#FINALLY!! THE SOL RENDER!!!! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

imninahchan · 9 months ago

Text

𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ 𐙚 ⌜ 𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐒: strangers to lovers(?), sexo casual e sem proteção (as cachorras mais burras desse calçadão se protegem!), dirty talk (degradação), choking, um tapinha, exibicionismo(?), masturbação fem ⁞ ♡ ̆̈ ꒰ 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑨𝑺 𝑫𝑨 𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑶𝑹𝑨 ꒱ wagner moura a gnt não vai te dividir com as gringas amore ─ Ꮺ !

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀───── 𓍢ִ໋🀦

VOCÊ NOTA O PESO DO OLHAR DELE SOBRE O SEU, e não é como se te incomodasse tanto, longe disso, até o achou atraente com os cabelos grisalhos nas laterais do corte, mas tudo que se passa pela sua mente é o revirar de olhos, repetindo mentalmente pra si mesma ah, não, mas um gringo, não…

O escuta conversando em inglês com outros dois caras, claramente estrangeiros também — quer dizer, nativos, porque a pessoa em praias estrangeiras aqui é você —, e evita devolver os olhares. Acha fofo, porém insuportável, o quão facilmente esses homens ficam formando fila assim que notam o sotaque marcado de uma mulher que veio de fora. Suas amigas estão aí pra confirmar, e o pior de tudo é que no final, quando se trata de conseguir nem que seja um contatinho, acabam tendo que se render aos “gringos” mesmo. Nem se lembra a última vez que beijou um homem brasileiro, não é?

“Deixa, eu ajudo você”, a voz masculina soando em português te pega desprevenida, quase deixando a caixa térmica cair na areia de novo. Os olhos procuram pelo dono da voz, embasbacada quando percebe que é justamente aquele que há poucos minutos não parava de te encarar. Hm, então ele é brasileiro…

O homem sorri, simpático, os lábios formando uma linha, antes de pegar a caixota da sua mão, ainda pesada com as garrafas de cerveja que a sua amiga mexicana não bebeu porque acabou precisando ir embora mais cedo. Você não nega a ajuda, especialmente porque de pertinho pode notar melhor o rosto de bochechas cheias, o corpo magro levemente bronzeado de sol, e, claro, finalmente por responder um ah, sim, obrigada, depois de meses só falando “thank you”.

“É uma coisa bem brasileira de se fazer”, ele brinca, enquanto te acompanha em direção ao concreto da calçada, “trazer coisa pra comer na praia”, especifica, ao que você acena com a cabeça, ajeitando a bolsa de tricô no ombro, é claro, não tem um ambulante nessa praia vendendo um camarãozinho. O brasileiro ri, sagaz ao conduzir bem as palavras de volta pra ponta da língua, sorrateiro, parando ao pôr os chinelos pra longe da areia, “espero que ainda esteja com fome, queria te levar pra almoçar num restaurante bacana aqui na frente.”

Um sorrisinho ameaça crescer no seu rosto. É que ele falou com tanto charme, a cabeça pendendo de leve pro lado, que ficou mais do que óbvio, caso ainda não estivesse, que está dando em cima de ti. “E eu espero que seja um restaurante chique”, é o que você responde, a mão abrindo o zíper da bolsa pra buscar pelo vestidinho floral.

De fato, é um restaurante grã-fino. Se apoia no antebraço dele para calçar o saltinho para adentrar o estabelecimento à beira mar, o espera a camisa que descansava sobre o ombro masculino até então. Julgando pelos olhares quando vocês caminham pelas mesas em busca de uma disponível, eles sabem que vocês são os ‘gringos’.

Wagner, o nome dele. Pô, é tão bom pronunciar o w como v que você utiliza de toda oportunidade durante o almoço para ficar repetindo vez após vez. Wagner é exatamente o que você sentia falta do Brasil e mais. Ele é baiano, embora o sotaque nativo sobreviva em últimos suspiros com algumas palavrinhas marcadas ali e aqui na fala, e quando você pergunta se ele gosta mais de Los Angeles, o homem aperta o olhar, num sorriso que enche as bochechinhas, não é a Bahia, né? Pronto, ganhou seu coração.

Como dois brasileiros, para bom entendedor meia palavra basta, não é preciso fazer mais nada para demonstrar o interesse mútuo. Mas ele paga a conta e te leva para dar uma volta pela região. Te compra um sorvete, assistindo a forma com que a sua língua propositalmente perpassa pelo doce e retorna pra dentro da boca. Vocês conversam, conversam, as vozes já soando mais baixas, meio sussurradas, os corpos se inclinando pra perto um do outro. Os sorrisos. O polegar dele limpando o cantinho melado de creme da sua boca. Ele diz que tem uns amigos brasileiros e que vai te levar no samba que eles sempre fazem quando se encontram com outros conhecidos latinos. E aí, voltar pra casa com ele se torna inevitável.

O jeito que o braço masculino te aperta o busto por trás, praticamente tirando os seus pés do chão, num abraço ao fechar da sua porta, é de roubar o fôlego. Você ri, Wagner, repreendendo o nome alheio. Os lábios encontram o seu pescoço, o corpo quente de sol cola no teu, deixando as coisas jogadas pelo chão no caminho que fazem cambaleando em direção à mesa. Te prensa contra a madeira, a mão tomando conta da sua nuca para te guiar ao beijo. Você sentiu falta de um beijo assim; molhado, bem encaixado, os estalinhos dos lábios quase não são tão audíveis porque a língua ocupa mais espaço, é mais intensa na troca de saliva. Talvez seja a nostalgia da saudade de casa, mas é à brasileira, é perfeito.

Os dedos dele se fecham nos seus cabelos, puxam a sua cabeça pra trás, abre o trajeto para que toda a umidade babada possa molhar abaixo, quando a língua vai lambendo do seu queixo até o vale entre os ossos da sua clavícula. Te solta, você pode tornar a mirada para a dele, flagrá-lo umedecendo os próprios lábios, sorrindo de canto. Salgadinha de mar, sereia, a voz rouquinha dele solta, o ar cálido batendo no seu rosto. Poxa, o marrom dos olhos do homem cintila, caramelo, feito estivesse bêbado naquilo que assiste com tanto desejo. A boca volta a sua, naturalmente. Com mais fome, devorando os seus beiços, pra inchar, deixar quentinho de tão bem usado. Afastar com um selar, calmo para que as mãos possam puxar a camisa pra fora do torso. Nem parece que você há pouco já tinha o presenciado seminu dessa forma, a atenção viaja pelo corpo à sua frente, descobrindo além do bronzeadinho, a correntinha dourada, os pelinhos que se concentram no centro do peitoral e só voltam a surgir, finos, próximos ao cós da bermuda. “Vira”, ele dá a ordem, empurrando o queixo no ar, marrento. E você obedece, a coluna já adquirindo uma certa curvatura quando empina a bunda contra a virilha dele.

Wagner “limpa” os cabelos da sua nuca, beija ali, roça a ponta do nariz enquanto murmura, entre sorrisos, “só você mesmo pra me fazer foder no meio do dia, do nada assim, porra…”, esconde o rosto no arco do seu pescoço, logo erguendo o olhar novamente para te encarar. Você devolve o contato visual, com a língua afiada, o quê? Faz tempo que não come uma mulher bonita? E ele sorri, sacana. Pega na sua garganta, “E você? Rapidinho ficou toda empinadinha pra levar pica… Faz tempo que não fode com um homem de verdade, né?”, só que você perde o veneno, é pra contar você?

É empurrada sobre a mesa, o rostinho prensadinho contra a superfície gélida sem mais nem menos. “Cala a boca, vai”, é o que escuta sendo soprado na voz aveludada, tão casual que nem parece que te dominou por cima do móvel dessa forma. Ávido, não demora a terminar de se despir, mas não se importa em fazer o mesmo contigo. É um vestidinho leve, prefere suspender a barra, as palmas rodeando as bandas da sua bunda, apertando a carne, e só puxar pro cantinho o tecido da calcinha do biquíni um pouquinho úmido ainda. Aponta na sua entradinha, levando a outra mão do próprio pau para a sua cintura, segurando firme ali ao colocar pra dentro.

Devagarzinho, te fazendo sentir cada centímetro com gosto. Você espia sobre o ombro, embora saiba que não pode assistir a visão erótica de ser preenchida, porém consegue pegar o deslocamento do olhar dele da sua bunda pros seus olhos. Vadio, boquiaberto, o ar fugindo dos pulmões até que consiga pôr tudo.

Ele espalma a mão na sua lombar, pressiona, não há pressa no ritmo, não há sede ao pote É como se saboreasse, te saboreasse. Tão lentinho e cuidadoso que as suas nádegas nem estalam na virilha dele. É uma tortura deliciosa que te conquistaria mais fácil se não estivesse desejosa como está. Mais, você pede, com a voz manhosinha. “Hm?”, percebe, só nesse murmuro o tom de gozação, “O que foi? Pensei que tinha dito pra você ficar caladinha, não?”, o que você ignora, apelando com mais dengo, me fode com força, vai. Bruto.

Wagner esconde um sorrisinho ladino, acenando negativo com a cabeça. Uma das mãos pega na sua nuca pra poder te erguer, ao passo que a outra vai logo de encontro com a sua mandíbula, arisco, “Que cachorra você é”, deprecia, te encarando.

“Um pouco.”

“Um pouco?”, ergue o sobrolho, “Um pouco muito, né?”, estalando um tapa na sua bunda, “Vai, tira a roupa e deita ali, sua puta.”

Você acata a ordem. Sem demora pra deslizar a calcinha perna abaixo e arrastar o vestido pra cima. É só puxar a alcinha da parte superior do biquíni que está completamente nua, feito ele, para deitar no sofá.

Separa as coxas, se mostra aos olhos do homem. Gosta da forma com que ele te observa, a luxúria o fazendo tomar o próprio pau nas mais uma vez ao testemunhar a visão do seu corpo desnudo. O desejo dele te excita, leva o toque do indicador para o pontinho eriçado, circulando, masturbando. Bom?, ele pergunta, num sopro. “Uhum. Mas seria melhor com você dentro de mim.”

O sorriso na face do homem alarga, apoia o joelho no estofado entre as suas pernas para se inclinar sobre ti. “É?”, reforça, só pela graça de te ver fazendo que sim, que o necessita. Os olhos são captados pela visão do seu sexo exposto, babadinho de tesão já. A carne vermelha, saborosa, o buraquinho pedindo para ser preenchido novamente. Usa o indicador pra contornar a abertura, “me pede”, te diz, “me pede pra socar aqui dentro, pra te encher de porra”, te devolve o olhar, “anda, vai. Pede, vadia”, sorrindo. Bate com a cabecinha inchada contra os seus lábios meladinhos, esfrega de um lado pro outro, molhando tudo ainda mais, uma bagunça úmida que deixa um fiozinho grudando seu corpo ao dele.

Você até poderia negá-lo, afirmar que te degradar assim com nomes tão feios da língua portuguesa não te instiga, mas estaria mentindo. Cada termo infame chega doce aos seus ouvidos, ainda mais porque o tom sedutor faz a pronuncia se arrastar, canalha. Você deita a cabeça pra trás, num suspiro, o compasso da masturbação que faz em si mesma já começa a fazer os músculos latejarem, a queimação no ventre te apetecendo, me pede, bem educadinha, a voz do homem chega ao pé do seu ouvido, você sente o pontinha do pau dele se enquadrar direitinho pra subir, senão vai ter que se contentar só com os seus dedinhos.

“Me fode, Wagner”, o seu clamor ecoa, por fim, mesmo que ofegante. O encara, com os olhinhos de coitadinha, “mete em mim”. Por favor, ele especifica, exigente, tocando no canto do seu rosto, “Por favor”, e você repete, submissa, “mete em mim, por favor.”

O sorriso de satisfação na face alheia é impagável. Dá pra perceber exato o momento em que o ego se infla e a volúpia toma conta do brilho nas íris escuras mais uma vez. “Que boazinha”, pega numa das suas pernas para acomodar a sua panturrilha por cima do ombro dele, um ângulo que, você sabe, vai te causar um estrago delicioso quando ele começar a meter. “Uma piranha boazinha, sabe?”, empurra pra dentro, desliza até o fim, lento, porque o caminho ensopadinho pro seu interior permite que tudo chegue numa descida única. Eu sou piranha?, a sua pergunta soa lúdica, a sua carinha de desentendida. “É, sim”, ele responde, imitando o seu tom dissimulado, a mão grande pega no seu pescoço, o corpo masculino pesa sobre o seu. Dessa forma, a correntinha dourada acerta o seu queixo, geladinha, contrasta com a quentura da união lasciva, “olha só pra você... pronta pra levar pica até não conseguir mais levantar desse sofá. Sem marra, adestradinha. Vai ficar uma cadela bem mansinha depois que eu esfolar essa buceta.”

#imninahchan #wagner moura #wagner moura fanfic

332 notes · View notes

celesthysaturn · 9 days ago

Text

𝖄𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝕬𝖕𝖔𝖑𝖑𝖔 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖆 𝖘𝖎𝖈𝖐 𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖌

Yandere Apollo x Female darling

Note: kidnapping, manipulation (soft),Gaslighting, Yandere content

✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵

In this scenario, Apollo's darling was kidnapped and kept in her golden castle until one day she finally decided to escape, but halfway through the long journey, she found herself lost in the supernatural forest of Olympus and due to obstacles and a strange storm, she was left with scratches, bruises and too weak to continue her escape until Apollo finally found her following the traces left behind.

• He will love to take care of his darling, especially when she's in such a sorry state physically that it would cheer him up slightly. Not that he enjoys seeing his beloved muse sighing in pain and discomfort, of course not, it hurts his heart.

• No entanto, este é o momento perfeito para usar suas melhores habilidades, sendo o deus de muitos dons, ele terá a melhor chance de expressar seu grande amor e afeição por sua querida em seu estado vulnerável, não apenas como o único momento em que sua amada não pode ceder ou temer, porque ela está delirante demais para não se render aos seus cuidados, mas também para mostrar como aquele humano ingênuo precisa que ele seja cuidado, assim como um girassol que precisa da luz do sol (não ironicamente ele sendo o deus do sol) para se nutrir.

"God, you're such a delicate being, and yet you're daring, too daring not to recognize your fragility in the midst of danger out there, let me take care of you to show you where your safe haven really is."

• As he is also the god of medicine, he will use his talented knowledge of healing to carefully treat your wounds, calm your fever and alleviate your uncomfortable pains using his best home remedies with the help of his servant muses in preparing the healing herbs and supervising darling so that she doesn't need to move for any unnecessary reason (so that she also doesn't have new chances to escape).

• It is so pleasurable for him to massage your small (compared to his) and aching body, paying attention to your plump/slender parts, taking care of the swollen areas, using scented oils to rub his hands in such a careful yet intense way of being able to feel every part of his darling's soft, sensual skin that only he is worthy of touching and adoring with his hands in such a careful yet intense way to be able to feel every part of his darling's soft, sensual skin, that only he is worthy of touching and adoring.

• All this while he whispers sweet declarations of love, but even so, they still appear possessive and slightly manipulative.

"My little Sunflower, you are too pure and innocent to live in the arid world outside my temple of pure and vivacious gold, a graceful flower that is not worthy of having its beauty and purity worn away by perverse and savage places and beings that so It begs for attention. Therefore, your special soul must be watered and nourished by a great and enlightened star of the day like me..."

• There is no way for Apollo let to stop manipulating her lovingly, it is almost inevitable for him due to his affective and emotional dependence on his celestial lyre, even more so after feeling blessed in finally meeting his soulmate and being able to claim her after all his past loves frustrated and rejected, almost without hope from a god so beautiful, wise, flattering and generous who only wanted a happy and lasting love life, and when she decided to run away (memories of Daphne's escape) and soon found her fainting in the forest In the forest ruled by mystical and unknown creatures that live in the world of the Olympian gods, his heart could only bear an unhappy ending.

• Furthermore, the possibility of another god finding her, hurting her and even stealing his new most precious being (heaven forbid Zeus knows about Apollo's beloved) makes him overflow with effervescent fury and revenge for all the tragedies love that he suffered during his merciless life. He won't allow his darling to run away from his uncontrollable love.

"My effervescent heart, like the star king that reigns over the day, would not allow my beloved, my better half, to distance itself invisibly like the minute winds of the icy east, would you agree to savor my eternal suffering as I sit on my golden throne like gold pure of ivory after I achieved my happiness debt in the form of an insignificant human of divine purpose after experiencing such arduous destinies of love?"

• Gaslighting is inevitable with his subtly desperate speeches of reciprocal love and sexual desire that he expects of your lover, so his beloved's physical and psychological vulnerability will not allow him to reject him for now, and consequently it will be more difficult after she improves and her words will echo in her mind when she sees Apollo being softer and more understanding, rather than harsh, with her even after he is obviously upset about what she did, causing feelings of guilt in his innocent human even though she didn't care of regret his actions.

• With Apollo being obsessed with his beloved, he will admire her deeply during the moment of deep sleep after she digesting the sweet and relaxing tea that Apollo and his servants prepared to calm her, this will last until the sky threatens to lighten or when his Low energies weigh down your eyes after so much work in care, while he place a hand on Darling's forehead to check his temperature and then place it on his stomach to give him some warmth.

• It is simply magnificent to enjoy the silver moonlight of Olympus that pays homage to the beauty of your sister, the goddess of the moon, sensually highlighting the curves of your beloved's half-naked body beneath the thin silk duvet resting on the bed in your luxury room divine sanctuary. Now that his unstable lover is as peaceful as the serene of a rising morning, he can finally rest mentally and give her a passionate kiss on the forehead before heading to his chambers and ordering one of his slender servants to stay in the room to provide security there. and necessary all-night servitude.

• During the stays of care made by the muses who live in the temple of the vaunted god Apollo, serving, flattering and representing the aesthetically in the divine representation of art and music, there would be no shortage of genuine dedications of caring and providing comfort to Apollo's beloved like to gain praise and approval from his master. However, over time, Apollo's obsession would genuinely influence his sarcedotid muses, making them see the pure and unique beauty of that human being who stole the heart of a god so appreciated by mortals and immortals, and thus, they did not stop having admiration for the beloved of Apollo and will be curious to know more about her, from her inner essence to her daily routine.

• Finally, the desired human will have beautiful women discreetly idolizing her, which can be confusing for her.

• On the days when the darling is returning to normal, even healthier after treatments using many nutritious herbs, Apollo will reinforce a short sermon about the dangers of the world and the wise decision to depend on it to be protected and loved, but in a softer and more direct, as he believes that his emotionally charged words that day were enough to keep his desire in his consciousness.

• It is clear that he would become more vigilant in his honey, and to try to prevent her from having time to plan other escapes or more reasons to leave, he would make sure to keep her occupied with common hobbies in the temple, such as music, painting, writing, dancing and a little medicine so that Apollo can also watch his darling presenting her new skills in a private performance in the future. Apollo's muses will love being able to teach the golden god's much-desired darling.

"Now that you have learned your lesson, please, my beloved, submit to me, and you will never have a reason to leave my arms again."

✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵

I finally released one of my ideas about Greek mythology, I'm more excited to put other Yandere ideas here, so I hope you like it and happy reading!

Enjoy sweets🧁

#yandere headcanons #yandere obsession #tw: yandere #yandere x darling #yandere apollo #yandere apollo x reader #yandere apollo x darling #apollo x reader #apollo x darling #yandere greek gods #yandere greek mythology #greek mitology headcanons #greek gods x reader #greek gods headcanons #yandere male #female reader

88 notes · View notes

sharoo · 7 months ago

Text

Starlight as foreshadowing in Nine Sols

Not me thinking about the fact one of the earliest memories of Heng that Yi recounts is one where she mentions learning about stars and how light works.

A star may already have gone out, but the light it's produced has to travel immense distance, it reaches us with delay. We will not realise a star has died until the last of its remnant light has extinguished.

And after you've gotten to the final message, once you've learned that Penglai is 500 light years away from New Kunlun so the messages are at least that much postponed in time...

You come back to realise that very first memory was foreshadowing Heng's fate from the very beginning. She's long gone, it's just her messages that came late.

But it's also so beautifully thematic and hopeful.

Heng, unlike the scientifically minded and stubborn Yi, accepted death as a fact of life. Because to her, death is not the end, it's simply a return to the larger world.

Dead does not mean gone. And even after she's departed, she'll still be remembered, she'll still be in the world, she'll surround her loved ones.

In a game where so many people drive themselves mad by seeking immortality, to the point they see destruction of free will and complete mutation of their species as the better alternative to death... Heng is accepting. Because she understands her passing does not equate the destruction of everything she was and stood for. That death does not render her meaningless.

She's dead. But she's still there. Her light still shines, years after.

And it's thanks to that light her brother knew the path he must take.

#nine sols #nine sols spoilers #i am so ill about this game #hit me right in the thanatophobia #any story that talks about how death isn't the end hits me in the feels

119 notes · View notes

luvyoonsvt · 2 months ago

Text

caught in bloom

xu minghao x leitora

amar a rotina com minghao era inevitável, amar cada pequeno detalhe relacionado a ele, na verdade. e pensar muito nisso te fazia querer encher ele com todos os beijos do mundo.

gênero: fluff

pt-br

conteúdo: leitora fem, namoradinho minghao, rotina matinal bem soft, minghao artista subentendido, menções que a leitora é estilista/trabalha com moda

avisos: como sempre nunca tenho o que pôr aqui pois só escrevo bobeirinha caseira, minghao loirinho!!!!!!!!!!!! casal feliz e etc, uso de apelidos carinhosos(meu bem, meu amor, hao, linda).

contagem: ± 1300 palavras

notas: ooolaaa, como ainda é dia 7, estarei considerando um especial de aniversário. mas é que eu realmente já estava escrevendo duas coisinhas pro minghao ontem e acabou saindo isso aqui enquanto eu ouvia o novo presentinho que ele escreveu, produziu e cantou com a voz linda dele (caught in bloom, caught on you que me fez mudar o nome disso pois ia colocar algo relacionado a beijos no título). enfim, enfim, desculpem qualquer errinho. boa leitura!

você não pensava que chegar até onde estava com minghao havia sido fruto de algum evento clichê, embora considerasse uma história que aquecia seu coração ao relembrar.

ele precisava de peças elaboradas sob medida que combinassem perfeitamente com as obras que seriam expostas na primeira grande galeria com a qual minghao trabalhava. ainda que algumas marcas estivessem bastante interessadas em patrocinar um artista em ascensão, ele sentiu que precisava ser você. puramente porque seu portfólio continha especificidades que buscava para o que idealizou.

um conhecido levou a outro, até que mingyu, um fotógrafo com quem ambos haviam trabalhado previamente, aparecesse com minghao em seu ateliê. você abraçou e aperfeiçoou as ideias do homem, deixando-o admirado desde o processo de criação, atencioso e impecável, até o produto final. vestir algo criado unicamente pra ele, por alguém que pareceu tão radiante e orgulhosa, arrebatou minghao. o que te levou a ser uma de suas convidadas de honra na exposição, onde foi sua vez de encantar-se com a maneira que ele via e expressava a arte.

sua aproximação foi tão natural e tranquila, tinham certeza de que não nutriam somente uma amizade, porém deleitaram-se lentamente com o aflorar dos sentimentos. eram avassaladores, é claro, porém vocês foram muito mais conforto e paz um pro outro. asseguraram um ao outro disso a cada encontro, quer fosse um jantarzinho com vinho que com o passar do tempo começou a render muito mais carícias e beijos roubados em meio às conversas cativantes, ou visitando algum museu para ouvir minghao explicar detalhes sobre as obras vistas que você sozinha teria deixado passar.

cada pequena situação motivava algum suspiro ou batimentos erráticos, todos passos rumo ao relacionamento que tinham hoje.

ao longo de passar noites (e dias) no apartamento de minghao, você acabou se adaptando e até aderindo, a alguns hábitos dele e vice versa. enquanto você havia se juntado a ele em leituras noturnas enquanto dividiam a cama, minghao começou a tomar banho de sol na varanda com você — quase sempre enquanto tomavam café da manhã.

outros costumes, no entanto, foram alinhados para que fossem realizados em sintonia. cada um fazendo algo que gosta, mas ainda com a companhia um do outro.

enquanto você se alongava no tapete de yoga, minghao se sentava em seu tapete acolchoado no cantinho favorito dele no quarto, em posição para meditar.

embora tivessem coisas em comum, vocês adquiriam conhecimento sobre suas mentes, corpos e si mesmos no geral de forma diferente. ele era adepto a autoreflexão, ou levando isso para as expressões artísticas. já você preferia sentir as coisas utilizando aqueles pequenos períodos da manhã para tranquilizar sua mente, ao mesmo tempo que trabalhava seu condicionamento físico.

quando ele te viu trazendo seu tapete enrolado pela primeira vez, brincou sobre como estava fazendo daquele lugar seu lar também. e você não discordou. talvez fosse pela presença dele, sempre tão aconchegante, mas estar ali sempre te traria uma tranquilidade imensa.

— meu amor, vai no ateliê hoje? — ele questionou em meio à sua preparação.

— não, to fazendo alguns croquis pra uma cliente, ela tem muitas ideias e não consegui organizar todas ainda.

— não tenho muito pra fazer hoje, posso te ajudar mais tarde — as noções de moda e o estilo de minghao em si sempre te tiravam suspiros bobos, então a opinião dele sempre seria mais que bem-vinda.

por mais que ele não se metesse muito no processo técnico da criação das suas peças, os pensamentos críticos e criativos dele clareavam sua mente.

— obrigada, hao.

— sem problemas. eu gosto de te ajudar, meu bem.

e assim eram as coisas quase sempre. até que ambos estivessem de fato concentrados no que faziam, uma conversa ou outra surgiria, ou então somente alguma declaração inesperada. parte de você tinha certeza que minghao falar um "você é tão linda" era algum método para te desequilibrar enquanto tentava executar alguma postura mais complexa.

naquela manhã, no entanto, a oportunidade foi sua. não propositalmente, você havia terminado antes dele. acontecia às vezes, então seus movimentos ao se levantar e guardar suas coisas não afetou minghao nem um pouco. por um tempinho você só o encarou. como ele pode ser tão lindo? seu namorado provavelmente já estava acostumado a te ter olhando ele de pertinho enquanto dizia sobre quão etérea e injustamente bonito ele era, porém somente suas palavras não pareciam ser o suficiente para aquele momento.

além dos ombros, expostos pela regata preta que ele usava, havia o cabelo loirinho caído na testa, os lábios carnudos e desenhados, e sua pequena paixão secreta extra esmagadora: as orelhinhas (nem tão secreta, pois minghao já havia descoberto e mantinha esse conhecimento para si). todo o conjunto que compunha xu minghao te derretia inteirinha, ainda que ele só estivesse parado enquanto meditava, com seus únicos movimentos sendo as respirações suaves.

na sua cabeça, já cheia de todos os pensamentos completamente encantados por minghao, mais um vez surgiu aquela vontade corriqueira de encher a boquinha linda dele de beijos. quando sua mente vinha com uma dessas, nada tirava aquela ideia. e também nem havia o porquê, qual o sentido de ter um namorado assim e não encher ele de beijinhos quando quiser? foi o pensamento que te motivou a se mover o mais silenciosamente quanto possível em direção a minghao.

ao chegar mais perto, você abaixou em frente a ele com a respiração presa, segurando a risadinha que borbulhava pra sair — o coração acelerado como se estivesse fazendo algo arriscado. se minghao notou, não deu qualquer sinal, sendo o passe livre final para que você finalmente envolvesse o lábio inferior dele entre os seus, num beijinho que só durou o tempo dele abrir os olhos.

— como? eu nem te ouvi — apesar do breve susto, minghao foi rápido em te puxar pela cintura pra se sentar no colo dele.

— o yoga me dá um controle corporal muito bom, viu?

— tão sorrateira só porque queria um beijo? — você acenou, se inclinando pra dar mais um selinho nele, que aceitou de bom grado.

— é que você é tão bonito, quase colapsei te olhando.

— agora você sabe como eu me sinto — dessa vez, com um braço ainda envolta da sua cintura e uma mão acariciando seu rosto, foi minghao quem te beijou.

você sabia que se estivesse de pé, suas pernas já teriam te traído, então ficou grata por estar bem acomodada ali. o beijo lentinho, só com os lábios — tão, tão macios — sentindo os seus, com aquele sorrisinho típico pressionado contra sua boca, e ele se divertindo à medida que você se frustrava. quando minghao notou sua impaciência atingindo o limite — assim que aquele suspiro exasperado saísse —, finalmente te deu o que tanto queria. os dedos deslizando até a sua nuca, puxando os fios com a pressão ideal enquanto se concentrava na urgência da sua língua contra a dele.

por minutos vocês se resumiram a beijar, mordiscar e acariciar. às vezes sua pressa se sobrepondo à calma com que minghao guiava o beijo. um contraste que se complementava, prolongando aquilo até que o único com a cabeça ainda um pouquinho no lugar se afastasse. hao finalizava o beijo quase sempre da mesma maneira, então você esperou sorrindo pelos três selinhos, um beijo na testa, mais um em cada bochecha, um na pontinha do nariz e o último beijo levinho em seus lábios.

apesar de ter sido aquele que parou, minghao não te deixou sair de perto dele, os olhinhos cheios de amor enquanto te encarava. você sabia que a mente dele espiralava naquele misto de afeto e gratidão dos quais ele sempre relembrava você. e não pareceu diferente, a pequena tentativa de postergar aqueles minutinhos de vocês dois em sua própria bolha era só mais um dos meios de minghao te aquecer com seu amor.

— sabia que eu te entreguei meu coração? — ele expressou, afirmando o que você imaginou.

— eu sei. sabia que eu choro porque te amo demais?

— eu sei, sou eu que enxugo cada lágrima — depois de segurar seu rosto com carinho e dar o verdadeiro último beijinho, minghao te induziu a levantar, pedindo ajuda pra fazer o mesmo. — agora vamos começar o dia antes que minha linda namorada chore porque me ama e quer muitos beijos.

#g's ramblings 𓆩♡𓆪 #svt #seventeen #seventeen fanfic #svt pt br #svt x reader #seventeen scenarios #svt fluff #seventeen pt br #xu minghao #the8 #myungho #minghao fluff #minghao x reader #the8 fluff #the8 x reader

29 notes · View notes

protemporescitor · 11 months ago

Text

"But she ded tho" (a.k.a. the dumbest argument against Clerith) - A rant

To expand on my previous post, in which I posited the crazy, far-fetched theory that in a fantasy setting mayhap death is not the relationship brick wall that it would be in a more grounded, realistic one*, I just want to bring up a few points to further buttress this off-the-wall notion.

"Cloud can't be with Aerith. She's dead!"

We've all heard it a thousand times. It is the argument most commonly levelled against Clerith. It is also the worst (and laziest) one.

It's often delivered in a declamatory and glib fashion, as though it were some sort of obvious conversation ender. Q.E.D. End of debate. The ultimate gotcha. "Checkmate, Clerith fans!" the haters think to themselves, chortling and patting themselves on their backs for this profound insight. (Insert tasteless and juvenile comments about Aerith being "shish kebab-ed" by Sephiroth as desired.)

And all I can think is "That's it? That's your best argument? That's some weak tea, man."

Despite its myriad flaws, this idea continues to radiate throughout the fandom a good quarter century after the original title's release, as though it had never once been challenged. It is a feeble and untenable position, a house built on sand, and one that deserves to be thoroughly demolished. With Rebirth on the horizon, and all the shipping wars nonsense rising from the grave once more as a result, it is high time, if you'll forgive the expression, that we laid this cliché to rest once and for all.

(*Note: Even in a more "realistic" setting lacking any kind of fictional afterlife, this would still be a gross oversimplification of the story's themes of loss, regret, and yearning, as well as entirely ignoring the idea of love transcending death, but we'll set those concerns aside for the time being.)

Lastly, before we begin: This is not an anti-Zerith / CloTi screed. Those pairings both have an undeniable canonical basis. My aim here is simply to demonstrate that the notion that Cloud and Aerith are forever separated by death is rendered invalid by virtue of the type of setting that their story takes place in. (Something that, frankly, one would reasonably assume to be perfectly obvious. Alas, such is not the case. And so I find myself yet again pointing out the glaringly obvious.)

Now, without further ado, let's begin:

Part 1. Before (the Compilation) Crisis

In the beginning, there was the year 1997, and Squaresoft had just released their latest title. And lo, it was good. We spent days and weeks following our favorite polygon people around their embattled little globe. We fought, laughed, cried, and struggled up until the Meteor Crisis reached its crescendo, and the credits rolled. Gosh, what an ending! But what did it all mean? How did things REALLY turn out? Did we get a happy ending at all?

According to some, Cloud lived happily ever after with his childhood sweetheart, Tifa. According to others, he continued to roam the earth in search of his Promised Land to be reunited with his tragic lost love, Aerith. Yuffie swiped everyone's materia (again). Cid finally went to the moon. Red XIII opened a haberdashery in Costa del Sol, or something. No-one really knows for sure.

And so, the fandom began to spread to every corner of the internet in search of answers. Thus began the age of dissension. Opinions clashed across fanzines, blogs, and fanfic country alike. Wild fan theories abounded pertaining to special codes, methods, and blood rituals capable of bringing back our erstwhile flower girl. The fan-made media bubble surrounding the game turned into a lawless land of misinformation and vicious disagreement. None were spared.

A brief digression on why said rumours persisted for as long as they did (CAUTION: Massive spoilers for Chrono Trigger).

One side proposed a simple solution. A way to cut the proverbial Gordian Knot of our fandom. It was quite obvious, really. Just staring everyone in the face. The flower girl was dead, and that was that. Thus, there was only one possible conclusion to our narrative. Cloud's feelings on the matter were, of course, irrelevant. With Aerith out of the picture, the only logical choice left to him was to settle down with Tifa, and that was that. Never mind the themes of doomed, tragic love and the possibility, strongly hinted at throughout the game and outright confirmed during its ending, of existence after death.

Overall, direct evidence for said afterlife was scant, but not entirely absent from the story. As an example, at one point during her childhood, Aerith speaks to Elmyra, trying to comfort her, saying that the spirit of her husband wanted to come visit her, confirming that an afterlife presence did indeed exist. But for some, this simply wasn't evidence enough. And so the war raged on. Which brings us to…

Part 2. Advent Children: The smoking gun

Remember back when a certain portion of the fan base insisted that Gaia erased all the humans at the end of the story, on the flimsy basis that we don't see any during the game's brief post-credit scene? Well, that little theory was neatly undone by subsequent releases in the Compilation, showing regular ol' humans still roaming around Gaia in all their everyday human-ness. Hence, it is rarely brought up these days. Would that the pernicious notion of "but she ded tho" could follow in its footsteps, given that the same film roundly contradicts it in every way possible.

For starters, the film inexplicably bring two characters, Rufus and Tseng, hitherto assumed to be dead, back to life, probably in an effort by Square to shoehorn as many recognizable members of the cast into their animated feature as they could. But that's not all. Next we have three characters that everyone agreed were deader than doornails ALSO making appearances, first in flashbacks, and then directly influencing the world of the living. Zack speaks to and encourages Cloud during his struggle. Aerith reaches out to him (quite literally) from beyond the grave and assists him in defeating Bahamut. And of course Sephiroth pops back into existence just in time for his contractually-obligated boss fight near the end of the film. All three demonstrate quite clearly and definitively that death is not the impenetrable barrier to continuing interactions between the living and the dead in the world of Final Fantasy VII, as a certain segment of the fan base would have everyone believe it is.

To be blunt, I don't know what level of dense you'd have to be to keep up this so-called "argument" in light of this information. Advent Children reiterates what most of us already knew, that our story takes place in a fantasy setting* with a confirmed afterlife existence.

(*You'd think that the name of the series would clue people in.)

The notion that death represents, within the context of said setting, the ultimate end was already softly contradicted by the original game's narrative, and then (because that was apparently too subtle for some people) flat-out annihilated by the existence and events of Advent Children. It should have long since ended this nonsense. But somehow, it didn't. These revelations, obvious though they are, remain ignored for some reason. And so, the cycle of willful ignorance continues.

But we're not done yet. We now move on to more tangential, but still relevant arguments against this line of "reasoning".

Part 3. Stop Hitting Yourself: Why "but she ded tho" is insulting to everyone

And I do mean everyone. Let's examine this, shall we?

It's insulting to Cloud.

To suggest that he loses interest in Aerith the moment she sinks beneath the waters, or that he is obligated to move on simply because she is no longer among the living, with no mourning period, no time to work through his guilt and grief, is to portray him as shallow and uncaring, something that goes against virtually all the characterization that he's been given throughout the story. The line of thinking apparently goes "Well, she's gone. That sucks. She was cute, too. Better move on to the next available piece of meat."

Sounds pretty gross when you write the quiet part out loud, doesn't it?

It's insulting to Aerith.

"Didn't even toss the b@#h a Phoenix Down, just dumped'er in the water LAWL"

I'm sure you've all come across comments like that at some point, usually originating from some errant redditor or blogger. Thinking themselves fine fellows and enlightened, above-it-all gadflies, they provide us at length with this and other prime specimens of 14 year-old internet edgelord "humour" that carries about as much edge as a perfect sphere. Remarks like these serve little purpose beyond confirming my suspicion that our fandom is indeed plagued with illiterates who can't tell the difference between the terms "revive" and "resurrect", and insist on conflating game mechanics with storytelling. And you wonder why some people are confounded by words like "flammable" and "inflammable".

(All right, I'll put the salt down. For now.)

"The party's designated white mage dies, oh no, that's so sad, boo-hoo, life goes on," I hear you say.

But boiling Aerith's role down to one of merely that of a temporary party member who kicks the bucket halfway through the story, never to be heard from again, both cheapens her purpose within the larger narrative and denies the clear effect that she continues to exert, directly and indirectly, on it and the other characters after her passing.

Though Aerith may have departed the world of the living, the story makes it abundantly clear that her influence on it has not ended. There are hints here and there that she still tries to assist her friends from the afterlife. As an example, when the party rediscovers Cloud in Mideel after assuming that he might be lost for good, a villager sums it up best with the following remark: "That boy must have one hell of a guardian angel."

It's only mentioned as a vague hint in the original story, but it is clear that some beneficent force is acting on Cloud and Tifa's behalf, aiding them in their survival and uniting them in the Lifestream in order to help Cloud recover his memories. Later supplemental material confirms that to have been Aerith's doing. If that's not enough to convince you, though, the original game's ending leaves little room for ambiguity as to Aerith's continuing influence. When Holy sputters and fails, she coaxes the Lifestream itself to intervene, burning away the calamitous meteorite, helping her friends put an end to the planetary crisis long after her own demise. I suppose the lesson here for silver-haired godhead wannabe villains is this: Strike her down, and she shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.

So the idea that Aerith's participation in the story immediately comes grinding to a halt upon her death is both puerile and easily demonstrated to be false. But even if that were the case, downplaying her lingering influence on Cloud and the other characters in this manner would still be ignoring the creators' intent. Whether one interprets Cloud and Aerith's relationship as romantic or merely platonic, it is clear that her death, the loss of one of his closest allies, is something that wounds him deeply, and scars him forever. Two years on, he still pines for her company and desires her forgiveness for his perceived failures. She clearly occupies a special place in his heart, and her memory and legacy live on within him, spurring him on as he wanders the planet, searching for some way to meet her again, defying the impossible. (Which, as we all know, isn't going to happen. This is, after all, Final Gritty Reality we're talking about here.)

Ah, but all of this is a moot point, you say? Even if he did wish to be with her, preferring the company of the last Cetra over that of his childhood friend… well, too bad. That's no longer an option. We can spout all of this verbiage about "soul pain" this and "star-crossed lovers" that, but at the end of the day, Aerith is still dead, and that's that. At least, that's what ardent CloTi fans will insist, no matter what. So, what is Tifa to Cloud, then, by their own logic?

Which brings us to perhaps our most salient, and most overlooked point, at least as far as CloTi shippers are concerned. If all that wasn't enough for you, you may want to consider that it's deeply insulting to Tifa, as well. Grievously so, in fact. Quite possibly more so than any other character in this whole equation. And the reason why should be plain as day if you stop to think about it for a fraction of a second.

Here's the thing… if you can't articulate why you think Cloud would prefer to be with Tifa in spite of Aerith being alive, then you are essentially declaring her the "winner" by default on no other merits than the fact that she's still sucking down air. Stating "but she ded bro" means relegating Tifa to the role of a consolation prize. I don't think I could ever hurl such a staggering insult towards her as her biggest fans keep doing, without even realizing they're doing it.

Ask yourselves, is that really what you want for your supposed favourite character? To frame her as being doomed to eternally play second fiddle to her fallen friend? Cloud's "plan B"? The "side piece"? Someone who only stands a chance if her rival in love is literally six feet under? I'm sure she'd be thrilled by the high regard in which her own fans seem to hold her. (Hey, you said it, not me. It's not my fault if you don't take the time to actually consider the ramifications of what rolls off your keyboard. But by all means, keep insulting your own favorite character just to put down a ship you don't like.)

In closing, if we unearth the subtext and reframe it to highlight what people are, in essence, saying, it's this: "It's a good thing that she-who-shall-not-be-named bit the dust, because otherwise our beloved Best Girl Tifa (tm) wouldn't stand a chance."

It's a simple enough question: Why do you think that Cloud and Tifa belong together? What, in your mind, makes them a good fit for each other?

"Well, the competish is dead." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for your best girl, now is it?

Part 4. "Heads, I Win. Tails, You Lose": A brief word on hypocrisy

In fandom, it's often the loudest and most obnoxious voices who tend to drown out the more reasonable ones, those of fans who are just minding their own business and grooving on the thing that they like. Which, unfortunately, renders this next part a necessary component of the greater argument that I'm trying to make. Multishippers and sane, reasonable CloTi and Zerith fans may consider themselves exempted from the following harangue.

The rest of y'all, buckle up.

The too-oft repeated refrain of "but she ded tho" entails a twofold hypocrisy. The first part is:

Case of Tifa: Fan hypocrisy regarding death.

Strident anti-Clerith fans, with their usual level of maturity, will often bring up Aerith's demise in a gleeful, mocking tone that can best be summed up as "ding dong, the witch is dead!" And if the shoe were on the other foot? If their Best Girl Tifa (tm) were the one pushing up daisies instead of Miz Gainsborough? Would they be quite so cavalier in their attitudes?

Who wants to bet that these fans wouldn't be making this "argument" so loudly if it was their ship that was in question? Consider this scenario: Suppose that the remake trilogy does the unthinkable and has Tifa die in Aerith's place. What then? Would they accept that "but she ded tho" is, at best, a double-edged sword, one that applies equally to their own favourite ship were their fortunes to be reversed?

Something tells me that's not the case.

But if you think that's hypocritical, you ain't seen nothing yet. This first point pales in comparison to…

The Zerith Exemption: Fan hypocrisy regarding the afterlife.

You know what my favourite thing about this whole debacle is? When people inform me that because they are separated by death, Cloud and Aerith have no hope of ever being together again. They will then unironically pivot to shipping Zack and Aerith, two characters who are together in the MOTHERFUCKING AFTERLIFE.

It's wild. How do you even compress that much cognitive dissonance into one skull? We're talking about mind-melting, Olympic medal-worthy levels of mental gymnastics here.

Now, before someone accuses me of being morose, I'm not suggesting that Cloud hop off the nearest cliff just to be with his beloved (Aerith would not approve of him throwing his life away, for one), just that when he reaches the end of his natural life (which may not be too long, given the cells eating away at his body), he can finally be reunited with her in the afterlife.

Many ardent CloTi shippers see themselves as bound by law to uphold Zerith as a shield against the dreaded Clerith plague. But to proclaim, implicitly or explicitly, that the afterlife encompasses one but not the other is not an idea that can be taken seriously. It remains an utterly bizarre blind spot, one that beggars belief.

On a related note, there is the infamous misconception that is…

Part 5. The ZaCloud Fallacy

While this is not directly related to my main point, I nonetheless find myself compelled to address this issue. There is a long-standing confusion that bedevils our fandom, one that has its roots in the Shipping Wars (tm). I am, of course, referring to the ZaCloud Fallacy.

We owe this particular misapprehension to Crisis Core, a prequel/gaiden game that was released ten years after the original FFVII. Already, its existence can mess up the timeline, so to speak, as, strangely, people tend to treat it as a sequel rather than a prequel, and as though it were adding new and vital building blocks to the world of FFVII instead of merely distorting the original story while retreading it with a far less interesting cast of characters. It also retcons major elements of the original story that it shouldn't have (such as the events taking place in Nibelheim five years prior to the main narrative), lazily steals Clerith scenes only to rehash them with Zack and Aerith, and forces players to endure, at length, crimes against literature, courtesy of Genesis.

It's an odd prequel, to say the least, given how heavily it relies on the original story for context. Sequentially, it may take place before FFVII, but it can only be fully appreciated with the original in mind; it cannot be treated as a stand-alone story. The worst thing about Crisis Core existing is that playing it first can outright ruin people's perception of the original narrative by spoiling several major plot elements and even lessening them in the process. Crisis Core's writers are especially guilty of cheapening dramatic moments like Zack's last stand by transforming it from a quiet, tragic, harrowing scene about sacrifice to an utterly over-the-top and emotionally overwrought trainwreck. It all merely serves to add to the confusion, especially for gamers who started with this title instead of the original.

But if that were not enough, Crisis Core's reckless meddling with the story combined with the acrimonious and all-consuming nature of the shipping wars has resulted in one of the most nonsensical misconceptions in the entire fandom. During Crisis Core's ending, Zack implores Cloud to carry on his legacy, thus giving rise to the erroneous assumption that Cloud's behaviour in disc 1 is merely that of him "being Zack". Clerith-hating fans, in particular, pounced on this idea as a way to put a safe distance between him and Aerith, characterizing their interactions, whether platonic or romantic, as merely a case of Cloud utilizing Zack's memories and personality around her (Never mind that Zack and Cloud's personalities are as different as night and day).

It is a fundamental and willful misreading of the story, a gross oversimplification of a more complex and granular truth in service of a fan-originated meta-narrative, one that has been assembled in order to reach the conclusion that Cloud and Aerith's relationship is null and void, and that therefore the romance between him and Tifa remains unchallenged. (Never mind that the story is intended as more than just some playground tug-of-war romance). To maintain this lie is to do violence to the story by destroying Cloud's character arc and reducing him to a virtual non-entity until the very end of the game.

Having already been rebuked in regards to this pervasive delusion, certain fans have tried to hedge their bets by suggesting a second, more advanced version of this idea. ZaCloud Fallacy 2.0, if you will, which states that Cloud is only in Zack Mode (tm) when he's around Aerith. I don't even know what to say about that sort of nonsense. To paraphrase Charles Babbage, I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such an assertion.

I'd go into this in more detail, but YouTube creator LinkOnTheBrink has already covered this topic extensively in their superlative video essay "How Shipping Can Ruin a Narrative".

It may seem like I'm trashing Zack or Zerith here, but I'm really not. That was never my intent. So let me be clear about this: I like Zack. I just hate Crisis Core and what it's done to this fandom. If you prefer CloTi and Zerith to everything else, I don't much mind. Ultimately, this isn't about shipping wars nonsense, but protecting the narrative from such nonsense.

And that leads us to…

Part 6. I Against I: Where the fandom went wrong

We all know that the infamous FFVII Shipping Wars (tm) are as stupid as they are inescapable. Anyone who's spent any time at all within this fandom has inevitably run afoul of them and their detritus at some point, whether they've chosen to participate in them or abstain from the whole debacle. But there's a reason why this acrimonious dispute has raged on for as long as it has. Much like Blade Runner fans would argue until they were blue in the face about whether or not Deckard was a replicant, fans of this story have been squabbling about CloTi versus Clerith for ages for similar reasons. (Zerith got roped in as a "political wedge", I would argue, as much as a pairing in its own right.)

It's more than just a war over shipping, it's a war over canonization, over character motivation and psychology. Of how we ultimately interpret the story and its characters. Given the vagueness of the story's ending, one can't help but wonder and speculate as to how everyone ended up afterwards. (Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus may have offered some answers, but they still largely sidestep these questions in a noncommittal, to-be-continued manner.)

The problem is that, for many fans, it isn't possible to simply say "It's my preference" and be done with the matter. Unlike most rarepairs and bananas pairings like Cait x Jenova, CloTi and Clerith remain hotly contested because they go beyond mere shipping, or even aesthetic preference, or which characters one most identifies with; they lie at the core of how we perceive the story and its inhabitants. In that sense, I don't consider it to be an entirely frivolous debate, just an unsolvable one.

So, what's the answer?

There's this long-standing piece of received wisdom about JRPGs vs. WRPGs, where the latter involves more freedom at the expense of focused storytelling, and vice versa. This idea might hold true to some extent, but it is not some iron law that must be obeyed without question. For a game like FFVII, choices that radically affect the narrative structure would be considered an aberration and not the norm. And yet, it might represent the only way out of this quagmire that doesn't involve throwing half the fandom under the bus in the process.

For me, Mass Effect and similar titles (e.g., Quest for Glory) have already presented an obvious solution: Let the players choose. (There is already some precedent in the form of the Gold Saucer scene, although it ultimately doesn't change the outcome of the story all that much.) It may not be a perfect solution, but I'd argue that it's far better than leaving one side out in the cold. At least this way, everyone gets something.

"Ah, but this is not feasible," I hear you respond. "Not for an Eastern-style RPG, at least. Only one of these pairings can be correct, and one must, above all, respect the creator's vision."

Yeah, look where that got us.

Part 7. As You Like It: Ship whatever you please (just stop this nonsense)

I realize that this little essay of mine has been digressive, rudimentary, rambling, extemporaneous, and scattershot. So let me try to reach some kind of meaningful conclusion here.

Much of this anti-Clerith rhetoric we've seen over the years seems to stem from a place of insecurity, whether it's murmuring "but she ded tho", claiming that Cloud was only ever Zack in disc 1, inventing a fictional sex scene underneath the Highwind from whole cloth, and so on… The thing is, there is no need for it. Clerith and CloTi both exist canonically. Even the game manual says as much, describing Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith's relationship as a love triangle. In other words, the love triangle is what's canon, and the rest is by and large up for interpretation. (Zerith also canonically exists, and we've known this since the OG.)

The true reason why this whole disagreement has gone on for eternity, I suspect, has less to do with any debate over canonicity alone than it does the sheer enmity and pettiness that it has continued to spark for so long. It has metastasized over the years, going from being a mere squabble over which pair is canon to an exercise in holding the other side in contempt. That endless cycle of disrespect and reprisals is undoubtedly where it all went wrong in the first place. (If I had a nickel for every time someone commented "but she ded tho" or "wHy iS zAcK bLoNd iN tHiS pIc?" when someone posts a piece of Clerith fan art, I'd have a pretty nice collection of coins by now.)

Obviously, we should all try to just click off when we encounter content that we dislike, but it's not always easy, especially when something we harbour a strong aversion to is so deeply enmeshed within something that we do enjoy. And so, our fight-or-flight instinct kicks in. Before you ask, yes, I'm as guilty of that as anyone else.

Still, I firmly believe that the occasional olive branch can go a long way. So let me simply say that I have the utmost respect for Tifa and Zack. They are worthy characters in their own right. So create and share all the CloTi/Zerith fan works your little hearts desire. Hire a fleet of skywriters to declare Zerith your favourite couple. Throw a giant CloTi parade through the middle of Times Square. We don't mind. Honestly.

As stated above, whether it's CloTi, Clerith, or Zerith, you can stop fretting over which one is canon; they all are. The other three permutations (Zakkura, Zifa, AerTi) don't get much in the way of canon acknowledgement, but they probably should at this point.

In the end, this is about saving the narrative from the shipping wars, as much as anything else. To say that you prefer CloTi or something else to Clerith is fine. To assert that Clerith doesn't exist in any form, however, is where I begin to take exception.

Ultimately, I say ship what you like. All I ask is that you retire this sort of narrative-wasting nonsense. It's time we threw it into the garbage can of gaming history where it belongs. As for questions of motives, character interpretation, canonization, and so forth… if we cannot reach an accord, then let us at least try for a more amicable disagreement.

As for my fellow Clerith supporters, the next time you see the withered old canard that is "but she ded tho" being bandied about in the wild, feel free to laugh and treat it with the derision and contempt that it so richly deserves.

#final fantasy vii #ffvii #ffvii rebirth #final fantasy vii rebirth #final fantasy 7 remake #clerith #cloud x aerith #rant #final gritty reality #but she ded tho #spoilers

62 notes · View notes

suorgummiis · 6 days ago

Text

"La vergüenza del sol y de su resplandor se ve opacado a tu lado"

OUGH!! I FINALLY FINISHED IT I THJNK! 1!1! 🐱 theres alot of mistakes but this is my first time actually trying!! rarararara

AND THE LAST PART IS PRETTY BAD BECAUSE IM SEPERATLY RENDERING IT!! Its also very short because i have things to do for my friends grgrhdhdhsh

ef- me!!

riri - @sasaleletrebol

#ef au #sans oc #undertale #utmv #sourgummiis #utau #undertaleau #sans ship #sanshipping

12 notes · View notes

pawborough · 8 months ago

Text

May 2024 Check In

Hello, all!

Thank you for keeping up with our development! Let's jump right in on what we've been working on!

We have received over 400 applications for Alpha testing. We are currently on track for a June start date, and we’ll divulge the gritty details of where we're at in development at the end of this update.

However, we had mentioned a fauna present going to chosen volunteers in exchange for the requested labor.

We wanted to give everyone a peak! Introducing…

Nephrune

Design and illustration by Hydde

Researchers are not certain if this legendary creature truly exists or if it is a fable-born myth, but folklore says the Nephrune slumbers underground among the earthen bounties. As the only natural creature made entirely of crystalline inorganics, legend has it that this mighty beast is the mother of all magics in Mewmoia. Its awakening would spell disaster.

It is worth mentioning once again that Alpha volunteering will not be the only way to obtain a Nephrune. We plan to have this fauna setup as an exclusive incentive for bug hunting and reporting (a bug bounty) in the future. We do not intend to permanently retire the beast, however it will be rare.

New Icons

Turmeric, Ink Jar, Lotus, Basil, Rosemary, Sage, and Oregano illustrated by Tybaxel

New Accessories

We have continued accessory illustration! Last month, we previewed the fourth set of our catalog:

The Woolen set!

Illustration by Remmie

Alongside, we have continued working on backer accessories!

It has been our goal to develop several points of synergy in the aesthetics of our accessories. This includes backer accessories. As it turns out, several backer accessories worked together well enough to commit to one more set.

The Regal set!

Illustration by Hydde

The Regal Crown and the Pheonix Mantle were both concepted and sponsored by SolsticeStar and Ralsha respectively. We've added to their concepts to create a versatile outfit!

We also have further renders of the Kickstarter item:

Necromantic Cloak

Illustration by Hydde

Dynamic Accessorizing

We wanted to take a moment to briefly talk about the dynamic layering we’ve implemented in accessories!

We’ve implemented a system which allows the back of accessories to layer behind accessories they're on top of.

What this means: Socks will layer over the back hem of boots while remaining under the boot, items with back capes like the Necromantic Cloak can have poofy pants under them without clipping, wigs can be worn under hats or hoods without clipping the back brim, and the list goes on!

It's a small QoL addition, but it makes layered outfits much easier to construct!

Sol Site Theme

Daily Duties

Next, take a look at our designs for play of the Territory Grounds section!

NOTE: These are early concept mockups, and still need significant tweaking before final approval!

Performing a cat’s daily duty in your Territory is a consistent way for your camp to get item resources.

Cats can participate in a number of different daily activities in order to gain different items. Hunting will gain items like the Common Mouse, while fishing will gain items like the Red Snapper.

How well your cat does at a duty will depend on their statistics! In addition to playing the Guild, a cat which frequently does activities will raise their statistics.

However, we wanted to make this process customizable and streamlined.

Which is why we designed territory parties! You can create and save a party of cats with a certain territory activity, then send all the party cats on their daily duties at once.

This way, if you really need meat items, you can choose to send all your cats hunting without painstakingly clicking several times. You can curate a consistent daily gain pool while at any time choosing to deviate from it!

Parties are also versatile. Even if a cat has already been sent on a different duty, you may still send the party without that cat.

This system will need testing to find any kinks or pain points, but our goal is to reduce the amount of clicking while still requiring some resource management strategy from the user!

Map of Mewmoia

Above is the political map which presents Borough boundaries, however we also present a climate map, which outlines the conditions of each location:

Map illustration by Hydde

Lore is finally something we can take some time to focus on.

Refreshing and lengthening the writing found on our original prototype website is now being done. We have mockups for a better, interactive lore page!

However, we must stress that this page does not take precedent over the game itself, so while we can communicate that its on our radar, we can't promise it before delivering on MVP mechanics.

Speaking of lore…

The Metropolis Logo

Illustration edits by Tybaxel The moon has now been better placed to represent the eyeshine, and a World Spire has been made front and center. This tower is sculpted to resemble a cat’s pupil, thus better fitting in with the other simplistic yet intentional visuals.

The Metropolis will have its visuals updated on our demo website during our next improvement push!

Development Update

So where are we on development?

Well, recently we wrapped up Alpha combat development. This includes movement, conditions, tile generation, NPC behaviors, item use, and combat abilities.

Introducing Errands

Take a peak at Errands, which is the Alpha version of the multiplayer Missions.

Errands are smaller, short-term jobs that only one cat may go on. They take 1-3 minutes (VS. Missions taking 10-20 minutes) and will similarly have different objectives to accomplish.

Going on an errand will still gain you experience, items, currency, and help you raise the rank of your Team, but they are tailored towards casual play. While missions will be available for longer play-sessions, errands are for when you want to do something smaller!

Here you can see the method of browsing errands. Current errands can be refreshed via clearing all of them, re-checking the next day, or a premium instant refresh. Errands can also be clipped and saved for later if you don't want to start them immediately, but see one you're intrigued by!

Dev Progress Check

Going forward, the big things we are currently working on, in order:

Daily Duties

Forums

Item Integration

Player to player trade; markets and currency

Dashboard Functionality

Cooking / Crafting Functionality

After which, all further features will be additional buffs to the loop and QoL features. Things such as a player and Team notebook to post and feature journal entries, aesthetic buffs to the scene builder (color tints on items, shadow tints, etc.), mobile QoL, the achievement badge system, a tagging system, and integrating multiplayer combat functionality.

These additions are all things we hope to prioritize adding over the lifespan of our beta!

Wahoo! Lots of good things! Everyone on the team is buzzing with excitement over how close we're getting to something fully playable. Thank you for being along for the ride!

To Summarize: We showed the Nephrune, new accessory sets and accessory dynamics, the Sol site theme, Territory Ground play, the Site Map, a new Metropolis logo, Errand setup, and the check-in for where we are in mechanic development.

What to expect next month: Alpha functionality, further asset renderings, potential recolors, potential Moontail update!

#kickstarter update #paw borough #virtual pet #indie game #pet site #pawborough #art update #development update

53 notes · View notes

petra-creat0r · 11 months ago

Text

Chapter 5 Secret Boss Prediction

Ohohohoh boy! Finally got to this one. I've been just sort ruminating on this boss for a while. The only thing I knew for the longest time is I'm at least 60% confident that chapter 5 will happen in the Flower Shop? But then what could be abandoned, discarded, or unwanted in a greenhouse/flower shop? Weeds? Mushrooms? Well I guess? Lotta flowers and though the mushroom idea was enticing at first, I couldn't wrap my head around a good idea for it. There was also the thing with this boss likely having the blue soul mode, and possibly having a reference or allusion to Papyrus (or Sans ig but Paps uses the blue soul mode first). But then also also with this being Asgore's flower shop and Asriel possibly being involved, there's the chance it could be based on Flowery, but then- And you can start to see why this took me so long.

EVENTUALLY, I came up with the idea of an abandoned toy soldier, lost among the plants and eventually taken over by them. There was also some talk about it being a nutcracker or garden gnome instead, but toy solider won over. Nutcracker felt too similar to Spamton and I just couldn't really get the garden gnome to vibe right. Anyways! Like two, three weeks ago I managed to sketch a design I kinda liked before trying to think on it more. Still not the boss I'm proudest off, but everyone, met The Great and Mighty Veratus! (Name subject to change if I can find a better one.)

(Once again, theme commissioned by my good friend @kierangecko)

Veratus, from verrat (German for traitor), ratus (latin for rat) and a corruption of veritas (truth). I think the thing I was struggling with for the longest time was the name. It needed to fit with the other names, and also sound good with the title of "The Great" (because Papyrus reference). Like I mentioned before though, that name is subject to change if I come up with something better.

Like I've mentioned with the other two, I know this is no where close to what we'll actually get, but all of this is just for fun and so I have some secret bosses to draw my Junior Secret Squad kiddies with. Once we DO finally get chapter 5, Veratus will likely just become one of the secret bosses of Fool's Fate.

Now, backstory under the cut.

A solider from a distant land, Veratus found himself stranded in this dark world after the Great Divide. His king and fell soldiers in arms falling back and leaving him for dead. At the mercy of the Flower Kingdom's new ruler and its army.

Luckily for Veratus, the Knight chose not to bother killing the lone soldier, thinking that the side effects of the Divide would render the rat to stone soon. Yet for some reason, Veratus did not become stone...

Alone and outcast in a world not his own, Veratus was eventually found by a man. A strange someone whom some had theorized brought forth the Great Divide. The man cast pity on Veratus, and offered the stranded soldier his help. The opportunity to blend into this world and infiltrate Knight's army in exchange for his loyalty and help getting close to Knight. Veratus agreed.

Veratus's fur became overtaken with moss and his body with vines, though it might have been painful it did make him look like a rather convincing part of this floral Dark World. In addition to this transformation, the man also opened Veratus's mind to the reality of his existence, as the man had with the rest of his pawns.

Veratus was able to infiltrate Knight's army and climb up the ranks thanks to the assistance of the man, only to be left behind and forgotten once again once the man was able to get close to his true target. Disappearing and leaving a Roaring Knight in his place. Without the man, the cracks in Veratus's facade began to show and it didn't take long for the rat to be ratting out as a rat. the Knight's army tried to kill him, but something kept him from falling. The plants consuming his body wouldn't let him die. So instead, the opposing army cast the lone solider out. Exiling him back to a life of solitude.

Until another knight and their friends arrived in the kingdom...

#deltarune #deltarune chapter 5 #deltarune fan character #deltarune predictions #deltarune secret boss #veratus #deltarune oc #petra's deltarune take #deltarune au #dr flowerworld #petra art

67 notes · View notes

rex101111 · 2 months ago

Text

More stuff for the Baiken Game I Will Never Make. This time some funny Achievement names because those are always fun and some extra gameplay ideas.

Okay first, building on the idea for a Super Meter, each Demon Tool has a Special Attack (Overdrive) that costs half a meter and does something unique for each Tool. You can increase how much Meter you have by collecting stuff (Prayer Beads maybe? Increase Health by collecting Statues of various creatures, probably Asuras.)

The Claw pulls you in for a whirling attack you can follow up with a combo, the gun fires multiple shells with bigger AOE, the big sword (Yozansen) does two slashes instead of one as a good combo ender to send enemies flying etc etc.

With full Meter you can string specific Supers together one after the other. Using the same Super more then twice in a row halves the power and then again until you do at least two other different supers.

The main katana also has a Super based on her usual three hit Overdrive that takes full Meter and does a ton of damage, holding the input during boss fights when a boss' health is below about 15% or so lets you do an instant kill, based on Baiken's IK from Rev2 but rendered uniquely for each boss. You're wide open during the activation so choose your moment carefully.

Okay enough gameplay stuff time for Funny (citation needed) Achievement Names!

1. Get The Gears Turning: Wake up and finish Anji tutorial.

2. You. Over Here. Get.: Receive the Chain Claw.

3. Feelin' Lucky: Receive the Fireworks Musket.

4. Speak Softly: Receive the Spike Mace.

5. Slab Of Iron: Receive the Great Sword.

6. Give 'er A Spin: Receive the Spinning Blade.

7. Nothing Up Your Sleeve: Use three different Demon Tools to beat a single enemy.

8. SLASH!: Defeat an enemy with an Overdrive.

9. Predictable: Perform a counter/parry a total of 50 times.

10. Living For The Moment: Perform a parry 15 times in a row. (AN: Remember that one achievement in Bayonetta 1 where you had to perfect parry 3 times in a row. And it was ass because the input was like frame perfect? Feel my pain. Anyways there's an enemy type that has a flurry attack that hits 15 times exactly and if you go full Daigo and follow up with a Super you kill it on the spot.)

11. DESTROYED!: Perform an Instant Kill on a boss.

12. Seven Golden Letters: Beat a boss without taking damage.

13. A Momentary Peace: Beat the game on Normal.

14. Six Mon For Lord Enma: Beat the game on Hard.

15. Mirror Of A Broken World: Beat the game on Very Hard.

16. Strike and Sheath: Beat the game on Instant Kill difficulty.

17. Eternal Karma: Beat the game on Road To Naraka.

18. Skin Of Your Teeth: Beat a level using the Broken Katana.

Some Boss Achievements~ (a few scattered half baked Gear boss ideas plus a few interesting match and bonus stuff)

19. No Sake Needed: Slay the Eight-Headed Gear. (Gear that looks like Yamata-no-Orochi. Natch.)

20. Flash Of Lightning: Humble the young Crusader. (Young Ky boss fight where he tries to preach to Baiken about the Cause, very quick and agile, cutscene after boss is Baiken punching him in the nose.)

21. An Old Blade: Repel the Veteran Crusader. (Kliff boss a few chapters after Ky, wants to see what his protege was going on about. Heavy damage lots of health, second phase has him going Young and being much faster. Ends with Baiken knocking him away and running.)

22. Eye For An Eye: Lose yourself to the blood, the anger, the pain. For the first time, and not the last. (The chapter where bandits ambush an exhausted Baiken, break her one arm and sword, and she goes feral. Ends with her ripping the bandit leader's throat out.)

23. Never To Meet Again: Survive Justice. (Hopeless Boss against Justice. Gotta have that gut punch.)

24. Fire Of Corruption: Strike out against The Original Gear. (Final Boss Sol. Win and he goes Dragon Install and forces Baiken to retreat. Her goal of revenge still hanging heavy after failing to kill Justice herself.

Secret boss Achievements~~

25. A Promise Kept: See how serious a friend can be. (Anji bonus boss where he actually tries to beat you.)

26. Symphony After Dark: Fight a Gentleman. Ferocious and quick and strong. How Very Dandy. (Slayer bonus boss. As ridiculous and difficult as you would imagine.)

27. In Awe Of The Dawn: Face The Maiden Of The Grove. (Dizzy bonus boss. Though technically its a fight against Necro and Undine while Dizzy tries to help you calm them down.)

28. Requiem For The Midnight Carnival: Overcome the onslaught of the Witch. (I-No bonus boss. Absolutely insane bullet hell bullshit in an action game. Deliberately and explicitly unfair. Just like she always is.)

29. Time Exile: Confront an image of your past self. Accept, and overcome. (Mirror Baiken bonus boss babyyyy)

Now for a few special secret bonus things I thought of~

30. The Other Side Of The Mirror: Listen to Anji's side of the story. (Beating the game on Very Hard unlocks a short Anji Campaign! Mostly just battle areas for you to try his moveset out. Doesn't have Demon Tools but has his dodge from Strive with all the follow ups and a ton of I-Frames.)

31. Bedtime Story: Wake up from a very sweet dream. (After finishing both the main game and Anji's campaign on Very Hard, you unlock Delilah's What If. Another side campaign where you fight as the Very Broken Delilah in a boss rush where it ends with Delilah musing on how she wished Baiken had someone who helped her like she helped Delilah.)

32. The Lonely Blade: Get every other Achievement.

#Guilty gear #baiken #baiken action game #man its fun to come back to this every now and again

7 notes · View notes