#things that most people would consider to be bare minimum expectations

[omegapheromone]

Sometimes I forget I'm an Omega until I randomly get into playing an otome game for fun and a fictional man shows me just one single ounce of respect and kindness and genuine care, and I'm immediately planning a wedding and considering whether I'd be willing to give birth to his kids after all if he REALLY wanted kids and adoption wasn't an option.

[paganinpurple]

AO3 Etiquette -UPDATED

Based on both decent and not so decent replies, I have made some changes to my original post below.

It would seem a whole new kind of AO3 reader/writer is emerging and it is becoming clear not everyone quite understands how the website community works. Here is some basic guidance on how most people expect you to go about using AO3 to keep this a fun community archive that funtions correctly:

As well as likes, kudos is for when the story was interesting enough to make you finish reading. If it sucked or was badly written, you probably left. If you finished it, you liked it - so kudos.

If you really liked it, you should try to comment. It can be long and detailed or a literal keysmash. Writers don't care, we just love comments.

No critisism unless the author has specifically asked or agreed to hear it (so use your notes to say if you want some constructive feedback). Even constructive critisism is a no-no unless an author note tells you it's okay. No, posting it online is not an open invitation for that. Many people write as a fun hobby or a way to cope with, among other things, insecurity and just want to share. Don't ruin that for them. I've seen so many authors just stop writing coz they can't handle the negative emotions the critism brings, and it's only meant to be a fun thing shared for free (pointing out tagging errors is not included in this).

Do not comment to ask the author to write/update something else. It's tacky and off-putting and will probably have the opposite effect than the one you want.

There is no algorithm, it's an archive. Use the search and filter function to add/remove the pairings/characters/tropes etc. you want to read about and it will find you the fics that fit the bill.

For this to work, writers must tag and rate stories. This avoids readers finding the wrong things and missing the stuff they want. I don't care how cringy that trope is in your eyes - it gets tagged.

The tag exception is if you don't want to tag a million things or spoil your story, you can rate it as "chose not to use warnings," and maybe tag the bare minimum.

Don't censor tags. How can someone exclude a tag if the word isn't typed out correctly? There are no content bans for terms so don't censor them.

If the tags are mostly content/trigger warnings, especially if they are things considered very fucked up or graphic, you might want to use "dead dove - do not eat" to ensure people know that you're not messing around with tags and what they get is exactly what you've warned them about.

Character A/Character B means a ROMANTIC or SEXUAL relationship of some kind. Character A&Character B is PLATONIC, like friendship or family.

Nothing is banned. This is an rule because banning one thing is a slipperly slope to banning another and another, until nothing is allowed anymore. Do not expect anyone to censor for you. Because of the tags system, you are responsible for your own reading experience.

People can create new chapters and sequels/fic series any time after they "complete" a story. So it's considered perfectly normal to subscribe, even to a finished story. You can even subscribe to the author instead just to cover your bases.

Do not repost stories or change the publishing date without an extremely good reason (like a complete top to bottom rewrite or an exchange youve written for going public). It's an archive, not social media. No one cares what's the most recent, only what fits their tag needs.

Instead of deleting a story you wrote if you hate it - consider making it anonymous or orphaning it so others can still enjoy it, without it being connected to your name anymore. If you still want to delete it, fair enough.

It's come to my attention that metaworks ARE allowed on AO3, which is something I wasn't aware of. So if you do post an essay or theory, please tag it as such so others can choose to search for it or exclude it. Art is also allowed.

The only reason this archive works is because NON ONE PROFITS. Do not link to your ko-fi or patreon or mention monetary gain in any way or you violate the terms and risk having your account removed. If anyone does link, it leaves the archive open to people claiming it's for profit and having the whole thing removed.

I KNOW there's plenty more I missed but I'm trying to cover most of the basics that people seem to be struggling with.

I invite anyone to add to this, but please explain, don't berate.

[a-killer-obsession]

Whoops, you got hit by a bus, and now you're in the world of One Piece. But not everything is quite as you remember it...

General Tags: afab reader, she/her reader pronouns, isekai, monsterfucker reader, vampire!kid, werewolf!killer, wyrm!heat, minotaur!wire, everyone has a human form, smut heavy, unhealthy relationships, dubious consent, serious violence, spoilers for Wano arc, starts pre-timeskip. There will be a lot of more intense kinks, please check AO3 for all current tags.

Chapter 8 - Wire's Turn

Sabaody continued.

WC: 3.5k

Masterlist | AO3 | Chapter 1

“Hurry the fuck up,” Wire growled, tugging on the chain leash that was attached to your metal collar. At least it wasn't explosive, small victories. You could only hope it would stay that way.

“I'm trying!” You pouted, practically jogging to keep up, “not all of us are eight feet tall!”

“You're not that much shorter than me,” Killer pointed out, “but I'm having no trouble.”

“I have a misleadingly long torso!” You whined, “I've only got little legs. Carry me if you're so bothered, I can't walk any faster, I'm basically running as it is.”

Wire grabbed you unceremoniously and threw you over his shoulder, making Killer snort a laugh as you squeaked in surprise. You crossed your arms against Wire's back with a pout, poking your tongue out at Killer walking behind as his shoulders shook with silent laughter. “I feel like a hunted deer,” you commented.

“Shut it or I'll drop you,” Wire replied flatly. You looked at the eight foot drop to the ground and quickly decided against that.

“Please don't,” you whispered.

You took some time to enjoy the view from all the way up there, finally taller than pretty much everyone around you. Killer's mask bobbed side to side, taking in the locals as well, while also no doubt staying on guard for potential trouble, considering where you were. For the “criminal” area of the archipelago, the town was pretty nice. Sure it was clear that most of the people here were more colourful than the usual Sabaody resident, and obviously on the rougher side. You saw a great deal of women, and the occasional man or child, wearing explosive collars, often being led by chains not dissimilar to your own.

The children were the hardest to look at, all clearly emaciated and abused. Your grand hope was that Luffy would become King of the Pirates and destroy the Red Line and all the disgusting pigs that lived in Mariejois on top, and put an end to this horrid human trade. If things went wrong and Kid decided to get rid of you, you desperately hoped Killer would take ownership of you. At least then you could expect the bare minimum care, though you still weren't sure if Killer would be the type to hit you. He was your favourite so you hoped not. Then again, Heat seemed like the type who couldn't hurt a fly, and yet you knew he burned people to death on a regular basis, a truly gruesome way to die. You tried not to think too hard about how many people Killer had murdered to get his epithet, or how many people had been impaled on the forks of the trident held only inches to your left.

Sabaody was certainly an amusing place. It was just as pretty in person as it had been in the anime, with the ground and bubble based structures all shimmering with a pretty iridescence, making everything sparkle. Bubbles floated from the ground and drew your attention to the giant trees surrounding you that formed the island, with their pale blue-grey striped trunks and vibrantly green leaves. Rays of light broke through between the trees, giving the whole archipelago an almost ethereal look, Killer's hair often glowing like he had a halo as he passed through the rays. You wondered if he knew how attractive he looked like that, with his cool fringed jeans and button-down shirt, opened to the chest to show off his muscles. It was a real shame he'd get rid of these clothes at some point in the next few years. Now there's a thought, I mean you'd confirmed it now that you'd seen him naked, but before you came here - when this world was still just fiction - what proof did you have that his arm hadn't always been scarred? It'd never even occurred to you now that he wore long sleeves, he could have been hiding those scars all along. Now that you were here though you knew that whatever caused that injury was still to happen. There was the comment Kid had made in Udon about one of Big Mom's pirates hurting one of his friends, maybe the burns would come from Charlotte Oven and his heating ability.

“Where are we going anyway?” You asked curiously. The commanders had already found an inn for the night and dropped off their stuff, as well as heading to a few different weapons stores to stock up, and cashing in some looted treasure for berri. Most supplies for the ship were taken care of by the lower ranked crewmates, which meant this was likely a personal trip.

“None of your business,” Wire huffed.

“Wire's just embarrassed cos his cocks too big for regular condoms,” Killer chuffed, “we're going out tonight, gotta be prepared.”

“Wait, so we're going to an adult store?” You perked up, “fun!”

“Don't get excited, we're not wasting any berri on you,” Killer spat back, making you pout. Still, you were curious to see what sort of things were available in this world. Sabaody was a hub city, you had no doubt it would have a wide range of the things available in this world, especially in this shadier area. You wondered what sort of toys were popular here, and what sort of technology they had. Did One Piece have vibrators? Suction toys? Remote controlled toys? Did they utilise den-dens? Now there was an intriguing prospect. Was it morally grey to use a snail for that?

“How big can it possibly be anyway?” You pondered aloud, “I thought those XL condoms were a marketing scam, I mean have you seen how big regular ones can blow up?”

“They break easier if they're too small,” Wire replied frankly, “I ain't risking that with random whores.”

“If you're so desperate for a lay why haven't you just fucked me?” You asked him, “My legs are wide open baby.” Wire was the only commander who hadn't taken advantage of your presence on the ship, in fact he'd barely interacted with you at all outside of Kid ordering him to jizz on you.

“You couldn't handle me,” Wire said smugly.

“What, I can take Kid's soda can cock but not you?” You asked.

“I'm bigger,” Wire replied with a cocky tint to his voice, “did you not see?”

“She was a little preoccupied,” Killer smirked.

“Someone was gagging me with his cock,” you frowned.

“And you loved every second of it, didn't you?” Killer teased, and you poked your tongue out at him again.

“Maybe if you're a good girl today I'll let you try,” Wire promised, “but don't come crying to me if you get hurt. I warned you.”

“Bet,” you smirked as Wire put you back down, “I'm not some inexperienced little virgin. I can take it.”

“We'll see,” Wire mumbled, coming to an open door that led to a stairwell, apparently the store was upstairs. There was only minimal signage outside, but once in the stairwell it was obvious what sort of store you were ascending to, the walls plastered with various posters of sexy, barely dressed - sometimes entirely nude - models advertising various products. There was even a sign that read ‘pets welcome’ with a stick figure pictogram of a human with a collar and leash. Ironic. The shop attendants would probably think Wire was your dom, not that you were opposed to that.

The shop held all the usual things you would expect; dildos, lingerie, anal play toys, lubricant, porn, basic BDSM gear. But there were things that you definitely didn't expect as well. For one, less vanilla dildos like the style you'd used on Killer seemed to be common, as well as many other monster themed dildos that you would more expect to have to buy online in your own world. There were all sorts of them, some you recognised that looked like Heat's, some even in pairs like his, others that looked like horse or cow, advertised as minotaur themed. You wondered if this was an effect of not having the internet here, whether it was easier in that case to just sell more exotic items in store, or if it was a result of being in a particularly shady area. There was a whole display of what you recognised to be dials, with a big cardboard cut out of some beautiful woman with purple hair in space buns, a strange visor, and barely any other clothing, advertising that these dials stored vibrations.

Wire selected his condoms fairly quickly but continued to peruse the store, so you followed him around, not that you had much choice as he tugged at your leash whenever you paused for too long. The store worker and other customers didn't even blink an eye at him leading you around, or your bound wrists. Killer was already off looking at the porn when Wire made his way to that section, and you were curious to see what sort of kinks were popular here. Once again you were suprised by the amount of monsterfucker targeted items, with magazines that featured all sorts of creatures on the front, often entangled with humans. It was strange how very photo realistic they were, were they just very good at costumes and special effects makeup in this world? You didn't think they had CGI here, because surely that would require computers. Maybe they were devil fruit users? Minks?

You picked up a magazine that intrigued you, the cover featuring a human woman not dissimilar looking to yourself, with a large werewolf and minotaur either side of her. You flicked through the pages looking at the various poses they put her in, quite impressed at the size of their cocks and how realistic they looked, surely they couldn't be dildos? They must be devil fruit users. The centrefold was an extra long page that could be flipped down, and you gasped as it revealed a almost to life scale image of the minotaur's massive cock.

“Oi, no free reads,” the shop attendant yelled from the counter, “either buy it or put it back.”

Killer and Wire both took note of the magazine you were holding and exchanged a look. “She'll buy it,” they both said in unison, making you extremely confused.

“What… but…” you stuttered as Wire took the mag from you, “I thought you weren't spending money on me?”

“We're making an exception,” Killer said quickly.

“Oh… okay,” you replied, still very confused.

The boys paid for their things and dragged you back out of the store, Wire putting you back over his shoulder to walk faster. “You liked that mag then?” Wire asked. Weird thing to ask when he'd already bought it for you.

“If you're asking if I'm a monsterfucker, or interested in fucking werewolves and minotaurs,” you replied, “my answer would be a resounding yes. You should see some of the dildos I have back home.”

“Interesting,” Wire hummed. Perhaps you could take him after all, if you were used to that sort of size. The thought of burying himself in you made his cock twitch, finding someone who could take him was a rarity, especially human. That's why he usually turned to professionals who knew their limits, no fucking around only to be disappointed when they tap out. It was unfair really that he hadn't gotten a chance to destroy your cunt, and with the clock ticking on your story being proven true or false, he might not have much time left to try you out before inevitably sold you off. Being from another world was a insane excuse for Wire, he didn't have a single inclination that you were telling the truth, but that didn't mean he wouldn't fuck you while he could. Making a snap decision he carried you to a nearby alleyway, still in broad daylight and in full sight of those walking past but he didn't give a shit. This was normal for this zone anyway, there were no kids in this area and besides, he'd seen at least three other couples going at it on the way here.

Killer followed you both into the alley and stood knowingly on watch towards the end, knowing full well what Wire wanted as the tall man put you back on your feet and rested his trident against the building. “Wire?” You asked hesitantly as he spun you to face the wall, “Oh,” you squeaked as he pushed his growing erection against your ass, pulling your hips away from the wall so he could unfasten your shorts. “Right here?” You questioned nervously, looking at all the people passing by at the end of the alleyway as he worked your shorts and panties down till they pooled at your ankles.

“Right here,” Wire confirmed, “you said you could take it, right? Don't come bitching to me if I hurt you.”

“You won't,” you replied confidently, the allure of being fucked in such a public area already making you wet. Wire grinned coyly as he pushed his fingers between your legs and felt your arousal.

“Dirty whore,” he purred, “so fucking wet already, I bet you'd let me fuck you in the middle of the street if I wanted.”

He wasn't wrong, but you didn't have time to respond before you were biting back a moan as his long fingers entered you, going straight to two of them. Wire knew exactly what he was doing, zeroing in on your g-spot while his other hand reached around your front to play with your clit as he worked at stretching you. He found it surprisingly easy to work you open to a third finger, your slick coating his fingers as your pussy tried to suck them in. His fingers were so long he may as well been fucking you with a dildo, and with the added simulation on your sensitive bud and the risk of being out in public, barely hidden in the alleyway by a watchdog Killer, it didn't take long for your pussy to clench around Wire's fingers. Your knees shook as you came, clawing at the brick wall of the building you were pinned against with a choked moan.

“Good whore,” Wire hummed, removing his fingers from your cunt and wiping them on your shirt, “now get on your knees bitch, this dick isn't gonna suck itself.”

Wire let go of your leash but as it landed he stood on it purposefully, pinning it beneath his boot and forcing you downwards by your collar. Your panties were still around your ankles as you knelt, and your mouth watered as Wire unfastened his tented shorts, pulling his impressive cock free.

“Oh fuck,” you gasped as you set your eyes on it. He wasn't fucking around, he was big. There was no fucking way you could take all of him in your mouth, and you had doubts that he'd be able to fit all of it inside you either.

“Change your mind already?” Wire chuffed.

You pouted at him out of feigned hurt before eagerly bringing your bound hands up to grasp him, unable to reach a single hand around his shaft. You stacked them one above the other to cover as much surface as possible while your tongue came out to lick the head of his cock, running your muscle over the smooth skin and up the underside of his shaft, letting the tip of your tongue slide along the slit. You did what you could to try and fit him, barely taking a quarter of him in your mouth before you were gagging, the corners of your mouth stinging from the stretch. Wire took your hair and wound it around his wrist to hold your head, making shallow thrusts into your warm mouth that made your eyes water as he pushed even deeper.

“There's a good whore,” he praised, “gag on it sweetheart, let me see those pretty tears.”

You took as much as you could into your throat, unable to take more than half of him even as your throat bulged and you struggled to control your gag reflex. There was no hope of breathing with him in your throat, his cock so thick that you felt like you were truly choking. He was clearly used to this though, giving you plenty of opportunity to catch your breath while drool ran down your neck.

“That'll do,” he said flatly, like he was bored, “stand up and take your shorts and panties the rest of the way off.”

You obediently did as he asked, noticing as you stood how people walking past would occasionally stop and try to watch, quickly deterred by a quick threatening whizz of Killer's punishers to encourage them to move along. You slipped your shorts and panties past your shoes and Wire picked you up like you weighed nothing, wrapping your legs around his hips and holding you far off the ground with your back pinned to the alley wall. His heavy cock was pinned between your stomachs as he rut the base of it against your mound. You whined in need, trying to roll your hips to rub your clit against him.

“Last chance,” Wire warned, “it's not too late to admit defeat “

“Give it to me,” you begged, “please Wire, fuck me, I want your massive cock stretching me open.”

“Alright then,” Wire smirked, pleased with your begging, and lifting you higher to line his tip up with your slick entrance, “don't say I didn't warn you.”

He watched smugly as he sank you down on his cock and your face contorted as you bit back the urge to scream. The stretch was almost too much, but it wasn't the first time you'd experienced such a large intrusion, having dildos back home that were about his size. Soon the pain melted to pleasure, but as you had guessed, he was unable to sheath himself entirely before you were gripping his shoulder painfully tight, warning him that you'd hit your limit as his tip bullied against your cervix.

“Fuck, look at you,” Wire praised, leaning back a little so he could admire the way your abdomen bulged. No human could take all of him, but he was thoroughly impressed with how much you had managed to take. “What a good girl, I'm gonna enjoy ruining this cunt.”

Not wanting to waste his time, he started a brutal pace, your overstuffed cunt making obscene sounds as Wire made quiet grunts and used you. You looped your bound wrists over his head and clawed at his back, burying your face in his cloaked shoulder to muffle your moans as your body was bounced up and down. You would no doubt have scratches all over your ass after this from the brick wall, overly thankful that he'd at least let you keep your shirt on to protect your back from the rough surface. Wire's hands holding you by your ass at least protected you a little. With his body so close to yours there was a slight grind against your clit every time he thrust up into you, raising and lowering you in time with his movements to get as deep as he could, showing off his incredible strength and control as he continuously avoided smashing into your cervix. The way he stretched and filled you meant every sensitive spot inside you was being rubbed against, your entrance stretched to its limit around him. With all that stimulation it didn't take long for him to have you close to your peak again, crying into his shoulder at the overwhelming pleasure as he used you like a ragdoll.

“Mmmph,” you mumbled into his shoulder, leaving a wet patch on his cloak from your combined tears and drool, “cu-cumming!”

There was a pattering of fluid hitting the concrete pathway below you as you gushed on Wire's cock, and you let out a stuttered whine that caught the attention of a few passersby that Killer had to clear away. “Good girl, mouse,” Wire praised, not letting up for a moment, still chasing his own high, “gonna cum soon too.”

Wire pulled out and put you back on your feet, pulling your arms over his head to unhook you but holding you under an armpit to keep you upright, unbelievably shakey on your legs from the hard orgasm. He pulled up your panties up most of the way with his other hand before jerking himself off, cumming with a grunt into the gusset of your underwear. The hot white fluid was thick against the fabric and you whined as he pulled your panties the rest of the way up, making the fabric stick to your cunt. He pulled up your shorts as well, fastening them before throwing you back over his shoulder. He spanked your ass as he made his way out of the alley, but you were too tired to respond, now truly looking like a hunted deer as you went slack over his shoulder.

“We're done here,” Wire stated as he passed Killer. The shorter man huffed a short silent laugh and followed on behind, not at all surprised to see you had already fallen asleep on Wire's shoulder.

[Next Chapter]

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[neptunes-sol-angel]

Can they match your freak? 👀 Think of a person that you're interested in, then pick the picture that you feel drawn to the most to find the corresponding message about how the sexual chemistry would be like between you guys.

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Pile One

The person on your mind comes across as formal, polite, but not interested in being in everyone’s face or being the center of attention. They could be considered a bit odd, maybe the timeline in which their beliefs, speech, and hobbies are not common in their age group. They could be assumed as a nerd because of how serious they take most things, like if you were to joke with them or use sarcasm, they’ll turn what’s not supposed to be literal into something pragmatic which is kind of cute in an innocent way. But they’re not rude or dismissive, because if you stick with them long enough they’ll eventually catch up with your sense of humor, even if the jokes don’t land, the fact that they’re trying makes it hilarious. They’re great at guiding people and teaching someone without looking down on others. They could come from a big family and are actually really nurturing and considerate which leaves them feeling more selective with who they choose to be their friend or romantic partner, and are content with spending a lot of time alone. They’re really “slow moving”, they don’t like to be rushed in anything, and for a good reason. They don’t like to compromise their stability, and love to have a work-life balance, even if they are an overachiever.

When it comes to doing the deed, it feels like intimacy is heightened because it feels as if you’re with a whole different person. Their sexual energy feels electric and eccentric. I feel like they’re a music junkie. They’re a lover of all genres, but pay attention mostly to the artists and bands that don’t get a lot of appreciation. I keep picking up on music theory, which could of course hint more about what they like to learn about, but I see this more as them effortlessly knowing the right note, the right rhythm, and the right scale to successfully lead their partners into an orgasm. They’re absolutely magical with their fingers, but feral with their stamina. They’re competitive when it comes to showing their partner who can go round for round, and they’re determined to make sure they’re at the top. Speaking of top, they love to be dominant in the bedroom. Their sex talks chains and whips! Just kidding, but it’s an art for them to see the many ways in how pain brings their partner pleasure. They’re down for almost anything in sex, as long as it’s consensual. Outdoor sex could be a favorite of theirs. Should you have sex with them? I feel that sex with them will be better than anything if you’ve had with anyone else, which can be addictive. Make sure that the relationship is something solid with this person, if it’s a situationship, it can be problematic, especially around issues with possessiveness, unhealthy attachments, and a lack of boundaries.

Pile Two

Sol cherubs…I’m sorry but I’m going to have to roast this person. I feel like they’re the kind to wine and dine a person. Dinner dates are nice, yes, but this person is very cheap, and likes to do the bare minimum while thinking that the other party should give them something back in return. They talk themselves up a lot, and could even get carried away with dirty talk in the bed because THEY think they’re doing something. Like this person could think that they’re a total freak, but their sex talks vanilla…They do basic positions, they’re repetitive, which is not the problem, the problem is that it’s not doing anything for the other person, and the only thing freaky about them is their gross personality. They’re self-serving, it’s not to say that you can’t experience pleasure with this person in sex, but if you expect for them to care about making sure that you finish too, don’t. They’re cheap with their wallet and in the bedroom. DO NOT have sex with this person, you won’t feel satisfied, and their energy in general is creepy and the epitome of what a loser looks like. If they’re a man, they have a toxic patriarchal mindset, weak in reality, but prowls for individuals who they think that they can control. They’re an energy vampire. Sex is an ego booster for them. It excites them more when they come across a person who’s strong in personality, or harbors a lot of potential to be a star, so that they can seduce them in order to feel better about themselves.

Sex should be an equal thing, where both parties are respected, having fun, and feeling good. You should both feel empowered rather than seeing it as taking power from another person. I’m also getting the feeling that this could be a past person for certain individuals. The message is also for you guys to know that sex isn’t supposed to be a shameful thing either if you’re still in regret about giving it to the wrong individual or even individuals. You’re not less of a person because you had sex so don’t let anyone try to punish you for it, and that includes yourself. Heal the negative beliefs you have about sex within yourself by not seeing yourself as a body count, limiting yourself to people who don’t satisfy you, and to trust in yourself to keep your stance in not doing something if you don’t want to just because someone gave you something and speaking up about what you want and how you want to be treated.

Pile Three

The person on your mind is spontaneous. You could play hard to get with them on the outside, but on the inside they’re very alluring to you, and lowkey they know this. Your chemistry in general with this person is breathtaking, if you aren’t a couple, people wonder why you aren’t one yet because of how close you guys are with each other and how obvious your attraction towards one another is. There’s heavy sexual tension here, partly because of how racy things get when you guys flirt with each other or how compatible you guys are to the point where you feel comfortable just yapping about almost anything, and the other part being the elephant in the room, which is something just feels forbidden about this relationship. Maybe this is a coworker which I understand why it wouldn’t be appropriate. You could consider this person a goofball, someone you always have fun with, or can count on to put a smile on your face, but the friendship between you guys is strong. Y’all get each other emotionally and are generally supportive, I would be shocked if you guys weren’t best friends. I’m not even picking up their individual sexual energy, my intuition just keeps pointing to how it would be if you guys were to ever have an encounter. I just keep getting “yes, yes!, YES!” go for it with this person, because it doesn’t feel at all like something you would regret. Ya’ll complete each other in so many ways that it just feels right. The sexual chemistry would be stable, you wouldn’t get bored of each other because it brings you guys closer rather than apart. This won’t be for everyone, but some people in the pile might have a theme of knowing right then and there that this is the person that they would want to spend the rest of their life with. Be wary though if you aren’t in the position of wanting to have kids or having enough to support a child, because you guys are going to be on each other like rabbits.

[chaifootsteps]

we now have a Stolas bashing tag on A03! idk why it took so long, maybe no one was tagging that before

side note, it surprises me that writers have to put 'bashing' for stories that just literally address how he behaved in the show. Stolas is demonstrably selfish and petty yet writers sometimes feel the need to call it like an 'evil Stolas AU' or 'dark Stolas AU' just so fans don't jump down their throats when like

no, the last episodes have proven he just is self centred, mean and petty with an abuser's selective memory; we've gone way past plausible deniability for 'innocent misunderstanding' when his reaction to Blitz chewing him out for stuff he did is to avoid considering if Blitz has a point then spend all episode treating him like he's seriously wronged Stolas for expressing his feelings.

it's not the fandom's fault Viv is so bad at writing a sympathetic character that she made him the most dislikeable one in the entire show

also side note, it's impressive how many writers I'm seeing say some variation of 'I liked Stol1tz but the last two episodes have killed it for me'. like no one wants a ship where Blitz is expected to be a doormat for the meanest creature in all of Hell. or at the very least they want to see Stolas address some of the things he did wrong

even some of the fans who are the most likely to give Stolas way too much grace here are getting turned off by how Viv is going about this. even if they're buying all the retcons Viv shoved in to make him look better, they know the story still doesn't sit right as it is now. and I hope they ask for more from the story if Stolas doesn't address his wrongs or the writers do it in the most insulting way possible. now more people are seeing what I saw from the beginning of s2 I hope they stop settling for the bare minimum from Viv

the ones that make me saddest are the fix-its where the two talk and Stolas has an actually modicum of emotional maturity to see things from Blitz's perspective. this is the Stolas the fandom thought existed because the show kept insisting it was the case

yet every time Stolas has had the chance to prove he's that person, he's bungled it and proven himself not just void of empathy but vindictive and spiteful on top of it. I fell off Stolitz a long time ago but I know how much it would suck if the writers did that to one of my OTPs.

It's sad that it's reached a point where a character people had such high hopes for, that used to be half of an OTP for a lot of them -- myself included -- now has a bashing tag and an audience who increasingly wants to see him dead, but the Stolas we saw in Apology Tour just isn't a character worth hoping for anymore. I'm glad all those richly deserved fics have somewhere organized to be.

[justatalkingface]

In Lack Of Defense to Aizawa

-And to varying extents literally every other UA staff member, and basiclly anyone in any sort of authority or who just exists in MHA at all.

Something I saw recently (when I started this post, months ago, anyways) that kind of pissed me of (that I'm posting here, with no connections to where it happened, because it was on a nice fic I like and I don't want to bring crap into the comments just because I don't agree with the author's view on something) is the idea that Aizawa is... how do I put this, more excusable because he doesn't know the full story behind Izuku and Bakugou.

And... to some extent, that isn't wrong, is the thing. He doesn't know that Bakugou systematically made Izuku's life hell, so he can't be expected to react to it (you can question how he would react to it, and that's a completely fair thing to be concerned about, all things considered, though that isn't the point of all this)... but. The thing is, he can be expected to react to what he does know/see, and that's the vastly justifiable criticism of him as a teacher comes from.

Day One: Bakugou attacks Izuku for.... existing with a Quirk. And here's the thing, Aizawa does stop that, but Izuku, and most people who read the story, phrase that as, 'Aizawa stopped Bakugou! Good job Aizawa!'. That's not the right response. The right response is: Aizawa stopped Bakugou, as is his literal job; it's not something that should be acknowledged as unique or impressive. Aizawa being the only person in Izuku's life to stop Bakugou is not glowing praise for Aizawa, it's blistering condemnation for everyone else. Not letting your students try to kill each in front of you is, in fact, the bare fucking minimum.

And here's the where the problem starts: Aizawa does that... and nothing else. Good Old 'Expel 'Em All' Aizawa watches a student attack a fellow student in front of him (after, for the record, sabotaging the same student in the race by blasting him with his explosions, which... is also something that, at least, should be something discussed, if not be summarily expelled over, since being happy is expulsion worthy in Aizawa Land, or being someone that reminds him of All Might) and his response is complaining that Bakugou is making him do more work. Which. You know, is bad. He doesn't even scold Bakugou, or warn him, or do anything to punish him for this.

'You're giving me dry eye, damn it!'

Yes. Because, when one student attacks another, that is the concerning point. How it inconveniences you.

(For the record, I'll touch on all the other problems with this chunk of time, which are present but not actually on target for this post, just to be thorough: doing this test at all, when they already passed, doing it on day one, doing it, apparently, because they were excited and/or because he reminded Eraserhead of All Might, threatening to expel Izuku for daring to not having control of his Quirk, being proud he only broke one finger, not doing anything to help him stop breaking his bones, teaching his students that he'll only lie to them by his whole, 'Logical Ruse' bit, (which if anything should make his threats have less bite when he fails to follow through on them every time), and sabotaging the score when, as I've discussed before, there's no way Toru, at the very least, could outperform Izuku on a test around the physical abilities of her Quirk when her Quirk is invisibility.... a test that, for extra hypocrite points, he couldn't have passed as a student.)

Day Two: Bakugou actually tries to murder Izuku in a training exercise. And I say murder deliberately; All Might explained what would happen if he hit Izuku with his gauntlet, and doesn't even argue with that assessment, instead saying, 'He won't die if he dodges!'.

In other words, Bakugou is saying, 'He'll die if I hit him!'

The next day, after reviewing the test, Aizawa says.... 'Bakugou, stop acting like a seven year old.'

Not: we're taking away your gauntlets until you can use them responsibly. Not: killing people is wrong. Not: disobey a teacher again and I'll expel you. Not: Any form of punishment or disciplinary action for, again, an actual murder attempt.

Grow up.

...Do you see where the problem is here?

Beyond this point, there's god knows how many times Bakugou yells at and/or attacks Izuku for Reasons(TM) throughout their entire school life, none of which is actually hidden from anyone, culminating in the Final Exam where Aizawa admits they have problems working together.... which is, in itself, phrasing that puts the burden as much on Izuku as it does on Bakugou. That is, needless to say, bullshit: the problem is completely on Bakugou's side, because Izuku would be pathetically grateful to his abuser if they could work together, and he constantly does his best to make that happen, no matter how often that never actually works for him.

This phrasing fits Aizawa's 'solution', which is to pair them together for their exam against All Might, again putting the burden for Bakugou's attitude on Izuku rather than dealing with it himself, with the (again, lied about) consequences of not going with the rest of the class on their summer outing, along with probably being closer to flunking out of school. This attitude culminates, ultimately, in BvD2, where Bakugou does everything to start the fight, including launching the first blow, Izuku is defending himself, yet they are both held equally responsible.

So. In Aizawa Land, if I walk up to someone with a crowbar, start hitting them, and they hit me back so I don't crack their skull open, we're both to blame for the fight; after all, they hit me, right? Seriously. Has he arrested civilians for fighting back against people trying to rob/rape/murder them? Because under this logic? The victim is just as much to blame as the robber/rapist/murder.

Alright, so as much as these posts are generally scathing criticisms, I do strive to be somewhat fair. All of these points? All of these points apply to All Might. And to Nezu. And Midnight. And Present Mic. And Class 1A. And Class 1B. And... you know what, let me sum it up: this applies to everyone who has seen Bakugou and Izuku interact, and went, 'Aww..., they're rivals!'. Which. Is basiclly every named character with any screen time, barring maybe the original version of Best Jeanist, before he became an empty shell whose only job is to praise Bakugou.

This isn't a unique problem. This is a Bakugou Problem. This is because no one can hold Bakugou accountable for anything he does, ever, and because of his quantum characterization, Bakugou lives in a consequence free reality where he says and does one thing, and literally the entire world goes selectively blind to act like he did something else entirely. It makes him come out of every situation smelling like roses, even if he spent the entire time bathing in shit, and it makes everyone around him pay the price for him instead. I'm only focusing on Aizawa for one reason: because the fandom worships him.

People love the Kakashi replacement more than they did the original model, and unlike Bakugou this isn't contentious; Bakugou may be more popular but Eraserhead's love is far more universal.

Dadzawa, despite being blatant falsehoods, is the most common take on him, but it's not even that that sparked this rant; it's that people look at him as an actual, flawed, person who makes mistakes, but refuse to go to the next logical step on those mistakes because he's 'doing his best'.

Because he's not.

He has never done his best, because he is falling asleep in class. There is no way for me to look at this disaster, sleeping in class, threatening his students, constantly eroding their trust in his words, and think, 'he's doing his best', because he isn't.

'Doing your best' means, basiclly, you never could have done this, because of some inability, but your trying anyways. All Might is trying his best, because he doesn't know how to teach at all (now that he's done training up Izuku, anyways). He's failing, yes, but he's clearly trying.

Aizawa isn't, because he's not trying. Unlike All Might, he can teach, is the thing, he's just choosing not too. Once in a blue moon, when the school administration puts it's baleful eye on him he actually does teach; he did help Momo and Shoto, for example. Problem being, he only did it then, when he was forced to test them, instead of... any time before their exam (while still somehow missing Shoto's entire everything at the same time, which is failure on such a enormous level it's kind of impressive). Then, of course, there's his mini-me, who he took from a skinny branch of a scrub to being able to use his combat scarf proficiently in battle, an absurdly exotic weapon who having an even a basic mastery must have taken months of difficult, intensive training. If Aizawa was 'trying his best', he'd be doing that teaching... you know, at all, basiclly and not when he's being held at professional gun point, or when it's for his one favorite who isn't even in his class.

Aizawa isn't doing his best, he's doing the absolute minimum he can to keep this position.

And just... look. I get that he's tired. I get he has two full time jobs. I get that that's easily the most sympathetic emotion for basiclly everyone these days, that everyone can vibe to existential exhaustion on a soul deep level. But the thing is, every Hero teacher we've seen, period, is an actual Hero. Beyond Aizawa, the only person we see having trouble with that is All Might who is, A, a new teacher, B, canonly shit with his time management and has a long, storied history of overdoing it, and C, is missing most of his internal organs. Forget teaching, every morning the man wakes up vaguely surprised he's still alive! All Might has a great excuse for being tired and overworked. Everyone else? Everyone is also working two jobs, with Present Mic working three, and still handling it a lot better than Eraserhead is.

No one made Eraserhead come in the next day after being brutally beaten to the point where he had permanent damage and was still covered in bandages, which probably set back his recovery by weeks, realistically. No one is making him work so hard he has to take naps in class to stay functional. And yet, he's the only one who can't seem to keep that schedule up.

He chose to have two jobs, and unlike most people with two jobs, he doesn't need them; he's not being a teacher so he can get a steady paycheck and have food to eat, this is a luxury to him, a choice he's willingly making for fun, not to support himself.

What I'm saying is: if the man can't handle being both a full time hero and a full time teacher, then maybe he should stop doing both at the same time. Aizawa being tired doesn't make him a good teacher, it just makes him bad at time management.

[togglesbloggle]

There's a discussion pattern that floats by every now and then. Stop me if you've heard this before:

LIBERTINA: These regulations about proper utensil manufacture are onerous, odious, and condescending. People already know that they are taking a risk by buying double-bladed knives that have a serrated handle so that there's "more knife per knife". You don't need to pass a law dictating the minimum convexity of a butter knife handles.

DESPATRICK: You say that, but there were six thousand cases last year alone of people hospitalized with hand injuries for improperly grabbing a novelty omnidirectional fork. You say that people 'know' they shouldn't do this, but there's obviously a problem here, and it's a public health risk that needs common-sense regulation to fix.

LIBERTINA: But that risk was deliberately chosen by these people! If they didn't want to participate in the Forb Challenge, where TikTok teens eat with fork orbs, then they could just not do that. You're not protecting people from anything other than their own preferences.

DESPATRICK: That's a specious argument. First, it presumes that nobody has a compromised ability to provide informed consent- that they're mentally fit, adult, that they understand the risks, and so on. You say 'people already know' but I think what you mean is 'most people already know'.

LIBERTINA: Everybody who's mentally fit to engage in cash transactions, anyway. What I mean is "if you understand that currency can be exchanged for goods and services you can also be presumed to understand that grabbing the pointy end of a sword is bad." DESPATRICK: Okay, fine, but what about the people that aren't buying these things, but are still exposed to them? How many of these customers are also parents of small children?

LIBERTINA: Sooner or later you always use this excuse! Yes, won't somebody think of the children. That somebody ought to be the parents, we've already had this conversation a million times, and every time we just come back to the fact that we entrust parents with a huge amount of responsibility for childcare and there's no viable alternative, political or practical. And anyway, you're obviously using this as a post-hoc excuse to regulate my experience, whether I have kids or not.

... and so on, and so on. Most recently, in this corner of the internet, it's the "building windows in bedrooms" regulations.

Anyway, my basic nature is to be sympathetic to Libertina here; at the bare minimum, she should probably always have the benefit of the doubt. But I there's a corner of this conversation I don't see explored as often, and I want to explore that corner out loud a bit to find out how I feel about it.

Basically, I think that describing people as having a preference for "more knife per knife," or whatever, is formally true but hiding a lot of complexity about what is actually preferred, and that Despatrick's regulations intersect with that penumbra of values in complicated ways. Libertina frames this as a case of purely restricting people's preferences (or in the case of cost-saving measures, of letting them make their own tradeoffs between risk and expense), but I get the feeling that she's making a mistake by limiting her analysis to preferences of consumer goods.

Just to break frame a moment, consider the case of laws banning businesses from racial discrimination against their own customers: for example, a ban on a "no blacks allowed" sign in a department store. The most confusing thing about these laws, from a certain perspective, is that we needed them at all! Why would a business decline custom on the basis of irrelevant demographic information like race?

To which the answer, of course, is that local profit-seeking, and indeed the pursuit of individual preferences with full generality, is embedded within a dense fabric of social expectations and semantically rich rituals. For every prisoner's dilemma, there's a mafia ready and willing to break your kneecaps if you're a snitch.

As long as you could discriminate against black customers, you faced tremendous pressure to do so, because so many white customers wouldn't shop at 'that kind of store. The short-term pursuit of your preferences in one case (selling clothes to a black family) would conflict with those preferences in the long term (selling lots of clothes to lots of families). But once segregation was banned by law, black shoppers were no longer a signal of being 'that type of person', and there were no white-only alternatives, so the downsides vanished and only the upsides remained.

This is at its most consequential (and useful) in the case of positional goods; red-queen races where people don't care about the commodities intrinsically, but are locked in to arbitrarily growing expenses in pursuit of what they do want, which is to have 'more' or 'better' commodities than others in their community. It's particularly common where people are trying to sort themselves by social class or wealth, but it's all over the place in general.

And the thing that both Libertina and Despatrick miss, I think, is that this works in reverse as well.

Think about it: if it suddenly becomes legal to build windowless bedrooms, then basic economic forces tell us that such bedrooms will likely be built (and a new style of architecture will spring up to accommodate it). We can guess, further, that windowless rooms will be cheaper on the margins than windowed rooms, that people considering new homes will be able to decide whether or not they'd rather have the money or the window.

Let's even grant the (~dubious, but not unreasonable) premise that this wouldn't cause the cost of windowed rooms to go up, that this would purely represent an opportunity to save a little cash by opting out of this feature.

But something else happens, too: it's now possible for somebody to resent you for having a window in your bedroom, or to admire you for it. As of now, this is not an option! Everybody with a bedroom has a window. But once this is deregulated, there are people-with-windows types of people, and people-without-windows types of people. And the people-without-windows type of person is, in a word, poor.

There will be studies released, showing the strong correlation between windowless bedrooms and substance abuse, criminality, unemployment, you name it. There will be weird political battles about zoning for windowless structures because they attract the Wrong Sort. Millennials will be accused of valuing their fancy windowed bedrooms over saving for a house, and students with access to natural light will be thought of as frivolous and unserious. There will be dating advice, and it will be the most rancid dating advice you could imagine.

By making the 'worst possible apartment' worse for most people, we have made minimal constructions cheaper and expanded access to the housing market for the very poor. But we've also added a moral dimension to a quality-of-life feature where there was no such moral dimension before, and initiated contests over that space in which community members will use all the strategies at their disposal to sort themselves by social status.

In other words, repealing laws that mandate access to natural light in every bedroom may well lower (or raise) the quality of life of many people, even if they didn't move or see a change in rent.

As long as our preferences extend beyond commodities, to social values about our community and our place within that community, then regulations on commodities should probably be considered in light of their consequences on that axis as well, and not just in light of their immediate costs in production efficiency. Which status competitions do they open, or close, and what are the likely consequences of those status competitions? If you weigh those contests against the efficiency gains of deregulation, is it still a net good for <all, most, some> people?

[trashogram]

i don't know if anyone else feels the same, but i hate that the lack of nuance with stella is so aggressively on the nose at this point, that it creates a shift where stans are like "stella is an evil bitch with no redeeming qualities who should die!" because of them interpreting that smile that was obviously meant to be manipulative. viv wrote that scene that way so fans would react to it ike this.

but then antis are like "diversity win! mother and daughter interact but aren't voice acted because god forbid we DONT spend millions of dollars to pay vassago the useless fuck to be stolas's cheerleader and literally fucking nothing else, for the very first time in the series...... at the end of s2. nearly at the MIDWAY point of the series and these two don't even talk to each other even when stolas is a major focus and these two are a big part of his life, and probably won't talk to each other until fucking s3 if they don't kill stella in the finale since her brother just seems like a replacement for her more then anything now because this show treats women like vegetables you have to eat before you get the pudding for desert - were eating so good because we got less then the bare minimum anyone would expect from women characters in a TV show :D!"

like. the bar is in fucking hell at this point that even antis are eating dogshit now. i just hate that for a show about "queer people being messy and flawed" or whatever bullshit viv spews in interviews to explain why 90% of her characters are mean little cunts without a hint of compassion in their stick thin bodies, she won't let the one character who's dripping with potential moral grayness and a possibly sympathetic backstory thats like stolas's, be the main villain with understandable motivations like she had before in s1, because they're a woman who gets in the way of a yaoi ship.

viv won't even consider the possibility of her being queer - in the show that won a queerty - without spindlehorse social media manager suddenly insisting shes homophobic, when, at any opportunity to BE homophobic towards stoliz in the past, she's never been. not even in the most recent episode, where she.. somehow knows that blitz and stolas had a deal for the book? when all she thought before is that the ONLY thing they were doing before (in her bed btw) was fucking..?

No I feel you. I think there’s a small community of people like us that feel the same way, actually. We see all the manipulative bullshit from this show’s creators for what it truly is and have no reason to stifle ourselves for speaking out on it — even the little rats that try to harass us out of it aren’t worth the trouble of humoring by this point.

Stella and Octavia don’t matter beyond their connection to Stolas, and it’s so minor by this point that they might as well not exist. Stolas’s victim status will be shoved down our throats regardless.

Viv and her crew have only shown consistency when it comes to using queerness in its many forms and facets for 1.) self-gratification and 2.) predatory pageantry.

It’s gross to hear HB won an award for it, but imo media-based award ceremonies are breeding grounds for corruption.

[generalluxun]

Hey. Asking about how Chloe was abused. My knowldge of abuse is fairly limited to general pop knowledge so I'm curious as to what abuse was done to her.

Okay caveats first:

I am not a medical professional, I am simply someone with a vested interest in the topic who has done more research than the average person.

There are many definitions of abuse. Legal definitions are rarely useful, as they are limited to concrete, provable, gross violations. Just as you can inflict a lot of pain on someone without leaving the marks to prove assault, you can do a lot of damage to a child without it being legally 'provable'. Medical definitions are much more helpful for discussions.

Lastly some level of extrapolation is required as it is a show. We take what we are shown. For example:We actually only have Felix's word that he was ever abused, and his first character traits sre being deceitful and manipulative. We still take his word though, because it's a show. (And also we should give weight to victim accounts!)

So both parents are guilty in different ways. We will start with Audrey, the simpler one. There's clear verbal and emotional abuse demonstrated on screen. Mis-naming your child is a form of abuse:please ask the trans community about the impact of deadnaming even in full grown adults.

Beyond that she is constantly dismissive and belittling of her child- to the exclusion of all else. Style Queen/Queen Wasp is rife with examples. There is also the clear behavior shift in Chloé. The wheeling, approval seeking, hunched posture expecting rejection. This is a *pattern* not a one off. Audrey may live in NY, but no fashion movil would be away from Paris for 13yrs straight. We are simply seeing the most recent interaction. This culminates im a child having to ask 'Why don't you love me mother?' and the response is telling

Audrey barely chokes out the strange word when trying to contradict the question. It takes Marinette literally making them both mad at her to get a bare minimum of interaction on Audrey's part. It doesn't last though. Audrey falls back into her negation behaviors and is now present to inflict them more regularly on Chloé, while also being a constant target for/model of behavior for Chloé. (Seriously it was such a misstep to write Marinette reuniting a victim with an abuser) We know the show itself considers Audrey'ss care as a bad thing because the original script had André divorcing her and takin Zoé because Zoé 'doesn't deserve you' so Chloé being in an abusive parenting situation in Representation is supposed to be 'punishment'(ewww)

André is not off the hook either. People look at him 'spoiling' her and leave it at that. Well, 'spoiling' can in fact be abusive too. Let's look at what we see:

André has been her primary caregiver for 14 years now, so he has had the most responsibility in molding what we see for good or bad(mostly bad). She does learn from him too. Darkblade she proudly announces she learned everything about winning elections from watching her father. He's also excessively arrogant (I'm the symbol of Paris!) and quite willing to abuse his power for his own ends(having Roger round up protestors etc) which explains where Chloé learned where power is to be abused.

André is also extremely neglectful as a parent, extreeeeemely. Let's hit a bunch of points in the order they come to me.

Chloé lives *alone* in a hotel suite. There's no shared space, no family area. It's not even really her room. It's commercial, sterile. Where sre her hobbies? Posters? Even her *colors*? She is so used to being ignored at home that the girl who is loud as heck everywhere else doesn't make a single mark on her living space.

A hotel employee seems to think he needs to step in to raise Chloé. Let that sink in. An employee can see how bad it is and tried to make some kind of change, (he's working against a lifetime of ingrained behavior and is not very good at it himself). He doesn't even think to you know... Get Andre in to do this.

André was unaware or didn't care his daughter hasn't done schoolwork since Sabrina *learned to write*(5/6 yrs old) that is a shocking level of disinterest in your child. 6yr olds aren't criminal masterminds.

Andre supplants actual attention and affection with *stuff* he gives material possessions in *place* of parenting. This is somewhat similar to spoiling but not the same. André's method denies the child something vital. You see- things aren't a substitute for affection/attention, developmentally. And so while they may delight they never satisfy the need. They never validate the emotional attachment. So after the shine wears off, the hole is still there. So, like someone with an addiction, the child needs more, and more, and more. Since the needs are never met, it is never enough. And this is what the child views as *normal* this is simply *how it is*. They rarely know they are being given inadequate care because it's just life to them. Seeing something different in a one off doesn't make a dent vs a whole life.

This sort of thing makes a potent cocktail when mixed with the abandonment issues from her mother too. See- if her mother left, and daddy doesn't pay attention, anyone can leave. This leads to a cycle of pushing/demanding/hurting. The child expects to be left and let down, so they both try to reassure themselves it won't happen, and *make* it happen on their own terms (because they believe deep down it will) so more outrageous demands, because when those demands are met, it shows that you are still 'loved' and when they are not met, then there you go, you are not loved and they will leave you. It's a self-destructive spiral.

You see it play out with her interactions with her classmates and Sabrina specifically. How does she express affection? Gifts. What does she do? Push. Push and push and find the breaking point because if she can make Sabrina actually leave then it shows that she herself is worthless and her mother was right to leave her and her father is right to ignore her. Pretty messed up right? Yeah. Child abuse does horrible things to kids.

We're not done with André yet. Some people might say 'he expresses love for Chloé!' and to that I say- performatively.

André likes the idea of being a father. It's what respectable people do. It looks good on camera. It's someone to love him unconditionally. It's an ally against his wife.(broken home dynamics are horrible too) André just doesn't like having to parent for more than a snapshot.

We can see his interactions with Zoé highlight this too. He's delighted she's here!(a potential person on his side vs his wife and daughter) what's his first parenting advice? 'lock your dreams away and get on with life' A+ André.

What's he do in Queen Banana? He uses his power to let Chloé manipulate the movie *kicking Zoé out of it* This is the guy who is supposed to be supporting her? He only draws the line when it comes to sending Zoé away... Why? He doesn't want to lose an 'ally'. It's power dynamics. Not parenting. Where was he when Zoé was stuck in boarding school? He was going to keep Zoé in the divorce so clearly Mr Lee isn't in the picture, Audrey probably forgot Zoé existed, why didn't André bring Zoé to France and let the sisters grow up together? Oh, right, that might be work.

André likes Zoé because she comes pre-raised(boarding school was probably better than either parent) he doesn't have to put in work and he gets a free good kid to make him look like a father. She's his 'do over' as he throws the one he raised in the trash.

André shows his true colors when he's lamenting to Gabe about his corruption and abuse and blames ot on his 'heartless daughter' you know... The child he raised. The grown man is actually shoving his own corruption and misdeeds onto his child. You really don't need much more than that.

So, via neglect, verbal abuse, and emotional abuse the Bourgeois parents raised an incredibly messed up child. Chloé is not a 'good victim' like Adrien, she doesn't sulk quietly under abuse. She lashes out. She is hurt and angry and she passes the pain on. This is why they call it the cycle of abuse.

The end of Revolution illustrates this perfectly. Audrey throws verbal abuse at her on the plane. Angry that Chloé embarrassed her(not that she did wrong, Audrey loved the power grab) and calls her a loser by implication. You *see* it hit, the physical cringe. Then Chloé immedietely goes to try and pass on the pain. She is hurt and making someone else hurt is the only way to lessen it. She calls Marinette. Marinette breaks the cycle though, and good for her. But the show seems to have forgotten there's still one hurt child in this scene, and it doesn't seem to care.

I'm going to stop here for now. I probably left a bunch out, but I do have other things I need to do. Feel free to ask more questions. Thanks for taking the time to seek answers.

[kaylatoonz]

I’m been seeing a lot of promos for Sonic Movie 3 lately and it’s making me sad.

It feels like they're treating Shadow like the fourth member of Team Sonic all over again. A new generation of fans are probably gonna believe that.😞

At this point, I feel they scuffed Amy’s debut before it even happened either way.

If she’s in the movie she’ll get overshadowed by Shadow and her arc would be rushed or cut down.

If she isn’t in the movie but instead in the next, people will consider the four movies a downgrade compared to “Shadow the Movie”. A crucial part of Amy’s arc would just be cut or completely skipped due to her absence in movie 3.

The fourth movie being “her movie” isn’t even guaranteed they could just cram a bunch of other new characters to make up for being less popular than Shadow.

I want Paramount to prove my concerns wrong, please do! But all I see is them pulling the same bull Sega, Archie, x did back then which affected how people view this character… and not in a good way.

And before anyone makes one of those comments like:

-I should be patient she’s getting the next one.

-It’s part of the SCU plan, “it makes sense” and I shouldn’t question it.

-She doesn’t accomplish much so it doesn’t make a difference if she is not there.

-I don’t know how they would add her.

- they should just give Amy’s moment to [insert human character].

- but Jim Carry was retiring they had to do Shadow’s story!

- they can’t afford to add another CGI character !

- there’s not enough screen time for another character and shadow needs most of it to tell his story!

- edit: it’s an ADAPTATION so don’t expect it to be a one for one retelling of SA2 ( but this doesn’t apply when they want scenes from SA2 to be adapted involving sonic or shadow😤)

-etc

NON of that makes me or other Amy fans that may feel the same way feel any better nor does it reassure us that the films are going in the right direction with this character. We have been told countless times to be patient with a character that should be in the limelight (she part of the main Sonic gang for Pete's sake!). That patience is often met with nothing or the bare minimum compared to what other characters get. And if we do manage to get something good fans throw a fit saying “The character doesn’t deserve it and should have been a different character”.

All I’m asking if you have those kinds of opinions or comments keep them to yourself or take it somewhere else. I don’t want to hear it. I’ve heard these comments too many times and make me feel worse. And I feel brushed off even if it’s not the commenter’s intent.

And also keep in mind If the tables were turned you would feel very differently about never seeing your favorite character’s moment shine on the big screen.

So just let me rant and get things off my chest. I’m not trying to hurt anyone’s excitement for the movie I’m just trying to voice out my concerns, hoping for change with the treatment of this character in other media. If I do happen to affect your excitement for the film you’re free to block or scroll past me (sorry for that).

[voidedaurora]

I've been keeping my actual posts about this minimal for the time being because of some things behind the scenes but I've just been sent this mess of an announcement she's made in her discord and I thought I'd say something about it

(yes mel, I AM going to break this down considering you have a tendency to lie and skew things and say weird shit that gets looked over otherwise)

SS #1

First of all. What are you trying to do here, Garner pity? trying to get SYMPATHY and leniency for actions YOU made, things YOU did. Trying to garner sympathy as if you're the one that's been victimized in this whole thing, as much as you'd like to see yourself as a victim you are not!

Being called out for terrible things YOU'VE done does not make you a victim and does not give you any passes for anything.

Its understandable to be stressed, but you're putting this on yourself by trying to disprove things that simply cannot be because these are things that've actually happened, not random BS to take you down.

The easiest and best thing you could've and still can do in this situation is admit your wrongs and get off the internet to live in REAL life for a little and maybe seek some help for your mental so you cant hurt anyone else.

-

SS #2

Now this is just a bit odd? I know for a fact you do not have any "hidden answers everyone's looking for" bc most things of note have been presented (at least from me personally) and have already PROVEN these things did indeed happen?

(excluding the few things that were in vc unrecorded)

Things will never go back to normal, you cant even pin this on being a "stupid kid" anymore because this is behavior that has spanned across YEARS and YEARS now with no change, whenever people have tried to help you, push you in the right direction, directly explained something you're doing is wrong, etc. You've been mean and unwilling to hear anyone out and would rather live your life a hateful individual that gets to do whatever she wants without consequences or any real responsibility and attempt to improve yourself.

-

SS #3

From the time I knew you you did not bother to let people tell you when you were wrong and would get EXTREMELY aggressive and defensive when anyone would, you never took the time to understand when you did something wrong (outside of 1 or two instances) and would just do the same things again and again regardless of whether it was wrong or right just because you can, so ofc you wouldn't understand its wrong. you didn't care

As a minor myself (17, going on 18) I know where my boundaries are when speaking to people younger and know when and where not to cross that line BEFORE being an adult, so what's your excuse?

People don't expect you to "know everything" just the bare minimum of not being a fucking weirdo to minors, not sexually using people, and to have a little common sense.

It does not matter whether your old friend groups (WITH PEOPLE A YEAR BEHIND OR AHEAD OF YOU IN AGE) had sexual jokes normalized or not, you wouldn't go into a elementary school and start making sex jokes in front of minors irl right, because those are children, or would your humor that overrides normal common sense force you to make those jokes anyway? Seriously.

And spoiler (from what I've been told and shown by khai)

She still to this day makes sex jokes and remarks around and to her friends despite in private acknowledging she should stop acting like this. Its honestly disgusting she can allegedly have acknowledged to Khai that what she was doing is wrong, only to continue making jokes and doing things she shouldn't around her.

-

SS #4

This is Equally as weird as the rest of her response previously, I see where her intentions are but the way she's worded and executed it leaves such a bad taste in my mouth considering the nature of what she's been called out for (Being sexual around/to minors, Sexual abuse, etc)

Making the server 18+ would've been a great show of growth and intent to correct things from you if you hadn't gone "There'd still be some people underage within the server" , It's genuinely the weirdest way you could go about doing this, if you're making ANYTHING 18+ you cannot be allowing the people that are >18 to stay in, that completely defeats the purpose of upping the servers age considering 80% of the fans that'd even be joining your server and interacting are ALREADY going to be in there and verified.

This is basically like going "I'll make it 18+ but my fav minors can stay in!". If you were making your server 17+ and wanted to keep a couple 16 yr olds that are turning 17 soon in (and there was no nsfw in the server) that'd be okay! but when you're making anything 18+ that implies there's enough mature content in there to warrent it being 18+ and wouldn't be ok to keep minors in for that reason.

-

SS #5

No comment honestly, you did this to yourself and could've saved yourself and many others time and energy by admitting your wrongdoings, getting off the internet, and getting help instead of making up shit and trying to save face now that you've finally been seriously called out.

Must suck finally getting repercussions for your actions after years of being too "untouchable" for anyone to say something.

I've made my thoughts quite clear here, Do not go harass Quartelz or any of her friends. You may voice your opinions but please do so with humanity and maturity.

As much as you'd like me to "burn out" Mel, You're not gonna get what you want and I will keep fighting for people to see the real person you are and for you to get the consequences you've been owed for years now.

If you want to try and talk to me about everything that is still an option but It will not make me magically forgive or take back anything I've said or will say.

(unless there was a genuine misunderstanding with some part, but I highly doubt this since I've tried to keep everything I say as PROVABLE as possible)

[barcalover86]

My heart can't take it-Pablo Gavi

Part 2 here

Summary: Pablo trying to live with the idea that you can never be his.

This is my favourite one. Read this🤍

Pure fluff + a little of angst

Pablito in love..

Masterlist

You were Aurora's friend, that being the reason you and Gavi met. Since the first time he saw you, he couldn't take his eyes off you. Since then, even if his friends were pushing him at some club to go talk to some girl, he would refuse, only thinking about you.

You were his sister friend, that being one of the reasons he never told anyone that his feelings are going crazy because of you.

You weren't a flirty girl at all, but the sweetest person that someone could meet. You were so nice to everyone, smiling and laughing almost all the time.

Pablo loves your smile. How your teeth are showing when you find happiness. You were the most optimistic girl he ever met and in everything you saw something good.

Now, your friends group and Pablo's were at the beach, in Barcelona. It was already late, the sunset being seen. You were chatting with your friends when you asked Aurora if she could take some photos of you with the sunset. The truth is that it was one of the most beautiful sunsets you've ever seen and you wanted to capture the moment.

She agreed and you two went in the water so that the pictures would be more prettier. You went to the other part of the beach, walking for about 10 minutes, wanting to be alone. You were shy to pose when people were looking at you and Rora didn't mind to walk with you.

You were talking about girl stuff and how you would want to be the pictures.

When the two of you drift from the others slowly, Pablo was watching you. He couldn't take his eyes off your beautiful figure that was shining in the sunset. The kindness of your soul made you even beautiful than you already were.

He slowly went after you and sat at some stone to watch what you two were doing. He wanted to be there if something was happening to his sister and you.

While you were posing for the photos, you couldn't help but laugh. He loves that sound. It's something that if he would hear, would instantly make his day better than ever.

"Y/n, stay serious! We'll stay here forever!!" His sister smiled at your silliness.

The sunset really was beautiful, but for Gavi, you were the most beautiful thing ever. How could he fall in love with you. Someone that he knows that doesn't feel the same way.

You two never even really talked. You never payed attention to him at all, only the bare minimum. You were saying to him "hola" or "goodbye", but never hugged or stayed at least next to each other.

One time, you asked Pablo if he could give you your phone who was closer to him. When he gave it to you, he blushed so hard that he had to hide his face so no one could see him. That was the closest thing he did with you.

He never touched you or feel your skin on his and that made him so sad.

After Aurora showed you the photos she took of you, she left leaving you alone in the water, telling her that you want to look at the sunset for some time.

Now, Gavi was really concerned. He was ready to jump for you if something happened to you. While you were swimming, he was looking at you. All his emotions got him and now his eyes were tearing. How could he fall in love with you..someone that never really looked at him, someone that never payed attention to him. For her, he was only her friend's brother.

When you were done swimming, you got out and went to your friends to chat again. Your voice was calming for him.

He decided to stay where he was for a few more minutes to calm himself done. Why was he so stupid for loving her? She clearly doesn't feel the same way, she doesn't even consider him as her friend.

"Where's Pablo?" asked Aurora

"He is at the stones. He was looking for y/n so that nothing happens to her. Don't tell him you know that from me" her boyfriend told her.

"Oh, really?" You asked shocked.

You didn't expect him to look after you. You didn't even see him standing there. You two never talked much and his behaviour was weird, but you appreciated it a lot and decided to thank him when he'll come back.

After a long time, he came to his friend group, far away from you. You went to him and he thought that you could hear his heart beat pounding faster than ever with each step you took to come closer to him.

"Hola" you said with a soft smile on your face.

The clasic hola.

"Hola" he replied softly with a shaky voice.

God, he was so cute when he was nervous.

"Thank you for looking out for me back there. I appreciate your concern for me"

At this moment, he didn't even realise that you know that he was trying to protect you. He was only concentrating on the fact that you talked to him...more than ever.

He only smiled not saying anything more.

"Want to come with me swimming so that you can be closer if anything happens to me?" you said while laughing sweetly.

Ah, your laughter

Pablo wanted to say yes with all his heart, but one of your friends said that it was really late and you should head home.

He was now really sad and angry because faith never let him be with you.

You were sad and wanting to apologise to him, but he spoke first.

"It's alright, it's not like we would have talked "

You could hear his heart breaking while he was saying those words to you.

"Lo siento, Gavi"

You said his name for the first time and that made him a bit happier. You knew his name.

You went to pack your things while again, he was looking at you with sad eyes.

He was so hurt and when you left, he started to cry. No one ever saw him like that, not even his sister. They went to see what happened to their friend, but answers couldn't be found because he didn't want to talk at all. They only hugged him trying to calm him down.

He knew that this was the last moment with you, because after this day, you were going at your normal lifestyle.

Being polite to him and saying the bare minimum, but not giving him any attention. This love can really destroy people. And the love he was feeling for you, was one of the strongest that ever exists.

He loves that you are nice, but he wanted you to be nice to him..and only to him.

All night he imagined how would have been if you two had got to the ocean. Kissing while the sunset was behind and how your hands would have been in his hair and his hands on your waist and cheek.

He couldn't even think that you would ever think about him, but at night, you dreamed about him. About how he was there, looking out for you while being alone in the ocean. How he would have reacted if you actually were in danger. Your mind couldn't stop thinking about him. His face, his eyes, his hands..his lips.

What got into you all of the sudden?

Ahh, how was this??

[theemporium]

click 'here' to unlock the other boyfriends!

.

Steve Harrington didn’t show it easily, but he was a pretty lonely guy.

Not that anybody would’ve ever expected as much. He was Steve Harrington, one of the most—if not the most—popular boy of Hawkins High. He had parties almost every weekend, had people always following him, had people fawning over him. 

There was no one in the world that seemed more admired than him. 

But the smiles and laughs and large crowd of admirers didn’t mean much when he returned home to a large, empty house. 

It felt quite stupid to complain about, and he was very aware of that. There were bigger problems in the world, in other people’s lives. It felt a bit privileged to whine about the fact his parents were never around and he grew up in a mansion that felt like a ghost town most of his life. It felt like such a miniscule objection in the grand scheme of things but it was so fucking lonely. 

Even the nannies he had growing up were detached, barely even acknowledging him as a child. He was just a paycheque in their eyes. And even they stopped after his parents thought he was old enough to keep himself alive at the big age of twelve years old. 

Steve couldn’t help it. He was a people’s person. He craved to have people around him. The loneliness was suffocating and he sometimes felt like he was scrambling to hold onto the people in his life—his friends, his girlfriends, his teammates. He felt like he was pushing and pushing and not really receiving much in return. 

A lot of people assumed that meant Steve came off quite clingy but, truthfully, you just found it endearing. 

“Back again, Harrington?” 

“Couldn’t leave my favourite girl to bore to death.”

You snorted, the sound only making Steve’s grin widen as he rounded the counter and jumped up on a spot right next to where you were situated. You glanced over his attire, taking in the bright blue shorts that stretched across his thighs before your eyes snapped back up to him. 

“Come to die with me then?” You questioned, eyeing the empty store (the one that had been empty since you started your shift) before looking back at the boy. 

“Oh yeah,” he nodded his head. “Like Romeo and Julia.” 

“Juliet,” you corrected. 

His grin widened. “Book nerd.” 

“Comes with the job,” you retorted as you halfheartedly waved at the store around you. 

It was funny, really. Never in a million years would you have ever considered yourself and Steve Harrington to be friends in school. And yet, all it took was a summer full of minimum wage jobs and and sympathy on neither of you having a fucking clue what to do with your lives after school.  

All it took was one broken car and an offer to carpool for the two weeks yours was in the garage for you and Steve to become friends. 

Him working in Scoops Ahoy and yourself working in Willy’s Bookstore—you were quite a pair. 

And without fail, whether he was working or not, Steve always showed up to entertain you at work. Whether it was during his own breaks or on his day off, you didn’t think a day had passed where you hadn’t seen the boy this summer. 

“You don’t have to come here,” you said eventually as Steve began to thumb through a random book beside him. “It’s boring but I’ll survive a shift.” 

“I know,” he answered with a shrug of his shoulders, his gaze focused on the words on the page. “But I like chilling here with you.” 

You tried to bite back your grin. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” he lifted his head, a light tint to his cheeks. “Plus, I was thinking…” 

“Never a good sign,” you teased. 

He rolled his eyes, but the nerves were still there as he tapped them against his thigh. “I was thinking we could do something after your shift ends.” 

You raised your brows at the boy. It wasn’t unusual for you and Steve to do something after both your days were done. Though, more often that not, it resulted in the two of you grabbing something from the food court and eating it in his car, or him coming back to your apartment to crash on the couch. 

You never went to his place. You never really questioned it. You had asked once, casually one night when you were sitting on the couch watching some movie he had brought with him, and he had just said his place wasn’t as ‘homey’ as yours. You didn’t push the topic after that, you quite enjoyed having him in your space. 

“You got another movie for us?” You asked. 

“No, I mean—” He paused, letting out a long breath before continuing. “I thought we could do something different.” 

You raised your brows. “Like what?” 

“I—” He faltered for a second. “I didn’t think that far ahead.” 

You stared at him with an odd expression. 

“God, right, fuck. I didn’t do this right,” he muttered, mostly to himself. He cleared his throat as he slid off the counter, turning to look at you as he tried again. “I want to go on a date with you.” 

You blinked in surprise. 

“That sounded demanding,” he winced a little. “I mean, will you go on a date with me?” 

You opened your mouth to say something, but no words came out. 

“We can do whatever you want!” Steve continued, seeming lost in his own rambles and slight fear that you’ll reject him. “I don’t mind, really! I just…I wanna hang out with you. I mean, I know we already hang out. But I wanna do more than hang out with you. I wanna be more than friends—if you want to. Shit, I didn’t even give you a chance to say—“

You didn’t give him a chance to continue before you grabbed his shirt, hands fisted in the material of the stupid sailor costume before you yanked him down to kiss him. 

Steve stood frozen for one, two, three seconds before he finally reacted. His hands dropped to your waist, pulling you closer and tilting his head to the side as he deepened the kiss. 

There was a voice in the back of your head reminding you that you were at work, that anyone could come and see you, that your manager could walk in and see you both. But you didn’t care. You really, really didn’t care. 

“I want that date, Harrington,” you murmured against his lips when you finally pulled away, when you finally needed to breathe. “I don’t care whatever we do either, as long as it’s with you.” 

His face brightened, in a smile so wide that you swore you had never seen him that happy before. “Yeah…yeah, brilliant. I’ll, uh, plan something and meet you after your shift, yeah?”

“You gonna keep the sailor suit on?”

He raised his brows. “You want me to?” 

“The shorts can stay,” you decided, a cheeky smile on your lips. “The shorts can definitely stay.” 

He snorted. “Noted, baby, noted.”

.

[diot05]

Most Genshin Impact fans are racist and it shows.

As a Brazilian person, i was INCREDIBLY hyped for Natlan. Not only because of the mystery and lore, or the fact my favorite Harbinger would show up there. But also because Brazil and South America in general are often depicted as just the Amazon Rainforest and ig a bit of Mexican stereotypes because no one who uses stereotypes bothers to research anything.

And to open up the trailer just to see these bland, uninspired, downright ugly designs? It kinda broke my heart. And then i noticed the elephant in the room, the thing that reminded me that no one cares about us unless they're one of us. The fact these characters are as white as the fucking sun. And to see people treat those fighting against it like whiny nitpickers? It made me lose what little faith i had in this game as a whole. My expectations are now EXTREMELY low for Natlan, and honestly if they don't outright do a colonizer apologist storyline i'll be extremely surprised, because the bare minimum level of respect is clearly not the expected norm for this game.

And don't you dare even considering playing the "Oh but it's a chinese company!!" card, because they've proven VERY capable of designing and writing amazing black characters through Jeht, who's one of the most beloved NPCs in the game. If they WANTED to make any character black, they could. They just choose not to because it'll piss off the majority of the fandom. The racist, narrow-minded assholes who care about no culture but their own.

[rainhadaenerys]

One of the things I've seen from Dany antis is the argument that, since Daenerys will eventually leave Slaver's Bay behind, instead of staying there forever to keep helping the slaves, that means that she doesn't really care about the slaves, that she is not really a selfless person and that she is not really a hero. And I really don't agree.

First, because we are in Dany's head and we have plenty of evidence in her thoughts that she does care about the slaves.

Second, because staying in Slaver's Bay was already selfless on Dany's part. Staying in Slaver's Bay brought her no benefit whatsoever, if she was a selfish person she would just have taken the Unsullied to Westeros and left all the rest of the freedmen that were of no use to her behind, but she didn't do this. She stayed in Slaver's Bay to protect people who were of no use to her, to protect people who would not become her soldiers, and staying in Slaver's Bay would only squander her army, because the Sons of the Harpy keep murdering them, and because staying in Slaver's Bay means using her resources in Meereen and depleting her army to fight against the slavers.

Third, just because Dany will eventually leave Slaver's Bay to pursue her own personal desires, doesn't mean what she did in Slaver's Bay wasn't selfless. A hero doesn't have to be 100% selfless and abnegate all of their personal desires in order to be a real hero. Dany already did for Slaver's Bay more than any other person would have done, and she had zero obligation to do so. She had zero obligation to free slaves, she had zero obligation to stay to protect the slaves, and yet she did all of that. Dany already did more for the freedmen than she had any obligation to, and she did all of that out of pure selflessness. Just because she will not dedicate her whole life to fighting slavery and to giving herself to others, doesn't mean she wasn't selfless. Just because at some point she will decide to pursue her own personal goals, doesn't mean she becomes a less selfless person, it just means she is a human being who can't be expected to abnegate her entire life and dedicate it to others. Leaving Essos behind doesn't erase Dany's heroism, she already did more for the slaves than anyone else. A character shouldn't have to be perfectly selfless and abnegate everything to be considered a hero.

P.S.: It's really something seeing people say that Daenerys is not a hero because she won't spend her entire life fighting slavery, when other characters doing the bare minimum are considered heroic by the fandom. I've seen metas in the fandom talking about how Sansa is such an amazing hero because she calmed Sweetrobin. So Sansa is a hero for such a small moment of empathy, but Dany is not a hero because she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life fighting slavery, even though she already did plenty and more than any other person would do.

P.S. 2: Also, if Dany antis think she is "evil" just because she won't spend her entire life dedicated to the slaves, then by their own logic, any person who doesn't spend their entire life fighting for a social justice cause is also "evil". So by their own "logic", their faves are "evil" as well, because most of them aren't really dedicating their lives to fight the status quo.

[sonicreferencephotos]

Why I Dislike Sonic Speed Simulator

I sometimes see people in the notes of Speed Sim refs saying that maybe they should start playing it/get back into it. I want to ask, for your sakes, that you do not. The only reason I still play it is for this blog. I would love to stop. I keep going so that no one else will have to play to unlock characters for references. I will also be adding a disclaimer to future Speed Sim posts. Maybe this is a bit excessive, but this game is starting to break me.

I understand that some people like the game, and you all control what games you choose to play. In my opinion however, playing Speed Sim is really, really not worth it.

If you want a specific explanation of the problems, you can read it below the cut

Problem 1: Gameplay

The gameplay of SSS is simple, to put it kindly. There are a few different aspects of the game, each of which has only the bare minimum amount to do.

You can run around the world. This lets you collect rings and experience. You can also destroy badniks, which exclusively consists of doing repeated homing attacks until you destroy them. They can technically hit you, but all that does is knock you back.

You can do time trials. Actually somewhat fun. Not much more to say about them.

You can enter races. PvP races which are fine. Fun at first, get boring when you have to grind for race tickets.

You can fight bosses. By "bosses" I of course mean "Eggman" and "Eggman but with more health." It is almost exactly the same fight. You run around breaking shield generators, dodging the same two attacks, and then deal a set amount of damage to him before the shield returns. Repeat. Your prize is spins on (one of) the gacha wheels.

You can complete quests. Actually decent! At least until you run out of quests. Good thing there are daily quests to keep you "entertained" with their repetitive tasks. Also, ignore the fact that the tasks for quests are just engaging with the rest of the mediocre game.

All of the above mechanics grow dull and grind-y very quickly. Soon, every part of the game becomes a chore. The game itself even seems to have realized this, and thus includes an auto-run feature, so you can collect rings and xp without needing to do anything!

I am generally of the opinion that it's a bad sign if a game is un-fun enough it needs to add in the ability to skip the gameplay, but that's just me (that's part of why I stopped playing Star Rail).

Problem 2: Skins

We all know the real reason people play SSS isn't the game itself: it's the cool outfits! 95% of which are only available during limited events and/or by spending actual money. You can also expect to do a lot of boring grinding if you don't spend money. Speaking of spending money...

Problem 3: Microtransactions

Time to talk about the true "heart" of the game: Robux. Now, I will give Speed Sim itself half a pass on this one, as from what I've seen, Roblox as a whole has what I would consider an unsavory emphasis on microtransactions, especially for a game with a playerbase of 50% children aged 12 or under, and another 15% between 13 and 16 (Statista: Roblox user distribution worldwide 2022, by age group). With that being said though, Sonic Speed Simulator doesn't seem to have any qualms about asking for money wherever they can.

I could make a whole other post about all the ways this game offers for you to spend money. You want more spins on the gacha wheels? Spend money! You want to get three gacha eggs for the price of one (certain vending machines only)? Spend money! You want to skip the animation you have to watch every time you buy an egg from said gacha machines? Spend money! You want to do less grinding for xp/race tickets/event objectives/candy/whatever? Money, money, money!!!

The game has a lot of the trademark warning signs for a cash grab gacha game:

Several different kinds of currency, most or all of which can be purchased with premium currency

Many different skins to unlock, using the assorted currencies mentioned above (including ones that are specifically only purchasable with premium currency)

Gacha wheels. Many, many gacha wheels. (Not counting the dozens of vending machines, I can think of at least four)

Grindy gameplay that can largely be skipped by spending money

Again, if a game is un-fun enough to have an option for players to spend real money to skip the gameplay, that's a bad sign.

Problem 4: Crunch

I haven't done much looking into it myself, but I've seen many people say that GameFam (the company that creates Speed Sim) treats its employees very poorly. The game advertises its weekly updates, which requires a lot of crunch in order to get content out quickly. This is obviously bad for the people involved, and also has negative effects on the game.

Many features are clearly rushed, and there's a general lack of polish. From glitching through the map, to races starting several seconds before or after the countdown ends, to untextured models, to many small bugs, it's clear that the developers are not given enough time to clean things up before they have to move on to the next week's content.

*

Thank you to anyone who actually read this far. This was a long post, but I wanted to be thorough in my explanation. This is probably the last dedicated post I will make about this, since this is really not what this account is for, but I still think it's an important one.

You are welcome to ask questions about any of this — preferably in the replies so as not to clutter the sonicreferencephotos feed — but otherwise the disclaimers are all I'll be saying on the topic for the foreseeable future. Take care of yourselves.