#when you make a man feminine he automatically turns into a villain

[narrativeninja]

The Necessary Feminization of Heroes

The rise of superheroes is a phenomenon worth studying in its own right. The birth of heroes like Superman and Batman came at a time of great unrest in history. World war II was looming, and the threat of atomic annihilation was on everyone’s mind.

It’s no coincidence that the more recent popularity of superhero films began at a time of great economic unrest. We revived the old heroes, longing for a previous stability that had been lost.

The initial hype for the films was exciting, but most of that excitement seems to have fizzled off. Some blame the mediocrity of the films, but perhaps it’s because of a limited concept of what a hero can be.

They all seem to be cardboard cutouts of the same concept: a punchy do-gooder. Sometimes writers try to throw in some angst or romance to make it more interesting, but it doesn’t help much. There’s little character development, because we already know what the “hero” is supposed to be.

Their job is to be the lone ranger that punches the bad guys to save the victims. That’s all. Their work consists of punching and shooting. Nothing else.

The individuals they save play no role and have little identity besides being a helpless victim to be saved.

The plot becomes predictable because we know that no matter what, the hero is going to find a way to punch/shoot the bad guy. The villain will do nothing except get punched, the victim will do nothing but be saved.

That’s not always a bad thing. Sometime formulaic stories are enjoyable, like in detective dramas. I’m also not on an anti violence tirade. I’m just saying that interesting characters should have more, and a “hero” should have a wider definition.

One of the contributing factors of this homogeneity is the fact that most of our heroes bear masculine traits*, regardless of the individual character’s gender (more on that later). It’s possible, however, to have a hero that bears feminine traits, and it completely changes they way they relate to their world.

*When I mention the masculine and feminine, I don’t want to refer to stereotypes or some kind of idea that all men are/should be X or all women are/should be Y, nor am I talking about about gender identity. I’m speaking in the archetypal, conceptual sense, referring to a set of traits that have been traditionally labeled masculine or feminine. This is not indicative of individual, unique humans. This is purely conceptual.

The Masculine

The masculine hero is something nearly as old human civilization itself. One of the first heroic tales, The Epic of Gilgamesh, dates back to 6000 B.C. and describes a hero with the typical masculine traits that we still see today.

The typical masculine hero is:

- Individualistic (I can do it on my own, I don’t need others.)

- Brash, foolhardy, lots of dumb risks

- Brave in the face of danger

- Relies entirely on brute strength and audacity to make his way in the world

The usual endgame of the typical hero is a good deal of destruction (as long as we smashed the bad guy too, we’re good). They smash their way out of trouble and solve all their problem by punching, shooting, or blowing something up, usually through very stupid decisions.

There is an ongoing theme in a lot of superhero stories that being a hero is incredibly isolating and solidly detrimental to the individual’s relationships, though it’s not always clear why that is necessary. The hero tends to view him/herself as qualitatively separate from “victims” and does not delve much into their lives. They are merely there to be rescued.

Heroes (while in hero mode) seem to have little concept of how to interact with other people, and often switch into a hyper aggressive mode that can even turn heroes against each other.

Why is it that heroes are inescapably linked to aggression, to the point where studios are handing us films in which the heroes are fighting each other for seemingly no good reason?

Additionally, there’s no place for this kind of hero during peacetime. What do they have to offer when things are going well?

The long term outcome of this kind of heroism is not very effective. How is one man dressing up as a bat and beating on criminals going to change anything?

What if we had a hero that did not rely on rash, foolish decisions and brute strength? What if we had a hero who did not just rescue victims but empowered them to save themselves?

Suggestion: What if we had a feminine superhero?

The Feminine Hero.

The feminine hero is a nurturer. They conquer and defeat through cunning, planning and cultivation rather than brute strength.

Traits of a feminine hero: - Does not isolate themselves. Their relationships with others are a key part of their work - Saves through nurturing and empowering - Relies on tact, intelligence and cunning rather than brute strength and rash decisions - Unafraid to use violence or do hard things when necessary - Continues to develop their community outside of crisis situations

My model for this concept is Carol from The Walking Dead. She’s managed to save the group and defeat the bad guys several times over, but never in the traditionally masculine way. She embodies the archetypal traits of a nurturing mother, while still managing to be a total badass.*

Case Study: The Walking Dead Season 6, episode 2: “JSS”

In beginning of this episode, the community is at peace. Carol can contribute and build up a community outside of a major crisis, but when a crisis comes, she knows what to do.

Murderous people invade the community while Carol is in the midst of baking a casserole and watching a baby. Instead of taking on a simple motherly role and protecting the baby from the invaders, she hands the more than capable teenage brother a semi automatic and leaves to go be a hero. The following is where the real distinction lies.

A masculine hero (like Rick, the show’s male lead) would have whipped out a big gun and stormed the bad guys, killing them all and rescuing the poor victims cowering in their homes. Carol does not do this. 

She refrains from drawing attention to herself, kills without remorse when she needs to,

and disguises herself so she can move freely without gunning her way through the village.

She has a plan, a goal, and is carrying it out with tact and precision: Give everyone their own guns.

Her goal is not to obtain the macguffin or blow up the key location, but to empower others. She reaches the armory, fills a tote with guns and hands them out to all the no-longer-cowering “victims”.

The invasion is ended very quickly by empowering those under threat to save themselves. It’s a primarily “motherly” action, to nurture and strengthen others to the point where they don’t need you anymore. 

There is minimal damage to the community because there was no big firefight or show of brute force. Victims are no longer faceless and helpless, creating an entirely new dynamic between the “hero” and the “victims”.

This is my proposal for a feminine hero.

*My favorite part about Carol is that she isn’t a 22 year old stripper ninja. Her main purpose isn’t to appeal to men. She saves everyone’s life as best she can, and doesn’t have to be a sex object to do it.

How does this affect gender?

It’s important to note that the masculine hero is not limited to men. Women fill this role easily, but not always with the best results. The problem with most female heroes is that they are not allowed to be anything more than the typical brash, violent and sexy cliche (I like to call it the “bossy stripper ninja”). They are not given distinct personalities, or complex motivations. They are merely “punchy”.

Who needs a deep, rich inner life when she has guns?

There are some notable exceptions. Buffy, for one, was allowed to be human, complex, AND punchy.

Most that have come after her have not been given the same generosity. The problem is, after the writer decides that a woman is “punchy”, they give up. They give her nothing else. We are hard pressed to describe this character apart from her appearance and her weapons.

Conversely, there are a number of examples of men that are masculine in character but feminine in role. That is, the individual possesses masculine traits in their personality, but they interact with the world through feminine traits (cultivation, patience, planning, etc).

The problem is, most of these examples seem to be villains. We can make a man function in a feminine way, but somehow it usually makes him a bad guy. I’m having trouble coming up with a single example of a male hero that functions through feminine traits.

Villains seem to be the only ones with tact and precision, who cultivate a world into their own vision and develop others rather than just knocking them down. They have henchmen, converts, and their own little community. Unlike heroes, they don’t stop working when there’s nothing to smash.

Examples:

Loki has a good amount of feminine heroic traits, as do most villains whose goal involves something other than blowing up the world. He is cunning, patient, and has emotional depth.

The fact that he experiences emotion doesn’t diminish his strength or power in any way.

2. Another good example is Wilson Fisk (of Marvel’s Daredevil). He’s a large man who can easily be nothing but evil and punchy, and instead possesses a rich and complex inner life and a fantastic sense of aesthetic.

Although he has his physical rages and is incredibly physically strong, he succeeds through intelligence, subterfuge and subtlety and cares deeply for those around him (beyond the typical best friend and love interest).

He’s a very masculine character, but feminine in his villainy.

3. Frank Underwood is crafty, patient and ruthless. He is a terrifying villain, because of his ability to manipulate others, stay one step ahead of everyone, and think his way out of trouble.

Writers seems to be doing a very pretty good job in developing interesting (and feminine) villains, but haven’t given us much variety in heroes. How many of us have questioned ourselves for being far more interested in the villains? It’s because they are genuinely more interesting!

Wouldn’t it be more interesting or effective if superheroes actually got to know those they were protecting? What if Bruce Wayne befriended those who were at risk of becoming villains? What if he educated each citizen of Gotham concerning every supervillain’s weakness?

This doesn’t even take into account other important issues surrounding heroic stories, like moral ambiguity, the objectification of women, and the lack of depth in heroic characters regardless of Masculine or Feminine traits. I’m just saying we could use some variety in character traits. As Carol shows, it doesn’t make for a less interesting story. The conflict is still there. It just gets a whole lot more nuanced. We’ll always need smashy punchy stories, but can we please develop a little variety?

[missmonsters2]

Between the Lines || IX

PAIRING: Steve Rogers & Fem!Reader (Platonic) / Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader / Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader / Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader x Wanda Maximoff

Summary: Vampire AU. Life has changed drastically since the 1600s. Things are always on the move, and you’ve been very careful to not get on SHIELDs radar. Living on the down-low owning a café, you’re content to live out a quiet existence. That is until the Avengers enter your life.

[Set after the New York Invasion, in CAWS, and goes up to AoU. Canon divergent after.]

Warnings: This series will contain smut(**), poly-relationship, and dark themes.

Note: Everyone last chapter: “I’m ready for Wanda to fucking ruin me.” LMAO SAME. 

PART I || PART II || PART III || PART IV || PART V || PART VI || PART VII || PART VIII

PART IX of XX

Count: 4782

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Antique.

That was the best way Natasha could describe your place. You had more warm colors for your walls and older styled furniture that made her feel like she was transcending time. 

They had just gotten back from visiting Allison, who was beyond ecstatic to see you and Natasha. Her mother seemed to be all better now, and no longer needed the extra care for Allison. The babysitter you had recommended last time seemed to be working just fine for them when her mother needed to pull extra shifts, but you still promised to visit Allison when you could.

"Your place is nice," Natasha smiles softly, and you turn your head around to smile back at her as you grab a cup from the cupboard. 

"Really? David says I have the taste of an old person. To my defense, I am old," you snort. 

Natasha chuckles, "I like it."

She feels a little excited because it looks like you're making coffee for her, and it feels like it's been such a long time since Natasha has had your coffee.

"Even though I've lived so long and have adapted, this style makes me feel more at home," you softly explain, and Natasha's eyes turn tender.

You finish brewing Natasha her coffee and bring it over to her. She takes a sip, sighing with bliss.

Grinning at her, you're about to say something else when your phone buzzes in your pocket. Pulling it out, you check to see that it's from David.

"We've got to head out," You tell the redhead. "David's got a lead for us."

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Your search didn't yield much more than what David could find, which was annoying. Luckily, you didn't end up having to use your gift and instead used compulsion to find information. 

Natasha trailed along, watching you work but also making herself useful when she could. 

Within two hours, you felt like you already found out what you could before heading back to shower and head off to the Stark tower again. 

When you get there, you already see David talking with Steve and Maria.

"Fatalities?" You could hear Steve ask. 

"Only when engaged," David says as he catches your eye when you enter the room. "Mostly guys left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears, and something too fast to see."

"Maximoffs," Maria mutters, and you're curious about Wanda's powers. They seemed similar to Tatyana's, but you want to confirm if Wanda's powers had only come from the scepter. 

"That makes sense that he would seek them out. They have something in common," Steve said as he saw you approaching. "Find anything?" 

"No more than you did, apparently," you shrugged.

"Well," David says as he's looking at his tablet. "Nothing in common anymore." He flips the tablet and a picture of Strucker's dead body and the word 'PEACE' written in blood on the wall next to him.

"Lovely," Maria huffs. 

You see Clint on the phone just a couple feet from you, and Steve notices him too. 

"So, you're not coming home tonight even though you explicitly said you would," you here a feminine voice on the phone. 

"That's a negative," Clint says.

"This better be your last one for a while, I don't care what your boss says," you hear the woman respond. In the background, you could also hear two kids screaming, 'Is that dad? Can I talk to dad! Dad!'

"I answer to you," Clint responds almost dutifully. 

"...If you miss the birth of our child...I'll kill you..."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Barton," Steve interrupts, "We might have something."

"Gotta go," Clint says quickly before he hangs up and turns to face you all.

"Who was that?" Steve asks.

"Girlfriend," Clint's eyes travel to you and David because it was obvious he knew you had heard him.

Steve doesn't pay it any mind as he leads everyone back into the room. You and David lag behind because Clint is walking beside the two of you.

"Listen--"

"It's none of our business, Clint," you cut him off with a wave. "We didn't hear a thing."

Clint sighs and gives you a smile of thanks.

"Although, you should be more careful if you're trying to keep them a secret," David says as he tapped away on his tablet.

He then holds up his tablet to you and Clint, a photo dated two years ago of Clint and his family on a ride at Disneyland.

"This you?"

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You've known as a vampire, it's impossible to get headaches, but it doesn't stop you from feeling like you have one.

Everyone is getting ready to get out onto the Quinjet to take off to the next location to find Ulysses Klaue as you'll be likely to find Ultron and the twins there. 

There isn't much for you to ever prepare for, so you laze around in the kitchen before Natasha strolls in, the first to finish.

"Hey, you," she smiles, and you walk over to her.

"Hey, yourself," you smile as you inspect her suit. "Got everything?"

"Hopefully," Natasha shrugs.

You know you'll most likely meet Wanda soon, and something inside you tells you it'll bring chaos. 

Nothing ever truly feels like it's over, but you have Natasha. 

You look at her with slow eyes.

Sometimes it feels wrong to be this happy with Natasha, to allow yourself that kind of privilege. But there are no words you could use to describe what Natasha is to you and how you crave her. 

Natasha peers through her lashes, catching the look in your eyes. She walks backward, pulling you with her until she hits the counter before she hops herself up onto it. Pulling you closer by the collar of your shirt, you end up between her legs, your hands automatically around her waist while hers are around your neck.

"When you have that look on your face, it makes me want to just...eat you," Natasha licks her lip, and you can't help but laugh lightly as she traces her thumb over your bottom lip. 

"You know how funny that sounds, right?" You smile.

Natasha merely smirks as she lowers her head to press her lips against yours in a soft kiss.

She tastes like remnants of peach candy, and you hum into her mouth. Licking her bottom lip, you hold her hips tighter.

Good.

She smells good.

Like vanilla and dry leaves. 

You bite her bottom lip gently, appreciating the way she moans lightly. It seems to excite her more as her heart pounds in her chest. You pull away, lowering your head as the tip of your nose drags against her side of her neck. 

You inhale as Natasha holds your neck a little tighter.

You could hear it, smell, the blood rushing through Natasha's veins.

It would be so easy.

Natasha would be delicious, you just know it. Her blood hits every part of your sensories, and she would feel so good.

Your teeth drag lightly where your tongue had been.

'You can't.'

The voice and words ring in your head loud and clear. 

Immediately, you pull away, almost panting as you do. 

Natasha calls your name, but you shake your head.

"I just need a moment," you tell her, taking in a deep breath.

You haven't felt this way in so long, you felt like a child experiencing bloodlust again. 

It had been so easy throughout the years to control it, knowing the consequences if you did it.

Yet, having Natasha tested every limit you had again. 

You never thought you would ever experiencing wanting to drink from someone again. 

"I'm sorry," Natasha says hesitantly. She had been so caught up in the moment, and you felt so good. 

For a moment...she...she wanted you to bite her.

You clear your throat as your head clears again.

"Don't apologize," you give her a tight smile, "I should have better control."

Natasha is about to say something else when you help her down from the counter.

"C'mon," you say as you pull her along, "we should head to the Quinjet."

And Natasha's words die on her tongue. 

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"Don't compare me with Stark! He's a sickness!"

You all come in time just as Ultron has sliced off Klaue's arm as he rants about Tony. 

"Ahh, junior," Tony appears with Thor and Steve behind him. "You're gonna break your old man's heart."

"If I have to," Ultron tilts his head.

"Daddy issues, am I right?" You lean over to David to say, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"He's not a villain without one," David says back.

You hear a laugh disguised as a cough from Pietro. He smirks at you, and you give him a slight quirk of your lip back. 

But then your eyes travel next to him.

It hits you in the gut. 

A million flashbacks happen to you, and you feel like someone just knocked all the air out of your body, and you're breathless. It's like you're going through a spiral of vertigo until you look her in the eyes.

She looks like her. 

You were prepared to see the similarities, but this was more than you had expected. 

But you knew it was not Tatyana.

You blinked, eyes focusing on Wanda. 

She was staring at you too, but she didn't seem sure of what to make of it.

"You two can still walk away from this," Steve's voice interrupts the two of you.

"Oh, we will," Wanda rips her gaze from you, tilting her head as she smirks sardonically at Steve.

"I know you've suffered," Steve acknowledges, and for a second, you see rage flash through Wanda's eyes because while Steve knows, he doesn't truly know what they've been through.

Ultron lets out a groan of disgust. "Captain America," he says with a certain tone to his voice. "God's righteous man, pretending you could live without a war."

"I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but..." Ultron tilts his head, looking at Steve.

Thor tries to urge Ultron to keep the peace, but Ultron obviously declines.

"What's the vibranium for?" Tony asks.

Ultron looks as giddy as he can. "I'm glad you asked since I wanted to take this time to reveal my evil plan!"

Suddenly, Iron Legion Bots break through the glass and start attacking. 

You and David have split up, he's taken off after Pietro and you to find Wanda. 

Taking out Klaue's men along the way, you keep walking in the direction you could hear her in. 

Her footsteps were rather light, and she had a distinct smell of cinnamon and orange blossoms. 

"Thor! Status!" Steve yelled into the earpiece.

"The girl tried to warp my mind. Take special care, I doubt a human could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty," Thor trailed off.

You knew immediately what was happening. 

"Nat," you called worriedly.

"I'm fine," she reassures you. 

"David?" You called next.

"Still good," he grumbles. "Fast little bastard."

"Wait," David calls. "She's got Natasha and Steve in a hallucination."

You're about to turn around immediately to go back to Natasha, but David stops you.

"Don't," he warns. "Nat's still okay, just caught up in whatever she's seeing. If you want to put an end to it, catch the girl."

You grit your teeth but huff in agreement. 

You stand along the empty hallway, breaking the wrist of a man who tries to charge at you. Flinging him over the railing, he lands on sacks of dirt and groans. 

It seems you don't have to go to Wanda because you hear those light footsteps behind you, creeping up.

She stands behind you, unknowing you can hear her heart beating as she raises her hand, tendrils forming at her fingers.

You turn around abruptly, grabbing her wrist. Faced with Wanda's shock widened eyes, you quirk your lip at her. 

"Cute," you tell her, "but it won't work on me."

"And why is that?" Wanda asks accent heavy in her voice that sounds so familiar to you.

"To control--compel, me to what you want, your will has to be stronger than mine," you tell her, pulling her closer by her wrist to show that even as close as she was, she couldn't use her mind control on you. "So? Do you still think you can play your little mind games on me?"

Maybe you had tugged too hard, but now Wanda was too close. Her eyes staring into yours as if she was searching for something. Lips slightly parted, you could feel her breath on you. 

"Why?" Wanda murmurs as she tilts her head slightly at you.

"Why what?" You return.

"Why do you stare at me like that?" Wanda gets closer.

You should pull away. Disarm her, and go secure Pietro to finish the mission. 

But it feels like there's an electric pulse in the air that seems to keep you rooted.

"Stare at you like what?" You husk.

Wanda licks her lips, drawings your eyes. "Stare at me like you want to save me."

"You're helping a homicidal robotic manic who wants to destroy the world," you quirk your brow at her. "I think that warrants needing to be saved or at least some sense beaten into you."

"He will save the world by putting an end of the Avengers," Wanda hisses. She draws forth the red wisps again in her other hand, holding it close to you. "Perhaps I can't 'play my little mind games' with you. But power is power."

Immediately, you feel Wanda's power surround your body before she uses it to force you through the window. You find yourself staring at the sky, blinking as you fall. 

You swiftly turn around, positioning yourself upright as you land on the ground, creating a good-sized crater. There's a momentary crack in your ankles from the pressure and height you fell from, but as quick as it happens, it heals. 

You look up, shards of glass falling around you, and you sigh.

It seems your suspicions were correct, that Wanda's powers were genuine. The feel of it was too raw and similar to Tatyana's.

And that made things complicated. 

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"Hey, hey, look at me," you coo as you hold Natasha's face in your hands, turning her to look at you. Her eyes are unfocused, and honestly, it's a little challenging to get her to actually look at you. 

You had arrived shortly back into the facility after hearing Clint saying they needed to move. Clint had been trying to shake Natasha out of it, but it wasn't working, and so you stepped in.

"I have no place in the world," Natasha mutters. 

You had a pretty good guess about what she was seeing, and so did Clint.

"How do we get her out? Do we just have to wait?" Clint asked you.

"No," you say, stroking Natasha's cheek, tilting her face up as you look down into her eyes. "We overpower it."

Your pupils explode into liquid pools, swirling as you forced Natasha's to do the same. It would take a little longer, with Natasha not even being lucid. 

"Look at me," you tell her softly. Natasha blinks. "Wherever you are, it's not real."

You start to see flickers of speckles in Natasha's eyes and lick your lips.

"Come back to me," you compel her softly but with a slight bite in your tone. "You have a place in the world. Here, as an Avengers, with Clint and everyone else." The fog is clearing from Natasha's mind, your eyes responding more to yours and your words. 

"With me," you faintly say.

"Come back."

Life comes back to Natasha, her eyes no longer dull as she comes face to face with you. She's got a massive headache and slight nausea.

Natasha swallows as you still hold her face in your hands. She wants to say something, but Tony interrupts. 

"Guys, I could really use some help. Maybe try the lullaby again?"

You look at Natasha, but she's in no shape to try to go against the Hulk.

"The rest of the team is down," Clint responds.

You look around to see David trying to get Steve out of his hallucination. 

"David will handle things here. Get everyone back onto the jet. The twins and Ultron are probably long gone by now. I'm going to help Tony."

You look once more at Natasha, who lifts the corner of her mouth.

"Be careful," she tells you.

"Aren't I always?" Giving her a wink, you take off in a blur.

"Coordinates, Stark," you say into your earpiece. 

"Getting my ass beat right now!" Tony groans.

"Coordinates, Stark, not status. I already know you're getting your ass beat," you smirk.

"Don't be a dick," he mutters, but you're unsure if that was to you or Banner. He tells you where to meet him, but it gets easier to figure out as you get closer, and you can hear glass and building being shattered, and Banner's roars along with civilian screams.

You pick up speed, reaching there as you stand a few feet away, and Tony spots you.

"What's the plan?" Tony asks.

"Get him away from the city. Damage's been done, but we should try to stop him from doing any more," you see Tony struggling to hold him down. His suit is bulked up, and you're sure he prepared this specifically for Banner.

"Where do we bring him?" Tony's punching Banner in the face, trying to get him to 'go to sleep.'

"Few miles from the Quinjet. There should be some open space."

"Alright," Tony says, having no other choice but to trust you.

He gets VERONICA to send in a new Hulkbuster arm, using it to suction in the Hulk's arm as they take to the skies. You start to run in the same direction they're going.

"Alright, what do we do after we get him in the area?" Tony's overworking the jets in his feet while the Hulk struggles to get the upper hand in the air.

"Can you trap him in his spot?"

"I have one extra set electric bars, but he dug a hole in the ground to escape it."

"Just set them in the ground, wide berth and electrodes on."

You enter into a clearing, and Tony drops Banner, breaking the ground as he lands. 

Immediately, giant plates dig into the earth, surrounding Banner as he gets electrified. He screams, arching his back before he turns and snarls at you.

"You gonna try this compulsion thing?" Tony asks through his mask.

"Try being a keyword," you mutter, "I have a feeling he's not going to be receptive towards it."

"Is anyone receptive towards compulsion, really?" Tony grumbles.

"Yeah," you smirk, "humans."

You walk around the perimeter of the plates, and the Hulk turns his body as his eyes follow you.

"You're angry," you acknowledge. "She made you angry."

The Hulk only roars and glares at you, the surrounding area of his eyes were red. 

You lock eyes, pupils expanding as you try to reel him in. 

"But look around you, think if there's anything right now to be angry about," you say to him. His head moves side to side, but you can tell the Hulk is fighting it. "Are you really angry, or did she just tell you you're angry? Who are you outraged at? The civilians who've done nothing to you? Tony? Me?"

You kept circling, keeping your eyes locked on his. 

"Yourself?" You asked, and when the Hulk lets out an enraged yowl, you know you've hit the spot.

"You need to calm down," you lick your lips. "Before you do something that will really make you angry with yourself."

The Hulk is huffing and puffing as he continues to stare at you, and you try to expand the compulsion stronger. 

For a second, you think it's working. The Hulk is shaking his head, stumbling backward.

But as quick as that happens, suddenly he punches himself in the face, knocking himself out of your control before he lets out another bellowing scream. 

He starts running even as the plates send out electric shocks, bombarding through one of them as it breaks. 

"He's too ravaged for me to even try to influence him to calm down," you tell Tony quickly as you take off towards the Hulk.

"I think I got that," Tony has to move out of the way before the Hulk steamrolls him. 

"New plan," you say, running towards Tony.

"What are you--" he starts to say, but you cut him off.

"Throw me onto his back!" You leap, forcing Tony to catch you as he spins around once before whipping you in the direction the Hulk took off in. 

The speed propelled you straight towards him, he didn't even see it coming as he was approaching the Quinjet. Everyone had come outside, hearing his thundering footsteps as he ran in their direction.

You latched onto his back, wrapping your tiny arms the best you could around his neck with crushing force, almost enough to snap his windpipe. 

He chokes, feet digging into the ground as he abruptly stopped. His hand comes up to your arm, and you only have a second before he forces you to release him via breaking your arm. 

You open your mouth, teeth sharp as venom pooled to them before you dug it into his neck. 

He was grumbling at you before, but he was definitely screaming at you now. 

The sound of agonizing wails leaves his mouth as he falls to his knees. You let go of his neck. 

Falling forward, the Hulk writhes in pain, and you could see the venom traveling in his veins as they turned a dark green on his skin. He was crawling as he groaned.

Soon, the venom overtook his system to the point Banner began to change back to a man. He lay there, moaning in pain as Tony came forward along with Clint, who threw a blanket over him.

"What did you do?" Tony asked, and David came out, blurring over to carry Bruce into the Quinjet.

"Forced him to change back," you mutter as you also got onto the Quinjet. 

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

David put Banner on a makeshift bed while Clint flew the Quinjet out of the area. 

Bruce was thrusting off the table as he still writhed in pain while everyone else stood around.

"What's happening to him?" Steve asked. He was covered in dirt and grime, and he looked a little defeated.

"The venom is breaking his cells down," you say, eyes drifting to David, who nods, restraining Bruce down.

You could hear more questions being fired, but you didn't answer. You threw the blanket off of Bruce, and everyone could see his veins, dark and poisoned-looking.

Leaning over, you began to bite him various places until the discoloration in his veins began to disappear. The seizing slowed down in Bruce as he came to a restful stop, but beads of sweat ran down his forehead. He was still breathing heavily, and his eyes remained closed.

"He's going to have to sleep that off," you spitting out blood into a nearby bucket, and wiping your mouth. David hands you a bottle of water, which you use to rinse your mouth, spitting it out until your mouth was clear.

Natasha comes up to check on you, putting her hand on your back softly as you try to give her a smile that ends up being more of a grimace.

"What was that?" Tony asked as he inspected his friend.

"I told you," you say as Natasha gives you some gum. "Venom can be used in three ways. That was one of them."

"But what does it do," Tony emphasized.

The mint flavor spread throughout your mouth, and you were thankful for a change in taste. Lately, it's been getting harder to control your thirst.

"When venom is used to harm, it attacks the cells in your body. Specifically, it makes them explode. It's painful as it travels through your veins because it's basically shredding everything in its path as it moves. The more venom you inject, the faster the deterioration goes," you say. 

"Why did you bite him again?" Steve asks. 

"There's only one way to reverse it," you peer over to Bruce's sleeping form. "Only the venom of the vampire who inflicted it can undo it. I injected the healing venom to counteract it. He'll be fine, maybe just a couple scars, and feeling sore for a few days."

"We need to lay low while we can," David interrupts as he looks at his tablet.

"That's a great idea," you hear Maria chime in through the intercoms. "The new is loving you guys. No one else is. There's no official arrest warrant for Banner, but it's up in the air."

"Stark Relief Foundation?" Tony asks.

"Already on scene. How's everyone?" She replies.

"We took a hit, they're shaking it off right now," you mutter.

"Well, stay in stealth mode for now, and don't come back here," Maria warned,  knowing it would be ugly.

"So, run and hide?" Tony seems displeased.

"Until we find Ultron, there are not many options on the table," Maria sighed, disconnecting after that. 

Tony goes over to Clint, slapping his hand on Clint's shoulder. "Need to switch out?"

Clint shakes his head, "Nah, I'm good. If you wanna get some kip, now would be the time, we're still a couple hours out."

You look over to Clint, noticing the dark bags under his eyes, and for the first time, you see how tired he must be.

"A couple hours from where?" Tony asks.

"A safe house," Clint answers, looking at you and David, and you know immediately where he's taking you.

You turn to Natasha, and it seems she knows as well.

Taking the time to sit near the back, you hold your girlfriend in your arms, stroking the side of her arms. Natasha's worn, you can tell by the paleness in her skin, and she's upset. 

You sit in silence for a good chunk of the time. As much as you hate it, the image of Wanda doesn't leave your mind. There was something that brewed deep within you, and you felt haunted. 

It isn't until Natasha decides to speak and breaks your thoughts.

"I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't gotten me out of that hallucination," Natasha says quietly to avoid drawing the attention of the others, but now used with David unintentionally being able to listen.

"I wish I could've been there sooner," you say at the same level of quietness, but Natasha shakes her head. 

"Sometimes," she starts, licking her dry lips, "it's so easy to live every day like that part of my life didn't happen. Even though it's my sole reason to do the things I do. I want to clear my ledger, but it's..."

"It's complicated," you finish for her when she drags.

It's silent for a few minutes as the two of you rest, you lean your head on top of Natasha's, breathing slowly as you try to comfort her.

"I had never thought about wanting kids," Natasha starts quietly again, and you hum softly in the back of your throat to tell her you're listening. 

"I'm not even really sure that I do or not, but then I get reminded that I can't either way."

You hold her bicep tighter, turning your head to press a kiss to her head.

"It's okay to mourn the loss of the choice," you murmur. 

Natasha nudges herself closer to you, inhaling your scent as it eases her. The images don't quite go away. They linger in her mind, a wretched memory of everything she's endured. 

"I suppose it's easier," Natasha mumbles. "It's one less thing to worry about, one less thing that would matter more than a mission. It makes everything easier, even killing."

"Don't do that," you admonish her gently. "While those things can be true, don't make yourself out to be a monster."

Natasha remains quiet, not the kind where she doesn't believe you, but the kind where she doesn't quite have the right words to say for once.

"You act like you don't already have things that would matter more than a mission, things that you don't worry about," you lift your other hand up, using your fingers to tilt her chin until she's facing you. 

Your lips are so close, the warmth vibrating between the two of you. 

"Because you already do, don't you?" You murmur. "Everyone on this ship is your family--I'm your family, just as you are mine."

PART X

[johannepetereric]

Emi, You’re Not A Stalker!

Again, I am using dialogue from the anime. I don’t own CFV. I am using it because I can’t think of any other dialogue to put in its place.

________________________________________________________________

Aichi greeted Emi a yawned “Good morning” from the kitchen table, right after being slapped awake by Kaa-san. 

What? He was up since 5 this morning cooking breakfast! It’s only been a few days; his body has yet to adjust yet! 

Well, at least the blueberry muffins taste good. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you didn’t even have a alarm clock.”

Aichi stretched himself back, a longer, more drawn-out yawn escaping like ghosts, tilting the chair slightly. “Emi, I was up since five in the morning baking! What did you think I was doing?” He whispered-yawned. “I went to bed at eight for this.”

Emi looked furious, face colored the pigments of the tomatoes he sliced and diced today.

“That’s right, Emi. Please respect your brother. He is next-in-line to be the Matriarch, after all.” Shizuka Sendou, the current Matriarch, reminded the daughter. As stated in a previous post, Emi was booted out of queue as soon as Aichi declared that he found his mate (future boyfriend!). So now, Emi is the one subject to sleeping in! “And Aichi! Eat your waffles!”

Indeed, three waffles were stacked in the future-matriarch’s plate, two more than on the other two, saturated with syrup and butter and berries--and a dash of whipped cream!

Aichi’s tried eyes awoke as he remembered this. He popped a super-sugary waffle fork into his mouth, salivating at its sweet, sweet, pick-me-up texture and essence of home.  While Aichi was finishing up the muffins earlier, she was making extra waffles for her new apprentice! Although Aichi barely managed to slag through the motions, the produce did turn out as advertised!

“Aichi, hurry up! I don’t have to drive you to school, do I?” Indeed, the Sendou Matriarch has a motorcycle (legally licensed, of course) in the garage (or out back). 

“No, Kaa-san!” He filled himself as much as he could, earning himself a tummyache and vomiting into a trash can near school, but he at least wasn’t late this time!

Right after Aichi left, the girls had about the same talk as in the anime:

“Aichi’s been working hard this morning. He’s been going to bed later and is now rising just as earlier. He only had five hours of sleep last night.” The mother shook her head fondly. “I hope he found something fun after school.” 

This was a lie by omission, one could say. Shizuka does know, but Emi is a troublesome girl to deal with in the affairs of love. The mother could only sigh in contempt. Emi questioned why, but the other said to “let it be. Your brother has enough worry on his shoulders as it is.” And shuffled away to do whatever it is she does. 

Emi pondered this lateness. 

Right on time, she stalked her brother. 

“Hold it right there, Aichi. You’re not going home yet!” A menacing voice shrieked.

“Morikawa, I told you you’re not my type!” Aichi squealed back. The bully looked seriously offended and just threatened him more.

She saw her brother being threatened by the two boys (”Morikawa” and who must be his lackey), talking about plans, and she saw that they weren’t touching the new lunchbag her brother was bringing the past few days. 

I hope that they’re both all right! She thought. She knew it wrong to be worried about the food, but Mom would be sad if they were ruined!

I hope they’re not going to assault him!

The threatening of a beating continued, and she fussed over why in the world he’d play along with them why isn’t he scrambling to safety?!

Card Capital, the place they entered read. Must be their evil lair!

“Stop right there!” she yelled through the automatic door, only to be met with reverberating silence.

A green-hared man in glasses led up to her with, “Eh--how can I help you, young lady?”

“What? Eh? I’m here for my brother?”

“Well-” she was given a whole spiel, a guided tour of the place. She spied Aichi smiling and untouched and seemingly ignoring her, and she finally looked around.

Little kids about her age leaning around little tables; a cashier next to her; a glass case beyond there; cards on display; a bored-looking lady, previously reading a book at the register, staring an icy death into the little girl.

This really is a safe space. But what if it’s just money-laundering?

“Oh, those two are about to start a Cardfight. You want to see?” One most menacing bully and Aichi had locked eyes on the table, seemingly ignoring the girl who dared to believe this a bad place.

Emi nodded. The lunchbox was between Aichi’s feet, seemingly unopened. Looking at the floor, she didn’t see any crumbs. 

What she didn’t know was that Misaki was hiding her half-eaten muffin under the counter, to be slowly devoured over the course of the day XD! 

She watched Aichi ride “Blaster Blade,” the one he’s the reincarnation of. The face, it looked so...so...

A True Leader. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Why do I never draw the cards I need?”

“Uh, because Morikawa is stupid?” Aichi offered.

“Aaaaaaah!” Izaki held back the bully--Morikawa--by the collar. The dumb*** was choking.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“bUT i SCORED ANOTHER AWESOME gRADE 3!” (Yaaaas, I’m keeping it like this!)

“You’ll have to discard them eventually...”

“DO YOU NOT BELIEVE YOUR MASTER?!”

Aichi sweatdropped. “Morikawa, this is why you’re not my type.”

Emi snickered at that. Her big brother can be so picky sometimes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Gallatin attacks Barr!” 

Aichi...you’re so different. Your eyes have no sense of hardening here. You don’t look as afraid as before. Compared to you now, Aichi, he looks so weak. Bark but no bite. 

...

“--I attack Barr for the win!” Aichi has changed so much. Did Kaa-san know about this? 

Yes, it must be...finally playing Vanguard, as he’s so desperately wanted. The drive, the sparkle, the matriarchal glimmer that Kaa-san has chasing a cornered “Karen.” And Psyqualia looks unnecessary. 

“Eh?? Why isn’t the attack going through?”

Aichi sighed in exasperation. She feels it completely. What a mood. He responded in monotone, dead-eyed again, “Blaster Blade initially had 19000 power. I boosted with Wingal, which gives Blaster Blade an 4000 power. I now have to check the drive trigger.”

Critical. 4 damage. Add +1 damage to Blaster Blade, and...

“Aaaaaaaah!” Emi covered her ears for this one, her brother wincing.

“I looooooost!” 

“And look! He took zero damage!” A smug glimmer appeared in her brother’s eyes, a look so often used every week. Someone pointed it out--Aichi was squirming and twitching in anticipation for the moment when he could fold his arm like an egotistical champ again. Forehead furrowed trying to hold back as villainous face. Well,

“DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, YOU PUNK! I JUST LOST ON PURPOSE!” Aichi sweatdropped, never once losing that smug expression--which juts out more prominently now that he’s taken his opponent down an emotional peg.

His jaw twitched in the desire to smirk.

Emi’s had enough of this bull****.

“Aichi!” 

“Emi?! What are you doing here?!”

“Me?! You’re the one who’s abandoning your duties.”...Oops. 

Aichi stormed over to her cross-eyes, ready to give the middle finger and A Lesson About Respect.

“Now you listen here, young lady!”

“Aichi, stop.” A snappish, stern voice snapped them out of their oncoming tirade--which is bad for public relations.

Aichi veered this particular maniac look at the teen. Misaki-san looked slightly unsettled but glared back with equal virility.

An staring contest ensued, lightning sparking between them, Aichi’s eyes slightly turned downward--of course. It’s a girl. 

“So,” Emi crossed her arms in contempt. “You’ve been coming here to play games.”

Aichi’s eyes narrowed, attention twisted toward the imouto again, back straightened. Time to Defend. “What can you do about it?” He answered in equal condescension.

This killed the mood--if it already wasn’t when Emi caused a reaction from the blunet.

“Yes, Kaa-san knows. We knew you’d freak out. But to pull a stunt like this?” Tsk, tsk, tsk, he clicked as he shook his flowy, clean sea.  “This is beneath even you.”

“You are aware your friends know of your true nature, right?”

“I revealed it to them the day after I met Kai-kun.”

“Merciless.” She agreed, calmer now, for it is factual. The feminine male had grown a cruel side, not totally unlike your stereotypical tsundere or yandere. 

Aichi must’ve been brutal, so worked up like that. She can sense the romantic feels spiraling out of his soul, his heart. The mere moment of affection from one breath was enough to suppress a bit of her killer curiosity--one of many reasons as to why we fight.  

“So is Vanguard fun to play for you?”

“Yes!” He shouted with no hesitation, face now morphed back to when he rode his Avatar. “So much fun! I don’t have to worry about losing!” He pushed out two fingers--Too-dles! It doesn’t matter whether I win or lose. I’m going to have fun, anyway.

Emi smiled.

“Might I play sometime?”

Aichi grunted, maternal smile gleaming naturally. 

Indeed, he’ll be a wonderful mother and waifu. The Perfect Matriarch. 

“Ok. Bye! I expect your lasagna tonight!” Emi headed out towards home.

She could hear clamor about Aichi’s “secret” cooking abilities. Emi is proud of her brother. He has much room to grow, and he has finally opened the floodgates to reaching that level of maturity required to be a mature--emotionally mature--adult. 

Indeed, Emi will love meeting this new, dormant Aichi. 

[wiccan28]

Who are the Goddess and God of Wicca?

The Horned God and Triple Goddess are generally the deities you’ll hear people associate with Wicca, but these very same concepts generate a lot of confusion. You’ll read a lot of books that will tell you the Horned God is like this, or the Triple Goddess is like that. There are a lot of oversimplifications and generalizations going on with these descriptions. Many Wiccan sources also refer to the Lord and Lady as well, or “The” God, and “The” Goddess (the article “the” implying they’re specific deities). This leaves people to wonder— to whom, exactly, are we referring when we use these terms?

Wicca, being a 20th century religion, is fairly unique in one way: we don’t actually have our own deities. That is, our religion wasn’t built around veneration of any specific deities of our own—we worship Pagan Gods and Goddesses of other ancient cultures in a new and modern world. We do not have our own unique pantheon, nor do we believe our religion was revealed to us by deities.

So, who are these characters, then, that you’ll find peppered throughout Wiccan books and websites? Who is the Horned God or the Lord or the God? Who is the Triple Goddess, the Lady or the Goddess? Let’s have a look.

Types and Titles - Not Names

One quick way to settle a lot of confusion is to remind people of this: these terms in question are types of deities or titles of respect. Horned God is a type of Godhead, not one specific God. Triple Goddess is a type of Goddesshead, not one specific Goddess, or a specific trio of Goddesses. These terms are merely descriptions, not deities in themselves.

Likewise, Lord and Lady are titles of respect by which we call any God or Goddess, respectively; Lord and Lady are not names. Zeus is one Wiccan’s Lord, Thor is another Wiccan’s Lord, Lugh is another's... just as a Christian's Lord is YHWH (Jehova) though they call him 'Lord' and 'God'.

“The God” and “The Goddess” are not specific deities that all Wiccans worship; they are simply the generic term for male deities and female deities, respectively. So my God that I worship may not be the same God another Wiccan worships. But I still refer to him as God, 'the' God, or Lord.

So why do Wiccans use all these titles and types instead of just using the name of their God/dess?

Originally in Wiccan covens, Wiccans didn't speak the names of the deities they worshiped outside the circle. This was to prevent others from defaming and disrespecting the deities.

This still holds today for a lot of Wiccans, though many eclectics are more relaxed on it. They might be willing to tell other Wiccans/Pagans, or close friends, who their specific God/desses are but not wish to divulge that information to just anyone.

For other Wiccans, the Horned God and Triple Goddess, or the Lord and Lady, or The God and The Goddess have taken on a persona of their own. Some would argue this is the result of watered-down eclectic Wicca and improperly trained practitioners who have failed to do any in-depth research. Others embrace the “All Gods are one God, all Goddesses are one Goddess” theory1 which has become more prevalent with eclectics in the 1990s. These people would argue that all the various God/desses in mythology are either aspects or personifications of the same divine couple.

1 The “All Gods are one God, all Goddesses are one Goddess” theory actually didn’t originate in Wicca; it was from Dion Fortune, a Christo-Pagan Ceremonial Magician. This kind of ‘soft polytheism’ is probably as common in Wicca now as ‘hard polytheism’ (the belief that deities of different cultures are all unique and distinct beings).

The Horned God

The very term “Horned God” is controversial, considering most of us grew up in a Christian-dominant society in which the only god-like being who had horns was 'the devil'. This is why the term 'Horned God' gets a lot of knee-jerk reactions.

There is no relationship, however, between the Wiccan view of Horned Gods and the Christian view of Satan. That would be like saying a pumpkin must be an orange in disguise because they have the same color skin. Horned Gods existed long before any concept of Satan did, and nowhere in the Bible was Satan described as having horns and hooves—those extra-biblical descriptions came from the Middle Ages.

Horned Gods were sometimes depicted as having curving, conical horns like the goat or ram, or sometimes the branched antlers like the stag. Sometimes they were animal-headed, and sometimes goat-footed. Some of the more well-known Horned Gods include Pan and Cernuous.

To ancient Pagans, Gods with horns were related to the wild and man’s primal nature. They represent mankind unencumbered by the trappings of civilization and living by his instincts in a natural state of being. Horned Gods were closely related to the forests—particularly the wild animals. They’re related to the hunt (both as hunter, the life-taker, and as hunted, the life-giver; thus, he perpetuates the cycles of life). They would often be associated with fertility— the virile male embracing his carnal desires without the imposition of social codes and mores guiding his behavior.

The Horned God made its way into Wicca due to the popular theories at the time by a handful of 19th century/early 20th century anthropologists who attempted to tie all of Pagandom together as if it were one universal pre-Christian set of beliefs that went underground to avoid persecution. Christianity had long painted Pagans as villains; in the age of enlightenment, many tried to look at history from a new and more open-minded perspective, and they romanticized antiquity. Some became desperate to turn the tables and paint Pagans as the victims. Ultimately, the attempts to oversimplify all the various Pagan religious from all over the world has been discredited, and the attempt to prove them going underground as a single surviving ancient cult has been debunked. Still, it was these oversimplified works that were prominent theories at about the time Wicca was forming, so it heavily influenced Wicca's formation.

To Wiccans, the Horned God motif fits in neatly in the Wheel of the Year, however it’s important to understand that just because many Wiccans worship a Horned God doesn’t mean they worship the same God.

Finally, not all Wiccans have a direct relationship with Horned Gods. Some Wiccans worship a Sun God, another god-type that fits neatly into the Wheel of the Year mythos and corresponds well to a Moon Goddess.

Remember also, that not all Gods are as easily “typecast”.

Hekate Triple Goddess

The Triple Goddess

The most commonly known triple deity form today is probably the trinity in Christianity. If one can understand how Christians see the father, the son and the holy spirit as three, distinct persons in one, then one can understand how Wiccans view the Triple Goddess. In Wicca, many Goddesses are seen as having three forms that mirror the stages of womanhood:

* The Maiden, who is the young, innocent, often (but not always) virginal beauty. She is independent and idealistic, ready to take on the world and looking to the future possibilities, filled with all the promise of what can be. She’s associated with youth, the time of coming of age, new beginnings, the new moon and spring fertility festivals.

* The Mother, who is mature, experienced lover and (often, but not always) parent. She is nurturing and protective, representing the selfless giving of oneself to sustain others. She's associated with family, children, domestic issues, growth, sexuality, the full moon, the summer (when she becomes pregnant) and winter (when she gives birth).

* The Crone, who is the wise, guiding, respected elder (but not necessarily grandmother) of the trio. She is strong and pragmatic. She represents the "dark" side-- fears, decay, and destruction. Not that this makes her 'evil'; rather, she's someone who guides us through some of the biggest challenges in her infinite wisdom. She's associated with changes and transformations (particularly the biggest transformation-- death and rebirth).

It should be noted that not all Goddesses fit neatly into a trio of Maiden, Mother and Crone. Ancient Pagans were not monotheists; they did not believe all Goddesses to be an aspect of the same divine feminine. It was the work of Robert Graves – another heavy influence, now debunked -- at the forefront of the Pagan revival who popularized this concept that eventually made its way into Wicca.

In ancient Paganism, trio Goddesses would have more often been three Maidens, three Mothers or three Crones. Just because a culture has a Maiden does not mean that they automatically must have a Mother and Crone counterpart. Historically speaking, this was not common. Even if a culture had Goddesses that would fit neatly into the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone categories, it should not be automatically assumed that they had a connection to each other.

Think of it this way: if you walked into a waiting room and found a college girl, a middle-aged mom, and a retiree, would you automatically assume they must be related because they occupy the same time and place? Of course you wouldn’t—the same thing can be said for Goddesses.

Most Goddesses will fit in at least one of these categories, but that’s simply because these are very generalized attributes. Not every Goddess in history is so easily stuffed in a box—many Goddesses can fit into more than one category. Consider Hestia, who can be simultaneously considered a Maiden Goddess (due to her virginity and never having children), but also a Mother Goddess (due to her association with domestic life, as keeper of the sacred hearthfires).

While the model of the Triple Goddess is useful in Wiccan mythos, a Wiccan must always be careful not to pigeonhole ancient Goddesses in groups of three.

[redrobin-detective]

Men Cannot Fly (But Bats Do)

Speed one-shot done just shy of the hour mark, with only a quick read-through.

You only hear about the Bats but you never got to see them. 

Most days, people didn’t think they were real, merely a myth propagated by the Gotham police department to scare off the more superstitious of criminals. Many people in the League didn’t even believe, laughing off rumors with a wry shake of their head. 

“As if a vigilante could be active, much less a whole group, without us knowing about it. We keep track of all super-powered individuals.” A few, not many, posed the idea that these Bats didn’t use powers for their crime-fighting. That always got a laugh. Gotham was an ugly town with known meta villains. Sure, there was Green Arrow in Star City and the old timer Wildcat to trot out when anyone accused the League of being over-powered. But it’s not as if mere humans could possibly make a difference on the battlefields that evolved following the advent of superheroes. Or so everyone thought.

Clark himself could never feel convinced. He’d met some terrifying humans in his life, both in and out of costume and no one could deny that someone was keeping Gotham in check. So many times he’d hear screams and terror and be halfway to the city only for the chaos to suddenly quiet down. The police officially took credit but no one missed the arrival of a specialized signal on top of their headquarters. Of course, no comment was made. 

He doesn’t really have an excuse why he’s here now. He’s got one ear cocked in the direction of Metropolis, ready to speed back the moment he’s needed. So why is he spending a blissful moment of free time hovering miles above Gotham City? Maybe he’s just curious about all the rumors circling. Maybe he’s looking to recruit this Bat Man. Maybe he wants to know if it is possible for a man to fly without the aid of super powers. Before he can second guess, he gently floats past the border of Bludhaven and into Gotham proper where few heroes have tread before. 

Clark looks around hesitantly before floating forward. He’s Superman, the Man of Steel, a spooky, dirty city shouldn’t frighten him. And yet there’s a tenseness to the city that puts him on edge. It takes him way too long to realize it’s because he’s being watched. He turns and catches a shadow ducking quickly behind a building. Clark races forward but no one is there. The hairs on the back of his neck tingle because something isn’t adding up.

He can hear a child’s laughter, muffled and quiet but the footsteps are difficult to ascertain. There’s the swish of a cape but no sound of a heartbeat. Clark spins around and there’s another light laughter, more feminine this time before their presence is also erased, but not entirely. He’s so thrown off, he’s had enemies turn invisible before but he’s never seen it done like this.

“Is someone there?” He questions, turning around again and is greeted only by shadows but he feels, even if he can’t see, the eyes in them. He uses his xray vision, sweeping across the landscape and comes up with nothing, but then who are these tittering children he keeps on hearing? Coming to Gotham was a mistake, he realizes quite suddenly. This isn’t the world he knows, these people don’t obey the laws he’s become comfortable with: the bounds of magic, the physics of the speedforce, the technology of the lantern ring. These Bats are a world all their own. 

He flips around, prepared to fly out of the city and finds himself face to face with a boy perched atop a gargoyle. Clark stumbles back mid-air and the young man, barely a teenager if he had to guess, smiles. The boy is practically invisible to him, his heartbeat silenced by armor, the lead built into it preventing him from seeing underneath. The long dark cape and muted reds, golds and greens help him blend effortlessly into the landscape. It’s hard to believe he’s really there. And then the boy lets out the breath he’s obvious been holding, it’s been almost five minutes has he been doing that all this time, and suddenly he comes to life.

“What’s a super man like you doing in a place like this?” The kid quips, his voice pitched low to blend effortlessly with the wind. Other than his quiet breathing, the lightly swishing cape and the minute creaks in his costume, he barely makes a sound.

“I was looking for you,” Clark says, floating forward a little. The kid straightens a bit but otherwise holds his ground. “I’ve heard rumors about vigilantes in the city, I wanted to see if it was true.”

“And now that you’ve found me?” The kid asks with an amused tilt to his head. 

“Well uh the Justice League is always accepting new members,” he says before he can stop himself. There’s normally a vigorous vetting process before any prospective hero is even considered for membership but if the past few minutes is anything to go by, these Bats would be an incredible asset to the League, to the world.

“Right because we’re clearly after the kind of attention the Justice League brings,” the kid adds with a sarcastic lilt as he stands up and walks to the bitter edge of the gargoyle. Clark automatically holds his hands out in case the lad falls but he seems perfectly balanced. “We have enough work here, we don’t need supers telling what we can and can’t do. We protect Gotham, you protect the world, easy enough.”

“But you can do so much more,” Clark tries again and the boy’s face loses some of it’s stoniness.

“I’ve been talking to the Boss Man but he’s pretty stubborn. I’m not opposed to stepping outside city limits but well, B’s all I got and so I play by his rules, for now at least.” The boy winks at him before stepping back, the heels of his feet hanging over the dark city that looks eager to claim him.

“If you’re playing by his rules, then why are you talking to me,” Clark can’t help but question. The boy grins wider.

“Who says I’m not talking to you under orders,” with that, the boy lets gravity grab a hold of his body and pull him off the gargoyle. He hangs there for a moment in perfect freefall before his cape flairs and a line whizzes out, allowing him to swing to safety. A cheerful little whoop is the only indication that he’s anything other than a large bird, native only to Gotham. As he stares after the boy, a shadow dislodges from atop nearby building out of the corner of his eye. He sees a feminine figure with long hair step out into the pale moonlight, illuminating a yellow bat on her chest. She salutes before copying the boy before her, falling and then flying by way of a grappling hook. 

A third shadow appears, taller and more solid than the others. He’s tall, almost as tall as Clark himself but not nearly as broad. The dark cape cover most of his body and, like the others, he barely makes any sound. There’s no lighthearted quips, no approval in his gaze. He only pulls out his grappling guns and follows after his children? his apprentices? leaving Clark all alone and wondering if the last few minutes are nothing more than an impossible dream created from the smog. 

Either way, Clark’s time in Gotham has ended. He can hear the screech of fire trucks back home and there’s a palpable tension that says his presence is no longer welcomed. So he quickly flies past the boundaries and races back to a world where things make sense, where children don’t run around in capes and humans don’t fly. He slows, just for a moment in his flight as he thinks. Ordinary men and women don’t fly, that is true, but heroes do. He thinks he’s taken the first tentative steps in breaking the Bats’ self-induced isolation. Maybe one day, he’ll stand alongside the Bat Man, share his secrets, call him friend.

Until then, Clark will harbor this little meeting all to himself. After all, according to most people, there are no vigilantes in Gotham City and that’s just how her heroes like it.

[dominaecaede]

Tomorrow Never Comes

Chapter 7 results: 88% chose to move quietly

〘 twitter 〙

The following story will have themes such as blood, gore, situations that may cause anxiety and major character death. If you are sensitive to any of these, please do not proceed.

[Additional warning: needle mention]

Chapter 8: Regret

Shouto peeked above his cover that he'd taken from a lab sink and observed the akuma before ducking down again. His heterochromatic eyes looked up at Bakugou and the others.

"We have to move quietly," he whispered. "If we shoot them all down, that will only trigger a hoard. This isn't a videogame, Bakugou."

"Tch." Bakugou clicked his tongue and peeked up to also see his surroundings. "Don't you think I know that?"

Deku rested his chin on his fingers as he began to think of a route. His eyes lit up in success. "There are other wash stations in the lab that we can use for cover to catch our breath. We'll have to be very careful. I'll lead."

Shouto nodded in which prompted the others to do the same. Deku peeked up once more to see if any akuma were around before proceeding. He lead the group down a path that seemed more clear towards the right of the room and everything was going well. It wasn't long until they were in front of their teacher's cage doors. A surge of confidence surged within the greenette.

"Almost there...!" He whispered.

Before he began creeping towards the cage again, there was a sudden slam coming from the group's proximity. It alarmed them, but when Dabi hushed them, he peeked up from their cover to see what was going on. Guns suddenly began firing, immediately forcing Dabi back down. From the corner of her eye, Uraraka can see almost every akuma go down with no effort and adrenaline made her heart pump rapidly. When the firing ceased and the creatures stayed dead, the sound of rapid footsteps were soon to follow.

"Coast is clear," a firm male's voice spoke out, sounding as if he were wearing a mask.

The sound of heavy footsteps soon took over their eardrums. Each step echoed within the walls of the lab. It wasn't hard to figure out that whoever made those footsteps was wearing heels. A feminine chuckle followed, and Aizawa grunting in distaste.

"Looks like you made a few friends while you two got comfortable," the voice spoke, obviously to the two men who were stuck in cages. "How are you two holding up?"

"Is that supposed to be a trick question?" Aizawa grit his teeth. "Your taunting is annoying me. I'd rather be sleeping than listen to you any longer."

"Oh, Shouta. That'll soon be arranged but it's best to not get too excited," the woman chuckled. "You two have - or should I say, had - powerful quirks. Your transformations are something worth seeing."

"Transformations...?" All Might coughed. Izuku winced at the sound as he kept listening to the conversation. "What are you planning to do with us? You know what, it doesn't even matter. Just don't hurt the students..."

"I'm touched. However, I can't promise anything. I'm sure your students know how much you care. After all, they're not very slick."

The hand of one of Clearnox's security grabbed at Bakugou's shoulder and the stronger figure yanked him up, making the blonde stand. Deku shot up automatically in panic.

"Kacchan...!"

When the greenette turned his head, his eyes widened a bit. There stood before him was a woman with short wavy blonde hair and alluring tangerine eyes. She had a seemingly polite smile but the expression in her eyes contradicted any sign of kindness she might've shown. The woman was surrounded by four armoured soldiers, including the one having a hold on Bakugou. Three of them were masked. The only one who didn't wear a mask was towards the woman's right side, and he looked like the kind of villain you'd see in an action film. The soldier's vests had Clearnox's symbol embedded into it. Deku immediately recognized who she was from all the news he's watched and realized his mother was right about having doubts.

"Yuna Hana...," Deku muttered as he raised his gun at the woman. He wore an intense expression, his emerald eyes watching her every move. "Let him go."

Yuna's empty grin smiled as she walked towards the blonde, who was trying to fight his way out of the tight grip with an angry expression much more different than usual. She stopped in front of him and pulled up the touch screen pad she was carrying.

"Bakugou Katsuki," she read from her screen. "Student of UA High School... Placed first in the sports festival? Impressive."

"Let him go!" Deku shouted again but was completely ignored.

"Let's see... Birthday: April 20th... Quirk: explosions? Interesting..." She continued to scroll on her touch screen before putting it away and reaching to grip his jaw. "Not that bad looking, either. He'd make a fine addition."

Bakugou yanked his jaw from her grip and attempted to bite her hand. "Piss off, lady."

Yuna had reacted in time, letting out an amused chuckle. "Your feisty attitude will come in handy, too. Take him to quarantine."

"No!" Aizawa had shouted from his cage. Deku aimed his gun at the soldier walking away with Bakugou and almost pulled the trigger before another one landed a punch on his jaw with brutal force, knocking tbe greenette down. Dabi had gotten up from his cover and threw a butcher knife conveniently found next to him towards the soldier who had the blonde. The knife plunged into his arm and he screamed, letting go of Bakugou. The blonde used this to his advantage and began beating him up before shooting him with his shotgun. Shouto and Uraraka stayed down but it wasn't like they weren't doing anything. The firing gave a distraction while the two-toned haired boy was thinking of a plan.

Bakugou had rushed back to Deku's side and aimed his shotgun towards the woman, the greenette doing the same.

"Let my teachers go," Deku said firmly. "I'm not afraid to shoot you."

The blonde woman chuckled. "A kid acting big and bad. That's cute."

"A fucking bullet in your face will be cute, too," Bakugou snarled.

The woman's eyes grew emotionless, her empty smile fading. A sigh escaped her lips before she simply turned towards the door she came in from. "Maybe," she finally responded. "But your chance to shoot me hasn't come just yet."

"Wait, what is she doing...?" Uraraka muttered. She was following Shouto, who was creeping towards one of the soldier's standing guard next to the cages. Shouto hushed the brunette as a response.

However, the two were stopped in their tracks when they saw Yuna holding up her watch that she wore on her wrist. She pressed something on it, they were too far to tell what it was, but a loud noise was heard from behind them. When Uraraka looked behind her, she could see that a hoard of akuma were headed their way.

"...! Shit...!" Shouto muttered.

The other boys soon noticed the hoard coming and fell back. "Fuck...!" Bakugou shouted.

Dabi didn't waste any time. He began shooting the two other soldiers through their masks before they could react. He aimed his gun towards the woman, but she was unfortunately already walking through the door with the only unmasked soldier.

"Dammit...!" Shouto spat. "We have to get the teachers out of the cages before that hoard gets here!"

"Already on it!" Uraraka nodded and ran towards the metal bars. The lock was a heavy one, and she didn't have enough time to look for a key so she found another way. "Stand back, you two!" She told the teachers. Aizawa and All Might stepped as far back as they could as Uraraka got her gun out and shot the locks. She hastened to open the cage doors and helped them out, however, All Might stumbled a little. Uraraka helped him up and the man smiled kindly towards her.

"Did you have an escape route planned?" Aizawa asked the group.

"We have to head back towards the elevator," Uraraka answered while she had All Might's skinny arm wrapped behind her neck to keep him up. "Yuna blocked the other way out."

"Then let's go!" Deku nodded.

The hoard of akuma was already charging at them and Bakugou shot some of them down to hold them off. Luckily the elevator wasn't too far ahead, but before they could all enter, All Might stumbled again.

"A-All Might...!" Deku shot back and rushed towards him. "C'mon, we're almost there!"

All Might wheezed. "Sorry... Looks like those soldiers landed some pretty rough blows on me."

Deku looked down and noticed that the white shirt All Might was wearing was tainted red. He knew his teachers were in bad shape but it's only now that he's seeing just how bad the damage was. All Might was stabbed in the stomach twice and cut up pretty bad on his arms and cheeks, along with bruises to his face and neck. Deku was horrified.

"What did they do to you...?" He whispered.

The group had gone ahead and was holding the elevator door open. They were ready to go back to the first floor until they saw that Deku was with All Might. Shouto immediately ran towards them and took one of his arms.

"Come on, we have to go. I'll help him up!" He told Midoriya.

"N-No...," All Might answered. "I'm too badly injured. I'll just slow you all down."

"All Might, you gotta try! Come on!" Deku had taken his other arm to try and hold him up. When they began running again, the teacher had only stumbled again. The panic began clouding the greenette's mind.

"No no no... Come on, we're almost there...!" Shouto heaved and pushed on.

It took a huge effort, but both boys had managed to carry All Might into the elevator. Aizawa saw how close the hoard was getting so he closed the door before they could get to the group. Uraraka sighed in relief, and Shouto and Midoriya helped All Might sit down on the ground of the elevator and rested his back against the wall.

"He's in awful condition...!" The brunette gasped. "Did they do that to him?!"

Aizawa grunted. He gripped his side and sat down. "They tried to torture us until our minds b-broke."

"Why?" Dabi raised an eyebrow.

Aizawa looked up at Dabi, then raised his eyebrows at Deku and the others. No words were needed to see that their former homeroom teacher was confused why a villain was helping. Deku only nodded, and that was enough.

"All Might and I overheard the guards talking," he began. "F-From what we heard, they were going to try and turn us into those freaks and Yuna was going to oversee the whole operation."

"And why the hell would she do that?" Bakugou asked.

"All I'm thinking is that maybe it's because of the kind of quirks we had. Otherwise why else would she take us?"

Shouto listened as he began thinking. His eyes lit up and he turned his gaze towards Midoriya. "Mutations..."

Midoriya blinked in confusion at first before realizing what he meant. Shock fell before him. "The quirks people used to have determine how mutated the experiment will become... That's what happened to Shigaraki! The reason why he looked like that was because he had a strong quirk! If Yuna was trying to turn you into those things..."

"... Then she was trying to mutate us," All Might wheezed out. "B... But why?"

Aizawa blinked. "And how did you even come to that conclusion, Midoriya? You went up against Shigaraki Tomura while we were gone?"

Midoriya nodded. "Dabi was helping us get better equipment that happened to be located at the League of Villain's hideout. We found a very deformed akuma and fought it, but we soon found out that it was Shigaraki. He was fast, too. Looked like an insect..."

"Gave me the fucking creeps," Bakugou shivered.

Aizawa blinked again and looked down. "That's insane..."

The elevator binged to it's stop and the doors opened to a familiar hallway. Bakugou helped All Might up while Midoriya lead. The group wasn't too far behind.

"This way," the greenette called out.

They reached the familiar set of stairs that lead back up to the trap door. Slowly they crept out and looked around to see if the coast was clear before continuing on their way. Shouto closed the trap door when everyone was out and let out a sigh.

"Alright, we should head back to the others and get All Might patched--"

His speech was interrupted by one of Clearnox's soldiers gripping him and covering his mouth. The others immediately got defensive and got their guns out.

"Todoroki-kun!!" Uraraka shouted in worry as she began firing at the soldier holding onto him.

"Uraraka-san, be careful! You could hit Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya spoke out.

Shouto was wriggling in the soldier's arms and trying to kick himself free, but the sound of a helicopter interrupted everyone's thoughts. The helicopter landed just in front of the group as Yuna Hana appeared from the industry's entrance.

"This is the one we need," she spoke out to the soldier. "I took the liberty of researching information on this little group. He's the son of Endeavor and Todoroki Rei. No doubt he had a strong quirk. Take him."

"??!!" Shouto made an angry muffled noise and continued to fight the strong grip holding him. His constant wriggling opened a window and he bit the soldier's hand hard. The masked individual winced and landed a hard punch to the dual-toned haired boy, making him cough out a little bit of blood.

"Icyhot!" Bakugou shouted and pointed his shotgun at the soldier, but Yuna Hana shook her head at him before he could even pull the trigger.

"I wouldn't try that," she told the blonde boy. "My men might use your friend as a shield."

Bakugou grit his teeth before noticing the other soldiers pointing their guns at the rest of the group. Shouto was weakened from the punch but he still pressed on. He wriggled some more and grunted in frustration, and this only made Yuna sigh. She walked over to the captive boy and pulled out a syringe she had in the purse she carried.

"I didn't want to use this, but you leave me no choice, young one."

She gripped Todoroki's hair and pulled it to the side to make his neck exposed before inserting the needle into it. The effects were quick and he began feeling drowsy, but even so, he fought to keep his eyes open.

"That should calm him down. Bring him in. We'll go to the center of operations," Yuna ordered.

Midoriya felt panic grip his bones. He began running towards the helicopter while gripping his weapons. Whatever that was in that syringe was strong. Shouto's vision began getting cloudy as he tried to lift his head up to see his friend. All he could see was a blotchy figure with a green head.

"Mi... do... riya...," He muttered quietly before becoming unconscious.

"No...," The greenette whispered as he watched Shouto being put into the flying vehicle. The helicopter began flying up before taking off. "TODOROKI-KUN!!!!!!" He screamed.

He heard the clicking of the other soldier's weapons and anger spilled into his veins. He screamed and began shooting at all of them, his eyes glowing with a rage that made Bakugou jump. But even so, it made the group join him. Midoriya showed no mercy as he shot every one of them down. They landed a few bullets into his arm and leg, but he didn't feel the pain over the adrenaline talking over. When the last soldier was down, Midoriya didn't even stop. He began kicking and stomping the body's face into the ground until the face wasn't even recognizable. The body's blood was even getting on his pants. Uraraka rushed towards him and took ahold of his back, holding him close while closing her eyes painfully.

"D-Deku-kun, that's enough...!" She spoke out.

Midoriya didn't seem to come back to reality until Uraraka's hold made him stop. He began shaking and tightened his fists. He knelt to to the ground and slammed his fists on the gravel, finally letting out a scream he held in. The group couldn't tell if he was crying but they weren't about to judge him. Bakugou walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder, gritting his teeth in anger while looking up towards the direction they took their friend. All Might slowly trudged towards Deku and gently petted his head to calm him down. Both Dabi and Aizawa looked towards the direction Bakugou was.

After a moment of silence to allow the greenette to calm down, Aizawa spoke up. "We have to patch up All Might. Let's go to the others-"

"No," Midoriya interrupted. "You all go ahead. I'm gonna go get Todoroki-kun back."

The group shot up a look. "By yourself?! Are you crazy?!"

"Look, I'm going!" He stood up, making Uraraka let go of him. He began walking towards the helicopter's route. "You're either with me or you're just in my way. I don't care what you choose."

Of all the irritating things he could say that would irritate Bakugou, this one seemed to take the cake. He stomped towards him and gripped his arm.

"Oh hell no, this isn't the time to act like a reckless hero, shitty nerd!" He shouted. "We all wanna save Icyhot but we need to get All Might to safety first. Your ass is coming with us whether you like it or not!"

Deku shot back at him. "What, and stall time while they're doing god-knows-what to Todoroki-kun?! No way! I'm not failing him like how I failed saving you before!"

Bakugou gripped his teeth and didn't hesitate to sock his childhood friend right square in the jaw. It knocked him down, as to be expected from the force. The blonde knelt down and gripped Deku's shirt to make him look at him.

"You're irritating as fuck, Deku, but that crossed the damn line!" He shouted in his face. "How are you gonna save him if you can't even save your own first?!"

"That's why I said to go on ahead without me!" Deku shouted back, not caring to wipe his bloody lip.

"To hell with that! We're in this together and I'm not about to let you die without me making it happen first!"

Deku tightened his lips. Bakugou looked at him angrily before letting out a frustrated sigh. He let go of Deku's shirt before standing up. "You know what? Fine. Go. Go and play hero and get killed. But don't you fucking dare think for one damn minute that I didn't try and stop you."

Bakugou began headed back towards the group but he stopped in his steps and looked back at Deku, who was still on the ground looking at him.

"You act like we're just abandoning Icyhot. We're not that fucking stupid," he put his hands on his waist. "But we're not that smart, either. That's why if you want to actually save him and not get killed, we need time to think of a plan. You of all people should know this."

Deku looked down and furrowed his eyebrows. Bakugou had a point. He can't just swing in there recklessly. But still, the more time they waste, the more Shouto would be closer to being dead. Or worse: mutated. His train of thought was interrupted by the sight of Bakugou's hand reaching out towards him.

"Look," Bakugou started again. "We need to make sure our group is secure and we need time to think of a plan. But one thing's for sure: we're gonna shoot those damn doors down. We're gonna shoot their fucking skulls in and we're gonna save that half n' half bastard. We'll teach them not to fuck with us, but first, you need to use your damn brain. It's the only thing you're good for. So come on. Get your ass up."

Should he:

• Take Bakugou's hand?

• or save Shouto now?

[butchspace]

on he/him lesbians (and gnc women in general)

I'm not gonna take asks about this anymore. If you send them in, I'm just gonna delete them (or maybe link to this) because there's more than enough on my blog and on Tumblr in general to explain this to anyone who's willing to learn. If you need some posts on this, I started a tag for it. Also check out the posts I link down at the end of this.

I don't want to jump down anyone's throat about this or make anyone feel bad, but I'm gonna take ~ one paragraph to vent. I get why it might be hard to understand something you've never seen, heard of, and/or experienced. The honest asks that just want to know more aren't that bad. The people who want to understand so they can support us or just to learn about us are ok.

TW for:

(mostly brief) discussions of transphobia, lesbophobia, and misogyny

mentions of racism

I don't like how many asks I see asking why some lesbians use he/him. It sometimes feels like my identity is being questioned. And a lot of them accuse us of being transphobes or of diluting the meaning of language. (All of these anons assume all GNC lesbians are cis and no trans or nonbinary person has ever preferred any pronouns but the ones directly associated with their gender, which is...incorrect.) They come into our inboxes and ask GNC lesbians to lay out every piece of evidence for why they should be allowed to exist, and then twist those words around and make us into villains.

When I say pronouns don't equal gender, I don't mean they're not related or connected. That's actually the precise reason why someone might want to express their gender non-conformity through pronouns. Pronouns are associated with gender, but they are not the absolute & ultimate gender decider. People don't identify as a man because they prefer he/him. It’s usually the other way around. Most people use the pronouns that are directly associated with their gender because of how they identify. A nonbinary person might prefer they/them because those pronouns are gender neutral and affirming. A trans man might prefer he/him because those pronouns are traditionally thought of as male and are affirming. But a nonbinary person is not obligated to use they/them and a trans man is not obligated to use he/him. A cis man is not obligated to use he/him either. People choose their pronouns based on what they are comfortable with. What they are comfortable with is often directly influenced by their gender, but not always. Some people use pronouns that align more with their gender non-conformity or gender presentation. No one is obligated to go by any pronouns they don’t want to.

Misogyny and homophobia intersect and fuck with the lives and identities of LBP women. It makes it weird, hard, and confusing to be women. LBP women of color and trans women experience even more intersections that affect their relationship to womanhood. The only acceptable womanhood (1) is to be a straight, white, cis, able-bodied, thin, gender conforming, etc. woman. Most women are going to have a somewhat complicated relationship to gender. But for any woman who is not everything on this list, it's going to be even harder to navigate. So we do it in different ways. For some women, going by he/him pronouns is one of those ways. Some women present in an untraditional way. Sometimes, they prefer to subvert traditional femininity.

And using he/him isn’t necessarily about a disconnection from womanhood. There are women who are very firmly connected to womanhood who use he/him. It’s about a disconnect from femininity or from gender conformity. But ultimately it’s about experiencing womanhood differently.

And honestly, how does being "masculine" or using """"male"""" pronouns automatically, despite this person identifying as a woman, turn someone into a man. (2) I think any theories about gender identity that discount someone's internal idea of their gender are bad and often have transphobic or misogynist implications.

The bottom line is women (and everyone really) are allowed to express their gender however they want (3 & 4). The fact that there isn't nearly as much backlash about lesbians who use they/them (although there certainly is some) is really telling. People want lesbians to fit into some gender box and never branch out. They especially want lesbians to never ever do anything even remotely associated with men, because this threatens gender roles. But we will never fit into gender boxes. Those gender boxes inherently exclude us. Society wants this of all women, and those boxes are rarely meant for otherwise marginalized women. (5) They are created by misogyny, and heavily informed by homophobia, transphobia, and racism.

And, just to reiterate, men cannot be lesbians. That is no way what I’m saying here and if you thought so you didn’t read the post very well.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Notes:

(1) in some way, there is no acceptable womanhood because of misogyny (see note 5)

(2) a post about why I don't like calling butches in general words associated with men, hence the scare quotes

(3) Do what you want but don't use culture-specific identities that you don't have claim to, don't you slurs you can't reclaim, etc.

(4) a post about gender identity and presentation that goes into more detail about my do what you want philosophy

(5) this is not to say cis het white women always fit into their gender boxes very neatly either. Misogyny affects all women, it just affects LGBT women and women of color in unique ways.

other posts on this subject: x, x, x

even more stuff:

x, x, x

[ookamikasumi-writer]

Tricks to Tight 'Sneaky' DESCRIPTION

Art by Messa

How would you convey what is happening in this picture? - How would you describe this character? - Her actions? - Her setting? - Her mood?

Getting the IMAGE on Paper

Avoid Simple Nouns: The door, the car, the tree, the house, the sword, the dress, the hat... Write instead: The French doors, the Subaru, the oak, the Victorian cottage... Using a Specific Noun, rather than a simple and vague noun, automatically pops in description.

Adjectives are your Friend!

Adjectives give your objects and locations emotional flavor and impact. The trick is not to over-do it! Moderation - moderation - moderation.

One adjective per Noun: Put in an Adjective -- in addition -- to a specific Noun. The ornate French tapestry, the rusty Subaru, the yellow Victorian cottage.

Two adjectives per Sensation: Sight, Sound, Taste, Texture, Scent - are all perceived through the senses. The glaringly red French doors, the seductively throbbing jazz, the creamy bite of yogurt, the nubby white dishcloth, the pungent musk of wet dog.

The Not-So Dreaded -ly Words.

Every once in a while you will hear someone whine that you shouldn't use words that end in -ly. The "No -ly words!" whiners are usually the same people that say: "Don't use Adjectives!" Think People! How the heck are you supposed to describe something without adjectives? You CAN'T.

The "No -ly Words" rule DOES NOT APPLY to Fiction!

This rule comes from Basic School Grammar - grammar that was intended for NON-fiction, such as Reports and other boring description-less education-related or business-related writing. On the other hand, Fiction THRIVES on description!

Still Feeling Guilty?

If you can find another word that says the same thing without ending in -ly, use it. If you can't, then use what you have and DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.

Making the Reader FEEL the Passion You want PASSION? Make the prose PURPLE!

Seriously. Sensually-Descriptive and Erotically-charged words are the key to Romantic and Sexually-charged fiction. If it implies a Sense - sound, taste, sight, texture, scent - you're halfway there!

So, where do you get them there what's-it words? From Trained Professionals: Other Writers. I pulled out my favorite trashy novels and hunted down phrases that really caught my attention and then I made a list of all the PRETTY words.

salacious humor

carnal gratification

languorous bliss

shrieking culmination

disconcerting stimulation

brutal carnal rapture

exquisite torment

lustful cravings

irresolute yearning

skittish laughter

I also dug through my thesaurus and made another list of all the adjectives I use over and over and over...

Assault - attack, advancing, aggressive, assailing, charging, incursion, inundated, invasion, offensive, onset, onslaught, overwhelmed, ruinous, tempestuous, strike, violation,

Beautiful - admirable, alluring, angelic, appealing, bewitching, charming, dazzling, delicate, delightful, divine, elegant, enticing, exquisite, fascinating, gorgeous, graceful, grand, magnificent, marvelous, pleasing, radiant, ravishing, resplendent, splendid, stunning, sublime,

Dangerous -  alarming, critical, fatal, formidable, impending, malignant, menacing, mortal, nasty, perilous, precarious, pressing, serious, terrible, threatening, treacherous, urgent, vulnerable, wicked,

Painful - aching, agonizing, arduous, awful, biting, burning, caustic, dire, distressing, dreadful, excruciating, extreme, grievous, inflamed, piercing, raw, sensitive, severe, sharp, tender, terrible, throbbing, tormenting,

Okay you got your words! Now...

How & When to Describe it:

Rule of Thumb #1:| -- The moment the POV Character notices it -- DESCRIBE IT!

Picture the scene in your head like a movie. If it shows up in your scene - it belongs on the page.

Rule of Thumb #2: -- Description should always reflect the OPINION of the Viewpoint Character.

Oscar the Grouch is not going to see - or describe - a field of roses the same way as Big Bird. Darth Vader's opinion (and description,) of Yoda is not going to resemble Luke Skywalker's. The Heroine is NOT going to describe the Villain the same way she would her Hero.

Rule of Thumb #3 - Limit your detailed descriptions to stuff that is Relevant.

How do you tell what's relevant & what's not? How IMPORTANT is it to the story? Will this object/setting/character matter later?

If it's Important, then describe it in loving detail.

If it's only incidental, than only the tiniest sketch is needed.

Rule of Thumb #4 - Moderation! Moderation! Moderation!

Once you have described a setting or a person thoroughly, you don’t need to Keep Describing them -- unless they change. A small clue here and there, such as keeping to specific nouns, will do.

WHAT to Describe:

Scenery: Every new scene should open with a snapshot of description that details the stage the action is about to happen in.

No more than 60 words max. If you need more than that to describe your setting - splice it into your Action.

Location Changes: Every time the scenery changes: every new room, every new view, every new place they arrive at - gets described; so the reader can see it, and experience it too -- but don't go overboard.

If your story is based in the normal contemporary world, what the Setting looks like only matters in their immediate location and how it affects them directly. For example, rain has more of an immediate effect on characters than would sunshine - unless they're a vampire.

Locations get 30 words max, because that's about how much the average person can catch in a single look. The rest of the details should be mixed in between the actions and dialogue as the character gets a better look around.

Note: Fantasy and Sci-Fi Require MORE Description.

In most sci-fi's and fantasies, the otherworldly SETTING is just as important as the characters because the differences between Fantasy & Reality actually affect the plot -- such as things that are possible in a Fantasy setting, but aren't in the normal world, and vice versa.

The snapshot at the beginning of every scene is still the same length (60 words) - but you have to continue to add more description as the characters move through the world.

People: Think of how you see characters in a movie. THAT'S how you describe the people your character sees. Start at the top and describe down. Bottom to Top description implies that the Body is more important than the Mind. It implies that the viewer is looking for sex -- and nothing more.

Note to Fan-Fiction writers: Fantasy Characters should get the opportunity to show off the full extent of their powers at least once because those powers are relevant to who that character is and why they act as they do. People get three whole sentences max. If you need more than three sentences, thread the rest in with the dialogue.

Describing the Viewpoint Character: Yes or No?

YES! YES! YES! I don’t know about you, but when I’m reading a story, I wanna know whose head I'm in -- as soon as I'm in that head! And I want to know what that person LOOKS LIKE! (Damn it...)

Viewpoint Characters only get three sentences just like any other person in the story.

Describing the Viewpoint Character is Tricky -- Literally. You have to use tricks to do it.

The simplest way to describe the POV character is by having them see their reflection, (which, is also why it’s the most common technique.) Try to avoid using mirrors. Mirrors have been done to death.

The other way is by having the character ‘notice’ themselves, one little action at a time. This works best when the character is highly opinionated about their appearance.

EXAMPLE:

The delicately feminine gown strewn across the bed was exactly the type I would refuse to wear under any circumstances. To make matters worse, it was a horrifying shade of fairy-tale iridescent pink. I could not believe they actually expected someone as un-delicate and unfeminine as me to actually wear it – in public! Blue-eyed blonds with hoards of golden curls wore shiny pink gowns. Big strapping girls like me, with long pin-straight black hair and cat-green eyes wore dowdy blue dresses, usually with aprons over them.

The trick I prefer to use is threading the Description into the character's Actions. Using their Actions brings other parts of the character into focus, rather than describe the character in one lump paragraph.

From: INSATIABLE

Good god in heaven, this guy wants sex? With her? Was he out of his mind? She wasn’t unattractive; she’d never had a problem getting dates. Her generous bust-line, more than generous butt, and small waist drew the guys out of the woodwork. But this guy was just too pretty to even consider someone that didn’t come straight from Hollywood. “I’m flattered, really, but…” She pushed up from the bench and her coiled hair teetered precariously on top of her head. She made a quick grab for the chopsticks jammed in the twisted knot of her long dark blonde mane. Several of her charcoals rolled from her sketchbook to land on the floor with the tiniest sound of breaking glass. “Oh, damn…” She abandoned her hair and leaned over the side of the banquette sofa, reaching for the fallen charcoals. Her bare foot struck the wall under the night black window and three of the vampire paperbacks by her knee were knocked to the floor. She groaned in annoyance. It figures… A cute guy and I am an instant klutz. Lifting her feet carefully over the backpack hogging the far end of the sofa, she turned on her belly to get her feet on the floor. Not the sexiest move in the world. Just call me Grace. She hunched down to gather the fallen books and broken charcoals. The man crouched at her side and collected one of her fallen vampire books. A black brow rose as he scanned the back cover. “What interesting reading material.” Elaine’s cheek heated as she stood. “Yes, I read trashy romances.” She leaned over the sofa to stuff her charcoals and her other two books into her back pack. “It’s a girl thing.” “This is a romance?” “A trashy romance; it has sex in it.” Elaine glanced over her shoulder and froze. He was still crouched, but the book was forgotten in his hand. He was focused entirely on the curve of her jean-clad butt, bent less than a foot from his nose. His midnight stare lifted from her butt to capture her gaze. “Then you like sex?” Elaine swallowed the lump in her throat. Oh boy, I really stepped in that one. She stood upright slowly, trying to gather what dignity she could, and then turned around to face him. “Yes, I like sex.” It was too late to deny it now. She tugged the hem of her thick white cable knit sweater down over her hips, and butt. She held out her hand. “My book please?”

Using Description Wisely!

Once you have described a setting or a person thoroughly, you DON'T need to Keep Describing them -- unless they change. A small clue here and there, such as keeping to specific nouns, will do.

For example, in the above excerpt, the man was not described, though Elaine was - and thoroughly. Why was that? Because I HAD ALREADY DESCRIBED HIM in a previous part of the story, this part in fact:

From: INSATIABLE

“Might I have your company for the night?” “Huh?” Elaine glanced up from her belly-down sprawl across the private compartment’s plush banquette sofa. The art deco lamp directly over her was on, but polished cherry wood walls made the rest of the antique Pullman car very dark. She blinked. Where did he come from? A tall man in a nearly floor-length black leather coat, stood just inside the deep shadow of her compartment’s door. His hands hung loose at his sides. “Pardon the intrusion.” His voice was soft, low and velvety with a touch of exotic eastern European lilt. He tilted his head toward the closed door. “I did knock, and your door was unlocked.” Elaine bit her lip. She hadn’t heard the knock. Hell, she hadn’t heard the door to her train compartment open either. Damn it, she had to start remembering to lock that door. She sighed. Too late now. “I’m sorry, my best friend says a bomb could go off when I’m drawing and I’d miss it.” “An artist’s concentration, I understand.” He stepped into her pool of light. Blue highlights gleamed in the unrelieved blackness of his hair. He wore it combed straight back from the deep peak of his brow, hinting that his hair was long and tied back. Midnight dark eyes peered at her from under straight black brows. Sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw-line defined his aggressively masculine face, but the lush fullness of his mouth and the ivory-pale color of his skin belonged in a neo-classical painting. Wow, GQ magazine must be missing a model. She had to close her mouth. The man’s face was that freaking gorgeous. “I’m sorry, what was it you wanted?” One corner of his mouth lifted, hinting at amusement. He clasped his hands before him. “Your company, for the night.” “My company?” She blinked. That couldn’t be what it sounded like. “For what, exactly?” “Sex.” His slightly amused expression didn’t change.

What was in the picture at the beginning of this article?

A woman.

A time of day.

Weather conditions.

Actions & Emotions.

Color.

MOOD.  

In your response to the picture above, did you include EVERYTHING in the picture, or only some things? Did you include her hair color and its texture? Her eyes? Her clothes? Whether or not she was pretty? Her sword? Her actions? The snow?

What did you include?

What did you leave out?

What did you merely mention and what did you actually Describe?

What did you give color, weight, flavor and emotion to?

If you were to give your description to a friend who has NOT seen this picture, and then Showed them the picture, would they recognize it?

DESCRIPTION The ONLY way to get YOUR picture across to the Reader.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DISCLAIMER: As with all advice, take what you can use and throw out the rest. As a multi-published author, I have been taught some fairly rigid rules on what is publishable and what is not. If my rather straight-laced (and occasionally snotty,) advice does not suit your creative style, by all means, IGNORE IT.

[kanaevonroswag]

Thoughts on Episode 10

- I like how Tsukai’s eyes are the same color scheme as the trans flag.

- Kissing without consent ain’t cool, kids. Wish they didn’t make her do that. Pandering to str8 male audience with the nudity, too. Reminded me a little bit of Fushigi Yuugi’s Soi and Nakago, but unlike with this anime that nudity had a purpose (chi-transfer).

- Hanamori/Shindou (shinamori? idk if this is really the ship name but i digress) had WAY better development than this hetero romance they call Shindou/Tsukai. I can’t believe they tried to shoehorn romance into this. It didn’t need any romance.

- Don’t shit on Tsukai, shit on the writer(s) responsible for fleshing her out the way she was in the anime if you hate her so much. All this disdain for her is disgustingly misdirected.

Her “date” with Shindou, where she had to ask Natsume for permission to borrow Shindou first before it happened? It’s not a date. Two people talking and going around town together is suddenly a date and not a negotiation in which Tsukai’s trying to make him understand where she’s coming from when she tries to enlist his help? Wow, meet me in the fucking pit. The purpose of going to her house was to get Shindou this dragon plate:

Going around town and showing him her life are a way for her to showcase the beauty of what humanity has been capable of achieving, and I’m sure you’d agree that she’d drive this point home better while outside, experiencing the now with Shindou, than just indoors merely talking to him about how beautiful it is for humanity to have progressed on its own. Plus, animators have space to flex their muscles with beautiful backgrounds and movement if she took the discussion outside and to different settings.

And I don’t get the hubbub about this “gentle” approach of hers as being offensive to a feminist. She’s a female-presenting being who made her choice about how to approach the subject of making Shindou understand where she’s coming from; you shouldn’t criticize a woman for choosing what’s gentle or “stereotypically feminine” because that’s not a very feminist thing to do.

She’s omitted that part about being an anisotropic being, sure, but don’t you think it’s less her being a liar than the writers thinking it’s a good “plot twist!1!!” to reveal it that late into the series?

And while I’m on this topic, I’ve told someone this before:

Tsukai’s also been against what zaShunina wants to bring to humanity from the get-go. She would be a legitimate candidate or authority–the other entity with a separate set of standards Mifune-sensei was talking about–to really decide what’s best for humanity given how long she’s been around. She knows both the anisotropic beings’ and humanity’s contexts and backgrounds.  

Given this, there really is room for negotiation if both anisotropic beings just put their weapons away. Shindou’s negotiating style should come through in the next episode, and I don’t wanna trust in the snippets of conversation in the Ep10 preview because fighting zaShunina might be the direction the show writer(s) want the audience to think it’s heading.

So yeah. Tsukai’s character has a purpose for being an anisotropic being that knew humanity vs zaShunina’s purpose as the anisotropic being that didn’t. She’s the voice representing that portion of humanity that believes in non-interference from the anisotropic, that portion that doesn’t want to blindly follow the promises of an alien. She acknowledges the benefits of the anisotropic technology but thinks there are more important things than those benefits.

The anime looks to be shifting from a negotiation between humans and zaShunina to a negotiation between Tsukai and zaShunina. But the latter shouldn’t be the case. Humanity should still have a say in what happens to it, and not have two aliens bicker over its fate as if it couldn’t decide for itself. All three parties (humanity, Tsukai and zaShunina) should be smoothing over the terms together to reach a satisfying conclusion as in Ep0. Yet I absolutely disagreed with the (rushed) decision to broadcast the Sansa in a past episode without further testing, or speculating on the physical, mental and societal ramifications of increased productivity and lack of sleep. Labor union members and capitalists alike would have a field day with the redefinition of a humane amount of rest permitted a worker and other such consequences of the anisotropic technology.

Gotta say, I don’t appreciate having Tsukai or those who share her views on how humanity shouldn’t have been given any of the alien tech be called a Luddite or anti-progress. Pretty sure she likes seeing humanity advance and progress,

just not with the aid of that specific type of technology. Besides, it’s contradictory for zaShunina to want to mine humanity for information when the introduction of his 4 “gifts” erases that human journey to achieving similar effects, a journey that would have yielded more information than a reliance on an alien cheat code. That’s zaShunina putting the cart before the horse.

- I’ve been suspicious of zaShunina from the get-go and I’ve always linked his actions to that of a slavemaster, a colonizer come to preach what’s best for the colony without understanding the colonized’s ways and reap their land of resources (information) for the benefit of anisotropic beings like himself. Even colonizers introduced their technology to the colonized in an attempt to bring them closer to “their level” or standard of living. There is that power relation of colonizers being superior in every way to the colonized, that White Man’s Burden of having to impart knowledge as a courtesy (but that’s a front; the name of the colonizing game is exploitation). Those who thought of zaShunina as benevolent are disappointed now that he’s, as they say, “made out to be a villain”.

Well, that’s just the truth, isn’t it? He isn’t interested in humanity’s advancement for the sake of humanity. He’s interested in advancing it for the sake of anisotropic beings like himself. He’s not a good guy, never has been. He only has his own (or his race’s) interests in mind.

That’s why his race made cocoons in the first place: to harvest information. The universe’s development was monitored like they were scientists observing lab rats. zaShunina prods humanity into reaching “the right answer” when he already has the answer in mind (as he answered Shindou’s question in Ep10) like a scientist with a hypothesis to prove who is just expecting, predicting, that humanity will behave like he hopes it to during testing. Not a shred of benevolence. Just because anisotropic beings don’t seem to have a concept of exploitation doesn’t mean humanity can’t accuse them of exhibiting exploitative behavior. The phenomenon exists and is observed; humanity has a name for it even if anisotropic beings don’t.

And even if zaShunina did have good intentions, good intentions don’t automatically translate to good outcomes, especially if he knows nothing about the people he’s trying to be “good” to. Take someone who suggests you do yoga when you get anxious, for example. The advice is likely incompatible, they didn’t try to understand what it’s like to have anxiety or why that advice won’t work for you, but they meant well and want you to feel better, if not feel better about themselves for being “helpful”. Good intentions can be harmful when someone takes that wrong approach of failing to understand the circumstances or conditions of the target of their help.

- On Tsukai, the way I would critique her is how I would critique the writing of this show and the response to how she’s written:

1. Shindou is the negotiator in focus, not her. She, despite being a negotiator herself with credentials such as doing negotiations in the UN, probably didn’t try to negotiate directly with zaShunina herself because that role was meant to be for our male protagonist Shindou, who’d been in the spotlight doing a similar thing in Ep0. It’s not because she didn’t think about doing it, she’s just WRITTEN that way. Remember that Shindou is set up to be the best negotiator in Japan; the narrative would toss him and not Tsukai the metaphorical ball. He gets the action, not her.

2. Even with her role as the administrator, she’s reduced to an accessory to Shindou but that’s also perpetrated by the watcher’s biases. Being hyper-focused on critiquing her so-called “tsundere” quality and not her role as a fellow anisotropic being to zaShunina, as a negotiator, and as the cocoon’s administrator who basically designed the cocoon herself really paints a vivid picture about people who think a certain way about her. Calling her a useless character has no basis.

And let me turn that around to include criticizing those who idolize zaShunina and accept him 100% because of his looks, and lowkey what he represents on a surface level (which is advancement). Those who are uppity and arrogant about being so pro-advancement, so pro-zaShunina that, to someone like me who’s never put the alien on a pedestal, they look so stubborn and even naive about believing in this stranger’s “kindness”. To the point that when faced with evidence that he’s not benevolent, they freak out or rage about the direction his characterization is heading.

On the show’s writer(s) side, sidelining Tsukai into being the love interest despite her big roles when the spotlight would obviously be on Shindou given the story is a dick move. It’s not very progressive. We’ve seen male protagonists be allowed to hog the spotlight time and time again. Yawn. Next.

Someone’s brought this up before but I totally think they’re right when they say that the fandom would have treated her differently if she were a bishounen, as they gripe about how zaShunina should have been female instead so he would end up with Shindou. It’s unsettling. Quite the double standard we have here.

[diaboliktheology]

TROPE TROPEY TROPE TROPE

For every “Trope” I get, I will post a TV trope for my muse. for @shxujobrave

Good Is Not Soft:  Do not mistake kindness for weakness.The character isn’t necessarily an Anti-Hero, Vigilante Man or may not even be portrayed as Good Is Not Nice. He could be a genuinely friendly, sociable, caring person, always looking out for his friends and family and trying to do the right thing. Such a character would have to be compassionate to his enemies, right?Actually, no. Unlike the Good Is Not Nice character, someone who falls under this trope actually is a nice person. It’s just that this niceness doesn’t extend to giving free passes to the truly vile and horrific among their enemies. They are the reason why the villain should Beware the Nice Ones, especially since they aren’t gonna wait to be angered or snap before the inevitable beatdown/killing begins. The Good Is Not Soft character will find them, will stop them and (if they’re lucky) will kill them before they can hit that Berserk Button. Then they’ll (usually) go home to enjoy dinner and settle in for a good night’s sleep.

….Yui is a good person, Yui is kind, Yui cares more than what most would consider healthy or humanly possible. Yui is also not perfect by any means. In my portrayal, in particular, I’ve done what seems to be my pattern for how I deviate from canon in I’ve taken something from it and broadened it into a specific aspect of my version of Yui. Yui is canonly capable of anger, she’s even capable of outrage. My Yui is as well and not just because she’s been pushed well past where the brink would be for others, but because she is someone I like to portray as a realistic human being. A human being that has more than one berserk button, a person that has topic triggers that are just off limits to discussion for most and will get angry if they’re breached or her kinder warning to back off are ignored. Yui has low latent inhibition, and empathic to boot, I don’t think many people grasp what kind of insight that gives her to people or how easily she could use what she knows to hurt someone’s feelings and would in my portrayal if she was pushed too far in a certain way. She’d obviously feel badly about it later and wish to make amends depending on the circumstances and person but nonetheless Yui may be kind, AND SOFT, but that doesn’t mean she is these things all the time.  (Sidenote: I ought to count this as a two troper since it ties right into You wouldn’t like me when I’m mad)

And speaking to the scenarios stated above, canonly Yui essentially commits murder in trying to kill herself to prevent Cordelia from taking her over, she did this knowing she’d be killing Cordelia. Just…, keep in mind folks, Yui is angelic but she’s no angel, she’s human, she can be nasty in the right circumstances, she can be terrible to people, she can and will make mistakes. 

The Three Faces of Eve:  A trio of ladies: the steady, wise wife, the sexual, often sexually predatory seductress, and the innocent child.The wife, the wiser, calmer aspect, is someone around whom one could build a home life. The seductress is sexually experienced and independent. The third, the “child” (who does not have to be a child literally) will be an innocent, perhaps painfully so. So in short, a triad of: Calm and Capable Hot and Sexy Playful and Innocent. All three character types are considered to be very feminine — with Child representing Light Feminine, Seductress representing Dark Feminine and Wife being in the middle, just like the movie that the trope gets its title from. Instead of Beauty, Brains and Brawn it’s pretty-Beauty, pleasant-Beauty, and provocative-Beauty; or, alternatively: cute, beautiful, and sexy. Instead of butch, femme, and neither it’s (girly) femme, (lady-like) femme, and (overtly sexy) femme.

Again this sort of sets up as a two-parter trope-wise since the aspect Yui probably identifies most with is The Calm & Capable/Women Are Wiser but I’m gonna get to that one in a second. In canon Yui is portrayed to be fully capable of all three of these. Arguably she begins the series as the ingenue, develops into the wife or calm and capable women, and while she’s not nearly half as comfortable with it as she is the first two aspects we see her in some of the good endings portray hints of being the seductress in having accepted her love interest in a sexual/sensual way and has made strides in exploring that part of herself. Regardless, Yui embodies all three parts~.

Women Are Wiser: In many works of fiction, the female member(s) of a group, be it a married couple, siblings, or True Companions, are often portrayed as inherently better grounded than the male members: more rational, more reasonable, more level-headed and sensible, and often morally superior.Note that this trope is not about any specific instance of individual female characters being particularly sensible, but about depictions in which female characters are automatically placed in a more positive light than their male counterparts. This specific kind of Positive Discrimination is most common in comedy, but occasionally turns up in other genres, and like all forms of Positive Discrimination may also be applied to the token minority as well.

Short segment since this one isn’t as vague as the first or second. I’ve talked about it before in how I think the only reason Yui survives the games much more gets a genuine shot at her love interest romantically is because is is exceptional. She is so in her patience, her kindness, her rationality, intelligence, just all the above and just how she TRIES for them. It’s canon where Yui has her own moments of little to no fucking chill but those moments are far and few in-between in comparison to most of the diaboys. It’s even made clearer later on in Le when an info bomb is dropped on them and while Yui remains calm and thoughtful, the boys all fucking panic :|. And obviously, Yui is ALWAYS going to have the moral high ground when with them, she’d have to do a lot to even put a marginal dent in the distance between them in that regard.

Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: Inverted Trope to Tomboy with a Girly Streak, this is the girly girl that has some tomboyish qualities or interests. They could have an interest in boys sports, hate the color pink or love boyish colors, not mind getting messy, be a Big Eater, or hate dresses and wear baggy pants. Perhaps they were once a tomboy that had a Girliness Upgrade and never did quite do away with aspects of their old tomboyish personality (in which case Tomboy Angst doesn’t apply). Sometimes Depending on the Writer they may be the more boisterous one when that’s usually the tomboy’s job in their Tomboy and Girly Girl dynamic and the tomboyish one becomes more softspoken, though it doesn’t always stick. Note that “being able to fight” or liking sports isn’t a tomboyish streak, for a girl can act ladylike and still kick ass (Lady of War and Girly Bruiser).

Now as far as I know this particular aspect of Yui is specific to my portrayal. Don’t get me wrong, Yui is as soft and as feminine as they come, and genuinely enjoys household tasks and hobbies that would essentially be the markings of a great housewife and all around a girlie girl. There is one key feature that ties Yui into this trope for me though. On top of being good with chores and a fantastic cook, Yui is hella H A N D Y. You wouldn’t expect it but Yui’s actually more than decent at patching walls, hanging pictures, putting up shelves, fixing broken fences, painting. She obviously got more experience after being introduced to Subaru’s destructive tendencies but before the Sakamaki’s she nearly lived in the church and was therefore often tasked with some of the chores and upkeep of the place that her father and the rest of the clergy shared. The girl probably knows about as much as any general repairman or knows/understands enough about building and patching stuff to figure it out herself if need be.

[teentitansrpgarchive]

Terra Application

Canon Character Application Form

Roleplayer’s name: Fe[licia]

Age: 20

Gender: Gal

Predicted average weekly activity level: I should be able to meet the requirements for all 3 characters. Occasionally, due to my demanding and fluctuating schedule I may be forced to prioritize replies based on what character is most essential to current plots. In those cases, I will ensure that at least one reply is done for each character in a week’s time to not hold up the group. OOC I’ll be fairly active as I almost always have an internet device with Skype on me, even during most of my classes.

Time zone: Eastern

Anything else you want us to know?: Hi I’m the admin and this will be my…. 6th year roleplaying Teen Titans. I was also the admin of 2 other RPGs. This group has been built from the ashes of those, and is designed to take my previous visions and make it a reality.

—

This app contains information about Terra herself, as well as a clone that comes to believe she is Terra.

Character’s superhero/villain name: Terra (she may change this eventually to have an actual alias).

Character’s civilian name: Tara Markov, but she tends to go by Terra more often. Clone!Terra initially believes her name is Ashley.

Superhero, villain, undecided, antihero, or other: Undecided, but most likely will return to being a superhero. Terra is trying to live a normal life with the occasional do-gooding, but will soon be dragged back into the superhero lifestyle. Clone-Terra initially wants nothing to do with the Titans (as evident in the episode Things Change), but as more memories appear she finds herself involved with them once again.

Affiliated with: None atm, but possibly Titans East or another Titans Branch in the future. After such a traumatic experience with the main Titans she may be a bit hesitant to rejoin their ranks.  

Age: 16 (almost 17)

Physical characteristics: Terra is rather plain looking. She is a blonde with blue eyes, but is scrawny and lacks feminine charm. She often simply wears her long hair down, and has plain clothing. She tends to part her hair down the middle these days. She is modest, and is fairly insecure about her appearance. When she chooses to associate herself with the Titans, she wears a black long-sleeved shirt with a yellow T printed on it. She may develop a different costume in the future.

Personality traits: Terra can come off as self-assured and confident, especially when she wishes to impress new people. Lies slip off her tongue with ease, and she has become rather good at manipulating others for her own needs. She knows how to make other take pity on her, due to the tragedies she has experienced. She also possesses a good sense of humor and can fall into witty banter with friends. She has no qualms about hanging ‘with the guys’, and can display some boyish habits. She can sometimes be loud, selfish, disruptive, disagreeable, or opinionated. Despite her dark past, Terra generally wants to do what is right, but sometimes needs some guidance.  

However, underneath her confident façade, Terra is an insecure teenager with mental instability (and most likely a mental illness). She finds it difficult to trust, and jumps to conclusions when she feels betrayed. However, she is sometimes too quick to trust. She still sometimes feels like she cannot fully control her powers, and likewise, the occurrences in her life. Due to the effects of her unstable powers, Terra had learned to be a loner, but she still craves acceptance. Terra regrets many of her previous actions.

Special abilities: Terra is able to shape and move earth, rocks, and mud. She has previously manipulated a volcano, but it resulted in her being turned into stone so she dares not try it. She is still not in complete control of her abilities and may require additional training to reach a desirable level. She can use rocks as vehicles to travel with, as well. 

Clone!Terra does not have evidence of powers right away.

Character history: Terra grew up in the kingdom of Markovia as a princess. She was actually the result of an affair the Queen had with a commoner, but to cover up the scandal, Terra was passed off as the King’s child (Terra does not know that bit of her past). During her childhood, government scientists began experimenting on her and her siblings to give them powers. Terra could not stand the constant tests and experiments, and was also battling issues with her identity. Because of her unruly powers, Terra additionally feared for the safety of those around her. Terra ultimately decided to run away around the age of 10. She was able to smuggle herself to the United States on a cargo ship. From there she began a nomadic lifestyle; she was often homeless, and at times was bounced around various foster homes. Her powers unfortunately caused destruction and harm to people she cared about, which is why she was not apt to stay in one place. 

Prior to Season 2 of the original show, Terra had heard about a group of teenagers that used powers to fight crime, and attempted to devote her powers to similar endeavors. She ended up traveling to the West Coast to seek them out, and that is how she met the Teen Titans.

Terra has never been officially diagnosed with any psychological disorder, but it is evident that she suffers from something. It is likely that she has at least PTSD, due to the experiments she was subjected to as a child, from early instances of her powers getting out of hand and injuring others/scaring others away, and from her time as Slade’s apprentice. During her time with Slade, Terra’s mental health rapidly fell apart and she most likely had some sort of break with reality. Slade’s emotional and physical abuse, combined with her incorrect assumptions about the Titans betraying her had severely damaged her perception of reality. While her actions are not excusable, when Terra’s desperation and mental status is taken into account, it is easy to understand her motives. Terra still has vivid flashbacks and nightmares about her past, and deeply regrets the choices she had made.

Place of residence: Terra bounces from place to place; a combination of hitchhiking and a method of travel with her powers. Eventually I would like for her to settle at a Titans base.

Clone!Terra lives with rich foster parents that wish to adopt her.

Other: At the start of the first major TTRPG plot, Terra had just been revived from her stone-like state (by an unknown reason). Unfortunately, she is almost immediately kidnapped by Professor Chang and cloned. The ‘Terra’ that is seen at the end of the series is one such clone, a failed experiment that does not show evidence of powers and has an unreliable account of her past (a combination of error and some memories purposely altered by the cloning process). Clone!Terra slowly begins interacting more with the Titans, and at first there is no suspicion. Additionally, she has gained the interest of various villains. As Terra begins to ‘remember’ more, she begins to believe that the Titans were responsible for her ‘death’, and becomes angry and bitter.

Clone!Terra has memories that clash and don’t make sense- she remembers a childhood of being shipped from foster home to foster home, but she eventually begins to remember bits of the truth, along with some very incorrect memories. This causes great distress to her.

In-character writing sample (at least 100 words):

This sample describes how Terra is kidnapped by a man working for Dr. Chang.

Running, always running. God, why did Terra always find herself fleeing from something. Ever since she had left her home many years ago, she was on the run. On the run from palace officials, and then hightailing it away from cities after accidentally causing destruction and harm..

At this moment, a strange man was tailing the teenager. Terra knew not of his intentions, but anybody who targeted a young girl in a deserted playground was not a great person.

“What do you want, creep?” she had pointedly asked him when he initially approached her. He did not respond and had instead pulled out a strange weapon. Terra’s flight instincts automatically took over- she raised a barrier made of earth, and then she was off.

He began firing a strange beam of light at her from the gun. It hit her a few times, and caused a weird sensation of pins and needles. Terra simply continued to dodge, block, and run. She also threw up rock attacks behind her in defense. She had hoped to lose him, to hide, but there was no opportunity. He hit her again, and Terra had finally had enough: She was going to fight if needed.

“You think you’re scary, but being petrified has just been part of my routine,” Terra announced to him, with a smirk as she turned to face him. The pun probably meant nothing to him as he wouldn’t have known she had essentially been a statue for about a year, but it was funny to her.

Terra had a boulder floating, aimed at the man. She was ready to attack. “Why are you following me?” She wasn’t really expecting an answer, but he opened his mouth, as if her were about to. Then, he started laughing. His laugh echoed in her head as, abruptly, Terra began to feel light-headed. Her vision blurred, and then everything went black.

Other questions:

Any character:

Why are you interested in joining TTRPG? More specifically, why do you want to roleplay this character?

Terra has always been near and dear to my heart, and I always write about her in fanfics. I’ve been considering roleplaying her for a while but never got the chance.

If your character is part of a Titans team:

What role do you think your character will play in his/her team? I think once Terra is part of a team, it will take her a little while to warm up and adjust. She is used to being on her own, and obviously her last experience with a team did not go smoothly. She is still hesitant to trust, but will eventually befriend most of her team. Specifically, her strengths as a Titan is combat due to the sheer power of her abilities. She will most likely need to be mentored by teammates about her powers.

I would like to see Terra join either the main Titans team or Titans East.

If your character is not part of a Titans team:

In what ways do you foresee your character interacting with the Titans and other characters? Do you have any plots in mind? With Clone!Terra, I would like Beast Boy to seek her out again (it will have been a full year since they last talked) or even have her seek him out. She will have a bit more ‘memory’ of what had occurred and be a bit more apt to interact with the Titans again. However, due to her unstable memories and clone programming, she will be triggered to once again lose her trust in them. This leaves her open for being taken advantage of by villains…. Including a repeat offender.

I sort of would like the original Terra to somehow escape while the clone plot is still occurring (or after the conclusion of the main clone plot if Clone!Terra is still around) to allow her to have interactions with… herself. As stated before, I would love for Terra to eventually become a part of one of the Titans teams.

Do you have any ideas regarding how your character will be introduced to any of the other characters or what characters they will frequently be interacting with? See above for how the introduction would occur. I can see Clone!Terra interacting with the main Titans for a bit and kinda befriending them again, but slowly having corrupted memories that persuade her to either seek out or be persuaded by villains (most likely Slade again)

I really would like to see Terra interact with the main Titans and Titans East. I’ve seen that route done before and it worked really nicely. Also, Sperra is still an OTP, even if I’m playing Speedy also.

If we get a Ravager, I would be interested in shipping Terra with her.

- If Terra and Clone!Terra end up existing at the same time (ie, actual Terra escapes from Dr. Chang while Clone!Terra is still around), I am totally willing to let another person roleplay Clone!Terra on a new, separate account. Because by at that point, I believe that both versions of Terra will be very different characters.