#this was originally intended to go in a very different direction

[ecrivainsolitaire]

I just hate this whole virtue signalling "woe-is-me" from people who haven't even bothered to learn what the thing they hate even is. Two years ago some dumbass on the yellow press tried to convince people that ChatGPT was secretly 150 indians in a trenchcoat and these people ate it up because they never even bothered to check if the thing they read was physically possible. Now everyone is whining about water waste because they have no understanding of how water cooling even works and think you just spray the computer and the water vanishes forever or some other ridiculous bullshit along those lines. But they looove to be all dramatic and victimised as though they had any idea of what they're complaining about.

Meanwhile, the technology that was used to develop LLMs is also being used for, among many other things:

Developing a telepathic interface for accessibility devices like prosthetic limbs

Decoding ancient languages

Digitising endangered indigenous languages to promote their use and keep them alive

Communicating with whales to help them avoid human harm and find mates

Reducing software bloat by removing parts of code that are too intrinsic for humans to correlate

Detecting anomalies in medical scans as seen above

Deciphering the structure of proteins that can be used for drug development, genetic analysis, and potentially to engineer and clone individual organs for transplant.

It's the same thing. It's all the same system. You input a fuckton of data into a neural network, train it on ungodly pattern recognition skills Rainman would cum just thinking about, and then cycle it multiple times until eventually it can distinguish what's normal from what isn't, dissect the differences and spit out what amounts to engineered mutations for an intended goal.

The reason LLMs had to be first is because human language is the most complex information system in nature. Everything else follows predictable, regular, unchanging mathematical principles. Human language evolves at impossible speeds, it branches out in billions of different directions, and most importantly: every human on earth can use it. Of course it's flawed, it was invented last fucking weekend. If y'all saw the original Ford T and how much it pollutes we would be swimming in horse and mule shit by now because y'all willingly ignore the fact that technology becomes more efficient over time. o4-mini, the latest ChatGPT model, is exponentially faster and smarter than GPT3, the model from November 2022, at a tiny fraction of the processing power. We went in under 3 years from supercomputers that only Microsoft could afford to Deepseek, which can run entirely on a mid-range gaming pc from 5 years ago. And that's going to keep getting more efficient. This is a technological development as important as the transistor. We don't even know the limit of what can be accomplished with what is essentially a simulated human brain with direct internet access. Does it have flaws? Yes. Does it suck that it was built with stolen IP? Definitely. But that's barely even worth mentioning when you talk about a machine that can detect cancer better than oncologists. Not every oncologist, granted; but Cs get degrees, and the bot won't be looking for pretexts to fondle your tits, so I say in some instances it's already worth the trade, and in some others it will be sooner than we realise. And I can't stand the amount of people who want to stop this revolution of human possibilities because they bought a fucking fake story about the Ghibli guy being sad. Which, by the way, was disseminated with ancient footage from when he verbally abused his employees for suggesting the use of CGI.

Intellectual property was already an abomination before AI happened, and this website in particular was very much in favour of undermining it as much as possible until it came to their fucking yaoi fanart which is btw also copyright infringement. It is abhorrent to come to Tumblr and learn that suddenly everyone is a Disney lobbyist for free. I can't begin to explain how frustrating it is to come to the leftist socialist anarchist communist solarpunk website and see people unironically defend the paywalling of ideas. This is the site that loved Nikola Tesla and was outraged at Edison and Musk using patents and trademarks to muddy his legacy. But now patents and trademarks are good I guess, as long as your fanfic you wrote at 13 that you never meant to profit from is copyright protected (it never was, you stole that too). Especially at the same time as y'all bust my notifications with everyone sharing my pro piracy post from two years ago.

You wouldn't download a car. And that's disappointing.

[if-seal]

hello seal! i've recently started to write out my if, and in the middle of it i realized that in most of the current scenes i've written the mc as having a stronger/bolder personality and reading back some of the scenes kinda depend on mc having that type of personality

i originally planned for mc to be more of a blank slate and i don't want to turn away the people who prefer playing a shyer/softer mcs, so what should i do? rework the scenes so it'll fit better? just go with what i've already written? or is there perhaps a compromise??

Dear Slate-Writing Friend,

This is a fascinating question and one which I think a great many interactive fiction authors, new and old, will be interested in.

For me, consistency is very important indeed. I shall expound upon that below...

There is a certain amount of audience expectation around games in which you are deciding various elements of the MC. I realise I mention Harry duBois of Disco Elysium a lot here, but I find him a useful point of reference for a truly non-blank-slate character where there are many directions in which to turn him. He is a fully set character, but you can guide him in any number of different ways, including dying by sitting on a distressingly uncomfortable chair and such.

Some interactive fiction works in a similar way. Take Birdland and its sequels, for instance: there is a named character whom you are playing. Others may not have a pre-named character but the MC is either only customisable by name or they are not customisable at all.

Then games like those made by Choice of Games involve a blanker slate. I would not always call them an entirely blank slate: they exist within parameters of behaviour and actions. The Creme de la Creme MC cannot have secretly been a criminal before arriving at Gallatin. The Tally Ho MC is a servant. But there is a much higher degree of customisation around their traits (such as gender), skills (such as hunting ability or occult awareness), or personality (such as shyness or calmness).

In some games, these aspects may be less flexible. An MC may always have regrets about an event from their past, for example, or always despise their parents, or always be scholarly and bookish. There are plenty of games which include such inflexible elements and plenty of audiences who enjoy them.

I have two notes for you to consider.

The first is that you'll want to make sure to infuse the game with these elements strongly, grabbing the players with the story and MC so hard that players will buy into it fully and not yearn to play a shy character, for example. You may also want to make it clear when talking about the game that these fixed elements are vital to the story and the play experience because there is a certain expectation of customisability in Choice of Games games and the Twines that are inspired by that style.

The second is that it's important not to inadvertently suggest to players that flexibility might be accessible. So: if you want to present players with an MC who is always extroverted and take-charge, do not include a Shy stat or similar - it will make players confused or cross that their allegedly Shy MC is still bossing people around and taking names.

I suspect that in your case, because of coming to this realisation in the middle of writing, that your MC is currently somewhere in between customisable and set. That is an awkward place to be, because if it feels like not one or the other, players may stumble at the inconsistency. It is a little jarring to feel like the game is intended to pay attention to their MC's personality but isn't. Much more satisfying to know what's going on in either direction.

But this is entirely fine as you're in the middle of the first draft! A great deal of this draft is about discovering what the game needs and what will need changing later. So I would suggest revisiting your earlier scenes and figuring out whether you still like the idea of allowing a customisable personality - or whether you'd like to make the MC less flexible. Either may happen! There are absolutely excellent ways of writing both approaches, but I caution against trying to do a combination as it's easy to end up feeling in a not-so-satisfying limbo.

Thank you very much for your question and I hope this is helpful!

[sthilarions]

During a case many years ago, a witch made a poppet (roughly equivalent to the popular conception of a “voodoo doll”) of Edwin. They defeated the witch soundly and got the poppet, but there’s no safe way to destroy it. The only place Edwin and Charles trust as safe enough to keep it is inside Charles’s backpack, where no one but Charles could possibly get to it.

Charles largely forgets about it, buried deep deep down in the bag, until Edwin is held captive, less than a year after their jaunt to Hell, and there’s absolutely no way to get to him until the portal opens again at the next full moon, and he’s going crazy with worry, imagining Edwin in all sorts of misery without Charles not even able to so much as comfort him. He’s digging mindlessly through the bag when he gets to the poppet, and, he realizes, there is this one thing he can do.

He pulls it out with a care he wouldn’t give to a Faberge egg, because this is the most precious thing in the world, in any world, and looks at it for a moment. Then he reaches out ever so gently and strokes its hair. He murmurs reassurances to it - it’s alright, I’m sorry, I love you. He sings lullabies, curls around it and hugs it against him so, so carefully, tilts his head down and presses kisses to its soft curl-covered head.

He doesn’t let the poppet go for even a moment on all the days until the full moon returns, even as he’s preparing for battle, preparing to absolutely fucking obliterate the bastards that are holding Edwin.

Just as the portal opens, he finally places the poppet back in his bag, in the safest, warmest corner. He hefts the arsenal in his arms and strapped to his back and floating around him and charges through.

He tears through the stronghold in minutes, and he does literally mean through - he’s left a trail of smoking rubble behind him where ghost-proof walls used to be - and finally, finally gets to Edwin, and -

“Ah, Charles, there you are. Not to worry, I’m quite alright. There has been some sort of force - “

Charles doesn’t even hear him as he wraps himself around Edwin, and his body follows the same motions it has for weeks now, stroking hair, pressing kisses, murmuring muffled you’re alright I love you you’re alright I’m sorry I love you I’m sorrys into Edwin’s hair, which is even softer in reality than on the poppet, and Edwin says -

“Ah. That was you.”

Charles can’t see or hear anything other than Edwin, at the moment, but he can’t not see Edwin, so he has a very clear view as Edwin reaches his arms out and, with a few words, takes control of all the magical weapons and orbs and so forth that have been trailing after Charles.

And he hears when Edwin says “Well, then, Charles, shall we depart?”

And he feels it when Edwin lifts him as effortlessly as he lifted the poppet, holding him so he can keep his nose buried against Edwin’s neck as Edwin blasts his way out.

And he definitely feels it when, a few very loud minutes later, they’re back in their office, and Edwin’s head turns to meet one of his kisses.

“It’s alright, Charles. I’m sorry I left you alone. I love you.”

[ducktracy]

"Go See The Day the Earth Blew Up" Masterpost

this isn't really anything new for anyone following me, but i wanted to make a comprehensive post covering my adamence on seeing this movie--i have a lot of different versions of a lot of different posts being spread around, and wanted to uncross the wires a bit. entering Tumblr PSA mode for a bit like it's 2013 all over again--bear with me!

before getting into the nitty gritty, though, this is a TIME SENSITIVE POST. most theaters were beginning to pull the film out as early as end of day TODAY--not even a full WEEK'S worth of a run. but, thanks to word of mouth, the film has mostly been extended to the end of the weekend. with continued word of mouth and support, the film has a chance to run even longer.

What the Heck is The Day the Earth Blew Up

The Day the Earth Blew Up is an all traditionally hand-drawn, 2D animated film starring Looney Tunes' own Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and Petunia Pig. initially announced in September of 2021, it's the very first all traditionally animated film in the franchise's entire 95 year run.

Why Haven't I Heard About The Day the Earth Blew Up

originally intended to be a direct to streaming release, this film's existence has been wrung through the wringer. for the benefit of tax cuts, Warner Bros. wrote the film off and just barely avoided axing it entirely--even during its production. the film was put up for sale and only just last summer finally was able to procure an independent distributor, Ketchup Entertainment. unfortunately, Ketchup Entertainment is a much smaller name than Warner Bros. is, and because WB isn't releasing it, it's Ketchup who is marketing and spreading the film--obviously, something incredibly difficult to do with a very small budget.

Why the Heck Should I See The Day the Earth Blew Up

hand-drawn, traditionally animated films are all but extinct in theaters, and by setting the film up for what could essentially be described as sabotage, a meager box office performance is the perfect excuse for the suits to claim that there's no more demand for traditionally animated movies anymore.

it's the first all-animated Looney Tunes film in the entire franchise's history.

you don't have to have any knowledge or attachment to the characters to enjoy the film--there are absolutely no prerequisites required (but there are plenty of loving nods to fellow fans of the film.) i dragged my best friend to see this with me who doesn't have the same LT brain parasite that i do and she absolutely loved it.

WB just axed the entire LT library of shorts off of HBO Max, as well as gutted all of the cartoons freely available on their YouTube channel--there seems to be a clear embarrassment for the franchise on their behalf, and seeing the film proves that notion dead wrong.

supporting the film spreads the message that there is a demand for the love and craft that goes into these films. you will genuinely be experiencing history in the making--when's the last time you've seen a brand new, all traditionally animated film in the theaters from the States?

crew members themselves are urging you to spread your support and mention how it empowers them to keep making more

the money goes to Ketchup, not Zaslav--you don't have to worry about boycotting the film. the absolute opposite is necessary.

supporting this film could potentially spawn similar films with similar opportunities. Eric Bauza himself has mentioned that suport and turnout for this film could see a potential revival in Coyote vs. ACME, another film victim to WB's tax writeoffs all in the name of the dollar

EDIT: Ketchup Entertainment is in talks with WB to distribute Coyote vs ACME!!! because of the word of mouth and positivist surrounding The Day the Earth Blew Up!! keep it coming!!

it's likely that the film will be completely overshadowed by the Snow White remake, with theaters initially beginning to pull screens to make way for early previews. what could be more poetic than supporting an all traditionally hand-drawn film over a cash-grab remake of the very first feature length traditionally hand-drawn film?

How Else Can I Support The Day the Earth Blew Up

GO SEE IT! go see it again! go see it with your siblings, your friends, your family! tell your coworkers! reblog this post! spread the news! keep the conversation going!

pre-orders for the Blu-ray, releasing May 27th, are already scheduled

there's a limited edition run of 1,000 copies for the film's soundtrack on vinyl!

said soundtrack is also available on YouTube, which you should likewise listen to! get those view counts up!

Why the Heck Should I Listen to You

i'm asking myself the same thing! but, i do want to put this out there: i get it. i usually do not like being a walking advertisement. i know this is full on shill-mode and you're surely asking "you're being paid, aren't you" (i wish!). i also share the Ferocious Contrarian Gene where seeing posts like these is an instant way for me to NOT want to see the film. i genuinely understand how pushy and obnoxious this can come off. especially since, clearly, i'm a little biased to the franchise and these characters. i also balk at the guilt trippy idea of "YOU'RE A MONSTER IF YOU DON'T SUPPORT THIS FILM YOU KILLED ANIMATION". i HATE that rhetoric with a passion, and that only is going to alienate people from wanting to see this further. please know that's not the intent of my messaging here at all.

but even beyond my personal biases, i really think this is a film worth supporting. movies like this are a once-in-a-lifetime event anymore, and that could only be exacerbated by how this film's fate is handled. i've been overjoyed with the amount of messages i've received from people who said they caught the film on a whim and enjoyed it--especially from those without a clear LT bias like myself. it's proven that this film is enjoyable for anyone.

also, just, spite. the reason you haven't heard about it is by design. this film has been set up to fail. and while the success shouldn't be the sole responsibility or burden of the consumers, but instead the higher-ups, you are making a difference by supporting and spreading word of mouth of this film. crew members themselves are saying so. the distributor themselves are saying so.

i'm not expecting a miracle for this film, as much as i'd love one. i will genuinely be surprised if it makes a profit (which it should at a measly $15 million, pennies compared to most features that look much worse than this). but that's all the more reason to TRY rather than give up and say there's nothing we can do. you all have been making such a wonderful difference. that energy needs to continue, not dwindle. every single person is able to make a difference.

there are a lot worse ways you could be spending your time than spending an hour and a half at the theaters enjoying some gorgeous traditionally hand-drawn animation on the big-screen, feeling good that you're helping to spread a message and supporting the hard, loving craft of the people who worked on it. imagine if all "good turn"s in the world could be as fun and easy as seeing an animated comedy!

[blackwell008]

This post really got me today because of the journey I’ve had with social media. I feel like I need to go back to the beginning when all I wanted to do was create art, write my weird screenplays and short stories.

A time when I wasn’t worried about presenting myself as perfect: something I’ve failed at continuously anyway.

A time when my love for filmmaking, my passion for the horror genre and cinema as a whole language.

I miss those days when I was in undergrad and my passion for cinema was addictive. I watched films from all different genres every single day after class (where we sat and watched films for hours).

I didn’t really care about social media at all. In fact, I started my first instagram because I wanted to network with other filmmakers to try to get a job- that was it.

Then in 2013, a really traumatic thing happened and I feel like I had a mental health breakdown. I used social media as a way to escape bc I was in a toxic living situation and had almost no one I could emotionally connect with and talk to.

Isolation, maladaptive day dreaming and misery is a dangerous thing. I started posting and ranting on twitter, posting photos of myself to impress people who were emotionally unavailable and didn’t even acknowledge my existence.

Mental health issues and social media can be a ticking time bomb if you’re not aware, medicated and have no one to hear you out or check up on you.

Eventually with life, therapy and support I am a lot better but I still struggle with social anxiety and living in real life and I used film to connect to the world.

The issue is now whether I still desire to turn my passion for film into a career; or do I just live life as cinephile while holding a 9 to 5.

Honestly, I’ve been pursuing film for 20 years; going back to my very first film theory class in undergrad until recently pursuing a dual MFA/MBA degree which completely blew up in my face.

The current school I attended was a giant clusterfuck with again: absolutely no support (this is another post in itself that I’ll talk about at another time).

I just turned 48 years old. I’m tired, currently broke and feeling defeated by life. Plus the trump administration gutting DEI certainly doesn’t intend to help Black queer women over 30 like myself.

I’m at the point I’m ready to give up. I’ve had so many setbacks, physical and mental health issues that I have to manage on a daily basis, financial issues I have to figure out how to manage (student loans😩🫩🙄).

I just want to be an ARTIST. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. Yes, I know I could paint and sculpt etc. which I actually do. However, one of my biggest dreams is to write/direct feature films. I’m actually more open to working in tv now more than ever- seems a lot more stable; but that original love of film I had is still in me.

I keep talking about the film Sinners because it brings me back to that original passion for cinema before it was perverted and bastardized by toxic people I’ve come across irl, the fucked up sociopolitical climate we’ve been in for the last decade and my own personal struggles.

I feel numb. Apathetic. Indifferent.

I pray I’ll get my cinema mojo back like Annie’s necklace that she gave Smoke. Right now I’ve lost it.

This is a long overdue come to Jesus moment. in my case with my growing practice of Yoruba spirituality returning to Olodumare.

I’ll be alright, I don’t consider myself a victim even though I’ve been victimized so much in the last 10 years by America’s horrible healthcare system because of the systemic and institutional racism festering in it; America doesn’t give a fuck about the health of Black people, our bodies and they never have- a horror movie within itself . Again, another conversation for another time.

If you’ve read this far I really appreciate you doing so. Trust me, this was a process of 10 years of frustration.

I needed to vent.

I just don’t know what my next move is. I don’t know if I want to be a film director/ screenwriter anymore maybe as a hobby but not a career. I have to be more pragmatic and practical to pay my bills like 99% of us do. I’m definitely don’t think I’m unique in my experience but being a black woman in America I experience it differently.

[just-a-space-duck]

So About That Armor…

I regret to inform myself that I like it.

If you haven't seen it:

I'll give you time to take it in. This is a static, (hopefully) eternal text post, so take your time.

Ok so before I go further, you are allowed to have any and all opinions about the armor. Do not listen to me; I am a stranger on the internet who attaches himself to fictional murder cyborgs and treats them like kitty cats.

So first of all, it's weird. And I like it for that. Even if I found it to be the most infuriating piece of costume design ever, I still wouldn't be able to help but respect it for how strange it is.

When it comes to fanworks, adaptations, new installments in a franchise, or even just different takes on the same trope, I love it when creators take things in an unconventional or even seemingly unrelated direction that upon closer inspection still relates to the base or original concept. To get what I mean, think goth interpretations of Rarity or Cosmopoliturtle's Pokémon redesigns. The TV series armor sits alongside these for me, because this was the thought process of the designer, Tommy Arnold:

First of all, it is so funny that The Company would just brand their armor and by extension their secunits, their combat/security products, like Louis Vuitton bags. Also, the logo of The Company strikes a nice balance between being simple enough to be easily reproducible and recognizable, but complex enough to read as a logo and not just a simple shape or pattern. Plus, The Company logo being mostly just concentric Cs, clever there.

But there's also some worldbuilding and character expression in this design.

The Corporation Rim is just capitalism but more. A company slathering everything and everyone they create and own in mountains of logos, even when it's potentially impractical, showcases just how extensive corporatism is in this setting. Additionally, this design could be something of a status marker. Secunits are high end additions and/or alternatives to other security measures. Much like how logos on purses, tennis shoes, and cars serve to tell observers, "I have the fancy, expensive version of [insert category of thing here] ergo I am a very wealthy/powerful/cool person", a secunit covered in corporate logos communicates the high status and access of the client(s).

Now what was one of the first things we learned about Murderbot in the books? It disabled its governor module, the thing preventing it from defying orders and having any level of freedom, but instead of doing what it could to leave The Company, Murderbot just stayed with it and kept doing its intended function. For over four years. What else do we learn in the first book? That it feels most comfortable in the armor because this prevents humans from seeing its face, from treating it more like a person or human rather than a tool or bot. This makes the armor being composed of the logo of the group that both created and hurt Murderbot very symbolic.

Murderbot has internalized the message that it is a dangerous weapon and not a person deserving of care to the point that, at least at the beginning of the series, it shies away from anything that insists that it deserves the same kindness that humans do. It's only ever been taught what the company built it to do, so it doesn't know what to do next once it's obtained some semblance of freedom for itself by disabling its mental shock collar and so keeps doing what it's always done, even though it very much would rather not be in such a situation. Even by the most recent book, System Collapse, Murderbot is still wrestling with the idea that it matters beyond how it can assist others. Murderbot finding comfort hiding behind the very thing that will not let you forget the company that enslaves it, is just juicy theming.

Also, the helmet looking so weird works well with how many humans don't know what secunits look like, with some not even thinking they have human-like faces. If you had no context for this image, you might very well assume this is a fully robot character or even a statue.

I have my own gripes and worries and hopes concerning the upcoming show, but I just couldn’t get this fun bit of character design analysis out of my head. Shouldn’t have watched so much TB Skyen.

[ozzgin]

Pyramid Head x Reader

Featuring Pyramid Head and a reader with amnesia lost in Silent Hill. This is Pyramid Head as originally intended for Silent Hill 2, so expect a lot of game-based immersion. Warning: NSFW, dubious/non-consent, violence, gore

[Horror Masterlist]

"Oh, for fuck's sake!"

You grunt and slap the wheel, hoping your defiant act of violence will somehow convince the car engine to start again. It remains quiet. You run a hand through your hair and sigh. The palm is mildly sticky with moisture and you realize you've been sweating a fair amount. No wonder, you're stuck in this shithole. You couldn't see a damn thing ahead with all this fog. The only discernible object was a rusty, run-down sign showing "Silent Hill". You've never heard the name before, but reading the letters and allowing the words to escape your lips has brought you an unexpected wave of panic. You quickly began hyperventilating and your arms involuntarily twitched and twisted, pulling the wheel of the car along with them and causing the car to swerve into a street barrier. And now it refuses to turn back on. Fantastic. 

You hesitantly grab the door handle. After a deep breath in, you open the door and step out. Given the car crashed sideways, you can no longer tell which way is back and which way is forward. You can only see the first few inches of the barrier in both directions, but everything else vanishes under the thick clouds of mist. You rub your temples, becoming increasingly upset with yourself.  What were you even doing, driving all the way to-

Wait. Where were you going in the first place? You recall leaving from...home? But where is that supposed to be? No, don't do this. Not now. You walk back to the car and open the glove compartment, angrily pulling out a thick stack of documents and spreading them out onto the chair. You scan over them, growing more impatient. You don't recognize anything. The names and words and addresses don't hold any meaning. You glance up to the rear-view mirror in an attempt to detect some trail of blood seeping from your scalp, as a concussion might explain your sudden memory loss, but your appearance is fresh. Almost as if you didn't just crash your car in a strange place in utter confusion. 

You check your phone. Even if you can't remember, there has to be someone in your contacts that will come to your aid. The screen glitches briefly when you unlock it and the menu is empty. No contacts, no messages, no apps. No matter, emergency will do. You type in the digits and lift the phone to your head, but quickly remove it when loud static assaults your eardrums. Why is nothing working properly? You're tempted to just slam the junk into the pavement, but find enough composure to stuff it back in the pocket for now. 

All that's left to do now is to find another human. You begin walking. The road has to lead somewhere, that's for certain. And soon enough the barrier is replaced with a different kind of fencing that you use as guidance. It seems to be a small bridge. Just a few steps further and you discover the first signs of modern, populated world: a bus stop. Behind the waiting bench is a brief map of the area and you trace the plaque with your fingers, mumbling the path to yourself. "Now let's see...This is Nathan Avenue...Rosewater Park ahead...Ah, the Silent Hill Fire Station should be very close."

You can't wait to be done with this mess. They'll call for a tow truck and get you out of here. You almost sprint to the next block, expectantly. In fact, you can already spot someone right outside the building. 

"Thank God! Listen, my car broke down before the bridge. My stupid phone is also...huh." 

Just as you mention it, the same static as previously erupts from the speaker. You're startled and fumble for your phone. You're about to apologize to the person in front of you, but upon lifting your gaze you instantly stop in your tracks. 

'Person' is a strong word for it. It resembles one, or maybe it was one long ago. What's crawling towards you, however, is not how you'd define it. The arms are melted into the torso, mimicking a straight jacket of skin. The bony, crooked legs are dragging themselves in an unnatural, unnerving way. The creature has no face, save for a gaping hole, a bizarre cavity deforming what should be a head. Your mouth grimaces with disgust, followed by fear. Terror. You have the choice of returning to your damaged car, or attempting to find actual help deeper into the town. You run ahead, praying that someone's out there. The dissonant sound of a siren can be heard, diffused into the persistent fog.  

By the time you reach the next building, you're gasping for air. You didn't expect to run this far. You went all the way around Toluca lake, avoiding the side streets. The center was swarming with those abominations. Each turn and each corner would eventually reveal its revolting murmur, that pathetic shuffle of disfigured limbs. Thankfully they're not fast, nor smart. A little distance and they lose their interest to pursue you. You fall against the brick wall of this small house and read the poster. "Silent Hill Historical Society". Doesn't look too promising, but it's surprisingly devoid of any monstrous being. At this point you'd be more grateful for emptiness. It's safer. 

You tiptoe your way in, wary of potential attackers. There's a faint buzz echoing from afar, but other than that no immediate danger. You examine the lobby and notice the paintings and old photos hanging from the decaying wallpaper. It smells slightly rotten. One of the art pieces catches your attention and you stop in front of it. "Misty Day, Remains of Judgement". 

The abstract character depicted on canvas reminds you of an executioner. The more you stare, the clearer you can feel some kind of guilt knotting inside your stomach. Your shoulders are heavy and you're overwhelmed by the same anxiety of a child about to be punished. Awaiting the belt. The calloused hand of an unforgiving father. Your throat is dry.

Your musings are interrupted by the static that - as you've since learned - warns you of approaching creatures. The rooms are cramped and the walls are narrow and you dislike the idea of calculating your escape within this claustrophobic maze, but it's preferable to being dead. You jog along slithering paths, unsure of where they lead. The threatening turbulence of your phone goes up and down, like a sine wave, with each turn into uncharted territory. In your frantic efforts to flee you don't see the large hole blocking your way, or at least not fast enough. By the time you figure out the outlines of this pitch black well, you're flooded with the light sensation of gravitational force, stretching and compressing your innards as you fall. Is this how you end?

It's not so easy. 

As soon as you open your eyes, a burning pain metastasizes through the head, digging deep into your brain. You grab onto your scalp and press your fingers over the skin, hoping for a small relief. In your debilitating migraine you don't hear the agitated flutter of limbs. They're minuscule, but so many. Thousands of sclerotized joints frothing around your limp form. You lift yourself off the rusted ground and yelp voiceless at the sight. Cockroaches. The pile of vermin lets out a deafening, high pitched screech with every movement. You drag your elbows in an attempt to get away, but the creepers almost ignore your existence. They seem to be running away from something, retreating in masses.

You don't have to wait long in order to witness their source of fear. Heavy footsteps, muffled by the grating friction of metal against metal. A corroded stench invades your lungs and you cough. Whatever is coming has instilled the utmost dread in your very bones. You want to get up and run, until your legs give up and your body collapses of exhaustion, but your limbs are petrified in panic. Your chest constricts and throbs, as if your heart is trashing to escape this prison condemned to unknown doom. 

Finally, the fiend comes into view. A tall, large man wearing a leather apron layered with grime and encrusted blood. His skin is scarred and discolored, and a bulky, dense pyramid structure rests on his broad shoulders, concealing his face. He seems to be dragging along a great knife of sorts, although on closer inspection it looks like a halved pair of oversized scissors. The edge is dulled and has splattered visceral leftovers mattifying its surface. You remember the painting you've seen upstairs. Is this what it is? Your Retribution? 

You lower yourself until your forehead touches the rusty floor. Like an animal awaiting to receive the final blow from its hunter, like a prisoner resigning to his fate under the guillotine. If only matters could be dealt with so simply! Your neck is clawed into a tight hold by the large gloved hand and you're crudely pulled back up so that you can properly face your Punisher. There's a vague grunt coming from underneath his bizarre helmet. 

He carries you to the nearest wall and slams you against it. The great knife drops to the floor with a loud crash, and the other hand, now freed, begins to search your lower clothing. You can feel the seams of the garments tear and snap with no resistance. You want to vocalize a protest, but your throat is crushed under the forceful pressure of his clasp. At best, you can exhale in what sounds like a whispered wail. His apron is nonchalantly flipped to the side and your thigh lifted over his forearm, so that his hand can adjust itself securely under your bottom for support.

Abruptly, a prickling ache crosses your entire body as if you've just been split in two. Tears automatically begin forming in the corner of your eyes and spill down your cheeks and over the pyramid that's now pressing tightly against your quivering form. It's too big and you want to push away, but with each renewed plunge you grow weaker. The small tears and rips that blossom around your abused intimacy turn into bleeding wounds. You want to sleep. 

A creature of pure instinct, serving as a reminder of human perversions and immoral desires. Travesty, corruption, sin. And what about it? Before you know it, a small moan escapes your dried lips. You throw your arms around your captor's shoulders. The sharp edges of the helmet scratch your skin, waking you back into consciousness. Your lower muscles start to relax around the massive member and allow for a smoother glide in and out. The numbness is gradually replaced by pleasant sensations. The throbbing reverberates inside your abdomen and your other leg wraps around the creature's hips, asking for more contact. Once your compliance is confirmed, the hand pinning you by the neck wanders to other parts of your body in starved desperation. Your voice returns and more lewd whines roll out one after another. If only you had a mirror so you could look at yourself in this moment. What shameless expressions are you wearing on your face? You're clinging to your violator in feverish depravity. And in return, the creature responds to your cravings with increased intensity. He seems to resonate with your wishes and stiffens his hold on you with newfound obsession. His thrusts become almost feral, with a certain possessiveness to it. 

As you're about to reach your peaks, your mind once again travels to the painting. You wonder if you'd be hung and framed just like the prisoners behind their executioner. Pleasure mixed with guilt. 

What sin is eroding your entrails? 

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Willem Hart

Antisemites abhors Jews equally for the age-old stereotype of greed as for their philanthropy. Walking through a university campus or passing a hospital and seeing the Jewish names of donors on the building and they think: “Damn rich Jews putting their names everywhere like they own the place!”

Again, two completely diametrically opposite stereotypes – neither one an accurate depiction of the average Jewish person’s attitude toward money and charity – paint every Jewish person as one or the other, contingent on nothing more than circumstantial convenience.

Perhaps the recent most example is playing out currently in our global discourse on coloniality and race. In Europe, where it once was convenient to scapegoat the stateless Jew, “othered,” as the enlightened like to say, and ostracized him for his origins in the Orient. Then, the Jews were perhaps slightly darker in complexion and not truly part of any European country. Once Jews achieved statehood in Israel, overnight they became “white supremacists, “European colonizers” and the like.

Never mind that Sephardim, Jews from the Iberian peninsula who went on to populate Diaspora communities, particularly in North Africa and the Ottoman Empire, account for the majority of Jews currently living in Israel.

Never mind that only relatively recently six million Jews were murdered because they were not European enough. Not German enough. Not white enough.

It is entirely irrelevant whether the refrain being angrily shouted at the Jew is “Go back to Poland” or “Get out of Poland.” The directions might be different, but the intended destination is always the same: the destruction of the Jewish people.

It simply does not matter. The Jew is always wrong. Antisemitism is a living, breathing embodiment of non-falsifiability, an illogical death trap where reason cannot reach. Do not try.

The Israel-Hamas war

Consider this: While Israeli hostages are being released by Hamas, they are paraded in front of a jeering crowd in a public spectacle. Surrounded by masked men, guns at the ready, with cameras thrust in their faces, the hostages are made to read from scripts and thank their captors. In a previous display, a bewildered Omer Shem Tov was instructed to kiss one of the terrorists on the forehead in a grotesque and morbid display. Propagandists will use this scene as definitive proof that he was “treated nicely” in captivity.

However, the very moment he or she crosses into Israeli territory, instantly any testimony about his time and torture in captivity is reduced to being mere “Zionist propaganda.”

[burst-of-iridescent]

well since i can already tell that we’re all going to be subjected to the same old tired mai & mai.ko discourse for the foreseeable future, let’s get it clear right now that the atla comics have never been, and will never be acceptable mediums of character development, and here’s why:

1. the comics are given the benefit of hindsight, which impairs organic character growth.

it’s become extremely clear over the last few years that many of the comics are made as, or include, direct responses to criticisms of the original show — especially when it comes to katara, mai, and the canon pairings. aang didn’t ask katara for consent? look, he’s checking if he can kiss her! mai doesn’t care about fire nation imperialism? here, she’s an anti fascist! iroh was a creep to june? don’t worry, here he is apologising!

many of the things the characters do or say in the comics feel unnatural because they are not written as characters, but as mouthpieces for the creators to address fandom complaints from the original show.

“but that’s good, right? they’re trying to make it better!” i mean… sure? it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s damage control, and that no matter what stories span the middle, the arcs of these characters still begin and end with avatar: the last airbender, and the legend of korra, both of which are fixed and immutable. the comics cannot retroactively fix the issues of either show, because they’ve already been defined as the goalposts of the characters’ lives, and there is no way to undo that.

it’s like if you eat a meal that isn’t to your satisfaction, and maybe the chief makes you another dish, which is all well and good — but it doesn’t fix the fact that the original meal still sucked! sometimes, accepting criticism means accepting that there’s no way to go back and fix it but to do better next time, with the next story you wish to tell.

if the legend of korra didn’t exist, and the arcs of the characters were left open after atla, then maybe there would be for the room for the comics to function as character development if not for the fact that…

2. the comics are intended for a very different audience than the show.

it’s obvious that the audience for the original show vastly outnumbers the audience for the comics, likely by thousands, if not millions. this isn’t the mcu, where the installation of any atla property is vital to understanding the next, and so on. you can skip the comics and miss nothing whatsoever (and honestly your life would be far improved by doing so).

those who read the comics are likely only the real diehard fans of the show — and the creators know this, which is why we have the whole issue of point one above. but this difference in audience matters, because it reflects the significance of the story being told, and how important it is for the audience to know it. this is why, if the characters’ development and storylines in the comics truly, genuinely mattered, it would have been in the show already.

i’m not saying that the gaang wouldn’t have continued to grow and change post-atla, but generally stories exist as closed circuits, self-contained within themselves. when you end atla, you’re meant to believe that those arcs are finished. that’s the whole reason the comics deal mostly with fun silly adventures, or with quick, temporary conflicts instead of grand, overarching narratives, because they are not truly meant to function as a continuation of the story of atla, or its characters.

(if you ask me frankly, they’re meant to be nostalgia cash grabs, but that’s neither here nor there.)

creator intention matters with the atla comics (or any atla property, in fact), because creator intention was the subject of criticism for the original show in the first place. why must we rely on the comics or the cookbook or avatar legends to tell us that katara did things with her life outside of aang? why do we need to turn to something released nearly two decades after atla to find any evidence that mai denounced the fire nation’s imperialist indoctrination, when she’s romantically involved with one of the show’s most important characters? why are these stories relegated to a medium with far less reach, far too late?

the answer is that the writers didn’t find those stories to be originally worth telling, and that is the real problem fans have been pointing out since 2008.

so, tldr:

[marvel-snape-writes]

Hellooo there 🥺 I’m in dire need of some soft Dom snape where him and fem!reader have super loving soft sex like I need comfort smut pretty pls🥺😭

Nothing But You

Severus Snape x original female character

5.8k+ words

18+ fluffy and soft but OH MY IS THERE DETAILED SMUT 🤭

Thank you to the person who requested this, I hope I did your request somewhat justice! 😁

Severus Snape had been waiting for her to return to his chamber from the moment she had previously left. Though their relationship was not yet public knowledge throughout Hogwarts, it was their preferred place to meet up for whatever desirable occasion they saw fit at the time. Thankfully, it was the weekend, which meant the time they got to spend alone increased dramatically. However, once she had entered his chamber, it quickly became apparent that her day had not been good. That was the reasoning for Severus whisking them both away to a large country hotel, under a different name to which he had been given at birth in order to avoid any spying eyes. It was also the reason the large bath in the exceptionally large bathroom had been drawn and rose petals been scattered upon request.

Though it was no secret that Severus often carried a blunt, sharp tongue, it was also no secret that he paid a tremendous attention to detail to things, either. And that was no exception to knowing how to brighten the day of the woman who had done the same to him in so many of his times of darkness.

“Severus?” Said woman called from the bathroom, immediately gaining his attention and bringing him to the doorway.

“Everything alright?” He asked softly, smiling as he gazed upon her.

She nodded and returned the smile contently, “Just making sure this isn't a dream.”

“How so?” Severus asked as he stepped into the bathroom, enjoying the way her eyes looked him up and down in his hotel robe.

“To go from one of the worst, most hectic weeks to… this.” She gestured at the bubbles settled on top of the water.

“I did not wish to see you upset a moment longer.” Severus crinkled his hooked nose, now standing by the side of the bath.

“And you intended in cheering me up by telling me I need a wash?” She teased, looking up at him.

“Very funny,” He rolled his eyes playfully, shaking his head, “Only to wash away this treacherous week, perhaps.”

“Oh, you’d need a waterfall to do that.” She half laughed, her eyes still upon him as he crouched by the side of the bath.

“Then, waterfalls…” His voice trailed off briefly as their lips touched for a moment, “…you shall have, my darling.”

“Actually, on second thoughts… forget the waterfalls.” She whispered against his lips, reaching one of her arms out of the soapy bath water and placing her wet hand against his cheek to bring him closer to her.

Severus’ eyes closed and he placed one of his hands on the side of the bath to steady himself as their heads tilted in either direction. Their lips parted slightly and each of them made a soft noise as the kiss deepened, noses nudging against one another. Her fingers began to push into his hair as their tongues touched and Severus leaned further into the bath, gripping the side of it a little tighter.

“Any further and you’ll have me in there with you,” Severus chuckled softly against her lips.

“Do not tempt me, Sev…” She grinned, continuing to twirl his hair around her fingers as he leaned in to kiss her again.

Severus genuinely thought about it for a moment, the idea of how he could very easily slip into the bathtub regardless of whether he was clothed or not, and just devour her right there. But that wasn't the way he wanted to go about things tonight. He certainly had ideas in mind, even ideas that may end up in them both needing to freshen up afterward, but he didn't just want a needy three-minute wonder tonight, splashing around in the bath tub. He wanted to help her forget the horrific week she had had. Instead of a one-aim desperation, he wished to explore her, be tender with her, kiss and caress every inch of her. Adore her.

“The bathtub simply does not hold the amount of space I require for the things I wish to do to you tonight.” Severus whispered in the lowest tone he could manage, his voice carrying with it some seductive mystery.

“Oh?” She opened her eyes to greet him with a suspicious expression, though found that he had already stood up and began to make his way out of the bathroom.

He smirked to himself as he readjusted his robe whilst standing in the bedroom, clearing his throat and highly anticipating her joining him. His mind whirred with want and desire of how he intended the rest of the night to pan out; the gentle way he wanted to wash away every ounce of stress and hold her in a way that no harm could ever come to her again.

“Ah, the ever mysterious Severus Snape…” Her voice lingered from behind him as she stepped into the room.

“Come here to me,” He spoke softly, gesturing for her to join him in front of the full length mirror and smiling at her through the reflection when she did, “The ever elegant Eleanor…” He whispered as his hands set upon her hips.

“Does the mirror turn this bathrobe into a ball gown for you?” She blushed, trying to skim over his compliment with a joke.

“A ball gown is not needed for me to be drawn to you, my love,” His lips teased against her ear, kissing it gently before planting a gentle kiss to her neck, “Nothing is,” His hands now rested over the ties of her robe as their eyes locked in the mirror, “Not even this.”

Eleanor’s breath caught in her throat from the feeling of Severus’ lips brushing against the side of her neck and she placed her hands over his large ones, tilting her head to one side. She fought to keep her eyes open as his lips began to linger longer upon her skin with each kiss and he paid no mind to her hair still being damp from the bath. He smirked when he felt her hands nudging his closer to the knot in her bathrobe, lightly grazing his teeth against her ear.

Without a moment of hesitation, he began to lazily pull at the tassels tied around her waist. His lips met with the crook of her neck and her hands moved from his to allow him full access whilst reaching behind to play with his hair. Slowly, the tassels became undone and dropped to either side of her body, the only thing holding her bathrobe together now being from Severus’ arms wrapped snugly around her.

“Arms down and open your eyes for me,” He whispered softly, lifting his head so that he was facing the mirror with her again. She did as he asked and her arms were soon by her sides again, the both of them now watching as her bathrobe parted in the reflection. Severus’ hands carefully guided the thin material off her shoulders, his black pupils growing more and more dilated as each inch of her skin began to show, “You are so fucking beautiful.”

The noise that left Eleanor’s lips after his comment only made Severus’ cravings stronger. He kissed up the side of her neck again as her robe fell to the floor completely, enjoying the feeling of her fingers entwined in his hair again. His lips tickled against her jawline as his arms wrapped around her bare body, lingering there for a little while until Eleanor tilted her head upward and pressed their lips together. Severus made a soft noise and kissed her back instantly, his hands now exploring more of her body as their kisses grew deeper.

Severus took one last glance at her naked body in the full length mirror before his eyes fell shut completely, already feeling the effect of her bare body and lips tingling in the pit of his stomach. Eleanor brushed herself back against the bump threatening to part through his bathrobe. His breathing quivered and his lips parted when she turned around to face him properly. Her hands placed upon his chest and he settled his on her bare hips, tilting his head to one side as their tongues touched. Eleanor’s fingers began to slide down the front of his body until they were met with the knot of his robe, trying her best to ignore the ever-growing bump beneath it. Severus groaned quietly when he felt her hand brush against his cock from over the thin material, lightly grasping her bottom lip between his teeth and feeling his hands upon her grow clammy. Eleanor grasped the knot with one hand and tauntingly massaged him from over his robe with the other as they devoured one another’s lips, almost steaming up the mirror from the desperation alone.

Eleanor began to undo the knot on his robe with her trembling hands and Severus could feel himself already beginning to slip under the effect she always caused him, taking everything in him not to moan from her touch. He hesitantly broke the kiss, pulled back, swallowed hard, and spoke in the most soft, gentle tone, “Stop.”

“Sorry?” Eleanor whispered, placing her hands flat on his chest again and gazed up at him with her eyebrows narrowed, “Did I do something wrong?”

“Absolutely not,” Severus shook his head and leaned down to kiss her again, now cupping her face in both of his large hands.

“Then, wh-” She began before kissing him back again.

“Shh…” Severus whispered against her lips, kissing her again, “Just let me…”

Eleanor began to walk backward, lightly grasping onto the lapels of his robe as she spoke in between kisses, “Let you…?”

“Let me love you tonight,” He nipped at her lips gently, kissing her slightly harder when her back touched the dresser and they both stopped walking, “I mean properly love you.”

Eleanor nodded in response and hopped up onto the dresser, snaking her arms around his neck and bringing his face closer to her so that the kiss wouldn't break. She parted her legs and he slotted himself between them, only breaking the kiss to press his lips to the side of her neck as his hands lightly rubbed back and forth over her bare thighs. Eleanor’s lips parted and she moaned out his name, sending shivers down his spine.

“Mmmh, Sev,” She whimpered, weakly tugging at his bathrobe, “Just have your way with me.”

Severus pulled his lips back with a shaky breath, failing to speak for a few moments as a result of her request and feeling the pulsing erection between his legs becoming more and more aggravated by the second.

“Sev?” She whispered, gazing up at him and biting her lip as she pulled the ties of his bathrobe loose. Severus squeezed her thighs gently as he felt the cool draft now upon his bare skin and Eleanor’s eyes widened, setting themselves upon the engorged arousal casting an impressive shadow over his lower stomach and then looking back up into his eyes, “Please?”

“My love, you need not plead with me,” Severus was snapped out of his trance, barely able to disguise how much more the way she was acting drove him wild, “But not here,” He swept her up into his arms, “You deserve far more than a three-minute knee-trembler upon a hotel room dresser.”

“Take me to your bed, then!” She giggled, holding onto his shoulders, “I insist.”

“Our bed.” Severus responded, gently laying her down on it and casting his eyes upon her with an expression as if he had never seen such beauty.

When Eleanor gazed up she felt quite the same. To say the man who was often so cold with others was now the same man who was towering over her and gazing down upon her with such pure, lustful eyes was barely believable. He slowly lowered himself over her and their lips touched once more, each of them making a soft noise as their bare torsos pressed against each other. Eleanor wasted no time in starting to push Severus’ bathrobe off him completely and lightly grazing her nails against his bare back once it fell to the side of the bed.

“Mmm…” Severus moaned quietly from the soothing feeling of her nails against his back mixed with her breasts pressing against his naked body.

Eleanor smirked from his reactions and tilted her head to the side as he began to kiss along her jawline before peppering his lips down the side of her neck. She parted her legs a little further and moved one of her hands into the hair at the nape of his neck, playing with it shakily as his lips met her collarbone. She whimpered out his name quietly as he suckled on the skin, leaving dark, red circles upon it before moving his lips to one of her breasts.

“S—Sev- oh!” She narrowed her eyebrows and gently pulled on his hair as he kissed her as tenderly as possible, taking care not to miss an inch of her breast whatsoever whilst massaging the other with his palm, “Th… that’s nice, Severus…” She whimpered, her lips parting again as he alternated breasts, taking just as much care with each and enjoying how she arched her body in pleasure beneath him, “Mm, I don’t know which one of us is enjoying this more…” She spoke breathlessly with a grin when she felt his hardened cock prodding against her each time he moved.

“Tonight is all about you,” Severus spoke as he pulled back briefly, “It is always about you, my love.” He spoke close enough so that his cool breath purposefully breezed over the red marks that were now upon her breasts, feeling himself pulse at the sound of her reaction.

Before Eleanor even had a chance to respond, Severus’ lips were upon her stomach and trailing their way down to her bellybutton. Her hand slipped from his hair as he kissed along her sensitive skin and stretched out one of her legs, feeling herself tremble as his lips made it to her lower stomach.

“Mm, what a lovely offer…” He whispered when he saw the movement of her leg out of the corner of his eye and immediately latched his lips upon the skin of her inner thigh.

Eleanor’s hand quickly found his head again and she whimpered in pleasure as she felt him create a pathway of kisses from her thigh all the way down to her ankle. Once he had reached back to her thigh again, he stuck his tongue out and lightly traced the tip of it along her skin, earning several soft noises from her as a result.

“Come… come up here, Sev…” She spoke shakily, though not really wanting him to part with her skin.

“Oh, no, my dear, you are mistaken…” Severus glanced up at her briefly, shaking his head.

“M-Mistaken?” Eleanor blinked hard, leaning up on her elbows.

“I am afraid you have mistaken me for a man who believes that only one half of your body deserves to be adored,” He spoke gently, not even hesitating in pressing his lips now to the other inner thigh and smirking darkly against her skin when he felt her hand grasp back onto his hair as she guided him all the way down that leg and back up again.

“You should be thrown in Azkaban for having lips that soft.” Eleanor spoke whilst lazily grazing her nails against his scalp.

“That seems a little�� dramatic.” Severus half laughed, looking up at her.

“At least then I would sleep easy knowing that no one else could ever claim them.” She bit her lip, looking down at him with a grin.

Severus let out a singular chuckle from her comment and playfully rolled his eyes whilst taking a deep breath, “Would you like to know something?”

“Yes?” Eleanor narrowed her eyes playfully suspiciously.

“You could offer me all the riches and jewellery in the world, Miss Eleanor,” He lowered himself onto his knees on the floor at the bottom of the bed, placing his large hands on her thighs and carefully pulling her to the edge of the bed with him, “But it would still be your legs around my neck that I would favour as my favourite necklace and your ankles as my earrings.”

Before Eleanor could even think of words to say, her head was tilted back and her eyes closed as a result of Severus burying his face between her legs. It was as if his mouth had been trained in knowing exactly where she craved for it to go, lightly digging her heels into his shoulder blades as he worked his tongue.

“Mm, fuck, Severus…” She gasped in pleasure and reached down to bunch his hair in her fist.

His tongue taunted her further and she arched her back again, making Severus wonder how much longer he could take this himself, let alone her. His cock was pulsating madly with each moan, each taste, each grasp and tug on his hair, her heels digging deeper into his shoulder blades to urge him not to stop. He didn't. Not until she would instruct him to, anyway. He fought through every urge to just reach down and take himself into his own grip, just to have a little stroke in order to not make him feel like he was completely neglected. Instead, his hands remained against her thighs, massaging them gently in his grip as she writhed in pleasure above him.

“Ugh, Sev, I- I want…” She spoke out of breath, pausing to let out a moan that made Severus’ heart skip a beat before continuing, “W-Want you up here…”

“Hm?” Severus pulled back after she spoke, lazily kissing along her inner thighs.

“Up here…” She groaned, “Now.”

“Yes, my dear?” Severus smiled softy as he stood up again, gazing down at her.

“Oh, fuck, look at you…” Her lips parted as her eyes were met with his angry erection, her eyes widening also.

“Me?” He arched a brow, “Look at you.”

“But… you’re all worked up, too…” She knew her cheeks were flushed, barely able to even avert her eyes to his.

“Do not worry about me, Miss Eleanor,” He lowered himself down, pressing a light kiss to either corner of her lips, “I told you; it’s all about you.”

Eleanor’s hands shut immediately when their lips pressed together, grazing her nails up his back and up into the hair at the nape of his neck again. Severus placed one hand at the side of her on the bed once they had shuffled their way back up it and brushed her hair out of her face with the other. The tips of their tongues touched and Eleanor hooked her legs around his hips, rocking herself up against him.

“P-Please…” She whined softly, trying to stress her need further by pressing one of her hands now against his bottom, “I need you…” She panted, continuing to kiss him, “Need you.”

“I’m right here, my sweet,” He pulled back ever so slightly, cupping her cheek in one of his hands and lightly running his thumb across her lips, “See?”

“You know what I mean…” She spoke against his thumb, biting it gently.

“Pace yourself for me, my love,” Severus smiled softly, reaching down to line himself up with her, “To love you is the most treasured part of my day, so let’s make it last as long as possible, hm?”

“Stop being so bloody charming.” She spoke through a breathy laugh.

Severus exhaled a chuckle and gently nipped at her lips before kissing her properly as he pushed forward, their hips melting into one another with an in-sync gasp. Severus felt a shiver ring out down his spine as his aching length finally got some snug attention, already having to remind himself to pace himself, never mind asking Eleanor to do so.

His thrusts began at a steady rhythm, but Eleanor’s moans directly against his lips told a different story. Her legs squeezed around him and their kisses became clumsy, teeth almost clattering as she whimpered against his lips.

“Severus!” She cried, lightly digging her nails into one of his shoulders the moment she lifted her hips up to meet his.

“Mmmh, yes?” Severus parted the kiss briefly and gazed down at her, “Everything okay, my sweet?”

“Ugh, yes, yes…” She gasped in pleasure, rocking herself up against him again.

“Hey, listen,” Severus swallowed hard, trying to form a sentence whilst still moving his hips, “Listen to me,” His eyes fought to stay open as he watched her open hers, “Just take a breath.”

The words fell out of his mouth slightly hypocritically as he was struggling to catch his own breath. Their eyes met and he placed both of his hands at either sides of her head, lifting his torso up slightly and allowing for more ease of movement to his hips. Though they had spent many times at each other’s beds, he had never felt more intimate than right now. His lips parted and jaw clenched each time his length slid in and out of her with ease, greatly enjoying the high pitched whimpers coming from Eleanor’s mouth.

“Y…” She shivered in delight when he thrust his hips just a little harder, shakily sliding her hands up his biceps and watching in awe each time they tensed in time with his thrusts, “You…” Her eyebrows narrowed, feeling the loud ball of pleasure beginning to grow in her throat and unsure for how much longer she could hold it back.

“See?” He dipped his head, tenderly kissing her lips and whispering against them, “You’re fine,” He lifted his head back up, smiling softly as Eleanor’s fingertips lightly traced over his muscles as he continued to move, “It’s just you and me, Ellie…” His gaze fell to her still pursed lips, aching to kiss them again, “There’s no need to rush.”

“I want this to be forever, Sev.” Eleanor spoke against his lips as he lowered his head again, sliding her nails up the back of his neck and soothingly scratching his skin.

“If you so wish, it can be your always.” Severus replied, gently kissing her lips and very gradually speeding his hips up.

“Mm, I like the sound of that.” She smiled, resting her heels against his bottom and lightly pushing them into his skin.

Severus gripped the bedsheets at the sides of her head as his pace continued to build, ever so gently bucking his hips up into hers and earning a soft grunt from both of them each time. The flames of pleasure were beginning to climb both their bodies simultaneously, both of them moaning out of breath as their bodies writhed against one another. Eleanor’s grip tightened on his hair as a jolt of electricity shot through her body, causing her to tremble as the movements of his hips showed no sign of letting up. Beads of sweat began to gather upon his forehead — mostly, he thought, from how much he was trying to hold back letting go there and then.

“E-Eleanor, mmmh…” His lips lingered against hers longer between each kiss this time, feeling himself getting closer and closer to his own climax.

“I- I… ugh…” She lost her breath from his change in rhythm, unsure of how much longer she could last under his skilful hips.

She pressed one final, hard kiss to his lips before pushing her head back into the pillow and gasping in pleasure as she allowed herself to fall further victim to him and reaching her orgasm only moments later,

“S-Sev, oh, Severus!” She shouted out in pleasure, tightening her legs around him and tugging at his hair as her back lifted off the bed.

“Y-You’re going to be the death of me, E-Ellie,” He gasped, the tightening now around his cock being the last thing needed to push him fully over the edge, “I- I swear to… G-God!”

The two of them rode out the waves of their orgasms together, the walls of the hotel bedroom quickly becoming the sounding board for their pleasure. Beads of sweat transferred from one body to the other as they relentlessly moved against each other, desperate for this to never end. Their lips touched again, panting in between kisses at this point as their movements eventually began to slow down.

“Oh, how it feels to love you.” Severus sighed softly and rolled to her side on his back, reaching for one of her hands and lacing their fingers together as he rested them over his heart as his chest continued to rise and fall.

“Oh, how it feels to be loved.” She giggled, gazing over at him and gently squeezing his hand.

“Come here,” He narrowed his eyebrows, laying his other arm open for her, “Let us lay in our pool of sex together.”

“Oh, so your tongue isn't just good at being between my legs, hm? It can talk smoothly too,” She spoke sarcastically as she rolled on top of him, crinkling her nose at his eye roll response, “Thank you for today, Severus.”

“Are you thanking me or my cock?” Severus teased, pretending to huff.

“Don't forget your tongue.” Eleanor winked, letting out a singular chuckle.

“You should watch your own with suggestive words like that, Miss Eleanor.” Severus tried not to laugh.

“What do you suggest I do instead, hm?” Eleanor lifted her head, gently kissing his chin before gazing up at him.

“Sleep.” Severus shrugged, wrapping his arms around her snugly and pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

“What, like this?” Eleanor asked, looking around the bed before back at him, “No bedsheets?”

“Suits me,” Severus yawned, smiling sleepily as he gazed down at her, “To wake up wearing nothing but you is all I ever want.”

---

Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think and remember my requests are always open! 😁🥰

Tags!: @sweeneytoddsmainbitch @dontrunannabelle @simp-manhwa @benedict-cbe @dracolilhoe @icytrickster17 @megladon045 @overgrownbat @liv2post @bratty-tingz @speedycupcakepaper @pinterestwhore145 @severinaprince @acupnoodle @hamiltonstann @honeyshampoo @bibliosophie @snifellus @eyesinmymindinmay @nidamae-approvedhpfanfics @hauntinq-6 @callm3c0nfus3d @wh0reforthemarauders @sorryimdyingrn @nooneeveryonenoone @mrs-snape5984 @vulnus-sanare @missgurlthang @thesecretsofseverussnape @evil-eyebrow @peppiloll @hazedwords @darlingvica @indigosparkle444 @sevprince-91 @dreamshopesfantasies @ficswjackson @secretpandaconnoisseur @dark-t1des @nyx-greenwood99 @serpentsbone @dark-tides-dungeon @marisimps @caprica99 @hisleastfavbrit (I tagged all that tumblr would allow me to, so if you’re name isn’t on there I’m so sorry 😭♥️)

[ckret2]

I know that in the end, tbob and your fic ended up being extremelly compliant, and you just had to make a few changes here and there for canon compliance. But would anything significantly change if you started your fic now instead of when you did

It's hard to tell since I was so steeped in show-accurate lore when originally constructing the plot that it's hard to imagine what I would've done if steeped in show-and-book-accurate lore. Absolutely, I would have incorporated the Theraprism from the get go—but I've figured out how to do that on the fic as I'm writing it now, so would the fic I would've written in this alternate timeline differed much from what I'm currently writing? I would've incorporated the fact that the Oracle invited the Henchmaniacs to the "real" world—but I already have plans for how I'm incorporating that into my current version of the fic, so would it have changed much or would I just have mentioned it a little earlier? The book portrays his parents as well-intended but misguided; as it is, my characterization of his parents started on the crueler end and then I slid it toward a mix of cruel/kind with a surface level veneer of kindness, but if I'd read the book first I might've started from the other direction (make them kind, add on some cruelty) but ultimately land about the same place.

I might have also sighed and whined and come up with a reason to make talking about the third dimension outright illegal in his home dimension, which I'd initially deliberately leaned away from because I was trying to avoid it being like Flatland, but the book makes it a bit harder to avoid that. As it is what I'm gonna do is say that Bill is greatly exaggerating its illegality, but that feels like a cheat and I probably wouldn't have cheated if I'd read the book first. That would've been a very small change though.

I think the biggest change is that I would've found a way to incorporate the book TBOB itself. As it is, I worked in mentions like oh yeah they saw the book briefly last fall; but I could've done a lot more to have that shape everyone's initial reactions to Bill (since they'd KNOW Bill's "alive" and have even sort of interacted with him one-sidedly since his death), and I could've done more with him using the book to try to escape before he resorts to reincarnation. I probably would have made the canonical reader an actual character in the fic, possibly Gus the ranger too.

I think I also would have done more with Bill attempting to reach out to the mirror dimension. As it is I slid in him attempting to contact them in chapter 7 and it just doesn't go through, and I'm gonna have him make some contact with them later in the fic; if I was starting the fic from scratch, I might've devoted a whole episode to him trying to reach them and either discovering he can't or getting totally shot down by them and getting an emotional gutpunch from realizing they aren't really on his side.

There might've been more changes, but it's hard to imagine them from this timeline, y'know? Hard to imagine what random neurons might've fired in my brain if I'd read the book when I didn't have the whole fic inside of my head already.

[kayakima]

Why do you think Jean and Pieck work well as a couple? (srs)

I know you have a fic of it but I'm curious about your direct take.

Oooo I’m definitely not the first person who has said this but a lot of the appeal with Jean x Pieck lies with the post-canon potential between the two of them as opposed to scenes that you directly see in the manga/anime!

Jean and Pieck are both shown to be incredibly pragmatic, level-headed, and loyal characters, (where their loyalty primarily lies with people as opposed to the systems that brought them up. I.e. Pieck saying she doesn’t trust Marley but the people she’s fought with, and Jean telling Reiner that they’re no different from each other, so it’s wrong to judge their actions), and in their few short scenes together, it shows that they immediately read how the other works in a way that they can work together efficiently in a fight. They don’t hold anything against each other for past instances, because right off the bat they both understand that nothing is personal in war, and when they’re finally at a point in the narrative where it’s time to join up, they do so immediately without hesitation.

From a physical standpoint, Jean canonically likes girls with dark hair, and while that in and of itself isn’t enough to say “oh they’re canon because she has black hair”, it does lend to the idea that Pieck may have partially been designed to serve as a potential secondary love interest for Jean, considering that she was originally supposed to be a middle aged man. Even if that change wasn’t intended to open that door, their scene together on Eren’s Titan very clearly pushes a “hey guys this is also a new potential love interest situation so pay attention to these two!!!” Type of agenda that’s really common in this type of storytelling. Pieck herself is portrayed as being inseparable from Porco, who also has a fiery temperament and dirty-blonde hair, and while Porco and Pieck lack the absolutely absurd height difference between her and Jean, we still see her interactions with a male character that has similar traits with Jean. Once Porco dies, Pieck is clearly upset, but then chooses to push forward to fulfill her duty to her fellow warriors (who else in this story chose to follow through to make a difference to honor a comrade that was in one way or another killed because of Reiner???) they’re reflections of the same character traits in different bodies, and they mirror each other incredibly well when they barely even interact onscreen.

But in the parts where they DO interact, I can’t tell you how many shows and movies I’ve seen that have had two side characters that previously didn’t talk much suddenly wind up in a long fight sequence together, and more often than not, it does lead to a character change and emphasized romantic potential by the end of the story. Character blocking in scenes is incredibly important, and when two characters are placed together for a 4-5 minute scene of just the two of them, then the contrast of both their visuals and their personalities is much more noticeable. Then we get into the boat scene, where Pieck is the one to tease Jean about his hair, and he makes just as equally cheeky a response. I do think their time as ambassadors would put them in close quarters very often, and in real life, people fall for each other all the time when they’re together 24/7. I think it was intentional that Pieck was the one to start the banter with Jean to go back on my previous statements, and I think by the end of the story, that’s implied that there’s a good chance the two of them either currently have something going on, or that there’s something that will happen between them eventually. I also like the idea that since they met as adults, and with wildly different life experiences, they could have a lot to learn from each other without years of trauma and baggage that affects their relationship. They’re two entirely separate people that have the potential to become something completely new together as opposed to being together in the shadow of everything that happened to them when they were younger.

Also consider this: incredibly attractive and smug man meets even more attractive and smug woman. Then they have four kids.

[existentialterror]

ARG notes: ZampanioSim

Okay, a work this metafictional and also that (I think) responds to audience interaction is going to need a high-caliber gimmick. Hang on.

...

Alright. Hey guys, catfishAnabasis (Light) here, taking a moment out of my surprisingly busy day tell you about a weird thing on the internet.

ZampanioSim is an intricate and brainbending ARG. It takes direct inspiration from Homestuck, The Magnus Archives, and House of Leaves, as well as the creator (JR, jadedResearcher/justifiedRecursion)'s previous canon of Homestuck fan-work and games. A major theme is "unreality".

HERE IS YOUR TRAILHEAD.

Feel free to ignore the rest of the writeup and check it out now.

I know very little about JR's other work, right now. However, among my many INTERESTS, I am something of a TMA ENJOYER and an AMATEUR INTERNET INVESTIGATOR, and if I were in a HOUSE I like to think I could LEAVE it pretty easily.

So, yeah. I figured I'd just describe my experience of this rabbithole and maybe you'll want to check it out too. I'm sure this will only scratch the surface.

ZampanioSim is structured as a nested labyrinth. In the same way that:

Homestuck is a webcomic framed as an interactive adventure game about an account of kids playing a video game (Sgrub) that doesn't exist, and

House of Leaves is a novel framed as a found scholarly discussion about a documentary (The Navidson Record) that doesn't exist about a house that doesn't exist,

ZampanioSim is a game-based ARG framed as an attempt to simulate a game (Zampanio) that doesn't exist based on a found FAQ of the game (that only sort of exists).

More concretely, ZampanioSim features a lot of nested browser games, as well as audio, narrative, an actual audience-interactive narrative game (the way Homestuck was originally), external websites, and more.

The starting point is, of course, the House:

ZampanioSim takes full advantage of the browser as medium. There is content accessible via the address bar, developer tools, cookies (I think), the developer console, and probably more that I haven't realized.

Like, to give you a sense of the kind of rabbithole we're dealing with: Here's a map I made of the House outset page today:

...And I say today because the House does change over time. Today (a friday) when I clicked on the EastEast route, for instance, I was greeted by this grotesquely distorted version of Rebecca Black's "Friday":

Okay, let's talk about what we have going on in the House map, starting from the doors and working out. (I've given some of these my own names for clarity.)

North

The Classpect Menu Game:

This, I think, is the main titular "ZampanioSim". It's the part that's intended to recreate the experience of a supposed old computer game, but by and large, you only experience the menu screen, not the rest of the gameplay. You can select attributes (based on Homestuck's Classpecting system + the Magnus Archives fears) gain points and select skills and (depending on your seed) eventually "beat the game". It's glitchy, it's a hellscape, there's an entity or two in the menu system that are trying to talk to you. It's great fun. Contains links to a rabbithole (which you can plug passwords into for more secrets) and + some secrets to you in the credits.

(While mostly the aspects seem to add flavor to the menu options, there's a special class called "Waste". This appears in neither TMA nor Homestuck, but comes from a fan or meta-joke that Andrew Hussie and Toby Fox, the writer and a major composer for Homestuck, are classpected* as the "Waste of Space" and "Waste of Time". By telling it you're a "Waste"you're more likely to get weird glitches and new options in your Classpect Menu game run - there's a fun recurring element in some of these games about the game changing depending on who you tell it is playing. I learned about the Waste trick from JR's youtube channel. Also, setting your birthday as Halloween might also do something.)

I have no idea if the different iterations of games here are substantially different. I haven't checked. There's a lot going on. "There's a lot going on" is a good summary of ZampanioSim overall.

*( Uh, classpecting is this in-Homestuck personality system where game players are a [Role] of [Element].)

Eyedlr: Eyedol Games is the company that supposedly made the original game Zampanio. Eyedlr is their spambot-filled tumblr clone, which also has secrets in it. (Actually, just assume everything has secrets out.)

East

The House Exploration game: It has the same setup screen as the Classpect Menu game, but this one drops you into a game with visuals: An infinite(?) procedural house you navigate with imagery derived from your choices.

Peewee's exploration game: When it's not blasting Rebecca Black's Friday But Weird into your ears, the EastEast route is another procedural infinite(?) maze, except that you type directions to Peewee, a snake guy with goggles who also moves around on his own. This one also introduces named characters we learn more about elsewhere.

Bathroom text: Procredural bathroom maze, unless it's just some text telling you to take a break. ZampanioSim really likes telling you to take breaks and hydrate, so that you can better appreciate and spread Zampanio.

Absolutely not. Also, I'm a busy woman. I have to finish this writing summary first.

South

The Train Game: a game - notably not a maze - where JR walks down a series of train corridors and monologues to you about the game and the "reality" behind it.

The mazecrawler game: You tell a little guy how to navigate an infinite(?) maze - and if you choose right and open up your browser's Console menu, you can learn a great deal more about

West

The only West route is AdventureSimWest, which is an actual text narrative game where readers submit commands that the author incorporates into updates - just like early Homestuck. It's still going. The logs are extensive but it's mostly about the antics of a new employee at Eyedol Games, which is stuck in a time loop.

Other

Then there's some other scattered clickable text -

The truth about alt: An exchange between two shapeshifters.

A transcript: A dialogue between two people who apparently work for Eyedol Games.

The lower left leads you to an apparently rotating selection of other Zampanio-related games. I particularly liked NagaGirlfriend.

None of this is even the stuff you can reach this page exclusively through the Console menu.

And much more

And there's a lot of stuff that's NOT branching directly off of the house. There's other things you find buried in links or by searching - a discord and a wiki that both straddle the line between in-character and -out, Archive of Our Own content, a youtube channel, the Eyedol website...

Is there a "story" to ZampanioSim?

Yes.

Like I said, there's a lot I haven't seen yet. But what's going on is something like this:

JR is attempting to recreate this game, Zampanio, of course, and tap into its fanbase. The game Zampanio is an infectious meme. Eyedol Games is a transdimensional company that is perhaps both trying to spread the meme and contain it, by removing its spores, e.g. the Zampanio FAQ - the thing that inspired JR to make ZampanioSim - from the internet.

Various parts of the game recognize that they are fictional and may identify you the reader/player as "Observers".

There are a few recurring characters who have gotten swept up into the meme, either working for Eyedol or trapped in ZampanioSim or both, and have followed it from variant to transdimensional variant.

(this is an image from homestuck. it's a reference.)

Japes aside, this is a brain-bending, very cool, and completely ludicrous unfiction project which I believe is made mostly by one person with an unparalleled hand for web sorcery, whimsy, and vibes. The vibes are so good.

The host website, Farrago Fiction (which AFAICT is a multi-person project), hosts a number of often-homestuck-inspired weird games and simulators.

I know ZampanioSim is now a few years old and is still actively updating. Consider checking it out.

2024-08-24 edit: Part 2!

[somebodys-nightmare]

Understanding the Romantic Narrative Arcs in Final Fantasy VII

There has been no shortage of discourse surrounding the “Love Triangle Debate”, (a fan-constructed term, I must inform you) of FFVII for a very long time. Most recently, with the release of FFVII Rebirth, this discourse has intensified and led to a wide spectrum of fan conclusions that range from grounded in narrative sense to completely baseless or delusional. Some takes are attached to contemporary relationship issues, personal experience, comparisons to other media or works of fiction, social constructs or societal issues, personal preference, or a lack of full context.

While any piece of media or fiction is subject to some level of interpretation (this is the very nature of humans consuming works of art), most works are created with intentional narrative direction. In fact, many works are formulaic, especially in genres such as fantasy, romance, mystery, etc. While of course there are always exceptions and deviations, as a writer and former English literature teacher I can say that most stories follow a general narrative structure or arc that makes them digestible and satisfying to readers/audiences. Such arcs impact the main, external, internal, and subplots of a story, as well as individual character arcs and character relationship arcs.

Final Fantasy is no different. While there are other cultural influences as FFs are Japanese stories, my experience with the series is the writing generally follows most storytelling conventions that can be found in all forms of archetypal writing, cross-culturally and generationally. FFVII is often accused of being ambiguous or open-ended in many aspects of its story. I tend to disagree with this idea and think that its storytelling is subversive rather than ambiguous, meaning that it requires players to work harder and use more critical thinking in order to reach the author’s intended conclusions. It also relies on false or misleading narratives for a good part of the story (such as red herrings, illusions, or unreliable narrators) as storytelling devices that help the truth in the story unfold in later parts of the narrative arc(s). Like any piece of media using these storytelling methods, this means that there will be controversy or debate as audiences contend with the author’s messages or intentions. However, that does not mean that the intentions are not there and that there is not an intentional outcome on the part of the writers.

Personally, I believe that FFVII has a very clear narrative structure for all of its main plot, sub plots, and character arcs, but that its approach is challenging to many players who have to wrestle with the story as it unfolds to understand it. It is not spoon-fed, and some revelations may betray player attachments that were originally formed. However, in my view, this is what makes FFVII such an exceptional story when compared to many others. That being said, the lack (or refusal) of understanding of FFVII’s narrative arcs has led to discourse that unfortunately mischaracterizes many of the characters and pushes inappropriate perspectives onto the storytelling, mostly surrounding the romantic arcs of the main characters and the so-called “LTD” (the fan construction, remember?). I strongly believe that the best way to understand any story is to follow the narrative arcs in order to arrive at the author’s intended conclusions.

I’m going to attempt to do that for the romantic subplots in FFVII in hopes of bringing some clarity to this issue. This analysis is based on a standard Three-Act Romance narrative writing structure (which aligns with the Hero's Journey structure), as well common romantic archetypes and tropes, both for characters and plot, but applied to the specific context of the story, world, and characters of FFVII. Please note that this is my personal analysis and it is by no means perfect, nor am I saying this is the bible of how FFVII has been written. I just hope it gives some insight into why some storytelling interpretations of FFVII should make more sense than… others. This analysis will draw from bits of the entire compilation, but the primary focus of the structure will be looking at FF7R with the OG as a baseline.

This is a long thread, so please see the outline for discussion below.

Romantic Structure/Trope Analysis

Cloud/Tifa: The Slow Burn/Childhood Friends to Lovers Romance

Aerith/Cloud: The Unrequited Love/Not Meant to Be Romance

Zack/Aerith: The Long Lost Love Romance

Final Thoughts: The "Love Triangle" is a Narrative Illusion

Cloud/Tifa: The Slow Burn/Childhood Friends to Lovers Romance

Act 1: The Beginning

The Hook (Childhood Connection Revealed)

Romance Structure: Introduction / Setup

Purpose: Establish the protagonists in their everyday lives, showing what emotional or psychological issues are holding them back from love. Readers should get a sense of their internal conflicts and motivations, along with the external situations that will challenge them later.

Childhood Friends Layer: Introduce the deep connection between the two characters, showing them as lifelong friends with an established bond. There could be hints of one or both characters secretly harboring feelings for the other, but they haven't acted on it due to fear of losing the friendship.

Example: Cloud and Tifa are childhood friends with a complicated history. Although they were close when they were little, they drifted apart but secretly longed for one another. They shared a romantic promise and then separated for seven years. At the beginning of FFVII, they are reunited, but both characters are contending with serious internal and external conflicts - Cloud’s identity crisis and the Shinra Company’s greed and abuse of the planet.

The Inciting Incident / Call to Adventure / Meet-Cute

Romance Structure: Inciting Incident / The Meet-Cute

Purpose: The main characters meet or are pushed together by external circumstances. This encounter introduces the romantic conflict—whether it’s instant attraction or tension between them.

Childhood Friends Layer: Since they’ve already known each other for years, the “meet-cute” here is more about seeing each other in a new light. Maybe one of them returns to town after time away, or an external event shifts their dynamic, making one or both start to view the other differently.

Example: Cloud and Tifa reunite in Midgar and Tifa recruits Cloud to work for AVALANCHE. She does this primarily to keep him close so she can keep an eye on him as she is worried about him and his mental state. During this time, we see an instant chemistry between Cloud and Tifa as they reconnect after years apart. When conflicts are introduced, we see the strain that it puts on them, but we also see how there’s a lingering desire for closeness, whether it be in their discussion/memory of the promise, their mutual flirting, their skinship, etc.

First Plot Point / Refusal of the Call

Romance Structure: Rejection of the Relationship

Purpose: The characters resist the idea of a romantic relationship, often due to internal or external obstacles. There’s a clear push-pull dynamic as they fight their growing attraction, often rejecting the possibility of being together.

Childhood Friends Layer: The hesitation here comes from their shared history. Both characters are afraid to risk their close friendship for something as uncertain as a romance. This dynamic creates tension as they begin to realize how much they depend on each other emotionally.

Example: This isn’t directly addressed, but the narrative deflects from intentional romantic confrontations at this point because of Cloud’s identity crisis and the pressing issues of the external conflict. Neither character is outwardly pursuing a relationship, but they don’t exactly deny their desire for closeness. We consistently see the push/pull between Cloud and Tifa throughout the early part of their arc. It's also further complicated when Sephiroth starts to sabotage their relationship.

Act 2: The Middle

First Pinch Point / Acceptance of the Quest

Romance Structure: Giving the Relationship a Chance

Purpose: External circumstances push them together, forcing them to interact and face their growing connection. Even if they resist the idea of love, the bond between them deepens as they spend more time together.

Childhood Friends Layer: Their shared history becomes an advantage and a source of conflict. The deeper they dive into new romantic feelings, the more they rely on the comfort of their friendship, but they’re also terrified of crossing the line and ruining everything.

Example: Cloud and Tifa work together both with AVALANCHE and the party at large to combat the threats present in the external conflict. Additionally, they share deep trauma from the Nibelheim Incident that brings them closer together as sources of comfort. They become one another’s rocks, and though they still do not move toward any explicit romantic confirmation, it is clear from their behavior that they both hold deep feelings for each other and care for each other greatly. Cloud in particular holds on to his promise to Tifa, making it a cornerstone of his strength moving forward.

Midpoint Crisis / Trials and Temptations

Romance Structure: Midpoint / I-Need-You-But-Can’t-Have-You

Purpose: This is a major turning point where the characters either experience a "false high" (where they feel like things are going well but something still isn’t quite right) or a "false low" (where they feel like things are falling apart). There’s often a pivotal moment of intimacy that deepens their bond but also introduces new fears.

Childhood Friends Layer: The fear of losing the friendship intensifies. They might experience their first kiss or confession of deeper feelings, but the risk of ruining their long-established bond makes the situation more fraught with anxiety.

Example: This particular point in the arc gets a little tricky for Cloud and Tifa because of Cloud’s identity crisis and Tifa’s reticence around their mismatched issues. However, Rebirth has made it clear that before the end of disc 1, Cloud and Tifa are aware of their feelings for each other and that the narrative is still in the way of it. This arc intersects events that transpire from Kalm to Gongaga, and we see the build-up of tension due to the internal conflict between Cloud and Sephiroth.

Second Pinch Point / The Road Back

Romance Structure: Pulling Back Together

Purpose: The characters are drawn back together by external events, but their internal fears and conflicts still loom large. The romance starts to deepen, but both are still fighting their feelings in some way.

Childhood Friends Layer: They try to go back to being "just friends," but it’s clear that things have changed between them. The emotional and romantic tension keeps building, and they can’t ignore how much they need each other.

Example: We see this dynamic between Cloud and Tifa continue to build throughout disc 1, particularly in Rebirth. We are consistently reminded of the tension between them and the importance of their relationship, regardless of romantic intent. Gongaga and Nibelheim are great examples of this.

Second Plot Point / The Fall

Romance Structure: The Fall

Purpose: The characters are now falling in love, even if they haven’t fully admitted it to each other. There’s often a deeper moment of intimacy—physical or emotional—that makes them realize just how much they mean to each other.

Childhood Friends Layer: One or both characters realize they’ve fallen hard for their best friend, but they are still careful or hold back from telling the other, afraid it might ruin everything. Nonetheless, they give in to their feelings in some capacity, which marks a turning point.

Example: The Gold Saucer date would be the best parallel for this point in the arc for Cloud and Tifa. In the OG Tifa almost confesses to a very interested Cloud, in Rebirth, they confirm feelings and kiss. Either way, it’s clearly meant to signal at this point, the fall has happened.

Act 3: The End

The Crisis / Dark Moment

Romance Structure: Dark Moment / The Break-Up

Purpose: This is the point where everything falls apart. The characters break up or distance themselves, either because of internal or external forces.

Childhood Friends Layer: The weight of their shared history makes this moment even more devastating. The fear of losing the friendship forever becomes real.

Example: For Cloud and Tifa, this moment is really hinged on Cloud’s mental breakdown. After the Gold Saucer Date, Cloud’s mental state progressively worsens due to events that occur within both the internal and external conflicts, and his bond with Tifa is severed completely at the Northern Crater. Cloud and Tifa are separated when Cloud falls into the Lifestream.

The Sacrifice / The Crisis Resolution

Romance Structure: The Sacrifice

Purpose: One or both characters must confront their fears and make a choice. This moment often involves a grand gesture or a realization that love is worth the risk.

Childhood Friends Layer: The realization comes that their friendship has always been the foundation of something more. They understand that risking the friendship for love is not only worth it but that the friendship can only deepen through their romantic connection.

Example: This point comes in Mideel and the Lifestream Scene. Tifa reaches her own realization about her relationship with Cloud and how her reticence has impacted things, and her conviction to save him and be with him is both profound and clearly romantic. Inside the Lifestream, Tifa helps Cloud to find himself, and many revelations about his true feelings for her are brought to light. Of course, we have not reached this point of the story in FF7R, so it will be intriguing to see how it unfolds, given all of the additional context the remake series and ToTP have provided.

The Climax / Declaration

Romance Structure: Declaration

Purpose: The characters finally confess their love for each other, making the leap from friends to lovers. This is the emotional high point where the relationship is solidified.

Childhood Friends Layer: The confession of love is tied to their long history, as they realize that their deep emotional connection as friends is the foundation for a strong romantic relationship.

Example: This moment for Cloud and Tifa is the Highwind Scene in the OG, where they confirm, without words, that their feelings match. Once again, we will see how this event unfolds in Part 3 with all the new and deepened context of Cloud and Tifa’s relationship in 7R.

The Resolution / Denouement

Romance Structure: Denouement / HEA

Purpose: The characters are together and happy, giving the reader a sense of closure.

Childhood Friends Layer: The resolution emphasizes how their strong friendship has transitioned seamlessly into a romantic relationship, giving the sense that they’ll continue to support each other as both friends and lovers.

Example: In the OG, this is seen in the FMV of the game where Cloud and Tifa are together, leading to the resolution of the entire story as Holy and the Lifestream are released. While this scene isn’t particularly direct, it’s enough to show that Cloud and Tifa are together, which leads to ACC where they live and raise a family together. This entire ending segment will likely be greatly expanded in FF7R, and so it'll be interesting to see how these moments are handled, given all of the new context.

Aerith/Cloud: Unrequited Love/Not Meant to Be Arc

Act 1: The Beginning

The Hook (Unrequited Feelings Introduced)

Romance Structure: Introduction / Setup

Purpose: Introduce the protagonist, who falls for the other character. Set up their emotional and psychological conflict, showing how these unrequited feelings shape their interactions with the other character.

Unrequited Love Layer: The character’s love is clearly unreturned, but they hold on to hope. There is a mix of admiration, longing, and pain as they watch the love interest live their life without ever seeing them as a romantic partner.

Example: Aerith’s feelings for Cloud, who she meets first on the streets of Midgar and later inside her church, are inspired by her long-lost love, Zack, whom he reminds her of. We don’t know this immediately, but we find out soon enough, and the story, especially 7R, is full of visual and symbolic cues.

The Inciting Incident / Call to Adventure / Meet-Cute

Romance Structure: Inciting Incident / The Meet-Cute

Purpose: The characters are pushed together by external circumstances, giving the protagonist more time with the love interest. The character sees this as an opportunity to grow closer, but the other character remains unaware or indifferent to their romantic feelings.

Unrequited Love Layer: The character is thrilled to spend more time with the other character and hopes this will bring them closer. However, the love interest still sees the relationship as platonic, creating tension.

Example: While their interaction on Loveless Street is the fated moment for Cloud and Aerith, the meet-cute is their meeting in the church. This is the inciting incident that not only truly triggers Aerith’s latent Zack-longing, but also begins Cloud and Aerith’s friendship as they work together for a common cause. Aerith flirts with Cloud quite a bit at this point, displaying her interest, but Cloud does not reciprocate in any romantic sense. She also refuses to let him leave and follows him around, essentially solidifying Aerith’s place in the player party and cementing her role as the heroine driving the external conflict. From here on out, we are consistently reminded that Cloud reminds Aerith of Zack, the deeper reason for her interest in him.

First Plot Point / Refusal of the Call

Romance Structure: Rejection of the Relationship

Purpose: The protagonist’s feelings remain unrequited. The other character might express interest in someone else or explicitly state that they don’t see the protagonist in a romantic light. This deepens the emotional conflict for the protagonist, who struggles with unspoken feelings.

Unrequited Love Layer: The protagonist is heartbroken but holds onto hope. They keep pushing their emotions down, unwilling to let go just yet.

Example: Aerith meets Tifa and quickly realizes that she is someone deeply important to Cloud. In Remake, she realizes this even before meeting her when Cloud has a headache and calls out Tifa’s name. Her awareness changes her behavior somewhat, but internally, she still is still conflicted because of her internal conflict over Zack.

Act 2: The Middle

First Pinch Point / Acceptance of the Quest

Romance Structure: Giving the Relationship a Chance

Purpose: External circumstances continue to push the characters together, and the protagonist’s feelings deepen. They begin to cling to small moments, hoping that their love might one day be reciprocated.

Unrequited Love Layer: The protagonist interprets friendly gestures as signs of romantic potential. They invest emotionally in every small interaction, hoping it means more than it does. However, deep down, they start to feel the weight of their unreturned affection.

Example: The journey continues with the party leaving Midgar, and Aerith’s feelings for Cloud grow despite her knowledge of his bond with Tifa as the party travels together. In Rebirth this is further complicated by Aerith’s loss of foresight/memories to the Whispers. We are also constantly reminded of Aerith’s lingering feelings for Zack and her grief and sadness over his loss/disappearance. Throughout the journey, she seeks out opportunities to spend time with Cloud - “dates” even though these moments are not reciprocated romantically. A notable example of this is her date with him on the clock tower in Kalm, where she speaks to him about his relationship with Tifa (hinting at her knowledge of their bond and her jealousy over it) and then her public declaration that they were on a date (in front of Tifa). Cloud's reaction to moments like these continue to inform the audience he does not return romantic affections for Aerith.

Midpoint Crisis / Trials and Temptations

Romance Structure: Midpoint / I-Need-You-But-Can’t-Have-You

Purpose: A major turning point occurs where the protagonist either faces the possibility that their love will never be returned or sees a fleeting moment where they think it might be. The emotional stakes are higher, as the protagonist grapples with whether to continue holding on.

Unrequited Love Layer: The character might attempt to make their feelings known, either explicitly or through subtle gestures, but the love interest doesn’t reciprocate. The character is left feeling exposed and vulnerable, yet still holding on to hope that things might change.

Example: For Cloud and Aerith, this continues to be the nature of their relational development throughout most of disc 1, but their interaction on the water tower in Nibelheim is probably the best example of this. Aerith has to grapple with her jealousy over Cloud and Tifa’s bond, which she has been observing for the entire game. Her acknowledgment of her feelings over it is a major turning point as a character. Additionally, this moment really cements that Cloud views his relationship with Aerith as a cherished friendship, as we see the way that he cares about her angry reaction.

Second Pinch Point / The Road Back

Romance Structure: Pulling Back Together

Purpose: Circumstances force the characters to spend more time together, even though the character is starting to feel the emotional strain of unrequited love. There may be a moment of temporary hope, but it’s tinged with the growing realization that their feelings might never be returned.

Unrequited Love Layer: The character becomes more emotionally drained as they begin to sense that their love will remain one-sided. They might try one last time to be closer to the love interest, but the gap between them is becoming clearer.

Example: This moment could best be viewed through Cloud and Aerith’s Gold Saucer date. There, Aerith not only tries to get closer to Cloud but she opens up emotionally and gives Cloud insight into the root of her feelings, which is Zack. Cloud does not reciprocate any of Aerith’s romantic overtures in this date and rather displays discomfort or awkwardness throughout most of it. However, he does allow her a moment of emotional vulnerability, which he has not been willing to do previously. This is further contextualized by how, In Rebirth, Cloud has remembered Zack by this point (albeit incorrectly). Cloud, who cherishes and cares for Aerith greatly as a friend, is considerate of this connection and offers her comfort for the grief and loss she has just admitted to feeling and seeking consolation in him from. Hence "just until the ride's over"; "I didn't do anything" etc...

Second Plot Point / The Fall

Romance Structure: The Fall

Purpose: The character finally realizes that their love will never be returned. This is an emotionally intense moment where they are forced to confront the truth—they will never be more than a friend or confidant to the love interest.

Unrequited Love Layer: The protagonist may be devastated by the final confirmation that their feelings will never be returned. The emotional weight of unrequited love becomes too much, and they start to realize they need to let go, or come to other realizations about their feelings.

Example: The moment that most closely matches with this point in the arc is the dream stroll through Sector 5. Not only does Aerith accept that Cloud doesn’t return her feelings romantically, but she comes to a realization of her own feelings and questions them. This is clearly a reference to Zack, whose internal conflict has been consistently foreshadowed. Aerith also seems to recognize that she can’t help Cloud with his internal conflict - that is Tifa's role.

Act 3: The End

The Crisis / Dark Moment

Romance Structure: Dark Moment / The Break-Up

Purpose: This is the point of emotional reckoning, where they face the reality of unrequited love and move on in their arc.

Unrequited Love Layer: The character experiences grief over their unreturned feelings. They might decide to pull away from the love interest entirely, or they may try to come to terms with remaining friends while letting go of their romantic hopes and moving on.

Example: For Aerith, this moment is marked by her complete transition to her role in the external conflict. At this point, she has let go of her romantic fancy for Cloud and has committed herself to the bigger picture. It is at this point that she leaves the party, and leaves Cloud in the Sleeping Forest, to fulfill her role as a Cetra.

The Sacrifice / The Crisis Resolution

Romance Structure: The Sacrifice

Purpose: The protagonist sacrifices their unrequited love, realizing they need to move on for the sake of their own emotional well-being or greater purposes. This is a bittersweet moment of acceptance and self-growth, where they let go of the hope that kept them holding on for so long.

Unrequited Love Layer: The protagonist may realize that holding on to unrequited love is only hurting them or preventing them from reaching a greater purpose.

Example: For Aerith, this point in the arc is less about Cloud and more about her role in the external conflict. This is the point in which she travels to the Forgotten City, prays, and ultimately is killed. However, it is bittersweet and tragic for her, ultimately, because she dies with unrequited love from Cloud and without ever getting closure on her true love, Zack.

The Climax / Declaration

Romance Structure: Declaration

Purpose: Instead of a declaration of mutual love, this is the protagonist’s internal declaration of acceptance. They start the process of moving on.

Unrequited Love Layer: The protagonist lets go of the love interest in their heart, realizing that they need to focus on their own future. The love interest is likely unaware of this internal shift, but it’s a powerful moment of growth for the protagonist.

Example: For Aerith, this is perhaps best viewed in her complete transition after death to the larger role she plays as the heroine of the planet from within the Lifestream. Her arc has fully transitioned away from her feelings for Cloud into her greater purpose. In FF7R, we can hope to see how Zack, who has been trying to find her, begins to impact this next phase of her arc.

The Resolution / Denouement

Romance Structure: Denouement / HEA

Purpose: Instead of a traditional happy ending, this is a reflective, bittersweet resolution. The character has grown emotionally. There is a sense of closure, though it may come with lingering heartache.

Unrequited Love Layer: The character has let go of the hope that their love would ever be returned. They are stronger for it and have moved on.

Example: For Aerith and Cloud, this moment is best summed up by their brief Lifestream reunion at the end of the game. It will be intriguing to see how this moment is expanded and provides closure for Cloud and Aerith’s relationship, as well as Zack’s role in both.

Zack/Aerith: Long Lost Love/Tragic Love Arc

This arc is a little more complicated to map out since it is not only incomplete but riddled with mysteries at this point. However, I’m going to do my best to make the connections based on the information we have and where we can theorize things may be going.

Act 1: The Beginning

The Hook

Romance Structure: Introduction / Setup

Purpose: Establish the protagonist’s life after the estrangement, showing how unresolved feelings for their lost lover impact their emotional world. There’s a sense of longing and unfinished business that propels the protagonist’s actions.

Long Lost Lovers Layer: The protagonist is haunted by memories of their estranged lover and driven by a deep desire to find them again. This longing is fueled by unresolved emotional wounds, and the protagonist clings to the hope of a reunion.

Example: In Rebirth, from the beginning, Zack is singularly focused on reuniting with Aerith. After his escape from Nibelheim, even as he carries the wounded Cloud, Zack’s thoughts are consumed by Aerith. His love for her pushes him forward despite the dangerous and confusing circumstances he finds himself in. Zack’s motivation intensifies when he discovers, through a newscast, that Aerith is in danger. This revelation shifts Zack from hopeful longing to immediate action, driving home the urgency of his quest. His decision to prioritize Aerith’s safety over everything else, including Cloud, underscores how central Aerith is to his purpose, raising the stakes for his emotional journey.

The Inciting Incident

Romance Structure: The Call to Adventure

Purpose: The inciting incident transitions the protagonist from passive longing to active pursuit of reunion. Some event or revelation forces the protagonist to act, prompting them to seek out their estranged lover. Often, this is triggered by the discovery that the lover may be in danger.

Long Lost Lovers Layer: The protagonist realizes that simply hoping for a reunion isn’t enough—there’s now a tangible reason for urgency. This event serves as a catalyst for the protagonist to fully commit to the journey of reconnecting with their lover, increasing the stakes as they shift from passive longing to active pursuit.

Example: After mysteriously "surviving" his last stand against Shinra (as seen at the end of Crisis Core), Zack rescues Aerith from Shinra’s grasp in Rebirth. However, instead of a triumphant reunion, the moment is clouded with confusion and tragedy. This rescue scene signals Zack’s deep emotions for Aerith and heightens the sense of foreboding in their relationship arc. The player quickly realizes that the reunion isn’t straightforward and that darker forces are at play, casting a shadow over Zack’s determined rescue.

First Plot Point

Romance Structure: Refusal of the Call / First Obstacle

Purpose: The first major obstacle or refusal of the call introduces the initial challenges the protagonist faces in their pursuit of the lost lover. Despite their determination, external forces or internal doubts surface, complicating the journey.

Long Lost Lovers Layer: The protagonist’s optimism about reuniting with their estranged lover is challenged by harsh realities—whether through physical danger, supernatural elements, or emotional barriers. This moment introduces doubts about whether a reunion is possible, raising tension and uncertainty.

Example: Zack eventually brings a comatose Aerith and Cloud to Elmyra’s house. Zack’s devotion to them is evident as he cares for them despite their unresponsive states, but the world around him behaves in strange ways. The eerie sense of something deeply wrong in Sector 5 hints that Zack’s reality—and Aerith’s fate—are far from certain. He’s not just fighting to reunite with Aerith; he’s battling a reality that is becoming increasingly unstable. The player shares in Zack’s growing sense of anxiety and confusion, setting the tone for the more tragic layers of their arc to come.

First Pinch Point / Acceptance of the Quest

Romance Structure: Giving the Relationship a Chance

Purpose: The protagonist resolves to pursue their lost lover, hoping to rekindle what they once had. However, unresolved issues and emotional scars from the past begin to surface, complicating their journey.

Long Lost Lovers Layer: Time and distance have changed both characters, making reconnection difficult. The focus is on how time has altered both individuals and the lingering emotional weight of their separation.

Example: Zack’s attempt to reunite with Aerith is complicated by the metaphysical separation created by the Lifestream. Aerith remains comatose, as does Cloud, and Zack has to contend with both his own internal conflict as he tries to help them as well as the external conflict of his strange and mysterious circumstances within "Sector 5".

Midpoint Crisis / Trials and Temptations

Romance Structure: Midpoint / I-Need-You-But-Can’t-Have-You

Purpose: The protagonist’s need for their lost lover intensifies, but the relationship is far more complicated than expected. Old wounds and emotional or external barriers resurface, making reunion seem out of reach. Despite their determination, the protagonist begins to doubt whether they can ever restore what they once had.

Long Lost Lovers Layer: Time and emotional distance have changed the dynamics of their relationship. While both may care for each other, the past cannot easily be erased, and their attempts to reconnect are fraught with tension.

Example: External forces such as Sephiroth’s manipulations, and Aerith’s internal conflict over Cloud create an emotional barrier between her and Zack. Aerith, “asleep” in Zack’s world, remains unaware of his presence. As Zack learns from Marlene that Aerith’ "likes" Cloud, more tension and conflict is added. Despite these challenges, Zack remains unwavering in his commitment to reconnect with Aerith, determined to overcome the growing emotional distance.

Second Pinch Point / The Road Back

Romance Structure: Pulling Back Together

Purpose: The protagonist makes another push to reconnect with their lost lover despite significant setbacks. Faced with the reality that time is running out, the protagonist must act decisively to restore the relationship. While emotional connections may deepen, unresolved challenges threaten the outcome, leaving uncertainty in the air.

Long Lost Lovers Layer: Despite growing obstacles, the protagonist remains committed to rekindling the relationship. The emotional and physical distance between the lovers may still seem insurmountable, but the protagonist refuses to give up, holding onto the hope that they can salvage what they once had.

Example: Even as Zack’s hope begins to wane, he remains steadfast in his desire to reunite with Aerith. Zack finds himself pulled in multiple directions, creating additional conflicts. External forces and emotional entanglements continue to complicate their relationship, but Zack’s determination to bridge the emotional gap keeps pushing him forward. This section of Rebirth continues to heavily foreshadow both the truth about Zack as well as the future of Zack and Aerith's relationship, despite the conflicts.

Act 3: The End

The Crisis / Dark Moment

Romance Structure: The Break-Up / Darkest Hour

Purpose: The protagonist faces their darkest moment, where it seems that the reunion will never happen. Emotional scars or external forces tear the lovers apart, and the protagonist believes they’ve lost their final chance to reconnect. The relationship nears failure as the protagonist faces the harsh reality of their situation.

Long Lost Lovers Layer: The conflict grows to the point of no return. Previous mistakes or external conflicts surface, causing the relationship to fall apart, and the protagonist is left devastated, feeling that the reunion may never come.

Example: In Rebirth, this moment comes near the ending of the game when Sephiroth's confluence of worlds plays a role in role in further uprooting Zack's existence in the Lifestream. We also know that this is the time that Aerith dies in the real world, further complicating matters and adding new layers of conflict.

The Sacrifice / The Crisis Resolution

Romance Structure: The Sacrifice

Purpose: The protagonist realizes that to win back their lost lover, they must sacrifice their pride, fear, or ego. This emotional climax reflects their willingness to make a grand gesture or display vulnerability, showing they’ll do whatever it takes for a second chance.

Long Lost Lovers Layer: The protagonist makes a final, heartfelt plea to the estranged lover, acknowledging their mistakes and baring their soul. The lover, moved by the sincerity, must decide whether or not to take the risk of rekindling the relationship.

Example: Although we don’t yet know how this will play out in the Remake series, it’s likely that Part 3 will feature a reunion between Zack and Aerith. The conflicts that have built up—including Aerith’s internal struggle regarding Cloud—will need resolution. Advent Children (ACC) shows Zack and Aerith together in the Lifestream, setting the stage for a reunion in the Remake. The exact nature of this reunion remains speculative, but it’s likely Zack will make a significant sacrifice or grand gesture to resolve the emotional conflicts that have kept them apart.

The Climax / Declaration

Romance Structure: Declaration

Purpose: The estranged lover finally decides to take the risk and give the relationship another chance. After much internal struggle, they admit they’ve never stopped loving the protagonist, and they’re ready to move forward together. This is the emotional peak where both characters commit to each other.

Long Lost Lovers Layer: The reconciliation finally happens. After everything they’ve endured, the estranged lover acknowledges their lingering feelings and agrees to rebuild the relationship. Both characters take a leap of faith, trusting that they can overcome the past and move forward.

Example: Though speculative, if the arc follows the long lost lovers trope, Zack and Aerith will likely experience a heartfelt reunion in Part 3. Their lingering feelings would finally be acknowledged, clearing up Aerith’s complicated feelings for Cloud while reaffirming her bond with Zack. This declaration of love would also tie into the larger narrative arc, offering emotional resolution for both characters and allowing their story to move forward, especially in support of Aerith's role in the external conflict of the Planet.

The Resolution / Denouement

Romance Structure: Denouement / HEA

Purpose: The story concludes with a glimpse of the couple in their newly rekindled relationship. The emotional weight of their past has been lifted, and they are now ready to face the future together. Even if circumstances prevent a traditional “happy ending,” there is emotional closure and a sense of peace.

Long Lost Lovers Layer: After the pain, separation, and emotional struggle, the couple is finally together. The audience is left with a sense that their love will endure this time, offering a bittersweet but satisfying conclusion to their long journey.

Example: In Advent Children (ACC), we see Zack and Aerith reunited in the Lifestream, helping Cloud in his final battle. Their reunion suggests that, while they may no longer live in the physical world, their connection endures beyond death. Though bittersweet, their reunion offers emotional closure. The final installment of the Remake series will likely bring full resolution to Zack and Aerith’s arc, providing a satisfying conclusion, even if there are tragic elements along the way.

Final Thoughts: The Love Triangle is a Narrative Illusion

Cloud and Tifa’s Slow-Burn Childhood Friends to Lovers (Canon)

Cloud and Tifa’s relationship in Final Fantasy VII is a carefully crafted slow burn, rooted in a deep bond that extends back to their childhood in Nibelheim. Their connection is not built on superficial or flimsy romantic interactions but on a shared past and the quiet intimacy that grows from years of unspoken longing but is complicated by trauma.

Cloud and Tifa’s natural chemistry is driven by their subconscious desires and the deep, unspoken feelings they have for one another. For Cloud, his buried emotions instinctively reach out to Tifa, even though he isn’t fully aware of them. The narrative hides these true feelings, but subtle moments of affection and protectiveness reveal that, deep down, Cloud’s heart is already tied to hers, laying the groundwork for their eventual emotional connection.

The game’s emotional climax in the Lifestream, where Tifa helps Cloud piece together his shattered memories, is a pivotal moment in which both characters finally confront the depth of their feelings for each other. Their journey isn’t one of dramatic declarations, but rather a gradual, emotional reconnection that allows deeply held, mutual love and longing to blossom—a love that is grounded in shared history, healing, and mutual understanding and compassion.

This slow-burn romance stands as the true heart of Cloud’s emotional journey, dispelling the illusion of a love triangle and making it clear that Cloud’s deepest emotional ties are with Tifa.

Aerith and Cloud’s Unrequited Love / Not Meant to Be Semi-Canon/One-sided) (Fanon - mutual)

The dynamic between Aerith and Cloud, while often misinterpreted as romantic, is better understood through the lens of unrequited love and fate’s intervention. Aerith’s initial attraction to Cloud is undeniably influenced by his resemblance to her first love, Zack Fair.

As time goes on, Aerith tries to see Cloud for who he is, but tragically, this is not possible before her death, and her feelings remain complicated and unreciprocated. Their bond, while significant as friendship, never goes beyond that, reinforcing the fact that Aerith’s feelings for Cloud are more of an echo of her past with Zack.

Cloud's true self being in love with Tifa and Aerith’s tragic death seal the fate of their relationship as one that was never meant to be—a fleeting connection, shaped by circumstance rather than true compatibility.

The tragedy of this unfulfilled arc serves as a powerful narrative device, but it is clear that Cloud and Aerith were never destined to end up together, further dispelling the notion of a love triangle.

Zack and Aerith’s Long Lost Love / Tragic Love (Canon)

Zack and Aerith’s relationship is the quintessential tragic love story in Final Fantasy VII, defined by separation, longing, and loss. Aerith’s first love, Zack, vanishes from her life without explanation, leaving her with unanswered questions and unresolved feelings. Even as she begins to move forward, her heart never fully lets go of Zack, who is revealed to have fought valiantly to return to her—only to tragically lose his life in the process.

The tragedy of their love lies in the fact that both characters hold onto each other, but fate conspires to keep them apart, making their love story one of the most emotionally poignant elements in the game. Even in death, their connection endures, with Zack and Aerith appearing together in the Lifestream in ACC, symbolizing a love that transcends life itself. This arc, while bittersweet, resolves the narrative of Aerith’s romantic life—Zack was her true love, and Cloud was a reflection of the man she had lost, not a new love interest.

Their tragic love story dispels the myth of a love triangle in Final Fantasy VII, emphasizing that Aerith’s heart always belonged to Zack, even as she developed a bond with Cloud during her journey.

All of the relationships in the game are important. However, Cloud/Tifa & Zack/Aerith are the canon, mutual romantic relationships of Final Fantasy VII. Cloud/Aerith have a cherished friendship, but any romantic subtext of their relationship in the game is used as a vehicle to drive the conflicts and truths of the canon relationships forward. This is accomplished through illusions and subversions in storytelling, as well as creating internal conflict for the characters and canon relationships.

FFVII’s storytelling is deliberately designed to mislead the player through incomplete truths and emotional misdirection, including the use of red herrings, illusions, unreliable narration, and the omission of critical information or context. Cloud’s confused memories and persona, coupled with Aerith’s initial attraction to him based on his similarities to Zack, create the illusion of a romantic triangle, but the deeper truths—Cloud’s unresolved trauma and false identity, Tifa’s role as the keeper of Cloud’s real past and his true feelings, and Aerith’s ultimate fate as the Planet’s protector and her true love being Zack—gradually dismantle this illusionary love triangle.

I cannot stress enough that FFVII is not a love drama or soap opera where the game’s conflict centers on romantic rivalries, betrayal, deception, or morally questionable behaviors.. It’s a complex story that focuses on themes of life, loss, identity, self-discovery, legacy, and on and on.

Love - all kinds of love, including romantic, platonic, and familial - is a theme of FFVII, but truly and holistically, not for the sake of creating meaningless drama between the characters. The relationship dynamics appear messy at times in the earlier parts of the story, but these dynamics are designed to help us reach the proper conclusions about the story and the characters’ arcs, and how true love is a vehicle for reaching resolution for both.

Player’s choice is irrelevant to the plot. You cannot decide or alter the story structure or direction or individual character arcs or relationships. The most you can do is view the game through a slightly different lens by gaining an expanded understanding of character arcs and motivation with new replays.

Shipping is a fandom construct. It’s meant to be fun, and you can ship whatever you like. But shipping doesn’t intersect with the facts of a story or its narrative. Lying about any piece of media to convince yourself or others of its canonicity is bizarre behavior.

Respect the work and its intention, while having your shipping fun within your fandom. Don't embarrass yourself by saying an FF protagonist kissing the girl he’s loved since childhood and joined the army to impress means nothing, or worse, proves he the opposite of a hero.

You can ship your fanon without doing all that.

Last thing: Reunion is a primary theme of Final Fantasy VII. You may have noticed that it is also a primary theme for both of the canon romantic relationships. Personally, I believe that Part Three is going to drive this message home in a way that is unmistakable. I also believe that both lovers' reunions will be instrumental in resolving all of the conflicts of FFVII in the final game.

It’s not a coincidence that both reunions will take place in the Lifestream, or that they've been foreshadowed by the presence of the yellow flower.

I also believe that the dual Rebirth cover arts, described by Tetsuya Nomura as Sephiroth "tearing Cloud and Zack's worlds apart" are heavily foreshadowing the resolution of these relationships along with their connection to the the larger story structures of FFVII/FFVIIR.

Let's wait and see when Part 3 comes along.

[tomwambsgans]

tom and greg (and willa) + a virus/sickness/death

as laid out by connor, there is an undeniable connection between the notion of a virus/affliction and Love in succession. as willa, tom, and (especially) greg proceed to be the only characters who get contagiously sick, it's made likely that those literal maladies run parallel to them having caught feelings. notions of greg having to deal with spores in his lungs in a potential new apartment (said by willa, no less) even appear in the very same episode that tom, also moving into a new apartment, gets sick in a way otherwise irrelevant to the plot, thus drawing the parallels even clearer. less overt, then, are how these themes allude to AIDS.

tom's reference to the knowledge of the crimes and cover-ups on cruises as a "virus" is interesting (and wholly unnecessary, thus worth examining) wording. firstly, this is said only to greg despite the same information being alluded to by gerri and being later revealed to shiv. so the vein through which tom wanted to share "the death pit" with greg is one entirely different than sharing it otherwise. he alludes later, still in the context of trying to make up for involving him in this, to innate bonds that he and greg share. particularly in the realm of vulnerability. consider in particular that 1) greg was originally intended to be an overtly gay character, 2) greg's dad is inarguably gay and was active in gay areas and promiscuous during greg's childhood in the 90s, which 3) is also the period of time in which the cruises crimes mainly took place, and 4) is the decade in which the AIDS crisis peaked in the US. meanwhile marcia's reference to someone "who was your way" being murdered is overtly directed at willa, but worded vaguely enough to seemingly address tom and "his way," too. even thinking only of willa, the goals that drive her arc are in an industry widely, historically, deeply associated with gay men. her play, Sands, has a plot that's left vague but also is wrapped up in viruses and bugs, both having its unfinished plot caused by one and causing one itself. finally death is undoubtedly haunting the whole of succession's narrative, but between tom and greg, it's ultimately a fakeout. other than logan they're the first to feel that they've sealed their fates, that they're fucked forever, that they're both going to die simply because of who they are and things that they can't avoid, in fact things enmeshed in their connection to each other... but there's also protection and ressurection. and as the theme of sickness and all it foreshadows comes to a close, it winds up benign. they're going to be okay.

[frmtheroombelow]

Vessel's propensity to compose in threes (which could extend to the original trilogy tbh) is so interesting, in this essay I will -

Caramel has 3 very distinct sections with very different feels (You could argue 4 but I think the return to form is actually tied to the beginning rather than the end, cyclically. Emergence does this as well). Going from this music box & light almost playful summery pop first verse that introduces the concept almost abstractly like his thoughts and feelings are obscured by this mask. It's an attempt to create distance, to appeal to those who don't intend to look deeper. We then have the first chorus.

The second verse is less playful with that synth being gone and the verse being grounded by the drum parts. The mask is off, the metaphors are gone, he's speaking out of long-lasting hurt and cynicism, it's almost flippant "well I guess..." It's pointed, it's direct, it is not a token of sleep, it's not worship, it's a statement. Then we have the fuller second chorus.

The bridge has a similar feel before the drop that is just deep, deep rage. Understandable rage. Justified suffering. It's deeply cathartic. Certainly not only for Vessel but II as well. We are called to sit in this rage with them.

And then the cyclical slip back into the music box motif is so abrupt and in such stark contrast with what was previously experienced. It hurts more how easy then it is to loop back to start the song again. A cycle of hurting, of anger, of acceptance.

The cycle must end indeed.