#Hunter x Hunter is more of a hybrid model | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

waywardrose13 · 6 years

Text

The Hunter Diaries- Chapter Nine

Series Masterlist

Rose’s Masterlist

Pairing: Dean x Plus Size!Reader

Warnings: Angst, language, implications of sex, brief makeout

Summary: Sam and Dean Winchester had been your best friends for as long as you could remember. Being Bobby Singer’s adoptive daughter, it was sort of inevitable to know the brothers. You knew you’ve had a crush on the elder brother for a long time, but you always thought nothing would happen between the two of you. You’re not the picture perfect model and you aren’t the image every girl strives to be. But maybe, just maybe, you were wrong, and he would like you too. But could your happy ending be cut short?

SERIES TAGS, CHARACTER TAGS, FOREVER TAGS, FLUFF BINGO/ANGST BINGO TAGS ARE OPEN. SEND ME AN ASK!

*PLEASE EXCUSE ANY AND ALL GRAMMAR MISTAKES*

Your fingers trace small circles on Dean’s chest, your head resting in the crook of his shoulder as his hand ran up and down your bare back.

The two of you had been in that position for a while. The steady beat of his heart beneath your ear was calming, reminding you that the both of you were alive and in that small moment, everything was truly alright. You wished you could freeze that moment. You wished the two of you could stay in that small fraction of time for eternity. Not having to worry about Aamon or angels or the threat of the apocalypse. Just the two of you, laying with each other with nothing but a blanket between you, basking in each other.

But you knew that it couldn't be a reality. Those threats were still out there, looming over your head like a dark storm cloud. Even with all the distracting Dean had just done, you still had to face it when you came back to reality.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked. Your eyes flitted up to his, a soft smile on your face.

“You.” He made a light sound, his fingers running up to thread through your hair. You kissed his bare chest and snuggled closer to him, the small blanket not quite fitting around the both of you, and you shivered at the cool air.

“You know, I never thought you liked me back,” He said. You scoffed and rolled onto your stomach, your arm coming up to rest on his chest and play with the amulet around his neck.

“I never thought you liked me back,” You said. “You were always with these… Picture perfect, model material girls. I never thought you’d want to go for someone like me. Someone not… Like that.”

“That’s idiotic, sweetheart.” He scowled. He leaned down to press a chaste kiss to your lips. “I love you.”

You blushed and ducked your head down, burrowing into his chest. “I love you too.”

He sighed, his arms wrapping tightly around you and pulling you closer to him. You moved your head to press your face into the side of his neck, your lips pressing soft kisses on the tender skin. Your hand moved to trail down his chest, your fingers stopping right above his pelvic bone, tracing patterns along the soft skin.

He chuckled and rolled the two of you over, his hips pressing down onto you and you moaned at the feel of him. “You want a round two?”

“If you think you can handle it,” You said, a smirk playing on your lips. He growled playfully and bent down to nip at your ear.

“Oh, I can handle it, sweetheart,” He whispered into your ear. He thrusted his hips forward, his hard member bumping your bundle of nerves, sending a small jolt of electricity through you. “It’s you that I’m worried about.”

The next day rolled around and you were left alone. You knew the boys were doing it for your own good, but you had gotten bored easily and quite frankly, you were annoyed at them for locking you down here.

You huffed and fell back down on the bed, letting out a long breath. You were currently alone in the house, Sam and Dean having gone on a quick salt and burn a few towns over and Bobby tagging along just for the fun of being out in the field again. They weren’t really worried about you since you were inside the panic room, which was supposedly the safest part of the whole house. But it was quiet and eerie, a strange feeling settling in the pit of your stomach.

A loud crash from upstairs made you jump. You leaped off the bed and stayed as still as possible, tilting your head a bit and listening as closely as possible.

Your stomach rolled as butterflies fluttered around inside. Your breathing began to pick up as a few more creaks sounded above you as if someone was walking.

And then you heard it.

Someone was whistling above you, a broken tune falling past their lips as they moved around upstairs. You swallowed thickly and folded your arms around your middle, your body trembling with fear. There was someone- or something- upstairs, and it wasn’t any of the boys.

A thick feeling of dread filled your chest as the possibility of who could be up there ran through your mind. You were alone, the perfect time to show up if he was going to.

As long as you stayed in that room, you’d be fine.

At least you thought so.

You heard the loud steps of someone walking down the stairs, a light echo bouncing of the walls. You backed up and moved around the bed in the center of the room, grabbing the knife Dean had left for you off the metal desk. A loud knock sounded from the door and you took a settling breath, moving your stance into a defensive one.

“Y/N,” He said in a sing-song voice. “I know you’re in there, love.” He knocked again, a little harder and louder and suddenly the peephole was swiped open, his orange glowing eyes staring into the room, his lips curling into a demonic smile. “Hello, beautiful.”

“It’s warded,” You said. “You can’t come in here.”

“Maybe not,” He said. He closed the peephole and it was silent on the other side. You furrowed your brows and listened closely, but nothing happened.

The door burst open suddenly, the metal flying off the hinges and knocking against the bed, falling to the ground with a loud clatter.

“But I can try.” He grinned. He stepped as close as he could to the threshold, his eyes scanning the room, his head nodding approvingly. “It’s very well put together, I’ve got to admit. The detail is spectacular.”

“Why do you want me?” You asked. “Why do you want me dead?” His eyes moved back to linger on you, the orange fading, leaving his crystal blue orbs. You shifted uncomfortably under his hard gaze and he smiled at you.

“It’s not that simple, love,” He said. “I don’t have to justify my reasons to you quite yet.” You took a deep breath and narrowed your eyes at him.

“What are you?”

“Now, that love, is what everyone is trying to figure out these days. I’m truly impressed you and those knuckleheads could figure it out,” He said. “All in good time, love. You’ll find out eventually.”

“Why are you even here?” You sneered. He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

“How certain are you that this room can keep me out?” He asked. You swallowed thickly, not answering him, not really knowing yourself. He smirked dangerously, clasping his hands behind his back before moving his foot slowly. Carefully, he stepped over the threshold, a wince flashing across his face.

He stepped inside the room, your eyes wide with fear, your breathing picking up rapidly. His face was distorted in discomfort. He may have been able to come inside, but he certainly wasn’t comfortable or at full strength. The demon part of him reacted negatively to the sigils and wardings around the room, his other half allowing him to at least step inside.

He looked up and turned around, eyeing the room with an impressed glint in his eye, his glossy black hair rippling like waves down his back as he moved. You backed up a few steps and kept the knife out, knowing it wouldn’t do any good against the hybrid in front of you.

“Very impressive,” Aamon murmured. He took a deep breath, a shoot of pain flashing through his body. “Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

“Do what?”

“You either come with me willingly and I let your friends live. Or, you fight and lose. I still take you with me but they die a brutal, slow death,” He said, moving around the edge of the room. You moved back, keeping the wall to your backside and him always in front of you. “There’s an easy choice here, Y/N. I know which one you’ll make. But, I have to be honest with you, I hope you pick the more fun way.”

“I’m going to kill you,” You snarled. “If it’s the last thing I do.”

“No, love. I’m going to kill you. It’s just a matter of if it will be sooner rather than later. Now,-” His tone dropped and his eyes narrowed into slits, the iris’ burning orange flames within them- “What’s it gonna be?”

You looked down at the knife in your hand. You knew it was powerless against him. You couldn’t take him on your own, even if he was weakened. And you sure as hell wouldn’t let him kill your family.

You looked up at him again, tears brimming your eyes as you realized what was going to happen. Who you’d be leaving behind.

“You promise you’ll leave them alone?” You whispered. Aamon smirked at you, his head moving to give you a slow nod.

“I swear on my life.” You sniffed and set the knife down on the table, your heart breaking a bit more with each passing moment.

“Can I at least say goodbye?”

He thought for a moment and hesitated, his lips curling into a snarl. “Any funny business, they drop dead.”

“I understand.”

Three hours later, you were sitting on the couch in the sitting room, your leg bouncing furiously as the clear instructions Aamon gave you rang in your head.

You were to say your goodbyes and walk outside where he’d grab you, taking you to god knows where, but leaving the men alone. You took a deep breath, trying to take comfort in that.

He’d leave them alone.

Before Dean, you were in a dark place. You’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t contemplate suicide, even more so after Dean had died. Carter was your rock, and when you had to burn her on that pyre, your world shattered, the one person you could count on the most turned to a pile of ash.

But then Dean swooped down and saved you from the pit you had fallen into. He had saved you from the crawling vines of your mind. He loved and worshiped you, turning your dark world brighter, bringing hope back to you.

But everything you loved would soon be ripped away again. Dean, Bobby, Sam. You knew after today you’d most likely never see them again. You’d probably be dead by the next morning. And your heart hurt like never before at the thought of leaving Dean. The pain inside your chest was crippling as you thought of your goodbye.

You jumped when the door opened, the three men walking in together. You got up from the couch and tried to regain your composure, putting a large smile on your face.

“Hey, boys!” You greeted them.

“Birdy, what the hell are you doing out of the panic room?” Bobby asked, your heart nearly shattering when you heard your nickname. Their faces were plastered with panic, making this ten times harder.

“Um… I wanted to see you guys,” You said.

“That’s not really an excuse,” Dean said.

“I know.” You nodded. “But, I just wanted to be with you for a little bit.”

“Is everything okay, Y/N?” Sam asked, his face etched with worry. You gave him a smile and a nod.

“Yeah.”

Bobby shrugged and moved into the kitchen, Dean giving you a strange look but following him.

“Hey, Sam?” You said. The youngest Winchester looked up at you and raised a brow.

“Yeah?”

“Um…” You took a few steps forward. “I want you to promise me something.”

“Okay,” He said.

“Take care of Dean. Make sure he takes care of himself. I need you to make sure… I need you to make sure he’s happy. That he’s taken care of and that he doesn’t drink himself to death.”

“Um, okay. You’re scaring me, Y/N/N.”

“Just… Promise me.” You looked up at him with pleading eyes.

“Yeah. Okay, I promise.” You nodded and moved into the kitchen, venturing forth to say goodbye to your dad.

“Hey, dad?” You said walking up to him. “Can we talk real quick?” Bobby gave Dean a look but followed you into the next room, the brothers talking in hushed whispers. You took a deep breath and gave your dad a small smile before engulfing him in a hug.

“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked. You pulled back, your eyes teary.

“I just… Wanna say thank you,” You said. “I love you, dad.”

“I love you too, birdy but I’m not sure what is going on.”

“I know, but I’m okay, I want you to know that.” You gave him a nod and moved back into the kitchen, your stomach churning at what you were about to do. Butterflies fluttered around in your stomach more violently with each step.

Sam had moved past you to talk to Bobby and you grabbed Dean’s arm, bringing him out of eye and earshot, wrapping your arms around his neck and pressing your lips to his harshly.

His hands gripped your waist as you melted against him, your lips moving in sync as his tongue caressed your own. Your own hands had moved to the sides of his neck, your fingers running through the short hairs at the nape of his neck.

“What was that for?” Dean asked when he pulled away breathlessly. You bit your lip. Trying your hardest to keep the tears at bay, failing miserably. His brows furrowed in concern. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I… I want you to know that I love you, okay?” You said, tears streaming down your face as your heart broke more with each passing moment. “You’ve been the best thing that has ever happened to me. You saved me from myself, whether you know it or not and there are not enough thanks in the world for that. I need you to promise me, you’ll try to be happy. To fight, okay? Always keep fighting, no matter what, and remember that I love you.”

“You’re scaring me,” He whispered, fear written across his face. You stood on your tiptoes to kiss him once more. It was similar to the kiss he had given you when he had said goodbye, one full of love and passion. It said all that needed to be said, and Dean realized that.

You pulled away and quickly made your way to the door, Dean calling your name fiercely when he realized what you were doing. The minute you were down the steps of the porch, Aamon appeared, placing a hand on your shoulder. You dared to look up at Dean, his face full of horror and shock, hurt and betrayal. Your knees were weak as you stood, watching the man you love look at you with such agony in his eyes. The pain in your chest grew and it became unbearable, your breaths coming in gasps as the tears continued to fall.

“You promised me,” He said softly. “You promised me that you’d fight!”

“He was going to kill you,” You choked. “All of you. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“I gave her a choice, boys,” Aamon said, his hand tightening on your shoulder until his nails dug painfully into your flesh. You let out a grunt and bit your lip as he continued to dig his nails in deeper. “And unfortunately, she chose the boring way. But we made a deal, and you will be unharmed. So, good luck with the apocalypse boys, but we’re gone.”

“No!” Dean barked, rushing forward.

You whispered an “I’m sorry,” and by the time Dean reached you, you were gone. Aamon had you, leaving Dean with a crumpled soul and a dozen different emotions, all in the angry and devastated range. He let out a loud growl and kicked a car piece to his left.

He’d find you, if it was the last thing he did. He swore to protect you, and he’d be damned if he let Aamon win. Because he loved you, dammit, and he was going to gut the son of a bitch that had you, who killed nearly every one you loved. He made you a promise, and he was sure as hell going to keep it.

THD series tag list:

@volleyballer519

@francezka10

@anime-music-is-life

@super–dale

@diariesofthebeautyobsessed

@weirdoblogger69

@hardworkingmidgetartist

@superdeadlucilenatural

@wingedcatninja

@waywardnerd67

@donnanoblerocks

@thewaywardvalkyrie

@docharleythegeekqueen

@fralackles

@blonde-ambitions

@lovelyrocker

@gracefullcowgirl

@arses21434

@deangirl7695

@raining-murder

@rubynationwins

@sammedeansandwhich

@lunasage96

@jotink78

@ashleydivine

@amanda-marie-1997

@brewsthespirit-blog

@dammit-brii

@imagine-inc

@jendee05

@moonstar86

@toomuchtv95

@jo-l-ab

@katsanders

@ms-sith

@mystriee

@mirandaaustin93

@nessadominquez

@woodworthti666

@aimee-ginge

@xristina-gkika

@carryonmaywaywardstar

@allykat2108

@just-a-fiction-lover

@gh0stgurl

@jules12345678910

@angelsandwinchesters

@shamelesslydean

@leah2901

@tiquismiquis

@vickyfarley

@marilynnlew

@mirandaaustin93

Forever tag list:

@jennalyncarrigan1230

@mogaruke

@kittyk26

@lurelarry

@luciferslucille

@cookiecakeslive

@wheres-my-cheese

@supernatural-strangerthings-1980

@sunnysaysbookreviews

@nyxveracity

@raining-murder

@just-a-supernatural-sister

@hi-my-name-is-riley

@thehufflepuffblog

@donnaintx

@pisces-cutie

@waywardnerd67

@waywardbaby

@alex-zeppelin

@jotink78

SPN tag lists:

@impatient-witch

@sandlee44

@blackcherrywhiskey

@ain-t-bovvered

Dean/Jensen tags:

@aubreystilinski

@whimsicalrobots

@dean-winchesters-bacon

131 notes · View notes

yyh-revival · 6 years

Note

Alot of people draw parallels between Kurama and Kurapika, Hiei and Killua, Yusuke and Gon, Kuwabara and Leorio But no one comments on how Karasu is this weird hybrid of Ilumi and Hisoka. ( Also Sensui and Chrollo)

Wish I could help you there, but I only saw I think two seasons? Maybe one season. *shrugs* I could never get into Hunter x Hunter. I have a few theories for why, I think, but it’s all super subjective. One of my friends is the exact opposite, obsessed with HxH and unable to enjoy Yu Yu Hakusho.

If you are a fan of HxH, I strongly advise you don’t read this. These are my personal opinions on why I cannot stand the show, not a detailed analysis of the show itself or objective view of its merit. Will be under cut.

Also I am sleep deprived and potentially tipsy so this will likely not be coherent. *finger guns*

Anyway, for me, HxH always felt… too on the nose? Too Naruto-like, in a way? Here, meet Gon, he’s a super nice and friendly dude, but oh no, he has a tragic past because his dad is missing… And now he wants to be just like his dad, who is missing, so why is he emulating a dude he doesn’t know? And here, meet Killua, he’s a psychopath and he’s like 10. Instead of getting this kid a therapist the older characters around him are going to encourage him to go kill people. Oh yes, these children are also murderers. Meet Kurapika, the Kurama of the group, who is also a bishie, is low-key scary, intelligent, caring, and also has a tragic past! Yay… And Leorio… I confess I don’t know shit about him. But he probably has a tragic past.

Okay, I am probably being too harsh on this show. I know it’s beloved by many people. But the constant pushing of “tragic!! So sad!!” and “child murder! Yay!” Is just not my cup of tea.

YYH did this way better, in my opinion. The tragedy is there, but it’s layered on slowly. Hiei, who arguably has one of the most tragic childhoods a shonen character ever experienced, doesn’t actually tell us what happened to him until the show is almost over. We get to learn who he is, what makes him tick, we get to love him, ponder about his past, get invested. Then we are given the sad. But HxH is like Naruto in the fact that it just shoves it into our face, as if to say, “hey, this character had a bad childhood, you should feel sorry for them and love them.” I just hate that.

And Gon… that friendly optimism is just… weird? He feels 2-d to me, not like a real child. Whereas the imperfect Yusuke acts exactly as you’d expect a child in his position to act. He has daddy issues because he never had a father. He has issues with authority because his mother was awful and he never felt safe or comforted by the adults around him. He gravitates towards male role models and at the same time rejects them. He respects only one authority, Genkai, because she is the first adult who taught him what he found useful. His kindness, his empathy, all that is earned. When Yusuke tells Genkai he cares about her, when he cries over her death, we believe it and we feel it, because we saw what he was like when he didn’t care, when he didn’t have an adult to turn to. It’s like a child that had been neglected all his life who was suddenly thrust into a foster home or an orphanage where one cranky lady is done with life, so she’s honest and raw and doesn’t throw platitudes into his face, and he respects that. He gravitates to it the same way 9th grade students do to the teacher who uses swear words in class and isn’t afraid to show the Romeo and Juliet movie that has the *gasp* boobie in it. His relationship with Genkai is realistic and earned, and genuine like crazy, and when he mourns her, the first and only adult he respected, loved, and felt safe with, we all mourn with him…

But Gon? I don’t know. He just put me off from the start. He doesn’t seem to have a reason for being so damn friendly. He doesn’t seem to act like a normal human being at all. He’s just this weird 2-d cartoon that tries to kill with kindness and be just like his missing dad instead of, ya know, doing the realistic thing and having a complicated relationship with him. Like, Yusuke doesn’t hate Atsuko. But he sure does blame her for lots of things. I can interject my own childhood here, because my feelings toward family are also complicated. I know the “missing parent” thing really well because my parents lived in a different county for half of my childhood, and I can tell you, while I understood why they did it, and loved them, and appreciated with all my heart the sacrifices they made… I still did, and still do, blame them for robbing me of a normal childhood. Of robbing me of a relationship with them. Of robbing me of that mother-daughter best friend dynamic, of being able to tell them all my secrets and feel like they’re part of my life and not just distant parental figures I respect and love the way the religious love and respect their gods. And Yusuke is the same. His relationships with all the adults in his life, even some of the other kids, are complicated and layered and realistic. He knows his mother had a raw dealing having him at what, 15? But he also blames her for not doing more… Hiei, how does he feel, knowing that his mother died, instead of leaving the Glacier Village during her pregnancy or right after birth to go look for him? How does he feel knowing she stayed there, and died there? It wasn’t her fault. She was heartbroken, she was exhausted from giving birth, and she was weak and scared and alone… it’s even implied she committed suicide. And if she did, don’t you think Hiei might still feel complicated about it? Don’t you think he might feel like she should have been stronger, for him, for this small child that didn’t deserve his fate? She should have lived and left the village and searched for him! She should have looked even if she knew he was dead, if nothing else then to bury him! That’s the sort of thoughts I bet once ran through his mind…

But Gon? Nothing. Just… love for mom and idealizing dad. It’s boring, unrealistic, and I hate it.

Killua, my friend’s favorite shonen character (if not favorite anime character) of all time is literally one of my least favorite, and the only character I might have liked, Kurapika, was clearly ripping off of Kurama, whip and all included. So I just could never finish the show.

As for the Karasu question, technically, he came first, so those other characters are based on him. But from what I did actually see of Hisoka… he’s like an evil pedo (right?? I heard something like that??) clown. That’s what he is. How is he threatening? This isn’t even a rhetorical question. Creepy, maybe. But I’d just feel slightly uneased by him and then call the police if he came near me. If Karasu had his eyes on me like he did on Kurama, I’d probably shit my pants, let’s be real.

Karasu was a sadist. He was thrilled by the “intimacy between murderer and victim.” And the scariest shit of all? You can sorta understand him. When you murder someone, you are the only person in the world to see what happens to them. You have complete control over that person. You are their god, deciding if they are worthy of life or death. It’s an urge you can theorize about, can talk about, can even understand to a degree. But Hisoka? He uh, wears clown clothes and chases Gon? Or something? He makes scary faces? Karasu doesn’t have to even show his face to be terrifying. He just has to talk about his hobbies and his beliefs. Hell, the moment she shows up you feel something is up. I saw Hisoka like, at least 10 times and I still don’t know shit bout him. Karasu had like, 3-4 speaking scenes and they all made him fucking scarier with each one. I felt like each scene with Hisoka added absolutely zero to the show. Not to mention how fucking slow it was…

I feel like having a character target your young protagonist and make creepy faces at them is just lazy. Dude is, and I know Naruto came after, but that’s the show I saw first and actually know a thing or two about (till whenever shippuden started). So dude is just like Orochimaru. Now I was never scared of that guy, I just thought he was a total creeper. To me, there were way scarier moments. Hell, even Gaara’s brother, when he like, trapped a guy inside a puppet and then blood dripped out? Was that him? Anyway, that moment was way freakier than anything Orochimaru did. Karasu’s like 3 scenes were way more psychologically scary than all of Orochimaru’s scenes put together. And I got the same vibe from Hisoka as Orochimaru. The, he’s creepy and these kids should definitely find an adult asap, and not “holy fuck that’s a mass kidnapper/rapist/torturer/murderer and holy hell I am fascinated and also terrified and holy shit Kurama run run run!”

*shrugs* Karasu is honestly probably the scariest villain in YYH, too. Only because he enjoys torture and murder, and he explains why. And the explanation makes fucking sense and its so terrifying that I can’t

and he also doesn’t look like a clown. That’s a major plus. I’m not and never will be scared of clowns. Like… its a clown. Its colorful and does weird shit. How is that scary? No, demonic looking motherfuckers with long ass ink black hair and eyes that glow purple with glee at the thought of ripping blood curling screams out of someone in front of a giant ass audience, and lamenting that they wish they could fucking keep him and I dont know fucking fuck his corpse is that what he meant cause holy fuck!??!

Anyway, Karasu gives me nightmares and I love him and I don’t care for HxH and I need sleep and love you all very much please don’t hate me for disliking this show I really did give it like, three separate chances. *shrugs*

- Mod Lola

#ask #anon #mod talk #analysis #please dont hate me #karasu #yusuke #mod needs to sleep and not answer asks #direct all anger toward sleepy mod #or tipsy mod #theyre both jerks #sober and rested mod is not responsible for them #hhd

20 notes · View notes

multiverseforger · 3 years

Text

Greer Grant was a native of Chicago, Illinois. She was a sophomore at the University of Chicago when she met her future husband, policeman Bill Nelson. She left college to marry him. The marriage was a strong one, flawed only by Bill's overprotective nature. Bill was killed in an off-duty shooting, and Greer had to find a job of her own. After weeks of searching, she ran into her old physics professor, Dr. Joanne Tumulo.

Dr. Tumulo was working on the human potential experiments that turned Shirlee Bryant into the super powered villainess called the Cat. Not trusting the test subject chosen by her financial backer, Malcolm Donalbain, Greer persuaded Dr. Tumulo to let her undergo the experimental treatments as well. She emerged with superhuman physical and mental capabilities. When Donalbain had Dr. Tumulo's lab destroyed with dynamite, Greer donned one of the dozens of Cat costumes that she had created and the doctor had appropriated and set out to put an end to his scheme. With her new abilities, she adapted quickly to the strange garb and wrecked Donalbain's headquarters. Rather than let himself be touched by the Cat's raking claws, Donalbain committed suicide. A fire set off by the ruined equipment destroyed Donalbain's headquarters.[6] Greer embarked on a brief crimefighting career as the Cat.[7]

Another of Donalbain's Cat costumes surfaced years later, when Patsy Walker discovered it while accompanying the Avengers. She donned it and called herself the Hellcat.[8]

TigraEdit

"The Tigra" is the historical defender/champion of the Cat People, a humanoid race created by sorcery during the Dark Ages. Concerned about the Cat People's uncontrollable population growth and savagery, a community of sorcerers eventually banished the entire original Cat People population to a demonic netherworldly realm.

The two very first Cat People, who were themselves very capable scientists and sorcerers, were able to evade banishment through their magic. They continued to live among humanity in secret and worked to refine the Cat People's biology to make a peaceful integration into the human population possible. They were constantly persecuted and required a protector. Discovering that the original spell for transforming cats into Cat People like themselves had been rendered inoperative, they created a process combining science, sorcery, and focused mental power that could transform a human female into a "Tigra", a humanoid tiger-like being with abilities that far surpassed those of either race.

This unnamed first Tigra defended the Cat People with great effectiveness, and allowed a new community to establish themselves on Earth, separate from the group that had been banished. This new population continued to live amongst humanity in secrecy through the present day, relying on enchantments that cast the illusion of a human appearance.

Nothing is known about the other Tigras who may have existed, or even if there have been more than two. At the time when Greer was transformed into Tigra, "the Tigra" was only remembered by the Cat People as a distant, but powerful, legend. It has been strongly implied that only one Tigra can exist at any given time.

Dr. Tumulo was revealed to be one of these modern Cat People.[9] When members of HYDRA tracked Tumolo down to obtain "the Final Secret" (the Black Death plague, which was another creation of the first two Cat People), Greer once again donned the Cat costume and drove them off. However, she was mortally injured by a blast from one of their alpha radiation pistols.

Greer regained consciousness in a Baja California cave, surrounded by a gathering of Cat People summoned by Tumolo. Rapidly dying from the radiation's effects, Greer was offered one last hope of survival: a combination of ancient science, sorcery, and mental power that would transform her into Tigra, the Cat People's legendary half-human, half-cat warrior. She readily consented, began wearing only her black bikini from this time on, and arose from the ceremony as a superhumanly-powered human-animal hybrid. Striped fur covered her entire body, her hands and feet bore razor-sharp claws, her teeth became long and pointed, and her eyes were now cat's eyes. In addition to superhuman strength and senses, she also gained many of the drives and instincts of a cat. Soon after, she encountered the Werewolf.[9]

Though initially unable to change back to her human self, Tigra received from the Cat People a mystical cat-headed amulet that allowed her to first create the illusion of her human form and later to change at will.[10] She seldom made use of it, preferring her feline superpowered form and mostly abandoning her life as Greer Grant Nelson.

Greer resumed her superhero career, with most of the world unaware that the woman who briefly fought crime as the Cat was now the feline Tigra. She fought alongside most of Marvel's heavy-hitters in wide-ranging adventures. She first battled Kraven the Hunter,[11] and then teamed with Spider-Man against Kraven.[12] She also became a friend and associate of the Fantastic Four.[13]

When the Avengers found themselves shorthanded, Moondragon used her mental powers to compel a dozen unaffiliated heroes (apparently selected at random) to travel to Avengers Mansion and audition for the vacant position. Though he disapproved of Moondragon's methods, Captain America offered Tigra a spot on the team.[14]

Although Tigra's first tenure with the Avengers was brief, she served well. She also aided the X-Men against Deathbird.[15] Her time with the Avengers was highlighted by her saving the world from destruction by the Molecule Man single-handed, who intended to consume the planet's energy, like Galactus. Alone among the Avengers, she was able to get close enough to him to talk him out of his plan. She convinced him to seek help from a therapist and the Molecule Man has ceased to be a threat to this day.[16]

The Avengers fought the Ghost Rider, who blasted the team with his terror-inducing hellfire. The nature of Tigra's powers caused her to be affected by the exposure on a far deeper level than her teammates. She was left with great self-doubts about her qualifications as a member of Earth's premier superhero team, particularly alongside such heavy-hitters as Thor and Iron Man. Ultimately she resigned her membership, leaving the team on good terms.[17]

She resumed her modeling career, moving to San Francisco when employers on the East Coast proved unreceptive to the idea of a cat person model.[18] There she befriended private investigator Jessica Drew,[19] and aided her on several cases, but had no better luck with modeling work there than on the East Coast and accepted an offer from the Vision to become a founding member of the Avengers' new West Coast-based team.[20] Alongside the new West Coast Avengers, she fought Graviton, and became a close friend of Wonder Man.[21] She also began a flirtation with Henry Pym.[22]

While with the West Coast Avengers, she seemed to have shed the remainders of her hellfire-induced self-doubt. However, the cat-like aspects of her personality (such as a penchant for savagery and a need for affection) had begun to dominate her human intellect, causing her increasing distress. She sought help from her Avengers teammates in overcoming the "cat" side of her personality, which had caused her to become the lover of both Wonder Man and Henry Pym. She also encountered and fought the Werewolf.[23] She was transported with the West Coast Avengers by Balkatar to the realm of the Cat People. Ultimately, she came into contact with the banished colony of Cat People, whose king agreed to resolve her crisis in exchange for carrying out her historical function by murdering the Cat People's longtime foe, Master Pandemonium.[24] Though she initially accepted their terms,[25] when the critical moment came at an arena in the Cat People's realm, Tigra refused to violate the Avengers' code against killing, and failed to kill Master Pandemonium. The Cat People stripped her of her "Tigra soul" (the peculiar articulation of her Tigra powers in this demonic realm). She was reduced to her normal, pre-transformation human state.[26]

The Hellcat, who had accompanied Greer and the West Coast Avengers, lent Greer the super-suit that she used to wear as the Cat, and a battle ensued. As the tide began to turn against the Cat People, their leader released the "Tigra soul" as a means of confusing Greer. The tactic backfired: the cat-suit had been designed by a Cat Person (Tumolo) specifically to amplify Greer's human capabilities, so instead of Greer being dominated by the "Tigra soul" as before, the suit caused her human and feline personalities to successfully integrate together.[26]

This time, Greer's transformation into the legendary cat-warrior was much more complete than before. Her strength and abilities were far greater than they were originally. Her appearance became more feline, and she grew a tail like the rest of the Cat People. She also lost the ability to shift back to a human form, though as before she showed no sense of loss for her human identity.[26]

Her transformation was so complete and the Tigra legend was so strong among the Cat People that they immediately ceased hostilities. Tigra continues to hold a position of significant reverence among the Cat People.[volume & issue needed]

The transformation also resolved the conflicts between the human and feline aspects of her personality. Tigra could now exploit the full range and ferocity of her abilities without fear of going so far that she would lose control of her actions, and she could also indulge her natural feline inclinations (such as hunting and chasing prey for enjoyment) without feeling guilty or self-conscious.[27] This integration was confirmed in concrete ways immediately upon the team's return to Earth. Tigra performed a sport dive off the highest span of the Golden Gate Bridge, exhibiting no signs of any injury or fear of the water. She also terminated her ongoing relationship with Hank Pym, explaining that although she no longer felt a cat-like need to seek affection at every opportunity, she had no conventional human desire to be tied down to one mate, either.[28]

She was captured by Graviton at one point, but freed the Avengers from him.[29] Around this time, the Arthurian Lady of the Lake summoned the West Coast Avengers to England to aid the superhero team Excalibur. With the others, Tigra ventured into the realm of limbo to help stop Doctor Doom's mad plans to gain power at the cost of killing everyone in Britain.[volume & issue needed]

Tigra briefly left the West Coast Avengers in a dispute over the Avengers' policy against killing. Tigra stated that she believed by her very nature that killing prey was sometimes necessary.[volume & issue needed] She joined Mockingbird and the Moon Knight in forming an independent group.[volume & issue needed]

After returning to the team, Tigra inexplicably underwent another "inversion" and transformed into a more animal-like feline form, losing her human intellect completely and becoming a danger to her fellow Avengers.[30] This was possibly due to the reality-warping machinations of Immortus, who at the time sought to distract the team so as to have unimpeded access to the Scarlet Witch. Tigra was forcibly shrunken down to sub-house cat size by Hank Pym and kept in a cage in his lab while the team tended to other urgent matters.[31] She escaped and traveled into suburbia, where she lived as a wild animal.[volume & issue needed] She was ultimately rescued and restored to her former appearance and stability by noted witch Agatha Harkness, who was an associate of the West Coast Avengers at the time.[32]

Tigra resumed her membership in the West Coast Avengers. On an intelligence-gathering mission in Japan, she and Iron Man battled a team of Asian supervillains known as the Pacific Overlords. During the fight, Iron Man was incapacitated and Tigra suffered a deep, critical stab wound to the abdomen before dispatching her attackers and making her escape. She flew away in the Avengers' Quinjet, intending to report back to headquarters on the Overlords' plans, but severe loss of blood caused her to lose consciousness and crash land in Arnhem Land, an Aboriginal territory in northern Australia. Rescued by Aborigines, she decided to stay put while she recovered from her wounds, naming Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter) as her replacement. She briefly made Arnhem Land her home, enjoying the company of the Aborigines and the pleasures of living wild.[33][34]

After the West Coast Avengers disbanded, Tigra resumed her wide-ranging adventures. Though no longer an active Avenger, she continued to participate in Avengers operations when needed as a member of the team's extended family.[volume & issue needed]

With the aid of a new transformation device to disguise her true identity from her fellow officers, Tigra spent some time on the New York City police force. She focused much of her time on a personal case and in combating a force of vigilante police officers.[35]

Later, mystical forces which attacked all Avengers brought her to the Avengers Mansion. There, she and all the other Avengers were entrapped by Morgan le Fay, to live out in an alternate universe where le Fay ruled, fighting alongside the others as one of the "queen"'s guards under the name "Grimalkin". After the defeat of Morgan, Tigra went off into space with Starfox to enjoy the pleasures found there. She appeared off and on, having a series of adventures as part of the ad hoc space-faring Avengers Infinity team in which she helps in preventing an extra-universal race from destroying all life in our universe.[36]

Tigra returned to Earth with the Avengers Infinity team during the Maximum Security storyline, during which she helped to save the Earth from becoming a penal colony for alien criminals.[volume & issue needed] She played a particularly crucial role in events when the Infinity team were captured after discovering the Kree's role in recent events, with the Kree intending to lobotomize the team and make it appear as though they had destroyed another planet; due to the attention the Kree had paid to keeping the more powerful team members contained, they were unprepared for Tigra, the weakest member, to escape her bonds by returning to her smaller human form, allowing her to escape her shackles and free her teammates in time to reveal the truth.[37]

Civil WarEdit

Tigra fought along Iron Man's side during the Civil War. She supported the Superhuman Registration Act, although she expressed sincere concern about the fate of Captain America and the other heroes who opposed the Act and turned fugitive. Nonetheless, in Civil War Files, Tigra was listed not merely as having registered to comply with the law, but also as having become an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. to actively aid in its enforcement.[volume & issue needed]

Pretending to switch allegiances, she infiltrated Captain America's Secret Avengers team as a mole. She passed information to Iron Man undetected until the very end of the conflict, when she was discovered and "outed" by Hulkling, Captain America's own spy among the pro-registration forces. Captain America kept quiet, exploiting her presence to feed disinformation to Iron Man about his team's plan to rescue imprisoned heroes later that day.[38]

The InitiativeEdit

Greer has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who are part of the Fifty State Initiative.[39][40] She served as a founding instructor at Camp Hammond, the training compound for the Initiative, and resumed her romantic relationship with fellow superhero Yellowjacket,[41] unaware that he had been kidnapped and replaced by a Skrull duplicate.

Tigra was captured by Chilean soldiers controlled by the Puppet Master, who sculpted a figure in her likeness and thus put her under his mental control. He used her and the other superhuman women he had enslaved (including Stature, Dusk, Araña, and Silverclaw) as elite guards at his South American base of operations. Tigra and the rest of the heroes were restored to their normal free will when Ms. Marvel and her S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team liberated the compound and killed the Puppet Master.[42]

Later she was shot and severely beaten by the Hood in her home in retaliation for having beaten Jigsaw, a member of his fledgling super-criminal organization. While Tigra was incapacitated, the Hood threatened the life of her mother, and Jigsaw stole the mystic talisman she occasionally uses to transform to her human identity.[43]

The Hood and his entire crew later appeared at her apartment, demanding to know the location of the New Avengers' secret headquarters. Tigra intentionally gave him information that led them into an ambush. She joined in the battle and personally beat down the Hood, saving the life of Iron Fist in the process. By the time of the Hood's second appearance in her apartment, she had completely recovered from her injuries and had either reacquired her talisman or replaced it with a close facsimile.[44]

Tigra continued to serve in the Initiative as a senior staff member of the central organization, and was the leader of the Arkansas Initiative team "the Battalion,",[45][46] until the Initiative was taken over by Norman Osborn and she learned of the Hood's role as his right-hand man.[47] She has also appeared as a member of She-Hulk's "Lady Liberators" team.[48]

After the Skrull invasion, Tigra reveals to the Hellcat and Trauma that she believes herself to be pregnant by Yellowjacket, though she is unsure if the baby is the real Hank's or the Skrull impostor's. She tells Trauma that she has decided to terminate the pregnancy regardless of the father's identity.[46] She later decides to leave the camp for Arkansas, planning to train Razorback, who had been replaced by a Skrull and recently returned, and was eager to take the impostor's place in the Battalion.[49] When she was nearly injured by Ragnarok's hammer, she seemed to show concern for the baby.[50]

When Norman Osborn told her that he was going to take her baby for genetic testing and that moreover he had made the Hood the chief operating officer of the Initiative, Tigra went on the run with Gauntlet despite having been offered her choice of prestige assignments as a registered hero. She co-founded the Avengers Resistance,[47] choosing its name as a means of restoring honor to the legendary team's traditions. Now wanted as an outlaw, she began exacting personal vengeance on members of the Hood's gang, starting by savagely attacking and beating one of the Brothers Grimm inside his home.[51] She serves as the team's de facto leader.

Tigra is later approached by Ultra Girl, asking why she and the Avengers Resistance are going after the villains in the Initiative. In response, she shows her a video of the Hood savagely beating her. Now, she wants to get back at them, by showing them that they are vulnerable...by making them scared and broken. Tigra later ambushes Mandrill.[52]

She claimed her final retribution against the Hood not on the battlefield, but after he was rendered powerless and taken into custody. After telling him that she was perfectly comfortable with the idea of taking his life, the sight of his baby in the hallway outside convinced her that dooming him to either a life in prison or on the run would be a far worse punishment, as he would never get to hold his child ever again; and to kill him would jeopardize her future with her own baby. Tigra gave birth to what is apparently a normal Cat Person kitten during the transition between Tony Stark's administration of the Initiative and Norman Osborn's; the gestation period was a mere two months, due to her feline physiology. She hid the infant from Osborn, entrusting its care to the Cat People until the end of hostilities. She named the child William, after her late husband.[53]

Heroic AgeEdit

At the conclusion of the Siege, Tigra stated a new motivation not only to restore the good name of the Avengers, but also to ensure that her child will grow up in a safer world.[53]

Following the arrest and incarceration of Norman Osborn, the dismantling of his criminal superhero teams, and the repeal of the Superhuman Registration Act, the President names Steve Rogers (the original Captain America) as America's new head of national security. Rogers seeks to assemble a collection of heroes to inspire the nation and the world as a new organization of Avengers. Tigra is among the 25 heroes he personally invites to join him in creating a new Heroic Age.[54]

Alongside Hank Pym, Quicksilver, Jocasta, Speedball and Justice, Tigra serves as part of the founding faculty of Avengers Academy, training a new generation of heroes in the traditions of the world's elite superhero team.[55]

During this time, Tigra learns that the Skrull posing as Pym was indeed William's father, but as he had disguised himself as Pym at the genetic level, it means that William is half-human, rather than half-Skrull, with Pym technically being the genetic father. After learning this, Tigra asks Pym to take care of William in the event of anything happening to her.[56]

When a former associate of The Hood plans to release the video of Tigra's beating commercially, Tigra arranges to have the footage air in its entirety during a live interview, so that her own experience may serve as an example to other trauma survivors and inspire them to seek help. During this same interview, she announces her formation of a series of "Always an Avenger" centers to provide veterans, children, spouses and any other trauma victims with needed counseling and resources.

Members of the existing Avengers Academy class react to the initial news of the video by tracking the unpowered Hood down, attacking him, and releasing video of the attack on the Internet, rather than taking the escaped Hood into custody and returning him to jail. Tigra becomes furious at their counter-heroic actions and by their refusal to appreciate the seriousness of their transgression; she summarily expels all those involved.[57] Later, after talking with the rest of the faculty staff, they decide to put all those involved on probation instead.[58]

She has slowly grown closer to Henry Pym and the two have resumed their romantic relationship.[59]

Tigra was one of 10 female heroes recruited by Misty Knight to aid her and the Valkyrie in repelling a group of Asgardian Doom Maidens. At the end of this adventure, the Valkyrie comes to realize that Tigra and three of the other heroines are among those deemed by the All-Mother to be worthy to become shield-maidens like herself, symbols of honor and valor and courage, to one day be led by the Valkyrie into battle and death.[60]

During the Secret Empire storyline, Tigra appears as a member of the Underground which is a resistance movement against HYDRA ever since they took over the United States.[61]

Tigra appeared in the Fresh Start revival of the West Coast Avengers, in which she had been changed into a giant 200-Foot tall woman with her mind set in a feral state.[62] After the new West Coast Avengers roster defeated her, they worked on stopping other feral giant women mutated into such by M.O.D.O.K. in his failed quest for love. Once returned to her original self, she thanked the WCA, went to hunt M.O.D.O.K. and wished the new WCA the best of luck.[63] During the 17th birthday party for Nadia van Dyne-Pym, the long lost daughter of Hank Pym, Tigra introduced William to Nadia as her half-brother. With the introduction serving as her birthday gift, Tigra had tears of joy that Nadia happily accepted her new brother and would be a big part in William's life

0 notes

hybridfanfiction · 5 years

Text

Heart Hunter - 2

Pairing: Peregrine Falcon hybrid Minseok x Deer Hybrid Reader

Word Count: 2,585

Summary: The government has officially outlawed prey hybrids, leaving your herd with no choice but to escape into the depths of the forest. Since none of you have been outside of the city before, you soon find yourselves struggling - until you start finding food waiting on your porch every morning. But where is it coming from?

❧

It had been at least an hour since you’d last seen a street light - the road ahead being illuminated by the light of the moon and the soft flash of headlights instead. The roads were getting rougher and the greenery more abundant the further you drove away from home, as Madame had insisted that hiding away in some remote family cabin in the wilderness was your best chance of survival.

You’d been bundled together in the SUV like sardines for hours; Papa and Madame’s bodyguard Marceau (who you were pretty sure was more than just a bodyguard) were in front, Madame and Mama behind them, and you were in the back next to the peacock hybrid Oh Sehun that Madame had insisted on saving.

Sehun was alright, alright it was obvious that he was raised to believe very highly of himself. He often spoke of his owner like his word was law, and most of it was about how wonderful he thought Sehun was. It was apparent that he missed his owner, but you personally thought he sounded as stuck up as Sehun acted. You weren’t sure how he was friends with Luhan, because while Lu tended to act tough sometimes, he was never a snob. But evidently, they’d been friends for a while, having met during a modeling gig, and were hanging out together when they’d been caught. Regardless of his current attitude, you were willing to take the hybrid along since he’d basically saved you and your parents.

His hair feathers were stark white, which he claimed were rare, although you weren’t so certain about that. He also claimed that his unnaturally complex scent was a medical enhancement that his owner had paid dearly for, and your “basic” cinnamon scent was mingling with it and ruining it. He was handsome, you’d give him that, but it was more the way he held himself rather than his appearance that made you a little wary of him. He tended to sneer at everything like it was below him, despite the fact that your breeding and talent technically made you superior. You weren’t one to throw status around though, so you simply let him complain to his heart’s content. You hoped it was merely his way of dealing with the situation and not the total sum of his personality.

Marceau had only allowed everyone to stop once, finally giving into bathroom demands when they came across a Walmart several hours away from home. While there, they took the chance to buy cleaning supplies, a few more food items, and some camping supplies just in case. Marceau also made you all ditch your cell phones and purchased a single burner phone for emergencies only. Losing the internet didn’t upset you as much as losing the entire music catalog you had on your phone, so you made do with buying an old school boombox and tons of batteries. The CD selection wasn’t great, but you found a couple of workable classical mixes that you could use to keep up with your training, and a couple more just for fun.

Madame was also very generous with Sehun and bought him clothes and personal supplies since he’d had to escape with nothing. Surprisingly, he was very polite with her and he genuinely thanked her. Perhaps he wasn’t all bad, just scared. His mood seemed to mellow out a bit after that, even going so far as initiating conversation with you for the rest of the trip.

After what had felt like an eternity, the car pulled in front of a massive gate just as the sun was beginning to rise, and Marceau got out to swing it open for Papa, then closed it and jumped back into the car. Papa had to drive slowly, as the road was made of dirt and gravel. You were observing the surroundings worriedly, as you saw no sign of civilization anywhere. The last town you could remember seeing was at least four hours away. How were you all going to survive out here?

At last, you arrived in front of the cabin and your stomach drops. The place looked sturdy enough; no holes or broken steps or windows. And it was very large, with two stories and a few other buildings scattered around that could be garages or workshops. However, it was apparent that it hadn’t been used in many years. The windows were covered in thick layers of grime, the porch and grounds were littered with leaves, sticks, and other debris. You were already scared to see what it looked like inside.

“Oh my. I’d forgotten how long it’s been since anyone has been here. Probably since I was a little girl at least,” Madame sighs glumly.

Great, so you were looking at nearly fifty years of damage.

Papa stops the car and everyone unloads, all wearing matching expressions of trepidation. Even the usually unflappable bodyguard looks worried, enough that he gestures for everyone to follow behind him as he leads everyone inside.

The ancient door creaks as he swings it open slowly, a gust of wind sending the various debris inside scattering. The inside wasn’t as horrible as it probably could have been. All the windows and doors had remained shut, so it appeared as though no animals or squatters had attempted to live here, besides the cobwebs you could see in various corners. All the furniture was covered in drop cloths to protect it from dust, so you looked forward to seeing if any of it was still hardy enough for use. Thankfully, the whole place just looked like it needed some major dusting and sweeping and it would be alright.

However, as you looked closer you realized nothing here is electric. There are oil lamps on the end tables and a huge fireplace that seems to be the only source of lighting. You wander into the kitchen, bracing yourself for what you’re about to see. Sure enough, there is a wood stove and a sink with a hand pump. You could tell that everything here was probably the best that money could buy at the time, but still, no electricity?

Madame eventually enters the kitchen, meeting your gobsmacked expression with a grimace.

“I know, it’s simply primitive, isn’t it? They had this built as a vacation cabin for my grandparents and their friends; a place to escape the trials of everyday living and pretend they were manly men that could chop wood and the like. I don’t recall Mémère ever coming here, though. She was probably more than happy to stay in the city and send the kids along.”

You slide into an uncovered dining room chair, uncaring of the dust. None of you could live like this. There was no city to run to for food, no hospital nearby in case someone got hurt. You didn’t know how to do anything, and Mama was such a frail soul. It would be so hard for her. Would it be kinder to just let the government do what they wanted rather than waste away in the woods slowly?

“I know, ma bichette.” Madame sniffled and pet your hair tenderly. “This is going to be such a trial for you all, but I don’t know what else to do to keep you alive. Marceau will be back in a week with more supplies since I’m sure I’ll be under watch until they move on to another family. I’ll try to come out myself whenever I think I can safely get away. You have to be strong, my darling. Protect your Mama and help your Papa. I will try my best to get Luhan to you.”

You grasp Madame’s hand and kiss the back of it as the two of you try to contain your tears. Though she was technically your owner, she was as dear to you as the rest of your family and you’d never been separated from her before. Your entire life until this point had been spent training to make her proud, and now you had no idea what to do with yourself.

“Please, stay safe,” you whisper, voice cracking with emotion.

Madame smiles with watery eyes and helps you stand, pulling you into a familiar perfumed hug. You close your eyes and breathe in, trying to memorize the feeling in case the worst should happen.

“I will, ma bichette. You make sure to do the same. Now,” she clears her throat and pulls away, taking her lace handkerchief out to flutter it around like the drama queen she really was. “Marceau will have brought in the supplies and luggage by now. I wish I could stay and help you put the place together, but I have a meeting with a friend that could help me get into the compound tomorrow and I must get back. The sooner I get to work, the sooner I can free your brother. My poor darling Lulu is probably so scared.”

She pets your head one last time then goes to the entryway with you following behind her. Your parents are already there waiting, suitcases and bags of supplies stacked nearby. Papa was deep in discussion with Marceau but paused long enough to accept Madame’s light hug before she turned to your weeping mother. The two women clung to each other tightly, whispering and wiping each other’s tears. You didn’t think the two had been separated for very long before. Perhaps your parent's honeymoon was the longest and that had only been a couple of weeks. Finally, Marceau had to separate the two of them and looped his arm with Madame’s as he led her away while she dramatically kissed the air towards all of you.

“Take care, my loves, and be careful. Remember to use the phone if you need us to come at any time. Sehun, I’ll get in touch with your owner tomorrow. If it’s safe I’ll let him know where you are and we’ll see what he wants to do, but for now I know you’ll be safest here. À la prochaine, my darlings!”

You follow them outside, waving until the car is out of sight, feeling as though she’d taken your soul along with her, leaving you the empty shell that now had to fight just to survive.

You sigh, feeling as though the weight of the world had just been settled onto your shoulders. You adored your parents, but you knew they were going to be even worse at this whole rough living thing than you were, having been pampered for twice the amount that you had been. You knew Mama had never had to lift a finger for anything that wasn’t Ballet. You were going to have to be strong for everyone and try to figure out a way to keep you all going out here. At least the view was pretty, you decided as you surveyed your surroundings.

The “cabin” was basically set in the middle of a vast forest area, huge trees surround you as far as you could see. You didn’t know enough about greenery to tell what kind they were. Pine maybe, judging by the cone looking things on the ground. Marceau had mentioned a map earlier and had said that there was a creek nearby. That was probably where you were going to have to get water since it didn’t seem like there was plumbing here either, or even a well.

You spot what appears to be a massive blackberry bush on the other side of the yard and decide to distract yourself by gathering some. It would be a nice treat to have and Mama loved berries. You rush inside and pick out one of the mixing bowls that had been packed, deciding it would do for now to hold the berries. Your parents are already at work lifting the drop cloths from the surprisingly pretty furniture, all of it in sort of a rustic art deco vibe and obviously well made. Nothing looked damaged, so you’d all at least have places to sit. The bedrooms were what you were worried about the most, but you’d save that for later.

You whistle a little as you head towards the bush, hoping that if you force yourself to pretend you’re okay, your brain will start to believe it. The bowl is about halfway full, minus a few that had found their way past your berry-stained lips, when you suddenly heard something. A soft crackle, like someone had stepped on a twig. However, instead of coming from the area behind you where the house was, it was coming from across the bush.

You clamp your lips and breathe through your nose, trying to scent the area. You could smell dampness from the nearby creek, the squirrels in the tree to your right, and something else...there.

Predator.

Your gaze pierces the spot where the scent filters through, a little crack in the berry bush a little further down. You freeze as a pair of sharp, catlike eyes fill the space, meeting yours with a curious glint. They appeared to belong to a male, judging by the bits of his face you could make out, though it wasn’t much. Those eyes reminded you of the gaudy ring Madame always wears, a massive thing with a jewel the color of caramel. The man’s eyes were the same color and reflected light like the gemstone, holding an insurmountable depth that dared to drown anyone that met his intense gaze.

The two of you stared, unmoving, just studying each other. You wished you could see the rest of him; surely with eyes like that, he must be stunning. Nevermind that he smelled like a predator; a bird at that. There was also a slight undertone that smelled almost like fresh coffee beans which you guess was his personal scent. He must have noticed you scenting the air because his eyes crinkled like he was holding back laughter while his scent became stronger, no doubt from him pumping out more to see your reaction. Your scents seemed to mingle all on their own, complementing each other and making your head swim, which was curious for different hybrid types. It was odd to find another hybrid out here no matter what he was. You’d thought your herd was going to be the only ones, at least in this area. You were sure other prey hybrids would run away to the wild eventually.

Behind you, the front door slammed and startled you as Sehun came out and began yelling.

“Hey, your Mom wants you. Something about water.”

You glance towards him, annoyed at the interruption.

“Yeah, I’m coming. Just hold on.”

You huff and turn back towards the bush, but the eyes are gone and you can smell his scent getting farther away. You debated telling your parents about his existence, but you hadn’t sensed a threat from him, just curiosity. You waited until the last note of his scent became too faint to smell anymore, swallowing your disappointment as you strode towards the house.

Though the coming days were going to be difficult, at least now you knew you weren’t alone.

#hybrid #hybrids #hybrid fanfiction #hybrid au #exo #exo fanfic #hybrid!exo #xiumin #minseok #minseok fanfic #hybrid!minseok #falcon hybrid #heart hunter #au

139 notes · View notes

bestsoftblog · 4 years

Text

10 Best Women’s Beginner Bow — Top Hunting Bows for Women

Are you looking for the best women’s beginner bow designed and innovated for ease of use and safety to help you improve your shooting practice, aim and give you a better hunting experience?

Compound bows are the weapon of great choice for women and young female huntress, either for leisure, hunting, or sports.

10 Best Women’s Beginner Bow — Top Hunting Bows for Women Reviewed

Best Women’s Beginner Bows

Due to a recent rise in female hunting audience and overall bow and arrow competitions and popularity among women, bow manufacturers have changed the way they design women’s compound bows.

In this reviewed article, I will show you the top rated beginner compound bows for women offered in a wide range of shapes and sizes.

This is great for female hunters of all sizes, skill level and ages.

What is the Best Women’s Beginner Bow?

Let’s take a look at some of the best hunting bows for women.

1. Bear Archery Divergent Kyrptek Highligher Bow RH 70 — Best Beginner Compound Bow for Women

Best Beginner Compound Bow for Women

The Bear Archery Divergent Kyrptek Highligher Bow RH 70 is carefully designed with the whitetail bowhunter in mind especially for women.

The Divergent offers excellent and amazing performance in a short 28″ axle-to-axle bow.

Without breaking your wallet, you will achieve great experience during hunting and shooting practice.

The Draw length of this bow is easily adjustable to allow you to measure the arrows in the bow with a helper or draw length measuring arrow!

You can adjust it to your weight, and there is a chart which has a max 70lbs and same for the 60lbs.

Don’t Miss: 9 Best Compound Bow under 1000 USD for 2020 — Top Picks for You

Interestingly, there is no vibration with this compound bow and offers women quiet release, allowing you to shoot for years to come. It is a lightweight bow at 3.9 pounds which is perfect for women beginners.

With speeds of 338 feet per second, the Divergent’s compact platform and hybrid cams give shootability a whole new meaning.

2. Diamond Archery Infinite Edge — Best Womens Compound Bow for Sale

If you’re looking for a featured packed, versatile, high quality bow, the Infinite Edge Diamond bows are the perfect fit.

The Diamond Infinite Edge Bow helps beginners to discover so many features to love in hunting and shooting practice.

It offers a fully-adjustable design that women can easily shift to suit a wide range of different draw weights and draw lengths.

With its low price point, it is perfect if you want to share your compound bow between multiple hunters.

As a definitely recommend and awesome bow, it has a wide draw range enabling use by a wider audience of female hunters.

With cutting edge innovations, Diamond Archery Infinite Edge bows are the most versatile compound bows on the market today for women.

With the draw length extended to 31″, this great bow allows for new shooters with longer draws and is easy to adjust.

A completely redesigned cam system and peep sight create a flawlessly smooth draw cycle for women shooters.

An arrow rest and stabilizer for perfect balance make the Infinite Edge ready for hunting.

You will consider this compound bow as a bang for the buck with its excellent Diamond bows’ whisker biscuit.

Features

Kinetic energy: 74.7 ft-lbs

Bow Type: Hunting,Recreation.

Axle to Axle Length: 31″.

Effective let-off: 80%.

Draw Length: 13” — 31″.

Draw weight: 5–70 lbs.

IBO Speed: 310 FPS.

Brace height: 7″.

Mass Weight 3.2″ LBS.

3. Bowtech Carbon Rose — Best Bowtech Beginner Bow for Women

The Bowtech Carbon Rose is the lightest women’s hunting bow with a weight at 3.2 lbs.

This compound bow offers women a light mass weight and comfortable, smooth draw cycle with excellent performance in a hunting bow.

The Carbon Rose is the most maneuverable women’s hunting bow.

It utilizes Bowtech’s dual Binary Cam System that produces speed while staying in tune and has rotating modules.

Without a bow press, you can rotate these modules to adjust the draw length from 22.5″ to 27″.

Starting with the lightweight and tremendously durable carbon compound Knight Riser, the Bowtech Carbon Rose adds many of BowTech’s industry changing technologies and features

Draw Weight‎: ‎30–40 40–50 50–60

Hand‎: ‎Right Hand Left Hand

Draw Length‎: ‎27 26.5 26 25.5 25 24.5 24 23.5.

4. Samick Sage Takedown Recurve Bow — Best Recurve Bow Under $200 for Target Archery Hunting

The Samick Takedown Recurve Bow is a great bow that is easy to assemble and designed for women that are new to archery.

If you are a new archer looking for a well-made recurve bow for target practice, I highly recommend Samick Sage.

Its design is made of imported wood and put together for entry level with an easily adjustable brace height and draw weight.

If you try to set it up to shoot off of the shelf you would need to go with the included arrow rest.

With a top quality riser, Samick Sage Takedown recurve bow is the best recurve bow under $200 and comes with arrow rest and B-50 string.

Features

The limbs are hard maple with black fiberglass.

Metal limb pocket design

Single tapered knob.

Recommended max draw length: 29”

Right and left hand orientation available.

Size: 45LB and weighs 2.7 pounds.

AMO Length: 62 inches.

Draw weights in LBS: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60.

Brace height in inches 7.5–8.25

Weight: 3.4 lbs.

Riser: Wood and Hard Maple.

Limbs: Laminated Hard Maple and Fiberglass coating.

5. Diamond Carbon Knockout 60 lb Right Hand Mossy Oak Breakup Country — Best Diamond Bows for Women

The Diamond Archery Carbon Knockout Archery Bows offer women beginners smooth, effortless draw from beginning to end.

These compound bows are available in various sizes that you can select such as Left hand (50 lbs), Left hand (60 lbs), Right hand (60 lbs) Right hand (50 lbs) and Right hand (40 lbs).

Built and designed with a word renowned binary cam for unmatched accuracy that provides flawless nock travel and set and forget turning to maximize consistency and accuracy.

The Diamond bows boast of instant accuracy and unmatched tenability that is built to last.

Its aerospace carbon riser design makes this compound bow super lightweight.

Diamond Archery Carbon Knockout Archery Bows Features

30” axle to axle

Speed: 302 fps max arrow velocity ft/sec

6.75” brace height

Draw weight in lbs: 40–60

22.5–27 inches draw length

3.2 lbs mass weight

Sync. Binary cam system

6. Carbon RX-4 Alpha — Best Hoyt Women’s Bows for Hunting

The Hoyt Carbon RX-4 Alpha bows are the shortest premier hunting bows designed specifically for women archers.

These compound bows are built for stealthy maneuverability and tight spaces.

As a complete, agile and ready to roll, they are engineered for women bowhunters who shoot from ground blinds and tree stands.

If you want to enjoy a productive and memorable hunt, this target archery bow combines attractive, innovative design with quality for both experts and amateurs.

Hoyt Bows Carbon Alpha’s Features

Mass weight at 3.9 lbs

29.5” axle to axle

342 fps (ATA)

6 1/8” brace height

ZTR CAM type technology and refined system.

25–28”, 28–30” draw lengths

Draw weights: 30–40”, 40–50”, 50–60”, 55–65”, 60–70”, 70–80”

Integrated mounting system

Used Hoyt carbon technology and shock pads

Hoyt rear stabilizer mount

Roller cable guard

X-act grip system

Adjustable grip system

Tec risers

Stealth shot technology

Tec Risers

Fuse Custom strings

7. Quest Bliss Bow by G5

The Quest Bliss bow is user-friendly and comes with an adjustable draw weight that allows women hunters and users to make use of it without stress.

It is less expensive than both the Diamond Infinite Edge and Hoyt Charger Vicxen.

This compound bow is ideal for female archers on a budget.

8. PSE — Chaos One

PSE — Chase One is designed for women archers and youth as well as beginners.

It is engineered to be a female favorite because it is designed specifically for small frames.

This single cam bow performs with top IBO speeds.

At under $300, it comes in at around $400 cheaper than the average compound bows for women.

9. Bear Siren Bow — Excellent Longbow for Women

The Bear Siren Bow is another Bear Archery bow designed specifically for women hunters.

This bow combines a comfortable swift arrow speed, hand grip, a shock-free release, a smooth draw cycle, and deadly accuracy into a single package.

If you are looking for something durable and versatile, Bear Siren Bow is right for you.

10. Bear Archery Home Wrecker Bow — Best Compound Bows with Aluminum Arrow

The Bear Archery Home Wrecker is extremely lightweight at only 3.2 pounds!

It has an impressive shooting capacity at 280 fps, which remains one of the favorite for any huntress.

The axle-mounted weight dampeners and Zero-tolerance limb pockets help reduce and absorb vibration during target shooting and hunting.

The Top 5 Hunting Bows for women

The women’s bows are designed to be lightweight and easy to use regardless of bow model, color offering or specs.

Here I rounded up the best options as the top 12 hunting bows for female archers.

Diamond infinite Edge bow

PSE — Chaos one

Bear Achery Home Wrecker Bow

Bear Siren Bow

Quest Bliss Bow by G5

Diamond Archery Prism

Bear Archery Warrior youth bow

Bear Archery Cruzer G2

Quest Radical Right Hand package

Bowtech Archery Diamond Deploy SB RAK Left Hand Compound Bow

The PSE Drive R

The Bowtech Carbon Rose

Frequently Asked Questions — FAQWhat is the easiest bow to shoot for women archers?

For women or female archers, a powerful compound bow is easier to aim than a recurve bow as the string forces at the full draw are subsequently reduced due to let-off.

Compound bows are the best choice for women’s beginner archers because they are smaller, easiest and more adjustable, and have more model choice and available on the market.

What is the best archery bow for a woman?

The best archery bow for a woman is the Diamond Infinite Edge Compound Bow Package (Left) which is great for adult women archers, whereas the PSE Archery Razorback Recurve bow (right) is optimal for female youth archers.

For recreational archery, a draw weight between 25 and 35 pounds is good to start with for adult women that are beginners in archery.

Compound bows provide women archers with easier adjustable draw lengths and draw weights.

So women bowhunters are able to choose bows with less weight but same features and capability.

What is the average draw weight for a woman?Compound bow draw weight chart for women archers

Body typeSuggested draw weightWomen with large frame body (100 to 140 lbs)30–40lbsYouth women with a large frame (140–160 lbs)40–50lbsThe majority of female hunters (160 to 190 lbs)55–65 lbsLarger women (`190 + lbs)55–65lbsFemale child (70 -100lbs)15–20lbsSmall female child (40–70lbs)10–15lbsSmall frame women (100–130lbs)25–35lbsMedium — frame women (130–160lbs)30–40lbs

Compound bow draw weight chart for women archers

For recreational archery, a draw weight between 25 and 35 pounds is excellent for adult women as for a good starter bow for a woman.

What is the lightest compound bow for women?

The lightest compound bow for women beginner is PSE carbon Air stealth 35″ bow, with the carbon making up to a featherweight of 3.5 pounds.

How much draw weight does it take to kill a deer?

A women archer can effectively kill deer with a 40-pounds of kinetics energy can kill larger game like moose or elk or bear or white tails

Conclusion

If you are looking for the best women’s beginner bow, either for sports, hunting, leisure or target shooting practice, consider the options in this reviewed list. Here are the top ten women’s beginner bows to help you make a buying decision.

Culled from Bestsoft Nigeria: https://www.bestsoftnigeria.biz/blog/best-women-beginner-bow/#ixzz6YsJX3dRV

0 notes

bk-lostintranslation · 4 years

Text

ESSAY: "Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know"- Narratives of Female Killers in Law & Media

The accepted roles of women continue to be those of nurturers, and idealized conceptions of womanhood remain tied to vulnerability, gentleness and self-sacrifice. Consequently, the element of female violence becomes doubly jarring.

X-Posted to Aletheia

In both reality and virtuality, the phenomenon of the 'female killer' is imbued with the illicit charisma of transgression. History is woven with literary and cinematic portrayals of women who kill, their personas mythologized until they have become staples in the popular imagination. Biblical archetypes such as Lilith, Salome and Jezebel are steeped in evocative subtext of the predacious, pre-patriarchal feminine entity. Similarly, the tautological relationship between the femme fatale and the film noir genre has long since been established, with the femme serving almost as a repository of everything irresistibly devious, yet simultaneously aberrant to the prescribed roles of her gender. Indeed, when perusing any account of female murderers, from fictive to real-life, there is an implicit sense that violence is the realm of the masculine. Women who traverse into this sphere, therefore, are aberrations – not just at the societal but the biological level. Although 'femininity' is an ever-evolving concept, it remains entrenched in patriarchal presuppositions. The accepted roles of women continue to be those of nurturers, and idealized conceptions of womanhood remain tied to vulnerability, gentleness and self-sacrifice. Consequently, the element of female violence becomes doubly jarring. It challenges society to reassess its established standards of sex/gender, exposing the deeply-embedded binarizations and prejudices still in play.

In order to rationalize the seemingly arbitrary behaviors of female murderers, two stock narratives are often employed by law, media and fiction. Known predominantly as the "mad/bad" dichotomy, this construction can be traced as far back as Lombroso and Ferrerro's seminal criminological work, The Female Offender. Intended to explain non-stereotypical female crimes, such as homicide and filicide, Lombroso first delineates the essence of "normal womanhood" – a paragon of passivity, guided by pure maternal instinct and utterly devoid of sexual desire. Women who depart from this definition are "closer to [men]... than to the normal woman," yet the masculinization does not elevate them shoulder-to-shoulder with their male counterparts. Rather, the criminal woman is a hybridized sub-species closer to children and animals. Firstly, as a creature of "undeveloped intelligence," she is riven by irresistible impulses and ungovernable emotions, thus susceptible to "Crimes of Passion/Mad Frenzy." Secondly, she exhibits a "diabolical" cruelty that far exceeds that of the male criminal, owing to a biological predisposition wherein her "evil tendencies are more numerous and varied than men's" (31-183). As Lombroso sums up,

"...in women, as in children, the moral sense is inferior... That which differentiates woman from the child is maternity and compassion; thanks to these, she has no fondness for evil for evil's sake (unlike the child, who will torture animals and so on.) Instead... she develops a taste for evil only under exceptional circumstances, as for example when she is impelled by an outside force or has a perverse character (80).

While such gendered contradistinctions have long since fallen into disfavor in criminological research, the "mad frenzy" versus "diabolical" categories continue to determine how female violence is portrayed in both media and legal discourse. Described by Brickey and Comack as a "master status template," these trajectories of 'mad' or 'bad' either victimize or pathologize female offenders, displacing the focus off the crime and onto the woman's inability to fit into predesigned boxes of normality, and more significantly, femininity (167). For instance, in the 'mad' polarity, the woman's agency is diminished in favor of painting her as a victim: "depressed," "traumatized," "deranged," and ultimately at the mercy of her emotions. It glosses over the killer's responsibility as an equal citizen under the law, falling back on archaic feminine tropes of passivity and helplessness that serve only to reinforce gender stereotypes. Granted, while mental illness can and has been a valid defense against culpability, it proves problematic when it reduces women who kill to Lombrosian roles of primitive infantalism. They are not dynamic actors in their own right, but tragic casualties of female physiology gone awry. On the 'bad' end of the spectrum, female killers are subsequently masculinized as per Lombroso's model, then stripped of all 'womanly' attributes, i.e. morality, kindness, delicacy. The language employed by media, literature and law alike tends to vilify them as deviants, beyond redemption or reform – and thus beyond the realm of humanity (Cranford 1426).

Both these approaches prove detrimental for a number of reasons. First, they force attention away from treating female offenders as nuanced singularities whose motivations are fluid and complex. Second, an outsized focus on their perceived biological or psychological failings does not offer a broader understanding of criminogenic behaviors at a macro-structural level. Indeed, it can be argued that such simplistic typologies as 'Victim' or 'Monster' serve only to highlight and feed harmful gender stereotypes, reducing these women to grotesque spectacles of 'Otherness' based on their deviance from the discursive framework of femininity.

To be sure, women who kill are statistically rare. Data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2003-2012 revealed that males carried out the lion's share of homicides at 88% ("Ten Year Arrest Trends by Sex"). When filtered through the designative lens of serial murder, i.e. "…a series of three or more killings… having common characteristics such as to suggest the reasonable possibility that the crimes were committed by the same actor," the number of female offenders dwindles further ("Serial Murder" 7). In his work, Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters, Peter Vronsky remarks that only one in almost every six serial killers in the USA is a woman (3-5). Studies conducted in the early 1990s also revealed that men were six to seven times likelier to kill others – strangers or relatives – than women (D'Orbán 560-571; Kellermann et al. 1-5). Similarly, Harrison and others found substantial effect sizes between both genders, in addition to marked sex differences in their modi operandi, i.e. males conforming to a "hunter" strategy of stalking and killing, while women resort to "gatherer" behaviors by targeting victims in their direct milieu for profit-based motives (295-306).

While these findings might explain the tenacious constructions of femininity – and subsequent 'deviance' – that still cling to the overall subject of female killers, they do not excuse them. Indeed, it can be argued that popular media portrayals of women who kill further fuel these stereotypes. News, infotainment and cinema alike employ a highly effective formula whose pivotal components are simplification, sex, violence and graphic imagery (Jewkes 43-60). Female killers cannot fully satisfy this sensationalist criterion except as caricatures. Otherwise, as highly complex and richly variegated individuals, their existence would prove to be a messy fissure within the neat constructions of gender and power dynamics – a status quo that the media arguably serves to reaffirm and maintain (Kirby 165-178).

It is unsurprising, then, that a marked dichotomy can be observed in the portrayals of male versus female killers. As previously noted, male serial killers are believed to exhibit "hunting" behaviors, with their crimes seen as the evolutionary offshoot of "unconscious drives" (Harrison 304-6). Applying this hypothesis under the aegis of patriarchy, men who kill subsequently become distortions of the masculine ideal: the quintessential hunter. The nature of their crimes is at once instrumental and agentic; their actions are rooted in destructive hypermasculinity – but masculinity all the same. Their actions are shocking, but in their own way they serve as paradigms of nonconformity. They have broken free from the artificial constraints of society, rejecting the very source that dares to judge them. Certainly, for Lombroso, the male killer was often coupled with genius, and his deviance linked to retrograde evolution, wherein his sloughing-off of societal norms, and ultimately sanity, was a biological reaction to being excessively endowed with high intellect. For Lombroso, while female killers were a biological anomaly, the males were often a trailblazing nexus between exceptionality and atavistic brutality – "creators of new forms of crime, inventors of evil" (74). In their book, The Murder Mystique: Female Killers and Popular Culture, Laurie Nalepa and Richard Pfefferman remark that:

Murderers are not heroes. But killing— whether motivated by passion, greed, thrills, madness, ideals, or desperation— is an extraordinary act; not an honorable one, to be sure, but undeniably extraordinary. And extraordinary acts— even depraved ones— tend to have the effect of elevating the perpetrator to iconic cultural status (4).

It is unsurprising, then, that the media deifies such individuals by capitalizing on their very notoriety. They are bestowed catchy yet edgy nicknames such as Boston Strangler, Skid Row Slasher, Night Stalker, etc. Their exploits receive exuberant, stylized coverage, while their actions are profiled and dissected to the point where they eclipse needful attention to their victims. History recalls with a horrified yet titillated clarity the names of Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson, Ted Bundy and Richard Ramirez. However, their victims are seldom so fervently immortalized. The implication is that these killers are superstars within their own sensationalist dramas, whereas their victims function as mere props to drive the narrative forward. As Lisa Downing notes in her book, The Subject of Murder: Gender, Exceptionality, and the Modern Killer, "...a pervasive idea obtains in modern culture that there is something intrinsically different, unique, and exceptional about those subjects who kill. Like artists and geniuses, murderers are considered special ... individual agents" (1).

Cinema, too, reinforces the phenomenon by lending male killers, both real and fictional, a disreputable mystique – often elevating them to the status of cult fixtures. Examples of this trend include the critically-acclaimed American Psycho, which juxtaposes orgiastic violence with careless misogyny, but is nonetheless lauded as a masterpiece of urban self-satire, as well as the fast-paced psychedelia of Natural Born Killers, where chaotic murder-sprees are translated as thrilling acts of rebellion and self-expression against a hypocritical society. Similarly, the mythic Hannibal Lector, in Jonathan Demme's Silence of the Lambs, is portrayed as a ruthless strategist whose skills, while undoubtedly evil, can also be harnessed for good because of their collective desirability. Lector the killer may be abhorrent and ghoulish; however, Lector the man holds something of an esoteric appeal. His very transgressions serve to glamorize him as a shadowy figure of fascination and reverence (Roy 61-92).

The cinematic emphasis on male killers as paradigms of intelligence and charisma doesn't extend to pure fiction. Recent docufilms such as Joe Berlinger's Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile – which focuses on the exploits of real-life serial killer Ted Bundy, as played by the photogenically clean-cut Zac Effron – further underscore the tendency to glamorize male killers. As Anne Cohen notes, far from throwing a necessary spotlight on Bundy's victims, the film reduces them to irrelevant footnotes against a fawning narrative of Bundy's private life, as served up from the POV of his then-girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall. While the film's original intent may be to illustrate how Bundy's boy-next-door glibness could successfully fool his intimate circle, it arguably overshoots the mark by romanticizing Bundy to the extent that the audience becomes just as infatuated with him as Elizabeth. As Cohen states, "There's only so many times we can watch Ted’s tender acceptance of [Elizabeth] as a single mother, his devotion to her daughter Molly, his thoughtful gestures — cooking breakfast, playing in the snow, wearing a lame birthday hat — before we… start to feel enamored" (1). The subsequent backlash after the biopic's premiere, coupled with the perverse flurry of online admiration it rekindled for Bundy, is a classic case of the film's message becoming lost in translation (Millard 1). It also serves as a potent reminder that framing, whether intentional or accidental, allows male killers to invariably maintain the pedestal of cultural obsessions. As critic Richard Lawson puts it,

It’s indeed a wicked bit of casting. In addition to his heinous crimes, Bundy was famed for being disarmingly good-looking and charming. But he certainly wasn’t an Efron-level sun-god—so Efron’s presence in the movie lends the proceedings an extra otherworldliness, heightening the insidious appeal of American serial-killer lore to something almost pornographic (1).

Ultimately, whether biopic or fiction, these films swim through similar undercurrents: within a patriarchal framework, the male killer is a magnetic symbol of human impulse. A dark reflection of reality, certainly – but not, as is the case with female killers, a deflection of it. In contrast, paradigmatic examples of female killers as Lombrosian aberrations exist abundantly in film. Cinematic classics such as Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction both feature psychopathic female leads, their much-vaunted sex appeal serving as a sinister smokescreen for their more bloodthirsty agendas. Underpinning their sanguinary appetites however, is the implicit strain of 'deviance' that first lures in, then terrorizes, their hapless victims. In Basic Instinct, Sharon Stone's neo-noir femme fatale Catherine Tramell is portrayed as a bisexual, hard-partying thrill-seeker who indulges solely in her own mordant whims. Every facet of her character serves to scandalize the audience – a framing that calls to attention the more docile, morally acceptable standards of femininity, as well as their ubiquity and pervasiveness within society.

However, for all Tramell's seductive dynamism, it is arguable whether hers is an empowering or feminist icon. Her body serves too blatantly as an erotic spectacle for male fantasy, effectively displacing her more human complexities (if they exist at all.) While Berlinger's Extremely Wicked offsets Bundy's erotic charge with a trickster's charm, and humanized nuances of emotion, Tramell's character remains a succubic enigma from start to finish. If anything, she appears to function as a two-pronged warning for male viewers. Firstly, that uncontrolled, untamed and non-heteronormative female sexuality is intrinsically rooted in criminality (Davies and Smith, 105-107). Secondly, that independent and sexually-dominant women are only palatable when their characters are flattened into pornographic caricatures (Meyers 300). In her book, The Dominance of the Male Gaze in Hollywood Films, Isabelle Fol remarks that the film "... appeals in particular to men to avoid deviant women and settle for a homely girl in order to evade the castration threat" (69).

This fact is seemingly underscored by the film's ultimate, ambiguous scene, where Stone and Douglas' characters are locked in a voracious embrace in bed. A foreboding, Hitchcock-esque refrain rises to crescendo and the camera pans down to reveal an ice-pick – Tramell's weapon of choice – concealed beneath the bed. It is through this scene that Tramell's inherent irredeemability asserts itself most explicitly. Granted, she eludes the fate inevitable to a majority of Hollywood vamps – death as fitting punishment for rejecting the traditional roles of womanhood. However, by no means has she been 'cured' by the hero's love. If anything, the scene highlights her perpetual threat as the castrator. The moment the male protagonist fails to satisfy her, she will dispose of him with brutal efficiency before moving on to her next victim. In that sense, she is the 'bad' female killer par excellence, her perceived deviance serving only to reaffirm the status quo rather than dismantle it.

Similarly, Fatal Attraction follows a well-known cinematic formula. A flawed but sympathetic hero – Michael Douglas' philandering Dan Gallagher – is beguiled, bedded then ultimately betrayed by the volatile femme fatale, who refuses to be relegated to an inconsequential fling and instead seeks to invade every sphere of his life, with the intent of eclipsing the very bedrock of patriarchal stability: the nuclear family. In doing so, the femme becomes, by her very nature, deviant – and must be quashed for the threat of chaos she represents. Certainly, the film goes to great lengths to paint Glen Close's character – the seductive and mysterious Alex Forest – as an unstable force who upends the hero's life with escalating levels of terror. An outspoken career woman, Forest also serves as the perfect foil for Gallager's more docile wife Beth – a whore/madonna dualism that is nearly as prevalent in cinema and literature as the mad/bad dichotomy.

Of course, where the latter is concerned, Forest is emphatically depicted as 'mad.' Her behavior is increasingly irrational and demanding, ranging from plaintive entreaties to Dan to return to her, to obsessively calling him at work and at home, to playing on his sense of guilt by announcing she is pregnant with his child, to throwing acid at his car, to killing and boiling his daughter's pet rabbit, to ultimately attacking his wife Beth in her bathroom. The film's penultimate scene, where she is shot dead by Beth after a frantic, bloody struggle with Dan, is represented as both triumphant and wholly justified. The survival of the male hero, as well as the continued sanctity of the family, is contingent on the demonization of the 'Other Woman' – and on her violent expulsion from the narrative. The film's final, lingering shot of the Gallaghers' family portrait acts as a sanctimonious reminder of who the audience is meant to cheer for, from beginning to end. In her book, International Relations Theory: A Critical Introduction, Cynthia Weber notes that,

...Fatal Attraction is far from a gender-neutral tale. It is the tale of one man's reaction to unbounded feminine emotion (the film's symbolic equivalent for feminism) which he views as excessive and unbalanced. And his reaction is a reasonable one ... because it is grounded in Dan's (and many viewers') respect for traditional family. ... Alex has a very different story to tell about her affair with Dan, one that the film works hard to de-legitimize (96).

Taken individually, the narratives of these films – rooted in facile, frivolous fantasy – hardly seem to warrant academic scrutiny. However, central to their criticism is the idea of reflection theory, which purports that mass media is a prism through which core cultural values shine through, combining misinformation and mythology into a seamless real-life spectrum (Tuchman et al. 150-174). That the media bears a cumulative, subliminal impact on its viewers goes without saying. However, so prevalent is its influence on how we perceive gender-traits that we also fail to question the ubiquitous, ultimately harmful constructions concerning women and deviance at both judicial and psychological levels (Gilbert 1271–1300). In their work, Judge, Lawyer, Victim, Thief, renowned criminologists Nicole Hahn Rafter and Elizabeth Anne Stanko remark that one-dimensional portrayals of women in media not only feed damaging cultural assumptions, but also contribute to countless "controlling images" in the sphere of criminal justice. Pigeonholed into tidy categories such as "woman as the pawn of biology," "woman as passive and weak," "woman as impulsive and nonanalytic," "woman as impressionable and in need of protection," "the active woman as masculine," and the "criminal woman as purely evil," these images saturate legal literature and obstruct worthwhile theoretical discourse. More to the point, they lead to sentencing outcomes where impartial justice often takes the backseat to parochial presumptions (1-6).

While it is tempting to succumb to the notion that sentencing guidelines in criminal law are based on airtight logic and objective fact, discretion—and its arguable corollary of discrimination—remains pivotal in shaping legal policy. The law is neither impartial nor inviolate, but as weighed by normative baggage and sociocultural discursivity as any other man-made construct. As Tara Smith remarks, "Law's meaning is not objective, and law's authority is not objective. The "objective" on its view, simply is: that which certain people would say that it is" (159). With that in mind, the actors in court (judge, jury, prosecution, defense) can sometimes play roles that are as rooted in confirmation-bias through the prism of storytelling as they are in factualism. Typologies such as 'mad/bad' can serve as legal polemics against non-stereotypical female crimes, creating blurred lines between lived events and textual constructions as truth. More importantly, the evidence itself can go beyond context-specifity, not standing alone so much as being subject to common-sense fallacies of personal interpretation. As Bernard Jackson remarks,

...triers of fact [i.e. judges, or, in some countries, the jury] reach their decisions on the basis of two judgements; first an assessment is made of the plausibility of the prosecution's account of what happened and why, and next it is considered whether this narrative account can be anchored by way of evidence to common-sense beliefs which are generally accepted as true most of the time (10).

Two particularly notorious cases of female killers, which illustrate the simplistic narratives employed by law and media, are those of Aileen Wournos and Andrea Yates. In each instance, the women committed crimes of a similarly egregious magnitude. However, swayed by a rash of emotive media coverage, where one woman's perceived fragility was poignantly spotlighted while the other was emblazoned as a remorseless outcast, both women received opposite – and in the eyes of the public, apposite – sentences. Aileen Wuornos, for example, was fallaciously touted as the first 'postmodern' female serial killer – a gender-averted Ted Bundy. Working as a smalltime prostitute in Daytona Beach, Florida, Wuornos was charged with the murder of seven male 'Johns' between 1989 and 1990. In each case, the victims were shot at point blank range with Wuornos' .22 pistol. During her prolonged and extraordinarily-publicized trial, Wuornos' rationale for killing the men would vary. Initially, she claimed to have committed the murders in self-defense, as the men either had or were about to rape her. Later on, her accounts took on a darker, more mercenary tinge, with her motives rooted in theft and revenge. After ten years on death row, she was ultimately executed by lethal injection in 2002. So mesmerizingly grotesque was Wuornos' misfit persona – at least as it was painted by the media – that her murder-spree served as inspiration for the Oscar-winning film Monster, a title that seems at once apt and ironic.

On the other hand, Andrea Yates was a housewife in Houston, Texas, who was charged in 2001 with committing filicide on her five children by drowning them in the bathtub. Yates was suffering from post-partum psychosis which, coupled with extreme religious values, led her to believe she was under the influence of Satan, and that by killing her children, she was saving them from hell. Having called 911 shortly after her crime, then confessing once the police arrived, she was convicted of capital murder. Her case was at once highly publicized and polarized, with many condemning her actions while others sought to neutralize her culpability by focusing on her mental illness. The media, in particular, seized upon the latter aspect to portray Yates as a beleaguered and misguided woman whose crimes were merely a distorted translation of mother-love. Initially pronounced guilty, she was nonetheless spared the death penalty, and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. In 2005, the verdict was overturned based on the erroneous testimony of an expert psychiatric witness. In her retrial the following year, Yates was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and committed to North Texas State Hospital (Williams 1). She currently continues to receive medical treatment at Kerrville State Hospital ("Where in Andrea Yates now?" 1)

From an objective standpoint, it could be argued that Yates' crimes were diametrically opposed to Wuornos' on the murder spectrum. The latter had no intimate connection to her victims. They were adult strangers – albeit ones who reportedly sought to harm her. Yates victims, on the other hand, all but epitomized stark, jarring helplessness: five children ranging from seven years to six months old. During their court trials, both the women's histories of mental illness were presented as mitigating factors. Yet the outcomes of both cases were vastly different – owing, at least in part, to the different ways in which deviance and agency were conflated, then used to either repudiate or amplify each killer's crimes based on Lombrosian-style archetypes (Nalepa et al 137). As mentioned previously, Lombroso, one of the earliest proponents of pathologizing female criminals, believed that women were by default amoral, with their redeeming feature being their maternal instincts. Devoid of this quality, the masculinized criminal female was ten times deadlier than the male, and inherently irredeemable (183). Despite the outdatedness of this paradigm, a thorough examination of the semantic fields forged by media and law reveals its disturbing prevalence during both Yates and Wuornos' trials. Each woman's description, peppered with loaded language and equivocal statements, served almost as implicit invitations to the jury and bystanders alike to mold the story into the most suitable configuration by filling in its gaps.

In Andrea Yates' case, the media seized upon her status as a housewife, former nurse and high school valedictorian to symbolically separate her from the flagitious nature of her crime. In an illustration of insidious agency-denial, the focus was afforded to the underlying excuses behind her crime, as opposed to her actions themselves. Articles from the NY and LA Times, utilizing statements such as, "Andrea Yates was incapable of determining her actions were wrong... she was ... driven by delusions that they were going to hell and she must save them" as well as "a simple, unremarkable Christian woman. She wore neat spectacles and had streaming hair ... the Yates were an attractive family," all promulgated notions of helplessness and desperation, while also imparting Yates's crime an aura of impossibility (Stack 25; "Killings Put Dark Side of Mom’s Life in Light" 20). This was a sweet, submissive, God-fearing homemaker whose entire life revolved around her family. Her actions were a mysterious, once-in-a-lifetime tragedy, springing from utterly alien internal forces.

Yates' status as a mother – a role that is so often pedestalized and mythologized – was further spotlighted to render her somehow pristine: a murderer, yet morally inviolate because the filicide occurred while she was under extreme duress. Her defense attorney went so far as to state that, "jurors…should pity a woman who was so tormented by mental illness that she killed her children out of a sense of 'Mother knows best'" (Weatherby et al 7). Whether intentional or accidental, the discursive outcome allowed for the construction of an utterly 'mad' woman – paranoid, pitiful, but most importantly passive – thus decimating the challenges Yates might pose to our conceptions of both femininity and motherhood. In her paper Women Who Kill Their Children, Jayne Huckerby went so far as to state that Yates, as a white, middle-class suburban mother, served as a "poster girl" for the romanticized cult of motherhood. Her actions, albeit deviant, were seen as an isolated incident rather than symptomatic of any greater systemic ills. Moreover, affixing her with the 'mad' label – thus focusing solely on her medical malady – allowed her case to be elevated to a political cause. Interest groups such as NOW vehemently advocated against Yates' execution, citing her depression, schizophrenia and hallucinations as excuses. The phrase mental 'state' was used repeatedly during Yates' trial – with clear connotations of its temporal and disjunctive nature. Yates, judicial and media discourse seemed to imply, was not the killer. Her mental illness was. This combinatorial tactic of medicalization and politicization garnered Yates extraordinary support – and quite likely owed to the lenience of her sentence (140-170).

To be sure, Yates' postpartum illness was not a fictional spin – but a legitimate diagnosis that affects women in everyday life. A Brown University study cited about 200 cases of maternal filicide in the US per year, from the 1970s to the early 2000s. It also suggested that psychiatric or medical disorders that lead to a reduction in serotonin levels heighten the risk of filicide (Mariano 1-8). In the US, both antenatal to postnatal depression continue to be debated as mitigating circumstances for murder (Carmickle, L., et al. 579-576). However, in other countries, the close ties of birth and its attendant biological changes to mental illness have been legally acknowledged. Nations including Brazil, Germany, Italy, Japan, Turkey, New Zealand and the Philippines have some form of "infanticide laws," allowing for leniency in cases of postpartum-linked mental illness (Friedman et al. 139).

In Andrea Yates' case, it could be argued that her declining mental health did not arise in a vacuum. Indeed, the highlights of Yates' psychiatric history, even prior to her children's' murder, reveal a woman beset by proverbial psychological demons. In 1999, following the birth of her fourth son, Yates was already suffering from severe depression, and struggling with a feeling that "Satan wanted her to kill her children." That same year, she attempted suicide by overdosing on medication, reportedly in a misguided attempt to protect her family from herself. She was subsequently hospitalized for psychiatric care, only to be discharged and then make a second suicide attempt five weeks later. by cutting her throat She was eventually diagnosed with Major Depressive Episode with psychotic features. After few months' treatment via outpatient appointments, Yates dropped out on the claim that she was "feeling better." Also, despite the warnings from her treating psychiatrist about the recurrence of postpartum depression, she and her husband decided to have another child. Following the birth, Yates went on to be hospitalized thrice more for psychiatric treatment. Her last unsuccessful suicide attempt involved her filling the bathtub, with the vague explanation that, "I might need it" (Resnick 147-148).

Leading up to the mass-murder of her children, Yates continued to display psychotic symptoms, including the belief that the television commercials were casting aspersions on her parenting, that there were cameras monitoring her childcare, that a van on the street was surveilling her house – and finally, that Satan was "literally within her." Convinced that her bad mothering was to blame for her children's' poor development, she fixated on the biblical verse from Luke 17:2, "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown in the sea than that he should cause one of the little ones to stumble." Ultimately, on June 20, 2001, Yates would wait until her husband left for work, then proceed to drown her five children in the bathtub. When the police arrived, Yates stated that she expected to be arrested and executed – thereby allowing Satan to be killed along with her. Of her children, she would say, "They had to die to be saved" (Resnick 150).

While Yates' actions shocked the collective public conscience, they also garnered an intense outpouring of sympathy. Partly, it was because, as Skip Hollandsworth remarked, "Yates came with no baggage." From her ordinary appearance to her uncheckered background, Yates had the makings of an All-American mother, who "read Bible stories to her five children... constructed Indian costumes for them from grocery sacks...[and] gave them homemade valentines on Valentine’s Day with personalized coupons promising them free hugs and other treats" (1). Her daily routines were familiar, her struggles relatable. It was easy to cast her as a stand-in for other suburban mothers, with her decision to murder her children serving to darkly mirror their own worst fears. As Newsweek's Anna Quindlen noted, "Every mother I’ve asked about the Yates case has the same reaction. She’s appalled; she’s aghast. And then she gets this look. And the look says that at some forbidden level she understands" (1). Ultimately, Yates' status as a suburban housewife allowed her to occupy the pedestal of the Everywoman. The predominant narrative, as imbricated by the law and media, was that of someone unstable, delusional, overwhelmed – yet undeniably feminine. Through her, the more negative extremes of womanhood had been allowed unfortunate expression, a fact that served to render her less culpable rather than more (Phillips, et al 4).

In direct contrast, Aileen Wuornos' narrative was afforded little opportunity for feminization, much less humanization. Rather, her status as a prostitute and lesbian was immediately seized upon by the law and media – then highlighted with pejorative, condemnatory rhetoric. Capitalizing on the strong stigma attached to prostitution, in conjunction with Wuornos' gruff, belligerent, decidedly un-feminine manner, the dominant 'bad woman' narrative was invoked. Central to the trial and its accompanying media coverage was the sense of Wuornos' inherent 'unfitness' – on both a gendered and societal scale. Caroline Picart remarks that, "Wournos, even if given the title of being America’s first female serial killer, in comparison with heterosexual male serial killers, was not generally perceived as a skilled serial killer but, rather, as being a woman who did not know how to be a real woman" (3). In point of fact, Wuornos' designation as the 'first' female serial killer was an embellishment: there are other women who would have just as readily fit the mold of the serial killer. However, prior to Wuornos' arrest, women who killed were stereotypically shrouded behind a ladylike mystique, their modi operandi veering from arsenic and cool calculation, as with Anna Maria Zwanziger, to maternal instincts warped by insanity, as with Brenda Drayton, to Angels of Mercy whose nurturing demeanor hid a crueler edge, such as Beverley Allitt.

Wuornos, conversely, did not fit into any of the conventional molds of wife, widow, mother, nurse or daughter. If anything, she subverted the very conception of prostitutes as disposable victims, prowling along the same highways where numberless streetwalkers met their end. More to the point, her sexual preferences and choice of work marked her as a hostile threat to society – and more specifically to patriarchal stability. When interviewed by the TV show Dateline, she attempted to justify her killings by reminding audiences of the extreme dangers of prostitution. However, she failed to grasp that delving into the gory minutiae of such a socially-reviled profession did her defense no favors. In prostitutes, society too often finds convenient scapegoats. Shunned as breeders of contagion and social ills, they are reduced to receptacles for everything heteronormative family-life pretends to disavow. Yet their role as the integral underbelly of society also necessitates their invisibility – and, by extension, disposability – in order to preserve the immaculate image of the nuclear family. With that in mind, perhaps it is at once ironic and unsurprising that Dateline's co-anchor Jane Pauley states, "This is a story of unnatural violence. The roles are reversed. Most serial killers kill prostitutes" (Hart 142).

The media, of course, ruthlessly weaponized Wuornos' 'outsider' against her. Her checkered history was touted as proof of her immorality, with news coverage running the gamut from mean-spirited to sensationalist. The NY Times was quick to point out that "Ms. Wuornos served a year in prison in 1982-83 for armed robbery…she also faced charges of vehicle theft and grand larceny," "She was a prostitute part of the time," "residents can now rest easy," "Ms. Wuornos was ‘a killer who robs rather than a robber who kills" (Smothers 16). Meanwhile, the LA Times ran an interview with police officers stating that, "We believe she pretty much meets the guidelines of a serial killer" ("Transient Woman Accused in Florida Serial Killings" 40). Every aspect of Wuornos' life was vilified and picked apart, the better to construct the image of an unnatural creature. Even descriptions of her physical appearance underscored the extremes to which the media tried to demonize her. A 2002 article at the Palm Beach Post describes her as "a haggard-looking drinker and heavy smoker…her weathered face has a cold, dead stare that morphs into a wildeyed laugh" (Wells 5). By so assiduously focusing on Wuornos' negative traits, the media sought to render her as unrelatable, and ultimately undeserving of human sympathy. However, at the crux of her deviance was not the violent nature of her crimes, but how far she had strayed from the boundaries of traditional femininity. Wuornos – caricatured as a monster of sheer lunatic aggression, wanton sadism and unmitigated cruelty – was not a 'real' woman. As Jeffner Allen notes in her work, Lesbian Philosophy: Explorations, "Violence is defended as the right to limit life and take life that is exercised by men... A woman, by definition, is not violent, and if violent, a female is not a woman" (22-30).

Similar to Andrea Yates, Wuornos grappled with mental illness. During her trial, both the defense and prosecution employed psychologists who testified that she suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), in addition to symptoms of posttraumatic stress. First used by analyst Adolph Stern in 1938, BPD describes patients who are at the border between neurotic and psychotic. Individuals with BPD may suffer from patterns of instability in mood, jobs, relationships and self-image. The diagnosis is applied predominantly to survivors of sexual abuse. (Giannangelo 19). In Aileen Wuornos' case, her experiences of sexual abuse from childhood to adulthood, her violent and unstable years as a transient, in addition to her ninth-grade education level and mental disabilities, were well-documented. However, the prosecution minimized these factors during the trial, insisting that they were not "substantial" and in no way impaired Wuornos' capacity as an instigator of violence. As the district attorney claimed in his closing statement, "Aileen Wuornos at the time of the killing knew right from wrong."

This focus on individual action is by itself hardly noteworthy, if not for the courts' further descriptions of Wuornos as "primitive" and "damaged" – a subhuman designation at odds with the portrait of the controlled and calculating serial killer (Sarat 75-77). In Wuornos, the courts attempted to reconcile two seemingly-contradictory, yet equivalent extremes of 'badness' – the Lombrosian archetype of the atavistic female, a primal degenerate driven by a cruel thirst for sex and bloodshed, and the paradoxical essence of 'evil' as it applies to the feminine shadow, with an ice-tipped propensity for malice and manipulation. Yet, where the male killer wears both these discrepant masks of wildness and wit with a dynamic ease, embodying within himself a transcendental self-mastery beyond moral codes, homicidal females such as Wuornos find their narratives consistently entrenched in gendered morality. Even when afforded agency for their own crimes, their humanity (three-dimensional, flawed, self-directed) is downplayed in favor of a wholesale monstrosity. Their true crime is not taking a human life. Rather, it is straying, with eyes wide open, beyond the province of womanhood. As Ashley Wells remarks,

What’s fascinating about Aileen is how little her own mental illness played into her trial and the media hoopla surrounding it... There was no narrative in place for female serial killers the way there was for male ones. So instead of focusing on her mental illness or her horrific childhood, the way we might for a male serial killer now that we have so many to choose from, the media latched onto the fact that Wuornos was a prostitute and a lesbian, some sort of unholy alliance of the two types of women it only knew how to deal with in the broadest possible stereotypes (1).

It goes without saying that criminologists have embraced a broad spectrum of theoretical perspectives, from sociological, philosophical and psychoanalytic, the better to explicate the disturbing relationship between law/media and homicidal women. Predominant among them is Labeling Theory, which can be traced back to Frank Tannenbaum's 1938 work Crime and the Community. Chiefly focused on self-identity, Labeling Theory purports that deviant behavior – both singular and recurrent – is predicated on external categorizations, i.e. the self-fulfilling prophecy of stereotypes. Social categorizations function in pernicious ways, wherein people will subconsciously or deliberately begin altering their behavior to conform to the labels they are placed within.

In the case of Andrea Yates, Labeling Theory asserted itself on multiple levels. First, it was present in the defense constructed by Yates' lawyers, who cleaved tenaciously to the idea that she was a loving mother whose crime – while terrible – was episodic, and fueled by depression. The media too, seized this narrative and ran with it: the poignant image of Yates as a mother who had, quite literally, loved her children to death. Lastly, the insidious strength of labeling manifested itself through the personality of Yates herself. Her terror of failing to conform to the image of a perfect mother, by damning her children to Hell, led her to a shocking act of filicide. Rosenblatt and Greenland note, “it is the very attempt to fulfill her culturally defined role as wife and mother in our society which is often at the source of much of her violence” (180). Certainly, everything about Yates corresponded with the cultural view of women as emotional, flighty and easily led astray. Even her classification as 'mad' came to be viewed with the more sympathetic connotations of the word. Ultimately, it was that exculpatory label that framed the way Yates was perceived – by the courts and public alike (Weatherby et al 3).

Skip Hollandsworth, as previously noted, drove home Yates' appeal as the Everywoman, due to her lack of "baggage" (1). Ironically, the coverage of Yates' case was laden with it. The LA Times, for instance, noted that in the first four weeks of Yates' trial, "more than 1, 150 articles" were devoted to dissecting her morality versus her mental health (Gamiz 3). Early public opinion was sharply polarized, with some comparing her to the vindictive modern-day Medea of Greek mythology, while others condemned, not Yates herself, but her husband, her psychiatrist, her neighbors, and even the societal constructions of motherhood at large for allowing the rigors of childcare to overshadow Yates' clinical emergency. Ultimately, both arguments allotted focus, not to Yates' crime, but to how inextricably it was fused to both sympathetic and censorious conceptions of motherhood. During the early parts of the trial, for instance, the prosecution clung to the scheming Medea narrative, claiming that she had deliberately faked her postpartum issues, in order to coerce her husband into buying her a house (the family lived in a schoolbus before moving to a house in Clear Lake, Houston.) Meanwhile, the defense, and the mainstream media, veered toward the Madonna archetype, wherein Yates' mental collapse sprang from trying to attain the impossible ideal of the perfect mother. In either case, the disparate opinions were not an ideological 'split' so much as two sides of the same coin: the saturation of gender in "neutral categories of criminality and intent" (Hyman 193-208).

Unsurprisingly, while Labeling Theory offers an opportunity to examine its impacts on female filicidal perpetrators within criminological discourse, male perpetrators receive very different socio-legal epithets. As the Yates case makes apparent, both law and media doggedly adhere to the exaltation of certain social characteristics, (white, female, attractive, middle-class). In order to exculpate the offender, most, if not all, these boxes must be checked. Filicidal men, however, cannot readily satisfy this criterion. Cases similar to Yates', such as that of Adair Garcia in 2002, highlight the lopsided nature of both media coverage and legal sentencing. Like Yates, Garcia was suffering from mental illness, and mistakenly gripped by the delusion that by killing himself and his children, they would be "going to be a better place, a painless place." After putting his six children to bed, he disconnected the smoke detector and phone at his home, then lit the charcoal in the barbecue grill, and placed it in the hallway. By the next morning, five of his children had died, although Garcia and his eldest daughter, who was nine at the time, survived. Despite the defense's arguments that Garcia had sunk into a deep depression after his wife left him, and was "unable to think straight," he was found guilty of the five counts of first-degree murder and one of attempted murder, then sentenced to life without parole (Wang 1).

Despite the similarities in both Yates' and Garcia's cases, there was a striking divergence in the media coverage. Compared to the widespread scrutiny garnered by the Yates' family, a paltry 77 articles were devoted to the Garcia case (Gamiz 3). This fact that did not go unnoticed by The Globe and the Mail's Doug Saunders. "The distinction," he wrote, "lies deep in human psychology. When fathers kill their offspring, it is viewed as a serious crime; when mothers do it, it is seen as a deep sickness, one that garners both sympathy and profound horror" (1). Subsequent disparities would also be observed in the tone of media articles, with Garcia pegged as "twisted" and seeking "revenge" on his spouse, whereas Yates would categorically be described as a "Houston mother," with news articles posing headlines such as "What drives a mom to kill?" and "Andrea Yates 'still grieves for her children'" (Adams 1; Landau 1; "Twisted Dad…" 1). The contrasting narratives are a grim reminder that violence, even from filicidal fathers, is perceived as biological hardwiring, and somehow emblematic of men as a gender. As Hollandsworth remarks, "Men who go mad do not interest us. But women who go mad are haunting" (1).

Ultimately, it was this feminized conflation of madness with victimhood that diffused Yates' responsibility as a murderer. By clinging to labels that separated her from her crime, and yet sought to "preserve [her] femininity, fidelity and commitment to motherhood," her agency as an individual with complexity and self-determination was utterly disregarded (Hyman 208). Nancy Taylor Porter, in her book, Violent Women in Contemporary Theatres: Staging Resistance, describes Yates as a "cipher" (297). In both literature and cinema, "ciphers" are characters who bear similarities to the writer – "attitudes, traumas, even life events" (Boyd 1). However, in Yates' case, her cipher status rendered her not polysemantic, but faceless. Beyond simply a woman who "lost herself," she was someone who appeared to have never been found: she seemingly had no personal desires to dissect or decode. ("She was always trying to be such a good girl," her mother would remark in a Newsweek interview. "Always thinking of other people, never of herself.”) In Yates, both the courts and media constructed a figure that was less a person than personae. She was an empty vessel waiting to be filled with the most socially-appropriate label, and made significant through said label (Hollandsworth 1).

Ironically, this same vein of reductionism in the media's stance led to Aileen Wuornos' widespread condemnation, and later execution. While Labeling Theory is certainly influential in examining the coverage and outcome of her trial, more fitting still is the theory of Double Deviance, developed by a number of contemporary feminist criminologists. (Heidensohn 102; Chesney-Lind 115; Berrington & Honkatukia 50-72). According to Double Deviance theory, women who commit crimes are punished twice as harshly – owing to the fact that they have transgressed not only criminal law but procreative norms. Certainly, this element of condemnation can be observed in Wuornos' journalistic treatment. Whereas Andrea Yates was afforded the protective barrier of respectability (a former nurse, a mother, a suburban housewife), Wuornos, as a prostitute and a lesbian, was regarded as depraved in mind, body and moral fiber. Hers were crimes not just against her victims – but against her gender itself. The harsh – almost dyslogistic – language used by media both addresses and feeds her status as a pariah. Certainly, one might argue that 'first female serial killer' would not be such a shocking designation if women weren't so intrinsically linked to passivity. For a taboo to be broken, it is essential to recognize the unwritten rules that preside over our existence; the intangible myths that are enforced as reality through tradition and repetition. Similarly, femininity, softness, or mercy would not be sacrosanct for society if they were not also concepts that were fragile and vulnerable to violation. With that in mind, a woman transgressing laws, either man-made and 'natural', is perceived as openly more agentic – therefore deviant – than the woman who simply disavows those same boundaries.

It comes as no surprise, then, that Wuornos received such widespread censure. Granted, the nature of her crimes was brutal. But that very brutality – so masculinized and deliberate – was what shocked the public and jurors alike. Not only were a majority of her victims found stripped naked and riddled in close-range gunshot wounds, but Wuornos also divested them of their wallets and other valuable possessions, in addition to stealing their cars. How could the public reconcile these predatory actions with a woman – the so-called weaker sex – unless she was somehow quintessentially evil? When Wuornos' profession, sexual orientation, and poverty were brought to light, it seemed only to exacerbate her guilt. This wasn't a 'normal' woman – the scope of normality here being limited to the white, heterosexual, middle-class population – but an anomaly.

An article from the Washington Post illustrates the tenuous position that Wuornos – brash, foul-mouthed, stridently unrepentant – occupied in society: "Women do this kind of thing? Poison, yes, and the occasional queenly beheading, but can women be serial murderers like Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy? Spiderwoman! Avenging angel!" (Allen 1) Although the appellations bear a tinge of humor, they also serve to emphasize the essential absurdity of a homicidal woman. Such an individual becomes an incongruous breach within the fabric of our dominant cultural framework. More to the point, she is a blot on the pristine mythology of the perfect woman. This is precisely what makes the heinousness of her offense so blatant, and her stigmatization that much harsher (Phillips, et al 10).

To be sure, Wuornos was not alone in being pathologized and pigeonholed as a grotesque aberration of womanhood. Similar judicial and media language was used in the case of Myra Hindley, an English serial killer who, alongside her partner, Ian Brady, raped and killed five children between 1963 and 1965. Although both were eventually apprehended, tried, and found guilty, he of three counts of murder and she of two, the subsequent media attention surrounding the couple was noteworthy for the gendered lens of exceptionality versus abnormality that came into play. Although equally agentic in terms of planning and implementing the sexual assaults, Hindley would be dubbed "The Most Evil Woman in Britain," an incendiary label that far exceeded, and outlasted, the public's condemnation of her male counterpart, Brady (Cummins 115). Further legal and press discourse would reduce the pair to a heteronormative microcosm of gender roles, with Brady serving as the cunning mastermind, while Hindley served as the obedient helpmate. However, this stereotypical slant, far from minimizing her responsibility as a killer, horrified the public, precisely because Hindley was a member of the supposed fairer sex. In an article for the Independent, Geraldine Bedell wrote: "Higher standards are expected of women when it comes to the care of children: Myra betrayed her sex and exploited her sex so that children could be sexually assaulted, tortured and killed" (1).

Similar disparities would arise during the trial, with Brady's attitude toward children being only cursorily examined, while Hindley was lengthily and harshly grilled for her absence of maternal instinct toward her victims, ("The screams of a little girl of ten… Did you put your hands over your ears…?... Or get the child out of the room and see that she was treated as a woman should treat a female child, or any other child…?") Comparable to Wuornos, the crux of the issue was less that Hindley had failed by the moral standards of society, but by the social constructions of femininity. Also like Wuornos, everything from her appearance (“the Medusa face of Hindley, under the melon puff-ball of hair") to her sexuality ("longstanding and passionate affairs with other prisoners… she had them all eating out of her hand") were fair game for vilification. Her face would be emblazoned across newspapers and magazines as an icon of evil, comparable to the "image of Medusa" (Birch 32), and similarly mythologized as a one-dimensional symbol of monstrousness (Birch 51; Goodman 159-224; Jones 163; Stanley n.p). In contrast, her partner-in-crime, Brady, would slip through the cracks of collective societal memory, meeting the prosaic fate of living and dying in prison. Helena Kennedy, who once represented Hindley, notes,

We feel differently about a woman doing something consciously cruel because of our expectations of women as the nurturing sex. The adage is that women who commit crime are mad, bad or sad. The bad may be few in number, but once given the label there is no forgiving. It defies explanation that someone, especially a woman, stood by and allowed torture to take place, but it is important to remember that women did it in the concentration camps, and evidence is emerging that women are doing it in Syria and Iraq with Islamic State. Terror is a man, but wickedness is a woman (1).

Jaques Derrida, citing Montaigne, has famously stated, "There is more ado to interpret interpretations than to interpret things" (278). This certainly applies to the mandate of womanhood in legal discourse, and the pernicious effects it exerts on sentencing outcomes. Jaques Lacan, one of the most influential psychoanalysts of the twentieth century, has gone further by emphasizing the role of language in social and gendered regulation. That the proliferation of stereotypes has been absorbed into the fabric of language goes without saying. But more intriguing is Lacan's theory that the very bedrock of linguistics is the system of binary opposites: male/female, good/evil, self/other (Bertens 44). This proves problematic when the subject of homicidal women arises. Aggression is, by and large, considered an essential component of masculinity. Therefore murders committed by men, across the varied spectrum of violence, are easily equated with maleness. More perverse still – as the celebrity status of Ted Bundy or Charles Manson testifies – they are often lauded as exceptionalities, a type of Nietzschean superman beyond mundane moral codes (Waller 7). Conversely, female killers disrupt the very workings of cultural codes, due to their incompatibility with gender roles. Their discursive constructions by law and media are therefore intended to either squeeze them into a narrow, comprehensibly feminine niche (the 'mad' woman) – or to viciously excise them from the social script (the 'bad' woman). As Helen Birch remarks in her work, Moving Targets: Women, Murder and Representation, "... we do not have a language to represent female killing, and [cases like these disrupt] the very terms which hold gender in place (61)."

The solution, then, as Derrida puts it, might be to deconstruct the overriding 'mad/bad' narratives as they apply to homicidal females. Only through unraveling these binary systems is it possible to expose the interstitial spaces where these women exist as multifaceted beings with depth, nuance and agency. There is, by and large, no static or singular explanation for why women kill. Their motives and methods are an evolving, organic bricolage that is shaped by family, education, economics, religion and a host of other institutional configurations (Yardley et al 1-26). By superficializing each individual case study – thus treating the women's proclivities as either anomalies or generalities – we are in fact sacrificing knowledge at both the macro and micro level. What is essential, instead, is to look beyond social paradigms, and comprehend that guilt/innocence is in truth merely an effect of how it is interpreted, framed, and eventually typified in order to perpetuate and protect dominant mythologies. True, breaking free from the security of labels might place us in the disquieting position of owning our own ambiguous natures. However, it may also challenge us to examine women as hyper-specific (individual) and sometimes self-contradictory beings – and to further apply that ambiguity to homicidal women. To successfully do so is to confront aspects of human nature – and criminogenic behavior – that would otherwise be invisible beneath the shadow of institutionally-generated abstractions. Dichotomizing female killers as 'Victim' or 'Monster,' on the other hand, serves only to perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes, reducing such women to grotesque spectacles of 'Otherness' based on their deviance from the discursive framework of femininity.

Works Cited

Adams, Char. “Mom Still 'Grieves for Her Children' 15 Years After Drowning Them” People Magazine, 1 Sept 2016, pp. 1, https://people.com/crime/andrea-yates-now-she-grieves-for-her-children-15-years-after-drownings/.

Allen, Henry. “Essay Section.” The Washington Post, Feb 12, 1992, p. c.01

Allen, Jeffner. Lesbian Philosophy: Explorations. Institute of Lesbian Studies, 1986.

Taylor, Boyd. "On Writing #9: On Cipher Characters, Why They Can Be Flat, and How to Fix Them." 5 Oct 2010. sboydtaylor.com/2010/10/05/a-new-on-writing-one-of-my-best-o/

Bednell, Geraldine. "Profile: Beyond Forgiveness?: Myra Hindley." Independent Digital News and Media, 23 Oct. 2011, pp. 1, https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/profile-beyond-forgiveness-myra-hindley-geraldine-bedell-on-the-child-murderer-with-an-enduring-1456064.html.

Berrington, Eileen, and Päivi Honkatukia. “An Evil Monster and a Poor Thing: Female Violence in the Media.” Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention, vol. 3, no. 1, 2002, pp. 50–72.

Bertens, Johannes Willem., and Joseph P. Natoli. Postmodernism: the Key Figures. Blackwell Publishers, 2002.

Birch, Helen. Moving Targets: Women, Murder, and Representation. University of California Press, 1994, pp. 51.

Carmickle, L., et al. “Postpartum Illness and Sentencing: Why the Insanity Defense Is Not Enough for Mothers with Postpartum Depression, Anxiety, and Psychosis.” Journal of Legal Medicine, vol. 37, February 23 2018, pp. 579-576.

Cranford, Victoria et al. “Hearth and Home: Images of Women in the Mass Media.” Social Forces, vol. 57, no. 4, 1979, pp. 1426.

Chesney-Lind, M. Media Misogyny: Demonizing ‘Violent’ Girls and Women. Walter De Gruyter Inc, 1999.

Cohen, Anne. “Netflix’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil & Vile Has Too Much Sexy Ted Bundy.” Refinery, 1 May, pp. 1. 2019, https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/05/231467/extremely-wicked-shockingly-evil-vile-review-ted-bundy-netflix-movie.

Comack, Elizabeth, and Salena Brickey. “Constituting the Violence of Criminalized Women.” Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, vol. 49, no. 1, 2007, pp. 1–36., doi:10.3138/5523-4873-1386-5453.

Cummins, Ian, et al. Serial Killers and the Media: the Moors Murders Legacy. Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.

D'orban, P. T. “Women Who Kill Their Children.” The British Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 134, no. 6, January 1979, pp. 560–571.

Davies, Jude, and Carol R. Smith. Gender, Ethnicity and Sexuality in Contemporary American Film. Keele University Press, 1997.

Derrida, J. Writing and Difference. Translated by A. Bass. Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1978.

"Doctor Says Mother was 'Driven by Delusions.' " New York Times, 7 March 2002, Late Edition, East Coast, p. A.25

Downing, Lisa. The Subject of Murder: Gender, Exceptionality, and the Modern Killer. University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Ten-Year Arrest Trends by Sex, 2003–2012," UCR, 2012.

Fol, Isabelle. Dominance of the Male Gaze in Hollywood Films. Grin Verlag, 2006.

Friedman, Susan Hatters, et al. “Child Murder by Mothers: Patterns and Prevention.” World Psychiatry, vol. 6, no. 3, October 2005, pp. 137-141.

Gamiz, Manuel. “2 Tragic Cases Show Marked Contrasts.” Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2002, pp. 1–3.

Giannangelo, Stephen J. Real-Life Monsters: a Psychological Examination of the Serial Murderer. Praeger, 2012, pp. 18-19.

Gilbert, P. R. “Discourses of Female Violence and Societal Gender Stereotypes.” Violence Against Women, vol. 8, no. 11, January 2002, pp. 1271–1300.

Goodman, Jonathan. The Moors Murders: the Trial of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady. Magpie, 1994, pp. 159-224.

Hart, Lynda. Fatal Women: Lesbian Sexuality and the Mark of Aggression. Princeton University Press, 1994.

Harrison, Marissa A., et al. “Sex Differences in Serial Killers.” Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, vol. 13, no. 4, 2019, pp. 295–310., doi:10.1037/ebs0000157.

Heidensohn, Frances. Crime and Society. New York University Press, 1989.

Huckerby, Jayne. “Women Who Kill Their Children: Case Study and Conclusions Concerning the Differences in the Fall from Maternal Grace by Khoua Her and Andrea Yates.” Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy, vol. 10, no. 1, 2003, pp. 149-172.

Hyman, Rebecca. “Medea of Suburbia: Andrea Yates, Maternal Infanticide, and the Insanity Defense.” Women's Studies Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 3, 2004, pp. 192–210.

Jackson, Bernard S. “‘Anchored Narratives and the Interface of Law, Psychology and Semiotics.” Legal and Criminological Psychology, vol. 1, no. 1, 1996, pp. 17–45., doi:10.1111/j.2044-8333.1996.tb00305.x.

Jewkes, Yvonne. “Media Representations of the Causes of Crime.” Criminal Justice Matters, vol. 55, no. 1, 2004, pp. 43–60.

Jones, Janie, and Carol Clerk. The Devil and Miss Jones: the Twisted Mind of Myra Hindley. Smith Gryphon, 1993, pp. 163.

Kellermann, Arthur L., and James A. Mercy. “Men, Women, And Murder.” The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, vol. 33, no. 1, 1992, pp. 1–5.

Kennedy, Helena. “The Myth of the She-Devil: Why We Judge Female Criminals More Harshly.” The Guardian News and Media, 2 Oct. 2018, pp. 1. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/oct/02/the-myth-of-the-she-devil-why-we-judge-female-criminals-more-harshly.

Kirby, Mark, and Tanya Hope. Sociology in Perspective for OCR. Heinemann, 2000.

Lawson, Richard. “Zac Efron Is Unnervingly Good as Serial Killer Ted Bundy-But to What End?” Vanity Fair, Vanity Fair, 1 Feb. 2019, pp.1, https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/01/zac-efron-ted-bundy-movie-review-extremely-wicked-shockingly-evil-and-vile.

Lombroso, Cesare, et al. Criminal Woman, the Prostitute, and the Normal Woman. Duke University Press, 2004.

Lombroso, Gina, and Cesare Lombroso. Criminal Man: According to the Classification of Cesare Lombroso. Filiquarian Publishing, 2011.

Mariano, Timothy Y., et al. “Toward a More Holistic Understanding of Filicide: A Multidisciplinary Analysis of 32 Years of U.S. Arrest Data.” Forensic Science International, vol. 236, 2014, pp. 46–53., doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.12.019.

Meyers, Marian. Women in Popular Culture: Representation and Meaning. Hampton Press, 2008.

Millard, Anna. “Zac Efron's New Ted Bundy Movie May Be Taking Our Obsession With Serial Killers Too Far.” Zac Efron's New Ted Bundy Movie Might Be Too Sexy, Refinery, 27 Jan, pp. 1. 2019, https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/01/222717/zac-efron-ted-bundy-extremely-wicked-critics-react.

Nalepa, Laurie, and Richard Pfefferman. The Murder Mystique: Female Killers and Popular Culture. Praeger, 2013.

Phillips, Dretha M., Lois DeFleur Nelson, and Gregory B. Walters. “The Female Offender and Public Opinion: Perceived Seriousness of Crimes and Recommended Dispositions.” National Institute of Justice, 1976, pp. 4-10.

Picart, CJ. “Crime and the Gothic: Sexualizing Serial Killers,” Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, vol. 14, no. 3, 2006, pp. 3.

Porter, Nancy Taylor. Violent Women in Contemporary Theatres: Staging Resistance. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN, 2019, pp. 297.

Quindlen, Anna. “Playing God On No Sleep.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2010, pp. 1. https://www.newsweek.com/playing-god-no-sleep-154643.

Rafter, Nicole Hahn, and Elizabeth Anne Stanko. Judge, Lawyer, Victim, Thief: Women, Gender Roles, and Criminal Justice. Northeastern University Press, 1982.

Resnick, Phillip J. “The Andrea Yates Case: Insanity on Trial.” Cleveland State Law Review, vol. 55, no. 147, 2007, pp. 147–156.

Rosenblatt, E. and C. Greenland. “Female Crimes of Violence.” Canadian Journal of Criminology & Corrections, vol. 16, no. 2, April 1974, pp. 173-180.

Roy, Jody M. Love to Hate: America's Obsession with Hatred and Violence. Columbia University Press, 2002.

Sarat, Austin et al. Performances of Violence. UMass, 2011, pp. 75-77.

Saunders, Doug. “Mom Kills, Dad Kills: Two Takes on Tragedy.” The Globe and Mail, 2 March. 2002, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/mom-kills-dad-kills-two-takes-on-tragedy/article22395397/.

“Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators.” National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, pp. 1–71. FBI.

Smith, Tara. Judicial Review in an Objective Legal System. Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Smothers, Ronald. "Woman Arrested in a Series of Killings in Florida." New York Times, Late Edition. East Coast, January 18, 1991, p. A.16

Stack, Mega K. "Killings Put Dark Side of Mom’s Life in Light: Until her children were drowned in a tub June 20, most knew Andrea Yates as a quiet, doting Christian woman." Los Angeles Times, July 8, 2001, pp. 20.

Stanley, Liz. Documents of Life Revisited: Narrative and Biographical Methodology for a 21st Century Critical Humanism. Routledge, 2016, n.p.

"Transient Woman Accused in Florida Serial Killings." Los Angeles Times, Home Edition, January 18, 1991, p. 40.

Tuchman, Gaye et al. Hearth and Home: Images of Women in the Mass Media. Oxford University Press, 1978.

“Twisted Dad Killed His Kids after Making Them Record a 'Goodbye' Video for Their Mum.” Life Death Prizes, 28 July 2017, https://www.lifedeathprizes.com/real-life-crime/adair-garcia-killed-his-children-70845.

Vronsky, Peter. Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters. Berkley Books, 2007.

Waller, S. Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone: Being and Killing. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.

Wang, Andrew. “Father Guilty of Killing 5 of His Children.” Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2005, pp. 1, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-mar-30-me-grill30-story.html.

Weatherby, Georgie Ann. "The Value of Life: Female Killers & the Feminine Mystique." Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice Education, vol. 2, no. 1, 2008, pp. 1-20.

Weber, Cynthia. International Relations Theory: a Critical Introduction. Routledge, 2001.

Wells, Ashley. “Revisiting Aileen Wuornos in Light of #MeToo.” Medium, 11 May 2018, pp. 1

Wells, Libby. “Woman Who Killed 6 Men Faces Death Herself Today.” The Palm Beach Post, October 9, 2002, p. 5.

“Where Is Andrea Yates Now? A Peek inside Her Life in a State Mental Hospital.” ABC13 Houston, 20 June 2018, https://abc13.com/where-is-andrea-yates-now-peek-inside-her-secluded-life/1980992/.

Williams, NBC’s Pete, and News Services. “Convictions Overturned for Mom Who Drowned 5 Kids.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 7 Jan. 2005, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6794098/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/convictions-overturned-mom-who-drowned-kids/#.XdyUfchKjIU.

Yardley, Elizabeth, and David Wilson. Criminological Institutionalism and the Case of Mary Ann Cotton: Female Serial Killers In Social Context. Policy Press, 2015.

#essay #feminism #law #criminology #academic writing #aileen wuornos #andrea yates #myra hindley #lombroso #atavism #published

0 notes

boys-with-no-control-rp · 7 years

Text

Acting in the same play together

Acting in the same tv show/movie together

Adopting

Age difference

Age play

Alpha x Omega

Angel x Demon

Arranged marriage (with pregnancy or not)

Bad boy/fuckboy x Innocent girl/boy

Babysitter x Child’s parent

Band member x Band member

Band member x Fan

Band member x Groupie

Band member x Merch girl/boy

Bdsm

Best friends to Fuck buddies to Lovers

Best friend’s hot sibling

Blind date

Bookshop worker x Customer

Boss x Employee

Businessman/Daddy x Maid/Sugar baby

Cheerleader x Jock (High school)

Childhood friends

Coffee Shop worker x Customer

Criminal x Victim

Crossdressing

Dad x Adopted son/daughter

Darker plots

Disney plots

Dominant x Submissive

Enemies to Lovers

Ex lovers

Fairy x Demon

Fake dating

Family plots

Famous couple

Famous x Non-famous

Favorite character comes to life (movie, book, video game etc.)

Human x Fairy

Human x Mermaid

Human x Vampire

Human x Werewolf

Hunter x Werewolf

Incest

Kids go to the same school

Master x Slave

Met during a party

Met during summer holiday

Met online

Older is more innocent than the younger one

One night stand (with pregnancy or not)

Owner x Hybrid

Partners in crime

Pet play

Photographer x Model

Popular x Nerd (High school)

Prince/Princess x Pirate

Royal couple

Saving the other

Secret identity

Siblings

Single parent x Stranger

Soulmates

Stalker/Kidnapper x Victim

Strangers to Lovers

Stripper x Bartender

Stripper/Prostitute x Customer

Student x Student

Stuck on a desert island

Sugar daddy x Sugar baby

Teacher x Student

Teacher x Teacher

Wearing the same costume for a party

Work buddies

Youtubers

#rp ideas #wanted plots

24 notes · View notes

waywardrose13 · 6 years

Text

The Hunter Diaries- Chapter Eight

Catch up here- The Hunter Diaries Masterlist Rose’s Masterlist

Pairing: Dean x Plus Size!Reader Warnings- Language, alcohol consumption, slight angst, fluff, makeout session, implications of sex

SERIES TAGS, CHARACTER TAGS, FOREVER TAGS, FLUFF BINGO/ANGST BINGO TAGS ARE OPEN. SEND ME AN ASK!

*PLEASE EXCUSE ANY AND ALL GRAMMAR MISTAKES*

A/N- Previously “Flawless” but now “The Hunter Diaries.” I had some serious writer’s block with this series, causing it to go on a short-ish hiatus, but now it’s back and I should be writing/posting more. Hope y’all enjoy:)

The four of you stared at the trap speechless.

“How did he do that?” You asked. Sam looked at you with wide eyes, giving you a shrug.

“I have no idea,” He said. “It may be his hybrid side.”

“Yeah but still,” You said. “He’s part demon. Shouldn’t he be stuck?”

“Theoretically,” Dean grumbled.

“Why didn’t he just walk across the line? Kill her now?” Sam pondered.

“I dunno,” Dean shrugged.

“Well, that’s great,” You said bitterly. You crossed your arms over your chest and let out a sigh.

“Now what are we going to do?” Bobby asked. “The bastard doesn’t get trapped inside devil’s traps, the blade doesn’t work on him, we have no idea what the hell else he is. We’re just a bunch of idjits with our thumbs up our asses.”

“We’ll figure this out,” Dean said. You scoffed and rolled your eyes. The whole situation was completely fucked up. You had no idea what Aamon was or how to kill him and quite frankly, your life span wasn’t looking too good.

Dean seemed to have hope, something you lacked. Aamon was old and strong. He was able to break through wardings that could keep the strongest demon away. And somehow, after twenty-one years, he broke through, and there was nothing stopping him from ripping your heart from your chest.

One thing that sat you with sourly was when he said he’d kill your father and the brothers. He never had shown interest in them in the past, he would have come after them sooner, right? But why now is he showing interest?

He knows you’d do anything to protect the people you love. He doesn’t truly care about them, they’re just leverage to him. There’s no reason to kill them or keep them alive, not in his eyes at least. Your biological parents were in the way, your siblings were in the way, Carter was in the way. They were all in the way of you.

But if the boys weren’t in the way, they’d be fine. Aamon wouldn’t have the need to kill them. He knew you’d protect them, not letting him kill the people you love. He knew you’d give yourself to him before that ever happened. That’s why he threatened them.

A switch clicked in your brain, the reason he didn’t walk across the edge of the trap, the reason he didn’t just kill you right there, dawned on you. He wanted you to give up, to surrender. He wanted you to know he’s in power and to give in to him. He wanted to show you he was in control and how easy it was to make you break. To make you his.

You let out a breath and walked over to Bobby’s desk, reaching underneath it and grabbing the bottle that sat under the faded wood. You sat down and put your feet up on the desk, unscrewing the cap and taking a long drink, feeling the amber liquid burn your throat deliciously.

The three men gave you a disappointed look and you just stared back, taking another drink. You didn’t give two fucks about what they thought of you. You needed something to take the edge off.

“Y/N, we’ll figure this out,” Dean said again. You shrugged and took another drink.

“Yeah, sure.” You said bitterly. You sighed and looked out the window, the cloudy sky matching your mood.

“We aren’t going to let him get to you, Birdy,” Bobby said. “We’ll find out how to kill him.”

“I’m not going to let him get to you,” You said standing up. “You heard what he said. If any of you get in the way of me, you’re dead. And I’m sure as hell not going to let that happen.”

“So, what, you’re just going to roll over and give up?” Dean asked.

“Hell no. But if it comes down to it, I’m not letting you die for me,” You stressed. “You guys are too important to me-” Your eyes locked with Dean’s. They were pained and unnerved, matching yours- “I wouldn’t be able to handle another person I love dying. I mean, when Dean died, that practically killed me.”

“But how do you think we’ll be if you die? You think I can live without you, Y/N?” Dean whispered. He walked closer to you, taking the bottle from your hands and replacing it with his own. You grasped them tightly, and looked between his emerald orbs.

“You have Sam and Bobby,” You murmured. “Besides, I’ll be easily replaced.”

“Bullshit,” He said. You laid your head on his chest, allowing him to wrap his arms around you.

“You’re not dying. That’s not happening,” Bobby grumbled. “We’ll kill the bastard. But for now, I think we need to take precautions.”

“Like what?” You asked. You glanced up at Dean, who shrugged.

***

“Seriously?” You sighed. You glanced around the panic room and slumped your shoulders.

“Seriously,” Bobby said. “This’ll keep anything out. You’re safe in here.”

“So what, I’m a prisoner now?” You hissed. “This is crap. I should be helping you guys.”

“Not a prisoner.” Sam shook his head. “This is the only way to make sure he doesn’t find you. You’re completely safe in here.”

“I’m going to be alone in a freaking dungeon,” You grumbled. “I’m a prisoner.”

“You won’t be alone,” Dean said. Bobby and Sam began walking out of the room, Dean staying where he was, his eyes trained on you.

“What?”

“I’ll be here with you,” He said. He wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you flush against his chest. You stared up at him, your hands fisting themselves in his flannel.

“Why would you do that? You’re locked in here now,” You said.

“I love you,” He whispered. He bent down and pressed his lips against your forehead. “That’s why,” He murmured against your skin. “Besides, we’re alone. I bet no one can hear us down here.” He wiggled his brows, making you giggled.

He bent down lower, latching his lips onto your pulse point, his hands gripping your waist tighter.

“Dean…” You whined. He smiled against your skin and moved his hands to the round of your rear, a squeak sounding from your lips when he squeezed.

He chuckled and moved backwards, his lips finding yours once again as he fell back on the twin bed, bringing you down on top of him.

“Wait, no Dean,” You said rolling off of him. He furrowed his brows, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“What is it?” He asked. His eyes widened a bit when a thought struck him. “Are you a virgin?”

“What? No, I…” You sighed, running a hand down your face. “I can’t be on top of you. I’m too heavy.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” He asked, his thumb running across your cheekbone.

“I’m too heavy to be on top of you, Dean.”

He sighed and wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you closer and snuggling his face into the crook of your neck. He let out a long breath and shook his head.

“That’s not true, Y/N,” He muttered.

“Yes, it is,” You said.

“No, it’s not,” He said harshly. He lifted his head up, his face a mere two inches from yours. “How many times do I need to tell you?” He pressed his lips softly to your collarbone, moving up to the base of your throat. “You’re beautiful-” He moved his hand down from your waist to your thigh- “Absolutely beautiful.”

His hand moved inwards on your thigh, coming dangerously close to the ache between your legs. You ran your hands up his sides to cup his face, bringing his lips back to your own. Bringing his arm around your back, he rolled over on to his own, bringing you on top of him, your legs straddling his thighs.

You broke apart from him, his lips latching on to your jaw. “Dean-”

“No,” He murmured against your skin. His hands landed on your legs, squeezing them affectionately. “Let me show you how beautiful you are-” He pulled back to look you straight in the eye, his hand coming up to cup your cheek- “Let me show you how much I love you.”

***

THD series tag list:

@volleyballer519

@francezka10

@anime-music-is-life

@super–dale

@diariesofthebeautyobsessed

@weirdoblogger69

@hardworkingmidgetartist

@superdeadlucilenatural

@wingedcatninja

@waywardnerd67

@donnanoblerocks

@thewaywardvalkyrie

@docharleythegeekqueen

@fralackles

@blonde-ambitions

@lovelyrocker

@gracefullcowgirl

@arses21434

@deangirl7695

@raining-murder

@rubynationwins

@sammedeansandwhich

@lunasage96

@jotink78

@ashleydivine

@amanda-marie-1997

@brewsthespirit-blog

@dammit-brii

@imagine-inc

@jendee05

@moonstar86

@toomuchtv95

@jo-l-ab

@katsanders

@ms-sith

@mystriee

@mirandaaustin93

@nessadominquez

@woodworthti666

@aimee-ginge

@xristina-gkika

@carryonmaywaywardstar

@allykat2108

@just-a-fiction-lover

@gh0stgurl

@jules12345678910

@angelsandwinchesters

@shamelesslydean

Forever tag list:

@jennalyncarrigan1230

@mogaruke

@kittyk26

@lurelarry

@luciferslucille

@cookiecakeslive

@wheres-my-cheese

@supernatural-strangerthings-1980

@sunnysaysbookreviews

@nyxveracity

@raining-murder

@just-a-supernatural-sister

SPN tag lists:

@impatient-witch

@sandlee44

@blackcherrywhiskey

@ain-t-bovvered

Dean/Jensen tags:

@aubreystilinski

@whimsicalrobots

Forever tag list:

@jennalyncarrigan1230

@mogaruke

@kittyk26

@lurelarry

@luciferslucille

@cookiecakeslive

@wheres-my-cheese

@supernatural-strangerthings-1980

@sunnysaysbookreviews

@nyxveracity

@raining-murder

@just-a-supernatural-sister

SPN tag lists:

@impatient-witch

@sandlee44

@blackcherrywhiskey

@ain-t-bovvered

Dean/Jensen tags:

@aubreystilinski

@whimsicalrobots

Tagging a few lovelies:

@waywardnerd67

@waywardbaby

163 notes · View notes

riflescopesbuy-blog · 6 years

Text

What does a scope do for you?

One of the main uses of a riflescope is to magnify your target, giving you a clearer sight picture than with the naked eye. This not only allows you to shoot more accurately at a greater distance, but it also increases safety, since you can better see the target and what lies behind it.

A scope can also give you more hunting time early and late in the day. These are two prime times for big game to be moving to and from bedding areas, but with iron sights, often there is not enough ambient light available to make an ethical shot. Riflescopes gather available light and make it possible for you to accurately shoot in low-light conditions.

rifle scope brands list

A riflescope also allows a higher level of precision than traditional iron sights. At 100 yds., an iron ramp sight will cover up to 6" of the target. Precise bullet placement is limited by the large amount of the target that is covered. However, riflescopes use various reticles (commonly called crosshairs) that in fine target models only cover an 1/8" at 100 yds. This is the ultimate in precision, allowing you to place a shot exactly where you want every time — even in the same hole as the previous one.

Finally, a riflescope allows you to take full advantage of the modern cartridges and rifles available today. New calibers and rifles shoot flatter, farther, and have more energy than turn-of-the-century models. With a correctly mounted and sighted in riflescope and a little practice, hunters can now make precise shots on game at longer distances than before thought possible.

The numbers and what they mean

When you first look at scopes, you will be in awe of the number and models available. Manufacturers use a series of numbers for comparison, and without knowing what they mean, it is hard to make an accurate comparison.

Power

Commonly a riflescope will be expressed in a series of numbers such as 3.5-10x50 or 4x32 (power-power x objective dia.). Power expresses the magnification as a factor compared to the naked eye. So in a fixed power scope, such as the 4x32, the object in view is magnified four times. An object would appear to be four times closer than it would with the naked eye. Therefore, a higher number has a greater magnification. Most scopes sold today are variable power, such as the 3.5-10 mentioned above. This allows greater versatility, since in this case, the shooter can vary the magnification from 3.5 to up to 10, with infinite values in between.

The power that you select depends on the kind of hunting you will be doing. If you are planning on hunting in close cover, you will want either a low-power fixed scope, such as a 4X or a variable that goes down to 3.5X or even lower. This will give you a wider field of view and allow you to acquire a target quickly in close cover. On the other hand, if long range varmint or target shooting is in your plans, you might want a scope that goes as high as 16X or even 20X. This will allow you to see small prairie dogs or the 10-ring clearly at 400 yds. For all around hunting, a range of 3.5-10 or 4-12 will allow some serious range variation, while still dialing down for close shots.

Objective

The second number in a scope, such as the "50" in a 3.5-10x50, is the diameter of the objective lens in millimeters. A larger number indicates a larger lens. Large lenses are more bulky, but they also offer a bit larger field of view and let in more light, which makes your image clearer - especially in low-light conditions.

The low-light performance is due to the maximum exit pupil offered by a larger objective. Exit pupil is the size of the beam of light that leaves the scope. The exit pupil can easily be calculated (in mm) by dividing the diameter of the objective lens by the power. Therefore, a 4x32 scope has an exit pupil of 8mm. On a bright day, the human pupil will vary from 2mm at noon to 4mm later in the day. When your eyes become adapted to dark conditions, such as pre-dawn and after sunset, when big game is moving, the pupil will vary from 5mm to a maximum of 9mm.

On a bright day, having a scope with a larger exit pupil will have little effect. The only difference you may notice is that you will be able to move the scope and still maintain the image. In low light, the exit pupil is the biggest factor in getting as much light as possible to your eye.

Tube Diameter

The majority of the scopes on the market come with the main tube having a 1" dia. Several European models and now a few others also come with a 30mm tube dia. Contrary to popular belief, the larger tube does not allow more light to reach your eye. The exit pupil mentioned above controls this. However, a larger tube diameter does give added strength and rigidity due to the greater cross sectional area and larger rings and mounts. A larger tube diameter also allows for an increased range of adjustment for windage and elevation. Length and Weight When carrying your rifle for a long time, every extra ounce can weigh you down. While larger objectives and variable power have their benefits, the extra ounces quickly add up for all these features. If you are looking to minimize the weight of a rifle that you will be carrying a lot, consider a compact, fixed-power scope with a medium-sized objective. It will provide a large exit pupil with a bright image and weigh a lot less than a variable power scope.

How the scope works

Glass

ED glass or extra-low-dispersion glass delivers sharper images and superior color fidelity. The various wavelengths produced by standard lenses are wider and focused at different points along the optical axis. ED glass narrows and directs the wavelengths of visible light into a single focal point, which virtually eliminates chromatic aberrations and produces true-to-life colors.

High-definition glass (HD) is a term that’s often used to refer to ED glass. However, because HD is somewhat understood by the public, it’s also used to describe other optical features. In reality, HD isn’t a type of glass or lens, but a term that describes a higher light transmission or image resolution that goes beyond what the human eye can perceive.

Optical Coatings

The largest limitation of light transmission in riflescopes is reflected light. Anytime that light strikes a glass surface, up to 5% of the light can be reflected back. However, if a thin chemical film (commonly magnesium fluoride) is used to coat the surface of the glass, much of the reflection can be eliminated. The coating reduces light loss and glare, increasing light transmission and resulting in brighter, clearer images. By coating a surface with multiple films, the effect of the coating is increased, at times limiting the amount of reflected light to 0.25% to 0.5% per glass surface.

Reticle

The reticle is the aiming point within the scope — commonly called "crosshairs" due the standard arrangement being two thin wires that cross. They are also available in different combinations, including pointed posts, dots, multiple dots and bars. One of the more common reticles is a duplex or multiplex design where the main crosshairs are thicker for easier viewing (especially in low light), and as they near the center where they cross, the crosshairs become very fine. This is great for aiming at a background with dense cover. For long-range shooting, you'll want a reticle that displays MIL or MOA marks for hold over. Illuminated reticles vary greatly in their application. For hunting and long range, sub-MOA sized markings are ideal, while red-dots and other illuminated reticles are for close range and fast target acquisition. You will want to choose a reticle that best suits your style of shooting.

Focal Planes

First-focal-plane, or front-focal-plane reticles sit in front of the magnification mechanism, so the reticle scales with magnification for a correct ballistic ladder at any range. It is able to be sighted in at any part of the magnification scale. This also allows a range estimate if you know the target size relative to the MILs on your reticle.

Second focal plane, also known as rear focal plane, is the simplest and most common reticle placement style, sitting behind the magnification mechanism. This means the reticle stays the same size through the entire magnification range. With this focal plane, as you move through the magnification range, the point of impact shifts. This is why the scope needs to be sighted in at maximum magnification, so as you zoom out, the change is almost unnoticeable.

Hybrid reticles are becoming common among scopes with an electronically illuminated aiming point (think ¼-MOA red dot within MIL- or MOA-marked crosshairs). The focal point of the reticle rests in the second focal plane, where it stays the same size. The remainder of the reticle, MIL-spec crosshairs, zooms with your target so the hold-over compensation is accurate through the entire magnification range.

Custom Turrets

Some manufacturers can create custom windage and elevation turrets based on the ballistics you send them. The markings on the new turret typically correspond to the distance shot, to eliminate hold over. Factors include caliber, bullet weight, make, type, ballistic coefficient, velocity, elevation, cold-bore temperature, sight height over the bore line and zero distance.

Parallax Adjustment

The standard focusing knob on all scopes adjusts the reticle to your eye. Parallax occurs when viewing distant targets, and the reticle appears to shift or move. The parallax adjustment puts the reticle on the same focal plane as the target, so when you move your head, the crosshairs stay right where the projectile is going to be. Most scopes without adjustable objectives are factory set to compensate for parallax and focus at an optimum distance of 100 or 150 yds. Parallax is usually only an issue at magnification over 10X. When looking at a scope that will be used for distant targets in higher power, an adjustable objective is a good choice.

Gas Purging

Gas purging aids in the waterproofing process by preventing fogging of the inside of the lenses. Mostcommon are nitrogen and argon gasses with some hybrids of the two in the mix.

Eye Relief

This is the comfortable distance that a scope can be held from the eye and still allow the shooter to see the entire image. It is literally the distance of your shooting eye to the eyepiece. It will usually be stated as a range, since in a variable-power scope the eye relief will vary with the power. Lateral adjustment can be made while mounting the scope to give the individual shooter the optimum eye relief. On a rifle, the more generous the eye relief, the better. This will allow you to acquire the target more quickly, which is a must for running shots. 3" to 4" is a good number that will fit most hunters. On large, magnum rifles, you want a maximum of relief, so when the rifle recoils, the scope doesn¿t come back and possibly injure the shooter.

Common terms to understand

Field of View

Or FOV for short. What this means is how wide the area is (in ft.) that you can view at 100 yds. A higher number indicates a wider area, while a smaller number indicates a narrower area. The focal length of the objective lenses and the eyepiece design have the most impact on the actual FOV. The power of the scope has an inverse relationship with FOV. As the magnification increases, a smaller FOV results. If you are looking for a scope for quick target acquisition in close cover, you will need a wider field of view and therefore, a smaller power.

Minute of Angle

Or MOA for short, is a term to designate variances on a target at 100 yds. distant. Most commonly, it is used to describe the adjustment on a scope. 1 MOA is equal to 1.047". If a scope’s adjustments are listed at 1/4 MOA, then for every click of the adjustment knob, the bullet’s point of impact will move 0.26175", rounded to 1/4" at 100 yds.

MILs

Short-hand for milliradians, serves the same purpose as MOA; however, the math behind them is vastly different. MILs are more suited for fast target acquisition and quick shooting because there is more hold over involved than MOA. Here is a quick math lesson on MILs and MOA. 1 MIL = 3.438 MOA, 1 MOA = 1.047", both at 100 yds. So to find out how many inches are in 1 MIL, we have to multiply how many inches are in 1 MOA times how many MOA are in 1 MIL. The equation is 1.047 x 3.438 = 3.599" per MIL (rounded to 3-2/3"). If the scope says it is adjustable in 0.1 MIL clicks, this translates to 0.3599 MOA at 100 yds., or 0.3768153", or rounded to 1/3" for simplicity.

Windage and Elevation

Windage is the term for horizontal adjustment of your scope. Elevation is the adjustment of the scope in the vertical direction.

Types of scopes

Air-gun Scopes

The unique recoil pattern of spring piston air guns requires the purchase of a special air-gun scope. Unlike centerfire and rimfire rifles that recoil only in one direction, airguns recoil both rearward and forward. This double recoil action can damage scopes that are not designed to handle it.

Crossbow Scopes

Like airguns, crossbows also boast unique recoil patterns that can cause regular rifle scopes to lose their zero. Also, the reticles with drop compensation accommodate a bolt's flight trajectory.

Handgun, Shotgun and Muzzleloader Scopes

In short, they're all built to take on the recoil associated with the type of firearm they’re made for.

When mounting a scope on a handgun, you will need a special pistol scope that has an eye relief of 12" to 24". This will allow you to hold your handgun in a comfortable shooting stance and still see the full image through the scope.

Shotgun and muzzleloader scopes are configured to hunt in close quarters, 200 yds. or less. Their powers are low, with a max of 9X. Objective lenses are small to fit over the large barrels.

Purpose-Specific Configurations

Built for predator hunting and tactical use, nightvision and thermal-imaging scopes and accessories allow hunters to take safe, calculated shots without shining spotlights on the animals, preventing spooking.

Shop Cabela's entire selection of top-branded

0 notes

bestsurvivalus · 6 years

Text

Ranking The 10 Best Trail Cameras of 2018

A good trail camera comes in a rugged and, ideally, weatherproof design that’s capable of extended and unmanned use in the outdoors. It will give you clear images of the different game in your area that will help you identify and track the species you’re looking for.

Most cameras automatically take a picture when they sense motion in their area, but there are a lot of other features that separate good cameras from great ones. Our list of the Top Ten Trail Cameras will help you weed out the competition and settle on one that’ll truly suit your intended purpose. Also, be sure to check out our Buyer’s Guide for precise information on how to choose a trail camera.

1. Foxelli Trail Camera