i'm excited for ff7r but at the same time, i feel like i still have my reservations... i really want clerith to happen, but i'm having doubts because of how much people love t/fa and c/t...
I get that. I love clerith a lot (like... A LOT) so I get nervous too, because nothing is really “over” until it’s actually over. And even after all of the amazing things clerith’s got over the years, or even Nojima flat out saying that Cloud is Aerith’s lover (or World of Final Fantasy saying Cloud loves Aerith), it still feels like anything could happen. I’ve seen it happen in fandoms before, where there’s suddenly a 180 in the story. So I understand why you’re holding some reservations about it.
But honestly, anny... we don’t have any reason to feel doubtful for Clerith happening. Everything, including from the original game, compilation, and now even the remake, has been leaning in Clerith’s favor. If you look on facebook, there’s even been comments from CT/ZA fans saying that Square is really shipping clerith lately. It’s that obvious now. That’s why all the antis have been getting so mad lately and crosstagging. It’s not just the clerith shippers noticing Square Enix’s clerith agenda, non-shippers and even CT fans are, too. That’s a good sign for us.
But even if Square makes both ships an option, clerith will still be a legit ship, all of our scenes will still exist. And even if Square makes Cloud “move on”, Cloud’s love for Aerith will still be the “core” of his story, she will still be the person he wants to be with in the Promised Land, and she will still be the person that means the most to him. When he dies, it will be Aerith he’s reunited with. That’s a win for clerith no matter what.
That said, even if the absolute worst thing happens, it won’t erase Cloud and Aerith’s relationship, and it shouldn’t erase what the pair means to you, either. I’m gonna be on the Clerith ship no matter what and I know others will be, too. Clerith artists will still exist. Clerith fanfics will grow 1000x more. Clerith fans will exist. This blog will always be here for you, too.
But for now, keep your chin up and focus on the clerith food Square’s been feeding us. They haven’t been making all of this happen just to make us feel gloomy, they’re doing it to cheer us up.