A Little Vice (Trans Magical Girl fic)

[Theaxofwar]

I appreciate that it just skips to after the monster, like there was any doubt there'd be a monster attack on prom night.

 

[Love Train]

So happy we are still getting these little snips even with the story finished, I don't think I've gotten enough of these girls just yet

 

[BethofDeath]

somehow having her do that kind of thing while we were sisters instead of a boy and a girl

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Wait, did she just-

I'm transitioning but I can't even look in the mirror and believe I'm a girl.

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-she did! Chiro's admitting she is, in fact, a girl! 🥳🥳🥳🥳

Finally, we can reclaim all that osmium and pressurized iridium from her eggshell!

Edit: Wait, is this one of those "dubiously canon" things? squints suspiciously

 

[Shadell]

She technically did, but don't tell her or she'll take it back

 

[BadassOverlord]

Ah yes, the Sledgehammer Confession, a very Temperance kind of move.

 

[Renu]

Was kind of expecting Avaritia to show up with a dress for Chiro.

 

[GreatWyrmGold]

I decided to skip senior prom. I didn't tell any of them, but it wouldn't have felt right to add the cost of renting a dress and makeup and everything to everything the Brandts had already done for me. All the unexpected expenses must have taken a toll.

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I guess that's a reasonable concern.

Ida and Temperance had agreed to come over to Inessa's house, take some photos together and have her dad drive them to school together.

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Wait, who bought Temperance's prom dress?

"Idiot," she announced at last. "Can I kiss you?"

"I, what. Why?!"

She shrugged. "You're dumb. Direct communication seemed necessary."

"I…" What was I supposed to say to that?

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I did not expect the conversation to go this way.

"But, when I was still her, you made a joke about, well, having both me and Avaritia and I know that's absurd and that wouldn't—"

"That was not a joke," Temperance clarified, speaking as one might to a child.

"Oh. Oh. Umm," I wasn't quite sure what to do with that information. Was that allowed!?

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Oh my god, Chiro, you're such a child. There are no rules in love except the ones you and your partner(s) agree on. Rick Astley lied.

Also it was amusing how the narration was just like "after the monster" because the fact that there would be one was never in doubt.

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At first, I did not register that those three words were in any way significant or worth paying attention to.
...that explains why Chiro was on the roof. I thought she was just brooding.

Respect to a girl that can rock a suit.

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No no no, Ida rocks her outfit. Inessa just looks hot.

Was kind of expecting Avaritia to show up with a dress for Chiro.

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Avaritia must be in serious trouble if ey couldn't find time to do that. Or in a bad headspace if they didn't want to.

 

[Nerdorama]

No no no, Ida rocks her outfit. Inessa just looks hot.

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Temperance is gonna have to put a damper on this line of conversation. Chiro just thinks these puns blow.

 

[Iris-Iven-Ibis]

A while back we were looking for a shark mythical creature I found one thank God for Japan and it's weird obscure Yokai! Introducing the Isonade Instead of rewarding it I'm just going to quote the entire description on Wikipedia it's not that long "According to the Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, its body has never been seen, as it is always "hidden beneath the waves, save for its huge tail fin which is covered in small barbs."[2] In theory: It approaches boats stealthily and uses its hooked tail to snare sailors and drag them into the sea, where it devours them. When it appears, fierce winds blow. It may also simply use its tail to capsize boats, or strike the beach with its tail and kill people there.[2]"

Also side note I accidentally posted this into a completely different magical girl thread

 

[Shadow Archon]

Avaritia totally caused a monster attack just to get Chiro to go to the prom, didn't ey?

 

[veteranMortal]

She's talking about percentages of her motivation. 80% for Ida, 15% because she wanted a prom date with Chiro, 5% for Chiro's own sake. What I'm unclear on is Ida's buy-in here other than her being the one insisting all the girls go together because "I'm going to make everyone get along despite not knowing shit" has been her thing since Chiro first appeared.

(Also Ida definitely didn't get a date and changed her tryhardery to making it a good girl's night instead).

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What do you mean Ida didn't get a date? She's going with Inessa.

That's what Temperance is doing for Ida's benefit; she's cutting and running on "going as a group" and therefore enforcing A Date on Ida and Inessa's excellent prom adventure.

 

[twilight]

Book has been read! I love this story so much. The characters are great, the themes are great, the pacing is great, the usage of magical girl show tropes is great (one detail I really love is how the episode summaries both help to make it feel more like a magical girl show is happening in the background without having to show it, and also how it lets us see what's happening outside of Chiro's POV). I'm not really good at describing all the little things I love, but I really do love this story. Reading it makes me feel like I want to write something as good as this some day.

I'm really glad I sprang for the physical copy, both because I wanted to support the author, and also because it has let me successfully convince one of my friends to borrow it.

Spoiler: typos

- on the 0th page, <triggering for trans readers> is missing a period.
- pg 11, <"Fascinating." he> should have the h capitalized.
- pg 146, <them. "Now,> has quotation marks despite the text on both sides of it being spoken out loud.
- pg 152, <good children'> is missing the apostrophe on the word "good".
- pg 161 <I sighed> is missing a period.
- pg 215 the paragraph break between <maybe> and <a> seems accidental.
- pg 218 the paragraph break between <I> and <wouldn't> seems accidental, although this one I think might be a stylistic one? Not sure.
- pg 255 <If they really don't want to fight, they can just not stop.> I think this is meant to say the opposite (that they can stop, rather than that they can't).

I also found the font size a bit too small, so I had to take frequent breaks due to eye strain. Looking at the other POD Amazon books I have, though, this seems to be about as big as Amazon is willing to make them. It's probably not possible to bump the font size, even if that wouldn't also create a bunch of work reformatting for what is probably just a me issue. I thought I'd mention it just in case though.

 

[Shadell]

Thanks for the comments! It really means a lot to hear that it lands!

Also thanks for catching those typos and also fml. I've corrected on itch and the fixes are under review on Amazon.

The paragraph breaks were an annoying thing with prepping the text for printer that must have auto-corrected itself in an odd way after some later changes.

 

[SpoopyGhost]

I have yet to read this story, though I do plan to soon, but I have some preemptive fanart nonetheless. @ColdGoldLazarus was reading the story several months ago and shared some thoughts and excerpts my way as she did, including this particular passage from a dream sequence:

Tonight Avaritia didn't fight. Ey knew, for all we couldn't talk, that I needed to fight alone, even if it broke me. So I fought and sang until there was nothing left to scream and I pushed them to the brink. Only then did I let them rout me into my partner's comforting arms.

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And on reading it, I was struck by a very vivid stylized image of Avaritia observing the battle from a distance, perched atop a streetlamp or other impossibly narrow platform with one watchful eye, and I have wanted to try to render it since then despite my artistic shortcomings. Due to discussion of the Magical Girl crossover project, tonight I have finally given it my best shot. I think this came out more like a wolf than a werewolf as I understand em to be, but perhaps that is a result of the symbolic nature of dreams.

 

[Iris-Iven-Ibis]

I have yet to read this story, though I do plan to soon, but I have some preemptive fanart nonetheless. @ColdGoldLazarus was reading the story several months ago and shared some thoughts and excerpts my way as she did, including this particular passage from a dream sequence:



And on reading it, I was struck by a very vivid stylized image of Avaritia observing the battle from a distance, perched atop a streetlamp or other impossibly narrow platform with one watchful eye, and I have wanted to try to render it since then despite my artistic shortcomings. Due to discussion of the Magical Girl crossover project, tonight I have finally given it my best shot. I think this came out more like a wolf than a werewolf as I understand em to be, but perhaps that is a result of the symbolic nature of dreams.

Click to shrink...

This is fucking 🔥 awesome

 

[RiceRockRekt]

You know, it was a rather unexpected turn of events to see this updated with a sidestory, but I hardly hate more of ALV.

Prom, though.

Hm.

Well it's not as if Chiro wouldn't find a way to make walking down the street cringe, we take those.

I decided to skip senior prom.

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Oh you think you're making it out of this alive, do you.

I didn't tell any of them, but it wouldn't have felt right to add the cost of renting a dress and makeup and everything to everything the Brandts had already done for me. All the unexpected expenses must have taken a toll. And sure, part of me wanted to dress up pretty and take photos and get a corsage and do all of those teen girl things.

But a bigger part of me was aware of exactly how I'd have looked in a prom dress, how it'd have compounded the horrible ordeal of being seen in public. It wasn't like I'd gone to the Junior prom or homecoming either. No, it would have been an expensive, miserable experience. That, at least, was a reason I could share to avoid going.

It still hurt to watch Inessa spend all afternoon buzzing back and forth as she worked herself into a tizzy, even if I'd had to talk her out of skipping with me, out of some perverse sense of solidarity.

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Ahhhh, this sure is the Chiro I remember alright.

"out of some perverse sense of solidarity" YOU MAKE YOUR SISTER LOVING YOU A GREAT DEAL SOUND LIKE SOME CURSE FROM GOD CHIRO.

...Though, all things considered, the cosmology of this story is biblical enough that Inessa being Chiro's weird and enthusiastic sister might be a curse on her for a past life. It'd be funny.

It's not that I don't sympathize with Chiro's discomfort, in all sincerity, but I do think about "aware of exactly how I'd have looked in a prom dress" in light of how many fucking chasers she has.

My sister had opted to buck convention and wear a white tuxedo, pairing it with more classically feminine makeup—courtesy of Ida's cousin—and crystal drop earrings as red as her tie. Now she was nervous about the whole ensemble. Of course, she could wear a suit and still look like a girl. Another little spike of envy.

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"Chiro your sister looks GNC as fuck." "Yeah..." "...Are. Are you jealous?" "What? No. Of course not. I'm not thinking about every time I've worn a suit in my life and fucking seething."

Inessaaaaa, you deserve the worrrrrrrld.

"You look good," I said, speaking slowly and comfortingly. "I wouldn't have called it, but it suits you."

"It's not, like, cliche or anything?"

"No clue." I shrugged and she pouted. "Look, if I can go to school in a skirt, you can manage looking a little butch."

"It's, well, it's more… Ida wasn't saying much, but she was obviously feeling a little insecure about pulling off that kind of girly dress, and I thought you were going to be nervous if you changed your mind and this seemed like a way to…" Self-consciously, she picked at a sleeve. "I dunno, try and help somehow? Like…"

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These two...They're so—

"It's, well, it's more… Ida wasn't saying much, but she was obviously feeling a little insecure about pulling off that kind of girly dress

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—YoooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ANOTHER TALLY ON THE "DUDES ROCK IDA" WHITEBOARD!!!

I believe. In how fucking incredible this turnabout would be.

Anyway, anyway.

Chiro and Inessa really do struggle to negotiate how their whole, thing is meant to work, Chiro is offering teasing comfort despite her jealousy and Inessa is trying to make big gestures on her own and this is somewhat time being a circle from their starting point, but it's also just. They're figuring out what can stay, and how to move forward with how things have changed, I feel.

"I wouldn't have called it, but it suits you."

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This pun though. Awful.

I rolled my eyes. "Really now. You only get to do this once, Inessa. You shouldn't compromise on your night just to try, whatever you were trying to do."

"I mean," she sat down next to me on the bed, leaning her head against my shoulder. She'd always been affectionate like that, but somehow having her do that kind of thing while we were sisters instead of a boy and a girl felt so much more intimate and welcoming, I couldn't help but relax a little, even as I awkwardly tried to fold her into a hug.

"I'm not, like, opposed to the look. I, like, I didn't exactly tell every stranger that I'm a lesbian, but I'm not hiding it or anything. Experimenting with style, trying new things out… I guess it's all just gotten a little lost with all the big things."

And yet, she'd still chosen her prom outfit for us. Honestly, the nerve of her. I gave her a playful shove, then crossed my hands in irritation.

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Inessa discovering she can be a little butch. As a treat (for her friends).

The way Chiro has the fucking GALL to be like "Oh you shouldn't compromise for your special night" Miss Stay At Home Ass???

Dawwww, Chiro even feels more at peace with the buddy hugs now.

"Look, then stop worrying and go have a great time. Like, I know you were hoping you'd have a date by now, but is it so miserable to go to prom and stand around in a corner with your friends instead of going with a cute girl?"

Inessa pulled away, leaning back on the bed and stretching out. Then, in one smooth motion, she grabbed a pillow, sat back up and launched it at my face. That kind of thing seemed to happen a lot these days.

It was only respect for the efforts that had gone into getting her all made up that stopped me from retaliating in kind.

"Thanks," she said with overacted bitterness.

"It's what siblings are for."

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Why would you DO THAT.

Chiroptera: No bitches?
Inessa: [Having war flashbacks about how her sister stole her crush right in front of her on actual goddamn Valentine's Day]

"Are you sure you're okay, not going?"

I bit back my first reply, tried to say something, and then shook my head mutely instead. "It's the option that makes the most sense," I summarized. "There will be other chances to get dressed up when I'm further along."

It was silly, to put it all on my present appearance. But framing things in terms of what could be still gave me a little warm and bubbly feeling that helped push back against the anxiety of what I was at the moment.

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You know I do appreciate that Chiro's like "Well if not now, there's always the future", because...She believes in her future...

"You'll just have to have twice as much fun for me."

Another silly thing to say, trite even. It still helped set Inessa at ease a little, and, as much as a part of me liked it when everyone fussed over me, it felt awkward when it was something where the best course of action had already been decided.

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Again. Girrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl you think you're making it out of this, huh.

Ida and Temperance had agreed to come over to Inessa's house, take some photos together and have her dad drive them to school together.

I wasn't sure if not seeing them at all would have been better than lurking just over Mrs. Brandt's shoulder, smiling and encouraging as they posed for photos in the backyard.

Click to shrink...

Gang Time.

I see we have time for Temperance to wage actual warfare over Chiro's choice, mhm, mhm.

Ida looked lovely in a sleeveless bright yellow dress with a high collar. It fell almost to the ground, to the point that there had been a few concerns about grass stains.

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Oh huh, Ida's wearing a dress, I was assuming Inessa putting on a suit was like. For being Suit Team together.

Pulling out my notepad to determine which side of the evidence board this will favor.

Temperance's knee-length blue was simpler, more casual. She also seemed notably less made up than either of her friends. She still looked good, of course. But Temperance has never been one to smile on command and Mrs. Brandt was entirely unprepared to manage photos of the strange statue monster standing next to two vaguely normal highschool girls.

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I feel like the absence of beautiful transgender women (and wolves) to go to the dance with has negatively impacted Temperance's enthusiasm.

Even though she's somewhat always a strange statue monster.

God Chiro you are just. Making it SO WEIRD about Temperance, which honestly is mostly because your love language is quips, but ya know.

"I need to talk to Chiro," she announced when they took a momentary break. "Take some couple shots of Ida and Inessa."

Mrs. Brandt was too baffled to object as the imperious girl sauntered toward me. Behind her, Ida squawked, her head darting to and fro. The corner of Temperance's lip twitched upwards. And then she was past me, grabbing my elbow and yanking me back through the Brandts' back door before anyone could stop her.

"What?" I asked, confused.

She nodded in the direction of the others.

"Immersion will help Ida figure things out."

It was my turn to cock my head to the side, confused. Figure what out?

Temperance looked at me, then let out a resigned sigh and continued to drag me away.

"No, seriously, figure what out?"

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Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Well it's not like I didn't consider this, but I am a little sad to pack up Dudes Rock Ida.

Inessa has a shot with a woman though! Ganbatte Inessa!

Temperance lives a tragic life as the one eyed shark among the blind.

Only as the door closed behind us did she release me.

"You're not coming?" Temperance asked as she took a seat at the Brandts' dining table as if she owned the place. It seemed like she would not be explaining what she wanted Ida to guess.

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Chiroptera: She's such an outlaw...Such a rebel...
Temperance: [Is just sitting there]

"It just didn't make sense."

Temperance stared at me in silence.

"I mean, I'm still… If I still looked like I did when I was Invidia, I'd do it. But, I didn't really like crowds before everything and, even if it feels like actually changing myself is better in the big scheme of things, I don't feel good getting all dolled up when I'm this messy in between thing. It just reminds me what I'm missing, you know?"

Temperance made a point of looking me over up and down before facepalming. I braced myself for another lecture about how I actually looked.

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"Michael, how do I make a beautiful transgender chaser stop rizzing me up?" "I don't know what any of those words mean."

"I'll skip too," she said instead.

"Don't. I already had to talk Inessa out of it."

Temperance shrugged, as if to say that Inessa's defeat had nothing to do with her.

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I'm impressed by her restraint!

Tragically Chiro you've taken away the only thing she wanted from the dance (a date with you in a pretty dress) so you have no leverage over Temperance.

"I'd just feel worse, you know? Like, it's hard enough to admit that this is, mostly, my complexes getting in the way of things, that it doesn't make me pathetic if I can't beat my own brain every single time. I'd just feel even worse if I was making you all miss out on things too to take care of me or talk me around or…"

I took a deep breath and flattened my palms against the table, pressing the tips of my fingers in as hard as I could without actually clenching my fists.

"You helped me a lot. You all helped me a lot, but sometimes you just need to have issues and live with that without making everyone bend over to talk you around or fix things or…."

"Oh," she said and lapsed into silence.

"Maybe later, I'll cry about it and we can all admit I was an idiot again and move on. But all this fussing just makes things worse."

"It was 80/20 for Ida," Temperance corrected absently.

"What?"

"15 of the 20 is that I wanted to go together," she added, her face a deliberate blank.

"What?"

She pointed at herself, "selfish, not nice."

I gave her a look.

"Pressuring you into coming because it's nice to have you, not for your own good." She did not sound smug. She did not look smug. Nonetheless, she radiated smugness.

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AMAZING.

"Oh don't worry about ruining my night, I basically don't care besides getting my homegirl laid." "By WHO???" "Dipshit."

I took a deep breath and flattened my palms against the table, pressing the tips of my fingers in as hard as I could without actually clenching my fists.

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This very strong physical moment of control, love the description.

Honestly I do love how much this is thematically "I want people to stop ruining things for themselves being kind to me" "Well I mostly just want to indulge myself so."

"Temperance." I gave her my best look. "Ever since I've known you, you've been trying to help me."

I wouldn't have called what she was doing helping, not back when she'd been teasing me relentlessly about truths she'd somehow realized long before me. The constant jokes about force-femming me had contributed to my anxiety more than anything else. But there had been a closeness there, a slow-growing intimacy that could have maybe helped eventually, if it hadn't been surrounded by enough emotional noise that it just ended up making the cacophony louder and more confusing.

Something washed over her. She didn't show it of course. Life had taught Temperance to hide her emotions behind a mask in ways she hadn't managed to unlearn. But I was learning her tells, a tiny little dip in her shoulders, her eyes darting to the side for just a moment, the way I could actually just cheat and hear her darkest emotions sing out for a moment before she asserted control of herself and wrestled them back.

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Oh Chiro actually just punched Temperance in the squishy Blahaj emotions huh.

Botherrrrrrrrrrred about having a heart.

The way making these discoveries about herself is letting her see Temperance more clearly! On top of the demon powers that let her cheat! It's very very nice to see.

"I just felt guilty," she said, a little too quickly.

"What?"

"I hurt people, as Gula. Mostly you."

I sat with that for a moment. It made sense. "You wanted to make amends, and you figured me out, so you thought you'd make amends by helping with all the gender stuff?

Mutely, she nodded.

I understood that need to find ways to atone, even if the need for secrecy kept me from admitting why or receiving any meaningful forgiveness, even if it was just for my own self-satisfaction in the end.

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You know this is the first time we've heard "Temperance hurt Chiro as Gula" actually said. Out loud.

Which maybe makes sense since this is the first time Chiro could hear this while actually empathizing with Temperance about it.

I do think it's funny how. Like.

I say this all very sarcastically, but I'm actually super stoked, this pins together and enhances a lot about Temperance's characterization, how C constantly refers to her as the most terrifying member of the Saints, the "hey I could make you something you'd enjoy being much more" temptress vibe she indulges in, even the way the narration directly calls attention to her holding a more healthy slant of Mr. Noir's beliefs:

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Taking Temperance's statement at face value really does mean it was just "hey I could make you something you'd enjoy being much more" 100%.

"I mean," I said, a little exasperated. "I can still be grateful for that. Besides, I've hurt you at least as much as anything you ever did to me now. So, you don't need to keep forcing yourself."

Temperance stared deeply into my eyes, drinking me in for a long moment. For a moment she relaxed, then she took a deep breath and bit her lower lip. Her eyes fell to the table then, slowly and deliberately, rose to meet mine.

"Idiot," she announced at last. "Can I kiss you?"

"I, what. Why?!"

Click to shrink...

.

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

TEMPERANCE WIN! TEMPERANCE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She's going to have to fight Chiro's brain to get her tonsil hockey, but she said it!!!!!!

I can't fucking believe it.

I thought A Little Vice would forever exist in the suspension bridge of Temperance never getting this W. But we're here. God.

She shrugged. "You're dumb. Direct communication seemed necessary."

"I…" What was I supposed to say to that? My first impulse, obviously, was to talk her out of whatever defective thought process had led Temperance to the idea that Chiros could be kissable. But, well, somehow, she wasn't the first person with that idea in her head and…

"Okay, pretending for a moment that you're not messing with me, hypothetically."

Temperance's eyes narrowed.

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Oh you done did started a WAR girl.

This is funny, this is so very funny "I want to deny this is possible but Avaritia sucked my face first and I'd have to undo that mentally in a way I don't really know how to right now."

It's so fucking unfortunate your taste is stupid bitches, huh Temperance?

"What about me is any good?"

"You're very dumb," she said, the corner of her lip twitching upwards.

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OH MY GOD SHE LITERALLY SAID IT.

Then she shook her head and spoke again. "You see people. You're clever sometimes. You have a way of seeing things?"

"A way of seeing things?"

She shrugged once more. "I'm not good with words."

"Try?"

Temperance drummed her fingers against the table for several long moments. "I want to drown it all," she said at last, with the tone one might use to say wanted takeout for dinner. "The whole Forest, your whole society, every bit of injustice in the world."

I started to speak, to tell her she wasn't wrong, that caring about injustice didn't make her destructive, that if there was a difference between us it was that the world had hurt her a lot more than it had hurt me, that I envied her moral passions. She pushed a finger against my lips before I could get out the words and shook her head.

"You see beauty in people." She smiled a strange, almost sad, little smile. "It's nice."

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. Yo?

This is actually breathtaking. In that. Very special.

Chiroptera: Okay you need to tell me what I bring to the table.
Temperance: Girl hot.
Chiroptera: A little more.
Temperance: ...Genesis 6:17.
Chiroptera:
Temperance: For you, it would be worthy.

This. This way.

Like wow did Temperance never actually stop being Wrath hm.

We sat in silence for a time. How I could respond to feelings I was starting to maybe accept weren't entirely about teasing me? How could I answer the weight of that undeserved admiration?

"Also, you are cute, bulliable, and Avaritia likes you," she added as an afterthought. "May I kiss you?"

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Temperance you CANNOT KEEP PINGPONGING LIKE THIS.

YOU TALKED ABOUT CAUSING THE FLOOD. FROM THE BIBLE.

"My ex wants to fuck you, which is a very important dating criteria."

I have so much respect for how Temperance actually just asks. Consent Power.

I bit back my instinctual self-deprecating evasion and forced myself to sit with the question. Temperance had, in her own way, bared her heart to me. It would be cruel to respond dishonestly.

"No," I said at last.

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. Oh wow.

...Oh this is a very good and important moment.

"I'm taking your feelings as real and sincere and I don't think I can do that" WHAT WE ALWAYS WANT TO HEAR IN THIS HOUSE!!!!

I'm rooting for Temperance of course and I don't think this is a REJECTION rejection, but when people ask for permission and people trust the earnestness enough to honestly say no it's like. Strong.

"Oh." Her tone was level as always, but I could sense her crumbling at that.

"I mean, umm, not no, not exactly. But, umm…" It was my turn to flail. How were Inessa and Ida doing? Someone was about to come into the room any minute now to ask after us, weren't they? I flinched and looked at the door, then shook my head.

"I'm still a mess," I said finally. "I barely know who I am; I'm transitioning but I can't even look in the mirror and believe I'm a girl. I definitely can't look in the mirror and believe I'm anywhere near as good a person as you think I am. So, like, that probably says a lot about me and transphobia and… It would be nice to, yeah, that." I couldn't say kiss. My cheeks were red enough as it was. "But I need to sort myself out first and, umm, also…"

Temperance let out a breath I hadn't realized she was holding, and the tension ebbed from her body.

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This is sweeeeeeeeeeeet Chiro is placing boundariiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiies but also accepting the intennnnnnnnnnnnnnnt.

Chiro really truly getting to the point she can say she's trans even though her mind goblins aren't letting her believe that...

Temperance put her whole heart out there and I'm happy she got this response. She deserves it. She's relieved to know it's a matter of patience—

...God what the fuck she's so much Wrath she's also living by the opposite Virtue what is this.

"Avaritia," I said at last. "You, umm, and it's okay if you hate me for this. But, when I was still her, you made a joke about, well, having both me and Avaritia and I know that's absurd and that wouldn't—"

"That was not a joke," Temperance clarified, speaking as one might to a child.

"Oh. Oh. Umm," I wasn't quite sure what to do with that information. Was that allowed!?

"But, umm, how?!" My voice came out a bit higher and squeakier than intended.

"Idiot," she said, fondly.

"I-if that's allowed," how could that be allowed?! "Then we should wait until eir back before, you know, anything."

Temperance considered. Idly, she toyed with her bangle. I guessed… waiting so she could have a better relationship with your partners was temperate, maybe…

Then she rose and, blushing ever so faintly, nodded and made her way for the back door.

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The way being a tough no nonsense girlboss who knows what polycules are still doesn't make her immune to being Gooey about Having A Shot.

I guessed… waiting so she could have a better relationship with your partners was temperate, maybe…

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Chiro. Homie. It's PATIENCE. Temperance is practicing PATIENCE.

"You should still come to prom."

"No." Honestly, I didn't even have anywhere near the energy left to go at that point.

"You should let me skip together with you."

"Just… go and have fun, okay?"

She harrumphed as she held the door for me to follow her back out, but she didn't say 'no'.

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Dashing Gentleshark.

Give her a chaaaaaaance, she'll take you to daaaaaaaaaance, or stay for the niiiiiiight!

Later—maybe half an hour after we'd defeated the monster—I sat on the gym's roof, listening to the barely audible pop music. The others were probably all back inside, and I probably should have snuck back home, but a part of me refused to leave, even if I couldn't enter either.

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Wugh—Monster???

...I mean of course there was a monster, but we MISSED the monster?!?! Shadell you motherfucker Chiro being on the team means we should be seeing all the fight scenes!!!

I see the universe has contrived to force Chiro to be a prom girlie.

"Dance?"

I turned my head. Somehow Temperance'd crept up behind me. She'd definitely left with Inessa and Ida, so she must have sensed my sins lingering over the prom and decided to come back.

"They'd probably hear us," I said. The roof wasn't very thick.

"It's loud in there."

Groaning, I slowly pushed myself to my feet. Temperance smiled.

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Temperance W...

Soooo, here's the first of a few little shorts I promised to write! These are all going to be post-canon and meant to capture the vibe of where things land. Don't expect any major developments or plot or heavy drama even. I'll also go ahead and say that these are somewhat dubiously canon, on the off-chance I ever get around to writing a sequel. But until something contradicts them, feel free to consider these as snapshots of what comes next.

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Honestly "sorta canon OVAs" is a good ass covering measure, let's you play around the post-story while not needing to bother hard confirming anything that gets in the way of whatever sequel manages to drum out of your head.

I'd been prepared for leaving A Little Vice to fond memories when the epilogue came and went...But again, I hardly hate more of this charming magical girl tale Shadell, I missed it. So, count me in for the ride!

 

[AmberGimlet]

Shadell, this is such an incredible story. Reading through it as it updated is part of what got me to get one of my story ideas from the vague thoughts to the actual planning stage.

Temperance considered. Idly, she toyed with her bangle. I guessed… waiting so she could have a better relationship with your partners was temperate, maybe…

Then she rose and, blushing ever so faintly, nodded and made her way for the back door.

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The way being a tough no nonsense girlboss who knows what polycules are still doesn't make her immune to being Gooey about Having A Shot.

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Its hard for me to do anything other than warble incoherently over this little scene, it really is so cute. And such a representation of how far Chiro has come since the start of the story too.

 

[GreatWyrmGold]

"out of some perverse sense of solidarity" YOU MAKE YOUR SISTER LOVING YOU A GREAT DEAL SOUND LIKE SOME CURSE FROM GOD CHIRO.

...Though, all things considered, the cosmology of this story is biblical enough that Inessa being Chiro's weird and enthusiastic sister might be a curse on her for a past life. It'd be funny.

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Point 1: Not surprising that Chiro's lingering embers of envy (maybe magic, maybe mundane) still makes her think of herself as a curse.

Point 2: What kind of church did you go to? Because I'm pretty sure my pastor would consider the concept of a "past life" to be pretty heretical.

The way Chiro has the fucking GALL to be like "Oh you shouldn't compromise for your special night" Miss Stay At Home Ass???

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She expects prom would be a special layer of hell.

God Chiro you are just. Making it SO WEIRD about Temperance, which honestly is mostly because your love language is quips, but ya know.

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I suspect it would be more accurate to say her language is quips.

Chiroptera: She's such an outlaw...Such a rebel...
Temperance: [Is just sitting there]

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She's just sitting there...rebelliously...

It's so fucking unfortunate your taste is stupid bitches, huh Temperance?

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One stupid bitch, one stupid bitten.
"Bitten" actually means "juvenile bat," not "female bat," but bats don't have extra gendered nouns.

Chiroptera: Okay you need to tell me what I bring to the table.
Temperance: Girl hot.
Chiroptera: A little more.
Temperance: ...Genesis 6:17.
Chiroptera:
Temperance: For you, it would be worthy.

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This is hilarious. Everyone google the Bible verse so you can laugh along. Or judge me for my sense of humor, I guess.

I see the universe has contrived to force Chiro to be a prom girlie.

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Shame it didn't contrive a prom dress so she could join the others on the dance floor. Or at least get a few compliments and maybe a group photo at the end of the night.

 

[The Lowtide]

Just popping in to say that my paperback copy arrived in the mail this afternoon, and I just spent the last three hours rereading it again? And after I'm finished it's getting a prime spot on my book shelf. Once again, thank you Shadell for this amazing story, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to support it with a full copy. Now I can force my girlfriend to read it at our next book swap, to boot!

 

[Nerdorama]

Point 2: What kind of church did you go to? Because I'm pretty sure my pastor would consider the concept of a "past life" to be pretty heretical.

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The Big Y does curse people for the actions of their ancestors though, and I'd definitely say that Chiro's direct genetic antecedent deserved a cursing.

 

[Renu]

The Big Y does curse people for the actions of their ancestors though, and I'd definitely say that Chiro's direct genetic antecedent deserved a cursing.

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Deuteronomy 24:16
"Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin."
(repeated in quote in kings 14:6)

Apparently.

 

[Nerdorama]

Deuteronomy 24:16
"Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin."
(repeated in quote in kings 14:6)

Apparently.

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Exodus 34:6-7

"6 ​And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 ​maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation."

No one ever accused him of being consistent I guess. (More charitably, it seems like the segment of Deuteronomy is referring to physical capital punishment by tribal authority, rather than a more general divine punishment).

 

[GreatWyrmGold]

The Big Y does curse people for the actions of their ancestors though, and I'd definitely say that Chiro's direct genetic antecedent deserved a cursing.

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There's a big difference between "past life" and "sins of the fathers".


With regard to Sins of the Father: There are plenty of other quotes about whether or not God thinks people should be judged for their ancestors' sins. (See 2 Kings 14:6, Jeremiah 31:29-30, Ezekiel 18:2-4 and 18:20; also other verses which don't reference the fathers' sins but do emphasize one's responsibility for their own sins.)

As an atheist, it's easy for me to point out that the Bible was written by numerous humans over several centuries, much of it transcribed from older oral traditions, which sometimes conflicted with the oral traditions of other Israelite tribes. Different preachers had different opinions about the nature of good and God, all of which were considered important enough to write down.
This is only a problem for Biblical literalists and urban fantasy stories which try to distill a coherent character out of the Biblical God.

 

[Bluespark9]

This is only a problem for Biblical literalists and urban fantasy stories which try to distill a coherent character out of the Biblical God.

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Ohh yes the two genders, biblical literalists and urban fantasy authors.

 

[Renu]

Ohh yes the two genders, biblical literalists and urban fantasy authors.

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Chiro "I mean, I haven't published anything so calling myself an author would be disrespectful to actual authors. Also, my stories are more neo noir with mythical elements, so..."

Temperance the publisher "it's been five months just take the damn book deal"