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bugsbenefit · 1 year

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attraction in ST

or. oh god stop stripping the show of it's themes no please no it needs those, stopppp

actually making this post now bc i'm sick of people claiming anything remotely sexual or even kissing happening to the party (an opinion that often pops up in the context of byler) in s5 would be horrible, sexualising, or out of character for the show

ST has always had a realistic approach to kids growing into their sexualities. the show's never shied away from directly addressing sex and sexual feelings so i'm honestly amazed by the extremely puritan interpretation of the show. i'm assuming, in good faith, that a big part of it is coming from people not having seen the actual show in ages and are just forgetting how explicitly the show handles sexuality. instead of just assuming it's from culturally raised christian people, who feel uncomfortable seeing any portrayal of sexuality, no matter how tasteful or realistic

i'm also saying all this as an ace person myself, i get not being into sex and not wanting to see it. however, refusing to acknowledge entire themes of a fictional show just because i don't experience them is bizarre to me. sexuality is vitally important to a lot of the characters and isn't just there to be fun(gross). essentially, ST is the opposite of porn without plot

so just as a little reminder what's actually IN Stranger Things. canonically.

sorry i had this sc for ages and wanted to include it Somewhere, so here you go. at a little starter... dorry

also this is an old draft seeing the light of day now, if anything's worded weird it's bc i didn't read all of it over again so oops, grammar hard?

TLDR: the show has never shied away from explicitly addressing sexuality. buying into the puritan fanon version of the show is going to make your s5 viewing experience worse because that show doesn't exist

season 1

we're starting the show off with Stancy, which is very sexually charged in general. (even in s4 Nancy still experiences physical attraction to Steve despite them having unchanged compatibility) the plot surrounding them in s1 explicitly focuses on Nancy having sex with Steve and later regretting that choice. the scene that everyone remembers, is of course, the "explicit" (not really, because ST is really tasteful with how it shows these teens explore themselves) sex scene

they're in sophomore and junior year of highschool here. around 15 and 16 years old - yet the show doesn't shy away from letting them figure things out. and it's not like this sexual theme is contained in only that scene. it keeps coming back the whole season as Nancy tries to sort her feelings out and deals with the aftermath of that night

also sidenote here while still at Steve and his party: even Steve's friends are very casual with their sexualities. and yes, they can even explicitly mention sex and specific sexual acts, no holding back here

Nancy's character conflict in s1 very much hinges on her sexuality and sexual themes. and it's not like there is a magic you need to be at least this old rule to know what sex is on the show like so many people seem to believe, because even 12 year old Mike seems to very much know what his sister and Steve are up to. he even goes out of his way to use it against her

iconic line! but i've seen insane takes trying to spin this into something not alluding to something sexual. i'm sorry to say if he doesn't think they're full on having sex he at least thinks they're getting very intimate with each other regardless

so not even the youngest characters on the show are "innocent and pure" the way fandom likes to claim when it comes to sexuality. and of course they aren't. real 12 year olds know what sex is, they're young not oblivious

and the following seasons make that even more obvious

season 2

as of s2 the kids are getting more involved with the sexual jokes, not just making them about other people but even being directly involved with those themes themselves. which is also realistic. with 13 sexuality starts to get thrown your way by every possible form of media. lots of them start developing crushes, have no idea how relationships work, etc. it's messy, typical teens thrown into the dating game. (i say all of this from a developmental media psychology perspective thanks uni and not personal experience sorry lmao, i'm a bit too ace to have my own input here)

s2 features comedic and awkward mentions of sex(ual activity) towards Lucas and Max,

older peers giving their 13 year old friends well meant advice on how relationships work,

and has even younger characters play around with attraction/kissing/love as well, which is incredibly normal for kids to do at that age

they're all young and the show treats growing up realistically. while the theme of attraction or sexuality gets more relevant for them (in scenes that are often received with awkwardness by the characters themselves) the show offers them safe territory to stand on. none of them are directly confronted with sexuality and are instead offered people to seek advice from for example

meanwhile the sexuality theme for the older kids is still very much explicit. just as Nancy's arc is still heavily tied to her romance and sexuality (which ties into her non conformity themes - she's an ambition driven person trying to escape the culdesac life first and foremost)

not only do we get another sex scene (this time with a cut away), there's also explicit jokes about it after

sexuality on the show is continuously awkward and messy. Jonathan and Nancy are only 16-17 here - no one really knows what they're doing or what the right way to go ahead is and Jonathan rightfully almost does a spittake here. out of pocket Murray

sexuality. is. awkward. (we get is s2 thanks)

season 3

s3 gets even more explicit with it's awkward puberty sexuality themes

from Dustin talking about how much he likes kissing Suzie (and her liking him not having teeth for it?) which weirds Steve out to the repeating, awkwardly received, "happy screams joke" (which gets a callback in later scene)

sexuality is still awkward for them. it's a realistic approach to what 14 year olds act like and know. they're actively dating by now, they're kissing people And have messy relationship situations. all while still acknowledging knowing what sex and attraction is, duh, of course they know that. but i'm explicitly pointing it out because i see obscene amounts of people claiming the characters are completely sheltered and even implying that they know what sex is would be gross. to that i say, do you not remember being 14???

and while i'm at s3, also let it be mentioned that even the adults are suffering at the hands of the sexuality theme here. Hopper's hookups with random women are focused on in s1, but now that he's getting closer with Joyce they get very explicitly told to just have sex. literally

not putting the whole dialogue in here, i already have too many images because there's so many sex mentions in this show and he really just tells them their mating ritual is painful and they should tear their clothes off and fuck right now

thanks Murray, always insightful

season 4

and s4 has stopped just confronting the kids with the existence of sexuality, but is tentatively starting to explore mature themes more directly - which allows them to tentatively start exploring their own sexualities instead of just having to acknowledge the general concept of sexuality

Max gets to ogle shirtless Steve

Lucas has something under his bed that's never confirmed as anything except "100/10 gross" but had 90% of the audience i saw immediately assume something sexual (magazines or the like)

and has a bunch more direct nudges, from the kids "experimenting sexually" as Murray says

to Argyle explicitly telling Jonathan he needs to have sex with Nancy again

to Hopper and Joyce's escalating make out in a church while shirtless

to visual innuendos (i'm looking at you hose scene. this one wouldn't be such a big deal if there wasn't a genuine moral panic about it last year. which was crazy. people literally had to pretend the scene didn't exist to escape the witchhunting mobs, except instead of being killed for magic it'd be for looking at a canon scene and acknowledging it. crazy times - aside from that there's also more visuals you can take as innuendos in s4e1 which there's already posts about out there so i'm not getting into them here, i'm more focused on the overt textual references)

to Yuir extensively talking about pleasing women and making them cum (I'm sparing you from that, the sc in at the top was already enough)

to explicit graffities all over the place, like here as an example "give me head until i'm dead" which is in frame for the whole phone call and Steve talking about his bitchlesness. and is also some of the only easily legible text (i hope this is readable, most of my screenshots kind of died a bit so maybe you need to look at an actual clip to see the text)

that is aside from the "DRUGS" poster which touches on another point s4 makes. the show doesn't just explore sexuality, it also puts the kids into more mature situations in general (not talking about the deaths, this is a horror show), specifically drugs

Jonathan uses weed as a coping mechanism the whole season and Eddie even sells the stuff in full bags (insane weed selling practices btw, even i know that). Chrissy (17-18) wants to do weed and ketamine. and we also see Lucas (14) hungover after drinking at a party for the first time

the show does not shy away from portraying realistic teen experiences

Murray called s4 very well, the kids pound some bears, smoke some ganja, play nintendo, and experiment sexually

literally. you have drinking, weed, and confusing queer sexualities. they took this list step by step

and all of those pretty normal things teens tend to explore. and i say that as someone who was decidedly not into those things. the ace experience is a bit different, but i can still acknowledge how that period was like for my allo friends and people in general

there is an extreme push in this fandom to reject any form of sexual jokes or references in the show, made mostly by people being uncomfortable with portrayals of sexuality. however, the themes not only still exist, they're also very prominent throughout all 4 seasons and are important to a lot of the characters directly

and it's also noteworthy here to see how ST approaches it's sexuality theme. it grows with the characters. starting out as jokes and being received with awkwardness to slowly letting them figure things out on their own time and turns. an extremely realistic progression and very common for coming of age narratives such as ST. it's a far cry from shows exploring sexuality or sexual themes for the sake of the viewers enjoyment like Euph0ria (don't want it to show up in tags)

based on what we currently know s5 could very well be taking place in 1988 or later which would place the party at around 16-17 years old. going into the season with the fanon version of the show that is completely clean and non sexual will 100% set you up for disaster

ST is very realistic and non exploitative with it's exploration of teen sexuality so there is obviously nothing to worry about in the sexualization department, that's just puritan fear mongering. however, it's very likely that we're going to get more than holding hands or pecks on the lips from the characters that are now older than characters we've explicitly seen hook up before. there could be more intimate scenes or making out, yes. but there's also at least one basically guaranteed vulgar joke in there, all seasons have them

there's no real theorizing or speculation about s5 here, anything could happen and i'm not placing bets, i want the characters narratives to be wrapped up well first and foremost and trust the writers to do it well. however, going into s5 with some of the mindsets i've seen circulating on here and expecting the show to be "clean" and cater to a version of it that's never existed outside of purified fandom could genuinely make you feel blindsided by the shows canon themes

not targeted at anyone or anything specifically, just using this as a bit of a reality check of what the show is actually like after recently rewatching all of it in one go

#stranger things #you see people here get attacked for harmless kissing fics bc it's 'too sexual' meanwhile the canon show has teens explicitly having sex #the contrast is just crazy #lets not pretend half the show doesn't exist just bc it makes you uncomfortable #byler #because it's Relevant in that tag lmao #finally posting this older one (i'm even tagging it bc i'm so brave) since we're finally starting to be able to talk about the show like #you'd talk about any other show normally #and we're ignoring the puritans #sure why not talk more about the canon show

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mixelation · 2 months

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ngl i feel a little bad for how kisame didnt rank well in the tori ship poll. He's so (comparatively) sane & honestly tori deserves someone that stable & texturally smooth imho!

aaw it's nice to know i have followers who don't just want to see the world burn* <3

*i'm looking at YOU, torito shippers. also the torochimaru nation commenter

#fic: plasticity #reborn au #i'm actually not sure what kisame would get out of this ship #i think he looks at tori and immediately feels tired #yes she looks harmless NOW but last time he let her out of his sight she stole a live animal

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ithuriels-criativety · 3 months

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How to write a harmless character (meaning someone who can't or will not physically fight)

There seems to be a misunderstanding between a harmless character and a peaceful one. The peaceful do not want to harm anyone, the harmless is incapable of doing so. None of them are bad traits to apply to a character, but the limits many others possible traits, so there is a list of very few characters that represents this traits (mainly the "harmless" trait).

Peaceful characters that belong among the main ones tend to be retired soldiers or someone with great skill in combat. It is not uncommon for them to be put in a critical situation where they need to use their knowledge, be it to protect someone or any other reason. I advise you, writer who are interested in this kind of character, to avoid making your character being underestimated, this is becoming a cliché that push away many readers.

Well, my actual point with this post is to advise about the "harmless" trait, based on my experience as a reader of course. Here it goes...

✨The harmless type✨

Most of the time this characters are kids, old people, woman or non-combatants civilians (basically mobs), which is infuriating! I am sure that upon reading the title you had thought one of this, so why don't I give you some examples of my creativity since you do not have enough? (I am kidding, I'm sorry).

The character who was once a great warrior known on the whole realm for their skills and now is just an empty shell. It would be really interesting if even being powerless now people respected them or he had students who would look after them.

Someone who was born with a weak body or an illness that couldn't be cured but wouldn't kill them. Being weak doesn't mean they're powerless, this character can be really smart and lead someone else or be a powerful person in business or politics and not to be ignored even by people with strength enough to wipe them out of the earth.

A person who has all they need to be the strongest or one of the best warriors but for some reason choose to not fight; be it a pacifist or someone traumatized and hater of violence. Make sure that they don't know how to fight if it is the second option! They may not learn how to after overcoming the trauma, something like "I don't need to fight to be who I am" or something (Personally, I like a lot the plot of them just not being into fighting; having all the genetics they need to be strong and just choosing to be peaceful and out of trouble).

Having their strength blocked by something that could be self inflicted. May it be a "curse", an injury or just not being allowed to use everything they have.

There are very few literary works that involve a truly harmless character that is well built and I can't even remember any who does to recommend, but you could be the one to add to this scarce list.

That's it. Feel free to add more prompts to it or use the ones I displayed here.

#writers on tumblr #writing prompts #character idea #character traits #harmless #original character #harmless character #prompt list #story prompt #fic prompt #writing prompt

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blueper-saiyan · 23 days

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I have a firm heartfelt belief that neither Goku nor Vegeta is at all normal for a Saiyan but some of the ways that they’re weird overlap perfectly, so they’re both convinced that they’re normal and that’s just what Saiyans are like

#Not the strong women thing though that one is real and universal (the appreciation is present even for those for whom it is not sexual)#Goku and Vegeta have still never met a normal saiyan and they probably never will so this belief is harmless #I do want to write a fic where the two of them get dumped back in time together on Planet Vegeta and have to realize that Saiyans are not #how they expected them to be and they’re both pretty unusual #But 1. I’d have to do a lot of worldbuilding and 2. I would be making Vegeta suffer so much it just feels mean #Goku probably wouldn’t care though if anything he might appreciate a little more evidence that his species isn’t like. born evil #But also he’d definitely want to stop them from being shitty so that would be an exciting and difficult task

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indelen · 1 month

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I love that one fanfic trope where Loki needs a disguise on Earth or whatever so he shape shifts and the narrative makes it clear it's to look like Tom.

Exactly the kind of silly little joke I like.

#tom hiddleston #loki #fan fic #loki fanfic #loki fanfction #i definitely did this in Borrowed Time #there's a variant of it where Loki shape shifts to look like another role Tom played and that's very good too #just like a harmless meta bit that never gets old for me

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daz4i · 4 months

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i love it when fic writers write abt japanese characters living in japan n all but. they forget that a dollar is worth over a 100 yen. just ran into an exchange like "this is a 2500 yen champagne" "what?? why is it so expensive?!" and well.

#earlier in that fic there was like. ''50000 yen cash prize'' for smth wheee it's normally 50000 dollars or pounds. amazing #btw this is me just lightly poking fun at this phenomenon. i don't expect ppl to know it off the top of their heads :P #just a harmless mistake 😌✨️

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bones-of-a-rabbit · 2 years

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Any AU: *sun and moon aren’t in love with y/n right away and sometimes are mean but in a ~ooh I’m just teasing~ way*

Me, sensitive and one bad happening away from tearing everything to shreds with nothing but my teeth and feral determination: pls be nice me

#yea I’m dumb sorry folks #why u think all of my fics r like #’robots fuckin head over heels falling all over the place heart eyes incarnate in love with u’ no matter the setting #’ooh but enemies to lovers’ I would literally rather chew my arm off like a trapped coyote than end up loving any of my enemies ever #’oooh but they’re just teasinggg it’s harmless poking fun’ I’m made of wet tissue paper and mentall illnesses #my stupid baby ego and crippling self loathing would be activated before they even finished a sentence #anyway I have normal feelings about silly goofy things

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shurisneakers · 2 years

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What do you think Bucky would do/think when miss villain gets hit on but doesn’t realize it.

Bucky's glaring before he even realises.

Though, to be fair, he's always glaring so it doesn't always register when he does. System default.

You're talking excitedly on a panel, mic threatening to fly away with the way you gesture around wildly.

It's the first you'd been invited to and Bucky didn't think twice before clearing out his schedule to come to watch. EvilCon was only one day a year but he'd put it on his digital calendar, a reminder on his phone, circled it on the common room calendar. And written it with Sharpie on his metal arm. Just in case.

And here he was, pride in his chest and an extremely large, cartoonish moustache on his face. That and the giant googly sunglasses he has on-- courtesy of your online purchases to his house, obviously-- leaves him out of harm's way for the time being. Or they all knew who he was but they were ignoring it completely.

They probably wouldn't by the way he was about to flip a chair, but that was a bridge he'd explode when he came to it.

He's so proud though. Records you the same way a dad would at a kid's talent show, camera shaky and his own commentary in the background.

"The guy was flirting with you," he states the second you're in the car, heading out for dinner he's insisted on because being on a super evil panel something to celebrate, damn it.

You're basically buzzing out of your seat in excitement even though it was nearly four hours later.

"What guy? The security guard?"

"The guard flirted with you?"

"Oh, sorry, were you talking about the guy from the food court?"

Bucky's eyebrows pull together. "There was a guy in the food court?"

Right. You clear your throat, decided the hole you dug yourself was big enough so you just ask him straight up.

"The moderator," he replies.

"The moderator?"

"Yeah, Bargain Basement Riddler." Bucky nearly rolls his eyes at the thought of the outlandish green garment he wore. "Whole time-- swear to Christ, he was trying so hard."

"I literally didn't even notice," you muse.

"I know."

"You're pissed at him for flirting." You grin, wide and smug.

"I'm not pissed at him for flirting with you. I wouldn't be able to help myself either," Bucky replies absentmindedly. "I'm pissed because he was doing it all wrong."

"Oh?" you ask, eyebrow quirking in amusement.

"Yeah, it was painful," he grumbles. "Like, he kept bringing up taking you in his stupid rocket to blow up a star when you literally said you like submarines better."

"I do think the lil' fucked up creatures down there are fascinating."

"I know," Bucky emphasizes, audibly annoyed. "And that whole thing with testing your inventions out with you. Like you didn't say five minutes ago it was something personal to you."

Your lips purse, impressed. "You were listening way more than I thought you would."

"Of course, I was," Bucky exclaims. "I wanted to throw something at him. You gave him so many ins and he just went with-- whatever."

"You're mad because you... could do it better?" You squint at him.

"Yeah." Which now that he's thinking about it, sounds completely ridiculous. It's not like that guy was the one driving you to get cake from the best diner in the district.

"Well." You blow out an exhale. "Maybe next time I'll invite you up there with me. You could give him a crash course."

"Absolutely not," he mumbles. "He's gonna have to put in the effort if he wants to try with you. If he's gonna steal you away, he can't half-ass this shit."

"He's not stealing me away."

"Not with those lines, he's not."

"Yeah, all he's gotta do is pretend like he hates me for a year and a half."

"I'm not gonna apologise for your standards being low."

You snort, reaching across the car to pick up a stray hair left over from his fake moustache. "With a trash stache like that? No one else stands a chance. Got my heart all fluttery, Barnes. A real catch."

Bucky drops it when you laugh at the sheer stupidity of this conversation, a smile growing on his face.

Dinner's nice. He tells you what he liked about the convention, even shows you the keychain he picked up for Steve and the stuffed raven on a branch for Alpine. You tell him you don't think they'll call you back after you left the stage in an explosion of smoke and lazers.

He says that was probably a fire hazard. You ask him what he thought the live flamethrower counter was then.

He narrows his eyes at you when you steal the larger slice of cake and it only deepens when you amend it by pressing a kiss to his cheek, leaving a bit of frosting there.

It's a good day.

But later at night, when you're in bed with him, half asleep and warm, it comes obnoxiously at the stroke of midnight.

"I mean, honestly, 'Let's get coffee and end the world together'? What is he, a fucking CW show?"

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #idk about this one chief. i just needed to get something out tho #missed them <3 #harmless fic #harmless mini drabbles

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