Do you guys remember how kidnap fantasies were popular on wattpad because young girls and queer teens were both made to feel shame at the thought of their own sexualities, so the fantasy of being kidnapped totally against their will was a way for them to engage with a romantic or sexual fantasy without feeling morally in the wrong for doing so? Added bonus that the fantasy involved being whisked away from repressive environments like home or school, right?

Finding out that Bram Stoker was in a sexless marriage and that scholars believe that he very likely was closeted gay puts the entire book into perspective as to WHY it reads EXACTLY like a self insert wattpad Dracula kidnap fic:

“I TOTALLY love my wife and would never do anything that an upstanding Good Straight Working Man wouldn’t do but oh nooo, big strong man with broad back and strong enough arms to carry me back to bed like a princess trapped me and claimed me as his, completely against my will 👉👈 But he protects me against the bad evil sexual women (who I assure you, I am TOTALLY sexually attracted to, as any straight man with a choice would be) but trust me, I do NOT want ANY of this. What’s that? The Count is not capable of feeling love? Would be a shame if I had the special ability to change tha-”

This is also the fantasy behind all those old bodice-ripper romances that people today like to mock or call problematic, by the way.

“Oh, my next forty years are going to consist of nothing but washing dishes and keeping house and bearing children for the disdainful man I married right out of high school because my parents said college was for men and I had no other obvious life path open to me? What if a pirate captain thought I was worth stealing away from it all? [what if I ran away but no-one could blame me for leaving]?”

#I read an article a long time ago about a woman who was raised in an incredibly repressive conservative christian community#where all that mattered was purity and virginity etc #She talked about how for a long time rape fantasies were the only way she could derive any pleasure from sex #because she couldn’t feel safe exploring the idea of wanting sex #it wasn’t really ABOUT rape or eroticizing assault or whatever #it was about creating a scenario where she was free from the shame associated with wanting #i think this is true of a lot of icky-seeming stuff in romance and erotica #it’s an imaginary scenario where nothing you don’t really want actually happens #but you can’t be blamed or feel guilty for it #you didn’t do anything wrong#anyway that article changed my perspective a lot #i think there’s also something to be said for people who have felt ugly and undesirable their whole lives #enjoying fictional scenarios where a hot alpha werewolf or whatever is so attracted to them he ‘cant help himself’ or whatever #because it can also be really shameful to want to be desired #when you feel like youre ugly and gross ( @headspace-hotel )

#i had recently similar realization when stumbling into pit of y/n x character stories about “your dad’s handsome best friend”#it immediately introduces age gap where the man (usually) is middle aged and generally experienced#and y/n is a young adult at best but always exploring their sexuality for the first time#of course part of why this trope is popular is that teens tend to have crushes on adults#but I kept wondering why it has to be dad’s best friend until it hit me: it’s about safety#person who is your parents friend is a person who isn’t scum bc otherwise your parents would be friends with them#they’re safe and not a predator preying on young and impressionable like a groomer might#they’re your parents friend so they care about you too#which makes the fantasy at the same time spicy (age difference) and safe (dad’s bestie can’t hurt you)#idk it’s just interested how sometimes our brains try to justify things to us

@thirstyforred i hope you don’t mind me pulling up your tags because you’ve made a GREAT point which I think is also echoed in the following tropes:

While irl age gap relationships very much have the potential to be predatory, it is worth recognising why some people consider them attractive in fiction and what these fantasies help them explore.

I’m sorry to bring up HP, but let’s take Snape, for example, since I remember him being a massive hot commodity back on 2012 Deviantart. I heavily doubt that most tweens girls who had a crush on Snape would actually want to get on with their teacher - it was just a fictional crush which allowed them to explore their likes and dislikes in a safe environment (and also let this man move on from his high school crush, which is also fair because let’s be honest he NEEDS to let go of it.)

So yeah, this post does put a lot of tropes and kinks into perspective, which I think is important because one’s squick is another’s fantasy, and neither of these people are inherently more/less virtuous/problematic for liking or disliking it. Fiction is fiction. Real life is real life. What is cool in a book isn’t necessarily what you’d like to experience irl and vice versa, and it’s good to bear in mind that people’s experiences are different than yours and their takeaway from a piece of media might be different from yours.

Til Death Do Us Part - Chapter 13 is up!

CHAPTER UPDATE!

You can read it at AO3 and FFN.  

CHAPTER: “Wham, Bam, Thank you, Ma’am”

SUMMARY:  It’s happening:  Sango and Miroku are finally tying the knot.  But it’s  far from a smooth event what with possessive ex-boyfriends and new  fiancées, not to mention an incredibly attractive best man.  However, Kagome’s troubles only intensify once the wedding is over.

If you guys would like to be added to a taglist for this story, reply to this post or send me a message!

Keep reading

✨Chapter Update✨

Read on AO3: Pictures of Happiness

After ten years of not seeing her, Inuyasha reunites with Kagome, his everlasting high school crush. He would really, really like to date her. Except that there’s a teeny, tiny problem…

He’s a married man.

And even when his marriage is not what everyone thinks, there’s not much he can do without putting his wife at risk.

Characters: Inuyasha, Kagome Higurashi, Kikyo, Yura, + others

Pairing: Inuyasha/Kagome, Kikyo/Yura

Rating: Explicit (in later chapters)

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Rom-Com, Misunderstandings and Shenanigans, Slight Angst, NOT a cheating fic, NOT a love triangle, Fake relationship, Secret Relationship, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Beard Inuyasha, THEY ARE IDIOTS YOUR HONOR

Chapters: 13/?

Status: In Progress

Read from the beginning on Ao3

Read Chapter 13 on Ao3

Tag list: @xanthippe-writes

Since I had it just about ready, I thought I'd edit and share the second part of Like Thunder and Lightning!

Sorry this might hurt a little...

It's tuddlin' time 💚❤️

Inspiration: Latest couple chapters of [Supersum] by @elkonigin

Supersum - Chapter 114 is up!

CHAPTER UPDATE!

It’s available to read on AO3 and FFN.  

Chapter Title: Quousque tandem? | “For how much longer?”

Summary:  Inuyasha has issues. So does Miroku for that matter.

Taglist after the cut!  (If you would like to be added reply to this post, and I’ll add you to the list!)

i totally for got to upload this here lmao i like to think he gets really affectionate 😌

bonus: he’s also sloppy

A very Happy Birthday to the Lovely @yukinon-writes!

I managed to polish this up in time to share, so I hope you enjoy the chaotic journey with a fair bit of angst.

Like Thunder and Lightning on AO3

ITS GREAT LAKES AWARENESS DAY!!!!!

On this excellent day, be aware that this is the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world, covering over 95,000 square miles and reaching depths of over a thousand feet. They are beautiful freshwater seas.

Also when you die in these lakes, the very cold, oxygen-poor conditions at the bottom preserves you perfectly for all eternity. You will not rot and nothing will eat you. You will exist for as long as the Great Lakes do. Many shipwrecks still have the crew on board. Be Aware.

I am aware. I am aware of how close they loom. And how hungry they seem on particularly stormy days.

My mother-in-law likes to remind us every winter to stay off the ice on the lake because you don't know where the land ends and the lake begins. It has the uncanny ability to open the ice and swallow a person whole.

The only difference between the lakes and the oceans are the lack of sharks and salt. They are just as temperamental as the oceans. They are just as dangerous. They deserve the same amount of respect.

As someone who was raised on made-made lakes where poisonous snakes, alligators, and plenty of hidden trees lurked, The Great Lakes are vast places that awe and terrify me more.

They are absolutely beautiful.

reading a romance novel where the protagonist feels the need to stop and inform that audience that it's okay for her, a 27 year old, to hook up with a 31 year old because despite the age difference both of their brains are fully developed. the Discourse really has done incalculable damage.

that's...they're adults 4 years apart, who on Earth would think there's any sort of meaningful age gap

who up making a fool of their libidinous self

romance novels being goofy is not the downfall of society you sound like a 19th century pastor

CONTROVERSIAL OPINION ABOUT BISEXUALITY

that purple in the middle is not the right saturation, it doesn't fit with the other two colors and it drives me crazy.

all right, I think I got this, I've got dual citizenship and I have another flag we can borrow from:

step 1

step 2

step 3

This is true bi/ace solidarity.

holy shit

This is the only correct way

[Patchnotes]

Fighting some demons in the night 🏹✨😈

Your people are migratory, following the ancient constructor mechs as they cross the planet, building fabulous cities. You cant stay in one place too long, because always behind you are the ancient war mechs.

-Kagome, stop it, don't waste your energy...

-Not yet Inuyasha, I need to increase the power of my last arrow to kill the youkai that is poisoning the forest.

-You are hurt

-You are there to protect me, now I will be the one to protect you.

Happy birthday, @yukinon-writes! 💚