"One part of the original story that was left unexplained is how did Tifa's mind survive after being drenched by the lifestream when Cloud got lost under similar circumstances? It was speculated that Aeris (after her death) actually guided Tifa in the lifestream; preventing her from getting lost. So, I think that it will be instructive if Aeris plays a more active role (alongside Tifa) in restoring Cloud's memories in the NT mod since she lives (or given the chance to live rather)."
Hi there everyone.
I was lurking around seeing what is new with the mod and AhBeng2' s suggestion made me remember of a post I made here sometime ago, I agreed Tifa and Aerith could work together to repair Cloud's mind, here is how I proposed it could be done:
The “Mental recovery” of Cloud in Mideel, as it happens in the original history this event seems a little too convenient, almost a “Deux Ex Machina”, Tifa has no idea of how to help Cloud recover from his Mako poisoning (in fact nobody in the party has any idea about how to help Cloud), Weapon attacks, the earth cracks open and totally by accident both Cloud and Tifa fall into pure life stream, (Something that up to this point in the history has been presented to be something very bad, leading to dead or permanent insanity) and without any explanation Tifa resist all the negative effects of the life stream, somehow enters Cloud’s mind and helps him put back his memories and personality back together.
I think Aerith could help here, instead of making it a happy accident, it could be an intentional calculated risk, when the party visit Cloud and Tifa in Mideel the second time, (After completing the Corel Train Mission) Aerith would tell Tifa that when she visited the City of the Ancients by herself (Before she were attacked by Sephiroth), she listened the thoughts and memories left behind by the Cetra, and she came to understand the nature of the life stream a little better, due to this knowledge she thinks that maybe it could be possible to enter Cloud’s mind and repair it if the three of them enter the life stream together (Aerith because she could control the life stream to a degree, Cloud because she is the one in need of help, and Tifa because she was present during the Nibelheim incident and has the “Real memories” of that event, memories that are the key to repair Cloud´s persona), at this point Tifa will ask Aerith why she didn’t tell her this sooner, an Aerith will admit that is because she is really afraid of trying, as it’s is a very dangerous method and there is no way to know if it will actually work, if she is unable to keep the life stream in control the three of them will become permanently insane with Mako poisoning, but after searching her feelings she came to the conclusion that she has to try, because she cares too much for Cloud and for Tifa, to just let Cloud remain an empty husk for the rest of his life, Tifa thanks Aerith for being willing to do this for her friends, and together the three, voluntarily submerge themselves in a naturally occurring “Mako Hot spring” in Mideel.
The rest of the event plays out pretty much the same, Tifa manages to repair Cloud s memories and the three friends managed to get out of the Mako bath exhausted but alive and well. The only change to the original progression of the story is that the town of Mideel won´t be destroyed by an earthquake, but I don´t think that is too drastic of a change.
I am not familiar with the PC version of the OG dialogue (I bought the steam version to play this mod) but I can verify that in the PSX version, whilst not identical, the dialogue is very similar. Therefore, it has always been my contention that Aeris was somewhat doubtful of her plan to use Holy and its efficacy in stopping Sephiroth. She was also oblivious to the fact that Sephiroth had the power to contain Holy and never had the intention to sacrifice herself. I was curious about your interpretation of her dialogue and why you wrote her lines the way you did. It is interesting to learn that we are on the same page on this matter because many people seem to believe that Aeris was in control all along, she was “aware” that she was going to die and willingly sacrificed herself to save the planet.
I agreed, Aerith was not some all knowing oracle, I think she was just trying to follow the instructions of her ancestors, to the best of her understanding, in fact, I think a good way to develop her character arc, would be she getting sad and distant after nearly getting killed by Sephiroth, not just because the physical pain of her injury but because her faith would be shaken, she followed the wishes of her ancestors, prayed with all her hearth, hoping for a miracle, and all she got for her troubles was a sword to the back, she would feel like she failed to fulfill her duty as a Cetra, or like her ancestors had forsaken her, so she would be understandably depressed, but after viewing the "video" in the waterfall of the City of Ancients, she would understand that her prayers were heard and that there is still hope for everyone, so she would recover her confidence and usual cheerful character.
Well that is it, I just wanted to share my ideas with AhBeng2, since we both seem to have a similar opinion about those plot points.
