#I think that's all the prominent characters here

[hexhomos]

Can I just say, as someone who really likes Mel's character, I love and appreciate the hell out of your dissections of her interactions. It is such a bummer seeing people think she wasn't actively being malicious throughout the series even after admitting with her whole chest she was building (aka assimilating) piltover for her family? Like not being able to get any genuine exploration of her from people who like her is so obnoxious. I have to seek out ppl who don't like her to get anything that isn't woobifying her to hell or treating her like an idiot 😭 So thank you but also geez, fandom literacy is at rock bottom.

All these posts going "you guys want complex female characters but you can't even handle X" turn out to be true but in the sense that ppl loathe it when you point out the n.1 billionaire in the CLASS WAR SHOW absolutely profits off the systemic misery and needs to be held up to task. My issue has always been how the centrist lib writing glossed over this and the same thing happened with cait's fascist arc in s2.

But in the very least, the whole back half of mel's arc is her going back on those medarda line ambitions and rebelling against her mother. The imperialism IS THE TEXT. She leaves piltover bc she has no business ruling over these people and treating them like a game did do harm! It is my sincere hope that her future writing has a better angle and features her going against Noxus' genocidal procedures bc it also leaves a really bitter taste in my mouth to see the two prominent black women being stand-ins for.... epic gamer colonialism.... that Ambessa book is also going to be set in the past when she was actively taking part in genocide which is a fucking red flag😷 but the author seems aware of that and willing to question the whole thing. She's also a proud outspoken butch lesbian so here's hoping we get that Lest backstory; she seemed a bit too detailed in s2 to be just a throwaway character.

[helluvathings]

Satan and the Nature of the Deadly Sins

First note: Viv has confirmed that Satan is lying.

But I do have thoughts on where the lie here is, and what's being said or implied about the Sins. Because even accounting for the falsehood, I actually think this does strongly hint that the Sins aren't angels, and have been part of Hell from the start: presumably created when Eve ate the apple and humans gained free will, leading to sin, implicitly leading to "the Sins."

Note, Satan talks about an endless dark, "long before" Lucifer fell. He's making himself out to be a primordial entity that preexisted Lucifer and Hell's current system by a substantial margin. As if way, way back when, Satan was "in charge." If the Hazbin creation story is accurate, Hell existed without Lucifer for the duration of time it took him to be banished. We don't know how long this was, but presumably it wasn't that much time.

We also have Ozzie saying he knew Mammon "from the start of Hell." I've seen people theorize that this can fit the fallen angel theory, and he's referring to how they all met when Lucifer rebelled, but there's been so little indication that there was a big rebellion in heaven previously—as opposed to Lucifer getting kicked out for the sole act of the apple/trying to institute change as an individual—that there doesn't seem to be much evidence for additional angels having been punished. (In Hazbin, Sera warns Emily she might end up like Lucifer, citing him as an individual). It'd also be an awkward way to phrase it (something like "from before our Fall" would work better in that case). Ozzie's words in 2x07 imply, I'd argue, a common origin point, and that he and Mammon began at the same time in the same place. Which fits the Hazbin story (Eve -> apple -> free will -> sin/Hell -> Sins). It even matches with Bee saying Satan is like a brother. Common origin, but not technically related.

In which case, there possibly was endless darkness like Satan mentioned. But also, likely not much to rule, or much time for Satan to do so before Lucifer fell, when Lilith took over and structured Hell into what it is today. Given there would've been confusion and a lack of order, it likely would've been chaotic and undeveloped (Lilith being the as-of-now-canonical reason things shaped up). Satan, implied as the strongest, maybe would've scrounged up a semblance of power, but a) not for long, and b) not over anything substantial. Hence, this look from Ozzie and Bee:

But what really stands out to me is the way Satan refers to Lucifer, and the way Lucifer is separated out from the other Sins on the whole. Calling him "the golden angel" and referring to "his fall" as a distinct event separate from Satan himself does make it seem like Lucifer was something foreign that came crashing in. Note how Lucifer still looks like his angelic self. Notably, the very distinctive angel's wings none of the other Sins possess. Being a fallen angel is a massive part of his character, his motivations, his actions and beliefs. It dyes every part of who he is. On the door to the courtroom, Lucifer's angelic wings and nature are dominant in his symbol's design, and he's placed above the other Sins, whose designs revolve around their sin, or prominent physical features.

It could be argued that the others got over the Fall better, or were different classes of angels (so look different after being punished). But it's a factor that's so absent from their backstory or characterization that it'd almost undermine Lucifer's struggle to have something that colors his whole existence be totally irrelevant to the other fallen angels. I get the impression more so that Lucifer's angelic nature actually stands out, and might be one reason he feels so isolated, especially after his divorce. If he had six people who'd gone through the same trauma, he'd have something. If he's instead forced to brush elbows with and work alongside six demons that symbolize his ultimate failure, and who resulted directly from his actions with the apple, that's more complicated. Again, Satan calling him "the golden angel" makes it see like he's separating angels as something other. And "the angel's fall" is another separation. Satan lying about that part doesn't serve much purpose; if anything, if he was a fallen angel too, he could assert himself as the one who stepped up while Lucifer crashed and burned.

Instead, Satan attempts to distinguish himself from Lucifer in this entirely different way, by framing himself as something far, far more deeply rooted in Hell, older and better. It's not just an 'I'm the strongest' bluff, but there's an attempt to establish himself as the one who's always been here. And I'm thinking, when Viv says Lucifer has always been "first," she means in terms of hierarchy. Where it leaves room for the Sins to have been created as part of Hell, but Satan's lie comes from asserting the "a long time" and that he'd ever been in charge. It feels more natural to assume that Satan is doubling down and exaggerating his past authority, but not lying about his origin.

Final note: it is canon that Lucifer inadvertently created Hell, and was thrown into the pit he created. Also, confirmed that Ozzie has known Mammon since the "start of Hell." While there's a chance Ozzie is using hyperbole: it's framed like Hell was, in some form, around at least a short time before Lucifer showed up. And that Ozzie and Mammon were present. Unless there are wordplay shenanigans involved, discounting Satan's words to the extent it butts against that established timeline is probably throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Summing it up: I've seen a few reactions to Viv's post about Satan implying that it doesn't make sense with previous lore or that things aren't adding up, but I think that view overestimates how much of what Satan is saying is actually false. He's bullshitting being a primordial god-like power for sure, which fits Ozzie and Bee rolling their eyes. I think if he was lying about the whole creation story altogether, they'd have been less 'shut up, wtf,' and more visibly confused. Of course future episodes could disprove all of this, but my impression is that the way Satan referred to Lucifer and his presence in Hell actually solidifies that he (and the others) aren't fallen angels, and his "for a long time before" thing being untrue is actually a mark in favor of the Hazbin creation story being at least mostly canonical (since it wasn't a long time; he probably had like two weeks to try flexing), as opposed to proof against it.

Also maybe sets up Satan having a quiet rivalry with Lucifer or at least pushing his authority? I think it might be very relevant that Satan goes the route of I've always been here when he's trying to set himself above and apart, and that he points out Lucifer falling in as an outsider. That might just be speculation, but that framing feels intentional.

[starshower1215]

Thoughts on Levi's First Impression of Hange

During a writing session, I went back and referenced Bad Boy, the manga detailing the awakening of Levi's Ackerman powers, and noticed some differences in the way the characters dressed.

The reader sees Levi in fairly simple clothing. A dark cardigan thrown over a tattered, oversized shirt bound at the waist, dark trousers. The men attacking him are in a similar state of dress, one that holds resemblance of the way Eren dresses, as seen here:

So it can be supposed that this would simply be the way that people of lower or middle class dress. However, there's one man in Levi's group of attackers who remains in the back, and doesn't lay a single hand on Levi. Though we don't have a full view of him, it becomes quickly clear that he's of a higher class, given his cigarette, his waistcoat, the collared shirt (see the second following panel). He looks to be the person buying from these men.

It was the fact that he had glasses which caught my attention. This man is set apart from the beginning as a "foreigner," most prominently when he specified that Levi is an illegitimate child from the Underground. He's a foreigner to the Underground, and therefore, a foreigner to Levi. The way he treats Levi here emphasizes the chasm between their two worlds. Glasses also seem to be a general sign of intelligence, or more accurately, of education, which is mainly accessible by the rich. Not even Armin, who shows high levels of intelligence, wears glasses, and this could correlate to the fact that he's not only from Wall Maria, but from one of the towns jutting out of the wall, acting as bait for the titans. This is more clear in that scene of ACWNR where Isabel is shown to be able to add, just very slowly, but I digress.

So, in the introductory scene between Levi and Hange, Hange is automatically a puzzling character. The contrast of their cheerfulness with the tense mood of the scene, the various portrayals of their glasses whited out...

That first panel of them, with the angle from below, maybe Levi's first person perspective. They are basically a different specimen, lol. We saw in Bad Boy how the man in glasses tried to gaslight Levi into believing he was a good man, who tried to help Levi, so the wariness written all over his face is well founded upon seeing this glasses person showing up unexpectedly.

On top of their general kindness (as Levi had really only received offhanded remarks on his upbringing from the Survey Corps so far), they are also, from his perspective, the first "upper class" person to have treated him with so much respect. Not only this, but they're treating his friends kindly, they're in the Survey Corps willingly as a supposed upper class citizen, and they're complimenting him. The initial distrust on Isabel and Furlan's faces is clear, but even they show some surprise when Hange recalls their names, indicating that this is really unusual behavior for someone to pay attention to them this way. With respect? And grace? With humanity? Truly unheard of.

So in conclusion, Hange really is an abnormal in his perspective, aren't they? Of course, they had just heard him discussing his murder plans with Isabel and Furlan, but don't rain on my parade, it's fun to think.

[coffin-hopping]

hey! I got to thinking and actually turned this post of mine into a small drabble

(give me your thoughts on this subject btw!)

this one may be a bit for me to unpack but bare with me lol

so I’ve actually gone on a bit of a spiel about Arthur, his brownness and how that relates to external love, self love, and largely self hatred (I’ll find the post later) the thing is, I really only talked about how all of that relates to his relationship with John, and since the Saltzmans are a bigger can of worms to unpack they definitely deserve their own post

the most prominent relationships he has are with Daniel (father-in-law) and Bella (late wife)

here, I’m gonna focus on the implications of the Saltzmans being brown family

Kayne remarks that Arthur fell “in-like” with Bella, and while that can be interpreted in many ways (Arthur is gay, Arthur is arospec, etc etc) I think in this specific case it can be interpreted as Arthur choosing a “safe” option, let me elaborate— I believe Arthur and Bella really were good friends before they got into a relationship, and in some way loved each other, but the marriage wasn’t as magical or fantastical as either were made to believe marriage would be. not because they didn’t love each other, but because they married out of fear, the fear of never being able to find someone like them again, or someone willing to marry someone like them, someone who looks like they do

the relation of their brownness could also be a factor in Daniel’s anger at Arthur for allowing Bella to leave her pursuit of education to marry him, being that its the 1930s and it would obviously be LOT harder to go to college and pursue higher academics as a woman of color

now, let’s shift the focus to Daniel

we know now from information given in one of the recent episodes that Arthur didn’t have a good relationship with his father, that he was a drunk and payed little attention to him (not sure how I feel about that because ehh it’s a little stereotypical, something I’ve personally gone through though) (yay! projection!) . when Arthur reunites with Daniel, the two are able to talk things through (as best as they can before yk everything with Collins happens) and Arthur begins to consider Daniel as a father-figure, even calling him Dad. this aspect, in my perspective as a brown man, is very sweet! Arthur after a lifetime of grief is able to reconcile with Daniel and both are able to get back something they lost (Arthur has a father again, Daniel gets to be a father again)

there’s also something to say about a brown man who never really had a father finding solace in another brown man who offers that sort of relationship, idk!!!

I just. really like observing the possible racial dynamics between the characters in this series

[kulemiwrites]

November 17: Kazuma Kiryu

The (No)vember Experiment

What’s the longest you and your dreamboat have gone without getting frisky? Are the two of you constantly teeming with insatiable desire? Can’t keep your hands to yourselves for more than a moment? Depending on your answers to any one of those questions, the idea of going an ENTIRE month without chasing “The Big O” may sound like either a breeze, a curse or a blessing in disguise! Wouldn’t you like to find out which? 

That’s right! We at the KW♥️LOVE offices are challenging our readers and their lovers to a month-long experiment to test their self-restraint! Yes, you read that right– AN ENTIRE MONTH without “The Big O”! Think you can handle it? Rip off the October page of that wall calendar, whip out your favorite marker and get to X’ing off the days until you complete(or forfeit) the NOvember experiment!

We encourage all participants to print out the survey we’ve created for the occasion to fill out and give feedback on your experiences! Keep them for your records in case you participate again next NOvember, discard them when the experiment is over or send them in and we’ll include your feedback in next month’s intimacy column!

[Any submissions will be carefully reviewed by our team. All personal identifiers such as names and unique nicknames will be redacted to ensure the safety and security of our readers before publishing.]

Rating: 18+ Characters: Kazuma Kiryu & GN! Reader A/N: The idea here is that KW♥️LOVE (Sometimes just KW, and broken into sections) is a fictional version of Cosmopolitan. I was feeling nostalgic over the bygone age of the magazine lol. Surveys are filled out by the character. You determine how the reader would answer their own.)

READ ON A03

Portrait used on calendar is used with permission of the artist @fabylp

The furrows in his brows were made more prominent the longer he stared at your message: a single skull emoji and words written in all capital letters, ‘DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SENT ME?!’ which was followed by a combination of punctuation that he could only describe as exaggerated. No matter how long he turned the situation over in his mind, he couldn’t fathom why you’d react in such a way. 

Wasn’t this the exact sort of thing you were talking about when you vocalized your dissatisfaction in the relationship with him? Something about bonding and rekindling the connection?

It felt a little foolish now, but he was so certain that you’d have been over the moon with the idea. Was it really bad enough to warrant such an adverse reaction? 

He supposed he could return to the drawing board and do a little more research but he wasn’t sure if he had it in him at this very moment. With a light sigh, he locked his phone and lifted himself off of the grey sectional, ignoring his cell when it dropped onto the floor near the ottoman. 

He decided that he could go and check in about dinner. At least, that he knew you’d appreciate. 

The moment and not a second later that your eyes fell onto him you burst into a laughing fit which only further confused him. Not only was his idea bad, but it was hilarious to you? That couldn’t have been it could it? He’d begun to wonder if he’d somehow missed something. 

“What is it?” he asked, and he wondered if you could pick up on his mild frustration or if he'd done a decent enough job of masking it. 

“That thing you sent me!” you continued to giggle as you dipped your wooden ladle into the steaming stock pot. “What made you send that out of the blue?”

He stared at you for a moment. 

Wasn’t he just on the receiving end of your tears a few nights ago as you confessed that you felt as if the two of you drifted? That you were feeling neglected? That he didn’t try enough to have quality time with you?

What could have been so random about the idea? As far as he was concerned, it was fairly topical. 

The corners of his mouth tugged downward before he finally spoke up, “I thought you would enjoy that sort of thing… You said that we didn’t spend enough time together these days.”

After the words came out, he realized how accusatory he sounded but he didn’t intend for it to come off that way. He just couldn’t swallow his frustration. 

Nothing about this felt right. 

“I’m sorry, Kazuma. I don’t mean to laugh.” though you had a pretty funny way of showing it. “It’s just a little– Okay, so you think that by having less sex, we could–”

“Less what?” 

He had no clue what expression he was making but the moment he registered realization washing over your features, he was quickly able to piece together that the two of you seemed to be having totally different conversations. 

“Y-you sent a link to an article…” you said, laying the ladle down to whip out the cell phone in your back pocket. “A couple’s test or challenge or something? No sex for 30 days?”

“I did? I–”

Very quickly he found himself at your side, chest pressed to your shoulder as you flicked your thumb across the screen to pull up the article in question. 

Right there in big, bold, black letters were the words The (No)vember Experiment. The tension he didn’t even realize was in his neck and shoulders melted away in an instant. 

So, it was a misunderstanding… Of course, it was a misunderstanding!

Truthfully, if he weren’t so preoccupied with his relief that you didn’t dislike his idea so strongly, he might have found himself feeling a little more embarrassed at the contents of the article that he did send which you so graciously chose to read aloud. 

“I meant to send something else.” he said, folding an arm over his chest as he used his free hand to stroke at his goatee. “Not sure how a mix up like that could happen…”

“Well,” you smiled, looking over your shoulder at him. “It wouldn’t be the first time, right?”

Right… 

Well, he’d never been the best with technology. 

Just when he thought he’d figured one thing out, it’s suddenly replaced by something new and slightly more complicated. He could never keep up. Between you and his kids, he was able to learn enough about his phone to get by but that didn’t come without its mishaps. 

The most recent example that he could recall was the time he accidentally sent a photo of these special series cleats that Mitsuo wanted to Haruka then inquired about the size he needed. Thinking that it was meant to be a surprise, she was able to help but after he sent a text of gratitude with the other’s name, she teased him about the mix up for days– and she’d even gotten Mitsuo in on it, who promptly texted him asking if he’d accidentally save their numbers under the wrong names. 

It was a little embarrassing but a much needed lesson because since then, he’s made certain that he’s sending his messages to the intended party but… what use was that when he wound up sending the wrong things?

Your voice lured him back to the present when you asked what he meant to send and his ears began to heat up at the thought of having to explain it now, in person. 

“Something about having a two person book club together.” he managed. 

You enjoyed reading and he didn’t mind himself reading a good book every once in a while. It seemed harmless enough. The author of the article described it as ‘the perfect way to engage in meaningful conversation while subtly promoting the importance of one-on-one time’ and while you didn’t quite use that many words, that was roughly what you were hinting at in that tear-filled conversation.

He thought that by sharing the idea, you’d realize that he didn’t ignore your needs like you thought he did. He wanted you to be happy, but he didn’t quite nail the execution. 

“Oh, was it this one?” you asked, tapping a recommended article on the side of the small screen. 

One look at the sappy stock photo and he knew that it was the one.

“Yeah.” he answered, taking a few steps back from you to rest against the wall as you read over the article and when you finished, you beamed at him.

“Wait, this is actually a really cute idea!”

He felt a triumphant smile tugging at his lips but he fought against it and repeated his same simple affirmation from before. 

“Are you sure that this is something you want to try? I mean, you won't find it boring or anything?”

He gave you a nod and finally, a small smile now that he felt confident enough to contain it. 

Your eyes raked over him as you absentmindedly tapped your cell against your chin, obviously turning something over in your own head. Then, your eyes glimmered when you reached your conclusion. 

“What do you think of combining both ideas?” you asked. 

The furrows returned, “‘Both’?” 

“The November thing and the book club idea?”

Truthfully, after feeling so pleased with himself for getting to see the reaction he’d hoped for, he’d very quickly forgotten about his little blunder. He’d have to go over it again to understand the details but when you beamed at him the way you were, he figured that it couldn’t hurt. So, he agreed. 

However, when your sweet smile twisted into something a little more sinister, he considered if maybe, just maybe, he should have asked a couple of follow up questions before signing at the proverbial dotted line. 

“I know exactly which book we can start with.” you said, returning your attention to the stockpot on the stove. “I’ll order them after I finish up here.”

He nodded, then offered you a helping hand as he’d originally intended albeit, now feeling a little more chipper.

(No)vember Experiment. Initial Survey Are both of you participating? Yes Have you ever practiced abstaining from sex for any period of time before? Never thought about it that way, but yes Do you believe you are capable of completing this experiment? Probably Do you believe in your partner(s)’ ability to complete this experiment? Probably Do you predict a “loser"? Hopefully neither Initial thoughts on the month ahead? I wonder what we’ll read together

You’d lost him. He was quiet. Quieter than usual. It was your anniversary and he was quiet for goodness sake. Your talk from the other night crossed your mind and you considered if maybe you’d pressured him so much that now he was feeling too overwhelmed to make an effort. 

But, that couldn’t have been it, right? 

After all, why would he pull out all the stops planning such a beautiful evening? Gussying himself up in semi-formal attire that was as closely matched to yours as possible? Pushing himself out of his comfort zone to woo you? Wine and dine you? Surely he wouldn’t exhaust all that effort just to shut you out the moment you hailed a cab home… 

Right?

Actually, there had been something a little off about him since your entrees were placed in front of you. At first you considered that perhaps, he’d had a little too much to drink but after his second whiskey, he’d practically gorged himself in water. 

So, that couldn’t be it. 

It was such a shame, you thought as you slid your key into the front door lock. He looked so mouthwateringly delectable tonight that if he’d have suggested skipping dessert so that you could rush home, you wouldn’t have been the least bit upset about it. 

Drawn in to him by the scent of that cologne that had a Pavlovian effect on your body, you wanted to smother him. 

Shower him your affection. 

Drown him in smooches from one head to the other and otherwise, thank him for such a lovely– no, magical evening. 

However, this mood of his was anything but encouraging and when he ripped himself out of his coat at the first click of the unlocked door as if he couldn’t get out of it fast enough, you were practically resigned to the fact that the ‘magical evening’ you were internally gushing over had drawn to a premature close. 

After stepping out of your shoes, you left him in the entryway to kick out of his own and hang up his coat. Toes wiggling in celebration of their new found freedom, you trudged your way down the single step to the living room and over to the sectional then allowed yourself to sink, not caring which way your limbs fell in the process. 

Burying your face into the back cushion, you swallowed hard at the lump forming in your throat. You guessed that Kazuma would head straight to the bedroom to dress down or maybe shower off the long day and when he did, you considered if maybe you’d allow yourself to cry just a little. 

Instead of that, you were met with a heavy blanket of warmth in the form of a man resting his cheek on your rising and falling belly after making room for himself between your parted legs. He’d tucked his hands beneath your waist as he nuzzled into you and a soupçon of that cologne caressed your nostrils. 

You lifted yourself onto your forearms, first spotting his soft dark hair next the sliver of his handsome face. 

“You look so perfect tonight.” he spoke against you, slightly muffling himself. His voice was already so low that you were left questioning if you’d heard what you thought you did. 

Though, judging by the rouge tinting his ear, the likelihood of him repeating himself verbatim was guaranteed to be slim.

“I know I’ve asked this before but, are you sure you’re okay?”

He drew your waist in even tighter and though you couldn’t see his lips fully, the lift at his cheek told you that he’d been smiling when he said, “Never been better.”

You combed through his thick hair, giving the short strands closest to his neck a light twist as you huffed out a sigh. 

“And yet, here I am thinking that you’re upset with me somehow.” 

He almost flinched at your words then lifted himself to get a good look at your face. 

His furrows were deep and his eyes were slightly widened and geez– he had no fucking idea. 

“What–” he began with a grunt as he lifted himself off you entirely. You quickly maneuvered so that he could take a proper seat on the sectional with you. “What would I have to be upset about?”

You humped your shoulders, “I’m not sure, I– I noticed you seemed to get a little strange after a certain point of our dinner and when we got in the taxi–”

“No, sorry, I–” he said, shaking his head. “I’m not upset about anything.”

You wanted to press him for more information but you didn’t fully trust yourself to not sound frustrated so you settled for a mildly expectant look and he understood immediately. 

“All night, I’ve been thinking about how to strike up a conversation about those chapters we were supposed to read. I just wasn’t sure when it would be the right time, considering…” he trailed off. 

Suddenly, it all made so much sense. The hard look in his face when you caught him staring at you, the way he’d suddenly shifted his gaze when you questioned him about it, the dusty rose that tinged his cheeks off and on– all of it was because he was trying to work himself up to discuss the novel you’d been reading together, in public. 

The erotic novel you had been reading together. 

Your lips curled into a smile and at the moment, the memory that you were just seconds away from spending the remaining evening of your anniversary in tears was virtually wiped from the record.

“Damn it, Kazuma.” you hissed, playfully giving his thigh a tap with your foot which he quickly caught and rested in his lap. “You stressed me out for nothing!”

His gaze dropped to your foot as he gave the heel a gentle squeeze and uttered out yet another apology. 

You didn’t need another apology, though. 

This was just yet another instance of you and Kazuma’s neverending trial of miscommunications and misunderstandings. If anyone ever thought to give out awards for that, the two of you would bring home the grandest trophy of them all and yet– You loved that man. 

The excitement of knowing that there was plenty of opportunity to salvage this night, you bounced in your seat and propped yourself onto your elbow that you were now resting against at the back of the sectional. 

“So? What did you think? Do you finally see what I mean when I say that the felon character reminds me of you? Uh, no offense.” you said, raising your hand when you realized how that sounded. 

He chuckled in that soft, airy way that he does as he nodded. “Yeah, I suppose we do have kind of similar qualities– outside of being a felon.”

“I mean, even the way the narrator describes him reminds me of you. I reaaally like him… But, I think in a way, when I picture him in my head, I sort of picture you.”

Again, he chuckled. “I’m not so sure that you’re meant to like him like that–”

“That’s the beauty of erotica. They make the love interest so bad for you that you can’t help but want them.” 

“I’m not sure I get that.” he said, a soft smile still raising his cheeks. “But, I do get what you mean about being reminded of someone… I think I’m sort of drawn to the protagonist because of all the ways I’m reminded of you.” 

“Then I guess they’re a perfect match, huh?”

“In that way, I’d like to think that they are.” he said, now fully massaging your foot. 

“Did you finish both chapters?” you asked, wiggling your brows. “Did you get to the scene of them on the floor?”

Kazuma drew in a sharp breath and his jaws clenched, then he gently removed your foot from his lap and shifted uncomfortably in his seat before answering with a shaky affirmative.

The imagery of the scene in question flashed in your mind and your bottom lip quickly found itself tucked between your teeth. 

For a while, he stared at the floor ahead of him and you couldn’t help but wonder if he was at all thinking what you were. After a long moment of thick silence, he stretched his arms out on the back of the section and slouched a little further into his seat then allowed his head to loll back against it as well. 

Studying his profile; his heavy lidded gaze at the ceiling, the way his perfectly shaped lips hang ever so slightly open, that familiar rouge from nose to ear and that repetitive bob of his Adam’s apple as if he’d found his own saliva too thick to swallow, caused you to squirm in your own seat. 

He was almost too inviting to resist but the moment he turned those heavy lidded eyes on you, you accepted that you couldn’t. 

Kazuma welcomed your sudden impulse to straddle him by caging both sides of your face with his big, warm hands and bringing you in for the greediest of kisses. 

Frenzied.

Impassioned. 

He kissed you with urgency as if kissing you like this was his final hope at keeping you alive but the irony of that was that his intensity left you with very little chance to breathe. For a moment, it was even as if you’d completely forgotten how to. Each tangle of your wet muscles left you moaning through one breath and gasping for air in the next. 

Every part of your body sought to claim him– your nails dragged across his scalp, your lips sucked at his strong neck, your knees locked him in place while your hips and waist rocked and rolled against the part of him that was seemingly just as eager to meet as you were. 

And he didn’t seem to want you any other way. 

Quiet moans pushed through his thoroughly abused lips as his thick fingers burrowed into your thighs, wordlessly encouraging you to make use of him as you saw fit. 

He was so…  receptive tonight and judging by the groans that he’d been choking back, painfully sensitive.

It only just dawned on you just how long it had been since you were last together and you had zero desire in prolonging it any further– not when both your bodies responded to each other so politely. 

His lips were back in hot pursuit of you when you broke away from him, leaving him to look up at you through adoring but intensely heated eyes. His chest heaving. 

He seemed to struggle to let you go when you lifted yourself off his lap and his gaze remained glued to you as you nudged away the weightless ottoman– as you sank down to the floor– as you spread your legs wide for him. 

The moment your index finger curled to beckon him to the floor, he dove to you, yanking his tie on the way down.

(No)vember Experiment CONCLUSION SURVEY Experiment duration? 16 days Did this challenge meet your expectations? Never had any Did you notice anything different about your partner during this time? The types of books that __ reads right under my nose… Will you participate in the (NO)vember Experiment again next year? If ___ wants to Any closing remarks on your experience? It was fine, but I did forget about it

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[mai-komagata]

Hmmm... I don't know how to pinpoint the issue I'm having here. I don't think Galadriel was treated by Sauron in the same way he treated Adar or Celebrimbor, but I also don't think anyone is saying that. Because I have always insisted that what is interesting about Sauron is he manipulates each person in a *different* way, to suit their personalities -- and that is what makes him not a flat villain but a mirror. Galadriel is treated like an equal because that is what she craves more than anything. Celebrimbor is lovebombed because being treated as special is what he craves. I don't think Galadriel is some helpless damsel in distress -- and I think it would be very hard to make one of the most prominent women in fantasy "de-exceptionalized" -- Galadriel is exceptional by her very nature, regardless of her relationship to Sauron. I think when people say "sauron is evil as both halbrand and annatar" people sorta imagine people are saying "he is a mustachioed twirling villain with no other internal motivation other than generic evil", and that is not it at all. Sauron wants to be in the orbit of amazing and powerful people to achieve amazing things. Halbrand is repeatedly shown as having that motivation, and it is true that by watching *who Halbrand shows favor to* and *who he treats with contempt* you get a very clear picture of who he is. And there is nobody more amazing to him *at first* than Galadriel. I think it overly villainizes Galadriel to say she was using Halbrand in the same way he was using her. He is very deliberately lying to her until the point when he can no longer sustain the lie. He knows she is hunting Sauron and he knows he is deceiving her about that fact the whole way through. She, on the other hand, is very clear about her intentions with how a man from the southlands can help her attain an army, and he delivers for her.* Sauron is at no point deceived by what Galadriel is doing and is egging her on. Had he been an ordinary man, the situation would very much not have been one of equals at all. But Halbrand is never an ordinary man, he is always fully consciously Sauron. Crucially, I don't think Galadriel's ambition/vendetta means she deserves to have been catfished by Sauron. But I don't think there is a power imbalance in their relationship either, and I think that is what Gennifer is saying -- not like Mirdania, for example, or even with Celebrimbor, that knows he is working with a Maiar and feels cowed by it. I think there is a desire to express this as binaries -- either Galadriel is a victim or she is a victimizer. Or that Sauron is doing evil or doing good. Sauron has goals. Galadriel has goals. Their goals aligned for season 1 and they use each other to further those goals. Their partnership is very utilitarian. He was still very pointedly trying to deceive her about his identity in the hopes of dissuading her from her goals and having her perpetually under his thrall. But that is a long term objective -- not something he was acting towards specifically until s1e8. *I also think people interpret the line of Sauron "offering her an army" to refer to his offer to make her his queen at the end of the season. At that point the gig is up, that offer is a last hail mary pass. I think that was more in reference to the rest of the events of season 1, when they are trying to convince Numenor to go to war, and later enlist the men of the southlands. She's definitely obfuscating his later offer when talking to Adar, but what Sauron did for most of Season 1 was get her an army. (also, if you are confused as to *why* people try to equate Celebrimbor and Galadriel or Adar and Galadriel, it is not to diminish or make Galadriel into a victim. It is to elevate a more queer reading of Sauron's actions by equating it to a more visible straight relationship, which is something that predates RoP as an interpretation of his character. Two things can be true at once -- Galadriel isn't a damsel in distress and there are parallels in the narrative between these relationships).

Gennifer Hutchison who's a writer for TROP said that Sauron and Galadriel's relationship is different. She called it a relationship of equals. She went on to say that it's unlike the love bombing and manipulations of Celebrimbor in the second season. Galadriel is also using Halbrand in the first season which supports her point.

So why is there the insistence to de-exceptionalize Galadriel and insist that every way Sauron used and victimized Celebrimbor or even Adar can be transmitted to her?

The showrunners said that you've gotten to know Sauron by watching Halbrand.

Why the insistence then that the show started in s2 and Annatar is the way to understand Sauron's relationships? There's two seasons to watch with no need to make things up.

Galadriel isn't just prey that the dastardly villain preyed on that many of you want to make her be. A large part of s2 included her own culpability being listed for you and a large part of s1 included her agenda to take a human she met and use him as a tool against Sauron. She was telling this man she met he was very special, destined for greater things, and that their meeting was fate. Does the fact that he turned out to be Sauron erase the power differential she believed existed between an elf of her stature and a human?

From my point of view, many are forcing Galadriel into the box of female victim beyond what's on screen.

[jingerpi]

something weird after growing up unable to express your personhood (cult+queerphobia) is learning to understand how to relate to characters. learning that you can really like a character and see some aspect of yourself in them without them being literally you. it's so instinctual to hold characters so close and tightly and feel like they represent you and wash away anything characterizing them differently from you but over time you begin to learn to simply appreciate characters as what they are, as (fictional) people who are often as diverse and unique as real people, if not more so. it's okay to feel a connection to a character and have them be your favoritest even if they're different from you, it's okay, you can let go and acknowledge the things that make them different from you. maybe this is a hyperspecific experience that only applies to me and like 1 other person, but it really does feel like a strangely significant lesson in media and how to relate to it as a real person

[age-of-moonknight]

“Hunter’s Moon,” Vengeance of the Moon Knight, (Vol. 2/2024), #4.

Writer: Jed MacKay; Penciler and Inker: Alessandro Cappuccio; Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg; Letterer: Cory Petit

[aeb-art]

i was trying to make up side characters for @8um8le's space friends and thought "every show needs a grump"

i'm not gonna finish this though, so y'all can have it now o7

[volfoss]

like i genuinely cannot believe thegall that she has quinn saying that oh they loved being servants... really??

[ID: Text reading:

"“I let them go into the front parlor together, and then I went into the kitchen for lunch, where Jasmine was just telling Big Ramona that they were rich. I hated to break up their happiness with my glum looks and I blamed it all on hunger. Besides, Jasmine had always been rich and so was Big Ramona. They just never wanted to leave Blackwood Manor, everybody knew."/end ID]

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

y'know, I've been seeing a lot more posts talking about how fanfic, specifically, puts characters into boxes and takes away the nuance of them, and while I think that's an important discussion to have, I also find it quite perplexing? Like, these posts seem to come from people who don't even, or maybe very rarely, consume fics in the first place, and I say that because, if you do consume fics semi-regularly, you kind of learn? how to gage what the stories and characterisation are going to be like based on the tags and summary? Sometimes, you do have to step into the fic to figure it out, but it hardly takes very long to realise if it gels with you or not. Idk, it's not anything serious or important, but it does give me... "girl, what were you doing at the devil's sacrament" vibes, you know?

[nitetime-moon]

Fighting Art Block Pt 1

[unproduciblesmackdown]

further musings with the ability to consider the overarching series wherein it like as ever, questioning how well anything was questioned when in the end it seems like it's going "okay let's look at these people we think are epic" where ultimately of course it's like oh they might also be shitty they might not get the best endings, b/c they couldn't Change....while characters like wendy who ostensibly did get [better endings, b/c you can change] status spent the whole time Not choosing to change, ends up with a foot in both camps w/axe & chuck, like okay watch me assuming she's just off to more of the same. but what mattered was that billions always considered her Epic. rian's not a character and didn't do anything and ended up clearly only another [just some asshole] employee who'd just like to keep showing up for the usual and stepping on & bullying other employees for ego, and the fact that it was completely believable she just committed to sticking with that forever until then it was like oh okay she's supposed to have only just now for some reason decided it's time to leave b/c she's just too nice? like, that is not convincing, i'm sure she's off to more of the same forever too anyways, but yet again the non plan here seems to have been determined by billions' deciding this character is like, ambiently epic. chuck sr gets alleged heartwarming moments (on his terms) b/c damn if he isn't epic at least, like axe and chuck sufficiently are. winston as a consummate cringe loser nerd couldn't ever be written anything in particular besides being crushed, which he deserves, and is so fun. ben kim on the other hand might be billions' specialest little guy who they Don't think deserves being crushed (as much) (and/or we can at least sympathize with him over it) but he doesn't get much of an ending to speak of or muse on b/c if anything his triumphs were about being a little more Epic but in the end maybe he just wasn't quite Epic enough, whether for a better or worse ending. b/c these other characters might end up either way but again if you're really worth talking about on the show at all you do simply have to have been Inherently Epic in the first place, which will no matter what guarantee you an epic consideration and material devoted to you, versus the inherent losers who will get no such thing no matter what. (wags was useless and an asshole but we Needed his involvement and focus and ending that was just fine thanks)

[dragonowlie]

My internet is back! *holds my downstairs neighbours like a cat that knocked over a potted plant* YOU!

anyway the second I realised my internet was fully back I immediately put on castlevania nocturne and there is so much I could say about it and if I had more energy I might but tldr

BAROQUE MUSIC

[silvvergears]

So I guess I'm going to spend the next four to five business days hyperfocusing on a potential Dishonored au for TOG ft. Hunter as Emily, Eda as Corvo, and Belos as the Royal Spymaster. I've already figured out most of the casting and how the storyline will shift and change (Hunter is older than Emily was and has a much more active role) for both games, and as soon as work is done I'm going to work on some art for it

[dan-crimes]

I don't personally enjoy death in my stories for one because I have no experience with it personally and for two because you can't torture a character anymore once they've died 😇