I forgot to say one of the most important things even though I say it so often and it is part of my texts: You may never forget the context. Let's use a "they said comment xy" example. Now they have a clear intention of what they mean and we think we know it because the sentence alone can be decoded in an easy way. The problem is, that enough things together with their sentence exist and that they are actually meant to be related to it by whoever said it and which should actually help to understand the intended context. This is not a Final Fantasy VII issue. This is an issue of communication in general. Ah, I guess that's enough now.
Crap, I wrote it in my own profile. Um, no. Square and Square Enix is the same company. A company is the people not just a name (no matter who leaves or how many join, except you mean "it is not them" metaphorically, I guess you know I am very strict about those words) and despite some of them having left the important story writers or people involved in it are still there. Kazushige Nojima, Yoshinori Kitase, Tetsuya Nomura and Motomu Toriyama are and always were here to tell the story. I also don't know what "seems" for you, when I say it is only canonical when it is stated and that is simply a fact of law and intellectual property. Not to mention Aerith's line always appeared in canon and the thing you think - and was never used like you think - was not even written by the main writer. By now you should know I do know Japanese very well (though it would not be useful when I am one side of the conversation, I guess) and they never said it is up to us. I could give you a full summary of the official material including interviews were they show both Tifa and Aerith's side and those things just exist. Not to mention, to not say something about an Aerith line now, Tetsuya Nomura once said (can be proven) he doesn't know what happened with Cloud and Tifa relationship-wise after Final Fantasy VII ended and that On the Way to a Smile shows that they, no matter Aerith being alive or not, can't get along really well. For me personally I don't think so as I think they also would be happy someday but again, it is not up to me. You can't say there is no obvious answer when the official material shows it. This means you would be ignoring it and then you would ignore Final Fantasy VII itself making the story for you non-existent. The problem is that you think "truths" can actually be seen differently, but they can't. Not the very direct way I am talking about. No matter how we rate it, we are having this conversation. No matter how you call it and how fast it is, our world is spinning. No matter how we call it you are not me and I am not you. That is also a truth that is exactly like this in its core. It does not matter what words we use. The state of truth very well stays the same and when it is contradicting it can't be. You insist on saying "they never do, it is intended" but this is just by ignoring things that are intended. Planning something and then deciding something else are also not the same thing. It was even first thought (by Tetsuya Nomura) Advent Children could be interpreted a bit more but instead On the Way to a Smile and the Ultimania Omega, official Compilation material, were released to answer everything necessary as you can see. I have shown you in the forum multiple things from official stuff that always was and is intended and leaves the answers, such as Tetsuya Nomura once said (about the questions of Final Fantasy VII in general) and no matter how much has been written to that now, it will always be here. There is no "personally" for me, because I know that Cloud loves them both. The story shows it and the Ultimania says it. And when it comes to the extent, it is also shown how much. The story even shows that he doesn't fully realize his feelings for both of them which is the reason why the player himself has other textboxes or actions that while not saying "I love you" (which Cloud has had the chance to say because Tifa asked him in On the Way to a Smile and he couldn't answer still of course he does to an extent) directly give the needed information and while ton of material was released to pretty much decode every single line (not only of this part of the story but all important parts). I really would love to quote all of the material but I have the feeling it will be no good meaning you dismiss Final Fantasy VII as it is (something we cannot do, fanon is nothing to canon such as the car will always be there in my explanation, you could say I am a fan of our world but the canon is decided by nature or God or whatever you believe in, lets not really get religious here; Square Enix thankfully is not God but still the creators of their own world and legally and intellectually have the right to say what is and they did it enough), which has a certain meaning for the Promised Land, who the main character is, which world it is on, Cloud's identity, the love issues, Sephiroth and everything in itself. Again, as someone who just wants to clarify things that exist I would like to show you all segments but I see you don't want to so I guess we leave it like this for good. It is just unfortunate if you ask me. But as it is now I just leave it how it is.
Seems pretty canonical that Tifa and Cloud got bizzay during my playthrough of FFVII. But dude, you telling me that I am wrong is nothing more than a Muslim telling a Christian he's wrong, or a Christian telling a Jew he's wrong - it is pointless. Square wrote FFVII and Square Enix wrote the rest. Two different companies, different producers, directors and writers worked on various pieces. Eventually it is no longer the work as it was intended when this kind of thing happens. If SE said that Sephy was canonically fat then it would be untrue because you can see in the images on your screen that he isn't - it would simply be SE contradicting themselves and at some point the "canon" becomes a load of crap. The original game is undoubtedly the best source of canon in the entire series for it is the only source that is as the creators designed it from the start, and the only source with no contradictions outside of those that were intended - ie, it was intended that you could go on dates with different people and it was intended that different things could happen beneath the Highwind. Regardless, though, I do not dismiss that Aeris loved Cloud nor that Cloud had feelings for Aeris - I simply dismiss those that say that "Aeris was the true love, the bigger love, etc." because that is 100% down to the player and how they perceive things, and people in SE have been asked directly which was loved more and the answer was a non-answer - they simply stated that it is up to the individual. I'd found this before but I can't find it online now... sadly finding good translations of Japanese material is a bit of a bitch on the internet because you always get interviews coming up about the stupidest things. If SE had an obvious "correct" love then they would have stated it from the very beginning. They choose to not clarify because they choose to let us choose, they choose to not pick a side, they choose to allow the discussion to rage on because quite frankly it is in their best interest to not have a canonically correct choice. This is exactly why they don't clarify any further in AC. I mean, it wouldn't be hard for them to make one of the choices obviously correct, would it? They never do. It's intended. If they picked one side or another they would disappoint a load of fans regardless of which they opt for. Personally, I feel that Cloud loved both, but Tifa more so. Aeris died, and when someone who you love dies, even if it's not your "true" love, then you will grieve endlessly and find love to be a tricky thing to get back into. Not to mention the buggered up head he had throughout the story. Joyfully, I can indeed see this as canon because while there will be some contradictions throughout the Compilation, there are contradictions for the other options, too, so in the end it's just personal interpretation - much like that of the various religious texts of the world! I do believe you right about one thing - nobody is going to "win" such a debate and therefore there is no reason to continue it. We should accept that each of us sees the truths of FFVII differently and interpret the games, videos and text in different ways to each other and be done with it. The one thing I'm sure we can both agree on is that when asked, no group of SE employees has ever categorically stated which, if any, girl is the correct and one true love. Still, don't use rep for this. It's not intended to be used in such a way.
Canonicity is nothing to be seen but something officially and objective such as the spinning of our world, fully and legally right as decided by those who intellectually and legally own it. What you mean is called fanon. I also just say what the owners and creators say and intended and they never said such a thing for real otherwise I would also say it, but they did not (a varying canon can never exist, optional sequences have nothing to do with an actual canonicity, true is what is intended to count) really as it would even contradict their intention that has been officially stated and being shown multiple times in their officially published Compilation material. Square Enix extended the world to officially explain it more and the original game itself also already said what was intended, such as Motomu Toriyama had the task to "write the romantic context of Cloud and Aerith" and Tetsuya Nomura said, all answers are actually in the game, Cait Sith's prophecy which Aerith did want to hear, Aerith wanting Cloud to be jealous of Zack, Aerith having a spirtual bond to Cloud (their consciousnesses/souls being connected), Cloud rating something connected to Aerith as his personal Promised Land, et cetera. Don't get me wrong. There is something between Cloud and Tifa. Just not the true thing and this is how it is. Tifa (who actually knew Cloud not half as much as people think because he was a shy nd also arrogant kid who stayed away from her as long as her friends were around) is for Cloud what Rose's husband in Titanic was while Aerith is Jack. And Dismantled, the Ultimania Omega, Final Fantasy VII (in which those things also have been mentioned) and all officially published material from Square is more than just a "horrible source". Even if the creators would ask a fan to write something for them and make it official it wouldn't matter because they can make it canon. It is really that simple. People nowadays are misunderstanding how canonicity is decided, especially in DBZ were they often think it is just canonical when it is made by Akira Toriyama and that is not right. It is not canonical or non-canonical when I want to, it is, when it is. A single fan cannot do anything about that as they don't own anything (including me, of course - e.g. Square Enix decides to make Sephiroth fat and I would totally hate it and wish it to not be canon but I couldn't do anything about it being canon). I cannot just ignore official things and then claim them to be wrong because I can't decide that just as everything I dislike about Final Fantasy (which does exist, I don't think it is perfect) still exists canonically. Or as some Square Enix employee said, he honestly doesn't believe that people truly understand Final Fantasy VII: Rumor: Square Enix Tells Final Fantasy VII Fans to "Let it Go"... Should We? This is a line that is right in many ways. And this is no wonder by ignoring half of the things. Nothing personal to you. I mean that in general. You already said it right: "They also loved each other ..." This part is right and the official and intended context shows how much. Just as Cloud's identity crisis has nothing to do with another person beng created by a dissociative personality disorder but by a part of his mind being seperated, isolated and supressed after being pushed in his subconsciousness as a result of his confabulation where it tries to wake him up just as parts of us in our subconsciousness also try to deal with our problems but it has nothing to do with really two actual people, so two seperate consciousnesses like you and me but "other" or "true" more metaphorically like we all can change and "not be ourselves" (still Cloud had much of his normal character as the game and Ultimania shows and what Aerith liked). "Although in the beginning, Aerith felt close to Cloud is because he behaves like Zack, her interest in Cloud himself grows and she is attracted to him." Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega, pg. 31, published by Square Enix I rather rep you and tell you this way before starting a long conversation as it at least shows some respect to the person. Hopefully this explains my thoughts. I don't have anything against you thinking it, everyone thinks many things in life. I just differ because there is an actual truth - such as you would never say anything against a blond guy being the main character in FFVII even though someone else also could have another opinion. Just as when I claim no car to drive on the street while it does and I just run across the street. It doesn't matter what I say, there is a car and I am wrong, plus it could be a danger for me. Opposite example: I also defend Tifa for as much as exists and is intended for her. We won't really come far in any further conversation, I believe. These things aside, I hope you have a nice day (or evening?)!
You can stop giving rep to my posts that you disagree with. You may see Dismantled as canon, but I don't (and won't - simple as that). It is, as has been stated in interviews before, up to the individual and how their storyline played out as to what is true and what is not... SE have always insisted it remain open to interpretation, which is their intent and it's also why they haven't sided with one or the other - because they are happy for both to be possible. For me, Tifa was Cloud's love and Zack was Aerith's love. They also loved each other to some extent, but not to the same degree. Dismantled (I've read little of it, but the translations out there are very poor so it's hard to bother... not to mention it's barely better than reading FanFiction) is an awful source for people to use considering how detached it was from the people who created Final Fantasy VII. In fact, they should really have just called it "Detached" xD But more to the point: Please use rep as it is intended... to give people praise for their posts. It's always a bit of a letdown to get rep just to find it's just someone disagreeing with me and using the rep system to do so!
So Bob died to be born again as Redacted. Star Wars- The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) - YouTube
