#(spoiler she only provides if shes happy with us. she is rarely happy with us. it has lead to us starving for days before bc we literally

[scorpiontattoo]

sitting here fingers fuckin crossed that our mom is srs abt letting us apply to a paid internship over the summer at the place she works bc that money is very sexy step closer to getting away from her. also sorry fuck ton of venting in the tags.

[butch-reidentified]

1. What is a woman?

Deep dive into my criticism of gender identity ideology (GII) & my take on autogynephilia

Argument for Using "Cis-Identifying"

Pitch: New Terminology to Replace "[Biological] Sex"

And related: A conversation with a "NERF" about radical feminism, gender identity ideology, and what we/I actually believe.

2. Inform yourself on some of the work I've done for trans people before you continue the trend of cowardly hypocrisy.

3. My thread responding to the way much of the tumblr trans community handled my sharing my story of surviving the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting (often by stealing my lived trauma and removing my url) is easily one of the most - if not the most - important posts pertaining to trans discourse I've made to date, and Tumblr won't let me pin it. Of course. So here it is. And a bonus: This lovely ask.

4. Hope for Women (this is a very new project, WIP)

5. Comparative Analysis of Cult-like Patterns in Gender Identity Ideology, Radfeminism

6. Response to an anon asking why radfems team up with conservatives (spoiler: we don't), including THE QUESTION I have about gender identity ideology that would make me change my views completely if answered; response to a similar anon simplifying the differences between TRA, radfem, & conservative views on gender.

About Me:

I am a butch lesbian, married to a badass gnc (but not butch) radfem lesbian goddess whose misandry surpasses even my own; she does have tumblr but rarely uses it - @psychichologramnightmare is hers. I'm 27/Taurus/May baby, though I'll be real, I've never liked astrology and found my birth chart n whatnot always laughably wildly inaccurate to me (sorry astrology girlies). Former competitive rock climber, still in love with hiking and climbing. Wilderness survivalist. Trained & armed woman, advocate for female-only firearm ownership.

My wife and I run our own business, and bought our first home together at 24 & 25 respectively - it's a lovely 4/3 on a quarter acre where we have 5 mango trees and more, plan to start growing our own food and herbs, foster kittens, and provide free housing (and more) regularly for those in need. We do a LOT of IRL feminist action/work/organizing. I post about some of that work pretty often, but I couldn't possibly post about all of it (even if it were safe to do so). I am basically organizing (mostly offline, but some online as well) full-time now.

Survivor of abuse, CSA + captivity, trafficking in my teens where I was forced into porn as a minor, the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando 2016, and more. I am no longer affected by any of these in any negative psychological manner. I own my past, every moment of it, and wouldn't change a thing I've experienced. What I often tell people is, "I'm not glad it happened; I'm glad I was there."

I got my Bachelor's in Neuroscience/Neuropsych, used to work in a top neuro research lab, and have been a coauthor on a peer-reviewed scientific journal publication. I wrote my undergraduate thesis on POTS, ADHD, some of the relevant epigenetics, and norepinephrine dysregulation. I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos & POTS in 2015, before pretty much anyone had heard of them (including most doctors). My POTS is very well-managed now, but chronic pain from EDS is more of a struggle. I recently went for testing for EDS subtype and was diagnosed with Type IV/vascular-type EDS (VEDS).

I practice witchcraft as a form of artistic expression. I don't consider myself spiritual as I've had a lifelong inability to "believe," but I am particularly passionate about lesbian-centered/lesbian-exclusive (esp butch & gnc lesbian) witchcraft. I am open to commissions for spell jars/sachets on a purely donation basis (we recently were victims of identity theft and are still struggling to recover, but I'll do them for free happily). This is essentially artistic expression to me, something to express love and sisterhood - why I'm not actually charging or anything and will even pay shipping and materials myself if you'd like one but don't want to/can't donate. To me, it's very similar to commissioning a painting or something of the sort, and I deeply enjoy the process of making them, esp for other women, the love that goes into doing so. See tags: #witchcraft, #brujeria.

Adoptee with complex history. Adoption-critical but not abolitionist - I plan to adopt with my wife in a couple years. I've talked a fair bit about my experiences, adoption trauma, ethical adoption, and more. Check out my tags such as #ethical adoption, #adopted, #adoptee, and so forth (tagged on this post for easy accessibility).

I spent many years surrounded by majority-trans-identifying friends/acquaintances both irl and online, deeply involved in trans spaces & activism, and even identified for a bit & was on T for a while. I am not "uneducated" or unfamiliar with trans-identifying people, their experiences, or gender identity ideology in general. You, like me back then, very probably have been lied to about radfems ("terfs") and what we believe and fight for. I am happy to talk in good faith (provided you do the same) 1 on 1 with anyone who is curious about what we actually believe and what we stand for, what common radfem takes on gender identity ideology & trans identity actually are and why.

I have a history of purely physical sex dysphoria (physical sensation like pain or itching). I got "top surgery" (elective mastectomy) due to this and other reasons: constant painful breast cysts & very large breasts (DDD even when I weighed under 100 lbs). I was not trans-identifying by the time I got this surgery (though I tried to briefly identify as nb/transmasc just bc I felt obligated, but hated it). I have never wanted to be a man socially and genuinely hated the very thought. I came out the womb feminist, got in trouble throughout primary school for fighting boys who tried to pull sexist bullshit, always lowkey believed in female superiority (I mean just look at our biology, lifespans, pain tolerance, the things we've done throughout history despite violent patriarchal oppression...). I spent years preparing myself. I read from & spoke to women who regretted this surgery, challenged myself at every turn, dove deep into my mind and thought processes, tried alternative treatment attempts, worked with a non-affirming therapist, made sure my past traumas were fully healed, and waited until I was in my mid-twenties so my brain was more or less fully matured. I have no regrets about it. I still have some (still purely physical sensation) dysphoria ("phantom male genitals" type of thing) at times, but have come to manage this very well. More on this here.

Formally assessed psychopath & participant in research by leading psychopathy experts (read on before jumping to conclusions). Check out this post and my #psychopathy tag (tagged on this post for easy accessibility) for info, particularly about high-EQ female psychopathy, & to find out everything you think you know about us is wrong 💕 (what you know about male psychopaths is usually right tho 💀)

Note: When it comes to politics, I strive to discuss exclusively that about which I am *uniquely knowledgeable* - by which I mean, essentially, that I (believe I) have something to contribute that is unlikely to be found on every other blog. I do not and will not make posts or reblog posts about topics I do not feel this way about. You are not entitled to know my views on every hot-button issue, and I have no intention of speaking on that which I know little about, or that I don't know enough about (through study or personal experiences) to contribute something you can't get a thousand other places.

Tag Guide (WIP):

#mine -> original posts, including ask responses

#ask -> ask responses only

#anon hate, #anon love -> should be self-explanatory. anon love does include some non-anon love for simplicity.

#catposting, #dogposting, #petposting -> images of cats, dogs, and both, respectively (not always my own)

#Wilder wives -> posts pertaining to me & my wife (last name Wilder)

#mvawg, #mvaw, #male violence -> male violence against women/girls

#ethical adoption -> my takes as an adoptee on the issues within the adoption industry & how adoption can be done ethically

#what we believe -> fairly new tag for posts trying to educate on what radfeminism is actually about/damage control for disinformation & misinformation about it

#trans violence -> violence committed by trans-identifying people, including threats of and graphic violent fantasies (primarily misogynistic ones)

#trans misogyny, #trans lesbophobia, #woke misogyny, #woke homophobia, #woke lesbophobia, etc. -> what it says on the tin

[jobrrr]

I don't get it because when Rae gave Claire the amulet Claire was confused because she believed Rae truly has feelings for her but in this week's episode she's back to not believing it?

Hi, thanks for the ask anon. Happy to provide my take. Hope you're ready for a long post.

I guess we have to start with how our two girls are flawed as characters. Claire has two big things that she has to work through. First she lives in a pretty rigid world, and she has been raised a noble, and is expected to act like a noble. While she has a high standard for what she thinks a noble should be, this world view has only started to be challenged and her truths aren't really being truths anymore. When Matt the commoner got badly hurt by Yu’s attendant and she saw how that unfolded the cracks started to form. To her that was wrong, nothing about that should have happened like that but it did. I’ll be spoiler light to start, but going forward her assumptions about a lot of things are going to be challenged and change doesn’t happen overnight. So what does this mean for Rae and her? Well in short they are incompatible in her mind, and even if she wanted something, that doesn’t matter because she has to be a proper noble and proper nobles do not get together with commoners. Factor into that that she has expected that she will do what a proper noble lady will do, and that is to marry a proper noble man. As I mentioned before Claire holds the idea of being a noble to a very high standard, to her it’s an important role and carries a lot of responsibility and she puts a lot of her self worth into the idea.

So we get this line, ‘I’m me and you’re you. I’m a noble and you’re a commoner. Nothing more, nothing less.” Honestly I love this line, cause it's why Claire is tragic. She won't allow herself to act on her wants, and the thing is, even if it takes her a while to come to terms with it. She does want Rae. It’s why she never lets the amulet go, and we will see it again. There is a reason it's part of the closing credits. 

Now secondly, and this sort of feeds into the previous point, a part of Claire believes she can not be loved, and that she deserves it. She does not think that love fits into the ideal of a Noble, and while she gushed at Thane at first, I think that it mostly because she was acting in a way that she thought she was expected to. She is a very high ranking noble, and so she should aspire to the best wife possible. I’m not saying she didn’t have a crush on, but I do think these expectations she placed on herself put a lot of weight into that crush, and if we pay attention to what’s going on between these two? Thane spoke against his father to help them in court and save Lene’s life. Afterwards what did she do? She was with Rae, they celebrated and she never brought him up. As we saw in her flashback, Claire lost her mother at a very young age, and the last thing she told her mother was that she hated her. This is the root for her self value, and when Lene is exiled it’s like opening an old wound for her. Claire thinks she is unkind and unlovable.

This is a huge source of self doubt for Claire, and there is a part of her that thinks she will drive away everyone in her life. There is a part of her that blames herself for Lene leaving, that if she had paid more attention, tried harder, been better things would have turned out better. So how does Rae factor into this? Terrible, at least from Claire’s initial perspective. Rae comes in, being incredibly silly, and spouting what’s to her is nonsense, about being in love with her. It puts her guards up because she has this self doubt, she thinks she is being played, used. It doesn’t help when Rae seemingly changes her father’s mind by dropping a single name. And it really doesn’t help that Rae never explains anything to her and so rarely acts genuine. Claire is perceptive, she knows how to read people and play the social scene. We see it when she comes to Rae’s rescue in the cafe. She knows something is up with Rae, and she isn’t going to figure it out until Rae tells her.

So let's talk about Rae now. Rae, narratively speaking is misleading, from the beginning she set the expectation that this is going to be silly, as a series (and it is) but then we get more serious moments, like Misha asking if she is gay and then we start to see the depth to her. So We have this moment.

In the manga Rae doesn’t explain anything in the moment to Claire, outside of saying she is her guiding light. She doesn’t want anything from Claire expect for to be happy. In the Anime she still doesn’t explain everything but she does say a lot more, and if I’m being frank I think it runs against why it works. Without Rae’s explanation, it keeps Rae a mystery to Claire, hard to pin down and potentially dangerous, no matter how alluring or happy she makes her. And I think this is what makes a lot of Manaria, and the Scale of Love arc work so well.

Rae’s flaws mirror’s Claire’s. She doesn’t think Claire can love her, and it’s why she acts the way she does. She is ultimately avoiding being hurt, Rae is a silly person, but she acts it up and she acts it up a lot. She makes her love for Claire seem like a joke. Because if it’s a joke, then the appropriate reaction is to just laugh and not think about it. Claire will of course reject her because she was never being serious. And this way she won't reject her for real. Because that would hurt too much. Driving Claire away for real is the worst thing that could happen in Rae’s mind.

Also like Claire, her world view and assumptions are working against her. Rae grew up being gay in highschool in Japan. It’s something she talks about later and we won't see it animated unless there is a season 2, but it wasn't a great experience and she is carrying a bunch of her own baggage from Japan. She wants a relationship with Claire, but in her mind that is impossible.

And Rae’s knowledge of the world as a game is working against her for this. She is making huge assumptions about Claire because she thinks she knows everything about her, she even claims to know more about the game then the game devs do. The worst assumption is that Claire is straight, and that Claire will be happy with Thane.

These flaws are the friction in the relationship, and it’s as they both unpack and untether themselves from those flaws, their relationship grows. We have had stirrings in Claire up to this point, but to her Rae’s flaws are making it hard for her to trust her, and coming up in this arc we are going to see Rae have to start to confront her own flaws.

Before Manaria shows up, Rae is stuck in this limbo. She thinks she is happy to be around Claire, and to take care of her but it’s not going great. Lene is gone and it’s been hard on Claire. Rae is trying to use her usual methods to cheer up Claire but it’s not really working. I think this addition from the anime is stellar actually. Lindsay Sheppard nails it in the English version. 

It’s said in such a fond way, but it’s solemn. She wants Rae around, but she does not see how it can ever happen. A part of her thinks that whatever relationship she has with Rae, is doomed to end just like Lene, and her mother.

So enters Manaria. God Rae needs a kick and pants and Manaria is here to do that. Rae needs to grow for the things to happen and this is probably one of my favorite parts of the series.

That made sense right? I hope this makes sense, honestly these two have been living in head so much that last couple months.

[acaciapines]

plant meanings!!!! ramble about em!!!!!! I wanna hear it!!!!

he he :3

plants! technically spoilers for the fic i just posted the vine that ate the south, so like, yknow. under the cut!

alright so! i spent. do not even want to know how long to come up with all of these. from the start i knew leafpool was gonna be kudzu and since (as probably is obvious from the title) the idea of kudzu growing over and smothering everything is strongly associated with the american south, the clans are vaguely set there! somewhere in the georgia-alabama area idk. so all my plants. should grow there lol.

and now to copy paste my notes! anything added i'll put in (parenthesis) at the end.

Leafpool: Kudzu (Pueraria montana), smothering imagery—she is smothered and left to die by starclan.

Squirrelflight: The wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana). There is something to this idea of always being this provider, and how that is taken from her, ex. how this is one of the parents of the cultivated strawberry. Also straw is similar to star <3. (i'll add--literally i just liked the vibes of this also, i tried finding something else but just kept coming back squilf being a strawberry <3)

Mothwing: While she doesn’t actually have a daemon, to hide that she weaves long-spurred violets (Viola rostrata) into her fur, because violets are lesbian flowers and also because they tend to grow near eastern hemlock trees…so, connecting her to Leafpool! (ie. to the forest, aka where leaf is from) Before her brother’s death, however, she wore aconite (Aconitum lycoctonum,)the specific species of which is non-native but grown in gardens in the Americas, and less toxic than some other varieties, so she gets the benefits of not being doubted (who would wear actual toxin in their fur) without like. dying lol.

Hollyleaf: Wood Lily (Lilium philadelphicum) as they’re poisonous to cats and thus get that association, but also in looks you could see them as a star—but not an aster species. She’s the odd one out. 

Jayfeather: Georgia aster (Symphyotrichum georgianum). It’s a rather rare species that used to be far more common as it depends on wildfire-made environments and thus occupies a far smaller range than it once did, like how Jay is sort of hemmed in and stuck by the clan system lol.

Lionblaze: Calico aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum). It’s a pretty common aster species with a wide range and it grows in tandem with other aster species—I write Lion as a pretty family-oriented guy so it fits.

and though she was cut from the fic dovewing would have both kudzu (to connect her w/ leaf, and very much show how starclan is now forcing dove to the prophecy and basically stuff i wrote in flightless dove) and Aster quitensis, which is a rare and maybe extinct aster species that is only found in ecuador. my notes here just say "she is not getting out of this alive" so take that as you will.

and for the minor characters who i gave plants...

Cinderpelt: Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus) just. Because I feel like it fits her okay. cheerful despite her circumstances, happy to be here, taking it one day at a time.

Brambleclaw: Carolina Rose (Rosa carolina) because. C’mon. The thorns. The association with love. He’s toxic as get out. The story isn’t about that but it COULD BE. (brambleclaw was going to play a larger role but the fic turned way deeper into leaf being the mother of hollyjaylion than i thought it would be so he mostly got cut.)

Firestar: Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana), because it's a large tree that works with Thunderclan being The Forest, and also they're like, almost evergreen--they keep their leaves year-round mostly and Thunderclan would like that!

annnnnd that's my plants! wahoo!

[radexchangeprogram]

This is a random one but can I request head cannons of the Brothers and Dateables reacting to an MC that’s actually a half demon but was really great at hiding her demon side since she grew up in the human world? They see a demon man just bounding towards MC before the boys could do anything MC’s like “DAD! 😃” before jumping in his arms like a child. Around her Dad she gains fangs and horns like him but she reverts back to normal when she wants to. The boys are like “Why didn’t you say anything?” And she’s like “I’m just used to my human side” or “You never asked 🤷🏾‍♀️”

Of course! I love this idea. I didn’t get a chance to proof read this so I apologize for any grammatical mistakes.

Author’s notes at the end (marked by *s)

Spoiler warning for up to chapter 17 to be safe. Especially with Belphie.

Half Demon GN!MC Headcanons

General

Everyone noticed that you never seemed too bothered by the fact that you were surrounded by demons, but figured you were just rather good at adapting.

This theory was proven wrong at a party Lord Diavolo hosted.

As you chatted with the brothers, a large demon with griffon wings, a lion’s mane, and horns similar to a gazelle began to head in the direction of your group.

The demon, who the others instantly recognized as Duke Vapula, walked up to them with a cheeky grin.

The brothers were instantly on guard, Mammon even growling slightly, as it was extremely uncommon for anyone to approach them so casually.

Diavolo, Barbatos, Simeon, Luke, and Solomon all took notice and were prepared to intervine should something happen.

You turned around to see what the issue was and let out a loud gasp.

“DAD!”

Lucifer

Absolutely dumbfounded. How did he not know about this? He read your files to the point of practically memorizing them before you came here and he swears there was nothing about you being a half demon.

He was honestly a bit embarrassed that he didn’t know about something this major.

When confronting you, all you did was say that it wasn’t that big of a deal and that you figured they already knew.

You really give him a migraine sometimes.

He feels a bit relieved that he doesn’t have to worry as much about you dying, though.

If you wish, he may start teaching you demonic etiquette, such as having you shift form at formal events.

If you prefer your human heritage, he won’t pressure you to conform to your demonic ancestory.

Mammon

WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN HIS HUMAN ISN’T ENTIRELY HUMAN?!?

The loudest about his displeasure about not knowing.

“I’m your first man! I’m supposed to know everything about you!”

When you explain to him that you’re more comfortable with your human half, he calms down a little.

Tries to call you ‘stupid half-demon’ but it doesn’t feel the same as ‘stupid human’ :(

You tell him he can just keep calling you ‘stupid human’ :D

Wonders if he can get your dad to pay him for ‘providing his child with such incredible protection’.

You immediately tell him no.

Leviathan

Holy shit this sounds like something straight out of an anime!!!

Very upset that you didn’t tell him, you’re his Henry! You’re supposed to tell him these kind of things!

When you shrug and simply say that no one asked, he gets even more pouty.

You make up with him quickly by offering to play games with him all night.

Extremely curious about your demonic form for the primary purpose of cosplay. Do you know how many more characters you can be if you have a tail or wings?!?

You might inspire some fanfiction. (half demon Henry x Lord of Shadows au slow burn 100k words, def not Leviathan projecting no not at all-)

Satan

He is extremely shocked. Not only did he have no idea, but half demons are extremely rare.

From what he’s read, most half-human half-demon offspring don’t survive past birth and all documented cases that have survived reside in the Devildom so that their powers can be better managed.

He asks you about this and you reply that you’re actually quite good at controlling your powers, but that you prefer living as a normal human.

He’s not upset that you didn’t tell him, but he has a billion questions.

How long is your lifespan? Do you take more after your demonic father or your human mother in terms of power?What are your weaknesses?

He really wants to learn more about human-demon hybrids and will ask you to help in his studies.

Also a bit excited as your father is well known for some for his knowledge and writing about the sciences. He wants to discuss some of it with you, assuming you’ve read what your father has written.*

Asmodeus

Oh he is so excited.

A bit relieved that his charm isn’t wearing off, it just doesn’t work because you’re the child of a demonic duke!

You know those boiling hot springs he talks about visiting? Well he’s happy to learn that you actually can join him without fear of your skin melting off!

He’s not upset that you didn’t tell him, getting mad over stuff like that can cause wrinkles.

He will absolutely want to help you groom your horns/wings/scales/tail.

He already has shown you a lot about demonic fashion trends, such as extra clothing that can be fitted around demonic extremities, but now he actually can actually have you try on some! Do you prefer gold tail bangles or jeweled horn cuffs?

Beelzebub

Relieved that Duke Vapula wasn’t looking for a fight.

He can’t help but smile a little when you hug your dad. It makes him happy that you love your family.

When you blush and tell him that it just slipped your mind to tell everyone about your heritage, he isn’t upset.

Happy that he doesn’t have to be so scared of accidentally hurting you with how strong he is.

If you’re able to safely eat some more demonic food, he will absolutely get you to try some of his favorite foods that normal humans would die upon eating.

Overall, you’re still the MC he has grown to love and doesn’t treat you too differently.

Belphegor

Is now more awake than he has been the entire evening.

Half demon? Nah this is just some dream.

Is understanding when you explain to him that you prefer being human and living as a human.

He’s happy he found out after making amends with you. He used to despise half-demons just as much as normal humans, seeing them as repulsive.

He still very much treats you the same, but is a bit annoyed with his brothers.

With knowledge of your demonic blood coming to light, they drag you out even more often and naps with you are becoming rarer.

If you get too overwhelmed with his brothers constantly wanting to try things they thought would previously kill you, he will be more than happy to lend you some of his hiding spots. He does charge the small fee of getting to take a nap with you though.

Diavolo

Similar to Lucifer, is shocked that he didn’t know before you came to the Devildom.

You aren’t the first half-demon he’s met, but he is surprised that a demon of Duke Vapula’s rank had a child with a human.

He’s actually very excited to learn that you’re a half-demon who is in more in touch with your human side. He feels a lot more relieved that you aren’t as defenseless as previously thought.

He does, however, make absolute sure that you have full control over your demonic powers. Every other half-demon lives in the Devildom for a reason and he can’t have someone who is technically one of his subjects accidentally cause mass destruction.

He invites you for tea more frequently, asking so many questions about how being raised in the human world as a half-demon was.

He likes to exchange stories with you about your younger years and the power fluxes you both struggled with as you grew.

Tells you that should you ever wish to live in the Devildom that he would be more than happy to make the needed arrangements.

Barbatos

He knew the whole time. When Diavolo asked him to look into the success of the program, he made note of your heritage right away.

However, he decided that keeping this information hidden when he saw that you were raised human and preferred to be seen as human.

When he explains this to everyone, you can’t help but feel thankful.

While some of the others make no effort to hide how annoyed this makes them, he doesn’t mind. He knows he made the right choice keeping this from everyone and doesn’t regret it at all.

Barbatos is actually a pretty good friend of your father’s and grew up with him. He actually met you when you were a baby because of this.*

Solomon

He has seen a lot in his years in the world of magic, but nothing like this.

Usually, half-demons were very easy to spot as they struggled to control their powers, but you practically had it down to an art!

You explain to him that you’re actually pretty good at keeping your powers under control. He’s rather impressed by this and will ask to see your spell work.

Thinks it’s a little funny that he has a pact with your dad.*

Like Satan, he wants to know all about you. Unlike Satan, he is going to actually conduct experiments instead of stick to interviews.

He has a new potion that he wants you to try almost every day now.

Can half-demons make pacts? If so, you have now been added to the list of demonic beings he wants to make a pact with.

Simeon

Very surprised considering he’s blessed you before.

Blessings aren’t supposed to work on anything of demonic nature so he’s baffled.

When you explain to him that you were raised human and prefer to live as human, he smiles.

He comes to the conclusion that you being a good person must be greater than the demonic blood in your veins.

He treats you the same overall, knowing that you’re still you no matter your heritage.

Luke

Absolute denial.

There is no way someone as nice as you is part demon! He refuses to believe it!

Gets upset and accuses you of trying to manipulate him, which you quickly deny.

When you explain to him that you prefer being human, he huffs.

Simeon gives him a bit of a talking to, about how you’re still the same MC who he sees as a big sibling.

He bakes you some apology cupcakes for being rude to you.

You sometimes shift form to mess around with him, it never fails to make him let out a shocked yelp before he snaps at you for picking on him.

Everyone (except Luke) thinks it’s funny tbh.

Author’s Notes:

*Duke Vapula is described as being able to bestow knowledge about all science contained in books.

*Barbatos is also a duke in The Goetia. I thought a fun nod to this would be to have them as friends.

*The Goetia talks about the 72 demons that King Solomon evoked. Vapula is one of the demons that he evoked. The game actually references this by talking about his 72 pacts. Asmodeus and Barbatos are both included in the 72 demons which is why he has pacts with both of them in the game :)

[janumun]

The Pirate's Symbol(s): NSFW Alphabet [IkeSen Motonari]

Game: Ikemen Sengoku Pairing: Motonari/Female Reader

Rated: NSFW/18+ Words: 2.5k

Warnings: stockings fetish, spoilers for Motonari’s ‘condition’, sexual intercourse, mentions of exhibitionism/semi-public sex, (non-sexual) bondage, innuendoes and dirty-talk, masturbation

Author’s Notes: Motonari’s entire self is a joy, his route gave me some much needed, invigorating enemies-to-lovers, and I officially love him! [Totally swiped my heart right up without warning!]

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Motonari is quick — you’d almost say adept — at sweeping off a cloth, or container, placed by your bedside. Although, your touch and whatever fire you generate in between the two of you does not bother him, he does prefer you both cleaner of the mess and fluids when holding you close in his arms, afterwards.

Wiping up the remnants of your passionate and, often vigorous, activities off of quivering thighs he presses apart, in gentle strokes of damp fibers. Movements of the cloth soft enough it doesn’t shock you into over-sensitivity but not soft enough you relax entirely beneath him, because that scarlet gaze is always fixated on you — your body language. And if you give away even an inch, he’s ready and up for round two (or four). [Bless yer stamina, matey!]

If not, he’s still up and happy to listen to his favorite flower-brained woman’s amusing, outrageous tales she narrates in animated conversation. While he whisks up a quick, invigorating meal for her at the kitchen counter, just as she rests her happy self at the table. Garnet gaze seemingly fixated upon the task at hand — spices being tossed, ladle being stirred, eggs whipped to perfection — but his answers are prompt and alert, although still carrying that insouciant edge. Indicating his attention; equal division in between feeding you and hearing you speak.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Motonari is fond of his mouth, and before you, he didn’t think of it as much of an achievement as he believes it now, when your jittery gaze seeks immediate relief (and lust) as soon as it lands upon that obvious smirk.

A single kiss and your thoughts are all but handed over to him on an elaborate platter. Your cheeks color dark and wide; restless eyes tracing across his mouth. Your own parting; pink tongue darting quick in a swipe across plush lips: all of you demanding more of him.

Yes, he is surprisingly (or not), in touch with a far more emotional side: Motonari adores your eyes, although you’re never hearing it from him. Your entire body speaks of honesty but the way he reads your thoughts so easy, in your gaze, there’s quite nothing as exhilarating or confounding as the love he captures in them. That quick, tight knot of your brow, your anger flaring in your eyes or the equally prompt melting, when he appeases you in gentle teases. He’s been so long used to not trusting that a person he sees this clearly through, and sees how she trusts; it’s not an entirely terrible thing to feel.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

As mentioned above, the man doesn’t particularly care to leave you a mess post-coitus unless you ask it of him; there is little he’s able to refuse you. So when it does come (…heh) to cumming outside of your pussy, your mouth is a pretty (very pretty too) good substitute for him to ejaculate, without having to think of leaving external stains on you. Your throat clamping, then swallowing, around his orgasm, so he feels that slick slide of saliva and semen around him, as you moan.

Yer pretty darn hot, m’lady.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

There are times he descends — quick and furious — into an almost juvenile state of petty jealousy [he realizes the immaturity of it, he just cannot! help! it!] and ends up turning that lust on you, instead.

He’d never actually do it but visualizing — in almost exact, murderous details — how he’d like to drag you into an empty room whenever Kicho gets all up in your face, and fuck you so hard your throat tears through screams lough enough Kicho hears each and every single sound and moan.

Or, clasp your chin in his fingers, whenever Hideyoshi’s a little too close for comfort at an Oda banquet, and kiss you senseless and noisy [pirates crave a flashy exhibition!].

He despises making a show of you to anybody, so that idea only stays in thoughts but also it’s mind-boggling, since it does get him hard on the spot.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Before you, it was only ever through terrible necessity (extremely dire straits) that he — if ever and very sparing — sought casual sex. The occasions hadn’t been plenty and he’d be frighteningly specific about how he wanted to take a woman to bed.

Bathed, no make-up, no perfume, no scented products or jewelry — anything extra that he could accidentally touch and trigger a reaction. A clean, unscented futon he’d provide in a bare room. Any bonds or cloths he could get his hands on (buying his own and discarding immediately after), to tie their limbs, keep their movements limited; Motonari used.

Of course, there’d be the rare prostitute who’d drop immediately after visiting a client, or one who’d perceive his conditions extreme and over-the-top and think they could ‘change his mind’. The moment they’d try and cross the line, he’d fling them off, almost violently, heart racing, sweat marking each inch of exposed skin. Nauseous and barely tapped, before he’d stride out of the room.

He’s also witnessed open and perverse brothels — and corrupt seething dens — where men and women fuck, for all to see, in his line of work, so he’s no stranger to how sex works for others either.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

He’s learning to let go and touch (just you) without the added barrier of gloves and since you so seem fond of his hands on you, Motonari likes any positions that allow his hands to move your body upon his; he isn’t picky.

Palms curved upon your hips so that your ass slaps against his pelvis each time he pulls back, the movements of his cock into and out of your pussy — a place you are both connected and he likes that. Or even when he can spread your thighs wide, press them apart before hooking his hands over your abdomen and just focusing on moving.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

He’s a pirate he’s a vortex of a man and slips all over the spectrum. Motonari’s goading is far softened with minimum barbs, when he’s in(side you) in bed with you. More velvet — than leathery — questions, soft smirk-y and probing,: “Ya like that, flower girl?” —as his mouth hovers just close to your ear, nose barely touching and tucking sweat soaked strands away from your temple. Definitely lands firm and midway between too serious and entirely silly. But he’s all focus on you, make no mistake.

He’s still got a filthy mouth on him, but dirty romantic liners are more his style, in bed (he wants you warmed as well as turned on!), in contrast to the complete indecent filth he threatens you with (a good time!) when the two of you are out and about.

“Pipe down, m’lady. The way yer moaning, they’re gonna think I’m fucking ya, right on deck.” Those eyes are burnished rubies; smile wide, crooked and unashamed, as he ducks close. “But maybe ya feel like putting on a show.”

H = Hair (how well-groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He’s clean down below (and silver-haired, yes) — he doesn’t go the ‘complete waxed up, no-hair in sight’ route, but rather prefers keeping his hair short-trimmed and well-groomed.

He’s also kept his pubic hair short and neat, for the rare occasions he does have sex, and an unkempt mass down there would leave him more likely and exposed to his partner’s fluids staying on him. He despises that.

Motonari doesn’t mind blood, dirt and grime on the field, nor the brine of the harsh sea sticking to his skin, but as soon as he’s done with — or in between — jobs, he takes the time to wash and clean himself up thoroughly.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

[Also see G=Goofy] Motonari isn’t short with words of love. He isn’t reciting romantic poems but he is quick to let you know, in exact words, how much he loves you — and is loving being inside you — in the moment. Barriers definitely lower themselves — not all down, not completely back up — with this man, in bed.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

(As also mentioned in E=Experience) the man, previously, has sought intimacy only and only out of desperate necessity and when his hand is just not enough for him to relieve himself of his lust. Motonari, before you, jacked off, multiple times within a week, sometimes thrice (or more) in a single day. His desires, usually amped, following a particularly unsatisfying battle or raid.

After you, he still does take time off for some self-lovin’ (remember: stamina for daaays, and you’re mostly unable to match him so he makes do), just not as much as he used to, in the past.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

You and Motonari share a love for (clothing) imports from the seas beyond. He’s always up for sharing and discussing trade secrets, doling out clothing advice and helping you work out modern clothing from whatever fabrics are available to you.

Stockings might be one of his favorite products.

The fabric feeling absolutely exquisite against his palms when he rounds you close into his grasp, stood in between his spread thighs as he observes and hums beneath you, seated. A harmless joke you make, about a stocking fetish and the ensuing explanation soon after, has him grinning and dragging you down to test the material against his teeth.

“Yer sayin’ I got a thing for yer fancy underclothes? Heh, don’t think so. Seeing you in it just makes me wanna tear it all off, meu docinho de côco.”

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Anywhere you’re afforded privacy; although a little flirting with danger is good and being pinned in between the door and his body. Watching you try and smother your moans into your sleeves, skews that grin wider, that cock harder.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

You. He’s got a dirty mind, it’ll do the rest of the work when its got its catalyst: you.

Nothing gets you results faster than being honest with Motonari, or expressing your affections (even chaste) for him.

Tell him he looked especially handsome, earlier on a job out: with his hair slicked back and how hard it was for you to have held back from kissing him, on the spot. That you love him—

He’s on you so fast.

“That brain’s just gotta keep sprouting its flowers, huh.” He murmurs, tugging at your chin to swipe his tongue into you.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Despite his treatment of you very early on in his route (the collar, the slavery deal), Motonari’s not into putting a collar on a person, romantic or otherwise. Collaring and hearing you call him your Master wouldn’t do much for him, playful or not.

He’s had to live a great chunk of his life as the Beggar Prince; experienced the devastating dregs of human society, including and not limited to being treated as one inferior, and having to watch people around at the very mercy of corrupt lords.

In retrospect, it isn’t something he might take pleasure in, in the bedroom.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Giving or receiving, both take some getting used to within the bedroom. He finds the taste of you pleasant, when he withdraws wet digits from inside you and takes a careful swipe of the clear fluid across his skin. And has expressed interest in, and gone down on you several times.

Receiving gets a bit more gentle coax-y and requires reassurances, with Motonari. He doesn’t particularly like seeing his release all over you. Having to work through those barriers of his mind, but once he allows you, he does enjoy the slow kisses, and the soft slide of your mouth against him.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

His default setting is rough and furious. The two of you are usually frustrated passion by the time you actually get to his bedroom (he likes to prod and poke much too often in public, get you riled) so there’s only one way to go and it’s up. He’s spreading your thighs apart with none too gentle hands as he pushes through and into you, your own hold on him, white knuckled and almost delirious with the way his hips rock into you and his cockhead scraps across your front wall with his onslaught.

At times, however, especially after a high-risk mission; when he’s been close enough to stare Death in the face and survive, he likes to take his time being inside you, just being able to feel you. Once, twice, several times, he’s keeping you beneath, or mounted on top of him, coaxing your hips and your moans.

“Don’t look at me like that, flower girl. I’m alive, ain’t I? Com’ere. I’ll take those tears of yers.”

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Definitely! Any time he can have you, or get you close enough in private, you’re going to be fucking each other. He loves those little breathy, moan-laughters you make in half-panic/all arousal, each time he drives up to grind your hips close together, stuffed into a hallway closet.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Semi-public quickies are a thing and the closest to risky as he gets. As mentioned previously, he’s demanding enough over you, he doesn’t like men Kicho touching you, let alone hearing you when you sound like that.

Other kinks, most kinks, he’s down to try with his favorite dirty, flower-brained woman. He does however, draw the line at any kinks that might involve him using harsh, ugly words to degrade you or your body and/or being soiled.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

All I gotta say is: Pirate’s got stamina enough to power his ships through horn alone, over an entire week!

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Toys translate to external objects. Which are always subject to germs, and need to be (excessively) cleaned by his standards, to keep them useful and usable. That’s far much more work than he’s usually willing to commit himself to.

And he has no need of them. Not when you respond plenty to his touch alone.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

A lot! Motonari’s brand of filthy talk is polished to leave you damp in between the legs. He’s pulling the nastiest most wonderful innuendoes out of the most mundane of tasks.

“Ya like that old weapon?” He might ask of you, as you admire the carvings upon the handle of one of his clan’s katana. “Didn’t know ya liked the feel of handlin’ a sword between yer hands that much, m’lady.”

Leaving your mind reeling and cheeks flushing before withdrawing with a, “What’re ya cooking in that flower brain of yers? Heh... you’ve got a dirty mind.”

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Heavy, sensual pants against your ears. His groans and grunts enough to fan the fires of your own arousal, to have you ready to come, from just the sounds that can leave his throat. Motonari doesn’t care to be heard outside your boundaries, but he also doesn’t care to withhold his own sounds of pleasure from you.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

He almost swears (but will never tell you, in very direct words): the space in between your bare breasts smells almost sweet like flowers. He likes finding his way up and nosing in between your breasts — just skin-to-skin contact at a place he finds you’re at your most fragrant. Suckling and tugging at a nipple draws those moans and your scent more intense, so he nips and teeths around the place often.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

That beautiful cock — with the evidence of just enough silver at the base — is long enough it fits and curves snug into you, without entering into any discomforting places, deep. But he is thick enough, it takes you time (and many times) to not just hold your breath and tighten up around him on reflex, upon entry.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

(Read: S)

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

You’re almost always the one falling asleep first. Pirates are used to night raids and this one’s no different. He does prefer watching you sleep, late into the night, once you fall exhausted into slumber.

End Notes: Thank you for reading!

♧° Link to Master List °♡

[momentofch-aos]

Hawkeye final scene prediction/headcannon

Sort of spoilers? sort of.

Okay so this is something a bit different from what i usually post but I don't know if i'd be able to write it out full so here you go. This is my thought/headcannon that I had today about what could happen at the end of season, but probably won't happen because marvel won't let me be happy.

***********************************************

Alright so here's the scene, Clint brings Kate and Yelena back to the farm in some sort of Quinjet and their dogs trot out into the wide open space ahead of the three of them.

Clint is happily greeted by his family with hugs and kisses before he introduces them to the two newcomers.

"This is Kate, who's been causing me all the trouble." Kate rolls her eyes at him exasperated but she looks at Clint's kids, gloriously happy that their Dad has made it back to them for Christmas and a part of her aches for her lost father (I think her mother may end up being the villain or having inadvertently left him to be killed by Chitauri etc. but I digress).

"And this is Yelena. She's your... she's Auntie Nat's sister." Cooper and Lila go wide eyed, and Yelena feels insecure under their peering eyes. But Kate squeezes her arm in quiet reassurance and Laura looks like she may cry, wiping a stray tear as her husband loops an arm round her waist. Nathaniel has already run off to play with the dogs and is throwing a frisbee for the pair of them (maybe one painted like a shield)

"Anyway, why don't we get the girls settled and then we can get on with our very own Barton Christmas. I've been buzzing for a Christmas movie marathon. You got the sweaters right Coop?" They all head towards the house, Lila tucking herself into Clint's side, still in a little disbelief that he's actually home for Christmas.

Upon entering the house, both girls take in their surroundings, both a world away from what they are used to. Yelena could only just remember the few years that she spent in Ohio when she was a kid and since then she's never really been in a homely family home, let alone have one of her own. Kate had grown up in a family home, at least historically the penthouse had been owned by generation after generation of Bishop's but since the Chitauri attack and the death of father, it had rarely felt like one. The ornate features and decadence of the place were nice to look at but with her mother at work and her throwing herself into her hobbies, she felt bad thinking how different her life would have been if she grew up in a place like this.

Clint is chatting with his wife and daughter, when he turns to see the two of them standing awkwardly in the living room (and he briefly flashes back to the last people that stood where they did).

"Hey Lila, why don't you go show Kate here the new archery set up we put up in the backyard. She's pretty good."

"Woah there old man, was that a compliment? Did you just compliment me?" Kate shot at him. Lila laughs loudly and beckons Kate to follow her out of the side door.

"Hey kid, let me show you something." Barton lead's Yelena up the stairs, grabbing Kate's ditched bag from the walkway and shaking his head. Yelena follows with her own bag, somewhat apprehensive.

He drops Kate's bag in the first guest room and then continues past the bathroom and stops at what once was the second bedroom. Yelena's usual paced strides stutter when she sees the name sign on the door.

"Oh yeah, she made a joke about all the kids having one, so we made her one for Christmas." He cracked open the door, that he hadn't been able to walk through for months. He knew Lila came and sat in here occasionally, as did Laura but until now he hadn't felt it would provide the relief he needed. "This was her room. Still is. We've barely moved anything, Laura comes in a gives it a once over occasionally."

Yelena walks into the room and its all a little much. Ballet pumps hung on the end of the bed frame. A knitted grey blanket across the foot of the bed, somehow the scent of her sister permeated in a place that she hadn't been in years. Books stacked on the shelves in multiple languages. A chess board.

For a spy's room, it was more homely than anything Yelena had ever dared to wish for. She caught sight of the pictures on the walls. Most including the children that she could hear outside, a few of Barton and Nat by themselves, one of Laura plaiting her red hair as she plaited Lila's. A few of the other avengers, clearly off moments between missions, but they were few and far between. An old worn pair of familiar photo booth photos in a frame makes the tears well in her eyes. Her sister clearly found a real home at last.

Clint stands at the door, Laura leaning into him as he watches Yelena take everything in.

"Will you ever stop bringing Russian assassins home?" She smirks up at him as she whispers.

"Just trying to make sure you don't get bored of me." He presses a kiss to her forehead.

*******************

The scene cuts to a montage of the Barton's having their family Christmas for the first time in years but with Kate and Yelena included. Movie nights with Nate stretched out over his parents, all of them wearing garish Christmas sweaters, Clint throwing popcorn at Kate when she's not looking, hitting his mark every time. Kate, Yelena and Lila teaming up to absolutely decimate the boys in a snowball fight, only for Laura to finish the battle by dumping a whole bucket of snow on an unsuspecting Clint out of an upper floor window. Nate sitting posing for a photo with both dogs, him wearing a cheesy smile and them wearing matching antlers and christmas lights. Yelena fuming as they try and explain Monopoly and Kate and Cooper laughing as the blonde shouts that she just doesn't understand why she now owes Clint more than half of the money she has in her paper money bank. Them all cooking together, Laura teaching Yelena how to make pie or mash potatoes or something she simply never learned to do. The montage has 'It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year' playing in the background and the finishing shot moves out of the window of them all eating and laughing like a typical hallmark type movie. An animated arrow flies across the screen pulling a black and purple slate across as the end credits play.

Probably followed by an absolutely horrific end credits that rips my heart out but makes me equally excited for Kate and Yelena's next MCU appearance while Clint is happily, finally, actually retired, safe in the knowledge that it won't be him, but...

Hawkeye will return.

[cheri-translates]

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a call, Moments and Texts which have not been released in EN! 🍒

Highly recommened to read Summer Solstice Date first!

[ CALL ]

Shaw: Did I leave my “Oracle Script Calligraphy Form and Structure” book in Live House?

MC: Huh? Let me see...

Shaw: It should be on the red plastic chair. Check over that side.

MC: Found it. Do you need it now? I could ask a courier to send it to your school?

Shaw: No need. See if there’s a letter inside from someone with the surname “Wang”.

MC: The surname “Wang”... there isn’t.

Shaw: Hm, then I must have put it in another book. I’ll look for it myself later.

MC: Is the letter really important?

Shaw: A previous student of the Old Man wrote it to him. That elderly man has gone out of town to attend an academic discussion these few days, and asked me to keep it for him.

MC: Does this mean the sender is your senior?

Shaw: I guess she counts as a senior. After graduating, she headed to the undeveloped mountain region to bring education to them, and often corresponds with the Old Man through letters. The department was planning to keep her as a teacher, and the Old Man already wrote his recommendation in advance. But she said she was needed much more elsewhere.

MC: People who are willing to bring education to the mountain region are really incredible... I have a feeling that she's definitely an especially gentle and strong Big Sister!

Shaw: Gentle? The Old Man always calls her up to complain about me, then leaves her to lecture me. She always says the same things - “Teacher Shen thinks really highly of you, so don’t let him down.” Or “Don’t keep skipping literature classes just because you've memorised many books in the past.” Or “Don’t do your thesis half-heartedly. You have to go deeper into the research, and check it repeatedly...” Tch. She’s born to be a teacher.

MC: Pfft... looks like there are still people in your department who can manage you. Do you want to become a teacher in the future? You looked the part when you were a volunteer the last time.

Shaw: Nope. I’m not interested in transmitting wisdom, imparting knowledge, or resolving doubts.

MC: Really? But I found a postcard from an elementary student in your “Oracle Script Calligraphy Form and Structure” book. “Hello Big Brother Shaw, thanks for giving our class the “100 History Questions for Teens”. Let me share a piece of good news with you. I scored 90 marks in the mid-term exams...”

Shaw: Okay, that’s enough. Put the postcard back in its original position.

MC: Fine fine fine, I’ve already put it back... you felt really happy inside, didn’t you?

Shaw: Nope. I’ll have to end the call here. I have one more class. I’ll look for you once it’s done.

[ MOMENTS ]

Shaw’s Post: Perfect soundproofing. Next time, I can practise at home.

MC: Doesn’t that mean no one can hear you even if you shout yourself hoarse?

Shaw: ? You could try.

-

Shaw’s Post: Perfect soundproofing. Next time, I can practise at home.

MC: With a soundproofed room, there can also be a games room, movie room...

Shaw: We’ll start work tomorrow.

-

Shaw’s Post: Perfect soundproofing. Next time, I can practise at home.

MC: It’s just that the soundproofed room looks a little plain...

Shaw: My spray paint isn’t there for display.

[ TEXTS ]

[ First Scenario ]

Shaw: I won’t be going today. Have to keep her company. I’ll have to trouble you to thank your wife on my behalf.

MC: ???

Shaw: ...

Shaw: Wrong person.

Shaw: ...why can’t I unsend it?

MC: Were you planning to send that to Professor Shen?

Shaw: Who else?

Shaw: Dragging me to the museum to be a conscript in the morning was enough. He still wanted to occupy my evening.

Shaw: Dream on.

MC: Why is Professor looking for you? Is it very urgent?

Shaw: Nothing much. He said that since it’s my birthday, he and his wife wanted to treat me to a meal.

Shaw: I’ve already declined.

Shaw: Okay, I’ve blocked everyone. Nobody can even think of disturbing the rest of the day.

-

[ Second Scenario ]

Shaw: I won’t be going today. Have to keep her company. I’ll have to trouble you to thank your wife on my behalf.

MC: Did you send that the wrong person?

Shaw: ...

Shaw: Just pretend you didn’t see anything.

Shaw: No, delete it.

MC: Who is “she” referring to?

Shaw: Seems like you’re truly in high spirits.

Shaw: Hold up your phone and turn on the front camera.

Shaw: Look at who she is.

MC: The next time I look for you in school, I also want to meet your professors and seniors!

Shaw: Don’t come.

Shaw: Those guys in the department have wanted to pry into my private life since a long time ago.

Shaw: You aren’t allowed to provide them with materials.

-

[ Third Scenario ]

Shaw: I won’t be going today. Have to keep her company. I’ll have to trouble you to thank your wife on my behalf.

MC: Mm, it’s okay~

Shaw: ?

Shaw: What does this have to do with you?

Shaw: It wasn’t even meant for you.

MC: It’s so rare to see you talking so politely...

Shaw: Have you heard of “青白眼”?

[Note] I can’t find an equivalent English term for this, but it loosely translates to “direct gazes and the rolling of eyes”. The idea being conveyed is that you typically look at someone directly when your respect them, and roll your eyes if you don’t

Shaw: Different attitudes should be used when dealing with different people.

Shaw: I’ll only be polite to those who deserve my politeness.

MC: You should be a little more polite to me next time. Why do you always use imperative sentences with me...

Shaw: You sure?

Shaw: In that case, may I trouble MC to move her respectable feet, open the door gently, and allow me entrance into the residence.

Shaw: Much appreciated.

[kingofkingdom-archive]

Your Wish Is My Command

Pairing: Maxwell Lord (WW84) X Fem!Reader

A/N: Thank you all so much for the love on my last story! I’m grateful for all the feedback and can’t wait to get back to anyone who’s replied or reblogged it or whateva. This one’s pretty different - Recovery was mainly plot with a bit of porn, this is... well, the opposite of that. ;) As always, heed the tags/warnings, and again there is no use of Y/N here.

Rating: Explicit (18+ only!)

Summary: You have a gift - a powerful, unique, dangerous gift, and King Maxwell wants to take full advantage.

You’ll let him.

Warnings: mostly smut, Maxwell being an absolute jackass (no redemption arc here folks), you encouraging and very much liking the jackassery, brief mention of abuse/trauma, greedy authoritarian behavior, kinda spoilers for ww84

Tags: semi-public sex, exhibitionism, royalty kink (?), unprotected sex, implied and/or inferred consent (i.e. not explicit but there), Maxwell’s POV (until very end), fingering, p-in-v sex, come marking

Word Count: 3.4k

"The messenger you requested, reporting back from the northern provinces, sire."

King Maxwell of the house Lord, sitting in the throne gifted to him by birthright, dismisses the servant with a wave of his hand. He's become quite irritated with the futility of his efforts concerning this matter, and therefore has little patience for further delay. The future of his lands, his wealth, his power, rests on the shoulders of these menial workers and the news they provide. It bears no repeating that should they continue to come up empty-handed, someone is going to lose their head.

He needs the girl, and then it will be sealed. He will crush all opposition and assert his dominance over the entire region, coast to coast.

The messenger, a boy no more than 15, scurries into the room. His hair is tousled under his cap, which he hastily removes in the presence of the king. He bows, deeply and with a flourish, before standing upright.

Max watches with disinterest, legs spread over the velvet seat and head resting on his fist. His rings dig into his temple.

"We believe we've found her, sire."

That grabs his attention. He sits forward, both hands gripping the arms of his throne.

"You believe you have? Have you or have you not?"

The boy swallows, growing pale. "We-we have, your majesty. It's just, uh, we-we can't p-p-prove it's her until she demonstrates the gift."

The king groans, rolling his eyes and rubbing a hand over his face. These people are impossible.

"Where is she, then? Have you at least brought her along?"

The boy nods frantically. "Yes, your majesty. She's been quartered in the guest wing, with two guards to watch her."

Immediately, Maxwell stands. Everyone in the room looks up at him, and he adjusts his sleeves. The boy is nearly trembling.

"Well, then take me to her," he orders, and the boy hesitates.

"Now!"

The messenger boy practically trips over his own feet in haste to correct his error. He sets a quick pace to the guest wing in order to account for the king's long strides, head bowed and arms stiff as he does so.

The room is located to the east of that which houses his throne, on the third floor, overlooking the orchards. Maxwell follows the boy, wooden-soled shoes echoing on the gleaming marble floors of his palace. Mirrors line each hallway, along with fine art ranging from rare vases to family portraits. 

Maxwell sees the door as soon as they turn a corner, identifiable by the armored men who stand at either side of it. The boy stops and gestures to the door with a shaking hand.

"Just in here, y-"

"I can see that," the king barks, ignoring the boy completely. "You are dismissed."

He hears footsteps retreat quickly down the hall as he checks his appearance in a mirror. Not a hair out of place, not a wrinkled seam in sight. The king sighs, smiling as he admires himself. He takes a moment before turning to the door, the door that hides behind it wealth and prosperity like nothing he's ever known.

The guards simply bow as he approaches them. Maxwell knocks twice on the door and pushes it open.

Inside there is a single room, with a bed and chest of drawers and a vanity. There is a balcony, with glass French doors, through which he can see the shape of a woman standing and looking out over the scenery. 

She leans one hip against the stone railing, and as Maxwell walks forward he can see that she holds a goblet of wine in one hand. Her dress flows in the light summer breeze, and her hair is decorated in intricate braids, ribbon laced throughout.

The girl does not see him, yet. He stands in the doorway, hands clasped behind his back, watching her.

"Is it true?" he asks, after he's looked his fill. 

The young woman starts, a gasp escaping her lips. She turns to look towards the voice she has heard and startles again, seeing the king himself staring quite intently at her.

"Your majesty," she breathes, a smile ghosting across her lips. She bows deeply and then looks up at him, eyes bright and playful.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear. I've heard many... extraordinary things about you."

Maxwell is immediately taken with her. Not only is she quite beautiful, despite her pauper's clothing, but she is one of few who have not reacted to him with fear or malice. Most begin shaking when they see his face; she, however, seems quite happy to see him.

"Oh, sire, the pleasure is entirely mine," she responds, voice soft, like music to Max's ears. "What things could you have heard about someone as lowly as I?" Her words are humble, but he senses a hint of teasing in them - as though she knows exactly what he's heard, but just wants him to say it.

"You are rumored to possess a very unique skill, one that I am most interested in learning about." He plays along, because her elusiveness frustrates him much less when she's right in front of him.

The king is a very visual man. 

He steps forward, fully onto the balcony now. She backs up until her back hits the railing, smile never leaving her face, even as the king crowds into her.

"I possess many skills which I would be happy to demonstrate to you," she says, and Max does not miss the meaning she intends to convey in those words. His eyes darken, his blood running hot at the thought of the many things she could give him. The things he could take from her willingly, without the hassle of a fight.

"It is said that you grant wishes," he murmurs, looking down at her. Max finds he quite likes this view, her looking up to her king. "One must only touch you and state their wish, and it will be so."

The girl chuckles, and daringly takes a sip of her wine. Maxwell grins, before reaching a hand up and grabbing the wine from her grasp. He tosses the liquid out over the ground below and carelessly throws the goblet over the edge to follow its contents.

The girl does not bat an eye.

"What you have heard," she mutters, eyes slipping down to his lips and back up again, "is true."

The king runs his hand up her side, settling at her ribs just beside her breast, savoring the way she shivers at his touch. His fingers splay out over the bare skin of her back, warm and soft and hinting at more.

 He dips his head down so that his nose brushes against hers, mouths nearly touching.

"Is there a limit," he breathes, because he knows he must ask this, "to your generosity, my dear?"

The girl smiles, placing a hand on his bicep. Her small fingers feel divine against him, even there.

"No," she whispers back. 

Maxwell hums, stroking his thumb idly along her warm, soft skin. He needs to confirm that she's telling the truth, as tempting as it is to believe her outright. The way she's looking at him... she'd let him do anything to her. The thought is as enticing as it is dangerous. 

"I wish to find a raven's feather in my shirt pocket," he says, and then feels a slight breeze on the back of his neck.

The king reaches into his pocket, and his fingers brush against exactly the object he wished for. He pulls it out to show the girl. She smiles and runs a hand up to his shoulder, resting her wrist there. His loose linen shirt, which flutters lightly in the wind against his tanned skin, is perfect for a summer's day like this - and when he feels the warmth of her hand through it he thanks his past self for selecting it this morning.

"What a remarkable gift you have," he comments, and tucks the feather behind her ear.

An endearing blush rises to her cheeks, and though she ignores it, the king takes notice. "Thank you, your majesty."

At that moment, an idea forms in his mind. It's devious, downright lecherous and more the act of some tavern drunkard than a king, but she is sure to react well, if he's gauged her correctly. 

"You said there's no limit on the wishes you can grant a single person?"

"Yes, sire. I did."

A smirk forms on the king's face. "Then I wish, my dear, for you to be naked."

The wind around them picks up again and the girl gasps. In the blink of an eye, her plain, beige dress has disappeared, leaving nothing behind. She is a vision, bare and beautiful in the midday light like this.

Maxwell is immediately hard. Not only is there a gorgeous, naked woman before him, but his absolute, unlimited power has just been confirmed and lies at his fingertips. He is unstoppable now, now that he has her.

The girl's hands fly up to grasp at his shoulders as his own trace over her curves. Her hips, her waist, her thighs - one of which he brings up to hook around his own hip - all of it is open and shimmering before him. 

"They said - in my village, they said you are a monster," she says, though her words trail off into a moan as one of the king's hands finds her breast. He tugs at her nipple, squeezing and pulling at the supple flesh, drawing sweet sounds from her pink mouth.

"Is that so?"

She nods. "I would look at your portraits and - and think... I'd think, no... no man so handsome could be so evil."

The king laughs, dipping his head to lick at her neck. She tosses her head back, giving him full access to the elegant column of her throat. 

"And even... even if you are what they said... I don't - I don't care."

Maxwell groans just as she says it, biting a bruise into the junction between her shoulder and neck. He trails bites and kisses down her collarbones, leaving his marks across her unblemished skin.

"I am," he murmurs into her ear, smoothing a hand over her stomach so that his middle finger comes to glide over the thick hair that covers her mound. He dips it into her folds, rubbing softly at the wet, slippery flesh there until she moans, high-pitched and needy. He grins, licking his tongue into the shell of her ear.

"I am a monster, my dear," he whispers.  "Every vile thing they said about me is true. And... I wish to fill my personal vaults with triple the gold. I wish to increase my fleets tenfold, with loyal soldiers to match. I wish to never see you leave these palace grounds so long as I live."

The wind picks up considerably around them. The king presses a finger against her opening, hot and dripping for him, and slides it in. Her moans are heavenly, loud and unashamed as he violates her in the open, where anyone could look up and see them. Her cunt opens for his finger, the gold and precious jewels of his rings swallowed by her sweet embrace. Her hands grip at his neck while her leg draws him closer. He adds a second, and it enters just as easily.

The king begins to fuck her with his fingers, watching as the muscles in her stomach tense and her eyes go glassy with the feeling.

"I wish to never be challenged by anyone for the throne," he grunts out. The girl moans at his words, and he realizes that she likes it. Not just the way he's touching her, but that he's making his wishes as he does it. He grins at her, predatory, and cups her ass with the hand not currently knuckle-deep in her pussy. His fingers dig in, sharp and strong and unyielding, surely leaving bruises in their wake.

"You like granting my wishes, darling? You enjoy giving me power, worshipping your king?"

She nods, mouth half-open. "Yes, your majesty." Her voice is breathy, the sound of it nearly knocking him out with the way it draws blood from his brain to his cock.

Speaking of which.

Maxwell thrusts a third finger into her cunt, the stretch made easy by the slick leaking out of her profusely. She wails, hands scrabbling at his neck and shoulders and back and the collar of his shirt. 

"Take me out," he orders, and she pauses to look at him, confused. "Take me out of my trousers, my dear. Feel how hard I am for you."

She gasps and her hands fly down to the button at the crotch of his pants. Quickly she fumbles it open, and his hard member pushes up into her palms. The girl gives the king's dick a squeeze, and he grits his teeth, moaning.

"I wish to claim all of the lands in the south as my own. I wish to have loyal subjects in every village and town, that no one may ever defy me again. I wish to have any traitors killed without question."

The girl's moans have increased again as she rubs and caresses his cock. Her hands disappear for a moment as she leans back, licking a long stripe from her wrist to fingertips, and returns to her task. 

Maxwell groans, dropping his head forward to press his nose against her skin, breathing in. She smells faintly of lavender, a crop that grows abundantly in the north, sweet and fresh. His tongue darts out to lick away a drop of sweat that rolls down her collarbone. Her hands squeeze and pull at his cock, thumbing at the head and slit and dipping down to fondle his balls on every other stroke.

It feels positively exquisite, but he wants to put his dick to use elsewhere. Somewhere tighter, warmer, wetter. 

The king removes his fingers, drawing a whine from the girl. The noise of it is obscene in itself, squelching and sticky as her cunt tries to cling to his fingers and the jewels that adorn them. He chuckles, lifts his head to meet her gaze, and brings his fingers up to his mouth and licks away her essence. She watches, rapt, as he makes sure to get every inch of the three digits that were inside her. The sight of it makes her keen, high pitched noises spilling out of her lips and eyes watering with desperation and need for him.

The king laughs, the taste of her on his tongue. Someday, he swears, he'll taste this sweet nectar straight from the source.

Now is not the time.

He brings his spit-soaked hand down to his red, throbbing cock, giving it a few strokes. His other hand slips up to grasp her waist. The girl lifts her leg further, resting her heel against his ass, helping him to guide his length into her.

"What else do you wish for, my king?" she asks, just as the head of his cock notches at her opening. With a grunt, Max pushes in.

Her words, combined with the feeling of her pussy stretched around his dick, causes his vision to blur and images to flash in his mind of what's now possible with her gift at his disposal. He pushes in further, drawing another moan from deep within her throat.

"I wish... I wish..."

"Your wildest fantasies, my king..." she urges, grip tightening on his neck and shoulder. "Anything is possible. What do you -- oh!"

As her words soak into his skin, he pushes in further and further, until his balls are nestled squarely at her ass. She's pushing him to take, rather than to give, unlike so many who surround him. It breathes fire into his veins, this woman who's encouraging him to do all the selfish, power-hungry things he'd do anyway, all while he fucks into her like this.

The king draws out and pushes back in in one smooth motion, stealing the breath from her lungs. He presses his lips against hers as he speaks, as he sets a rough pace, fucking her into the stone railing.

"I wish to never fall ill or suffer injury in battle. I wish to have the unwavering allegiance of every foreign leader, and that they will defer to me in all international affairs. I wish for my reign to be the longest this nation has ever seen. I wish to live longer than any other man, and I wish to have you here at my disposal for the entirety of my long life. I wish to never succumb to old age."

By now, the wind is tossing her hair and whistling around them, but Maxwell does not care. He's thrusting into her roughly, recklessly now, and all he can hear are her sweet, delicious moans. Her pussy clenches his cock just so, and he sees nearly sees stars at the feeling. Her tits bounce as he fucks into her, her nudity on full display but only to be taken advantage of by him.

Maxwell adjusts his grip on her waist and thigh, maneuvering her around so that now he's taking her from behind. She leans forward on the railing, looking out over the palace grounds.

"Isn't it beautiful, darling?" he breathes, gripping her ass cheeks now, pumping in and out with increased fervor. "Looking out onto your lands, as far as the eye can see..."

She merely responds with moans, punched out of her with each thrust, and Maxwell feels her cunt throb in a way that tells him her orgasm is imminent. He reaches a hand around and searches for her clit, knowing he finds it when she shouts out. He rubs a finger against the sensitive, pulsing nub until she comes apart, writing and screaming on his cock.

Max feels his own climax approaching, and just before he tips over the edge, he withdraws his cock. Taking himself in hand, he strokes a few times and cums directly onto her ass and lower back, marking her up with his potent, royal seed.

Chest heaving, the king runs his hands through his own semen as it cools on the girl's backside. He rubs it into her skin like a masseuse might a fragrant oil.

Maxwell steps back, admiring his conquest. The girl is still leaning against the railing, head bowed and naked as the day she was born.

"I wish for you to be my queen."

The words are a surprise even to him, though he's not shocked at his own impulsivity; that is a trait of his that has followed him from childhood onward.

The girl turns to look at him.

"You have to be touching me for it to work, sire." She doesn't sound angry with him, which is a relief, though he'd never show it.

"I know, my dearest. I wish it, but I won't compel you."

At that she turns to face him fully. She's got that fucked-out look on her face, to be sure, but now there's something else in her eyes.

"Are you asking me to marry you, King Maxwell?" Her smile is sly, something befitting a woman of much higher status than herself. It makes his cock twitch in a valiant effort to get hard again.

"I suppose so."

"In that case, my answer is yes," she says, and pulls him in by his shirt collar for a searing kiss.

-

The next morning, you wake up sore in an unfamiliar bed.

You look around for a moment, taking in the luxurious decor and faint smell of roses, until you remember where you are. Who you are, now.

Your head rests not on a pillow - something much warmer than that. It rises and falls softly, and then you realize there's a weight around your waist that feels distinctly like an arm. Lifting your head just slightly, you see the king himself asleep above you, face soft and youthful in rest.

As you lay your head down on his chest to fall back asleep, you can't help but think of the people back in your village. The horrors you endured at their hands once they learned of your gift. The nightmares you still have because of what they did.

You think of how much they suffer under the rule of the king - of your husband - and you fall asleep with a smile on your face.

[softgaycontent]

Autistic Amity Analysis:

(Spoilers up to S2E2 Escaping Expulsion)

CW for: referenced child abuse, ableism

Good post here as well on Amity being Autistic. I may touch on some of the same points because the source material is the same.

Alador

Amity's father, Alador, is fairly overtly autistic. It runs in families.

Justifications real quick because he doesn't mask like Amity so it is easier to point to clear signs:

Fairly non-expressive, holding the same half-lidded expression that Amity does as default

Extremely interested in animals/creatures, to the point of being distracted by them in the middle of conversations

Unbrushed Hair / lack of attention to or care for grooming, even at important functions or for family portraits

Very intelligent / creative / technical (a successful inventor)

His body language and the way he holds his hands over one-another after Odalia crushes the bug-thing

Unsure if this is Odalia knowing her husband well or her being very rude (probably both), but she is constantly doing things like bringing him back on track or gently moving him away as they're leaving the school. He does look kind of annoyed when she reaches inside his coat for their business card though.

NOTE: I think if Odalia had any real influence over Alador at all, she would have at least made him tidy up for the family portrait (he has unbrushed hair, goggles, and abomination goop on him). She either truly respects him for who he is or can't make him do anything.

Abuse

Odalia seems genuinely fond of her husband. She sees him as her equal, and expects others to respect him as well (introducing him as the greatest inventor in the Isles). Unfortunately Amity, as her child, is not given the same room to be herself. She is expected to have all the strengths as her parents, with none of the "weaknesses".

It would not be surprising if Alador struggled growing up autistic and truly believes that teaching Amity to cover it up is better for her. It's unclear how much of her overall abuse is perpetrated by each of her parents, but Alador does seem to be an active (not just passive) participant at least some of the time.

In Lost in Language, the twins justify being cruel to Amity because "she's got to learn", and that as "her family" they are responsible for showing her "tough love". This is clearly something they picked up from growing up in an abusive household, but it may be something they particularly believe about Amity, their weird little sister who doesn't act quite like the other kids, and gets upset too easily.

Amity's necklace may have started as a way for Odalia to remind Amity in public places to make eye contact with people, to stop stimming, or otherwise mask. She has worn it since at least whatever age she is in the flashbacks of Understanding Willow (6-10?).

Special Interest

Amity and Luz both really love the Azura books. Luz is canonically neurodivergent with ADHD, which has some overlaps with ASD.

One of Amity's main forms of expressing herself seems to be in relation to the books. She draws herself as or with the characters often, befriends Luz more easily because of their shared enjoyment of the series, and tries to replicate a scene from tGWA in real life (Thorn Vault).

Emotions

Amity is fairly stoic. She is not super expressive most of the time, and her eyes are often held in the same half-open way her fathers are. Exceptions being when she is very angry or (more rarely) comfortably happy that her eyes open fully and more of her face changes.

Amity taps her hands against her knees when she is excited in Wing it Like Witches, and really tends use her hands to express herself a lot.

Her siblings make fun of her for getting so mad that her whole face goes red, which seems like the sort of reaction you might have if you were taught not to stomp out your anger like you want to, and hold it in instead.

Justice

One symptom of ASD is feeling very passionate about what is fair and what isn't.

Amity is shown consistently to get very angry over fairness. First, when Luz and Willow cheat by pretending that Luz is an abomination (taking Amity's badge), then again when Eda and Lilith cheat in Covention, and finally at the fact that her siblings never get in trouble despite their frequent troublemaking.

This is the thing that drives her to anger more than anything.

She seems visibly mad at her mom while her friends are being expelled in Escaping Expulsion up until Odalia reminds her that she didn't uphold her end of the deal (re: the expo) at which point Amity gives in and looks defeated instead. Seemingly, she accepts that this was her fault and there's nothing she can do.

Comfort

Amity seeks comfort in dark, quiet places. Her favorite place to spend time is a secret little room in the library. In Covention, Amity finds a dark corner to sit in to calm down.

(Arguably the fort that she and Willow built in the flashbacks of Understanding Willow was away from the other campers and out of the sun as well.)

Touch

Amity seems to like being touched (by Luz and Willow) clearly friendly ways, and strongly dislikes being touched at all other times.

Amity's siblings mostly seem to touch her in ways that annoy her in Adventures in the Elements. First on purpose, squishing her in a lean between them both, then possibly on accident, as Edric copies the hair ruffle Eda had just done to Luz. Amity seems to visibly dislike the feeling, and the fact that it messed up her hair.

She also really hates it when Hooty touches her; although most characters acknowledge him as annoying, she really loses it when he touches her again.

When Luz hugs her in Understanding Willow, Amity does not reciprocate, even though she seems to enjoy the gesture. She also reacts noticeably to the fact that Luz is still holding her hand after they arrive back in the owl house.

She seemed to enjoy keeping a close proximity to Willow when they were kids.

Misc

Amity takes Luz literally when she says, "I'm picking up what you're putting down."

Hair

OK this one is purely a bonus headcanon about Amity's undercut. :)

Amity's hair is shown to be rather thick in her concept art, and Emira also seems to have very thick hair, so the reason it is not big and poofy in canon is probably due entirely to her undercut.

A lot of autistic kids have sensory issues around having their hair brushed, which only get worse with large, thick hair which tangles easily.

I like to think that Odalia had a lot of trouble brushing Amity's hair and putting it up into a neat style every day. much less teaching her to do it for herself. Eventually, she gave up and took Amity to get her hair cut, eliminating a lot of the thickness with the undercut, and providing Amity with a hairstyle she could easily manage herself.

Amity loved it, and also really likes running her hands over the short parts when she is by herself.

(While Odalia is too harsh about the way Amity behaves and looks, she will usually actually meet her half-way on sensory accommodations, like comfortable sheets)

[addictedtojmanga]

Shoujo manga recommendations - otome game isekai

So, after 10+ years reading shoujo manga, I’ve read over 1k titles, admittedly, a reasonable amount is one-shot (or at least a collection of), but nonetheless, over time I had to expand my interests.

Lately, I’ve started reading the otome game isekai genre, and decided it’d be nice to share the ones I thought were best.

Most of them are pretty much the same, but the best ones usually have a twist, so...

! Warning: You’ll most likely want to beat up 1 or 2 characters from each one, but worry not, so do I and the other characters

1. Fiancée's Observation Log of the Self-proclaimed Villainess

Crown prince Cecil was so brilliant that everything in life was easy to the point of boring him, then one day, his fiancée Bertia suddenly said "Prince Cecil, I am a villainess!" Claiming that this world is the same as that of an "otome game" from her past life and that she is playing the role of the "villainess" in it, she aims to play her part well and have their engagement annulled. With that goal in mind, she sets about causing turmoil in Cecil's daily life.

This one definitely takes the gold for me. Super sweet and pretty funny.

2. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

Most people would prefer being the protagonist of a world full of adventure, be it in a game or in another world. But, unfortunately, a certain girl is not so lucky. Regaining the memories of her past life, she realizes that she was reborn in the world of Fortune Lover—one of the games she used to play. Unfortunately, the character she was reincarnated into—Katarina Claes—is the game's main antagonist, who faces utter doom in every ending. Using her extensive knowledge of the game, she takes it upon herself to escape from the chains of this accursed destiny. However, this will not be an easy feat, especially since she needs to be cautious as to not set off death flags that may speed up the impending doom she is trying to avoid. Even so, to make a change that will affect the lives of everyone around her, she strives—not as the heroine—but as the villainess.

This one takes 2nd place! It has a different result than others, and the FL is great - everyone is, to be fair.

3. Of Course I’ll Claim Palimony

"I'll annul our engagement!" My fiancé suddenly declared?! Apparently he's in love with the recently transferred count's daughter and is planning on making me the villain in order to annul the engagement. Although I have no lingering attachments about the engagement, I do have to claim a hefty consolation fee don't I?

This is sooo good. The FL is spectacular and manages to stand out - even if just a bit - from the rest of the genre.

4. I’m a Villainous Daughter, so I’m going to keep the Last Boss

Avoid the BAD END! That's the goal of the villainess in this plot-twisting story!! She has been reborn into the world of an otome game as the villainess, Irene. Using her memories of her former life, she recognizes flags indicating she's en-route to the bad end, so she makes a plan to conquer the last boss (the evil king Claude), make him her lover, and see if she can open up a new route!

Pretty funny, and the FL is bold. Also, the ML is a bishounen.

It’s one of the few mangas from this genre that has been completely translated, and since it only has 13 chapters, it’s a good way to start out.

5. The Plain & Unnoticeable Me is No More

Elaine Lana Norris, who was born at the top of the aristocratic daughter, was declared abandoned by her second fiancé at the school's founding party. Lana, who has been made a villain daughter, is driven out of her home by a strict grandfather. But there is a secret in Lana that everyone doesn't know about?

I don’t want to give out any spoilers, however, it suffices to say that she accepts her role as the villainess.

Ok, I think these 5 are my favorite, but the ones below have been selected as well, so they’re still pretty good and worth reading.

6. The Villiainess Is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom    

Tiararose was supposed to be disengaged and exiled from the country. “This was the Otome game I had played!” She realized on the day before the story’s ending??……. Shall I wait for the judgment? But, I did not do anything too cruel……. Thinking so, the ending continues. But, during the judgement??something that was not possible in the game happened. The neighboring crown prince courted the villainous daughter Tiararose.

ML: 10/10 FL: 8/10 (too insecure for my taste)

7. Endo and Kobayashi’s Live Commentary on the Villainess

She’s always putting on that grumpy face even though she’s not actually that upset! Oh, why can’t she just be honest with herself…!??? She is a tsundere, after all? When her embarrassment levels exceed a certain limit, she will explode into anger. However, the point that she’s suppressing under the surface is that she wouldn’t mind that sort of thing if it were in a less public place.? As Endo-kun passionately reacts to the antics of Lady Liselotte, the villainess of an otome game, Kobayashi-san provides a painstaking breakdown of her tsundere behaviour. Suddenly, one person could hear their voices; Liselotte’s fiancée, Prince Siegward. That is where this story begins.

8. I’m the Villainess, but the Capture Targets are too Abnormal  

The villainess, Mystia, remembered her past life on her 10th birthday and has unwittingly turned the characters in the otome game "Kyun Kyun Love School" into yanderes! In order to avoid becoming the love rival of the "heroine" who will lead her to her downfall, she starts making every effort to break off her engagement with her "prince-like classmate"! That’s was what supposed to happen...But, because of her kind personality, her favorability increased instead!

It’s still in its beginning stages, but seems pretty solid.    

9. Though I May Be a Villainess, I'll Show You I Can Obtain Happiness!  

A collection of one shots.

Great way to start out, it has quite a few options, so if you don’t like one, give another one a try!

10.  The Villainess, Cecilia Silvie, Doesn't Want to Die, So She Decided to Cross-dress!      

I was reincarnated into the body Cecilia Silvie, the villainess of an otome game. According to the plot, what awaits me in the normal route is either a slow, painful death or an instantaneous one... Essentially, every route leads to my demise. Then I'll change my fate! And that's why I decided to become a man. However, I made a mistake during a certain event, and the story began to head down an unexpected path...?

I haven’t seen any other like this, and if you like gender bender, this one’s for you!

11.  I’ll Become a Villainess That Will Go Down in History ― The More of a Villainess I Become, the More the Prince will Dote on Me

Alicia is the eldest daughter of the noble Williams family—a bloodline that excels in dark magic. Her jet-black hair and golden eyes command a powerful presence, but her most unique features are, without a doubt, her sharp tongue and malevolent nature. By all means, she is a villainess, but also a fictional character from an otome game!

12. I’m Not a Villainess!! Just Because I Can Control Darkness Doesn’t Mean I’m a Bad Person!

The novel The Saint Beloved by the Prince is set in the land of Lacia, where spirits control the elements, each of which is overseen by a "Spirit King." On rare occasions, these Spirit Kings may bless a single human, granting them immense magical control over their respective element. The heroine, Amelia Logan, and the villainess, Claudia Leitzya, are two sides of the same coin, blessed by the Light and Dark Spirit Kings respectively. However, while Amelia is beloved, Claudia is hated and rejected due to her dark skin, ebony locks, and aptitude for dark magic. After dying in modern-day Japan, Sakura is reborn as an infant Claudia. While difficult at first, Claudia tries to adjust to this new life, all the while accompanied by the Dark Spirit King Gerald. But even this task is far from easy; people fear her at first glance, no matter how she acts toward them. Still, Claudia is set on changing her fate from the novel, proving she is a good person and breaking free from the shackles of a "villainess."

13. Rebirth of the Villainess: The Life of Letizia after the Engagement Annulment      

For some reason, the duke's daughter, Letizia, was plotting to break her engagement with the prince. Her plan succeeded and the prince, none the wiser. But shortly after the engagement was terminated... The King collapsed! In that moment, she recalled her memories of her past life as a nurse and she fully utilised her knowledge & experience as a nurse, to save the King's life. Thinking she had achieved what she wanted, she thought she could finally relax, drinking her favourite beverage and leisurely spend her time, she instead somehow keeps getting involved in incident after incident. The slow and peaceful life is now nothing but a dream!? Lazy daughter, busy seeking freedom and laziness!

14. I Won't Become a Villainess. I'm Just a "Normal" Duke's Daughter!

A Japanese person reincarnated into an otome game chock full of death flags for the villainess, Rosalind. "I'm going to live an enjoyable life in this world!" Making full use of the game knowledge to avoid death flags, for some reason events keep happening one after another?! Contracting with spirits, helping her father (the prime minister) with his work using her modern day knowledge, taking a walk with the holy beast... and on top of all that, even starting up the heroine's event...? Will Rosalind be able to smash through every unknown death flag that comes her way...?! And will she be able to be fluffy lovey-dovey with the supporting beastkin character she liked from her previous life?!

Cute. Has beasts.

15. Milady Just Wants to Relax      

She worked herself to death in her past life, but then she was reborn in another world as the villainess Ronia! As expected, her engagement is broken and she's expelled from society, but now she takes that chance to live peacefully, and even opens a cafe with the help of her fairy comrades, which is becoming unexpectedly popular with beast-kin...?

Also cute. Also has beasts.

16. I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again!            

Violette, a proud and beautiful daughter of a duke, commits a crime out of jealousy towards her half-sister. Convicted, Violet faces her own heart with sincerity in a prison cell and regrets her sin. Then time rewinds to a turning point—to her first meeting with Maryjun one year ago. Violette makes a decision. She will not make mistakes this time. Without committing a crime and bothering anyone, she will live an ordinary, plain and inconspicuous life...! However, incidents contrary to Violette's expectations occur one after another...?!

17. I Became a Villain Daughter

On her 15th birthday, Hinase Kaede, a young girl who was working as a part-timer, perished in a traffic accident. Upon her death, a self-proclaimed “God” appeared, declaring that Kaede would be brought back to life. However, Kaede’s happiness was short-lived and her soul was thrown into Erika, the villainess of an otome game! In the original game, Erika became a saint candidate alongside the heroine, committed evil deeds over the course of the candidacy, and ultimately faced condemnation. Thus, Kaede decides that she will not get close to the main characters of the game so as to avoid the bad end, but yet——?

[uhlikzsuzsanna]

SPOILER WARNING: Do not read if you haven’t seen all of Season 1 of “Loki,” currently streaming on Disney Plus.

Ever since “Loki” first premiered in June, Kate Herron, who directed all six episodes of the Marvel Studios series, has had to pretend like she knew far less than she really does. For one, she couldn’t acknowledge that the homages to sci-fi classics like “Blade Runner” and “Brazil” that she’d baked into the elaborate sets for the Time Variance Authority — the cosmic bureaucracy tasked with maintaining the sacred timeline — were “meant to be sinister” rather than just “playful and quirky.”

For another, Herron was delighted to see fans theorizing after the very first episode that Kang the Conqueror — a character already set to appear in the Marvel Studios feature “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” as played by Jonathan Majors — was really pulling the strings of the TVA. But until the finale streamed last Wednesday, she couldn’t even hint that those fans were only half right: Majors does play the mastermind of the TVA, but he’s a variant of Kang referred to as He Who Remains. It’s only after He Who Remains encounters Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his female variant counterpart Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), and Sylvie plunges a blade into his heart, that the multiverse is reborn, creating the possibility for Kang the Conqueror to emerge.

Again, though: Herron couldn’t acknowledge any of that, even to those closest to her.

“Nothing has prepared me better for working with Marvel than playing tabletop games with my friends,” she says with a laugh. “It definitely taught me how to have a good poker face. You have to hide your hand — and sometimes lie.”

Now, thankfully, all of that is behind her — as is “Loki” itself. Despite receiving widespread acclaim for her assured, ambitious, and visually sumptuous work directing the show, Herron says she has decided not to return for Season 2 of the series.

“I gave it everything — in my soul, in my heart, everything,” she says. “I feel so proud of the work we’ve done. And yeah, I’ll be enjoying Season 2 as a fan.”

She’s quick to sing the praises of everyone she worked with at Marvel, and she says she’s “sure” she’ll work again with the studio. For now, however, she’s ready to take a holiday, and then turn to a project she’s writing herself “that’s really close to my heart that I really want to make.”

“It’s my own decision, but I just feel like my part with ‘Loki’ is finished now and I’m just excited to see where his story goes,” she says.

Before she parts ways for good, however, Herron spoke with Variety about bringing Jonathan Majors into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, what she thought of the shocking revelation about infinity stones and what she would like to see happen in Season 2.

She always knew “Loki” would introduce Kang and the Multiverse…

From the very start, Herron says, she and head writer Michael Waldron knew that their six-episode run of “Loki” would always end with Loki and Sylvie meeting He Who Remains at his citadel, the result of which would cause the creation of the multiverse.

As Episode 6 makes clear, both of these events were massive turning points for the future of the MCU — and Herron still can’t quite believe she got to be the one to make them a reality.

“We were just, like, waiting to be told, ‘Actually, guys, we’ve had a change [of heart],'” Herron says. Instead, Herron says she and “Quantumania” director Peyton Reed participated in casting Majors in the role.

“I was just like, pinch me,” she says. “I can’t believe I was at the table for that, because I know it was such a big decision for them all.”

Herron also decided to have Majors provide the voices for all three “Timekeepers” who are supposedly at the head of the TVA, but are revealed by Sylvie to be nothing more than “mindless androids.”

“We didn’t have someone cast for those voices,” she says. “I remember thinking, well, ‘Wizard of Oz’ is clearly a reference for us. We should have the wizard. It’d be great if it’s Jonathan. So we sent him all the art of the timekeepers. And he just kind of came up with these incredible voices for each of them.”

…but not with a cliffhanger.

The most significant decision of the season, though, may be that it ends with a giant cliffhanger, when Loki discovers he’s in a brand new reality for the TVA in which Mobius (Owen Wilson) and Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) don’t even recognize him. But while Herron knew how this season of “Loki” would end, at first, she did not know that there would be any more seasons after it.

“When I started, there wasn’t a discussion of Season 2, exactly,” she says. “It was just that season of ‘Loki.’ As we got deeper into production, everyone was very happy, and obviously there’s so much to explore with Loki. It felt like we should continue the story. So I think the cliffhanger ending came in later in the process.”

Herron says she sprinkled in some hints to viewers that Loki is in a new timeline, like redressing sets to look slightly off, and recasting Eugene Cordero’s TVA receptionist Casey as a hunter headed to the armory in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. But her favorite bit is that the final line — said by Mobius to Loki — is the same as the first line spoken in the show, by a woman in the Gobi desert, also to Loki: “Who are you?”

“That was kind of the question of the whole first season,” Herron says.

She was just as shocked about the Infinity Stones as everyone else.

In the first episode, Loki discovers to his horror that not only does his magic not work inside the TVA, but Infinity Stones — heretofore believed to be the most powerful objects in the known universe — are just inert rocks there. The revelation sent shockwaves across the Marvel fandom; Herron was right there with them.

“That was in Michael’s script when I first got it to pitch [for the directing job],” she says. “I remember being like, ‘WHAT?! You put me through so much!’ But then I thought, ‘Oh, it’s kind of genius, because it shows how powerful the TVA are. Who are these people? What is this place?'”

Herron especially appreciated how her shock — and the audience’s — mirrored Loki’s own as the rug gets pulled out from under him. “I was quite excited by it,” she says. “It really shows you that there’s a new power in the MCU — and it’s not what we we spent the last decade dedicating our lives to.”

She told Kevin Feige she wanted gender parity among her crew.

Prior to “Loki,” Herron’s most high profile job was directing the second half of the first season of the Netflix dramedy “Sex Education.” She got the “Loki” job thanks to a 60-page pitch memo that filled out just about every detail of the world of the show. After hiring her, she says Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige asked her, “What are your terms?”

“This was the first time I was gonna get to hire my heads of department on a television show I worked on,” she says. “I was like, I’d really love [the crew] to be 50/50 across gender.”

Herron says she wasn’t out to fill any jobs on the film with a specific gender. But, she says, “There aren’t enough women in these roles. They’re out there. It’s a lack of opportunity. It’s not a lack of interest.”

She did end up hiring two women for critical roles that are still rarely occupied by women: cinematographer Autumn Durald (“The Sun Is Also a Star”) and composer Natalie Holt (History’s “Knightfall”).

“I felt like she was inside my mind,” Herron says of Durald. “We have the same taste. And I love the way that she talks about light as a character.”

Herron hired Holt unusually early for a composer, after she’d completed editing the first episode during the pandemic shutdown. She knew that the particular sci-fi film noir look of the show that she was developing with Durald needed similarly unique music, and she liked that part of Holt’s pitch was focusing on Loki’s identity as a character.

“Her music then started to inspire how I wanted to shoot other scenes,” Herron says. She’s especially enamored of Holt’s vision for her dynamic and foreboding theme for the TVA.

“She was like, ‘Oh, let’s have that theme be Kang’s’ — well, He Who Remains, I guess, in our show. But I hope that will go on to be Kang’s theme. That was the real fun of it is that you feel like he’s really played a hand now across the whole show, because you realize that music is his music.”

Herron, Durald, and Holt all deliver distinctive and superlative work that’s nothing like the MCU has quite seen before — and nothing quite like anything previously in their careers, either. And that’s entirely the point.

“I think for us, it was about just showing people what we could do and that we could do it at this level,” Herron says.

The episode in which Loki comes out as bisexual was inspired by Alfonso Cuarón and Richard Linklater.

Every episode of “Loki” features multiple extended scenes of two characters just talking to one another, a rarity in a comic book production. Herron says that cutting Episode 1 together during the pandemic lockdown and seeing the scenes between Loki and Mobius (Owen Wilson) play out so well “definitely gave us confidence” to continue that rhythm for the rest of the show.

That was especially true for Episode 3. Written by Bisha K. Ali (who went on to create the upcoming Marvel Studios series “Ms. Marvel”), the episode is essentially an extended meet-cute between Loki and Sylvie as they get to know each other on a planet doomed for total annihilation.

“Bisha’s reference was ‘Before Sunrise’ and ‘Children of Men,'” says Herron. “And it lit my brain on fire. It was kind of weird. It was almost like a bottle episode in the sense that we’re just with the two characters, but obviously, it’s Marvel, right? So they’re bonding in this Apocalypse, which also feels very Loki at the same time.”

That episode is best known for making Marvel Studios history, when Loki casually mentions that he’s had dalliances with both men and women. Herron says that when she first interviewed for the job, she asked if the show was going to acknowledge Loki’s sexuality, which had long been established in the comics as bisexual or pansexual.

“I think everyone wanted to acknowledge it,” she says. “It was just really about giving a care and consideration and doing it in the right way. I think everyone knew it was gonna be quite a big moment. So it was just really about doing it in a way that felt respectful. And honoring it.”

Herron also confirms what many fans had suspected, that she deliberately made the lighting scheme for the scene evoke the blue, purple and red of the bisexual flag. “We knew what we were doing with that scene,” she says with a smile.

She has a lot of ideas for what she’d like to see in Season 2.

Since Herron will be watching Season 2 of “Loki” only “as a fan,” she is also free to wildly speculate as to what she’d most like to see happen — like how, wherever Loki story leads, “we’ve opened the door” for the character to explore his sexuality with men as well as women.

Otherwise? She says she wants to know where Judge Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) goes to when she leaves the TVA in search, she tells Mobius, of “free will.”

“I love her,” Herron says. “Gugu used to always call her an indoor girl, which made me laugh, but she is. She’s in the office, but she used to be this kick-ass Hunter. So I’m like, Okay, well, where’s her path going?”

Herron is also keen to learn more about Hunter B-15’s backstory — since she deliberately decided to hide it in the scene in Episode 4 when Sylvie shows B-15 her repressed memories as a variant.

“I was like, we shouldn’t see her memories,” Herron says. “It’s a character that thought they had power and realizes they have no power. It felt really powerful to at least give her some power in that scenario. The memories are private. They’re hers.” She pauses. “Also as a fan, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, who is she?!'”

“And obviously, you know, Loki and Sylvie?” Herron continues, on a roll. “He’s in a completely different reality. What’s going to happen to him? How will he get back? Or will he get back? And where’s Sylvie? She’s still in the Citadel? And the multiverse of it all. What the hell is going to happen?!”

Herron chuckles at her own excitement. “So I think there’s so many questions to be answered, and so much more road to travel with all our characters,” she says. “You know, I’m really proud that I got to set up Loki’s story here. But there’s so many different aspects of his identity and personality that’s yet to be explored. I’m excited to see where it goes.”

[thyandrawrites]

You know sometimes I have the impression that the audience in MHA and the audience that reads MHA are alike.

For example the majority of the answers I saw regarding the development of Hawks and Endeavor are:

Endeavor: Redemption Without Forgiveness

Hawks: Pardon Without Redemption

If, for example, I can understand the lack of reaction from civilians to Hawks' actions, since the change and more criticism of the heroes comes in the long term, I am still quite disappointed with the lack of criticism from the majority of readers. who had a more omniscient view of the situation.

Anyway, it's just to say that I'm happy that you and some of the readers are more critical without loathing the characters.

I would also like to ask if you believe in Icarus theory and if so are there any takes that well explain this theory?

Mh, you're definitely not alone there, anon. There were times where I too considered the irony in the fact that a good portion of the fandom's standings on Hawks (and sometimes Endvr) tend to mirror the reactions from the civilians in the manga itself.

I think this can be easily explained away tho. Of course the readers should technically have an omniscient view on the themes of the story (and sometimes they do! I happen to follow all the right bloggers bc I rarely see bad takes nowadays, only complaints about bad takes for the most part). But, there's a but. And it's mostly Horikoshi's fault.

See, we get hints at the fact that hero society is shit very early on (most prominently in Stain's arc), but the first time we are actually shown the pov of an outcast, and the first time we see him in a sympathetic light, is with Shig during mva. Which only happens waaaaay later in the series. By that point, most of the audience is already firmly rooting for the main characters. So it's hard, by then, to welcome any sympathy for the villains, or to even concede that hero society isn't all it's cracked up to be. After all, even when Horikoshi tries to push forward that theme, he always does so clumsily and sometimes ineffectively. For example, framing Endvr to be an absolute shitbag but still making us cheer for him. Or framing Hawks as a villain when he kills Twice only for him to suffer no backlash at all from the public afterwards. how are you to think that the villains might just have a point about the corruption of hero society when the author himself doesn't want to commit fully to the idea that the heroes should work on their own flaws?

Anyway, I'm glad that my blog can provide some interesting content for you. I'm far from being unbiased but I try my best to read the series with regard for authorial intentions and themes.

As for the Icarus theory... Forgive me, I'm a little out of the loop since I put the manga on break. I'm not sure if a new theory is floating around or if you were referencing the original Icarus theory. I always believed Hawks to have a lowkey Icarus symbolism. I used to believe 1000% in op's points too, but then the war arc happened. I still think that Hawks will ultimately have a "fall", but I don't believe it involves a villain awakening anymore. I'm not sure what's the deal with Lady Nagant, but from what I parsed from the spoilers on my dash, I think she might've stolen that plot point from Hawks. So Horikoshi probably plans to do something different with him now (tho admittedly he's been retconned. It's pretty much a given that this plotline was originally his).

That said, idk what he's been up to as of late, and if that would change my prediction in any way... but imho for his character to make sense at this point, he needs to do something that goes against the greater good, and that can finally redeem him. Even if it's in his last moments. I see a huge death flag for him and I'm not even sure if he'll ever break out of his mindset tbh, but if he doesn't then what's the point of keeping him alive till now.

Plus, if Endvr gets redeemed by hopefully acting like a father and not a hero, I think it would make sense if Hawks got redeemed by finally acting like the boy who selflessly rescued people in need from a car crash, and not the utilitarian monster the Commission made him out to be. Ever since the war arc, Hawks has been paralleling Endvr as a corrupt hero from the top ten who refuses to see his own flaws while still preaching justice and heroism, so I think that for the manga to make sense, they both need to address the things they're trying so hard to run away from. In Hawks' case, I expect it to take the form of a self-sacrificial, selfless act because a hero who killed his negative foil doesn't have a big chance of making it out alive from the manga. But I could be wrong. Maybe he'll live and not change. Maybe he'll die and not redeem himself. Maybe Hori will say he's changed while he's still the same. It's all up in the air with how Hori has been writing things lately

[usergreenpixel]

JACOBIN FICTION CONVENTION MEETING 1: La Seine no Hoshi (1975)

1. Introduction

Well, dear reader, here it is. My first ever official review. And, as promised, this is one of the pieces of Frev media that you have likely never heard of before.

So, without further ado, sit down, relax, grab drinks and snacks and allow me to tell you about an anime called “La Seine no Hoshi” (The Star of the Seine).

“La Seine no Hoshi” is a children’s anime series made by Studio Sunrise. It consists of 39 episodes and was originally broadcast in Japan from April 4th to December 26th of 1975.

Unlike its more famous contemporary, a manga called “Rose of Versailles” that had begun being released in 1972 and is considered a classic to this day, “La Seine no Hoshi” has stayed relatively obscure both in the world of anime and among other Frev pop culture.

Personally, the only reason why I found out about its existence was the fact that I actively seek out everything Frev-related and I just happened to stumble upon the title on an anime forum several years ago.

So far, the anime has been dubbed into Italian, French, German and Korean but there is no English or even Spanish dub so, unfortunately, people who do not speak fluent Japanese or any other aforementioned language are out of luck ( if anyone decides to make a fandub of the series, call me). That being said, the series is readily available in dubs and the original version on YouTube, which is where I ended up watching it. The French dub calls the anime “La Tulipe Noire” (The Black Tulip), which could be an homage to the movie with the same name that takes place in the same time period.

Unfortunately, while I do speak Japanese well enough to maintain a basic conversation and interact with people in casual daily situations, I’m far from fluent in the language so the version I watched was the French dub, seeing as I am majoring in French.

So, with all of this info in mind, let’s find out what the story is about and proceed to the actual review.

2. The Summary

(Note: Names of the characters in the French dub and the original version differ so I will use names from the former since that’s what I watched)

The story of “La Seine no Hoshi” revolves around a 15-year old girl called Mathilde Pasquier - a daughter of two Parisian florists who helps her parents run their flower shop and has a generally happy life.

But things begin to change when Comte de Vaudreuil, an elderly Parisian noble to whom Mathilde delivers flowers in the second episode, takes her under his wing and starts teaching her fencing for an unknown reason and generally seems to know more about her than he lets on.

Little does Mathilde know, those fencing lessons will end up coming in handy sooner than she expected. When her parents are killed by corrupt nobles, the girl teams up with Comte de Vaudreuil’s son, François, to fight against corruption as heroes of the people, all while the revolution keeps drawing near day by day and tensions in the city are at an all time high.

This is the gist of the story, dear readers, so with that out of the way, here’s the actual review:

3. The Story

Honestly, I kind of like the plot. It has a certain charm to it, like an old swashbuckling novel, of which I’ve read a lot as a kid.

The narrative of a “hero of the common folk” has been a staple in literature for centuries so some might consider the premise to be unoriginal, but I personally like this narrative more than “champion of the rich” (Looking at you, Scarlet Pimpernel) because, historically, it really was a difficult time for commoners and when times are hard people tend to need such heroes the most.

People need hope, so it’s no surprise that Mathilde and François (who already moonlights as a folk hero, The Black Tulip) become living legends thanks to their escapades.

Interestingly enough, the series also subverts a common trope of a hero seeking revenge for the death of his family. Mathilde is deeply affected by the death of her parents but she doesn’t actively seek revenge. Instead, this tragedy makes the fight and the upcoming revolution a personal matter to her and motivates her to fight corruption because she is not the only person who ended up on its receiving end.

The pacing is generally pretty good but I do wish there were less filler episodes and more of the overarching story that’s dedicated to the secret that Comte de Vaudreuil and Mathilde’s parents seem to be hiding from her and maybe it would be better if the secret in question was revealed to the audience a bit later than episode 7 or so.

However, revealing the twist early on is still an interesting narrative choice because then the main question is not what the secret itself is but rather when and how Mathilde will find out and how she will react, not to mention how it will affect the story.

That being said, even the filler episodes do drive home the point that a hero like Mathilde is needed, that nobles are generally corrupt and that something needs to change. Plus, those episodes were still enjoyable and entertaining enough for me to keep watching, which is good because usually I don’t like filler episodes much and it’s pretty easy to make them too boring.

Unfortunately, the show is affected by the common trope of the characters not growing up but I don’t usually mind that much. It also has the cliché of heroes being unrecognizable in costumes and masks, but that’s a bit of a staple in the superhero stories even today so it’s not that bothersome.

4. The Characters

It was admittedly pretty rare for a children’s show to have characters who were fleshed out enough to seem realistic and flawed, but I think this series gives its characters more development than most shows for kids did at the time.

I especially like Mathilde as a character. Sure, at first glance she seems like a typical Nice Pretty Ordinary Girl ™️ but that was a part of the appeal for me.

I am a strong believer in that a character does not need to be a blank slate or a troubled jerk to be interesting and Mathilde is neither of the above. She is essentially an ordinary girl with her own life, family, friends, personality and dreams and, unfortunately, all of that is taken away from her when her parents are killed.

Her initial reluctance to participate in the revolution is also pretty realistic as she is still trying to live her own life in peace and she made a promise to her parents to stay safe so there’s that too.

I really like the fact that the show did not give her magic powers and that she was not immediately good at fencing. François does remark that her fencing is not bad for a beginner but in those same episodes she is clearly shown making mistakes and it takes her time to upgrade from essentially François’s assistant in the heroic shenanigans to a teammate he can rely on and sees as an equal. Heck, later there’s a moment when Mathilde saves François, which is a nice tidbit of her development.

Mathilde also doesn’t have any romantic subplots, which is really rare for a female lead.

She has a childhood friend, Florent, but the two are not close romantically and they even begin to drift apart somewhat once Florent becomes invested in the revolution. François de Vaudreuil does not qualify for a love interest either - his father does take Mathilde in and adopts her after her parents are killed so François is more of an older brother than anything else.

Now, I’m not saying that romance is necessarily a bad thing but I do think that not having them is refreshing than shoehorning a romance into a story that’s not even about it. Plus most kids don’t care that much for romance to begin with so I’d say that the show only benefits from the creative decision of not setting Mathilde up with anyone.

Another interesting narrative choice I’d like to point out is the nearly complete absence of historical characters, like the revolutionaries. They do not make an appearance at all, save for Saint-Just’s cameo in one of the last episodes and, fortunately, he doesn’t get demonized. Instead, the revolutionary ideas are represented by Florent, who even joins the Jacobin Club during the story and is the one who tries to get Mathilde to become a revolutionary. Other real people, like young Napoleon and Mozart, do appear but they are also cameo characters, which does not count.

Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI are exceptions to the rule.

(Spoiler alert!)

Marie-Antoinette is portrayed as kind of spoiled and out of touch. Her spending habits get touched on too but she is not a malicious person at heart. She is simply flawed. She becomes especially important to the story later on when Mathilde finds out the secret that has been hidden from her for her entire life.

As it turns out, Marie- Antoinette, the same queen Mathilde hated so much, is the girl’s older half-sister and Mathilde is an illegitimate daughter of the Austrian king and an opera singer, given to a childless couple of florists to be raised in secret so that her identity can be protected.

The way Marie-Antoinette and Mathilde are related and their further interactions end up providing an interesting inner conflict for Mathilde as now she needs to reconcile this relationship with her sister and her hatred for the corruption filling Versailles.

The characters are not actively glorified or demonized for the most part and each side has a fair share of sympathetic characters but the anime doesn’t shy away from showing the dark sides of the revolution either, unlike some other shows that tackle history (*cough* Liberty’s Kids comes to mind *cough*).

All in all, pretty interesting characters and the way they develop is quite realistic too, even if they could’ve been more fleshed out in my opinion.

5. The Voice Acting

Pretty solid. No real complaints here. I’d say that the dub actors did a good job.

6. The Setting

I really like the pastel and simple color scheme of Paris and its contrast with the brighter palette of Versailles. It really drives home the contrast between these two worlds.

The character designs are pretty realistic, simple and pleasant to watch. No eyesores like neon colors and overly cutesy anime girls with giant tiddies here and that’s a big plus in my book.

7. The Conclusion

Like I said, the show is not available in English and those who are able to watch it might find it a bit cliché but, while it’s definitely not perfect. I actually quite like it for its interesting concept, fairly realistic characters and a complex view of the French Revolution. I can definitely recommend this show, if only to see what it’s all about.

Some people might find this show too childish and idealistic, but I’m not one of them.

I’m almost 21 but I still enjoy cartoons and I’m fairly idealistic because cynicism and nihilism do not equal maturity and, if not for the “silly” idealism, Frev itself wouldn’t happen so I think shows like that are necessary too, even if it’s just for escapism.

If you’re interested and want to check it out, more power to you.

Anyway, thank you for attending the first ever official meeting of the Jacobin Fiction Convention. Second meeting is coming soon so stay tuned for updates.

Have a good day, Citizens! I love you!

- Citizen Green Pixel

[shewholovestoread]

Fear Street Trilogy Review

Beware, spoilers ahead.

I love horror movies but good horror movies are so hard to come by. Fear Street grabbed my attention as soon as they released the first trailer, it looked like a call-back to the slasher films of old, back when they were still good. And the best part was the apparent presence of lesbians, count me in!

Fear Street is based on the books by the same name by R. L. Stine, a lot of us remember Stine for another horror classic, Goosebumps. The Fear Street novels were aimed at older audiences and were way more bloody than Goosebumps- lots of teenagers dying. The films don’t adapt any particular book but rather the tone and rough setting and I think that works to its advantage.

The Setting:

Fear Street is based on the fictional town of Shadyside, the poorer and more unfortunate twin of its sister-town Sunnyside. Sunnyside is sunny, wealthy and where nothing bad ever happens. Shadyside in contrast is poorer, the homes more run-down and where, every few years, some resident snaps and goes on a murderous rampage, killing their own friends, family or whoever they can get their hands on. There are those who believe that Shadyside is cursed by Sarah Fier, a witch who was hanged in the 1600s when she cut off her hand and used it to curse the town.

Fear Street Part 1:

1994 functions like the introduction and set-up for the trilogy. It introduces us to the characters, Deena (Kiana Madeira), Sam (Olivia Scott Welch), Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.), Kate (Julia Rehwald) and Simon (Fred Hechinger). They unwittingly trigger the curse when they stumble across the bones of Sarah Fiers, soon killers are chasing them, killing-machines powered by the curse and who can’t be killed. Deena, Sam, Josh, Kate and Simon have to put aside their differences and work together to survive the night.

Fear Street Part 2: 1978

1978 opens with the survivors of 1994 going to C. Berman (Gillian Jacobs), the lone survivor of the Camp Nightwing massacre. It provides insight into the massacre that saw dozens of Shadyside kids being killed. 1978 takes us back to the day leading up to the bloody night. We meet the Berman sisters, Ziggy and Cindy (Sadie Sink and Emily Rudd respectively), Alice (Ryan Simpkins) and Tommy (McCabe Syle) When an axe-wielding murderer starts butchering the camp residents, Cindy and Alice, while trying to escape, stumble into the cave system that runs under the camp and discover Sarah’s hand and that the only way to break the curse is to reunite the hand with her body. However, they are unable to break the curse when they realise that the body is not buried where they thought it would be. Alice, Cindy and Ziggy are killed by the cursed murderers with only Ziggy being revived thus being labeled the lone survivor. In the present day, Deena and Josh dig out the hand from where Ziggy and Cindy left it, when Deena reunites the hand with the body, she sees visions of Sarah Fiers, leading us into the third and final film.

Fear Street Part 3: 1666

1666, the year it all started. We see the events play out leading up to the hanging. Deena is inside Sarah’s body, seeing and experiencing her life as if it were own. We learn that it was never Sarah’s curse, but in fact it was the Goodes who had made a deal with the devil, securing power for themselves (their descendants are the mayor and sheriff in 1994) Sarah Fiers was just the scapegoat. Every time someone saw a vision of Sarah, she was trying to show them the truth and un-dead killers hunted them to keep them from exposing it.

The films work individually but their impact really hits home once you’ve watched all 3. Leigh Janiak crafts such an intricate story and links 3 time periods, weaving them through each other seamlessly. With 3 films, she also has the time to invest in these different time periods and the characters that inhabit them.

The story, both in terms of individual films as well as the trilogy as a whole, is engaging and engrossing. It keeps the audience on their toes and the edge of their seats, waiting and dreading as the bodies pile up. Janiak also grounds the story so that it feels real even as the characters are fighting off un-dead killers, adding to the nail-biting tension.

There’s plenty to admire for a horror film buff, from the Scream reference in 1994, to Friday the 13th in 1978 and The Witch (or VVitch) in 1666. There’s also a good amount of gore to be found along with some really inventive ways of killing, who knew bread cutters/slicers could be so menacing.

There’s so much attention to detail in terms of costume and production design that you really feel like you’re in 1994, 1978 or even 1666. All of these work to draw you in as the viewer, adding to the authenticity on screen. The clothes and places feel lived-in. The song choices are amazing with popular hits from 1994 and 1978, the soundtrack definitely elevates the visuals. The original score in 1666 was absolutely gorgeous, especially Deena and Sam’s theme.

The sequence of the films with 1994 being the first, followed by 1978 and finally 1666 was a great choice with each film revealing a little more of the puzzle till all the pieces are revealed in 1666. It keeps the tension alive and keeps the characters and the audience constantly guessing. It also allows Janiak to sprinkle just enough subtle clues that become apparent when rewatching the films.

The characters are one of the best things in the trilogy, they are so well written, and I mean that for almost all of the main cast which is rare. One of the best things that Janiak does is repeat actors, especially the principle cast. For instance, a lot of actors we see in 1994 and 1978 appear in 1666 playing different roles but with a similar dynamic. It helps tell the story without worrying about too many new faces and worrying about whether or not the audience will be able to keep track of them. The return of old faces also ensures that the audience is already a little invested in them and their well-being.

Small side-note: I really appreciated that there was no sexual violence. It always worries me when I start a horror show/film and it was such a relief that they did not go that route. There is a lot of violence and a lot of people and kids die but it’s always just slightly campy enough that keeps it from being genuinely disturbing.

One of the things that always irk me with slasher films (especially the old ones) are how white they were, no characters of colour and if there were any, they always died. There were also no queer characters. Fear Street undoes that beautifully, all of our main characters are outsiders, they are people of colour, they are queer. In another film, they would have been nameless characters, among the first to die. Here they are the heroes. I loved all of them and I hated that Alice, Kate and Simon died, to be honest, I expected the core group to survive, Kate especially.

Fear Street is also unapologetically feminist and Janiak does this without it being too obvious. The central conflicts in the story are between women (sister/ friends/ ex-girlfriends) but they also band together and fight for each other. It’s worth noting that most of the core relationships are between women (Deena-Sam, Ziggy-Cindy-Alice, Sarah-Hannah) and those are not coincidences.

I loved how gay this trilogy was, Deena and Sam’s love for each other was the driving force and was at the heart of the story. Even in 1666, Sarah’s crime was not so much witchcraft as it was daring to love someone you’re not supposed to and fighting back against the proprietary nature of the men who sought to control them. Sarah and Hannah loved each other fiercely and we see that same love reflected hundreds of years later in Deena and Sam who fight for each other relentlessly. I also appreciated that Deena and Sam were exes instead of a new relationship. It meant that they already had history, they shared a familiarity and comfort with each other that a new relationship would have had to build onscreen.

The Fear Street Trilogy is one of the best horror trilogies I’ve seen in a while, each film is consistently great and delivers gore and violence coupled with immense heart. It has one of the best queer relationships I’ve seen on screen and spoiler alert, they get a happy ending. I’m sick and tired of lesbian women dying or separating because of realism. Damn realism, give me happy women loving women and who live through their traumatic ordeal. Watch Fear Street for them if for nothing else. Now excuse me as I prepare to rewatch the trilogy.

[mochegato]

Covert Pregnancy

Covert Dating     Covert Romance     Covert Wedding     Covert Marriage

Okay, yeah, the title gave it away but Adrien doesn’t know yet so shhhhh.

 This was exactly what Adrien had been worried about. This is why he showed up in Marinette’s room before her wedding asking her if she was sure.  He backed off because she promised him she was.  She was confident this was the best move for her.  And at first, it looked like she was right.  Everyone could see the difference in her.  That spark she used to have was back.  That beaming smile returned and finally reached her eyes.  They hadn’t seen Marinette like that since he first met her. And they all knew exactly what changed: Jason.

Jason was amazing to her.  In their short marriage he had been nothing short of the ideal husband.  It had been eight months of sickeningly sweet adoration and showering each other with affection.  He showed her love and understanding, patience and support.  But lately, Adrien had been noticing things.  Little things. Things other people might not notice.  Things that individually didn’t mean much, but taken together…  Comments that Marinette made.  Looks in her eyes.  Excuses she made.  Or as she was doing now, crying for no apparent reason.  

One minute they were sitting on the couch, talking about nothing while some show they weren’t paying attention to played on the television in the background, the next she was sobbing.  When he asked her what was going on she said it was nothing, she was just tired.  She yawned and told him she was going to go to bed and he could let himself out.  

There were only two things wrong with that.  First, when she left she didn’t go to sleep.  Jason hadn’t been home for a few days, which meant he wouldn’t be home to comfort Marinette, and Adrien was worried about her.  So he took a bit longer to leave than he normally would have, which meant he heard her continuing to cry after she went to lay down instead of sleeping.  Months ago, she would have called Jason when she felt like this, or she would have talked with him about it.  But she wasn’t doing either.  She was suffering alone, just like she did before she met Jason.  

Second, he’s known Marinette for years.  He knows tired Marinette.  He might know Tired Marinette better than well rested Marinette.  Tired Marinette is hyper.  Tired Marinette bounces from thing to thing.  Tired Marinette can’t focus.  Tired Marinette is inspired, sometimes with the most heinous ideas ever thought of, but inspired nonetheless.  Tired Marinette isn’t emotional at least not until she is so sluggish she can’t stand up straight.  And even then, she isn’t like this.  Tired Marinette is extra loving, not sad.  This isn’t Tired Marinette.  This isn’t well rested Marinette.  This is something else.

The next few days seemed to go about the same, neither improving nor worsening. Marinette looked withdrawn, but she wouldn’t tell him that anything was wrong.  But one thing he knew about Marinette was that she loved Christmas, and with Christmas only a little over a week away, he was sure she was getting more and more excited.  She loved the friendly atmosphere, she loved the family baking, she loved the snow (watched through the window of a warm room while drinking hot chocolate), and she loved making presents for everyone she loved.  And talking about Christmas and her plans for presents always made her happy.

“So, have you finished all your presents already?  Or are you planning on using some of the time we’re closed next week to finish them?”  

She looked up at him a bit startled, “Oh… um” she looked down like she was thinking about what to say.  “I, um… I thought this year I might buy presents for everyone.  It’s not like the family will notice, so…  It’ll be fine.”  She gave him a weak smile.

That wasn’t like her at all.  Making presents was one of the ways she liked to show she cared about them.  It was her love language.  He had never known her to not make a present if she could. “What!  Why?”  He exclaimed before he could stop himself.

“I just.  You know this year I thought maybe I’d give myself a break and… um… and this year go a bit more traditional.”  She offered uncertainly.

He stared at her incredulously.  Why would she change it now?  Why would she think she should change what she had always done now?  What had changed… Jason.  Jason had changed.  What had he said to her that made her think her handmade presents weren’t good enough for his family?  Adrien hadn’t known the Waynes very long but he knew for certain they would absolutely love a present from Marinette.  They loved Marinette’s designs and they loved Marinette.  If Jason hadn’t married her, he was certain the Waynes would have made her a part of the family another way.  

“Marinette, you’ve never been traditional.  Making presents is your tradition.  Everyone loves your presents.  It wouldn’t be the same if it didn’t come from your hand.”  He told her gently.  She had to understand her gifts were more than good enough for everyone who loved her.

She looked down anxiously again but nodded at him, “Yeah, okay.  I’ll see what I can do.”  Instead of looking more confident, she seemed to shrink in on herself.

He smiled encouragingly at her.  She would see.  As soon as the family opened her presents, they would be so excited, she would forget any nervousness or insecurity she had indulged in to convince herself she shouldn’t do it.

By the time patrol came around, she did seem happier and more confident.  It helped significantly that Jason had returned from his mission and was going on patrol with them again.  It was also sure to be appreciated by the Redbird shippers, who had cropped up quickly after Ladybird made her debut with the bats a few months ago, working primarily with Red Hood.  She was a rarely seen but much loved addition.  

Before patrol, Red Hood gave her a seemingly sweet kiss to the temple and whispered to her sternly.  She smiled back weakly and nodded in response, turning to the family with a serious expression, ready to go out.  He noticed even when she turned away, Red Hood kept a strong grip on her waist, not letting her wander too far from his side.  And whenever Blackwing tried to get close to her, Red Hood would step between them.  Adrien could feel the glares Red Hood was shooting him even through the helmet, but for the life of himself he couldn’t figure out what he had done to deserve it.

After a few moments of Blackwing awkwardly trying to catch Ladybird’s attention to see if she was okay, Batman brought the attention to himself, “Let’s pair off and head out.  Nightwing, you’re with Robin.  Spoiler, you’re with Red Robin.  Red Hood, you’re with Blackbat.  Ladybird, you’re with Blackwing.”

“No.” Red Hood spoke up gruffly.  “Ladybird is with me tonight.”

“Hood…” Batman started out.

“Ladybird. Is. With. Me.” He growled out threateningly.  Ladybird put her hand on his arm to calm him down.

Batman sighed and nodded.  “Fine. Blackwing, you’re with Blackbat tonight. Ladybird, you’re with Red Hood.”

Blackwing scowled at Red Hood, but moved next to Blackbat.  It wasn’t unusual for Jason to want to patrol with Marinette but he normally wasn’t so aggressive about it, almost like he was protecting her from them… or separating her from them.  Or maybe it was him Jason was trying to keep her from.  It was fine.  He would see Marinette in the office tomorrow and he was sure Batman would not let Red Hood change the patrol partners next time.

Instead of quelling his concerns, the next day only made them worse.  All the excitement from the night before was gone. Instead, she looked beat down and weak. She offered halfhearted smiles, which seemed to convince the other’s in the office that she was fine, but Adrien knew her too well.   He eyed her closely as she walked through the office with a few models they were planning on using for their next show.  She was having difficulty focusing on their conversation.  It was nothing significant and anyone else might not even notice, but he noticed her periodically glancing critically at people as they were eating.

He watched her until he realized he hasn’t seen her eating lately.  It wasn’t uncommon for her to do when she was stressed out.  But, when she was reminded to eat or food was brought to her, she would always eat.  That was the solution then.  She might not be willing to talk about whatever was wrong, but he could at least do this for her.  He could provide her favorite comfort foods.  

By the time she was out of her meeting, he had her favorite foods laid out on her desk for her.  She walked in with a sigh before she looked up and noticed him and the food.  She gasped and her eyes bugged out as the smell hit her.  “Adrien, what is this?”

“I noticed you haven’t been eating lately so I thought we could finish up any loose ends we have before we close down for the next two weeks while we eat.” He answered cheerfully.

She pursed her lips tightly, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “That was thoughtful of you, Adrien, but… um… I’m trying to lose weight.  Yeah!  Trying to lose weight before the gala, so… uh…  I think this isn’t the best idea.”  She turned her eyes to him and gave him a guilty smile.  “But I really appreciate you thinking of me!  We should talk though before we close for the holidays tonight, just… not right now.  I… have to… I’ll be right back.” She rushed out of the room.

When she came back, they decided to meet in the conference room instead. After making sure they had responded to everyone that was waiting, they decided to close the office early so the other employees could finish any holiday shopping they needed to do.  It was the perfect opportunity to spend time with Marinette.  They always had a lot of fun shopping and maybe he could get her to stop at a café with him and eat something.  He didn’t know why she thought she had to lose weight but he did not approve.  She was already extremely thin.  If anything she was too thin, especially considering their vigilante work and how many calories that burned through.  It was bordering on unhealthy.

“Hey,” he started tentatively, “since we’re closing early anyway, do you want to help me pick some things out for Christmas?  I still have a bunch of presents to get and you know the Waynes a lot better than I do.  We could spend my money and hang out?”

She gave him another weak, tired smile.  “I would love to, Chaton.  But I am still so tired.  I think I’m going to go home and take a nap.  Maybe we can do it tomorrow?  And I think we’re paired up tonight so I’ll see you then and we can talk and turn off the coms to plot presents.”

“Yeah, sure.  That sounds good.  I’ll see you tonight.” He nodded looking down.  It felt like he was losing her, but more importantly, it felt like she was losing herself again and it was breaking his heart to see it.

When he got to the meeting point for patrol that night Ladybird and Red Hood were nowhere to be seen.  They were later than usual.  He was starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.  “Hey, Nightwing?  Where are Ladybird and Red Hood?”

“Oh, Red Hood said they weren’t going to make it tonight.” He shrugged it off unconcerned.  He leaned conspiratorially toward Blackwing, “It sounds to me like they are going to be pulling back from patrols entirely for a little while.  I think Red Hood wants them to focus on each other since they never really got a honeymoon.”

“Huh,” Adrien looked away, his brows furrowed.  “She was looking forward to patrol tonight…”  Nightwing clapped him on the back.

“Newlyweds, right?” He laughed before jumping off to start his route.

Adrien stared after him, the pit in his stomach growing bigger and more acidic. It was fine.  He would call her to go shopping tomorrow and talk with her then, preferably without Jason standing over her shoulder.  He huffed, shook his head to refocus himself and jumped off the roof to start his route.

But the next day wasn’t better.  Neither were the next few days.  He called and texted Marinette each day to check on her and ask if she wanted to do something but each time she said she was too busy to do anything.   It was like she cut herself off from him.  Maybe he shouldn’t be so concerned.  He knew he was clingy sometimes, so maybe she just needed a short break from him.  But lunch with Duke made him rethink his that.

“Wait, so you haven’t seen Marinette for the last few weeks either?”

“Yeah.  We were supposed to go out for lunch last weekend and she was going to go Christmas present shopping with me but Jason called at the last minute to tell me ‘you’re a big boy, you can do it on your own.’”

“Really?”

“Eh, yeah.  Just Jason being his normal obsessive, controlling, asshole self.” He shrugged it off.

“You think Marinette didn’t want to go?”

“No, I think she did, but probably Marinette needed more time for her presents and he didn’t want her stressed out so he interceded.  You know Marinette, she’ll take too much on and doesn’t say no.”

“I suppose…” Adrien trailed off.  That was true but Marinette would have told him that.  She would babble endlessly, excitedly about the presents she was working on and the details she was putting into each one for each person and why.  But she wasn’t doing that.  She wasn’t talking with anyone, not just him.  

Concerned didn’t begin to describe what Adrien felt right now.  He needed to talk with Marinette and see how she was doing and see what was going on.  He understood wanting a honeymoon period but it just was not like Marinette to close herself off from everyone around her, not if she was happy, not if she was mentally healthy and flourishing.  It was what she did when she started spiraling. It was what she did during and after Hawkmoth.  It was exactly what they had thought Jason was bringing her out of.  But now it looked like he was helping to push her back to that state.

This was finally it.  Jason was not going to be able to keep her away tonight.  This was the Wayne family Christmas gathering.  Jason and Marinette could not miss this without the family hunting them down and invading wherever they were.  Adrien was going to be able to see Marinette and check on her, make sure she was okay.  

When he got to the manor everyone was already there chatting, laughing, and snacking before the gift exchange and dinner.  Damian was scowling at something Dick said, or maybe it was at the reindeer antlers he was wearing while Cass smiled approvingly at Dick.  Tim was chatting with Barbara and Stephanie about something that required outlandish gestures from Tim, eliciting belly laughs from Barbara and eye rolls from Stephanie.  Bruce was pretending to read a book in the corner of the room while he watched his family interacting with a contented smile on his face.  Duke had just poured a few glasses of wine and passed one off to Marinette before walking over to greet Adrien.  

Adrien gave him a warm hug but kept his eyes on Marinette, which is how he noticed Jason take Marinette’s wine away while she watched after it longingly with a pout but not an objection.  Adrien cocked his head to the side and studied her expression.  After a few moments he noticed it.  He had enough experience in makeup to know when it was covering something.  She had caked the concealer on around her eye but there was the telltale darkening there.

Before he even realized he had moved, Adrien had crossed the room to where Jason and Marinette were standing.  “Hey” he yelled, getting Jason to turn around and face him.  Adrien reeled back and punched Jason as hard as he could, putting his full weight behind the hit.  The punch wasn’t enough to drop Jason but it was enough for him to stumble back a few steps.

“What the actual fucking fuck, Agreste!” Jason yelled holding his jaw and moving a little so he was between Adrien and Marinette.

Everyone in the room turned their attention to them. Only Dick and Duke had moved to intercede.  The family was more than used to punches getting thrown.  Standard practice was to assess if they were in the fight zone and might get caught in the collateral damage.  If not return to what they had been doing before the fight broke out. However, this was different.  Dick and Duke wouldn’t have even gotten up except it was Adrien.  Adrien had never hit any of them outside of a sparring mat.  Whatever was going on must be something extremely upsetting to Adrien and have been wearing on him for a while.

Duke looked between the two, his eyes flashing golden for a moment before he looked back to Marinette with a look of wonder in his eyes. “Oh my God,” he said so quietly Marinette could barely hear him despite standing right next to him.  She looked over at him with a questioning look on her face.  He gave her an excited grin and nodded to her and moved to stand between the boys who were still locked in a staring contest before Adrien could throw any more punches.

“I don’t know exactly what you are doing to her, but it stops now!  I don’t care who your family is.  If you ever lay a hand on her again, I’ll make good on the promise I made to you before you got married.” He yelled at Jason, struggling against Dick, who was barely holding him back.  

“What the ever loving Fuck are you talking about Agreste?” Jason yelled back.  He pushed to move forward but Duke held up a hand and shook his head with a stern expression.  Jason glared at him before looking back at Adrien.  “If you are suggesting I have ever so much as laid an unwelcome hand on Marinette…”

“I can see the black eye, you bastard.” Adrien growled back.  “You’ve been keeping her from going on patrol so I know she didn’t get it there.  That leaves you.  God only knows how many others you’ve caused on her.  That explains why she’s been crying so much lately, why she doesn’t go out with friends anymore.  She’s not even eating.  And, what?” he yelled motioning to the drinks Jason had taken from Marinette.  “You don’t want your wife drinking in front of your family?  She’s not the one embarrassing them self.”

Jason continued glaring at him for a few moments before he looked down and let out a deep sigh.  Marinette moved closer to him until she was leaning against his side. He reached back blindly for her hand. They were a team, they would get through this.  Dick looked at Marinette again, examining her eye.  Adrien was right, now that he really looked, he could see the makeup hastily applied around her eye.  He looked to Jason in shock, “Jason?”

Duke gave Dick a pointed look and shook his head to let Dick know it wasn’t what it seemed.  The rest of the family took note of Duke’s actions and stared at Marinette like she was a puzzle.  Cass was the first one to figure it out.  Her eyes widened and she gasped as soon as she did.  She looked to Marinette with a questioning look and formed a fist with her hand and shook it by her cheek.  Marinette smiled back and nodded.  Cass squealed in delight.

Tim and Damian caught the sign and whipped their heads back to Marinette.  Tim jumped up to hug Marinette but Damian sank further back into the couch.  “Oh for the love of… Tell me this isn’t true.”

Dick immediately glared at Damian.  “Of course it isn’t true!  Jason would never hurt Marinette.  There is something else going on.”

“Obviously, idiot.  Take a look around and rethink your assumptions.  They’ve given more than enough clues.” Damian huffed out with a roll of his eyes.

“Marinette?  Jason?” Dick prompted them.

“Yeah.  I’d love to hear what the explanation for all of this is.” Adrien jeered trying to push past Dick again.

“Not exactly the way we wanted to do this, we actually had presents to announce it, but…” Marinette started but she looked to Jason for help, squeezing his hand for comfort.

Jason took the hint and turned to her so he could wrap her up in his arms. He gave her a wink and a devilish smile before answering the question, “I didn’t knock her around, I knocked her up, asshole.”  Marinette glared at him playfully.  

Bruce groaned and ran his hand over his face.  “Really, Jason?  That’s how you chose to tell us?”  He let out a deep sigh and smiled at them.  “Congratulations Marinette and Jason.  That’s really exciting.”

“Tell us what?  What’s exciting?” Adrien looked around confused, “What does that mean?”

Marinette smiled kindly at Adrien, “It means, I’m pregnant.  That's why I want to drink the wine but I can't.  That's why I have no appetite lately, because I throw up anything I eat and just the smell or thought of the smell does the same. That's why I can't go out with you guys at night anymore even though I keep trying, because I start out fine but I’m so utterly exhausted and the world is usually spinning for me by the time patrol ends.  It's why I cry at commercials on the TV, because I'm so ridiculously emotional right now.  And I know I’m being overly emotional but I still can’t stop the tears.  The more I try, the more I cry.  It’s infuriating.  I’m emotional and nauseous and hungry and exhausted and scared. But more than anything else, I'm excited and really happy. I can't wait to have a family with Jason.” She smiled lovingly at Jason.  He reached down and stroked her cheek.

“You're going to be a mom?” Adrien asked tentatively, excitement already shining in his eyes.

She smiled shyly at him.  “There are consequences for being impulsive.  This is it.  Plus, you know, wielder of Creation,” she pointed at herself. “Apparently that greatly increases my likelihood of getting pregnant.”

“And the black eye?” Dick asked for clarification.

“Ugh.  I don’t know if it’s because of the miraculous intensifying things or just natural hormones but I’ve had ridiculous morning sickness.  Honestly, I’m so beyond excited about the baby, but I’m ready to be past the throwing up constantly part.  Have you ever thrown up so violently you gave yourself a black eye?” She pointed to her eye.  “I have.  0/10 Do not recommend.”  

“You’re going to be a mom.” Adrien repeated with a huge grin.  Completely ignoring the last part of her statement.

Marinette laughed. “Yes, I'm going to be a mom. Jason is going to be an amazing dad. And you, if you can stop punching my baby's father for 5 minutes, are going to be an awesome uncle.”

“I'm going to be an uncle?” Adrien looked at her in wonder before it all finally settled in.  He turned to Dick and yelled excitedly, “I'm going to be an uncle!” He turned to Duke and grabbed him into a hug, “I’m going to be an uncle!”  He turned to the next person and said it again.  However that next person happened to be Jason who was not as amused by his excitement as the rest of the room.  “Yeah, I know.  I’m going to be the father.” He said flatly.

Adrien’s expression quickly switched to guilt.  “Oh God, Jason, I’m so sorry!  I’m sorry for hitting you and I’m really, really sorry for thinking you would hurt Marinette.”

Jason waved him off, “Nah, it’s okay.  I’m glad she has you to protect her.  I worry about her, you know, especially now.  Late nights, all-consuming design kicks, asshole businessmen…  I know she can handle herself, but it’s good to see you’ll have her back if she needs it, even if it had to be from me.”

Adrien watched them with a soft look.  Jason was watching Marinette so lovingly and stroking her cheek so gently.  The smile on his face as he looked at her was pure bliss. And the look Marinette was giving him displayed a peace and elation he had never seen on her face.  Looking at them now, he doesn’t know how he could have ever thought otherwise.  Jason was going to be an amazing dad and she was going to be an amazing mom.  He started as a sudden thought struck him. “Hey, Marinette?  Have you told your mom already?”

“Oh God yes!” Jason exclaimed before Marinette could respond. “I’d like to live to see my child, thank you.”

She smiled wryly at him and chuckled.  “She almost knew before Jason did.  I wasn’t willing to risk her wrath again.”

Tim looked at them with an incredulous expression. “Seriously?  I’ve seen her mom.  She’s shorter than Marinette, and that’s saying something.” He ignored the glare she sent his way.  “Are you seriously saying you’re afraid of her?”

“Yes.” Jason responded without hesitation.

“Is she really that scary?  Really?”

Jason, Marinette, and Adrien looked at each other with grim looks and haunted eyes, “Yes!” they responded at the same time.

“We didn’t tell her about the wedding until a few weeks after and I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous and scared.” Jason shuttered.  He reflexively hugged Marinette closer at the thought.

“I can’t believe you seriously thought Jason would hurt me at all let alone risk my Mom’s wrath.” Marinette shook her head with a smile, snuggling into Jason’s chest.

“How was I supposed to know?  You said you weren’t eating because you were trying to lose weight!” Adrien exclaimed. “That’s not what I expect a pregnant woman to say.”  Marinette winced at that.

“You said you were trying to lose weight?” Jason straightened up.

“I panicked!” Marinette exclaimed.  “We weren't telling people we were pregnant yet and I just said the first thing that came to my mind.”  She looked down sheepishly.  She really should be better at thinking under pressure by this point.

“And that was to lose weight?” Jason asked cautiously.

Marinette sighed, “I had just been talking with some models who said another brand told them they needed to lose weight.  I was thinking I should talk to Adrien about a company policy against things like that.”

“Oooo, that’s a good idea.  We should do that.” Adrien nodded.

“I know, right?  So it was on my mind.”

“Okay… so you're not worried about your weight, right?” Jason searched her eyes for confirmation.

“No,” Marinette shook her head, eyes shining fondly at him.  “My priority is making sure our baby and I are healthy, not my weight.”

Jason sighed a relieved breath, pressing his forehead to hers and smiling adoringly at her.  “Good because I love you like this…” he kissed her cheek, “and I’m going to love you like you'll be in 3 months…” he kissed her forehead, “and how you'll be in 6 months…” he kissed her other cheek, “and how you’ll be after the baby, too.” He pressed a gentle but passionate kiss on her lips and hugged her even closer.

“Ew! Guys we do not want to see you reenact how you conceived the baby.” Tim groaned in disgust.

“Relax.  We’re not going to do anything here.” Jason snapped.  A relieved sigh was heard from more than one person in the room.  “But we can get the video out if you want.” Jason added with a smirk.

Marinette squawked and turned a deep red color, furiously waving her arms. “There is no video!  He’s joking.” She slapped him arm before burying her head in his chest trying to disappear in embarrassment.

“Yeah, it would be hard to figure out which video it was…” he added grinning devilishly down at her.  He wanted to see just how red he could get her to turn and embarrassment in front of his family was the best way to do it.

“There are no videos.  He’s just being an ass.” She turned quickly to the family to reassure them.

“That’s what she wants you to think.”  Jason smiled even wider.

“Jason…” she growled.  Jason noticed the subtle switch in red on her face from embarrassment red to annoyance red and decided the game was over.  It was no longer teasing.  It was now picking on her.  She was having a rare period of not feeling like she was going to throw up or pass out and he didn’t want to ruin that for her.

“Okay, sorry.  I was just kidding.” He rubbed her arms and kissed her temple gently. “It’s too magical to be caught on film anyway.” He couldn’t stop himself from adding with a cheeky grin.  Marinette let out a deep, long suffering groan but let him wrap his arms around her from behind and nuzzle into her hair.  He chuckled lightly, his hands finding her not-yet-showing belly to caress it, and whispered into her ear, “I love you.”  She sighed again, covered his hands with hers, laid her head back on his chest, and whispered with a contented smile, “I love you, too.”

 <><><><><> 

Fun Fact: I threw up so much and so violently during one bout of morning sickness, I broke a bunch of vessels in my eye and around it, effectively giving myself a black eye.  Hence it’s mention in this fic.

Also, we’re pretending there was never a Blackwing before.

Also also, the sign Cass did was the sign for “aunt”.