#men can be coerced into things they are uncomfortable with too

[galedekarios]

there are gifsets floating around here with ast*ri*n being uncomfortable with the potential foursome involving the drow twins and the dialogue option chosen -- rightfully so! -- points out that it's not right to ask this of him: someone who has experienced abuse in the past, especially after this foursome is very much a spur of the moment thing, jumped on the love interest suddenly and without proper discussion beforehand, of the expectations and consequences this would have for the relationship in the long run...

only for a handful of people to then turn around on all of that and call it "pearl-clutching" and "totally not" coercion when the decision comes up for gale. even though he expresses being uncomfortable with it as well. even though he, too, has experienced abuse (grooming, in his case, and a relationship that also held an incredible power imbalance). even though you have to make a hefty 25 persuasion check to yes, coerce him into a situation he didn't want. gale isn't even comfortable with someone he does know when the protag does take the time to talk about things properly before they are done (halsin).

i am not even going to get into the cuck jokes. this is a man who removed himself from the situation in a way he still could while also still trying to please a partner who coerced him into this in the first place.

at this point i just wonder why gale's trauma is being turned into a joke. and by 'wonder' i do mean i know exactly why, but it's Truly A Choice.

(i should clarify that this is a personal interpretation and one that i'm not comfortable arguing over.)

[pterodactylterrace]

She didn’t rape him! She coerced him and lied to him to get him into bed with her! Who cares if he asked her to stop and she didn’t? Who cares about a power imbalance? Sure, after he was originally assaulted, he felt horrible and guilty and probably blamed himself (something pretty normal for a victim) and felt like he owed something to the woman who gave him his position, but that doesn’t matter! He was a man, so it was consensual!

For some reason him saying “stop” and trying to leave doesn’t translate into “stop pressuring me to have sex with you, I don’t want to” and somehow comes out as “sure, I’ll risk my life to have sex with you, even though I am clearly uncomfortable and don’t want to break my vows”

Victim blaming doesn’t become cool just because they are a male. If she is misleading him, lying to him, continuing to undress him after being told to stop and blocks his exit, that’s not a consensual encounter.

Women are just as capable of being horrible people as men are.

I can identify a sexual assault when I watch it play out in front of me. The fact that the show runners try to frame it as some consensual, romantic encounter is honestly WORRYING. If someone is trying to leave and asking you to stop and you don’t, guess what? That’s sexual assault.

Congrats, Rhaenyra is a sexual predator at 17. Beat Aegon by a few years. Oh, is it not cool to equate those two things? The only difference we are decidedly given is that the genders were swapped. Both times the servant (Dyana and Cole) tried to leave and told them to stop. Why is one condemned and the other celebrated? It’s the same thing. If you’re going to say Aegon is a rapist, guess what? Rhaenyra is too. We watch it happen.

[tk-duveraun]

In honor of qijiu week, role reversal

SJ is older, YQ was just straight up stolen from another slaver after being called qi. SJ calls him Qi-er bc his baby energy is off the charts and SJ is trying to keep him soft and polite as long as possible. (YQY still mediates between the other children and tries to help them out, SJ is both more and less upset about it. More bc YQ is baby and needs the food the most, but it's necessary as the baby it's more understandable) (The age gap is still two years max, SJ is just being weird about it because trauma)

QJL buys YQ because butter wouldn't melt in his mouth and YQ is much better at faking and hiding the abuse and coerces SJ into running off to CQM. (SJ was willfully blind that his little Qi-er learned manipulation from him)

SJ is scooped up by the sect leader for his cultivation potential. It's only as the sect leader is smoothing out all of his rough edges from the streets that sj, with dawning horror, realizes that YQ played him. He bluffs his way onto a mission to the city where he left Qi-er only to find the manor in ashes, all the men dead.

When he comes back, the sect leader is proud of his subterfuge and DELIGHTED by the new, frozen edge to his ruthlessness. Though very grudging about it, SJ manages a mask of cold, dignified neutrality. Instead of callous, he's seen as above worldly concerns.

His one true rebellion comes when Qi-er suffers staggers up the mountain, too old to begin training and "too ugly to accept" (beauty as righteousness you know, he has a bad scar, deep, cutting through his lips and across his face from when he killed Wu Yanzi)

Sect leader refuses to even consider taking him in and says Yue Qi is a liar for pending to have killed Wu Yanzi.

SJ flights him and threatens to leave, so the sect leader basically says "If he's so strong, he can try Xuan Su" (hoping to kill YQ and teach SJ a lesson)

Even though he's older than canon, he's less trained and still ends up soul-bound. Since he can't draw his sword, he's to be trained as a spiritual cultivator and taken in by QJP where he wears a veil to hide his disfigurement.

SJ avoids him (angry at himself for running Qi-er 's live with the sword) and YQ desperately chases after him, but stays at arm's length when he gets there (he's ashamed for failing the test with the sword, ashamed for being disfigured, ashamed for causing a fight between jiu-ge and his master)

But in combat it is like they were never separated and together they suppress TLJ only for things to remain as uncomfortable as ever.

Things get no better when they ascend.

[madreemeritus]

A small analysis of Angel Dust's character (tw: SA, abusive relantionships, drug addiction, coping mechanism, also spoilers of the series)

Today is Angel Dust's birthday, he's my favorite Hazbin Hotel character and became one of my fave characters ever recently, he's being my new brainrot so I decided to write about his amazing character. Oh and English isn't my first language so forgive me for any mistake.

Ok now the first thing needed is to recognize Angel's (Anthony) situation. Anthony was born in the 1910s and died in 1947, with 30 years old, he was the son of a mafia leader and a homosexual man that needed to hide and opress his own sexuality, or else he'd be, at best, killed (if not worse). When he arrived Hell, he found to himself a taste of freedom that he could never experience in his life. I'm not sure about how many years he's been in the Val situation because Valentino died in the 1970s, but either way, he signed a soul contract with Valentino and now his soul belongs to him. The worst thing about his situation is that he was much probably in love with Val and was manipulated by him to sign the contract, it's really heartbreaking to think about it.

Although we don't know the exact circumstances that lead Angel to sign the contract (if he knew or not knew he was getting into porn, if Val lied to him, etc), we do know that he didn't expect to have the life he has at the moment. Angel is, in simple words, a sexual slave. Valentino abuses him mentally, physically, emotionally and mainly, sexually. He forces Angel to do uncomfortable, painful things in the studio, perform extra hours without any human condition or even a raise, and also demands sex and affection from him. Angel can't say no, he is coerced and afraid to go against Valentino's wishes. Valentino also uses a disturbing form of emotional abuse, lovebombing Angel after assaulting and abusing him, all to remain his control over Angel. Val tries to isolate Angel from everyone else and bursts in anger once Angel moves to the hotel, after all their deal says Val can do whatever he wants with Angel in the studio, outside of the studio, though, Angel is free. This is one of the reasons why he is desperate to keep Angel around. Which also indicates Val abuses him financially, if most (if not all) the money Angel earsn with HIS work goes to VAL, then Angel is even more vulnerable, powerless and dependent on his abuser. It explains why Angel agreed to live in the Hotel in the first place: he'd have a free room, away from Val, with the MINIMAL of privacy and safety.

Angel Dust, with this amount of abuse and trauma, obviously run into coping mechanism. Even if it's self destructive. Angel is addicted to drugs (his artistic name explains itself), apparently alcohol too, and most important, he masks his own feelings. He acts as Angel Dust, the perfect, unbothered pornstar that is not weak or vulnerable in any situation. Angel Dust is always confident, strong, wanted, and constantly does the only thing he was taught he was of: flirting. He agressively flirts with every men, he offers his own body to almost every men he sees, because if he surrender himself first, then he won't be hurted or coerced... right? Angel Dust hides his true feelings and pretends to not care about anything and anyone but himself. Angel is, most of the times, rude, and don't respect other people's boundaries (after all his own boundaries aren't respected).

Because, if Angel acts this way, he won't be harmed, he won't be hurted, he won't be abandoned. If he is emotionally distant from everyone, once they abandone him, it won't be so painful... right?

Anthony hides his true self as a cope mechanism. And he knows he isn't perfect. He isn't a perfect victim, he has flaws, he does wrong things and make people uncomfortable (specially Husk, the only man that rejects his flirting, which I will talk about later), and mainly, he blames himself for being abused. And this is why he is so afraid to be real and vulnerable, even next to his friends. He thinks he won't be accepted or treated with respect. He spent so many years being told that he is only worth for sex, that he ended up believing this is the true. He spent so many years being treated as a sexual object, that he began to think he really is. He spent so many years being abused, isolated and manipulated, that he is afraid of opening up. He spent so many years being blamed for other people's actions (mainly Valentino), that he believes it's all his fault.

You may argue that he is honest and vulnerable with Cherri Bomb, but that's the point: Cherri is in a similar situation, she had a traumatic experience in the past and has similar self-destructive behaviour. She is a good friend, she sees him as he is and understands him for personal experience. As for Charlie... well, don't get me wrong. I LOVE Charlie. She IS a good person, a good friend and clearly cares about her people more than anything in the world. She wants to help and save people, Angel being one of them. She nearly beated Valentino's ass for seeing him abusing Angel. BUT. Let's be honest: as a very privileged person (princess of hell) among wretched mortal souls, she has no social awareness. I mean, come on. She wrote an anti-drug, pro post-marrital sex play where she casted Angel (a drug addict and a non-married sex worker) as the "crackhead bad guy", and praised only Sir Pentious for doing exactly the same thing Angel did. She wants to help, but she doesn't know how. Angel doesn't feel safe enough to open up. Anyone in the Hotel appeared to be safe and trustworthy, Anthony/Angel was afraid of being judged. He is a victim of SA, gruesome things were done to his body without his consent and he is ashamed of it. His hypersexualization is a way to escape his shame (hypersexualization IS A REAL AND VALID COPING MECHANISM IN REAL LIFE).

It's only in his most vulnerable moment, when he is caught by surprise, that his real feelings appear. When Charlie invades Valentino's studio — putting, in Anthony's eyes, her safety in danger —, the real Anthony tries to protect her from Val. He knows how shitty Val is. A coward, evil, gruesome abuser that has desires to control everyone and everything, even the Princess of Hell herself. We all know Charlie is much more powerful and could easily beat Valentino's ass, but Anthony doesn't care about. He probably doesn't even think too much about it, he just wishes to protect his friend. This is one of the most beautiful character aspects that Anthony has: he cares for his friends, MORE than he fears Val.

For Anthony, it's easier to surrender his body and will to Valentino, anything to calm his whiny ass down and make things less painful. But when it comes to his friends... it's so, so much difficult. He pleads Val to not hurt Charlie. Later in E6-S1, he stands up against Valentino to protect Nifty. Angel pretends to be unbothered and relaxed most of the times in the Hotel, he acts like if he doesn't care, but he DOES. He cares for his friends more than he cares for himself. He puts his friends in the first place. For him, it can seem like nothing important, but it actually tells how caring and kind he actually is. He is protective. He doesn't want ANYONE to experience the same abuse he experiences. Every. Fucking. Day.

Angel's arc, in the first season, is realizing that there ARE people who love him and care for him, DESPITE HIS FLAWS. He is not an object, he is not a worthless sinner, he is a victim, he is a person, he is a FRIEND. Once he realizes that, he starts to be kind to himself, make better choices, set boundaries to himself and respecting other people's people boundaries. And speaking about boundaries...

Huskerdust is simply, aaah holy shit what a perfect dynamic, what a perfect shipp (and when I mean Huskerdust, I mean ONLY the romantic shipp).

Husk really got into Angel's nerves, because he was the only man who rejected his flirts. He didn't only rejected, he pushed Angel away many times and openly said that he could see that Angel was faking. To someone trying to hide his own feelings, afraid of being judged and ashamed of the consequences of his trauma, that probably hurted a lot. Angel was taught that his only worth is based on his physical beauty and if he is sexually desired. Seeing someone, not only rejecting his offers, but also seeing throught the act he puts on, must have terrified and hurted Angel in a way he never expected to feel. He wasn't upset because "Husk rejected him", he was feeling humiliated and confused because, for the first time in years, someone wanted to meet the real Anthony. Angel was gaslighted to think that he is only worth for sex, for being used.

So. "What do you mean Husk doesn't want to use me? He must hate me and I'm worthless!". It's obvious that he would have this reaction. During his breakdown after Husk called him "fake", he is saying those words to himself. He is reaffirming what he was told he was worth for: for being used. People would kill to have Angel in their beds, people would kill to afford Angel's services, people would kill to use Angel. "— Do you know how much I'm worth?" in fact, Angel himself doesn't know how much he is worth.

Husk was the person Angel NEEDED. He may have been harsh on him in some occasions, but Husk CARES for Angel. He is grumpy and won't say it out loud, but he does care. He protects Angel from being drugged and abused in a bar even after their argument. He offers to listen, he relates to Angel's situation and doesn't judge him. Angel NEEDED to have the reality shock throught Husk's words: no one cares if he's hot, famous, if he's a whore, if he has flaws, literally no one cares. His friends love him the way he IS. Husk wanted Angel to be truthful, that's all. Husk never forced any physical contact, in fact, he offers his hand first and waits until Angel accepts it — besides, his physical affection isn't based on sex or violence. Notice how Husk never actually said Angel's work is garbage or that he is a bad actor, because this would be a lie. Husk says the material that is given to Angel is garbage. After all, Angel's movies are written and directed by Valentino (if i'm not mistaken, one of his asshole clients Travis also help Val with the script), of course it's garbage. Husk sees that the situation Angel is in, is garbage. Is horrible. Angel felt offended at first because, again, he thought his worth was based on Val's bullshit, but NO. Angel, Anthony, is not Val's bullshit, he is absolutely different.

Husk sees him as a real person. After Angel overstepped boundaries many times, Husk could easily tell him to fuck off, let him be drugged and raped without giving a damn, mocking his trauma, which would be a total asshole attitude but no. Husk, even being mad at Angel, listens to him with an opened heart. This is what Angel needed. He needs love and affection from someone that sees him as he is, and this person is Husk. Their bonding is so sweet in the next episodes, and I'm really excited to see how their slow-burn is going to happen in next seasons.

"Loser, Baby" is such an amazing song, it's so cute and adorable and it's exactly the type of comfort that Angel needed. Husk is also on a leash. He sold his soul to Alastor, he is constantly mistreated and forced to do things he doesn't want to do by this powerful overlord, and if Husk says no, he might lose his life. He knows exactly how Angel is feeling. He doesn't have a solution for their problems, he can't do anything against neither Valentino nor Alastor, but what he can do is helping Angel. Comforting him, listening to him and offering him companion. Angel is living a horrible situation, but he ISN'T ALONE. Yes, Angel is a cocked-up dick sucking hoe, and IT'S OKAY.

Now listen: "Addict" is Angel's song that denies his suffering. He pretends to "don't give a damn" and to be fine with the life he's living. "Poison" is the realization that he needs help, he is being abused and is slowly destroying himself with his addictions. He aknowledges his suffering, but he is still hopeless. "Loser, Baby" is Angel letting hope in. He knows he's, well, a loser, a broken person that lives a terrible, suffered life, but he is NOT alone. He is loved, despite his flaws, because his friends aknowledge his qualities and worth, him as a person. Anthony, not Angel Dust.

What an amazingly well-written character, fuck my life. I love him so much 😭

[hello-nichya-here]

Why do people hate JK Rowling?

Long-ass story short: She said she always intended Dumbledore to be gay, but only didn't write into the books because it was not necessary to that particular plot. People understood and cheered.

Then she started revealing OTHER "bonus information that didn't make it to the books" through the years. They started out reasonable enough, but it soon became clear that Rowling was just making that shit up as she went along, to get more praise and attention in a quick way instead of actually sitting down and writting new material.

Eventually she DID started writting, or at least approving, of new stuff, like "The Cursed Child" play, or the Fantastic Beasts movies. The receptions were mixed to put it VERY kindly, and worse yet, Fantastic Beasts had a controversy regarding Rowling seemingly not understanding that women can sexually abuse/coerce men - something that was already a big issue in the original Harry Potter books, but it no longer got the pass of "It was a different time."

One of those movies would be centered around Dumbledore and his falling out with his evil boyfriend - yet the script was not going to acknowledge that they were indeed a couple, even though it was relevant to the plot this time, so it basically confirmed to people that "Dumbledore is gay" was just bullshit she made up at the last second to get praised as being a super progressive writer, aka queerbaiting. To make it worse, Rowling acted like people asking for canon confirmation that Dumbledore was gay could only possibly mean that they wanted sex scenes in the film, even though they were only saying "If he really is in love with this dude, let him say it. That's literally a key aspect of his conflict in this story."

To make matters even worse, during all of this, Rowling also decided to go full TERF/Radfem mode:

Any criticism of her, no matter how mild or valid? She'd call it misogyny.

Trans person existing? Treated like walking, living, breathing rape-threats. But no comment on TERFs literally spying and sometimes filming people in the bathroom "just to make sure they're not secretly trans" and TOTALLY not because they're creeps.

(And she'd also not comment on how some of her TERF buddies were doing insane shit like "claiming/exposing/harrassing" famous people like Daniel Radcliffe, aka the guy that played Harry Potter himself and that Rowling knew since he was a little kid, for "secretly being trans" for stuff like "being too short/tall for their supposed gender").

People getting uncomfortable with how she continued to not so subtly double-down on "Women cannot be abusive/predators, that's exclusively a guy thing"? Yelled at for "demonizing women" instead of "calling out the patriarchy."

Finally, her TERF buddies also started putting her on a pedestal for being "one of them", doing shit like claim no other woman EVER had any success as a writer. People were already no longer comfortable praising her for her real accomplishments after the shitshow she had turned into over the years, so you can bet that they were NOT okay with acting like women like Mary Shelly, ya know, the one who literally wrote Frankenstein nearly two centuries before Harry Potter was created, didn't exist or weren't important just because some truly vile people wanted to kiss Rowling's ass and she continued to let them be vile because she liked having her ass kissed.

So yeah, reminder: FUCK JK ROWLING AND ALL HER TERF BULLSHIT! Now excuse me while I wait for the inevitable angry asks from Radfems calling me a pick-me, porn-addicted "fmoid" brainwashed by the patriarchy.

[tobiasdrake]

And here is where it all shits the bed. Let's talk about that third act and its open embrace of the idea that mutants should be suppressed.

Like. Right from the get-go, The Last Stand sets up a conflict that leaves our heroes in a very uncomfortable position.

The X-Men are here to reinforce a military force armed with genocide blasters designed to ethnically cleanse their race, in order to protect the "mutant cure" from Magneto's assault.

Y'know. The cure created by that guy who tried to coerce and even violently force his own son into conversion. We're defending him.

That's not even an exaggeration, either. A portion of this act is dedicated to protecting him, specifically.

Yay! Warren saved the life of the guy who created a way to purge mutation, and who tried to coerce him into chemical conversion for the sin of being a mutant. A lot of people are going to get fucked here. Even his assistant was killed. But that guy gets to take all the hate in his heart and fly off happily into the sunset with the son he scorned, taught self-hatred to, and ultimately rejected.

What a heroic moment!

The film made a big deal earlier about how the government immediately weaponized the cure. But that was just Magneto's opinion. These guys have cure missiles that can ethnically purge hundreds of members of the mutant race at once, but the X-Men are on their side so I guess that's a cool thing to have. Hooray for weaponized ethnic cleansing!

Magneto calls the X-Men:

And. Like.

Is he wrong? We are now fully acting as Warren Worthington II's private security team. Right down to embracing his methodology. The film has two major antagonists and this is how it resolves them.

How do we deal with Magneto? Well, the X-Men notice some Cure Darts lying on the ground from one of the weapons Arclight destroyed.

And they're like, "Fuck yeah, let's go purge some mutations."

Enjoy being stripped of your race and identity, fucker! Should have been more responsible with it and maybe that wouldn't have happened to you! We're the X-Men! We believe in suppressing mutations we don't like! That's what Xavier taught us!

Speaking of which. Jean.

Logan tries to talk Jean down, but then our boys we've been protecting show up and shoot Cure Darts at her because of course they do.

Much like with Xavier, Jean gets violent in response to violence directed at her. She's just been standing there in the back and hasn't participated in this battle at all. But once they attack her, she starts fighting back.

This is supposed to be the big "Jean Loses Control" moment as her powers are unleashed in their totality.

But, again, this is a direct response to being attacked. This doesn't hit me as Jean's powers taking control of her; This feels more like deliberate retaliation. She is attacking everything in her immediate surroundings because they attacked her first.

She was fine up to this point.

Nonetheless, this winds up being the final statement on Jean. Magneto recants having ever sided with her to begin with.

Jean begs Logan to put an end to it.

And Logan kills her.

I guess she really did just have too much telekinesis all along.

So the final statement is that actually Warren was right all along. Sometimes mutants are just too dangerous and must be purged.

Magneto? Too dangerous. Had to be purged.

Jean? Suppressing her mutation was a good thing, actually, and if Xavier isn't around to control her then she must be destroyed.

Warren? Flying off safely into the sunset with the son he despises. He gets to live and be free and happy because I guess he did nothing wrong.

Oh, and don't think I forgot about Rogue. Here is Rogue's entire character arc.

I mean, she could have said that she, Rogue, has wants and desires of her own and this isn't just about Bobby. But no, Rogue hates herself because all men are sex fiends and she can't deliver.

Then she sees Kitty and Bobby ice skating together and holding each other for stability, after Bobby did a really nice thing to get Kitty out of her sadness spiral.

They do at least fix the cock-up of that first scene at the end, so that's a plus.

So that's Rogue's journey. She hated herself on Bobby's behalf because she's bad at girlfriend stuff, but over the course of the film she learns to hate herself on her own behalf. And then Warren purges her mutation for her.

Isn't that great!?

In fact, the X-Men do such a great job protecting Warren's mutant-purging business that it ends racism.

Now that Magneto's gone and the President has guns that can erase any mutants he likes, there's no longer any racial tension and we can all live happily ever after.

God, what a net-positive for the world the ability to suppress people's mutations is! It's the answer to Magneto, the answer to Rogue, the answer to systemic persecution of mutants, and it was the answer to Jean until Xavier lost control of her. Purging mutations is the best idea ever.

The end.

[eunseokstulip]

Why I’m okay with minors reading smut and why other writers should consider this too.

Assuming minor being someone under the international age of 18.

Preface: I respect everyone’s opinions. I am not telling anyone to do or believe in anything. This is just my opinion and me offering a different perspective on a controversial topic. I understand if you disagree with everything I say, but hey give it a chance :)

Every smut post I see “Minors do not interact” and I wonder if the writer is actually uncomfortable with minors reading their content or if they’re following along with everyone else. When I used to write I did put “minors dni” because it seemed like the right thing to do, but when I really thought about it, I disagreed.

EDIT BASED ON COMMENTS: I agree minors should not interact with writers for everyone’s sake. However they can read without interaction. Minors interacting with smut writers can lead to ethical problems, liability issues and online bullying. This post is more based on why I think minors can READ smut, and a lot of the time “minors dni” also means don’t read. Minors (and everyone rlly) should always practice caution and take note of the warnings on posts.

Though I am now an adult, I read smut as a minor, and I do not regret it for a second. Why? Because it was a safe space to help me explore sex and relationships without putting myself into real life situations.

We live in a society where women are not as able to explore their sexuality or talk about it with others compared to male counterparts — especially in more conservative countries. I live in a fairly liberal country, but I was too scared to watch porn - as a 14 year old I found it quite a lot and I didn’t like it. Porn is catered for men, even lesbian porn is made with men in mind. Focused on male pleasure and often degrading to women, porn isn’t the best for adolescent girls. Smut however is largely catered for a female “Y/N”. “Y/N” is often treated with respect and in most smut I read there is expressed consent and a focus on female pleasure, so I have no issues at all if that is what teenage girls are reading in smut. This teaches girls consent and want must be present in sexual situations and that their pleasure matters too; possibly reducing these girls to be coerced, used and hurt.

Being a teenager obviously means going through puberty, which includes feeling horny - a new feeling that comes with all the new hormones. It can be awkward to navigate at first, many teenagers feel ashamed when it’s just a natural feeling. When teenagers are horny they think about sex — a natural response. I think they should be able to explore these new feelings safely.

Furthermore, minors watching porn or reading sexual content is not regulated nor is it regulated in most western countries (I can’t speak for everywhere). You can’t stop anyone from consuming content if they want to, plus why would you want to force someone to stop when they have the right to? I would also like to make the point that many countries age of consent is 16. Obviously some are later, but does it make sense to have most English speakers (reading smut in english) come from a place where they can have sex at 16, but they’re not allowed to read smut at 16?

The only dangers I can scope of minors reading smut is them feeling uncomfortable, which could be due to some of the more extreme sexual preferences/activities included in some smut, but you live and you learn and they’ll stay away from such content in the future or until they’re mature enough to revisit it. The other danger is thinking that smut is what sex is like in real life, but we can’t sit here and act like every 13 year old boy hasn’t watched porn and grow to have similar expectations based on what pornography they’ve consumed.

By writing sexual content on a public platform, you know minors have the ability to come across it. Sure, older writers may feel uncomfortable having those 10+ years their junior reading their work, but genuinely what harm comes out of them reading fiction of “Y/N” and some random celebrity/character? I’d rather minors be able to explore safely than find themselves in uncomfortable or unsafe scenarios.

MAJOR EDIT! I made this post about the ethics of it all. PLEASE read this before you send any comments about safety, morals, unrealistic expectations, writer boundaries or comparisons with pornography. I will not reply to you if you clearly have not read my post. Also I would appreciate comments rather than anonymous asks.

I am NOT condoning children consuming this content (aimed at mid-older teenagers so anyone younger gtfo😭) and writers boundaries should be respected. Thank you!!

[why0should0i]

I love blue lock but i would have really like it if blue lock was about girls instead of boys... They keep the premise and characters same but they are girls... All the girls are crazy and obsessed with soccer... They talk about egos and they steal the ball from their teammates... Girl Raichi is still as agressive... Girl Bachira is still as crazy... Girl Shidou and Girl Rin are the same and they fight each other by punching and kicking and pulling hair... Girl Reo and Girl Nagi are the same and they still are gay and Girl Reo braids Girls Nagi's hair and does her mackup and picks out dresses for when they go out cause is still a lazy slacker and those entire interactions are so queer coded that the subject becomes text... The homoerotic tension and rivalries and undertones are all there... They are girls... No, they don't have an eposide dedicated where the talk about boys... Yes the matches are still as intense... No there aren't any wierd boob and ass and panties undershots... Why can't people be normal about teenage girls and their bodies... Why do they always have to sexualized in media... Every time I take a bath i don't bathe in this uncomfortable sexy way... Ego jinpachi is a woman who is crazy... Anri chan can be a man for once... The characters have different body types... Not all of them are slim or curvy and whatever thier body type they are not sexualized...

In fact having girls in a sports manga can mean more drama added to the plot and no i don't mean boys and fighting over crushes🙄🙄... The women's team isn't being taken seriously even though they won more than the men's team on a national and international level... The funding is low... Parents hesitate to send their daughters because "playing pro is a boy's thing... Girls should have more realistic dream"🙄🙄... Yes that is a widely prevalent attitude in more conservative countries...

Just imagine a character who was routinely berated by her parents for playing soccer because it was too masculine and a woman becoming pro would be a) bad face for the family for stupid patriarchy reason b) becoming a pro as a woman is harder due to funding reasons and such so the character is forced to drop soccer and she drops her dreams into the trashcan and just when she loses all hope she finds a letter for her from blue lock she rans away from home into blue lock and bows to never return home and when the other characters find out and say where will she go back if she loses in blue lock she says she will live and die for soccer but she makes it as a regular member in the u 20 match where she plays with such a smile on her face and she is so amazing and happy that her parents realise how shitty they are and then the manga panes the the character where she says that even if she has to make an enemy of the entire world she will play soccer and that is her ego and we all wait for three years for the scene to be animated and when it does we lose our minds because it is so amazing and everything is better because it is girls and there is so much lesbian fruity vibes coming from the character and another character who is like I've always believed in you and she says to the character play soccer all you want I'll never be your enemy only your friend... And the hug each other and look lovingly into each other eyes and there are no guys and it's amazing...

And also you can go a bit darker where you can touch on the topic of how old sleazy men are often in positions of power in women's sports and they coerce the young aspiring teenage girl players into sexual relations and maybe the reason girl sae wanted girl rin to quit was because something terrible happened in Spain and she wants to protect her sister... And there can be discussions of body issues and eating disorders not that boys don't suffer them either but teenage girls are statistically more affected by them...

But anyways i think it would be amazing if there was a sports manga where there are all the traditional tropes of popular sports manga like haikyuu and kuroko no baske and prince of tennis... All the extensive sports analysis and commentary and insane matches and skill that borders on Naruto powers and the hype and rivalries and the underdog defeating powerful opponents and a huge cast of different various players where some are nice some are mean some are arrogant and they all have thier own insecurities and feelings that they are not enough...but instead of teenage boys it's teenage girls and i would really like to see crazy ass teenage girls play soccer like in blue lock... It would be so much better... Thank you...

[timemachineyeah]

Watching the latest hbomberguy video. And this Tom guy is making me think of so many people I have met, especially in the entertainment industry. They are a Type. There’s one in Toonmakers Sailor Moon pilot video too. Honestly sometimes Trump comes across this way. Not just men, though I do think it might be more common among cis men. Especially white privileged ones.

But you know them. The ones that lie about cool they are. That can’t help but lie about their own achievements even when the truth is staring them in the face. Like, I can think of half of a dozen I have met over the years in my life. A friend’s brother, an old boss, a teacher at my school who even the staff seemed exhausted of…

People go “that’s narcissism” or “compulsive lying” and listen, I’m not saying there’s not a neurodivergence underlying some of this behavior. Also potentially traumas or a need for introspection and therapy. I’m also not saying there is. This isn’t about that.

This also isn’t about the social/cultural/political environment that might foster the kinds of anxieties or expectations that contribute. I am not seeking to explain or diagnose this pattern of behavior. I don’t care if it’s psychological, sociological, or just being an asshole. That’s not the point.

The point is: it has always made me deeply uncomfortable. Not just angry or manipulated or whatever. But, like, secondhand embarrassment? Firsthand embarrassment? Unsettled in horror movie way? And I used to attribute that solely to, like, it’s desperate for approval, isn’t it? And I was willing to let that be the end of it. But that always felt incomplete.

No, I think the thing that makes me uncomfortable is, it feels like, to me, it feels like they’re daydreaming??? Like they are playing out their fantasy version of their life, the cooler one the rest of us (or, me at least) just privately pretend to have and never share with anyone.

Like who hasn’t listened to a song they love on repeat and pretended they were on stage singing it and pretended it was their song and they wrote it. Like, I do that. Maybe I’m weird. But I think lots of people do that. When I was a teenager I used to fantasize I had a double life when I was on school breaks, working in New Zealand for the Lord of the Rings movies. All the actors and writers were my best friends. And obviously I provided tremendous insight to the project and it really depended on me. But I didn’t tell anyone at school for convoluted daydream reasons.

But like, as much as I can vividly bring back the fine details of that fantasy (and how, while it had been a secret, it wouldn’t be secret any more when all the hottest members of the cast showed up to my school to take me to an awards show with them), this is the first time I’ve ever told anyone else about it, because why the fuck would I?

“I often pretend I am more interesting and important than I really am” is so common as to be dull. And also has a reputation for being childish. And also it’s not cool to want to be cool. And also if you say your wish out loud it can’t come true. But regardless of why, I don’t tell people about my daydreams. And I think that’s true of most people. Rich fantasy lives are common and largely never shared.

But when I watch the people with this particular quirk and feel kind of awful in this visceral way - I think that’s the thing that’s off-putting to me. It feels so private. I recognize myself in the behavior, in that, in my very silly daydreams, I too have done great things and made notable contributions that are far beyond the truth of my life. But to me those things are so secret. They are the most private of private thoughts.

When I watch these people talk, it feels like they are LARPing that same kind of self-indulgent fantasy world, in their real life. And simultaneously I feel like I’m invading someone’s privacy and like they’ve coerced me into something I didn’t agree to. They’ve cast us in their LARP, and they are gonna play out their fantasy version of their life, and made it awkward or dangerous for anyone to ruin it for them.

And so on top of all the many other very good reasons to not enjoy listening to that kind of self-serving lying, I get to hate it for secret bonus reasons of Immense Psychological Discomfort stemming from ???? associations my brain makes with the act of daydreaming ????

[lustbcrne]

Sexual Traits - Kaeya

Tagged by: Stolen off le Dash​ Tagging: If you want it? TAKE IT

bold - applies always. italic - applies sometimes. Striked = personal notes, can be removed (anything in ‘extra’ can be removed, too)

inclinations/habits:

is submissive | is dominant | prefers to top | prefers to bottom | likes to switch | identifies as heterosexual | identifies as homosexual | identifies as bisexual | identifies as pansexual | identifies as demisexual | identifies as asexual | enjoys sex with men | enjoys sex with women | enjoys sex with multiple people at one time  | initiates (when he’s most comfortable/more confident) | waits for a partner to initiate (at the start of a relationship) | spits | swallows | prefers sex in the morning | prefers sex at night | prefers sex any time | no sex drive | low sex drive | average sex drive | high sex drive | hypersexual

Extra - He usually prefers to top or at the very least hold a power bottom role during sex because he likes feeling in control of himself and the situation overall out of comfort. He'll relinquish the reins to his partner if he sees they prefer it and/or he is trying to get on their good side, but for the most part, he likes being in the more dominant role. A partner who's built enough trust with him makes it easier for him when they want to take charge.

       Initiating usually involves him playfully testing the waters with the person in question; baiting, teasing and tempting them until they themself close the distance–this way, he can play off any desires on his part with plausible deniability. In a relationship, he tends to hold himself back a lot at first bc he doesn't want to overwhelm his partner with how much he wants them, esp with the extent of his own urges overall. If his partner gives the okay that he's free to initiate whenever, he WILL run with it. Meaning more frequent touches and flirting to distract them, teasing his partner to stir them up on whims, stealing and wearing nothing but their shirts around their place, the works, until he either gets what he wants or they tell him to curb it back. It is admittedly a mix of both desire for them and lingering self-destructive habit he's built up over the years, but the more secure in a relationship he is, it would tend to lean to the former. That said...

       ...even outside his genuine high sex drive, he's quite accustomed to having frequent sex to the point of being quite the regular at the Church for checkups after the fact, using it as a transaction/reward in exchange for info from choice contacts who've requested it of him/he himself offered it to, to stave off boredom & especially loneliness ( low-key takes rejection at these times rather hard ), to fight stress ( esp if he hadn't been able to drink in awhile ), to relieve pain ( chronic, emotional/dysphoric, or acquired on the job )/anxiety surges he gets, or rid himself of excess energy after a Dangerous Situation. It became one of his biggest coping mechanisms and means to an end in one shortly after becoming Cavalry Captain, when he realized just how many people had eyes on him/regarded him as quite the pretty face, and how much more favorably they acted towards him when he playfully humored advances. How much they were willing to give him in return for his time and favors he could do. He admittedly disliked it all at first because he had no idea what he was doing and kept getting roped into things he wasn't entirely comfortable with, but the more used to the arrangements he got, the more he figured out his likes/dislikes & how to manage more uncomfortable encounters, the more he grew to genuinely love sex, even like this. He also quickly took up making a habit of gathering blackmail on potential/current partners as a means to ensure these encounters remain on the down low–he has to protect his and the Knights' ( and in a way, the Ragnvindr family's ) reputations, after all. Though he would never use it to coerce partners into anything otherwise, only ever to ensure they don't try to take advantage of him like some people at the start did. If worse comes to worst, he has and still takes measures to get rid of any person trying to take advantage of him/their arrangement or otherwise going too damn far with him.

body/appearance:

small build | medium build | athletic build | muscular build | curvy build | voluptuous build | wears boxer/briefs | wears lingerie | goes ‘commando’ | shaves/waxes | doesn’t shave/wax | cup size a-c | cup size d-f | 1-5" in length | 6-9" in length | 10" or over in length

Extra - Is AFAB trans male, has considered phalloplasty, but he likes his body as is, even if dysphoria does tend to flare up more often than not. Would consider it actually going through with it if a long-term partner would want him too. He is comfortable being referred to by either male, feminine or neutral terms, though he does prefer male ones more. He has a mole just under his ass on his right leg, and various old burn scars on his right shoulder, upper arm, part of his face and on his left arm–his left arm has the worst of the lot ( barring his right eye ) and requires a brace to help with some movement. There are a couple faded scars here and there from old injuries, and a very faded few from stab and gunshot wounds he'd taken over the years that he's clumsily patched up himself to avoid heading to the Church.

       He has had top surgery sometime shortly after Crepus' death, just to reduce his chest to a more comfortable size/shape now that he was more independent and was encouraged to make more of his own decisions. He considered doing more, but he also recognized that was a feature of himself many really liked to see, and thus still flaunts it with his infamous low necklines. He's even a little vain about his chest when it's actively pointed out. ( self-harm ment ) His surgery scars are double incision that somewhat resemble claw marks because he ended up actually carving them worse in a very panicked, Visceral negative reaction after he first saw them after he'd gone home post-op. Had a moment of further panic when he finally snapped back into himself and saw the mess, then deliberately cut more to adjust them into looking a little more 'aesthetically pleasing' to himself before cleaning up the scene. He didn't go to the Church for help patching up again or let Adelinde know what actually happened bc he feared getting yelled at over it. Got yelled at anyways by Adelinde, Elzer, Jean, Varka, and the church staff because he agitated the wounds badly when he tried to get back to work earlier than recommended. ( end ) The scars aren't as faded as they should to have been because he took too long to get them properly treated and a little from lack of proper care overall in spite of Adelinde's best efforts to help, though they have still since dulled decently enough with time. He tends to deflect hard when asked about them in general.

turn-ons/kinks:

having their hands pinned | pinning their partner’s hands | having their ears pulled | pulling their partner’s ears | being watched (by their partner) | being watched (by a third party) | watching their partner | receiving oral | giving oral | calling their partner ‘daddy’ | being called ‘daddy’ /’mummy’ | giving praise | receiving praise | biting/marking | being bitten/marked | spanking | being spanked | teasing | being teased | having toys used on them | using toys on their partner | giving anal | receiving anal | choking | being choked | dirty talk | being tied up | tying their partner up | being worshipped | worshipping their partner | humiliating | being humiliated | degrading | being degraded | knife play | blood play | being pegged | pegging

Extra - Guaranteed, he loves displaying himself ( though not entirely unclothed ) for his partners during foreplay and make outs, or even deliberately getting himself off in a way where they're sure to catch him in the act–because he knows just how pretty people find him, scars and all ( though tends to like wearing his own/his partner's clothes over himself on more dysphoric days ). But when it comes to actual sex, if he's the one being penetrated, he strongly prefers being taken from behind & facing away from his partners, be it being pinned under them ( if that's what they prefer ) or in reverse cowgirl ( his most preferred position ), etc. Unless he is completely comfortable with his partner, in which case, he'll let them take him from the front/facing them. If he's got the chance to peg his partner, he likes it missionary the most, eager to watch their every reaction with great delight. Or with them facedown, face pushed against the mattress/surface they're on as he fucks into them. Especially if he's able to cage them in and croon things to them as he moves.

       Has sadomasochistic tendencies. He definitely loves pain during sex, especially being on the receiving end of it–biting, scratching, spanking, knifeplay, name it, he'll allow it, so long as the marks aren't so easy to see like on his chest or neck. Is just as happy to indulge his partner if they're into it too, though always carefully measuring their limits. Is a HUGE fan of overstimulating his partners and especially using Visions during sex, but would actually LOATHE feeling any Pyro on him unless he Explicitly tells the person he trusts them & is given ample warning it will happen before they start. Any heat-based play in general is a hard no, unless he has that extreme trust in the person. Or is going through a particularly self-destructive spiral, but that is easy to spot once you know him well enough. Overall, sex that really ups his adrenaline levels in some way is the best in his eyes, especially since it help takes his mind of things and especially his usual touch aversion. Gentler sex tends to make him feel a lot more vulnerable, to the point where he's actually more likely to cry from being overwhelmed than he would if he were knocked around and hurt during sex ( esp considering he's entirely unused to it at ALL ). Has indulged in more extreme fear plays with past partners ( gun play, asphyxiation, kidnapping, interrogation-based consensual nonconsent, etc ), found certain delight in them too, but prefers anything like that to be properly negotiated some time beforehand, unless the person is okay with actually having to fight him a little before he realizes what they're doing & starts playing along. His safeword is Valberry, but also tends to follow equivalent of the stoplight colors system. He is okay indulging most any kink his partner wants at least once, esp bc he likes the idea of discovering a new one for himself.

       Loves, loves, LOVES being degraded and being called names, though ones themed after royalty, 'young master', or using his Captain title are a surefire way to anger him. Either making him stop altogether ( particularly the former two ) or making him extremely ornery and spiteful that his partner's gotta get a firm hand on him to bring him back around if they want to continue. As long as the humiliation/insults given to him don't mention his body type/appearance in a negative way, he's a-ok for damn near anything else though, even being referred to as a girl ( actually finds it funny whenever he is and might even taunt them for it ). HOWEVER if he's being called cute/loving pet names during a rougher fuck, he flusters up and falls apart much faster. He does have very particular names he likes most, but those he leaves his partners to discover on their own. And yes, he does reward them each time one is stumbled on.

       Usually neglects aftercare for himself outside of a relationship, sometimes during one. Will tend to his partners for theirs as much as they're willing then be right on his way. In a relationship, he goes above and beyond with aftercare for his partners, regardless of how rough the sex was on them or who topped/bottomed. Prepping baths, fetching them water or a quick bite, checking in with them, massages, administering first aid where needed, the works, no matter how sore he himself may be. He won't make any moves to ask for anything for himself from them, rather will simply partake in whatever he can share with his partner like snacks or bathing with them. Anything else, his partner would have to bring up or take initiative to treat him to.

sounds:

is silent/makes little to no sounds | is very quiet | is very loud | grows in volume over time | bites hand/partner/pillow to muffle themselves | calls out partner’s name | curses | fakes/exaggerates | prefers a quiet partner | prefers a loud partner | is turned on by dirty talk | is turned off by dirty talk

Extra - He doesn't tend to muffle up his voice during, especially if he wants to get caught by somebody ( most often like when he’s getting himself off while his partner’s nearby ). He's unabashed with his voice during sex, purring and crooning about how good it feels, how good they are being for him, pitching and trembling, all to look good for them. If he starts trying to stifle his voice behind a hand, chances are it's because he wants to hear his partner plead and encourage him to get louder, particularly because he knows there’s a chance he’ll get praise out of it if he does. That, and he gets off on hearing his partner beg or demand things of him. Or he's trying to rile them up so they can knock him around some, that too. Tends to babble breathlessly when he's close to his own climax, spilling near incoherent curses and pleas before a drawn out whine finally leaves him.

       He doesn't tend to beg, but will get whiny and do so if his partner keeps teasing him or they hold back their own voice, even after he tries to encourage them. Will throw all dignity out the window if it means he can hear how good they feel, no matter how pathetic he's gotta make himself to have it. Loves hearing every crack and hitch of their voices, any growls and gasps that pass through their lips. Praises will drip from his own like honey each and every time his partner's voice gets louder or a particularly delightful sound leaves them. Notably, they could easily shock the brat out of him ( in a good way ) if they snarl right in his ear for him to behave, or near any other sort of dirty talk, especially the more possessive and domineering it is.

[stoicforestsss]

Why do people force women to have pap smears, especially when they tell them they are reliving shit. What would happen if I said this during one, but, of course, I ain't going to a gynecologist. I won't be speculum gang raped.

"Can I touch your boobs now?"

"Yes, mommy. Stick it in me! Baste me like a turkey. Yesss."

*moans loudly so people in the other rooms can hear*

"Fuck me more. Yes. Ouch. So rough."

*moans"

*mmmoooaaaannnnnnnssss*

"I'm gonna cumm-" while they finger.

Yeah they'd be uncomfortable right? It's like you have to be submissive to them. They're an authority. They tell you when to get naked and they tell you when to do what. Then you both go about your days. They get rid of the only thing I had that protection from - that was strangers touching me.

Just don't go. Don't be degraded and disrespected by shitheads. Go if you want. Don't feel the need to go. Unless there are kids in you I guess.

So yeah, everyone who's female now that American reproductive rights are dying next to the women with septic babies slowly killing them. Yeah. Let's just insert things into people and touch their boobs when those people are telling us they have sexual trauma. Ok. It's fine. And we'll act like dicks. What are they going to do? Not get birth control? Not get std testing? Go to holistic care providers?

Use the website Nurx for birth control. Don't go to the health department or the in-office. Start boycotting them. Shit.

Remember men aren't required to get those tests. They aren't pressured into it at an early age. They aren't coerced into it for medicine. The medical industry is doing this to you only. The medical industry purposefully keeps the collective hive mind of women's medical needs at a medieval minimum, while men get the advanced pain killers and respect. Men get pain killers. You don't. Don't go to people who hurt you. You're going to demand respect and walk out when you don't get what you want.

Another thing you're going to do is you won't submit to victim culture. Uber sends me emails about empowering women with Uber by adding more protections and ways to contact people and record audio and footage. How is that telling the actual people who have never been told to behave to be good? It's not all men, but by God, American society sure as hell can't teach men to have respect for shit.

It starts with the indirect criticism of "stop wearing that, you're distracting Michael" and it turns into "I can tell you what you do with your body, since I view you as a yummy, preppy, sexy, feeble, in need of protection, baby machine. Get on the table so I can force you to have this physical, you sexual beast. I can't force your boyfriend to go through anything like this year after year."

You're going to speak up and say when you're hurt. You're going to say when people are disrespectful. You will fight for the things you need and want and the people you love and you will not let people take away your rights. Also, let's put away the baby voice that society teaches you to do and put on that big, booming voice you learned of when your mom was upset with you. That voice is what you should use. Tweak it a bit, but the whole "I'm a pretty little airy head voice fairy" voice makes you sound submissive. Present yourself as not submissive and instead dominant, and the stereotypes people have about women will cease to be reasonable.

Don't become the fulfillment of their prophecy. Don't submit to things you don't consent to, men too. It's not just men, but society has a lot to learn about teaching men to respect others and women being strong. Hell, it's like this society slowly beats the strength out of you. Don't lose it. Ever. It's a deeper issue than what your worry is. It's what the next generation of humans will believe. It's what you need as people, in juxtaposition to how being so pro-life makes someone fine with a death penalty for an abortion and jail for miscarriages, say no to the witch trials. Forcing women to have someone check for HPV when they don't want you to is a witch trial when men can go around spreading everything like candy and not even know.

I'm joining them.

[targaryen-dynasty]

OBJECT OF DESIRE (2/4)

Aemond Targaryen x female Reader

It's always sacrifice and duty. But what will you do, if it's put to the test?

WARNINGS: none!

WORDS: 3.3 K

NOTES: This is a chapter to build the plot of the story. If everything goes according to plan (what it never does) you're getting two to three more chapters! Tried to end it with a cliffhanger, but ain't sure if it worked lmao

Two days have passed in which you haven’t heard or seen even just a trace of Aemond. You didn’t catch any glimpses of him in the corridors, didn’t see him around his siblings, and not even spotted him training with the sword in the early hours of the day. 

You have been counting on him to approach you the following day to whisk you away like he’s said, almost promised, to save you from the inevitable torment that was due the next day – but he didn’t come. 

And with his absence, the doubts about merely being used by him arise and become more prominent, constantly scratching in the back of your mind. 

The only thing that makes it all slightly better is that you have been seeing your father just as sparsely as your cousin; clearly having no desire to spend his days with you and make up for the time you’ve lost, knowing that you’re incredibly cross with him. 

But with yours and Daemon’s paths not crossing once also vanishes any possibility of you coercing him to cancel the courtship, even though the chances would have been small anyways. 

The chair you currently sit in is nearly as uncomfortable as the large throne looming behind you is rumored to be, at least that‘s what you fathom, and you‘re certain that the thick fur draped over it, warming your arse and back, does little to help with that. 

It is little consolation that King Viserys’ second daughter shares the same fate as you, sitting in a chair that’s just as unpleasant as yours. 

You have planned for Ysilla to accompany you while you’re receiving the chosen suitors, trusting her advice and her knowledge of you, however, it has clearly interfered with the plans of Queen Alicent. 

But Helaena is no bad company. There’s something about her soft aura, which you’ve already noticed back when you arrived, that calms you and makes your misery much more bearable. She’s not a woman of many words, but there’s wit and charm in them when she speaks. 

Lined up in front of you two stands a queue of different lords and highborn men, all chosen by none other than your father, and you’re glad that at least your advisor seems to keep track of the men that come to introduce themselves. Whenever you glance at her, you see her gauging their characters based on their appearances alone, and her expression always matches yours when a man that’s significantly older than you steps forwards. And so far, it’s been quite a few. 

In the sea of lords, Blackwood, Lannister and Manderly alike, there eventually steps a much younger lord forwards. You raise your brow, and your eyes briefly flit over his form before Helaena leans towards you. 

“This one doesn’t seem too awful, does he?” she whispers, and if you listen closely, you can hear just a lilt of tease in her tone. 

You would love to spend your time differently at this moment, and you’re certain Helaena would enjoy being somewhere else as well, although you do feel relieved to finally be at least marginally less bored by someone that’s closer to your age than your father’s. 

The lord is tall and well built, wearing a well fitted doublet in his Houses’ colors; knowing them well enough to be certain it’s a fellow House of the Vale of Arryn. He has a clean shaven face that shows now scars or blemishes, and his short, brown hair neatly sits in place. It’s clear he is very-well groomed, a stark contrast to some of the other men that have already spoken to you today. 

“No, he’s… alright,” you reply, nodding your head once. 

You’re caught off guard when he approaches you slowly, coming closer than any other lord before, and bows before you. He takes your hand, pressing his lips to the back of it. Although you don’t feel any attraction towards him, goosebumps still prickle on your skin; you’re intrigued. 

“My lady,” he says, rising to his full height again as he takes a step back. “May I say that you have a striking beauty. I am Lord Alec Hersy of Newkeep. Your name has been brought to me by the other men of the Vale, who know you well and speak of you highly, and my lady, ‘tis an honor to ask for the opportunity to court you and unite our Houses.” 

You notice that he speaks with a great deal of confidence, almost as if he’s practiced what to say over and over. As you think about your answer, your eyes flicker to the several men that are still lined up behind him, all their eyes fixed on you as they wait for their turn to approach you. 

It’s eerily quiet for the few seconds you contemplate his offer, though you know that you’re not yet allowed to make a decision, and there must have been something in the way you smile at the man before you that makes it appear as if you mean to accept his advances for suddenly another lord comes forward to stand by Lord Hersy’s side. 

The other man isn’t as bold as the Hersy, keeping a polite distance from you, but you see it in the way he straightens his back and keeps his head held high that he clearly is competing with the man next to him, vying for your hand in marriage without having said anything up to now.

He is just as tall as his opponent but with a leaner frame, and also wears a doublet in his Houses’ colors; another Lord of the Vale. His long, brown hair is tied up, and he has a confident air about him. And then you spot the broken wheel on his doublet, the coat of arms. You would have never guessed him to be a Lord of House Waynwood for its members usually tend to be more horse-faced, at least that’s what they say, yet this man is strangely comely. 

It is clear that both men that stand in front of you are attractive, but in different ways. The Hersy man has a charming and youthful look, while the other has a sophisticated and more mature standing, and you’re not quite sure what you feel more drawn to.

You tilt your head sideways slightly at his bold approach, a raised eyebrow prompting him to finally speak. 

“My lady, I have been very impressed with what I have heard about you. Lord Hersy is right when he says you have a striking beauty for you look just like your late mother did. It is a blessing you have her eyes and smile.” His words leave you frowning for a moment, because from what you’ve gathered over all these years, your looks take more after your father than your mother. But the lord continues to speak, pulling you from your train of thought. “As a Lord of House Waynwood, I would like to ask the honor of having you by my side. What do you say?”

You’re stunned by his boldness. Looking from one man to the other, you’re stuck between both of them. However, this doesn’t last long for the silence is suddenly interrupted by the doors to the Throne Room opening. 

A mop of silver hair steps into the room with a certain air of arrogance and smugness that clings to him like a cloak. Aemond. His arrival doesn’t only surprise you, but you can also hear the lords and nobles start to mumble and grumble under their breaths, and you’re most impressed by how unphased Aemond is at that. 

Taking in a sharp breath, you regain your composure, trying not to let your nervousness show too much, and refocus on the men standing in front of you. Aemond‘s presence is unexpected, and you’re not sure how to feel after being used by him and not hearing from him for the past two days. He has given you hope to put you out of your misery, and crushed it just as easily.

“The both of you are very kind,” you say. Both men start to smile politely, even more when it’s returned by you, however, their smiles drop just as quickly at your next words. “But before I make a choice, I will need to consult with my father.”

With Aemond approaching, boldly walking past the queue of bowing suitors, both men briefly bow to you, before making room for him. 

“Prince Aemond,” you say, not waiting for him to settle and start speaking. It seems as though you haven’t lowered your eyebrow at all, one surprising moment happening after the other. 

Aemond walks up to you, coming just as close as the Hersy lord did before with his hands clasped behind his back, and his intense stare doesn’t leave your features. He grabs your hand, bringing it up to his lips. It makes your pulse quicken, and this time your body starts to feel as if it’s on fire. You’ve been cross with him just a few seconds before, and yet the feeling of his lips on your skin is enough to make the anger vanish. 

“I know you expected my return, my lady,” he says softly, his voice just loud enough for you and Helaena to hear him and not the men around. “Will you come with me now, or will you leave this to the men that are too weak to give you what you deserve?”

Pressing your lips into a thin line, your eyes flit down to where his hand is still holding yours. “What exactly would I be getting if I were to choose you, my prince?”

Aemond smirks at your reply, and squeezes your hand in a reassuring manner. “These men do not understand you as I do, my lady, and they never will. They may pretend to worship the ground you walk on, but that will not change the way they see you behind closed doors.”

Something stirs deep inside of you at his words, warmth rising in your cheeks and a tingling sensation in your stomach. It’s all too easy to give in to him, to give in to his words if it means you get a chance with him. Your mind races as you try to push away the thoughts of the consequences; but to no avail. 

You swallow, and reluctantly pull your hand back to fold them in your lap, fidgeting with your fingers. “I want to express my great gratitude for your presence, Prince Aemond, but I am afraid I can not give you your desired answer,” you speak loud enough for everyone in the Throne Room to hear, making clear that it’s you being in control. “As I said, I will need to consult with my father before accepting any of the offers.” 

The smile you give him is polite, but it hardly reaches your eyes. His smirk drops at that, and with a bow of his head, he turns to his sister who has silently watched the exchange. “May I have a word?” It’s not a question but more a demand, giving her no chance to refuse. 

Helaena nods and rises to her feet, flashing you an apologetic smile before she follows Aemond and disappears through the king’s door behind the Iron Throne.

You’re left to deal with the suitors and guards all by yourself, and know you’ll have to find a way to bid the men that have come to seek your hand in marriage farewell; in the most tactful way possible. 

Standing up, you keep your hands clasped in front of you. You look over the remaining suitors, carefully analyzing each of them. “My lords,” you speak loud and clear, feigning your confidence, “thank you for coming here today. I am incredibly impressed by all your proposals, but it was a long and tiresome day, and I have decided to have another day of courtship in the morrow. If you would excuse me now.”

As the men exit the large room on your behalf, Helaena comes back from where she’s left with Aemond not long before; not in the presence of her younger brother anymore. There’s a small scroll in her hand, neatly clasped between her slender fingers. 

“Is there a lord that has piqued your interest already?” she asks, a gentle smile on her lips. 

You glance at the scroll, noticing that it’s sealed, before meeting her eyes again. “Is there a lord that has piqued my interest?” you ask, your teasing tone suggesting that you don’t think there’s even one man that would fit the bill. 

“You’re not entirely incorrect,” she muses, “though I think that Lord Hersy does seem a little… less unappealing than the others.” Her words make you chuckle, and you raise a brow as she hands you the scroll. “For me?” you ask, tilting your head slightly. 

She nods, and you take it from her hands but don’t open it right away. It feels like something that’s best read in private.

“Do you not wish to know what is written inside?” she asks, gently, and not in a way that’s meant to pester you. 

Looking down at the scroll, you furrow your brow and sigh. There’s no way you can refuse her, a princess, without being impolite and appearing suspicious. “I… I suppose I do.” 

You break the seal and unroll it carefully in a guarded manner, making sure to be the first, and only one, to see what’s written inside. It takes everything in you not to allow your eyes to widen the moment you’re reading the first few words, not wanting to raise anyone’s suspicion. 

Before the princess can even ask, knowing she’d eventually do, you opt to tell her but keep the contents vague, giving a little fib. “Looks like…” you begin, trailing off as you pretend to read the scroll to its completion. “It’s a proposition from your brother, and apparently he wants me… to join him for supper.”

Helaena raises her brow, and you notice a smile creeping onto her lips. “This offer is certainly… an interesting one. A rather informal event for a prince to ask a lady to join him for. But do you wish to accept his invitation? You can decline, of course, but do keep in mind that my brother is quite the catch.”

You roll the scroll and keep it tightly secured in your palm, not keen on having its contents read by anyone other than you. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to meet for supper,” you reply. “My father surely would want me to be open-minded while searching for a suitable match.”

She brings a hand up to rub your upper arm, smiling softly at you. “That certainly sounds wise,” she hums. “I think my presence is no longer required today, although I am very curious to hear how your supper goes. Will you promise to tell me how it turned out in the morrow?” 

You bow your head. “Of course. I shall take my leave now, cousin, and I must say that this has been quite a pleasant afternoon.”

“You are most welcome, cousin. If you require any support, or an open ear, come speak to me. I will be here to lend you both of it.”

With Helaena’s words, you exit the Throne Room, heading straight back to your chambers. They are quiet, for once, though this moment of serenity doesn’t last long with Ysilla stepping out of the adjoining bathing chambers. 

She has a smile on her lips as she catches you in better spirit than anticipated. “I assume that the courtship has been successful? “

You bite the tip of your tongue, stopping your lips from pulling into a grin. “You can say that it has, indeed,” you reply. Not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer than necessarily, reducing the risk of her asking any more questions, you change it. “Is the bath ready?” 

Ysilla bows her head, getting the cue, and steps aside. “It is waiting for you, yes. May I fetch your robe, my lady?”

“That is very gracious of you, thank you,” you reply, and when she disappears to prepare the robe for you, you’re quick to stuff the scroll into the pile of riding attire you’ve taken with you upon the travel. 

You don’t tell her about the letter you’ve received, and even less about what’s written inside. Therefore your maid doesn’t know that there’s no need for her to prepare you for the night just yet. It’s easier for you if she leaves you alone very early to retire to the quarters occupied by your entourage for you don’t need any fuss about leaving your chambers so late. 

While you usually handle most of the bathing by yourself, scrubbing and cleaning your body, you’ve left the care of your silver hair to your maid. She washes it thoroughly, dries it with care, and once you’re dressed, she separates the strands to brush them carefully. She applies special oils on the silver strands, before your hair is loosely braided down your back.

It seems as though Ysilla is extra cautious to make sure you’re comfortable and ready for bed; preparing every detail, however small, and completing every task meticulously for you to retire for the night. You’re certain she awaits for your restraint to snap at any given moment for you to tell her even the smallest details of the first day of your courtship. But in the prospect of your night, she can wait a damn long time for that to happen. 

And only when she brings in a small tray with light supper does she finally bow to you, folding her hands in front of her body. “I shall now retire for the night, my lady,” she hums. “I am certain tomorrow brings with it new, exciting tasks and I need to rest to be able to cope with them.”

Sitting down at the desk, you grab the cutlery to cut into the woodcock that’s served. You look up at her with a soft smile on your lips. “Thank you for your hard work today, Ysilla. Rest well, and we will see each other in the morning.”  

Your maid nods her head once again, and sets off for the door. “May the Seven watch over you, my lady.” With these words, she shuts the door behind her, and only as she’s finally out of the room does her absence weigh down on you, making you terribly aware of the letter that’s neatly stored in the pile of your riding breeches. 

The next two hours are drawn out to the point you consider just walking out of your chambers, making your way through the winding corridors and right towards his apartments. But you don’t do that. 

Only when the sun has long set do you start to prepare yourself for what lies ahead. Your nightgown and shift fall to the floor, and are quickly replaced by smallclothes and tight-fitting breeches, topped by a soft tunic. A pair of boots and a warm leather jacket follow, completing your outfit. 

You fetch the scroll again, skimming over its contents, rereading them in case you’ve missed anything. Of course you haven’t, and it’s written at the bottom, too hard to miss:

‘Dress simply and practically.’

That’s what you’ve done as you push at the wall to the right side of your bed, revealing a door that’s hidden in plain sight. It has been built into the architecture of the castle, perfectly blended into the wall and hard to find if you didn’t know what you’re looking for. 

And you didn’t know – it was a hard guess, based on the drawing Aemond has scrawled below the invitation to a little adventure. 

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[policemanofprincesspark]

”You have to think like an anti too if you want to figure this out, because you need to go in with the mindset of actually trying to debunk the theory rather than prove it, because, if you're trying to prove it, it's a lot easier for a ton of bias to slip in, like ignoring contradicting evidence.”

This is my biggest problem with the fandom right now. Larry being real, specifically the fanfiction version where they are possessive and protective of each other and larrie fans who are the only fans they actually like between daydreaming about a sugary-sweet happily ever after involving their kids wearing 1D merch to the reunion tour, is treated as a given and all “evidence” involves working backwards from that forgone conclusion. X has to be true for larry to be real, therefore X is true full stop. Larries dismiss everything they don’t like as fake or something the boys were held at gunpoint to do if it doesn’t fit their narrative.

“Harry doesn’t actually want to be an actor, he’s being forced by management in order to make more money off his sex symbol image.”

“Louis doesn’t actually want to move away from a pop sound to something more rock, it’s management trying to alienate the female fan base to court straight men.”

Could these things be true? Sure, but most of the conversations around them don’t bring up any actual evidence of these arguments, instead falling back on “this isn’t the real them.” Which of course they totally know. Actual documentation and discussion of potential industry abuse is being lost in the slurry of fans’ coping strategy for their faves not fitting the perfect image they’ve projected onto them.

YES! I so agree with this. Okay, so, for example, there was that one phone call that was recorded by a fan where Louis was ranting about "all these crazy Larry fans" and asking them if they were recording. I saw SO many other larries literally saying it was fake and it was someone else's voice. I mean, listen, I can't say for a fact that it is his voice, but these people just immediately dismiss everything that they don't like or that makes them angry/uncomfortable. I understand there is a heavy emotional investment into the idea of Louis and Harry being victims, but, in reality, we don't know what's going on.

I am actually going to be working on a post about what I think could potentially be occurring instead of this idea of contractual closeting, by using an example of a gay couple who came out and had very distinct parallels to Louis and Harry. I mean, I'm never going to say I know the how's and why's of their closeting, but I don't think it's as straightforward as "they're victims of illegal contracts!", which is a theory based on a whopping load of nothing. I have seen Rebecca Ferguson and a few other past XFactor contestants who were on the same season as 1D in 2010 or around that time come out and talk about blackmail, coerced contracts, etc., so I don't think you can completely write it off as impossible. If I had to just make a quick guess, I'd say they were being pressured just like anyone else in the industry and that Louis might be scared to come out for some reason or another, and, since there is a lot of money involved concerning Harry, there could be some blackmail or coerced contracts like I said. Anyway, I have more evidence to back up different possibilities (they're just possibilities with some minor evidence, of course). I might make a post covering them all one day.

Here is a snippet of one of the posts I'm working on which talks briefly about Simon's dressing down:

Basically, there aren't any examples I can find of people in the industry being contractually closeted. It's always "I was afraid I'd destroy my career" or "I was afraid I'd be letting my managers/band members down and ruining their careers, and I felt a responsibility." So, if Louis and Harry are being closeted via illegal contracts, this would be an isolated case.

Now, do I think they both want out of the closet? Considering some of their obvious signalling and their "wink, wink" moments (such as Louis pointing at a Harry sign and yelling "yes!" or Harry singing "Lou" instead of "you" and immediately laughing), I don't think they are ashamed of their sexuality or that they enjoy pretending to be straight. But could there be some fear concerning coming out? It's quite possible.

(LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THESE IMAGES DO NOT REFLECT MY OPINION NOR ARE THEY TRYING TO SERVE AS A LEGITIMATE THEORY; THEY ARE SIMPLY POSSIBILITIES THAT I AM PUTTING FORTH, SINCE THERE IS MINOR EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THEM)

Anyway, yeah. I'm tired of people stating their mere hypotheses as fact when they either have no evidence or very minor evidence to support them (like the contractual closeting theory; which... tbh, when larries act like that theory is fact, it kind of discredits us because it makes antis immediately dismiss the concept of Larry since contractual closeting isn't legal nor has it happened before, when we could just... not act like that theory is fact and instead consider other possibilities and quite frankly the more likely possibilities such as industry pressure or coercion).

[dykeyote]

why is nova bad rep?

nova is a travesty to me bc shes very fun and i really enjoy her as a character in every way besides the things i think are uncomfortable and the bit with the haircut is objectively the funniest way to handle a trans char and also says a lot abt gender in jv's time period which i find very interesting!! there are good things abt nova and there are even good things abt her being trans and i do not think she is written to b intentionally mean spirited but like in my personal opinion the way they go about like ..... the specific way they write her fixation on nureyev isss uh quite poorly handled and sort of uncomfortable? it can call to mind some sort of unfortunate stereotypes about the idea of trans women harassing and coercing cis men and it isnt great

and like ive said jv has trans characters who absolutely can also brush up against being unintentionally transphobic due to being pretty shitty people but Dont end up Actually being so, and i think theres a few reasons for that that nova fails to dodge - for one thing, their transness is never ... Highlighted in any way while theyre doing the shitty stuff. which isnt to say theyre not explicitly trans - they absolutely are, cecil is pretty clearly stated to be identical to cass and has a very feminine voice and pilot uses they/them pronouns the entire time. we Know that theyre trans, but theres never any scenes that explicitly .... Point Out their transness in any explicit way, so when they do their shitty stuff we arent necessarily Fixated on their transness its not being called to attention . nova has an entire scene that points out the fact that she Is a trans woman . and itd still be uncomfortable if it wasnt there and i dont think the scene is inherently bad on its own its funny i like it but in context it does make it feel More iffy 2 me because it is explicitly Reminding you that yes dear listener!! she is trans!! in a way that other trans charas who are shitty ppl arent

another thing is that the main people that those other two examples are put in juxtaposition with is juno, who is also trans. JUNO is the one who calls cecil an apartment complex of demons, JUNO is actively trying to take down pilot. it makes it feel less like a Trans Thing to be fucked up because the person going hey, this is fucked up youre the worst, is Also trans . and we can go to cecil for another more relevant example of this which is that cecil is kinda obsessed with juno too!! hes a little bit of a freak abt him!! but it doesnt feel like a trans thing because because juno is Also trans and hes like normal . nova doesnt Have that because he rfixation is very specifically on nureyev who is, as far as we know and can presume, a cis man. she is being juxtaposed by a Cis character instead of a Trans one. which is worsened by the fact that "trans woman harassing a cis guy who is not interested at all and is taken" is again not great either

and like you could change all those issues of course but tbh you dont even need to?? yeah itd be better if the subject of her affections was trans or if less attention was called to it but like literally you could also just write her like normally . tbh . you could literally just write her normally and make her not feel so pushy and like it would be fine . you could still make her have a huge thing for a cis guy character and make said cis guy character uninterested and just not write it in the specific way that they do that to me personally feels sort of unsavory especially given that she is the first like . canonical explicit trans woman in jv (as far as i remember) . its not hard to write characters normally is my conclusion

[reasoningdaily]

Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond review – how the rich keep the poor down | Society books | The Guardian

It’s no wonder Americans have failed to eliminate poverty, sociologist Matthew Desmond maintains in his new book. He believes the better-off are fighting a class war, keeping the poor down by design. Even if he shies away from some of the consequences of his explosive claim, his arguments have the potential to push debate about wealth in America to a new level.

Having won a coveted MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant in 2015, Desmond is known for his absorbing previous book on eviction practices in housing, which netted him a Pulitzer prize in 2017. He starts his ambitious new study by demonstrating how enduring American poverty is. The current poverty line is represented by an income of $13,590 a year for an individual and $27,750 for a family of four. The number of Americans below it has hovered between 10% and 15% for decades, with calls and plans for reform amounting to “50 years of nothing”. The only exception was the brief period of pandemic relief, which drove poverty down “tremendously” – for children, by more than 50%. But things are now returning to form. The Democrats ended much emergency relief last autumn and cut new entitlements for the worst-off from an Inflation Reduction Act that privileged green capitalism.

Desmond shows that poverty blights rural white areas but that its hardest core is African American and urban. Having written the entry on racial capitalism for the New York Times 1619 project, Desmond is sensitive to the way poverty intersects other forms of subordination. Another sociologist, the great William Julius Wilson, argued more than three decades agothat deindustrialisation was to blame for African American impoverishment, by depriving men of good manufacturing jobs. But Desmond thinks this thesis, while accurate, misses the various ways in which “the rich keep the poor down for their own benefit”. Sociologists, Desmond charges, have shied away from “empirical studies of power and exploitation”. Politicians and well-meaning observers have wrung their hands without facing the “uncomfortable” possibility that the poor remain so because the wealthier want it that way.

The brilliance of Poverty, By America lies in Desmond’s account of how government and social policy act in ways commensurate with his class-war thesis. Its texture is provided by effective storytelling, which illustrates that poverty has become a way of life, “a relentless piling on of problems”. Living paycheck to paycheck means a precarious existence and “feverish present-mindedness” for people near the margin of daily survival.

One cause is a labour market that forces workers to help companies achieve profits while underpaying them, simply because they can. Desmond shows that the American economy has increasingly allowed business to enjoy power to coerce people into earning less for doing more. He insists he’s not a Marxist – though he writes that raising the spectre of exploitation always makes him sound like he is. Yet Desmond’s argument foregrounds precisely the extraction of surplus value that Marxists describe. The changing nature of work opportunities in America, along with the collapse of union density in the last 50 years, mean the forces of capitalism are winning. “Capitalism is inherently about workers trying to get as much, and owners trying to give as little, as possible,” Desmond observes – and poverty endures because the first group has lost many battles against the second.

And if an American ideology that harps on personal responsibility forbids direct government payments to poor people, Desmond documents how the state offers tax breaks that systematically benefit the rich (and, he might have added, corporations too). Compared with European welfare states, the US is no less generous towards its citizens – but only if they are wealthy enough. “The biggest beneficiaries of federal aid,” Desmond writes, “are affluent families.” Even when it does not privilege the privileged so glaringly, it does so in effect: the richer you are, the likelier you are to hire an accountant and get away with paying less. As a result, “a trend toward private opulence and public squalor has come to determine not simply a handful of communities, but the whole nation”. Why? Because “we like it”.

All this rings true to anyone who has lived through the neoliberal age in America. Desmond skilfully combines anecdote with the latest statistics and social science. But he is less convincing when it comes to remedies.

Desmond knows that a structural reality requires a structural solution. He goes beyond calling for greater fairness, since further hectoring is unlikely to work. He suggests empowering the poor, which means more unionisation and new rules to make housing more affordable and lending less predatory. Integrating neighbourhoods by class (which means by race) is also a worthwhile aim. But who will achieve these goals if, according to Desmond’s own story, it is in the interest of the powerful not to work towards them in the first place?

“Poverty will be abolished in America only when a mass movement demands it,” he writes. But what is missing here is a vision of how that would work through the existing parties – or, for that matter, a new one. The poorer you are, the less likely you are to vote. That is why the fate of the poor is dependent on the combination of Desmond’s agenda with an even larger one, so their demands can be associated with the interests of a broader section of the population. Rising inequality – the disparity between the super-rich and the rest – which affects a greater number of people above the poverty line than below it, is one possible vehicle for this. But it requires an electoral force willing to put it at the top of the agenda. “The poor shall never cease out of the land”, according to Deuteronomy. If this is to be proved wrong in America, it will be when a political party champions the interest of the many, not the few – and no sooner.

[eunseokstulip]

One last post summary

Hey everyone! I am going to make a summary of my past replies and some new stuff here to address some of the ethics questions based on this read. Please read both and consider before you say anything to me :) I am offering a controversial opinion, but that does not mean you can disrespect and be rude to me.

Remember I am not encouraging minors to do anything and I do not want anyone overstepping writer boundaries. The title says “writers should CONSIDER” - I am not telling anyone to do anything. 

I’ll start off with this: If teenagers want to do it they will do it. Keep this in mind. Also I would like to address that it is minors 16/17 years old. I know there are younger ones out there but I don’t want to open that can of worms... 16/17 year olds are legal to consent in many places as well.

A lot of people in my replies mentioned porn. While porn and smut are both sexual content minors can access, this is why I think it is an unfair comparison. I’ll mainly be talking about smut on Tumblr as it is the main site I use.

Is there smut with dangerous and morally blurred themes? Absolutely. Do people read confronting and upsetting material? Of course. The thing is majority of the time, smut has warnings allowing people to know if there is new, uncomfortable, triggering or age-inappropriate content. It is then up for the individual to take this knowledge and decide. The morally wrong smuts are morally wrong amongst adults too, so really they shouldn’t be condoning themes of rape in a positive light at all to anyone. Normal people wouldn’t read stuff like that and think it’s okay for them to do it too.

Pornography however is a much more exploitative industry, with money involved which by extension leads to trafficking, abuse and rape… problems that simply don’t exist much, if at all, in the online fandom writing community.  Themes of rape and unhealthy kinks are much more prevalent in porn and one cannot tell the contents by a simple stupid title like porn has. Porn perpetrates the idea that men must be dominant, aggressive man handlers. 

NOT EVERYONE HAS THE SAME EXPERIENCE and that is okay. For me, smut was comfortable exposure, and I know I would have gotten myself into uncomfortable situations if I hadn’t known that my consent and will is important. Smut has gotten me comfortable in my sexuality as a sexual being and familiarised me with big concepts I was able to process in my own time. I truly do believe smut helped younger me learn physical boundaries, consent and that I deserve to have a good time during sex too (none of which porn taught me at all), as most smut is female-centric with clear consent. Not everyone has the access to good sex education which includes consent and pleasure, and I don’t want to limit young and likely naive teenagers from being able to access that information even if it’s through smut. 

My next point would be minors being sheltered from more confronting themes like rape. In high school I had to study the Holocaust, Russians raping the Holocaust survivors upon liberation, the rape of Nanjing, Japanese war crimes (comfort women)... most other schools cover at least one of these confronting subjects, so I think ‘sheltering’ minors from content THEY KNOW ABOUT on Tumblr is a bit redundant. Like I said earlier too, smuts writing about rape in anything but a negative light is morally wrong and 16/17 year olds can recognise this especially considering the content studied at school.

Lastly, going back to “if they want to do it they will”,  teenagers will be curious about sex. I would rather teenagers explore that curiosity VIA smut instead of porn or putting themselves in real life, potentially dangerous situations. If smut can teach minors about consent like it taught me, then it COULD keep others from being coerced and used. Like I’ve mentioned, from my experience of many years on Tumblr; smut has warnings, most use expressed clear consent and focus on female pleasure. It is easy to avoid confronting themes unlike porn. About the concerns of unrealistic expectations, yes that will likely happen but if consent and pleasure is what they're expecting its not necessarily a bad thing. Besides everyone who has not had sex will have some sort of expectation of what they think it will be like, regardless if they viewed sexual content beforehand. That's just the way humans are, gathering ideas of what something may be like before they experience it.

Many writers have made the point they label their work as “18+” to let minors know there is adult themes and content. I agree they should do this! But if a writer says “minors do not read my work” it would be nice for under 18s to respect it but often they won't... so if writers are really that concerned about ensuring everyone who views their post is of age, then they should not be posting on a public website simply because you can't regulate it. And like I said in my first post, minors should not interact with writers regardless, for everyones safety. Most importantly, minors should not be writing smut themselves. Point is, writers boundaries should always be respected however there is no way to really enforce that they are, unfortunately. (Dear writers, I am not saying 'don't post' or 'don't set boundaries’, its just it is impossible to actually monitor your audience :/ )

Overall this is my experience and my perspective, not everyones. I am not sitting here saying “minors go read smut it’s okay!!” because if they wanted to they would, even if I was telling them not to. This is not a call to action, just something to consider.

I want people to be realistic. Most agree that banning abortions doesn't stop abortion, it just leads to unsafe abortion. Banning sexual content won't stop minors from accessing it, they just may go find it in much more unsafe places. To me, smut is the lesser of all evils when it comes to something like underaged people accessing sex/sexual content, especially when the alternatives are porn or sex itself -- I don't think it is wrong to make that point.

I will likely not make any more replies as I feel I have been thorough enough. If you want to bash me, don’t waste your time. If you think I am condoning purposefully exposing minors to sexual content, or if you think I think writers boundaries should be ignored, you have not read my posts thus YOU ARE WRONG. 

Thank you everyone! I hope we can keep everything nice and civil :)