#and the unmASKed series would be such a Perfect introduction like COME ON

[indiiglow]

I swear if this movie coming out doesn't get Mark and Mykie talking nothing will

[gaybae1021]

Nicole the Iron Fist

Sharing my ideas for Nicole’s introduction in my mcd rewrite.

The fact that Nicole had a title like “iron fist” was really confusing to me in the og series. What was she doing that she was well known enough to have a title? From what I remember she was mostly hiding from her father.

My original idea was that she was on the Jury, but it just wouldn’t make sense that she’d be able to get in without her identity being revealed. But then I thought “What other group has obnoxious titles?

Wrestlers.

So here we have Nicole the Iron Fist, champion of Brightport’s underground fighting ring!

I imagine a few months into dating Garroth decides to take Laurance on a surprise outing to Brightport. While he was training at the academy there he and the other students would go watch the illegal fighting rings in their free time, and Garroth decides it’s the perfect date for him and Laurance (yes Garroth is the fantasy version of a WWE Superfan).

Laurance doesn’t really get it, and kinda ribs Garroth over it, but overall they have a fun time, and Garroth is especially intrigued by rumors of a new champion that rose up the ranks a few years ago. Laurance gets picked from the audience for a bonus “test your might against our champion” kind of thing, though I honestly can’t decide who wins. Either way, Laurance and this new champion get into an altercation after the match. Garroth comes over to break it up, and finally sees the champion unmasked. Surprise surprise, it’s his old fiancé. Cue hugs and a plot of helping her take down some cheating challenger or something.

For the art I took inspiration from boxing gear as well as Raph’s wrestling outfit from rottmnt. For the doodles on the sides we have her lounging in her champions quarters, getting into a scrap outside of the ring, showing off her championship belt, reuniting with Garroth, her fighting symbol, and her removing missing posters from around Brightport to protect her identity.

[wolfram-kun]

Hi! I am currently trying to convince my friends why Shiho and Shinichi should end up together and I find it hard because I feel like it's just natural for two people who understand each other so well to end up together but my friends don't see what I mean. This makes me curious about others' perspective too, what is your reason for shipping them? Thanks!

I’m very sorry it took so long to answer this! Hm, let’s see…why I ship these two…

The short version is, much like you, I guess, I enjoy their interactions, and the way the anime (I’ve never read the manga entirely, just bits and pieces) shows the progression of their relationship and the nature of that relationship e.g. their complicity when solving cases, their instant synchronicity.

End of short version...

Okay, hopefully this will be the only time I have to make the tedious ShinRan vs. ShinShi/CoAi argument, I mean most people find trashing on one ship the main justification for shipping the other, well that’s not going to be me because for a good chunk of two decades I’d shipped ShinRan, and probably I still sort of do, It’s just not what I “prefer” right now.

For a good part of the first half of the series, the anime did a good job at getting me invested on that couple all on its own but as of late, even after Ep928, it feels like the main reason why those two are now an official couple is because of the ‘childhood friends-to-lovers’ trope and nothing more. I’m only speaking for myself here, but my perspective on the characters’ relationships have been changing with the years and it’s just that the inevitability of ShinRan happening despite anything and everything kind of makes it boring and takes some of my investment from it, whereas Shinichi and Shiho – the only other female character I see him getting an interest on, non-canonically speaking – have the potential to be a more interesting/challenging pair due to the unpredictable shift in their relationship’s nature, because ShinShi happening is something no one would see coming���yet upon Haibara’s introduction, the anime gives (or at least used to, anyway) little moments that could give room to "possibility".

That aside, there is a shallow reason I would like Haibara to end up with Shinichi and that’s the fact of her character being voiced by Megumi-freaking-Hayashibara! I have a tendency to like certain characters because of their voices and I’m extremely weak for Megumi’s, especially the kind of voice she provides for characters such as Haibara (another example would be Anna from the Shaman King anime, but I digress^^u). So, I’d naturally want for her whatever she may want for herself and once upon a time that used to be to get Shinichi’s attention, so to speak. I could say she wanted to get together with him but she never pondered on that specifically. It always struck me as her just wanting her feelings to be acknowledged regardless of being returned or not.

That’s my view mainly from the Haibara-angle, as for Shinichi? I really think the guy needs someone like her, that can understand him in every level. Throughout the series Haibara’s done fairly good work trying to keep him grounded, always resorting to reason when making him see the recklessness of his actions. Yet, she goes against her better judgment to aid him on situations that are beneficial only to him, despite it could have dangerous consequences for everyone else involved if he messes up.

It goes to show that although she’s apprehensive to him going briefly back to his real body, she doesn’t dismiss that which is most important to him.

On the other hand Conan has a similar effect on her when pushing her to certain actions that would result in her overcoming a certain fear.

Also, ever since the Bus Hijacking Case, Conan’s righteousness (which she  admires, btw) has gradually been rubbing off on her and become the main  force for her wanting to take control of her fate and stop running from her demons. And it is through him – and subsequently the Detective Boys – that she gets a  second chance at a normal childhood, which turns her life for the better.

On another note, their banter is always fun to watch and whenever they tease one another it brings out their mutual understanding of each other. I think what I’m trying to say, what attracts me the most about them is the level of rapport they share and how it comes effortlessly, their gazes meeting (sometimes that’s not even the case, and still they know what the other’s thinking!), or their   matching smiles.

There are also specific actions they take for the other’s sake that simply pull me in. In Shinichi’s case, I just mentioned the Bus Hijacking episode: we know the crazy lengths he’s willing to go to protect those he cares about, but none of those occasions had such an impact on me as Conan grabbing Haibara and jumping through the glass seconds before the bomb goes off...

...moreover, he rubs his own blood on to her just so she can get away as fast as possible from whom,  at the time, they didn’t know was Vermouth and ensure she was safe. I  mean, covering someone with your blood just to ensure their safety? That is HARDCORE!

The defining moment on Haibara’s part for me, would be close to the end of the 2.5 hours Special “Head-to-Head Match with the Black Organization”: Haibara’s real confrontation with Vermouth…in one of the most intricate cases yet, Vermouth is finally revealed as been posing as Dr. Araide. I still remember the first time I saw that episode and I spent the next hour taking it all in. Lots of faces were unmasked on that one, literally and metaphorically, but if there’s a moment that stops my breathing whenever I see it is Haibara getting out of the cab, freezing in terror at the sight Vermouth. She’s visibly shaking but steels herself when she sees Conan and she just runs towards him.

You could say she’s taking a reckless risk (something not unheard of for Conan), but I see it as her finally facing her greatest fear (not counting Gin here) and taking charge in doing so – not in small part due to his influence either, mind you.

Sure, her showing up foils Shinichi's efforts to capture Vermouth in the end but that wouldn’t have been the case had they previously discussed the situation. It’s her fault as much as ‘their’ fault. I’m being realistic, they may understand each other all the time, but they don’t trust each other all the time. Their relationship is not perfect and I get that, I think it gives room to growth, something for them to work on, which they would manage together if given the chance.

Still, although they may keep things from each other, I have no doubt that when push comes to shove there’s no one they would rely on more.

Most examples like these are from the movies, which may not be canon to some, but neither is CoAi/ShinShi so, my point still stands XD

My attachment to this ship is the same as an on-and-off relationship, I like them one year, I might not the next, but to me they make sense, and I just enjoy them together.

Come to think of it, as impossible as them becoming a couple is, there’s always a “something” that pulls me back in and that’s amusing to me. Considering how dull things can get sometimes in life, I simply don’t take it for granted :)

Whoah, that took a while to put together lol A while back, you thanked me for taking your question seriously, well, since you took the interest and time to even ask in the first place, I couldn’t have responded in any other way^^

[kwa-mii]

Confessions / Reveal

YOU KNOW I’ve done two vaguely LadyNoir fics for this week already but 1) that’s never enough and 2) has Marinette suffered enough? I think not

Also this is a TOTALLY different side of that love square so

Honestly I don’t see how the final reveal or some kind of communication within the love square couldn’t be super sweet and saccharine, but if anyone would react badly to anything I think it would be Marinette. And hey! it’s fun to write bad reactions so herrreeeee we go

Confessions / Reveal - a Ladrien / Adrinette angst fic (1837 words)

Ms Mendeleiv didn't allow talking in her class, so the principal method of communcation was passing notes. Alya, for one, preferred scrawling over Marinette's classwork until it was no longer fit for marking. However, if she needed Adrien or Nino, she'd tear out a page and pass a note forwards; keeping it old school.

Marinette could see that Adrien and Nino had a similar system, but exercised in a much neater and more covert system since they were right at the front of the class. They used barricades of pencil cases, slipped messages seamlessly into the margins of their work, and other tricks that were contrived and obvious, yet pulled off seamlessly. Seamlessly enough, in fact, that usually neither Marinette or Alya could read over their shoulders.

Watching the passing of notes in front of her often distracted Marinette from class, ridiculous as that was. If she could scry /any/ information about Adrien, she didn't see the problem. Well... the problem was that she was obsessed, but she didn't need her strange behaviours to tell her that.

Nino wrote something on the corner of his notebook and angled it slightly for Adrien to read. He blushed in response, and hesitantly scrawled a big, visible 'Yes'. Marinette wondered about the meaning of that blush - how she loved that new hue on his skin, how she longed for it to be hers - but fortunately its cause was revealed to her without much delay. The explanation was Nino drawing a cluster of hearts on the back of his friend's hand.

Marinette felt herself blush now. This was a /love/ conversation. Intrigued (and a little optimistic), she leaned ever so slightly forwards. Alya noticed this, quirking an eyebrow as she wrote: 'you really like chemistry, huh?'

Yes, chemistry, but not of the sort they taught you at school.

After a pause, she saw Adrien write something else that made Nino snort silently. He mouthed something at his friend, shock and a little mirth etched in his face in pronounced o's (his mouth, his eyes). Adrien's blush deepened, and he nodded. This was too much for Nino, who smacked the edge of the desk with his hand and made the same surprised shapes with his mouth, before mixing in a few more.

Ms Mendeleiv could not fail to notice this, and Nino received a sharp reprimand for not paying attention. This put a stop to the period's note-swapping, but nothing could stop Nino's prolific doodling; Adrien's notes were quite flooded with love hearts by the time the bell rang.

Nino's head whipped around, and he smirked at his female classmates, "You'll never guess what kind of secrets our Adrien has been hiding."

Adrien moaned, rolling his eyes in exasperation, "Nino!"

"Lesson to you rookie, never trust your secrets with the beefmaster," he declared with a wink.

"Beefmaster?"

"I think it sounds pretty righteous, but the title's in beta period, so be sure to let me know what you think of it. Anyway, Adrien has a crush."

Marinette felt that traitorous blush from before swell in her cheeks. Alya was quicker to respond, and did so with almost as much enthusiasm as her friend felt, "Oh, really? I guess you're not as innocent as we supposed, Adrien."

Another moan, "Oh, be quiet."

"You'll never guess who it is."

"Chloé?"

Adrien made a face, "Um, I..."

"Actually, you know what, maybe it's a dude!"

"Not tha-"

"Oh, I know, I know!" and then, with a sly smile, "It's Marinette. Or me. But probably Marinette."

The girl in question made an indiscriminate noise in her throat.

"Oh, dude, the truth is way beefier than that," Nino said in his most dramatic voice, leaning into the row behind conspiratorially, "It's..."

"Nino, do they have to know?"

"It's Ladybug. Literal defender of Paris, Ladybug. Adrien has a crush on an actual superhero, who, let's just make this clear, he's never actually seen the face of."

"Well, when you put it like that-"

"I think he's reaching, if you ask me," and when Adrien moved as though to talk, he quickly cut in, "Like, you're hot, I'm not debating that you're basically a 10. But that's one interesting relationship you're aiming for."

Meanwhile, Marinette was practically steaming with her blush. She felt Alya's hand go to her knee in comfort, but she'd misunderstood - she wasn't blushing through embarrassment of rejection but embarrassment at being discussed. Honestly, oh my god. Adrien liked her. Except not her. Maybe a bit of her?

Nino was right when he called that prospective relationship 'interesting'.

Had Alya not been endlessly debating whether or not to follow her new creative impulse and start a new blog series focusing on Ladybug's many civilian admirers (suitors was maybe a word for it), she would have seen the girl herself shoot past her window on the way to the Agreste mansion.

Marinette wasn't entirely sure why she was going in the first place, but a sudden need had seized her, and Tikki just... had to go with it. It occurred to her now that she should probably have a reason for showing up at Adrien's window unannounced, but her impulses hadn't yet taken her that far.

She didn't even know the reason, let alone the excuse. The way she saw it, she could use this new information (Nino was, after all, a reliable 'beefkeeper', and Adrien's reactions confirmed it as truth) in two ways.

Method one: appear at Adrien's window as Ladybug, say hello, ask to come inside. Once inside, make small talk, and probably use that excuse she was going to have to come up with. Here, method one diverged. She could make a habit of these trips and build up something more like a relationship - or she could just make her move on him right there and then. That latter option depended on (most implausibly) her own confidence at the time. But if not now, when? She'd pretty much got a confession that he wanted to kiss her, and it wasn't important exactly which of her selves had received that statement. Though it may come across abruptly, awkwardly... there were evident issues with method one.

Method two: appear at Adrien's window, also as Ladybug, say hello, ask to come inside. Method two followed method one up to method one's divergence: so, in a way, perhaps method three was just another route down method one, except for the fact that method two was totally different to method one in its outcomes. Method two was its own thing. She wasn't going to confuse her methods and do the wrong thing and embarrass herself. Method two - if she'd stop distracting herself with semantics - revolved around revealing to him her identity.

'Ladybug is Marinette. You love Ladybug. Therefore you must also love Marinette'. A perfect syllogism.

Marinette/Ladybug was now perched on the roof of Adrien's home, inside the cupola so that she could hide for a moment, get her thoughts back in order. But, here, a little closer to Adrien, her thoughts became an ever-increasing muddle.

Ultimately, Ladybug was not Marinette. Yes, they shared a body, but they could hardly really be called the same person. Being in the spotted suit gave Marinette a confidence she'd never had before. Marinette blushed and tripped and stuttered; Ladybug waltzed through city sunsets. Marinette devolved into syllables whenever Adrien even looked at her; Ladybug always had a good comeback. Marinette was ordinary; Ladybug was miraculous.

Adrien's crush was on a brave, optimistic, heroic girl. While Marinette stood up to Chloé on occasion, and always tried to lift her classmates' spirits, how could that compare to someone who came to the aid of all of Paris rescue every week? Ladybug was mysterious too - Marinette had read somewhere that boys liked girls who played hard to get, and honestly what was harder than someone who couldn't reveal their identity to you? The masked superhero was mysterious, walking allure, gold dust step and evensong voice, a glamour. Marinette was a school girl. She went to class. That was all.

Just because he was infatuated with Ladybug, it didn't mean he was in love with her flipside. The difference between the persona and the reality was vast, and it was splintered. How could she compare to it? How could she live up to that thing that was not herself?

She slumped deeper onto the roof. Oh god, what if she unmasked herself and he was disappointed? No, it wasn't an if, because when she unmasked herself he would be disappointed. Boring, normal Marinette, daring to step in the same shoes as a girl he idolised. He didn't know her, he couldn't really love her, he just idolised her. And it was foolish to think that idolatry transferred to reality and transformed into genuine affection. God, was she foolish.

She thought about her every interaction with Adrien as Ladybug. Staring silences, wide-eyed introductions, stuttering on the other side of a shower door. None of it was meaningful. He just wanted it to be, and so he made it so, and so he told himself he loved her.

And wasn't that how she felt about Adrien? When had she actually /talked/ to him, connected with him? She had simply seized upon one act of kindness and put him on a pedestal. Maybe she loved him because she was bored (boring) and lonely, and aware of these things and desperate for something to change them. Adrien would've changed them. He was a model!

Pathetic. Yeah right. Model, superhero, what did it matter? It meant nothing in the end. Being Ladybug never fixed Marinette.

Poor, boring, average Marinette. Hopeless Marinette. Disgusting Marinette.

She couldn't believe she'd considered using her persona to trick him into loving her back. She couldn't believe she'd considered revealing that broken human beneath and had really thought he would fall for it, stare at her the same way he did the other her. She couldn't believe that even now she was thinking of kissing him, Marinette or Ladybug or Marinette, in an endless, desperate, needy loop.

She let go of that excuse she had been preparing, and crawled out of the small space on the roof. No, she'd go home. These things didn't need to be revealed. Her civilian self could slumber safely on in his world. The idolatrous loves they claimed to have could be laid to rest - or, at least hers. She didn't know how to tell Adrien it was impossible - and parts of her still didn't want to, and she turned in disgust from those parts.

If Marinette needed fixing, she didn't need Adrien's love to do it. In fact, the opposite. She needed to spurn it. She wasn't good enough for it: Ladybug was, but Ladybug was a lie, and Marinette was not Ladybug.

When she sprang back into her room, still in her suit, she became like Nino, doodling over and over, mercilessly, over any scrap of paper she found. Angry, hot-tears squiggles, again and again, over each photo she had stuck to her walls. Stupid, stupid, stupid for wishing for it, disgusting for wishing for it.

When she detransformed, it was like relief. Underneath the legend, Marinette was still there, and still real.

Still average, and still lonely, but that was okay.

At least it wasn't a lie.