#Mako Reactor 1: *exploding*

[vow-upon-a-star]

Stupidity

It is so clear cleriths do not understand what Cloud’s false identity was. I have seen all of them say “Why does Cloud remember Aerith when he regains his true self if he was Zack”   He WASN’T Zack. Nowhere is it ever stated he was Zack.  “His facade is him pretending he’s not in love with Aerith”  Ok. Why does he have a facade before even meeting Aerith? Why does his facade break down around Tifa when he doesn’t even know her name. Why does he very clearly not want anything to do with Aerith when she’s trying to give him a flower. He still had his facade there huh? And her telling him not to fall in love with her you’d think that’d be the start of this “facade” in which he’s pretending he isn’t.  Cloud’s facade exists independently from Aerith. Cloud’s false identity is not because he’s pretending to not be in love with her because she said not to (wtf they actually think this omfg) 

Cloud’s facade/false persona was created before the game even started. The Remake ultimania does not confirm he “is pretending not to love Aerith” it’s saying what the past ultimanias have always said. Cloud’s true self only emerges around Tifa, not Aerith, he has a false persona around Aerith and she is acknowledging this. Both in OG with her “I want to meet you” admitting she has not met the real Cloud, and with the Remake in which she says any feelings he may feel towards her wouldn’t be real because he is not truly himself. 

Sources: 

Enigma of the voice As Cloud is trying to place the bomb, a mysterious voice speaks to him. Later, this same kind of mysterious voice resounds in Cloud’s head in the scene where he and a voice have a conversation, and it offers him reminders. These voices are the original Cloud, as – due to Hojo’s Sephiroth Clones experiment –Zack’s personality merged with his, creating the present day Cloud, producing a conflict of multiple personalities- FF7 Ultimania Omega, pg. 68 

When staying at a private house, the mysterious voice echoed inside Cloud’s mind again, asking him why he didn’t see Tifa before leaving to the Mako reactor 5 years ago. In truth, Cloud didn’t want his identity known as a regular trooper/soldier and avoided Tifa, but this memory is sealed. Does the voice trying to awaken him belong to Sephiroth, who made Cloud his puppet? Or is it Cloud trying to return to his original self? – Judging from the dialogue, “It was a great chance for you two to see each other again,” it seems to be the latter. The voice also says things that see through to Cloud’s hidden feelings. -FF7 Ultimania Omega, pg. 110

Cloud had been stricken with Mako poisoning on two separate occasions, once in the 7th Street slum train station, and again in Mideel. Both times it had been Tifa’s voice calling to him that had restored him to consciousness.- FF20th Anniversary Ultimania Vol 2: Scenario pg. 206 

Due to the influence of the Jenova cells implanted in his body he acted out a false persona, but with the support of his friends he regains his true self and grows as a person.- FF7 10th anniversary Ultimania, Cloud’s profile pg. 36-41

At first he calls himself “ex-SOLDIER, 1st Class”, and affects a condescending attitude towards the people around him, but this is a false pretence born from Cloud’s own desires. - FF7 10th anniversary Ultimania, Cloud’s profile pg. 36-41

At the age of 16 Cloud was sent on a mission to his hometown of Nibelheim, where Sephiroth went out of control (what is commonly called the “Sephiroth Incident”). Cloud, having suffered heavy injuries during the incident, was injected with cells from Jenova, an extraterrestrial life form. These cells, which Sephiroth also had in his body, controlled Cloud’s thoughts and created a separate personality, and tried to manipulate Cloud into joining with Sephiroth. Even the Meteor crisis was indirectly caused by Cloud having become a puppet to Sephiroth. In FFVII Cloud finally regains his true self and defeats Sephiroth, but this doesn’t mean he’s completely freed from the will of Jenova, and in AC he is tormented by the Remnant’s call for the Reunion.- - FF7 10th anniversary Ultimania, Cloud’s profile pg. 36-41 

While still just a grunt, he aims to be in SOLDIER. He strikes up a friendship with Zack, a SOLDIER 1st Class; what influence will he have on Cloud, that would lead to Cloud imitating Zack’s personality - FF7 10th anniversary Ultimania, Cloud’s profile pg. 36-41

What Cloud Inherited from Zack

Under the effect of Jenova’s cells, Cloud mimics his best friend Zack and creates a new persona, but the mental aspects weren’t the only things he received from Zack. - FF7 10th anniversary Ultimania, Cloud’s profile pg. 36-41

Zack’s personality had a heavy influence on the formation of Cloud’s personality when he was under Jenova’s control. -FF7 10th anniversary Ultimania, Zack’s profile pg. 82 - 85

He lost his life trying to escape from the clutches of ShinRa, who had been performing experiments on the bodies of Cloud and himself. Although Zack was already deceased before the start of the story, Cloud confused himself with Zack and in the process of recovering his original self, Zack’s character is also brought to light. -FF7 10th anniversary Ultimania, Zack’s profile pg. 82 - 85

The photo taken with Tifa and Sephiroth prior to the departure to the Mako Reactor. It provided and opportunity to expose the falsehood in Cloud’s memories. -FF7 10th anniversary Ultimania, Zack’s profile pg. 82 - 85 

First love Zack Aerith’s first love was Zack, a young SOLDIER 1st Class who she lost contact with 5 years ago. He was Cloud’s best friend, and his personality has had a great influence on Cloud’s behavior. Aerith is unaware that the two were best friends, and takes an interest in Cloud because she sees Zack in him. -pg. 197 of the FF 20th Anniversary Ultimania File 1: Character

Aerith’s first love is Zack, the object of Cloud’s basic personality of being an “ex-SOLDIER.” . We could say Cloud’s speaking and acting like Zack is a big reason why Aerith started to have good feelings towards Cloud. -pg. 29, FFVII Ultimania Omega

"I’m looking for you."…"So you won’t have a beakdown." - what Aerith told Cloud had many deep meanings. Aerith detected that the present Cloud is not the real him during their encounters. She knows it because of her mysterious, inherent ability. -pg. 29, FFVII Ultimania Omega (Aerith knows the real Cloud bit cleriths in the ass because in the remake she tells Cloud his feelings aren’t real.)

Jenova's mimic ability Jenova has a mimic ability which allows it to read the memories and feelings of others, then adjust its appearance, speech and behaviour accordingly to immitate what it has seen. Jenova once used this ability to get close to the Ancients and infect them with its virus, which killed many of them.

This ability is not limited solely to Jenova itself, for those who have its cells within them possess it as well, though in an incomplete form. Immediately prior to the start of the game, when Cloud's mind was shattered, he ran into Tifa and seemed to immediately return to "normal" (-->P.13); this was because the mimic abilities of the Jenova cells inside Cloud read her mind, seeing her memories of him, which were then combined with his own ideal vision of himself, fashioning a new personality for him. -FF7 Ultimania Omega

Why does Cloud remember Aerith after regaining his true self?

Because the real Cloud was never gone, it was always there trying to regain control. That’s why the voice speaks to Cloud throughout the game in OG, the real Cloud is TRYING to come back. The real Cloud has memories because he wasn’t blacked out throughout disc 1. He’d remember Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge too. His flashbacks in AC also show he has memories Shinra exploding, and has memories of Zack when he was in his mako poisoned comatose state!  Tl;Dr

What Cloud’s false persona/facade was/is: A combination of memories and Cloud’s own desires with Zack as a basis--brought about by the Jenova cells in his body. His true self emerges only around Tifa, and Tifa is the one who helps him regain his true self.  What Cloud’s false persona/facade is not: Aerith told him not to fall in love with her so he’s putting on a facade that he’s not in love with her.

P.s. As for Maiden and Dismantled, they were both written by a man who was never involved with the development of FF7 or its compilation, and funnily enough cleriths claim Aerith knew the real Cloud but cite Maiden--in which Aerith admits she doesn’t know the real Cloud and can’t help him regain himself. Ironic.  

#cloti #setting the record straight #ultimania #cloud's facade #false persona

[cateringisalie]

Aerith Week 2021 Day 7

Written for the prompt ‘Cherish The Memories’

For Cloud, Aeris had two first impressions; unflappability in the ensuing sea of chaos in the wake of Mako Reactor 1 exploding and charmingly, chaotically befuddled later when he narrowly avoided landing on her. Tifa was a quick glimpse in the back of a Chocobo-drawn carriage and pretty; gorgeous was perhaps more appropriate when they met face to face in the depths of Don Corneo’s lair but also so driven and certain of her goals. Barret she met via Marlene; the girl’s father was driven and knowledgeable, their first meet bifurcated by glass through which his convictions were clear and he - ultimately - was the one to spring her from Shinra’s clutches. Red XIII or Nanaki was a forever reminder to not judge on first impressions; the snarling, angry beast transpired - after Barret’s actions - to be a soft-spoken and intelligent being with warm fur to ruffle and a nose dearly in need of booping. Yuffie was a blur of movement, a fading after-image; appearing clearly only as part of some other misdirection and with a clear mindset: the acquisition of Materia and – though she would be loath to admit it - friendship. Cait Sith should have been a minor footnote in the tale of her travels along the world but was unexpectedly essential; off for a strange fortune-teller in the depths of amusement park who insisted on tagging along. Vincent was a vampire; Aeris and Tifa remained united on this conclusion though Vincent would dryly and near impassively retort he was not every time her overheard them – but how else was she to judge a man she met slumbering inside a coffin? Cid was mostly smells; engine oil, tobacco, sweat and a foul mouth, an angry raised voice and a man – like Vincent – unable to stop brooding on the failings of the past though whose earlier achievements opened up the world to Avalanche in a new way.

#aerith gainsborough #final fantasy vii #aerithweek #ffvii #final fantasy #my ffvii fanfic

[satoshi-mochida]

Finished the FF7 Remake demo. It took around an hour, and I’m looking forward to the full version. =D

Some thoughts on it:

Cloud and Barret feel, fight and control differently from each other(Barret feels heavier, and moves slower), but both control well.

Barret is still cool and as foul-mouthed as I remember, minus the symbol swearing from the original. I’m pretty sure that some of the more...colorful things he and Tifa(and maybe others) said back in the original version won’t be in this one, though.

I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing more about Jessie, Biggs and Wedge in the full version, even though things will probably still end the same for them.

A part near the end was interesting: I don’t think the bomb Cloud and Barret planted did much to the reactor(the fight against the Scorpion Sentinel did more, it looks like), and Mako Reactor 1 only really exploded after President Shinra and Heidegger had the defenses go nuts and make them damage the reactor. 

#Final Fantasy VII Remake #Final Fantasy VII

[rheincloud]

#aertiweek2019 Day 1: soft focus | favorite scene or moment | crossovers and AUs | hiraeth

Read on AO3.

  Tifa is feeling a bit nervous about being an active part of this Mission. It's been a while since her last one.

Even with the hiccup on the train ride to the No.5 Reactor, everything is going fine.

Get there, get in, get to the core.

Something's up with Cloud, is he really alright?

Place the bomb.

Get back out.

 ... Or not. Everything is not going fine.

ShinRa roops surround them while they're stuck on the bridge connecting the inside of the reactor to the outside, and even the President makes an appearance.

It's a trap, after all. Dammit.

And of course The Glory Days of Sephiroth are all they care about. Not how mako energy is killing the Planet, nor all the people who've died already because of ShinRa; only Sephiroth.

And SOLDIER, of course.

And a techno-soldier? What the fuck. Fuck.

... Aaand of course the President is running now that things are really getting heated. Of course.

Okay, then.

Smash the thing, get back out. One additional step on the itinerary.

No big deal, Barret and Cloud have her back, after all.

Fight on!

  Despite the daunting title of Techno-Soldier, the fight against the Air Buster goes fairly smoothly.

It jumps right into the middle of their usual battle formation, leaving Tifa on one side, separated from the others.

As it turns out, the backside is much weaker than the front. And while it's programmed to face wherever it got hit last, it's easy enough to coordinate with the others and take turns to strike from each side, hitting the weak side each time. Being separated into two groups has given them an advantage.

It runs out of ammo soon enough, and a bit later stops moving around altogether.

It's easy enough to bring the thing down.

Too easy, maybe.

 The scrap heap that used to be the Air Buster explodes. Another trap.

 Tifa is thrown by the force of the explosion; she barely manages to catch herself and in turn prevent herself from falling down the gap.

She secures her hold and starts to climb up. Barret and Cloud are reaching down, trying to help her.

Before she manages to get close enough for them to actually be able to pull her up though, the bomb they left at the core detonates.

The resulting shockwaves shake the entire reactor.

Tifa loses her grip.

She falls.

  Tifa takes a breath.

 ...lo...

 She can smell the earth. The scent of nature is in the air.

She can feel the grass behind her back, some stalks between her fingers.

 ...e...llo?...

 It reminds her of spending springs in the mountains, of when things would start sprouting and growing again after a cold and harsh winter.

It reminds her of home.

But no. Her home does not exist anymore.

Nibelheim burned down four five years ago.

Has it really been that long?

 Hello-ohh?

 She opens her eyes and sits up.

She's not home. Of course not.

She is, however, in a field of flowers.

And there's an angel in front of her.

 They talk.

The angel's name is Aerith.

  (While Nibelheim may be gone, Tifa thinks she will be able to find a new home with time.)

(Maybe Aerith will be there, too.)

#aertiweek2019 #petalsandpianokeys #aerith gainsborough #tifa lockhart #rhine creates #digital #doodle #fanfiction #ff7

[s-ephiroth]

Oh, welp. Let’s get this train on the road.╰( •̀ ヮ •́ )╯

Sefikura Week 2019 | Day 1. Reunion

Also On AO3

Sat near the cannon in Junon, Cloud stared at the reds and oranges in the horizon as they slowly gave in to the first violets and blues of the coming night, thinking.

It had been a week since the Turks picked both him and Zack up from Nibelheim — only the two of them. They were left in Junon to wait for further instructions, for a quicker deployment in case Shinra managed to track down Genesis Rhapsodos after his brief appearance in the Nibel area.

They said nothing of Sephiroth.

Neither the radio or the television said anything about him, either. It was as though they were all trying to pretend he didn’t exist, that he didn’t go to that damned mission and disappeared without a trace. Trying to pretend the reactor up in the mountains didn’t explode during the night or that the manor, a Shinra property, didn’t catch on fire.

Cloud closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the remaining sunlight and trying his best not to think too much about it again.

But he failed. He’d failed many things; he never made SOLDIER, he only caused trouble wherever he went, he failed to notice what was going on with Sephiroth until it was too late. He’d failed to learn that Sephiroth wanted to leave Shinra, depending on how things turned out.

And since he failed, there he was, thinking for the hundredth time that afternoon about how Sephiroth loved sunsets. It cast its warm hues on everything, he said once, it made him feel a little less pale than he was and it was a time he remembered seeing the troops more cheerful and motivated — when they weren’t preparing for an attack on the enemy, that is.

He had said that the best sunsets could be seen from Junon, and he wasn’t wrong. But he wasn’t there to see it, either.

Zack approached and sat beside him, offering a popsicle in an attempt to soften the blow of the news.

“They just declared him KIA,” he said, which in Shinra was code for We will probably not focus our efforts in looking for him at this time because it’s not an emergency or priority, so he’s probably good as dead for us.

Cloud’s heart sunk a little more.

-

They deserted Shinra a month later.

It had been a mix of emotions, disagreements and absence of communication that culminated in an assassination; Zack brought Hojo down and Cloud fired most of the bullets in his rifle at the defenseless scientist. He wished he could shoot one for each night Sephiroth returned to his apartment and called him over, feeling more than just vulnerable over all those lab sessions. But that was far more bullets than the ones he had with him.

They had taken Aerith — Zack’s girlfriend who Cloud had just recently met — along with them as soon as they were out, over the fear that Shinra would send the Turks to try to capture her again, as they had tried in the past month, when they believed Zack to be in Junon instead of just returning to Midgar.

And ever since, they had been walking all around; the still heartbroken Cloud, the enthusiastic but slowly shattering Zack and the seemingly delicate but sassy Aerith, who had donned a hood to conceal her identity and had been learning her way around materias other than her mother’s heirloom.

She had also found all the good places that served as their ever moving hideout thus far, had been the creative mind covering their trail to keep Shinra from finding them while they planned the company’s downfall and spread the word as much as they could of all the dirty taking place behind the scenes.

They gained the support of some people as time went, but Shinra was big and the reactors were practically everywhere. Breaking them did nothing but delay things for a while until they got fixed again, which usually happened by the time they could break another.

No. They needed more. They needed help from outside Midgar as well.

So out of the city they went, gathering support and new companions alike on the way.

First came Nanaki, an intelligent beast who Shinra was trying to capture. Then Yuffie, a ninja from Wutai who saw her country lose its glory after the war. Barret, a man from Corel who first believed Shinra to be bringing good things to his hometown, and who was really upset when he learned it was otherwise. Cid, a pilot who dreamed of space but who doubted he’d reach it through Shinra after they told him about it. And finally, Cait Sith, a curious fortune teller robot who joined to learn more about something he foresaw, but who was growing fond of their cause rather quickly.

Eventually, they found themselves reaching Nibelheim and stopping there for the night.

It had been a little over a year since then, but Cloud had never forgotten. He stared at what remained of the old manor through the inn’s window much like Sephiroth had done.

In that entire year and a few months, Shinra hadn’t bothered with sending people over to rebuild it and cover the mess. It was no longer a town near a reactor, so it no longer mattered. Townsfolk didn’t want to go near the manor either, superstitious as they were of the ruins containing a ghost.

Cloud was the only one who went there, once everyone else was asleep, wanting to understand. He kicked furniture remains out of the way as he walked through it under the moonlight that the destroyed roof couldn’t hide. Only him, his thoughts of his missing boyfriend and the sounds of the Nibel wolves in the distance.

He found a man who wasn’t Sephiroth in one of the rooms, with whom he had a conversation about Shinra’s old and new misdeeds. About Sephiroth and the story behind his birth.

The next morning he had a new companion to introduce to the others. His name was Vincent Valentine and he, too, had been used by Shinra.

They picked up Tifa, who Cloud knew from a young age, on their way out. She liked their cause and she was trying to flee an arranged marriage.

They travelled the whole world in their quest of stopping Shinra, finally forcing them to stop the reactors and close down their energy business, forcing their own group to break apart to help searching other energy sources.

Once again, it was just him, Aerith and Zack. And not once in that entire journey around the world did he cross paths with Sephiroth.

Maybe the true reason he disappeared was because he had somehow died, Cloud often thought, saddened by that idea. Maybe it had been the reactor explosion. Maybe they'd cross paths again someday, in the Lifestream.

He kept that thought in his mind for a long time, to comfort himself and move on.

-

“One more,” Aerith said, passing him a slip of paper.

Well, he could use one more stop, one more excuse to be out for a little longer.

No matter how much he liked being in their little cafe, after their journey was over and Shinra was no more, Cloud was filled with a sense of emptiness, without a big quest to pursue. He comforted himself with the deliveries, with the thought of moving onwards. Slowly, he was moving on from the part of his past he couldn’t recover as well, accepting it for what it was, despite the various questions he still had about it.

More deliveries meant more smiles out there in the world and maybe, one day that kind of happiness would win over his mourning. Maybe that day would come soon.

Or maybe not, but at the very least he was moving around, instead of looking at the sunset and moping. He was going places, seeing those new constructions that would allow people to get energy out of flowing water taking place; no longer seeing or breathing the smoke of the mako reactors everywhere. He was seeing the grass starting to grow around Midgar again, albeit a little shy.

Things would be alright.

That new delivery would take him to the chocobo farm, Aerith was saying, no matter that it was noted in the slip of paper. The folks there liked their cakes as much as Cloud liked his motorcycle, the Fenrir.

He was about to pick up the box and head outside when they heard a noise, like that of someone hitting the floor. They hurried to the front of the shop, worried that something had happened to Zack.

But all they found there was a silver-haired man in a black cloak fainted on their floor; an unexpected reunion that had been given up on a long time ago.

A reunion that caused Cloud’s heart to skip a beat.

#sefikura #sefikuraweek #sefikuraweek2019 #*yells into a cup* Idk what else to tag it really #it's kinda a coffee shop au #just kinda #arkeefic

[megpie71]

Why I don’t ship Clerith

(Because what the hell, I may as well get this out here before the fun and games start next year, and I have to fight off Clerith shippers with a bat)

I think I've worked out the problem I have with Cloud/Aerith shipping, as far as I'm concerned.

[Clarification: this is why I have trouble with it, and won't write it.  I'm not saying other people can't, just that I do have issues with it, and therefore don't particularly like reading it, and I've sort of worked out why.]

Now, there are two predominant "schools" of people who ship Cloud with Aerith.  One of those is what I'd call OT3/OT4 fandom, where firstly, the relationship is happening prior to the Nibelheim event, and generally there's at least Zack mixed in to the bundle (sometimes with the addition of Sephiroth, to make the OT4), and it's generally a bisexual threesome at least.  And yeah, that one I find vaguely believable.

[Could all the anti-shippers who just leapt to their feet shrieking "paedophillia!" because Cloud is canonically somewhere between 14 and 16 in this 'ship, kindly sit the fuck back down again?  Cloud Strife may only be 14 years old, but he is a functional adult in his society, taking on an adult role (member of the army of the One World Government).  He would greatly resent any implication he is a "child", because he gave up being a "child" when he left Nibelheim to join the army.  Also, in the OT3 version, Aerith is about 15 - 17 years old, Zack is between 16 and 18 years old.  None of them are "adults" as we'd define it in Western Eurocentric cultures, but all of them are "adults" according to their own cultural system that they grew up in.  As such, they think of themselves as being adults, they consider themselves to be adults, and given they're performing adult roles for at least two years by the time the Nibelheim event comes along, they're not going to step back into childhood again, either.  If you're going to bitch about this, then start by bitching at the original writers working for Square Enix well before you start bitching at fanwriters, okay?

This is also leaving aside the cheerful fact that "adulthood" norms are generally socially and culturally determined.  So, for example, my maternal grandmother became a functional "adult" at the age of 14, when she came out on a boat from England to Australia in order to find work (accompanied by her 16 year old sister); my mother became a functional "adult" at the age of 16, when she finished her third year of high school and started working; and I became a functional "adult" at the age of 18, when I reached the legal age to vote and drink, even though I didn't have a full-time job and I was still living with my parents at the time.  My paternal grandfather joined the British army at the age of 12 (as a drummer boy, toward the end of World War 1).  What counts as "adult" is culturally and socially determined, and never a fixed point of reference.]

I can find it very believable that Cloud would get involved in a relationship with two people who are roughly around his own age, and that it would be a Good Thing in his life at the time.  He's going through puberty, he's behaving as an adult in his society, he would be doing adult things, including sex and possibly alcohol (although my head-canon is that Cloud is incredibly disappointed with Midgarian beer the first time he tries it, and refers to it as "sex in a canoe" ever after - fucking close to water.  He grew up drinking applejack and brandywine as antifreeze since shortly after he could first toddle).  

The other "school" of people who ship Cloud and Aerith tend to place the potential relationship during the canon time period of the original game, starting not long after Cloud rescues Aerith from the Turks in the church.  Now, I have a lot of problems with that one.

Firstly, I doubt Aerith would really be interested in a relationship.  It's made reasonably clear at the end of Crisis Core (and in "The Last Order" OVA) that Aerith knows when Zack was killed - she feels his spirit rejoin the Lifestream because she is who and what she is.  So her first serious boyfriend has died, she knows he's died, and you can't kid me she wouldn't be grieving as a result.  So I don't think Aerith is in the right emotional place to be starting a relationship.

As for Cloud... oh gods.  No.  Hell no.  So much no.  

Cloud is, at the point where he meets Aerith, a psychological mess beyond belief.  He has been incredibly traumatised, first by multiple years of experimentation, then by prolonged mako poisoning, and then finally, just as he's starting to come out of that, by seeing his best (only?) friend destroyed in front of him by pretty much the whole damn Shinra army.  Zack dies in his arms, and the best interpretation of what happens next is Cloud's mind, overwhelmed by the emotional and sensory overload of dealing with this (because he's not just waking up from mako poisoning, he's waking up from mako poisoning with Sephiroth-level SOLDIER enhancement, which means his sensory matrix has been boosted sight out of mind as well) basically shuts down completely on a conscious level, and wipes the memory, adding traumatic amnesia to the whole mix.  When he re-awakens, he re-patterns himself on a combination of Zack's memory, what he remembers of Sephiroth, and what he thinks a First Class SOLDIER should be like.

Now, mix in that Cloud Strife is carrying around the Buster Sword the first time Aerith meets him, in the plaza in sector eight, just after Reactor One has exploded.  Aerith knows what the Buster Sword is, she knows what it meant to Zack and she knew why it meant that.  So seeing it on someone else's back is probably a very nasty reminder to her that Zack isn't coming back.  She doesn't know why Cloud is wearing it, and I doubt in the shock of the moment (let's not forget: massive explosion about five to ten minutes previously, people running around the square like headless chickens the whole time, she's probably not really thinking all that clearly to begin with, and given Mako is also the Lifestream, she's probably felt a profound disturbance in the localised lifestream flows thanks to the destruction of the mako reactor, which may well have knocked her sideways as well!) she's really able to do much more than recognise it, feel the shock of the recognition, and move on to the next part of the interaction.

The second time Cloud and Aerith meet (and if you're familiar with Crisis Core canon, the second time someone drops through the roof of the Church down onto her flowerbed - if not, go look up who the first example was) she's a bit more capable of sustained thought past the shock.  So she sees it's the same guy with the Buster Sword, and this time, she's determined he isn't going to vanish on her, because there's something hinky going on here.  It gets even weirder for her when you consider Cloud is channelling a lot of Zack's mannerisms in order to be able to get through the encounter himself (I have a strong suspicion Cloud is dissociating continuously throughout at least the first five "days" of the game).  So she "hires" this strange guy as her "bodyguard", gets him away from the Turks who appear to have turned up to collect him (and really, it's much more likely at first approximation that the Turks and troopers are there to collect Cloud, given the ambush President Shinra staged at Reactor Four), takes him home with her, and deliberately makes sure she's able to keep an eye on him by following him back to Sector Seven.  Or at least, that's the plan.

I really don't think Cloud would be an attractive partner for Aerith at that point - not with her grief still fresh in her mind, and with his uncanny behavioural resemblance to Zack.  I think Cloud would be much more likely to creep her the fuck out, rather than turn her on sexually.  And as for Cloud, my head-canon for him is he probably isn't even masturbating at this point in his life - his mind is basically about fifty-seven different types of trauma all shaken up into a constant waking nightmare.  He might have a few wet dreams when the physical pressure gets too great, but he's not even thinking of himself as a sexual being at this point, and certainly not in a space where he'd be interested in an actual relationship.  The flirting is mechanical (and probably comes across as same, too) and I really don't think he would have been physically capable of following through, so to speak.  (Cloud, to my mind, won't be ready for a relationship until about two or three years down the line after the end of Advent Children, if then).

So no, I don't think it's possible for Cloud and Aerith to be involved in a relationship at that point.  Not even if they'd been involved in one prior to the Nibelheim event.  (Actually, in that particular case it would be even more traumatic for both of them - Aerith knows Cloud, but can't tell him because it would hurt him more than he can handle; he's constantly dissociating and suffering from traumatic amnesia, and he's only just got out of a state of complete catatonia - learning the truth in such a fashion would just knock him straight back there, and they need him upright and functioning.  Plus it's physically safer for him if he learns the truth of the matter slowly - if he went catatonic... well, that could very well dump him right back into Hojo's hands again, since it's a fair bet Shinra owns the majority of the medical facilities in the world).  

Then Sephiroth damn near manipulates Cloud into killing Aerith, and when that doesn't work, Sephiroth kills her himself, right in front of Cloud.  If you tell me that wouldn't be the cue for a massive attack of the guilts on Cloud's part, I'm going to ask what the merry hells you're on, because I need my doctor to prescribe me some of that.

#ff7 #why I don't ship Clerith #why I don't ship Cloud with anyone in-game #have some psychological realism #have some socio-cultural realism too #Yeah I'm stirring the pot #I figure I'll get in early before the rush starts

[meltykarasu]

Final Fantasy VII Advent Calendar — Dec 1

Hi everyone. I'm trying to beat Final Fantasy VII before Christmas, mostly as a joke. Today's the first of December, when most Advent Calendars start, so I started a new game.

Bombing Mission

Final Fantasy VII opens with a high-octane eco-terrorist bombing of a Mako Reactor — a massive power plant that supplies the city of Midgar with electricity. Mako energy is, in reality, the planet's energy, and using it in this manner long-term will destroy the planet and all life on it. The main protagonist is Cloud Strife, a former SOLDIER who works as a mercenary. He has joined with Barret Wallace and his group AVALANCHE in order to destroy the Mako Reactors and the company behind them, the Shinra Electric Power Company. The opening hours of the game take place in the cyberpunkian dystopia city of Midgar, which is encircled by eight Mako Reactors and divided into an upper plate where the wealthy live and the slums, where the poorer citizens take residence.

Mako Reactor No. 1 is a pretty interesting "first dungeon," even if it doesn't have a ton of moving parts. It's a straight shot down to the reactor core, where you fight the Guard Scorpion. The Scorpion itself is the ATB tutorial "first boss" which had become a standard since FFIV — attack until it goes into a defensive stance, hold off until it returns to its standard. Unfortunately, the translation implies you should hit it while it's in this stance. So there's that. I immediately equipped Barret with the Assault Gun I pilfered from its corpse.

Anyway, afterwards you have to get out of the reactor before the bomb explodes in ten minutes. It's not so bad as long as you help Jessie get unstuck. I did accidentally go back down the elevator and have to go back up again and I still made it out with, like, five minutes to spare.

Afterwards, Cloud and the others in AVALANCHE made for the train. Cloud himself ran into Aerith, one of FFVII's other principal characters. This led me to think about the Gold Saucer date, which comes a lot later in the story. Your choices throughout the game affect which date you get. I'm not really sure what one I'm going for yet. I might go for Yuffie; that's a fun challenge. Anyway, I told Aerith to get out of the area.

In the next plaza I chose to fight all the guards, because I could. It was free XP. Cloud leapt from the plaza to the train and regrouped with the others, and then Jessie and Barret provided exposition on Midgar.

The AVALANCHE gang arrived back at Sector 7 and made a beeline for the bar. Inside, Cloud went cold and demanded his pay. Tifa reminded him of a childhood promise and Barret provided him with pay. They negotiated the price of the next job before going to bed.

Ladies and Gentlemen, This's Mako No. 5

The next morning, Barret asked if Cloud could teach him how to use Materia, the game's system for magic and additional commands. I love the materia system and will be discussing how best to break it throughout the game.

I also went over to the Beginner's Hall and nabbed the "Enemy-All" materia there. For now I paired it to the Lightning materia Cloud came equipped with; most enemies in the early-game are weak to Bolt. I gave Barret the Restore Materia and bought a Fire materia for Tifa.

Unfortunately, when on the train the security system went off. The party ran up the cars and a pickpocket tried to...do the thing that is implied by me calling him a pickpocket, but was quickly busted.

Cloud and co. made their way through the under-plate and to the reactor. Upon setting the bomb Cloud had a flashback of Tifa declaring her hatred for Sephiroth and Shinra. There's this annoying door lock where you have to press a button in sync with your party members with no prompting. It took like half a dozen tries, mostly going too early, before I got it.

Upon leaving, Shinra soldiers ambushed the party. The President of Shinra showed up and sicced a giant robot on the party. It's Airbuster and it takes five times as much damage from the back (rather than the twice that most other monsters do). Unfortunately, it separated the party so that at least one person was always attacking its back, and both Barret and Cloud had full limit breaks on hand at the fight's start! I didn't even actually use Cloud's, because Airbuster hit Barret with a bomb to fully recharge his limit before turning back around!

What an idiot.

Airbuster self-destructed. Cloud fell from the destroyed walkway as Mako Reactor No. 5 exploded.

Pizza Time

Cloud landed in a church in the slums. Enter Aerith Gainsborough properly this time, one of the other principal characters. While she and Cloud introduce themselves, a man walks in. Aerith suddenly asks Cloud if he's ever done bodyguard work and requests he take her home in exchange for a date. The man is Reno, of Shinra's Turks.

Aerith and Cloud abscond out the back. They're separated, and Cloud has to use barrels stored on the rafters (???) to fight off the infantrymen from a distance or let Aerith fight. I did screw up and Aerith had to fight. It was excruciating, because she has low attack and no materia equipped by default. They escape the church and made their way to the main residential area in the Sector 5 slums.

I bought more Lightning and Restore materia, along with another Titan Bangle beside the one I got from Airbuster. Aerith got the lot, plus the Fire materia.

Anyway, Aerith lives in this ridiculous, idyllic cottage with loads of flowers and a waterfall around it that literally looks like nothing else in this part of the game. Inside, Aerith's mother asked the two of them to stay the night rather than go to Sector 7, Cloud's destination, before privately asking Cloud to leave in the middle of the night.

Cloud does so and then Aerith is like "no way i'm coming with you." And then the worst room in the game appears.

This is a fucking mess of a room, even using the in-game assistance. It's impossible to tell where to go and there's red herrings EVERYWHERE. Anyway they make it through to the Sector 7 gate before taking a rest. While they chat, Cloud sees Tifa in the back of a carriage which he follows to Wall Market.

Wall Market is this weird, dense comedy "dungeon" without a battle. It's all puzzles. Basically, asking around about Tifa will eventually point you to Don Corneo's mansion at the northern end, where he's holding auditions for brides. Aerith will get the idea to dress Cloud as a girl, and then you have to assemble a feminine outfit by solving people's issues around town. Getting a dress involves finding the plastered dressmaker at the izakaya, getting a wig involves beating some bodybuilders in a squat competition, getting a tiara involves buying something from a love hotel vending machine, and cologne involves giving a woman in the izakaya bathroom some medicine, which you can only get by redeeming a coupon from a local restaurant. Underwear (and makeup application) can be obtained at the Honeybee Inn.

Anyway, I did all that to the maximum degree so I did get picked by the Don. The party pressured him into revealing the fact that Shinra was about to drop the entire Sector 7 plate onto AVALANCHE and then the Don dropped them all into the sewers.

There was, of course, a boss fight. Aps is a giant beast and he likes to make a "sewer tsunami" which is disgusting but also damages him — and he did it twice from behind him, which damages him more! He basically killed himself between the tsunamis and the fact that said tsunamis charged everyone's limit break meters a lot.

I left off as Cloud and co. made their way up into the Train Graveyard.

Today's Predictions & Strategy For Tomorrow:

Tomorrow I'm hoping to knock out the remainder of Midgar. Nothing in this early section of the game necessarily requires elaborate setup and I am keeping slightly ahead of pace based on my tentative schedule.

Next

#final fantasy vii #ffvii advent calendar