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dutchdread · 4 months

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"things won’t go well between Tifa and Cloud, even without Sephiroth", the most misrepresented quote in the LTD.

If you've spend any time looking into the LTD you'll probably have heard the claim that Nojima said that Cloud and Tifa were incompatible and that their problems have nothing to do with Sephiroth. This belief comes from a misunderstanding of the following quote.

“‘Episode Tifa’ … first off, there’s the premise that things won’t go well between Tifa and Cloud, and that even without Geostigma or Sephiroth this might be the same. I don’t really intend to go on about my views on love or marriage or family (laughs). After ACC, I guess Denzel and Marlene could help them work it out. Maybe things would have gone well with Aerith, but I think there is a great burden from Aerith."

~ Nojima

The meaning they're trying to take from the quote is that when Nojima says "without Sephiroth or Geostigma", that this refers to a scenario where Sephiroth had never existed. The implication being that the issues Tifa and Cloud are going through are internal, not external, and potentially even inherent to their natures. But what the actual "internal" problems they're facing are is never brought up, which is weird since this is rather important. What they want you to think is that the internal problems are either somehow inherent to them as a couple, aka, they're just not a good fit. Or else that the internal problem is "Cloud is in love with Aerith".

But the problem is that they don't provide evidence of any of this, and worse yet, we KNOW what the actual issues are. This quote isn't a mystery, we KNOW exactly what Nojima is referring to. This quote isn't a refutation to the Cloti telling of the story, like all pieces of evidence it supports Cloti perfectly but is simply unintentionally misunderstood or intentionally misrepresented. Before we go into the problems themselves though it's important to take a minute to notice something. Namely that inherent in the argument that "things aren't working out for Tifa and Cloud", is the idea that their relationship is one where 'working things out' is applicable as a concept. Much like getting a divorce is proof of marriage, using the fact that Cloud and Tifas relationship is going through a rough patch as evidence that they're not in a romantic relationship is....misguided. The next part of the quote makes this even more concrete: "I don’t really intend to go on about my views on love or marriage or family". So whenever people bring up Tifa and Clouds relationship troubles as evidence against Tifa and Cloud, please thank them for conceding that they're in a relationship.

So based on that, lets clearly lay out what is being asserted here in its most general form. The claim essentially has two parts. 1: "Cloud and Tifa are in a relationship, but it is troubled"

2: "The reason for these troubles is related to Aerith being the real love interest of the story"

Note that if they can't prove point 2, then this quote hard cements Cloti. The argument stands or falls on Clotis inability to address point 2.

So let's address it.

First lets address the "without Sephiroth or Geostigma" part. The interpretation that this is meant to be read as "if sephiroth was never born" is patently absurd. This is an interview about a very specific point in time in Cloud and Tifas life, which specifically points at a thing that happens in THAT point in time, namely Geostigma. He doesn't say something generic like "if Cloud and Tifa had never ran into hardships in their life they'd still be incompatible", no, he points at two specific things, Sephiroth and Geostigma. Geostigma we know is only a problem during the time of advent children, it's not a disease going back right through to Clouds childhood. Sephiroth is but he's also very specifically attacking Cloud DURING advent children, he returns DURING advent children. Clearly this quote is addressing the current events of Sephiroth and geostigma, aka, the movie, not the more generic impact that Sephiroth has had on Cloud and Tifas life since childhood. If that was meant to be the case he'd have said "sephiroth, jenova, and Shinra" or something else more chronically substantial. And what are the troubles they're going through? Well, luckily we don't have to guess, since that's been reiterated again and again and again and again. It's mentioned in games, it's mentioned in books, and it's mentioned in interviews.

"As long as Cloud blames himself for Aerith’s death, he won’t be able to move on with his life. One of the first ideas we had for Advent Children was to have Cloud overcome and resolve that immense feeling of guilt. For Cloud, no one other than Aerith can solve that problem for him." ~ pg. 58 of Reunion files.

Failing to protect people important to him is his sin… Convincing himself of this, Cloud shuts himself off. What does his meeting with Aerith bring him? ~ Cloud Strife profile 10th AU

Two years after returning to the planet, Aerith still lives on in the hearts of her friends who saved the planet. And in particular to Cloud, as a symbol of his failure to having being unable protect those dear to him, ~ Aerith Gainsborough 10th AU profile.

Cloud feels an incredible sense of guilt for not being able to save her, but sometimes he can still hear her voice in a soft whisper. ~ (Reunion Files, Aerith’s profile)

Zack&Aerith For Cloud, they were people whom he can never forget. The two irreplaceable people, Zack, “who was sent to death because of him”, and Aerith, “who met a tragic fate as he couldn’t protect her” became “the unforgivable sin” in his heart. ~ ACC POST CARD BOOK.

“I’m going to live. I think that’s the only way I can be forgiven. All sorts of things… happened.” ~ Cloud in case of Tifa

"Cloud is scared that the peace he has now might shatter, so he is living on his own." ~ Nomura

Deep down, Cloud knew that he shouldn’t be so hard on himself, but at the same time he couldn’t let go of those feelings of guilt for what happened to Aerith and Zack, or the thought that he could never forgive himself for it. But then his companions made him feel better by telling him to let go. - Takahiro Sakurai (Cloud’s voice actor) pg. 15 reunion files.

"She knew that Cloud was in great pain because he couldn’t protect Aerith. Cloud was trying to overcome that and live on" ~ Case of Tifa.

The happier he is now, The more Cloud is tormented by painful “memories” of the past. ~ Cloud’s 10th AU profile.

The more he realizes how happy he is living with Tifa and the children, the more the fear of losing that and regrets toward the past trouble Cloud… ~ Cloud’s 10th AU profile

"when Cloud contracts Geostigma he disappears. Behind these actions lies feelings of guilt towards his past failure to protect people who were important to him, but through his battle with Kadaj’s gang, the legacy of Jenova, he regains the courage to face reality." ~ FF7 10th Anniversary Ultimania Cloud Strife Profile

"Cloud continued to regret the deaths of his best friend and comrade, who were dear to him, in FFVII. In AC, he says “I want to be forgiven.” ~ Dissidia Cloud’s profile

"Cloud’s heart continued to be tormented by a deep sense of regret and blame towards himself." ~ Cloud’s Dengeki profile

Aerith still lives on in the hearts of her friends who saved the planet. And in particular to Cloud, as a symbol of his failure to having being unable protect those dear to him, she was a major factor in causing him to close himself off." ~ Aerith’s 10th anniversary profile.

“I want to be forgiven. Mm. More than anything.”-Cloud “By who?” ~ Aerith

“Isn’t it time you did the forgiving?” ~ Aerith to Cloud.

“But… I let you die…” ~ Cloud to Aerith

“I never blamed you. Not once, you came for me, that’s all that matter.” ~ Aerith to Cloud

“Are sins ever forgiven…?” ~ Cloud to Vincent

“I’m not fit to help anyone. Not my family. Not my friends. Nobody.” ~ Cloud to Tifa in ACC

You're too weak to save anyone, not even yourself ~ Sephiroth to Cloud in remake

"You've failed again I see" ~ Sephiroth to Cloud in remake

"It's just like, when I failed you" ~ Cloud in remake

Man, they sure love to go on and on about Cloud feeling guilty and wanting to be forgiven, about failing and feeling like he's not strong enough, that he can't protect anyone and that he'll fail again in the future....it's ALMOST as if Cloud has other things on his mind that don't have anything to do with his compatibility with Tifa and/or Aerith, it's ALMOST as if these things are central to his character arc. You could even say that these are troubles that have been with him for all his life and have been exasperated by the death of Zack and Aerith and his resulting fake persona. One could even say, that perhaps, just perhaps, CLOUD WOULD STILL HAVE STUFF TO DEAL WITH EVEN IF GEOSTIGMA AND SEPHIROTH HADN'T SHOWN UP IN ADVENT CHILDREN AND THIS IS NOT A GOD DAMN TEENAGE LOVE DRAMA! For the love of all that is holy, if you've ever used this quote to discredit Tifa and Cloud, STOP. Stop making this sorry excuse of a "point", stop linking this quote and thinking it supports Clerith, it doesn't, this is insanity, you are demented. So based on everything I've said, here Is Nojimas quote again, paraphrased by me to steelman its meaning. "Cloud is going through an internal arc, his problems are not just finding a cure for his disease and stopping the remnants and Sephiroth, his real fight is internal, he has to forgive himself".

The quote has nothing to do with Nojima trying to disprove Cloti, and only the most fanatically misguided shippers would ever think otherwise. Shippers are often accused of making everything about romance and when it comes to Cleriths they are right. The idea that Nojima here is just looking at FFVII as a romance story, rather than him addressing the specific events that happen in ACC and OTWAS is childish to the extreme. Cleriths thinking that this quote does them favors only serves as more proof that they simply don't know what they're talking about, this is a childs interpretation of storytelling and anyone agreeing with it should feel a deep sense of shame concerning their own lack of comprehensive reading skills.

#cloti #ffvii #ffvii remake #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #rant #shipping #aerith gainsborough #adventchildren #ffvii advent children #advent children #ff7

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catboyidia · 8 months

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omg now we have the yaoi and the yuri version of the rebirth key visual! 🥳 win for the gays AND the lesbians! yippee!!!

#seriously though i love the aerith/tifa version! they look great!#anyways zakkura and aerti canon <3 (jk i swear! but people are using these for cloti vs clerith ship wars and its stupid)#so maybe if i make it obnoxiously gay (like myself) then i can deter the het shippers (not all just the ones that are starting ship wars)#also love that this is being used to fuel ship wars and everyone collectively ignores seph lol #like if this canonizes cloti and zerith somehow (saw ppl actually say that) the what does it mean for seph? sephxhimself canon? sephseph?#(idk how this canonizes any ship tbh especially cloti and zerith cause like… they’ve been canon for like… years…)#im ranting in these tags im so sorry i just think its so stupid but im also seeing it on twitter so like… of course its frustratingly dumb #ff7 #ffvii #final fantasy 7 rebirth #cloud strife #zack fair #aerith gainsborough #tifa lockhart

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firstknightvulion · 3 months

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A slight shipping rant.

Now full disclosure, I am a cishet guy.

And the ships I’m a ranting against are Orin/Minthara and Cloud/Sephiroth.

This is not because it’s mlm and wlw. It’s because both relationships have heaps of abuse.

I’ve seen people rave about Sephiroth giving Cloud a hug in the latest trailer. In the middle of his burning hometown. After killing his mother and most of the inhabitants. He taunts Cloud with memories of that incident.

“Hey! Remember that time I killed your mother and burned your old home? And you could do nothing to stop me? Man, you must feel like a worthless piece of shit.”

I think of the hug, and his line during, as a cult leader manipulating a very vulnerable person. He is using Cloud and his faulty memories for his own gain. He’s not a romantic partner, he’s a televangelist.

And then there’s Orin and Minthara.

I don’t know what mental gymnastics you have to achieve the level mental dissonance to ship someone with their abuser. Minthara literally asks you not to let Orin take her. She is afraid of the shapeshifter. Minthara had her agency taken away by Orin. And some people jam them together and say “now kiss!”

I’m usually one to let people ship what they want. It ain’t my ship, I don’t engage in it. You have fun your way and I’ll do it mine. But this feels like ignoring abuse, or worse, glorifying it.

And this is all me projecting. Before getting together with my wife, I yearned for a positive romantic relationship. I felt like a lot of people took those for granted. Of course, that bled into my ships. I wanted them healthy and happy because that’s what I wanted. Seeing people push these toxic relationships is an anathema to me.

That’s all I wanted to write about. Thank you if read all that.

#final fantasy vii #bg3 #final fantasy 7 #balgur's gate 3 #ff7 rebirth #ffvii rebirth #shipping discourse #just a rant #cloud strife #sephiroth #bg3 orin #bg3 minthara

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xekutozoren · 3 months

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My version of Aquaroth/Sephqua (explanation rant)

Felt like explaining how I got into it. It's interesting how Tumblr seems to support it quite a bit but Pinterest is like ??? to it.

I guess I initially just wanted a character that wasn't really involved in the main KH story to appreciate Aqua for who she is and what she does. Aqua seems to give a lot to others to the point where she sacrifices her own ideals and herself. And the in-game characters don't do much for her imo.

I do still support Terraqua so it's Sephqua in a universe where Terra never ends up reciprocating her feelings. I can't deny how many times I got annoyed at Terra for not really showing he cares about Aqua like, at all.

And then KH3 happened and a lot of stuff in it made me annoyed too. Examples include no apologies happening between her and the Wayfinder trio, Ven not showing much appreciation for her, her getting tossed around after vamping her up and bringing her back, the game shifting the focus onto Riku when she was finally pouring out her feelings, Sora and Kairi not even remembering her etc. I get that a lot of these things could have happened offscreen/isn't really justified but it still made me feel the game just kind of abandoned her/treated her as a plot device.

After seeing some fanmade content about Sephqua I tried exploring it myself. I admit that I haven't actually played/watched FF7 so I really only know Sephiroth based off his wiki page and existing Sephqua content. My interpretation of him is also a bit loose and more working off his KH2 almost non-existent screen time as an excuse for doing what I want with his character. At this point he would be similar to his pre-Nibelheim self with a touch of snark. He sees visions sometimes of his canon-verse self but hasn't gone through all of that in this universe and is still capable of redemption. He's merely "the darkness of Cloud" as the KH verse called it, trying to find his purpose in my makeshift universe. His age would be more ambiguous to make the pairing work better (though Aqua being stuck down there for 12 years makes up for the difference anyway)

And one of the biggest things was ANGST COMFORT FOR AQUA'S PAIN.

I like the idea of him meeting her in the Realm of Darkness, intrigued why she refuses to give up despite no one seeming to really care about her, etc. At first, he'd just treat her as something to pass the time and not really care about her well-being but that changes eventually. >w> He is also drawn to her strength both physically and mentally.

I imagine she would be guarded towards him at first but eventually let her walls down a tinsy bit. But then she'd be furious with herself for going against Master Eraqus' ideologies and being worried what he might think of her being acquainted with someone who's full of darkness. But she eventually learns to go after what she wants, not what someone else expects of her. I like that dynamic of Sephiroth teaching her to be more selfish and her helping him find his light again.

In the AU, I'd like to see something play out that didn't in KH, which was Aqua being saved after the others. Though it wouldn't really make sense how they'd reach Ven first but it would be satisfying to see the other two do something for her for once. Sephiroth would be with her getting out of there and have to earn the trust of the keyblade gang/get over the fact that he's with warriors of light. His god complex eventually fades overtime as his feelings develop for her.

I like the idea of the two of them learning each other's vulnerabilities overtime as well as how to trust each other. It would be really interesting to see Aqua helping Sephiroth uncover the truth behind his biological parents too.

Another big thing for me is how their interactions would go. I'm a simple woman and like banter in relationships. > w < Sephiroth would tease her a lot and Aqua would get embarrassed easily.

That and I notice Aqua likes physical affection like hand holding and head patting in the games so it would be nice to have someone like Sephiroth who I imagine would be more hands on with her.

Not sure if anything I wrote here made sense. I typed this up pretty late. Gonna leave it there with one more doodle.

Refs are from Positively Yours, hana and a username that I don't really want to type publicly ^^;

Thanks for reading my spam! ; A ;

#aquaroth #sephqua #kingdom hearts #final fantasy 7 #kh aqua #sephiroth #rant #all ze angst and banter I liek #idk I just ended up typing up all this stuff that ppl probably won't read #final fantasy #ffvii #ff7 #crack ship #sephiroth x aqua

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lyranova · 1 month

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If you're still doing the salty ask game, can you do 4, 9, 12, and 19

Hiya Luce! Yep i’m still accepting requests for the salty ask game, and I apologize this took me a bit, I kind of went on a rant for number 19! Also I answered two of these for Black Clover and two for FFVII! I hope you enjoy!

4 Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?*

I’ve answered this a couple of times for BC already and I don’t feel like repeating myself again so I’m going with FFVII this time 😆; and my biggest NoTP is Cloud x Aerith, and yes they are a very popular OTP 😅. I just really like them as friends, family, or platonic soulmates whose love is different then that of romantic partners love! Also right behind that is Zack x Tifa and thats because it feels like people are just “pairing the spares” 😔.

(As I always say; if you ship these ships then good for you, and I fully support you in loving these ships!)

9 Most disliked character(s)? Why?

Hmm…in Black Clover? I guess aside from the usual suspects (Sekke, Auggie, Alecdora, etc) it would have to be; Jester, Sally, and Damnatio.

Jester…I like him in fanon, but dislike him in canon. In canon he’s annoying to me and not in a fun and “gremlin” way like in fanon (or at least, in mine and my mutuals fanon 😆). I really just didn’t vibe with him in the movie and couldn’t wait for him to disappear 😔.

Sally is also more of a “i don’t vibe with them”. She’s just very…extra? But not in a good way. And imo she takes things too far and comes off as annoying like Jester. I’ve tried to like her, i really have, but she just doesn’t vibe with me at all.

Damnatio is amazing in fanon! But in canon? He comes across as a bit…boring when compared to other characters in the series, at least to me. Maybe it’s intentional on Tabs part, or maybe its because we don’t see him very much, but to me he is very blah and uninteresting as a character (even tho his magic is kind of cool)!

12 Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Hmm…I guess the Devil Believer arc in BC? Thats really the only unpopular arc i can think of 😅. To me the concepts and ideas it introduces are interesting (such as showing us what happened on the ground during the elf invasion, showing us directly how those with very low mana are treated in the country, etc;) even tho they weren’t executed very well. I feel like that arc had/has a lot of potential in it, so I do enjoy it despite its many…many, many faults!

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

Since there isn’t anything in the BC fandom that I hate, I’ll go with another fandom that I lurk in which is FFVII! The thing I hate most about it is the toxicity, ship wars, and character hate!

My poor mutuals have had to hear me complain about it many times recently, but its just…so freaking bad rn! I’m trying to find cute art, fics, and headcanons but instead all I see are people arguing about song lyrics, words and meanings and context in scenes, and even going as far as to threaten and argue with the writers and developers of the game (hell and even some going as far as to argue and threaten streamers and gamers over their freaking fan theories)😭! Like I get it, this happens in every big fandom, but maybe its because I’ve been in a small one for so long…but this is just a bit much and kind of took a lot of the joy I had for the game away (There is a lot of good and fun in the fandom too, its just a little harder to find these days)!

And the ship wars are just, really, really terrible (it doesn’t help that they’ve been going on for nearly 30 years!)! Again, I understand this is in every big fandom with a bunch of popular ships, but really is it that hard to scroll past or block and ignore 😭?? I just don’t see the point in arguing about them; you like what you like, i like what I like, and let’s just agree to disagree! This is another one of those “I’ve been in a small fandom too long” because most of the mutuals and people I follow either scroll past when they see a ship they don’t like, or they go “I may not like it, but I see how much you do, and I support you in that!”.

The character hate…*sigh* again, I get it and I know not everyone is going to like the same characters…but there comes a point where its too much! When you have to mischaracterize them completely, or point to scenes that the writers have gone back and changed/retconned/removed in order to “prove how much of a terrible character they are”, or you have to focus on this one “terrible thing” that particular character did while ignoring the terrible things that other characters did…just shows me that you’re willing to make up whatever you want in order to excuse your useless hate for that character! (You can literally just go; “eh I don’t vibe with them/they’re not my cup of tea” and leave it at that 😭!!)!

#asks #luce #my lovely mutuals #salty ask game #thanks for asking!#black clover

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mejomonster · 2 years

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So like. I tend to ship things either in how Canon compatible it would be, how easy it would work with the characters compatibilities, or how interesting it would be for the characters to interact (even if it's the worst outcome ever lol - it would be Compelling okay)

And Final Fantasy VII is filled to the rim with potential ships for me.

You've got your Canon compliant ships I adore:

Cloud x Tifa (childhood best friends, I love best friends to lovers, and even if they weren't lovers they clearly see each other as family by Advent Children)

Cloud x Zack (Cloud was asking my man Zack on dates in crisis core, is a huge SOLDIER fan, became best buddies, again I love me a good friends to lovers)

Zack x Aerith (Zack asked her on a date, they clearly became friends even if how serious their relationship was is vague, again I love me a caring friends to lovers arc)

Aerith x Cloud (cloud looked like her ex and she was intrigued, she's into twinks and teasing him and who can blame her, obviously became a caring friend)

Tifa x Aerith (FAST FRIENDS who clearly care for each other a lot, in my opinion also flirted a lot, I love them and its hard not to see their potential)

Any combo of the megalith that is Zack x Aerith x Tifa x Cloud since they All loved each other in some kind of way, zack would have loved Tifa if he met her longer, and the only reason this ot4 has no chance is cause of character deaths. But given remake brought zack back maybe, who knows. Maybe I get the endgame ot4 of my dreams. But as of original ffvii Canon the only endgame ship that survives is Tifa x Cloud which is agony for everyone tbh, what with Tifa having loved aerith, and Cloud having loved zack and aerith. Sucks for everyone they grieve so much ;-; Even the ot3 of aerith x Tifa x Cloud hurts cause EVEN that early Cloud and aerith are both grieving zack. No winning with happiness in this ot4 we are all sad

You've also got side canon compliant ships that are borderline easily canon compliant:

Barret x Cloud (frenemies to friends to maybe lovers, you can go on a date with Barret, you can also interpret a lot of what they say as flirting/teasing/roasting vague area especially in the original. Also Barret leaves his kid in Clouds/Tifas care when he's gone in Advent Children so clearly they're all as close as family, lovers or not)

Cloud x Sephiroth (sephiroth... so much to say. He is inside Cloud in canon so like... idk man. Cloud definitely crushed on the Hero Soldier Sephy when he first joined Shinra, along with his crush on Zack that turned into a friendship, so like if things had gone diffetent and Cloud had been a real soldier who knows. Sephiroth eventually acts very intimately with Cloud, like Cloud is his, and wow is it twisted but it is compelling and by the time all Sephiroths other contacts die its the last person he's close to).

You got your could be compelling but not super reliant on canon ships:

Zack x Sephiroth (they were coworkers, borderline friends when their 2 solider friends went off the deep end, zack was the last soldier around to relate to sephiroth when he found out he was a Shinra experiment and tool. Zack clearly has compassion for the guy cause Zack is a kind guy)

Sephiroth x Aerith (particularly the farther u go into canon like Advent Children. They're both kind of dead, kind of spirits, kind of connected to the planet. They're both on similar power levels, have connection to Still Alive cloud, and they both have an understanding of each other as the last of their kind that I think few other people get. Both thought they were Ancients, sephiroth turned out to not be. But that isolation of being a freak among humans, a last survivor, an experiment to use as far as Shinra was confused. They parallel each other in some aspects and its compelling to think how they might eventually interact)

Zack x Aerith x Sephiroth (same as above - all dead kind of, all can relate in some way as used by Shinra, all have a perspective They're going to understand with each other that others won't. Also this trio could join Tifa x Cloud for a mega ot5, add Barret for an ot6... add Vincent and yuffie and reeve and there is A BIG GROUP MY GOODNESS)

Vincent x Yuffie (specifically Dirge of Cerberus or later. Its the immortal/human setup, plus they're co-workers, partners, and clearly the Two oddballs who became friends with a mission. If Vincent is implied to be super close to anyone eventually. It's her)

Vincent x Yuffie x Reeve (same reason as above, they're the focus and team of friends in Dirge of Cerberus. If they join the cloud polyamorous relationship things get... super big lol)

Aerith x Tseng (barely supported by text, but crisis core implies Tseng knew aerith back as a prisoner before she got out, then regularly kidnapped and monitored her for Shinra afterward. He seems like a Shinra worker who treated her like business but despite himself is a bit hopeful she survives because he's seen her so long. She hates him but also has a kind of familiarity as the person often controlling her, in a sort of familiar personal way unlike how she deals with reno and rude and cissnei. If you're gonna ship her with a turk, for all the fucked up compelling dynamics their messed up relationship lends to, then Tseng is the most obvious choice. Since reno and Rude probably like each other more, cissnei probably likes zack more, and Tseng seems to know the most dark secrets involving Aeriths past personally).

Canon could ship them, but also they could just be compelling to explore:

Cissnei x Zack (she clearly liked him, he made a friend and cared for her, in a better time-line she left the turks and they teamed up)

Rufus x Cloud (especially Advent Children era, but in general cloud interacting wirh Shinra leader considering all the Shinra abuse baggage and soldier baggage is compelling)

Reno x anyone (he's flirty, he's a bad guy, there's just fun dynamics to be had. Anyone with eyes knows he and Rude are the closest relationship they'll ever have. But reno interacting with aerith, Tifa, cloud, Rufus, other turks, is all interesting)

Cloud x Vincent (vincent used to be a maybe turk who got experimented on, Cloud used to be a Shinra operative who got experimented on, they both can relate. They both don't cope well. They're both little messed up experiments. Also Cloud with a sexy vampire man is just fun. Also I'm fairly sure Hojo is sephiroths dad, but the fact vincent was in love with sephiroths mom is so.... mmm.... and the fact sephiroth is Intensely Connected to Cloud, and then vincent becoming friends with Cloud? Its all very fucked up in a way and fascinating. Is sephiroth like... someone vincent views as his honorary kid? Much to consider)

Vincent x Cid (I don't really see this one but its a huge fandom ship and they do bond in the overall Team of ffvii)

#rant #ffvii #final fantasy vii #ffviir #my point is. ff7 is the king of HUGE canon compliant poly ships #u can make a very strong arguement for tifa aerith cloud and the only reason #id say its not endgame is cause aerith is dead so its not possible.#also a huge strong arguement for cloud zack aerith tifa IF theyre all alive #u could also make a fairly compelling arguement to add barret.

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valenxiaos · 4 years

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Never realized how messy the war between Clotis and Cleriths was until I looked through the comments of a Cloti/Zerith theory post on twitter... like chill bro... take a deep breath. You're not gonna die because someone's trying to prove their ships are canon on twitter... TWITTER. I shouldn't be surprised, but why do people get so aggressive/defensive over ships? Is it because they get annoyed when people don't agree with their opinion or do they hold the ship close to their heart? Do they like this ship so much that they're willing to throw obscenities/write 5 page essays to protect it? What drives their fiery passion?

#text post #rants #ffvii #ffvii rants #sorry if this sounded like an insult towards any of you clotis/zeriths sjdhdjdh #genuine question though: why do you defend your ship oh so bravely #i may be stupid #meant to add cleriths in the fifth tag. my applogy applies to ya'll too

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synnefo-nefeli · 4 years

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I’m a die hard Clerith shipper since 1997, you can’t change my mind but the one thing I won’t tolerate in FFVII aside from shipping wars, is anyone shitting on Tifa.

Don’t. You can like Clerith without hating Tifa. You can find other reasons to not to like Tifa as character, that isn’t “I don’t like her because she gets in the way of my ship”

Personally, Tifa isn’t one of my top tier FF characters, but I am not going to ignore how much of a badass and important person Tifa is to Cloud’s story.

People cite Aerith’s death and burial as the most important moment of FFVII, and yes it’s heartbreaking and an iconic scene. But you know what’s also an important scene?

Tifa in the lifestream with Cloud setting his memories straight. Tifa who up until this moment unbeknownst to the player, is aware that Cloud as he’s presented himself thus far *isnt* the Cloud he thinks he is. She’s been patiently going along with Cloud’s story trying to figure out *what happened* to him/ how he appeared in Midgar boasting of being a SOLDIER while clearly suffering from Mako poisoning/how will she ultimately break this story to him.

Think how hard it was for her to watch Cloud have ptsd episodes and not know how to ground him other than to say “it’s okay. Pull yourself together, let’s keep moving”, because she doesn’t know how or why Cloud is suffering.

But then they fall into the Lifestream together and Tifa helps Cloud sift through the memories warped and altered by the poisoning and Cloud’s severe PTSD.

Only Tifa could help Cloud here- she’s the only one on the Team who has known Cloud since they were young/understands Cloud’s motivations for wanting to become stronger in joining SOLDIER.

This part of the game is beautiful and emotional, and very ahead of it’s time in its portrayal and meta-discussion of PTSD; Cloud isn’t magically healed and back to normal, he never will be, be he’s reclaimed his identity enough that he can begin to heal. I’m replaying the original atm and the moment still holds and I’m hoping that the remake nails this moment. It’s as important and impactful to Cloud as a character as Aerith’s death.

Speaking of Aerith. Aerith and Tifa become friends from the jump. Aerith is so respectful of Tifa that twice she makes sure that she isn’t encroaching on Cloud and Tifa’s relationship. She asks Cloud if Tifa is his girlfriend, she reassures Tifa in Don Cornero’s Mansion that she’s not there to steal Cloud from her.

And yeah, Aerith isn’t trying to steal Cloud or anything - she helped a cute buff guy recover from a fall, asked him for an escort because this time the Turks brought backup to capture her, and got swept up in the ensuing events.

Hell, Aerith is ride or die for Tifa BEFORE THEY EVEN FORMALLY MEET EACH OTHER. Aerith sees Tifa being carted off to Wall Market and her “some bad shit’s about to happen to this woman if we don’t move NOW” senses go off.

Cloud’s like “oh let me take you home first and I’ll get my teammates...” and Aerith’s like “YOU NAIVE FOOL? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO CUTE GIRLS IN WALL MARKET? (tbh, considering how naive Cloud can be, I am going with ‘nope’.) WE GOTTA GO! QUICK GET INTO THIS SEXY DRESS BECAUSE MR. SOLDIER YOU’RE NOT COMING UP WITH A BETTER PLAN WE CAN WORK WITH!!” Aerith drives the entire plan to get into the Don’s mansion. She negotiates the dress, the wig, the makeup, EVERYTHING, to make sure that Cloud can pass as a women to come into the Mansion with her.

Heck, Aerith was going to go into the mansion HERSELF to get Tifa when the guard was like “No dudes allowed.” The only reason they went looking for dresses in Cloud’s size, was because Cloud got all “No, I can’t let you go in there a lone if it’s as bad as you think it is”, (as if he hadn’t just spent the last day with this woman watching her completely kick ass in battle). So Aerith was like, “Fine, you wanna come with me? Get in the Silk Dress, Cloud” with the same energy as Shinji’s Dad.

And when Aerith gets captured, Tifa was like “WE GOTTA GO AND SAVE HER FROM SHINRA!” as well as protecting Aerith through the whole ShinRa office building mission when the groups had to split up. So yeah, these two queens love and respect each other from the get-go, they put Cloud in his place, tease the shit out of him and Barret, probably had hair-braiding trains at camp, and support the hell out of each other .

Also, as we see from the rest of FFVII and in AC, Tifa is devastated by her friend’s death and continues to grieve with Cloud. Tifa is emotionally intelligent enough to see that Cloud’s grief and guilt over Aerith’s death is killing him, but also respects his need for space. However, when she finds that he has Geostigma and has staying away from everyone so he can just waste away and die as some sort of penance for not being able to save Aerith and zack, she get’s PISSED at him. Tifa is instrumental in bringing Cloud back (again) to his senses. Making him see, that he doesn’t only belong to himself, he belongs to their family, just as much as they belong to him. The love and fierce protection Cloud has for his family? They have that for him and believe he’s more than worthy of that love. Tifa takes none of Cloud’s mopey and self-loathing bs, and sets him straight.

So if you think Tifa is only there for fan-service, an annoying bitch who is there to be jealous of Aerith, is there just to make a love triangle so SE can pander to fans on both sides, you clearly

a) didn’t play the games b) missed one of the best female relationships and examples of women supporting women in gaming c) missed how equally important both Aerith and Tifa are to Cloud in their own ways

IMO I see her and Cloud as platonic soulmates- kinda like Black Widow and Hawkeye- they have history, they have shared trauma from their childhoods and in the destruction of Nibelheim, they know what it’s like to grow up in a poor country town that’s been exploited by Shinra on so many levels from the natural resources to it’s culture of military indoctrination and idealization.

Yes, there was an innocent first love, but after certain events, to me- it’s moved beyond romantic attraction between them. They’re always going to be important to each other and in each other's lives.

Their innocent first love to me, mirrors Zack and Aerith’s, but Aerith moved on and fell in love with Cloud. Yes, Cloud reminded her of Zack, she probably wanted to remain close to Cloud to get closure on what exactly happened to him.

People often forget, Aerith *knows* Zack’s died and returned to the Lifestream in the way that she knew her adoptive mother’s husband had died before word reached them. When she has her awkward moment in Gongaga it’s not because she’s now realizing that he’s dead, she’s now realizing that these are Zack’s parents and they still don’t know what became of their son. Zack was scrambled into Cloud’s memories due to trauma and because Zack was someone Cloud looked up and was his ideal, combined with the fact that Zack was the only person talking to Cloud for 9 months as Zack carried his catatonic self back to Midgar. But Cloud didn’t *become* Zack, only Zack’s plans of becoming a mercenary and being a former SOLDIER were impressed upon him. If Cloud actually became Zack he would have been chipper, this energetic “I’m a hero!” all around good-guy hero Zack made himself out to be. The Cloud we first meet...isn’t- yes he thinks he’s a former SOLDIER turned merc, but he’s sardonic, arrogant, and too much of “tough guy/lone wolf”...he’s more like his child-like self who was made to feel like an outsider and wants to showoff how much cooler and stronger he’s become. He didn’t find Aerith because Zack was some how possessing him. Aerith and Cloud meeting was destiny, and their subsequent relationship is independent of their past histories with Zack. And if Aerith is interested in Cloud because she reminds him of Zack - well...the woman is allowed to have a type.

I digress.

Cloud was in love with Tifa in that - “hey! notice me! If I go off an become this awesome guy, I’ll be worthy of your attention” sort of way, that teens get. He was a lonely kid, often bullied by the other children in the village (Tifa included), and probably didn’t know *why* he wanted Tifa’s attention- it was most likely Tifa had the most social capital among the kids. And despite her hot/cold treatment of him,Cloud who was desperate to prove himself, figured that if he somehow “won” Tifa’s attention, it would “show them”. I am not saying that Cloud was using Tifa or didn’t care about her- he does love her. He blamed himself for not being strong enough to save her when she tried climb Mt. Nibel. But you can’t ignore that his thirst to prove himself wasn’t wrapped up in his crush. It’s your typical “become a hero, get the girl” idealization. Cloud was 14 when he left Nibelheim for Shinra’s military. He was a child, just like Tifa, with a naive idea about how the world worked- and the world slapped them both in the face, HARD. Relationships mature and change over time. Outside forces can and will shift your dynamics in how your relate to the people you love. Sometimes your first crush, becomes one of your very best friends (happened to me personally so maybe this informs my take on Cloud and Tifa) because when you’re young you don’t understand that loving someone, outside of your nuclear family, isn’t only constrained to romance. This is what I believe happened to them. Cloud and Tifa had the quintessential school yard crush, and when they were reunited years later in Midgar, they still care deeply for each other in a different way than they did when they were 14 and 13.

But those are MY feelings, it’s how I play the game’s attraction mechanics; I am afforded to shape Cloud’s relationships as I, the gamer, see fit. I understand why Cloti shippers ship Cloud and Tifa, and they’re just as valid as Clerith, Zarith, Clack, etc.. but I’m a sucker for M/F platonic soulmates because there needs to be MORE of that in media. I rather Cloud and Tifa be platonic soul mates, co-parenting Marlene and Denzel with Barret, than Cloud “settling for Tifa because Aerith died”. which that explanation for Cloud x Tifa, often used by Clerith shippers, just undermines who Tifa is as a character and her’s and Cloud’s relationship.

But anyway, even though I don’t ship them and Tifa is not my #1 girl for VII, she is a vital character. She’s not there for fan-service. She’s not there exclusively for a love triangle and to cause tension between Aerith and Cloud. Tifa is VITAL to Cloud’s story, to the story of VII, to the planet of Gaia. You wouldn’t have VII’s core story without Tifa. And I will go to the mat for her just as hard as Aerith did when she saw Tifa in the cart bound for Wall Market.

So again: you may not ship her with Cloud, or she may not be your fave in VII, but in this house we forever respect the badass queen whose name is Tifa Lockhart

#ffvii #rant #tifa lockhart #in this house we love and respect Tifa Lockhart #even though we don't ship her with anyone really #I used to ship her with Barret and sometimes Rude #If Cloud didn't exist I would prolly ship her with Aerith tbh

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controlaltdelete-my-existence · 4 years

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A large problem I have with many of the ‘ships’ in the FF7 fandom is that I don’t think the characters work well together, or if they do it’s not particularly interesting or heartwarming. I think by the time Advent Children has rolled around, Cloud still needs so much time to heal, and he wouldn’t be looking for anything romantic for a long, long time. Cloud’s romantic interests are entirely shaped by the player and very malleable, and by the end of the game he doesn’t seem to show particular interest in anybody outside of very normal concern for AVALANCHE as a whole.

Date with Aerith? Skippable

Night with Tifa under the Highwind? Skippable

‘Shippy’ Dialogue Options? Player-determined

This is why I think most ships with Cloud are very much a dumpster fire. Don’t even get me started on how these silly ship wars have gone on in the fandom for 20+ years. Frankly, I’m tired. Very tired.

Clerith, and Cloti in particular, are both victims of players self-inserting themselves as Cloud in a particular situation so they can be with their waifus. It’s a large part of why I’m very annoyed by fans of either side. It doesn’t matter what the developers originally had planned. It doesn’t matter which date you got. All that matters is predetermined dialogue with no player input if you want to cry ‘but it’s canon!’ at antis on either side. I’ve blocked the tags but the ships keep coming up under different names, so this is just a rant post.

That said, ship what you like. I don’t care. Just don’t start a flame war over it. That’s all I’m asking. Peace ✌️

#ff7 #ffvii #cloud strife #final fantasy vii remake #ff7r #ff7 remake #final fantasy 7 #final fantasy 7 remake #final fantasy vii #ffvii remake #rant post #unrelated #sorry all 7 of my followers #anti-most ff7 ships lol

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danseru-kun · 4 years

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I spent 8 years in the LTD I don't have patience or mental energy on people who think Tifa yelled at Cloud in AC lmao.

AC is not even a romance story, it's about healing, recovery and finding the reason to fight. Of course it's not gonna offer clear solutions to whatever romance problem anyone can nitpick. What matters is that Cloud and others are moving on with their new lives. It's a step in the right direction.

#ltd wank #ffvii shipping fandom is so bad #ltd rant

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tifal0ckhart-blog1 · 7 years

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My opinion

Both Tifa and Aerith are great characters. I mean I love them both equally. Plus, they are friends. Like Cloud, Tifa was also sad because of Aerith's death. I know.. very heartbreaking to see one of your favorite characters die isn't it? Seriously though, some people need to stop comparing these two women because like I said both are great characters and also stop with the ship wars between CloTi and Clerith and let people enjoy their ship in peace. Again, like I said before I may be a CloTi shipper but I don't like seeing other people putting others down because of a ship. And besides, I'm also sticking up for people who ship Clerith too besides my ship CloTi. For real though, whenever I see the Clerith fandom getting so much hate I feel so bad for them because they are just trying to enjoy their ship in peace and yet they still get bashed. Same goes to the CloTi fandom as well. Both fandoms don't deserve all the hate. They should be loved equally. I may be a CloTi shipper but I try to stay mature as possible and let other people enjoy their ships in peace. So yeah, to the Clerith and CloTi fandom I apologize that you guys had to go through all the hate. We all know you guys don't deserve the hate. Nobody does. I really wish we can all be mature here.

#Tifa Lockhart #Aerith Gainsborough #CloTi #Clerith #AerTi #final fantasy vii #anti drama #anti ship wars #all the hate and the bashing needs to stop #let other people enjoy their ships in peace #I respect all ffvii ships #rant #I will stick up for both fandoms CloTi and Clerith no matter what even though I'm a CloTi shipper

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cateringisalie · 3 years

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My list of bearable Binal Bantasy VII tags is thinning...

But seriously. Being skeptical of Tifa’s narration of past events is not without merit. By the time the Lifestream scene rolls around she has been through three comas and some grevious injuries. The Lifestream scene is as revelatory for her as it is for Cloud.

The new assertion she was in any way actually friends with Cloud is not only in conflict with the OG’s portrayal but counter to Cloud’s development, her development, the growth of their relationship as adults and why (in general) people have them stay together post game.

Its unnecessary, frustrating and further damaging Tifa’s character who is spinning off further from who she was.

That Tifa and Cloud were not actually childhood friends does not mean they do not have a relationship in FFVII. It does not mean they cannot be together. Tifa “falling in love” with Cloud at the water-tower does not for a second make their later relationship any more meaningful.

All this new ship information does is make the relationship have longer longevity than previously assumed. As if whichever relationship has lasted longer is betterer and stronger. As if this should automatically undercut any other relationship Cloud or Tifa can possibly experience.

(in fact - and darkly cynically - this feels a lot more like enforcing that Cloud/Tifa and Zack/Aerith operate in near exactly the same way. The pairs fall in love in record time (two years prior to the Nibelheim incident both times as far as I’m ware), the boys go missing and the girls never move on with their lives. I get the boys have gone missing without a shred of explanation or closure, but now for both of them people are willing to wipe out a quarter of their lives waiting. Teenagers are resilient you know? They will be inconsolable if this happened but they would bounce back a lot faster and cleaner than they would expect. The approval of the never moving on this is purely to keep the shipping uncomplicated. There can only be one pairing for Tifa, there can only be one pairing for Aerith. And if you think otherwise you’re wrong in canon. And who wants to write or read about a non-canon ship? Unless its yaoi/yuri in any case. I am so tired)

Childhood friends incidentally is not, however much some insist, a common trope of the series - unless you stretch it a fair amount and it encompasses a trivial number of the pairings. And none of the big ones (you know; Squall/Rinoa or Tidus/Yuna).

Could Tifa do with more backstory? Of course. Did Tifa’s mother deserve a name? Absolutely! But not like this. Not when Cloud helping round up cats in Remake is now tied to finding Tifa’s cat in a new authored backstory. This speaks again to the constant magpie-ing of existing imagery and moments from older parts of FFVII to feed the present. The retconning in of importance by changing the meaning of otherwise unimportant moments.

Tifa is not and never was under any obligation to like Cloud as a child. She did not bully him, but neither should she expected to involve him in anything she did. I understand the book has muddied this gloriously, but for what effect?

I mean, I know where the desperation to make Cloud and Tifa childhood friends stems from. I know why you want Cloud to have fallen in love with Tifa at like age 5 or something and for Tifa to fall in love with him at 13. And I rail against it all the time that its not necessary. Being first does not mean better.

Maybe I am old, cynical and exhausted, but I kind of like watching Cloud and Tifa grow closer in FFVII. I like watching Cloud and Aeris grow closer in FFVII. I like to experience these things where I can... experience them? I don’t like reading books which assert things in blunt statements that clarify exactly what the writer intended. I certainly don’t have the patience to wait for a later book to clarify what happened on-screen when I have drawn my own conclusions based on my preferences. Especially as this is all contributing to that continued sense that the OG is a smelly, badly designed embarrassment we would rather tiday away for the crime of being graphically inferior (never mind it was championed on its looks on release) and “goofy” (and apparently unable to run the gamut of emotions I remember from serious to comedy, to silly, to tragic, to pessimistic and quietly optimistic and moving).

I’m coming back to this point to stress it - I want to see the relationship growth. Remake gave me that for Aerith and Cloud even if the details aren’t to my taste. First meeting is awkward because hey, random stranger/Cloud is tired. Cloud gets involved and spends more time with Aerith. And the high-five thing is used as a clumsy/awkward/eh but clear metaphor for how their relationship develops over the course of their time together.

To the point that yes, it makes sense for Cloud to want to rescue her. Less sense for Elmyra and Tifa to be “Well they might not vivisect her” and then delay for two full chapters, but the whole thing flows.

And here’s where I get accused of being a fake fan: I don’t like how Cloud and Tifa’s relationship develops in Remake. Flirting. Tifa being mildly fazed by Cloud claiming its been five years. Scared when he almost kills Johnny. Maybe hurt depending on your resolution scene (hey podcast people! No Gold Saucer multiple dates because too expensive? How are there branched resolution scenes in Remake then?). But there isn’t growth. They seem to fit into each other’s lives without worry, bit of flirting, strange super-intense moments jammed into inappropriate sequences (the train roll, climbing the plate, Cloud remembering the promise unprompted, Tifa not actually engaged with Avalanche’s plans). There’s no sense anything has changed between them, the missed five years has done anything to them.

And I’m sure some would take this as proof of correctness. But... somehow Remake is better for realism despite a lot of new clumsy, but this relationship is not dinged for being implausible? No way does that five year gap not seriously impact any prior relationship to say nothing of developing from scratch.

See this was a neat thing about the OG; while Tifa seemed to have an edge over Aerith by knowing Cloud longer, he was in effect meeting them at the same point in his life and more or less starting from scratch with both. Both ships are valid, and even if Cloud is with Tifa come the end, it doesn’t mean he can’t have romantic feelings about both women.

Oh, but Nojima has changed his mind/always intended it this way. And? I can change my mind about liking what he’s written - and my patience and tolerance of Nojima has waned massively since 1997. To the point where his involvement invokes a pained groan from me.

Plus the hilarious attitude that this is from the same people who insisted “the OG will always be there, stop moaning about Remake”. Well guess what? I don’t like Remake and I don’t really want it around. The OG is better.

Yes, Tifa is under-served and sure, it could be clearer about shipping (but the apparent hostility to ambiguity and personal interpretation is deeply distressing. These things can mean something to you and don’t have to mean the same thing to everyone. Interpreting the romancs - again - not a competition).

BUT

I will take the OG version of Tifa where she believed in the cause, where she had friends (again, yes, the relationship between Tifa and the rest of Avalanche is not well depicted, but it was better than actively curtailing it), where she ran a bar THAT ACTUALLY OPENED AND SERVED CUSTOMERS, where she hated Shinra, where she didn’t know how to treat Cloud because she had only really talked to him once in her life and DESPITE THAT that they great closer and spent their last night before THE END OF THE WORLD together over the Remake.

Where Tifa is wary of Cloud for about 5 seconds, twice and then defaults to constant flirting. Where Cloud is near smothering Tifa every second they’re together and she doesn’t tell him to fuck off once. Where she’s allied with Avalanche but hates their methods (and the pacifists are in a shop around the corner and she is not with them because...?). Where she has some absurd contrived plot about medical bills and buying Seventh Heaven for Barret and Marlene.

Which would lead to a whole other rant titled “Marle is the Worst” but this has dragged on quite long enough.

But seriously; if you argue that we can’t hate Remake because OG is always there, then you have to stop applying Remake back to OG and using it as proof. Which is exactly why many people bemoaned the Remake at all. OG is one thing, Remake is another. I don’t care for the latter.

And I know if anyone does read all this it will be about the meanie Cleriths who diminish Tifa for no good reason. And yes, they are indeed acting in bad faith. But what makes you think for a second evidence will convince these people?

In particular, the argument has raged so long and always will because if people do not like a ship they will not accept it as canon (if they care about this as a factor) NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS. Literally. Look at Loki if you want the most recent example of this.

Canon is to many “what I want” and often does not tally with the general interpretation. And you know, if being “canon” or guessing right early wasn’t triumphed as such a vital thing, we might not get these really terrible and pointless arguments.

Canon is a prize but here’s the big secret: fandom - in general - does not care. FFVII is an excellent case example given Sefikura overwhelms the other ships (and I think AZGSC is close?). And that’s not canon. That’s not even in the ballpark of the Cloud/Tifa vs Cloud/Aerith arena (even give that the former is roughly twice the size of the latter, you already won, so please stop?). Canon is only important if you think its important - and you get some more official art of sequences you can gif. And maybe you get kissing/implied sex/marriage/kids, but most of all you get a smug sense of superiority. And the last is why I have no patience with this.

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namixart · 3 years

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So. Sorry for vagueposting but rant under read more because I'm livid.

So. You may have seen my awesome new tattoo. It's great, I love it and it makes me super happy. If you haven't seen it, it's a tattoo of Cloud's Buster Sword covered in Aerith's flowers. The reasoning behind it, as I mentioned in my original post, is that 2020 wasn't really a fun year for anyone. Me? I got through it relatively unscathed, and a lot of it I credit to FFVIIR coming out and working on Wildflowers. I genuinely love it and I'm always excited to share more and more with you guys! I also spent most of the year gushing about the game and the characters to anyone who'd listen, and I don't feel like it's a stretch to say that if not for FFVIIR and Wildflowers I'd be in a much worse place right now, mental health wise. More specifically than just FFVII, it's been thanks to Cloud and Aerith. They're my favourite characters in the game (together AND separately) and honestly probably my favourite characters ever. Period. They're both absolutely comfort characters for me and I break out in a huge smile whenever they're so much as brought up. So, I decided to get a tattoo representing them. Because I wouldn't be doing as well as I am now if not for them. Again, both together and separately. As I mentioned in the caption of the photo I posted of my tattoo.

Now, tonight I got a notification: "[username] reblogged your post!" So, obviously, I went to check it out! Everyone has been absolutely lovely on that post--a lot of compliments and excitement RE: the tattoo--and I wanted to see if there was more of that. There was not. No, what I found in the reblog was [username] very smugly asking me what I would tell people "when C/T end up together again in remake" and I look like an idiot for getting a C/A tattoo. Would I tell them the remake retconned canon? Or would I lie and say it's a Z/A tattoo?

So, they obviously got blocked faster than the speed of light and they deserve none of my or anyone else's attention, but I just kinda need to rant, because hey, none of this is okay! First of all, there was nothing in that post or the tags talking about C/T or just T (don't want this showing up in their tags, I'm not an animal). The tattoo has nothing to do with C/T (or Z/A for that matter), and I did not feel the need to be snippy or talk about the LTD at all. For that matter, even if I did tag it as C/A, it's not really even just a shipping tattoo. First and foremost, it's about Cloud and Aerith in their capacity as my favourite FFVII characters, my comfort characters and the fact that they helped me get through 2020 and the first half of 2021. Do I ship C/A? Yes, obviously. But I'm not yet so deranged that that would be enough to get a tattoo. No, this was about the game and the characters. At any rate, the fact that I didn't tag it as C/T and that they still found the post means that they went snooping through the C/A tag to find it, presumably to get mad and be mean at strangers on the internet just trying to exist in peace. Which is bad enough. [username], if you're out there (and you're not, because blocked), please do all of us a favour and get a life.

Secondly, and most importantly, [username] missed something that's very obvious to somebody with basic reading comprehension skills (I know this is Tumblr but come on). The mental health thing. Now, I don't know where I would be if FFVIIR and Wildflowers hadn't happened at the time that they did, but I'd be in much worse shape. This story and these characters were consistently a huge comfort and escape for me for over a year and a half, and that's the reason I got a tattoo. So, [username] looked at a post of me being happy about my tattoo because it brings me joy and represents characters who bring me joy and got me through a goddamn global pandemic and went "That's nice," and proceeded to spit out whatever verbal garbage came to mind. This is the part that infuriates me. I'm not hurt, I'm not heartbroken, I don't care. But this sort of behaviour is disgusting. I'd be equally livid if I saw it happen to somebody else. Guess what you don't get to do? Shit on people's happiness and intrude like this. For all they know, I could've been in a much worse state than I was--did they ever think about that? That's the part that gets me. Like, who are you to come onto my post, take it way too seriously and be mean about something that represents my coping mechanism? Disgusting. I hope they know that every single character they mentioned, especially their beloved T, would be disgusted with them.

And even if none of this was the case, even if I did go off the deep end and get a tattoo because ooohh cute ship, even if I didn't have any mental health issues associated with it--even if all of that. They still thought it was appropriate to take a post of someone just trying to share a tattoo that they loved and be rude and mean-spirited and smug on it. While specifically looking through the C/A tags too, let's not forget that sad cherry on this pathetic sundae. What kind of person do you have to be, to act like this and think you're in the right? This is the most sincere "Get a life" I've ever said, Jesus Christ. Guess what? Shipping isn't that big of a deal! I know, radical. You know what is a big deal? Assholes like this trying to make everyone else's lives worse for... reasons? Kicks? I genuinely can't fathom the thought process you'd have to go through to end up at "I'll be mean to this person I've never met who's just having fun and being happy. Serves them right." I just... I'm upset. Not for myself (I truly do not care about one internet troll), but just in general that this kind of people exist. Vile. Get a life, and I'll go show my tattoo to people whose opinion I actually care about.

And, for the record, if FFVIIR does end with canon C/T (which, honestly, I really don't think it will resolve the LTD at all), I'd just still tell people that the tattoo was never meant to be, like, some deranged "I SUPPORT THIS SHIP AND I WANT IT CANON OR I'LL LIGHT MYSELF ON FIRE" thing. It is, and always was, meant to represent two of my favourite characters who helped me through a really rough spot. Simple as that.

Also they got an ask from someone congratulating them on "putting toxic C/As in their places" I'm gonna fucking piss myself. Go eat a bag of dicks, fuckhead, and leave me alone.

#woof sorry this got long #i just needed to vent #in conclusion: fuck the ltd and all the idiots coming out of the woodwork to be assholes #i'm just trying to have fun with my tattoo my dude i do not care about your smug self important meanness #negative #personal #long post #rant #untagged because of course

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iaintyourbro · 3 years

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I'm actually surprised that Tifa forgave Cloud so easily after Advent Children. I'm not gonna lie, if I were in Tifa's situation in the movie, yes, I would forgive him, it's always good to forgive, but the thing is that I don't think I would trust him to not make the same mistake again and won't believe everything he says. Sometimes once someone has done something, there is a possibility that they will do it again. Sorry if I sound a little harsh. I just feel Cloud should earn Tifa's trust back.

Sometimes it's just hard for me to believe that things were suddenly ok again after Cloud comes back to Tifa and the kids at the end of the movie. Sometimes things just don't work like that, especially not after things that Cloud did that hurt the people he lives with. Like I said, if I was Tifa I would forgive him for it, but I wouldn't let him think that everything was just fine all of sudden. Sorry if this was too long or sounded like a rant lol 2/2

Hi anon,

I think there’s a lot of misconceptions about AC, and I’m hoping that with Remake, they go past OG and clarify AC even further. AC seems to be one of the most misunderstood pieces of the compilation.

The novels do clarify some of what’s going on, but not a lot of folks read the novels or even know they exist, for that matter.

For one, Cloud wasn’t even gone for 2 weeks. The Reunion Files has a timeline in it. AC takes place over a span of 3 days, On the Way to a Smile ends right as AC starts.

Two, I think Tifa gets hit with a stark realization that Cloud ran BECAUSE he was sick when she finds the bandages in the church. That’s why their conversation after she wakes up later is more regarding him running to die. The realization that he’s carrying around an insane amount of guilt, and she calls him on it - finally.

Both Tifa and Cloud have serious issues with communicating with words. That’s where the whole Words aren’t the only way thing comes in to play, but I think a lesson is learned during OtWtaS and AC - sometimes Words ARE the only way to show something.

Tifa is not one who is confrontational. She tells us this in OG after the Northern Crater incident. The fact that she sternly confronts him in AC is a big character moment for her. I don’t think Cloud expects it, either. It’s clear that he cares for her, or I think he would have left once he knew Reno and Rude were around, but he stays by her side and waits for her to wake up.

I do find the stark difference between the various types of fans that have watched AC and their perception of the ending.

1. Those that are familiar with the compilation, but not/were not involved in fandom.

2. Those that are familiar with the compilation, but are/were involved in fandom.

3. Those that know nothing about FFVII but watched it anyway.

Those in category 3 usually assume that Cloud and Tifa are actually married, and the ending is a sly smile. Sometimes they joke after saying “Oh, that man is gonna get laid tonight!”

Those that are familiar with the compilation and were not in fandom when they saw it (me), assumed they worked through their issues. Now, I think AC does have issues - especially the original version - and it really revolves around the fact that most of the OG isn’t referenced. The Lifestream, for example, is ignored, but is considered one of the most memorable scenes from OG and the dev’s favorite scene.

Those that were involved in fandom - especially shipping fandoms - generally go extreme one way or the other. The CA side thinks Cloti never happens in AC, while the Cloti side gets mad at the CA side for saying that. I think it’s important to attempt to separate shipping fandom from actual experience, but I’ve realized now that I AM in fandom, that it’s almost impossible.

I’m of the opinion that Tifa and Cloud have been through a lot together and know each other better than anyone else. Tifa and Cloud do go out of sync for a bit during the events of OtWtaS and AC, but this one thing to also remember is Tifa’s guilt is just as extreme is Cloud’s, it’s just not shown in AC. The novel focuses a lot on Tifa’s guilt and Cloud helping her through it. I think it’s important for folks who may feel some confusion on AC to read the novels.

I’m sure these two DID have a lot of discussions after. If anything shows that it worked out, it’s FFVII Reminiscence and Dirge of Cerberus. The entire story surrounding Cloud is so reliant on Tifa, it’s tough to see them throw all that away. Couples have issues, and they work through those issues.

So was it perfect? Nope. Did she forgive him? Yes, because she understands how he is.

That being said, I’m pretty sure he was on his knees at one point... but....

#cloti #ff7ac #CloudxTifa #CloudStrife #Tifa Lockhart #TifaLockhart #Cloud Strife #FF7 #FF7 Advent Children #Final Fantasy VII #Final Fantasy 7 #ff7 analysis

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nikkxb · 3 years

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20 Questions- writing edition!

Stole it from @neutronstarchild because it looks like fun!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 71!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 320,612. It’s crazy to me that I’ve posted that many words.

3. How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they? Uh. It says 9, but it’s really 6, only one of those is an AU of my own original work, so technically it’s only 5 when you remove duplicates (the three FFVII, the two Howl’s Moving Castle) and only count established fandoms.

4. What are your Top Five Fics by Kudos?

Smut Collection -- Naruto; Multi-Saku

Morning Explorations -- Naruto; KisaSaku

Claiming -- Inuyasha; KogKag

Defensive Interference -- Inuyasha; KogKag

A Chance Encounter -- Inuyasha; SessKag

All but the last one is smut. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes, for the most part. A few have slipped through the cracks and if someone goes on a comment spree, I’ll usually respond to a few of those. I like to make sure everyone who comments knows they’re comment has been seen and appreciated.

6. What fic have you written with the angstiest ending? Reflections. I don’t write non-happy endings, but that fic is just angst through and through, in a decently subdued (for the themes) kind of way.

7. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? All That Glitters, I think. I’m sure a few of my one-shots might be “happier” but I don’t really consider them like I do AtG. That ending is fluff. Even the epilogue and the bonus scene, it’s just fluff. And it makes me really happy.

8. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written? No. I used to read so many of them, but I’ve never written them.

9. Have you ever received hate on a fic? I write kogkag. Of course I have. Every kogkag author that’s posted on FFN up until 2018 has received hate and all from the same person. It’s absolutely ridiculous. But for my fics personally? Yes, absolutely. I love AUs in a fandom that doesn’t, I really enjoy age gap ships, and people really didn’t like Kouga five years ago.

10. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes. And also yes. I don’t think there’s a kind I haven’t? Fluffy, emotional, angsty, PWP, BDSM-lite, threesomes, FWB, first times, all sorts. I think I’ve written non-con, but I don’t know if that’s on AO3.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Yes. Every once in a while, some of my Naruto fics will end up floating around Wattpad. It’s aggravating, but they’re usually dealt with quickly.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? YES! A very kind reader translated one of my fics to Russian, I am beside myself over it!

13. Have you ever co written a fic before? Nope! I have no consistency with writing and there are times my brain will flat out refuse to work on a fic. I don’t want to leave a partner in that kind of muck, so I just admire those that do.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? KogKag for sure. I can bounce all over the place and there are a lot of fandoms where I’m more multishipper than picking one, but that one has my heart.

15. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? Little Touches. I want to finish this one so bad, but I have no idea how to finish it. I don’t know where it’s going. My style of writing has changed so much since I started writing it, I have no idea how to salvage it. But I’m never going abandon it and I’ll keep chipping away at different ideas for as long as I can.

16. What are your writing strengths? Pulling AUs out of my ass. Writing smut. Usually pretty good at writing friendships. World building.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Plotting. Trying different sentence structures. Establishing things outside of the main focus of the story.

18. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? Find someone who is fluent in the language to help you. Having the culturally correct words is very different from the academic or Google versions. (I had a big old rant about how I personally approach the idea of including other languages, but it’s not necessary when the most important part boils down to the above.)

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for? Harry Potter. It was never finished, never posted, and the draft is still sitting in my story folder. Where it will remain until I die. Inuyasha was the first one I shared.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? I hate this question. How am I supposed to know the answer. The Legend of Illethai Mobre. Every other answer felt wrong.

Tagging: I stole it, steal it from me. And tag me so I can read your answers!

#games #my stuff

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