#yay for non gratuitous sex scenes

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

okay re point 9 in your fic question post--i'm very ace and not really someone who's all that into sex or smut or other porn-adjacent things, but i will absolutely power through (and sometimes even enjoy it bc you're so genuinely good at writing) when it comes up in your longer, more plotty and character-driven fics. you're so great at character work and making the reader care about what's happening that when the smut does happen, it feels very natural and relevant which i personally vastly prefer over pwp or gratuitous sex--which isn't bad! it's just not my sorta thing. anyway, i just wanted to say that i love your writing whatever it is and you shouldn't ever worry about whether people only like your stuff for the steamy sections <3

Awww anon! This warmed my heart so much! I do write PWP or pure smut sometimes (I mean... I did a whole monsterfucking month...) and I totally understand that's not everyone's thing. I certainly don't judge! But I'm really glad to hear that the smut in my multichapter or character-driven fics is something you still enjoy because of the character interactions and development. I don't want my smut in those cases to just be AND NOW THERE WAS SEX, I want it to be a part of the greater whole and to show the development of the character's relationship (or if it's at the very end, to show how they are finally on the same page and connected yay we can all collapse in relief now). I'm really so glad to here that I succeed in that for you and that you enjoy those scenes as part of the greater story - and that the non-smut parts of my story are appreciated and a draw for people as well. That really means a lot for me to hear, thank you sweet nonny, and I hope that you're taking care of yourself and having a good day. <3

[azuresquirrel]

HEY GUESS WHO’S WATCHING EPISODE ONE OF “AMERICAN GODS” ALMOST A WEEK LATER.

Many assorted comments/liveblog within.

DISCLAIMERS HENCEFORTH: I come to this primarily as a fan of Fuller and some cast members. I attempted to read the book when I was seventeen but quit about 50 pages (?) in because I found an extreme lack of said gods I was promised and could not connect with the protag at all. Given I have read many books recently that I couldn’t “get into” at a younger age, it is probably much better than I remember it. But in short: consider me an unsullied non-book-reader for this experience.

I could barely make heads or tails of that opening sequence except that Starz said to Fuller “you have an actual budget and can do whatever you want” and Fuller said “WHATEVER I want” and Starz said “WHATEVER you want” and here we are and it’s ULTRA AESTHETIC and I fucking love it.

DAVID SLADE DIRECTED THIS EPISODE. ANOTHER HANNIBAL AESTHETIC ALUM. Will he direct every episode? I must know.

AESTHETICCCCCCCCCCC.

Okay so we’re starting with VIKINGS so on the one hand POINTS for not starting with Christopher fucking Columbus but on the other hand, we WILL deal with the fact that people lived on America for thousands of years before white Europeans came, yes?

GRATUITOUS VIKING VIOLENCE AND AESTHETIC. THIS IS SCRATCHING THE ITCH I HAVE HAD SINCE “HANNIBAL” ENDED, THANK.

HA HA HA BLOOD EXPLOSIONS AND LIMBS FLYING. I am not the only one who missed Hannibal.

Who the hell is this historian/narrator guy anyway? Is he a character of importance later? A said “god” perhaps? I KNOW NOTHING, JON SNOW.

Yeah I am definitely one billion times more interested and invested in the story of a black man in prison than when I was a callow 17-year-old.

HELLO THERE WILL AND HANNIBAL’S FANBOY FROM SEASON TWO (okay for one second I thought he was the dude who played Ramsey Bolton on Game of Thrones, so sue me). The first of many Bryan Fuller Repertory Players no doubt.

“I don’t believe anything I can’t see.” I feel like future events will probably test this, protag.

Dreams? Visions?? MY DESIGN??? What’s your aesthetic vision deal, protag? OKAY SHADOW, THAT’S HIS NAME.

Aaaaaand cue the dead wife. I hope there’s some supernatural fuckery with her later because I have little patience for the dead wife trope being played 100% straight in the year of our lord 2017.

“Do not. Piss off. Those Bitches. In airports.” I can see the teeth marks on the scenery.

PLANE SEAT OF DESTINY NEXT TO IAN MCSHANE.

“It’s not the cash it’s the faith.” I THINK IAN MCSHANE MAY POSSIBLY BE MAGIC I DON’T KNOW WHY.

I kinda remember this plane scene from the book and I feel like it’s much faster and more interesting here in the series.

Hi tree probably from Norse mythology because Vikings.

HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHA

NIGHTMARE BUFFALO

WITH FIRE EYES

BAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

“SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA” Hello gorgeous woman with . . . a seriously red theme going on. Um, white dude, I do not think she is into you for your body. Unless maybe to eat your body.

UM?????????????????????

OH

OHHHHHHHHHHH

Well

She . . . um . . . sort of . . . ate him . . . in a way

Well then.

. . . thanks to Game of Thrones I can say that wasn’t even the most awkward sex scene I’ve seen on TV.

And now Shadow’s in a bar that looks like the inside of an alligator’s mouth because why the fuck wouldn’t he be? IT’S FULLER-SLADE LAND. (actually where is Shadow geographically? I can’t place it and I don’t know it that’s intentional or I just missed some dialogue)

I think I’d be pretty weirded out by Ian McShane popping up in the bathroom too so #relatable.

UNNECESSARILY AESTHETIC WAY OF SHOWING A RECORD PLAYER. AMAZING.

hello there Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

“aren’t you a little tall for a leprechaun” RACIST.

“Mad Sweeney” GEE DO YOU THINK THIS IS AN IRISH LEPRECHAUN? DO YOU THINK??

I don’t know who this actor is playing Shadow but he’s seriously good. Nailed that “I’ll hurt people for you” speech.

“You’re my man now.” I’M SURE THIS WILL END WELL.

“Now that’s a coin trick for you.” I feel like Shadow might be slightly missing prison at this point.

And now Mad Sweeney wants to fight. DO YOU THINK???? HE’S IRISH?????

I am loving Ian McShane’s practically showboating American accent.

The casket is never open during Catholic funerals, that’s just for the wake/viewing. I know, I know it’s for #AESTHETIC.

thank you Shadow for not fucking this drunk woman on your cheating wife’s grave. I TAKE THE VICTORIES WHERE I CAN GET THEM.

what??????????

so this thing is on his face . . . and now he’s in a . . . space ship . . . with non-drag Laganga from Rupaul’s Drag Race. And he’s . . . smoking a frog . . . and his guards are not fully rendered . . . um. Is this weirdo like the god of internet or some shit?

Forgive the understatement, but Shadow is not having a good day.

WELL THIS IS EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE.

YAY BLOOD-PLOSIONS.

And of course that’s where it ends.

So. Lots of things that are astoundingly unexplained to me and will probably be so for a while.

I’M ON BOARD THIS BATSHIT AESTHETIC RIDE.

That being said, please soon have some female characters that are not dead or completely defined by fucking guys.