#there is one part where he explicitly comes on to another male character

[earl-grey-love]

I hope all the queer characters in Mad M*n know how much I love them.

[gingermintpepper]

In my Zeus bag today so I'm just gonna put it out there that exactly none of the great Ancient Greek warrior-heroes stayed loyal and faithful and completely monogamous and yet none of them have their greatness questioned nor do we question why they had the cultural prominence that they did and still do.

Jason, the brilliant leader of the Argo, got cold feet when it came to Medea - already put off by some of her magic and then exiled from his birthland because of her political ploys, he took Creusa to bed and fully intended on marrying her despite not properly dissolving things with Medea.

Theseus was a fierce warrior and an incredibly talented king but he had a horrible temper and was almost fatally weak to women. This is the man who got imprisoned in the Underworld for trying to get a friend laid, the man who started the whole Attic War because he couldn't keep his legs closed.

And we cannot at all forget Heracles for whom a not inconsiderable amount of his joy in life was loving people then losing the people around him that he loved. Wives, children, serving boys, mentors, Heracles had a list of lovers - male and female - long enough to rival some gods and even after completing his labours and coming down to the end of his life, he did not have one wife but three.

And y'know what, just because he's a cultural darling, I'll put Achilles up here too because that man was a Theseus type where he was fantastic at the thing he was born to do (that is, fight whereas Theseus' was to rule) but that was not enough to eclipse his horrid temper and his weakness to young pretty things. This is the man that killed two of Apollo's sons because they wouldn't let him hit - Tenes because he refused to let Achilles have his sister and Troilus who refused Achilles so vehemently that he ran into Apollo's temple to avoid him and still couldn't escape.

All four of these men are still celebrated as great heroes and men. All four of these men are given the dignity of nuance, of having their flaws treated as just that, flaws which enrich their character and can be used to discuss the wider cultural point of what truly makes a hero heroic. All four of these men still have their legacies respected.

Why can that same mindset not be applied to Zeus? Zeus, who was a warrior-king raised in seclusion apart from his family. Zeus who must have learned to embrace the violence of thunder for every time he cried as a babe, the Corybantes would bang their shields to hide the sound. Zeus learned to be great because being good would not see the universe's affairs in its order.

The wonderful thing about sympathy is that we never run out of it. There's no rule stopping us from being sympathetic to multiple plights at once, there's no law that necessitate things always exist on the good-evil binary. Yes, Zeus sentenced Prometheus to sufferation in Tartarus for what (to us) seems like a cruel reason. Prometheus only wanted to help humans! But when you think about Prometheus' actions from a king's perspective, the narrative is completely different: Prometheus stole divine knowledge and gifted it to humans after Zeus explicitly told him not to. And this was after Prometheus cheated all the gods out of a huge portion of wealth by having humans keep the best part of a sacrifice's meat while the gods must delight themselves with bones, fat and skin. Yes, Zeus gave Persephone away to Hades without consulting Demeter but what king consults a woman who is not his wife about the arrangement of his daughter's marriage to another king? Yes, Zeus breaks the marriage vows he set with Hera despite his love of her but what is the Master of Fate if not its staunchest slave?

The nuance is there. Even in his most bizarre actions, the nuance and logic and reason is there. The Ancient Greeks weren't a daft people, they worshipped Zeus as their primary god for a reason and they did not associate him with half the vices modern audiences take issue with. Zeus was a father, a visitor, a protector, a fair judge of character, a guide for the lost, the arbiter of revenge for those that had been wronged, a pillar of strength for those who needed it and a shield to protect those who made their home among the biting snakes. His children were reflections of him, extensions of his will who acted both as his mercy and as his retribution, his brothers and sisters deferred to him because he was wise as well as powerful. Zeus didn't become king by accident and it is a damn shame he does not get more respect.

[actualhumantrashcan]

I can understand a silly workplace comedy about pirates not being everyone’s jam but I really can’t understand the amount of queer people I see hating on ofmd.

like for one thing most of the debates turn into gatekeeping queerness (which I think has a lot more to do with the ages of the main couples than actual concerns about authentic representation but that’s another post) and the rest are just hateful because it doesn’t directly name or label it’s queer characters but like why do we need that at this point?? listen I love heartstopper with all my heart but it is exhausting to watch them explain queer identities sometimes (even though I do think it’s super useful for younger audiences I’m just not the target demographic!) and ofmd is an explicit, violent, adult show that doesn’t NEED to explain it’s character’s identities.

queer people past their 30’s are usually very well aware of their queerness and have had (hopefully) plenty of time to go through the arc of discovering that. so why would we need to see Stede or Lucius or Ed going through turmoil because they’re attracted to men when they have already come to terms with that at this point in their lives?? i for one find it so fucking refreshing to watch a show where the characters being queer is not their main arc, they just ARE queer and life is still happening to and around them. maybe that’s just the millennial gay in me talking, but it gets emotionally exhaustive to watch show after show where the queer character’s arc is overcoming homophobia. yes obviously homophobia still exists and yes obviously if ofmd was trying to be historically accurate these characters would be living in a very dangerous time to be queer but it isn’t trying to be accurate!! it’s trying to be fun and diverse and kind!!

and also, they aren’t pretending homophobia doesn’t exist!! it’s just addressed in a different way. Stede was emotionally abused by his father for his entire life for being “soft” and then was chased down by his homophobic childhood bullies, one of which explicitly told him that he “defiled” the great pirate Blackbeard by simply falling in love with the man behind that name. Meanwhile Ed was forced into the world of piracy at a young age and developed the entire persona of Blackbeard (who fits the toxic, violent masculine stereotype of the time) to hide the fact that he’s actually an incredibly sensitive and deeply queer man! and is told multiple times by male figures in his life that sex with other men is fine but it is absolutely unacceptable to be in love with a man. both of their arcs contain homophobic rhetoric that is still present in society today, but its never presented as a problem that they have to wrestle with. they don’t have to come to terms with what it means to love each other, they just have to overcome some trials that go along with the complicated lives they both lead as a pirate and former aristocrat. the homophobia in ofmd is woven into the backstory of each and every character, it shapes them into the people they are at the beginning of the show when all of their walls are up and they are performing the “pirate” roles they are supposed to play. and then we get to see them grow and realize that they are in a safe space, part of a community not just on the ship itself but in the life of piracy (which in the show is pretty much explicitly an allegory for queer lifestyles.)

anyway, I could rant about this all day but just truly why do we have to tear people down for enjoying something? why do we have to find reasons to hate something so obviously created with sensitivity to it’s queer audience and with so much queer joy? if historically inaccurate gay pirates going on silly adventures and falling in love are not your thing, fine! but perhaps just let people enjoy things and find your own things to enjoy.

[willescrisis]

Wille's Crisis : an essay about Kris (1934) and Young Royals (2021)

While watching Young Royals’ third season, I couldn’t get Karin Boye’s novel Kris out of my head.  As a fan of Young Royals that feels very chill and very normal about it, I have hence written a five page brain-dump on how Malin Forst and Wilhelm’s characters and worlds are intertwined.  (Small disclamers : I’m quoting Amanda Doxtater’s 2020 english translation of the novel and I’m french-canadian, so english is my second language.)

Who is Karin Boye ? 

Karin Boye (1900-1940) was a leading figure in Swedish modernist literature and poetry. In 1920, at the age of 20, she studied one year in Stockholm to become a primary school teacher and after graduation, continued teaching, writing, militant engagement and several years of study in related fields. Among all of her works, the most explicitly autobiographical is her autofictive novel Kris (1934).  This powerful novel explores the homosexuality and crisis of religious faith of a young woman named Malin Forst.

Malin Forst & Wilhelm

During her studies in teaching, Karin’s 20-years-old alter-ego Malin goes through an existential crisis. She feels completely paralyzed by her guilt due to her selfish inaction in the face of universal suffering, her lack of trust in institutions (educational, medical, etc.) and, worst of all, her doubts about her relationship with God. Kris also deals with Malin’s relationship to her own sexuality with the meeting of a classmate, Siv, to whom she will become passionately obsessed without ever talking to her.

We meet 16-years-old Wilhelm as a first year student at Hillerska. His failures as a royal figure and his complicated relationships to his loved ones make him feel powerless and guilty. He is thrown off balance by his doubts of the monarchic system, but most importantly, by his doubts of his life’s role model, Erik. Young Royals also deals with Wilhelm’s relationship to his own sexuality with the meeting of a classmate, Simon… Are we seeing the parallels here ?

While Malin’s torments lead her to shut down, Wilhelm screams. But both feel paralysed and don’t know how to exist out of the system they grew up in. And it’s the meeting of a same-sex student that leads them to a freer path.

« I want to see Siv. I want to be where Siv is. » 

Previously, Malin considered the fusion of the will of the human with the will of God to be the most important of aspirations. Without this reference point, she has no will nor desire… until she meets another student, Siv. Her simple presence rekindles for the first time in the novel a desire, burning and forbidden: “I want to see Siv. I want to be where Siv is.” … And here is how this whole essay has come to exist. While watching season three, I joked endearingly with my friends about the way that Wille’s only hobby is to be with Simon, but I felt sad for him. Until I understood he’s on the first part of his self-discovery journey. His first true desire that stems from inside of him and wasn’t imposed by the system is “I want to see Simon. I want to be where Simon is.” 

Interestingly enough, Siv and Simon both become a new manifestation of something that Malin and Wilhelm have lost. We, the reader, meet Malin when she is ‘grieving’ her old relationship to God and deconstructing her understanding of God as a single entity. Amazed by Siv’s ‘perfection’, Malin raises her to a kind of divine position with great powers.  Wilhelm, for his part, feels at home with Simon because of the way he makes Wilhelm’s entire being comes alive, weightless and playful… A feeling of joy, innocence and safety he’s only ever felt with Erik before. 

Anxious and desperate, Malin and Wilhelm are latching to their comfort person, making them their whole word in a way that has to change for them to grow up. After realizing Siv’s feeling for a fellow male classmate, Malin is shaken : “Only now could she see that she had embarken upon the false path of mistaking a person for what is highest and most beautiful.” Not only does this quote mirror Wilhelm letting go of his idealised conception of Erik, it is also mirrorring his realisation that Simon is not a perfectly stable and unbreakable anchor on which he can blindly rely on : “I have to take responsibilities for my own problem. I can’t drag him down with me.”

Don’t give it a name

An important part of Malin’s journey is relinquishing the power she gives to words, especially regarding God and her sexuality.  Throughout the novel, she refuses to name the emotion she feels for Siv. On the day of her meeting with Siv, Malin thinks:   “You, lips, I implore you to clamp so hard upon the unsayable, that not a word slips out to assert its malicious pettiness and obfuscation ! Be still, thoughts, don’t interrupt, for you have no idea what this is ! (...) Don’t give it a name, let it be just as it is, here in my blood and my eyes, life and sap ! The wonder of new creation need not be named.” 

Wilhelm’s complicated relationship to words is shown in the way that he shouts his love for Simon from every rooftop, but does not wish to label his sexual orientation. In season three, he says the word queer for the first time and his voice is seeped with discomfort. He is not claiming this word as part of his identity and rather feels constricted by it, probably in the same way that every other label put on him has made him suffocate.

Furthermore, both Malin and Wilhelm wish to express themselves and experience the world, not through the restrictive lens of language, but through the sensory world. In Kris, after seeing Siv for the first time, Malin’s five senses awaken. A dialogue takes place between the sense of sight and hearing, reminding me of the way that Wilhelm and Simon’s intimacy is developped through the gentle touch of noses, the sounds of breathing, the glow of golden light and fingers lingering slightly above the other’s body… ‘Sight’ says “I’m confused. I no longer know whether I am sight or not. I envelop things and follow them as if I were touch, I hold my breath in quiet anticipation as if I were hearing, I breathe in, like one intoxicated, as if I were smell, and I drink in long, deep, draughts as if I were taste. (...) Could I be standing at threshold of some new creation ?” To which ‘hearing’ responds “ (...) Admit it - isn’t  revelation through the senses at the same time the revelation of what lies beyond the senses, of what creates the senses, of the limitless feelings of eternal love ? (...)” 

Checkmate

Kris’s narration drastically changes points of view in unexpected moments, moving from the pov of human characters to the pov of abstract entities. The two most important are BLACK and WHITE, two sources of cosmic powers playing a chess game whose game board is humanity. 

On the one hand, WHITE represents the norm, also illustrated by threats from nature such as stormy and dangerous waters, cold, humidity and darkness, but also under the traits of the dominant society, whose rules and norms protect human beings while maintaining them in a position of submission and obedience.  WHITE uses the anxious desire of his pawns (humans) as a weapon to subject them to the norm. And at first, Wille is WHITE’s perfect pawn : an anxious mess who becomes more and more obediant as season three progresses and whose ‘protectors’ are also the ones leading to his demise. Little (most likely accidental) nods to that parralel : Wille looses to Alexander while playing the white pieces in season two and interrupts his conversation with Simon to scream “The water is cold today !” at his guards on their first date.

One the other hand, BLACK is a chaotic power of life associated with desire, burning fire and passion destabilizing the established order. In the context of Kris, the norm is heterosexuality, while fire is the forbidden desire: homosexuality.  This parallel is evident when Malin describes in this way the physical sensations caused by Siv’s sight: “There was no holy, burning voice within her. All that burned within her was a thirst for the forbidden after a single look cast in that direction”  And based on that, I absolutely refuse to believe that Lisa put the hallway scene after a BONFIRE by accident. 

I also don’t think the placement of the chess game during August’s confession to his friends is a coincidence. First, the board is oriented in a way where August sits at the junction between the black and white pieces, showcasing how the character is in a crucial moment in his journey : will he stay in WHITE’s cruches for ever or will he find the strenght to save himself ? And second, August puts a black king on the edge of the table. Not only does it foreshadow that Kronprins Wille is on his way out, it also indicates that it was a rebel and homosexual ‘power’ that guided him in his quest for self-determination, just as it was for Malin Forst. 

I natt gick Gud under or how to make the lake scene destroy me even more

The poem in prose I natt gick Gud under (Last night God succumbed) stands out from the other chapters of the novel Kris, as it recounts the most decisive transformation of the main character Malin Forst.  BLACK places Malin naked and at peace on the shore of a sea where she throws the words she denies. Finally at a safe distance from WHITE’s icy waters, she liberates herself from her paralysis to embrace her true feelings.

Last night God succumbed. 

Perhaps it was just the hollow shell of name that went under.

But that shell of a name drew with it the power of death. I cast it off. 

I see objects as they are, unwitting of the name attributed to them. I cast off their names. 

I stand utterly new, on the shore of a sea. Conscience is no longer mine. I cast it off.

The will to life has made me naked. The will to life has made me see. I shall meet whatever comes with naked, open eyes. 

Lisa describes the lake scene as almost religious. As he’s swimming naked in the lake, Wilhelm is shedding his crown prince shell. Leaving the waters, he is reborn.  When he is standing on the shore of the lake in his white clothes, Lisa says “that is when Wilhelm grows up.”  And for me, he’s ready to meet whatever comes with naked, open eyes. 

Thank you ! Thank you to whoever read this far. Kris is a very complex book that, despite having read twice, I still don’t fully understand, so if you have anything new to add to this reflection, you are welcome to do so !

[chosos-mascara]

you shouldn't

𝙩𝙤𝙟𝙞 𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙧𝙤 𝙭 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 - arriving at toji's home after a break-up, you decide to finally make a move.

𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 - age gap (reader is mid-20s, toji is late 40s), sex, some angst but resolved, fingering, teasing, petnames, no mentions of birth control, dom!toji, dilf!toji

minors + ageless dni 4k words

"What're ya doing here, kid?" Toji was dishevelled, a bath robe tied loosely around his waist, chest open to reveal a few scars behind the silk. Your eyes were puffy, swollen from tears, lips bloated and peeling, a few marks from where you'd bitten the soft skin a little too much. A state you hadn't wanted him to see, but one he'd answered the door to nonetheless, much to your embarrassment.

"He broke up with me." The sentence left you with reluctance, eyes unable to meet his, instead trailing down to meet the indentations of pink painted on his skin, a mark you knew had been the result of a previous job. Toji sighed and stepped back, opening his door wider to accommodate you, though not before shooting you a disapproving look.  "Told ya it wouldn't last." He couldn't help but to scold you for mistakes, no matter how much you'd been hurt in the process. Though, this was new - you hadn't turned up to his home through tears before. 

"I trusted him," A sob racked over you as you'd explained, the warmth inside his hall kissing your cold cheeks. "I don't know why. They're all the same." The final words were quieter as you sniffled back another cry, shaking your head.  "You keep lettin' these guys fuck with ya. 's your own fault." His voice was a little muffled; you'd understood he had been bringing a cigarette to lips and lighting it with the way the sentence had left the curve of a half open mouth.  "Thought he was different, Toj'." You glanced up to him, sporting the usual puppy-dog eyes - the sole reason Toji couldn't turn you away. His social battery was lower than most, though when it'd come to you, his tolerance had increased. There was something about the way you'd looked at him, your mannerisms, and the fact he'd known you'd needed him. Even if you hadn't explicitly told him, Toji understood he was a big part of your life. 

He'd been your father's friend - not that you'd spent much time with the man himself; a business partner. Toji hadn't thought himself as a good dad, often leaving Megumi for extended periods of time, but when he'd met an eighteen-year-old you over dinner with the old man, he'd realised his parenting had been award-winning compared to his associate's. Your relationship with Toji had been purely business related at first, beginning a career under the family's sector as his secretary, and through pity, the black-haired male had taken time out of his day to look out for you. You'd play back, and he'd appreciate your witty responses, eventually looking forward to the grin greeting him before he'd step into his office. It had been a number of years ago now, and something had bloomed between the pair of you. 

Toji had assumed you'd seen him as a parental figure - he'd been in his late forties while you still in the midst of twenties, a large age gap according to him. Though after a few drinks at the work's Christmas party he'd been dragged to, he'd been met with a confession from yourself - "I used to have a pretty big crush on you." One he found himself remembering late at night, pondering over what would have happened if in that moment, he would've made a move. But, that had been a year ago, and you'd seen multiple people within that time frame - all of which Toji had hated. 

Though, he needn't worry about them because after a month or so, they'd drop like flies. You hadn't been able to figure out why, though indulging in the positiveness Toji would offer to you after break-ups, spilling gossip to him in the break-room and basking in the odd compliment of your character he'd fish out in an attempt to aid your sadness. He'd figured out long ago that the reason had been down to your mental state, and the damage caused over the years by your environment. The male had figured that the men looking for a fling hadn't the emotional capacity to support you, and at times, he wasn't sure he'd be able to either.

"Can we watch a movie, or something?" You questioned, bringing the back of your hand to rub away the tears that had accumulated over your face, glancing back to the male. Toji nodded, exhaling smoke and gesturing to his attire - or lack thereof.  "Ain't doing shit in this, let me get dressed." The male moved toward the wooden staircase in the hall beside you, placing a foot on the first step before turning back to add to the previous sentence. "Wanna change? Get somethin' comfy on - I don't know what girls like to wear 'n shit." 

A laugh escaped tired lips, appreciating the thought he'd had, a gracious nod followed by eager footsteps. Following the male upstairs, you waited outside of the door you'd understood had belonged to his bedroom, listening to the muted noises of movement as he'd rummaged through drawers, pulling a cotton tee and a pair of pyjama bottoms up to study. They'd looked a little too large for you, but with the draw-string, he was sure they'd be good enough. The new outfit had been thrown over his half-bent arm while he'd met you back at the door-frame, stretching the limb out to offer you the fabric. Reaching forward and wrapping fingers around the garments, your skin grazed the silk of his dressing-gown, warmth radiating through the thin attire to bestow heat onto your hand. You'd lingered a little longer than needed, feeling an  emptiness once more as his presence left you.

You brought the clothing with you into his bathroom, sliding-door closed behind you for privacy. It had only taken a few moments to change, the newly acquired outfit smelling just like the man you'd taken it from - it had been likely the garments had been left unwashed after he'd worn them last. A large mirror sat above the sink, one you'd glanced over to admire the clothes over your body. The old tee-shirt was baggy, trousers too, hiding your figure in a slightly unflattering way, yet your chest had still tightened as fingers traced over the creases, a warmth within you knowing these had been worn by him. 

Toji had been sat wide-legged on the old couch, eyes lingering over you as you'd entered the room. The sensation he'd felt rising through him had been unusual, a fluttering within his stomach, one he'd attempted to push away as he'd removed his gaze from you, hoping the thoughts at the forefront of his mind would subside so he could get through the evening without initiating something the pair of you would come to regret.  

"You looked at me funny." The timid voice coming from beside him as you'd seated yourself had caused a strained sigh to leave his lips. He'd wished you'd push your curiosity aside and ignore the tension between the pair of you, something you'd seemingly done with ease when you'd been dating your last fling.  Toji was a little too old for you - not to mention a business associate with your father. If the asshole found out he'd fucked his daughter, it'd be over. "Nah, I didn't." Denial, that was something Toji had done often. 

"Do I look that bad?" You'd laughed while asking, though there had been a twang of pain with the question. It was easy to understand he wouldn't appreciate you in the state you'd arrived in, though you'd hoped there was a chance he'd see a natural beauty through the midst of tears, or now, in clothing two sizes too big.  "You look pretty." The response had his cheeks warming up, face tilting away from your line of sight after the last word had left his mouth. The man beside you hadn't been affectionate, and wouldn't start now. 

The compliment had caused a grin to spread eagerly across lips, though with Toji's line of sight aimed at the television before you, he hadn't noticed the consequence of the sheepish words he'd spoken. A late night talk show had been showcased before you, the host talking with an A-list celebrity, though it had been difficult to focus on the screen. With Toji's legs spread apart, his right knee had rested against yours, back slumped against the cushions behind him. His face ahd been painted with his usual tired scowl, eyes half open.

It was possible your heightened emotions following the conflict you'd faced earlier had caused a small misjudgement, though you'd been aware of the feelings you'd had toward the male, finally feeling a surge of confidence. There had been some contemplation with your actions before you'd executed the desire, a question of whether the activity soon to follow Toji zoning out before the television had been appropriate - it hadn't. Yet, the fight within your mind hadn't been able to stop you leaning forward, wrapping fingers idly under the hairs kissing his neck, pressing his lips to yours. 

You held your lips against his for a moment, awaiting a reaction before continuing. Initially, there had been a jolt of surprise, his palm meeting your shoulder, but following the small movements he'd remained still. There was a weak push, causing you to shift backward, breaking the kiss. Eyes fluttering open, heart beating, you looked at the man wide eyed, the taste of ciagrettes on your lips.

"What're you doing?" His questioning tone had been gruff, eyebrows furrowed with annoyance, yet you could tell from his body language he'd wanted to continue. "I-" You inhaled, face only inches from his, breath fanning over wettened lips. "I really like you." The child-like confession was spoken as a whisper, imagining the scolding words that were about to leave his lips, because even if Toji had felt the same way, there would be an inner-conflict on whether he'd felt he deserved it. 

"You shouldn't." He was quiet, soft timbre from his throat, dismissing the admission. Though as his features moved closer to yours, he'd allowed his actions to counteract his head, closing the gap between you to taste you once more. The motions against one another had been gentle, as if testing the waters. 

Toji's tongue slid along yours, exploring your mouth while he'd kissed you, hands caressing your body before settling over your hips. He'd squeezed over the fat as he pulled you toward him, your legs widening to allow yourself room to straddle his lap. Breathing heavy, you maintained the slurry of sloppiness against him, fingers clutching tightly over the hairs at the back of his head, a groan tumbling from him to show appreciation to the action. 

Your hand fell to the waistband of the jogging-bottoms he'd been wearing, fingers hooking the hem to pull lightly at the fabric, an indication of what you'd wanted. Pushing his hips upward, he'd allowed the movement, hard dick freed from the confides of the cloth prison. Mirroring the display, the pyjama bottoms he'd gifted you had been removed, cock lined at your dripping cunt before you'd sunk down, a gasp as you'd felt yourself stretch over his size. Toji hissed, throwing his head back while tightening his hands over your sides, as if to offer some stability. 

"Fuck, baby." The voice erupting from the male's chest had been one you'd dreamed of, so breathless and hoarse, a demonstration of the pleasure he'd felt through the movement of your hips.  "Feels s' good." You uttered words of appraisal, hands on each of his shoulders to aid in the bobbing movement, messy sounds gushing from between the pair for your thighs. Toji pushed upward, pulling you down in order to bottom out, a whimper falling from your lips at the fullness. Both chests rising and falling at an increased rate, hums cascading from parted lips, Toji brought his head forward, eyes watching intently while you'd bounced on his cock. The way he'd fixated his gaze on you had felt invasive, stare hardened, pupils blown-out from lust. His attention sent a throb between your legs, swollen clit making friction upon his waist with each languish movement. 

"Wanted to do this f'r so long-" The deceleration had barely been articulated through whines, thighs shaking from the strenuous activity. You were sure he'd feel the tremble as his hands dropped to sit on your legs, though if he had, he'd been unfazed, simply appreciating the effort. A squeeze of his grip, jolt of his hips followed by a groan had signalled his release, eyes squeezing closed. Toji hadn't often looked at peace, weighed down by the stress of running a business, and having a teenage son, yet during this moment, his expression relaxing through post-orgasm bliss, he had looked calm. 

You leaned forward, placing a haphazard kiss against his forehead, hands embracing both sides of his face. Green eyes peered up to your fatigued expression, guilt painted over his countenance, though the nervousness his appearance had given you was pushed down with the hopes of what was to come from the encounter. 

"I don't think this should happen again." After holding you close and eventually making your way to his bedroom, the words Toji had spoken while gripping his morning coffee had been the last you'd wished to hear. He took a sip, allowing the statement to brew within your unexpectant mind, panic setting across you. Grimacing, he tore his sight from the kitchen floor to the mug, a reluctant swallow of the liquid before inspecting the coffee machine responsible for the beverage. A large hand flicked the switch on the side, displaying his realisation the machine had been set to cold, pouring the unwanted coffee into the sink before placing the cup back down, whirring filling the thick atmosphere as a second drink had been prepared for him. A situation that, before he'd spoken the short sentence, would have been comical to watch. Now, it had only felt uncomfortable to sit through, pitying the old man's display. 

"Why?" You questioned desperately, dropping your gaze to the granite breakfast bar you'd been propped up against, hands holding your chin for support. An attempt to remain calm through the encounter had you consciously breathing in, and out, controlling the amount of oxygen entering your lungs, though with this manual movement, you'd felt more breathless than if you'd allowed your body's natural response.  "It's not right." Toji spoke, morning voice still low, eyes drooping from fatigue. You'd wodnered if he'd slept at all by the state before you, the man's conscience had been worst than most - odd considering the fact he'd come across as egotistical and blunt. When involving friends and family, there had been something deep-rooted within him, most likely due to a past encounter that had been unknown to you. Pride, and loyalty, had been meaningful. 

"Look, kid." He began, an elongated exhale had signified his lack of desire for debate, mug now placed on the counter beside him, fingers instead pressing to his temple. "I'm old enough to be your dad. I know your old man ain't shit, but I don't wanna defy him either. Imagine he finds out we're foolin' around." Green eyes failed to meet you as he looked to the other corner of the kitchen, and you were left to wonder if he'd shared feelings with you, or had been unable to accept them. 

The thought of either hadn't been comforting. Toji had been the person you'd trusted for the last handful-or-so of years, a person you'd consider a friend. His rejection would mean an alteration in the dynamic you'd shared, something you'd been unprepared for.  "So, you just used me?" The accusation fell from your mouth, anger bubbling through the anxieties you'd felt, thinking back to the night you'd shared, a vulnerability you'd allowed him to see.  "What're you talkin' about? You came onto me-" His voice was raised, hand slamming against the counter beside him as his face contorted in annoyance.  "You could've said no!" Matching the tone he'd served to you, you stood, the chair once housing you now pushed backward with the momentum that indignation had brought you. "I've loved you for years, Toji." His name had your voice breaking, frown trembling with emotion, vision blurring through tears. The fact he'd been like every other male you'd been involved with over the past few years had broken your heart deeper than any pain you'd felt, disappointment in the cracks of your mind. 

"Told ya last night - you shouldn't." There was a pain across his features, one that had been difficult to interpret through your own emotion.  "Because, you're scared?" The question was faint, voice soft as you stepped toward him. His arms crossed over his chest, eyes rolling at the behaviour you'd conducted, unwilling to confront how he'd truly felt. "I ain't scared - god, you're such a brat." Another strained sigh had escaped his chest, Toji shaking his head. "I haven't dated since-" He paused, eyes leaving yours to flicker up to the ceiling in thought, reminiscing on the past. "Since Megumi's mother. I'm not fit to be a boyfriend or whatever shit you've got planned." The admission had your eyes tearing up, a stray tear rolling down your heated cheeks. Reaching a hand forward, you met his face, brushing over the stubble protruding his skin, prickling your finger-tips. Though, you ignored the roughness to bring his face closer to yours, a kiss planted on his parted lips. When it had come to Toji, you were willing to stand up to him, understanding the defence mechanism he'd developed of pushing those he'd cared of away, as if to protect them. 

"I just want you." The four words spoken had been enough consolation. Toji pressed forward, bringing his hands to cup both cheeks as he pushed into you, an increase in passion as your lips danced with one another. A kiss unlike the ones shared the night before - years of friendship, of guidance, support, transferred between the pair of you as a reminder of the moments you'd shared.

Hands moved to cup one another's bodies, his gliding beneath the fabric of the shirt he'd given you to feel the curves beneath, lifting the hem to slide fingers against bare skin. His touch had been electric, a euphoric affection he'd gifted to you through the grazing of his tongue to yours. The way in which each of you had slotted against one another had been mesmerising, a feat of fulfilment you had felt with no other being. Two flames fighting for dominance; after last night's events, Toji had wanted to take the lead.  "Bedroom." The noun had been uttered between kisses, the male eventually pulling back to take your wrist into hand, pulling you toward the staircase.   

The ascent was quick, a silent journey taken with haste, and once through the door you hadn't a chance to look over the room, instantly being drawn to him as large digits encased cotton, his loose tee being removed from your body. With a moment taken for adoration of the woman before him, Toji leaned forward, attaching himself back to you, your own hands undressing bottom half before being ushered to the double bed showcased within the middle of his bedroom. Somewhere between your arrival and the male placing himself between your spread thighs, he'd disregarded his own trousers, though instead of using his hardened member to fuck into you with, he'd caressed sodden lips with his fingers, ghosting over your clit before dipping a digit into you. 

With a gasp, he was encouraged on, adding his ring finger to middle, sliding them into your opening before beckoning them back out. Your back arched, mouth open and static as your body focused on the sensation his fingers brought to you, a smirk on his lips from the lack of your ability to multitask.  "So wet already." His statement was condescending, a rough kiss against your cheek, though despite the cruel action, you'd tightened around him in pleasure. "Like that, baby?" The deep voice tickled your ear, another sloppy press of his lips against neck. Lewd sounds penetrated the atmosphere, a squelching from your increasing arousal. His presence had changed, less conflicted over his actions, allowing himself to take authority over you.  "Listen to yourself, so fucking dirty." Using the hand he had free, Toji wrapped his fingers around your chin, forcing head still to be locked into his gaze. Biting your lip, you challenged his superiority, allowing eyes to meet his.

"Tell me what you want." The demand had been evidence to Toji's desires, wishing to take things further, yet wanting to appear unanimous. He scissored the fingers apart slightly while plunging them in and out of you, a moan being forced from you at the motion.  "Y-your cock, please." The act of begging hadn't been one that had appealed to you previously, though with Toji working you up, you'd understood what it had truly meant to ache for dick. The need to feel his member within your walls, the understanding that his pleasure was as heightened as yours, was all you were able to picture through the haze you'd fell within. 

Toji fulfilled the request without hesitation, moving the digits to grip at your side as he'd pushed himself into you, thumb moving to rub circles across your clit as he'd fucked himself deep into you. The gradual build up to this predicament had meant an inability to keep quiet, moans exiting you with each roll of the swollen bud, eyes squeezing shut and mouth wide. He laughed, though through your own sounds it had been difficult to tell. 

"So fucking tight." His praise wasn't lost on you despite the noise, a faint smile forming over your lips, another clench around the thick cock that had been fucking into you. "You best be thankin' me when you cum all over my cock, pretty girl." Toji's words echoed through your ears, back arching while you'd fallen closer to climaxing, squeezing and pulsing over him. He'd grunted, eyes threatening to close, though forcing them open as he'd refused to miss a moment of witnessing you writhing in his sheets, moments from creaming over him. He could feel your orgasm approaching, walls spasming, desperate gasps for air.  "What'd I say?" Toji reinforced his request, to wish you'd mumbled out the words;

"Thank you, thank you, thank-" Rendered speechless, only a scream had been able to replace the words you'd spoken, eyes rolling back to reveal only white to the male bullying into you. Toji watched you contort under him, succumbing to the high you'd reached, clamping over his cock. The tight squeeze had him groaning, milking his seed to flush within your walls, a unison of pleasure. 

Toji didn't pull out for a few moments, instead basking within the fog of his mind, running hands over the bare body under him. You'd felt cool air when he'd eventually vacated you, opening your eyes when he'd placed hands beneath you, manoeuvring you to lay beneath the sheets, head hitting pillow. He'd joined you, mattress sinking as his weight had been added. You'd wanted to remind him it'd been morning, and protest a nap so early within the day, though as if he'd known the sentence your lips had been about to form, Toji raised a hand.  "Jus' get some more sleep." With his arm resting over you, head residing in the gap between your own and your shoulder, you did as he'd requested, closing eyes to rest beside him once more.  

[erinwantstowrite]

hihiiiihiiii just finished the new chapter and it was amazing!!!! so sorry to hear about the reason for your delay and wishing you all the best <3 i'm glad writing was something you enjoyed during this time but if you ever struggle with it i will definitely be happy to wait as long as it takes for a new chapter!

i wanted to ask for clarification on the whole bludhaven/tarantula thing you mentioned in your end of chapter notes?? it seems really interesting and i'm really curious! (ps the future friendsgiving chapter is going to HAUNT my thoughts i just know peters going to do the most chaotic shit ever)

thank you so much <33 it means a lot to see everyone say this :)

Now, as for Tarantula, I'm gonna put that under the cut. For everyone's safety, please be aware that I'm going to be talking about SA and what comes with it.

For anyone unaware, Tarantula is an anti-hero that is in Bludhaven. There are multiple Tarantulas, but the one I'm talking about specifically is in one of the Nightwing runs. She takes advantage of him on a rooftop when he is clearly out of it and can not consent. This is also directly after a huge event in Bludhaven where Dick's apartment building that had so many people he knew and cared about, was blown up by another villain. Later on, Bludhaven is bombed and completely destroyed.

I don't want to write any of that.

I hate Devin Grayson. I don't like her writing, I don't like her. I genuinely can not stand her. And so writing about Tarantula or giving her any sort of hold on LoF... I can't do it. So I'm not going to write it. History is being rewritten. Neither Tarantula happened, nor the bombings.

However. This is not the only time that Nightwing/Dick Grayson has been assaulted. And it's a touchy subject, but I think the impact of these instances was not once addressed in an appropriate manner for the seriousness of these instances. Sexual assault is not something that can be brushed past. And Dick has been let down by so many people. Him being a male victim of SA has a lot to do with his story, I think, and the type of character he is. If the writers had any brains in their heads, they could have made these instances into a powerful statement on the impact of SA. They could have done anything to make it known that tis wasn't for a joke, etc. But they didn't.

I don't plan on writing flashbacks to these instances. I just can not bring myself to do it. But Dick is a SA survivor, and I care a lot about treating that with the respect it deserves. So no, no flashbacks, but I hope that when the topic comes up, it's clear that I care. There will always be a trigger warning mentioned when it comes up.

And it will. I haven't explicitly stated it yet in LoF, but Westcott is a part of Peter's story, and yes, it's based on the shit he did in the comics. Because in the comics, that impacted Peter heavily. It comes up when he's helping people. Peter is always trying to help people the way that he hadn't been able to be helped.

So because of Dick's past, when Peter's is brought up, it's going to have an impact on the story. And I really hope I do it justice without hurting any of you in the process.

[shorthaltsjester]

if i ever have to see another thought piece on the description of the white picket fence outside of fjord and jester’s place in mighty nein reunited indicating jester’s unhappiness in the relationship i will burn the world to the ground.

a) heteronormativity doesn’t exist in exandria !

b) fjord isn’t your Typical Male Love Interest Guy. if i ever have to read someone say that shit again i’m gonna (correctly) assume they haven’t paid attention at all to campaign 2 and any of fjord’s character arc.

c) perhaps, jester lavorre, woman who was raised on the ideology of romance novels and sexuality as exchange, might just find it uh… not a terrible thing that the white picket fence is falling apart outside since… fjord explicitly does Not feel like those romance novels to her, instead he feels comfortable. the way that a brightly painted but rarely used house might, especially when the couple in question spends most of their time adventuring together… which is an essential part of jester’s motivations throughout the campaign.

d) the reason fjord and jester seem unhappy in the reunion might be because, well, uh, whereas everyone else was getting a “vacation”, jester and fjord’s life together (specifically the fact that Fjord Loves Jester Enough To Risk The World (Momentarily) To Save Her) was the inciting action for an apocalyptic demigod being released - they Were unhappy. who wouldn’t be given those circumstances. jester nearly died, and fjord felt like the god that once saved him had now abandoned him, i am so truly sorry that their romance was not satisfactory for your vision of atypical romance (which, by the way, is literally reinforcing the restrictive romantic tropes you think you’re criticizing, so good job i guess). i would be much, much more concerned if jester and fjord Weren’t clearly dismayed.

e) both fjord and jester are individuals whose entire lives and character are defined by the expectation (both external and internal) that they behave and emote a certain way. that they’re in a relationship with someone who they feel that they can show that they are frustrated with or disagree on the layout of their house with or have different ideas on how to deal with the looming threat of a demigod is incredible. jester and fjord are emblematic of a relationship in which the characters Aren’t meant to be, but they Want to be together and they want to understand and support the other person so they work at it. we wouldn’t have conversations like “you seem disheartened..” “i am very disheartened! you almost died!” if they didn’t take the time and care to communicate with one another.

f) if you want a honeymoon era joyful queer romance, yasha and beau are right there! they are explicitly horny and in love and bright about it! if queerness is your measure of “trope breaking” i am very sorry to tell you that queer people partake in white picket fences, and i’d actually argue that in terms of Lifestyle Metaphor, beauyasha are more adherent to the whitepicket fence, nuclear familyism. this isn’t a detriment to them, just, very literally, beau works a 9-5 where she comes back to her housewife who gardens and cooks dinner and their future includes explicit reference to children. comparatively, fjord wants to address some issues in his past, jester is an artist, and both of them are interested in adventure for the foreseeable future.

g) if you truly think that a single part of laura’s description of the part-time abode of fjord and jester overrides every interaction and choice that both laura and travis make towards fjord and jester caring for each other in a deep and meaningful way that goes beyond the weird fandom constructed Man/Woman characters being portrayed by a married couple i truly, Truly have no idea why you even watch the many hours of content that cr is when you could… play/write your own shit.

[thevelaryons]

How is Corlys so dismissive of Joffrey and Rhaena!? 🥲 Theyre his grandkids too. Luke never knew a thing of sailing but Corlys was okay with him and he was same age as Joffrey too.

Sometimes, there is no making sense of bad writing, specifically where it concerns characters saying/doing something only because the plot demands it. In this case, Corlys is only saying what he does because the writers need him to push his bastard son as the new heir to Driftmark since that’s a plot point. However, the writers have clearly changed the whole context around it, so now Corlys’ actions will lack all logic.

When it comes to Rhaena, what Corlys says is very unnecessarily harsh. Her not having a dragon is hardly a big deal because Velaryons aren’t even a dragonrider family for the most part. Rhaena not having any knowledge of the sea isn’t a dealbreaker either because she can always learn. Luke was younger when Corlys was calling him heir and just like Rhaena, Luke also didn’t know anything about seafaring. I keep seeing fans say Corlys is being misogynistic towards Rhaena but he isn’t actually dismissing her on account of her gender. And the thing is Corlys IS a misogynist! So there was a reason right there for him to dismiss Rhaena (that even other lords of Westeros would readily accept). Instead his arguments are just random irrelevant details that don’t hold up to scrutiny.

With Joffrey, he is presently Corlys’ heir in the show. It does not matter that he is a boy of six because as long as he is acknowledged as Laenor’s legal son, he remains heir to Driftmark (six year old Rickon Stark is considered the legal heir to Winterfell by Northern lords so the young age is not a disqualifying factor and the potential rival Stark claimants are all siblings NOT uncles or aunts). Addam & Alyn are obviously going to be Corlys’ sons in the show (therefore, Joffrey’s uncles). Again, the age factor does not matter here because under the laws of male primogeniture that Westerosi lords adhere to, sons come before brothers. Laenor was Corlys’ eldest son and his original heir. After Laenor, it is his sons (who are still alive and legally considered Velaryons). After them, it would be Laenor’s brothers. Corlys cannot just pick a heir (in the book he even explicitly tells Rhaenyra that these traditions have to be followed and that she is merely an exception because of her father, the King). If it was simply a matter of picking and choosing your own heir, then Randyll Tarly would not have to go to the effort of forcing Samwell Tarly to join the Night’s Watch; he could’ve just named the younger son as heir. Nor would Tywin Lannister be seething over having Tyrion Lannister as his legal heir. He could’ve easily dismissed Tyrion’s claim for another Lannister. Jeyne Arryn was able to name Joffrey Arryn as her heir because the previous treasonous actions of Arnold Arryn had left him locked up as a prisoner (and yet many Vale lords still viewed Arnold’s line as the rightful one because of the laws of inheritance).

In the upcoming episodes, it looks like Corlys is being set up to dismiss Joffrey as his heir to make his own bastard son the new heir instead. But in order to do that, Corlys has to first publicly denounce Joffrey as a bastard or some other excuse (an heir cannot be dismissed just because they lack competence in the family business or because they are young; if such was the case, the lords of Westeros would riot over the threat this ruling poses to their own young heirs). Even if Corlys does not publicly denounce Joffrey, just by dismissing Joffrey’s claim for his own sons (therefore throwing the line of succession into disarray), Corlys sends the message that Joffrey is a bastard who has no right to inheritance. By extension, his older brother must surely be a bastard as well therefore undermining Jace’s position as Prince of Dragonstone/Heir to the Iron Throne. With those two then being viewed as bastards publicly, it also announces to the lords of Westeros that Rhaenyra is guilty of high treason and as a result, has no claim to the Iron Throne. If that’s Corlys’ true intention, well, okay then! Otherwise, he’s just creating a whole new political conflict IN THE MIDDLE OF A SUCCESSION WAR.

As it is, with these writers’ track record, none of this will actually matter. Any potential problems will be hand waived away (just like how the Silent Five/Vaemond’s sons were erased). It’s obvious that HOTD doesn’t care to explore the legality behind the characters’ actions. Whatever excuse Corlys uses in the show, it will have no bearing on the worldbuilding (my guess is he’ll use the idea that Joffrey is too young). I’d love to be proven wrong but these writers haven’t shown anything meaningful in how the competing claims are handled (still can’t believe show!Alicent was motivated by a misunderstanding 😂😂).

I’m actually starting to understand now why show!Corlys is described as a politically incompetent person by the people working on HOTD. If this is the stunt he’s going to pull, it’s going to be the height of stupidity.

Of course, this wouldn’t even be a problem if the show just followed the book. In that, Corlys passes Addam off as his grandson and has him legitimized as a reward for claiming a dragon (dragonseeds were promised lands/lordship/etc) because that is the only legal way he could be Corlys’ heir without him publicly denouncing Joffrey. It’s actually a really clever loophole. Without it, the whole situation becomes a mess.

[littlesparklight]

There's a distinct... part coyness, part discomfort, part aggressive disavowal (through policing) of "contra-normative" women's sexuality as displayed in Greek myth that's really interesting.

Like, on the one hand we have Kalypso:

“Cruel are ye, O ye gods, and quick to envy above all others, seeing that ye begrudge goddesses that they should mate with men openly, if any takes a mortal as her dear bed-fellow. [...]" (Odyssey, Book 5 line 117ff)

Who is blending her own situation where she's the one in power taking what she wants, together with Eos' actions (which are probably rather similar to her's), and then with Demeter sleeping with Iasion, which by all accounts is not Demeter forcing herself on an unwilling mortal man (though sometimes he is portrayed as forcing himself on her). But whether there is perfect equivalence with Kalypso's exempla or not, her complaint in itself is not wrong.

Not wrong at all!

The gods have the typical male license to do what they want, regardless of any individual willingness of either goddesses or mortal women, and they won't be censured for this. Goddesses, though they can sleep with mortal men if they wish, cannot do so openly and without having their "honour" defended - this is usually why Zeus kills Iasion, when he's not portrayed as forcing himself on her. They sleep out in the open and are seen, and this is not to be borne.

Kalypso, even if Hermes isn't here to put a stop to her claiming of Odysseus because she's acting out of bounds (merely because Athena wants to facilitate Odysseus going home), still immediately connects Hermes coming to her with this - and she calls out the double standard.

Baldly and boldly!

And this happens in a text that is several thousands of years old! (It's so fascinating and surprising to me that we both get to see this sort of thing and a situation where a male character is portrayed in a situation of sexual assault from a woman.)

Then we have Eos, who is quite known for her pursuits of youths much like male gods will pursue women and youths themselves. Eos, who gets pointedly portrayed with wings, to ensure us we understands that this isn't a regular mortal woman - this is not something a woman could do, in real life, don't worry men! But yet she is still included, her desire for these youths explicitly erotic.

(I've read some things that both point out the whole "this is impossible in real life" via her having wings, and the fact that Eos might have had something of a psychopomp connection far in the past, of a dawn goddess bearing away the souls of the dead.)

There's the women who experiences desire for someone other than their husband and take the plunge to act against normative expectations and approach the object of their desire with a proposition for sex. Anteia/Stheneboia, the wife of Proteus, Astydamia, the wife of Akastos, not quite the same but still similar, Phaidra; each of them when they are ~manfully rebuffed~ by their oh so lawful and self-controlled objects of desire, turn around and accuse these young men of rape.

And each time myths will have them be believed, their husbands avenging their supposed assaults in various ways, and the women, in turn usually getting punished in one way or another. Transgressing the limits of a woman's life gets you punished.

And then there is Helen.

Helen and her agency, Helen and her desire. Helen who makes her suitors want to become her husband, not to bring her away as their blooming bride. Helen who leaves Sparta, her husband and her child, with a foreigner.

Seduced, desiring Helen, whose husband is known by her name instead of she known by his (Alexander, husband of lovely-haired Helen). Helen who blames herself, who every other writer blames for being a bad woman for taking instead of being taken...

[mermaidsirennikita]

I'm finally getting into historical romance after avoiding it for too long. Weirdly, this is because of Bridgerton, even though the show is often boring and the books feel as old as they are. Can you help me find overtly feminist books with sex scenes that are meaningfully connected to the characters and/or the plot. I enjoy fic, but I want the exact opposite of it when I'm reading a novel. Thanks!

Sure!

Scarlett Peckham is a great starting point here. Her books are on the more creative side re: sex scenes (by which I mean mildly kinky lol but also INTENTIONALLY kinky, as in the characters know what kink is) but she's very interested in the movements around them and come from diverse backgrounds. Her recently-concluded Society of Sirens trilogy is about a group of friends who campaign for women's rights, etc; what makes it more interesting to me than say Evie Dunmore books (I'll be honest, not a big fan of those, and they WILL get recommended to anyone who asks for feminist historical romance) is that the heroines legitimately come from different walks of life. One of them is a "rakess" who's basically a high class lady gone rogue; one of them is a biracial heiress; one is a courtesan who actually doesn't hate sex work but also can acknowledge its pros and cons.

This series also has some of the more consistently... I don't wanna say "beta" heroes, but none of them are alpha males and they're also not straightforward "cinnamon rolls".

Sarah MacLean has a great ongoing series called Hell's Belles about a group of female friends who fuck shit up for the sake of helping women who need them. The most recent book hits on the subject of abortion rights especially, which I looove. All MacLean books are written with feminism in mind, but this series is probably the most explicitly feminist.

Joanna Shupe is another author I'd blanket recommend on that level. Her Uptown Girls trilogy has a heroine, for example, who wants to open a casino for women and hits on things like an "unconventional" happily ever after (i.e., one where being together and happy forever doesn't necessarily mean marriage and babies.... people HATED that Florence and Clay were like "oh we're just gonna fuck each other and not have kids for the rest of our lives" and I liiiived).

Her Fifth Avenue Rebels series is also quite feminist, both casually and more politically. Our first book has a tennis playing heroine, and the last focuses on a heroine who spends a lot of her free time providing birth control to poor women, while also being upfront about her sexuality, the fact that she's had an abortion and doesn't regret it, the damage the Comstock Act caused... Also, her hero is completely in awe of her. I WOULD recommend reading this series in order, as they're all good and that last book is at its best when you see the buildup of the leads beforehand.

Grace Callaway definitely has a lighter tone... while actually hitting on some pretty dark shit... But if you want something that's feminist, super sexy, and kinda campy, Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels is literally Victorian Charlie's Angels with a female "Charlie". There is a lot of sex in these books, but I find it really fun and about getting the characters to bond. She also gets into subject matter that a lot of (white) authors don't... Like the Opium Wars.

Beverly Jenkins, of course, is one of the best out there. Her characters are more quietly feminist, but it's kind of an obvious part of the stories because she's not interested in white society at all. She also writes excellent female friendships and familial relationships. I'd recommend trying Forbidden (the Black heroine goes out west and becomes a cook, falls for a rich white man, thinks they can't be together, is unaware that he actually is NOT white and is the son of an an enslaved woman and a plantation owner who left the South and is now passing) or To Catch a Raven (really fun heist-y romance that involves the THEFT OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE) to start, though Indigo is my favorite of hers.

Diana Quincy writes really fun, feminist-streaked romance novels, some of which star Palestinian characters. Her most recent book is The Duke Gets Desperate and I fucking loved it. An American businesswoman inherits a castle and shows up like "Okay but we need to start hosting paid tours here because otherwise it's a money pit and I'm selling" while the duke who insists she did not actually inherit gasps in horror because you can't! Host! Tours! IN A CASTLE!!!!

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller is a great one. The heroine is the third generation to run this hotel in Vienna after her grandmother and mother did. They've also been consistently officially single (her grandmother actually has a female partner and her mother is a rich man's mistress) and illegitimate. The heroine is very independent, has no shame about her sex life, and is both funny and practical... Then people start trying to kill her and the strait-laced undercover American spy who's been at the hotel has to save her. Also he's a virgin. Fast-paced, funny, super romantic, and very unconventional.

Minerva Spencer has an entire trilogy about a group of women who perform in a circus—The Wild Women of Whitechapel. Very feminist, very fun, there's dueling and boxing and men who are very happy to be with women who could step on them.

Definitely get into Adriana Herrera's Las Leonas series—it's about a group of friends who leave the (now) Dominican Republic for Paris. You get everything from birth control to Lesbian Paris discussed, as well as tons of romance, fingerbanging on the Eiffel Tower, and more.

[cut-content-contest]

Yosuke Hanamura's romance route

persona 4 has got this friendship/romance mechanic called "social links" which is basically just 10 events that you can choose to gradually level up for each sociable character in the game where you raise your relationships with said characters, which gives you various in-game boosts. most of the women in the game are able to be romanced. however, there is cut dialogue which implies that at some point, one of the male characters was meant to be a romance option as well! yosuke hanamura, the main character's best friend, has cut dialogue for his social link rank 10 event which is voiced (VOICED!! IN ENGLISH AND JAPANESE!! WHILE PEOPLE HAVE DENIED THIS SINCE THE ENGLISH VOICE LINES HAVE HIM SAYING "I LIKE YOU," IN THE JAPANESE VOICE LINES, HE IS EXPLICITLY CONFESSING TO YOU I'M PRETTY SURE!!) that implies that there was at some point going to be an option to romance him. it's assumed that this was cut somewhere later in development due to the lines being voice acted, though i believe that the reason this was cut has not been confirmed yet (though, seeing as how persona 4 was made in the 2000s....... you can probably just guess why lol)

there were unreleased voice lines that showed what was supposed to be a gay route for Persona 4 (there ARE Japanese lines for this as well, and the way in which the "I like you" part is said is the Japanese version of confessing to someone you have a crush on) and a lot of fans do agree that the protagonist is best paired with Yosuke for character development purposes, but it was probably scrapped because of homophobia 😭

Exactly what it says. Was likely scrapped because Atlus are COWARDS who didn't wanna give us the gay romance we deserved. It would have been so cute though I'm forever pissed it was scrapped...

We know it was programmed it. Yosuke is the only male character with dialogue flags, meaning you can fail his social link. The only other characters with these flags are the female love interests. Yosuke also has recorded, in both English and Japanese, final confession lines, something unique to max rank romance social links. This means it was likely scrapped very late in development. As the game also covers (badly) gender and sexuality, we can hypothesize that Yosuke's character arc was supposed to be overcoming internalized homophobia. Instead he just kinda stays "jokingly" homophobic and never grows past it.

The player would have been able to enter a romantic relationship with the character Yosuke Hanamura— text and voice lines for this option still exist within the game, and can be activated via modding. They even have proper translations, and the English versions of the lines are voiced as well, implying that the cut was made rather far into development. While this is a sad loss in its own right, it also has devastating implications in regards to the original state of other pieces of LGBT+ representation which may have also been scrapped and/or heavily modified to appear. For example, Kanji’s attraction to men and Naoto’s gender situation were both downplayed and/or walked back in the final version of the game, but it’s highly likely that Yukiko’s arc was originally intended to include more bisexual overtones, and arguments can be made for Rise’s arc being meant to center on the struggle to come to some sort of terms with her own sexuality and presentation in an industry that keeps such a tight hold on those aspects of its workers lives.

throughout the entirety of persona 4 (+golden), yosuke is portrayed to be the best friend of the protag, but also extremely homophobic towards another male character who was hinted at being gay (before atlus fucked that narrative up too). his social link hints at him having a crush on the protag, and he was intended to have a romantic route just like the female characters, but that was cut (not sure why). the whole game is about embracing the truth, including your hidden sides that you are ashamed to show to others, and having yosuke come to terms with his repressed homosexuality (& realizing that he has internalized homophobia) would have fit perfectly within that theme, but atlus said fuck that shit and cut that entire romance out. the cut dialogue can easily be found on youtube. the thing with this being cut out is that without the romance and coming to terms with his homosexuality, the only thing left of yosuke is being very homophobic. no one condems yosuke for what he says to the other male character, and it is never addressed beyond mere gags or jokes. it's horrible to sit through and honestly it was such a missed opportunity. it's such an issue that people have made a mod implementing a romantic route for yosuke just because of this. every day i mourn thinking of what could have been

This game explores many queer themes, but lacks any explicit queer relationships. The fact that file scrapers and modders discovered an unused voice line for one of the male characters that implies a romance option for him was cut from the final game makes queer fans feel let down, regardless of how groundbreaking the other queer plot points were at the time of release. It's speculated that it was cut because devs or localizers thought that it would be too much queer content in one game, and that it would affect sales and create too much controversy. I, however, believe that anyone who manages to get through the mandatory gay sauna dungeon would have had no stones to throw about an optional mlm romance.

The first party member in Persona 4, Yosuke Hanamura, was originally going to be a viable romantic partner once the player got far enough into his Social Link. This was removed rather late in development, as voiced lines for a scene where he and the protagonist begin dating were recorded in both Japanese and English. To this day, Persona 2: Innocent Sin remains the only Persona game where the protagonist can enter a gay relationship with another boy.

In this game you can choose to romance several people. There is cut voiced dialogue for a romance route for Yosuke, the main character's best friend, but in the final game he is not a romanceable character. Some are of the opinion that taking out the romance option for Yosuke removes the complexity from his character.

article: https://gamerant.com/persona-4-golden-mod-yosuke-romance/

Devil Joker boss fight

In Persona 2, an important story/game mechanic is that rumors are becoming reality in the setting. You would have been able to spread a rumor that Joker, the leader of the Masked Circle cult, was an angelic or demonic figure, and that would have determined the corresponding boss fight when you reached a key point in the game. The ability to spread that rumor was never implemented (probably due to time constraints? or maybe because Devil Joker ripping himself in half was determined to be Too Much), and so the citizens of the city default to Joker being "as beautiful as an angel", leading to the Angel Joker boss fight instead.

recreation of the boss fight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uz24UqZfYk Angel Joker for comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UPtkrsvI20&t=1227s

[markiafc]

curiously and politely paging @fancifulpurposelesslovely to ask about summer sons thoughts, if that's okay!

in particular, the andrew/sam power dynamic + what that means for their relationship post-canon, because i think we both picked up on the same undertones in the text but came to different interpretations. and i'm just intrigued to poke more at your take and hear more about it.

on my end, the baseline of it is, i think andrew's passiveness and his over-reliance on a second party to act as his lighthouse is present throughout the events of the book. he expresses this desire explicitly and implicitly, to be owned, leashed, and led. and i've always seen it as a result of trauma more than anything else, relating to the cavern and therefore to eddie as well. i often think andrew's arc is about many things, but one of the top things is that he's learning to be a real boy. instead of being half a human being, living only a small portion of personhood. the way he was after the cavern and early on in the book.

i think there's andrew grows a lot throughout and comes into his own; the eddie/andrew relationship feels like it is hardcore bdsm-coded but for two boys who don't know anything and they're just kids thrust into this dynamic to cope, and even eddie seems to become miserable and burdened by having to carry andrew through life. it feels like to me he really did want that space away from andrew. he really wanted to have a world, a time with things he forged in nashville just for himself, albeit temporarily. the cavern is this thing that forced them both into this shape and they never got the help to learn another way of being, no matter how miserable it made them amidst the intimacy and love.

and the story is, to me, andrew slowly expanding his horizons, unearthing parts of himself and his life that he had been cut off from, and finally getting a feel for who he really is, a complete andrew blur. he discovers and accesses his sexuality for the first time, both sexual sensibilities and his sex drive. and unlike with eddie, he lets himself engage with his agency as a human being; he breaks into a whole new world through sam, and finds that he's able to have a different kind of dynamic with him, finds that he can grasp at his anger and annoyance at being ordered around and act on it. theres no need to make himself do what sam wants just because sam wants it, and he feels comfortable delivering a rejection. ("i'm not your bitch so tell him yourself.")

the cavern stunted him as a person and eddie too, and there's a throughline there about overlooked childhood trauma. especially for male queer victims in a suburban setting, already expected to be social and sexually active with women and drug-using.

character arc-wise, and mostly centering andrew blur, i've always thought he would outgrow the heavily codependent dynamic he had with eddie, where his primary role in life was to act as eddie's right hand man of sorts, everything eddie wants eddie gets, and andrew blur exists to provide a personal service to eddie fulton. hobbies, academics, careers, relationships, every sector of his life he has developed not for himself but in devotion of someone else. someone he was forced to become metaphorical bride to at 12.

post-canon, after andrew's matured and come into his own, i imagine he can bring these new parts of himself into the relationship with sam, things he never had with eddie. and it would be different, something straying further from bdsm dynamics.

and this got real long, but i'm curious because i feel like you know more about the bdsm side of things better than i do. and my own is pretty rudimentary, so andrew never struck me as someone who is submissive and enjoys it.

this is not to say sam/andrew don't have those vibes, they soo do, andrew/eddie were 10000% like that in practice, and andrew definitely has the submissive markers. though to me, he embodied that role, developed those traits and lived that life with eddie due do a unique set of traumatic circumstance.

so, no hate or judgement, i just wanted to share and wanted to hear more about this book. especially from a different perspective, when i feel like we both did read the same book and saw the same things. i'm more than happy to trade takes.

open invitation to talk about this book and the andrew/sam power dynamics, basically!

[mordekaykt]

I can't believe this shit again, but here we go, after seeing recent insane, vapid takes on Becca Butcher's sexual assault and some serious consideration about whether it is worth to finally post this draft sitting around for 3 days and cause a potential shitstorm, I opted for yes. So let's see why Becca having been raped isn't unrealistic/her lying and that Homelander is very much someone with proclivity to commit sexual assault.

My target here is mostly those in the fandom who, even though condemning and clearly disagreeing with the horrible things Homelander does, AND at the same time acknowledge his trauma and the role of his upbringing, somehow ignore and deny that he's a rapist. I love this character and am blown away by Starr's portraying him and feel sorry and for what he's been through since day one of his birth, and understand that he's a result of his environment and inhumane treatment by Vought, a victim of the company himself. And while finding the chance slim, I'm also hoping for some kind of redemption for Homelander at least in the way that he recognizes his crimes and errors, and whatever his punishment will be, it's not just going to end up in a big circlejerk over his deserved downfall and the show watchers' joy over him suffering even more.

The fact that the alpha sigma whatever male shitheads don't believe she was raped isn't even surprising so this post is clearly not meant for them. That would be like trying to explain poetry to a a bag of trash, and if anyone dares come up with the unsubstantiated and proven false, MRA-perpetuated "but evil wahmmen lie about rape often" I'm not even going to bother to engage, since a man is more likely to be raped by another than falsely accused by a woman. Resources on this issue at the bottom of this post.

And if any of you're thinking why I am making this into a big deal because this is just a TV show, well these beliefs and attitudes don't just exist for fiction, they persist in real life, against real rape survivors. But the biggest takeaway for many of you from this is gonna be crying about how toxic and mean this fandom is because someone called you out for your garbage takes anyways.

Particularly are some insane and absurd reasoning that I've seen around here, such as 1)Homelander isn't a rapist because that's unlike him, he exerts power over people in ways other than rape) 2)Why didn't Becca tell Butcher, who would have believed her?

Your reasons and arguments as to why Becca wasn't raped are vapid and can be debunked in a second after watching the necessary scenes. You can like a character all you want, but it's very tiresome and immature how him committing rape is downright rejected and dismissed not to hurt one's worldview. Apart from the fact that Becca explicitly says she was raped, you ignore a major contributor factor, namely that Homelander is a misogynist. It's laughable having to spell this out, but it's glaringly obvious from multiple scenes.

In season 2 episode 5 during the scene where Billy is about to rescue Becca from the Vought facility, but she doesn't bring Ryan and refuses to escape, SHE ALSO VERY CLEARLY TELLS SHE WAS RAPED, explaining to Billy why she didn't disclose her assault.

"He raped me and when I found out I got pregnant, I didn’t come to you. I didn’t come to you because I was scared, cause I knew you that you’d chase after him and you would seek revenge and that wouldn't be good for anyone." She says this word from word, and it's the same conversation where she says Billy was always one bad day away from bludgeoning someone to death in a parking lot. How could you catch onto that part but ignore what I highlighted now?

In season one, after Butcher storms out of the supe collateral damage survivor group, he tells Hughie what happened to Becca. He says that a security camera recorded Becca sitting on the same bench him and Hughie are sitting now, for three hours and she didn't move a muscle, after she left Vought Tower and Homelander (can't attach more screenshots because of the 30 per post limit).

This in itself is already suspicious, but let's say she just committed adultery and is regretful, sitting there reflecting on it, sure. In season one, there is room for some ambiguity (even though from this information alone - sitting there barely moving for hours - one should suspect this truly wasn't a consensual encounter. Obviously, when you only focus on how much you hate Butcher and view everything coming from his as lie and manipulation, you miss the details) since everything we know about what happened to Becca were from Billy and - during the season finale confrontation - Homelander's recollections and words. Season two makes it very clear what happened, at least for people with functional brain cells.

The way so many people dismiss and doubt rape survivors because they aren't perfect victims (not having physical injuries, they willingly stayed alone with the accused rapist - an attitude regarding Becca I see often, dumbfucks saying that she went to the conference room with Homelander on her own, she didn't look hurt , and the Homelander "doesn't come across as a rapist/it's just not in character for him") is vomit inducing.

Billy Butcher is very far from a good man, yes - he is also abusive, violent, manipulative and treats people around him horribly to achieve his goals - and the show going with the Becca fleeing him after a one night stand with Homelander version could have worked, totally, if they decided to go down that route. But their encounter was very clearly not consensual, regardless how hard is it to accept.

Your argument that Homelander being a rapist is OOC because mommy milk fetish and whatnot, completely ignores that Homelander is a massive misogynist, and it clearly manifests. He mocks women, denigrates women all the time. And there are a bunch of examples for this.

When, in S01E05 Stillwell (she is a groomer that's absolutely true) dares not babysit him and takes her son to the doctor he comes with the "strong single mom" which is very typical jab for putting down women.

Moms who raise their children on their own are routinely diminished and made fun of, whereas the same cannot be found for single fathers. It is a misogynistic attitude stemming from viewing the woman as someone who failed to secure herself the father of her child, putting all the blame on her and nothing on the absent father (who might even be deceased in certain circumstances, not just deadbeat). When you write in Google "hatred single mom misogyny" the bloody related searches look like this:

He tries to have Starlight put on a sexualized dance for his birthday, in season 3 to objectify and undermine her, he forces her into a fake pretend relationship, then to anger both her and Hughie he talks about her (“is she a good fuck?”) like a piece of meat he is bargaining about, as if she wasn’t even there as a human being.

In season 1 episode 7 when he confronts the Seven, showing the pictures of Hughie and the Boys and accuses Starlight of being a traitor who’s cooperating with the boys, he mocks her sexual assault by Deep; “I know that you want to make this whole Deep thing an All the single ladies’ moment – power, right?”. His posture and tone clearly indicate he means power in this context as women’s power to call out and have their rapists and abusers face consequences, power as in women’s empowerment altogether – and how ridiculous he finds the whole concept. This shows how lowly he thinks about women’s issues and agencies.

More on the Deep, Homelander brings him back in S03E02 to hurt and distress Starlight, HE DELIBERATELY REINTRODUCES THE MAN INTO THE TEAM WHO ORALLY RAPED HER. He tries to gaslight and use her faith against her very obvious fury (“Doesn’t Christ tell us to turn the other cheek?”) to minimize and dismiss Starlight’s trauma and objection to her rapist’s presence.

He wants to harvest Maeve's eggs (which might not be sexual but is reproductive exploitation - but yeah, a man who'd do this to a woman without consent is definitely not rapey right?), and the passive aggressive touching-almost-kissing her in S01E03 at A-Train's race are signs of a man who is unhealthily jealous and obsessive over his intimate partners (signs of an abuser). Maeve is visibly uncomfortable, tries to brush it off with a grin and refusal to indulge in the topic of their breakup.

Now, this is personal, but I’m sure way too many women can relate to situations when you tried to prevent being hurt at the hands of a violent, emotionally unstable man by a smile and appearing meek and harmless.

And another very important detail the implications of which I'm sure 99% of the viewers miss (unless you've been with a physically abusive partner), is how quick he is to engage in intimate partner violence: and there are two major instances of this during his relationship with Stormfront. After he burns down his trailer when she leaves him for hours as he's waiting for her in the trailer, with the bouquet of flowers, she arrives back and descends onto film set piece he's standing on and tries to explain herself. He reaches for her neck, and doesn't yet strangle her, but the hand and the implication are a clear sign of how he is absolutely ready to act physically violent towards his partner after a single confrontation, just because she was gone for a few hours and didn't tell him where she was.

In another scene, once again following Stormfront being absent, Homelander is standing in her apartment with his back facing her (you can see the scaffolding in this scene after they wrecked the apartment during sex in E05).

"Remember when you said you don't break easily?" He doesn't engage physically, but his posture and words are very much threatening. He is a man who has absolutely zero qualms in using physical intimidation against his partners. He is violent and ready to cause harm to anyone, of course, since he can do whatever the fuck he wants, and his intimate partners aren't an exception.

And an important fact here for real life: a man who puts his hands around your neck to threaten and intimidate is very much likely to kill you next - actually 750% more likely.

An abusive man being a rapist is anything but a rare occurrence. And delving further into his behavior with Becca, it's very far from him trying to pretend that he is a part of some fantasy of an all-American happy family. The fact that some of you go awww at him basically using his son and Becca's love for her child to force her to participate in some kind of nonexistent, loving family scenarios while she is clearly, visible uncomfortable through it all (the breakfast with pancakes scene has it all), is painfully ignorant and shows clear lack of empathy for a mother who has to play nice with the man who ruined her entire life without an ounce of regret. When he is with Ryan and Becca, he further abuses her through the child. He is deliberately trying to alienate him from his mother, turning his against her and undermine Becca's maternal role, which culminates in him and Stormfront taking Ryan away. But he's so cute and babygirl for roleplaying as if he's actually part of a family, right?

"But but Becca was so mean for hiding Ryan and preventing him from experiencing life by having him live in a fake, shut off facility! Homelander just told his son the truth which he deserved to know!" You shitheads missed the part wherein Vogelbaum said she had to sign and NDA and never tell about this to anyone in exchange for Vought providing her with safety during the gestation and birth? You think Vought would have allowed her to take The Homelander's son and live casually like civilians? It was in their interest to keep Ryan, the first natural born supe hidden first and foremost from his father, so they might have a chance at using him as contingency against his father if needed - this is referred to by Butcher in S02E08 during his conversation with Stand Edgar, when Billy was bargaining with him. And Becca had every fucking reason to want to stay hidden and off radar and never want to meet her rapist again.

And while Homelander invades her home where she was basically banished after what he'd done to her, Becca must stand there and hold her mouth shut because she wants to protect her child who is way too young and naive to recognize the patterns his rapist father is utilizing, let alone understand what rape is. In S02E02, after dropping Ryan off at piano practice and she races to talk to Dr. Park, she is enraged, distressed and on the verge of crying, demanding an explanation. She begs to be relocated to safety; she was promised how “I would never have to see him again”. He pleads with the man on the phone, “You have to protect us.”

And when she has to endure her rapist’s presence, she is obviously very uncomfortable with his presence, that much is clear from her body language (SE2E02 when Homelander walks past her after she calls Ryan inside to do his math homework, he brushes her arm, and she flinches away). A screenshot doesn't do this justice but re-watching merely this scene will show you what I mean, on Prime Video at 00:06:52.

You say it's likely she was walking on eggshells around Billy back when they were together (which can be), but you are blind to her actually walking on eggshells and being extremely uncomfortable in Homelander's company?

After Homelander pushes Ryan off the roof she straight out says "you don't get to say that [call himself the father] after what you did to me!" He doesn't deny nor tries to challenge her accusation, he simply responds by saying all he did was give her a son, before he grabs her to intimidate her physically.

And after watching Becca being so tormented, scared and anxious about this man, some of you have the galaxy brain take of “uhm akshuelly, he can’t be a rapist, that’s so unlike him, duh.”

There is a strong correlation between men being rapists and holding misogynistic beliefs. It's a part of rape culture. Just like victim blaming, what you are also doing if you think she couldn't have been raped because she wasn't physically injured, Homelander just "doesn't give off rapist vibes" and so on.

Because the fact is that this man has everything going on - childhood trauma, exposure to violence, stunted emotional development, entitlement, misogynistic attitudes - for him that make it believable and 100% in character for him to rape.

A South-African study involving incarcerated rapists meant to examine perspectives and reasoning behind rape found that

a combination of emotional, social and cognitive adversities have been implicated in deviant behavior (e.g., antisocial behavior and an impaired ability to be accountable for actions) and sexual offenses (Ward and Beech, 2006). Adverse outcomes are shaped by the individual’s social, cultural, physical and interpersonal environment which has an impact on their emotional state, ability to act appropriately, to control emotions, perceptions of reality and modeling memories related to socially acceptable behavior (Ward and Beech, 2006). An important social/environmental factor that shapes emotional and cognitive states in adulthood is childhood trauma exposure (Carr et al., 2013). Men exposed to severe childhood trauma, e.g., abuse, neglect, community violence exposure and adverse parenting styles, are more likely than non-exposed men to develop depression, post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety disorders, poor cognitive functioning and impaired learning (Gunnar and Vazquez, 2001; Bilbo and Schwarz, 2012; Scoglio et al., 2021). They are also more likely to display violent, antisocial behavior and to become chronic perpetrators of rape (Fox et al., 2015; Piotrowska et al., 2015; Moffitt, 2018). Victimized children also often have more violence supportive attitudes especially when exposed to domestic violence as children along with widespread societal exposure and acceptance of violence against women (Debowska et al., 2021). Social and contextual factors encouraging male entitlement, hyper-masculinity, toxic masculinity and unequal gender norms are other key factors that drive rape perpetration (Maneta et al., 2017; Selepe et al., 2020). Hyper-masculinity and toxic masculinity are associated with insecurities, hypersensitivity, distrust toward women and satisfaction obtained from controlling and dominating women (Malamuth et al., 1996). Rape perpetrators often describe rape as a way to exert power, dominance and control over women and use it indirectly as a tool to conceal insecurities (Selepe et al., 2020). Linked to this, male entitlement, where men believe that they have total control over women and their bodies, influences them to perpetrate sexual violence (Selepe et al., 2020). One study reported that male perpetrators believe that as men, they are entitled to sex with their female partners regardless of their consent, especially if they are married (Adinkrah, 2011).

If you are pondering on "Why didn't she tell?", you are a extremely ignorant and lacking emotional intelligence. You have no idea what it feels to be sexually assaulted, that much is clear. It's not as easy as just going and talking about it, even to someone you love and trust, because of the shame and humiliation the victim feels and how much they blame themselves for what happened. Sometimes, even the victims themselves doubt whether what happened to them was actually rape.

• According to the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual Violence and Assault , there are many reasons why victims may choose not to report to law enforcement or tell anyone about what happened to him/her. From the reasons listed by them, the ones that apply in the context of Becca are concern for not being believed, fear of the attackers getting back at him/her, embarrassment or shame, fear of being blamed.

• A lack of education on consent and misconceptions about sexual violence can make it difficult for someone to identify when an assault or rape is taking place. Research by the End Violence Against Women (Evaw) coalition shows that widespread confusion over rape and its consequences is prevalent. According to Evaw research, 33% of people in Britain think it is not usually rape if a woman is pressed into having sex but there is no physical violence. One in 10 people are not sure or think it is usually not rape to “have sex with a woman who is asleep or too drunk to consent”. Research by the sexual health charity the Family Planning Association has shown that only 47% of people think it is acceptable to withdraw consent if they are already naked.

• Research suggests that it can take years – sometimes decades – for some survivors to realise or accept that their experience amounts to sexual assault or rape. Psychologists refer to this as “unacknowledged rape” or “unacknowledged assault”. One study on the subject from the US estimates a staggering 60% of female university students have experienced unacknowledged rape. Other studies have determined that between 30% and 88% of all sexual assaults go unacknowledged by survivors.

On false rape accusations by Rape Crisis Scotland:

An extensive study into rape case attrition undertaken by Kelly et al in 2005 concluded that the rate of false allegations stood at 3%.

A study produced by the Crown Prosecution Service in England & Wales in March 2013 revealed that over a 17-month period between January 2011 and May 2012 – when all false allegation cases were referred to the DPP – there were 5,651 prosecutions for rape, but only

35 for making false allegations of rape.

In Scotland, rape and attempted rape have the lowest conviction rate of any crime type. However an acquittal does not mean that the allegation was false, it means that the jury did not consider that the Crown had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.

Weiser’s 2017 overview and analysis of the false report literature highlighted that studies applying rigorous and correct methodologies ‘consistently find that the false report rate is estimated to be between 2% and 10%’.

Channel 4’s 2018 fact check reinforced the fact that false allegations of rape are rare, concluding that ‘Men are more likely to be raped than be falsely accused of rape’.

A separate fact check conducted the same year by Full fact concluded that as a figure for the number of reported rapes based on false allegations: ‘Evidence from England and Wales suggests that 3-4% is a reasonable estimate.’

[horizon-verizon]

Where does this popular bullshit idea come from that Daemon would do anything to put Aegon III or Viserys II in power in the future instead of the Velaryon children if the dance hadn't happened? It's literally based on nothing except "We know Daemon - Daemon is Daemon" which literally means nothing? Daemon never showed any signs against their rights to inherit, quite the contrary. And be careful, this is an idea that resonates even among real fans of Daemyra and the respective characters of Rhaenyra and Daemon. There is also this idea that Aegon III and Viserys II if the dance had not taken place would have waged war against their brothers for power upon discovering that they were "bastards"... we think about everything That ?

People's arguments for Daemon trying to kill the V boys or else trying to genuinely get them passed over for his own sons stems from:

people seeing him as power hungry at the cost of those he considers family, which is exacerbated by the fear of his irreverent violence at times people think violence is not "honorable", further exacerbated by us not having PoV chapters that explicitly tell us what's up

some people seem to think that because we have an unreliable tertiary/secondary source telling these epeople's lives history book instead of a PoV novel no one can pick up on things and how they are told. The writing of Fire and Blood, especially regarding the Dance, tends to take Daemon's disobedient, violent, and lusty person and run with it, so people assume that he was always and primarily trying to steal or consolidate power for his own sake

the fact that he is a man, some people use his gender+ the Westerosi/patriarchal desire for a man to be more physically competent and thereby the idea of him potentially being more violent to say that Daemon is simpler than he is.

from the third part: how the show itself is making its story on the terfness of the argument that women are "naturally" peacemakers and less violent and men are "naturally" violent [rhaenyragendereuphoria], lacking-in-self control monsters--basically that women are meant/should be the ones to temper male aggression bc they are "naturally" disposed towards peace. Hence Rhaenyra's reluctance to flame the greens not bc of any strategic sort of thing for her own ambitions but bc her daddy would disapprove, they're supposed to be the "good guys". (Despite Rhaenyra, in the show, knowing that Viserys couldn't have told her brother about the prophecy and given him that responsibility when he barely could pick himself up to defend her in episode 8 and for years he refused to replace her.) How Daemon was rewritten to physically abuse her and undermine her authority in the black council and demand that she just attack KL, when in the book he actually said they should wait and send ravens to various lords (partially to keep his stepsons out of danger). Just as how Alicent lost her ambition and willingness for Rhaenyra to die in childbirth, her pressing the council to crown Aegon knowing full well that this would lead to war, and her victimization at the hands of her father when there was little indication of that in the book. Rather, Alicent was the driver & leader of the green faction even when Otto came back after Viserys dismissed him until she called the council to crown Aegon.

Another person some severely misunderstand bc the maesters and eyewitnesses they record already have preconceived notions about how one should act and display themselves is Visenya, the Queen who rode Vhagar. Because of how Andal lords and some masters portray Visenya (beginning with how they write Aegon loved Rhaenys more, thus Visenya seems to look like she's trying to compensate for a lack of power granted to her from Aegon's favor), her enabling her son to usurp Aenys is taken as her just trying to jolt her relatives for power...ironically this is exactly what Alicent herself canonically does when she is usurping Rhaenyra. Unlike Visenya, Alicent had no regard at all for Rhaenyra bc they were not related and her main motivation has always been to uphold patriarchal Andal-Faith power and then she could use her son's position to become the most powerful and highest ranked women in Westeros. Yes Alicent loved her kids, but her mission was not to elevate-maintain Targs in power but to elevate the Hightowers/herself. Visenya hated the Faith (and not a little because if they had it her way, no Targs would be rulers AND she would not have as a chance to be a leader or autonomy as she does bc of her gender).

The difference bt Visenya and Daemon are their genders, the sociological disadvantages and privileges that ensue for Daemon bc of gender...but neither is doing things either unreasonably or unprovoked nor incapable of using nonviolent means and they both have some trait or behavior whose main criticisms come from a lack or a willingness to understand how they think bc they deviate in some way from normative or expected behaviors starkly.

This is who Daemon is, in my conclusions.

[corvus--rex]

Before I start/post anything else, I've decided to make a master list of all my ao3 fics in chronological order from the very first fic I posted. I am Klance trash, so that's all you'll find here. Note that some of them are a/b/o, those will be marked. None of these have been beta'd, so be warned

This got long, so as much as I don't want to...

Our Life in Pictures

60k, rated mature, ongoing, modern au, omegaverse, alpha Keith, omega Lance

A collection of scenes following the relationship between Keith, a tattoo artist, and Lance, the dancer who caught his attention from the dance school across the street.

☆

All I Need

25k, rated mature, modern with magic au, this one's been discontinued, but I do still like the setting so...

Five years after a traumatic event that resulted in Keith losing everything and everyone and the self-destructive spiral that followed, he accepts a job transfer to the big city. He’s in recovery and more stable than he’s been in years, but his past still haunts him. When he accidentally rescues an odd man and his cat one night, Keith finds out that not only is the guy a witch, but that so is he. Keith knows nothing of his origins, having been in the foster care system all his life. Together, they begin to unravel his true past, but at what cost?

Trigger Warning: First chapter deals heavily in trauma, self-harm, and substance abuse, off-screen character death, and fire.

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Incanto

3k, rated teen, modern au, inspired by Mediaeval Baebes, this has been placed in a medically-induced hiatus

Keith and Lance had a major falling out just before graduating college over their career directions. Keith wanted to leave home to teach in another state, Lance wanted him to stay with Incanto, the six-member choir they'd started in high school. A year after graduation, and Keith is back home. He's rejoining Incanto and his friends. And maybe he might be able to finally admit how he really feels about his best friend.

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Dormiveglia, that precious space

18.8k, rated teen, ongoing, canonverse, not canon compliant, omegaverse, alpha Keith, omega Lance, set just after s2e8 The Blade of Marmora

Dormiveglia - the space between sleeping and waking

Lance hated being an omega.  He'd always hated his secondary sex status.  It followed him everywhere, up to and including the Garrison.  Now he was in space, and it had followed him there as well.  It seemed that Alteans, Galra, and most other races also had the alpha-omega traits and that it wasn't limited to humans.  And so, Lance's omega status had followed him into space, and there was nothing he could do about it.  It also didn't help that he'd fallen hard for a certain alpha.

He didn't know that that certain alpha was falling for him too.

Or that he may never live to see those feelings realized.

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Here Come the Vultures

7.9k, rated teen, ongoing, band au, omegaverse, alpha Lance, omega Keith

Castle of Lions was a hugely successful European-styled metal band. The only problem was the part where Keith Kogane, the band's vocalist, was an omega. It was a necessary secret, given how society viewed male omegas, and one that the band and their label swore to keep. But just how long can it stay a secret?

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The Sound of Color

4.5k, rated teen, ongoing, soulmate au, omegaverse, alpha Lance, omega Keith

Lance is a 21-year-old college student and Alpha, working hard on a music degree. He has a circle of friends he loves and who love him, the only problem is that they've all found their soulmates and he hasn't. Most people have found theirs by then, and he's worried he never will. But an end-of-semester party may change that.

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Play Date

280 words, rated general, post-canon, one of only 2 that aren't explicitly klance, this one's actually zezor, but the klance can always be assumed

Based off this Tumblr prompt: Zethrid attempts to surprise Ezor with something special

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Someone to Talk to

596 words, rated general, canonverse, not canon compliant, just Pidge and Shiro

Based on this Tumblr prompt: One of the paladins has a queer crisis. Shiro to the rescue.

Or, Pidge has something to say and turns to Shiro for support.

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The Summer of the Moving Vans

651 words, rated general, modern au, childhood friends-to-lovers

Based on this Tumblr prompt: Childhood!AU Keith and Lance are next door neighbors - until a moving van shows up one day.

Lance and Keith were best friends. The summer after second grade proved eventful with a stream of moving vans all vacation. Looking back on it ten years later, they talk about just how life changing it was.

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Paladins on Ice

708 words, rated general, canonverse, not canon compliant, team shenanigans

Based on this Tumblr prompt: When Allura finally gets the door to the training deck unlocked, she’s surprised to find that it’s been temporarily repurposed into an ice rink, and that someone is a talented ice skater…

The Paladins are up to something, Allura wants to know what it is, and when she finds out, she learns that one of them has an unexpected talent.

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Why is it Always you?

2.5k, rated general, college au, coming out, title's bc something something every universe, something something every reality

Based on this Tumblr prompt: When Lance has some internal questions about his orientation, Keith surprises him by being there to offer support.

A snowstorm shuts down Lance’s college, and he finds his thoughts drifting to one of his oldest friends and feelings he can’t make sense of.

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Julance Prompts 2021

33k, rated teen-explicit, various aus, some are omegaverse, alpha Keith, omega Lance, and also alpha Lance, omega Keith

Most of the prompts will be from my own AUs, with the title after the prompt in the list. Rating and tags will be in the top notes of each chapter/one shot, please remember to check them as they will change. Also note, most are abo/omegaverse. The ones that aren't will be tagged as such.

02 - Musician au - Here Come the Vultures 03 - Blue Paladin - Dormiveglia 04 - Allura & Lance - Crystal Venom rewrite 06 - Catboy - mafia/assassin au 07 - AU of choice - Cyberpunk 12 - Fashion - model au 15 - Paranormal/Magic - modern magic au

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This is Why I Said Yes

131 words, rated general, post canon, just pure fluff

Post-war married domestic fluff starring Klance!

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Klancetober 2021

7.7k, rated teen-mature, various aus, some are omegaverse, alpha Lance, omega Keith

01 - college/coffee/party - How You Like That

02 - supernatural/magic/nighttime - Core Burn

03 - cold/autumn leaves/rain - Autumn

04. festival/pumpkins/haunted house – This is Halloween

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Yule Magic

914 words, rated general, magic au

Lance hasn't been back in his home town for very long and promised his best friend Hunk that he'd come by the Golden Lion Bakery soon. He was expecting to see what they'd done after renovating, he wasn't expecting a new member of staff. Yule was a time for magic, and this was no exception.

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If I Didn't Know Better

715 words, rated teen, canonverse, not canon compliant

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were about to kiss me."

Keith's frustration with the war spills over into his sparring session with Lance, whose attempt at breaking the tension does not go the way he planned.

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Bonfires and Flower Crowns

1.6k, rated general, magic au, sequel to Yule Magic

Two months after first meeting, Lance and Keith are pretty seriously dating, but haven't taken the next step of making their relationship official. Imbolc marks the traditional start of spring. Maybe a change of seasons is nudge they need to make that shift

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Player 3 is Waiting to Join

1.6k, rated general, modern au, omegaverse, alpha Lance, omega Keith

Omega Keith is a streamer/youtuber, and he and Lance are getting ready for their first child. This is just a few minutes of fluff during their day, plus a surprise present.

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Food & Family

1.2k, rated general, post canon, not canon compliant

"Keith attempts to cook. The results are surprising."

After the war, Keith thinks back to when, at age 12, he found himself alone for the afternoon and decided to take care of his lack of after-school snacks on his own and what happened as a result.

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The Bonding Moment™: Part 2

526 words, rated general, canonverse, Keith is a dumbass but we knew that

We all know The Bonding Moment™. We know what happened and how Lance then denied its very existence. But there's the part we didn't get to see. Keith's disaster gay meltdown later on…

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The Marmoran's New Clothes

385 words, rated general, canonverse, not canon compliant

"With much hesitation, Kolivan agrees to try dressing in Earth clothes."

Kolivan had resisted the idea of even trying to wear human clothing, but a trip to the mall later, and Lance, Keith, and Krolia are beginning to regret suggesting it.

Unlike the Emperor, this outfit isn’t made of air and wishful thinking. But to the three witnesses to this catastrophe, it might actually have been an improvement.

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Listen and You Can Hear the Ocean

2.2k, rated teen, college au sort of, mermaid au

After years of dreaming of the ocean, Keith heads off to university to pursue marine biology. A chance encounter with a familiar stranger shows him a past he'd long forgotten and the future they can forge together.

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Red Blood & Blue Violets

8.1k, canonverse, not canon compliant at all, this was an exercise in pain, two endings, one good, one not so much, there's Keith/oc in chapter 3, be advised that I am now attached to this oc and he will be coming back

Based off this Tumblr prompt: "Please don't go"

Keith and Lance had become feared by Galra soldiers across the known universe for their flawless fighting style, the seasoned pair regularly taking down many times their small number alone. Until now. He’d failed. They always had each other’s backs, and he’d failed.

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A Different Kind of Sunset Scene

990 words, rated teen, post canon, not canon compliant, it's got they/them trans enby Lance

Based on this Tumblr prompt: “Lance talks Keith into taking a break from work to go for a sunset stroll.”

Keith was supposed to be taking a break. As in, not working 12-18 hours a day. But even away from the field, leading the Blades was a lot of work. He’d sworn – promised, even – that the diplomatic bureaucracy for the day shouldn’t have taken any more than a few hours. But that was what he’d said at breakfast at 8 in the morning. It was nearing sunset, and he’d barely taken a minute away for lunch. Ok, if he wouldn’t do it himself, his loving husband would have to do it for him.

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One Last Hunt

4.4k, rated mature, ongoing, college au, with witch Lance and [REDACTED] Keith, and ghosties and other critters

Lance practiced magic. The real stuff, not this new age shit. It's why he got into ghost hunting with Hunk and Pidge. Everything he knew came from books; hopefully meeting ghosts and spirits would teach him something new.

Pidge has a surprise for them for Halloween. Two surprises actually. One is going to the most haunted property in the area on the night in question. The other is that she invited campus cryptid Keith Kogane. Everyone knows who he is, but no one actually knows him. Everything about him is just slightly off in a way that no one can quite put their finger on, and it seems that he knows something about the haunted estate.

Getting closer to Keith on Halloween will definitely be an interesting experience. What does he know that he's not telling? Is he even human? Lance knows it's possible, but not even he's prepared for the truth.

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Keith Kogane, Snake Whisperer

1.5k, rated teen, canonverse, not canon compliant, danger noodles are friend-shaped

While on a mission to secure an alliance for the Coalition, Team Voltron find themselves deep inside the cave system below the surface of the planet Vuria. They're there to retrieve an artifact sacred to the Vurians' ancestors. They weren't expecting an encounter with the planet's wildlife. But it's fine, Keith's got it covered.

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A Candidate for a Soulmate Bled

1.9k, rated mature, ongoing, soulmate au, musician Keith, bartender Lance, first words soulmarks (sorry Lance)

Lance tried not to look at the words on the inside of his left wrist. Ever since they first showed up on his thirteenth birthday he tried to look at them as little as possible. The first words he would hear from his soulmate, sitting there in their own handwriting in neat, sharp script: slittin’ my throat it’s all I ever Lance has worried about those words for ten years, especially now that his soulmark is beginning to bloom red...

[luckybyler]

I know Noah's coming out isn't supposed to be about Byler, but I will take the liberty to make a comparison re: coming out.

Noah just came out now in 2023, at the age of 18 and in college, after spending his late childhood and teenhood playing a gay character (which means his family and manager(s) were fine with it), when he's rich and famous, living in progressive cities, surrounded by plenty of LGBTQ people (real and fictional), and still described himself as being scared in the closet. Judging by many reactions from the public, as well as the general situation in many parts of the U.S. and the world, it's safe to say that, while he found widespread support from his fans and those close to him, his fears are founded and his coming out is relevant today.

Now imagine how hard and scary it would be for 15-year-old Will to come out of the closet in a small town in Indiana in the '80s, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, with no sex ed or positive LGBT role models to speak of (for him or anyone else), in an environment where he was bullied by his peers at school and by his own dad for even seeming gay before he was old enough to experience sexual attraction, where homosexuality is seen as satanic and wrong, and where, upon his disappearance, him being the victim of a hate crime at the age of 12 was the first reasonable hypothesis. What can we expect from his situation?

Having a grand coming out scene and having people be all "yeah we know!" and exchanging $5 bills from their bets while many others come out as well would be wildly unrealistic. Even merely having him come out voluntarily without the influence of a substance or extraordinary circumstances, or without being yanked out of the closet (for example, by Vecna), before having left Hawkins, would be pushing it by a lot. Will will be terrified to confess to Mike (and vice versa), and they both are probably terrified by the prospect of anyone else knowing, even if they are their friends and they're good people. And with the AIDS issue, things get more complicated.

Having all the non-villain characters be some flavor of supportive or at least non-homophobic (still worried for them tho) might be realistic and doable because this story is about outcasts facing supernatural horrors and knowing truths that regular people ignore. Their minds are probably more open and their bonds stronger, in part thanks to trauma. What's having your male friends be in love with each other when you just faced real-life Satan? What is NOT realistic is that they're familiar enough with anything other than heteronormativity. This means that 1. they (especially the younger ones) wouldn't know how to spot the signs of homosexuality other than stereotypes, let alone see when someone is in love with someone else of the same sex, or when two people of the same sex are in love with one another; and 2. when they see something like two boys or two girls making out or having public displays of affection, it will shock them. If, for example, Dustin or Lucas sees Will and Mike kissing, it will form a core memory. They'll remember when and where they were when they saw it. They'll have lots of questions or assumptions, some of them insensitive (for example, "who's the man and who's the woman in the relationship?").

If I were to predict Will's coming out, barring Vecna or something else forcing him out of the closet, I'd say by the end of the show he and Mike will be explicitly out to each other after some emotionally charged scene (and Byler will be canon), and to Jonathan, Joyce, and Karen. And that "coming out" might just be like the scene between Jonathan and WIll in season 4. I'd say El finds out about Mike's feelings for Will and that causes her breakup with Mike, and there will be an implied understanding with Hopper (who tells El to not mention a word of it to anyone), Nancy and Ted (Holly's just a child). Maybe Murray will sense it or find out by himself. Mike and Will will leave town in the end, and the rest of the Party, as well as Steve and Robin (yes, Robin) and the rest of the town, will be none the wiser. It will probably be implied that they will find over the years because they're their friends and not dumb, but not by the time the show ends. I say Robin can tell that Will is gay, but she doesn't necessarily know about Mike, let alone their relationship, and/or she'll suspect but choose to not dig further.

Obviously, the Duffers can do whatever they want with their narrative, they can make Will come out and have everyone throw him a coming out party while the entire town sings Kumbaya together. I'm just talking about what would be realistic and faithful to the time period (since that's what they have been trying to do).