Ffvii - Blog Posts
Its the annual balloon day, if you wanted to reblog some of my art that would be amazinngg and I also have a pat®eon.
Have some surprise angst...which is never a surprise from me 8D
-
Patreon | Ko-Fi
Cid Highwind from Final Fantasy VII ! I love this guy :3
something something ff7 bike racing au
I have written and rewritten the Gast Post wayyy too many times and put more time thinking about it then it's worth so now here it is, just so it will begone from my drafts, here's my beef with Gast Faremis and the two big narrative issues that make thinking about him fill me with rage
Also I'm gonna put a TW for grooming here actually because Gast's lack of a canon age makes it seem like he might have met Ifalna when she was very young and they have a weird power imbalance thing going that I kind of talk about
The Jenova Project
It is basically impossible to make a sound judgement on Gast's ethics because we have no idea when he left the Jenova project or really why beyond that he knew he misidentified Jenova. I know one of the ultimanias said he felt guilt/remorse. But to be quite frank, until they show this remorse in-game it means nothing to me. It's one thing to reveal details like ages in the ultimanias, but Gast is a far too critical player in the plot for his characterization to be getting done secondhand in supplemental materials. Do not get me started on how he never shows up in Dirge. They just... ignore him a lot of the time, which is really weird since his discovery of Jenova is the plot catalyst for the entire series.
Also, I've noticed people tend to passively talk about him like he's *the good one* on the team or that he would have saved Sephiroth from Hojo. I'm not really sure where this comes from? Sephiroth speaks highly of him, but i don't trust Seph to be an accurate judge of character when it comes to Gast. Sephiroth would have been, at the very vert latest, probably around 4 when Gast left the company. If he even remembers Gast at all, his memories are not gonna be a full picture of what the man was like. Besides that, I think it's incredibly likely Sephiroth has a mystical, idealized version of Gast in his head, because Gast is someone who could, in theory, give him the answers about his origins Hojo refuses to. Hojo also probably shit talks Gast if be ever comes up, which would only make him more appealing to Sephiroth. Gast is not Hojo. He has cleared the bar past literally the worst person Sephiroth has ever met. It is akin to praising a candle for being able to burn compared to a crumpled, broken, wet match. Gast being less abhorrent then Hojo doesn't mean he was a good person.
I think people also tend to automatically assume Gast was a good person bc he's Aerith's dad, but being a good person isn't genetic. He didn't have the opportunity to be a father to her for more then about 3 weeks. That's not his fault, obviously, but it means he had no hand in raising her, so him being her father really isn't indicative of anything outside of him being involved with Ifalna, which we will get to in a second.
Honestly, it seems to me like Gast was ambivalent to Sephiroth at best. Remember that a perfect weapon was not what they were designing Sephiroth to be; they wanted him to be an Ancient. Of course, Jenova is not one, meaning that in terms of achieving its original goal, Gast's goal, Project S was a failure from the outset. I can't help but wonder if Gast saw Sephiroth that way, or else as a horrible mistake, especially considering that after leaving the company and abandoning Sephiroth (and maybe Lucrecia depending on who left first) to Hojo, Gast on his own time achieves his original goal of making an Ancient, by fathering Aerith. Speaking of...
Ifalna
We know from the guides that Ifalna was 29 when she died. Aerith was 7, meaning Ifalna had her at around 22. If Gast was around Hojo' age, he would've been in his early 30s when Sephiroth was born. Sephiroth is 5-6 years older then Aerith, which would put him at around his mid thirties when he had a child with Ifalna. If Gast left the project shortly after Sephiroth was born or during Lucrecia's pregnancy, he might have met Ifalna as early as her being 18. I sincerely do not believe the devs want to imply their relationship was predatory. I honestly don't think all that much thought has been put into it at all, and while it's reasonable to sideline it since it's not the most urgent bit of lore, this sidelining makes trying to figure out what their dynamic was a nightmare.
Apparently the ultimanias are contradictory about whether the two of them met at Shinra or outside of it. The only time we've ever seen the two of them together was the Icicle Inn tapes, wherein their interactions seem mostly professional until the last tape. In this last tape, the dev's clumsy way of showing that these two are in a relationship was to have Ifalna start to address him as Professor, then correct herself and call him 'honey' instead, which is a hell of a Freudian slip for her to make, given that this tape takes place almost a month after the birth of their daughter.
Again, I think this was just a very awkward blinking neon sign hung up in order to quickly convey THESE TWO WERE IN LOVE, but if you take it at face value, it is strange at best and downright chilling at worst. Gast was the leader of the Make An Ancient Baby project, and when he realized he didn't actually make an Ancient, he left the project and went and had a baby *old school style* with the last Ancient while she was undergrad age. It is fully possible he and Ifalna did have real feelings for each other, but that context with the age gap just makes it... eugh. And it's not like they had a professional friendship and he just served as a sperm donor for Ifalna because she wanted to start repopulating her species or smth. She calls him by a pet name, they are in some kind of romantic entanglement.
At this point I don't think the devs have put nearly as much thought towards this as I have, we're probably just supposed to assume they were happy together because it makes Gast dying more tragic. But them neglecting this relationship leaves it uncomfortably unclear. For example, because they don't think about this relationship a lot, Aerith never mentions her mom telling her about her dad, which is very easily read as Ifalna not wanting to tell her daughter about Gast. That would just be because it hurts Ifalna to talk about his death, but... she also told Aerith stories about the Ancients, which must have also been painful since they were the last two, stuck in a lab away from nature. We know Ifalna gets emotional when talking about the Cetra, she gets worked up seemingly to the point of crying while talking about Jenova in the interviews. The only explanation I can see for why she wouldn't want to talk about Gast if they were happy toghether was that Hojo might punish her if she did. (Worth noting i have traces of two pasts but haven't gotten to reading it yet, she might mention him in there but again supplemental materials, Aerith has never knce mentioned a dad in the actual games)
If the goal is that we are supposed to see Gast as a bad or even morally compromised person who went straight after leaving the company, that's perfectly fine, but everything about him is so muddy that I genuinely can't tell what to make of him. Hojo and Hollander we're clearly supposed to hate, and Lucrecia has settled herself pretty comfortably in the "did fucked up things but has since paid for it" niche, but Gast is just... here. Floating around in the back of the narrative, not even really haunting it because his main contribution as the guy who discovered Jenova gets usurped by Hojo being the one to spread its cells. His other main contribution is being Aerith's bio dad, and she has never once seemed to give it any thought. The only person in the modern era who seems to give a rat's ass about his role in everything is Sephiroth, for like 2 seconds during his meltdown at Nibelheim before he's back to huffing the mommy issue fumes. He is just... such a bizarre, frustrating nothingburger, and I desperately hope they rectify it in remake 3.
Crisis Core Transcripts
The long awaited (??? by me) master post of links to the Crisis Core (2007) transcripts. This bs was typed up by hand by yours truly because SOMEONE made UMDs very difficult to rip (<3 u SONY).
Link to gdrive folders hosting transcript documents.
Link to my fancy dedicated tumblr page for this nonsense because I can't not go overboard?? (it is maybe a convenient place to bookmark)
Check below the fold for direct links to specific content.
Complete Transcript ( Abridged / Unabridged )
00. Prologue
01. Embrace Your Dreams ( Abridged / Unabridged )
02. Betrayal ( Abridged / Unabridged )
03. Monster ( Abridged / Unabridged )
04. An Angel's Dream ( Abridged / Unabridged )
05. Where Are You? ( Abridged / Unabridged )
06. Protect Your Honor ( Abridged / Unabridged )
07. Departure ( Abridged / Unabridged )
08. See You Soon ( Abridged / Unabridged )
09. Escape the Nightmare ( Abridged / Unabridged )
10. Heroes ( Abridged / Unabridged )
Credits
DMW Scenes
Yuffie Missions
Other Missions
Tanabata 七夕 is a popular traditional Japanese festival of Chinese origins. This celebration commemorates the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi (symbolized by the stars Vega and Altair respectively), lovers separated by the Milky Way who were only allowed to meet once every year, the Seventh night of the Seventh month.
People celebrate Tanabata expressing wishes to the stars - written on small pieces of paper hung on bamboo, often concerning their love life due to the romantic origins of the legend. Tanabata is also called Star festival or Night of the loving stars (and, in China, Chinese Valentine’s day or Night of sevens).
I think it’s easy to find some nice paralles with FFVII: the focus on the stars (星, that in FFVII universe is used to identify both the stars and the Planet) and number seven, wishes to the stars, separated lovers..? In can make the happiness of every shipper. But there’s one more cute detail.
Until the second half of the XIX century Japanese people used the Wareki calendar, based on lunar phases, so the 7th day of the 7th month is a variable date that usually falls on the firts half of August.
August 11, 1986 - Cloud’s birthday - was indeed Tanabata day in real life! (The date may vary between 11th and 12th but that depends on the time zone). It might be just a coincidence, but I love it a lot anyway! It surely is my new headcanon! ❤️
FFVII AFFECTION MECHANICS LIST
Probably this article was better suited for Valentine's day but I'm not well known for my perfect timing... :)
I thought it could be useful to have a full list of the OG variables that affect the date mechanics, a description of the actual Remake mechanics and the differences between the two games all in one post.
I had initially planned to add here also the Wall Market dress mechanics but this post is long enough and the Remake dresses are just so amazing that they absolutely deserve their own post and my complete devotion💖
So...Let’s get to the list!
OG AFFECTION POINTS
A reminder before reading:
Not all the optional choices of the game affect the scores.
Not all the optional choices that affect the score are mandatory.
Only four characters are associated to the affection mechanics and they start the game with different pre-set scores: Aerith 50, Tifa 30, Yuffie 10*, Barret 0. Aerith and Tifa are the most probable outcomes for the date.
The two main events influenced by the affection points are the Gold Saucer date and the scene under the Highwind. The charcter who has the highest score will spend a night with Cloud at the Gold Saucer; the dialogue between Cloud and Tifa before the final battle will be more explicitly romantic if Tifa has at least 50 points.
The characters are not in competition with each others, most of the choices affect the points of just one character at a time and sometimes they even affect uniformly more than a character. As a general rule, the points increase when Cloud tries to be a kind person and decrease when he's willfully mean.
The outcomes for the date and the HW scene can be different: it's not necessary to achieve Tifa's date to get the high affection HW scene, nor dating Aerith automatically triggers the low affection version. It is perfectly possible to get both Aerith's date and the high affection scene with Tifa.
MIDGAR:
1. On the train after the attack at the Reactor No. 1, when Jessie tells Cloud about the IDs:
Jessie: I know! Next time, I'll give you one I made myself.
"Thanks anyway" (No change)
"Looking forward to it" (-3 Tifa)
2. [Optional] At 7th Heaven, if Cloud bought Aerith's flower:
Tifa: But...A flower for me? Oh Cloud, you shouldn't have... - Cloud: No big.
"Give it to Tifa" (+5 Tifa)
"Give it to Marlene" (+5 Barret)
3. [Optional] If Cloud talks to Tifa when she's behind the bar:
Tifa: Sit down. How about......something to drink?
"I don't feel like it" (No change)
"Give me something hard" (+5 Tifa)
4. When Cloud tries to leave Seventh Heaven:
Tifa: So! You're really leaving !? You're just going to walk right out ignoring your childhood friend !? - Cloud: What......?
"How can you say that!" (+5 Tifa)
"...Sorry" (No change)
5. [Optional] The morning of the attack on the No. 5 Reactor:
Tifa: Good Morning! Cloud! Did you sleep well?
"Next to you, who wouldn't?" (+5 Tifa)
"Barret's snoring kept me up..." (+5 Barret)
6. On the way to the Reactor 5, getting through the train without being caught by the security system
Succeed (+5 Tifa, +5 Barret)
Fail (No change)
7. When Cloud is hanging after the explosion of the Airbuster in the Reactor 5:
Barret: Hey, you gonna be awright?
"(Be strong)" (+2 Barret)
"(I don't know if I can hold on)" (-3 Barret, +1 Tifa)
8. After falling in Aerith's church, when the girl is trying to run away from Reno:
Push a wrong barrel (-3 Aerith)
Tell her to fight the troopers (-1 Aerith)
Tell her to run (No change)
Tell her to run, but she has to fight (-1 Aerith)
Push the right barrel (+1 Aerith)
9. At Aerith's house, when Cloud says he wants to go back to Sector 7:
"No way!" (+1 Aerith)
Aerith: Is Tifa......a girl? - Cloud: Yeah. - Aerith: A girl...friend? - Cloud: Girlfriend?
"Yeah, that's right" (-5 Aerith)
10. When Cloud and Aerith are going to split up after getting to Sector 7 gate:
Cloud: Thanks. I guess this is goodbye. You gonna be all right going home? Aerith: Oh no! 'What ever will I do!?' ...isn't that what you want me to say?
"See her home." (No change)
"Go on to Sector 7" (+1 Aerith)
11a. [Wall Market option A] Talking to Aerith if Tifa is chosen as Don Corneo's bride
"You alright?" (+3 Aerith)
"We gotta help Tifa!" (-2 Aerith)
11b. [Wall Market option B] Talking to Tifa if Aerith is chosen as Don Corneo's bride
"You alright?" (-2 Tifa)
"We gotta help Aerith!" (+3 Tifa)
11c. [Optional] [Wall Market option C] If Cloud is chosen as Don Corneo's bride and acts hesitant
Don Corneo: You don't like me? There...there isn't someone else, is there?
No, only you (No change)
Yes, his name's Barret... (+5 Barret)
12. When Corneo throws the group in the sewer:
Talk to Aerith first (+3 Aerith)
Talk to Tifa first (+3 Tifa)
13. [Optional] After the plate fall, if Cloud talks to Marlene at Aerith's house:
Marlene: Guess what? Guess what? Aerith was asking me lots of questions. Like what kind of person Cloud is. I bet she likes you, Cloud!
"I don't know" (+3 Tifa, -3 Aerith)
"Let's hope so" (-3 Tifa, +3 Aerith)
14. At Shinra HQ, after meeting Red XIII and before fighting Sample H0512:
Cloud: We'll take care of that monster. Somebody take Aerith somewhere safe...
"Tifa, I'm countin' on you!" (-2 Tifa)
"Barret, take care of her!" (+2 Barret)
15. When party splits up to escape Shinra HQ:
Cloud: If all five of us go together, we'll be noticed. Let's break up in two groups.
Whoever is in the party gets a +2 boost
16. [Optional] Talking to Tifa in the jail (this option can be repeated indefinitely):
Tifa: Psst (Can we get out?)
"Leave it to me" (+1 Tifa)
"Kinda hard" (-1 Tifa)
17. In the jail, when Cloud thinks about the other party members:
I wonder how [Barret/Aerith/Red XIII] is doing
The first one gets a +3 boost (no change for Red XIII)
The second one gets a +1 boost (no change for Red XIII)
No change for the last one
18. After leaving Midgar:
Barret: ^#$^%......awright. Go Northeast to a town called Kalm. If something happens, we'll meet up there. 'Sides, we can't have 5 people strolling down the fields. It's too dangerous. Split us into 2 parties...
Whoever is chosen to join the party gets a +1 boost (no change for Red XIII)
KALM
19. After Cloud's flashback when Barret decides to leave the Inn:
Barret: Yo, Cloud! Let's get a move on!
"Right" (+1 Barret)
"Wait a sec" (Barret talks again) -> "Beautiful, just beautiful" (+3 Barret)
"Wait a sec" (Barret talks again) -> "Is that all?" (-1 Barret)
20. [Optional] If talking to the woman on the first floor of the house next to the Inn (the points change only if the characters are in the party. The dialogue can happen at any time before the GS dates):
Thanks to Mako energy, life's pretty darn convenient. Thanks to Shinra. Don't you think?
"Yeah, maybe" (-2 Barret, -1 Aerith, -1 Tifa, +1 Yuffie)
"You're full of it" (+2 Barret, +1 Aerith, +1 Tifa, -1 Yuffie)
21. [Optional] If talking to the woman on the second floor of the house next to the Inn (the points change only if the characters are in the party. The dialogue can happen at any time before the GS dates):
Mako energy's made things a lot more convenient......But seems like a lot of plants and animals have been disappearing at a rapid pace. I think the old life was better. Don't you think so?
"Yeah, maybe" (+2 Barret, +1 Aerith, +1 Tifa, -1 Yuffie)
"No way" (-2 Barret, -1 Aerith, -1 Tifa, +1 Yuffie)
FORT CONDOR
22. [Optional] If Cloud is the party leader and talks to the old guy (the choices affect everyone, even if the party hasn't recruited Yuffie yet):
It appears you have a problem with Shinra, too. After all, you climbed up here. Why not listen to what I have to say for a moment?
"I guess so" (+5 Barret, +3 Aerith, +3 Tifa, +2 Yuffie)
"Not interested" (-5 Barret, -3 Aerith, -3 Tifa, -1 Yuffie)
23. [Optional] After the old guy tells Cloud about his problem (the choices affect everyone, even if the party hasn't recruited Yuffie yet):
What do you think? You want to join us in our fight?
"All right" (+5 Barret, +3 Aerith, +3 Tifa, +2 Yuffie)
"Not interested" (-5 Barret, -3 Aerith, -3 Tifa, -1 Yuffie)
*MEETING YUFFIE
[Optional] The player can repeat the recruiting dialogue as many times as they want. Recruiting Yuffie on the first try will grant her 10 points, failing and repeating it will increase her points up to a max of 30 points (+2 for every correct answer).
CARGO SHIP
24. [Optional] Talking to Yuffie who asks for Tranquillizers for her motion sickness:
"Here, use this" (+4 Yuffie)
"Nope" (-2 Yuffie)
25. Talking to Aerith about the Highwind:
Aerith: That was REALLY something. Hey, do you think I could get on it?
"I'll take you someday" (+2 Aerith)
"I dunno..." (-2 Aerith)
26. Talking to Tifa about the war:
Tifa: ...But, you know what? I really hate this uniform. Uniforms, soldiers, war, I hate 'em all. They take away all the things and people you love... I wish they'd all disappear. Right, Cloud?
"Yeah..." (+2 Tifa)
"I don't know" (-2 Tifa)
GOLD SAUCER
27. After Barret leaves the group, Cloud can choose a partner. The choice will affect the score of the FIRST character he'll interact with. Only if the player declines Red XIII they'll still be able to affect one of the girls' score. If the player doesn't pick anybody, the character with the highest score will join him and the points won't be affected (Red XIII will join instead of Barret):
Go together (+3)
Don't go together (-2)
COREL PRISON
28. The character chosen to accompany Cloud and Barret to fight Dyne:
Cloud: So there it is, Barret. So I guess it'll be Barret, me, and......
(+10 Aerith, +3 Tifa, +2 Yuffie, no change Red XIII)
GONGAGA
29. [Optional] After meeting Zack's parents:
Cloud can talk to Tifa and/or Aerith (if they are in the party).
Ignore them (-3 Aerith / -3 Tifa)
Talk with Tifa (+1 Tifa)
Talk with Aerith -> "Poor guy" (+1 Aerith)
Talk with Aerith -> "(...jealous...envious...)" (+2 Aerith)
COSMO CANYON
30. [Optional] During the first visit the party splits up. If Barret was in the party Cloud can have a conversation with him:
Barret: There was this guy who studied 'Planetary Life' here. He couldn't take things the way they were, so he went to Midgar to form AVALANCHE. Wanna hear more?
Not really (no change)
"Go on" (additional dialogue) -> "And then" (Barret +6)
"Go on" (additional dialogue) -> "Yeah, whatever..." (Barret +3)
WUTAI
31. [Optional] Completing the first quest in Wutai until Yuffie returns the stolen Materia (Yuffie +10)
***
REMAKE AFFECTION POINTS
Even though the Remake covers just the Midgar section, the developers payed homage to the Gold Saucer dates including a beautiful "Resolution scene" at the beginning of Chapter 14, where Aerith, Tifa or Barret will appear and talk to Cloud.
What determines the optional cutscene this time is the number of side quests completed during Chapter 3 and Chapter 8, namely the two chapters spent building up Cloud's merc reputation with Tifa and with Aerith.
The Remake affection mechanics are very simple:
Aerith and Tifa start as equals.
The player can complete 6 Odd Jobs and 1 final Discovery Quest, each one granting to the related girl +2 points.
The girl Cloud will interact first after landing in the sewers will gain an additional +1 point that will eventually serve as tiebreaker.
As you can guess, the girl with the highest score will lead the optional cutscene but if both girls have less than 5 points then Barret's scene will be unlocked.
PERSONAL THOUGHTS:
The Remake affection mechanics are significantly different from those of the OG. Funnily enough some free-answer dialogues still exist, however not only they don't affect the score but they're also illusory choices as the plot is very linear (see below).
The Remake mechanics are less romance-based. Sure, accomplishing the side quests can be seen as Cloud spending valuable time with the girls, anyway they spend the day doing rough and mundane activities like defeat monsters, rescue kids and search for cats. The focus will always be to improve Cloud's reputation as a reliable merc. Moreover, it doesn’t really make sense to consider Barret as being positively impressed by Cloud refusing to help people in need.
While in the original Cloud can have just one date and one of the two versions of the Highwind scene, the Resolution scenes are not mutually exclusive and it's perfectly possible that all of them take place during the same night.
***
OG AND REMAKE COMPARISON
Most of the situations linked to the affection points in the OG changed or were left out from the Remake. In general Remake-Cloud tends to be kind with both Aerith and Tifa and by the end of the game his relationship with Barret improves as well.
Part 1: Enter, Ex-SOLDIER! [A Complete Analysis of Final Fantasy VII]
Masterlink: https://hartmonkey.tumblr.com/post/674955243020238848/a-complete-analysis-of-final-fantasy-vii
This is the first post in my chapter-by-chapter analysis of the entire Final Fantasy VII. Each chapter will be primarily based on the 1997 game, with discussion of the Remake and other entries in the compilation where relevant (ie. when they pertain to the original story). Aside from a spoiler-warning for the entire FF7 (this is the only warning I’ll give on that regard), I want to note a few things before we start.
Keep reading
Tifa’s interrogation: the flashback at Kalm
The flashback at Kalm represents the first time Tifa truly comprehends the depth of Cloud’s delusions. Some fans see Tifa’s behavior during this episode as complete head-in-the-sand avoidance of the issue.
But… this is a misinterpretation. Tifa isn’t avoiding Cloud’s crisis at Kalm, even if she does opt for subtlety (a necessity, given what transpired at the train station). Tifa tries to use the Kalm flashback to gather evidence to disprove Cloud’s version of events… but she unfortunately discovers that the situation is not so clear-cut.
Tifa’s behavior makes her intentions obvious. As soon as Barret asks Cloud to tell his story, Tifa keeps silent, fidgeting restlessly with her hair. And in contrast with Barret and Aerith, her only dialogue is “…”s:
As we know, Tifa hasn’t yet had the chance to hear Cloud’s side of the story: at the train station, he reacted violently when Tifa questioned him; at both the bar in OG and Remake’s Alone at Last, Cloud brushes off her questions. Kalm marks Tifa’s very first opportunity to gather information and understand the nature of Cloud’s inconsistencies. The fidgeting is a sign of Tifa’s anticipation/dread; the ellipses represent her listening intently to Cloud’s story, giving him the space he needs to speak without her contradictory recollections setting him off.
Indeed, Tifa’s very first remark is only in response to an interruption:
Barret: Yo wait a minute!! Isn’t that, um…? The name of Sephiroth’s mother… I remember Jenova. That’s that damn headless spook livin’ in the Shinra building.
Cloud: That’s right.
Tifa: Barret, would you please let us hear what Cloud has to say? You can ask questions later.
Barret: Tifa, I was only…
Tifa: OK Cloud, continue.
Aerith: The childhood friends reunite!
Cloud: …I was really surprised with Tifa.
(watch here)
Tifa abruptly cuts Barret off in a way that takes all three characters aback–why is she so uncharacteristically brusque? Cloud, Barret, and Aerith all verbally react to the outburst, as the devs want the player to notice how unusual Tifa’s behavior is. While a first-time player may not understand her motivations, a seasoned player will: at this moment, Tifa doesn’t care about anything but hearing Cloud’s story and figuring out what’s wrong with him.
Tifa continues to listen in silence until Cloud reaches her house. Suddenly, Tifa asks Cloud about everything he did there:
Tifa: Cloud…? Did you go into my house?
Cloud…? Did you go into my room?
Did you play my piano?
(if you check in the drawers to find the underwear…) …Cloud. We’re talking about something really important here.
Did you read it? My letter?
Do you remember what it said…?
Cloud… Do you remember all of it?
(link to the full sequence in Tifa’s room)
These questions may look trivial, like a frivolous Tifa trying to ensure her girlish modesty was maintained five years ago. But it’s the last two questions about the letter which reveal what Tifa is truly doing: she’s subtly interrogating Cloud to determine if he was truly at Nibelheim. If Tifa’s primary motivation is to lessen her embarrassment, then why does she explicitly prompt Cloud to restate the entire letter in front of the entire team five years later?
The full content of the letter is information which Tifa is intimately familiar with, information that only she–or someone who truly was in her room that day–would know. If Cloud doesn’t know about the objects in her room or blatantly bullshits in response her questions, then Tifa has all the more evidence that Cloud wasn’t actually there. But if he does know the answers to these questions, especially regarding something as temporary as a letter, then… what does it mean? That Cloud truly was there, even though Tifa doesn’t remember him being there…? What does that say about Cloud’s memories…? What does that say about Tifa’s…?
The fact that Cloud passes her “test”–that he knows private details of her room, and gives an accurate account of its contents–leads Tifa to recognize that there is more to Nibelheim incident than just her recollections, and there is more to Cloud’s side of the story. Tifa doesn’t have a full understanding of the situation, and as long as she can’t explain the discrepancies between her memories and Cloud’s, she can’t simply refute Cloud’s version of events. Like it or not, Tifa realizes that the Nibelheim flashback has become a “he said, she said” situation. And who knows… maybe this confident, capable Cloud is correct, and she’s the one who’s wrong?
Now… how do we know that Tifa’s questions about her room are intended to represent her attempts at fact-finding? How do we know that they really aren’t just a trivial cutesy gameplay mechanic to break up the monotony of the flashback?
And the answer is… it’s because Cloud’s answers to these questions are referenced during a critical scene: Sephiroth’s illusion at the Northern Crater.
Cloud: The town hadn’t changed at all. What did I do? Oh yeah…
Cloud’s lines are directly influenced by the actions that Cloud took during the Kalm flashback. After the above line, Cloud can make any number of statements:
“I saw my mom. I saw the people in town.”
“Yeah, I went to Tifa’s room. There, I…”
“I played the piano!”
“I looked in the drawers!”
“I read the letter addressed to Tifa!”
Based on how much or how little you did, Cloud will say more (or fewer) of the above statements.
For example, in this player’s Nibelheim flashback, Cloud met his mom and went in Tifa’s room, where he jammed on the piano and raided her dressers. But he never found the letter. So during the Nibelheim illusion, Cloud only makes statements 1-4.
On the other hand, this player’s Cloud experienced everything during the Nibelheim flashback, so Cloud makes all 5 statements during the Nibelheim illusion.
But in this player’s Nibelheim flashback, Cloud went to Tifa’s room but did the bare minimum. Didn’t say “yes” to anything or even see Cloud’s mom. So Cloud only makes statement 2.
With this easily-missed callback, it proves that Cloud himself recognizes the purpose and utility of Tifa’s questioning back at Kalm, and emphasizes how Tifa interrogated Cloud during the Kalm flashback to try and find incontrovertible proof of his presence on that day.
Final thoughts:
>> Tifa’s final question. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Tifa’s final question at Kalm. After Barret leaves the room, Tifa speaks up one more time:
Tifa: …… Cloud…? How bad was I when Sephiroth cut me? Cloud: I thought you were a goner. …I was really sad. Tifa: ……
There are four ways to interpret this exchange:
The first is how a first-time player would experience it: it’s an exchange which both builds Cloud up as a reliable narrator and suggests that Cloud was relatively indifferent towards Tifa. (Seasoned players will recognize why this moment is played down this way: to build up the shock of the Lifestream reveal, where we learn Cloud isn’t a reliable narrator and that he was deeply affected by Tifa’s injury because he revolves around her.)
The second interpretation is that Tifa’s asking Cloud one more question to confirm if he not only was in her room, but also in the reactor that day–in case you missed visiting Tifa’s house, it’s one last factfinding mission to prove that Cloud was truly there.
The third interpretation is that Cloud’s confidence and accuracy during the flashback leads Tifa to doubt herself; she wonders if the severity of her injuries may be the reason why she misremembers the day’s events. This question alludes to her uncertainty; perhaps she’s performing some factfinding for herself by comparing more of her recollections to his.
The fourth interpretation is that Tifa always knew how badly she was injured, but this is the very first time she learns that Cloud was there when she was injured. Tifa hoped that Cloud would be emotionally impacted by her injury (due to the Promise), which is why she prompts him about it. Unfortunately, his indifferent response is very disappointing. (This could be another reason why her reaction to this moment in the Lifestream is so pronounced and why she brings up the Promise.)
While I think interpretation #1 is definitely what the devs want first-time players to get out of this conversation, I’m not sure if seasoned players are supposed to take #2, #3, #4, or something else away from it. I’ll leave that to you! I hope Remake (or a future Ultimania) gives us some greater clarity here.
>> PS: Undies. Tifa’s not really mad about the underwear–note how her response isn’t something like, “I can’t believe you invaded my privacy like that!” but it’s actually, “Cloud!!! […] …Cloud. We’re talking about something really important here.” Tifa is exasperated that Cloud’s talking about some inane pervy bullshit while she’s TRYING to figure out what’s wrong with him. Come the fuck on, Cloud, a little seriousness here!!
>> PPS: Undies, round 2. Cloud really DID look through her underwear drawer. He wasn’t kidding, because he legitimately uses that fact to prove his existence at Northern Crater. (“I looked in the drawers!”) “I simp for Tifa, therefore I am.” Oh Cloud.
More for the FFVII minor arcana. Here are the Two of Cups, Ten of Cups, Nine of Pentacles, Two of Swords, Page of Cups, and Four of Swords. I’m pretty pleased so far - what do you reckon?
Times are tough; if you’d like to help me out, Patreon is the place to go. All completed cards are also available as prints on the $20 tier.
Previously: FF playing cards | FFVII playing cards | FFXV Tarots | FFVII Tarots | FFXV Playing cards
Patreon | Twitter
Tifa’s journey and resolve
As we’ve previously discussed, when Tifa first discovered Cloud at the train station, she found herself faced with a dilemma: she could heedlessly tell Cloud what she knows and risk losing him physically or mentally; or she could build up her resolve and wait for the opportune moment to tell him, hoping that with proper timing, she’d be able to tell him without losing him. Tifa chooses the latter.
Tifa wrestles with her secret across Midgar, Kalm, Gongaga, and Cosmo Canyon, but her worries finally push her over the edge at Gold Saucer’s Ghost Hotel. While Red XIII worries that he may go mad, Tifa is the only one who realizes that this is likely what is happening to Cloud; that Cloud may very well be going mad already. In her fear, Tifa snaps:
Red XIII: Cloud… I’m number 13. Am I going to go mad too?
Tifa: I don’t know what Hojo did to you, but you’ve been all right so far, right?
Red XIII: But…
Tifa: Be strong.
Red XIII: But, I…
Tifa: Stop it, Red XIII! Be strong!
Cloud: Tifa?
Tifa: You’re not the only one who’s worried!
(Source)
This uncharacteristic outburst convinces her. She has to talk to Cloud–and if she can’t find the opportune moment, she’ll make one.
So… she asks Cloud out on a date.
And the opportune moment reveals itself on the gondola:
Tifa: Ok, I’m going to just go ahead and say it…
Cloud: …what?
Tifa: Aeris would be able to just come out and say it, probably. Cloud… Sometimes being old friends is hard. I mean, timing is everything.
Cloud: Yeah…
Tifa: Cloud…? I……
Tifa: ………………….
(Source)
The gondola script looks like an attempted romantic confession–but much like everything else pre-Lifestream, looks can be deceiving. Given Tifa’s earlier emotional outburst, it’s far likelier that her words are hinting at her worries. But regardless of the interpretation, as “Interrupted by Fireworks” swells in the background, Tifa can only think of one thing: “I need to tell him.” Be it her doubts or her affections, could it be that now is finally the right time?
Surrounded by the flash and glitter of the Gold Saucer, Tifa hesitates… and before she knows it, the ride is over. Tifa lacks the confidence and resolve to be open with Cloud, and she allows the opportune moment to slip through her fingers.
Like Tifa said, timing is everything, and she never gets an opportunity like this again. As soon as they get off the gondola, Cait Sith’s actions set off a rapid-fire chain of events that culminates at the Norther Crater.
And suddenly, all of Tifa’s worst fears are realized. She loses Cloud mentally. She loses Cloud physically. He is gone. All of her careful, calculated efforts were for naught. Tifa is left bereft and depressed.
Which brings us to Mideel:
Tifa: What’s the matter? Are you all alone?
(dog whimpers)
Tifa: You got lost didn’t you? Separated from someone you love? Silly thing…
(Source)
This moment is huge for Tifa. This is the first time she is able to articulate, even indirectly, any of the thoughts locked away in her heart. Between Northern Crater and this moment, Tifa has changed.
And just in time. Tifa learns that Cloud may be alive and near. Filled with hope, “Interrupted by Fireworks” swells in the background and harks back to that moment on the gondola, when Tifa could only think of one thing: “I need to tell him.” And this time, Tifa is not going to let the moment slip through her fingers.
Final thoughts:
This makes Cloud’s clone status all the more heartbreaking. Just when Tifa thinks that Cloud is safe and she can finally make up for missed opportunities, Cloud is not ready to hear her. Once again she’s lost her chance and she’s lost Cloud. We all know Remake is going to rip our hearts out with this scene.
Damn this doctor is extra af, way to twist the knife (and explain why Tifa stays with Cloud):
“Timing is everything.” Tifa is right–from Cait Sith’s treachery through to Cloud’s clone violence, Tifa never gets the chance to talk to Cloud in private. By the time Cloud wakes up at the Gongaga Inn, his ego is at the brink of collapsing into full Sephiroth Copy mode–and if he got even a hint that Tifa doubts him, his ego would simply collapse sooner, same as it does later at Northern Crater. Tifa senses this, and hopes that fake confidence in Cloud will tide him over. This is also why she asks to stay in the party when the group goes to take on Sephiroth–she wants to keep an eye on him and support him, not just “settle things with Sephiroth.”
“Timing is everything,” reemphasized. Through the Lifestream sequence, we realize that even if Tifa had opened up to Cloud earlier, nothing would have changed–Cloud wasn’t ready to face his own flaws and work resolutely towards the truth with no reservations. The right time really is after Northern Crater and in the Lifestream.
In an upcoming (mostly written!) post I’ll talk more about how “Interrupted by Fireworks” is actually a clever device to subvert our expectations… for both girls. There’s a lot of interesting symmetry that makes the divergences even more striking.
Special shoutout to @janeiteoftheslums who pointed out a detail I missed in the first (extremely short-lived!!) version of this post. Thank you so much! Everyone, if you’re craving some cloti goodness, head on over and read some of her fics.
Wutai: etymologies and possible real-life references
As suggested by my profile pic, Remake Yuffie stole my heart. The DLC made a great job introducing her and giving her deep characterization and motivations for the following parts of the story. I have no doubt Wutai is going to be great, and I had a lot of fun trying to find the possible sources behind the creation of Yuffie's homeland, anyway, I'm not a sinologist nor an expert of eastern religions, so everything in this post has to be taken with a grain of salt.
The following post has been inspired by this post by@allsortsoflicorice and the following TLS thread (thanks!).
-
Wutai (ウータイ) is an island state in the far west of the FFVII world map. It had always been a proud and powerful nation, and when Shinra Electic Power Company menaced to establish its economical domain with the installment of Mako reactors on its soil, the nation wadged a war that lasted several years. In 0001, after the capture of Fort Tamblin, Wutai's leader Godo Kisaragi finally surrendered to Shinra and Wutai became a mere touristic attraction, even if resistance cells continued their work and became affiliated with Avalanche.
The village stands at the base of a mountain, immersed in a wide forest and crossed by a river. The architecture of the buildings is inspired by real-life far East style and there's a big statue of a local deity carved on the side of the mountain facing the village.
Wutai is the homeland of Yuffie Kisaragi. In the original FFVII, since Yuffie was an optional character, also Wutai was an optional and perfectly skippable location, nonetheless many cultural references were mixed to create this beautiful place.
Moreover, I think we can expect Remake Wutai to have a more influent role in the FFVII universe, since the shape of a pagoda already appeared in Aerith's mural painting, between Cosmo Canyon and the Cetras.
Final Fantasy games are well known to be based on a heterogeneus mix of cultural influences, from Polytheistic to Monotheistic religions and myths, up until Eastern religions and phylosophies that are especially prominent in Wutai.
One of the main themes of FFVII is the cycle of life, symbolized by the Lifestream as both the physical and metaphysical place where souls merge together and allow the rebirth of new life forms in a neverending cycle. This theme is reminiscent of the concept of Saṃsāra, originated in India and then exported to the far East lands through Buddhism (e.g. Melphie's pinwheel hair-clip could symbolize this theme).
Buddhim in particoular seems to have been a great source of inspiration for the creation of this amazing location.
-
Wutai is the real toponym of a Chinese holy mountain, referring to its uncommon shape and it is one of the four sacred mountains in Chinese Buddhism (and Taoism). Interestingly enough there's an old legend about this mountain that involves the King of Dragons.
To provide context, dragons are sacred creature in Eastern folklore. Most of oriental dragons stem from the Chinese version, called Long, traditionally depicted as a snake-like creature with four legs and/or wings. Unlike their western counterparts, Longs are benevolent beings, associated with power, good luck, fertility and rain. They use to dwell in rivers, lakes, seas, they roam the skies and control weather ("Raya and the last dragon" provides good and simple examples of this folkloristic creatures and their legendary powers).
It's not farfetched to see the nod between the Dragon King and the presence in FFVII Wutai of Leviathan, a dragon-like summon that could be achieved in the OG after completing the Pagoda side quest, and that serves as Wutai guard water-deity.
Leviathan was introduced for the first time in the franchise in Final Fantasy II as a monster, while with Final Fantasy III it became a recurrent Summon associated to water, often known as "Sea King" or "Lord of all Waters". The name comes from the homonymous demoniac creature, a fearsome evil sea serpent of the Middle Eastern mythology that symbolizes chaos. FFVII Leviathan preservs just the name of this biblical reference but embodies perfectly the iconography and symbolism of Chinese Longs. Indeed the village is built on a big river.
(from the Fort Tamblin section of Crisis Core: Leviathan fountain on the left, and Wutais banners, depicting a serpentine creature wrapped around a sword, on the right)
As we said before, there's a huge sculpture carved in the side of the mountain facing the town, called "Da-Chao statue", a water deity.
It's hard to establish the real etymology of its name, since it's written in katakana (ダチャオ), but it could come from the chinese
This word exists also in Japanese (pronounced oosho) and it could be roughly translated also as "big tide" (spring tide is a phenomenon occurring twice a month during full moon and new moon, when Earth, Sun and Moon are aligned, affecting tide's range that reaches its maximum). Worth noting that Leviathan can perform "Tidal Wave".
The statue is also formed by four figures. It could be a loose reference to the myth of the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas: during a period of drought the four dragon managed to make it rain without the permission of the Jade Emperor, so he punished them imprisoning them all under a mountain, where the dragons decided to turn themselves in rivers.
The group has to use the "Scales of the Sea God" (or Leviathan scales) to extinguish the fire in the cave on Da-Chao mountain, and the item can only be found in Junon underwater reactor, which could refer to the legendary Dragon King that lived in an underwater palace.
Alternatively, since the central statue has four arms (six in the pagoda version), it could be a refernce to a Buddhist guard deity called Mahakala (derived from the Hindu Shiva). Notably, this deity is associated - at least in China - with sexuality and fertility, and Don Corneo made his last despicable attempt to choose a girl between Elena and Yuffie on this statue.
From Ultimania Omega: in the guest room there's a painting representing four Buddhist figures and a six-arm deity in the middle.
Among the enemies that can be found on Mount Da-Chao, there's Garuda (ガルーダ) a Hindu and Buddhist creature, while in Crisis Core there's another set of recurrent enemies called "Vajradhara", related to Buddhism as well, while the Wutaian organization "Crescent Unit" could refer to the lunar phases and so be linked to the aforementioned meaning of Da-Chao.
-
During the pagoda side quest, after which the the group receives Leviathan summon materia, Yuffie is forced to fight five warriors, one for each stage of the building.
The names of these fighters probably come from the names of western playwrights, with the ecception of Yuffie's father, whose name is anyway related to theatre:
Gorkii -> Maxim Gorky
Shake -> William Shakespeare
Chekhov -> Anton Chekhov
Staniv -> Constantin Stanislavsky
Godo -> Godot
In Japanese, each one of them has a different way of speaking.
This odd relation with theatre could be explained by the fact that the chinese word "wutai" (same tones) can be written in two different ways:
The word 舞台 (butai) in Japanese specifically means "theatre stage" or "theatre setting".
The inspiration for this part of the game could be the traditional Japanese Noh theatre. Usually Noh plays are composed of five standalone pieces selected from five different categories, and many of the plays include shapeshifting creatures.
As stated before, Godo is the only fighter whose name is not that of a playwright but a fictional character, Godot. It could be linked to the fact that the word ゴドー in Japanese is homophone to 悟道, a Buddhist term referring to the path to the enlightment.
As a boss, Godo becomes a monster that, in my opinion, is a reference to Asuras, Hindu demigods with three faces and four arms that appear also in Buddhism. In the latter, it is traditionally told that Asuras were dismissed by the heavenly world they shared with gods, which could be a loose reference to Wutai losing the war (in this case "Godo" could be linked also to the English "God").
-
Finally: Yuffie Kisaragi.
Yuffie is not a real name, especially not a Japanese one since the sound fi doesn't exist in that language. The only real-life connection I could find is a very similar Chinese female name, Yufei 雨霏, whose meaning is something like "happy even though it rains", which fits her personality.
Kisaragi is often mistankenly translated as February but in reality 如月 was the old name for the second month of the Japanese lunar calendar that, traditionally, marked the beginning of spring.
I'm totally clueless about the meanings of Melphie and Sonon's names.
-
Sadly I haven't found any hint about what could be the origin of Da-Chao beans, nor any further reason behind the name of "Fort Tamblin" (タンブリン->tambourine).
If anybody has suggestions or corrections they'll be very well appreciated!
Hi! I see many FFVII fans having great difficulties to accept Crisis Core as a legit canon entry of the compilation. Many of its scenes are often dismissed as fanservice or lazy copy&paste of the OG, and many lament that this game ruined the personalities of the characters. What do you think about it? Thanks!
Thanks for the ask!
I often think of this quote from one of my favorite shows, and even in the case of evaluating entertainment, I wish people would often think about this in how they move forward in discussions:
“If you stop seeing the world in terms of what you like and what you dislike, and saw things for what they truly are in themselves—you would find a great deal more peace in your life.”
— Patrick Jane, The Mentalist S2Ep.6
Without trying to sound too dismissive of people's free opinions, a lot of this type of commentary either doesn't come from a good, foundational understanding of canon or a more clearer-headed, objective understanding of the content within and of itself. Especially with the perspective of the writers and what they essentially wanted to achieve. The idea of everyone having their own personal takes is the way of being human, but once we enter discussions online, this becomes more like a plague that spreads and creates/shapes even more misunderstandings.
I've seen many things over the years so I can't exactly pinpoint everything, but the most direct is that there's no point in time where Crisis Core hasn't been a legitimate, canonical entry in the FFVII canon. There isn't any room for debate on that if we're talking about the FFVII canon as seriously as possible—you'd be having a laugh otherwise. Now, the evaluation of its actual materials? That's just the difference in why people say the things they do, spectrums between agendas, personal feelings, or inclinations with trouble accepting things that otherwise would cause them conflict. We can't allow these things to dismiss our understanding of storytelling, to dismiss the fact that, while a multitude of things can be included in any content that is simply there to be entertaining, this doesn't always reflect its actual nature in regards to canonicity, or to dismiss the prospects that the Compilation isn't just extra stories of the FFVII, but is a DEVLEOPMENT of the world first established—we need to be able to look at the growth and application of this content from a practical perspective, and if we're having discussions, try to be a bit more objective when making a point to another. The game sure isn’t perfect, in whatever standard that could ever be, but the conclusions reached like you mentioned are by people who don’t help things get done. Calling the game "fanservice" or disregarding intentional parallels as "lazy copy & paste" without looking at the context of WHY it was made—we're not going to get anything done.
That's why certain discourses in this fandom, lasting decades long, doesn't get done, and never will until people change the way they think about things and why.
We need to make the most of the time we have—to live our lives the way we wanna live. Every minute...every moment, matters.
(Source)
-
I was thinking about this part of Trace of Two Pasts and its potential future implications:
There might come a day where she would no longer be 'the last descendant of the Cetra'.
No wonder that so many people got excited at the idea that perhaps this is an hint that Remake takes place in an alternate timeline where Aerith may survive and have kids.
Is she thinking to Cloud as a feasible partner? Maybe, I wouldn't exclude part of the intent here is to set up a future insight on Aerith's romantic feelings.
However I find this part extremely intersting for a different reason, and considering it into an overall view of the story, I'm guessing if the real intention of the writer wasn't to set part of the foundation of a greater theme of FFVII.
I think it's safe to assume that both Trace of Two Pasts and Picturing the Past, despite being purposedly written to enrich the narrative of Remake, are meant to expand the story and its characters as a whole. In other words, these two novels fit both the OG and the Remake, whether the latter is going to have a different ending or not (not going to discuss this here), nothing clashes with the original plot. No mentions of Whispers or glimpses of the future, just an insight and a modernization of the characters' backstories.
As regards the OG we already know what happens to Aerith:
In an extremely short span of time she endures a lot of internal struggles and development.
First of all she's torn between her human and Cetra sides. It's more my personal interpretation for now, but I think that Aerith tried for years to set aside her Cetra heritage. Being the last one, the special one, always turned out to be a negative thing. Her mother endured terrible experimentations that lead her to death, she had to live imprisoned and alone for years and even when she started living in Sector 5 with Elmyra she was constantly under surveillance, all this because of this uniqueness. Her special powers made her the strange one, who could hear voices and perceive people dying, and Aerith didn't want all this, she wanted to be as normal as any other girl. She wanted to work, to ejoy life, to be happy and free. But whenever her powers would have awaken again Shinra was ready to take her back to its labs. This unexpected journey forced her to learn about her heritage and accept the fact that her wish to be human couldn't overshadow her Cetra responsibility. And when she fully accepts herself, her powers and consciousness finally resurface.
Moreover she has to face her inner turmoir concerning her feelings. The boy she loved is dead, although she's unaware of the reason why he didn't come back to her 5 years before, and now she needs to understand what Cloud really means for her. He bears similarities with Zack yet he's not Zack and she perceives there's something different under his cold surface. And she finally resolves she wants to take a step forward and meet the real Cloud, wherever it may lead.
But all these quick realizations break off in the worst way possible. After more or less one week Sephiroth kills her. The White Materia falls in the waters of the Forgotten City and as far as we know it loses all its powers and becomes useless.
In this case those lines would...end in nothing but just stress on Aerith's will to be a normal human girl? The usual and obnoxious "red herring" that often fans apply to Aerith's character arc, as if everything concerning her feelings and expectations for the future were just a literary device to make her death hit harder?
I think there's something more.
Let's be clear, even IF the Remake will take a different direction than the OG and leave Aerith live, I think there are no chances Meteor won't be summoned. If anything because it's...the symbol of the story itself, it may sound simplistic but it's a matter of fact.
On a deeper level I'd point out that the symbolic dualism between Aerith and Sephiroth - that later will lead to Holy vs Meteor - has already been abundantly shown in Remake part 1. Aerith and Sephiroth are the two key characters with knowledges about a post AC future, they both present features and motivations that stem from Case of Lifestream Black and White. I'd say this is also a good reason to believe Aerith's fate can't be changed because her role as Sephiroth's counterbalance is set in stone, and I think this is quite the point of this character, accepting to be the embodiment of the spirit of rebirth and preservation, the true Cetra against the fake Cetra, the son of Jenova, who symbolizes oblivion and destruction. The yin and the yang of the FFVII universe, while Cloud, a completely normal human being who happens to be both the "living legacy" of a hero related to Aerith and the perfect Sephiroth clone, is in an unsteady balance between these two forces.
But I'm getting off topic.
Contextualizing that line in the original flow of events, I think it can take a way deeper meaning and the answer is already before our very eyes.
Common human beings descend from the Cetras, yet lost all their powers. They can be considered as a bad evolution, a sort of involution due to the loss of the connection with Nature in favour of an easier materialistic life.
This lifestyle culminated with the creation of Midgar (deriving from the epic Midgard, the "realm of humankind") and the reactors that suck the lifeblood of the Planet itself in exchange of comfortable lives.
The Cetras managed to save the Planet from the Calamity from the Sky at the cost of their own lives, and now humanity is draining the Planet of its most precious element, reactors are turning the Lifestream in a tainted substance that causes the rapid growth of monsters. Even without Sephiroth and Jenova, the planet would die prematurely. Groups of dissenters joined into Avalanche to try to stop this process in an aggressive way that caused deaths and destruction as well, the salvation of the Planet often turned as a pretext to take revenge against Shinra.
Holy is the ultimate resort, whose role is not only to contrast Meteor but to cleanse the Planet of all threats. And this kind of parasiting humankind would be doomed for sure if it were not for this little group of people, each one on their own internal journey to discover and embrace the importance of preserving the Planet and the Lifestream. Aerith is the lead of this journey of rediscovery (and self-rediscovery) that she passes on all the others after her death.
No one but a delicate yet strong flower girl finally saves the Planet leading the Lifestream to support Holy and reject Meteor, and the Planet decides to give humanity a second chance.
The price is high though, during the following two years people struggle to start over. The survivors of Meteorfall are now decimated by Geostigma and Aerith alone can't stop Sephiroth's plans. Geostima affects especially children, those who didn't die because of the disease got under the control of the Remnants. The only kid who seems to be spared is Marlene, the one who more than anyone else carries on Aerith's legacy.
It has been rumored more than once that Marlene could be a Cetra. I'm starting to guess if the point could actually be that Marlene is instead a human girl who has learnt, through her special bond with Aerith, how to find that lost connection with the Planet that drew the line between humans and Cetras.
Sephiroth tried to rise again using kids, parasiting their minds to find the remains of Jenova; the same way Aerith announced Sephiroth's defeat through the kids, asking them to wait for Cloud to come back from the Lifestream. Hundreds of kids are framed enlightened by a warm light while they get to the church, Marlene and Denzel in the lead.
Not causally the name of the movie is Advent Children, and not causally Crisis Core and the Remake kept linking her to children.
I think that this is what that line is hinting. Not a biological kid to whom physically give the globe of White materia, but a new generation aware of what has to be done to deserve the survival allowed by the Planet, conscious of the importance to preserve the cycle of life. People willing to find the lost connection with nature and live in harmony with it.
Aerith's living legacy.
Just my two cents.
"With you by my side, I'll never give up no matter how bad it gets."
According to the short story "Picturing the past" the people in black cloacks (aka the Sephiroth clones) have the tendency to reunite at the Sector 7 train graveyard.
The train graveyard is located next to Sector 7 station, the place where Tifa found Cloud right before the beginning of the game.
The meeting with Tifa triggered the creation of Cloud's alter ego: SOLDIER-Cloud.
It may be just a coincidence but this mural is exactly in front of the station and next to the train graveyard
"Use your imagination"
"Shoot for the stars"
Such nice details!
Aerith’s Farewell Monologue at FF 30th Anniversary Exhibition hinting FF7R
The event, entitled “Farewell Stories Exposition,” was held from January 22 to February 28, 2018 in the Mori Arts Center Gallery in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo. It will reportedly feature interactive exhibits featuring various “farewell stories” from the Final Fantasy series, including recreated locations and augmented reality. Final Fantasy VII’s exhibit is described as follows:
Aerith met a tragic death in the story of the original game. In this exhibition, the “Sector 5 Church” where Aerith and the protagonist Cloud first met will be recreated. Freely walk around the inside of the church while listening to a monologue of Aerith’s memories specially recorded for this exhibition. Additionally, never before seen image boards for the long-awaited Final Fantasy VII Remake and more will also be on display.
Scenario by Kazushige Nojima, voice-over by Maaya Sakamoto
Let’s analyze her monologue with official translation below:
(1) “I hate the sky, it carries away everyone I Iove” Confirmed by Nomura in FF7R Ultimania as this line is voiced up in FF7R ending. This is because the sky represents losing everyone she loved, including Zack, as CC ending depicts a scene of his spirit soaring to the sky / heaven with Angeal picking him up. Let’s forget OG that depicted she’s unaware of his death. Aerith is Cetra and she could sense it–CC showed us and it doesn’t contradict her sensing Elmyra’s husband passing away. (2) “This is a strange place. Flowers bloom all year long. The seasons never change–my feelings never change. I’m stuck.” I think ‘strange place’ refers to the church. Maybe at first she feel close to planet there despite denying her Cetra ability, place she can detach herself. But then, since that day it was also the place where she always meet him. Nomura stated in CC interviews at Dengeki, that Zack always headed straight to the church whenever something comes up. Her feeling lingers there and she’s stuck. (3) "That’s it. I give up! I can’t stop thinking of you. Ugh, I can’t stand this!” Honestly, all these lines aren’t arranged by order and I don’t know which the right order is. Is this line spoken up during years he’s absent? Or during months after Zack’s death? Or, is it still last even after FF7R ending? The implication would be different. (4) “Helloooo~ Wake up. It’s almost morning.” Pretty clear. Both Zack and Cloud crashed into her church in the same way, talk in their sleep, and she wakes them up in the same way, too. (5) “Don’t step on the flower.” Pretty clear. Aerith scolded Zack, and Reno & Cloud when they are fighting. (6) “Sometimes I see someone who has the same eye. Same as you, I mean. And I wonder, should I ask: do you know him? do you know where he is?” Pretty clear. FF7R change the playground scene different from OG, and this is an explicit reference from Crisis Core. JP lines are even the exact same words for words like when she stared at Zack’s eyes. She even has asked Cloud in Sector 5 if he had any SOLDIER friend or war buddy. (7) “I know goodbye will be hard. But when I think of meeting someone new, I still get so excited. It’s cruel.” I think this is Aerith struggling with her feeling between Zack and Cloud. She knew she has to “Gotta move forwards, not back” as she stated in the playground, but it’s so damn hard that she might have this motivation conflicted for so long even before meeting Cloud. Aerith also stopped walking forward a while when Zack in another timeline passed her by. We knew in the future, she would meet more people… Yuffie, Vincent, Cid. Would she say goodbye again to Zack at that spot? (8) “Stamp… Stamp! Guess, you’re gone too.” We know that the Stamp in Zack’s survival timeline has changed, but does her line refer to the old Stamp? Or just Stamp in general that could make Cloud get buzz on his head ‘cause it represent Zack when Barret mention it? (9) “Things won’t last forever. Sure, it’s lonely. It’s sad. But I can say "bye” with a smile, right?“ She doesn’t say "bye” to Zack with a smile. I guess this fits the narration in optional dream sequence in chapter 14, as well as the next dream Cloud will get that she goes to Forgotten City alone. (10) “You came. Thank you, I’m glad. But you’re already….” I’m not sure about this. Does this represent the time she prays in Forgotten City that Cloud comes to her but he’s under Sephiroth’s control? Or does this represent a future event in the next installment about her reunion with the Zack who survives and she knew he’s supposed to be dead? Or does this refer to the optional dream sequence that she’s aware Cloud isn’t himself? Too many interpretations. (11) “You’re so far now. I’m so far from you. Oh, I’m rising. The sky is carrying me away. I can see you, you’re crying. Don’t cry, you’ll make it rain.” Cloud gets a future vision where we saw he drops a single tear and this line is 100% her farewell to Cloud when it happened. But…. Is the line foreshadowing her death that would be different from OG? We know in OG, she’s sunk down to the bottom of the lake in Forgotten City. But with all of these lines above correlated with FF7R, we’d probably get her death similar to Kadaj in AC as Cloud holds his dying body… her spirit (like Zack, not her body like Kadaj) then soar to the sky and both scenes are raining (although the Kadaj one is raining from Great Gospel as she heals geostigma around Edge). Her death should happen in the place where the open sky can be clearly seen (whether it’s clear blue or cloudy with rain), and Forgotten City doesn’t fit the definition as it’s surrounded by sleeping forest. If Zack was taken by Angeal and Kadaj was taken by Aerith, I guess Aerith would be taken by Zack here (either showing his glove’s hand like Angeal did in CC or with his voice like Aerith did in AC). And the monologue above would be spoken up later, similar to Zack in CC when he watch over Cloud dragging Buster Sword to Midgar. Or maybe, her death would still happen in Forgotten City but SE now use new meta of the death. So, we would see her soul is separated away as Cloud is laying her body to the lake. It doesn’t mean Aerith is still alive when the party fight Jenova Boss tho′, remember Zack died longer before the sky set the sun to show his spirit goes to the sky.
——
This Aerith’s farewell story above can have two meanings:
75% her farewell to Zack (as he died before her), start with him
25% her farewell to Cloud (as she died in front of him), end with him
Why the portion is different? Well, Zack took ‘1.5 years active relationship + 4 years writing 89 letters + 3 months grieving his death’ in her life while Cloud take 2-3 weeks of them being together in her journey.
1/3 Compliments for your posts, I totally agree. If that, to some extent, is a common tendency of every fandom, it can be said that FFVII one is overly crazy. Zack is another good example of how people try to force the most desperate excuses to deprive a character of its importance because they don't like the consequences of his role.
2/3 "He's just an NPC with insignificant screetime! His scenes are even optional!" So why SE decided to make him the protagonist of a standalone game of the compilation? How can it even be labelled as fan service if he is so irrelevant in the first place? It doesn't take much to realize that without Zack FFVII can't even start in the first place, but before Remake a consistent part of fans even denied CC canonicity. And some are still not convinced.
3/3 It's funny because I've never seen anyone complaining about Cid's behaviour toward Shera but tons of scenes and quotes taken out of context to prove that Zack, Tifa or Aerith are mean characters and should be cut out of the picture. That's pretty self-explanatory of how much people tend to insert themselves in one of the two romantic sub-plots and take it personally, ignoring that neither is the core of the story but they both play a role in the plot. SE really has a tough nut to crack!
They most certainly do, and I would like to believe they aren't taking into consideration all this ridiculous discourse, and just concentrate on their writing. Maybe it helps that, at least from my observation, the JPN side of the fandom doesn't go on about the same stuff we do—at least from these extreme angles.
Zack is another interesting one, and at that point I'd have to have someone define what they exactly mean by "fan-service". The way people view this too, can be strange. Saying Zack was a plot device in the first OG is pretty accurate role-wise, despite being an important one, and I always considered CC to be for the purpose of making up for his characterization by digging into who he was and what his story did for the series. Pretty standard prequel, in this way, with the creative freedom to add more layers not previously known. This is...pretty typical for many franchises. I always felt like, CC is what would've been reminiscent in the OG if the issues of his late development (as a character) and focus in the story had more time. No matter if someone likes it or not, the objective understanding still comes from recognizing its place in continuity and the impact it has on the wider narrative of FFVII—Zack's character literally is written to do this. It's just storytelling. Something that does this is no more fan-service than anything else that's created for an audience and actually has an importance to the story. If CC is fan-service, so is OG, AC (or the separate Complete version), or the Remake. Even if you find it "unnecessary", Zack's character and his story don't abide by this connotation.
Which like, that starts a conversation on the whole "need" ideal that fans have about supplemental materials or extended storytelling, which sort of connects to this based on the "This character or story isn't needed for THIS story!". The issue being that, I think a person's "point of refence" of necessity is off—what they're basing the need for and to. Zack, and all the previously mentioned posts for Tifa, Kairi, Kristoff, etc.—it's like I said, someone an just have a perspective that can write off characters, but that's literally just changing the story, and coming from a point of reference that is just off.
We shouldn't always base an entries "need" in totality only from a reference point of a previous work. This just doesn't always equate to the value of said entry. Any sequel that isn't following a cliffhanger of its predecessor can be deemed "unnecessary" then, by this logic, but obviously it would be beyond trivial to mark any story that continues to extend the storytelling of a world and its characters as this for....what, exactly? To just put it down? The funny thing about CC, is that it IS necessary if your intention is to understand more about that missing slate of the story and to understand Zack's character in more depth.