#not something she had to deal with

[lover-of-mine]

You know, my whole thing with believing Eddie fell first and Buck will inevitably fall harder comes back a lot to the way I think people misuse the trope. A fell first/B fell harder for me was never about the actual intensity of the feeling but more about how the characters handle it. A has been feeling it for longer so they know how to contain it better than B, because usually B is hit with it in a way they can't hide it, which I personally think is the most fun interpretation of it all. You can play with canon and say Eddie has been aware of something as early as the tsunami, even if I believe he named the feeling during the shooting, so it's really easy to make Eddie look like he's been coming to terms with his feelings for a while. You can very easily put intent behind Eddie's feelings going back as far as stuck. To be the one who fell first you need a level of awareness of your own feelings that Buck just simply does not have. Sure you can play with the idea of Buck feeling some form of attraction for Eddie since they met, but Buck is bad at identifying feelings, so you can't really give him the "I'm at peace with my feelings" thing as easily as you can with Eddie. Because, personally, I think Buck took what was definitely a crush and labeled it as admiration and never looked at it again, because Buck is scared of defining things because he exists in fear of being abandoned. If he doesn't look at it, he can't want it, if he doesn't want it, it can't be taken away. He has a very specific way of looking at love that will make him never look too closely at what he and Eddie have. But that also means that if he ever does catch up, it will be bursting out of him in a way he can't control. Because Buck never dealt with big feelings, so that would hit him hard. And also because Buck feels things in a big way, so it would take over. If Buck knew, it's not the type of thing you can miss. But Eddie is really good at pretending things aren't there which makes it easier for him to act as if the romantic side of his feelings for Buck won't matter in the grand scheme of things. I don't really think Eddie is at peace with his feelings, mostly because I don't think Eddie has ever felt at peace about anything ever, but also because I think the cemetery made him think no amount of waiting is gonna get Buck on the same page as him and he doesn't want to ask for it and risk being wrong, so the easiest route is to pretend it's not there, even more considering he thinks he's watching Buck fall in love with someone else, so he needs to find peace with whatever he can get. So Eddie doesn't think Buck can feel the same, leading him to not ask for what he wants, and Buck just doesn't know how to name it.

Anyway you should read my Eddie fell first essay.

[boatem-probler]

been chewing on this conversation between pearl and gem this week:

Gem: I know you didn't kill me!

Pearl: So what are you cranky about?

...

Gem: I'm just- you know, I wanted some drama! So, this is the drama, you're welcome.

Pearl: "This is the drama". You're telling me we could've been friends this whole time but you're just like "yoohoohoohoohoohoohoo... I hate you!"

Gem: Yeah, I mean, why not!

and i'm connecting it to gem in empires season 2, where like. in the context of the fiction everyone else had been living in that world their whole lives and that's their reality, like, it's real to them.

and meanwhile gem is just roleplaying. like, she was a being from another world who just came there because she wanted to play at being a human princess for a while. and then when she's called away she's just like. anyway i was never actually a princess or a mortal being from this dimension and we're never gonna see each other again, sorry for the existential crisis, bye!

and anyway i think she has a similar deal in the life series. like, everyone else is there because they're trapped in the Torment Nexus, gem is there because she wants to be.

[spacedlexi]

"sounds nice... having a partner"

[zarnzarn]

y'all think Penelope pulled a "if it weren't for the baby" peeta mallark style on everyone present there to marry odysseus or

[dovelywind]

ꕥ| Rocket Raccoon & Nebula — GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

[lichilly]

cw—pwp (porn without plot) we are hopping right into it folks, reader is referred to as cute and pretty, reader has a vagina, Jill is a pussy eating fiend, one small moment of Jill speaking inside your head

wc— 1,199 words

(Forgive me if this is not up to par, I haven’t written smut in a long time so I’m still finding my footing!! I hope you guys enjoy <33)

“Jill…” Her name slipped from your lips in a desperate whisper, your voice trembling with embarrassment. Your fingers clung to her shoulders, seeking support in any way you could. She lifted your thighs higher, pressing them up towards your chest, her thumbs caressing the sensitive skin at the back of your knees. Each touch sent shivers cascading through your body. You were completely bare, all except your underwear.

Her smile brushed against your inner thighs, her lips trailing slow kisses along the tender skin. Each kiss inched closer to your core, your hips rising instinctively, seeking more.

“You’re very eager today, Sunflower,” she murmured, her breath hot against your skin. Her nose brushed teasingly against the damp fabric of your panties. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you.”

She flattened her tongue against you, licking slowly up the wet patch staining the fabric of your panties. Your fingers trailed down her biceps, nails grazing her hot skin. She moaned at the faint taste of you, the sound vibrating against you. Plump lips closed around your swollen clit, sucking at the fabric with a fervent hunger that made your hips buck in short, desperate jerks.

“Jill—!” you shrieked, eyes rolling back, a fog of pleasure clouding your mind as you panted heavily.

Her lips released your clit, pressing a soft, lingering kiss against the now spit-soaked fabric. The sudden loss of contact made you whimper down at her through the haze of need.

“I’m sorry for teasing you, Sunflower… It’s just,” she trailed kisses up your clothed mound, her teeth grazing the hem of your panties, “you make such cute sounds when I do.”

Her fingers bunched the laced hem, gripping your hips as she tugged the material down your legs. A gust of cool air hit your exposed cunt, sending another shiver through your already trembling body. The curtains swayed gently in the breeze from the open window, the room dimly lit by the setting sun.

“Could you hold your legs up for me, Sweetheart?” she asked, her voice sweet, as if she was asking you for a more innocent favor.

You blinked at her, breathing heavily, before the request registered in your foggy mind. Nodding, you tucked your hands under your calves, holding your legs up to your chest once more.

“Thank you…” she murmured, a soft smile playing on her lips as she tucked her face back between your thighs, now unhindered by any flimsy cotton.

Your body tensed at the closeness, every nerve ending alight with anticipation. Her eyes were locked onto you, studying every twitch, every shiver. Your hands shook as you held your legs, body aching for more. Her hands cupped over your ass, thumbs tracing the sensitive skin where your thighs met, mere millimeters away from where you needed her most. She pulled at the skin, spreading you open wider, her gaze never leaving you.

“Gosh, Sunflower, you’re making such a mess!” she laughed sweetly, watching your face scrunch up in a bashful pout.

“Let me clean you up,” she reassured, her voice trailing off as her tongue traced up a trail of wetness.

Your mind fogged over, body relaxing as your head fell back against the pillows. Her tongue continued its slow, deliberate journey, licking at your fluttering entrance with heavy flicks. She moaned, savoring your taste, her eyes closing in focused bliss as she drank you in. Panting moans filled the room, punctuated by gasps and the repeated plea of her name. She couldn’t get enough, her hands pawing at your hips to pull you closer. A mix of drool and slick dripped down her chin, your wetness foaming against her lips.

With each flick of her tongue, she brought you closer to the edge, the hot knot inside your tummy tightening. Words became babbles, thoughts melting into incoherent sentences. All you could think of was Jill, how she had woven herself into the most intimate parts of your being.

She smiled against you, her eyes opening to meet yours. “Open your eyes, Sunflower. Let me see your pretty eyes,” she pleaded against you, the words muffled but clear. You obeyed instantly, tearful eyes meeting hers.

You tried to focus, the knot inside you burning, aching to be cut loose. She hummed in satisfaction, her eyes locked with yours as she sped up her licking. She was everywhere, her hands kneading your skin, her nose brushing against your clit as her tongue filled you.

“Jill—I’m gonna—” you pleaded, feeling the fire inside you start to consume you. All your senses were heightened, a dewy fog clouding over your eyes as your ears hummed. It felt as if your bedroom was breathing with you, the curtains brushing against the window pane with each inhale and flowing away with each exhale.

Jill’s lips wrapped around your clit once more, her eyes dripping with primal need. She sucked, the tip of her tongue flicking against the overly sensitive bundle.

Let go.

Her voice whispered within your consciousness, wrapping you in honeyed words.

Cum for me.

Your lips trembled, eyes flickering shut as you let yourself crash into pleasure. Your vision went black, ears ringing as waves of ecstasy raked over your body. You jerked, letting go of your legs and weaving them into her soft hair. You mumbled her name between gasps and pleas, not even recognizing your own voice anymore. She released your clit with a pop, her tongue finding its place against your gushing entrance, beckoning more release with each slow lick. She wrapped a heavy arm across your lower stomach, keeping your twitching hips pinned against the bed. A thumb pressed against your clit, swirling in tight circles.

Her tongue stroked lazily, licking up the last of your release before she slowly parted from you. Her breath puffed against you, strings of sticky cum connecting her lips to you before they broke off. She pressed wet, gentle kisses to your trembling thighs, bringing your mind back to the present.

Your nose scrunched at the stickiness coating your lower half, now far too aware of the mess coating your inner thighs.

“You did so good, Sunflower,” she praised, licking her lips and scooping a thumb across her chin to catch what was left. She reached up, trailing her wet thumb across your bottom lip, gently opening your slack mouth. You closed your lips around the digit, obediently sucking the essence of yourself off. She smiled warmly, her hips tucking against yours as she pulled her thumb from your mouth.

“I’m going to run us a bath, okay? Can you wait here for me?” Her voice was soft, reassuring as she cupped your hot cheek.

You nodded, blinking sleepily at her as she slipped off the bed. She flitted out of the bedroom, her energy high and unwavering, as if she hadn’t made you cum with just her mouth not even mere seconds ago.

The sound of the bath faucet turning on sent a calming shiver through your exhausted body. Your eyes fluttered closed, too worn out to stay awake. As you sank deeper into the throes of sleep, the last thing you felt was a gentle kiss on your forehead.

[serpentface]

Don't get too attached

[dykesynthezoid]

I think the funniest thing about scogan to me is that if you try to imagine it in practice it actually ends up much more compellingly fulfilling some of the tropes that the comics have seemingly always been trying to push with Jean/Logan. Which is just. Hilarious. Like the supposed (very old, tired, romance novel ass) dynamic they’ve often tried to push w Jean/Logan (esp in the new xmen era) is that of Logan representing some sort of… wildness or freedom to Jean’s restraint. That her “giving in” (yuck) to him is also her embracing… idk? Some sort of more natural, unrestrained version of herself and her power.

But it falls really flat with Jean not just bc of the misogyny inherent in the trope but also bc. She’s literally already done that. Like several times in fact. It’s sort of her whole thing. She doesn’t need to fuck Logan to step into her unrestrained power. She already, as a character, is supposed to be a vibrant, impossible, wild manifestation of pure creative/destructive will. (And really it’s kind of everyone else— and the writers’ latent misogyny— that keep fucking that up for her).

Scott on the other hand. Well. He kind of is the high powered female romantic lead obsessed with her job who gets sent on a work trip to a rural town where she’s forced to loosen up a little. Like for better or worse that’s kind of exactly him. He would fit alarmingly well in that sort of push and pull storyline. Which is so… good to me. That Scott, of all people, makes more sense on the cover of a Johanna Lindsey novel than Jean does. That him having that kind of dynamic with Logan actually feels way more interesting bc Scott is restrained to a fault, he is an insufferable, neurotic little headcase who would rather die than tell a waiter they got his order wrong. And yet he’s also the guy who’s admitted to actively enjoying riling Logan up bc part of him just wants to see what will happen. Which I’m pretty sure is called chemistry

[crowcrash]

The Prophet Morrowseer

[sluckythewizard]

I LOVE QUEEN SOO MUCH I THINK THEYRE JUST SO SO NEAT AND SILLY... the best thing about a cute character is that u get to draw them all scared and bloody and crying and shaking and upset and you can also put a spider on them

[bookshelf-in-progress]

Having story thoughts about the fourth wall:

It defines the difference between allegory and applicability. An allegorical story leans on our world to find its full meaning. Ideas, characters, settings, all symbolize something else that's in our world, thus obliterating the fourth wall and bringing the two worlds together. This can be useful for a message-forward story, but it has the side effect of making the world and characters seem less real, because it's not a place with its own independent existence--it relies on our world.

In an applicable story, the fourth wall is firmly in place. The character is a character. The setting is its own setting. They have an independent existence within their own little world. We can draw parallels to our world, but even without that meaning, the characters and setting still feel like they exist in a real, independent world.

An applicable story often has more impact and a stronger message, because the message comes out of the story and character, rather than being pulled from our world and pasted on top of the story.

As an example--I was thinking about this because I saw Ratatouille recently. In Remy's situation, there are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between his world and ours--an oppressed subculture, a life of poverty--but instead of trying to map that onto a specific real-world situation, they're still just rats, living in this weird version of Paris where sometimes the worldbuilding elements are just weird. The actual message of the movie is about art, which comes from character, not from the way the world is built. Compare this to something like Elemental, which started out as a way to explore real-world racism and the immigrant experience. Because the message is built into the world, commentators get distracted by the ways it doesn't map onto our world, and have a harder time connecting to the characters.

The fourth wall is also important to romance. The reason so much of the romance genre feels so fake and unreal is because it's so often concerned with the effect the story has on the reader--reaching through the fourth wall to give the reader things the reader finds romantic or arousing, regardless of anything that's specific to the characters or world of the book.

In a well-done romance, the fourth wall is firmly in place. The characters are not avatars for the reader and their romantic ideal, but people with their own independent existence and relationship. They live in a well-built world that has shaped both of their personalities and affects their relationships. The development of their romance is specific to these two people, and would exist independent of any audience reading about it. The story has more impact on the reader, because it's coming from outside our world and gives the reader unique characters to love, instead of just pulling the reader's desires out of our world and pasting them on top of the story.

[companion-showdown]

Who had the worst time aboard the TARDIS?

TOURNAMENT MASTERPOST

[optiwashere]

Huh, I didn't even realize it'd been a year since BG3 came out until I opened tumblr this morning. Kinda wild. I didn't think much of the game's release: I like Larian's games, and I like the BG series. I wasn't ever going to skip the game, but I didn't think I'd play it at launch because I was busy working on a novel in 2023 and not doing well financially.

Thankfully, circumstances left me with a little bit of extra money last year just before launch and it meant I could spend on a video game. I needed a pick-me-up after said 2023 novel failed to go anywhere, and BG3 was right there. Like most CRPGs, I played it in basically every moment of free time that I had and did as much as I possibly could in one playthrough.

It's so odd how these small happenstances can snowball into coming back to fandom, finding some friends I might've never met otherwise, and writing a lot of fanfiction along the way. I'll probably have something more interesting to say/share when it's the 14th, AKA when I sat down and wrote my first fic for this fandom.

Anyways, it's been a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to more years to come 💜

[zishuge]

Lost You Forever 长相思 (2023) | Ep. 3

[poisonousquinzel]

thinking about just how likely it is that Batman was the only person Harley told about having suicidal thoughts whilst in Arkham in Detective Comics #831

"I was seriously considering hanging sheets from the light in my cell and doing the maximum checkout when I heard this voice..."

Detective Comics #831

and how he knew when she strapped that bomb to herself in Batman (2016) #100 that he had to go after her because she was going let herself die in an attempt to end Joker's rampage for good but that she refused to physically do it because he didn't want to her Kill him and he told her that so she's found a middle ground

"We don't need to end it this way. He needs to be locked back up."

that she'd rather die than keep living with his presence in the world haunting her, haunting Them.

That if he did choose Joker, she wasn't going to disarm the bomb herself.

"Honey. You're talking to the wrong girl if you think he's not dangerous locked up in Arkham. It's like I said. That's not good enough for me. Not anymore."

the way he yells for her as she leaves.

"You're only going to get to one of us in time, Bats. Who's it going to be?"

"Harley!"

the way the two men stare at each other in the way they have so many times before, in those moments when Joker stayed or prioritized their fight over her. the way he knew Joker loved the thrill of it all and thought it was funny, thought there was No way Batman would leave him and that this game had to end as according to the rules. And that Batman would do so, he would follow the rules and save him. The way he immediately assumed Batman would choose him, choose his life and choose to stay and disarm the bomb.

And how Batman didn't do that. How Batman walked away from him, leaving him to die or escape or whatever, because He was choosing Harley and her safety and prioritizing her life over him.

The way he stared him in the eyes before choosing the woman Joker had always left to die over him. The way that it was always Him, it was never a question if he would choose Batman over her, but when faced with that type of scenario, Joker is the one that gets left behind to die.

The way she literally woke up in the hospital instead of them having a scene just outside after he removed it. because she didn't intend to live in one of the two options. the way the bomb probably did go off to some capacity because you don't just end up in the hospital knocked out for a week.

Him saying that he's glad she's okay, after everything they've been through, this war and Everything else. and the way he didn't brush off her concern

"I'm glad you're okay."

"Are you?"

"I had to bury my father again today. I did it with my family."

i just, i can't,,,,, i cant

[likeabxrdinflight]

...I should be editing my dissertation but now I'm thinking about how both Azula and Katara are perhaps the most "adultified" of the atla characters and...hmm. Interesting.