#you don't have to make up fantasies to justify it 😂😂😂

[askshivanulegacy]

That thing about carbon emissions for T Swift is also inaccurate—someone broke the math down here:

https://zulie.medium.com/lets-fact-check-that-taylor-swift-private-jet-usage-story-32d226bd3682

Plus she paid for twice as many carbon offsets as necessary to negate the Eras Tour:

https://www.insider.com/taylor-swift-spent-160-hours-using-private-jet-eras-tour-2023-8?amp

“Before the tour kicked off in March of 2023, Taylor purchased more than double the carbon credits needed to offset all tour travel.”

People say a lot of misleading or flat out incorrect things about her. It’s popular to hate on her. People bring up a photograph with a ‘fan’ who hid his shirt until the photo went off so she would be smiling next to a swaztika. They bring up a phone call with Kanye where it turned out the (illegal) recording was edited in a misleading way and actually Taylor was telling the truth the whole time.

There’s other stuff people accuse her of, but it’s all similar bullshit. None of it adds up.

I went digging because I was wondering the same thing. The worst I found was ‘not using her platform for politics’ but when I looked into that… Ugh, gonna be anon so no Swifties come for me, but she’s just…she’s liberal (at least on social issues) but she went to a private Christian homeschooling program for her junior/senior year because they could accommodate her touring schedule. In one of her tour movies (Reputation), a stage designer says something is the size of a Boeing 737, and she has no idea what that is.

She likes books and stuff, and she writes beautiful lyrics, which make Swifties assume she’s a nerdy genius, but being good at English isn’t connected to being good at history or sociology or political science.

Basically, I don’t think she’s an idiot or anything, but I think she maybe isn’t very well versed in politics. She’s said she’s trying to educate herself, but still. If she hasn’t got the background or relevant knowledge…isn’t it better that she keep listening and researching rather than spouting off a half-cocked opinion when she has so many rabid fans? So, to me, ‘not using her platform enough’ (because she only uses it to drive youth voting registration and a handful of clear cut political topics) is ultimately a good thing.

Anyway. Apart from that, I legit couldn’t find anything except a couple months of chaste dating another teen when she was a teen herself. She was 19, he was 17, they went to a couple hockey games together. Both were out of high school and he was like…two months from being 18. They’re still friends.

For some people, that’s unforgivable, I guess? But… I dunno, man, seems like normal behavior to me. (Of course, I’m used to countries where you become an adult at 20, so that might be a factor on my part.)

Anyway. No idea if any of this was helpful. I just thought I’d write in because I tried doing the same digging about why she’s so problematic. Instead I found people complaining about the porn preferred by a guy she was seen next to at a mutual friend’s birthday party. People keep saying they dated, but I can’t find any actual proof of even that. (It also led me down a rabbit hole on that guy where I found out the complaint ‘he literally did a nazi salute at a concert’ was about him mockingly doing one during a song about idiots. Apparently he was trying to say Nazis are stupid or something? Not a great way to do it, but completely different from the accusation.)

Anyway. That’s all I could find. 🤷‍♀️ I couldn’t even verify the billionaire thing—everyone cites Bloomberg, but Bloomberg just credits an unnamed ‘analyst’ who doesn’t show their work. Which is wild to me.

But yeah. That’s all the digging turned up for me. Hopefully this ask can spare you a few hours of fruitless googling.

Thanks so much for the detailed info! I'm currently halfway through a YouTube vid that I'm speeding through just for funsies, and yeah, between that and post comments, it's all pointing to similar things: she basically had a golden girl start in life, funded by reasonably rich parents, and rose to stardom.

Good for her. People are whining that "she should do more" and I'm here to ask ... WHY. Why should she? Because she has money? Because she's famous? Isn't it enough for an artist to simply make the art she wants to make? Why should she be expected to do more, and why is NOT choosing to do that suddenly a moral failing? Like, it's an utter non-issue. It's the opposite of hurting anyone. She gets to decide what to do with her time and her money and maybe it's not what her fans want, but who cares.

I could understand being upset if she actively used her money to do something bad, but not using it is just not using it.

And everything else? Non-issues too. People can have boyfriends. And people get to associate with whoever they want and they are not responsible for that person's questionable dealings.

And the carbon emissions thing is such a joke anyway. I admit I don't know much about it, but the premise of "paying money to offset carbon" is obnoxious and has no meaning. No normal person needs to be concerned about that. That is firmly rooted in corporations, who can and should bear all the costs to change what they're doing.

[alatismeni-theitsa]

I'm not sure how much you keep up with Percy Jackson and its spin-offs, personally I like the series, but my G-d it is NOT an accurate portrayal of Greek mythology whatsoever, as I'm sure you're aware! Did you know that Rick Riordan set it in the USA because of how great western civilization is and how Western countries are more relevant to modern society? I'm not even joking or exaggerating.

Honestly, I do think that putting the gods in US America can be justified for the right reasons. I don't think there's anything inherently offensive about the Underworld being under LA or Olympus being above NYC. Especially with the demigod camp being on Long Island, like, okay, you wanna keep the gods close by. It's a story about an American middle-school boy, so yeah, it'll be very American. That's fair.

But the reason the author gives for it is so offensive! If this was a story about, say, the Egyptian gods, more people would understand why "west is best" is an offensive thing to say, but I guess it doesn't matter when the gods/culture being adapted is white passing enough or whatever the fuck.

(Tbfh even if he'd said that about, say, the Norse gods, or something else that is undeniably white, it'd still be disrespectful as hell. America-centricism is so fucking exhausting!)

It's actually disappointing bc, even though the books aren't true to Greek myth (don't even get me started on how badly they portray Hades and literally blame him for WWII and imply Hitler is his son), they've gotten so many kids interested in greek mythology. Oh sure, there's some weirdos who read the books and claim to worship whoever their "godly parent" would be, but there's even more people who truly got so much knowledge and respect for actual mythology from the books! And as terrible as the Greek representation is, the other representation is done really well, especially in neurodivergency/disability. I obviously wish he'd handled race/ethnicity (and religion) better, but for all the 'offensive' stuff that exists in the books there's also so many great things. So many different portrayals of love and friendship and bravery.

It's honestly no wonder the books are still a comfort series even for those who have outgrown them, and it makes the offensive stuff even worse, almost like a betrayal in some way. It's not like Rick Riordan is going out of his way to be a fatphobic antisemitic TERF like some other YA fantasy authors out there. He's someone who seems to actually care about representation in his work, which makes it all the times more hurtful when he *doesn't* care or when he writes stuff like that.

ooooh yeaah I unfortunately know all this and have posted about this 4-5 times already 😂 An extremely imperialistic view, this author has. But in this USAmericanized world, people need to do some deconstruction to see the fucked up aspects of these books. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing the Greek gods in other countries in general but the reason they went to the US is very problematic - and I don't throw this word around easily.

As you said the series has good stuff too and it has brought joy to many kids worldwide (me included), so anyone who likes PJO don't think that I'm shitting on it too much 😄 But there are definitely some things to be addressed there and that we should discuss. Like how the attitude of the writer only continued the sense of entitlement and ownership the West has over Greek figures. And because Riordan usually cares, it's sad that he let his cultural biases define his most popular series.

[meadow-roses]

Hey can you explain the main plot of keepers?

I'll do my best, I hope this will answer your question 😂

So the main concept of "The Keepers" is a collection of stories that play with the crossover trope. It's hard to say exactly what the plot of the keepers would be at this point in the development, since we're still coming up with the plots of all the individual stories that make up the crossover.

Each of the main characters has their own story they were/are the protagonist of, who's "happy ending" is interrupted by the instability of the universe. They end up meeting and teaming up when they realize they all share exactly the same villain and he's still trying to win.

The main villain is a scientist driven mad by grief, still trying to make his vision a success despite all the loved ones he's lost along the way as a direct result of his research. His end goal isn't necessarily bad- bringing magical equality to the world- but ends don't justify the means and he's tearing apart the universe trying to make everything "fair".

Functionally, Skylar is the main protagonist, mainly because his story kicks off the plot time-bomb but also because he's kinda the one rolling around the multiverse inadvertently collecting allies. (Despite the fact he vehemently insists he's a one man show lol) The other Keepers are Ketsler, Felix, and Betty, but as you might have noticed the cast is pretty extensive. 😂

Skylar's story is a folk fairytale style adventure of two brothers trying to learn what it means to be a Man and also break a curse, but unfortunately the end of the world happens.

Felix's story is a sci-fi/fantasy superhero story set in a dystopian future about family, friendship, and what true bravery is. The main character accidentally becomes the leader of a planetary revolution and meets his true love.

Ketsler's story is about "the prophesied one" struggling to fulfill his role when deep down inside he's just another regular dude, but thankfully the power comes from outside and not within. He, his cousin, and the med student they befriend try to figure out what the source of the evil magic is and it goes terribly wrong.

Betty's is still in the early stages, so I don't quite know what the themes will be, but she is an orphan with psychic powers that lets her hear other's thoughts... including the thoughts of ghosts. In search of a way to use her powers for good and also find a place where she belongs, she moves to Earth and joins the interplanetary organization that studies and controls the supernatural. She certainly meets some supernatural things. :)

There are a Lot of other characters, but those are the main four. Other significant persons would be: Gigi (Skylar's brother), Grace (Felix's wife), Vokku (prince of the Fae), Rhyin (Ketsler's cousin), Haru (Ketsler's apprentice), Vinni (Rhyin's girlfriend), Edmund (the bard from Thistled Rose of Glishern) and the kids from the Ageless War wip.

It's a. Really big story because it's kind of like a 12 book series, so there's a lot of stuff still up in the air that could easily change next week or two years from now, but that's how it stands currently.

If you have any more questions or would like clarification on a point Please don't hesitate to send another ask! I don't want to hit you with a three page essay right off the bat lol

Thank you SO MUCH for your interest and your support!!! 😭💕

[bi-bats]

A J N O S for the alphabet ask game please <3

hello my beanloved!!!! that is a thing now sorry 💖💖💖 thank you for fueling my procrastination forced vacation from writing!!!

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

Oh, god. DEF DamiTim, though I think we all knew that. Bart-centric stuff for sure also! Pretty much anything with him in it where he's actually a character and not just a third wheel or a vibrator. @chipmunkery is to blame for the JayBart, but I'm also a BluePulse fan (young justice tv show's fault). JayTimKon and JayTimRoy pretty much always too. Also ngl the new Fionna and Cake show is reigniting my love for Marshall Lee/Prince Bubblegum (though I haven't actually even gotten through the first episode yet).

J - Name a fandom you didn’t think about until you saw it all over Tumblr. (You don’t have to care about it or follow it; it just has to be something that Tumblr made you aware of.)

Danny Phantom. I remember the show coming out, I just didn't think there was ever an actual fandom for it, or that the fandom for it would still be around, let alone as unavoidable as it is now.

N - Name three things you wish you saw more of in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

More reverse robins with ships tbh

More urban fantasy aus where the bats are still bats and the fantasy is an added aspect

More Jason having done everything he did for UtRH of his own volition/uninfluenced by the pit, bc even though he regrets it now, at the time he thought he was justified.

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

Treehouse by Alex G! The Damian song of all time.

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

I fr don't feel like pulling up the panels 😂 but Dana teaching Tim how to make soup is canon! The boy can make soup!!! That's for my hc that he's not actually hopeless in front of a stove all of the time, he's just hopeless with flavor and getting things not to be over/undercooked if they're made from raw

[boyslit]

@atomsminecraft

OK SO. having finished knights whole route and thinking a little harder about the thing... and obvious warning for spoilers for Knight's book 1 and the princes' path book 3 I think

so embarrassingly I've been getting the words backwards but it's a fantasy phrase I'm allowed to mess it up lol

the sigillum arcanum embedded in his chest wasn't put there by Toa, nor does Dewi know anything about it (or so he says, but I don't have any reason to mistrust what he says about Knight bc the dude is basically his dad. awkward and gruff, sure, but he cares and iirc he was surprised to find out it was even there.)

so. Knight was with Dewi in childhood until Toa saved him and he's been with Toa since. so whenever this thing was embedded, it likely happened before then. when he was very small I imagine. perhaps 4 or 5 even, just before you're able to start forming permanent memories well enough to remember into adulthood.

we know of an organization that a.) creates sigillum arcana and b.) has 0 qualms with torturing even children for their wicked designs. Knight/Regulus was obviously not a child of Vanum, BUT who is to say Iritium isn't kidnapping homeless orphans off the street to use for human experimentation? extremely easy source of lab rats. no one's going to miss some dirty beggar child in the rookeries. I can 100% see some of those sickos trying to see if they can embed a sigillum arcanum inside a person for whatever it is theyre wanting to research. hell it could've been for fun justified by 'science'.

he's either far too young to remember this process or they do this magical surgery while he's unconscious and then toss him back out into the world to watch his progress from the shadows (or you know.. they don't get results they want and turn him loose, some annoyed superior puts a kibosh on the project to have them do something else, etc etc. lots of reasons to get rid of the kid.) that's where there starts being too many possibilities for me to nail something down tho (haven't caught up on book 4 either) but there's ways to make sure someone doesn't really remember something without using ancient magic.

but yeah when I started thinking about how sigillum arcana are made, who we know makes them, and how those greasy fucks operate, well I started connecting some dots lol

curious to see if knight will get a book 2 and if this will be revisited at all 🤔 whoever did this could possibly try to come back for their lab rat or try to use him against Qelsum/Toa somehow if it wasn't just a failed/stopped experiment they were doing to him. I have no idea. political maneuvering mystifies me 😂

[imagineitdearies-old]

Hello! Hope your doing well. I do have a silly question to ask as an author and I mean no disrespect whatsoever with it.

One of my favorite fanfics is misty dream by corviids. If you read the story then you know that Luke has the ability to get pregnant but it’s not an a/b/o story.

Once again nothing wrong with that. But, while I believe to be wrong I saw a comment asking how it was possible for Luke to be pregnant or in getting pregnant. Corviids themselves put a note in the newest chapter explaining that but since your writing a story on abo I decided to come to you.

Is it really wrong to go that way when writing your OWN story. I mean, does it really have to be an abo story for your characters to have the ability to get pregnant? Is it like breaking some sort of unspoken rule where if you were to break it you’re offending someone else?

Please once more I don’t mean any disrespect with this. I’m genuinely curious as to know why this is some sort of issue. And not speaking of misty dream but I’ve read countless of other stories where this is an actual issue but specifically when it comes to male pregnancy and the story is not abo.

Once again, if this ask is rude please ignore as I won’t like to bring any problems. Thank you!

(Edit: somehow this got queued instead of saved as a draft, sorry everyone for the initial incomplete post 😂)

Hi anon! I don’t find this question rude and hope I can answer in a way that's clear I’m expressing my own thoughts and opinions, which you seem to be asking for, and that I'm not trying to tell anyone else what to do.

First and foremost, no, I don't think it's wrong to do *anything* in a story actually, because in the end it's fiction. If you properly tag things, people have no legit reason to complain about what they decided to click on and read. You don't have to justify anything beyond that. 'Don't Like Don't Read' is the gospel of ao3, I will always hold to it and encourage others to do the same.

Now, your further questions center around a curiosity as to why some people don't like unexplained mpreg. I know there's plenty who can't stand mpreg point blank, and always filter out that tag (which is why I always tag it even if it's only mentioned in my fics), and then some who only like it when explained as part of an a/b/o verse.

It certainly is a thought experiment as to why. Personally? I think the reason some people don't enjoy unexplained mpreg as much is because, while it is wish-fulfillment for some, to others it can sometimes feel like putting a 'heteronormative bandaid' so to speak on a queer ship--as it's very different even from a trans person getting pregnant, at least in my opinion. That can really knock me out of the story (though it may be a healing fantasy for others, i'm sure). I'm not offended--I just don't enjoy it usually.

(Anyone who feels truly offended by such a thing when they could be offended by like ANY of the real world problems we have should rethink their priorities 😂)

On the other hand, omegaverse can sometimes feel more in touch with the queer experience. Usually there is some minority and/or stigma still with being omega male or alpha female, for instance. It often involves other queer experiences too--presenting suddenly and often traumatically as alpha/omega can resonate with those who experienced body dysmorphia during puberty, and dealing with rigid societal relationship/gender roles is relatable to everyone but definitely those who are gay and/or trans.

I think heats/ruts also can resonate somewhat as a queer fantasy; both are like a cathartic release of the character's pent up sexual desire and feelings that they haven't allowed themselves to indulge in or society has barred them from, and then BOOM there is (often) no choice anymore. Being forced to accept one's sexual desire during heat/rut is not dissimilar to the tipping point many queer people have in their journey of self-acceptance, and so is yet another detail that makes the whole strange omega-canon resonate with queerness still.

(Sorry, you asked the a/b/o author this question, so you get to hear me wax poetic about omegaverse for a second 😂)

Personally, even just a small magical spell/curse/biological anomaly explanation can make mpreg enjoyable for me, but I'm not everybody. Plenty of (queer or not) people don't like mpreg at all, fantastically explained or not, and it's not your job to please everyone. There's nothing offensive about making any fictional character pregnant without explanation! It may not be everyone's cup of tea--but that doesn't mean you have to change your story. Especially among lucemond shippers, I doubt it will stop you from getting readership. And if someone jumps into your comments telling you how to write, tell them where to stick it!

Write what you want, block without prejudice, and take care of yourself anon <3

[mysticscorpia]

🔍 What's been your biggest challenge in writing so far?

🖊 What do you write with? (Computer, paper, etc.)

📚 What are some books that have influenced your style?

🔍 What's been your biggest challenge in writing so far?

Wow, that's an interesting one. I think, is coming from a background of little faith, that the most of my life I've been able to live off cynicism. But with writing, I've had to have faith. That when I'm lost, I will find my way again through writing. That when I'm stressed, I'll find passion with it once more.

It's the realisation, that I feel half real without it, and that is one scary thing to deal with. How can one say, "they don't feel whole without writing"? You find that in books and media, where faith like that has foundation. But real life? That's where it gets difficult to justify.

So finding my faith in myself and keeping my faith in my passion for writing through hard times, is the thing I've struggled with the most!

🖊️ What do you write with?

Oooo, well, I mostly write with my computer now, as Google docs kept crashing on my phone, and I knew I actually needed to practice proper keyboard techniques on a computer!

On the odd occasion I'll jot stuff down on paper (such as when I go to my writing club,!) because I still want to be used to writing down things. You feel less comfortable otherwise!

(plus, it's more fun when you're feverishly writing with a fountain pen pretending you're a certain OG) 😂

📚 What are some books that have inspired your writing?

Wow, that's another unexpected question!

I think there's a lot, but I aim to make a shortlist: Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (a skeleton detective series), is actually something that made me fall in love with urban fantasy. I think Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series (which is making untraditional takes with traditional fairy tales), made me fall in love with powerful heroines, who can still fall in love, and have agency (oh, and probably one of the first monster boyfriends I fell in love with too).

I think poetry has also influenced the more poetic side to my prose (but I don't know how it came to be!).

I also have The Magician's Guild (The Black Magician Trilogy), by Trudi Canavan, for my deep abiding love for tragic characters and the first character who struck me so hard I cried at the end (which definitely made me fall in love with anti-heroes forevermore!).

So, for literal inspiration for writing, I would say the book A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, as both the quotes "to decrease the surplus population" and "dead as a doornail" can pop up in my writing!

Other than that, I'm not sure! I think it's easier to note books which have affected me, rather than my writing. Hence the examples above! Which, is a mix of two.

I loved your ask! Thank you!, 😋🙏💕

[chancelin-blog]

I see! I think we misunderstood each other, and we disagree on the specifics of bad. What I mean by "Sarcean was the good guy all along" is the conclusion that he was narratively correct in everything he did (even if he did it by brutal means in response to a brutal system). I want him to be both "he did the wrong things for the right reasons" and "he did the wrong things for the wrong reasons". In some ways, I think yes it is incredibly likely the Light had to be dismantled, and Sarcean's methods may have been violent but necessary. However, the main reason why I see a lot of people dislike deteething Sarcean morality on a personal level is because it would make Will's conflict with himself much less nuanced. I'm not sure how earnest "Sarcean did nothing wrong" is. I'm traumatised by the "Griffith did nothing wrong" meme from Berserk, so I'll just take Sarcean's at face value and ignore Griffith's😂

I know I've stated a couple of times that in my eyes Sarcean's treatment of Anharion should be reprehensible, and in the worst case, yes, he coerces and/or forces Anharion to submit to him. I'm more fluid in just how reprehensible his actions were. Was it r*pe? Was it more dubious? I'm not sure (I tend to have a personal "if it's not enthusiastic then it's bad" approach in real life hence my harsh language, but I do get the nuances it could have for other people's relationships especially in fiction). It could have been a consequence of Anharion being under the Sun King's control and Sarcean having to take that control away by force. I'm not going to take away from the queer fantasy escapism read, oppressed people taking control of the institutions that oppressed them in the first place is a good time.

I still believe that Sarcean's actions towards not just the nameless faceless civilians (especially if the ends justify the means by how brutal Sarcean's adversaries were in return) should be confronted by Will, but also Sarcean's treatment of his loved ones as well, hence why I'm so adamant about Anharion/James's role and why I still stand by my Collar beliefs. That relationship is a much more personal conflict Will has been struggling with in regards to James framed by Sarcean and Anharion, and it is more complex than "don't commit collateral damage on random people standing in the way to your quest for justice". Don't get me wrong, making morally difficult choices because you feel like you have to is going to be a part of it, but I think that James/Anharion could be part of that conversation and not an exception. Just how bad it was could vary depending on circumstances (could have just been problematic BDSM etiquette I suppose, with very dubious circumstances). And this ties in to "Sarcean doing the wrong things for the wrong reasons", and what I dislike about having Sarcean's actions be simply just be a means to an end. But you know, it could also be a source of miscommunication and struggle for both Anharion and Sarcean, hence why there is so much baggage.

On the White Death, you got me there! I would love to read more if you can link me to some of the theories! I haven't been actively searching for Dark Heir theories in months except very surface level stuff so it would be great if I could catch up on some of it at least. I think I vaguely recall something relating to Visander's memories of the Lady and how he was brought back as a Returner.

For now Will's adversaries have been small potatoes compared to his predecessor, but Will has also been a very small potato next to Sarcean. And now that the floodgates for the past has been opened with Visander and Sarcean's army that Anharion alludes to rushing back from the dead, even more crazy stuff from the past is going to be unlocked, around and even within Will. I'm sure that exposing the Light for what a crappy job they have done to their own people and everyone else is going to be part of it. The external conflict would be convincing everyone that they are wrong about Will and whatever projections of evil they have of him, that the Light has been mistreating and failing their own people for generations since the beginning (including Sarcean), while the internal conflict should be the intimate and interpersonal challenges Will has to face about himself and who he is, and dealing with the personal successes and failings he shares with Sarcean. And then James and Will can both be able to understand and reconcile with the past and move towards their future.

No actually I do want Will to alter the landscape of Europe and by extension the system colonialism and destroy the British Empire that would be great.

The Question of the Collar & the Dark Rise Trilogy

I am pro collar. And Ill tell you why.

I have been seeing a couple posts on this topic and people go back and forth, but none have fully encapsulated what I see as being one of the biggest reasons I believe the collar is consensual and probably a kink. I also think there is a possibility it also allows free will, but today I shall argue for why I believe it’s consensual on James’s part, because that is where the doubt lies within the fandom it seems. It is very clear to me that Will is erotically enticed by the collar also, but who really needs convincing of that?

So, firstly, there are so many instances where we see that James is visibly turned on by the collar. See how Will acknowledges James in the quote below as looking already surrendered, and going “pliant as if the same hot gold ran like sweet need through his veins” :

James is clearly very turned on by the collar, it’s in the text in many instances. The words used here are evocative: need, pliant, sweet, and hot.  Where do you see that kind of language other than in the erotica and romance genres? It then goes on to talk about how his shirt is open, how his eyes are glazed, and how he is “yielding”. Basically, this is a sex scene without the sex. The collar is an object of lust for the duo, and this is being communicated to the audience. Authors, when writing, do not use evocative language by accident. No. They paint a picture with words to influence their readers emotionally in the direction they want our minds to go. Every detail is planted on purpose when you are a good author. And Pacat is a good author!

But there is so much more. Here, in the next scene, James is seen wetting his lips:

Wetting one’s lips is a sign of attraction. If you don’t believe me, just Google it! We also have another scene where James’s pupils are blown wide when watching the collar in the throne room scene; yet another physical sign of attraction in a human being and something we see in novels all the time.

But Pacat goes further than just showing the physical signs of being turned on. If Anharion consented to a collar that controls him (to what extent it controls him, we are still unsure) we should see the signs that this is something he is possibly interested in emotionally. Or at least, something Anharion was interested in and James responds to at least on some level. And there are so, so many signs. This is shown through what he likes, shown through what he does, says, and what others say about him (not just Will, but Sinclair as well as others). Why is Pacat seeding all these comments about James’s need to serve, to please, other than to put in our minds that there is an aspect of James/Anharion's character that this is something he likes, and that it is a possibility that the collar might have been his choice in the past? It’s a kink for sure, and something James may determine he is not interested in in the next book, but for the sake of argument, look at the screencaps below:

Will is picking up on something about James’s personality, and James is relieved and perhaps surprised that he has been so transparent. It is clear to Will that James likes to take orders. After all, before he was Sinclair’s (the Dark Lord’s) man, he was the exemplary novitiate, wasn’t he?

In an even better example of this below, we see him kind of asking Will that Will's request for James to come to him after opening the gate become an order. But, why ask this? What purpose does it serve James to make Will give him an order? Why does James want it to be an order?

Will catches on and gets it, equally turned on. His lips curl (in a smile) and lowering your lashes is a sign of submission in human interaction; James is lowering his lashes showing submission to Will. James is aroused here too, because in the next moment he asks Will to kiss him.

We have it from others perspectives too, here below, we have Sinclair telling James he likes to serve, he is a born submissive and to “belong” to someone, echoing what James himself has said to Will countless times:

And just to top this with a cherry, Sinclair’s scene with James he tells us James, upon a successful mission, liked being praised and “sitting at his feet”. This calls to mind the imagery of the chain at the bottom of the throne.  

In terms of similar character types in Pacat's work, Erasmus from Captive Prince comes to mind. He was a collared slave and we get some glorious descriptions with him being quite the submissive with the “lowered lashes” (ring any bells?) :

May I just interject to reiterate that the language around the collar is really so sexual, I don’t think I need to post more about this, because some of the screencaps above illustrate this, but I am sure you can all imagine and remember how you felt reading those scenes; they were enticing. I just cant imagine Pacat would use such romantic, erotic, and lush imagery if this collar were the instrument of coercion, compulsion, and humiliation, and even possible r*pe, that we are supposed to think because this is YA fantasy genre and not horror. Someone might argue that they weren’t sleeping together when Anharion was wearing the collar, but I would counter-argue that of course they were! Everyone who knew about the Dark King and his Betrayer knew they were in a romantic relationship, from James’s father, to Gauthier, to Kettering. And we are only supposed to think the collar is all these bad things based off the second hand knowledge passed down by characters like Gauthier, or the vague and evasive language used in the last chapter by both James and the narration (but this is not really shown by James's feelings when he has it put on him). But when James first puts it on, he is described as “hating how good it felt” as well as having some rather erotic flashbacks to Anharion and Sarcean (and that didn’t sound coerced to me, it sounded romantic and swoon-worthy, it sounded like he was being "filled up" which is a way my old therapist friend used to describe being emotionally fulfilled by one's partner). So, why would the principle couple be one that started in coercion and assault? Maybe this is something else being said by Pacat about purity culture, and how there is nothing morally wrong with kink as long as the two are consenting, loving adults who trust each other? James CLEARLY trusts Will to "hold the key" so to speak as he asks him to in the throne room. Just because some of us dont explore our sexuality in this way doesn't make it wrong and I think Pacat is challenging the readers (as Will is being challenged) to reconsider their biases about what is "wrong" not through the lens of what other people think but through what two people feel is right in the loving and trusting relationship that they have together through Total Power Exchange. This is not a story about abuse. Who would want to read that?

No, this is something else in my opinion. I think the collar is completely in line with the desires of Sarcean and Anharion, and their reincarnations are now echoing those desires thousands of years later and they will see whether it is ultimately something that they want to explore together in the next book. The collar was consensual: it is not in line with the YA romance fantasy genre to have a couple start out so grossly abusive towards each other, especially when the language is evocative of romance, and the personalities are showing desire. I think we are meant to challenge our assumptions here about people and what is considered “normal” instead of just thinking if a couple doesn’t fit our idea of a perfect mold that there must be something wrong with them. Also, please remember that Pacat is twisting our heads in one direction with the characters own misconceptions and half truths, when I believe he is planting enough evidence to surprise us (and Will) in the last novel with the revelation that has been hidden in plain sight all along: that Sarcean wasn't hurting Anharion. On the contrary. He was freeing him.

[starleska]

What do you find attractive in warren/gen?

you know despite the tone tag i can't quite tell if this is meant in a 'oh i'm curious' kind of way or in a 'seriously what the hell do you like about that monstrous little creature' kind of way sdfghds but i'll try my best to answer 💖 popping it under the cut as it's a little long, and i'm flustered!

honestly? i've always been attracted to Warren's specific kind of bastard: manipulative, incel-coded, discomfiting sort of characters with serious boundary issues and an unhinged intensity in everything they do. these aren't traits i'd find attractive in a real life-partner - i'm very happy in my actual, healthy, long-term relationship, and can assure you my real partner is nothing like that 😂 yet there are parts of me which take comfort in enjoying characters who express their desires in ways which would not be socially appropriate 😳 Warren is a damaged guy. whatever he's got going on, it's not healthy...but he pursues his desires with motivation. yes, he's pathetic and weedy and kind of hideous to look at, but at the same time, if someone like that wants you...they're going to really want you. think of it like the vampire fantasy so many people have. being 'taken' in some way by a strong, supernatural creature removes a lot of the agency and stress that comes with navigating the waters of a real-life relationship, even if there's the little caveat of them wanting to suck your blood. sometimes, you just want a creep whose canon actions imply that they would become obsessed with you 💖 i think myself and a lot of the other Warren fans view his 'unlikable' behaviour through the lens of our neurodivergence and/or trauma. not picking up on social cues and making everyone uncomfortable, being intense about his interests, having an identity which doesn't correspond to how other people perceive him...those are things many of us can relate to, so we end up seeing Warren as relatable, even if his behaviour isn't justifiable in a real-world context (which i shouldn't need to say!). the attraction may come from the fact that he is overtly supposed to be repulsive...horror and attraction are much closer together than you might think. enjoying a character with traits which are designed to be off-putting can make you feel...special, in a way. like you'd be the only one they'd want 😖 so, on a surface level? i genuinely do like Warren's unusual, reedy voice, his cute, crooked teeth - even his beady rat eyes 😂 he's cute! i'm a person who thinks Augustus St. Cloud, Baldi, and Freddy Krueger are attractive, so it's really not a shock - everyone has different tastes. but it's less about what the characters are, and more about what the characters represent to us. i find Warren's behaviour - invasive, aggravating, upsetting in a way which lingers - to be attractive in the same way some people (also me 😭) find slashers attractive when they're doing their murdery business, you know? it's not that i want to be murdered by Freddy, but i sure wouldn't mind being on the other side of his attention! with that said, concerning Warren: just because i wouldn't want to be cornered by some sweaty podcaster irl doesn't mean i don't find the thought absolutely riveting in fiction 😳😳

[angelofarts]

3, 4, 11 & 12 for "What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?" if that's ok? Pretty please?

Mac-lilly!!! Its always wonderful to see you in my notifs 💜

3. What's your favourite line of narration?

Oh no I have abruptly forgotten this whole fic hang on

I'm back! I know it says line but I'm really fond of this paragraph:

Luke examined his arm for a moment before looking up, a savage smile on his face. His hair had come loose during the fight, drifting around his shoulders, and he glimmered with sweat. His shirt had to have been ripped at some point prior, because his entire chest was on display. On his right pectoral, Julie could see a tattoo that she hadn’t expected - an anchor that seemed to have detailing, though she was too far away to see it clearly. He was entirely savage, entirely without anything resembling civility. He was… beautiful.

And this line

Julie nodded, smiling at him as he turned to lock the door. His face didn’t clear, and Julie was left with the impression that she’d just witnessed the tarnishing of something truly beautiful.

4. What's your favourite line of dialogue:

Oh it used to be "but ankles" but with the new chapter I have a different answer:

Luke suggested that Covington could put his manners in an anatomically unlikely place.

And also

“Brave words from a little boy who puts on a tin crown and would call himself a king. Shall we see who it is behind all of these smoke and mirrors?”

11. What do you like best about this fic?

Oh this is mean, I cant answer this because it's a plot point that's coming up 😂 I will say I love that I managed to make an enemies to lovers mystery fantasy fic because when i started this, I thought there were too many elements and I wouldn't be able to get it right. I'm also so so appreciative of all the people who have been so supportive, both those who are new to my life and those who have been around a while.

12. What do you like least about this fic?

Primarily that I cant tell you specifically what's coming because I think you're going to love it. Other than that, I'll say it's a lot of mental juggling to make sure that everything is working on a realistic timeline even if I can justify certain things because mermaid physics. Developing the Juke relationship has caused me a fair amount of mental gymnastics - I need the progression to be realistic because yes, they're falling in love, but he still kidnapped her and she's going to be angry about it. And because it's my most popular project to date, I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself to make sure I get each piece exactly right. I don't want to let anyone down, and with every revelation I do I worry that someone is disappointed in the choice I made for some characters or an aspect of the world. I take days to finish writing chapters because I'm so scared of people walking away unsatisfied