#but i hate how ppl assume its a typical romance

[themindelectricdemo4]

i got a new roommate thre other went aaway..........she is so wonderful & nice to me. her name is very cute too. she is epic hope hses hanving a fangtastic week

[collegetennisoriginstory]

So, I was romancing Sam on every playthrough but decided to branch out finally, and now I have a tier list; ‼️Potential spoilers‼️

Tobin: By far my favorite RO. I typically don't like the archetype of "brooding ro and their charming ro counterpart" It just doesn't interest me as someone who has seen a lot of het romances employ this trope. But giving Tobin the chance they deserve and finding that I like how they respond to my MC's own flirtatious nature and then discovering how they feel about my MC being the same gender, just adds an extra layer of interest for me that I appreciated. They're kind, considerate, and very thoughtful of their friends. Very quickly blew the rest of the competition out of the water for me. I think their mindset when it comes to tennis explains why they're not the no.1 Seed despite being the captain of the team, and it honestly surprised me. I think the full weight of their route is explored best when MC is similarly looking to go pro as it parallels Rayyan nicely. Their kidness is the space they give you is born from experience and the fear of doing to MC what was done to them and I just eat that stuff up. Also it is very rare to have a black RO who is treated with any level of depth, and I just 🥹love that we Tobin.

Rayyan: In a surprise twist, Rayyan gets the second spot for similar reasons as Tobin. I think the enemies to friends to lovers(partners) arc that is presented in their story is intriguing. Like Sam, they have a level of history with the MC that makes them familiar when heading into the new space, so I made it a habit to stay near them when at all possible. Rayyan isn't particularly cold, or as cold as ppl might assume, I think they have a very good balance of being a sort of quiet and reserved person that still manages to be personable. I feel that playing like I do, my MC might've come off as flippant to them, which only adds to the anxiety that they feel going into this season. Their struggle of being visually Arab in a world and country that sees non whiteness as punishable is very felt. It's really special to me that the two most prominent ROs are dark skinned people of color. Sorry for being biased, but even when I wasn’t actively romancing them, they got major points for that.

Sam: My baby gets the third spot and I think that's fair. What i adored about Sam is the pining of a friends to lovers story. I never make the first move with Sam, despite playing very flirty, bc I see my MC with not having to put up a front with Sam. So the things they do or say that signify to others that my MC is looking for something physical aren't used with Sam; they believe MCs closeness with them is strictly platonic while my MC believes that Sam has been lightly rejecting this whole time. Just something about those missed connections get to me. (Also, the varcity jackets!? So cute) Now, Sam loses points due to being away at another university for a majority of the story thys far. Which made me wonder if placing them in a new environment with MC might change things for them. Everything IS different now; so, who is to say that their relationship hasn't run its course? Juicy, but due to lack of presence, I'll keep them at 3rd.

G: They're French. Automatically, a point is taken off. They're also very sexy as a woman (my MC is a they/them lesbian) so I felt that, to remain true to character, I would have to ignore that and see what G has going on. Ngl, they do sort of play out like a romance novel character in the most obvious way so far 😭 no hate though. I just couldn't not think about "Oh, you sexy French student." Whenever they said anything. Smoldering looks from across the room at a crowded college party, like okay 400 days of summer <3. I think they're rather perfect for players who are looking for some steam outside of the locker room. They have the same issue as Sam, as in, they're not present in the locker room. They're not our teammate, so we don't really get the same level of relationship building with them as u would a Rayyan or Tobin. And I don't think that's a bad thing necessarily. I feel that speaks to the amount of work put in to make the team feel real and not just thrown together characters. Once I started to romance my teammates, I found it hard to flirt with anyone else, as I felt that they just didn't understand my MC on the same level.

Felix: ngl, they'd have to get security to get me off them, I have this burning rage in my heart whenever they show up. "🤼‍♂️ This is for Tobin, Cakepop‼️" I am sure there is indeed depth to them as a character, I am sure it hurts to hear someone say "I can not love you the way you want me to." And we are only human, we don't always behave the way we want to. But Felix makes my nipple itch they just remind me of men who just hold this anger for their exes unreasonably. I think there is an interesting parallel to be found in a Tobin route MC and Felix. I just don't have the language to put it together bc I will never romance them and I don't think I ever will, personally just can't bring myself to do so. They are what I felt Rayyan would be, and I'm fine with meeting them with hostility.

All in all, I'm glad I branched out to see what the other ROs were like it's definitely a testament to ur hard work and is greatly appreciated. I will continue to be messy and kiss Tobin, Rayyan, and Sam because I am toxic aim to be a learning experience, not a lover 🫶🏽

Oh my god~ It was so interesting to see your gradual evolution / journey through pursuing the different ROs.

I think it's really interesting in particular to see how Tobin's character is sort of 'hidden' beneath multiple layers, and you have to really work at unpeeling those layers, and it's really rewarding as a writer to see that route 'give' readers so much unexpected joy.

And, of course — I have a soft spot for stoic / unexpressive, overly-competitive, serious characters who are secretly just a giant sap. For Rayyan in particular, I think their drive to excel at tennis is counter-balanced against their loyalty, their ride-or-die-ness with the people they love. I love the extra bit of psychoanalysis that you did regarding Rayyan's anxiety about MC not taking tennis seriously, which is fine on its own, but really becomes an issue if they're partnered.

Sam having less 'screen-time' than the others is totally fair, and I think (or hope) will be made up for by the sheer amount of history they share.

As for the whole "French sexy" stereotype, I actually do think this is a crucial part of G's arc. The idea that perhaps they both see each other as 'archetypes' at the start (the jock-fling during one's exchange year, the sexy french exchange student), and then as they start understanding each other as real people, and then as they start (possibly) falling in love with each other (with all the eccentricities, all the imperfections), the relationship takes on more depth and dimension.

Finally, thank you so much for taking the time to explore all these different routes, and I'm so glad that doing so was rewarding for you :) I absolutely loved reading this message, so thank you also for sharing! It's always so fun listening to how different MCs, or different MC choices, and just different readers in general — have different takes on the ROs!

[silver-wield]

Omg. Your body language analysis is so on point it makes me go uwu. If you're still doing it, will you make one for the scene where Cloud catches Tifa while Barret shoots his damnest at the heli? I have my own analysis but very curious what's your take on it.

Heya, I'm guessing you don't mean the scene with the hand catch, but the one after it where they reach Barret's position on the stairs. Although I have many thoughts about Rude too and why he first of all directed Reno's attention to Tifa, but then noped them away when Reno was about to shoot her. He had an interesting microexpression – teeny facial tic – that hinted something different to the OG “he's crushing on her” angle.

A lot of these “action touches” get discounted by you-know-who because in those situations it's impossible not to touch? I don't get the reasoning and I'm not gonna try and figure out just what counts and what doesn't. It's non-optional. Isn't that the only argument that matters?

Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven't played (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it's gonna be a long one so prepare to scroll.

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) 

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) 

Now, strap in and enjoy the ride.

Quick recap. Cloud and Tifa are reunited after that hand catch scene (smug? Me? Nau) and they're heading up to find Barret after seeing Jessie “die”. The mood is not good. This is not romantic, okay? This is war.

Ok, so already we have touchy touching here. You can argue it's high tension/stress moment and Cloud is making sure Tifa's safe, but he doesn't do that with Barret, is all I'm saying.

Cloud's got hold of her entire arm, not just her wrist or hand, he's got hold of her as securely as possible giving they're in motion. He doesn't want to lose her. She's got her arm on him, braced and using his body as a shield, which he is clearly fine with because he positions her partly behind him while he turns to check the threat from the stairs – possible further collapse of the platform they're now on. He's protecting her. Obvs. I shouldn't have to spell this out. It's not romantic, but it's telling of their trust and reliance on each other as partners. This is a clear pair.

Ok, so moving on from Cloti – cause action scene and this isn't a romance game – we get Tifa hearing Barret behind her. She turns and there's her concern for her friend. Obviously, she cares. It's her entire motivation for leaving the safety at the bottom and hauling her ass up those stairs.

Her face here hits me hard in the feels. She's so grim and worried and doesn't want to lose anyone else. She's caught up to Cloud, but then she lost Jessie – right in front of her and she couldn't do a thing about it. Now, she sees Barret facing down a helicopter.

Take that in. It's a dude – ok he's got a machine gun on his arm – fighting military spec weaponry on a fucking helicopter. Of course she's frightened and worried that she's about to see him get shot. Someone else she couldn't save.

Remember, FF7 has themes of loss and failure. The heroes don't always win or if they do there's a cost. How much of that threads into Remake is still to be seen, but since this scene is following canon we can assume it stands for now.

Tifa's character is often motivated by the desire to not lose people. She even says as much to the Shinra middle manager that she doesn't want anyone else to die. She stops Cloud killing the security agents and Johnny. This is a girl who fights because she wants people to live, not die.

Ok, so now we've got her running to reach Barret, leaving the safety of her bolt hole beside Cloud, who immediately turns and is all wtf when he sees her playing chicken with a chopper. Tbf, Barret doesn't sound that pleased about it, either. It's a crazy impulsive move likely driven by the desire to not lose her friend. If they're together they can stop whatever's coming. Tifa is very teamwork oriented if you recall all her actions from chapter 3 and how demoralised she was when she had to agree to disagree with Avalanche.

Cloud for his part doesn't take too long to dive to the rescue again. I think by now he's pretty much fulfilled that childhood promise and this is way more than just helping out a colleague or friend. He's not hesitating for a second to put himself in front of her with nothing but a sword for a shield.

Sorry, I just stopped the vid on this moment and it looks so damn cool I couldn't resist adding it. All it does is reinforce the above statement that Cloud has zero reservations of putting himself between Tifa and certain death. He's her hero without even stopping to think about it. The framing is stunning. Barret in the background, Cloud in the middle distance and Tifa in the foreground. Cloud has lined himself up with Tifa so that she's as protected by his position as he could possibly get. That takes skill. Tifa's half crouched to make herself a smaller target, but Cloud's body language is open, defiant. He's basically saying “come at me”.

Ah and now I'm sure some people will be all “but Cloud left her in the middle of the platform”. Well, yes, it's called diversion. He's the bigger target, the better target. And by making the chopper follow his progress, he's taken its sights away from Tifa's position. It now has less chance of hitting her when it next fires. Remember, Cloud knows tactics. He's not a dumdum. You can see that on his face as he's deciding his next move. The chopper won't wait for him to stop and explain what he needs to do, it's gonna fire. He's gotta move quickly. He also needs to trust that Tifa can get herself out of trouble. So many people's complaints about how she's not a damsel and should take care of herself. Well, this is Cloud trusting her not to be a damsel. He helped her out, and now he's gotta rely on her helping herself too. If he took her by the hand at this moment and dragged her along with him, she probably would've died. Tifa got herself to his position alone, she's clearly capable. He knows how much ass she can kick.

After that we've got the typical checking for danger and guy banter. I'm loving the development of Cloud and Barret's relationship. They went from outright hating each other to friends over the course of this game. It's beautiful and develops even further in their resolution – I love their one, it's so sweet and sad and such a guy bonding moment. Male friendship is important too, especially to Cloud who doesn't have many friends.

Now, despite the banter, Cloud's head turns at this point, back to Tifa. He's made sure the immediate area is safe, checked in with Barret and now it's back to his primary focus.

I love that Barret calls himself the leading man. It reminds me of Balthier in FF12.

And you'll see that Barret is still in the middle of that line while Cloud is stretching his hand out for Tifa. Could be a “I gotta grab my teammate” move, but I mean, really? Are we that delusional? He didn't have to do any of this. He could've relied on Tifa to get herself over there and not put out a hand for her. Barret didn't grab him. You could say that Barret doesn't like Cloud enough for that, but it's a high action moment. They're comrades and being shot at. Any helping hand is appreciated. Maybe Barret thought Cloud was capable enough not to need help. But then wouldn't the same apply to Tifa? Why does she need helping just cause she's a woman? She can kick ass.

And what about Barret? His attention isn't on Tifa at all. His focus is the helicopter, so he's either relying on Tifa to be ok without that level of help or he's expecting Cloud to support her.

Yes, she is literally throwing herself into his arms. That's how much she trusts him to catch her. Again, Cloud is going for a full arm grab – a hand or wrist isn't secure enough in this situation and he wants to keep her safe.

Tifa. Well, she looks scared. Shocker. She just got shot at by a helicopter. Ofc she's scared and leaning on Cloud. She's taking strength and reassurance from him. I mean, she could've just grabbed his arm and pulled herself to safety. There's no need for this depth of touch.

You'll notice this all happens within miliseconds while Barret says that leading man line. This is very quick action, very decisive. No hesitation on anybody's part.

I mean, this is full upper body contact between them. I don't know what else to say about it. There's no need to get this close. He could've pulled her over and then let go. He didn't. They both prolonged contact. This is relief they're ok for the moment. They’re united in how they feel.

Oh look, eye contact. I've pointed out before that Cloud doesn't do eye contact with people very well, but he does with Tifa, no matter the situation. Looking at this I'm like damn get a room. It's an intense look between them and even though there's shit hitting the fan around them you can see they have attention for each other, too. He's pulled her to safety and now he's meeting her gaze to gauge if she's ok. She nods. He nods. Back to the action. They don't have time for a drawn out romantic bit. They've got more serious things to think about, but even during the most high tension action scenes they have this energy about them that speaks to their close bond and affection. He's comfortable with her touch in every situation – if I'm wrong about this then someone point it out to me so I can see plz. He's still got his hand on her after they separate from their action hug and then when he drops his hand he braces it against the pipe beside her. Still close to her, though not actually touching.

After Barret asks if they're ready, Cloud looks around then looks at Tifa again. Did he need to do that? Idk, but he didn't look at Barret before they hauled ass.

Conclusion:

Kinda obvious. Even in high tension situations Cloud has part of his attention on Tifa. He's hyper aware of where she is and whether she needs him at any given time. It's sweet af how much he focuses on being her hero without even really knowing why. This instinctive need to protect her comes from the real!Cloud part of him. The one that made the promise to her. The one that has a crush on her.

Some people can say these kind of moments don't count because Cloud has no choice(?) but to touch her, but actually, he has no reason to touch her the amount he does. There's ways to execute these moments without this much unnecessary touching. He does it this way because of an instinctive need and desire to touch her this much. It's what he wants to do.

[pacifistofpatience]

Undertale, Underswap, Underfell, Swapfell, and Horrortale Negative traits

Was trying to get a feel of the boys and I’ve been working on Negative traits that match their personality's and situations. A lot of these are them at their worst and not reflective of what they're usually like, and then some of them are me just noting things.

Undertale:

Sans- 

Ignores issues until they blow up in his face and then hopes they pass, it barely ever works out for him

Blows off things way too easily with jokes

Will ghost even the ppl important to him if he gets too involved in something. Most of the time doesn’t even notice he’s doing it till it’s too late

All his secrets are under lock and key. You’ll never get close enough to know them and hes desperate to keep it that way

Can “Mewh-heh-heh” but refuses to!!!!

Paps-

More likely to blow past other people insecurities without thinking

Jumps to his own conclusions

Its not that he cant take no for an answer, its just that sometimes he thinks he can easily make no into a yes with the right words/actions

can also straight up lie to your face without flinching

Will sometimes physically move others with out thinking. If you’re in his way your likely to get picked up and placed somewhere safe- but out of his direct path

Underswap:

Sky-

Easily swept up in the moment

Fleeting feelings, he could be happy one moment and then in tears the next. If you’re not lucky any romance with him could simply be a mayfly one

Believes that he can get other people to like the same things he likes if he just shows them how much fun it is!

Runs away from issues—literally

Even though he hates being treated like a child he knows he is cute and will use it to his advantage

Part of him may have a....mischievous side that sometimes gets a huge thrill at the thought of danger. hell never willingly put himself in any, but the adrenaline that comes with it makes it hard for him to not get swept up in it

Pappy-

Quick to judge others

Assumes everything will slot into place eventually, which it will not

A lot of the time will use all his energy to slack off from work instead of doing it. He could mow the lawn, or he could figure out a way to do it all from the comfort of the lawn chair (a lot of the time it doesn’t work)

embodiment of “Act dumb!” *Does something without thinking* “Not that dumb!”

SWALLOWS CIGARETTES WHOLE

Underfell:

Red- 

Will take his brothers side more often then not, even if Boss is wrong. It’s reflex

Quick to hold grudges and slow to let them go, if you cross him once you’ll most likely never get his trust back

Put all his energy into surviving in the underground and has kind of burnt himself out once he reached the surface

Boss-

The man personality was made by kicking a bunch of hornet’s nests and then stacking them together into a shape that vaguely looked like a skeleton

Full of himself

Easily forgets things that aren’t important to him but may be important to someone else

Never admits when he’s wrong

Refuses to indulge himself in the things he enjoys and calls it self-control. believes others should have his version of ‘self-control’

Violently refuses handouts- even if he needs them

((Honestly, i imagine a lot of his negative qualities are right up in your face...Which is kind of refreshing considering a lot of the others and how they try to hide their feelings. When push comes to shove Boss can spot when he was in the wrong and- while he will never admit to it- hes not the kind of monster to leave on a bad note if there’s a way to fix it))

Swapfell:

Black-

Controlling

Overprotective that can easily be turned into smothering if left alone

Extremely distrusting, it takes an unreasonable amount of time to earn his trust. Something a lot of people cannot be expected to commit to

Turns everything into a competition

Tells the truth even if it hurts others, and then is indifferent to their hurt

Mutt-

Severely insecure

At his worst, is the one most likely to use the whole “If you leave me ill destroy myself” line

Avoids conflicts to the extreme. Will bend over backwards to avoid them and go against what he believes in

A desire to be loved and admired but never makes the attempt to put himself out there

Becomes attached quickly, which leads to his emotional flood gates opening before the other party is ready (Or willing) to fully deal with them

Horrortale: (Admittedly I’m a little soft for these two so its hard for me to find anything really bad)

Jup-

A lot of…self-destructing habits that will never fully leave him

More likely to stand to the sidelines longing for something instead of trying to reach for it. even if the object of his desire is right there

Do Not Touch The Hole In His Skull

Mars-

A lot of shame that is not connected to the Underground. He’s ashamed of the things he likes (even if they’re harmless) ashamed of his thoughts and feelings and a lot of other stuff ‘normal’ people wouldn’t be

There’s a part of him that’s…disconnected from reality. You cant go though the horrors he’s gone through without learning how to dissociate with all the horrible things you’ve done

Cannot keep the spotlight on himself for too long, typically gets unconformable when one tries to do something nice for him

[simptasia]

2, 5, & 15 for the science team!

thank you very much, erika!

Their emotional/moral weak spots

daniel

emotional: the deaths/endangerments of his beloveds, feeling like he’s not Good Enough, feeling like he’s broken

moral: The Hydrogen Bomb Thing. translation: daniel is reckless and yes he asked for the island to be evacuated but that would only apply to the dharma folk, so basically he put his own goals (reset time, bring back charlotte) over the lives and safety of the people on the island. so i figure char’s death mentally and emotionally broke dan so she’s his Weak Spot

miles

emotional: miles, typically sadroic and whatever, got reeeal fucking Angery and defensive when hurley brings up stuff with his dad. dude went from annoyed to lashing out (i mean, yelling and deflecting). also nobody brings up his mom around miles but i figure that’d be a bad idea too. also anybody trying to even imply that his powers are cool, cuz he hates it

moral: money money money (must be funny, in a rich man’s world). seriously, this little fucker dug up dead people for diamonds. also, due to his defensive salt walls, he treats his friends kinda mean sometimes

charlotte

emotional: do not hurt/threaten daniel. and she doesn’t like being talked down to, i imagine being a woman in a scientific field, she’d get a lot of that and we know char has a short temper so yeah. (i figure she has an attitude of “ppl are gonna think i’m a bitch anyways, i’ll be a bitch first”). also i think her mum is a sore subject for sometimes because they have kind of a uneasy relationship (semi good terms but eehhhhh)

moral: we’re given no indication of a lack of moral fiber. i don’t think she ever does anything wrong (any issues the survivours have with the sci team is because they started off hella suspicious of them). that being said, i can assume if the need arised, she would kill to protect daniel

Guilty pleasures

daniel

having romantic feelings/relationships (gosh damn it eloise). i guess sexual too, as an extension of that (i imagine for daniel you can’t have the latter without the former so it’s all bundled up in one emotional thing)

playing piano / being into music at all (GOSH DAMN IT ELOISE)

and basically like, living in any way eloise doesn’t approve of?

it’s fucking sad when Playing An Instrument and Being In Love can be listed as guilty pleasures

miles

the ghostbusters franchise

absurdly cheesy mac & cheese

equally as cheesy buddy cop movies

Feeling Positive Emotions In Front Of People

charlotte

chocolate (in a “too much can be bad for you” kinda way. like imagine char eating a whole block in a sitting and being like “ah im gonna regret that”)

otherwise char has no guilty pleasures and fucking Owns It regarding any life choices and activities she enjoys

What it takes to make them cry

daniel

life. life makes him cry. but seriously, we see him cry when he’s upset from being brain damaged, and feeling sorry for what happened to theresa, he tears up asking if eloise will be proud of him, he cries when char is getting sicker and he really cries when she’s dying and finally dead. like, it’s painful to look at

death/endangerment of loved ones

the concept of his mother being proud of him (and lack thereof)

his condition pre-island made me emotionally vulnerable

i can picture him crying in the hospital after the accident happened. moreso what with theresa’s condition being worse than his

so, guilt also

i can picture him tearing up when overcome with feelings of love... 

and uh, lemme me blunt, sex would make him cry. it’s overwhelming! there’s no shame in it, it’s a beautiful feeling, espech with somebody you love (and i hc daniel as autistic and very very sensitive so yeah)

miles

his mother’s poor health (and presumably her death too) 

his powers and how they make him feel Different

and the realisation his papa loved him

^ those were all canon, by the way

fanon: i’ve given post-finale richard/miles twin daughters so i figure seeing his babies for the first time would do it. maybe at some points in richard & miles romance, there’s a couple of times he tears up (like, realising that richard actually means it when he tells miles he loves him, for example)

in general i imagine post-finale miles will become more and more capable of expressing his emotions properly. not right away but he’ll get there

charlotte

she teared up after daniel told her he loves her

fear and pain

i dunno, typical things that make ppl cry. like sad movies and people you love expressing love back (not every time, duh). she isn’t emotionally repressed (i see you, miles) so it’s not like she has a cry barrier

also extreme joy. as i said, normal reasons to cry

char is emotionally defensive around ppl she doesn’t like (or don’t like her) and strangers so she may seem Grumpy/Bitchy at times but otherwise, once she’s comfy with somebody she’s emotionally free and its fine

and i think they’d all cry when they get their memories back in limbo. even moreso for dan and char because they’re together and in love and char actually says it and it’s A Lot, okay. it’s a big thing and they’re crying and im crying