#And Tseng every time is just 'language'

[soulsfractured]

Im gonna say it now- writing Tseng and Aerith having a sibling bond is honestly one of my guilty pleasures. Tseng teaching her self defense, and Aerith showing him all the different types of flowers she's got. Tseng helping her when he could, when she was a little kid, carrying her home if she got hurt so Elmyra could take care of her. Carrying candies and supplies, just in case. Bringing her birthday gifts or just, being there when she needed it, in all honesty.

Yes, his job was to bring her back to Shinra in the end, but he wasn't going to drag her back and he was going to do anything he could to just see her happy.

[cherryblossombankai]

hi! would you be able to do headcanons for what rufus + the turks do when it's their s/o's birthday? thanks in advance :D

Rufus

Rufus might have a lot of shortcomings as a partner, but he makes up for it by never forgetting special occasions. Whether or not he sees them as being all that special might be up for debate. Your birthday will be one of the things he will go all out over. He also wants it to be all glitz and glamor. So think a surprise birthday gala after a full day at the spa. 

Tseng

Tseng has every occasion noted in his calendar for the whole year. The one and only time he actually takes a day off if for your birthday, and absolutely nobody in the office knows why he takes the day off. Acts of service are his love language, so you can expect him to spoil you rotten all day long. 

Reno

Let’s be honest, Reno forgot it was your birthday. Not because it’s not important to him, but he’s just a little forgetful. He’s got a lot on his plate, and he tries really hard to be a good partner. Things just sometimes slip his mind. When it does finally dawn on him, he’ll make sure he lavishes you in the most expensive gifts possible. 

Rude

Rude will remember your birthday, and he will make it flashy. He’ll take the day off, and everywhere he takes you he’ll make sure everyone knows it’s your big day. He probably got you one of those corny crowns to wear, but he won’t make you wear it if you don’t want to. 

Elena

She is probably the most thoughtful about your birthday. She gets pretty sentimental and will handwrite you a card that’s likely to make you cry. She’ll buy you fancy presents, but also really sentimental things like a photo album of all your good times together. Her number one goal for the day is for you to feel special. 

[strayheartless]

I have an AU in my head where Gaia gets sick of the Sephiroth’s shit and ends up tuning him back into a baby and shipping him off to Cloud to raise differently.

Like she full of grandma Pascal’s him like “He said mommy I want to destroy every living creature on the planet, but I said m’hijo, don’t do that do something else!”

And Cloud has only a little concept of what’s happening when he helps Tseng excavate an old project S lab. He had a dream about a Moses basket in the middle of a burning Nibelhiem and the sound of crying. He just thought It was new parent anxiety over taking on Denzel, but it all suddenly makes sense when he looks into an incubation chamber and sees a tiny silver haired baby squirming to be held.

He’s annoyed about it obviously. Gaia seems to be under the impression she says jump and Cloud asks how high, but he’s also smart enough to know that this is a chance to save the General and the planet from an endless war. So he scoops up babyroth and takes him back to edge to raise him.

It’s tough going at first. Sephiroth’s is not an easy baby. He’s fussy; his cries can and will shatter glass; he’s stronger than he should be for what Cloud would wager is only about four months old. He starts teething early; he has opinions about carrots and bananas (much to the walls dismay) once he gets onto solid foods; he’s demanding in that way that only baby’s can be, but it seems a little bit more than that.

It takes everyone a while to figure out that what he actually is, is traumatised. He’s clingy in a way that shatters Clouds soul because if they put him down he panics. If he can’t see Cloud, even for a second, Sephiroth seems to think he’s been abandoned.

Eventually though, Seph settles a little, and it doesn’t feel so much like Cloud is running on two hours sleep accumulatively and sheer will power alone. Seph seems to smile a little more and there’s a little look of wonder in his little mako blue eyes that makes everybody melt.

Tifa finds it the hardest to reconcile this tiny child with the man who murdered her father, and it does put significant strain on her relationship with Cloud for a while (that’s not a judgment on Tifa btw, girls aloud to feel conflicted.)

Barrat on the other hand is of the opinion that the Goddess knows what she’s doing and a baby is a baby even if it did commit atrocities in a past life. It’s not current Sephs fault that his human parents experimented on him and a Alien symbiotic parasite god sent him mad. Current Seph just wants grapes and Barrats enough of a sucker for Rosie cheeks to give them to him.

Vincent is very careful with Seph (who they’ve all collectively decided never to full name unless he’s in trouble.). When he’s home from travelling he speaks to him quietly about everything and nothing. He doesn’t really touch him to start with, which frustrates little Seph who seems to think the cloak will add extra comfy cuddles. Over time though, Cloud,Barret and surprisingly Cid (who appears to randomly know a thing or two about babies.) help him get over his fear of hurting the little boy. Seph really enjoys cuddle time with Vincent, and learns to demand to be “upped” whenever he comes home.

Cloud, for his part is just dad, which he finds endlessly strange. He’d never really taken on that role for Denzel, he was the boys guardian sure, but they’d never really discussed the whole “if you want to call me Cloud that’s cool, but if you want me to be your dad I can be that too” thing. Marlene wasn’t his; Barrat was her dad and Cloud was Cloud. A parent of sorts, but not her Father. He was more like a devoted uncle really.

With Seph though it’s different. Cloud is this baby’s entire universe, and once language starts coming into play, various versions of “dada” become increasingly common. He’s not sure how he feels about it at first; this is the man who slaughtered his mother and decimated his villiage, the man who killed Aerith… but he was also just a baby.

This version of Sephiroth didn’t know what he’d done. Gaia had given him a chance at redemption and Cloud will be damned if he holds the acts of a mad man against a kid; no matter the circumstance.

So he’s dad. He feeds Seph, plays with him, baths him, puts him to bed, reads to him and teaches him everything he can. He doesn’t lie to him, and he always explains when Seph doesn’t understand.

And if Tifa slowly adjusts to being Mama then that’s nobodies business but their own.

Life’s nice being a family. Maybe they’ll add to it one day…

Or maybe Cloud will trip over a double Moses basket one day on the way out of the door to work, and when he looks down he sees two little crowns of hair one dark one red, and similar sets of shiny Mako eyes.

Maybe the little red headed one will cough weakly, and the dark haired one will fuss.

And maybe Cloud will curse himself for being a sucker for babies that used to be evil maniacs.

[flowerwiththemachinegun]

Nsfw. TsengxReader, SephirothxReader ZackxReader foot fetish headcanon? Well it isn’t so much them with the fetish, but you (or should be you). He took you seriously when you told him to step on you. I started Sephiroth’s months ago but never finished, but Tseng gave me inspiration to complete it. I have the layout of his office in remake in mind for Tseng. My fav Cage the Elephant line is gonna be added in. Usually I’d do my favorites last, but this time I absolutely have no favorites. Maybe Seph because of his foot size.  Whatever the character says is italicized, reader's is not.

___________________________________________________

Tseng

What made you realize you might have been too down bad for Tseng was during training. You got a bit overzealous, thinking you had the upper hand against him. Until he swept you off of your feet, stepping on your chest as Tseng’s display of dominance. Grabbing his ankle, far too gentle for a sparring match, you can't help but stare at his foot placed firmly against you. Your eyes trailing from his well polished shoes, up his leg, until you were staring into questioning, eyes. They kept you frozen in place. Unable to respond as Tseng presses just a bit harder into you, asking why you’ve hesitated. You don’t tell him this, but inwardly you wish he would press down so hard that you struggled to breathe.

Tseng wishes you wouldn’t look at him that way. He’s seen that look in your eyes before, he can tell you want to play. To your delight he does press down harder before pulling away. Letting you know just how foolish he thought you were for thinking you could beat him so easily. Though not with his words, but more so his body language. A condescending look in his eyes that would, normally, annoy you.

He’ll confront you about it later, calling you to his office for your annual performance review. Nothing was unusual about the meeting, a few critiques here and there. After wrapping up your review he asks you about your hesitance in the last training match. You know there’s no point in lying to Tseng. Expressing to him exactly how you instantly wanted him to dominate you the moment his foot connected with your chest.

“So you like to be stepped on, hm?” This is something he can certainly get behind. Now here you are, completely naked. Ass up, face down against the floor of his office. Tseng’s digging his heel into your cheek in an almost cruel manner before pulling away. Using the bottom of his foot to push you over so you’d fall on your back. Bringing his foot back down but this time on your neck. 

He knows he should be careful. The thought nearly leaves him as he presses down on your throat, restricting your airways and leaving you gasping for air. You already look so fucked out and he hasn’t even touched you yet. Only giving you commands to undress and directing you in which positions he wants you in. 

As you lay on your back, Tseng shifts to stand above you, your body pinned between his legs. His movements teasingly slow as he firmly plants his foot on your shoulder, shifting some of his weight to his opposite leg. Every movement of Tseng’s just feels like an absolute tease: the way he slowly unbuckles his belt, the way he pulls his zipper down so painfully slow. Pulling his hardened cock out and stroking himself right above your face. You didn’t realize Tseng would be so into this little kink of yours, part of you hates that you didn’t tell him sooner.

Without notice Tseng pulls away again, making his way towards the couch. Taking a seat with his legs spread, motioning for you to take your place at his feet once more, patiently waiting on his next command. Watching with anticipation as he starts stroking himself again, demanding you crawl to him. You do exactly that, taking your place as quickly as you could between his legs. Tseng grabs your hair, roughly tugging your head towards his hardened member. Immediately opening your mouth and taking as much of his thick cock as you can handle. You know the drill by now, you’re not coming off of his dick until he unloads in your mouth. Gently kicking your legs apart, Tseng begins rubbing his shoe against your core, causing you to whimper around him. Languidly keeping up this motion until you’re coming undone on his boot, Tseng releasing in your mouth, keeping your head in place to ensure you swallow every last drop. 

Definitely something that’s going to happen again, but also a very rare occurrence. The next time he makes sure to have a fresh pair of shoes because you’ll be licking the bottom of them. Loves the way your cum makes his shoe glisten, is also going to have you lick his shoes clean. You know he doesn’t like leaving messes.

Sephiroth

A text from you is what kicks all of this off. Requesting that he bought a new pair of work boots, emphasizing that he’s not to wear them yet. As he steps into the apartment you immediately spot the shoebox in his hands and smirk. You can’t help but think that you’re about to ruin this man, so unsuspecting it’s adorable. You’ve learned he’s secretly a man full of kinks, so you’re certain this would go well.

“Get the coat off, change shoes, then meet me in the bedroom.” You’re eager, barely giving him a goddamn hello upon walking through the door. He’s use to your strange requests at this point, you’re an odd person with sometimes even more odd desires. “No greeting at all, just come in and strip. What am I to you?” He says as you walk into the bathroom. He’s not bothered really, coat already being shed and placed neatly on the couch. Making sure to leave the straps on since you love grabbing them as he fucks into you. It’s not like you haven’t fucked him in his uniform before, so what makes this so different that you needed to make a special request? Pulling up his boots and tightening them he chooses to stay put in the living room, making himself comfortable on the couch.

Walking into the room naked you catch him sitting on the couch. Christ, he practically engulfs your sofa with his large stature. You love how small you are in comparison to him. His whole body engulfs yours, making you feel trapped. “You’re not at all where I asked you to be.” 

“Still no explanation or is this another physical presentation?” Oh he’s catching on, at least you’ve been teaching him well. With a nod of your head you confirm that this would certainly be a physical presentation. Crawling onto his lap, staring into his eyes for a moment before kissing him desperately. Grabbing his face as a rush of endorphins swell your chest, yearning for one another so desperately, lips, teeth and tongues clash together. 

Recoiling for a split second, you glance down to see Sephiroth watching you breathlessly through his bangs. Gripping your waist he starts grinding against you, causing you to both let out a soft moan. Settling your hands on his shoulders to balance yourself. Shifting to the side you straddle one of his legs, grinding yourself against him. You can’t help that you keep going lower and lower, until your core is hovering right above his foot.

Pressing yourself against him with a satisfied moan, you don’t hold yourself back, letting every time you’ve pictured this moment come to mind. Doing your best to gain control so you’re not grinding against his foot in a frenzied manner. You’re making his boot so wet and god the way Sephiroth looks at you, with a mix of astonishment and curiosity, driving yourself closer to the edge. You just couldn’t help it when you came undone prematurely, cursing yourself for not lasting longer. Don’t worry you’ve thoroughly peaked Sephiroth's interest, his voice playful and tinted with a bit of excitement “Oh, we’re not anywhere near done.”

He’s going to experiment with this far more than expected. Loves the power play that comes along with it. He’ll step on any part of you that you ask, without a doubt. This one also loves to see your cum on his boot. The way you whimper when he steps on your face drives him insane. Sephiroth loves it when you kiss his feet, something about you wanting to be the very ground he steps on makes his heart swell. 

Zack

Yes, yes, the fucking puppy. Hear me out, the sweetest ones are the freakiest people. He didn’t really mean it when he jokingly asked if he could step on you. Though it was so out of the blue you’re unsure if it was a joke or not. The thought of you pressed against his boot quickly becoming enticing to him. Besides, if you didn’t want this to happen, you wouldn’t have said yes. He'll take your answer and run with it, bringing it up during foreplay. After all, Zack’s just as adventurous as he is energetic. 

“God, you really like this don’t you?” He’s practically cooing at you, watching as you squirm under his boot. Another face down and ass up scenario on the floor. Zack’s perched on the edge of the bed, left foot propped up on your ass while he presses his opposite into your face. Leaning back onto the palms of his hands, a cocky, shit eating grin in place that you only ever see while he’s doming you.

If you want to fuck yourself on his boot he’ll let you. Though, it’ll be the most he’s ever edged you in your time together. Moving his foot the moment he notices you’re getting close. He can’t help it, not when you’re already about to come undone. Zack’s voice still playful as he teases you, “You couldn’t even last five minutes?” No, not when our usually innocent puppy gives you such a filthy look while he rubs you with the underside of his boot. 

I feel like to everyone's surprise, Zack has impressively pretty feet. Yes, you can lick them. He likes to switch, so don’t be surprised when he’s asking you to step on him in return. He’s so eager bout it, practically bouncing up and down as he waits for you to press your foot against his face. Definitely prefers you barefoot, he likes licking the entire sole of your foot. Peppering kisses along your foot, almost tickling you but feeling so good. Shows the entire foot love, not a toe goes missed. My guy is incredibly efficient when it comes to making sure he’s licked every single part of you. 

Enjoys footjobs from you. The first time he didn’t even bother to hold himself off, the way your feet were pressing his cock against his abdomen, rubbing him so teasingly with the perfect amount of pressure. You’ve got him making a sticky mess of himself within moments, cum slowly leaking out of his cock. Begging you not stop just yet, rutting against your feet as he tries to gain more friction. The way Zack moans is absolutely slutty as he falls apart under your touch. Uses this kink on a rare occasion, well, kind of, he often finds himself focused on your feet.

[catboyidia]

rufus’ favorite holiday to spend with tseng, reno, and rude is christmas because he gets to shower his boyfriends in presents and shopping sprees as a form of affection because his love language is gift giving since he’s too emotionally constipated to know how to show his love in any other way (he’s working on it though) and they all get to have a nice time going around midgar to different shops, seeing the christmas trees and lights in the mall and different stores, letting reno force them to get a picture with santa, wreaking havoc in every store they go to while tseng has to clean up their mess before “scolding” them, but he secretly finds their antics endearing, being lucky that they cant get kicked out because they’re with the president of shinra, partaking in as much pda as they can, and just having the most fun and romantic day possible for them before going home and exchanging gifts while cuddling near the fireplace

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

100 Nonverbal Prompts | Open

@sometimesrufus asked: 1oo﹕ sender  has  just  died ,  receiver  finds  out . @ Evan

"...That's...not.. Wh-"

The words on the note, professionally as they were written, felt as if they might as well be in a foreign language for all the sense they made, and Evan finally sputtered out in a suddenly strained voice.

"What?"

But Reno would not speak to him. Reno would not voice what he was here to relay. Reno could not manage. The man seemed to stand and exist in this moment with no shortage of undefinable struggle, but even so, the hand holding the notice of death had not been lowered, held mostly steady between them, albeit by clenching fingers.

"...No." Evan scoffed, shaking his head. Those words weren't right. That was impossible. The fucker BEAT GEOSTIGMA, A DAMN WEAPON, AND THE HATE OF EVERY HUMAN ONE THIS EARTH, there was no way, no fucking way--

There was no fucking way that Rufus Shinra was dead. Evan almost took the note, once, twice, thrice--too many times before his hands finally gave up, and he took a step away from the Turk standing in the doorway. Such an occurance, Turk in the Doorway, had never been fully welcome but he'd gotten used to it...expected it...slowly started to welcome it. He'd been adjusting to these bastards turning up at his door. He had been adjusting to how his world got just the slightest bit bigger, even if the length found there was often strained and ignored and only tapped into on occasion. He'd gotten used to the idea of...that man being a figure he could manage to recognize as in his life, even if the idea of family seemed still next to impossible.

The president and last head of the remains of the ShinRa Co. has passed away. Cause of death enclosed in the second envelope for personnel with permission. Assets are to be handled by Chief Tseng, dispensed according to the final wishes of Rufus Shinra.

Personnel with permission, did he fall into that? He noted the other letter Reno held in his other hand, but he wouldn't bother to grab it. No, he wouldn't read how, or consider why, because this couldn't be real. How old was that fucking obnoxious, cocky bastard anyways?! This wasn't real!

Evan let out a sudden laugh, shaking his head, causing Reno's gaze to just faintly raise to assess him, but the noise became wet as his eyes stung before he could even catch up to why

"Fucking...asshole... He leaves, too, huh...?" he finds himself saying, as if he had no control over his mouth or brain, as if the part of him in control was now floating out of body, tethered as his chest rose and fell and stuttered out laughs and choked noises. "Like...seriously? After all...y'alls bullshit...! The schemes, the jokes. You would just...fucking stay out of my life, all of you..! Why didn't that jerk just tell you no, tell you to drop it, drop me?! Why did he keep humoring you?! Why did he even bother with me?!"

Why did he have to loose a brother only when he was finally taking hold of him? Why did he get family back only to loose it?

"Why couldn't he just laugh at me from a distance, huh?! Why, Reno! And where the HELL WERE YOU! HE WAS YOUR FUCKING JOB, WASN'T HE?!" he huffed, and he choked out a sob--his mother, stupid Nick Foley and all he did, Fabio, endless friends and figures, loosing his mother more than once, and now he'd never hear that smug bastard laughing at him again. Never experience his attempts at advice and guidance, never be able to push him off while wondering what it would've been like if they'd had a chance to grow together, never...never...

He gripped the paper, reading it over and over and over and over and over...

Just another letter of death, with more Reno seemed to be waiting to give him that he wasn't sure he wanted to take, because at this rate, with his mothers last letters, he'd soon have a damn collection of dead...dead family...

He choked out a short sob again. "The fucking...Doofus... I fucking...hate...all of you..." he fell back on his rear, hugging at his knees with one arm, the hand gripping the note curling around his head and into his hair as he just sat there.

His brother was gone. And he'd never see him again.

[tastydregs]

A New Scientific Paper Credits ChatGPT AI as a Coauthor

OpenAI's viral text generator ChatGPT has made some serious waves over the last couple of months, offering the public access to a chatbot that's arguably a vast improvement over its numerous and deeply flawed predecessors.

In fact, one group of researchers is now so confident in its capabilities that they've included it as a coauthor in a scientific paper, marking yet another inflection point in the rise of AI chatbots and their widespread use.

A not-yet-peer-reviewed paper on ChatGPT's ability to pass the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) lists 11 researchers affiliated with the healthcare startup Ansible Health — and ChatGPT itself, raising eyebrows amongst experts.

"Adding ChatGPT as an author was definitely an intentional move, and one that we did spend some time thinking through," Jack Po, CEO of Ansible Health, told Futurism.

The move sparked a debate online about AI chatbots playing an active role in current scientific research, despite often being unable to distinguish between truth and fiction.

Some users on social media called the move "deeply stupid," while others lamented the end of an era.

The Ansible Health paper is part of a greater trend. In a report this week, Nature found several more examples of scientists listing ChatGPT as an author, with at least one being chalked up to human error.

The move has publishers scrambling to adjust to a new reality in which chatbots are actively contributing to scientific research — to various degrees, that is.

Leadership at the repository bioRxiv, which published Ansible Health's preprint back in December, told Nature that they're still debating the pros and cons of allowing ChatGPT to be listed as an author.

"We need to distinguish the formal role of an author of a scholarly manuscript from the more general notion of an author as the writer of a document," bioRxiv co-founder Richard Sever told the publication.

Po, however, who wasn't listed as an author himself but copied senior author Victor Tseng on emails to Futurism, defended his academic peers' decision to include ChatGPT as an author.

"The reason why we listed it as an author was because we believe it actually contributed intellectually to the content of the paper and not just as a subject for its evaluation," he told us, "just like how we wouldn't normally include human subjects/patients as authors, unless they contributed to the design/evaluation of the study itself, as well as the writing of the paper."

Po also argued that ChatGPT didn't provide "the predominant scientific rigor and intellectual contributions."

"Rather, we are saying that it contributed similarly to how we would typically expect a middle author to contribute," he explained, expressing how he was taken aback by "some of the reactions online at the moment."

Po went as far as to argue that he would be "shocked" if ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) out there "isn't used in literally every single paper (and knowledge work) in the near future."

But seeing AI chatbots as "authors" still isn't sitting well with publishers.

"An attribution of authorship carries with it accountability for the work, which cannot be effectively applied to LLMs," Nature editor-in-chief Magdalena Skipper told Nature's news arm.

"We would not allow AI to be listed as an author on a paper we published, and use of AI-generated text without proper citation could be considered plagiarism," Science editor-in-chief Holden Thorp added.

For his part, Po doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.

"I think some of this debate is missing the point and just shows how much angst there is from knowledge workers who are now under (some might argue existential) threat," Po told Futurism, arguing that generative adversarial networks, machine learning frameworks capable of producing entirely new and photorealistic images, have already been around for a decade producing novel input data and making contributions to scientific papers.

The debate over ChatGPT being included as an author on scientific papers is symptomatic of a considerable push forward for AI-powered tools and the resulting reactions.

Do these responses amount to kneejerk reactions — or are they legitimate qualms over algorithms meddling with the affairs of human scientists?

The debate is likely only getting started, and as Nature notes, several papers are set to be published crediting ChatGPT as coauthor in the near future.

But if there's one thing that both Po and scientific publications can agree on, it's the fact that the AI chatbot's feedback will need to be taken with a massive grain of salt.

After all, its knowledge base is only so good as the data it was originally trained on.

READ MORE: ChatGPT listed as author on research papers: many scientists disapprove [Nature]

More on ChatGPT: College Student Caught Submitting Paper Using ChatGPT

The post A New Scientific Paper Credits ChatGPT AI as a Coauthor appeared first on Futurism.

[hypaalicious]

ARKNIGHTS IS FINALLY FEEDING US WITH MORE MALE OPERATORS; THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

Okay I meant to scream about this hours ago before I was RUDELY INTERRUPTED by unexpected Tseng thirst, then I had to do language study before Duolingo broke into my apartment with a knife to kill me for breaking my 1500+ day streak, THEN I had to run a few lessons in Twisted Wonderland before midnight rolled around and reset the Flora spellbook Alchemy lessons I needed…

BUT NOW, LET ME TAKE A MOMENT TO FANGIRL- oh shit I need to cycle my base. 😱 Uh… well um, Chile anyway first things first:

Okay so I thought his name was Czarny and I was like 🤔 “this don’t look like that Kazmierz dude from Maria Nearl event” but then I squinted and his name is actually Czerny so… yeah that tracks.

… HG I swear it’s okay to diversify names a little. LOL

But the DRIP??

As an Arts Defender isn’t an archetype I use like, at all, he probably won’t see time on the battlefield but he WILL see time in my bedroom.

SilverAsh: 😒

… I mean, uh… in theory. Yes.

Anyway, he’s a music teacher and ofc it puts me in mind of my old vocal coach in China whom I miss dearly. So Czerny is going to be “Crazy Musical Genius” in my head.

Then look at THIS gothic sir looking to unseat Phantom for Terra’s Next Top Edgelord. TWOOOO male Operators?? In one event?

Now ofc this makes me kinda wary that HG is gonna be like “WELP we’ve reached our yearly quota of husbandos” after this and just inundate us with nothing but waifus for the rest of the year which would make me sad. But I’m also still hopeful this starts a trend of having at LEAST one male Operator per new event or something. The female to male ratio in Arknights is less than equal and while I know most of the fanbase is cishet male, I like to eat, too. 🥲

Also the art is BUSSIN’ like:

Every single time I don’t think HG can get better, they go “Hold my beer”. And the soundtrack for Lingering Echoes is PHENOMENAL. Walk in the Dust has me in a chokehold but this is probably going to unseat it.

They DID THAT.

Edit: FORGOT, AOSTA FINALLY IS GETTING A SKIN

Thank god this boy got clothes that actually fits him now. 😭 Kirara’s skin is also bussin’, my OP does not stand a CHANCE whenever this comes to Global.

[kakubun]

Reader Who Likes Giving Gifts

reno x gen!reader and rude x gen!reader

a/n: these are the only two that i'll start with since i could kinda grasp at their personalities!!

also this is where reader gives acts of services to them

(love reno with his friend pitbull😔🤟)

Reno

a man who clearly is a big baby, acts tough but is a huge child that wouldn't pay attention if you asked him to sit down

he teases you for how clingy and affectionate you are but you keep him grounded cause you know he wanted more

please compliment this man nonchalantly and innocently! eventhough he knows you're putting on an act and clearly knows what you're doing, why did it suddenly get so hot for him and why is his heart racing?

he cursed you out everytime you do that and tbh don't care about it, stick your tongue out at him and doubt he won't chase you around

you're always buying little trinkets and things for him and he fully appreaciates it, i hc him to be a biggest simp with the most cliche act of acting unbothered and makes fun of you for it

but make sure to make fun of him when he starts going on his little rants in the shower about how cute you are and don't wet the towel when you throw it at him when he forgets to bring it in the bathroom and when you're shocking him

going home to reno just kicking back and relaxing with the tv on and the fan on blast when his shirt crumples on the floor.

because of summer, he's just fanning his shirtless self and questions how you can go out with energy to buy your stuff.

"i'm home!" you greeted where he greeted you back and you breathed in when the summer heat sinks in and you rushed in the kitchen for drinks, yelling from the kitchen if he wanted soda pop or coke.

you crawled onto his lap and place the freezing can on his cheek and he hisses at the cold sting and he does it back to you with your can and you played around a bit with the drinks.

after fighting with him a bit, you shift in his lap constantly made him groan cause he wanted to watch tv but your head was in the way so you flopped over and placed your head on his chest. he tries to ask what you've been up to and you told him that you bought him something.

"lemme guess,, flowers?" the quirk of his eyebrow didn't match his confused expression afterwards when you said yes and carefully pulled out a bunch of different flowers from your bag and walked over to him.

you told him the flowers reminded you of how pretty he was, second due to you being the first (imagine with sparkles around you when you place your hand under your chin) but he stilled, his eyes closing slightly to your compliment which he obviously turned pink to

"geez how cheesy can you get?" he huffed and you pinched his cheek and kissed his face all over and countinued on with your speech an explained how every flower matched his description, which how hot summer was for the both of you, the cheese defitenely was melting as reno pestered in every pause of breath from on how predictable you were.

this was a battle of trying to compliment him and him shutting it down by making fun of you, if he didn't enjoy your comments then why was he turning more pinker with every sentence you threw at him? defitenely not the summer heat.

Rude

when he starts noticing all the little notes you leave, he would cover half of his face to hide his blush

you would sneak in notes whenever you go by his office at lunch and slip them on his table when he's busy talking to you while filling out papers with his head down

you thought he wouldn't notice with how much they're piling up, well you did it on purpose since he didn't bring up about your notes

(poor him, he appreciates it but he's just too shy to admit how your flowery language about loving him was a little too suggestive!)

you would so hide it in sneaky places but he hasn't said anything after you have left two so you 'hid' it in hideous and obvious places

just like any normal day, it's time for you to place more sticky notes and maybe a small lunchbox for him to enjoy

he excused himself in the middle of your small talk with him because he had to go somewhere

you quickly left the lunchbox and notes on his table when the doors swung shut, directly on his papers cause you were done with the ignorance. feeling giddy about the whole thing, you skipped on out of the office.

a firm thumb on your forehead shocked you out of your state and you tried to yell at the person but a familiar sticky note was falling off your forehead as the poor excuse of the glue quickly exposed rude who was tapping the floor with his foot.

you opened your mouth, also shocked at the audacity that this man have for even wanting an explanation but he shuts you down with a finger to your lips and you tilted your head in confusion.

"a-ah um." he was flustered! you almost screamed at how adorable he looked right now, you picked up the note that you wrote and it was doodles of you and him and a lot of 'i love yous' and you cooed at his bright face.

"cmonn rude! you couldn't possibly be that sheepish to all my messages!" you held his face and his tough facade was falling apart and if he actually broke out of it, he would litterally shake with how you close the distance between him and you rubbed his face with your thumbs while staring at his tender eyes trying to look elsewhere to not break.

"beat it lovebirds, not infront of the office" reno karate chopped both your heads lightly and slipped a hand through the space of you and rude to push you two apart to walk into the office to do his bussiness and boy, were you two embarassed.

rude excused himself with a dry cough right after he gives a peck on your lips and you rocked yourself back and forth because his reaction was one to remember and you skipped on out there to.

"sooo what happened back there?" rude did not respond but he broke down, rubbing his face, you'll forever be the death of him, right next to reno (maybe)

bonus

you slide into the elevator right after rufus and tseng entered and hummed quietly to yourself, settling in the comfortable silence.

rufus whistled out of nowhere to get your attention (as well as tseng) and you swiftly turned your head back to him to pop a question to him but he commented before you could.

"tone down the displays of affections, your man is having trouble in the office because of you" damn did that made you sputter.

[silver-wield]

What's your thoughts on when the plate falls and Cloud went to go help Tifa?

My thoughts or my analysis? Cause you’re getting the latter anyway lol I love doing action analysis, there’s so much happening and getting the chance to slow it down is great for getting a fuller picture.

Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven’t played – do I still need to do this? Eh ok, (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it’s gonna be long.

Also, this is one person’s interpretation of the scene, so if you disagree that’s cool and we’ll agree to disagree.

You’re also gonna have to excuse the janky quality on some of the screens, I’m grabbing them from Youtube and it’s frustrating af trying to get the exact moment I want.

Other analyses if anyone’s interested.

Shinra HQ vision scene (Cloti/plot analysis) 

Chapter 3 (Cloti reblog) 

Tifa character analysis 

Aerith Resolution (plot analysis/theory – I should probably update this since I’ve had other ideas since then) 

Train graveyard (not really an analysis, but I got some sweet screenshots of Cloti) 

Clotiscrew tunnel analysis 

Cloti reunion analysis 

The Promise Analysis 

Andrea’s approval (Cloti ask response) 

Leslie analysis (not mine, but a good read) 

Cloti action touching 

Aerti friendship analysis 

Cloti body language chapter 3 

Cloti healthy disagreement 

Cloti post heliboss battle (chapter 15) 

Clerith playground scene 

Now, strap in and enjoy the ride.

Recap time!

This is a 6m scene I'm going over, so I'm gonna skip anything not directly relevant or I'll be here all night lol

So despite our brave heroes best efforts the plate is coming down. We get a power slide from Rude, a call from Tseng (who times it so perfectly was he watching?) and some cloti.

First thing we see if Tifa looking distraught. She has no idea how to stop the plate from coming apart and from the way she's looking at this consol wouldn't know what to do even if she could work the computer. They were so close to winning and now defeat is about to stomp all over them and kill everyone she loves. Tifa is someone whose driven by the desire for those she loves to be safe no matter what. This is a crushing moment for her.

Murderous Cloud is murderous (and kinda hot). I mean, we know he's got very little reservations about killing people in cold blood because he's SOLDIER!Cloud when it comes to a fight, but I do like the deadly intent we see on his face at different points in the game. He looked at Johnny a bit like this back in chapter 3 and now he's looking at Reno the same way. He means business.

And then he doesn't because Tifa's in trouble and we all know Real!Cloud prioritises Tifa's safety above everything else. That's not me saying he's no longer SOLDIER!Cloud, but the difference between the last screen and this is that he was fully in that badass merc mode about to kill Reno because it's what badass mercs do, whereas this is Real!Cloud urging him to refocus all that skill he's got into protective ability and go save the woman he loves.

I get some people might not see the distinction between the two personas, but it's actually really easy when you break it down. If it's about Tifa then Real!Cloud is gonna push for dominant action to keep her safe. If it's any other situation then he's just gonna let SOLDIER!Cloud do what he needs to. Sometimes it's a more conscious battle between the two and sometimes they co-operate. That's how a fractured psyche works within the context of Cloud's character. Don't believe me? You see both of them on screen at the start of chapter 8 in the church. Real!Cloud is the one saying “You okay, buddy?”

How many times can you count that we get an 1st person pov with Cloud in the whole game? Like literally looking through his eyes? Because this is 1st person pov. We are Cloud at this moment in time and he's rushing Rude, but still takes a glance at Tifa. I don't think this happens at any other point. This game is a 3rd person game. We're over everyone's shoulder. We don't get in their head to see through their eyes. This is deliberate framing. We obviously can't see his face or his reaction, but the fact we're seeing this moment as Cloud and he's chosen to look at Tifa is a big thing.

So Rude's pushed the button and Barret's yelling. Cloud actually looks more halfhearted in this swing than I expected. It's like Barret's fury just isn't enough to get his blood boiling lol

He's about to go after him anyway, when Tifa's voice stops him dead. I can't think of a moment in the game where someone else calling for him to stop actually makes him stop.

AH! Honestly this is such a move! Romantic hero hello! I know it's a classic move from Cloud – which is kindly weirdly implemented since we first saw it after OG, but it's been retconned as one of his signature moves with Tifa and only Tifa.

Also! EYE CONTACT! I'm gonna scream about Cloti eye contact until my own eyes cross lol they do eye contact so damn well! The only other person who got Cloud to look him in the eye was Andrea Rhodea lol Everyone else it's either confrontational eye contact or total avoidance. Cloud and Tifa have good eye contact. This highlights how much they trust each other. Even though Real!Cloud is afraid of letting Tifa know how weak he really is, he's ok with her looking him in the eye. He wants her to see the real him.

Now, I know some people go on about Tifa's chapter 3 comment of “Cloud, you're scaring me/your eyes didn't used to look so” as a negative thing. I've already explained why this is fucking bullshit, and I'd like to add that if Tifa wasn't comfortable with him in combat situations or otherwise she wouldn't make eye contact with him. Eye contact is fucking terrifying! You're able to see so much. These two aren't afraid to look in each other's eyes, even with their “I don't think he/she likes me” misunderstandings.

And just to cap it. They both smile to reassure each other they're ok.

Ok, so Reno and Rude are making their exit. Barret tries the FF7 boomer version of turning a computer off and on again by shooting it. Then Tseng proves he's either psychic, a stalker or just dramatic af by appearing on screen at just the right point to answer Tifa's question.

And look at her face! Whoever said she's a heartless bitch can stfu forever! This is the face of a woman who is broken by what's about to happen! She's lived in that slum for five years. She probably knows every local by name, and takes time to actually get to know them too. She cares. So much. She doesn't want anyone hurt. She's pleading for their lives. Pleading with her enemy. Who literally smirked when he said “there's nothing you can do now”. Tseng has no conscience.

Just adding this to be a butt. This is Cloud's reaction to Aerith when he sees her....what reaction? Yeah...

Then he asks where she is in his SOLDIER!Cloud way.

So Aerith gets dragged away and explosions start happening. A siren goes off. Barret and Cloud turn away from the computer. Tifa turns and says, “No no no no no” and Cloud immediately turns back. His eyes widen and he looks a bit lost for a moment. There's nothing he can do for her and he's not got the first clue anyhow, and there's no time. It's hitting him just how much she cares. I mean, he knew, but he didn't know, you know?

Notice the awkward hand there? Yeah, that's an “I don't know how to comfort you, what do I do?” hand gesture. Cloud's literally never seen Tifa like this. She's always trying her best to remain optimistic. She fights hard to protect what she loves. She doesn't fall to her knees defeated.

I'm actually loving all the extra insight all these analyses are giving me into just how reserved, how introverted, how determined Tifa is. She's had a hard fucking life. Born in a dust bowl, lost all her friends to the big city, saw her father murdered, almost died, her town got burnt to the ground but she still somehow managed to pick herself up and build a new life. She did that on her own. Nobody got her to Midgar. When she arrived she was lucky Marle took care of her. She could've been left alone with no support system. She got in with Avalanche and built a new family – even though they don't always see eye to eye on method, she also believes in their goal to stop Shinra and save the planet. She's principled and brave, focused af. But she's not unbeatable. Stuff gets her down. She tries her best to be cheerful, but doesn't always succeed. She keeps her problems to herself. But this? This is too big. This has broken her. She can't stay up and Cloud doesn't know how to help. Not emotionally, anyway.

OMG HE OFFERED HIS HAND!! I didn't see that before!! (Check the spot where his name is, his hand is between Tifa’s hair and arm, palm open.) I knew he grabbed her by the arm and hauled her up when she didn't move, but he's actually holding his hand out for her before that!! She's too in her head to do anything, though, and I don't think Cloud really understands that. Any devastating feelings he had about personal tragedy he's locked away because they literally broke him. It must be distressing on some level for him to see his own emotions mirrored in Tifa. I said before the urge to comfort her starts at the beginning of chapter 13, but maybe the first spark of that is this moment here, when he can't do a thing for her, except pull her along behind him and hope he can keep her alive.

There's some really nice still shots in this game and this is one of them. I don't really have anything to say about it. I mean, we knew Cloud had both hands on Tifa's shoulders so he could direct her where to go and she's not really with it until the moment the debris falls in front of her and shocks her out of her stupor. Cloud's focused on the job at hand, no time to worry about anything but the next obstacle. By keeping both hands on Tifa's shoulders he's ensured he doesn't have to keep checking on her to make sure she's with him. He's basically piloting her because she's not capable of decision making for the moment.

Someone tell me, do action backhugs count? That's non-optional embracing right there. How many of you have seen this exact moment? Because I have literally been replaying the same 4s clip to get the screen for this bit and this is the first time in about 10 replays that I stopped it here. This is the between 1 second frames when the debris falls.

I mean, this is what a bodyguard actually looks like. Cloud's focus is all on keeping Tifa safe. He pulls her close to him, offers strength while she's feeling weak. He is literally using himself as a shield for her. They're such a balanced couple. When one is weak the other is strong for them, and whatever flaws they have they accept. They really are just a great couple!

Probably the worst screen I've ever grabbed lol

I was trying to figure out the moment he took her hand but I can't quite stop on it and it's just a touch too much out of frame. Instead, I got this. EYE CONTACT. I don't need to explain it again, right? We get the whole Cloud/Tifa eye contact deal by now.

Although, at the same time, that's a fucking scary shot of Cloud lol reminds me of that meme with Rinoa and Squall where she says he's the best looking guy there and it's all pixellated lol

Ah! I remembered why I was trying to get their hands, to see if Tifa grabbed his first or he took hers. But I could see through the playback that he took her hand. He initiated contact.

Yknow, I know people often compare the whole one half is always the summoner or mage and the other half is the warrior, but this screen right here looks a lot like another FF couple.

Tidus and Yuna.

I mean...do I have to say more?

Cloud looks behind to check Tifa's ok – I mean she's not but you get the point. Still getting Tidus and Yuna vibes from this moment tbf. This is the exact same type of sequence they had of them in FFX-2 when Yuna's dreaming Lenne's past and she and Tidus replace Lenne and Shuyin. They're running down a corridor and Tidus looks back at her. I mean, seeing how this type of comparison is usually only reserved for the whole mage/warrior pairing, it's strange that their body language here mirrors Square’s first fully voice acted installment. At the time the graphics were cutting edge and the cut scenes are still lauded as some of the most beautiful storytelling. Strange that Tifa and Cloud could have this comparison to Tidus and Yuna, especially with the whole Suteki da ne always being used to prop up a certain ship.

Anyway, Cloud’s checking on Tifa cause he’s totally not in love with her and wants to make sure she’s safe. You get the idea lol

I'd like to point out that Cloud doesn't – despite popular opinion – have hold of Tifa's jubblies. His arm is under them, wrapped around her ribs, which is actually a very secure hold for him since he's trying to hang onto Barret and keep hold of Tifa too. You'll notice she's not exactly paying attention to her own safety – which makes sense since Cloud literally had to haul her up when she wouldn't move. She's not in a good headspace during the end of this scene, so he's being very protective towards her.

Conclusion

Another great piece of action! I mean, does it really matter if these two are in the trenches or just hanging out? They have a synchronicity that's impossible to deny. They balance each other in pretty much every single way there is for a couple of be two halves of a whole. The FF10 comparison is a new one on me, especially since I don't look at two titles and try to see what about each one is like the other. They're both different and unique with their own charm. But, the second I caught that screen of Cloud pulling Tifa along I was immediately hit by the thought of “That's what Tidus and Yuna do”, so I couldn't not mention it.

We get a clear look at how devastated Tifa is immediately after the realisation hits that sector 7 is about to get crushed. She's just gone. Checked out. If Cloud hadn't stepped up to save her she'd have died. She wouldn't have got herself over to Barret in time and he would've died going to get her and get them back to the zip line. This is why it's so important that Cloud picks up the slack. He was strong when she needed him to be. She's strong for him later when he becomes weak. They really are two halves of one whole. 

I love that Tifa gets her own character development. She’s not just “the love interest”. Barret is basically a supporting character here, but we know he’ll get his turn in Corel and he does get his own moments to shine in Midgar, but this is cloti, so sorry dude, next time.

[lordville]

Episode 8 discusses Lordville!

Saturday School Podcast (the project of film scholar Brian Hu and journalist Ada Tseng) just released Episode 8 devoted to LORDVILLE. Their conversation teases out some of the thornier  issues in the film related to land, land ownership, and whether Asian Americans benefit from settler colonialism.  Check it out here. Thanks to Brian and Ada for taking the time to walk through some of these more buried questions in piece. 

The process of making LORDVILLE came through the fact that my mother’s family could not own land when they arrived from Japan three generations ago. They were peasant class there and decided to immigrate to the US in a wave of migration during the post Meiji era. In Salinas and Mountain View California, they leased land to grow strawberries and then every three years after the soil was spent, they would move on. They continued this process up until the time they were placed in a U.S. Concentration Camp in Poston during WWWII. My paternal grandmother purchased a family house in San Diego under my father’s name, since she could not own property in her name as an immigrant from Japan in 1936. Prior to this, they had been kicked off of property they leased in Long Beach California when oil was discovered under their house. During World War II, the San Diego house was stolen while they were in camp. We’re not sure where it ended up. By the time I was able to purchase my house in Lordville for a reasonable price  -- I was uncomfortable knowing that I came from a legacy of property theft and reflected on the meaning of owning land when all land in the U.S. has Indigenous lineage. (By the way, in NYC I did not own property, I leased a rent stabilized apartment. Lordville was my first experience buying property). My first day home, I did a tour with the licensed surveyor’s map - to walk the perimeter of the property trying to understand the concept of ownership and land. I recalled when I first saw the house there- I always  knew/felt the indigenous presence and history was very visible. When I discovered my neighbors had little knowledge of the history of the area outside of the fact that they were descendants of the Lenape tribes-- I set out to research more of the history of land/land settlement/ and discovered some of the fragments included in the film. I  was also given the original handwritten deed that showed the  three previous owners prior to the couple I purchased the land from. Researching Lordville’s history, I stumbled on Sheila Spencer Stover - 5th Great Granddaughter of Betia Van Dunk - who married one of the original white settlers of Lordville, Deliverance Adams. For the filming I wanted to have the land ‘marked’ in time. I found out about the work of Environmental Scientist ( Tom Wessels) and invited him to ‘read’ the land in order to trace the time line of certain ‘events’ as marked on trees and rocks. 

 Saturday School also mentions this wonderful book “A Third University Is Possible” by la paperson. ‘Author la paperson, cracks open uncanny connections between Indian boarding schools, Black education, and missionary schools in Kenya; and between the Department of Homeland Security and the University of California…. “ they credit some of the ideas in their discussion of Lordville ot this book - I just purchased it and look forward to reading it. 

A few corrections mentioned in the podcast -- I purchased the house from a NYC couple on their way relocate in Mali. Lamira Smith, mentioned in the conversation, was one of the original owners (she bought the house from her father John Lord II) . Betia Van Dunk - was of the Minisink/Delaware/Lenape tribe, she married Deliverance Adams and Sheila Spencer Stover who appears in the film is her 5th generation Great Granddaughter. Sheila, does not live in Lordville. The descendants of Betia in subsequent generations had the initial “P” for Pon-ti-ton but this does not apply to the current inhabitants of Lordville. Its a bit complicated to explain. The recorded indigenous man you hear from time to time on the soundtrack giving translations of Delaware words -- is Fred Washington. He is a descendant of one of the strands of Delaware tribes - who may have lived in the area -- but is not directly known to be from Lordville. I found a recording of his voice in the American Philosophical Society Archive in Philadelphia. My original intent - was to work with recordings, energy, language, words of the Delaware, one of the tribes that passed through the area. 

[hautevaux]

@lifedxbt​ asked: 🔫 what if angst MEME:  Send 🔫 To Shoot My Muse // 

It was simply part of life, now - that extra element of danger each time the tailor stepped out of a door; an extra glance over a shoulder when unlocking his apartment, longer glances given to unusual folk. Distrust had to play a larger part in his psyche for anyone could have been watching, and anyone could have been out to use him to get to others - Tseng. 

Booted feet paced the ground, tailored outfit perfectly suiting Vaux’s style while offering a bit of smart essence - his direction? The imports warehouse for he was awaiting a very special delivery of expensive Wutaian Silk - the very reason he had asked Tseng to meet him there. What with the break in to the store a few months back and the hideousness that followed it, Vaux couldn’t be too careful. If he was to be ambushed by unknown folk to steal the expensive goods he would rather have some variety of backup - though he expected nothing to happen. If anything, Vaux was planning on trying to convince dear Tseng to go and have some lunch with him, afterwards. 

Signing paperwork, Vaux did well to keep to himself for a few moments before a familiar face moved into his peripheral vision, a smile creeping across blushed lips; 

“Oh - if it isn’t my favorite person-” He greets, turning on heels so to regard his dearest before happily pressing a kiss to his cheek; “You know  -  I’m sure I could have managed this all by my self~ though, as always, I appreciate your protection~” A batting of eyelashes and Vaux laughs, he smiles, he waits for the bringing of the wrapped bolts though he is promptly ebbed into discomfort at Tseng’s apparent tense body language. Was something wrong? 

T’was all so fast - being pushed aside as the sound of gunshots reached ears; perhaps the intended attack hadn’t been for the fabric at all, but instead the target had been Tseng. The sheer found of information the male held was intense, and if someone wanted the inside view of Shinra, they would find no better target. Except, if they knew better at all, they would know Tseng not to be easy to break in the slightest. A ridiculous target, in that case. Suicide. 

Dipping behind the small desk, Vaux attempted to keep his breathing regular instead of succumbing to a panic attack - following every order Tseng called at him in order to keep him safe - that was until Vaux noted more men coming from the other end of the warehouse and thus he was forced to move. A mess. Bullet fire sounded, ricochets hideous in their noise.

In a scuffle with another, Vaux defended himself with a small switchblade he often carried in a pocket, just in case; He had to move - and he did; in the direction he thought to be best and yet apparently not. A few lay dead, a few had ran - only two assailants remained and with one heading for Vaux himself, one had to act fast. 

A gunshot. 

A wave of bizarre numbness and then heated agony unlike anything he had felt before, his footing stumbling to crash him to the ground, ungraceful. Bullet fire continued and then all went silent; He’d been shot. But the assailants had been in line with Vaux - which meant it had been one of Tseng’s bullets in which had hit. 

A hand rose up toward his chest, on the left; the dark hue of blood staining the pale grey of his tailored jacket and the white shirt beneath; lace forever stained. Breathing hurt, every breath a strain, ankles digging into the ground as if they would offer some kind of stability and yet nothing came; just aura’s before his eyes and agony through every nerve. 

It was unlike Tseng to miss his target - sure, Vaux had been close but the Turk was exceptionally good at his mark. What or why it had happened, however, scarcely mattered for the tailor was bleeding out on the floor. 

[klaudiaspiechowicz]

Digital Artists

Ryan Church

Church’s art is quite amazing, he is able to capture whole environments and landscapes and still make them look completely natural in their settings while maintaining their uniqueness. I feel he knows exactly how to capture a seemingly peacefull setting that is actually depicting a lot of action and complex lighting at a second glance. 

I saw that he doesn’t really put too much detail into his works (like the clone troopers on the first picture or the jedi on the second) and rather than nit pick every little bit of his art he focuses on it as a whole and thats what he want’s people to look at. His art style makes him and outstanding concept artist as not only he’s able to draw exactly what he invisioned but the fact that he doesn’t focus on details makes him work a lot faster therefore he can do multiple shots/concepts of the same location to later make it easier on the people that will further develop his ideas.

Yoji Shinkawa

From what I saw Shinkawa’s works heavily vary in the amount of detail put into them. Some of them will look like initila sketches of something that is basically the concept art for the concept art and some of them are well detailed pieces or full out character sheets with shading and highlights included.

Most of Shinkawa’s works are either black and white or include flat colours and cell shading making his work quite efficient to make and therefore he can make multiple sketches of different character ideas.

Personally I really like his more complex work, he’s known for dramatic shading but being honset I prefer his cell shaded sketches (like the first photo). I really like the small and detailed linework complemented by the natural colours and soft shading. I think it works really well.

Feng Zhu

I love the amount of detail in Zhu’s works, there’s tons of delicate brush strokes natural highlights and shadows and reflections off of surfaces. In his works Zhu tends to include a very dark foreground and a bright and colourful background making all his works have a similar style and shading. 

I like how he pays close attention to the smallest of things like individually drawing every branch on the trees or shading every carve in the cliffs to make his works look as realistic as possible.

It looks like his backgrounds are even more detailed than his foregrounds which make me think that he tends to work really up close when texturing and shading his pieces, this probably takes him a massive amount of time which is not the best for a concept artist but the end result looks amazing.

I really like how he decides on the colours of the lights he uses for example he creates a lot of unnatural cyber punk looking environments where he includes a lot of technology into his landscapes and for those he often uses unnatural pink, red or blue light. But when drawing a natural landscape he mostly uses plain white light which makes his work seem as realistically as it could get.

Arnold Tseng

I think Tseng’s works are quite unique, he uses very vibrant colours and manages to make them not look obnoxious while still being eye catching and distinctive for every character he makes. 

Tseng designs characters mainly for Overwatch a very fast paced first person shooter so using vibrant colours makes the characters stand out from each other and be easily spotted in all the chaos within the game. I also like how he further makes his characters be easily recognisable my giving each character a certain colour they can be recognised for: Lucio tends to have a lot of green in his design and Sombra includes a lot of purple, they can be identified from a far just thanks to the distinctive colour pallets every one of them has that Tseng purposefully included. 

I also really love how all of his characters look different, no two characters have the same face or posture which is very important for a game like overwatch where all the characters need to be distinguished by how the move, look and sound in a split second. All the characters range in heights and weights, its clear to me he considered the role intended for each character he makes, for example when designing Tanks in the game he makes them a lot bigger and taller than most heroes so that they are best suited for their role while when designing Healers that are meant to be fragile and easily killed he usually makes them shorter and thiner than most of other heroes. I really appreciate his consideration for all the little things he must include in his designs to make them best suited for the game he works on.

I also really enjoy how he makes his characters express themselves by using various expressions and body language, he is able to convey characters personalities through one still image; his concept for tracer depicts her as very cheerful while her pose suggests she is about to leave as suggested by her waving at the 4th wall, which suggests her in game abilities of being able to run really fast. While for example his other concept for Widowmaker has the character looking down on the 4th wall portraying her as unsympathetic and confident.

[flowerwiththemachinegun]

Have we learned anything new from Tseng's background? Well, since I haven’t I’ve come up with this. I surely am not bilingual or anything and I couldn’t figure out just how to make my own little language (yet, I have to for another fic) so all of this is just yanno, english. Right before FF7 events, cause I don’t like little ponytail Tseng. GN as usual unless folks start getting overly freaky (not in this fic)

Title: Dead Languages

Description: about 2.5k words. After committing the silliest of crimes you catch the Turks' attention. Taking little to no time to catch you and bring you in for interrogation. The only problem is they have absolutely zero clue what you’re saying, until Tseng finally arrives. Staring at Tseng with absolute delight, relief washes over you. Part 2 will contain more detail about the conversation between the reader and Tseng. 

___________________________________________________

To say Reno was pissed was an understatement, pacing back and forth behind Rude’s seated position in front of you. Elbows on the table, Rude’s head buried in his hands out of stress, sighing heavily once more. They’ve tried for hours to get you to talk. There’s just absolutely no way you’ve made it all the way to Midgar with no way of communicating with anyone. From the few words they could make out, they knew you were from Wutai. That and your appearance made that painfully obvious.

They’ve tried threatening you quite a few times, the eccentric duo getting fed up with your “games”, as they call it. Genuinely, you had no idea what they were saying, but boy, were they angry. The red head’s face was just as red as his hair and the bald guy. Well, he seemed more upset at the other suited man for screaming so much. They were certainly no less upset after a blonde man dressed in all white came into the room. Sitting across from you for not even ten minutes staring back at the two men in black saying something in a dismissive tone, then leaving. You couldn’t help but think everything about him was a bit strange. The blonde’s get up combined with the strangely obedient creature he had in tow.

Eventually, you were left alone, staring at the wall for what you felt like was an endless amount of time. After an additional hour went by, numerous people came in and spoke to you, well tried. Each of them speaking a different language you simply couldn’t understand. Growing more and more frustrated yourself, you couldn’t help but give up any attempts at communicating with anyone. Your anxiety gnawing at your mind as you realize you might never leave this room at the rate things were going, surrounded by all of these strange faces. Every person is either talking to you like you were a five year old or becoming frustrated with your lack of communication. At some point, it was no wonder you completely shut down. 

Alone. Again. In this tiny interrogation wall, rubbing your eyes before laying your head in your arms. To think that the trek from Wutai to Midgar was exhausting, “that was nothing in comparison to this shit,” You thought to yourself, deciding to do your best to enjoy the next couple of hours as you were waiting around for your next round of interpreters. You couldn’t quite understand why they were so intent on talking to you rather than locking you away. It was an all-around ridiculous situation to be quite frank, becoming obsessed with myths of beasts living inside of precious red orbs. You wanted nothing more than to obtain that power for yourself in an attempt to take over other nearby villages to save your own.

Coming from a small village where a majority of your people were dying off, the population was not able to multiply faster than what they were expiring. Sure, your goal may have been a form of tyranny, but hell, you were the only one even trying to push for the future. The objective was simple enough: bring back as many of these strange creatures, harness their power, and force the other villages to follow your traditions. It mattered not who you had to slaughter to make your dream happen. It seemed to be going surprisingly smooth, the Shinra building being surprisingly easy to break into. You were able to make it to the materia room and snag as many of the summon materia as you could after practically disfiguring one of the infantrymen and snagging his uniform to blend in. Only to be caught by Reno and Rude as you were making your way back down the ungodly amount of stairs that made up the side entrance.

Pulling yourself from your thoughts as the door was all but being kicked open by Rufus, evident that he, too, was fed up with trying to find a way to speak to you. Raising your head up to acknowledge those who have walked in. By this point, Rufus was ready to just lock you up or, worse, pass you off to Hojo. Of course, he had his other two suits in tow, Reno and Rude, both of them just staring at you with an almost pitiful expression. Thinking to yourself, “That was concerning.” They haven’t said much to you since coming into the room, talking amongst themselves instead. Probably pondering on what they were going to do with you. Watching the white clad man stand up, pulling a device out of his pocket and holding it to his face as he walks out of the room. He almost seemed relieved by whatever that interaction was. Leaning back in your chair, you simply stare at the two Turks, curious as to what would happen next but making no attempts to speak. 

A few moments pass by before Rufus enters again, this time with another man in black. Dark hair ran down his back, neatly pinned up so that not even a stray hair would fall into his face. Not even a wrinkle in sight. What really caught your attention, though, was his eyes. Beautiful honey like pools meeting your gaze, immediately perking up at the sight of his tilak. An action that did not go unnoticed by the others, as over the course of the day, you would hardly acknowledge them, maybe sparing a disapproving glance. You quickly utter a few words, which causes Tseng to do a double take. Very rarely was the Turk caught off guard, but he couldn't deny that hearing someone speak his language was surprising in itself. 

Your gaze never breaks from Tseng as you hear Rufus address him, “Oh? Is this a lost friend of yours?” Tseng pulls  the seat out from in front of you and gets comfortable, for once his movements showed just how perturbed he was by the situation. Trying to keep his voice steady as he responds to Rufus, “Not quite, but I could tell you they came from the same place as myself. Our language never expanded outside of several villages. A place called Mahitotsu, no outsiders were allowed in either, never allowing themselves to mingle with modern-day people. Most of them wouldn’t be able to read nor write in another language due to the permanent barrier they’ve put between themselves and the rest of the world. The villagers themselves are reluctant to even deal with their neighbors.”

With a nod of Rufus’ head, he gestures towards you as he speaks, “Well, figure out why they're here stealing from me.” Something Tseng too was very curious about, most information regarding Shinra or materia for that matter is practically nonexistent. Coupled with the fact that your small off grid village also knows nothing of the world outside of it. For you to trek from the depths of Wutai to get here must have called for a damned good reason. Opting to give you a more traditional welcome in hopes of making you more willing to tell him any information you may have, Tseng starts by taking his gloves off, extending his hand to you. Placing your hand in his, Tseng brings the other to rest soothingly on top of your own. Bringing a few questionable looks from everyone in the room, they’ve never seen this tactic before, and Reno was going to make it known. Regarding Tseng in a teasing voice, “I thought you were here to make them talk, not flirt.” 

“It’s simply a greeting.” Tseng retorts back, red daring to tint his cheeks. It’s been so long since he’s done this. Paired with the way you're staring at him almost makes him want to melt. Getting rid of those thoughts quickly, Tseng begins addressing you. Stating that he obviously knew where you came from, asking what brought you out here. How did you get out here? Not for a minute did he let your hand go as the interrogation went on for hours, not that you could complain. At some point, Rude couldn’t help but mention that it was an awfully long greeting as he stared at your connected hands. Sure, he could’ve let your hand go quite some time ago. A part of him just can’t help but to enjoy this.

Once Tseng received all of the information he could get out of you, looking to Rufus to summarize what was said. Giving Rufus your name as well as place of origin, “They’re looking to save our village, albeit it’s not the smartest plan, though for that particular region of the world it would work considering the lack of knowledge and resources. The goal seems to be using summons as a way to entrap all of the other surrounding off-grid villages, forcing them to abide by our customs, down to forcing them to forget their own language and convert to our own. The reason is that the village is roughly estimated to die off in the next century. They seem to think ruling by fear would be the best way of going about completing their goal.” 

Rufus taps his fingers along the table, resting his head in his hand as he looks from your conjoined hands back to meet Tseng’s eyes. “Right idea, though this should be used for something much bigger than a bunch of forgotten tribes. I’m impressed they’ve made it thus far.” Tseng can’t help but nod in agreement. It is quite the feat to have survived the journey here. Especially knowing there isn’t much known about the rest of the world where you reside. Once again, pulling Tseng out of his thoughts, Rufus throws an idea out, “If they can prove to be just as loyal and useful as yourself, I say we keep them. Obviously, you would be doing all of the training. Not to mention, they need to figure out how to communicate with the rest of society. Dare I say, I have a good feeling about this. Or you could let them know they can rot in one of Hojo’s pods. The choice is theirs.” 

Tseng gives your hand a gentle squeeze before explaining what your ultimatum consisted of. With a shake of your head, you tell him that if you can’t accomplish your goal that there isn't a point of going forward in life. Translating your words back to Rufus draws a deep scowl from him, considering your choice should have been clear. Tseng gives a light shrug, letting out a deep breath. He certainly didn’t want that to be your fate, but after trying to convince you to change your mind and join them, it was clear you weren’t going to budge. Giving Rufus an almost sad expression, doing his best to cover up how he felt about the series of events. “All they want is for our people to continue to thrive-”

Cutting Tseng off as Rufus can’t help but finally notice a specific word that Tseng keeps repeating, “Our?” A smirk spreads across the vice president's face, “You’re people are right here, Tseng. Though, I imagine you have some attachments left to your hometown. Am I wrong?” At that, Tseng breaks any eye contact, staring down at your hands as you bring your other hand to rest atop of his as you sense his tension. Still refusing to look at anyone as he speaks, “It would be a shame for that to be their fate in my eyes, yes. Though I’m sure I've been long forgotten about, there are still people one could say I care for.” 

“Then I have another proposition, this time something that could benefit you both and myself?” Rufus finishes with a questioning tone before carrying on, leaning back in his chair. “We can make merging these villages a reality. It would be easier done if we utilize our troops. Though I have no intentions of trying to spread a dying language, I by no means plan on getting rid of it either. We can leave them isolated as they have been after bringing them together, of course leaving a group of soldiers to keep watch, make sure everything goes according to plan. Anyone stationed there is going to learn how to speak…whatever it is, you all call it. Though this will result in the land becoming Shinra property, is that something you can deal with? We can work out the finer details later, but (Y/N) will work for us, and they will have to live here.” 

“It isn’t me that needs to consider this,” Tseng states before finally meeting your gaze once more. It’s debatable if taking over land in Wutai would start another war, but it doesn’t seem like Rufus plans on making a ruckus as Shinra takes over the land. At least not yet. Translating what Rufus had to offer, and this time, it manages to catch your attention. A frown crosses your features as he details the portion about residing in Midgar and having to learn a new language, but to his surprise, you don't mind Shinra’s occupation so much. More than likely, due to your severe ignorance in regards to what Shinra is capable of. Telling Tseng that as long as you can get your way, it was an arrangement you could live with.

This starts the journey for the next year, being forced to live with Tseng until you can navigate the world by yourself as well as becoming a trustworthy individual. The plans to take over (insert town name here) would also not come to fruition until your training was thoroughly complete. You have to prove yourself in order to pave the way for your goals, even if you fail to realize you're being taken advantage of. To everyone's surprise, Tseng wasn't too upset about the arrangement. Sure, living with a total stranger wasn't on his ‘to do’ list per se, but you had him completely and utterly captivated. Tseng's subconscious had every intention of getting closer and closer to you. Making sure to spend more time than necessary teaching you what different items were as well as teaching you how to communicate with everyone else. Though he loved talking to you the most in your native tongue, there was something so magical about how your voice rang out to him as you spoke. Maybe this living situation would prove to be far more beneficial than he thought, and it had nothing to do with your training. 

___________________________________________________

I hate to cut it off abruptly but every other idea is going to be put into part 2. This seemed to be the most decent stopping point for me. Couldn’t get this out of my mind, as I tried writing other fics this idea just kept begging me to use it, so I shall. 

Tseng lowkey has attachment issues and falls in love easily, can't tell me otherwise and it's a hill I'll die on. He just tries to keep his mask on at all times, but I can see poor babies' tears right through that shit.

[leonawriter]

Reasons why I think that Zack and Aerith really did love and appreciate each other, just from the bits that we see after Zack wakes up and gets free from four years of experimentation in Nibelheim:

His memory of Aerith having written down those ‘tiny wishes’, and her saying “I’d like to spend more time with you” in a way that seems somewhat shy, for someone who’s fully capable of being very forward. She wants to spend time with him, in at least twenty-three ways and twenty-three reasons why.

In some ways, the way she says that somewhat reminds me of a Japanese marriage proposal - which isn’t “do you want to get married” but “I would like to do this thing for you and with you for the rest of our lives.” I don’t think Aerith was literally proposing, but... I do wonder if that was her way of saying “I really do like you, and I want to do this girlfriend thing properly, and officially, and if it gets more serious than that, we’ll see, because I want to know you better.”

And like. In response to that? Zack puts that piece of paper away and tells Cloud, who is currently still vegetative, “Hey... Cloud. I have to go to Midgar.” Like, that’s the absolute centre of places They Should Not Go right now. If they’d gone in the opposite direction, they might’ve survived. But Zack says it in the sort of way - tone of voice, body language, not even able to meet Cloud’s eyes, or try to - that says he knows this. But Aerith’s waiting for him. He has to go.

Later on, when he’s just saved Genesis (not not like he understands how or anything) and watched Lazard and an Angeal copy monster that’d protected Aerith die, he reads Aerith’s last letter to him. Which tells him for the first time that it’s been four years, and it’s the 89th she’s sent to him. He’s distraught, and shouts “What do you mean, ‘final’?” to the sky. Next thing he does, is make even more of a rush to Midgar. Knowing how dangerous it is. 

It could be taken that Aerith and Zack are the last things he has left - I’m sure he’d have accepted Genesis into that group given a bit of time, as well as Cissnei and Tseng if the Turks got to him first, as they’d wanted to find him alive and all rather than kill on sight, like the army’d been told to, and Cissnei had let him go, Tseng having kept all of the other letters Aerith had wanted to give Zack. It could be thought that he only holds onto them so strongly because he has nothing left, but...

I really honestly think that along with everything else we see between him and Aerith, it’s a tragedy that I think he really could have worked out between them, that there was the start of an actual honest loving relationship, and even if Zack’s the kind of guy who likes the ladies, he’s not the kind who’d just toy with someone’s feelings.

He respects Cissnei throughout the game, after all, despite his first impression of her being ‘pretty lady who might need me to help her’, and deems the Turks more dangerous than the entire Shinra military.

Someone once said that on the truck, Zack says “can’t go back to the girlfriend’s place, she’s living with her mother” and they took that to mean that he’d prefer not to get too involved or something? As though it’s more a thing about them, their relationship, and not wanting to meet the parents? I think they’re forgetting something that I think even in the original game was still there, was that Zack was being hunted by the military, and every minute he was moving toward Midgar, toward Aerith, was putting him in more danger. Do you really want him to think it’s okay to bring that down on the head of the mother of the girl he likes? That’s the sort of stuff that gets people turned into hostages.

So... yeah, I dunno where the idea of Zack being an insincere ladykiller I saw once came from. Or that thing that’s apparently in one of the books where Aerith is more dismissive to Zack. But he’s literally this ray of shining brightness in a world that just kept taking everything away from him. 

If he’d survived, I don’t think that he’d have ended up bitter, I think that Aerith would have been happy to see him again, and would have been understanding over why he’d been unable to get back to her. I think he’d have been pretty much the heart of the FF7 main adventure group, even if Cloud ended up taking the reigns at some point like he did in canon, because Zack has this thing of how he’s... as long as he has someone to look out for, to be a friend, he’ll latch onto them. He will make those bridges and support networks between him and his friends appear, even if said friends don’t realise they’re there.

Just imagine all of the cute things that head and Aerith would do together, if they had the opportunity. Aerith asking him on a date at the Gold Saucer, both of them learning how to ride a chocobo properly, getting friendly teasing from friends... and even more, if Zack’s presence - as an enhanced SOLDIER with no actively strong connection to S-cells or Jenova - meant he was able to ensure Aerith’s safety when Cloud couldn’t.

[listeninghelp]

Part 2. Zaniya’s Diary

Page 1: 

Dear Bob, 

My name is Zaniya, I know, a little bit of a weird name, huh? Anyways, you’re supposed to be the new diary Mrs Sheep told me to fill every day. I’ve decided to name you Bob instead of Diary, Diary seems a bit boring, no? Don’t worry, you don’t need to thank me. 

I think maybe she gave you to me because she feels bad about the situation I had with the “popular girls,” no it wasn’t drama worthy. You can’t see it, but I just rolled my eyes. Those girls aren’t mean or anything. Honestly, they’re quite nice. Just a bit loud. The loud girls. 

I really hope they don’t think I’m weird. It really wasn’t their fault, I think. Mother always tells me it’s my fault that I can’t make friends. Dad says that’s not what she actually means, just that sometimes my brain works differently than the other kids. I don’t know how to feel about that. I don’t actually need friends, right? I have you, anyways. Maybe that’s why Mrs Sheep gave you to me. 

Anyways, I need to go do my homework now :(

Until next time! 

Zaniya

Page 97: 

Okay, Bob.

Today a new student joined our class! It’s already the middle of the school year, the entire class was shocked!  New Boy is pretty. You might think I’m shallow for thinking people pretty but not remembering their name. It’s not my fault!  When he introduced himself in front of the class, I couldn’t hear it. 

I’m not sure why the loud girls don’t like him. You’d think all of them would want to swarm him like bees because of how good looking he is. But nobody did. They ignored him after his first day. What are they seeing that I don’t? 

Anyways, Mr Fluffy is whining for more snacks. He always comes to me last. Hmph, whatever. Time to go feed the kitty. 

Yours truly, 

Zaniya :)

Page 143: 

Hi Bob, 

It’s been a while huh? Have you missed me? That’s what friends do, right? They miss each other. 

I finally asked Nathan about his missing earbud while we were working on our group project! He looked so confused when I asked him. I was getting annoyed, it was so obvious that he wore that one big earbud every day! When I pointed at the big blue earbud in his left ear, he just stared at me. Then, he started to giggle. My face instantly started burning, it was a valid question!

Staring straight at me he responded quietly, “Zaniya, that isn’t an earbud. That’s my hearing aid.” 

Hearing aid? What the heck was this boy talking about. It was definitely just an oversized earbud. Sure, it wrapped around his ear. And sure, Mrs Sheep never asked him to take it out during class. (We’re not allowed to listen to music while she’s teaching, after all.) But, hearing aid? What in the world does that even mean? 

Anyways, Nathan just kept smiling at me. It was a quiet sort of smile, for a quiet type of guy, I guess. The home bell rang and everyone started rushing to our lockers to go home. 

Mr Fluffers is getting chonkier by the minute. I didn’t even hear him whining until he just stepped on top of me. 

Gotta go feed the king! 

Zaniya <3 

Page 190: 

Who’s a good diary? That’s right! Bob is!

Haha, that’s how I talk to Mr Fluffers! XD 

Can you believe it, Bob? Tomorrow is the last day of grade 6! It’s going to be so fun tomorrow, we’re having an end of the year party. Mom is making vegan brownies right now so I can bring them for the class. I can’t wait to see what other people’s moms will make for the rest of us!

Hey Bob, I have something to tell you. Remember that time when I mentioned how my dad said my brain wasn’t like the other kids? Hah! He was wrong. Turns out...It’s my ears that are different! Yea, ikr? Crazy, huh. I only had hearing issues this entire time. Who would of guessed?

I even got to pick out my own hearing aid! Now, Nathan and I both have them! Choosing a colour was sooo hard. It took me forever but no worries, in the end, I chose this shiny purple. Mother says that purple was meant for royalty, and I consider myself a queen. Obviously, Mr Fluffers is the king of the neighbouring kingdom. 

Since we found out about my hearing impairment, my parents put me in ASL lessons right away. They’re my favourite class and it’s not even taught in school! My teacher is deaf, isn’t that awesome? She’s so nice. I also have weekly dinners with the Tseng family, over there I get to practice my sign language with them. My parents are slowly catching some of my hand signs too. So many things have happened since the start of middle school, huh? 

Oh! I think that’s Nathan at the door, we hang out a lot now. I think he’s going to teach me how to do some more lip reading? 

With love, 

Zaniya ;)