#this is a monster of a post

[thechosenthree]

Thanks to this post I am in my Kendra Young is such a freak <3 feels. Thank you @finalgirl1984 <3

[This went in a completely different direction that I expected, I do love to ramble.]

We talk so much about how by the book Kendra is and how she never got to be a kid or be a teenage girl. She was The Slayer before she was anyone else and before she was ever even actually called as the slayer.

We definitely don’t talk enough about how maybe compared to Buffy, Kendra was a stickler for the rules, but she definitely wasn’t completely by the book!

I saw a comment once about how leaving a vampire locked up to wait for the sun to burn him to ash is definitely not in the slayer handbook. And that’s so true!! She was enjoying it, she was laughing at his attempts at threatening her!! Literally not scared of him for a second. #1 Angel hater who also thinks he’s a loser. And she could have just staked him, she should have staked him, she was the vampire slayer and that is literally her job. But she played with him like a cat hunting a mouse instead and I love her for that.

Like I generally tend to think that Buffy was to Kendra what Faith was to Buffy, but that’s not entirely true?

Both Kendra and Faith were completely accepting of their slayer sides, proud of being slayers and able to enjoy the hunt and the kill in a way that Buffy really struggled with.

I think Kendra and Faith are a lot more alike than I’ve given them credit for? They both try to kill Angel when they first meet him, they are both confused why Buffy wants to protect him and not just stake him. That goes against what they have been taught.

We obviously don’t know much about Faith’s slaying life before coming to Sunnydale, what her watcher was like, or what her training was like. But it’s possible it was a lot more by the book than Buffy’s. Faith watched her watcher be killed in front of her and then shows up in Sunnydale with serious issues with authority.

But the way she is with Gwendolyn Post paints a picture of the way she may have taken to her first watcher. She wanted someone to look out for her and give her guidance. So if she had a watcher she liked and respected, her doing what she was told and being by the book seems likely. She did what Gwendolyn told her to do over listening to Buffy, so we even have evidence in the show for that.

Faith’s training may have been a lot more like Kendra’s than Buffy’s. Of course she didn’t have that watcher training her for very long, just the summer. So she wouldn’t have learned near as much as Kendra, who spent her whole life training for this did.

And whereas Kendra never had a life apart from slaying, Faith didn’t have one worth missing once she was called. There was nothing holding Faith back from full on accepting her destiny and giving her all to it, unlike Buffy.

Buffy had a life before slaying. She got to be a kid, she got to be a girl. She got to live her life without worrying about much. She got to just be. And being the slayer did not mesh with that, her fighting to make both sides of herself fit is a huge part of the show.

Faith is very heavily implied to have been abused by her mother, and who knows what else she went through. She didn’t get to just be a kid, she was dealing with stuff no child should ever have to go through. Being called as a slayer gave her the physical power to fight back. And she embraced that with open arms and did not look back.

The circumstances that preceded Kendra and Faith being called as slayers is obviously very different. But it’s also similar is some ways I hadn’t previously thought about.

Kendra was forged as a weapon, her life was lived in training to be the slayer. Faith was living a life she couldn’t escape from, couldn’t fight back against.

Kendra being called brought everything she’d been taught, everything she’d worked towards into focus. That is what she had always been told she was meant to do. It was her purpose.

Faith being called gave her an out from her old life, gave her the strength and the power to defend herself and fight back. We know she’s never had anyone looking out for her, that she had to take care of herself. In a way, being the slayer gave her a purpose she didn’t know she was looking for.

Neither Kendra or Faith got to just be a kid. They didn’t necessarily know what they were missing when they embraced being a slayer. Kendra literally did not know anything else. And the life Faith knew was definitely nothing worth holding on to.

I think this makes their attitudes towards being slayers compared to Buffy’s make so much sense.

And if we go with the slayerhood as a metaphor for queerness…

Buffy was just living her life and was blindsided figuring something out about herself that she hadn’t been looking for. She didn’t want to be that person, it made her life more difficult. She wanted to go back to a time before she knew this about herself. She was so focused on how much she didn’t want to be the slayer [read: queer] that it took her a long time to acknowledge that she enjoyed it. That it was a part of who she is. And that she liked that about herself. It took her a long time to be proud to call herself the slayer.

We also see that Buffy’s parents were not immediately accepting, and before she actually “came out” they talked to and about her like she was a different person now and like they just wanted her to be who she used to be. And then of course Joyce literally kicks her out of the house when she can’t accept who Buffy is and Buffy refuses to go “back in the closet” to please her. Buffy having internalized slayerphobia makes a lot of sense.

Kendra always knew who she was. She was raised by someone who knew who she was, and who wanted her to be that person. She is proud of who she is, of being a freak. She is so happy to connect with Buffy and not be alone being a freak.

But also looking at how the council is scared of the slayers, and wants to be in control of them, it’s a conditional sort of acceptance. Kendra can be herself as long as she’s useful to the council. Also looking at it this way, her parents knowing who she is and sending her away because of it is an interesting thing to think about.

Faith did not always know who she was. But she likely knew she was different or at least felt like she was. Having an abusive parent will make that clear to you. On top of that the things she implies about her high school experience make it clear she did not have friends or fit in. She was a loner, an outcast, a freak.

Then she found out who she was and everything made sense to her. Faith embraced being a slayer [read: queer] and she was proud of who she is. She enjoyed it, she liked it. And she met Buffy and loved that someone else was a freak with her.

Kendra and Faith genuinely enjoying being slayers and being proud to call themselves freaks in juxtaposition to Buffy who definitely loved not being alone, and finding kindred spirits in the two of them but was also having a hard time liking that part of herself is so interesting.

Makes me wish we’d gotten to see Kendra and Faith meet even more. I used to think they would clash and take a long time to warm up to each other. But now I’m wondering if they wouldn’t be off tying up vamps and enjoying the kill together.

[oceanic-sunsets]

S4 and Its Role Storytelling Wise: The GA’s (lack of) Understanding of The Show

[Warning: long post ahead]

So I stumbled across two videos on youtube about season 4 of Stranger Things, analyzing it from a storytelling standpoint. As one does, I watched them, because I was intrigued about what people thought outside our bubble or places like reddit and fb. And I wanna talk about it because it’s intriguing how the answers are right in front of us, but most people, even people with knowledge about storytelling and media analysis, don’t consider more possibilities, too blinded by heteronormativity and how we’re used to the same formulas, the way most stories unfold. 

The first video, “Why Stranger Things 5 (Probably) Won’t be Good”, considers that the show is dragging on too long because all the characters have solved their conflicts and the entire main cast of characters are perfectly fine with each other, which means s5 won’t be a compelling story because you can’t separate the character development and inner conflicts from the plot. And I was genuinely surprised because this is the complete opposite of how most of us perceive s4.

 If anything, I don’t like rewatching s4 for this reason, because everything feels too open, too unresolved, with some clues and some key reveals but no real answers.

Mike and El are far from okay, they ended up the season not talking to each other. Will lied to Mike about the painting. Nancy and Jonathan haven’t had a real conversation about their future and how they really feel about it. Dustin is grieving Eddie and Mike isn’t even aware of his death. Lucas and El are grieving Max but not giving up on her.

And the most important one that upset me to no end for a while after I finished s4, before I sit down and analysed it: the characters come together to try to save Max, and Mike and Will do the same for El, and then they reunite… But they don’t have any real moment that reminds us that they’re friends, or why they are. This is hard to do when there’s so much action going on, but there’s always time to show us where these characters stand with each other. And this hurts me to write, but they don’t feel like a group of friends anymore, haven’t, for a while, since s3 probably. And this is intentional because they purposefully show us the party drifting apart in the beginning of s4, as soon as the first episode. 

The fact that they’re all back in Hawkins and working together again isn’t enough to show us that they’re back to being best friends. We need moments that show us why these characters are friends and stick together because they love and care for each other, choosing each other, not only because the circumstances force them back together. 

And in that sense, s4 lays the foundation for it to be something touched upon next season, but these characters are far from completely fine with each other. It’s going to be good and rewarding to have them all reunited and working together again and rebuilding their friendship at the same time, but it has not happened yet.

To say there’s no more “personal drama” to add on is a complete misunderstanding of where our main characters stand. When I heard that I was just thinking, did we just forget Will lied to Mike about the painting and he was only able to say “I love you” when he was pushed by Will, and we got no explanation for his weird behavior?!

The second video (Stranger Things 5 is NOT the Redemption You Think It Is) analyses several aspects of the show and brings up very important points about what makes a story feel real and compelling. This is a very good video, however, I found myself disagreeing once more with most of it. I’ll divide it into sections so it’s more organized, and I’ll talk about their arguments and my counterarguments. Keep in mind this is how most people perceive the show, and this person in the video is someone who does have some sort of knowledge about storytelling. 

*They see the Cali plot as useless. 

It is a fact that Mike, Will and Jonathan have been sidelined this season. While I don’t like this or agree with the amount of screen time they were given this season compared to other characters, they are far from useless. A lot of people seem to think they didn’t know what to do with them, so they put Mike and Will together in a van with Jonathan in Argyle just for funsies, and gave Will a crush on Mike as a last-minute decision. They perceive Will’s plot as simply being the “sad gay best friend who is obviously getting rejected”. 

Their reasoning is quite simple: They aren’t looking at the bigger picture, failing to consider how these characters all have a purpose and how the Duffers always say that each scene adds something to the story. Even seemingly insignificant moments have weight in the story and are used to help us understand the how and why’s, or as callbacks, parallels, or even to reveal future plot points. 

So what IS the purpose of the Cali plot? First I’m going to say what is NOT their ONLY purpose: saving El.

Yeah, that’s what we see them doing the entire time, but it’s not like El had an issue getting out of there by herself. I’m sure she would’ve been fine, ultimately doing the same thing we see her do: find a way to try to save Max when she’s miles away from Hawkins. 

So, if their purpose (storytelling-wise) is not to save El and help her get to Hawkins… What does the Cali plot add? 

CHARACTER CONFLICT that is going to BE IMPORTANT LATER. It’s, again, part of the FOUNDATION for the climax. Even with their little screen time, the Cali plot is KEY for future events. It builds lies upon lies that ended up inadvertently killing Max. 

Mike wasn’t being himself, incapable of having an honest, open conversation with El, not being able to tell her I love you. Mike’s inner conflict, his tumultuous relationship with El, isolation from his friends, and awkward behavior towards Will drove Will to lie to him, presenting his feelings as El’s. Will’s lie pushed Mike to rush a love confession in a life-or-death situation and instead of helping, it contributed to Max’s death and Vecna not being defeated. 

It serves the purpose to show the audience: 

The characters are lying. They’re not being honest with each other, and this has BIG consequences. 

They’re acting that way for a reason, but we don’t know why yet. It’ll be important later.

Mike and El do not understand each other and don’t work as a couple.

It sets Mike and Will’s relationship apart from the rest. They’re not just our usual friendship story, because if they were, their conflict would’ve been solved when they made up in s3. But their story is not over. This is the writers telling the audience: look here, we’ve established this pair and dynamic, it’ll be important. 

And the thing is, if Will was supposed to be your usual “gay best friend in love with the straight guy” story, why bother with the points we just went over? It was a choice to have Mike act that way, not being able to hug Will and tell El I love you, it was a choice to have Will lie about the painting making it impossible for the truth not to reveal itself eventually, it was a choice to establish them as a pair who has multiple hearts to hearts, and it was a choice to have El not speaking to Mike by the end of the season. 

It was a choice to have THIS as the final shot of the season. 

*Mike’s Character

Next, let’s talk about Mike, one of the least liked characters by the general audience right now.

To be honest, it’s easy to understand why, and even some of us were worried about how they’ve been handling his character. The GA perceives Mike as a supporting role, El’s incompetent boyfriend who went from this smart kid that acted as a leader, to an oblivious, mean character. He feels DUMB to the audience, because how could he not notice El acting weird and how upset Will was in the van scene? They think it’s a shame because he used to be a perceptive kid and now he apparently lost his perception. 

But this isn’t true at all. 

Even in s4, when Mike is not his best and focuses too hard in pretending to be someone he’s not… He has shown us

Again

And again

And again

That he is still his smart, perceptive self. He just struggles when it comes to emotional awareness and communicating his feelings, which, you know what? it’s completely fair for a teen boy whose best friend went missing, discovered an alternative dimension, saw multiple people die, and… Do I have to keep going? And he still managed to figure out the number was inside the pen, that Nina was a computer, and had the idea to ask Suzie for help. But they don’t read him as a three dimensional character, which brings me to the next point.

*Mike being “The Heart” feels undeserved

Honestly, my first reaction right after finishing s4 was the same. I thought they had murdered his character, and how could someone who is a bad boyfriend, a bad friend, and mean be the heart of the group, the leader? (I’m so sorry, he’s my favorite character now and my resentment lasted like two days) 

I get them. This is what happens when you don’t consider the bigger picture and the clues for the character arc they’re clearly setting up for him. 

In the video, it is said that “S4 doesn’t do a good job of conveying his emotional growth”. This is true. That’s why the monologue doesn’t feel genuine, it’s unsatisfying and just overall weird. Not to mention the deathly (literally) consequences. But that’s the thing. S4 doesn’t try to make his love confession a sudden, magic solution for his individual issues and his relationship with El.

Because it’s not a resolution. It’s not growth. There’s nothing in S4 that made him suddenly realize how much he loved El, nothing that inspired him to want to tell her those words. It’s the opposite: he has to be pushed by Will, who lied to him and put words and feelings in El’s mouth that weren’t hers. The grand love confession that saves the day was prompted by a lie.

So again, they DON’T try to fit into the “love confession saves the day” trope. They make a POINT of showing us the indirect consequences.

And while this season Mike was distant for both the audience and the characters (for a reason), we have to remember the role he has always played: he’s the friend that cares too much, who doesn’t give up on the people he loves, who is always there supporting and trying to protect others (mainly Will and El). 

And this season finally has him as the one receiving emotional support, it shows us someone else looking out for Mike the way he always does for other people. This was said by Finn Wolfhard himself! and the Duffers, I’m sure, I don’t remember where right now, but if someone knows, please link me:).

Besides, these are Will’s feelings. His words show us how beautiful and intense they are. It’s how he sees Mike, despite their fights and the tension that seems to follow them everywhere. And Will has a lot of reasons to feel that way: Mike has always been kind and a good friend to him, it’s only recently that the complexity of growing up and feelings shifting into something new changed their dynamic. 

*”Max mourning Billy feels undeserved”

I’m gonna be honest, this is what annoyed me the most. It completely brushes over the real message and the source of a lot of Max’s trauma and the reason why she’s the one who got cursed: Max isn’t suddenly sad because she lost her step-brother who sacrificed himself to save them. She isn’t sad because the bad guy turned good in the end and died to redeem himself. She feels guilty because she wanted him to die, wanted him gone, and when it actually happened she feels like it was her fault. Billy didn’t redeem himself, one single good action resulting in his death doesn’t absolve him of all the bad. And Max knows this, that’s why she feels so guilty. It’s the mixed feelings of sadness, relief, and guilt. 

The last thing the video touches upon that I’ll address brings me again to something I mentioned before: 

*"Even in the same town, the characters feel a mile apart" 

This is something I agree with. No counterargument here, because it’s true. What tends to be overlooked, however, it’s the fact that it’s intentional. The Duffers themselves have said that you’re supposed to feel like the characters lost, like it’s hopeless. 

This is because Stranger Things as a whole is written using the Five Act Structure. You can read a post by @dinitride-art that explains this better here, but in summary, this is how stories are structured if you divide them in five acts: 

That’s why s4 feels the way it does. I love what it adds to the overall story that is unfolding, but I really don’t like it is as its own season. That’s because you’re meant to interpret the show as a whole, and yeah, last seasons tried to sort of give us a good and satisfying ending, but as we’re nearing the end of the show, s4 couldn’t do that.

It’s the second to last act, the moment we feel everything is lost and can’t be fixed. That’s why the characters even back together in Hawkins do not feel like a group of friends again (yet). That’s why the truth about the painting hasn’t come out. That’s why El and Mike aren’t talking. That’s why Mike and Will still have unresolved tension despite being friends again and a team. That’s why Max is in a coma. That’s why the Jonathan/Nancy/Steve love triangle was left unclear. That’s why Hawkins is falling apart, Vecna is getting strong again, and the Upside Down is starting to leak into the real world. 

There are many things I didn’t like about s4. There are things I think could’ve been done better and clearer to the entire audience. But I’m excited about what’s to come, and after seeing the effort and details put into the show, and how much care and love they put into their characters, I’m choosing to trust we’ll get a good, satisfying ending for the characters we love.

And with that, I’m done here! If you made it this far all I have left to say is thank you and sorry lol.

[percyjacksonscookies]

dude imma say it

the percy jackson tv show sucks so bad

and I have a lot of time to think at work when im not busy with my little tasks so imma rant about it

because my little brain likes to look for connections i guess

anyway

IT SUCKS SOOOOOO BAAAAAAD HOLY

S H I T

its a giant mix of things because of where we are in time

every major piece of media is a huge reflection of the times we live in so uh

it makes sense that this would suck too like every single other piece of media disney has released in the past decadeish (it comes down to taste so if u like a Disney thing, whatever)

but like?!?!

because of the times we live in where writers had to strike for better wages and a semblance of recognition (i dont know the terms exactly) it makes sense that they gave ol' Ricky boy a shot at screen writing cause they didn't really have to take a chance with a new writer. cause u know disney! wherever there are corners to be cut they will! gotta think of the poor ol' bottom line!!

BUT ALSO RICK RIORDAN'S QUALITY IN WRITING WENT DOWN S O HARD AFTER HIS FIRST SERIES WITH PERCY

heroes of Olympus and trials of Apollo do not have the same flavor as the original series and I know plenty of people will agree with me

and thats cause ol' ricky boy (might call him uncle rick ironically cause I have a big family so its in character of me to have beef with an uncle plus like.... cmon its for the bit, an homage to my cringey younger self, and to help me avoid stupid autocorrect on my phone, it works on so many levels, if u must, cringe away) lost the fucking heart of the original series

lost the whole point and charm of the 1st series

it started out as a fucking bed time story for his son for fucks sake!!!!!! so obviously it was going to be a story built on so much love you could feel it in every word he carefully knit together for his son to feel less alone in the world

and thats why I looked up to him for so many years!!!!

he inspired me to start writing!!! so that maybe some day I could also write stories that helped people feel less alone

because the best fucking stories are the ones with the most heart and genuine emotions you feel like you could be there

but uncle rick fucking lost it because i think after the massive success of his first series he saw it as a way to make money for his family instead of a way to lovingly craft something for the sake of it just existing

yet another thing capitalism has taken from us

I have yet to read his other work, as an adult, because percy jackson is such a comfort book for me and I've obsessively done so much research on it I remember him doing an interview once where he said his students found his other works and they were teasing him about the cuss words in the book because of course they were he taught middle schoolers and that is where he is stronger than I

but thats also another thing

since I haven't read his other works, I dont know if they're going to speak to me like percy jackson has, but probably not from the looks of his other series (ive read all of heroes of Olympus and some of trials of Apollo but thats just cause I adore nico)

but I can definitely say for sure without a shadow of a doubt

dude

uncle rick is NOT a screen writer

he SUCKS at it so bad

he definitely doesn't know how to build suspense in film or write around the obstacles that come with live acting

which is embarrassing man

ive been there

did a senior directed play in high school, wrote the script myself

and it sucked pretty bad

because I was a story teller not a script writer!!!! I didnt know what the fuck i was doing!!!!! whenever I wanted a new character I would just invent one out of thin air, what do you mean I had to have an actor for every new character I have?!?!?!?!

soooo grateful i tried that for the first time in high school cause its not that embarrassing when u suck at something as a teenager cause hey!!! ur learning new shit everyday!!

but this ties back into my point of this show reflecting the times

I will say, I prefer the movie of percy jackson over this weird show

and thats cause it had charm! zest! a screenwriter and people that knew how to make movies!

were at such a weird place in cinema

at least in the mainstream american/western media

I saw everything everywhere all at once last year and it blew my tits clean off

but thats because it was made by people who wanted to make art for arts sake!!!! for the love of creation!!!!!

thats why those movies are so successful now

cause there's really no formula to follow anymore so anything that seems original and made with love is so fucking insanely successful and big corporations can't fucking replicate that without taking chances and letting people tell honest earnest stories

which is why every Disney villain sucks now cause they have to also secretly maybe sometimes be a good person

oh no the circumstances they were given made them a villain

hmmm I wonder who helped with the capitalism of it all?? hmmmm such a mystery

I know we all miss when villains were just evil for fun and that was it

like Ursula, they didn't explain shit about her backstory she was just a woman in a cave that had a reputation and had a sick as hell design and that was all people needed to like her (shout out to divine) (also I don't remember much about the little mermaid I am basing this off of vibes)

where was i going with this.....

anyways the pjo TV show sucks

let Rick Riordan cook longer as a screen writer or let him be a co author of the script my god he sucks at this

get an expert screen writer in there asap phew!!!

today's adhd rant has been brought to you by:

this thing

[warthogreporter]

And now, a brief look at the human fucker community on a monster version of tumblr

🐙 WetterThanYou Follow

It's so sad that humans can't breathe underwater, makes bringing them to my lair so much harder

👺Ascetic-more-like-ass-cetic Follow

Was anyone going to tell me humans can't breathe underwater or was I supposed to just learn that from a text post?

🐙WetterThanYou Follow

Please tell me you didn't seriously look at humans and go 'they look like they can breathe underwater'

👺Ascetic-more-like-ass-cetic Follow

I thought they were like lions and how some live in the sea :(

🦁BEaST-MAN Follow

DID YOU THINK SEA LIONS WERE LITERAL LIONS?!

👺Ascetic-more-like-ass-cetic Follow

They're not? 😭😭😭

(10,053 Notes)

🐺HereWolf Follow

Vampires will be like 'I love humans' and then transform every human they know into another vampire. Weak. You are like someone who only watches Marvel movies and calls themselves a filmbuff.

🏏Batass Follow

Hey OP this is an important part of many vampire cultures so you should tone it down because this is really offensive.

🐺HereWolf Follow

You should get a culture that isn't fucking lame.

🦁BEaST-MAN Follow

OP you are literally a werewolf. And into throwing stones in glass houses I guess.

🐺HereWolf Follow

Gurl you don't know the amount of effort I put into keeping my human girlfriend a human girlfriend because I love her for being a human.

(8,000 Notes)

💚CraftedLove Follow

In the club on a date with a human straight up breaking it. And by 'it,' haha, well. Let's just say. His sanity.

(42,069 Notes)

🧙‍♂️ Crystal-Rooster-and-Orbs Follow

Sick of getting added to group chats like 'plots to overthrow our lieges.' Yes, I am both an evil wizard and an evil vizier. But I'm not plotting any treachery because my king is also evil, and so is my queen. We are in an evil polycule and give each other evil night kisses.

🧙‍♂️ Crystal-Rooster-and-Orbs Follow

Also stop telling me about the evil queen's OnlyFans like the king and I aren't helping her run it. Who do you think is taking the pictures? You have no idea how many evil yet deeply impractical schemes it's given us the economic cushion to do.

(48,835 Notes)

🤼‍♂️Bitch-of-Heracles Follow

Need me a human who will hold me like this and just destroy me 😍

♣️HeraclesOfficial✅ Follow

Hey.

🤼‍♂️Bitch-of-Heracles Follow

WHY DID NOBODY THINK TO WARN ME HERACLES WAS ON THIS WEBSITE?!

(33,333 Notes)

This now has a sequel, and a third act

[fanaticalthings]

Jason Todd with his goons:

[wellfine]

Au fucking revoir Mister Prince

[shyaringan]

time travel fix-it but make it Spooky (based on my monster!jon post)

[leaslichoma]

Apparently in China peach wood (Along with the rest of the plant) is believed to have properties that repel evil spirits, a little similar to silver in European legends or iron for both European fae and West Asian/Middle eastern Jinn. Taoists sometimes keep swords made of peach wood because of this. This made me realize something. If you took a peach wood stick, and attached studs to it of both silver and iron you'd end up with a club or staff (or mace, flail etc.) that would have the weaknesses of many kinds of supernatural creatures while still retaining effectiveness as a normal weapon (peach is a hardwood and silver's poor edge retention doesn't matter for studs). You could even keep adding new stud materials to get something ridiculous that affects over 120 catalogued folkloric monsters. Since you just need a few little studs you could even get some really expensive materials like meteoric iron (a thumb tip sized meteorite can still cost like 10-20 bucks I think). I could somewhat feasibly make a weapon that affects every monster ever thought to walk the earth, from vampires and werewolves to jinn and jiangshi and even mankind.

[specshroom]

Demon / imp friend who keeps pretending they can't control their tail⤵

Pretending to be bashful when it winds its way around your thigh or wraps around your waist.

"Oh! Sorry haha, this damn thing. Like it has a mind of it's own 😅"

You let it slide because you like them, until one day you see them not so discreetly catch a pencil with their tail and manoeuvre it expertly back into the pen holder on the desk it fell from.

You pretend not to notice, your sneaky suspicion now confirmed.

So the next time they're sitting next to you and their slinky tail starts winding around the fat of your thigh, you're so ready for it.

"You're doing it again."

They turn away from what they were pretending to focus on, act all bashful and start apologising,

"Oh shit, I'm sorry."

Before your demonic friend can retreat, you cross your legs, effectively trapping their coiled tail between your warm thighs.

"It's alright, I don't mind."

You say dismissively, as you lightly stroke the arrow shaped point at the end of the tail with your thumbs.

You feel them shiver and look up to see them practically panting, staring down at you with heart shaped eyes and hot cheeks.

⛧𖤍⛧

[willofasherah]

seeing everyone just mindlessly sign up for threads despite all the clear warning signs feels like I’m living in Sailor Moon or a magical girl anime episode where the Monster of the Day just set up shop over night and their product is literally draining your lifeforce for the Dark Kingdom but people keep going there

[nonebinary-leftbeef]

DEVASTATING the lyric you've been mishearing is better than the real one

[oceanic-sunsets]

S4 and Its Role Storytelling Wise: The GA’s (lack of) Understanding of The Show

[Warning: long post ahead]

So I stumbled across two videos on youtube about season 4 of Stranger Things, analyzing it from a storytelling standpoint. As one does, I watched them, because I was intrigued about what people thought outside our bubble or places like reddit and fb. And I wanna talk about it because it’s intriguing how the answers are right in front of us, but most people, even people with knowledge about storytelling and media analysis, don’t consider more possibilities, too blinded by heteronormativity and how we’re used to the same formulas, the way most stories unfold. 

The first video, “Why Stranger Things 5 (Probably) Won’t be Good”, considers that the show is dragging on too long because all the characters have solved their conflicts and the entire main cast of characters are perfectly fine with each other, which means s5 won’t be a compelling story because you can’t separate the character development and inner conflicts from the plot. And I was genuinely surprised because this is the complete opposite of how most of us perceive s4.

 If anything, I don’t like rewatching s4 for this reason, because everything feels too open, too unresolved, with some clues and some key reveals but no real answers.

Mike and El are far from okay, they ended up the season not talking to each other. Will lied to Mike about the painting. Nancy and Jonathan haven’t had a real conversation about their future and how they really feel about it. Dustin is grieving Eddie and Mike isn’t even aware of his death. Lucas and El are grieving Max but not giving up on her.

And the most important one that upset me to no end for a while after I finished s4, before I sit down and analysed it: the characters come together to try to save Max, and Mike and Will do the same for El, and then they reunite… But they don’t have any real moment that reminds us that they’re friends, or why they are. This is hard to do when there’s so much action going on, but there’s always time to show us where these characters stand with each other. And this hurts me to write, but they don’t feel like a group of friends anymore, haven’t, for a while, since s3 probably. And this is intentional because they purposefully show us the party drifting apart in the beginning of s4, as soon as the first episode. 

The fact that they’re all back in Hawkins and working together again isn’t enough to show us that they’re back to being best friends. We need moments that show us why these characters are friends and stick together because they love and care for each other, choosing each other, not only because the circumstances force them back together. 

And in that sense, s4 lays the foundation for it to be something touched upon next season, but these characters are far from completely fine with each other. It’s going to be good and rewarding to have them all reunited and working together again and rebuilding their friendship at the same time, but it has not happened yet.

To say there’s no more “personal drama” to add on is a complete misunderstanding of where our main characters stand. When I heard that I was just thinking, did we just forget Will lied to Mike about the painting and he was only able to say “I love you” when he was pushed by Will, and we got no explanation for his weird behavior?!

The second video (Stranger Things 5 is NOT the Redemption You Think It Is) analyses several aspects of the show and brings up very important points about what makes a story feel real and compelling. This is a very good video, however, I found myself disagreeing once more with most of it. I’ll divide it into sections so it’s more organized, and I’ll talk about their arguments and my counterarguments. Keep in mind this is how most people perceive the show, and this person in the video is someone who does have some sort of knowledge about storytelling. 

*They see the Cali plot as useless. 

It is a fact that Mike, Will and Jonathan have been sidelined this season. While I don’t like this or agree with the amount of screen time they were given this season compared to other characters, they are far from useless. A lot of people seem to think they didn’t know what to do with them, so they put Mike and Will together in a van with Jonathan in Argyle just for funsies, and gave Will a crush on Mike as a last-minute decision. They perceive Will’s plot as simply being the “sad gay best friend who is obviously getting rejected”. 

Their reasoning is quite simple: They aren’t looking at the bigger picture, failing to consider how these characters all have a purpose and how the Duffers always say that each scene adds something to the story. Even seemingly insignificant moments have weight in the story and are used to help us understand the how and why’s, or as callbacks, parallels, or even to reveal future plot points. 

So what IS the purpose of the Cali plot? First I’m going to say what is NOT their ONLY purpose: saving El.

Yeah, that’s what we see them doing the entire time, but it’s not like El had an issue getting out of there by herself. I’m sure she would’ve been fine, ultimately doing the same thing we see her do: find a way to try to save Max when she’s miles away from Hawkins. 

So, if their purpose (storytelling-wise) is not to save El and help her get to Hawkins… What does the Cali plot add? 

CHARACTER CONFLICT that is going to BE IMPORTANT LATER. It’s, again, part of the FOUNDATION for the climax. Even with their little screen time, the Cali plot is KEY for future events. It builds lies upon lies that ended up inadvertently killing Max. 

Mike wasn’t being himself, incapable of having an honest, open conversation with El, not being able to tell her I love you. Mike’s inner conflict, his tumultuous relationship with El, isolation from his friends, and awkward behavior towards Will drove Will to lie to him, presenting his feelings as El’s. Will’s lie pushed Mike to rush a love confession in a life-or-death situation and instead of helping, it contributed to Max’s death and Vecna not being defeated. 

It serves the purpose to show the audience: 

The characters are lying. They’re not being honest with each other, and this has BIG consequences. 

They’re acting that way for a reason, but we don’t know why yet. It’ll be important later.

Mike and El do not understand each other and don’t work as a couple.

It sets Mike and Will’s relationship apart from the rest. They’re not just our usual friendship story, because if they were, their conflict would’ve been solved when they made up in s3. But their story is not over. This is the writers telling the audience: look here, we’ve established this pair and dynamic, it’ll be important. 

And the thing is, if Will was supposed to be your usual “gay best friend in love with the straight guy” story, why bother with the points we just went over? It was a choice to have Mike act that way, not being able to hug Will and tell El I love you, it was a choice to have Will lie about the painting making it impossible for the truth not to reveal itself eventually, it was a choice to establish them as a pair who has multiple hearts to hearts, and it was a choice to have El not speaking to Mike by the end of the season. 

It was a choice to have THIS as the final shot of the season. 

*Mike’s Character

Next, let’s talk about Mike, one of the least liked characters by the general audience right now.

To be honest, it’s easy to understand why, and even some of us were worried about how they’ve been handling his character. The GA perceives Mike as a supporting role, El’s incompetent boyfriend who went from this smart kid that acted as a leader, to an oblivious, mean character. He feels DUMB to the audience, because how could he not notice El acting weird and how upset Will was in the van scene? They think it’s a shame because he used to be a perceptive kid and now he apparently lost his perception. 

But this isn’t true at all. 

Even in s4, when Mike is not his best and focuses too hard in pretending to be someone he’s not… He has shown us

Again

And again

And again

That he is still his smart, perceptive self. He just struggles when it comes to emotional awareness and communicating his feelings, which, you know what? it’s completely fair for a teen boy whose best friend went missing, discovered an alternative dimension, saw multiple people die, and… Do I have to keep going? And he still managed to figure out the number was inside the pen, that Nina was a computer, and had the idea to ask Suzie for help. But they don’t read him as a three dimensional character, which brings me to the next point.

*Mike being “The Heart” feels undeserved

Honestly, my first reaction right after finishing s4 was the same. I thought they had murdered his character, and how could someone who is a bad boyfriend, a bad friend, and mean be the heart of the group, the leader? (I’m so sorry, he’s my favorite character now and my resentment lasted like two days) 

I get them. This is what happens when you don’t consider the bigger picture and the clues for the character arc they’re clearly setting up for him. 

In the video, it is said that “S4 doesn’t do a good job of conveying his emotional growth”. This is true. That’s why the monologue doesn’t feel genuine, it’s unsatisfying and just overall weird. Not to mention the deathly (literally) consequences. But that’s the thing. S4 doesn’t try to make his love confession a sudden, magic solution for his individual issues and his relationship with El.

Because it’s not a resolution. It’s not growth. There’s nothing in S4 that made him suddenly realize how much he loved El, nothing that inspired him to want to tell her those words. It’s the opposite: he has to be pushed by Will, who lied to him and put words and feelings in El’s mouth that weren’t hers. The grand love confession that saves the day was prompted by a lie.

So again, they DON’T try to fit into the “love confession saves the day” trope. They make a POINT of showing us the indirect consequences.

And while this season Mike was distant for both the audience and the characters (for a reason), we have to remember the role he has always played: he’s the friend that cares too much, who doesn’t give up on the people he loves, who is always there supporting and trying to protect others (mainly Will and El). 

And this season finally has him as the one receiving emotional support, it shows us someone else looking out for Mike the way he always does for other people. This was said by Finn Wolfhard himself! and the Duffers, I’m sure, I don’t remember where right now, but if someone knows, please link me:).

Besides, these are Will’s feelings. His words show us how beautiful and intense they are. It’s how he sees Mike, despite their fights and the tension that seems to follow them everywhere. And Will has a lot of reasons to feel that way: Mike has always been kind and a good friend to him, it’s only recently that the complexity of growing up and feelings shifting into something new changed their dynamic. 

*”Max mourning Billy feels undeserved”

I’m gonna be honest, this is what annoyed me the most. It completely brushes over the real message and the source of a lot of Max’s trauma and the reason why she’s the one who got cursed: Max isn’t suddenly sad because she lost her step-brother who sacrificed himself to save them. She isn’t sad because the bad guy turned good in the end and died to redeem himself. She feels guilty because she wanted him to die, wanted him gone, and when it actually happened she feels like it was her fault. Billy didn’t redeem himself, one single good action resulting in his death doesn’t absolve him of all the bad. And Max knows this, that’s why she feels so guilty. It’s the mixed feelings of sadness, relief, and guilt. 

The last thing the video touches upon that I’ll address brings me again to something I mentioned before: 

*"Even in the same town, the characters feel a mile apart" 

This is something I agree with. No counterargument here, because it’s true. What tends to be overlooked, however, it’s the fact that it’s intentional. The Duffers themselves have said that you’re supposed to feel like the characters lost, like it’s hopeless. 

This is because Stranger Things as a whole is written using the Five Act Structure. You can read a post by @dinitride-art that explains this better here, but in summary, this is how stories are structured if you divide them in five acts: 

That’s why s4 feels the way it does. I love what it adds to the overall story that is unfolding, but I really don’t like it is as its own season. That’s because you’re meant to interpret the show as a whole, and yeah, last seasons tried to sort of give us a good and satisfying ending, but as we’re nearing the end of the show, s4 couldn’t do that.

It’s the second to last act, the moment we feel everything is lost and can’t be fixed. That’s why the characters even back together in Hawkins do not feel like a group of friends again (yet). That’s why the truth about the painting hasn’t come out. That’s why El and Mike aren’t talking. That’s why Mike and Will still have unresolved tension despite being friends again and a team. That’s why Max is in a coma. That’s why the Jonathan/Nancy/Steve love triangle was left unclear. That’s why Hawkins is falling apart, Vecna is getting strong again, and the Upside Down is starting to leak into the real world. 

There are many things I didn’t like about s4. There are things I think could’ve been done better and clearer to the entire audience. But I’m excited about what’s to come, and after seeing the effort and details put into the show, and how much care and love they put into their characters, I’m choosing to trust we’ll get a good, satisfying ending for the characters we love.

And with that, I’m done here! If you made it this far all I have left to say is thank you and sorry lol.

[wethades]

Me when monsters.

[specsthesecond]

⋆｡ﾟ🪐｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡*⋆｡ﾟ🛸｡⋆｡ ﾟ🌕ﾟ｡⋆*｡ﾟ☄️｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾

Alien partner who is constantly amazed and appalled by human biology. 

You crack your knuckles In front of them once and they look at you with the most horrified expression.

You don't react in immense pain so obviously you're fine but this poor soul thinks you actually just broke your bones out of nowhere 😭. 

They can hear your heart beat and are absolutely fascinated with the way it speeds up and slows down. 

They like how it speeds up when they get closer and talk lower so they do that pretty often. They like how it slows down when you go to sleep, they find the slow rhythmic thumps very soothing. 

They'll constantly ask you questions about your species whenever a question pops into their head. 

"What are these for?"

They gently brush your eyelashes with their finger as you lay on their chest one morning. You don't open your sleepy eyes when you respond. 

"Keeps dust out of our eyes." 

There's definitely a better answer you could've given but that's all you have the energy for right then and they seem to be satisfied with that. 

Just imagine an alien partner who is so openly enthralled by you. They can't help but hold your cheeks and stare into your eyes, absolutely amazed. 

"Do all human eyes look like yours?"

You manage to actually respond, voice soft to match theirs,

"They come in a few colours but everyone's eyes are different." 

"Yours is the most beautiful colour I've ever seen."

They say while gazing into your eyes as if you hold all the stars in the galaxy in your pupils.

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[temporalreverie]

The Handler: Eee-yikes! Looks like this Monster is the real Hunter! We better move fast if we still want to be Borne of this World, or else we'll be put on Ice!

The Sinister Nargacuga: