#that is a really ambiguous one on purpose

[serpentface]

!!!!!RISKY POST INCOMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THERE'S ILLUSTRATED EXAMPLES

Erotic art forms in Wardi culture largely center around a variety of visual arts and poetry.

Visual erotic art falls under a wide swath of materials, purposes, and uses. It ranges from art that exclusively intends to be pleasing to the viewer (while not necessarily outright Arousing) to art with utilitarian ritual functions. While Wardi culture has very strict standards and regulations around interpersonal Acts of sexuality, Depictions of sex (including acts that are frowned upon or severely taboo if actually performed) are not considered inappropriate or something purely for a private setting, and are something the average person is entirely accommodated to. As such, erotic art commonly has a place in everyday objects- drinking vessels, plates, oil lamps, pottery, etc- and in decoration- statuary, frescoes, textiles, mosaics, etc. It's not a Predominant theme, but most well-decorated homes will have at least a few erotic art objects.

There isn’t really a concept of 'pornography' in the sense of uniquely explicit art exclusively for the purpose of sexual gratification, but there are (often subtle) measures that distinguish a sort of ‘highbrow’ erotic art appropriate for public viewing (either in literal public areas, or in common areas of the home where guests can visit) and ‘lowbrow’ erotic art that is reserved for private areas of the home (and sometimes brothels).

This distinction revolves less around the explicit nature of the sex act, and more around What in particular is shown. Actual depictions of a spread vulva in a sexual context tend to be ‘lowbrow’ (note the distinction of the sexual context- some of the most common apotropaic motifs directly depict or heavily invoke a spread vulva). Visible depiction of the human anus is virtually always ‘lowbrow’, and is very rare in erotic art in general. Both organs are conventionally regarded as ugly, though the vulva has highly positive connotations of abundance and renewal while the anus is, at absolute best, a hole you can stick a penis into.

Depiction of sex acts seen as taboo or disgusting, inappropriate, (mutually) emasculating, or otherwise undignified occupy an ambiguous middle ground- too lowbrow for common public spaces, but appropriate in certain semi-public contexts due to their usually humorous and entertaining intent. Depicting shocking or widely mocked sexual practices often (at least ostensibly) seeks to elicit a comedic response from the audience. (Some examples on a diminishing scale of perceived severity- bestiality, rimming, a woman penetrating a man with a dildo, a man masturbating with a dildo, mutual fellatio between men, a man performing cunnilingus.).

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The element of voyeurism is VERY significant to the Wardi concept of erotic art. Some art that wouldn’t even slightly be read as erotic by an outside viewer is squarely so by means of depicting people (usually women) in highly private domestic spheres which no one but close kin/spouses typically has access to. This can be evoked more easily and directly with women, who are expected to veil outdoors and in fully public settings, and to keep the hair braided everywhere outside of the private spaces of the home. This norm is strictly enforced among the upper classes and is followed fairly uniformly across class lines outside of the most extreme poverty (and some heavily rural settings). In a lot of instances, the only women any given person sees both without a veil and with unbraided hair on a regular basis (outside of their immediate family, or their wife) will be sex workers out in public. The depiction of a desirable, upstanding woman unadorned heavily implies the viewer's presence into a controlled domestic space (with undertones of sexual vulnerability), and has a distinctly erotic component.

It’s less the unbraided hair in of itself that is sexual (though this norm certainly leads to more people than average having sexual fixations on hair)- women in public with loose hair tend to be regarded more as lowly and unkempt than as objects of desire. The specific fantasy is that this is a woman of good standing in a private place and You are there, watching her.

In more explicit art, the hair being half braided during sex is a very common motif. It suggests that the process of the woman undoing her hair has been interrupted for sex, which can be compelling for viewers. It can imply her lover is so revved up that he could not wait once they both entered a private setting, as well as functioning as wish fulfillment in contrast to the tamer voyeuristic art- the viewer is no longer just looking in on the scene, but rather is invited to participate.

Depiction of a young woman noblewoman unbraiding and combing her hair, executed by a highly skilled pottery painter. While there is nothing overtly sexual in this image, this would be considered erotic art. The viewer finds themselves looking in on a highly private scene of an upstanding, sexually desirable young woman, in a physical state that would likely only be seen by a husband.

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Art objects depicting actual sex acts are common and come in great variety. The vast majority depict men with women, but all gender combinations Can be within the sphere of 'highbrow' public art.

More work from the same painter depicting an older man and a beardless youth, who (for the sake of keeping this post up) could just be in a charged, artistically nude embrace for all you know. The youth is heavily implied to be a sex worker- he wears a short haircut typical of a teenage boy, but the presence of full sideburns indicate that he is well beyond puberty, possibly shaving a beard and keeping his hair short to maintain a youthful appearance. This visual performance is very typical of male sex workers, as means of attracting clientele predominantly interested in very young men. Though on the older side of the 'beardless youth' spectrum, his body is still conventionally desirable for a male partner. Neither the presence or the older man's cloak around his waist nor the youth's distinct lack of arousal is a desperate attempt to keep this post from being nuked (though my choice of this subject matter to begin with is), and instead represents actual artistic conventions. The older man's partly clothed state serves to dignify him in comparison to his partner and emphasize their difference in status. An unmistakable clarity of power differential is common in depictions of male homosexuality made for a mass public audience, allowing the image to be conventionally pleasing and attractive. Similarly, squarely 'highbrow' depictions of male homosexual acts tend to imply no sexual gratification on the part of a receiver, as the position is emasculating and shameful and this act is often described as being exclusively pleasurable for the top. The youth's function in this image is mainly to be a desirable male body and to glorify his partner in comparison. Depictions of more amorous/more power-ambiguous male homosexuality are conventionally acceptable, but largely relegated to the semi-private sphere, and are often intended and/or received as humorous in nature.

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The above examples serve primary functions of pleasing the viewer with their imagery, but a wide swath of erotic art has simultaneous aesthetic and ritual/magical functions. Imagery in of itself is thought to have a degree of metaphysical power, and depictions of sex (and pregnancy/childbirth) on utilitarian objects often seeks to spiritually benefit the user in its use.

A decorative ceramic oil vessel featuring a coupling man and woman. The imagery of this vessel has, aside from the typical blank expressions, a distinct sense of tenderness, with the couple positioned close together and holding each other's bodies. The smear of white on their foreheads represents amenchalme, a sanctified substance used to give blessings. This heavily implies that this is a wedding consummation (as a full blessing of the couple occurs at the end of the ceremonies). The wife appears to be pregnant, which is unlikely to be an implication that she was married while already carrying (which is generally shameful outside of cases of remarrying widows), but rather intends to show the act and its successful result simultaneously. Lotus flowers (symbols of renewal and fertility) and a stylized version of the abundance character (here doubling as roots) decorate the body of the vessel. This is a multi-purpose erotic art object. It has aesthetic beauty but does not intend to be titillating. Its imagery evokes the hope for a happy marriage and the fertility of the couple. While not a specific ritual object, it may serve ritual and/or folk magic functions regarding fertility and childbirth in its usage. It might hold oil rubbed to soothe a pregnant belly, or to give in home offerings during prayers, all while imparting a sense of the blessings it suggests onto the user.

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Other erotic art serves entirely ritual functions, with no concerns for pleasing or titillating the viewer. Genitalia in complete isolation is almost always squarely apotropaic in function- the phallus is a symbol of masculine protection and transformation, the vulva symbolizes abundance and renewal, and imagery of both are thought to have protective natures.  

Some simple imagery depicting human or animal mating has a sympathetic magical function (especially in folk magic, but also in some doctrinal religious practice) intending to compel fertility, conception, healthy pregnancies, and safe childbirth. The folk magic variants tend to be made by everymen who are not technically sophisticated artists. The concern is not aesthetic quality, but the magical functions of what is being depicted. These objects are also usually not intended to be actually seen, as they will be buried or hidden in a relevant location to work its intended effects.

A pottery shard used for folk magic. The artist has little technical artistic experience and is partly literate. They have drawn their best representation of mating horses, accompanied by logograms that translate to 'horse' + 'abundance' and '(animal) fertility'. This will likely be buried within the pasture they graze their horses upon, in hopes of influencing more matings and healthy pregnancies in their livestock.

Clay figurine used for folk magic. It similarly hopes to encourage conception, this time for humans. It could be for a specific pair of humans (in which case it may have their mingled blood baked into the clay, or be tied with their hair), or intended to benefit many. Writing may be present at the bottom- depending on the artist's literacy, it may contain anything between common logograms broadly communicating their wishes or a very specific idea (ie: "May my beloved wife Tsimanse Hippinoube conceive a son by me, and not by my wretched dogcunt of a neighbor Odebidinai Jannes (cursed be his name), and may her pregnancy be healthy and her birth be swift and safe, Odomache protect her and give her strength").

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Wardi culture has a long history of poetic traditions, with its main two facets being epic and lyrical poetry (erotic poetry generally falls into the latter category). Being a talented lyrical poet is highly esteemed. Successful poets will have their works permanently recorded and disseminated for general use- read for entertainment at social events, weddings, ceremonies, and in private. Being a performer of poetry is its own field, and can be highly lucrative with skill, resources, and luck. Most professional performers are men, but learning to recite and sing poetry is a standard part of the education of most upper class girls as well as boys.

Erotic poems are generally a subset of love poetry, extolling the beauty of an object of affection or the speaker's desire (fulfilled or not) for them. Most erotic poetry revels in wordplay, avoiding direct descriptions of sexual acts in favor of cleverly implying them through careful wording and use of metaphor. These poems are considered entirely appropriate for public performance, though (unlike visual erotic art) the VERY high esteem of the poetic practice limits most conventionally accepted poetry to "highbrow" subject matter (it can be entirely explicit, but the acts and relationship dynamics it describes are relegated to cultural norms).

There's a separate subset of 'dirty' poetry (usually intended as comedic, though sometimes a form of invective poem), which mixes conventional flowery language with graphic sexual descriptions and heavy use of slang. Opinions are largely split on this variant, with the most socially conservative swaths of the population finding it to dishonor such a virtuous artform, with the less uptight response being "but its kinda funny tho"

The vast majority of successful poets are men, and most erotic poetry focuses on conventional targets of male attraction (primarily women, secondarily akoshos and beardless youths). However, erotic poetry can be one of the most accessible outlets to genuinely express un-socially accepted desires, especially due to the stylistic tendency to partly obscure its subject matter.

[gltownsend]

Dialogue/Character Voice Tag Game

Rules: Rewrite the given line in the voices of characters from your WIP of choice!

Thank you to @inkhelm for tagging me :]!

My line was 'It's better if you leave'.

I think they'd probably be something like

(Nikora) Can you just give me a minute? [<- he is too roundabout to be clear] (Tijil) Leave. [<- he is not] (Anahera) Go away! (Edie) I think it would be better if I did this by myself. (Adityi) (nonserious) Can you get out of my fucking way? (Adityi) (serious) I think you should go.

Tagging @mister-writes, @alnaperera, @urlocalwitch555, and anyone who wants! Your line is 'I don't want to do that'.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Thanks for listening to my sad backstory. Anyway, here's Wonderwall.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[rawliverandgoronspice]

behold: my second least favorite string of words in the entirety of Tears of the Kingdom.

(it's a little less transparent why this time so I'll explain my thoughts under the cut)

So why do I not like this?

In so many words: because if you remove it, the scene still works, but you lose the moral certainty of what is going on.

This single sentence does so much legwork for the entire game (the kind I dislike), to the point where I'm about 60% sure it's the product of a rework that realized how ambiguous Rauru's position was as the Good Rightful King and needed to nervously reassure the players that Ganondorf Is and Always Was the Invader, Actually.

(no matter that it leaves the gerudos in this awkward in-between state of both invaders and victims, while never dwelling in the specifics of their history and their own agency in the entire thing; brushed off as a sin they have to expiate through loyalty to the winners of that particular strife, but without explicitely blaming them either to avoid the implications of what that would have looked like)

If you remove it, not only do you lose a pretty clunky line that detracts from Ganondorf's intimidating presence (who is he even speaking to? who needs to hear this right now?) that honestly speaks for itself when it comes to his experience with warfare, but also you lose any tension and any mystery regarding why he is attacking in the first place.

You also... kind of rob Ganondorf's motivations of their meaning. "Hyrule will bow down before me" leads to asking... why? What does he want? What does he see in those lands? And what little we get with Rauru and then Link during the final fight begs more questions; why do you prefer hardship to peace? Why do you value strength? What leads you to want to rule a land devoid of survivors, become a king without a kingdom? I don't think we ever get satisfactory answers. If you remove this sentence, on the other hand... Subtextually, it becomes pretty clear that his motivations is that he felt threatened by Rauru's power, which is ripe with subtext and questions about whether this is a legitimate reaction, whether his "no survivor" stance is due to a feeling of betrayal when his own people turned against him post the Demon King shenanigans... I'm not saying it would fix the entire game's writing, far from it, but it would already do *so much more*.

(genuinely, I think he could have stayed completely silent during the Molduga Assault, speaking only in the Show of Fealty before going completely nuts after Sonia's murder, and it would have worked MUCH better in terms of characterization but anyway anyway

EDIT: ALSO!!! that way he wouldn't speak hylian to fellow gerudos, which is weird inherently)

Without this line, the core of the tension between the gerudos and Hyrule comes front in his conversation with Rauru; it allows the cause of his hostility to be Rauru's invitations, that he would have taken as a threat, and would have still made him warlike and domineering without making him cartoonishly flat, because, once again, Rauru is not acting in a particularly more legitimate way when Zelda arrives in Ancient Hyrule; and it would have been... fair to point that out. And make for better characterization for Rauru, and Sonia, and Mineru, and everybody. But the priority was for Hyrule to be pictured as unquestionably holy; always legitimate, always truthful, always beautiful, always just.

Also, and this is more of a nitpick but: why would Ganondorf want Hyrule, specifically, to bow down before him also? Was he at war with the rest of the disparate tribes before, and just carried on his ambitions to the very very newly-founded kingdom as they allied under a new banner? (though it seems to be implies the lands were crawling under monsters in a generic sense, and not Ganondorf's attacks in particular) Why would he even consider Hyrule a legitimate entity worth taking over then, if it is so new, born from the will of a powerful rival, founded by what is basically a stranger to these lands? Why would he covet something so young instead of destroying it and just calling the lands Gerudo Lands II or Grooseland or something?

I don't think any of that was even accounted for, because, beyond everything else: to me, this sentence is so clearly and painfully crammed in here to shield Hyrule from any potential blame and immediately characterize Ganondorf as Bad without having to remove any of the causes that could lead one to side-eye Rauru's little pet project as equally questionable.

Beyond the clumsiness, it is cowardly --and, I think, a little damning.

[vexx-the-egg]

Whenever a fandom is like "I've seen straight women act X around eachother therefore this ship is impossible and not gay" I roll my big gay Bisexual eyes like a hamster wheel.

[snarkylinda]

Actually screw it, I will say it: if CM downright confirmed Spencer Reid was on the autistic spectrum they would be confirming that over half of his inner circle (and others) gave him blank stares and were overall mean to him for shit he COULDN'T help.

As if making fun of someone for harmless stuff like ranting alot wasn't bad enough already, so he was left ambiguous.

[waterberry-strawmelon]

i’m so sorry but if you watch stranger things and you actually actually for real genuinely think that the duffer brothers have been secretly dropping hints that Mike is bi and actually always loved Will... get help.

[swordmunch]

Hmmmmm time to pick a name for my Vaguely East Asian™ Female Love Interest!!! I shall name her….Ching Chong. Wait. No. I should change it to have plausible deniability—I’m not racist, and if I do this as a joke the libs will get mad at me for completely unfounded reasons. I’ll just change that “o” into an “a”…and shorten up that first name, and….her name will be Cho Chang! A perfectly not racist name to call a Vaguely East Asian™ Female Love Interest!

[musical-chick-13]

ANYWAY, I love deconstructionist works. :) <3

[theseasideskies]

Ok I've seen these clauses in Terms & Conditions before and the (totally understandable) fear from fan artists that this means it's essentially free labor for the company.

I've also heard from others more familiar with Copyright Law that this is standard phrasing in any Terms & Conditions and it's a lot less scary than most people think.

I want to try and explain this (as best as I can via rambling):

Please keep in mind that my experience with this is just asking lawyers that I know (and YouTube explainers like this one from Tom Scott.) And also that Copyright Law is often intentionally vague and broad.

TL;DR - these clauses are just so TGC can repost fan art on social media as promotion. Since posting on social media legally counts as redistribution, TGC just wants to make sure they can't be sued over that specifically.

As explained here, most types of User Generated Content automatically receive copyrighted status if they're original enough (the legal boundaries between original and reused content from the company are often blurry; again, Tom Scott's video is a helpful guide)

"unrestricted, irrevocable, and universal" just means that the right of the company to redistribute the content isn't limited to specific platforms (Twitter, Tumblr, etc) for a specific time. Crucially, "non-exclusive" right means that you as the creator also have these same rights, and the company can't stop you. Furthermore, the company specifically mentions they have the right to license content for further use, which will often include payment. Again because their rights are "non-exclusive", you have the right to turn any licensing offer down.

If, for example, TGC tries to sell fan art for money or uses it to advertise (which would theoretically generate money for the company) you have the right to take that to court. Whether or not you'd win would be dependent on stuff like how "original" the court finds your UGC to be (again, copyright law is intentionally vague for these situations)

Of course, the legality of these things is totally separate from the court of public opinion. As a business, TGC cares at least a little bit about how we as customers feel about them (insofar as it affects their revenue).

This clause is really just there so TGC can repost art to their social media accounts without risking being taken to court about that, specifically. If we as customers are mad about how far they exercise those rights (reposting without proper credit or even using it to generate new content—or as "concept art") then we can respond by not giving them money.

TGC knows this, and if this clause already allows what's basically free advertising without them needing to direct it; why would they anger their customers more? Of course legally they could (though if this was taken to court then a judge could use the vague copyright law to rule either way based on the specifics of the situation), but as a business they would almost certainly risk a lot there.

It's kinda comparable to that fable about the frog and the scorpion. TGC (the scorpion) has the power to do something potentially harmful to content creators (the frog) and they might even be blameless for it, but the consequences of doing so would hurt the both of them.

holdon hold on hold on we CANNOT gloss over this in TGC’s ToS as i have just learned of

so like… they’re basically treating fan content as free concept art… wtf???

[arachnitopia]

favorite zong/track from a game or zhow excluzively??

IM SURE U KNEW THIS WAS COMING BUT.

arachnitopia lobotomy corporation. its such a simple little tune, and yet it carries so much meaning. im always so HKAFKSND over how a slightly altered and distorted loop of the itsy bitsy spider can be so perfect for a story as complex as lobocorp and specifically ayin.

[babyleostuff]

when they take a joke too far | ot13

❥ seungcheol 

as much as i love cheol, i don’t think he’d immediately notice that he took the joke too far, mainly because of the fact that when he’s in the moment, surrounded by other people, you know - trying to be funny (maybe attempting on impressing others with his amazing joking skills), he’d be a bit too focused on the people surrounding him. it doesn’t change the fact that the second he notices you acting a tad bit off, he’s all over you asking you questions - if you are all right, if you want to leave, if you need food or water, his jacket etc etc. when he’d find out you were upset by his joke, oh - he’d be so so disappointed and angry with himself, truly. cheol would apologise, of course, and ask you if you needed space (it would break his heart if you said yes tbh, but he'd understand that). he just wouldn’t want to disappoint and hurt you even more.

❥ jeonghan 

jeonghan knows he can be quite petty and sarcastic at times, and his jokes can be taken ambiguously sometimes, especially when people don’t really know him and his humour. then again, he’d never tell a mean joke on purpose, he’s not mean like that, but sometimes his jokes do not come out as he means them to. it could take him some time to notice you being upset over his joke because after all you’re quite used to his sense of humour, so he’d never think that you could get upset over it. in his mind his joke is just a silly comment, he obviously doesn’t mean for it to upset you, god forbid. when he finds out you’re bothered by it though, he’d apologise in any way he could - he’d be extra attentive, clingy, and careful with you, but giving you space at the same time.

❥ joshua 

immediately feels so bad when he sees your expression fall after his bad joke. does not wait to apologise later or reflect on what he had just said - your visible sadness is enough for joshua to cradle your face in his hands and apologise, as sincerely as he can. even if you’re with friends or other acquaintances, he doesn’t care if people are staring or murmuring to each other, all he cares about is apologising. even if you’d forgive him, joshua would still be a bit more wary around you, making sure to give you space but at the same time still care for you and take care of you, because despite your words - he knew you were still a bit upset.

❥ jun 

wouldn’t be sure whether to pack up his things and move out of your apartment, bury himself under the sheets, or to bawl his eyes out. the worst part is when he doesn’t even realise that he upset you with his joke, because what do you mean that he made you sad and he proceeded to go about his day like nothing happened? HE DIDN’T KNOW, PLEASE FORGIVE HIM. it’s never, ever jun’s intention to make you upset (duh), and it makes everything so much worse - he’s the one who’s supposed to make you laugh, not sad. when he realises that he took the joke too far he’s not sure how to approach you, because if he could he’d apologise immediately, but then again - what if you hate him now?

❥ hoshi 

this man is the epitome of “saying before thinking”, and while he’d never tell a joke to offend someone on purpose, shit happens and not all of his jokes come off as jokes. he also gets easily distracted so it could take some time for him to notice you being upset, but at the same time he’s such a simp for you, so he’d either realise you were bothered by his comment an hour later or the second the joke left his mouth. would be the type to fall to his knees, hug your waist, bury his face in your stomach, and proceed with an at least hour apology because he feels that bad. his dramatic behaviour (and the even more dramatic apology speech) would make you laugh so hard, you’d forget about the joke in seconds. still, hoshi would be extra caring with you because no excuse could justify his joke that was lame and unfunny in the first place.

❥ wonwoo 

to be honest, i don’t see a world where wonwoo would take a joke too far, he’d notice you being uncomfortable before you’d even know you were upset by the joke yourself. BUT, if it (somehow) happened, his apology would come straight away. there is no way he’d be able to proceed with his day without apologising at least fifty times - he’s so in tune with your emotions, it’d be like he could feel you hurting because of the joke himself. wonwoo would feel very ashamed of even thinking, let alone telling such a joke, he’d feel very disappointed in himself, and he’d beat himself up for that for days.

❥ woozi 

would apologise immediately - jihoon doesn’t like bullshitting around stuff, there is no way he’d wait with apologising, not only because he doesn’t like getting into conflicts, but because you deserve that apology. it’s never his intention to upset you, and he wouldn’t be able to proceed with his day without saying something. like, what kind of boyfriend would he be if he didn’t? after incidents like those (not that they happen often), he’s a bit more cautious around you, making sure to not overstep any boundaries, and letting you have some space.

❥ dk 

not happening, sorry - there is no way seokmin would take a joke too far to the point of upsetting someone, especially you. no. freaking. way. he’d rather set his body of fire than make an upsetting joke. 

❥ mingyu 

there’s also a slim chance of mingyu taking a joke too far, he’s too good of a person to upset anyone with his jokes. if it happened, he’d immediately apologise, probably in one of the most dramatic ways ever - throwing himself on his knees, yapping about how sorry he is, and how he didn’t know how such a joke could even come to his mind, while he’s eyes would be screaming “FORGIVE ME PLEASE”. he would be so disappointed and angry at himself for saying the joke, like it would take him days to get over it, even if you said you forgave him. there’s just something about taking a joke too far and making your significant upset because of it that breaks mingyu’s heart.

❥ minghao    

he can be very blunt and petty, his humour is not for everyone, but that still doesn’t mean he’d upset anyone on purpose (unless that person is rude, then they get the full on xu minghao treatment). when he notices he took his joke too far regarding you, he’s kind of clueless on what to do next - it’s not like he can ignore the fact that he said what he said, and he feels so ashamed for making you upset, in fact - too ashamed to apologise immediately. all of his confidence and bluntness suddenly leaves him, because how is he supposed to keep his head high when he just made his significant other upset with a joke, he decided to think of and then say. 

❥ seungkwan 

our savage boo can be a tad too savage at times, and sometimes his remarks can be a bit upsetting. good thing is that he quickly realises when he oversteps the boundary of what is funny and what is not, so it wouldn’t take him much time to understand that you got genuinely upset over his joke. would take your hands in his, and with a lowered head (he’d be too embarrassed and ashamed of upsetting you to look at you), and try to apologise as sincerely as he could. seungkwan would make sure to give you some space, though it would break his heart - but he knew that that was what he had to do for you to forgive him completely.

❥ vernon 

vernon isn’t known for coming up with loud and bold jokes, so he immediately catches himself after telling the joke that clearly wasn’t a good one, especially because it was directed towards you. his first instinct is to watch you to see your reaction, he wouldn’t want to say anything right away, afraid that it would make the situation only worse. he’s very cautious when approaching you, he���d understand if you’d need some space, but at the same time he doesn’t want to wait with his apology, because he feels really, really bad. he's also really good at apologising - maybe taking the full accountability for a bad joke is the bare minimum, but then again finding the bare minimum is very hard lately.

❥ chan

chan is usually quite good at controlling what he’s saying, he’s very cautious of the emotions of the people around him, and how his words might affect them. sometimes shit happens though, and not all of his jokes come out as he’d wish them to. chan’s a simp and he’s a loser for you, so he’d catch on to the fact that he took his joke too far quite quickly, and wouldn’t know how to act. he just made you sad, no - he just offended you. his joke, his words made you upset, and that’s a complete failure of his boyfriend duties, because his jokes are supposed to make you laugh, not upset. wouldn’t know how to approach you, would try to apologise through acts of service.

taglist (if you want to be added, check my masterlist): @jeonghansshitester @weird-bookworm @sea-moon-star @hanniehaee @wonwooz1 @byprettymar @edgaralienpoe @staranghae @itza-meee @eightlightstar @immabecreepin @whatsgyud @hyneyedfiz @honestlydopetree @vicehectic @dkswife @uniq-tastic @marisblogg @aaniag @daegutowns @carlesscat-thinklogic23 @embrace-themagic @ohmyhuenings @nidda13 @hrts4hanniehae @k-drama-adict @isabellah29 @f4iryjjosh @bangantokchy @mrswonwooo @bangtancultsposts @lllucere @athanasiasakura @onlyyjeonghan @haecien @caramyisabitchforsvtandbts @hannahhbahng @valgracia @ohmygodwhyareallusernamestaken @mirxzii @hhusbuds @wonranghaeee @rosiesauriostuff @gyuguys @tomodachiii @veryfabday @lilmochiandsuga @asasilentreader @mrsnervous @bewoyewo @sharonxdevi @wondipity @gyuguys @raginghellfire @treehouse-mouse @waldau @wonootnoot @hellodefthings @dokyeomkyeom @sourkimchi @bbysnw @hoichi02 @aaa-sia @haneulparadx @minvrsev @zozojella @wonootnoot @kimingyuslover @wntrei

[floorpancakes]

abt 🤨 > i support gay ppl causing drama to get what they want sometimes and I think there are pure ways to do that, or it doesn't have to be pure because what is truly pure to begin with, but also it doesn't necessarily mean it's bad cause writers often selectively choose what good selfishness and bad selfishness is

it's usually easy to recognise but smth feels kinda... arbitrary? like, well, X did the big sacrifice so Y must be wrong for trying to get in the way of that for the sake of another and or their romantic feelings

it's also kinda like....idk as someone who's gotten way more into the 'let ppl b happy' thing but also loves a bunch of tragic series it feels distinctly optional I guess??? like , you can have it one way or the other and neither way is necessarily wrong? idk where I'm going w this I'm just kinda rambling

[notherpuppet]

I know they’re probably not going to go into this (which i understand, there’s only so much time in an episode and they’re telling a different story) but I think about Al’s background a LOT. Get ready if ur in the mood for a read.

To be a mixed Black person in America is a…bizarre experience. You come to realize that due to the coincidence of your genetic makeup, white folks may divulge information that they keep so closely guarded from the ears of “more obvious-looking” black folks. Im gonna bring it back to Alastor, but lemme give some personal context. I’m mixed with Filipino, so I’m pretty obviously not white, yet my ambiguous ethnic makeup in a predominantly white suburbia seemed to make white peers and people feel much more at ease in relaying their criticisms or prejudices of black people to me. I would hear someone feel comfy enough to spew vitriolic racist shit with me, then toe the line like a circus acrobat when around someone a few shades darker in skin tone and a few coils curlier in hair texture. It was constantly infuriating and holding my tongue was a practice to both investigate someone’s true nature and preserve my own safety. I did abandon that method of navigating life in America, and experienced the switch-up white folks made when I started ‘broadcasting’ my blackness. (E.G. beyonce pre vs. post Lemonade). The criticisms and prejudice confessions just came less often, til I saw them being caged up completely after white peers experienced backlash from me. After they realized “OH this bitch is a n*****!?”

Now this is from someone who is brown, but i also wanna talk about my white-passing cousin with a similar racial makeup as Al, who is from the south and oh BOY. (Let’s call him J for this post’s purposes). J’s navigation though simple daily life is such a constant contradictory experience, of which he is still working through in therapy. I think of one moment when he was manager at retail gig and his boss told him that whenever a Black customer enters, it’s policy to give them “exceptionally attentive customer service”. Essentially, “follow that n***** around”. This is just one modern incident of when J would hear the quiet part out loud, despite his Blackness, because his appearance was white enough to make white folks drop their guard. Eventually, my cousin and I took to the same direction where we used our advantage of disarming white folks against them when the time came. We would keep note and record of racism and unlock a sort of “this you?” when the opportunity to expose that person’s true nature came. It’s pretty vengeful thinking ngl, but it is really REALLY hard to resist exposing an asshole rather than attempting to teach an asshole to change their ways. Especially given that such an attempt is an ARDUOUS uphill battle. The experience of KNOWING the truth about what someone thinks of your people, and being opened to opportunities and information that you would not have access to if the chance of your genetics was only slightly different is bIZARRE, horrific, and fuel for constant inner turmoil. (It sucks y’all)

Now back to Alastor; to have been a mixed person in the Deep South in 1930s America—it’s not too difficult for me to imagine how traumatic and convoluted that experience must have been. Especially when legally and socially, things were so much more Black and White. And when you’re on the line in between that, when society does not prepare a place for your existence, it can be SO isolating. You may consider the absurdity of such an arbitrary method of determining class, status, and/or caste much earlier in life than peers, which only further isolates you. You hold a resentment of society now that you know exactly how the other side is operating to ensure your oppression.

And then I think of Al’s weird ass moral code. How he arrived in Hell and (according to Mimzy) began killing overlords with reckless abandon. This is someone who likely had to develop the cunning to navigate 1930s Deep South America as a mixed, murdering, psychopath without getting caught by authorities who are already gunning for you. And now he is in Hell where the rules of society have gone up in smoke and he can fully embrace his rage, resentment, and vengeance. A desire to burn down the powerful people of the world can be accommodated and ANY previous inhibitions can finally be released. The morality of rising above someone by cutting them down (instead of developing emotional/spiritual healing) has become the easier and satisfying option. Finally the opportunity to show the power-secure villains of the world how easily you can tear them down when nothing is holding you back any longer.

TLDR; The trauma of racism in America is pretty sufficient cannon fodder for a severe psychotic break, the development of socially debilitating behaviors and isolation, and a quest for profound vengeance. So maybe that can explain some of the enigma that is Alastor.

And this is just ONE facet of Al. I didn’t even get to bring up the isolation that comes with being an aroace nonbeliever in the 1930s Deep South. Like FUCK. I’m a mixed, aroace nonbeliever from a modern day conservative town and yall….what a weird experience for sure lol but anyway lemme get back to my life. Whole point of this was—-WHAT AN INTERESTING FUCKEN CHARACTER TO THINK ABOUT

[noxtivagus]

back home <3

[thefudge]

Advice for writing smut???

gonna do bullet-points of things i tend to live by when it comes to smut (this is just my opinion):

don't switch styles: the way you write the smut has to be consistent with the way you write the rest of the story, so if your story is more comedic or romcom-y in nature, the way you write the smut should have those stylings. i personally find it very jarring when authors decide to break the format for the smut, almost like the story has to stop for the sex intermission; if you're writing a horror story, the smut must be informed and influenced by that genre, and if you are breaking genre for the smut portion, tell us why you're suddenly switching gears (it has to be an aesthetic choice you're making on purpose). likewise, if your style in that story is more lyrical, the smut has to be somewhat lyrical too, or if your story is more cormac mccarthy-esque-cut-and-dry, the smut can't suddenly involve an effluvia of purple, sappy prose. integrating the smut in the story and treating it like any other part of the story is key to me. too often i've seen ppl switch to this anonymous pornified style when they get to the smut

which brings me to specificity. i'll talk about het sex, since that's what i tend to write most: not all men are going to be fingering or eating pussy the same way, not all dicks are big and they shouldn't be, not all women immediately get excited by fingering, not everyone moans the same way or makes the same sounds. you're writing about particular characters so it has to be particular to them. i know this is very old advice, but i think it bears repeating

there isn't an exact formula or sequence you have to follow, there aren't precise steps, you don't have to go "well, first he has to kiss down her neck, then reach the boob area, then play with the nipples, then put the nipple in his mouth, then slowly go down on her, then prepare her for entering her etc. etc. etc." this can get boring and repetitive and you start thinking of your characters as these mechanical dolls who have to fuck for your audience. and that can be a vibe too, if you do it on purpose. but sometimes you can get stuck in a porn routine (and ofc, having only the guy show initiative can also get boring)

in order to break that, insert some character moments. what are the characters thinking during this? sometimes they might be thinking of something completely unrelated on the surface, but which has a thematic relevance that can make the scene hotter. likewise, maybe they're doing smth that seems unsexy on the surface, but which, within the context of the story might be really hot. sex doesn't just involve, well, sex, but so much weirdness and humanity and creativity. two bodies (usually) are trying to do this really awkward thing together and they might have a lot of baggage and history to inform it. there's a lot you can do with that.

don't make it glossy and clean, where everyone smells of strawberry shampoo and there is never anything out of sync. the most boring smut tends to be the kind where no one makes any mistakes and everything is super efficient. i imagine it feels like using an industrial pump to milk various farm animals.

and you know what? you can make that hot too. you CAN write a kind of robotic efficient smut and make it really interesting based on the context. let's say you're writing a 1984 AU fic where ppl are forced into intimacy only to procreate and their sex drive is diminished. you can play with that premise and lean into the dehumanizing industrialization of sex, but you have to mean it, aka your narratorial voice must be conscious of these factors.

if you're writing dubcon, make the dubious part present, make sure you draw out the ambivalence and ambiguity. if you're writing noncon, the character whose consent is being violated has to be transformed by this in some way. it can be forced pleasure, for instance, but not only. it has to be a journey for them too, some kind of spiritual pit, or a form of access to terrible knowledge. i know this is a personal thing, but noncon doesn't work for me if the character being noncon'd is just sort of *there*, suffering passively. i think that sort of dead passivity can be done very well too, but the narratorial voice has to persuade me.

that being said, don't be afraid of fear in consensual sex. terror and vulnerability are a part of consensual sex too, imo, and again, depending on the story and the characters, there's a lot you can explore there

i personally find it really hot when the narratorial voice starts discussing some of the ideas that the story wants to convey during the smut. so like, you can characterize person A and outline their worldview and their plans while they're ramming person B, and the thinking & fucking are thus entwined. idk, i dig that

speaking of which, smut can convey world-building details and social/philosophical ideas, not just emotions and character beats

not all smut has to end with mutual orgasm or even one-sided orgasm, it depends what you want to do or where you want to go. again, you don't have to follow a sequence. plus, it's fun (and hot) to write about frustration and failure too.

if you want to mix up the descriptions, resort to the story & characters. you'll find it's easier to describe someone fondling a boob in a new or at least interesting way if you're thinking about that particular character in that particular story, and not just Man X from planet porn (sorry to be snarky, but mainstream erotica is soooo guilty of this)

screaming & really intense reactions are cool but they have to match the characters and the situations

sometimes, it's hotter if an effect is mild or negated, if the usual outcome doesn't happen; mix up the order of events, toy with the usual reactions. it's not about being original, it's about finding out what works for your characters. writing about sex is, in a way, a performance of it, an attempt to go through the sexual motions, to find out what works and doesn't, to engage with the erotics of text (roland barthes entered the chat)

if you are bored by your own smut, that's a problem. i know we all talk about how hard we find writing smut, and IT IS hard, and sometimes it's not enjoyable, because writing itself is often not enjoyable, but even when it's painful and annoying, it gives you that little intellectual kick like "huh, i'm creating this and making these people do this, and ohh look, i can maybe put this unnamable thing into words". but if you become bored, that's a sign you have to look at the language & characters and figure out what's not working for you

last thing i'll underline: pay attention to your narratorial voice. in this ordeal, you are the seducer. not the characters. you have to seduce us with words and context. your voice matters the most. you can persuade us of anything. but you have to be confident in your weirdness and particularity. this is your bedroom (so to speak), so invite us in.