#someone just put a mile long analysis in the tags of the final page and seeing people who GET IT is so rewarding AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[bunnieswithknives]

I love reading the comments on my most recent nature AU comic, genuinely the light of my day 💕💕💕

[silver-wield]

Nobody asked for this one, but I said I was gonna do it anyway. Barret and Cloud's friendship development.

Don't worry, I'm not gonna make a mile long post. I'm just gonna hit on the key moments, but I think these two deserve a bit of spotlight.

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

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

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

Other analyses if anyone’s interested.

Shinra HQ vision scene (Cloti/plot analysis) 

Chapter 3 (Cloti reblog) 

Tifa character analysis 

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

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

Clotiscrew tunnel analysis 

Cloti reunion analysis 

The Promise Analysis 

Andrea’s approval (Cloti ask response) 

Leslie analysis (not mine, but a good read) 

Cloti action touching 

Aerti friendship analysis 

Cloti body language chapter 3 

Cloti healthy disagreement 

Cloti post heliboss battle (chapter 15) 

Clerith playground scene 

Cloti body language plate fall 

Now, strap in and enjoy the ride.

I'm not recapping the whole game lol

Chapter 1: Barret isn't impressed one bit with Cloud. Watching back their early interactions and I keep noticing this sad look on Cloud's face when he's excluded. But then, I'm also like “Well you pushed them away first”. But I also wanna hug him.

Yeah, so Barret isn't impressed and he's outright hostile, calling Cloud names and antagonising him. He even shoots at Cloud and then raises his gun to take out a security bot. This man doesn't like Cloud and isn't afraid to show it.

You gotta remember, Barret is 6'5 and built like a brick shit house and has a machine gun on his arm. He's not someone to mess with. Taking that in, Cloud's dismissiveness is pretty impressive. I mean he's almost a foot shorter than Barret, after all, and his sword probably weighs more than him lol

Perhaps by the end of the chapter – after Cloud saves Jessie – Barret might have thawed a tiny bit towards him, but he's still mistrusting and doesn't like him.

Chapter 2 and there's not a lot of interaction between them. Barret does actually agree with Cloud when he says “what's done is done” in reference to the destruction. This shows Barret is pragmatic and not against Cloud himself, just his role. After that, Cloud's alone for the rest of the chapter until the above screen when he leaps into the cargo carriage of the train and Barret says, “You had me worried for a minute.”

He looks caught out when the others all look at him because he's been a total dick to Cloud throughout the mission, but this shows he cares about his team, even if he doesn't like everyone on it. Showing concern for his people is the trait of a leader and if the game were showcased differently we could assume that Barret is our leading man.

“The folks down here don't have the luxury of choice, you know.”

Still in chapter 2 and this is such a great moment between Cloud and Barret! There's no arguing, just Barret giving Cloud a different perspective that's not the badass merc “Idc” one he's showcasing. You can see once the conversation is over that Cloud grows introspective, so Barret's words clearly resonated with him. This looks like another marker on Cloud's chart of going from a douchebag to a decent human being. He thinks about how things are for other people. Later, Marle tells him to consider others feelings, too. To listen. I'm loving all these small moments that come together to build a clearer of picture of Cloud's development.

Barret actually removes his sunglasses – why is he wearing them at night? – to meet Cloud's eye. This is a gesture that shows his sincerity and belief in his words. He's not just blustering for the sake of it. He cares about the people and the planet.

Chapter 3 and we don't see Barret until near the end. He's back to being snappy with Cloud – understandable since he's being a dick going on about money.

(aside: can I just squee at Cloud smiling at Tifa through this whole bit. He's such a dork)

And when we see Barret again he's very professional and courteous. There's no emotion in his tone and his words are very formal. He could be talking to anybody. His head dips as he's speaking, in an effort to lower himself more to Cloud's physical level. On an emotional one, he's making himself non-threatening. This isn’t a confrontation is what he’s putting out.

Cloud doesn't look happy at the dismissal and something we know about him is his desire for acceptance, so this probably hurts, although he acts otherwise.

We're up to chapter 5 and this is a turning point between Cloud and Barret's budding friendship. Barret's in battle dialogue makes it clear he's trying to show off in front of Cloud, who's dismissive still. There's a lot of back and forth between them in the kind of guy banter that suggests they kind of respect each other, but they also just have to put up with each other.

The above screen is the second before Cloud says to Barret that he's better than that in response to his arguing with the Shinra manager. Barret seems surprised Cloud even tries with him, but what's more telling is this expression from Cloud shows he gave it some thought before speaking. He considered the right words to address Barret which shows he's thought about the kind of reaction Barret could have. He took in Barret’s words from chapter 2 and Marle’s from chapter 3. This is called character development!

Chapter and Cloud throws some shade and Barret blusters lol

Tbf Barret's grown a lot less hostile since chapter 1. He's not as combative to Cloud, nor is he maliciously insulting him anymore. They've entered a stage of snarky banter, which we all know is one of the big steps on the road to friendship lol

Clearly Barret being able to see Cloud in action and rely on him in battle – not to mention Tifa's enduring good opinion – are starting to colour his own opinion.

(Tifa actually rears back when Barret waves his arm around in this bit lol)

Barret looking to Cloud for back up here. I mean, they're all in the shit, but this is interesting that he's looking to Cloud for that reassurance they're gonna continue kicking ass. The fact Cloud agrees without even the tiniest disagreement is probably the first time they're genuinely on the same page through their own choice.

Let the friendship begin!

Now, I bet you're thinking I picked this one to showcase cloti, well you're wrong. This is an example of how Barret's mellowed towards Cloud from his chapter 1 hostility to now. Cloud disagrees with him and instead of getting pissed that his leader decision is overruled, he lets it go.This could be a moment of contention between them, but they’ve both grown enough over the game to get to the point that not everything between them is a fight.

Now, maybe Barret's saying this because he thinks Cloud is about to die, but that seems selfish and like he's saying it to make himself feel better after being a douchebag, and for a selfless man like Barret I just don't buy it. He's genuinely regretful of his past actions and this is the point between the two of them that they can start again and actually become proper friends.

There's no time for much of a guy reunion between them when Barret does see Cloud again all the way over in chapter 12 -- that’s a long ass time apart for Barret to think about how he treated Cloud -- and we kind of brush past Barret's feelings because the plate collapse takes priority.

After that, Barret is much nicer to Cloud, trying to get his praise in battle and being a proper support to him. There's still that snarky banter between them, but the hostile edge has gone. We see a culmination of their friendship development during the stairs climbing sequence. Where before their banter had a hard edge and combative nature to it, this is very friendly and full of jokes and warmth. Barret has definitely softened towards Cloud and considers him a real friend. You can't fake that shit.

Conclusion

Yeah, I kinda cut this short and didn't do the latter half of the game, but that's because it's much more clear than this early development. Focusing on the small interactions between them that built a gradual friendship, it took a huge shock to get Barret to reassess his opinion of Cloud and him dropping from the reactor, going missing and then showing up to save the day covered it. It was like he got a reset and from that he dropped his prejudiced preconceived ideas about Cloud and opened up to him more. Because there’s such a huge gap between the time Barret sees Cloud again, it’s easy to miss the middle part of their friendship. The part where it goes from dislike to like. It’s easy to remember Barret hating Cloud and then see them being a team after chapter 12 because those moments stick in your mind more. It’s the transition that gets lost.

I love their development and how they become friends. It's not the kind of friendship that Barret shows with Red. Those two are bros the instant they met. Cloud and Barret's relationship is more complicated because of Cloud's role and identity. It takes Barret a long time to see past that persona, especially when he's only got evidence of that to go on – unlike Tifa. Once he does, he gives Cloud his full support and trust.

I, for one, can’t wait to see how they go forward in Barret’s arc.

[freebestbettingtips]

Premier League: Wolves 0-2 Huddersfield

New Post has been published on https://bestfreebettingtips.com/premier-league-wolves-0-2-huddersfield/

Premier League: Wolves 0-2 Huddersfield

Artwork by @chapulana.

Out of darkness cometh light. One of the sayings that epitomises Wolverhampton Wanderers and has been a tagline for the club for as long as one can remember. At this particular moment in time, after a fourth defeat in five, it’s difficult to see the light for Nuno’s Wolves. Now, it is a far cry from the disastrous double drop that Wolves suffered when they ended up in the third tier of English football and a million miles from when the Molineux club fell to the fourth division, however, at this particular moment in time, it’s a blip. Very much like eternal darkness. Since beating Crystal Palace in early October, Wolves have failed to find the form which got them off to such a good start this season.

Huddersfield, on the other hand, were great value for the win and while Wolves’ defensive problems will be analysed in this piece, we will evaluate the Terriers performance as well. Arguably the best way to sum up the first half at Molineux is that it was Huddersfield’s best 45 minutes of the season and Wolves’ worst (maybe with the exception of Watford). Wagner’s side pressed the home side in all the right places and didn’t let the once acclaimed ‘Champions of the World’ have any time on the ball at all. Before we get into the game itself, let’s see how the two teams lined up.

Team News

No surprises from Nuno with the Wolves starting XI. Jonny, the only absentee from the point at Arsenal, replaced by Ruben Vinagre as expected. Wagner sprung somewhat of a shock by selecting Tommy Smith in a back three rather than Stankovic who was thought to be replacing Zanka. Durm came in for Lowe, in Huddersfield’s only other change.

Much like Watford before them, Huddersfield recognised that Wolves tend to struggle if the midfield is packed and that’s exactly what happened. That accompanied with Nuno’s reluctance to sacrifice his system and beliefs ensured that once Huddersfield went into the lead, it was going to take something special for Wolves to get back into the game.

Same Old Issues Arising

Going back to Nuno’s reluctance to change the system, you could maybe attribute that to Mooy’s first goal. If we played with three central midfielders in either a 3-5-2 or 4-3-3, it would have been someone else rather than Cavaleiro ‘tracking’ Mooy. Before that, Doherty is at fault as he fails to track his man which might sound familiar and that’s because it is. Without even having to think, that’s goals against Spurs, Watford, Brighton and now Huddersfield that he’s been at fault for. As opposed to singling out Doherty, let’s take a look at the phases of play that led up to Mooy’s opener, which came inside the first ten minutes.

Good pressure on the ball from Jimenez.

As we looked at in the preview, Huddersfield have a tendency to play the ball around at the back before panicking and then lumping it long. In this instance, it was no different as Lossl is pressed by Raul Jimenez. Due to the positioning of Costa and Cavaleiro, there is no pass on for the keeper as Jimenez cuts off the possible pass to Kongolo on the far side.

Nothing To See

Mooy and Pritchard both press after the ball finds its way to Coady.

Coady remains composed enough to play a lofted ball to Ruben Vinagre. There’s not much going wrong at this point, although this normally seems to be the case. It only takes something very small to go wrong and then the domino effect begins.

This is just one example of where Wolves’ wing-backs were restricted by Wagner’s side.

Mooy and Hadergjonaj shut down the young Portuguese wing-back, bearly giving him space to breathe, let alone do anything constructive with the ball. It will come as little surprise that Vinagre was dispossessed as play turned over.

Again, not too much of an issue.

A slightly wayward pass from Pritchard put Mounie on the back foot meaning that Moutinho could easily play the ball backwards to the Wolves back three and another attack could be born. Boly’s positioning is perhaps a question mark as he too far from Coady and Bennett (who hasn’t got a name tame tag), nevertheless, it’s not too problematic as of this moment.

The Turning Point

A simple pass into Bennett from Coady.

Rather than playing back to Rui, Coady opts for the straightforward pass to Bennett which is fine in itself, but its there where the errors start being counted. Admittedly, Pritchard (Huddersfield player closest to Coady) was hot on his heels, but if the Wolves captain plays it back to the keeper and gives him an angle, the goal might not have happened. There are a lot of what ifs involved, mind. Let’s see how it unfolds.

Bennett plays it safe.

Ok, there are three options here for Bennett. Number one, play the ball out wide to Doherty. Number two, play the ball centrally to an out of shot Helder Costa. And number three, drive beyond the oncoming Mounie and then reassess. Bennett opts for number two. On the surface, none of the options are particularly right or wrong, however, Bennett was never going to do number three as Coady and Boly would have done. That’s one of the reasons why there have been mentions of Dendoncker, he would’ve beaten Mounie and then played the ball. Bennett knows his limitations and that’s a great trait to have, all the same, how much longer can Dendoncker be kept waiting? Keep an eye on the circled Mooy.

Wrong Pass

Doherty doesn’t think about it.

Costa received the ball where the black circle is or thereabouts. He was tightly marked meaning he couldn’t spin which in turn meant he had to bring Doherty into play. Doherty’s aim is to put the ball back to where it came from, Jimenez the target. The Irishman plays it first time and unsurprisingly doesn’t get enough on it and Billing says thank you very much, I’ll have a bit of that. Hindsight suggests that a pass to Moutinho would’ve been the better option. Quite how Doc was expecting to get enough on his pass from there with the amount of backlift he had will remain a mystery. Mooy is still on the blindside…

Yes, there’s quite a bit going on in this image.

Right, so after Billing intercepts Doherty’s pass, he plays it to Durm on the left-hand side before receiving the ball back from the German. Durm then bypasses Doherty and Billing before having the ball back off his teammate. Moutinho should be taking charge here and telling Bennett to drop off. That’s probably up for debate, one thing that isn’t is Doherty’s tracking back or lack of it as the story goes. Bear in mind where Durm and Doherty are on the above image. Also, Mooy has still got far too much room and nobody has noticed him for ten seconds.

Mooy Makes Wolves Pay

All the time and space in the world.

Durm is now five or six yards ahead of Doherty. That is potentially because Bennett gave him a shout and told him that he had the situation under control. Either way, one of them was in the wrong. It’s unclear whether or not Durm meant to pull the ball back to the edge of the area, we shall give him the benefit of the doubt on this occasion. The ball goes between Neves and Moutinho and before you know it, Mooy is passing the ball into Rui’s bottom right-hand corner. If Nuno matched Wagner from the start and played with a third midfielder, there is a possibility that someone would be a damn sight closer to the Australian than Cavaleiro is. I guess we’ll never know.

Mooy Makes Wolves Pay Again

Mooy’s second of the game which effectively killed the game as a contest was a well-executed free-kick. Quite what the wall were doing is worth a moment of everyone’s time as it is most bizarre. Costa stood away from the rest of the wall which left a gaping hole. In many respects, it was Rui’s way of saying to Mooy, go on then, try me. Mooy did try him.

Through the gap.

Costa responded to someone on Twitter asking what he was doing there and his response was “because that’s where I was supposed to be” – one can only assume that Rui has put him there to prevent Mooy from getting any real bend on his free-kick. That worked well.

Wolves only had a couple of decent chances of note, Jimenez’ had a header fantastically cleared off the line. Goal line technology ruled there was 0.18mm in it. Wolves’ other chance also fell to the Mexican, he should’ve taken the shot on himself after being played onside by an injured Huddersfield player. He chose to square the ball to absolutely nobody and Wolves’ best chance of the afternoon was gone.

Final Thoughts

Huddersfield had more of the ball, more shots, more shots on target and were ultimately the better side. That’s the second time on the bounce that Wolves have lost 2-0 at home after an international break. It’s also the second time that it’s been an awful first half performance that we’ve struggled to recover from. Food for thought indeed for Nuno. Huddersfield face Brighton at home next as they look to put some real daylight between them and the relegation zone. Wolves travel to South Wales to face Neil Warnock’s Cardiff. Will there be light at the end of the tunnel there for Wolves? We shall see.

Until the next time.

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