#Weekly Writing Update

[wingedcatastrophe]

5/21 - 5/28

I definitely did not forget yesterday was Wednesday nope not at all. moving on! Did some good writing, have reached the point in Chaos that everything looks terrible and I have to actually figure out the plot points between all of the major plot points I have and eeeuughhhshfeksnges but we are powering through! This draft will exist by the end of the summer! I am making it happen!

The Highlights:

Chaos Word Count: 23,359 / 100,00 New words this week(s): 4,454 Favorite quote written this week:

This is what it is to be a Hero, yes? To fight, even when scared? To continue, even when victory is uncertain? This is what it is to be a Villain, too. We are not that much different, really. Just different sides of the same fight.

[the-feels-assassin]

Weekly Writing Update

Still plugging away at my Phlint Christmas fic.

For those following along, this fic takes place Dec 22, 2005 - Jan 2, 2006, in which Phil Coulson goes home to Manitowoc and his family of origin, which consists of his mom, two older siblings, their spouses, and a myriad of kids. Then Clint and Nat show up. Family trauma and drama! Plus Phil and Clint getting together.

So in this scene there are two characters "Ashley" and "Tim" who are Phil's 20 year old niece and 18 year old nephew, respectively. Ashley attends Harvard; Tim is still in high school. The "Chris" mentioned in passing is Phil's older sister.

“I needed this,” Clint said, pushing himself into a head stand. He held it for a moment, and then walked on his hands towards Natasha and the kids. It wasn’t as easy to do on the uneven ground or in the snow, the wetness was starting to seep through his gloves, but Clint had done it on worse terrain in the circus. Tim and Ashley were both watching him with wide eyes. If they thought these easy tumbles were impressive, they must not know many gymnasts or acrobats. Clint supposed his sort of people may not be common at Harvard. “You should have worked out with me this morning instead of canoodling,” Natasha said. She stepped forward and pushed his feet. He fell over backwards into the snow. “Ugh, you know I hate working out first thing,” Clint said, hopping up. “Plus the canoodling was with Phil.” A goofy smile came over his face. Phil with his broad hands mapping Clint’s back. Phil, his warm mouth as thorough and competent as he was. “It was too good to pass up.” “You’re really like with Uncle Phil?” Ashley asked, her face and voice filled with puzzlement. She stood next to Natasha, her arms crossed in front of her as she studied him. Her expression was analytical—a cross between the dissecting gaze of Chris and the considering gaze of Phil. “Like, you’re his boyfriend?” “Hell yeah,” Clint said with a big grin. Boyfriend. He was Phil Coulson’s boyfriend. He knew Phil hated that word, but Clint didn’t. He hated partner because it made them still seem like coworkers. He liked boyfriend, because everyone knew what it meant. He was Phil’s. “It’s just…” Ashley shook her head. “I don’t get it.” “What’s there to get?” Clint asked. “I love him. He loves me.” “But you’re so…” Her face scrunched and she motioned at all of him. “Cool. And Uncle Phil is…” She looked to Tim for help. “Not,” the boy said with a shrug. “Uncle Phil is a dork.” “The secret is that they are both dorks,” Natasha said.

Current Total Word Count: 88,823

[ravennaortiz]

Weekly Sunday Writing Update 11/5

Good morning lovelies! Later today I will be making a post for request and attaching it to the masterlist!

As some of you know I dropped a SOA/Mayan crossover on Friday called Revenge! This story features OC Cori Lowman, Happy, Juice, Angel & EZ Reyes.

Currently working on a Mayans Christmas Story. The month of December a new Smutty Mayans story will be dropped every day at 8 am est!

Midweek pick me up will be a GueroxReaderxBottles piece.

This Friday 11/10 I will be dropping A Charming Wolf. Preview here. This is an alternate/paranormal SOA story featuring Opie.

Depending on how the work week goes I may have some Ravennas Rambles for you as well!

If you want me to tag you when something drops let me know either on this post with which pieces or or you can message me!

[mail-me-a-snail]

TRUE BLU v.

Are you there? Say something.

the final chapter of true blu is now UP!!! it's hard to believe we've finally made it here ;u; when i set out to write this fic, there were plenty of times when i wanted to throw in the towel and call it quits...but im really glad i stuck to it :'3 im proud of this fic and all y'all's support made it possible !!

so here we are at last. as always, comments are appreciated <3

[libraryofjupiter]

nothing worth loving isn't askew chapter 2 is up!

He wanted pancakes; quick and easy, but it felt luxurious compared to the hospital cafeteria. It wasn't long before he had a jug of pancake mix next to the stove. He hesitated in front of it. Knowing Robotnik, he'd managed to install a flamethrower in it somewhere. He was pretty sure he'd remember the flamethrower button, but his head was still a bit hazy.

a softer, caretaking focused chapter :-)

[rs-hawk]

My Brother’s Hot Friend: Week One

FtM Reader x Dragon

Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four

Your brother got a new best friend when he was in high school. You always had a bit of a crush on him, but he was older and cold. When your friends were over at the same time as him, you’d all joke about him being reptilian. As the years went on, your brother and him stayed close. Even after they both went off to different colleges. Even after you ended up going to college.

One summer, your brother and you had come back to visit your parents. Staying in your old childhood rooms reminded you of what high school was like. Especially when he came back to visit his parents as well, so your brother and him ended up hanging out a lot. You couldn’t help but notice how tall he was-had he always been so tall? Had he always been towering man with eyes that cut through you?

Your brother was invited to a party, and to your surprise, he invited you along too.

“You’re too uptight. Every time we talk, you’re always studying. Do you even have any friends on campus? I mean, come on Y/N. You have a single dorm and you don’t even have a boyfriend to have over. It’s kind of a waste,” he teased you right after he invited you.

“You don’t have to try to pressure me. I was going to say yes anyways,” you muttered. “I’m gonna to get ready.”

“Good! You’ll have a lot of fun, and I’m bringing Drake,” he announced before running off like a little kid to his room.

You don’t know why the idea of Drake being there made you so nervous. It took you longer than you thought to get ready because of the way your hand was trembling. By the time you’re done, your brother was impatiently in the car, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel.

“Finally dude. Come on. We’re already late. All the hot girls are gonna be taken and all the good punch is gonna be drank. I’m going to be pissed if I’m stuck drinking beer all night,” he told you, speeding out of the driveway before you were even buckled up.

When you got to the party, you recognized the house as one of your brother’s old friend’s house. You’d gone for a birthday party a couple times when you were younger. So, you slipped to the bathroom to double check your appearance before you ran into Drake.

Your hair was slicked back and pulled into a tight braid that snaked down your back. The black button up you’d gone with was fully buttoned, so you took a second to unbutton the first two. It wasn’t a job interview. You knew you shouldn’t look like such a prude. Your plain jeans and boots you knew were fine, so after hyping yourself up for a moment in the mirror, you rejoined the party.

Drinks were pushed into your hand, and you got pulled into random conversations. You didn’t see Drake, but the more you drank, the less you cared. It wasn’t until some guy was chatting to you about how hard his Computer Science degree was to get that you finally spotted Drake, glaring at you from across the living room.

A laugh escaped your lips. Even when everyone else was having fun, he was cold and unmoving. The guy you’d been chatting with you acted offended, but you didn’t care all that much. Your body was warm from the alcohol, and you had a confidence you’d never had before. You apologized and slipped away from him so you could make your way to Drake.

“Hey loner,” you said with a smirk as you plopped next to him.

“What do you want?” he muttered, folding his arms over his chest and turning away.

His annoyance only made you more insistent on talking to him. You touched his arm at one point, making him reel back as if you burned him. It hurt a little bit, but you swallowed it down. Eventually, your brother came to find you, and was surprised to find you red faced and slurring drunk.

“Man, I really wanted to run Y/N home real quick so I could go home with this girl, but getting him anywhere is going to take forever,” he groaned.

“I’ll take him home,” Drake offered, though you could tell from his tone of voice he was still annoyed.

You yawned, resting your head on Drake’s shoulder. “I’m good. Seriously. Drake’s such a buzz kill that it’s not like I’m putting a damper on his night. You should go have fun though.”

Your brother laughed, ruffling your hair and fist bumping Drake. Drake muttered something you didn’t catch through the blood pounding in your ears. A few minutes after your brother left, Drake pushed you off of him.

“Come on Y/N. You can stay over with me for tonight. I don’t want to wake your folks up this late and there’s no getting you to bed quietly,” he said as he grabbed your hand, tugging you to your feet.

“Okay,” you said in a tight voice, your skin tingling where he was touching you. Your entire body was on fire.

He led you through the party, his fingers interlocked with yours to make sure you didn’t get lost. Once outside, he tugged you closer to him, wrapping his arm around your waist to keep you pressed against his side. You took the opportunity to nuzzle against his arm, almost burrowing there. You felt like you were on cloud nine.

Drake groaned and you were worried he was going to push you away, but he didn’t. Instead, he clung tighter to you, his nails feeling almost like… claws.

[windfalling]

THE FALL [1/5]

"You can unlearn what was taught to you," The Stranger said, his voice almost gentle. "We will do it together." Osha discovers her strength in the Force with The Stranger to guide her.

[poppyseeds-and-coffeebeans]

Going for Gold update/ramble

letting myself take time with these final chapters and not rushing to get them finished and posted is a test of both my will power and also needed to keep myself from burning out. (will not get into detail just going through a lot tbh)

I am practicing not feeling guilty about no longer being able to update with two chapters a week now that I'm getting closer to the ending - these last sections are all about twice the length of the beginning chapters and all hold too much importance to rush through.

I care so much about this story (ya I know it's fanfic I still put a lot of work into it and it matters to me) and not rushing the ending is important. So slightly slower updates but it will be completed before the end of April!!

I also have two surprises for the finale chapter AND two shorter separate fics to post in between Going for Gold updates.

On the writing side I'm not slowing down just giving myself more time for each chapter!!

That being said - the next chapter is nearly ready to post and should be up before the weekend 💙🖤

That's all <3

[birbleh]

7 ways to write Reigen in-character/Reigen-centric

1. Make him ugly

Yes, he is extremely sexy man and he is extremely sexy ugly man. You wanna write he has delicate porcelain wrists and his waist is snatched?? Sure, but he also picks his nose in private.

2. Encourage him to be a repeat offender

Don’t limit him to con artistry, any petty thing that helps him save a little cash is even better. Taking 30+ napkins from the front of the food franchise store???? He’s running a small business, officer.

3. Reigen is always trying to strike a deal. Even with your readers

And you can get an additional discount if you continue reading, sign these terms and purchase the following bulk items… Don’t resist. Let the luminous allure of capitalism flow through you.

4. Reigen is also trying to cheat your readers

Reigen admitting he has no powers?? Pffffffff what series did you read/watch?? Mop Sycho???? (At this point it’s fine cuz everyone knows he’s obviously lying (aka obvious unreliable narration)). And yes, when it matters he’s honest about it.

5. Add a sprinkle of self-loathing

Does Reigen hate himself?? :DDDDDD Of course he does! But make it subtle. Can’t have any employees feeling guilty cuz they turned down his dinner offer (and he instead spent that night downing lemon sours and not enjoying it).

6. Remember Reigen’s love for Mob is boundless

Of course shishou would reschedule all his appointments, drive into uncharted forest and hold back a stranger in a chokehold so Mob can have free milk or a frog sticker.

7. Make Reigen struggle to be emotionally vulnerable

My man’s a feminist alas the societal norms of emotional suppression grip him still. If you’re writing him pre or during canon he’s not gonna cry so easily. Post-canon tho???? Yassssssssss let those snotty tears drown his eyes and airwayss we love that. And if sharing smth personal means his nuggets of wisdom will sound a little more meaningful to the people he cares about, then he will.

Obviously there are many ways to write this stinky lingerie-wearing man, but assume you followed these steps…

The result?? I wrote a reigen-centric fic here :)) Let me know what you think

[wingedcatastrophe]

6/11 - 6/17

Decent week; i'm still really behind for my writing goal but I've managed to keep it steady so far so I'm not completely drowning in words to catch up on. Also figured out my word tracker spreadsheet was not reading my word counts properly, so who knows if my overall word count on previous weeks is correct or not, I'm not going back to check lol Ended up putting a whole section into square brackets to go back to later, so I'm almost to the halfway point of this draft! Maybe I'll even reach it this coming week! I think that's gonna be my goal, at least. Also, wanted to wait for the new wip intro for Chaos until I could afford to commission this very ambitious Connie image I had ideas for, but it's looking like it'll be ages until I can afford that. Maybe I'll save that for an eventual special edition of the book cover if I self publish. For now, just gonna go ahead and do the new wip intro so that'll be up sometime this week.

The Highlights:

Chaos Word Count: 36,435 / 100,000 New words this week(s): 3,783 Favorite quote written this week:

As it turns out, she had no intentions of playing something so mundane as poker. No, Akina gambled on only the finest of games - they each put their offering into the center, and thus began the world's most serious game of Go Fish.

[the-feels-assassin]

Weekly Writing Update!

After too long of a break, I am back with an actual weekly writing update! Still working on the Phlint Christmas fic, which I would like to be able to post this Christmas!

This scene takes place right after Phil and his brother (Thomas) had a misunderstanding, and Phil thinks Thomas said that Phil was too old for Clint. (Which isn't actually what he said at all, but that is neither here nor there for the sake of this scene)

Phil looked up at Clint, his face impassive and yet Clint could see the stress around his eyes. “Am I too old?” “For what?” Clint asked. “You,” Phil said, his hand tightening on Clint’s. Clint stared down at the man he loved, wishing they were in New York or LA so he could gather him in his arms and kiss the ever-loving fuck out of him. Or better yet, wishing Clint was good with words, so he could assure him that he really didn’t care how old Phil was. At the same time, Clint wanted to go back inside, find Thomas, and beat the shit out of him. When Clint had left Phil with Thomas it was so they could talk about whatever, maybe resolve something, not so Phil could come out here and doubt that he was fucking good enough for Clint. As if that was ever a question, as if there was any planet where Phil Coulson wasn’t good enough for a dumb hick carnie. God, what had Thomas said to him? “No,” Clint said, cupping Phil’s jaw with his free hand. “You are definitely not too old for me.” As if thirty-three and forty-one were that different. Plus, Clint loved Phil as a complete package, and that included his age. He enjoyed that Phil was a bit older than him, wiser even, and therefore had the experience to handle anything life threw at them. Clint loved that about Natasha too. Perhaps that said something pathetic about Clint, that he wanted to be taken care of by these two older people, but Clint had spent enough of his life on his own. Life with this level of trust was so much better. “Eight years,” Phil said. “That’s bigger than the age gap between me and Thomas and sometimes that seems insurmountable.” “Good thing I don’t want you to be my older brother,” Clint said, leaning down as he tipped up Phil’s chin. The urge to kiss him was almost overwhelming. “I’m serious, Clint,” Phil said. “Eight years—its a lot. We grew up in different times, our cultural contexts are different. We—“ “Phil.” Clint moved moved his thumb so it pressed against Phil’s bottom lip, cutting him off. “I grew up in the circus, so I don’t think cultural context really matters all that much.” If Clint was going to wait to be involved with anyone who grew up in the same background as him, he would be waiting forever. Being the same didn’t matter. What mattered was that Phil saw him. Not a carnie hick, but a man with something to offer the world. What mattered is when things came up that neither of them had the context for, that they stopped and discussed it. What mattered was that this man before him was his best friend, outside of Natasha, and had been for years. “You’re my best friend, and I love you,” Clint said. “That’s enough. You’re enough.”

Current Word Count: 104, 160 words

And I think I'm maybe about halfway through!

[endwersed]

Made good progress on the second draft of chapter six today! 6k down and 5.5k to go 😊

[guangshi-091305]

"Trustworthy Partners In Life" - Series

A collection of snippets of their life together after Link Click is over. Feat. an overwhelming amount of fluff, acts of service and the many shades of love. Each snippet is either from Lu Guang’s POV or Cheng Xiaoshi’s. Please read fic tags!

A little treat for all of us Yingdu victims because goddammit do we deserve this and hell yes do Guangshi/Shiguang deserve to be happy together too!🥺

Updates: 24-36 hours after Yingdu Episodes air 💜 Please keep in mind I'll post new oneshots IN THE SERIES. No new chapters will be added to existing fics, so if you want to be notified of updates, please subscribe to the series🫶

Series Link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/4559131

First Instalment's up!

"The Future Ours to Pen"

~2000 words

Rated T

Fluffy Contents Include:

💙Hugs as Reassurance.

💙Pre-Dive Kisses.

💙Cat-Eared Baseball Caps.

💙Tucking him in bed.

💙Smiling when their eyes meet.

Read it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61731304

[pomegranate-fawn]

Weekly update: ughhhhh

This week was rlly blehhhhhh and horrible. I was just in a huge rut this week idk I’m just hoping this upcoming week is better. I got to see my gf yesterday which did help a lot but god I rlly hate having bpd sometimes I’ll feel like queen of the world before I crash horribly…anyways let’s talk about this weeeeeek.

I spent a LOT of this week in bed, not only was I really depressed but my period started so I was just not having a good time. But despite my sorrows my cats spent nearly every second of everyday with me. Specifically lying on top of me. Sasha, the black cat, normally doesn’t purr. Just isn’t her thing, but this whole week she’d climb on me and just…purr. It was so fucking cute and sweet I cried while she did it multiple times and she laid with me…so did Willow, my darling calico. Sasha normally stays by my side and follows me around the house, Willow is more likely to just lay down and sleep all day. I like to think that she really enjoyed napping on me…

Last week I mentioned my amazing anniversary with my gf and I want to bring that up again to show off some of the stuff she got me!!! She drew my cats as MEOWLS, a hybrid of cats and owls. They are like my niche obsession, all of my friends know about them and I have even posted them a few times on here, I really love my meowls. She drew them but she also gifted me them in little picture frames!!! She also gave me an lps deer cause I’ve talked about wanting tons of lps so I can take aesthetic photos of them with my tea! She didn’t gift me the Towa stand but I’m going through it so I’m using my mentally ill meow meow to try and motivate me to do stuff so he stays on my night stand until I am no longer mentally ill.

Along with suffering this week, I have gotten into one thing…cookie run kingdom. Or rather, I’m back into it. I was an OG player of CRK and stopped playing in 2023, I decided to get back into it cause it just sounded fun. And I’m glad I did, it’s a lot of fun and the designs are super gorgeous. Currently I’m trying to get eternal sugar cookie cause her design is legit so fucking good but I won’t be too disappointed if I don’t get her, cookie run is a great gatcha cause while I love the characters and designs I don’t have the same sadness when I don’t get a character like how I would feel when playing other games. Idk if it’s cause they’re literally cookies or if it’s just something else…but yeah I’m having fun. Look at my girl Black Forest cookie she’s adorable

I stopped writing in my hobonichi briefly this week, three days in a row. I felt really bad about it but I’m trying to soothe my feelings regarding it…I was really not doing well, it wasn’t done out of laziness. I love journaling so I feel bad cause I’m like…I probably would’ve felt better if I did journal but I won’t know since the time passed. All I can do is try to keep up and do better in the upcoming weeks. It’s all I’m capable of…I did a new spread for the upcoming week, so hopefully I can journal this week so I don’t end up dumping every horrible thought online…

I also have a slight update…I haven’t talked about it at length cause I was still working on it but as of rn…my visual novel will be on hiatus. I feel so unsure as to what I’m even trying to fucking write. I know some writers take years to perfect their stories but I feel so far behind, I’m a solid writer but I feel like a failure a lot of the time. So for now, I plan to focus on two main forms of writing. Firstly, I plan to do fanfics. I want to finish my twst x reader series so fucking bad, I’ve been working on it for like over two years, I need to just get it over with. The thing is I LOVE writing it I love the characters I guess I struggle since I don’t always have feelings of attraction I mean rightfully so most of them are literally babies. But maybe if I just make them more platonic like my Riddle fic I can do it. Though I do plan to write for two of my favorite characters next, Cater and Leona, so that’s exciting! I also plan to do a second x reader for Vil cause I fucking love her…I also want to write more nitro chiral fanfics, I definitely plan on doing a Taku x reader but I also plan on doing a Taku x Towa and one with Mink soon! Next…I have ideas for a new solo story. I say solo cause I often collaborate with my gf on works. But considering the fact that many popular and incredible authors just go “I like these guys they’re my oc’s now” I figured I should be able to do the same. I don’t know if it’ll be a series or just a singular novel as of right now but I plan to write a Wlw ya about a evil mage and a woman she meets and falls in love with. High fantasy and tons of drama, it’s gonna be great…I’m working on outlining it today! Well if I can motivate myself to…

Onto music…I am always listening to Malice Mizer, it’s actually an issue. I bring up Mana-Sama so much to my gf (aka the only person I talk to aside from tumblr mutuals) and it’s gotten to the point where she assumes any high femme person I’m showing her is Mana-Sama. I have a shirt with a few iconic horror women on it and she asked if they were VKei boys, it was very funny. Anyways wanted to share one of my favorite songs by Malice Mizer. While the GACKT era was probably their most famous, the short lived Khala era is my favorite. I’m actually forever mourning how short his time as a singer was. I’m glad that Khala is still most likely alive and well but his voice was truly a gift, I wish we had more stuff by him so badly 😭

Also I know Parasite dropped and people are obsessed…but idk I just haven’t been sold on the song yet!!! But I have been rlly into Nowhere, it’s really good. I would complain about Ivan having so many songs if I didn’t love Park Byeonghoon’s voice so much like honestly he can have as many songs as he wants lol

It’s actually fucking criminal that I’ve only highlighted Sheena Ringo on here only like once. While Funeral is my favorite song of hers, I think so much of her stuff is incredible. Her first three albums are actually revolutionary and her newer stuff is great. But I wanted to highlight Shouso Strip. Most likely if you’ve heard her before me, you’ve heard her song, Crime and Punishment, which is from this album. Or you’ve heard Ado’s cover. But I think Honnou-Instinct, is better. Both songs are great though!!!

Wanted to highlight this video by Contrapoints for this week…I was a big Twilight fan back in the day and I even have a replica of Bella’s ring from the first film that I wear everyday and I have a stupid “where the hell have you been, loca?” Shirt. But twilight is heavily flawed and I’m not above watching or joining in the critique of it. This is a very unique video…wasn’t exactly critique nor a celebration, but very unique analysis about Twilight and human sexuality.

[rs-hawk]

My Brother’s Hot Friend: Week Three

FtM Reader x Dragon

Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four

You stood there, confused by what you’d heard. Did Drake really say that? Or were you so drunk that you were just hearing what you wanted to? There was no way your brother’s best friend, the guy you’d been pining after for years, said he missed you. Even if he did, he wouldn’t have meant it like that, right?

“What?” you said softly, looking down at the darkness where you know where your feet are.

Drake just muttered something you couldn’t hear as he lead you to a room. “You can sleep in here tonight. I’ll sleep on the coach.” Your fingers were still interlocked with his as he tried to set you on the bed. “C’mon now kid. You gotta let go.”

“Why?” you asked as you tugged on his hand, as if trying to pull him into bed with you, but really you just wanted him closer to you.

He chuckled slightly, and in the little bit of moonlight that filtered in through the window, you saw him smirk. “Let me get you some water and something to eat. You’ll feel better if you’re not so drunk.”

You knew he was right, but something about the way his rough and calloused hand felt in yours was even more intoxicating. You didn’t want to let it go. “Can I at least come with you?”

He laughed, a full hearted, deep laugh. It made your stomach churn and twist. He was perfect, and you were here with him. “Sure. You can come with me.”

You shakily stood up, but he stopped you. “Are you still wearing your binder?”

You nodded, knitting your brows. “Yeah. So?”

“How many hours has it been?”

“I don’t know.”

He growled softly, nudging you back towards the bed. “Y/N, come on. You have to be careful! Take it off.”

“I don’t want to,” you said stubbornly, letting go of his hand to wrap your arms around your chest.

“I’m just trying to help take care of you,” he argued as he tried coaxing your arms away from your chest.

When you started wriggling away from him, he grabbed your forearms, yanking them roughly away from your chest. “I said, take the binder off, Y/N. You can’t sleep with that thing on.”

Don’t forget to vote on what happens next!

[carpetbug]

ML Feline Blue AU Chapter Two: The Pont des Arts

1 • 2 [tw: blood and slightly gory imagery] • 3

ao3

The last time Marinette had felt such paralyzing anxiety as she traveled towards the Pont de Arts was middle school. It was the day she realized she had a crush on Kim, and Socqueline - her best friend at the time, who left Francois’s Dupont at the end of 8th grade - had almost immediately shut down the immature day dream that was their future together. Still, Marinette had made her way to the bridge after school to stare at the locks of all the couples that had been here before her and conjure up sickeningly sweet fake scenarios of her new heartthrob. The craziest thing she had done that day was silently wish that Kim would magically reciprocate her romantic feelings, and still it had felt like she was walking some invisible tightrope, putting her life on the line for some spectacular balancing act she knew she could never pull off. She can still remember the way her hands shook and stomach churned while she perused the locks that decorated the bridge's walls. The fear she felt that day, that heavy stone of discomfort that lodged itself in her stomach, she felt it now all the same. Only this time, instead of feeling like she was merely risking her life, she could have sworn she was marching straight to death's door. And the miniature ladybug creature, this ‘kwami’, was doing little to put her unease to bed.

“You’re not listening, are you Marinette?” the alien-like red bug questioned delicately with a slight inflection to her already syrupy voice. Her eyes softened with guilt when Marinette met her expression with a lost look, lips parted slightly as she struggled to respond.

“I-I’m sorry.. uh.. Tek…?”

“Tikki” the small bug smiled patiently.

“Right. Tikki. I’m sorry Tikki” Marinette sighed and adjusted her hold on the miracle box. What a guardian she would be, she couldn’t even remember this kwamis name. How was she supposed to do.. well, everything else?

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

“I died. That old man pushed me into the seine and I died.” Marinette stammered in disbelief as her limbs pushed her away from these freaks of nature without waiting for her brain's command.

“Don’t be scared, Marinette! We’re your friends!” The ladybug themed creature said reassuringly, dropping the intense tone with which she was speaking seconds prior. She, along with all the other small beings, floated effortlessly in the air. “I am Tikki, the kwami of creation. We aren’t going to hurt you, Master”

“Master?” Marinettes throat went bone dry as the words rattled her brain. She was their master? “Oh my god I’ve actually lost my mind.” She chuckled under her breath. The chuckle morphed to a steady laughter, and soon enough she was doubled over in hysterics, hands clutching her sides so tightly she could feel her nails digging into her ribcage. “That OLD man PUSHED me into the SEINE and I DIED!” She shouted in a side-splitting roar of laughter.

“Good job Sugarcube, now she’s having a breakdown.” Marinette heard a much more sour voice taunt. Suddenly what seemed like a million more voices chirped in, each unique in its pitch and pronunciation, and each more desperate to be heard than the last. She could only hear broken sentences and words through the plethora of noise from the kwamis and her own uncontrollable laughter, an occasional ‘We’re doomed!’ and ‘Master Fu!’ catching her ear.

“Just hush, Plagg!” the ladybug scoffed in annoyance. She darted closer to Marinette, small fin-like arm extending to pat her shoulder in a comforting gesture. “Tune them out Marinette, you simply need time. Your bravery will surface soon.” She tried to soothe the frantic girl before returning her attention to the other beings. “Everyone, please listen! We can’t do this now, not to her.” Tikki spoke sternly, yet the words hung in the air like a plea. “I.. I’m certain none of us are ready to speak about Master Fu," a dejected tone began to cling to her small voice as she continued “But he wants us to go forward. And he needs us to guide the new guardian”. Marinette looked up as her voice began to catch in her throat, a pang of pity shooting through her unstable heart at the sight of the tears beginning to pool in the small beings eyes.

“Master Fu?” Marinette repeated softly, peeling her hands off her body and standing up from the rough cement platform that offered her safety. With a powerful shudder she became painfully aware that she was still soaked from the seine. Her hands traveled up to her hair, removing the smooth ribbon that held together her right pigtail - the left had come undone in the water. “Is that... was that the old man?” She asked the kwamis with a weary tone, eyes trained on her soggy shoes as her hands wrung out her dark hair of the water still wearing it down. “Why did he-?”

“Throw you in a river?” the sour voice chimed in again. It belonged to the black cat, who was now floating leisurely on his back with a yawn. Marinette was almost certain she could see sharp teeth in the kwamis mouth. Tikki shot him a deathly glare, but he went on. “I’m Plagg, kwami of destruction, lover of cheese” He stated with casual disinterest, as if nothing traumatic had just occurred. “Not his smartest move, I’ll agree. But-” he sat upright and narrowed his eyes, voice taking a more serious tone “-he did what he had to do to keep us all safe.” his long tail flicked, motioning to the other kwamis. “That includes you.”

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“I was telling you about the kwamis, '' Tikki chirped, following by her guardian's side while levitating in the air. Marinette nodded, quickly glancing up to check what street they had reached, then darting her eyes back down to the wooden box she had hugged to her chest. It was getting harder and harder to focus on the bugs' words, her mind occupied only with thoughts of Master Fu. Despite the kwamis, and the freezing water that seems to have seeped into her bones, and the distressed voices in her head yelling at her that she was alone in this, Marinette couldn’t shake the idea that this man was still alive. He would be waiting at the Pont de Arts, ready to retrieve his miracle box and kwamis, and he'd reassure her that she would never have to worry about any of this miraculous nonsense ever again. Marinette wasn’t going to find his body. She wouldn’t.

“There's nineteen kwamis in all, but two of us are missing. Nooro and Duusu are the kwamis of transmi-”

“Tikki, I’m- I can’t-” Marinette bit her tongue as she fought to find the right words.

“What is it Marinette?”

“I’m sorry but I just can’t talk about this with you. It’s just… too much” Marinette mumbled, wishing the earth would open up beneath her and swallow her whole. “Can’t this Master Fu just explain things to me when we find him?”

Tikki blinked in surprise and remained silent for a few seconds. Then, she nodded and feigned a weak smile. “Of course Marinette. If we find Master Fu he will explain everything” she reassured.

Marinette nodded absentmindedly, taking another brief glimpse at the street signs and sighing in relief at seeing they were close to their destination. Suddenly this all felt like some sort of fever dream, like she would go home and sleep tonight then wake up in the morning with nothing changed. Except maybe she would always think about being thrown in the seine, the cold and brutal water that had seeped through her skin, leaving her fingertips wrinkled and pruny against the wood of the miracle box. And sure, it might feel real enough that her knees still wobble a bit as she walks, but everyone has horrible nightmares sometimes - right?

“Marinette”

“One second, Tikki” she stopped the kwami, still stuck in her train of thought.

“Marinette!” Tikki had paused, and Marinette turned her head to see the small red kwami floating, arm extended to point at the bridge that suddenly seemed to appear in front of them. When had they gotten here?

“Oh. Great, we’re here! Let’s find this Fu-Man and let me get home so I can go to bed and forget all about this.” She adjusted her hold on the box and began to cross the wide bridge when Tikki darted in front of her with urgency.

“Wait! Master, I must tell you, thi-”

“Sorry, but please just call me Marinette.”

Tikki smiled and continued “Marinette, I have to quickly warn you that- even we kwamis are not sure of the lengths this villain is willing to go. We do not know if he acts with mercy, so this may be something you don’t want to see. If you’d like, I can go ahead without you and see for myself then come back?”

Marinette scrunched her nose as she thought for a few moments. Eventually she shook her head and smiled- a genuine and kind smile that made Tikkis heart ache. “No need, I’ll come with you. You’ve been here for me during all this, so I want to be here for you until you’re back in good hands” she promised.

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“He was being chased?” Marinette questioned, reeling from the information the cat kwami had just dumped over her head like cold water. Fu had been pursued by some unknown antagonist for several weeks, until they eventually found and attacked the guardian. Marinette had only been an innocent bystander, a stranger in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a helping hand when Fu was at his most desperate for any kind of savior. She was the only way to get the miracle box out of the villains' reach in such a short amount of time. And the seine had been the only way to get her out of danger.

“More like hunted” Plagg sneered in response and crossed his arms

“Plagg, you're scaring her!”

“She should be scared!”

While the black and red kwami hissed at each other, the girl's head was spinning, overwhelmed with this new world she was suddenly a part of. There were so many questions running through her mind, all begging to be answered. But the most desperate one came first “Can we go back to the Pont des Arts?” She asked softly, interrupting their argument.

Plaggs expression widened in shock, and he was about to protest when Tikki stopped him. “Good idea, I’ll have all the kwamis return to the miracle box.”

“Well, wait-” she stopped her “Will you stay with me? I would feel a bit better if I had someone more informed by my side”

The red bug smiled and nodded, still ignoring the bewildered look from the cat. Before he could say anymore, she turned back to the kwamis, leaving him grumbling and following after her.

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“God. It’s already three a.m, papa is going to be awake and getting started in the bakery soon.” Marinette muttered to herself while checking the time, her and Tikki moving at a slow pace across the bridge. It was dark, the moon providing the majority of the lighting cast down on them. And, it was almost entirely silent. Save for the constant rushing of the water beneath the bridge -the sound was making her hands begin to shake all over again-, and the occasional distant hum of a car passing nearby.

“A bakery?” Tikki whispered in response.

“Yeah,” she smiled. “My parents own a bakery. ‘Tom and Sabines’.” Her hands came together then spread like she was forming a rainbow in the air as she spoke, adding a loving touch to the simple name. Tikki gave a light giggle.

“Sounds amazing! What kind of sweets do they make?” the red bug questioned before suddenly gasping, “Do they make cookies?! I haven’t had a chocolate chip cookie in so long!”

Marinette was taken back by the kwamis sudden eagerness for one of the simplest sweets their bakery had to offer, but she couldn’t help but give an entertained laugh. “We make all kinds of cookies. Snickerdoodle, peanut butter, red velvet, oatmeal raisin, -”

“Yuck.”

“Don’t you dare say that about oatmeal raisin cookies.”

“Get to the good stuff!”

She stuck her tongue out teasingly at the kwami before continuing, “chocolate chip, chocolate chunks, and like a billion other ones I'm forgetting. Give or take seasonal and custom flavors my dad makes from time to time, too.” When she looked up, Marinette swore a line of drool was trailing from Tikkis mouth, but as soon as she had noticed it the bug was in her face in excitement once again.

“Wow!” Tikki exclaimed. “I can’t wait to try them.”

“How long has it been since you last had a cookie?” she asked. Marinette wondered what parts of human life the kwamis knew of and took part in, given the ‘secrecy’ about their existence. They were familiar enough to have opinions on cookie flavors, apparently.

“Oh, I'm not sure. I haven’t had a holder in a few decades, though I have left the miracle box during that time, - Marinette? Are you not listening again?”

Almost as soon as the kwami had started talking, Marinette had frozen her stare on something ahead of them, and she seemed a million worlds away. Tikki turned to look and her heart dropped.

Blood soaked into the wood underfoot, leaving a dark stain that seemed pure black in the night time. More sat in small pools and splatters, some spraying across the lock decorations and steadily drip-drip-dripping into the surface below. The longer she stared the more she realized the Pont des Arts would now always feel like it had been smeared with death. It was all too fresh, like someone had drained the old man of all his blood and used it like paint, spreading the viscous liquid on any surface they could. It seemed like both an introduction, and parting gift. The display was left with intent, the predator that had gotten Fu was leaving a warning for whoever tried to come to his rescue. It said ‘I’m here, look what I am capable of. Look at everything I did. Look at what I’m willing to do.’

Marinette took a step back, mouth agape as she realized breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. Her blood pounded in her ears, droning out the seemingly fraught help Tikki was trying to provide the panicked girl. Another step back and her legs buckled, dropping her directly into the glistening pools of gore. Her hands clenched into fists, now stained a dark red as she kneeled in the blood, and she panted in desperate need for air. It seemed to hang in the air now, the metallic tang filling her mouth and nose.

“Marinette!”

The screech - almost directly in her ear - snapped her attention back to the ladybug creature, whose voice was feverish with alarm. “Tikki..” she breathed, still struggling to keep from hyperventilating. “Tikki, this is him, isn’t it?” Marinette brought her hands up, now holding them raised in the air to shine in the moonlight. The crimson liquid trickled from her palm to her wrist, then down her elbow and back to the bridge. “This is Master Fu?” the tears began to fall down her cheeks now, the reality setting in. She was the guardian. She was alone.

“You need to get home.”

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Marinette gets home, soaked (though no longer bloody, thanks to an alley hose she passed on her walk), and exhausted. Her breathing still awkward and unbalanced, lungs aching from whatever water she took in from the seine. Her emotions bubble inside her, threatening to spill over from her eyes once again. It was bad enough you could tell she had been crying already, she didn’t need her parents to see her in the act. Tikki rested on her shoulder, tucked neatly into her hair as they approached the bakery.

“Home sweet home” she said, waving her hands with pretend enthusiasm as she tried to revive the playful energy they had earlier. Instead her voice felt deflated and hollow. Her hands reached for the doorknob, shaking slightly as they hovered above it.

“Do you not want to go in?”

“Its not that.”

“Marinette. You can talk to me”

Marinette took a deep breath. “I can’t hide all this from my parents. Not yet, at least. If I go inside now and they’re awake, they'll know I was outside then they’ll see I was crying and I’m terrible at hiding things from my maman so one word from her and I’ll instantly spill everything that happened and then they-”

“Slow, Marinette. Is there any way you can sneak in?”

“Only through a window or my balcony, both of which I definitely can't reach from down here” she huffed, the puff of breath blowing through her still damp bangs that hung across her face. She was about to grit her teeth and accept the inevitable interrogation her parents would give when Tikki spoke again.

“I can fix that.” the kwami gave a sweet smile before phasing seamlessly through the wood of the miracle box and returning with a small case in her arms. “These are the miraculous of the ladybug. If you put on these earrings and say ‘Spots On’, you'll transform and be able to get to your balcony undetected.”

Marinette hesitated, then reached for the box and opened the lid to peek at the miraculous. Inside were two round, red earrings each with five small spots, which she carefully plucked from their resting places. They went through her ears effortlessly and lacked the weight that many earrings came with. “Please don’t tell me this is going to hurt” she wheezed, eyes drooping with sleep.

“Definitely not.” Tikki reassured quickly. “When you’re inside just say ‘Spots Off’ to drop the transformation.”

“Well… spots on?”

Tikki flew through the air, this time as if she was being pulled by some invisible force - one coming from the earrings. Her vision exploded with pink as bubbling, glowing masses appeared out of thin air and swarmed onto her body. She held her breath and pressed her eyes closed, still awaiting a sting or ache to overtake her body despite Tikkis reassurance. Instead the magical clouds felt light and tingly on her skin as they passed over her from head to toe.

The buzz came to a stop in a few moments which Marinette took as a cue to open her eyes. Nothing around her had changed, she was still standing outside the bakery clutching the miracle box, only now she was dressed in a sleek red and black spotted suit from neck to toe. She was a ladybug.

Marinettes breathing hitched in her chest as she ran her gloved hand across the material, then up to her face where she felt the grooves of a mask across her eyes. Built in secret identity, cool. She felt refreshed, the soreness in her legs was now just a weak discomfort. She took a relieved breath, and slowly stretched her limbs as she gathered her bearings. A yoyo rested on her hip, also a solid red with five black spots like the earrings, but with the same honeycomb texturing of her suit.

“A yoyo? I’m going to… yoyo to my room?” she mumbled to herself as she gave it a few experimental tosses. Looking up, she took a few breaths and prepared herself. She took a step back and threw the yo-yo towards a neighboring roof, then gave a slight tug when it had wrapped around some solid object. It pulled her effortlessly from the ground, propelling her upwards while she struggled, airborne, like a fish out of water. In moments she landed, almost entirely flat on her face, on the spine of the rooftop.

It took a minute for Marinette to figure out her next step, which ended up being just to drop from the roof to her balcony. It had seemed much more complicated in her head, like she would have to be some ninja, hiding in the shadows. But she had left the trapdoor to her room unlocked, so it had required no more effort than opening a door. She landed softly on her bed, and subsequently threw herself back onto her blankets with an exasperated sigh.

“Spots off” she mumbled, already fighting the alluring call of sleep. Another flash of the magic light and the suit was gone, leaving Tikki in its place. She looked around, observing her new environment before turning back to Marinette.

“Home sweet home” She echoed the previous statement, then burrowed into the crook of Marinettes elbow as the girl groggily put herself to bed. With the miracle box held firmly in her grip, and the deep ache slowly returning to her muscles as the magic of the miraculous wore off, she mumbled a barely coherent goodnight to Tikki and let herself fall into the comfort of sleep.