Advice of an Old Cloti to Younglings
1. Focus on building the relationship, not tearing a rival. You don't convince others of Cloti by making the other ship look bad or unconvincing.
2. Make it what makes you happy about the ship, not about winning the debate and being proven right. Ask yourself if you're just responding out of grudge or wanting to humiliate people you hate.
3. Stop comparing Aerith and Tifa as individuals based on how Cloud responds to them. It's gross.
4. Experience and analyze the work as art, rather than use outside sources to support your bias for the sake of winning an argument. If it's not in the game, if it can't be supported by the narrative, then it's not there. Otherwise, they would have put it in.
5. Practice analyzing Cloud and Tifa as characters with human behavior, not just as romantic fantasy fulfillment. They're more than tropes, they're complicated and fascinating.
6. Stop judging other shippers, assuming their mindsets and demonizing them just because they don't ship Cloti or don't see it the way you do. That include Clotis who prefer one game over the other, or those who don't take them very seriously.
7. Learn to walk away when things are futile, and seek a healthier and peaceful environment if needed. You're never going to change their mind, you're never going to kill their ship, you're never going to stop their bad behavior.
What you can do is rise, be the mature ones in the fandom, and foster a more positive environment with healthy diversity in ideas.
