Can you explain to me why the heck CC!Aerith is so criticized? What's so wrong for people to say "that's not my Aerith!!!"?
Sakamoto Maaya explained the differences of Aerith's portrayal in CC, Remake, and AC.
CC: Ordinary girl being in love
Remake: Energetic girl, as she’s been through some trials that made her stronger to not let fate get the better of her.
AC: Mysterious and motherly figure
In CC, she said Aerith was an ordinary girl being in love. In fact, the majority who keeps criticizing is those who hate this kind of Aerith because she isnt in love with Cloud. That's the only reason, the other (such as ribbon, selling flowers, pink dress) is just EXCUSE because they wouldn't complain if it was tied to Cloud as they keep seeing those as their ship icons since OG.
People think she was shy, timid, and insecure as she's younger while she's described as a chatterbox kid by Elmyra. But actually, Aerith is never shy & timid person at all even in CC. This is wrong perception. They may miss The Turks: Kids are Alright novel that Kyrie told Aerith that she was a freak! Kyrie was 10, Aerith was 15 so this happens just one year or even less before she met Zack. After that, the kids never played in the church anymore and she must feel lonely. It's natural that she want to be a normal person and express it to Zack. This behavior makes her look shy and insecure when she met Zack at the first time, but it's not what she actually is. Zack opens her true character and she returns to act as herself.
In fact, she treated Zack the same as she treats Cloud. Sass, bold, not buy their confidence, call them silly, bossy but and also care when they need it.
Zack: sentimental of angeal clone
Aerith: drag him to make flower wagon
Cloud: want to go to sector 7
Aerith: drag him to do anything
Many CA shippers fail to see that she's same character because of Zack hate. And people may perceive her differently because of the guys' different reaction. One is mutually in love so she looks sweet, the other still sees her as stranger so she looks naughty. And she may look less energetic in CC because Zack is the hell of energetic puppy while in Remake, Cloud sighs a lot and behaves “not interested’,
And if you compared Maaya's voice between CC and Remake in the moment when the guys fall from church roof, the cheerfulness in her voice is exactly just the same. She’s described as someone who is always cheerful in CC Ultimania afterall.
Some people also found Aerith's fear of sky in CC weird since OG never addressed it. Actually, this isn't only addressed in CC, but also in BC that most people dont play so they must've missed, and finally, in Remake. With those full pictures, we could interpret it that she had a fear of embracing freedom (alluded as sky) and prefer to live in the slum (like a bird in cage) despite desiring it and wondering what open world looks like to travel on. But it slowly changed because Zack encouraged her, sadly he’s gone before he could take her outside. In Remake chapter 8, Aerith expresses the similar thing to Cloud and eventually in ending, she could fight her fear with friends by her side.
Though, people don't see how she trained herself with staff & magic and they assume Aerith should have already been capable to fight since young instead of being scared of monster and told Zack to run. From the new Trace of Two Pasts novella, we now know she never trained before meeting Zack as she just threw bag to Fuzz’s face and tried to run before Elmyra saved her. We also saw her in BC that the Turks told her to run in order to be safe from AVALANCHE that want to kidnap her. Yep, in those period, she didn’t fight. There's a 5 years gap when Zack was missing that we dunno what Aerith is doing and sadly, the new novella cut that period too. But I bet it's like Tifa deciding to learn martial art instead of depending on and waiting for the man protecting and saving her like a hero; not being a damsel and growing as independent woman we know today.
People also said her Cetra-ness isnt shown in CC and makes her less heroine. Well, it's shown when she sensed Zack's life fading away in ending. And second, the reason why she never told Zack must've been because Kyrie's words impacted her a lot that she never tell anyone about her heritage even to Cloud, Tifa, etc; not only to Zack. It's Elmyra who reveals it and she finally explains it in Shinra HQ as she can’t hide it anymore why Shinra took her. As for why Aerith could meet Cloud in dream, not Zack in CC period; it’s because her power is fully awakened in Temple of Ancient. And the devs confirmed that her visage in the Remake’s resolution scene is not the present Aerith who was taken to Shinra, and that Aerith has awakened her power.
Overall, Aerith is a complex character with experiences of life building and shaping her. Many headcanons about her life pre-OG timeline are wrong, it’s not just about her relationship with Zack, and people who can’t accept it would be pretty salty. We need to see it in the whole picture of Compilation to see the depth of her character and not skipping one; well unless you're a purist.
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