❀ 𝒪𝓊𝓇 𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝐻𝑒𝒶𝓋𝑒𝓃

Hahaha nice usage of “real talk” and I guess when talking about FFVII’s ltd we are getting down to the juicy bits.

Everyone has vibrant opinions and “perspectives” as they put it. I have no idea what side of the fence (the overlapping dimensional fence) you’re coming from but I- for the first time on tumblr publicly, will give you my 100% honest and critical reasons as to why I prefer Cloti as a ship.

First off, I think that C/A is a ship that only works on a skin deep level. I’m sorry. It’s what I see as true. People give Tifa flak for expecting a lot of Cloud but Aerith expected so much more. She hounded him about a date he did not want to go on, that he went out of his way to forget about. She expected him to be her Zack replacement soldier hero far after Tifa had put her childlike “my hero” fantasies to bed (it is a reason she got into martial arts, to be her own hero if need be) and Aerith’s personality is draining and pushy for someone of Cloud’s fragility.

If Aerith were in Tifa’s position in ACC, the conversations would be heated and aggressive. She wouldn’t give him space, she wouldn’t gently guide Cloud to the right conclusions. Tifa is just a better match as far as being together, meshing together, working through trouble together. Tifa is patient and sympathetic to Cloud’s similar guilt and losses. Tifa never told Cloud to “choose between her and Aerith” she told him to choose between miserably waiting for death because the past was SUFFOCATING him and letting the kids die without ever even trying or… Trying! Just try! Even if something really FUCKED UP happened and Cloud came home alone… Just try for them, and her. Just try. Tifa is so gentle even when she comes down hard and… Aerith can be completely insensitive without even meaning to be. It’s not what Cloud needs ever in his fragile state.

Aside from being incompatible in a true blue fully formed romantic relationship, even their ‘could have been’ appeal has it’s flaws. As insecure as Tifa was, she never tried to change herself for Cloud and I respect that so fucking much. If he didnt want the full package he could GET packing- basically.

Aerith tried so hard for… Non-reactions and moments that came across as painfully one-sided or awkward. He never once reacted to the date besides ignoring her offer completely and guarding her for free. Every time it is brought up he either has forgotten or lacks a reaction completely. The date itself is apathetic on Cloud’s part and filled with negatives (unlike Tifa’s date which has more dialogue between her and Cloud and actual interest shown on his part… Along with a cute romantic track named after THEIR date) He never reacted to fake sith the fortunetellers “perfect” prediction.

And literally everything else between them falls into platonic waters. Cloud worries for Aerith? Okay? He does that for Tifa. He does that for Barret. Cloud cares and worries for his friends. He’ll act cool sometimes, but he’s there for them. He worries. A lot. About all of them, so acting like Aerith got special treatment is kind of silly and well… Wrong? She didnt.

I feel like any romance actually explored between them would have been short lived. A very Seifer/Rinoa dynamic as far as that goes.

It’s unfortunately, a more attractive ship in ‘could have been’ stages. Because there is potential to fill the cracks with gold… Or vinegar. Double edged sword. The ambiguity and uncertainty keeps it from being looked at too critically, because what’s there is already more platonic (and much much better as platonic) than it is romantic so… Why even change a thing? They are fine as they are, as friends. As a comrade. As a mysterious woman he only knew for a short time whom he failed and whom he associates with failure.

My biggest reason- Cloud hardly knew Aerith and that isn’t a dig at “their amount of time together” because neither of them could have controlled that, I mean. Cloud did not know Aerith. His impressions of her are wrong. His thoughts of her are skewed. Cloud didn’t understand Aerith. The last thing she said to him, you know what that was?

“I’ll come back when it’s all over.”

He was right there, and yet… Cloud said she sacrificed herself and MEANT to die. It’s more than time together, it’s lack of attention, detail, understanding. He took this friend for granted and lost her before he hardly knew her, as a person.

Tifa wasn’t even there for Aerith’s final words and she knew exactly what Aerith intended to do. She knew Aerith wanted to come back to them all and always intended to. Cloud can’t even keep the last thing she said in mind as he remembers her…BUT he cherished her, she was his friend. She needed to be protected and loved by ALL of them, not just Cloud. THAT is MORE IMPORTANT anyway.

Platonic C/A is honestly such a precious thing, important and undervalued. Romance breaks this ship apart and polarizing lifestyles and mentalities would consume them with problems, I don’t feel like either character is “good” for the other considering all that.

I hope my answer was informative and not completely offensive as I know this LTD stuff is sensitive and criticizing either ship gets… Explosive results so. I fully expect hate for this but… I just like this ship as fanon/platonic/could-have-been. It’s both preference and how I understand the canon materials. Anything further is… Well, I just feel Cloti does that better and beautifully so. (not that they are without flaw completely and I’ve criticised cloti/my fandom as well so. You know. No one say I don’t.)

Sure, this is all personal preference/personal interpretation. But I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any essays or fics on the wondrous nature of the CA platonic relationship (except for the ones I wrote).

If they exist I would be very interested to see them, because by and large, people will only champion a platonic relationship over a romantic one when they are fully invested in shutting that ship down.

Last I checked I was prompted to spill how I honestly felt (and usually I don’t do that because every minor detail someone doesn’t like about their faves gets called hate ESPECIALLY if there’s truth to it I’m starting to notice) and the topic was shipping so naturally my answer had to do with shipping. Sorry there wasn’t enough mainline ff plot discussion in a question about how I feel about Cloud x Aerith but then again I don’t seem to have the same problem with reading comprehension that you seem to have so- that checks out.

You weren’t obligated to read my opinion nor is my opinion on the subjective matter of how CA would hypothetically hash out exactly something up for (or worth the time of) “criticising” in the manner you’ve chosen to do so. In fact, you’re pretty weird, I’d say. Why randomly insert your own shipping gush just to bitch about it in your tags?

It completely destroys the narrative that “Tifa is only interested in Soldier!Cloud and if he’s not a perfect hero she would ditch him” 

Mideel. 

It’s really glossed over in the game about how much care Cloud would’ve needed while in his comatose state both in CC and in OG, so let’s look at what Tifa would actually need to do while caring for him. 

Bowel and bladder care: 

Let’s not mince words. Cloud is unable to use the toilet. Tifa would be wiping his ass and changing his diapers. If Cloud wasn’t wearing diapers, she’d be cleaning up the bags from his catheter and colonoscopy bag.  There is a doctor and a nurse there, but given both their comments it seems Tifa is the one handling most of the care while the nurse would be in charge of actually changing the catheter to a clean one rather than emptying the contents of the bag that contains Cloud’s urine and feces.  Feeding: I suspect the nurse would be the one to insert the feeding tube while explaining to Tifa how it’s done and how to use it. Tifa would be making sure Cloud gets his nutrients by feeding him a liquid diet. This tube would be inserted through his nose and lead into his stomach.  Skin Care:  

She’d be bathing him to make sure his skin is clean and dry, and preventing bedsores by routinely turning his body. Oh, and also washing his hair. 

Range of Motion: 

Cloud can’t move. He’s in a vegetative state. To prevent his joints and muscles from become stiff, called contractures.  Here’s the definition:  Contractures refer to the permanent tightening of tissues. This includes muscles, tendons, ligaments, or skin. It makes it hard or impossible to move the nearby joints. Tifa would need to work out Cloud’s joints through some exercises to prevent his joints from tightening. Muscles are a little more difficult since when muscles aren’t used, they atrophy. If you’ve ever watched a show where someone was bedridden for a long while and get frustrated as they try to stand but can no longer support their weight despite not having a back or leg injury? It’s because when you don’t use your muscles, they get weaker.  Some examples of these exercises: 

Now I don’t know how many joints the human body has, or how many of those joints need to be worked-out when a patient is in a coma, but I’m going to guess it’s a lot.  And then there’s his muscles. There are devices to help lessen muscle atrophy like using neuromuscular electrical stimulation. He’d also be wearing special stockings to prevent blood clots in his legs. 

Continuing on….

Now let’s revisit the nurse in Mideel. This is the nurses job. She cares for patients, but the difference is that the nurse cares for patients who are not her friends or loved ones. Cloud is Tifa’s friend and loved one, someone she has a connection to. It is very emotionally taxing and exhausting on a caretaker especially if the caretaker is a relative or friend of the patient.  The nurse has nothing but positive things to say about Tifa. 

When Cloud was at his worst, when he was the furthest from being a perfect hero, when he was at the mercy of everybody, who was by his side? Who was there when he needed someone the most? When there was little to no hope for him to recover, when he was at his most vulnerable, who cared for him? 

Tifa. 

Aside from Tifa caring for Cloud, she probably sat at his side reading to him, or talking to him, having one-sided conversations with a comatose man just in case he might hear her voice. 

And it is very apparent Tifa did more than just sit by Cloud’s side reading his books as the nurse comments that Tifa is finally starting to look tired and if she keeps it up she’ll get sick herself. 

Tifa was neglecting her own health to be there for Cloud. 

awwwwwwwwhawwwhawww you guuuuyyyssss

they already hatin’

it’s okay baby gurl

Please be warned if you haven’t played the remake this post contains spoilers.  

The Promise scene is so telling in the remake. Thanks to technology we’re able to see facial expressions and hear tone of voice. Not only is it clever and touching how Nojima wrote this scene, but so is the way Cloud remembers. 

Here we have teenage Cloud and Tifa sitting under a veil of stars. Cloud says he’s joining Shinra to be a solider. Tifa is taken back, but not shocked due to the fact all of the boys are doing the same thing. Cloud confirms this but tells Tifa he’s going to be better–he’s going to be like the great war hero Sephiroth. 

Tifa is amazed and impressed ,which was Cloud’s goal in telling her this, but you can tell she has a deep thought. 

Our theory on her thought is, if he becomes like Sephiroth that means he’ll be famous and probably won’t remember her. Also, it seems like she mentions how “hard” it is to become like Sephiroth. It’s almost like Tifa is swaying him not to leave. When she brings this up, Cloud turns his face away and his expression is sad while telling her he’ll be gone for a long time almost like he is gently asking her not to forget about him

 So, she comes up with this promise for him to rescue her if she’s ever in trouble so he’ll remember her. 

Some say Cloud’s reply is one of confusion. Yes, yes it is. Because if you played the OG you’d know why he’s doing all of this: for her. So her requesting to come save her is odd to him because he feels like what he’s doing will “get the girl” thus he will always save her. It could also be said that Cloud doesn’t need a promise to save her due to their history that is later on revealed in the game. 

Anyway, it’s also it’s a way for her to remember him as well. So he does “benefit” from this promise as well. 

At this moment in time, the two can’t confirm their feelings because they’re young and shy; just like any other teenager. 

So, Cloud being Cloud who can’t say no to Tifa, decides to commit to her promise.  It could also be said that Cloud is caught offguard that Tifa wants him to save her. 

One last thing, some people pointed out that the shooting star is missing from their scene. If you noticed in the scene a “signal warning” just so happens to appear after Cloud remembers his promise to her that resembles a shooting star. Our prediction is that star will be in the Lifestream scene and the signal warning could be used as a signal that this scene didn’t quite play out like this. Maybe when the two are in the lifestream, it’ll be revealed this scene was A LOT deeper than what we thought. Not that this scene isn’t deep already, but given that Cloud can’t fully remember things well it’s a possibility that this scene may be extended later on with his “true self”. 

To be neutral does not mean to be indifferent or insensitive. You don’t have to kill your feelings. It’s enough to kill hatred within yourself.