CHAINSAWMAN SPOILER!

Parallel #7

Same pose...

...Same words

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Zack and Cloud parallels

Crisis Core vs. Final Fantasy VII Remake

happy ffviir 1 year anniversary! 🎉🎊🎈 do you have a moment or detail from the remake that's still your favorite even a year later?

Hi Hartofhearts!

Happy first year anniversary to you too!

Well there are MANY moments I really love about this first part of the Remake, but if I have to choose just one, I definitely take this scene, and all that follows it until the end. 

This is by far the most unexpected and most welcomed change of the Remake and it still gives me goose bumps! I can’t wait to see where this will lead, I really hope he could be reunited with Aerith this time...!

What about you??

A Clinical Analysis of Cloud's Psychology, Part II - Identity, Self-Concept, and Mako

This is the second part to my analysis series on Cloud's psychology, originally posted on Reddit. Reading the first part isn't necessary to understand this post, but highly encouraged. To give some background, I'm currently training in clinical diagnosis and psychotherapy to become a psychologist. I want to apply what I know to break down our understanding of Cloud in a clinical context.

Here, I'll talk about Cloud's identity, breaking it down based on how he understands himself and how it became distorted. I'll also discuss the role of mako poisoning and Jenova cells in Cloud's mental world, since I think these elements are especially hard to understand. Part of me wonders what's the point of rationalizing Cloud's mind in the context of real world psychology when Jenova is probably enough of an explanation. Still, I find it helpful to think of Cloud's identity crisis this way, especially when thinking about how he ends up healing.

Part I - Trauma, Dissociation, and Psychosis Part II - Identity, Self-Concept, and Mako [you are here] Part III - Reintegration, Tifa, and Unconditional Love

In my previous post, I made the argument that Cloud shouldn't be pathologized as someone experiencing psychosis. He is a traumatized individual who experiences dissociation in order to uphold a false identity. If Cloud experiences dissociation as a function of his identity crisis, then unraveling Cloud's identity is a crucial piece of the puzzle. Losing your sense of self is a drastic experience, and if we want to understand how Cloud's identity fell apart, we need to understand how his self-concept and experiences set up his vulnerability.

Self-Concept

Although we typically think of Cloud's identity as split between his ex-SOLDIER persona and his true self, I'm going to discuss these things within the context of self-concept. Humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers proposed that the self-concept is made up of three sub-components. Self-image is a person's mental picture of himself, which is prone to changing over time based on his self-esteem and understanding of his real self and ideal self. We know that Cloud's self-image is inaccurate at the beginning of the game due to his false ex-SOLDIER persona, which he wholeheartedly believes for a significant portion of the story.

Let's deconstruct Cloud's self-concept as it is when FFVII starts.

Ideal Self: Cloud is an ex-SOLDIER, a strong man capable of protecting those he cares about.

Real Self: Cloud is an ex-SOLDIER, a strong man capable of protecting those he cares about.

Self-Image: Cloud is an ex-SOLDIER turned mercenary. He is adept in combat and carries the pride and legacy of the First Class SOLDIER rank.

Why is Cloud's real self the same as his ideal self in this model? We know that Cloud experienced a lot of failures and was too weak to join SOLDIER. But, ex-SOLDIER Cloud is unaware of his true real self. As far as he's concerned, he achieved his goal of getting into SOLDIER and proved his strength. In this case, Cloud's real self and ideal self align, creating congruence with his self-image. The more congruent someone's self-concept is, the higher the self-esteem. Consequently, anything or anyone that reinforces this congruence will boost self-esteem. And, as we know very well, Cloud is proud of his ex-SOLDIER status from the start of FFVII and later internalizes pride from being Aerith's bodyguard, someone looked to as a protector. However, we know even Cloud's self-image here is inaccurate to his real self. The real Cloud never made it into SOLDIER and only wants to be acknowledged as strong. Neither his ideal self nor his self-image acknowledge this fact here. Back when Cloud was still aware of his real self, we saw that his self-esteem was poor.

Now, let's deconstruct Cloud's self-concept as it is prior to all of his traumatic experiences, which is right before the Nibelheim Incident.

Ideal Self: Cloud is a SOLDIER, a strong man capable of protecting those he cares about.

Real Self: Cloud is a Shinra grunt who was not strong enough to make it into SOLDIER.

Self-Image: Cloud is a Shinra grunt who never made it into SOLDIER because he was too weak. He is ashamed of his failure and does not want people in his hometown to know about it.

When Cloud failed to achieve his ideal self, he thought of himself as a failure, so much so that he couldn't bear to show his face when he returned to Nibelheim two years later. Self-esteem, which describes one's opinion of himself, relies on several components. A person's self-worth determines his perception of his individual value or worth. Self-worth is partly built by referencing how other people see you, a concept called the looking-glass self. We know that Cloud referenced other people's opinions of him during his childhood in Nibelheim. He wasn't friendly with the other children in the village, and in the OG, Tifa's father specifically didn't want Cloud near his daughter. This is also why he makes the flawed assumption that Tifa won't truly acknowledge him unless he proves his strength. We know that he aspired to become a SOLDIER was to get Tifa to notice him, so Cloud's concern over what she thinks of him shaped his ideal self. The other contributor to self-esteem is self-efficacy, or Cloud's belief in his own ability. Specifically, Cloud wants to prove his strength and capability as a protector. He equates SOLDIER to strength, so by failing to join SOLDIER and believing that he failed to protect his loved ones, Cloud's self-esteem took a turn for the worse.

With self-worth based on the negative opinions of the villagers and low self-efficacy based on his own perceived failures, Cloud's self-esteem is very low by default. Because Cloud's real self (Shinra grunt) didn't align with his ideal self (SOLDIER), he experienced incongruence, which further diminishes self-esteem and contributes to a negative self-concept. This is why he went to such drastic measures to hide his identity from Tifa and the rest of the villagers. One of the functions of the ex-SOLDIER persona, then, is to help Cloud maintain congruence within his self-concept. Not only that, but because Cloud's altered self-image was born from his ideal self, there is now a blurred line between his ideal self and real self. Rather than working to align his ideal self with his real self, he altered his beliefs about his real self to align with his ideal self. This is the reverse of what should happen; in therapy, you would be guided towards adjusting your ideal self to match more realistic expectations. Cloud needed to reject his real self in order to incorporate his ideal self as the real self, which is why the ex-SOLDIER persona looks like a delusion.

With this rejection of reality, Cloud was set up for a reckoning. When the truth of Cloud's ex-SOLDIER persona was revealed, he still wasn't able to access his real self, leaving him vulnerable to Sephiroth's manipulation. Sephiroth broke Cloud's self-image not just by creating incongruence in Cloud's self-concept, but by essentially eliminating the notion of a real self entirely. This means that Cloud's breakdown goes beyond incongruence. As far as he was concerned, Cloud no longer had a real self, therefore he no longer had any true sense of self-concept. Cloud was made to believe he was not Cloud from Nibelheim, but a hollow shell and a puppet. And this is exactly what breaks his sense of self all over again.

Jenova Cells and Mako Poisoning

I also want to take a moment to discuss the (fictional) biological agents that impacted Cloud's identity, mainly because these concepts are unique to the FFVII world. One of the main physiological problems Cloud experienced is mako poisoning. Remember that mako is made up of the souls of people in the lifestream. It's not just a natural energy source, it is literally millions of souls that make up the lifeforce of the planet. Tifa in the OG said that she literally heard "screams of anguish" surrounding her when she first fell into the lifestream. SOLDIER candidates (and Hojo's test subjects) undergo mako exposure with the hopes of obtaining enhanced physical and magical abilities that result from being imbued with the memories and knowledge of the planet. But, not just anyone can become a SOLDIER, since tolerating this much mako requires mental fortitude. Essentially, mako overwhelms a person with the souls and memories of the lifestream, therefore you must have a strong understanding of your own identity in order to tolerate large amounts of it. This suggests that a person needs a strong self-concept that can remain stable during mako exposure.

As a side note, an interesting thing about mako is that it reads very similarly to substance use. Different people have different tolerance for mako, with some being able to enjoy its benefits. Others though, are prone to succumbing to mako "addiction" as it's referred to in Crisis Core, which most often seems to result in catatonia. It seems to resemble how people in the real world can "lose themselves" to substance abuse. Of course, there's also the caveat that overexposure to mako can mutate humans and animals into monsters, so there's arguably some radioactive properties present as well. This isn't surprising, since one of the focuses of FFVII is environmentalism and the consequences of tampering with nature. Mako is such a fascinating phenomena in how it combines recreational, radioactive, and terrestrial/spiritual elements into an energy source of all things.

Unfortunately for 16 year old Cloud, since he had poor self-esteem and incongruence between his real self and ideal self, he had a weakened self-concept at the time Hojo got his hands on him. It's likely that Cloud's inability to tolerate mako is part of the reason he couldn't become a SOLDIER or withstand Hojo's experimentation, metaphorically representing how SOLDIERs need mental strength as well as physical strength. Not only that, but Cloud experienced mako poisoning on two occasions: once after Zack broke him out of Hojo's laboratory, and once after he first emerged in Mideel from the lifestream. Each time Cloud experienced mako poisoning, he was rendered catatonic and unresponsive, with his sense of self left in a vulnerable state. If we work off of the premise that mako is literally made up of the souls of the planet, one of the reasons that Cloud's self of sense was shattered was because of the overwhelming amount of memories that he was subjected to during mako exposure. His sense of self was literally torn apart, becoming lost among millions of other souls. Mako poisoning helped set the stage for the ex-SOLDIER persona to take shape, since it left him in a highly vulnerable state that is easily subject to Jenova's influence. Plus, if we equate mako tolerance to mental fortitude, this explains why after Cloud emerges from the lifestream for the third and final time, he didn't become catatonic a third time. By this point, he has regained his identity and his self-concept is strong enough to remain intact.

The other factor in the mix is Jenova, the primary source of supernatural conflict in the world of FFVII. According to the Dirge of Cerberus Complete Guide, Jenova is capable of reading "the memories and feelings of the people on the surface." This primarily refers to how it can mimic other people and begins, but we also know that Jenova is extremely attuned to the mental worlds of humans. It is capable of looking at people's thoughts, which it uses to manipulate them. Additionally, the Crisis Core Complete Guide says that "mentally weak people are unable to withstand Jenova's will, and it sometimes brings about mental abnormalities." I believe this is the basis of the Jenova Reunion Theory. This explains why Jenova's will is so powerful, which in turn seems to explain the Reunion theory. Again, all of this supports the notion that becoming a SOLDIER requires a good deal of mental strength.

Jenova explains why Cloud specifically took on Zack's memories as his own. Jenova's powers revolve around illusion and manipulation. Presumably, between the time that Zack died and the time Tifa stumbles across Cloud, Jenova has been taking advantage of Cloud's mental fragility by warping his memories. Jenova took memories from the dying Zack to mess with Cloud, consistent with what Sephiroth said. However, the brilliant part of this manipulation is that Sephiroth was also able to convince Tifa that her memories helped fabricate ex-SOLDIER Cloud, which is not quite true, but also not quite a lie. Tifa's presence likely kicked Cloud's ideal self into gear and presented further motivation to take on the ex-SOLDIER persona. Her uncertainty of her memories is the final piece that shatters Cloud's certainty of his own identity. Sephiroth may have been the one to explicitly accuse Cloud of never being a real person, but Jenova figuratively opened the door for him.

The Birth of the Ex-SOLDIER

Between the moment that Cloud watched Zack take his final stand and the moment Tifa finds him at the Sector 7 train station, Cloud experienced a severe mental metamorphosis that was strong enough to distort his fundamental understanding of who he is. What's unique about Cloud's experience is how a cocktail of influences converged into the perfect storm to break down and chaotically rebuild him.

All of these elements come together to explain how Cloud's ex-SOLDIER persona came to be. Cloud's self-esteem has been continuously beaten down over his entire life by a pattern of perceived failures. By the time he returns to Nibelheim at sixteen years old, he has such a poor self-image that he can't even bear to show his face to Tifa. He then goes through three deeply traumatizing experiences that essentially occurred back to back, as far as his conscious memory is concerned. The combination of psychological trauma and insecurity is what primed Cloud's sense of self to fall apart to mako poisoning, opening the gateway for dissociation from his own identity. His final unraveling was Zack's death, which broke down his self-esteem since he was helpless to do anything but watch Zack's demise. The Jenova cells then used Cloud's ideal self and his memories of Zack to manifest a false self-image that Cloud's mind desperately grabbed onto. He was further inspired by his promise to protect Tifa and his promise to be Zack's living legacy, which is what brings us to the ex-SOLDIER story that could fulfill both promises at once.

The ex-SOLDIER persona is ultimately a coping mechanism designed to protect Cloud's real self, which needed to process the intense trauma he experienced and deal with overwhelming feelings of despair, grief, and failure. His real self dissociated from the conscience and became suppressed, marking a departure from reality. Because Cloud's sense of self was inaccurate and he could no longer consciously access his real self, it left him vulnerable to Jenova and Sephiroth's deception later on, allowing them to deceive and manipulate him.

Based on what we currently know about Rebirth, it's very possible that Cloud's identity crisis will no longer play out the same way. For one, it's unclear if Cloud learns about Zack earlier, and if his identity remains intact even after learning about him. It's also unclear if Tifa will react differently to Cloud's recollection of the Nibelheim Incident. I believe though that all that is needed to retain the same story progression is (1) a fragile self-concept and (2) Tifa's uncertainty. As long as those two elements are preserved, I think it's still possible to reach the same destination even with some variations in the plot.

Part III will cover Cloud's recovery from his breakdown and will focus on the process of reintegrating a shattered identity.

I want to express just a quick and superficial thought about the impact of Zack on SOLDIER-Cloud's personality since I've recently had a discussion about it.

Some months ago I stated that in this scene (not only here btw)...

... Cloud is mimicking Zack's attitude.

The person I was discussing with mentioned the quote from the Ultimania according to which "Cloud puts up a cool facade with Aerith and shows his real self when he's with Tifa", so what I had written had to be nothing but a great nonsense. Probably they thought I was trying to invalidate any romance between Cloud and Tifa in favour of Aerith, even if it would be a total contradiction since the fiercest CA fans spent more than two decades trying to loosen the connection between Zack and SOLDIER-Cloud... But I wouldn't be surprised to hear these kind of theories since the upcoming Ultimania Plus is seemingly going to show the same concept...

ANYWAY, no time for digressions.

I'd like to add a comparison with one of Cloud's DMW sequences from Crisis Core

I think it's hard not to notice the similarity with Tifa's resolution and the scene in Cloud's room in Chapter 4

But let it be clear, this doesn't mean - and I've never meant to say it - that Cloud is acting through Zack's intentions. As long as the devs don't provide further info, all we know is that Cloud didn't inherit Zack's memories, let alone his feelings. If so probably he would be much more devoted to Aerith.

Zack knew Cloud liked Tifa, he would have never flirted with her. Never.

Cloud's always been socially awkward, insecure, uncapable to approach Tifa in any way. Now I don't want to go too much into SOLDIER-Cloud's convoluted personality but he acts through his own intentions - confused intentions at this point of the story, but still his own. Only the way he expresses himself mimics Zack's.

That quote from the developers says that "when he talks to Tifa his real self briefly emerges". BRIEFLY. Stating that Cloud with Tifa is always his real self goes totally against this story and the dynamics behind the creation of his alter ego. His feelings for her are sealed deep into his subconscious, Cloud himself says "I don't know how to explain" when he's asked about what Tifa means for him.

That line has to be contextualized to make sense. I think this concept just shows something that was already in the OG: the player could choose to be rude with Aerith, even during her date (probably to show his conflicted feelings), but never with Tifa, he's always been istinctively soft with her. He gets jealous, he lets her into his personal space, he touches her and lets her touch him, and when they're in dangerous situations he's istinctively protective.

And not because Tifa is better than Aerith but because real-Cloud's character arc revolves around Tifa, like it or not. There's no need to twist a simple line from the devs nor to diminish the impact of Zack on SOLDIER-Cloud to prove it.

Aerti Parallel [ 6 / ∞ ]: We make a great team

A few more for the FFVII minor arcana. 

I often get asked if the deck will be printed, and the answer is yes! The best way to keep updated is on Patreon, where you’ll also get card meanings, WIPs, and monthly prints of the cards and pretty much anything else I’ve drawn, if you so choose. Bonus being you’ll also be helping me pay my bills and ensuring I can keep creating. Please consider joining us over there if you can.

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Family gathering

FFVII AFFECTION MECHANICS LIST

Probably this article was better suited for Valentine's day but I'm not well known for my perfect timing... :)

I thought it could be useful to have a full list of the OG variables that affect the date mechanics, a description of the actual Remake mechanics and the differences between the two games all in one post.

I had initially planned to add here also the Wall Market dress mechanics but this post is long enough and the Remake dresses are just so amazing that they absolutely deserve their own post and my complete devotion💖

So...Let’s get to the list!  

OG AFFECTION POINTS

A reminder before reading:

Not all the optional choices of the game affect the scores.

Not all the optional choices that affect the score are mandatory.

Only four characters are associated to the affection mechanics and they start the game with different pre-set scores: Aerith 50, Tifa 30, Yuffie 10*, Barret 0. Aerith and Tifa are the most probable outcomes for the date.

The two main events influenced by the affection points are the Gold Saucer date and the scene under the Highwind. The charcter who has the highest score will spend a night with Cloud at the Gold Saucer; the dialogue between Cloud and Tifa before the final battle will be more explicitly romantic if Tifa has at least 50 points.

The characters are not in competition with each others, most of the choices affect the points of just one character at a time and sometimes they even affect uniformly more than a character. As a general rule, the points increase when Cloud tries to be a kind person and decrease when he's willfully mean.

The outcomes for the date and the HW scene can be different: it's not necessary to achieve Tifa's date to get the high affection HW scene, nor dating Aerith automatically triggers the low affection version. It is perfectly possible to get both Aerith's date and the high affection scene with Tifa.

MIDGAR:

1. On the train after the attack at the Reactor No. 1, when Jessie tells Cloud about the IDs:

Jessie: I know! Next time, I'll give you one I made myself.

"Thanks anyway" (No change)

"Looking forward to it" (-3 Tifa)

2. [Optional] At 7th Heaven, if Cloud bought Aerith's flower:

Tifa: But...A flower for me? Oh Cloud, you shouldn't have... - Cloud: No big.

"Give it to Tifa" (+5 Tifa)

"Give it to Marlene" (+5 Barret)

3. [Optional] If Cloud talks to Tifa when she's behind the bar:

Tifa: Sit down. How about......something to drink?

"I don't feel like it" (No change)

"Give me something hard" (+5 Tifa)

4. When Cloud tries to leave Seventh Heaven:

Tifa: So! You're really leaving !? You're just going to walk right out ignoring your childhood friend !? - Cloud: What......?

"How can you say that!" (+5 Tifa)

"...Sorry" (No change)

5. [Optional] The morning of the attack on the No. 5 Reactor:

Tifa: Good Morning! Cloud! Did you sleep well?

"Next to you, who wouldn't?" (+5 Tifa)

"Barret's snoring kept me up..." (+5 Barret)

6. On the way to the Reactor 5, getting through the train without being caught by the security system

Succeed (+5 Tifa, +5 Barret)

Fail (No change)

7. When Cloud is hanging after the explosion of the Airbuster in the Reactor 5:

Barret: Hey, you gonna be awright?

"(Be strong)" (+2 Barret)

"(I don't know if I can hold on)" (-3 Barret, +1 Tifa)

8. After falling in Aerith's church, when the girl is trying to run away from Reno:

Push a wrong barrel (-3 Aerith)

Tell her to fight the troopers (-1 Aerith)

Tell her to run (No change)

Tell her to run, but she has to fight (-1 Aerith)

Push the right barrel (+1 Aerith)

9. At Aerith's house, when Cloud says he wants to go back to Sector 7:

"No way!" (+1 Aerith)

Aerith: Is Tifa......a girl? - Cloud: Yeah. - Aerith: A girl...friend? - Cloud: Girlfriend?

"Yeah, that's right" (-5 Aerith)

10. When Cloud and Aerith are going to split up after getting to Sector 7 gate:

Cloud: Thanks. I guess this is goodbye. You gonna be all right going home? Aerith: Oh no! 'What ever will I do!?' ...isn't that what you want me to say?

"See her home." (No change)

"Go on to Sector 7" (+1 Aerith)

11a. [Wall Market option A] Talking to Aerith if Tifa is chosen as Don Corneo's bride

"You alright?" (+3 Aerith)

"We gotta help Tifa!" (-2 Aerith)

11b. [Wall Market option B] Talking to Tifa if Aerith is chosen as Don Corneo's bride

"You alright?" (-2 Tifa)

"We gotta help Aerith!" (+3 Tifa)

11c. [Optional] [Wall Market option C] If Cloud is chosen as Don Corneo's bride and acts hesitant

Don Corneo: You don't like me? There...there isn't someone else, is there?

No, only you (No change)

Yes, his name's Barret... (+5 Barret)

12. When Corneo throws the group in the sewer:

Talk to Aerith first (+3 Aerith)

Talk to Tifa first (+3 Tifa)

13. [Optional] After the plate fall, if Cloud talks to Marlene at Aerith's house:

Marlene: Guess what? Guess what? Aerith was asking me lots of questions. Like what kind of person Cloud is. I bet she likes you, Cloud!

"I don't know" (+3 Tifa, -3 Aerith)

"Let's hope so" (-3 Tifa, +3 Aerith)

14. At Shinra HQ, after meeting Red XIII and before fighting Sample H0512:

Cloud: We'll take care of that monster. Somebody take Aerith somewhere safe...

"Tifa, I'm countin' on you!" (-2 Tifa)

"Barret, take care of her!" (+2 Barret)

15. When party splits up to escape Shinra HQ:

Cloud: If all five of us go together, we'll be noticed. Let's break up in two groups.

Whoever is in the party gets a +2 boost

16. [Optional] Talking to Tifa in the jail (this option can be repeated indefinitely):

Tifa: Psst (Can we get out?)

"Leave it to me" (+1 Tifa)

"Kinda hard" (-1 Tifa)

17. In the jail, when Cloud thinks about the other party members:

I wonder how [Barret/Aerith/Red XIII] is doing

The first one gets a +3 boost (no change for Red XIII)

The second one gets a +1 boost (no change for Red XIII)

No change for the last one

18. After leaving Midgar:

Barret: ^#$^%......awright. Go Northeast to a town called Kalm. If something happens, we'll meet up there. 'Sides, we can't have 5 people strolling down the fields. It's too dangerous. Split us into 2 parties...

Whoever is chosen to join the party gets a +1 boost (no change for Red XIII)

KALM

19. After Cloud's flashback when Barret decides to leave the Inn:

Barret: Yo, Cloud! Let's get a move on!

"Right" (+1 Barret)

"Wait a sec" (Barret talks again) -> "Beautiful, just beautiful" (+3 Barret)

"Wait a sec" (Barret talks again) -> "Is that all?" (-1 Barret)

20. [Optional] If talking to the woman on the first floor of the house next to the Inn (the points change only if the characters are in the party. The dialogue can happen at any time before the GS dates):

Thanks to Mako energy, life's pretty darn convenient. Thanks to Shinra. Don't you think?

"Yeah, maybe" (-2 Barret, -1 Aerith, -1 Tifa, +1 Yuffie)

"You're full of it" (+2 Barret, +1 Aerith, +1 Tifa, -1 Yuffie)

21. [Optional] If talking to the woman on the second floor of the house next to the Inn (the points change only if the characters are in the party. The dialogue can happen at any time before the GS dates):

Mako energy's made things a lot more convenient......But seems like a lot of plants and animals have been disappearing at a rapid pace. I think the old life was better. Don't you think so?

"Yeah, maybe" (+2 Barret, +1 Aerith, +1 Tifa, -1 Yuffie)

"No way" (-2 Barret, -1 Aerith, -1 Tifa, +1 Yuffie)

FORT CONDOR

22. [Optional] If Cloud is the party leader and talks to the old guy (the choices affect everyone, even if the party hasn't recruited Yuffie yet):

It appears you have a problem with Shinra, too. After all, you climbed up here. Why not listen to what I have to say for a moment?

"I guess so" (+5 Barret, +3 Aerith, +3 Tifa, +2 Yuffie)

"Not interested" (-5 Barret, -3 Aerith, -3 Tifa, -1 Yuffie)

23. [Optional] After the old guy tells Cloud about his problem (the choices affect everyone, even if the party hasn't recruited Yuffie yet):

What do you think? You want to join us in our fight?

"All right" (+5 Barret, +3 Aerith, +3 Tifa, +2 Yuffie)

"Not interested" (-5 Barret, -3 Aerith, -3 Tifa, -1 Yuffie)

*MEETING YUFFIE

[Optional] The player can repeat the recruiting dialogue as many times as they want. Recruiting Yuffie on the first try will grant her 10 points, failing and repeating it will increase her points up to a max of 30 points (+2 for every correct answer).

CARGO SHIP

24. [Optional] Talking to Yuffie who asks for Tranquillizers for her motion sickness:

"Here, use this" (+4 Yuffie)

"Nope" (-2 Yuffie)

25. Talking to Aerith about the Highwind:

Aerith: That was REALLY something. Hey, do you think I could get on it?

"I'll take you someday" (+2 Aerith)

"I dunno..." (-2 Aerith)

26. Talking to Tifa about the war:

Tifa: ...But, you know what? I really hate this uniform. Uniforms, soldiers, war, I hate 'em all. They take away all the things and people you love... I wish they'd all disappear. Right, Cloud?

"Yeah..." (+2 Tifa)

"I don't know" (-2 Tifa)

GOLD SAUCER

27. After Barret leaves the group, Cloud can choose a partner. The choice will affect the score of the FIRST character he'll interact with. Only if the player declines Red XIII they'll still be able to affect one of the girls' score. If the player doesn't pick anybody, the character with the highest score will join him and the points won't be affected (Red XIII will join instead of Barret):

Go together (+3)

Don't go together (-2)

COREL PRISON

28. The character chosen to accompany Cloud and Barret to fight Dyne:

Cloud: So there it is, Barret. So I guess it'll be Barret, me, and......

(+10 Aerith, +3 Tifa, +2 Yuffie, no change Red XIII)

GONGAGA

29. [Optional] After meeting Zack's parents:

Cloud can talk to Tifa and/or Aerith (if they are in the party).

Ignore them (-3 Aerith / -3 Tifa)

Talk with Tifa (+1 Tifa)

Talk with Aerith -> "Poor guy" (+1 Aerith)

Talk with Aerith -> "(...jealous...envious...)" (+2 Aerith)

COSMO CANYON

30. [Optional] During the first visit the party splits up. If Barret was in the party Cloud can have a conversation with him:

Barret: There was this guy who studied 'Planetary Life' here. He couldn't take things the way they were, so he went to Midgar to form AVALANCHE. Wanna hear more?

Not really (no change)

"Go on" (additional dialogue) -> "And then" (Barret +6)

"Go on" (additional dialogue) -> "Yeah, whatever..." (Barret +3)

WUTAI

31. [Optional] Completing the first quest in Wutai until Yuffie returns the stolen Materia (Yuffie +10)

***

REMAKE AFFECTION POINTS

Even though the Remake covers just the Midgar section, the developers payed homage to the Gold Saucer dates including a beautiful "Resolution scene" at the beginning of Chapter 14, where Aerith, Tifa or Barret will appear and talk to Cloud.

What determines the optional cutscene this time is the number of side quests completed during Chapter 3 and Chapter 8, namely the two chapters spent building up Cloud's merc reputation with Tifa and with Aerith.

The Remake affection mechanics are very simple: 

Aerith and Tifa start as equals. 

The player can complete 6 Odd Jobs and 1 final Discovery Quest, each one granting to the related girl +2 points. 

The girl Cloud will interact first after landing in the sewers will gain an additional +1 point that will eventually serve as tiebreaker. 

As you can guess, the girl with the highest score will lead the optional cutscene but if both girls have less than 5 points then Barret's scene will be unlocked.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

The Remake affection mechanics are significantly different from those of the OG. Funnily enough some free-answer dialogues still exist, however not only they don't affect the score but they're also illusory choices as the plot is very linear (see below).

The Remake mechanics are less romance-based. Sure, accomplishing the side quests can be seen as Cloud spending valuable time with the girls, anyway they spend the day doing rough and mundane activities like defeat monsters, rescue kids and search for cats. The focus will always be to improve Cloud's reputation as a reliable merc. Moreover, it doesn’t really make sense to consider Barret as being positively impressed by Cloud refusing to help people in need. 

While in the original Cloud can have just one date and one of the two versions of the Highwind scene, the Resolution scenes are not mutually exclusive and it's perfectly possible that all of them take place during the same night.

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OG AND REMAKE COMPARISON

Most of the situations linked to the affection points in the OG changed or were left out from the Remake. In general Remake-Cloud tends to be kind with both Aerith and Tifa and by the end of the game his relationship with Barret improves as well.