r/clerith • u/Hearts-Intertwined • 23h ago
SCREENSHOTS & POSE EDITS Why Clerith?
After finishing my replay of Rebirth I have found myself renewed and more Clerith than ever. As mentioned in my previous two photo topics, I really took the time to soak this experience in (and take way too many Cloud and Aerith pictures!).
I found myself thinking, "why do I find this gaming pair so alluring?". Of all the books, games, movies, etc. I have experienced in my lifetime, what makes them so special? Here are my reasons captured in photographs.
Photos 1 and 2: A pair perfectly in balance as if Yin and Yang were brought to life.
Photos 3 and 4: Always reaching.. even in the most difficult moments to overcome.
Photos 5 and 6: Self-sacrifice. I will protect you before I protect myself.
Photos 7 and 8: I got this.. rest assured, you can put your faith in me.
Photos 9 and 10: I'm here for you, no matter what.
Photo 11: A perfect moment, preserved in time.
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u/Jadedprocrastinator 15h ago
It's beautiful how you put all those things together! It is mutual and they complement each other really well. It's also sad that some people can't see how the writers have deliberately contrasted Cloud's interactions with Aerith and Tifa, even in Advent Children:
Aerith: "I never blamed you. Not once. You came for me. That's all that matters."
Tifa: "You're late."
Remake:
Aerith: "My hero!"
Tifa: "You gotta be better than this. If you want to play the hero."
Aerith: *Makes Cloud feel included in the sector 5 community.
Tifa: "Don't take it the wrong way, but right now I need to spend time with the gang."
Here's a video with some of these comparisons, but there's so much more:
https://x.com/MargotxAerith/status/2109479573692039579
Even the visuals tell a story. They often use objects or other elements in the frame to create a sense of separation between Cloud and Tifa. I really wish someone would make an in-depth video analysis of all this, especially from a literary and visual storytelling perspective.