#but this is huge it's basically a guaranteed hit

[thundergrace]

February 21, 2023

Javicia Leslie (Batwoman) is set as a lead opposite Kaitlin Olson and Daniel Sunjata in ABC‘s character-based procedural drama pilot based on TF1’s popular detective series HPI (High Intellectual Potential), from top TV and film writer Drew Goddard and ABC Signature, where Goddard and his Goddard Textiles are based.

[obscurevideogames]

Tumblr’s Core Prodct Stratgy

Here at Tumblr, we’ve been working hard on trying to keep our sinking ship afloat for as long as possible. This means desperately trying to copy every new fly-by-night social media app that some multi-billionaire sh*t out during their daily Peloton routine. What follows is the strategy we're using to accomplish the goal of user growth. If you find the things we say here worrisome, please understand that is our exact intention. You've outgrown our target demographic. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

The Diagnosis

It's lookin' pretty bad y'all!

After somehow losing hundreds of thousands of users during the great pr0n purge of 2018, we started to wonder if anything could be done to get back to where we were. We even brought in a management consultant who charged us a ridiculous amount of money. It would make you sick if you knew how much, but we got a few nice meals out of it at least. Anyhow, we handed this guy the app, and HE HAD NO IDEA HOW TO USE IT! It was f*cking hilarious! But suddenly it all clicked -- our users are a bunch of stupid idiots who can't even do basic arithmetic. I mean, they spend all day looking at their phones, so what do you expect?

Tumblr’s best feature is its unique content and vibrant communities. But who cares, right? We're just as happy getting traffic from people sh*t-posting memes, vague-booking, giving out-of-context hot takes to news events, and spewing whatever random thought is in their head at the moment. Plus that stuff doesn't p*ss off Apple.

To keep this thing going we need new people. And by "people" we mean teenagers, like we used to have back in the good ol' days. Unfortunately we're all in our 40s now, so we have no idea what they want. But teenagers are so cool! Imagine if they talked to us like we're one of them? We're getting hard just thinking about it.

Our Guidng Principls

To make Tumblr cool again, we must address these huge glaring issues.

People can look at a blog without logging in. How is that fair to all the poor schlubs who had to fill out forms to get an account? Also we haven't figured out a way to force ads onto the personalized pages yet. But we swear that's not the main reason.

People can see content they are looking for or linked to. People can keep up with blogs they follow. But the problem with this is, people don't know what they want. We know what they want! We're smart. We wrote this damn site, remember?

Promote posts that incite pointless conversations. Posts that are guaranteed to bait every troll into responding. Isn't that why all your Magat relatives love Facebook so much? We can do that!

P*ss off your content creators in every way possible (see #2).

Create algorithms that throw an unending barrage of irrelevant content in your face. Have you seen Instagram lately? We could do that so easy!!!

The app is slow. The website is slow. Obviously this is because of GIFs. Facebook and Instagram don't allow them, so why should we?

Conclusion

Our mission changes on a day-to-day basis. Right now we're super jealous of all the attention that new Threads thing is getting. We're still not sure what it is, but we're gonna download it after work.

[sunderwight]

SVSSS AU where Shen Yuan transmigrates as usual, except it's to find that his system is freaking out because it's been several years since Luo Binghe was supposed to show up at the sect trials to start his plot but so far there's been no sign of the protagonist, the Protagonist Halo Features aren't working correctly, and there's another transmigrator who arrived earlier, somehow hacked into the system, and erased its ability to track or punish him before disappearing into parts unknown (it was Airplane).

So Shen Yuan, now Shen Qingqiu, reasons that anyone who was trying to interfere with the plotline had either rescued or killed Luo Binghe while he was still young. Hoping for the former (but braced for the latter) he uses what scant knowledge the novel provided about Luo Binghe's origins, plus his new skills and some of the sect resources available, to track down Luo Binghe.

Turns out, in this version of events, some "random benefactor" showed up and gave Luo Binghe's mother some life-saving medicine. So she didn't die. But her health remained poor and Binghe never left her side, instead doing as much of her work as he was able to. So teenaged Binghe is basically a seemingly average, run-of-the-mill servant.

Shen Qingqiu is like "well this is pretty easy to fix actually" and approaches Luo Binghe as a wise immortal master type, says he sees Binghe's potential, and offers to take him on as a disciple. Luo Binghe is thrilled and kind of gobsmacked, but won't abandon his mother. Not a problem! Shen Qingqiu figured he wouldn't, so he offers to make arrangements to have Mama Luo comfortably set up in one of the villages at the base of the mountain. Sure, having her be alive and letting Binghe visit and write to her would be a deviation from the usual tragic backstory, but not a huge one! Shen Qingqiu is ready to mark this problem solved (and start dealing with all the other problems it creates for him) but the system is weirdly unsatisfied.

Turns out that even though Shen Qingqiu has found Luo Binghe (and a few discreet tests confirm that he has some sort of seal in place, and what are the odds of some other random orphan found on the Luo river, raised by a kindly-but-ill laundress, and named "Luo Binghe" exists in the same region?), the system still can't detect the Protagonist Halo Feature. The stupid glitching thing can't recognize the protagonist without it, so it keeps insisting that Shen Qingqiu locate him, even when he's kneeling right there and performing the tea ceremony for his initiation!

It's really annoying!

Especially since this means that the system won't actually safeguard Luo Binghe from harm. Which means it's up to Shen Qingqiu to make sure that his little white lotus disciple lives long enough to become the ruler of everything. This is easier said than done! Between the skinner demon side quest, and the demonic invasion, and various other side missions to build up the protagonist's potential, Luo Binghe is constantly getting into trouble and Shen Qingqiu keeps getting poisoned or injured trying to drag him back out of it in one piece!

Matters come to a head at the Immortal Alliance Conference (as they so often do). Shen Qingqiu is not planning to yeet Binghe, of course. Like this there's no guarantee of survival, and the system isn't even demanding it of him (because it still doesn't recognize the protagonist), but it seems to be demanding they turn up for the event anyway. Shen Qingqiu is a nervous wreck and fighting the urge to hover, because as expected, there is still a demonic invasion. Except this time Mobei Jun is there, and so is a mysterious cloaked figure who seems to be searching for something.

As soon as Shen Qingqiu claps eyes on the figure, the system chimes happily.

Protagonist Halo successfully located!

Turns out, part of Airplane's hacks involved stealing the halo and reassigning it to himself. Except that means that narrative destiny still wants him to hit certain plot beats, so he's been busily conquering the demonic realms -- in MBJ's name of course -- and mostly doing the bare minimum to satisfy the requirements while evading the system's efforts to regain contact. But now he's gotta go get Xin Mo somehow, except the minute Shen Qingqiu spots him so does the system.

The system, which immediately reassigns Airplane as the protagonist, and orders Shen Qingqiu to throw him into the Endless Abyss.

Which is like, better this rando than Binghe, so okay, but Mobei Jun is not cooperating plus the mysterious hooded stranger also seems pretty resistant to the idea (Airplane is NOT a heavenly demon, Protagonist Halo or no he's still actually a relatively squishy human cultivator, and he does not want to go into the hell pit), and between one thing and another Airplane manages to fall int the Abyss with Luo Binghe.

Not ideal. Which is to say, Shen Qingqiu is emotionally devastated and almost convinced that Luo Binghe has died for real and that Mysterious Halo Thief is going to come out somehow in a few years and chop off all his limbs, and Mobei Jun is extremely distressed because the man he intends to marry just fell into the Endless Abyss, and that seems like a difficult thing to somehow Evil Vizier your way out of.

The other peak lords arrive to keep Mobei Jun from killing Shen Qingqiu, and so everyone just kind of despairingly returns to their separate corners of the universe to wait and see what will happen.

Meanwhile, down in the Endless Abyss, Luo Binghe has unlocked his heavenly demon blood and is now constantly trying to kill Airplane. But thanks to the transferred protagonist halo it just doesn't work. The system interferes and creates a last-minute unlikely survival route for Airplane every time. They eventually reach an impasse where Airplane can't die but only Luo Binghe is strong enough to actually fight most of the creatures in the Abyss, and all this "fighting" between the two of them (generous description) keeps attracting big monsters.

So, Airplane offers a deal. He knows things about this place. Including how to get out. If Luo Binghe helps him fend off the monsters, then he'll help Luo Binghe survive and escape as well. He even offers to help him get away from Shen Qingqiu and make a place for himself in the demon realms! Luo Binghe tries to kill him again for that, so he drops that line of attempted bribery really quick and switches tactics. He knows more things! Things about Shen Qingqiu's past! Secrets he'll share if Luo Binghe helps him!

Is this the start of a beautiful new friendship?

No.

Turns out Luo Binghe and Airplane have exactly the correct combination of shared traits and differences to find one another mostly intolerable. But not intolerable to the point of not being able to manage teeth-clenched teamwork. By the time they get out of the Endless Abyss, Luo Binghe never wants to hear about cup noodles or tax collection or Mobei Jun's tits ever again, and Airplane feels much the same about anything at all to do with Shen Qingqiu (and either Shen Qingqiu is a fellow transmigrator now or else Luo Binghe has inserted a shockingly vivid delusion over the scum villain he wrote). But they're both alive and in joint custody of an evil sword.

Unfortunately, due to the bickering and the complexities of Shang Qinghua's sketchy memory for his own plots, it takes them even longer to get out of the Abyss than it took PIDW Luo Binghe to manage on his own.

And, uh. Well.

They don't find things in great shape, considering how they left them...

[meowzfordayz]

NSFW Alphabet — Tomioka Giyuu

Author’s Note: ~1.5 months after starting this (and ~3 months since it was supposed to be started 🥴), and it’s finally finished !!!!! 🥳 If these were shorter headcanons, then they wouldn’t take so long 😅, but each individual letter is a labor of love (and lust 😏). As w/ all hcs, these are simply my opinions in this exact moment of writing, and are subject to change depending on the context/my mood! 😉

NSFW Alphabet — Tomioka Giyuu

Tomioka Giyuu x Reader

Word Count: ~3,500

CW: 18+NSFW, explicit language, Fem!Reader, oral, rimming, spit

MILESTONE 20.0

~faqs~

Aftercare? what they’re like after sex

Giyuu’s very sleepy after sex. If you’ve discussed it beforehand, then he’ll muster up the energy to gently towel wash you, brush your hair (if things got ~intense 😉), and make sure you drink a glass of water, but he’s otherwise hopeless. And by “hopeless”, I mean: he’s passing out with his cock still leaking onto your thighs, warm mouth smooshed into your shoulder, and will moan softly—Hnngg—and proceed to roll over should you attempt to wake him. 😌

Body Part? their favorite body part(s)

Giyuu’s a thigh guy, or GTTG (Giyuu The Thigh Guy) for short. 🦵 Don’t get me wrong! He could totally cum fixating on basically any part of your body 🫢, buuut nestled between your thighs… life couldn’t get much better. 😌 He isn’t huge on marking you (aka: he is, but he typically refrains because one hickey is a sure slide to two, then four, then seven, then- 😇), but biting softly at your thigh, listening to you squeal, halfheartedly attempting to push him away as his fingers wrap around your knees, tongue slipping out to soothe your fresh “wound” — he’s entertained himself with your thighs for literal hours, and not necessarily even sexually. 😆 He’ll often push your legs apart just so he can rest his head on the plush of your thigh, the rest of his body cradled by the curves of your knees and calves.

If you were a vampire, then Giyuu would surely be your first victim, because his neck is just: 😍😋🩸❣️ It’s kissable, nuzzle-able, biteable, and sooo fun to rile him up with a simple swipe of your tongue (bonus points if you suck on his Adam’s apple 🤤). He smells delicious too; a gentle, unassuming fragrance of ripples on a pond (whatever those smell like 🌊) that’s strongest where his neck meets his ears. Step in close and interlock your fingers behind his neck, and he’s certain to wrap his arms around your waist, surroundings fading to a hazy buzz as he murmurs, “I love you.”

Cum?

Giyuu loves cum while he’s still horny (something about the way it glistens and slides down the backs of your thighs, collecting in droplets on your puffy folds, slightly watery and warm as it slowly dampens the mattress beneath you… he’s fixated for sure 😌), but as soon as post nut clarity hits, he’s desperate for a shower (something about its smell and stickiness, clinging to your skin—and his—reminding him of how amazing you felt… and of how messy things got… if you’re taking too long to collect yourself, then he’s scooping you up and carrying you to the bathroom for sure 🫠).

Dirty Talk?

He loves dirty talk, but has to pass a certain threshold (of horniness) to really ~get into it. 😅 Before that threshold, a simple So pretty baby while straddling his hips, your fingertips stroking his softly toned abs, will guarantee you a blushing, flustered Tomioka Giyuu, his own grip tightening around your waist. And after that threshold? 👀 Best believe you’ll be the flustered one, low whimpers pushed out of your chest as a cool hand rests gentle around your throat, steadying your body while his cock fucks needy and forceful into your warm, clenching hole.

Experience? their level of experience

Before meeting you, Giyuu isn’t a virgin, but he’s also far from experienced. He knows how to have sex, knows how to make someone else cum, but he doesn’t know how to enjoy himself. He’s always been physically sensitive—always quick to orgasm with enough wetness and friction—but physical pleasure without its emotional counterpart only does so much. And then he falls in love with you. 🥺💙 He falls in love with how delicately you kiss the tops of his shoulder, across his collarbones, tongue swirling in the hollow of his throat. Falls in love with how easily you raise goosebumps on his forearms, his thighs, your fingertips grazing lightly—teasingly—along the seams of his clothing, toying with the buttons on his shirt, the zipper on his pants, not willing to undress him unless he begs. In love with how begging means catching your wrists and holding them above your head, brought to neediness by your tender ministrations, safe enough to seek his own desires in the heat of your breathlessness. “I want to cum,” he whispers gruffly, your pulse warm in his palms, “So help me.”

Foreplay?

Giyuu thoroughly enjoys foreplay, to the extent that he has trouble lasting through it. 😅 He actually fares better when you go down on him, because he can guide your movements and pace. His large hands—normally cool to the touch and tender in their intentions—firmly cup your nape, sweaty and needy as your hair tangles soft between his fingers. When you choke on the sensation of his cock nudging against the back of your throat, he can only whimper and groan, hips chasing the quiver and wetness of your breath, grip ensuring you remain planted between his thighs. And when he’s close to cumming? He’s strong enough to gently tug you away from him, your lips shiny and insatiable, a low whine kissing his skin as you pout. But when he goes down on you? That same attention dissipates. Lost in the heat and clench of your thighs, the ache in his scalp as you cling to his hair, the incoherent babble of pleasure spilling from your mouth while you tremble and arch before him… is it really his fault for cumming with you? 🙃 After all, you didn’t stop him from thrusting his hips into the mattress, the edge of the couch, his own fist, as he flicked his tongue over your clit. You didn’t stop him as he whispered about how Beautiful, Stunning, Divine, Fuck… I think I’m gonna cum… you were, your moans rising in pitch as you met his dazed expression, his eyes dark and determined, the tip of his nose glistening with your essence. You didn’t stop him as his body shuddered before you, his cum splurting sticky and pearlescent, the taste of your orgasm gushing tart and warm onto his tongue.

Goofy? their sense of humor

In the beginning, Giyuu’s uber serious… mostly because he’s worried about dying of embarrassment should he fumble while trying to get/keep you in the mood. 🫠 That’s not to say he’s incapable of smiling! He doesn’t want you to think he’s having a terrible time either. 🥴 But gosh forbid he accidentally fart, or nudge himself against the wrong hole, or elbow you in the face, or- 😭 Eventually, however, he slips into a deeper comfort and trust with you, which inevitably leads to him smooshing your hair, chuckling when you queef, and taking a breather when you become literally tangled in the sheets (you can’t stop laughing, and he somehow finds himself grinning adoringly at you vs running out the door in mortification). 🥺

Hair? pubes maintenance

Giyuu keeps himself well groomed due more to habit and personal comfort, but hey — you benefit too! Plus, you know you’ve reached peak closeness when you’re showering together and you randomly ask, “My love, could I trim your pubes tonight?” and instead of shoving you out of the shower, curtain rod and all, he just blushes a deep red and mutters, “Yeah, okay.” 😶

Intimacy? their degree of intimacy

Intimacy and Giyuu are a complicated duo. 😅 On one hand, Giyuu definitely isn’t casual; casual and physical closeness, casual and feelings, casual and sex, are not how he prefers to pair such concepts. But intimacy is difficult for him too, because intimacy means trusting, and trusting means revealing his nakedness — not just undressing his lover. While you know from the get go that you aren’t just a one night stand, friends with benefits, or connected in some other vaguely defined manner, you also initially aren’t entirely sure exactly how deeply rooted his intentions and desires are. After all, he’s shy about meeting your gaze, keeps the lights dim, and hardly moans or closes his eyes… until you finally, finally ask him about it. “Giyuu, what am I to you?” 🥺 “I don’t understand.” 🙃 “I… well, I feel like when we have sex, you make love to me, but I somehow can’t make love to you.” He doesn’t properly answer you, seconds from dreamland after tiredly wiping his cum off your thighs 😴, but he was listening, and the next time he finds himself sliding slowly into you, he cracks a smile—rather than glance away—when you catch him in his contented daze. 💓

Jack Off? masturbation

Giyuu goes through phases of jerking off every day of the week to not touching himself for upwards of a month. There’s no pattern to the duration or frequency of each phase, and he doesn’t really consciously think about it either. Sometimes he’s horny, and other times he’s just not. That being said, solo masturbation and sexual acts with others (others being you) are separate entities to him. Whether he just came that same morning, or hasn’t cum alone in a couple of weeks, he’s always more than willing to feel your pretty cunt (or throat, or hands, because he’s not about to be picky) flutter and squeeze around his cock.

Kink? ~specific turn ons

Lace. 😍 Giyuu knows lace is often rough and uncomfortable 🥲, but there’s just something divine about seeing your breasts in lace and satin; about running calloused palms up your scantily clad thighs (if you ever want to buy a(nother) garter, then Giyuu will always hand you his credit card — no questions asked 😌), snapping your frilly waistband against your plush, warm hips; lapping at the delicate material covering your nipples till they’re perky and damp, gushing about You’re absolutely stunning and Can’t decide if I’d rather fuck you with these beautiful panties on or off. Sometimes, he’ll literally stop and stare (or make you ~model for him 😵‍💫), breath caught in his chest at how perfectly the floral embroidery matches your eyes; at how ethereal and whimsical you appear, the facade of angelic elegance dissipating as you perch on all fours before him, teasing fingers tugging at the sorry excuse of a string between your cheeks. “The longer you wait, the more likely I am to ruin these panties,” you purr, craning your neck to stare over your shoulder at his awestruck expression, “You wouldn’t want that, hm? Wouldn’t want me to have to buy a new set of lace for you?” Spoiler alert: of course he wants you to buy another set of lace for him 😖, but he quite likes your current set too 🥴, so he’s quick to lean over you, mouth messy and hot as he kisses you thoroughly, clever hand slipping underneath you to cup and knead your tit while his other maintains his balance on the mattress.

Location? where they prefer to have sex

Call him basic, but Giyuu likes having sex in bed. 🤗 It’s comfortable, safe, and a sturdy headboard (+ a couple of velcro straps and/or handcuffs) can make it not-so-vanilla too. He’s the reason you have so many pillows, because while he’s okay with taking one for the team and sleeping in any cum spots 🫡, he refuses to sleep on a stained pillow (understandable 😝). As a man who gets extra sleepy after sex, changing sheets/pillowcases usually isn’t in the cards for him, so he’d rather just have plenty of pillows and swap them out when necessary.

Motivation? ~general turn ons

Being nice to him. Giyuu’s got a bit of a praise kink, albeit less so that he’ll get go from zero to erection emergency zone if you compliment him 😆, and more so that he remembers your kindness and attentiveness throughout the day, and returns your care and affection tenfold at night 😉. He also appreciates clean and tidy nails, genuine smiles (although your fake laughter—when not targeted at him—does make him chuckle 🫢), and when you playfully tug his hair to redirect his focus. “Oi, babe, I said left,” you huff amusedly, pointing across the street. He nods slowly, smirking faintly as he promptly continues heading in the wrong direction (if only to get you to tug on his hair again 😌). 

No? turn offs

Giyuu’s pretty flexible. 😌 He can be kinky (after reading a dozen or so ~articles about how exactly to go about exploring X kink), he can be vanilla, but he isn’t into cheating/cuckolding. 😓 Not even for a roleplay scenario. He could be (pretty easily) discussed into having a threesome, or simply a voyeuristic counterpart 👀, but No. Cheating. He trusts that you love him, and he knows he loves you, but it just feels a lil too real to even think about, let alone play out. 😕

Oral? giver or receiver

Giyuu tends to be the receiver, because he has a 50/50 chance of lasting through foreplay whenever he’s the giver. 😶 That being said, he doesn’t exactly have a ~preference, and definitely doesn’t perceive giving oral sex to be a chore, annoying, or tiresome — he just doesn’t want to disappoint you by cumming too soon should you still desire penetrative sex after oral sex. 

Position? their favorite position(s)

Doggystyle, because Giyuu can’t get enough of hearing his thighs slap against yours. 🫢 From cupping the tops of your thighs and pulling your body toward him to both steady himself and fuck deeper into your cunt, to gripping the inside of your thighs to spread your legs farther apart while spitting lazily on your back Fuck, so fucking filthy for me, to listening to how sweaty and eager you are as your skin clings and claps to his, doggystyle is easily his favorite. A close second, when either of you are feeling too lazy for doggystyle, would be missionary, because once again, Giyuu can use your thighs to pull you closer and spread you wider (and his spit + your boobs = ✨shiny boobs✨). 

Quickie? a fan or not-a-fan

Giyuu isn’t a huge fan of quickies (not enough time to devour you whole), but your first few times together were quick nonetheless. 😏💀 After he’s gotten over his initial awe (let’s be honest tho — he never really gets over it 😍), he’s better about not ~accidentally making everything a quickie 😝, but you lowkey still have him wrapped around your finger. 😇 In other words, Giyuu doesn’t like ‘em, but you have the power to create them whenever you so desire. 😎😂

Risk? their risk tolerance

Low risk tolerance. 🙃 In theory, Giyuu isn’t against sexual risk taking (i.e. semi public sex), but in practice, he gets too flustered-embarrassed-mortified-at-the-thought-of-being-caught 🫣 to actually follow through. If you casually mention how hot it would be If you pressed me up against this wall and slipped your hand under my skirt to feel how wet I am, then he’ll do the press-you-up-against-the-wall part 😏, but will shakily vice grip the hem of your skirt, unable to continue (he wants to 😭, but just can’t 🥴). 

Stamina?

In terms of how long Giyuu can fuck you in a single position before his muscles give out? He has practically unlimited stamina. 😎 His lanky, lithe physique isn’t purely for show y’know! 😉 It’s for holding you up against a wall, cock thrusting upward into your dripping cunt as your nails dig crescent moons into his shoulders, his face buried in your neck as he focuses intently on the slick, lewd sound of his balls tapping your pretty asshole. And for holding you up above him while you straddle his hips, your legs cramping from exhaustion—Aw darling, can’t ride me any longer?—adoration in his eyes as he begins fucking roughly into your pussy, delirious on how willingly you allow him to pleasure your body. However, in terms of how long Giyuu can fuck you before he cums? … … … he’s working on it. 🫠 That being said, he makes up for premature orgasms with potential quantity! 😏 If you’re feeling especially horny, then he can usually manage an orgasm morning, noon, and night 🥰 — just don’t expect much out of him the following day. 😵‍💫😂

Toys?

Giyuu might be a lil jealous of them. 🤪 Not actually, he’s not that insecure of himself and your relationship… but you could totally rile him up by starting without him, winking exaggeratedly with your favorite vibrator grazing your clit as he walks into the bedroom, giggling when he promptly plops onto the bed beside you, still fully clothed, hand nudging you and your toy out of his way as he grumbles halfheartedly, “So I guess I didn’t need to hurry up the stairs after all, you’ve got everything taken care of.” 😔 Your failsafe solution? Gently grasp his noticeable bulge, and declare, “Clearly not everything, seeing as I’ve yet to solve this problem.” 😌😉😏😎 Will he cringe at your cheesiness? Yes. 🥴 Will he also frantically begin unzipping and kicking off his pants? Also yes. 😳

Unfair? how they feel about teasing/being teased

Tease at your own discretion, because Giyuu can not handle it. 😃 He enjoys it! But his imagination does wonders at filling in the blanks you’re leaving, and if you’re not careful, then he might just spill over before you’re ready! 😅 Teasing you goes pretty much the same, because as much as he tries to convince himself that you’re the one he’s edging, truly, he’s edging both of you, and he’s too in love with you to not succumb to his own delicate, torturous charm. 🙃💞

Volume?

Quiet and breathy, or desperate and babbling, with no in between. Push him far enough, and he’ll murmur filth nonstop (most of it incoherent 😅) until he’s shaking and cumming, or bask in the soft glow of his occasional grunts and low hisses. Sex in the morning is usually near silent, but sex in the evening frequently brings out the singular, guttural groan that always accompanies his hardest orgasms. 

Wild Card?

On rare occasions, Giyuu rims you. The stuttered, needy whine, and the feeling of your pussy tightening around his cock, whenever he brushes the pad of his thumb over your asshole do not go unnoticed by him, so he can only imagine how sensitive and gorgeous you would feel and sound if the tip of his tongue replaced his wandering hands — and he’s proven ~right when he rims you for the first time, and you practically wail at the hot wetness of his mouth. So good for me, letting me eat your pretty ass he rasps, spit bridging from his chin to your ass cheeks, your thighs quivering in his grip, drooling onto your pillow as you rock your hips backward toward his slick, skillful tongue What a fucking treat, getting to taste you here.

X-ray?

Giyuu’s cock is pretty. 7” erect, somewhat slim, with a fat and squishy tip that beads precum like it’s modeling for an advertisement. Its length always catches you off guard because it doesn’t look especially big (think cute twink vs beefy jock), but as he slowly pushes himself in a couple inches, pulls out till his tip catches at your entrance, and then slowly pushes himself in a couple inches farther than before, you can’t help but gasp. “Are you okay?” he asks softly, voice low and thick in his throat, eyes gleaming as he watches himself disappear into your luscious cunt, your body presented to him so stunning on your chest and knees. “Fuck,” is your graceful response, face buried in the mattress, back arching forward with every shallow thrust, “So deep.” He’d chuckle at your cliche whimper if he wasn’t so focused on not cumming, his hands cupping your hips in an attempt to handle you tenderly, the desperate clinging of your walls sucking away his self control as he slips farther, farther, deeper into your heat.

Yearning? sex drive

Horny, and by horny, I mean 24/7. Giyuu’s so used to it though (the perpetual state of being borderline turned on), that it doesn’t exactly feel like horny. He could fuck whenever (albeit, not necessarily wherever), but doesn’t need to (he’s a grown man y’know, he has ~some control 😉). This is a problem at first, because he refrains from initiating (afraid of scaring you away with his sex drive 😬)—to the point where you worry that you’re pressuring him into being physically intimate—but as soon as you communicate your concern, he’s quick (and embarrassed 😶) to assure you that I’m horny all the time. Do you want me to fuck you all the time? 😐 You might jokingly say Duh!, but his sentiment registers nonetheless. ☺️

Zzz?

🎵out like a light🎶 Morning sex? Giyuu’s taking a five minute power nap. 😴 Afternoon sex? Giyuu’s taking a thirty minute cat nap. 😴 Evening sex? Giyuu’s going to sleep. 😴 He does his best to check in with you vs straight up knocking out, but unless something urgent arises (i.e. intense feelings, physical pains, etc), he’s not someone to rely on after he cums. Of course, he can ~technically orgasm and then continue his day without conking out, but his resulting moodiness/distractedness takes a while to wear off whenever that happens.

[chaotic-archaeologist]

got a question for ya regarding sex and online safety.

Background; I am an adulty adult. I have been able to and have voted in more than 3 elections. [I know you take interactions with minors seriously]. I am also ace and autistic. as a result I have never felt the urge to date and I normally don't mind having friends close by.

However, I also just moved for the 4th time since 2019 and would like to meet people.

So I downloaded Grindr. already got my first dickpic lol. I have also been chatting with a fellow who I like and would like to be friends with and I also wouldn't mind exploring my kinks with people... but I have never had to worry about safe online sexy stuff before so I don't know the basics beyond normal internet safety.

What do I do‽‽‽

Okay first, thanks for clarifying the adulty part. This is an awesome question, and here's the advice/steps that I personally follow for situations like this.

Have your first meeting in a public place. Go for coffee or ice cream or lunch or dinner or whatever. But don't meet them alone. This way, if you get uncomfortable with anything that's happening, they're much less likely to continue with that behavior after you attempt to extricate yourself.

Make sure there are no expectations. Plan not to have sex on the first date/meet up. Grindr often tends to ignore this rule since it's very hookup centric, but you're absolutely within your rights to insist on taking things as slowly as you want to.

Don't rely on the other person for transportation. If you choose to meet someone, get yourself there and plan to get yourself back. Walk, bike, drive, public transportation, unicycle, it's all good. But there's much less room for pressure if you're not depending on them for a ride home. This segues nicely into my next point:

Do not tell them where you live. At least, not right now. Plenty of people on Grindr are willing to "host" meaning you can come to their place. That's fine for them, but I err on the side of never giving anyone my address until I've had a thorough chance to assess their character and meet them a few times.

Tell someone where you will be. Let someone who cares about you know that you're going out, where you'll be, and what time you expect to return. Establish a time to check in when you're going home/if you choose to extend the meeting. There are also apps like Noonlight that can function similarly.

Be careful about what you consume. If you're going to enjoy and mind alternating substances, be very, very careful. This goes for anything from getting drinks at a bar to any and all of the recreational drugs on the market.

Be prepared for a little bit of awkwardness. Meeting someone in person is often very different than chatting online. If the conversation is awkward or halting, that's okay. Give it a little time (but also don't be afraid to trust your gut if it's telling you something is wrong).

Communicate clearly. If you have any needs—which can range from an allergy, not being able to stand for long periods of time, needing them to speak loudly so you can hear them, safety concerns—the best way to get those met is to be upfront. You don't need to disclose the reason why you need something if it makes you uncomfortable, just state what you need. People worth spending time with will respect that. The same thing goes for your wants.

Use protection. Maybe this isn't applicable for you specifically, but I think it belongs on this list. Condoms. Dental dams. Gloves. Someone on an app telling you they're negative for any number of things is not an actual guarantee they're not lying to you. Not wanting to use protection (not just for anal/vaginal intercourse, but for oral sex as well) is a huge red flag. Decide in advance what your boundaries are and stick to them.

If it sucks, hit da bricks. Fundamentally, you owe this person nothing. There is no consequence for saying "you know what, I'm not feeling this and I'm going to leave." Be as polite as you want to, but put yourself first.

At the end of the day, the only thing you have control over is you. How you react, where you meet this person, what you do—that's what you control. Hopefully any meet ups will be fun and relatively safe, but just in case, set yourself up for success by maintaining what control you can.

From one adult to another, these are all suggestions rather than rules. Many people on Grindr choose not to follow various ones, and that's fine. Take some time to think about what you're comfortable with and make your decisions accordingly.

Also, best practice for someone sending an unsolicited dick pic (if you don't want them) is just to block that person. But sending a return picture like this one is a hilarious option.

-Reid

[yourmaidsp]

How do you come up with your compositions? They are so cool I wanna know if you have any huge inspirations :-) your art is so lovely

Hiiiiiii! Awww thanks for the appreciation!

I'm actually working on a more comprehensive art tutorial rn (bc someone asked here earlier), that would include composition， but I'll do a shorter answer first for u bc you're asking sth. more specific ?( hope it's okey (❁´◡`❁))

(Oh and also I've seen ur req! don't worry, I'm doing that as well, it's just there's still some before yours( ´･･)ﾉ(._.`))

Um and when the long tutorial is out, feel free to check that out ~

On Composition:

Goal

For me the goal of my illustration r Storytelling n full on Emotional experience.

(It's something I've been trying to achieve but cannot guarantee I hit it all the time, sometimes bc of my habit I'll lost myself during the process and looking back find out I miss something important, so the following is the best theories I could provide. Most of improvement r still in daily practice(●'◡'●))

To paint with beautiful compostion, you'll first have a solid story in mind, it can be simplified into " who when where n what", writing them down on a note n stick it near by would help.

And as to emotional experience, is something I can't get hold of all the time... music might help I guess? I have headcanon playlists for every chatacter or ship I wanna paint, and extract emotions from them everyday.

But there's some practical methods too.

Methods

I've worked storyboard n director for 2 years in the past, even though I'm not proud of the projects I worked on, some knowledge might still be useful.

It's mostly 2 methods: Silhouette & Movement

Well for silhouettes there's already bunch of books discussing this, one of my favs is Framed Ink, I'm sure u can find a pdf somewhere on the net.

(I find this photo on the internet bc mine is not around)

Basically it's that, think about the objects within your image, by using shadows n their original colors, you can split it into interesting shapes. This will visually elevate the overall feeling of composition.

Also, there's a cheat build in humem's understanding of an image.

basically this, putting important object on the 1/3 points of an image is the fastest cheat.

Also, contrast your silhouette. If you're painting sth that has no background, try giving your silhouette a constrasted design.

(like in this one, the right side is smooth but I'm putting lots of variation on the left.)

For movement, think about your image as a shot taken when your characters r doing sth.

They would each have a direction to move to, and that forms their movement. Your job here is to arrange them into logical or emotional lines.

If it's a series of work, u can plan out the movement toward the same direction.

(the only time you're seeing their car facing left is when they stopped, I was trying to say that their trip kinda ends here)

Also for manga, comic n movie, make sure your important information is within safe area.

(the area within dotted lines is the safe area, u want your character's expression to be mostly within it. if it's like extreme close-up, the certain area u want to emphasize should be within it.)

I have some examples for these two theories.

First let's analyze this screenshot of one of Kurosawa's film, Seven Samurais.

The story here is that these guys r about to fight, possibly some big conflict. There silhouette can be sumed up like this, within the orange line.

We see this guy sticking out from this shape, implying he might be the head of this crowd.

Movement wise, their spears n heads face the same direction, telling u that the enemy will come from that side. Even this is a still frame, the movement is implied perfectly.

Another sample from Synecdoche,NY by Charlie Kauffman

This is a minimalist way of conveying emotion, u only see one main character here, and hardly any movement. Why is it so powerful?

Our main character, Caden, is in the almost center of this shot. He has a clear n simple shape. You don't normally put your main object in the center, so we'd assume he's very important.

Then there's this repeated notes in the background. When something is repeated a lot, it giver u an impression of pressure. Especially when he's surrounded by them, and they take more space within the frame than he does.

Also, this is a down shot, the camera is pointing down and behind him. You'll feel your character being watched or at his lower point of life when u do that.

Inspirations:

Movies mostly, and traditional artists.

Back when I was in film school I watched a bunch of movies n that slowly became a habit, movies r very good sources for ideas.

Even if you're not having enough time, watching reviews n analysis would also help, (but I'd suggest u try to consume the films not listening to critics to get a unique experience.)

Some of my favourite directors are:

Kelly Reichardt (First Cow)

Apichatpong (Tropical Malady, Memoria);

Charlie Kaufman (Synecdoche NY, Adaptaion);

Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Perfect Blue);

Kurosawa Akira (Yume, Kagemusha );

Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz );

Kusturica (Black Cat White Cat, Underground 1995);

Carol Reed (The Third Man)

Errrm I hope it's helpful? (❁´◡`❁) The next tutorial is gonna be even longer.

[luckyarchivist]

Ais v. Leander: NSFW HCs

Basically I was trying to get into Mhin's head while writing my aismhin fic and was "forced" to ask myself, "How would fucking Leander be different from fucking Ais?" so here are my thoughts.

Or, uh, they're down below the divider. Don't wanna scandalize anyone just passing by. What if you're in public or something?

General position/dynamic

Leander is, generally, a sub. He'll top, sure, but you can still order him around even if you're receiving. You should really top him, though; he can hit all kinds of high notes.

I should clarify, I'm talking about normal Leander here. "Unmasked", fatal-flaw-revealed Leander would want to stake his claim on you, to convince himself that you'll never leave him, to convince you that he is the only person who knows what you need—and he'll use any methods he knows to keep you under him as long as it takes to do that 😇

Ais is more solidly vers and switch-y. I think he probably leans slightly dom/top, but he definitely likes to bottom and he would love for you to prove that you can get him on his knees.

Being lazy

Ais will sometimes be a bit of a pillow princess. He doesn't wanna do anything but lay there and let you do as you like with him. And why shouldn't you treat him like the absolute treasure he is? If you don't I will!!

Leander is NEVER a pillow princess, he is a sex WORKER okay. PILLOW PROLETARIAT. The real reason you tie him up in bed is because otherwise he will spend the whole time trying to make you feel good when you are trying to make him feel good.

Foreplay

Ais does foreplay for himself. He likes the foreplay. If you tell him to get on with the fucking you, he will say no.

He won't say it in so few words, of course: he'll probably accuse you of not being able to handle a little light teasing. Meanwhile it's been 45 minutes and you're either on a razor's edge and willing to do anything if he will just fuck you or begging him to stop because you've cum twice already.

Leander does foreplay for you. You are his little sweetiebear and he wants you to be comfortable and aroused and relaxed and everything. If you tell him to get on with it, he will do exactly as you ask—if you don't, he's willing to indulge you for as long as you like.

I do think Leander likes seeing you get desperate for him. Normally, this isn't enough to stop him from treating you the way you want to be treated. But push him, and he might just make you cry, until you beg for him and only him.

Why fuck you, even?

For Ais it's about pleasure. He feels good, he's making you feel good: he likes that. Easy.

He would never admit it, but for Leander it's about control. I think he enjoys manipulating your pleasure, and he likes that you can do the same to him. Maybe he even believes he'll have stronger sway over you because you've slept with each other.

How they treat sex / how you'll feel

Ais thinks sex isn't a huge deal. It's fun, it feels nice, you get that workout feeling afterwards. But when he's fucking you, guaranteed, you'll feel like you're the only one. You'll feel valued. You'll feel seen. You'll be asking "What are we", and he's gonna be like, "What," cos he's putting his shoes on to leave and thinking about what he's gonna bring Princess as her little weekly treat.

He'd definitely fuck people again if he liked the experience, though; he's not the type to have one-night stands just to break hearts. So, if you're good enough in bed, you might have a repeat visitor on your hands, and maybe that'll develop into something more. If it happened to Vere, it can happen to you!

Leander acts like sex isn't a big deal to him, but he's also the type who will ask one-night stands and casual flings on dates because he "really felt a connection". He is truly not built for this modern hookup culture 😞

[meghantheduchyofpitstains]

The stages of ‘Meghan the Narcissist’s’ relationship with Harry. Three basics stages of a Narcissist’s relationships: Idealize, Devalue and Discard

iDEALIZE

It is a dizzying whirlwind

Meghan and Harry were married after knowing each other for about 2 years. The majority of this time they spent on separate continents. Markle pushed it quick and hard to get to the altar.

“Love Bombing - the initial stage can feel like a drug or a love cocktail as potent as cocaine or heroin because the same feel good chemical called Dopamine is released in the brain by both and we know Harry likes a drug high. During this phase there is intensive sex, exciting travel, constant praise, being put on a pedastool and focused ego driven attention (all release the same feel good brain chemicals as regular cocaine or heroine use would) so the victim feels an addictive high.”

- the traveling from continent to continent spending a few days at a time together so when together it is intense sex which is like a drug in Harry’s brain - releasing the same Dopamine etc. and we know he is a feel good drug addict.

- intense sex fest in Africa

- intense sex as they holed up at Nottingham cottage - seeing the addiction pattern???

- getting the fairytale wedding

- traveling to the South Seas and Africa for work

- clothes and jewelry shopping spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, basically buying anything you have ever wanted

- meeting famous people, private jets, staying in huge mansions

All the Love Bombing high for Harry and the superficial, materialistic, super fame high for Megan

Stage 2: Devaluation

Harry doesn’t know what hit him. He is probably in a state of pure confusion trying to figure out the mood swings and the up and downs. He gets glimpses of how it was during the love Bombing stage but most of the time it is walking on egg shells, repressing himself, confusion and just trying to do what he can to get back to how it was in the beginning and the get those addictive feel good chemicals in his brain flowing again.

Meghan has started to - subtly, insidiously, and covertly—to devalue Harry. “This may happen via putdowns, gaslighting, intermittently lacking emotional or physical intimacy, withdrawing affection, seductive withholding, inexplicably disappearing from contact, or blaming the target for the narcissistic person’s issues (projection).”

What we see happening in the devaluation phase.

- Harry is not protecting her from bad press and looking bad, she is not getting the super stardom and fame she wanted. It is Harry’s fault.

- Harry not making her the belle of the ball, she still is always number 2 to Kate. Harry needs to fix this.

- Harry not getting her a huge Mansion/ mini castle to live in like all the other Senior Royals

- the money/budget being pulled back as the public and the press finds out about how much she is spending on clothes alone. Harry needs to get her the money she expected.

- she is now pushing herself in front of Harry at events and greeting dignitaries and ordering him around at events while she controls him with her hand on his back or clawing his arm at all times. She has always been more important than him.

- making jokes about Harry at her events and stunts. Harry becomes the court jester.

- she is speaking first or cutting Harry off to do all the speaking when they are at an event. Even South Park made fun of her doing this.

The devaluation is in full force in LA as Meghan is trying to break out as the star speaker without Harry, solo events with celebrities, working to be the Princess Diana of Hollywood.

Stage 3: Sooner than later the DISCARDING phase will happen. Probably when the money is cut off or reduced, she will then file for divorce and get the guaranteed payouts and keep the mansion he will have to pay for. She will write a book bashing the hell out of Harry and Telling the world she never loved him because he is a whiney, drug addict, loser.

“Inevitably, the discarding occurs when the person with narcissism either disappears or orchestrates his or her own abandonment by engaging in some form of egregious emotional abuse. The outcome is often shocking for the survivor, unclear as to how someone that he or she fell so deeply in love with could throw it all away.” - Source Good Therapy

I believe the public discarding has started.At its worst, she will use the kids and keep them from Harry. I really believe it will end in tragedy for Harry. Being the grieving widow may be more enticing for her then being a divorcee again?? She will still technically be a part of The Royal family.

[pokemon-card-of-the-day]

Pokemon Card of the Day #3055: Suicune (Neo Revelation #27)

The Non-Holo version of Suicune from Neo Revelation was the one that you'd see in later decklists, especially in the Neo-On format. While it was still stuck with the same Pokemon Power that hurt the Entei and Raikou, it was a Water-type. Water hit Fire on a Weakness, which was a huge deal at the time, especially with good Pokemon really needing help there. The main question ended up being if Suicune was the best option for its role, as Basic Water-type attackers weren't limited to just this.

60 HP wasn't the greatest thing in the world, and it would sometimes get stuck trying to trade with the Magcargo cards it wanted to help beat if enough Energy was on the opponent's board. It was pretty solid amount against other things in Neo-On, at least, including Dark Feraligatr and often Scizor. The Lightning Weakness would have been a problem in a lot of formats, but the type was not very popular at this point, with Jolteon and Ampharos getting a little use but not much more than that. Suicune's main advantage over other Pokemon like it was that it could retreat for free, which was very useful for a Pokemon that wanted to pick its spots.

Legendary Body was, as usual, both annoying and useful. It prevented all effects done to Suicune and Energy cards attached to it by Trainers other than Stadiums, but also prevented any Trainers from being attached to Suicune itself. Losing Focus Band was actually a big pain since it could sometimes give an extra turn to mess with a Magcargo. Since Muk was often paired with Scizor, a Pokemon that did like Water-type help, there was an option to stop worrying about that available. On the other hand, a few decks in Neo-On did actually run Energy Removal 2, so if you were up against one of those, Legendary Body was suddenly really nice.

Crystal Wave required 3 Water Energy, which almost certainly meant manual attachments. The attack did 30 base damage, which was a bit lower than you'd probably want (40 would have been better to hit the Weaknesses of important Pokemon), but there was a coin flip. Heads got the extra 10 damage in, resulting in a clean KO on an Entei or Magcargo (or Flareon, for the people trying that). A tails flip didn't get the damage, instead making the opponent switch in a Benched Pokemon instead. The damage was done before the switch, and in practice said opponent would pivot out to a Cleffa in 95% of cases. This made Suicune a bit less reliable than desired against Fire-types, though even a tails flip did a bigger chunk of damage to one than anything else it would be paired with in non-Water decks.

Suicune was strange in that it got quite a bit of use as a Water-type that could pivot in its time, but also was only 50-50 to KO the things it really needed to. Pivoting could just be done by Baby Pokemon, of course. Neo Destiny Mantine, while not a pivot and limited to an attack every other turn, guaranteed the 40 damage needed for just 2 Energy. The decision came down to whether the KO was more important than the free switching and chance to attack 2 turns in a row if given the opportunity. Mantine probably was the better option in general, and clearly gets more use today, but if you wanted a second pivot that was able to deal damage Suicune was still pretty decent.

[ppoppokari]

If you have time I have a request for ateez!!! I’m curious how long it takes each of them to realize that they have a crush on someone and how long afterwards they confess? Thank you!

 Hey! Thank you so much for requesting something and for my ult group nonetheless!!! And don’t worry I’ll always have time for you guys <3 <3  

This also took a little longer because my cat deleted all of this 🙃

A Crush and a Confession **Ateez Edition**

ੈ✩‧₊˚Hongjoong~ 

There is an underlying sense of self-confidence with him, pair that with his intelligence and you get a Hongjoong that realises he should be upfront with his feelings. Hongjoong may seem composed but he does enjoy falling in love, but for a crush to develop he would actually prefer there to be a mutual connection first like a very platonic, thoughtful friendship. This works in his favour since he would actually be so aware of his crush on you, to the extent that he noticed the slight flutter he felt in his heart one day and immediately knew what it was that he was feeling. Hongjoong likes to be prepared for when he does finally confess so it might take him a month or two at most to collect his thoughts, but rest assure by the time he finally confessed he did it in the best way possible. In comparison to the other members, he really is a pro at expressing his feelings in a way that would leave a lasting impression on you. A result of the late nights he spent creating music with your face in mind.

~Seonghwa ੈ✩‧₊˚ 

Seonghwa is actually a pretty bold guy. He is probably the second quickest, behind Hongjoong, to realise that he is crushing on someone. Mostly because he is so open-minded. He had always been open to the idea of letting himself fall for you. It seems very cocky but he really just doesn’t want to dismiss what he is feeling, he will always want to go with his heart. Essentially, he already felt that there was a good possibility that he could start to catch feelings, even if everything started off very standard and platonic. So, in true Hwa fashion, Seonghwa will make it very obvious that he is attracted to you through undivided attention, kind words and the occasional flirting that is definitely designed to catch you off guard so he can just chuckle at your reaction. But despite this he will actually take his time confessing to you, which could span into months of waiting on your behalf. However, you don’t find yourself feeling that disappointing considering he is so obvious. So even if he takes him time to verbally confess you still know the full extent of his feelings.

ੈ✩‧₊˚Yunho~ 

 Probably the most normal of the lot, he really does have the most perfect progression of love. Yunho isn’t as quick as the other members in realising that he is crushing on you. See it as the friends to lovers or next-door neighbour trope, he will spend a lot of time around you but it isn’t really a guarantee that he will crush on you quicker, golden retriever just wants to have fun and enjoy your company. Sometimes it could even take a whole year or two for him to finally start seeing you in a romantic light. Yunho is sentimental and has a huge heart, so the moment he starts crushing on you his smile would get bigger and his energy would skyrocket. Basically, his crush hit him like a train, but our ever-resilient Yunho would know exactly what to do in this situation. He is literally just so wholesome and attentive, when he did sense a deeper connection with you, he would wear his heart on his sleeve and make up for lost time by confessing to you a couple weeks after his huge realisation. Part of this is because he is so incredibly empathetic, he would be motivated to confess because he didn’t want you to feel like you were being led on if it turned out your feelings were mutual.

~Yeosang ੈ✩‧₊˚ 

Yeosang may seem a little unenthused by love in comparison to the other members but he really is just a guy who has an appreciation for human connection. This means he would remain quite platonic in his interactions with you, which could be disheartening because you 100% would be the one crushing on him first. So, it does take him a long time to realise he has a crush on you, purely because his priorities were on having a really good friendship. But once it clicks in his mind that he has a crush on you it really changes how he perceives things, it somehow made things between you feel daunting because he gets so goddamn nervous around you. Now the smallest favours that you do for him, like checking in on him when he’s preparing for a comeback, buying fried chicken to share, sending a good night text, literally anything will plague him with butterflies. That was really when he knew that he had a crush on you. From that point on he would gradually work his way up to confessing, however he definitely finds it much easier to confess to you so it wouldn’t take long at all for him to come clean.

ੈ✩‧₊˚Mingi~ 

Mingi is in the sub-unit of members who fall so easily in love it’s actually surprising. “Fix On” confident on stage Mingi is literally just all talk, he really has such a soft heart and has an optimism for love and being loved. Now, Mingi has definitely had crushes in the past and though it is so predictable that he will fall for someone in a heartbeat, it still catches him off guard. He is secretively emotional, so when he develops a crush, he is crushing hard. This also means that he confesses so quickly its actually surprises both of you. Love for Mingi moves quickly, because he just really wants to fall for someone. So, it isn’t out of the ordinary for him to meet someone, know them for a month or two then immediately confess. His mind just has a way of beautifying everything around him aka he definitely has moments where he sees life like his own personal k-drama.

~Sanੈ✩‧₊˚ 

San is like Yeosang but in overdrive. He really is all about that human connection, he likes to feel comforted in knowing that whoever he falls for will be falling for him because they love his personality and they understand his emotions. But since he is very in tune with his emotions and wears his heart on his sleeve, he will find it very easy to develop a crush on someone. His crushes just make him want to squeal in delight, so when he realises, he has a crush on you he is cuddling his pillow and kicking his legs in the air like a lovesick fool. Despite his eagerness for pure love, he has a sentimental side to him and that’s what made him fall for you. You did things that took him aback, it made him imagine what it would be like if he was able to become closer to you. That’s when everything clicked where he felt that, he needed to close this imaginary distance and confess. Since it is San all of this took place in about four months, he met you, he was smitten and he said it how it was. He didn’t want to hide behind a calm and collected persona when there was the possibility that you could have returned the feelings he had for you.

ੈ✩‧₊˚ Wooyoung~

I stand by the fact that Wooyoung is a certified babygirl. Which means he rivals Mingi and San for the member that would crush on someone the quickest. But for him the realisation comes later than he would have preferred, it definitely wouldn’t take long for him to realise he is crushing on you but the fact he didn’t realise it sooner is something that would really bother him. Considering how witty he is he feels that he should at least know these things, he should know the difference between friendship and love. But he really had the cutest reason for it not clicking. He was preoccupied with the happiness he felt around you, he was literally blinded by his love and affection. Once he realised, he had a crush on you he would definitely want to confess as soon as possible, so he would just say it one day. It may have seemed like confidence but in reality, so many things were on his mind that it just slipped out. So maybe he is just a fool for love, but there are definitely worse things to be.

~Jongho ੈ✩‧₊˚ 

 Now Jongho is pretty reserved in this sense, he is definitely capable of falling in love and he does want to experience having a relationship, he just really takes his time with everything. He would most likely realise he had a crush on you much later in comparison to the other members, the only one he outdoes with realising he has a crush is Yeosang. It just never really occurred to him that he would be feeling that way considering everything that is going on in his life. He was preoccupied with other things, but over time his tunnel vision faded away. He began thinking back to all the things that you had done for him and he really started to realise just how much comfort you were bringing him. After realising that, he couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face. But no matter how eager Jongho is to confess to you he would wait. He still remains pretty laid back and would take time to confess, he just knows that there will be a time in the future where will be the best time to confess, so for now he’s just out here enjoying your company. 

[bambamramfan]

This is obviously a critical response. Also Scott has posted his follow-up post "Highlights from the Comments" here, which I'm also responding to.

Now, even if you aren't conservative I think there is real value in saying "a major cultural change, focused on some sectors, recently happened. WHY did it happen. What were the turning points and structural factors." And I don't think "because we suddenly became better people" is a good answer to that. So exploring the cause and effect from civil rights law to the social justice shift is not, a priori, a bad idea.

Hanania's very partisan and activist slant on the question I disagree with, but it doesn't mean he makes no good empirical points. If you only read the people you agree with, well, they tend not to circulate inconvenient facts to your side and then you get blind-sided. And despite his reputation, I really do like RH's writing on China. And I'm on the record that running large parts of employment regulation through a very tiny errata of the Civil Rights Act, leads to absurd and bad outcomes and bad law.

But I'm pretty disappointed at his book (as summed up here) and Scott's moderate reaction to it. I'm glad Scott pointed out "these administrative changes in the 1970's are unlikely to be responsible for a cultural shift that hit max velocity in 2014." Because Scott gives a lot of credit to the dystopia it paints of government and corporate hiring programs forced to circumnavigate huge vagaries by implementing contradictory and Orwellian hiring standards. The second comments post does this even more so. And I feel that even when these anecdotes are factually correct, they are leaving out extremely important context. To wit:

Bureaucratic hiring processes are already this Orwellian process of doublespeak that pay attention to a lot of factors besides who would be the best at the job. All the procedures people describe were already in place, just for other types of qualifications. Random example: Harvard prides itself on always have a student from every state in it's undergraduate body. Some of our states represent about 0.2% of the population. To guarantee that say Wyoming or Idaho always have someone on campus, you basically have to target geographically - and not by merit. Or a hedge fund that wants to impress investors by hiring graduates from the right schools, even if they've found ambitious state school students are better bang for the buck. It was never the case that employers cared purely for merit and then race came into play, even if it is the case that race is now one of several factors they have to juggle for.

Here's the bigger issue. The book and review really emphasizes how terrible it is to be caught in the bind that the US government wants organizations to be racially equitable, but it doesn't just give a list of rules to follow. It says "you figure it out. So long as you don't cause a problem that's fine. But if someone thinks you're racist, they can sue, and we'll have to prove it out in court." This creates an environment where the rules are unclear, and the best you can do is follow the best practices that similar organizations do, and say you were trying your best. And so if some organizations for idiosyncratic reasons take diversity more seriously, everyone else is forced to follow suit. For certain types of people this causes scrupulosity spirals. I agree that sucks. But this is by design! Not just in civil rights, but in the entire US administrative state, it was decided long ago. See, you can have a legal environment where regulations are enforced either through: a) An agency draws up all the rules for companies to follow, and has the workforce to go inspect every company to make sure they are complying. This is what we do with cars or restaurants, and most of Europe does with a lot more areas than we do. b) The government says "don't fuck this up. You're on your own" and you are left alone until someone thinks you've fucked it up enough that they sue you. Trials are a TERRIBLE way to work this out, but it's supposed to motivate you to be extra careful. This is much more random but much less costly tax wise, so it is the system the US has decided to go with for many of its laws.

So I agree "government by lawsuit" is a terrible curse upon America (and why we have so many more lawyers per capitate than other Western nations.) It leads to all the moral problems this book and review highlights. But it's not limited to the realm of race relations and it's by design so that we don't have to pay more bureaucrats. I doubt Hanania would want us to move to the European model which has less scrupulosity issues.

[writergirl3]

4 Town Crushing On You

Let's start with the more romantic, reader-based headcanons! Not proofread, but don't hold that against me. I'll do some dating ones after this, but enjoy these for now 🧡

Robaire

Robaire’s pretty experienced when it comes to relationships and stuff, so he handles his crush on you pretty well. Too well. While he’s charming, he holds his cards close to his chest.

He doesn’t get flustered very easily, so don’t bother looking for any kind of blushes of stammering. He’ll always compliment you, sometimes in French, and his eyes linger on you just a bit longer than they do with other people.

The main problem Robaire finds when crushing on you is deciding whether or not to act on it. He likes you, yes, but he’s also got so many other responsibilities in his life and he wonders if there are enough hours in his day for a relationship. Yet, he can’t face the possibility of missing out on being with you.

You actually inspired him to write Nobody Like U. He was having a writing session with Jesse, who quickly put two and two together and asked Robaire if you were his crush. That sparked on a long heart-to-heart, and Jesse eventually persuaded Robaire to take a shot.

Considering the fact that you inspired 4 Town’s biggest hit to date, Robaire wanted to incorporate it into his confession. He mailed the CD to your house before it went out on sale (he did get in trouble with management, but you’re worth it). After listening to it, you read the note tucked into the case;

“There’s nobody like you for me, and never will be anyone else. Mon amour, if you feel the same way, let’s give this a shot. R x"

After reading it, you heard a knock at the door. Opening it, Robaire was stood there with a hopeful expression. And, well, the rest is up to you.

Jesse

Jesse doesn’t really crush that much anymore. He has so much else on his plate with 4 Town and his kids. But when you walked into his life and he got that feeling. Man, he knew something wonderful was about to begin.

Like Robaire, Jesse is real good at hiding his crush and distracting himself from his feelings. Little things will catch him off-guard, though. Look him directly in the eye when you talk to him? That’s a guaranteed way to make him fall for you even more. And don’t even get me started on how he feels when you play with his kids. 

Being a father does make it hard for Jesse to decide whether to let his crush run its course or pursue you. It’s not because he thinks his kids don’t like you or anything, quite the reverse. He just has to think about the impact on them, not just himself. However, you can thank the twins for Jesse’s confession.

Let me set the scene. You were keeping an eye on the kids while the guys were in the recording studio. Jesse likes to bring them along, but keeping them quiet can be a challenge. In between takes, Phoebe flat-out just asked you, “Y/N, are you my daddy’s girlfriend/boyfriend?”

You could have heard a pin drop in the studio. Well, that is until T gasped over-dramatically and Z smacked him up the side of his head.

Jesse basically turned into a tomato, but his hopeful expression gave you some confidence. “Not right now, but I’d like to be.”

Obviously, he asked you out after that, and the rest is history.

Aaron T

So, we know that T is a chaotic guy, but having a crush sends his senses into overdrive. Think kitten on catnip/hyena. He’ll be rushing around the place, trying to get his thoughts off of you. And his sleep? Absolutely ruined, and he blames you - in a good way, though.

The guys all turn into exhausted moms when T starts crushing on you, even Tae. T loves to impress you more than anything, and his pranks are a sure-fire way to get a laugh out of you. Just one chuckle of yours is worth a month’s-worth of scolding from the guys.

Surprisingly, though, T never gets very touchy-feely with you. He won’t let himself. A huge part of him feels like you’re too good for him and would almost certainly reject him, so any kind of physical contact would be almost cruel, in his eyes.

Now, when it comes to a confession, I feel like Robaire would have talked T into it. It was after he found Aaron in his bedroom, curled up in a ball sat criss-cross on the ground, head in hands. The poor boy couldn’t deal with the intensity of his feelings towards you, and was beginning to panic that you might be taken away by someone else. Robaire helped T think of what to say, and it went something a bit like this;

“Y/N, I…uh…I got something to say. No, no, I’m fine! I just wanted you to know that I love you so much as a friend, but lately I been feeling some type of other way about you. I love you, completely, and it’s okay if you don’t feel the same, we can just stay as frien-”

“-Shut up and kiss me, you dork.”

Aaron Z

Having a crush pretty much breaks Z. He has no idea how to act around you, and who could blame him? Pretty much every waking moment of his is filled with thoughts about how wonderful and gorgeous you are. He can’t even get away from his feelings in his dreams. He’s down THAT bad.

Just seeing you from afar makes his breath catch in his throat, so being anywhere near you has him flustered beyond belief. Because of this, he’s even more stoic and straight faced than normal.

So, you’re pretty certain that he hates you, and you only dragged a confession out of him when you confronted him about his cold attitude. 

“What did I ever do to you, Z? You can’t even look me in the eye! Why is that?” 

“W-well…I…”

“What?”

“I LIKE YOU, OKAY?”

“O-oh…-”

Yeah, his confession was a whole new level of messy. He honestly never even planned on confessing, but once he did, he felt like an untapped part of himself was allowed to finally flourish. After a minute or so of silence, he scratches the back of his neck and looks you dead in the eye;

“So…wanna catch a movie or something?”

Tae Young

Okay, Tae with a crush is adorable. No one will convince me otherwise. He makes every excuse to be near you, and the guys tease him mercilessly (read: T) about it. You need a lift down to the store? Tae will go and get all your shopping for you. Can’t decide on an outfit? He’s at your house in 10 minutes with a freaking mood board of ideas. Need a shoulder to cry on? Tae’s got you sets up snacks, movies and all the fuzzy blankets he owns. 

Tae just wants to be there for you, and his caring nature helps him get past the shyness that threatens to keep his feelings for you undisclosed.

So, yes, the guys like to tease him about his crush, but Z not so much. He actually thinks it’s really cute, and will sneakily take pictures of you and Tae when you’re talking or something. When Tae finds the pictures, he blushes like crazy and Z tells him to make you his before it’s too late.

We know that Tae loves animals, obviously, and there’s no way that he won’t make them part of his confession. I also headcanon him as being into Harry Potter, so the idea of sending you a note via one of his doves is just too cute for him to resist.

So, when one of the white-feathered creatures appears on your windowsill one morning, you have no doubt in your mind who sent it there. It’s holding a little basket in its beak, and you reach inside to find the note;

‘Y/N, I know this is out of the blue, but I need to tell you something. I like you, like like you. I didn’t want to say anything because you’re my best friend, but a future with you is worth risking that. I can only hope you feel the same. Tae x’

With a smile, you draw a heart on the back of the note and hand it back to the dove, who flies away. Within five minutes, Tae is at your door with the dopiest grin you’ve ever seen.

(GIFS aren't mine. Don't worry, the spelling mistake in Jesse's bothers me too.)

---

Musing Meaninglessly Masterlist

[netherworldpost]

Maybe out of your wheelhouse, but I’m… frustrated. I keep writing the same stories, which I didn’t realize until recently, because my Dissociative Identity Disorder wasn’t realized till a few years ago. It’s maddening, looking at all the stories I wrote in the past, and realizing it’s just some miserable kid trying to grapple with why they’re like that, through layers of allegory and metaphor and denial. Over and over again, since I was like, 12. 12!!!! DID’s not even diagnosable at that age!

I just. Idk. I can’t tell what to do with these stories that are all the same but all different rattling around. I can’t tell if the amount of stories I have based around the same few core concepts is good, or if it would just boring and irritating to people (especially other systems) to only make the same thing over and over and over.

@gray--abyss (my sideblog)

I have no commentary to offer regarding Dissociative Identity Disorder, but in terms of telling the same story:

Okay, do it?

Hallmark tells the same basic stories repeatedly. Hollywood tells the same basic stories repeatedly. {Genre} tells the same basic stories repeatedly.

Have you read my work? (This isn't a test.)

Monster A (usually a femme monster) meets Monster B (usually an androgynous monster).

Each awkwardly attempts to flirt with the other, neither realizing the other is flirting.

Within 300-750 words they are kissing.

By the end, they either espouse love for each other and/or get into playful shenanigans.

Everything outside this is artwork on the walls next to the grandfather clock you could set by the pacing.

A lot of smart people have been saying for hundreds of years in various formats "there are only X kinds of stories in the world" and that's great I personally do not care.

I like more organic processes. I start, I edit, I mash things together.

Maybe your progress is more mechanical. You plot, you plan, you find yourself coming to the same paths. Widen the path if you want, but maybe it's not a bad path to go down.

There is not a value difference between the two. It is art. Judgement is subjective (and frankly largely irrelevant)

In terms of getting people to read it / acknowledge it / enjoy it?

Welcome to the emotionless world of marketing.

Post-it notes were invented in 1968 and didn't hit market shelves until 1980, after a first run which was disappointing. 12 years in R&D and marketing and will-this-work-will-this-fail only to become an international sensation that sells billions.

When I say "it is worth infinite money to resolve the issue of 'Hello I have a widget'" I am not joking. Every business, creator, free-sharer, etc. chips away at it via their own path that works until it doesn't. Then you start figuring out how to change it.

It doesn't matter if it's post-it notes or a great novel.

Every piece of media you love has a huge base of people who actively dislike it, a larger base of people who passively dislike it, and an incalculably large base who have never heard of it.

I can't tell you how to market because I don't take on new marketing clients. There are countless forums that talk about how to market stories -- be they they same story over and over and over again (see above) or not.

Don't spend money on it unless you're content with this money returning nothing.

This isn't a commentary on your work, it's part of business. If you're comfortable spending money with no return, go for it.

This is a neutral statement.

Maybe it's a hobby, maybe it's something you're passionate about, maybe it's a startup.

Spending money on marketing is guaranteed to only decrease your cash. There is a maxim in advertising and marketing -- applicable to everyone everywhere always -- "you waste 50% of your budget. The trick is figuring out which 50% it is."

Far, far, far more importantly: If no one else likes your work, okay? That's fine?

I make stuff.

I hope people like it.

If they don't, that's fine, I'm going to keep making it.

If the back office clients stop hiring me, I'll keep making it and will go get a job at a bookshop or something. Maybe watch a television show, catch up on my painting, finally figure out the nuances of rubber stamp production.

There is nothing wrong with making art for others for money if that's what you want to do.

Everyone who argues otherwise is boring. "Artists should--" I don't care. "Writer's shouldn't--" I don't care. It's boring. The arguments are boring.

Moving on.

There is nothing wrong with making art that makes $0 but satisfies whatever compelled you to make it.

Make the art you are compelled to make.

Study the craft to your tolerance in order to make it faster and more aligned to the art you are compelled to make

Publish it to your tolerance

Everything else is salad dressing.

If you want it to be financially or socially acceptable, then add to that "study marketing, business, sociology, current events, market forces"... to get started. Which is daunting and may or may not serve what you actually want.

Make your life.

That's the important piece.

Everything else is salad dressing.

[having-conniptions]

MY TWO FAVORITE LINES FROM 7X04 BC I CAN NOT SHUT UP ABOUT IT (spoiler warning)

"'Cause trying to get your attention has been kind of exhausting."

This is where it's revealed that the person Buck has been after is actually Tommy, and after all that talk about Eddie and the relationship between Buck and Eddie, it came as a surprise...

...AND NOT JUST TO THE VIEWERS. You can basically hear in Buck's voice that he realizes it AS HE SAYS IT. He thought this was about Eddie. It hits him that it's not. (Well maybe it is but rn he's trying to get with Tommy)

We suspected Tommy/Buck, then we saw the promo and thought we were getting Tommy/Eddie instead - and this line was the writers going "gotcha, it's Tommy/Buck after all!!"

Made my stomach drop bc I had a feeling all day before watching this ep that something huge was gonna happen and this line, man. This line. It felt like a point of no return. The guarantee that something huge was about to happen. I've watched enough TV to recognize this kind of line.

OLIVER'S ACTING. THE SOFT, EARNEST VOICE. THE WAY IT CRACKS AS HE REALIZES. I WILL NEVER GET OVER THIS LINE.

"I am free."

I want to get this line tattooed on my body right now.

The double triple meaninggggggggggg

Yes, Buck is free on Saturday. He's agreeing to a date with Tommy, which is wild enough in and of itself and makes me sooooooo happy for him

Buck, as a person, is free. He just got kissed by the guy whose attention he just realized he'd been trying to get. I mean, at this point we don't know if Buck already knew he was bi but this moment must have been so damn freeing for him.

BONUS!!! Buck, as a character, is free. The spell has been broken. He's kissed a man and he's about to date him. It's like they've unlocked a new thing this character can now do that wasn't possible before. And it will lead us to Buddie victory.

I wouldn't have picked up on the 2nd and 3rd meaning as quickly as I did if OLIVER MY BELOVED hadn't said it the way he did THAT MAN CAN ACT AND I LOVE HIM TO THE CORE

I WILL NOT SHUT UP ABOUT THIS EPISODE EVERRRRRR

[ohthehypocrisy]

Dusknoir for Pokemon Unite!

Season 1

Season 2

Prev: Cradily - Hatterene - Tropius - Cacturne - Ditto - Weavile - Ogerpon - Coalossal - Gogoat - Galarian Slowbro - Luxray - Breloom - Uxie, Mesprit, & Azelf - Wobbuffet - Obstagoon - Lanturn - Castform

The envoy of the dead, the ferryman of the underworld river, what many would call the Grim Reaper himself. Dusknoir has arrived on Aeos Island, but for what purpose? Has he come to reap the souls of the living, or are his motives far more sinister?

Whatever the reason may be, we must be prepared to shake hands with Death itself. It's time to look into what this begrudged boogeyman is capable of.

-

With massive stats in both defenses, Dusknoir seems like it was made for the role of a Defender. That would be true, but due to its Ghost typing, it suffers a bit from 'big boned' syndrome, where it isn't as fat as you would think. A low HP stat of 45 averages out those huge Defender numbers into what's essentially average bulk, but at least it has a decent Attack stat. In actuality, Ghost types like Dusknoir get most of their value from playing trick or treat with their enemies, using moves like Will-o-wisp, Confuse Ray, Curse, Pain Split, all of which can enfeeble opposing pokemon while empowering the user and their allies.

As such, for being well suited to the hybrid role of a Defender and a Supporter, I designate Dusknoir with the role of an...

All-Rounder

-

Basic Attack - Melee/Atttack

Becomes a boosted attack after 4 hits. Each hit marks an enemy with an eye icon. When the boosted attack is used, a shadow explosion deals damage to the enemy regardless of where they are, damaging any nearby enemies as well. The boosted attack ignores shields when damaging an enemy with a wide open eye mark.

Each hit of the basic attack marks the affected enemy with an eye shaped icon. The first hit marks them with a closed eye icon, which progressively opens as more hits land. The boosted basic attack has the pokemon attack all around itself with ghostly energy and affects all marked opposing pokemon.

When the pokemon uses its boosted basic attack, all pokemon marked by the basic attack will be attacked by a ghostly explosion that affects nearby pokemon in a small area.

The more the eye mark progressed, the more damage dealt. The first mark, the closed eye mark, deals 100% of the boosted basic attack damage. The second mark, the tired eye icon, deals 120% damage. The third mark, the open eye icon, deals 140% damage. The fourth mark, the wide open eye icon, deals 160% piercing damage.

With the big hands of Dusknoir and Dusclops, you can bet they know how to throw them. Duskull less so, but it's learning.

Those big hands also have a habit of cursing all who are touched, so when it hits something in Pokémon Unite, it marks them with a weird eye symbol. The more hits this basic attack deals, the wider the eye opens. And when the boosted basic attack comes out, all who are marked are seen by the user and attacked all at once with powerful curse energy.

Now, the basic attack will become boosted after 4 hits, but the eye mark isn't guaranteed to be opened all the way when this happens. In the heat of battle, you'll land one or two hits on an opposing pokemon, marking them with a weak eye icon. That's good enough, as the eye icon is the multiplier for the boosted basic attack. Now, it would be nice to hit an enemy all 4 times, but just once is good enough, as the boosted attack will deal damage regardless of where they are when it comes out.

It's also hard to actually land all 4 hits of the basic attack, as the basic attack doesn't ever reset. You could KO a wild pokemon while at 3 basic attacks, then throw your 4th attack at an opposing pokemon 30 seconds later, marking them one time before the boosted basic attack comes out. It'd be nice if there was a way to increase your basic attack speed outside of X Attack, that way it'd be possible to cycle through your basic attacks at least once.

As it just so happens, there is. It's Dusknoir's powerful aura called Pressure, and it's much more impressive than it seems.

-

Ability: Levitate/Pressure

Levitate (Duskull)

The pokemon’s Movement Speed increases relative to the Unite Move Meter.

Pressure (Dusclops/Dusknoir)

The pokemon’s Movement Speed and basic attack speed increase relative to the Unite Move Meter. Reduces the damage of all opposing Unite Moves.

Both Levitate and Pressure increase the user's Movement Speed relative to the user's Unite Move Charge Meter. For example, 50% Unite Move charge equates to 50% increased Movement Speed.

Both Levitate and Pressure are in effect even when the Unite Move is locked by the Level or by other effects.

In addition, the user's basic attack speed also increases relative to the Unite Move Charge Meter, following the same formula.

Pressure reduces the damage of opposing Unite Moves by 40%.

Did you know that when a round starts, your Unite Move Meter is locked? Obviously, yeah, you aren't at a high enough level to use it, but even so, it continues to charge while locked. This can come into play during certain Quick Battle modes where you level up so quickly, you can unlock your Unite Move before its finished charging. Now, this will never happen in a real match, but for the most part, Duskull's Levitate Ability gives it a slowly increasing Movement Speed boost when the game starts.

It helps that Duskull and Dusclops are bulky enough that they can defend an area, and then use that speed to retreat or rotate lanes when necessary. However, they don't quite have the attack power of a Defender to make use of their defenses just yet. This can make it difficult for Duskull in the beginning, but if you can evolve soon enough, Levitate will become Pressure, giving Dusclops some much needed firepower for the mid game.

Pressure not only increases your Movement Speed, it will also increase your basic attack speed, letting you hit fast enough to mark enemies with the watchful eyes of the underworld. Oh, and it improves your ability to defend by spreading basic attacks around much faster.

Speaking of defense, Pressure also reduces the damage received from opposing Unite Moves if you get hit by them. It may not help much if you're behind in EXP, especially when you're stuck as a Dusclops, but if you've evolved into a Dusknoir, it can give you some much needed bulk. Most opposing pokemon will pop their Unite Move to win a 1-v-1 or to make a power play, but Dusknoir's Pressure takes that option away from the enemy, especially when you're at equal Level.

It's a carnal type of fear when you're backed into a corner, and your Unite Move isn't guaranteed to work against the slowly approaching Ghost Type pokemon that's the personification of death itself. Spooky.

-

At the start of the game, Dusknoir will start out as Duskull. You can choose between Astonish and Leer as your first move. By Level 3, you will have learned both.

-

Move 1: Astonish (Melee)

The pokemon disappears into the shadows, becoming invisible to enemies. When the move is used again, the pokemon reappears and Stuns and damages any enemy nearby. 9s cooldown.

Astonish makes the user invisible for 5 seconds or until the attack is used. You cannot use any other attack or move until then.

Astonish damages all nearby enemies and Stuns them for 0.75 seconds.

Invisibility effects are annoying and difficult to scale to the player's skills, so there are loads of things to consider when giving such an effect to a pokemon. Is it fair when a Duskull uses it to help it launch a sneak attack? Maybe not, but it is in character for a mischievous little skull creature like itself.

The move Astonish is balanced out by two things. Firstly, it has a lengthy cooldown of 9 seconds and only runs for 5 seconds. This makes it difficult not only to lead an attack or an ambush with, but also deprives the user of an escape plan should the frontal attack backfire. Basically, if you open with Astonish, Stun and hit an enemy, what are you to do if this move fails to KO or deal significant damage to the enemy? Probably perish.

The second thing is that Astonish has short range and doesn't augment Duskull in any way beyond granting invisibility. Wherever you go with Astonish, you have to understand that you're committing to it. Remember, your Attack stat isn't all that impressive until you evolve into a Dusknoir, so make sure that this surprise attack counts.

The easiest way to do that? Play as a Supporter with Astonish and your other move.

-

Move 2: Leer (Debuff/Hindrance)

A bright flash of light is emitted from the pokemon’s eye, briefly blinding the enemy and reducing their defense. 7.5s cooldown.

Leer obscures the vision of enemies for 2 seconds and reduces their Defense by 30% for 4 seconds.

There are more pokemon out there with multiple heads than there are pokemon with single eyes, and that's one of the weirder things about pokemon in general. Being a Ghost type, Duskull doesn't have much need for physical senses, so it can afford to lose some depth perception. Of course, there is such a thing as equivalent exchange, so by losing one eye, it gained some special powers for using the remaining eye.

Leer flashes a debilitating light from its eye, blinding affected pokemon briefly and reducing their defenses afterwards. It helps Duskull soften up opposing pokemon to make up for its low attack power, but it also really helps out allies deal even more damage, especially if they can deal ranged physical damage like Raboot or Decidueye.

The blinding effect is also interesting. It only lasts for 2 seconds, but if Astonish is ready to go, you can follow up with that attack and go invisible, completely escaping the opposing team's vision! It's up to you on what happens next, as you can escape to safety or try and go for a KO on a weakened opponent. Remember, you're a hybrid Defender and Supporter, so whatever you do is supposed to benefit you and your teammate.

Coordination is the key here. You get a lot of EXP for KO'ing opposing pokemon, which is helpful for you as Duskull needs quite a bit of EXP to evolve. If you can manage that, you'll be one step closer to unleashing your full power.

-

At Level 6, Duskull will evolve into Dusclops. At the same time, Astonish will become either Shadow Punch or Night Shade.

-

Move 1a: Shadow Punch (Ranged)

The pokemon becomes cloaked in shadow, disappearing from the enemy’s sight. When the move is used again, a projectile fist is launched, dealing damage to any enemy struck. The fists can be used repeatedly until the move ends, but the fists will be visible to enemies. Each hit restores the user’s HP. 9s cooldown.

At Level 11, Shadow Punch becomes Shadow Punch+.

Increases damage dealt gradually while invisible.

Shadow Punch makes the user invisible for 7 seconds. During this time, using Shadow Punch again sends a shadowy fist out as a projectile. This move can be used repeatedly in this way with a 0.5 second delay in between punches. Shadow Punch goes on cooldown when the invisibility effect wears off.

The projectile fists are visible to opposing pokemon, revealing to enemies where you are hiding. Each hit of Shadow Punch restores your HP by 50% of the damage dealt.

The user will be forced to become visible if damaged by an opposing move. Shadow Punch+ has the projectile fists deal increasing damage the longer you manage to stay invisible, up to as much as 250%.

Similar to Astonish, Shadow Punch turns you invisible. However, Shadow Punch also turns your ghastly fists into straight slinging knuckle sandwiches made of phantom energy. I guess all you need to box like a pro is a good ol' pair of hands, and not necessarily a set of arms or elbows, or shoulders for that matter. Seriously, why does it just have hands?

Well, with a new evolution comes some improved stats, which makes it more feasible for Dusclops to go on the offensive with Shadow Punch. The invisibility effect hides you very well without any tell that you're nearby. Enemies will only know you're in the area if they see the ghost fists flying out of nowhere, but the invisibility will protect you from Sure-Hit moves like Glaceon's Icicle Spear.

But if something else hits you, Shadow Punch and the invisibility effect ends, forcing you to come out of hiding. This is different from Astonish, which kept you hidden even if you got tagged by a lucky shot. While Shadow Punch gives you range and invisibility, the move must be used carefully for the full effect.

As a reward for playing well with Shadow Punch, each hit restores some of your HP when they deal damage. This is useful for recovering from a fight or when a scuffle with the opposing team has worn you down a little too much. If you manage to safely use Shadow Punch to escape the opposing team, any potshots you take will serve to restore your HP and keep you in the fight for a little longer. The longer you manage to stay hidden, the more HP you can restore, putting you back in the fight.

Shadow Punch+ improves the damage these ranged punches can deal the longer the invisibility effect remains for, which helps you deal plenty of damage, especially as you'll have evolved into Dusknoir by now. It becomes easier to pick off weakened opposing pokemon with Shadow Punch while your own offensive presence is enough to ward off the enemy team.

Speaking of which, if you want to talk about offensive presence, consider Night Shade as an alternative.

-

Move 1b: Night Shade (Area)

The pokemon creates a shadow copy at the designated area while becoming invisible in turn. The shadow copy can be directed but cannot attack. When the move is used again, the copy explodes, dealing damage to all enemies in range and deals extra damage for each hit the copy took. 10s cooldown.

At Level 11, Night Shade becomes Night Shade+.

Resets the cooldown of this move when an opposing pokemon is KO'd.

Night Shade creates a clone of the user in the designated area while also turning you invisible. This effect lasts for 7.5 seconds, until Night Shade is activated.

The created clone shares your name and HP bar at the time of creation, but will not take damage or be affected by hindrances. It can still be targeted and attacked by opposing pokemon and moves.

The clone can be 'directed' by your own movement. You are essentially controlling two characters at the same time, but one is a decoy.

Night Shade can be used again to cause the clone to explode in a wave of ghost energy, dealing damage to all enemies nearby. Each hit of damage the clone received increases the damage dealt by this explosion by an additional 7.5%, maxing out to 150%.

Night Shade+ has its cooldown reset when an opposing pokemon is KO'd by this explosion.

Most, if not all, of the cloning moves in Pokémon Unite puts a computer in charge of the copy. The most you can do when using Double Team with either Greninja or Meowscarada is pick the best direction and hope for the best. But Dusclops has big hands and is surprisingly adept at pulling puppet strings in order to control Night Shade. As such, the ability to confuse and confound opposing pokemon depends on your own misdirection and sleight of hand.

The copy made by Night Shade shares your name and HP, which is good enough to convince nearby enemies that you're the real deal. The jig is up once the copy is attacked, as Night Shade prevents the clone from receiving damage or hindrances. It will also tell enemies that you are nearby, as Night Shade requires you, the puppet master, to be close by to control it.

If you are in danger of being revealed to the opposing team, you can trigger Night Shade to self destruct, dealing damage to all enemies near the copy. It will deal even more damage the more hits it received, returning the enemy's aggression back to them.

Of course, this only works on opponents that aren't paying attention. Smart players will back away from the copy when they see it isn't responding to damage or crowd control, as they know it will eventually explode. They'll start attacking blindly around the area itself, hoping to fish you out. You can do something sneaky and use Night Shade behind you, tricking the opposing team to overextend or waste their own Unite Move.

Keep in mind that this trickery is in service to the team. You're playing as a hybrid Defender slash Supporter, so your crafty Night Shade plays must be used to draw enemy fire safely away from teammates. You can afford to go on the offensive with Night Shade+, as not only can you reset the cooldown of the move with a successful KO, you'll also have evolved into the more powerful Dusknoir by then.

Speaking of which, Dusknoir requires quite a bit of EXP to reach its full potential, and for good reason.

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At Level 9, Dusclops evolves into Dusknoir. At the same time, Leer becomes either Shadow Ball or Destiny Bond.

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Move 2a: Shadow Ball (Debuff/Hindrance)

The pokemon launches a ball of darkness, sticking to all enemies in range, obscuring their sight, and increasing the damage they receive for a short while. The affected pokemon have their Unite Move charge rate decreased for a few seconds afterwards. 10s cooldown.

At Level 13, Shadow Ball becomes Shadow Ball+.

Further decreases the opposing pokemon's Unite Move charge rate.

Shadow Ball launches from Dusknoir's mouth and takes 0.75 seconds to come out, giving opposing pokemon a brief moment to escape from the move's range.

If Shadow Ball hits an opposing pokemon, it will 'attach' to them by covering up their heads, obscuring their vision for 3 seconds. When this effect wears off, the Shadow Ball will clear away, though the move's other effects are still active.

Shadow Ball will also increase the damage received from all pokemon by 35% for 6 seconds.

In addition, affected pokemon have their Unite Move Meter fill at a reduced rate for 10 seconds. Unite Move charge will be reduced by 50%, whether it be passively, from KO'ing pokemon, or from scoring goals. Shadow Ball+ reduces this even further by 65%.

Because of Dusknoir's reputation of 'stealing' souls and taking them to the other world, it is a pokemon that many would approach with caution. The truth is, it's not actually taking souls. Rather, it's taking away and inhibiting one's life force in order to weaken them, which seems much worse.

Shadow Ball affects not only the pokemon it hits but also their life force as well. In addition to obscuring their vision, it enfeebles them and makes them more susceptible to damage from you and your allies.

But that's not the worst of it. Shadow Ball will also inhibit the generation of opposing pokemon’s Unite Move Meter, extending the time it takes for opposing pokemon to receive their ace in the hole, so to speak. This gravely affects pokemon with slow Unite Move Meter generation, but it can also inhibit those with fast meter gain, like Blaziken or Dragapult, making their high powered moves less reliable.

Shadow Ball does have a bit of a windup to it, though, so if an enemy sees it coming, they'll either move out of the way or retreat. Their best option is the latter, as the blinding effect and the defense reduction make them vulnerable to follow up attacks from you and your allies. The upgraded version also reduces the charge time even more, though this will be difficult to take advantage of in the late game.

Instead of inhibiting the Unite Move Meter, Dusknoir may instead opt to steal it.

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Move 2b: Destiny Bond (Debuff)

Casts a curse on all enemies in range. While active, the affected pokemon have their Unite Move charge rate transferred to yours. If an enemy is KOd while cursed, gain more Unite Move Charge. 15s cooldown.

At Level 13, Destiny Bond becomes Destiny Bond+.

Expands the area of effect.

Destiny Bond affects all pokemon within close range to Dusknoir. Affected pokemon have their Unite Move Meter transfer any charge amount to your own Unite Move Meter. This has no effect on wild pokemon.

If an affected opposing pokemon is KO'd while cursed by Destiny Bond, you gain an additional 10% Unite Move charge.

Destiny Bond+ expands the area of effect by 25%.

A fellow traveler is a stranger you'll know for a long time. Maybe they'll tell you their life story, or teach you a really good recipe for dinner. For Dusknoir, its travelling companions are often the dearly departed, so what it hears from these strangers are tales lost forever, known only to the pokemon itself.

Now, because of that, Dusknoir doesn't have a lot of experience handling company with the living, so when it uses Destiny Bond, it ends up taking the energy of their souls forcefully. You and me both, big guy.

Destiny Bond does only one thing, but it is powerful in its effect. By taking the Aeos Energy away from opposing pokemon, it prevents their Unite Move Meter from charging for 5 seconds. Any Meter that would be charged are transferred to Dusknoir instead, which is great, because its Unite Move is also pretty powerful, but more on that later.

By preventing opposing Unite Moves from being charged, you stall their generation for 5 seconds, meaning you have 5 extra seconds before the enemy can use their trump cards. Unfortunately, this doesn't have any effect on opposing pokemon that already have their Unite Mvoe fully charged, so Dusknoir will be in a bit of trouble if it tries to use Destiny Bond on such pokemon. Well, it would be, but its Pressure Ability reduces damage received from these Unite Moves, so it'll be fine for the most part.

The hard part is actually using Destiny Bond. For such a powerful effect, Destiny Bond suffers from a whopping 15 second cooldown, which can be argued to be way too much. If the opposing team knows you are running Destiny Bond, they'll be more wary of being near you, or they'll become a bit more trigger happy with their Unite Moves.

Crazy as it sounds, this is exactly what you want. You're an All-Rounder with the rare hybrid role of a Defender and a Supporter, so it's your job not only to distract the opposing team, but also to draw their fire. That's why its Pressure Ability works the way it does, and how Shadow Punch and Night Shade are designed to confound the opposing team. By influencing their decisions in when and where to use their Unite Moves, you've already done half of your job as an All-Rounder. Every second's worth of hesitation is extremely valuable to you and your team, you just gotta know how to spend it.

Because Destiny Bond transfers the Meter gain from opposing pokemon directly to you, you can expect to get your Unite Move often, especially if you make good use of the move in spite of its high cooldown. But just so you know, Dusknoir's devilish delights do not end with Destiny Bond, dare I say. Its devious diversions devour and distract the dull witted deviants of the day with its dynamic destabilization and dramatic draining.

Dang, I depleted my deck of D words. Dusknoir's Unite Move, everybody.

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Unite Move: Soul Steal/Soul Banish

Soul Steal (Recovery)

Absorbs the target's life force, stealing some HP and Unite Move Meter and adding it to your own. 20s cooldown.

Soul Banish (Sure Hit)

Grabs an enemy and drags them into your mouth, forcefully returning them to their base. If the target is at a low enough HP percentage, instantly KO them instead.

Dusknoir has two Unite Moves it can use, depending on the amount of Unite Move Meter it has. If the Unite Move Meter is anything less than 100%, it will be able to use Soul Steal. Both Unite Moves are available as soon as Dusknoir evolves.

Soul Steal takes 15% of the opposing pokemon's HP, dealing piercing damage, and restores its own HP equal to the amount. It will also take 15% of the opposing pokemon's Unite Move Meter, or whatever is available, and adds it to your own Meter.

Soul Steal will go on cooldown for 20 seconds after it is used, though this doesn't affect the Unite Move Charge itself or stop you from using Soul Banish when it becomes available.

At 100% Unite Move Meter, Dusknoir's Unite Move becomes Soul Banish. It will grab an opposing pokemon and forcefully returns them to their base. If the opposing pokemon is at 15% HP or less, it will instantly KO them instead. You will see opposing pokemon who are at 15% HP or less highlighted on their HP bar when Soul Banish is available to you.

Soul Steal is unaffected by the use of Soul Banish and is also unaffected by cooldown reducing items and emblems.

Neither Soul Steal nor Soul Banish have any effects on Wild Pokemon.

Because of Dusknoir's ability to influence the Unite Move Meter of itself and opposing pokemon, it has to be balanced out by having a very late evolution, similar to Tyranitar and Metagross. It also gets its Unite Move at this Level, and it can use two different kinds depending on the meter available to you.

Starting off, by the time you manage to fully evolve into Dusknoir, your Unite Move will be fully charged, becoming Soul Banish. It is a Sure-Hit move that summons a large phantom arm from Dusknoir's belly, grabs an enemy, and sends them straight to the afterlife. OK, not really, it actually forces them to return back to base. It's like a reverse Hoopa Hyperspace Hole, where you point at an enemy and send them away for a short while.

The attack CAN instantly KO an enemy if you grab them while they're at 15% HP or less. In that case, yeah, they get dragged into the void, never to be seen again...or for a couple of seconds, depending on their respawn timer. You do have to be within attacking range to grab them, though, and most competent opponents will back off when their HP gets too low. Your best bet would be to coordinate some burst damage from your team to reduce their HP and then grab the victim before they have a chance to get away.

While the Unite Move itself is on cooldown, you'll have access to a separate move called Soul Steal. Where Shadow Ball and Destiny Bond operate by inhibiting Unite Move Meter gain, Soul Steal outright takes it from the enemy, along with some HP for good measure. This not only sets the opposing pokemon back in terms of burst damage potential, it can shut out their Unite Move if it gets taken while at 100%.

This is really debilitating for the hapless victim, as most players rely on their Unite Move to win difficult 1-v-1 fights or to make a big enough splash that they can turn the tables in a team fight or to retreat from an ambush. By taking away that ace from up their sleeves, you drastically reduce an enemy's potential impact on the flow of battle.

The 20 seconds of cooldown is quite frustrating to deal with, though. You can't even affect it with cooldown reducing items and emblems, since it's neither a move nor a Unite Move, more like a 'pseudo-Unite Move'. Also, the amount of Unite Move Meter you stole will most likely be restored, with interest, by the time Soul Steal comes off of cooldown. It depends on what Unite Move the enemy has and how long it lasts for. You also won't get a lot of meter from select targets like Blaziken or Dragapult, and you have no idea how much Unite Move Meter an opposing pokemon has.

The point isn't to hinder the enemy by removing all of their Meter, though. By using Soul Steal whenever you can, you'll quickly gain enough Unite Move Meter to use Soul Banish, which you can then use strategically against troublesome opponents during Objective fights. It also combos well with either Shadow Ball or Destiny Bond, as the longer you can delay the opposing pokemon's Unite Move, the less damage they can deal to you and your team.

You don't just take their souls, you take away their hopes and dreams and spirits and will to fight.

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Achievements

Use Soul Steal a total of 10 times in one battle.

Sometimes an achievement isn't about difficulty. Sometimes it's about teaching the player how to optimally use the pokemon in the most indirect way possible. I know that that's how I've been constructing these achievements this whole time, but it's important to remember when it's something simple like 'use this effect a couple of times in a fight'.

Of course, there's always a catch to these sorts of achievements, or some nuance that makes them harder than they seem. For Dusknoir, it has to do with the fact that Soul Steal is only available to you when you are fully evolved and have access to your Unite Move. You will eventually gain enough EXP to evolve into Dusknoir, but if it happens late enough, you may not be able to use Soul Steal 10 times before time runs out.

There's also the fact that, when you do evolve, your Unite Move Meter will be full, meaning it will become Soul Banish instead. It's a great move, don't get it twisted, but if for some reason you really need to use Soul Steal, you'll have to use Soul Banish first. You cannot decrease your own Unite Move Meter to use Soul Steal unless you are up against an opposing Dusknoir.

Using Soul Steal many times eventually means you'll take enough Unite Move Meter to fully charge up Soul Banish, so if you want to go back to Soul Steal, you'll need to target a high-priority enemy like an over-leveled opposing All-Rounder if you want Soul Banish to be worth its usage. And then you'll have to do this repeatedly throughout the match.

And that's how they get ya. In optimizing your gameplay to get this achievement, you learn not only how the move works, but also the nuances around it. If you're going to be spamming Soul Steal and Soul Banish as often as possible in a match, you might as well figure out who to target with these moves in order to improve your odds of winning the battle.

When you ask a ghost to put a little soul into it, they do what they have to do to make do.

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Holowear

Unlike most other pokemon, Dusknoir is perfectly suited for many kinds of holowear, even with that big mouth it has for a stomach. It's human-like shape gives us plenty of creativity in coming up with a fashionable set of expensive digital clothing.

Starting things off, Phantom Thief Style Holowear gives Dusknoir a fancy top hat with stylish brooches and clips and feathers, as well as a big stylish cape that flutters in the wind as it makes a grand escape. Ninja Style Holowear gives Dusknoir a shaggy hood and cowl and a headband on its forehead, as well as a vest loaded with ninja tools like kunai and smoke bombs. Although, with Magical Style Holowear, it becomes rather flashy with an oversized witch hat, a cloak tailored to expose its belly, and a satchel of books containing mysterious spells strapped to its side. Speaking of mystical, Guardian Style Holowear decorates Dusknoir with strangely shaped pieces of armor, giving it the appearance of a warrior from the days of old. And finally, it would behoove me to include the Spooky Style Holowear to Dusknoir's holo-wardrobe, giving it a black and orange scarf wrapped around its head, a top styled after a carved pumpkin, and bat wings and skulls plastered onto its arms and body.

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Strategy

When Dusknoir has fully evolved and chosen both of its moves, their function can be separated into two different utilities; the first option changes how you become invisible, whereas the second option sabotages the opposing team's Unite Move Meter generation. This is very strange for what's supposed to be a bulky All-Rounder, until you realize that it's meant to be a hybrid Defender and Supporter, in the sense that it defends and supports the team by hindering the enemy and messing with their Unite Moves.

Of course, half of the battle is actually reaching that pinnacle of power, so you have to optimize the first 5 minutes of the game to Level Up as much as possible. You aren't strong or fast enough to reliably clear the Central Area, so leave it for an ally to take. Instead, you should be focused on supporting an ally on their way to the middle of Top or Bottom Lane. To that end, EXP. Share is actually a very solid item choice for squeezing some extra EXP out of wild pokemon while also increasing your passive Movement Speed, especially when combined with Levitate and Pressure.

Wild Pokemon aren't going to give you enough EXP to evolve, though, even with the EXP. Share working for you. Most of the extra EXP you'll be getting in the early game will be from coordinating KO's against the opposing team, and Duskull is perfectly suited to help an ally get that head start. With Astonish turning you invisible, Stunning enemies with the sneak attack, and Leer to blind and debuff the opposing team, you can KO any enemy you manage to ambush.

That's the idea, at least. If anything goes even slightly wrong, you'll find yourself suffering from an EXP deficiency while the opposing team is running away with points. It'll be tough, but if you manage to eke out some Levels, you'll evolve into the much more capable Dusclops, and use Levitate's evolved ability, Pressure, to your advantage. By this point, your Unite Move is fully charged, even while it's locked by the Level count, so your Movement Speed and basic attack speed are very high. Use these passive boosts to your advantage to put pressure, so to speak, on the opposing team.

But just having increased Movement Speed and basic attack speed won't be enough to turn the tables for you. You do need an ally to take advantage of the opening you provide, which is difficult enough for most Defenders and Supporters to deal with when playing alone. If you're by yourself, you'll have to make do with some dirty tricks, so don't be afraid to deceive the enemy with either Shadow Punch or Night Shade.

Between these two options, Shadow Punch is slightly safer, as it offers you a ranged attack that comes with invisibility and HP drain, but one hit will cancel the move, making it a poor choice against anti-stealth opposing pokemon like Shadow Sneak Decidueye or Fire Spin Delphox. Night Shade, on the other hand, requires some clever thinking to fully abuse, as it requires not just crafty plays like deceiving the enemy with obvious ploys, but also unpredictable gambits. By that I mean, you can use Night Shade to make a clone to your left or right, but expert players may know your game and suspect you are somewhere close by. You can trick these foolproof fools by placing Night Shade right next to you, confounding them by thinking 4 steps ahead. I can't guarantee this won't work against less intelligent players, but to each their own.

As long as you are playing well with a teammate, you'll get most of your EXP from securing the KO on the opposing pokemon. Do this enough times, and you'll evolve into Dusknoir. With the extra Attack power, you can play the Defender part of your All-Rounder role much more easily, and you can continue to hinder the enemy by depleting their Unite Move Meter with either Shadow Ball or Destiny Bond.

Shadow Ball is a direct upgrade to Leer in almost every way, with the downside of being able to affect only one pokemon at a time. It also has a windup to it, allowing opposing pokemon to move out of the way if they see the move being charged in Dusknoir's mouth. But if it does manage to hit, not only will it blind the enemy and increase the damage they receive for a short while, it will also hinder Unite Move Meter generation for 10 seconds. This can be debilitating for those with fast Unite Move charge times, as well as those with slow charge times. Quite frankly, it doesn't matter who it hits, unless the Unite Move is already fully charged, no opponent will want to get caught by Shadow Ball.

Destiny Bond is a riskier move compared to Shadow Ball, but it has a much higher reward. By bonding and cursing nearby enemies, it transfers all Unite Move Meter gain to Dusknoir, effectively siphoning it from affected enemies. This works in Dusknoir's favor, as its own Unite Move Meter generation is very slow, so it has to take it from opposing pokemon using Destiny Bond or Soul Steal, but more on that in a bit. It can affect multiple enemies at once, drastically increasing the charge rate of your Unite Move. If it hits an enemy at 99% Unite Move Meter, it basically prevents the meter from increasing any further until the curse wears off after 5 seconds, or if Dusknoir is KO'd first. 5 seconds isn't a lot of time, but it doesn't need a lot of time to shut out one of the most powerful options an enemy can use. If an enemy gets KO'd while cursed by Destiny Bond, Dusknoir will get extra Unite Move Meter, whether it directly KO'd the enemy or not.

At the same time you evolve into Dusknoir and upgrade Leer into either Shadow Ball or Destiny Bond, you'll have access to your Unite Move, Soul Steal and Soul Banish. It's unheard of for a pokemon to have two different Unite Moves, one of which functions independently from the meter, but it plays into your extremely slow Unite Move Meter generation.

Soul Steal takes HP and Unite Move Meter from a targeted enemy, giving Dusknoir not just reliable recovery but also reliable Unite Move Meter gain by taking it from an enemy. If you steal meter from an enemy that had their Unite Move ready to go, you'll effectively have stalled their Unite Move from being used for a little while. Now, the game is optimized enough to the point where most players run items and emblems to shorten the cooldown for their Unite Moves, but even without these effects, Soul Steal takes 20 seconds to come off of cooldown, which is more than enough time for the stolen Unite Move Meter to be regained. It's great if you take meter from an enemy that's nearly fully charged, but they'll get it all back later eventually.

Stealing Unite Move Meter helps out the team by delaying burst damage, but it's mostly for Dusknoir's own benefit that the meter gets taken. Like I said before, Dusknoir's true Unite Move, Soul Banish, requires a lot of time to fill all by itself, so it augments this wait time by taking the meter from the opposing pokemon instead with either Soul Steal or Destiny Bond. For all of its effort, Soul Banish will simply grab an enemy and forcefully return them back to their base. It's like Sableye's Phantom Ambush, but faster and you can only grab one enemy. If you grab a problematic opponent like a Decidueye or Cinderace hoping to snipe the kill off of Rayquaza, Soul Banish sends them back to where they came from and gives you a good 7 or 8 seconds before they can return.

If Soul Banish grabs a weakened enemy instead, it will instantly KO them. You will see nearby enemies susceptible to Soul Banish and the instant KO effect if the Unite Move is ready to go and their HP is low enough by their HP bar highlighted, similar to how other instant KO effects like Lapras's Perish Song show that these enemies will be KO'd by the attack if hit. If one of these susceptible pokemon is a frail Attacker or Speedster, you could use Soul Banish to get the KO, but it's not really worth spending the Unite Move Meter on such an easy target. If it was an opposing Defender or All-Rounder that have a habit of restoring their HP back full when in a pinch, like say Goodra and Buzzwole, then Soul Banish will be worth the attempt.

Ghosts are mysterious as they are fantastical, but the dangerous ones are those that wander between the realms of the living and the dead. When Dusknoir is on the field, you better make sure your soul isn't snatched by its big burly hands.

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And this has been Dusknoir for Pokemon Unite. I have a habit of turning less popular pokemon into potential players for Pokemon Unite, and I won't apologize for that. But of the popular pokemon that I do like, Dusknoir is one of them, and I would love to see everyone's favorite fat phantom join the fray one day.

That'll be it from me for this week. See ya!

[crediblebombthreat]

Incomplete List of Fucked Up and Evil Things I've Done in Souls Games

The PS5 Demon's Souls remake brought in a lot of people who had no idea how to play souls games. So after 20 successful invasions in a row I made a character with the rule that I could only kill people after parrying them. This didn't slow down the slaughter at all, and I think just made fighting against me even more demoralizing.

In Elden Ring, I made this character named "Bleeding is Fair" and went on a two hour journey to get two thrusting swords and a bleed infusion for both. I didn't level up once during that entire affair, so I spent the next few hours invading people who had just made new characters and were exploring the first areas. Unspeakable amounts of carnage. Because of how the dual wield thrusting sword moveset works, anyone who hid behind a shield got absolutely shredded. Utterly unfair. I only stopped when I invaded these two people with the names "Gamer BF" and "Gamer GF," I killed Gamer BF and then Gamer GF used the dejection emote and stopped fighting. :C

In Dark Souls 3, there's this thing you can do to be a purple invader. You aren't an enemy or an ally, but a secret third thing. Anyway, I invaded as a purple guy in an early game area and noticed that the host was really struggling with this group of enemies. So I helped him kill one. Then I aggroed like 5 more and jumped off a cliff to leave him to fend for himself.

I made a bloodtinge build in Bloodborne.

Demon's Souls has this boss that's actually a real human person (Old Monk). Obviously, I loved being the Old Monk. The issue is, to fight this boss, players have to go up a huge set of stairs filled with some really frustrating and bullshit enemies. Imagine, if you will, that you're a player. You summon a friend. You both use bows to slowly kill the enemies leading up to the Old Monk fight. This takes five minutes. You both try to attack through the door to see if the person is trying to use some scummy magic to kill you. He doesn't! This is good! You both enter the door, and within about ten seconds I've parried and one-shot you both. Better luck next time! This exact set of events happened with SHOCKING regularity. We're talking upwards of 20 times across several months.

In Elden Ring I used the Giant Crusher to flatten people going up an elevator several times. There is basically no way they would have known I was there unless they had some level of intuition or self-preservation (no one co-oping souls games has these qualities), so it just kept working.

The PS5 Demon's Souls remake has this ring that lets you walk through swamp water like it's nothing instead of a thick goo that slows you down by like 50,000%. So I would get that ring really early on and then invade people in the swamp area, trapping them on the little islands because they couldn't move faster than me. I'd let them damage me a bit so they'd get greedy, run into the swamp, and then I'd move faster and backstab them. This worked literally every time.

In one of the last areas of Elden Ring, there's this boss that requires you to juggle aggro in a really irritating way, so a lot of people summon for it. I invaded there a lot, and used the numerous and powerful enemies there as friends to put people in awful situations that made it to where they HAD to take damage. Did a successful 1v3s in this area just by being patient. One of them took like 15 minutes and 90% of it was me just wasting the everyone's time until they got greedy and died. Which was incredibly lame of me.

In Elden ring, there's this mini-dungeon that's really fun to invade in (Wyndham Catacombs for those who are curious). It's not really fun to invade in because you're guaranteed to win (I think only like 30-40% of my invasions there were successful). It's fun to invade in because when you do succeed, it's utterly humiliating for the host. We're talking ladders that take 10 seconds to climb up so you can either prep a one shot or just stall everyone until they're willing to tank a hit. We're talking little corners that allow you to surprise people with the nasty dragon vape spell. We're talking a GIANT room with a moving floor that will squish you if you stay in it for too long, so you can lure people in there and push them out of the safe spots so they get flattened. I can guarantee I've ruined some people's days with this one.

Finally, in Demon's souls remake, I made a character that ONLY leveled magic. Because of how powerful magic is in Demon's souls, I was able to make it to new game plus easily. Here's a shitty video I made like 2 years ago showing how it went. I don't think I can describe it accurately with words. This was not cool of me to do.