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charmixpower · 2 years ago

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What do you think the internal dynamics of the Specialists are? Like towards each other personally and also tactically on the field

Ok, I'm gonna try and make this short or else we're gonna be here all week

My first specialist ask I can't needlessly include Nabu (my love) in XDD

Combat Dynamics

Aka the short part

Sky:

Small hc but Sky at first didn't like swords because he was scared of hurting people but having their son be a RF specialist was good pr so his parents just decided he would be

Sky is good at working with someone, his decision making skills are piss poor (see: the show) but he can follow orders and stick to a plan like no one else so he usually handles the main threat or goes for the objective

His main combat skills is dueling, he's fucking amazing at it

Brandon:

Brandon is the leader because I say so. He's better at commutation and leading in general. He easily keeps track of everyone's skills and helps everyone work together despite their differences

His role in combat is usually crowd control with his broad sword, and his secondary is mostly used to taking people out rather than keeping them at bay

He has the most experience in combat

Timmy:

Handles the more technical aspects but isn't much of a combat planner. He can plan how to make defensives, but cant plan how to fight if that makes sense. Like the s2 planning is how to deal with a incoming threat, but he can't lead an army and call out mid combat commands like Tecna could

Prefers the ship or not being on the ground in the fight in general

Main combat skill is sharp shooting with literally anything you give him

Riven:

Riven is good at real fights. Like ones without rules, where the only objective is to win and not get hurt/survive. Most of his skills aren't legal moves in RF but they are useful as fuck

He's also good at breaking into places but he's shit at sneaking which is hilarious, but he's amazing at distractions

His combat skills lie mostly in fights where he can use his environment to his advantage

Helia:

Helia is actually the one who is surprisingly good at commanding mid battle he just hates it and refuses to do it bc he makes him scared

He's nervous and avoids the spotlight for fear of fucking up but has been so entrenched in this stuff for his whole life that he can pretty easily think about these things. It's like a logic puzzle

Main combat skills are his strings, and witch magic, he's also good at medic stuff which is a hc I picked up from somewhere else I can't remember I am sorry

Preface! Who is closest to who?

Nabu can finally be included!!

I try to keep these all balanced bc I feel bad if someone is everyone's least favorite

It's like a puzzle, I figure out everyone strongest ties and just fill in the spaces from there

Sky:

Brandon, Timmy, Nabu, Helia, Riven

Brandon:

Sky, Riven, Timmy, Nabu, Helia

Timmy:

Helia, Sky, Brandon, Riven, Nabu

Helia:

Timmy, Nabu, Riven, Sky, Brandon

Riven:

Nabu, Brandon, Helia, Timmy, Sky

Nabu:

Riven, Helia, Sky, Brandon, Timmy

Personal relationships

Sky & Brandon

S1: Their relationship is p complicated actually. There's a lot of co dependacy that was sorta forced on them. Sky straight up has never been allowed to function on his own, always having someone assigned to watch him, and Brandon hasn't been allowed to exist without being in charge of something. So they're relationship is complicated. On top of that, Sky recognizes most of what his parents say as bullshit, he's just too scared of them to do anything, but Brandon doesn't! So that's a dimension. They care a lot about each other but their up bringing makes life complicated

S2: Sky and Brandon are starting to separate from each other. They're still best friends but they've both be introduced to the idea of boundaries and are considering implementing them. It's slow going and they both miss having a "roll" and always having someone they can just expect to go along with them. Co-depdant relationships are comforting, and trying to move away is hard, they both end up trying to continue the same co dependacy with their partners, which is not good for either Bloom or Stella because both of them are EXTREMELY SUSPECTABLE to this kind of thing, its a bit of a mess. They both need real identifies outside of the ones assigned to them

S3: THEY HAVE SEPARATED AND ARE HEALING AND HAVE THEIR OWN IDENTIES AND ARE STILL BEST FRIENDS!!! Its still hard for them to see each other normally, and they feel very safe and comfortable when in each other's presence bc of their past dynamic, but they are being separate people. Sky's unfortunate mind control by his parents into the roll they want from him really scared him into trying to be his own person, when previously he was the one who struggled the most with it

Sky & Timmy

S1: They get along. Timmy appreciates that Sky protects him from bullies, and Sky just finds Timmy cool to be around

S2: Now that Timmy has begun growing a back bone he goes "Hey why are you hovering over me? I can handle myself now. Don't you have your own problems to worry about?" Sky has a LOT of anxious energy and he is channeling it into other people and Timmy no longer wants to deal with that

S3: Timmy thinks Sky is a fucking dumbass of the highest caliber (big fucking affectionate) and will help his friends destroy anyone who hurts him. They're on equal footing now, no weird dynamics, all is good

Sky & Riven

S1: Mutually don't like each other. Riven is paranoid and Sky has a tendency to just say shit, so they constantly but heads due to miscommunication

S2: Riven doesn't like him but Sky is intent on mother henning the depressed onion. He lets it slip that he thinks Sky would want him dead, Sky is horrified, and Riven thinks he's just trying to save face

S3: Riven finally believes that Sky's attempts at friendship are genuine, and steps in to comfort him after mind control trauma. They are friends

Sky & Helia

S2: Helia is standoffish but deferres to Sky and doesn't bother questioning enough that Sky never really feels the need to make a thing out of the fact Helia doesn't talk to people...they're very neutral about each other

S3: Helia has come out of his shell as the chaos gremlin he is and tries to fucking drop Erendor no hesitation. They still don't talk much but they consider themselves ride or die

Brandon & Timmy

S1: Protects Timmy from bullies but also tries to gently coax him into being more assertive, something Timmy didn't want him to do at the time. So he's thankful that he's so nice but also is aggressively hiding in his comfort zone

S2: Brandon's lack of coddling is a breath of fresh air, and he's also someone that Timmy can just have a conversation with without huge biases, fuck yeah

S3: They are vibing. Brandon doesn't quite believe Timmy when he says Tecna is out there like Sky does, but he's willing to hear him out. Mutual trust and understanding

Brandon & Riven

S1: Brandon is the only person Riven will listen to and the only person Riven respects. Riven reminds Brandon a lot of himself when he was early into being a servant, first fighting assassins, dealing with awful rich ppl. Brandon goes out of his way to try and include Riven and make him feel comfortable in the group. He recognizes Riven's behavior as a coping mechanism, a bad one that hurts people but one none the less, so has the easiest time interacting with him. Riven feels Brandon is the only person in the school that actually cares

S2: Brandon being the most emotionally intelligent has allowed him to be a VERY important part of Riven's post Darcy support system. Helping Riven keep up with the stuff he learned in therapy, helping him cope better. Fun stuff. Unfortunately for Brando, Riven is officially clear headed enough to point out that Brandon seems to think he's inherently of less value than Sky. Not like as his job, but like as a person. And is now picking at all of Brandon's long held propaganda, which makes Brandon SO fucking uncomfortable. Brandon's personality and mode of functioning has been severely impacted by the conditioning he went through, the fact that he's definitely killed someone, dealing with rich people who do whatever they want. Brandon carefully hides these from normal people, and Riven is like "if they don't like the real you then fuck them. Your trauma isn't your fault."

S3: FRIENDS!! They kick each other when they fall back into bad habits. Riven tries his best to communicate to Brandon when Erendor and Samara go to Valtor, that they've always been awful and that his conditioning was child abuse. He's supporting Brandon now. Riven doesn't understand all the political stuff but he can yell Brandon's own words back at him. Riven positively loses it when he finds out that Brandon has been kidnapped and held in a cell before (I still can't believe that's canon) and Brandon appreciates him

Brandon & Helia

S2: The way Brandon introduces Helia implies he doesn't like him which I think is fucking hilarious. I think they both recognize what the other is like and because their so similar they piss each other off because they keep stepping on each other's toes. I also think it would be really funny if the two smart chill planners had a secret beef going on. Brandon doesn't vibe with Helia knowing so much about him without talking, Helia doesn't vibe with the colder aspects of Brandon's personality that was developed though training. Self Identification though the other /neg

S3: they're far more comfortable with expressing themselves now and have unfortunately for everyone else figured out they have a similar sense of humor. Brandon will fuck with people, and Helia will commit to the bit. God help the fool who draws both of their attention at once

Riven & Helia

S2: Helia sees depressed s2 Riven and goes "we are friends now" and Riven just has to deal with it. Helia was first interested in Riven bc Saladin specifically mentioned him the most often as a victim, so Helia wanted to look out for him and it spiraled out of control form there. They're both willing to go ape shit but in different ways, this is their friendship

S3: Chaotic dumbass friends. Riven aggressively has been bitching at Helia to actually talk to the rest of the specialists, much to the local hermit's distaste, and then found out they were cool. He is now Significantly more unhinged. Woe

#winx club #asks #rus chatters #winx specialists #winx sky #winx brandon #winx timmy #winx riven #winx helia

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yourlocaldisneyvillain · 11 months ago

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hii <3

i indeed would like to ask for the “director’s commentary” on a particular story :))

your rambling is everything, so go wild on poor little meow meow Larissa and our favourite menace Wednesday hehe

hiiiii!!! sorry it took me a bit before my brain got less mushy and i could string coherent sentences together! i'm still very much sick though so excuse me if i ramble a bit too much lol.

okay so these two live in my brain rent free now. it started off more as a challenge? or something to be like wooo controversy, and like. how can i make this work. but even though it started that way i never intended it to be like, badly done. from the get-go i put a lot of thought into it and wanted to actually make the story as high-quality as i could in terms of character development, their relationship and all the technical aspects (you know as you are one of the betas haha, and you know how many times i tweaked things, proofread, and how many times zephyr and i went through it). like i wanted to develop it as much as one can reasonably do in 14 chapters without getting sidetracked. and that was supposed to be the gimmick, like oh some ppl are gonna think it's controversial but it is actually well done and they might still be inclined to read it if they just bothered to try! (like a naive lil disney princess i forgot this is the internet lol)

the more i got into the story, the more i adored these two and their dynamic, or rather the dynamic i created for them. i think they just work, or more like, i've made them work. ppl have accused me of being a pedophile multiple times in the last couple of weeks while i've been posting the story lol, and asked me if i ship them in the show now, which is imo just fucking ridiculous. this is a separate universe that builds on what we had, or rather should have had, in the show, a story about two grown women who are both very odd in different ways and have found love and belonging with each other. i think neither of them could do a conventional relationship in my universe, and so this makes perfect sense for them!

i love writing larissa as a poor lil meow meow. there is just something about a pathetic, lonely middle aged woman that makes my brain go brrrrrrr. and wednesday is just a delight to write. i love channeling her voice. i used to be a lot like wednesday as a teen lol, that's sorta how i talked (i had no friends lol), so channeling her is a fun blast from the past and feels very natural to write.

it was a joy to write tbh! and personally, i don't think it's like.... even that out there or particularly (hehe) controversial? it's very much a coming of age rom-com sort of thing, but make it like... Quirky and include some dark humour. the outraged reactions i got to it honestly made me wanna write actually controversial stuff lol. i tend to want to spite the haters :)) and prove my point that fiction is fiction. i am very annoyed by the whole puritan internet culture, it really fucking irks me, esp when it's enforced by the self-proclaimed weirdos and goths and whatnot, who don't know what pedophilia even is lol nor could recognise it in fiction or real life. i know i won't get my point across to people who have already made up their mind about me being the actual pedophilic devil, but i will sure have my fun! i can't wait to challenge myself again! :))

also "particular" really inspired me to write longer works!! and i learned that i am most comfortable with that sort of format. all the things i am planning in the future are multi-chapter fics and rather long! and how i prefer to do it now is to write it all in advance and then post -- that way i know i won't lose interest midway haha. i am motivated by that sweet dopamine of wanting to share my work!

so yeah, i met some lovely people bc of this story (looking at you @the-frankenman-writes, actual gem and joy and delight), i strengthened some friendships, and i think it definitely made an impact on people! i grew a lot as a writer and it pushed me to refine my skills! so all in all, i'm very happy <3

stay tuned for the last chapter!!! a christmas special! :)))

#i got an ask!#i will produce my own garbage and also consume it #particular tag

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svturn-exe · 1 year ago

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more re hc stuff ^_^ under cut bc i am just pasting in stuff i've already said on disc to a friend and some of this shit gets Long

👍wesker. has been conditioned to be impatient. if he wants something, he has to get it himself and can't wait for someone else to do it for him

william is way too anxious of a guy to make the first move, so wesker is the one who interrupts him mid sentence and goes I Want You apropos of nothing but hey, it works

if wesker wants someone to stop touching him, he has to Make them. and in the process that stops most people from Trying Him for a while. until the next idiot comes along

if wesker wants the experiments and mutilation to stop, he has to Kill the bastards responsible (perfectly reasonable, ngl. like actually)

and i imagine. killing marcus probably has wesker feeling good. great. amazing, even. like finally things are starting to maybe go well for him

and then having that blow up in his face when, for the first time, his award winning Go Getter attitude backfires badly, and he loses Everything in less than a month.

the remainer of stars want nothing to do with him - understandable, he did have to kill quite a few of them to make the (messy, rushed, impatient) plan work. but still failed in the end (so they sorta died for nothing)

chris wouldn't join him either, for reasons wesker doesn't understand (and won't for some time. his world view is a little skewed and his frame of reference is non existent)

and william is dead. because wesker couldn't wait to carry out the plan like they had discussed umbrella found out about their betrayal and now wesker is Alone

��claire joined the girl scouts bc she wanted to do wilderness shit, but got disappointed bc its mostly selling cookies. so she dressed up as a boy and used her brother's name to get into boyscouts and got every badge girlie is a survivalist and she goes hiking and camping frequently !!!

👍thinking about ada and in-universe applications of the leon effect. spies, as in Real Life Spies, don't tend to have legal identities, and if they give you a name, chances are it's a fake one. so. headcanon time ada wong is not ada wong's birth name like, even without the trans headcanon. it's a name she came up with for the job wesker assigned her to do in raccoon city, in the event that she needs to give someone a name for whatever reason. and maybe she only really tells it to leon in the first place to get him to stop asking so many questions. give him the bare minimum to distract him from the more . Relevant. issues but then as this bright-eyed, stupidly trusting rookie tails her, even tells her off to being too calloused with kendo, and going as far as taking a Bullet for her. the way leon says that fake name starts to mean More . and it's as she's falling to her death that she realizes maybe ada isn't so fake of a name anymore. maybe she is ada wong and then some time after wesker plucks her from midair and they get out of the city she decides to say hey. i'm going by ada now

and ofc he pretends not to care, but he is curious about what happened to spark the change.

👍the wallflowers - one headlight is a claida song specifically about like . leon made ada want a name. but claire makes her want to be a Person, instead of a half-real shadow of a human being that sheds everything about herself for every new job

ada goes into raccoon city that day as a half-real nobody with a mission, and emerges from its ashes as Someone

👍thinkign abt aeon . their dynamic has a lot of potential either as a romantic ship or a burgeoning friendship

the delicate balance of tentative trust between them

ada, who was taught how to tell a near-perfect lie before she could do long division & has never wanted to - or had the opportunity to - hold onto something for very long. Permanent just hasn't been a Thing in her life since… ever

leon, who has been fucked over and betrayed more times than he can count. distrustful and wary but despite it all still tender-hearted. gets attached too quickly and too easily and all too desperate to see the best in people

smth abt. ada doing her best to try and regain leon's trust, and how to navigate life outside of being a spy. and leon having to relearn how to trust ada again, and not jump to the worst conclusion immediately and also they're t4t

#ressieposting #ressie hcs

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narwhalandchill · 8 months ago

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(4.6 beta changes) (again) (guys this is so long im just. many thoughts and me thinking out loud abt arle and my pulling plans. & other nonsense etc. my bad)

ooookay so yeah def glad i didnt jump the gun and attempt some sorta "is this a buff or not" feelscrafting nonsense on arles adjustments jkwjkwdjkwdjkwdkjjk and waited for TC (mostly zajef lmao) analysis and opinion on the real changes that ended up happening

anyway so like. it appears to be an universal buff for her p much? but how big of a buff it ends up being depends on some mechanics we still dont have a definite answer as to how they function (mostly how her BoL stacking from E works during the ECAQECA reset thing, if it enables 140% total stacking = massive dmg buff overall)

firstly my fears of her becoming too ult dependent for overworld appear to be? not as bad as i thought? so thats nice at least very pog like if she can do her thing decently enough just for fun running around thats very good

secondly. the ER situation is literally on a 50-50 😭 because its all about whether she has particle ICD on her E. if she doesnt, thats actually like. 0 ER needed or at the very least incredibly little of it. if there is particle ICD. well. thats going to be another story

the way her rotations have changed now seem to gear her towards overload teams with chevy? since they have very long rotations and characters like fischl and yae can have full uptime over those whereas vape teams lose hydro application from yelan or XQ and buff uptime from characters like bennett over time when a rotation stretches past 24s

like from what ive been reading it seems to be a pretty common sentiment that these buffs will make the biggest impact in chevy overload teams specifically (even tho shes obvi buffed just in general in all teams) for that reason and that chevy teams Especially w her at c6 with arle should be the best bennettless teams ultimately. which is definitely an interesting turn ?

(and this isnt all of the changes btw im just talking abt the ones that matter most for my considerations rn)

anyway. my thoughts then.

so im obviously glad the changes turned out to be buffs so far. but. theres still stuff im a bit. ehhhhhhhh on

firstly the survivability situation (which in turn leads back to the teambuilding issues). bc her self heal did get nerfed. so arles no longer going to be able to risk taking very high dmg during a rotation and dragging herself back to full once the next one starts. which to me feels like an emphasis on dmg mitigation for her and shielding.

(not to even get started on the. spam NAs to reduce her now 30s E cooldown so its up in time for the next rotation meaning you Do Not want to be staggered and tossed out of her attack string. and gee would you look at that! neuvillette level interruption res on c1 now! great!!)

(like again. to be clear. its hard to say exactly how much interruptions to her NA spam will end up fucking her over. i could just be overtly wary about how bad it might feel. but at its worst. with enemies that run away from u or go invincible. or stunlock you. the fact that it will at least heavily risk arles ability to reduce her E cooldown the amount she needs for fluid rotations. could definitely end up feeling like shit to play in practice without that interruption resistance. be it from c1 or a shied)

but then if we go back to her synergies and look at. those more interesting (imo) chevy teams that should perform well even without bennett. like arle/chevy/fischl/yae. whos keeping ur arle from dying there 😭 its giving lyney spreadsheet impact vs actual reality trying to play him without a shield 😭😭 guess we know who he got it from...

and yea could replace yae for beidou for damage reduction but her dmg will TANK in single target. as a whole. defensive options list in pyro/electro units only just isnt that good. beidous the one who tanks team dps the least as long as ur in AoE, but outside of that its just. thoma and dehya. and they will 100% tank the team dps

whereas defensive options like zhongli to me feel like they will just end up w her teams just wanting to lean towards that. traditional vape and mono pyro angle. bennett and kazuha and yelan/XQ. the usual stuff. and shes not getting benny and kazuha from childe so we have an issue 💀💀

unironically i will prolly be looking for some double geo zhongli/chiori/yelan vape team calcs for arlecchino (hope someone makes them. all double geo team calcs ive seen so far assume bennett 😭) just out of curiosity in terms of. how much worse it is than her best teams. bc if i can just slap her in that setup its a big bonus to how flexibly i could use her but eh. prolly will end up weaker than any chiorinavia nation core i could play so who knows

but. all this yapping and im only now getting to the point JSWJKDWJKWDJK so. heres the BIG problem

i dont have a single fucking chevrolet 💀 but i do have like 38 pity on a guarantee.

and like people are suggesting that maybe chevy will be on arles banner and fair, especially with these new beta changes incentivizing arle chevy teams way more than before, it would definitely make sense for hoyo to put chevy with her. and i definitely am overall a fan of this possible chevy overload team direction for arle (anything thats not bennett for father. ANYTHING) so id love for that to be the case

but. thats not guaranteed at all. and the same sentiment i had over arlecchinos hypothetical best support in the form of the pyro archon (or honestly. with the lack of electro shielders for chevy teams even clorinde could end up being that missing piece) where id almost rather wait to guarantee that synergistic unit before getting arle herself on a rerun. actually applies to chevy here too. even just a c0 one

and like. yes. if i spend that guarantee now on c2 chiori. and it turns out chevy is indeed featured with arlecchino. i will Not be able to guarantee her anymore - ill get one 50-50 and all the chances for a few solid chevy copies on the way but thats it.

however. the other scenario here is that arle does NOT get chevy. she gets fucking. kaveh noelle mika. and then chevy is going to rerun with like. idk. random banner. clorinde who may or may not have synergy with arle

...and im not really sure if id even want to pick arle up on that guarantee from that sort of banner SJKDKJADJKDJK but ok id skip her. buuut im still sitting on a guarantee i might not want to use on a character i feel just eh abt. but who might be with chevy (and like. i do pull for 4* when im on a 50-50 and low pity, idm the early. so as long as thats the case i can see myself tossing a few pulls at Any chevy banner in the future).

... which brings us back to. okay yeah saving the guarantee for clorinde IF chevy isnt with arle and IF shes an electro shielder sub dps support for those arle chevy teams. and getting arle on rerun as ive considered. doesnt sound that bad. but clorinde might also Not be that. uncertainty uncertainty.

like im fairly sure clorinde Will be an unit i wont mind pulling at 17 pity xianyun style on a 50-50 no matter what. but if shes not that mythical arle BiS support she prolly wont be worth that guarantee is my whole complex here lmao

whereas. c2 chiori. isnt an uncertain factor here. like im investing in her im getting her c6 eventually, c2 is like almost 25% personal dps increase (also my husk pieces LOVE rolling ER so itd actually be useful) it feels like the "safe" option in a sense ya know???

like. yes id leave arlecchino up to a coin toss . (Jail for jen!! fake lesbian!!!) but id also be left with the option of skipping her banner (if no chevy rateup to be clear) in favor of seeing whether she gains any synergistic units in the future and seeing how the various aspects of her kit that i do somewhat worry about end up panning out ?? and i think. id be fine with that ? Over the alternative

ultimately tho. im super happy arle got overall buffed and that at least some of my fears abt her kit changes were indeed unfounded, but some concerns still remain. its kinda wild and still sad to me that she went from an absolute 100% must pull character just bc its Her to like. curse of pyro on fielder idk if i Need this right now 😔😔 but i Will be getting her eventually!! no matter what

anyway have a sticker if u stuck around for all of my bullshit. this is literally just arle buff thoughts into gacha pulls stream of consciousness rambling 😭😭😭

#pov ur watching me talk myself into ripping the bandaid off and just getting that goddamn c2 chiori WDJKDWJKWDKJWDJ #already went the way to the 50-50 for it like we might as well commit to my girl #arles beta is crazy tho like. i havent seen changes this massive to a kit since the yae and ayato days of yore 😭😭#v1 ayato yoimiya dual dps team ThoseWhoKnow LMAOOOOO #prayge for the particle ICD everyone. if she doesnt need ER. my cope zhongli chiori arle yelan vape idea. might actually work out okay #bc i can keep yelan on elegy for buffs and not just favge #aaaanyway. what a wild ride #manifesting the chevy on arle banner SO hard btw. even if i end up losing 50-50 there for arle in the end. it will be worth if i get chevy #genshin #rambles #long post

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lord-shitbox · 9 months ago

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HERE is the ask game! and HERE is part 1.

How do they respond when someone doesn’t believe them?

Bite gets real pissed off. WILL argue for at least five minutes before realizing this shit sucks i don't have to be here! and then fucks off and never speaks to them again really Bark can find it frustrating but he knows he's right so it doesn't really matter if others don't believe him. Would rather just go with what others think than make a scene out of it

What’s a secret they haven’t told serious romantic partners and don’t plan to tell?

Bark: the kinds of things he enjoys doing as a wolf. Sorta goes along with whatever his pack (family) does & never really spent time with someone special during a shift. hasnt dated in a while and doesn't plan to open up about wolf stuff to (or even get) a partner because somethings going pretty wrong with it. unfortunately for him Bite finds out and decides to entertain wolf-him during full moons, if only because he knows human-Bark will be devastated by the thought that they had genuine fun together the next day Bite: to be real he's not big on talking about himself in general. not necessarily because he wants to Keep Secrets he just doesn't think being understood is worth his time

Would they rather be invited to an event to feel included or be excluded from an event if they were not genuinely wanted there?

Bite would rather be excluded if nobody really wants him there. Can and will start arguments over that sort of thing. Bark would rather be invited as an empty gesture & would turn them down bc he knows it's hollow but appreciates the thought nevertheless

What phrases, pronunciations, or mannerisms did they pick up from someone / somewhere else?

Bite has some random turns of phrases he picked up from his dad. He tries hard to make that the only thing he carries on from him. Bark has a specific "getting down to business" way of sitting down / sitting forward he got from his mother. When he was little his dad taught him a trick for swallowing medication without water ("twist your wrist a little like you're flushing something with a faucet, that's it") and he still does that sometimes.

What do they commonly misinterpret because of their own upbringing / environment / biases? How do they respond when realizing the misunderstanding?

Bite has problems with people being nice to him & believing sincerity. Even if he rejected kindness that was actually sincere he'd still rather people not be Nice to him it's Weird. Ew Bark had a tendency to over-read situations but now wants to believe everyone involved will be Chill so nothing gets out of hand. wishful thinking. Every day he becomes more of a "damn that sucks" guy

What’s something unimportant / frivolous that they hate passionately?

Bite: ok like . anything someone hates passionately actually shows you it's Not unimportant to them but ok i get it. where to fucking START. The kind of manicure that involves gluing a bunch of decorations to your nails pisses him off. Nails are for Practical Use, thanks. less than useless ass decorative stuff cant even do shit with them so stupi (and so forth.) Bark: Ball sports. He thinks he's "fine" enough about them but 3 minutes of playing baseball and he wants to die bad

Are they a listener or a talker? If they’re a listener, what makes them talk? If they’re a talker, what makes them listen?

Bark is a listener & Bite doesn't want to listen or talk, unless he's arguing with someone. Bite gets Bark to talk more because he goads him into being a hater & Bark finds not repressing it incredibly therapeutic. Every time they're having a genuinely engaged discussion it's super negative and people think they're arguing (they are) but Bite thinks that's fun & Bark needs to let off steam

Who have they forgotten about that remembers them very well?

Bark develops memory loss ❤ anyone he encounters when he loses control in wolf state, really Bite: actually. similarly enough he's been rude to and hurt a lot of people and just moved on with his life fuck them idc

Who would they say ‘yes’ to if invited to do something they abhorred / strongly didn’t want to do?

Bite: nobody. Bark might be able to bargain him into doing it tho Bark: if he felt needed enough, pretty much anyone.

Would they eat something they find gross to be polite?

Bark would. Might laugh and say "not my thing" Bite would not.

What’s a phrase they say a lot?

Bite puts swears in common turns of phrase. Type of guy to say "we got sodomized out there" Bark is like. "it is what it is"

Who would / do they believe without question?

Bark is more of a "....sure." guy all around. He has reasonable doubts about most things but just goes along with it whatever Bite uhh. isn't a fan of thinking twice in general. doesn't care about what most people say or think

What’s something they’re expected to enjoy based on their hobbies / profession that they actually dislike / hate?

Bark doesn't really have a hobby. He plays valorant if his friends are on but also has a really awful relationship with it because he doesn't like it. Bite is no good with gore. Blood is fine and fantastic but gore WILL make him nauseated. throws up sometimes because of it

If they’re scared, who do they want comfort from? Does this answer change depending on the type of fear?

Bite: Nobody. A blunt "you'll be okay" is the most he wants out of anyone. Bark: Pretty much anybody will do, but he doesn't really believe their reassurance because he tries to bottle his fear up. He does secretly miss his dad but hasn't realized this himself. When he's freaked out about The Issue he prefers strangers or nurses over anyone he knows because he does Not want them knowing what's wrong

What’s a simple daily activity / motion that they mess up often?

Bite is careful with himself he doesn't do this. Whenever Bark's mental state is bad he showers more often and simultaneously forgets to wash his hair. if he's not whiteboy in peril mode its ok tho

#asks #bite/bark

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wretcheddthing · 1 year ago

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tell me abt ur tav!!! for the questions meme u can do uhhh all the prime numbers?

!!!!!!!! easiest task done in the world I'm doing this for Venali who is the light of my life

edit: Under the cut bc i didn't realize how long i made it oops

alos just realized this said prime numbers and not just. all the odd ones. oops a Second time. i stand by it tho

Where in the Faerûn is your Tav from? Rivington! But her father lived in Baldur's Gate (Lower City) and she would stay with him for about a week every month

3. Race and subclass? Human wild magic sorcerer :)

5. Dark Urge or no? Not this one but given her backstory it sure would be fun! If not just the worst possible follow up thing that could happen to her.

7. Romantically close with? Gale :) I have a character for romancing each of the romance options and I thought it would be funny for Gale to fall in love with someone who can just Do magic naturally because wizard ego or whatever. But then her backstory and development just kind of. Took over itself before I even had a good sense of Gale's character and they ended up complimenting each other very well.

9. Is your Tav from Baldur's Gate? Why are they traveling there? She Is but her whole thing is she (and 3 friends) became a sorcerer after running into a real shithead of an unknowable entity (sorta like a warlock deal without any actual deal - magic is still something that happened to her, not something she sought). Tried getting help from any magic-user she could find in getting information on What did this to her and her friends but they were always like "Ew no that knowledge is super forbidden you can't know it you're not a wizard only cool wizards can access the forbidden wizard tomes bc only wizards are good at magic. Which you are not."

So she started lying. Figured out a grift, crafted a new identity, started presenting herself as someone who formerly had no interest in magic and has "no innate ability" just deciding to teach herself something new and discovering she's super good at wizardry. A late blooming prodigy, if you will (didn't know Gale was a prodigy when I decided this was a core aspect of Ven's character but that makes it more fun 2 me). So now wizards super like her and something important to this whole thing is she has heightened memory, especially good at recalling symbols and long passages of text. But she got really good at just lying to and charming people and they'd be like "Hey your skill and research is so good wanna come check out my private collection?" and she'd be like "Yes I was hoping you'd say that." bc wizard collections have forbidden knowledge sometimes and that's what she needs! to! see!

Anyway to ansewr the actual question. Probably was going to go to a wizard party or something.

11. Weapon of choice? Quarterstaff!

13. What are their thoughts on killing? Is it a necessary evil or do they enjoy it? Definitely no enjoyment in it, but she's done a fair bit of exploring following whatever leads she has on The Thing. That often led her into some dangerous situations where she's had to protect herself. This deal with the tadpole is no different.

15. What NPC's do they like? Which one's do they dislike? She honestly loves everyone in camp and a few of the people who come hang out. She actively despises The Emperor and will antagonize him as much as she can while still toeing the line of keeping his protection. She hates the guy, that doesn't mean he's not useful. Also, y'know, like. All of the villains (she Is good-aligned)

17. Do they enjoy life as an adventurer? Not even a little bit! But she's convinced herself it's something she has to do to either get rid of her magic entirely or at the VERY VERY least get a handle on the wild magic surges. The whole thing really fucked up her plans of just studying history and having a relatively quiet life. And she's nothing if not resolute!

19. How do you think they'll meet their end? I haven't considered this even one time before and the mere thought of it is enough to drive me Mad. I will b thinking about it for the rest of the night that is a promise

21. What is your Tav's favorite spell? WALL OF FIRE. Wall of fire has been the easiest way out of Anything Ever and by the time she's a high enough level to make seriously effective use of it Gale has mostly convinced her of the beauty and utility of magic (that's right we're seeing Active Character Development of her In!! Game!!)

23. What do they do after the absolute crisis? First thing's first she's getting married and taking a Break for a bit. And after she's had time to gather her thoughts, she'll revisit if she wants to continue her personal mission or accept how she's changed. It could go either way, but there is reason to continue and that is her friends are still affected and she promised to help them. It might start with finding them after the whole Absolute thing and touching base.

25. What arcana major best represents your Tav? I go back on forth on like. Some. But mostly between Death and The Tower. Not necessarily a bad thing for either.

27. What was their life like before the events of BG3? I think I've covered most of it already, actually. Wanted to be a historian, was doing a project to help get accepted to a scholarly program, brought eight friends into a ruin she was studying, left with 4 and wild magic she didn't want, couldn't get info, started lying about being really good at wizardry, used this persona to get into exclusive archives and collections to find info on what gave her magic bc it's "forbidden", became an adventurer as a side effect to her personal mission, hell yeah.

29. Does your Tav want to utilize the tadpole powers or not? She doesn't even want the magic she uses daily. She bullies The Emperor for even Suggesting it.

#asks #technofinch #thank u for the ask i could talk about her Forever and Ever and Ever #oc: venali kelvyre

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lavellander · 5 months ago

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more talking to myself pay me no mind

I never had any kind of “redemption” planned for des, even when I thought I would play as her and romance morrigan, bc I was interested in kind of exploring the Right Choice Wrong Reason route for a protagonist. I did it somewhat with maeve but it didn’t really show much in my actual gameplay? plus maeve is overall more personable and friendlier than des lol

I also think broadly speaking the obsession with “redemption” and believing one act can overwrite all others / all characterization is reductive and very western white xtian. but that’s a whole other thing and I’ll write a whole essay if I keep going

anyway. I originally took bioware saying that rook wouldn’t be at all interested in blood magic as a point against playing as des, but now I’m kind of like. if I try real hard this is the opportunity for a “Right” Choice “Wrong” Reason moment. quotes bc I don’t think blood magic is inherently evil so leaving it behind for reasons other than “morality” is not wrong to me. if that makes sense

there is absolutely an extent to which des was interested in blood magic bc it was taboo and viewed as dangerous and wrong. it was about power, but it was also about proving that they were better/smarter/whatever than everyone else bc they could toe (and cross) the line without fear. rip to your grandma but I’m different type mentality

so without the context of academic excellence and a hierarchy to climb atop, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for des to start thinking about xir approach to magic differently. is my relationship to my magic best explored in this way or was I doing it just to say I could, etc. des is also a pretty talented spirit healer (originally a means of keeping enchanters off xir scent while xe dove deeper into blood magic) so what about where those two approaches meet?

I need to do more research on necromancy in dragon age specifically but I think I can sorta see the makings of a path from dao-era blood mage des to a dav-era necromancer des. not entirely fleshed out yet but there’s Something there

maybe I can put myself out of my misery and just like know in my heart I’m gonna play this game at least twice so why not just use whichever one I don’t play as first for the second run. like,,,hello

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wildflowertips · 4 years ago

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Hi! I was curious if you had anymore Kuroko fic recommendations? Thank you! 🥺💗

hey! 🥺 i do have more kuroko fanfic recs. i didnt know what type of kuroko ship you wanted, so here are a few from some kuroko ships <3:

Kagakuro Recommendations

the flower that blooms in adversity by aotetsu

When Kagami falls for Kuroko Tetsuya, a famous prostitute from the red light district, he manages to find a whole lot of trouble and a person worth it all.

this fic deserves more love and attention. kagami love for kuroko absolutely made me sob

Brothers in Woo by buttwade

in which Himuro jokingly offers to help Kagami win Kuroko over and the joke's on him

kagami is drunk & himuro cracks jokes. this fic is funny. jealous!kuroko

Beastly call by TCon

"You mean," Kuroko started. "You'd be my Heat Partner?" He didn't expect Kagami to explode into a myriad of different shades of red more impressive than his own hair. "Y — yeah tha's what I'm sayin'!" for some reasons he lapsed into english with an odd accent. KagaKuro Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics & Sex Pistols AU - Fusion

Lots of smut in the beginning. there’s crime, suspense, and i read this fic like 5 times.

Stamina Training by tnsxbunny

As the weakest member in the team, Kuroko stays back after basketball practice to train on his stamina. Kagami watches from afar and decides to show Kuroko what real stamina training is.

SMUT. SUCH GOOD SMUT. thank u

The advantage of being Kuroko by heartfilledteddybear

mayuzumi hits on Kuroko & Kagami gets jealous 🥵

Akakuro Recommendations

Forget me not flowers in our hair by miniaturepsycho

When Kagami is captured by a beast Kuroko doesn't think twice and bargains to take the red head's position instead but it seems that there is more to this castle than meets the eye, and what has it have to do with forget me not's?? Basically a beauty and the beast AU that I decided to do after seeing the live action (which I totally did not cry at, not at all!!) COMPLETE

Contains Aokaga. Akashi as beast & kuroko as belle. So good 🥺

All I ask by TsuruKuni

"It's none of your business." "Tell me, Aomine. How can it be none of my business when you're throwing away the only person I've ever wanted?"

THIS FIC MADE ME SOB AT 3 AM. I highly recommend listening to ‘All I ask’ by Adele. I promise you will cry. Aokuro & Akakuro.

Bridezilla by DancingMarshmallows

Weddings are stressful... try helping people plan them. With two months to get everything together, a bridezilla and her bitch of a maid of honor, and finding love at the worst time, Kuroko would be lucky if he makes it out alive.

CEO!Akashi & WEDDING PLANNER!kuroko. you will not regret reading this one.

That Ridiculously Long Dance by Harmonia_Silverberg

Aomine, Kise, and Kagami never learn, do they? But apparently their "joke" works in Akashi and Kuroko's favor this time.

literally one of my all time favorite akakuro fanfic

What Would Chihiro Do by anewtinystory

Akashi is dating Kuroko, whose two brothers are very protective of him.[Based on a Tumblr anon's prompt: Nijimura and Mayuzumi are Kuroko's brothers; while Nijimura approves of Akashi, Mayuzumi feels the opposite]

slight smut. protective bros. i love it sm.

Aokuro Recommendations

Traded Mistakes by Acetate, Chrystie, exuberant_imperfection, kate882, luckypen

For the prompt: Aomine having an accident and losing his memory so all he remembers is being best friends with Tetsu and he doesn’t understand how that could stop.

Angst, oh the angst 😫😭.

Third time’s a charm (or maybe fourth) by LajtHane

Aomine really didn't mean to crash into him at Quidditch practice.

HOGWARTS AU. if that doesn’t temp you, idk what will. My fav Aokuro fic.

Maybe a touch of your hand by skinandbones

[Written for AoKuroWeek 2015]: Aomine moves into a new apartment and befriends a ghost boy.

no bc this fic made me cry too. pls read it 🎶ifwehad5moreminutes🎶

The Boyfriend Jersey by exuberant_imperfection, kate882

Kuroko, in a half-asleep mistake, ends up wearing Aomine's jersey to school.

THIS FIC IS CUTE SUCH DORKS

Hey, Come Here Often? by imabignerd

In which Momoi holds his magazines hostage, Aomine hates everything and everyone, and Kuroko is politely bewildered.

Aomine crushes on the lifeguard!Kuroko & Momoi is a little shit about it 😌🤍

Midokuro Recommendations

It’s Always your Fault! by warsandwich

Kuroko and Midorima are secretly dating, but Takao finds out their secret. De-anon from the anon meme.

Short, sweet, & funny 😌.

Partnership by Fayah

Their partnership starts in English class, but like everything else in their lives, turns into a matter of basketball.

Midorima really cares for Kuroko 🥺

Midokuro Ficlet by pandacchii

based off of imagineyourotp blog post: "Imagine your otp confessing while they were half asleep" Pairing: Midorima/Kuroko

short story but it’s really cute ☺️

An Unexpected Alignment by cinnaelle

Midorima Shintarou does not expect such a reoccurring encounter. But the wheels of fate are turning and Akashi moves his shogi piece.

well-written i love it sm. deserves more praise

The Way You Come Undone by oshare_banchou

"Midorima Shintarou is completely silent during sex. And Kuroko, who is both fascinated and frustrated by this discovery, wonders just how much it would take to make him come undone." - Kuroko/Midorima, in that order

do i need to say more? 😫

Kikuro Recommendations

Careless Whisper by DarkWoods

When Kuroko is dared to come up with some dirty talk, no one expects him to be good at it. Certainly not Kise.

my favorite kikuro fanfic. flustered!kise & tease!kuroko

如果的事 (If) by stormterror

People fall in love in many different manners. Love feels like many different things to many people, but Kise Ryouta thinks there's nothing that quite beats the feeling of being in love with Kuroko Tetsuya. [kise/kuroko]

SO GOOD I CRIED I SMILED SO HARD. pls kikuro deserves the world

Wires, Connecting by Bakagami

It's like being blind but not, like touching air, grasping at straws, voices dissipating and reverberating.

This story is locked so you need to login into ao3 to read it. PHONE SEX & DIRTY TALK 🥵

He Promised by imabignerd

Kise promised he'd smile for Kuroko the whole way through, all the way to the end.

Zombie apocalypse AU. Death. sobbing violently.

It’s a Small World by SilentSilhouette

Kise tries to find his soulmate through social media. Soulmate AU where a picture of your soulmate is tweeted to you on your sixteenth birthday.

This one made me crackle & laugh😂😂

Murakuro Recommendations

No Such Thing as Too Much Vanilla by plumtrees

Kuroko and Murasakibara have baking days. What do you mean it isn't canon?

baking!boyfriends & fluff 😌😉

Vanilla Cream by yoimrei

Murasakibara eats Kurokos ass after something Ahomine says which sparks his jealousy.

here me out first, the ass eating in this is *chef’s kiss* 🤌🏽🤌🏽

Philia by DarkWoods

That time Murasakibara and Kuroko started kinda-sorta fake dating, and kinda-sorta never bothered to break up.

Still going & i love this writer sm. i read all their stories 😙✌🏽

Lavender Secrets by SailorHikarinoMu

Kuroko was the one to bring out his true love for basketball, which had been hidden from prying eyes since the beginning. It was one of those things he was unsure whether he should feel grateful for, but all the same, it did mean something. What this 'something' was, exactly? Murasakibara did not know. Not yet.

FLUFF AAA FLUFF

Rainy by overdose

Kuroko listened to the rain pouring, and more importantly, Murasakibara's steady breathing.

smut. couch sex. size difference. 🥴

BONUS

Hanamiya Makoto/Kuroko Tetsuya

Scotomas by Darkenedcrystal

After the game against Jabberwock, Kagami goes overseas and Kuroko finds himself without a light. A slightly angsty, rather light-hearted story about what happens to Kuroko after Kagami leaves. Features teens finding their way around life, Seirin without a light, the Generation of Miracles being a family, the teens finding love and appreciating the heartbreaks. Kuroko tries to find his own style without a light, and stumbles into the darkness that is Hanamiya Makoto instead. Extra chapter added!

love this fic so much. downside: akashi is kinda a dick

Of Unlikely Friendships, Sneaky Bets, Shogi and Sake by itsthechocopuff

Imayoshi had introduced his two favourite kouhai to each other as an experiment. He did not predict they'd get along so well, both being shadows, but they did, and they worked, oddly enough. Hanamiya brought out the worst in Kuroko, while Kuroko brought out the the best in the other; and they both caused heartattacks to unsuspecting teammates who could not believe their darling shadow was not as innocent as he seemed.

you wont regret reading this one omg

Haizaki Shougo/Kuroko Tetsuya

A Taste That Lingers by therealmoyashi

I couldn't say anything, and that was alright because he didn't want an answer. I'll never forget the way that tasted. Yeah, I thought, he ruined me.

i cried reading this for the first time. out of character kuroko

By the Tomatoes by Wayfarer_Rye

It starts with a blue-grey t-shirt that says "Nothing but Net".

Haizaki wants to try again.

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bukunmiakintola20 · 2 years ago

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Hello pumpkins ~

How are y'all? As my 3rd year of med school and my 3rd year of gyaru has started (galversery was August 16), I would like to set some goals for myself since if you want to achieve, it helps to clearly visualize what it is you want to achieve. If I’m being real, I was supposed to make this post a few weeks ago, but I’ve been so busy

_(´ཀ`」∠)_

Well I have an announcement but first…

THANKS SO MUCH FOR 200 FOLLOWS!!

I always say this but I just sorta started this blog as a way to catalogue the events in my life (bc I’m kinda forgetful) and I didn’t need anyone to read my content necessarily, just writing it was enough. It does feel so special though that so many people enjoy my blogs (�� ⌑ ˂ഃ ) Thanks again everyone

Also don’t forget to follow my blogger and TikTok, and do expect a September pic dumb soon, xxx

Now onto the announcement.

. .

. . .

I’m leaving gyaru officially.

Did I getcha www What I mean is that I am not going to refer to myself as explicitly a gyaru anymore. And I’m officially leaving the community. Kinda? The things going on in the community (not just recently if I’m being honest) since I’ve joined make me so embarrassed to just be in it despite me not even really being close with other foreign gyaru’s. I’m still going to do gyaru style, I just won’t be calling myself a gyaru if that makes sense. So more accurately I’m rebranding myself. I also hate just confining myself to one style so I’m gonna try and experiment with that abit this year as well. I’ve always kinda just been quiet and keeping to myself in this community, which really does make this decision and transition simple for me to execute.

Anyways without ado let's start with my goals:

Socail life goals

1. Talk only to my friends who have shown that they are good people.

I made some friends within the past year, good and bad, but I choose as always to keep only positives in my life. If you have shown to me that you cannot be trusted, I understand you and I move on. If you were involved in any capacity with my ex-friend group drama in any capacity, it's done. We've had our good times, but as always it's time for me to move onto better things. Whether that be with my other friends or alone. I will be happy regardless.

2. Make sure to make time for the people that matter to me.

Despite how busy things may get, I should try and do something with my friends weekly or subweekly. Hanging out, even if it's to study together, shows you want to be close with that person and that you value that relationship. We all have our responsibilities too, so I will try my best for this one.

Career goals

I've already sorta planned/made steps for this, but regardless let's go!

1. No resits

I was lucky to not have any resits this time around however I have more responsibilities this year that I have taken on. Resits are exhausting and deplete your time and energy. Luckily the weighting is neutral, but this is to be avoided at all costs.

2. Be in a club/society

Because it’s good to have extracurriculars. I want to join the choir this year and am already the secretary for the nutrition society. I’m also in the innovations subcommittee for the surgical society atm. I’m gonna try my best to do it all.

3. Research

I want to try and find a research project I’m interested and be guaranteed a summer project within this fall semester. It’s not mandatory but obviously it would be great to do one. God help me because am I gonna be busy this semester（ ; ; ）

4. USMLE/ MCCQE preparation

I want to do step 1 before 4th year. I also would like to start preparing from christmas but this will be the hardest thing I will do. I can do it tho. I have endless drive and willpower, so I just need to pace myself and to do well. And also. DO. NOT. PROCRASTINATE.

Fashion/subculture/SNS goals

1. Learn more parapara and post tiktok’s!

I know a few routines already but I’d like to learn even more this year! As a medical student I’m kinda busy but I want to learn some more this year as well.

2. Growing my TikTok

Honestly, I slightly regret the time I devoted to growing my IG versus how that could have been used to grow my TikTok. Hopefully this is gonna be successful. At least by my own standards.

And that is all U^ｪ^U

Honestly, each year I set these goals so I at least have a clear direction of where I want to direct myself into the future. And even if I don’t end up completing my goals, I make some progress which is just as good to me. Anyways for everyone who has started the new school year I wish you all the best of luck and hope you have the greatest year. I’ll see you in the next post,

#gyaru blog #gyaru style #gyaru #bukunmiakintola20 #jfashion #kawaii aesthetic #girly kei #medstudent #medstudentlife #university studyblr #studyblr #life update #life goals #goal setting

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shinsukesgf · 4 years ago

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BAD IDEA.

issei gives you a punishment for being a brat— one that you weren’t so familiar with.

↳ includes : mean dom!issei to soft dom!issei, daddy kink, sorta bratty reader, heavy degradation, humiliation, face slapping, slight choking, breeding, squirting, use of the word cunny

a/n : this umm kinda bad imo bcs i havent written smut in ages so pls bare with me !!! T_T

You made the horrible mistake of being a brat, to try to get under Issei’s skin and on his nerves just for the sake of it. You knew how he was when he gets riled up, fingers twitching, teeth grinding & a cold smile pulled on his lips. Admittedly, you realised that this little plan of yours was very risky however the thought of seeing Issei in that state made all of your concerns float away.

Maybe it was the way you were just so touchy and feeling up Oikawa like that during the group’s gathering tonight. Or maybe it was the way you clearly let Hanamaki look at your body with a lust filled gaze, practically eye fucking you. Perhaps it was you complimenting Iwaizumi, going on about how muscular he’s gotten & how he’s just oh so strong. well it was one of these reasons— maybe even all of them— that led Issei reach his tipping point.

“Get up, you brat. We’re fucking leaving,” he spat out, bruising your wrist as he dragged you out and to the car. The voices of his friends go unlistened, them telling him to calm down & to stay for just a little longer. He could give two shits about what they think, after all they contributed to this little problem at hand. He’s gonna take you back home and teach you how to be a good girl like he always does, end of discussion.

“You think that was funny? Messing around with my friends right in front of my face, huh— being a fucking brat,” He spoke once you two were finally in the privacy of your home. That tone, he was using that tone of voice he only uses when you seriously fucked up and when he reached his limit, which was not often. You’d be a liar if you said you weren’t afraid of him but you couldn’t help getting aroused & pressing your legs together at the sight of Issei like this.

“I asked you a fucking quesion, whore.” The sound of his large hands hitting against your face echoed around the room. Naturally, tears filled your eyes as your face continued to sting from his slap. “No, daddy. I’m sorry for being a brat. I'll be better next time, I promise. Please forgive me,” It was purely embarrassing how quick you were to fall into submission for Issei but nonetheless, you always did.

“Ngaw come on, don’t tell me you’ve given up that easily. Where’s that confidence of yours you had back then? You were brave enough to piss me off, now you aren’t brave enough to even look me, doll” His laughter could be heard from above you, your teary eyes fixed on the ground— too afraid of looking him in the eye. “I- I’ll be good for you now, daddy. Please just forgive me.” You could hear how pathetic you sounded like in your own ears, Issei must’ve thought the same.

You felt his fingers on your chin as he lifted your face to get a good look at you— tears damping your warm cheeks and lips shaking & quivering as you looked into his dark and intimidating gaze. A smile stretched on his lips while he was enjoying the sight before him. You were always so pliant and innocent— so easy to get you on your knees for him. “I’ll only forgive you if you take your punishment well, how ‘bout that hm?” He wasn’t asking, it was more of a statement.

Your eyes followed Issei’s figure as he took a seat at the study desk in your shared room with all the composure in the world. He flipped a notebook open until he found a blank page and got ready a pen, as if he was ready to study and wasn’t calling you whore mere moments ago. “My lap. Now,” You quickly scurried to him, still afraid to disobey him. He had you face the desk while your back was flush against his strong chest, your waist held tight by his arms as well.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen, You’re gonna write down for me I’ll never be a brat ever again while I fuck your cunt and you’ll only stop when I cum. If you stop writing without my permission, I’ll stop as well. Got it?” You dumbly nodded your head as a response. “Good girl,” Your heart fluttered in your chest even from the simplest praise from Issei.

Issei freed his hard and leaking cock from his pants and pulled your soaked panties off. Moans erupted from you as he sank you down on his cock, stretching that cunny of yours open. No matter how many times Issei fucked you, his cock was always a struggle to take in. Your cunny burned as Issei pushed more of his cock into you, stuffing you to the brim as he finally bottoms out. You held onto the desire to immediately start bouncing up and down on his cock, already wanting him to ruin your insides.

And in that split second, Issei let go of everything he was holding back on and let loose. He instantly started fucking you with much vigor, wanting to release all his pent up frustration from the day. Your fingers were turning white from how tightly you were holding onto the pen— trying to stay focused and write down the lines Issei told you to. Oh but the way his cock was filling you up, hitting all your sweet spots with every thrust was too addictive— you were moaning like a bitch in heat.

“Write down those fucking lines, slut,” His hand striked against your face to get your attention. You really wanted to but you couldn’t function with the way your cunny was getting abused by Issei. You barely managed to write down the first line, hardly intelligible with your messy handwriting. Grunts and soft moans could be heard coming from Issei as he humps your cunny— practically using you like a sex doll to satisfy his needs and only his. But you loved it, you loved every single second of this. That's when you feel Issei's thrust come to a halt, completely stopping.

“Stupid bitch. I told you I'd stop if you stopped writing. It looks like you’re not even trying, whore,” He grabbed a handful of your hair and pulled on it, arching your back. You mutter out apologies and began writing again, just desperate for him to start moving again— cunny clenching and fluttering around him.

“Dumb brat. You only think with this cunt of yours, don’t you? Whoring yourself out to my friends like that. You don’t even deserve my cock in you,” His cock was splitting you open once again— the tip hitting your cervix with each thrust.

“Say it, say you’re nothing but a cockhungry brat,” Issei’s hand snaked to your throat, giving it a tight squeeze. “I’m nothing but a cockhungry brat, daddy!” You used whatever energy you had left to obey his request. That familiar coil in your stomach was growing, you were close to cumming, oh so close. Issei's thighs burned as you digged your fingernails into them, leaving crescent shaped marks on them.

“Close to cumming already huh? Such an easy bitch. Beg for it,”

“Pleasepleaseplease I needa cum d-daddy. Need it so bad p-please let me,”

“Go ahead, baby. I want you to make a mess on me,”

And with that you fall over the edge and gushed all over his lap, embarrassingly soaking him with your cum. Trembling and shaking, you stayed there on Issei's lap— chest heaving up and down as you gasp for air to steady yourself. His fingers comb through your hair, lips leaving small & soft kisses on your neck & collarbones. “Always such a good girl for me,” He muses, you could hear the smile in his voice.

His kisses on your neck become more harsh and passionate— desperate for something more. “You gonna let me fill you up real nice with my cum, yeah?” Meekly nodding, you gave Issei the green light to continue.

He started humping your tight cunt again, this time with more affection and feeling. He loved hearing you squeal and tremble as he fucked you— you always made the prettiest noises.

“Daddy’s gonna fill this cunny of yours with my cum. I’m gonna breed you and stuff my cum deep inside of you,” He moaned out against your skin as he got closer and closer to his release.

“Please daddy, breed me. Want your cum in me, please,”

Issei grunts and curses as he shoots his load into you, his warm cum filling your cunt up. Shivers run down as he feels your tight cunny clenching and squeezing around him. He pulled you closer to him— chin on your shoulder and arms wrapped securely around your waist.

“I wasn't too harsh on you, was I?” He mutters out, almost breathlessly.

“Not at all, Issei. It was perfect, really,”

“Hmm I’m glad then,”

“Sorry for acting up. You know I love you only, right?”

“I love you too, princess,”

709 notes · View notes

unnounblr · 9 months ago

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#and i wonder how much of the disjoint has to do with the fact that like...remedy is a finnish game company

#writing stories that do tend to grapple with these major entities of the american subconscious

#(i.e. The Mysterious Feds And What They Are Hiding From Us in control; The Small Town With Something Innit in aw)

#but...and i do say this with respect for their willingness to try and what they have achieved...

#they are writing these stories about an archetypal america without really grappling with THE archetypal struggle at the heart of america

#which is. yknow. structural antiblack racism.

#like i do love that saga is a protag and player character of the award winning sequel to a beloved cult classic game

#love that we are made to sit with her narrative and her perspective

#but at the same time. like. i think a lot about the anderson bros reveal

#and how like. as a nonblack woc. if i were to discover that i had two aging biker relatives of nordic descent living in smalltown pnw

#who my mother had basically disowned and who had beef with my presumably nonwhite dad.

#my first response would not be ''oh how kooky and odd'' my first response would be OK THERE IS A VERY BIG REASON I NEVER KNEW THESE MEN

#and like. just watching saga walk around watery and blithely talk to people. again not black but i would not get out of the car in watery.

#i would make my white partner buy snacks at the gas station and then be like OKAY WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW

#in universalizing saga remedy has kind of by necessity sanded off some edges that make her experience in the game a jarring fantasy

#and honestly i don't even really know if they realized they were doing it a lot of the time.

#idk. maybe i'm not giving sam lake and his crew enough credit. or maybe i'm giving them too much slack

#but it's a difficult line to walk and i think they landed juuuuust short of the mark with how saga was written in this game

#(which is not to say they got everything wrong! i agree with unnounblr that her moment of connection with the Bookers

#was a welcome surprise; and i did really like that she got to rage against ''white assholes'' in extremis bc that DID feel very real)

#(it's also definitely an improvement over control; a game i love but which did treat the one major black character a little incoherently)

I agree, there's definitely a degree to which I sorta feel like Remedy didn't quite. I dunno, "get it", fell just short of the mark, and the bit about the Andersons I definitely agree about because. Like, I liked Tor and Odin from Alan Wake 1, but the sorta sinking vibe I got the more we learned about them and Freya and Saga's dad was "oh no, they were probably racist".

Like, figuring out that her dad was probably Door, and Door is probably a copyright-free version of Hatch from Quantum Break (I think Lance Reddick died literally the day before they started filming or some shit) sorta alleviates that, maybe, for me. Like, Martin Hatch sorta tried to end the world that one time, there's valid reasons to not want him to be with your daughter.

And I do sorta think it's interesting maybe that. The things Tor cites that he disliked about Saga's dad were that he was "complicated" and always "planning" and thinking ahead and. Like, there's an element of privilege involved that Tor Anderson, who probably inherited that farm, was able to get by with his bohemian, freewheeling, sex drugs and rock-and-roll lifestyle, and if Saga's dad was an ordinary black man, he's less likely to have the privilege to get away with the shit that Tor does.

At the same time, I did sorta appreciate that it was the traits of Saga's dad that in most circumstances would have been considered. "Respectable". That Tor specifically objected to. I thought it was unique. And made sense with the characters as established. Tor's rebellious, anti-authoritarian streak.

Like, it's a little odd that only two of the cops, Mulligan and Thornton were racist, but then again. Like, as far as I can tell, the Bright Falls Sheriff's department has basically been an unofficial front for the FBC for its entire documented history, through the Breaker family.

Like, I get what you mean about Control, and how it doesn't quite make sense for Marshall to have been a black woman in the CIA and later the FBC with the authority she evidently had, but. Then again, if that's true, then presumably Frank Breaker and Helen Marshall might have been colleagues at some point before he retired to be a sheriff, so him and Sarah and Tim (who I'm not even sure is from Bright Falls, or was even originally a cop? It seems like he showed up because he was looking for Door for Quantum Break-related-reasons and got the job because it seems like the Breaker family has the sheriff's office on lock) not being racist and not making racism, like, institutionalized, at the highest level, sorta makes sense?

Like, to some extent, the fact that Saga is a cop at all is also. Like. A factor?

Speaking of Tor's anti-authoritarian streak, and Sheriff Frank Breaker, I sorta want to point out that before Wake 2, the only thing we knew about Freya Anderson was that she called the cops on her dad that one time he caused a hurricane. And if we assume that the person who filed the missing persons report for Door that brought Tim to Bright Falls was Freya, there seems to be a pattern where Freya seems relatively comfortable with authority? And, like, cops in particular. Which is. Interesting, and maybe related to why Saga joined the FBI to begin with.

Stubled upon your post about saga and it was a very interesting read. I have to say that i havent noticed mich racism, but thats mostly becuse i started avoiding gamming websites when the release date came.

I saw a few ppl on Reddit angry about the "white asshole" line. That line is weird but it makes sense in context. Shes at her absolute lowest, unable to resurface back and fight againts her self doubts. Shes spiraling! And alan did put her in there, kind of. While we can see in their interactions that she doesnt hate him or anything, her feelings of anger and sadness take over, making her lash out as someone rven though she knows its not really his fault. And as some said, it reflects racism of the real world and tells us soemthing about saga - that she experienced this kind of feeling before, implying greater history. And idk, just feels that it makes sense for a black charscter to agnowladge these issues.

i could be rambling but im typing this out on my phone, whoops!

The gaming bros were definitely the worst offenders of it, so you were smart to ignore the gaming websites. It's why I had such high hopes for tumblr and AO3 because I thought for sure Saga would be the most popular new character. Sucks that I was wrong.

The "another white asshole telling me what to do" line CAN seem out of left field, but at the same time, perfectly fits the narrative. Because up to that point, nobody was telling her what to do. The only person who could have immediately took himself out of that position.

At the point the line was uttered, she was at her lowest, like you said and it was evident she had been in that position before. It gave us another character trait in Saga and another hint at her backstory. Alan tried to play God with her life, however unintentionally and Saga had every right to be angry at him.

The fact that she DIDN'T hate him says so much about her, and it's all wonderful. She chose to forgive him. As a black woman, it made sense to reflect on that, however brief the moment was, and I appreciated it.

#alan wake #alan wake 2 #saga anderson

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lesbianrobin · 3 years ago

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What do you think are the good and bad aspects of each season of ST?

ok 1. thank u for this question omg and 2. this answer may or may not be a mess, but either way it’s long (almost 7k words lmao) bc i’m insane, which is why it’s under a cut. it’s still by no means an exhaustive list but these are the things that just kinda came to mind.

also i realize you asked “good and bad” and i wrote this whole post as “strengths and weaknesses” which um. is not Exactly what you asked. but close enough <3 i also ended up including a lot of au ideas ksjdckmn bc like i personally hate when people say a certain plot or whatever was bad without suggesting anything that could have improved it yknow so whenever possible i tried to provide Some idea for fixing the issues i had with the show!!

season 1

strengths (this is probably gonna be the longest section but that’s because a lot of these strengths also apply to s2/s3 by default)

nostalgia and authenticity

this one’s pretty simple, but i think that season one did a good job of blending classic eighties media homages (such as the many many e.t./el parallels) with explicit pop culture references (such as mike’s yoda impression, mentions of the x-men, etc) to create a show that’s essentially dripping in early eighties nostalgia without it feeling too forced. before st, i think the most popular depiction of the eighties in mainstream media was that overly exaggerated neon scrunchie aesthetic from the mid to late eighties, and it was usually done in a comedic sense first and foremost. st took a different approach, instead focusing on the early eighties, a time that’s often ignored in favor of going either Full Seventies or Full Eighties, and i think that this choice likely resonated with adults who lived through the eighties and hadn’t yet seen something that felt quite so accurate to their own adolescence. a lot of young people who watched st were totally unfamiliar with this period of time, unfamiliar with books/movies like “stand by me” that st borrows from heavily, and i think st lent more seriousness to the eighties than most young people had experienced so far, and this was refreshing and interesting!

the use of dnd in the show is also quite genius in a way i’m not sure i can articulate?? it isn’t something Everyone would have played at the time, but it’s something that existed within a different context back in the eighties than it does today, and it really lent a sort of authenticity to the naming of the show’s sci-fi elements. like, of course these kids would name parallel dimensions and monsters and superpowers after these similar things in their favorite game! it just feels so real and it grounds st in our reality moreso than you might expect from the typical sci-fi or horror universe.

utilization of existing tropes

almost every single character in st clearly originates from some popular trope. the plot itself is riddled with classic eighties movie tropes. almost every single element of stranger things can be clearly traced back to some iconic eighties film or just to, like, overused horror/sci-fi/mystery/coming-of-age movie tropes in general. this might sound like a bad thing, but it really works in st’s favor! starting off with familiar tropes gives st the ability to easily create a lot of complexity and make a big impact by selectively deviating from those familiar, comfortable tropes!! while el’s whole plot, hopper’s character, etc, are all examples of this in action, i think the steve/nancy/jonathan plot is the greatest example. even from the start, the fact that good girl barb dies while nancy is off having sex with her asshole boyfriend is an incredibly thorough inversion of the most well-known horror movie trope in the book. how often do girls in horror movies have sex for the first time, walk home alone in the dark of night, and live to tell the tale? nancy and jonathan’s dynamic at first glance is a sort of classic “good girl meets boy from the wrong side of the tracks, discovers he’s actually got a heart of gold” thing, but instead of following this well-trodden path, st diverged. nancy is brash, impulsive, and at times downright insensitive. jonathan is angry, bitter, and actually a bit of a creep at first. while they have the capacity to emotionally connect and support one another, they can also bring out each other’s darker side, which is not what we’ve come to expect from that initial tropey dynamic.

in addition, steve, the popular rich asshole boyfriend, is actually... a human being! unlike the cartoonishly evil jocks that we’ve come to expect (especially from eighties movies), steve has complexity. despite his initial immaturity and selfishness, he’s also kind to barb, he backs off when nancy says no, he’s gentle and sweet when they sleep together, his first big Dick Move of the season is in defense of nancy, he realizes the error of his ways after the fight and does what he can to fix it, he’s worried about nancy when he sees that she’s hurt at jonathan’s house, and to top it all off, he ends up saving both nancy and jonathan’s lives when he could have just walked away, and the three of them all work together to fight the demogorgon. like... steve began as the most stereotypical character of all time, and by the end of the season, he had one of the most compelling and unique arcs among the whole cast!

finally, at the very end of the season, instead of dumping steve for jonathan as expected, nancy ends up getting back together with steve, and they’re both on friendly terms with jonathan. i realize that i just kinda. summarized s1. but my POINT is that i don’t think the dynamics between the monster hunting trio would be nearly as fun and interesting had the characters of nancy, steve, and jonathan not been set up to follow certain paths that we already had charted in our own heads. like, within the first couple episodes of s1, it’s pretty obvious that nancy and steve are gonna break up, nancy will get with jonathan, and steve will either die or go full evil or just never be seen again. like, duh! you’ve seen this story a million times! you know that’s how it’s gonna go! so, when the story DOESN’T go that way, the impact of each character’s arc and the relationship dynamics become stronger due to their unexpected complexity and authenticity.

distinct plotlines separated by age group

this one’s rather obvious, but the way that the adults in s1 were essentially in a conspiracy thriller while the teens were in a horror flick and the kids were in a sci fi power-of-friendship story and all three converged at the end... wow. brilliant showstopping etc. not only was it just really well done and unique, it also gave stranger things near-universal appeal. like, there’s genuinely something for pretty much everyone in season one!

casting

obviously this applies to every season sorta by default, but when i think about what made season one So successful, i always think about the cast, and not just winona ryder. yes, she’s absolutely amazing in the show and it’s very doubtful that st would be as big as it is today without her name being attached to it from the start!! however, i think the greatest determining factor in st’s success is the casting of the kids, particularly millie bobby brown. like... el is just absolutely incredible. she’s amazing. this has all been said many times before so i won’t harp on it, but millie and the other kids are all So talented and charismatic and i think their casting has been instrumental to the show’s success.

strong visuals

the way that multicolored christmas lights which have been around for decades are now kinda like. a Stranger Things thing. jesus christ. those lights are probably the biggest stroke of stylistic genius on the show.

atmosphere and setting

this is probably like. the least important one here for me sdjncdsc because i think s2 and s3 both had like Even Better atmospheres and shit but s1 was good too and it laid the groundwork!! i know a lot of people would have preferred st be set somewhere more Spooky with lots of fog or giant forests or whatnot, and while i do enjoy thinking about alternate st settings and how they might alter the vibe, i think hawkins indiana was a good choice. as the duffers have said, placing stranger things in a fictional town allows them more flexibility than if they’d gone with their original plan of using montauk, new york. besides that, i think the plainness and like... flatness... of small-town indiana just Works. like, the fact that hawkins is never really scary on the surface is a big part of the horror in the lab’s actions and their impact. hawkins isn’t somewhere that people just disappear all the time. it isn’t somewhere known for strange occurrences (prior to s1, that is). it isn’t somewhere shrouded in mist and secrecy. hawkins on its surface seems like the sort of place with no secrets and nothing to fear, and that’s the point! the lab is out in the open! it’s right there! everything is so close to the surface, yet so far out of the public eye, and i think that really works.

the byers family’s whole deal (specifically the joyce/jonathan dynamic)

this is going here bc i miss it so bad in s2 and s3. i’m not one of those people who believe The Byers Are The Whole Point of the show, because st is and always has been an ensemble, and el, hopper, and the wheelers are just as instrumental to the plot as the byers, but ANYWAY, i do think the byers were one of the most interesting aspects of s1. joyce’s difficulties with supporting her sons as a poor and (implied mentally ill) single mother, jonathan’s stress as a result of having to earn money, care for his brother, and keep the house in order when his mother is unable to do so, and the resulting tension between them when will’s disappearance and supposed “death” brings the situation to a tipping point? holy shit! it’s so good! that argument after they see will’s “body” is just incredible and gut-wrenching. their relationship feels so real and messy and i think it’s just... good. also winona ryder REALLY acted her heart out and she carried a lot of s1 which i think people often forget to mention so i’m saying it here.

weaknesses

pacing/timing

ok so pacing is probably going to go in each season’s weaknesses, to be honest, because i think they all had a blend of some good and some bad pacing. good pacing is invisible pacing, though, so i probably won’t be putting it in any of the strengths sections and will only be focusing on it in the weaknesses. i’m also probably not going to talk about weird day/night cycle things, just because i don’t want to get nitpicky on timelines because that would require going back and rewatching things to double check timing which i don’t wanna do at the moment lmao. anyway, when i think of bad pacing in season one, i primarily think of two things: nancy’s little trip into the upside down and subsequent sleepover with jonathan, and the sort of staggered nature of the climax in the final episode. the latter is simple so i’ll explain it first: while i understand that each group’s respective climax is like part of a chain reaction and that’s why each big moment happens separately and at different times, i think that st is strongest when the whole group is together, and i think that makes the stakes feel higher too, so i’m not In Love with the way s1 separated everyone and gave each group their own climax.

okay, now on to the nancy/upside down thing! idk if i’ve ever talked about it before, but i think the worst decision made in s1 by far is the inclusion of nancy’s brief trip into the upside down, wherein she dives headfirst into another dimension with absolutely no backup, watches the demogorgon chow down, freaks out and runs around for a minute, and then leaves. like... what the fuck? even putting aside what an idiotic decision this was (because i do think nancy’s tendency to rush into things headfirst is an intentional and consistent character trait), it just kind of destroys any remaining suspense surrounding the demogorgon and the upside down, and it accomplishes basically nothing besides scaring nancy enough to have jonathan sleep over, which is lame. i will break it down.

like, first of all, nancy just getting to waltz in and out of the upside down and get a good, long look at the demogorgon makes the entire thing far less mysterious, and by extension far less scary. like... before this scene, we the audience haven’t got a good look at the demogorgon. we’ve seen its silhouette briefly and we’ve seen a blurry picture of it, but nothing more, and i think that is far more effective at building fear than this jaunt nancy goes on which gives us a full view of the thing and makes it into less of a horrifying nightmare and into more of a humanoid animal. like, maybe this is just me, but i found the demogorgon far less intimidating after that scene than before. it also lets nancy and jonathan know For Sure that they’re right without providing any crucial information that they need to fight the demogorgon (aka it’s unnecessary to the plot), which removes a very compelling story element (the faith nancy and jonathan need to have in order to keep going against a vague and poorly understood enemy, the doubt they might have about each other and their own sanity, the possibility that they might be wrong, the trust they need to have in each other) a bit earlier in the plot than i believe is ideal. at the end of episode 5, nancy goes into the upside down and jonathan doesn’t know where she is and it’s intense!!! you’re thinking like, oh fuck, not only is nancy missing and fighting for her life now too, jonathan might be implicated in her disappearance!! some people already think he’s the one who killed will and people know that he took creepy pictures of barb and nancy before they both disappeared, maybe this is gonna cause some serious problems for him!! maybe nancy will find will in the upside down and she’ll help him survive!! fuck, maybe she’ll actually die!! this is huge!! and then episode 6 starts and they’re immediately like oh nevermind jonathan found the tree and got nancy out and she’s fine. my point with all of this is that nancy entering the upside down could have done A Lot in the grand scheme of the plot, but all it did was just... get jonathan to sleep over so he and nancy could have some awkward romance moments and steve could see them together and pick a fight. which could have honestly happened at Any point while nancy and jonathan were working together to hunt down the demogorgon, without ruining the demogorgon’s and the upside down’s mystique. so yeah <3

weird behavior and dumbass decisions that make no sense (aka the whole camera thing)

gonna go off about the teen plot again sorry but: why was nancy so unbothered and quick to forgive jonathan for taking those pictures? girl what the fuck are you doing? why wasn’t that a bigger deal? why was jonathan’s motivation for doing it so weak and why did they just kind of forget about the whole thing? why did nancy TRACK HIM DOWN AT THE FUNERAL HOME while he was PICKING OUT HIS BABY BROTHER’S CASKET to be like hey can you tell me what’s in this creepshot you took? it’s insane. it’s so insane. i mean i think the funeral home thing is hilarious and i don’t mind it being in the show necessarily but like my point here is that i think a lot of character decisions in s1 just kind of.. happened because they Needed to happen for the plot. like, they wrote this plot that required jonathan to be secretly taking pictures of the party and required him and nancy to work together after seeing something odd in the pictures, but they didn’t like... really consider what that event would mean for their characterization and relationship. the whole thing was sort of just dropped with minimal discussion and i think it did both nancy and jonathan’s characters a disservice and was really mishandled.

lighting and saturation/color grading

i am literally begging horror/sci-fi shows to let me see shit. i GET IT okay i understand that when you’re doing cgi effects it helps to keep the lights down and i’m not mad at any of the lighting in the demogorgon/upside down scenes!! i’m really not i think the demogorgon scenes in s1 all look sick!! but like... dude. the colors. where are they. why does everyone look like a vampire. i know blah blah this was probably an intentional stylistic choice intended to mimic film at the time blah blah but dude a lot of old movies are very colorful!! please just let people have color in their faces so everyone doesn’t look like a sheet of paper!!! also i’m white and not a professional lighting designer so yknow grain of salt but i think lucas was kinda poorly served by the lighting sometimes in s1. not Hugely so, not to the degree that i’ve seen poc be poorly served by lighting in other shows, but there were some times where it felt kinda like the lighting setup was just not designed with darker skin in mind.

horror

i just personally don’t find s1 very scary like... ever. i don’t think they were really Trying to be extremely scary yknow so i’m not counting this as a big deal, but i do think that each season has improved on the horror aspects. i think s1′s horror lies more in the mystery and the unknown than in what’s seen onscreen, and as i’ve said already, i think s1 kind of fumbled that suspense ball.

season 2

strengths

the possession plot

i’ll warn u rn this whole s2 strengths section is probably gonna be really short bc idk like. how much there is to really say i feel like it’s all so self-explanatory skjncmn. anyway yeah the possession plot!! eerie as fuck, and noah OWNED. so did winona tbh and finn and sean etc but like. noah. wow! i think the possession plot helped the show maintain a good amount of tension and suspense throughout the season, and a lot of scenes with possessed!will are flatout disturbing to watch. in a good way. i think the mindflayer and will’s possession were far more genuinely frightening than s1′s demogorgon, and it provided a new layer of depth and intrigue to the antagonist besides just “bad monster want eat people.”

tone and aesthetics

halloween season... literally halloween season. halloween season. that is all.

actually i will elaborate a bit and just say that i think s2 did a good job of having the sort of foreboding vibe that s1 was often going for, but without the annoying darkness and desaturation. so points for that.

also st2 is like one of the best Autumn pieces of media ever like it just. like steve and dustin on those train tracks with the fallen leaves all around them.... god. god the vibes are unparalleled. all of the halloween stuff also really contributes to the nostalgia st runs on yknow it makes you think about childhood and trick-or-treating and you kind of get transported like damn... i remember going to the rich neighborhoods to score the good candy..... idk i just think the whole thing is incredibly effective.

“babysitter” steve

by sending nancy and jonathan off together, the show created a problem: what to do with steve? this problem pushed them to create the unconventional and unexpected duo of steve and dustin, and the world is so much brighter for it. seriously though we all know steve and dustin are great i don’t need to argue that point. all i’ll add is that i think allowing steve to grow in this way, serving as a mentor figure and becoming genuine friends with someone so unexpected, really took the originality of his character to the next level. no longer content just to defy his archetype, in s2 steve begins branching out in ways that never would have been considered in s1, creating an incredibly complex and interesting person from the sort of character that most shows would have simply written out or killed off for convenience’s sake. and it works and steve and dustin are such a joy to watch and i love them. <3

the lucas/max plot

so first of all max mayfield is the most perfect baby girl on god’s green earth and idk what i would do without her but anyway. i think lumax is the best romantic relationship in the show and not just because they’re the only ones with like an age-appropriate approach to the whole thing. it’s also because their relationship accomplishes more than just putting the two of them in a relationship!! lucas and max spending time together motivates billy to do his evil shit, providing more conflict in the narrative, and it also helps establish max as part of the group in a relatively natural way while giving both her and lucas a great subplot. lucas (and dustin) has a crush on the new girl, they start spending some time together, and lucas ends up needing to decide whether he’ll keep the secret of the upside down and lose her, or risk both of their lives by telling her the truth. that’s a pretty big, character-defining decision that he gets to make!! max has to choose whether to trust this boy she barely knows and endanger herself, or to walk away and stay safe, yet another great character-defining choice that also contributes to the sense we get as an audience of max as somebody who’s incredibly lonely and desperate for love and connection. this post is way too long already and i have a ton more to say so i’ll stop now but yeah i think lumax really Works in the show without ever distracting or detracting from the overall plot and narrative in the way that some other ships (coughjancycough) often do.

balance between the normal and abnormal

s2 i think did a pretty solid job of melding daily life with more fantastical sci-fi horror elements. i enjoyed seeing so much of the kids at school in the first few episodes!! you really get a strong sense of where they’re at in life, what their daily lives are like, and you get a sort of gradual shift into madness that makes everything feel more grounded than i think it would if they had just leapt straight into the horror shit, yknow?

the el and hopper dynamic

go back and rewatch s2 and tell me that’s not one of the most moving portrayals of parenthood and trauma and growing up that you’ve ever seen. you can’t. or well you can but i won’t listen. i really can’t imagine stranger things without el and hopper’s relationship, and it’s my absolute favorite part of s2. their whole dynamic is so beautiful and complex, and gives them each amazing personal arcs in addition! the black hole scene is literally one of the show’s greatest moments of all time. any given scene between the two of them in s2 is just guaranteed to be heartwarming as well as heartbreaking, and i think that makes for an incredible show.

weaknesses

flashbacks

okay this applies to Every season they All have too many flashbacks but in s2 specifically... please stop showing me shit from season one. i watched it. i know what happened. you don’t need to spoon feed everything to me!! flashbacks can be a really helpful way of delivering information to an audience, but st has a bad habit of not only being kinda demeaning in how often they flash back to shit that the audience already knows, but they also have a bad habit of using flashbacks almost as a crutch to avoid having to deliver information subtly and naturally.

you know i gotta say it... the lost sister

this is so sad. the lost sister really is like a great concept for an st episode, and i’m not mad about the idea of st taking a break from the normal action to focus on one story for a full episode, but the execution of it was just dreadful. kali and her crew feel very over-the-top and stereotypical, and its placement in the season totally kills the tension and excitement that was built in “the spy.”

i think the lost sister honestly could have gone over far better, even with the stereotypical fake-feeling gang kali has, if they had just swapped it with “the spy” like... ok, the end of episode five has el setting off to find kali and will collapsing on the ground seizing. right? imagine if, instead of immediately following will to the lab, we’d followed el. we don’t know what’s happening with will, but it’s a very simple cliffhanger that leaves us on edge without making us feel cheated by the show cutting away. we follow el on her little journey, everything happens much the same as canon, and then at the end, el sees hopper in scrubs. she sees mike, screaming, sees that they’re both in danger. holy shit!!! what the fuck!!! what’s happened since we left will seizing on the ground??? we feel el’s fear and confusion. she decides to go home. and then... boom. “the lost sister” is over. now, we rewind, right back to will seizing on the ground, and “the spy” commences. we learn how they got into the danger that el saw in the end of “the lost sister,” and we sit on the edge of our seats all through “the spy” and “the mind flayer,” KNOWING that el is on her way back to save them but not knowing when she’ll arrive!! idk i don’t think that would have necessarily saved lost sister but i think it may have alleviated some of the issues that i and many others have with it, timing-wise.

the nancy/jonathan sidequest

once again, the idea of nancy going off on her own little mission to find justice for barb after s1 is like. amazing. genuinely i love that plot for her and i can’t imagine anything better for her to have focused on in s2. unfortunately though i think her and jonathan’s little trip to see murray was just kind of... lame. the whole thing just felt like an excuse to get the two of them alone together, yknow? which is fine i guess people contrive all sorts of situations to get characters alone together for romance reasons but in this case i think it just really doesn’t work for me because of what it’s juxtaposed with. like, will is POSSESSED, and jonathan is just off on a mini road trip and sleeping with his bestie, and jonathan never seems to communicate to joyce/will that he left town, and joyce never like... thinks to tell him that will is like sick and fucked up and they’re looking at him in the lab??? like it’s so weird i know joyce always forgets about jonathan when shit’s happening with will but jfc you’d think at some point in that like... 72-ish-hour period where jonathan was out of town she would have thought about him. like at least once. maybe i’m forgetting something and she mentioned him sometime and i missed it but even still, i hate the juxtaposition of nancy and jonathan just like cheers-ing at murray’s place and sleeping together and whatnot while everyone else is dealing with possession or trying to hunt down dart yknow? it feels really boring in comparison and i think it could have been done far better. like it was SO insanely easy for them to get into the lab and get an admission of guilt and escape with it!! i think it might have been a lot more engaging if maybe someone from the lab tailed them to murray’s place and they had to like lose the tail and race to get the recording out to as many news outlets as possible before they got caught, or something like that. the tension in their plotline is completely resolved in episode four!! episodes five and six are just them screwing around and addressing envelopes. while there were a lot of strong ideas in this plotline (i really enjoy nancy going out of her way to get justice, and the fact that they have to water down the story to make it believable), i just think the focus on nancy and jonathan getting together hindered it a lot without adding a ton to the plot or their individual characters.

season 3

strengths

starcourt mall as a setting

while i don’t think the mall was utilized quite to its full potential (something i could make a separate post about if anyone’s interested), i do think that starcourt was a genius addition to the series. i’ve said this before, but building a new mall is a literal Perfect in-universe justification for a significant leap forward in fashion and aesthetics, and it provides a great location for characters to just... be characters. idk how else to articulate this i just think that the mall is a great setting to let people interact with each other and to bring people together who may not have been otherwise (i.e. scoops troop). not to mention how sick it was to see the mall get wrecked toward the end kdjncdkm like they were able to do so much more with the mall in terms of like The Finale than they could with just the byers house or the cabin or the school or even the lab. i love all the back tunnels they run through it’s such a fun like acknowledgement of how this glitzy eighties mall is just a real place where employees get shipments and take out the trash and shit idk it’s all about the perfect facade and what’s hidden what’s underneath what’s hiding in plain sight etc etc i’m just saying words now. anyway.

willingness to experiment and go against expectations

gay robin. neon aesthetics. giant fucking meat monster. i know some people hate both the neon and the meat monster but i personally think they were kind of amazing and like. yknow regardless of personal tastes i think it’s impossible to deny that s3 had a lot of incredible visuals, and they’re all visuals that just wouldn’t have been possible if the show were too afraid to stray from its s1 aesthetic. robin being canonically gay (and her resulting friendship with steve) and the season’s striking visuals are two things that most everyone (besides like homophobes skjncdknm) can agree were great, right? and they were both departures from where the show began and what we all expected!! so yeah i think while some of the experimentation in s3 wasn’t ideal it was also that experimentation that allowed for some of the season’s strongest elements to come about.

the hospital sequence (and the season’s action/horror scenes in general)

this one is fairly self-explanatory. while they may have underutilized the “body snatching” element of the season, the hospital sequence with nancy and jonathan fighting off their possessed bosses did an amazing job of building tension and creating a genuine sense of really intense and personal danger.

in general i think that s3 melded action and horror rather well, particularly in the sauna test, the hospital, and when the mindflayer busts through the roof of hop’s cabin. horror can come from many things, and in this case, st elicited horror largely from the feeling of helplessness, and it was really effective for me personally. i think it worked better for me than s1′s brand of horror because it doesn’t rely so much on a lack of knowledge or a sense of suspense that inevitable disappears upon a second viewing.

the body horror we got in s3 was also really fun! that’s it i just think all the blood and guts and slime were fun and i would like more of them. once again, the impacts of body horror are less dependent upon the viewer being in the dark or unsure as to what’s happening, and as such i think it tends to be a little more effective at eliciting reaction in the long term.

timing and mechanics of the battle of starcourt/finale

i think the battle of starcourt is just fucking awesome, and beyond that personal opinion, i think it’s the most high-stakes and intense finale of all three seasons, and this is for two main reasons! 1. el is out of commission, and 2. (almost) everyone is in the same cental location. this means that (almost) everyone is in danger all at once, and they are all working together at the same time to fight the same threat. s1/s2 have their groups more fragmented for the finales, and while i understand why in each case and i wouldn’t call either season’s finale necessarily weak, i do think the centralized nature of the s3 finale just Works on another level. in s1 and s2, large segments of the cast are already perfectly safe by the time el dispatches the primary threat. in s3, however, everybody save for dustin and erica is still in danger up until the last moment, and el is seemingly (you can def debate how much power she still had in her when she peeked into billy’s mind and whether the memory broke the mindflayer’s hold on him or if she was actually controlling him to some degree) completely vulnerable. this increases the tension and raises the stakes, making the finale a real crescendo to fortissimo as opposed to a series of little mezzo forte moments. i hope everyone reading this knows music idk how else to phrase that my brain is stupid.

emphasis on friendship and adolescence (but in a different way than s1/2)

this is definitely a controversial one but i think that s3 really did like... show a side of friendship that had been more or less unexplored thus far in the show. el and max were amazing, and i think it’s really nice that we got an opportunity to see the kids have some growing pains as well as see them support each other through Normal Adolescent Stuff like boyfriends and breakups instead of just like. death and trauma. this is maybe just a personal preference, but i think it can be really enlightening and provide a lot of depth when you get to see how characters respond to normal everyday conflict and not just how they respond to giant world-ending conflict!! letting el use her powers for goofy teenage shit like spying on boys and messing with mean girls at the mall is not only fun for her and the audience, but it also really emphasizes just how much those powers are a part of el, making it that much more devastating when she loses them at the end of the season.

weaknesses

tonal dissonance

so this is like. obvious. but it must still be said! i won’t go on and on about it since we all know this so i’ll try to like talk about it from an angle people don’t usually? anyway. it seems to me like they were maybe a little worried about s3 being too dark. while the choice to really lean into humor was definitely driven by the sorts of eighties teen films from which s3 drew inspiration (like fast times at ridgemont high), i think it was also done in an attempt to alleviate the more troubling implications of some events in the season, particularly the russian bunker plot. like, yeah, st can be incredibly dark, but if they’d played the whole “children being stuck inside of a foreign military base, tied up, tortured, and drugged” thing completely straight without the humorous elements that exist in canon, it had the potential to be like... disturbing on a new level. steve and robin don’t have powers like el yknow their kidnapping/torture doesn’t have any sci-fi elements to sorta soften the blow. they’re just innocent teenagers being brutalized and traumatized by grown men. so anyway yeah i think maybe the writers were concerned about this storyline coming off as too dark and they wanted it to be a little more whimsical but they ended up pushing way too hard in that direction and creating extreme dissonance at times. this goes for joyce/hopper/murray/alexei too, but to a lesser extent. i think the ridiculousness in that group felt a lot more like... realistic. but still.

newspaper plot

once again i feel like i don’t even need to say this skjdncmn we all know it was insane how the show basically ended up delivering the message “while misogyny is a serious problem poverty and classism are not” and i’ve said it on this blog a million times so i don’t need to repeat myself. i’ll focus on another weak point of this plot: the fact that it completely separates nancy and jonathan from everyone else. once again, the show’s preoccupation with j/ancy held them back! like... can you imagine a version of s3 where nancy and jonathan both worked in the mall? i have a lot of ideas about this possible au and like how the plot could play out differently if they worked in the mall but first of all it’s just more realistic, second of all it further utilizes the mall as a central setting, and third of all, it would bring everyone together. as it is in canon, nancy and jonathan were unnecessarily isolated from the rest of the group, and this isolation was detrimental to both of their characters. like, they only ever get to interact with each other! if they’d gotten summer jobs in the mall, they could have had more interactions with the kids/steve/robin, and they absolutely still could have had a similar argument! maybe in this case, nancy notices the rat thing (or something else odd) herself when taking out the trash behind the mall, and she wants jonathan to ditch work with her to check it out bc she thinks it may be related to the lab. jonathan doesn’t want to ditch work because he needs his job, nancy argues that they’re working shitty mall jobs anyway and who cares if they get fired, and we get more or less the same thing as s3 without the cartoonishly over-the-top misogyny. i mean honestly i think the rat shit could have been cut entirely it didn’t rly... accomplish much of anything. in my opinion. like imagine s3 without the rat plot you literally would not be missing anything except it would be more surprising when the dudes melted into goo at the hospital. so yeah i think it would have been better if nancy and jonathan had jobs at the mall, weren’t isolated from everybody else, and were maybe absorbed into the party’s plot or the scoops troop’s plot from very early on, allowing them to interact with more characters and have a less... dumb.... plot. like god splitting up nancy and jonathan between the party/scoops troop would have been So Much better i just. sdkjcnksdmn anyway yeah.

briefness of group reunion/separation of groups

remember in s2 at the beginning of “the gate,” where mike and hopper had a confrontation and max and el met for the first time and el hugged everyone and steve and nancy had their sad little moment together outside... where’s that energy? obviously the s2 reunion wasn’t that long either, but it made space for some significant emotional moments to take place. s3′s reunion had some hopper/el/mike resolution, but besides that... there was nothing, really. i just think that the whole group getting together in s3 was SO exciting and powerful the way they did it (with both the scoops troop and the adults having their own Big Moment reconnecting with team griswold family), but the emotional potential was more or less squandered.

i also think in s3 at times they were really stretching to keep everybody separated even though it made no sense. and like... in s1 the separation worked bc nobody else knew that (x group) was experiencing weird shit too, and beyond that, each group (as i mentioned in the s1 section) was sort of operating within their own genre and bringing something unique to the season. they’ve stopped doing that though! now, the groups aren’t separate bc each plot is tonally/structurally different, the groups are just separate bc... they need to be, because it’s a big ensemble cast and you can’t just have them all be together for a whole season or it would be way too difficult to coordinate things and keep the show dynamic. all this is to say that i’m excited for s4 because the location differences make it so there’s a Reason for each plot to be separate at the beginning, and i think that’ll work better.

general ridiculousness

i dont mean like i think it’s bad that they made jokes this is just me lumping in all the dumb shit like hopper not worrying about el and not wanting to check on the kids, him and joyce bickering long after they both know they and their children are in danger, max seemingly forgetting that billy is a racist abuser, etc etc. i think many of these are just a symptom of the show 1. trying desperately to keep the groups split up a certain way even though it may not make any sense, and 2. trying to fit into a certain genre/trope mold when their actual characters are more complex than the tropes they’re imitating. this is so fucking long already i am not gonna elaborate further rn but i trust u all know what i mean.

soooo... yeah, that’s about all! i mean it’s not all there are definitely many more things i could talk about and i know i focused sorta disproportionately on the teens which is my bad :/ but i’m done for now. thank you for asking, and apologies for the delay in responding!! i’m sure some people reading (if anyone read this far) will disagree with some of what i’ve said and that’s alright like i’m not The Authority on st or anything i’m just trying to talk about like my own thoughts yknow? so yeah luv u all i hope someone enjoyed reading this!!

#asks #em talks #lesbianrobin.canon #stranger things #if u actually read all this i love u and im sorry #these r just my opinions!! and im sure i misremembered some shit my brain is swiss cheese #i did my best tho

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