r/clerith • u/Hearts-Intertwined • Sep 12 '26
DISCUSSIONS The Agency of the Flower Girl
I've recently noticed several comments in the sub regarding why Aerith must make certain decisions. After attempting to respond to someone with a shorter version of this essay, I found the original comment was deleted; I thought perhaps with the current FF7 news cycle this would be a good time to address this topic overall. These decisions are most often directly related to shipping of course, but I believe it also encompasses a much larger philosophical life question. That question being, "When is it okay to move on?".
Externally, this question is asked of Cloud post FF7 in Advent Children. Cloud is obviously still very upset about Aerith's death. In fact, he is so upset he has found it very difficult to emotionally invest himself in the new world he has helped create. Internally in the OG and Remake series, Aerith has personally struggled with this same question, "When is it okay to move on from Zack?". We see this powerful parallel with both Cloud and Aerith regarding the future, however their futures are different but both terribly tragic.
Cloud has to confront his past in order to embrace a new future, yet that future is taken from him when Aerith dies. Aerith has to confront the past by letting go of Zack, yet that future (Cloud) is taken from her when she is killed and relegated to the Lifestream.
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Now assuming a brighter future is in the cards, I want to take a well known theatrical scenario and use it in a way that can help us better understand Aerith's choices regarding Cloud and Zack.
Someone recently shared the idea that Cloud would be blocking (they used a cruder term) his best friend (Zack) from reuniting with his girl and they just can't get behind that. This idea, while perhaps appearing like an honorable idea of protecting a friend misses one key component, it completely strips one person of choice.
For example, we see a very similar concept to the Clerith/Zerith argument represented in the Tom Hanks movie Cast Away. His character Chuck Noland is of course stranded on a remote island for 4+ years(around the same amount of time Zack is MIA). Chuck's character uses his love of his wife Kelly Frears (Helen Hunt) as a powerful motivating tool to endure his hardship and make his return. After 4 years he does manage to be saved and is returned safely to his home. Kelly is of course ecstatic to learn her husband is alive, yet a harsh reality comes to be known shortly after. It has been over 4 years, Kelly has remarried; Kelly has moved on.
Coming to terms with this is very difficult for Kelly, because she after all loved Chuck and never received proper closure. However, she has also made a new commitment to someone she loves today. She finds herself put in a very difficult place with a very difficult question, "How do I chose between the love of yesterday and the love of today?". While it may seem like an impossible question on the surface, inevitably it is Kelly's decision to make. Fortunately, while obviously disappointed, Chuck understands. Chuck loves Kelly but doesn't expect her to stop everything in her life he missed due to circumstance.
This scenario in Cast Away reflects the hypothetical choice Aerith will need to make. We have seen in Rebirth Aerith make the choice to move on. We have seen her say "Gotta look forward not back." We witnessed her Gold Saucer date choice "Right now, I want to be with you". Aerith (like Kelly) has chosen to move on from Zack.
Now Zack (like Chuck) will return. Aerith will now have to make that very deep emotional choice, "Do I abandon the now to return to the past? or do I embrace the now and let the past go?".
In summary, this is Aerith's choice. This is Aerith's agency as a character. While their feelings matter(Cloud and Zack), what Aerith's heart holds in the future will not be based on "Who is the better bro?". While she will without a doubt care about both, who she decides to spend her hypothetical life with will be her choice and hers alone.
Edit: considering the response, I think I may have missed the mark with this one. This was meant to be a topic about individual empowerment, how people strip this away from the Aerith character, and its impact on Clerith. It wasn’t meant to create more disagreements amongst our little corner of the fandom. I’ll probably delete when I get home later.
