#the power dynamics are extremely unequal

[aflamethatneverdies]

@pilferingapples it is more egregious because all these articles written by Global North academics are talking about decolonising the field of bioethics, they're talking about importance of listening to and recognising research in healthcare from Global South and yet, how do you expect this to happen in the unequal system that persists in academia?? I can easily find articles about bioethics from US, UK, EU, Australia etc. There is dearth of information from Global South and the ones that are published are behind a paywall. The least, the extreme bare minimum these journals can do is make it open access, waive the fees. But, no! All their arguments are for their research papers. No one actually wants to do what they are so eager to publish. And that kinda sucks, imo.

[austinbutlerslovers]

Teachers Pet

Label Mature 18+

Summary When you begin to fail Professor Butlers advanced math class in college because you can’t stop fantasizing about him, he comes up with a way to satisfy your lust and increase your grade simultaneously. When you are finally on the verge of receiving an F he propositions you. The more you sexually gratify him the higher he will raise your grade.

Student teacher relationship

🚨 Depraved smut 🚨 sex for benefits• unequal power dynamics •sex with position of power• sex with a teacher •manipulation •coercion• long con• forced exposure to self pleasure • coercion seeing self pleasure• romance denial • sexual obsession• edging •fingering • clit play• panty play• oral sex fem receiving• size kink• p in v��multiple orgasms•squirting• ejaculated on •dubcon

The VIPs 🏆 (I struggled w too many ideas for this & they saved me) 📖Plot Consultant @purejasmine 📕 Scenario Consultant @darlinboypresley

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Teachers Pet

‘Professor Butler’ You wrote his name in your note book encircling it with hearts as you smiled to yourself.

He was your advanced mathematics teacher in college and even though his class became extremely difficult you still wanted to be so smart for him.

You look up from your note book in his class and watch him drawing odd shapes on the board explaining a theory for the test tomorrow. You already know you are definitely going to fail.

All you do is get lost staring at him on full display in front of the class now.

When he would walk around the room being engaging you would stare lustfully at his fit body.

When he neared your desk reading from his math text book to the class you would study his handsome face.

When he would explain a new theory looking sternly as he wrote out the equations you would stare into the depths of his blue eyes.

You were especially drawn to his full lips, the way they would curve into a smile when he was passionate about an idea.

His voice was like rich honey and his body was tall and trim. With his perfectly feathered sandy brown hair, and gorgeous smile you were no longer able to pay attention to any of his lectures.

The way he dressed was classic and masculine. You especially loved the blue button up shirt he had on today. He’s worn it over a dozen times and you think it must be his favorite. He paired it with blue jeans that maybe be didn’t realize completely accentuated his cock.

It drove you wild when he would rest back on his desk and his crotch would bunch up at the zipper. You already knew he had an obscenely large cock and it made you shiver at the thought.

As he rests back on his desk in the compromising position again you began to reminisce about the time you saw his large erect cock. You squeeze your thighs shut and quickly look away biting your lower lip trying to regain composure but your core is already throbbing at this point.

You search the room to see if anyone else is aroused in the front row instead of learning math, but you are only one.

It hadn’t always been this way, before it was a simple crush, he was your very kind and handsome math teacher who adored your brilliance.

The infatuation began the first week of second semester. Professor Butler requested you to come to class half an hour early which wasn’t unusual you were his top student then.

He would go over your notes with you and have discussions about upcoming class assignments. His stance was always kneeling by you with one hand placed on your desk and the other resting on the back of your chair.

Being so close with him was very intimate. It made you feel like you were being drawn into his orbit and that every breath he took resonated with yours.

In the magnetic pull of the shared space, you could feel his warmth and his rich voice as it carried even more weight being so near.

He had you going over an advanced equation that was giving you difficulty for the upcoming test. You had never struggled in his class before and it made you apprehensive.

As you worked out the problem he began to slowly trail his thumb across your back as he held your chair. It was the first time he had ever touched you.

The air become charged with anticipation, and his touch, intentional or accidental, sparked a cascade of sensations. It is a moment you distinctly remember when time seemed to pause.

As he continued to slowly trail his thumb across your back you understood it was intentional.

You stared at the pencil in your hand which had come to a stand still on the paper.

“Does it distract when I encourage you?” He asked gently.

“N-no it’s fine” you stammered and willed yourself to finish the equation even though his touch completely altered your mindset.

He pulled the paper from your desk when you set your pencil aside and he examined your work. He slowly smirked

“You got it wrong” he said looking back into your eyes. “Try again.” He said placing the paper on your desk.

You blinked in shock that you gotten it wrong but began to work again as his striking blue eyes studied you, the pressure had never been so intense.

In that moment you weren’t sure if you were doing the work to be a good student or doing the work to be good for him.

He was only focused on you, lingering on every curve of your face and every movement of your hand as you willed it to stop shaking. You began scratching out your current work to start over. Your confidence was wavering you wanted to prove yourself so badly.

He tenderly placed his hand around yours to stop you and guided it back to a certain set of numbers in your formulation “Here is where you went wrong, this is where you second guessed yourself” he revealed. You stared over at his handsome face and desired him greatly your eyes immediately fell to his full lips before you quickly looked away.

You forced yourself to focus and found your mistake beginning to do the math correctly the second time. Thats when he slowly trailed his thumb across your back again sending ripples of sensation through your skin, igniting a spark of connection that transcended words.

You stopped working and stared straight down at your paper only able to focus on his touch. Seeing you so distracted he slowly trailed his hand up to your shoulder giving it a tender squeeze.

“I’ll let you get back to your work, but I want you to come in early again tomorrow.” He stated as he stood. You nodded in agreement and he left you to complete your work.

As you watched him walk back down to his desk you wanted him to come back you wanted him so badly. But you felt very guilty because you were well aware Professor Butler was married, he clearly wore a wedding ring on his left hand.

Due to the amount of time and proximity together you developed a deep crush on him and with just a touch it clouded your entire judgement. Was he attracted to you or was he encouraging you?

You found out the answer the next day.

Compromised

You arrived to Professor Butlers class early as he requested and entered the room silently not to distract him as he worked.

As you quietly closed the door behind yourself you finally looked to him and caught him in a position of complete compromise. With his laptop open he was pleasuring his very large cock.

You stood frozen watching him, his eyes were closed in bliss and he was making short breathy noises. You fell into a daze of arousal until his eyes opened locking with yours and shocking you out of your trance. You scurried across the room trying to pretend you didn’t see.

He quickly clicked the buttons to turn off his screen and fidgeted with his hands beneath the desk to put his large cock away before quickly standing.

He knocked over his thermos in the rush and reached for it but the container clattered to the floor sending tea flying everywhere. Hearing the noise you stopped in your tracks.

“I’m so Professor Butler I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you like that .” You said in a panic. You don’t know why but you are the one who felt embarrassed.

“What did you see?” He asked a little breathless

“N-nothing Professor Butler” you said as your hands fidgeted nervously from the lie.

You eye his shirt completely ruined as well as his desk. “Are you okay?” You asked because you know the tea must’ve been very hot.

He slowly relaxed his composure and began unbuttoning his shirt as he responded.

“Yea I’m fine I always bring a change of clothing incase of accidents like this.”

You sucked in a breath because before your could even turn he had already stripped the shirt from his body.

You blinked stunned staring at him instantly aroused by his muscular physique. As he looked up his eyes met with your gaze you quickly turned on your heels to give him privacy.

You heard him mutter “Fuck my pants are wet too” making your face blush you’d never heard him upset or cuss… ever. Nothing phased him.

You began to climb the steps to your seat as you heard him open his desk drawer. By the time you were seated he was almost finished buttoning on the new clean shirt he retrieved.

“I have to go to my office .” He announced glancing at you as he left the classroom.

The room became eerily quiet without his presence and sitting in silence you noticed the tea was still spilled on his desk. Wanting to be helpful you decided to clean it up while he was out of the room. You were also secretly dying to know what he was looking at on his laptop. Collecting a towel from the white board you came to stand at his desk wiping it down.

As you got close to his laptop patting up the liquid spilled near the keyboard you pressed the space bar and it turned on to reveal your college id picture on the screen. Your knees went weak with all the information flooding your mind at once. He was pleasuring himself to your photo before you arrived to see him.

You quickly pressed the sleep key to turn the screen off and put the towel in the class hamper. You rushed to your desk and sat down in a daze, should you leave? Should you stay? Is he going to cheat on his wife with you ?! Your heart was pounding as he entered the classroom wearing a pair of new jeans.

He walked to his desk and saw the mess had already been cleaned then he pressed his laptop screen on seeing the display, he looked up directly at you. You panicked averting your eyes quickly to your desk, you were frozen you couldn’t even pretend to do anything else.

You had such crush a crush on him yet finding out he felt the same stunned you. You wondered what would be the bigger problem for him if the school found out or his wife found out.

As he made his way up you avoided his gaze by staring down at your hands on your desk as you picked at your nails. He slowly crouched down next to you peering at you like he had done a dozen times before but this time it was different.

You watched his finger trace down your hand to get your attention as his voice broke the silence

“What did you see?” He asked again more directly.

“I didn’t see anything Professor Butler.” You answered knowing the ramifications of your next actions.

He studied your body language for the tell tale sign you are lying. Your knee bounced uncontrollably under the desk and he coyly smiled.

“You have tells when you lie.” He said gently.

“Professor… I don’t want you to get in trouble.” You blurted out.

He smiled. “What did I do that would get me in trouble ?” He said beguilingly.

You finally looked over to him and his eyes were soft and kind as he looked into yours. His gaze shifted down to your lips. He was deep in thought as he leaned closer before he hesitated regaining his senses.

“I should get ready for class” he said standing and leaving you at your desk.

Your heart broke into pieces. He had wanted you but he calculated it, and he didn’t like the odds.

After that day he no longer looked at you or smiled at you, what was far worse is that he completely ignored you. The test you studied for with him you passed but you began to fail every sub-sequential one soon after.

You knew not to an ask him for help because he would refer you to the tutoring center like he did for all his other students. When you got to a C- you finally went, and to your dismay the tutors only gave you the answer key. They were cocky and rude talking down to you and even out right dismissive when you asked for help.

You missed the way Professor Butler would gently tutor you, he helped you immensely. But he never requested to see you again and you never asked.

Knowing he desired you made you physically crave him on a subconscious level. All you could do was think about him in class, and in your dorm, you lost track of your studies in his course entirely.

Once you were at a D- you sat in bed in your dorm wondering how you lost the concept of math so quickly. You also contemplated how badly you were going to fail him for the upcoming test. You couldn’t accept your fate of receiving an official F in Professor Butlers class it was too painful.

Satisfy Your Lust

When you finally snap to attention in class Professor Butler is handing out the practice tests. You quickly put your notebook away, the test is tomorrow and you desperately hope this will help you pass.

He addresses the class as he walks the room. “Okay so now that we’ve gone over all the concepts this week, here is what you’ve all been waiting for the practice test!” he says holding up a thick stack of papers smacking it lightly in his hand.

The class groans as he begins handing a stack to the first person of each row as he continues “Hey you guys this is mandatory stuff this is what’s going to help you pass the test tomorrow I wouldn’t misguide you.” he affirms.

Professor Butler drops a stack at your row and you collect one test before handing the stack to the next student.

You feel the room shrink as you look at the hieroglyphs on the paper. You want to curl up into a ball.

Professor Butler checks his watch and then the clock above the board for the second hand.

“Okay I’m gonna call it right… about…now. You have thirty minutes to complete the practice test when you are done drop the completed packet in the basket on my desk and return to your seat” he announces to the entire class.

Everyone begins working.

Your eyes fill with fear as you look at question one, you are going to fail so badly. You shakily write your name and start. The first question is multiple choice. You work through the math on a sheet of scratch paper to get your answer.

When you check the choices your answer isn’t even there. You try question two and three before the defeat starts eating you alive. The questions only increase in complexity and you begin circling multiple choice and filling out word problems at will.

When Professor Butler kneels next to you it catches you off guard but you are hopeful that maybe he can tell you have no clue what you are doing and will finally offer assistance.

When he is eye level you look to him and are mesmerized by his stunning face again. You missed being so close to him and are comforted by his presence. He has a look of perplexity as he leans in to speak privately with you.

“I don’t know how to tell you this but…” he glances around then back to you whispering very closely not to be overheard “your legs spread open like that is very distracting to me” he confesses and checks your reaction.

Your face flushes bright red as you snap your legs together faster than lightening. His eyes soften looking at you as his full lips curve into a smile.

“Our little secret.” he says smiling at you. Being so stressed you forgot to cross your legs and the embarrassment swells inside of you.

He stands up and returns to his desk. As he is seated you can see he has full view to look directly between your legs the entire time …. and of all days you wore a mini skirt with pink panties that have little red hearts on them. You want to die.

One by one everyone stands and places their tests in the basket and you quickly fill in the remaining answers to seem timely. As you place your test in the basket Professor Butler collects it and immediately begins circling your answers in red. Your confidence plummets.

The bell rings with his stopwatch signaling the end of the practice test and you let out a sigh. You feel completely hopeless about receiving your first F tomorrow and quickly gather your back pack.

As you pass Professor Butlers desk he calls to you.

“Hey wait up a sec.” He says from his seat gesturing you back. You stop in your tracks stunned, this is the first time he’s addressed you to speak with him in days. A few girls push past you in your disorientation.

One of them even turns back to mouth “teachers pet.” to taunt you before she exits the class.

Though you were once top student of his class you are definitely not teachers pet anymore, you are going to fail him and there’s nothing you can do about it.

You stand in front of his desk as he sits and waits for everyone to leave the class. He is leaned back in his seat, fingers interlaced and elbows on the arm rests. He is in deep contemplation as he looks at you.

“How confident do you feel on your knowledge of the test tomorrow?” he asks staring at you with eyes full of inquiry.

You shift on your feet and bite your lower lip as you lie “Really good.” He watches as you nervously fidget tugging the hem of your skirt, your body obviously betraying you.

“Fail this test tomorrow and it’s an F in my class.” He says sternly and as he stands he gives you a look that adds to the sting of his words.

“I know Professor Butler“ you confess almost out right apologizing for your actions.

“What is happening with you? You were my top student?” He asks as he collects a spray bottle and cloth to wipe the board. You gaze over him lustfully as he wipes it down remembering him shirtless.

“I…I-I’ve been really distracted lately.” You admit regaining your thoughts.

“Distracted by what? This is the answer you give me every time, why won’t you tell me.” He asks earnestly as he puts the bottle and cloth away.

Professor Butler then firmly places his palms flat on his desk as he stands behind it. His blue eyes are piecing as they search yours. “If you won’t say what it is how do you expect me to help you?” He asks directly.

You bite your lower lip at the mere thought of telling him to help in the way you need him. Yes Professor Butler I sexually fantasize about you in class and want to make it a reality. I saw you pleasuring yourself and I know you want me too… you cut your thoughts short. You know he’s already made up his mind about how far he will go and he would never go for that.

The tension amplifies between you two quiet moment.

“Let me see your notes.” He demands and your eyes go wide.

“M-my notes?” You ask in shock, you know only his name is written in your notebook surrounded by hearts.

“Yes your notes the ones you should’ve been taking as I was speaking today. I practically outlined the test, but you would know if you were paying any attention.” He says giving you a glance.

Your heart beats wildly from his direct line of questioning, when he sees you are speechless he continues it.

“What are you always thinking about when I’m talking?” He asks as he walks around his desk and sits on the edge. He crosses his arms and slightly rests back directly in front of you. Your eyes immediately fall to the outline of his enormous cock in his jeans when he sits that way.

Your face flushes pink as you begin to feel so much arousal you can’t breathe all you keep thinking about is him pleasuring his big cock.

“Professor Butler I…” your words stick because you are very apprehensive to straight admit your feelings for him now.

You try again changing your answer “Professor Butler I think about other things when I should be focused on your class.” You admit.

He gives you a look of disappointment. “You second guess yourself” he says and you nod quickly hoping to be off the hook.

“Let’s go over the practice test we did in class today to see where the second guessing starts, would you like that ?” He asks uncrossing his arms.You are so grateful you literally want to kiss him.

“Yes please Professor Butler I would like that so much.” You say feeling hopeful.

He walks across the class and pulls a chair to his desk replacing it with his so you can sit with him. He motions for you to sit in his desk chair.

You feel a smile form on your face as you walk around his desk. This is the first time you’ve been alone with him in weeks and you know he has the magical key that will unlock math in your brain. You drop your back pack and sit down in his comfortable desk chair.

Your heart flutters wildly as he sits directly next to you. His sandy brown hair is feathered beautifully, his smell is pleasant, and his side profile is stunning.

You watch how his eyes sternly study your practice test looking over each answer encircled in red. He suddenly leans over you making your heart skip as he reaches his hand into the desk drawer pulling a pencil and a piece of paper.

He places them on the surface in front of you getting right to business.

“Write out this equation for me” he says placing your practice test down and pointing to question one. You slowly write out the equation in your nicest handwriting.

“Okay start breaking it into smaller equations to simplify it” he instructs. You look up to him clueless obviously you don’t know how.

He takes a deep breath. “Always so distracted ” he mutters under his breath. It shocks you that he would call you out so harshly and your heart sinks thinking this is the last time he will ever help you.

He begins to break down the equation easily his hand scribbles across your test quickly with his years of expertise on the subject.

“Try again” he says pointing to number three. You peer at his handwriting from number one to discern what he did because number three is a similar equation.

You complete the work and slide the test to him after encircling a new answer. He looks it over and his mouth curves into a smile.

“I did it right?” You ask eagerly awaiting his response.

“Well there’s a reason you’ve always been my favorite student, you are a quick learner.” he admits smiling at you before he leans over to collect your scratch paper. You can’t contain your grin when he says you are still his favorite.

“You did that so easily your steps are flawless, I taught this on Tuesday why couldn’t you grasp the concept then?” He asks earnestly studying your scratch work.

You think back in your mind to Tuesday that was his blue sweater day with light denim jeans you weren’t thinking about a thing when he wore that outfit.

“On Tuesday I wasn’t feeling well” you muster up picking at the hem of your skirt.

He tilts his head down catching your lie.

“Because your were too focused on me instead of what I was saying right” your eyes go wide all you do is stare at him and daydream, it’s impossible not to you want him so badly.

He sits back and smiles “Eye fucking is what I believe they call it “ he says smugly resting his hand across his chin gauging your reaction.

You begin to squirm and fidget as your breathing increases. You feel as if you've committed some illegal crime.

“Professor Butler I would never do that” you lie panicked tugging harder at the hem of you skirt. He suddenly gets up leaving you at his desk and goes to the door of the classroom. He locks it while you sit in place.

The energy in the room immediately changes once the lock clicks and he walks back toward you with his demeanor changed.

He stands in-front of you so closely in your chair you have to stare up at him. “Do you already know you are going to fail the test tomorrow? Be honest with me.” He says directly.

You nod “Yes of course Professor, I haven’t been taking notes or paying attention in any of your classes for weeks. I already know Im going to fail.” You say honestly.

“Is that why you flashed me your panties today?” he asks sternly as his breathing increases. “Is that what your are doing now hm? Soliciting yourself to me to improve your grade?”

Your eyes snap up to his in shock “Professor no I-I wasn’t I wouldn’t” you confess. He waits for you to nervously fidget but you are telling the truth.

You look up at him innocently “It was an honest mistake…but I can see why you would think it was on purpose. I do think of you sexually during class Professor Butler.” You out right admit

He smiles and kneels down placing his hands on the armrests trapping you in his desk chair. He turns you to face him loving the fact that you finally admitted it.

“I feel your eyes staring at me all the time during class. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing I’ve caught you staring at my cock over a dozen times now.” He says studying your body’s reaction to see how badly you want him.

Your privates begin to pulse just from him saying the word cock and you squeeze your thighs together tightly trying to contain your arousal.

The move doesn’t go unnoticed by him and he goes all in to have you.

“That’s why I never look at you during class. You have the most lustful eyes I have ever seen.” He says seductively.

Your breathing increases as he stares at you trapped by him in his chair. His eyes wander your body lustfully until he meets your gaze again.

“When I look at you I lose all my focus because I can’t get it out of my head how badly you need me to fuck you.” He says deliberately.

You let out a slight whimper

He leans in closer as you stare at his lips absorbing every word. “I think I have a solution to both of our problems, one that will fix your grade and satisfy your lust at the same time.” when he says those words your arousal goes through the roof. “I know you saw me pleasuring my self to your photo, I know I’m the reason your failing.” He confesses staring down between your thighs.

“Do you want me to improve your grade?” He asks staring back into your eyes as you readily nod. “Do you want me to satisfy your lust for me?” He asks staring at your lips.

“Y-yes please help me Professor Butler” you desperately beg. He smiles at your eagerness. “alright I’ll help you.” His says seductively.

“Before we start I have ground rules” he affirms as you stare back at him. “I’m separated but I’m still married, I could get in big trouble for this.” He says holding up his wedding ring finger as he continues “My job will be in jeopardy as well but I really want you to pass, so this has to stay our little secret, can you do that for me?“ he asks with his eyes locked on yours.

“Yes Professor Butler it will be our little secret.” You agree.

“Call me Austin” he says with a grin.

“Yes Austin it will be our little secret” you confirm

"I know you’ll keep our secret because you want this just as badly as I do. Now lift up your skirt for me” he commands

You look him in the eyes and theres a brief moment you think of stopping, but you know how badly you want him deep inside. Your hands lift your skirt pulling it all the way up your thighs exposing your panties to him.

“Fuck.” He says above a whisper seeing your already wet for him. “This is even hotter than I imagined it” he admits.

“Y-you imagine being with me Profess- - Austin?” You ask in surprise.

He trails his hand along your thighs as he speaks

“I have imagined you like this so many times, fucking you on my desk as you stare at me with those lustful eyes.” He confesses as his hand slides under your skirt skimming his fingers across the silk material of your panties. You gasp in pleasure from the feeling. “Have you ever touched yourself while you think of me” he asks as he rests his hands on your knees.

“Yes Austin” You pant out and he smiles.

“Tell me how you do it” he asks and you whimper as he leans in close and his lips slowly brush against your neck. He gently sucks onto your skin and you finally touch him reaching your hands up and running your fingers through his soft sandy brown hair as you answer.

“I-in my bed at night I think of you on top of me” you confess as he sucks your neck harder. “ a-and in the shower I imagine you infront of me.” He pulls his lips from your neck and smiles.

“The way you obey me so easily you must have been aching for me badly haven’t you?” He asks teasingly and it makes you want him even more “Open your legs for me.” he commands.

You obey and spread your legs wide open as he touches both of your thighs sliding his fingertips higher up to your pussy. You whimper as he trails them back down to stroking your legs again.

Your body is already craving his every touch and your chest begins rising and falling rapidly as he brings his hands up your thighs again. This time he strokes your pussy through the smooth fabric of your panties making you lightly moan.

“You are so wet for me” he observes as his finger tips trail your folds stopping at the nub of your clit.

"My touch feels good doesn't it?" he asks pushing his fingers against the fabric over your clit. You clench inside as he continues to guide his fingers down your pussy pressing the fabric into your folds

“You feel so good Austin” you admit with your eyes closed in passion.

Your breaths are already fast and shallow trying to hold yourself together and he hasn’t even done anything yet

"Do you know what I want to do to you?" He asks peering into your eyes as you open them.

It is very obvious what he wants to do to you as he plays with your pussy, but you still desperately want to hear him say the words, and as if he was waiting for you to ask he answers

“I'm going to play with your little pussy until I make you cum, and then I want you to make me come too” he says and slides his fingers up and down your slit, forcing the fabric against your folds as you moan.

Your back arcs as he finds your clit and presses down on it flicking his fingertip to it and making you moan even louder. He stops flicking your clit and slowly massages it alternating with stroking your pussy.

"Oh god! Austin" you cry out, gripping the edges of the chair as he fully focuses on flicking your clit.

Hearing the squishing sounds of your wetness he stops and pushes the band of your panties to the side. His fingers touch your naked flesh and you begin moaning and clenching around nothing as he fingers your bare clit and teases the inside of your folds. He doesn’t stop until you are dripping for him.

"Get naked for me.” He comands and you obey with your fingers shaking as you take off your shirt and your bra.

Once you are topless he leans in and begins licking the smooth skin around your nipples.

His fingers are still playing with your pussy, holding the band of your panties aside with his middle finger plunging inside of you as his thumb slides around your clit.

"Do you like what I’m doing to you " he asks between licks of your nipples as he slides his fingers into you. You nod with your mouth open panting because you can’t even form the words. "You're going to cum, aren't you?” He asks smiling as he feels your legs quiver against his hand.

“Y-yes!” You struggle to say.

This has always been his secret desire playing with your body for his sexual gratification.

He drew you in to push you out he wanted you afraid yet enraptured to have him, it thrilled him to manipulate you. He had been right about you all along, his favorite student, to be used and pleasured by him and only him it drove him absolutely crazy.

“You’re going to cum for me, cum right in my fucking hand and I’ll give you a C” He says increasing his pace.

"Oh god Austin," you moan out and buck your hips in time with his hand to give him exactly what he wants. Your hips and thighs flex pushing onto his fingers and his eyes hyper focus as he feels you clench down and orgasm.

He is so satisfied when he feels your warm cum pour over his plundering fingers that he begins cursing “fuck yes give it all to me” he pants out with his hand getting covered in your clear cum.

Your head falls back in ecstasy as he removes his fingers. “Lay over my desk I want to eat your pussy.” He commands your actions are delayed from the orgasm so he lifts you to stand from your chair and guides you to lay face down bent over his desk. He pulls the fabric of your skirt up to expose your ass and places his hands on the backs of your thighs kneading his thumbs on the soft flesh.

“Fuck your so perfect”. He says pulling the band of your panties to peek at your pussy “Your gonna taste so good Im presumptively raising your grade to a B” he says as you moan from his words. He focuses all his attention between your legs pushing the silky fabric of your panties into your clit “You gave me such a hard on today with your legs spread like that.” He says pulling your panties down as they cling to your wetness.

Once you step out of them he hides your panties in his shoulder bag under his desk. He immediately spreads your thighs apart with his hands and dives his mouth onto your pussy. “MMmmf” he sounds out clearly enjoying it

“M-my…god…A-austin” you moan out as your brain goes fuzzy from so many sensations running though your body at once.

He cups your ass licking your pussy harder and lifts your hips thrusting his tongue into your core as he groans. “You taste so fucking good” he says coming up for air as you whimper and moan on his desk.

He returns his mouth on you and it begins making slopping wet sounds as he flicks his tongue into your entrance and sucks your folds. Your core tightens so quickly you gasp for air from the pleasure as you squirm on his desk.

He pulls his mouth back. “Your pussy tastes so good that’s definitely B+” he admits and slides his long fingers into you pumping them in and out preparing you for his cock .

“A-au…Aus…tin…you…feel ….too …good.” you moan out on each thrust of his fingers.

“You gonna go back to your dorm after and touch yourself like this? You gonna play with your pretty pussy while you think of me?” He rasps

“Y-yes A-Austin ”you moan out louder than you expected losing your mind about to cum.

He slows his fingers inside of you. “Shhh shh we’re having too much fun I dont want to get caught.” He says smiling. You nod and he continues sinking his fingers into your soaked pussy.

You bring your hand to your mouth to stifle your moans as he goes faster thrusting his fingers into the sweet spot that makes you go weak for him.

You begin to moan louder feeling your core tightens as you clench on his fingers. “You’re close.” He says breathlessly. “You gonna cum again so I can give you an A?” He asks and you nod feverishly as you moan out “Yes… Austin” your words muffle as you moan through your hand.

He removes his fingers leaving you empty and picks your limp body up against him. “Come on home stretch I want to look at you while I fuck you.” He directs lifting you easily by your waist to sit on his desks. He spreads your legs apart and then unbuckles his belt and unzips his pants.

He pulls his erection out and the sheer magnitude of its presence leaves you in awe. It’s a moment of revelation surpassing all of your expectations as you are humbled wondering how he will fit it all inside of you.

You look into his eyes with a clash of curiosity and desire, and that’s all he needs. He pulls your body flush with his trapping his cock between your navels as holds you tightly against him. His lips collide with yours in a hunger that borders on primal. There’s a rawness to it and an urgency that ignites every fibre of your being.

As you open your mouth to his it is a tumultuous dance of tongues and lips, where the line between pleasure and pain blurs as he bites your lower lip in the heat of the moment. In that whirlwind of sensation, you’re swept away by the intensity of Austins kiss, unable to resist the magnetic pull of his embrace. You whimper in his mouth as he kisses you already so overwhelmed you can no longer think.

He pulls his lips back from yours panting as he studies your face “You’re so gorgeous to me I’ve always wanted you” he admits. His fingertips trace delicate patterns on your skin leaving a trail of tingling sensations in their wake as he looks into your eyes. His gaze is instilled with so much intimacy and connection you instantly feel the silent reassurance that you are safe and cherished.

“I’m going to make you mine now” he says sending chills all over your body.

He takes his long cock in his hand, pumping it as he spreads your legs apart again and positions himself at your entrance. He slowly pushes in taking his time to fill you with his entire cock making sure each inch is more pleasurable than the last .

“A-A-Austin!…Oh my fuck” you moan out feeling him stretching you full of him. You grip the back of his neck and moan loudly as he settles in you.

He sucks harshly on neck while tweaking your nipples and it makes your core throb as you clench on his large girth. He begins moving and your mind empties of every rational thought as you loudly moan out his name and he covers your mouth. His skin slaps against yours as he takes control of your body. His thrusts are hard and and fast as he grunts against your neck kissing and sucking it.

“Fuck you're so tight” he finally says focusing on thrusting even harder “you …feel so damn good …on my cock…even better than I imagined it.” He admits staring into your lustful eyes.

His thrusts begin to falter as his timing grows erratic and you feel the familiar tightening in your core again. Your moans are desperate and can no longer be held by just his hand.

He kisses you roughly to hold your loud pleasurable screams in as you experience the pure raw mind altering passion that can only be delivered on a huge cock. It’s something you’d never experienced in your entire life and now you were addicted.

“A-Austin I’m cumming .” You cry out gripping the edge of his desk as the orgasm sends a wave of ecstasy crashing over your entire body leaving you breathless. Your pelvic muscles tense and relax in rhythmic waves as pleasure pulses through every nerve ending of your body. “ oh fuck Austin oh fuck!” You cry out feeling yourself release cum all over his cock, onto your thighs and even his desk.

It’s dripping down your thighs as he says “holy shit” feeling you so wet his large cock practically glides in and out of you “That’s ……an ……A+… fuck I'm gonna cum!-“ he gasps.

When you feel his large cock twitch it make you cry out much louder than you should have and he pulls out shooting hot ropes of white hot cum all over your navel, moaning, grunting sweating and swearing until he’s empty.

“Hold still .” He says breathless leaning down to open a drawer. He pulls several sheets from a paper towel roll and gently cleans up your thighs and pussy before patting your stomach clear of his cum. He places paper towels over the puddle on his desk between your legs to absorb it. He keeps one hand on your waist as he leans to discards them all in the bin under his desk.

He pulls you to the edge of the desk and holds you close as you come down from your incredible high. You are euphoric as he kisses you, but this time it is tender and passionate and you feel the softness of his full lips against yours.

His finger tips caress your jaw as he smiles. “I’ve wanted you from the first day you started my class, I was never going to let you fail.” He reveals making you smile.

“Cmon we have work to do. He says pulling you down from his desk. He collects your bra and shirt handing them over to you while he zips and buckles his pants. When you pull your top down he makes a confession. “Your panties are mine now.” He admits grinning as he pulls a clean test sheet from his desk.

He sits down and pulls you onto his lap. “Let’s go over the practice test together to get you a 90% and for the rest of the semester I’ll help you pass okay.“ he says handing you a pencil.

“Really Austin?“ You say feeling so elated you smile at him.

“Yes of course you are my favorite and I made you a promise you’re getting that A+ you earned it.” He says pressing an affectionate kiss to your shoulder.

When he says you are his favorite again your heart flutters and you eagerly get to work. He helps you with each equation gently instructing you over your shoulder until the entire test is a polished gem.

“Mm look how smart my girl is” he says making you bashfully smile looking over your shoulder at him. He stares at you mesmerized. “You made me so happy that every time you step into my classroom now I’ll have to hide my smile.” He admits staring at you as he affectionately trails his thumb across your shoulder.

“How do you feel now by the way.” He asks with genuine concern. Your smile says it all

“I feel really good Austin” You admit feeling the stress and tension lifted entirely.

He pulls you around on his lap to face him and looks into your eyes. “I don’t ever want you to fail my class ever again. I want to pick you up from your dorm every weekend, so we can go over the class work at my house. I know all of your teachers and I don’t want you to stress about college anymore I’ll help you with all of your subjects. I just want to spend as much time with you as I can, ultimately I want you to be happy and succeed, can you do that for me.” He asks honestly.

“Yes Austin” you say peering into his blue eyes. You feel very safe and secure as he wraps you in his arms sitting on his lap.

Knowing that he’ll guide and mentor you is a bonus you are grateful to receive. As you sit up in his lap your breaths mingle as you stare into each others eyes and his warmth envelops you completely. With a gentle approach you press a soft and tender kiss on his lips and he closes his eyes holding you tighter.

His lips explore and trace the contours of yours with a gentle connection of intimacy that makes time seem to stand still as you seal your connection of obsession and passion. As your fingers weave through the strands of his sandy brown hair, you realize everything in this moment feels right and you wish you told him your feelings sooner.

❤️‍🔥End ❤️‍🔥

🏷️ Always Tag Me List 💌 @faegoddessog @purejasmine @burnthheparaphilia @obsessedvibee @abswifey @austiebuttbutt @jessica987 @oh-my-front-door @slowsweetlove @hardcoredisneynerd @magicovento @star017 @buckysteveloki-me @cauliflowercounty @thegabbyh @dacreshoney @elvismylove04 @emeraldsgirl @fallofthedamned @lindszeppelin @shegatsby @darlingisntit @unicoreads @feydsociety @phil2135561 @softboo

[yinyuedijun]

end notes for zero-sum game (tw: slavery, sexual abuse)

hi if you're here it means you read my deranged aventurine smut. thank you for reading that abomination lmao I hope you enjoyed it 😭 once again I've touched on really sensitive topics and don't want to be misread so I'm writing some disclaimers/explanations below:

In the act of gambling with human stakes, as well as doing business with human traffickers, Aventurine is essentially himself engaging in human trafficking. This is not something he particularly enjoys doing or wishes to exploit (which I did try to indicate in the narrative); he only does this for his role with the IPC. 

The reason I made this a narrative about human trafficking is not because I wish to glamorize this crime. I framed the narrative this way because I wanted to point out how Aventurine actively perpetuates the kind of capitalistic violence that ruined his life by being a Stoneheart. This is something that is implicit in the game but not openly explored, hence I expanded on it here.

Somewhat thematically related: the reader actively engages in self-objectification—using it neutrally as a tool for their espionage work at times, but also positively in order to eroticize their one-sided and exploitative relationship with Aventurine. This was not intended to condone the objectification of human beings; rather, I wanted to show how a lifetime of sexual objectification and extreme dehumanization as a slave has led them to objectify and dehumanize themselves, sometimes even in the capacity of enjoying it. 

Aventurine in canon similarly engages in self-objectification and dehumanization as a trauma response  (i.e. he refers to himself as a chip in a positive manner, clearly as a reaction to how his owner referred to him callously as a chip when he was a slave), though in my opinion he's not really implied to derive any real joy from the idea.

Related to the point of objectification: Aventurine and the reader clearly do not engage in particularly safe, sane or consensual sexual dynamics (specifically referring to how he started undressing them before they fully consented to public sex and just kind of decided what to do with them without prior discussion). This is not because I think this is acceptable behaviour; it is a reflection of their unequal power dynamic that the reader actively encourages and Aventurine is fine with perpetuating. It is also implied to be the result of his own distorted relationship with sex—he has literally been coerced into doing exactly the same thing in the very same establishment, and assumed that the reader would be fine with doing it too because they generally enjoy it when he exercises "ownership" over them, which they both associate with sexual control for traumatic reasons.

I've seen discourse around the fandom where people interpret the act of kissing Aventurine’s commodity code as a purely sexual or fetishizing action. I thus feel compelled to explain that the act of Aventurine and reader kissing each other’s codes in this story served a specific purpose within the wider narrative about dehumanization. I wrote a lot of things in this fic purely because I was ungodly levels of horny for Aventurine (lol), but those particular actions actually had narrative weight lol 

With all this being said, I hope it is clear that the reason I chose to focus on themes of slavery and dehumanization is not because I intend to promote or glamorize them, but because I wanted to explore specific points of Aventurine’s characterization that exist in canon. The theme of sexual abuse (and its psychological fallout) is also something that is a natural extension of his story arc in canon. I have no wish to perpetuate any of these things, and I have faith that my audience can distinguish fiction from reality and thus will not have their perspectives on real life issues be seriously influenced by my dumb horny fic on tumblr dot com. 

Also I should hope this is obvious but do not use your regular everyday gloves to finger someone! I like to imagine that Aventurine’s expensive science fiction gloves has the incredible ability to remain sterile in everyday circumstances 👍

[theangryman]

kink as religion/spirituality

it’s a little gauche to say something is “like a cult” - it’s overused as an expression

but a large problem i have with kink/bdsm subculture is the commonalities with religion, the spiritual aspects

when you think of precedents for “consensual” ritualized harm and self harm, they are religious (several groups have traditions of undergoing full on crucifixions for Easter, there’s similar rites for some Shia Muslims for Ashura - which is today I believe)

the desire for progression as some sort of internal challenge - there’s always a desire and encouragement to expand one’s limits

it’s driven by the same desire for a transcendent experience

the communities’ members have strange persecution complexes, gaslighting victims of abuse, especially when by higher ranking members

the focus on hierarchy (leather culture had formalized rules - serve in a house, train as submissive - tortured gay men wanting to punish themselves - maybe can read a form a Catholicism into this; modern kink culture is like modern Protestantism in that any sufficiently well groomed upper middle class man can claim to have the unique skills to be a good pastor/“dom” and open up a church/dungeon)

the repulsion towards former members/critiques of systemic issues present (expression anti kink opinions has gotten me the same kind of hateful response from other trans men that being a trans man did in the 2010s online - to the point where gendering people correctly appears to be optional for folks who are anti kink? the double whammy of being accused of being a TERF and than insulted with “girl” is always a fucking whiplash - can you not use the term “TERF” to mean “anyone i don’t like,” y’all look like fucking morons)

maybe many of these things can be applied to things like multi level marketing or any other extremely large organizational idea that people subsume their identity into, but the aspect of seeking “ecstasy” adds a hellish intensity to the mix

and like losing one’s religion, it’s difficult to leave. it’s difficult to part with the thought parties the beliefs. it’s difficult to justify to outsiders. (i agreed to let him do X but he did Y - the specifics don’t matter but it’s going to happen to you)

it creates mind bending cognitive dissonance - only puritanical criticisms of kink can be addressed. no matter what critique of kink you make, the response is

men are submissive too! (go actually look at femdom porn/hentai lol and see what they want or make a troll fet dom-F account if you don’t believe me + most submissive men are trans men with self esteem issues - the type who have boyfriends that refer to them as their girlfriend to their family; the religious analog would be something about complementary gender roles perhaps)

it’s all about consent! (what do we say about consent in power dynamics? now this is a subtle point, which is made impossible to address because it is such a fundamental threat to heterosexuality itself, that Dworkin tried to make and was glossed into “all sex is rape” because it is such a threat - what do we say to the idea of consent when we are fundamentally unequal human beings by nature of assigned sex of birth? who makes more money? who can overpower? i think most have gotten the picture that what Thomas Jefferson did to Sally Hemings was unambiguously rape, but what about all of the women throughout history when marital rape was considered the norm? it requires acknowledging that your great grandpa probably raped your great grandma, or up and down that line for thousands of generations - maybe if you acknowledge up front that gooners are going to want you to agree to humiliating and disgusting sex acts up front - that agreeing to have mutual fun with a stranger means rolling the dice on physical assault - maybe if you agree up front and pretend you can set some kinds of rules it’ll work out; similarly, religion is the comfort that life isn’t pointless suffering and maybe we’ll get to see our dog and grandma again if you follow these rules)

you can’t project your trauma onto the community/bad people aren’t doing really kink (i have a fairly large sampling size of kink partners and experiences personally. i genuinely don’t believe my arguments can be dialed down to “i had personal trauma in kink thus all kink is bad” unless one is taking my words at bad faith. this very much reeks of accusing atheists of hating god because of trauma or not getting what they want.)

you don’t actually believe that/you’re lying/you want it (these are obvious comparisons to religion)

these feel like the same kinds of responses i see to ex Mormons/Jehovah’s Witnesses/etc online

modern kink is similar to modern Protestantism in that it facilitates the creation of micro cults. institutionalization of kink is structured such that critique can be deflected onto individual actors. i’d argue Reddit is a major source of kink “education” - and no one can deny that subreddits can have concerning moderators. You have Fetlife, which is primarily heterosexual, male dom/female sub pornography. You have a couple of Booktok tier pop psych books which encourage Bronze Age marriage models. This maps to the diffuse ways in which American Protestantism propagates its ideas - it’s a nebulous mess of ideas that can evaporate when asked to take responsibility. We can’t hold all Christians accountable for Mark Driscoll’s ideas; we can’t hold all kinksters responsible for the actions of [insert the creeps who message you if you take up my suggestion of a troll fetlife account]. But can we not ask what it says about American Protestantism that Mark Driscoll exists and says what he says? And can we not look askew when what he said could be happily echoed by a kinkster as long as it was prefixed with “it’s kinky and consensual btw <3” and had been posted on fetlife anonymously - instead of his own church forum?

Kink is reactionary ideology which has parasitized societal acceptance of queer folks to justify the abusive dynamics of heterosexual relationships and sex, which has replaced religion as the justification for that dynamic.

[queeranarchism]

Hi! I saw your answer to the question about "Anarchist leadership" and had a followup question. My concept of leadership has been that the practical function of the role itself is how you described a "coordinator," and that the difficulties which anarchism seeks to address arise when team coordination gives way to that individual abusing the opportunity of coordination to divide labor unequally (IE less to themself) or ignore input on how work is done, by whom, or when. To put it simply, my idea has been that the difference between a "leader" and a "boss" is, at extremes, that a leader takes on as much work (or more) as the rest of the group and considers every opinion in the group before making a final decision, while a boss accepts no input and does no work beyond coordination.

My first question is this: When a group is doing work collaboratively, how does an anarchist structure address the potential roadblock of deliberation? If every member is required to provide consensus on a decision affecting the group, what is the method for decision-making when consensus can't be reached? The only option I know of is an individual whose job is making a final decision in a case where one or more individuals refuse to agree with the majority, which is undeniably an authoritarian structure, but are there alternatives that can effectively limit deliberation when there is only so much time available? In short, what is the anarchist method of making a concise decision on something that affects every individual present?

My second question is this: If an individual's responsibility is coordination, or even being the "final say" in deliberation (assuming there is no other option), what is the alternative to rotation of responsibility if there are no other individuals capable of accomplishing that? I recognize that rotation of responsibility is an effective way to avoid one individual being placed in a position where their coordination becomes critical to the function of the group, but there are scenarios where nobody else in the group has the capacity to organize and coordinate and one can't be provided. How does one avoid a power structure when only one person is capable of coordinating?

I also have a followup about how anarchism addresses human vanity & pettiness in both of these cases, but I can save that so you don't have to answer too much in one post. Thanks in advance!

I'm going to start with the simple part: what you describe as the difference between a leader and a boss is, in effect, the difference between a boss and a lazy boss. The authority is exactly the same. The worst bosses I've worked for were willing to work very very hard, they were still my boss and the fact that they worked hard changed nothing about that relationship. A person that has the power to hire and fire others is a boss. If a person can decide that I should no longer have a stable income, I am at their mercy. They are my boss and no hard work or cool attitude can change that.

As for forming consensus: if consensus can not be reached it means a decision that works for everybody can not be reached and to those committed to consensus it is vital to keep working, keep talking, go over all the possibilities, pros and cons, and unorthodox alternatives again until a consensus is reached. For those interested in learning that, i recommend A Consensus Handbook, Co operative decision making for activists, co ops and communities by Seeds for Change. Free pdf here: https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/handbook

This book probably addresses a lot of your follow up questions. A vital thing to understand before you get started is that in order for consensus to work, there has to be:

No leader ad a commitment to dismantle power dynamics. Not just the pretense that there isn't a power dynamic. It has to be real. There can't be anyone with a 'final say', that's just authority with extra steps. A person with the power to have a 'final say' is a boss. There's no anarchism there. None.

An agreement by all participants to work by consensus.

Time and patience.

When people have spend most of their life not living with consensus, they will come in with attitudes that don't fit a consensus process. They will see the goal as 'reaching the decision that I already know we need to make' instead of seriously considering alternatives that others bring to the table. They will try to gain a majority for their plan instead of working with everyone in the group. They will try to get their way by blocking every alternative. It takes time, practice and experiencing the benefits of a consensus process for that attitude to change.

[antointte]

🎀 ˒ CHAPTER ONE ✤ Sheep In Wolf's Clothing. / Early 2020

Warnings : Delusional religious ideation, Gaslighting, Toxic workplace culture, Complex relationship with religion

The morning air is young, lively with clementine sunlight as four girls attempted to ease their nerves with gulps of ice cold water and anxious leg bounces as they adjust to the harsh fluorescent lights. The eggshell white table had only five people.

Eunhee recognizes two girls next to her ━ one being Bae Hyesun, sister of Bae Suzy, and the other being Yujia Lau, daughter of Bohai Lau, esteemed Taiwanese jazz musician who happens to be one of her favorites. The figure next to Yujia is an unknown girl with wide eyes and peach lips, picking at her already raw fingers.

The solo staff member sitting parallel to the four is quite distinct in her features. Dressed in a black turtleneck and grey knee length skirt, her thick prominent eyebrows and beauty marks scattered across her face makes her classically beautiful. Eunhee thinks she resembles Krystal.

“So,” the standing woman smiles sweetly, light freckles adorned her eyes, “how are you all girls?”

They nod in unison, not daring to speak even a simple “fine”. The mocha haired woman stifled a giggle at the tense atmosphere of the meeting, dimples crinkling at the corners of her cheeks. She choses to contain it, simply glancing around at each of the girl's features, several files and papers neatly in hand.

“As you may recognize me, I am Min Yoonhee, Hyancinth's Chief Operating Officer,” Yoonhee formally announces, “that's a fancy title for making sure none of you are starving, pregnant, or dead on a day to day basis.”

The joke seemed to ease the room as the girls laughed at the slight crassness.

“In front of you is Lee Eunhye, she's the powerhouse behind your creative direction.” Yoonhee smiles as Eunhye gives a deep bow to the trainees before her when they clap.

“As you know, your debut was pushed back a year because of the Isadora Kim incident.” Yoonhee is undoubtedly open about the scandal that occurred, bullying within the trainees. I mean, nine girls in one setting constantly? Unequal power dynamics are bound to happen, but it does not make it right. Eunhee is glad she never faced the girl's wraith head on, her kindness a virtue.

She knows if they had debuted with Isadora Kim, they were destined to become a fortune cookie tale, a warning to others. A necessary choice to make for the future.

“One thing we do not tolerate is bullying amongst company members. You all are fairly young, so learn your contracts blood and skin. Bullying is grounds for absolute termination if seen as true.” Yoonhee stressed the importance of her words, eyes detached from the emotionally charged subject.

As Yoonhee began to speak once again, the office door creaked open with a squeak. An alluring woman, dark-haired and stoic dressed in a certainly expensive, tailored black suit with leather thigh-high black boots to match enters the room, briefcase in hand and everyone clamors to their feet to bow in respect. Eunhee immediately recognizes the idol turned business mogul. Rina.

This is the first time Rina has been seen by trainees, since the company's founding, ever. Eunhee does her best not to fangirl or faint. By the surrounding trainees faces and series of shocked gasps, she suspects they feel the same way.

“Good morning everyone.” Rina exhales, extracting several files from her briefcase. Her calculating gaze sweeping over the four as a chorus echoes good morning back. Then emerges a worn book of loose scribbles in between on the prints fall onto the floor. Rina does not even attempt to pick them up before Yoonhee has them stacked neatly at her side in a swift, timely manner.

Eunhee believes she's an extremely fast learner, so she knows that Yoonhee is the yang to Rina's yin. Based off of (not so first) impressions, Yoonhee's demeanor is playful, yet sophisticated. She could blend in easily, sitting at the table with trainees instead of hosting a conference.

Rina seems dominant and unforgiving. Commanding attention without a single word or question of intellect.

Eunhee wishes she could be that way.

“We plan our first group under Hyacinth to be Antoinette,” Rina starts, “a royal, but youthful concept based on Marie Antoinette and her reign as queen.”

The trainees cling to every word that comes from the former idol's mouth, half listening, but half still in awe. Eunhee fiddles with her silver cross necklace that hangs from her neck.

“SM Entertainment is planning to debut a girl group later this year. The public is itching for a renaissance of music.” A brief glimpse of shock crossed Yoonhee's expression at the mention her friends former company, as if it was an unspoken rule to never discuss it.

“We need girls with authentic talent.” Rina makes eye contact with Eunhee. “Girls who aren't afraid to go to bat for themselves.”

A clear message. It feels as Rina is speaking directly to Eunhee.

Eunhee swallows hard, her fingers tightening around the cool metal of her necklace. The room feels heavier now, the weight of expectation pressing down on her shoulders. She doesn't dare break eye contact with the woman, even though her heart is ready to fall out of her chest.

"Authentic talent," Rina repeats, her tone sharp and deliberate. "It is not just about hitting the right notes or nailing the choreography. It's about resilience. Grit. The ability to withstand horrific circumstances even when the entire industry and press is attempting to tear you down. Because, trust me, they will try.”

The trainees shift self-consciously in their seats. Some cast wary glances at one another, while others remain stoic. But Eunhee feels like Rina's words are cutting through the crowd and landing squarely on her.

Rina steps back, letting her gaze sweep over the group. "This isn't just a dream for dancing on stage," she says, her voice allowing room for emotion but still firm nonetheless. "It's an impossibly hard lifestyle if you are not capable of detaching yourself from what's reality and fiction.”

Eunhee feels her pulse quicken. She's not sure if it’s fear or excitement—or maybe a bit of both. But one thing is clear: she's ready. She is. She has to be prepared for anything and protect those who aren't. Because she's blessed to be in this position. That's what they say. She is. She is.

The CEO allows for Yoonhee to take over as she places pictures of the four trainees attending the meeting on a whiteboard, including Eunhee.

“We've done a deep dive within your public presences, including Instagrams.” She admits casually. It unnerves Eunhee. What did they see? Are they in trouble?

“In true company fashion, Hyacinth operates as a family. Unfortunately for you all, unveiling personal opinion and relationships among fans is common hobby.” Yoonhee says, before her eyes landed on the tall, brown haired trainee.

“Bae Hyesun, is it true you participated in underage smoking while in school?”

All heads swivel to the Bae sister for an answer as she corrects her posture.

“Yes.”

The woman smiles brightly, “See? She admitted it. All you have to do is admit any minor wrongdoings in your past, and we'll take care of the rest.”

The room fills with an uneasy silence, each trainee's face painted with a mixture of horror and disbelief. No way this is happening. Eunhee's heart pounds in her chest as Yoonhee’s words sink in. The "family" rhetoric was a guise—a velvet curtain hiding sharp edges.

The woman gestures to pictures on the whiteboard. She was going in order. Her eyes narrow in on another name, and the trainees collectively hold their breath.

“Ryu Narin,” Yoonhee begins, her tone calm, “didn't someone spread malicious rumors about you being homeless during your sophomore year? Posting pictures of your grandparents home on the school forum?”

Narin's eyes widen, her plump lips parting. Her face crumples in defeat as she whispers, “Yes.”

“Great,” Yoonhee chirps, her smile never faltering. “Honesty will keep us from needing to dig deeper. And believe me, we will dig. If we don't, others who want to see you fail will and use it as ammunition.”

Eunhee glances at her fellow trainees, noting the way their shoulders stiffen, the way their gazes dart to the floor. A confession was inevitable, it seemed, even if it meant baring secrets that had long been buried. Her sins are here to be atoned for.

“Now,” Yoonhee continues the assault, scanning the group. “Let’s not waste time. Think of this as a purification process. Eunhee, would you like to share anything?”

She's ready. She's ready.

“I…” she starts, her throat dry, her mind racing to think of something, anything, that would appease Yoonhee without causing irreversible damage.

“Take your time,” Yoonhee says, leaning forward with a syrupy tone. “But don’t make me say it myself. That's unnecessary.”

Eunhee swallows hard. The walls seem to close in around her. This was a spiritual cleansing—to root out the weak from the strong. The sheep from the wolves. She clutched her necklace hard, the cool metal now hot. God, please. God, please.

“That's enough, Yoonhee. They understand. You're dismissed.” Rina's voice pierced into the air, trainees collectively exhale.

A shepherd. Rina has saved Eunhee.

“If things go true to plan-”

“When.” Yoonhee cheerfully corrected her boss. Rina sighed exhaustively, already mentally preparing to go home and have a glass of wine, “after finding two more members, you'll debut in a year.” The air immediately brightens, full of newfound enthusiasm from the harsh confessionals.

“While dominoes still fall in place, I suggest you four get to know each other better. This meeting was merely a demonstration of the media and public relations training you'll continue into idol-hood.” Rina explained, removing the trainee pictures and putting them back inside the briefcase.

“Return to your dorms.” She leaves, only the smell of light cigarette smoke and warm aphrodisiac notes remaining in her absence.

[noctupede]

I think the reason I like ameice so much is because I know for a fact it would be dysfunctional, like a codependent on and off type of pair.

Depends on the au really, what I usually nickname very affectionately in my head as "silly hetalia" or just unserious hetalia, where it's just pairings that I enjoy without too much historical context, they could definitely work with their personalities.

Historical hetalia however... very dysfunctional, not only because of an unequal power dynamic (cmon, a military complex super power x a small, powerless occupied country without a military) and one is way more dependent on the other than the other is. Which would be iceland, which is historically and accurate nowadays too, iceland is extremely dependent on the US to keep a working economy

But also, their personalities clash, iceland doesnt want to be dependent on him. Due to how strong the far left movement was in iceland I do headcanon emil to be far left, the far left movement on iceland was much stronger than those of other western countries, so they definitely do not agree politically in the slightest.

Iceland is a very stubborn rebellious country, especially during the cold war where icelandic officials and icelandic parties were very secretly having meetings with soviet officials for funding and training.

[miz-chase]

🍉 🍑 🍋!

🍉 Do you prefer to write short fics or long fics? Multichaptered works or single ones? Why?

I tend to write in the 1.5-3k range because it's long enough to Do Something, but not so long that it consumes me. Usually I struggle with keeping track of multiple stories at the same time, and if my brain has moved on to a different story before I'm done writing the first, it ends up a mess / I get bored

Also I work a job that lets me set my own hours, which means if I'm intensely into a long fic sometimes I sorta.... blow off work. For multiple days at a time. Which can be bad. So again, it's better if I write shorter things. I'm bad at being a grownup.

🍑 If you could make a connection between your favorite character and another work you care about (whether a crossover/fusion or a wonderfully “pretentious” literary reference) what would it be? How would it work?

I'm going to pass over the obvious Jane joins the FBI or B&B get a case in Boston Bones/R&I crossover. Obviously I'd be into that.

Also passing over the Rizzles Gentleman Jack AU. Also too obvious.

So this AU I've been sitting on since before the pandemic, even before I started to get back into crime procedurals, comes from a shuffled mix of NK Jemisen's Broken Earth trilogy, a little hint of Dragon Age (which is just BE with shittier politics lbr), and Meliso Caruso's The Tethered Mage. They all deal with magic as a slave caste under full control by politico-religious authorities. BE & TTM especially deals with the complicated, often hostile 1-on-1 bond between magic users and their Guardian/Falconer controller. Mages are a living tool used by their Guardians to enforce law, solve crimes, whatever. Can you see where this is going?

I'm interested in the tension of Booth and Jane using Brennan and Maura as tool-object-persons. Having authority over them, directing their talents, while also polite-society-pretending the relationship is consensual and equal. Meanwhile Brennan and Maura to a degree don't care / aren't putting up a fight / are happy to have a bond / just want to get out and do the work. They share an arguably autistic-flavored focus on doing their science, such that they care more about doing the work well than they care about the political system they are feeding, and how they are being used. How do you build a functional (or even healthy?) partnership when power is unequally distributed? How do friendly, even flirty, social interactions play out between the controller and the controlled? How do you confront "I love you but I could never free you. It's not safe for you or me."?

I like that it takes an undertone, unaddressed dynamic from the source material and amplifies it to an extreme. It's fucked up and messy and discomforting, that's what makes it fun >:3c

(usually it ends with the controlled escaping and making their own way, which forces the controller to confront their feelings and the system they're upholding and then they fight to support the mage revolution blah blah, you know, high fantasy tropes)

🍋 What’s your favorite spicier trope to write?

I'm gonna go with.... praise kink/praise-based dom. "You can take it." "You're so good for me" etc. Pushing extremes while being affectionate and supportive and maybe a little condescending, rather than hostile or degrading, is fun to play with!

ALSO! Bad sex!! It's fun, its funny, it's real. Let them be messy disasters, let them work through shame and trying too hard to be perfect and the mishaps of life

[alchemiclee]

I hate that whenever there's a gay ship, people immediately het-ify it. people are so obsessed with making one the "man" and one the "woman" when that's completely unnecessary, because they are both the man or the woman. It's extremely annoying. these people will completely mischaracterize a character to fit into their stupid little het roles they force on them.

for example, you don't need to make one man the "wife" and feminized him to the extreme and fit him in a traditional "woman" role so the other man can be the big strong masculine manly man. they can both be masculine or both be feminine or both be both at the same time! they do NOT need to be gendered opposites to fit het roles. crazy, I know! it's like no one considers it a possibility! or sees how good it can be to have them be equals without gendered nonsense.

when there's a gay relationship, you have the perfect opportunity for the couple to stand on equal ground. they get to be equals who are just as strong and just as soft as each other. there's no faulty power dynamics where one is above the other (because let's face it, society unfortunately deems masculinity > femininity). one doesn't need to protect the other. they can protect themsleves, fight aide by side as equals. one doesn't do all the housework. they share that duty equally. one isn't weak and pretty, while they other strong and manly. they both are strong and pretty, or masculine and weak at the same time.

equal relationships are amazing and need to be explored more and appreciated. there can be more understanding and working together. i'm bad at explaining what I mean, but I prefer these equal relationships over forcing them into opposite roles to mirror het relationships, which are usually extremely unbalanced and unequal. especially because these not het relationships! so why must they look like one? they can and should look different! so why does literally every shipper and writer out there make them so het coded?

I don't understand why people do this. do they actually believe all romantic relationships must mimic het ones to exist and thrive and purposely force that on them? or have they genuinely just not fathamed that they can be different and dont need to follow the expected het standards?

I wonder, it feels like no one actually knows how non-het relationships are meant to be and how they could work, since het ones are always forced down our throats since birth. it becomes The Standard that everyone thinks they must follow. maybe it's all people know since they don't see any other possibilities. their preferred dynamics for their ships are what we are taught and nothing different, because they don't know it can be different. i also think people might be obsessed with that whole "opposites attract" trope. but that opposite doesn't have to be the traditional het-fueld feminine vs masculine or wife vs husband characteristics. it can be other personality things like one is loud and one is quiet, one is dumb and one is overly smart, one is rich and one poor, etc. it doesn't have to be masculine vs feminine!

BREAK OUT OF THE HET NORMS!!!!! TEAR DOWN HETERONORMATIVITY!!!!!!!!! FREE THE GAYS

(disclaimer, not saying masculine vs feminine ships are all bad/shouldn't be done ever. but it doesn't need to be 100% of the time either 😅 can't think of one ship people dont do this with lol)

[jbird-the-manwich]

What do you find most beautiful about your faith or practice- or, alternatively, what do you wish people knew about it (or you can answer both)?

Wow I never get questions thanks, frog! Thats a really hard one.

To be real honest, I have no faith. to me, faith implies that I have a pretty solid Idea of whats actually going on, or at least *believe* I do, and... I don't. I am a true skeptic, a cynic, really, and I lack the capacity to perceive as fully as I would need to in order to feel like I was in possession of enough data to really make an estimation of things that I'd be willing to put much faith in. I consider my practice of witchcraft not a faith but a skill. I don't have faith so much as I have... Curiosity. Unusual experiences. I find little beauty in it, to be real with you. I mean, it's nice, to ask, and receive, and to command change, but.... It causes me more existential dread than comfort. Cuz at the end of the day - I fundamentally have trouble reconciling the belief that the Gods - if they are even that - are on our side in the least. I can't help but return time and again to the thought that beings in an unequal power dynamic are no more concerned about us than we are the ants that crawl under our feet. I think it likely at best we're pawns in a game, the board of which we can't even see beyond our own tiny little sphere of myopia. Or perhaps, less cynical, interacting with concepts we've bled out into the ether for so many countless ages now that they've congealed into...something. With a nature informed as we've informed those concepts... But really while that might be the most acceptable answer, it still feels quite flat. Quite convenient. Sometimes I wonder if it isnt all just vasty egregores.

Is pretty cool that when I do a spell it *works* though. I think that causes me more dread than anything, though, still my favorite part, lol. The things I've seen, experienced... In the moment, it's a rush... But... It's a rush like firing a gun. Wielding something with way more destructive power than my extremely fallible ass probably needs.

Thank you for the ask. I hereby ask you those same questions!!!

[saintsenara]

Thoughts on Hermione and Krum?

thanks for the ask, pal.

hermione managing to pull an international quidditch star at the age of fifteen is based.

[i should also state clearly here that i literally don’t give a shit about the age gap. these aren’t real people - and, even if they were, they would not have been doing anything illegal in the muggle britain of the 1990s; it’s clearly not a relationship which has an unequal power dynamic; there’s no suggestion in canon - obviously, since this is a children’s series - that krum and hermione did anything other than kiss; and she seems to feel that the whole thing was a pleasant bit of fun, which means that she hardly needs pearl-clutching from fans.]

but it’s also clear that - despite the letters [which seem to be quite one-sided, if krum was sending huge rolls of parchment back ron would definitely notice] - hermione and krum aren’t going the distance. he’s dull! sorry about it! and if hermione annoys ron and harry by not caring about the epic highs and lows of high-school quidditch, she’s going to infuriate somebody whose actual job is to fly week in and week out.

[just imagine her saying "wonky faint" to krum. he’d fall down dead.]

i think it’s also worth addressing that - since people want to act up so much about ron being jealous of krum - that krum also has a jealous streak which i can't imagine would endear him to hermione in the long term. in goblet of fire hermione can be presumed to tell krum that the gossip in the press about her relationship with harry is rubbish - since she rants about it quite freely to other characters she’s close to - and yet krum still goes out of his way to interrogate harry about whether they’ve ever been together romantically. [that harry fucking loves that he does this is by-the-by - he gets his comeuppance when krum tries to hit on ginny at bill and fleur’s wedding.]

so who should krum end up with? well, let me make an extremely bold play… for lord voldemort, as per eldritcher’s wonderful epic of the forgotten. i know it sounds nuts, but try it.

[she-is-ovarit]

I wish I would have learned this before age 26/27. Observe men in how they approach problems: they are extremely confident. It does not matter whether they fully understand what they are doing or not. One woman described it as "dumb confidence" because it's a type of confidence that isn't necessarily reliant on possessing the knowledge or skills needed for a given situation. It's a confidence that, if you have any self doubts, is likely to absolutely fool you because it reads as genuine. We believe people who behave like experts even when they're not.

As they grew up and interacted with different people in different contexts throughout their lives, men figured out that operating out of dumb confidence came with a lot of benefits. It was mastered because in boyhood or even manhood, if they presented any self-doubt they were likely to be bullied by other men, but if they approached every situation with confidence then other men were drawn to them as leaders. Dumb confidence is what leads men to "fake it till you make it" in their professional fields, and when dumb confidence fails them they don't generally get their entire character described as "stupid" and their reputation tanked like women do.

It also, incidentally, plays a central role in unequal power dynamics between men and women within heterosexual relationships. We trust men because we lack confidence within ourselves and carry a lot of self-doubt, and everybody (man or woman) is socialized to perceive men as "smarter" than women on a nearly invisible, subconscious level. When a man says something with conviction, with confidence, we assume he is being genuine. This "dumb confidence" can be maladaptively applied not just in relation to knowledge about material things (cars, building structure, etc.) but also to relationships (such as genuinely assuming out of dumb confidence that a girlfriend or wife will like or appreciate him doing something when in reality she might be upset by the action because he did not ask for permission first, etc.).

For most men, "dumb confidence" seems to generally exist as a more subconscious form of manipulation or thinking. As I've mentioned in other posts, I don't mean "subconscious" as a coded excuse for "oh he doesn't know so he can't be held responsible" - subconscious, manipulative behaviors are just as dangerous as conscious ones (arguably, sometimes even more), and setting boundaries against these behaviors is what helps people unlearn them. In other words, "giving him the benefit of the doubt" can reinforce the pattern. I think "dumb confidence" is not always inherently a bad thing, because in certain contexts it can really help to have this rather than self-doubting. But when it becomes maladaptive and creates power imbalances on a widespread scale due to the male sex practicing it while the female sex does the opposite (frequent self-doubt), this contributes to the oppression and exploitation of the female sex.

TL;DR: Men have confidence, even when they shouldn't, and especially in interactions with women. Women have self doubt, even when we shouldn't, and especially in interactions with men. Both of these behaviors and patterns of thinking are often subconscious, with exceptions. This creates societal power disparities.

[lunar-years]

I wish ppl could just say ‘I don’t like this ship and don’t want them together’ or ‘I’m obsessed with this ship and wished it worked out’ without these crazy reasonings

Tale as old as fandom time i guess 😔

And I can’t say I’ve never done the same because when stranger things was airing i was posting up a storm about why i hate st-ncy so 🤪 I think for me it boils down to like, I get wanting to talk about why you dislike a ship and prefer your own ship! I can talk all day about why I prefer ot3 to any of the individual pairing alone, for example. I simply dislike when it is accompanied by extremely biased analysis where one character is being “bashed” in order to act like another is flawless when they canonically are not!!

Obviously i love Roy & Jamie immensely, but often the next line from the “Keeley is so terrible for Roy, actually” crowd is “but Roy and Jamie understand each other perfectly <3” which just like. Is categorically untrue? Lmao. I could also spin everything Roy and Jamie do negatively if I wanted to argue they were terrible for one another, and that’s after their mutually hating-each-other-and-beating-each-other-up-in-the-locker-room phase, lol. For instance: Roy holds onto the feud/grudge long after Jamie has looked past it, time and time again. Roy hits Jamie even after knowing about his Dad, he also refers to Jamie as a fragile little bitch, a line that is very similar to what James says to Jamie at Wembley. He uses Jamie as a punching bag in Amsterdam when he’s trying to avoid facing his own problems. He won’t admit they’re even friends, let alone best friends, even though they clearly are, which probably hurt Jamie’s feelings. He uses Jamie’s desire to be his friend as a pathway for demanding the man step down from pursuing Keeley. He laughs when he thinks his own training tactic just tore Jamie’s dick off, which is very terrible coaching and emphasizes the unequal power dynamic between them.

I can say all of that, which are in fact all things that DO happen in canon, and have a layer of truth to them, and then I can conclude “Roy is terrible for Jamie and Jamie deserves wayyyyy better than someone who would treat him like that.”

…Do I actually think this?? Of course not, I think that’s an absolutely crazy CRAZY way to look at it that deliberately ignores a bunch of nuance about both characters!! Placing those scenes beside one another and looking at them only from that ONE angle feels like a very disingenuous way to interpret their friendship/relationship. But that is literally how some of these Roy/Keeley posts be sounding to me lately like 😭 WHAT are y’all talking about?

If we can understand why Roy behaves that way with Jamie why can’t we understand why Roy and Keeley behave in the ways that they do and make the mistakes that they do? Why are we giving some characters grace but not others?

[girl4music]

Oh thank god this video exists. I mean EXACTLY!

In ‘The Twilight Saga’ vampires sparkle in the sunlight.

In ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ the sunlight kills vampires.

Buffy is not Twilight and Angel is not Edward even though they’re both creepy stalkers because Buffy absolutely does not put up with Angel’s shit the way Bella does with Edward. Yeah, maybe because she’s the Slayer and Bella is just a regular human being but that’s precisely why unequal power dynamics are not appealing and definitely not romantic in any way.

Both may be young adult or teen drama. But one uses logic and fact and the other just does whatever to make it as marketable as possible to the audience. You can have pretty vampires without contriving it. Angelus literally has the face of an Angel until he vamps out. And his physiology changes to represent the monstrous underpinnings of his vampiric nature. None of that happens in Twilight. We’re just supposed to take it on faith that Edward and his family are good. But there’s nothing good about the way Edward treats Bella. He is extremely abusive and the narrative does not acknowledge it passed “I can smell your blood” which of course is a conflict but not a calling out.

[hussyknee]

I get that some monosexual lesbians have trauma of their own that makes them cling to their idea that "bisexual lesbians are a threat to their safety." but the reality is that trying to define "lesbian" in a bi exclusionary way isn't going to stop shitty cis men from trying to convince them that they are the "male exception" said lesbians haven't met yet. that doesn't stop them from stepping all over us bi lesbians (in a non-sexy way) though.

Yeah like, so many safe, sane, consensual ways you can step on bi/pan lesbians and they choose the shittiest one. 😂

I'm from an extremely patriarchal Global South culture with so much male violence and misogyny, and the majority of our encounters with men irl involve a heavily unequal power dynamic and sexual fear. So I get that some traumatized women feel a loss of allyship when you argue against treating the male gender as one of blanket privilege the way we do with white people. It's why radfems use racial justice terminology and analogies to justify themselves. But I have a real problem if you can't see that male privilege is derived from proximity to the cis heteropatriachy and how well you can conform to its performative and exclusionary standards. Denying this is to misunderstand the entire framework of gender and sexual oppression. But also– absolutely nothing good comes of conflating people with systems. For instance, it results in pathologizing half of humankind as an existential threat to your sexual identity, which is fucking bizarre.

Ultimately it's like I keep saying: just because life hands you shit doesn't mean you get to fling it like a monkey.

[llycaons]

I wouldn’t say Armand is feeble n frail I think Louis was projecting his own attributes to both lestat and Armand. In both relationships louis has let them have full control and they are two powerhouses that shape his life basically. They’re both super interesting people but they get enamored with Louis bc they project onto him. But they’re toxic for him and he flails about helplessly until he either implodes or gets rid of them

oh interesting! answering this by section

I wouldn’t say Armand is feeble n frail

I don't think armand is feeble either, but I rather meant that if louis WAS complaining about one of his lovers, that description sounds closer to armand than lestat just because of their different physicalities. that's what was going through my mind, but I don't think that's what was going on in canon anyway. armand's theory that louis was trying to draw lestat back in by insulting him is certainly interesting bc it didn't really sound like anyone to me

I think Louis was projecting his own attributes to both lestat and Armand.

that's a theory I haven't heard before either! and I don't know if I agree? while I'm sure there's an element of insecurity to these relationships, when he was shouting at armand later about how boring and stuffy he was, I don't think that came from a place of self-loathing or insecurity. I think he really was unhappy with armand for those specific flaws. tho you could argue his passivity in relationships comes from a place of self-loathing, I think it probably just has to do more with his history of abuse. he def struggled with self-loathing and identity issues in his human life, but we haven't seen much explicit evidence for it since so I haven't been thinking on it recently...

In both relationships louis has let them have full control and they are two powerhouses that shape his life basically.

yeah kind of...I don't agree with this entirely. they are two powerhouses, and they do shape his life, and he could be more assertive, but they're also extremely toxic, powerful, and manipulative characters and it's not easy to simply Impose your own Will on those characters in relationships

it was an unequal dynamic from the outset with lestat having all this experience and power as a centuries-old vampire AND as a white man in the 1930s who literally followed louis around at an extremely vulnerable time in his life and broke into the church he was trying to avoid him at and killing the priest like lestat took power because he wanted to and because he could and bc he wanted louis. and they especially didn't have an equal dynamic towards the end bc lestat was such a forceful presence who violently imposed control on louis and claudia. as an older vampire who physically abused him and emotionally manipulated him...sure louis isn't as resistant to lestat as claudia would have liked but it's not really fair to say he just 'allowed' lestat to take over when lestat beat him half to death and then dropped him from like a mile up using a power he wasn't even aware lestat had.

at a certain point in the flashback, louis considered suicide instead of going back to lestat. intimate partner violence and abuse isn't easy to walk away from no matter how obvious it may look like from the outside. and louis may not have been able to strike the final blow but he DID slit lestat's throat and leave him to die, which was huge! walking away was huge! especially since as a black gay vampire who is/was in an abusive relationship, he'd be walking into a lifetime of perhaps guaranteed isolation. and abusers are very good at making themselves seem like the only chance you have at connection or safety anyway. like, lestat never told either of them about the paris coven bc he wanted control and for them to stay with him forever. I don't think it's fair to frame him as just 'letting them have control' like louis doesn't see himself as a victim but I still think the phrase victim-blaming applies

as for armand there's still things we don't know. it's complicated for sure...louis pulling out 'maitre' implies he may have a trump card of power over armand he simply doesn't use, but it's worth wondering why he doesn't and what it might cost him, or if he feels like it's something he shouldn't. why it took a week of excruciating pain, armand's psychological torment of both himself and daniel and physical torture of daniel to do that. like, is it something he's been dissuaded from using? something he forgot he could use in his pain? something he felt like it would be stooping to use? idk! I still don't want to blame him for it! louis isn't flawless or perfect in this scenario, but in ep5 specifically he was physically indisposed and essentially at armand's mercy. and armand controls his memories. you can't really blame someone for not fighting back and taking control of a relationship if they literally can't remember significant acts of manipulation or cruelty.

and I don't agree louis lets armand decide everything. louis goes to bars and fucks in the 70s and in the current day he does allow armand to control where the records are kept and all but there's no evidence that armand controls what/when louis eats (in s1there was speculation he did, but no evidence) and when we see them behind the scenes and from louis's pov it appears than armand is an equal and reasonable partner. I do agree louis allowing armand to control a certain amount of his life in the current day IS super interesting and def plays into the d/s dynamic but there's consensual loss of control and there's nonconsensual loss of control and if there's any underhanded manipulation or power grabs, it's not louis 'letting him', it's armand doing it on the sly and it's not something we can attribute to louis being passive, it's to armand taking advantage of his powers and louis's position and trust

They’re both super interesting people but they get enamored with Louis bc they project onto him.

huh. that's also a new one. idk if lestat projects onto louis so much as he sees louis as an exciting object (specifically OBJECT) of affection. then again he got interested in louis bc he pulled a knife on his brother so maybe he saw that undercurrent of violence and went oh mon deiu 👀! as for armand...yeah maybe he sees a sensitive and wounded soul in there and thinks of himself. but louis is also a very handsome and brilliant man in his own right so projection may be part of it but ppl have been into him for decades (I mean, look at antoinette! look at daniel!) so that's only part of it I think

But they’re toxic for him and he flails about helplessly until he either implodes or gets rid of them

well can't argue with that one. it feels bad calling him helpless, esp in that fight when he was just as cruel to armand as armand was to him, but yeah he'd never torture lestat or armand the way they tortured him so in that sense I suppose. with lestat he had claudia to help and with armand he has daniel...guess we'll see how it goes!

thanks for the ask! really interesting and deeply flawed characters for sure. I feel like I hardly have a grasp on the show but this was definitely some food for thought. and if I misread any of your intent or meaning I do apologize - there's just so much nuance in this show and I wanted to talk about as much of it as I could! mutuals as always feel free to add on