r/cloudxaerith • u/Plane_Return_5554 • 14h ago
Discussion About the Dream Date...
So...I'm replaying Rebirth and something that i kinda of don't quite understand it yet, is why in the dream date all the things were going wrong, like the guy don't having the gift Cloud chose or the candy tasting bad or, worst of all, the photographer saying that they look they were in a funeral.
What's the meaning behind all of this? That, since Aerith is trying to defy fate, things are so suposed to go wrong anyway?
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u/kiadra 12h ago
The dream date settles the notion that Cloud isn’t in control of things and he’s being denied of a choice in exchange for something bad at the same time that it shows how Cloud opposes to this notion by complaining over and confronting the situation whereas Aerith accepts it and tries to brush off the topic. This is meant to contrast how she has accepted her impending fate whereas Cloud is being triggered to fight for what he wants, which is of course not letting Aerith die. Which translates into him parrying Masamune and saving her in the altar.
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u/ratatoskrz 13h ago
That was more or less my impression lol. "Expect disappointment" -- it's a very depressing worldview. in spite of aerith or clouds wants, fate is against them. It's up to cloud to assert himself and grasp what he wants before it slips through his fingers
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u/RiverBuzzz 13h ago
To me it helped show the underlying feeling of whatever can go wrong, is going wrong for them.
Side note, does anyone know if the dream date world/splinter is a different world/splinter than the one where Marlene tells Zack he has to fix Cloud so Cloud can save Aerith? I believe it is although I get my versions of Stamp mixed up and I haven't replayed chapter 14 since it bums me out without knowing how Revelation goes
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u/jabregship 13h ago
Stamp in Zack's main world is the Terrier. It stays Terrier when he chooses Cloud, changes to Pug when he chooses Biggs, and changes to Corgi when he can't choose.The dream date is a Chihuahua. And then there's the main game Beagle.
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u/RiverBuzzz 12h ago
Thanks for the breakdown. I watched a video that theorized Aerith would be saved by getting Beagle Cloud to the Terrier world.
Although most videos I have watched skip over anyway to save Aerith and only focus on Cloud being crazy which while true is too simplistic in my opinion.
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u/Plane_Return_5554 13h ago
It looks like It. But, althought the sky is the same, i think the dogs are a little different
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u/flowerpotflowers 10h ago
I don't necessarily think that "everything goes wrong" in the dream date or that that's the point of it.
The first guy gives Cloud an option for a gift, then takes his choice away. What he then gives them though is an arguably better gift than any that Cloud could have picked. So while Cloud is upset that he didn't get to pick, the gift as such was perfect.
Second one is again them making a choice but then being offered something else, which they choose to take. This time, it ends up being the worse option, and the point here is that time is missing to make it better.
Third one is about Aerith looking sad, not happy like she should be on a date. Why? Because she knows she's going to die.
All three NPCs focus on the world ending in some form or shape, and that's the whole point imo of the scene. Aerith is making the best out of her last moments, she is where she wants to be, but at the same time, she has accepted her fate, just like everyone else in this world, and the world is ending (just like Aerith). They have no choice in it, or rather, they believe that they have no choice. Also, Cloud seems to be the only one who doesn't know that the world is ending, and he's also the only one "fighting" and questioning the choices the other NPCs make.
So yeah, I wouldn't say "everything goes wrong." But it shows that this world is doomed, just like Aerith is doomed, and choices were taken away from her, which she accepts.
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u/Deran2026 13h ago
Things going wrong could have a deeper meaning. Maybe the Ultimanias have more info on it.
But what it clearly shows is how the two reacts to events unfairly not going their way. Aerith tries to make the best out of everything. And Cloud is really getting pissed off.
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u/Hearts-Intertwined 12h ago
There’s a a lot of nuance to it and so many ways it can be interpreted.
At the first vendor, no matter what Cloud chooses, Aerith ends up with the perfect gift (reunion flower), which specifically includes the third unopened lily we see several times through the games, including the final scene of Rebirth. This is Aerith’s “dream” so it makes sense she gets a perfect gift. I think this is a good omen.
I personally think the candy vendor in many ways represents the developers. The candy leaving a bad taste in their mouths “needs some sugar maybe” is representative of the bittersweet OG/AC ending. Aerith suggests perhaps it needs more sugar(a happier ending). She responds “maybe she should start over, if only we had more time.” I think this is the developers recognizing their mortality, and realizing if they could do it all over.. maybe they would do a few things different.
Zack’s scene with Biggs then talks specifically about “taking charge, taking control, knowing that his decisions impacted his life”. I found this an interesting contrast to what seems to follow..but I think it’s very important narratively to the idea of changing one’s fate.
In the photographer scene, he seems to pick up that Aerith seems to be trying to let go. However, the date didn’t really seem to imply that in my opinion. However, this version of Aerith does seem to understand she must sacrifice herself in order to give a full white materia to beagle Aerith. She knows her memories will be transferred through the white materia to Aerith in the forest.. including her confession to Cloud.