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The only thing that Maiden does is make Aeris out to have no love interest by the end of FFVII. She's not in love with Cloud or Zack. After learning who Cloud truely is, she let's him go and entrusts all of her feelings to Tifa. Zack is a womanizing jerk (or he makes himself sound like one) and Aeris kind of tells him to get lost.
We all know that last part makes absolutely no sense with what Crisis Core shows about the characters and their relationship. So... the only conclusion is that it's been ret-conned.

BUT WAIT! It actually turns out that not only has it been ret-conned, it's also beed disgarded by SE. Their latest Ultimanias make NO reference to it whatsoever.
Specifically, the time lines. Maiden isn't placed on the compliation timelines, and it's also never meantioned in Aeris' profile or timeline. Her timeline skips right over it. However, the other novellas are mentioned in both character profiles and the timelines.
Therefore, it is safe to assume SE does not consider it a canon source or part of the compliation anymore. I mean, why associate yourself with a novel written by someone outside of the company that contradicts your newest addition, Crisis Core? It contradicts more, but the CC contradictions dominate it in my opinion.

Anyways, to bring the thread back on topic, let's say, for this conversations sake, that Aeris actually doesn't know Zack's fate, and even though she senses him, she isn't completely lying in FFVII. Isn't it even stronger to love someone who's fate you are oblivious to? I mean, it's not like he died and she continued to be faithful. Yet, he died and she didn't know where he was, and even when another man 'fell' into her life, she still had thoughts and feelings for Zack. Even if she didn't realize it, I still think it's very romantic. Though the letters, so many over four years... if that isn't showing dedication I don't know what could. I think a lot of people who try to claim that Aeris isn't in love with Zack don't realize how crazy those numbers really are.

You'd be surprised. Some people are trying to debate that even though she herself refers to him as her, "first love", that they weren't in fact in love at all.

Good grief...everything that's made by Square IS canon and will forever BE canon! (Except Benny's The Maiden) Though, LO did have a few changes to it like Tifa actually seeing Cloud which I believe they did that to make it more romantic since LO is intense.

That's right...when Tifa was remembering the promise. biggrin Two romantic points in an OVA that wasn't supposed to be romantic. Imagine that!

Well, LO is canon in a way that it kind of set up how BC and CC would be like, just to give people an idea, not how Sephiroth jumped to his "death" or how Tifa regarded Cloud.

LO is mentioned in the Ultimania, but I'm pretty sure it's also been said to be actually not canon. Don't have quotes for that, but I wouldn't mind if it were true, since really, nothing that happens in it makes sense with the rest of the compilation.

Indeed, promises are important.
It's almost cute the way Aeris latches onto Cloud, as if Zack's promise of more time with her is being fullfilled. Might not be Zack, but good enough after four years. Hehe. XP
I still can't believe the Cleris argument is that Aeris is a cold hearted girl who would hurt another woman she barely knows just to try and get a guy she barely knows to like her. She's seen in a much nicer light when you add in that she's heartbroken over Zack, and Cloud comes along with his Jenova cells and makes her think her dreams are coming true. Emotions lead to rash behaviour, and though it doesn't excuse her actions, it at least gives them grounds and sympathy.
Just because we are seeing a teenage Aeris, doesn't mean her sweet personality does this 180 and she becomes this overly flirty bimbo who doesn't care about anyone but herself and the guy she's got her eyes on.

I know they'd claim it's not like this, but even the booklet says she's getting interested in this LTD growing between them. That's just a little sick is it not? Because if she's focusing on it being an LTD, then she's aware of Tifa and her feelings. It just makes me angry to think of a character I really like being put on such a weird pedistol. Where nothing she says is a lie, she completely knows what she's doing, and what she does is hurts a girl to get a guy. Aeris is a lot more complicated than that and deserves a lot more credit. [/Aerisrant]