parts of south asia:

if the dress was taken out and a few alterations was made to her top and half-skirt, it could easily resemble how a lehenga choli piece is worn. the top piece of her half-skirt also resembles the look of an oddiyanam, a type of waist ornament that women in south india wear.

there are other cetra’ accessories that resemble jewelry common in india as well: the armlet on the unnamed cetra resembles a bajuband ( a similar one can be found here ) and bangles similar to a kangan or churi, commonly worn by women across south asia, are prominent in both aeris and the cetra’s overall designs too.

with mehndi / henna, i definitely see her wearing it across her hands and feet but it’s mostly similar to whenever she wears traditional dresses: it’s reserved for special occasions / celebrations. with that said, that’s more so when she’s grown accustomed to applying henna herself without messing up or someone else is doing it for her. it wouldn’t be uncommon to see aeris’ hands decorated with different patterns every few months: a direct result of using her own body as practice when first learning how to draw designs ( if you want to get full fantasy with it, the designs glowing against her skin when she uses magic would be neat ). as a side note: for those who don’t know, there is a short story about aeris’ time in the shinra labs. it contains a drawing by her, which is also in the remake, that has more designs for the cetra ( you can see the unedited version here ):

also aeris cooking? l o l. joking aside, in my three years of writing aeris i’ve never really put much thought into her style of cooking, what type of food she specifically likes to eat, etc. outside of the fact that i don’t think she is much of a cooker at all ( probably because i’m not one either ). however, i cannot let a question go answered so! i’m probably going to sound redundant mentioning cosmos canyon again at this point but it really is due to the fact that it’s specifically the source of her connecting to who she is. the drawing she drew in a trance as a child even includes a location that is more than likely cosmos canyon ( and yes, i checked to compare ). the most notable npcs there are all brown and i do see them all being people of color that have come from different parts of the planet to share knowledge and learn amongst each other. although her main purpose of living in cosmos canyon the years she’s there is to study her people and record her own knowledge ( i’ll touch on this later ), it also provides her with an opportunity to connect with other people that are desi-coded like her on a more personal-level.

am i basically saying she probably tasted some type of chaat ( dahi vada specifically ) for the first time after leaving midgar and never looked back? yes. it’s not until aeris leaves midgar that she gets to experience trying out various food from her own culture as well as food from cultures outside of it in general ( not that these foods didn’t exist in midgar but she’s poor and doesn’t really have the means / opportunity to try them before ). aeris definitely becomes a fan of dishes that are savory with gravy, can be eaten with sauces like chutney ( she likes red chili, spicy coconut and mango chutney the most ), or dishes based around vegetables ( although if there’s spinach it, don’t tell her because ew ), fish or lamb. dishes such as rajma, samosas, sambar, biryani ( it’s probably one of the first desi dishes she would cook on her own ), pakora ( she’s definitely eaten chili pepper pakoras without a sweat ), etc. are all up her alley. aeris admittedly also has a sweet tooth so snacks like kozhukkattai, gulab jamun served with ice cream, etc. also appeals to her greatly™.

the process of eating these dishes when they’re made by other people vs actually introducing them into her day to day eating habits are two different things though. not to say that she wouldn’t make an effort to try - she definitely will but learning how to cook these dishes takes time ( especially if you’re already not much of a cook. ). incorporating them into her daily lifestyle wouldn’t be an instant process but it will happen eventually.

✿ : how do her views on her identity change with each incarnation?

as the embodiment of the lifestream, aeris is constantly consuming information between each reincarnation. the lifestream houses memories and knowledge since the planet’s very inception so she literally has thousands of years of information to sort through and process between each new ‘life’. the different cetra clans that were mentioned earlier? aeris would technically have the ability to trace back the memories of her entire lineage and discover which clan she’s from if she wanted to. with every incarnation, she’s learning a little more about her people, where she comes from, etc. and being a cetra starts to feel like less of a burden to her and a role she starts to embrace / actively take pride in. while there will come a time where she’s not the ‘last cetra’ anymore, aeris essentially becomes an eternal record keeper for her people.

once she begins working with the WRO, it’s actually her idea to start an annual celebration event ( or festival ) during the anniversary of meteorfall. despite her people being nomadic and spread out, the cetra had a capital city and it’s not far fetched to assume that it was used as a place for the cetra to converge during important events, celebrations, etc. through aeris, aspects of their culture begin to live on in new ways such as the meteorfall festival which becomes a celebration of life and the planet itself. while the festival isn’t intended to have any real world parallel, i do think the symbolism of the diwali festival is fitting for the events of sephiroth’s defeat / lifestream and holy destroying meteor:

diwali symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

overall, no matter how many times she reincarnates, aeris always returns to cosmos canyon to record everything she knows, whether its her own life experiences, the memory of her people, or their culture, so that her children, her grandchildren, and so on can always have knowledge of their history and identity in a way that she wasn’t able to.

✿ : brown aeris says thanks for reading!

i hope this was a satisfying answer to your questions! i try to do my best with honoring the cultures i’m talking about and not treating them in a haphazardly and/or lazy way. i wanted to explain her journey of being someone not really connected to their heritage at all and explaining the process she goes through in a realistic way without..making it surface level? hopefully i achieved that!

#❀ . ━ ❛ blood of the ancients ❪ headcanon ❫ .

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scottymcgeesterwrites · 3 years

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Final Fantasy VII Review

Year: 1997

Original Platform: PlayStation One

Also available on: PC, PlayStation Store

Version I Played: PlayStation One

Synopsis:

The Shinra Electric Power Company rules over the city of Midgar, and the eco-terrorists AVALANCHE stop at nothing to try and prevent the life essence of the planet from being used as energy. Barrett, leader of AVALANCHE, hires a mercenary named Cloud Strife for their bombing mission on a Shinra Mako Reactor. Cloud doesn’t care much for the greater cause and only wants his pay. But then, after a mission goes awry, he meets Aerith, a flower girl who is the descendant of the Ancients. He quickly finds himself wrapped up in the greater conflict against Shinra.

Gameplay:

Final Fanatasy VII utilizes magic spells via Materia – little orbs that come in a variety of colors pertaining to the natural elements. You can mix and match them on your weapons and equipment, which gives you access to different spells and stats. All your equipment varies with the number of slots for how many Materia orbs you can put in. Leveling up not only upgrades the character but the equipped Materia as well.

Final Fantasy VII also uses an ATB system but is known for introducing Limit Breaks – finishing moves that build up after the character gets hit over time. Final Fantasy VI had a prototype called Desperation Attack – but it was very rare as it only appeared when your character had 1/8 of their total HP, and there was a 1 in 6 chance of performing the Desperation Attack after selecting Attack. I actually had no idea that was a thing until long after I finished the game, and never experienced it when I played Final Fantasy VI.

Graphics:

Out of all the Final Fantasy games, I have to say that this one has not aged well. It has the worst graphics of the entire series. The battle and cinematic graphics are passable.

(Most of the graphics power seemed to be put in Tifa’s, uh, bosom.)

But the characters in towns, the overworld, and in-game cutscenes are incredibly blocky. PC versions are supposedly sharper, but the PlayStation One version makes it nigh impossible to see any facial expressions.

The graphics are definitely a product of its time. I always say that the beginning of 3D gaming was essentially like puberty – awkward and full of zits. It wasn’t yet at that stage where it could be aesthetically pleasing. We marveled about it when it was first released, yes, but then we cringed in retrospect.

The environment backdrops however are probably the strongest points, where they capture the industrial nature of Midgar, the reactors and other such buildings.

Story:

Final Fantasy VII became legendary the minute Square released it. Every aspect was memorable. Part of it could be due to the fact that it was the first Final Fantasy game to enter the 3D realm. Another part was Tetsuya Nomura’s character designs, which hit the cool meter to the point of sub-zero.

The cinematics blew our minds. The opening action scene with Cloud, Barrett, and the rest of AVALANCHE attacking Shinra’s mako reactor is the most memorable opening to a Final Fantasy game. Period. Final Fantasy games really do know how to start at the right spot, no matter how good or bad the overall game is. The opening is always the best part.

Then there was the motorcycle chase. Cid’s airship. The gun fights. Battles with Sephiroth. The extra stuff to find, like summons and extra bosses. So much was jam-packed into the game.

But the story was the primary factor in making VII famous. It’s definitely one of the better ones. Man, the story became so famous that even gamers who haven’t touched a Final Fantasy game knew the major spoilers. It is the equivalent to knowing Darth Vader’s line, “I am your father” without having actually watched Star Wars.

Aerith (Aeris in the English releases) Gainsborough – the innocent flower girl who holds the secrets of the Ancients – develops a romance with Cloud and fucking dies at the end of Disc 1 by the main villain – Sephiroth. The scene shocked everyone and practically made headlines. Everybody has seen the horrible image in one way or another.

It seems to me that since Final Fantasy V, the stories have gotten more and more used to main character deaths, ultimately transforming into a heavy-hitting TV series rather than simply a video game series. In other words – it matured. Looking back, Final Fantasy IV appears to be child’s play and a prototype of later dramatic storylines with fully realized worlds.

Final Fantasy VII was also the first Final Fantasy game to create a world much like ours – one with cars and trains and airplanes and machine guns and even cellphones. The main city of Midgar reflects industrialization at its worst, with miles of slums and claustrophobic cities. Shinra Electric Power Company is a reflection of capitalism at its worst - a single entity in charge of so much that it’s pretty much the government. For the first time in a Final Fantasy game, you play as characters who dance between the morally ambiguous line of terrorism and activism. Funny enough, the theme of neglecting the planet resonates with us now more than ever. This game ended up being rather prophetic about the uncontrollable growth of corporations.

While the story is memorable with many intriguing elements, the plot itself is a tangled web. In my opinion, they really hashed in so many things that it’s easy to forget crucial details. It’s not straightforward, but at the same time everything does connect by the end. While Shinra is the driving force as a whole as the villain, Sephiroth takes over, then you learn about his backstory and then with the evil scientist Hojo and the extra-terrestrial Jenova and then “Weapon” and then the planet’s history and this and that and the other thing.

If I were to put Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy VII together and contrast them, as many gamers do, I would find that Final Fantasy VII is the summer blockbuster and Final Fantasy VI is the Oscar winner. Final Fantasy VII started introducing the sappy romance subplot to the series. A love triangle forms among Aerith, Cloud, and Cloud’s childhood friend Tifa. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with having a love triangle, the writing is like watching middle schoolers trying to express their feelings. Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy IV treated any romance with dignity and realism.

But maybe I’m being a bit harsh. After all, Cloud Strife did go through some suffering as an adolescent. His backstory clearly drives his antisocial behavior, so that becomes a good arc.

The goofiest but memorable part of the story deals with Don Corneo and Wall Market and running around store to store doing tasks in order to free Tifa from Don Corneo. It ends with Cloud needing to cross-dress as a woman to get inside Don’s mansion. Because, you know, it’s not like Cloud can just break in with his sword and Aerith’s magic or anything like that. But whatever. It’s anime.

The recent Final Fantasy VII Remake for the PS4 seems to streamline the story, and actually enhances the emotions they were trying to deliver in the original. I will be talking about the remake in a separate post altogether since I’m almost done with it at the time of this writing. But there’s a lot that I want to say about comparing and contrasting the remake and the original.

The latter half of the plot takes a couple weird turns. At one point, Cloud became catatonic and confined to a wheelchair.

That part of the game became the sluggish part for me. Sephiroth also tries to confuse Cloud, which confused me. Cloud apparently suffers from some alternate subconscious mumbo-jumbo and like. . .ungh. I get an aneurysm thinking about it sometimes.

Complicated plotlines like Final Fantasy VII start showing up from here on out in the Final Fantasy series. The trend of bishonen characters also begin here, bishonen being the Japanese term for “beautiful boy.” Cloud and Sephiroth have that look. The series starts hashing in sappier romances and much more of an anime feel.

Final Fantasy VII ultimately marked the start of a new era for the series – introducing both cool and overused tropes.

Music:

Hands down the best Final Fantasy soundtrack of all.

The entire soundtrack of this game is memorable. The opening tune, with its light twinkle when the stars show up, is enough to make any gamer know exactly what that’s from.

With a story set in a more modern world, we have music that is more modern. After Final Fantasy VI had a more serious and operatic score, Uematsu displayed his love of progressive rock here. The motorcycle chase incorporates a lot of synth, which was fitting for zipping through the streets of Midgar. However, Final Fantasy VII is the first Final Fantasy game without that familiar starting bassline for the battle them. The battle theme is instantly recognizable but also radically different from its predecessors. It’s dramatic and displays danger.

Meanwhile, the boss theme is one of the best boss themes in the series, or any video game really. It’s an electrifying progressive rock piece, and it’s my personal favorite boss theme.

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The more instrumental pieces are somber, given the dreary atmosphere of the planet. The world map music is very different from its predecessors. It’s romantic one moment, soaring the next, and then dips into foreboding terror. I guess that sums up the story of Final Fantasy VII.

And we cannot leave out One-Winged Angel, which I will talk about below.

Notable Theme:

Without a doubt, One-Winged Angel – played during the terrifying final battle against Sephiroth – is the most memorable piece of music in Final Fantasy VII.

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It may very well be the most popular song of the entire series. Nobuo Uematsu was inspired by Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. It’s a whopping 30 something minute classical piece. If you look it up on YouTube and browse through it, you can definitely note the similarities. However, Uematsu didn’t want some boring classical introduction to the piece. He wanted to add the destructive impact of rock. The theme has a very distinct stamping-your-foot-down quality to it.

I had noticed a certain piece-by-piece feel of the song and that’s exactly how Uematsu composed it. This is the only song that Uematsu has composed where he created several tunes in his head and then rearranged them to make a single comprehensive song.

If you want to get technical, One-Winged Angel is the first Final Fantasy song with lyrics. The chorus sings in Latin about Sephiroth’s burning anger, with some lyrics actually taken from the medieval poem Carmina Burana. It sounds fantastic when fully orchestrated.

In Advent Children, the animated sequel to Final Fantasy VII, the music is accompanied by hardcore metal. This new rendition really illustrates the destructive power of Sephiroth. Uematsu changed the lyrics for Advent Children. They are more original now. I specifically noticed the lyrics “Veni, veni, mi fili”, which translates to “Come, come, my son.” Sephiroth is inviting you so he can kill you.

youtube

Uematsu has stated that the original orchestration didn’t sit well with him. As I suspected, Advent Children’s hardcore metal version is the one he preferred, the one he would have composed had he the technology at the time of Final Fantasy VII.

Verdict:

Another must-play for any RPG fan, even if you think it’s overrated. It’s a must-play because of its popularity, in the same way that people are wide-eyed when you say you haven’t seen Star Wars or such-and-such other popular movie. It’s a whole lot of fun, especially in the scenes that involve other forms of gameplay, such as the motorcycle chase and even a battlefield strategy game in protecting Fort Condor.

Direct Sequel?

Yes – first there was the CGI movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

I actually watched Advent Children before playing Final Fantasy VII. I had already known most of what happened in the game and Advent Children became a monumental craze when it first came out. Everybody was talking about it. Watching the sequel before playing the game skewers your interpretation of things. My first impression of Cloud was that he was always whiny and angsty, and meanwhile Tifa kept nagging him to move on. I felt really bad for Cloud losing Aerith.

Then when I actually played Final Fantasy VII, I saw that Cloud starts as this badass mercenary. Tifa is spunky and clearly is the better choice (IMO) but Cloud is enamored by Aerith after only meeting her briefly. WHAT? Cloud. Bro. Make a move on Tifa, you nitwit. Tifa is AMAZING.

Square Enix then continued the story with Dirge of Cerberus – Final Fantasy VII. This video game sequel focuses on Vincent Valentine, a fan favorite of the original game.

Let me remind you about something – the original game revealed Shinra’s inner deep secret experiments, namely with Sephiroth and Jenova. Dirge of Cerberus introduces an even deeper research team within Shinra called Deepground. I don’t know about you, but it already sounds like the start of a terribly redundant string of sequels, like how the Jason Bourne movies keep revealing an even deeper level of conspiracy theories. Vincent’s mysterious background is now fully revealed. He is defined by – guess what? – another angsty lost lover story, this time with a woman named Lucrecia. Now, okay, look, maybe I’m just being a dick about these types of love stories. But when it keeps popping up within the same series in the same manner, I start asking if you have anything else to offer on your menu.

Lastly, there is the prequel for the PSP – Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Of all the games in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core has received the most positive reception. If anything, play that after playing Final Fantasy VII before bothering with anything else.

Oh, and of course there is the Final Fantasy VII Remake, which we thought wasn’t going to happen for the longest time but they finally released it in April 2020. More on that later after I finish it, and after I post my entire series of Final Fantasy reviews!

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subdee · 3 years

Note

1, 3, 9, 17, 19!

What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

I want to just steal @fury-brand‘s answer here because it is perfect, I am enlightened and understand the appeal of all ships even if I don’t personally like them. XD.

Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

Not over fandom opinions per se, but I’ve unfollowed people over opinions in the discourse, yeah. Life’s too short to get outraged over things that you wouldn’t even have known were things if they hadn’t been brought to your attention so you could get outraged about them. I especially dislike it when the outrage is misleadingly flamed with like the most emotionally charged buzzwords, I like rubbernecking a trainwreck as much as anyone but it’s really a mistake to escalate everything to the level of a huge political crisis.

(I’m guilty of this too, this is why we need self-awareness. XD)

Most disliked character(s)? Why?

Maybe stalker Sephiorth? The fandom version of Sephiroth? And also Cid, man I’m really just stealing ALL Bel’s answers right now.

Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

Yesssss okay finally something I can answer in an original way. Replace the huge materia subplot, just throw it out. Let the team be directionless during this interlude, and just wandering around looking for things to do next. Barret needs to be the leader, because Barret, like Morpheus (the Matrix), has faith in the cause and wouldn’t give up just because it looks hopeless. Everyone else needs to lose faith, he needs to lead them with the idea that something needs to be done, and there’s no one better than them to do it.

While Shinra is distracted they can try to carry out their original plan, to bomb the reactors, on the grounds that they have no idea what to do about Meteor, but if someone else figures out how to handle this crisis, they will still need to deal with Shinra afterward. And while Shinra is in disarray / focused on the Meteor is the best time to strike. I realize this would be a hugely unpopular and controversial writing decision by the way, it makes Avalanche look like they don’t care about the planet but they do, they are just being strategic.

In the course of sneaking into various Shinra bases, they could find out about the Armageddon-inspired plan to blow up the meteor using the huge materia. At this point they still need to get onto the rocket somehow, not to disrupt the plan but to make sure the Huge Materia makes it back to Earth after use, because Shinra does not care about the Planet and they don’t care about using up natural resources, or making something just to throw it away.

Add a space scene, it doesn’t need to be zero-G which wasn’t possible due to technical limitations at the time, they can be under thrust gravity. You can make the no-gravity scene a cutscene or something. Jenova is from outer space, maybe factor this into the plan somehow? They try to commune with Jenova by going to where it came from? I don’t know, the further down this road you go the more woo it gets. But woo is good sometimes, it’s the counter to materialism which equals environmental destruction.

Anyway it’s mostly the same, it just replaces the collect em all quest by recentering the story on the fight against Shinra. Even though I kind of like that the game complicates the story by putting Avalanche, ultimately, on the side of humans and human society and directly against the Planet (the Weapons) because they are, after all, people first. Hmm Hmmm Hmmmmm.

What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

The LTD. Duh. Writing meta or fic in support of one ship shouldn’t be seen as an attack on the other one. The correct way to “counter” a post about a Cloud/Aerith moment from canon shouldn’t be to object that actually, Cloud loves Tifa because of this other unrelated scene. (Or vice versa.) People bring their regressive ideas about relationships into fandom and it shows.

I remember reading an article once about Starship Troopers (1997 film), and Paul Verhoeven mentions that originally Carmen Ibáñez was going to have a romantic scene with Carl, but test audiences hated it and her because in the beginning of the movie she’s with Zander, and so she’s an an evil bitch for moving on from her high school boyfriend.

It’s like the related rule in shoujo manga, the first character you see the main character with is (almost) always the one she’ll end up with, because people can tolerate other characters in a love triangle for spice but they can’t tolerate women (especially) having the freedom to choose between partners or eventually growing beyond the tastes they had as teenagers and finding someone else that better suits who they are as adults.

(This isn’t about LTD anymore directly, I like pretty much all the main FF7 ships and Cloti is the ship that speaks to me most, actually :P because I like the codependence.)

Anyway, allow your heart to be open to the idea of more than one relationship for the same character even if they contradict each other, there’s not a limited amount of fandom so that anything written for the rival ship is directly stealing from your ship. More people will come in and write more stuff.

#ask meme #thanks for the ask <3

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cateringisalie · 3 years

Note

I wanna ask about bdii but I'm not sure if you're playing? plus I'm still in the middle of it lol. Sooo how about Aerith!

Good call! (though am playing BDII but I’m only about a hour or so into it)

OTP for them: A three way tie! Cloud/Aeris; Aeris/Tifa; Aeris/Tifa/Cloud; give me any of them and I will be so very happy.

BROTP for them: Aeris & Avalanche – any combination of them (including the ones above). Also weirdly Rude now I’m thinking about it (This might be Remake’s fault)

Other Ships: Barret/Aeris, Reeve/Aeris, Reno/Aeris, Aeris/Sephiroth, Aeris/Vincent, Aeris/Squall, Aeris/Cloud/Zack (but like the one instance in The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun), and – pretty sure this was your suggestion and probably half-joking but it has been rattling around my head ever since – Ringabel/Aeris (which to my knowledge has still not been done/I should probably try/BSecond made the mechanics of getting them into the same scene so much easier...). Oh, Aeris/Being Alive is good too – though comes with caveats *side-eyes Remake*

What kind of fic I’d write about them: What I am writing about them: The Aeris as a scavenger in her childhood fic is slowly inching towards a new draft; there’s the trio of Resident Evil/FFVII mash-ups which will feature her as a main character (in place of (seemingly confusingly) Claire, Jill and Sherry) which I have finally started. And some mid-canon smut. Because apparently I cannot help myself.

A favorite canon moment: Remake is Remake and I have expended too many words on the thing, but Chairith remains an absolute delight no matter what.

Color that reminds me of them: While pink might be too on the nose, it’s hard to shake the connection. That said! While typing I realised green is possibly as or more apt for her.

Song that reminds me of them: Bad Guy by Billie Eilish thanks to @effortlesslyuncool

A headcanon about them: She doesn’t like to be too hot and has always wanted to see snow for real – not knowing of course she used to live in the far North.

A random AU I think up on the spot for them: Aeris Gainsborough: Planeswarden facilitates the Other Ship ramble up there. How about; Aeris Gainsborough: Marine biologist; Ifalna got her and Aeris out of the city and as far as Costa del Sol – both have remained somehow undetected and Aeris spends her time exploring the corals and reefs around the resort area/fighting local governance about conservation. Somehow the rest of the cast run across her in a succession of other events that need more mapping to get around her absence earlier in the story.

And cut for length because I went off on this last question...

Anything else: I remain highly amused that both OG and Remake Aeris have been deemed troublesome or problematic or abusive or stalkerish or toxic or some other bad term and are in fact the true villain of FFVII/somehow only toxic in their associations with Cloud. Literally everyone else is FINE and she is perfectly lovely with them. But with Cloud she cannot help but be a horrible, horrible person who makes his life an unending hell.

For those unaware, their extensive list of crimes includes:

1) Asking Cloud to spend time with them instead of taking him straight to Sector 7 (and while the specifics are different between the versions, that this is something she (unspoken) insists upon while Cloud is apparently champing at the bit to get going and not spend time with Aeris.

This seemingly strips Cloud of the remotest shred of his own agency?

And is so very weird – not like Aeris is literally the only person who can navigate Midgar and I do not understand why Cloud cannot avail himself of some simple, pragmatic solutions like ditching or refusing to help Aeris at multiple opportunities (like in Remake when she literally leaves him outside Leaf House, or fleeing from Elmyra’s house when she’s upstairs in either version etc) and asking literally anyone else how to get to Sector 7 or using the layout of Midgar itself as a starting point for figuring out the route (he is in Sector 5. If he looks towards the centre of the city, Sector 4 is on his right, Sector 6 is on his left. If he keeps going left he will eventually come to Sector 7. Even if Cloud is somehow unaware of the city’s structure/layout he will be able to extrapolate by looking up from the slums at how the Upper plate looks/how the reactors are labelled. This is not difficult. Also Remake’s secretive way into Sector 7 doesn’t even come up until they reach the park/we see the gate is currently closed, so it’s not because he knows he needs her solely for this otherwise mysterious route/he can still hang around in the park until the gate opens for other through traffic if he’s desperate to get there. There is no actual urgency on getting back to Sector 7 as far as *he* knows – hence why he doesn’t actually hurry) or finding a map or using the station (which should then also circumvent the gate Cloud doesn’t know about) and so on and so on)

2) Not wanting to be left behind when Cloud tried to leave in the middle of the night (I mean, how dare she want to spend time with him/everyone is so weirdly adamant that she hasn’t, say, overheard Elmyra’s request to Cloud and thus KNOWS it’s not strictly his opinion to stop her going with him/he once again makes almost no effort to deter her when he runs into her. Oh and her not doing that will near definitely cause Marlene’s death to say nothing of most/all of Avalanche except Tifa)

3) Making Cloud leaving in the middle of the night without alerting her trivially more difficult (given that he can still leave without her hearing and bursting out of her room doesn’t really gel – if she was a mastermind, not sure Cloud should be able to avoid it on tip-toe really)

4) High-fiving him repeatedly (the monster. Not like she stops when he seems uncomfortable/he later makes the first move to high-five her so... I don’t get it).

5) *Might* know the whole plot in Remake and thus is culpable for every death in Sector Seven (which is... 1 or maybe 2 named people (there are those tragic sector 7 people without names or context we see die at the pillar admittedly) depending on how you count – and at least one of those (Biggs) is definitively alive come the Remake epilogue, so one named person (Jessie) who was blown up in a fight with Shinra. The villainy of Aeris! Oh sure you are told other people died, but sector 7 denizen’s major concerns seem to be the structures within the sector which doesn’t really indicate any other casualties actually occurred. Those not explicitly depicted would seem to be okay as no one mentions them either: you’d expect Johnny to bring up if his parents died (and like, maybe he doesn’t know, but he cannot have missed the plate-drop and his parents live in the sector and his relationship with them never seemed horrible so, surely he would care a little/react differently if they were dead))/Wedge to mention Jessie’s parents but neither happen). Oh and for Aeris to do the obvious intervention to fix terrible events would increasingly derail the plot even just in the first part, so, *maybe* she doesn’t know the whole plot (or else has some strange reason why she can’t interfere) and that conjecture is not accurate?

#auncyen #thanks #aerith gainsborough #final fantasy vii #asks

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demialwrites · 4 years

Text

Fallen Angel, Down to Earth

Fuck me, things have been rough with my mental health lately. So I slowly nurtured this fic. It was relaxing to write so it’s not too exciting. It’s a nice length, tho!

Hanging upside-down was more awkward than you previously thought. Especially since one of the biggest heroes of Wutai was the one holding you up. By the ankle and you were sure his hand was made of iron by the way he gripped you. If anyone saw Sephiroth holding you from plummetting to your death over a cliff, the story would spread like a nasty fart until everyone in Shinra knew. And laughed. You would have laughed, too.

You pled silently with him to put you down. You would have spoke the words but the hero himself but you were too engrossed in checking him out up-close. You did that instead, brows knitted in concentration. He did wear more belts than he needed to. His long, silver hair was glorious. And his eyes were a spring green that you'd never seen before. His black slit pupils dilated when your eyes met and you shivered. "Please, put me down, Sir!" you blurted. He smirked slightly before doing as you asked, giving his full bottom lip extra curve. He was surprisingly gentle, not just dropping you to the hard ground. "Are you hurt?" he asked. You sprang up, rapidly patting yourself down for injuries. You came up with nothing but extra dirt. "No!" Another slight smile. "Good." He turned from you and walked away. You stood there for a second before you realized he expected you to follow without being asked. You hurried up to his side. "So what do we do now?" "We find everyone else." Oh, right. You forgot you got separated from the rest while you were falling off the cliff. "Where could they be?" you wondered aloud. "I don't know. This shouldn't have happened." You followed Sephiroth around for a while, with no one in sight. You almost followed him around a corner when he quickly doubled back a step, shoving you back, also. "What?" you hissed quietly. He whipped around, hair brushing your knee. He squeezed your shoulder and put a finger to his lips. His pupils were wide again. You got lost in their blackness until a procession of bomb monsters floating past caught your eyes. They came from where you were heading. It was a much bigger group than you were used to. If not for Sephiroth's presence, you would have been terrified. You were hyper-aware of his hand still gripping your shoulder. He let go when he felt it was safe, checking around the corner again. You put your hand where his used to be. "C'mon," he said. You joined his side again. "Why didn't you just kill them...if you don't mind me asking, Sir." "There were too many for me to guarantee that I could keep you alive." Your shoulders relaxed down. "Ahhhh. That's nice." "I thought you might like that," he teased. To you, Sephiroth was just wandering around. But he pointed out evidence on the ground that proved otherwise. Bootprints and such. It surprised you how knowledgeable he was. He followed the trail until you started yawning. You tried to hide it. "The excitement of nearly dying probably tired you out," he said. "Let's stop for the night." As much as you wanted to keep going and return sooner to a warm, comfortable bed, at least you got more time with Sephiroth. Maybe you would learn more about him. He told you to set up camp while he took care of the fire to keep the chill at bay. You put down your bedroll, then looked up to find him lighting a suspiciously thick pile of branches with fire materia. Like he had snapped small trees in half. After some bland rations, you both settled down to rest. You got into your bedroll while he sat on top of his. You wanted to ask him about himself but the warmth from the fire was making you drowsy. He was gazing up at the clear and starry sky. You looked up as well. You gazed along with him in silence, the stars reminding you that the planet was spinning slowly on its axis while it orbited the sun. A massive, round cradle for all the tiny living beings on its surface. You yawned, the drowsiness increasing. So easy to lay your head down on that cradle and sleep like a baby. This experience with Sephiroth soothed away some of the intimidation you held before and you hoped you would get to work with him again. He did you a favour and found you himself in the halls first. "Hey, Sir!" "Hey," he replied. "I know you want to avoid the humiliation of everyone finding out what happened at the cliff. I'll omit from my report what exactly happened if you go on a date with me." "You don't date!" you blurted without thinking. It was always what you heard. He'd been asked many times and always turned them down. He was just teasing you. "You're cute when you're flustered. Are you turning me down?" He didn't seem concerned with your answer, just gazed at you with that same smirk as when he held you over the cliff. It had a softened, dreamier edge. It wasn't aimed at your eyes but lower. Your lips or maybe your body. You were still confused but had no reason to say no. "Yes, I guess..?" His gaze jumped back up to your eyes. "Alright, then. Where should we go? Normally, I'm too busy to go anywhere for fun." You suggested your favourite spots to eat. You would love to hear his opinion. He shook his head; too many people would bother him. That left you stumped. "I want to see your place," he said. "Show me how you live." "Me? It would bore you." "I'm curious." He leaned down closer. "Humour me." Your heart beat faster, butterflies went nuts in your stomach, and you agreed. On the night of the date, death was at your door. He had glowing green eyes. Actually, it was Sephiroth in black with the hood up on his hoodie. You smiled, laughing inwardly at yourself. His shadowed face unnerved you at first but you couldn't be surprised at his fashion choices based on his battle gear. The zipper on the hoodie was down halfway, showing a grey shirt. Black jeans and boots completed the outfit. He pulled the hood down and all of his hair out of the back of the sweater where it had been tucked and looked relieved. You assumed he didn't want to deal with anyone who would recognize him off the Soldier recruitment posters and didn't question it. He held out a white plastic bag that was tied at the top like takeout normally was. That got you a little excited. "I had one of the cafeteria chefs make something similar to the food you mentioned." "And they just did that for you?" He shrugged. "Yes." Like it was a normal occurrence. You wanted to peek inside the bag of takeout but instead, took it to the dining table. Instead of following, Sephiroth got distracted in the area just inside your door. "What's this?" he asked, picking up a knickknack and inspecting it. "Oh, I..." Sephiroth went around, picking up or pointing out various items with which decorated your apartment. You explained how you got each one and what drew you to it. It was like a child using a magnifying glass just to see how things look in more detail. Maybe this was his version of fun. You looked for an opening to turn it around and ask /him/ something but you couldn't bring yourself to interrupt. "Why don't we eat?" he finally said, turning from your personal items with a satisfied look. You embarrassed yourself by sneaking glances at his full, curvy lips while he sucked in noodles from his portion of the takeout. The date was looking up. A good view and the heavenly slide of greasy chow mein down your throat. Mmmm, fat. The cafeteria chefs didn't skimp on the meat and vegetables, either. Sephiroth finished his portion with a healthy appetite and said, "Not bad." There was an awkward moment until he told you he wanted to see what you normally did on a night like this. You thought, No, that's boring. I'm boring. How is he not bored yet? His expectant look won over. You went to your bathroom to grab some items. You came back and placed a couple of sheet masks on the table. He picked one up and eagerly read the package. "I see. Is this like a hair mask?" "Yeah!" You lit up with a smile, thankful that he caught on quickly. "I use those." "What?" "Surprised? This hair requires a lot of maintenance." He said that so casually but you couldn't picture him lovingly brushing and styling his hair. Either way, you had an out-of-body experience when Sephiroth, the most famous hero of Shinra, ripped open the mask and applied it carefully. Thankfully, your real body was numb enough without your soul to follow suit and put on your own mask on autopilot. Since he was wearing the mask, you decided it wasn't so bad to do the other thing you normally did on work nights; watch TV. You made a guess that he would want to watch a documentary because he spent all evening soaking up information. Turns out it was a good choice. He commented often that he had been to the various places filmed and how easily he had dispatched any monsters shown. It reminded you who you sat next to and you were glad he was friendly. You were starting to get sleepy from the all carbs and the late hour. Sephiroth, in contrast, seemed like he could stare unblinking at the TV screen forever. You shrugged inwardly; it was weird but least he was easy to please. Staring at him, it struck you that this entire time you wanted to see him humanized. Not the untouchable hero from the recruitment posters. This date had done just that. He was weird but who wasn't a little? You smiled at him. "This was a good date," you told him. He returned the smile. "I'm glad you think so." He held his hand out, palm-up. You put your hand on top. He closed his fingers and rested your two hands on his thigh. You fell asleep. Sephiroth let you sleep until he decided it was your bedtime. He nudged you awake and guided your half-asleep self to your bed.

#long post #lonnnnnnnng post #ff7 #sephiroth x reader #gender neutral reader #fluff #comedy #my shit

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silver-wield · 4 years

Note

I dont understand why aerith only abused cloud and not the other characters, whats her motive? have you ever been abused or at least know someone who was? can you also tell me more about aerith’s character? she’s the one i know the least so i would appreciate the enlightenment

Following on from this

Did I say Aerith was abusive or that her actions were? Because Aerith's not an abusive character, but she does things that harm others because of certain reasons. Also, some of my earlier comments about chapter 8 and Aerith's behaviour are before I learned more about her pov motivation, so it's only taken from Cloud's pov. Which I have no regrets about. I prefer Cloud over Aerith.

Cloud just got the brunt of things because he spent longer with her. The way Aerith assumes she knows everyone and that her way is best does harm others because it shows she doesn't respect their opinions or value them as individuals who behave differently to how she expects. She doesn't really know everyone, she just thinks she does because she knows info she shouldn't. But, vague information from the lifestream or wherever she got it doesn't form a complete picture. It also doesn't replace actual relationship development. She's trying to run before she can crawl.

From Aerith's pov, she's doing good. She's not intentionally abusive to people. She's poorly socialised, bossy and been treated as special since she was a child. She's got no frame of reference in how to have healthy relationships with people. She had no friends as a kid and none later. Kyrie was a bad influence on her and not a true friend. She's never had a true friend and only Zack loved her besides her moms. Her dad died when she was a baby, so she doesn't remember him. She's basically a spoiled child expecting to get what she wants and then can't accept the truth when it doesn't match her expectations.

From the others povs she's withholding vital information, treating them like they can't do things without her input and acting like she's the leader, despite just meeting everyone. Since what she's asking them to help with is saving the planet and Avalanche are self proclaimed protectors, and Cloud and Tifa are Sephiroth's enemies they won't refuse. Red agrees because his race are more attuned to the planet anyway. It's part of who he is to help protect it.

It's a matter of emotional maturity. Tifa has the most of the younger characters and currently, Aerith wavers between her OG immaturity and her meta knowledge which gives her unearned wisdom, but she doesn't know how to apply that wisdom, so just comes off bossy.

Cloud doesn't know how to deal with conflict except to beat it senseless and doesn't know how to deal with women, except to be a passive dummy when most of them manhandle him. He also doesn't want anything to do with any woman romantically except Tifa, which is why he's always touching her and flirting.

Cloud knows that Tifa reacts badly when people she cares about are in danger, so he's trying to keep her calm. Since Aerith interrupts immediately after this we don't know what the conclusion of this would be if Cloud was allowed to continue speaking. Most likely, he'd suggest getting back to sector 7, too, because he already agreed with her they need to go when he woke her up before the Abzu battle. Tifa respects Cloud's opinion and military background, so that's why she's asking his advice.

By jumping in and alarming Tifa, Aerith has actually caused harm because it's put her in an anxious state, which we see escalating throughout the sewers.

Cloud kept Tifa calm and focused. Aerith has done the opposite. Because she thinks she knows best.

Having put Tifa in a more anxious state than she was earlier, Aerith now withholds information, which breaks trust between them.

This harms Tifa. She now has to worry about Aerith's true motives as well as sector 7. Tifa avoids confronting her suspicions because she's non-confrontational by nature. And Aerith could be innocent and Tifa's imagining everything.

It's not a healthy state of mind Aerith's encouraged.

Aerith has observed how Tifa is with Cloud and deliberately baits her, which causes harm to Tifa.

Aerith's motives aren't the focus here and I've explained from her pov she's helping, but from Tifa's pov, this girl she just met is trying to take the guy she's liked since she was 13.

The look on Aerith's face is playful, but Tifa's isn't. She looks unhappy. With Aerith. She thought they were becoming friends and then Aerith does this.

And as I said, it's worth noting this is different to the JP scene where Tifa is just worried and Aerith's teasing her to try and improve her mood. So, this scene was deliberately played up to highlight a negative behaviour from Aerith and provoke Tifa.

Aerith never explains why Barret can't do things. She just orders everyone around and expects them to listen, but she doesn't listen to them.

Even when asked, she doesn't say anything, and this is harming the entire party. Just because we know the plot doesn't make what she's doing okay. She knows about Sephiroth and doesn't warn anyone beforehand. So, later when Cloud and Tifa see him in the drum, they're not prepared.

This adds to everyone's suspicion about Aerith.

Suspicious Aerith

Suspicious Aerith 2

See, the thing is, if someone is suspicious then you can't trust them. And trust is a big factor in relationships. By making herself untrustworthy by lying and acting in a suspicious way, Aerith isn't fulfilling one of the basic cornerstones of a good relationship.

Four cornerstones of a strong relationship: Tifa

Four cornerstones of a strong relationship: Cloud

Respect

Aerith shows she doesn't respect Tifa's opinion about Cloud and dismisses her valid concerns. She redirects to ask about her instead, which Tifa brushes off. The girls don't have a lot of conversation in the drum, which shows they're not that close or that Tifa doesn't trust her enough to chat after the sewers. Tifa has chosen to remain focused.

From Aerith's pov, ignoring Cloud shows she's not interested in him, but Tifa is and is worried and wanted reassurance, which Aerith didn't provide.

Honesty

During their first interaction, Aerith lies to Cloud several times, and keeps lying throughout the game, either by omission or outright lying.

Aerith lies about knowing the Turks, while knowing how dangerous they are.

A person who lies isn't someone who can be trusted. This is why Cloud and Tifa are suspicious of Aerith, even up to the end battle where Sephiroth speaks from behind Aerith and Cloud gives her a suspicious look. Because Aerith's own behaviour combines with Sephiroth's motives. If Aerith hadn't made herself suspicious then Sephiroth wouldn't be as effective here.

Trust

Cloud shakes his head here. He knows Aerith doesn't trust them because she keeps lying. See how things connect? Aerith lies, it makes her untrustworthy and affects people's relationships with her in a negative way.

Cloud agrees to go fetch Aerith because he knows what Shinra are like, isn't an asshole, feels obligated and Elmyra literally orders him to "bring her back to me" after he gets permission to go. Which is why it's listed as operation: save Aerith in the story summary.

Friendship

And as for friendship, well both Barret and Tifa call Aerith "our friend" but Cloud says "a friend" to mayor Domino and then later when he says "our friend" to the guy outside the battle sim, all of them are framed. But, when he said "a friend" to mayor Domino only Cloud was framed. This suggests that to Cloud Aerith isn't a friend.

So, Aerith fails to satisfy the basic cornerstones of a good relationship with others. That's not saying she's a bad person or has bad motives, but currently she's not in good standing.

As for her behaviour in sector 5 with Cloud, from her pov, her actions weren't bad either.

The protagonist Cloud, who played the hero like Zack, is the unforgettable protagonist of FFVII. The beginning of the story, he seems cool, but in reality he is not good with communication and feels less than he is. “I wanted to be in SOLIDER, but I couldn’t.” Because he wanted to hide himself (because of Zack's death and the Nibelheim incident), the Jenova cells that were planted in him in Nibelheim formed a personality that were based on Zack’s memories. In CC, Cloud was weak but he was influenced by Zack. In the beginning of the story, Cloud takes on the title of “Zack”. Aerith was shocked when she meets Cloud due to him mirroring Zack in behavior.

That's a rough translation, but the fact is Aerith saw Zack in Cloud from their first meeting and that's why she chased after him in chapter 2. This is the CC ultimania, BTW, and it's getting a reprint, so the info in it is canon to Remake because the devs advised players to read more compilation materials. This is one of them.

Her motives aren't bad, but we can't only see things from her pov. Other people matter too. Cloud wasn't happy with her throughout chapter 8 because of her behaviour. Her motives don't factor into his feelings because she never reveals why she's doing it. Even if she did explain, it doesn't excuse her ignoring how Cloud feels.

Because Aerith is using Cloud as a prop for Zack it does harm her relationship with him and others. In the chapter 9 Corneo's dungeon conversation we can see Tifa notices Cloud isn't happy with Aerith suggesting they stay and get info out of Corneo. His reaction colors her opinion of Aerith later when he wakes her in the sewers. That's why she asks how he knows her because he doesn't seem to be acting like they're friends as Aerith claimed.

And Aerith isn't treating Cloud like he's Cloud through a lot of chapter 8 and 9 and only pulls back when they meet up with Tifa.

So much zerith

And by deluding herself, Aerith gets to be with Zack again, which she alludes to in her resolution when she says she's grateful to Cloud and he made her more happy than he knows. Because she got to pretend she spent one more day with Zack. But, then she shatters her own delusion by telling Cloud that any potential feelings he might have in the future are fake. Because Cloud's persona is fake. He's not Zack.

In the OG, Aerith's GS date alludes to Cloud's fake persona too, but she says she wants to meet the real him. She doesn't say that here. She ignores Cloud again, and by doing so answers his question in that he doesn't get a say because she's not listening to him. Because she doesn't care.

And when the party reaches her in chapter 16, it's even more clear that Aerith has set aside her delusions in favour of building better relationships with the other characters. She's more invested in Red, Tifa and Barret than she is Cloud.

However, it's an uphill struggle with Tifa because of the previous behaviour she exhibited.

See how things circle back? Aerith made herself suspicious, Tifa loses trust in her and that affects their relationship later so that Tifa is less likely to confide in her. She's being Tifa Lockhart. And we know Tifa can open up with those she really trusts because she does with Cloud. Because they have a strong set of cornerstones to their relationship.

So, from Aerith's pov, it's not abuse because she has some very good reasons for treating Cloud and others the way she does. She's aware of some future events and knows about Sephiroth and she also deluded herself into thinking Cloud was Zack.

But, because they don't know her motives it does actually harm the relationships between her and them. Even Red seems to mistrust her because he knows some of what she was up to with the whispers, as stated during the opening of chapter 17 where he explains the whispers purpose and looks right at Aerith when he mentions people tampering with fate.

But, this is what character development is for. Aerith needs to grow as a person and not just in power. So, I expect a lot of her more childish traits like being overly bossy and not having any listening skills will be addressed in future parts.

#final fantasy 7 remake #ff7r #ffviir #final fantasy 7r #final fantasy viir #Character analysis #Aerith Gainsborough

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up-sideand-down · 4 years

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Hi! Not exactly a request but what do you think about Sephiroth X falling in love (now I know his personality goes through many changes in the entire series so how about before he turned into a villan, like when he was still in Shinra)? What kind of traits would it take for him to fall in love? And how the relationship would be like? Thanks a lot!

We know Sephiroth knows he is special. He is not like the others, he is different, but I’d say for most of his life he didn’t know if his special-ness was a flaw or an asset. (I’d even argue that he still feels that after his breakdown, but he’s more determined to prove his differences are a huge benefit to the world.)

Meanwhile he has enough knowledge of the world to know that not everything ShinRa does is good. ShinRa works only to benefit ShinRa. He’s probably seen it time and time again. I think (before “dying” in Nibelheim at least) Sephiroth wanted to take down ShinRa first...and then decided the whole world was fucked up enough that it might as well restart and he was the one special enough to guide it back (as a god).

But the whole point is Sephiroth knows he is different to everyone else, but he’s not sure if that means better because of ShinRa. He exists because of ShinRa, he was made to be their weapon, but that never put in his wants or needs. No one probably asked what he wanted or needed. His only reason of being is to do as he was told (which I find much more hilarious that when he does say no, no one really wants to be the one to force him). His best rebellion is just to “fail”. No one can say he is rebelling if he just wasn’t able to do what he was told. He has limits.

But all that said, he doesn’t like ShinRa. He was thinking of leaving (and I’d love to know what that plan entailed before going bonkers) pre-Nibelhiem. He also doesn’t show emotion easily. We see him smile in the V.R. Room with Genesis and Angeal and then later to Zack after Zack hesitates. I find the smile with Zack a bit more telling, because we never really get told what the relationship with Angeal and Genesis was like. We get flashes, but we really see more of it with Zack. Zack hesitates because he cares. Sephiroth smiles and assures him he’ll come along after. I don’t think that smile would have ever happened if he didn’t know Zack genuinely cared. That’s criteria one. He has to know this person cares.

And caring is a big deal to him. He’s probably spent most of his life with people who don’t really care that much about his emotional state. If he’s able to work, great. That’s all that matters. I believe in CC there is a moment where Angeal comments that Sephiroth lost weight since he and Genesis defected. Sephiroth says nothing and the whole thing gets dropped. But damn I’d love to see someone ask Seph if he’s eating, if he’s okay. If getting left behind made him too stressed out to eat. Angeal drops it, it’s not important right now, but Angeal what if you didn’t? What if you cared about that weight loss and owned up to being the cause?

Criteria two, which might be more personal opinion, is communication. This other person has to be able to talk to Sephiroth or communicate, wants, needs, intentions, and just chatter. Sephiroth is fully capable of acting like a normal person, but he needs someone to treat him like one. And I think with that, he will be able to care back about this person.

The last trait is their ability to stick with him. He has no actual parental figure we see (Hojo maybe, but Hojo seems to think of Sephiroth as a specimen rather than a son, but I can’t say), he had two friends and they left him without telling him why. He did think it was his fault, he hurt Genesis. I’m assuming it’s not the first time he screwed up around them, but this time was apparently the final straw. I can see him tiptoeing around this person who talks and cares...because eventually they’ll probably leave, or he’ll leave them. But gosh if they stayed, if they stuck by him because he was important...not just special, he matters to them, then I think he’d decide he knows what love it.

So...long rambly headcanon short, if Sephiroth was going to have a relationship with someone while he was working for ShinRa this person would have to:

1.) Be able to demonstrate they care about his mental and physical well being outside of a working capacity.

2.) Be able to talk to him, and not just about work or what he must do. About himself.

3.) Stick around even when things are scary and fuckin’ weird. The hard things don’t matter as much as their relationship.

And even with this three traits, I’m sure the relationship would be slow and rocky at first. He’s probably going to test these traits over and over again and get more comfortable with each affirmation. He’s special to them. And with each test he’s probably going to let down more and more of the walls he’s built to protect himself. Zack gets a smile. Maybe with a few more he gets a touch, just on the shoulder. Maybe with more after, they can hug.

I don’t see canon Sephiroth falling fast and furious in love. Lust maybe, but actual affection will take time and a lot of good solid communication. I’d hope he’d blossom well under that kind of love and step out of that umbrella of special.

He belongs somewhere, and that has to feel a hell of a lot more comfortable than special.

#headcanon #ramble #holy crap i did not mean to talk so much #sephiroth #jeez i feel like I barely answered that prompt #i'm so sorry #i hope it helps in any way #blueanimewriting

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aerithagainstabusers · 4 years

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So I saw Greg’s review of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake and it was so dumb I had to pick it apart so here we go. Spoilers for the remake below

This starts off bad. Immediately Greg is whining that the game isn’t what he wants. He complains about knowing the characters too well which is an absolutely insane thing to complain about. The deaths of the AVALANCHE don’t mean much in the original. You meet them a few times then they die. You have no connection to them

By getting to know them more - like Wedges love for the Sector Seven cats and how Jessie was an actress before her dad became gravely Ill after working for Shinra, they become more human. You can relate to them more and there’s more investment there. So when the fall of that plate comes? Losing them is more impactful than in the original

The battle system can be set to the same as the original in classic mode except you can’t physically attack (that is automatically done for you) so Greg can’t really complain about that. Sounds like he’s mad he died at bosses he didn’t die to in the original

His complaint about Sephiroth is weird. He’s the main bad guy. He needs to show up. With Sephiroth in the OG, you only hear about him a few times while in Midgar, where the remake is set. They need to bring him In much earlier and show Cloud suffering PTSD to understand this guy is a threat.

He also complains about not having a lot to do. And yeah while it’s not as open you have way more to do. The side quests are actually side quests - with the original, the only side quests you really have before leaving Midgar is dressing Cloud up and getting the perfume, tiara, and underwear. Otherwise? You’re stuck doing what the game tells you to do

You might ask “why are you always saying ‘in the original when you’re in Midgar’and I’ll explain that now

This. Is. Not. A. Spoiler.

The creators said from the start it would only be in Midgar and it would be an episodic game. All the promotional materials showed the game only in Midgar. It was obvious that IT WAS ONLY IN MIDGAR. Greg has no right to complain.

Now yes. You don’t have the same free travel but there is more to travel and there’s so much more content to make up for the fact you can’t leave the city. And by doing so, Midgar comes alive. So when you leave? It feels more of a loss and like you are leaving somewhere you have a connection to. Now this was disappointing because I was definitely wanting more. Like I wanted to keep playing in because it was dragging me in. But it was clear from the start and they were transparent with this. Greg clearly wasn’t looking all the things that were coming out about the game since you knew what was going on.

It even says on the back of the box it’s going to be the story in Midgar and that it’s the first game of the remake “project” and would go deeper into the city

Why is Greg surprised and acting like he’s being cheated out?

His next complaint is.... very worrying

Nanaki in the original never acted like a pervert with Aerith. He acted like he was aggressive to lower Hojos guard but that’s a nitpick. But the rest? Holy fuck Greg, STAY AWAY FROM WOMEN

in the remake, Hojo does not have plans to crossbreed Aerith and Nanaki. Instead? He wants to have SOLIDERS repeatedly rape her so she can “breed” and laughs in her face as he tells her all about how he ripped her mother’s corpse to shreds so he can continue to investigate her. There’s only molecules left of Iflana. He also tries to kill Cloud, Tifa, and Barret so he can show aerith their corpses to kill her hope she’ll be saved

But more importantly, Hojo's proposal in the remake is far more horrifying than in the original. He wants her to be raped over and over. Why the fuck doesn’t Greg see this as being bad an as a “P.C. culture” addition? What is wrong with you, dude. How do these things not show how insane he is

The cross-dressing is a stupid complaint. So you don’t get to go to a brothel and watch a small cutscene. Who cares? You get to see Cloud perform on stage at a cabaret and he is dressed up while on stage while you do a mini game. And that isn’t fun? Okay, Greg.

The events he’s talking about by the way? You fight in a Colosseum, you can choose to help Johnny, and/or you can do the iconic squatting game. Then you go to the Honeybee Inn, do a dancing minigame, and perform on stage.

As opposed to the original where you talk to a man and tell him what dress you want. Do the most squats, Buy some wine at an inn, have a bath with a bunch of men, and give a woman some medicine. The amount of time you spend doing that will take you the same amount of time to do one side quest in the remake. Of course, the original had it’s restrictions because of the platform it’s on, but the remake definitely did go out of its way to expand that and make it feel like you were doing more.

This is a bit more valid. Like I get having nostalgia for the OG game and preferring it and that’s okay! But the Harry Potter comparison ruins it. Also Greg doesn’t seem to realise the difference between a remake and a remaster. The game is being remade. Of course the gameplay is going to change. Turn based games aren’t viable anymore and considering how good the graphics are, it would ruin the immersion. They had to change things like this to make it more modern. Remember, they aren’t just making this for fans. They’re wanting to bring in new people.

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW FOR THE REMAKE

SO PLEASE

IF YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED IT

READ THIS NEXT PART WITH ABSOLUTE CAUTION OKAY?

OKAY

SPOILER

WARNING

OVER

I really hope this is just a joke that Zack wasn’t mentioned before he appeared. But considering this is Greg, and how he really doesn’t seem to understand this game, I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t know the significance of this scene. He says later in this article that it took him 24-40 hours to finish the game. Which, if you actually complete it (by doing all side quests, unlocking all limit breaks for everyone, getting master materia etc) it should take you ninety hours. Which makes me think he never went to Nibleheim and saw the cutscene of what happened to Zack and Cloud. Because FF7 is a very quick game if you just focus on the main quests. If you actually dig down deep? You can go way past the timer and have it frozen at 99:99:99. I don’t think he did anything in the original game and just did whatever the game told him to do without looking at anything else.

I really hope this is just a stupid edgy joke because Zack is a well-loved character but you never fucking know with this moron.

I understand his complaints about Nanaki. Nanaki is always in my party in the original so I was bummed you couldn’t play him, but he appears in the penultimate chapter. The writers probably didn’t feel it was worth their while to add him as a party member, and instead, make him a guest who helps.

The Sephiroth complaint is stupid because he’s missed the point. Up until he appears in the Shinra building, he isn’t actually there. Cloud is hallucinating. He is shown as being mysterious and unreachable as Cloud tries to get to him or freaks out whenever he sees an image of him.

Honestly this just sounds like Greg is mad it’s not the exact same as the original.

Which would just be boring, in my opinion.

Y’know what I said about Greg doing what the game told him to do and nothing else? Yeah this is proof. You have an All materia. It’s called ‘magnify’. And unless you didn’t look for treasure or looked at the new materia when you collected it? You would know this is the all materia. The summons in this game aren’t what they are in the original. You can’t use them in every battle and they only come in boss battles or otherwise difficult encounters because in the remake, it’s made clear that they are incredibly powerful. They come to you maxed out. Which he would know if he paid attention.

I will agree with him to an extent about the maxed out materia. Materia is easy to obtain in the remake (Cloud says this to Aerith when she playfully brags about having it), so if Greg had critical thinking, it would be clear that they don’t sell well is because .... well, it’s easy to max out. Everyone is doing it. But I will agree with him that the game is ‘too short’ in a sense, since having Firaga in only Midgar can be problematic for later games. I do have to wonder what they’ll do in the next episodes. Will you have to level up the magic power after upgrading it so Firaga does the same damage in later dungeons as it did in the sewers of Midgar? It would also be neat to physically ride the chocobos through Midgar to make life easier but I also understand why they had the carriages as it makes it less weird when Tifa suddenly appears in one when she’s going to Don Corneo’s only to never see a carriage in Midgar again, and the loading screen when they ake you from place to place does make it quicker for you to get places.

Still, it would be nice to ride them at some point so I will give Greg this complaint.

Like I said above, if you do everything in the original it should take you 90 hours. If it took Greg 2 days cumulatively at his highest estimate, he’s not completing the game, and he’s not achieving anything.

For comparison, here’s my latest game

As you can see, it’s at 44 hours. I have done all the sidequests (excluding the one mandatory Fort Condor which would add more time on to it but I didn’t want to do that this time around). I have reached the bottom of the crater, however, I have not done anything further and am now focusing on doing the rest I need to do. Like getting to level 99 on everyone, maxing out my command, summon, and magic materia to get the master materia for those three. Or maxing out all four enemy skill materia. Or getting everyone's limit breaks, or beating the weapons. Because these things take time. I could easily run and kill Sephiroth in that run right now. I could finish the game. But as I’m wanting to complete it as much as I can, then I can’t do that. And that’s not me doing a perfect game where you need to get 99 of each item you can (excluding things like the battery where you can only get three of). If you’re doing a perfect game, it takes even longer but honestly, that’s not something I’d say you’d need to do to ‘finish’ the game. That’s only if you want to challenge yourself.

Also might I add, the remake? It takes about 40 hours to finish it (I don’t know if that includes sidequests). This means in one part of a game is the same length as the original if you don’t do any sidequests in the OG. I don’t know what Greg is talking about by ‘achieving less’. Yeah you don’t go to as many places, but considering this will be in different parts like the original, you do way more in the remake than you do in the original while in Midgar.

The random encounters are definitely less in the remake. They don’t happen every a certain number of steps. Instead, you stumble across them in a realistic way rather than have a screen transition. It is way more immersive and again, is something that makes the game feel alive. It feels like an obstacle to overcome to get to the next place rather than an interruption like the original game random encounters (which I do love by the way, but it is very much a product of it’s time)

The next part also makes me laugh. He seems to think that because the other game has things finish ‘faster’ means it’s more productive. Which really shows he thinks his channel is great because he does more videos in a short period of time. Which, yeah, on a surface level it is more “productive”, but it’s not exactly exciting game play, is it?

For comparison. Aerith says in the original that Sector Six is dangerous so she’ll help him out... but it takes about two minutes to go through and the random encounters are incredibly easy. It’s also not explained why the place is in ruins.

In the remake however, Aerith leads Cloud through it as Cloud is unfamiliar with it, and it is more of a challenge to get through, and he actually needs her help to get through the rubble. She explains part of the plate collapsed the tunnel and that’s why it’s such a mess. You get attacked by bandits on the way there and you spend an entire chapter trying to get through sector six, as it becomes the threat and the difficult path Aerith describes in the original. Rather than a place you just pass through with no issue, making you wonder “why the hell is Aerith insisting she goes with me?” outside of her having a crush.

It’s small details like that which make the game come alive and actually makes you feel like you did something rather than it being a place you just passed through. It takes you longer, but it feels more like an achievement.

No one feels like they achieved something when you leave Sector Six and go to the park outside Sector Seven’s gates. Because it’s just a road to get to where you need to go. Your next challenge is trying to get Cloud chosen as the girl for Corneo but that is optional. I mean, if you prefer that it’s easier to get through as you like just seeing the story than solving dungeons, that’s fine! But this just shows Greg’s ‘quantity is quality” mindset.

Also, when you climb up the plate to get to the Shinra building? IN the original, you climb up some pipes. The hardest part is the swinging pipe, which is incredibly easy when you time your jump to the squeaking of the pipe. They tell you it’ll be difficult to get to the Shinra building... when it takes you all of five minutes.

The remake has you climbing up the plate and broken buildings, using a grappling gun to get to higher ground when your walking path is done, while you get attacked by Shinra soliders trying to stop you from getting to higher ground when they recognise you as AVALANCHE. While it’s not hard it definitely feels more of a challenge than “climb up this pipe. jump onto that pipe, now climb up another pipe” in the original. And with the Shinra soliders while you can stop them easily, it does make you feel that getting there is going to be a struggle, or at least something that’s inconvenient and it’ll be ‘hard’ because people will try and stop you along the way.

Although I do wish that when you were in the Shinra building, you had to do more sneaking in the higher floors like you did in the original, but at least the game does give you a reason why you don’t need to sneak around. The mayor’s off hand comment about hating Shinra as he gives you a keycard in the original is expanded to the Mayor being a member of AVALANCHE who is actively helping you.

I also think it's funny he complains about “mundane tasks” when the original game is full of that, too. All JRPGs have it

Basically, this entire review of Greg’s can be “WAHHH IT’S NOT THE ORIGINAL WHY IS IT MAKING ME WORK HARD!” and it’s hilarious

#onision #anti onision

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dansantcaparet · 4 years

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To me, Aerith is pushed on you as the main love interest due to the main narrative (ie: she dies). Cait Sith's lines were designed by SE to set Cloud and Aerith up as star-crossed lovers. “Looks good. You are perfect for each other! Aerith’s star and Cloud’s star! They show a great future! Poor Tifa!” ~Cait Sith “After solving the puzzle about Cait Sith’s replaceable body, he tells one last fortune of Cloud and Aerith’s affinity. Cait Sith’s lines, which seem to expect Cloud and Aerith’s wedding, now makes it more painful.” ~Final Fantasy VII Dismantled; Square Enix So sure -- you can argue that Tifa "wins" by default due to being alive. But if Aerith had lived, it is most obvious to me that Cloud would have picked the Flower Girl. When both ladies are present, Cloud's preference is Aerith:

youtube

Tifa gets her "happy ending" regardless of if she is "with" Cloud. Why? Because Cloud finally returns to them after being at Aerith's Church. Though "them" includes Barret, too. The Seventh Heaven family. We are also assuming that a romantic relationship is necessary for Tifa to be happy. For me, the fact that Cloud and Aerith developed such a strong bond in such a short amount of time suggests they are soulmates -- "meant to be." Without Sephiroth "thwarting" their budding romance, Cloud would have ended up with Aerith. To me, Tifa doesn't stand a chance if Aerith lives. Just as Rose moved on from Jack but still returns to Jack at the very end of "Titanic," I believe that regardless of if Cloud moves on, he will still one day return to Aerith. Soulmates are soulmates. A childhood crush simply can't compete with that, and I don't think it was ever intended to. Aerith is the original heroine and the original love interest. And for the record: people keep saying this isn't a "competition." Well then why the hell is Aerith described as Tifa's "love rival"? Like it or not, but the love triangle does make it so Aerith and Tifa are like Coke and Pepsi. You gotta pick one. It is an inherent rivalry. Again -- Aerith is stated to be Tifa's "love rival." Luckily, SE says both interpretations are valid interpretations. I just personally think the Clerith interpretation is stronger both due to the main narrative (ie: Aerith dies/star-crossed lovers/soulmates/Shinra jail cell), and the fact that Aerith is the original love interest who was developed first -- the star-crossed love story was always intended from Day 1. PS: The very reason so many think it is Cloti and Zerith is because of misconceptions regarding Zack. It is also easier for the masses to understand "Cloud and Tifa" -- "Zack and Aerith." That looks "correct" on the surface. In addition, Crisis Core led many fans down a path of believing that because of Zack, Clerith is somehow invalidated. Many of them never played the OG. However, we don't see anything romantic between Zack and Aerith in the lifestream. In MoT, Aerith states she will only call Zack if she gets "really lonely," and she also states that she prefers Cloud's personality over Zack's. And yes, I know most don't consider this "canon" -- but I'll trust MoT (a book approved by SE) over anyone's opinion on this forum. Regardless, there is no scene of romance between Zack and Aerith in the lifestream, and Zack isn't even in the official love triangle.

In the OG, Aerith said her & Zack were "never serious," that her relationship with him is "in the past now," and that Zack probably moved on because he's a "real lady's man." Plus, we know from the "normally occurring" CxA Gold Saucer date that although Aerith initially liked Cloud because of Zack, she has finally grown to like Cloud for Cloud.

Aerith: ......first off, it bothered me how you looked exactly alike. Two completely different people, but look exactly the same. The way you walk, gesture... I think I must have seen him again, in you... But you're different. Things are different. "Things" are different. Aerith now likes Cloud for Cloud. “Although in the beginning Aerith felt close to Cloud because he behaved like Zack, her interest in Cloud himself grows and she is attracted to him.” ~Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega; Square Enix Aerith: “At first when I met Cloud, I believed he was similar to Zack. Little actions, the way he spoke… his kindness. But Cloud is Cloud. I, now undoubtedly, love Cloud much more than Zack.” ~Final Fantasy VII Dismantled; Square Enix At the end of the day, Cloud wasn't Zack. He adopted a few memories from a specific moment in time and that was it. There was no transformation. Cloud is emo and introverted. Zack is happy and outgoing. Cloud retains his emo and introverted personality during disc 1. Furthermore, Cloud didn't recognize Aerith. If Cloud was Zack, why didn't he recognize Aerith? Are we saying literally everything Cloud did during disc 1 is somehow tainted because of Zack? Are we saying disc 1 Cloud was actually Zack? Where is this stated by SE? If all of Cloud's interactions with Aerith are tainted because of Zack, why would Cloud feel guilt towards Aerith's death? If Cloud was Zack, wouldn't that suggest Cloud should feel nothing towards Aerith because everything he ever did or said to her was tainted because of Zack? Do we honestly think SE agrees with that assessment? I guess SE created an entire star-crossed romance between Cloud and Aerith and want us to go "oh, that was just Zack!" Really...!?!? Why is Cloud guilty in AC if he was Zack? It just doesn't make any sense what-so-ever. Also -- “After developing his personality by using Zack’s memory as a base, Cloud still maintained the part of coolness even though Zack had cheerful characteristics. The part of Cloud’s coolness that keeps him away from the surroundings and the part of his asserting "no interests” all have nothing to do with the influence of Jenova cells. They belong to the real Cloud’s personality." ~Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega So although Cloud wasn’t completely himself during disc 1, parts of the 'real’ Cloud were present during his time with Aerith. It is also stated that the Jenova cells inside Cloud mimicked Tifa’s memories of him. Since Tifa’s memories were of the 'real’ Cloud, Jenova’s cells mimicked portions of the 'real Cloud’ and fashioned yet another personality for him. Further – Aerith Gainsborough met Cloud Strife during a very troubling time in his life. His memories were jumbled and he was being controlled by Jenova’s cells. However, despite these challenges, Aerith was able to reach through to Cloud’s core and leave a long-lasting impression on him that he carries with him to this very day. One needs to look no further than Cloud’s behavior and actions after regaining his memories to see how much Aerith meant to the real Cloud: he remembers her often, fights to avenge her death, carries grief and guilt over not being able to protect her, and eventually begins living in her Church. Zack’s memories and Jenova’s cells weren’t enough to stop Aerith from reaching Cloud’s heart. Zack’s memories and Jenova’s cells weren’t enough to stop Cloud from truly caring about and developing a love for Aerith that has stayed with him forever. All of this makes the case even more compelling for Cloud x Aerith because Cloud developed a love for Aerith despite Jenova’s cells and despite Zack’s memories — a love he has carried with him long after regaining his memories.

#clerith #cloud strife #aerith gainsborough #final fantasy 7 remake #ff7r

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