Thread by @RedWolfXIII

"The Price of Strength"
I'm getting so sick of hearing Anti's say that Claudia's description of the perfect woman for Cloud is not a reference to Aerith. Or that Cloud even having the flash back had nothing to do with the fact that he was in Aerith house.⬇️#Clerith #FFVIIRemake

So, let's go over this one more time and break this down. I am going to deal with 2 primary topics of discussion as I explain this. Remember Context is everything & without context it's easy to manipulate a scene & put your own spin on it. Ofc Anti's can spin anything🤣⬇️

Let's begin with Claudia. Thanks to new information provided by Kazushige Nojima in the new short novel titled, "Trace of Two Pasts" We learn that Claudia was not like the typical women of the town of Nibelheim. Claudia was according to the townsfolk a rebel of sorts⬇️

Claudia was an independent free spirited woman that did not conform to the traditions that Nibelheim held to their women. She was also a dreamer & had dreams of one day leaving Nibelheim & seeing the world perhaps even going to Midgar.⬇️

Unfortunately for Claudia, she never achieved that dream & instead became mother to Cloud Strife whom she loved very much. Though Cloud did not make it to Soldier Claudia, being someone who had dreamed of seeing the world was very proud of her son for making it out of Nibelheim⬇️

To Claudia, Cloud was fulfilling something that even she never got to fulfill. To be free to be your own person. To see the world & visit the big city of Midgar. Claudia was truly a proud mother when her son returned to visit.⬇️

However, Claudia also worried about her son. No doubt because she knew her son. His awkwardness. his knack for getting into trouble as well as how he was treated by his own peers in Nibelheim. Claudia knew that with all the trouble he had in such a small town...⬇️

The temptations of Midgar would be an even bigger opportunity for her son to get into even bigger trouble than he had already experienced back home. She also knew of the troubles that women caused him. More specifically the troubles that T!fa caused him.⬇️

Claudia understood what her son went through at the behest of his childhood acquaintance & she knew the possibilities of similar things happening in such a big city with even more abundance of attractive women that could potentially get her son into trouble...⬇️

This is the context, the motivation behind Claudia's description of the perfect girl for Cloud. Claudia not only knew Cloud was only visiting & would be soon going back to the big city.⬇️

In addition, given Cloud's history in Nibelheim, Claudia; being of the mind & attitude of wanting to leave Midgar herself would have wanted her son to look forward not back. ⬇️

So the context therefore of Claudia's conversation with her son & her description of the perfect girl for him is based on the premise that Cloud would find this perfect girl in Midgar, not Nibelheim. Not a woman who is from Nibelheim but living in Midgar.⬇️

So without even going into the physical & character description of this woman we know that Claudia is talking about Cloud being in Midgar & finding a woman native to Midgar with these qualities Keep that in mind as we transition to part 2 of this discussion.⬇️

The second half of this discussion deals with the context of the flashback. there are things that have been over looked whether its just been missed or intentionally overlooked. Before I dive into this & show you how this context sets up this flash back let's summarize...⬇️

Cloud reunites with Aerith during their fateful encounter in chapter 2. Cloud meets Aerith again after falling through the roof of the S5 Church into Aerith's Flower bed.⬇️

After agreeing to be Aerith's Bodyguard & escorting her home, Aerith offers to escort Cloud home. However not before going one several side quests. Each of which brings Cloud & Aerith closer together. Then finishing the day with an intimate conversation amongst the flowers⬇️

After the intimate conversation amongst the flowers, Cloud & Aerith return to her home where a frustrated Elmyra is waiting for them. Elmyra, who asks Aerith to make up the guest bedroom for Cloud while she is setting the table for dinner, actually wants to address Cloud alone.⬇️

It is here at this moment & the events that take place that setup Cloud's flash back.... Elmyra has caught on as any mother would, that there is more going on between Cloud & Aerith then just a simply bodyguard arrangement. A Mother sees everything...⬇️

Elmyra could see the way that Aerith flirted with Cloud. The way Cloud became flustered at Aerith's flirting. The way they both looked at each other. And, the time they spent around town together doing side quest that weren't really necessary for them both.⬇️

Elmyra could see that they both were becoming attached & she needed to put a stop to it before it went any further. No doubt due to the way things ended with the last man with Mako eyes that took interest in her daughter. ⬇️

Now what happens next isn't so much what Elmyra said as much as how Cloud responded. Elmyra clearly saw something more was going on between her daughter & Cloud. Elmyra tells Cloud that he chose power over a normal life. Now stop...⬇️

Now what is a normal life in Midgar or Gaia for that matter. Love, Relationships, Family. Elmyra is saying that Cloud gave up his opportunity to have all that when he chose to be a Soldier....⬇️

Now Cloud was getting ready to protest, perhaps even argue with Elmyra about this. However he was interrupted when Aerith returned. Now why would Cloud be in disagreement with Elmyra's statement.

This is simply Elmyra's opinion. Would Elmyra's opinion of him stop him from being with say T!fa if that's who he really wanted to be with??? No, of course not. The reason her opinion bothered him is because Cloud was already at this point considering his feelings for Aerith.⬇️

And Elmyra's opinion would prevent him from pursuing Aerith. But out of respect for Aerith he wouldn't say anything. This is what triggered his flash back. Cloud was thinking about Aerith. Thinking about the price of his decision to seek power.⬇️

The very title of the scene in the Price of Strength. Cloud was thinking about this amazing woman he just met and all the qualities & beauty she possesses. How her personality & character traits not only perfectly fit his mother's decription.⬇️

But Cloud was also thinking for the first time in his life that he would like to be with a woman like her. Cloud was actually thinking that Aerith would be the ideal woman for him however, he may have lost the opportunity because he chose power.⬇️

So once put all the pictures and context into place. Claudia's words and the flash back could only be about Aerith, because ultimately they were triggered by Cloud's own feelings that he clearly has for Aerith.⬇️

Claudia knew her son. She was proud that had accomplished something that she never did. She wanted her son to move forward with his life & find someone that is apart of that life not his past to take care of him. This is why her pretext was Midgar.⬇️

So that sometime down the road Cloud would understand that the woman that was perfect for him would not be part of his past but could be his future. In my opinion Aerith is more like Cloud's mother in terms of her spirit & personality always having a positive outlook.⬇️

And Aerith knows when to tell Cloud he's being a silly goose! #Cerith #FFVIIRemake