I Really Look Forward To When We Separate Androgyny And Gender Non-conformance From Thinness

Thanks for reading my ask! A fun fact in case you're not already aware, the company that made LADs also made another otome game called Mr. Love Queen's Choice which also is within the world where Evol exists and even got an anime. They did the Nikki series as well (Infinity, Love, Shining, etc) so this company really has a handle on appealing to women in general. Just wish they weren't so greedy with their gacha.

You're welcome! It was a great read - I really appreciated the additional context you gave about Otome games in general!

And omg, I might have to check those out lol (I say, as an unashamed LADS player xD)

Also, STRONG agree, like the gacha stuff is honestly a bit of a letdown (though tbf, I'm also incredibly unfamiliar with gacha games so I'm *slightly* immune due to not fully understanding the mechanic lol)

when the tech guy fucks you:

"kitten! get ready for daddy's data transfer!"

see, the thing about Palestine that confuses me is why does it matter if it meets the 'definition' of genocide? like, is the fact that literal children are being slaughtered en masse insufficient?

what's always baffled me about zionists is that, like, even if we humour the idea that israel is wholly in the right here (as in defending themselves), do the war crimes not bother them?

like, i don't get how anyone can look at something like bombing a refugee camp and not feel bothered by this. even if you truly believe that israel is the victim here, how can you justify actions this horrific?

especially because there isn't even plausible deniability here, like israel is basically celebrating and sharing evidence of this, so it's like you have clear proof of crimes against humanity being committed, and you're just like "yeah ends justify the means" then????

(and, if it's not obvious, i fully support Palestine)

dude im not applying to your job on squeamix dot com.

You do not have the right to touch someone's disability aid without asking, whether that aid be a wheelchair or an AAC device.

"It's just a tablet, though." No, it is not. It is my voice. Touching or moving my device without my permission is like touching my mouth without permission, it's weird, gross, invasive, and rude. Stop.

Pushing someone's wheelchair without permission is like picking them up and moving them out of the way eithout permission, its weird, invasive, gross, and weird. Stop.

Can we fucking talk about this?

I may sound really bad when I say this but it pisses me off to no end that we can’t have this game without men crying for a male mc option or trying to erase the MC. Like no??? This game isn’t for you. The creators made it FOR AFAB PEOPLE specifically. We don’t have shit like that.

It’s always inclusivity this, inclusivity that.

There is PLENTY of BL and other games dedicated to people who enjoy that type of content. Go play it, go read it.

I used to like yaoi. I preferred it over hetero at one point but like there’s liking and then there is projecting in places and insisting everyone else get behind it. You just don’t fucking do that??

Is it really SO BAD that AFAB have something for themselves? Do you have to belittle us and erase us so badly that we just have no spaces for ourselves?

And then saying they’d have better chemistry with another man. 😭 Have you heard the secret times? Have you read the stories or the cards? They are absolutely infatuated with the female body (and I know I used female here I’m sorry but that’s what mc is portrayed as in game.)

It’s not a contest. You can like them, headcanon them with another man. You can do whatever because they’re fictional just STOP ERASING WOMEN. We are allowed to exist in media.

I’m sorry for anyone reading this. I can’t articulate this the way I want to. It just makes me so mad that we deal with so much misogynistic bullshit and can’t have anything. I don’t go around trying to assert myself in spaces that weren’t made for me and I can’t understand why this isn’t an understood concept.

The rise in the popularity of Love and Deepspace (which, for brevity, I’ll be abbreviating to LADS) is incredibly interesting to me, particularly when we analyse it in conjunction with broad social trends within dating and relationships. I think that the uptick in AI Companionship and how women engage with it reflects a deeper set of issues pervading relationships and intimacy with women who experience attraction to men. Moreover, I think that this does speak to a generalised divestment - or, at the very least, re-examining - from previous views and approaches to heterosexual relationships. Personally, I believe that this is developing as a reaction to the broader uptick in misogyny.

While LADS is often dismissed as simply a ‘Gooner Game’ - that is, essentially, pornography for women - I think that such a dismissal is both inaccurate in terms of the game’s content as well as the motives and draw experience by its playerbase. It’s not entirely incorrect to point out that, yes, there is a degree of suggestive content in the game, particularly in the dating/relationship sides of the game, but LADS is much deeper than that. The game presents a self-directed approach to players: players interested in the story and universe of LADS can focus on that, whereas those players who wish to prioritise the ‘dating simulator’ aspects of the game are free to do so - while the dating aspect is, admittedly, much of the draw, presenting it as solely a dating game is, really, quite inaccurate.

Moreover, I think the way such a criticism is levelled is far more telling about the critics than the players; fundamentally, it suggests a refusal to engage with the game by simply writing it off as nothing more than just simple fluff met to titillate touch-starved players. Plus, the fact that this criticism has been, broadly, made by men is rather revealing. Firstly, it’s quite telling that a game that heavily targets, and is played primarily by, women receives these critiques, whereas arguably far more ‘explicit’ games that target men do not - or at least not from these same critics. Secondly, I think it’s rather telling that a game where the Love Interests are primarily approaching the player/main character through a lens of respectful attraction receives such heavy criticism from men.

But what truly fascinates me is the draw of LADS; as previously mentioned, I think that LADS represents a sort of ‘Heterosexual Idealism’ - that is, the idea of a heterosexual relationship where the man genuinely loves, respects, and cares for his girlfriend. And I think this speaks to a broader trend in society; we see more and more women turning to these types of ‘escapist’ content - such as LADS, CharacterAI, Dark Romance, and similar content - that, arguably, fulfills this Heterosexual idealism in response to the resurgence of misogyny in society, particularly in terms of dating.

To put it bluntly, as more and more men demonstrate themselves to be incapable of being a proper partner - often reacting with blatant misogyny when called out for such failings - I think we’ve seen a growing divestment from women. Relationships with men can be perilious, toxic, traumatising, and, unfortunately, too-often abusive. Naturally, it’s understandable that many women would choose to simply refocus their time and decentre men from their lives.

And this is where LADS comes in. LADS, and AI Boyfriends broadly, offers a sense of fulfillment for this desire for emotional intimacy with men while often avoiding the pitfalls that come with it. Women don’t have to worry about Xavier, Zayne, Rafayel, Sylus, nor Caleb abusing them, manipulating them, cheating on them, or anything else - they represent a simultaneously wish fulfillment of Heterosexual Idealism while also highlighting how, truly, low the bar is. Really, do the LADS boys truly represent an unattainable ideal, or do they simply represent the idea of a man who consistently goes above the bare minimum? It wouldn’t be impossible for a man to be what LADS players desire - sensitive, kind, emotionally intelligent, respectful, and supportive - it’d simply require consistent effort. But such a request is too often met with anger, resentment, mockery, or dismissal.

Which creates the question: if an AI Boyfriend can offer a sufficient simulacra of a relationship beyond what many men are willing to do, is it worth it? Is it worth letting oneself be wooed by the digital embrace of Artificial Intelligence?

It seems many women have, to some extent, answered yes.

But from this comes another question: how do we bridge the human desire for physical intimacy with the intangibility of AI? Currently, while AI has made admittedly shocking strides in advancement in terms of communication ability, memory, and realism, it is still bound by the limitations of the black mirror of computer screens.

Nothing is more humbling than being a Very Online gay person and hanging out with a gay person who isn't online because it forces you to realize that all the things you thought were popular with gay people are actually popular with a small cadre of annoying nerds who just so happen to be gay. Like I was talking to my butch lesbian coworker about music and she had never heard of Chappell Roan or Muna but she'd been to multiple Imagine Dragons concerts. Bro you're married to a woman??? How many dragons could you possibly need to imagine???? What are we celebrating here Pride Month or the Kia Summer Sales Event???? And you're an Imagine Dragons fan but you've never heard of Arcane??? And then after the shock wears off I realize that I'M the weird one for having watched Arcane. I'll never fully recover from this.

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Note: Creds to @/fawndollie for the star divider. ♡

Rating: Explicit - !!Minors DO NOT Interact!!

Warning: Oral (Fem!Receiving), Handjob (M!Receiving)

Word Count: 2,041

Summary: Xavier comes back home a little tipsy for the first time ever and he just can’t stop loving on you because he missed you so much.

Tipsy!Xavier/Reader

Xavier didn’t mean to come home inebriated. Now granted, he wasn’t too bad. He wasn’t stumbling all over the place and unable to stand upright, but he’s never got like this before, so it was an unusual thing to navigate. Being in complete control of himself has always been important to your homebody boyfriend.

His cheeks puff as he blows out a breath, trying to open the door to your shared apartment. It takes him two tries before the key successfully connects to the key hole and he twists it to the left to disengage the lock. That alone makes him even more thankful for one of his coworkers driving him home or else he’d be sitting at a bus stop like this.

He had listened to you and went out with a few colleagues from work. How could he not when you so sweetly said, “I think going out would be good for you, lovebug. You’re in the house so much.”

The only time Xavier left was to go to work, go grocery shopping, and to hang out with you to do whatever you wanted. If you left it up to him, because he liked you more than anyone else on this planet, he had absolutely no problem with you being the only person he’s around.

So admittedly, he was hesitant at first. He didn’t want to leave you home alone because not only did he not like being where you weren’t at all times if he can help it, he’d miss a crucial part of the daily routine you and he shared.

After work, you were always home to greet him. You would run over to him and kiss his lips and nose, before returning to the stove to finish preparing dinner. That small interaction was one of his favorites between you two amongst the handful of ones he looked forward to throughout the day. Today though, because he wanted to make you proud of him for his attempt to “broaden his horizons”, he got none of that.

He missed you the whole time while he sat down with his peers for dinner. Each time he took a bite of the food, he’d frown because although it wasn’t nasty, it wasn’t your cooking. Every time someone started talking, he was respectful enough to listen and engage, but nothing would ever quite compare to how much he loved hearing you tell him about your day.

You were on his mind so much that he had wished he would’ve just stayed home. But he stuck it out, and was here now. All he wanted to do was crawl all over you so that you could hold him tight and kiss him for hours to make up for your time apart.

As the door pushed open, he hummed in content and smiled to himself at the smell of your favorite oat and honey scented candle lingering in the air, welcoming him back to where he always wants to be. The warm apartment was a perfect contrast to the frigid temperatures outside and the small star lamp that you had bought a few weeks ago illuminated his path just enough for him to find his way to you.

He kicked his sneakers off at the door, locking it after and washing his hands before he went on his search. Xavier was a man of routine, even with a fuzzy mind because of the few fruity alcoholic beverages he consumed.

He gently tiptoed down the hallway just in case you were sleeping and he wondered if he was selfish for hoping that you weren’t. It wasn’t exactly late, only 10:30, but you had times where you couldn’t keep your eyes open and he’d have to gently pull your phone or a book from your limp hands so that you could rest properly after you had passed out.

He pushes the cracked door open and immediate relief almost sobers the man when he finds you with your back turned but your phone is in your hand, screen dimmed as you scroll through random posts online.

“Hey,” he greets softly, his voice rumbling as he trudges inside. You crane your neck to the right to see him, beaming a smile as he starts to remove his clothes to climb into bed. He wants to shower, but he wants you more.

“How was dinner?” you ask as you turn your body to the other side so that you can face him properly. The gentle gleam of fairy lights he helped you put up awhile ago illuminate your soft face.

He shrugs, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it into the laundry basket before he begins unbuckling his jeans.

“It was fine. I couldn’t quite focus, if I’m being honest. Now I feel a little… off.”

“Oh?” you raise a brow, propping your head on your knuckles. “What happened?”

“You,” he says simply, making your eyes widen, but that makes him smirk.

“Me? What did I do?” The wide eyes you sport makes him breathe out a chuckle.

He stops fumbling with the button of his pants, looking into your eyes. “It’s hard to hold conversations when all I could do what think about you,” he sighs as you quirk a brow, raising it with a knowing smile. “I wondered what you were doing, if you ate, what you ate, if you missed me just as much. It was to the point that I saw this mango drink and I figured, she’d love something like that. That’s what made me try it,” he presses his lips together as you wait patiently for him to finish. “I drank about four before I finally realized that it had—”

“Alcohol in it?” you finish for him. You knew your boyfriend all too well. He’s done this before—sees things that reminds him of you and will fully commit to giving it a go, not ever paying attention to what it’s all about and just takes it for face value. He just loves you so much.

He nods and you really notice his slightly flushed cheeks. “So you’re tipsy and that’s why you feel off?”

“You’re half right.” Before you can try and figure out what he’s talking about, he charges at you, making you yelp in surprise.

He’s quick, climbing into the bed and over you, burying his face in your neck and tickling your skin. The kisses make you laugh so hard that your cheeks start to ache from how hard you’re grinning.

“Xav, what are you doing?!” you exclaimed through a squeal as his hands come up under your shirt to grab at your sides.

“Is this my shirt?” he looks down at the light blue t-shirt from a band he’s never listened to before, breathless after his playful onslaught.

“Duh, you were gone and I missed you.” You brush his bangs out of his pretty eyes.

“I missed you. So much,” he kisses the corner of your mouth.

“Babe, you did not go off to war,” you laugh. “I think the alcohol is making you clingy.”

“Clingy?” he challenges. But he accepts defeat when your hand cups his face and he melts into your touch. “You may be right. Being away from you for more than half a day is not something I’ll do again.” He turns his head to kiss your palm then down your wrist.

After you and Xavier moved in together, being with you, around you, was the only thing that he wanted.

“You’re so dramatic.” You roll your eyes jokingly.

“Maybe.” He licks your skin gently. “But I’m also in love with you. Will you let me show you how much?” He leans back down into your neck to kiss you more, but it’s less playful this time. It’s not playful at all, in fact. It’s hot and wanting.

You trace his back muscles, feeling them shift and move against your palm as you spread your legs to let him press deeper.

“You’re drunk, Xav.” Your attempt to protest is hindered by a desperate whimper as he starts to kiss down to your collarbone.

“Tipsy,” he corrects. “Loving you will make it go away. You always know how to fix me.”

He pulls back to crash his lips into you and you lick at them, tasting the residue of the drink.

“Mm, you’re good,” you lick him again. “I do like it.”

He smiles lazily, kissing down your body as your back arches. Lifting the shirt, he kisses down your plush stomach, never stopping despite how you writhe so impatiently beneath his wet lips.

He simultaneously pulls your panties down the lower he gets, pulling them off your legs. He tosses them aimlessly in the room, making himself comfortable in front of your pussy. He doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t make you or him wait any longer as he sucks you into his mouth.

“I love you so much,” he mumbles into your cunt. “Don’t make me have to leave you anymore. I prefer being right here.”

His tongue laps up your sweetness as he takes it and brings what he deems ambrosia to your clit. Your hand fondles your breast through your shirt as he inserts a finger inside you warm walls, groaning at how tightly you squeeze around his digits while taking your bundle of nerves into his mouth. Your thighs squeeze the sides of his head and Xavier uses his other hand to make sure you don’t stop, pressing against the outside of your thigh to keep him locked in his happy place.

“You—Oh, shit.. Xav, your tongue..” You can’t complete your sentence as his nose brushes against your sensitive nerves while he tongue fucks your hole. You’re sweeter than that drink that’s admittedly made him feel needier than usual, sweeter than any century old wine.

Just as you get ready to come, he climbs back up and devours your mouth again. Between your taste and the mango on his tongue, you’re bucking your hips in desperation to feel him in any way you can. His hand comes down to start rubbing your clit in slow circles. He knows how much you like when he rubs you slow. Going too fast makes the pleasure cease too quickly.

“You’re so pretty,” he mewls. “So, so pretty.”

At the same time, you reach into his jeans and past his underwear, wrapping your hand around his length. He’s so hard and sensitive that it takes only a few pumps for him to start whining, breathing deeply into your mouth as he chases his high that’s closer than he’d wish.

He circles your clit in time with how you jerk him off, but when your thumb rubs over his slit, his body abruptly jerks as thick ropes of cum shoot from his cock, staining the fabric and making a mess on your hand. He moans so loudly and you thank the universe for blessing you with such a beautiful and vocal man.

You don’t stop, tugging on his overly sensitive cock until you feel that tightness coil in your stomach.

“Give it to me,” he whispers as he presses his forehead against yours. A few more rubs has you creaming, your clit pulsing beneath the pads of his fingers as your orgasm rocks your body.

“Good girl,” he smiles against your lips as he kisses you slow, feeling the mess of his cum spread as your movements slow.

He removes his hand, cupping your face and rubbing his thumb against your lower lip. You pull your hand from his pants, looking into his still lustful eyes as you lick his cum off your knuckles.

“Oh god,” he shudders. “Yeah, I’m never going out again. Not when I have someone as perfect as you here.”

The corner of your mouth tilts up. “I think that’s a good idea. But we should clean up and get your tipsy ass to bed.”

He laughs deeply this time, his body shaking. It’s so contagions that you can’t help yourself and do the same.

He kisses your nose like you always do to him when he settles, admiring the connection you two share that’s changed his life so wondrously.

“We definitely should, so long as you’re doing it right beside me.”