Photographer Leila "LUST-IK" Askyarova played the classic version of the role-playing game Final Fantasy VII several times and cried each time during the scene of Aerith Gainsborough's death.
Especially for fans of this project, she and her team prepared photos dedicated to this sad event from the aforementioned RPG. However, when creating the photoshoot, the authors focused on the remake.
The role of Cloud Strife was embodied by cosplayer Oleg "Zombiven" Kopylov, and model AGflower transformed into Aerith Gainsborough.
They depicted the events of Final Fantasy VII, during which Aerith dies at the hands of Sephiroth. In the photographs, Cloud Strife enters the sacred deep lake inside the altar of the Forgotten Capital, carrying the body of the deceased girl in his arms.
He then lowers Aerith into the water, allowing her to sink to the bottom. This is not just a funeral, but Aerith's return to the Planet. As the last representative of the Ancient race, after physical death, her soul merges with the Lifestream to help save the world from catastrophe in the future.
Aerith's death was final and irreversible. This shocked millions of gamers. There were even legends and rumors about "secret ways" to bring her back to the party, which in reality did not exist.
This scene proved that video games can evoke the same strong emotions in an adult audience — grief, devastation, and helplessness — as famous dramatic films or books.