#bisexual witch protagonist

[helenaheissner]

Magical Girl Exorcist Squad (Issue #5: Nicole Begins)

“WAIT!” Heather said before they were three feet out the door. 

“No, we’ve gone too far,” Debbi said. 

“But…”

“But what?” 

“But Nick needs a bra,” Heather said. 

The five of them stood in the hallway of the brownstone, the sound of terrified screaming outside intermixed with the pleasurable cries of a sapphic party in a room upstairs. “Dangit,” Nick said, looking down as she realized her nipples were poking through her shirt. 

“Oh come on,” Amy said. “She doesn’t need a-”

“Physical therapy major here, I disagree,” Nick rolled her eyes. Amy was... Going to be a lot to deal with. “Heather, can I borrow a bra?”

Heather cupped her massive bust, at least twice the size of Nick's more modest rack. “I don’t think that’s gonna be a good fit.”

“Okay,” Nick said, “Do any of you others-”

“We don’t live here, genius,” Amy snarled. “How would we have extra bras here? Or do you expect one of us to go into a fight braless for your benefit?”

“Er… No,” Nick said. Gosh, Amy is a jerk. 

“There are other women in this house,” Cass pointed out. “We could ask one of them.”

“We don’t have time for this,” Amy said, rubbing her temples. 

Cass, eyes narrow, face blank, put a hand on Amy’s shoulder. “Go. I’ll stay with Nick and we’ll meet you as soon as we get there.”

Amy grinned and tousled Cass’ hair, turning it into a raven-black bird’s nest of a coif. “Okay, fine. Do not take long! Lives are literally at stake here!”

And they went ahead, leaving Cass and Nick to go door to door in the building asking the resident’s Heather’s sorority if any of them had an a-cup bra to spare for a transgender girl whose breasts had only just started to weigh on her. It took twenty minutes, but eventually they struck paydirt via a tall drunk girl named Veronica. 

Finally, Nick had on a bra. It was a tight fit, but the comfort on her back was an immediate and pronounced relief. And the warm flood of joy it pushed into her, settled in her chest, over her heart, next to her shield… It was very, very nice. Is this... Gender euphoria? she wondered.

They bolted outside and ducked into an alley so Cass could transform into her red Magical Girl form and summoned her broom. “Get on!” Cass said, hopping onto the floating ash wood staff.

“How is that gonna be able to support both our weight?” Nick asked, putting a hand underneath her chin. 

“Magic,” Cass said blandly. 

“Oh. Right. Magic.”

Nick got on, holding her arms around the freshman girl’s waist as they rocketed through the mid-day sky of Boston towards the source of the explosion. They came upon a building on campus, the Gail Simone Music Hall, a flat-topped, twenty-story concrete building that housed a concert hall. The top of the building was blanketed with an impenetrable darkness, through which only brief, sharp spears of light jutted out. 

“Amy’s laid down cover already,” Cass said. 

“Oh yeah- she can produce shadows and darkness,” Nick said. 

“That’s right.”

“Suits her personality,” Nick muttered. 

Cass said nothing. 

“That was a joke,” Nick said. “I didn’t really mean-”

“Amy is my best friend,” Cass said. And that was all there was to it. 

“Right,” Nick sighed. Fitting in here... Fitting in generally is gonna be an uphill battle. “And Debbi’s power is producing light- makes sense. What’s Heather’s?”

“Super strength, amplified exponentially by the total number of her opponents she’s currently facing,” Cass said. “My power, telekinesis, works on the same principle. Amy and Debbi’s power, however, works on a different principle: they are able to control light and shadows respectively with far greater finesse based on how well they’re getting along at a given moment.”

“Huh,” Nick said. That had to be the longest consecutive string of sentences she’d heard Cass say thus far. “Well, they are sisters, I guess that makes sense. Wait, they were having an argument over me like a half-hour ago!”

“So we should get to work, then,” Cass said. 

“Agreed. What’s the plan?”

“Oh, I don’t really come up with plans. That’s more Debbi’s forte, unfortunately.”

Nick’s eyes narrowed to the point of matching Cass’ typical expression. “I see. Well then, can I make a suggestion?”

“By all means,” Cass said. 

“We should go in low, poke our heads up and try to gather information,” Nick said. 

“Good idea.”

Cass lowered the broom to just above street level and approached the music hall. Onlookers pointed and took pictures and said an auditory slush of proclamations as the magical girls flew past them. Nick swore she saw the Bishop and Father Gonzalez there as well. Guess that's another awkward coming out talk I'm having today, she thought. 

She and Cass floated upwards towards the black. It was a sphere of pure darkness, impenetrable save for the shafts of illumination that pierced the veil. 

The darkness sat overhead. They raised themselves into it, until their heads were within the shadow. Everything was dark. 

“You’re gonna pay for this, Heather!” a familiar feminine timbre cried out. “The only way to save me is to admit you love me and not these other bitches!”

“No, you love me, not these two sluts!” said another familiar voice.

“No, me, not these c-”

“Enough!” Heather said, footsteps bounding on the flat cement surface of the building. 

Through shards of light, Nick perceived the three girls she’d seen in Heather’s room the other day. The three with whom Heather had… Shared a group experience. Each of them held a knife to their own throats, and each of them had eyes completely dominated by darkness. Solid black, no longer their own. They were possessed. Blue Blazes, they were possessed. This was bad- this wasn’t just an object infested with a demon, these people were possessed, like the people on the whale watch had been. And they were about to kill themselves- or rather, the demons inside them were about to kill them. 

Debbi had said demons possess people by exploiting their established flaws and insecurities- these three must have been a bit more jealous of each other than they’d wanted to admit- which made sense, Nick supposed that if she were sharing a girl with two other people, she might feel a bit insecure herself. Oh so we're thinking about girls that way now, are we, brain? Here I was thinking we didn't think about anyone that way. Glad to know we had this conversation without me.

Feet shuffled over the rooftop, the possessed girls constantly changing position as the shards of light bandied about and briefly revealed locations. One of the girls, a short, southeast Asian girl with black hair bound in tight twin-tail braids, pivoted and narrowly avoided Heather, who tripped over her momentum and fell to the ground. The possessed girl lunged at Heather with her knife, and Heather took a blade to the shoulder. 

“Ahhhhhh!!!” Heather screamed. 

Nick found herself attempting to leap from the broomstick onto the roof, but Cass stopped her with a tug of her sleeve. “We need to figure out where everyone is,” Cass whispered. 

“Right,” Nick grunted. 

The first demon fled before Heather could respond, leaving Heather bleeding on the ground.

“Heather, Heather, Heather,” another possessed girl, a tall, red-headed white girl with pixie cut, said, dancing about the rooftop in between roaming shafts of light. “Why did you have to play us off each other like that?”

“How the hell did I play you off of each other?” Heather’s voice sailed across the black expanse. “We discussed all this a month ago at the start of the school year! I drew up a contract and got us a bottle of my dad's stout to commemorate!”

“Did you really think none of us would be jealous? Did you really think we’d all be fine sharing someone like you?”

“Yes!”

“Well then…,” the ginger demon stumbled, “Well then you’re a dumb slut!”

“Excuse you, bitch?!” Heather shouted.

Nick heard her footsteps inching forward from the other end of the roof. Someone in the dark was moving forward.  

The ginger demon did the same, gradually advancing and lowering the knife from her throat. A searchlight carved a path through the darkness behind the demon, gradually growing closer and closer, slowly revealing Amy lunging for the monster, fists resplendent with holy light. She struck a blow to the small of the demon’s back, and both the monster and the girl it was wearing screamed as black light flooded from her mouth and eyes and was banished from the earthly plane of existence. Amy caught the girl as she fell unconscious, holding her tight and setting her gingerly on the ground… 

… As another possessed girl, a Hispanic girl with wide hips and curly hair, ran up behind her and plunged a knife into Amy’s back, stabbing again and again and again, blood rushing out in a massive, unabated crimson flow. 

Amy screeched with agony, and the black marble of darkness shattered, vanishing from existence and revealing the harsh light of the afternoon sun. The demon stood over Amy’s bleeding, twitching body, beginning to lower the knife, aiming for the magical girl’s skull. 

In front of Nick, Cass growled. She shoved her hands forward, and a blast of invisible power slammed into the demon, knocking her backwards and stripping the knife from her hands. The demon went hurdling forwards, past Amy, towards the edge of the roof, where Heather caught her and exorcized her before she could fall. 

Cass jumped onto the roof, Nick following as the broomstick vanished. 

“AMY!” Cass cried. 

Nick cringed- that wasn’t good. They were supposed to avoid real names when they could. 

… Wait. Where was the first one?! The demon possessing the Asian girl-

“Amy? Huh. I would’ve thought an uptight bitch like you went by your full name- Amanda or something. But Amy, gotcha. Well, that’s two of your names we’ve got for sure,” the first demon marched forward, knife at Debbi’s throat. She marched towards Amy, who laid bleeding on the ground, surrounded by Cass and flanked by the bleeding Heather. “Guess the General was right on the money-”

Nick saw her chance, creeping towards the demon slowly. Cass registered her presence, and gave her a shallow nod. 

And so did Debbi, who sang with a massive column of white light that reached for the setting sun, a signal flare right to the demon’s face as Nick broke into a sprint and clasped her glowing hand around the demon’s shoulder. It spasmed, dropping the knife but digging its fingernails into the possessed girl’s arm. It howled, and the shadows began to leak from the eyes and mouth and nostrils, but its grip was still ironclad. 

“Amy,” it said, “I’ll remember that name. After all, you’re the one we’ve been looking for.”

And finally, it let go, the shadows flooding out and fading away. 

Debbi caught the unconscious brunette before she fell, and then she and Nick rushed over to Amy. Debbi's sister was bleeding out the lower back, the life fading from her eyes, and she whispered, again and again, “I can’t feel my legs, I can’t feel my legs, I can’t feel my legs-”

Nick looked down at this girl, this young woman, this hero, this bigot, who had hurt her, who had been willing to die and to suffer to save someone she didn’t know, who she may not have even liked, who may not particularly like anyone. Debbi wept, and Heather wept, and tears streamed down Cass’ quiet, stunned face. Nick's fingers twitched, the light engulfing her hands changed from crisp white to pastel pink. 

An idea formed in her mind, of what her individual power might be. It was what she was already studying, what she knew. Making hurt people feel better. Getting them back on their feet. 

She laughed. She may not have liked Amy very much, but this was still the right thing to do. She just hoped she had the right idea, and that this wouldn’t somehow make things worse. 

“Let me try something,” Nick said, and she reached for the wound on Amy’s back. 

The pink light surged from Nick’s soul, a bottomless well of gentle strength that geysered through her and gave her an undeniable feeling of being so wonderfully alive. It poured into Amy’s wound, and it was as if a string went from Nick’s hand to the inside of Amy’s body. It went through and tended to the broken bits, the shattered vertebrae and the punctured blood vessels, and stitched them up and pumped pure vitality into them. Nick felt bones knit back together, felt blood resume its normal flow, felt life return to deadened legs and a deadened soul. 

The pink light dissipated. 

The bleeding stopped, the wound sewed itself shut. 

Amy’s leg twitched. “I can feel it. I can… I feel good. Great!” She turned herself over and sat up, looking at the blood on her own hands, and on Nick’s hands. “Did… Did you?”

Nick nodded. 

Amy scowled as she cried, and through gritted teeth she spat, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

She dropped to her knees again, and Debbi and Cass held her. 

Nick sat down, and Heather shimmied over to her and gave her a thumb’s up, then gestured to her shoulder wound.

Nick nodded vigorously, and helped onto the pink light and healed Heather as well. It was positively exhausting, and yet Nick suspected this would be the easy part of today.

***

Amy insisted she was able to walk herself down, but Debbi still held her sister as they descended the stairs. Heather and Nick walked ahead of Cass- Heather was saying something that Cass had tuned out, while Nick had her hands shoved in her pockets and kept quiet. 

Cass was proud of Nick, and ashamed of herself. She’d acted rashly, and failed to neutralize the second or third demons until it was nearly too late to be effective. She was off her game- she just wished she knew why. She’d been off her game since coming to college, if she was being honest with herself. Maybe it was the change of scenery, maybe it was how big the team had gotten, or maybe it was just that she was tired. 

Something would need to change, and Cass had the feeling that the new girl would be a big part of that change. The dynamics of the team had shifted dramatically when Debbi had awakened her powers- someone Amy truly cared for, who might be in danger now, caused her best friend’s priorities to shift. And now Nick was here, someone Amy clearly did not care for, and yet who had saved her life regardless. Things were changing. Adding all that in with the fact that they’d had four demon attacks in as many days, something that had never happened erstwhile, plus the part where the demons now seemed just as interested in possessing humans as they were in infesting objects… Things were changing. 

Cass sighed and scratched the back of her head. Nothing was ever simple, and nothing was ever static. 

Father Gonzalez, Sister Quinn, and Bishop Roberts waited for them outside the bottom floor of the building, at the front of the usual pack of eager onlookers who desired a conversation or a selfie with the local superheroes. A few campus security guards held the civilians back while the clergy members approached the magical girls.

“Excellent work, ladies,” Father Gonzalez said. “Where are the three victims?”

“On the roof,” Debbi said. “Nick didn’t want to move them in case it exacerbated their condition. They’re waiting on paramedics up top.”

Father Gonzalez motioned for the paramedics behind him to go up to the roof. “We also have trauma counselors standing by.”

“Good,” Amy said. “They’re going to need them. I’m probably going to need them.”

“Why?”

“I got stabbed through the spine.”

“Then how are you…,” Father Gonzalez said. “Wait, you said Nick- where is he?”

Ahead of her, Cass saw Nick’s shoulders tense. Saw Father Gonzalez lock eyes with Nick. Saw recognition on his face. 

“I’m right here,” Nick said, head tilted down. Cass ambled over to her side to get a look at her face- she might be able to glean something about the situation from that. Probably not, given Cass' track record, but maybe. She- oh, oh boy, ooohhh boy she looks like she’s about to cry- this is gonna be a long night oh boy.

“N-Nicolas?” Bishop Roberts exclaimed. “What on earth has happened to you, my son?”

“I,” Nick stammered, “I-I-”

“This is horrible,” Roberts continued, “I’m so sorry about this- it must be weighing on you heavily. Being forced to become something you’re not-”

“That’s not what this is,” Nick whispered. 

“I- I’m sorry, what?” Roberts said, marching over to them. 

Debbi and Heather formed a wall in front of Nick. 

“I’m becoming who I really am,” Nick said. She gulped, her face a shattering pane of glass. “I’m trans.”

“No,” Roberts said, shaking his head. “You’re not. That’s absurd.”

“Bishop,” Sister Quinn said, her forehead wrinkling. “Perhaps we should wait until tomorrow to unpack this-”

“No, it happens now,” Roberts said. “Nicholas, you’re supposed to be the first man with the power-”

“I’m not,” Nick said, her voice having shot up another octave since the fight ended. “No man has the power. I have it BECAUSE I’m a woman. And my name… My name is Nicole!”

“No, Nicholas, it’s not,” Roberts said, brushing past Debbi. Heather grabbed him by the shoulder, her biceps bulging as her rage spiked. 

“Bishop,” Father Gonzalez said, “I really don’t think we should be having this conversation out in the open like this-”

“And where do you suggest we do this?” the Bishop said. 

“Somewhere there isn’t a crowd of onlookers, perhaps?” Cass asked, eyes narrow. God, I'd like to go to bed.  

The Bishop seemed to finally register her presence at that point. And then he finally registered the fact that an entire crowd of people were staring at them in confusion, some of them furiously typing on their phones and no doubt posting this all to social media. 

"Right," Bishop Roberts said, scratching the back of his head.

They walked back to the chapel engulfed in a silence of such profound awkwardness Cass suddenly missed the eerily quiet dinners she and her mother used to have. A little. Almost. Not really, but still. When they arrived, Bishop Roberts slammed the doors to the church behind him. 

“Now then,” the Bishop said standing at the pulpit, “Nicolas, I understand you’re confused, but that’s because you’re sick-”

“She’s not any sicker than I am,” Heather said, hands on her hips, looking him directly in the eyes while standing before the altar. 

“Yes, I suppose that’s true,” the Bishop glared back at her. “Miss Hanazawa, I’ve turned a blind eye to your various… Indiscretions… Thus far. I don’t recommend pushing your luck. Not when-”

“Not when what, I’m already a sinner? Is that where you’re going with this?!”

“I never said that- I simply implied that-”

“Bishop, please calm down,” Sister Quinn implored him as she walked over to the canter. “No matter what’s wrong with them, these are still God’s children!”

"Nicole, what do you think?" Cass said from her seat in a pew right before the altar. The girl would need to be her own advocate here, something she probably wasn't used to being. First time for everything, though.

“I think I’m a daughter of God,” Nicole said, pacing up and down the center aisle. “I’ve accepted that now. It’s why I was chosen for this. And I finally feel alive. But if you don’t want me here, I’ll go.”

Cass thought, Oh for fuck's sake- not what I had in mind! Did not have the self-sacrificing Christian maneuver in mind, girl!

“Go where?” Debbi said pointed out from a pew a few rows behind Cass. “You look completely different now! You need new identifications, new records new everything! Where are you even going to live?”

“I don’t know,” Nicole said. “But I’ll figure it out. This team is important for keeping this city safe. And I wanna help with that, but if my being here becomes a hindrance-”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Father Gonzalez said, walking up to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. “Mija.”

Nicole gulped again, and a smile bloomed on her face. 

That's so sweet, Cass thought. Why the hell can't they all be like that?

“Father Gonzalez! How dare you?! You do not get to make that call!” the Bishop bellowed. “The simple fact of the matter is that the Holy Catholic Church does not recognize transgender people, because God does not make mistakes! Even if I personally approved- which I DO NOT- we would have to go through the Archdiocese of Boston. It’s standard protocol.”

“Then don’t we have an obligation to do so?” Father Gonzalez said, approaching the standoff between Roberts and Heather. “Faith and Reason are both the tenets of our institution- would this not constitute proof of the validity of trans people? This young woman was recognized by God for what she is and called to a sacred duty to fighting the legions of Hell. This is important information, information that the archdiocese, that the Vatican, needs to know.”

“They’ll reject it out of hand,” Sister Quinn said, taking a seat in a pew next to Cass. God, the woman was quiet- Cass hadn’t even heard her approaching. 

“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try,” Heather said. 

“Nicole,” Cass said, “Do you want us to do that?” Nicole stopped pacing, clenched her fists, and stood in the proverbial headlights of that decision. Cass could practically see the gears turning in her head. 

“... Yes,” Nicole finally said. “I do. I want to help people, to save lives, and to fight evil. I’m still going to, even if I can’t be on this team, but if there’s even a one percent chance Rome will give their approval then I think I have to.”

“Fair enough,” Sister Quinn said with a shrug. 

Cass gave a half-hearted thumbs’ up. 

The Bishop groaned. Loudly. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he realized he'd been out-Catholic'd. “Very well then. But as you’ve pointed out, what’s most important, even beyond the political aspect of this, is saving lives and stopping the demons. And for that, the five of you would need to work as a team. So, if the team can unanimously agree to allow Mr. Nygaard to stay, then he can stay. By a show of hands, who is in favor of Nicolas staying?”

Debbi and Heather’s hands shot up instantly. Cass raised her hand as well. Seemed like the right thing to do. 

Amy’s jaw was clenched tight, and her hand was still low. 

“Amanda?” the Bishop said with a hopeful smile. “What say you?”

Nicole looked at the floor and bunched her hands together. 

Debbi and Heather glared. 

Cass gave her best friend in the world a hopeful smile, and a nod that said, ‘you know what the right thing to do is.’

And Amy raised her hand. “Nygaard… Nygaard saved my life today. Even though I… Said something awful about him. About… About her. She didn't hesitate. She’s a magical girl, through and through, and as far as I’m concerned, we take care of our own. She stays.”

Father Gonzalez smiled brightly. Sister Quinn clasped her hands, considering the implications of all this. 

Nicole stood up and pumped her fists. “Yes! Yes! Thank you thank you thank you-”

“Fine then,” the Bishop growled. “He stays. Father Gonzalez, make the arrangements with the university. I shall… I shall contact the Archdiocese on the morrow. For now, though, I’m going to sleep.”

He stomped down the hall, dragging his feet into the rectory. 

Nicole was busy fist-pumping, and Debbi and Heather joined her and offered crisp high-fives and solid hugs.

“Yeahhhhh,” Amy said, “I wouldn’t celebrate just yet.”

“Why?” Nicole asked. “Because of all the red tape we’re gonna have to deal with regarding my legal and academic records?”

“No. Well, yes, but there’s something else. Parents weekend is in two days.”

That was Nicole fainted again. 

Cass sighed, and resigned herself to the fact that she would have to get used to this. Nothing was simple. Nothing was static. 

buy the ebook here!

#magical girl exorcist squad #magical girl #urban fantasy #superheroes #action #original fiction #serial fiction #trans protagonist #trans woman #web novel #wlw #comedy #demons #supernatural #bisexual #enemies to lovers #enemies to friends to lovers #angels #dragons #witches #catholiscism #coming of age #coming out #boston #massachusetts #new england #college #university #romance

[libraryofbaxobab]

July 6, 2023:

Yeah, pretty solid YA witches vs fae. Bonus points for ace representation.

But honestly there's not a lot to say about it, so that's kind of a problem. It's not bad, but it's also not particularly inspiring. The most average book.

5/10

#WhatsKenyaReading

#whatskenyareading #books #reading #library #fantasy #audiobook #magic #witches #fae #goblins #not good for maidens #ace #ace representation #asexual #lgbtq+ #pansexual #bisexual #sapphic #asexual protagonist

[dykefaggotry]

like on paper the magicians is unbeatable. magic grad school w a bisexual protagonist and a gang of mentally ill faggots who all run off to discount narnia (btw narnia does exist in this universe and they just land in the Shit One). he has a toxic relationship w a powerful witch who turns into magical creature after she casts a spell So Powerful it eats her alive and she is textually the hero of the story. his best friend turns into a goddess. he falls in love with the guy assigned to give him the magic grad school tour who is a self-destructive gay man from indiana who accidentally killed a kid w telekinesis and who is ALSO the new high king of discount narnia. they have a kid together. all of the female characters are extremely complex characters who are allowed to be selfish and angry and volatile and all the male characters cry and get to be soft and motivated by their relationships and emotions.

the show is also the worst thing to ever happen to television and committed several hatecrimes against me and despite all this the last season wound up being one of the most misogynyistic and homophobic things I had the displeasure of watching

[fahye]

book recs sept/oct 2023

THE SPEAR CUTS THROUGH WATER by simon jiminez -- I have no idea how to describe this. best book I've read in a year. absolutely gutting and beautiful and intricately put-together fantasy about two young men escorting an escaped god-empress on a pilgrimage to bring down an empire. but actually it's so much more intimate than that. please please please read this book, it deserves the world. yes it's gay.

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO by jessica dettmann -- an aussie romcom tailored specifically to me, someone who imprinted on the kenneth branagh much ado about nothing movie. very meta and genre aware, lively and touching, a heap of fun.

LOOKING GLASS SOUND by catriona ward -- also very meta! it's uhhh about a bisexual disaster teen's coming-of-age summer, and also about the decades-later fight over who gets to control the narrative of that summer. and hauntings. and serial killers. every single one of ward's books is its own unique thing and a wonder to behold.

THE NOBLEMAN'S GUIDE TO SEDUCING A SCOUNDREL by kj charles -- if i haven't made you read any kjc books by now then what are we doing here. I don't know how she keeps getting better and better and better. this one is another slippery liar/stubbornly goodhearted but bad-tempered lord pairing. I adored every word.

NOT HERE TO MAKE FRIENDS by jodi mcalister (ARC) -- 3rd book in her series set on a bachelor-like tv show, and my hands-down favourite. friends to lovers but also make it schemer 4 schemer!! I would die for this ruthless tv villain and her sleep deprived gremlin producer and their intense, searing, incredible romance entirely free of conventional moral compasses.

THE HOLLOW PLACES by t. kingfisher -- how are her books both so hilarious and so wildly, skin-crawlingly unsettling?? I think it's because of how relatable the protagonist is. I would react EXACTLY like kara if I found an eerie alternate dimension nexus made of willow trees in the walls of my uncle's weird museum. superb and very readable horror.

THE GILDED CROWN by marianne gordon (ARC) -- fantasy with a sapphic romance between a death-witch and the assassinated princess she was hired to raise from the dead. yes you're right that DOES sound amazing. the writing is assured and smooth and propulsive; if you like stories with a heightened mythic/fairytale feel, you'll love this.

#book recs

[best-female-villain-tournament]

best female villain tournament!

SEASON 2

RULES:

- Only submit the same character once

- Multiple submissions with different characters are fine!

- Matchups will be posted as soon as I have enough submissions and will include the most submitted characters

-Resubmissions are fine as long as they weren’t on the tourney last time

- Please be as detailed as possible

I had issues on my end with some technicalities and media’s. eg a lot of characters from the hatchetfield musicals by team starkid were just submitted as hatchetfield which made it harder to search for them to identify them and get pictures etc. If those and similar fandoms could be submitted with what musical etc they’re from that would be great :)

Those who sent submissions through my askbox will be getting submitted by me unless it was off anon(because you’ll be getting a notification)

Cool people/awareness tags:

@tournament-announcer @bisexual-protagonist-competiton @the-ballerina-battle @the-great-british-blorbo-off @pinkhairswagtourney @childhoodfriendstoloversshowdown @most-tragic-character-tournament

characters in the last poll(please do not submit):

Makima(Chainsaw Man)

Dahlia Hawthorne(Ace Attorney)

The Handler(The Umbrella Academy)

Margaret Slitheen(Doctor Who)

Linda Monroe(Hatchetfield)

Miyo Takano(Higurashi When They Cry)

Diane Makepeace(Layton Brothers: Mystery Room)

Marisa Coulter(His Dark Materials)

Vespera(Keeper of the Lost Cities)

Master Cyclonis(Storm Hawks)

Exellinor the Witch(How To Train Your Dragon(books))

Lady Felmet(Discworld(Wyrd sisters))

Magica De Spell(Ducktales)

Twyla Sophio(Cemetery Mary)

Liliana(Oxventure)

Marie Campbell(Killer Frequency)

Jezaille Brett/Asa Shinn(Ace Attorney)

White Diamond(Steven Universe)

Medusa(Kid Icarus)

Bryce Tankthrust(Brandon Rogers/Bryce Tankthrust, CEO)

Beatrice(Umineko When They Cry)

Shiela young(Hatchetfield)

Odalia Blight(The Owl House)

Cora Mills(Once Upon a Time)

Alcina Dimitrescu(Resident Evil)

GLaDOS(Portal)

Eris(Sinbad)

Beroba(Kamen Rider Geats)

Poison Ivy(DC)

Harumi(Ninjago)

Lusamine(Pokemon)

Arlecchino(Genshin Impact)

Dr Olivia Octavius(Spiderman: Into The Spider-verse)

The Other Mother(Coraline)

Granny Rags(Dishonoured)

Larxene(Kingdom Hearts)

Morgana Pendragon(BBC Merlin)

Barbara Burgess(The Goes Wrong Show (90 Degrees))

Cinder Fall(RWBY)

Lanfear/Selene(Wheel of Time)

Azula(Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Queen Chrysalis(My Little Pony)

Mother Gothel(Tangled)

Cruella de Vil(101 Dalmations)

Missy(Doctor Who)

Nightmare Moon(My Little Pony)

Himiko Toga(My Hero Academia)

Maleficent(Sleeping Beauty)

The Iron Queen(Sonic the Hedgehog)

Lust(Fullmetal Alchemist)

Shego(Kim Possible)

Queen Beryl(Sailor Moon)

Medusa Gorgon(Soul Eater)

The Enchantress(Shovel Knight)

Delilah Briarwood(Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina)

Delilah Copperspoon(Dishonored)

Kaia(Motorcity)

Lady Gisela Sencen(Keeper of the Lost Cities)

Evelyn Deavor(the Incredibles)

Yzma(Emperors New Groove)

Madalena(Galavant)

Ragyo Kiryuin(Kill la Kill)

The Prince(Bullet Train)

Queen Cersei Lannister(Game of Thrones)

#i started watching the starkid musicals so they’re being used as examples #just assume you’re talking to someone who doesn’t know anything #announcements #season 2 #best-female-villain-tournament #submissions

[proudfreakmetarusonniku]

Just gotta mention how lovely the disability rep in The Owl House is. Luz, the main protagonist, has ADHD, which is treated as just a part of her and not like it’s some sort of horrible affliction or an excuse to misbehave. On top of that, she’s also mixed race bisexual girl, all groups that aren’t often portrayed as ADHD in media and especially with such kindness. Eda and Lilith’s curse is very clearly a metaphor for stuff such as chronic illness, and it contains the message that medication is good and necessary, and you can’t just find a miracle cure and will it away, you need to accept it as part of you and work around it to live happily, and that’s something that’s an excellent message for disabled kids when society views medication as a weakness and not completely ignoring your disability as either sad or lazy. Hunter’s both heavily implied to have PTSD (in a sensitively handled way), and his lack of magic, in universe, is a disability, even if it isn’t explicitly called that- he lacks a natural ability of witches, and uses his staff- and later, his palisman- to aid him.) On that note, Willow is shown to be a victim of ableist bullying, and is shown to have trouble with most forms of magic other than plant magic, which she’s a savant at- though whether she’s just not very good at them or if she physically cannot utilise magic other than plant magic to the same degree an average witch can is unclear. It’s genuinely something that makes me so fucking happy as a disabled person to see all these disabled characters in this show just allowed to exist and be people and not messages. And it’s especially cool to see those characters be so popular!

#the owl house #disability rep my beloved

[jensensitive]

this show has everything– inexplicable gay confessions that are never addressed again, death by rusty dildo, death by old age at 65, a really really really old englishman w a scottish mother who traded his soul for a bigger dick, evil bisexual god with a psychosexual obsession with the human born to carry his son inside him, human on dog attraction, dog on human attraction, an interdimensional tentacle monster trying to use the main character to breed, exploding dick sending your ass straight to purgatory, canonically killing all of the writers with a shotgun, the wicked witch of the west in a jar on a shelf in a server room from the 1950s, worm go inside you make you real thirsty, gay angel go to mormonville try to be straight and normal human man, gets lasso’d with a baby, gay angel try to kill half lucifer’s, half president’s, half republican lady’s baby, gets lasso’d with a baby, god making the main character not have diarrhea when he eats cheese, vore, gay cat man who the protagonist is allergic to, accidentally polygamous angel, kidney ghost make mannequin come to life, abraham lincoln, ghost dad that you carry around in your pocket and sometimes you drink out of him, when ghost dad wants to get dick too much and you want to send him to hell you melt him, Slepnir, cupcakes with tiny beating hearts, a hand scar that makes Lucifer go away when you touch it, werewolf dentist tapdancing w his bestie in his bestie’s dream, squirrel world where everything is squirrels, Panthro, Scooby Doo

#incredible show #spn

[nelliesnellie]

Eowyn and the Transgender Imagination: An Infodump by a Trans Folklorist

I recently watched the video essay "The Queer History of The Lord of the Rings" by verilybitchie on YouTube. Much of this video was spent discussing the character Eowyn, who presents as a man in order to go to war. This is discussed along with the fairy tales of gender transformation that were plausibly influential to Tolkien when writing Eowyn's story.

And HELLO this is my wheelhouse. I'm a trans folklorist who is naturally quite interested in queerness in folk narratives. AHHH!!!

Anyway, its a very cool video that I'm linking at the bottom, but there's a lot more that can be said on the topic of Eowyn and gender-scrambly folk narratives and its filling my brain like rapidly expanding foam insulation so I'm gonna dump my thoughts out here until my brain shuts off.

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

Eowyn's gender transgression makes her an example of what folklorist Pauline Greenhill calls the "transgender imagination."

The transgender imagination is itself an example of the potentially yielding nature of interpretations, which might further assist in extending the understandings of personhood, community, and indeed humanity for transgender and non-transgender folks alike. (Greenhill 2014. "“If I Was a Woman As I Am a Man”: The Transgender Imagination in Newfoundland Ballads.")

Pauline Greenhill is one of my fave scholars. She is one of the main folklorists to write about queerness in fairy tales, and one of very few scholars to publish about queerness in folk ballads.

Lets look at those historic anglophone folk ballads for a moment. There are a number of songs about bold young women, much like Eowyn. These often involve the heroine disguising herself as a man in order to fill a gendered role, such as a sailor, highwayman, or soldier.

These ballads typically include a lot more gender play than included in Tolkien's warrior woman. The song "Female Drummer" (Roud 226), for instance, can easily be read as an overtly trans narrative. The protagonist has no desire to return to presenting as a woman, and is joyful in gender transgression. They are only discovered when a girl falls in love with them, discovers their identity, and outs them to their commanding officer. In "The Female Cabin Boy" (Roud 239), a girl presents as a boy to work on a ship. Both the captain and his wife are attracted to her, and she becomes pregnant with the captains child. This implies homosexuality, bisexuality, and transness. The Eowyn narrative does not get as deep in the gender play, but its relation to these narratives do put it in this context of gender exploration.

One thing that is consistent in nearly every story of female-to-male gender presentation across ballads and fairy tales is a return to femininity at the end. Eowyn certainly fits this mold as well. The difference is in the motivation and circumstances behind this. In balladry, as seen in the examples above, the protagonist is often outed. In other examples, the protagonist reveals herself once she has successfully gained some sort of "win" over men (e.g. Roud 2173, Roud 7). In certain fairy tales, a reverse transformation takes place, where the protagonist undergoes a feminizing transformation at the end of the story (for more see "Queering Gender: Transformations in "Peg Bearskin," "La Poiluse," and Related Tales").

Eowyn, on the other hand, is not outed, transformed, or empowered over the patriarchy. Sure - in revealing herself she claims her own destiny, and does what no man can by slaying the Witch King of Angmar. She then returns to society as a woman once more, no longer in defiance of the patriarchy. Which like if that's what she wants, go for it. And she marries Faramir, who imo is fucking awesome, and not "an off-brand version of Aragorn" as verilybitchie put it. But ultimately her story is a lot less transgressive and gender exploration-ey as the ballads and fairy tales she relates to.

Ultimately we see, as verilybitchie indicates in their video essay, that Tolkien's straightforward old Catholic Englishman attitude does not match the potential queerness of the material he engages with. It's like Eowyn wants to be more queer, but is held back by the perspectives of the author.

Because these narratives are inherently challenging to gender and sexuality. By trespassing gender territory, new ground is reached, and Pandora's Gender Box is opened. As Diane Dugaw puts it in Warrior Women and Popular Balladry 1650-1850, the "Female Warrior is inherently contradictory to social construction of gender at the time they were popular," and "is a polyvalent heroine who has it both ways - "female and "male.""

You may notice Dugaw specifies "at the time they were popular." This because she is discussing this topic from a historical perspective. See, deviance of identity is understood differently depending on the social context. Both Dugaw and Greenhill have published really interesting stuff in this regard.

How does this apply to Lord of the Rings and Eowyn's story? Is the relevant cultural context that of the Rohirrim? Tolkien's personal beliefs? The cultural setting in which the book was written? The current day? The material, scattered across history, that inspired LotR? Probably any of the above, depending on what you're going for. As verilybitchie points out, the change in perspectives over time explains the changes in how Eowyn is presented in the books vs the movies.

BUT NELLIE. DO YOU THINK THAT EOWYN IS TRANSGENDER??? You might be screaming at the screen. I dunno. Probably not. But maybe? I could debate that question, but honestly, does it matter?

Ultimately, what's compelling about this question, is the question itself. The open door to the fact that, well, maybe not, but hey possibly there's some flavor of transness involved. This notion, this raised possibility, is the "transgender imagination" concept I brought up at the beginning of this wee essay. Eowyn does not need to be one thing or another. By inspiring the transgender imagination, she challenges expectations and opens doors across the spectrum. This is part of why characters like her are so delightful, ya know?

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

There is so much more that can be said about this but I am fucking TIRED because I needed a rest day and instead got hyperfixated on this all day haha weeee. So I'm gonna stop myself here even though I'd love to get more into the fairy tale side of things and dig more into the actual LotR stuff.

Ultimately I really liked verilybitchie's video essay and recommend it. Just got like, some more context here weeeee. Gonna link that video essay now. Okiday. If you're here, thanks for reading my ramble!

#lotr #lord of the rings #queer studies #verilybitchie #eowyn #transgender #folklore #Youtube

[olliexwrites]

WRITEBLR INTRODUCTION

Hello, everyone!! I meant to do this sooner, but I'm finally making my writeblr sideblog!

Ollie | 20 | he/xe/they | demifluid transmasc

Favorite genres are dark fantasy, romance, fantasy in general, mystery, etc.

I tend to make most if not all of my characters LGBTQ+ in some way just because I am. Same with giving them disabilities lol.

current wips under cut...

CURRENT WIPS:

a grove of silver leaves ->

genres: fantasy, adventure

themes: the struggle for independence, learning to live without someone, overcoming and/or living with disability, etc.

cws: death, possession, suicide, general violence, ableism, cults, abuse, etc.

wip description:

lindenbaum has always been different from her fellow witch; always falling ill, constantly being taken care of, and feeling weaker than the rest. however, when tragedy strikes her home and her body can no longer support her as it once had, she discovers a dark secret that her entire clan had kept out of sight, and learns that everything she was taught as a child isn't as black and white as she thinks it is.

main characters:

lindenbaum -- protagonist. she/her. aroace + bi. disabled from the waist down partway into the story. has a temper and is tired of being lied to.

lector -- deuteragonist. he/him. exiled doctor who's willing to help lindenbaum on her journey. scary when angered. rumored to be evil, but is actually sweet.

stella -- she/her. russian. sought out lector alongside her partner wistaria for an unknown reason. reluctantly travels alongside the others.

wistaria -- agender. they/them. blind in one eye and eventually gains a prosthetic arm. stella's partner (both romantically and in crime). very pessimistic but a softie on the inside.

raymond -- trans. he/him. a blind medic who has a security cat. leaves his home behind so he can be free from its bindings and joins the main group partway through their journey.

...

vividium ->

genres: fantasy, adventure

themes: tba

cws: tba

wip description:

vampire albain discovers that the seven realms need his help when he's accidentally sucked through a mirror portal. more tba.

main characters:

albain miriam -- protagonist. vampire. 23. gay. selfish and easily angered. learns to be nicer later.

sycamore -- eventual romantic partner of albain. human. 25. bisexual. nice and friendly. got sucked through a mirror portal on accident like albain did.

life / cynthia -- ageless. she/her. other self of death / dahlia. blind and mute. in exchange, can hear and smell just fine.

death / dahlia -- ageless. she/her. other self of life / cynthia. deaf and can't smell. in exchange, can see and speak just fine.

black / kuro -- he/him. 16. other self / brother of white / shiro.

white / shiro -- he/him. 16. other self / brother of black / kuro.

#writeblr #writeblr intro #writeblr introduction #ollie writes #ollie speaks #vividium tag #silver leaves tag

[homomenhommes]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … February 26

1564 – The English dramatist, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era Christopher Marlowe, was baptised on this date (d.1593). Marlowe was a foremost Elizabethan dramatist , next to William Shakespeare, and is known for his magnificent blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his own untimely death. Marlowe is often described today as homosexual. Some believe that the question of whether an Elizabethan was "Gay" or "homosexual" in a modern sense is anachronistic; for the Elizabethans, what is often today termed homosexual or Bisexual was more likely to be recognized as simply a sexual act, rather than an exclusive sexual orientation and identity. There is, perhaps, even some wisdom in this.

Two documents suggest that Marlowe was homosexual. The most graphic is the testimony of Richard Baines, an informer who made a long list of allegations against Marlowe after his arrest. Most of these allegations concern Marlowe's atheism, but Baines also claimed that Marlowe said "all they that love not tobacco and boys were fools" and that "St John the Evangelist was bedfellow to Christ and leaned always in his bosom, that he used him as the sinners of Sodom".

In 1593, Marlowe's one-time room-mate and fellow dramatist, Thomas Kyd was imprisoned and interrogated after atheistic papers were found in his room. Claiming the papers belonged to Marlowe, Kyd later produced a list detailing some of Marlowe's "monstrous opinions," which included the claim that Marlowe "would report St. John to be our saviour Christ's Alexis ... that is, that Christ did love him with an extraordinary love."

In addition, it has been pointed out that there is no evidence of any marriage or female companionship for Marlowe. Some scholars argue that the documentary evidence is inconclusive and that the reports of Marlowe's sexuality may simply be exaggerated rumors produced after his death. David Bevington and Eric Rasmussen describe Baines's evidence as "unreliable testimony" and make the comment: "These and other testimonials need to be discounted for their exaggeration and for their having been produced under legal circumstances we would regard as a witch-hunt." It has also been noted that Kyd's evidence was given after torture, and thus may have little connection to reality.

Marlowe's writing is notable for its homosexual themes. Edward II (c.1592) is one of the very few English Renaissance plays to be concerned with homosexuality, since Edward II of England had that reputation. The portrayal of Edward and his love, Piers Gaveston , is unflattering, but so too is the portrayal of the barons who usurp him, and the play's numerous modern revivals have demonstrated that Edward's tragic decline and death can elicit sympathetic responses; it is thus conceivable that some contemporary audience members might have responded similarly.

In Dido, Queen of Carthage, he opens with a scene of Jupiter "dandling Ganymede upon his knee" and says "what is't, sweet wag, I should deny thy youth?, whose face reflects such pleasure to mine eyes." Venus complains during the play that Jupiter is playing "with that female wanton boy." In Hero and Leander, Marlowe writes of the male youth Leander, "in his looks were all that men desire" and that when the youth swims to visit Hero at Sestos, the sea god Neptune becomes sexually excited, "imagining that Ganymede, displeas'd... the lusty god embrac'd him, call'd him love... and steal a kiss... upon his breast, his thighs, and every limb", while the boy naive and unaware of Greek love practices said that, "You are deceiv'd, I am no woman, I... Thereat smil'd Neptune."

The mere inclusion of same-sex love themes in Marlowe's works has been seen as signifying a biographical interest. Diligent classicists often mimicked the homosexual themes they found in Greek and Roman texts (as Edmund Spenser did in The Shepheard's Calendar), but Marlowe accords these themes more prominence than almost any other writer besides Richard Barnfield.

In conjunction with the rumors preserved in the historical record, the prominence of homosexual themes in Marlowe's work has led, especially in the 20th century, to a presumption of interest in same-sex love (although not necessarily of homosexual activity).

1836 – Elihu Vedder, the American symbolist painter, book illustrator, and poet, was born on this date (d.1923). He is best known for his fifty-five erotic illustrations for Edward FitzGerald's translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

Born in New York City, he studied under the genre and historical painter Tompkins Harrison Matteson, at Sherburne, N.Y., later under François-Edouard Picot, in Paris. After eight months in the studio of Picot, he settled in Florence until the end of 1860. There he learnt drawing from Raffaello Bonaiuti, became interested in the Florentine Renaissance.

After 1867 he lived in Rome, making occasional visits to America. For the rest of his life he travelled frequently in Europe and back to America.

Vedder worked on line illustrations from the 1860s, when he found difficulty supporting himself in New York as a painter of then-unfashionable topics. He continued with illustrative work even after he established himself, including pictures to accompany his own poetry, and most well-known, 56 illustrations for a version of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (published 1884).

Vedder's Adam with a decidedly masculine Eve

He sought out and became friends with Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, and Simeon Solomon. Apart from his home in Rome - after the financial success of his 1884 Rubaiyat work - he had another on the Isle of Capri, then a haven for male "aesthetes," a polite word at the time for homosexuals.

1861 – Ferdinand I (d.1948), born Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was the ruler of Bulgaria from 1887 to 1918, first as knyaz (prince regnant, 1887–1908) and later as tsar (1908–1918). He was also an author, botanist, entomologist and philatelist.

The first Knyaz (Prince Regnant) of the Third Bulgarian State, Alexander of Battenberg, abdicated in 1886, only seven years after he was elected. Ferdinand, who was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian army was elected Knyaz of autonomous Bulgaria by its Grand National Assembly on 7 July 1887 in the Gregorian calendar (the "New Style" used hereinafter). In desperate attempts to prevent Russian occupation of Bulgaria, the throne had been previously offered, before Ferdinand's acceptance, to princes from Denmark to the Caucasus and even to the King of Romania. His accession was greeted with disbelief in many of the royal houses of Europe. Queen Victoria, his father's first cousin, stated to her Prime Minister, "He is totally unfit ... delicate, eccentric and effeminate ... Should be stopped at once." To the amazement of his initial detractors, Ferdinand generally made a success during the first two decades of his reign

On 11 October 1915, the Bulgarian army attacked Serbia after signing a treaty with Austria-Hungary and Germany stating that Bulgaria would gain the territory it sought at the expense of Serbia; even though Ferdinand was not an admirer of German Emperor Wilhelm II (his second cousin once removed) or Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I whom he described as "that idiot, that old dotard of a Francis Joseph".

As WWI drew to a close, Tsar Ferdinand abdicated to save the Bulgarian throne in favour of his eldest son who became Tsar Boris III on 3 October 1918. Under new leadership, Bulgaria surrendered to the Allies and as a consequence, lost not only the additional territory it had fought for in the major conflict, but also the territory it had won after the Balkan Wars.

Ferdinand entered a marriage of convenience with Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma, daughter of Robert I, Duke of Parma and Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, on 20 April 1893 at the Villa Pianore in Lucca. The marriage produced four children.

Marie Louise died on 31 January 1899 after giving birth to her youngest daughter. Ferdinand did not think again about marriage until his mother, Princess Clémentine died in 1907. To satisfy dynastic obligations and to provide his children with a mother figure, Ferdinand married Eleonore Reuss of Köstritz, on 28 February 1908. Neither romantic love or physical attraction played any role, and Ferdinand treated her as no more than a member of the household, and showed scant regard.

In his private relations, Ferdinand was a somewhat hedonistic individual. He was thought to be bisexual throughout his life, but up to middle age, his inclination was more towards women, and he enjoyed affairs with a number of women of humble position, siring a number of illegitimate children whom he then supported financially.

But rumours abounded of homosexual trysts with blue-eyed lieutenants and valets. Ferdinand's bisexuality was both well-known and exploited throughout European diplomatic circles. It became the custom for visiting dignataries seeking favour from Ferdinand to be accompanied by a handsome young equerry. Ferdinand's regular holidays on Capri, then a famous haunt for wealthy gay men, were common knowledge in royal courts throughout Europe. In 1895, an interview given by the embittered former Prime Minister, Stefan Stambolov to the Frankfurter Zeitung created a nine day scandal across Europe, when he focused strongly on his personal witness of Ferdinand’s alleged homosexual interests.

1879 – A true female aesthete, Mabel Dodge Luhan, an American patron of the arts, was born (d.1962); Dodge Luhan is particularly associated with the colony of artists who settled in Taos, New Mexico. Mabel Ganson Evans Dodge Sterne Luhan, to give her all her names, was married four times (the last time to an American Indian), had countless lovers, was enormously rich, and virtually originated the idea of "radical chic" by inviting to her salons in New Mexico, New York, and Italy the sort of people usually excluded from the guest lists of the rich — labor leaders, homosexuals, revolutionary artists, Bolsheviks, outré types like John Reed, Margaret Sanger, and D.H. Lawrence.

She was actively bisexual during her early life and frankly details her passionate physical encounters with young women in her autobiography, Intimate Memories, published in 1933. In every way she was fifty years ahead of her time. Mabel Dodge Luhan died at her home in Taos in 1962 and was buried in Kit Carson Cemetery. The Mabel Dodge Luhan House has been designated a national historic landmark and is a historic inn and conference center. Natalie Goldberg frequently teaches at Mabel Dodge Luhan House, where Dennis Hopper wrote Easy Rider .

1897 – An all-male house of prostitution is raided in Eureka, Utah. The owner and three prostitutes are arrested.

1951 – Jerry Mills (d.1993) was a gay cartoonist, noted particularly for his creation of the "Poppers" comic strip. The strip told of the adventures of Billy, a West Hollywood muscleboy, and his sidekick Yves (based on Mills), a big-hearted nebbish who offered good advice and caution (usually unheeded) for his glamorous friend. Yves always went along for the ride with Billy, commenting on the action, a function he took over from a witty crab louse that lived on Billy's pubic hair, when it was phased out after the first few strips.

In the early 1980s Mills worked in the subscriptions department of In Touch for Men, an adult magazine targeted at the gay male community. John Calendo, editor at the time, encouraged Mills to write a regular comic strip, to add variety to the magazine's content. The result, "Poppers", began in April 1982. (The title referred to "poppers", alkyl nitrites which were commonly used in the gay community.) By the mid-80s the strip was also being published ( in translation ) in Gai Pied Hebdo, a French-language gay magazine, and in the Japanese magazine Barazoko. Reprints of the strip also appeared sporadically in Gay Comix under the editorship of Howard Cruse, Robert Triptow, and Andy Mangels.

When Mills moved to the classifieds department of Advocate Men, the "Poppers" strip followed him, and was published sporadically. By the beginning of the 1990s Mills' health was deteriorating, as he developed complications associated with HIV infection, and in his final few years he worked less and less. He did, however, attend ACT UP demonstrations in Los Angeles and design posters for the off-shoot organization Queer Nation, concerned with gay visibility. Mills died of his illness in January 1993, survived by his partner Sal Lucarello.

As well as writing "Poppers", Mills also created ad hoc cartoons, and wrote an eight page history of gays in comics for the first Meatmen anthology. His predominant contribution to gay cartooning, however, was the "Poppers" strip, which was notable at the time for being one of the first cartoon strips to develop gay characters at home both with their sexuality and their humanity. Where earlier comics had tended to the stereotypical - either the nelly queen or the muscleman - Mills was one of the first to present his characters with lives beyond the stereotypes. Though overshadowed by contemporaries, most notably Tim Barela and Howard Cruse, both of whom also worked with continuing characters in comic strip format, Mills made a substantial contribution to gay cartooning. In particular, the "Chelsea Boys" strip by Glen Hanson and Allan Neuwirth is influenced by Mills.

1969 – Chris Willis is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Although initially a gospel singer, he later received international attention for his collaborations with house music artist David Guetta, including the songs "Just a Little More Love", "Love Don't Let Me Go, "Love Is Gone", "Tomorrow Can Wait", "Everytime We Touch" (with Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso) and "Gettin' Over You."

Originally a gospel singer, he was featured on the pop-classical album Handel's Messiah – A Soulful Celebration in 1993, singing a contemporary version of "Every Valley Shall Be Exalted".

His first job after college in Alabama was touring with a group that sang hundreds of shows in churches over a two-year period. In the mid-1990s, he toured as backup vocalist for Twila Paris. In 1996, he released his debut self-titled album, for which he wrote or co-wrote eight of the eleven songs, and earned a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 1996 Nashville Music Awards. That year, he opened on tour for Mark Lowry, and was one of several featured singers in the musical showcase Emmanuel, a national tour put together by Nashville producer Norman Miller. The tour spawned an album, which won a GMA Dove Award in 1998 for Special Event Album of the Year.

He did mostly gospel until 1998 when he signed with a small music label. The label was bought out by a large corporation and Willis took that as a cue to move on.

During this time he also worked to resolve the "angst" from being closeted about his sexuality,

"I always felt like God really understood – but that wasn't the message I was receiving in the church. So, when I moved out on my own I really internalized that message that God makes us who we are and that it's up to us to embrace that or not. I chose to embrace all those things as freedom, and that freedom begat the freedom I experience now."

He cites his being gay as important to his transitioning out of gospel music,"I think there's this unspoken denial that you go through in gospel – maybe so in other musical art forms too – but I just felt for me it just wasn't easy to keep perpetuating that."

Willis is now openly gay and resides in Atlanta, GA. He now sees both his color and sexuality as assets rather than liabilities. However, on June 2, 2014 Willis married his best friend of 25 years Jacqueline Leiske.

Rikaart with Sudduth

1977 – Greg Rikaart is an American actor, best known for being on the cast of the soap opera The Young and the Restless, playing Kevin Fisher since July 2003. In May 2017, Rikaart confirmed earlier reports that he would be exiting the soap with his last film date to be the following month. However, on August 3, the official twitter account for The Young and the Restless confirmed Rikaart was back filming. In September, Entertainment Weekly reported that Rikaart was back for a 2-week stint.

Rikaart was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up on Staten Island, New York. He graduated with honors from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. While in college, he spent a semester in Washington, D.C., as an intern for a congressman on Capitol Hill.

In June 2013, Rikaart revealed that he is in a committed relationship with writer Robert Sudduth. Rikaart posted a photograph of himself on Twitter with his boyfriend, with the caption "Not getting married anytime soon, but celebrating #equality tonight nonetheless", in response to the 2013 United States Supreme Court decisions in favor of same-sex marriage equality.

On May 9, 2015, Rikaart and Sudduth married in Maui. Their first child, a son, was born June 12, 2016, via surrogacy.

1991 – Tim Berners-Lee introduces WorldWideWeb, the first web browser.

2009 – On this date Washington DC's Historic Preservation Review Board voted unanimously to designate the home of veteran Gay rights leader Franklin Kameny as an historic landmark — the first time a Gay-related site had been approved for landmark status in the nation's capital.

[thenightling]

Which Witcher is Witch?

Note: I know there are multiple-in universe Witchers. This post is specifically in regard to the title of the franchise. It's time to address something in The Witcher fandom. In the Witcher novels you have a monster hunter (called a Witcher) named Geralt of Rivia, who adopts an orphaned princess from a fallen kingdom. Her name is Ciri. Geralt had accidentally claimed Ciri via a magical invocation known as "Law of Surprise." When you call upon Law of Surprise in front of someone, whatever they gain next now belongs to you. It can be as random as a sack of flour or a puppy. But the thing about Law of Surprise is it invokes Destiny itself and once invoked it cannot be denied. The person who called upon Law of Surprise cannot decline what he has claimed and the person who has to give the thing cannot refuse to give it or Destiny will intervene to make it happen. Geralt had invoked Law of Surprise (without realizing it) in front of a pregnant royal. When he learned she was pregnant he fled rather than take her child. Twelve-years-later the kingdom was sieged and Princess Ciri was the only survivor, forcing Geralt to embrace his Destiny and accept her as his adoptive daughter.

Now, when I first got into The Witcher a fan boy scolded me that Ciri could not count as a "real" Witcher and that "the author said so." He insisted that because she never underwent the Trial of the grasses she would never count as REAL Witcher no matter what was said in the novels or video games. This was before I learned how the novels and video games actually end, mind you, or perhaps I would have had a better rebuttal for this totally-not-a-misogynist. Recently I saw some interviews with the showrunner and writer for The Witcher Netflix TV series. I am well-aware that there have been many deviations from the novels but I do find it a suspicious tell that the two main things that seem to offend certain fan boys are 1. The canonical realization that Jaskier is bisexual / pansexual and 2. The idea that Ciri will become a Witcher, herself...

The best scenario ending of the third Witcher video game (Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt) is Ciri becomes a Witcher, herself, and goes off on her own adventures. In the novels Ciri eventually ends up in another universe (possibly our own) where she rides off the Knights of The Round Table. The TV series is already hinting at going in the direction of Ciri becoming a Witcher, herself. And now the showrunners have pretty much confirmed that Ciri is the actual main protagonist of the show. But there are angry fanboys whining "But Geralt is The Witcher!" No. Not necessarily. The title may be subversive. You thought you were following the adventures of The Witcher this whole time when you were watching Geralt but the reality is Ciri is who the title is for. Ciri is also The Witcher. Now there are angry fans whining and bemoaning the idea that Netflix has "changed The Witcher" and made Ciri the main character even though "The title is for Geralt." Not necessarily. I'm not sure why so many of the fans seem to be reacting badly to this. It was kind of expected the whole time. It's how the video games end, which are actually set after the novels. And in the novels she rides off with some of King Arthur's men. She's pretty much The Witcher there too. I'm getting deja vu of the angry "My adventures with Superman" fans from just a few days ago who whined about what a "Simp" Clark is for Lois- meaning he's doting and devoted to her and wants for her happiness. Superman was always like this... Fanboys, this sort of sexism went out style in the sixties.

#The Witcher #Ciri #Geralt of Rivia

[ninja-muse]

October was a month of tense, dark, violent books and I'm hoping to get some palate cleansers into my November reading before I completely OD on rebellions, murder, battles, and oppression. Not that I expect this to happen because I took home a true crime ARC last week and I know what's likely coming for me at the library, but hey. We can hope!

My reading count is once again lower than I'd like it to be, mostly because I refused to cart all 752 pages of Menewood back and forth on my commute and so it took me three weeks to finish in the bites of time I have at home for reading. (Also because I spent a week writing up a storm.) And my other stats are kind of equally disappointing as a result. Oh well, I guess. It is what it is.

I did get my hands on three anticipated library books though! That was good (and I hope the library keeps up the pace), but it's a shame that two of the three weren't as good as I was hoping they'd be. And equally a shame that I wound up DNFing the new Patricia C. Wrede… I was really hoping that might cut through all the doom and gloom, mid-month.

I need a good November, basically. I'm feeling a bit slumpy.

October was also a month of awesome 2024 release announcements and discoveries. There are so many books coming out I want to read, and a couple I didn't know where coming that showed up in my ARC haul. There's a genderbent fantasy retelling of Zorro, folks! Freya Marske, Micaiah Johnson, and Seanan McGuire are releasing exciting things! We're getting a sequel to one of my favourite SF books of last year! Someone is using American folktales to comment on race relations!

I'm sure my 2024 TBR will be an utterly normal and achievable number of books. And I'm sure all this excitement has had nothing to do with my slump.

I've still got a fair ways to go to hit my 2023 reading goals too. It's possible I might reach them. It's equally possible I might not. Wish me luck, I guess? And if you have any fast, light reads with which I can continue to not read the dark, heavy books in my goals, please pass them on!

And now without further ado, in order of enjoyment…

Menewood - Nicola Griffith

War is coming to Deira and Hild has vowed to protect her lands and people.

9.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (bi), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic, mlm), mute secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 author, #ownvoices for queerness

warning: pregnancy, death, war, death of a child, animal death, grief, sexual assault, mentions of rape

Like Every Form of Love - Padma Viswanathan

A writer digs into the strange, complicated life story of a man she befriended in a marina.

8/10

major 🏳️‍🌈 character (gay), Indo-Canadian author, 🇨🇦

warning: child abuse, domestic abuse, pedophilia, molestation, misogynistic character

After the Forest - Kell Wood

Greta wants to get on with her quiet life but her wayward brother Hans, suspicious villagers, and her memories of a certain witch’s cottage won’t let her.

7.5/10

warning: cruelty to animals, misogyny

Into the Windwracked Wilds - A. Deborah Baker

Avery, Zib, and their companions find themselves in the Land of Air—where the queen likes making monsters

7.5/10

Saga, Volume 9 - Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (illustrator)

Bad people are catching up to Alana and Marko’s family.

7.5/10

main characters of colour, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (gay, trans woman)

warning: major character death, blood, violence, sex

Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obulafon - Wole Talabi

Shigidi has incurred a debt to an old Nigerian orisha, who’ll erase it if he and his partner pull off a nearly impossible heist.

6.5/10

major and secondary Nigerian characters, major 🏳️‍🌈 character (pansexual), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (bisexual), Nigerian author, #ownvoices for race and culture

By Any Other Name - Erin Cotter

Will Hughes, unemployed actor, finds himself thrust into danger when his mentor Christopher Marlowe dies.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (gay), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (bi, lesbian)

warning: murder, fire

My Roommate is a Vampire - Jenna Levine

There’s a room-to-rent in Cassie’s low, low budget. The (hot) guy renting it acts like he’s from the 1800s but surely he’s just quirky.

6.5/10

Jewish protagonist, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (m/m)

The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher - E.M. Anderson

Edna has been Chosen to stop a dragon menace. Highly untraditional but hey, it gets her out of the nursing home.

6/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (ace-spectrum), Black secondary characters, Latine secondary characters, secondary character with anxiety disorder, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (gay, sapphic/asexual), 🏳️‍🌈 author

DNF

The Dark Lord’s Daughter - Patricia Wrede

Kayla and her family are kidnapped to a fantasy world. Apparently she has magic and they think she’s the next Dark Lady?

Black secondary characters

Currently reading:

The Water Outlaws - S.L. Huang When Lin Chong is convicted of a crime she didn’t commit, she finds herself allied with infamous outlaws.

Chinese cast, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (lesbian, genderfluid), mute secondary character, Chinese-American author, 🏳️‍🌈 author, #ownvoices for race, culture, queerness

warning: death, violence, torture

Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century - Richard Taruskin A history of early written European music, in its social and political contexts.

Stats

Monthly total: 9 Yearly total: 109/140 Queer books: 3 Authors of colour: 2 Books by women: 7 Authors outside the binary: 1 Canadian authors: 1 Off the TBR shelves: 3 Books hauled: 0 ARCs acquired: 5 ARCs unhauled: 4 DNFs: 1

January February March April May June July August September

#books #booklr #bookblr #reading wrap-ups #book recommendations #my photos #read in 2023

[otterandterrier]

Here's a list of sapphic books I've enjoyed for Femslash February and Valentine's Day 🥰🏳️‍🌈

romance

A Little Light Mischief Former scoundrel turned lady's maid falls for her employer's companion. This was my first foray into wlw period romance. Absolutely loved it, it packs a lot of UST, steam and feels into a short novella!

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics (Feminine Pursuits, #1) Olivia Waite's wlw historical fiction stole my heart. All of her books mention background queer characters too. This one is about a lady astronomer who falls in love with her widowed patron as they break down barriers in science and art. Smart and hot!

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows (Feminine Pursuits, #2) The widowed owner of a printing business must call for the help of a beekeeper trapped in a fake marriage. Middle aged women falling in love!! Being gay!! Looking after bees!! Having sex!! Defying expectations!!

The Hellion's Waltz (Feminine Pursuits, #3) A pianist who hates swindlers tries to stop a swindler from swindling. Literally "be gay, do crimes"! Less UST and build-up than the other two, but still hot and sweet and socialist propaganda. There's poly rep too.

The Romance Recipe Restaurant owner hires reality star chef to help revive her restaurant (boss/employee), full of UST and good discussions of bisexuality. It has no less than five sex scenes.

Something to Talk About Celebrity romance with an age gap and boss/employee dynamic, deals with sexual harassment in Hollywood. Veeery slow burn with one smut scene.

The Falling in Love Montage YA, set in Ireland, our heartbroken protagonist doesn't want to fall in love so her new crush proposes a trope-filled summer fling. Plenty of making out but no smut. Very cute for anyone who enjoys the silliness of romcoms!

Perfect Rivalry Medical romance between rival overachievers who love gaming! Neurodivergent and multicultural rep, everybody is queer! Wholesome and hot.

In the Event of Love Second chance love / friends to lovers, Hallmark holiday movie vibes. Even planner heads back to her hometown after a PR disaster and reunites with her ex-turned-into-a-lumberjane childhood friend. Tooth-rottingly sweet and spicy.

For Her Consideration A heartbroken email ghostwriter is asked to meet with the cute celebrity she's writing for. Plus-size and multicultural rep, everybody is queer. It has a lovely found family theme and lots of spice.

Honeymoon for One The protagonist somehow forgets to cancel her honeymoon after calling off her wedding, goes on a solo adventure to Canada anyway and meets a cute ski instructor she does not get along with. Very sweet and with a couple of tender smut scenes.

drama

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo An aging Hollywood star hires a little known reporter to share the true story about her seven husbands - and her one true love. This one broke me.

Yerba Buena Follows the journeys of two girls whose families are impacted by addiction, and until their paths cross in LA. Deals with themes of identity, changes, growing up, grief, and healing with another person. Warnings for drug abuse, death, underage sex.

Milk Fed This one is a complicated story about a woman dealing with the fatphobia, body dysmorphia and eating disorders, and what happens when she falls for the Orthodox Jewish woman who sells her froyo. It's a tough and weird read - there's also homophobia, parental trauma, sexual fantasies, religious issues.

fantasy

Siren Queen A Chinese American girl willing to do anything to become a star in pre-Hays Code Hollywood. Really thoughtful urban fantasy novel about race and queerness and the Hollywood dream.

These Witches Don't Burn A teenage witch must work with her ex to find out who's working to destroy their coven, while trying to date the new cute girl in town. This one is way angstier that it seems!

#bookblr #book recs #books #sapphic books #wlw books #queer books #my posts #pinned post

[slutisnotabadword]

I’m currently writing a Bamon fic that basically reimagines TVD, starting with them starting college and with Bonnie as the protagonist. And like I have SO many headcanons I’m gonna incorporate. A lot of them comes from the show but just elevated.

1. Bonnie

My lovely, mistreated Bonnie… boy do I have ideas for you. First of all, she’s going to have some good ass hairstyles. BLACK GIRL hairstyles. I think Bonnie loves to wear curly ponytails with decorated scarves, or like some long knotless braids. AHHH I have some ideas for her hair. But speaking of style, Bonnie loves the bohemian aesthetic. So, air of half tops, waist beads, long skirts, etc (go on Pinterest and type “bohemian black girl, and you’d see what I’m talking about). She wears alot of brown, green, beige and like golden colors. She wears red when she’s feeling spicy. Bonnie is also into candles, HEAVILY, and crystals. She’s not religious but spiritual. And for college, she’s majoring in dance and minoring in occult studies. Her favorite genre of dance is contemporary. And her favorite breakfast is cereal, and she’s most likely a vegetarian. Also I wanna change her background a bit. She actually grew up being raised by her mother and her grandmother. Her father left because he couldn’t or wouldn’t handle with their witch ancestry, when he found out.

2. Damon

Damon’s bisexual. That’s it, that’s the quote. But no seriously, I firmly believe that he is, and I stand by that. And also in my fic, Damon has this kind of… “punk rocker” aesthetic going. Imagine eyeliner, leather jackets with pins, ripped jeans, black and red color pallete. With that being said, he has a SICK fashion sense. He paints his own fingernails, mainly the color black. Another big thing about Damon is that he LOVES music. He is a music fanatic. He adores all the genres and can see the beauty in all of them, and he collects records. He also loves to play various of instruments. He has mastered the piano, the guitar, the violin and the trumpet and other shit too, and he loves to sing but he never sings infront of people. He loves to cook. Whenever he’s frustrated or gets startled, he swears in Italian. And speaking of Italian, Damon and Stefan’s were born in like the late 1400s or the early 1500s in Florence, Italy. And their family portrait was actually painted by the famous painter, Caravaggio. Damon didn’t come to America till the 1920s as he began to admire the American people’s party era.

3. Elena

She actually stays pretty much the same. However, Elena really likes Britney Spears so a lot of her outfits are inspired by her. She wears alot of dark colors, but you will see her in a pink matching tracksuit and a baby blue cropped top. Elena kind of takes every moment to show her belly button. Oh, and she loves cropped jackets. Veryyyyy Y2K going on here. Elena is trynna become a doctor but she’s also minoring in writing.

4. Caroline

I gotta be honest, I have no notes for Caroline cause I think her character in the show was written perfectly enough to be memorable and entertaining. However I think her aesthetic could be boosted up a notch to rest for her image. Caroline wears a lot of bubbly colors. Very bright but also soft color palette, so imagine a lot of soft pinks, blues, whites. She loves to wear plaid skirts and cardigans and sweaters. She’s trying to be a lawyer, which I fully expect from her. Think of Elle Woods without the hot pink.

5. Stefan

Stefan is good ol’ Stefan (except in my head, the version that I like). He’s very athletic, he gives very much sensitive gym bro. And he’s actually kind of passionate about all sports, and watches them regularly. That being said, he also loves writing, specifically poetry. So therefore he’s majoring in writing. Stefan first came to America, following his brother in the 20s. They were trying to make up with each other, and as Damon was trying to teach him how to feed as a normal vampire, it caused Stefan to be the ripper of something something. Basically in the show but different timelines. Oh and Stefan wears the color red and blue a lot, kind of patriotic of him lmao.

#ugh there’s so so so much more I could add #I cannot wait to write this fic UGH #the vampire diaries #tvd #damon salvatore #tvdu #tvd opinions #elena gilbert #bamon #stefan salvatore #caroline forbes #bonnie bennet #tvd headcanons #headcanon #tvd fic #tvd fanfic

[knackeredforever]

I know that suletta having a villian arc is something that is probably not gonna happen because the sheer balls g-witch would have to have to make gundam’s first female and canonically bisexual protagonist a villain would be insane.

On the other hand having the wholesome gay tanuki go on a murderous rampage in order to get her wife and her sister back is something I would very much be interested in seeing

#mobile suit gundam the witch from mercury #g witch #gundam witch from mercury

[lovethatmakingcoffee]

Manhua recommendations part 2! Straight version!

I was planning on becoming her loyal sword, +52 Chapters

Rating: 9/10

The main character in this is so hot! Just a sword wielding hottie who is a bit oblivious to others' advances but she is slowly forming a harem because of how badass she is. She is living her life as a mercenary, protecting her younger sister, but eventually finds out her true heritage! I'm not quite sure where the story is going from here, but I have a feeling that we are just in the middle of it, so more plot will transpire from here on out. But I love her, she's fun and cool and everyone loves her including myself. Also her guy version is.... kind of hot too😳. Mm, the bisexual in me.

Stepmother Marchen, +110 Chapters

Rating: 9/10

This is a dramatic but lovely story with AMAZING art. Lives her life, dies, get sent back in time to fix her past relationships. Every character is lovely and we get to see some interesting issues being discussed like domestic abuse, gambling addiction, and the-CHURCH. But my lady is doing amazing this time around and is just a total babe. Though I wouldn't call her a milf. And the reason it's not a ten out of ten is cause I'm weirded out why she is a mom in the first place. Like nothing happened between them, but why did she marry this old guy and have to raise his four kids when he died? She's like... fifteen 🤨. I haven't read it in a while, and this one's translation gets weird later on, but there are other copies that you can dip your toes into. It's a compelling and cool story, check it out!

Please Marry Me Again, Husband! +59 Chapters

Rating: 8/10

I-LOVE-THIS-STORY! So soft, so fluffy, so wholesome. Cardi is sexy and I want to eat him up. They are so in love with each other, it's bananas. And really it's just a second chance at love and romance, and it's so charming. The protagonist is so much more sure and confident in herself after she died, got sent back in time to make her life better with the man she married. So perfect.

It's Time to Change the Genre, +78 Chapters

Rating: 8/10

This shit is funny! Like the protag isn't the smartest transmigrated character, but she is fun and goofy and we love her for that. This story isn't a super typical transmigration story, cause there is the part that is kind of different than the rest tho I don't want to spoil it. But this is a fun story that makes me laugh. And her nephew is the cutest little butt head. Adorbs!

Please don't come to the Villainess's stationary store, +54 Chapters

Rating: 7/10

https://manhuascan.me/manga/please-dont-come-to-the-villainess-stationery-store

Transmigrated and decides to leave her stupid family and start a new business. Which happens to be a stationary store where she gives candy to little kids at a neighboring school! Very cute! Very fluffy and wholesome! Her ex fiance is a dick, like probably the worst man ever, and her sister is a crazy bitch. So let's take revenge on them for inconveniencing the protagonist! And she is so smart and one step ahead of everyone and is so pretty aghhnjvhblagggh! And she just has a cute team of side characters who are their to support her during her time of need and it's so sweet! Like candy! Ahhh! Plus Plus! Here love interest is sexy~ Check this one out! Tho I should note that the translation here gets wonky later on, so you might need to find a new place to read it after a while.

Here Comes the Silver Spoon! +80 Chapters

Rating: 8/10

This is a good story. It's not exactly how you expect it to go, but it's still very good. We got Adelaide over here, who is the richest, smartest, evilest babe alive and I love her for that. She is just morbidly evil and will sell you to satan for one potato chip. But like, in a hot way. So the story goes like, she is engaged but her sister steals her fiance, so Adelle's gotta find a new better husband in like a week so she won't lose the family fortune. Her sister, Noella is so fucked up (don't know why yet), love that for her. I just.... ahh! She is so fascinating and Adelle is so cool!

This is a transmigration story btw, so it is even more interesting that Adelaide has these preconceived notions of her sister which influence their relationship.

A wicked tale of Cinderella's Stepmom, +96 Chapters

Rating: 9/10

Mommy! Mommy! MOMMY! MILF! WE GOT A MILF OVER HERE! And oh boy, she isn't like dangerous sexy, but she is so mommy it's hot! So person gets sent into cinderella's wicked stepmom's body and just decides "These are my daughters now." And just adopts all of them and loves them. And these girls are just *flings hands around* GIRLS! Like yes, yes! No girls hating girls here. We are just loving cute girls who have sleepovers and stuff. And mommy here is just mother henning them so much, I cry. And her love interest is such a chad. He's in victorian wherever and in his late twenties and sees a widowed forty-something-year-old woman with three older daughters and is like, "I'm your husband and their dad now." Like way to go, my guy. A man of culture I see. A true milfhunter, u have my respect, my liege. Also.... Feminism? In my manhua? It's more likely then you think.

The Tyrant's Only Perfumer, +87.2 Chapters

Rating: 7/10

This one in the beginning is a 6/10 cause the art isn't the best, but it gets obviously polished over time, becoming a 7/10. Like you can just see the evolution of the artist's hand in this one. It's very impressive. But the story is pretty basic. Person dies and gets sent into a villainess's body, but it is endearing to me because they couldn't smell anything in their past life and in this life, they got a great nose and can make perfume! I'm like: I can't smell shit either! Let me live vicariously thru u! And also she starts a business, and I love it when these protagonists wanna make the money! I'm like, hell yeah! Be a successful entrepreneur! But yes, the art gets very pretty later on, the story and romance are pretty basic, but a fun little read. Nothing bad, but nothing astounding either.

There is no use hanging on, +119 Chapters

Rating: 9/10

https://manhuascan.me/manga/theres-no-use-hanging-on

Ok, this is an amazing revenge story. We get dies, but gets a second chance at life by going back in time. You know the gist. And this story might be very predictable, but it's a good predictable where it is executed very well. The art is a bit wonk sometimes but honestly, it's the story that hooks you in. And all the characters are so compelling, I love it! I can't wait for more!

It's not your baby! +48 Chapters

Rating 8/10

https://manhuascan.com/manga/its-not-your-baby

Found this one recently, it's very cute but also a story filled with longing and the aching feeling in your heart of someone else's absence. The babe here fucks her best friend, gets knocked up, decides she wants to keep the baby and not deal with any of the noble or royal drama that comes with it and decides to gtfo. She is a wise military leader who knows how to absolutely disappear off the radar and honestly, that is so cool of her. Feel bad for her love interest because he just wants to be with her and can't find her. It's a perfect story of angsty longing and also a cute lady who can't wait to have her baby. And ahhhhh it's adorable how excited she is. Love it.

But honestly, I totally get why she misunderstands him and his intentions, and also why she wouldn't want the world to know that she is pregnant. I think her reasonings make sense and I find it very intriguing.

Another Typical Fantasy Romance, +79 Chapters

Rating: 10/10

https://manhuascan.com/manga/another-typical-fantasy-romance

AND I SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST!!!! Against what the name suggests, this is clearly not your typical fantasy romance story! It is so much more!!! Firstly, the male love interest isn't your typical willowy bishonen man. No, this is Pell and I want to chomp on his big fat nipples. He is a bear of a man, covered in hair and scars and uuuggh, Littera u are so lucky, girl! He is like- a gentle giant with big insecurities, but can also deck any monster and oof!!! He is just a nice change of pace and I wanna eat him up. Also Littera is just meta-savvy and knows her way around things, and we get to watch their relationship grow from pretty cute to so communicative it's ridiculous! There is no miscommunication here! They talk about their feelings and just make everything perfect between each other. It's so gooey, and cute, and they are so sensible! I love them and can't wait until they have a million little babies! I recommend this one out of all others if not just for Pell alone!

#manhua #manhwa #manga #fantasy #romance #Another Typical Fantasy Romance #It's not your baby #There is no use hanging on #The Tyrant's Only Perfumer #A wicked tale of Cinderella's Stepmom #Here Comes the Silver Spoon #Please don't come to the Villainess's stationary store #Please Marry Me Again #Husband #It's Time to Change the Genre #Stepmother Marchen #I was planning on becoming her loyal sword