Due to losing power for nine hours, I learned what a derecho is, sat in the dark with my family, and ate two sandwiches for dinner. I’m only partially sure the meat was ham. Sadly, this left me little time to play when we did regain power, and, honestly, I didn’t have plans to play a lot anyway. My goal was to Limit Break grind Aerith. So that is what I did.
It was actually quicker than I planned. There’s a forest outside Rocket Town that regularly has six enemies spawn in for the kill conditions. Mt. Nibel, just out of vision of the forest, has an enemy that hits hard, appears alone, and can be manipulated. So I used the green dragon to eat poor Aerith until she used her top limit eight times. None of her limits cause damage, so I think this strat only works for her. It only took an hour, so I really wish I could have played more. It would have saved me from two heartbreaks in one night, which sure will be fun tomorrow!
Right now, I’ve saved twice in front of the point of no return, and I don’t want to play anymore. My reluctance isn’t a knock against the game. It continues to impress on disk 2, but I know what’s about to happen, and it gets worse with age.
Aerith Gainsborough is a bit of an anomaly to me. When I was a kid, her upcoming scene did nothing to me. I was more annoyed about what became of my white mage and didn’t believe this was a permanent change. As an adult, it hurts. And I don’t even know why.
Aerith wasn't my first dead character, nor is she far from the first character to die in a video game. She’s not even the first Final Fantasy character to perish. Josef sacrifices himself to save the party in FFII, a game filled with many dead characters. FFIII has Aria. FFIV had Tellah, a character I liked. V had Galuf, maybe the most stinging at the time, and VI had General Leo. All of those characters spend a good chunk of time with the party. I get a little sad with Galuf, but nowhere near that of Aerith.
Is it because I have a preference for white mages? I don’t think I have one of those, now that I think about it. I’m not fond of Rosa in IV. Garnet, from IX, is just fine. Yuna is the best girl in X, but nothing to fight over. Marle is great in Chrono Trigger but is the fourth-best character in the game, and if you min-max, not even the best healer. I hate all the Tales of healers. Rena is a top tier character, and Mille is pretty okay, but I only use Sophia and Serah because they're the only white mages. I don’t want to! Smite healers are terrible supports. 1v1 me, scrub. Healing in Open World RPGs is mediocre compared to simply eating food. Red Mage me was an acceptable enough healer. And, honestly, with FFVII’s battle system, having a dedicated healer is kind of a detriment. With only three characters, you want more DPS.
I originally wrote a paragraph here about her appearance, but I felt kinda creepy, even if it was a joke. I've deleted it, but to paraphrase: her modest dress is great! It helps her stand out from the bleakness and illustrates her innocence compared to everyone else. It's a stark contrast to her backstory (and development to come) filled with fear, mistakes, and calamity.
She has an amazing personality! A happy-go-lucky maiden of the slums with a tragic backstory who just wants to grow flowers. She’s seen her mother die before her eyes. She doesn’t know who her father is. She’s been chased by an evil conglomerate, Shinra, since she was a child. First by the army and later by the Turks. Her first love mysteriously disappeared one day five years ago, yet she continued to write him letters for years afterwards. 88 of them, in fact! She never even knew what he was going through and how much he just wanted to see her again. She hears the cries of the planet and hears the voices of dead people. As a Cetra, she is the last of her race and, perhaps, the loneliest person on this planet. She's also not this great damsel in distress. Despite the Turks knowing where she lives, she escapes them (until she meets Cloud) all the time. She carries around a good stick to hit people with. She can keep up with Cloud's leaping ability, albeit a lot slower. And she's the one who comes up with the ideas. Dress Cloud up like a girl to save Tifa. Do it. Run headlong, with no hesitation, to find the truth of who you are in the Temple of the Ancients. Of course! She forces herself into the party. She's willing to cross land and Ocean to find a long=lost city to save the entire world from Sephiroth. She's the kind person everyone turns to. Aerith is the whole point of the game.
She is the main character of the Final Fantasy Compilation. Crisis Core follows Zack, who follows Aerith. I played that game to know about Aerith and her relationship with Dark-haired Cloud. Final Fantasy VII is about her. From her history to her saving the planet. Cloud and the party are mear assistants as it was Holy, summoned by Aerith, who saved the day. Aerith saves the world, again, in Advent Children, the movie, with Cloud, again, being relegated to assistance. Many of the novellas and animations talk about Aerith’s relationship with other characters.
She and Cloud are the only independent characters who remain plot relevant through the main game and the series as a whole. But Cloud does what he does for Aerith. Aerith does what she does for the world. Aerith sacrifices herself for the world. Cloud, and Zack, sacrifices himself for the flower girl. Several Final Fantasies have the wrong main character, seen best in X and XII, but VII falls into this as well.
Her running headlong into the unknown to find herself, save her planet, and do what is necessary is true heroism. Despite not being a great leader like Barrett, a trained fighter like Tifa, or disposable like Cait Sith, she carries on. Despite lacking the experience of Red, the gruff and tough demeanor of Cid, or the soldier training of Cloud, it is the white mage that drives the plot. It is Aerith who gets things going and is the true hero of this series.
A part of me wants to continue writing, but I’m rambling now. Much of this is a Stream of Consciousness anyway, so let me wrap up. Tomorrow night, I plan to power through my misery and watch Aerith leave my party. I will then carry on to watch Aerith die before my eyes one more time. I'll watch the main character, the lonely, quirky, strong-willed, innocent woman who just wants to help the world one flower at a time, perish while I am unable to save her. Again.
I wonder if I should write a terrible, unplanned love letter to Jin from Xenosaga at some point? :D
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