What Will You Do Next?

What will you do next?

-Hug

-Give chocolate

-Battle

-Flirt More! (warning!!!)

- Flee

❤

(same rules/ first 10 replies decide next action. (ooo yall flirt too much though))

I can’t remember who started the conversation during an art steam about motorcycles and cars. But I hope you are happy. I can not seem to stop making these now!!

An Undertale racing game would be so amazing. *_*

PAST VS PRESENT: YOUNG LOVE VS EVERLASTING LOVE

When talking about Cloud and Aerith, it’s unavoidable for fans to voice their support of Aerith’s past love, Zack Fair. In fact, a lot of fans still linger on this ship and claim it’s Aerith’s true love. However, Aerith had already gotten over Zack by the time the game started. Theirs was one of a young love – a “puppy love” if you will, that was never meant to last.

Zack falls to the Church of the Slum during his mission and ends up meeting the girl Aerith, who’s trimming flowers. They both feel contented simply with each other’s company; it’s a platonic love. They think these kinds of happy days will last forever, but… ~Zack’s profile; Crisis Core Ultimania

They attract to each other by mutual feelings similar to friendship, because they’re both juvenile, if you call it love… ~Crisis Core Ultimania

They were never serious – Zack and Aerith. Aerith states as much in the game.

Aerith: Just the same as him. Cloud: The same as who?  Aerith: My first boyfriend. Cloud: You were… serious? Aerith: No. But I liked him for a while. Cloud: I probably knew him. What was his name?”  (Aerith shakes her head.) Aerith: It doesn’t really matter. ~FFVII Script

I just have to point out how Cloud seems interested to know whether Aerith and her first boyfriend were serious. The game could have done without it, but the creators of FF7 deemed it was a nice touch to imply Cloud’s romantic interest in Aerith.

You have to admit this happens in fiction and in real life. Yeah, you can argue that even a remotely curious friend could have asked the same thing, but this exchange happened between two characters of the game who have been promoted as people involved in “a love that could never be.”

Another quote about how the relationship wasn’t that serious:

Although called my first love, that doesn’t mean that we became particularly intimate. I encountered him by chance as a flower vendor in Midgar. It was good for a little while, so I thought. ~Aerith’s monologue; Dismantled

So, how was the end of Zack and Aerith’s love affair made known to players? Aerith’s final letter for Zack in Crisis Core.

Aerith: Are you doing well? Where are you? It’s been 4 years. This will be the 89th letter I’ve written but I will not send out any more. I hope that you receive this last letter. Zack! The flowers are selling very well. It makes everyone smile. It’s all thanks to you. Aerith. ~Aerith’s 89th and final letter to Zack; Crisis Core

Zack, the so-called ‘first boyfriend/love’, wasn’t even seriously invested in the relationship.

CLOUD & ZACK IN THE TRUCK:

On the way of escape to Midgar, which girlfriend did Zack plan to ask help from? ~Zack’s info; FFVII Ultimania, p.83 

No offense meant for the ship, but this clearly proves how Zack wasn’t the least bit faithful to Aerith. The quote above implies that Zack had another girlfriend, or more. And we know Zack wasn’t planning on returning to Aerith.

Zack: What’re you gonna do when we get to Midgar? (Cloud continues to bob his head.)  Cloud: ……… (Zack stands.)  Zack: I know what I’m gonna do. (He crosses his arms)  Zack: I got a place I can crash for a while… (He turns to Cloud)  Zack: No wait, the mother lives there, too… (He scratches his head.) Zack: Guess that’s out… (He shakes his head. Cloud continues to bob his.)  Cloud: ……… Zack: Yep… gotta change my plans!

Source: z/erith isn’t canon anymore

You would think that Zack would surely be going back to where Aerith was because he was so in love with her – oh wait, he wasn’t. He’s not even gonna attempt to get back to stay with Aerith because she lived with Elmyra. Taking into consideration what the Ultimania asked about “which girlfriend was Zack planning to ask help from”, this implies that Zack has another girlfriend, definitely not Aerith, he would stay with. This just proves how Zack wasn’t the least bit devoted to Aerith, being the playboy that he was. It was something Aerith was aware of.

“Zack loves women, a real lady’s man” Like what Aerith recalled in FF7, Zack is very good at hitting on girls, and is skilled at flirting. In BC, he used to compliment a female member of Turks during a mission; in CC, he also invited Cissnei, a member from Turks, to dine together. Since “one who steals an egg will steal an ox”, Zack’s girlfriend, Aerith, maybe felt impatient about this….? ~Zack’s info; FFVII Ultimania, p.83

Source: Zack is a playboy and Aerith knew it

Considering all that, once Aerith and Zack saw each other again in the Lifestream, our flower girl gave the playboy a piece of her mind.

Zack: Man, you know Aerith. Out of all the girls I’ve gotten along with, you truly are the best. After that mission, we could’ve stayed the way we were and might have been able to continue to go out with each other after I returned home. I hate Sephiroth. And I hate Shinra who’s been hiding all the stuff they’ve  been doing. Aerith: Someone who’s gotten along with so many girls can never become a lover. Zack: How mean. I’m nice to everyone. Aerith: And that’s your bad point. You’re not simplistic and awkward like Cloud. ~Maiden of the Planet

Aerith knew how much of a ladies’ man Zack was. This may have been the reason she didn’t really take their relationship seriously, although she did remain faithful to him. Enough to send out 89 letters to Zack over the years even after no communication came from him.

The end of the conversation also has Aerith pointing out how Zack’s friendliness with so many females disqualifies him as a lover. When Zack defends himself as a nice person to everyone, Aerith counters it by pointing out that it as his bad point. She also goes on to imply that Cloud’s qualities of being simplistic and awkward make Cloud the better choice.

Aerith further distances herself from Zack in the following conversation:

Zack: But whenever you feel lonely, call me Aerith. Aerith: Only if I get really lonely. Goodnight, Zack. ~Maiden of the Planet

Why am I even mentioning Zack in an essay about Cloud and Aerith’s love? I’ll get to that shortly. First, take a look at the following comments.

Aerith’s first love is Zack, the object of Cloud’s basic personality of being an “ex-SOLDIER”. We could say Cloud’s speaking and acting like Zack is a big reason why Aerith started to have good feelings towards Cloud. ~FFVII Ultimania Omega, pg. 29

“I’m looking for you.”…“So you won’t have a beakdown.” - what Aerith told Cloud had many deep meanings. Aerith detected that the present Cloud is not the real him during their encounters. She knows it because of her mysterious, inherent ability. ~ FFVII Ultimania Omega, pg. 29

When Aerith thinks of Cloud and Zack’s similarities, she sees that the present Cloud is not the real Cloud. Her meaningful lines like, “I’m searching for you” and “I want to meet you” all mean that she has discovered the existence of the real Cloud, although he’s not aware of it himself. ~FFVII Ultimania Omega, pg. 31

“So you won’t have a breakdown..”  Aerith appears in Cloud’s dream, and she seems to console him with such advice. This line can infer that Aerith has seen through to the essence of Cloud.  ~ FFVII Ultimania Omega, pg. 156

I know fans that have held onto the belief that Aerith never got to know the real Cloud, but instead was just seeing Zack in Cloud. On the contrary, Aerith knew how Cloud wasn’t acting much like himself at all and wanted to find the “real” him. And although it was the similarities that initially drew Aerith in, she soon comes to see how different they were and develops genuine interest in Cloud himself, as evidenced by the following quote:

Although in the beginning, Aerith felt close to Cloud because he behaved like Zack, her interest in Cloud himself grows and she is attracted to him. ~FFVII Ultimania Omega, pg. 31

The initial attraction Aerith held towards Cloud grew even deeper, with Aerith falling in love with everything about him. Whatever she had felt for Zack, it doesn’t compare with what Aerith now feels for Cloud.

Aerith was in even greater pain when she thought about Cloud.

She also had good feelings towards him. At first, she thought he somehow had some similarities to her first love. Even so, his looks, voice and personality weren’t similar and he also made her think of him as a mysterious person… But it soon didn’t matter. She loved him much more than her first love. Cloud was her hero and he couldn’t get away from danger. She saw him as someone full of confidence, cool and had the impression that he would disappear in an instant if she took her eyes off him. She wanted to stay by his side forever if she could. She really wanted to. ~Maiden of the Planet

At first when I met Cloud, I believed he was similar to Zack. Little actions, the way he spoke… his kindness. But Cloud is Cloud. I, now undoubtedly, love Cloud much more than Zack. ~Aerith’s monologue in Gongaga; Dismantled

If that wasn’t clear enough, let me repeat it: Aerith’s current feelings of love for Cloud surpasses her past feelings for Zack.

JAPANESE: クラウドは女の友人であり、恋人であり  FRENCH: Cloud avait ete son ami, et son amant GERMAN: Cloud war ihr Freund, ihr Geliebter English translation: Cloud was the woman’s friend, and lover… ~Case of Lifestream: White; Translated from the Japanese, French and German versions

Whether in fiction or in real life, it is not uncommon for a person to be interested in another potential romance because of physical similarities to an old one. There is absolutely no reason for those involved not to recognize how a current attraction differs from the past as they get to know more about each other. So please don’t use Aerith’s observation of the similarities between Cloud and Zack as a case against the fact that Aerith truly fell in love with Cloud as who is really is as the game progressed, especially when Aerith, the very woman whose feelings are questioned, stated as much so many times.

Whatever Zack and Aerith had before, it’s all in the past and Aerith has put it behind her. And despite what the fans of the Z/erith ship would like you to believe, Aerith isn’t the least bit interested in getting back together with him.

Cloud is Aerith’s present and her future, even if that future is one wherein she stays in the Lifestream. Our flower girl is wholly and utterly devoted to her bodyguard. In fact, Aerith will be waiting for Cloud when he finally finds her in the Promised Land.

NOTE: Take this as me setting you up for the essay which will cover Aerith’s selfless love for and devotion to Cloud, which I will get to posting after I lay more of the groundwork.

Sources: [X] ; [X]

That’s why Roxas was drawn to Xion like that, not even knowing what she looked like. (358/2 Days Novel) Remake of this [x]

Another commission~