299: Aeris Dies

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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Aeris Dies
It's bad enough that all the families in your Sims are just you and Maggie recreated over and over.
Title text: It's bad enough that all the families in your Sims are just you and Maggie recreated over and over.

Explanation

As the comic explains, Aeris Gainsborough (renamed Aerith in later games) is a main character from console role-playing game Final Fantasy VII, released in 1997 for the PS2 and 1998 for the PC. At the end of the first disc (of three), she is killed by the game's villain, Sephiroth.

Many gamers were upset about losing a beloved character and decided to modify the game in order to "resurrect" her. It seems Cueball's friend did just that, and is going to do the same with him.

The title text references The Sims, a series of life simulation games where you can create virtual people (the aforementioned Sims), set their appearances and essentially mess around with their lives.

Transcript

[Two men are talking. The second man is sitting on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest]
Cueball: Maggie's gone. You can't bring her back.
Friend: But I have to, she's a part of my life.
Cueball: 'sigh'
Cueball: Okay, let me put this in your terms.
Cueball: Remember when Aeris died in FFVII? It was sad, but you had to keep playing.
Friend: Actually, I downloaded a mod to add her back to my party. It changed other character's appearances and dialogue to hers so you didn't have to lose her.
Friend: Lots of gamers did it.
[Cueball puts his hand on his chin.]
First Man: That is troubling on several levels.
Friend: I wonder if Maggie's old dress would fit you.


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Discussion

My first thought was that this isn't necessarily about Maggie dying. I think a person geeky and lonely enough would have this reaction even if Maggie only left her and didn't die. Also there is no clear reference to Maggie dying apart from being compared to Aeris. (I haven't gotten to this part of the game yet so I don't know if she dies enough to assume Maggie died too. I'd say thanks to Randall for the spoiler hadn't been this very comic the reason I started playing.) Matega (talk) 06:40, 28 August 2013 (UTC)

I wondered about that too, but the statement "you can't bring her back" and the reference to her "old dresses" seem to imply that Maggie is, in fact, permanently dead. 108.162.214.83 09:35, 28 December 2013 (UTC)
Idunno... it would certainly make it a bit more creepy if she left him and he still had her "old dresses", though -- Brettpeirce (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Why is there doubt that Randall knew about the mod? He basically described it to a tee. -- Flewk (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Now that they're making an FFVII remake, I just thought of this. Since Aerith's death was so iconic and memorable that people went to such lengths to revive her, maybe they could revive her in a DLC that will piss off so many people for making it a DLC but they'll still buy it. It will sell like hot cakes. --FrigusAvis162.158.167.228 04:03, 18 November 2017 (UTC)

My wife, before she learned about unlimited cash hacks, would have her sim marry another sim, get him to climb into a swimming pool and then take out the ladder, so then he'd eventually drown and she'd gain all his resources, then do this again with another sim..and another. We're divorced now. —Kazvorpal (talk) 22:45, 3 November 2019 (UTC)

Well, then... It could have turned out worse for you! 172.70.162.46 02:21, 30 November 2022 (UTC)

Is the title also a reference to Dies Irae, the musical word for death? --172.69.65.198 01:50, 9 May 2023 (UTC)