Final Fantasy Rebirth Spoilers - Tumblr Posts

I finally finished Rebirth yesterday and I have so many thoughts most are good but there is one big negative one.

I'll start with the bad. That ending. I was not happy with the ending, yes I'm upset we won't play with Aerith in the third game (I'll call it Reunion for ease) but more that it was such a cop out. She's both alive and dead?! Bruh... just pick a side. Instead of being elated or heartbroken I literally sat there saying "Huh??? Wait so is she dead or not??" It had no impact to me and I was frustrated instead of whatever emotion they wanted us to feel. I'm not even excited to play Reunion, I will to complete the story and see how they go with the world's uniting again thing Zack said but im not optimistic.

Now onto the good! Everything else was flawless, I loved the characterization throught the game. The banter, the growth, the fact that they are actually friends, and you see it! The combat was amazing, I loved seeing the synergy abilities and combos, it had me playing characters I never would to see the moves. I'm not sure how popular it is but I really liked the relationship system (I got red for my date funny enough lol I was really trying to not get aerith or tifa). The world also seems so alive, seeing the various cities and the destruction that Shinra brought but also the good they can do. The 7th infantry being a highlight for Shinra for me (my boys 😭😭😭) and the Turks oh how I love to hate them, they made them so much more evil in this than in the 1997 game where they were just kinda goofy failures (imo, it has been a while). Sephiroth brings out such a rage in me and I love it, I feel so inspired to bring him down.

Anyway it's a fantastic game 9/10 except for that ending.

My post game AU

!Warning spoilers for Rebirth ahead!

Canon differences:

Aerith asked Tifa out on the Shinra 8 and their first date was in Costa

Cloud went on his "date" with Red while the girls had their own date

Tifa helped save Aerith by leveraging Cloud's sword to deflect Sephiroth's blade

Aerith was saved but has a scar on her back from where masamune grazed her

^approximate scar locations for the girls

Post game:

As a reward the Planet revives/heals several loved ones for the gang; Ifalna, Myrna, Seto, Brian Lockhart, the Avalanche trio, Zack, Sonon, & Claudia Strife

Aerith and Tifa live in the plains outside of Kalm where Aerith grows a variety of flowers and vegetables

Tifa works in Kalm as a bartender and eventually comes to own the bar

Cloud and Jessie reunited and finally have their date

They never truly settle, but Jessie picks up acting gigs at the Saucer while Zack and Cloud are traveling mercenaries (though Cloud tends to stay near Corel)

Barret and Myrna pick up where they left off and she helps him reintegrate into Corel's society where they both work to improve the town

Marlene is skeptical of Mryna at first but warms to her quickly, she has a brief depressive period when they have a son but Barret reassures her that she isn't a lesser member of the family

With Seto returned to flesh, he takes time to connect with his son and really teach him about their history and how proud he is.

They work together to find a cure for the Gi

Claudia settles down in Corel wanting to remain close to Cloud and also not wanting to return to Nibelheim

Brian and Ifalna settle near Kalm as well (separately they just live near each other)

Ifalna helps Aerith learn about her culture and helps out with the plant business

Brian works as a farm hand at Bill's

Tifa and Jessie were the ones to propose, Aerith said yes before Tifa finished and Cloud thought Jessie was joking (but said yes once it was cleared up)

The kids:

Rosalind Ifalna Gainsborough-Lockhart: goes by Rosie, the older of the twins, black hair and green eyes, she takes more after Aerith physically and in personality but has very little connection to the Planet and magic so she learned Zangan martial arts and the Bo staff, she was a very sick child her parents thought she wouldn't make it into adulthood, while very outgoing she suffers from self-confidence issues and often puts herself down, she is shorter than Lily and hates it (~5'4" while Lily is ~5'8") the twins have middle names because their moms couldn't decide what names they wanted so they gave them names to honor their mothers and flower like names at Aerith's request

Lillian Thea Gainsborough-Lockhart: goes by Lily to her friends and Lillian to everyone else, the younger twin, brown hair and red-brown eyes she takes more after Tifa, she is nearsighted and wears glasses, not as physical as her sister she gained a higher affinity with magic and their Cetra bloodline, she uses bracelets and finger claws just incase an enemy gets too close, she prefers tai chi since it is not combat focused but can perform some basic strikes, seeing the suffering her sister went through caused her to mature faster than her parents wanted from her but she never regrets helping take care of her sister, serious and quiet she often comes off as cold and emotionless but truly cares about all life and has a dry sense of humor, she is very sure of herself and her abilities so she tries her best to raise up her sister whenever possible, they developed a fighting style to synergize her magic with Rosie's physical abilities

Dyne Wallace: Born shortly after the events of the game making him the oldest of the kids, very much takes after his father in personality and physicality but decided to have long hair that his mother loves to style, around 6'4", he is more humble than his dad but still over the top and goofy, not a fighter at all he wants to become an ecological preservationist, becomes an older brother figure for the twins and Cloud's daughter, though he is easily convinced to make mischief

Claire Strife: Born the same year as the twins coincidentally, soft blond hair and brown eyes she looks like her dad but has her mother's personality, about 5'6", to Cloud's excitement she shows no interest in fighting and wants to become a performer like her mom though she is very skilled with the buster sword, she develops a crush on Lily (which is reciprocated) but neither of them are convinced the other likes them, she has a very close relationship with both of her grandmothers and loves to cook with them

Might add more later but add your own thoughts if you'd like!