#Venom and Vow

[noahhawthorneauthor]

I'm a day late for International Nonbinary People Day, but here are some nonbinary menaces.

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Characters, book, and author names under the cut

Val Palafox/Cade McKenna - Venom and Vow by Anna-Marie & Elliott McLemore

Alex Price/Eli Rodriguez - Like Real People Do by E.L. Massey

Kiem Tegnar/Jainan nav Adessari - Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Viola Carroll/Justin de Vere - A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

[gay-disabled-characters-showdown]

LGBTQ+ Disabled Characters Showdown Round 1, Wave 6, Poll 14

A character being totally canon LGBTQ+ and disabled was not required to be in this competition. Please check qualifications and propaganda before asking why a character is included.

Check out the other polls in this wave and prior here.

Zhou Zishu-Word of Honor / Shan He Ling

Qualifications:

He might not count but I wanted to submit just in case. So in order to leave an assassination organization, he has to basically give himself a terminal condition that slowly destroys him over time, killing him after 3 years. So his ability/power is severely limited which is a big hindrance because he only has the strength to fight for a short while before his condition flares up. And over the course of the show he also looses some of his senses. He looses his sense of taste and smell and his ability to feel pain is significantly lost. The reason why it might not count is that they figure out how to cure him at the very end, but he spends the vast majority of the show suffering from this condition.

Propaganda:

He and his soulmate/husband are iconic. War criminal duo. They're both mass murderers who want to settle down with a nice domestic life with their adopted son. He's also got amazing gender. The show also has some interesting things to say about chronic/terminal illness

Val Palafox-Venom and Vow

Qualifications:

He is canonically bigender (uses he/she pronouns) and uses a cane due to congenital disability.

Propaganda:

Val is a bigender assassin/princess's handmaiden who's trying to defeat the guy she thinks laid a long sleeping enchantment over both their parents (among other people), so that she can reunite with her father and theoretically come out to him. So Val embarks on this harebrained scheme to outmaneuver this guy via two different identities (Val has a male persona and a female persona that he keeps separate). It's complicated but also very funny to me, given that the other guy thinks Val cast the curse, but doesn't want to hurt him out of trans solidarity. Bonus that she's perfectly good at fighting while using her cane, but has no idea how to dance with it.

Anything Else?:

This is an act of blatant defiance against your wishes for less obscure media, and I do apologize, but I have no regrets here.

Mod note: lol don’t even worry we submitted a few obscure characters ourselves.

[morggo]

Here's a better #ArtistWrapped2022 #ArtVsArtist2022 along with some few huge accomplishments from this year. I didn’t think I’d ever see my art in a book store, but here I am.

The Stranger Interview

Venom & Vow

Your Body Is Not Your Body

Thank you everyone for a great year! Here’s to 2023.

[contracat25]

May Booooks! Another absurd month in which there are way too many good books coming out! I'm really excited for a lot of these though Dragonfall and The Scandalous Letters of V and J might be the ones I'm most excited about. I've read a bit of V and J and it is such a good use of the formate and I'm always here for a well done queer historical fiction. I've heard amazing things about Yellowface soooo I'm stoked to read it (also the only book on the list that I don't think has queer rep, but I could be wrong). Oh also in the UK Bitterthorn is coming out, but I can't find a US release date so I'll just. wait for it (if anyone knows a way to get it in the US let me know). Oh and assaians, vampires, multiple dragons, magic and romance. Yeah it looks like a good month.

Any books that you are really excited about that I might have missed?

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam (2nd)

To Shape Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (9th)

Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko (May 30th)

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang (16th)

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic Edited by Haron Davis (16th)

The Scandalous Letters of V and J by Felicia Davin (16th)

Lesbian Love Story: A Memoir in Archives by Amelia Possanza (May 30th)

Witch King by Martha Wells (30th)

Venom & Vow by Anna-marie Mclemore and Elliott McLemore (16th)

A Long Time Dead by Samara Breger (May 16th)

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Quick Review: Venom and Vow by Anna-Marie & Elliott McLemore Rating: 4/5

Mistaken identities, a trans4trans romance where both characters had physical disabilities and a hint of fae magic made this book an enchanting and unique little novel. I love a standalone fantasy though the worldbuilding is always the tricky point but the McLemores pulled it off here. They develop the world just enough to make it all make sense while letting the characters shine. If you're in the mood for a fantasy with a sense of individuality, please give Venom and Vow a go.

(And I loved Vico Ortiz's narration in the audiobook. They were just lovely.)

[doyouknowthisdisabledcharacter]

Do You Know This Disabled Character?

Val Palafox uses a mobility aid.

[feywildfancypants]

Venom and Vow by Elliott McLemore, Anna-Marie McLemore

Generally I am not a YA person, but something about reading queer/trans YA heals the little queer kid I never really got to be. This book has mobility aids, transmasc prince, a monastery for transgender people, a bigender dama, foxes large enough to ride (if you offer them your shoes), and I loved it a whole awful lot.

One thing it highlights really well is is acceptance despite transness v acceptance regardless of transness.

Cade is the first born child of his mother, but he gave up the right to the thrown when he went away to honor his heart and live fully as himself. He went away the daughter everyone thought his mother had, and came back to live as a man disguised as his younger brother's half-sibling. Cade doesn't believe he could because people don't really accept transgender people. The kingdom "accepts" trans people in the sense that they are allowed to transition, but it is assumed they will walk completely away from their old life and start over completely, not acknowledging their former gender at all. Which is a despite sort of acceptance.

The regardless sort of acceptance comes later. There is this really beautiful exchange where Cade is discussing pronouns with Val. Val is comfortable as both a woman and a man and wants to use both she and he pronouns. He thinks that is too much to ask, so he couches it in a joke. But Cade just adjusts his internal monologue to match. He has seen and been pulled towards Val in all her presentations, and the more he learns the harder he falls in love. These two really help each other grow into a full acceptance of themselves, regardless of, and often because of, transness.

[fortunatefires]

Wtf am I supposed to do when the book im reading has a genderfluid character with the same chosen name as my genderfluid friend/kind of ex who fucking ghosted me for no reason? Like? How am I supposed to finish the book when im sad?

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 1/5

Book Blurb: Two enemy kingdoms are forced to work together to break a curse in this lush YA fantasy, featuring a transgender prince and a bigender dama/assassin in the lead roles. Keep your enemy closer. Cade McKenna is a transgender prince who’s doubling for his brother. Valencia Palafox is a young dama attending the future queen of Eliana. Gael Palma is the infamous boy assassin Cade has vowed to protect. Patrick McKenna is the reluctant heir to a kingdom, and the prince Gael has vowed to destroy. Cade doesn’t know that Gael and Valencia are the same person. Valencia doesn’t know that every time she thinks she’s fighting Patrick, she’s fighting Cade. And when Cade and Valencia blame each other for a devastating enchantment that takes both their families, neither of them realizes that they have far more dangerous enemies. Cowritten by married writing team Anna-Marie and Elliott McLemore, Venom & Vow is a lush and powerful YA novel about owning your power and becoming who you really are - no matter the cost.

Review:

When a curse falls upon two enemy kingdoms they will be forced to work together if they want to save their kingdoms. A transgender prince and a bigender dama/assassin must find a way to work together and not kill one another if they are to break the curse and possibly fall in love. Cade McKenna is a transgender prince who’s been doubling for his brother, Cade wants nothing to do with the throne and he just wants to stop killing people. Valencia Palafox is a young dama attending the future Queen of Eliana who is also Gael palma , an infamous boy assassin that Cade has vowed to protect. Cade doesn’t realize that Valencia and Gael are the same person and Val thinks that she’s fighting Patrick when in fact she’s fighting Cade. Cade and Val both think the other is to blame for starting the curse that befell their perspective kingdoms after running to each other on the night it occurred but something much more complex is going on and someone else is to blame. Now they’ll have to figure out who did it and what other dangerous enemies surround them. The story definitely had an interesting premise however it definitely fell short, the story was confusing, honestly the structure didn’t help either. The writing is okay but honestly the structure and way the story goes just made it so hard to follow along with a lot of the events and the flow of the story felt uneven. I honestly didn’t really see the romance between the two characters and just didn’t find myself caring all that much about the overall story. Unfortunately this was a miss for me, but i do always appreciate representation and that was a welcome treat in this book.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[oracleofmadness]

I absolutely loved this. The representation is so beautifully done. These authors wove together a fascinating tale that, above all else, speaks on love.

I thought the storyline started slow, but as the two main characters became more familiar with each other, I began to fall in love with this book.

A transgender prince finds himself up against a bigender assassin. Their land has been cursed, including stealing away many adults in charge of their respective kingdoms. However, as these two enemies begin to fall for each other, it becomes clear that action must be taken now to break this curse.

I didn't start out loving everything in this story bc it started slow, and I had a difficult time grasping the full picture of the plot, but this turned out to be really remarkable, in my opinion!

Out May 16, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

[jamneuromain]

Ari's Payback

Mob!Ari Levinson x Reader

Warning: Mob!Ari, Wife!Reader, Ari being petty, a lot of cursing

Summary: As your husband, Ari did what he does best: annoy you.

A/N: Happens right after this event. Part of Venomous Vows series in collaboration with @biteofcherry

Ari cursed silently in his mind.

There was an intense debate going on about whether or not he should do this.

The brain cell of stupidity argued: Do it. Let’s give her hell.

The sane part of his brain said: Let’s just kill her instead.

Okay. Maybe he shouldn’t leave both his brain cells wandering in his mind after a few too many glasses of scotch.

Plus, killing her meant that he could only enjoy the look on your face once. While initiating the plan, on the other hand …

He reached for the box, and snatched the object inside with ease.

A part of him grew curious as to why his wife did not wire her stuff.

Then, at the back of his head, a slurred, drunken voice of his own reminded him that it was his home. It was your home. It was your shared home.

Ari watches as you rummage through the house, ask the maid (he forgets her name once again, Charlotte or Shari or Shar-something) to help you rummage through the house. A while later, the valet is commandeered. Then your chauffeur.

Together, the four of you search every inch of your bedroom, your bathroom, your walk-in wardrobe, and your second walk-in wardrobe with handbags.

He pulls out his phone to take a look at the time.

Ten minutes to eight pm.

He could imagine the guests murmuring, glass clicking, heels clattering, air thickening with his men huffing out cigarette smoke.

He could imagine the guests glancing at their wristwatches – having received a pat-down at the entrance and removed all electronic devices such as their phones like taking some friggin’ SATs – and getting all disturbed, wondering if they should bolt or would FBI come surrounding this goddamn place as this could very well be the largest mob family gathering along the east coast.

Yet, he muses, they should grow accustomed to your tardiness, as there hardly were times when you weren’t late for this annual gathering since your marriage.

He finds a box of cigars in one of the drawers of the coffee table and a box of matches to go with it. He lights the cigar and enjoys the rich spicy odor of it, feeling particularly like a club owner from the 1920s, watching in the dark as the mime continues in front of him.

Well, not a mime-mime, but a –

“It can’t be just gone.” You snap at no one in particular, though it is clear as day that you are not in a good mood, while the helps you’ve summoned keep their lips shut.

Ari allows a small whiff of cigar smoke drift from the corner of his lips.

Poor them. But it’s not like you are going to bite their heads off.

“Charlene, please check my jewelry box again. Marco, my coats. George, my handbags.” You grit your teeth tightly, “It’s a necklace with a ring of pearls and a fuckin’ big-ass pink diamond in the middle. It can’t be gone.”

And it is lying in the deepest darkest corner of his safe in the study. The pleasant bitter taste of the cigar filled his lungs, ghosting Ari’s face with a faint smirk. He takes time to pour himself a glass of scotch, knowing that this fiasco will last forever since he was the thief who wants payback for your last not-so-peaceful encounter when you decided to sabotage his online meeting with the loudest porn.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. It’s not in the jewelry box.” Charlene exits your bedroom a couple of minutes later, apologizing even if it was not remotely her fault.

“Sorry, Ma’am.” Ari’s valet, Marco shakes his head and refuses to meet his eyes with yours after coming back to the living room.

“Sorry, Ma’am.” Your driver George echoes.

You stand in the middle of your living room, hands resting above your hips, full make-up and properly dressed, with a beautiful strapless on you, and on your neck – nothing, nada.

Ari savors his scotch with his eyes closed.

First of all, in his defense, you look beautiful in anything, even a rag. Despite his hatred towards you, he is not blind. And you certainly do not need one specific necklace to bring it out in you.

Second of all, that necklace was a gift from a man before your marriage. A man who is not Ari Levinson (nor your father, for that matter). A childhood friend, to be exact. Ari has always suspected you felt a thing towards that man. Luckily, that man was off to some adventure in a godforsaken jungle in the middle of nowhere.

Ari prays that the friend of yours dies there. He could send a team of armed mercs to annihilate his opponent, but he chose not to. Ari Levinson is not a complete monster, just fyi.

Last of all, it was so worth it, making you mad.

“Fucking stupid goddamn pearls I swear-” You ignore Ari being all suited up on the couch, heading to your bedroom to check under the bed again, cursing under your breath.

The soles of your heels click on the floor hard enough to poke a hole in it.

“Fuck fuck fuckity fuck FUCK!”

He hears you lash out your fury into the soft beddings. He hears your anger pent up with no one and nowhere to aim at. He hears you curse louder.

Ari puffs the silvery smoke into the air.

See? The brain cell of stupidity tells him. Totally worth it.

[biteofcherry]

A promise that won't be upheld

part of Venomous Vows series in collaboration with @jamneuromain

mafia!Ari Levinson x female reader

summary: Your first impression of Ari isn't exactly a bad one, but it solidifies your decision to never have anything to do with him.

warnings: mafia!Ari Levinson; mob!Ari Levinson; soft dark!Ari Levinson;

Author's Note: This is sort of prelude to everything that happens. If you read the thread that started it all (and which is the core of what happens later), you will understand the title of this ficlet - why exactly this promise won't uphold 😏🤭

The sense of power doesn’t thrum through your veins as you cut across the lavish floors of the club, even though people part aside to let you through; neither it pulses as you take the spiral staircase to the VIP upper floors, where curious and hungry gazes glance your way, but no one dared to approach. 

At least not yet. Your father’s name is enough to keep most in line, but there is always someone who would be either too dumb or too drunk to make a move on you. The fact you could get rid of him with the mere mention of your last name didn’t give you a sense of power, either.

It’s the moment when you stepped down the narrow corridor that changed from lacquered black into burnt wood panels, which finally gave way into a beautiful oasis. 

Here, in the private garden sprawling above the city, you feel that rush. 

It’s not just a VIP area. To be allowed here is to be the inner circle. The very few who your father trusted. 

Or to be a monster equally influential as him.

Ari Levinson isn’t a close associate of your father. He doesn’t belong to the inner circle. He doesn’t belong to anyone, but the hell pit alone. 

But he’s here tonight. Exchanging who knows what false politeness and cutthroat deals with your father. 

You know he’s highly intelligent, brutally fast and decisive. Father wouldn’t sit down with anyone who didn’t deserve their position of power. But he’s not the kind of man you want to spend any minute with. 

Especially not on your birthday.

“I’d ask if he’s a stripper, but I’m not yet drunk enough for playing a dumb bimbo,” your friend chuckles next to you. 

She likes to play those games, especially with the dark and dangerous crowd - whom she proves to be idiots led by dicks. She’d almost cross a boundary, but make it so cute that the most ruthless of enforcers and mob soldiers were turning smitten and protective. 

Figures she’d set her sights on Levinson. Danger always lures her. On top of that, his looks also grab full female attention.

“That one is better to be left alone.” Averting your gaze from him, you turn and walk over to the further side of the roof garden, where garlands of lights are hung above a table set for a small group of people. 

Unlike your best friend, you’re not interested in poking the dragon. 

Or to even look at him too long, in case the devil snatches your soul somehow.

You prefer your partners to be more controllable. Lawyers, who have the brains and enough cockiness to make it spicy, but won’t get an upper hand over you. Mob boys who are in the higher ranks, but didn’t display alpha male behavior. CEOs who are too busy with their own empires to be hungry for having power over you. 

“He has to be a really big deal, if you’re saying that,” your friend muses, taking a seat beside you.

And he is.

Ari Levinson isn’t a man you’d want to find yourself near. Not only because of his reputation of being a ruthless and lethal leader. But because he’s not easy to control. He never would be. 

He’s a man who grips the reins of any interaction right away, twisting and pulling and lashing with a crop until any mare submits to him fully. He’s like that in business, but you have no doubt he’d be the same in any relationship.  

“Ladies.”

A voice smooth and rich as the last sips of thick, hot chocolate, resounds unexpectedly behind you. Startling you. 

When you turn, the devil himself is standing right there. His expression is neutral, void of any mischief, or malice. 

So damn controlled. To the tiniest muscle in his handsome face. 

“Mr. Levinson.” You greet him politely, hiding your annoyance at the fact you can’t read anything off his face, or his body language.

His body - impressively broad and thick, while still holding a jungle’s predator’s grace to it - isn’t stiff in discomfort, nor is it alert for a threat. It isn’t fully relaxed either. Somehow he’s perfectly balanced and in tune with his surroundings.

Yeah, definitely a man to stay away from, if you want to maintain your goal of always being in control.

Even if a small part of you wants to stretch along that body and rub your softness everywhere where he is hard.

“Wanted to pay my respects and wish you a happy birthday,” Levinson inclines his head your way. 

“Thank you.” It calms you, realizing it’s just a typical show of manners, which the mafia world puts such emphasis on while not batting an eye at killing. It’s quite comical. 

“I must admit, I’m surprised.” He adds, his tone for the first time betraying some kind of emotion.

Amusement?

“A mafia princess’ birthday being so modest? No party for hundreds of people and social media pictures? You must be setting new standards.” 

He doesn’t laugh, nor smirk, but you notice the way his blue eyes spark. It’s a short, fleeting thing, but it’s enough to grate on your nerves. It’s also enough to have your friend snort. Because of course she made nearly the same comment a few days ago, when you mentioned you just want a nice dinner and a few glasses of wine, not to party all night long.

Not only because you have enough noise and masses on a daily basis as you manage hotels and the party side of casinos - the legal front for the very illegal things your father runs. 

But because, as he called you, a mafia princess is never just a person of the evening for genuine celebration. 

You’re not naive or dumb to not know that those types of parties are a means to be shown around like a prized auction item to lure the highest bidders. Your father loves you, but you’re aware at some point he will arrange your marriage.

You want to spare yourself at least the whole circus of potential husbands, or their representatives, watching you and assessing your worth. 

“I’m not a college student on a spring break, nor a spoiled teen on a sweet sixteen.” You roll your eyes, not voicing the real reasons for the small celebration. 

Which was a tiny victory on your part, because your father couldn’t exactly show you off and wait for offers while it was only him, your friend and two cousins you were still waiting for. 

“No, you’re not.” Levinson agrees, his voice dropping an octave lower.

His eyes stay on your face, but it somehow feels as if he just dragged his gaze down your body in the most inappropriate way. You feel a warm tingle awakening beneath your skin.

“I wish you all a lovely evening. Once again, happy birthday,” he rolls your name on his tongue and his lips curve in a teasing smile.

“May it be a memorable one.”

You watch him turn and leave, moving with the confidence of a predator who knows the jungle holds no secrets from him. 

But he’s not reckless or stupidly cocky, you think. He’s simply (annoyingly) aware of his power. Which makes him all the more dangerous to be around. 

You make a promise to never find yourself in his orbit for longer than necessary. 

[comicsgallery-marvel]

The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows (2016) #8

[pen-to-paper15]

GOD

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

If you liked The Mermaid The Witch and the Sea, try Venom and Vow

They both include:

bigender MCs

cases of mistaken identity

YA fantasy with rich, unique cultures