#talking about eroticizing equality

[scientologisabethmoss]

you know, the whole “consent is sexy” campaign of the early 2010s got clowned on a lot for good reason. that being said, the older i get, the more i increasingly feel like equality - especially in the context of heterosexual relationships - has gotta be eroticized more.

[taemcains]

eroticism, sensuality & how cain embodies it

i've always called cain erotic but since the kiss has taken over every last braincell of mine, i've been wondering what exactly makes him so. from the moment i read i want to do with you what isn't customary to say out loud, the with immediately struck me. not do to you but with. which could either mean what he wants them to experience together, as equals, or having her helpless and at his mercy, or both.

the verbal aspect of sex is what almost everyone gets wrong in media, especially when it comes to men. dirty talk is cheap, vulgar, and disgusting but why does cain do it so well? because he reveals just enough to leave you wondering, grasping desperately at your own imagination. i should've been crucified long ago for my thoughts about you. so what are you thinking? sublimating admitting to animal basal impulses, considered dirty and impure with so much grace and sensuality. saving all his confessions for such a significant moment, as they always step around each other and walk in circles, never saying anything outright so when he does it's shocking, outrageously hot.

and the inch he does give is painted vividly. where the blood boils and languid sighs fill the air.

he doesn't impose himself onto her, doesn't overpower her, make her smaller. it's more of an enveloping, surrounding, surrendering. he hardly touched her in the church, but his words and presence eclipsed the outside world, making sin religious.

while he is more, or even completely, dominant in their relationship, his dominance isn't to assert his desire onto her, but to allow the revealing of hers. he doesn't push her around, doesn't order her but carefully spins a web around her, trapping her senses, trapping her in a web of her own desires, disregarding her inhibitions. everything about him is subtle and slow and seductive, and every final decision has rested on her shoulders. in the church, he has his fingers over her stomach, he looks up, he waits. in the bathroom, he has her trapped between his body and the cross, he says his piece, he waits. only when she touches him back does he kiss her.

the power gap between them, purely antagonistic of the usual immortal/mortal ship, is blurred and coexisting. cain was the one laying out his cards, his barest desires and wants but it was lane who felt caught between his jaws, like this was her surrender. he was pulling the strings even as he was being vulnerable.

over all this, intimacy and understanding is the most erotic thing of all, and it was captured beautifully in the kiss scene. cain knew what i liked because we were so similar. cain being able to read all her nonverbal cues, to know which is permission. cain laying on her lap, talking about acceptance and understanding and eternity.

it's so rare to see a male character who is actually erotic, not vulgar and as a 'bring back real sensuality in media' girl i'm fucking up this buffet. i can't wait to see how this evolves in his later scenes and thank you taemin for birthing him.

[hadesoftheladies]

choice feminists consistently misattribute insult. feminist analysis is often taken to be infantilization, and doing so ironically shows a lack of maturity. but by far the most insidious thing about choice feminism is how it perverts the concept of empowerment to the point that women go to war fighting for dogshit treatment. they conflate being respected like a man with being like a man, which totally masks the fact that they are ritualistically disempowering themselves in an eternally rigged game.

bdsm choice feminists will say "pain gives me pleasure and i'm an adult!" and yet your male dom hisses and whines when he feels even the tiniest scrape of your teeth on his member. why does men's pleasure centre around their comfort? is he not empowered because he hasn't rationalized and eroticized his discomfort? why are you the exception?

christian choice feminists will say "i have a right to worship whomever i want" and yet your fellow male observers froth at the mouth whenever god is referred to as she. you see male as neutral and male and female as equal, yet your male leaders consistently do not. female is sexual or domestic. they can't stomach calling a metaphysically transcendent being she. why is "she" the exception? why are female biblical heroes exceptions?

muslim choice feminists will say "i get to wear the hijab" and yet male observers are not treated as inherently provocative for existing. why are you the exception?

female rappers or celebrities and women like them that dress in exceedingly impractical and revealing outfits say "my body my choice" and yet their more powerful and rich counterparts never have to do any of that on the red carpet or in their music videos. why are they the exception?

tradwives will say "it's my right to marry" and it is, but why do so few men marry without an education or job? why are they never told to do it young or quit their jobs to raise their kids? why is no man advocating for men's right to be stay-at-home dads? why are you the exception?

pro-makeup choice feminists will say "i choose to do this for fun!" and yet male counterparts have never once felt a need to shave or decorate their faces to minimize facial "flaws." they can walk anywhere, attend any party or job, without any performance or effort outside of hygiene and basic decorum. why are you the exception?

anti-separatist choice feminists will say "i have a right to pursue romantic relationships with men" and yet the men in their dating pool have zero interest in romance itself and pursue women for very different reasons. they don't risk their lives to date you, neither do they tolerate disrespect or disagreement with whoever they're dating. they don't allow themselves to be talked down to. they don't tolerate anyone they don't find exceedingly attractive unless they want a quick fuck. they don't patty-cake their opinions or tone police themselves or praise women for being women or fanboy about female sex characteristics, especially not for women they don't know. they don't defend the integrity of women. why are you the exception?

instead of asking this question, most of them would rather say that it is feminists that are insulting and infantilizing them for pointing out the way they are being insulted and infantilized by men via femininity and the performance of female socialization.

which makes it ironic. because it is immature for an adult to refuse to reflect on their choices. it is immature for an adult to invest in something they have been told time and time again is unstable and rife with fraud with poor returns. holding onto things that harm you because of peer pressure is something we hopefully outgrow post highschool. it is immature to believe something based on unsubstantiated evidence. to refuse to examine something potentially harmful simply because it gives you comfort.

i'm not going to be complicit in validating women's internalized masochism and misogyny because i refuse to agree with any patriarch on what a woman is or should be.

[tippenfunkaport]

Today Variety (see above) had an article naming Heidi Schreck as the new writer for the live action She-Ra series at Amazon that was announced back in Sept 2021 and, after seeing dozens of terrible takes and people who are fans of the Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2017) freaking out, let's talk about this, shall we?

Disclaimer that I do not have any insider knowledge of this project specifically, this is just my educated perspective from my experience with IP and TV.

First and foremost, I will believe this project is actually happening when it is showing on my TV and not a moment sooner. Let's just say that.

Now assuming it IS happening, here's what you should understand...

IP is usually use it or lose it. If Dreamworks wants to keep the rights to make She-Ra content, they very likely must have something in active development or risk listing it. If Netflix isn't willing to make more of the animated series right now, then the Amazon deal is all they have or give She-Ra up entirely. 

If you're an SPOP (2017) fan, you're in favor of Dreamworks retaining the license over losing it because, so long as they have it, the door is always open for more of our SPOP in one way or another. This reboot doesn't negate the possibility of a continuation of the animated version or vice versa. (Fans of frequently rebooted properties like TMNT and MLP would be happy to tell you about how there's been content for multiple gens at the same time.) It's not like the new version erases the old. If anything, a reboot often makes it more likely you get content of a past gen because of renewed interest in the property as a whole.

"But what if it's sexist trash!" The biggest fear people had about this reboot was that it would be some male gaze disaster made to please the worst kind of people who hate all kinds of diversity. Obviously, we'll see what we get, but the fact that they specifically got a feminist playwright as the writer is a big thing should alleviate some of that fear.

"But will it be gay????" I've seen lots of freaking out that Adora's going to kill Catra and marry a man on her grave and other equally unlikely fears. And the fact is: We don't know if it will be gay! With this writer, the gay door certainly isn't closed, but that doesn't mean it's open either. But honestly the real question you should be asking is: will it be explicitly gay? Because the rainbow homo-eroticism is baked right into She-Ra OG so even if we don't get an explicit same-sex kiss on screen... it's likely still gonna be pretty gay.

Even a bad or infuriating reboot will revitalize the fandom and bring new fans to SPOP (2017) AND increase the chances of continuation. Say the new show is terrible. Say they annoy everyone by giving Catra and Adora a supercorp queerbaiting thing and then never make it canon or make Catra and Hordak in love and everyone is mad. (Which I feel obligated to point out is *extremely* unlikely as this is literally still Dreamworks' show. They are the same people that gave you the gay. They are keenly aware of what their audience wants so, even if they are reluctant to make it canon, at the least they are probably going to tease it.) But even in the worst case scenario of the straightest possible version of She-Ra, what are people going to do if the new show pisses them off? Turn back to She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, create more fanworks, interact with what's already there, keep the fandom alive for everyone. You want that!

"Well SPOP (2017) was perfect and they should never be allowed to make another version of She-Ra again unless it's just like the thing we just got!" Wow, where have I heard something like that before? Oh yeah, that's exactly what the nightmare chuds said about Netflix's She-Ra and if they had gotten their way, we wouldn't have had this show we love. So maybe take a nice deep breath, chill tf out and look at that fact that there is no reason yet to see this announcement as anything other than a good thing for both this new reboot and the animated version's future.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Season 3: Eros & Vibrant Collaboration

I previously mentioned vibrant collaboration, but now I have a better understanding after watching the trailer. I am interested in delving deeper into the book.

I'm assuming from the trailer that we see Carmy preparing a menu early in the morning and emphasizing certain things or non-negotiables. The entire morning seems to be dedicated to proposing a partnership agreement. This seems to be a presentation of vibrant collaboration between Sydney and the act of co-creating.

Since the show makes book references like last season's, with Richie reading about hospitality, this "Vibrant Collaboration" could be another book reference that connects to the workplace. Vibrant collaboration, on Carmy's list, may come from this book that talks about workplace honesty and intimacy for the highest creativity. It also speaks on eroticism and attraction in workplace dynamics.

This is an expert from the summary:

Vibrant Collaboration speaks a lot about how eros is the main drive that can create vibrancy in the workplace- the kind Carmy is looking for- but the problem that reoccuring in the show is that Carmy can only make creativity happen alone, at work, and there's lack of passion in his personal life.

What is eros?

One of Eros principles is co-creation:

Co-creation: The Bee and the Flower Are Equally Benefiting

"We recognize the mutuality of existence as connected beings and do the work to develop the capacity to both transmit and receive energy; co-creation is a reciprocal process where everyone benefits." -link

Eros is also, according to Greek Religion birthed from Chaos something Carmy despises but is attracted to in some ways and often the cause of it.

What if he really dives deep into chaos this season? What will come of it?

I think Carmy will learn to play with others and create, not by himself, but by co-creating with Sydney. This has been a part of the slow burn between Sydney and Carmy. Each season, they get closer to the perfect dish - their creation, and something or someone known as Carmy Berzatto - pulls back, or it doesn't quite fit yet.

The question is: what is preventing Carmy from co-creation? He is usually working alone, creating a chaos menu and following a successful career path. His motivation this season doesn't come from a desire to compete or a fuck you to Mikey. Instead, his drive to bring order out of chaos and to create beauty and love is inspired by someone specific – Sydney. She is the driving force behind Carmy's exploration of his deepest emotions and the chaos. When he focuses his full attention on her, something more profound emerges from the chaos menu. It's the kind of passion that Carmy typically reserves for his career but is now directed towards her.

This season could bring even more tension, mixed emotions, and chaos! But we'll also experience the honest and intimate moments that the book talks about—eros will hopefully be loud this season with Sydney and Carmy.

Because Carmy is choosing (though he pretends begrudgingly, like a husband who follows his wife) to explore the chaos and birth eros. such an act will birth Carmy and Sydney's deepest desire: each other.

[kinkyintherealworld]

Sissification - a toxic construction of femininity or getting off on outdated social constructs?

Becca here. 😀

First… I LOVE THAT YOU STARTED THIS DISCUSSION!!!! Thank you so much @youngchastity - who wrote to us (and tagged us in a post) for some healthy discussion around the sissification kink. We’ve definitely had a few things to say about it on the podcast, as have our guests. You can read his post, that started this conversation, here

Rather than speak for both of us at @kinkyintherealworld, I’m going to jump in and answer this from my point of view.

@youngchastity I love your thoughts on gender - I totally agree. I actually reblogged a post by @necromimetics the other day that said: 

“can’t stop thinking about my friend’s cishet partner who said last night that he doesn’t think anyone is the same gender. god-tier take.”

And I agree - we’re all a wibbly-wobbly swirl of masculine, feminine, and everything in between energies, and everyone has their own unique blend. Trying to squash us into labels is lame as hell. 

I like to think I am never one to kink shame (keeping it safe, sane and consensual), and in world where I (and many other women) want to smash the patriarchy, I may be a bit more sensitive to kinks that look down on femininity - or that’s how I have perceived it to date. As someone who has struggled with gender equality issues in real life (your capitalism comment made me give a disgruntled, but amused, snort), it’s hard to not knee jerk react and feel like I need to defend womanhood/femininity. There is still a power imbalance in the world, and equality is still a goal yet to be achieved, but upon dissection, is in the bedroom, playing with kinks, even a place we need to bring this battle? A question that has been raised to me, even before your message.

It’s funny, because I have actually had your very points discussed with me, last fall with my partner, Misty (who if you have read my personal tumblr is trans-personality who enjoys both sides of the gender spectrum fluidly) - we were on a road trip discussing the two episodes you made note of in your post, episode #16 and #19. And Misty, like you, felt we were missing the mark. S/he felt that in no way does sissification for the purpose of humiliation somehow degrade/make fun of/make lesser femininity. For all the same reasons you stated. S/he and I actually talked about doing a podcast about it, to dive more into the topic, Misty felt that strongly. It should be noted that Misty is NOT into sissification or feminization for the purpose of humiliation, and still she felt that we gave the sissification kink a bum rap. 

Hearing her thoughts and yours, I think it is something that should be revisited and, for me personally, I need to take a closer look at why I find it uncomfortable.

Since you made such lovely points I want to try and address each one!

We’ve established that we both agree the trappings around what we consider to be masculine and feminine are made up (and ridiculous). I think, the kink we are talking about here is ultimately humiliation through outdated (but still most commonly accepted) societal norms. IF you get embarrassed about having those things stripped away, and “forced” into the opposite direction… good for you? I mean seriously, how fun is it to get off in weird and wonderful ways with someone who shares your kink from a slightly different perspective! The reality is, I believe, this isn’t hurting anyone. You want a person to lock up your dick, make fun of your little penis (your actual size is irrelevant), or put you in clothing that bends your mind with eroticism and makes you flustered with sexual need - awesome! Life is too short not to enjoy the kinks we have. The bigger question, if I want to dig into the piece that makes me feel uncomfortable is, “Is there misogyny in the specific kink?” - and the answer to that, for me upon reflection, is no. Misogyny comes from the person performing it. So yeah, some kinky things are done with TONS of misogynistic intent… but that isn’t concentrated in one area. Those assholes are everywhere.

To me, feminization is never something that goes hand-in-hand with sissification. My partner feminized himself (their pronouns are all over the place), in a loving way. To empower the feminine in himself. He has often described it as blooming or becoming a butterfly - his higher form of being. So no humiliation to be found, for either of us on either end. I find it hot as fuck when he is all dolled up. 

I haven't dipped my toes into the humiliation via feminization kink (...yet?), so it’s hard for me to wrap my dirty little mind around it. 

Weirdly I do have a bimbofication kink for myself… sometimes. 😁 If I am in a particular mood for the fantasy. I have never found the right time/partner/energy to explore that. Am I feeling humiliation when I go there? I don’t think so…? More the need to feel desired, trophied (yes I made up that word), and used in a deeply submissive way. I’m not embarrassed about that. ;)   I too would be interested in hearing from women who enjoy humiliating others through feminization/sissification, and how they feel about it. Awesome point! 😀

Celebrating feminization! Now that is my jam! 💗 Give me a soft cute boy, and let me make him weak with wanting to be pretty and obedient for me. To me this is a huge mind shift  - the key word “celebrating”, not shaming. Gosh, I could just sink into this topic like the perfect bubble bath. To me, this is a core element to gentle femdom. It is about making boys better… pretty, soft, sweet things that want to please - the D/s element being a key piece. The submissive to be absolutely loved and worshipped for their submission. No shame, not less than me, and certainly not shifting my own very feminine self. I love the feminine. I love to see it in men, and men embracing that side of themselves. Is this a form benevolent sexism? I don’t know. And more to the point, if I am engaging in it with my partners, writing about it on tumblr, and reblogging things that I enjoy around the topic, am I hurting anyone? Food for thought, but I am going to keep doing my thing. ;) I feel like you can look at BDSM here, and for those who wish to criticize it, could for its dynamics. But that feels like a giant, whole other post.    Another thing you mentioned in this point was the strapon, and it’s use as a symbol of power. I have never seen it that way. To me, it is my soul penis… and I love being able to be inside my partner(s). It is an act of love, and makes me want to bring them to amazing places of pleasure (while I get off too). I really don’t enjoy the pictures of women wearing strapons who look like they want to punish their partner with it. But that’s just me. I know lots of people must enjoy that because there is a shit ton of porn that looks that way.

Playing with gender. I like that - and I do it! I love being able to put on a penis!! I really enjoyed trying my hand at Drag King make up and going out as a boy (I’ll post my picture again). I LOVE seeing boys in make up and fucking gender norms right out the window. You said it in your post - gender is made up and stupid. So yeah, let’s play with it, and maybe even break the molds! Though then you’ll have to find something else to get embarrassed and turned on about. ;) Our kinks are about orgasms and pleasure. Let’s enjoy them. In the end, it is all about intent and the people doing it. Not about the kinks themselves. People who want there to be an imbalance of power between women and men will keep doing mean spirited things to keep that nightmare alive - in the streets and in the sheets.

I feel like I have answered your points (I may have jumped around a bit), and I don’t feel the need to argue any of them. Misty had already shone a light on where I may have not been seeing the bigger picture. 

I am SO HAPPY you wrote us a message, and that you took the time to write out your thoughts (that can be read here). So sorry it took me a while to see it and respond! I am always up for conversation and debating (with kindness) any of the points. 

I definitely feel this topic should be a podcast. Any chance you'd like to be on it @youngchastity? ;) 

Hugs! Becca

[decepti-thots]

for so long I have felt like a weirdo for thinking that the jro pregnancy stuff is deeply unhorny. but I am going to say it now: it's only horny in the way that the alien franchise is horny: there are definitely people who are horny about it, but it's primarily about the non-sexy aspects of pregnancy. i get that it's a funny joke but a non-insignificant people genuinely act like it's "the writer's barely disguised fetish". birth is weird and scary and fascinating, even more so in robots. im probably more defensive about this than I should be but it's kind of upsetting to me that this is where the discussion always ends

I'll put this under a cut so as not to spam anyone's dash bc yeah I went off on this ask haha (positive).

I actually felt so insane about this very topic I ran a damn poll on my NSFW sideblog and the thing is: the majority of folks voting agreed no, it's not inherently, textually horny. (I would know; I know horny when I see it, ffs!) Which vindicated me! Because I agree it's so ridiculous a thing to unironically, sincerely insist is super horny, given the text, lmao.

Like, it's extremely obsessed with pregnancy, but this is not the same as 'a fetish', and tbqh I think the 'fetish' joke just shields any actually interesting discussion of what it's doing. I think the Alien comparison here is actually really telling; it's absolutely a visceral thing, a thing concerned with the body and how it functions, sometimes against our will. And it's not unconnected to sexuality or eroticism in how those things are discussed more broadly, in the sense it's talking about a thing that intersects with those elements in the abstract, but it's not. Like. It's not a "fetish" thing, and if the characters it involved weren't referred to as 'he' in text I think less people would be calling it that, and actually it kinda sucks that every time I bring it up I have to block people who see 'pregnancy mentioned' on my completely sfw posts as an excuse to go off on their personal fetishes in detail, or their desire to speculate on the imagined fetishes of the writer in equally graphic detail. (BTW, it's genuinely uncomfortable seeing people obsessively speculate on the imagined fetishes of a creator, I think. We should all do that a little less in public.)

I mean not to be a total killjoy or anything but like... treating pregnancy in itself, even in the most abstract way, as inherently fetishistic and inappropriate (the people reblogging my innocuous posts about pregnancy metaphors with fucking trigger warnings! 'mpreg trigger warning' being a normalized way to tag pictures that are just Trans Dude Who Is Pregnant!) is uh. I mean we live in a world where pregnant people are often massively marginalized by society period, and seen as somehow inappropriate for public life, and especially anyone who is remotely GNC. Like the idea that something is inherently obscene about a pregnant person is, shall we say, not apolitical. It is in fact a thing that people actually have to fight against in real life. I mean. Fandom doing this to a text that in fact is most notable for treating pregnancy weirdly neutrally in these terms is... frustrating! I think we all lose out when we refuse to engage with weird, funny texts that have things to say about these topics that fall outside our expected frameworks, like, say, 'this is A Fetish TM'. That's limiting! If we want to talk about what IDW1 phase two does with gender, we cannot do that properly if every time we talk about MTMTE we get weird about it doing sexless genderfree pregnancy metaphors, and instead make them funny mpreg jokes, tbh! IDK! Seems counter intuitive! And I genuinely think MTMTE/LL's bizarre approach to the thing is so interesting precisely because it's so odd and offputting. What if we actually examined it. I think we can find some good stuff in there, frankly.

And truly the especially frustrating thing is that the comic itself, for all it is objectively weird and hilarious and 'why the fuck is this even HERE' about it... is just never that. Like. I posted those excerpts because it IS weird and it IS wild and it IS quite funny in its way! It's alien robot body horror in a kids' cartoon franchise turned to an unexpected end! But you know what it actually manages, somehow, to never be? One: weird and misogynist about pregnancy. Two: weird and transphobic about it involving vaguely, ostensibly 'male' characters. Make all the mpreg jokes you want I guess, but MTMTE is many bizarre things but it never gives one single shit about the gender binary, and tbh I think it's genuinely kind of embarrassing the fandom saw a comic that did insane robot body horror pregnancy shit and was like. Okay well. But the mpreg tho.

Like. I've joked for years that I want to do a transmasc read of the pregnancy stuff Roberts did in TF seriously, same as I think a transmasc read of how Alien presents fears around "male pregnancy" in a trans context would be great. And for all my jokes, I genuinely would, actually. I think it's legit very interesting how Roberts manages to divorce the presentation of horror of pregnancy from gender in a way that mitigates the gendered subtext somewhat and gets at the loss of autonomy in a broader sense.

anyway it truly sucks that fandom is so fucking shitty about this. to give a little extra context, i talk about a particular transmasc humanformer AU sometimes that involves pregnancy and. i have had to Delete Some Fucking Asks about that thing, which. well that happens in normal regular real life and people talk about it like a fanfic trope (derogatory). so. i am a little sensitive to people getting Like This about the topic, aha.

sorry i went off on one anon, can you tell. i also find this frustrating. i relate. i am totally with you. god it would be so much less interesting to read it as horny so like, why is this the ONLY MODE we seem to have tbh

[cto10121]

Finished watching that long-ass but well-done Contrapoints video on Twilight and it wasn’t clownish!!! It was literate!!! For once!!! Still, I have des Notes(tm):

Not sophisticated people like Contrapoints mixing up movie and book canon willy-nilly. 😑 Some of her analysis and argument, then, is greatly weakened by this, especially when she mentions Bella’s nightmare in Breaking Dawn (very different film vs. movie). Make it clear which one you’re talking about, sis!!!

By that token, her claim that the Port Angeles scene and the James fight in the ballet studio are examples of disavowal is not held up by the books. The would-be rapists are not described in any way, much less erotically; the focus is on Edward’s rescue and his fury. James is not even described as typically beautiful, actually average, and his framing is that of a typical villain

Re: Disavowal theory, Contrapoints misses the fact that Bella is a parentified teen of working class parents. There is even an in-canon explanation re: Midnight Sun as to why she doesn’t like birthdays (spoiler: her mother just dngaf). So Bella’s distaste for attention and parties and money is not an affectation or maidenly disavowal. It is a character weakness stemming from neglect. Her character arc is to accept her worth and to move away from disavowal and play-acting modesty, embracing her true self

She greatly undersells how much Twilight subverts typical gender roles and conventions. It’s Bella who wants vampirism, Bella who wants sex from Edward, Bella who comes up with plans and solutions, Bella who saved Edward. It’s Bella whose mind can’t be penetrated or manipulated, who develops an interest in motorcycles and loves her truck. Vampire Bella may be fully realized in her autonomy both physically and socially, but Human Bella did well with what she could do and worked hard to reach her goals (vampirism, sex with Edward). She was only physically weak.

Twilight also subverts the B&B/predator-prey dynamic just as much as it eroticizes it. Bella and Edward personality-wise are much more alike than different (there is definitely several shades of Romeo and Juliet there), so their physical inequality ends up being yet another obstacle to their romance rather than an inherent part of their dynamic. A big chunk of the reason why Bella wants to be a vampire so badly is because she knows it’s the only way to truly be with Edward, that this man-of-steel-woman-of-tissue situation cannot continue. The end of series sees Bella and Edward as explicit equals

Also, also, from the way the vampires are written in Twilight, becoming a vampire can be interpreted as very much an escape from patriarchal life. No need to cook or clean, male vampires can’t get you pregnant, and even if a male vampire threatens you, you have your own power to fend them off. Sex-based discrimination is impossible in the vampiric world. Only individual cases of misogyny can exist. So there’s that

For that token, there were and are hundreds of romance novels and erotica that do—or try to do—the same thing as Twilight. Before Twilight there was the Vampire Diaries and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And yet, while highly popular, none of these were as great a phenomenon as Twilight. Unfortunately, Contrapoints doesn’t really delve into what makes Twilight different from the world of romance and erotica, only why it was a success

A+ meta on how romance novels work. It’s a little no duh, but she explains it so well and eloquently

The toxic radfem/political lesbianism theory section explains the pearl-clutching around Twilight and Fifty Shades and misunderstandings about Twilight but did we really need a whole section on toxic radfem theory???? Otoh, I agree that bad intellectual ideas are super entertaining

Pamela discourse!!! Yeah, I learned all about that in my Development of the Novel course, it’s all good ☕️. But I disagree slightly with Contrapoints in that Twilight is not following that tradition. Bella does have virtue and purity signifiers; in many ways she falls under the Beautiful Maiden(tm) trope. But once again, Meyer gives it a twist in that Bella is portrayed as a modern agnostic girl who wants Edward’s D—preferably without marriage. And the narrative essentially cheers her on. Pamela would never

That Kristen Stewart interview where she says she didn’t feel like she was playing a character made me die inside and wonder if she has read the books. Contrapoints implicitly agreeing with her that Bella is a placeholder character made me die inside and wonder if she has truly read the books

Not Contrapoints actually agreeing with St. Augustine, that African-intellectual-turned-religious-dumbass 😑 Yeah, no, I do not agree that lust is inherently perverted. For one thing, what is “perversion” and what is “normal”? Spoiler alert: It basically all comes down to cultural and religious bias. It’s true that the sex act involves crossing boundaries and penetration of some form, but that in and of itself not inherently violent. You can hurt yourself exercising; doesn’t mean it’s something horribly violent!!! So yeah, there’s my fuck-St-Augustine rant for the day

[voxofthevoid]

I keep thinking about your reblog about the anti drama in the Black Butler fandom because it's so funny. Antis being Black Butler fans is hilarious but for me nothing is funnier than antis that are Hannibal fans/hannigram shippers. Makes me laugh every time I think of the tweets talking about how hannigram isn't actually a proship. Even funnier when you remember that antis' main argument is how liking something in fiction is equal to supporting it in reality

I KNOW. I came to know of antis in the Hannibal fandom several weeks back, and now I know they're into Black Butler too, and just...how? How do you (generic you) hold the stance that your fictional tastes reflect your real-life personality, that fictional depiction of atrocious behaviours is an endorsement of those behaviours, and then turn around and watch, let alone like, stuff like Hannibal and Black Butler?

At that point, your head is so far up your ass that it's come up and out through the oesophagus.

To go on a more personal tangent, this reminds me of a comment I got on one of my darkfics—the kidnapping fic, actually—praising me for depicting sexual abuse, exploitation, and general unhealthy dynamics in a manner that didn't romanticize any of it. The sentiment was nice in the sense that the reader clearly enjoyed it, but they were also...wrong. That story is meant to titillate. The noncon is presented in a manner that evokes both horror and eroticism. Hell, the horror itself is meant to be erotic. Now, how readers interpret all of that is up to them, but I'm pretty vocal about writing fucked-up shit, horror-tinged sex included, with the intent to titillate. I romanticize cannibalism on a daily basis, but I assume everyone knows better than to go eat their loved ones. That entire comment came across like the reader enjoyed the fuckery but can't reconcile themselves with enjoying it for its own sake; by painting the story and the author as those treating the heavy subject matter "right" instead of "glorifying" or "romanticizing" it, they can accept their own love for the story.

Listen, this is sad to me. People should not be twisting themselves into goddamn knots because they like to see someone get badtouched or tortured in a story. It's a fucking story. Sure, self-examination is generally good, and grasping the dissonance between your actual morals and fictional tastes can help you engage comfortably with all sorts of media, but acting like fanfiction or video games are going to turn you into cannibals or rapists or child molesters is some rancid bullshit.

Sorry, hon, I know you didn't ask for an entire rant, but all the hypocrisy and self-delusion involved in behaviour like this makes me want to tear my hair out sometimes.

[beneathashadytree]

SOPHISTICATION - JIN GRANDET X READER

Warnings : pretty suggestive, reader is gender-neutral!

Genre : sensual fluff

Word count : 0.7K words

Additional notes : This was entirely inspired by @randonauticrap ‘s—very relatable—rants about Jin, and @atelier-the-atelier ‘s post from a while back about the elegant, mature vibes Jin exudes. It’s been living in my head rent-free😮‍💨

Tip jar if you’d like to buy me a Ko-Fi!

Masterlist

Jin’s hands were big; big enough to span the entirety of their lower back when he wrapped them up in his arms like this. It was equal parts comforting and exhilarating, mellow pleasure shooting down their spine with every gentle caress of their skin.

Crossing their legs to sit upright properly, they leaned even further into his embrace, almost melting into his lap. He smelt of sandalwood and patchouli, a mix so heady and rich it almost caused them to shiver with the subtle want that always lingered whenever they sat with their lover.

With the elegance only a regal Rhodolitian prince could have, he took a sip of the expensive wine in the crystal glass in his hand resting on the armchair. In the most enticing way possible, his lips—once removed and knowingly smirking at them, like he knew perfectly well just how his appearance affected them—were stained rouge and damp.

As he invited them to have a taste with a slight slant of his wine glass, Jin’s daring fingers trailed down, tantalizingly close to their backside. Garnet eyes roved over their entire figure languidly draped over him, so closely entwined in a way similar to how they always were between the sheets.

Their throat bobbed with every swallow of the slightly-sweet alcohol, and Jin’s narrowed eyes caught every subtle movement. Their own sparkling eyes met his, and the mere look in them was like a sensual beckoning to him, or a salacious caress with the moon as their only witness.

“You like it?” His voice was barely above a whisper, the rich baritone warming them down to the very tips of their feet—or perhaps that was the wine, paired with his palm massaging them through the thin fabric of their loungewear.

Jin smelled and sounded far too intoxicating for them to even muster anything but a barely-there nod. And they certainly couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying they liked—was it the sting of the expensive liquor? Or was it his undivided attention, and the unabashed desire in his eyes?

In all cases, they wanted more. A bold hand crept through the top of his unbuttoned shirt, usually so crisp but now rumpled in a way reminiscent to how they always left him after a tryst of passion. He was the image of pure eroticism and adoration, all in one ridiculously elegant package.

And they loved every bit of him.

They stroked the hard planes of his chest, a satisfied little smirk of their own making its way on their face as they felt his heartbeat thumping against their palm. After all this time, they still reveled in the way they flustered him, regardless of how poised and charming he tried to appear on the outside. That was the cool façade of a man head over heels in love, and they could always see through Jin’s.

“I’d say you liked it more,” they chuckled, lightly scraping their nail against the exposed tan skin and getting a thrill out of the shiver that coursed through his body. His eyes flashed, and for a moment they could swear that his passionate gaze had turned rather desperate.

Somehow, he managed to find the words. “I’d like it even more if we spent the rest of the night in bed.”

“And what exactly do you have planned for us in bed?” They toyed with the threads of his shirt; anything to busy their fingers and feign nonchalance, despite him consuming their every thought at the moment.

“Sit and talk for a while. Y’know, I really miss you when you’re not with me,” Jin mumbled, leaning in to press a soft kiss to their temple, before breathing out a laugh at the way they fidgeted in his lap. “Kiss a little. Take our time with that.” His other hand, now free of the wine glass, reached up to thumb at their dewy lips as he grinned disarmingly. “Maybe even make love until the break of dawn?”

It was all-too-tempting to give in to their lover’s whims; fantasies that they knew they’d enact—and then some. With their heart pounding in their chest with anticipation, they wrapped their arms around his neck, swallowing thickly and watching his corded muscles flex with the shifts in movement as he began to lift them up. Too easy; it was far too easy to get lured in by his timeless, effortless beauty.

“Yes to all of that,” they sighed, a little dreamily and very much in love all over again. “Let’s make up for lost time, Jin.”

Taglist: —

[alabasterandpitch]

Thinking back on a few episodes I meant to post about earlier and holy FUCK the tonal whiplash with the eroticism in this show, ye gods I love it!!

Like talking bout whipping a gang of cats into shape with that smug look, and equally smugly telling his target to 'use me to your advantage' in the next breath???

Like what even is this boy? Headstrong homoerotic love interest? Subby traumatized trafficking-victim? Ruthless role reversing power bottom? Fuck if I even know any more but this shit lives rent free in my head

[lightningfilledsaber]

i have a quastion. what is dungeon meshi like i’ve considered watching the anime since it looks amusing…. i trust you as an authority on this hence why i’m in your asks :3c

Dungeon Meshi is so good!!!

So Ryoko Kui (the author of the manga) is a super super great artist and writer in general, and her knowledge of intimate and expansive worldbuilding, including the cultures of different fantasy races is VERY apparent in dunmesh without being super in your face. It strikes a perfect balance between showing and implying and telling; giving you information when you need it but not holding your hand throughout the process. Ecology and biology of creatures and the places (mostly dungeons but yk) is SUPER important and expanded upon in the story. It scratches my Creature autism SOOO well. And all of the characters are VERY distinct and fun AND THE DESIGNS FUCK SOOO HARD. Dungeon Meshi has become one of my favorite series of all time, because it's so. so fucking profound. There are a LOT of funny moments and gags but there's an equal amount of genuinely serious and emotional moments. The character dynamics. GOD. Cannot recommend it enough.

Also. Dungeon Meshi is super fucking horny. LMAO. Not in a "fanservice-y" way (in fact, there is only ONE character that ever gets upskirt/panty shots and it is Senshi, the bearded dwarf man. He's my fave btw <3). But dunmeshi uses consumption (and to a lesser/technical extent cannibalism as well) as a... metaphor for love and obsession, and frequently eroticizes it. I hesitate to say metaphor because it's honestly VERY obvious lmao. Especially with how genuinely autistic Laios is about monsters and eating them. Then there's also transformation and change that's also VERY eroticized. A lot of the focus of Dungeon Meshi is desire. How people experience it, and just how far people will go for it. Which, again, is super eroticized a LOT. All done in a tasteful(? not sure if this is the right word but yk) way and not in a surface level "LOOK, SEX!!!!!!!!!" way. Not that there's anything inherently WRONG with being horny and not being like profound about it but I'm just trying to make a point lol

Now to specifically talk about the anime since that's what you mentioned wanting to watch (though I REALLY reccommend the manga, it is fucking GORGEOUS and there are so many hilarious panels that haven't been brought over to the anime, despite how well it's been doing with that so far. It just happens with turning a manga into an anime yk?)! It's doing a really good job so far!! The only issues I have are relatively nitpicky (I've gone into detail abt it if you wanna see here) and more of an issue with modern anime overall so! They're doing a really great job of translating over from the page to the screen and the voice acting work (both the original japanese and english dub) is really fucking good. And I don't typically like modern english dubs. The layout of the episodes is really nice so far too, centering around the "dish/es of the day" without feeling too constrictively like your typical "monster of the week" type episodes. It helps that Dungeon Meshi as a media itself strikes a really good balance between that and its storytelling. Though again. Laios is genuinely SO fucking autistic about monsters and eating them lmao and the series focuses on him/his party so! There's so much good in depth discussion about monsters, both their biology (especially in relation to their taste hehe) as well as their natures, and ecology!

I'm also really a fan of netflix releasing the episodes weekly instead of dropping them all at once. It's refreshing coming from netflix specifically considering their... track record.

But anyway yeah! TYSM Marty for coming to me about this and letting me go on an autistic talk about it!! I only apologize for not being more specific, but a lot of my dunmesh posting (reblogs anyway since I'm pretty sure the posts I've MADE about it have been relatively vague??) is already pretty spoilery and I'm a firm believer in a first watch/read being as spoiler free as possible!! It makes subsequent rewatches/rereads all the more fun to me personally <3 Though that's obviously up to you lol

[animehouse-moe]

Undead Girl Murder Farce Episode 8: The Banquet

God. Let me say that one more time. God. This episode isn't focused on mystery, or even so much action, but rather story. Exposing the inner workings, piecing together this very unique world and its circumstances, and it does that with the absolute maximum amount of visual creativity possible. I could talk about it all day, so let's just get to it.

Just to clear the air a little bit, our two little insurance agents end up in the chapel alongside Tsugaru, Lupin, and even Erik. We quickly desert them though for Shizuku vs Carmilla, which is amazing.

Not so much in the combat (though it is great), but how they approach the fight. They leave the writing on the wall, wherever possible they point out the fact that Shizuku has Carmilla's blood on her hand.

A subtle yet incredibly great detail to set the stage for Carmilla's venom to set in. And the visual for that? It's incredible. Carmilla's history and recognition as a sapphic vampire is perfectly conveyed as the art style shifts through this sequence and those strands/tendrils that originate from her lips wrap around a helpless Shizuku.

The moment certainly hits the nail on the head with its air of eroticism, but also tries quite hard to assert the control that Carmilla exhibits through it all.

And then there's Aleister vs Holmes and Watson. Clearly, it's far more fun and playful until it nears the end of the fight, as we get scenes like Watson knocking Aleister's tophat off and it landing atop a statue in the background.

In terms of more interesting things though, we get to see Holmes Baritsu (if only for a little bit). However, it's quickly cut short by the appearance of Moriarty, which gave rise to this incredible sequence. I love every bit of it: the camera angle, the loop/repeat, how they replaced specifically the white tiles because of the color matching, and how it perfectly represents Holmes' shock in realizing that Moriarty is still alive.

And then there's this sequence, the long awaited arrival of Jack The Ripper. They absolutely nailed it. The tension, the weight, the feeling of drowning in the weight of his presence, it's incredibly well depicted. And the soundtrack just adds to that in spades. What a reveal.

I just wish they could get away with more. Jack completely decimates Fatima, and while the carnage can't be displayed, the approach is equally terrifying. How he simply caresses Fatima with his hand yet tears her completely to shreds.

Also, really really love the effort placed into continually giving viewers the upper hand/ability in solving the mystery. We get this scene here of Jack holding the diamond up to the light, which becomes important later on in the episode.

More than that though is this incredible piece. Forget a two in one, it seems like it's actually a three in one. It's not just Jack looking at the diamond, it's the viewers looking through the diamond to see Tsguaru grabbing Fatima's heart, and it's showing viewers that Jack is still keeping his gaze trained on Tsugaru behind him. Truly incredible stuff, the storyboards for this series has been out of this world.

Following this we get a very tense fight scene between Tsgugaru and Jack, and I'll just say it's worth every moment. The choreography and planning in regards to the combat is just stellar. The use of environment and space remains such a core tenet to how they approach fights in this series, and I really can't get enough of it.

Anyways, here's a cool visual used as Moriarty explains his motives and purpose.

Also also, super cool parallel between Aya and Tsugaru. Both have been caged by the hands of Moriarty.

Continuing the comparisons and fusion of Aya and Tsugaru's experiences, when Jack questions why Tsugaru's all the way out here, it's in the puddle of his blood that he discovers his reason: Aya. Whether romantic or not, the relationship is undeniably there between the two of them, and is a large step forward for Tsugaru's character. I also feel like with the boarding and direction, it elicits the idea of his motivation existing in the present, whereas the reasons that Jack list are all done via flashbacks which is more associated with the past.

Now, Moriarty's Banquet has left the building with the diamond "in hand", the safe is missing, and all seems lost for the defenders of this night. But before we go any further, this funny moment with Tsugaru and Shizuku.

They're so sibling like it's hilarious. Shizuku is in tatters and has a bit of skin showing, and without a word Tsugaru antagonizes her into being self-conscious about it. A really fun little piece to bring the humor back into focus.

And now, to the most fun part: Tsugaru's reveal. I wouldn't say I was fully confident in it, but I'd also not say I didn't believe. Tsugaru is all about show, sleight of hand, misdirection. Everything he does is an act, a farce. This was reinforced by his earlier fight against Lupin, and you can totally see how it plays into this one. One the backpedal once more, Tsguaru finds a way to exploit his opponent and take advantage of it in a way that has them believe they won. As for how I guessed it? Jack doesn't take out the diamond after that first instance, and it made me feel like something was off.

Finally, at the end of today's episode, we have our new direction: the forest of fangs. The group uncovers the whereabouts of the elusive werewolves, and is now stuck in a race to get there before the Banquet does.

Definitely not what I was expecting, but it 100% did more than just meet my expectations. Each of these episodes goes above and beyond in every facet, and you can truly feel it with each cut and scene. Now, rather than chasing the ghost of a mystery, our detective duo + one is engaged in a race against Moriarty, the death defying man himself, and will most likely be forced to struggle with that monster hating insurance agency. This show always keeps me on my toes, and at this point I expect nothing less than greatness out of these last few episodes. It's really gunning for the top mystery spot in my list of favorites. Though only time will tell if it makes it there.

[bookish-monster]

BOOK REC

Exodus 20:3

by Freydís Moon - find them on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok

the storygraph link for this book contains information such as page count, publication date, and community-created content warnings.

Exodus 20:3 is a standalone love story centered around Diego, a Mexican-American trans man, and the relationship he forges with a Brazilian angel named Ariel as they refurbish an abandoned church in New Mexico together. It’s a beautiful blend of queerness and religious eroticism that comes in at around 100 pages on my Kindle edition, and has been recently updated with a new cover (see above) that is absolutely gorgeous. There is prayer, body worship, divinity kink where the divinity is no fantasy, hemipenes, and more eyes and teeth and wings than humans are used to experiencing in their love affairs. I absolutely loved it.

A note about body terminology for trans readers: Diego’s genitalia (he has had top surgery but not bottom surgery) is referred to using feminine terms such as “cunt” and “clit.” Some trans readers might find this dysphoria-inducing or otherwise upsetting.

Diego is what many people would call “troubled.” He does camming out of desperation for money, has recently quit using opiates illegally, and is struggling to deal with his mother’s disappointment once she found out about the latter through Diego crashing a car and getting sent to jail once the cops found said opiates inside the car. Basically, he’s not having a fun time as the family disappointment, so he reluctantly agrees to his mother’s plan for him to earn enough to pay her back for his bail money via refurbishing the church in New Mexico.

Ariel is the church’s caretaker. Diego is attracted to him from the jump, but that attraction is tempered with the wariness of a prey animal who has been hunted down and abused one too many times. Diego isn’t used to tenderness or genuine love from his sexual partners, and he isn’t interested in getting mixed up with someone and used in ways that don’t make him happy in the long term. I really loved how complicated Diego is—he’s tough as nails because the world hasn’t treated him gently, but also desperate for real affection because of how love-starved he’s become over the years. 

Ariel isn’t smothering when offering that affection, nor parental in caring for his new laborer. Initially, he comes across as enigmatic and perfunctory, reclusive and emotionally distant. But as he insists on digging into Diego’s past, so too does Diego start putting the pieces together and realizing that Ariel isn’t quite the man he seems. During their first sexual encounter with each other, consent is kind of iffy, but it gets talked about later between the characters. The sex scenes are lavish and drawn out, abstracted by Freydís’ beautiful prose into things elegantly rendered yet primal in their intensity.

The writing in this novelette is exquisite, by the way. Freydís has a command of language that I’m nakedly envious of, and there were multiple points where I stopped to re-read certain passages just to savor the taste of them, as well as the beautiful wordplay and turns of phrase. I keep a list on my phone of 1-2 sentence snippets I read in various places that are too good not to write down, and that list gained several entries from this book.

Finally, I really liked Exodus 20:3’s frank discussions of trauma and oppressive systems. As a Mexican-American, Diego is no stranger to the violence constantly forced upon brown bodies by the United States government, and as a trans man he’s equally familiar with transphobic violence from cis people. Although Freydís makes absolutely zero attempts to gloss over or divert attention from real-world issues inherent to their characters’ identities, nothing ever felt hopeless. Diego is initially very cynical, but as his relationship with Ariel evolves so too does he undergo a change of heart toward the nature of faith. You can get a side of religious philosophy with your steamy monster fucking in this book, if you choose to accept it. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and cannot recommend it enough to anyone who’s in the mood for queer Latino romance stories. I can say with confidence that nobody who chooses to pray at Freydís’ altar will be left unsatisfied.

find this book on Amazon Kindle (US)

[hetaero]

Sorry it took me a while to get back to you. Thanks for writing up your thoughts on sadomasochism. It is all very complex, but your thoughts so far make sense to me. I understand and find it really interesting to read how you view it.

Yes, there's beauty to self-destruction. That resonates (for me) in the context of submission. But works equally if you are expressing a sadist role. It can be hard to accept the authenticity of the desire for either domination or submission. In a psychoanalytical context, you might say: "There’s a search for recognition of the self, through an other. You see what your desire represents, in the role the other plays in the dynamic."

But there are many ways to see it, to explore it. It is interesting to use it as a way to explore yourself, what you like, what arouses you.

I really liked what you said about liking him to be afraid and shy and embarrassed. But then he has to trust you, and let you push him beyond his limits a bit. Really nice.

For me, it's just hard not letting it get too toxic, bc my ideal scenario necessary for me to get off obviously involves a seriously codependent and imbalanced relationship, so studying sadomasochism has allowed me to realize I can't allow for that to take over my life (which is why my sexual partners can't/wont be my romantic ones).

I try not to romanticize my sadomasochism too much to the point where it becomes unhealthy (because it definitely has in the past) but it's hard not to find the devotion of it beautiful

I think it's something more people should try and learn about and take inspiration from.

Anyway, yeah, I can talk about my fetish for hours lol. Just today I was spacing out at work since my coworker that I used to kinda have a thing with has grown-out hair now compared to what it used to look like and it's hard not to be tempted by it, it's honestly embarrassing how something so arbitrary is so central to my arousal.

I'm honestly surprised that not more of the BDSM community has picked up on the potential d/s eroticism of haircutting. It can go with pretty much any other kink since it's so versatile (you can add bondage, sex, fear play, sensory deprivation, and a bunch of other things) so I guess I'm waiting for people to realize it's neat lol

[justforbooks]

“I always felt like the kid that sat at the foot of the gods,” said Treat Williams, who has died aged 71 following a road accident. And it is true that the first decade of his movie career was dominated by one high-calibre director after another.

John Sturges put the doughy-faced, darkly handsome actor toe-to-toe with Michael Caine in The Eagle Has Landed (1976), adapted from Jack Higgins’s novel about a plot to kidnap Winston Churchill. Miloš Forman gave Williams his first lead, as the hippie Berger in the screen version (1979) of the 1967 musical Hair. He was an ill-tempered army corporal in Steven Spielberg’s wartime comedy 1941 (also 1979). Sidney Lumet drew on his cocksure swagger and his air of moral ambiguity in Prince of the City (1981), a thriller about police corruption. And Sergio Leone cast him as a union boss in the gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America (1984).

It was Lumet’s film that announced Williams as a formidable talent, with a special aptitude for ensemble playing. He starred as Danny Ciello, a corrupt drugs squad detective who becomes increasingly isolated as he informs on his colleagues in the elite Special Investigations Unit. The character was based on the detective Robert Leuci. Williams lived with Leuci while preparing for the part. He also attended drug busts and hung out with police officers. “By the time we started rehearsals, I was thinking like a cop,” he said.

Janet Maslin in the New York Times commended the “playful, arrogant, effectively brazen quality” of his portrayal. Equally integral is the seam of self-disgust that runs through Ciello, first when he is exploiting his power over drug addicts and dealers, then when he turns on his own kind.

Williams went on to display a menacing eroticism in Smooth Talk (1985), directed by Joyce Chopra and based on Joyce Carol Oates’s 1966 short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? When he turns up in the second half of the film as Arnold Friend, a vision of adult masculine prowess that the teenage protagonist (Laura Dern) seems to have been yearning for, he is simultaneously ridiculous, alluring and intimidating.

Williams was born in Stamford, Connecticut, and raised in nearby Rowayton, the son of Richard, a pharmaceuticals executive, and Marian (nee Andrews), an antiques dealer who also ran a sailing school. He was educated at Kent school, Connecticut, where he first began acting, and at Franklin & Marshall College, Pennsylvania. He studied in New York at the Actors Studio, where his classmates included Mickey Rourke, and was hired as understudy to four parts (including Doody, played on stage by John Travolta) in the Broadway production of Grease. Eventually he took over the lead role of Danny Zuko, which he played for three years.

Having already appeared on stage in the London production of The Ritz, Terrence McNally’s comedy about a hounded businessman hiding out in a gay bath-house, he was then cast in Richard Lester’s 1976 movie version.

Auditioning for the film of Hair was a lengthy and arduous process. During his 12th audition, he recalled: “I started removing all of my clothing. At the end of the monologue, I was standing stark naked in front of them … They applauded, and I told them: ‘This is all that I’ve got, I don’t know what else I can give you.’” It was enough.

Discouraged when Hair, 1941 and the comedy Why Would I Lie? (1980) continued a run of box-office flops, he began an alternative career flying planes in Los Angeles. A call from Lumet, who was looking for an un-starry and largely unknown cast for Prince of the City, put him back on track.

He continued to alternate between film and theatre, following Lumet’s picture by appearing in Ohio in Carlo Goldoni’s farce The Servant of Two Masters and on Broadway taking over from Kevin Kline as the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance. On television, he played the boxer Jack Dempsey in the TV movie Dempsey (1983), Stanley Kowalski – opposite Ann-Margret as Stella – in A Streetcar Named Desire (1984), the title role in J. Edgar Hoover (1987) and the super-agent Michael Ovitz, co-founder of CAA, in The Late Shift (1996), for which he was Emmy-nominated.

In Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995), he played a thug working as an undertaker and using corpses as punch-bags. He was also in the noir-ish Mulholland Falls, the superhero adventure The Phantom (both 1996) and the thriller The Devil’s Own (1997), starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt.

Better than these were two projects that displayed his versatility: the monster movie Deep Rising (1998), in which he does battle with sharp-fanged sea-serpents, and The Deep End of the Ocean (1999), starring Williams and Michelle Pfeiffer as a couple reunited with their son many years after he was kidnapped.

He starred in Woody Allen’s Hollywood Ending (2002), played James Franco’s father in Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, and the writer Mark Schorer in Howl (both 2010), which also starred Franco as Allen Ginsberg. He had a recurring role on the series Everwood (2002-06), as a widowed neurosurgeon settling in Colorado with his children, and on the cop drama Blue Bloods (2016-23). He also appeared in many Hallmark channel productions, including the series Chesapeake Shores (2016-22), as well as the Netflix musical Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (2020).

He is survived by his wife, Pam Van Sant, whom he married in 1988, and their children, Gill and Ellie.

🔔 Richard Treat Williams, actor, born 1 December 1951; died 12 June 2023

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