#because that would have distracted from the sapphic pining of it all

[laurasimonsdaughter]

When the crown prince brought home his bride her hair was short. It stood on end, in fair wisps framing her pale face. She said it had not grown since the grief of believing him lost to her. But oh how it grew.

On the day of their wedding it was already hanging down in ringlets. I helped her on with her gown, and dressed her in a veil bestitched with pearls, but the weight of it did not bother her at all. Her new life was heavier to her than all that finery.

She knew nothing of the court, nothing of the ways of royalty. I stood at her elbow, whispering hints, solely to drive the distress from her beautiful eyes. When to bow, when to nod, who was who. She could have done without my advice. The whole court adored her. My mistress will be the most beloved queen this country has ever had.

Things are different now than they were then, she need not fear any disapprobation. Even the king approves of her. There is never any apprehension in her now, but I am still at her side, first among her ladies in waiting. I am the one who brushes her golden cascade of hair, now flowing all the way down to her heels in silken waves. I braid it every morning, and twist it up adorned with pearls and flowers. She wishes for me to call her Rapunzel, not Your Highness, but I must make her remind me every day.

The people are in awe of her. They whisper as she passes by, telling how she healed our prince with the touch of her tears. I stand by her as she stands on the balcony to sing to them. No one, in no corner of the world, can sing like her. But she prefers singing for the common folk to performing at court. So she sings on the balcony, except for when she sings at night, to the prince. Or to me, on the nights that he is kept from her by affairs of state, and I sit up with her until he stumbles in, exhausted, to take my place.

Our prince is a good man. He adores her. He dotes on her.

But not like I do.

[merakiui]

Mera if you answer any of these for our favorite yan fem!riddle I will be so grateful 🙏 (you can choose which you'd like to do ^^)

Cum, drive, dynamic, fantasy, hair, kink, orgasm, sexting, sounds, toys, turn ons

>_< im just obsessed with this little girl with the prettiest virgin pussy gawd she drives me crazyyy

AAAAAA I LOVE FEM RIDDLE!!!!! OTL doing all of them because it's what she deserves. <3 she is so (heart eyes *swoons*).

(nsfw asks)

cum — how long does it take to make them cum? do they have any kinks relating to cum? do they like when their partner(s) cum(s) inside them? do they like cumming inside their partner(s)? do they like when their partner(s) cum on any of their body parts? do they like cumming on any of their partner(s)' body parts?

Sometimes she's putty in your hands, falling apart just minutes after you've begun. In other cases, it might take time for her to reach her peak, but when she does it's always a relief. She loves nothing more than being beneath your fingertips or, when the roles are reversed, having you beneath her. Riddle does have preferences, though. If you have the ability to cum inside her, she's adamant that you wear protection because she doesn't want to get pregnant just yet. If not, she has no problems having you squirt or release on her face when she's going down on you. <3 it boosts her ego knowing you're enjoying yourself all because of her.

I think she'd enjoy grinding her bare pussy against your thigh the most. :)

drive — how high is their sex drive? are they hyposexual, hypersexual, or somewhere in between? does it change depending on the circumstance? how often do they have sex?

I think this one is dependent on the circumstance. Riddle is the type who doesn't allow herself to get so easily distracted, especially when she's so hyper-focused on her academic life, so her sex drive is very small, if not nonexistent. She does masturbate on occasion because she's read that it's a healthy stress reliever, but other than that she's as virgin as they come. But when she's horny, her sex drive is insatiable, most notably when she's thinking of you or if she's with you in person.

dynamic — are they dominant? do they like to be dominated? how do they show their dominance? how do they show their partner(s) they want to be dominated? are they more versatile or does it depend on the context/their partner(s)?

I imagine Riddle's a switch who can play either role pretty well. But if she really wants you or has been obsessively pining for too long then she's more likely to be dominant. Sometimes it's nice to lie back and let you do the work, to be dominated by you, but other times she wants to be the one to service you, to have you grabbing at the sheets, crying out in pure pleasure.

Riddle's possessive, especially if you're one of her closest friends, and so she'll want to find little ways to mark you as hers. Maybe that's leaving hickeys or lipstick prints in obvious places, or maybe it's getting matching jewelry or other accessories to show that the both of you have a connection of some sort.

Riddle has a lot of pride, but she'll throw that away if it means you can top her in the bedroom. <3 she wants nothing more than to be beneath you.

fantasy — do they have any sexual fantasies they'd like to try out? have they ever gotten to act on a sexual fantasy?

Aside from a few bdsm fantasies she's had (blindfolding and tying you up, restraining you, using a riding crop on you, etc etc), Riddle would love nothing more than to kiss you sloppy (or for sapphic context,,, eat you out). Perhaps one day she'll have a chance to do all of these things. If you aren't together, that is. All she can do is fantasize.

hair — do they shave or wax? do they let their hair grow out?

She shaves just enough to suit her own personal preferences. That is, she isn't totally bare down there. She has some hair; just not enough to cover her folds entirely.

kink — what are their kinks? do they have a primary kink? are there any kinks they'd be interested in trying? are there any kinks they don't like or aren't interested in trying?

>:) it wouldn't be Riddle without the secret/not-so-secret bdsm kink. She's always been secretly fascinated with bdsm and, now that she's away at college and has time to actually research it without the risk of getting caught, she's found an even deeper appreciation for it.

Alongside that, she'd like to try role-playing all kinds of things with you. Her imagination runs wild when she allows it to, so there are plenty of exciting scenes she has in mind for you and her.

While she isn't rushing to try everything and anything, that doesn't mean she isn't willing to experiment. Riddle's curious about pet play and would like to try it one day if you're willing. It's in her nature to play cautious, especially if she isn't certain of your feelings (if you're not in a relationship), and so she'll keep most of her interests to herself.

Cuckolding is the most no-go kink for her. She wants to keep you all to herself. Why would she ever want to share you with someone else? Even just imagining you with another person, whether romantically or sexually or both, makes her sick. You're hers.

orgasm — how would their partner(s) know if they orgasm? what is their orgasm reaction like? are they sensitive after having an orgasm? what is the most effective way to get them to quickly orgasm?

She gets glassy-eyed when she reaches her peak, tears beading on her lash line. Also, she clenches down so hard. Whether that's around your dick/dildo/fingers/etc, her walls cling impossibly tight. She's so sensitive before and after. Her rosy lips part ever so slightly as she throws her head back and grabs at the sheets. If you want to get her to orgasm quickly, all you really need to do is mouth at her neck, grind your thumb down against her clit, or pinch her nipples between your fingers, and she's gone. Clit stimulation is her favorite. <3

sexting — do they like sexting their partner(s)? do they ever send nudes? do they like receiving nudes? do they find sexting more or less difficult/fun than curating sexual experiences in real life? are they any different while sexting than they are during real life sexual experiences?

The idea is appealing, if only because then she would have pictures of you on her phone, just within her reach, whenever she wishes. Riddle finds the idea of sexting to be a great temptation. Maybe you already send pictures of your ootd and Riddle wonders if you'll inevitably send her a swimsuit photo or other outfits that reveal skin. Not that she absolutely needs these photos (she craves them); she'll see you in all kinds of outfits if you have the type of friendship where you don't mind changing or trying on clothes in close proximity.

Still, the idea of phone sex and sexting opens up all kinds of avenues for fun. Riddle contemplates it fondly while she watches you type away at your phone. Perhaps one day...

sounds — what sounds do they make during sex? do they laugh a lot during sex? are they chatty during sex?

She gasps and whines. Soft, sweet moans that make you think of dainty dolls or clouds. Sometimes her moans are wanton and impossibly lewd, and other times they're so subdued they're but a whisper. Riddle's always so cute when she's caught up in the throes of pleasure. She'll chat if there's a means for it (such as, if the two of you are engaged in a scene and exchanging dialogue to set the mood), but most of the time (if she's topping) it's one-sided chatter. Things like praise and sweet nothings twined with the occasional (lighthearted) insult.

toys — do they own sex toys? how often do they use them? do they prefer using them on themselves or their partner(s)?

She has a riding crop (which she used to insist was just a spare from Equestrian club, but that's a lie), lace blindfolds, all kinds of gags, collars, etc. She doesn't use any of them. They simply sit in a box, stowed away in secret. She'd prefer to use them on you more than anything.

She owns a dildo, vibrator, strap-on. She starts shopping for very specific toys once she's officially Down Bad for you. Riddle doesn't masturbate very often (it can be difficult to find time when she's so busy), but she does make sure to set aside time to do just that. Or, if she's too distracted or horny to focus on work, she'll break to touch herself to thoughts of you. :) the vibrator sends her over the edge faster than the you in her daydreams can confess.

[tequiilasunriise]

Homies I understand that Enid and Wednesday having potential male love interests sucks but don’t y’all understand how much angst potential this gives us. If you’ve never heard a wlw cover of ‘wish you were gay’ by Billie Eilish I suggest you get on that because oh my GOD we have been slleeeepppiingg on this gold mine of potential Wenclair slowburn heartache.

“I just wanna make you feel okay

But all you do is look the other way

I can't tell you how much I wish I didn't wanna stay

I just kinda wish you were gay”

Can you imagine Enid looking across the room, seeing Wednesday caught up between her bland as shit love interests and thinking to herself, “Of course they want her, who wouldn’t? She’s just so... so.... fuck.” A quiet, heavy sigh fills the air as Enid studies that painter’s muse of a side profile that is Wednesday’s jaw. “Even if those dumbasses weren’t around, I never stood a chance anyways….”. Your honor, Enid “I just kinda wish you were gay” Sinclair is my VISION. Just hear me out.

“To spare my pride

To give your lack of interest, an explanation

Just say I'm not your type

Don’t say that I'm not your preferred sexual orientation”

The sheer pining at wholeheartedly believing she made the Classic Sapphic Mistake™️ of falling fer a straight girlie and Enid just being so full of longing for Wednesday. Miss “I ate alone at seven, you were six minutes away” telling herself to just forget about it and try to be ‘normal’ (yes internalized homophobia moment). If she can’t transform, she should at least find a suitable mate because her parents keep pressuring her to do such and this leads to her agreeing to walk outta here with Ajax (I think that’s who the show is tryna pair her up with?) when he approached her with an offer of hanging out together. Can you imagine Enid looking over her shoulder one last time in a fleeting glance at Wednesday across the courtyard talking to one of her male love interests before turning back around and walking off with Ajax?

“How am I supposed to make you feel okay

When all you do is walk the other way?

I can't tell you how much I wish I didn't wanna stay-“

Okay, but here’s the thing, here’s the thing homies- as Enid is walking away imagine Wednesday looking away from her conversation with Soggy Bread Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum to catch a peek at Enid’s back. She sees her roommate and Ajax walking away together kinda close together, and, oh, how her blackened heart secretly longs. “Of course he would be drawn to her,” she thinks darkly to herself, “Like a moth to a flame, and I can’t even blame the idiot.” When Enid and Ajax turn the corner and are finally out of her field of vision, Wednesday turns back to Bland Boy Number 2. It’s clear he’s vying for her affections (they both are, actually), and normally she would have his head on a pike for such audacity, but unfortunately for her Mister Musty Dusty McCrusty has a role to play in her investigation. Speaking of her investigation, she can’t have any distractions. Wednesday tries to rebury her accursed feelings towards the radiant werewolf, really, she does try. If the world ended in a fiery explosion right then and there, let it be known that Wednesday Addams tried. But, as Wednesday hears the faintest echo of Enid’s laugh from down the hall, a laugh Ajax himself surely caused….

“-I just kinda wish you were gay”

[midnightechoes]

Daily Writing 2021: March 1st - For Charity part 4

Read it on AO3.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

Submit a prompt for me to write! (I mostly do sapphic ships, especially Catradora, Supercorp, Harlivy, Pertrapta, and Dansen)

“Is she okay?”

“She just fainted, Kara. She’ll be fine, just make sure she drinks plenty of fluids.”

“Thanks for coming right over, Alex.”

“You told me it was an emergency!”

“It was! We were just talking and I asked her if she wanted to get dinner and she passed out on the spot.”

“...”

“What?”

“...Nothing.”

“Whaaaaat?”

“Goodnight, sis.”

---

The first thing Lena noticed was warmth, and that the air was still. The second thing she noticed was that whatever she was laying on was quite soft. Without even opening her eyes, Lena was sure that she was no longer on the roof.

“Lena, are you awake?” a familiar voice asked, the worry obvious in her voice. Lena’s hands shot up to cover her face and try to hide just how red she was getting. She understood the logic of what it seemed Supergirl had done, but that didn’t diminish the embarrassment that she was feeling. Absolutely the worst-case scenario for the night.

A gentle hand covered Lena’s hands. The Luthor tried not to focus on the hot points of contact as firm fingers massaged Lena’s knuckles.

“Supergirl brought me to your place?” Lena asked, head still buried in her hands. Her voice was still a bit weak and gravely sounding as some of the fogginess lingered.

“Having Alex check on you here seemed like a better idea than marching you into a hospital or even the DEO,” Kara answered. “Can you sit up?”

The question prompted Lena to take a deep breath. “I think so,” she muttered, realizing that she couldn’t put off facing the world any longer. Kara’s hand was settled on top of Lena’s hands. She twisted her hands in place to grapple onto Kara’s, who slowly, but firmly, pulled Lena up into a sitting position. Lena slowly opened her eyes and blinked away the blurriness.

A quick survey revealed that she was in fact in Kara’s apartment. Only difference from normal was that most of the lights were either dimmed or off, with only a couple of side lamps about the apartment providing light. In other circumstances, the lighting would have made the place feel downright romantic. Lena let out a light chuckle at how serious her ever-thoughtful best friend was taking the situation. An ever-thoughtful best friend that was crouching just next to her, holding out a glass of water. Lena nodded in thanks and took the glass, immediately taking a sip.

“Did Supergirl tell you what happened?” Lena ventured after downing the glass of water.

Kara blushed slightly as she took Lena’s glass and made her way to the kitchen. “I know what happened,” she responded.

“Fantastic,” Lena sighed. With Kara out of the room, Lena took a second to rub her eyes with the palms of her hands. She found herself internally cursing Sam’s name as she thought back to a few days ago when Sam convinced her to attend the charity date auction.

“C’mon, Lena, it’ll be fun! You’ll love it, I’m sure.”

“No, Sam, why would I waste my time at one of those things?”

“Um, because you need to get some, Lee, that’s why.”

“EXCUSE ME?!”

“Oh come on, Lee, all you do is work and hang out with Kara.”

“Running two companies is quite difficult, Sam.”

“I know, that’s why you brought me on board. And yet! Even with me helping you run L-Corp, and James in charge of most of the day-to-day operations at Catco, you never seem to have time to do anything. Well, unless Kara asks you to.”

“Telling you how I feel about her was maybe the greatest mistake of my life.”

“It’s not my fault your life has become a highly entertaining rom-com. Even though you seem to be stuck in the first act. And wouldn’t it be nice to finally get out of that rut?”

“...”

“Lena, how long are you going to sit around pining for Kara, huh? She’s been single for almost a year now, you’ve given her more than enough time to get over what’s-his-name, and you still haven’t told her how you feel yet.”

“... I don’t want to ruin what we do have.”

“Even if it was to have something better?”

“... How does going to a charity date auction help me with Kara?”

“Oh, it doesn’t. That’s the point. If you’re going to keep insisting that Kara doesn’t have feelings about her and pining from afar, then the least you can do is get out and have some fun with someone.”

“Sigh. Fine. But I won’t be ‘getting some’. Certainly not with someone who I only just met and is only out with me because I paid for it.”

“Yes! And that’s fine, I was mostly joking about the ‘getting some’. Just, you know, find someone you think is cute, overpay a little, and take her out for a nice cup of coffee or something.”

If Lena thought about it long enough, she had to admit that there was something about finally doing something to get Kara off of her mind, even if just for one night, only to wind up in Kara’s apartment and being doted on by the very person she was trying to find a distraction from.

At the very least, she knew Sam would find this story utterly hilarious.

Part 5.

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

I was going thru ggcaps and I noticed dan looks really sad. Like thru s5 I just felt bad for him the whole way through even though he did some questionable things. What did U think of his storyline in s5?

Ahh, same!! Pining/yearning Dan was so intense, I think Penn pulled off that desolation and sadness SO well. As someone who’s definitely had crushes that intense, I totally get that feeling of like - wanting to be with someone so badly that it practically consumes you? 

The last really big crush Dan had was Serena, probably, and that was a different dynamic. He wasn’t really her friend, and he didn’t really know her! He pined over her but to him it was like a daydream more than anything else - and honestly, if not for Jenny kicking him out of the house during the pilot, it would’ve stayed a daydream most likely. 

His feelings for Blair aren’t like that. They’re already friends!! They both like spending time together! They watch movies and go to art galleries. A lot of their friend-activities are the sort of thing people do with their romantic partners - which isn’t to say that you can’t do them platonically, but just to say that I fully understand Dan’s yearning because it’s like you’re almost going on dates with this girl but you’re not even dating so that’s just wishful thinking. Most of that is s4 angst, though, but I feel like ultimately, the ache that comes from being around Blair is very much a thing of already being her close friend, and because of that, unlike with Serena, his feelings for Blair aren’t daydreamy? he DOESN’T feel like she’s out of his league, because she’s his best friend. 

And the timing is absolutely terrible!! With the whole royal arc and miscarriage and Chuck being Chuck, Blair’s not having an easy or good time at all. Dan is a compassionate enough person that I think he would feel sad when people he loves are feeling sad, so I think it’s a mixture of like, feeling sad that Blair feels sad but also feeling like if he was the man in Blair’s life, he would ensure that she never feels as sad as Chuck/Louis are causing her to feel, you know? But like... that’s too much. He has to be her friend now, just her friend. Blair needs a friend. She doesn’t need more man drama. 

So yeah. He’s in love with her. He doesn’t want to add to her pain, and he wants to help her. He does a lot of shady and problematic things, yes. I found that interesting tbh - idk, new side of Dan we haven’t seen too much of before, etc etc, though to be fair it isn’t exactly a new side of him - there’s always been a part of Dan that specialises a little in warped logic, just like Blair. (remember when he outed Jenny’s boyfriend in s1?? dude, that was fucked up.) 

So.. that’s what I think of his storyline!! I actually liked it - bullshit royal arc and all, to boot. I think they should’ve done something more nuanced with Louis Grimaldi’s character (he’s played by Hugo Becker!!! Hugo Becker is amazing!!!) and instead of making him so flat and one-dimensional, they could’ve added some depth to why HE was just marrying Blair despite barely knowing her. AHHHH I’m getting distracted.

I love Dan’s s5 storyline, basically. And I feel like that experience, that specific thing of ‘gosh i love this girl and we’re so close and she tells me things she does not tell anyone else and i can be here for her like nobody else can but also we’re really really good friends which makes this whole thing really scary’ - like, that feeling??? it’s a VERY wlw feeling. i think most lesbians, bi/pan women, nonbinary people who are wlw aligned, sapphics, etc will know what i mean, haha.

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics. By Olivia Waite. New York: Avon Impulse, 2019.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Genre: historical romance, wlw romance

Part of a Series? Yes, Feminine Pursuits #1

Summary: As Lucy Muchelney watches her ex-lover’s sham of a wedding, she wishes herself anywhere else. It isn’t until she finds a letter from the Countess of Moth, looking for someone to translate a groundbreaking French astronomy text, that she knows where to go. Showing up at the Countess’ London home, she hoped to find a challenge, not a woman who takes her breath away.

Catherine St Day looks forward to a quiet widowhood once her late husband’s scientific legacy is fulfilled. She expected to hand off the translation and wash her hands of the project—instead, she is intrigued by the young woman who turns up at her door, begging to be allowed to do the work, and she agrees to let Lucy stay. But as Catherine finds herself longing for Lucy, everything she believes about herself and her life is tested.

While Lucy spends her days interpreting the complicated French text, she spends her nights falling in love with the alluring Catherine. But sabotage and old wounds threaten to sever the threads that bind them. Can Lucy and Catherine find the strength to stay together or are they doomed to be star-crossed lovers?

***Full review under the cut.***

Content Warnings: sexism, allusions to homophobia

Overview: I feel like I’m in the minority of not loving this book as much as I wanted to. Based on content alone, it should have been a perfect storm for me: a historical sapphic romance, a lady scientist, debates about the value of art and women’s contributions... but while the romance genre doesn’t have nearly enough wlw stories, representation alone wasn’t enough to sustain my interest in this novel. It had the threads of a good story - something along the lines of The Countess Conspiracy or The Suffragette Scandal - but in my opinion, too much of the focus was on needless interpersonal drama, which left the plot dragging for the bulk of the story. So though the representation is great, and there are a number of feminist themes that I think are valuable, I didn’t enjoy this book enough to give it more than 2 or 3 stars.

Writing: Waite’s prose is about what you’d expect from the romance genre. It’s simple and straightforward, getting to the point without leaving the reader wondering what’s going on. My main criticism would perhaps be that Waite sometimes does a little head-hopping in the middle of a chapter without a section break. One minute, we’ll be seeing things from Lucy’s POV, and the next, we’ll get something from Catherine, then back to Lucy. It was a little jarring, but not too distracting - I could still immerse myself in the story ok.

Plot: The Lady’s Guide follows Lucy Muchelney as she translates, expands, and publishes M. Oleron’s Mechanique celeste (an astronomy text) under the patronage of Lady Catherine St. Day, Countess of Moth. After being rebuffed by the male members of the Polite Science Society, Lucy endeavors to render her own translation in hopes of educating readers who are interested in astronomy, but may not have had access to the range of texts needed to understand Oleron’s work. Catherine, for her part, funds the printing of Lucy’s work, while also discovering her own value as an embroiderer.

On the surface, this plot had all the things I love: women in science, valuing women’s art, a social commentary on patriarchy. But despite the interesting threads, I didn’t feel as if Waite used them to the greatest advantage. Aside from a few scenes, there wasn’t a lot of external pressure from the Polite Society; any drama that arose from their sexism was easily dismissed or avoided with a trip to the country, and I felt as if sexism in this book was more of a nuisance than a threat. This isn’t to say I wanted the characters to be constantly suffering or be miserable from an onslaught of male meddling, but I would like to have seen more of a sustained plotline where the Polite Society attempts to thwart Lucy’s efforts, thereby creating more suspense and giving Lucy and Catherine some external challenges to face together.

I also think the subplots could have been strengthened so that they enhanced the main conflict. The plot involving Eliza, the maid with a talent for sketching, was a good parallel to Catherine’s arc, which involved finding and rewarding women’s talents in art, but Eliza wasn’t a compelling character on her own, nor did I think Catherine reflect enough on the paradox of how she encouraged Eliza but not herself. I also think more could have been done with Lucy’s brother, Stephen, so that his meddling in Lucy’s career paralleled the Polite Society’s - just in a more subtle way, thereby showing different forms of sexism. Granted, there is a little of that, but like the Polite Society, Stephen pops up at convenient times before disappearing a page or two later.

Characters: I hate to say it, but I didn’t feel as if I could connect to the characters. Lucy, one of our heroines, is a mathematician and astronomer who inspires Catherine to see herself as an artist... and that’s mostly it. I guess she’s also bold and headstrong, but honestly, she felt more like an archetype than a fully-fledged character.

Catherine, for her part, is meek on account of being mistreated by her husband, but has brilliant skills as an embroiderer and is generous with her financial support. I did like the depth that Catherine had with regards to her insecurity over whether or not she could call herself an artist, and I liked that she respected Lucy’s feelings and didn’t allow her desires to be too selfish. But I also felt like she had no ambition or desires of her own until maybe 75% of the way through the book, and she mainly existed to support Lucy.

Side characters were hit or miss. I liked the idea of Eliza, the maid who gets to put her drawing skills to use as an engraver, but she wasn’t a fully-fleshed out character and didn’t hold my interest on her own. Stephen, Lucy’s brother, had the potential to be interesting, as he is an artist and acts as a foil to Lucy in many ways, but he flits in and out of the story as needed. Even Lucy’s ex, Pricilla, seems only to exist to make petty drama; there was no pining, no angst, and I didn’t see why Lucy had once loved her. There wasn’t even any commentary on how both Pris and Catherine were blond women who were skilled at embroidery.

Polite Society members had the potential to be good antagonists, but because their appearances were so contained, I don’t think they were used to their full potential. They provided some nice commentary, but I would have liked to see them meddle more often in Lucy’s translation process.

Romance: This is personal preference: I don’t like it when the love interests get together too early in the story. It usually means the rest of the romance is going to revolve around petty drama, and I think that’s what I got here. Lucy and Catherine become a couple some 25% of the way through the book, and for the life of me, I couldn’t see why they wanted to be together other than they were interested in women and happened to be sharing a house. Over time, their reasons for loving one another became a little more clear: Lucy loves that Catherine believes in her and lets her forge her own path, whereas Catherine loves that Lucy values her skills and lifts her up, rather than dismissing her (as Catherine’s deceased husband did). While these are certainly nice, I wanted there to be a little more to their romance. Because they got together so quickly, there was very little pining, very little growth in their affections.

I also think all the angst and relationship drama that happened after they got together was a little tedious. Lucy spends some time pining for her ex, which causes Catherine to be jealous. Catherine also sees the relationship as being incompatible at one point because Lucy likes science and she likes art, so of course that means they’re on different paths that can’t be reconciled. Most of the barriers to the relationship could have been overcome by either talking it out or getting to know one another a little better, so rather than good tension (in the form of suspense), I felt like there was pointless tension. I would have much rather seen Waite dive into the very real concerns, such as the economic inequality between them or the lack of permanence that comes with not being able to marry - I think those are real, life-altering concerns that could have tied in well with the non-romance plot, but unfortunately, those concerns seemed to be resolved a little too neatly.

TL;DR: Despite having some much-needed wlw representation and a number of feminist themes, The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics does little to cultivate a compelling plot and relies on misunderstandings to drive the romantic tension.

[euphoricnyctophilia]

This or That: Fanfiction Edition

Tagged by @paradox-n-bedrock (Thanks for the distraction <3)

Slow burn or love at first sight?: 

I like being able to see how a relationship develops. I need to know exactly how they fell in love

Fake dating or secretly dating: 

Two idiots pretending to be in love, then actually falling for one another in the process? sign me up.

“Oh no, there’s only one bed” or long distance correspondence: 

Peak fanfiction trope. Its like chicken soup when you’re sick, good for the soul.

Hurt/comfort or amnesia: 

If I have the opportunity to read or write something soft, I will absolutely do it. Nothing is softer that providing comfort, don’t even get me started.

but there is this great amnesia fic on ao3 called the body will remember and it made me weeep

Enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers: 

Or as I prefer to think of them, idiots to lovers

There is nothing better than the realization of “wait, i want to kiss you instead of hit you?”

Mutual pining or domestic bliss: 

any excuse to be  s o f t.

but also, the fandoms im in tend to put their characters through a l o t and i just want them to be happy :(

Smut or fluff: 

i would like both, if nobody minds.

Fantasy au or modern au: 

i don’t particularly care for au’s in general, but i will read anything that is well written

Alternative universe or future fic: 

i just don’t really vibe with them. for me fanfic is written because you like the world presented to you. i can’t just jump into a whole other universe like talking about it

Kid fic or road trip fic: 

my favorite characters being soft, with children? yes and yes

Canon compliant/missing scenes or fix-it: 

if you can make me believe what you’re writing i will accept it as cannon. as far as im concerned, you write the show/series now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Reincarnation or character death: 

i just, reincarnation, i don’t want it. chances are i was attached to that character and now they’ve come back as someone new? can’t do it

One-shot or multi chapter: 

depends on my mood. sometimes i want some quick immersion, and sometimes i wanna stay up all night/ have something to repeatedly come back and follow

Time travel or isolated together: 

and if there’s only one bed? *chef’s kiss

High school romance or middle aged romance: 

i honestly could not care less about what teenagers are doing. i don’t really enjoy having to imagine a character younger than they are, and i think the characters are the ages they are for a reason. making them younger erases development for me

Arranged marriage or accidental marriage: 

as long as they consent, and they’re happy, i don’t care how the marriage comes about.

Sci-fi au or magic au: 

im currently being waterboarded with sci-fi, so im gonna be in the mood for literally anything else for a while.

Neighbours or roommates: 

i like that this enables pinning from afar, and then they have to make the effort to interact

Body swap or gender-bend: 

I think it would be trumatic as heck to leave your body and exist as someone else mary wardwell and also, that topic doesn’t really interest me.

I support all consenting/appropriate relationships, but as a sapphic, could not care less what men are doing and i won’t write/read from their perspective if given the choice

Angst or crack: 

i don’t even know what crack fic is, but im always in the mood to cry over some fictional characters

Apocalyptic or mundane: 

i could not handle the second hand stress of watching my favorite idiots try and survive the apocalypse

I’m tagging, @claire-de-macarune @renaissancefleabag  @its-a-goode-day @frizz22 @killyourstarlings @maggells 

[july-19th-club]

22 24 28 29 41 49 and 50, for any character(s) of your choosing! ^^

SUUUPER late answering this (i think u sent it last night? idk i was asleep lol) ANYWAY. this is for the character ask game, so I’ll do the core four~

22. What are their favorite insults to use? What do they insult people for? Or do they prefer to bitch behind someone’s back?

Adra: A big believer in rude gestures, both traditional and specific to sign language, but too easygoing to insult someone to their face.

Judi: WOULD insult all of her coworkers daily, but needs to keep the peace. Insults everybody inside the comfort of her own head instead. Rarely swears in public. Cusses up a storm at home.

Irine: ‘vă sĕlă’ is Musŏn for ‘go fuck yourself’.

Varas: Even ruder than Irine; needs to get out of the habit of bringing peoples’ mothers into it.

24. What is their sleeping pattern like? Do they snore? What do they like to sleep on? A soft or hard mattress?

Do you know I have never once bothered to think about this? jesus let’s do this

Adra: Doesn’t realize he’s a snorer for YEARS because he lives with his sister, who’s Deaf, and he still doesn’t actually believe he snores *that* much. Likes a comfy mattress, but his understanding of comfy is a rich person’s Painfully Scratchy, so it only amounts to average. Nightmare City; needs somebody to talk to pretty frequently.

Judi: The rich person for whom Adra’s ‘comfy’ is a joke. Likes her feather pillows & luxurious blankets & shit. Sleeps soundly but not for very long, bc she’s busy all the time. Morning Person.

Irine: Not a morning person, forced to be one by circumstance. Probably doesn’t snore, but even if she did, nobody would actually tell her.

Varas: Believer in the power of naps. Occasional clairvoyant dreams mean that he doesn’t actually always get the amount of rest he appears to be getting (those things take it outta you), so constantly looking for a place to sleep.

28. What is their biggest fear? What in general scares them? How do they act when they’re scared?

Adra: Oh Boy is he afraid of Shit. He has good reason to be. Maybe his biggest fear is that he’ll never get back home, or that when he does, he won’t have his life back. He worries about his family and his home a lot, but when he’s scared/upset he tends to withdraw, so it might come off like he’s just being grumpy. He’s sad. You should hold him.

Judi: Scared that even after years of preparation, she’s still not cut out for her job and may actually be bad at it. Scared that she’s too eager to use violence to solve problems (even though she’s only done it once, and it was necessary, the fact that she was ready and willing spooks her). Talks her fears out because she’s Mature and also because she can’t be left alone with her thoughts.

Irine: Not afraid of much, but worries that she’s gotten off track with her life. She’s had a single specific plan forever, and deliberately derails it to do something else, so out of the blue it will sometimes scare her a lot.

Varas: Scared that somebody will find out about his *~~~magic powers~~~*. Scared that somebody will hurt his loved ones (like, even more than they’ve already been). Scared he’ll never see certain ppl again. Scared that he’s actually a total turd human. Scared scared scared this guy is afraid of a lot in life. You should also hold him, but probably he will try to deflect you with humor.

29. What do they do when they find out someone else’s fear? Do they tease them? Or get very over protective?

Adra: Lives in the ‘boy-I-feel-you’ camp, so if he finds out that you’re scared of something, he will sit with you in solidarity.

Judi: Will try to talk you through it and help you feel good/better, even if she’s bad at doing that for herself. Usually it works, because she’s damn reassuring.

Irine: Will try to distract the fearer with other things, but if it’s not a distraction type situation, will get protective 10/10 get u a girl like that.

Varas: Miiiiight…….not..actually notice other people’s fears as much as his own? It’s a flaw he’s working on it. It’s not that he’s being selfish, he just assumes everybody’s scared of the same things (the ones he’s scared of).

41. What’s their sexuality? What do they find attractive? Physically and mentally? What do they like/need in a relationship?

Adra: Adra is Irinesexual. Okay, he’s the token straight boy, but he’s more steve-trevor-straight-boy than mon-el-straight-boy. Kinda sits and pines from a distance and maybe works up the courage to tell the girl he likes what he likes about her once in a while, but always in a way so that if she wants she can misconstrue it as him just being a good friend. A shy guy. Needs somebody to settle down with, and definitely wants to just have a house and a family someday like his sister and parents before him.

Judi: Bi with a preference; has had one husband years ago who unfortunately died, which is very upsetting bc they were deeply in love. Currently in a new relationship with a really nice guy, but *still* not quite ready to move on.

Irine: Realizing as she becomes an adult that she’s never really been interested in anybody romantically. Probably on the ace spectrum, but fine with sexual activity. Knows Adra likes her and is 100% cool with it, but hasn’t brought it up because she’s worried she doesn’t *like him back enough* or whatever. (IMO, they may very well end up in a relationship, if he likes her and she likes that he likes her, and he can be respectful of her reservations, they might do really well together). BUT her partner would need to be somebody willing to to explore the world with her, and Adra might not be that person.

Varas: That Guy is Bi. That guy was in a happy, successful poly relationship way back in the day, but hasn’t seen either of them since Some Shit Went Down due to his being an unwilling spy for the gov’t and his home life getting caught in the crosshairs. But don’t worry, y’all, it’s endgame.

Now I’m a little upset that I’m only doing the core four, because weirdly, none of them have the major romantic arcs. The three other narrators that haven’t been introduced yet are the big hitters in that department, and two of them are sapphic, so. Things progressively get gayer and this book hardly has any romance at all in the slightest; all the ships are in the future lmao.

49. What is their most valued object? Are they sentimental? Is there something they have to take everywhere with them?

Adra: He’s really sentimental, but due to being an army deserter, he doesn’t have any special possessions with him rn. He does end up getting really attached to his uniform tunic, not bc he likes the associations, but because it is this comfortingly familiar object.

Judi: She has a kickass sword and she’s real proud of it. Once she chopped a man’s head off. It was amazing.

Irine: Has this blue scarf she’s owned since back when her moms were alive that has sentimental value, so she wears it even tho it’s getting to be threadbare.

Varas: Technically, he’s a spy, so yeah, he travels anonymously and keeps the personal effects to an untraceable amount of genericness. His most valuable thing is his power, anyway.

and 50. If they could only take one bag of stuff somewhere with them: what would they pack? What do they consider their essentials?

This is a great question because this actually basically happens in the book.

Adra: The clothes on his back and nothing else; he has literally no bag. He’s…not great at disaster planning and also doesn’t own much shit.

Judi: Practical clothes (one set? whyyyyy). Her late husband’s journals or important documents. Her Sword™. Good boots. Food. Toiletries. She’d pack it all up to take with her & leave on her horse, probably, bc he himself is super valuable, being a survivor of a really bad horse plague. His name’s King. In case you were wondering. You weren’t.

Irine: Change of clothes, extra scarf, small knife, provisions (nonperishable food). Maps/reading material if she thinks she’ll have the time for entertainment. Cloak, blanket, example of her work (she’s a weaver) if it looks like she’ll have to earn some money. Money. Tack. A horse or mule.

Varas: Clothes, food, money. Pertinent documents. Weapon. That’s it.

WHOOOO there we go thank you!!!!!