Pity Party of Helena

It is a fact that the environment where we live in both helps to mold a personality – acting as manipulator of feelings and as externalizing force of inner fears, emotions and thoughts, helping to bring forward emotional needs or psychological illnesses like depression. This is noticed a lot in Interior Design when we design the whole room and, after some weeks, the same room is completely different from the one decorated because the person is actually living in it and being part of that environment. (Most of the time, the structure of the room is the same – same colors on the walls, arrangements, furniture, etc; but people manage to clutter the space completely or even bare it off its initial characteristics by living inside of it.)

It happens, I’m not joking. It’s impossible for someone to live in a space without modifying it and being modified by it. And I recently discovered this is a whole field of research within Psychology – though I could not determine yet, through articles, if there is specific research focusing on how a room may externalize people’s emotions/personality. (In Valentine’s case, how a designed room may represent a character’s psych or things like his mental state/ possible mental illnesses/internal thoughts.)

And that’s exactly what I plan to explore here. 

(Let it be known that I’m not an expert on the topic. I graduated in Interior Design, but I don’t work with it anymore (curiously, the design of FF7 Remake was exactly what brought me to its fandom) and I’m also a Psychology dropout, but I won’t claim that I’m privy to any of the developers’ intentions towards Vincent’s character just by analyzing his room. Please, don’t take it too seriously; this article is more of speculation and personal views – that I could sometimes cross with real articles and previous experience – than something to be taken as a fact.)

I was aware of how strange it was that, in Rebirth, Vincent was given a fully decorated room, adjoined with the coffin he sleeps in, whereas in OG he had a bare, quite depressing chamber. (Here you might say, “Oh, but it was 1997! We didn’t have enough visual quality in video games to have a fully furnished room.” and I say, “Let’s be creative, shall we?”). 

I’ll start by explaining what brought me to analyze Vincent’s room, and it’s actually quite stupid that it took me so long to realize it. I was moving some furniture in my own bedroom some days ago and planning to add some decorations to my rather blank walls when it hit me: the OG!Vincent had nothing in his environment because he, himself, had nothing of emotions beyond a glaring depression inside – he may call it guilt, but he’s, in fact, in a deep depressive state beyond all that remorse over past mistakes. 

The ambient around a person acts as an extension of the self, and in OG Vincent has nothing inside himself beyond his sadness, self-blame, and monsters, so the walls and the crypt around himself are exactly how they should be before he went to sleep: somber, empty, devoid of life and things that humans usually have when living inside a space. That crypt is more akin to monsters than to human beings. It’s a place of grief and despair, be it caused by others (the crypt was already there when he went to sleep in the coffin, but also personifying the part of his grief that was caused by others when he was experimented upon) or by himself, by his self-imposed isolation, representing his guilt and the monstrosity he feels within. 

In OG, in a sense, Vincent’s room is his coffin, and the bare crypt is his internal feelings spilling out to the outside.

It’s worth notice that in AC we don’t know where he’s living in, but he stays in the Forgotten City living probably with the bare minimum – in said movie he even says he never tried to be forgiven, so we can presume he didn’t change much from the OG, though he’s seen as someone more ‘accessible’ to his friends and even those in need. In DoC – where he starts his journey to forgiveness – he’s seen in a more living environment while in an Inn in Kalm. So, in OG > AC > DoC, Valentine is walking slowly towards self-recovery, fighting that ‘emptiness’ inside and becoming more human again – accepting himself, in contrast with his perception that he’s becoming a monster in OG. He’s unconsciously externalizing it as he’s progressing on with the places he’s living in. 

Now, the main point of this essay is his Rebirth room and how it shows different facets of his inner world. (Rebirth’s design is magnanimous. I was enamoured by it in many MANY ways, but Vincent’s room is the main focus, so… Let’s get to it.)

Vincent Valentine now has a proper “bedroom” fully decorated with  furniture and books – and bottles (this guy might be slightly alcoholic by now 🤔) (I’m joking about him being an alcoholic please don’t take it seriously!), and with a very particular sense of style, I have to say; but more importantly, he’s living there. Every one of those pieces, be it the books, the pen, the mug, every piece of décor is part of Vincent’s self expression. 

Can you understand how amazing is it? When SqEx told us they would add things to make Vincent Valentine more mysterious, I was confident they would only transform his visuals, not add an entire ambient to hint things about him! (And I’m not complaining about what they did.)

Vincent Valentine went from the depressive, mood guy to an actual living, breathing human being. This version of Vincent was awakened by Veld (let’s pretend this is how it happened) and instead of sleeping again, he decided to stay awake and search for answers this time (I wish SqEx would give us a reason for it in Part 3, but… Who knows). I’m not gonna say Vincent isn’t depressed or moody now, I’m just seeing the context he is in and how it indicates that Vincent is… He has more acceptance of himself, of his failures, of what he turned out to be. (I can’t remember if Vincent calls himself a monster in OG, but in Rebirth – though he feels hurt by Barret tactless words – I’m safe to say perceives himself as a monster, but is at least trying to detach himself from this view somehow.) 

And his room is the exact point where he starts it. 

For those who don’t remember, this is basically the whole view of Vincent’s bedroom (and the best moment to see it in its entirety):

When I first saw his room, I immediately noticed the symmetrical layout and the particular pieces of that composition. (I was sure, and even commented on it, that the chair in that tiny ‘living room’ inside the bedroom was a Chesterfield one. And then I was very irked that it wasn’t. And then he’s sitting on a Chesterfield couch in Ever Crisis 🤔 Good to know I’m not the only crazy one who sees Vincent’s relation to Chesterfields.) But by the furniture and the layout only, you can say he has a very classical style of décor; because even if every one of those things were borrowed from the mansion above, Vincent still chose those pieces. 

He had an entire 'store' to buy furniture in the Manor above, he could have borrowed chairs from the kitchen or the servants quarters, for example; but that's not what happened here. He borrowed things with quality, style and luxury, probably based on his tastes.

It’s obvious to assume that Valentine went to the mansion above and brought those furniture down to the basement, where he felt safe and more at ease; this means that he decorated his room with his own preferences. Vincent chose a comfy chair, a side table, a chest of drawers, a small fireplace of sorts (I think? Honestly, I don't know what that thing is. I come from a very hot country and we usually don't have fireplaces here, just some electric heaters masked as such.)

Not only that, but he also has a very rich rug, in a pattern that is very similar to a Persian rug – but that could also be a Victorian one. (I’ll stay on the oriental reference, because they are usually more recognizable and they are also more accessible in matters of research, but this won’t change the analysis). It doesn’t really matter what rug is, but its meaning to a décor style. They can be used in a large range of styles, from modern to retro rooms, but they are usually associated with a Classic or Traditional Style of decoration – be it a Persian or a Victorian rug. 

I’m gonna say that I see this room of Vincent more in the Classical Style with a touch of Victorian Era, than the Traditional one. And the reason is simple: very little of this room has colors, and noticeably the few ones are earthy, natural tones; in the classical style there is abundance of ‘natural’ colors – usually in lighter shades, but that is not a rule, rich materials such as stones, leather and quality woodwork with simple forms and an abundance of details. 

Actually, the Classical Style can be described as: Symmetry, Discipline, Special Color Combination, Wooden Items, Royalty and Luxury, Having Details, Having a Focal Point. The room Vincent is found in has checked most of those characteristics, even if in a simpler way. It has (part) of the symmetry, special color combination, woodwork, royalty and luxury (even if moderately) and having a focal point. The difference is in small details, like the ornament of some furnitures and I think that’s where the Victorian inspiration enters. 

In an attempt to analyze his room better, and try to isolate the symmetrical arrangement that is a vital part of the design, I did a quick floor plan with what I could see of his room from the videos – I don't have time for another gameplay for now. (Please, forgive me for the inaccuracy of the models, I did it on a Mac notebook and all my design apps are on my Windows PC… 😓).

Of course, every one of those characteristics are subdued in Vincent's bedroom, but they are undeniable.

Anyway, you can see here that the room has a somewhat equivalence on the matters of furniture. I am kind of reluctant to call it symmetrical – usually symmetry happens as a bilateral occurrence, it’s kind of difficult to cut this design in the middle, be it vertically or horizontally, because most of the furniture is poorly positioned in the room.  I also couldn't define exactly what is behind the left door leaf – only that there is a file cabinet and the treasure chest inside the room – and what is beside Vincent's coffin on the same side, but it seems like a door opening, even if it’s not completely visible, the structure indicates an opening there. I don’t know why it is there, but it’s very similar to the one at the crypt’s entrance, even if it is thinner. Perhaps to indicate a smaller passage.

As you can see here:

But the door’s position won’t change the analysis, it’s just additional information. To simplify things, I am working with the room divided into 4 parts and commenting on its equivalence. Can you see the equilibrium in the furniture arrangement imagining it divided by 4?

If not, I'll help you out with this picture: 

This way it’s possible to see the way the furniture ‘talk’ with each other.

We have a (slightly tilted) central piece formed by the chair, the small chest of drawers, the side table and the tiny fireplace. Even if tilted, there is symmetry in one facing the other and the position of the chair, in accordance with the chest of drawers, is quite interesting per se. 

There is a model of positioning studied by Environmental Psychology that is usually done in social spaces, called sociopetal arrangement, where the chairs or couches inside an ambient are turned at comfortable distance towards each other in hopes to make the communication flow easier between two or more people. I’d say it seemed ludicrous for Vincent to have two sitting chairs inside that room, since it's only him there and he doesn't want his peace disrupted (I always saw him as a functional introvert person and this room screams comfort and introversion, but this is just a personal view. Feel free to ignore). What I mean about the arrangement is that the simple meaning of putting something to face his chair indicates a more opening to talk than, let's say, OG!Vincent. 

In fact, he talks and offers his words more freely in Rebirth. (I'm talking about his whole scene with Regina, he was quite… I don't know, at ease to offer some advice in matters of the Blood Queen? I perceived him as such, as more wise and stable/true to his real age when talking with Regina, but there are other instances where he offers his comments freely, too – despite being only a NPC). And it’s fascinating to notice that, in contemporary designs, most of this arrangement – which was used even at homes – was lost in favor of space; it reflects pretty well the lack of communication that society is facing these days.

To exemplify it, that’s how most of Victorian/Classic designs are styled in contrast to Contemporary arrangements:

Now that you can see how 'opening' to new experiences Vincent may be, let's study his room by parts.

That central piece of the room is like a small interior of his, of sorts. It looks to me like it's the aspect most close to his heart, but yet at a safe distance from his most intimate feelings, and it is what he’s comfortable to show first to other people. When the party enters Vincent’s chamber, the main focus of this primary room is the rug and its contents, taking the attention off the coffin and making its revelation even more dramatic.

This got confusing, let me explain it: when we enter a room – especially a bedroom, as it is the case here – the focus is obviously the bed; this is the piece usually evidenced in design, because it's a place of security, comfort, love, rest, healing etc. Hardly a bed is associated with nightmares or bad things. It's a piece of furniture that is, more often than not – and especially in Classical Style rooms – a lavish, comfortable, opulent thing; usually is the one of the most expensive parts of the design (it may vary from where you are from and your budget, but… People usually spend a little more to have the most comfortable and luxurious bed/bedsheets). 

And in Valentine's case, his bed is a coffin, hidden beyond that first small living room. That’s why I see that first room as his more external layers – even if it still is intimate – and the coffin as his most guarded feelings/personality. Vincent’s coffin may be made of rich woodwork and beautiful engravings, with good quality lining and comfy, but it still is a coffin. And what else a coffin represents? Being locked up, being trapped – beyond the obviously dead which still applies here, since he can feel dead on the inside and possibly be real dead too. We don't know. 

But the important thing here is: the focal point of Vincent’s bedroom is a coffin, meaning his feelings/his sense of self/his personality is hidden beyond that first view of himself (the living room) and currently trapped inside of it. Not as dead as he is may feel in OG, but more like being confined in Vincent's nightmares, represented by that coffin. His inner fears, his inner thoughts, I dare to say even his cherished memories – something we probably will see him disclose at the next game and when completely free of the coffin – everything is sealed inside it as much as inside himself, metaphorically speaking. That tiny room right before his ‘bed’, are the things about himself that he deems okay to show to the world after waking up. 

And the books and the research scattered over the room? They can be seen as the secrets about his own past. Books hold secrets, knowledge, history... They are a great addition to any room for the promises and memories they represent.

That's why I think he still is depressive, but he is slowly overcoming it in Rebirth more quickly paced than he did in OG. I won't expect a full recovery in part 3, only God knows if SqEx will do a remake of any other game of the FF7 Compilation, so… I won't expect anything more from his character beyond growing in confidence and being more open to others, perhaps. And I'm not saying it to belittle Vincent, but merely because it may not fit the narrative if they intend to keep DoC as a ‘sequel’ as it is.

(Hah, much reference is used about getting out of a closet, but it's the first time I see getting out of a coffin as a metaphor for overcoming sadness! This is… Very clever, actually.)

But back to that tiny room. We have this very interesting choices of furniture, because the chair matches the side table and the fireplace matches the chest of drawers – again, representing some symmetry even if both are from different styles (doesn't the chair and the side table resemble more a countryside style whereas the fireplace and the chest of drawers – alongside his desk behind it – something more of a classical/victorian one?). This mix of very similar styles indicates a sense of refinement, elegance and brings a ‘timeless’ atmosphere to the room, too. Which is… How to put it? Ironic, considering Vincent is probably immortal. 

Both sets of furniture are placed tilted (and here I think it's just because he has some sense of order, but his views are always slightly ‘off’, divided between himself and his monstrous counterparts), and he's using the place enough to have books and ‘personal’ objects scattered around. Remember back there when I said that by using a designed room someone can drastically alter its meanings? That was basically what I was talking about. 

The place is a somewhat luxurious living room (fine leather chair, sturdy furniture, cozy atmosphere through the fireplace, the rug and the lights – also, there’s a lamp beside Vincent’s chest of drawers that is there only to counteract Cloud’s presence once inside the room). This one I have to make a break to comment on, because it’s rare that we see something asymmetrical in a symmetrical room; usually this kind of things makes the viewer uncomfortable, and here the missing part is Cloud when he enters the room, indicating that Vincent’s view is tilted (again because of his inner demons) and missing something (Avalanche’s presence – represented by Cloud) there.

This is what I'm talking about asymmetry inside a symmetrical room. (I'll stop with the pictures, I promise!)

I remember that I commented it to my brother on the first gameplay, because you cannot see the room entirely in any moment, but you can see when Vincent jumps, that Cloud is more or less in the same position on the other side of the candle holder. Also, did everyone realize that Cloud tried to touch Vincent’s coffin like he knew those marks of Cerberus or remembered it somehow? I think SqEx would miss a good opportunity if they don’t use this as a reference for some distant memory of Cloud related to Valentine. 

Back to the main point, Vincent is using that room, leaving notes and books around, they are pieces of his ‘work’ but also pieces of himself he's showing. Exemple: Vincent obviously drinks alcohol, but there is only a mug around – meaning he doesn't care about the external visage, only its contents (very ethical, isn’t it? And very attuned with his good side, too). There’s a fountain pen over his desk (if I’m not mistaken it is a fountain pen inside its inkstand – pompous, old-fashioned bastard!) and some small pots that resemble a lot of chemicals and medicine jars; one of them is obviously a lamp oil bottle. There are interesting papers inside Valentine’s desk because they are binders and files he probably have been reading from Hojo/Nibelheim’s experiments. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if Vincent is not only aware that he carries Chaos inside himself this time, but that he’s also learning about it alongside the obvious multidimensional written equations off his crypt’s walls. (This indicates Vincent is smart as fuck, I’m so proud of him! 🖤)

But beyond what he is researching now, there are also bookshelves around the room, and some of them seem to hold files, books and a suitcase (?), and I bet Valentine gathered a great part of Hojo’s research and brought it closer to himself, in a sense of silly protection of his own information. Vincent states to Cloud that he is “Security” and when he said that, I thought “Why? The Mansion is abandoned”. Now I understand that he is protecting everything inside that room – his bedroom, where he finds a place of safety and stability, alongside some humanity – and what he couldn’t bring to that place, he locked up. That’s why he was so angry that Cloud invaded the laboratory and went into Limit Break right after. 

Oh, don’t you believe that Vincent is trying to have some sense of security and stability inside that crypt? I’ll explain it through the colors, then. 

In all, there is duality in the way Vincent decorated his room – be it by its mismatching furniture almost perfectly arranged or by combination of colors – and all of it converges to some elegance and to details of his personality. If you look closely, there’s some chaos in the order he put in that tiny living room, in the way he’s using it – it’s a living place alongside his ‘resting place’ (namely his coffin), and it means the conflict inside himself, the human parts he shows to the world side by side with the beast, dead parts on the inside. 

I can't hardly believe Vincent was a messy person when he was a Turk. It just doesn't fit his character and the time he was raised in. The compilation and his overall style/way of acting gives an idea that he was raised in the upper classes, too. So, I can't see Vincent as someone messy, who would have his things scattered around. He would probably be a very organized person, and we can see that by his work table, though cluttered, there's some order on it. The books are in order, the pen, even the small jars are lined, so that chaos and that tilted room must come from somewhere, right?

And I believe that comes from the inside, Vincent's restraint is enough to keep a calm, quiet and observatory façade, but inside he's bubbling. And then he decorated his own ‘bedroom’ in search of that tranquility, from the furniture to the colors. 

There’s an abundance of neutral colors, browns, black and golden with some red and green peppered around (I think his chair, the one posed in front of his desk, has a dark green seat. It seems so, at least). I couldn’t decide if his rug has some red predominant on its borders or if it is some dark brown tinted by the lights – but even them are important (Persian rugs are a piece of art in itself, every color in it has significance, and I’ll talk about it soon). 

Every color has a meaning, conveys a feeling,  brings something to the observer. And the chosen palette (browns, black, golden) indicates a search for coziness and comfort; the neutral tones are timeless, elegant, but also not intrusive and help to create a comfy atmosphere, particularly under low light.

Exactly like in Vincent's crypt. 

Though you may think, ‘Valentine has monsters inside’ – well, we kind of don't know that at this point. So for anyone who enters his chambers, and doesn't know him, he's a guy inside a very elegant and very comfy, albeit weird, room. It's a very masculine, power inspiring room and I have to say, with quite a pitiful view too. )I see it as a sad lonely picture for the viewer, and it indicates that Vincent himself doesn't realize that kind of loneliness – perhaps for the human company – until he's invited to join Avalanche. But again, this is my opinion.)

Vincent's chosen colors are… Interesting to say the least. Both for himself and his surroundings.

His coffin is stuffed with red fabric, and red is a predominant color of his character as a whole. It truly affects the mood, is associated with strong emotions, such as love, passion, and anger and is also the universal color for strength, power, courage, and danger. And couldn’t all of these adjectives be used to describe Vincent Valentine? (With all the red Vincent has around himself, it’s amazing he’s so quiet, but again, his most predominant color is black.)

Black is even more fascinating; beyond its significance of death and grief, it can also represent power, mystery and intrigue and evoke a sense of danger, evil and even emptiness. In décor, it can be seen as sophisticated and elegant when it’s used in furniture, and it's usually something used in more modern settings (but today it can be applied to any piece of furniture, honestly). 

The amount of black related to Vincent is alarming – while he was a Turk and dressed accordingly, now he’s completely cladded in black (and it's a very different shade of black. The materials of his clothes seem to be made of a darker shade than the other characters, and probably the cloak and its shadows help with it. I would say Vincent uses Vantablack where anyone else uses normal black 😆). And there's more! Valentine uses the black color around himself too, in the furniture – particularly on the desk where he works and around that chair with green and his brown leather chair. This implies that Vincent is comfortable with/or used to his internal mourning state; it’s not very different from being depressed, and with much repressed anger about his past. No surprise he has some bottles scattered around the black side table, it can’t be easy to remember bits of his past while sober. 

(Again, I am just speculating here, but… Considering Vincent’s height and the spread width of his arms, it’s possible that those bottles are there precisely because he was sitting on the desk and put them down – behind the black side table with drawers – as he finished them. It’s a… Very plausible movement, to turn around and ditch the bottles on the ground, where they would not disrupt his studies.)

Oh, let’s keep going, or else I’ll never finish this!

The rest of his décor is mostly in brown and earthy tones, with hints of yellow/golden. Those tones – even the golden accents – are supposed to give the atmosphere some comfort and atemporal elegance, and it’s no surprise that the lights inside Vincent’s chambers are yellow, provided by the candle holders and by the (few) wall lights. The yellow light is used specifically to give the cozy atmosphere, and in this case, some calm to all that red rage inside him. It's also noticeable that since ShinRa Manor has an old/classic style design too, and if Vincent was truly raised in the upper class, he is probably trying to mimic his childhood home – usually a place of happiness and security for the person – or seeking to rescue that feeling inside himself, even with Chaos and the beasts and all the pain he carries inside. 

The rug in his room is very similar to a Persian rug – I think this is the most plausible reference because it's the most commonly used in matters of design and research, too. It certainly made it easier for the devs to find a Persian rug pattern than a Victorian one, for example. (Believe me, I had to find some in the past for 3D plans. It's a nightmare.) And by that line of thought, Persian rugs have history and meanings, every color and symbol woven on it has significance.

For the little we can see of Vincent's room’s rug, it seems to be a floral pattern – it looks like it – with tones from a deep brown/red, black orange, golden and some white sprinkles here and there, holding meanings of Wealth, Courage, Humility, Piety and Power, with some Purity and Cleanliness from the white and Mourning and Destruction from the black lines. Again, there is symmetry (the Persian rugs are always symmetrical to maintain the classic/atemporal characteristic) and I could even try to understand its motifs if I could have a better quality picture of it, but… 

Until then I’m gonna stick with its colors. 

This rug comes into the space as a complement to his personality and a warning of sorts. While thinking about Vincent’s rug right beside the fireplace and considering rugs are usually for heat insulation, it gives me the idea that he perhaps feels very cold and – despite wild theories about scars and such – that might be the reason why Valentine uses so many clothes and that heavy cloak, but again, this is only speculation.

Of course we cannot be sure of any of these things until the next game, but his bedroom indicates that Vincent is not only a sight to sore eyes – a gorgeous, weird and introverted man – but also a knowledgeable, growing individual. The fact that he was able to fight and stay awake, making a small nest out of that crypt, is proof enough of it and I am curious to see how much of this they will expand in part 3.

Anyway, to wrap this analysis – even though there's always more to add, and I am sure I will think about new bits of information once I publish it – all of those pieces show part of Vincent Valentine's character, be it by subtle warnings (colors and chosen furniture) or hard to face truths (a coffin). They all help to give the viewer a small peek of his insides, and I say, he's still the sad, guilty man he was in OG, but in Rebirth he's more at ease with everything that happened to himself, perhaps comprehending more of it if he truly did the bits of multiverse equations on the outside room. 

References:

• About ambient illumination and mood:

https://journal.psych.ac.cn/xlkxjz/EN/10.3724/SP.J.1042.2022.00389

• About environment, colors and its psychological effects:

https://londonimageinstitute.com/how-to-empower-yourself-with-color-psychology/

https://www.shutterstock.com/pt/blog/teoria-cores-guia-abrangente-designers

https://cherdecor.com/en/blog/color-books/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494424001816

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/environmental-enrichment#chapters-articles

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/environmental-psychology#chapters-articles

• About Classical Style in Interior Design:

https://www.cyruscrafts.com/blog/interior-design/classic-interior-design-resembling-a-style-that-never-gets-old

https://www.rowabi.com/blogs/lab-of-wabi-sabi-blogs/classic-interior-style

• About Persian Rugs Design and its Colors:

https://magicrugs.com/blog/the-psychology-of-colors-in-rugs-what-your-choices-say-about-you?