Well, the cloti people are saying that Aeris loved Zack more than Cloud and that Zack is meant to be with Aeris. Aeris really did like Zack a lot, but she had a deeper connection with Cloud. For all the clotis who say that she had a deeper connection with Zack and was with Cloud because of the resemblance, that is not true. It seemed that Aeris liked Zack a lot, but Zack seemed to not feel the same way. He didn't mention Aeris at all during the mission and when he was dying. In the flashback, it didn't show Zack thinking of her. When he was heading to Midgar with Cloud, he said he had a place to crash, like a last resort. Then he said that the mother lives there, too. Don't you think Zack would have been excited and happy? It didn't show Zack getting excited or thinking of Aeris during the trip to Midgar. It seemed like Zack didn't feel the same way.

Aeris liked Zack a lot, but Zack didn't seem to reciprocate her feelings. Cloud was the one who liked Aeris. She mentioned that only a handful of people really knew her. She was lonely before she met Cloud. Aeris liked Cloud for who he was, because he was clearly different from Zack. Aeris wasn't rebounding, Zack didn't seem to feel the same way, while Cloud was always there. Aeris might have been afraid of getting hurt because of Zack.

During the date, Aeris says "But your different... things are different." Many Cloti people say that it means that Aeris preferred Zack and was sad that things weren't the same with Cloud. Well, perhaps it's the opposite. Perhaps Aeris was afraid that Cloud wouldn't feel that way and it would've ended like Zack because of the resemblance, but she realizes that Cloud is different, Cloud cares about her and really has feelings for her. Cloud was by her side. Aeris may have been happy and felt better, realizing that things were different and it won't end that way. If she preferred the way things were with Zack and was dissapointed that Cloud wasn't the same, then she would've said "I wish it could've been that way. I wish things could've been like they were before. I wish things were the way they were with him." Instead, it seems at that moment, she has gotten over Zack and by saying "things are different", her feelings for Zack had changed and she had let go of Zack and had fallen in love with Cloud and could love him with all her heart. She put her feelings for Zack to rest and was fully devoted to Cloud.

That moment was what showed that Zack was gone and Cloud was the one in her heart. Yet, Cloti people seem to think that her feelings in that scene are stronger for Zack. Aeris talks about Cloud and Aeris says, "I'm searching for you Cloud. I want to meet you." "What I mean is... I want to meet... you." That shows that Aeris is interested in Cloud and Zack is her past and Cloud is the one who is number one in her heart. She is ready to open up to him and know him more and feels more strongly for Cloud and happier with Cloud.

You are very right! :D
I believe she did have feelings for Zack, but she didnt really feel the same about him when she met Cloud.
She found Cloud more understandable! (not to mention more attractive, meow)
Zack and Aeris were too alike anyways.
Opposites attract all the way!
:D

I think Zack was too big a goof to actually be serious about any kind of relationship. I also think it's really telling that he says he has a "place" he can go. Not a person that will help him out, but a place.

I can't reproach Zack 'cause it's his personality: cheerful and maybe even lightheaded. Speaking about Cloud/Aerith and Zack/Aerith I think they have different depth of their relations. Do I make any sense? Aerith and Zack had just sympathy and about Cloud and Aerith... They are grown-ups and both understand the depth of their love :cleris: Their feelings are deeper than teenager's sympathy.
Wow, I realy didn't make any sense :( But I still hope somebody will understand.

Very good points. I first got on a bit of an anti-Zeris streak when I talked to Elmyra after Cloud first meets her. Aeris seems totally happy to explain that Cloud is her bodyguard, once a first-class SOLDIER, and runs upstairs to get a bed ready for him. If you speak to Elmyra after Aeris leaves, she says, "SOLDIER... the last thing Aeris needs is to get her feelings hurt again."

I can't bring myself to believe that the relationship between Zack and Aeris was all rainbows and butterflies when it's completely obvious that a case of unrequited love existed. Aeris is quite the social character, and really seems to connect to people and care for everyone she meets. I think that certain signs from the game, including the fact that she didn't hook up with her first boyfriend until she was seventeen, show that she just pretty much loved everybody and wasn't necessarily looking for love in return. I think that's what drew her to Zack. He must have been expressing some kind of flirtatiousness, being the "ladies' man" that he is, and maybe Aeris was attracted to that because she really believed he loved her in return. Heartbreak's a biyotch, though, and I think she must have realized at some point that he was, like Aeris herself, just plain friendly to everybody. That, in my personal opinion, is what created the problems in what Zeris fans consider their "eternal love." I just don't think it ever really took off into something that could matter that much--it doesn't take a lot of time looking at their characters to see that they're both flirty.

This, however, brings me to Cloud. Stoic, demure, cold little Cloud who doesn't give a damn about anybody. And what most people don't see is that he did show a lot of signs of affection for Aeris, which is a HUGE step for someone with his personality. Contrary to the belief of most CloTis, Cloud did care about her, regardless of whether that is in a romantic sense. But I think that since the signs of his love for her actually shined through his hardened exterior says a lot about how much he cares. He's willing to drop the false front, completely abandon his Zack-esque persona, and actually commit himself to loving her. AC shows that he still hasn't let go of that love even two years after her death. And I think THAT is the kind of love Aeris wanted from Zack. Like she said, things are different, and whether the CloTis like it or not, Cloud is different. She wants a family with him. She would have stayed with him forever. And what does she say to Zack?

Zeris: pwned. :yahoo:

I agree with you guys. Aerith really loved Zax, but he didn't lover her as much as he was leading her on. When she found Cloud, it was like a click and they managed to stay together. I can see how they would have their problems and stuff, but they were strong and they managed to pull it though. Even when... she... died... :sad:

aeris did not love zack more than cloud and that's that..

the cloti people are just looking for something, anything, that could delude them into thinking that cloti would work.. :whistle:

but damn in the movie is cloud and zack fit :blast:

...

*huggles ZackCloudAerith OT3*

Oh ya, Aerith loved Zack so much, because y'know, our first boyfriend is always true love!

Ah. That.

I never believed that there was Eternal Love going on there simply because.

a) Aerith says so. And Aerith is a frank person. CloTis seems to say that Aerith was shy and insecure a la Yuna, but her hitting on Cloud openly seems to point in another direction.

B) Zack did not bother to show up to Aerith, as a ghost, to let her know he died. Aerith suspected he died, but could not confirm it. I find it strange, since Aerith can see Elmyra's husband, who is a virtual stranger to her, but could not see Zack, her supposed "love of her life".

And so I believe that Zeris does not work. So I am glad it was confirmed in Maiden of the Planet, when she said she'd prefer Cloud's awkwardness.

That means I'm not the only one who was surprised with this fact. :whistle: Really, I thought Zack was closer to her than Elmyra's husband :ermm:

Heh, so basically you're saying that Elmyra's husband never loved her, because he didn't manage to speak to her before returning to the Planet?

Wow, you make it sound Elmyra is an Ancient. Tsk tsk.

Aerith: Mom. Please don't cry.

Elmyra: (talks about her memory) Aerith just blurted that out all of a sudden. When I asked her if something happened...

Aerith: Someone dear to you has just died. His spirit was coming to see you, but he already returned to the planet.

The fact that Aerith knew the fact that Elmyra's husband wanted to see his wife, which is pretty something. If the same happens to Zack, Aerith would have been certain, right from the start, regarding his fate. She was certainly convinced he left her for someone else.

But no, that didn't happen. Aerith was definitely surprised when she saw him in the Lifestram.

Which tells me that Zack certainly didn't bother to tell her what happened to him. Which is ironic, since Aerith has the ability to hear him anyways.

And notice, Aerith tried to talk to Cloud, as seen when she was watching him bury her body in the lake. Cloud couldn't hear her, of course.

But by the time of AC, Cloud and Aerith can literally talk to each other (I'd like to think him in the church had something to do with it).

i always thought cloud and tifa where one

and aeris and zack where one but now...im not sure

Well, none of us agree with that in this forum, tif. Please see our Forum Rules because we state specifically there that we only allow endorsements of CloudxAerith in this forum. From the Forum Rules:

So please don't endorse couples other than CloudxAerith here. Thank you.

hey i am aloud to STATE my own opinion aren't besides i now do agree cloud and aeris are meant to be

You're allowed to state your opinion as long as your opinion isn't that Cloud and Tifa were meant to be, since that's an endorsement of CloudxTifa. We don't allow such endorsements of CloudxTifa on this forum, since this forum is only for fans of CloudxAerith.

And you didn't state in your opinion that you now agree that CloudxAerith is meant to be. This is what you said:

You said that you weren't sure about CloudxAerith, and that you always thought Cloud and Tifa were one. Saying that you're not sure about CloudxAerith means that you doubt it. Saying that you always thought Cloud and Tifa were one is an endorsement of CloudxTifa, which is not allowed on this forum.

I'm glad to hear that you now agree with us about CloudxAerith, so I hope I won't be hearing any more from you about Cloud and Tifa being one on this forum.

yes yes i know but im just saying thats how i used to think but i know that cloud and aerith belong together

its just at the start of the game i didn't like her

i don't know why

May i point out...

That and Tif's sigs make it obvious that the opinion has changed

A little quick to pounce there :(

*pulls thread back on-topic* ;)

I agree, Usagi. I believe that Aerith felt happiness at knowing that Cloud was very different from Zack. I thought her saying "things are different" meant that her relationship with Cloud and the circumstances that surrounded it was different than what it was with Zack (she was no longer a young girl, she'd suffered heartbreak already, she'd grown emotionally and mentally from travelling across the world).

I think knowing all that, and knowing that Cloud wasn't a second Zack, made Aerith very happy and hopeful that night.

As for Zack, I think it was simply puppy love for him. Aerith might've thought he was The One (as many young girls would think their first love would be The One), but Zack was a ladies' man and presumably far more experienced. I don't really view him negatively because of that, though.

I think Zack saw Aerith as a young girl who had a crush on him (being in SOLDIER must've gotten him plenty of admirers) and assumed that puppy love would soon fade away. I think that's why he refers to staying with her so casually as well. I don't think he thought of Aerith in the 'long-term', but maybe as an interesting puppy love, and perhaps as one of his closer friends.

If Zack fell in love with Aerith anywhere, I'd wager he did so during MotP. Perhaps after seeing the woman she'd become, he finally realised what he'd missed out on. But even then, he's still amused and happy-go-lucky about the whole thing, so I still don't see him viewing Aerith as anything more than a friend.

Exactly, if I remember correctly, Aerith didn't like Cloud just for his "looks", she said, "... the way you walk, gesture... I saw him again, in you... ... but you're different"

Aerith even noticed that Cloud was different from Cloud. Two completely different people.

I'm not really sure what to say on this... but if really did "love" her, then I think he would say along the lines of "... I'll never be able to see her again..." Or somehting like that. That would show the gamer that he cared for someone, and then they would work it out, etc.

True. I agree. Cloud is completely different, from happy-go-lucky. In fact, Cloud is the complete opposite. ;) In Maiden of the Planet, it is definitely official that Aerith cares for Cloud.

Zack said he had a place he could crash, but he ended up not going there.

Zack is a great character, though.

That's what I thought too, when I read that line!

Another thing I particularly didn't like was his letter to his parents, which was shown in the Ultimania Omega. Apparently the only thing it stated about Aerith was a short : PS :Got a girlfriend right at the end of the letter. <_< You'd think he'd be more ecstatic if he was truly in love with Aerith.

Actually I don't think neither of them were too serious about the relationship. They probably liked each other for a while as Aerith described she "liked him for a while" she never said she was madly in love with him or even in love with him at all for that matter. Zach was too much of a ladies man. I would have to say that maybe Aerith was more serious about the relationship then Zach was though.

I like Zack, though.

Haha, that didn't bother me at all! :lol: Because Zack is the kinda of character who wouldn't want to talk about a relationship with he had to his parents. To friends maybe yes but to his parents no.

To me, Zack is the kind of guy who gets very easily embrassed by his parents.

Zack told Cloud he had a place he could crash and then said that it's out because Elmyra was there.

Well, I don't think Cloud was in a state to assimilate someone's love stories, so maybe Zack decided just to cut that out. They both needed a place to stay at and it was their main problem.
And I have a question: how can this line be rephrased to show he "loved" her?
Not that I think he truly loved Aerith. But it seems to me that the whole conversation makes everything turn out like Zack was just playing with her. I think it was just sympathy. Teenage sympathy. Not love, not games.
As for me at that moment Zack was thinking only about one thing: how to take them (and especially Cloud in his very bad state) both in a safe place.

Zack is a great character, though. Zack is a great character, just him and Aeris are meant to be with other people.

I agree, Cloud -loved- her more, as you say. But I like Zack's character though he is/was a ladies man. And I also think he could have had deep feelings (not for Aerith, just in common). As for me he had some feelings for her. Just sympathy though. Look at the way he was caring about Cloud. I can't imagine him playing with one's and especially Aerith's feelings.
But I'm Clorith/Cleris fan and I'm not telling they (Zack and Aerith) were in love with each other. Yes, Cloud, first of all, really !loves! her.
And that scene in the truck I think was made to show the difference between these two *cough* couples *cough*. Zack and Cloud are both in dangerous situations and only one of them thinks about her in romantical meaning. Sympathy and true love. *shrugs*

I definately don't think there was much depth to their relationship. Even if Zack had lived, fate seemed to play in CloudxAerith's favor.. (Can you say, miraculously surviving a huge drop by falling through the roof of a church?)

Am I the only one who thinks that Aerith is to Cloud what Zack could have been for Tifa? (I've seen Clotis pair Tifa and Zack... I think it's funny that they'd support a pairing like that in contrast to her pairing with Cloud, he and Zack aren't really anything alike)

**flying off-topic!**

Actually, Fack is quite a popular pairing as well! :lol: *pokes Luna*

You're right, actually. Some people think Zack would be the ideal partner for Tifa, because he is everything Cloud isn't. In FF7, Tifa wants a hero to come and save her when she's in a bind. She wants somebody who will devote his entire self to her. She's shy, so she needs someone outgoing and romantic to sweep her off her feet. She constantly wants Cloud to be someone he's not, especially emphasized in Case of Tifa. Cloud's arkward and simplistic manner doesn't charm her - she wants him to change. Zack was a hero, a charming ladies' man - most of the qualities that Tifa wants in Cloud.

But Cloud isn't Zack. They may have had mixed-up memories, but they are two different individuals. Aerith saw that. Zack was the first class Soldier, everything about his personality is what Tifa wants Cloud to be. Spending more time with her, sharing stuff with her, etc. etc.

In stark contrast to Tifa, Cloud's simplistic ways appeals to Aerith.

**flying back on-topic!!**


I'm one of those few people that think Zack was never very serious about Aerith. Lots of things hint towards that - from MoTP, to LO, to AC and Ultimania Omega - and even if it's proven otherwise in CC -- we do know for sure Zack and Aerith will never be a couple. It would never work out - they're too similiar, as how Cloud and Tifa are. You need plenty of good balance for a relationship to work well - and we see how Cloud and Aerith balance each other out just nicely. Zack and Aerith would be all haywire. As quoted by Aerith, "A man who's gotten with so many girls can never be a good lover." Zeris is dispelled, it's canon, bitchez. :devil:

Oh, if Zack had lived -- well, Aerith didn't really know he died, did she? (Another reason why I don't think they were very deeply connected.) I feel they wouldn't have stayed together for long if he had lived. But if we keep playing into these 'what if?' situations, it'll only end up in more and more pointless speculation. Sometimes it's better not to play the 'if' game. :lol:

:lol: Zack would need some ice for that BURN. :lmao:

I've thought about this before, and I don't believe that Zack loved Aerith. I think he saw her in a superficial way: a cute girl to be his girlfriend. He seemed to treat their relationship like it was just a fling, only mentioning her in that letter as a footnote (P.S. I've got a girlfriend). On the other hand, Aerith felt differently. Even though she says in the playground that they weren't serious and that she liked him for a while, she later refers to Zack as her first love. As far as I can guess, she had a pretty big crush on him, and maybe she felt young love for a while. But Zack wasn't serious about her at all. So her big crush or love (your preference) wasn't really reciprocated and that's what hurt poor little Aerith's feelings.

I know that a lot of people here don't think that Cloud had a crush on Tifa as a child, but I'll play devil's advocate for a minute here. Assuming he did have a crush on Tifa, didn't he have his feelings hurt as well? The girl he had a crush on never noticed him at all until he mentioned possibly becoming famous and legendary. Even though they made a promise, Cloud didn't meet the terms she set up as a prerequisite: he didn't become famous, and he didn't make it into SOLDIER. Both Cloud and Aerith had their feelings hurt by people they had a crush on. And it's with each other that they learn what love really is, understanding it beyond unrequited childhood crushes. :cleris: Anyways, thought I'd add that little thought to the discussion.

I'm really unupdated...-_-;

anyway, even if I love Zacky wacky, I'm kinda hurt of what he did to Aerith, Zeris didn't bother me at all, it was kinda..."ok...?" :ermm:

haha, but yeah, I agree. Zack didn't feel the same way about Aerith, even in his cute comment for her in MoTP, no. And even if the quote below, it seems that he wants to go back to Aerith, what, probably play her again?

I say no way Zacky wacky!!!! Even if i found him attractive, he never showed that he even cared for her...unlike deary Ku-rau-do, who even cried for her, who also...would die for her (he does, right?)

(throws MoTP at the Clotis/Zeris) Clotis, burn you. :fury:

Silly opinion: I wish the LT is Cloud/Aerith/Zack, that would've been much better for me...

*loves all the great points going on in here* You guys rock. The anti-Zeris anarchist in me is totally dancing for joy right now. :wub:

Just wanted to pop back in and bring up a small, somewhat insignificant little point I spotted while searching through old FFVII records and fangirling over Tifa's diary entry about Zack. After Aerith runs out the door of Zack's parents' house and hides in a corner of Gongaga, her conversation with Cloud about Zack includes this little line I found mighty interesting:

Cloud: "Aerith..."

Aerith: "What a shock..... I didn't know Zack was from this town."

Okay, you're probably thinking, "So what?" right now, and that's understandable. Why would Zack tell Aerith where he was born and raised? It's not really important to their relationship. However, if we go through Tifa's diary entry regarding the Nibelheim incident, we find the following passage, which is double-interesting:

"On that day 5 years ago, I waited for a long time. I believed the SOLDIER who was sent to Nibelheim from ShinRa would surely be Cloud. However, another SOLDIER came with Sephiroth and he was not Cloud. His hair was black. He was young and cheerful... He talked a lot with me, too. He told me that he was born in Gongaga, which was far to the south. His name was--- Zacks."

Maybe I'm just being my typical, biased Zack/Tifa fangirl self, but I found it just a little bit odd that Zack shared this information with Tifa, who he only knew for a few days, rather than Aerith, who was his girlfriend for what we can assume was a longer period of time, and who many claimed he loved and treasured so much. Sounds to me like Aerith and Zack didn't talk much, or they at least didn't know very much about each other. As much as I'm stoked about Zack sharing more personal info with Tifa than Aerith as somebody who's obsessed with the Fack pairing, I still find it somewhat wanky on Zack's part that he wouldn't be very personal with Aerith, when she obviously loved him at the time. Silly Zack and his oh-so-obviously canon love for Tifa. *slaps Zack* :ow:

More proofz for the "unrequited love" side of Zeris, mmyes. :D

Luna you rock!
Zacky wacky is a meanie! :mad: Poor Aerith, maybe he is secretly dating Tifa...XD Well, IMO, Aerith is greater than Tifa.
(Cloud goes to Aerith and hugs her):fangirl: If Cloud ever found that out, Cloud would be hurt as well... :sad:


:cleris:

Whoa...I completely overlooked that. :blink:
Unless CC changes my opinion, it doesn't look to me like Aerith and Zack knew one another all that well at all...not to the point where she's "his TRUESTLOVEEVAH, ZERISPAWNSJOOB!TCHES". It's slightly shocking that even Tifa knew. Also, judging by Zack's reputation with women...it doesn't shock me that he'd talked a lot with Tifa. Perhaps he may have even flirted with her a bit. :P

No wonder Luna's skippin' with joy... :giggle:

I believe Zack and Aerith met, liked each other very much, had the sweetness of first love....then went their seperate ways. It is proven many times in the game, most specially in the novel MOTP, that Aerith has long since got over Zack. She cares about him....but in a "friendly way." I haven't seen CC, so I can't yet assume what Zack's feelings were, but I guess it is safe to predict he feels the same way.....now. Though Zerith is one of my favourite pairings, I accept Aerith's feelings moved on to Cloud. :cleris:

*Cough*despite my disgraceful number of Zerith videos on Youtube*cough*

So, its safe to say it wasn't everlasting troo wuv, then. :lol:

Zack/Aeris is a case of cute summer love people blow out of proportion because they figure if they can shove Aeris off on some other guy, Cloud is free for Tifa. It's stupid. Aeris herself feels it was a light taste of first love, but people fail to realize it isn't Zack she can't get over, it's the way he left. I mean, if someone you knew just up and vanished and someone else showed up who kinda acted like him, you'd be freaked out too. But Aeris says about a million times she's over Zack, it's Cloud she loves, etc etc. And she gets utterly IGNORED because it's not convinent. alkdfjeg.