#as a protector of kids and the poor and sex workers and so on. that WORKS. but show him connecting w his community

[boyfriendgideon]

as yr favorite local jason todd fan sometimes i get so fed up with the apparent inability of most dc comic writers to write a class conscious narrative about him.

and yes, i know that comics are a very ephemeral and constantly evolving and self-conflicting medium.

and yes, i know they’re a profit-driven art medium created in a capitalistic society, so there are very few times where comics are going to be created solely out of the desire to authentically and carefully and deliberately represent a character and take them from one emotional narrative place to another, because dc cares about profit and sometimes playing it safe is what sells.

and yes, i know comics and other forms of art reflect and recreate the society within which they were conceived as ideas, and so the dominant societal ideas about gender and race and class and so on are going to be recreated within comics (and/or will be responded to, if the writer is particularly societally conscious).

but jesus christ. you (the writer/writers) have a working class character who has been homeless, who has lost multiple parents, who has been in close proximity to someone struggling with addiction, who has had to steal to survive, who may have (depending on your reading of several different moments across different comics created by different people) been a victim of csa, who has clearly (subtextually) struggled with his mental health, who was a victim of a violent murder, and who has an entirely distinct and unique perspective on justice that has evolved based on his lived experiences.

and instead of delving into any of that, or examining the myriad of ways that classism in the writers’ room and the editors’ room and the readers’ heads affected jason’s character to make sure you’re writing him responsibly, or giving him a plotline where his views on what justice looks like are challenged by another working class character, or allowing him to demonstrate actual autonomy and agency in deciding what relationships he wants to have with people who he loves but sees as having failed him in different ways, or thinking carefully about what his having chosen an alias that once belonged to his murderer says about his decision-making and motivations, you keep him stuck in a loop of going by the red hood, addressing crime by occupying a position of relative power that perpetuates crime & harm rather than ever getting at the root causes, and seesawing between a) agreeing with his adoptive family entirely about fighting nonlethally in ways that are often inconsistent with his apparent motivations or b) disagreeing and experiencing unnecessarily brutal and violent reactions from his adoptive father as if that kind of violence isn’t the kind of thing he experienced as a child and something bruce himself is trying to prevent jason from perpetuating. because a comic with red hood, quips, high stakes, and familial drama sells.

it doesn’t matter if it keeps jason trapped, torn between an unanswered moral and philosophical question, a collection of identities that no longer fit him, and a family that accepts him circumstantially. it doesn’t matter if jason’s characterization is so utterly inconsistent that the only way to mesh it together is to piece different aspects of different titles and plotlines together like a jigsaw. it doesn’t matter if you do a disservice to his character, because in the end you don’t want to transform him or even understand him deeply enough to identify what makes him compelling and focus on that.

and i love jason!!!!! i love him. and i think about the stories we could have, if quality and art and doing justice to the character were prioritized as much as selling a title and having a dark and brooding batfam member besides bruce just to be the black sheep character are prioritized. and i just get a little sad.

[gh0stfacesho3]

could i get a medieval AU where Mirio Togata is a highly respected knight who falls in love with a poor and neglected prostitute who was forced to become a sex worker to care of her 2 younger brothers? you can decide how they meet and put whatever details. Also pls add smut at the end!^^

Ouuuuuuu wow I love this ☺️ thank you so much for this I love the variety of characters I’m getting !!! Also I made Eri the princess that Mirio protects for this plot bc it just makes sense. 

Shining Armor

Pairing: Mirio Togata x (F)Reader

Warnings: +18, smut, praise kink

Word Count: +5.7k words

Mirio stood closely to the princess, watching guard as she looked at a street market, amazed by all the crystals and rocks that were on the table. 

“Sir Mirio, may I get this one?” The young Princess asked as she tugged at Mirio’s finger, pointing to a crystal necklace. He turned his attention to her and smiled. 

“Of course, Princess! You can have anything you’d like, and I told you that you can just call me Mirio.” The knight chuckled as he pulled some gold coins from his satchel.

“The Princess can take it free of charge!” The old women said, handing the necklace to Eri who refused it. 

“She won’t take it unless it’s paid for.” Mirio smiled, handing her extra coins. “For your generousity, I’ll pay you extra.” The blond smiled, taking the necklace and placing it around Eri’s neck. She did a spin and smiled, making the old lady tear up.  

“I’m so glad we have such a beautiful and cheerful princess in our kingdom now.” Another old witch popped in, holding a staff to keep herself up.

Mirio nodded, remembering the day he helped save her. That is exactly how he became so respected, being he risked his life to save this princess from a very evil dragon king. This kingdom was accepting of all nature and races. You could be a witch, troll, giant, dwarf, half human and half of anything else and you’d still be excepted with open arms into the Ultra Kingdom. So, when Mirio was almost killed by the dragon king, he was able to strike the last blow, pushing his sword through the eye of the dragon king. Thanks to all the witches in Ultra, he was able to be saved and have all his injuries healed for the most part. Being his injuries were very sever, they took Mirio off the front lines and now have him as the sole protector of the new princess. 

“Mirio!! Look, they have sweets!” Eri said, dragging Mirio towards another booth. It’s been about three month’s since he saved Eri, and it always made him tear up to see her so happy now. 

“Sir Knight Mirio! Please take these pastries! You’ve fought so hard for us and protect our sunshine! We don’t know what we would do without you and Princess Eri.” The baker said kneeling down, holding a basket for him. 

“Why than-” Mirio started to take the basket but was stopped by Eri. She put a stack of gold coins on the table before nodding with a smile. 

“I wanted snacks anyways!” The young one said with a smile before skipping off. He grabbed the basket and thanked the man before quickly going after Eri. Mirio noticed she was playing around with two boys close to her age. 

“Hi! I’m Knight Axel Y/L/N! I shall protect you princess!” The youngest of the two boys yelled, holding out a stick to the air. Mirio watched with a grin as the three made a scene in the street. 

“Not for long! I am an evil knight from the All for One Kingdom! I will take the princess for my kingdom!” The oldest yelled as he held a stick that had blue paint on it. This was one of the knight’s named Dabi from the All for One Kingdom which was known for their harsh ways but after the attack to the dragon king, they’ve been a lot more friendly to Ultra Kingdom. Also, recently a new rule was added where to not talk about what happened with her. Eri loved playing with kids but some kids would re-create the scene saying they were the dragon king but it sparked such bad memories for her that it’s a rule for them to not speak of it. 

“Knight Axel! Protect me from that nasty knight!” Eri yelled as she stuck her tongue out at the boy. The two boys stared fighting with their sword’s and Mirio was very shocked to see that they both fought very well with their fake swords. Mirio walked over to the two and clapped when he saw the youngest push the oldest to the ground and held his fake sword to his throat. 

“Very good form you two!” Mirio said with a smiled, making the two boys stand to attention before they bowed. Eri quickly found her way back to Mirio’s side, sneaking around in the basket’s of goodies before handing them to the boys who smiled brightly. 

“There you are! Hey! You two didn’t steal these did you?” You asked as you walked over to your younger brothers. 

“No! Princess gave them to us!” Axel said as he held it tight to his chest.

“Princess?”You asked as you looked at the little girl. You quickly knelt down and bowed your head.

“I’m sorry if these knuckle heads I call my brothers bothered you, Princess.” You apologized with a smile and a chuckle. She shook her head and smiled back. 

“Nope! We were just playing. Can we play more often please please please!!” Eri begged Mirio, tugging on his arm, making his armor clink and rattle. 

“If that is okay with you miss?” He asked, making you look up at him. Once you made eye contact you almost gasped being it was Knight Mirio. You’ve heard of his adventures but what’s more commonly talked about with females is his looks. God, where the rumors true. You bowed your head again before getting up and holding your thin cloak over your body. 

“I don’t know. I’d love for them to but I wouldn’t want the Princess to get dirty or see where we live. We aren’t well off.” You spoke to him once you stood up, careful for Eri not to hear. 

“Eri doesn’t judge! She just want’s play mates.” Mirio giggled before his eyes met yours. “If its a privacy reason, they can always come to the castle. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her bond so well with any other kids.” He said looking at the three who were playing again. 

“I truly appreciate that offer, but they don’t have any other clothes besides their sleep wear, and my work won’t let me travel with them to the castle. We live on the outskirts.” You shamefully admitted. The outskirts of Ultra Kingdom was were low poverty homes were, if homes is what you could call them. The outskirts had a lot of crime in the area. Mirio could see the pain in your eyes and the stress was weighing on you. No one has ever told Eri about the outskirts since the King believed a princess shouldn’t know about such things being she went through so much already. Mirio knew that if Eri knew, she’d run the castle broke trying to help everyone

“I’m sorry, we must get going.” You quickly turned to leave but were stopped to see the three kids in front of you. 

“Can we play longer, ma’am?” The princess asked with pleading eyes. 

“I’m so sorry princess, but we have to leave.” You apologized, quickly grabbing your brother’s hands and starting to walk off. 

“Wait!” Eri yelled before running over to you. You stopped when she pulled on your cloak. Her action caused it to slip off, exposing your very low cut red dress that was accentuated with a black corset that pushed up your bust. There were gasps heard and murmurs about what they have just seen. 

“Is she a-” “She must be-” “Outskirts?” “Prostitute?” “Whore-” Could be picked out of the crowd. You quickly pulled your cloak back on, flustered at what just happened. Most women wore neutral color but never colors like red or black. 

“I’m sorry about you’re cloak! But I want you to have this so it’ll give me a reason to see you all again!” Eri smiled, completely un-phased by what happened. Your eyes welled with tears as you held the crystal necklace. You slipped it over your head before you nodded and ran off. 

“Let’s go princess.” Mirio said as he picked her up, watching your form get smaller and smaller in the distance. 

“What’s a whore?” Eri asked as Mirio walked. 

“I’ll explain later, just rest.” Mirio hushes, holding Eri close to him as she slowly fell asleep as he walked. 

“So she’s a prostitute. That’s why she’s scared of her little brothers playing with Eri. She doesn’t want them to talk about her or the outskirts with Eri while she is gone.” Mirio talked to himself in his chambers as he removed his knight armor. 

-

“Come on, eat up.” You huffed as you fed your younger brothers some bread and very watered down soup. 

“But it’s so bland.” Axel whined as he still ate. 

“Shut up! Y/n works hard for this!” The oldest fussed, making you scowl at him but smiled because he knew just how hard you work. 

“Adrian, mouth.” You huffed before walking over to the table to join them.

Adrain was about 11 so he kinda knew everything being you had to grow up quick if you lived in the outskirts. He was also your shoulder to cry on when you got stressed. You always apologized because no child should have to deal with this. Axel was 8 and you were 26. Your mother had you very young because she was also a prostitute but it was a meet up that went wrong. She then had another child with her first husband 15 years later when she turned 31. Then with her second husband she had her third child at 34. She died last year by taking her own life. You knew it would happen one day but never so soon but you were also surprised she held out that long after everything. You assumed it was also due to the sickness she had around the time. 

“Alright Adrian, I’m going to work. Take care of our little brother okay. And remember if I don’t come back or if someone else tries to come here, you know where to go.” You told him, earning a nod from the boy. You looked at Axel to see him asleep on the cot with a wool blanket over him. 

-

Mirio got dressed into some darker clothing along with a dark green cloak. Eri was protected by two other guards at night so Mirio could rest. However, tonight he was on a search, a search for you. He headed out, saying he was just going for a late night walk. 

He hopped on top his horse before riding off down to the outskirts. He stopped about a mile out and tied his horse to a pole. Mirio walked into the outskirts and kept his head down, knowing he’d attract a lot of attention if he was seen. The blonde looked around a few dark allies before he finally found someone who looked like you. He walked over to what he thought was you and tapped your shoulder. 

“You looking for a fun night boy?” The woman said but when she turned around, it was a goblin woman who just had similar hair like you. 

“Oh- sorry, wrong person.” Mirio mumbled before walking down another ally. 

-

“Look, I said I won’t do it! I do business only at the customer’s house, not mine so buzz of!” You huffed as a scraggly old man kept grabbing at your exposed skin, making you walk a little faster to get to the cabin where a lot of prostitutes go to escape creepy men. 

Mirio could hear you familiar voice and quickly followed it before seeing the situation. He walked over to the man and quickly grabbed his wrist that was reaching for your ass. 

“She said buzz off, now why don’t you listen to her, hm?” Mirio asked, only exposing his sarcastic smile, making the man buck up. 

“Who do you think you are, son?!” The old man yelled, making Mirio move his cloak to expose his sword that hung from his belt. “Well, looks like I’ve made a mistake. My bad sir.” The man wobbled away, cursing at the ground. 

“Thank you but I don’t need protection from another cre-” You were cut off when he exposed his face to you with a big smile. 

“Hey, I never caught your name.” Mirio smiled but you only turned away and started to walk to the cabin. 

“I don’t do friendships. Get out of here before you get robbed.” You said with a huff. 

“I’m here on business!” He made up, walking in front of you. He held a stack of gold coins. “How long will this get me?” 

“One hour. Let’s go. Keep your head down.” You snatched the coins and put them in small black satchel you had connected to your dress. This amount would actually get someone about three hours. You didn’t even want to take it being he is royal and your not but you knew he’d just be persistent. The two of you got to a private room and you began to take off your corset. 

“AHh! NO no, I just wanna talk to you!” Mirio said, blushing brightly as he covered his face. 

“Talk? Fine, make it quick I guess. And its y/n” You said as you continued to take off your corset anyways. Mirio removed his sword and place it against the wall. 

“What are you doing?” He asked as you sat on the bed in just your dress.

“Getting comfortable, what do you think?” You asked with a small chuckle at how soft Mirio looked. “So what did you want to talk about?” You asked as you admired his built body that sat cross-legged on the bed. 

“I want you to know that Eri really wants to play with you brothers. We wouldn’t mind housing you and your siblings.” Mirio started but you cut him off quickly.

“I don’t want your charity. I understand you’re trying to be nice and all, but it isn’t fair to all the other women working like me. Why should I get housing while they still struggle?” You questioned, pulling at a small thread on your red dress.

“Well-…” Damn, Mirio was stuck because you did have a point. He needed a way to make this seem fair. “What if we did it like we had a big play date with the kingdom and whoever Eri likes to play with the most gets to spend a week at the castle. So that way its just a way for you too take a break and have your siblings live like royalty.” Mirio explained with a bright smile.

“If we win.” You said as you fiddled with the necklace Eri gave you. “But fine, as long as its putting us on the same level and don’t be biased!” You warned before getting up and dressed back into your corset. 

“Why are you getting dressed? We still have about 40 minutes left.” Mirio said standing up 

“Help me with this please.” You said before answering his question. “I also have to work and you need to get back to the kingdom to rest and bring together this big idea. No need for me to waste your time Sir Knight Mirio.” You explained as he gently pulled on the strings to tighten your corset. “Ngh-harder. Pull the strings harder.” You huffed as the corset was tight around your chest but the way you asked kinda sounded lewd, making Mirio slightly aroused. He quickly pulled the strings tight and tied them before grabbing his sword and walking out. 

You were slightly confused at how quiet he got but just shrugged it off before walking out the cabin slightly after. 

-

After a few days, all you could hear was the buzz about a big play date with the princess. It ended up being more like a whole festival and your two younger brothers could not stop talking about it.

“Pleaseeee!! Please big sis! I promise I’ll never complain about the food again!” Axel begged making you chuckle.

“Well, I just might have to bring you then.” You joked as you picked him up on your back, having him hold on tight as you made some lunches for tomorrow, wrapping some bread and meat in some paper leaves. You cut some fruit up and poured lemon juice on it with sugar. You were glad to have these things due to the Knight visiting you every day and providing you with some money even though you tried to deny his offer.

“You aren’t going to work tonight y/n?” Adrien asked as it was past 10 at night. You shook your head and smiled.

“Tomorrow is a big day for you two and I have to make sure you are ready in time.” You placed Axel in his cot, covering him with the wool blanket before you kissed his forehead. You sat at the table, cutting some fabric and sewing it together. You stayed up most of the night, making two shirts for your brothers. You were able to buy some pants for them and the shoes they had were still knew. You woke up to Adrien moving some pans to the stove.

“Hey, what you doing?” You asked as you turned around to see him cooking some eggs.

“A very shy man in nice clothes was knocking at the door to give these to us, he might still be there.” Adrien said as if it was nothing making you run out to see the royal clothing slightly fade to the distance. You shook your head before you returned inside.

“That shy man was Knight Amajiki. He fought alongside Knight Mirio.”You said in a calm voice, waiting for his reaction and what you got was not what you expected. He face palmed himself and looked down.

“How could I forget, Axel will never leave me alone about this once he finds out.” He said before he continued to make breakfast. You laughed before you went get the youngest.

The three of you all got ready in your new clothes and you wore your mother’s plain white dress and blue corset that had a matching cloak. The three of you began your journey to the kingdom, picking up a ride or two from a few people. You walked with your basket held at your elbow, holding Axel’s hand as Aidren held onto your cloak.

You smiled brightly as you walked to the castle, waiting at the gate before being let in. You saw a lot of children and got slightly discouraged at all the kids playing in the grass. What if Eri find’s someone else to play with and likes them more. That would crush your brother’s spirits to pieces but before you could realize it, they were off playing with a bunch of other kids. You noticed there was an area for people to place their things so you placed your basket and shoes in a crate, locking it before taking the key and placing it around your neck, being it was on a string.

“Hey, you didn’t think you’d be playing without me did you?” You asked as you ran up to your younger brothers. You got a lot of weird looks from other mothers but you didn’t care being you were having fun. The grass was so soft against your feet and you finally felt like a kid for once, even though you were 24. Eri was finally spotted but you didn’t want the boys to rush in, being it would overwhelm her. So you just decided to mess around and pretend to be in danger.

“Knight Axel! Please help me!” You cried out, holding back your smile as much as you could.

“Don’t try it! I am the evil ice witch and will freeze her!” A random girl said as he blew small snow from his palm. It was a little witch and training which made you smile.

“Not if we have anything to do with it” Adrien declaired, holding up a wooden sword that the castle provided. You played for a long time before Eri finally found the three of y’all. You smiled as she hugged you tightly before running to Axeln and Adrien. You stood up and started to walk away before you bumped into a tall figure.

“Oh I’m so sor-sorry.” You said before you saw it was Mirio. His looks always surprised you, especially that smile. “Hello, Sir Knight Mirio.” You curtsied, bowing slightly as well.

“Miss Y/n, pleasure to see you here.” Mirio said as he bowed back. “Now, I think Eri want’s us to play.” Mirio said as he walked over to Eri, pulling you behind him, making you laugh softly.

“Let’s battle! Me and you! If I win, I get to protect Princess Eri!” Adrien said, pointing his wooden sword at Axel. Eri smiled before she pulled out her own wooden sword.

“Who said I can’t protect myself?” Eri asked, making Axel’s eyes light up.

“Can we fight?” Axel asked Mirio, making sure it was okay and nodded.

“Why don’t me and you battle?” You asked Mirio and he chuckled.

“Okay, I’ll go easy on you.” He said wielding a wooden sword as you held one too. The two of you bowed and made sure you had enough room and wouldn’t hurt anyone else. The two of you started to fight and Mirio was quite shocked at your strength and form.

“There is a lot you don’t know about me.” You spoke, as your blocked his sword from swinging down on you. “I always wanted to be a knight when I was young.” You pushed forward, making Mirio back up and take this more seriously. With the two of you so enticed with each other, you hadn’t notice all the kids watching. You were smiling brightly, before you quickly spun around, grabbing Mirio’s outstretched hand, pulling it close to you.

“You’re quite strong, maybe you should live in the castle.” Mirio said with a wink before he hooked his free arm around your waist, spinning you and placing his sword to your throat but was blocked by your own sword. You hooked your leg behind his and kicked it out, but before you knew it, you were spun back around and you fell on top of Mirio. You quickly got up, pointing your sword at his throat before he laughed loudly. You couldn’t help but join him as you laid down next to him, panting softly.

“Wow, it’s nice to be a kid again.” You mumbled, rubbing the beads of sweat from your forehead. Then there was a loud rupture of clapping and cheering from the kids, especially Eri who also defeated Axel. She ran up to you and pulled you up.

“Girls can fight too!” She said with a bright smile, making you laugh before you looked over at Mirio who was watching you. You blushed lightly before averting his gaze. “Hey, the necklace I gave you is glowing!” She said with bright eyes, holding it in her hand. The rose crystal now shined a bright pink, making you cock your head in confusion.

“That’s a love crystal.” The small witch from early spoke, pointing to it as it slowly dimmed. “When you look at someone you love, or feel love from someone, it glows.” She explained, making you blush more.

“Hm, must be because I care and love the princess.” You played off, poking Eri’s tummy, making her giggle.

“It only glows for intimate love.” She shrugged, “But I could be wrong, I’m still learning.” She hopped away and then you were helped to your feet by Mirio.

“That was really fun, and now it’s time for Eri to pick her favorite people to play with.” He explained before walking away with Eri. You and your brothers went eat, talking about all the fun they had.

-

“Hellllooooo everybodddyyyy!!” Sir Yamada yelled, getting everyone’s attention. “It’s time for Eri to pick who will stay at the castle for a week! Now if you don’t get picked, don’t be discouraged, we will probably have many more to come!”

“I had fun with you all and wish I could pick you all, but those aren’t the rules. I, by myself pick who I want to stay in the castle for a week. And I chose who made me smile the most. But not only did this person make me smile, they made my best friend smile and laugh more than he already does and thats Miss Y/n and her two younger brothers!” Eri yelled out, making you cough softly on the bread you were still eating.

You looked up on the stage and saw Mirio smiling, and saw Eri waving you three up there. A few kids were cheering, saying you need protect Eri since Mirio lost to you. Some kids were crying while others just smiled, knowing they might get it next time.

-

It was the third day in the castle and you just plopped onto your king sized bed, sighing loudly.

“Hey, finally got your brother’s to bed?” Mirio asked as he stood there in loose clothing, much different from his armor or royal attire.

“Yes! I feel like they never run out of energy and I’m so sore.” You patted the area next to you and Mirio walked over and laid down next to you, watching the heavy door close on its own.

“I’m really glad you got to spend this time here.” Mirio smiled lightly, making you look over at him and smile. Your necklace glowed through your shirt, making you grab it and sit up.

“Yeah… uhm, wellll, I’m going to take a bath to help with my muscles. Can you show me how that large tub works again?” You asked with a small blush before you grabbed some clothes that were provided by the castle. Mirio nodded and walked over to the deep tub that was in your chambers, turning the handle, allowing water to pour out before he put a stopper in the drain.

“That’s pretty much it, do you need anything else?” He asked as you kept your eyes on the floor. He nodded before he walked out and you started to pull of your dress shirt, struggling lightly from your sore muscles. “Oh hey-…I’m so sorry, I should have knocked. I just remembered you needed a towel.” Mirio blushed as you pulled your shirt back down.

“Oh it’s okay…uhm, can you help? If not can you get someone to help me remove my clothes?” You asked as you blushed lightly, making your crystal glow again. He nodded and closed the bathroom’s wooden door before walking behind you.

“Arm’s up.” He spoke softly, lifting your shirt to expose your skin. While Mirio was taken away by your body, he remained calm being you were in a place of need. He pulled down your skirt, allowing you to step out of it, making your face light up. You’ve done similar things countless times but right now, it feels like your first time.

“I’m going to remove your bra and underwear for you if that’s okay?” He asked, making sure he had consent from you before he continued. You nodded, allowing him to remove your clothes and once that was done, he helped you into the bath.

“Wait-…could you stay?” You asked just as he was about to leave, making him pause and turn around. 

“Any particular reason or just want a friend?” He asked with a smile while he sat on a stool next to the tub. 

“I just think I’ll need some help getting out.” You mumbled,holding your necklace in your hand to keep Mirio from seeing it’s bright pink tint. You knew you could probably get out and dressed on your own but you had to admit, you did like Mirio’s company. 

“Oh yeah, I should’ve thought of that.” He chuckled, stretching his arms in the air as he watched you run your hands through your soapy hair. Mirio walked close to your head and started to help rinse out your hair. “We meant it when we said you’d get treated like royalty.” 

“Thank you Sir Mirio.” You smiled and relaxed into his touch, making him blush softly before going back to the task at hand. Maybe this stone was right, maybe you did love him but there is no way he’d feel the same so you should just shut out those feelings. “Ow! What the-?” You let go of the necklace that shocked your hand and chest.

“That a love crystal you got, deny the feelings you have and it shocks you.” Mirio chimed in, breaking your train of thought. “You don’t have to worry, I’m sure whoever you’re thinking of feels the same way.” He smiled brightly. After awhile, he helped you out the tub and got you dressed in a loose night gown. 

“Thank you for helping me, Sir Mirio.” You blushed lightly as you walked over to you bed and sat down, watching Mirio clean up the bathroom. Mirio walked over to you and smiled before he bent down and kissed your lips, making your necklace glow.

“I’m sorry, but I just had to know this crystal glowed for me.” Mirio blushes before he stood back up straight but you pulled him back down to you.

“I guess my secret is out.” You smiled before reconnecting your lips.

You pulled Mirio closer to you, having him crawl on top and pin you down. His lips were soft but you could feel the small scars he had from it being repeatedly busted from fighting or training. He pulled you on top as he sat up so you can straddle his lap, allowing his hands to travel your foreign body. Mirio’s hands were so gentle when he traced them down you sides, or when they rested behind your neck while he ran his fingers down your spine with his other hand. You tracked your finger down his jaw, pulling away to see his flushed face and red lips.

“You’re cute when you are all red.” You smirked, making the blonde blush even brighter.

“Thank you, y/n.” Mirio mumbled, making you reconnect your lips as you felt down his chest before slipping your hand up his shirt, feeling the defined muscles and small scars from battles. You tugged at his shirt so he could pull it off but he pushed you on your back before he did so.

“Let me take care of you, you are in pain.” He smiled before he lifted your gown up and over your body. You smiled back softly before shutting your eyes in pleasure when you felt his lips kiss down your exposed body.

“Mirio, have you ever done this before?” You asked with a blush as his lips perfectly danced along your skin, getting lower and lower making you catch butterflies.

“Once or twice, why?” He teased with a grin, sucking at your skin on your thighs, leaving hickies behind as he got closer to your clothed core, making your body tremble and arousal pool in your underwear.

“I’ve done this hundreds of times and no one has ever made me feel this good just by kissing me.” You propped yourself up to see him looking up at you with a proud grin.

“Well, I did say I would take care of you.” Mirio kissed your wet core before he pulled off your underwear, making you sigh in relief. He licked up your sopping wet core, making you moan out softly. “You’re so beautiful. Your voice sounds like an angel.” Mirio mumbled, making you blush at his praise. Usually when you had sex, you got degraded mainly because you were a prostitute and they were ashamed so they took it out on you so when you were praised by Mirio, it just fueled your arousal. He connected his mouth with your core, running his tongue down you before sucking on your sensitive clit.

“Am I being good?” You moaned out, arching your back softly. You needed to hear that you were being good and Mirio understood that after you asked him.

“No, you’re being the best.” the blonde smiled before he continued his meal, pushing you closer to the edge with each lick, kiss, or suck while he’d tell you how good you taste and how well you behaved.

“Sir Mirio, I’m close,” you grabbed at the sheets, waiting to feel the familiar knot build and break but he removed himself from your core, licking his lips before he leaned down to kiss you. Your hands tangled themselves in his golden hair, desperate to feel him close to you. You were so lost in the kiss you hadn’t noticed Mirio line himself up with your core.

“Are you ready?” Mirio asked once he pulled away from your lips, allowing you to nod quickly.

“Please, I need you.” You whined out, allowing Mirio to push his hard member into your aching heat. You huffed, pulling Mirio in for another sloppy kiss before you kissed down his neck as he thrust into you.

Mirio groaned softly with a small smile, noticing the necklace glow brightly as it hung next to your head. You kissed along his neck before finding a sensitive spot, making him moan softly before he picked up his pace while you attacked his sweet spot. Mirio held your hips down with one hand while the other rubbed your swollen clit. You bit your lips to suppress your moans, gripping his back tight as your nails dug into his flesh.

“Let me hear those sweet moans, beautiful.” Mirio requested, making you follow his command as you were now a moaning mess.

“Sir...I’m gonna c-...cum.” You blushed brightly as you clung to him for dear life but he only picked up his pace.

“Go ahead, you deserve it.” And with those sweet words, your climax came crashing down, sending you into complete euphoria. Your body trembled as your high took over before you notice Mirio pull out to see his cum spill out over your stomache.

“I’m so sorry.” Mirio blushed, letting his head fall on your shoulder in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry,...” You panted as you came down from your high. You whined when Mirio got up and walked away but was pleased to see him with a rag to clean you up. Once cleaned, the two of you laid down in the dark except for the bright necklace that still glowed a pink tone. 

“Stay here in the castle with me.” Mirio said, looking down at your tired form. You don’t know whether it was the exhaustion or euphoric bliss you were in but you nodded without hesitation, before slipping off into sleep. 

-

-

A/n:

I hope you alll liked it :) I had a lot of fun writing this but it took me forever 😅 mainly bc I procrastinate.

[hms-chill]

One more thing and then I’ll shut up about this BUT for (especially American) queer+ folks in particular: 

IF YOU LIKE PRIDE YOU HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO SUPPORT THESE PROTESTS IN ANY WAY YOU CAN.

I know not everyone can donate. Not everyone can march. Not everyone can be vocal on social media. But we can all work to educate ourselves and help however we can.

This is especially for queer+ folks, because the Stonewall riots/rebellion were about police brutality, specifically against street kids, trans folks, and people of color.

I know there are a million reading lists floating around, but one book that was really helpful for me in understanding race and the ways it intersects with other elements of oppression is Angela Davis’s Women, Race, and Class (honestly everything I’ve read of Davis’s work is amazing). For a beautiful book about a Black woman in Florida in the 1930s, I can’t recommend Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God enough. Alice Walker’s The Color Purple needs a trigger warning for sexual assault (and maybe others; I haven’t read it yet) and is another that I’ve heard nothing but good things about. If you like poetry, there’s Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. If you like theater, there’s Georgia Douglass Johnson’s A Sunday Morning in the South which needs a trigger warning for racial violence is the most incredible and haunting use of pacing I’ve ever seen in anything.

For queer+ folks in particular, here’s a list of people of color who were at the Stonewall Riots:

Stormé DeLarverie, “protector of lesbians in the Village”, a butch drag king often credited with being the one to demand that the crowd do something to help her as she was carted off by four cops.

Raymond Castro, a baker and cake designer known for always wanting to help people.

Candice Boyce, who fought for a more inclusive queer+ community until her death in 2010.

Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a Black trans woman who was at the Stonewall riots and is currently (like... now, in 2020) fighting for the rights of POC and gender nonconforming folks in Arkansas and the Deep South.

Marsha “Pay It No Mind” Johnson (yes, that’s what the P stands for), a Black trans woman known for her activism, her impressive homemade head wear, and her activism in STAR (the Street Transvestite/Transgender Action Revolutionaries) and with the AIDS epidemic. She died under mysterious circumstances in 1992, but the murder remains unsolved largely because the NYPD ignored it at the time.

Sylvia Rivera, co-founder of STAR and loud voice pushing for a more inclusive movement for trans folks, folks of color, poor folks, and sex workers.

----

Please, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with questions or for more information; I’m very white but I will do my absolute best to answer whatever I can. Race and racism are woven so tightly into the fabric of the US that it can be hard to de-tangle, but I have to believe that education is a good place to start.

[brydeswhale]

So most of North America is asleep, and I’m going to talk about how much Tamora Pierce hates Middle Eastern ppl.

I first met Tamora Pierce’s gross, colonialist perspective on Middle Eastern ppl in “Woman Who Rides Like A Man”, featuring Alanna! White Saviour, Creator’s Pet, and all around obnoxious early feminist fantasy heroine. I loathe her.

See, it’s Alanna’s job, as it is with so many of these White Heroines(continuing to this day) to teach the Bazhir, a nomadic desert culture that her nice pseudo-European culture has been oppressing for a couple hundred years that “Girls can do magic, too, we’re totally good at it! Girls are as good as boys, girl power, stop oppressing women, no more veils, rah, rah!”

This is kind of a hard job for one White Saviour to do on her own, so don’t worry!!!

White Saviour number two, who happens to be the crown prince of said cute little pretend europe(it’s England, okay, it’s always England, even when it’s the USA), is wandering around whining about having to, ya know, do his job, and it fortunately turns out he is the next incarnation of the head of the Bazhir religion! So he can totally colonize them even more!

And this is very good because of course they are so uncivilized and now the Americans are here to show them how to respect women(even tho at this equivalent time period on earth Islam gave women more rights and respect than pretty much any European country) and be good and not do war, so yay!

This book makes me want to smash things.

Next we have Briar. To start with Briar is a possible orphan. He’s mixed race, his mom was a sex worker, his dad is absent, and he grew up on the mean streets of poor town, where he became an exploited street thief, but don’t worry! Soon he will be rescued from a lifetime of slavery for juvenile offences because he’s useful to rich academics! Isn’t that freaking awesome?!

Of course his peers are nowhere near so useful, so they will be sent to labour in mines and so forth until they die at a horribly young age for the crime of not being useful to rich academics.

(This is the same book where a Black girl is exiled from her ENTIRE culture because Pierce is actually pretty weirdly racist and literally cannot seem to imagine a culture of people of colour that she doesn’t want to either fetishize or take a giant shit on and no, that the banishment was later lifted for contrived reasons does not make it better. Like, the two white girls in this book consist of grouchy Cinderella(who later White Saviours her way through Greco-India) and pretty, pretty princess craft girl. I mean, not fun, but not bizzare and unpleasant stereotype of a background, either.)

Don’t worry, though, there are sequels.

The Bazhir next show up in Protector Of The Small where Keladry “Fantasy land Japanese people like me and taught me their mysterious ways” Has No Last Name because it’s England before last names because it’s always England is going to be the SECOND LADY KNIGHT!!!!!! A big deal!

(I have nothing against Keladry, except her whole thing where she’s totally okay with punishing a girl who happened to be there while two men were fighting over her while making up a contrived reason for it and also how she’s sort of what weeaboos want to be. I also didn’t like the books because Pierce’s weeb shines through, really obnoxiously.)

A Bazhir character shows up in some of these books. Did you think he was here to dispel some myths about the Bazhir and show them in a new and interesting light?

Hah! You dumbass, this is White Feminist fantasy, specifically the series that previously brought you mysterious empire located in the tropics with ambiguously brown empire with lots of slavery!

This Bazhir guy is here to team up with the misogynistic murdery white guy, and also to say and do sexist things, because Pierce apparently can’t imagine him being an actual person. It’s a problem she has.

Briar, however, IS an actual person, but HE’S an actual person who is useful to rich academics, so he’s on vacation in Disney Middle East, AKA Orientalist Fantasy Setting, AKA Chammur in Sotat.

I’m going to pause my rant here.

I LIKE Briar. He’s one of the best characters that Pierce has ever written, he’s funny, caring, interesting, he has history and dimension. I also like the new character they introduce in this book, Evvy, who has a similar back story to Briar in having been homeless, but with a different perspective. She’s cute and sweet and frankly a darling. They’re both human and not stereotypes at all, despite their back stories.

And neither of them can elevate the scenery, imo.

Chammur is basically an American tract on why Agrabah(Disney version) is bad. It’s pretty much a flat backdrop that occasionally tries to enter the real world, but relies too much on stereotypes to be believable.

Of course the villainess is basically a grotesque, racist charicature of a monster woman who likes to hurt people, of course the corrupt city guard isn’t going to do anything, and because it wouldn’t be a Pierce story without a character of colour having a horrifying, traumatic backstory where people who were supposed to care for her are monsters, of course Evvy’s parents sold her into slavery because they liked boys better! Why not!

Pierce loves to use the trauma of people of colour to propel her stories forward. The pages sometimes feel wet with the way she salivates over torturing her characters of colour.

This includes the last book of hers I read, The Will Of The Empress, where she appropriates the bride kidnappings that Uzbekistan briefly became famous for, transplanting it to, I believe pretend Russia? Before using it to show how good one of her main characters was compared to the villainess. I actually don’t remember the ending to this book, I may not have finished it. That was it for me with Pierce. I was done at that point.

Pierce and all the works above tend to show up on recommendation lists for young readers. This isn’t really a bad thing. Despite the racist tropes at play in the above series, they’re... decent? I mean, middle school literary gems, at least. And all her characters are charming and neat, learning without becoming annoying, with personality and fun. Even Alanna eventually learns to begrudgingly accept that brown women should get to choose their own clothing. I would honestly recommend many of her books to kids, if with a strong warning.

But, having said that, it would be nice if more book recommendation lists included some discussion of these issues.

[tatlergazette-blog]

The Day Joker Saved Me From A Jersey City Pimp 

By Eiko La Boria 

For River Phoenix 

Based on a True Story 

 PROLOGUE

JERSEY CITY:  Much has been said about the contagious rage of the Joker, especially it’s potential of inspiring white males that have been bullied or are societal outcasts. Their good nature bludgeoned and discarded. But in Jersey City, white males should be the least of our worries, because rage has no color or sex or social class. Righteous rage can seep into the psyche of anyone that has been taken advantage of, oppressed, tormented, used and abused, treated like garbage or in my case, the attempt to be pimped. The concise effort of a wanna-be hustler to exploit me, have me work for weeks, only to try and keep my money and refuse to pay me, turn-me-out so to speak in the ways of this unapologetic boy’s town. Like Gotham, Jersey City has her share of villains, but in Jersey City they hide and are protected by the cloak of being city employees, community activists, pastors, influence peddlers, and do-gooders who really care about the poor, destitute, minorities, women, the middle class. Insert Joker’s laughter here.  Jersey City, like Gotham, is a place where what you see is hardly ever what you get.  Every story has endless angles. The wolves do not bother with sheep’s clothing. Greed is God! When you’re hurting the greater good more than you are producing it--that’s a problem--a big one. These are dangerous times in Jersey City. 

                                               ACT I 

The night before Joker arrived an ominous cloud hovered over New York City, creeping its way across the river and toward Jersey City. I was mesmerized by it’s forewarning. 

Jersey City had been preparing for months for Joker’s arrival. I was a part of the preparation. In August 2018, a contractor that I knew for his unique political aspirations, which were supposedly to help Hispanics, let’s call him Emilio, asked for my help in preparing a proposal for a project at the Loew’s Jersey Theatre in Journal Square. He told me that he was a subcontractor and that the electrical contractor, the main contractor, in charge of the project told him that it was a big project that was good for him, but that he needed to submit a proposal.  Emilio didn’t know how to write a proposal and needed help. English is his second language and he was not proficient in writing in English. He said that he could not pay me for writing the proposal. I was OK with that. I had no intention of charging him for writing the proposal anyway. Without a second thought I agreed to it. I thought this would be good for him, would help him grow his business and I said, “Why not?” I had also worked for a maintenance company for the past year and I knew how to write specifically for government, private and municipal proposals and bids. 

“This is a big project, it has a big budget, something like $ 40,000.00 and it can really help me out.”  he said. 

I met with Emilio, asked what he wanted the proposal to reflect and I wrote it up. The job required painting, replicating a steel awning, cleaning electrical sockets, pedestrian safety, removing, cleaning, shining and reinstalling the side panels of a marquee. I wrote it up. He got the job. He then said to me, 

“You know I don’t have any good people that I can rely on. I need help making sure the job moves ahead. I’d like you to work for me on site because I can not be there everyday and communicate with me, tell me what’s happening. I have to do other jobs. Can you help me?”

“Yes, I can help you.” I replied. 

“But I can only pay you $ 15.00 dollar an hour because of the budget and I need a lot of people there. It’s a big, big job.” he said. 

I didn't care about the hourly wage, he needed help and I wanted to help him. Besides money comes and goes, but experience and memories are forever.

“Is that the prevailing wage?” I asked. “There is a lot of specialized work in the proposal. It doesn’t matter to me, but make sure you know what the prevailing wage is, you may not be able to find professionals.” 

I looked up the prevailing wage for such a job and emailed it to him. It was $ 25.00 an hour, $ 10.00 less than he was offering. He advised that the electrical contractor told him to just pay everybody $ 15.00 dollars an hour, no matter what they did and that was what he was going to do. 

“But just so you know, I’m paying everybody at the end of the job, because that’s when the electrical contractor will pay me.” Emilio said.

“That’s fine, but you have to pay me in full.” I replied. 

“Yes, of course, I pay you everything. But you have to be there every day and tell me what is going on.” he replied. 

He accepted the job and hired me. I was there when he did the initial walk through of the Loew’s. I took notes for him, took pictures, and worked with the Loew’s Management to assure that everything they asked of us was done, especially the materials that were to be used. The protector of the Loew’s, let’s call him Harlin, was meticulous and finicky with his baby, he knew exactly what needed to be done, how it was to be done, and when . It was paramount to Harlin that everything he wanted done, be done to a T. It was during the initial walk through that I learned that this was all in preparation for the Warner Bros. film, Joker. 

In its heyday the Loew’s would have been Joker’s natural favorite hangout, it was one of the original wonder palaces erected in 1929. It was a center of entertainment and distractions, movies were just a part of the fun. It was a vaudeville paradise where residents would spend an entire Saturday or Sunday, hours of pleasure and spectacle, an extravaganza that captured the imagination of the young and old alike. 

“Joker! You’re kidding me!” I said. 

“It’s a Warner Bros. film with Joaquin Phoenix” he said. 

And when I heard the name Phoenix, bells went off in my head, I got weak in the knees, my heart raced, my eyes watered, the melody of chirping birds filled the air, a melancholy smile swept my face. My eyes enamored with thoughts of my first crush. Oh baby, like an unforgettable lover he still had an effect on me, he still had a hold. I went back in time, I was a teenager in my bedroom. Poster plastered walls. Joaquin is an exceptional actor, but his brother River was it for me. Growing up in an urban city, not many people understood my fascination with River but I couldn’t care less about their understanding. It was River!

In my basement, there is still a poster or two or three of River Phoenix. He’s one of my favorite actors of all time. When he died of a drug overdose on a dirty Hollywood sidewalk with Joaquin by his side, I wept for days. His death hurt me so much. It became a call of duty for me to do an exceptional job at the Loew’s. This was for River Phoenix’s baby brother whose middle name, Rafael, is my father’s name, and who was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico just like me. It mattered not that he would never know my name. Everything had to be perfect for Joaquin. 

On the first day, the job was shut down because the proper permits were not obtained. The crew consisted of me, Emilio’s uncle, and a high schooler. It was a no-go until the proper permits were submitted and approved. Although permits for the average Jersey City resident takes weeks if not months, all the necessary permits for this job were obtained in a few days. We went back to the Loew’s, Emilio, myself and Emilio’s uncle. The high schooler didn’t make it back, he got a higher paying job. 

“ It’s OK, we can do everything that needs to be done. We don’t need anyone else. We’re going to make a lot of money.” Emilio said. 

As Emilio said that, an uproarious deafening laugh spilled out of a car waiting at the red light. A big hearty cackle, the laughter just came coming and coming. The crazy laugh instantly made me think of the Joker.  It was eerie,

“Ooooooh oooooh ooooooh, aaaaaahhh aaaaaahhh aaaaahhhh, heeeee, heeeee, heeeee” 

 I could still hear it as the car raced past the green light and down Bergen Avenue. 

For the first two weeks, we worked on procuring the materials, removing the side panels of the Loew’s marquee and scraping the old peeling paint, assuring pedestrian safety as there were several teams working on the marquee, traveled to New York City for steel and cleaning hundreds of electrical sockets. The first two weeks was all the prep work and the days were long. Emilio hired another worker, named Dwayne, but after a few days, Dwayne told me, “This job is not paying right he’s paying us way below what we should be getting.” And just like the high schooler, Dwayne left for a higher paying job. I couldn’t leave. This was more than a job, it was an opportunity to do something for the brother of someone I adored. 

And then there were the influx of memories from the people strolling by, an elderly couple came up to me,

“Are you fixing the theatre, that’s so wonderful, I love this place.” said the elderly woman. 

“We are restoring the marquee for a movie.” I respond. 

“We met here about sixty years ago, we were both teenagers. It was love at first sight. We’ve been together ever since.” says the elderly man. “I wish you well with the job.”

“We’ll try our best, we want this to look just like it was built yesterday. We are hopeful that it will, we are working very hard.” I say. 

“Something tells me that your best is quite good. You have an aura, an energy, you will do great things here.” says the elderly woman. 

Just then, I noticed a butterfly landing on a traffic cone next to me. For me it was a sign, a sign that I was working toward something good, something that will be remembered for a long time. It was hope personified. A masterpiece in waiting. I was giving rebirth to a thing of beauty.  I took a picture. I took two. 

The couple kissed and smiled shyly at me, before continuing walking down Kennedy Blvd. I stared at them, until I could see them no more. 

About half an hour later, a loud and shiney Harley Davidson pulls up in front of the Journal Square Pub, next to the Loew’s.  A  tall and stocky biker, clad in head to toe leather with a bushy beard hops off. He’s hard to miss and the leather seemed to he speaking with his every step. He strolled over to me. Let’s call him Johnny. 

“Holy shit! What are you guys doing here, Oh man, you just blew my mind when I saw you guys working on the marquee. I use to hang out here in the 70’s man. I love this place” says Johnny.

“We’re restoring it, a lot of people are excited.” 

“I can’t tell you how many good times I had here. I mean I would just come and hang out for the entire day. I made so many friends here. Damn, have you been inside?”

“Yes, it’s grand.” 

“It's a fairy tale, you know what I mean. I can’t wait to see the marquee finished, it brings back so many great memories. Man, I gotta get a drink now, my fucking brains just blew out my head, you know what I mean. God bless.” 

And just like that he walked away and into the pub. I still smile when I see him in my mind’s eye. 

I quickly learned that not everyone was a fan of the Loew’s, the restoration, the fight for the theatre to remain alive. I was moving the railings to make a safe passage way for pedestrians as Emilio’s uncle was working on a lift. I see a thin white woman approaching me with a smile on her face. Let’s call her Beth. I smiled back, as I was sure that she was going to share with me some of her memories...I was getting used to strangers connecting with me because of my work on the theatre. 

She comes up to me and says, “Instead of fixing this marquee, why aren’t you getting rid of the homeless people that sleep everyday in front of this shithole. That’s what you should be fixing. I’m a taxpayer, I’ve been in Jersey City for five years and I’ve been walking past this dirty theatre and all the homeless for five years. You’re taking my money so that I can walk past the smell of piss every night.” Beth said. 

“I’m sorry ma’am, the homeless is not what I am fixing.” 

“Well, you should be. I am a taxpayer and this theatre is taking my money so that homeless people can just sleep in front of it. How is that right? How is me walking past homeless bums and smelling their shit right?” 

I just stare at her...I can’t find the words, I can actually, but if I say what I really want to say, things may escalate and at that moment I didn’t think that it was my place. 

“Well, I can certainly convey your message to the Loew’s Management.” 

“They should just close this disgusting place and put up a nice building, with some beautiful storefronts, that’s what the people around here really want. Why should I be speaking with you? You’re just a worker, I’m wasting my time.” she says. 

“Well, Ma’am, the homeless are people too, we just can’t get rid of them.” 

Then she breaks out in a boisterous laughter, she bends over, and continued her wild cackle. Pedestrians looked at her as they walked past. 

“Homeless are people too,” she says, mocking me, as she continues laughing uncontrollably. 

“Aha haaaa haaaa haaaa haaaaa haaaaa haaaa haaaaa ha…”

The laughter was loud and familiar. She turns around and continues her laughter as walks toward a shiny new building past the Loew’s. 

I continued working blissfully, with intent, everything that was asked of me I did. And I did so happily. I didn’t take another job while I was there. My complete focus was on making this marquee brand new. They could have asked me to remove every piece of gum from the sidewalk with a toothpick and I would have done it. I was on a mission. I was a soldier. 

At the end of the first two weeks, as we were  removing the safety railings from Kennedy Blvd and moving them to the basement, Emilio’s Uncle says:

“I’m glad it’s finally payday, it’s been a long two weeks.” 

“Are you getting paid today?” 

“Of course, it’s been two weeks.” 

Just then, Emilio arrived and his uncle shouts out to him, 

“You have my money?” 

Emilio’s eyes widened as he noticed my stare. To his chagrin, his uncle let the cat out of the bag. Emilio was going to pay his uncle, but not me. 

“Yeah! Yeah!, I have your money. Eiko, I forgot to tell you that I got some money from the electrical contractor and can pay you too. You don’t have to wait till the end of the job.”  Emilio said. 

I could’ve taken the money and run, but I didn’t.

Just then a group of teenagers from nearby Dickinson High School walked past and broke out into a group laughter. They couldn’t contain themselves. They were hugging each other, barely able to stand up from the laughter. 

“Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh hhhhaaaaaaa ooooooooohhhhhh heeeeeee” 

The laughter. The laughter was my friend. The laughter was warning me. 

                                       To be continued...

All pictures are property of Eiko La Boria -- Thank you for reading!