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CA really act like "Cloud went on multiple dates w Aerith" is some kind of checkmate argument. Okay, &? Where's Cloud's confession of love? Where's the romantic gesture initiated by him? Where's the kiss that leaves no room for ambiguity?⬇️

You are so right ❤️ Following Aerith is Cloud's default mode. Even when he’s completely spaced out, she is his anchor, his guiding star through the fog. Rebirth gives you a chance to experience this when you play as Aerith during the TOTA escape. Easy to miss, but it's there.

The lineup.

“Cloud went on multiple dates with Aerith.” Does Cloud know that?

That is a weak reading because it treats Aerith’s feelings as material for Zack’s arc rather than part of Cloud’s story. Cloud is the protagonist, and Aerith’s relationship with him is one of the central emotional threads of the trilogy. It makes far more narrative sense to establish what Aerith truly feels before she and Zack finally meet, so that Zack (and the audience) understand the situation clearly. That prepares the reunion without requiring artificial romantic uncertainty. Zack can still have an emotional and meaningful arc through accepting that Aerith’s feelings changed. The story does not need to manufacture Zerith drama or turn Aerith’s love for Cloud into a temporary obstacle just to make Zack’s arc “unpredictable.” More importantly, Marlene’s statement is still a direct confirmation of Aerith’s feelings for Cloud. You cannot reduce Aerith’s love to an obstacle designed only to develop Zack, then claim everyone else is viewing the scene one way. That is exactly what you are doing, viewing Aerith’s feelings entirely through Zack’s narrative. And for sure we are doing it similarly, but viewing the story through Cloud's lense makes more sense as he is the the focus of the story, and the person the girls (both Tifa and Aerith) love.

I love this duo!

i mean okay