#lots of girls play league and don't say shit about their gender

[leagueoflegends-confessions]

From one girl to another: nobody cares if you're a girl and play League. We play for the game, not for someone to throw their gender identity around. If I wanted to know about you, I'd ask, but I really don't care. The only reason people actually respond to the "I'm a girl statement" is because they're fucking tired of it, even I am tired of it. We just want to play the damn game and hopefully win.

Artwork by @mcdobo

[bunnozi]

7/11 - (soft dabi x reader) <3

summary:

dabi gets soft on your regular 4am trip to 7/11.

as a villain, there's always pros and cons.

for example, some cons may be: never being able to see your family. friends. anybody considered 'innocent. unless, of course, it's to kill them.

or, that could be a good thing. whatever floats your boat, I guess.

for you, the pros seemed worth it enough to abandon everything, everyone else. you ran away from home, ditched the shitty public school you attended that never seemed to appreciate your quirk enough--and started to play by your own rules.

no more curfew, nobody to say when you can and can't use your quirk, or HOW you use it. pure freedom.

like I said, the pros outweighed the cons.

××××

"hey! runt, come with me for a cigarette run, eh?"

ahh yes, how you ended up here. the fucking league of villains. past you from a short year ago would be ecstatic!

up with the big guys now, actually a part of something worth your while.

but back to the current situation...

it was normal for dabi to drag you along consistently for 4am 7/11 runs. you'd get some monster and him a pack of cigarettes, gum for toga (bubblegum, of course), whatever twice was in the mood for that night, (spinner secretly liked when you got him a pack of those barbecued meal works, but that was your little secret)--and shigaraki just sneered when you offered to bring him back something.

what a prick.

"brat! you got cotton in your ears or somethin'?" dabi shouts from across the room impatiently. "grab your shit, we're leaving in 5."

you give a small nod of your head and quickly jogged to throw on a hoodie lying around--most likely one of shiggy's--and pulled on your shoes.

dabi's waiting at the back door of the make-shift hideout when you look up, and then you're both off into the pitch black night.

×××

darkness used to scare you. especially because of your gender, the harsh, and often unforgiving world past dark used to be a nonexistent part of your life. you stayed away, like a good little girl.

you knew you had a strong quirk, with so much potential! but with no training or recognition from school, and your parents, it was almost useless.

but now with the league, who were better mentors than your stupid school could ever dream of being, you're better. stronger. not some weak little kid anymore.

it's amazing, really. the feeling of walking around at night in the dark, and not being fearful. because now you're the one to be feared.

walking around with dabi is especially empowering. not that you doubt yourself or your own strength, but it's an even bigger ego booster to be side by side with the blue flame user.

dare say, you may even have developed an attraction to him!

not just his quirk, or even his looks, but his personality drew you in. he's always been supportive of your decision to become independent, never says anything passive aggressive or judgmental like your parents! and overall, he's your number one 'hyper upper'. (side note: just say hype man, author).

soon, you can see the florescent lights of the 7/11 in the distance and will yourself to stop daydreaming.

"so, what's on the list for today?" you question the man next to you, rocking on your heels. he stops walking and shoves a hand in his pocket, rifling around. there's a crinkle of paper and a wadded up sticky note is fished out.

he unballs the list and squints down at it, clicking his teeth.

"wow, looks like handjob finally decided to stoop down to our 'rodent' level and ask for something," he gives a dick-ish smile, and it seems like the cutest thing in the world to you. anyone else might find his face scary, definitely gross, maybe even nauseating. but for your psychotic ass…seeing the way his cheeks crinkle and his eyes glint gives you butterflies in the stomach.

you laugh at his crude comment, shaking your head.

"damn, i was sure the next time i pestered him about it he'd turn me into dust." dabi turns unexpectedly serious for a moment, and you furrow your eyebrows in concern. had you said something wrong..?

"dabi...?"

dabi looks you dead in the eyes and turns to face you, taking a deep breath.

"just...don't worry, okay? i'd never let that jerk-off lay one of his greasy mitts on you. that's a promise! i know we mess around a lot, but-" he looks uncomfortable with the display of such emotion, but covers it up with false confidence. "-you matter to me, even with how irritating you can be.."

he raises a pinky expectantly, and you stand there mouth gaping. "well? gonna pinky promise me or not pipsqueak?" he smirks.

you blink a few times, as if to make sure you're not dreaming or tripping balls (food at the hideout is always questionable) and give a dumb nod, linking pinkies with him, his hands rough against yours.

you boldly grip a calloused hand in yours and tug him in after you, grinning all the way and arm swinging behind you. he chuckles while tightening the hold, and you both stroll through the glass doors at last.

dabi looks satisfied, and turns to the lit up building once again.

"now come on, we got shit to steal. coming? or you just gonna stand there and wait for them to call the cops?"

you snort and stare at him indignantly, "of-of course not! who do you take me for, some dumb hero?"

yeah, being a villain always has some cons. but the pros are always ever-sweeter.

[purple-spring]

Why do people act like CM is the ultimate milestone? Movie felt so flat to me. Alita and Wonder Woman are better movies showing 2 woman being strong and compassionate without letting audience know every 5 minutes they are women. Unfortunately since both don't have the Marvel stamp on it they're ignored while the former is put on a pedestal.

Before we begin, can I just say how freaking great it is that we can have this conversation? That we can actually compare these female-led superhero movies because there are more than one? What a time to be alive. Because regardless of whether we agree on this or not, the fact that we are having dialogue about this is progress. People might say that we shouldn’t have competition between these films, but you know what? Competition is a healthy indicator of quality. It means there’s more than one. It means that we can hold onto one more interpretation of the female experience. It means that there are diverse and excellent representations of womanhood within the current superhero framework that are courting the favour of cinema goers everywhere. So, I’m leading with that. I’m excited I got this ask, anon!

But anyway - on to the main points of contention.

I can’t speak on behalf of Alita, but I find it very difficult to believe that Wonder Woman was ignored and didn’t get the hype it deserved. Before Aquaman came out and smashed the box office, WW was DC’s biggest critical and commercial success. It was EVERYWHERE. It’s been two years since its release, hence the hype has died down, but for a moment there, it was The One. I blame clunky follow-up storytelling on DC’s part for the disruption to WW’s momentum (i.e. Justice League, but that still did well at the box office), but nevertheless, Wonder Woman is still a big-ass deal, and the second film is going to melt everyone’s faces off. #BringBackSteve

So, anyway, why is Captain Marvel being lauded as a huge thing? I feel like there are a number of factors that are conflating to make it a Milestone Moment™. Here are a few:

Our current socio-political climate means that we’re hungry for a Fearless Girl. We all want representation. Supply and demand. Simple. 

Marvel is currently hot shit. The Marvel base is huge. HUGE. I’m mainly a Riverdale blog and I mostly follow RD/aesthetic blogs, and Marvel still manages to cross over onto my dash. My friends aren’t “fandom fans” by any stretch, but they are constantly talking about Marvel theories. Now why is that? I’d have to say a lot of built-in public goodwill. There’s real trust that Marvel knows how to build a narrative and a universe with tight storylines and excellent marketing. DC is great, but doesn’t quite have the same track record. 

We all hate Thanos and want him to be punched with thunder girl fists. Captain Marvel is sandwiched between Infinity War and Endgame - an intense period of superhero angst. It’s riding on the anticipation building between those two, but it’s also setting up a new era for Marvel as a whole bunch of fan favourites prepare to bow out. The fans are hyped, and for good reason. Also, we just want all our faves to be okay. Captain Marvel has been set up as the answer to Thanos’ stupid face, and that’s awesome.

Brie Larson is an actual icon. When a woman uses her influence and platform for good, publicly shading an actor at THE OSCARS to show him and everyone else that she refuses to court the favour of someone who’s been accused of sexual harassment, I’m gonna stand up and cheer for that. The utter disdain she gave Casey Affleck was the greatest. And now I get to look up to her as an iconic superhero, one of the strongest in the MCU? *grabby hands* Give me more.

Actual, nuanced asylum seeker commentary in the guise of alien refugees vs. space colonisers? Uh, yeah. Yes please.

(Now I’m gonna backtrack a little bit here and say that between the two, Wonder Woman is actually the better film. Captain Marvel IS flat in parts. BUT. Audiences are now familiar with Marvel’s MO. They know that they’re playing the long game here. Captain Marvel is our orientation and introduction into the Carol Danvers story, which means that it’ll only build up from here.)

And now to this point: “Alita and Wonder Woman are better movies showing 2 woman being strong and compassionate without letting audience know every 5 minutes they are women.”

Can I ask, honestly, why we would assume that this is a problem?

Carol’s gender is central to her struggle. She stands in for the many women who are gaslighted into thinking that they need to hold themselves back in order to be legitimised by the patriarchy. As Sarah from LaineyGossip put it, “The villain in Captain Marvel is not who you think, and really, the biggest villain is just the assumption that Carol, on her own, isn’t good enough for, or worthy of, the opportunity she’s been given.” That is a very female experience. So if I’m reminded every five minutes that Carol is a woman - which, to be honest, I didn’t really get - I have no problem with that. The film isn’t making any apologies about what kind of message it’s sending across, and judging from the current box office intake, I’m guessing it’s a popular message.

This is probably a much longer answer than you were expecting, anon (lol), but I’m glad I got the opportunity to discuss it. I think this dialogue is important, particularly as films and television are experiencing the growing pains of wider representation and changing audience demands. 

Thanks for this ask! I hope some of this made sense.