How hasn't anyone burgled/attacked/firebombed Aerith's house yet?

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It's amazing what late night ruminations of any random topic on Discord can lead you. It just occurred to me that the house in the Sector 5 slums as occupied by Aerith and her adoptive mother (Elmyra) really doesn't make much sense given the setting. It's a slum, filled to the brim with what Shinra dismissively considers to be the expendable dregs of society, with barely a Gil to their name and worth. The Sector 5 market on the next screen over from their idyllic home is a veritable hodgepodge of improvised housing and decaying stores - heck, there's a guy whose cramped, tubular home is a literal pipe, albeit wide enough to accommodate some basic amenities. By contrast to the seedy, hustle and bustle of Wall Market, the Sector 5 slums are miserly and austere and if Crisis Core is anything to go by, full of children eager to pickpocket any unsuspecting visitor not two seconds after they walk in.

So next screen over you have some of the most out of place, scenic and desirable real estate in probably any sector slum there is. I mean, look at this place. In all of Midgar, with its massive, towering pillars of wrought iron and steel, here is the one place touched by sunlight and nature.

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Sure, like the rest of the slums it has plenty of rusted, decaying infrastructure that looks like an obvious safety hazard for anyone larking around in this general vicinity, but the house is next to a waterfall! There are flowerbeds, fruit trees and not to mention the house itself looks like the dwelling of a Shinra executive's summer villa, built from wood and stone and bereft of the typical, ubiquitous corrugated metal elsewhere. The interior is fully furnished with all the homeliness you expect from a kind, unassuming ordinary family and generally this looks like the absolute zenith of prime real estate you can find under the more prosperous city above. It's Narnia by slum standards.

So this raises the question. How is this possible? I know the Turks keep an eye on Aerith but they're primarily there to snatch her at an opportune moment, though I concede they probably would intervene if someone were to physically attack her. But hey, that's just Aerith - there's also the matter of Elmyra. Even when Aerith is out and takes the gaze of the Turks away from the home for the day, how on earth did Elmyra get this property built in the first place, and how is it still here without anyone from the slums warring for it? It's prime real estate. Anyone living in terrible squalor the next screen over would kill to break in and make this their new residence. I'm shocked that organised gangs haven't initiated a turf war to claim the area, or that no aggrieved, envious individual has never taken it upon themselves to commit aggravated arson out of spite.

Elmyra's only a normal, unassuming widower. It's not like she secretly has considerable leverage over the local politics of the slum that insulates them from the slum hordes. At least I don't think she does - imagine if the FFVII Remake in its attempt to expand on the character go too far and reveal she's actually one of the heads of a massively successful Echo Herbs drugs business or something!

And no, the excuse that Aerith's miraculous ability to grow flowers in the slums somehow wows and placates the locals doesn't cut it for me. Maybe it works in the world of Animal Crossing but surely not in a society where there is no real governance or a police force and there's a guy living inside a literal pipe!

Your ideas, people. How are the Gainsboroughs able to keep this lovely real estate without being the victims of burglaries, squatters, arsonists, gang warfare, etc?
 
White Knights.

You see it outside the Honeybee Inn, how these so-called "Dregs" fall about themselves when Aeris is around. She probably has flirted with literally everyone in the slums to the point where they think they all stand a good chance of getting into her "Lingerie" or "Bikini Bottoms".
 
I think it's a combination of having honor among thieves as well as the Turks' involvement.

I'm sure everyone probably thinks of Aeris as this sweet little flower, and then daddy Shinra over here wants to make sure his little girl is safe. Aside from checking in on her consistently I'm sure Shinra also made it very clear to the other slum dwellers that she's to not be touched or harmed in any way (assuming that they would even want to). This would also include that her home dwelling stays very safe, as well as her caretaker Elmyra.

TBH her house is nicer than mine, I'm more wondering who is keeping up on repairs and the like, or has Elmyra just mastered home repair in her spare time? :P
 
My best guess is that this place does not exist, it is only a mirage, an hallucination made up of spiritual energy.
 
Elmyra is a crime boss and perhaps the only woman Don Corneo is afraid of (until he meets Tifa and Aerith anyway).

In her official character art she is depicted with a satisfied smile and confidently wielding a broom. Clearly she's not afraid of sweeping away the blood and guts of her victims with her own hands. Perhaps sweeping them into her garden to fertilise her flowers and crops. That she always wears an apron also signals that she's always dressed ready for a bit of torture if people are behind in paying her tribute.

latest



If it isn't that then it probably has something to do with the Turks. That said, the Turks are hardly being the secretive organisation they want to be if they alone are keeping this place protected as surely everyone in the slums would know about it.

The other possibility is that Square simply decided to design an incredible piece of scenery because they wanted to capture Aerith's personality, and then they created a trap for themselves when it came to explaining its existence. In the end they stuck a few pipes in to make it look like it belonged in its surroundings. But for people like us who think about the game that isn't enough. I think they've made it more subtle in the Remake (from what I've seen so far in trailers and official screenshots) so hopefully they'll address this in some way.
 
You get points with me for using the malapropism "burgled". Lol

As for me, I'm gonna go ahead and say that even in a slum, everyone needs a doctor, and even without materia or any leveling of her limit breaks, Aerith can cast Healing Wind. She clearly has natural and quite miraculous (even by the standards of this fantasy) healing powers. The house was probably built/remodeled for her by thankful neighbors because they didn't get sick and/or die because of her, and also protected by the locals for this reason.

Don't f--- with the White Mage, yo.

Edit: this also explains why she knows that "This guy are sick" hehe
 
Your ideas, people. How are the Gainsboroughs able to keep this lovely real estate without being the victims of burglaries, squatters, arsonists, gang warfare, etc?

Elmrya's husband was in the military for Shinra, so i imagine he had quite a nice salary hence the nice house. Seems there is some quite nice locations set back from the slums. There's the huge church, also the prosperous Wall Market is walkable distance. Reminds me of South Africa, where nice properties are dotted around poverty stricken areas.

Yes I wouldn't feel safe living so close to a slum. Reckon Elmrya's probably had a few break ins over the years, though she looks like a touch lady. Maybe had a shotgun stashed somewhere.
 
I said my above theory as a joke, but...

Here is an image inside Elmyra's home in the Remake. She owns a painting of a dancing couple.

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE_20200412225753.jpg


Nothing unusual about that or anything, right?

Well.... The provenance of said painting?

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE_20200413233142.jpg


FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE_20200414125711.jpg


Wall Market.

Where does Aerith say she liked to play a lot when she grew up? The playground right next to Wall Market. Aerith also doesn't appear to be fazed by anything seen at Wall Market. Instead she appears to thoroughly enjoy the entire experience.

Coincidence? Does Elmyra have connections at Wall Market? Did she own this painting because it commemorates a show she loves in Wall Market? Or did she allow Wall Market the rights to use an image of the original painting she owns in their posters for their show?

That's less clear to me. But the connection with Wall Market is there.

Mayhaps Elmyra was a former member of the Trio before Andrea arrived (some Wall Market residents imply that he is fairly new). Maybe Elmyra got too busy looking after Aerith so decided to 'retire', creating a vacancy...

Most likely none of that is true, but it makes you think. Elmyra and Aerith didn't live in a little vacuum. They were active residents of the slums with a lot of contacts in their sector and in neighbouring sectors.

:argor:
 
I can get behind the hallucination theory honestly.

Everyone seems to know Aerith so maybe she's just popular. It's also not like she can't defend herself. That combined with the fact that, at least in public perception, she has a close relationship with Shinra is enough to keep most people at bay.
 
I said my above theory as a joke, but...

Here is an image inside Elmyra's home in the Remake. She owns a painting of a dancing couple.

View attachment 9099

Nothing unusual about that or anything, right?

Well.... The provenance of said painting?

View attachment 9100

View attachment 9101

Wall Market.

Where does Aerith say she liked to play a lot when she grew up? The playground right next to Wall Market. Aerith also doesn't appear to be fazed by anything seen at Wall Market. Instead she appears to thoroughly enjoy the entire experience.

Coincidence? Does Elmyra have connections at Wall Market? Did she own this painting because it commemorates a show she loves in Wall Market? Or did she allow Wall Market the rights to use an image of the original painting she owns in their posters for their show?

That's less clear to me. But the connection with Wall Market is there.

Mayhaps Elmyra was a former member of the Trio before Andrea arrived (some Wall Market residents imply that he is fairly new). Maybe Elmyra got too busy looking after Aerith so decided to 'retire', creating a vacancy...

Most likely none of that is true, but it makes you think. Elmyra and Aerith didn't live in a little vacuum. They were active residents of the slums with a lot of contacts in their sector and in neighbouring sectors.

:argor:

To further elaborate on this theory with yet further evidence...



Elmyra might have procured artwork from the same source as Madam M!

Also, in the new Nojima novel, Elymra's father is apparently compared with Don Corneo, and an associate of Elmyra is called 'Carlo Kinky'. If that isn't to do with Wall Market then I don't know what is.
I seriously need to sit down and examine the details from this novel with greater care. It seems to be an entire quarry filled with details.
 
To further elaborate on this theory with yet further evidence...
Elmyra might have procured artwork from the same source as Madam M!

Also, in the new Nojima novel, Elymra's father is apparently compared with Don Corneo, and an associate of Elmyra is called 'Carlo Kinky'. If that isn't to do with Wall Market then I don't know what is.
I seriously need to sit down and examine the details from this novel with greater care. It seems to be an entire quarry filled with details.

I don't know anything about the novel but :LOL: Carlo Kinky. Very interesting though! I wonder if Elmyra was another Madam M in her own prime? I suppose having ties to Wall Market is enough reason for the severe age on that poor woman's angry face.

Yeah never understood this either tbh.

I'm curious if you thought about this or not when you first ever played this game? I can't say I ever thought about this ever until this thread was made, if I'm honest :lew:

Welcome to the forums by the way! :D Make sure to try and include more substance in your posts so we can keep the discussions up throughout the forums! I love seeing all the new posts :)
 
I'm curious if you thought about this or not when you first ever played this game? I can't say I ever thought about this ever until this thread was made, if I'm honest :lew:

Welcome to the forums by the way! :D Make sure to try and include more substance in your posts so we can keep the discussions up throughout the forums! I love seeing all the new posts :)
Can't say i did even back then i did wonder whether it was a supposed to be an exception to the rule but never bothered to really dig any deeper.
 
I don't know anything about the novel but :LOL: Carlo Kinky. Very interesting though! I wonder if Elmyra was another Madam M in her own prime? I suppose having ties to Wall Market is enough reason for the severe age on that poor woman's angry face.

Yeah. :D

There are a number of fan translations out there, but I haven't had time yet to examine them in detail. I really, really hope that Carlo Kinky is an accurate translation that is kept in the eventual (sadly, possibly far off) official localisation. It is just such a left field name.

And my head canon is definitely leaning on that interpretation of Elmyra being a former trio member in the past, yeah.
 
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