#I LITERALLY CANNOT DO ANYTHING OR THINK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE

[voroxpete]

Hi, I also majored in Eng Lit, and Creative Writing, and I want to note both that everything in this thread is true - ie, the dangerous history of works being classified as "pornography" as a way of silencing marginalized voices, and that's before you even get into the deeply classist arbitrary distinctions between "porn" and "erotica" - but also that there's fucking nothing wrong with porn.

While I do absolutely agree that this recasting of anything that even hints at sex as pornographic is deeply troubling, I also think that we should not be pushing back in any way that ends up accepting the underlying premise that porn is bad. Rather than rushing to find reasons why these books aren't porn, which just ends up treading water in that same difficult historical territory of people dividing up sexy books into "Good and pure" vs "Morally objectionable" based on their own purity politics, what we should be doing is destroying their entire premise by pointing out that there's nothing wrong with being porn, and that any judgments about what is or isn't porn are entirely subjective and utterly meaningless.

There's no objective definition of porn. Even attempts at creating legal definitions have basically all just dead-ended with "Well, I guess you just kind of look at it and know" or other similar vibes based bullshit. It's all bullshit, and none of it matters. The question of what is or is not porn should not even be a thing that we have to debate. Obviously there are situations where we might say that sexually explicit material is inappropriate, but we should judge that based entirely on that term "sexually explicit." Whether the purpose of that material is to make you horny or make you cry is completely beside the point, and there's simply no reason why the purpose cannot be both.

Porn is great. Especially fictional porn, which doesn't even come with any moral quandaries about possibly exploitative working conditions. No one should ever make you feel bad or wrong or broken for enjoying porn. If you're reading books and comics that are literally just a hundred pages of people fucking with zero plot, that is absolutely OK. If you're reading stuff solely for the purpose of getting off, that is absolutely OK. And by the same token, if you're reading unbelievably explicit sexual material that would make your mother faint, and you're crying at the deep emotional connection the author has crafted between these characters, that's totally OK too. You can enjoy porn for the plot, you can enjoy porn for the emotions, and you can enjoy porn for the orgasms. And what is porn to you might be regular old romance to someone else, and what's regular old romance to them might be porn to you. No one can tell you what's going to make you horny, that's for you. There's plenty of stuff out that people jerk off to that isn't classed as "porn".

Once you reject the notion that porn is bad, the entire argument about what is or isn't porn comes crashing down. Their moralistic purity judgments cease to have any meaning the moment you respond with "Por que no los dos?" to the question of whether your favourite romance novel is filthy, nasty porn or high art.

It's all fun and games and laughing at BookTok until you can't get on AO3 anymore, as someone who likes both romance and fanfic.

[sentientgolfball]

SwissTom for literally any of them I just love them sm 🥺

Mushy May: Nesting

hiiii anonnnnn :3 I hope you enjoy this quick little 1k thing for them ! Ugh I really do love writing these two they're just so <3

When the icy cold of winter melts away into the warmth and wind of spring, it becomes difficult for ghouls to control their true nature. The shifting of seasons always brings an influx of elemental energy. It gets to the ghouls. The surge in the magick that makes up their very beings covers their minds in a fog. Some handle the shift better than others. For some it is nearly impossible to tell they are bothered at all. These are usually older ghouls, the ones who have had countless years to become used to the sensation. Others are completely consumed by their instincts, unable to resist what their bodies tell them to do. This is usually the fate of the younger or newly summoned. 

This is why when Swiss goes to his bedroom for a midday cat nap, he is unfazed by the lingering scent of ozone and freshly baked goods. What does catch him off guard though is seeing his bed stripped bare. Nothing remains except for the mattress itself. Not even the pillows were left behind. 

He laughs a little in disbelief, “Really buggy? The fitted sheet too?” 

This is only Phantom’s second spring Topside. If it is anything like the first, then Swiss knows they probably will not leave whatever little hole they crawled into for about a week. Though stealing bedding is new. But it is an improvement. Last year Rain lost half of his wardrobe to Phantom’s nesting. 

It does not bother Swiss though. He actually finds it quite endearing that they want to keep him close in such a state. Perhaps they deserve a little visit if they want his scent so badly. He cannot think of a better place to have his nap now that his own bed is out of commission. The only thing stopping him is actually finding their nest. Swiss has learned from his years that quints are overprotective of their space, even more so than earth ghouls. He has seen Aether snap his jaws enough around this time of year to have that drilled into his head. For Phantom, this instinct manifests in the form of hiding their nest where they think no one will ever find them. 

“Alright love bug, where are you?” Swiss scents the air, trying to get a lock on that sharp tang of ozone. Though it is difficult when every ghoul in the Ministry is dealing with the same thing. Once he steps into the hallway, all he can smell is Aether and Mountain. 

Well. That is not going to work. His next best option is to feel for them with his own spark of quintessence. He closes his eyes and lets it wash over him. He can feel the ripples of electricity just under his skin, raw energy looking for someplace to go. He can feel it jump in one direction, but when he focuses on it, it is like all the air is knocked from his lungs. 

Aether. Definitely Aether. 

The circuit is only drawn to that one spot. Phantom does not seem to be anywhere in the den. Swiss furrows his brow. Where else would they have decided to make a nest? 

Only one way to find out. 

He goes back through the empty common room, slipping on a pair of shoes by the door, and stepping into the halls of the Ministry. He keeps his quintessence at the surface, periodically sending out small bursts like a strange version of echolocation. Something has to resonate eventually. 

It is not until he reaches the doors to the observatory does something finally react. It is faint, but it is undeniably Phantom. It beckons Swiss closer, almost desperately so. Oh how can he say no? He practically runs up the stairs to the telescope room, taking the steps two at a time. By the time he throws the doors open he is panting, sweat glistening at his hairline. 

“Phantom? Love bug? Are you in here?” A stupid question he knows the answer to, but he does not want to frighten them by stealthily searching for their hidden nest. Just because he was invited does not mean he cannot be denied. 

“Took you long enough!” An unruly mess of black and white hair pops out from the rafters. Swiss’ head snaps up towards the ceiling just to be greeted by a giddy little smile. 

“Baby. Sweet fang. How the fuck did you even get up there?” What he really wants to know is how they got up there while also hauling his bedding. 

“I dunno. I just kinda,” they gesture vaguely with their hands, “did. I guess. Doesn’t matter. Can you come up now? I’ve been waiting all day.” 

He rolls his eyes, but a smile spreads across his face. He looks around the observatory, trying to figure out the best way to get to his little buggy. He ends up pushing a desk over to the tallest bookshelves in the back of the room, scaling it like a cat would a tree. He knocks a few books out of place as he goes, cursing each time and swearing to no in particular that he will pick them all back up. Oh what he would not give for a little more air connection so he could just float. 

When is finally high enough, he takes a deep breath before jumping for the lowest hanging beam. His heart leaps to his throat as his claws scrape and dig into the wood, tail lashing wildly behind him. “You couldn’t have picked a better place to nest?” He laughs a little as he hauls himself up into a more stable position. 

“I wanted to be near the stars.” They shrug, grinning ear to ear as they watch Swiss carefully make his way over to them. The wood creaks which each movement Swiss makes, but he does his best to ignore it in favor of reaching his little love bug. 

They have made their nest in a section where the beams and a wall connect, giving them a comically small amount of room to work with. Even with the lack of space, they were able to create a rather cozy looking nest. But as Swiss hovers on the edge, he furrows his brow, “Baby. I don’t think both of us are fitting.” 

“Sure we can! You just gotta be creative, come on.” They sit up properly now, shifting to one side of the small nest. It does not free up much space, but Swiss thinks it might be enough for him to squeeze in. He has to try at least. He would rather risk plummeting to the ground than disappointing Phantom. 

He carefully maneuvers his way into the nest, trying to make himself as small as possible. Phantom does not have the patience for that though. The moment he touches the bundle of blankets and pillows, Phantom is on him. They press themselves into his side, nuzzle up under his chin and chuffing loudly. Half of Swiss’ body is still hanging out, but Phantom refuses to move. 

“Hold on baby. Let me get situated and then I’ll hold you.” It is hard in the small space, but Swiss is able to lift them enough for him to swing his legs over the edge and into the nest. Phantom frowns and whines the entire time Swiss is shifting them. 

He finally gets them situated in something close and comfortable. Swiss lies flat on his back with Phantom right on top of him. Their ear is pressed right over his heart with their nose buried in his neck. He can hear them breathing in his scent and it makes him chuckle. 

“What?” 

“Nothin. You’re just sweet buggy.” 

“Glad you’re finally here.” They curl their tail with his. 

“There’s no place I’d rather be. Not when you’re all extra clingy.” 

As if to prove his point, Phantom does their best to squeeze him with all their might, growling playfully. Swiss mirrors them, practically squishing them to his chest. Phantom’s little growl quickly melts away into a laugh, more than happy to be absolutely smothered between Swiss’ strong arms. 

They stay like that for a long time, longer than Swiss cares to keep track of. His hands wander over Phantom’s body, touching just to touch. A gentle scrape of claws up and down their back, through their hair. Squeezing their hips and waist. Knocking their horns together before placing little kisses on the top to their head. He cannot help himself. Not with the way Phantom blushes and chuffs louder and louder with each gentle touch. 

Swiss’ hands only still when his eyelids slip shut, too relaxed to keep them open any longer. Phantom does not even notice. They fell asleep long before Swiss, lulled there by the soft touches and the warmth of his body. The last conscious part of his brain tells him that his back is going to kill him later. But he cannot find it in himself to care. Not if it means he gets to be with Phantom. 

[crazylittlejester]

rambling out some thoughts about my modern au war for anyone who wants to hear em (as an apology for not writing anything for that au in a Hot Minute. also sorry for spelling mistakes im dyslexic and the brain fog is Bad today)

ive been seeing a lot of that tiktok trend with skaters dropping to their knees on the ice to ‘the winner takes it all’, and not only would my modern au War absolutely have done that trend, I genuinely think that whenever he’s feeling some big emotion he will choreograph something to a song he’s actively obsessing over, record him skating, and post it, because thats like the only way he has to express himself. thats how he communicates and that is quite literally the only way he knows how to tell people he’s upset or pissed or grieving because he cannot say those things in words

i haven’t talked about him in a while so “lore drop” to anyone not super familiar with this au lmao, but he did NOT come from a good home. he was not raised in good environments (between home and strict ballet studios that taught him that it is more important to be perfect and excel and progress than it is to properly take care of your body and learn its limits) and he is very bad at verbally communicating how he feels (partially because its hard for HIM to properly dissect the issue himself at this point). Like he’s gotten better at it because Twilight and Sky have been putting in WORK for the past eight years, but it’s still hard for him a lot of the time and skating is his outlet. It’s ALWAYS been his outlet, he throws every feeling he’s ever had into every single performance he gives and that’s what makes him so mesmerizing to watch because there is so much genuine realness from him behind WHATEVER he does. like yeah he does have natural talent and he is flexible and his lines have always looked good because of his build and coaches instructors and judges have always liked him for that, but what made him a world champion and what consistently won him gold medals was how terrifyingly powerful and impactful his performances were because he made people feel whatever the fuck he was. ability to do the jumps and turns only gets you so far, the life you breathe into your art takes you the rest of the way

he was so used to being ignored and neglected as a kid that his brain came up with the conclusion that it has to let out EVERYTHING it’s feeling when War finally is the center of attention in his performances and nobody’s looking away and people CANT ignore him. he has their attention, they HAVE to listen, they have to SEE him. and the performance that won him the equivalent of an olympic gold medal, that last performance he ever gave that he quit skating immediately after because of his coach (Cia) will absolutely end up going down as one of the most emotionally powerful programs in Hyrule history because he threw everything he had, everything he is and was, into that. all his anger at feeling helpless, all his anger at not being able to admit what happened to him or even seek help, all that sadness and loneliness and isolation he carried with him for so so long, and he put that out there in front of the entire world as basically a cry for help and while that alone obviously could not tell people what exactly was wrong, that performance DID end up getting him the help he needed because another coach (Impa) recognized there had to be something going on

as terrified as he is to ever return to skating because of what happened and because of the toxic mindset he’d had that he just FINALLY broke out of, War genuinely cannot live without it because it’s been so important to him for so long, it’s his outlet, and losing it forever would destroy him. dance is similar, but its just not the same to him and he misses it so badly and thats why his dumb ass hits the rink for a few hours every day on top of everything else because he can’t let it go

and the rare tiktoks from him where he’s skating out his negative emotions (and not just being silly and fucking around to lady gaga or whatever) still have quite the punch to them. he may not have a coach, but he’s maintained the same level of skill he had when he left because he still practices, and ofc his ability to put life into his performance is never something he’s struggled with because he feels so so much and he has no other way to release overwhelming emotions but through art

there are people in the skating community who do genuinely mourn losing him to retirement, there are so many people who want him to come back

i like showing the silly sides of him in this au (like the side of him that saw the weather was warm for the first time in months and decided to wear a crop top to class and not bring a coat just for it to rain and he was miserable, or the side of him that almost had a heart attack and died when lady gaga released a new album) because the whole au is supposed to be a bit silly and just fun, but he has sooooooo much more going on and so many other layers and i (insane) have put way too much thought into him and this au lmao

[chicago-geniza]

Please make me put my groceries away and edit this chapter instead of meditatively rotating these fuckass vampires in the palm of my mind like Baoding balls

[isnt-that-wizardd]

there is just something about the difference between edwin's love interests and having the cat king's reaction to edwin in hell being "i'll be waiting when he gets back" vs charles "no version of this where i don't come get you" rowland convincing a powerful trans-dimensional being to open a door to hell just so he could get him back

i am insane

[dennisboobs]

standing in front of a firing squad would have been easier than reading this script i need to be shot

[girlivealwaysbean]

i think growing up is just life repeatedly sucker punching you and saying bitch you thought things were gonna better lmao no you're so naive and stupid for having hope in 20 years the world will be flaming bag of garbage and no matter how hard you work you'll get eliminated at some point

[moe-broey]

Had a lot of easy and okay convos w my mom today (things did go well 👍) and one of them was passing by MECA (Maine College of Art) and her going "I always thought you'd end up going there" and like. A bit of lmfaoing at the idea I mean I barely managed to graduate highschool. Also that shit is expensiiiiiiive. A brief discussion about scholarships occurs but again I did not perform even decently academically. I barely could show up at all and when I did I was fighting for my fucking life. Nevertheless. I told her "Eh I make a lot of art on my own time, anyway!" and she goes "I'm sure you do" in sort of a wistful thoughtful tone and I tell her "I've kinda gotten more serious about comics lately" and she got nostalgic and enthusiastic like "I thought you'd end up doing that! You've always been doing that, since you were little" and it's a really really beautiful moment maybe but in the back of my mind I can't help but think. I'm just really autistic and weird about Alfonse Fire Emblem. And Sharena my friend Sharena. And I guess I have a lot of stories to tell about Moe and Mani and that IS something I'm extremely passionate about, but both are like inseparable like intrinsically intertwined by the fact that I'm just insane about the Askr siblings from hit mobile game Fire Emblem: Heroes.

[riiviir]

hey guys so I just started reading Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott and OMG AHSBNSBSBSNSNBSHZHSHDBFHGGHFHGRJ2KSHSBSNSK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I LOVE THINKING ABOUT THE RELATIVITY BETWEEN DIMENSIONS!!!!!!

[sieglinde-freud]

open fire emblem fates > go to the records hall > open supports > click nyx > click laslow > read > cry > close game. girl who will be okay

[microwavestim]

i hate mfs who are so genuinely-down-to-the-core-persistently-and-thoroughly pessimistic

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here and usually I try to sit on an episode before saying anything if I do but fuck Tim Minear forever. I'm fucking furious. It doesn't matter if Bobby is really dead or not (if he really is fuck you even more for being like "how could I have known it would get spoiled??") Eddie should be there. He is part of the family and to have not even a single scene of him while we get the dumbest 2 minute helicopter chase where that man is on screen is actual bullshit. I've never been so close to quitting this show in my life. This is the found family show Tim, get it fucking together!!!

This is the only post I'm making tonight because I need to go fume in peace (aka disassociate and read about Eddie and/or Buck getting railed to lull me to sleep), and also because gotta save myself something to do at work tomorrow. I haven't even looked at my dash, I just can't even face any of that right now.

I just don't even have anything to say because Eddie's absence, not just physically but clearly from the minds of everyone, is a black hole sucking everything in the episode into it.

And the more I see, the more it looks like this Bobby thing might be real, which is just...unconscionable. But also makes ZERO sense from a showrunning stand point. Bobby/Bathena IS the show for most of the general audience. Killing a character like that has HISTORICALLY been bad for shows. The audience NEVER likes it. WHY do they even keep doing it? And specifically THIS show, which is beloved BECAUSE it doesn't kill off it's characters. It allows the audience to actually be INVESTED. (sidebar, I saw something from the director about how good it is to have an audience have such a visceral reaction to losing a character and how proud she was of something that moved everyone to tears like girl! lol. lmao even. We're not "moved to tears" we're fucking PISSED.)

But also, the show is trying to promote a spinoff series!! Do they really thing pissing off their WHOLE audience base is going to encourage people to watch a spinoff? They could barely keep viewers for Lone Star, and that had ROB LOWE (for all that Owen became an issue along the way the actor is historically a HUGE draw).

And don't even get me fucking STARTED on that man and losing Eddie reacting to his teams death but that man being allowed to be there. Didn't he give exit interviews? And then bitch about not being on the show while Tim and Oliver threw shade? My money is, and has been since 8x11, on network interference. Again. Going into another fucking hiatus like last season with that man and those fucking fans hanging around has me sick. Also going on hiatus after that death means it will be even HARDER to get viewers back because they'll have extra time to be pissed.

ANYWAY. I have nothing nice to say at the moment but none of the salt is coherent anyway. I'm sure you'll all see me being my usual salt gremlin self tomorrow, and reblogging everyone else's gorgeous gifsets, and vent posts that are better said than mine. Maybe.

Maybe I'll just read fic and run off to the forest forever and leave this hellsite behind. To think, we were so close to so many good things and then *someone* decided that killing off a Main for shock value, a thing that has literally never worked before and only ever pisses off the loyal audience, might could maybe work this time.

*incoherent screaming*

[rervraiilstew]

flipping people off tic they could never make me like you.

[quintessential-candles]

Don’t you love when a friend tells you about something and then you become horribly obsessed with it to the point where you cannot correctly function anymore?

Me too, bro

[mangled-by-disuse]

talking to friends about The Horrors, specifically the Trumpian Horrors, and, like

the more I consider it, the more I think that the best thing we outside the US can do - for ourselves, for the world, and for America as well - is to just holler to the fucking rooftops that AMERICA IS NOT THE WORLD.

By which I mean:

we do not let politicians, media, and our own social circles convince us that American issues are the only issues worth discussing;

we challenge politicians, media, and our own social circles on the politics of appeasement;

we challenge ourselves on the assumption that laws passed in the US affect us directly, and we do not place ourselves in American shoes;

we focus on our own shit. Not because it's more important, but because we need to remember that it still exists. Our eyes cannot be on the USA while the legislative and political rights in our own countries are eroded from under us.

we look to the rest of the world. We get used to viewing people who don't look like us, talk like us, or even like us as an equal and crucial part of the political landscape.

WE ARE LOUD ABOUT THIS. In politics, in activism, in social contexts, in our own assessment of our own politics, we remember and hold up that America is NOT the centre of the world, and that American hegemony is NOT inevitable.

This is not because I'm trying to undermine American struggles. This is because the Trump administration is strengthened and bolstered by every other country that chooses to suck the cock of American supremacy in the desperate attempt to maintain the last remnants of the old imperial order.

It is up to everyone in the world to challenge that, and to say: yeah, this fucking sucks, and we want America to be better, but we don't need America.

There are other markets. There are other allies and potential allies. There are other global powers (Personally I think we should try to dismantle global powers entirely, but, you know, one battle at a time) and there are other political shifts.

So much of the current rightward swing in the UK, at least, is directly modelled on MAGA to the point that it's the same movement, to the point where the branches of that movement feed power and influence to one another. You know what has consistently been one of the more successful tactics? Fucking reminding people that they are not, in fact, offering solutions to the problems Britain faces, because these are American solutions and we are not America.

idk it feels stupid to say this. it feels stupid to have to point out that Not Everywhere Is America, and it feels even stupider to think that this is something that needs pointing out to the systems of power. But the more I think about it, the surer I am that one of the tentpoles of American power, and therefore of Trump's power (in the US as well as beyond it!) is just... the willingness of so much of the world to say: yeah, sure, everything is America.

WE ARE NOT AMERICA.

AMERICA DOES NOT HAVE TO CONTROL US.

idk. maybe it won't change shit. but maybe yelling that at international power structures loudly enough - making noise about issues that are not American, focusing our efforts outside America, challenging American supremacy on the global stage - is, in fact, the most useful thing we can do.