#but everyone else can see it like fang and ivan here

[izzy-b-hands]

"What are you doing?"

Fang and Ivan looked at the pile of dead bodies between them. Seemed fairly obvious to them, but Captain Stede was... Captain Stede.

"Can't leave these here," Ivan replied. "Just like I showed you before: clean them out of anything we want or need or could sell, then get rid of the body."

"Right," Stede said. "But you two are...I mean, usually you toss them over the side."

"And we will be," Fang confirmed. "Making sure nothing got missed first-Oh! Ivan, this is for you."

An ornate silver necklace, with a unique whiteish stone hanging from it.

"Thank you," Ivan smiled, and dropped the necklace into one of his pockets.

"Yes, but the extra bits," Stede continued. "Is that piratey?"

"Mate, as long as we get rid of the bodies, Izzy doesn't care what else we do with them," Ivan said. "So if we wanna cross their arms, put them in a decent body bag, and say a little something before we toss them over-"

"That's our right," Fang finished. "Unless you'd like to be the one cleaning this up?"

The scent wasn't a great one. There were flies starting to buzz. He wouldn't say yes.

"Maybr I could help?" Stede asked. "Do you follow their religions, if you have any way to tell?"

Ivan blinked in surprise. Maybe pirate training would make a decent pirate out of Stede after all. Or at least one with a stronger stomach. "Yeah, if we can. Lot of times you don't know or can't tell, so we do a nondenominational thing like 'sorry we had to kill you; thanks for your stuff; we hope you see some cool fish down there.'"

"If they have trinkets or a tattoo or something that let's us know," Fang added. "Then we do what we can. Don't always know much about each religion but...I don't know. I'd like it if someone just tried, if it was me. Better than nothing."

Stede nodded. "I have some books that might help with this, actually. About different religions, different prayers to use, that sort of thing. I can grab them in case we need them for this lot, if you'd like?"

He was heartbreakingly eager. It was sweet, but also a good idea.

"Yeah," Ivan smiled. "I've got a few gold teeth to pry out first anyway. You bring them out, and you can help us look up whatever we might need."

Stede grinned and nodded and dashed off, nearly running into Izzy.

"You let him help, right?" Izzy asked. "Because I told you-"

"Yes, we told him he could help," Fang sighed. "You know that was risky, sending him over here. He doesn't have the strongest stomach."

"No, but not all of us do," Izzy said with a pointed glare. "Exposure can help. And he'll be facing death with each raid. He may as well get used to it."

He dropped a bag by the pile of bodies. "Remember, Ed can't know about these coins. They were mine, but they came from raids we were all in on, so-"

"We appreciate it," Ivan interrupted. "Even if we can't figure out any other ceremonial stuff, we can help them pay for the ferry at least."

Izzy nodded. "Find me if he does get sick. I can haul him to Roach so you two can finish up."

They both nodded, though they shared a knowing look with one another. Dare they say, it was almost like Izzy nearly liked Stede a bit.

But Izzy would probably stab them if they said it aloud, so they kept on with the teeth while Izzy walked away.

"Izzy!" Stede rushed back towards them, books nearly spilling from his arms. "Where are you going? You could help us!"

Fang and Ivan winced in unison, in anticipation of what might happen next.

"I suppose I could," Izzy sighed, and turned around, to their surprise. "I've a few prayers memorized that might be useful for these poor bastards."

"Are they from your... whatever you believe in?" Stede asked gently.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Izzy scoffed, but he grabbed the bag of coins and started placing them over the eyes of the already rummaged through bodies.

"Yes, I would," Stede smiled. "You don't have to, but if you're comfortable sharing...either way, lovely to have another set of hands."

Izzy chuckled.

"What's that about?" Ivan asked hesitantly, before yanking out another tooth.

"Another set of hands," Izzy said. "Hands, and I'm..."

There was a pause, then laughter.

"I'm almost having fun!" Stede said cheerfully. "With a bunch of dead people too! I'd never have thought."

He set the books down nearby and joined Izzy, peering over the bodies for some sign that might designate a particular prayer or ceremony.

"Two weeks," Ivan whispered.

"Hm?"

"I give them two weeks to figure it out and do something about it," Ivan shrugged towards Izzy and Stede, just barely out of earshot now.

"Well, I'm a romantic, so I say within the next three days," Fang whispered back.

"You're on. Whoever's right gets...fuck, I don't know. Buys the other a drink at the next port?"

Fang smiled and nodded. He had a good feeling he'd be right.

[jellybeanium124]

don't think too hard about fang. don't think too had about fang. don't think too hard about this intelligent, sweet, wise man on a boat for 20 years watching his boss get yanked around by the middle manager. and also getting yanked around by the middle manager himself. don't think about fang watching his boss, a once energetic and enthusiastic man, slowly becoming more and more a shell of himself because of said middle manager. who he refuses to fire. for some reason. maybe fang has some theories, but he doesn't know for sure. he doesn't see the boss as much anymore. any interaction with him is mediated by the middle manger, who's just gotten crueler as the years go by too. he keeps his head down and does what he's told. he's been doing this for a very, very long time, and knows what he has to do to live. and he enjoys the work, more or less, don't get me wrong. but, you know... maybe not as much as he could. and then they invade some crazy guy's boat, and then the boss is happier than fang's seen him in literal years. and this boat is cool! the people are nice! he doesn't have to be aggro all the time.

and then the middle manager blows a fuse and gets the british navy. and fang resigns himself back to business as usual. because that's how he's gonna survive. but then the boss comes back!! without the lunatic man. and for a second everything might be okay, but then something goes wrong, and again, fang doesn't know what, and then things are worse than they ever were before in the 20 years he'd been working for this man. and he keeps his head down and does what he's told because that's how he's gonna survive. and then his buddy dies. and his boss, who fang knows by this point can be very sensitive, doesn't cry a single tear. fang breaks down a little after a while. they can't keep going like this.

but it's okay!! the lunatic comes back and so does everyone else. and things are good, the middle manager mellows out, he and the boss have a talk and sort things out. life is good. he has a goat!

and then the middle manager dies. and that's weird, you know? and the boss decides he's done, so he hangs back on land while everyone else sails off into the sunset. and fang's happy, but it's irrevocably different. two men he spent at least a decade with are dead. one man, who he sometimes felt like an older brother to despite the other man being the boss, is now on land, and no longer part of his day-to-day life. he's the most experienced guy on this boat. well, it's possible a few others, like zheng, have been doing this for over 20 years, but chances are he's been in this world the longest. and a chapter just ended and a new one's beginning. and he'll keep doing his thing, following captain's orders. maybe give a gentle suggestion from time to time.

he was in this world before ivan, before izzy, before ed. and now they're retired or dead and he's still here. why is he still here? why did he outlive them? why did ivan and izzy have to die? why did... well, he understands why ed retired. but still.

now he has inside jokes and no one to share them with. memories and no one around to share in the bizarre nostalgia. but on this boat, this silly boat that breaks all the rules, he can make new memories and create a million more inside jokes, and be around people who really truly like him. love him, even.

[adzeisval]

Raid 58

On their 58th raid Ivan is killed. Also on AO3.

Izzy woke up with a start and realized he overslept. He groaned and got ready as quickly as he could. If all had gone right with the currents overnight they should be near their next target. 

Izzy made it up on deck to find Fang at the wheel and Ivan peering off the starboard side of the Revenge. 

“Has the Captain been on deck this morning?” he asked Fang. 

“No boss,” Fang said. 

Izzy nodded, “We close to the target?” 

“Yes. Everyone else is getting ready.” 

“I’ll get him,” Izzy said. He wasn’t sure what sort of mood Ed would be in when he entered the cabin. He never knew what sort of mood Ed would be in at any given moment these days.

“That you Izzy?” 

“Yes, we’re…” 

“Almost at the target. I know. What I don’t know is why I’m only hearing about this now,” Ed said. 

“Sorry Captain I overslept,” Izzy said. In the past that might have earned a laugh or a good natured ribbing from Ed, but not now. Now Ed glared at him. Izzy started to sweat, surely this wasn’t an offense worth a toe was it? 

“Do it again and we’ll have a problem, we have a record to break after all,” Ed said. Izzy nodded. Ned Low’s record. A ridiculous amount of raids in such a short time. They hadn’t been to land for…nearly two months now. They got their supplies from raids only. Izzy had spent his life at sea, but even he liked to go on land now and then. It was good for morale too which was quickly slipping with every raid. 

Izzy pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind, the raid was nearing and he had to get himself into the proper mood, it wasn’t the time to mope about. 

The merchant vessel appeared to be lightly armed and still unaware of the fast approaching Revenge. It should be an easy job all things considered. Izzy hoped there were some good supplies on board. They needed more food. They needed gunpowder. They needed medical supplies. They needed to go to land. 

“Ready! Let’s get what we can!” Ed yelled as they boarded the ship. Izzy had spotted five guards on the deck of the ship, a manageable number since they didn’t have long to prepare. 

Izzy took down one of them almost immediately after he landed on the deck and went after another. A shot rang out and then another. 

“Izzy! Fuck, Izzy!” Jim was yelling from somewhere behind him and he turned to see Jim crouching over Ivan. Izzy ran to them taking time to slice open a guard before kneeling. Ivan was shaking and ashen, Jim’s hands were clamped tight to Ivan’s neck. 

“Fuck,” Izzy said, “Let me see Jim.” Izzy knew what he would see, with that much blood on Jim’s hands. He didn’t really need to see the wound to know it was fatal. Izzy took a quick look as Jim lifted their hands then put his hand tight on Ivan’s neck. 

Ivan was still conscious and looked weakly between Izzy and Jim. 

“Izzy?” Jim asked.

Izzy looked around and saw most of the merchant crew subdued, they didn’t need Izzy or Jim for the moment. They could both stay with Ivan as he died. 

“Hold his hand Jim,” Izzy said softly. Jim did so with a curse under their breath. Izzy took Ivan’s other hand and squeezed. 

“You did good Ivan, it’s alright, we’ve got you,” Izzy said. Ivan looked up at him eyes dull, the pulse of blood at his neck growing weaker. It was only a few moments until it stopped. Izzy took his hand off Ivan’s neck but held his hand a few moments longer. 

“Fuck,” Jim said. 

“Nothing we could have done Jim,” Izzy said. 

“I know,” Jim said. 

“Izzy, Jim.” 

Izzy looked up to see Ed standing there. He glanced briefly down at Ivan before looking back at Izzy. 

“Come on, we’ve got loot to take over then I’m burning this fucker down,” Ed said. 

“We have to get Ivan…” 

“Leave him, he’s going in the sea either way,” Ed said. 

“What?” 

“You heard me, now get the fucking loot unless you two want to stay here and burn as well,” Ed said. 

Izzy stared at Ed a moment longer before reaching a hand out to Jim. He could see that Ed meant it, if they stayed or tried to move Ivan they’d be fucked. Izzy and Jim stood and approached the rest of the crew. 

“Does he want us to get the loot before Ivan?” Fang asked.

“We’re leaving him here,” Izzy said. 

“What…no…he…” 

“Yes, I…you’d better say your goodbyes Fang,” Izzy said. Izzy felt…he didn’t know how he felt as he took loot back to the Revenge. It was wrong. They had time to take Ivan back. They were in complete control of the situation. If things had gone south and they had to make a hasty retreat Izzy would understand leaving Ivan’s body then but now? It felt wrong. It wasn’t like Ed. 

Izzy and the rest of the crew stood and watched as the merchant vessel burned and slipped into the sea. Fang was crying softly to Izzy’s right. 

“Come on! We have treasure to stow away and another ship to catch tomorrow morning!” Ed yelled. 

“Let’s get to it,” Izzy said.

Later that morning Izzy sat in the galley drinking a cup of coffee and thinking. He was angry. Not holding a funeral for Ivan, just leaving him to burn on the ship was wrong. They didn’t have to do it, it wasn’t an act of desperation. It was stupid, something like that could easily get a crew to mutiny. What the hell was Ed doing? 

“Izzy?” 

“Sorry, did you say something, Fang?” 

“We’re going to hold a little ceremony for Ivan on deck before dinner,” Fang said, “If you want to come.” 

“I probably will. I…need to talk to the Captain. If I’m not there you can start without me,” Izzy said. 

“Alright,” Fang said. 

Izzy needed to figure out what was going on before Ed turned the crew against him. He needed to know why he had just left Ivan there and didn’t say goodbye or anything. 

“Captain? Ed?” Izzy looked around the room. 

“What the fuck do you want?”

“Edward what the fuck was that all about?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about mate,” Ed said plopping down on a chair and taking a knife out to fiddle with. 

“Ivan,” Izzy said. 

“Hmm. We’ll get someone on the next raid, we still have enough manpower for raids,” Ed said. 

“The crew aren’t very happy with leaving him behind,” Izzy said. 

“He’s in the same place he would have been, we’re not going to land to bury him. The sea has him,” Ed said. 

“The crew…Ed if you do enough of that they might…” 

“What? Mutiny? Maybe,” Ed shrugged, “But I’ll worry about that later.” 

“Ed…” 

“No. You’re just sore because a crew of imbeciles mutinied on you in less than a day. Fucking pathetic. I should have let them toss you over. What did you do to get them to mutiny so fast?” 

Izzy’s cheeks burned with shame at the memory.

“Isn’t this what you wanted, Izzy?” 

“I…” Izzy didn’t know how to respond to that, “You should have…” Ed jumped up and threw the knife just past Izzy’s head. Ed rounded on Izzy and pushed him up against the wall pulling the knife free and holding it to Izzy’s neck. 

“Are you ordering me around First Mate Hands?” 

“No Captain,” he said. 

“It sounded like you were,” Ed said, “I take that as a threat.” 

“I…I wasn’t…” 

“Take your boot off Izzy,” Ed said. 

“Ed?” Izzy looked at the man he’d known for so long and saw something he’d never seen before. Ed’s eyes were usually so expressive, they were almost blank.

“Alright we’ll do this the hard way,” Ed said. Ed punched Izzy in the gut and Izzy went down. Izzy groaned and gasped. Ed made quick work of getting Izzy’s boot off. Every instinct Izzy had told him to fight but…he couldn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to fight Ed and he might end up getting hurt worse if he did and…

Izzy screamed as the knife severed his toe. He tried to keep it to one scream but he couldn’t help the moans that came after.

“There we are,” Ed said, “Now open up.” 

Tears streamed down his face as Izzy opened his mouth. He knew what it would taste like and he already felt like vomiting. He somehow managed to choke down the toe. 

“Now clean this fucking mess up and get back to work,” Ed said, leaving the cabin. Izzy couldn’t move for a few moments. How had it come to this? He hadn’t really thought that Edward would take another toe. Izzy had no idea how to make the situation better; he wasn’t sure exactly what the situation was.

Well, the situation was that Ed was going mad because of fucking Stede Bonnet. And because of Izzy himself. Izzy had no idea how to fix it. Izzy looked at his bleeding foot and thought he should leave. 

No. 

He couldn’t leave the crew, and he couldn’t abandon Edward. Izzy focused on what he could fix, or at least mitigate. He found a scrap of cloth to bandage his foot and cleaned the blood from the floor. Izzy went to his room to clean up a little bit better and then made it out on deck for Ivan’s improvised funeral. 

Izzy tried not to limp and he hoped if it looked like he had been crying that they would assume he had been crying for Ivan.

Ed wasn’t there and Izzy was glad; he didn’t know if he could face the man just yet. The crew gave him odd looks and he belatedly realized they had probably heard him screaming. 

Fang led the memorial and Izzy tried to pay attention to what was being said but his foot was throbbing and he felt defeated and drained. 

Ed appeared just as the funeral was ending.

“Good news! We’ll have time to hit the next ship before dark, get ready, we’re raiding in a half hour,” Ed said. 

Izzy looked at Edward and didn’t recognize the man before him. He knew, he hoped, that the Edward he had known most of his life was still there under the pain.

Izzy didn’t know how to get Edward back. Izzy and Ed were too tangled together. Izzy had just let the man cut off his toe and feed it to him. Izzy still felt sick over it. Part of this was Izzy’s fault. The worst part was that it wasn’t just Ed and Izzy suffering, the crew was paying for it as well. Izzy couldn’t mutiny against Ed. He couldn’t do it. He could protect the crew as best he could, he supposed. 

Izzy didn’t know what else to do.

[phantom-ellie]

Temet Nosce Chapter 3: I should have left you on that Spanish Vessel where you were Hanging

Click for Chapter List/Content Warnings

A paper doll, sure. A silly joke, but one headed for the mouth of the whale, and Stede tells himself it's about rescuing Ed but somehow he knows it's actually himself. He can almost feel himself becoming less transparent, returning to flesh. A pathetic joke, a source of entertainment for sure. The crew around him laughs. He knows they're laughing at him.

He's wrong, though. Through his silly puppet dancing and the sad mewling and bright, painted smiles masking the incompleteness of the carving below them, Stede has cultivated something. There is a secret garden blooming on the vessel he seeks to reclaim. The man of the hour, the day, the month doesn’t know it, but he is heading towards nabatea, ad meliora.

“Hey, Ivan! I-van!” Ivan looks up at Fang in the crow’s nest, holding a telescope.

“What is it, Fangie?” Fang closes his lips together in a nervous line and hurriedly beckons with his hand.

“Not in front of the others!”

“Why, what don’t you want us to see, capullos?”

“Shit, Jim, you can’t just sneak up on a guy like that.” Ivan rubs the back of his neck nervously. Since the… unfortunate separation of the crew, Jim has taken to stalking the ship like a malevolent forest spirit, and Ivan hates forest spirits. They make his nose ache.

Jim does what Jim is wont to do and twirls their knife threateningly.

“Whatever you tontos del culo have to say to each other you can say to me.”

Ivan has nothing against Jim. He has nothing against the rest of the crew, really. He is loyal to Blackbeard, sure, but he is beginning to suspect that the Captain has gone a bit too far this time, isn’t quite right in the head.

Fang shrugs his shoulders. “Aw, Jim, don’t worry about it, don’t need to get mad at us like that-”

“It’s Stede! It’s the crew!” Frenchie points out at the water and is practically dancing a jig, his voice the loudest stage whisper imaginable. Jim runs to the edge of the ship and strains to see. There they are, all fifty of them, or however many, piled on top of each other in the dinghy, moving about and jostling so much Jim is surprised they haven’t capsized. It is hard to tell them all apart, they are so far away, but Jim sees a hand shoot into the air and stay there, as if to acknowledge that they are being watched. That Stede fucking Bonnet is being watched.

“Fuck!” Jim growls.

“Fuck yeah!” Frenchie cheers as quietly as he can manage, fist pumping the air.

“Oh god, here we go again.” That’s Ivan.

“Oh man, Izzy is gonna be so mad,” Fang starts the climb down from the crow’s nest, hunching his shoulders like the world’s most resigned teddy bear. What he doesn’t say is how happy everyone else will be to have them all back.

Jim whips around and points the dagger at Ivan’s face.

“You’d better let them board,” they say through clenched teeth. Ivan lifts his hands up in surrender.

“I don’t have no beef with any of that lot, but it’s Captain and Izzy that call the shots around here, you know that.”

“Hey! Do you think he can fix him? Blackbeard? Make things nice again?” Fang huffs as he continues his climb down.

Ivan looks at Fang. He turns back to Jim. Then he gives a side-eye to Frenchie. Finally, he rests his palms on the edge of the ship and sighs.

“Aw, hell.”

***

Izzy. He looks at his own reflection in the knife he’s holding. Izzy. Fuck. Fuck. Maybe that’s been the problem all along. Maybe that’s why I don’t get the respect I deserve. Couldn’t be Israel, no, had to go with a cute nickname. Fucking Fang has a scarier nickname than I do, and he’s jolly as a fucking creampuff. Izzy Hands is, to no one’s surprise, brooding. His toe hurts. Well, the place where the toe would have been if he hadn’t shat out said toe three days ago hurts. That was an unpleasant experience, but it was the kind of unpleasant experience that happens to be quite pleasant for Izzy- uh, Israel.

For a moment, he casts a pensive look up at the ceiling above the bunk where he is sitting.

Is that fucked up? Is it fucked up that I take pleasure from being abused? Isn’t it possible that this pleasure-from-pain experience is linked to some form of childhood traum-

Frenchie, master of subterfuge and distraction, bursts into the room, and Izzy loses that train of thought forever.

“Izzy! Izzyyyyyy,” Frenchie holds out both hands palms up like he’s about to ask a huge favor.

“What the fuck do you want?”

“You know, um, I’ve just been thinking about what a hard worker you are and all, and I just wanted to come down here and thank you-”

“What. did. you. do?” There are so many clenched teeth on this vessel that they might have to bring a dentist on board.

“Oh, nothing! Nothing. I just know you’ve been down, ‘cause of… the foot? You know?” Frenchie widens his eyes above his obviously nervous smile and sort of thrusts his hands towards the foot as if to say, that’s definitely a thing that exists in this location.

“My foot is fine. What are you trying to do?” Izzy gets up off his bunk and starts limping forward.

“No!” Frenchie throws out his hands again. “No, don’t move! There’s no need to move at all! Just stay there-”

“Get out of my way,” Izzy sticks out an arm to shove Frenchie aside, whose mind instantly goes white as a clap of lightning as his instinct kicks in.

He does what he has to do. He stomps on Izzy’s injured foot as hard as he can.

“Aaaaughhhh! You fucking-”

“Sorry! Sorry, it was an accident! Why don’t you just-” The knife comes out and Izzy lunges at Frenchie, who quickly evades it and backs towards the door.

“No need for that, really,” Frenchie whimpers with a hint of hysteria, quickly casting an eye towards the Lair of the Kraken, which is really where Stede used to sleep but Frenchie doesn’t think he’d appreciate it much right now. Oh, he’s gonna be so pissed. Please don’t hear, please don’t hear.

“I will flay you alive, you-” as Izzy hobbles towards Frenchie menacingly, Frenchie has a choice to make. He can return to the deck, or brave the Lair. Thankfully his self-preservation kicks in and he books it towards his friends, turning around to blow an ultra-mature raspberry.

***

Stede had been the first to board. He had expected a wave of raging hot ire to descend upon him. He wanted to take the brunt of it. It was his fault, after all. The pain between him and Ed was like an invisible line of fire that linked them in their pain and misery, burning anyone who haplessly stumbled into its path. Stede expected a sword to the gut, and wasn’t afraid, because he knew he wouldn’t feel it above the white-hot burning that was already there.

Instead of the sword, he had been offered a friendly hand by Ivan and was asked to wait patiently so the others could follow him. Thus Stede sees the first hints of his garden, in flore, as he raises his head in greetings to Jim while Fang claps a happy hand on his shoulder.

Now he stands awkwardly by the ladder, welcoming his family home.

“There you go, welcome back Buttons, Olivia-”

“It’s good to be aboard, cap’n.”

“Watch your step, Oluwande, there you go, see there’s Jim right there, safe and sound, off you two go… Up and at ‘em, Black Pete! I haven’t seen Lucius yet but I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. No, Roach, I don’t know if anyone messed with your good knives. Swede, yes, maybe stand over there and dust yourself off a little, you’re covered in- Hurry it up, Wee John, we have a ship to take! No, I don’t know where Frenchie is but apparently he’s safe.”

Stede begins to try on his captain persona again, to be who these people need him to be, to be the man who reads them stories and encourages them. To begin the performance. But God, he’s tired of the performance. He needs to be himself, to demand to be accepted as himself, because he can’t live in this weird performative skin anymore. He just can’t.

But the crew can’t read his mind, and therefore Fang grabs him around the shoulders.

“Captain, you gotta help us. You gotta talk some sense into him!”

“Who, Izzy? That probably won’t work.”

“No! Blackbeard! He’s making it miserable for everyone! Fix him!”

“I’m sure it’s fine, Fang, just take care of the crew. I’ll make things right.” Stede suddenly realizes that throughout this conversation there has been a mounting roaring sound, getting louder and louder until he stands up straight to figure out its source. Not two seconds later he becomes enlightened, as Frenchie runs out onto the deck followed by a mad, spitting, angry ferret.

“Hi Captain! Sorry Captain!” Frenchie bolts straight past him like a World War I soldier trying to outrun a frag grenade.

The ferret stops when he hits the deck and the roaring is cut off in a wet sputter of rage.

“You.” Izzy the ferret waves his knife in Stede’s general direction. “How the fuck did you get on my ship?”

“I climbed the ladder, dickhead! Let me talk to Ed!”

He needs this to be over with. He can only hold onto the adrenaline for so long.

“I’ll slit your fucking throat-”

“Qué cabrón!” Izzy is interrupted by Jim, who smashes their boot into his hand and sends the dagger flying.

“Aaaugh, you-” Fang tackles Izzy to the ground with a crunch.

“Sorry, Iz. I mean, I’m a little sorry, honest, but not too sorry.” Ivan sort of dances around his apology as he stuffs a gag in Izzy’s mouth before reaching up to take a coil of rope from Frenchie.

“Wow. So much for loyalty.” Black Pete has his arms crossed and his eyebrows raised.

“We’re pirates!”

“Okay, okay! I’ve just never watched a mutiny from this end.”

Watching Izzy struggle in vain sends an initial wave of relief through Stede’s torso. It was so easy. They did it for me. They want me back, they love me.

Killing with kindness actually works. Stede isn’t a fucking lunatic.

This relief lasts only a few moments however, as the door to the deck bursts open. A thunderclap hit’s Stede’s heart. This is him, isn't it? A dark wave flowing out onto the floor of the deck. A black cloud. A trio of tentacles grasping towards Stede's neck.

“Izzy, what the fuck is the fucking commotion up here-”

And there he is. The love of Stede’s life, drunkenly staggering onto the deck. He’s swaying a bit as he takes the last few gulps of what has to be his third bottle of rum. Stede's breath catches in his throat as Ed looks him dead in the eyes. The bottle of rum just hovers there.

And in seeing that kohl-smeared, inebriated Demon King, something drops from the top of Stede’s brain down to the floor, only to curl upon itself and rise through his legs and up through his arm and shoot out of the top of his head like a geyser, a mélange of adrenaline, courage, and wanting. His shoulders straighten. His chin rises a couple of inches. Stede Bonnet looks Edward Teach dead in the eyes as everything else threatens to roll right out of his body and crash upon the deck.

“You. You and I need to have a talk.”

Death it is.

He expects Ed to throw the bottle at his head. He expects Ed to rage and challenge him to a duel. He expects Ed to take out his pistol and shoot a hole through Stede’s torso. He expects Ed to throw a knife at his face. He expects Ed to collapse onto his knees, tears streaming down his face. He expects Ed to stride forward and bend Stede backwards in a kiss.

Instead he hears the groans of the crew as Ed pitches forward and spews three bottles of rum onto the deck.

Stede sighs.

“I guess I just have that effect on people.”

Romance is dead. It will happen the hard way.

Chapter 4

[longeyelashedtragedy]

For the fanfic WIP: blood, smile, gold?

ooh ok! let's see...

Did he ask for me, at the end?

Yes.  Of course he did, Dejan.  Of course he asked for you.

Sometimes he imagines when he closes his eyes on the nights when he’s all alone--A mouthful of blood calling out his name. (mare liberum)

-

It takes a while.  Leo waits, licking the last taste of Kieran’s blood off his fangs.  He looks around the room, studying everyone. 

The doors at the far end of the room bang open and Granit comes in, clean-shaven, looking young and fresh.  He’s flanked by two guards and his hands are cuffed in front of him.  He’s the only prisoner Leo has ever seen handcuffed in the visiting room. (you know this!!!)

-

“Yeah?  Sure, I’d like to see them handle this.”  Granit’s blood goes cold, then angry-hot.  It’s Taulant.  What the fuck?  “I need to see my FUCKING brother and I know he’s fucking here doing this lowlife shit.” (dangerous AU flashback 2!)

-

The elevators are so slow in this building.  They give Granit plenty of time to hold Milot’s sweaty hand and get ready in his mind.  To feel the blood pumping through his body.  To imagine the scent of guns, the way they smell when they’ve just been fired.  Tonight is going to be fucking amazing. (dangerous AU flashback--right before granit gets shot for the first time and tries to pull the bullet out like a dumbass)

-

As he slices into the man’s body in the dense trees of the forgotten park he knows too well, he feels Granit’s house keys bump against his chest.  They are like a second heartbeat.  He often smiles when he does this, but his smile is bigger now, now that he has a second heartbeat.

He uncaps tonight’s little tube, collects some of the drops of blood—a few is enough.  It is dark, but still, he can see the stain of the man’s blood leaking onto the soil.  All that clean blood, wasted now.  It’s too bad. (dangerous AU of course)

-

As soon as Kieran lets Martin out of the cage he transforms back into human Martin at last.

“See, look, you survived the scary coffin shop,” Kieran says, rolling his eyes.

“Don’t you dare roll your eyes at me, Kieran Tierney,” Martin huffs.  “I don’t like thinking about coffins and death, alright?  That’s not weird.”

“But I’m dead,” Leo teases.

The blood seems to drain from Martin’s face, making him impossibly pale.  “I don’t like when you say that, Leo!” (omg now this fic makes me sad)

-

They don’t make it to Mikel’s bed. As soon as they take their clothes off Mikel hops onto Granit’s back and wrestles him to the floor. The power is in him now.  Granit is taller and stronger but something else takes over Mikel when he tastes blood in his mouth like this.

“Get where you fucking belong,” Granit says from his back on the floor as he grabs Mikel’s hips to try to push him off. (dangerous au christmas chapter)

-

I want to be yours.

And I want to be yours.

We can’t go back now.  This is it.

Yeah, this is it. You’re mine forever now. 

And you’re mine.  It feels like we should sign something in blood.

Yeah, well, we’re not going to do that… (ivan rakitić coming of age fic)

that was a good way to get lots of dangerous AU excerpts hahaha

smile:

The man turns, and Dejan is startled.  Last night in the pub--there’d been something odd about him, hadn’t there?  But here, in the light of day, cloudy though it is, his smile is bright and cheery, and his eyes seem to shine as Dejan sits down next to him. (mare liberum)

-

Luka bursts into weird, high laughter the way Šime had earlier.  “Oh, my God,” he says.  “You really are fucking funny, did you know that?”  Luka’s smile is so wide he almost looks crazy.  “And what about you, hmmm?  Wish I was Dejan instead of me?” (we light up the world)

-

It’s a picture of Christine in a blue dress sitting in a restaurant with a younger guy who’s got blonde curls and a smirky smile. ("bitter mutual cheating")

-

Granit arrives at his doorstep with his little suitcase, his big eyes open wide and his big smile glowing, and his mask tucked stupidly under his chin.  José is quite obviously a man of many words, and yet he can’t come up with a single one to say.

-

Erdin smiles big and pounds Granit on the back. “You’re really gonna be someone, I’m telling you. All of London is gonna know this pretty face.”

The happiness Granit feels right now…he has never felt anything like it. (dangerous au flashback--Xherdan's brother picks them up at the airport)

-

“I’m fucking great in bed,” is Dejan’s last, weak offer.

“I don’t doubt it,” Luka says.  “Not that I go around thinking about that, but I mean, it’s pretty obvious.”  He shoots Dejan a kind smile.  “Just get some sleep, Deki.  It was a good day today.  Don’t make it hard.” (sad world cup modren)

-

Granit unties the scarf and Martin isn’t exactly surprised by what he sees. They are in Mikel’s office and he is sitting there at his desk, staring at Martin.  The boss’s smile is bright and kind…and then suddenly, something changes about his face and it’s a little evil.  It makes Martin shiver.  He feels like he knows the coach so well, but then there’s always another side to him. (martin x xhakarteta threesome!)

gold:

“I’m glad it’s…I’m glad I’m with you right now,” Luka says. He smells so much like beer and the smell is going to always remind Šime of these times, now, these times when they were invincible, when they were heroes, when they were perfect, when silver was even more perfect than gold. (we light up the world--oh i'm glad this made it in, i love this last line)

somehow that's all i have for "gold" in my WIPs folder?

[skimblyshanks]

For transparency's sake I binged all of OFMD on the 1st, then rewatched it in halves, on the 2nd and now the 3rd.

So, reaching the ending again, already knowing what would happen, I realized that I had missed Izzy's explicit threat that "Edward better watch his fucking back" after provoking him into an attack and saying that there was His Blackbeard

So yeah. The final shot of him sobbing makes. Even more sense to me now? From the moment after the Toe Scene Izzy is with him until he's in the Captain's Quarters, at which point he is sobbing. The Lucius Throwing was just before the Toe Scene.

So. In Ed's mind, he has been stood up by Stede, after giving up on the academy life that he liked because he could tell Stede was unhappy there. Calico Jack is dead. He's feeling a mess and completely betrayed but he's gonna try and keep his head up and continue making constructive steps.

Then Izzy is in his quarters, tells him he wished he'd let the Britush kill him than see him become Like This, pushes him once again to the point of physical violence, then threatens him that there will be trouble if he keeps being Edward. Aka, if he keeps being open and friendly and kind and considerate.

Well, shit, man. He's on a ship with all of Stede's crew who are all these big sweeties how can you be mean to them.

And he goes onto the deck and releases his pocket square; something that had been so important and something Stede had complimented not even knowing its emotional worth; something that became a bridge in and of itself between their worlds. And he lets it go. Because he can't keep Stede around. He can't keep his influence near him. It isn't safe for anyone.

And in comes Lucius, literally right after the square is released. I'm not saying I liked the Lucius Throwing, but. Ed has decided he has to keep up the Blackbeard mask. He cannot let anything of Stede's remain. And here comes his right hand. The one who has on multiple occasions been the one to pull him up and give him a slap on the cheek and drop the advice. This one has to be gotten rid of. Now.

Realistically speaking. Rationally speaking. It was a dumb shit move to leave everyone but Jim on the island. Buttons is a navigator who can talk to birds and was honestly p useful? In the first episodes? And Roach is a cook and the ship doctor.

But they all learned Stede's lessons. They all encourage Stede's methods. They are "Bonnet's playthings." Jim wasn't particularly close to Stede; if nothing else they didn't seem as keen on the emotion sharing as everyone else. That, and they're basically hypercompetent compared to everyone else. Frenchie. Well he can sew and play guitar. But also he's a small trace of Stede, and hopefully one person outnumbered by Ed's og crewmates will learn how to act p quick.

But this also means. Ed can literally only express his pain alone. And I can't imagine his crying in the finale wasn't also influenced by the fact that he just ditched these ppl he had come to be at least a little fond of. He has no outlet even though he wants and needs one. And I think he does fear Izzy. Izzy is pushing him into a backslide, and there's a non zero chance part of him wants to weaponize his hurt, but I think at this point he knows he's just lost what was actually helping him move on.

Silver lining, tho? Maybe?

Ivan and Fang.

We know they bonded with the others. Fang was even like. A lowkey third to Lucius and Pete. Both were willing to join the mutiny; neither like Izzy. Not only are they a potential way for Lucius to be alive and onboard, but one of them (probably Fang lbr) could also potentially get to Edward to some extent.

Also. Edward is still wearing Stede's neckerchief. It's still tight around his neck.

[hypahfixations]

So something I haven't heard other people talk about for Our Flag Means Death, and it's entirely possible I totally just missed it in the vast expanse that is fandom on tumblr, but I find it interesting who of the Revenge Ed specifically chooses in the end.

((So here's your spoiler warning if you haven't watched the show yet))

Anywhoozle it's been lingering in the back of my brain why, when Ed transforms himself into The Kraken and is literally throwing away everything tied to Stede including the crew, he had specific interactions with Lucius, Jim and Frenchie.

Lucius is the easiest one, right? Sure, he was snarky and defiant, not the best prospect for an underling, but he was also a fair bit cowardly when facing infliction of pain or death.

The problem was that Lucius knew too much. He could read and write and sketch - gotta keep in mind that literacy and documentation is a huge pull of power in this vaguely historical adjacent world to be sure. But more than anything Lucius was Stede's confidant, Ed's confidant; he can usually see right through anyone he has laid eyes on. Not only that but he is beloved by both crews (aside from Izzy) for both being charming and his skills.

And if the Kraken is Blackbeard's fiercest form, that simply would not do. No, having someone who would boldly remind him, and everyone else, of his soft heart would be bad for his renewed image. So overboard the boy must go.

Next we see Jim being summoned to the stripped and darkened captains quarters. Jim is world's away the strongest combatant of the Revenge, and frankly the most competent person on the ship. They have a history of and impulse for violence, disguise, and theft. All trappings of an extraordinary pirate that, as Blackbeard mentions, would be worth watching and recruiting.

But I don't think he's fully aware of the layers that Jim has. He knows that Olu adores Jim, of course, why else would be be sure to separate the pair before seeking them out, but I doubt he knows it runs both ways. And even if he did know they finally got together, misery breeds misery; Why should Ed be the only one to have found love and then have it ripped away from him with no reasons to be found?

So the Kraken decides to take the next most powerful player off the board. If Lucius is the suite of Hearts and Jim the Ace, that makes Frenchie the Wild Card.

Frenchie can't read or write or fight. He's superstitious and gullible but specifically not stupid. He can blend into the background or hold the spotlight to execute the roles required of him. He's likeable and reliable in a way that is similar to Oluwande but where they diverge is self preservation and I feel like that makes a huge difference.

But Blackbeard isn't thinking about all that. All he asks is if Frenchie can sew.

Like I said, Frenchie isn't stupid. The guy knows how to be subservient in a way that is as beneficial as possible for him. But he's loyal to himself and part of that is being loyal to who he chooses to care about. He got out from under the thumb of the rich elite yet chose to join and remain in Stede's crew. To serve under a fancypants rich boy that turned out to be kinder than Frenchie thought possible for those types.

His loyalties lie with the rag tag group of the Revenge and that includes when Blackbeard was Ed.

I think that's going to be the one to crack through the Kraken's exterior in Season 2. Frenchie will play the role that Blackbeard wants him to play, treating him almost like a stand-in Lucius at times. Meanwhile, he's working with Jim on the sly, reforging an alliance with Fang and Ivan for when Blackbeard and the rest of them were actually happy, and perhaps even sowing the seeds of those memories in Ed in subtle ways.

[sixstepsaway]

My rant may have gotten a little unhinged there, so pardon the caps and and wild swerves in topic. You've got a great point in how their interactions show that they know Izzy is mostly talk. And Fang really is worried about poor Izzy's foot, isn't he? Also, in regards to that scene, when injured angry Izzy comes in snarling about the books not being thrown overboard, Ivan looks kinda taken aback. "It's a lot of books, Izzy." Not only is he comfortable talking back, Ivan seems surprised that Izzy would say something like that. I get the sense that while Izzy might be on everyone's ass about work, he isn't generally the type to push people to work harder if they're already doing their job. (I also think this suggests Izzy is afraid of Ed now in a way he wasn't before. They need to move fast, or who knows what Ed might do?) No one's had to deal with forced autocannibalism from Izzy on that crew. And I do know what you mean about the spat and pushing away with Stede. Ed tends to flee when rejected or feeling rejected. But my visions of the future have made me realize something so important. Point 1: We've established poor behavior on both Izzy and Fang's parts in regards to each other, and the need for communication. That means there's a good chance character development stuff might involve them communicating to one another. I have Reasons to believe the Izzy the Spewer incident might come up again as a topic for discussion. Point 2: Confirmed babygirl kinkster who is only capable of expressing physical affection toward men in violently charged interactions frequently pulls large, daddy-shaped man's beard. -dd anon

nonny. nonny. nonny. nonny of my heart. i've been staring at this fucking message since you sent it nonny and i havent gotten any less feral over my brain suddenly opening up and the skies parting and all i can see is izzy/fang. nonny. i had to sit here for this long before i could come up with a reply to the rest, nonny.

Okay, the rest:

I think maybe something that we're not really adding to our thoughts is that we've actually only really seen Izzy as attempting-to-be-first-mate of the Revenge? Not of Ed's ship?

So, as a brief rundown of the Revenge from what we've been shown so far: they are a crew who were scooped up from god knows where, on a ship that's pristine because it was literally built all of a month ago, the crew are being paid wages rather than having to work for their dinner, no one ever actually seems to do ship things except maybe Buttons who seems to have a clue what he's doing but I don't think I've seen him actually work either, and no matter how much some may argue they're real pirates, they all hide behind the ship in 1x01 when the English show up, just like Stede.

Furthermore, the ship's surgeon is actually the cook (and although he's sewed up his shoulder in the past and makes a bangin' orange cake and goes in to amputate Lucius' finger, we don't know that he's actually qualified to be the surgeon), Stede had no idea Jim was "really a woman" (I mean, they're not, but you get my drift for the early episodes), and in 1x02 they forgot to steer the ship, which is why they ran aground.

So when Izzy comes around in 1x05 and is trying to do his job, which is basically to oversee and wrangle the crew into doing their jobs, what he finds is that there are two functional crew members (Ivan and Fang, who they brought along from their ship), and a bunch of folks that... don't do their jobs.

Literally in 1x05 you have Frenchie who went off and put on nice clothes he found from their raid (which is not working, though he did look dapper), Stede and Ed very distracted by the invitation, Lucius and Stede swinging their legs watching Ivan do all the work of going through the bodies for loot, Fang who is--

Wait, hold on. What is Fang doing?

I mean the general, main answer is "attending Ed", which makes sense because they're on someone else's ship and it makes perfect sense to have Fang nearby while Ed and Stede are distracted, just in case something bad happens.

But what is he actively doing in this scene? Is he knitting? Sewing? What? What? WHAT IS HE DOING WITH HIS HANDS? You literally only see him in this shot and I am losing my mind because I want to know what he's doing???? fuck!

Anyway, Fang is off skinning a guy for Ed after this, Lucius and Pete are fucking in the storeroom amongst the food while Wee John takes a nap, Frenchie and Oluwande go over to the ship with Ed and Stede, and when you get wide shots you can see literally no one is working on that ship.

Izzy is losing his shit and yelling at Lucius because every time he turns his head, no one is doing anything. It's a ship! It needs a crew because the crew keep it moving and functioning and clean.

Like, I understand if cleaning barnacles isn't Lucius' job, but someone has to do it?

So Izzy is presented with a ship whose crew is just, not doing their jobs, and all we really get to see is Izzy yelling at them and trying his darndest to actually get them to work, while they're just like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ meh it practically sails itself.

What we don't see is how Ed's ship runs. We don't see how his crew work, we don't see whether Izzy has to yell at everyone on that ship or if all he has to do is hand out a chore roster and everyone does their jobs.

If everyone is doing their jobs and pulling their weight, it's likely that they're treated with the respect they've earned and deserve as working and functioning members of the crew, and that their needs are also seen to, and who would be in charge of seeing to their needs?

Izzy.

Extra points: in the books scene, Ivan calls Izzy by his first name, Fang calls him 'boss', but the tone he uses makes it sound less like a mandatory title like when Izzy tells Lucius he expects sir or first mate hands or god or whatever, and more like he's showing him respect in return, the respect he's earned from that crew.

I get the sense that while Izzy might be on everyone's ass about work, he isn't generally the type to push people to work harder if they're already doing their job. (I also think this suggests Izzy is afraid of Ed now in a way he wasn't before. They need to move fast, or who knows what Ed might do?) No one's had to deal with forced autocannibalism from Izzy on that crew.

This, too. There's "expects the crew to do their jobs" and there's "is unreasonable about it", and there's no actual demonstration that Izzy is ever unreasonable about it. He just wants them to do their jobs and pull their weight!

[miraculous-sunflower]

doing it for the views

Alya knew Lila was lying. Like come on, Jagged Stone never had a kitten, he had Fang, his crocodile! And why would you openly state that you are best friends with one of the Heroes of Paris? Lila was bad at lying. But Alya didn’t care. When she posted the interview she did with Lila, she got SO many views. More than anything else she had posted! Alya knew Lila had so many “connections” so this could be her big break, leading into her reporting career, even if Lila was lying. It wasn’t like anyone was going to find out...

“ALYA! SHE’S LYING! Why can’t you believe me? You’re my best friend!” Marinette cried. I know she’s lying, girl, but this is helping my career. If you knew, you’d understand. I’m sorry, but for now, I have to act like she’s telling the truth, Alya thought.

Alya took a breath and responded to her claim. “Marinette! She’s not lying! You’re just jealous because of how close she is to Adrien, and jealous of all her connections! You’ve got to stop!” All of their classmates agreed with her, brushing off Marinette’s attempts to warn them as jealousy.

Marinette gasped. She thought Alya was being ridiculous not believing Lila, but now including her crush on Adrien? Marinette broke. She was done being categorized as being mean because of Adrien! “Wow. I thought you’d believe me. But I guess I was wrong. All of you don’t believe me! Even my oldest friends.” She glanced at Nino and Kim, who looked away guiltily. “If you don’t believe me, fine. Believe the liar.” Marinette walked out of the room, just as Lila strolled in.

“I saw Marinette looking mad. Is she alright?” Lila asked in a faux sweet voice.

“She’s just being jealous of you because of Adrien. She’s so annoying!” Alix grumbled.

“I know! Can’t she be considerate of all of Lila’s disabilities?” Rose cried.

“Oh no, was she fighting with you guys about me? I can’t believe I’m wrecking your class apart! Maybe I should just leave...”

“NO! Lila it’s not your fault that Marinette can’t see how great you are! We are willing to sacrifice our friendship with her if it means sticking up for you.” Lila hid a smirk.

Alya couldn’t believe how low her class was. They just believed Lila over Marinette! They were playing with her feelings! How could they! ______________________________________________________________________________________

NO WAY. 10,000 VIEWS?! Alya though as she scrolled through the LadyBlog. She checked on the interview of Lila she posted, and BAM! 10,000 VIEWS! Alya loved to bask in compliments and fame, so she decided to look through the comments...

dolphinlover8726: ummm, this isnt true

ladybugxcatnoir: ladybug’s best friend? ha, as if

peterparkerfan_12: xd her lies are almost as bad as trump-

totally_ravenclaw: hold up, jagged stone never had a kitten...

miraculous_sunflower: this is false information. please take it down, ladyblogger

Many of the comments were like that, but who cares? Lila’s lies weren’t hurting anybody. Maybe I could wait until I got an internship. Then I could spin this whole story about how Lila was lying the whole time, and I, Alya Cesaire, aka the Ladyblogger, unveiled them! That would make me even more popular, Alya thought. Oh, she would get popular all right, just not in the same way... ______________________________________________________________________________________

“How was your day, Alya?” her mother asked. Alya, watching the news intently, was hoping for scoops of celebrity gossip.

“It was good,” she absently replied. Her eyes were glued to the screen as Nadja Chammack’s show had just appeared.

“Don’t be bemused! It’s just the News! This is Nadja Chammack on ‘Face to Face’. Let’s start off with our most recent story. The LadyBlog, which used to be a blog dedicated to the Heroes of Paris, has fallen. The Ladyblogger has been posting false claims about a girl, Lila Rossi, saying that she rescued Jagged Stone’s kitten, when he has never had one. Now, helping us clear the claim, joining us now is internationally-known rock star, Jagged Stone! Hello, Mr. Stone. “

“Hello, Nadja, and call me Jagged. Now, what’s about these stories I’ve been hearin’ about a girl saving my kitten?”

“Well, Jagged, it’s posted on the LadyBlog that this Lila Rossi has saved your kitten on an airplane turmar, as well as claiming that you’d written a song about her. Are any of these statements actually true?”

“Kitten?! Haha, that girl is a bad liar. I’ve never had a cat, only Fang ove’ here. And writing a song about her? That sounds weird. A 30-year old man writing a song for a 15-year old? I’ve only written a song for Ladybug, and that’s because of how awesome she is! ” Jagged responded.

“On the topic of Ladybug, Lila Rossi has also claimed that she is best friends with her. Any comments?” Nadja asked.

“There’s no way Ladybug would befriend someone like her! Whoever this Lila chick is, you’re a horrible liar, and the Ladyblogger has messed up a whole lot. Anyways, I got to go, love. Good-bye, all of my beloved fans!” Jagged waved dramatically.

“There you have it! The LadyBlog has indeed been posting false claims, and Lila Rossi is a liar! Next up on Face to Face, we have Mirelle Caquet joining us to talk about the hardships of being a weather girl! Stay tuned!” Nadja concluded. Alya went pale. _______________________________________________________________________

Alya went into class the next day, and sure enough, the class was eerily quiet. Lila looked like a ghost, her face as pale as a sheet. The whole class looked angry, sans Marinette and Adrien.

“Alya, you saw Face to Face yesterday, right?” Alix asked.

“She lied! Lila lied about everything!” Rose cried.

“Yeah, I did.” Alya replied calmly. She was going to explain the situation to her classmates, and of course they’d understand why she was doing this, and maybe they’d help her spin the story to make it seem like-

“WHY DIDN'T YOU FACTCHECK?” Alix yelled, clearly furious with the situation.

“Let me explain. Don’t get mad, but I knew Lila was lying,” Alix growled, and many other classmates gasped, “But hear me out. I only kept posting her lies on the LadyBlog because of the views. I knew if I wanted an internship, I’d have to do anything to start up my career. You guys understand right?” Alya obliviously said. “YOU’RE ALMOST AS BAD AS ADRIEN NOT KNOWING MARINETTE HAS A CRUSH ON HIM!” The class blurted out. Adrien looked shocked, and Marinette gasped and turned a shade of red that shouldn’t be possible.

“Whaaaa…” Alya was confused. What did she do?

“You could’ve warned us that they were lies, Alya!” Rose sniffled.

“You only thought about yourself, not us!” Mylene attacked.

“Guys, I was doing it to help my career! Also, it wasn’t like her lies were hurting anyone!” Alya retorted.

There was a period of silence, until a confident voice flowed through the classroom. “They hurt me,” Marinette said. She calmed down about the whole crush thing, but her face was still tinted with the slightest shade of pink.

“Lila threatened me the day she came back from her supposed trip. She said that she would take all my friends and make me lonely,” Marinette left out the part about Adrien, “And I guess she was right.” Marinette turned to a confused Lila. “Thank you, Lila. You’ve shown me that my friends don’t trust me. I now know who my real friends are.” She glanced at Adrien timidly, and was relieved when he sent a timid smile back. Long before Lila’s exposure on ‘Face to Face’, Adrien took back his “take the high road” advice as soon as he heard that Lila threatened Marinette. He tried to tell his classmates, but they’d never listen to him. He helped Marinette out as much as he could.

Marinette sat back down, but not in her usual seat. She went and sat next to Adrien, who looked at her, shocked for a second, then took her hand in his.

Everyone was shocked when they learned what Lila did to Marinette. Alya started, “Girl, I’m so sorry! If I’d known she -”

“It shouldn’t matter if you knew or not. You should’ve believed me, but you didn’t. Our friendship is broken. Permanently.” Marinette stated.

“WHAT?! WHY?!” Alya demanded.

Marinette sighed. Alya truly was oblivious to her actions. “First of all, you acted like you didn’t believe me, which hurt a lot. Second, you only acted like you believed her because you wanted views on your blog! You don’t get it, Alya! Your actions cost you consequences, and I’m not sure if you understand that.”

“Bu-but,” Alya tried to stutter out, but Adrien gave her a look that mimicked his father’s.

“Lila hurt us too. She gave us false promises. She told Kim that she knew Michael Phelps, and that she’d put a good word in for him. She told Nathaniel that she’d introduce him to that super famous manga artist in Japan.” Ivan pointed out.

The class understood Ivan’s point. Alya gasped. She never really thought about it that way. I mean, nothing hurt her!

“Marinette, we’re so sorry. We understand what our actions did to you, and we apologize. We understand that you’d want some space to yourself right now.” Alix said, and the rest of the class nodded.

Marinette smiled. “Thank you for understanding. While you’ve lost my trust in you, I’d like to build up our friendship again. Alya, on the other hand, I’d like to talk to you.”

The class smiled back, and sensing Alya’s anger, shuffled out of the classroom, with Adrien leading the way to leave the two girls alone to talk. Lila blinked, and also strolled out.

“C’mon, Mari! What did I do! You understand that I only pretended to believe her because of the views, right?!” Alya started out.

“Alya, you understand, do you? Lila hurt all of us. You made a bad decision not telling the class as soon as you found out, and now you’ve lost all their trust in you. You should have told me that you knew, and shouldn’t have been so selfish about your own career. I can’t forgive you for what you’ve done. And I don’t think I can ever build up our friendship again.” Marinette walked through the door frame.

“Goodbye, Alya.”

At that moment, Alya knew she messed up. She knew she lost the LadyBlog, and her reputation was damaged, but worst of all, she lost her best friend. She only did it for the views.

[darkstarnight02]

Why the Akuma Class Doesn’t Trusts Lila Rossi

Nino

This dude is a loyal friend

Like, he’s also a loyal boyfriend, so it’s hard when his girlfriend is siding with Lila

But he’s the one who’s like

“Dudes, we’ve known Mari for years there’s no way she would do the stuff this new girl we’ve known for five minutes says she did.”

He and Kim and Mari were besties since preschool, I think we all know that.  

Adrien

I hate it when people say he tries to defend her with the high road crap

When he sees her hurting people, especially Marinette

Because lets be honest, he cares about her alot

He’s less forgiven

Like do y’all remember the “BeCaUsE We’Re FrIeNdS, aReN’t We?”

So he’s not going to try and make her life miserable

But he is going to try to get her to stop

Chloé

Let’s be honest, she never liked Lila in the first place.  

So Imma give y’all bonus “how she figured out everyone’s identities”

So once she became friends with Marinette

Cause they formed a “we hate Lie-la” alliance

(tho since Mari’s still friends with the others its kinda awkward)

Chloe’s pretty smart.  

Like, she totally could have figured it out before they became friends

But she would never have believed back then that Mari-trash was Ladybug, her idol (and lesbian awakening, lesbihonest)

But now that she’s friends with her, it’s way too obvious

And she definitely already knew about Adrien because these guys are besties

And, dudes, she never had a crush on him, she was just an overprotective best friend

And a very touchy one

To her, it’s all pretty obvious.  

She thinks that its just whatever magic thats blinding everyone of the obvious, its immune to (like low-key Rachel Dare here)

But Sabine, Tom, and Jagged probably know to because they’re all Kings and Queens.  

So Chloe figures everyone out pretty quickly.  

Sabrina

She trust Chloe more than anyone.  

But I’m not just gonna use that because its kinda boring.  

Tho Chloe is her bi crush so that definitely helps secure loyalties

Its only when Marinette becomes MDC that she realizes

and yes, Sabrina probably knows because Chloe and she also recognizes the designs from some stuff she has in her own closet.  

So anyway, she realizes Mari is MDC and she’s some famous designer and Lila is not

And Mari also knows Jagged and Clara and a whole bunch of other famous people

And she never brags about it but there’s proof that she knows them

while Lila always brags about it but she’s never been mentioned and no one knows her.  

Alya

I hate it when people say she totally sides with Lila.  

This girl knows that her bestie never lies(or at least thinks)

and some things with Lila don’t add up.  

Like she doesn’t check directly if what Lila says is true

But she’ll be doing research for something else and see’s that it contradicts something that Lila said.  

So she’ll do more research and try to figure more stuff out

And she’s like holy f*ck nothing Lila says is true.

Or, alternatively, for those of you who have watched season 4

She immediately realizes Lila’s a liar right after Marinette tells her she’s Ladybug.  

Marinette

No explanation needed.  

Mylène

Mylene notices when Lila insults one of her classmates one day.  

Even if its subtle, or just piping on the edge of her blaming Marinette for something, she notices it.  

And a good person wouldn’t say something like that,  

Like Chloe, they all expect something like that from

No one every really liked Chloe in the first place

And Mari never says anything rude

Sure, she gets angry at Chloe and Lila sometimes, and she tries to prove what they say is wrong, but she never directly attacks someone.  

I don’t know who Lila was being a bitch to this time, but it cost her a follower.  

Alix

This girl is probably one of the most Gen Z kids in the Akuma Class, which is pretty sad because they’re all supposed to be Gen Z. 

She can smell bullcrap from a mile away

Not to mention the little hints older Bunnyx drops whenever she visits.  

With the mix of her being the future miraculous holder of time and being the daughter of a historian, she’s very aware of history and timelines and cause and effects and chain reactions

So when Marinette starts ‘acting up’ she tries to find when her personality switched over

And even if she seems more like a background character, this aro/ace queen always seems to know your secrets. 

So even before she knew Lila was a phony, she knew that Mari was MDC and that Jagged Stone was Juleka and Luka’s dad

So she definitely figured some stuff out that way

Honestly, next to Chloe, Alix was probably one of the first people to figgure out Mari’s identity.  

She’s a detective to rival batman

Ivan

I think Lila would make some sort of rift between him and Mylene.  

He loves her so much and it would be so hard

And mari and her friends would help him out

and he would see the truth

They wouldn’t like break up or anything

But he can just tell immediately when someone’s being a bad person.  

Kim

Probably something similar to Nino

But I think it’d be a bit more like he’s totally a die-hard fan of some of Marinette’s connections or some of Marinette’s work itself

And when he puts the pieces together its like everything makes sense in the world.  

He really feels super stupid afterwards.  

Ondine probably slaps him for not trusting his childhood best friend before some bitchy new girl.  

Max

This is the smartest dude in class

He made a f*cking robot with emotions you can’t tell me he doesn’t figure Lila out.  

A part of me believes that in the first episode with Lila when they were all waiting on her hand and foot they were probably aware that she was kind of delusional, but were giving into it the way you give into the tales of a six year old.  

Like ‘yeah, okay sweetie.  Sure’.  

I mean, at least that’s why Max went along with the napkin thing, because there’s no other excuse for that whole incident.  

Nathaniel

I don’t totally know how he figured her out, but I love the idea of her saying that she can introduce him to the creator of the Ladybug Comics.  

They actually sit next to each other in class, so he definitely is more aware of her weird behavior than others.

And since he’s an artist he’s very observant, always noticing things like her facial expressions and what seems more exaggerated than real.  

And we all know how kwami-damned done Nathaniel is with the class, so he probably knew all along.  

Not to mention that since the rest of the school is less submissive to Lila’s lies, Marc probably pointed it out to him at some point.  

There’s also the idea that since Nathaniel is pretty much never mentioned anymore, the class forgets about him and he ends up having to spend some time with Marinette and the other outcasts

In which he realizes that they are actually good people.  

Honestly, Nathaniel probably knew all along but he’s just not a drama queen about it so Lila never bothered him.  

Rose

Girls besties with Prince Ali, one of the key components of Lila’s lies

She definitely does not want to believe that someone is capable of so much evil, and she definitely gets Akumatized when she figures it out

She goes through a lot of denial but is eventually convinced.  

Juleka

Her dad is Jagged Stone, also another key component of Lila’s lies.  

After becoming Tigris Pourpre, the holder of the tiger miraculous (that’s canon in the future), she gets a little bit more invested in cat culture

And omfg I just realized that both of our models are kittens and I just wanna DIE because that’s so cute.  

And honestly now that I’m thinking about it if she was a celebrity she would totally take after Jagged and have an emotional support tiger like Princess Jasmine. 

ANYWAY, I’m kinda getting off topic here.  

So she asks Jagged about his cat, and he’s like 

“wtf I’ve never had a cat why would I have a cat I have FANG my CROCODILE”

And she’s like but your cat...

And he’s like “Jules, darling, I wrote a song about how I replaced my family with a guitar and I have three instagrams for Fang, why would I have a feline animal?”

And she’s just like

....

And honestly she probably already knew some sh*t was up before that

Because Luka obviously, despite only having met Lila, like, once, probably, dislikes Lila severely

And also Juleka is more of an observer than a do-er so she probably saw that some stuff was up.  

[izzy-b-hands]

"Broke is such a...term," Stede chuckles nervously.

"You mean we're poor again?" the Swede asks softly.

"Oh love," Lucius pats his shoulder. "We were never rich; we just worked for a rich guy."

"Oh."

"I know."

Stede frowns. "You all did want a more traditional pirate employment experience, so this-"

"Sucks," Pete interjects. "I needed you to help fund Lucius' R-I-N-G!"

"Babe, I can spell," Lucius smiles. "A ring, hm? Of the kind that goes-"

"On your cock, yeah, that one, definitely," Pete stammers. "Not the finger one because I love you or whatever, but like. If you DID get one of those, and you had to put at least three stones on it, which-"

Lucius lovingly tackles him to the sand and peppers him with kisses.

"See, Pete came to terms with it and he's fine," Stede says. "Money isn't all there is to life."

"Yeah, but it does help to have it," Olu says. "And in bulk, if possible."

"I can never please you guys!"

Stede flops face first onto the hot sand. "Ow."

"Okay," Olu sighs. "You need a minute like that?"

"...yes."

"Okay. We're gonna look for ships to steal so we can start searching for Ed. Wanna come help once this is over?"

"I'm sorry, Olu."

Olu pats his back. "It's...yeah. Is what it is, Captain. You're okay."

"I have no money, my boyfriend tried to kill my scribe, no ship, and everyone hates me," Stede mumbles into the sand. "Pft. And now I have sand in my mouth! Life is endless miseries and little more!"

"...yeah, right, so when you're done, come join us. Or, see if Lucius and Pete want a third, if that would help you and they're interested."

"Maybe."

"Captain, seriously, this is so sad and not in an entirely sympathetic way-"

"I miss Ed."

Olu looks to the waiting crew, eye rolls waiting in the wings. "He'll be fine. This is fine."

"We're all gonna die," Roach nods.

"Not helping."

"Davy Jones will cradle us like a-"

"Buttons," Olu hisses. "Not helping!"

"Who said I was trying to be helpful? Was a bit of poetry ye might have appreciated, but never mind me."

"You think Ed and everyone else are doing better?" Stede sniffles.

--

"Broken," Ed nods. "I might have guessed, as we are listing entirely to the side."

Frenchie winces. "Yeah, that last battle...well. We all worked really hard, and that's good, but even so we're going to die, so..."

"Please get on the fucking dinghy already!" Izzy limps over and points to the dinghy full of Jim, Fang, Ivan, and as much of all their stuff as possible, waiting for them. "I am not dying here."

"Nah, the infection will do that later," Ed remarks. "You're right though; we should probably go."

"Probably?!"

"Oh my god," Ed sighs deeply. "Let's go before he makes a Thing out of this."

"The ship is almost sideways!" Fang calls from the boat. "We're already sort of in the water now here, so can we PLEASE-"

"Bitch, whine, kvetch, does anything else get done on this fucking ship?" Ed stomps off to the dinghy, leaving Frenchie to help Izzy limp along after him.

--

"I'd argue it's one of the finest," Stede says seriously. "Swede, give him a turn?"

The Swede obliges and shows off his ass, saying something Stede doesn't understand in Swedish but that sounds fairly sexy at least.

"Uh," the pirate coughs awkwardly. "No thanks."

"The prostitution thing didn't work before when you weren't even trying for it," Lucius sighs. "Why would you do it again?"

"Because we are, indeed, hawking fabulous booty of many kinds, and-"

"Your wife handled most of the financials, didn't she?" Lucius pats his shoulder. "Awww."

"I can handle money! And I know how to make it!"

"And I didn't get hard watching Pete try to roleplay as Izzy, sure."

"What now?"

Lucius shrugs. "He's grown on me. Pete just likes the idea of us wearing more leather, I think."

"We really should," Pete interjects in between posing for the passing crowds.

"Sure, I'll buy us some with my NO MONEY!" Stede shrieks. "I hate this."

"If you need money," a passing pirate pauses to say. "Spanish Jackie is running a sort of contest you folks might be interested in."

--

"Huh," Ed studies the flyer. "Stripping isn't anything Izzy's done in awhile-"

"Sorry, he's done this before?" Frenchie asks. "Not judging, just didn't expect it, Iz."

"I'll die up there," Izzy mutters. "Literally, at this rate."

His foot has been attended to by a doctor at the port, but he's understandably still feeling shit.

However, they need money and a ship, and at least having more of the former would help until they can steal the latter...

--

"Hi," Stede says awkwardly.

"Bonnet."

"You didn't buy anything special to wear for this?"

"Can't afford it at present. Judging by your outfit, you're in the same boat."

Stede snorts. "Is Ed..."

"Um. You do know Jackie's made him a last minute judge, yeah?"

"Oh no."

Izzy nods. "Yeah. I'd say may the best man win, but we're up against Jack."

"He's alive?!"

"Against all odds and as usual, yes."

"This day can't get worse."

"Also, Ed's expecting a theme for each performance, so-"

"Oh my god."

"Yeah."

--

"Uh," Ed steps onstage and gently pulls Stede and Izzy up from it. "Jackie, can I finish judging in a moment?"

"Everyone's still buying drinks and Jack wants to dance again," she replies. "Don't worry about it, just get them off my damn stage."

"So," he says as he drags them back to the assembly of chairs for both their crews. "Izzy I know is sick, that's his excuse for whatever the fuck that performance was-"

"Pardon me for tripping because I'm missing my fuckin' toe," Izzy grumbles.

"And Olu says you've been avoiding food to save money? Which I assume explains the passing out. What the fuck is all this?"

"Been asking myself that for the last twenty minutes," Jim interjects. "I. I've learned things about myself here. I don't know how to feel about it."

"Jack has that effect on most people," Es says. "I mean, I know it would be a bad idea to fuck him again. However, after that performance..."

His gaze softens and his eyes look somewhere beyond anything visible before he shakes his head. "Sorry, anyway. What the fuck are we doing about this mess?"

--

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Jack screams from the dock, cock out and flopping as he runs. "Ed! Edward! Park my ship and get over here, now!"

"We're all in various stages of fucking each other over!" Ed calls. "You said it yourself!"

"I didn't mean like this!"

"You should have been more specific then!"

"I don't feel great about this," Stede admits. "But this is really good soup."

"It is," Izzy nods. "Almost makes a person tired. Maybe that's just the day."

"I laced it with morphine so they rest," Roach whispers to Olu. "Don't worry, I dosed it carefully."

Izzy and Stede slump forward, wooden bowls of soup spilling onto the deck.

"Carefully?"

"Carefully enough. Captain Ed has requested a serious conversation with each of them; I figured they could use as much sleep as possible before that."

"Odd question, but is there more of that soup available for the rest of us?"

Roach nods. "Roach's Sleepytime Soup is only made in large batches, specifically for situations like this."

"When your estranged captains sort of get back together but not really and everything is a fucking mess?"

Roach shrugs. "Also weddings. Because they're stressful, but you can't be stressed if you're sleeping."

"I love it; what's the recommended amount to sleep through until the three of them are done with all that talking Ed wants?"

"...just keep eating until you pass out or it feels right."

"Okay."

Which things aren't really. Okay, that is, but the soup is warm and fast-acting, and Ed seems happy enough as he directs the rest of the crew.

That's maybe as much as they can ask for, while broke and now living on a ship with a dedicated 'whippies' area of the deck (as labeled in paint by presumably Jack.)

[miraculouswolf99]

Miraculous Lemonade (Song Fic)

I love the movie Lemonade Mouth and thought that the favoritism shown to the athletes over everyone else on the movie was similar to the favoritism shown to those with high-ranking parents in Miraculous Ladybug. So, an idea instantly formed in my mind. Includes my original characters Lyon and Vallia Garden.

*****

Adrien sat in the park outside of the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, eating with is two friends from Greece, Lyon and Vallia Garden. The two were doing an exchange program that helped students from other countries experience other cultures. They spoke fluent French, so they came to Paris. Adrien met them years ago when his family went to a charity fashion show that was held at the animal and nature sanctuary that Lyon and Vallia’s family owned.

The three may be a “little” annoyed with what had just happened at school. Lila “Liar” Rossi had framed Marinette for cheating, assault, and theft. Adrien made, what he called, a “deal with the devil” to get Marinette back in school. But it seemed that after her first few days back, Marinette’s parents decided it was better for her to go to an arts school instead of Dupont. 

What infuriated the trio the most was that the school made no effort to investigate any of Lila’s accusations. There was no checking the security footage, no dusting for fingerprints, not even any hearing of Marinette’s side of the story. They simply took Lila at her word and some easily framed evidence to expel the best student at Dupont. It made them all furious.

“You know the favoritism shown at your school is appalling, right,” Vallia raised an eyebrow as she looked at her friend.

Adrien sighed. “I know, I know. But what could I do about it? I’m the son of a fashion designer, not a politician like Chloe.”

“That brat’s a part of the problem, anyway,” Lyon scoffed. “The entire school was punished and she is the only one that gets out of it? I’ve seen less corrupt politicians in Gotham, and that says something.”

“I know people criticize me for being Chloe’s friend, but would you two give up a friend that you’ve had since you were a kid,” Adrien asked them.

“Honestly, no,” Vallia said. “We get how you feel, Adrien, but one day Chloe will do something unforgivable and you will have to choose between her and your other friends.”

“I think I chose a while ago but just didn’t want to admit it,” Adrien says. “Chloe had her chance to be a better person when she was Queen Bee. But even after getting to be a hero, she still got her father, Sabrina, and Aurore akumatized.”

“Is there anyone she hasn’t akumatized,” Lyon crossed his arms.

“Out of all our class, only Marinette and I have not been akumatized,” Adrien says. “And for everyone that has, only Max, Nino, and Lila were not akumatized by her.”

“Well, Lila being akumatized was probably her own fault anyway,” Lyon shrugged. “She lies with every breath she takes and one of them probably bit her in the butt at one time or another.”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you guys yet, have I,” Adrien thought he had told them already.

“Told us what,” Vallia asked.

“You two were not here when she had her real first day,” Adrien tells them. “Lila lied on Alya’s blog about being Ladybug’s best friend. She had met me after school and tried to lie about not only being the descendant of a hero but also being the holder of the fox miraculous.”

“Seriously,” Lyon raised an eyebrow. “She was actually that stupid? Why not just put up a giant light-up sign that says ‘Hawkmoth, come and attack me,’ with her address written in neon.”

“If she hasn’t been targeted, Hawkmoth probably knows that she’s a liar,” Vallia said.

Adrien nodded. “During our conversation, Ladybug herself showed up. She probably saw Lila’s interview because she immediately called Lila out for her lies. Ladybug obviously hates liars as much as Marinette. Lila ran away and the next thing I know, she is breaking into my house while akumatized as Volpina and once again claiming to be a hero.”

“So that’s how you know she’s a liar,” Vallia understood now. “But why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“Because at the time she was only lying to get attention and friends,” Adrien said. “Have you seen my class, we’re all special in a lot of ways. Alya runs the most popular blog in Paris. Nino gets a lot of attention as a DJ. Juleka, Rose, and Ivan are members of a band that has been getting a lot of attention lately. Rose is friends with Prince Ali. Chloe is the mayor’s daughter. I am a model and the face of my dad’s brand. Even Marinette knows Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, and has impressed my father and Chloe’s Style Queen of a mother with her designs. Compared to all of us, Lila’s lies are not that unbelievable.”

Vallia and Lyon actually see where he was coming from. Being surrounded by people her own age and yet they have accomplished so much, it made sense why Lila would want to lie about herself like that.

“But then she took things too far, right,” Lyon asked his friend.

Adrien nodded. “Once she came back from her, so called, trip to Achu, she started using her lies to manipulate the class, which you guys have seen. She lied about having tinnitus so she could sit next to me, lied about having a sprained wrist to get Kim to carry her lunch tray, she even lied about having an allergy to tomatoes to make Rose take them out of her salad for her.”

“Isn’t that why she was akumatized into Chameleon,” Vallia remembered Adrien telling them. “You told her to stop lying.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said. “When she suddenly left for her ‘trip,’ I saw no reason to humiliate her by telling people about Ladybug calling her out. Plus, it’s not like they had any reason to believe me since none of them ever believed Marinette when she told them that Lila is a liar.”

“And it does not help that no one in school ever tries to actually fact-check her stories,” Lyon rolled his eyes.

“It’s not like it’s hard, either,” Vallia agreed with her brother. “Jagged Stone published his autobiography three months ago. There is no mention of a cat, a plane crash, or anyone named Lila in the entire book. It even specifically says that he had Fang, his crocodile, since he was twenty. That is fifteen years that he has had him.”

“I know, I know, my school is full of the most gullible people in Paris,” Adrien sighed. “And now that Marinette is gone, it seems like Chloe and Lila have teamed up and are ruling the school with iron fists. I can barely get a minute without one of them hanging off my arm.”

“And it’s not like any of the teachers or Damocles are doing anything,” Lyon says. “I’ve seen you, ask, request, and even demand for them to let go of you and they never do. You’ve even done it in front if some teachers and none of them ever did anything.”

“It’s the daughter of the mayor and the daughter of a diplomat,” Vallia sighed. “They will, most likely, never do anything. Even if it involves the son of a rich fashion designer.”

“It’s not like we can do anything about it,” Adrien sounded defeated. “Damocles is too afraid of losing money from the mayor and it’s not like Chloe and Lila are ever going to change.”

He was rubbing his very sore and bruised upper right arm, which Lila had been holding onto very tightly for most of the school day. And he knew that he would also probably have to deal with more of her harassment at the next photoshoot that he has with her.

“But... can even Damocles deny change when the entire school is rallied against him and those like him,” Lyon smirked.

“Oh, I know what you’re thinking, Lyon, and I am in total agreement,” Vallia brightly smiled.

“Uh... mind cluing me in, guys,” Adrien was completely lost.

“Well, you know that Lyon and I are friends with Clara Nightingale,” Vallia started.

Adrien nodded. When the pop star had come to Paris to shoot her “Miraculous” music video, she had basically tackled the twins when she saw them. Apparently, she had met them years ago when she did a charity concert at their family sanctuary and even now treated the two like they were younger siblings to her.

“Clara had told us the reason why she started performing in the first place,” Lyon continued for his sister. “When she was our age, she attended a high school that focused entirely on athletics and nothing else. To the point where all other extracurriculars were pushed into the basement with no budget for any of them. So she used her music to spread the massage of what was happening. She wound up getting a sponsor for the music program that built an entire auditorium for her school even when the principal tried to deny it.”

“So, she basically started a music revolution,” Adrien summed up.

“Exactly,” Vallia says. “We can do the same here. Use music to show that not everyone tolerates the favoritism. It should prove more of a problem since all three of us are rich but also see it as a problem.”

“We should probably also add those that are not like us,” Adrien says. “Kitty Section could help, plus Luka and Juleka are not under Lila’s spell.”

“But Rose and Ivan are,” Lyon reminded. “Without them, we would not have a drummer or a singer. Vallia and I can sing, but neither of us play the drums. I’m classically trained on the violin and Vallia doesn’t play any instrument.”

“Kim plays the drums,” Vallia said. “And when Lila got Marinette expelled, he snapped out of her spell.”

“Guess we have our plan,” Adrien says. 

“We’ll talk with Nathaniel and Marc,” Lyon said. “They can spread it to the rest of the school and we will soon have as much support as we will need before we perform and get the Board of Education involved.”

“But what about your father, Adrien,” Vallia was worried about her friend’s ‘stick-in-the-mud’ of a parent. “He would never agree with you being a part of any type of revolution.”

“Well, my father will just have to deal with it,” Adrien shrugged. “Plus, I can always spin it to make it look good for the brand when my fans see it as me trying to help those that are neglected because they are not rich.”

The twins smirked as they walked off to get their friends in on their plan.

*****

Luka and Juleka were more than happy to use music to change Dupont for the better. Luka went to an arts school, but Juleka wanted a normal school and she was currently regretting her choice. Kim was also very glad to finally be able to show that he was more than just a jock and that he was about more than just dares and jokes. Seeing the bruises that Lila and Chloe had been leaving on Adrien’s arms just motivated them even more.

They decided to give their performance at a school dance that was coming soon. The entire school would be there. And when they talked to Marc, his class’s president Aurore contacted the Board of Education and they were going to send a few members to check out the problem.

“You guys ready,” Luka asked them as he picked up his guitar. 

“Ready as we will ever be,” Juleka answers.

“I’m just glad to finally be able to stick it to the man,” Kim grins brightly.

“The song you guys chose is certainly a good one,” Adrien looks at Lyon and Vallia.

“What can we say, we love American Disney movies,” Vallia smirked. “Makes us glad that we’re fluent in english.”

The dance got dark, allowing them to get onto the stage that was set up for them. They had convinced Damocles to let them perform, saying they had an important message to give out with their music. Since three of the performers were rich, he let them. It did not go unnoticed how he had rejected Kitty Section when they had wanted to perform at the last dance even when they had told him the same thing.

Adrien stood behind the keyboard as Kim sat at the drums while Juleka picked up her bass and Luka stood with his guitar. Lyon was taking the lead singing position while Vallia was back-up vocals and running their “special” effects. They all had their own mics for them they took turns singing their verses. They were going to get their message out whether people at Dupont wanted it to or not.

Adrien was just glad he managed to avoid both Lila and Chloe since there was no way either of them would have let go of him and let him perform. But after this, he hoped to never have to deal with either of them ever again.

The music started, the spotlights shining down on them. Lyon took the lead and began.

Lyon- “Hear it getting louder, a call for revolution Yeah, we came for what was ours, it's time for restitution We'll protect our own, take back the stone No, human nature cannot hold us down.” Luka- “Stranded at the bottom, but we're more than a whisper No, we'll never be forgotten, our blood's thicker than silver, yeah When worlds collide, it's do or die So tell me, is it wrong to stand your ground?” Lyon+ Luka- “Hear us howl, all or nothing Fangs are out, we ain't running Hear us howl, it's all or nothing.” All six- “Oh oh oh oh This is a declaration Oh oh oh oh Of a new generation It's now or never, we're in this together We'll fight through the highs and the lows No, we won't break, we're more than flesh and bone.”

Lyon gave a wink to his sister and she started the real part of the show. With members of the board in the audience, this was going to force some changes to be made. 

She pressed a button, images and videos started showing on the giant screen behind them. If they could see the board members, they would have seen some very furious faces.

All of the images were of destroyed property, bruises or scratches on people, and even of old things like the destroyed make-up bag that Chloe took a marker to. Then was the clear message when pictures of Lila and Chloe were shown with GUILTY under their pictures then with pictures of the school staff with DOES NOTHING under them.

Lila, Chloe, and Damocles were all white as ghosts.

Vallia- “The world has gone crazy and no one seems to listen Gotta step in, no more maybes, and stop the demolition Is it hope or fear? Look in the mirror Everything we built is coming down.” Juleka- “No more hesitation, it's time we start to realize With all this separation, silence is still taking sides So use your voice, make a choice And tell me, are you standing with the crowd?” All six- “Oh oh oh oh This is a declaration Oh oh oh oh Of a new generation It's now or never, we're in this together We'll fight through the highs and the lows No, we won't break, we're more than flesh and bone.” Then videos were played on the screen. The first were from the day that Marinette was expelled. It was footage from the school security cameras that they got when Markov, the ever helpful AI, hacked into them when the group asked for his help. He was more than happy to help slap some sense into Max.

It clearly showed Lila taking the test answers and putting them in Marinette’s bag. It also showed her fake falling down the stairs and placing her necklace into Marinette’s locker. The video moved on to showing all the times that her or Chloe would grab onto Adrien and would never let go no matter how many times he told them to. The video also showed it happening in front of teachers and they never did anything.

More videos showed Chloe bullying, destroying other art projects that were not her own, and even all the things she did that got most of the class akumatized when it happened on school grounds. They also got videos from Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, and every other celebrity that Lila lied about. All of them saying they had never met Lila in their lives. All six- “Ayy, ayy, ayy ayy We say no more bad blood, no more bad blood Ayy, ayy, ayy ayy No way, they can't stop us, no, they can't stop us Ayy, ayy, ayy ayy We say no more bad blood, no more bad blood Ayy, ayy, ayy ayy No way, they can't stop us, no, they can't stop us.”

More videos and photos identified every bully in the school. Each and every single one of them being rich, or have influential parents that Damocles was afraid of, or both. The other students all gathered near the stage, showing their support to the band and hardly anyone supporting the staff or the bullies. Alya was still speechless over Lila’s lies being revealed and what she had said to Marinette in “defense” of Lila. Sabrina was also pale as she remembered everything that Chloe ever made her do, like stealing Marinette’s diary and locking Juleka in the bathroom. Adrien- “History changes, but we lost the pages we wrote When you lose direction, can't see the reflection you know We came from the bottom then became the problem Now everything's out of control So hey, are you with me? Let's go!”

The students cheered and danced as the band all sang. They all knew that they were now going to finally be free of the bullies and liars that have been plaguing their lives for years. All six- “Oh oh oh oh This is a declaration Oh oh oh oh Of a new generation It's now or never, we're in this together We'll fight through the highs and the lows No, we won't break, we're more than flesh and bone.”

The band finished with a bang, staring down the staff with cold eyes that said that they regretted nothing. Everyone they stared as were about as pale as a person could be.

After the dance, the Board of Education members brought everything that they had learned and seen to the rest of the board. Actions were immediately taken over the weekend. There was an intense investigation into the school and every member of the staff. Not that surprising, but Mendeleiev was the only staff member that never did anything wrong but was constantly blocked from doing anything by the other staff members.

Damocles was revealed to have been using money granted to the school for things like locker upgrades and new textbooks for his Owl gear instead. Plus he was also found out to be taking many bribes from parents of the bullies to not only keep them from being punished but to also increase their grades if they were low. He was fired immediately.

Bustier also faces a lot of consequences. When the investigation was made known, dozens of her old students came forward. It was revealed that her methods have caused all of them pain. She had spent years coddling the bullies and punishing the victims. Many ended up in therapy while the bullies usually ended up in jail for mostly violent crimes. She had her teaching license revoked and was blacklisted from ever teaching again.

The rest of the staff were all suspended until they finished courses about how to deal with bullies, how to properly run a classroom, as well as all of them having to pay finds.

All of the bullies were either expelled or suspended, depending on how horrible they were. A lot of them were having to repeat the grade because of how much their parents had spent to keep their grades up while they did hardly any work. 

Alya, while being sued for the lies she posted on her blog, did not do anything else beyond cyber bullying of Marinette. But that did get her another lawsuit from her former best friend’s parents as well as being suspended from school for a week. Her parents forced her to delete the Ladyblog.

Chloe and Lila were, of course, the worst of them all.

Chloe ended up expelled and it was found out that she was also banded from every private school in the city because of how well her bullying habits were known. Her father was also facing multiple accusations of abuse of power because of how he handled problems that his daughter caused. Chloe could also hardly ever leave the hotel without being sneered or yelled at by literally everyone in Paris.

Lila was not only expelled, but also had giant finds placed on her after she was arrested for her months of truancy. Every celebrity she had ever lied about was also suing her for slander, defamation, and libel. It was also revealed that her mother had taken away her diplomatic immunity once she had learned about all the lies that her daughter told her and everyone around her. Her reputation as a liar has spread all throughout France and she will never be able to use her schemes ever again. Her mother makes sure to inform all her future teachers and principals about her lying and bullying habits.

All while this is happening, the new band clinks their glasses together as they cheers for a job well done. And if Adrien also happens to be kissed by a certain Greek lead singer, that is just a bonus for him.

[purrincess-chat]

Cat’s Not-All-Encompassing Character Ranking

Okay, so I have to admit that I omitted a lot of characters I don't have strong opinions on. Most of them were one-off akumas, so don't get your panties in a twist, your faves are probably still on here (and ranked lower than you think).

As a preface again, these are just my personal opinions. They can't hurt you. You can still like characters more or less than me. And I don't care how you feel about them. This list is for me. And the person that asked for it. So shut up. Go make your own rank list if you’re so butthurt. 

We're going in reverse order this time, starting from the bottom:

84. Gabriel Agreste- I mean, is anyone surprised? I am not private about how I think Gabriel should go to jail. Or fall off a cliff. Or be erased from existence. Rip to those that like him, but I’m different.

83. Thomas Astruc- Honestly, he’s down here on principle. Self-inserts are generally a no-no, and I just laugh every time I see him on screen because he really put himself in this show and said boohoo no one appreciates me XD

82. Bob Roth- I feel like this one should also be obvious. He’s just a dick. Terrible human. I give him 0 stars.

81. Tomoe Tsurugi- We all collectively hate her, right? It’s not just me?

80. Su Han- This mans has small peepee energy. And he bad mouthed Fu, so get FUCKED, my dude.

79. Rolland Dupain- Listen, I get it, he liked Marinette in the end, but I could do without the racism.

78. Nathalie Sancoeur- My opinion of Nathalie took a nosedive after the s2 finale. I just do not care that she is in love with her boss. Don’t care that she’s dying. Just do not have it in me.

77. XY- Justin Bieber ass wannabe.

76. Nora Cesiare- I didn’t care for Nora. I know Thomas loves her, but the overbearing sibling trope is tired.

75. Anarka Couffaine- I underestimated how much I don’t really like her. Like, it’s not full-on hate, but I just do not care for her.

74. Otis Cesaire- Got akumatized because a kid said he could outrun a panther. I’m still not over it, Otis.

73. Andre Bourgeois- No love for the crooked mayor. I hope your wife divorces you. 

72. Alec Cataldi- The real villain of Stormy Weather. Like fr why is he such an asshole?

71. Roger Raincomprix- Is Officer Roger just doing his best? Sometimes. But like sometimes this mans just needs to take a chill pill.

70. M. D'Argencourt- Please get out of the 1600s

69. Ella/Etta- These two are basically the same character, and I am indifferent to both of them.

68. KnightOwl/Barbara- Listen, I would have liked you more if you were less controlling.

67. Majestia- Same as above, but like I guess I like you more

66. Theo- *Mean Girls principal voice* Stay away from underaged girls!

65. Andre the ice cream man- I just want a scoop of chocolate, Andre. Is that too much to ask??

64. Amelie Graham de Vanily- We haven’t seen much of her, but she seems like a snake bitch.

63. M. Kubdel- I mean, if my son wanted to resurrect an ancient mummy and believed in aliens, I’d give the family heirloom to my daughter too.

62. Jalil Kubdel- Lolol, buddy, pal, dude, my guy. Chill.

61. Vincent (Adrien's photographer)- Head empty. Mom’s spaghetti. Idk he’s alright.

60. Manon- I don’t hate Manon. She just gets on my nerves every time she talks.

59. M. Ramier- This mans got akumatized a billion times because he gets emotional about pigeons. I mean, honestly mood.

58. Mme. Mendeleiev- She doesn’t put up with Chloe’s shit, and we respect her for this.

57. Baby August- Someone just give this mans some food. He’s a growing boy.

56. Santa Claus- If I were Santa, I too would list Ladybug as the best kid in the world.

55. Art Teacher- He doesn’t even have a name, but I vibe with him. He seems like he likes to paint scenes of nature with his pet squirrels.

54. Prince Ali- Lil mans just wanted to have a good time. I can respect that.

53. Duusu- Duusu, I get that your Miraculous was broken, but get with the program, girl. You is a hostage.

52. Other Kwamis- Idk, all the ones we haven’t seen as much. I don’t have real opinions on them yet. Just neutral.

51. Sass- He gives me dad vibes.

50. M. Damocles- You go, you funky owl man

49. Jean (Chloe's Butler)- He deserves a raise. What is your name, sir? We may never know.

48. Mireille Caquet- She’s pretty cute. No complaints.

47. Aurore Beaureal- Baby’s first akuma. I love her design. She’s a cutie.

46. Claudie Kante (Max’s mom)- This womans just wanted to go to space and live her dream. We stan a hardworking queen.

45. Hot Dog Dan- I like him more than Andre the ice cream fraud. Sure, my hotdog might turn me purple, but if I ask for chili on it, I bet he’d oblige.

44. Nadja Chamack- I mean, she’s doing her best.

43. Audrey Bourgeois- So, as I said in the episode ranking, I have a love-hate relationship with Audrey. She’s the worst, but that’s why I love her. I love her ironically. Like, yeah she’s atrocious, but I just want to watch her burn the world.

42. Luka Couffaine- Directly in the middle, like he’s always been.

41. Nathaniel Kurtzberg- My opinion of Nath improved after Reverser surprisingly. I ship it.

40. Chris Lahiffe- I like Chris better than Ella/Etta. He’s just a little mans out here living life wanting to grow up. Don’t believe it, Chris. Stay little forever. Being an adult suuuuucks.

39. Fang the Crocodile- The goodest boy.

38. Nooroo- I just want to give him a hug.

37. Mlle. Bustier- She’s doing her best, but I mean, when ya whole class keeps getting turned into supervillains, I’m surprised she’s not an alcoholic.

36. Penny Rolling- I just like her. I think she’s neat.

35. Ondine- Mermaid queen! She’s so sweet, and I love her with Kim. I hope we see more of her in the future.

34. Marc Anciel- Marc is a little cutie bean. Idc if he’s based off one of Thomas’s irl friends. He can stay.

33. Wayzz- He loves Master Fu so much I cry.

32. Felix Graham de Vanily- I know everyone hates canon Felix, but tbh he exudes massive chaotic neutral gremlin energy, and I actually kinda vibe with that. And he pisses with his uncle which is a whole ass mood.

31. Tikki- Tikki is very cute, but bby please work on the preaching. You don’t always know what’s right, babe.

30. Sabrina Raincomprix- Sabrina deserves better. I hope we see good things happen for her.

29. Lila Rossi- Surprised? I actually like Lila. The first fic I ever wrote for this fandom was a Lila redemption. I think she is a good antagonist and foil to Marinette. I absolutely want to see her get dunked on in canon, but that doesn’t mean I hate her.

28. Wayhem- I don’t know why, but Wayhem makes me laugh. I love him XD

27. Uncle Cheng- He’s just a good mans with a birb who wants to make you tasty food. What’s not to like?

26. Trixx- Trixx shot up after GoS. Chaotic bean make Eiffel Tower go bendy

25. Jess- She’s pretty cool. She’s a vibe.

24. Aeon- The cutest bean!!! She saw Adrien and Marinette and said yep. Those two are meant to be together. Jess, we gotta make it happen.

23. Ivan Bruel- Ivan is such a gentle bean. We love him.

22. Mylene Haprele- Smol

21. Fei Wu- I still have not watched the Shanghai special with subs, but I liked her.

20. Gina Dupain- The grandma I aspire to be.

19. Marianne Lenoir- I love her. She is good. She and Fu are so cute. And she seems like she would have kicked le ass back in the day. (and even now)

18. Rose Lavillant- I am so excited for Pigella!! Rose is too cute. We love her. 

17. Gorilla- aka Adrien’s real dad. If the series doesn’t end with Gabriel getting yeeted into the stratosphere and Gorilla adopting Adrien, I don’t want it.

16. Clara Nightingale- She’s in love with Marinette. You can’t change my mind. 16 is also how old I hc her to be, so don’t nobody come for me.

15. Tom Dupain- Most. Supportive. Dad. Soft bean. Just wants to make you fresh bread.

14. Sabine Cheng- Good mom vibes. We love to see her.

13. Juleka Couffaine- Shy goth bean. Just wants to have her picture taken. Definitely a lesbian. We stan.

12. Nino Lahiffe- The goodest boy. He’s just out here doing his best, loving his friends.

11. Chloe Bourgeois- Chloe is another one I have a love-hate relationship with. Her brattiness is funny to me. We had high hopes for her. Honestly, she ranks this high because I like to play with her in fic.

10. Max Kante- He smol and smort. And I adore his friendship with Kim and the fact that he made an AI himself at 14. What a legend.

9. Alya Cesaire- Rip to Alya salters, but I’m different. Outside of Chameleon, Alya is fine. She’s a supportive bff. All yall people that are mad she doesn’t kiss Marinette’s ass all the time need to go out and make real friends. I said what I said.

8. Alix Kubdel- I love Alix. I love how she is always so done with all the lovey-dovey bullshit. She is tiny queen, and Bunnix, while OP af, is still super cool. We love to see her.

7. Kagami Tsurugi- I will fight anyone who shits on Kagami. She has done nothing wrong, you guys are just haters. All she did was exist, and yall said, wow what a toxic bitch?? Disgraceful.

6. Jagged Stone- We are going to ignore the deadbeat dad trope that canon thrust upon him. He is a Marinette stan, and we love that.

5. Kim Le Chien- I really love Kim, you guys. Does that surprise you? Listen, my favorite male character types are sweet beans and himbos. Kim is both of these.

4. Master Fu- If you didn’t pick up on how much I love Fu from the episodes ranking, then idk what to tell you. I want him to be my grandpa. I would trust this mans with my life. He did his best. You paint those pictures, you funky little man. I love you.

3. Plagg- My galaxy trash man. Love him. 10/10 chefs kisses all around.

2. Adrien Agreste- The biggest Marinette stan there is. I just want him to kiss her on the face. And marry her. Idk, I just think that would be neat if he could do that. I just want good things for them.

1. Marinette Dupain-Cheng- Honestly, are you surprised? I have always been and always will be a Marinette stan. If you expected anyone else to be in this spot, then clown suit rentals are off to the left.

[amiramorozova]

Soulmates? pt. 4

After that shock of figuring out that yes, General Kirigan was a vampire I went home quickly. At least I thought I would get home quickly but before I knew it he was right in front of me. I looked at him quietly as he pinned me to the wall and I saw he'd already removed the blood from his mouth. My heart was starting to pound in my chest and I could see he was just looking at me for now.

"Hello Ms. Silina, out a little late tonight, aren't you?" General Kirigan asked, I kept my calm even though I knew my heartbeat was beating fast. I willed it to calm down. "Just running late, I was getting the groceries for my grandparents." I said calmly. He seemed to be taking in my presence as he leaned in close so that I felt him by my neck and I worried a bit. 

What is he doing? Can Vampires track a person by their scent? I thought 

I felt him pull away as he let me go as he turned from me, I knew I'd more than asked to be caught by my plan. He seemed to be thinking as I didn't move before he turned back to me and lifted my necklace revealing the initials. "Aleksander Morozova." I said, as his eyes widened in shock that he backed up. He seemed irritated that I knew what the initials stood for and at the same time he was surprised. "Till the Fete." That was the only thing he said before leaving.

I went home and stayed there. Since I had no words to tell my family, I could never say that General Kirigan was a vampire. I knew how he was doing this, he was using his shadows and he had to be invited into homes. My grandparents' place was the safest but we were soon going to the Little Palace. A couple of days passed as some boxes were presented and we were expected to attend. One of the boxes had my name on it and I looked at it then at my parents a bit nervous.

"Well we didn't have anything to really wear to the Fete." Mother said 

I went to my room as I wondered what was inside the box as I opened it to see a dress, pulling it out I looked over it seeing the color of it. I was staring at it for some time but I heard the door open as I looked back seeing my grandmother in hers, it was dark blue with no special markings on it while my mother came in with a similar dark blue dress but hers had a light blue design on it. They both smiled at me then their eyes went to the dress in my hands as their mouths dropped.

"It's black." Grandma Catalina said 

"Then tonight, he'll make his move." Mother said 

I didn't understand but they helped me get in the dress, then we all looked into the box since there were shoes and accessories with the box. Mother got the dress shoes out of the box helping me in them and then she went for the accessories when she stopped. 

"Is something wrong?" Grandma Catalina asked

"He wants her to wear his symbol instead of her necklace." Mother said 

I didn't understand why it was so important to them and the confusion was clear on their faces. I figured this had to do with exposing him the way I did. His initials on my neck, then he probably figured he had a right to me. I wasn't choosing this but we didn't have a lot of time to debate this. My current necklace had nothing to do with this outfit and I wasn't staying there, right? 

We debated it as we heard the knock on the front door and we knew we didn't have a lot of time. Mother took my necklace off as the new one was placed around my neck. A shadow summoner's symbol around my neck, or another way of looking at it a vampire's symbol on my neck like he was claiming me. 

I won't give in just because the saints said we're soulmates. I thought 

After we were all done and we walked out to join everyone we had to walk to the carriage. I saw that heartrender I detested from his last visit as he looked at all of us. I was gonna say something when I heard the sound of another carriage coming and that tingling on my neck. I realized before everyone else he was planning to escort me himself. 

"The Dual Summoner will ride with General Kirigan, the rest of you will be in this carriage." Ivan said I knew I had time to refuse as I looked at Ivan "Who made that choice? I am not going anywhere with your General!" I said 

Ivan went to put his hands together just as the general's carriage stopped and he got out. "Ivan!" General Kirigan said, Ivan realized he was caught and I was amused by the fact I could get under his skin. I could tell Grisha was not ever bitten by the Darkling. Then he looked at me, I felt uncomfortable under his gaze knowing the truth about him. "Ms. Silina, might you do the honor of riding with me to the Fete?" General Kirigan asked

As much as I knew that we were going to this Fete because we were a Grisha family outside the little palace, he was asking instead of demanding. I looked at my grandmother and mother who both just nod that I should. I still had hesitations with everything but I walked over as he helped me into the carriage and I saw my family being led inside the other carriage. I questioned why he wanted me to ride with him alone when there were other people. Once the carriage started to move I looked anywhere but him.

"Your heart is racing, do I make you nervous?" General Kirigan asked, I refused to answer him and he seemed to not like that. "You look good in Black, Amira." I was surprised he said that and I knew that he chose the fabric color. "My mother says it's your color, so why did you decide to make me stand out?" I asked

I couldn't look at him knowing I was alone with a vampire but I felt a shift in the carriage as he made me look at him. I felt like I could get lost in those eyes that were brown but so close to black like an abyss. I wanted the answer so even though I had a feeling of being lost in his eyes I kept looking. "I decided to give you this dress because my soulmate should stand out being the prettiest at the Fete." General Kirigan said as he smirked "And I want you to call me Aleksander when we're alone Amira. I find the way you say it intriguing but this." He made a motion to the new necklace on my neck. "Doesn't come off no matter where you are, I want people to stare at it and know you are going to be mine, some way somehow."

I laughed a bit knowing he was serious about this and I was just looking at this as a one-time moment between us. Yet I felt him close to my neck above the necklace and for the first time, I felt his vampire fangs gliding over my neck. "You don't drink off of Grisha." I said as he pulled away looking in my eyes again. "You're right, I don't. If I bite into a Grisha's neck they will start to go into transition unless I feed them my blood." Aleksander said 

He has to have bitten a Grisha before to know this...so who was the poor girl or guy? I thought 

"Vampires can't walk in the sun, you can." I pointed out a bit bravely, he smirked as he relaxed against the carriage while it kept moving. "You're right, but the Durast can work around that but if the Grisha was a sun summoner well they'd be a daywalker like I am, but you know how I am doing this." Aleksander said and I couldn't deny it cause I felt the shadows that people were always talking about. "Shadows. To Conceal the sun but only visible to you." I said 

Aleksander smirked a bit, seeming eager for my knowledge and he laughed a bit. "I think you should move to the little palace Amira, you could have friends and a good teacher." Aleksander said and I scoffed a bit. "Never, I like where I am and I have a good teacher!" I said 

"You might change your mind before the night is over." Aleksander said just as the carriage came to a stop.

we're here already at the Winter Fete? I thought

[urlocalbunny]

Headcanons of what would be the children of boys with MC ???

Aaron:

Probably more than two, but they'd have a gap in between. Two sets of twins. And in full moon Aaron would be apprehensive.

Three boys and one girl, maybe? He is a very present father and the kids absolutely adore him! But they wonder where daddy goes in full moon... You tell them the truth, but hey, they're worried!

One day, however, Aaron turns and goes for his usual hunt in the forest, but then he hears something faintly familiar in the woods. Yelling.

"Aaron! Aaron!" He sort of knows who this is. It's his mate. He is wary, but stays put until you're in sight... With two cubs. His eyes widen comically and he snorts, jumping in surprise. He sniffs the air wildly and realizes those are his cubs. He accepts them, nodding at you and turning his back to you. You sigh in relief, knowing you can count on him, but god... They're going to eat the shoes.

You thought the other two were normal children, until Ivan yells your name into the distance and when you run to see them, well. There are four little holes on Ivan's hand while he holds a diaper. You can only sigh. Good luck, mc.

The third boy and the girl are the little bats. The boy is a little weird but that's how Aaron likes it. Hehe. Like, he's just so cute! One time he'll be right here in daddy's arms, and in the other... Huh? WhERES MY BABY? HE TELEPORTED.

And the girl! Oh, she's so sweet! Once Aaron danced for her and when she swung her fat little arms, she created a shockwave that made him fall on his bum! That's it, daddy's little warrior!!!!

He's a great dad and he'll train his kids from the beginning. He's gentle yet strict, and your kids seem to love training with him. He also likes reading with his kids and teaching them about nature and how to hunt in their human forms. (The kids like it bc the actual rewards are fruit for the cubs and frozen bunny blood popsicle for the vampires.)

Raphael:

Just a little boy.

He's tiny, and no talk him bc he angy. Yes, he's got some bite to him. He likes wearing big hats and he paints. Biggest garden assistance for Vlad. (He likes Aaron more. He has a plan of owning the garden when Vladimir dies, but he doesn't know yet... ToT)

He's very educated and supportive of people with disabilities and he learned to paint with different textures and layers so his daddy can feel his work!!!! Raphael cries every time.

Raphael is comprehensive and tends to pay his head way too much every time he does some "oopsie". He also supports his kid and teaches him how to do stuff without seeing because he thinks of the day his kid will have to fend for himself and walking at night in the dark wasn't good when he first started.

Raph trusts his kid with the boys, but Aaron and Vlad are his go-to if he can't spend some time with his kid because he knows they'd only do what they think it's best for the kid. He also eggs his son on when it comes to exploring and running around. No sun though!

(You often catch him walking around during daytime. Y'all just Do. Not. Know. How y'all can't see where he is hiding until you realize this kid can literally conceal himself anywhere. Also he's very good at not burning himself so you stop worrying at some point and he'll just start sleeping during day)

Was he doing that just to scare Raph? Oh, he'll see what's scary. No kisses tonight >| |(

He's also extremely protective of his kid even though he tries to get him to see the world. A minute late and he'll be lectured severely, so please step in sometimes or they'll fight and raph tends to cry. It's gonna take him time to realize his kid can handle himself because he's fragile in your vampire's eyes.

Beliath:

You can see her ANYWHERE. She has two beautiful curled horns and an extremely ravishing purple hair full of curls. She isn't stoppable. She's confident, smart, social, a business woman! She's five! she's not only Beliath's daughter. She is fashion itself.

Beliath is her number one fan, supporter and manager. He'll spend the rest of his life moisturizing washing combing and zipping things up and down if that means his daughter is the most ravishing kid in this city.

One day you'll wake up panting to your kid sitting in bed looking at you as if she was a psycho though. You were dreaming just now of your kid waving at you. Yep, she's got her daddy's powers. A few months later, she's going to be itching her back like crazy. Beliath is going to be jealous because hey! He had no wings! >:(

One day he'll wake up with her appearance all twisted and then she'll create the sickest illusions like a goose head and a penguin wearing glasses. You'll have a lot to teach.

Beliath scolds her A LOT and she gets grounded A LOT because she's him but smaller and they fight a lot over how she should learn how to be humble and try her best instead of just thinking she's the best but she won't listen bc... She's the best?

She's the greatest performer ever. Knows how to dance and that's what she does the most. Another party animal for you. Now turn them Barney songs on!

For some reason, she absolutely LOVES Raphael. I think it's because he's got shiny outfits and he's chill so she can brush his hair however she likes AND read her books for him. Lives rent free on the library reading princess stories and complaining about the princes.

Vladimir:

A boy. He's shy, sweet and super articulated. His hair is blonde and he loves to wear nice clothes. Another one who'll bicker with his dad like he's talking to a kid his age.

Also he can hipnotize others in a specific way that turns him invisible when he wants and he can be persuasive, but it's hard to develop your powers when your dad is always complaining about the millions of cars you left on the floor and you're grumpy so every time you hide on the walls and turn invisible he complains and you go "tch, old hack" and he hears you. Tough life, grrr.

Even though they fight SOMETIMES, all they talk about when they're together is cuddles, studying and gardening. Vladimir is the actual mom if you wanted to be addressed to as the mom, just forget it lol, if not it's fine, you have a mom for your son.

He grounds your kid and talks it out calmly because even if they fight, your kid is a very good listener and he knows when words are well-meaning.

They sleep together a lot like two old grandpas and you have the advantage of Vladimir not knowing about modern cameras. Have fun!!!

Your kid ends up growing up to be an ABSOLUTE gentleman. He's funny, smart, handsome and really educated. Momma owl Daddy is proud!!!

Ethan:

IT'S A BOY AND A GIRL. BEWARE. HELPAJDHIAJDIAJD

They're trouble. Trouble.

Ethan yells, rips his hairs off, jumps and rolls on the floor but these kids, they're absolute raccoons! The girl literally can control minds Neil style and the boy is a tracker just like his father.

Honestly they're smart, but they just like to use it to make his dad go crazy!

They love each other tho, they rarely get in trouble and they behave when you say so. They're scared *laughs evil laugh*

Ethan teaches them many things and since he can't fight so much, he sends them to train with whoever they like. The girl usually hangs into Beliath's sleeve and they get along super well. He teaches her hand in hand and the boy goes with Aaron because his tracking skills are developing. Sometimes he takes both of them and teaches them knife combat and how to be a good medical support because again, being a vampire is tough.

The boy likes embroidery and Ethan thinks he's weird because he makes some sick Dinosaurs but he tells him to go off. He likes how well made they are.

The girl enjoys violence fighting more so she trains extra hard.

Ivan:

This is the sweetest kid of the bunch. Your little girl. Is the shy baby you see clinging to their companion's shirt/pants in the street. She likes gardening herself, not with anyone else. She plants some flowers in a space Vladimir didn't use and she shoos everyone off, but gently bc babygirl is never mean... Until she finds out she has fangs

She's going to run to you crying and pull her lips up and squint as if struggling and then BAM, fangs are out! You'll have to explain with Ivan what's going on. She understands *sniff*.

Ivan is head over heels for her. They read together, they play board games and she's extremely skilled at every single one. She loves to pursue education on her favorite themes and she likes fiction.

Little girl also loves fashion and she wants someone to teach her how to sew. If you don't know it's okay, she'll put extra effort in learning to teach you!! "You'll see, we'll be sewing in no time, I'll teach you too!"

Sometimes you wonder if you're being a parent right because she just doesn't get grounded. You speak once, she never does it again. Is she really Ivan's daughter? "Hey!" "Shut up, go back in the hole or I'll use the stick!" "Ouch, stop!"

She turns very aggressive when she fights though, to the point where you're worried about the others when they teach her, because she fights like her life depends on it and she doesn't hold back until she overexerts herself. Turns out your daughter can use some sort of gravitational field and if you don't stop her, she might send one flying or pull them right into her clutches, so be careful.

Overall 100/10 great kid. Ends up designing hundreds of clothes and lives her life peacefully.

[diamo-chan]

AAAAANGST  (ﾉ^∇^)ﾉﾟ

(not beta-read – we die like men)

Pairing: Eloise x Ethan - what else could you expect of me (￢ε￢)

Word count: 1,8k

They were all chilling in the living room, Beliath annoying Vladimir to pass the time when he was locked in the mansion instead of relaxing in the Moondance, with Ethan, who was sulking upstairs, Aaron and Raphael were leaning against each other, reading in silent harmony, because there was no way they would leave the house when the water was coming down in buckets. No one knew where Ivan was, but most likely he locked himself in his room.  

Eloise went upstairs to the attic to get new candles, after the thunderstorm has left the mansion without electricity, and the last candle on the holder went out. No problem for the vampire boys. But Eloises senses were kind of gone at this level of darkness, so she had to follow the wall on her way to the second floor, it made her struggle even at the first set of stairs.

While she passes one door there is suddenly a shriek from within as lightning floods the hallway from the end of the corridor. At that point she notices that her hand lies on the door of the boys bathroom.  There were sounds coming from behind that door. Whimpers and whispers.

Jumpy? Crying? Apparently she found Ivan. Carefully Eloise knocked at the door to not startle him any further.

“Ivan? Are you alright?”

The answer came quick and almost unexpected: “Fuck. Off.“

Nope… not Ivan. The usual energy was drained of any bite that those words might have held under different circumstances. But that didn’t stop her from her plan. No way she would let someone cry on their own, this was not something she would be able forgive herself for. In the orphanage there was always someone who took care of those who were at the edge of breaking under the care of the strict educators and social workers. Even worse than the feeling of abandonment in the past, was the lack of love in the present. This is why everyone needed people who care about them. Even total assholes. Even Ethan.

“I will come in, Ethan.” It was a warning, not a question. And she didn’t even give him the time to get to the door and lock it, pressing herself against the old wood

“No… “ The weak sound of objection that rang through the door, it broke at the end.

She entered the boys bathroom and locked the door behind her out of reflex. It was everything she had imagined: a little bit messy, with that typical masculine smell and tons of different shampoos that could belong to no other than Beliath.

In the furthest corner, between the toilet and the bathtub, sat Ethan, on the tile floor, knees pulled all the way up to his chin. His hands were clenching and unclenching while pressed to his sides. And he looked angry that she entered without being asked in. maybe angry was not the right word. But to put it simple: he looked like shit.

Not in an insulting way, but rather his face was a grotesque mask of over-layering emotions and he was having a hard time in keeping up the one of fury while suppressing the rest. Eloise believed that there was even relieve, somewhere among those layers.

One step away from Ethan the girl sat down on the edge of the tub and leaned down so her torso was laying on her thighs. This brought them on the same eye level. Hastily he removed the streams of his tears with his shirt. Every rumble of thunder made him tense up, while his gaze locked itself on the floor somewhere in front of her feet.  The echo in the small tiled room made the sound of the rain incredibly loud, a constant rushing that overscreamed the silence and muffled his sniffles. Eloise felt the weight of the loneliness that surrounded him. It was surely different when he was in the club, surrounded by people, the bass in his bones, the alcohol in his veins. There was a terribly sober and drowning feel to this.

“You should come downstairs. Sit with the others, keep yourself in company.” Eloise suggested.

Ethan forced a laugh and his eyes were cold when they met her grey ones, there was a resignation to the pressuring fear clouding them. “And give them the satisfaction of seeing me pathetic like that.”

‘They would not care’, Eloise wanted to say, but stopped herself. He would definitely get it the wrong way. No, she didn’t know her housemates well enough to reassure him that way. And even if she did care, the others might not be the best at helping, if Ethan decided to stay here, on the cold tiles, between toilet and tub. Gloves off, hair wet, whether it was from sweat or water, didn’t matter. But his fear did!

She crouched down to his eye level and took his face into her hands to prevent him from hiding in his shell. The blue irises of his hid a storm and were surely competing with the sky outside by the way they were shooting lightnings her way, in annoyance of her intrusing way of handling him. He was an ugly crier, she took note of it, the red of his puffy eyes stood out even more in contrast to his generally pale complexion.

He bared his fangs in a desperate attempt of scaring her away. But Eloise didn’t even move an inch. With the seconds that passed a whole story was told by his face as his fury lit up even more intensely after the confusion over her neutrality passed. She could see his hands shake with the wish to slap hers away. A thought crossed his mind and once again there were tears at the brim of falling. The brilliant white of his hair has adapted a sullen and grayish tone. Denying them was futile, in the face of the situation she found him in.

Thunder shook the windows with a mite that could only come from the fact that it was right above them. Drops fell unto his knees. It was so very bright, suddenly, Eloise had to shield her tired eyes.  In the luminance of the moment, she could see the whole extend of the chaos in Ethan’s heart that was reflected on the young bony features. It snapped. He gave up. The light in his eyes dimmed. It looked as if he died over again.

She stood back up and turned to the door, shaken to the core, fleeing from the responsibility that was too much for her, when a shaking, sweaty hand clamped down around her wrist to stop her in her motion. He had leapt after her, was on his knees, one hand against the floor to keep his balance, the other holding hers to prevent her from leaving. “Wait... Stay…”

Eloise exhaled deeply. She didn’t want to leave him alone, but seeing him like this made her insides clench with the knowledge that she could not heal this. It wasn’t as easy as giving him blood and everything is back to normal. And since the hope that he will one day open up to her entirely is a tiny flame in a windy valley, any wrong word might cause him to push her away again. Maybe Raphael would know what to do, or Aaron, or Beliath as he is the closest to him.

“The others are still waiting for new candles. I can get someone… Beliath or-“

He shook his head. “They will manage. You will hurt yourself in the darkness.“

Blinking her surprise away, she came back to him, closer, so close that her knees were touching his. He was right, the others were vampires, they would not crave the light. But more importantly Ethan had asked for her company. It was almost strange with how she felt like the personification of cancer whenever he talked to her. But now… this Ethan was different.

She unclasped the hand, he was holding her with, so she could sit down next to him. There was a resistance before he let go. Was he afraid that she would run?

Instead she supported herself against the bashtub when she sank to the floor. Eloise was between the tub and the vampire, who made no movement to pull away or give her more room, the chalice ended up presses flush against him. Once she was more or less comfortably seated she felt a tingle against her hand. Then the caressing pressure of fingers interwining with hers. Her heart skipped a beat and there was surely a bright red blush covering her from the roots of her black hair down to her décolleté.

Ethan rested his head against her collarbone. The movement was slow, hesitant, to give her the chance to back out of it, to break their proximity. But she gave him more room to get comfortable and rest instead, moved her hair out of the way so he would lay on her skin. His mouth was right next to her neck, close to the marks what were slowly fading. If all of this would turn out to be a lie, would he bring her to the edge of death? Again?

Eloise’s hand reached up and let her nails comb through his hair that was indeed sweaty, but that did not matter. In a slow pace she massaged his scalp in the way that always comforted her as a child. Surprisingly enough, he let her, even pressed closer to her. A content hum escaped his involuntarily curling lips. Docile like that, he was like a child, with a small pout on his lips; his attempt, to go unnoticed, failed. His cheeks were still warm from crying; forehead feverish from the racing thoughts, that must occupy his mind. She felt the goosebumps on the arm where their fingers were interwined. How long has he been here before she found him? The wish to hug him rose up in his chest, but that would be too much for now. Don’t rush Eloise.

His breathing became even and calm. The weight of his head was a steady reminder of his vulnerability, the just how breakable this moment was. In his trust she let herself relax as well. Slumping down into a more comfortable sitting position while still supporting the white haired boy.

In her own dozy half-sleep Eloise heard footsteps come closer. Someone pulled the handle of the bathroom door, only to find it locked. Ethan’s lashes fluttered slightly but fell back shut, the hand that was holding hers tightened a bit. The young girl smiled and let her eyes rest as well.

Tomorrow she would whine to him about her sore neck. So his hands do those wonders to her already tensed muscles. Even if his sole motivation was to keep her quiet.  She would have to accept that. Just one more of the many things, she was willingly accepting, when it came to Ethan.