I have to ask…. so what? When people say that Cloud will move on because Aerith is dead, they are ignoring the fact that FFVII is a game based in a magical world where neither Cloud or Aerith are human. The concepts and gamelore surrounding a Jenova enhanced mutant like Cloud in addition to the abilities and powers of a Cetra like Aerith in reality make it possible for the two to be united as soulmates for eternity. This article reviews the FFVII script and gamelore to explain how this is possible in the magical world of FFVII.
An article by Anastar, Angelalex242, Starsong, and Kuraudo
submitted to the Cerith 20th Anniversary Contest
from two official commercials produced by SquareSoft to advertise FFVII
The first thing many people say when told that Cloud loves Aerith is: “Aerith is dead - so it’s obvious that Cloud moves on with Tifa.”
However, there are several problems with this argument. In the first place, not everyone moves on after the death of a loved one, either here on Earth or on Planet Gaia. In fact, there are a number of characters in Final Fantasy VII who haven’t moved on after the death of a loved one, including Barret, Dyne, Bugenhagen, Elmyra, and Vincent. If other characters in FFVII haven’t moved on after the death of a loved one, why assume that Cloud would?
In the second place, Final Fantasy VII actually happens in a magical world of fantasy where the principles of life and death simply aren’t the same as they are here on Earth. Nojima certainly wasn’t talking about Planet Earth when he said in the Reunion Files: “Since Sephiroth exists, Aerith must exist. There was no doubt about that one. (laughs)” Nojima was talking about the fantasy world of Final Fantasy VII, where two of the main characters are spirits who continue to exist after death. Both spirits are able to interact with as well as to affect the lives of individuals living on Planet Gaia. As an example, Aerith interacts with children in both FFVII and AC/ACC after her death and she also heals all citizens having Geostigma with a healing rain in AC/ACC after her death. These actions, as well as Nojima’s statement, confirm that Aerith actually does continue to exist in some form.
Furthermore, it has to be taken into account that Cloud is in actuality a Jenova mutant infused with extraordinary amounts of Mako (Lifestream) rather than being an ordinary human being. (see details below) Both the Jenova cells as well as the high levels of Lifestream in Cloud can easily affect his perception of the world. To extrapolate even further, consider the fact that Cloud has massive amounts of Lifestream within his body, and that the Lifestream is fundamental to the powers of a Cetra as demonstrated by the fact that Aerith has the ability to commune with the Lifestream as well as to summon spirits of the Lifestream to fight Jenova at the end of FFVII.
If Aerith can utilize the Lifestream for such purposes, then it should be taken for granted that she can also communicate with a living individual such as Cloud who has massive amounts of Lifestream in his body. In fact, the amount of Lifestream in Cloud is even greater than most SOLDIERS, due to his immersion in the Lifestream for over a week before resurfacing in Mideel. It is even possible that Cloud carries as much Lifestream in his body as a spirit of the Lifestream. Due to her Cetra heritage, Aerith can communicate with other spirits of the Lifestream both while she is alive (as shown by her communication with Ifalna), as well as after her death. Given that, it would also be possible for Aerith to communicate and interact with Cloud on a different level than other humans simply because of the immense amount of Lifestream in his body.
Since factors like this are often ignored, the main purpose of this essay will be to examine more closely how the Lifestream would affect Cloud and Aerith’s relationship after her death. This would have major influence on the question of whether Aerith’s death actually undermines the idea of Cloud’s continuing love for her. The Lifestream would also have an influence on the extent of their interaction and communication, which can easily be substantiated by the script and gamelore of the FFVII Compilation. Instead of judging Cloud and Aerith’s relationship in terms of how it would work here on Earth, this essay will evaluate their relationship in terms of what is possible in the fantasy world in which they live.
Does Cloud really need to move on, or is he still able to have a satisfying and meaningful relationship with Aerith according to the concepts and pretenses of the world in which they live? The gamelore and script of the FFVII Compilation may actually be able to tell us.
Sephiroth and Aerith in FFVII Gamelore
In the FFVII Compilation, neither Sephiroth or Aerith are human, which is exactly why they continue to exist after death. Although Sephiroth was originally human, he was genetically engineered into a hybrid version of an alien race which invaded Planet Gaia hundreds of years ago. This alien race is an evil force known as Jenova with incredible power, and it seeks to dominate all life forms on Planet Gaia. As a result of the Jenova cells inside Sephiroth, he has the power to be “reborn” (for lack of a better word). Even though he is dead, he is able to manifest physically so that he can battle against the human citizens of Gaia. He is also able to speak to humans, be seen by humans, and is able to control the actions and thoughts of some people infected with Jenova cells.
As stated before, Sephiroth is not human. He continues to exist and to be “reborn” even though he is dead because of the Jenova cells in him. Therefore, the principals of life and death are different for Sephiroth than for humans due to the alien cells in his body. A similar thing is true for Aerith, although her powers stem from the Lifestream rather than from Jenova cells. In fact, the novella Case of Lifestream: Black & White, by Kashushige Nojima, depicts Sephiroth as the driving force behind Lifestream Black (which is infected with Jenova cells), while Aerith is portrayed as supporting as well as influencing the actions of Lifestream White (the natural Lifestream).
Aerith is part Cetra, and it is her Cetra heritage that allows her to continue existing despite her death. The Lifestream is the fundamental basis of power for the Cetra, who are able to commune with the Lifestream and thereby summon the powers of the Planet. When Aerith summoned Holy, for example, she did so by communing with the Lifestream through prayer and summoning the power of Holy through the Planet. When Aerith called forth a healing rain to cure Geostigma in AC/ACC, the Lifestream was specially mixed with a combination of healing spells plus natural rain water to cure the disease. It is also commonly believed that a Cetra must become one with the Planet via the Lifestream after death. As a result, it becomes obvious that the powers of a Cetra are derived from the powers of Lifestream White.
Like Sephiroth, Aerith is able to manifest physically, as evidenced by the hand reach scene in AC/ACC. There was no indication that she used a spell to boost Cloud further skyward to fight Bahamut-Sin. Instead, she apparently thrust Cloud upwards physically in the same way the other members of Avalanche did, which would make it necessary for her to manifest physically. No member of Avalanche other than Cloud apparently saw Aerith during the hand reach scene. However, a white light was surrounding them at the time, which may have prevented anyone from seeing her except Cloud.
Therefore, the principals of life and death for humans do not apply to Aerith because of her Cetra heritage, just like they do not apply to Sephiroth because of the Jenova cells in him. As a result, the fact that both Sephiroth and Aerith are dead has a totally altered meaning in FFVII than here on Earth, and therefore needs to be viewed from a different perspective.
areudirty
izzy806
annaxmalina
discoholicmusic
janainaart
stormborns
andulkaphoto
