#arrow watches miraculous (with friends!)

[halloweenismyfav]

I FINALLY FINISHED SEASON 4 OF MIRACULOUS LADYBUG AND OMG WHAT WAS THAT LAST EPISODE-

[rainbow-arrow]

i've been watching miraculous** with three of my guard friends and i just wanna share some of their thoughts:

**one has seen all through season four (five doesn't exist to them lol) but the other only know of it through Me

all of them are very distressed with the amount of detail in the teeth, something i stopped noticing a long time ago but cannot unsee again

i did warn them luka's animation budget looks like it was $5 and half a pb&j but they did still roast him alive (deserved)

love love love juleka's hair (we can't have fun hair for the show season so we're honestly just jealous)

milfs? (anarka and marinette's grandmother)

eXTREMELY bothered by chat saying m'lady (something else i am desensitized to) one despises him saying bugaboo (reasonable ngl)

there's actually a lot of dick innuendos in the first seasons??

"this doesn't make sense--" "don't overthink it, it's a show for tODDLERS"

[sprout-fics]

simon + royal ball + "you are the bane of my existence--and the object of all my desires. night and day i dream of you." :3333 thank you!

Bane of my existence (Valentines Day requests)

Tags: GN Reader (Though aimed more towards male reader), Royalty AU, Bodyguard Ghost, Brat coded reader, Confessions, Possessiveness, Forbidden love if you squint

They call your protector the specter of death.

Clad in dark armor, an obsidian sword in his sheath, your knight sports a helmet with the engraving of a skull- a warning to all that dare approach him that he himself has escaped the grasp of the grim reaper.

Ghost, he calls himself, the dark knight that is your constant sentinel, following ever at a distance and caught in your shadow. He refuses to divulge his real name no matter how you attempt to pry it from him, offering only short, curt remarks to your questioning. He speaks little, your bodyguard, hardly seems to eat or sleep, adheres to his oath of your safety even as he seems to not even notice you are there. 

You were still young when he was assigned to your side, still a young heir who was carefree and naive about the danger that surrounded your life. You had been sick for days with the assassination attempt, the poison curling low and viscous in your inside until you’d miraculously awoken. Ever since, the man who becomes your constant guard had remained at your side to keep you safe. 

You resisted at first despite the fear left inside you from your near death. You had try more than once to shed him, had snuck out windows and crawled down trellises only to find him standing irritated at the bottom, had dressed a maid in your likeness and stealthily escaped to the stables, only to find him leaning against the stall with your beloved mare, waiting. You’d tried to annoy him so he’d leave you alone, but the ghost who had become your knight seemed to not notice your childish antics. He’d only offered wry, cutting remarks that had you demand he be taken from your service- only to be told no other knight in the whole kingdom was as skilled as he. 

He’d endured your petty attempts to shake him at first, bored and annoyed at your behavior. When you’d ridden too fast in the glade outside the castle he’d cast your mare’s reins and led you back to the stables despite your protests. He’d caught you as you slipped from one of the roofs in an attempt to climb it, had even tossed you over his shoulder despite your shrieking protests when you’d attempted to dip your toes in the rushing, flooded river near your garden. 

He’d muttered under his breath, had called you petulant, spoiled, naive, all the things you were, you’d been enraged. 

Yet as the months and years had passed, and the weight of your future crown began to weigh heavy on your head, you’d learned to listen to him as he scathingly scolded you for sliding down the banister, for climbing a tree to rescue a kitten, for getting too close to a sword fight in your desire to watch. 

Older now, you’d grown out of your youthful childishness and into a true heir to the throne. You know now the grave responsibility of your birthright, realizing your previous frivolities were nothing more than a immature rebellion in an attempt to find freedom despite your destiny. Ghost, likewise, had eased as you’d matured. At first your knight, he’d become your instructor, your ally. It had been Ghost who had taught you to wield a sword, to make a bow from scratch and hunt birds for the arrow feathers. It had been Ghost who’d strictly overseen your sparring practice, who had reluctantly offered his advice in your studies of battles and armies. And so, a deep friendship and bond has blossomed forth between you over the years, one unshaken by the forces that guided the ruler you would be.

Neither of you would ever say it aloud, but ‘friends’ felt too shallow a term foe the thing Ghost had become to you. You trusted him innately, sometimes more than yourself, easily offering your life into his hands so he could keep it safe. For him his duty to protect you always came first and foremost, but you knew that he too had grown fond of you. 

You felt it in the way he offered dry humor to your conversation, stepped before you at the first signs of danger, indulged on rare occasions with a drink that had him lift his helmet to expose his plush, pale lips. You recognized it in the way he indulged the remaining reckless streak of your youth, raced after you on horseback or sparred with you. It annoyed him still, the occasional bout of rebelliousness you offered if only to fondly annoy him, and you knew he allowed it only because it was you. 

And secretly, in the midnight darkness of your chambers, you pined for him.

When it came time for you to marry, you sought further camaraderie with him as you offered wry commentary on your matches he was all but happy to return. You were stubborn about the whole affair, had sent away multiple suitors in endless frustration to your father the king. Yet when he had looked to Ghost to speak sense to you, Ghost found himself with his eyes anywhere but towards his liege. 

In the glittering lights of the ballroom, you sip idly on wine as another suitors tries desperately to curry your favor. 

“The wine sours with the company.” You remarked to Ghost, and your suitor froze before exiting dejectedly. Ghost sighs, exasperated, and you grin at him. 

“If I climbed from the balcony to escape here, would you follow me?” You ask him, cheeks warm with the bitter taste of liquor. 

“Maybe I should let you fall.” He answers back, eyeing you with a side-long gaze. “Might teach you a needed lesson.”

You know he doesn’t mean it, and it makes your heart grow all the fonder.

“How soon do you think I can escape this?” You ask, nodding to the lively music and twirling couples in the dance hall. 

“You should stay.” Is all Ghost offers. 

“And if I don’t?” You inquire

You needn’t ask. You know he’d follow you. If you were to ever walk to the edge of the earth, you know he’d jump first if only to catch you. 

“I’m sure if you took your helmet off you’d be the talk of the ball.” You tell him in a meek attempt to see the face you’ve never been witness to. 

“Hardly.” Ghost scoffs. 

“Are you ugly?” You ask, and Ghost levies a clever stare towards you. 

“Far from it.”

You tell yourself the warmth that rises to your cheeks is just the wine.

It’s a few more minutes before you sigh, stand and make your way to the balcony with Ghost trailing after you. You stand there in the cool night air, looking to the stars beyond the palace walls and wondering if they can somehow see your future. 

“Will you leave me when I ascend the throne, Ghost?” You ask quietly as he stands by the doorway. 

Ghost pauses. 

“No.” He answers at last. You huff, head drooping as you refuse to look at him. 

“Why not? Your duty was to ensure I survived to become monarch, nothing beyond that.”

Ghost remains silent, and you try to ignore the way your chest clenches around his refusal to speak. 

It fails, for you turn to him, expression bitter, and ask him: “Is that all I am to you? A charge, a duty? Something to be protected and then abandoned when the time comes?”

In the light cast by the ballroom, you see Ghost's eyes go wide. 

The silence hangs between you, and as it stretches on you struggle to tear your eyes away from his. 

At last, Ghost steps towards you, and in one fluid motion removes his helmet and sets it at your feet. His gloved hands cup either side of your face, and you gasp at the full display of emotion on his face as he finally speaks. 

"You are the bane of my existence--and the object of all my desires. Night and day I dream of you." He tells you, chest thrumming as his voice deepens. “I will follow you to the throne, into battle, I’ll lay down my sword if you commanded it. If ever you should desert the crown, I will follow you there too.”

You listen with widening eyes, chest thumping as your heart threatens to tear itself asunder. 

“Ghost.” You manage at last, emotions strangling your throat so his name is nothing more than a garbled gasp. 

“As long as you command it, I will stay by your side.” He tells you, hands suddenly tightening as if he’s restraining himself from the cataclysm of his own confession. “You are mine to follow.”

You hands, shaking though they are, find his as he raises your face to his.

“Then stay with me.” You whisper as his lips draw closer. “Until I have nothing more to give you. And even then, stay longer so that I can have you by my side.”

The kiss that you bestow upon him feels like the epilogue of a long, wondrous tale.

[secret-smut-sideblog]

Satiated

Astarion x F! Dark Urge

18+ violence, beheading, blood drinking, arousal at violence, sub/dom if you squint, p-in-v, sex with armor on, vulnerability, aftercare, complicated feelings, porn w/ very little plot, deranged shit and I'm not sorry

With Astarion starving in the Underdark his bloodthirsty friend sees his hunger, knows it quite well. And with a promised death in their future, seeks to help him sate himself...

-

Their time in the Underdark could have only been days but seemed to drag on endlessly. The lack of sunlight making him miserable. Snappy.

He knew he was being unfair when she asked quietly if he was alright and he scoffed at her. "Please. Spare me the coddling."

There was mild hurt in her eyes but she held her hands up in surrender. "Sorry, Star. I wont ask again."

He almost sighed, compelled to call her back and apologize. But he was nothing if not stubborn.

Honestly, the lack of sunlight was just salt in the wound. The true torment was hunger.

Nearly no wildlife available, and what was stalking around was not easy prey. If the blood in these beasts was any good anyway, he did not feel like risking life and limb every night to get some likely rancid blood.

Sure she had offered her neck a few times but she needed her strength, and it wounded his pride to feel like a charity case.

So the answer to his plight had been the spoils of combat. Any time they felled a duergar, a drow, he was draining the bodies dry.

The first few times his companions had shot eachother looks but she turned them by the shoulder, speaking quietly into their ears. Leading them away to let him feast.

He really did appreciate her, though he was struggling to show it recently. With her bloodlust he knew she understood on some level. Looked at him when he got like this with gentle recognition instead of disgust.

When they reached the Grymforge he felt delirious in hunger. Looking around at all the walking bodies, he could smell the blood.

He set his sights on the Drow, already promised dead to the Myconid's. A full meal. They just needed to get the idiot out of the rock fall and he could be sated.

When it finally came time to kill Nere and his followers he miraculously harvested all of his adrenaline and did his part, firing down arrows from on high. Watching her dance her violence into their foes.

Oh he did love watching her work. Her movements were always so joyful, a wide smile she didn't seem aware of splitting her face. Blades plunging so smoothly through chests, across throats. He adjusted his trousers as subtly as he could from his perch. Hearing her laugh, such a beautiful sound for such violent deeds.

Gods no wonder everyone was afraid of her. He should be too. And yet...

Afterwards the pleasantries were exchanged, the slaves freed, blah blah blah. His eyes were glazed over, all of his restraint focused on maintaining decorum. Mouth salivating, fangs aching.

His patience snapping, he connected to her tadpole. Hells below, can we PLEASE finish this up?

She glanced over at him, a small smile pressing the corner of her lips.

"Get out of here before I change my mind." She growled at the duergar.

"Astarion, help me with the head." She commanded. "Karlach, Lae'zel, take the remaining gnomes to the boats and make sure the path to the elevator is clear. We dont need any surprises."

"Aye, Soldier!" Karlach barked, Lae'zel nodding next to her.

"With me." She whispered, dark eyes meeting his. He raised an eyebrow slightly.

Surely she didn't need help with a beheading. He had watched her do much more strenuous violence quite easily. Ignored the twitch in his armor at the thought.

The Drow's slack form lay in a heap on the rock floor. He saw a shiver go down her spine as she straddled over the body.

"Sorry Astarion, we've got to do this first. Then we'll get you fed."

So she did plan to help him. Through the delirium he felt a tingle of fondness for her.

He could only nod, not trusting his saliva soaked mouth to form words.

She pulled her blade, chest heaving. Deeply aroused he realized, he could smell it radiating from her. He moved back to the shadows next to her to give himself some privacy as his own arousal spiked. The little remaining blood in his body pooling in his lower half.

She lifted the body to a sitting position, holding the torso steady between her knees, gripping the hair for leverage. Pressing her blade down on the throat.

He was confused by her technique at first. Surely it would be easier against the ground? Then realized what she was doing. Gravity. Keeping as much of the blood in the body as possible.

He stifled a moan, hunching over slightly. Gods he felt feral.

Back and forth she sawed through. Her eyes glazing over in pleasure. A slack smile pulling her face. Hips subtly grinding into the torso. Lost in herself.

He understood why she had sent everyone away.

When the head finally came free she gripped the scalp, smiling serenely. Free hand trying to catch the pooled blood pouring from the neck. Finding him in the dark.

Well? Her eyes said, pupils blown.

Shocked that he had forgotten his hunger for a moment he dove on the body.

Lapping and slurping he was lost. Laving his tongue along the plateau of flesh. Stopping to pull the pooled blood in her palm into his mouth, licking her fingers clean. Vaguely aware of a whimper from her lips.

Most of the blood gone from the wound he sank viscously into the lower neck, finding the base of the jugular. A tide of hot blood bursting into his mouth, rolling his eyes back. Oh gods he could barely stand it.

"There you go," She purred, pushing his hair out of his face. "You're doing so good."

His eyes met hers in a craze, a deep growl from his chest. The sensation of finally being fed and her soft words melding into something he had never felt before.

If he had more sense about him he might have laughed. From being forbidden from drinking from thinking creatures to being praised for it. The same person he had broken that chain with showering him with sweet words.

He gripped the body, his whole being focused on the singular task of getting more. More. More.

Some stray blood left his lips, dripping down the neck. Her eyes met it, lips parting.

Before he knew what was happening she leaned forward, licking it up in one small stroke. The tip of her tongue meeting the edge of his lip.

Did she...? Does she drink blood? He had never considered it but now it fired a piston of lust in his pelvis.

He pulled off of the wound, pressing his hand hard against it to keep as much in as he could.

Catching the nape of her neck and pulling her into his mouth roughly.

Pushing the mouthful he held into hers urgently.

He saw her eyes hitch back. Gripping his forearm. Throat working, moaning between swallows into his copper mouth.

Hells Below, he was going to go mad.

He latched back on, still ravenous. His eyes locked on her.

She stared at him with the same intensity. Eyes darting to the smeared blood he left in his wake. Back to his eyes. Her need apparent.

He pulled her by the throat to inches from his clamped down mouth. Pushed her jaw open roughly.

She whimpered hotly, tongue coming out to lave at his mess. Could feel the heat of her, their cheeks nearly touching.

Her tongue kept swiping at the seam of his lips as more blood slipped out. He nearly lost it when she devoted her tongue just to him, moaning sweet little calls against his jaw.

The vigor came back to him with a vengeance. The blood that wasnt fireworking across the base of his skull shooting straight to his pelvis.

The flow to his mouth getting weak he fell on his back, pulling the body over him. Loud choppy pants as he lifted his hips up. All decorum lost, he was vulgar in his need. The angle pushing the blood out. Pouring into his open mouth. Closing his eyes in deep ecstasy.

"Oh, Astarion..." She hushed, coming to kneel behind him. Her thighs caging around his head, looking down at him. Fingers running through his hair. "You've been so patient."

He nodded, looking up at her.

"You must have been so hungry." She reached forward, finger catching a stray drop traveling down his jaw.

"I'm sorry I made you wait this long." Parting her plush lips and licking it in. Seeing the edge of her tongue swirling around her fingertip.

Finally releasing the drained body he sucked his breath through his teeth.

Throwing it off of him he reached up, catching her face in both hands. Pulling her sweet mouth upside down into his. Drowning in her.

She cupped his jaw, kissing him slow. Searing. Pulling his lip into her mouth and biting softly.

He moaned into her, arching his head up for more. The blood sliding hot between their lips.

Gods she was so warm, so soft. It never failed to shock him just how heavenly she felt. Her hair falling curtain around his head. Her scent hitting the back of his throat. Jasmine, coffee, orange blossom. He wanted to be smothered by it.

Not able to stand it any longer he opened the fastenings on his armor, freeing himself from the painful cage of his arousal.

She pulled away slowly, a trail of their saliva between their lips. Looked at his length, his hand pumping along it, with lidded eyes.

Flipping she straddled over him, high on her knees. "Would you like some help?" She rumbled, fingers tracing along the fastenings on her own armor.

He nearly froze, sex was something he still felt... complicated about. And yet, he liked her. Really liked her. Trusted her. Or at least as close to trust as he could muster.

And Gods was he attracted to her, tall, curvy, scary. Very scary. Yet somehow still alluring, big doe eyes and soft plush lips. A mesmerizing contradiction.

He nodded. Gripping the chainmail on her hip.

"If we need to stop, say serpent. Okay?" She smiled, undoing the fastenings. Gods she wasn't even wearing underclothes, her perfect cunt hovering over him. A trail of wetness already pooling between.

"I like the choice of word. How devilish." He purred, watching as she lined herself up to him.

"Glad to see you found your voice again, Star." She smiled. Teasing his head in circles at her entrance. "What would I do without your voice drawling at my back all day?"

He was about to respond but she slammed her hips down. He almost saw stars, head thrown back.

"Mean." He gasped, to her evil giggle.

"Cant always let you get the last word." She smiled, trailing her hand tenderly down his cheek. His breath caught in his throat.

Her hips began to rise and fall. The cold bite of her armor against his hands his only anchor. The molten pressure of her cunt unbelievable. He was already panting.

"Gods you feel so good." She moaned, rolling her hips. Trying to hit the spot below her navel that he could find with his fingers. He arched his hips, saw her eyelids flutter, rubbing against it.

Her pace was slow, arching into him languidly. Pulling nearly entirely out then sliding back down, all the way to the hilt.

He was already writhing under her. Simultaneously needing her to pick up the pace but calling for his undoing if she did.

"While I'd enjoy riding you all night, we don't have much longer till our friends return." She mused. "So,"

Her hips began slamming into his, fast and angry.

He choked out a moan, the very same life that had been returned to him attempting to be pulled from his pelvis. Barely holding on.

He wouldn't come first. Reaching up to rub her clit.

"Gods your stubborn." She admonished, swatting his hand away.

"Let me help you find release, just one more time." She murmured, cradling the back of his head. Leaning down and catching the lobe of his ear in her mouth, nibbling and suckling.

Oh that was cheating. He groaned, hips fucking up into her hard. Nearly lost.

Her pleasure not being the forefront throwing him. Didnt she want to find her end?

"Please come inside me, Astarion." She whispered hot in his ear. Tongue licking a line up the sharp edge. "Please, beautiful."

He shuddered and with a great contraction behind his navel he was gone. Strangled whimpering moans, head thrown back. Gods above and below it felt like she was pulling his soul out.

Hips stuttering into her. Her's still rising and falling, wrenching him for all he was worth. He gripped fruitlessly at the rubble around them. Panting sharp little moans. Trying to find grounding in her chainmail thighs.

"Serpent," He groaned, the overstimulation too much.

Her hips stopped immediately. Pulling off of him and wiping him clean gently. Gingerly redressing his fastenings before hers. Her fingers sure but careful.

He stared down, dumbfounded. He had never had a lover attend to him before.

Felt the need to turn away from her, sitting up. Suddenly too vulnerable. Leaning his head into his hand, the heel pushing into his cheekbone.

"You okay?" She asked, attending to her own needs now. Tone kind and undemanding.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" He quipped, glancing at her. Trying to shake his mask back on.

She laughed, standing. Readjusting her armor with a few jostling pulls. "More than any of us know, I'd wager." She sighed.

"Hey, I dont want you to wait until it gets this bad again. Lots of people need killing and it's my pleasure to help. Truly."

Reaching her hand out easily to help him up.

He looked up at her, framed by the light of the cave in opening. The burning heat halo around her head. Her face serious again but eyes still warm. "You with me?" She asked after a beat.

He clasped his hand around her wrist. "Always."

~

[strawberry-circus]

I think the fundamental core of what makes BBC’s Ghosts work character-wise is that a lot of the tragedy comes from the fact that nearly every character met their fate before their story could truly begin

Because in most fiction—the part where they died would’ve been the miraculous turning point to some great adventure. The titular unlikely hero would’ve uncovered the big murder plot, or got the girl, or went to the ball, or chased after their love in the pouring rain for one final goodbye (or perhaps a new beginning)

But no.

Kitty’s sister was always cruel to the bitter end. She never found a way to go to parties, never found any kind of true love, and never made a true friend.

Thomas played right into Francis’s trap and was left to die alone. Never knowing about his requited love or getting recognized for his art.

Fanny never became a mathematician or saved the family. She didn’t stay inquisitive and imaginative but instead fell into the mask society made for her. By the end of her life, she was about as alive as the portrait on the wall.

Pat never learned about the affair, never got to see his son grow up, he never strayed from routine or saw his hair go grey. He missed out on so much that is so human. One trick arrow took him out of the world when all he truly wanted was a full and peaceful life.

Humphrey spent his adult life cold and trapped in some unloving marriage. The bone plot happened beneath his nose and before he truly can start a friendship with his wife, or even live his own life, he dies and it’s not even a hero’s death.

The Captain never runs out to Havers, never has the quiet conversation about everything that needed to be said. He watches him go and buries their project beneath the earth like everything else in his life, and he walks away. He never even came out—even to himself. And beyond that, he never found a way to be a person outside of the war.

Julian never has some big epiphany about all the wrongdoings of his life. Never puts any care into his wife or child. Never even recognizes that he has hurt others. Instead, he lived as he died.

Mary was just some pawn in a system she wasn’t allowed to understand. Her skills and talents all went to wish-wash for one reason or another, because the townspeople decided that she was different enough to suffer.

And Robin has been here so long there’s no telling why he isn’t allowed to move on. What was unsaid or untold to hold him here? All he has is endless time to hold onto.

Because that’s what this story is about. This isn’t about the heroes who saved the day or escaped by the skin of their teeth from some huge tragedy. This story is about the side characters who are nothing more than a footnote in history. Their deaths aren’t some big climax in a film or the answer to some big question. Because for most, death is random and unforgiving, it doesn’t wait for the right moment or hit the right people at the right time. It comes for everyone when it wants to, and it leaves a hole that will be paved around their absence.

A lot of what keeps the ghosts here is a million things that were left unsaid. Countless years of untapped potential, the would’ve’s, could’ve’s, and shouldn’t have.

But here’s the thing,

All of them keep moving forward. They all found each other one way or another, and now are finding support systems that just weren’t available to them in life. Now it’s not the most stable support system by any means, (see the murder plots and general set propriety of never talking about feelings ever) but they’re improving slowly! They’re stuck as flies on the wall to the living world but they make the best of it.

And with Alison and Mike added into the mix, their worlds are just growing brighter. And sure, they wouldn’t dare to talk to each other about their true feelings. That would be ridiculous. But they’ll be damned if you want to fuck over any of their weird found family. In a lot of ways, the ghosts seem to help Alison avoid the same mistakes they made. (even if they don’t always have her best interests at heart.)

They’ll try and call the police about a robbery, get Mike’s attention through frankly inventive ways, and thoroughly investigate any new people that come into the house like dogs barking at strangers.

And the soft way they all help each other in such obtuse manners. While they snipe and laugh at one another, there’s this underlying caring attitude they have about it all. From interrupting or distracting Kitty when she’s about to uncover something about her past, to spending all day looking for Fanny’s stuffed dog, to Robin’s moon rituals, or Pats clubs, or even the way they simply allow Captain the space to work out his feelings from time to time.

They were never the heroes of their stories in their lifetimes, but it doesn’t mean that they never had value. They’re just as sweet, wonderful, and annoying as any other human on this planet. And I think it’s that combination of heart and tragedy that truly highlights the comedy in Ghosts.

[gabessquishytum]

i don't know if such a dreamling fic exists but. dream going to a pub with his sister death in 1389. she insists he has to get more in tune with the humans or whatever 1389 dream was busy looking babygirl i wasn't paying attention

there's this... man. he's going on about how he's going to evade death and live forever. death herself doesn't notice, too busy looking among the crowd with a small frown. dream, however, is curious. he finds out his name is robert gadling, or whatever the hell it was during 1389 it's been a minute

in 1489, he returns, by himself this time. and funny enough, he sees the stranger again. not like dream knew he was going to be here or anything. except, it isn't exactly him. it's some... reincarnation. when dream delves deeper, he finds that his name in this year is just a play on his name before. rob golding. I'm Not Creative. this time, dream walks up to him and strikes a conversation. he says he looks oddly familiar but, he doesn't know who dream is. of course he isn't.

he returns again, in 1589. this one is much more successful than the previous. he holds himself higher, and isn't offended at all when dream just seats himself down at his feast. in fact, he starts talking to dream as if he were an old friend. something something shaxberd something

dream continues meeting all of the different hobs when, suddenly, in 1889, hob finally says something. he goes, "you know, you look awfully familiar. I've been asking around but, no one seems to know you." dream bristles, almost like a cat when they get scared. he says that hob must be mistaken for someone else, but he's adamant. he knows it's dream, somehow, him specifically and no one else. dream, scared he's been found out, leaves.

sadly, 1989 is spent wishing he were anywhere else.

he returns, sometime thirty years later or so, and finds that his usual hob-watching spot is... gone. when he's just about to leave, he sees a helpful little sign. so, he walks along a long red arrow pointing to the new inn.

when he arrives, he spots hob right away. he walks, sits himself down, and is all too relieved when he sees hob's confused face once more. then, miraculously, it softens. "you kept me waiting, you know," he murmurs, looking back down at the papers he was grading. "I remember being disappointed when I didn't see you, the last time."

and. dream just blinks. he doesn't know how, he doesn't even want to start thinking about it, but somehow, hob knows it was him. all those times. all the different hobs. he knows.

Oh this is so pure!!! I love the idea of Hob retaining memories from his past lives and having this thread running through each iteration of his existence... like Hob and Dream are soulmates in the sense that Hob will keep showing up in the same place and meeting Dream over and over, loving him over and over because a piece of his soul remembers... and maybe this isn't like. A normal thing that happens to people, Hob is just special and weird. Maybe instead of Death withholding her gift, it's Destiny thats fucking around and giving his weird little brother a centennial boyfriend idk. It's kind of tragic bc if Dream acts on his feelings for Hob he has to watch him age, die, be reborn, grow up again... and hope that the new Hob falls for him again. That's poetic cinema, baby. Such a good concept.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: ML Season 5 episode 7 Passion

(Spoilers below)

-Alya is sus of this Marinette suddenly simping over chat noir

-Marinette explains the logic (but it’s ACTUALLY THIRST)

-“Uh, he’s in love with ladybug…” “Same thing” “But he doesn’t know that and you can’t tell”

-Alya tired of this lol. Give this girl a medal

-Okay so I’m gonna say this, Alya is a good friend, I would not be coherent and hearing out my friend before 8 am.

- And she left with her PJ’s (I enjoy this Alyanette)

-GOOD GRAVY THE THIRST ON THESE TEENS!

-Adrien waking up thinking about Marinette.

- Adrien really having a simp morning routine is beautiful

-Plagg really like “Stop this simping” but it ain’t working

-okay who the f*** is this white tampon? Talking like he is cooking Adrien breakfast on the daily?

-Nathalie is worried.

-Nathalie calling Gabriel out on not knowing his son, yet Gabriel acting all chummy. It’s so weird!

-Nathalie really just full of fire today and I love it.

-Adrien too busy simping Marinette to notice.

-Adrien sees the ring and thinks they are a couple.

-Nathalie is like every Adrien stan on this site “I’m only doing this for Adrien”

-I just realized, Adrien thinks he is starting to have a family. Baby boy

-And ARM BAR!

POG

- Nathalie giving Gabe that verbal ass whooping was beautiful. But then Gabe shows he got cataclysmed and was dying.

-damn that’s some emotional blackmail. Well played tampon man.

-“I should get Marinette a ring!” “You gonna propose?” The funny thing is… if this was like a season ago. He could have done that and she would have said yes.

- “poems are for cheese” Plagg is best character

-There is 0 straight answer for Nathalie saying Emilie’s name

-“My dear Nathalie “ Emile says it better

-Adrien my sweet sunshine. You are precious and just reinforcing why Nathalie is going to commit war crimes

-Wait was Nathalie Indiana Jones with Gabriel!?

- Oh! I get it now. Nathalie and Gabriel were both in love with Emilie

-So Nathalie is basically saying I will get akumatized to deliver the promise (both Gabe and Nathalie lying to the other. Good stuff)

-Welp, Marinette still isn’t over Adrien. She still mumbles and fumbles. So good news there. It’s not a reversal.

-And Adrien goes from simping to sad thinking about what’s going on with Nathalie.

-Marinette being a good person

-and from sad to simping again. Adrien has two emotions XD

-And Marinette really be like “No one told me what to do once sempai noticed me!”

-Plagg suddenly cares that s*** is going wrong? I’m sus of this. (Plagg meeting Tikki to talk is cute tho)

-Tikki really be like “don’t worry my holder is a mess”

-Damn Tikki! She really letting Marinette out to dry like that!

-Ooo her akuma name is safari! And she is going to use her old outfit.

-okay THAT WAS A COOL ASS AKUMATIZATION

-Also Safari is a baddie

-OH NO! She has the Goat! She can make all her gear!

-SIX POWERS!!? WTF OP!!!

-oh damn, the hunt is on!!!

-Chloe is hilarious.

-Marinette, Your simping is showing

-OOOOH Now I get it

-LADYBUG NO! Your simping will doom us all!

-Ohh stun darts. That’s not good.

-Looks like chat noir is gonna carry today

-“This is harassment!” Him dodging arrows

-Chat noir earning MVP today!

-the dart hits the statues butt! Chat noir figured out what it does!

-OHHH THE ARROW HAD VENOM!

-Okay so Genesis, venom, Fetch, and Mirage. What are the other two powers?

-Plagg pointing out what happened and telling Adrien he loves him

-Marinette scared she lost her miraculous but Chatnoir explaining the situation AND the plan WHICH MEANS!!!!

-Kwami swap (but will it erase my hatred of Reflekdoll?)

-wait… Is Adrien really thinking about the wish!? Oh damn!!!

-Marinette explaining how the wish would basically do an equivalent exchange, meaning IT WOULD just alter it not fix.

-Damn that sucks

- NOW THE KWAMI SWAP!

-Ladynoire more like Ladysimp!

-“Don’t flatten my partner’s Gorgeous face!”

-Safari got a whip, now watch her Nae Nae… I will see myself out

-“My suit has a weird influence on you!” XD

-Safari just Made Monarch shut up. MAX LEVEL

-MISTERBUG lucky charm!

-Did… Adrien figure out the lucky charm by himself? Hold on,

- Ladynoire can’t control her simping.

-THIS IS WHAT I WANTED FROM A KWAMI SWAP! THIS RIGHT HERE

-This was a battle of thirst and Marinette wins easy

- MISTERBUG being adorable

-MARINETTE CONTROL YOUR THIRST (she just Rawred)

-I can feel the physical manifestation of the facepalm

-Nathalie is there only one I trust with Adrien as his guardian (and Gorilla)

__________________________________________

I now dub this the Anti-Reflekdoll episode.

It is everything I wanted and more.

I do wish they didn’t try to make Gabriel sympathetic. But I loved the episode

Nathalie being an absolute best character

The kwami swap done right

THE SIMPING

Beautiful

9.5/10

[ratkingdad]

You 👉 know what I’ve always hated 😡💢 about you 👉, Amethar 👑🍬? You 👉 were so damn 👿 lucky 🍀.

I mean 😪, fifth 5️⃣ in line 📉 for the throne 🪑 and the crown 👑 rests 🛏️ on your head 🙆‍♂️. And each of your sisters 👯‍♀️ better 🥇 and more clever 👩‍🏫 than you. It really makes the unfortunate 🍀🚫 minor lord 🤵 of a less ↘️ than wealthy 💵 barony feel… well, a little underwhelming 😑😴.

Oh, I’ll say 📢, your sisters 👯‍♀️ were a little less lucky 🍀. The least 🥉 lucky 🍀 thing that ever happened to Rococoa 🍫 was when she found out 🕵️‍♀️ that I was selling 💰 weapons 🔫⚔️ to the Ceresians 🍞🥯. That… that had to be dealt with ☠️. And I think 🤔 you’ll remember how odd 🤪 it was that she was found riddles with arrows 🏹 so far behind our own lines 〰️. But that’s war 💣, and strange things happen in war 💣🧨 all the time ⏰.

The Ceresians 🥖🍞, I find are very reasonable, very reasonable and you can see 👓🔎some of their tents 🏕️ out here in the field 🌾.

You know, I don't have luck 🍀 so I have to work 💪. I have to work 💪a lot. First, I had to put the little cheese 🧀 boy 🧒🏼 onto the scent of the Duchess 👸 Coldbottle 🍼, and I had to ferry ⛴️ his idiot sailors ⛵️all the way the Sucrosi road 🚗 to that little farmhouse 🏠 - I mean, had to get them there somehow, they couldn't sail ⛵️ there, could they? And they'd be so suspicious 🤨 walking 🚶‍♂️ up the road, and yet - you miraculously ⛪️ survived 🖖, when you should have died 💀. Amethar 👑 🍬 the Unfallen ❤️.

You uncharacteristically 😮 leave a fight 👊 , you jump 🐰 out of the ring 💍 rather than trying to behead that carrot 🥕- and they call the tournament 🏟️, even with all the work 🏋️ that me and Alfredi 🍝 put in to getting those watersteel 💦 daggers 🗡️ into her hands 🙌 . I - I thought 💭 I was going to fail 0️⃣.

And then, and then your friend Manta Ray Jack 🧀 mentioned a girl 👧 , at the banquet 🍱 , 'stashed somewhere in the Dairy 🥛 Islands 🏝️ ', and I thought 💭 , 'That's so interesting 🤔 . Amethar 👑 🍬 and I are best friends 👯‍♂️, war buddies 🤝 as far back as we can remember 🧐. Why 🤨would he never 👎 tell me?' And I got to thinking 🤔 , 'Amethar 👑 🍬 was never quiet 🤐 about his exploits 🏃 as a roving Prince 🫅 of Candia 🍭, so why didn't I hear 👂 about this girl 👧 ?' And I thought 💭 , 'I'd better talk 🎙️with Manta Ray Jack 🧀.'

He didn't wanna 🙊 talk, but a few fingers 👋 and pints 🍻 of blood 🩸 later we remembered your sister's book 📖 . Very useful, your sister 👩 . Very useful indeed - up until a young Belizabeth Brassica 🥦 ordered her run 🏃🏻‍♀️ down in the streets by Vegetanian 🥗 Knights ⚔️ . That - that hurt 😔 , because she had always been very sweet 🍭 to me. Well, after Manta Ray 🧀, I saw 👀 an opportunity. You know, it hurts 🤕 to have all of your plans 📒 fail, but they say that improvisation 🎭 is the better part of planning 📝 , so I was happy 😊 to take advantage 🔝 of that opportunity when 🕰️ it presented itself, Amethar 👑 🍭.

You know what happens to a man 🧍‍♂️ when he dies ☠️ ? He shits 💩 himself. So I'll be happy 😊 to watch 👁️ 👁️ you shit 💩 one last time 🕰️, Amethar 👑 🍭 .

I wonder 🧐 if they'll call ☎️ you 'Amethar 👑 🍭 the Unfallen ❤️ ' after this😤? Here's to a future 🔮 you can't ⛔️ ruin 😡.

[adjit]

tag nine (9) people you’d like to know better

Tagged by @misspickman thank you!!

Last song: When I first saw the tag post it was “I wanna know what love is” by Foreigner (shoutout to my baby boy Nova <3 it was on his playlist), but between seeing the tag and actually making this post I did watch that Bad Apple r/place video so technically it’s Bad Apple. I just felt that was too obvious.

Currently watching: Ummm… things I’m in the middle of… My Adventures With Superman. Gotham, technically (we dropped off somewhere in season 2 like a year ago), and also CW Supergirl, technically (I’m only about 4 episodes in and it’s been months).

And then my anime Tuesday watch party rotates through a whole list of them so I am in the middle of uh… Komi Can’t Communicate, To Your Eternity, Bocchi the Rock, Kaguya-sama Love Is War, Natsume Yuujinchou, Witch From Mercury, and Blood Blockade Battlefront.

Also Miraculous Ladybug. Back to watching that just bc I was too happy I guess and needed something to scream about.

Currently reading: I just finished both This Is How You Lose The Time War and The House in the Cerulean Sea (I liked both, would recommend) but haven’t picked up anything new on the novel front, though next up is These Are Not The Trinity Papers. Because it's sitting on my desk now so I guess it's next.

Comics front I’m still working my way through Young Justice ‘98 and Tim’s Robin run, plus currently keeping up with Poison Ivy, City Boy, Spirit World, Green Arrow, and Batman and Detective Comics. And SMOT. And actually haven't read the last TDR, which I was keeping up with (do not recommend, unless you're like me and just want to look at pretty pictures of Tim; it's not bad per se just so deeply middling). I’ve gotten a couple months behind because I’ve been busy with new job and travel and friends… OH ALSO I did just pick up Batman/Superman World's Finest Vol 1. from the library, so that's also On The List (the list is so god damn long).

Current obsession: DC for sure, for better or for worse. I’m sure you couldn’t tell from my other answers on this. (I didn’t even mention the DC video games I’ve been playing...)

Tagging… @milfkon @loisinherlane @domokunrainbowkinz @lesbitchin if y’all wanna do it

[pocket-luv101]

A Crown of Flowers || Chapter 2

Fandom: Genshin Impact Ship: CynoNari

Summary: A tournament is held for the Valuka Shuna’s hand in marriage. Cyno enters the tournament hoping to find his childhood friend, Tighnari. (Royalty AU)

Ch.1 || (Ch.2) || Ch.3 ||

Countless people joined the tournament for the chance to marry the Valuka Shuna and join the royal family. To select the ten strongest warriors among the participants who would fight in the main tournament, the first round would be a battle royale. Cyno stood in the center of the arena scanned the spectators and searched the crowd for Nari. However, that was a nearly impossible to do in the midst of a fight and the distance between the arena and the seats.

Cyno dodged a sword strike and then stabbed the ground at his opponent’s feet. When they jumped back to avoid his spear, Cyno swept the sand into this eyes. He used the distraction to leave the fight and continue his search. His eyes fell onto the empty throne where the Valuka Shuna was meant to sit. However, the podium was empty. He questioned why the Valuka Shuna would hold a tournament to find a fiancé but decided not to watch the fight.

An arrow passed his temple, so close that the wind hissed in his ear. He started to follow the arrow’s path to search for the archer and defend himself. A scream behind Cyno made him pause and he turned to see a man fall to the ground. Had the arrow been meant for the person behind him or did the archer miraculously struck the person after he missed? A second arrow answered him.

He quickly stepped to the side to evade the arrow. Cyno looked down at the ground where the arrow struck the chalk line marking the boundary of the battle royale. The man wearing a fox mask stepped in front of him with his bow string drawn taunt. While he couldn’t see his face, he carried himself with a regal and proud air.

“You were one step away from eliminating yourself because you were staring at an empty chair. Keep your focus here if you wish to marry the Valuka Shuna. You won’t win this tournament by fighting half-heartedly.” The man warned. He aimed his arrow at a warrior across the arena and struck his leg. Cyno concluded that the archer was talented and neither of his earlier arrows missed. The masked fox left him with the advice and ran back into the battle royale.

Cyno ran after him. Before the battle, the masked man had approached him and Cyno thought he was familiar. “What is your name?”

The man’s steps slowed but he didn’t stop. He looked back over his shoulder to Cyno but he didn’t give him his name. Instead, he said: “My title is Viridescent Vigil.”

“Congratulation. As the ten warriors to advance onto the main tournament, the palace will provide you with lodging and food.” The sage said. “You may walk freely through the west wing and use the training grounds. However, you are forbidden to go beyond the places I’ve listed. This is for the royal family’s safety and we hope you understand. The tournament will start in a week so enjoy yourself for now. We have prepared a feast for winning the first round.”

After the battle royale ended and only ten warriors remained, they were escorted to the west wing of the palace where they will stay for the duration of the tournament. Cyno had hoped that he could sneak into the maze where he used to meet Tighnari. The chances of meeting him there after years was slim but he wanted to try.

He originally returned because he was worried that he was hurt or in danger. His concern heightened when the people he questioned claimed there wasn’t a fennec fox named Nari in the palace. He had countless questions to ask him. Beyond that, he needed to know that he was safe. Cyno often felt like an outsider in the rainforest but those feelings vanished when he was with Tighnari.

He walked past the array of food to find a place where he could rest alone. To win the tournament, it would’ve been better for him to eat with the other warriors and access their strength. His goal wasn’t to win the Valuka Shuna’s hand in marriage though. He decided to sit next to the window so he could enjoy the cool breeze at night.

Cyno discovered the masked fox was already sitting on the windowsill. His back was facing Cyno and his tail languidly swayed behind him. He had assumed that the man wore a costume for the tournament but the subtle movement of his tail and ears were more than a prop. As he approached, his tall ears twitched and then he turned around.

“I thought everyone would be enjoying the feast. Did you wish to sit here and admire the view of the rainforest? I’ll move.” Vigil closed the book that he was reading and swung his leg over the rail to leave. He could feel his gaze through the mask. “You’re injured. Naphis should’ve told you that you can seek treatment at Bimarstan. I’ll show you where it is.”

“These scraps are superficial at best so there’s no need to waste bandages and supplies.” He brushed aside his concern. With a light huff, the fox crossed his arms and jumped down from the window. Cyno could easily picture him rolling his eyes behind the mask. What colour would his eyes be? His ears reminded him of Tighnari’s and he imagined that he would also have unique turquoise-amber eyes.

The fox placed his hand on Cyno’s shoulders and lightly pushed him towards the window seat. He guided him to sit and ordered: “Stay here while I get a medical kit to treat your wounds. Don’t be stubborn and say they aren’t serious. Even small scraps can become a risk once they’re infected. I’ll only be gone for a few minutes.”

He left before Cyno could stop him. From how he spoke, he decided that it would be better to stay rather than leave. He could imagine the fox tracking him down and give him a lecture even as he treated his wounds. Cyno looked down at the book that he had forgotten in his rush. He recognized the title, A Thousand and One Jinn, because it was a collection of folktales from the desert. He didn’t expect someone from the rainforest to be interested in the topic.

“I’m back.” The fox’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. The windowsill was large enough for two people and he sat next to Cyno. He balanced the basket of bandages on his knee and then held out his hand to him. “I’ll start with that cut on your arm. The herbs I used to create the salve have a numbing trait so this won’t sting like others. Tell me if it does hurt, though.”

“Why would you help your opponent? We might face each other in a fight tomorrow.” Despite his skepticism, he placed his hand in his open palm.

“That gives me more reason to do this.” He gently coated the scar on his arm with the salve. His fingers traced over the faded scars Cyno gained after he became General Mahamatra. He held him gentler than the other doctors who treated him, as if he were glass. “I studied botany and medicine in the Akademiya. When I graduated, I took a vow to help the earth and every living being on it.”

“Why would a doctor join this tournament to marry the Valuka Shuna? Someone like you would probably be happier working in a hospital or the rainforest.” Cyno slowly began to feel curious about the fox and his identity. “You asked me why I joined the tournament. Can I ask your reason?”

“This might offend the Valuka Shuna but I have no wish to marry him. I have something to prove and I can only accomplish that by fighting strong warriors. Therefore, I want you to properly treat your wounds after each battle.” He finished wrapping his wound and then sat back against the window frame. “If we’re interrogating each other now, General Mahamatra, I have a few more questions for you. What is the desert like? I’ve only read about it in my books.”

“I can imagine that it’s hard to travel through the desert with your fur. Perhaps, you can visit during the night when it’s cooler. You won’t be able to see much but the pyramid is close to the border.” Cyno stared at the horizon where they could see the pyramid. The fox sat beside him and their shoulders brushed together. At first, Cyno was too surprised to move away from him because he didn’t expect a stranger to act so comfortable with him.

He opened the book between them and pointed to an illustration of a goddess. “The first place I’ll visit would be this ocean of lotuses. Even if they aren’t enchanted by the goddess, the lotuses have unique traits that I can study. Father says he’ll have someone deliver lotuses to my lab but it’s not the same as picking them myself.”

They discussed the book and, with each turn of the page, Cyno relaxed into the moment. He was reminded of when he would read with Tighnari. “Can you read while wearing that mask? It must obscure your sight during fights as well, considering you’re an archer.”

“I don’t want to marry the Valuka Shuna and the notability that winning the tournament will give me would be troublesome. I plan to disappear and return to my normal life.” He explained. Cyno thought that wearing a mask was suspicious. On the other hand, he could sense that his words were truthful.

“You’re confident that you’ll be the victor.” Cyno had to admire his confident. After he watched him fight in the battle royale, the fox’s words were from more than haughtiness. If they faced each other in the finals, it would be ironic that neither wished to marry the Valuka Shuna. Cyno tapped his finger against the paper. “What did the librarian say to someone who checked out over a hundred books? Don’t overdue it.”

Instead of a laugh or chuckle that Cyno hoped for, he made a long sigh. He muttered beneath his breath, so quietly that he almost didn’t hear him, “Your puns haven’t improved in years.”

“What?” He turned sharply and his movements were so sudden that it startled the fox. His hold on the book slipped and they reached out to catch it at the same time. As Cyno grasped the book, he felt something soft brush against his cheek. He caught a glimpse of his real fox ears behind the mask. He wore a golden earring that Cyno knew all too well. “Can I see your face?”

“No.” He climbed off the window ledge. “I should go and rest for tomorrow’s match. Honestly, the joke you made was bad enough that I would forfeit the tournament just so I wouldn’t have to hear another one.”

“I should’ve known that I would face the General Mahamatra in the finals. Your strength is highly praised.” Despite those words, Tighnari spoke confidently and nocked an arrow. They stood a few feet from each other and waited for the battle to begin. His eyes narrowed behind the mask as he watched Cyno. “Why did it have to be you?”

In the previous matches, Cyno would scan the crowd and he’ll only start to fight once his opponent attack him. Yet, his eyes were focused on the fox before him now. He dashed forward with his spear and he drew his bowstring back to counter his attack. Cyno didn’t attack him though. To his confusion, he stopped a few feet in front of him and stabbed his spear into the dirt.

He knelt onto one knee and held out his hand to him. “Why do bees have stick hair? Because they use honeycombs.”

“Pardon me?”

“Why did the cookie go to the doctor? It was feeling crumby.” Cyno listed countless jokes that caused a hush to fall over the crowd. He ignored the crowd around him and stared at the fox mask. He touched the hands gripped tightly around the bow and the fox’s stance slowly relaxed. “What happens when a flower blushes? It turns rosy.”

He couldn’t make sense of why Cyno would make jokes. His red eyes were resolute so he couldn’t bring himself fight him. When the guards entered the arena, he held up his hand signalled for them to stop. “What are you doing, Cyno? This is supposed to be a battle.”

“I don’t want to hurt you. However, you said my jokes were so bad that you would forfeit the tournament instead of listening to them. This is the only way I can win.” He squeezed his hand and lightly tugged him forward. He stumbled forward and fell into his body. Careful not to remove his mask, Cyno whispered into his ear. “I could never fight you, Nari. I only joined the tournament to find you.”

[miraculouswolf99]

More Of My Own Miraculous Team Choices

These are my choices for who would have been given the last of the miraculous that are a part of the Chinese miracle box. For those that want to see my other choices, look here.

This will show my own choices for who I would go with for the rest of the miraculous that have been shown on the show. Plus, I will also be adding in the Eagle, Peacock, and Butterfly miraculous as well. There will be some salt for characters that I personally do not like and there will also be fusions for when I run out of characters that I can find reasons to give a miraculous.

I have also chosen to change the powers of both the goat and the rooster miraculous since their canon powers are just not good fits for the miraculous. They were powers fit for the characters rather than the miraculous. The goat's power has been changed to Dream State, which allows the user to throw magic dust at a target in order to put them to sleep and make them dream their greatest desire, a dream that the user can also watch. And the rooster's power has been changed to Daybreak, which sends up a shot of light into the air that explodes into a giant burst of light that not only blinds opponents but can also cure mind control.

I also changed the goat's weapon to a classic shepherd's hooked staff, which is basically like a staff with a hook at the end. The rooster's weapon has also been changed to a bow and arrows. And I also changed the dog's weapon to a bo staff that looks like a bone.

14.) Ox Miraculous- Felix Graham De Vanily- Lord Ox

With Luka having the ladybug and being able to help Adrien with his confidence as well as standing up to others, Adrien would be able to stand up to Felix and confront him about what he had done with the video message as well as him getting his friends akumatized. And Luka, as Tyche, would definitely also scold him for his actions as well. Combining those two things would be able to actually give him the redemption he deserves since he is actually a very good and complicated character. And since he is a very determined as well as a very stubborn person, he would actually be a good match for the ox miraculous. Plus, him getting a miraculous would also help him and Adrien bond as Adrien would be able to see Felix actually trying to do good as a hero.

I chose him over Ivan because not only does Ivan have the tiger miraculous for my choices, but he also does not fit the ox as much. He is shown to be protective and wanting to fight for what is right, but I think the ox is more fit for determination and stubbornness than that since it is not as offensive as other miraculous.

15.) Rooster Miraculous- Aurore Boreale- Morning Glory

While there is not much of her on the show, we do see that she is a very kind person. Such as even after Mirelle beat her in the weather girl contest, she was still willing to be a co-host with her for things like the Friendship Game. So, we know that she is able to look past things in the past and not hold a grudge. Plus, we also see that she is a morning person from how you can not be a weather girl without getting up early every day. And the fact that she is also really kind shows that she can overcome the regular feelings of crankiness and tiredness that comes from being up early all the time. That also shows that she is also very optimistic. All of that would make her a perfect fit for the miraculous with light powers. Plus, Marc is in her class, so with him having the turtle miraculous and being a part of the team, he would help Luka/Tyche by recommending her when they needed the rooster.

I chose her over Marc for the rooster not just because I would have him with the turtle, but also because I do not like how the writers made the rooster with a power specifically for Marc rather than for the rooster. Also, I dislike both the name Rooster Bold as well as that ridiculous tail of feathers that he had for his costume.

16.) Goat Miraculous- Nathaniel Kurtzberg- White Fox

The first of my fusion choices as I have run out of characters that I feel would be good for the miraculous. It is pretty much canon that Nathaniel sometimes stays up all night when he is on one of his artistic streaks. So, he would be a good match for the miraculous that grants sleep/dream powers. Plus, it would also be good for his character development for him to grow more empathetic as he would watch people dreaming their heart's desire. Plus, it would help his confidence that he would be able to do a technique that was known for being really hard for any miraculous holder to do. Nathaniel would also not want to be as violent as other heroes would with their offensive powers. So, having a power that would simply put others to sleep would be the perfect one for him.

17.) Dog Miraculous- Adrien Agreste- Black Wolf

I chose Adrien to have both the black cat and the dog miraculous not just because I love the irony, but also because it would fit Adrien's personality more. Even as someone that holds the miraculous of destruction, he would still be a naturally peaceful person. So, when he would have the chance to be given such a non-violent power, he would take it. It also would help him feel less like a sidekick as he would become even more useful in akuma fights. His power would be really useful for fetching the akumatized object without needing to get too close to the akuma. A power that would have been very useful against akumas like Timebreaker, where it would be dangerous to get too close. Plus, also being able to take away an akuma's weapon would come in handy even if the weapon is an akumatized object, such as Dark Cupid's bow.

18.) Eagle Miraculous- Luka Couffaine- Freedom

I chose Luka for the eagle because he would make the decision as the leader of the team to fuse with it. He would not want anyone else to be the one to risk taking and then using the miraculous from the akumatized Techno-Pirate. Plus, he would actually know more about freedom than others because of how he was raised. His mother raised him and Juleka with a lot of freedom, even though she made sure to not give them enough to make them think they can just run wild everywhere. But, it was still a lot of freedom, so he would know how it felt to have that type of power. Plus, as an empath, he would be able to use his ability to learn what the true freedom would be for anyone he would use the power on. That way, they would not run wild like the New York heroes did.

I chose him over Jessica because as much as I like Sparrow becoming her own hero as Eagle with Uncanny Valley and the American guardian of the Native American miracle box, I feel like Luka would not risk someone that never used a miraculous before to be the one to free the heroes from the effects of the miraculous. He would still help them become independent from their mentors because he feels they deserve it.

19.) Peacock Miraculous- Marc Anciel- Sapphire Bird

As a writer and a creative person in general, he would know how to create the best type of guardians (the good version of sentimonsters) with the miraculous. He is a good fit for the peacock even when I do love him with the turtle. Plus, as a very shy person, he would not want to be as up-close-and-personal as other heroes would be. He would much rather stay behind so that he would be able to more easily control his guardian without fighting himself, which could mess with the control of his creation. Marc would also want to send his guardians to do more than just fight. Such as using them to make a friend for a little kid that needs one or even as a protective guardian that's only goal was to protect and not to fight.

20.) Butterfly Miraculous- Juleka Couffaine- Lady Butterfly

I love Juleka with the bee, but she is also a good match for the butterfly as well. As a person with confidence issues as well as a desire to be heard more, she would know more than others how it feels to be powerless and not have a voice. So, when she would create her champions (good version of akumas) she would look for those that deserve a chance to feel powerful. Such as giving a fireman powers over water, giving a bully victim the ability to make others feel that they feel, and giving a policeman super strength. She would never want others to feel as silent and invisible as she does sometimes. Plus, helping all of these people would help her grow in confidence as well.

[rainbow-arrow]

the part in desperada where they’re on the houseboat and marinette is getting all flustered bc of the obvious adrigami going on and luka’s just like, ‘it’s nice to see adrien has someone to sneak out of his house with’ is just so much that’s dismissed so fast but like. luka can see that adrien is happy  

and then adrien waves and luka wAVES BACK they would be such good friends it’s a fucking crime the show doesn’t have more interactions between them

[chaotic-zora]

Introducing my zora oc, Thresh (Short for Thresher, ironic I know. I got attached to the placeholder name).

Pronouns: They/Them/He/Him

Height: 6 ft 7 in.

Species: Thresher Shark/Tiger Shark

Coloration: Dark purple, lavender stripes, white belly, red eyes/fins

Profession: Warrior

Facts:

-Specializes in hand-to-tail combat

-Little brain to mouth filter (Blunt)

-Has a huge scar on his crest (post The Event)

-In love with his "Best Friend" Nyvor

-Not naked I swear (workin on their armor)

Dislikes:

-Maps (can't read em, poor sense of direction)

-Horses (almost got trampled once)

-High places (post The Event)

Directory: [NYVOR]

Character/Lore Dump:

Thresher is proficient in hand-to-tail combat and commonly wields hand daggers, weighted rope (to lasso and subdue opponents), and a bow and arrow. If their opponent has a unique/impressive fighting style, Thresh will attempt to analyze it and merge it with his own combat style. The opportunity to learn new techniques is what Thresh enjoys most about combat, and as a result they are well versed in over a dozen different styles. He views loosing as a learning opportunity (humble).

During fights he'll whip his tail to disorient/ward off opponents (thresher shark genes woohoo). The act can leave nasty bruises, and he ties leather strips around his tail to make the blows worse. When the opportunity arises, he'll disarm opponents by striking their wrists with his tail. When done right this can cause an opponent to involuntarily drop their weapon.

Though intelligent in combat, that's about the extent of what they can do. He has a terrible time learning anything else, can't lead, and won't follow orders that go against his morals. It's why he never earned a title beyond "renowned warrior" within his Domain. He is outgoing, rowdy, and deeply in tune with his instincts.

He's in love with his best friend Nyvor, who's a healer. Unfortunately for him, weeks before Thresh planned to declare his intentions to court Nyvor, the "Event" occurred.

The Event: Thresh murders a corrupt Noble.

For nearly a decade a corrupt Zoran Noble has been causing Thresh's Domain to fall into disarray. Due to the Noble's high standing, they have repeatedly escaped prosecution, and Thresh, sick of their bullshit, decides to take the matter into his own claws.

Unfortunately, Nyvor catches him in the act. However, instead of reporting Thresh, Nyvor purposefully takes the downfall for the murder.

'Even now....he treats me gently....'

This is all Thresher can think as they watch Nyvor pluck the soiled blade from their hand. His motions are slow, and there is a gentleness to Nyvor's actions that betray his hidden affections towards the smaller zora. If Thresh was not so overwhelmed with confusion, perhaps they would have noticed, but alas, this was not the case.

"What are you doing, Nyvor?"

The clatter of armor echoes faintly in the distance. Guards are approaching, and they are early with their check in rounds.

"Protecting you."

Thresher's breath stills in his chest. They watch, striken, as Nyvor moves towards the corner of the room, and brandishes their own weapon against them.

"Stop. Stop please."

Nyvor's smile is kind. Loving. And his voice is soft. A stark contrast to his intimidating stature.

"It's okay Thresh. Everything is going to be okay."

Eveything is not okay. Nyvor gets sentenced to death by cliff face (thrown over a cliff into rocky waters below). No one believes Thresh when they state they were the one who murdered the Noble, not Nyvor, who cleverly twists the facts to ensure the blame remains solely on him.

As punishment for defending Nyvor, Thresher is tied up and forced to watch Nyvor get knocked out and thrown over the cliff. In one last desperate attempt to save his friend, Thresh escapes his bindings and flings himself after Nyvor.

He uses his body to physically protect Nyvor's head, and upon impact, gets knocked out. Miraculously they both survive, but get separated in the current, and Thresh wakes up washed ashore on the outskirts of Hyrule, alone, and lost. Thus begins his journey to find Nyvor.

I have a lot more art brewing for these two.... more lore to come with Nyvor's side of things.

Shout out to my beloved partner @vaquero-azul-art for helping me with anatomy. Thanks babe.

[kawaiilizzie]

I posted 47 times in 2022

That's 36 more posts than 2021!

13 posts created (28%)

34 posts reblogged (72%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@narashikari

@asknarashikari

@diamond-night

@kanacaecilius

@fenixcommander

I tagged 47 of my posts in 2022

#reblog - 34 posts

#kamen rider - 27 posts

#kamen rider saber - 15 posts

#kamen rider revice - 7 posts

#lgbtq - 6 posts

#kamen rider oc - 6 posts

#danganronpa v3 - 4 posts

#kamiyama touma - 4 posts

#several characters mentioned - 4 posts

#xenoblade - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 60 characters

#saber predicted a major plot twist before revice revealed it

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

See the full post

1 note - Posted October 24, 2022

#4

One of Kaede’s initial concept arts prompted me to think up her appearance in the one-year time skip Future Connected is set in. Now, Kaede Akamatsu is in a league of her own as she blossoms as the new Ultimate Idol.

Trivia

Like Tenko, she is 18 during KGH and SK:TUS, making her 19 in FC.

Wears pink canvas shoes with white soles.

Due to her beauty, she has attracted many admirers.

Plays the lead protagonist on a live-action series centering around animal-based superhuman warriors who transform to fight for survival.

Has provided the vocals for insert songs in the series’ soundtrack and covered songs from both Kamen Rider and Super Sentai.

Her experiences during her time in Danganronpa influenced the way she portrays her character.

Her friends have been very supportive of her all throughout the heights she has reached as she blossomed like never before.

1 note - Posted September 7, 2022

#3

Yumeko was created with this girl in mind in terms of backstory and deeper lore. Look below the tab for more information on Yukari aka Arch Seirei Artemis, the Seirei of the Haouken Xross Saber.

Name: Artemis

Kanji: アルテミス

Gender: Female

Age: Unknown, 23 (Physically)

Aliases: Yukari (ゆかり), Arch Seirei (大聖霊, Daiseirei)

Ally Type: Seirei

Occupation: None

Affiliation: Sword of Logos, Touma Kamiyama’s team, Hunters of Artemis (formerly)

Homeworld: Earth

Talents/Abilities: Indomitable will, Expert magic user

Powers: Seirei physiology (Shapeshifting and longevity), Seiken empowerment, Elemental magic manipulation, Energy arrow, Seiken summoning

Equipment: Haouken Xross Saber (Personal weapon), Book Gate Wonder Ride Book (Uses it as a transporter to the Northern and Southern Bases)

Description: Arch Seirei Artemis, also known under the alias Yukari, is one of the creators of elemental magic and the Seirei of the Haouken Xross Saber who is connected to the Elegant Moonlight Element and Miraculous Star Element. Having been trusted with watching over the Sword of Logos to witness her connected Seiken's reemergence, Artemis acts as an observer and helps guide the swordsmen towards the right path so one day when all the swordsmen stand united as one, her Seiken would appear to them stronger than before. However, Artemis is also looking for Yumeko, who has escaped from her crystal prison and is looking for revenge on her after Artemis had sealed her away for her betrayal.

Notes: Her ideal actress is Amane Tsukiashi from the J-Pop group FRUITS ZIPPER and former member of HKT48, and is based off the Greek goddess of the same name

2 notes - Posted November 13, 2022

#2

Onward! Battle Within the Heart!

I’m surprised I even managed to get this chapter done. Also, Xenoblade 3 is coming soon, which might invalidate some information, but oh well! The stories intertwine once again in the next few chapters, the endgame is underway!

2 notes - Posted May 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Happy birthday ! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

Thank you so much! I'm glad to get to know such great people in the toku community.

3 notes - Posted June 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[the-al-chemist]

The Matchmaker

A/N: a little while ago, I came up with a headcanon story involving Artemis, her first friend Reggie, and her mother. I put it on the back burner, thinking that one day I might write it, or I might not. Then, the wonderful @lifeofkaze came up with the idea of a Valentine’s Prompt Challenge. And the very first prompt on the list “Blind Date” was the perfect fit for the story that existed only in my mind. So here it is, written at last. Warnings: child neglect, very mild injury, Artemis’ cooking.

Valentine’s Challenge Masterlist

A frosty winter chill had settled over the streets of London, and although it had not snowed, the pavements were slippery with a thin layer of ice, as were the four lions that surrounded Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square.

It was just typical, thought Artemis Hexley, as she slid down the side of one of the lions’ flanks for the sixth time. When the Muggle schools were closed, the lions were covered in children. The first day that she had them all to herself, they were too icy for her to climb.

Artemis stared at her lion’s back, and narrowed her eyes, trying to find a way up and onto it. A moment later, before she had even realised what she was doing, she found herself sitting astride the black stone beast. With a small, satisfied smile, she leant forward, patted the lion’s shoulder, and tickled it behind its ear.

“Good lion,” she told it. “Now, stay.”

Of course, the stone lion stayed perfectly still, and Artemis Hexley, Lion-Tamer Extraordinaire, slowly rose up onto her feet. For her next trick, she would stand on the lion’s back. On one leg.

She kept one hand on the lion’s mane as she raised her foot, wobbling slightly. Once she had found her balance, she straightened up and took her hand away, raising both arms above her head. Around her, an invisible crowd burst into silent applause, marvelling at her feat. At just nine years old, Artemis Hexley had become the youngest person ever to stand one-legged on a lion’s back.

Unfortunately, Artemis’ triumph was short-lived. The back of the stone lion was just as frosty as its flanks, and mere seconds after she had completed her trick, she wobbled, slipped, and fell from the statue to the ground below.

A pair of grown ups, a Muggle man and a lady, ran over to her and crouched at her side.

“Oopsie daisy,” said the lady, a kind and worried look in her eyes. “That was a big fall, sweetheart. Are you hurt?”

Miraculously, Artemis was not hurt at all. She had grazed both her palms, and there was a rip in her trousers, but otherwise she was unharmed.

“No. I’m fine,” she told the lady. She stood back up and wiped her palms on her coat. The Muggle lady also stood up, so that Artemis’ face was now level with the small bunch of roses she held in her hands.

“Are you sure? Maybe we should get you back to your mum, just in case. Where is your mummy? Can you see her?”

Artemis pretended to look around. Her mother was at home. She might even have still been in bed.

“Oh, yes,” she lied. “She’s over there. I can see her right now.”

Before the Muggles could ask her any more questions, Artemis sped away, making sure to walk behind the stall where two ladies were selling roses as she did so. That put a crowd of people between her and the couple, and so she slipped away from Trafalgar Square, through Leicester Square, to Piccadilly Circus.

Having no acrobats or clowns whatsoever, Piccadilly Circus was always a disappointment to Artemis. Still, she stayed there a little while, watching another Muggle couple - the lady again holding a bunch of roses - as they stood on the steps in the centre of the roundabout looking up at the statue of a naked man with wings holding a bow and arrow.

The Muggle lady was looking at the statue so intently that she didn’t seem to notice that behind her, her boyfriend’s shoelace had come undone. She must have been very worried about him tripping over - were all Muggles this worried about people hurting themselves? - because when she turned around and saw him kneeling down, she burst into tears.

Suddenly, everyone in Piccadilly Circus stopped and looked at the Muggle couple, and as the man stood up and kissed his crying girlfriend, the onlookers all clapped.

Artemis frowned. What strange behaviour. Was this normal for Muggles? She had many questions, and only one person that would be able to answer them for her, so she returned home, walking all the way up Regent Street to Marylebone, through Regents Park and past the zoo, and up the canal path that led to her back garden.

She stopped by a now-familiar canal boat moored just across the path from her garden fence, picked up a few small pebbles, and threw them gently at the window.

“Who’s that throwing stones at my boat?” a deep, rumbling voice called out from inside the barge. A moment later, the dark face of Artemis’ friend Reggie appeared at the door. At the sight of her, Reggie let out a low chuckle. “I should have known. Why aren’t you at school, Tiny?”

“They said I didn’t need to come back anymore.”

“Why was that?”

“Because,” Artemis bit her lip. She couldn’t tell Reggie the real reason that she had been suspended from school. As a Muggle, he wouldn’t understand that she hadn’t meant to set all the calculators on fire. Her teachers definitely hadn’t understood it. She’d have to come up with a better reason. “Because they said I’d learnt it all, that’s why.”

Reggie chuckled again.

“Lucky you,” he said. “Does that mean you weren’t around to get any cards from your secret admirers today?”

Of course, Artemis realised. Today was Valentine’s Day. That was why all the Muggles had flowers.

“I don’t have any secret admirers, Reggie,” she told him. “And I don’t want any, either.”

“Sensible girl,” Reggie murmured. “I’d only have to go and have some hard words with them if you did.”

“Why?”

“Because, Tiny, you are not allowed to have a boyfriend until you are at least thirty.”

Artemis laughed with Reggie, although she didn’t really understand the joke. There were a lot of things she didn’t understand today.

“Reggie,” she said. “Why do Mug- I mean, why do people get so excited about shoelaces?”

“Shoelaces?”

Reggie looked even more confused than Artemis, so she told him about the couple in Piccadilly Circus, and the round of applause they had gotten when the man had tied his shoelaces. After she finished telling Reggie the story, he laughed even harder, though not unkindly.

“Oh, Tiny,” he chortled. “He wasn’t tying his shoelaces. He was asking the lady to marry him.”

“Why did he need to kneel down to do that?”

“It’s tradition.”

“Well, that’s just a bit stupid. He would have got his knees all cold and dirty,” muttered Artemis. “And why did everyone clap about it?”

“Because she said yes,” Reggie said, simply. When Artemis wrinkled her nose, he explained further. “People like it when other people decide to get married. It’s why all those stories end with ‘and they lived happily ever after’.”

Artemis nodded. That was true. A lot of stories ended that way, with people falling in love and getting married and being happy forever.

“Are you married, Reggie?” she asked him.

“No. Not many ladies would like to live on a boat.”

“I think I would. Do you want to get married?”

“I think you’re a bit young for me, Tiny,” Reggie shook his head. “But I’m very flattered.”

“No to me, I just mean generally. Do you not want to be married?”

“Perhaps one day. I have not met the right woman yet.”

Artemis nodded, sagely. She was starting to understand this more, now. And, what was more, she knew just the right woman that Reggie could meet and marry.

“Does that mean you don’t have a date for Valentine’s Day?” she asked Reggie, already starting to come up with a plan. When Reggie shook his head, she smiled brightly. “I know. Why don’t you come for dinner at my house instead?”

“I don’t think-”

“But you don’t want to be alone on Valentine’s Day, do you Reggie? You can have dinner with me and my family instead, and I can show you my records, too, if you like. My mum won’t mind, promise.”

Reggie didn’t look convinced. Artemis upped the ante, tilting her head to one side and widening her eyes.

“Please, Reggie. I don’t want you to feel lonely, that’s all.”

It was not all, not really. As Artemis returned to the house, having successfully persuaded Reggie to come for dinner, she felt particularly proud of herself for coming up with such a good plan.

Artemis’ dad had died when she was six years old, and her mum Sara had been sad ever since. After Artemis’ brother Jacob went missing a year and a half ago, Sara became sadder than ever. Artemis tried her hardest to make her happy, but so far nothing had worked. Now she knew why: Sara couldn’t live happily ever after until she got married.

And who better for her to marry than Reggie? He was nice, he listened to good music, he had a boat. He was probably quite good looking, if you were a grown up. Why wouldn’t Sara want to marry him? He could definitely make her happy, and if he was married to Sara, it meant that he wouldn’t just be able to leave. It really was a wonderful idea.

Artemis had never been on a date before, but she knew that usually a fancy dinner was involved. She searched through the kitchen, but her mum clearly hadn’t been to get food. All that was left in the cupboard was a loaf of bread, some cheese, and a tin of beans. It was a good thing that Artemis knew how to use a toaster, and she was sure that as long as they had wine to drink, the grown ups wouldn’t mind that the dinner wasn’t all that fancy.

Before Reggie arrived for dinner, however, she had to make sure that her mum was out of bed and dressed nicely. She went upstairs and into Sara’s room, to find her sitting on top of the bed, and wearing a pair of jeans. Well, that was at least something.

“I’m making dinner, Ma,” Artemis told her mother, who made no response. “It’s a treat. For you. Why don’t you put on some make up?”

Sara said nothing, but she frowned. Artemis backtracked. She didn’t want to give the game away just yet.

“Or not. You don’t have to wear any make up. You look pretty without make up,” she said quickly, but she flicked her eyes over to her mother’s dressing table. She wanted her mum to look like she had at least made some effort. “What about one of your necklaces? They’re really nice, and you never wear them any more.”

Artemis picked out a necklace that she thought would look nicest. She knew that Reggie liked jewellery; he even wore a gold earring himself. That would give them something to talk about, at least.

She put the necklace on her mother for her. Sara flinched slightly as Artemis’ fingers brushed the back of neck, but Artemis didn’t mind. Once she met Reggie, Sara would be so happy that she would never flinch again.

Now that her mother was presentable, Artemis dragged her downstairs to the kitchen and sat her at the table. Just as she finished lighting the candles and grating the cheese onto the two plates of beans on toast, the doorbell rang.

“Take a seat, and don’t eat anything yet,” Artemis told her mother, before running to the front door and opening it to find Reggie standing on the front step. “You’re just in time, Reggie. Dinner is just served. I hope you like baked beans.”

She took hold of Reggie’s hand and took him through the house to the kitchen, where Sara was sitting silently at the dinner table.

“Reggie, this is my mum. Mum, this is my friend Reggie,” said Artemis, breathlessly. “Reggie lives on a boat and he is here for dinner. Sit down, Reggie. Reggie. Sit.”

Reggie did as he was told, and sat down. He and Sara were looking at each other very strangely. Well, they had only just met. They would need some time to fall in love properly, Artemis realised.

“Oh, and your wine!” she said, going to the kitchen counter to fetch the glasses, and carrying them both carefully to the table. “I didn’t know if the red or white sort was better, so I did you half and half.”

Reggie bowed his head and looked at his wine glass. He had started smiling. That was a good sign, surely.

“Artemis,” said Sara, taking her eyes away from Reggie and letting them settle on her daughter for just a moment, the expression in them unreadable.

Artemis smiled hopefully as her mother returned her gaze to Reggie. It hadn’t been for long, but she had been looking at her - actually at her - so her plan must have been working.

“Yes, Ma?”

“Can you give us some privacy, please?”

“Of course,” Artemis nodded enthusiastically. “I can go up to my bedroom. I hope you like the dinner. There’s more wine if you want it.”

Artemis backed the room with her fingers crossed, and closed the door behind her. Rather than going up to her bedroom, however, she stayed next to the kitchen door, one ear pressed against it. The wood muffled the noise from the kitchen, but she could just about hear them talking.

Probably Reggie was telling her mum that he liked her necklace or that he thought she was pretty, and she was probably saying that he seemed nice and was asking him about his boat.

Would Reggie still live on the boat once they were married? Artemis wondered. Or would he get rid of the boat and move into the house? Maybe she and her mum would move out of the house and they’d all live on the boat together. Artemis thought that she would quite like living on a boat, but she didn’t know if her mum would enjoy it so much. And, of course, there was Jacob to think about. What if Jacob came back and couldn’t find them because they were all in the boat and not the house? No, that wouldn’t do. Better to stay in the house. They could always keep the boat for going on adventures.

Artemis kept one eye on the living room clock as she strained her ears to hear the grown ups’ conversation. How long should she wait? How long did it take for people to fall in love and realise that they wanted to live happily ever after together?

She decided that fifteen minutes would be long enough. Surely, falling in love couldn’t take longer than that. As she watched the clock, fifteen minutes felt like the longest stretch of time in the world.

She must have been right, because with one minute left on the clock, Artemis heard the unmistakable sound of a chair scraping on the floor. Brilliant. They had fallen in love, and were coming to find her to thank her for making it happen.

She scurried back from the door and tried to look nonchalant as the door opened, though in fact she was so excited she thought her heart might beat its way out of her chest. She couldn’t wait to see the smiles on their faces.

But when Reggie appeared in the door frame, he wasn’t smiling at all, and back in the kitchen, neither was Sara.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” Artemis asked him, frowning.

“I have to go back to my boat,” he said, his voice deep and melodious as always. “But thank you for making dinner. The cheese was a nice touch.”

“But-”

“I’ll see you soon, Tiny.”

Reggie put his dark-backed, pale-palmed hand against the back of Artemis’ head before he left. Artemis watched him go, disappointment rising in her. She shook her head. No, she mustn’t lose hope just yet.

“Well, Ma,” she said, returning to the kitchen. “Did you like my friend? He’s nice, isn’t he? He lives on a boat, which is cool. Don’t you think that’s cool?”

“I’m going back upstairs,” Sara said. “Clear up this mess and blow out the candles before you go to bed.”

She left the room without even looking at Artemis, her hands trembling slightly. Artemis felt suddenly very lost and very alone. She blew out the candles, immediately missing the warm glow of their tiny flames.

It was a shame. She really had thought that her plan would work.

Outside the window that looked out the back of the house over the garden, she could see that Reggie’s boat was still lit up. Was he home already?

She decided to check, going outside barefoot and walking across the garden to the back wall, where a tree’s branches overhung the canal path. Climbing up the tree, she saw that Reggie was indeed home already, sitting on the deck of the boat with a record playing quietly from inside.

“Hello again,” she called out to him. “Did you like my mum? I know she seems a bit sad, but she is actually nice deep down.”

“Tiny,” Reggie raised a single eyebrow at her. “I am not stupid, you know. I can see what you’re trying to do.”

“I’m not trying anything.”

Reggie chuckled deeply, the rich sound filling Artemis’ ears like an old and familiar melody.

“Is that so?” he asked. “So, the private dinner, the wine, the candles… This is how you make all your friends feel welcome, is it?”

“I don’t have any other friends. Just you.”

“And is that why you decided to set me up on a blind date with your mum?”

Artemis sighed. How had he figured it out? Maybe she shouldn’t have lit all those candles after all.

“I just thought,” she said, biting her bottom lip. “I just wanted my mum to be happy, that’s all. She used to be happy, and now she isn’t. I thought that maybe if she fell in love that would make her happy again. But it didn’t work.”

She rested her head against the trunk of the tree, and Reggie looked up at her, his dark brown eyes filled with sadness.

“No,” he said, his voice soft and powerful all at once. “No, it didn’t. It was never going to work.”

“Why? Do you love someone else already?”

“That’s not what I meant, Tiny. Love isn’t that simple. It’s not like it is in the storybooks, you know. Falling in love doesn’t make people happy just like that.”

“It doesn’t?” Artemis asked, her nose wrinkling in confusion. Reggie shook his head.

“It’s love. It isn’t magic.”

“I know that,” muttered Artemis, rolling her eyes. “So why do people bother doing it?”

“Why do people bother falling in love?”

“Yeah. What’s the point?”

“There isn’t one,” Reggie told her, simply. “It just happens, no one knows how or why.”

Artemis tilted her head at him. She had thought that she was starting to understand love, but now she was more confused than ever. From what Reggie was saying, it sounded like she wasn’t the only one.

“What?” she asked, barely able to believe what Reggie was telling her. “No one in the whole wide world knows why people love each other?”

“Not one person, Tiny.”

“So, it’s just all a big mystery?”

Reggie laughed again, though there was no meanness to his laughter. If anything, the laugh was full of… love.

“It’s the biggest mystery of all,” he told her, with a sad sort of smile.

“Well, someone ought to solve it,” said Artemis, decisively.

“Perhaps one day they will. But it’s late, you should go inside or your mum will worry.”

“She won’t,” Artemis shook her head. “Now, are you sure you don’t want to see if you can make her fall in love with you, just in case?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Maybe not. It was worth a try, though. Night.”

“Goodnight, Tiny. Sweet dreams.”

Artemis started to descend from the tree, but before she jumped down to the ground, she looked back at the boatman over the top of the wall.

“I love you, Reggie,” she told him, and she meant it. “As a friend.”

Reggie closed his eyes, his shoulders shaking with another low chuckle. When he opened them and looked back at Artemis, the sadness had disappeared from them entirely.

“I love you too, Tiny.”

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Gabriel Agreste: Interesting Villain, Horrible Character (400 Follower Special)

I'm honestly surprised more people didn't want me to talk about Gabriel, especially with how often I rag on how horrible of a person he is. But, three character analysis posts later, and we're going to talk about why the main villain of Miraculous Ladybug is a real letdown.

Gabriel Needs to give the Whining a Rest

The interesting thing is one of the few things I actually liked in Season 3 was Hawkmoth. His plans actually made sense (for the most part), and by playing the long game, he managed to turn Chloe against Ladybug and deprived her of several key allies. Granted, Season 4 immediately undid the latter, but I was still impressed by his strategy.

Generally, one of the better aspects of Gabriel as a character was just how over the top he was as Hawkmoth. Keith Silverstein is clearly giving it his all with his performance, and he is just so enjoyable to watch as a cartoonish supervillain.

And therein lies the first major problem with Gabriel as a character. While he is fun to watch as a simple supervillain, the show tries to give him more depth and unintentionally makes him worse.

In Season 2, when it was revealed that Gabriel was Hawkmoth, many fans speculated on what he needed the Miraculous for, until the Queen Bee Trilogy showed it was to save his possibly dead wife, Emilie. The idea of that is so the show can give more depth to its main villain, and I think it's an interesting idea in concept. After all, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

The problem is just how radically different Gabriel is normally compared to how he is as Hawkmoth. He always goes on about how he's “doing this for Emilie”, but it's hard to really sympathize with him when you consider he constantly gives evil monologues and evil laughs, really getting into the supervillain role. And let's not forget all of the “I'm going to wear Ladybug's skin as a suit” faces he loves to make.

Clearly this man is the picture of mental stability.

Gabriel's motivation for being Hawkmoth when compared to what he actually does as Hawkmoth is shady enough, but the thing is that the writers clearly want the audience to at least feel a little bad for him. They want to make the audience sympathize with him despite the way he acts with or without the mask. Without Miraculous Ladybug, he is routinely putting innocent lives in danger and never once shows regret for his actions. All he talks about is how “he's doing this for Emilie”, or that “he'll get their Miraculous soon”. There's no real reason to feel bad for him other than “because the script says so”.

Let's compare Gabriel to Malcolm Merlyn from Arrow. His big plan in the first season of the show is to create a machine that will cause an earthquake to destroy a crime-infested portion of Starling City, claiming to be trying to help everyone, but it's clear he is only doing it out of revenge for his wife getting killed by a criminal from that part of the city. In addition, throughout that season and future seasons, he always makes sure his plans lead to him benefiting in some way, showing he isn't just some noble man trying to achieve his goals with a less than noble method.

If we got some moments that showed that what Gabriel was doing was selfish, it would make him a more complex villain. But we don't get anything like that. What do we get instead? Well...

I Could Really Care Less About Emilie Agreste

We have known Gabriel's motivation has been to save his wife for a little over two years at this point, but at the same time, it's hard to believe that motivation because of how underdeveloped Emilie is as a character.

There have been a total of two lines in the entirety of the show that explain what happened to Emilie, and they're both vague as hell. One of them was from “Feast” that implied Emilie used the broken Peacock Miraculous.

Adrien: My mom used to have dizzy spells… just like Nathalie.

And the other that outright tells the audience what's happening to her in a clip show that most people will skip.

Nathalie: As I've watched Emilie falling deeper into an endless sleep, my sadness for her has deepened, too

That is literally all we get for an explanation, and nothing else. We have no idea of what she's like as a person or what her relationship with her family was like other than Gabriel and Adrien saying they miss her. Other than the way the narrative says she's important to Gabriel and Adrien, we don't really have a reason to care about her as a character. There have also been some lines that imply she went along with Gabriel's questionable parenting techniques, like how he was apparently only homeschooled as a kid (Origins) and never had a birthday party growing up (The Bubbler), so how do we even know if she's a good person? In fact, why not set up this question as a mystery to make the audience wonder if Gabriel has another reason to bring Emilie back?

It ultimately turns Emilie into a plot device and not a character that Gabriel and Adrien only bring up to make the audience feel bad for them, and meant to justify Gabriel's actions by saying that he's “doing this for his family”.

But hey, if he's doing this all for his family, surely Gabriel's redeeming traits come from his relationship with Adrien, right? Right?

As a Parent, Gabriel is Far From the Best

I've talked about this briefly before, but parenting in Miraculous Ladybug is written in such a black and white way, even by the standards of this show. Parents are portrayed in one of two ways. They're either amazing people who love and support their children unconditionally, or they're awful people who treat their own children like trash. And much like a lot of things in this show, there are times where the latter is treated like the former.

There are so many times where the narrative insists on making you see Gabriel as a troubled, but wellmeaning person who tries his best to be a good parent to Adrien, but it is far from the truth.

I'm not going to beat around the bush. Gabriel is a terrible parent. Like, he is awful at being a parent in so many ways, even before you find out he's Hawkmoth. In his first appearance, “The Bubbler”, he delegates getting Adrien a birthday present to Nathalie, his assistant. He literally can't be bothered to take time out of his schedule to get his own son a present for his birthday. And as the show goes on, he becomes more controlling and forbids Adrien from going out with his friends in other episodes (Captain Hardrock, Silencer). While this could be used to show Gabriel getting worse, it's never acknowledged in-universe, with Adrien continually defending his father essentially keeping him on house arrest.

“But IOTA!” You might say. “Gabriel has made efforts to bond with his son in some episodes.” While that might be true, most of those come right after his Akumas have almost gotten Adrien killed. He only hugged Adrien and made an attempt to learn more about him after Simon Says invaded their home, he only decided to watch that movie Emilie was in with Adrien after Gorizilla nearly dropped him off a building, and he only hugged Adrien again in public after he was turned into a gold statue by Style Queen.

In fact, let's talk about how Gabriel acts in the Queen Bee Trilogy. He actually decides to quit being Hawkmoth, but it's not because he realizes all the damage he's caused. Instead, he gave up because his “magnum opus”, a stronger than usual Akuma that only got the advantage on Ladybug ironically because of dumb luck, failed. Sure, he says he can't keep putting his son in danger, but he rarely ever acknowledges that he does so in the first place. When Riposte wanted to fight Adrien, Hawkmoth did nothing to stop her other than giving her a stern warning earlier on and nothing else. Where was this attitude earlier?

Hell, even then, he immediately goes back to being Hawkmoth as soon as he sees an opportunity, not even a day after his “mAgNuM oPuS” blew up in his face (because I guess Scarletmoth was just Plan B). If he made such a big deal about caring for his son, why didn't he try harder to spend time with him? Has he ever had doubts about what he's doing before? If Chloe didn't show up as Queen Bee, was he going to follow through on his promise and try to be a better father to Adrien instead of trying to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous?

And yeah, the whole irony is that Gabriel is doing this for his family when he is unknowingly fighting his own son, which could lead to some interesting drama if done right. The idea of how Gabriel would react to his son being Cat Noir could really lead to some internal struggles for him to go through. But then we got “Cat Blanc”, which shows just how terrible of a character Gabriel is.

In an alternate timeline where he found out his son was Cat Noir, what does Gabriel do? Does he try to steal Adrien's Miraculous while he's sleeping? Does he reconsider his actions or realize he was endangering Adrien's life?

NOPE! He just decides to akumatize him all while emotionally tormenting him, before causing the end of the world.

This is honestly one of the most appalling things I've ever seen in any TV show, because it's basically an abusive father ordering his son to listen to him all while referencing his (kind of) dead mother to back up his point. And rather than use this to show how despicable Gabriel is, the episode decides to blame Marinette for this happening. Yes, according to the show, her present to Adrien caused several events to happen which caused Cat Blanc, but this logic makes no sense. It's like blaming the JFK assassination on the man who sold a gun to Lee Harvey Oswald, instead of, you know, Lee Harvey Oswald.

Not only was this episode yet another excuse to blame Marinette for something that wasn't her fault, it leads into the biggest problem I have with Gabriel as a character.

Sympathize with Gabriel? Surely, You Jest

After everything I've gone over regarding Gabriel as a character, after all the awful things I've talked about, are you really surprised that I don't feel bad for him at all?

Gabriel is just an awful character and a despicable human being, but the show just keeps wanting me to feel bad for him. It's just so hard to when you consider everything he's done has made him anything but sympathetic. I'm just saying, it's kind of hard to feel bad for someone who tries to start World War III with the only justification being “i'M dOiNg It FoR mY fAmIlY”, especially when he treats his family like crap.

The writers go out of their way to show how horrible Gabriel is as Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth, but they think because they throw in a few moments where he looks conflicted, we'll immediately feel bad for him. What makes so many people interested in seeing Chloe become a better person is that they can tell she's the victim of a troubled upbringing, and know that because she's only a teenager, she still has room to grow as a person, represented by having more honest moments of vulnerability. Gabriel is a grown man who once caused the apocalypse because of how terrible of a parent he is, and has even fewer sympathetic moments than Chloe does. Which one of these two is supposedly irredeemable? The answer may surprise you.

But the frustrating thing is that this kind of villain could have worked. Instead of making him this mustache-twirling psychopath, show how much Gabriel regrets what he has to do, but keeps pushing onward despite all the lives he's risking if it means that he can save his wife. Instead of making Gabriel like Lex Luthor, make him like Mr. Freeze, who is basic a better written version of him.

But as it stands, there's a good reason why Gabriel gets little to no respect as a character in the Miraculous Ladybug fandom, as a villain, or as a father.