This little space on the Internet is dedicated to Aerith (“Aeris”) Gainsborough and Cloud Strife from the Final Fantasy VII universe! Cloud, the game’s protagonist, begins his journey cold-hearted and confused in the cyberpunk setting of Midgar. He meets Aeris, a flower vendor who grows and sells her own blooms even in the polluted atmosphere where even the sky is covered by concrete. When she is pursued by corporate thugs, he agrees to be her bodyguard – in exchange for one date.
She gradually thaws his heart, but she keeps her own secret: she is a descendant of an ancient race of animistic people called the Cetra, who communed with and protected the Planet until they reached a mystical place called the “Promised Land.” Her heritage gives her an unusually powerful magical ability as well as a special attunement to the earth. Cloud, Aeris, and their companions set off on a journey to resist the fascist, anti-environmentalist organization Shinra and pursue Cloud’s old enemy – a mysterious war hero named Sephiroth. But as their journey continues, Aeris is tragically murdered by Sephiroth’s sword.
Cloud enters a state of internal crisis while disaster threatens the entire Planet. But when all seems lost, he discovers that Aeris left them hope: she summoned the powerful protective spell called Holy, which may have the power to stop Sephiroth’s apocalyptic Meteor. Cloud and his friends defeat Sephiroth, and in the ensuing chaos of magic and the overflow of the Planet’s connective spiritual energy, the Lifestream, Cloud comes to a realization: he can meet Aeris again in the Promised Land. The climax closes on Aeris’s face, watching over with a smile.
This blog is a place of opinions, theories, and resources. While this blog celebrates and argues in favor of Cloud x Aeris (“Clerith”) as the most heartfelt and meaningful romance in Final Fantasy VII, and may expostulate against the Cloud x Tifa pairing, this blog is not anti-Tifa nor anti-Cloti. All fans should be free to ship who they want within Final Fantasy VII, and I also believe the game’s infamous love triangle is intentionally ambiguous and allows for many points of view. Here, I am only sharing mine.
There will be spoilers for Final Fantasy VII as well as the other titles in the FF7 universe. Thank you for reading!
Earth & Sky: A Cloud x Aeris Love Story 