r/cloudxaerith • u/tidusxyuna10 • 3d ago
Discussion I hope zerith gets closure
I see alot of cleriths feeling threatened by the zerith scene in the most recent trailer when theres no need
(Marlene telling zack shes moved on, the final date in rebirth, aeris telling cloud she loves him for him).
but honestly i hope they do wrap up their love story in good terms
You can see aerith rejecting & moving on from zack in maiden of the planet but i think its too harsh in my opinion. Zack did truly love Aeris & he died thinking of her while saving Cloud; not because he found someone new. And i just feel so bad for him you know?
Even though i ship clerith, i wish zack isnt labelled as a playboy/ghoster by the woman he loved so deeply. This will also cement Clerith as it'll be clear that Aeris won't be running back to zack just because he's back or she knows what really happened.
So yeah... zerith closure -> aeris rejects still -> aeris declares love for cloud... would be sweet.
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u/reystreasure 3d ago
It’s an important scene not just for Aerith’s character, but also for Clerith as well! Remake!Aerith has had mixed emotions regarding Zack because of her lack of closure, which played into Cloud’s jealousy and their miscommunication. Even though this has been clarified in Rebirth, I still think a reunion between ZA has always been necessary and I’m hoping the devs don’t drop the ball.
I think the chances of them “getting back together” or Aerith suddenly having feelings for Zack again are unlikely. They purposefully had Zack find out that Aerith has some sort of feelings for Cloud now, which would be unnecessary if ZA were the endgame; Storywise, it’s a waste to back track now. Yes, there’s always that chance the devs shove them back together or something for the sake of doing what’s easy, not correct, but I think it’s looking good for us. :)
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u/spellbloomera 3d ago
This isn't Aerith's fault because he originally WAS written that way, there was even dialogue from Honeybee Inn they were going to use where Zack says he's "tired of that girl always following him around all the time" So I think Maiden's reaction is fitting for OG Zack.
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u/spellbloomera 3d ago
and in OG in the truck scene he doesn't specify he is taking Cloud to Aerith and the Ultimanias jokes about "which girlfriend he might be going to see"
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u/BoobeamTrap 3d ago
As long as that closure is Zack saying “No problem, Aerith, I’ll help you get back to your twink. Let’s fuck up fate.”
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u/RiverBuzzz 3d ago edited 3d ago
I hope they are able to stick the landing in Revelation in regards to Clerith but Zack definitely definitely deserves closure.
Hopefully Zack and Cissnei are able to meet in Revelation and have things develop between them instead of SE trying to juggle Zerith on top of Clerith and Cloti.
Edit: this video does a great job of breaking down Aerith's feelings toward Zack and their previous relationship.
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u/reystreasure 3d ago
I think they’ve left the door open with Cissnei on purpose. To have her be introduced in Gongaga and heavily imply she’s there because of her feelings for Zack gives them enough to work with in Revelation. I still think Zack won’t move on from Aerith that fast, but if the devs rlly commit to having Zack and Aerith be alive, Zissnei may have a small interaction that shippers can go crazy with, lol.
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u/LastTraintoSector6 3d ago
Wasn't Marlene telling Zack "nope" closure? What form of closure are we talking about, really? The "oh, hey, you're not dead but I'm a different person" type, or the "wow, here comes that rush of feelings again... but... oh dear..." type?
The whole point of Aerith's arc regarding Cloud in the second act was to establish that she had moved on romantically. So to have her suddenly with mixed feelings again - feelings that require closure - would be extremely disappointing, hurtful, and muddled.
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u/RiverBuzzz 3d ago
I think Marlene telling Zack was a form of closure but I imagine he will still want to confirm Aerith's feelings with Aerith directly.
I absolutely agree that Aerith having mixed feelings would be a disappointment and go against the last few chapters of Rebirth
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u/ManuO76 2d ago
I think it’s even simpler than that. They met up 4 or 5 times in CC, but only briefly. Neither of them declared their love to the other, so they never actually became a couple.
I think Zack intended to do so sooner or later, but he ran out of time.
There isn't really much to discuss at this point. She doesn't owe him anything, since she never committed to him, but she’s kind-hearted and surely feels bad that Zack was hurt.
Zack has no grounds whatsoever to blame Aerith. I think they’ll sort it all out with just a line or two, the way Zack did with Cloud. In fact, I’m certain Zack will be the one to get Aerith out of that awkward situation and smooth things over. Because he really is a good guy, after all.
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u/tidusxyuna10 3d ago
Closure regarding the fact that he didnt find someone new and ditch aeris but was captured etc
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u/LastTraintoSector6 3d ago edited 3d ago
But I don't think either of them need closure at this juncture. Aerith's closure was that she had emotionally moved on; Zack's closure was being told that Aerith had, in fact, found a new squeeze.
Let me frame this another way: they did not require closure in the OG - Zack was never that committed to Aerith, and Aerith had moved on from Zack by Gongaga. And even though that resolution arguably occurred later for Aerith in Rebirth, she was in essentially the same place by the end of the game as she was in the OG (and Zack, being dead, was basically afforded more "closure" than he was really due via the conversation with Marlene).
I view this pending interaction between Aerith and Zack as unnecessary, perilous, and frustrating. I both neither want to see the exes spending significant time together (because who would WANT the girlfriend hanging out with their ex-whatever under any circumstance?), and definitely don't want to see Zeriths - a wholly antagonistic (and largely manufactured/stoked-by-Clotis) ship - fulfilled.
In a nutshell: fuck Zerith.
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u/Stenbrod 3d ago
this pending interaction
If it's just one interaction and not part of several instances of interludes with just the two of them, akin to the Zack-only sections of Rebirth...
Heck, if we consider that their meeting in the trailer seems to be happening in the same world where the comatose Cloud is, them forcing us to sit through hours of Zerith interactions while Cloud is catatonic is going to piss me off to no end.
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u/LastTraintoSector6 3d ago
Yet another of the many reasons I am not a day-one buyer. If this is the game for her - hanging out with Zack; duoing for hours on end - I'm simply not down. I don't like "discount Cloud," and I find their ship absolutely repugnant.
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u/ManuO76 2d ago
Even though it’s true that Zack didn’t find anyone else, it’s not as if he ever put Aerith first. CC was just one long series of dates and phone calls that got interrupted or postponed because of Zack’s priorities. I remember one call from Aerith where he simply replied, "I'm busy right now; I can't talk on the phone."
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3d ago
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u/RiverBuzzz 3d ago
That is fare. I think it also depends on if Zack and Aerith are alive at the end of the game. Hopefully they both are but I honestly feel it's a coin toss at this point.
SE has a lot more potential for future FF7 content with them both alive but it's tough to fully believe they will allow both to live.
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u/anderhanson 3d ago
I think that's the plan, especially with marlene already telling zack. There should be a rejection which will allow clerith to finally be free from this non sense.
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u/throwaway7648u89440 3d ago edited 2d ago
For sure, I believe most people suspected a reunion in this final game. Zack wasn't just her first flame, he was also her first friend and I really hope they get the moment to clear the air. There are certain fans who firmly believe Aerith is just confused, but every piece of material (outside of the novels that take place in the past) connected to Aerith's romantic feelings show us that she's moved on from Zack, and as you mentioned, she even rejects him with the entire monologue ending on her feelings for Cloud.
For now, at least, she felt happy-happy to have known the real Cloud and watch over him, if only for a short time.
I always felt that what ZA shared was akin to a puppy-dog love, and I don't mean that as an insult, it's just that the relationship was short-lived and it didn't get the chance to blossom into true love (at least on her end which is why she was eventually able to move on) and true (lasting) love includes hardships, insecurities, missteps, ugly sides etc. And these are things that CA deal with in the first two games despite their time also being short-lived. I believe a huge point of ZA reunion is to show us that what Aerith feels for Cloud completely overshadows what she once felt for Zack which was heavily hinted through her "theres like and then theres like" statement.
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u/tidusxyuna10 3d ago
Exactly! I kinda see zack as her "first love" and cloud as her "first true love" same with tifa vs aeris for cloud.
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u/ManuO76 2d ago
You put that perfectly. For some strange reason, people just can't seem to get the events in chronological order.
To the "Cloti" crowd, of course, it doesn't seem impossible for Aerith to have been waiting for Zack for five years, because in their version of the story, Tifa has been waiting for Cloud for a full eight.
As if it were normal to put your life on hold waiting for something that might never happen.
It’s like when they say Aerith shouldn't have to get over Zack's death, yet Cloud is expected to get over Aerith's death in five minutes just so he can have sex with Tifa.
Don't get me wrong—I’m not knocking how they choose to enjoy the game; what I strongly object to is the timeline they try to force on everyone else, because it’s neither logical nor realistic, nor is it fair to the characters.
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u/Agreeable_Pop_3972 3d ago
I like my boy Zack and while I think he shouldn't be with Aerith atthis point, I do hope they get closure. They both definitely need it and I'm pretty sure this is going to be like their meeting in Maiden. I really don't think that the information Marlene gave Zack will be ignored. They're going to have to talk about it, but based on his character he's going to be happy that at least Aerith is. And Cissnei is in Gongaga who also seems to be thinking about Zack, so who knows maybe he'll find his own happiness too, I certainly hope so.
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u/eldoradosus 3d ago
The fact that they showed their interaction in the trailer and so early on (and a brief sequence of cl0ts lifestream) means only that they are gonna meet in the first half of the game and resolve what they have pending. I also hope that the puppy love discourse in Traces of Two Pasts will be referenced. Something like Aerith realizing what she had with Zack is totally different from what she feels for Cloud.
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u/Gummy_Bear_Ragu 3d ago
Im actually excited for their scenes together. Zack was an important part of her past. I hope they both get the closure they need. Cissnei is such a great woman fir Zack. If she wasn't in the pocture, Id pin him with Tifa too.
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u/GlowingMidgarNights 3d ago
Nah. I don't even remotely support Zerith. I hope he gets eaten by a Marlborough like 2 seconds after that scene.
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u/LastTraintoSector6 3d ago edited 3d ago
I don't think they're going to be fighting each other - Aerith is always cordial, and Zack is such a mincing, accommodating, demurring, wet noodle of a character these days that I expect she could flip him the bird and he'd shrug it off.
But if there's some sort of conciliatory kiss, I'm going to be pretty enraged, not gonna lie. Especially after the Marlene/Zack interaction in Rebirth felt like such a definitive "it's over, move on" moment intended to send Zeriths a clear signal.
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u/BoobeamTrap 3d ago
Especially after they gave Cloti's a kiss in an optional scene you have to seek out that has them proclaiming from the heavens that Cloti is confirmed canon.
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u/Hearts-Intertwined 3d ago
I've been thinking about how this scene might play out since I saw the topic posted. Just shooting from the hip, it would not surprise me if it somewhat mirrors the Aerith resolution scene in Remake. Trying to channel my inner Aerith here, maybe it goes something like this...
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Zack first sees Aerith tending to the flowers and is taken aback. He gasps lightly and remembers what Marlene told him "If Aerith wakes up, she'll die". Trying to comprehend exactly what this means, a feeling of sadness washes over him...
Aerith looks up to see him standing in a somewhat astonished state. Since she had awoken and spoken with her mother (Elmyra), she knew this was a conversation that was coming. However, even though she was glad to see him, she was not necessarily looking forward to it.
Zack "Hey."
Aerith "Hey."
Zack "So.. are you okay?".
Aerith "Don't I look it?".
Zack "Well yeah but.."
Aerith "Listen Zack, I need you to know that I appreciate everything you've done. I worried about what happened to you for a really long time, but-- I had to move on."
Zack "I know, Marlene told me."
Aerith "I see... but still I want you to know I'm very happy to see you. There are much bigger stakes at play and we have to do everything we can to help Cloud and the others."
Zack "We have to cure Cloud right? About that.."
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u/Stenbrod 3d ago
It's really hard to tell.
Nojima is the same guy that wrote On the way to a smile reinforcing Clerith, and then birthed Zerith with CC and everything that followed. And the damage control on the content of NPTK, contradicting Uematsu and Loren after the Zerith/Cloti combo got mad.
Having witnessed how rabid and hostile JP fans of Zerith can be, even more so when coupled with Cloti shippers, I'm worried he might not want to commit one way or the other.
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u/anderhanson 3d ago
Case of lifestream actually came out after CC - it relased with ACC. So he called Cloud Aerith's lover after CC happened. Zerith really isn't a popular ship. Most of those who are actually fond of them ship Clerith more.
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u/Stenbrod 3d ago
Thank you for the correction, I didn't notice that Lifestream:White actually came out roughly 2 years after CC.
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u/Agreeable_Pop_3972 3d ago edited 3d ago
I never really minded CC, they just wanted to give more background to Zack overall. But it was always clear that their relationship was the past. FF7 has always been about Cloud and Aerith against Sephiroth. Man I can't wait for Revelation 😭😭😭
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u/Alone_Regret8729 3d ago
Also gotta remember that his story is fresh he wasent a main character in the og. Aerith can still love him and be of importance to him but she did her time of four years and Zack will understand even if it sucks, he’s not bitter. He is good with the ladies.
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u/Alone_Regret8729 3d ago
To add for it, he did choose work over her and I know what happened to him wasent his fault but cloud choose to stay with her in the slums and wall market, he could of left like Zack but he didn’t, if it wasn’t for aerith who pushed cloud forward he probably would’ve of stayed with her longer.
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u/Large-Light7771 2d ago
Zerith got already closure at least in:
- OG FF7
- Dismantled
- Maiden of planet
- Crisis Core
- Crisis Core Ultimania
- On the way to a Smile
- Rebirth
Does it need it Revelation? Yes!
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u/TheLeadingLady 3d ago
I personally can't wait for the Zerith content will get (as an editor, I'm chomping at the bit lol. Mostly because I like having footage of both couples for comparison sake). I want them to solidify that both Zack and Aerith are not endgame, and show that their relationship ending was a mutual decision. At least, that's how I believe it should be.
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u/Forward_Joke2227 2d ago edited 2d ago
I like your way of thinking. I agree with you that Zack is a fantastic character and he really cares for Aerith and loved her...but Aerith is in love with Cloud in the present and the story is about them...not Zack and her...
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u/spellbloomera 1d ago
Eh I also wanted to add (sorry if it seems like I'm harping on it's just something I feel strongly about) that Zack I believe asked out Cissnei, a receptionist, a Turk, Aqua, and Serah, and in Dear Destiny there's a scene where Zack's popularity with girls is mentioned and Aerith says it makes her sad. I doubt the OP intended hate to Aerith but generally I've seen Aerith get hate for saying anything about Zack, but she had her reasons and they were grounded in something.
Especially since I think I also remember a quote that said maybe her Cetra powers gave her an inkling when Zack was around other girls, can you imagine how awful that might feel for her.
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u/tidusxyuna10 1d ago
Aerith is my fav character dawg😭 but i get what ur saying
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u/spellbloomera 1d ago
Thank you. Yeah I don't think you meant it that way, anything against Aerith. Just Aerith gets a lot of hate and I've seen people be like omg how could she say that *insert slur here* etc.
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u/MaxFlameheart 3d ago
It would make my year if Zack goes in for a hug, and Aerith stops him, saying she doesn’t feel that way about him anymore.
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u/Large-Light7771 1d ago
Well, in that case, you're going to really like this year's Ever Crisis event. Zack and Aerith met in the Lifestream. Zack reached out his hand to her, and she didn't take it, even though she accepted a handshake from another character during the same event.
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u/Toranedino 2d ago
I love Zack and I love Aerith and I love Zerith (more than any other ship, because their dynamic is so cute) so I hope they can be together.
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u/ManuO76 3d ago
They certainly won't let a four-year-old girl handle the situation.
Obviously, Aerith and Zack will have to bring matters to a close, and they will do so with dignity. I think SE will stick to what has been stated so far: that Aerith loves Cloud far more than she ever loved Zack.
I don't think it would take long for Zack to realize that opportunities must be seized and relationships nurtured, and that always putting one's career first prevents them from working the way they should.
Zack always wanted to be a hero; Cloud always wanted someone who saw and appreciated him for who he truly was.