Cloud X Aerith - Tumblr Posts

Her hair is so beautiful 🥹

Ya know I really love how ambiguous Rebirth is in terms of shipping, like I ship Aerith and Tifa and throught the game I was like "dang this kinda fruity, cant wait for the fanfics/art" I also saw more than plenty for the Aerith/Cloud, Tifa/Cloud, heck even some Yuffie/Cloud (of the one sided pining variety). Picking Barret or Red in the play is just gold, they get all cute and blushy. All the interactions are so good that it fits just about any ship you could want. Can't forget to mention all the buff dudes gripping Clouds tiny feminine waist like the slut he is (joking). I just love the interactions in this game so much

Nothing is what is seems, not anymore, but this was real. It wasn’t an illusion or a lie.

These two… they broke me. 

Cloud / Aerith

Mr. & Mrs. Strife wedding sketch that my sister @el-yom drew. 

☁ ♥ ✿

Aerith: You worry too much! I’m not some princess who needs coddling.

Aerith: Shit!

Calling all Clerith’s — post your favorite fanart so we can return the Clerith tag to normal!

Cloud and Aerith ❤️

Beautifully said! Honestly, this summed up perfectly what I could never say about what I love about this beautiful pairing! ❤️

hi! i saw you arguing about how zerith and cloti shippers often demean the women in the pairings by saying they 'belong' to the men (and i agree). i know you're a clerith shipper, but i was wondering if you could help me pinpoint why people saying aerith is cloud's 'default' interest makes me feel the same? like she's somehow lesser or inferior. it feels like an insult to her, instead of somehow making her or the ship seem better or more supported. the argument is...uncomfortable

Hi! If I’m understanding you correctly, you’re saying that people will say Aerith is Cloud’s ‘default’ love interest in the game as a form of evidence in support of Clerith. 

If that’s the case, that is an incredibly weak and lazy piece of evidence. I think just the existence of Cloud and Aerith is enough evidence, but let me explain why I have always supported Clerith. Cloud and Aerith are so similar and yet so different. They both grew up in less than ideal situations. They both grew up alone and lonely, during a time when creating relationships and having friends is so important as a child. Cloud develops a superiority and hero complex, enter Tifa, who enables the behavior. We know Cloud is not the typical hero, and quite frankly, he is in no position to play hero. He’s not always very good at it, so when he fails, it becomes even more detrimental to his self-esteem. 

Aerith refuses to play the damsel, insisting she’s not a princess who needs to be coddled and saved, even when she could definitely use the help. But, Cloud and Aerith save each other, and Aerith is more than capable of keeping up with Cloud. We see this in battle and throughout their time in the Colosseum. Also, Cloud doesn’t have this silly ‘promise’ to always save her lingering in the back of his mind at all times. Aerith does not rely on Cloud. She has her own dreams and aspirations apart from Cloud. She can save herself and she can save Cloud and she’s happy to do both. 

Cloud doesn’t respect Aerith when they first meet. Cloud doesn’t really respect anyone when we first meet him. It’s all about the paycheck for him. But, we very quickly see, during their time on the rooftops together that Cloud grows to respect Aerith, arguably more than any other character in the game. She laughs off his backhanded comments and it becomes a game between the two. It becomes their way of communicating and their way of joking with one another. This is healthy behavior, as long as it’s not one-sided.

They poke fun at one another, because they know it won’t hurt the other’s feelings. This brings a sense of comfort to Cloud. He can relax and be himself around Aerith. He doesn’t have to worry about opening his mouth at the wrong time or saying the wrong thing. He doesn’t have to worry about being scolded for not being nice enough. We have to remember that the developers told us that Cloud still has the mentality of a sixteen year old boy. Sixteen year old boys are not ‘nice.’ They can be sarcastic bullies who often pick on those they have crushes on the most. 

Aerith doesn’t let him get away with his sarcasm and bullying. She laughs it off or gives it right back to him. He starts to see Aerith as an equal. Aerith has to learn patience with Cloud. She’s impulsive and typically says whatever’s on her mind. Cloud is incredibly socially awkward, to a point where he doesn’t even know how or care to high-five anyone. Cloud grows with Aerith. Once they’re in Wall Market, I think she forgets herself a little, and starts pushing Cloud hard. But ultimately, he agrees because he knows Aerith won’t judge him and he has her support. Before Wall Market, Aerith doesn’t push Cloud.

There are two very important character defining moments for Cloud during his time with Aerith. The flowers and the high-five - neither of which Aerith tells him to do. She doesn't tell him to scold the flowers for her. She doesn’t even think he’ll believe her. Knowing Cloud, he probably doesn’t believe her. But, he can see she’s upset and he can see how important this is to her, so he listens while she talks and he scolds them for upsetting her. This is so important in a relationship. You don’t have to share everything in common, but you should respect your partner’s interests, even if they don’t interest you. 

Aerith doesn’t ever say a word to Cloud about him not high-fiving her, but she also doesn’t hide her emotions very well either, which is good for Cloud. As someone who is clearly socially inept in some regard, Cloud needs someone who will tell him or show him how they actually feel. He can’t necessarily read between the lines. She frowns and sighs when he doesn’t reciprocate and he looks at his hand and clearly shows signs of confusion. Part of me thinks Cloud is wondering if something so simple, that he could do, could actually make her happy and it does. 

Again, Cloud is stuck with this hero complex. He believes he has to save the girl to win her affection. I think Aerith confuses him. Is he actually gaining her affection by just listening to her and spending time with her and high-fiving her? Of course he is! 

One of the most frustrating pieces of ‘evidence’ I see supporting Cloud and Tifa is that they need each other. This is so unhealthy. You should never need a single person. They should be a form of support, but they should not be your only support. What happens when that relationship ends? You’ve lost your only support and you’ll crumble. Tifa is essentially a representation of all of Cloud’s past failures. Aerith and Cloud need to move on from their pasts and that doesn’t make them cowards and that’s not unhealthy. They both had terrible pasts and sometimes in order to move on, you have to keep looking forward, not back, as Aerith described it. 

Long story short, Cloud is the quiet, stoic, thoughtful type and Aerith is the vocal, eccentric, opinionated type. They completely balance each other out. Cloud pulls Aerith back, when she needs to be pulled back, and Aerith pushes Cloud forward out of his comfort zone, when he needs to be pushed forward. They don’t need each other, but they want each other. Cloud and Aerith’s relationship is the textbook definition of perfect, whether it’s romantic or not, it would be successful.

I could go on and on and on, but I won’t. I hope this helps answer your question! If not, let me know! I’m always happy to chat! Be well! :) 

Cloud & Aerith : Timeless

Barrer & Tifa : Longing

«So my feelings are not real, hmm?»

Cloud x Aerith: A Love Story

Cloud Strife: Here I met a Flower Girl.

She’s a girl with impressive eyes.  She’s around my age, or elder by one or two years.  But the innocent radiance in her eyes simply makes her suddenly look younger.

Aerith Gainsborough: “Excuse me, what happened?” 

She asked me the question, and then I bought a flower from her, which is rare in Midgar. Maybe she’s pleased that the flower was sold, because the worried look on her face had vanished. 

If this smile costs only one gil, it is a good purchase. 

~Square Enix; “Final Fantasy VII: Dismantled" 

Shortly after this, Cloud agrees to become Aerith’s bodyguard for the price of a romantic date. This is the typical beginning of a love story: love at first sight, and the hero protecting his heroine (in exchange for a romantic date, nonetheless!)

Afterwards, Cloud and Aerith start developing chemistry together, with Cloud laughing for the first and only time in the game with Aerith. She even convinces Cloud to dress up like a girl! 

Cloud then canonly tells Marlene that he “hopes” Aerith likes him, showing his romantic attraction to Aerith even further. Barret also observes that Aerith is the first person Cloud seems to care for when he decides to rescue her from the Shinra Headquarters. 

Eventually, Cloud subtly let’s slip his romantic feelings to Aerith in Cosmo Canyon, and they share a canon date in Gold Saucer. This is where Cloud’s romantic feelings for Aerith develop even deeper according to Square Enix’s, “For the One I Love” page. 

Despite Aerith’s eventual death, their love transcends traditional boundaries. Cloud associates his Promised Land (his supreme happiness) with Aerith at the end of Final Fantasy VII, and they will one day reunite in the lifestream.

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.” ENGLISH: “Cloud was the woman’s friend, and lover.”

Square Enix; “On the Way to a Smile”

Did you just...?

Nope.

FLOWERS BLOOMING IN THE CHURCH

FINAL FANTASY VII: REMAKE | CLOUD & AERITH [1/2]

“ARE YOU OKAY?”

Full picture on Twitter and Pixiv ❤️‍🔥

Lovers 🔥

Happily married 💍💖

Forehead kiss 💕🌼