LogFAQs > #976330504

I played a bit more tonight. I could've played even longer, but this small section of the game left me with quite a lot to talk about! First, I turned on that 'Finger' mode that shows doors and ladders. It has been super helpful. There are still a few areas with funny layouts, like the train graveyard where it took me a few minutes to realize I could walk through one of the busted trains. Overall, though, navigation has been a lot easier to manage.

Cloud and Aeris made their way through the area infested with evil houses (seriously, what's the deal with these things). I had an easier time with them after equipping Aeris with a Restore materia to get some dedicated healing. Plus, Cloud's limit break leveled up and got a cross-slash that disabled the houses for a bit, which really helped. After getting through, Cloud realized that, to get back home, Aeris would have to return through the house-infested area all on her own. They sat in a playground to mull over that conundrum, and then they talked about how Aeris' first boyfriend was in SOLDIER too. She was cagey about giving Cloud a name, though, so I assume it was Sephiroth. After all, he's the only other SOLDIER that I know.

That was when a chocobo carriage rode by carrying Tifa on the back. Confused, the two followed and realized she was being held in some crime lord's mansion. In order to rescue her, Cloud used his fighting skills to bust in and... oh. No, I guess that plan would make too much sense. It's much easier to disguise Cloud as a woman in order to infiltrate this den of sex perverts. I remember seeing images of Cloud in a dress over the years, but I always assumed it was some goofy sidequest. I never realized it would be part of a main quest this early in the game!

Oh well, I'm a good sport so I played along. It helped that Aeris was super excited to make Cloud as pretty as he could be. I had already done part of the quest while wandering through the area before. I'd eaten at a restaurant and then exchanged a coupon for digestive medicine, reasoning that the food from that sketchy restaurant might go down rough. By exchanging this with a girl vomiting in a nearby bathroom, plus some other fetch quests, Cloud got a dress, a wig, a diamond tiara, and some sweet cologne. There was one area left, though. The Honeybee Inn.

They never came right out and said it, but this was clearly a whorehouse. And, man, what a weird whorehouse it was. Cloud peeked into one room and, as far as I understood, the president of Shinra himself was in there getting off to an incredibly unsettling stage play. It was almost as unsettling as what happened to poor Cloud when I chose the &$#% Room. It was either that or the Group Room, and I didn't think Cloud was ready for an orgy. It turned out that he wasn't ready for this either though. Inside, he saw a ghostly image of himself cowering in fear, likely a premonition of the horror that was about to befall him. The sight was enough to knock Cloud out... which thankfully spared him from being awake for what happened after. When he awoke, a burly man was in bed with him. Again, this was all played very PG-13 and didn't come right out and say it, but... did that man have his way with an unconscious Cloud?!? I got some lingerie for the low, low price of Cloud's dignity and virtue.

Once Cloud was dolled up (in a... shockingly unflattering full-body dress), Aeris decided to join in too (wearing a much sexier red dress). I obviously didn't know much about her before I started playing, but, given that she's an innocent looking flower girl and the team healer, the image I had of her in my head was always pure and innocent. I'm really liking this spunkier side where she's so eager to get Cloud to crossdress and even joins in on the fun. I also really liked the scene outside the Honeybee Inn where she was ripping off a bunch of horny dudes by upcharging them to buy her flowers. Aeris has been amazing so far.

Anyway, the two headed off to Corneo's mansion. Tifa was confused to see them, and even more confused at what Cloud was wearing. She had a tip that Corneo knew some valuable information, though, and the group decided to follow through. Cloud was chosen as the sexiest girl, and then he was able to rip off the disguise and interrogate Corneo once the group had him cornered. I liked how threats of "ripping it off" or "smashing it" were what got him to talk... and, again, I was pleasantly surprised that even Aeris joined in on the threat of dick-mangling. Corneo told them about a Shinra plot to crush the slum where Avalanche is located. The group had to take a short detour through a sewer after falling for the old trap door trick, but then they were on their way to stop that awful plan.

Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, the battle was already underway. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie were injured, and Aeris ran off to rescue Marlene. Together with Barret, Tifa and Cloud tried to prevent the explosion. And they failed. The main heroes were able to escape, and Aeris rescued Marlene despite getting captured by Shinra immediately after. Still, everyone else wasn't so lucky. It was a harrowing scene watching that plate fall onto all those unsuspecting people. I saw a newscast later that claimed there were no civilian casualties, but... yeah right. If nothing else, the three lesser members of Avalanche are probably dead. Barret was understandably distraught and furious, to the point of shooting fruitlessly at the rubble. Still, I liked how he refused to blame himself for it. This atrocity was the fault of Shinra. Now it's time to go and blow them all to hell and rescue Aeris in the process!

The last thing I did before stopping for the night was learn a bit more about Aeris from her mother. It turns out that she's actually only her adopted mother, and Aeris is some sort of ancient. That explains why Shinra wants her, I guess, but I don't know much else yet. I'm excited to find out, though! I'm enjoying the game a lot more now that navigation is easier. I'm also really loving Aeris so far. She's a sweetheart, but she's also a lot less innocent than I ever would've guessed. I figured she'd be the pure, self-sacrificing magic girl, like Rosa from IV or Yuna from X. Don't get me wrong, I usually love that character type, and Aeris is definitely a good person. Still, I'm loving this edge that she has. She grew up in these horrible slums and has probably seen some shit. It makes perfect sense that she'd rip off some dudes by overcharging for her flowers (while Cloud was inside being violated, no less). She's great.

EDIT: Oh, one other thing (because this post wasn't long enough yet, my apologies to anyone actually reading all of this...). After the plate collapse, I noticed that Tifa had a "Sadness" status ailment. Yeah, after what just happened, that makes sense. I wonder what item gets rid of that, antidepressants? Some ice cream, maybe? I'm sure that'd cheer her right up even though a bunch of her friends are dead!