Part 72: Searching for Friends

Chapter 71 - Searching for Friends




I decide it's time to stop jerking around and go to the southeast isles, where I find this little town.



I'm putting sidequests on hold for this. Welcome to Mideel.



This better be good.



I thought we were talking about the dog, Tifa.





I like the palmtrees.



Ok, fine, I get it.



"Oh, it's that dude we found around, he claims his name is Sephiroth."



I'll be damned, it seems like Bugenhagen and everyone else in the world got it right. It's a good thing everyone around is a PhD in Geology.




Calm down Tifa, you're still friendzoned.



"Fuck, fuck, fuck I hate that cat."



"Are you sure he's here and wasn't, wink wink, taken away to somewhere else? Like a volcano or something"



I'm gonna give Tifa one thing -



She is damn honest about her priorities.



You go, girl.







That mustache ain't fooling me.



Clearly Edward Carnby was also found nearby and ended up becoming the town Doctor, for the horror of the citizens.







It's as Buggenhagen feared. He has...



Anyway, enough jokes, let's get serious here.











I think this is one of the most depressive moments of the game. We know Tifa's been in denial for quite some time, but this is it. The realization that things are not the same.



So, yea. Things are not looking good.



Typically in a J-RPG right now someone would tell us of an artifact or a quest or something that would instantly fix the problem.



But given how much things keep getting worse and worse, I wouldn't be counting on that now.



This is literally a low-hanging fruit.





Overall, I think this was the most dramatic and unethical way to tell someone their friend just got a mental condition.



We know they're both secretly cheering inside.



And, thus, Tifa falls into despair.







There you go folks. This is pretty much the lowest so far. Like I said, things only get worse and worse.



Every time I see you falling I get down on my knees and pray.



I'm waiting for that final moment you'll say the words that I can't say.



It's hard not to feel sorry for Tifa. She's messed up. She was hanging onto a guy who was even more messed. He was her strength. The world is entirely fucked.



What's more interesting is that, even if for a brief period, we get to see things through her perspective. And this is what makes even Tifa a good character. Her dependence on Cloud isn't there because of some stupid trend to objectify vulnerable women.



She is sick. Cloud is sick. They're both mentally ill characters. In no moment is this glorified, sexualized or idealized. And because they're all so fucked up, the world is in total chaos.







Another one of those cold shower moments. Barret didn't go out-of-character. Again, something that I like in this game. Even Barret - whose dialogue early on is pretty bad - has a reaction that feels natural and a lot less "stock" than the stuffy we get nowadays. I mean, picture this:

TIFA reaches for BARRET, as he leaves the room. Camera centers on TIFA's face.

TIFA
You can trust him.

Camera shows BARRET's back as he walks away. He stops. BARRET slowly turns his face around. Camera zooms on his face. Cue dramatic pause as he looks at TIFA.

BARRET
Some people... never change.



There's no "LET'S GO SAVE OUR FRIEND HURR" cliché here.



Cloud may be a friend to some of them, but he's risky.







Holy sincerity, Batman.







"Holy crap, two nutjobs for one gone and my airship back, life is good."



"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS"





Alright so... we're now down two members, three if you count Aeris. Bizarre love triangle, indeed.










And that's that, folks.




































Barret is that really inconvenient guy everyone wants to ask to shut up but don't because he wouldn't shut up anyway.





APPLY LOTION TO BURN



Cait Sith is actually awesome.



And with this we conclude the update.


NEXT TIME:

Spying on Shinra's plans! Scheming! Not actually going back to do actual things because SIDE-QUESTS!!



Music we've listened in this update:

Parochial Town - Mideel's theme. This music has played before on other places, such as the sleepy man's cave or underneath the Reactor's plate.

Off the Edge of Despair - The theme that plays during Tifa's moment with Cloud. I think the name is self-explanatory. It's a great song.