#denzel strife

[thisteaistoosweet]

Oh hey, would you look at that. I’m finally posting some ff7 artwork; just in time for the release of ff7 remake part two: electric boogaloo. Oh wait, you say it came out yesterday? No it didn’t.

Doodle page of my Cloud is Jenova’s offspring Au.

Alt colors for his wings down below.

Why yes it’s with a phone camera. Thank you for noticing. Lmao

[rivkae-winters]

For the ask game 4, 8, 12, 18 and 25 for any fandom

This is part of this ask game :3 Mostly seven with some general and one intentionally unspecified fandom

4) What was the last straw for finally blocking that annoying person?

I’m very bad at actually blocking people, I tend to cause my own problems that way, but the last time I blocked someone it was because they sent me an unsolicited DM basically trying to guilt me into commissioning them right after an artist I’d just recently commissioned posted the piece. I love getting DM’s and interaction in general even if I’m not super active myself because of anxiety so I was really upset about it when I saw the message. 

On one hand I get it, I do- I’m also a commercial artist and I’m lucky enough to have a decently stable W2 Job right now. On the other hand though: maybe make your sales pitch at least more enticing than a Jehovah's Witness knocking on your door. 

8) Common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about?

This one got WELL out of hand length wise so I'll be posting my full thoughts on why later today or tomorrow.

The apple game in CC (from the Silver Elite fan club letter) is bs, and it baffles me that people trust what Hojo says as much as they do. 

Honestly, most of the fan mail in the game is bs or has the truth heavily muddied but this example is especially egregious in my opinion. It's not an activity that Genesis, Angeal, or Sephiroth would actually enjoy much. Sephiroth himself would be bored to tears since he has such an unfair advantage since his sword is much slimmer than Rapier and Angeal's standard issue broadsword. There is also the issue of the fact that all of them likely have some element of food trauma (or in Angeal's case are confirmed as such) but the expanded post later today will expand on that.

Disclaimer that you can enjoy and write what you want or believe in the story of AGS playing with apples and swords. Make content you feel inspired to, consume content you enjoy, and don’t let me stop you from having fun. 

12) The unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I don’t know how unpopular he is anymore but Denzel is great- if you can find the ‘on the way to a smile’ anthology and read ‘episode Denzel’ or the OVA from 2010 his character gets a lot better. He’s a complex little guy with layers and plenty of regret already trying to go forward with life. Post AC he starts working with Reeve as a protege of sorts iirc after Reeve blocks him from joining the WRO’s militia. (Which would not have gone over well with anyone if it went through, Denzel is 10ish at that point.) 

He wants to save people like Cloud saved him, somewhat so he can feel worthy of having been saved. There is also still a lingering of the unintentional toxic positivity his mom instilled in him and it is delightful.

The book mentioned above was finally released in English around a decade after Japan got it but it was $35 USD last I checked. I think there are some readings of it on YouTube but I can’t vouch for the quality of any since I don’t do well with audio books. 

The OVA can be really hard to find because it was only on the AC complete Blu-Ray discs of a certain edition- I’m pretty sure it was the first run of them but I may be wrong. Because of this and the fact that I’ve seen take-downs happen continuously each time I went back to reference it last year it’s to the point where some people are incorrectly assuming it’s just totally lost media. Either way I have a so-so quality copy I saved, I won’t put it on the post directly just to be cautious but if you’re interested DM me or contact me through discord (rivkae) if you have that and I’ll shoot you the drive link. 

18) It’s absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on…

In og CC Gillian dies with a smile on her face. In reunion it’s blocked by a vignette.

I’ve never seen it mentioned in a fic dealing with her death yet, the few that there are, so eventually I’m just going to have to do it myself.

This answer is almost pathetically short because every time I start thinking about this I get the urge to write. Since I can't really sit down to write prose right now so I'm not going to get to into it.

25) Common fandom complaint that you’re sick of hearing? 

(Slightly dramatized for effect, I’m not saying the fandom because I’m mostly out of it writing wise right now but iykyk feel free to send me your guesses)

‘Ewww I hate y and z version of [media]!!! X version of [media] is the only good one- anyone who interacts with y and z supporting posts will be blocked!’

‘I hate this version of my favorite character from x in y and z [complaint that could be very easily interpreted as racism] anyone with art of this design will be blocked! DNI if you have [bastardized version of the characters name to show distaste] content!’

Except then they don’t block you after you DNI, they start following your blog posting stuff for y and z version of [media]

Now obviously blocking is a core part of the tumblr experience, really the entire social media experience but it’s taken more seriously other places. Here though? If they breathe annoyingly it is perfectly fine and normal to block them- encouraged even! I have no issues with a DNI, BYF, etc as concepts I just get a little irked when people don’t practice what they preach while still loudly complaining about [media]. 

Now obviously adaptations make a lot of people angry for good reasons sometimes, I understand that. I dislike many adaptations myself, but it’s the incessant complaining when you aren’t even following your own rules that it gets under my skin a bit. That’s not even mentioning the drama that happens in discord servers with areas about said alternate versions of [media] where most community spaces to discuss said versions die quickly due to the toxicity of comparison and the group norm to conform to being putting x version, the original version, over the other version. You can like y and z but you should like x more- you should agree that x is objectively better. Even if x is also offensive in several ways and dated in others and isn’t as easy to consume story wise- which is how y and z brought new fans to the fandom. 

I’m going to cut myself off there but… Yeah. I hate adaptations too sometimes but it shouldn’t be used to backhandedly bully others into silence. Let people enjoy what makes them happy.

[poipoigurl]

Tender Winter Moments

Sweet moments using the side characters

A. Johnny

B. Marlene and Denzel

C. Mireille and Kyrie

D. Elmyra

Base: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1006484216712710886/

[finalfivecarts]

Marlene and Denzel going through the universal experience of adults in your life dropping a part of their Doofenshmirtz backstory

[thirstywaffles]

Dad cloud

[seilidare]

I FORGOT TO POST CLOUD’S BIRTHDAY ART HERE

[little-black-dress-zack-fair]

Cloud: *out in the field making deliveries*

Cloud: *texting with Zack* Love, I'm working I can't talk

Zack: Sunshine, please I have a shadow

Cloud: What?

Zack: *sends several pictures of Denzel stalking him in the background*

Cloud: Oh he's revisiting his clingy era

Zack: I haven't known peace for the last two days please come home

Zack: *sends pictures of Marlene joining Denzel in stalking him*

Cloud: Adorable

Zack: NO PEACE

[priceofreedom]

Painful memories

[protemporescitor]

[wiavi]

[rottenpumpkin13]

WHAT IF..... Their world gets hacked, and now everything CC!Cloud touches just gets deleted from the game? (Cloud obivously doesn't know this at first until he starts to make a dozen things disappear)

*Cloud touches his cup of coffee and it disappears*

Zack: I told you to stop doing that! You don't know where those things are going.

Cloud: Relax, I'm pretty sure they're disappearing for good. So far I've accidentally deleted the play station in the lounge, Sephiroth's sword, and that office plant Angeal has been taking care of.

Zack: They can't just disappear like that! I'm telling you, they're ending up somewhere.

*Sephiroth walks by*

Sephiroth: Has anyone seen my—

*Cloud touches him and he disappears*

Zack: !

Cloud: My intrusive thoughts won.

(In the post-canon future)

*Denzel is drinking a cup of coffee*

Cloud: Where did you get that?

Denzel: I'm making stuff appear just by wishing for them! Check it out, so far I've wished for a cup of coffee, a play station, a cool sword and this neat house plant I'm giving Tifa for Christmas.

Cloud: That can't possibly work.

Denzel: Try it out! Maybe it works for you too.

Cloud, sarcastically not taking it seriously at all: Alright. I wish for Sephiroth to come back.

*Crisis Core Sephiroth appears*

Sephiroth: Has anyone see my—screaming and throwing objects at me accomplishes nothing—has anyone seen my sword?

[theghostavocadoe]

FUCK YOU domestic Remnants of Sephiroth + AC fam headcanons

After being brought into the household by a very disgruntled Cloud and a Mom Instinct Tifa, the Remnants were quickly indoctrinated into their funky found family.

Their first few days were spent shopping for new clothes, accessories, furniture, and other various goodies for their room

Speaking of their room, they all share a single room, but with three separate beds. Cloud's policy is that if they're too pissed off with each other to sleep in the same room, they can sleep on the couch.

They each have their own coffee mug. Loz's has a cat face on it. Yazoo's is one of those mugs that changes colors when a hot liquid is poured into it that looks like a battery being charged. And Kadaj's just says FUCK OFF in sparkly cursive font.

Marlene is quick to forgive and even quicker to get along with the three of them. Denzel, not so much; he's still got a big grudge over being literally mind controlled, which is fair.

Loz is the quickest to befriend everybody because he's got a big heart and is just happy to have a roof over his head. He also feels a bit bad about beating up Tifa, so he jumps on any opportunity to help her with things like cooking or carrying an obscene amount of grocery bags.

Yazoo is second for everyone to warm up to because he's quiet and polite. He mostly just sits and reads during his free time. One time, when she felt confident enough, Marlene just walked up to him and climbed into his lap. He didn't mind at all and she ended up falling asleep there.

Kadaj, as expected, took the longest to adjust. He needed a lot of time to get over his grudges and realize everything about Mother and Sephiroth was pointless. Once he did warm up, though, it was like a flip switched.

His confidence skyrocketed. He made jokes. He laughed. He was happy. Loz and Yazoo were completely unbothered, as if this was normal, but everyone else was shocked. When he was asked about it, Kadaj just shrugged and said he didn't want to waste his time pretending to be negative anymore.

He definitely still has his moments and his mood swings. But otherwise, he was content.

Now for the more fun headcanons:

Yazoo is an absolute fiend for garlic bread. Or anything garlic in general. He could kill a vampire just by standing near it.

Loz assesses everything by sniffing it first.

When they start to get along, Kadaj and Denzel start an ongoing game of punchies.

Loz forces everyone in the family to play card games with him at least once.

Yazoo is overall great with children. Any time he goes out near the local orphanage, the children flock to him with average children questions while begging to touch his hair.

Tifa and Yazoo help brush each other's hair sometimes. Tifa even puts Yazoo's hair in a little braid from time to time.

During the holidays, putting up the tree is a collective effort. At one point Kadaj climbs on Loz's shoulder to try and put the star on the top, which almost pushes the tree over and gives Cloud a heart attack.

Kadaj hangs around Cloud when he's working on Fenrir and is often forced to fetch tools or hold flashlights for him.

The remnants all go with Cloud whenever he visits the church so that they can thank Aerith for giving them another chance.

When the rest of the gang visits, Loz has a blast with Cait Sith and Red XIII, Kadaj has a heated debate with Cid, and Yazoo and Vincent stand in the Antisocial Corner to quietly talk.

[trialnumbergamma]

I was serious about the egg thing, Sephiroth's nonbinary but never realizes cus 1) he's dead and 2) he assumes the reason he doesn't 'click' with gender is because "gods are above such mortal concepts"

Cloud's trans but doesn't realize cus 1) it's his life mission to never be introspective and 2) because he likes being masculine just doesn't realize he want's to be masculine in a girl way

[salternateunreality2]

More Bodyguard Beefa AU

Zack is a pediatrician, which is why he can't be there 24/7 for Cloud, and also why he gets to go ham when Cloud works himself into shock or exhaustion, or burns his hand before a recital.

Cloud is shy and embarrassed about the doting, but between Tifa raising her eyebrow as a threat to take over, Aerith gently pushing and teasing him, and Zack's puppy eyes, he gives in and lets it happen.

Aerith has nurse and bodyguard training, so she can picks up shifts to match Zack's and keep an eye on him at the hospital.

A year or so ago (before Sephiroth and Tifa), Cloud's playing attracted a different kind of stalker, one who would curl up under the church window (where he practices) and listen for hours...until one day his coughing gives him away.

Cloud finishes his piece, then looks out to see if he's still there; it's Denzel, who runs away at first. Cloud keeps playing and ignoring the coughing, but leaving little gifts for him on the windowsill; water, snacks, his own lunch.

It helps Cloud because he tends to get swept up in the music and forget to cook, so now he has someone else to take care of, he remembers more often, even if he starts giving his whole lunch to Den, he at least makes it and has enough for dinner.

Den's cough doesn't get better, but Cloud eventually gets him to come inside to listen and sets him up with a little nest.

One day, Den isn't coughing, he's sitting outside the church door pale and unresponsive, and Cloud panics and brings him to the hospital close by.

He meets Zack there, finds out that Den is homeless and alone, and that Den has the same geostigma Cloud does, but a more acute case due to his living conditions.

Denzel is fostered by Barret and Myrna. Zack signs off on Den leaving the hospital to listen to Cloud when it's safe, and often is the one to bring him on his lunch break since the hospital and church are close by.

Zack also can't get enough of the prickly chocobo ;)

Anyway, Zack doesn't know about Cloud's geostigma, or that that's why Cloud won't let him too close--until one day when he swings by after work so he can offer Cloud dinner.

He opens the door to the church and sees Cloud shivering and sweating, not up by his instrument like he usually is, but down at the entrance near Zack, holding an odd paper swan.

Zack: HEY CLOUD! Cloud?

Cloud startles and trips over himself, landing in a heap with his shirt riding up to show a geostigma sore, but he doesn't notice, he's too shocked and scared.

Zack: Whoa, easy, easy bud, it's Zack. Can you hear* me?

(*hallucinations are a common stigma symptom in this AU)

Cloud: *nods*

Zack: Ok, do you know who I am?

Cloud: Z-zack.

Zack: That's great Cloud. Can you see me? And can you see anything else that shouldn't be here?

Cloud: j-just you and th-the *whispers* swans

Zack: Ok, is it ok if I help you up? I'm tougher than the swans, and you'll watch my back.

Cloud: *whispering* Ok

Zack helps Cloud up and sits him in a chair in the entryway, making sure the church door is closed. Then he gives Cloud a quick exam and sees that he's feverish and disoriented, and a bit malnourished. He can see the tell-tale spasms of geostigma in Cloud's muscles and the way he fixes his watery gaze on things that Zack can't see.

Cloud: They're fading... sorry

Zack: No worries man, I understand. You're sick, it happens. Did you hit anything? Your head looks ok, but does it hurt?

Cloud: No more'n usual *slurring a bit*

Zack, cringing internally--another symptom: Ok, ok good. I'm gonna give you a ride. Nope! No arguing, I'm a doctor and can't not. You're either coming to my place, letting me spend the night at your place, or I'm taking you to the hospital.

Cloud: No! No hospital! *Breathing picks up*

Zack: Shh, easy, ok, no hospital. Promise unless you get a lot worse. No hospital. My place or yours?

Cloud: ...

Zack: I have a spare room and just went grocery shopping, maybe you can motivate me to try my new recipe, yeah?

Cloud: o-ok. Sorry. Sorry, don't mean to bother you. S-

Zack: No bother, bud, I was going to see if you wanted dinner anyway. This bag all you got? What's that little paper?

Cloud pales dramatically and sways. Zack quickly steadies him.

Zack: Whoa! Whoa whoa, hey, Cloud, still with me?

Cloud: s'nothing

Zack: Obviously it's something, but if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. But maybe telling would help? Up to you.

Cloud: ...*shoves the paper into Zack's hand* It's probably nothing. Just a fan. It's just...I found it inside...but I didn't notice anyone come in...

Zack unfolds the swan to find a note written on it.

"From your greatest admirer to a true prodigy; your spirit moves me in ways I have not felt in years, my dear, my love, my treasure. Sing, sing through the keys and pipes, all for me, I know. -Your Swan"

Zack: Ok, Cloud...

Cloud looks at him through hazy, scared eyes, shaking and swaying.

Zack: ...let's go home first, ok? This is weird, but I think we need food and rest first. I got your bag already right here, anything else you need?

Cloud shakes his head.

Zack: Ok, then up we go and I'll take you out to my car, then we can go to my place and work on that dinner, yeah? Alright...*hauls Cloud up and practically carries him out to the car*

Later that night, Zack finds out this isn't the first swan letter. He also finds out that Cloud's been forgetting meals since Denzel doesn't need him anymore, and when he remembers, he's often too stressed from the notes. All this stress and lack of care have led to a geostigma flare-up, complete with sores, fever, mild hallucinations, and muscle spasms. This is when he gets the idea to call Beefa.

Next

[aceduooooooooooooooooooooooooo]

Random Headcanon Denzel dressed up as Cloud once for Halloween

[wu-sisyphus-gang]

Waitress: Cops, and kids five and under eat free.

Cloud: *nudges six year old Denzel*

Denzel: I’m a police.