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m3r1m4r5u333 · 14 days

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I'm getting a bit tired of the fandom's overwhelming consensus that Eddie is surely gay even thought there are plenty reasons why his relationships with women would not have worked out.

Personally bisexuality makes more sense to me, and I feel like that's what the show is trying to show, too. And since the show already had "closeted gay man in a "straight" marriage, I think it would make more sense to go for Bi Eddie.

Because Eddie is different from Buck even if he's also bi. Religion. His family's expectations. Marriage. Parenthood. And I also think - earlier realization of sexuality even though he remains closeted. Fun fact: that's what bisexuals do! Even in supportive environments, we stay in the closet the most and the longest.

I'd really like for Eddie to be bi.

Eddie's the type of bi in disguise that the world is full of and nobody notices because the marriage with a woman would be a true one.

This matters because it seems like there's this odd idea that these bisexuals are doing fine in the closet. Why talk about them?

The reality is actually that according to just about every study, bisexuals are distinctly not fine.

The biphobia and erasure comes from all directions. People expect and understand the concept of heterosexuality and homosexuality well enough. Bisexuals...?

It's called the Double Closet. Expectation to either be straight, or gay, and if you're anything else you're just confused.

Also, bisexuals may not just have shitty parents. They also end up falling in love and marrying people who are biphobic. Fun times.

Anyway, I'm listing my reasons why Eddie being into women and men would make the most sense to me:

He agreed with Shannon that sex was never the issue for them.

His marriage to Shannon failing? He was young, the pregnancy was unplanned, he was pushed to marry a high-school sweetheart at young age and then facing the stress of trying to figure out how to raise a special needs child with her.

He went to a war, and returned traumatized. Trauma tends to make everything even harder.

Their mutual lack of trust and communication.

Meddling parents.

Perhaps... Being a closeted bisexual dating a woman who does not know.

Because that's one way to keep a partner at a distance - by hiding a part of yourself.

Losing a loved one, being afraid to love again.

Being pushed to date too soon after grief and trauma.

Falling for a male friend who he thinks is straight.

Being pushed to date someone else.

Oh and the panic attacks - Learning that his friends have died,

being shot by a sniper and thinking Buck was hurt,

ending up in a rapidly developing relationship with someone who is falling in love with him...

When he just likes her... but feels pressured to keep the relationship going anyway.

Because his son loves that person, and Eddie is programmed to go for marriage in every relationship he ends up in. Catholic guilt... They love marriage.

Family expecting him to be straight. Family pushing him to date despite him saying he isn't ready.

Being totally new in the dating world. No wonder he talks about performance anxiety and feeling like he needs to perform - his heart isn't in it.

Also he's probably never even been on dates. How to act on dates? He's not a teenager anymore, it's embarrassing and awkward to fumble and not know the dating culture.

Also when we first meet Eddie he's only been with one woman. Women aren't carbon copies. Sex can be intimate and awkward with someone new. Of course he'd be nervous.

Then finding out that his girlfriend was almost a nun... and being closeted bisexual!

And so on. Nothing actually says the man MUST be gay, and I feel weirded out by the insistence that he surely is gay.

I feel like... Maybe the show expected this, that people would dismiss his interest towards women, and wanted to make the queer community check their prejudice?

Because that episode which focuses on Eddie's fight club and has that super queer coded ice skating scene??

It's Hansel pushing Gretel away... How gay! Expect then we find out that Hansel was only scared that she would miss out an huge opportunity by staying with her. A role in the big leagues.

And that joke about Bobby being a hockey player and a figure skater??? And saying

"Who says you can't do both?" while a piece composed by Paganini - also famous for mastering both guitar and violin, plays.

The shot shows Buck AND Eddie, and Hen with Chimney looking and pointing at them in amazement.

Saying "We'll google for photos later!"

Maybe the implication of

"Who says you can't do both" being referred to isn't just

"Who says you can't do both women and men?"

.... but ALSO "Who says you can't write both of these characters to be bi?".

#911 on abc #911 buddie #buddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #buddie 911 #evan buck buckley #911 abc #tv: 911 #eddie díaz #911 speculation #who says you can't do both

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catholic-character-tournament · 10 months

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Round 4 - Catholic Character Tournament

Propaganda below ⬇️

Harrowhark

I'm pretty sure you've already got plenty of submissions for her so I'll just say she was raised in what is basically a cult (technically a nunnery but let's be real) dedicated to keeping the body of the thing that will kill God behind the rock. One of their prayers is actually "I pray the rock is never rolled away". Harrow is extremely devout as penance for her earlier heretical actions in the tomb as a child (spoiler!) so the Catholic guilt really comes through

imagine being a catholic nun and you meet god, but it turns out he’s a twitch streamer from new zealand who became god because everything got a little bit out of hand. and just before you met him you gave yourself a diy grief-fuelled lobotomy with the help of your best frenemy. imagine how insane you’d be. now multiply that insanity by nine. that’s the fictional love of my life right there.

she meets god. she’s not inspired

she’s number one practitioner of space Catholicism. The locked tomb is chock full of Christian (catholic) imagery themes metaphors etc. just look at her she’s got a bone rosary

They're Catholicism with extra bones. Everyone is a nun. They have what is basically a rosary made from knuckle bones. They technically worship the same God as everyone else, but they're waaaay more focused on The Body in the Tomb (Mary) and we get a moment where we find out that while everyone else prays the equivilent of The Lords Prayer, they're doing the equivilent of Hail Mary. And they paint their faces with skulls.

She thinks leaving dry bread in a drawer is taking care of someone. She's in love with a 10,000 year old corpse (the same one they worship). She spent ALL NIGHT digging with her bare hands to make sure a field had bones every 5 feet so she could fight her girlfriend - I mean, greatest enemy. Spoiler territory: She's been puppeting her parents corpses since she was 8 years old. Instead of grieving her dead girlfriend, she gives herself a lobotomy. She makes soup with bone in it so she can use the bone IN THEIR STOMACH to try and kill them.

The author is/was Catholic and the entire series had heavy Catholic overtones. https://www.tor.com/2020/08/19/gideon-the-ninth-young-pope-and-the-new-pope-are-building-a-queer-catholic-speculative-fiction-canon/ A good breakdown of how it's Catholic

Anti-propaganda (spoilers)

I love the Locked Tomb series but Harrowhark has daddy issues with God, had a childhood crush on God's cryogenic partner, and is in love with God's daughter, not to mention that she's essentially a bone-bender. The religion on her home planet exists in a way that is technically against the will of the canon in-universe God, even. All of this to say, Harrowhark is heretical at minimum if not an outright witch. Terrible Catholic. Burn her.

Ronan Lynch

Uhh fun fact he saw the devil flash his father once, and that's one of the reasons he goes to church on Sundays <3

context for this scene from book 2: ronan is in church with his older brother declan, younger brother matthew, and ghost friend noah "Joseph Kavinsky isn’t someone I want you being around,” Declan added. “Don’t snort. I’m serious.” Ronan merely invested a look with as much contempt as he could muster. A lady reached over the top of Noah to pat Matthew’s head fondly before continuing down the aisle. She didn’t seem to care that he was fifteen, which was all right, because he didn’t, either. Both Ronan and Declan observed this interaction with the pleased expressions of parents watching their prodigy at work. Declan repeated, “Like, actually dangerous.” Sometimes, Declan seemed to think that being a year older gave him special knowledge of the seedier side of Henrietta. What he meant was, did Ronan know that Kavinsky was a cokehead. In his ear, Noah whispered, “Is crack the same thing as speed?” Ronan didn’t answer. He didn’t think it was a very church-appropriate conversation. “I know you think you’re a punk,” Declan said. “But you aren’t nearly as bad ass as you think you are.” “Oh, go to hell,” Ronan snapped, just as the altar boys broached the rear doors. “Guys,” Matthew pleaded. “Be holy.”

Gay Catholic streetracing farmer. Consumed by catholic guilt NOT because of the gay thing but because he can Create things in a way he thinks should be only God's business. Will literally roll up to mass on sunday morning still drunk and bloody.

THIS GOTH KID IS LITERALLY GOD. This is a god trapped in the body of a Catholic teen and if he ever stopped feeling Catholic guilt he’d end the world!!. How is your confession every week that you creating a whole new being? Babygirl the God is coming from inside the house

eldritch entity from beyond the mortal plane wants to be a Real Human Boy, becomes a real (ish!) human (ish!) boy, goes to mass every sunday

Gay boy got his crush an apartment above his church so he could have his two favorite things in one place

gay. I'm not caught up the the series but I went through the tag when the latest book came out and I remember seeing a quote that said he worried if his boyfriend would make it to heaven when he dies because of his agnostic tendencies.

Kid is like a dream warlock who creates psychic horrors and never goes to confession because why would he? and he’s gay

There are no words

basically ronan's powers are inherited from his dead father niall and it means he can bring anything from a dream into real life. so he's got this whole crisis about whether he is a living piece of blasphemy because men are not meant to have the powers of gods or whether he literally is god. which is not acceptable to him for a number of reasons but mostly because he hates himself. his love interest's name is adam and adam lives in a small apartment above a church which the book says focuses the objects of his worship neatly into one building. I love them both dearly. also, this entire page makes me feel like I'm going insane. Ronan Lynch believed in heaven and hell. Once, he’d seen the devil. It had been a low, late morning at the Barns when the sun had burned off the mist and then burned off the chill and then burned the edges off the ground until everything shimmered with heat. It never got hot in those protected fields, but that morning, the air sweated with it. Ronan had never seen cattle pant before. All of the cows heaved and stuck their tongues out as they frothed with the heat. His mother sent Ronan to put them in the shade of the cattle barn. Ronan had gone to the searing metal gate, and as he did, he’d glimpsed his father, already in the barn. Four yards away from him had stood a red man. He was not truly red, but the burned orange of a fire ant. And he was not truly a man, because of the horns and the hooves. Ronan remembered the alienness of the creature, how real it had been. Every costume in the world had gotten it wrong; every drawing in every comic book. They’d all forgotten that the devil was an animal. Looking at the red man, Ronan had been struck by the intricacy of the body, how many miraculous pieces moved smoothly in harmony, no different than his own. Niall Lynch had had a gun in hand — the Lynches had an enormous number of guns of all sizes — and just as Ronan had opened the gate, his father had shot the thing about thirteen times in the head. With a shake of its horns, the unharmed devil had presented its genitalia to Niall Lynch before bounding off. It was an image that had yet to leave Ronan. And so Ronan became a reverse evangelist. The truth burst and grew inside him, and it was laid upon him to share it with no one. No one was meant to see hell before they get there. No one should have to live with the devil. So many homilies on faith were ruined once you no longer required it for belief.

Our boy CHOOSES not to receive the Eucharist because he doesn’t believe he is worthy. The spiritual insight, the devotion, the fact that this teenager is worried he may have a mortal sin weighing on his soul…this boy isn’t just going through the motions, he’s putting work into this.

#polls #r4 #cct polls #tumblr tournament #tumblr bracket #tumblr polls #harrowhawk #harrowhark nonasigmus #tlt #the locked tomb #Ronan Lynch #the raven cycle #raven cycle

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chatonnoir · 2 years

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What are your thoughts on ML smut fics and people writing and reading them? Is smut appropriate if characters are aged up, for example?

Writing and reading smut of ML is great and everyone who wants to do it should do it and have fun with it and this is a hard pill for some people to swallow but they don’t even need to be randomly aged up to 18 for it lmao

Slapping on "they're 18" doesn't actually do anything and y'all need to realize that teens can and do have sex at 17 or 16 or 15 or 14 and that's perfectly normal and okay as long as they’re well-informed and safe and not doing it out of any external pressure but just because they themselves want to. I have SO many stories from high school that are just peoples’ hookup stories. I knew people who were sending nudes in our first year of high school. I knew people who hooked up AT school. I absolutely knew people who were having sex in our first year of high school (note that this is the same age as Adrien & Marinette, their 3rd year of French middle school = first year of American high school). Guess what? I have friends who had sex at /13/! And guess what! This wasn't some terrible traumatizing thing! This was just two closeted gay teenage boys naturally exploring their attraction by hooking up in the very unsexy setting of our middle school bathroom. For them it's now just a funny story whenever we're being nostalgic about the awkwardness of middle & high school because they didn't know a goddamn thing about What to do (health class didn’t exactly give them a How To guide for that), so the consensus was that it was awkward and bad. And this further shows you how teens are more inclined to be sneaking around having bad or risky sexual experiences due to lack of knowledge if you force them to suppress and feel ashamed about these very natural human experiences & feelings.

The important thing is that they know how to be safe and how to treat their partner and how they should be treated so they can have their boundaries respected. There's a reason kids literally start getting sex ed from age 10 - because they're about to (or might even have already) start puberty and soon are going to start being horny as hell (sadly packaged with also being greasy and pimply and awkward and insecure) and need to understand what all of that means and know how to be safe before they inevitably start having urges and possibly wanting to act on said urges. It's also very normal to not want to have sex yet as a teen because everyone grows and develops differently and people have different sexualities and levels of libido and no one should feel like they have to do it in order to be seen as cool or mature -- but your experience also isn't universal and just because you didn't care for sex or want to explore your sexuality in your teens doesn't change the fact that plenty of other people did. You can't decide for everyone else that just because your teenage experience didn't involve horny teen shenanigans or because you were raised to be deeply religious that All Sex Bad And Impure And Sin And Teens Thinking About Sex Or Desiring Each Other Is Abnormal And No One Should Even Know Sex Exists Until They're 25.

I'm honestly so glad I was already an adult and had already had my fun exploring and figuring out my sexuality through smut fics of highschooler characters while I myself was the same age before a large part of the younger gen Zs collectively decided to turn fandom in to catholic school. I was living with abusive controlling religious parents, and I was trying to become comfortable with myself as a hormonal teen who was suddenly having thirsty thoughts about not only boys (while having "no dating no boys no premarital kissing ever you can't even hang out with male friends" hanging over my head and never being allowed to go out) but also girls (knowing full well that wasn't something my parents would ever be okay with) and was trying to come to terms with being lgbt, all while trapped in an environment like that. Sneaking around my parents trying to date wasn't exactly something I had the mental fortitude for at 14, especially not when they were abusive and I'd already had that fear instilled in me knowing that the consequences would be a lot worse than being grounded (and I didn't have superpowers to help me escape out the window and go frolic with my beautiful and strong superhero girlfriend 😔). And on top of all that, how was I supposed to become comfortable with and own my attraction to girls when heteronormativity was all I knew and when all I had were (what I thought to be) straight friends and I had no idea how they'd react if they knew? What were my other options if I couldn't explore any of this in real life yet? Highly fetishized hardcore graphic lesbian porn made for the straight male gaze on the oh so welcoming and safe-looking teen-friendly website that rhymes with Corn Tub?

No. I explored the attraction I couldn't explore in real life through steamy f/f fics of sports anime girls lmao. Female characters who were 14-17, the same age as I was, living the same kind of experiences as me! These fics were written by adult wlw in these fandoms, so they were depicting realistic, non male-gazey attraction between teenage sapphics that was relatable to me! And I found a safe haven to explore my sexuality through fandom on tumblr & through fanfics. When I was in my first year of high school I had just discovered and started reading smut fics, and I soon after had the funniest experience when an old lady teacher of mine literally told the class that she literally never read for fun as a kid.... until she discovered her mother's hidden smut novels, and then she was hooked. Needless to say I loved this woman lmao and hearing her proudly admit that out loud was a comfort when I had just kind of started doing the same thing in secret. In fact, I was reading WAY more smut between ages 14-17 than I do now because back then I was a closeted hormonal teen, and now as an exhausted but more hormonally stable adult I just crave the comfort of “what if blorbo 1 fell asleep on blorbo 2 .... and they were both secretly pining 😳”

I actually had this ask sitting in my inbox for like a month and a half until I saw this post talking about and reccing smut fics, and then read @kasienda ‘s fic which was recommended in that post and was heavily focused on sex positivity and realism and I was hit with a wave of “yes!!!!!!!!! you’re both so right!!!!!!!!!!” and was finally compelled to answer this ask. The fic even made the characters 17, rather than following the arbitrary requirement to age them up to 18, as a protest and to once again remind people that teenagers can and do have sex. (Side note: the other subversion I really loved was where, instead of following the usual fanfic trope where Plagg is like “ugh gross the hormonal teen humans are doing their weird mating rituals again” and either interrupts them or just groans and complains about them making out, this fic had Plagg be like “I hate watching these miserable teens be miserable about this complicated secret identity pining nonsense so how about I just make things easy and straightforward and get them in a room together so they just hook up already!!!!!!” because the former trope gets annoying to me sometimes and I honestly found this take on Plagg so refreshing and endearing and believable lmaoo)

tl;dr: I think @jennagrinsoverml put it really succinctly in her fic rec post: “I think that written fiction is a wonderful and SAFE way for people (even, no ESPECIALLY minors) to explore things that they're interested in or curious about before actually engaging with those things. And, especially in the case of sex, I certainly think it's a lot better than many of the alternatives like porn or trying things before you're ready. A lot of people will engage in sexual acts before people think they're old enough to read about those same acts and I think that's ridiculous.“

#answers #long post #Instead of coming for people writing smut about cartoon teens based on their own experiences and in a way that lets teens safely explore #their own sexualities the claude frollo wannabes in the fandom should focus that attention on the #pathetic grownass 25+ year old men who go after real life 13-19 year old girls because being with young inexperienced girls makes them #feel oh so manly and in control and women their own age have wisened up too much for their comfort & are able to recognize their inadequacy

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transmutationisms · 1 year

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Hello Kendall babygirl anon here again. My follow up question I guess is I wonder what you think of Kendall’s other notable traits/proclivities and how they tie into what you describe as his immediate emotional vulnerability. Like his servility / his need for purpose / his interest in suffering if and when he can identify its purpose and how that might relate to his tendency to display his emotions more readily than his siblings.

Side note re. your tags: you don’t read as a Ken hater to me just bc you actually seem to get him lmao. The ppl babying him are not understanding him the same way so it doesn’t feel as real to me but obviously I’m not here to be a cop about to the validity of people’s love for a fictional character. It’s all valid. Just interesting to see the dichotomy!

ohh see this is a fun way to crack open ken's head imo. yeah i do think his way of displaying emotions is related to his other characteristics. obviously, logan always saw his emotionality as weakness. i'd disagree with logan's way of understanding people, but i think kendall's way of expressing emotion is definitely connected to his larger constant need for validation, which is fundamentally coming from the fact that he has no stable identity and no intrinsic sense of self-worth. he has a hugely inflated ego, but it's always one pinprick from popping; there's nothing solid under it. he seeks out suffering because he wants it to somehow redeem the total emptiness he feels within himself, and he still hopes that if he suffers enough or in the correct way, it'll give him access to some deeper meaning in life that's always eluded him (raised catholic). whereas someone like shiv has a sense of herself internally, and has reasons to suppress her emotions in front of others, kendall's lack of identity and chronic feelings of emptiness sort of just make everything come bursting out of him (snot, tears, shit, etc). and this all also speaks to the way he'll sometimes swing wildly between wanting to be punished (or punish himself), and wanting to take over waystar and prove he's better than his father. they're both ways of trying to make sense of himself and the world, and to give himself purpose and solidity. he's emotionally incontinent because he's psychologically fragmented and insubstantial.

#a sandpit for emergent behaviour

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dykevanny · 1 month

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idk if you’ve talked about this before but what do u think nessa’s childhood was like? bcuz there’s the whole implied daddy issues and abuse AND the fact that her dad made her make him sound better in court so he would get custody and then her mom died (is that what happened? i might be wrong i havent listened to the tapes in a while) but basically im wondering what u think her childhood was like or at least what ur interpretation of it is

SMILES :) HI

I do in fact think her father was abusive and forced her to lie abt her mom in court which lead to her suicide. I think Vanessa was raised catholic,, she was sort of an accident and ness’s mom got pregnant before she and bill were married so the two of them kinda had to . Prepare unexpectedly. Bill has mixed feelings on having a bastard daughter, but ness’s mom doesn’t really care and loves her kid so much. She’s trying her best,,

Bill has some other issues fun fact !! He presents himself as this great upstanding citizen with a wonderful life and morals, he sends his daughter to catholic school, his wife is a stay at home mom, he’s got a nice office job, you know. He’s also got a nasty drinking problem though, and takes out his anger at his self-perceived dead-end life on his wife, and rarely vanessa. Oh no :( … eventually!! Ness’s mom is like damn you know what. Just sitting in this hell marriage is not gonna protect me or my child at all I need to divorce this man . Anddddd we all know what happened then 💀 bill got full custody from flipping the entire story to make her seem like the villain- and who’s the judge gonna believe, the frantic woman or the widely-liked guy and the crying kid testifying? Anyways yeah Vanessa entirely blamed herself and thinks she killed her mom. She was the one to find the body actually. Her father only got worse and more controlling, and eventuallyyyy she split! Originally her alter called itself Vanny (which is why she doesn’t like being called that by malhare much later) and vanny was lik e . Ohhhmygod we need to get OUT of here. So after some saving up and preparing (and after a few very big fights that resulted in some nasty bruises) 15-year-old Nessie and Vanny ran away! Skipped town even. She camped out with an online friend for a while, and bounced around until finally at age 18 xe could buy xeir own shitty little apartment … and next year she got a job beta testing a video game..! So um yeah <3 the minute she got full autonomy and settled into a fairly comfy living situation everything got flipped on it’s head and she went through daddy issues THE SEQUEL with our good friend william ‘malhare’ afton .

#Vanny goes by Loche after sb. Also yes will ness and van all using ‘vanny’ did get quite confusing for all three of them #Umm..#Ask to tag lol

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matchalovertrait · 2 months

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List 5 facts about a favorite sim of yours, and send this to simblrs whose sims you adore 💛 (yes, I don't think you have done enough of them somehow I want to know everything on all your sims haha)

Omg this is so funny to me 😂😂 but I'm flattered!! Thank you so much <33 it really means a lot.

I'm kinda running out of sims... but I'll do this for Ángel in honor of his birthday tomorrow! He'll be turning into a preteen. These facts are all spoiler-free:

He was almost named Carmelo or Nicolás. I wanted Noemí's kids to have names that could be pronounced in a Mexican accent AND to be related to sweets/pastries/etc. Carmelo sounds like caramelo/caramel and I read somewhere that St. Nicholas is the patron saint of bakers? However, Google tells me it's St. Honoré so idk. I was raised in a Catholic household but I'm not religious, so don't quote me on that.

He actually likes sweets a lot! He always eats them at parties or tries to eat the leftovers at home. However, he doesn't show THAT much interest in baking. I imagine that he just likes to help. These aren't spoilers because I'm not posting about it, but when he ages up, he shows a little interest in the grill every now and then? But that's about it.

He's emotionally intelligent, like his dad. He got into some trouble here and there as a toddler, but he was just doing toddler things! Overall, he has been such a good and calm kid. Instead of lashing out or bottling his emotions, he uses art as a way to express himself.

If he were to have a video game console, he'd be a big Kirby fan. He would find the games so cute and fun! He would probably have him as his main in Super Smash Bros.

I imagine that he has an effortlessly angelic singing voice. Kind of like Greg in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie, lol. However, he's kind of shy and won't sing often. It comes easier to him whenever he's performing on stage because it's not "him" singing, it's the character that he's playing.

#i saw that julie bolds the first sentence when she does these and it's so much easier to read like this lol. so shoutout to @smulie <33 #more about angel alegria

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isadora-greenhall · 6 months

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DnDads Halloween Week 2k23

Day 3: Visiting a farm

Didn’t get anything written for today and I won’t have time tomorrow because I’m working but I wanted to share what my idea was for this prompt. It’s kinda vague, and I might get to it one day, but I was a little too ambitious I think to be able to do it justice. Also, it’s not necessarily Halloween themed, but hey prompts is prompts, and this is the idea this one prompted for me!

Okay. So. Grant visits his Auntie Casey’s home/brewery with his parents. Fun fact about Casey is I headcanon her as a polyamorous lesbian with two wives…one of whom is Meredith Blake from the Parent Trap (feel free to ask me questions about this it’s so real to me that sometimes I forget it’s actually objectively a really weird crossover ahaha). Carol has a massive crush on Meredith but doesn’t realise thats why it is cause she’s not aware of her own attraction to women yet, but when the Wilsons visit them Carol hangs off her every word and Meredith thrives on the attention. Their other wife is an OC called Catie who I also love. Less to say about her atm (except that she’s a very quiet, gentle and kind woman) cause I don’t want to spoil things but I may include her in other fics in the future!

Anyway, when they arrive Carol and Meredith instantly slip away to drink wine together and gossip, and Catie, who was raised Catholic and really gets on well with Darryl because of this shared background, starts chatting to him about everything and anything.

Grant heads off to the family room to play games, and Casey comes in after a little while to see how he’s doing. He’s officially come out to his family in the few months since he’s last seen her in person, so they have a nice heart to heart about being queer.

And yeah! That’s my idea! Wish I’d had the time and working technology to get it all written but oh well shit happens!

#still gonna tag this #dndads halloween week 2023 #cause the idea has been living in my head for so long and I quite like it! like I said I may get to it at some point - it’s NaNoWriMo next #month so I might write it then!#dungeons and daddies #fanfiction #my posts #good thing my replacement laptop charger arrived today!!! gonna head home tomorrow to pick it up and I can finally give my fingers a break #from my phone 😭😭😭#(hopefully I ordered the right charger 😬)

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covetsauvignon · 2 years

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as it stands - chapter two

associate professor joshua x university staff member reader genre: smut, angst if you squint overall warnings: use of the word "war", afab reader, oral (f), fingering

series: intro - chapter one - chapter two

tag list (open): @hynjnhwng | @cloudyhoonie

this chapter pairs well with the following music: dido and aeneas, z. 626 / act iii: when i am laid in earth beverage: cavaliere d’oro campanile pinot grigio delle venezie 2018

it's finally here! shoutout to anyone who catches my three fun easter eggs. also sent this to my high school bestie while drunk and he proofread it brb dying of embarrassment!!!

Clove

“As it stands, any relationships of a sexual or romantic nature between faculty or staff members within the same school, department, or college are strongly discouraged, except in certain circumstances, usually those extenuating from a relationship existing prior to the employment of one or both parties.”

It’s just talking. It’s not a relationship. Over the course of the past month, you’ve spent nearly as much time in Joshua’s office as you’ve spent at home, opting to visit him for a few hours while he grades papers or reviews lesson plans when you’re finished with work rather than leaving campus right away.

You don’t go on dates. You don’t even see each other outside of the classics building.

You don’t mind. It’s easier like this.

Simpler. Cleaner.

When you’re together, you talk about anything. And everything. He wants to know about where you grew up. What do your siblings do? Who are you more like: your mother, or your father? Did you grow up religious? What do you believe now? What’s your favorite book, movie, tv show, menu item at McDonald’s, place you’ve visited? Have you seen any of the natural wonders of the world? Did you know that ravens can talk? Did you know humans have studied more of space than the ocean? What’s your favorite constellation? Snow or rain? Sunshine or clouds?

You learn that he likes the color blue, he’s an only child, he was raised a devout Catholic, he can play guitar, his favorite animals are rabbits (he has a pet bunny named Hannie), and he’s never been good with asking other people for help.

In return, you tell him some of the useless facts you know. Such as: blobfish are actually normal looking fish at their natural deep sea pressure, declawing cats removes all but the last knuckle of their toes, and, speaking of toes, Viggo Mortensen broke his when kicking that helmet in The Two Towers.

He takes to the habit of collecting shooters and miniature handles of liquor, bitters and syrups and other cocktail ingredients small enough to hide behind the books of his office (it is a dry campus, after all), so that he can learn how to make cocktails. Sometimes, he asks you to teach him something new. Other times, he shows off with his own research. His brands and blends are a bit wrong, sometimes, but you never say anything. He’s trying, and it makes you warm from head to toe.

Then, there are the other times. More and more frequent, as of late, one question in this direction branching off into dozens, each more suggestive and salacious than the last.

First kiss? How many relationships have you been in? Have you ever been in love? What’s your favorite position? How often do you pleasure yourself? Do you ever think about someone in particular while doing so? Have you ever thought about me? Will you think about me tonight? If we didn’t know each other through work, if we met at a bar, would we have slept together by now?

For better or worse, it’s not long until the space between you becomes so wrought full of tension and desire that you can scarcely stand to be in the same room with other people around out of fear that anyone will be able to tell something’s happening between the two of you just by looking. The lounge and hallways become a war zone full of mines in the form of students and other faculty and staff. You find you’re beginning to avoid people.

Not that, in either of your offices, you have ever truly been alone together. Your office, especially, is not private; either the lobby door or the chair’s office door or both are open, meaning anyone is welcome to enter at any point. Part of the reason you speak so softly in the sanctity of Joshua’s office is because students tend to come and go with questions or late assignments every so often, so his door is always open, too.

The pair of you have never been alone behind closed doors.

Until now.

You didn’t see him talking to a student down the hall as you slipped into the storage room, and he didn’t see you pass by on your way. You don’t bother turning on the lights; the window at the far end of the room lets in enough cloud-covered sunshine to guide you comfortably. The room is decently sized, filled with dozens of filing and storage cabinets, rows of shelves, and the old faculty and staff lounge couch that was now shoved into the far corner.

It’s dark and quiet, close and familiar. You nearly jump out of your skin when you hear the door open unexpectedly.

“Jesus, you scared me,” you laugh, looking away quickly, turning your attention back to the cabinet of supplies you’d just opened. What you’d been searching for, however, is lost on you. You haven’t the faintest idea why you came here in the first place.

All you know is that now Joshua is here with you. Alone.

“Out of staples?” You ask. It’s an innocent question, to be sure. But, in this context, any question - any attempt at communication - serves only to stir the feelings and urges you’re both trying desperately to suppress.

“I honestly can’t even remember,” he answers, laughing softly. His voice is quiet and gentle, as ever, but slightly tense.

In an attempt to distract yourself, you begin organizing the storage cabinet instead of pulling items from it. Straightening a box of paper clips here, re-stacking a set of index cards there. Your hands are fitful, nervous and flighty like a baby bird trying to get off the ground for the first time.

It’s the proximity. And the light. Or, rather, the lack of light. It’s the way the hint of poplar wood you glean from his cologne is wrapping itself around you like a python, creeping through your veins and making you think about making regrettable decisions. Regrettably delicious decisions.

“That’s unfortunate,” you reply succinctly.

“Somehow I sense that I’m not alone in suddenly feeling lost,” he murmurs. There’s a soft metallic sound, one you recognize as him fidgeting with his wristwatch. He does it when he’s deep in thought. Or nervous. Or both.

“Is it that obvious?” You sigh, carefully closing the creaky metal cabinet before turning to face him. He’s hovering by the door, one hand worrying with his watch, his eyes moving from the floor to your face as he senses your movement. You can’t decipher his expression. Your own gaze flickers to the door handle.

You notice it has a lock.

That lights a flame in your stomach, the hungry sort that only grows stronger the more you try to blow it out.

“Not really, I’m just getting better at reading you,” he answers. You’re both quiet for a moment. Anxious. Tempted. “Are you afraid?” His voice is barely above a whisper.

“Of what?”

“Of getting caught.”

You swallow hard. Something is buzzing in your chest and your fingertips. “We’re not doing anything,” you say cautiously.

“That could change. If you want it to.”

You look at him, and he looks at you, and the weight of this moment, the gaze you’re sharing, and all of its implications makes your head spin. “What if someone comes in?” you ask. He turns slightly, looking at the door handle for a moment before delicately clicking the lock into place. “What if someone finds out?”

“They won’t,” he assures you softly, taking the smallest of steps towards you.

Your heartbeat begins to quicken. Your lips suddenly feel dry. You lick them. You don’t think you’ve ever been so nervous. “I need this job. I can’t get fired.” He’s close enough now that beneath his cologne you’re beginning to detect notes of his aftershave. It smells like mint. You wonder if, perhaps, you could taste it on your lips if you kissed along his jaw.

“No one’s going to fire you,” he shakes his head. “If we get caught, which we won’t, I’ll take the blame.”

You frown. “I don’t like the idea of that, either. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”

“Oh?” The corner of his mouth curls into a slight grin. “And what about what I want?”

“What is it that you want?”

In another two agonizingly slow, careful steps, he closes the distance, and for the first time you realize how tall he is, how fully his presence enraptures you. “Permission,” he says at last.

You feel like all the air has been sucked out of your lungs. You look up at him, into his eyes, so kind and caring and sweet and warm, and it’s all over. “Please,” you whisper. “Joshua, please.” He raises his hand, running the back of his knuckles so gently across your cheek you’re unsure if you’re imagining it or not.

“Please what?”

“Kiss me.”

The hand by your face turns, and his palm comes to rest along your jaw, thumb running across your cheek while his fingers curl beneath your chin to tilt your head up as he softly presses his lips to yours, his other hand coming to ghost over your hip, guiding your body just slightly closer to his.

At first, it’s chaste. Bubblegum pink, glitter suspended in liquid around the edges. Soda flavored lip gloss and mood rings and Lisa Frank folders. The warmth in your chest stays there, innocent and nostalgic. It makes you think of your very first kiss with your best friend, Ricky, in eighth grade, outside the auditorium as you wait for your sister to get out of drama club.

Certain elements come back to you, replacing your senses in the present with the memories of your past. Your backpack, weighed down by at least three textbooks and covered with Pokemon pins. The Hello Kitty bandaid on your knee pulling slightly at your skin. The cloyingly sweet vanilla ice cream perfume you wore at the time filling your lungs.

Then, the tip of Joshua’s tongue flickers against your bottom lip, and you find yourself wrenched from your very first, far in the past, to the new first you’re experiencing now.

This first could not be more different.

It’s a deep burgundy, the color of wine, and you’re already drunk on the feeling of it, the taste of him. You open your mouth, eager and pliant, and his tongue finds yours. The hand on your hip tightens, the other on your face moving to your back, gripping the fabric of your shirt as he pulls you up against him. You’re vaguely aware of the fact that when your body meets his, when you feel him already growing half hard in his khakis, that a moan escapes you, one which he devours intently.

Your own hands can’t stay still, running up his arms and over his shoulders and down to his chest, his heart beating wildly against your palm. You let your fingers flit over his collar before sliding up the nape of his neck and tangling in his hair. It’s as soft as you’d imagined, and the contact makes him pull away, a breathy groan escaping him before he begins pressing kisses along your jaw. When he reaches your neck, his tongue and teeth begin gracing your skin just as much as his lips. His bites are gentle, soothed instantly with a swirl of his tongue, and you find yourself letting out the tiniest, neediest sounds.

A wildfire rages inside of you, your bones becoming ashen branches licked and burned by flames so hot and intense you wouldn’t be surprised if your skin was scorching to the touch. You’re so filled with want - so much, so fully, it’s almost unbearable. You’ve never needed anyone like this, and you’re not quite sure what to do about it. Desire blossoms like roses within your core, the edges of their petals singed by the heat that roils inside of you.

“Not enough,” you pant quietly, eyes clamping shut as his teeth do the same along your throat.

“What do you need?” he murmurs against your skin.

“More. Touch me more, please, I want-”

You don’t get to finish your sentence before he’s steering you back, gently pinning you to the cabinet you’d been sorting just a few moments ago. One of his knees slides between your legs, parting them, the hem of your skirt rising, his thigh gently nudging against your already sensitive clit as he settles in close to you. It’s enough to make you whimper, but not enough to sate you. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

He pulls away from your neck to look at you, leveling you with a gaze honey-dipped in lust, his eyes still sweet and soft, but achingly hungry. “May I?” he asks, running his thumbs over the collar of your dress shirt. You nod, eyes flitting to the locked door.

“Hurry.”

He smirks. “That can be arranged.” Then, with a harsh movement so sudden and sharp you don’t see it, he rips your shirt open, the topmost button popping straight off and clattering to the floor. You gasp, but he wastes no time, pulling the remaining fabric out of your skirt and clutching your ribs as he dives to your collarbone. He picks up where he left off, kissing and nipping and licking your skin until he reaches the center of your chest. His breath is hot against your sternum as his hands glide up to the back of your bra, delicately stroking the fabric there.

“Yes, please, yes,” you insist before he even gets the chance to ask. His nimble fingers make quick work of it, unlatching your bra and then moving his hands to your shoulders, pulling the straps and your shirt down, flinging them off your arms and onto the floor in one smooth motion.

Within the next moment, you arch your back and his mouth is around one of your nipples, his fingers playing with the other. His tongue swirls and teases, his teeth gentle at first. But as soon as you moan, he’s on you in earnest, pulling your nipple between his teeth until he feels you shudder. His thumb rolls lazily against your other breast until he decides to switch, making you gasp under your breath.

Within moments you find yourself bucking your hips, running your center along his thigh, desperate for friction. Your hands tangle in his hair again, and you’re somewhat certain you’re whispering his name like a prayer. Then, he drops to his knees, his hands moving from your breasts to your skirt, bunching it further up your waist until he’s level with your panties.

“Can I?” He looks up at you, his warm brown eyes simmering darkly with desire, but they’re just as tender and honest as they’ve ever been. His breath fans across your inner thighs, and your hips move forward ever so slightly, yet ever so eagerly in response that you should be embarrassed.

Now, it’s all you can do to whine and nod. But it’s enough for him.

One hand tugs the already soaked fabric of your panties aside so he can lick you, tongue hot and heavy, from your core to your clit, the clever muscle instantly coated in your wetness.

“Fuck,” his voice hitches as his lips wrap around that bundle of nerves, the hand not holding your panties open for him kneading a soothing rhythm into your thigh.

Time has no meaning, now. At first, you’re still somewhat cognizant. You can feel his fingers against your leg, methodical and purposeful. It’s grounding. Especially in comparison to the way his mouth moves against you. Sinful. Heavenly. A dichotomy that threatens to split you asunder, one part of your brain enraptured in pleasure, the other half a little afraid of how much you like it.

But then, his hand leaves your thigh. His fingers are suddenly sliding along your slit, discovering your entrance, coaxing it open with two fingers that he then pushes inside of you with no resistance.

Now, it’s all heat, it’s all so good, it’s all too much. Your stomach begins to knot, but the sensations of him keep going, keep building. The steady pressure of his fingers inside you, the gentle ministrations of his tongue against you. Every time he enters you is a strike of lightning, yet only curling tendrils of smoke and gentle dapples of sunlight play behind your eyelids. The visions are pale and soft and comforting as he drives you ever to your ecstasy in strokes so very determined, so very fervent.

You don’t last long.

“Joshua, I-” You try to warn him, but at the sound of his name he curls his fingers inside of you and you’re coming harder than you ever have before. The satisfaction trickles like melting ice from the top of your head, pooling in the molten center of your hips before shivering down your legs, leaving you shaking slightly and utterly breathless.

Finally, Joshua pulls away, his lips and chin slick with you, and he smiles, pleasant and delicate and so at odds with the way he just made you feel. You’re suddenly a bit light headed, so you let your knees buckle and your back slide down the cabinet until you’re sitting on the floor.

“Are you alright?” Joshua asks, his expression growing a touch worried.

You nod, smiling and sighing and letting your eyes flutter shut for a moment. “Very, very much better than alright,” you answer with a laugh.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he says quietly, and when you open your eyes to look at him, he’s still on his knees, licking clean the fingers that were inside of you mere moments ago, the fingers that just made you see stars. The sight of it makes you forget about how spent you are, replacing all other thoughts with one singular desire: him. Him, him, and more of him.

You shift to your knees, fingers flying to the buttons of his shirt as you kiss him, feverishly hot and fast. You can feel him grin, lips twisting away from yours for only a moment, amused by your short-lived exhaustion and renewed enthusiasm. He shrugs out of his shirt, his palms coming to caress your shoulder blades as your own hands run down his chest, skimming across his stomach, touch feather-light, before you begin to busy yourself with his belt.

When it’s unfastened, he pulls away and stands, tugging your hands to bring you up with him. His mouth returns to yours like a magnet, his body turning and guiding the pair of you towards the long-forgotten couch in the corner. When the back of your knees hit the rough old cushions, his hands dip to unzip your skirt. Thoroughly sick of any amount of fabric being between you, you shove it and your panties down your hips and legs, stepping out of them as Joshua does the same with his slacks and underwear. You get on your tip-toes, move to kiss him, but he dodges your advance, hands holding you in place by your waist.

“You can always say no to me, you know,” he murmurs, echoing the sentiment he’d expressed that evening in his office, the one with the golden light and vermouth, the one that set all of this into motion.

“Joshua, if you don’t fuck me right now, I’ll never forgive you,” you breathe, words hitched with quiet laughter, and he joins you, chuckling softly.

“As you wish.” He kisses you again, and for a moment it’s baby blue cotton candy and friendship bracelets, but as he pushes you down into the couch, lays you out before him and slides lithely between your legs, a curtain falls. Now, you’re midnight and velvet, with fire and ice entwining along your spine, melting you like wax as you shiver.

It’s the first of many times in the coming weeks that you find yourselves like this, vignetted in stolen moments dark and quiet and sacred, drowning together in a bliss so sinful and fulfilling you think it might be your undoing.

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queenlucythevaliant · 6 months

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Some fun facts and historical notes about Marguerite de Navarre and Jeanne d'Albret that I wasn't able to incorporate into my Inklings Challenge Story:

Marguerite of Navarre is considered by many to be the first Reformed princess.

She was sister to Francis I of France, and they actually had a very close relationship despite contentions over religion. They wore each other letters in verse and she filled in as queen in a ceremonial capacity when his wife Claude was sick. It was largely due to this closeness that Marguerite was able to intervene on behalf of so many Protestants.

After marrying Henri d'Albret and relocating from Paris to Navarre, Marguerite would hold secret Protestant communions in a cellar.

Marguerite was the first female poet in the Reformed tradition to publish. She also wrote prose, satire, and theatre.

Francis's persecution of Huguenots in Paris escalated after Marguerite left, but he halted executions whenever she visited the city out of respect for his sister.

Contrary to the implication I let hang in my story, Marguerite did see Jeanne again after Francis took custody of her. Jeanne was raised in the (Catholic) French court, and her mom was free to visit whenever, she just couldn't take Jeanne back to Navarre with her.

The poem that I quoted was actually written much earlier in Marguerite's life than portrayed. Unfortunately, her poetry is pretty hard to track down online, and I wasn't willing to spend thirty bucks to get a collection on Amazon (yet).

Jeanne d'Albret was the only European ruler of the sixteenth century to never execute anyone over religion.

She publicly proclaimed herself a Protestant and left the Catholic church shortly after becoming queen of Navarre. Subsequently, she was subject to Papal censure, followed by a Papal bull.

Both she and Marguerite corresponded at length with John Calvin. Theodore Beza did indeed spend long stretches of time with Jeanne in Navarre, and it's thought that she may have been involved in putting him forward as moderator of the synod at La Rochelle.

Jeanne did suffer from tuberculosis most of her life. It, combined with stress and anxiety over her son's impending marriage and persecution against Protestants, eventually killed her.

Henry was taken away from Jeanne as depicted in my story. When they were separated, she made him promise not to take the Catholic mass. When he was twelve or so (?) she did do a rescue mission and get him back to Navarre.

Jeanne did administrate wartime La Rochelle, work on the city's fortifications, consult on matters related to the government of the church, hold a commander's hand as it was amputated, and give a big dramatic rallying speech on horseback after the Duke of Condè's death. She also did a lot of diplomatic letter writing during that period, including to Elizabeth I of England. She was a badass.

Under both Marguerite and Jeanne, Navarre was a haven for those fleeing religious persecution. Protestants in particular, but it was safe for Catholics too.

Both of them were both very interested in education. Marguerite intervened on behalf of the university where both Calvin and Beza studied when it fell under scrutiny as a hotbed of heretics, and Jeanne founded a seminary in Navarre.

Jeanne d'Albret was not a time traveler, as far as we know. She also wasn't quite as hard a person as I wrote her in my Inklings story, although she did think her mother had been a bit too soft in her theology, and she did go on the record calling tears as a sign of weakness. However, she also did a lot of charitable work and wrote with a lot of pathos. Likewise, Marguerite did sometimes intervene to save people with tears, but she wasn't a cryer to the extent that I made her in my story. I emphasized these traits in both women in order to draw a contrast, but there was a lot more nuance that I left out in the process.

#I'm gonna start reading other people's inklings stories now that the master posts are up and i finally have a minute #we'll see how many i get through but look for me in your comments ;)#pontifications and creations #inklings challenge #the unquenchable fire #i enjoy being a girl

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steveharrington · 2 years

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maybe this is a weird question but i found ur hints abt steve's background (trip to aspen, catholicism etc) super interesting and was wondering if u had other ideas abt what his childhood was like/random made up steve facts? brilliant update as always

thank you!!! i’m so glad you picked up on those little details bc i think they are so so fun to intersperse in fics <3 i have a very. very very extensive history of steve’s family and childhood so here are some little facts from the canon ive made up in my brain that also kinda show up in things to come

i think steve was born in new york and the harringtons moved to indiana when he was like 6/7 following his dad’s first affair. it was an attempt at like healing their family by getting away from the city and going back to his dad’s hometown. it worked out pretty well for his dad because they weren’t really New York Rich but theyre definitely Hawkins Rich so it makes him feel good about himself. it sucked for steve’s mom because she was persuing a career in fashion and the fashion industry in hawkins is like. being a manager at macy’s

things to come is the first fic where i’ve ever officially made steve italian (on his mom’s side) but ive always thought of him as being raised catholic. once they move to hawkins, the harringtons start going to church every sunday but it’s more of a social/appearances thing for his parents than a genuine devotion. still, it’s very very very engrained in steve and it isn’t until 1983 that he starts to question if he believes in god in the first place

the aspen trip in my mind is the last time steve traveled with his parents beyond like family gatherings. i think when he was younger, they’d take him with them on business trips or vacations but steve kinda always hated it because he would just get left in a hotel room by himself so he started staying home

those long stretches of staying home alone for a month at a time around age 13 were when steve really learned independence. that bit about him having to call his parents for help working the oven or making doctor’s appointments and only being met with annoyance when he reached out to them is a big reason why steve struggles in school despite actually being naturally kinda smart. he just learned not to ask for help from adults and it left him confused about a lot of stuff

steve being won over by any adult who shows him even the slightest shred of kindness is what made me want to include owens at all <3 where the other kids can kinda sus out that owens can’t always be trusted despite him outwardly appearing friendly and empathetic, steve falls for it hook line and sinker. he loves ice cream!!

#this is all i can think of atm <3 #anon #answered

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venusamabile · 1 month

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fun vi fact: because i was loosely raised catholic, i am actually composed of three different girls, like the trinity. anyway the thing is that all three of us love our girlfriend so so so much we can't form any semblance of a coherent thought when we see her, and it all stacks exponentially

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mustangs-flames · 9 months

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actually fun fact i was Also raised christian (though i was catholic not protestant) and the good samaritan story was my favorite bible story as a kid so . funny lil coincidence. also i was and still am a choir kid so when i saw you mention codas at that one point in inwct i was like okay no oneknows what the fuck that is except for choir kids. i see you

What??? Me??? In choir??? Me, the head chorister of the sopranos at my church where I was in choir for 10 years??? Me??? No idea what you're on about... /vlh

I always like The Good Samaritan too! That and David and the Lion's Den!

#mustang answers!#oh no lads my cover is blown

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drst · 2 years

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How to build a world without abortion (US-centric post)

Anyone who is genuinely opposed to abortion should be supporting measures to reduce the number of abortions that occur. If you really believe abortion is a murder, you should be vocally demanding the government take whatever steps it can to reduce the number of abortions no matter what those steps are, as quickly as possible. But you don't. You never have. You convince yourselves you have some sort of moral high ground, but there are a multitude of concrete steps that could be taken right now that could slash the abortion rate, and you oppose them. Almost like you care more about using your moral position as a cudgel than actually reducing abortions.

Case in point: banning abortion? Does nothing. Abortions will still happen. They will just be much less safe.

You don't eliminate abortion by making it illegal. You eliminate abortion by making it unnecessary. Here's how:

Almost all abortions occur for one of two reasons: 1) A pregnancy goes wrong 2) The person didn't want to get pregnant

Banning abortion does nothing to address the root causes. Banning abortion does impact #1 though - it means more people will die because their pregnancy has gone wrong and the hospital and doctors are afraid to do anything for fear of criminal charges or other legal consequences. #Savita

So how do we address cause #1, the pregnancy has gone wrong?

A) Universal healthcare. Every person should have access to whatever medical care (including for their eyes and teeth) they need throughout their lifetime. No $$ limits. The earlier a pregnancy is under a doctor's care, the better. It costs about $10,000 to give birth in a hospital in the US. That's for a healthy birth with no complications. If you don't have insurance to provide you birth control, you sure as hell don't have insurance to cover 10 grand for giving birth. One of the most commonly cited reasons to have an abortion is the cost of pregnancy and child care. If you could cut 40% of abortions by passing a single piece of legislation that also would save billions of dollars and millions of lives, why wouldn't you?

B) Also universal day care and pre-school, as well as free college, and better programs for food and housing assistance, all of which contribute to the cost of raising a child.

C) Free college and a better system for funding medical school than saddling someone with debt. The student loan system is a disaster. We want the brightest and most dedicated people becoming doctors. Requiring them to take on a quarter of a million dollars in debt to do it is not working.

D) Funding. Fund medical schools. Fund training programs for doctors and nurses. Train them better than previous generations steeped in systemic inequities that produce things like the horrific black maternal mortality rate in the US. Build more hospitals. Stop the Catholic takeover of hospitals. Fund research into pregnancy and childbirth, invent new treatments and technologies to make it safer.

This is going to take time, of course. But there are absolutely no downsides to any of these proposals. Better quality of life, healthier population, healthier babies, more doctors and nurses, more hospitals, less debt. It can all be done.

How do we address cause #2, the pregnancy was unwanted?

A) To repeat myself, universal healthcare. Free and unrestricted access to all forms of contraception, including long-acting ones, for everyone. Make it easy for people to avoid an unplanned pregnancy. Make it taboo to have sex without knowing what contraceptives your partner(s) are using and that you are using. Never have sex with someone without knowing what the possible outcomes are.

Fun fact: I want the person who doesn't want kids to have access to whatever contraceptives and interventions they need to ensure they don't have kids AND I want the person who wants 10 kids to have access to whatever medical care they and their kids need forever. You know who opposes this? Republicans. The so-called "pro-life" people oppose getting that woman who wants "as many babies as God gives me" medical care. Which side is really pro-life here?

B) Mandatory health education, no exemptions allowed. Everyone should know exactly how a pregnancy occurs so they know how to prevent it if they want. If they don't want to prevent it so they can have a lot of babies, great, this knowledge helps them too! And no bs religious exemptions on this. Any time someone gets pregnant it should be because they chose to get pregnant, because they took actions they knew were going to lead to pregnancy.

C) Which leads to the other part: end rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, reproductive coercion, and all other forms of sexual violence. Yeah, obviously, this is a HUGE challenge, but we still have to do it. No one should ever get pregnant unless they want to get pregnant, and as long as people are forcing pregnancy on other people, abortion must be available. No rape victim should be punished for months for the fact that another person chose to rape them. No one should have to risk their life and health as a result of someone else's crime against them. Abusers force pregnancy and parenthood on victims to trap them, it's a method of control. That has to end too.

Imagine a world where there is no rape, no abuse. A world where every pregnancy was freely chosen, and every parent was consenting. Imagine what kind of damn utopia that would be, where every child was wanted and every parent was willing. That's the actual goal of the progressives in the US. Building that better world.

Not once in my entire 50 years on this earth have I heard a "pro-life" Republican support ANY OF THIS. Not one Republican has ever supported a single policy that would accomplish any of these things. Not once.

The Republicans' only ideas are "ban abortion" and "tell people not to have sex." Banning abortion accomplishes nothing, as I’ve said here, and never ever in the entire history of the human species has a cranky old man screaming "DON'T HAVE SEX!" actually stopped people from having sex. It would be nonsensical if it wasn't a deadly reality.

Roe is going to be overturned in a few weeks, and the fight to protect bodily autonomy moves into its next stage. Think about which side actually supports “life” and choose accordingly.

#abortion #politics

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