FOOTAGE (work in progress) 1. 0:12 ~ "Final Fantasy 7 Remake - Chapter 9: Cloud & Aerith High Five! Andrea "That Boy" Cutscene PS4P (2020)" by Jason's Video Games Source" ~ ruclips.net/video/43nAvTI0VjI/видео.html 2. 0:30 ~ "Battle Tower Unlocked" by StormBreakerPirate ~ clips.twitch.tv/TardyTolerantSoybeanPlanking-k2pxX7hNbnDX6frY 3. 1:07 ~ "The Holy Flame's Gift Christmas Event Story - Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis" by Faz Faz ~ ruclips.net/video/203-lu6VodA/видео.html 4. 1:20 ~ "All Cutscenes The First Soldier FFVII: EVER CRISIS" by GrayVos ~ ruclips.net/video/qJO_PsiBqi8/видео.html 5. 1:23 ~ "FINAL FANTASY VII THE FIRST SOLDIER TGS 2021 Trailer" by FINAL FANTASY ~ ruclips.net/video/Vnbr7SG3bag/видео.html 6. 1:26 ~ "FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH - Release Date Announce Trailer" by FINAL FANTASY ~ ruclips.net/video/lNVL-ygqw3w/видео.html 7. 1:32 ~ "SQUARE ENIX September SavePoint" by SQUARE ENIX ~ www.twitch.tv/videos/1935780525?t=2733s 8. "Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade: The Ancients Story 4K" by Biz ~ ruclips.net/video/95atEKBkrVo/видео.html 9. "Final Fantasy 7 REMAKE - Sephiroth at Jenova" by BuffMaister ~ ruclips.net/video/9CPXbqtpyxY/видео.html 10. "Final Fantasy 7 Remake - Jenova Dreamweaver Boss Fight" by Boss Fight Database ~ ruclips.net/video/5AL4A86Fd1Y/видео.html 11. "Final Fantasy VII Advent Children" via Internet Archive ~ archive.org/details/FINALFANTASYVIIADVENTCHILDRENR 12. “Final Fantasy 7 - Temple of the Ancients walkthrough (all items, chests and clock locations)”by Matthew Reynolds ~ ruclips.net/video/F_SnjhXBc-s/видео.html 13. “Final Fantasy VII - Returning To The Forgotten City With Bugenhagen” by LetsPlayGGs ~ ruclips.net/video/vI8xuVyzqpE/видео.html 14. “Discovery Mission - The Language of Flowers | Final Fantasy 7 Remake in 4K, SPOILER WARNING” by VideogamersEU ~ ruclips.net/video/WPMld-CPKS8/видео.html 15. “"Follow the Yellow Flower" - Final Fantasy 7 REMAKE in 4K | SPOILERS” by VideogamersEU ~ ruclips.net/video/lIIY3Vtb5n4/видео.html 16. “Final Fantasy VII - Beautiful Scene Between Cloud and Aeris” by LetsPlayGGs ~ ruclips.net/video/2j9It1qgjrs/видео.html 17. “Final Fantasy VII Walkthrough Part 26 - Cosmo Canyon HD” by MikeBettencourt ~ ruclips.net/video/yiq9b2X7RgY/видео.html 18. “Final Fantasy 7 - [Part 30] - Cosmo Canyon (PS4) - No Commentary” by SourceSpy91 ~ ruclips.net/video/UjDPJ3esWsc/видео.html 19. “Romantic Confession Between Cloud & Aerith - Final Fantasy VII Remake (Dream Sequence)” by Cloud x Aerith: A Story Of A Love ~ ruclips.net/video/3chB2_53ICk/видео.html 20. Aerith’s FF7EC Wallpapers via Raposa Wolf ~ www.youtube.com/@raposawolf 21. “Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade - NEW ENDING @ 4K” by RajmanGaming HD ~ ruclips.net/video/QyZtEIZiix8/видео.html 22. “FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH - Theme Song Announcement Trailer” by FINAL FANTASY ~ ruclips.net/video/okGnXYjvJRM/видео.html 23. “Final Fantasy VII Walkthrough Part 27 - Nibelheim & Meeting Vincent HD” by MikeBettencourt ~ ruclips.net/video/tTV5mn4k5T8/видео.html 24. “Cait Sith reveals Cloud and Aerith are meant for eachother” by walmartpimp2 ~ ruclips.net/video/uOvOCmny3vI/видео.html 25. “Final Fantasy VII Remake - Cloud Meets Elmyra 1080p” by JELLIS Gamer ~ ruclips.net/video/lswdMZxHrGU/видео.html 26. “FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE - Aerith saves Marlene” by FINAL FANTASY ~ ruclips.net/video/V947AijL3lY/видео.html 27. “Final Fantasy VII Remake - Hojo Interrogate Aerith 1080p” by JELLIS Gamer ~ ruclips.net/video/yfSzUOqNHQ4/видео.html 28. “FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH - Summer Game Fest 2023 Trailer” by FINAL FANTASY ~ ruclips.net/video/HkD8BCCYsS0/видео.html 29. 15:23 and 17:45 "Final Fantasy 7 - [Part 30] - Cosmo Canyon (PS4) - No Commentary" by SourceSpy91 ~ ruclips.net/video/UjDPJ3esWsc/видео.html 30. 15:52 "SQUIRREL GOD - GOD OF WAR RAGNAROK Gameplay Walkthrough Part 7" by TetraNinja ~ ruclips.net/video/0p44BEJCgiA/видео.html 31. 17:32 "[Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis ] [F2P] Battle Tower - B31" by MaV3ndra ~ ruclips.net/video/DvnIBR9jNkM/видео.html 32. 17:42 "[Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis] - [F2P] Tower of Cetra - Floor B64" by MaV3ndra ~ ruclips.net/video/K2PnW2QVyRU/видео.html
TEXT, RESEARCH AND IMAGES (work in progress) * "Introducing #FF7EC 's Original Story" by Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis ~ facebook.com/FinalFantasyVIIEC/posts/pfbid0ve3jmUt2uDfq43HutJgiuXdg1AYYemtt4kYX2rvW2BXL4eE6g4X41hp8wJSeb8EMl * "Rhadore Archipelago" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Rhadore_Archipelago * "Midgar" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Midgar * "Sector 5" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Sector_5 * Tweet by FFVII REMAKE ~ x.com/FFVIIR_CLOUD/status/1636653607251738625?s=20 * Traces of Two Pasts (p 251-52) by Kazushige Nojima * "Sector 6" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Sector_6 * "Planetology" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Planetology * Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania via CloudxAerith ~ x.com/CloudxAerith/status/1323361698686881796?s=20 * "Temple of the Ancients" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Temple_of_the_Ancients * "City of the Ancients" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/City_of_the_Ancients * "Burj Khalifa" by Wikipedia ~ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa * "FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH - Destined for Rebirth" (Screenshot) by FINAL FANTASY ~ ruclips.net/video/tUaWUyaeXhs/видео.html * "Weapon (Final Fantasy VII creature)" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Weapon_(Final_Fantasy_VII_creature) * "Interview with Tetsuya Nomura and Shoichi Ichikawa on ff7 Ever Crisis" via Famitsu ~ www.famitsu.com/news/202306/09305456.html * Tweet by Shinra Archaeology Department ~ x.com/ShinraArch/status/1689419556802920448?s=20 * "Remnants of Sephiroth" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Remnants_of_Sephiroth * "Negative Lifestream" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Lifestream#Negative_lifestream * Meteor Gallery by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Meteor_(Final_Fantasy_VII)#gallery * “Crisis Core Reunion: Sephiroth Ultimate Attack” by Waleed Nouman at VeryAli Gaming ~ www.veryaligaming.com/crisis-core-reunion-sephiroth-ultimate-attack/ * “How to Get FFVII Ever Crisis Character Memories” by Kazuma Hashimoto at Siliconera ~ www.siliconera.com/how-to-get-ffvii-ever-crisis-character-memories/ * “Sealed Tower of Cetra Midgar Falls New Floors Coming Soon” by FF7ec.gg ~ ff7ec.gg/News/SealedTowerofCetraMidgarFallsNewFloorsComingSoon * “The Maiden Who Travels the Planet” via TheLifestream.net ~ thelifestream.net/novels-novellas/the-maiden-who-travels-the-planet * “On the Way to a Smile - Lifestream Black and Lifestream White”via TheLifestream.net ~ thelifestream.net/novels-novellas/on-the-way-to-a-smile-lifestream-black-and-lifestream-white/ * “Cosmo Canyon - Nanaki” via Yinza.com ~ www.yinza.com/Fandom/Script/19.html * Tweet by CloudxAerith ~ x.com/CloudxAerith/status/1538620571411431424?s=20 * “Yggdrasil” by Wikipedia ~ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yggdrasil * (UPDATED) Yggdrasil artwork via "The Book of Runes" by Francis Melville ~ germanicmythology.com/works/Cosmography.html * (UPDATED) Artwork of The Nine Worlds via "The Norse Myths" by Kevin Crossley-Holland ~ germanicmythology.com/works/Cosmography.html * "Final Fantasy 7 World Map" (with red equator line added by me) ~ fantasyanime.com/finalfantasy/ff7map.htm * Thumbnail of "Climbing the Huge Strangler Figs of Southern Queensland, Australia" by The Arbor Culture ~ ruclips.net/video/G7dTDr803Bo/видео.html * "Yggdrasil Tree of Life and Nine Worlds of Norse Mythology" by Stan Oshima ~ www.artstation.com/artwork/klX6dn * "Poetic Edda, Grimnir’s Sayings, stanzas 32-35" via The Historian's Hut ~ thehistorianshut.com/2020/05/11/19th-century-image-of-yggdrasill-by-oluf-bagge-c-1780-1836/ * (UPDATED) "Journey to Ragnarok" by Elisa Ferrotto ~ elisaferrottoart.com/gallery/RAGNAROK.jpg * (UPDATED) "The rise of Jormungander" by VampirePrincess007 ~ www.deviantart.com/vampireprincess007/art/The-rise-of-Jormungander-109918996 * "Níðhöggr" via Wikipedia ~ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%AD%C3%B0h%C3%B6ggr
A lot of Cleriths compare Cloud and Aerith to Flynn/Eugene and Rapunzel - the guy who pretends to be a hardarse but is actually a sensitive sweetheart, and the bubbly girl concealing a dark past of abuse and isolation inside a tall tower. Just like Rapunzel, Aerith deserves her happily ever after! 💚
I know right? They seem to be a mystical analogy for Indigenous cultures, mixed with some Jewish and Romani influences. I love the animism. If SE wasn’t such a hypocritical company that’s missing the point of its own game, I can imagine there being a lot of potential for the Cetra, Wutaians, Rhadorans and/or Planetologists to overthrow Shinra’s regime. It would be truly inspiring stuff, in my opinion 💚
Thanks! I felt like the EC wallpapers were perfect for visually representing the lovely potential of sparing Aerith and letting her live a full, happy life. It’s what she deserves - for herself, for her loved ones and for the Cetra 😭💚
I like the idea of keeping Aerith alive. I'm a big fan of the original game and it was sad then when she died, it will be sole destroying for me if this happens again.
Same. A common misconception people have about OG is that Aerith needed to die, that she willingly sacrificed herself and was some sort of ethereal martyr figure. But as I mentioned, Holy succeeded BEFORE she died and she had the capability to summon the Lifestream in life; she simply didn’t know enough about her abilities to do that until she was in the Lifestream itself. Sephiroth murdered her in cold blood, both to eliminate her as a threat and to further mess with Cloud. Her very last words to Cloud (and in the entire game) were about coming back when she was done, she didn’t intend to sacrifice herself. She shouldered the burden alone to try and spare Cloud more stress, and knew the risks but fully intended to return to be with everyone. This conversation in OG in particular supports this: “ Tifa: I wonder what Aeris felt... when she was on that altar...? Cloud: I'm sure she wanted to give her life for the planet... Tifa: Really? I wonder? I don't think that's it at all. I think she didn't think she would die at all, but that she planned on coming back all along. She always used to talk about the 'Next time'. She talked about the future more than any of us... Although she never talked about it to us she must've had a rough life... I think Aeris looked forward to tomorrow and the future more than anyone... ...she must've had many many dreams......” The Aerith we see in Remake project is already displaying more power and foresight at a much earlier stage of the story - I strongly believe anything that can help her continue developing these traits will be crucial factors in whether she lives or dies again 💚
@@Kabbaway Have you looked into the unused concept that Aerith and Sephiroth were former lovers? It makes more sense to me that Aerith joins Cloud and the party to find Sephiroth. Why they never used this concept in the remake baffles me. Aerith and Sephiroth could run off together and live happily ever after, leaving Cloud and the party to settle the score with Jenova and Hojo.
@Mangomesh yeah, I do know about that. I also know about the discarded sibling concept (their similar bangs and Sephiroth thinking he’s an Ancient are probably leftovers from it). I certainly don’t ship them in the context of the final product we got, but the stilted ex-lovers premise would’ve really suited OG’s dark, gritty vibe quite a bit and would’ve been a first for Final Fantasy as a whole. It would be interesting to see them come to some sort of mutual understanding, although that would depend on whether Sephiroth can or deserves to be redeemed. Aerith and Pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth? Actually fascinating - both were exploited as tools to further Shinra’s agendas by Hojo, both have mighty powers and both feel alienated in their statuses. Jenova and the Cetra are ancient enemies (pun fully intended), so the last Cetra and the genetic son of Jenova being friends or lovers would be quite symbolic - that not even Jenova’s parasitic influence can come in the way of love… or tragically play into that if he did end up killing her due to Jenova influence. I personally don’t think Aeriseph is gonna be a romantic thing in the canon Remake project, but I’m looking forward to more interactions between them since they are so heavily set up as each other’s foils 💚
@Mangomesh I’ve seen theories going around that she’ll wake up in the Zack reality (which is supposedly why she’s comatose in that one). Personally, I’m keeping an open mind since Remake threw a curveball by having a double meaning, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Rebirth has a second, less literal meaning than most of us expect 💚
This was a fantastic video, and I couldn't agree more about the powerful story it would be for Aerith to live and bring balance back to the planet. The line about letting Aerith be more than her trauma hit particularly hard. The examination of Norse mythology as it's used in FF7 was great. And that tower does have a striking resemblance to a giant tree. Another aspect of the compilation I would love to see explored in greater detail is the existence of an entire goddess in the lifestream, Minerva. She seems to predate humans, and I wonder about her connection to the Cetra and whether she could be part of the heritage Aerith needs to discover to harness the lifestream without dying. Anyhow, great essay and fantastic way to mark Aerith's birthday.
Thank you so much, I love making video essays so much… tedious but extremely rewarding to make 💚 wanting Aerith to abolish capitalism is a pipe dream considering this is SE we’re talking about, but it would be a powerful message especially considering the Cetra act as a loose analogy for Indigenous cultures (Barret, Nanaki and Yuffie being a part of Aerith’s efforts would be awesome too). I get so frustrated with the oversimplified take that Aerith was just a plot device who was fridged to give Cloud extra motivation. As important as Clerith is, Aerith was developed MUCH more than being an extension of Cloud’s story (someone else fits that bill MUCH better, but I’m getting to that in a later video) - Aerith is the last of her race, trying to overcome the mistreatment she and her parents received as a result of her heritage. Even after she dies her story doesn’t end, she continues to learn and grow but not under the ideal circumstances. She’s spunky, resilient, quirky and humorous but many of her depictions outside of OG, both official and unofficial, omit that in favour of depicting the more ethereal side of her personality. She’s not even a martyr (she didn’t deliberately sacrifice herself to save the world, contrary to popular opinion) yet she’s been reduced to one until now. I’m really hoping SE lets all the shades of her colourful identity shine, you know? While trying to research for the Cetra Tower’s potential purpose, I casually decided to research Midgard and through that was reminded of Yggdrasil. Of course, the aesthetics and placement of the Cetra Tower plus the similar concept of a monster eating away at the base was too striking not to include in this video. It wasn’t until playing the Rebirth demo that I realised the inn in Nibelheim is called Nidhogg after the dragon-serpent (the root which imprison him and which he chews on is located in Niflheim, the land of ice and cold), so at the very least the devs ARE aware of the basic lore surrounding Níðhöggr so it is possible some Norse mythology inspiration bled into the backstory of the Cetra Tower. To be honest I kinda forget about Minerva most of the time, since her existence is kinda at odds with the animist philosophy of Planetology and the Lifestream. I would be curious to see how she relates to the Cetra, whether she’s similar to the summons or maybe she’s the God that was worshipped at the Sector 5 Church 💚
If you haven't finished Rebirth yet, it would be cool to see you record the end of your Rebirth playthrough just to see your reaction to the ending. I won't spoil it. The thing is, regardless of Aerith dying or not dying, it's all good. If she's alive, great! If she's not, then you have a reason to think Part 3 has hope. They keep pushing this "reunion" theme so much that it's totally logical to expect a Cloud and Aerith reunion, especially given the lyrics of the main theme of Rebirth. Imagine if the final part is called "FF7: Reunion", which perfectly aligns with this "Re" naming scheme they have. "Re"make, "Re"birth, "Re"union.
Thanks for commenting! 💚 I’m currently at the start of Chapter 12 with 46 hours under my belt, and I’ve been recording as I go. Based on the poll results in my Community tab, it looks like I’ll be uploading per chapter or two. After that, I’ll probably articulate my thoughts further with video essays during the wait for Part 3, maybe even do another cover of NPTK for the full version once I hear it. I agree - regardless of how Rebirth ends, Hollow and No Promises To Keep very heavily imply that the Re- project will have a better outcome than OG/Comp, and that’s without mentioning the blatant timelines/multiverse concept. The “Empire Strikes Back” comparison by the devs was made for a reason - the end of Act 2 is often where the hero(es) are at their lowest point mentally as the antagonist(s) gain the upper hand, it’s a natural part of keeping the tension climbing to build to a compelling climax in Act 3. We mustn’t forget that while ESB marked an all-time emotional low for the OG Star Wars trilogy, “Return of the Jedi” is the movie that bookended the story with a stirring comeback and happy ending for the protagonists. Even if Aerith still dies, I don’t see the point in dooming as if the Re- story is already over; as subversive as Re- poses itself to be and no matter how clunky the execution, it still seems to conform to the most basic storytelling formula there is 💚 I’d be curious if they do call it Reunion since they already called the Crisis Core remaster that, it would be a good title though. Apart from that maybe something to do with the creation motif the previous two titles already have (ie reMAKE and reBIRTH)… perhaps they are meant to reflect the overall process of creation like the development (Remake), execution (Rebirth) and aftermath, maybe something like Reflection or Revision. Or maybe they could go for a more metaphorical name like Reconciliation or Reparation (eg humanity and the Planet, Gi and Watchers/Cetra, Sephiroth redemption arc with Lucrecia?) 💚
To add to my previous comment and thought process. It would also make sense to call it midgar falls for two additional reasons. Number one: At the start of Advent children, and at the end of OG, the desert of the area is flooded up to the plates. Those plates would act as a cliff side for the water to run off into the middle of midgar where life can be seen growing a new in the red 13 future cutscene. Thus creating midgar falls. As for Number two: it could also be a play on words since midgar literally fell due to all the events that take place across the ff7 compilation. That is my general thoughts on it, though. It is also worth noting that at the end of DC. Genesis shows up in a special ending under midgar and carries weise away. The cavens under midgar look exactly like the ones we fight in on EC sealed tower.
That’s a good point. Not only that, but Meteorfall could have had major implications for the climate of Gaia, possibly contributing to nearby sea levels rising and since the Midgar region was flattened to make way for the mega-city it was easy for the area to flood (either that or the Plate sunk down to ground level. Not to mention, the breakdown of plumbing in the aftermath could have led to flooding too. That’s very fascinating about the DoC secret ending, I’d be curious to see if/how they’re connected in the future! 💚
Couldn't the tower also exist under shinra HQ? There IS a massive tree sticking out of the middle, which can be viewed from one of the floors you visit in both OG and Remake.
Good question! The main issue with the Cetra Tower being underneath Shinra Building is that Deepground/Sector 0 (which includes secret laboratories and a mako reactor) and other facilities are already there, making it unlikely that Shinra wouldn’t have uncovered the Cetra Tower already. That tree in the Recreational Facility is my favourite part of the entire Shinra HQ, and did come to mind while comparing Yggdrasil and the Cetra Tower. I wonder if it’s something they salvaged for research purposes during Midgar’s construction. The Cetra Tower and Shinra Building being on top of one another would fit the Yggdrasil imagery very well (Yggdrasil extends higher than Midgard, into the realm of Asgard) but yeah there’s already a lot of underground facilities underneath Shinra Building which makes Cetra Tower being there pretty unlikely 💚
Thank you! Video essays are my favourite content to make, and I’m hoping to put many more out in the future… they just might be far between, since I get very burnt out during the editing process 😅💚
I am playing through Chapter 8 at the moment. I personally don’t think OG Aerith dying was the ONLY way for them to win, in fact death really set her back because Sephiroth kept blocking her influence until the party was able to kill them. By then Holy wasn’t enough and she had to scramble to get the souls in the Lifestream to intervene. If Aerith had been able to spend enough time discovering and honing her abilities before or without Sephiroth enforcing a time crunch on them she could’ve easily succeeded without dying. As I mentioned in the video, the Cetra knew how to harness the Lifestream in life and Aerith successfully summoned Holy before dying. Had she not died by going to the City of the Ancients alone, she could’ve helped the party with Cloud’s identity crisis and combating Sephiroth directly, potentially cutting down on the time it took to take him down and averting the need to rely on the deus ex machina of the Lifestream. Aerith’s death wasn’t a necessary sacrifice, it was a cold-blooded murder intended to preempt her actions to stop Sephiroth in LIFE because that’s where her actions are most ideal. Just because Sephiroth didn’t count on Aerith not merging with the Lifestream and lucking out at the last minute doesn’t mean that was the ONLY way they could’ve won, let alone the ideal way. Of course, I don’t know if Aerith still dies at the end of Rebirth but with how heavily they’ve implied there’s multiple timelines going on I doubt that’s for no reason. Even if she does still die, I doubt it will be a permadeath situation - there’s still Part 3 to go, and even back in OG the devs themselves stated that Aerith’s death was always meant to be anti-Hollywood (ie not a noble sacrifice, but rather a nuanced tragedy mimicking real life). Even if keeping her alive or reviving her goes against that Re- project is NOT OG - the story and lore has changed too much to feasibly consider the Re- project a 1:1 remaster. This is their chance to offer alternate endings to some of their most iconic characters. If multiple timelines is to show that the possibilities are endless and that Sephiroth and his control over “fate/destiny” is maliciously contrived, I think that’s be a good direction for them to take 💚
I think Aerith has the potential to help by continuing to nurture his true nature. We know from their interactions and quotes from supplementary material that she was the first to realise Cloud was hiding behind a facade, and through warming his cold facade she is able to expose the vulnerable person beneath. Had she been given more time with Cloud and the party in OG, I believe this effect would’ve grown and made the journey of him discovering the truth much smoother. The whole sequence of the Temple of the Ancients and the Forgotten City don’t just exist in a vacuum - Cloud’s guilt at both hurting her and being unable to stop her demise massively contributed to further destabilising Cloud’s mental health, making it easier for Sephiroth to fully manipulate him into handing over the Black Materia (it’s implied Sephiroth deliberately waited for Cloud to arrive and resist hurting Aerith before killing her himself as a means to cause as much anguish as possible). Even if Aerith didn’t actively help with Cloud’s identity crisis, not having her death worsen his already fragile sanity would be a massive help 💚
Several quotes from various sources suggest this, but here’s some examples: * “But it is the heroine, Aerith, who opens his eyes, and brings him closer to the mysteries of his past.” (FF 30th Anniversary Museum Exhibition) * “Gradully, Aerith’s warm cheer begins to melt Cloud’s frosty exterior.” (FF 30th Anniversary Museum Exhibition) * “Even though Aerith perceived that Cloud had lost sight of his true self, she still has great affection for him.” (FFVII 10th Anniversary Ultimania, Aerith's profile) * "So you won't have a breakdown..." Aerith appears in Cloud's dream, she seems to console him with such advice. This line can infer that Aerith has seen through the essence of Cloud.” (FFVII Ultimania Omega) * “”I'm looking for you."... "So you won't have a breakdown."- what Aerith told Cloud reveals 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, p. 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, p. 31) Of course Tifa did realise something was wrong, but her perception is different in one key way - while Aerith seems to know the true Cloud is being internally repressed Tifa doesn’t; instead, she isn’t fully sure Cloud is real (and not Shinra experiment or Jenova clone) because she doesn’t have enough memories or knowledge of him to verify what he was really like. As well as the two quotes below, I think that’s also why Tifa flounders in the face of Sephiroth’s gaslighting of her and Cloud - Sephiroth wouldn’t have been nearly as successful at manipulating Cloud if Tifa was more confident in her history with Cloud. Cosmo Canyon, while the party sits around the Cosmo Candle Tifa: “Cloud... Bonfires are funny, aren't they? They make you remember all sorts of things. You know, Cloud. 5 Years ago... ......It's nothing. No, forget it. I'm afraid to ask...” Cloud: “What is it...?” Tifa: “It feels like... it feels like you're going far away... You really, really are...... you... right?” Mideel, after the party finds Cloud Barret: “Oh, and uh, Tifa... I don't like askin' this but...... Is he really your childhood friend? And not Sephiroth's shadow?” Tifa: “Huh!? Well... that is...... No, I'm sure of it!” There’s also the factor that Tifa actively romanticises Cloud’s fake Soldier traits as if they’re his actual personality; Aerith knew this was all an act, Tifa did not. Junon, after the party (sans Cloud) escape execution Tifa: “......If only Cloud was here, everything would be fine. Cloud would...... Stand that cocky little way he did, and tell us what to do. He'd say, 'Everything's under control, Tifa.'” Sephiroth wasn’t completely lying when he said Tifa’s memories “made” Cloud - Tifa’s rose-tinted image of Cloud from the night of the promise and the years of fantasising about how strong and famous he’d become (not to mention how Zack, a REAL First Class Soldier, behaved around her in the week before the Nibelheim massacre) transferred to Cloud at the train station via his Jenova cells, turning what was once a conscious coping mechanism into a legitimate alternate personality. The way the static shows up during their reunion and Cloud suddenly snaps out of his vegetative state once his headache subsides heavily implies this, but his Story Quest in Ever Crisis, set immediately after their reunion, further reinforces this as Tifa’s remarks about his assumed heroic traits trigger him to respond by parroting things he remembers Zack saying. It doesn’t help that he was in and out of consciousness while Zack was getting them to Midgar, so even without Jenova his memories were always bound to be fuzzy anyway - Sephiroth/Jenova exploited Cloud’s disorientation as a result of his experimentation and mako poisoning and Tifa’s nostalgic but superficial and contradicting perception of Cloud to convince him that he wasn’t real. Aerith being alive doesn’t take away from Tifa helping Cloud find himself again, it simply means they’d be able to do that in more ideal circumstances. Strip away the theatrics of the Lifestream, and the whole sequence is them having an open, honest conversation for the first time. Cloud’s identity crisis was needlessly inflated because they didn’t properly communicate - both about the discrepancies between their accounts of the Nibelheim incident, but also in having the small but vital conversations to actually form a genuine, informed relationship with one another - their relationship entirely hinges on the word association of their misnomer of a label “childhood friends”. Aerith was able to get to the real Cloud by reading between the lines in their conversations and get him to slowly let down his guard, whereas Tifa took his words and actions at face value because the fake persona validated her own fake perception of Cloud. After Aerith died, Cloud became more reckless in his pursuit of Sephiroth which ultimately led him straight into the villain’s hands. Not having that grief and desperation clouding his judgement might have given the time and space for Tifa to have those uncomfortable but necessary conversations with Cloud. Perhaps the incident at the Temple of the Ancients could’ve served as a wake-up call prompting them both to come clean about their confusions. Meanwhile, Aerith is still present and gently encouraging Cloud to be his vulnerable, awkward and earnest self, making the journey smoother for everyone involved without taking Tifa’s main story purpose away from her. Aerith helps bring out Cloud’s true personality, while Tifa helps him realise his (and her own) true memories of the Nibelheim incident. Cloud and Tifa being backed into a corner by falling into the Lifestream is FAR from the ideal way for them to resolve their issues. The Lifestream scene was a Deus Ex Machina, a glorified projector of their memories and feelings which were always there just below the surface. The truth lies in both of their subconsciences, and under less dire circumstances they could’ve resurfaced in a much healthier way.
FOOTAGE (work in progress)
1. 0:12 ~ "Final Fantasy 7 Remake - Chapter 9: Cloud & Aerith High Five! Andrea "That Boy" Cutscene PS4P (2020)" by Jason's Video Games Source" ~ ruclips.net/video/43nAvTI0VjI/видео.html
2. 0:30 ~ "Battle Tower Unlocked" by StormBreakerPirate ~ clips.twitch.tv/TardyTolerantSoybeanPlanking-k2pxX7hNbnDX6frY
3. 1:07 ~ "The Holy Flame's Gift Christmas Event Story - Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis" by Faz Faz ~ ruclips.net/video/203-lu6VodA/видео.html
4. 1:20 ~ "All Cutscenes The First Soldier FFVII: EVER CRISIS" by GrayVos ~ ruclips.net/video/qJO_PsiBqi8/видео.html
5. 1:23 ~ "FINAL FANTASY VII THE FIRST SOLDIER TGS 2021 Trailer" by FINAL FANTASY ~ ruclips.net/video/Vnbr7SG3bag/видео.html
6. 1:26 ~ "FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH - Release Date Announce Trailer" by FINAL FANTASY ~ ruclips.net/video/lNVL-ygqw3w/видео.html
7. 1:32 ~ "SQUARE ENIX September SavePoint" by SQUARE ENIX ~ www.twitch.tv/videos/1935780525?t=2733s
8. "Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade: The Ancients Story 4K" by Biz ~ ruclips.net/video/95atEKBkrVo/видео.html
9. "Final Fantasy 7 REMAKE - Sephiroth at Jenova" by BuffMaister ~ ruclips.net/video/9CPXbqtpyxY/видео.html
10. "Final Fantasy 7 Remake - Jenova Dreamweaver Boss Fight" by Boss Fight Database ~ ruclips.net/video/5AL4A86Fd1Y/видео.html
11. "Final Fantasy VII Advent Children" via Internet Archive ~ archive.org/details/FINALFANTASYVIIADVENTCHILDRENR
12. “Final Fantasy 7 - Temple of the Ancients walkthrough (all items, chests and clock locations)”by Matthew Reynolds ~ ruclips.net/video/F_SnjhXBc-s/видео.html
13. “Final Fantasy VII - Returning To The Forgotten City With Bugenhagen” by LetsPlayGGs ~ ruclips.net/video/vI8xuVyzqpE/видео.html
14. “Discovery Mission - The Language of Flowers | Final Fantasy 7 Remake in 4K, SPOILER WARNING” by VideogamersEU ~ ruclips.net/video/WPMld-CPKS8/видео.html
15. “"Follow the Yellow Flower" - Final Fantasy 7 REMAKE in 4K | SPOILERS” by VideogamersEU ~ ruclips.net/video/lIIY3Vtb5n4/видео.html
16. “Final Fantasy VII - Beautiful Scene Between Cloud and Aeris” by LetsPlayGGs ~ ruclips.net/video/2j9It1qgjrs/видео.html
17. “Final Fantasy VII Walkthrough Part 26 - Cosmo Canyon HD” by MikeBettencourt ~ ruclips.net/video/yiq9b2X7RgY/видео.html
18. “Final Fantasy 7 - [Part 30] - Cosmo Canyon (PS4) - No Commentary” by SourceSpy91 ~ ruclips.net/video/UjDPJ3esWsc/видео.html
19. “Romantic Confession Between Cloud & Aerith - Final Fantasy VII Remake (Dream Sequence)” by Cloud x Aerith: A Story Of A Love ~ ruclips.net/video/3chB2_53ICk/видео.html
20. Aerith’s FF7EC Wallpapers via Raposa Wolf ~ www.youtube.com/@raposawolf
21. “Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade - NEW ENDING @ 4K” by RajmanGaming HD ~ ruclips.net/video/QyZtEIZiix8/видео.html
22. “FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH - Theme Song Announcement Trailer” by FINAL FANTASY ~ ruclips.net/video/okGnXYjvJRM/видео.html
23. “Final Fantasy VII Walkthrough Part 27 - Nibelheim & Meeting Vincent HD” by MikeBettencourt ~ ruclips.net/video/tTV5mn4k5T8/видео.html
24. “Cait Sith reveals Cloud and Aerith are meant for eachother” by walmartpimp2 ~ ruclips.net/video/uOvOCmny3vI/видео.html
25. “Final Fantasy VII Remake - Cloud Meets Elmyra 1080p” by JELLIS Gamer ~ ruclips.net/video/lswdMZxHrGU/видео.html
26. “FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE - Aerith saves Marlene” by FINAL FANTASY ~ ruclips.net/video/V947AijL3lY/видео.html
27. “Final Fantasy VII Remake - Hojo Interrogate Aerith 1080p” by JELLIS Gamer ~ ruclips.net/video/yfSzUOqNHQ4/видео.html
28. “FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH - Summer Game Fest 2023 Trailer” by FINAL FANTASY ~ ruclips.net/video/HkD8BCCYsS0/видео.html
29. 15:23 and 17:45 "Final Fantasy 7 - [Part 30] - Cosmo Canyon (PS4) - No Commentary" by SourceSpy91 ~ ruclips.net/video/UjDPJ3esWsc/видео.html
30. 15:52 "SQUIRREL GOD - GOD OF WAR RAGNAROK Gameplay Walkthrough Part 7" by TetraNinja ~ ruclips.net/video/0p44BEJCgiA/видео.html
31. 17:32 "[Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis ] [F2P] Battle Tower - B31" by MaV3ndra ~ ruclips.net/video/DvnIBR9jNkM/видео.html
32. 17:42 "[Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis] - [F2P] Tower of Cetra - Floor B64" by MaV3ndra ~ ruclips.net/video/K2PnW2QVyRU/видео.html
TEXT, RESEARCH AND IMAGES (work in progress)
* "Introducing #FF7EC 's Original Story" by Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis ~ facebook.com/FinalFantasyVIIEC/posts/pfbid0ve3jmUt2uDfq43HutJgiuXdg1AYYemtt4kYX2rvW2BXL4eE6g4X41hp8wJSeb8EMl
* "Rhadore Archipelago" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Rhadore_Archipelago
* "Midgar" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Midgar
* "Sector 5" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Sector_5
* Tweet by FFVII REMAKE ~ x.com/FFVIIR_CLOUD/status/1636653607251738625?s=20
* Traces of Two Pasts (p 251-52) by Kazushige Nojima
* "Sector 6" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Sector_6
* "Planetology" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Planetology
* Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania via CloudxAerith ~ x.com/CloudxAerith/status/1323361698686881796?s=20
* "Temple of the Ancients" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Temple_of_the_Ancients
* "City of the Ancients" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/City_of_the_Ancients
* "Burj Khalifa" by Wikipedia ~ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa
* "FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH - Destined for Rebirth" (Screenshot) by FINAL FANTASY ~ ruclips.net/video/tUaWUyaeXhs/видео.html
* "Weapon (Final Fantasy VII creature)" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Weapon_(Final_Fantasy_VII_creature)
* "Interview with Tetsuya Nomura and Shoichi Ichikawa on ff7 Ever Crisis" via Famitsu ~ www.famitsu.com/news/202306/09305456.html
* Tweet by Shinra Archaeology Department ~ x.com/ShinraArch/status/1689419556802920448?s=20
* "Remnants of Sephiroth" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Remnants_of_Sephiroth
* "Negative Lifestream" by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Lifestream#Negative_lifestream
* Meteor Gallery by Final Fantasy Wiki ~ finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Meteor_(Final_Fantasy_VII)#gallery
* “Crisis Core Reunion: Sephiroth Ultimate Attack” by Waleed Nouman at VeryAli Gaming ~ www.veryaligaming.com/crisis-core-reunion-sephiroth-ultimate-attack/
* “How to Get FFVII Ever Crisis Character Memories” by Kazuma Hashimoto at Siliconera ~ www.siliconera.com/how-to-get-ffvii-ever-crisis-character-memories/
* “Sealed Tower of Cetra Midgar Falls New Floors Coming Soon” by FF7ec.gg ~ ff7ec.gg/News/SealedTowerofCetraMidgarFallsNewFloorsComingSoon
* “The Maiden Who Travels the Planet” via TheLifestream.net ~ thelifestream.net/novels-novellas/the-maiden-who-travels-the-planet
* “On the Way to a Smile - Lifestream Black and Lifestream White”via TheLifestream.net ~ thelifestream.net/novels-novellas/on-the-way-to-a-smile-lifestream-black-and-lifestream-white/
* “Cosmo Canyon - Nanaki” via Yinza.com ~ www.yinza.com/Fandom/Script/19.html
* Tweet by CloudxAerith ~ x.com/CloudxAerith/status/1538620571411431424?s=20
* “Yggdrasil” by Wikipedia ~ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yggdrasil
* (UPDATED) Yggdrasil artwork via "The Book of Runes" by Francis Melville ~ germanicmythology.com/works/Cosmography.html
* (UPDATED) Artwork of The Nine Worlds via "The Norse Myths" by Kevin Crossley-Holland ~ germanicmythology.com/works/Cosmography.html
* "Final Fantasy 7 World Map" (with red equator line added by me) ~ fantasyanime.com/finalfantasy/ff7map.htm
* Thumbnail of "Climbing the Huge Strangler Figs of Southern Queensland, Australia" by The Arbor Culture ~ ruclips.net/video/G7dTDr803Bo/видео.html
* "Yggdrasil Tree of Life and Nine Worlds of Norse Mythology" by Stan Oshima ~ www.artstation.com/artwork/klX6dn
* "Poetic Edda, Grimnir’s Sayings, stanzas 32-35" via The Historian's Hut ~ thehistorianshut.com/2020/05/11/19th-century-image-of-yggdrasill-by-oluf-bagge-c-1780-1836/
* (UPDATED) "Journey to Ragnarok" by Elisa Ferrotto ~ elisaferrottoart.com/gallery/RAGNAROK.jpg
* (UPDATED) "The rise of Jormungander" by VampirePrincess007 ~ www.deviantart.com/vampireprincess007/art/The-rise-of-Jormungander-109918996
* "Níðhöggr" via Wikipedia ~ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%AD%C3%B0h%C3%B6ggr
MUSIC
0:05 and 19:29 ~ “The Gaming Kabbanet ~ Theme Song” ~ ruclips.net/video/dSx5_dVox1E/видео.html
2:54 ~ “Under the Rotting Pizza” ~ ruclips.net/video/Xrk5INqC07E/видео.html
5:38 ~ “The Oppressed” ~ ruclips.net/video/XdUfWp2kwPg/видео.html
7:14 ~ “Stewards of the Planet” ~ ruclips.net/video/E4KkpR0nwnM/видео.html
9:40 ~ “Cultivating Madness” ~ ruclips.net/video/KW4c9aJLYxo/видео.html
10:57 ~ “Aerith's Theme - The Cetra” ~ ruclips.net/video/O8NYNswiPKA/видео.html
14:24 ~ “Flowers Blooming in the Church” ~ ruclips.net/video/uk6XNt859cE/видео.html
17:04 ~ “The Planet’s Crisis” ~ ruclips.net/video/7Pulm8JS1qA/видео.html
Aerith is so pretty and fun with a tragic backstory, a lot like Rapunzel. I hope she gets to live! ❤❤❤
A lot of Cleriths compare Cloud and Aerith to Flynn/Eugene and Rapunzel - the guy who pretends to be a hardarse but is actually a sensitive sweetheart, and the bubbly girl concealing a dark past of abuse and isolation inside a tall tower. Just like Rapunzel, Aerith deserves her happily ever after! 💚
The Cetra seem so cool! I like the idea of Aerith being a solar punk anarchist if given the chance 😆
I know right? They seem to be a mystical analogy for Indigenous cultures, mixed with some Jewish and Romani influences. I love the animism. If SE wasn’t such a hypocritical company that’s missing the point of its own game, I can imagine there being a lot of potential for the Cetra, Wutaians, Rhadorans and/or Planetologists to overthrow Shinra’s regime. It would be truly inspiring stuff, in my opinion 💚
13:00 BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE TO AERITH
Thanks! I felt like the EC wallpapers were perfect for visually representing the lovely potential of sparing Aerith and letting her live a full, happy life. It’s what she deserves - for herself, for her loved ones and for the Cetra 😭💚
I like the idea of keeping Aerith alive. I'm a big fan of the original game and it was sad then when she died, it will be sole destroying for me if this happens again.
Same. A common misconception people have about OG is that Aerith needed to die, that she willingly sacrificed herself and was some sort of ethereal martyr figure. But as I mentioned, Holy succeeded BEFORE she died and she had the capability to summon the Lifestream in life; she simply didn’t know enough about her abilities to do that until she was in the Lifestream itself. Sephiroth murdered her in cold blood, both to eliminate her as a threat and to further mess with Cloud. Her very last words to Cloud (and in the entire game) were about coming back when she was done, she didn’t intend to sacrifice herself. She shouldered the burden alone to try and spare Cloud more stress, and knew the risks but fully intended to return to be with everyone. This conversation in OG in particular supports this:
“ Tifa: I wonder what Aeris felt... when she was on that altar...?
Cloud: I'm sure she wanted to give her life for the planet...
Tifa: Really? I wonder? I don't think that's it at all. I think she didn't think she would die at all, but that she planned on coming back all along. She always used to talk about the 'Next time'. She talked about the future more than any of us... Although she never talked about it to us she must've had a rough life... I think Aeris looked forward to tomorrow and the future more than anyone... ...she must've had many many dreams......”
The Aerith we see in Remake project is already displaying more power and foresight at a much earlier stage of the story - I strongly believe anything that can help her continue developing these traits will be crucial factors in whether she lives or dies again 💚
@@Kabbaway Have you looked into the unused concept that Aerith and Sephiroth were former lovers? It makes more sense to me that Aerith joins Cloud and the party to find Sephiroth. Why they never used this concept in the remake baffles me. Aerith and Sephiroth could run off together and live happily ever after, leaving Cloud and the party to settle the score with Jenova and Hojo.
@Mangomesh yeah, I do know about that. I also know about the discarded sibling concept (their similar bangs and Sephiroth thinking he’s an Ancient are probably leftovers from it). I certainly don’t ship them in the context of the final product we got, but the stilted ex-lovers premise would’ve really suited OG’s dark, gritty vibe quite a bit and would’ve been a first for Final Fantasy as a whole. It would be interesting to see them come to some sort of mutual understanding, although that would depend on whether Sephiroth can or deserves to be redeemed. Aerith and Pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth? Actually fascinating - both were exploited as tools to further Shinra’s agendas by Hojo, both have mighty powers and both feel alienated in their statuses. Jenova and the Cetra are ancient enemies (pun fully intended), so the last Cetra and the genetic son of Jenova being friends or lovers would be quite symbolic - that not even Jenova’s parasitic influence can come in the way of love… or tragically play into that if he did end up killing her due to Jenova influence.
I personally don’t think Aeriseph is gonna be a romantic thing in the canon Remake project, but I’m looking forward to more interactions between them since they are so heavily set up as each other’s foils 💚
@@Kabbaway I've been thinking. Aerith might die, but she could be reborn and that is why they call this game FF7 Rebirth?
@Mangomesh I’ve seen theories going around that she’ll wake up in the Zack reality (which is supposedly why she’s comatose in that one). Personally, I’m keeping an open mind since Remake threw a curveball by having a double meaning, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Rebirth has a second, less literal meaning than most of us expect 💚
This was a fantastic video, and I couldn't agree more about the powerful story it would be for Aerith to live and bring balance back to the planet. The line about letting Aerith be more than her trauma hit particularly hard.
The examination of Norse mythology as it's used in FF7 was great. And that tower does have a striking resemblance to a giant tree.
Another aspect of the compilation I would love to see explored in greater detail is the existence of an entire goddess in the lifestream, Minerva. She seems to predate humans, and I wonder about her connection to the Cetra and whether she could be part of the heritage Aerith needs to discover to harness the lifestream without dying.
Anyhow, great essay and fantastic way to mark Aerith's birthday.
Thank you so much, I love making video essays so much… tedious but extremely rewarding to make 💚 wanting Aerith to abolish capitalism is a pipe dream considering this is SE we’re talking about, but it would be a powerful message especially considering the Cetra act as a loose analogy for Indigenous cultures (Barret, Nanaki and Yuffie being a part of Aerith’s efforts would be awesome too).
I get so frustrated with the oversimplified take that Aerith was just a plot device who was fridged to give Cloud extra motivation. As important as Clerith is, Aerith was developed MUCH more than being an extension of Cloud’s story (someone else fits that bill MUCH better, but I’m getting to that in a later video) - Aerith is the last of her race, trying to overcome the mistreatment she and her parents received as a result of her heritage. Even after she dies her story doesn’t end, she continues to learn and grow but not under the ideal circumstances. She’s spunky, resilient, quirky and humorous but many of her depictions outside of OG, both official and unofficial, omit that in favour of depicting the more ethereal side of her personality. She’s not even a martyr (she didn’t deliberately sacrifice herself to save the world, contrary to popular opinion) yet she’s been reduced to one until now. I’m really hoping SE lets all the shades of her colourful identity shine, you know?
While trying to research for the Cetra Tower’s potential purpose, I casually decided to research Midgard and through that was reminded of Yggdrasil. Of course, the aesthetics and placement of the Cetra Tower plus the similar concept of a monster eating away at the base was too striking not to include in this video. It wasn’t until playing the Rebirth demo that I realised the inn in Nibelheim is called Nidhogg after the dragon-serpent (the root which imprison him and which he chews on is located in Niflheim, the land of ice and cold), so at the very least the devs ARE aware of the basic lore surrounding Níðhöggr so it is possible some Norse mythology inspiration bled into the backstory of the Cetra Tower.
To be honest I kinda forget about Minerva most of the time, since her existence is kinda at odds with the animist philosophy of Planetology and the Lifestream. I would be curious to see how she relates to the Cetra, whether she’s similar to the summons or maybe she’s the God that was worshipped at the Sector 5 Church 💚
Manifesting #AerithLives!!!
My GOD, I’m praying to the Planet that she does! 😭💚
If you haven't finished Rebirth yet, it would be cool to see you record the end of your Rebirth playthrough just to see your reaction to the ending. I won't spoil it.
The thing is, regardless of Aerith dying or not dying, it's all good. If she's alive, great! If she's not, then you have a reason to think Part 3 has hope. They keep pushing this "reunion" theme so much that it's totally logical to expect a Cloud and Aerith reunion, especially given the lyrics of the main theme of Rebirth. Imagine if the final part is called "FF7: Reunion", which perfectly aligns with this "Re" naming scheme they have. "Re"make, "Re"birth, "Re"union.
Thanks for commenting! 💚 I’m currently at the start of Chapter 12 with 46 hours under my belt, and I’ve been recording as I go. Based on the poll results in my Community tab, it looks like I’ll be uploading per chapter or two. After that, I’ll probably articulate my thoughts further with video essays during the wait for Part 3, maybe even do another cover of NPTK for the full version once I hear it.
I agree - regardless of how Rebirth ends, Hollow and No Promises To Keep very heavily imply that the Re- project will have a better outcome than OG/Comp, and that’s without mentioning the blatant timelines/multiverse concept. The “Empire Strikes Back” comparison by the devs was made for a reason - the end of Act 2 is often where the hero(es) are at their lowest point mentally as the antagonist(s) gain the upper hand, it’s a natural part of keeping the tension climbing to build to a compelling climax in Act 3. We mustn’t forget that while ESB marked an all-time emotional low for the OG Star Wars trilogy, “Return of the Jedi” is the movie that bookended the story with a stirring comeback and happy ending for the protagonists. Even if Aerith still dies, I don’t see the point in dooming as if the Re- story is already over; as subversive as Re- poses itself to be and no matter how clunky the execution, it still seems to conform to the most basic storytelling formula there is 💚
I’d be curious if they do call it Reunion since they already called the Crisis Core remaster that, it would be a good title though. Apart from that maybe something to do with the creation motif the previous two titles already have (ie reMAKE and reBIRTH)… perhaps they are meant to reflect the overall process of creation like the development (Remake), execution (Rebirth) and aftermath, maybe something like Reflection or Revision. Or maybe they could go for a more metaphorical name like Reconciliation or Reparation (eg humanity and the Planet, Gi and Watchers/Cetra, Sephiroth redemption arc with Lucrecia?) 💚
To add to my previous comment and thought process. It would also make sense to call it midgar falls for two additional reasons. Number one: At the start of Advent children, and at the end of OG, the desert of the area is flooded up to the plates. Those plates would act as a cliff side for the water to run off into the middle of midgar where life can be seen growing a new in the red 13 future cutscene. Thus creating midgar falls. As for Number two: it could also be a play on words since midgar literally fell due to all the events that take place across the ff7 compilation. That is my general thoughts on it, though. It is also worth noting that at the end of DC. Genesis shows up in a special ending under midgar and carries weise away. The cavens under midgar look exactly like the ones we fight in on EC sealed tower.
That’s a good point. Not only that, but Meteorfall could have had major implications for the climate of Gaia, possibly contributing to nearby sea levels rising and since the Midgar region was flattened to make way for the mega-city it was easy for the area to flood (either that or the Plate sunk down to ground level. Not to mention, the breakdown of plumbing in the aftermath could have led to flooding too. That’s very fascinating about the DoC secret ending, I’d be curious to see if/how they’re connected in the future! 💚
Couldn't the tower also exist under shinra HQ? There IS a massive tree sticking out of the middle, which can be viewed from one of the floors you visit in both OG and Remake.
Good question! The main issue with the Cetra Tower being underneath Shinra Building is that Deepground/Sector 0 (which includes secret laboratories and a mako reactor) and other facilities are already there, making it unlikely that Shinra wouldn’t have uncovered the Cetra Tower already. That tree in the Recreational Facility is my favourite part of the entire Shinra HQ, and did come to mind while comparing Yggdrasil and the Cetra Tower. I wonder if it’s something they salvaged for research purposes during Midgar’s construction. The Cetra Tower and Shinra Building being on top of one another would fit the Yggdrasil imagery very well (Yggdrasil extends higher than Midgard, into the realm of Asgard) but yeah there’s already a lot of underground facilities underneath Shinra Building which makes Cetra Tower being there pretty unlikely 💚
What a magnificent tower! And Yggdrasil and Midgard and the Midgar area! So pretty! Well done!
Thank you! FFVII has some very gorgeous settings and sources of inspiration 😊💚
@@Kabbaway I can imagine! Can't wait to see your Rebirth reactions!
@Garden695 all in good time! 😉💚
this goes so hard so glad ur making vid essays again gj
Thank you! Video essays are my favourite content to make, and I’m hoping to put many more out in the future… they just might be far between, since I get very burnt out during the editing process 😅💚
Wow, I didn’t know about that tower! I hope you’re right and they do use it to propel the story in a more optimistic direction ❤
It would be a shame if they didn’t, such a missed opportunity. I’m proud of this video anyway 💚
@@Kabbawaydefs! Your predictions are so cool and would enrich the story so much!
Thanks so much for your support as always! 💚
I really liked the idea of letting aeris/aerith live. Although it was the only reason why they won. have you played rebirth yet?
I am playing through Chapter 8 at the moment. I personally don’t think OG Aerith dying was the ONLY way for them to win, in fact death really set her back because Sephiroth kept blocking her influence until the party was able to kill them. By then Holy wasn’t enough and she had to scramble to get the souls in the Lifestream to intervene. If Aerith had been able to spend enough time discovering and honing her abilities before or without Sephiroth enforcing a time crunch on them she could’ve easily succeeded without dying. As I mentioned in the video, the Cetra knew how to harness the Lifestream in life and Aerith successfully summoned Holy before dying. Had she not died by going to the City of the Ancients alone, she could’ve helped the party with Cloud’s identity crisis and combating Sephiroth directly, potentially cutting down on the time it took to take him down and averting the need to rely on the deus ex machina of the Lifestream. Aerith’s death wasn’t a necessary sacrifice, it was a cold-blooded murder intended to preempt her actions to stop Sephiroth in LIFE because that’s where her actions are most ideal. Just because Sephiroth didn’t count on Aerith not merging with the Lifestream and lucking out at the last minute doesn’t mean that was the ONLY way they could’ve won, let alone the ideal way.
Of course, I don’t know if Aerith still dies at the end of Rebirth but with how heavily they’ve implied there’s multiple timelines going on I doubt that’s for no reason. Even if she does still die, I doubt it will be a permadeath situation - there’s still Part 3 to go, and even back in OG the devs themselves stated that Aerith’s death was always meant to be anti-Hollywood (ie not a noble sacrifice, but rather a nuanced tragedy mimicking real life). Even if keeping her alive or reviving her goes against that Re- project is NOT OG - the story and lore has changed too much to feasibly consider the Re- project a 1:1 remaster. This is their chance to offer alternate endings to some of their most iconic characters. If multiple timelines is to show that the possibilities are endless and that Sephiroth and his control over “fate/destiny” is maliciously contrived, I think that’s be a good direction for them to take 💚
I think Aerith has the potential to help by continuing to nurture his true nature. We know from their interactions and quotes from supplementary material that she was the first to realise Cloud was hiding behind a facade, and through warming his cold facade she is able to expose the vulnerable person beneath. Had she been given more time with Cloud and the party in OG, I believe this effect would’ve grown and made the journey of him discovering the truth much smoother.
The whole sequence of the Temple of the Ancients and the Forgotten City don’t just exist in a vacuum - Cloud’s guilt at both hurting her and being unable to stop her demise massively contributed to further destabilising Cloud’s mental health, making it easier for Sephiroth to fully manipulate him into handing over the Black Materia (it’s implied Sephiroth deliberately waited for Cloud to arrive and resist hurting Aerith before killing her himself as a means to cause as much anguish as possible). Even if Aerith didn’t actively help with Cloud’s identity crisis, not having her death worsen his already fragile sanity would be a massive help 💚
Several quotes from various sources suggest this, but here’s some examples:
* “But it is the heroine, Aerith, who opens his eyes, and brings him closer to the mysteries of his past.” (FF 30th Anniversary Museum Exhibition)
* “Gradully, Aerith’s warm cheer begins to melt Cloud’s frosty exterior.” (FF 30th Anniversary Museum Exhibition)
* “Even though Aerith perceived that Cloud had lost sight of his true self, she still has great affection for him.” (FFVII 10th Anniversary Ultimania, Aerith's profile)
* "So you won't have a breakdown..." Aerith appears in Cloud's dream, she seems to console him with such advice. This line can infer that Aerith has seen through the essence of Cloud.” (FFVII Ultimania Omega)
* “”I'm looking for you."... "So you won't have a breakdown."- what Aerith told Cloud reveals 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, p. 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, p. 31)
Of course Tifa did realise something was wrong, but her perception is different in one key way - while Aerith seems to know the true Cloud is being internally repressed Tifa doesn’t; instead, she isn’t fully sure Cloud is real (and not Shinra experiment or Jenova clone) because she doesn’t have enough memories or knowledge of him to verify what he was really like. As well as the two quotes below, I think that’s also why Tifa flounders in the face of Sephiroth’s gaslighting of her and Cloud - Sephiroth wouldn’t have been nearly as successful at manipulating Cloud if Tifa was more confident in her history with Cloud.
Cosmo Canyon, while the party sits around the Cosmo Candle
Tifa: “Cloud... Bonfires are funny, aren't they? They make you remember all sorts of things. You know, Cloud. 5 Years ago... ......It's nothing. No, forget it. I'm afraid to ask...”
Cloud: “What is it...?”
Tifa: “It feels like... it feels like you're going far away... You really, really are...... you... right?”
Mideel, after the party finds Cloud
Barret: “Oh, and uh, Tifa... I don't like askin' this but...... Is he really your childhood friend? And not Sephiroth's shadow?”
Tifa: “Huh!? Well... that is...... No, I'm sure of it!”
There’s also the factor that Tifa actively romanticises Cloud’s fake Soldier traits as if they’re his actual personality; Aerith knew this was all an act, Tifa did not.
Junon, after the party (sans Cloud) escape execution
Tifa: “......If only Cloud was here, everything would be fine. Cloud would...... Stand that cocky little way he did, and tell us what to do. He'd say, 'Everything's under control, Tifa.'”
Sephiroth wasn’t completely lying when he said Tifa’s memories “made” Cloud - Tifa’s rose-tinted image of Cloud from the night of the promise and the years of fantasising about how strong and famous he’d become (not to mention how Zack, a REAL First Class Soldier, behaved around her in the week before the Nibelheim massacre) transferred to Cloud at the train station via his Jenova cells, turning what was once a conscious coping mechanism into a legitimate alternate personality. The way the static shows up during their reunion and Cloud suddenly snaps out of his vegetative state once his headache subsides heavily implies this, but his Story Quest in Ever Crisis, set immediately after their reunion, further reinforces this as Tifa’s remarks about his assumed heroic traits trigger him to respond by parroting things he remembers Zack saying. It doesn’t help that he was in and out of consciousness while Zack was getting them to Midgar, so even without Jenova his memories were always bound to be fuzzy anyway - Sephiroth/Jenova exploited Cloud’s disorientation as a result of his experimentation and mako poisoning and Tifa’s nostalgic but superficial and contradicting perception of Cloud to convince him that he wasn’t real.
Aerith being alive doesn’t take away from Tifa helping Cloud find himself again, it simply means they’d be able to do that in more ideal circumstances. Strip away the theatrics of the Lifestream, and the whole sequence is them having an open, honest conversation for the first time. Cloud’s identity crisis was needlessly inflated because they didn’t properly communicate - both about the discrepancies between their accounts of the Nibelheim incident, but also in having the small but vital conversations to actually form a genuine, informed relationship with one another - their relationship entirely hinges on the word association of their misnomer of a label “childhood friends”. Aerith was able to get to the real Cloud by reading between the lines in their conversations and get him to slowly let down his guard, whereas Tifa took his words and actions at face value because the fake persona validated her own fake perception of Cloud.
After Aerith died, Cloud became more reckless in his pursuit of Sephiroth which ultimately led him straight into the villain’s hands. Not having that grief and desperation clouding his judgement might have given the time and space for Tifa to have those uncomfortable but necessary conversations with Cloud. Perhaps the incident at the Temple of the Ancients could’ve served as a wake-up call prompting them both to come clean about their confusions. Meanwhile, Aerith is still present and gently encouraging Cloud to be his vulnerable, awkward and earnest self, making the journey smoother for everyone involved without taking Tifa’s main story purpose away from her. Aerith helps bring out Cloud’s true personality, while Tifa helps him realise his (and her own) true memories of the Nibelheim incident.
Cloud and Tifa being backed into a corner by falling into the Lifestream is FAR from the ideal way for them to resolve their issues. The Lifestream scene was a Deus Ex Machina, a glorified projector of their memories and feelings which were always there just below the surface. The truth lies in both of their subconsciences, and under less dire circumstances they could’ve resurfaced in a much healthier way.