Quote Originally Posted by Loony BoB View Post
I like Aerith and how she interacts with Zack. I dislike Aeris and how she interacts with Cloud/Tifa.

It's very difficult to say why, but it is largely based on how she interacts with these characters. I think the fact that I really like how Tifa and Cloud have such a realistic relationship (based on my experiences, and I'm obviously talking about the way they interact, not their plot points) while I feel that Aeris just kind of jumped in and started hitting on him over and over despite him clearly not wanting to get involved (case in point: he tries to run away).

Of course, the canon in my story is different to the canon in the stories of those who play it differently due to the dates and under-the-airship dialogue etc, but I can only go by the impressions I got of each of these individuals and I always felt that Aerith/Zack and Cloud/Tifa just worked while Aeris/Cloud did not. It kind of reminds me of real world relationships you see sometimes and think "Really? Those two? Huh. I don't really see it."
I like Aeris as a character, and I like most of her interactions with the others.

I just don't see a romantic connection to Cloud at all.

She doesn't really hit on him, she's only vaguely flirtatious, and that doesn't seem serious, it's just her personality. Her "I'll go on a DATE" thing is almost exactly the same sort of moment as the "We're going to go PLAY" that she drops on Barret. It's more teasing than serious flirtation, because she knows it makes him uncomfortable.

All of her serious moments with him are her trying to determine why he's so broken and to find the real Cloud persona that is buried below his various psychoses. Even their "date" (if you take her instead of Tifa, the way you should) is centered entirely around her pointing out his similarities to Zack and wanting to actually find out what the real Cloud is like.

Oh, and Tifa is the one who actually succeeds at that task and pulls the real Cloud out of his broken mind.



I think Aeris is a great character, I just think the Aeris/Cloud shippers were playing a completely different game.