"I really don't understand why I have to dress up as a superhero" Maya noted, for the tenth time in the morning "I mean, if I wanted to do that, I could just go to work..."

She had already given up the fight, but she was not ready to give up the complaining yet. She had made a deal with Becca: She would accompany her to King Con, in costume, and in return Becca would come with her to a Ren fair.
Honestly, Maya was not that much against the whole con thing. It was social, it was fun, it was definitely interesting... it promised to be an enjoyable day. What she did have something against was the cosplay. Becca had suggested it, and Maya agreed, but now that she had the outfit on, she was beginning to have some doubts.

For one, the wig. Maya was wearing a wig. A blonde wig. It made her wish she had Jesse's all-shifting ability. It felt strange, and to herself, it looked even stranger. Add to that the tight crop top and the pants, and she felt both exposed and overdressed at the same time. Maya tugged on the top again, glancing at Becca, who was definitely more... shiny.

"Well, at least it doesn't come with heels, huh" she smirked "Do I look acceptably superhero-ish?"

Becca was still not sure how she made it happen. She rolled a Natural Twenty on a persuasion check or she developed some secondary mutation that allowed her to compel people to follow her will. Those were the only ways Becca could think of to explain how she got Maya Morris into a blonde wig, a midriff-exposing top, and form-fitting pants.

Well, the ability to promise and withhold sex did not hurt negotiations.

King Con was huge; one of the biggest events of the year, and everyone knew a Con was only as good as the company one brought along. There were options, particularly in the nerdy circles Becca ran in. Booker would certainly be at the event, as would Lexi. They would cross paths at some point, but they both had their own cosplay plans. Becca loved cosplaying, but more importantly, she liked coordinating cosplays. More specifically, she loved couple cosplays.

The challenge came from not being part of a “couple” in the traditional sense. She had two people she was intimate with on a regular basis, but the nature of her relationship with Agnes… well, it was not particularly suited to large public events, and the costumes she would have in mind would be notably different.

On the other end of the spectrum, she had Maya. They were not a couple, but they were friends as much as they were “with benefits.” She could trust to enjoy her time spent with Maya, with or without sex. It took some discussion and the promise of a reenactment or Ren Faire to convince her, but Maya agreed to attend the convention with her AND go in costume.

Thanks to the consistency of Maya and Gawain’s cycles, Becca had time to plan ahead on a pair of costumes for a Maya day. After coming the internet for a good woman-loving-woman relationship in comics, she settled on the cute, youthful relationship between Jenny Super (begrudgingly played by Maya) and Dakota Duke. The white dress and boots she went with were not the character’s most recognizable look, but they were from the issue with their date, and she would have little chance of not being recognized when her blonde wig had rainbow colors throughout and she was covered in shimmery rainbow glitter and makeup.

Maya was still complaining, but Becca was too excited to care. ”Sweetie, ye barely hae a costume. At best it’s a uniform.” Not everyone was as dramatic as Becca when it came to costume design, but she liked to pay homage to the classics. ”An’ aye, fer what it’s worth, ye look plenty superhero-ish.” She punctuated her point by kissing Maya’s cheek, leaving a small trace of glitter on the other woman.

A kiss on the cheek was just friendly affection, really. Really close friendship. The longer Becca and Maya continued their “arrangement,” the more Becca questioned how long it would go on for. She expected at some point one of them would decide it was time to stop or they’d find something more permanent. Yet, as days went on, Maya was the most prominent presence in her phone and, when she was not under the thrall of her mistress, she had the biggest chunk of Becca’s time and attention. They just kinda… kept going, and it almost worried Becca how okay with that she was.

”Noo e’en ye cannae complain abit uir next panel.” Walking gracefully in her heeled boots, Becca led their way toward one of the many large rooms set aside for panels and events. ”’Geek Girls: Th’ Growin’ Role Ay Women In Nerd Culture.’ This ain shoods be wicked.” It was the perfect balance of girl power and nerd talk for Becca.

And it was another reminder that Maya really was a trooper for letting herself be dragged to panels about geekdom and subcultures. Becca squeezed Maya’s hand as they entered the room filled mostly with women settling into rows of seats. ”Yer kind ay th’ best fer this, ya know.”

Maya's costume was decently done, and the wig was holding in place - but Becca had really gone the extra mile on becoming Dakota Duke. There was glitter everywhere, leaving a merry trail from the Mansion all the way to the convention center. If anyone had any doubts about where Becca loved until now, all they had to do was follow the glitter. It was everywhere.

>>”Sweetie, ye barely hae a costume. At best it’s a uniform. An’ aye, fer what it’s worth, ye look plenty superhero-ish.”

"Well, excuse me for not showing off my award-winning buns while trying to save people and shoot bad guys" Maya smirked. Becca was super excited for the con, and even more so for the cosplay, and especially for their coordinated looks that represented a beloved superhero couple of hers. Sure, they were not technically a couple, but the costumes went together, and they managed to reach an agreement. Sorta.

>>”Noo e’en ye cannae complain abit uir next panel. ’Geek Girls: Th’ Growin’ Role Ay Women In Nerd Culture.’ This ain shoods be wicked.”

"Sounds very educational." Maya chuckled, following Becca into the hall reserved for the panel. There were many attendees, most of them female, filing into the seats, talking excitedly about the con and the upcoming presentations. Maya really had to preferences within the event, so she was happy to go wherever Becca's excitement took them.

>>”Yer kind ay th’ best fer this, ya know.”

"Oh, I'm aware" Maya assured her as they took their seats "And I'm getting you in a corset for the ren fair."

The room was full, with people standing in the back, by the time the doors closed, and spotlights lit up the stage. Maya blinked at the figure that stepped out into the light. "Um... is it me or is it weird that the whole panel is like... one dude?..."

Becca’s eyes were naturally drawn to Maya’s “award-winning buns” when she brought them up. Not that it was a problem, of course; hell, her eyes even lingered for a bit, leading to a wide-grin. ”Such a shame. Ah know Ah’d hae muir fun it in th’ field if ye did.” In truth, Becca was fine with Maya’s uniform; she looked badass out in the field, and if anything, Becca got to be the one who enjoyed what was underneath when the fighting was over.

The two women shuffled into their seats, with Maya threatening a corset upon the redhead. As new as she was to Ren Faires, she was actually excited to see Maya in a setting she felt comfortable in that most people would not assume. ”Psh, ye act loch Ah’d object tae wearing a corset fer ye whenever.”

There were minutes of the crowd piling in, but Becca spent most of that time flipping through her convention program, double-checking the next panel she wanted to attend. She did not pay attention to the stage until the room lights went down and Maya pointed out an inconsistency with the day’s event.

Becca’s eyebrow quirked as she assessed the man on stage. He was tall and lanky, with blemish-marked skin. Becca knew the presenters for the day front and back; this guy was not on the list. ”That’s… not right? Hm… maybe this is some kind of skit?” She was clearly uncertain about her explanation, which seemed flimsy even to her own sense of reason.

The man smirked, embracing the bright light as he looked out into the audience. “Ladies,” he began in a voice that sent a shiver through Rebecca. “Thank you for attending. Today we are going to teach you all about a woman’s role in nerd culture. In any culture, really. Everyone has a place,” he continued, his tone arrogant and dramatic, “and it is important you learn yours…”

To be fair, cosplay was not all that far removed from what Mirror did when they dressed up for reenactment events and renaissance fairs. She liked the banter with Becca about her superhero crushes, but in the end, she did not mind being dressed up as one. Even if it did involve a blond wig, which was more amusing than hot, in her mind. But at least she was fairly certain that Becca's bloody glitter would get everywhere by the end of the day.

>> ”Such a shame. Ah know Ah’d hae muir fun it in th’ field if ye did... Psh, ye act loch Ah’d object tae wearing a corset fer ye whenever.”

"I'll hold you to that" Maya smirked as they took their places. She was distracted by all the other costumes around them; many she recognized, some she didn't. It was fun to look, anyway, so she only noticed the dude on stage when he took the spotlight.

>>”That’s… not right? Hm… maybe this is some kind of skit?”

>>“Ladies. Thank you for attending. Today we are going to teach you all about a woman’s role in nerd culture. In any culture, really. Everyone has a place... and it is important you learn yours…”

"Ummm..." Maya arched an eyebrow, looking between Becca and the stage "Yeah this better be a skit. Because if not, you might see me kick someone's *ss in this costume after all."

The man stepped forward with an egotistical smile on his face.

"Just because all the social justice warriors keep cramming new females down our throat every day, that doesn't mean it's right" he noted in a wise manner "Actually, what those movies and comics do not tell you, is that women who take on those masculine roles are never truly happy. And ladies, I want you all to be happy. Believe me, once you settle into your place as women, you will be well cared for, with not a worry in the world."

"Did he just say actually?..." Maya muttered, with a dangerous expression on her face. But at the same time, something else was happening as well; something less... obvious. A wave of confusion was slowly working its way through the crowd, circling out from the stage towards the (closed) doors of the auditorium. It was like a whisper, some slow mental shift... something that was a lot more sinister than anyone gave credit for. It was mostly a lack of something: The lack of female superheroes calling out the man on the stage.

Becca joined the world of geek culture later in her life thanks to her friend and former boss, Akshay. She was fortunate enough to see the ongoing rise of female representation within the culture. Her friend Lexi would constantly lament about what it had been like growing up as a nerdy girl in school. Some of her peers did not see her as girly, while the boys would exclude her from activities she would want to take part in. Becoming older didn’t make things better, and the exclusion became harassment as she blossomed. She would constantly tell Becca that things weren’t perfect, but they were finally getting better.


She was excited about that particular panel because it meant more to her than some workshop for cosplay armor, (as awesome as that sounded.) That made it all the more puzzeling to see some out of place guy on stage.

Her glare stayed on the man as he spoke, though she did offer a nod to Maya’s threat. ”Ye’ll hae tae beat me tae th’ stage first.”

The guy’s diatribe was… unnerving? Appalling? It was upsetting to hear someone speak so apparently earnestly about how women were overstepping their bounds by “breaking gender roles” and taking the lead. The very thought that he believed the lead to be an inherently masculine role! It was offensive! It was rage-inducing! Why was this terrible skit not ending?

And… why was the crowd so quiet? The room was populated primarily by women. Surely, they were not all just willing to give the guy his “right” to speak. It was all Becca could do to keep from growling. How was the room so quiet? Why in the hell were there women standing behind him on stage, assuming timid, demure postures and saying nothing?


”Can ye f***in’ e’en believe this, Maya?” she mumbled to her companion. ”Who daes thes guy think he is?”

“Ladies, it’s about time someone disillusioned you from this myth the world is trying to push on you. The femenazis tell you the dream is equality, but they can’t see the obvious. We’re inherently different. Women are soft and caregiving and physically weak. This is evolution’s way of proving the role of a woman: the subservient supporter. Support the family. Support their man. Support the hero. Hollywood seems to be forgetting this, slandering our beloved franchises like Galaxy Conflict, but that doesn’t make it less true.”

The man’s lips curled into a creepy smile. “If you really dig deep, you can feel it; women are happiest when they find a man to take care of them. A man to serve.”

>>”Can ye f***in’ e’en believe this, Maya? Who daes thes guy think he is?”

Okay, so this was not a skit, and definitely not something that was supposed to happen on the stage. Becca was clearly outraged about the panel being ruined, but other than that, no one had made a move yet to remove the guy from behind the microphone. Maya blinked, feeling a little confused. Sure, it was her first con experience, but did it... usually... go like this?

>>“Ladies, it’s about time someone disillusioned you from this myth the world is trying to push on you. The femenazis tell you the dream is equality, but they can’t see the obvious. We’re inherently different. Women are soft and caregiving and physically weak. This is evolution’s way of proving the role of a woman: the subservient supporter. Support the family. Support their man. Support the hero. Hollywood seems to be forgetting this, slandering our beloved franchises like Galaxy Conflict, but that doesn’t make it less true.”

Maya blinked some more. The words were supposed to be outrageous, if Becca's face was any indication, and yet... there was a strange, complacent feeling in Maya's mind about them. They just... fell so naturally into place. Like someone was shining a light on something so obvious that one could not believe she had not noticed it before. Could truth really be so simple...?

>>“If you really dig deep, you can feel it; women are happiest when they find a man to take care of them. A man to serve.”

"You know... I think he has a point" Maya noted carefully. In this day and age it took bravery to stand up for opinions that aligned with traditional values. "I mean... it is nice to have someone strong to lean on, right?"

It was hard to see someone who was basically the embodiment of everything Rebecca hated about certain subcultures speaking unchallenged to a massive crowd of women. She was still trying to piece together what was going on. Maybe it was some kind of bizarre flash mob prank where everyone was there to troll Rebecca for some kind of angry reaction. If that was the case, they were doing a damn good job, because she was just about ready to be the voice to break the silence. Perhaps the women around her were just too stunned to say anything.

At least, that was Rebecca’s hope. She felt a shudder run down her spine when Maya, of all people, spoke up to validate the man’s argument. Rebecca looked to her friend incredulously. That did not sound like the woman Rebecca lo…iked. As a friend. She tried to keep her voice hushed with her reply, not looking to get in an argument with Maya when her real enemy was on stage.

”Maya. Ah’m sorry, bit what? There’s nae point here! We dinnae need a man tae lean oan. We’re baith strang! Why shoods we be hiding ‘at fer insecure men?” she asked, trying and failing to keep the venom out of her voice as she glared at the man on stage, continuing his diatribe against womankind. What kind of world was she suddenly in? Things could be bad, but they weren’t usually THIS bad.

There was a rippling murmur of agreement among the women. Some seemed confused a little, but most were nodding along to the idea of allowing men to do the heavy lifting. After all, if they volunteered, it was a win-win, right? It was their role to begin with.

>>”Maya. Ah’m sorry, bit what? There’s nae point here! We dinnae need a man tae lean oan. We’re baith strang! Why shoods we be hiding ‘at fer insecure men?”

Maya blinked, looking at Becca. What was she talking about?

"He doesn't seem insecure to me..." she muttered, smoothing some blonde locks out of her face.

"Ladies, believe me. No one respects you more than I do. You are all strong and beautiful and amazing. No one is stronger than someone who can support a man like a true woman, right? Behind every successful man, there is a woman. A very special woman. I would like to help you all find that place, and do your very best, while a man does the heavy work that you don't need to worry about."

"That sounds nice" Maya sighed with a small smile "Sometimes I could really use someone else to do the heavy lifting..."

Was Rebecca in some kind of nightmare? She was being spoken down to by a mysoginist, yet the women around her were starting to make her question if she was the one out of line and out of her mind by questioning the man's macho gospel. It made no sense, and when she tried to think about it, she could have sworn her head started to thump like there was a headache beginning to form.

The tipping point of her frustration came when she had to sit there, incredulous, as Maya defended the guy on stage. The way she validated his comments while smoothing away her hair like some demure little doe-eyed lass. Since when had Maya ever shied away from heavy lifting or getting her hands dirty? She was not one to just wait until midnight to let Gawain handle things for her; why act like that for a man? In fact, why was her lesbian friend with benefits thinking about submitting to men in the first place?

That was it. Something was too weird to accept and Rebecca had more than enough of the man's bull**** that she could take. "Oh, bugger this." Becca stood from her seat, causing wisps of glitter to shake off her body. She looked up to the stage and made sure to project so she could be heard through the space. "Ah think yer whole philosophy is a crock ay sh*t an' yer self-warth is sae smaw, ye're scared when lassies know they dinnae need a man loch ye, aw ye'll hae left ur yer internet forums. Noo hoo abit ye tell me whit yer daing huir?"

Someone else to do the heavy lifting. Having a safe, supporting role to that someone; sitting back and being taken care of. The more Maya thought about it, the nicer all that sounded. Why had she not thought about that before? Who brainwashed her to think she needed to be her own woman, running around as a superhero?...

>>>"Oh, bugger this."

Becca was harder to convince. She was not seeing the reason in the idea. In fact, Maya was a little annoyed to see the blush of anger rising in her friend's face, until it broke out in a very Scottish tirade.

>>"Ah think yer whole philosophy is a crock ay sh*t an' yer self-warth is sae smaw, ye're scared when lassies know they dinnae need a man loch ye, aw ye'll hae left ur yer internet forums. Noo hoo abit ye tell me whit yer daing huir?"

The man on the stage blinked, mildly surprised that someone was actually talking back to him. Maya tugged on Becca's sleeve.

"Don't make a scene, Becca, you are sounding bossy..."

"What I am doing here, is educating women about how to live a better life" the man on the stage responded with a sugary sweet smile "Now why don't you tell my what bothers you about the idea of living like a princess, and being treated like a queen? Don't you like nice guys?"

With the smile and the words came another wave of convincing charisma, brushing over the crowd. They shifted as they turned to stare at Becca. Some clearly disapproved of her unladylike behavior.

Rebecca was expecting a lot more support than she got. Heck. She was expecting any support. She was willing to believe some women could see the appeal of an easy life and a big, strong man, but she refused to believe an entire room of women were drinking the sociopath's Koolaid.

Unfortunately, the room made it clear that, somehow, Rebecca was standing alone. She looked down to Maya, blinking several times as she was accused of being... bossy? Really? It made no sense. She had not felt so out of place since...

Atlantis.

Oh, **** off.

Something was going on in the room, and clearly it involved some kind of telepathic influence. The kind of influence Rebecca had some natural defense against, making her the one woman standing. She knew she should have brought her shield with her to the convention. She had to stall and figure out how to deal with her enemy-- assuming the slimeball was even the mutant cause of the problem.

So she would antagonize and see if it got her anywhere. "Whit bothers me is th' idea 'at Ah'm supposed tae expect a bloke tae tak' caur ay me when lads loch ye dornt seem loch they'd know hoo tae caur fur a girl if they tried."

Rebecca folded her arms over her chest and even smirked. This was surprisingly cathartic. "Besides, Eh'd raither care less abit lettin' some entitled creep treat me loch a princess when Ah can be th' ain treatin' mah girlfriend loch a princess insteid." She stood, proud of herself indeed.

Did she just call Maya her girlfriend? Rebecca tried not to make it too obvious when the realization hit her and she went wide-eyed. She wasn't going to look at her lover; she was whammied anyway, right? It wasn't like she'd remember, and "girlfriend" carried more weight than "friend with benefits who happens to be a girl." Worst case scenario, she would blame the limitations of the English Language.