#they really scratched an itch

[unhelpfulfemme]

More random Captive Prince thoughts, because I feel like being a sadist to all of my mutuals these books are living rent-free in my head right now. These ones are more about the plot and the worldbuilding.

Worldbuilding-wise, I loved the attention to detail, because as far as I could tell all the little details of how a medieval-ish army functions and how you would run it and what you would do with the horses and the supplies and the roads etc. etc. were pretty accurate. I mean, these books are by no means a treatise on warfare (in fact they can be delightfully pulpy, which I liked - I grew up on The Three Musketeers and the Scarlet Pimpernell and similar swashbuckling novels, and I got some of the same feelings here!), but there were details in there that most other authors don't bother to put in or inadvertently fuck up (I love ASOIAF to death but historically accurate it is not), and most of the military stuff seemed plausible enough as well, though again not described in too much detail so you can fill it in with your own assumptions or skim over if it's not something that particularly interests you. And I also loved the architectural details and could imagine everything quite well, but again, as I said previously, this may be because the author spent some time living near where I live so we've seen a lot of the same stuff probably.

Actually when I was first reading it and thinking it was going to be bad I was reading it exclusively for the architectural details lol, I was like yeah, yeah, they're all sucking each other off, but Damen please tell me again how you feel about the tiling?

What I also particularly liked is how the... scale of the conflict I guess? was refreshingly accurate for the "historical period".

The worldbuilding is a mashup of Ancient Greece and medieval France, but what it really felt like to me is a world where the Roman Empire never really consolidated to the extent that it did in our world and Italy went on into the middle ages (because these are decidedly feudal systems) with Cisalpine Gaul having the, well, Gallic culture, while the South had a Greek one. I may be thinking this because I live in Italy and so everything reminds me of Italy, but once I thought of it I couldn't unsee it.

I guess I gotta put in a cut somewhere and now's as good of a time as any?

But anyway, back to the scale of the conflict, the actual middle ages were filled with small and mid-sized countries, and petty local conflicts with family members turning onto each other over succession and stuff, and random small territories going back and forth (well, that's just Europe in general, always, TBH), and this is how it all felt like to me. Actual medieval history has a guy who started a rebellion because his brothers threw a pisspot at him and his father did nothing about it and he felt humiliated, and the war was secretly funded by his mother, so the combination of the small scale with a random local conflict that probably literally nobody cares about outside of the region we are in + everything being so intensely driven by interpersonal drama between insane people felt really authentic to me, like the kind of weird historical moment that would get turned into a funny Tumblr post. And of course the royals did a lot more sneaking around than was probably smart, but I can forgive that for the swashbuckling vibes and also because if Cleopatra could sneak into a palace in a carpet these guys can do whatever they want in my book.

Speaking of the petty interpersonal drama, I also liked the emphasis on how in this system personal reputation and the performance of kingship are king. Usually when you have a heavily political story it's much more based on the quid-pro-quo, "rational actor" kind of politics, but medieval politics also had a lot more going on in the cultural sense (and so do modern politics actually but at least pretending to be a "rational actor" IS the modern performance of leadership), and here you had people dealing political blows through meticulous management of their own and others' political reputations, which was fun to see, especially in combination with so many manipulative bastard characters. Like, how Laurent is manipulated into going to the border just because looking like a coward will lose him more political points than he can afford, and Damen's continued wearing of the slave cuff and instistence on not being served by slaves initially deals massive blows to his reputation, because these are cultures that value heroism, of one sort or another.

(And speaking of heroism, the emphasis on the physical activity-related activities that are the centerpiece of noble life in both countries were wonderful, especially since because both Ancient Greece and the European Middle Ages were really into that in their respective ways and it makes the mashup feel really well-done and coherent in how she tied it together.)

What's notable is a lack of any kind of religion, which felt particularly glaring during the whole Kingsmeet thing - in the real world there would likely be a belief in some kinda curse from the Gods or something similar to discourage the drawing of weapons, but since I'm not really religious and tend not to personally care about religion (while ofc recognizing its anthropological importance) I really didn't care and it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the series.

Still, I do have to say that the ending of the last book felt reeeeaally rushed, and that felt really glaring exactly because the rest of the series had such amazing detail work and excellent pacing and very gradual plot development.

I didn't get the part with the doctor and the letter (why didn't he say anything earlier? how would they verify the authenticity of the letter? Did anyone even have the time to READ the thing?) but I'm gonna be honest with you here, I read book 3 under a heavy fever and it was like 2 AM when I got to that part, so I'm not sure that I haven't missed something that makes it make more sense.

BUT even if that part makes sense, I feel like the Regent was dealt with far too quickly. Like in one paragraph he is in control of everything, in the next they've already beheaded him and that's it. I can imagine in my head that a lot of the nobles were probably already sick of him and took little convincing, that they were disapproving both of his meddling in foreign politics and of his likely grave breach of cultural rules via taking an aristo kid as a pet, or that he initially rationally seemed a better choice over Laurent until Laurent proved himself to be more competent and with a more competent ally, or they already had some hints about what happened that the audience didn't and the evidence confirmed what was inconclusive before.

But I feel like in a series that spends so much time detailing the shifting alliances between the characters and the public's opinion on everyone that matters? I really needed to be sold on it a bit more. Like I really needed some discussion over what to do with the Regent, I needed them to keep him in a cell for a while as they decided whether to kill him (and have the leads scared that the Regent will turn them over as Laurent often does to people), I needed them to consider the evidence just a little bit more, I needed some post mortem with the council members where they explain what was happening on their side of the things. It needed to be MUCH longer and more detailed.

Another thing I wondered at was why the Regent was so insistent to paint Laurent's collaborations with the Akielons as a bad thing when he was... also collaborating with the Akielons? Like he is foaming at the mouth calling them barbarians and accusing Laurent of sleeping with the prince-killer but it feels more like setup for Damen's big declaration of love than an actual political strategy because my brother in Christ, you are literally in the Akielon royal palace, in the middle of Akielos to which you ran after your nephew started a rebellion, with the Akielon king sitting next to you as your equal. Why do you think that you can convince your people that YOUR Vere-Akielos alliance is somehow more morally pure than Laurent's? This was also the right moment to pull out all the patricide allegations that seemed to be going around for Damen, but IIRC he didn't use that as much as he could if at all.

Since there were some Akielons in the room as well, I was also wondering WTF was Kastor doing as the Regent was shitting on his country and calling them barbarians and making it like allying with them is a grave transgression? Why was HE allowing this humiliation? It felt like a very unpolitical thing to do from a character whose strength was in his political acumen (obviously meaning the Regent, not Kastor) and the plot just let it slide by.

I feel like a lot of this is due to this being the first time that the story had to fit within the constraints of a traditional book? So it needed a decisive traditional climax and perhaps it was getting too long for a traditional format, or the author got a bit tired of it and wanted to wind it up now that she wasn't getting regular feedback as you do with serialized publishing, or she prioritized emotional impact over plot logic.

I don't know. I still think they're great books, and the conclusion was emotionally satisfying in the sense that the psychological and interpersonal threads were wrapped up impeccably, I just wanted more detail on the political side. It's still grabbed me like nothing else did for a long time, I can take a mid ending, half of my favourite series will never have one at all because the author wrote themselves into a corner and then died lol.

[ovenproofowl]

His Dark Materials is a franchise that tackles so many branches of physics and even creates a universe where the main course of study is experimental theology which is all about identifying and explaining dark matter while also adding dimensions to string theory, the multiverse theory, and the very concept of the human soul. At the same time, it aggressively calls out the problem with the state being controlled by the church, how people are condemned for being different and religious fearmongering stops the chance at growth both on an individual and a societal scale. It’s a franchise where the heroes of the story are two children who aren’t allowed to know the prophecy they’re a part of, who save the world unwittingly simply by doing what they believe to be right. Meanwhile, the person who thought he was the hero all along, the person who rallied an army from multiple universes to FIGHT. GOD. HIMSELF. is ultimately consumed by his own ego and forced to take a back seat when he realises he’s just one tiny piece of a much larger story that’s true heart is his own daugher. The child he abandoned, the child he didn’t know or care to know how to look after. It’s a franchise about finding love even when your biological family abandon you, it’s about looking evil in the eye and seeing your own mother, it’s about good and evil not being black and white but instead a complex and cruel mixture of both. It’s about the two worst people you know banding together at the last second to save their daughter with their final breaths. It’s about exploration and learning how to grow through experience, it’s about kindness being shared across the multiverse, exchanging stories with strangers and saving the whole world by doing something perfectly ordinary and receiving no reward.

Oh, and it’s also a franchise rich with fantasy, with giant talking polar bears, witches and ghosts, angels and daemons, and a mammal-like species from another world that travels exclusively on roller skates. 

And it fucking. rocks.

[becca-e-barnes]

I’ve been enjoying some premature ejaculation thoughts recently and it’s probably time to talk about them before they makes me even dizzier 🤤

Just the thought of slipping Bucky’s thick, leaking dick slowly inside you while you’re on top. The glide down on top of him is wonderful and when he’s as deep inside you as you can manage, you take a second to just enjoy feeling stuffed full.

You feel him throbbing inside you, his dick twitching and although he’s trying to keep it together, he’s determined not to let you know that.

After a couple of seconds, you raise your hips and let them fall again, working just a couple of inches towards the base of his cock.

You do the same again a few more times, barely establishing a rhythm before you feel Bucky’s grip on your hips tighten. “You have to slow down for me, sweetheart.”

The strain in his voice floods you with panic for a second and you stop moving.

“Does it hurt? We can try a different position if you like.” You cradle his face with one hand while holding yourself up with the other, staying as still as possible.

“It doesn’t hurt. Just might not last very long like this. Feels so good.” He’s a little embarrassed to admit it but he’s got nothing to worry about.

“Oh? You like this?” You roll your hips once more and enjoy the sharp intake of air it forces into your partner. “Is this too much for you?”

He nods sheepishly, aware of how much he wants this but of how much he wants to please you too.

“You gonna cum inside me already?” You tease, biting your bottom lip while you raise your hips up, letting him slide almost entirely out of you before sinking back down.

The moan it draws from him is beautiful but you’re not stopping there. “You are, aren’t you? You’re going to stuff my pretty pussy full of cum for me. Gonna make sure you have nothing left tonight.”

“Fuck, fuck.” He groans, his hands gripping your waist, pressing you down so he can finish as deep inside you as he can. His face is scrunched in pleasure while his hot cum shoots in thick ropes against the walls of your eager pussy.

There’s something so satisfying in the knowledge that it took no time at all for him to finish and if the rest of the evening is like this, it’ll be a whole lot more fun than you imagined.

[tekkiperson]

Was watching Epic again and :]

[faithblob-says-things]

Dp x Dc prompt 2

Danny gets punted into the Dc universe somehow and loses his memories along the way. Team Phantom and maybe some of his rouge gallery are currently scrambling to find him.

Meanwhile Ma and Pa Kent are very happy to have another son that fell from the sky.

[skrunksthatwunk]

say what you will about that era's character models but y3/4/dead souls majima's crows' feet are top notch and they should be brought back

like here's him age 45(ish)

vs 55

they fucking ironed him out. he's got smoothed

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

In Stars and Disco

(Disco side of the swap)

[ievaxol]

*fandom blind meaning you either have never watched/read/played and/or only know broad strokes of the story

[gophergal]

Y'all know I can't resist r63 so behold! Women (and Pyro)

Bonus doodles (including femHeavyMedic and some commentary) under the cut!

Solly has a mullet, here's a better view of that without her headband

Obligatory HeavyMedic, feat oblivious sapphic Heavy and gremlin lesbian Medic

Demowoman taking a snooze

Notes:

Medic looks kinda like Miss Pauling and I didn't realize that until the HeavyMedic doodle. Damn. Oh well I'm not changing the design she's just going to look like an older evil Miss P

Pyro is the same as always, the only difference that they're obsessed with Dinosaurs and the team started out defaulting to "she/her" for them

Scout's necklace is a locket with a single, blurry, worn photo of her mom in it. She would never be able to identify Spy using it, but it means a lot to her

In the specific AU(s) I have in my brain, the only characters who've been swapped are the Mercs and anyone who would need to be swapped for the sake of keeping the logic consistent. So, Scout's Ma is her dad here and Heavy is the oldest of four sisters. However, Miss Pauling is still a woman. I have a specific reason that boils down to "it's funnier"

[seagull-scribbles]

Love her even though I’m not supposed to ❤️ she keeps me up

[the-witchhunter]

DP x DC Dead Soulmates

This is probably the only soulmate au I'll ever do so enjoy

Soulmate au where your soul mark turns black when your soulmate dies

Danny and Jason are soulmates. The problem? Both of their soul marks are black. Sure, they came back, but not in a typical way, so each thinks the other is dead

So what do we get? Longing. Two guys longing for a love they thought lost to them, thinking tenderly of a future they don't think they could have, even without the added craziness of their lives. Standing on rooftops, smoking in the cold november air, their breath indistinguishable from the smoke, their spent cigarettes flicked off the edge like discount shooting stars, lamenting their fates, probably to each other for the dramatic irony of it all

they both get it. The quiet kind of grief, longing for somebody they never got the chance to know, thinking about how things could have been different, how the should have been different. That understanding is what draws them towards each other

and then? Jason sees Danny's mark, Jason shows his own, they stare at each other, silent for a moment, before arms wrap around the other, lips pressed together, and quiet tears fall like rain to the rooftop beneath their feet

longing, angst, and then happy ending

and you can thank this song for inspiring the mood for this

[fish-washer]

they need a bigger couch...

something for @n1ckelpistol 's flatmates au!!

rambles + flat version under the cut

i'd like to think that the batter still explored all of the zones and acquired the add ons despite abandoning his mission- they're kinda like pets now and hang around the flat

that being said- Zacharie's flat is in zone 2, right? since he owns the amusement park, he probably lives close by...

also- does the batter have his own room/bed?

hmm, i almost like this version better

[lesbian-jack-barnabas]

audio drama side of tumblr im once again begging for recs. can yall give me some space based scifi. im an avatar of the Vast in the worst way possible and i need something to make me think about the mysteries of the universe or i’ll die

[becca-e-barnes]

There's just something about CEO Bucky being a secret Sub that's really appealing to me tonight

Your heels hardly make any sound at all as you cross the carpeted hotel room floor, letting the door click shut behind you.

"It's good to see you. It's been too long." You're only half listening to the man in front of you, choosing instead to find a spot for your bag and fix your hair after the short walk up the street to the hotel.

"It's been far too long." You agree, turning to face him. Fuck, he looks good. His crisp, white shirt has the top button undone, his tie draped over the back of the chair. His black dress trousers look quite uncomfortable now but you don't dwell on it. He won't be wearing them too much longer anyway.

His hair is sitting perfectly and he's clearly shaved earlier that morning. He looks fucking fantastic but as much as you need to feel some control over him, you need to start with having control over yourself.

You take a second to lean over and give him a gentle kiss, your lips barely brushing his. It's gentle and tender but saturated in barely restrained lust.

It's hard not to let this devolve; to let his hands wander over your body, to let your tongue glide against his and your fingers curl in the short hair at the top of his neck. You're hungry for him and you know he shares your desperation but a when you've waited this long, what's a few more minutes?

"You look beautiful." He smiles, his eyes darting from your lips, back up to meet your eyes again. He's so gentle with you; so wonderfully considerate of your needs and desires. He always has been but tonight, you know he needs the release you're going to offer him.

You stand up, shrugging your long coat off, laying it carefully on the chair off to the side of the bed, leaving you in only a dark leather set and your heels.

"Jesus Christ." You hear him whisper and if that didn't make you feel powerful, the weight of flogger in your hand that you slipped out of your bag certainly does.

"I want you..." You begin, crossing the space once again, marvelling in the entirety of that statement. "To take all this off. And then I want you to get on your knees for me. Can you do that?"

It's nice to make a man like this feel small, knowing that's what he wants too. His head nods excitedly, his fingers busy undoing the buttons of his shirt while you cup his stiffening cock through his trousers.

"Good." You're practically purring, heat blossoming between your legs at the eagerness of this brilliant, intelligent, capable man to hand his ability to think over to you.

Once he's naked, he places himself neatly on his knees on the carpet and you enjoy wrapping his own tie around his head, securing it over his eyes.

His cock juts beautifully out from his body, erect and begging for attention that neither of you want to give it just yet.

"Now." You tease, positioning yourself at the edge of the bed beside him, guiding his face to your spread thighs. "I want you to put that pretty mouth to good use. You can do that, can't you?"

"Yes." He whispers between kisses to the soft insides of your thighs and you know in his head he's waxing poetic about the heat of your skin under his lips.

The tips of the flogger trail up his back, gently tickling his skin before you flick your wrist and make them strike his back.

"Talk isn't what I'm looking for." You remind him, your fingers in his hair guiding his head to your cunt.

He laps eagerly, moaning pathetically at the taste of your arousal, flicking your clit and sliding his tongue into your entrance like this is all he's ever needed.

"Traffic light safe word system." You remind him, trailing the tips of the flogger up his back again. "Or just don't disappoint me and we won't need to use it."

[tartarduck]

otome isekai pt 2

[ddarker-dreams]

n darling hurting blade's feelings as she should .