Quote Originally Posted by Ryushikaze View Post
Or that Cloud doesn't think Tifa wants him. It's her affection controlling. Not his.
untrue.

Quote Originally Posted by silentenigma
First off I need to establish something here. A lot of you folks are saying that the Dating Mechanics only reflect on Tifa's and Aeris' feelings for Cloud...but never the other way around. This makes little sense to begin with because we all know that both Aeris and Tifa continuously feel affection for Cloud. Besides that, it is shown otherwise that the date mechanics DO work both ways; they DO reflect Cloud's feelings and determine his actions. They show the mutual (b)romantic closeness between Cloud and the other characters. Take a look:

from Terence Fergusson's Date Mechanics Guide:

Talk to Jessie twice on the train home from the first mission:
"Thanks anyway" --
"Looking forward to it" (-3 Tifa)
(How could this action make Tifa like Cloud less if she isn't even present in the scene?)

If Cloud is chosen as the Don's date:
"Yes, his name's Barret..." (+5 Barret)
(How does this in any way reflect Barret's feelings for Cloud?)

When Marlene tells you about Aeris:
"I don't know" (-3 Aeris, +3 Tifa)
"Let's hope so" (+3 Aeris, -3 Tifa)
(Same deal here; Cloud's words end with Marlene, and yet Aeris's and Tifa's values are affected.)

This is also evident in the end-of-disk 2 Highwind scene: Tifa comes into the scene acting in the same way towards Cloud regardless of which version you get. But depending Tifa's point value, it is Cloud who may act two different ways towards Tifa.


And how is starting the family with her not romantic?
It's "family" as in, a group of close friends who live together and support each other. And that's exactly what they do. Cloud, Tifa, Marlene, Denzel. Barret probably would have been there too had he not gone off searching for alternative energy sources. Cloud and Tifa sleep in separate beds in AC and never have kids like a 'true' family. Now, Could they have found time for romance leading up to AC? possibly. But it's not completely clear. Either way, i know that one has to reach pretty far to argue against that one part in CoT, so I'll drop it.

Much later in continuity, and that very question itself indicates she was at one point sure that he did.
Or that at one point she convinced herself that he did, or felt that the things he used to say indicated that he did, etc.

You're definitely right about everything else though, so I'll quit trying to extend my 'ambiguity' argument to the compilation.