"I must be cruel, only to be kind."

Judging by these essays alone, I wouldn't doubt that by now many of you are probably thinking that I must really despise Tifa, otherwise there would exist no reason for me to defame her. Yet, in truth, I don't hate her at all. I'll admit that I am rather ambivalent when it comes to the issue of Tifa, but in general I like her, more so when she is not unnecessarily paired off.

• » Now I know I have a penchant for Aeris and there's no denying that, however I love all the characters from FFVII, which is the reason I consider it the best of the FFs I've played.
• » Any anti-Tifa sentiments revolving around her outfit or endowment are not credible reasons to hate Tifa, nor will you see them referenced here nor will I condone like behavior.
• » Lastly, for those who believe that she is NOT essential to the plot: She really is the most important secondary character in FFVII. I don't believe she is the main heroine of the game or inherits that title after the death of Aeris (namely because most of her story is so dependent upon Cloud's), but she is still crucial to the storyline. Aside from being the tie to his past, Tifa also spurs the story along (i.e. compels Cloud to join SOLDIER and by not revealing his past immediately, sets the scene for the second climax of the game). In that respect, her role is much like Hojo's without the malicious intent. And although, I might not like the fact that she omitted the truth of their past to cast herself in a favorable light (i.e. childhood friends), had she not, there wouldn't be that memorable story we all know and love nor would it be nearly as long.

Thoughts on Cloti:

The only thing that I never liked involving Tifa is the CloudxTifa pairing. From a romantic standpoint, I don't like it and doesn't appeal to me or it is very minimal. The way I interpreted their relationship is of a blossoming friendship ONLY. Tifa finally became the friend that Cloud had always hope for in the past, and she proved exactly that, especially towards the end. If there was any kind of love between them, it is a platonic one.

I am aware that many people love this couple passionately in the same way I do CloudxAeris, and their opinions are just as valid. I might not agree, but I'll tolerate and respect them. I don't hate Cloti fans nor have I ever had any problems with any of them nor do I intend to (maybe that's attributed to me being relatively new to internet fandom and keeping away from love triangle debates, but who knows). You'll find that I'm extremely non-confrontational and very abiding.

I suppose the ultimate irony is that if I really wanted to I could make a CloudxTifa shrine to rival this one, but I think that would defeat the purpose and could be seen as duplicitous and treacherous to my target audience (not that you can't love both couples equally).

So whether you prefer Cleris, Cloti, both or neither, it's fine by me and this shrine is not built to convert or convince fans of which couple is better. You can agree or agree to disagree, or ignore this section altogether and just enjoy the other content TFO has to offer.