#just because she’s in a relationship with a man does not make her less bi

[elexuscal]

Bi-Ace Laurence and Aro Roland

Okay so a few weeks ago I made a comment about viewing Jane Roland/Laurence as queer, and @sere-allwehaveisnowasked me to dig into it. This is a slightly cleaned up version of the ramble I gave on the Temeraire discord, just on the off-chance folks from the broader fandom might find it interesting!

So I can see how that description of Laurence/Roland might seem surprising at a first glance! They're an M/F pair, and obviously that lends itself to a very traditional heterosexual reading. But that's not the only possible reading, at all!

"Queer" is a catchall term and an umbrella term, which means there has been a lot of quibbling over what exactly 'counts' is queer. "Is X queer?" is a Discourse repeated ad nauseam; replace X with 'ace people', 'aro people', 'polyamorous people', 'kinksters', 'furries', etc.... It gets really hard to draw firm lines. Which is why I generally subscribe to te definition of queer as "anything which transgresses the social norms in the broadly overlapping space of sexuality, romance, and gender" So on a base level, you have the fact that in the time and setting of the Temeraire series, Jane Roland is breaking So Many gender norms. She's a soldier, masculine, heavier set and with facial scarring. Under some more flexible definitions of queer, almost any sexual and/or romantic relationship she entered into would be inherently queer due to how she transgresses the boundaries. That said, while I do find something compelling there, that alone isn't really why I see Jane/Will as queer, since while Roland might be transgression within the text, to the average 21st century reader, she's not nearly so shocking.

For me, it's much more about how Laurence/Roland fits much much more into broader queer readings of both their characters, notably the bi (and to a lesser extent, ace) experience for Laurence, and the aromantic reading for Roland.

I very much do read Laurence as a bisexual guy who never really realised he was bisexual, partly because his attraction genders were fairly equal, and both fairly low. In book one, he doesn't really seem personally that attracted to the idea of a traditional marriage-- it's just sort of What One Does, and he does like the idea of the companionship a marriage with offer. He's friends with Edith, their engagement makes sense, and he doesn't have any other option that's more appealing, so... Why not? But equally, while he's disappointing to lose that future, he's not heartbroken either.

Specifically, I think what attracts Laurence is military competence. (Or maybe not quite military per say, but certainly something adjacent. Being in the field, getting your hands dirty). And he'd never really twigged to that because... All the women he had met until then were Society Ladies(tm). They were divorced from that entire sphere. And sure, Laurence saw it in men, but he didn't read it as sexual attraction, he just read it as admiration. (It can be hard to untangle the difference!)

But then he meets Jane. Who is feminine while also masculine. A woman who displays all these elements of military competence that Laurence is foremost drawn to. And I really do think that's the Rosetta stone for realising his attraction to men.

I also think there's a really great ace reading of him getting back together with Jane for LoD? Not just that he apparently hadn't had any sex for the previous 3.5 books; that could equally be attributed to his depression and social isolation. But it's the way that encounter has less to do with him craving sex specifically, or craving romance, as him feeling the joy and relief of having regained Jane's trust.

As for Roland... Man I read her as aro, so bad. I can absolutely see the reading where she isn't inherently/naturally disinclined to romance, but basically taught herself to repress her desire for the sake of her career. And that's definitely compelling. But I see so much of someone who just doesn't really care about romance, doesn't really get what everyone else sees in it, and is just going to carry on without it.

And I just love that Roland/Laurence continues throughout the entire series, but doesn't end with them getting married and having kids or anything like that. They have this great fiends with benefits situation which is genuinely SO refreshing.

All of this I think dovetails deeper into my feelings about queerness in the Temeraire series as a whole. These books were published in a time where there was a huge push for greater gay representation (one we're still living through now), and I believe that was a big part of the analysis. And indeed, I think it's fair to examine and ask why there wasn't more of an explicit M/M representation in the story. But at the same time, a question I often grapple with as an a-spec person, is how do you depict the more 'subtle' queer identities? Especially ones like asexuality and aromanticism, which are defined by a lack of something? Especially in historical fiction, where it would be deeply weird to have the characters use modern terminology and bust out some pride flags. And I don't know if any of this was Novik's intentions or not; to a large extent, I don't care. But I do think there's a lot of stuff in this narrative that resonates with a lot of bi, asexual, and aromantic experiences, and that's really interesting to analyse.

[aphroditestummyrolls]

People who call Helnik a “straight” relationship are dancing dangerously close to my block list…

[sudenlyanime]

Taigen’s love confession NEEDS to come before he finds out Mizu is a woman.

Listen. I have given this a lot of thought and the more I think about it, the more I’m sure. When looking at Mizu and Mikio’s marriage, we can see how Mikio was in to the idea of a strong woman only so far as he was still stronger than her. This is clear when Mikio insists that he wants to “see all of [mizu]” and insists that they spar; Mikio doesn’t unsheath his blade even though Mizu tell him not to hold back. He assumes he is stronger than her and when this is proven false, like the beta bitch he is, he bails.

But with Taigen it’s different. Mizu and Taigen’s relationship has been a power struggle from the start. Taigen wasn’t introduced to Mizu as a woman or a wife. Taigen has always seen Mizu as a swordsman first. And when the hostility between the two starts to cool, it is because of their mutual admiration of the other’s skill. Mizu’s strength and boldness are what win Taigen over in the first place.

We also see a very important juxtapose between when Mizu pins Mikio to the ground and when she pins Taigen to the ground. In the first instance, Mikio pushes Mizu off him and calls her a monster. He feels put off and emasculated by being overpowered. In the Mizu/Taigen scene, however, once Mizu has Taigen pinned, he stares, awestruck, into Mizu’s eyes and gets a raging hard on. Instead of feeling emasculated, Taigen get so aroused that he has a full blown bi awakening.

So we know that Taigen is different to Mikio in that he is attracted to Mizu BECAUSE she can kick his ass, not in spite of it. But Mizu has been burned before. Badly. So if Taigen were to confess his feelings and tell Mizu that her strength is what he adores most about her, she’d be like, “right, sure, heard that one before.” And that’s why Taigen needs to confess his feelings BEFORE he finds out what’s in Mizu’s pants.

In my daydreaming about a Migen love confession, I find myself reminded of this quote. How Mikio was like the exotic bird collector. He only liked the idea of Mizu knowing her way around a sword so long as at the end of the day, he can still put her back into the caged-in roll of the house wife.

Taigen is also guilty of this with Akemi. I sure there is still no small amount of attraction and love between them, but I think Taigen pursues Akemi mostly out of the personal fable he has written about himself; the poor fisherman’s son who raises himself up to be the star of his Dojo and then marries a princess. He might not have wanted to cage Akemi as much as other men would have, but he still sees her as the exotic bird. The prize. And thats why I can’t ship them.

But with Mizu it’s different. Taigen even admits that Mizu is a better fighter than him. He KNOWS he could never cage her and by the end on the first season he strops trying, opting to stand beside her instead of against her (“it’s your fight, so it’s mine” 😭) So when he does confess his feelings, he has to do is as one man to another and make it clear to Mizu that her strength is what he loves most and that he would never want her to be anything less then the superior swordsman she is.

Only then will Mizu have a chance of believing that Taigen wants to be with her, not to subdue her into a wifely role, but to stand beside her in all her greatness. If Taigen’s confession were to come after he finds out she’s a woman, Mizu might just think, “oh, NOW you want to be with me, cause you think just because I’m a woman I’ll eventually submit to you.” Mizu needs to know she is loved AS SHE IS.

Also, I just think it would be HILLARIOUS if Taigen confesses, and Mizu is like, “ well then….. I guess I should let you know…” and then Taigen spends the rest of the episode with his mind fucking BLOWN and complaining that he has spent the last several months coming to terms with the fact that he is attracted to another man only to find out the man he is attracted to is a woman! He goes through a whole bi awakening for nothing!

[luffyvace]

Tanjiro x male reader<3

Tanjiro x male reader won second place in the poll!! :) enjoy tanjiro stans<3

Starting back at the final selection let’s say that’s when you met

just to clear things up

and you two started dating some time after that

of course eventually making it official

tanjiro was quite flustered when he realized his sexuality might be different from tradition

but he wasn’t afraid to be bi/gay/pan or anything

he just thought- ..! Actually he never really thought of that type of thing..

I mean he was kinda too young

but now that your together!

he has time to figure it all out :)

tanjiro is such a sweet lover!

and helpful!

and caring!

(Really he’s a ball of love)

if you feel tired he carries you

(Even if your both beat up after a mission)

if you need water he’ll spare you some of his or go fetch some

And he’s always down to spar at any type of day!

I will say he’s not thinking about you in that way when you take your shirt off

but when you do he definitely admires you!

you might have abs seeing as though the demon slayer corps has………...harsh (brutal) training 😅

if you do then he sees it as a result of your hard work!

same with scars!

especially with scars<3

he can 100% relate and you two share stories about each one

if you have any—you probably trauma bond

you guys just end up talking all night long about your past, everything that happened, your pain, whether you want revenge or not and so on!

It strengthens your trust and relationship with each other

btw if anyone asks why your together as two males or how you know you actually like men..

tanjiro will humbly and politely educate (lecture) them on how important you are to each other, how you met, why/when you started dating and even if they don’t like it, it’s simple to walk away instead of disrespecting your relationship!

I hope y’all don’t run into uzui..

(y’all do)

that man has THREE wives why wouldn’t he question when he sees you two?? 😬🧍‍♀️

tanjiro had to hit em with the quick fix cuz when I tell you he did not let that slide 😂

especially with how slick uzui mouth be gettin..😒

Tanjiro also has learned to adjust to scavenging for food (he grew crops with his mom)

as well as inosuke (he grew up in the wild) and zenitsu (he used to have crops with his sensei)

so if you can too, great!

if not the 3 of them work together to make the 4 of you meals

and after they learn how to stop burning them

theyre pretty tasty too!!

don’t expect inosuke to share.

do expect inosuke to take

-note to self, m/n.

zenitsu doesn’t see the attraction to males instead of females

he won’t judge but will ask you two if your sure your into males

and after tanjiro gives him that lecture about being respectful-

he doesn’t question it again

LOL

inosuke straight up don’t care

he doesn’t really view relationships in a romantic way

its more so between “they’re beneath me” , “they’re above me, I must beat them”

so no worries about him judging either 😋

if nezuko doesn’t like you

it’s not to say tanjiro won’t date you because of it

but I’ll honestly say it plays a factor

If sweet nezuko doesn’t like you it prob means something..🤨

she has good instincts so tanjiro might start to assume you have ill intent or smth 😬

he’ll try to get her to like you and if she warms up to you he assumes it might’ve been personal 😂🤷‍♀️

but if she doesn’t..

he finds you like 30% less attractive🧍‍♀️

if she does like you from jump, she starts to protect you as well

and loves to spend time with you when she’s outside her box

tanjiro adores this and you three cuddle or play in each other’s hair whenever you have the time

It also makes him happy if you accept nezuko as a demon quickly

after missions tanjiro finds you, nezuko, zenitsu and inosuke

then cries

like your all just a crying mess tbh

i mean unless your like emotionally unavailable..

BC I DON’T SEE HOW YOU COULD NOT CRY AS A MINOR WHO HAS TO KILL LITERAL HORRIFYING BEASTS FOR A LIVING?!?!?!?

Tanjiro will help you achieve your goals as you likely help him achieve his

even more so after that night you had where you opened up to each other about your past

(again, only if you have truama)

tanjiro is really grateful for you

before all he had was nezuko

and aside from zenitsu and inosuke

now he has you!! 💗

tanjiro’s love languages are acts of service, quality time, words of affirmation and (shy) physical touch

actually maybe some gift giving when he can too!!

so all?!

such a green flag 💖

for acts of service as I said he’ll genuinely do any sane thing you ask of him

he cares about you that much

he won’t bother to complain about being tired either

he automatically assumes your either doing worse or he’s fine

as for quality time he gets really relieved when he gets sent on missions with you

at least he can be there to see and protect you

(or maybe vice versa 😂)

he’d beat himself up about not being able to protect you more if you get serious injures

tends to your wounds everyday then trains vigorously

to get stronger and protect you as you fight along side him when he fights muzan

if your gonna fight along side him in that battle? He’s gonna need to be strong enough to protect you.

he doesn’t want to loose you.

especially not to that man.

he lost everything to him.

he won’t let it happen again.

💗💕💖🍡♥︎

for quality time outside of missions ✌︎('ω')✌︎

tanjiro likes to train, cuddle, go on walks, go shopping, chit chat :)

All that good stuff <3

with words of affirmation he really just praises you all the time

”you did your best today in training! I could tell! :D”

“You look great today m/n!! I’m glad your wearing the (favorite men’s jewelry piece) I got you!”

”I can definitely tell your getting stronger, m/n!!!”

c:

it can also be

“get a good nights sleep, m/n! I love you!”

”be careful on your mission okay? I love you, m/n!”

“thank goodness we surviveeeeed!!! I love you m/n!! I love you so much!!”

now lastly for (shy) physical touch

he is nervous to touch you

he doesn’t wanna make you uncomfortable, yes that’s the last thing he wants

he doesn’t know how to execute it so he ends up either asking or making it very obvious of what he’s trying to do

that way you can shut him down early on just in case

and you won’t feel pressured to let him if you dislike affection

which mind you he does asks if your okay with it first

so that’s likely not the case

if you did mention your distaste for physical affection, however, it’s duly noted in his mind and will keep it to a minimum

your gonna have to discuss boundaries or else he’s gonna act like you have the plague trying not to upset you 🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Tanjiro doesn’t dislike pda or anything

he’s just a bit embarrassed about it

maybe if it’s more subtle like resting your head on his shoulder, then yeah that’s okay!

hugging too!!

but direct kissing or hand holding?

his face is a cherry and he’s apologizing to the passerbyers for disturbing them

even if they don’t mind

he’s self aware when it comes to not disturbing others

tanjiro can be a little flustered/shy about things but he’s certainly isn’t embarrassed about your relationship!

he’s quite proud, actually!

will happily tell/correct anyone that asks or misjudges♡♡♡

It’ll make me happy if you enjoyed this, so hopes to you did!

(apologies for the procrastination, and thank you for your patience lovelies!)

[fsfghgee]

I just had a crazy thought about Bi-Han's hatred for his father…

What if Bi-Han let him die because he was against his relationship with Sektor? And wanted him to marry another future clan leader like Harumi (if Kuai has known Harumi since childhood as he says, Bi-Han and his father must have known her too)? Because we know that it was Bi-Han who made Sektor second in command of the Lin Kuei, she was just the daughter of a master armorer before he became Grandmaster…

Although her mother had some respect as a warrior leader, that is nowhere near the same status that Bi-Han gave her as his lieutenant.

And from what I could gather from the story mode, bios and intros, there is a kind of caste system in the Lin Kuei…

Where you're born knowing that when you're ready you'll have to take on your parents' role in the clan, a role that they train you to take on from childhood and most likely you have no power to choose to be anything else.

From Scorpion's bio:

From Sektor's bio:

Intros:

Bi-Han letting his father die because his father was against his relationship with Sektor (because she comes from a lower caste and therefore inferior to Bi-Han) and being part of the traditions that Bi-Han despises so much that he has to marry someone of his father's choice or he wouldn't be Grandmaster until his father took his last breath, was what led Bi-Han to refuse to help him when he had the accident that took his life. The desire to make the Lin Kuei rule came after that; thinking about his mother, the things Sektor said, the tasks he received from Liu Kang…

I personally find this less vile than letting his own father die just to take over leadership as Scorpion claims he did (which doesn't even make sense since he would be made Grandmaster for being the oldest and having trained to take that position since childhood, anyway). And also, to me, this would align more with Sektor's bio, since she holds both of her parents in the highest regard.

Like, how could someone like her, who idolizes her parents, think of a man who let his own father die "out of pure impatience to lead" as a kindred spirit, supports him unconditionally and be so indifferent to the fact that he did such a thing?

Did she hate Bi-Han's father too? And if so, why?

Does she simply loves Bi-Han so much that she ignores her own moral values ​​to be with him?

Or did Bi-Han actually have a reason to hate him so much to the point of letting him die and she knows what it is (and naturally, she agrees)?

.....

[lady-of-the-puddle]

Hello hello, it is time once again for, you guessed it!

Rating Clu's

Homoerotically tense

Relationships

I thought long and hard about this because I only had about 2 in my head when I mistakenly threw it out there in another post but like, here you go 😎

Have a picture in case you forgot what cgi Jeff Bridges looks like:

Behold, a guy. Anyway

1. Kevin

He is the most obvious so I'll get this one out of the way

You are me and I am you but you are the darkest parts of me but I love you anyway

This begs the question:

Would you fuck your darker self/clone

Idk about u but my heart tells me that Kevin sure would

7/10 it's about the man vs self of it all

2. Jarvis (why is this photo so fuckin big??)

I know I said Kevin is the most obvious

But this guy has the biggest crush on Clu

He is simp supreme

Like the way he turns to Clu for approval after everything he says makes me feel like I should leave the room

He loses a point for being a dork coward but Sam's mascara is very pretty and he's also a Flynn so I can't blame him too much

9/10 go henchboy go

3. Rinzler

Fellas, is it gay to brainwash god's most specialest boyfriend and make him loyal to only you all while knowing god is still out there and can see what you've done to everything he loves? All while knowing he's nothing more than a pet and will never love you and wouldn't even if he could

Like talk about the ultimate rebound

No notes honestly, I don't even need to go on with this one

11/10 not even one girl(Quorra) could make this all seem a little less gay

4. Dyson

Another case of yoinking your exes boy but this time it was consensual

He literally just agrees with Clu and helped him take over

If that's not a basis for a strong relationship then idk what is

He really seems so desperate to stay in Clu's favor like he must know that tron is the real prize here, his bitter ex. Has there ever been so much dating drama between programs?

5/10 replaceable.

5. Sammy

It occurs to me now that he hasn't made it on these lists yet so everyone clap for him

I feel brave for even acknowledging this one

Is Clu his dad? Is he an entity separate but still containing qualities of his father at a certain point in time that forever diverged from the moment of conception? Idk he's a computer man

So like the part where he's just kinda circling Sam looking him up and down like he's a prized pig? Yeah.

CAUTION THIS IS A JOKE please for the love of Kevin don't cancel me over this

2/10 why the 2? Cause there's fics out there man I know it

6. Zuse

He's so babygirl

Clu even mixed him a drink before he blew him up

I love their dynamic I get the feeling if Clu had to spend more than 5 minutes around him he'd strangle him much sooner

Stoic asshole with the silly asshole

Honestly they're perfect for each other

10/10 what can I say? I'm a simple program I see two men interact and I rate them

Special mention:

7. Quorra

Now some of you might say, hey Puddle Girl, this isn't homoerotic at all she's a girl

Well they're programs so gender isn't real and also they're bi so it counts

Anyway I thought about this one cause there was this weird tense moment towards the end of the movie where Quorra is captured and Clu's just like, talking to her and touches her hair and it was uncomfortable but it also made me feel some type of way

Like I understand that it's 100% a power play BUT

😏

3/10 he was gonna add her to the boyfriend collection cause all he does is steal from Kevin

Hi in honor of my Tron themed birthday I finally finished this. I was really reaching for some of these as you can see but I can't take it too seriously anyway. I'm always here for the gay of it all but is it homoerotic or do they just need to put more people who aren't men in this franchise? We'll literally never know! 🙃

Hey @soihadthisdreamonce I'm sorry 5-10 business days turned into 5-10 business weeks I was moving and time got away from me but I didn't forget you

[sennenrings]

my (perhaps controversial) marauders sexuality headcanons

remus: I think remus is bi if only to cover for his canon feels for tonks. It probably takes him a long time to come to terms with the fact that he likes men because he so obviously likes women and you clearly can't like both, but once he discovers what bisexuality is he's cool with it. And I think he has a preference for men. Man or woman though, you have to come onto him. I can't see remus putting himself out there at all, any kind of relationship he has is set up by james.

sirius: sirius is gay and I truly believe that. His gay awakening was James but he kinda brushes that off as just really close friendship. And I think it is just really close friendship, he doesn't have any sexual feelings for James. So he'll date and sleep with a lot of women, always wondering why it doesn't feel right. But eventually he'll figure out that he's gay, have a pep talk with James, and then go back to his usual charming, confident self. He definitely wouldn't flaunt it, it's still the 70s, but he would be out to his friends and at some point stops publicly dating women.

in the case of wolfstar I prefer it when remus is the one having a sexuality crisis. I appreciate when it's sirius but I just think out of the two of them, sirius would be more confident in his sexuality.

james: he's straight to me im so sorry. HOWEVER he doesn't think it's gay to kiss the homies so they were kissing in that dorm room ALL the time. He would also cuddle with everyone after the full moon, it's their tradition. But anyway I think he really is only attracted to women and he's very secure in his masculinity.

peter: he's also straight to me but he DOES think it's gay to kiss the homies and he would be homophobic about it for a week until james and sirius peer pressured him and told him it wasn't actually gay. And during the post full moon cuddling he prefers to stay as a rat because that definitely means it isn't gay. But sometimes he'll cuddle in his human form just for fun. He definitely gets less homophobic over the years. Unlike james though he isn't as secure in his masculinity so when they're around other people he really tries to make himself seem as straight as possible.

lily: I don't really see her as anything but straight. But she would have very close relationships with her female friends. I also think that she would be open to trying anything once and would have sex with a woman and come out of it being like "that was fun but I'm definitely straight"

marlene: she is a mega lesbian. I think her awakening would be her dorm mates gossiping about how hot sirius is and marlene is totally repulsed. She would still date exactly one man before she actually came to terms with it though. After that, I think marlene is a deeply private person, and it's harder for women to be gay, so I don't think she's as confident in her sexuality as someone like sirius.

mary: I think she's bi with a preference for women. But I think she would repress that side of her for a number of reasons and would exclusively date men until she's like, 24 or something. Mary wouldn't let the repression affect her friendships with women though and I think she would feel closer to her friends than to any man.

regulus: I pretty much exclusively see him as straight. If he was bi or gay I think he would repress that side of himself because he knows that he has to carry on the Black family name and make an heir. If he had lived long enough I think he would have married some random pure blood woman, whoever he thought would appease his family. To think more positively, I think regulus could genuinely develop a good friendship with a nice (probably Slytherin) girl and be fine with marrying her and have a decently fulfilling life.

[arrumiekookie]

I've always seen Quentin Quire as truly cynical, broken, insecure yet MAGNIFICENT young mutant with a bi-curious tendency, but very much girl obsessed, young man (canon material is right there, he always TRYING to flirt with all the girls). He has so so much potential, that Logan sees himself in him and basically becomes his adoptive daddy because he is so troubled and powerful that he knows, left unchecked, he is a major problem.

It's sad and extremely funny, in romance he fails every single time. Just like his "daddy" too, but in a way less charismatic way.

Sophie Cuckoo rejected him, died, got resurrected by him after he spiraled and prefered to stay dead than be with him.

He kissed time displaced Jean Grey and got rejected. (These men love themselves some Jean Grey)

Tried to flirt with Laura Kinney and got rejected.

Tried to flirt with Illyana Rasputin and got rejected.

Gwenpool hated his guts, but there still was chemistry, so they hit it off... but then she breaks up with him via text message. Then when he is pinning over her and helping her understand she is a mutant, she just ignores his romantic advances completely lol

Phoebe Cuckoo ( yes, ANOTHER CUCKOO; get the twin sister if you can't get with the first choice I guess ) hides him from her sisters, not because she wants him only for herself, which actually is pretty manipulative to say... because she is embarassed of liking him and entertaining him in front of them. Even when she takes him to Jumbo Carnation, she says he was always great to her, but she had set it all up for a makeover session... something he did not ask for; even while Quentin was venting about his trauma, she already set this up without informing him.

She broke up with him because and let me paraphrase, he cares too much for her and that scares her, making Quentin spiral.

He is unlucky, or makes himself unlucky, he sabotages himself, because the only truly decent relationship, seeing eachother as equals and having mutual genuine interest and attraction, he fucks up. Idie.

Idie thought Quentin was temptation (gurl; stand up 🥴💀) because Hope told her to no matter what, stay away from him, which Idie obviously did not do; Quentin thought she was really attractive and approached her first. Idie and Quentin were friends, they had banter, they communicated openly, they were classmates, they got into trouble together, they saved eachother, they pushed eachother to be better. I dare even say that, after he dated her, he became more selfless and tried to help others against his better judgement. Like when he gave up the remnants of his phoenix force to save Jubilee and re-store her mutant powers.

And their interactions are all bittersweet, because there still are feelings there, undiscloused desires? Mayhaps.

This last one is the least incendiary relationship (when we don't take into account their possible futures) but the healthiest, because the relationship does not radicate in humiliation and denial, I'mma be honest.

Feel free to debate me.

I am really passionate about this.

[ambrosiagourmet]

Has anyone requested Marcille for the ask meme? If not then pls

Marcille!!!!!!!!!

First impression

Gay? Interesting elf girl with a really good design for a female character oh my god thank you. She gets to wear pants!!! It's a miracle!

Impression now

BELOVED HALF-ELF OF MY HEART... most determined member of the party, maybe second only to Laios. Not that it's a competition.

Girl who carries the weight of her existence in her heart everywhere she goes. Girl who doesn't know how to just exist because that would mean surrendering to the things time will take away from her. Girl with bloody knuckles who clings too tightly to the things she loves because she remembers a time when she didn't realize what they meant to her.

Girl who must shape a life too big to hold all at once. Who stares into that impossible task so unflinchingly that you kind of want to tell her to run away from it for a bit. Be a bit more of a coward, Marcille! But she doesn't have time to be a coward!! She's hurtling towards her goals at terminal velocity. But the same love that keeps her tumbling forward also pulls her back from the brink. Because she's still figuring out the balance.

Favorite moment

Rabbit chapter... my god rabbit chapter.........

Genuinely maybe my favorite chapter in the whole manga. It hits such an incredible peak of humor and raw emotion and impossibly ridiculous situations and grounded believable character writing. And no part of it is separate from the others.

What a fucking chapter. And what a fucking thesis for why Marcille is such a good character. Her being ridiculous and her being incredibly determined and her being powerful and her being scared are ALL part of her. Man. Marcille. She will do anything to pull through for her friends.

And then on top of it the way the Lion takes advantage of this moment to pull her strings. Which is just. So horrifying to watch because you want someone to give her a hug but all the people who would give her a hug are currently DEAD and she's left in a room along and exhausted with a manipulative, abusive, hungry opportunist. God. God. I love Rabbit Part II So Very Much.

Idea for a story

Umm hi sorry I am still busy thinking about Rabbit Part II. Please enjoy some shameless self promotion while I go lie down for a bit.

Unpopular opinion

She's bisexual!!!!! Normally I don't hold so fast to like "well canonically this character was into A Man so she can't be a lesbian blah blah blah" but it does bum me out that people ignore her succubus because I really do think that bi Marcille deserves more love. It doesn't make her any less into women sheesh.

Favorite relationship

Sorry I was thinking about Rabbit Part II again what was the question? Favorite relationship?

Yeah I dunno maybe Marcille and Laios? I kinda like the part where they rely on each other because there is no other way through and share an unnamed intimacy born in blood and bone and the way that they place impossible burdens on each other and owe each other their lives many times over and neither holds it against the other or asks for the repayment of debts that can never be repaid, choosing instead to keep walking into the future by each others sides because what else can you do. What else can you do.

They are pretty cool I guess. I'm normal about them though. Haha.

Favorite headcanon

I imagine that castle staff help Marcille with her hair on a day-to-day basis because leaving it just to personal friends and family would probably be impractical. But also I think Chilchuck, Laios, Falin, and also especially KABRU all learn enough to help her with it. I think that the first three learn some basic nice stuff but I think Kabru would get really into it.

That man could absolutely intensely hyperfixate on something like "nice hairstyles from another culture" for three to six months and come out the other side an expert.

[argentsunshine]

here is a new question and statement. happy pride month. what are your complex and convoluted gender and sexuality headcanons for all the phantom thieves and which of them have autism

happy pride month ♥️

akiras some kind of nonbinary but hes on probation so he doesn't really care about that right now <3 id say he's genderfluid or something like that. gender = wildcard. shes bi but we knew that.

ryuji is cis and he's "he's a little confused but he's got the spirit about transness . he isn't straight but he won't realise this until he's twenty one

ann has had the Very Affectionate Teen Girl Friendship thing going on with shiho for years and the realisation that she's gay has been brewing in the background for years but she doesn't fully realise it until she awakens to carmen

yusuke has the autism thing where your relationship to societal norms is sufficiently weird that "what gender are you" becomes a very difficult question to answer. he also kind of thinks everyone is kidding about attraction and hetero attraction specifically. is he gay? ace? aro? if you forced him to answer he'd spend 15 minutes talking and you still wouldn't have an answer

makoto can be transfem as a treat but she's so focused on being normal and socially acceptable and normal that she hasn't processed the gay part until about a week after awakening to johanna where she fills a notebook with points for or against the idea that she's into women. this does not help at all

futaba she/it transfem swag

haru I'm not really sure on gender but i think she realises shes gay in college but unlike ryuji where this rocks his entire world she's like oh that makes sense and moves on

akechi is a gay trans man but as previously discussed he's a binary trans guy teenager in 2016 who already has a superiority complex so it'll take him a few years to start being reasonable to other less normal and assimilationist and socially acceptable gay and trans people

i think sumi is straight not an insult to her i just think she is. she's the token straight who's become culturally queer because all her friends are gay

I've spoken about The Autism before i can't find the post but I'd just be repeating myself. ryuji and ann have adhd. nvm heres the post

[flints-black-spot]

I've recently seen a few people talking about media literacy in relation to Flint's sexuality and labels and figured I'd throw in my two cents on the discourse that seems to pop up every few months.

Because, I honestly think it does a disservice to Black Sails as a whole to focus on "gay vs. bi Flint" because like... does it matter? if Flint only has attraction to men, that doesn't change the fact that he's canonically, willingly, had sex with women (namely Miranda). But, on the other end of the spectrum, it's just as important to recognize how, societally and culturally, gender is a construct, which will inherently mean that sexuality is fluid! Flint can be a gay man with some level of attraction to women (hell, the majority of the fandom agrees that Anne is a lesbian, yet she's clearly in love and has sexual attraction to Jack, and that doesn't take away from her lesbianism!), and that attraction doesn't make him any less of a gay man! Or he could be bisexual, and that doesn't take away anything from the overarching narrative of his queer relationship with Thomas! The focus on a single 'correct' interpretation of his sexuality, in my mind, takes away from what the show is really trying to say about sexuality, which isn't the "this way" or "that way" to be queer, but the overarching connection that struggle and strife can bring to a community. (For a similar issue, see James Baldwin's response to critics arguing whether the main character from his novel Giovanni's Room is gay or bisexual, his response is incredible.)

And, on the other hand, it's also not entirely accurate or even fair to try and ascribe modern labels and perceptions of queerness to a character that existed long before those terms were even coined? In Flint's time, homosexuality was something a person did, not who a person was. While, yes, his queerness is inherent to his journey as a character, and he very clearly views it as a part of his identity, it's also very much worth noting that two things (homosexual love and desire, and heterosexual love and desire) can coexist, and not either way take away from his narrative as a whole.

Finally, then, there's the common thread of 'media literacy' in determining Flint's label (which, again, I honestly think is just a non-issue because it has such little impact on anything in meta discussions?). To present an opinion like "Flint is gay" is an example of an interpretation, one which can and should exist among others! To have a single, 'correct' interpretation of a piece of media, especially one like Black Sails, is an inherently flawed idea, because every interpretation should have its own merit on its own. Flint can be both bi and gay, and both arguments have perfectly equal weight, but in the end, it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of Black Sails meta. Either way, Flint is queer, and that queerness was a defining feature of his character for the rest of the show. To assign such importance to "gay or bi" just feels unimportant.

[hptrash-lookaway]

Personally, I’m a little bit annoyed in time travel fics whenever they make it so that Walburga is just. like. a victim of the Wizarding World patriarchy

Reasons it annoys me:

• I actually like it in fantasy when they move away from regular bigotry, it’s so funny to me when they’re like “you can be gay, straight, bi, trans, whatever, as long as you aren’t muggleborn”, like it’s fantasy, I want fantasy bigotry, I don’t want real life “women are seen as less” bigotry

• It feels like,,, infantilizing? Like how there’s such a pushback against women actually being villains, it feels like people don’t even want to let them be complex villains, they’re always like morally gray or victims of circumstance, like “oh no, girls can never be villains uwu all women are secretly too much of cinnamon rolls to ever do something bad and have no agency in their life and only do something if a man pushes them into it uwu” not a fan of it.

(I know some people probably feel the opposite because Bellatrix is usually completely villainized whereas other death eaters get to be more sympathetic in fandom spaces, but I think that’s just because of the ratio of women to men, like Pettigrew is never sympathetic in fandom spaces, but the impact of that isn’t as big when there’s so many other guys, meanwhile, the closest other female “death eater” (even tho she’s not actually one) is Narcissa, who usually is also seen as pretty sympathetic as a lot of people chalk up her involvement to Lucius pushing her into it)

(I guess there’s also a discussion to be had about how people are not sympathetic to Umbridge, but are sympathetic to Petunia, when both are cartoonishly evil (a cupboard. when they had a whole other room. you can’t justify this.), but that’s a whole conversation on fatphobia that I don’t feel qualified to breach, again tho, Petunia, to the people who sympathize with her for some reason, is once again seen as a wife who has no control over actions and how she treats children because of her husband)

• Walburga specifically being changed to be like a wife stuck in her circumstances annoys me, because we know from her portrait she’s a full on bigot who does not believe in being quiet

Like I think it would be fun to explore if she had a more complex relationship with her kids (I saw a post forever ago from someone implying that they think that Sirius might actually know how to remove the portrait, but doesn’t, because at the end of the day, that is his mother, and there doesn’t seem to be portraits of anyone else from his family, and that was an interesting concept)

But Walburga is infinitely more interesting as a prideful woman who put all her stock into the family name and brought it down due to her own actions by throwing herself into a cult and trying to force her children to do the same

Again tho, it’s mostly just a small annoyance, I can usually roll my eyes and keep reading, but I just wanted to put my thoughts out there, especially when Orion isn’t sympathetic, when in canon we get way more of Walburga actively being a horrible bigot to characters we love

[buddieisgoingcanon25]

I’m sick and tired of hearing “buddie is never going to happen” because buck is with tmmy. Like I’m sorry. It pisses me off so much because for those who have watch since s1, we have wanted queer buck for SO LONG and we always were told “you guys are delusional” or “it’s never gonna happen” by the GP AND the SR”. IN IN INTERVIEWS canonically, at the time, THEY ALL talked about buck as STRAIGHT. 9-1-1 s1 came out in 2018 and here we are in 2024. It took them 6 years to make bi buck. As a buddie and someone who viewed these characters as queer coded, i always knew on FOX, it wasn’t going to happen. But now on ABC they made bi buck in ONE EPISODE. ONE!! Of course you are going to see posts about BuckTommy because people they are a couple who touch and kiss. We are to believe in a heteronormative society, that’s what shows you aS bi/queer/gay/etc. what we do know, in the show, the buck and Eddie/Christopher dynamic is the most different from everyone else in the show. Buck and Eddie both have been queer coded from the beginning of the show and NOW we are being policed as to what we are allowed to think? If anything, those same individuals who are policing your thoughts about gay/queer Eddie, they better have been shocked/angry/confused about bi buck if they “NEVER” viewed buck as a queer coded character. They scream “endgame” but yet has less screen time than Natalia. Ali had less but even her character we knew them AS A COUPLE. how are you screaming “endgame” but never did with Ali, Taylor, or Natalia or when buck said “i think she sees me”. Did they forget the way Oliver spoke about Natalia and bucks relationship after the finale? That’s what gets me??? While everyone (myself included) was happy we got bi buck and (yes even Tommy), but that was BEFORE i remembered who he was as a character. You need to ask, Are people excited because Buck is bi and dating/kissing tommy or simply because he’s a bisexual character who happens to be DATING A MAN. I’ve seen more of those people who ship BuckTommy, defend Tommy previous actions but then blame buck for his and don’t LOOK INTO the relationship for what it is. Becuase if they did, if Tommy was a FEMALE LI, her character would be getting ripped to shreds. Not dressing up. The disgusting comments. Not caring for buck. I can go on lol.

but if he was simply the “fun uncle” why did they make buck be the one to tell Christopher what happened to his dad? Why make Chris call buck when his dad was breaking down. Why did Chris leave to buck on the chances of his dad dating again. Why does the show continue to have buck be involved in HUGE moments in Chris’s life. Why involve buck in 7x10. Why CONTINUE to have him be there with the Diaz family? When Christopher left. Why? Why? Why? Why have the show allude to “good cop bad cop” and BOTH answering no. Why, “he takes Christopher there all the time” (the zoo). Why does buck essentially have be there, for Chris, after his dad is in the hospital ? Carla was already there and yet he’s there? Eddie has the breakdown? Buck takes him to school. Buck helping Chris with his school projects/homework? Buck Diaz having multiple dinners together? That’s the fun uncle? Where is all this with bucks own niece? Last but not least, they LOVE to use “Buck is a scapegoat” in 7x10 but Eddie himself says to Buck “I-I don't need you to explain it to him, I just...I need you to check in on him. I'm worried. He won't come out”. There he is never one asking anything of buck but to simply see how Chris is doing after everything. NEVER does he try to sway Chris’s opinions or trick him or anything of the sort. It reminds me of the talk Chris and buck had in earlier seasons of where Chris ran to buck. And buck and Chris simply had a heartfelt talk. Where is dynamic between chimney and Denny? They had 1 SCENE throughout the whole 7 seasons. Chim and hen have been friends LONGER. Where there the dinners scenes. Where are the school projects?

This season unfournately had 10 episodes. They did bi buck in 1 episode. BuckTommy had 3 dates (failed pizza date), second coffee date (where Buck gets Tommy order wrong and invites him to the wedding literally days after coming out?(SPEEDING RUNNING THE RELATIONSHIP) and then the dinner scene. 2 kisses. That’s it. Nothing special in comparison to his previous relationships. I’m sorry. This season in terms of Eddie, he also SPED RUN (or attempted) to with M. He moved her in quicker than when he was dating Ana. And yet, when he saw all her boxes, when does he do? Asks her to move out”. But why? It shows he’s more interested in her than Ana right? What gets me, is, in both relationship, specially Ana, they were lovely. I liked them together. What stopped them from being married. If Eddie ONLY wants a mother role for Christopher, there was his oppporotuinity. But just like Shannon told Eddie “i don’t need a provider, i need a husband”. If Eddie and Ana, were to get married, he would need to be IN LOVE WITH HER. Not only become a “step mom” to Chris. Eddie admitting he has catholic guilt. This season, AGAIN, was a continuation of Eddie doing for Christopher. He wants Christopher to have a “mother role”. Going into s8, this will be the first time, he has no girlfriend and NO CHRISTOPER. When was the last time this? Oh i didn’t know? Maybe before HE MET SHANNON!! Eddie had to grow up at the age of 10. He had to be “the man of the house”. He wasn’t allowed to be like his friends. Why he allowed to cry, was he allowed to express any emotions? This was at the age of 10. I can see this season Eddie going back to his childhood and having the opportunity to understand who is he WITHOUT his son and a partner.

I desperately hope we get an Eddie Begins Again episode this season… like you said. It would do him a lot of good to see what went wrong before he knew Shannon and had Chris. It would also make for some amazing Buddie moments interspersed with young Eddie moments.

[slocumjoe]

Do you have any random headcanons about any of the comapnions that you want to get off your chest?

Oh, 100%. A lot of this is mostly inter-personal headcanons, how they react to each other. Very found-family based, heavily pushing my "Hancock and Danse become besties" agenda. Less based on the individual. Oh, and follows the "all move to Sanctuary" thing, so people who don't like that might not buy in to this.

Companion Headcanon Grab-bag

Cait; Really confused about her sexuality internally. Has changed her mind on her labels so many times. Is she gay? Bi? Pan? Straight? Ace? Sex-repulsed? Hypersexual? She likes sex sometimes and other times she hates the concept. What's her type of person, if any? What does she want out of a relationship? Just sex? What would she need in a partner? Tries to not think about it, so damn confusing. Just follows her whims. Would get on great with an elder queer person, really needs some guidance there. Also, has a fear of monkeys, apes, etc. Jangle toys and those cymbal monkeys. Fucking horrifying.

Codsworth; Babies the other companions like a mom. Putters around the bunkhouse making sure Piper eats something before she's out the door, cleaning up after Hancock's midnight snack, picking MacCready's coat off the back of a chair, hovering to block Danse's view of the coffee pot as Nick adds honey and sugar for him specifically. It's one house with a dozen adults of questionable emotional and mental stability. It's a robot butler's Olympics. Outside of the others...has spent two centuries trying to kill one single radroach. Its the same one, he's sure of it. It lives under the bridge and appears only under a full moon. It is his mortal enemy.

Curie; The most intimidating girl in the bunkhouse, not Cait. Because Curie doesn't put up with any bullshit. You look pale, come here and let—come here and let her feel your forehead. Too hot, you're taking the day off. She'll make you some tea—no, Danse, she doesn't care if that one joint on your Power Armor is bugging you. Bed. Does she need to go get Nick? She'll get Nick. Excellent! What kind of tea would you like? Curie is very sweet and caring, but she’s a hardass when it comes to the health of her compatriots. And you can't just...refuse. Maybe you could, but...no one's ever tried. Even Gage gives up once she smiles and tilts her head, but narrows her eyes. Fucking Gage.

Danse; You can tell he's feeling under the weather, be it mental or physical, if he hides from Curie. Danse ends up getting on pretty well with Hancock, Nick, Cait, and Preston once he's better from BB. Hancock reminds him a lot of Cutler, in some ways. Cait reminds him of many Initiates, hotheaded and eager but lost on their place in the world. Nick mentors him on the synth thing, and he and Preston are very similar. Once he's mostly adjusted from everything, adopts a...questionable wardrobe, things he would have worn in the Brotherhood if not for the uniform. Adores gaudy, odd-patterned shirts, bright colors.

Deacon; After the Institute is dealt with, by any means, and he has something of a support group with Sole and the others...goes back to Deacon. Its hard, it takes a lot of time, but he stops the home-grown identity crisis. He grows his hair out again, gets a charming grey-red stubble. Still likes costumes and such, but he tries to stay the one person, not fake anything. Again, very difficult. But he tries. Has an odd kinship with X6-88. X6-88 tries to figure out his identity, Deacon tries to relearn his. Also gets along better with Danse and Hancock, understands the "who am I" thing. But the real pals? Deacon and Jun Long. Jun's hype man. Gets what he went through; University Point was destroyed long after Deacon left, but that was still his home. And losing his son...Deacon respects that Jun kept chugging. Tries to help him regain his confidence.

Gage; This is a domesticated Gage, as much as Gage can be domesticated. Always has a horrific story that he likes to pepper into conversations. Deacon tries to one-up him, but Gage always wins, partially because Gage is telling the whole-ass truth. Never says anything about himself, though. Socially hovers around Longfellow, really curious about all of his stories. But Gage keeps his distance far, faaaar from everyone else. Marcy Long swung a folding chair at him, his first day visiting Sanctuary. Thinks little of Preston at first, but the moment he notices that they're almost the same person, just on the other side of the coin, has a crisis. Catches himself not criticizing Preston at one point, when he could have, and has to start a fistfight with him to feel better. Gets along great with Shaun and other local kids, who are into his raider stories. Marcy keeps hunting him for sport, though, so he only has a few minutes to talk before a rake goes for the other eye.

Hancock; Opinion of Danse does a complete flip the very second Danse apologizes. Hancock rubbed it all in his face, took schadenfreude in it. Then Danse's mental health dissolved into goo, and it stopped being funny. And then Hancock felt like fucking shit when the racist technofacist was the bigger man who felt terrible looking back on everything. It took time for their relationship to go from hostile, to civil, to friendly, but Hancock is basically a sphinx cat that wants to drape himself over Danse and cuddle all day. Danse, for his part, is grateful that Hancock could forgive him at all. Also, considers MacCready a brother, no exaggeration. Bobby is his little brother, Duncan is his nephew, blood be damned. It's good for him, after what happened with McDonough. Still refuses to process that. He never was on good terms with him, anyway, but...nope, not thinking about it. Doesn't do chems around Duncan, knows Bobby is iffy about it.

MacCready; Really didn't want to introduce Hancock to Duncan, for fear of Duncan having some...lingering memories about Ghouls. Nope. Duncan loves Uncle John to the moon and back. If Hancock isn't hugging on Danse, he's hugging on Duncan. Also befriends Jun, though he feels some guilt at his baby having survived. MacCready spends a lot of his downtime trying to educate himself, reads. Does those school workbooks if he can find them. Is really entertained by the notes left from the students using them, then gets miserable when he thinks about what happened to them. Incredible at any accuracy-based game. Don't challenge this man to ping-pong.

Nick; Resident therapist. Has, in earnest, considered installing a confessions box in the bunkhouse. Just when he thinks he's heard the worst of their lives, Hancock will remember that his brother buried him alive, or Piper mentions that her dad kept twitching at the funeral as they burned him, or Gage says one sentence about an ex-boyfriend. Then he reminds himself, yeah, these kids are Traumatized with a capital T. Wishes he could drink. Has a list of people to check on in order of priority, every week. Preston is first, Gage is last. Both reasons being, both have so many issues, but won't talk about them. Bangs his head on a wall when he notices this. Sits with Codsworth some afternoons and they share a private nervous breakdown. Has considered getting a gen 3 body, but...he'd want a custom, not someone else's, like Curie's situation. And not like OG Nick, either. Himself. Whatever that looks like.

Piper; Not over her parents dying and never will be. She was 14 when her dad died. Mom died giving birth to Nat. Had to be a mom, and then a mom and a dad, when she herself was a kid, still. Clings to the newspaper because it was all she had, her only power as a little girl alone in the Commonwealth with a toddler. Things get easier, but never less painful. Relocating to Sanctuary made things a bit better, especially since McDonough couldn't threaten to throw them out anymore. Jumped and screamed in place when she was proven right about him. Stopped when she noticed Hancock upset. Continued when she was out of his view, but quieter. Befriends everyone to some extent, but Gage. Gage has some...irritating opinions on the press, chief being, "Hey, you got everyone to kill each other, sounds like. What, that weren't the goal?"

No. What kind of name is Porter, anyway? Ugh.

Preston; So much pent up anger and frustration. Will never let it out. The restraint it takes to keep from maiming Gage like a fucking alligator could hold up the Prydwen if made a physical force. Very confused on what Gage thinks of him, though. Seems to change daily. But hey, he's always down to throw Gage out of a window. 10/10 way to spend an afternoon, eagerly looking forward to next time. Goes drinking with Danse often. Keeps an eye on Nick, sends Sturges his way if he starts making odd noises when he moves. Tries to keep some distance from the others. He lost people he thought family on Quincy...and some them, they didn't die. That was the bitterest thing of all, that they lived before anyone else.

X6-88; Has an interest in art but loathe to act on it. Very attached to his coat. Had a father figure in the Institute, was his personal servant. That man was killed by a rogue synth. X6-88 joined the courser program after the funeral. Protective of Shaun, ends up being popular with his child friends/classmates, who are all curious about the tall, dark man who doesn't speak much but holds Shaun's hand. Privately, X6-88 considered himself a child, young, once. Shaun is literally a child synth. That has to be confusing, being the ghost of dead man, made for his living parent. Dislikes Gage the most, dislikes Piper and Danse the least. Learns to respect Preston, even if he disagrees on his philosophies; at least someone on the top was trying to restore the world, even if it wasn't quite working. Has a fondness for sour apple candy.

[celtrist]

Oh, I love the examples and your thought process as well! It's actually fits pretty well for Alastor to not be into wearing feminine clothes in this au, it just adds onto this idea that Vaggie is obviously struggling with the concept of being friendly towards someone who she has already set her mind on as dangerous and not trustworthy and who is a man(and considering her previous experience with Adam... Kinda fair). This and obsession making her feel the pull towards him is causing her to think that the only way for her to actually like him is if he wasn't a man. Maybe she should practice what she said during trust exercises with Angel and Sir Pentious, and see that in combat he was proven times and times again to at least be reliable protector and outside of combat he is at least not sabotaging hotel's functioning intentionally and is actually worth to be treated like less of the immediate active threat and more like a person? Of course not, better replace his clothes with dresses and set up traps that result in him getting injured and you know, safety of hotel being potentially compromised, even if temporarily?

Apologies for rather passionate speech, I just find Vaggie's possible thought process under effect of the curse and how it's potentially sabotaging safety of the hotel rather interesting. Not to discard others' efforts into making sure their demon ex radio tower is never leaving that tower again, but they are not flailing the spear of permadeath around on daily basis

-Tragedy anon

She would kinda be a bit of a danger to everyone else, wouldn't she? I think she'd try to make sure her traps are specific to Alastor only (putting them in places Alastor typically is like outside his door or in a spot he normally sits in the lounge area and the like), but she's probably hurt some of the residents by accident. In those cases I think Charlie would be a bit upset but gives Vaggie a slap on the wrist. I imagine everyone else does not like Vaggie very much, which is something I never quite thought of. Like yes, hotel residents are gonna be a little more tense around each other. While I was initially thinking of characters like Angel, Husk, and Pentious would be relatively okay with Vaggie aside from a few disagreements, I can see them just not liking her at all with all the shit she pulls to try and hurt Alastor. And that's pretty sad considering that does make her more isolated with only Charlie in her corner.

But yeah, Vaggie's already natural distrust towards Alastor mixed with the obsession AU does make for a pretty nasty combo. I can see if she finally had Alastor alone and bound in a bed, dressed like a woman, she'd still be hesitant to lay down with him (nothing DIRTY, get your head out of the gutter...). So even having a sort of "perfect situation" for her, Vaggie would STILL have a hard time fully loving/enjoying Alastor. But of course, even without the distrust that pesky curse will creep around the corner and damage her and Alastor's relationship. On the bright side, traps would more or less cease with none that actually harm him really. The downside, Vaggie would not hesitate to love Alastor as much. So her distrust is a double-edged sword for Alastor as it makes her avoid doing too much to him in the affections department, but BOY does that mean he needs a higher pain tolerance.

You kinda got it nail in the coffin with her wanting to make Alastor a woman to better trust him. That is a large driving force with that because I feel like any other lesbian character would just be like "he's the exception" or "I guess I'm bi just for this one guy". And I won't lie, the initial thought (and still kinda is) is that Vaggie's a lesbian but still is in love with Alastor. So confusion leads to: "If I make him a woman, all will be good and make sense". It wasn't about her distrust as much as she's a lesbian and would only be interested in Alastor if he was a woman. So she'll try to make him a woman so she can be in love with him more comfortably. I don't know if I'm making sense here, the point is, I honestly did not think that deeply about Vagging forcing Alastor to be a woman other than that she's a lesbian. That is literally it, I won't even lie. But the distrust towards him in part of being a man due to her past experiences with Adam (and perhaps others, who knows) definitely makes her forced feminization of Alastor more interesting and in-depth. It definitely is a lot more thoughtful than the route I was going which, while certainly still part of the case why she puts the man in feminine clothes, is definitely more of a side thing compared to just that level of distrust and confusion against him to be a driving force into why she does it! I can only imagine how her mind is so muddled with how to feel towards Alastor with her already designating him as a danger and enemy, but the curse keeping her tied to wanting him in the same way she wants Charlie. I can only imagine how she'd feel being able to reflect on her actions and relationships in either heaven or the ending that has the curse gone.

I never thought crazy much about Vaggie, she was one of the earliest characters I thought of for ideas though. It probably comes in part of I don't think much of her character in the actual show either, so she's not a character often on the mind. So it's crazy to think someone's dissecting this much from it (and incredibly flattering! It's still pretty weird and super cool to be getting questions in general, but questions about an AU I made!). I've got some pretty creative thinkers lingering around!

[fsfghgee]

What other thoughts do you have on Madame Bo? She interested me even more than the guest characters. And how do you think she and Sektor get along with the other Linkuei we already know?

By the way, I really like your blog 🧚‍♀️

.... ....

Like all Lin Kuei, Madam Bo trained since childhood to better serve the clan.

Although the Lin Kuei are an ancient warrior clan with the duty of defending Earthrealm, Madam Bo, as a former Lin Kuei and a former warrior leader, traveled to many realms and among them OutWorld on missions when she was part of the clan.

On one of her missions, Madam Bo met a citizen of OutWorld, who at first she believed was plotting against Earthrealm, but turned out to be an ally who over time ended up becoming something more.

Madam Bo's loyalty to the Lin Kuei made her decide to end her relationship with the OutWorlder, due to her duty lie in Earthrealm and that of her suitor in OutWorld.

After some time alone, Bo decided to give a chance to her childhood friend, an master armorer, who ended up becoming her partner and the father of her only daughter.

Madam Bo has been training Kung Lao and Raiden since childhood.

She was there when Kung Lao spoke his first words. And according to her, ever since he was born he has been making excuses for not doing something he should just because he doesn't want to.

She considers Kung Lao and Raiden as her sons. Raiden is her favorite student and she would like to have more like him, one Kung Lao is enough.

Before the attack on Kuai Liang and Harumi's wedding, Kung Lao had never met Sektor. The only skilled female fighters in Earthrealm that he knew were Madam Bo and Raiden's sister. For him and Raiden, finding out that Madam Bo had a daughter and that she was so different from her mother was a shock.

Madam Bo's favorite pastime is cooking. Opening a restaurant after leaving the Lin Kuei was her first idea.

Madam Bo's special tea is strong enough to cause hallucinations.

Kung Lao's stubbornness and soft body tests Madam Bo's patience. Sometimes she can't help but hit him on the head with her big spoon.

Although the Lin Kuei's act as thugs threatening Madam Bo and attacking her restaurant was merely a test for Kung Lao and Raiden and designed by Madam Bo herself, Sektor was not happy to learn that her elderly mother agreed to Smoke throwing her off the balcony, and even less to learn that Kung Lao had injured Bi-Han.

Sektor doesn't get along with Smoke and Scorpion now. But she used to get along with both of them as much as Bi-Han did, except that in any dispute between them, she would take Bi-Han's side.

Sektor loves her mother, but as a true daddy's girl, she has never hidden her favoritism for her father since she was little, and before she started following Bi-Han, the man she followed everywhere was her father. And her father, in turn, always gave her everything she wanted and never denied her anything. Even though she spends less time with her father now due to her responsibilities as second-in-command of the Lin Kuei, her father is still her best friend and confidant.

Although only for passing by, due to her duties as a warrior leader and to her family, as well as for her mission to train Kung Lao and Raiden naturally create a distance between her and the Grandmaster's family, Madam Bo has known Bi-Han and his brothers since childhood.

Madam Bo didn't disapprove of her daughter's relationship with Bi-Han at first, but she does now.

Sektor's actions embarrass Madam Bo.

Madam Bo was very surprised to hear about what Bi-Han has done, especially because in her presence, he was always on his best behavior.

Sektor and her mother disagree on many things except when it comes to their fighting skills. Sektor admires her mother's fighting skills and has become a great warrior to honor her mother's legacy in the Lin Kuei. Madam Bo knows how skilled her daughter is and how powerful she has become.

Training Raiden's sister has made her think more of Sektor than usual. Even though the two have little in common and very different personalities.

Madam Bo didn't allow Kung Lao to join Tomas and Kuai Liang in Raiden's sister's test because she knew it would distract the girl. She knows how sad the young woman was that Kung Lao hasn't written to her in a long time.

Madam Bo enjoyed getting to know Tomas and Kuai Liang better when Tomas finally fulfilled his wish to visit her restaurant for a meal instead of a fight.

Being away from her family to train future Shaolin monks and champions of Earthrealm wasn't a life she chose, but she is certainly honored to have received this mission from Lord Liu Kang.