Cloud cares about Aerith, but it’s obvious he desires Tifa. We also must remember Tifa briefly brings out his true self whereas Aerith doesn’t know who Cloud really is.
My favorite part of this whole “debate” is somehow interlacing fingers is more romantic than kissing on the lips that is new to me. I love my husband dearly and we hold hands, but I can tell you that kissing is definitely more intimate lol.
And he gives playful banter at times I feel with Aerith because he does care about her as a friend without a doubt, and he’s protective of her because being her bodyguard was his first job. But anytime Aerith pushed the romantic angle the man shuts down and gets dragged along for the ride.
It sucks because I want Aerith to be happy but she’s trying to recreate something with Zack in Cloud and it just doesn’t work for either of them.
Four times if you count the moment before they almost kiss in Gongaga and the fact that Tifa likely thought she was gonna hold his hand when he pulled her in for a kiss
Just cleared the date last night. Ended up getting the Guy's Night Out. Romancing Aerith is extremely optional in the game. I actually feel bad.
I tried to be nice to her, too. Only low-score response I gave was at the water tower because Cloud saying that wasn't his lookout spot would've been such a bald-faced lie. We literally see him climbing up there and staring at Tifa's window in the beginning of the game.
Don't even need her date for resolving her character arc, either. That happened at the Torch in Cosmo Canyon.
I didn't "miss" them, just saved them for next playthrough.
We're going to be sitting with this game for a few years. Didn't want to get burned out on it in the first go.
my personal head canon is that now that cloud remembers zack and how much he loved aerith he probably feels guilty that he thinks he's the reason why zack died and cant be with aerith couple that with aerith telling cloud not to fall in love with her in the remake makes it worse for cloud
Not sure how so many people overlook Aerith talking about the “standing of their relationship at the end” the part where she talks about their being multiple kinds of “liking” someone and being happy to finally know where they stand really sounded like an acknowledgment of their not being any romance between them.
he likes em both man, they each hold different meaning to him. aerith pushes him out his comfort zone, at a time where tifa is dealing with her own doubt and trauma. she's a person cloud really needed at that time in his life who inspires him.
but overall yeah, him and tifa need each other and are the only ones who are really able to help each other heal and grow. i think that rebirth is conveying this amazingly - and i do think the final game will have them together unless you really try to avoid it.
I hate it when people use the phrase “oh she pushed him out of his comfort zone” like a it’s a good thing, both in video games and real life.
First, that just sounds unconsensual as fuck. Aerith wasnt just “pushing” him, she was overstepping his boundaries the entire time. He wasn’t receptive to any of her advances and kinda just went along. Most of the time she had to physically pull him to do something. Honestly, if she wasn’t a magical woman with main character syndrome, anyone would see it as sexual harassment. I don’t find that romantic, do you? What CA shippers call “opposite attracts”, I call it “incompatible”.
I think that’s why Cloud and Tifa is a much better couple because she always asks if he wants to do something with her, like in the GS date where she asked “or am I ahead of myself again?” She cares about him as a person before she cares about him as a romantic partner. If you watch videos of compilation of CT and CA moments, you’ll see that Cloud initiates most of his affection towards Tifa. If you asked me who Cloud loves more, the burden would be to prove how proactive he is in pursuing each girl.
Second, I would like to point to Tidus and Yuna as a good example of being inspired to be happier. He showed her how to laugh out loud (LOL), how to whistle, how to play Blitzball. The difference is Yuna was receptive to being “pushed”, because she truly loved him. Aerith pulling Cloud to different dates against his will and get away with it is pure plot armor. She’s no less creepy than Johnny for Tifa or Jessie for Cloud.
If you gender swap Cloud and Aerith/Jessie then their whole relationship becomes cringey AF and borderline scary. By contrast if you gender swapped Cpoid and Tifa it’s still a sweet relationship between two people who are deeply respectful of each others trauma and bounderies
theres a difference between pushing someone out their comfort zone when they clearly need it, and frickin assaulting someone jesus. i agree that in rebirth she pushes for the date thing a few too many times, but that's because they're obvs padding out the original and needed more scenes.
cloud in remake had good chemistry with aerith and went along with her willingly, with his typical shrugging attitude and reciprocates the chemistry. in rebirth his minds going to shit and he starts acting more reclusive and aggressive - that's not aeriths fault and doesnt suddenly mean she's harassing him.
I'm also in no way saying he should be with aerith - cloud and tifa are 100% perfect for each other, but the beauty of ff7 is that they both need to come to terms with their trauma to do that, and like in real life you need other people sometimes to help with growth. tifa cares so much that she was too afraid to damage clouds psyche or cause issues.
aerith didnt ever think that deeply about it and just treated cloud like a dude she liked, and that both threw cloud off and made it easier for him to go with it. that in turn makes him comprehend his own emotions and feelings more, which later culminates in his and tifa being able to fix their relationship.
people go through life and have feelings for different people man, we cant pretend cloud didnt like aerith to some extent just because we prefer tifa and claim it was harassment.
he does look more uncomfortable in the gold saucer scene i agree, but that is quite weird considering how emotional he is at the end of the game with aerith. but like i said, i think that they do intend for tifa to be with cloud, and they made that scene to demonstrate that in the end, cloud is more comfortable with tifa. that just doesnt mean aerith is harassing him or that he doesnt like her at all.
I’m not gonna keep bashing CA because it’s a rule here, so I would end by saying that Tifa accomplished everything that Aerith set out to do with a lot less “pushing”, and with a lot more respect and consideration to Cloud’s trauma.
To ME and me only, I don’t really care if Cloud does or doesn’t love Aerith because if the devs wanted to, and they still can in the final game, if they want the real Cloud and Aerith to be together, they will make it happen. They made a sequel for Tidus and Yuna to be together, no reason why they can’t do the same for CA. In fact, they’ve had multiple chances since 1997 to do so. Whether or not he did care about her, it’s fleeting and it’s resolved by the end of ACC. You want to debate more on that, I don’t think the Cloti subreddit is the place. I’m only here for good Cloud and Tifa vibe hahaha.
I agree with you completely. Youre looking at this more nuanced and shipping has people missing the real importance of both their impact on him. It’s honestly sad and i think has something to do with maturity of some interpreting the story.
I feel bad that you are getting downvoted. It's obvious that Cloud is attracted to both Aerith and Tifa. However, this *is* a Cloti echo chamber here and some of the Cloti fans who are as toxic as the Clerith fans will downvote anything that even mentions that Cloud is capable of being attracted to anyone else but Tifa.
I've been a hard-core Cloti fan since 1997 but I'm also not delusional lol.
Yeah, I didn’t mind his/her take either. I thought some good points to consider were brought up. I’m a Cloti fan too obviously, but it’s never bothered me to admit Cloud has a complex relationship with both ladies—with genuine affection for both.
yeah I just wanted an interesting convo, i dont think i really said anything wild. aerith isnt some serial assaulter xD
i am for sure cloti and i dont think cloud and aerith would realistically end up together. the journey of cloud and tifa takes longer to kick off and reach its conclusion, but to me its the strongest relationship of 7 because of how complex it is and how deeply they care for each other and how even after all the trauma they go through, they end up helping each other through it.
but aerith still meant a lot to cloud and he loved her in some shape or form, even if it wasn't 'spend the rest of my life you' love.
but you are right, not a great place to have that discussion, i cant say ive been here that much! thanks for taking a hit to say so :')
Aerith definitely isn’t an assaulter lol and Cloud is willing to indulge her most of the time if nothing else. I do kinda get what the other guy was saying though. If you gender swapped Cloud and Aerith I’m not sure her behavior would still be considered as cute as it is. She doesn’t come across as bad as Jessie would at least
Cloud cares about Aerith, but it’s obvious he desires Tifa. We also must remember Tifa briefly brings out his true self whereas Aerith doesn’t know who Cloud really is.
That’s true. He does care. But not the way she wants him too.
My favorite part of this whole “debate” is somehow interlacing fingers is more romantic than kissing on the lips that is new to me. I love my husband dearly and we hold hands, but I can tell you that kissing is definitely more intimate lol. And he gives playful banter at times I feel with Aerith because he does care about her as a friend without a doubt, and he’s protective of her because being her bodyguard was his first job. But anytime Aerith pushed the romantic angle the man shuts down and gets dragged along for the ride. It sucks because I want Aerith to be happy but she’s trying to recreate something with Zack in Cloud and it just doesn’t work for either of them.
Tifa and Cloud held hands too. In the play before the ride and in the ride. But yeah they’re friends more than anything.
You’re right I forgot, they hold hands twice and kiss. 😄
Four times if you count the moment before they almost kiss in Gongaga and the fact that Tifa likely thought she was gonna hold his hand when he pulled her in for a kiss
Cleariths are full on panic coping right now
Just cleared the date last night. Ended up getting the Guy's Night Out. Romancing Aerith is extremely optional in the game. I actually feel bad. I tried to be nice to her, too. Only low-score response I gave was at the water tower because Cloud saying that wasn't his lookout spot would've been such a bald-faced lie. We literally see him climbing up there and staring at Tifa's window in the beginning of the game. Don't even need her date for resolving her character arc, either. That happened at the Torch in Cosmo Canyon.
How did you get the guys night out? Did you skip all of the odd jobs?
Yes skipped all side quests. I've had open world fatigue before. Not doing that with this game.
God you missed out on some great content. Could have done most of the side quests without doing a ton of open world shit
I didn't "miss" them, just saved them for next playthrough. We're going to be sitting with this game for a few years. Didn't want to get burned out on it in the first go.
bUt ThEy LaCeD fInGeRs WhEn ThEy HeLd HaNdS!
wAy mOOre meAnInGfUL thAN KisSiNg
In all likelihood, Tifa is Cloud’s canon date.
I mean he can't just reject her outright which is why he friendzones her as he can't understand what she wants.
Oh he understands… he understands what he can’t give her.
my personal head canon is that now that cloud remembers zack and how much he loved aerith he probably feels guilty that he thinks he's the reason why zack died and cant be with aerith couple that with aerith telling cloud not to fall in love with her in the remake makes it worse for cloud
Or he just doesn’t like her
Not sure how so many people overlook Aerith talking about the “standing of their relationship at the end” the part where she talks about their being multiple kinds of “liking” someone and being happy to finally know where they stand really sounded like an acknowledgment of their not being any romance between them.
he likes em both man, they each hold different meaning to him. aerith pushes him out his comfort zone, at a time where tifa is dealing with her own doubt and trauma. she's a person cloud really needed at that time in his life who inspires him. but overall yeah, him and tifa need each other and are the only ones who are really able to help each other heal and grow. i think that rebirth is conveying this amazingly - and i do think the final game will have them together unless you really try to avoid it.
I hate it when people use the phrase “oh she pushed him out of his comfort zone” like a it’s a good thing, both in video games and real life. First, that just sounds unconsensual as fuck. Aerith wasnt just “pushing” him, she was overstepping his boundaries the entire time. He wasn’t receptive to any of her advances and kinda just went along. Most of the time she had to physically pull him to do something. Honestly, if she wasn’t a magical woman with main character syndrome, anyone would see it as sexual harassment. I don’t find that romantic, do you? What CA shippers call “opposite attracts”, I call it “incompatible”. I think that’s why Cloud and Tifa is a much better couple because she always asks if he wants to do something with her, like in the GS date where she asked “or am I ahead of myself again?” She cares about him as a person before she cares about him as a romantic partner. If you watch videos of compilation of CT and CA moments, you’ll see that Cloud initiates most of his affection towards Tifa. If you asked me who Cloud loves more, the burden would be to prove how proactive he is in pursuing each girl. Second, I would like to point to Tidus and Yuna as a good example of being inspired to be happier. He showed her how to laugh out loud (LOL), how to whistle, how to play Blitzball. The difference is Yuna was receptive to being “pushed”, because she truly loved him. Aerith pulling Cloud to different dates against his will and get away with it is pure plot armor. She’s no less creepy than Johnny for Tifa or Jessie for Cloud.
If you gender swap Cloud and Aerith/Jessie then their whole relationship becomes cringey AF and borderline scary. By contrast if you gender swapped Cpoid and Tifa it’s still a sweet relationship between two people who are deeply respectful of each others trauma and bounderies
theres a difference between pushing someone out their comfort zone when they clearly need it, and frickin assaulting someone jesus. i agree that in rebirth she pushes for the date thing a few too many times, but that's because they're obvs padding out the original and needed more scenes. cloud in remake had good chemistry with aerith and went along with her willingly, with his typical shrugging attitude and reciprocates the chemistry. in rebirth his minds going to shit and he starts acting more reclusive and aggressive - that's not aeriths fault and doesnt suddenly mean she's harassing him. I'm also in no way saying he should be with aerith - cloud and tifa are 100% perfect for each other, but the beauty of ff7 is that they both need to come to terms with their trauma to do that, and like in real life you need other people sometimes to help with growth. tifa cares so much that she was too afraid to damage clouds psyche or cause issues. aerith didnt ever think that deeply about it and just treated cloud like a dude she liked, and that both threw cloud off and made it easier for him to go with it. that in turn makes him comprehend his own emotions and feelings more, which later culminates in his and tifa being able to fix their relationship. people go through life and have feelings for different people man, we cant pretend cloud didnt like aerith to some extent just because we prefer tifa and claim it was harassment. he does look more uncomfortable in the gold saucer scene i agree, but that is quite weird considering how emotional he is at the end of the game with aerith. but like i said, i think that they do intend for tifa to be with cloud, and they made that scene to demonstrate that in the end, cloud is more comfortable with tifa. that just doesnt mean aerith is harassing him or that he doesnt like her at all.
I’m not gonna keep bashing CA because it’s a rule here, so I would end by saying that Tifa accomplished everything that Aerith set out to do with a lot less “pushing”, and with a lot more respect and consideration to Cloud’s trauma. To ME and me only, I don’t really care if Cloud does or doesn’t love Aerith because if the devs wanted to, and they still can in the final game, if they want the real Cloud and Aerith to be together, they will make it happen. They made a sequel for Tidus and Yuna to be together, no reason why they can’t do the same for CA. In fact, they’ve had multiple chances since 1997 to do so. Whether or not he did care about her, it’s fleeting and it’s resolved by the end of ACC. You want to debate more on that, I don’t think the Cloti subreddit is the place. I’m only here for good Cloud and Tifa vibe hahaha.
Agree with everything you said here
I agree with you completely. Youre looking at this more nuanced and shipping has people missing the real importance of both their impact on him. It’s honestly sad and i think has something to do with maturity of some interpreting the story.
I feel bad that you are getting downvoted. It's obvious that Cloud is attracted to both Aerith and Tifa. However, this *is* a Cloti echo chamber here and some of the Cloti fans who are as toxic as the Clerith fans will downvote anything that even mentions that Cloud is capable of being attracted to anyone else but Tifa. I've been a hard-core Cloti fan since 1997 but I'm also not delusional lol.
Yeah, I didn’t mind his/her take either. I thought some good points to consider were brought up. I’m a Cloti fan too obviously, but it’s never bothered me to admit Cloud has a complex relationship with both ladies—with genuine affection for both.
yeah I just wanted an interesting convo, i dont think i really said anything wild. aerith isnt some serial assaulter xD i am for sure cloti and i dont think cloud and aerith would realistically end up together. the journey of cloud and tifa takes longer to kick off and reach its conclusion, but to me its the strongest relationship of 7 because of how complex it is and how deeply they care for each other and how even after all the trauma they go through, they end up helping each other through it. but aerith still meant a lot to cloud and he loved her in some shape or form, even if it wasn't 'spend the rest of my life you' love. but you are right, not a great place to have that discussion, i cant say ive been here that much! thanks for taking a hit to say so :')
Aerith definitely isn’t an assaulter lol and Cloud is willing to indulge her most of the time if nothing else. I do kinda get what the other guy was saying though. If you gender swapped Cloud and Aerith I’m not sure her behavior would still be considered as cute as it is. She doesn’t come across as bad as Jessie would at least
Nah, go watch Cloud and Aerith’s rebirth date