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![[0699] Cloud Loves Tifa](/comics/2015-07-09-0699-cloud-loves-tifa.png "[0699] Cloud Loves Tifa")
- Michael: Cl-o-u-d loves T-i-fa. Cl-o-u-d loves T-i-fa.
- Sebastian: Cl-o-u-d loves T-i-fa. Cl-o-u-d loves T-i-fa.
- Teacher: Michael! Sebastian! Knock it off already!
- Teacher: Everybody knows that Cloud loves Aeris!
- Cloud: Must… resist… urge… to… blow up… Square Enix… headquarters…!
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Everybody knows Aeris loved Zack 🙂
@ Yannis:
Pretty much this.
The only reason Cloud x Aeris was even a thing was because they both subconsciously viewed Cloud as a replacement for Zack.
Also, Cloud is not a necrophile.
oh boy, is Sandra gonna rake him over the coals. Looking forward to it.
At least Sandra knows enough about video games to not make anything of this. Heck she might dress up for Halloween and go with Cloud in character.
I guess regret took its sweet time.
I sense a crossplay in the poor boy’s future…
“Nobody loves Tifa! Cloud, you got detention!”
Tifa has more pictures of her on Deviant Art than Aeris.
Cloud should go for Tifa.
Haha, poor Cloud!!
That’s profesor looks a lot like Bluebeard, from Fables 😛
Cloud x Lighting, it had to be said.
Sony really announced nothing interesting at E3. Everything in their presentation was nostalgia baiting, and they’re doing precisely nothing new.
@ Valkeiper2012:
Why? She pretty much identifies herself as Tifa, as demonstrated in the other Final Fantasy VII strips.
Vorlonagent wrote:
That’s because she’s got the bigger…err… personality?
No, Cloud, don’t resist the temptation to blow it up; just get Larisa to burn it down. Think how happy it will make her.
This is more like the sandra and woo i know and love 🙂
Come on, Cloud, use your limit break.
You know you want to.
@ 1OldBear:
/cough/ Mankind Divided /cough/
Cloud loves Tifa. Long copypasta since I’ve talked about this too many times to count:
Tonight I’d like to talk about a specific scene from Final Fantasy VII referred to as “Under the Highwind.” It’s long, so if you have no interest, here’s your chance to opt out.
FF7 was an interesting game. It came out before having games with alternate scenes and endings was so commonplace that it was expected. Replay value came from simply liking a game or a story well enough that you wanted to experience it again. The only real mechanical replay value of 7 was using different characters, and with the materia system even that was minor. Despite this, 7 had many things you could miss. Characters, such as Yuffie or Vincent. Side quests such as the Wutai chain or the Omega Weapon. Or what I find most interesting was that it was possible to miss important story elements. Some you had so search for, such as ‘what happened at the end of the Nibelheim incident’, answered if you find Tifa’s ‘Final Heaven’ Limit Break. Or what happened to Cloud after the Nibelheim incident, which you find out about him and Zack in a hidden scene. Hell, you can play the entire game without viewing the scenes of Aries’ mother, thus playing the entire game without learning that Jenova was in fact NOT an Ancient.
But there are only a few scenes that change specifically based on decisions you make. A staple in games nowadays, a relatively new concept at the time. Putting aside any scenes with Yuffie or Vincent and their possible absence, there’s only a few majorly different scenes. Only two pop readily into my head: The Golden Saucer Gondola Ride, and Under the Highwind. Both are affected by the same thing, a hidden ‘affection meter’ in the game that affects what other characters think of you. It’s ‘hidden’ and unviewable in game since it only affects those two scenes (unlike in other games with such a feature where it’s an intricate thing affecting everything from combat to endings.) Most people know about the Gondola ride, the one who likes you the most goes on a ‘date’ with cloud, with any number of options, some rather hilarious.
But then there’s Under the Highwind, a powerful scene that most people DON’T know there are two versions of. The scene sets with all the characters preparing to dive into the northern crater, knowing it’ll be more dangerous than anything they’d done yet and likely lead to their death. They decide to take a day, split up and check in on the ones they care about, and since it’s a conscious choice to go in (unlike the rest of the story where, for the most part, Shinra brought the fight to them) no one had to come back if they wanted to opt out of the suicide mission, anyone who wasn’t there the next day, well no one would think less of them. Cloud and Tifa alone really have no one else to go check in on, and they wait at the site under the Highwind to see who comes back the next day. They chat, talk a bit about issues of their past, about recent events, about Aries, about each other, and camp out at the site. Waking the next morning they don’t see anyone come back, and decide that everyone decided to stay with their loved ones, and that they’ll be alone in trying to stop Sephiroth. Lo and behold, everyone HAD come back, and was already aboard the Highwind. Or rather most were already there, and the last few were trickling in.
Depending on your affection with Tifa, there are some changes to the scene. If your relation with Tifa is VERY high, than there are a few lines alluding to Cloud and Tifa sleeping together that night, in a less literal sense, as well as some more telling comments the next day when they reunite with everyone else. The lines can be obvious if you know about them, but they’re subtle enough (and the two versions of the scene similar enough) that any little kid playing the game will have no idea what’s gone on. Even without the “And then they had sex” bit, it’s still a touching scene between Cloud and Tifa.
Apparently the game originally had it in the script that there would be a somewhat unmistakable “and then they had sex” moment between Cloud and Tifa (again, just done subtly enough that if you were some little kid that you wouldn’t get the reference) but then they decided it was a bit too risque. So instead they offered the two versions, childhood friends touching moment, or else ‘telling line then fade to black’ to make things somewhat ambiguous. All the effect, almost none of the controversy. A neat touch either way.
What I think most interesting about the scene is that some people have a problem with it, NOT because of any risque-ness, it was done as tame and unoffensive as earthly possible. They have a problem because many people still have this whole “But wait, wasn’t Aries Cloud’s girlfriend?” thing in their head. Me, I always liked Tifa, but even without that the “Tifa or Aries” question isnt’ even a question to me. Cloud always liked Tifa, even with the more ‘tame’ version of the Highwind scene, it’s made very obvious that they both care very much for each other.
When Cloud met Aries, she liked him because he reminded her of Zack, and he liked her because he was mindfucked into thinking he WAS Zack… While Cloud was out of his head on the trip over to Midgard, Zack told him all about his time in SOLDIER, as well as some of his past, including this sweet young thing he met named Aries. Already having some ‘memories’ of Aries, and then having her come on strong to him messed his head up further confusing his feelings and forcing him further into his fabricated past.
But his feelings for Tifa were genuine. He liked her as a kid, he tried to join SOLIDER to impress her, he came back, and even as nothing more than a Shinra guard he saved her life and faced down Sephiroth himself. And then when she helped him put his head back together, he remembered all the feelings he had in the past coupled with newfound affection for the girl who wouldn’t leave him and glued his psyche back together.
Affection system is a great concept in many games to allow customizable story and scenes (Star Ocean did it best), but I think the real truth is finally shown in Advent Children. Aries always liked Zack, Cloud cares for Tifa, but he’s not a touchy feely guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, he’s more duty minded (hence avoiding her and his freinds in the movie because he’s all geostigma’d) meanwhile Tifa isn’t pushy enough to force him to open up. It’s a sad situation we see in real life time to time where everyone just kinda wants to smack the people in the head and just say “You’re crazy about each other, stop being stupid and just be together!”
i love the fact the teacher is in on this.
Before I got into FFVII, much of my opinion on the game was based on what I heard from a ravenous yaoi fangirl. Until I actually played it, I assumed it was “Cloud+Sephiroth sitting in a tree”, and they looked so androgynous, I never question it. Who knows? Maybe Sephiroth was jealous of Aeris and wanted her out of the picture? (At least, she — that yaoi fangirl — hoped so. 😉 )
Sandra: No! Cloud loves Sandra, just as she loves him!
Cloud: Yes!
Larisa: But Cloud also holds a secret flame for Larisa!
Cloud: …
Landon: But Larisa always remains true to Landon, her chosen!
Larisa: Yes. I suppose.
Ye Thuza: And Cloud bears familial love for his mother and father, who gave him his distinctive name!
Cloud: Y-yes!
Square Enix headquarters: *BOOM!*
Ye Thuza: Now, group hug for the alibi…
>:=)>
Greenwood Goat wrote:
That was excellent
@ Malcadon:
There is certain logic to why the yaoi fangirl would interpret the game in that way.
As I said earlier, I think Cloud’s relationship with Aeris was mostly based on Zack’s memories merging with Cloud.
But the problem (from Sephiroth’s POV) was that Zack was only subject infused with Jenova cells to reject Sephiroth’s will.
So, maybe, Sephiroth killed Aeris because she was Cloud’s last major tie to Zack (outside of the Buster Sword, obviously).
But it was to make Cloud a servant of Sephiroth, rather than a lover.
Novil, do you know where Woo is right now? There are rumours…
https://twitter.com/AGiamali/status/618557091083603968/photo/1
Aerith* Aeris is a translation error and she has been Aerith in everything else she has ever been in.
Just a small nitpick lol.
Don’t bother Cloud, your mother would probably do it for you.
@ Patrick DiSandro:
I think you just described Sasuke and Sakura at the end there too.
Ohhh, THAT’s why he didn’t like the announcement.
*Aerith 🙂
Feh, I don’t get it.
And you know what? I don’t WANT to get it. I’m not a gamer. Can’t afford the consoles, much less the games, much less find the time for any ridiculously long game…
Tifa! Tifa! Tifa! Tifa!
based on the last strip and the rumor about cloud, shouldn’t Sebastian be going on about Cloud living Barret?
@ shazz_smifff:
Damn typeos’
Based on the last strip and the rumor about cloud, shouldn’t Sebastian be going on about Cloud loving Barret?
You do that and we can all kiss Kingdom hearts 3 goodbye.
Vorlonagent wrote:
There are quite a bunch of reasons for this, but the two main reasons are: Aegis dies in disc 1, and that’s one third of the game & Tifa has some big knockers, which loads of people (males) are attracted to (they even bounce, which was stated by some friends I had over and showed them the game.).
@ Leomon:
I would prefer to see Sandra cosplay as cloud, and cloud cosplay Tifa, just cause.
Cloud X Beret forever :p
But na I want cloud to be able to romance any one who survives the crater as a bonus after the game ends
Fingers crossed
Taunting from both generations of FF7 fans, ouch.
Barret bromance forever!
*dives under cover*
As for the girls:
Aeris is capable of being much more of a bitch than she lets on. Not neccessarily a bad thing mind you, a bit of cunning and pragmatism can balance out what is otherwise saccharine. Sure, Tifa’s got an impressive rack but what strikes me more is her powerful sense of justice, will-do attitude, empathetic and compassionate nature, and the fact that she can do with her fists what other people need oversized hunks of metal and bazooka arms for. You see what happens when she lands a full-crit beat rush? Damn. They’ll feel that a week after they settle in to Hell.
… Yuffie is not even in the running as far as I’m concerned.
Cloud x Tifa, Aerith x Zack, Red XIII x Yuffie.
…why is everyone staring at me like that?
=\
People, let’s be realistic here. It’s ALWAYS been a love triangle. It’s CloudxAerisxTifa.
But, as far as the remake is concerned, I’ve been burned by Enix before (see The Third Birthday and review Parasite Eve 1 and 2 to understand without me having to rant, main focus point is Aya’s personality crippling in Third Birthday, this case is just one example of many) and with Kingdom Hearts III looking like it’s going to be 90% Disney, 9% reused material, and maybe, MAYBE 1% Final Fantasy, I’ve pretty much given up on Enix making anything good. Unless both Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu are in the staff credits, you won’t get much out of me on this subject, especially Sakaguchi since it’s his story anyway. So by all means Cloud, burn that mother to the ground with Larisa and make it the world’s biggest bonfire.
On the plus side of E3, Persona 5! (Okay, I know that’s not new. It’s still worth looking forward to though. Atlus doesn’t disappoint.)
I have been in a similar situation myself. I was in school back when The Matrix came out. Not so bad by itself except my last name is “Anderson”. I had a teacher who fancied himself Agent Smith, and so most every chance he got, he put on his best Hugo Weaving voice when talking to me and said “Miss-ter Ahhhhnderson.” Yeah, fun times for all.
So finals come around, I take the test and bring it up to him. He says “Turning in your test, Miss-ter Ahhhnderson?” And that’s when I stand there just a second, lean down, grab him by his shirtfront and grate out in the best Keanu I can muster: “My name…is NEO.”
And he’s shocked for about a beat or so before I let go of his shirt and he starts laughing fit to burst. I waited almost three months to spring that one. Worth it.
@ Tsunami:
KH has always been majority Disney-based with only minor cameos of FF characters, with a smattering of FF spell names and ability names. And it’s never claimed to be anything otherwise.
So, I don’t see what the complaint is outside of “they’re making another one”, which they always said they would.
If you don’t like it, just don’t buy it.
And once you get past the hilariously bad story and the idiotic main characters, they’re pretty fun games in my opinion.
Also Bravely Default is just awesome and a callback to the NES/FamiCom era FF games (which themselves weren’t great, but whatever).
So I’m hoping you leave off the bombing before the sequel to that‘s released.
In regards to the FFVII remake, I just hope they don’t change the battle system. (Maybe split the Attack and Limit Break options, ’cause that was f**king annoying, but no more.)
Because as clunky as the ATB system might seem to a modern audience, it’s one of those things that made SNES and PS1 era Final Fantasy feel like Final Fantasy.
That moment when you read the last page of a comic and realize you have to wait days before the comic is updated.
Almost at the sevenhundredth comic (yaaaaaay!) Hope it’s good!
Sorry but……Your teacher is right
@ Hogtree Octovish:
In the first game it felt more 60% Disney and 40% Final Fantasy with Sora himself feeling more like a cross between the two, even his personality was well balanced but now… it’s just painful to watch. I’ll get to what my complaint is in a while since it’s all part of the same issue.
I’m not planning on buying it. Doesn’t mean I won’t critique it. I’ll give it an honest and fair critique though. Just because I feel jaded doesn’t mean I have the right to be a jerk about it. But on the concept of story, I’m a writer. So when I see a game that I have high hopes for and it REALLY lets me down by having a garbage story, it feels like I just got sucker punched in the stomach. For me, gameplay just isn’t enough to save a game with a failing story. It’s effectively the elephant in the room with everyone doing their best to ignore it. Again, I’m biased, I’ll admit it, but I just feel that a game should be about its story first. If it fails this, nothing can save it.
I didn’t mention Bravely Default, I mentioned Parasite Eve. After the Parasite Eve spinoff (which isn’t official, I realize, but it bugs me that Enix couldn’t spring to the official creator of the novel that the games were based on. Not like the royalties would have been that much so I don’t know what kind of excuse they have), they effectively lost my trust in any old staff members that were hanging on. I just couldn’t keep getting my hopes up for something good to come out of the company, only for them to crush my hopes entirely.
Now for the reason why I’m so bitter about all of this. I used to, admittedly, be a Squaresoft fan. I have played practically every game that they’ve released including the godlike Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. I think that Hironobu Sakaguchi is an amazing writer (I’m also aware that he didn’t write for either Trigger or Cross as both were handled by Masato Kato) and what they did to him was just… wrong. They turned him into a figure head, demoting him from president of the company after The Spirits Within (which, come on, wasn’t THAT bad) and merged with Enix who (by the way, they’re a production company, they don’t actually design, write or create games in the artistic sense) had the money to replace what Squaresoft had lost, so long as they could fill what would soon be a lot of layoffs for former Squaresoft employees, with their own people. The difference in quality is easy to spot. Just look at the difference between Final Fantasy X and FFXII. The reason? Sakaguchi left. One day he became so fed up with the situation that he quit to form his own company and took half of the development team of Final Fantasy XII with him. To me, that’s pretty epic. But the point still stands, Enix is running the show and not anyone from Squaresoft. So as far as I’m concerned, they don’t have any connection to Squaresoft anymore save for a very depressing history, a lot of “What could have been…”s, and the licenses to the games we grew up with. Aside from that, there’s nothing holding them to the old name or the history it holds.
To long, didn’t read? Squaresoft is greater than Square-Enix and Hironobu Sakaguchi is just awesome.
Also, I’m not trying to pick a fight with anyone or anything. It’s just that this is still a touchy subject with me. I bought as many Final Fantasy’s close to day one as I could and I’ve loved every single one until it hit XII (alright, admittedly I didn’t get XI. I wasn’t into online gaming back then). Then it was like the world just turned on it’s head and everything stopped making sense.
…says Nappa from Dragonball Z
@ Tsunami:
Fair enough.
Now I think about it I actually agree with most of your critique, especially since the 13 trilogy was so terrible.
I mean while 13 itself was bad, I’d forgive them for a mis-step, but why they released two sequels (13-2 was an improvement, but still tainted by it’s predecessor and the battle system and I’m not even touching Lightning Returns) when the fans really wanted Agito (now Type Zero) and Versus (now FF15) (both of which I still haven’t played yet).
And to me 12 felt like it could’ve been great but was ruined by the Gambit system. I feel like it should’ve been either a full Action RPG like the KH games or something closer to how Monolithsoft’s Xenoblade did it a few years later.
And I only mentioned Bravely Default to show that they can still make great games if they put their minds to it.
And yeah, for me gameplay is the priority. Because it’s a game not a movie, but everyone has their own preferences.
As for KH, running the numbers, I’d still say it was still originally more of a Disney game using FF mechanics than a pure crossover.
Going just by the worlds themselves:
In KH1 there are 8 pure Disney worlds (counting 100 Acre Wood, but not Disney Castle),
1 Disney with FF characters (Olympus Colosseum),
2 FF with Disney characters (Treverse Town with Donald’s immortal triplet nephews and Merlin, and Hollow Bastion with Meleficent),
1 half OC half FF world (Destiny Islands),
and an OC world with a Disney boss (End of the World with Chernabog).
KH2 I’d say has 10 pure Disney (counting 100AW again as well as Space Paranoids, but not Timeless River),
1 Disney with FF characters (Olympus Colosseum with Auron, who unlike the other FF characters might actually be THE Auron),
1 FF with Disney characters (Hollow Bastion with the immortal nephews, Uncle Scrooge and Merlin)
1 half OC, half FF with a connecting Disney (Twilight Town and Mysterious Tower),
and a pure OC world (The World That Never Was).
Added to that you’ve got Donald Duck and Goofy with you pretty much all the time.
Personally I’d say KH’s problem in later games is more of an original character one than a Disney one, but that’s just my opinion.
And that fact we’ve waited years for KH3.
Oh, and yeah, 11 (and 14) should’ve never been numbered games in the first place.