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ship_manifestoTitle: Airsick
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archica
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Pairing: Cloud/Yuffie
Spoilers: All of Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children
Introduction:
Cloud and Yuffie may seem like a very unlikely pairing. Depending on how you play the game, they could have almost zero interaction. In fact, they could not even meet at all. But players who explored the possibility of Yuffie as Cloud's love interest found something fascinating. Something different. And they also found the first Final Fantasy kiss of the 3D era.
Cloud:
Although his primary interest in the beginning is his own profit and survival, it is the people who gather around Cloud who bring out his nicer, kinder side. Through caring about them, he begins to care about the world they all live in, and eventually strives to save it. He's a hard worker who never gives up. He has some identity issues, but then, what Final Fantasy hero doesn't? XD
Yuffie:
Yuffie acts selfish, obnoxious, and immature. But those are only surface traits. Beneath the bubbly exterior is a young girl who cares deeply about those around her, even if she doesn't always show it in the most blatant ways. She's always working to prove herself to others, prove how strong, fast, or clever she is. But Yuffie has a certain maturity to her that only peeks out occasionally. She has to be pretty smart to leave Wutai and strike out on her own to restore her village, relying on her own capabilities. Oh yeah, this chick is tough.
Evidence:
Cloud and Yuffie meet when Cloud & co. litterally run into Yuffie in the forest. She initially attacks the group and steals/tries to steal all their materia. By the player making the right moves, Yuffie joins the party.
Depending on how often you keep Yuffie in your party, she gets quite a bit of amusing dialogue. Despite her quirks, she and Cloud seem to get along fairly well. At one point, when Yuffie rips the party off and heads back to Wutai, Cloud and co. track her down. While upset with her, they end up forgiving her and letting her re-join them. I think it's rather interesting that Cloud would allow her back into the party after something like that.
On the airship, you can get quite a few cute scenes between Cloud and Yuffie by seeking out Yuffie each time you go back onto the ship. She'll usually say something funny to him or complain about being airsick. Adorably, Cloud tries to teach her some bizarre exercises that will help her airsickness. This is perhaps the cutest moment between them.
But perhaps the most interesting aspect of their relationship in FF7 is that, if you get Yuffie for the date sequence, she will actually kiss Cloud, thus making her the only female character to EVER (yes, EVER, which means including Advent Children) kiss Cloud. And from the screenshots, it looks like a mouth kiss.
In Advent Children, they don't have a whole lot of interaction with each other, but there are some amusing little hints. First of all, Cloud had a box of materia with him in the church where he was staying. When Yuffie comes in later, she immediately asks "Where's my materia?" It's not a huge leap to assume that the materia Cloud had was her's. So what was he doing with it? Isn't it possible that she had visited him at the church and left her materia? Isn't it even possible that she may have stayed with him for a while?
Then, in the "Reminscence of FFVII" feature on the DVD (the one that serves as a refresher of the game), we see little clips here and there of Cloud traveling. Yuffie keeps calling him, even calls other members of their little group (like Vincent and even Cid) in an attempt to get ahold of him. When Cloud finally arrives, he has a package waiting on him from Yuffie. He immediately tears it open, only to find a "Closed for Business" sign (everyone wanted him to take a vacation, and apparently Yuffie cared enough about him to put a lot of work into this little stunt).
I also must point out that even though Cloud and Tifa were living together in AC, he didn't spend much time at home and even camped out in the church a lot. Could it be that he wasn't happy at home? Also, I find it odd that we never got to see a Cloud/Tifa kiss. Wasn't this Square's big chance to cement the status of their relationship? And yet there is nothing. After all that time between the game and AC, you'd think they would have officially gotten together by now, right? But here is Yuffie, who was more than likely visiting Cloud at the time and possibly spent some time with him. Alone. In an abandoned church. It's not a big stretch of the imagination to think that maybe, just maybe, Cloud was turning to Yuffie because things were not going well with Tifa.
Yes, I know this evidence is not plentiful, nor is it very deep or convincing. But it's enough for fans of the pairing to keep hope alive. No one is trying to prove that Cloud and Yuffie are in love in canon. But I think there's enough evidence to prove that it's a possibility.
Their Relationship:
The canon relationship between Cloud and Yuffie can be seen differently, depending on the choices you made throughout the game. If you get the Yuffie date sequence, I think it's highly likely that something romantic is going on between them. Perhaps it was a fling. Perhaps they hooked up a few times between the game and AC. But the fact remains that Yuffie kissed Cloud, and he made no attempt to stop her or pull away. If the makers of the game didn't want Cloud/Yuffie to be a possibility, they wouldn't have allowed that scene to occur.
I think Cloud cares a lot about Yuffie, regardless of the date. It is possible that he see's her as a good friend. He tries to help her out when he can, and obviously has concern for her safety and well-being. Yuffie is very obviously attracted to Cloud (she kissed him!) and it's a very safe assumption that she developed a crush on him throughout the game. Being the spunky, bold girl she is, I'm sure she's made (another) move on Cloud at some point.
Cloud needs someone to supply some light-hearted adventure and fun in his life. Yuffie needs someone to be strong and stable for her. They're perfect for each other, and ONLY for each other. They compliment each other, complete each other, and each of them provides something to other that was missing in their lives.
Why Support Cloud/Yuffie?
The short answer is: it's different! Let's face it, the Cloud/Aeris and Cloud/Tifa fanfics have been done to death. While I have no particular problem with those pairings, I find them boring. By shipping Cloud/Yuffie, you find yourself in new territory. The fandom for this pairing is growing day by day, and so is the number of fanfics, fanart, doujinshi scans, and fansites devoted to it. Now is the perfect time to jump in!
But beyond that, it's a truly entertaining pairing. Cloud is stoic and (mostly) serious. Yuffie is wild and adventurous. If you can't see the sparks flying already, you need to take a closer look. They have chemistry, and the type of relationship that can be written or interpreted in a hundred different ways. So take a chance and try something new. You might just find a new OTP.
Brief Fandom Guide:
Airsick - My extensive shrine to the pairing. You can find a large fanfic library here, as well as fanart, doujinshi scans, icons, and many other things. Also includes the fanlisting.
Ninja & Samurai - Another nice Cloud/Yuffie shrine. Has a large fanart gallery and lots of information.
The Cloud/Yuffie Yahoo Group - This Yahoo group has the biggest known collection of Cloud/Yuffie fanart (Japanese or otherwise). Be sure to check it out!
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clouffielove - The Cloud/Yuffie Livejournal community.
Note: Most of the "evidence" from Advent Children was initially pointed out to me byitsutsuboshi.
Author:
archicaFandom: Final Fantasy VII
Pairing: Cloud/Yuffie
Spoilers: All of Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children
Introduction:
Cloud and Yuffie may seem like a very unlikely pairing. Depending on how you play the game, they could have almost zero interaction. In fact, they could not even meet at all. But players who explored the possibility of Yuffie as Cloud's love interest found something fascinating. Something different. And they also found the first Final Fantasy kiss of the 3D era.
Cloud:
Although his primary interest in the beginning is his own profit and survival, it is the people who gather around Cloud who bring out his nicer, kinder side. Through caring about them, he begins to care about the world they all live in, and eventually strives to save it. He's a hard worker who never gives up. He has some identity issues, but then, what Final Fantasy hero doesn't? XD
Yuffie:
Yuffie acts selfish, obnoxious, and immature. But those are only surface traits. Beneath the bubbly exterior is a young girl who cares deeply about those around her, even if she doesn't always show it in the most blatant ways. She's always working to prove herself to others, prove how strong, fast, or clever she is. But Yuffie has a certain maturity to her that only peeks out occasionally. She has to be pretty smart to leave Wutai and strike out on her own to restore her village, relying on her own capabilities. Oh yeah, this chick is tough.
Evidence:
Cloud and Yuffie meet when Cloud & co. litterally run into Yuffie in the forest. She initially attacks the group and steals/tries to steal all their materia. By the player making the right moves, Yuffie joins the party.
Depending on how often you keep Yuffie in your party, she gets quite a bit of amusing dialogue. Despite her quirks, she and Cloud seem to get along fairly well. At one point, when Yuffie rips the party off and heads back to Wutai, Cloud and co. track her down. While upset with her, they end up forgiving her and letting her re-join them. I think it's rather interesting that Cloud would allow her back into the party after something like that.
On the airship, you can get quite a few cute scenes between Cloud and Yuffie by seeking out Yuffie each time you go back onto the ship. She'll usually say something funny to him or complain about being airsick. Adorably, Cloud tries to teach her some bizarre exercises that will help her airsickness. This is perhaps the cutest moment between them.
But perhaps the most interesting aspect of their relationship in FF7 is that, if you get Yuffie for the date sequence, she will actually kiss Cloud, thus making her the only female character to EVER (yes, EVER, which means including Advent Children) kiss Cloud. And from the screenshots, it looks like a mouth kiss.
In Advent Children, they don't have a whole lot of interaction with each other, but there are some amusing little hints. First of all, Cloud had a box of materia with him in the church where he was staying. When Yuffie comes in later, she immediately asks "Where's my materia?" It's not a huge leap to assume that the materia Cloud had was her's. So what was he doing with it? Isn't it possible that she had visited him at the church and left her materia? Isn't it even possible that she may have stayed with him for a while?
Then, in the "Reminscence of FFVII" feature on the DVD (the one that serves as a refresher of the game), we see little clips here and there of Cloud traveling. Yuffie keeps calling him, even calls other members of their little group (like Vincent and even Cid) in an attempt to get ahold of him. When Cloud finally arrives, he has a package waiting on him from Yuffie. He immediately tears it open, only to find a "Closed for Business" sign (everyone wanted him to take a vacation, and apparently Yuffie cared enough about him to put a lot of work into this little stunt).
I also must point out that even though Cloud and Tifa were living together in AC, he didn't spend much time at home and even camped out in the church a lot. Could it be that he wasn't happy at home? Also, I find it odd that we never got to see a Cloud/Tifa kiss. Wasn't this Square's big chance to cement the status of their relationship? And yet there is nothing. After all that time between the game and AC, you'd think they would have officially gotten together by now, right? But here is Yuffie, who was more than likely visiting Cloud at the time and possibly spent some time with him. Alone. In an abandoned church. It's not a big stretch of the imagination to think that maybe, just maybe, Cloud was turning to Yuffie because things were not going well with Tifa.
Yes, I know this evidence is not plentiful, nor is it very deep or convincing. But it's enough for fans of the pairing to keep hope alive. No one is trying to prove that Cloud and Yuffie are in love in canon. But I think there's enough evidence to prove that it's a possibility.
Their Relationship:
The canon relationship between Cloud and Yuffie can be seen differently, depending on the choices you made throughout the game. If you get the Yuffie date sequence, I think it's highly likely that something romantic is going on between them. Perhaps it was a fling. Perhaps they hooked up a few times between the game and AC. But the fact remains that Yuffie kissed Cloud, and he made no attempt to stop her or pull away. If the makers of the game didn't want Cloud/Yuffie to be a possibility, they wouldn't have allowed that scene to occur.
I think Cloud cares a lot about Yuffie, regardless of the date. It is possible that he see's her as a good friend. He tries to help her out when he can, and obviously has concern for her safety and well-being. Yuffie is very obviously attracted to Cloud (she kissed him!) and it's a very safe assumption that she developed a crush on him throughout the game. Being the spunky, bold girl she is, I'm sure she's made (another) move on Cloud at some point.
Cloud needs someone to supply some light-hearted adventure and fun in his life. Yuffie needs someone to be strong and stable for her. They're perfect for each other, and ONLY for each other. They compliment each other, complete each other, and each of them provides something to other that was missing in their lives.
Why Support Cloud/Yuffie?
The short answer is: it's different! Let's face it, the Cloud/Aeris and Cloud/Tifa fanfics have been done to death. While I have no particular problem with those pairings, I find them boring. By shipping Cloud/Yuffie, you find yourself in new territory. The fandom for this pairing is growing day by day, and so is the number of fanfics, fanart, doujinshi scans, and fansites devoted to it. Now is the perfect time to jump in!
But beyond that, it's a truly entertaining pairing. Cloud is stoic and (mostly) serious. Yuffie is wild and adventurous. If you can't see the sparks flying already, you need to take a closer look. They have chemistry, and the type of relationship that can be written or interpreted in a hundred different ways. So take a chance and try something new. You might just find a new OTP.
Brief Fandom Guide:
Airsick - My extensive shrine to the pairing. You can find a large fanfic library here, as well as fanart, doujinshi scans, icons, and many other things. Also includes the fanlisting.
Ninja & Samurai - Another nice Cloud/Yuffie shrine. Has a large fanart gallery and lots of information.
The Cloud/Yuffie Yahoo Group - This Yahoo group has the biggest known collection of Cloud/Yuffie fanart (Japanese or otherwise). Be sure to check it out!
clouffielove - The Cloud/Yuffie Livejournal community.Note: Most of the "evidence" from Advent Children was initially pointed out to me by
itsutsuboshi.
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no subject
Date: 2006-10-11 07:46 pm (UTC)Pairings like these thrive on subtext. Not non-existant stuff, just really deep read subtext.
I personally find the theory that Cloud was shacking up with Yuffie in the church during OMG AERIS GUILT trippy phase to be SOOO intriguing, because obviously it's not the case but if it were, there's evidence to support it in AC.
It's like when Tidus comes back from his makeout sesh with Yuna in Macalania and cant even look Rikku in the eye. It's an interpretation thing.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-12 12:36 pm (UTC)However, if you're going to try to interpret something, your interpretation should at least sound logical and rational, even if it may not necessary be correct. In the end, what you're trying to do is convince others, and that's why you justify what you support.
I was just pointing out what I thought was kinda illogical. If your arguments are not sound, not logical, it's not going to be convincing. And that would just make your justification sound really off. Why would you want that?
No offense meant, but this is just my two cents on justifying a pairing you like. I personally don't mind the Cloud/Yuffie pairing, if you're wondering, so this isn't meant to debase the pairing.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-12 12:59 pm (UTC)For fans of pairings that lack much canon evidence, it's the little looks and passing comments that just make your heart skip a beat because "...what if he really means...!"
Archica laid out what evidence there is, but I dont think it goes against her credit to lay out what subtext can be picked up as well. After all, if you're already a fan of "more canon" pairing, if what it takes to sway you is hard cold facts, you're not going to get more for Cloud/Yuffie than Cloud/Aeris or Cloud/Tifa. You're just not.
Besides the kiss. Ship manifestos are to proclaim the love of a pairing to the world and why they're loved, and hope that someone else might see it and be interested. Even if a pairing was so far out there that the characters had never met, someone could (and I'm 99% sure has) do a ship manifesto, and maybe someone would go "oooh, they really would work so great together, this is really interesting!" And others will scoff and say "I'm not sold, there's zero concrete evidence." Some pairings sell only on the merit of the characters looking good together, but people still sell it.So having "illogical" interpretations of canon events as a fan? At that point, it's less about convincing something is OMG!CANON or OMG!100%TRUE and more about "This could mean..." and going starry eyed as a fan.
Might not sway a jury but certainly can a fan. *shrugs*
no subject
Date: 2006-10-12 03:04 pm (UTC)If you base a pairing merely on interpretation, then it's probably not going to be very strong. Why? Because as a fan of a certain pairing, you'd be biased towards the pairing and that would cause you to pick up every little thing and interpret it in the way that aids your justification.
I just think to justify something, you need to be very objective.
That said, I want to stress again: I do not disregard the argument brought forth for the Cloud/Yuffie pairing, nor do I mean to debase them as a couple. Personally, some of the pairing I support do not even interact a whole lot, so I always believe in minute possibilites. *shrugs*
no subject
Date: 2006-10-12 08:30 pm (UTC)And I'm fairly certain that I'm not the first person to write a manifesto and be biased toward my pairing of choice.
Cloud/Yuffie is based on a mixture of interpretation (AC) and hard evidence (the kiss). I wanted to present both sides in the manifesto.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-13 07:22 am (UTC)And of course you're not the first person to be biased towards your favoured pairing. Everybody does that, me included. But if you're going to try writing a justification for your favoured pairing, it's always better to be objective (a.k.a. not biased) for a stronger-sounding argument.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-13 09:24 am (UTC)And then:
I never said anything about pairings based on only interpretation are weak.
Which is it?
Regardless, I think you and I just have different view points on what ship manifestos are all about. You seem to think they are meant to convince the world that MY pairing is the RIGHT pairing. I think they're about explaining WHY I like this pairing and why it works for me personally, and in that way explain what's good and fun about the pairing.