#and elaborate on character theming and show how all their stuff is connected

[ravenmoodle]

The Owl House pitch bible being found has done things to my brain- namely i can NOT stop thinking about making one for my guys to the point of rambling about it unprompted.

#ravens squawk #doods #Just for me because i think it'd be a great way to organize thoughts #however that is a lot of work also.... and i am doing other projects #but liKE OUGH- i could organize the villains into 'arcs'. #and elaborate on character theming and show how all their stuff is connected #i'm not the best at writing though- And i'd love to have more hands/eyes ON the story before i really organize it into anything 'set' #BUT THE IDEAS. YAH KNOW #mEANWHILE. i'm working on both OCRNR and my next animation #and putting off DnD planning- because all i wanna do is DRAW.

[xitsensunmoon]

Biting the Hand That Feeds au FAQ (Vampires + donor au)

Any general content warnings for bhtf au?

Yes. A normal amount of fnaf warnings, a normal amount of vampire warnings. For someone who doesn't know I elaborate... For vampire stuff, the most obvious ones are blood, hypnosis, bites, and animalistic behaviour. Less obvious - slightly suggestive themes. For fnaf - fnaf's usual violence, dark themes, a drop of gore and murders. The lore is uh. Very dark. I will try to decrease the amount of all of the cruelty but man. People who know, know how hard it will be. But I will tag everything properly so don't worry.

Is there a fic for your au?

No. And currently, I'm not even planning on writing one.

How do I find the story?

For now, we have two comics that are directly connected and one that doesn't have a specific place in the story but is about canonical lore.

[ 1 ] - [ 2 ] - [ x ]

In future, we will have more and I probably absolutely will forget to update this post so I recommend checking the tags. Here's the tag list

Tip: don't click the tag. Tumblr hides half of the results. Type it in the blog's search instead :)

Are the comics the only canonical thing about au?

No! I answer asks and draw a lot of doodles with bhtf au all the time and 90% of them are canon. You can, yet again, find everything in the tag list linked in the previous question.

Can I draw/write fan stuff for your au?

Yes, please!! I'm always happy to see fanart and fan writings and literally everything that you do! Just tag me when you post and use a fanart or fanwriting tag for au specifically so I don't miss it!

Can you include my characters in your story?

No, unfortunately, I cannot. The story is already written and I don't have any "space" for background characters either. Maybe it will change but currently, things are like this.

I asked a question with an interaction with my characters and I never got an answer, why?

I don't accept such requests. I'm not ready to spend my time drawing other people's characters for free(if I personally don't want to, of course)

Is there any limit to how many questions I can ask?

No, not at all! You can ask all you want just please make sure your question wasn't answered before. There is a big possibility I will just simply delete it if it was answered beforehand many times. Check the ask tag for it.

What about limitations? Any boundaries?

Please no questions about tickling🧍‍♀️ I got so many of those it already makes me uncomfortable. And for some reason, a lot of people send asks that include violence towards my characters and while I don't really feel uncomfortable with this I just idk what to answer and why are you even doing this lmao

What questions I should avoid?

Well, not really avoid but I will mention it anyway.

The things I have planned to draw right now:

- Sun and Moon and y/n's first meeting

- The creation of Sun&Moon

- Why S&M are sensitive to light and darkness

- How they hunt

So no need to ask me about these. I will show it, I promise.

What about sexual themes?

I understand that I post a lot of suggestive stuff and it may appear I allow such a thing but no.

You can create content with it tho, I don't mind for the most part. Just be ready that I may not reblog it, as my Tumblr is a SFW place. It's always 50/50.

Romantic themes?

I do draw some kisses and cuddles when I feel like it and you of course can send ideas for cute interactions but in the story we're very far away from it lol.

My question gets ignored even though I followed everything that you mentioned here. Why?

Answered in main FAQ.

Can I share the ideas for your au with you?

YES!!! Yes, yes and yes! I'm very open to that, like yes! The only thing that I definitely want to mention - you should expect that I actually can take your ideas and use them. Some people are protective of their ideas so if you're like this you probably should not share them with me :)

The information that you're using for your au is wrong.

Happens sometimes yeah. I know nothing about any medical stuff for y/n so I usually improvise. After all it's an au about robotic vampires man, this information is absolutely wrong. But! You're free to drop feedback/constructive criticism in my inbox!

Will be updated later

#biting the hand that feeds au #bhtf au #my art #for pinned post

[whatstrangeloops]

Finished the first season of Scavenger's Reign and wanted to post some thoughts about it.

First, I want to say that the show is gorgeous and the world and creatures are always stunning and interesting. This show is worth experiencing purely for those things alone.

However, as a story I think it was really lacking or, given the second season teaser at the end, maybe just incomplete. Which is disappointing since I can see the outline of some interesting themes going on but the show doesn't seem interested in delivering any sort of coherent statement about those ideas with the characters.

The unifying concept seems to be of humanity vs nature. Vespa is a wild and unfamiliar new ecology to the stranded survivors. While the creatures on Vespa aren't malicious their survival and the humans' survival is at odds and this forms the fundamental conflict of the show. Then later, I think in one of the last episodes, in Azi's flashback with Mia, Mia delivers a classic "this is the theme" monologue about how no matter where they are people should find ways to rely on other people. Which I interpret as the story being implicitly pro-humanity but also makes other things in the show less interesting maybe because I was hoping the show would go deeper than that.

Like here's how I interpret some of the characters and what happened to them. Sam starts out very pragmatic and is even positioned as opposed to Ursula on trying to understand Vespa (a thread that kind of gets dropped I feel). After he's infected with the parasite, at first he's invigorated but after coming to realize having the parasite allows him access to a deeper connection to Vespa chooses to die with his humanity rather than accept that influence. I think the horror framing of the parasite really muddies trying to think about it though. Kamen abdicates his humanity entirely to Vespa through Hollow (the little alien koala is called Hollow in the episode descriptions) unknowingly becoming a force of destruction but on contact with the "true understanding of Vespa" that Levi has is either rejected by the planet or reaccepts responsibility for his actions. Which one it is is kind of unclear. Finally, in Levi's arc the show seems to say that full harmony with Vespa isn't achievable by biological humans. Levi's strength is that they can be fully colonized by Vespa without any messy biological incompatibilities and they're even rewarded for accepting the planet with reproductive capability but that arc puts the human characters in a kind of bleak contrast and doesn't foretell good outcomes for them.

I guess I was hoping the show would give the characters a way to reflect on the idea of humanity vs nature more deeply. Probably the first couple episodes had me subconsciously ready to compare it to Dune and the teaser at the end of the last episode with the cathedral ship and the priests or whatever they were pushed that comparison into my conscious thinking. (Actually that teaser makes me a little worried if they're going about any of this thematic storytelling stuff being improved in S2, if it happens)

Anyway, some minor gripes: Hollow feels too much like a cheap trope. The rest of the ecology on Vespa felt very alien but still grounded. Hollow is just like a Grey but a koala complete with telepathic and telekinetic powers that no character ever really comments on and the transformation into a horror monster is also ungrounded.

I wish the show had spent a bit more time showing us how the characters discovered some of their knowledge about the ecology. Seeing Sam, Ursula, or Azi use the animals or plants in ingenious ways was cool but as they moved toward the ship and through unfamiliar biomes I started wondering about when they had the opportunity to figure all of this out. I'm thinking about the sequence where Azi, Barry and Kris have to cross that river and Azi pulls out this elaborate multi step process just to make sticky tack for their shoes like she'd been living by that riverside for years even though if you think about it I'm pretty sure that's the first time she'd ever been in that area.

#scavengers reign

[dailycass-cain]

Batgirls #16 makes more sense in lieu of the news the series will be ending with #19. It's a rare one & done issue, but not necessarily one.

In all honesty, prior to the news on Friday, I figured this was writers Michael Conrad and Becky Cloonan paying homage to both Cassandra and Stephanie's ongoing runs by doing a one/done but really a single issue building off what came prior.

Really this issue is a culmination of seeds planted since the very beginning.  It's kind of satisfying in a way seeing story beats from the early issues paid somewhat off in creepy ways.

This puppet Jason has haunted me since I read the issue and IT SHALL HAUNT YOU NOW TOO!! 

*ahem*

Namely, the opening "salvo" of the Mad Hatter showcases what Mr. Greene was doing all the way since #1 (but really we saw all the way to #9).

Now seeing the creepy doll in #9 makes more sense with what he was commissioned with, and a bit of a payoff that yes Steph was right.  Just Greene was someone who developed something rather creepy for the supervillains of Gotham (akin to the Carpenter).

It's a neat little bit where Gotham gonna be Gotham and even working on creepy dolls for the bad guys wasn't gonna protect him from other monsters Gotham had (aka Mr. Fun).

If anything, I'm a bit surprised this wasn't further connected, but I'll base my theory anyway that Jervis targeted the Batgirls with this elaborate scheme because they took out his student. Charles Dante aka--

It is a nice way to circle things all the way back to then besides Greene. But that's my personal theory.

Suffice it to say I did enjoy Neil Googe's art for this story because of the creepiness of the dolls and his style helps bring the monstrous twist all the better.

Again, Conrad and Cloonan have been showing Hatter has been using various stuff (again making me wonder given Spellbinder's modus operandi was the same).

Taking stuff (namely Hatter’s mind tech and Scarecrow’s Fear Toxin) and warping it for his own cocktail twist. I mean the clues are all there.  Hatter used Lazarus Resin and this issue uses a Man-Bat formula on a Batgirl to make her a Girl-Bat.

I'm a bit surprised at the choice because Cass did have a history with Man-Bat (in the ye old Batman & the Outsiders by Frank Tieri). So I figured if anyone was going to be a Girl-Bat it is her this issue.

But nope the recurring theme this series has been is Steph is the one who's gonna suffer. I mean literally, she's been doused with the brew Tutor/Spellbinder had made. She got tortured and "killed" then had the Laz Resin used on her. This issue--

I mean I get it. But dang Steph's been put thru a ringer in this series. The fact that she's still willing to go after ALL this has happened to her is astonishing. It almost makes me wonder...

If the whole point of this, makes Steph retire. That this DC's way to give her this moment but step aside. I really don't want that but man there's got to be a point to put her thru ALL OF THIS. That said--

-- I loved this. Because one it harkens to something Cass has been doing throughout her career. She speaks to monsters.  Treats them fully as humans still even given their deformities and conditions.

She did it with Mr. Freeze (Batgirl Vol. 1). Man-Bat (Batman & the Outsiders). Clayface (Detective Comics). Orca (DC: Doomed & the Damned).

I think it's VERY telling this is Conrad and Cloonan having Cass relive a BAAAAD moment in her life in losing Basil here and being like, "NOPE! THIS ISN'T GOING DOWN LIKE THAT!"

It all feels waaaaaaaaaaaaay too similar in how this issue plays out to how it played out in Tec.

I mean we literally have Babs in this issue in the SAME EXACT POSE as Kate did in Tec with both having a sniper rifle. Just that this time-- Cass FOUND THE WAY.

It proves Cass was right back then and it feels justified in a way that yes she could've talked Basil out back then. Instead of you know--

I also think that's been the greatest problem DC has been skirting away from. You have these two characters with SO MUCH HISTORY. You had Basil remain good for a period even after that and turn him evil on a whim.

Not have ANY payoff with Cass seeing this? Come on DC. Break our hearts dammit!  You literally gave Tynion's Tec run an Omnibus and various trade forms. If you can revisit the overrated rubbish Hush story you can revisit this story!

Back to this one. I really did like the simplicity of this issue where it's all about the "little" things. Things we as readers picked up on and get nods to the past of prior Batgirl volumes (or issues from this) and payoffs.

But the biggest one besides the connection to Tec this issue had was again a connection to Batgirl Vol. 1 I saw NO ONE pick up on. I kept it silent until this moment.

I mean someone did catch the nods to the way Cass thought of Steph during the Andersen Gabrych run. That was a neat detail.

But here's mine I caught.  At the end, we had this mention from the narrator (and I'll fully admit it. THIS WAS THE BEST NARRATION this series has given us. It ADDED to the emotion of this issue). That Cass was by Steph's side the ENTIRE TIME.

Just like Steph stood by Cass's bedside after she had to deal with the Shiva groupie in Batgirl Vol. 1 #26.

That's a deep cut, but a nice one that had me all:

Again, this issue had LAYERS of stuff that I enjoyed.  Which is all the more reason the news this past Friday is so 💔because since #9 the series has been clicking until #14 where it just unleashed that salvo of goodness.

Yes, it's baiting us. I'll fully admit but in a way it reminds me of what creators said akin to Tim/Cass back in the mid-00s that now fully relates to Cass/Steph here.

Cass/Steph literally do act like two people in love with each other who haven't accepted it yet. Well, Cass we know did in #15 but I think this is the first real acknowledgment that Steph gives to Cass this issue.

Will we get SOMETHING in these next remaining issues? Who knows. But I really enjoyed this issue and what it gave us. Just connecting so many dots to this current run and of Batgirl stories' past.

#dc comics #cassandra cain #stephanie brown #my thoughts

[beevean]

I’ve had a lot of problems with Netflix’s Castlevania but I’ve never played the games so all my complaints about it were never from it being a poor adaptation. So reading your posts about just how much it differs has been super interesting and kinda makes me wanna check out the games because the lore and themes just seem so much more unique? Like all the stuff with the Belmont Family and Dracula’s destinies being so intertwined and how that effects the descendants (like Richter) and Dracula being less of a vampire and more like some satan figure in service of Chaos, sounds so much more original than Netflix’s version which just seems like a really generic dark fantasy, but like worse, with all the swearing and sex and just general dismal tone. I feel a bit robbed now because a good adaptation actually sounds like it would really stand out from all the other fantasy shows I see on Netflix and HBO.

Oh 🥰 first of all, it's always nice to hear when people have issues with NFCV without having played the games, because it proves that complaints go far beyond "it's too different :<" (implying everyone who dislikes the show is nothing more than a grumpy old purist, which is not the case). Trust me, as a Berserk fan, NFCV doesn't do anything groundbreaking, and somehow it manages to be more outdated and offensive than a manga started in 1990. Second, I'm very glad you are interested in trying the games! They're a lot of fun :D

I wrote a list of my first picks to play here. However, I skipped on the Classic games on the asker's request: if you're interested, I'd start with Rondo of Blood (appropriate, as it's the game Nocturne allegedly adapts) or Super Castlevania IV. Nocturne also takes a lot of cues from Bloodlines, which is fun but a bit harder, and ofc the original NFCV started off as an adaptation of Dracula's Curse - a good game with quite a bit of replay value, but hard in the Japanese version and outright sadistic in the American version lmao. So I'd save it for later.

Now, if you're playing from the plot, I must say that the games as a standalone tend to be somewhat light in story, and even the most elaborated ones are usually limited by scope or budget and/or feel a little cliché. A good chunk of the lore that connects the whole timeline is tied to manuals (mostly the Japanese ones, because sometimes the English translations made a mess, as it was custom in the '80s), outside materials like mangas, or even character bios in the games' official websites that have long shut down. But it's worth doing some research!

Personally I love this website, for example:

In any case, have fun! 💖

#castlevania #akumajou dracula #probably the one thing i will thank nfcv for #not as intended but it *does* spark interest for the game series :p

[pinksparklelps]

Wanted to elaborate more on my IFS. This gets long so buckle in folks

First off, IFS stands for Internal Family System, which is a kinda psychotherapy thing. "IFS is a transformative tool that conceives of every human being as a system of protective and wounded inner parts led by a core Self."

This was introduced to me by my mom, who if you didn't know has gone through college and has a master's degree in all this mental stuff, as well as working at a place to help people who are struggling.

Basically it helps you connect to yourself more, and access those parts of yourself that have been wounded or are protective, and is used in therapy. It's not just therapy, but an expanded way of understanding yourself.

This is not to be confused with multiple systems, which is caused by Dissociative Identity Disorder. IFS is a thing everyone has, as we are all comprised of different parts and experiences. It is evidence-based, and you can look up more information if you don't entirely believe me.

The IFS is made up of three roles; Managers, who are the protective parts of you, and help manage emotions and tasks in daily life. Exiles, who hold memories of hurt, fear, and pain, like they're holding your trauma. Firefighters, who seek to ward off the bad emotions caused by the exiles, which manifests in coping mechanisms that are either bad (substance use and the like) or good (listening to music or something to distract yourself.

IFS also includes the core Self, like the genuine version of you, and can identify, observe, and help in lessening how extreme a role may be, or make one more productive, and help them all coexist in an effective way. It includes positive traits like the eight C's and five P's, and the presence of each helps you personally identify how available the Self is, and what still needs to come out.

The eight C's: Confidence, calmness, creativity, clarity, curiosity, courage, compassion, connectedness

The five P's: Presence, patience, perspective, persistence, playfulness

I created characters/sonas of the parts of my own Internal Family System, which right now comprises of 5 firefighters, 2 exiles, and 3 managers.

Euphrosyne (Mirth) is the more childish things I enjoy, as well as my excitement and hyperfixation on things I love and have grown up with, such as Disney, robots, the color pink, dresses, and more

Oizys (Miseria) is the more emotional part of me, which shows itself in her elemental theme. Instead of distracting, this is the part that makes me hyperfocus on bad memories and the emotions that come with them

Asteria is the part of me that loves and worships the stars, and amplifies the comfort and calm I feel from the night sky and the moon. It holds all my beliefs and feelings surrounding the night and anything associated with it

Aphrodite I'd rather not expand on, as she has a more personal role derived from a personal experience

Soteria (Alexis) is essentially a knight, which shows in her design. She's the most defensive, in which no matter where bad emotions come from, whether the other roles or outside forces, she immediately shields me off; most often manifesting in heavy disassociation and avoidance, which are the times I get quieter and seem to disappear for a while

Pasithea (Pax) is the part that prioritizes my own comfort and safety, and keeps the things that are soft and make me calm nearby as much as possible. Like my Hornet plushie, my yin-yang bracelet, my music boxes, and anything else that's really special

Teles (Camille) is the part that prioritizes work and perfection, and oftentimes is what gets me so focused on documentation of games I currently play. She focuses on keeping things known to me, and trying to make everything perfect no matter how long it takes, so she and Pax butt heads a lot

Minerva (Aria) is the part that prioritizes my love and connection to music, as well as keep all my special and favorite songs memorized for me to sing. She ties memories and experiences to songs, so that when I'm thinking or feeling something, I have the perfect thing to express myself

Kitty and Skylar are my exiles, and in being so, I'm not gonna talk about what specifically they represent; only that they are designed how I looked during the period of time in which the memory occurred

#IFS #internal family systems

[stupidsexpotflanders]

(Somehow) Pristine Armed Forces in VMVerse - a franchise that deals with moral cesspools at every episode/page

Or why I can't take the whole "Logan is a good guy because he's a Navy officer" at face value. A longer and more elaborate version of the meta I wrote,under a Read More.

I can totally believe Logan choosing the military as a career path,and even it being good for his particular needs(structure,discipline,chance of solid role models). However,I think it's weird for it to be framed as an unambigously heroic path for him,considering how messed up the USA military complex is. And the show doesn't give me any reason to believe it's very different in the VMverse,other than "just take our word for it,lmao". If Veronica Mars was a more simplistic universe with clear good and bad guys,I would've accepted this with much more ease. But considering it's a neo-noir(ish) work that is always dealing with some form of institutional corruption,I find it easier to believe Jake Kane has some connection with a high-ranking crook at the USAF,or some politician that can launch a war campaign on speed dial.

Okay,many institutions have their dark sides,and the franchise deals with shades of grey. What I find odd is that the morality of Logan's choice to join and stay in the Navy isn't discussed,nor does he have conflict with it. Besides,examining institutions,power and general corruption is like the bread and butter of the VM franchise. But somehow,the armed forces are exempt from it. As a Logan fan,I can buy him wanting to make a positive difference in the world(although I didn't see much of it in the series,he was mostly about personal loyalty and wanting to get away from Hollywood frivolity,IMO. Many people talk about his hero complex,but it's almost always directed to his loved ones). I can also believe Logan would willingly stay in a corrupt institution and do very shady stuff because it's been benefical for him. I just wish there was more about Logan's moral instance of becoming a fighter pilot and a Naval Intelligence Officer,if him wanting to be a better person was a part of his motivations. Also,Logan was afraid of becoming like Aaron,and was pretty aware of his capacity for cruelty. Therefore,I can't take the "Logan chose to join the armed forces because he wants to do good" at face value,between the inherent grey morality of the military and any possible crooked business. Having said that,"Logan is in the Navy because it benefits him" is much easier for me to believe without demanding further explanation,and it's also fitting for his character.

Yes,I know there are many honourable people in the military,and it has an important function in the government. However,it's also on league with an oppresive government that keeps the disenfranchised down(both in and outside of the US) - and that doesn't seem to be different in this universe. Conciliating the two(or more) sides of the institution would've fit the themes of the show like a glove.

The most likely writing obstacle for a storyline that deals with those issues is the scope. Nevertheless,it's perfectly doable. In the movie,Veronica herself said Neptune will be ground zero when the class war happens. Besides,as I said,there could be some corrupt officer,an arms dealer,a warhawk politician in cahoots with said politician - all of that in Neptune.

To top it all,showcasing the military's(and it's people) moralilty would've solved one of Rob's problems - that Logan wouldn't fit in the narrative. Give him some conflict(s) on hard calls he had to do,or even the fact that he did actually bad things on the behest of shitty powerful people. Also,if Logan joined the Navy to make a better world,why not gaving him coming to terms and dealing with it's bad side(considering how intelligent the guy is,he might realize it in no time). Maybe he gets to pick missions,or try to do the best he can to improve his surroundings by helping other officers/soldiers,or even using his knowledge to advocate for veterans. He's clever and charismatic,surely a force to be reckoned with.

The way Logan's enlistment is presented,though,it paints him on a morally dubious light,IMO. However,even that might be a good thing,character-wise. Logan is never shown having any conflict with his decision to join,nor over whatever he had to do overseas. That would've meant Logan can be pretty ruthless,whether he simply believes it's for "the greater good"(I find it hard to believe he'd be that delusional about his own morals),or he simply doesn't care much about ethics and keeps being in the military doing potentially shitty stuff for his own benefit(and even with the wonky ethics,it gives him structure - that I can believe without questioning much). That's also in character,IMO(Logan contains multitudes,that's why I love him). In this scenario,the Navy could've been a hardcore version of Veronica's lawyering job in NYC or Mac's work at Kane Software - prestigious,pristine(the white uniforms and talk of order) but actively helps harming people or works to the immoral elite. On top of all that,it would also provide a contrast with his well-adjusted self,and a way to show character growth doesn't always equal moral improvement.

tl;dr:Whlie Logan joining the Navy isn't out of character,it has several moral implications,all of them are getting ignored by all the writers and it weakens the work as a whole. An easier way to have Logan be unambiously heroic would've been to have the guy donate to charity(not saying charities can't be corrupt,but it's way easier to sidestep this problem by saying he researches well,manages the institutions or whatever) or be an actvist,IMO.

#veronica mars #vm meta #logan echolls #bad writing #vm critical #vm unpopular opinion

[robo-ky888]

(Part 1 if you missed it)

Other reasons 

This will be sort of a rapid fire appreciation round so lets start off with Robo Ky mk2 who was a character exclusive to guilty gear isuka which was essentially smash bros but an actual fighting game. Something fully unique in this game and its ds version Dust Strikers is that you could fully customize your own Robo Ky mk 2 to give him any move in the game like potemkin buster or even moves like glitter is gold and ALL of them have unique animations. The animation team was essentially challenged to make either magical moves technical or random stuff made into things that made sense within this games context and they absolutely nailed it, for example, millia’s bad moon turns into a banana, testaments Zeinest turns into gum and so many more. I’ll include a video showing them all off in the description that I highly recommend you watch because some of these are absolutely beautiful. Another reason I like Robo Ky is just because he gives me the most laughs when playing him. For context, I typically main funny fighters in my games so faust in Xrd and Strive or guys like kuma in tekken and twelve in street fighter. While I do enjoy taking matches seriously, at the end of the day im here for a good time and Robo Ky always makes me laugh just with his fun gameplay and unorthodox moveset. In general i can't quite think of a character that i like playing more than Robo Ky which is saying a lot because i hop between characters a lot so if i stick to JUST one, that's impressive for someone like me. In general i also just like robot characters so the minute you tell me i can play a funny robot which an actually fun moveset, i'm all in. hes my most wanted fighter for STRIVE after all and while yeah, his story is basically wrapped up i would still love to see him return. Daisuke IS willing to bring back dead characters if it makes sense within the story and he wanted to put him in rev 2 but didn't due to how complex his moveset is so hey, i still have my hopes up. But yeah, that's everything extra i wanted to bring up about Robo Ky, for now at least.

Conclusions

So yeah, now you know why Robo Ky is my favorite character in media. Are there better picks? Probably,I mean I still love faust, bedman, venom and other characters in general and most of them have more story than Robo Ky so realistically i should be more attached to them and yet here i am, going on for over 4,000 words about why i love the silly robot guy. But I guess, he just clicked with me. I get a weird sense of happiness when i play him in accent core, see art of him, read the drama cd, watch the xrd cutscenes with him and even when i listen to his theme Holy Orders? Which is just ky’s theme but distorted, that is also another reason why i love him but i think this video has gone on long enough. To close out, I want to say that final line in the battle with bedman as it has remained as a quote I hold close to the heart. “Remember...you never laugh at another person's dreams. Words from the wise. If you follow this rule there's no need for such elaborate ideologies. People may disagree or even fight… but above all, they can connect. You just need to cool off for a bit.”

Sources

https://guiltygear.fandom.com/wiki/Robo-Ky

https://www.tumblr.com/gear-project/622048042515922944/robo-ky-sidestory-night-of-knives-drama-cd

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sd6la5eo4j5isi2/AACKs8VViatiRqYlR7kKREDMa/GG%20-%20English%20Files/Robo-Ky%20Arc%20-%20Night%20of%20Knives%20Vol.1%20%5BEN%5D.pdf?dl=0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFgg6xCnjYs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqbUDpz38kg&t=256s

https://guiltygear.fandom.com/wiki/Robo-Ky/Gallery 

If you made it all the way down here, thank you, I truly mean that. As I'm writing this I'm admittedly a bit worried of putting this out there but I really wanted to so I did it anyways. Thank you for reading, I know I can't show my appreciation, but it truly does mean the world to me.

#guilty gear #robo ky #venom guilty gear #guilty gear xrd

[your-secondborn-child]

ashswag propaganda

(as always this is a) about the character and b) in good fun)

(the rest of the slides and the IDs for the slides will be under a cut for those that want to read the whole thing, because it’s very long and i want to be respectful of the other people in the tag)

Image IDs: A series of fifteen Google Slides. They are on a dark grey background and the text is in white Comic Sans MS. Unless specified otherwise, all text is not capitalized. The first slide says “ashswag propaganda” in all caps, and below it is “ashswag propaganda” in smaller grey text. It is not capitalized.

The second slide’s title is “not enough people nominated ash so i had to make these”. The text is “what is this: i thought ash should at least win one round. he’s 90th seed so i figured i needed propaganda for this. method: i just went through the sexyman wiki and screenshotted anything i thought would be even slightly relevant.” “more tropes = better” is written at the bottom in very large text. The third slide’s title is “trope 1”. There is a screenshot of the sexyman wiki defining a trope, which says “4th Wall Blurring: "Teasing" the 4th wall so to speak, sexymen who are implied to have some amount of insight into/control over the workings of their reality even if not full awareness of their own fictional nature. It is extremely rare for a sexyman to fully, directly, and intentionally with full awareness break the 4th wall outright, but it is very common for them to do things that blur the lines and make it unclear how connected the story world is with reality. This also applies to sexymen who blur the lines unintentionally due to something about their inherent nature or what they represent on a meta level, such as Gaster being a meta deconstruction of the concept of a dummied out beta character.” The text on the slide below the screenshot is “i feel like this is just inherent to mcyt so i am using it. you can’t sue me i’m not a lawyer. lifesteal videos especially are commonly characterized by narrating to the viewer, versus things like empires or hermitcraft which are mostly just showing what happened. ash very much does this”. The fourth slide’s title is “trope 2”. The text says “ok the only accent-related trope was european/british and he’s indian (source: money smp video) but i’m gonna say he has a distinctive enough accent compared to anyone he interacts with that it still counts for something.” The fifth slide’s title is “tropes 3 and 4”. There is a screenshot of the sexyman wiki defining two tropes, which says “Capitalist: Characters who are businessmen, CEOs, or have other ties to capitalism. Typically amoral and willing to disregard others for the sake of their own profit. Chaoslord: Characters who are strongly associated with themes of chaos, are nearly always trolls, and almost certainly rely heavily on random/quirky style humor (hey, nothing wrong with that!). Usually supernatural in nature. A very common trope to find in Dominating and Knifemurder characters. Prime example: Discord from MLP.” The text of the slide below the screenshot says “he’s a businessman i don’t know what to tell you. Like that is one of his things (ignore the communism for a second). he is also very commonly known as a guy who breaks stuff and trolls people (see “why i became god” and “how i ruined mrbeast’s charity minecraft smp”), including surprise zombies (why are there surprise zombies? because he felt like it)”. The sixth slide’s title is “trope 5”. There is a screenshot of the sexyman wiki defining a trope, which says “Criminal: For when a character breaks the law in some way. Different from being just a villain.” The text of the slide below the screenshot says, in a bulleted list, “illegal items on lifesteal (original god video, sharp 250 sticks) getting him temporarily banned and placed under house arrest, earth smp guns and claiming the end spawn (someone who is more familiar with earth smp could elaborate better than i can), he literally got tried for war crimes, when he lost a lawsuit he just started shooting the plaintiff, deciding to make more trash on mrbeast’s charity server instead of removing it like they were supposed to (algebra moment)” The seventh slide’s title is “trope 6”. There is a screenshot of the sexyman wiki defining a trope, which says “Divorced: Characters who are canonically or headcannoned as being divorced, so all their fans have a chance of marrying them!“. The text below the screenshot says “ignore the second bit i don’t like men. anyways source mark bormethius”. There are two images, one of an MS Paint drawing of ash’s minecraft skin and Reddoons’s minecraft skin. They are linked by a black line with a red line drawn through it. The second image is a key, indicating that a black line with no arrows means marriage, and a red line through it means “divcore”, assumed to be a misspelling of divorce. Text in the slide below the second image says “he’s technically ‘divcored’ but whatever”. The eighth slide’s title is “trope 7 and 8”. There is a screenshot of a box that reads “PING ms” and has the number 17,454 below it. Next to it on the slide is text that says “and here we see tactics” with an arrow pointing to the screenshot. There is a screenshot of the sexyman wiki defining two tropes and a subtrope, which says “Egotistical: Characters who think they are hot shit, basically. Expect them to brag about their accomplishments and act like they are the next coming. Might have a real "would date their clone" energy, which... might explain some things. Eldritch: Sexymen with strong eldritch elements to some facet of their character, whether it's a visible part of their physical bodies or just a general vibe their lore gives off. Since the typical sexyman is a tall mostly human looking pale twink, in a vast majority of the cases the eldritch is a heavy implication lying just under the surface given off by the way they're presented in-story rather than something immediately visible on the character themselves if you taken them out of the context of how they were presented in action. Pairing this in some way or another with Monster Features is so popular that it's practically a requirement. Glitching: A distinct subset of eldritch where the character is associated specifically with corruption of digital media and electronic devices. glitchy screen aesthetics, pixelated flickering, corrupted audio files, games behaving in strange unprogrammed ways, frequent references to hacking and terms like "virtual reality" and "in the game" and "artificial intelligence", ect. originally common in bendrowned style creepypastas but slowly seeped out to become a widely used trope across all forms of fiction.” The text on the slide says “he absolutely thinks he’s hot shit he literally named himself swag. do i have to elaborate.” and “he literally has an entire thing about lagging and glitching, along with hacking occasionally. it’s most of his aesthetic at this point, people (and me) will draw the purple parts of his skin as glitches despite them being crying obsidian.” The ninth slide’s title is “trope 9”. There is a screenshot of the sexyman wiki defining a trope, which says “Flanderization: Borrowed from TvTropes, when the fandom takes a single trait in the source material and exaggerates it wildly, at least in certain fanworks (mostly memes, comedic works and such). For example in the source material the character may mention liking spicy things once, and fanon runs wild with that depicting them being obsessed with all things spicy to the point of literally thinking about nothing else and their whole character revolving exclusively around utter worship for spiciness with their only trait being trying to find spicy things to eat and talking about eating spicy things constantly while all of the fanart shows them in close proximity to at least one hot pepper. This can also result in the canon version of the character being flanderized in future material by the creators in response to the fan's flanderization.” The text on the slide says “communism. he did the one thing and then went back to normal capitalism mode. however everyone still decides that He’s The Funny Communism Guy.” and in smaller text “(this is not meant to be mean i do love the fandom. but he’s mentioned it himself at this point)”. The tenth slide’s title is “trope 10”. There is a screenshot of the sexyman wiki defining a trope, which says “Nonhuman: Where Monster Features describes sexymen with some non-human features, this is primarily for sexymen who are not even humanoid. These sexymen are often humanized by fans, sometimes as a White Twink Humanization”. The text on the slide says “i mean look at him”. There is an image of ash’s minecraft skin, which has a black base with seemingly random purple patches and pixels around it, mimicking crying obsidian. There are also a few grey pixels. The eleventh slide’s title is “tropes 11 and 12”. There is a screenshot of the sexyman wiki defining two tropes, which says “Questionable Neurodivergent Rep: Characters who fall under harmful stereotypes of neurodivergence. This accounts for all kinds of neurodiversity, but more often than not is specifically for stereotypes of autism, anxiety disorders, and/or OCD. Think of it like the cousin of Twisted Freaking Cycle Path. Religious Imagery: Said character is tied with religious themes, I.e. God or angels, a LOT, either in canon or fan-art. Usually means Christian imagery but can count if said character is tied to other religions/mythologies.” The text on the slide says “he has adhd (said it in a video once) and is evil i’m counting it. and like. okay it can be exaggerated in fanon but he has tried to become god on multiple different occasions. it’s a massive thing.” The twelfth slide’s title is “trope 13”. There is a screenshot of the sexyman wiki defining two subtropes of the trope “Villain”. It says “Morally Grey: Characters who aren't necessarily evil, but aren't exactly good either.” and “Technically Antagonist: Characters who aren't necessarily evil, or who are only the antagonist under specific conditions (think Sans in the no mercy run).” The text on the slide reads “he’s not really either of the bullet points but he has on multiple occasions gotten worse just because someone called him nice. i don’t honestly think he would be interested in being a good guy and i respect that”. The thirteenth slide���s title is “trope 14″. There is a screenshot of the sexyman wiki defining a trope, which says “Tall: Self explanatory. Characters that are really tall even abnormally so.” The text on the slide says “he’s 6’3 it counts”. There is a screenshot of an exchange on Twitter. In the first tweet, user @/ashswagin, with the display name “ashswag” (will be referred to as ash) writes “just found out i MAY be 6′3 and not 6′5 since i’ve been measuring my hair my whole life. day ruined.” A reply by user @/Historixal_Artz, with the display name “The TRUE Poop Shitter {Historix}” says “ARE YOU AT LEAST TALLER THAN REDDOONS. PLEASE I CAN’T BE DRAWING YOU TALLER THAN RED AND REALISE OH SHIT HE’S SHORTER THAN HIM”. The final reply from ash says “yep. red is still like 6′1 or something it’s over” followed without a space by the emoji guy with sunglasses. The fourteenth slide’s title is “trope 15″. There is a screenshot of the sexyman wiki defining a subtrope of the trope “Well-Dressed”. It says “Suitguy: Characters who typically wear formalwear, specifically suits. Often includes waistcoats, top hats, bowties, and pinstripes. Other neckwear may also be worn.” The text on the slide reads “suit guy”. A screenshot of ash’s minecraft skin is attached. It’s the same as above, except in a suit with a purple jacket, black tie, and set of 4 red pixels over the heart, presumably approximating a flower. The fifteenth slide’s title is “in conclusion” written in all caps. The text is “ vote ashswag for round one. he’ll probably lose to cubfan but i want him to win one (1) round because he only got 90th for nominations/seed placement and i think he deserves it. the sexyman wiki needs 13 tropes for an obscure character to be considered a sexyman and i got 15. even if no one had heard of him he would be a sexyman i rest my case. i didn’t even mention the folder of shirtless fanart.” Source for tropes: https://sexypedia.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Tropes

Source for bormethius screenshot: https://www.tumblr.com/deliciousobservationbird/705556005772230656/the-official-family-tree-of-most-everyone everything else is from namemc or ash’s twitter and youtube channel.

#ashswag #mcytblr sexyman #mcytblrsexyman #<- not sure which it is #anyways i spent so much time on this holy shit #i love lizzie also btw #also if you actually read all of this ily #sorry the ids are so long i wanted to be as accurate as i could

[cubedmango]

so this spiraled out of control, and this is me warning that my messages ahead are gonna get pretty long, so my apologies for clogging up your inbox with my ramblings as i do my best to answer your questions and stuff 😅 so basically: most toku are elaborate children's toy commercials, superhero shows, and shounen manga/anime but live-action (complete with the homoeroticism) rolled into one, although a good portion of its protagonists (especially in kamen rider, the franchise i'm most familiar with atm) are actually adults this time, albeit usually 20-something prettyboys (as to why, look up the odagiri effect if you haven't heard of it yet). and officially, toku isn't really a genre (stuff like godzilla are also considered toku), but many people outside of the jpn fandom basically treat it as such in the way they treat shounen, shoujo, seinen, josei, etc. so i guess it doesn't really matter anymore atp? (1/?)

(rest of ur asks under the cut!)

some toku are more adult-oriented, though those tend to be relegated to webseries and movies that aren't aired on tv, but again i'm not as familiar with that stuff rn. and you're right about the number of episodes - among the toku big 3 (kr, super sentai - aka the basis for power rangers, ultraman), kr and sentai seasons tend to be ~50 episodes while ultraman seasons are often around 25 instead. also all 3 of these air shows annually, but each is generally stand-alone albeit taking place in the same wider universe (mcu vibes except i think it's somewhat less annoying and with a less strict sense of having to make everything 'canon') and which can be loosely connected enough for them to have crossover movies every so often (though yeah, those tend to be not officially canon) (2/?)

among those big 3 as well, kr is definitely the go-to if you're interested in m/m subtext, whereas it's apparently less frequent (but definitely still present occasionally) in sentai and ultraman, especially as sentai in particular seems to be more big on the power of platonic friendship and family (not so sure on ultraman as that's the most unfamiliar series to me for now, though fwiw i think the template of the steel samurai in aa is relatively closer to ultraman than to the other big 2 franchises) (3/?)

as for what i'd recommend - i've actually only gotten into toku recently, but i'd say kr build (the season where inukai and akaso play the leads) is a pretty good place to start tbh! i haven't actually finished it myself, but i'm really enjoying it so far, and while i've heard it kinda stumbles in the latter third, it's generally agreed upon to be a solid season with a fairly cohesive plot and compelling characters (and the ending is kinda insane from what i know, but like mostly in a good way), and i agree so far as well. it's also one of the seasons specifically conceived as a callback to the very first kr shows in the showa era, so this way, you can get a pretty good sense of the original themes of kr even without watching said showa-era shows right away. and each kr season has its own themes too, with build's being focused on science and scientific principles, hence the protagonist here being a physicist (4/?)

build is also known for having a suspenseful thriller-like plot with a lot of twists and turns, so it's best to go in as blind as possible aside from like a cursory glance at its synopsis - basically don't follow my example, as i got spoiled for all the major plot twists and while i'm still liking the show and now focusing more on seeing how well-foreshadowed and built-up (ha) said twists have been so far, i definitely sometimes catch myself wishing i'd been a more unaware viewer from the start lol. and it's 49 episodes long (with some spin-off movies and a stageplay that, while not strictly necessary to watch due to either being not officially canon or not really relevant to the main plot, apparently do enhance the viewing experience and still tie in nicely to aspects of the main series and its character development), but due to the nature of its thriller-like story meant to hook viewers in, it might not actually take too long for you to finish (though i personally am taking it more slow and steady) (5/?)

as for the gay stuff, build is definitely worth checking out as the very originator of the life-changing phrase 'heated drama between men' (from this official promotional article www . toei . co . jp/tv/build/story/1210272_2766.html) and is also generally agreed to be one of the top kr shows (and the most recent one in years) to lay on extreme gay subtext (and again, that's saying something considering kr homoeroticism as a whole, and it's so palpable they've gotten many straight people and dudebro fans on reddit and twitter to also agree they're gay; other seasons with very heavy subtext between its 2 male leads that i can think of off the top of my head rn are ooo, blade, and ofc kuuga, the grandpa of all heisei kr shows) (6/?)

sento (the protagonist, played by inukai) and banjou (the deuteragonist, played by akaso) are considered iconic nowadays in helping elevate the primary x secondary rider partnership (bc going by those other mentioned extremely gay-coded relationships from previous seasons, none of them count as primary x secondary), and banjou by himself is often seen as redefining the secondary rider role (and also sento/banjou, or ryusen, is like peak m/m nerd x jock romance to me in general, and a fun bonus for me is even if it's yaoi, they both dress a lot like butch lesbians so in my mind they're kinda lesbian-adjacent to me, an actual lesbian). they're also really popular that they've gotten official couple's rings merch (based on their animal motifs of rabbit for sento and dragon for banjou), in the vein of narumitsu (and klapollo too if i'm not misremembering?), kawoshin, those guys from promare and code geass, etc (7/?)

speaking of aa again, i do think edgeworth would generally enjoy kr, gay subtext and all (the steel samurai probably contains heated drama between men too), and even though idk yet if kr and/or build would be his favorite toku shows as a whole, i definitely think he'd find himself relating to sento in many ways (they're both gay-coded identity crisis-having autistic guys with red in their color schemes, among some other similarities you'll discover along the way), but i think sento's relationship with misora (the main female character and his younger sister-ish figure) is overall more akin to phoenix and maya's than to edgeworth and franziska's. i don't think banjou and phoenix are that similar though, aside from being bi-coded blue-themed men associated with dragons, but edgeworth might still find a way to draw some parallels between his relationship with phoenix to the ryusen dynamic (8/?)

and while i can't guarantee build will make you feel as crazy (positive) as it's making me rn, i think you'll still like sento/banjou and the show itself... also, sento and banjou are pretty much the opposites personality-wise of inukai and akaso's characters in odt and cm (i also watched and enjoyed both shows prior to watching build, and yeah it's definitely a bit of a whiplash to see how different their respective characters are, though it does tickle me to imagine the possibility that the drama got so heated in build it inspired them to act in full-blown bls a few years later). like sento is an 'egotistical genius superhero' with a heart of gold whose arrogance is partly a facade and coping mechanism for his identity issues, and banjou is basically an adhd icon and ex-pro boxer (although lbr akaso doesn't really have a convincing enough physique for it, but well i can forgive it in the end because he's a great actor otherwise) who's very much an 'act/punch first, think later' type of dumbass but who's also a kind person at heart, albeit starting out as a bit of a selfish jerk whose (kinda understandably, in hindsight) distrustful nature makes him look out only mainly for himself and his small circle of loved ones, so i think it's nice to see both men's acting range (9/?)

anyway i'd say the love story (platonic or romantic, but well. it's really hard to read it as purely the former) between sento and banjou is truly at the heart of the show (like it's literally a story about building relationships) - in short, build is that "stop war start gay" graffitti meme. but for a better summary of what i do like overall about build that's also not very spoilery: www . tumblr . com/timetoddddavis/711997352927510528?source=share also i'm obsessed with this fmv so i must inflict it (positively) on every person i can (it's a bit spoilery but it's all out of context so it's not that big of a deal): youtu . be/-Gjzr5HmmfY?si=HUr8oZezqV_lIusZ (10/?)

(also even if you end up concluding that toku really isn't your cup of tea, you can at least maybe think of your experiences as a way to improve future aa headcanons and fics wrt its depiction of the steel samurai and company i guess?) this has gotten long enough that i'll stop here, but i did have some additional thoughts on build's female characters (sadly there's only a few of them, but they're treated well enough considered how men-centric kr generally is), how kr has actually and refreshingly also been dipping its toes into yuri(bait) recently, and the kinda morbidly funny anecdote about akaso thinking he might have gotten a crush on inukai on their first day of filming but it was actually heat stress affecting him, but i'll save those for another time if you're curious enough or are okay with me continuing to ramble. i really appreciate your time and attention, and thank you so much for entertaining me and my toku fixation :-) (11/11)

also toku fans have all made our jokes about the energy emanated by that classic 'heated drama between men' photobook image of inukai and akaso as sento and banjou but i'm also not kidding when i unironically think their posing in that picture perfectly encapsulates the characters' relationship by the end of the show... their relationship development from reluctant and kinda antagonistic allies to friends to beloved (and kinda codependent ngl but that just gives it more flavor to me, and also understandable given the circumstances of everything) partners really is a sight to behold <3

oh my god anon . thank u so much for the detailed explanation but also how long did these take u to type theres So Much Info Here ??? respect to ur fixation tho i dont think i would ever be so clear and coherent talking abt my blorbos afjdskfjkd

ANYWAY !!! u have def caught my interest w build (esp w the aa parallels and the rings mention i had no idea other franchises do it too) (also in the post u linked this line "it stars a silly little rabbit, the silly little rabbit has a death wish" i Need to understand the context behind that) so i might actually watch the first few eps and see if i enjoy it?? the chara dynamics sound rlly interesting already from ur descriptions so im curious abt how theyre in the show 👀 if theres any specific place/site ud recommend i watch id appreciate that too bc i have no idea where to look kfjdks

#oh and feel free to tell me abt the other stuff if ud like! female chara discussion most important thing ever to me even if idk them #(and the akaso thing ??????? oh my god i have to hear more about that rkjgkfdjgkfg) #gonna save the fmv for later in case i do decide to watch the whole show but ty for that too!! #my answer

[brilliantfantasticgeronimo]

to elaborate a bit more on that point about that thing in the special feeling like a regression in the doc’s arc...

one thing that had been worked in a lot in the collective meta of the fandom, since 12′s era and all throughout 13, is that in this phase of the show, you could see that the doctor seemed to be finally growing emotionally, in small but significant ways. specifically in learning to treat people: the way 12 tried to be there for bill, set boundaries for clara, or that 13 made An Attempt (tm) at reaching out to graham, had the fam make her understand she could rely on others, etc. but by having the special kind sort of letting the doctor off the hook for canonizing that the doctor never visited / checked on ace + tegan  (besides being contradictory to new who canon... tho this is really a minor point bc extra-canon continuity isn’t that important to 90% of the audience lol), it validates that interpretation that “the doctor doesn’t have the emotional toolkit to handle so much separation, guilt and consequential loneliness” and adds “and they will never have it!”, which collides with so much of that theming we’ve seen of growth for the doctor. and it’s specially tricky with the companions we see: tegan (someone who left under very bad terms, in ways that implied the doctor had become more like the time lords than he realized), ace (someone who had grown to see the doctor as her whole family, in a very dependent way) and yaz (someone who got so many mixed signals and until the specials, was expected to some kind of commitment) all these companions have an element of “unresolved”-ness to their goodbyes. but in the special, the feeling i get is that the doctor hasn’t actually improved in this regard, and the lessons from all these lifetimes / companion stories have not made them change. the message the special imparts is that "actually, the doctor Was Right in abandoning them, it was to let them grow". and this is honestly, not necessarily a bad decision. i think in the case of ace, it works mostly well because of the "let children fly" line, and it could work in the case of the other companions as well... if it had been more explicitly brought home to the idea that the doctor is not good for their companions,  like how i said in the post,  have the doctor say something to them like "i can't give you what you need / you neded to make your own rrrrooots, susannn" and have the companions be like "we still wouldn't have traded it for anything" or smth. even just having that with yaz, it would have been possible to make the connection to the others in the support group. [ps also from a different pov...  thinking the doctor never visits them again it's just kind of unbelievable if you've seen a min amount of EU stuff honestly 😅 . there's bajillion incarnations of the doctor running around, and logic suggest they'd have to have run into any of them at some point, esp because most of them would end up working in the cases the doctor works with (like ten running into SJ bc she was investigating an episode of the week... it was just bound to happen eventually, statistically speaking)] overall idk, i think it's not a bad stance to take necessarily (that 13 did not actually manage to internalize all the things she'd learned), 'cause character dev doesn't need to be a straight, upwards line to still be dev. but the feeling i get is that overall the writing was too committed to a "feel-good" vibe with 13, it didn't allow her to "get dirty" and problematize her actions, in the ways it seemed to be set up many times.

#doctor who #meta #the power of the doctor #this is a bit silly bc most people don't care about 'the multi-doctor storyline'(tm) but y'know it's just how i experience the show #so that's the pov i analyze it with #but it's valid to just say 'ok but doctor isn't *supposed* to be read like that and it's never been' lol #doctor who spoilers

[queenaeducan]

Tagged by @mxkelsifer tysm for tagging me!

Rules: List five things you never get tired of writing; it can be tropes, themes, characters, phrases, whatever brings you joy. Then tag five people!

Mental health/coping: I’m not quite sure how to phrase this, but based on how many of my fics are about characters coping with anxiety or depression or helping others cope, and that I’m still not done writing about it... I guess you could say it’s a theme I like to revisit. I like exploring what works for some characters and doesn’t for others, how they cope alone versus with company, the journey it takes to learning how to deal with your specific brand of anxiety, etc. I guess I could also say hurt-comfort is a trope I like a lot, although it tends to be emotional trauma over physical.

Names/Identity: I’m coupling these because I think the exploration of Thora’s sense of identity through studying her family history and Solas’s sense of identity through his many changing names are connected in my head. Almost all my elf ocs don’t have the name they were born with, either because they’re trans like Bruno or because they want free names like Vher. My version of Solas has like a dozen names, but Solas is the one he chose and therefore it is his truest name. The power of knowing your name and its meaning, whether your choose it yourself or unearth its lost past through study, is something I like to think/write about. How names connect us with who we are (Thora is a Surfacer name, it means thunder) and who we were (Cadash is a Traditional name, a warrior house). I feel like I did a poor job of connecting the above sentences but needless to say I think these subjects are neat and inform a lot of my characters.

Friendship: I don’t have a lot of elaborate here I just really like writing gen fics. I like showing how friendships change us and help us grow or keep us from growing.

Slice of Life: Again, I guess I don’t have too much to elaborate on here, but I like to see my faves just vibing in the moment. We see how they act in peril, and I definitely like reading and writing about that, too, but the unspoken moments call to me, too. What’s the journey to Haven like for the newly allied mages? How does the fledgling Inquisition cope with resources before a supply line to Skyhold is established? What does Solas do before returning to Skyhold during his personal quest? Etc. Some of this is heavier than the phrase slice of life typically is meant to convey but it still falls into the genre of “moments that we don’t need in the canon story necessarily b/c this isn’t ASoIaF but I do like to think/write about.”

Magic: I kept typing “veil” or “fade” but I didn’t want to make it a Dragon Age-specific topic. I love writing about feelings made manifest, the energy that goes into casting a spell, or what dreams are like. It can mean nebulous descriptors or on-the-nose metaphors. I can be subtle or beat you over the head with it (probably more the latter I don’t think nuance is a strength of mine). The Fade in particular is a fun setting to play in because it’s so malleable, like in a WIP I wrote Solas experiencing Kinloch Hold through Ian’s dreams and getting to emphasise how alien and hostile the setting is by making the hallways unending or the books up too high to reach. I couldn’t get all of that if I wrote a fic about Solas physically visiting Kinloch Hold because he would experience it differently as Ian did as a child and prisoner, but because it’s a Fade dream I can have my cake and eat it too. Stuff like this is why fantasy is fun.

Tagging: @theshirallen, @dreadfutures​, @rosella-writes, @bluewren, @darethshirl

#tas talks #dash meme

[internetanomaly]

September 8th, Day 4/365

Counting down to September 5th 2024.

Two days back – on this blog, I talked about how I've been defining myself by my interests and the media I consume, but weirdly, I haven't actually shared what I'm into. That was pretty much why I started writing the Day 2 entry, but I got clearly sidetracked by other thoughts.

I want to say that I've taken up this digital niche because I lack someone in the real world to talk to about what I enjoy, but that's not true really. There are people, friends in my life who'd gladly listen to me babble about my newfound favorite song. But even though I've been reassured about this before, there's always this nagging fear that they're just listening to me out of pity. I believe enjoyment is personal, and even if someone likes the same stuff as me, even when our interests align, the way they experience it will always be different from mine.

A great example of a personal experience of mine would be the videogame 'Disco Elysium.' I introduced it to a friend, knowing they'd connect with the main character, and so they did. Yet, every time we talk about the game, it's clear that we took pleasure in completely different aspects. The way we decide to elaborate on the messaging and development of the story is vastly different, and it couldn't be any other way.

This will sound like some spiritual, new-age mumbo jumbo, but what i'm really trying to say is that the vibes and sensations we created and experienced during the game are fundamentally different and they never had a chance to be the same. The same movie viewed through someone else's eyes becomes an entirely different experience. By existing in a context our experiences are necessarily subjective and tainted. In this context empathy is limited, it is fundamentally impossible to find someone who truly enjoys something for the same reasons you do. Isn't that sad?

I think this is why I'm so reticent about the things I enjoy with those close to me. Words often fall short in conveying emotion, and the moment you try to explain or show something, the essence inevitably gets diluted.

A few days ago I've started watching 'Dekalog' (1989) by Kiéslowski. It's got quite the reputation for its depth and profound thematic exploration, but if I may voice my skepticism, I'm not entirely sold on the hype. I already spilled my guts in a few Letterboxd reviews, so I won't go into detail here. Overall, I just feel that the stories are surprisingly surface level for how universally acclaimed this is. Maybe that's the very reason it brings enjoyment to so many – there's not much deep thinking required but it's great at hinting at a deepness and nuance that is just not there. This way people can still feel the rush of philosophy without having to put any effort in; Kiéslowski serves his messages up clear and loud, leaving the viewer with the single responsibility of getting exposed to it. I truly do feel like I'm being too harsh with this series of films but my expectations were too high to justify what I saw.

On the polar opposite end of the spectrum, Matsumoto's 'Funeral Parade of Roses' (1969) completely blew me off. I went into it blind and I was so completely took by surprise right at the beginning – when *spoiler* Eddie's shower scene showed that she didn't have breasts I audibly gasped out loud; I literally had an involuntary physical reaction to an image on my laptop screen, I cannot stress enough how impressive that is. From that moment I was completely hooked, I knew this film was going to be a journey of self-exploration for me and it unequivocally delivered. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I would dare to say that it's a masterpiece. Apart from all the technical praise I could give it, what truly stuck with me is that it just made me feel seen. I guess that's simple enough, but it really means a lot to me. Maybe that's why people enjoyed 'Dekalog' too, there's a lot of family themes that I'm sure resonate with people. Once again: by existing in a context our experiences are necessarily subjective and tainted, my empathy is also limited so who am I to judge? What's probably happening is that I just don't get it, I'm certain there has to be beauty in the simplicity of it, I'm just not the person it speaks to.

#diary

[amaranthineoceans]

Everything Weird About Deltarune!

Spoiler Warning for Undertale and Both Chapters of Deltarune! Really! I Literally Go Through Everything I Can Remember About Them!

This is a long post so get comfortable. Also note that my brain doesn't process thoughts into words very well so some of these might not be worded in the best way. :)

Deltarune. The first teaser chapter was released on October 31, 2018, and it came out of nowhere. We've all gone through this, but I'll try and go through every single painstaking detail I can remember. Feel free to reblog and add/correct things.

The weirdness begins right off the bat. The title is an anagram of UNDERTALE. We all know Toby likes to use anagrams when he wants to indirectly tell us when things are related, so it's no surprise that when you go to download DELTARUNE, it warns you that the game is designed for people who have played UNDERTALE. You think, "Cool, so it's a sequel? Or maybe a prequel? A different perspective of UNDERTALE perhaps?" You were wrong; so terribly, terribly wrong! I'll elaborate on this later.

Before you download the application, the terms of service that you must agree to beforehand reads simply and plainly, "You accept everything that will happen from now on." This detail was kinda brushed off in the beginning, because, hey, it's Toby Fox. He does weird stuff all the time. But even in the first chapter, it's apparent that the concept of choice, or more accurately, the lack of it, is a very present theme in the game. I would like to remind you that Toby has announced that there will be one ending in the game. One. I'll elaborate on this later.

The program (as in, what the game is called in your files) is named SURVEY PROGRAM. Why not just call it Deltarune like it is when you download chapter two?

The game launches you, without a title screen, without any setting adjustment options, straight into a reference to the theme of the entire franchise: the lack of choice. A strange formless voice guides you through "making a vessel", with what we know now as a fountain in the background. You have the option to make some very disturbing choices in this character creator, such as making its favorite flavor "pain" or expressing your feelings about it with options such as "fear" and "disgust." You name your "creation," tell the formless voice your name (which is different from your vessel's name) and watch as said formless voice muses over your name at an agonizing pace. It thanks you for your time and tells you that your wonderful creation, (cue music cutout and background removal) will now be discarded. "No one can choose who they are in this world." The screen slowly turns white as the voice says, "Your... name... is..."

It gets weirder. The next scene appears from the whiteness and showcases Toriel calling "Kris" out of bed. Kris' area of the room is very bare in contrast to the other side, which we later discover is Asriel's.

It's Toriel. Why is Toriel here?

Kris is kind of an anagram of Frisk (the protagonist of UNDERTALE) but without the F. I highly doubt this is a coincidence.

Speaking with Noelle is the only reason you can proceed (see what i did there?) while finding a partner in the classroom. This means you can't go through the 1st chapter without knowing who she is. Is it because of the Snowgrave route?

Ralsei is just suspicious to me. There's no way he was just waiting in that castle his whole life alone without some mental toil. So either he's insane or he wasn't alone the whole time. What happened? Is it related to how he can close his eyes and see what Susie is going through when she's apart from the party? Was he just watching everything? Is he related to the formless voice?

Susie's icon is the only one without color in the Dark World.

Jevil's fight is more difficult than Sans'.

Your actions have little consequence in the first chapter. If you choose to go genocide, the only difference in the ending is being run out of the kingdom, and this doesn't carry over to the next chapter. Again, lack of choice, people.

If at the end of chapter one, you walk around town, it's mentioned (notably by Noelle) that you're usually not this talkative. If you go to the hospital and speak with the receptionist, they mention that you used to play the piano in the corner. If you decide to attempt to play the said piano, an out-of-key bash can be heard and the receptionist comments on how you used to play beautifully. If you try this in chapter two, the result is the same. All this is confirmation that Kris is acting noticeably weird.

When you leave the Dark World and walk around town, you can find Sans. He "pretends" to recognize you, and if you tell him you recognize him, he tells you it's funny, considering that you two have never met before. He winks. I'm pretty sure he knows that the player is there.

The mention of Papyrus in both games, but the purposeful lack of him. Like he's avoiding you.

If you go upstairs while inside Asgore's flower shop, there are flowers in glass cases resembling his SOUL collection in UNDERTALE. There's a red flower.

You can't enter the church.

The clock in the storage closet shows a different time than all the others in the school.

If you go all the way south in town and into the woods, the music stops and you come across a rusty, double door is in a hill covered in crass. It's locked. If you go this way in chapter two, however, you watch a cutscene where you and susie happen to find Monster Kid from UNDERTALE (or someone resembling them) and an owl kid in front of the door. The owl kid is pressuring Monster Kid to (presumably) break inside, telling them that they don't want to be a wimp like Kris. Does this imply that Kris is connected to this strange door somehow?

The ending. You know what I'm talking about.

Did Kris actually rip out the SOUL (I say "the" because I'm not entirely sure it's Kris') and knife because they wanted to eat the pie? Did they only eat the pie because Toriel caught them?

Why did they look at the player? Are they sick of being controlled? Is that why they freaked out after the Spamton fight? (later)

Anyway, now we're at chapter two.

DELTARUNE Chapter Two was released on September 17th, 2021. 17. Entry Number 17. Sound familiar?

Asriel's part of the room is different from the last chapter. I don't think this means anything sinister, but I think it means Kris notices different things about the room as the story progresses. My theory is that it will become more sinister in each chapter.

Ralsei getting super excited to see Susie and Kris after a day. As in he has separation anxiety and it breaks my heart. not anything suspicious but it makes me sad so it's on the list.

Kris and Susie's rooms. Ralsei REALLY doesn't want them to leave. Seriously get this boy a therapist. Or a stuffed animal. SOMETHING.

Kris having to gather everything from the storage closet so that people appear in the Dark World????? Why??????????????? They had to do the same thing for the computer lab too.

The golden door. I don't trust it.

How/why the heck did Noelle and Berdley go into the Computer Lab Dark World? I don't see either of them just walking into pulsing void doors without Susie.

Apparently the knight has been gone for a bit and can corrupt people's minds? The king in the first chapter doesn't seem like he can be redeemed but Queen just seems,,, not bad, but a little crazy. I wonder what happened.

Then again, name ONE person in this franchise without trauma.

Spamton.

Horror doesn't bother me. Spamton? Spamton bothers me.

SPAMTON. ENOUGH SAID.

A Kromer is a type of hat invented in the '70s. Nobody named Mike is associated with it, that I can find.

SPAMPTON. HOW DO I EVEN DESCRIBE IT.

HIS SONG IS THE ONLY ONE WITH WORDS.

The way he asks Kris is they want to be a heart on a chain their whole life. Like, dude, no wonder they were screaming after the fight.

WHERE DID THE YELLOW HEART COME FROM. YELLOW MEANS JUSTICE. WHY DOES JUSTICE APPLY.

Kris screaming after the fight and the player not being able to hear it. Don't you dare tell me that's just how the game is designed. There are sound effects characters make throughout the game. None that I can think of apply to Kris, apart from when they rip their soul out.

Ralsei brushing off the Spamton fight. Either that's his coping mechanism or he was trying to shut Susie and Kris up to protect them from... something. I'll touch on that in a minute.

According to Queen, DETERMINATION is a key factor in creating a fountain.

Also according to Queen, Kris, Noelle, and Susie all have DETERMINATION SOULS.

Ralsei freaking out about Berdley making a fountain implies that he may also have DETERMINATION. Why I'm bringing all this up will make sense soon.

How was Noelle able to cast Snowgrave... a spell that she, according to her, didn't know?

The Snowgrave route is so twisted.

You manipulate Noelle into killing Berdley and then, when you get back to the computer lab and investigate his corpse, the text box says that he doesn't seem to be awake. As if you're in denial?

Burgerpants recognizes you. Not Kris. As in the player.

The ending. I don't think I need to describe it. Kris is very methodical without the SOUL. (I say "the" because, again, I'm not 100% convinced it's theirs.) I'm saying this about how they left clues that someone broke into the This proves that they are NOT a mindless, vengeful husk.

HOW DID THEY MAKE THE FOUNTAIN WITHOUT THE SOUL INSIDE OF THEM. DID THEY FEED THE SOUL TO IT AFTERWARDS? IS THAT WHAT THAT WAS?

Another point I would like to make is my theory that Ralsei knows much more than he would have us believe. I might put this into a different post because I have yet to gather my points into a coherent bullet point list, so keep an eye out for that.

Anyway apart from Toriel and Susie being VERY heavy sleepers, I think I've gone through everything. I have a few theories.

1. Kris is possessed by the player and figured out that they could make a fountain from Queen and related to Spamton freaking out about freedom. They then decided to make a fountain going by the logic that "this would tick the player off." This is one of my top theories that assumes that the SOUL is theirs.

And 2. Kris is possessed by both the player and the knight. I think the formless voice at the very beginning of the game is the knight, and they somehow needed the player to possess someone with DETERMINATION. If so, then why Kris? We know from Queen that Noelle and Susie, and maybe even Berdley also have DETERMINATION. The most plausible thing I can think of is the fact that human souls are stronger than monster ones.

I do think that the popular theory (about the one that suggests that the Dark Word is nothing but a figment of a child's imagination, and the events that occur in said Dark World are simply children playing with toys) has been thoroughly dashed due to Berdley's murder in the genocide route of the second chapter. Unless he's not dead. Regardless, how the events (or lack thereof) that occur in the second chapter play through the next will be interesting, especially considering Toby's announcement about how there will be one ending to the game. So either Berdley isn't dead, or he will be.

Aaaand I think that's it! Sorry for the long post; let me know your thoughts and if I missed anything!

#deltarune #deltarune chapter 2 #deltarune theory #deltarune theories #deltarune chapter two theory #deltarune chapter two theories #snowgrave #pipis route #deltarune snowgrave #video games #indie game #deltarune spoilers #ralsei #kris #susie #undertale #sans

[savagetrickster]

Caffeine Rush (NSFW) | BNHA

anime  |  character:  bnha  |  bakugou katsuki

word count: 17,845

Themes/warnings: 18+, aged-up, praise kink, blowjob, fingering, spanking, overstimulation, swearing, mild degradation, unprotected sex 

The office building that made Ground Zero agency was quiet and still. The appointed office hours were over hours back. 

Most staff had already retired for the day. Among the black, lifeless screens on the desks, only hers stayed running bright and full of words on its screen. 

The cursor behind the word on the tail of her report was left to blink repetitively as she dragged her feet to the pantry. 

Her head felt numb with mental exhaustion as the weight of the nearing deadline reared its ugly head once again as the dreading thought of it reminded her again. The uneasiness and brooding anxiety that it brought about was no help in elevating the stress on her.

Between her heavy thoughts about the report taunting her from her computer screen, her legs brought her to the coffee machine. 

Her hand fell into a mechanical motion as it placed her mug on the dispenser and lifted to press the Espresso option on the LED screen.

This was her third cup...no, fourth. Wait, or was it the sixth? 

It didn’t even matter anymore.

She just needed to get through one more night of slaving away to finish it, and she would be fucking done with this long-due paperwork.

It was stupid of her to procrastinate so much; now she had to pay the price.

In the lonely silence of the pantry, her weary eyes watched the dark coffee dribble over her mug, sending one central ripple across the smooth steaming surface. 

Her hand returned its grip to the handle once again, tugging it out of the dispensing holder. 

A yawn left her as she turned away and instantly greeted with a startled-

“Fuck-” As the coffee in her mug was sent swishing and splashing over its rim as her hand collided into something solid with a curt jerk.

The scalding sting over her hand made her hiss. Her eyes flew up with irritation, her mouth opening to yell.

And she froze.

Then her eyes widened, horror seeping in when she realized she was staring at the angry face of...Ground Zero himself.

Her eyes followed his gaze down to the coffee dripping off his pants.

Well, shit.

A hasty jumble of ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry’ tumbled out of her mouth as she placed down her mug on the countertop behind while her other hand tore a handful of paper towels.

Her knees met as she quickly lowered herself before his stained pants. 

Maybe it was the nights spent over the stupid report. 

Maybe it was the coffee.

It seemed that all common sense or whatever would have kept her from grabbing the front of her boss’s pants had died along with her overworked brain cells.

Her apologies continued stumbling out of her mouth as her hands worked in a hasty pace on his pants, her eyes focused on wiping away the spillage.

Too caught up in her guilt and her panic to realize anything else-

The warmth in her hands was trying to pull away. 

The stuttering mess of curses uttered above her.

The stiffening within her grasp.

He just returned from a long day outside to take some stuff and his craving for the aromatic bitterness of coffee was what brought himself straight to the pantry the moment he stepped through the main door. 

It was absurd to think he would end up being groped by a female employee in the pantry. The brewing words he wanted to yell at the woman with fell at every brisk rub down him. 

Bakugou could feel the resisting voice bubbling in his chest growing quieter at every stroke. 

Fuck. While this was bizarre and all to him, the jolting thrill running up his length sent a delicious chill up his spine. 

A particular thrill of friction brushing over the protruding vein on his clothed erection shook his next breath out of him.

Loud and harsh enough to draw her eyes up to him, her hands pausing.

And was met with a flustered yet irritated face glaring back at her.

Her eyes drifted back to her hands blankly at where her fingers were wrapped around - something was thick and kinda...lengthy. 

In her hands was Ground Zero’s...oh wow.

She always had dirty thoughts about her boss but damn, this was not what she had ever imagined herself doing. 

Along with muscular, lean built and tall stature that could give models a run for their money, the bulge accentuated in his flattering, somewhat fitting pants was a big distraction for the females in his agency...or maybe it was just her. 

Exactly as she had imagined, he was indeed...big in her hands.

And it was...

Her fingers tightened slightly. ...hard.

A responsive jolt accompanied by a hissing curse made her jump, slapping her with a cold splash of realization.

Shit.

That she was on her knees in her company’s pantry, caressing her boss’s cock.

Oh shit.

Her hands flinched away from him as if scalded and her legs scrambled to get her away. A bright, red blush colored the flustered horror on her face.

She was so fired. 

So so FIRED-

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” 

Her eyes raised to find him looking down at her with a towering glare brimming with impatience and frustration.

“You think you can just get away like this?” 

“I’m so sorr-”

“Weren’t you just fondling with my cock?” His usual husky voice sounded rougher and breathless. “Who the fuck said you can stop?”

She stared, stunned. Wondering whether her ears were failing her as well. 

But clearly they weren’t because she could hear an intriguing strain in his voice.

The struggle in his gruffness and the red eyes prodding into her sent a needy ache within her, feeling a gush of her arousal soaked through her panties underneath her dress.

A slip of her eyes from his face, a shiver ran through her at how his nipples on his well-defined pecs were poking through the tight clad of his hero costume on him. 

Her eyes slipped even lower.

The huge tent prodding through his pants made her eyes waver and her breath quivered through her lips. 

Was she high from all the coffee? Or had she officially gone nuts?

She wasn’t sure what, but she didn’t even want to care.  

The man of her dreams himself was offering himself to her. 

She could feel her body trembling with a strong ache. The long, yearning ache that had followed her through the years and pushed her to join his agency.

An ache to be filled by Bakugou Katsuki, the world’s second strongest man.

An ache to feel him shove his cock into her.

An ache to make her wild thoughts about him come true.

She felt the last straining thread holding herself back snap as her hands flew forward, immediately working on the buckle around his waist.

Her lips were stretched over his leaking cock as soon as it sprang free from his pants. 

The pre-cum spilling over from his swollen tip smeared over her lips as she moaned giddily at the melting heat in her mouth.

The hand tugging harshly onto her hair dug even more pressure into her scalp as a throaty groan joined her muffled moan.

“Ye-Yeah, show me what you’ve got.” 

A grin stretched across Bakugou’s face as he pressed himself harder into her, feeling his cock sink deeper into her warm cavern, her moans spiked with a choke. 

“And I’ll give you a good one later.” 

His hand left her head to join the other clutching onto the edge of the countertop behind her.

Her walls clenched to his words just as her eyes watered at the pressure pressed to the back of her throat.

Fuck, he was as thick as she had guessed. But she had never imagined he would be so...veiny.

She drew back and relished in the heavy pants and moans from above, tracing her tongue daringly across the trails of veins running along with his lengthy girth. 

Her hands raised to join her mouth, adding on with tightening squeeze as she lingered at the tip of his bulging cock. 

A slow, elaborate lick across the weeping slit on it, her throat swallowed with a  deep gulp.

Almost instantly, a dragging grunt rumbled through his body. 

Humming in delight at what she heard, her cheeks hollowed as she started to suckle heatedly over the hot running tip. 

Within the firm grip of her hand, she could feel his thick girth filling up, growing thicker as she welcomed more pre-cum into her.  

The husky moans from above light a smirking glint in her eyes as she reached a hand up his length and clamped over his balls with a teasing curt squeeze.

Immediately, the husky moans from him hitched with a broken grunt. 

Her walls clenched tight at how erotic that sounded.

“Y-You take my cock so well. Do you think you deserve to be fucked by me?”

The small collected pool of her own arousal on the floor beneath her heated cunt was rained upon by another surge as her walls convulsed with need.

“No, I-I don’t,” His stiff cock popped free from her mouth, a slick thread of her saliva remained connected to its flushed, bloated tip. 

“Bu-But Bakugou-sama, you deserve to be inside me.” Her eyes were fogged with hazy heat and her cheeks red. 

Bakugou…

His cock spluttered another rush of pre-cum. 

...-sama?

“I-I’ve been ready for you ever since I laid my eyes on you.” 

His red eyes shook with his expelling breath as a carnal jolt rippled through him, his cock tightening even more with the growing pressure within.

“Strip completely,” His eyes blazed as he spat his order, “Get on that table and show me how much your pussy wants me then.”

Clothes were strewn on the floor in an irregular trail to the broad table sitting in the center of the pantry. 

Propped by her arms behind her, her legs shook with effort to keep her thighs wide apart for him. 

Her heated cunt wouldn’t stop leaking, trickles of her slick fluid continued to join the collected puddle on the table below as the man took his time to approach.

The way his hungry gaze sat fix on her weeping folds stretched wide enough for the chills from the air conditioner to tickle her. 

Red eyes took in the sight before him greedily.

The clench of her eyebrows on her forehead

The way she bit down on her lower lips. 

Her face flushed red and her breasts rising and falling with harsh pants.

And the way her raised thighs were spread wide apart for him.

“Look at you,” Bakugou stopped before her, his lips forming a smug smirk at the sight for the glistening trickles slipping out of her, “...Already dirtying my property with your slutty pussy.” 

Her breathy pants spiked with a moan as he pressed two fingers to her clit, pinching it briefly before moving down.

A gathering of her warm arousal coated his fingers as they ran lightly over her-  

“I haven’t even done shit yet,” -and paused to pry her sopping folds apart. “But fuck, you’re already so wet.”

A gasping whimper puffed out of her as his fingers pushed through the thick coat and into her aching walls. 

The wet, lewd squelch dragged through the air as her wispy whimper rose to a drawn moan at the delicious thrill his fingers made as they bulldozed their way into her sensitive walls.

She found it hard not to stare at the way his erected, weeping cock prodded against his toned stomach. Wondering with a wistful sigh about how it would feel inside her.

“Ba-Bakugou-sama, I-” A rough shove of one more finger into her tore a startled cry through her words. 

“You what?” His lips widened with a grin as his fingers curled and stretched teasingly within her pulsing walls.

“P-Please…” 

Her eyes raised to his, staring back helplessly at the amusement in his dancing red eyes, trying not to give in to her aching desire to return to his cock. “...fuck me.”

Her struggle against her straying eyes was not missed.   

“Aren’t my fingers already doing that?” His knowing grin widened. “Oh you mean...like this?” 

His calloused fingers inside her suddenly sped, thrusting through her walls vigorously.

Gasping moans rode through her throat as fast, furious friction of the loud, lewd squelches accompanying his pumping fingers rubbed the heated air between them frantically.

The building pleasure within her was making her dizzy with euphoric fever as her moans rose. 

Uncontrollable hot tears escaped her dazed, wavering eyes as she watched his fingers work heatedly between her wide opened thighs.

Her walls were convulsing, resonating with her urgent need to release the pent-up pressure inside her. 

Not even coffee could keep her this awake. 

The jolting thrills were shaking her overstimulated body. “Baku-Bakugou-sama, I’m-” 

His fingers were ripped out of her before she could finish. A startled moan elicited out of her at the same time.

The slick threads connecting his fingers to her spilling cunt quivered as Bakugou brought his hand up, his eyes admiring the result of his work with a satisfied glint.

He brought his heavily coated fingers before her panting, parted lips with a smug, intense gaze. 

“Clean up this shit.” His gruff voice was commanding and blunt.

Her lips immediately latched onto his fingers, hastily lapping up her own fluid. It tasted weird on her tongue, but she didn’t bother too much. 

She could feel her body shivering with impatience and frustration. One big gulp down her throat, her eyes raised to him with anticipation, in time to see his hand run over his cock.

“I think it’s time I give you your little reward.” His eyes met hers. “Be grateful that I, Ground Zero, even considered putting my cock inside you.”

“Tha-Thank you, Ground Zero.” Her eyes followed his hand as it slid over his swollen tip. 

“Bakugou-sama suits your mouth better. Eyes up here,” The edge in his voice hardened. Her eyes raised to his obediently. “Thank me properly if you want me inside now.” 

A thrill jolted through her cunt.

Fuck, in her head where her imagination ran wild, he was always the dominating one but witnessing it with her own eyes...Shit, she never knew he could be any more sexier. 

“Thank you, Bakugou-sama.” A sultry purr reverberated in her chest as she sighed giddly at the sinful sight the way his leaking arousal was giving away his own needs for her cunt.

Today was probably by far the best day of her life. The sex gods if there were any, were smiling down on her.

“Now, get down onto the floor on all fours.”

Her slick arousal cascaded down her thighs the moment she eagerly set herself on her knees. Her  softly arched back accentuated her ass as her excitement ran through her throbbing walls.

A shuddering chill ran up her spine at the light brush of his cock across her protruding ass as Bakugou planted himself behind her.

His eyes narrowed at the gap between her thighs.

“Is this how you show me your gratitude?” His hand landed on her butt cheek with a harsh slap. She responded to him with a sharp cry as her body jolted.

“Open wider.” A sharp sting rang across her other butt cheeks as another slap landed.

“...And I’ll fuck you like the little slut you are.” 

His words sounded so...hot to her ears.

With a shivering whimper, she obeyed, lowering herself with forearms propped shakily on the floor beneath her. 

Her butt cheeks spread open as she pushed her thighs apart for him.

His breath shuddered out of him as he watched the quivering threads of her slick fluid stretched, following the widening space between her sopping folds she made from parting herself.

All these...

A strangled groan escaped him. 

...for him.

The tight pressure strained in his bulging girth even more. Fuck, he couldn’t wait anymore.

His hand slipped up her arched back and wrapped itself tightly around the end of her long hair, her back arching even more to his firm grip on her, as his other slathered his needy cock over her dripping slit. 

The delirious whimper shuddering down to her cunt fanned his carnal ache to shove himself in.

The tightening grip on her hair was her only warning before his hip shot forward. His cock plunged through the pouring flow of her arousal and buried completely into her in one powerful rut.

The bright flash of pleasure searing through the sudden big, wide stretch of her cervix forced a choked moan out of her, hot tears spilling out of her widened eyes at how thick he was.

“Fu-Fuck,” A trembling grunt shook out of his lips as he drew himself back through the walls clamped in a vice-like grip around him. “What a tight little bitch you are-”

His cock rammed in one bruising thrust, shoving an instantaneous sharp cry out of her mouth.

More continued to tumble out of her as he continued to hammer into her, his hand tugging harshly onto her hair like it was his rein.

The other hand in a clutching grip on her hip as his cock drove fiercely through her pulsing walls. 

Helpless sobbing moans forced out her mouth at every rough snap of his hip. Her eyes nearly rolled back every time he pounded into her.

A sly grin stretched his panting lips as he thrusted mercilessly into her

“Too much for you?” A slap on her ass drew another cry from her. 

Somewhere between his powerful ruts, his hand had left her hair and joined the other on her hip in a harsh grip. 

His intense gaze glared into her as she staggered weakly on her shaky arms with giddy whimpers and groans. She was a slobbering mess beneath his towering stance.

“Keep up with me.” A growl ripped through his words as he gave her another slap on her ass.

In the smothering heat ramming between her clenching walls, she was beginning to see white flashes behind her fluttering blinks. 

Blazing brighter and brighter as she felt his rushing cock push her fast to the edge. She couldn’t anymore. 

It was too...

“Ba-Bakugou-sama!” 

A tattered shriek broke her voice as a starburst of electrifying ripple shattered through her shaking body, her orgasm instantly flooding his relentless cock with her rich arousal.

The hiss sifted through his gritted teeth as Bakugou bit back a groan at the hot burst and her rapidly gripping walls that were engulfing him greedily.  

Fuck. This was it for him too.

Along with the squeezing tightness around him, the overpowering load in his cock forced the rolls of his hip to grow hectic and furious.

Her fleeting moans joined his breathless groans as he chased his own release with a fervor blazing in his red eyes, ramming hot blistering thrusts into her.

His desperate thrusts were accompanied with slippery, frantic squelches loud enough to mingle with harsh claps of their slapping skin as his hip met with her flushed ass heatedly.

One particularly sharp, powerful thrust forward forced a growling moan shredding through his mouth as his hip snapped into her and buckled erratically.

A loud sultry groan dragged through her throat as she felt the bulging tip of his swollen cock nestle into the deepest part of her with a rough prod. 

The hot burst of his thick rich seed spluttering fiercely inside her made her eyes roll back.  

The back of his muscular thigh clenched as he held his spurting cock snug inside her, expelling a wavering satisfied sigh.

Her dragging groan ended with a delirious whimper as she relished in the warm fullness inside her, her walls stirring their mixed fluid with fluttering clenches.

One thought ran in her hazy head as she crumbled to the floor, amused and amazed.

That she had done it.

Her dreams came true.

That she had actually fucked one of the hottest men alive.

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[septembercfawkes]

How Theme is Your Story's Shadow

Something that has been coming into my conversations lately, is the idea that theme is like your story's shadow. Or perhaps, more accurately, its shadow puppet.

Setting, characters, and plot are more concrete. They are (more or less) physical. But theme comes out of them when an outside intelligence (writer or reader) shines light on them. This casts a shadow to form a shape, or a puppet.

Learning about and writing theme can be difficult, in part, because you can't hold and mold a shadow itself.

You have to shift what casts the shadow.

To create the right shadow puppet, you have to rearrange the hands--the story elements--the right way.

And if you cast an incoherent blob on the wall and claim it makes a cat, it's not going to be effective.

This is the equivalent of a writer trying to slap on a thematic argument through "telling," when the story itself doesn't "show" or back up the argument. This usually manifests in a character being philosophical or preachy somewhere in the story--trying to force a meaningful discussion on a topic that is irrelevant enough to be un-meaningful.

On the other hand, a professional-level writer may understand how to arrange the characters and plot in a beautiful, coherent way, so that it casts an elaborate shadow--even if the writer never looks beyond the story.

This is why you can sometimes find powerful, thematic literature, written by someone who doesn't know how theme works. Just this last week, I was listening to a hugely successful writer talk for hours about his approach to writing, without even addressing theme. Yet I've seen his work used by others when discussing theme.

He surely knows all about rearranging the hands appropriately, so when anyone intelligent comes to look, they shine the light on them to find the thematic shadow. It doesn't matter so much that he doesn't understand theme. He understands the underlying principles that make up the theme.

For the rest of us, we need some help. And understanding theme before we get to a professional level, will help us reach that level faster. Furthermore, I have sometimes wondered how much better a successful writer would be, if they did properly understand theme. I mean, imagine if their stories were even more impactful!

In order to cast a great thematic shadow, we need to understand its physical counterparts.

Here are the critical pieces:

1. Your protagonist's dominating qualities, worldview, and/or lifestyle

Your protagonist has dominating qualities. She might be a survivalist like Katniss. Innocent like Frodo. Miserly like Scrooge. Overly protective and codependent like Marlin in Finding Nemo. Or something else. One, if not multiple, of these qualities tap into the theme.

2. Your protagonist's arc

How your protagonist changes or remains the same because of the plot, regarding those qualities, conveys a value of those qualities. Scrooge gives up his miserly ways to live a better life. This implies that being miserly can hold one back from a better life.

What a character wants versus what a character needs can also play into this.

3. Antagonistic force's qualities and worldview

Because the antagonist is opposing the protagonist, the antagonist is also challenging the protagonist's dominating qualities. The antagonist either leads to the protagonist changing those qualities or at least tests the protagonist's commitment to those qualities. At some point, in some way, the antagonist is usually thematically opposite of the protagonist.

4. How that antagonistic force is resolved

At the climax, the protagonist and antagonistic force go head to head. It's what makes the climax, the climax.

Who wins and how, conveys a teaching about those qualities and worldviews. Katniss must defeat the antagonistic force by proving she will do more than simply save herself and survive (which is what they expect). She must be willing to risk dying to save Peeta and beat the Games.

To defeat death, Scrooge must be willing to let go of his miserly ways and realize real wealth comes from relationships and helping others.

In the denouement, those who gain something greater (and this may only be internal), are those who have the "correct" view, while those who are punished have the "wrong" view. The "correct" view is the theme.

Here are the supporting pieces:

1. Influence Character

I actually debate where to put this one, because I think it's more important than the other supporting pieces, but not as important as the critical pieces.

The Influence Character is important because they influence or impact the protagonist. The Influence Character and protagonist are connected in some way, but they usually have different methods or views when it comes to dealing with life. These differences tap into the theme.

Most of the time, the Influence Character has a worldview that the protagonist comes to understand and adopt--a worldview that is "correct." This embodies the theme. However, in some stories, this will be reversed. (And there can be variations.)

2. Supporting Cast

Ideally, the supporting characters will also be feeding into the theme, by providing different perspectives related to the protagonist's and/or antagonists dominating qualities and worldviews. For example, in Arrival--which centers on the theme topic of communication--the protagonist must interact with characters who don't understand, respect, or fully value language. In Moana, each of the side characters has a different view on identity--Tamatoa says identity comes from your appearance, while Moana's father argues identity comes from your place on the island.

3. Secondary Plots

Often secondary plots will mirror or foil the main conflict, which means they mirror or foil the thematic argument. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the thematic argument is that what one chooses is more important than what one is--as demonstrated by the fact that Harry, who lacks a pure bloodline and "should" have been in Slytherin, is able to defeat the Heir of Slytherin with the Gryffindor sword. This proves that Harry's choices (to be in Gryffindor) are more important than what he is--since he defeats the antagonistic force who is arguing that one's value is based on what one is (a pureblood).

In addition to the primary plot, the thematic argument is explored in the other conflicts: Hermione being bullied for being a Mudblood, despite being the best at magic; Nearly-Headless Nick attempting repeatedly to join the Headless Hunt, who argues he doesn't qualify; Hagrid being a scapegoat for being half-giant; Dobby being forced to serve the Malfoys because he's a house-elf; Filch trying to learn magic as a squib.

The critical pieces are the "bones" of the shadow puppet. The supporting points provide the "flesh" (they add breadth, density, or depth to the shadow).

Because the critical pieces are the bones, they inherently make the shadow puppet when the light shines on them. You can't cast a shadow that doesn't match the bones. This is why every story you write says something about life, even if you don't want it to.

And this is why some writers accidentally say something in their themes, that they didn't mean to. For example, if Katniss killed Peeta to win the Games--and was rewarded for that--then the argument may be that survival at all costs, including killing a friend, is the correct way to live. A completely different thematic statement.

This is why trying to slap on an irrelevant theme through some character monologuing, doesn't ring true. Because the bones said the theme was something different. The bones showed the theme was something different.

You can never cast a shadow that doesn't match the bones.

The supporting pieces aren't as vital, so they give you more wiggle room. Still, a shadow is usually easier to see when it has some depth.

The supporting pieces may simply, ultimately reinforce the main argument, which may make the theme more straightforward. For example, Hermione being bullied for being a Muggleborn, when she's actually the best in her class, simply reinforces the idea that what we choose (to study hard) is more important than what we are (Muggleborn). Notice, however, that this doesn't necessarily make the journey "easy." After all, feelings were hurt, and tears were shed.

On the other hand, the supporting pieces may contrast the main argument, which may make the theme more complex. In Zootopia, Judy dreams of being a bunny cop to prove to everyone that you can be anything you want. However, when we meet Nick, he shares the idea that a baby fox wants to grow up to be an elephant. This is an impossibility. No matter what, a fox can't be an elephant.

This means that the idea that we "can be anything," is actually more nuanced and complex. It needs some refining. In the right context, we "can be anything." There are certain limitations. . . . Although, maybe these days, one might argue that a fox could identify as an elephant--but that's a different argument outside that story's.

(Also, just a note on a technicality, the idea that "we can be anything" is actually a secondary theme of the story, not the primary theme (which is about bias), but the principle holds true regardless. Someday I'll talk about secondary themes.)

Because the supporting pieces can reinforce or contrast the critical pieces, you can write all kinds of things in those spots. However, it can be helpful and beneficial to know what you are doing so you can create the best shadow puppet shape you want.

It also helps you evaluate how one idea may fit better in your story than another and keeps you from arguing something you didn't intend. Just as an example, if I did want to argue that indeed "we can be anything," then I may not want to include Nick's elephant idea, and if I did, I'd want to refute it by showing a fox could be an elephant when he grew up.

What's not a good idea is to put in a bunch of stuff that is irrelevant to the theme. Suppose J. K. Rowling decided to include the secondary plot of Ron's relationship with Lavender Brown in Chamber of Secrets instead of Half-blood Prince. It waters down and takes away from the theme, because it has little to do with what someone chooses or what someone is. It needs to stay in Half-blood Prince, which explores one's inability/ability to love, along with counterfeit love.

However, with that said, one may argue you can take that plotline and rework it to highlight Ron's choices and maybe argue that Lavendar only likes him because of what he is--a keeper on the quidditch team. That would make that plotline more supportive of the theme. And it may be that by the time the story is publish-ready, it has naturally come to that point.

Needless to say, you can flesh out the bones all kinds of ways. And I'm sure I will talk some more about that in the future.

For now, just remember that in order to convey theme, you need to shift the "physical" pieces, so that when someone shines light on them, they can see the right shadow. The critical pieces definitively make up the theme, and the supporting pieces reinforce or add complexity to it. While it is possible to write a great story without understanding theme, it's probably better to use it to your advantage.

#writing tips #writing tips and tricks #writeblr #fanfic #writing theme #writing reference #writing help