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edorazzi · 2 years

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Once again, it’s the post everyone’s been waiting for! Reviewing Part 1 of the Miraculous Season 4 finale.

This is a followup to my reviews of the “Felix” episode and “Gabriel Agreste”, so if you haven’t read those then you might like to! They’re not required but do contain my thoughts/opinions/screaming/crying about the Felix storyline up to this point.

I haven’t watched “Strike Back”/Part 2 yet so be gentle with me.

Sorry this one took such a long time, I just wasn’t emotionally ready for this journey (and caught Covid in the middle of editing). But hopefully everyone else is up to date and ready to watch me suffer, so I’ll throw the rest under a cut and let’s get going! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

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So to kick off, here are my pregame thoughts. Like previous episodes I went on total content lockdown once the finale aired so I’m only aware of a few spoilery things which slipped the net:

Felix gets hold of a Miraculous. Not sure how, why or which one; just that it’s orange. Also something about the Peacock brooch.

Whatever happens in this has radically changed the fandom’s opinion of Felix and not for the better.

Lila is featured somehow.

So I really have no clue where this is going. I recall Lila was working with Gabriel to control Adrien and seemed to ally with Chloe at the end of “Penalteam”; but Felix dislikes Chloe and outright hates his uncle - who he’s aware is Shadow Moth! - so I can’t see him joining this squad of villains.

I’ve talked about this before but at the end of the “Felix” episode I got the impression Felix really does like Adrien, he was just seething over feeling abandoned at his dad’s funeral (and trying to grab the family ring at the same time). In “Gabriel Agreste” the boys seemed on good terms, so I assume they consider that score settled and anything Felix is scheming from this point on is directed more at Uncle Gabe.

On the other hand, Felix’s relationship with the heroes isn’t great. In his debut episode he really messed around with them, appealed to Hawk Moth directly and looked genuinely hurt when Chat accused him of having no friends. However, they seemed fine in “Gabriel Agreste” when Felix was again in need of rescuing; and I can imagine him harbouring a long-term grudge like he had against Adrien but to sabotage the heroes in a way that benefits Shadow Moth/Uncle Gabe? Ehh. Unless Lila is finally staging an uprising and trying to take over as the big villain? MAYBE.

(And I will say - I think there was a HUGE difference in the writing quality of the previous two episodes. “Felix” was just a “fuck you” to PV fans, an incoherent mess which outrageously villainised this new character instead of telling a real story; while “Gabriel Agreste” was much more solid and portrayed Felix as an intelligent/morally grey figure. Like Chloe’s character assassination in “Miracle Queen”, I think Felix’s attitude in the Finale will heavily depend on which episode this draws more from.)

On my magic third hand, how about the increasing speculation of Felix and Adrien being Sentimonsters, or at least ‘more than human’ in some way? I wasn’t buying into the theory at first but at this point I’d believe it. Mostly because I’m genuinely nervous they’re going to “unalive” Felix; if they’ll basically kill Sentibug onscreen when she was a really sweet character then what makes Felix (the most hated one of all!) any safer??

I’m writing this all before going into the episode, obviously. Maybe all my speculation is useless and it’s just “Miracle Queen” Round 2 where they mess up an interesting morally grey character for no reason. Guess I’ll stop avoiding this and go see. :/

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- Alright, I’m going in. Seeing a bunch of the heroes together is nice; I heartily disapprove of “Kuro Neko” downgrading Chat from ‘partner’ to ‘basic bitch backup’ but this isn’t the place to talk about that (OR IS IT?). There’s also nobody in this group I actively dislike Vesperia.

- How come Roi Singe and Carapace get a bro fistbump but not Chat? Are they EVER going to resolve the plot point of Nino revealing his identity to Adrien in “Rocketear”? He did apologise for beating Chat up in the street but have things been frosty since then or what? :/

- Everyone splits up before they detransform, and Ladybug won’t let Chat go with her to collect their Miraculous(eses) because she doesn’t trust him with their identities. And yeah, I’m glad Chat is going off about this, we’re like 10 seconds in and I’M MAD TOO. Ladybug let Viperion learn who Chat was without his consent (which could have led to a Luka/Adrien friendship arc but this series continues to starve me of the most basic sustenance!! >:0), and I’m glad Luka knows because someone has to keep an eye on both these magic idiots, but SHE CAN’T TRUST CHAT WITH WAY LESS VITAL INFO? GIRL...

- Also, doesn’t he at least know who Ryuko and Pigella are? Maybe he can’t admit knowing Carapace but I’m sure Chat was there for both Kagami and Rose getting their Miraculous. She could let him help a little! :(

- “Cat Noir will always be a holder like any other...” / “Yep!” LADYBUG. WHAT ON EARTH. Kissing him on the cheek and calling him your “favourite” does NOT make up for that!!! >:0

- I’m also gonna go down that road and say kissing Chat is a really messy thing to do right now. He clearly interpreted that as something romantic and haven’t we established a million times that Ladybug does not want that relationship with him? :/

One thing I want to talk about here is how “Glaciator 2″ includes a scene where Chat admits that he’s been ‘acting up’ out of desperation to maintain the relationship he has with Ladybug, but he’s so inexperienced with affection that he always ends up acting flirty or romantic and just makes her more frustrated with him.

I think Adrien (as an isolated, socially awkward celebrity heartthrob) has genuine problems knowing how to express platonic love - look at his failed relationship with Kagami! - and yes it’s his own job to deal with that but this kind of thing isn’t helping! What he needs is Ladybug trusting him with more responsibility as a partner to show she values him, not giving out misleading kisses to soften his rejection as a teammate.

Does that make sense? I do think Ladybug’s trying to be nice but this feels cruel to Chat after everything else this season. Where is Felix.

- CAN YOU BELIEVE I FORGOT ABOUT RENA WHEN I WAS GETTING MAD ABOUT LADYBUG TRUSTING VIPERION OVER CHAT. THE WHOLE SENTIBUBBLER/SCARABELLA MESS WHERE CHAT WASN’T ALLOWED TO BE IN THE LOOP ON ANYTHING, AND THEN GOT BLAMED FOR BEING DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH. OH MY GOD.

- Anyway, Rena Furtive makes sure the coast is clear as Ladybug reclaims the Miraculous from each holder. They do a synchronised dive into an alleyway and detransform amid some cute banter and a plan to go to the movies. This is really pushing the concept of Rena being Ladybug’s ideal partner and it’s making me feel super bad for Chat right now, especially when Rena does what I think is an imitation of him bowing to “Mademoiselle Ladybug”. Maybe it’s a coincidence but it’s very suspect when she’s currently filling Chat’s role as Ladybug’s trusted aide. It’s not funny if you’re punching down, ladies.

- I do apologise for being so nitpicky. I’m way too high strung for regular episode content. Just show me what Felix did and get it over with! >:0

- Cut to Gabriel in his butterfly cave.

Side note: I’m watching a TV series with my family (“Temple”) about a guy who’s keeping his comatose wife in a secret basement, trying to find a cure for her illness while lying to everyone else that she’s dead, and the LOOKS I received when I said it’s the same plot as Miraculous Ladybug. They know I draw a lot of stuff for this sparkly baby show but I’m not even sure they knew it had a plot. They just know I like the catboy. :/

- Ol’ Gabe starts monologuing to his unconscious wife as per usual, mainly about what an embarrassment he’s been this season; but this time he ends up sobbing over the coffin and cracking the glass by beating on it with his fist. Can’t help thinking that the “I am not worthy of our LOVE!” stage already came when he started throwing Adrien around in Season 1; how many akuma has this man unleashed on his own son??

- Gabe reels back in terror when he realises the damage - huge props to the voice acting here, it’s very good! - and immediately shuts the safety doors on the coffin and bolts outta there like a kid who just chipped mom’s best plate. If you put it back in the cupboard right away it’s like it didn’t happen!!

- ...And goes straight to throw a fit in Nathalie’s room, apparently. I know she loves this trainwreck of a man, but 1) why, and 2) is she getting paid extra for this? Adrien comes to cry in here too but at least he brought sandwiches. These emotionally damaged people just bust into her room whenever they want and Gabriel doesn’t even have snacks.

- NATHALIE, I’M SORRY, BUT PRETENDING GABRIEL HAS NEVER MADE MISTAKES IS SO FUNNY. MY BRAIN IS JUST FLASHING THROUGH ALL THE TIMES HE’S MESSED UP LIKE A COMEDY MONTAGE. The worst mistake was letting Felix into his house, not once but multiple times! And where is the little bastard anyway? :/

- Gabriel rushes to Nathalie’s aid when she starts coughing, looks despondent as she assures him she knew the risk she was taking with the Peacock Miraculous; then leaps up with a maniacal laugh as he realises LADYBUG NEVER TAKES RISKS and bolts out of the room still cackling. THE WHIPLASH HERE IS INCREDIBLE. GUESS NATHALIE’S GETTING HER OWN DINNER.

- Our regularly scheduled stop at the Butterfly Lair! But this time it’s all tinted red as Shadow Moth cooks up his plan to FORCE Ladybug to take enough risks that she eventually makes a mistake. I see we’re out of solid villainous plans and moving into Codename: Kids Next Door territory; this is something Knightbrace would do to increase traffic to his dental practice.

- I do like how Shadow Moth sifts through all the voices of people in Paris experiencing negative emotions; I think(?) it’s the first time they’ve illustrated exactly how he chooses his victims and confirmed that he only knows what he can hear; a nice dive into an otherwise staple sequence. :D

- He settles on a child who isn’t allowed to ride their bike without a helmet or training wheels. Classic Gabriel Agreste, here to start fights with children before getting dunked on by other children! Speaking of, where is Felix. It’s just occurred to me that I don’t even know if he’s in Part 1 of this finale. I better not be suffering through this for no reason. :/

- New child character! Frog Boy and his generic backgrounder parents! He’s zooming around at the zoo and wishing for sweet sweet adrenaline, the kind you only get on the razor edge of death. I guess not all characters need stories based around their visual theme but why is this child a frog when his story is (presumably) about taking risks? Why not a tiger? Are frogs particularly fearless bastards?

- So Shadow Moth’s plan is to remove everyone’s sense of fear, meaning the citizens of Paris will start taking risks and doing dangerous things. I’m reminded of “Simpleman” where he made everyone incapable of complex decision-making and the fallout was huge. But what kind of risks are we talking about; is Marinette going to fearlessly confess to Adrien or is someone getting hit by a car?

Now I’m theorising Felix gets a Miraculous because he’s already a sociopathic little bastard who knows no fear; and as such is the only one Ladybug and Chat Noir can trust to act level-headedly in this situation. I’m under the impression he steals this Miraculous though. Hmm.

- Frog Boy’s transformation just gives him a bigger hoodie and a very slow pedal bike, and an annoying song to top it off. No flames or spikes on the wheels? Underwhelming but the less I remember him the better, I guess. A megaphone on his bike spits out glowing orbs which zap everyone they find, including Alya (and her whole family), Marinette and Adrien. So that’s our three main protags compromised! There’s a mark left on each of their necks which I’m sure will be used to tell apart two suspiciously identical blond boys at some point.

- Adrien wakes up first! I appreciate that they scraped together enough leftovers from the budget to give him pajamas; four seasons in and we’re FINALLY allowed to see more of his fashion model closet. It’s taken equally as long for Marinette to get a blanket, she was sleeping on top of her sheets every night until recently! Alya isn’t allowed to sleep at all and Nino doesn’t even have a house (or parents), it just costs way too much. :/

- Nathalie video calls Adrien with his morning schedule, and I’m pleased to see the return of the Chinese lessons! They haven’t done much with that since Season 1, but between this and the Shanghai Special it’s becoming relevant to Adrien’s character again and that’s nice.

- “But first and foremost, the breakfast for two that my father’s been promising me for MONTHS!” SWEETHEART. OH NO. This breaks my heart because I already know Gabe’s going to cancel, I feel it in my bones. Please let Adrien tell his dad to get bent; the fear is gone, right?

- Okay, so Gabriel is deigning to set eyes on Adrien today, but in the study to discuss work instead of at breakfast. This old man can’t talk and eat at the same time, in the room literally JUST across the hall??

- I bet Gabriel’s invited Felix, hasn’t he. Is this ‘new project’ a twin fashion shoot thing? I don’t know why he’d let Felix in the house after what happened previously but maybe Uncle Gabe thinks he’s really got a grip on things this time. Either that or it’s a romantic photoshoot scheduled with Lila, and the test of the akuma’s powers is whether Adrien has the confidence to tell her to back off or not. I’m sorry for all these projections, I’m just trying to second guess this episode before it can get me first.

- PLAGG DECLARES THAT HE FOR ONE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE BREAKFAST WITH ADRIEN. That’s so sweet. This feels like a holdover from “Kuro Neko” where Plagg has realised just how emotionally vulnerable Adrien is - especially now Ladybug is pulling away from their partnership - and has really pitched in with supporting him! I love how their relationship is developing. :’)

- Oh I see, the frog-shaped Risk marks get activated when Frog Boy (who has apparently been out cycling around Paris ALL NIGHT) passes within earshot singing his annoying song. I guess that explains why there’s no widespread chaos yet. I’m sure we’ll be having MANY “well well, if it isn’t the consequences of my actions” moments if it comes and goes in waves!

- With a burst of fearlessness Adrien FLIPS OUT, HURLS his neatly-pressed shirt across the room, and yells that he’s fed up of being a model and just wants Gabriel to be a dad to him! SWEETIE, ME TOO! He stalks off in determination to “GO TALK TO HIM” and Plagg can’t stop him. I KNOW THIS IS GONNA GO SO BADLY BUT IT’S WHAT I’VE ALWAYS WANTED FOR ADRIEN, YOU GO HONEY!!!

- ADRIEN BURSTS INTO THE STUDY IN HIS PAJAMAS, ENRAGED, IN FRONT OF GABRIEL AND HIS COLLEAGUES. I’M IN TEARS.

- Lila is also here (so no Felix yet), and is either wearing all white or they forgot to texture her outfit. It’s happened before; never 4get Alix going a whole episode with grey hair because they just forgot to colour her model properly. Does anyone remember that Season 1 episode where Max’s hair and glasses ran away from the akuma without him?

- Gabriel shoots Adrien down and he immediately subdues and leaves. I guess the wave of fearlessness has passed but BABY NO, YOU WERE GONNA GET HIM! Even Plagg is encouraging him to give it another try! :’0

- “Rebellions are like cheese soufflés: just because they sometimes collapse doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try again!” is my new favourite line from this show. It’s so uniquely baffling. I want it on my wall like a Live Laugh Love sign.

- Poor Adrien is stuck doing this romantic photoshoot with Lila, I guess. Is this all before school or did Gabriel pull him out of classes for this? Did they have a lot of time set aside for that breakfast they were supposed to have together? Has Adrien even HAD breakfast? LET ADRIEN EAT 2K22. >:0

- OOH, Adrien calls Lila out pretty viciously when she begins lying to him! Specifically claiming this photoshoot is nearly as romantic as a Hollywood movie she starred in. And that wasn’t even a “sure, Jan”, he went for the throat. Is he being affected by the akuma again or is this a holdover from last season where Adrien really told Lila where to shove it? I’m betting on the latter since he isn’t interrupting the shoot to yell at his dad like we know he wants.

- GABRIEL’S PLANNING TO SEND ADRIEN OFF FOR MONTHS ON AN INTERNATIONAL PHOTOSHOOT WITH LILA. MY GOD. Can’t blame him honestly; sucks for Adrien (who can’t even bring himself to argue, sweetheart!) but Gabriel’s the one trashing the city on a regular basis and making the Surprised Pikachu face when his son gets caught up in it! I’m amazed Adrien hasn’t been in a Swiss boarding school since Season 1.

- “At the end of the ad, using CG, they will meld together to become the perfume bottle. Two souls, one mind, one heart.” Several concerns. I’m VERY nervous about this Sentimonster thing. Not to keep bringing Felix up before he’s even got here but is this about the cousins somehow, or is Ol’ Gabe just monologuing blithely about missing his wife again? I’m not overlooking that camera angle of Emilie’s portrait right behind Gabriel’s shoulder as he stares at Adrien, either. Hashtag symbolism.

- GUESS ADRIEN’S OUTTA HERE. SORRY BABY. Marinette’s apparently watched this news clip 22 times and is FREAKING OUT.

At least Adrien gets to attend school one last time, that’s slightly better than nothing but isn’t the “adrenaline or death” akuma still on the loose? Is Gabriel just counting on this not being the incident which gets his son killed before he can ship him off to safety? :/

- Ah, we’re back to the strategic wheelie bins so Marinette can get around the school courtyard unseen! That’s a nice callback. And of course, despite Lila doing literally nothing this season until the previous episode, she’s suddenly commanding the class again and Mari can’t get near any of her friends. I sure hope Alya isn’t on Lila’s side any more, now she’s all in with Miraculous business can’t Mari explain what happened with Volpina? :/

- Nice to see Adrien with the guys too! I like that they’ve been pushing that friendship group a little more recently when we get so much of the Girl Squad already. I’m half sad to hear Adrien would be missing Nino’s birthday if this travel plan goes ahead (after all the trouble and property damage Nino went to for HIS birthday! :’0) but between episodes like “Rocketear” and “Penalteam” Nino’s been such an ass to him lately that I don’t know where they stand as best buddies. I’m still frustrated they haven’t addressed that! >:’0

- I will say, there’s no way this storyline will actually end with Adrien and Lila going on a months-long trip, so I’m not taking any of this very seriously. Season 4 has been better at updating the status quo but that’s way too big a change. It’s terrible that I expect them to kill Felix onscreen before sending Adrien off for an unspecified amount of time but here we are. :’)

- I’M GLAD MARINETTE’S NOTICED HOW UNHAPPY ADRIEN LOOKS. I thought she was just going to focus on Lila “stealing him away” or whatever but this is a good use of her infatuation. She’s literally the only classmate paying attention to his feelings right now! I’m more surprised a public photo of Adrien going “:(” hasn’t been analysed more closely but I gotta maintain my suspension of disbelief here. Mari loves him.

- Also, I’ll be really disappointed if this particular shot (shown above) isn’t a rehash of that Season 1 scene where Marinette shuts her locker and Adrien is right behind the door. It’s set up exactly the same way, please, that would be so funny--

- I expect nothing and I’m still disappointed.

- Anyway, Frog Boy chooses this moment to cycle past the school and Marinette’s Risk mark lights up, cementing her urge to confess her love before Adrien leaves FOREVER (or at least long enough to fall in love with Lila)! >:0

Where are this kid’s parents, by the way? They initially let him go because of his akuma power, but if people return to normal when he’s out of hearing range (and still recall what they did in their fits of fearlessness), shouldn’t they be looking for him? Calling the police to report their toddler missing??

- So is this, like... a class fencing lesson? Like the class soccer outing in “Penalteam”? I really wish they’d give these kids some sports kits, I know animation is expensive but they’re never dressed properly.

- Just like the soccer game, Lila fakes a complex and obscure medical condition to get out of this activity; but it backfires when Marinette (who arrives late after angsting in the locker rooms) gets to be Adrien’s partner and their teacher won’t let Lila step back in for safety reasons. Get rekt LOL.

- MARINETTE’S ABOUT TO CONFESS AND ADRIEN GETS NUTTED IN THE FACE WITH A BALL. GUESS THEY’RE NOT FENCING. I don’t know why I didn’t pick up on that when Lila was benched for “ball-ophobia” (there are no balls in fencing! >:0) but that was completely unexpected and SO funny. Is someone trying to get Adrien out of this modeling trip by smashing his face in?!

- IT WAS NINO!! HE’S CELEBRATING HIS STRIKE (I guess this is dodgeball?), ALYA’S LOOKING ON IN HORROR AND I’M CRYING WITH LAUGHTER. I DON’T KNOW IF HE’S BEING A GOOD FRIEND OR A DICK RIGHT NOW.

- Oh yeah, okay, they are playing dodgeball! Adrien gets smashed in the face and goes to the ‘dungeon’ behind the opposing team. Is this a metaphor for the way Gabriel treats him under the impression he’s keeping his son safe? And why is this the second episode in a ROW where nobody will explain team sports to this poor boy? :(

- Also I see Nathaniel didn’t get out of this one. Marc can save him from soccer workshops but not this!

- Alya tags Marinette WAY more gently to send her to the ‘dungeon’ with Adrien! A very generous move. I appreciate that it was just a little bump on the arm while Nino nearly fucking ended Adrien’s modeling career; as Certified Best Friends they’re both doing what needs to be done! :D

- Adrien and Mari have a little talk. It starts out awkward as they don’t know what to say, then gets really awkward when Adrien’s Risk mark flares up and he starts kicking off about how much he hates everything! The photoshoots, dumb ads, his celebrity status and now being expected to just drop everything and go do all this with Lila!! >:0 I REALLY enjoy his speech here; Adrien’s given hints in the past that he doesn’t enjoy the things Gabriel demands from him but this is the first time he’s been so open about it. Yet again the voice acting here is awesome!

- Marinette says she understands how Adrien feels; probably referring to all the pressure of the Miraculous Guardian stuff. Which would be less of a problem if she’d TRUST CHAT NOIR once in a while (or at least build a healthy Alya-Luka support system in the meantime!) but I digress. Adrien seizes the moment and holds her hand! :D

- Lila is getting SO mad. Does she really think she can win Adrien at this point, or are appearances all that matter and she just wants people to think Adrien’s into her via these situations Gabriel engineers? Adrien and Marinette’s emotional exchange continues, and it looks like Mari is about to confess her feelings when LILA BARGES IN AND DRAGS ADRIEN AWAY. SORRY KIDS, NOT TODAY.

- Everyone crowding in to say goodbye to Adrien is so cute! Albeit very frustrating that nobody is reading his emotions properly. His tutor lifting him up in a hug is adorable, between his dead mom and his emotionally constipated father (and Nathalie not being paid enough to actually touch him) have we EVER seen an adult hold Adrien like this?! I think he sees this as Adrien’s chance to escape - implying he’s noticed Adrien is unhappy at home - when tragically it’s the opposite and Gabriel is just locking him down harder! :’(

- So even Chloe is standing by and fine with all this? I know she and Lila got chummy in the previous episode but she wants Adrien too, right? And we’ve seen proof she genuinely cares about him. This would be a great moment for her to ally with Marinette for Adrien’s sake but I guess Chloe doesn’t get to have positive development any more. I’m sure Felix’s interesting character arc will be joining hers in the garbage soon.

- Oh, I see how it is. I should have waited two seconds for Chloe to hip-check Marinette across the street when she was just about to confess (AGAIN). Is she serious about being able to come visit Adrien whenever she wants, is that her agreement with Lila? They’re basically planning to hold Adrien prisoner between them? Jesus Christ.

- Adrien even tries to check on Marinette before he goes! GORILLA, HOW COULD YOU DRAG HIM AWAY. YOU NEVER SPOKE TO HIM BUT ADRIEN ASSUMED YOU WERE HIS FRIEND.

- Alya does come to assist Marinette while she’s lying wasted on the sidewalk, thank goodness. Is this another metaphor for the Rena/Ladybug/Chat triangle? Too bad it’s over Chloe’s nonsense; I want to know if Alya’s suspicious of Lila! >:0

- Marinette calls an emergency meeting with Nino, Rose, Kim and Alya. It’s not lost on me that this is the same group from the opening scene, minus Luka and Kagami who go to different schools. I wonder where Juleka’s got to?

- I enjoy Nino thoughtfully chewing on his juice box while Marinette lays out her wild Veggietales plan. Time is of the essence but she’s already wasted enough to make little cucumber glasses for the “Alya” juice box?? The life of an artist I guess, gotta put in the extra effort. :/

- Okay, I love this whole sequence with the panning camera as Mari explains she’s trying to save Adrien instead of hinder him; it’s an emotional speech (again, great voice acting!) and way more cinematic than the usual static shots!

- And of course the others don’t get it. Nino thinks Adrien deserves to travel (after his dodgeball assault plan failed, I guess); Alya thinks Marinette is overreacting to Lila’s involvement so I guess we know where she stands on this issue; Rose thinks this is Adrien’s dream for some reason; and Kim can’t fathom why anyone WOULDN’T want to be an international model. Again, why isn’t Juleka here? Isn’t it her dream to be a fashion model? She’d have more to say about this than Kim!

- “If (Adrien) didn’t wanna model any more, he woulda told ME! He’s my best bud!” NINO, I DON’T KNOW HOW TO BREAK THIS TO YOU, BUT THERE’S A CHAT-NOIR-SHAPED DENT IN A VAN OUT THERE WHICH IMPLIES YOU GUYS AREN’T REALLY BESTIES THESE DAYS.

- I was gonna say “why isn’t Marinette calling Luka? After Wishmaker he’s clearly the best choice to help Adrien!”, but it’s occurred to me that maybe that’s why Juleka isn’t here. Is the houseboat Mari’s next stop when her classmates won’t help? :0

- OOOH, OKAY! Alya gives a firm no, and in a flash of confidence Mari basically tells the whole table to go screw themselves and leaves to fix this herself! BETTER BE HEADING TO LUKA’S.

- Chaos is erupting all around Marinette as she strides down the street WITHOUT FEAR. This is more what I expected from this akuma! Spontaneous love confessions and other emotional outbursts are embarrassing but not exactly beneficial to Shadow Moth, I want to see Kim catching fifteen different diseases from trying to swim the length of the Seine! >:0

- Back at the Agreste mansion and Adrien is despondent. His final bids for freedom have been struck down, his bags are packed and--

- FELIX?

- MY BOY IS HERE, OH MY GOD. MY SON. I’m sure this is the only moment of genuine joy I’ll get in this entire finale but I adore him on SIGHT. He’s just chilling on top of Adrien’s suitcases, wearing Adrien’s clothes and messing with one of Adrien’s basketballs like a cat with yarn. How did he get in??

- Whichever way he broke in here, and whatever horrible nonsense he’s about to start, I appreciate that they kept his neater hairstyle this time. The “Felix” episode was terrible anyway but even worse since they just used Adrien’s character model for most of it. This time you can actually tell it’s our horrible little boy!

- I am so nervous to go beyond this point, honestly. This is such a nice scene. The music is soft, Felix is framed pleasantly in the afternoon sun, and I could just quit watching here and believe he’s shown up to take this bullet for Adrien because he knows how much it would mean to his cousin. WOULDN’T THAT BE NICE.

- AND IT’S RUINED. The music shifts and Felix leers at Adrien with a menacing “Hi there, my favourite cousin. :)”. WHAT’S ADRIEN DONE TO HIM THIS TIME. DIDN’T THEY MAKE UP? Is Felix the kind of guy who just decides he’s freshly mad about something that happened years ago?!

- LOVE Adrien’s first question being “HOW DID YOU GET IN”, which is basically confirmation Felix isn’t allowed in their house any more. Did the “Gabriel Agreste” episode just not happen? I’d understand these hostile attitudes if this only took place after “Felix”, but how have they instantly started off on the wrong foot?

Maybe it’s like Lilo and Stitch, where Adrien’s prayed for a nice and peaceful solution to his problems and here comes Felix as the most chaotic thing possible. The universe sent “the nicest angel it has” but stocks were low.

- I’m sure this will escalate into something nasty, but for now I adore Felix’s dramatic impression of Adrien as a helpless maiden, and Adrien’s annoyed insistence that that’s NOT how he talks. Felix trying to cause trouble and Adrien gently slapping it down every time is the dynamic I crave between these two. I know I won’t get it but I crave it. :(

- I also like the detail of Felix brushing his hair from neat to messy and back again when imitating Adrien. It makes his impressions funnier and (like I said before) is less of a cop-out than just using Adrien’s character model the whole time.

Adrien tiredly pacing around the room with no time for Felix’s nonsense is great; he’s got more important things going on and doesn’t have the energy to deal with his twin cousin lounging around like a supervillain.

- Also, do you think... are these suitcases a reference to Castle Vanily? Surely not. Felix just gives off that indulgent, catlike energy of sitting atop piles of things (which do not belong to him) like a dragon on gold, and I got there before the series did. Hmm.

- Alright, I KNOW Felix has nefarious intentions by claiming he’s here to “save” his cousin (unless he’s literally incapable of saying anything nice in a non-sinister way, which would be very funny), but I appreciate that he picked up on Adrien being upset from one single press photo on the internet. No one else but Marinette noticed and she’s literally obsessed with Adrien, while Felix has seen him all of twice since they were kids!

- Is it significant that Felix puts so much emphasis on describing Adrien’s “SUPER-cool, SUPER-nice friends”? Hmm.

- Another reference to Felix living in London. I already suspect he won’t be in the London Special (if he even survives this finale) since that’ll likely be a backdoor pilot for the Miss Rose series, but I’m very fond of these little nuggets of info nonetheless. :’)

- “Freedom is something you make, Adrien.” Ooooh, that line gives me shivers! I don’t know if we’ll get any more of Felix’s backstory at this stage but I’m REALLY curious about what’s going on with him. He’s so weird and edgy for a 14 year old, but it sounds like he had a breakdown alone at his dad’s funeral last year so maybe he’s earned that baggage.

- So Felix’s plan is to swap identities with Adrien like they did when they were kids; dressing Adrien up in his clothes so he can chill elsewhere while Felix fights his case and tells Gabriel where to shove it. He implies there may be a “hidden side” of Ol’ Gabe which Adrien hasn’t seen yet. I’m thinking it’s the side which tried to murder Felix in the study last time he visited! :V

- I HIGHLY doubt this is actually to help Adrien. I adore Felix shamelessly but I don’t trust him an inch. Is this a plot to distract Gabriel while Felix gets into the study again, this time undetected?

- Adrien’s Risk mark flares up at just the right (or wrong!) time, and he thinks Felix is on to something! Oh noooo. We’ve seen the kind of carnage that comes with Felix dressed as Adrien, but what about Adrien doing “whatever he wants” dressed as Felix? An untapped market of chaos. Is this all gonna go off the rails and Ladybug will give a Miraculous to the wrong guy?

- THE MESS BEGINS. “Adrien” approaches Gorilla in the courtyard for help carrying his bags, and “Felix” sneaks out the front doors while he’s distracted. This naming will be a little confusing but I’m sure you guys get it.

- Back upstairs, “Adrien” takes a moment to swipe Nathalie’s work tablet under the guise of helping close her suitcase, which she is too weak to do. I’m noticing she has a Risk mark too and I’m sure that’ll be relevant. So this IS a plot for Felix to dig deeper into Gabriel’s business, colour me completely unsurprised!

- Also, does this indicate Nathalie is going on this trip with Adrien? Bedridden Nathalie who needs an Avengers-style exosuit to move around the house?? Nathalie who was on the verge of death at the beginning of this very episode??? GABRIEL.

- Speaking of Ol’ Gabe, he catches “Adrien” at the door and... doesn’t seem to recognise him as Felix. Which is EXTREMELY funny, because at the beginning of this arc he made a huge fuss about the cousins pulling this prank when they were toddlers. “I won’t be fooled a second time!” he said, and has now been fooled a second time.

- Back downstairs, “Adrien” checks the coast is clear before ducking into the Forbidden Study. And he... apparently has a high-tech monocle which can scan the room and locate points of interest?

- No, seriously, what on Earth is this thing. Where did Felix get this? How does a teenager just whip out a piece of Phantom Thief technology, and why did he need it when he already had a hunch something was up with Emilie’s portrait? Is this another Magic Kaitou reference, like his magician tricks from the first episode?

- He has a codebreaking device too, which must be pretty complex if it can crack Gabriel’s top secret safe in a house with a ridiculous level of security. How did he get any of this past boarder control? DOES FELIX’S MOM KNOW WHERE HE IS.

- It’s an x-ray monocle and everything. OKAY, KAITO KUROBA.

- Ah, ALRIGHT. So Felix got the safe open and discovered what look to be the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous(es), but I’m guessing these aren’t the real deals. I think Miraculous lose their camouflage when they’re renounced instead of just removed (like Marinette losing her earrings in the Shanghai Special vs Adrien giving up his ring in “Kuro Neko”), and we saw Uncle Gabe putting the Peacock brooch away at the end of the previous episode while scheming up a “surprise” for Felix’s next visit. THIS IS A TRAP.

- Either that or the Peacock Miraculous is still damaged and will just outright kill him. I can’t believe how expectant I am that Felix is going to die; I just feel like if they’ll do it to Sentibug they’ll do it to him. :/

- So Felix takes the Miraculous(es), and manages to reset the whole system including security cameras exactly the way he found it. Even if this kid is evil you’ve got to respect how capable he is compared to literally every other character in this show. But his Phantom Thief monocle picked up more of Gabe’s fingerprints on the painting; is he going to figure out how to get to the butterfly lair or Emilie’s capsule? Are we finally going to see how that whole system works?! I’M LOSING IT.

- UH OH, HE WENT DOWN THE TUBE BUT LEFT HIS BAG BEHIND. Guess you can’t plan for everything. Felix was ready for a heist, not his uncle’s fucked-up carnival funhouse slides!

Yet again I wish this wasn’t all done using Adrien’s character model, but at least there’s a better setup for it this time.

- Upstairs, Gabriel takes off his wedding ring while talking about this being his “riskiest plan yet”. What does that mean, dude.

- OH SHIT, FELIX FOUND EMILIE’S CAPSULE. I guess this is my moment of truth about his characterisation this episode; he seemed really fond of his aunt (or at least her portrait) in “Gabriel Agreste” so will he give a shit or are we playing by “Miracle Queen” rules? I really have no idea if Gabe intended this to happen or not, what on Earth is the fallout going to be?!

- HE JUST TURNED TAIL AND RAN. IT GOT TOO REAL TOO FAST. Like I’m sorry, I know this was a really tense moment and huge for all characters involved, but I love this whole spy movie setup leading to Felix just BOLTING at the sight of his dead aunt in his uncle’s basement. HE FIGURED OUT GABE WAS SHADOW MOTH AND STILL DUG DEEPER, BUT THE FRIDGE WITH EMILIE’S CORPSE IN IT WAS THE LINE. GOOD LUCK ADRIEN, YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN.

- Back upstairs, Gabriel puts his wedding band on Nathalie’s ring finger as a memento “in case something goes wrong”. Buddy, this is on the line with Ladybug kissing Chat Noir on the cheek earlier, you can’t maintain that platonic boundary you’ve been complaining about for this whole arc?! PUT IT ON LITERALLY ANY OTHER FINGER, GOOD LORD.

- “I’m trusting you with my wife’s ring. And my son.” WORST PROPOSAL EVER. At least Adrien won’t take much work; just leaving him alone will be better than the nonsense Gabe’s been pulling with him for the whole series. Except “Adrien” is currently Felix and having a heart attack in the study. Uncle Gabe warned you not to dig any deeper, honey, it’s your own fault!!!

- FELIX DITCHES THE MONOCLE AND KICKS IT SOMEWHERE DISCREET IN THE STUDY. IT’S SHOWN HIM TOO MUCH. I’d say “why wouldn’t he just put it back in his bag where he got it from, which he’s currently holding?” but 1) I refuse to put the burden of common sense on my special boy; and 2) the kid just saw a corpse which looks exactly like his mom. He’s handling this pretty well all things considered.

- I CAN’T HANDLE HOW GABRIEL BURSTS INTO THE STUDY AND FELIX INSTANTLY SAVES HIS ASS BY SNAPPING BACK TO THE “PRETEND TO BE ADRIEN AND TELL UNCLE HE DOESN’T WANT TO GO ON THE TRIP” PLAN. LIKE THAT HORROR SHOW DOWNSTAIRS DIDN’T HAPPEN. I don’t know if this is equal to or better than his immaculate “Oh I just wanted to get to know you, Uncle! :3″ save from the previous episode; this boy’s core talent is recovering from heart attacks in record time! >:0

- Okay, THIS is interesting. Gabriel tries to tell “Adrien” he won’t stand for this rebellion, but falters at the look in “Adrien’s” eyes and itches at the place his wedding ring should be - a habit we last saw in (I think) “Megaleech” when he banished the real Adrien upstairs for being defiant. Nathalie glances at Gabriel, adjusts her glasses with the ring visible on her hand, and tells “Adrien” it’s “time to go”. And “Adrien” just flinches wide-eyed and agrees?! BUT THIS IS FELIX.

OKAY. SIDEBAR. I HAVE THREE THEORIES HERE.

The first (and weakest) is that Felix is just obeying in order to get everyone out of the study, because every second they linger in here increases the risk of his Spy Kids mission being discovered - especially since he’s taken things from the safe and his Phantom Thief monocle is lying on the floor in easy sight. He got what he needed here and Adrien can fend for himself.

The second (and strongest) is that this is about the family rings again - now Felix knows Emilie is here he also knows there’s a second ring to be had, so he needs to stick close to Nathalie and the best way is by taking over this trip Adrien’s supposed to be going on, especially if Gabriel isn’t going to be there.

The third, returning to the Sentimonster theory, is that the ring actually did something to Felix. Maybe Gabriel just fidgets with it as comfort when he has to make tough calls with Adrien, but maybe it really does affect the fight Adrien has in him and forces him to be obedient, and if that’s the case then it might affect Felix too. I’m drawn back to “freedom is something you make” and how much trouble Felix went through to get hold of the first ring when Adrien has never touched this one. HMM.

- Full disclosure, it was very late so I went to bed after that scene. Couldn’t take any more excitement. Now I’m back for the last five minutes and HI MARINETTE, I NEARLY FORGOT ABOUT YOU. I really appreciate this arc being Agreste-centric; I’ve talked about it before but it’s refreshing for Mari to take a spectator position instead of getting crowbarred into the Adrien/Gabriel/Felix nonsense.

- ANYWAY. Marinette is back and with less than half an hour to save Adrien! We’re returning to the fairytale analogy from “Gabriel Agreste” and Mari’s taken two and a half hours to figure out that Adrien needs to be rescued by a knight, whatever that means. She’s also kept copies of those illustrations Nathaniel drew which is a cute bit of continuity.

- My brain wandered away from me for a second, and when Marinette says “The knight will be LLLLL--” I REALLY THOUGHT SHE WAS GONNA SAY LUKA, LIKE SHE GOT HIM IN ON THIS SOMEHOW. But nope, just Ladybug. There goes my OT3 dream. :( Her reasoning is “Nobody listens to Marinette, but EVERYONE listens to Ladybug!” which is actually very true, especially when Lila is around. If she’s willing to use Ladybug for environmental activism she can save Adrien too!

- Tikki starts the “you mustn’t use your powers to solve personal problems!” lecture, but I’m not taking any moral guidance from the Galette cake monster. Mari should totally do this. At any rate her Risk mark flares up again; she vetoes all Kwami concerns and forces Tikki to transform her! I’m sure this can only end well.

- Now we’re with Adrien, sitting on a park bench dressed as Felix. At least I get to see Felix’s character model in SOME form today. It’s like a glimpse into some alternate universe where Felix remained the deuteragonist instead of... whatever this is now. Sigh.

- Plagg is excited about Adrien’s newfound freedom, though he was VERY critical of Felix in the first part of this arc so it’s interesting he doesn’t suspect any mischief here. Though maybe Felix was serious about getting Adrien out of this mess; like yeah it’s an excuse to go raid his uncle’s stuff again but no harm no foul? I do believe he likes his cousin. Hmm.

- Adrien doesn’t want to risk taking advantage of this freedom (or isn’t in the right headspace to do anything except sit nervously) because he’s just waiting for Felix to call him. Kagami calls first and starts RAGING down the phone about not saying no to his dad. I guess this makes three people who noticed Adrien was unhappy about this situation! She asks how long he’s going to stay Gabriel’s “puppet”, and yet again I’m nervous about that choice of words. Is Felix okay right now?

- Uh oh, Kagami brought up their relationship. I don’t condone what happened there (and still think it’s a sign of Adrien having issues expressing platonic affection) but can Adrien get a break today? Everyone’s dunking on him. Though I think Kagami’s realised how unhealthy it was; she points out how between herself, Gabriel and Felix (and Ladybug) there’s always someone telling Adrien what to do. I’m getting increasingly concerned about this Sentimonster thing.

- Kagami yells some more, apologises for the harsh truths and hangs up, and Plagg just goes “wooooooow”. ME TOO BUDDY. KAGAMI IS GREAT.

- Adrien’s Risk mark flares up and he thinks Kagami is right, he should have stood up to his father a LONG time ago!! He texts Felix to stop the plan because he’s coming to confront Gabriel his damn SELF. All well and good but IS FELIX OKAY THOUGH.

- Felix (still dressed as Adrien) receives the text, reads it with narrowed eyes, then deletes it and gets into the car. Oh man.

- Both Adrien (in Felix’s clothes) and Ladybug see the car leaving. Adrien says “I should have known, he tricked me again!”, but like-- to what end? The car is heading to the station for an international trip Adrien doesn’t want to go on, right? Does he just assume Felix is tricking him even if he can’t figure out why this is bad? What is the plan here. He dashes off home with the intent of talking to Gabriel.

- Ladybug arrives at the station and sees “Adrien” and Lila about to board the train. Her Risk mark flares up and gives her the confidence to JUMP DOWN THERE IN FULL COSTUME AND TELL ADRIEN SHE “NEEDS” HIM. GIRL. IS SHE GOING TO SAVE FACE BY MAKING THIS A MIRACULOUS THING??

- Oh no, okay, she saved face with “Adrien Agreste is a national treasure and if he leaves Paris everyone will get akumatized from grief, so TURN AROUND RIGHT NOW AND TELL GABRIEL AGRESTE WHERE TO SHOVE IT”. Which is fair actually. “Adrien” says he doesn’t have the confidence because, unlike Ladybug, he’s “not a superhero”. This is like the third time Felix has used the word “super” today; is he actively gunning for a Miraculous after all?

- “ADRIEN” GETS ON THE TRAIN AND IT LEAVES. LADYBUG COLLAPSES IN GRIEF. DUDE WHAT IS GOING ON. I guess Felix doesn’t have to pay for his own ticket back home to London but I have no clue how to read his character right now; girl HELP--

- THE REAL ADRIEN BUSTS INTO THE MANSION. Does he have a door and gate key? I get the impression he’s not allowed to come and go as he pleases. Maybe Gabriel just didn’t lock up after all the capable household staff left. What does he MEAN he left the front door open for three days after Nathalie went on this trip, YES you have to close it yourself--!!

- Back on the train. Lila and “Adrien” take their seats. “Adrien” overhears Nathalie calling Gabriel to report his son is safe (lol no he isn’t).

- Gabriel answers his phone FROM THE TOP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER, WHERE HE TRANSFORMS INTO SHADOW MOTH IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, READY TO CAUSE WIDESPREAD CHAOS WITH A SENTIMONSTER.

- This is all very unnerving, but what I’m getting is that GABRIEL DEFINITELY DID NOT LOCK UP HIS HOUSE. THE REAL ADRIEN JUST WALKED IN THERE OFF THE STREET. If Felix had waited like 3 hours he could have wandered in and explored the place totally uninterrupted, but I guess hindsight is 20/20 (and maybe he’s more interested in the ring?). :/

- Shadow Moth creates Ultron. Between this and Nathalie’s Avengers exosuit he’s definitely been watching too many of his son’s movies.

- Ultron (or “Strikeback”, I guess?) begins stomping through the streets; and fearless Parisians start approaching/waving at/trying to take selfies with it. Which is honestly par for the course and I’m surprised the superheroes are only dealing with this NOW; if the influx of akuma haven’t destroyed the tourist economy they’ve just boosted it!

- Marinette has returned to the station roof and detransformed to lament about Adrien. Tikki tries to comfort her by describing Adrien simply going on a “voyage”, but Mari’s Risk mark flares up at the key word. IS SHE GONNA USE THE HORSE MIRACULOUS ON THE STARTRAIN AGAIN. “No magic portals” is the kind of sign you’d see in the train carriage and wonder what happened more than once to make it necessary.

- TIKKI IS NOT ON BOARD BUT MARINETTE IS THE CONDUCTOR OF THIS TRAIN. She didn’t even feed Tikki before re-transforming; I guess there’s no need to replenish her energy if she didn’t use Lucky Charm but isn’t it polite to provide a snack?!

- Back at the Agreste mansion, Adrien ventures into the study. Is he gonna find Felix’s Phantom Thief monocle and use it to discover Gabriel’s secrets too??

- Oooh YES. His Risk mark flares up at just the right time to deter him from stepping back out of the room and he spots the monocle; but the sound of Ultron stomping through the city distracts him!

AND THEN THE EPISODE ABRUPTLY ENDS. SHEESH, OKAY, BYE.

---

ALRIGHT, SO. GOODNESS. MY THOUGHTS SO FAR.

Realistically I know the “Adrien leaves Paris forever on an international photoshoot with Lila” thing isn’t going to happen, so I’m not too engaged with that (and only focused on it so much because I was nervous about whatever mess was about to happen with Felix, lmao); but as usual the Felix stuff is very interesting. I assume he’s going to do something horrible in the next episode which is why everyone’s been ominously telling me to “have fun :)”.

HOWEVER. This ring stuff. You guys know I wasn't totally buying the Sentimonster theory back in my "Gabriel Agreste" episode review, but with Felix's submissive reaction to Nathalie - especially right after challenging Gabriel for Adrien's freedom, and Gabriel's fumbling response as he went for a ring which wasn't there - I'm VERY suspicious of what's going on.

At this stage, I think Felix really DID intend to help Adrien out (as a fair trade for being able to get into Uncle Gabe's office again), but he wasn't prepared for how much he'd discover, AND the family ring had some kind of effect which led to him obeying Nathalie and deleting Adrien's text. Is it just because he wants to steal the ring for keepsies, like before, or does it have some other connection more deeply related to Adrien being Gabriel's "puppet"? Is this related to the "surprise" Gabriel planned for Felix's next visit which I'm sure involves the decoy Miraculous items? And where is Amilie in all this??

Can’t wait to see what happens in the next episode (which I’m planning to post a second review of sometime soon), I’m sure I’ll hate it! :D

#i cannot express how much of a nightmare the tumblr post editor is. apologies if this posts all messed up because idk WHAT it'll do next #anyway ENJOY WHATEVER THIS IS. a month late but i know you guys love me :V #josie talks about things #felix graham de vanily #felix agreste #miraculous ladybug

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translations-by-aiimee · 3 years

Text

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Chapter 25

Original Title: 二哈和他的白猫师尊

Genres: Drama, Romance, Tragedy, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 25 - This Venerable One Hates Him So Much!

Chu Wanning couldn't force a "go away" to leave his throat. There was a long sombre pause before he changed his answer to: "Come in."

"Huh? Your door isn't locked?" They had been giving each other the silent treatment all day. But now, Mo Ran had the intention of reconciling with him, so he pushed open the door as he spoke like nothing had ever happened. Chu Wanning, on the other hand, sat expressionlessly at the table. He raised his eyes and glanced at him faintly.

In all fairness, Mo Ran was incredibly beautiful, and the whole room seemed to brighten as soon as he walked in the door. He was indeed very young. His skin was tight and seemed to exude a faint glow. The corners of his mouth were naturally slightly curled, and he seemed to be smiling even when he wasn't showing any emotion.

Chu Wanning didn't move his eyes off of Mo Ran. His slender eyelashes drooped and raised his hand to pinch out the incense burning on the table. He coldly asked:

"What are you doing here?"

"I came. . . to check your injury." Mo Ran awkwardly coughed. His eyes fell on Chu Wanning's shoulder and he froze. "You dressed it already?"

Chu Wanning faintly said: "Yes."

Mo Ran didn't know what to say: ". . ."

He really hated Chu Wanning, and he was furious that Chu Wanning had hurt Shi Mei. But, after calming down, Mo Ran wasn't completely without a conscience. Yeah, he hated him, but he didn't forget that Chu Wanning's shoulder was injured.

In the claustrophobic coffin, Chu Wanning had tightly guarded him in his arms, blocking the Master of Ceremonies Ghost's claws with his own body. His body had trembled in pain but he didn't let go. . .

To Chu Wanning, Mo Ran was disgusting.

But in addition to disgust, some very complicated emotions were always mixed in with it for some reason.

He was a rude person. He didn't read books when he was a child. Although he obtained some literary knowledge later, he still couldn't grasp many concepts easily when it came to many delicate things, especially when it came to feelings.

For example, when it came to Chu Wanning, Mo Ran rubbed his head and pondered. The back of his head was going to go bald, but he still couldn't figure out what this feeling was.

He can only identify certain kinds of feelings: love, hate, detest, happiness and unhappiness.

If all these emotions were mixed together, the wise and powerful cultivation emperor would get crossed-eyed and really dizzy.

He didn't understand. He couldn't understand. He didn't know. Help, my head hurts.

So Mo Ran didn't bother to dwell on it. Besides, he didn't have time to focus on any details other than Shi Mei.

He didn't hold good feelings for Chu Wanning in his heart, and while secretly plotting when he might have an opportunity in the future, he would make him pay with double the ferocity. On the other hand, he felt guilty. After an internal battle with himself, he finally knocked on Chu Wanning's door.

He didn't want to owe Chu Wanning.

But Chu Wanning was more stubborn and ruthless than he thought.

Mo Ran stared at the pile of blood-stained cotton gauze on the table, the bowl of hot water stained red with blood, and the sharp knife that was thrown haphazardly thrown aside. The tip of the knife was still coated with flesh and blood. His head was spinning.

How did he manage to heal himself?

Had he really cut off the festering flesh without so much as blinking? Just imagining it sent a chill down his spine. Was this guy even human?

He thought about when he had cleaned up Shi Mei's wound. Shi Mei had groaned softly in pain with tears in the corners of his eyes. Even though Mo Ran didn’t like Chu Wanning, he couldn’t help but silently give him credit——

Elder Yuheng was truly a domineering and righteous man, no arguments there.

After standing in place for a while, Mo Ran was the first to break the silence. He coughed, tapping his toes against the floor, and awkwardly said: "What happened in the Chen house. . . Shizun, I'm sorry."

Chu Wanning didn't say anything.

Mo Ran stole a glance at him: "I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Chu Wanning still ignored him. His face was still. As always, he had no reaction, but that didn't mean he wasn't aggravated and just not saying anything.

Mo Ran walked over. When he got closer, he saw the mess of bandages on Chu Wanning's shoulder. The cotton gauze was tied in several different ways. It looked like a group of crabs that were stuck together.

". . ."

Also, for a person who doesn't know how to wash his own clothes, can he really be trusted to treat himself?

Mo Ran sighed: "Shizun, don't be angry."

"Do I look angry?" Chu Wanning angrily responded.

Mo Ran: ". ."

After a long pause.

"Shizun, that's not how you wrap a bandage. . ."

He retorted unceremoniously: "You want you to teach me?"

Mo Ran: ". . ."

He raised his hand. He wanted to help Chu Wanning untie the gauze and wrap it again, but he was observant and felt that if he dared to touch him, he might end up with a lashing, so he hesitated.

He raised his hand then lowered it, and then raised it again, repeating the action several times. Chu Wanning was getting annoyed. He squinted at him: "What are you doing? Do you still want to fight me?"

". . ." He really wanted to fight him, but now wasn't a good time.

Mo Ran smiled sheepishly. Throwing caution to the wind, he suddenly reached over and grabbed his shoulders, dimples appearing at the corners of his mouth: "Shizun, let me help you re-bandage it."

Chu Wanning wanted to refuse, but Mo Ran's warm fingers had already wrapped around the bandage. His mouth felt dry and stiff. He couldn't speak, so his lips moved slightly but nothing came out.

The gauze was peeled off layer by layer. Blood had soaked through it, and when it was all torn back, the five holes were piercingly obvious and hideous.

Just looking at it, he shuddered. It was many times more serious than the would on Shi Mei's face.

Mo Ran didn't know what he was looking at. He was stunned, then suddenly asked softly: "Does it hurt?"

Chu Wanning lowered his long and slender eyelashes, and simply said lightly: "It's fine."

Mo Ran said: "I'll be gentle."

Chu Wanning didn't know what he was thinking, and suddenly his ear flushed a little red. As a result, he got angry with himself again. He thought he was going crazy. All day he had been thinking up such nonsensical thoughts. His expression grew stiff. His temper worsened, and he said dryly, "It's up to you."

The candlelight in the guest room flickered. In the dim light, he could see that he had completely missed some spots with the ointment. Mo Ran was honestly speechless. He thought it was a miracle that Chu Wanning was still alive and healthy today.

"Shizun."

"Hmm?"

"What happened to you today at the Chen house? Why did you suddenly lash out and hit someone?" He asked while applying some ointment.

Chu Wanning was silent for a while, then replied: "I was angry."

Mo Ran asked: "Why were you so angry?"

Chu Wanning didn't want to trouble his disciple, so he told Mo Ran a brief and concise version of Luo Xianxian's story. After Mo Ran listened to the story, he shook his head: "You're stupid. In this kind of situation, even if you're angry, you shouldn't confront them about it to their face. If it were me, I would've made a mess of things and lie to them that the ghost had been removed, and then pat their asses and leave, letting them fend for themselves. Just look at you making a scene over such a rotten man. You knew you probably wouldn't get through to him, and then you missed and wounded Shi Mei--"

Halfway through the sentence, Mo Ran abruptly stopped. He stared silently at Chu Wanning.

He tied the bandage carefully. He was a little forgetful and he was talking to Chu Wanning like he had when he was 32, pretty cheekily.

Chu Wanning obviously noticed. He squinted his eyes, looking coldly at Mo Ran. That look resembled a very familiar phrase - "See if I don't whip you to death."

"Uh. . ."

Before his brain had thought up a response, Chu Wanning has already begun speaking.

He said indifferently: "Is Shi Mingjing the one I wanted to fight?"

When Shi Mei was mentioned, Mo Ran's originally calm mental state started to shift and his tone hardened: "Isn't he the person you hit?"

Chu Wanning did regret hitting him, but he couldn't admit it. At this moment, his face was sullen and he didn't say a word.

Chu Wanning was the stubborn type. Mo Ran was the lovesick type. Their eyes meet and sparks crackled. The atmosphere that had just eased a little became hopelessly stagnant again.

Mo Ran said: "Shi Mei didn't do anything wrong. Shizun, you hurt him by accident. Don't you want to say that you're sorry?"

Chu Wanning narrowed his eyes dangerously: "Are you questioning me?"

". . . I'm not." Mo Ran paused. "I just feel bad that he got hurt but never got an apology from Shizun."

Under the candlelight, the handsome and youthful teenager finished wrapping the last bandage on Chu Wanning's wound and carefully tied a knot. It may have looked like the scene was quite warm, but the mood between them had changed. Especially Chu Wanning; his chest felt like a jar of vinegar had exploded in it. The feeling of sourness was overwhelming and he felt angry and annoyed.

Apologize?

How do you even spell that word? Who'll teach him how to write?

Mo Ran said: "It'll take half a year for the wound on his face to heal. When I gave him some medicine just now, he still told me not to blame you. Shizun, he doesn't blame you, but do you think that justifies what you did?"

This sentence was tantamount to adding fuel to the fire.

Chu Wanning had been enduring it but he finally couldn't hold it back. He suppressed his voice and muttered: "Get out."

Mo Ran: ". . ."

Chu Wanning exploded: "Get out!"

Mo Ran was forced out and the door slammed shut in his face, almost clamping his fingers. Mo Ran was furious. Just look at this! What kind of person was this? All this just to avoid apologizing? Such cherished and treasured pride. What was so difficult about saying sorry? All he needs to do is move his mouth. This Venerable One was the Emperor TaXian, yet this Venerable One didn't hesitate to apologize to others. As for the Beidou Immortal, half of his words were inexplicable, as if he had swallowed them. What a ridiculous temper!

No wonder no one cared about such a handsome face!

It was a waste of time. He deserved to stay single for the rest of his life!

Since Chu Wanning would rather ignore him and give him a closed-door to talk to, then of course the high and mighty cultivation emperor, the emperor of the human world, wouldn't lose any sleep over this. Although he was tenacious and as hard to get rid of as a piece of sticky candy, he stuck to Shi Mei, not his shizun.

He immediately left without a care and went to join Shi Mei.

"Why are you back so soon?" Shi Mei was in the midst of lying down to rest when he saw Mo Yan come in. He froze and sat up, long strands of ink hair hanging all over the place. "How's Shizun?"

"Very good. His temper is as strong as usual."

Shi Mei: ". . ."

Mo Ran brought over a chair and sat on it backwards. His hand rested on the back of the Taishi chair, a lazy smile hanging on the corner of his mouth. His gaze flicked across the appearance of Shi Mei's soft and long hair.

Shi Mei said: "Why don't I go and see him. . ."

"Don't think too much about it." Mo Ran rolled his eyes. "He's terrible."

"Did you make him angry again?"

"He needs someone to provoke him? He makes himself angry. I think he's made of wood considering he's so flammable."

Shi Mei shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Mo Ran said: "Get some rest. I'll borrow the kitchen downstairs and make you some food."

Shi Mei said: "What's the fuss? You haven't closed your eyes all night. Aren't you going to sleep?"

"Haha, I am in good spirits." Mo Ran laughed. "But if you can't bear me leaving, I can stay with you for a while until you fall asleep."

Shi Mei hurriedly waved his hand and said warmly: "No, if you have to look at me like this, I won't be able to sleep either. You should go to bed early. Don't exhaust yourself."

The curvature in the corners of his mouth stiffened slightly. Mo Ran was a little sad.

Although Shi Mei treated him kindly, he always maintained such a distant attitude. It was the attitude of someone who was obviously close at hand, but as the moon in the mirror and the flower in the water, he could be seen but not obtained.

". . . Okay." In the end, he just tried to cheer up and laughed. Mo Ran's smile was very bright. When he wasn't completely evil, he was actually pretty silly and cute. "Call me if you need anything. I'm either right next door or downstairs."

"Okay."

Mo Ran raised his hand, wanting to touch his hair, but he held back. He spun his hand around in the air and scratched his head.

"I'm leaving."

Outside of the room, Mo Ran couldn't help but sneeze.

He sniffed.

Because Caidie Town produced incense, the price of all the different kinds of incense wasn't as expensive, so the inn wasn't stingy with it. Each room was lit with a long branch of special incense; one can ward off evil spirits, another can dehumidify, the last one can give the room a nice fragrance.

But as soon as Mo Ran smelled the incense, it made him uncomfortable. But if Shi Mei liked it, he would endure it.

Coming downstairs, Mo Yan wandered over to the innkeeper, slipped him a silver ingot. He squinted his eyes and said with a smile: "Innkeeper, do me a favour."

The innkeeper looked at the silver ingot and smiled more politely at Mo Ran: "What is this immortal gentleman's request?"

Mo Ran said: "I see that not many people come here to eat breakfast. I wanted to discuss that with you. I want to use the kitchen this morning. Please let the other guests know."

How much money would breakfast make him? It would probably be impossible to earn a silver ingot in half a month. The innkeeper immediately smiled and agreed, leading the swaggering Mo Weiyu into the kitchen of the inn.

"You want to cook by yourself? It's better to let the chef in our inn do it. He's very talented."

"No need." Mo Ran smiled. "Have you heard of the Jade Wine Building in Xiangtan?"

"Ah. . . Is that the famous music performance building that started getting popular more than a year ago?"

Mo Ran: "Yeah."

The boss took a peek outside and confirmed that his wife was busy and couldn't overhear. He snickered and said, "Who hasn't heard of it? It's the most famous restaurant on the Xiangjiang River. It used to have a lead musician there. It’s a pity it's so far away, otherwise, I'd want to listen to her play a song."

Mo Ran laughed: "Thank you for the compliment. I'll pass it onto her."

"Pass it on?" The innkeeper was puzzled. "Do you know her?"

Mo Ran said: "More than just know."

"Wow. . .You don't say? But you cultivators can be. . . well. . ."

Mo Ran interrupted him with a smile: "Other than the lead musician, do you know anything else?"

"Hmm. . . Their food was said to be a must."

The corners of Mo Ran's mouth curled higher and he smiled brighter. He skillfully picked up the kitchen knife and said: "Before I took up cultivation, I was a cook in the kitchen in the Jade Wine Building for several years. You said that your chefs make delicious dishes. Whose is better, theirs or mine?"

The innkeeper was even more shocked, and stammered out: "You're really. . . really. . ."

He couldn't get the words out.

Mo Ran gazed at him with narrowed eyes. His smile was barely holding back his smug and cocky demeanour: "You can leave. This chef is going to cook something."

The innkeeper didn’t know that he was talking to the former Lord of Darkness, and he put on a cheeky expression: “I've heard a lot about Jade Wine House's exquisite desserts. I wonder if you would let me have a bite once they're ready?"

He didn't think this was too high of a request. Mo Ran would definitely agree.

Who would've expected Mo Ran to squint his eyes and say with a smirk: "You want some?"

"Hmph!"

"Really?" Mo Ran snorted. He was bursting with pride. He scoffed: "You think I would cook for just anyone? This Venerable One is doing this just for Shi Mei. If not for him, I wouldn't even be lighting a fire to cook. . ."

He flipped a radish over and started to slice it, muttering.

". . ." The innkeeper slumped defeatedly. He rubbed his hands and stood there awkwardly. He halfheartedly chuckled at him then left.

He was also muttering to himself.

This Venerable One? For someone this young, his spiritual core hasn't even fully formed yet. He thought about his chatter and how he was probably referring to his elder sister disciple, but there was no female cultivator among the group who walked with him today.

The innkeeper rolled his eyes.

This person must be deluded.

Mo Ran stayed busy in the kitchen for several hours. It was almost noon when the work was finished, and he rushed upstairs to wake Shi Mei up.

When passing by Chu Wanning's room, he slowly came to a stop.

Should he ask if he wanted to eat together. . .

Thinking of Chu Wanning's harsh temperament, Mo Ran's heart skipped a beat, his face full of contempt.

No, no, no. He only had a few portions. There wasn't enough to share with him!

#2ha novel #2ha translation #2ha #the husky and his white cat shizun translation #the husky and his white cat shizun #english translation #chinese bl #chinese novel #bl novel #yaoi novel #yaoi #danmei novel #danmei #chu wanning #mo ran #ranwan

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mcheang · 4 years

Note

How about one where Marinette gives up on her class, deciding to get holders from other classes

So she decides to give Aurore the Fox, prompting Lila to lie about the fox.

Next akuma is a mind control akuma, and oh no! Aurore is one of the controlled! Well, she was gonna give the turtle to Mireille but maybe she can be the Fox just this once

And then the Akuma after that, Fox Aurore and Turtle Mireille

Basically lots of quick and random akuma attacks make it hard for Lila to keep up her lies

Switch

A Pre-Miracle Queen outline that my mind drove me to

Marinette decides that having her hero allies be classmates under Lila’s spell is a bad idea.

Good thing she is on the class president committee and knows the other class presidents are smart enough to see through Lila’s lies (basically they weren’t pleased with Lila’s flaky absences from class participation. And also because the weather girls know their fair share of celebrities)

First replacement: Aurore as Vixen

The battle was a success but Chat questioned why Rena was replaced.

Ladybug: she can’t tell truth from lies. A bad trait for any hero, let alone one wielding the kwami of illusion

Alya was heartbroken but couldn’t catch Ladybug in time to interview her.

While writing her post on Vixen, Alya asked Lila if she knew what Rena’s flaw was.

Lila: oh that’s easy. Rena and Carapace are so a couple but that just hinders them in a fight. Their first priorities were on each other, not Hawkmoth.

Alya: oh...

So this was about the Scarlet Moth incident. Oh no, then Nino is being replaced too?

Second replacement: Mireille as Kit (she knows she is a substitute so she wanted her name to show she wasn’t a real hero yet)

Aurore had been hit by an akuma, luckily her vice class président had escaped.

Kit’s appearance had Alya confused.

Lila: oh, that’s because Vixen was pregnant. Shocker, I know. Even Ladybug was speechless. But obviously she can’t be a hero in her condition.

Except then why did Vixen return alongside the new heroine, Emerald Shell?

Lila: the pregnancy test results were a dud

Nino was already warned by Alya. While not happy, he was remarkably chill about the new girl.

Honeybee makes her appearance

Lila: ok, how are you surprised Chloé was replaced?

Chloé threw a major tantrum.

Equestria replaces Pegasus

Lila: Ladybug is promoting female power

Max: that doesn’t sound right. She’s unbalancing her team genders.

Not to mention, Max figured he would have been told about why he was being replaced if that was the case. Or maybe he was a one-time hero? Except Party Crasher refuted that theory.

Tarzan replaces Monkey King

Lila: that’s Ladybug’s crush.

Everyone knows that Ladybug prefers to be professional rather than mix personal with business (Aspik was a mistake) so this raised more than a few eyebrows.

Maybe it was that LadyNoir was possibly sunken with that lie, but Alya was determined to ask Ladybug herself.

The heroine had been avoiding her for a while now, leaving her blog posts to have only Lila’s statement for evidence.

It shouldn’t be too hard, except now the Teachers were serious about keeping students safe. Meaning they were anticipating Alya to run to the fight and were determined to stop her.

And apparently Lila didn’t want to call in any favours with Ladybug for an interview because friendships aren’t about favors.

Hence, Alya kept lurking around the park, waiting for the inevitable return of Mr Pigeon.

As has become tradition, after Mr Pigeon is defeated, Mr Ramier treats the heroes to ice cream and they sit down for a while.

But this time, Alya interrupted their peaceful snack.

Alya: Ladybug, Chat Noir, would you please grant me an interview

Ladybug stood up, “Sorry, Alya. But I barely have a minute left. Thanks for the ice cream, Mr Ramier. Bug out!”

Chat had just gobbled his in two bites when Alya called out again, desperation leaking out of her. “Just one question!”

Ladybug stilled, but finally turned around. Her eyes were cold sapphires. “One. I don’t have time right now.”

Be quick about it.

Alya gulped. There were so many questions she wanted to ask about the new heroes, why they were chosen. But if she had to choose one question, Alya blurted out without thinking. “Are you really Lila’s best friend?”

That was her question? Alya wanted to smack herself. That was old news. She should have asked why Ladybug took so long to replace Queen Bee.

“No.”

Alya stared at Ladybug, having lost her focus in her self-reproach.

“What?”

But Ladybug had already zipped away.

Chat coughed. “Lovely to see you again, Alya. Have a good day, Mr Ramier.” And he quickly made his escape too.

Mr Ramier looked at the Ladyblogger with pity. “Do you want some ice cream?”

Alya burst into tears. She had paid for Lila’s ice cream. Because of her tonsil surgery. But that was a lie, wasn’t it? Lila had been lying all this time.

At the moment, Alya could care less about why the old heroes were replaced. That was their affair. But now she understood why she had been replaced. Not because of her relationship with Nino, but because she believed lies about Ladybug without even checking with her. What a gullible fool she had been.

As Mr Ramier tried his best to cheer her up, and keep a sharp eye out for akumas, the tale came out. How she had ruined her credibility and blindly believed a liar despite her own best friend warning her.

Mr Ramier: why didn’t you believe Marinette?

Alya: because I thought she was jealous of Lila. They like the same boy.

Mr Ramier frowned. “Is Marinette the kind of girl to hate a supposedly sweet girl just because they share a crush?”

Alya paused. True, Marinette had issues with Chloé and Kagami because of their personalities but Aurore also had a crush on Adrien and the girls got along fine.

Alya: no, she isn’t. What kind of a friend, am I?

Mr Ramier: a human friend. Miss Cesaire, if I may give you some advice, you made mistakes yes. Everyone does. What matters is what you choose to do afterwards. And to do better next time.

Alya: so...I should apologize?

Mr Ramier nodded patiently. “Yes. To your friend, to Ladybug, and if I may say so, to your followers.”

Alya: what should I do about Lila?

Mr Ramier: what do you think you should do?

Alya bit her lip. “I’ll expose her. But not as badly as I would like, because she’ll just end up as an akuma.”

Mr Ramier nodded and stood, his pigeons flying off. “I wish you luck, Miss Cesaire.”

That night, Alya finally did her ground research on Lila. Needless to say, she was horrified at what she had learned.

The next morning, everyone was whispering about the newest post on the Ladyblog. “The truth about Lila Rossi.”

Not only did it feature Ladybug’s statement and Alya’s apologies, but there were links to warnings about Lila from her old classmates.

Lila was absent, hiding from the disgust of the school, but also facing an angry mother. Alya was persistent in getting Mrs Rossi’s attention. It took a while to convince the ignoramus that she was not an akuma and yes, her daughter is a lying bully.

Alya gave Mrs Rossi a heads up because with Lila now exposed, questions about her leave of absence will be raised. Oh, and she needed to keep an eye out for akumas.

Hawkmoth certainly would have loved to target Lila, but Alya was on lookout. She caught the akuma in a butterfly net launcher 10 minutes before the school bell rang. Now she just needs to deliver this to Ladybug. Though maybe they should just hold on to it. I mean if Hawkmoth can’t create more than one akuma, maybe purifying this one was a bad idea.

Ladybug agreed to wait until Lila was dealt with. She commended Alya for finally opening her eyes. But sadly Rena won’t be returning.

Alya accepted that. She wasn’t ready. It would take time, but she would recover.

The butterfly was kept under guard until Mayura finally sent a sentimonster after it.

#miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug fic #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #ml fic #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #Lila gets exposed #Lila is exposed #Lila salt #ml class salt #Alya salt #ml salt fic #mr ramier #Alya redemption

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nb-n0v4 · 3 years

Text

Spamton headcannons/Lore

ok this is long as FUCK so it’s going under a readmore but basically this is some of my ideas of what Spamton was like before and during his fall from grace + it turns into actual like story writing like halfway through because I can’t keep a consistent writing style to save my life. Warnings for body horror and, uh, depersonalization I guess? Also my description of post-Mike Spamton is inpired by @7greentears version of him please check out their art it’s so good. also this isn’t proof read or anything so apologies

Ok so I headcanon that Spamton used to be an Addison like most other people do, but the most popular idea is that all of the people he was close to ditched him once he started making it big. Mine is sort of the opposite. So, the first thing of note is that, before he made his deal, Addison!Spamton had a stutter. Whether it was from a glitch in programming or whatever idk but it obviously made it difficult for him to do his job. I like to think that he was actually a used car salesman before he started doing telemarketing for whoever this “Mike” dude was.

Once he started talking to Mike though, one of the first things that happened was that his stutter disappeared. Like a miracle! And Mike urged him to really step up his game in his original trade, lots of flattery and hype. He encouraged Spamton to start shooting really high and try and get in with the Queen, telling him that he deserved it.

And at first Spamton was still cool with the other Addisons, cause they had been buddies for a long time and mostly they were happy to see him finding success! But Mike had been talking for a while about how they were obviously jealous of him, and they might even want to sabotage his career before he had a chance to really make it big. And Spamton laughs this off at first thinking Mike is probably just paranoid and trying to look out for him, cause him and the others have been friends for ages, no way him getting a little popular would split them up.

But then one night he overhears one of them kinda complaining a bit about how he feels like Spamton has gotten real flashy recently, and maybe he could be a bit less in their face about how well he’s doing yknow? And the others don’t agree with him but they don’t disagree either, and with how hard Mike has been insisting not to trust them, that’s really all it takes. He feels kind of sick about it honestly, he’s worked so damn hard to get here and it’s a miracle it even happened in the first place and he’s not trying to show off! It’s just he can do nice things for them now! He wants to do nice things for them. And there they are, being . . . ungrateful. It stings more than he wants it to.

So he ghosts them. Stops going to meetups, makes up excuses, ignores calls. If they’re not interested in being friends with a big shot that’s fine, because he doesn’t need them, he’s got Mike, and he’s just landed a room in the Queen’s castle, of all places! He can start mixing with the high life, where people won’t get bitter at him just for spending a little money.

But it could never last forever. Mike starts getting really, really pushy. Spamton starts losing sleep, sometimes even skipping meals just to keep up with the demands of his benefactor, and he can hear the ringing of that fucking phone in what little sleep he manages to get. And he won’t stop talking about something called a “keygen”, barely offering him any help and rambling about freedom and other banal nonsense. Spamton starts getting worried. Has his boss gone off the deep end?

The thing is though, Spamton is honestly pretty smart, and despite some programming flaws, he was made to be a salesman. The only thing really holding him back was finding the right script and the voice to sell it, and thanks to Mike, he’s managed to get both. He’s sure he can manage on his own, even if for some reason the phone calls stopped. After all, Mike helped, but he was the one who earned a place in the palace.

The work doesn’t let up though, and it’s really starting to take its toll on him. The worst part though, is that no one really seems to notice, or if they do, they don’t care. He’s gotten a few pitying looks, some polite enquiries about his health that he’s smart enough to know they don’t want him answering honestly. He had cut himself off from the people he really cared about ages ago. He realizes he’s made a mistake.

He calls Blue, spends the first 12 minutes of the call apologizing before he’s told to get to the point. He tells him that he wants to apologize for, well, everything. He’s been a shitty person, and an even worse friend. He wants to try and make amends. Blue . . . agrees, because honestly, they had missed him, even if he had been getting a bit boastful. Spamton is so thankful he damn near cries on the spot but Blue advises him to save the waterworks for the others cause they may not be as happy to see him.

He thanks him and hangs up, ready to make amends with his friends and maybe even take a day, or a week, off. He’s damn well earned it at this point. And then the phone rings. He’s tempted to just ignore it, the phone call with blue left him drained and he’s starting to get a headache but muscle memory wins out and he picks up the phone, putting on a wide grin.

“Spamton G. Addison speaking! I’m delighted to get your call and even happier to be of service!”

“What are you doing?”

His grin drops as he hears Mike’s voice on the line. “Oh, it’s you.” He says, grin falling into a scowl. “Listen, I’ve been working hard and doing everything you say, and I think I’m entitled to a little bit of time off. I need to patch stuff up with people, burned bridges aren’t good for any salesman, and besides, I-”

“No.”

Spamton stops, shock that quickly turns to annoyance filling his face. “What. Do you mean. No?” His tone makes it very clear that he’s reaching the end of his patience. He’s already decided he doesn’t really need Mike anymore, he can sustain himself. He had been hoping they could stay at least cordial. He gets the feeling now that that won’t happen.

“Bring me the KeyGEN.”

Spamton quickly loses his patience.

“I’ve told you a million times, the Queen keeps whatever the hell that thing is under lock and fucking key. I could phase through walls and I wouldn’t be any closer to getting it for you. If you want it so bad why haven’t you tried getting it yourself, huh? I haven’t seen you around here once.” He actually hadn’t seen him period, so he wouldn’t realize even if he did, but that was irrelevant.

“Bring me the KeyGEN.”

“I’ve tried! I’ve been trying! Ever since I fucking got here in between all the fucking phone calls you’ve been forcing down my throat I’ve tried everything I can to get my hands on it! You need to lay the hell off or actually give me a plan to get the damn thing!” “Bring me the KeyGEN.”

Spamton sneered in disgust. “No. This conversation is over.”

“Is it?”

Always one to get the last word, Spamton retorts. “Yes, yes it is. Goodbye, f-forever-” He stops, a hand creeping up to his throat.

“Is something wrong?”

Mike is never emotive, his words are always mind-numbingly monotone, but Spamton swears he sounds almost smug.

“No, nothing is w-wrong, asshole, now d-don’t ever c-c-call me ag-again!”

His hand comes up to hold his neck. What the fuck was going on?

“I think you still need me.”

That fucker, he was taunting him, a hundred percent. Spamton grimaced, even as a cold sweat broke out across his forehead and back. “Yeah? W-well, I think I do-don’t! Ev-even if you give me this da-damn stutter back!” He slammed the phone down onto the receiver. This was a blow, but even if his speech impediment was back, he wasn’t washed up. If anything, it could get him pity points, and he had gained enough that he could coast for a while before finding another line of work if he had to.

The phone jumped off of the receiver.

Spamton went cold, and picked it up to put it back on, intent on throwing the damn thing out of the window. As soon as his hand touched the phone though, he froze. He couldn’t move, actually couldn’t move. His feet felt glued to the floor, and his joints were locked stiff. The only move he could make, his arm jerking like it was being pulled, was to put the phone to his ear. Mike’s voice droned from the earpiece.

“Do you remember our deal, the official one?”

Spamton’s mind raced. Of course he remembered. After the one off phone call, they had gotten in touch again to hammer out the details. One point now stood out to him starkly, and his heart hammered in his chest. He had written it off as the guy being eccentric but, when they made the deal, Mike had said, in an almost cheerful tone, the most emotion Spamton had ever heard from the man, You’ll be my little puppet. He had laughed it off. He was a fucking idiot. His hands were shaking.

He didn’t answer.

He didn’t think he could’ve, anyway.

It started in his hand, the one holding the phone, tingling, like pins and needles. Then it spread down his arm, to his chest. It worked its way up his legs, up to his neck, his jaw, his eyes. He still couldn’t move

He was a fucking idiot.

The feeling intensified, slowly getting worse and worse til he couldn’t stand it and then he felt, instinctively, he could move his mouth again.

“W-what, what are you doing to me.”

Silence.

“H-hey buddy, c’mon, I w-was just s-stressed, I di-didn’t mean it, I s-swear!”

Silence.

“I-”

Silence.

“I-it burns! Ow! S-stop, h-help me, It BURNS-”

Silence.

After too long he finally fell blissfully unconscious.

Hours later he awoke with a groan, pushing himself up. He had had the weirdest dream. He guessed the lack of sleep finally really got to him. He put a hand to his forehead at the killer headache that assaulted him. Then he froze, the click of plastic on plastic sending a wave of spine-chilling nausea through him. Shaking, he pulled back his hand. Where there had once been smooth, perfect skin, there was hard plastic-porcelain, interrupted by seams and joints. He swiftly brought up his other hand. The same sight greeted him. Jumping to his feet and trying to ignore the way the room spun, he threw himself in front of his mirror. And almost screamed.

His white hair had gone pitch black, his eyes an unsettling yellow with pinprick black pupils. His eyes were surrounded by dark makeup, a mocking parody of the bags that had formed from Mike's endless backbreaking schedule. His jaw, open in shock and horror, hung too far forward on a hinge, and he could tell that closed, his mouth would be forever set in a horrific imitation of his wide salesman smile. Red paint dotted his cheeks like some kind of fucking doll, or clown. Even what he could see of his chest past his rumpled shirt had grooves and an unnatural shine.

The phone was still off of the receiver.

He was a fucking idiot.

Picking up the phone, he opened his mouth, to yell, to beg, to cry.

Only for no sound to come out.

He tried again.

Nothing.

“I’m sure you’re wondering what it is I’ve done to you.”

Spamton jumped at Mike's voice, and opened his mouth to do something, anything.

Nothing.

“I have needed a puppet for a long time. To get me what I want. You have failed.”

“[[what]] [[have]] [[you]] [[done to]] [[me]].”

Spamton choked on the words, his voice a horrible cut up parody of the one on the phone.

“Nothing that your own arrogance didn’t do already. Did you really think you could borrow my words and pay no price for failure. Anyone could see this was not a one-sided deal of help. You have failed to please me, and so this is adequate payment.”

“[[help]] [[me]], [[please]]”

“No.”

The line went dead.

Spamton stared down at the dead receiver for what felt like hours.

He dropped it and let it thud against the wall.

It only took a week after that for everything to fall apart. After all, what good is a salesman with no voice. He managed to steal most of the words he needed from the concerned and disgusted talk of the residents of the palace, everyone looking at him with barely disguised chagrin. His speech was a horrible mismatch of everyone around him and it put off everyone, including himself. He found out that the sick bastard had left him only his screaming from that night as the remains of his old voice. And then the advertisements started. Then the glitches, and the tics. Nothing of his body was his anymore. He couldn’t face anyone. He could barely face himself. He ran from the palace before they could evict him, an older rotary phone the only thing he took with him, a half-formed, desperate, sleep-deprived hope. When Blue came to the palace later that day, the only thing he found was the wall mounted phone in his room, hanging off the receiver.

He needed his life back.

He needed his voice back.

He needed

Freedom.

#anyway that was long as shit lmao #if u read all of it hope u enjoy my attempt at coherent writing #but yeah to elaborate #I hc that spamton can only speak in borrowed words #even his voice usually isn't his he's just gathered enough of one particular voice for it to sound consistent #the word repitition and tics are mostly just me projecting bc I have ADHD lmaoo #but yeah our mans was literally transformed into a puppet #fucking rip #he ends up not patching things up with the addisons by the time the main game comes around just because he can't work up the nerve #to face them after everything #spamton #spamton g spamton #deltarune #deltarune chapter 2 #deltarune spoilers #I guess #my writing #body horror #existential horror to a little bit

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familyagrestefanblog · 3 years

Text

Ml Meta analysis: Adriens current absents, season 4 structure and theory on whats to come

Here I am back again with my endless rambling.

I'm just as worried for our cat son as everyone else (maybe even more) which is why I tried figuring out for my own sanity why he is so absent currently.

Upfront I wanna warn yall that I wrote this post in one rush this night and therefore had no time to do alot of editing. So things can probably get a bit more messy than usual but I tried to write it clearly, while writing 2 other ml essays as well. This is the one drawback of having so many episodes in such a short time, I have no time to write my posts x3 I had another theory planned for before Optigami airs but I don't think I can manage before tomorrow.

But let's not waste any more time. Grab a snack and here we go:

It's 2am right now but I think I just realized why Adrien/Chat Noir is being sidelined so much recently.

Sure, yes, it'll come into play in the very obviously set up Ladynoir drama later on but what I wanna talk about now is more the structure of how s4 is most likely written in terms of both Marinettes and Adriens side of the story. And then deep dive a little on why I think so.

You see season 4 is now reaping what has been built up from s1-s3, but this also includes that you have to take the time now to properly recreate the new possibilities out of the loose pieces of the broken status quo.

Seriously, season 4 has to handle and reinvent ALOT. The show got now officially announced to have 7 seasons, which is exactly the amount of seasons Astruc said they have story for. I couldnt find the official tweet from Thomas himself but I one from another source:

And now look take a look at the possible shows structure:

- s1-s3 was the first status quo and built up everything so now they can pay off after pay off while...

-... S4 is now the transitional season where the old status quo gets left behind as we work towards the new one.

-I have nothing to proof this of course, but in the same sense it would now make sense that s5-s7 where/are planned to play out under the final status quo. If I'm not wrong at first the show was under contract for 5 seasons, which would mean that after the transitional season 4 there was only 1 season of the final status quo for sure. Still, done right it could have been worth the wait. But this isn't where Miraculous will end. The show actually got the 7 seasons the creator wanted and THIS is how I think the long term plan makes the most sense. Nothing all too complicated but still hella effective in its execution.

But now back to our two main characters, because Marinettes and Adriens development are the two aspects that will raise the show to the intense heights of the s5-s7 status quo.

From s1-s3 Marinette was the active player but she was hardly involved with the actual PLOT of the show, since most of the plot and backstory of the show lies directly with the Agreste family. She only started to get her own plot when she literally created a new one by getting involved with the miraculous lore, because the closest Marinette got to the Agreste plot was "The collector".

Adrien in the other hand was always literally right in the middle of the plot but he wasn't enough of an active player to bring us further either.

Season 4 is now going to add the missing parts for both of them and as the very beginning of the season showed us: there are going to do it SEPERATLY.

This is why "Truth" and "Lies" have been structured the way they are (One Marinette-centric the other Adrien-centric). Yes, Marinette and Adrien are meant to end their story victoriously together, but they are simply not the people they have to be to become such a powerful team. Certain aspects of their journey they have to do... basically disconnected from the other one. The "Miracle Queen" endcard shows it quite nicely as well where they are heading now: away from each other.

Obviously the season started with Marinette growing into her new guardian status including everything miraculous related, since she is the main lead and because the new ways the episodes can now utilize everything Miraculous need to be established first before we deep dive into the messed up Agreste mystery.

So while I totally agree that it is annoying to get so little Adrien/Chat Noir content currently I also understand the practicality behind it. As I said, before s4 Marinette was the active main character who mostly didn't really have her own plot. So now adding her plot aspect and have her ACTIVELY figure everything needed out means that right now Marinette/Ladybug is the active focus main character who is solving a huge part of her s4 character arc. That simply drowns out Adrien as the currently still mostly-inactive secondary main character who, yes, may be right in the middle of the shows emotional + villain plot/lore/backstory, but that side of the story simply isn't in focus at the moment.

And I gotta say, I'm kinda glad they're doing it this way. Because I'm gonna be honest, when the season starts giving us Adrien/family Agreste episodes like "Lies" and "The collector" (in this case "Gabriel Agreste" for example) again, I don't want the narrative to be forced to spend time with something guardian lore based just because they didn't took their time to do it earlier.

So, as we see on the s4 episode raster "Gabriel Agreste" is episode 9. Honestly, I expect most of it (especially the ones near the beginning, so ep. 5 included) til that episode to be Marinette based the way everything else til now did (besides Lies obviously and Guilt trip didn't hardcore focus on Marinette/Ladybug either and that's because it's after "Gabriel Agreste") in the spirit of "Truth". It's just the needed set up from Marinettes side of the story and I can live with that.

Because we actually saw the change after "Gabriel Agreste" already in "Guilt trip".

I don't know why some people pretend like Chat almost cataclysming himself after hearing how guilt-eaten Nino is for Adriens sake isn't a huge indicator that the episodes afterwards will not only acknowledge but also DEAL with Adriens/Chats situation and problems. Remember, we are talking about CHAT NOIR here not Adrien Agreste. The show has always portrayed and acknowledged ADRIENS issues very straight forward and with the proper seriousness (especially when it comes to his family), whereas Chat Noir was often mostly used for comedic purposes with some exceptions of his problems being properly delt with (since Marinette/Ladybug was mostly oblivious to them, since Adrien keeps them hidden so well). But now in "Guilt trip" LADYBUG was confronted head-on with just how much negativity Chat has inside and how quickly and extremely he drowns in it.

Sure, correct, the episode also has his negativity "washed away" rather quickly by Ladybug opening up to him on how important he is to her

But this is in character for both of them as "Lies" very clearly showed us that the way BOTH OF THEM behave here is where the problem lies. There Ladybug was freaked out after Chat threw his life away once again but quickly accepted Chats very direct avoidance of the confrontation, since he seemed to be alright to her.

Something I also find noteworthy here is that Ladybugs dialog is "Seriously, you need to stop doing this to me!", which is.... a VERY Marinette-centric way of acknowledging the problem.

It completely shifts the issue away from Adriens extremely alarming self-harmful/suicidal tendencies and instead only calls out how it affects Marinette (whose feelings here are definitely valid, don't get me wrong!). It showcases perfectly how unaware Marinette still is of her partners inner tumult at that point and also parallels how Marinette called Adriens life "perfect" at the beginning of the episode (This is no shade towards Marinette, in general the entirety of "Lies" is about showing us just how harmful Adriens Chat Noir persona actually IS to him so these two moments of her being oblivious to Adriens and Chats immense problems very much fits into that episodes narrative and sets up what's about to come. I still have an entire essay in the making for "Lies" but, guys, it's just getting longer and longer. I suck xD).

So the fact that an episode after "Gabriel Agreste" brings this scenario back, just a little different but ALOT more revealing of Adriens immense problems to his partner, is VERY telling. Besides other things it tells us that this happens at the beginning of the arc that deals with (at least) Chats issues since Ladybug is still way too quickly too ready to accept her partner as "completely fine" again just because Chat makes it seem that way (while some negativity increasing guilt bubbles still to stick to him.).

And yet, others have already pointed it out that Ladybug IS noticing what Chat wanted to do and reacted accordingly...

she just didn't speak of it the way it is because it overwhelmed her, which calls back to Ladybugs "You have to stop doing this to me!" dialog.( For a great breakdown of her dialog HERE is a link to @flightfoot post)

In "Lies" Marinette was way too stressed by her new guardian role to even consider Chats side of it and therefore only spoke of her own, but in "Guilt trip" she's already past that stressful arc. So here she is immediately able to recognize Chats suicidal action for what it is, come to his (much needed) aid and lift her partners spirit the best she can by emotionally opening up to him (which is something we KNOW is incredibly hart for Marinette).

The difference between her reaction in "Lies" and in "Guilt trip" shows that Marinette has her guardian role already mostly handled and is now mentally able to be there for others again, so the extremely Marinette-centric "Truth"-like episodes are mostly passed. Now the episodes can bring Adrien/Chat Noir more into the game again and even shift to "Lies" - like episodes because MARINETTE can pay more attention to him again and isn't faced with something new, important and overwhelming Miraculous related every step she takes.

And THAT is extremely fair from a narrative standpoint.

---

I really need to stop elaborating so much on these posts because I'm only NOW actually getting to the point of where Adriens journey will disconnect for a while from Ladybugs. Sorry guys.

Okay, to understand where I'm going with this I will have to quickly explain how I always saw Chat Noirs place in the Ladybug+Chat Noir vs Hawkmoth war ever since s1.

Because here is the thing: Adrien wasn't able to truly leave the battle field ONCE since the origins. Marinette was completely out of Hawkmoths and Gabriels reach once she detransformed, which balances out her basically being the personification of the good sides force. And Gabriel literally decided whenever or not the battle is even ACTIVE right now! Besides that he is in complete control of his own actions and environment, which gives him all the necessary time, safety and downtime he needs to act as the personification of the evil sides force.

Marinette and Gabriel always knew when they were safe and off the battle field, but ADRIEN never had that and it left him LITERALLY right in the middle of both Ladybugs and Hawkmoths sides.

You see, because before Adrien became Chat Noir he basically was part of Hawkmoths side just by default. He was born into this family, that's his father and lost mother and everything he knows. Adrien didn't/doesn't even have to KNOW that he is part of Hawkmoths side, he's his son at some level he just IS! And I'm not saying this as anything negative, Adrien coming from Hawkmoths side is literally the reason why he became Chat Noir!

Because whereas Gabriel is having the time of his damn life as evil terrorist, created out of tragic and sinister circumstances, ADRIEN on the other hand couldn't handle his families environment and very same circumstances anymore and accepted the role as Paris' hero to escape his heritage for a while.

Keywords being: a WHILE.

Something unique about Adrien I always loved is the fact that he is the villains abused, isolated and overworked SON, who becomes a hero to escape his depressing life and YET it was never Adriens intention to LEAVE IT. Adrien merely wanted to use his time as Chat Noir to let of some steam and breath freely while doing some hero work so he can go back into his civilian life and try to one day successfully ment his broken family. He couldn't handle the current situation anymore but he still always saw worth in his family/father. I have SO MUCH respect for that!

But him not intending to leave his family and instead regaining strength as Chat Noir to continue to hold onto it came with the downside of him not being able to fully become part of the good sides people/force either. Hence why Adriens/Chats place always felt so lost in comparison to Ladybugs and Hawkmoths clear positions. He's caught in between their extremes trying to balance out BOTH at the same time. What an impossible task!

So he couldn't put in the same focus as Ladybug into being the good sides force because he is literally burned out from his civilian life on Hawkmoths evil side. But he also couldn't be involved as an ACTIVE member of his fathers evil force, because he chose to find refuge in his friends and as a hero on Ladybugs side.

Adrien unknowingly is part of BOTH the shows two extreme moral sides of good and evil and this season we will see Adrien/Chat Noir grow into his own within BOTH sides as well.

Because he simply couldn't have done so right away in s1. Now after 3 seasons Chat Noir is more than solidly established as one of Paris Heros and his time with Ladybug, the other heros and his normal friends helped him greatly to find his place on the good side. "Lies" set this up as Chat Noirs arcs starting point that now he has to stop connecting "being heroic" strictly with following Ladybug (as Marinette is the STAND IN personification for the good side, she's still a flawed human being like everyone else and not the ultimate force of perfect and good. Big difference.) just as he has to start looking past his fathers sympathetic moments/qualities to see that Hawkmoth isn't a 100%, inhumane monster just because he is the stand-in personification of evil in their fight, but the man he calls Father and still needs to be taken down. (I talked about this in more detail on THIS post)

Adrien has to seperat himself from Ladybugs path and focus on his family and I believe it'll start with the much dreaded (but expected) Ladynoir fight.

Funnily enough, what I'm talking about was actually already set up in "Frozer" I just didn't remember that for a bit. In "Frozer" we saw Ladynoir having a fight which caused Chat Noir to go his own way in the episodes battle.

I always found it interesting that the episode didn't had Chats decision, to not follow Ladybugs lead here, turn out to be a huge mistake. Almost every other show would have done so but now I think I understand. This episode and s2 in general SET UP the s4 conflict, s3 LEAD UP to it and now s4 DELIVERS it.

So what happened in "Frozer" is a direct parallel to what about to go down:

Ladynoirs fight will cause Chat Noir to not simply follow Ladybugs side anymore the way he used to, but note, he DOESN'T leave the good side AND they make up again in the end after Chat saves Ladybug from the akuma. He just does things on his own because he isn't on great terms with her for a while. "Frozer" showed Chats decision to not only NOT be a mistake but also a necessary part of defeating the akuma, just the way it'll be in s4. Damn, Adrien breaking away from Ladybugs side, the way she (unintentionally tho) did at the beginning of the season, to focus more on himself and his family will be the game changing factor, when Adrien will have his completing arc where he goes from "not active character within the villain/backstory plot" to "ACTIVE character within the villain/backstory plot".

And we already saw with Marinette how many fast breakthroughs we get through these completing arcs. Which is also a reason for why Adriens/ Chats arc comes later in the season, because BUDDY. Once Adrien starts to actively uncover his families mystery and fathers secrets Gabriel is SCREWED! Adrien will gain the needed inside knowledge that complements Marinettes Miraculous power; and reunited they can take on whatever the hell kind of scale the Agrestes plan actually is.

So how to end this post? My biggest intention was to raise hope for everybody (myself included lol) who is right now very concerned and upset about how side-lined our boy is at the moment. But I prefer doing so in a way that actually works with canons context instead of sugarcoating what I don't like. And Adriens/Chats current position I definitely do NOT like but accepting it as realistic outcome from s1-s3 and set up for the escalation for both Ladynoir and his home situation gives it the proper purpose and pay off (narrative and character wise) that it SHOULD have.

Basically, the endcards of "Truth" and "Lies" show it perfectly.

It looks like ShadowMoth is turning a blind eye towards Adrien/Chat Noir because of Ladybugs new guardian status and "greater importance". But Gabriels tunnel vision on Ladybug will leave him vulnerable to his own sons secret actions against him and Gabriel won't see it coming until its already too late.

#Miraculous #Miraculous ladybug #ml theory #ml analysis #ml season 4 #ml show structure #Adrien Agreste #marinette dupain chang #Gabriel Agreste #Chat Noir #Ladybug #Hawkmoth #ml forshadowing

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toss-a-coin-to-your-stan-account · 3 years

Text

Whumptober No. 3: Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But...

Taunting | Insults | “Who did this to you?”

Summary: Nothing could’ve prepared Geralt for Jaskier being brought to Kaer Morhen, nor for the sight of the bandages on his injured hands. Despite what happened on that mountain, Geralt wants to know who did this - who took away something so integral to the core of Julian Alfred Pankratz. But he doesn’t get the answer he thought he would.

Words: 2k

A/N: DAY THREE LET’S GOOO! And after two and a half months, I’ve finally gotten another witcher fic out! It feels good! I missed writing for this fandom so much (and it’ll help me ease back into Spider’s Thread), and this was SUCH a fun prompt fill for today. This was inspired by some of That Jaskier Content from the latest s2 trailer, and it’s... implications about the state of his hands. I hope you enjoy!

[CW: Hurt/No Comfort, Torture Aftermath, Hand Injury]

Nothing could have prepared Geralt for this.

No, there was nothing in this world - not even a miracle - that could’ve prepared Geralt for the moment he sensed a portal - one of Yen’s portals - outside the keep.

For the moment he ran out to a balcony and saw her there, having somehow - despite everything he believed, everything he thought he knew for certain - having survived the Battle of Sodden Hill; for the moment he’d lay eyes on a very much alive Yennefer… with a bard’s arm drawn over her shoulder to support him.

His hair was longer now, down to his jaw, and a burgundy leather jacket - adorned with ribs and folds just like that red doublet he wore as he looked down at him on that mountain, heart shattered - lay in tatters on him, bandaged hands peeking out of it’s sleeves…

He didn’t look the same - Gods knew he didn’t look the same - but Geralt still recognized Jaskier.

He was shuffled into one of the many, many spare rooms almost immediately, and Geralt tried talking to Yennefer. Of course, she’d been tense with him, but that was alright. At least she was alive to be tense with him. He’d take that over a particular alternative any day.

Speaking of tense...

The keep had never felt so cold as right now, when Geralt of Rivia stood in the doorway of Jaskier’s impromptu room. Here, the bard sat in an old chair, in front of a desk he did not look like he’d use to write on anytime soon. No, he looked at the wood slab despondently, not even seeming to notice Geralt.

So, he spoke up, speaking to Jaskier, his companion of twenty years, for the first time since that mountain.

“Jaskier… you’re here.”

Jaskier didn’t look at him, but he did speak.

“Wasn’t my idea. I didn’t know where else to go, and even if I did, Yennefer insisted - didn’t think I’d be safe anywhere else. Can you believe that? Yennefer of Vengerberg has a soft spot for me. The end of days may very well be upon us.”

His voice was hoarse. Geralt knew it must have been from screaming. His eyes drew down to Jaskier’s hands, where patches of horrendous blue and gods-damned purple peeked out from slivers of space between the bandages that showed his open skin.

“Your hands…”

“Oh, these old things?” Jaskier looked down at them, “Well, Yenny did her best, but they still hurt like a bitch to play with. I won’t bestow new ballads on the world for a while yet. Sorry if you expected me to sing your praises…”

But his tone made it clear that he wouldn’t do that even if his hands were as good as they were that day in Posada, or in Cintra, or on that mountain…

Geralt pursed his lips, trying to hold back his question. He didn’t deserve to know, he knew that, but he had to…

“...Who did this to you?” he spat out.

Jaskier lifted his gaze to meet the Witcher’s, and he laughed. It wasn’t like before - like the sunrise in the spring, like the bloom of buttercups, like love and joy and all the things he came to equate with Jaskier’s laughter, however unconscious, unadmitted these comparisons were. No, it was an empty, sardonic, quietly angry thing.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“That’s why I asked.”

“And for what?” he asked, “So you can tear some fucker to shreds for laying a hand on me? Because you think I’m still your naive companion that would swoon at the thought of you exacting revenge on him for my sake? So you can make some grand gesture of brutality?”

“I’m not the one of us enamored with grand gestures.”

Jaskier tilted his head back and huffed. The shift in his movement made his hair move a bit, and Geralt realized he missed that little swoop - the little… floof, even - of hair that went down his forehead before, when his hair had been shorter.

“I think that’s the first time you’ve ever said “us” about me and you.” Jaskier remarked, “Twenty years, and you acknowledge that I was something to you. Not sure what, but something.”

“You were…”

Jaskier’s eyes widened as if he remembered something, “Oh! Right! I remember - a shitshoveler. The catalyst for all your plights, something life would bless you by taking off your hands.”

Guilt sliced into Geralt like a kikimora’s claws.

“Looks like life heard “taking” and “hands” and went straight to me…” Jaskier huffed with the ghost of amusement with himself, looking down at his hands.

“Of course you can still joke.”

Jaskier shrugged, “Not much else to do. They took my lute, and my ability to play it, but they haven’t taken my wit.”

He crossed his legs.

“The funny thing is…” he said, staring down at the cracks in the table in front of him, “There was a little bit there where, if you’d apologized, I would’ve forgiven you. But… there wasn’t a trace of you to speak of after that hunt. Nowhere I went. Not that I went looking.”

“I didn’t have time to look for you, either.” Geralt said, “I was with Ciri.”

Jaskier snapped his gaze up.

“Oh, come now, Witcher.” he said with venom Geralt only ever knew from bigoted villagers that Jaskier had tried to change the minds of with his songs before, “Does your prolonged lifespan render you timeblind, or has your head been so far up your ass for so long that you can’t even properly tell time anymore?”

“I-”

“Two years, Geralt.” he said, “A blink of an eye for you, maybe, but that’s how long it was between that damned dragon hunt and the fall of Cintra. Two years you could have found me, before Cintra fell, before-”

He snapped his jaw shut.

“Before who?”

“No, Geralt!” he snapped, slamming his hands on the table to help him stand up. It seemed that his anger stopped him from realizing how bad that would hurt, and he hissed through gritted teeth. Geralt tried to step forward, but it was like the ground between them was covered in hot coals, and Geralt’s feet couldn’t have been more bare.

Once the pain seemed to quell, Jaskier’s eyes opened, and he glowered at the Witcher.

“You don’t get to know. You don’t get to make that bastard beg for mercy and act like that fixes anything - as if it does anything but conflate your ego that is so, so massive despite how much you hate yourself. You don’t get to take revenge on my behalf. You don’t get to act like this,” he held up his hands, “is anything compared to what you did to my heart.”

“I’m sorry-”

“And you DON’T GET TO SAY THAT NOW.” he screamed, killing Geralt’s words before it could leave his lips.

Geralt saw tears in his eyes as he huffed shaky breaths.

“You don’t get to say it like some off-hand statement, only brought up since it’s relevant.” he said with a wavering voice, “You don’t get to only say it now that I’m here, fallen right in your lap because Gods knew where else Yennefer could take me. And you don’t get to say it like it means anything now.”

“Now?”

Jaskier lowered his gaze.

“...I sort of figured you were embarrassed. That you were too scared to get your head out of your ass, like you are with a lot of things, but once you did, I would’ve…”

He sighed.

“But I heard you went to Cintra. Heard you went to claim your child-surprise.”

“What does Cirilla have to do with this?” he asked.

“Who do you think he asked about with each bone he broke?” Jaskier asked, snapping his gaze back to Geralt, “You? If it were just you, I would’ve…”

He sighed.

“That isn’t the point. When I heard that after twelve years of running from your claim, you hauled your arse to Cintra to protect her, I realized that you were always capable of going back to unfinished business, to scorned places of the past - you could always do it, if it was for the sake of something important enough to you.”

Jaskier lowered his gaze again, smiling sadly - smiling bitterly. It was an odd thing, a bitter smile, but Jaskier, like a fine doublet, wore it well.

“I just wasn’t.” he said, “I’m not your destiny, or your djinn-bound soulmate. I was just a bard.”

My bard. Geralt wanted so badly to say.

“What could I have said?”

Jaskier’s lower lip quivered as he looked at the Witcher near-dumbfounded, as if his incredulousness were a dagger that cut him deep. He leaned back against the table.

“You tell me.” he shrugged, “For those two years, I was still stupid enough that anything would have worked. Really, I wished some of my eloquence rubbed off on you, and I could’ve gotten a plea that, in a spur of irony, I was one of the few blessings life ever granted you, but anything that sounded remotely like an apology would have worked.”

He put his hands on his hips. Geralt could tell how hesitant he was.

“...At least, it would have made me think I was worth an apology in your eyes, and I was worth all the work it could have taken, tracking me down to say it.”

He rubbed a patch of cloth on his trousers with his thumb. Geralt didn’t miss how the corner of his lip twitched.

“At least, I could’ve known that what you said really was just a product of the heat of the moment, sprung forth by a misplaced attempt at levity, and there was no truth to it. I was so desperate that I would have taken anything if it meant I’d stop missing you.”

“You obviously stopped missing me eventually.”

Jaskier threw his head back again, “Wrong again, Geralt.”

He stood up straight again and walked across the floor, which, to Geralt, was still littered with hot coals he couldn’t dare step over.

“Do you really think that the venom in your words - the spit from your lips - the fury in your eyes could clear you from my mind? From my heart?” he walked right up to Geralt, though the space between them felt like it was pushing the Witcher away from Jaskier like a magnet.

“Do you really think that anything but the Gods themselves could’ve made me stop missing you?”

Geralt couldn’t say anything. Hearing Jaskier’s words… it was like a vocal hex, like someone had sewn his very lips shut.

(Perhaps if he had done so himself before that day on the hunt, things wouldn’t have gone so bad…)

(No, no, he still would’ve found a way to ruin things. He was Geralt of Rivia, after all.)

Jaskier was only inches away from him now - a distance like something from a dream, after they’d been distant for so long… but even though this was the closest their bodies had ever been to one another, the Witcher knew that Jaskier’s mind - his heart - was as far away from Geralt as it could ever get.

Jaskier was the one to break eye contact - as if he was still terrified of giving the Witcher the chance to break anything - and he looked down to his feet.

“...If you want to know who broke my hands, Yennefer knows more than I.” he said, “She’s the one that found me, told me more of who he was. All I have is a name for a face.”

Geralt turned to leave. Jaskier grabbed his wrist.

The touch burned.

“But…”

Jaskier lifted his head and looked Geralt in the eye.

“...You want to know who did this to me? Who ruined me? Who broke me?”

Jaskier’s eyes bore into Geralt’s soul, the ice blue of his irises piercing him like shards.

“Go look back on that mountain.”

#whumptober2021 #no.3 #''who did this to you?''#fandom #fanfic #broken hands #torture #torture aftermath #hand injury #the witcher #jaskier #geralt of rivia #geraskier #my writing #mine

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strawwritesfic · 3 years

Text

Loki Laufeyson x Female!Midgardian!Reader: A Bird in the Hand

Summary: …is surely not worth its asking price.

Rating/Warnings/Tags: All (some foul language; not Thor Ragnarok compliant)

Fic Trade Prompt: “Please, I don’t want to lose you, too.”

A Bird in the Hand

Once upon a time in a realm known as Midgard, there lived a girl. This girl, of course, was you, and you lived as many young women at the time did during that Age of Miracles. None of these miracles ever happened to you. There were no fish oil transformations on your horizon, nor were there any divine calls to adventure. Just like all New Yorkers, you grew use to your daily commute being interrupted by superheroes, to calling insurance companies to argue over their decision to not pay for alien invasion damage to your apartment, and even to carrying an umbrella around with you even on the driest of days in case certain Asgardians decided to visit. Life went on. You had stopped looking for a real miracle years ago.

As well you should have, because there was nothing miraculous about your wedding day. Outside, a seemingly endless mass of dark gray clouds let loose bucket after bucket of rain. Thunder rolled across the sky; lightning flashed–and that, really, was all you could see through the window you had stationed yourself in front of to sulk. If you hadn’t known any better, you’d have blamed the city’s resident thunder god for the disastrous timing of this storm front. As it was, all you could blame was your string of bad luck.

Speaking of bad luck, the door to your parlor snapped open and in stepped the dripping figure of your best friend. Aliyah paused only long enough to adjust her sodden pink hijab before plopping soggily onto an overstuffed loveseat.

“Well, the gazebo is flooded,” she announced, “the food is soaked through, and the caterer won’t bring more to replace it. Your flower arrangements are in pieces, and the band already ran off. I don’t think there’s anything left of your wedding ceremony.”

You did not bother to leave the window, though you did turn just far enough to throw her a sour look. “Do you have any good news to impart?” you asked.

Aliyah grinned. “Your maid of honor hasn’t walked out yet. At least there will be one person here to witness this fiasco.”

“Gonna need a groom for anything to be witnessed.”

Most close friends would offer sympathy when their friend’s fiancé of a year and a half decided to just not show up for the actual wedding. Most acquaintances would feel bad enough when the carefully planned event got rained out. Not your Aliyah. She simply let out a sharp breath and leaned her head back against the couch cushion.

“Can’t say I didn’t warn you,” she said.

You glared at her, which of course she didn’t see, having shut her eyes to listen to the water tumble from the roof to the street outside.

“Thank you. So much,” you said.

“What?” she asked, forcing her eyes open again. “I told you Jared wasn’t good enough for you. Besides, you should keep all the gifts even if he doesn’t stop by. I saw, like, nine blenders in that pile. You’re better off this way, if you ask me.”

“You’re just saying that because you want a free blender,” you said.

“I wouldn’t say no. But, really, you should count your lucky stars. Free stuff and free of your jackass boyfriend. What better start to a weekend?”

“I’d rather be married to my jackass boyfriend.”

Aliyah’s disdain for Jared was nothing new or surprising. He’d fallen from grace in her eyes when he’d got jealous over your fondness for an injured pigeon you’d rescued only a few months after you started dating Jared. Even releasing the bird hadn’t entirely put an end to his complaints about how you spent your free time. On the other hand, you knew one thing that neither Aliyah nor Jared did: Jared’s jealousy wasn’t entirely misplaced.

But that was years ago. This was now. And that bird had always been bad news.

“Are you going to cry about it?” Aliyah asked, peering over at your perch by the parlor’s bay window. “Because, if not, I’d hate to have dragged Habib all the way to America for nothing.”

At the mention of her long-distance boyfriend, you motioned for Aliyah to go on. You preferred to do your moping alone, and Aliyah knew it. She stood and crossed the room to give you a quick hug before she left without another word. Probably you did owe your maid of honor at a least a blender for all the trouble she’d been through on your behalf.

Sighing, you lifted one hand, dug your fingers into your hair, and tore out what was holding it in its elaborate design. Who cared what you looked like now? Even if stupid Jared had shown up, the storm would have ruined your appearance before you made it down the aisle. Now Aliyah had free rein to spend the rest of her afternoon cuddling with Habib, and you had no one else to bother looking pretty for.

Outside your empty room, you could hear the indistinct muttering of your remaining guests. Family, mostly, who had already given up trying to convince you to let them in. What the rest of them were waiting for before they left, you couldn’t guess. Perhaps for you to come out and make an official announcement: The wedding has been called off. Party’s over. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. And thanks for all the blenders.

The shame of your situation suddenly threatened to crash down upon you. It would have, if you had remained sitting where you were. Instead, you got up, white dress rustling as you stalked across the room. A quiet shriek of rage was stifled only by your gloved hand pressed to your colored lips. Of all the pathetic, idiotic, insane things you had done in your life! Now you didn’t even have the courage to face your friends and family with the truth.

“Tap. Tap. Tap.”

Hail began to hit the glass behind you, soft and hesitant. Since you had no plans to leave the building any time soon, you ignored this weather development.

Jared hadn’t even called to say he’d changed his mind. You should have known when he hadn’t come home after his stag party the night before. He was probably laughing it up over your stupidity with some blonde bikini babe by the beach that you were supposed to go to for your honeymoon. The thought caused you to kick out angrily at the coffee table, and you heard a quiet rip issue from your skirt in response when it caught on a corner.

You swore.

”Tap. Tap. Tap.”

Now that you thought about it, the sound wasn’t regular enough to be hail. It wasn’t very hesitant anymore either. Still, you ignored the noise as you yanked off your veil, your gloves, and your garter. You were mentally preparing to rip them all to shreds with your fingernails when you heard it again:

“Tap. Tap. Tap.”

That time you did not suppress your shriek. As it faded into the overstuffed furniture surrounding you, you marched over to the window and shoved it open. The wind whistled through the empty space, sending anything in the room not tied down into the air and splattering your face with water. If ever there was a time to reasonably expect an Asgardian thunder god to step inside, it was then. No one was there, though, save for a single bedraggled pigeon.

“Oh, hello,” you said when it hopped onto the sill, and automatically you held out your cupped hands toward it.

The poor thing shivered once, then stepped onto your warm palms. Only when it looked up into your face did you see that it had bright green, very un-pigeon-ish eyes.

Before you could stuff the bird back outside, it lifted itself into the air to half-flutter, half-fly over to the loveseat Aliyah had been sitting on. A flash of light that had nothing to do with the lightning outside filled the room. When you had blinked and cleared your vision enough that you could see again, the pigeon was gone, and in its place reclined a tall, dark-haired, beautiful man, dressed to the nines in Asgardian fashion.

“Hello, darling,” said Loki Laufeyson. “Don’t you look ravishing?”

You were too shocked to contradict him. No mention of your torn dress, mussed hair, or smeared makeup escaped your lips. Instead, you said the only thing you could in that sort of situation: “What are you doing here?”

“Why, I’m here to offer you my congratulations, of course,” he answered, examining one perfectly manicured nail. “Or should it be my condolences?”

“Really?” Your tone dripped with enough sarcasm that it could be heard over the protesting window as you forced it shut. “You disappear for two years, never write, never visit, and then you just happen to pop by to celebrate my wedding to another man?”

“What kind of secret lover would I be if I did not?”

“We are not secret lovers.”

“Well, no, we haven’t been for quite some time. I see no reason why that should stop us from picking up right where we left off, however.”

“We were never secret lovers.”

“Really?” he said, mocking the tone of your earlier question. “That’s not what it seemed like to me. Of course, I had the brain of a pigeon most of the time, but at night when your beau had to work and leave you so very alone–”

“You can’t just show up out of the blue and expect me to want you again,” you interrupted. “And on my wedding day to boot.”

To his credit, Loki looked genuinely confused by your behavior–like he’d expected you to jump straight into his arms, marriage or no. Obviously, they did things differently in Asgard. You were not Asgardian.

“Fine,” he said. “If that’s the way you want it. I was only trying to thank you for helping me, you know.”

“All I did was take in a pigeon that got injured when Thor threw a bunch of peanuts at a flock. It didn’t really deserve that sort of thanking.”

“Ah, but you enjoyed it anyway.” That wasn’t the point. He knew it wasn’t the point just as well as you did, because once he made it, he got fluidly up to his feet to and walked over to stand in front of you. “If you are that disinclined to see me, I suppose I had better get going. If you ever grow tired of being lonely again–oh, that’s right. You don’t know how to contact me.”

You opened your mouth to remind Loki that you didn’t want to contact him, but then something about Loki’s words rang strange.

“Alone?” you echoed.

“Yes, alone. Or do you expect your Prince Charming to come riding up on a horse of white any second now? Better late than never?”

Without thinking, without warning, you slapped him straight across the face.

“Ow!” he snapped, pressing one of his hands to the mark on his face. “What was that for?”

“What did you do?” You lifted your hand for another blow. “What did you do to Jared?”

“Me? Do something to Jared? What should I have to do with that ponderous ass?”

“Did you kill him, Loki?” you asked, voice quavering. Loki could do it. Easily. He was a god, and Jared just…well, just a ponderous ass.

Loki let out a single bark of laughter. “Oh, please. I just got out of Asgardian prison. As if I’d risk going back over the murder of a petty moral such as he.”

That brought you up short. Frowning, you deigned to look at him again. “Prison?”

“Yes, prison. Did you think my absence was due to taking a pleasure cruise?”

“I thought you’d escaped prison when I found you the first time.”

“But you sent me back to Asgard when I started causing trouble,“ he reminded you. "Odin does not forget his son’s crimes easily, nor is he inclined to forgive them. Luckily my brother is far easier to manipulate.”

He had not, you noticed, made any real move to leave. Loki still stood in front of you, looking down as the pink handprint faded from his cheek.

“So…you didn’t kill my fiancé?” you asked uncertainly.

He shook his head. “If he isn’t here, it is because he is a dunce, not because I tricked him in any way.”

“Oh.” All the problems of your appearance seemed at once apparent and embarrassing. To think that this man would see you in such a state, and only because he’d wanted to see you after his release from jail. “Why did you really come, then? Since you knew he wasn’t here. To gloat?”

“The thought did occur to me,” Loki confessed. “I am not often in the position of being the more desirable choice. But,” here his voice turned oddly sincere, “I actually came to ask you to come with me.”

Your mouth fell open. Some of Loki’s usual acerbic amusement returned as he watched you flounder; you could see the faint outlines of his familiar smirk at the corners of his mouth. Finally, you managed a short, “go with you where?”

He shrugged, and started to twist the curtain in between his long, pale fingers. “I don’t know, really.”

“You want me to go somewhere with you without anywhere in mind?”

“I thought we’d figure it out as we went along,” he said. “Travel the galaxies. I cannot return to Asgard and Midgard, of course, is out of the question so long as I do not rule it.”

“You want me to follow you into outerspace?”

Only his silence could tip you off that Loki was actually nervous. He clearly had no idea how you would respond to his suggestion–which was by falling into a nearby chair to gape at him.

“You want me to leave my family?” you asked.

“They live far away and hardly talk to you.”

“And my job?”

“That you’ve never liked. We’re both aware.”

“And my best friend?”

“She spends most of her time visiting mosques in India with her boyfriend,” Loki said with a dismissive flick of his hand. “Besides, there’s no rule to say we can’t come back to visit her every so often. I have no objection. She seems a sensible enough woman.”

“And you want me to leave them all,” you went on as though you couldn’t hear him, “for you, a man I haven’t seen in years because he was in prison.”

Once more, Loki said nothing. His green eyes peered into yours with unreadable depths, just as they had the unfortunate day you had returned home after to work to find your injured pigeon friend gone and a strange man eating all of the meat out of your fridge in its place. You could remember, too, the feel of that man’s skin against yours, the heat of his lips on your neck, the sound of his low voice in your ear–and Jared complaining, always complaining, about how much time you spent with that damn bird.

You buried your face in your hands. “I can’t do it, Loki. I can’t.”

You waited to hear him leave again, to hear the glass move and the rush of the storm and the flutter of wings. None came. All that did was one soft word:

“Please.”

“Huh?”

When you looked up, Loki was right above you. His hands gripped the chair arms at your sides with enough force to make them whiter than ever–but his eyes were not on yours anymore.

“Please,” he said, “I don’t want to lose you, too.”

Another move without thinking or warning: You gently touched his other cheek.

Loki’s eyes closed for a half second before he moved one hand to hold your wrist there. “I have already lost my father, my mother, my home. My own brother has thrust me unceremoniously from both realms I sought to rule. And then to hear that I would lose you, too, to an oaf like that Jared.”

No one could say that Loki losing all of this wasn’t entirely his fault. He had decided to lead an alien invasion into Earth, to try murdering several members of his mentioned family, and to seduce young Earth women under the guise of hurt animals. But part of Loki’s charm was that he never failed to make one doubt that he could be better, maybe, if you only let him try.

“I’m sorry,” you said sincerely. A sincere apology didn’t mean your mind was changed, however, and this, also, Loki knew.

“Do you want me to beg?” he asked. “I am no longer a stranger to begging.”

With that, Loki slid to the wooden floor before you. Stranger or no, it was positive it wasn’t a position he relished being in, what with how stiff his hands were around yours when he made to hold them. He swallowed, took a deep breath, and began:

“I know I am asking a lot. But I, too, have lost a family, a job, and my closest friends. I would not ask you to come with me if I did not intend on paying you pack ten times in kind. If you will allow me to take you with me, I know I can make you happier than you would be here. Together we will find some place to call our own, and you shall be my queen. So please,” he said, “please let me keep one last thing that I love. Don’t make me leave you behind, too.”

It wasn’t the prettiest speech you had ever heard come out of his mouth, but it was probably the most honest. You gave him a tiny smile as you squeezed his hands in return. “A queen, huh?”

Loki smirked. “Or a comfortable, quiet living, depending on what we find, and how thorough Thor is in seeking me out. At least we could be comfortable and quiet for a little while.”

“Can’t imagine that’s going to last long with you around.”

“With you around to look after me, though…”

That got you to laugh. “Oh, yes, I’m sure I’d do a wonderful job making sure you didn’t get into any trouble. I did such a good job before.”

Some of the color returned to Loki’s features. He was starting to hope. Against your better judgement, so were you. A couple of things, however, remained to bother you:

“What if you came here and Jared and I were married?” you asked.

“Then I would have had to resort to kidnapping.”

“And how did you even know I was getting married today to begin with?”

He smiled his Cheshire smile, and that was when you knew you were truly lost. “You really ought to stop talking to the birds on your fire escape. You never know which one would be willing to pass information off in exchange for a couple of peanuts.”

“Oh, and you stalk me. What part of this deal doesn’t sound good?”

“None of it, I should hope.” Standing, Loki kept one hand firmly around one of yours. “We should go, you realize. Unless you want to say your goodbyes?”

You thought of your parents blustering about how you dared to invite both of them to your wedding. You thought of the forlorn apartment you shared with a man that had never really loved you for you. You thought of Aliyah and her instance that Jared would never be good enough for you. You thought of the awkward explanation that would be expected as soon you set foot outside that door–and you grinned.

“Not a chance.”

“Then I believe,” he said, and abruptly pulled you into his arms in an obvious parody of carrying a bride before pushing the window open with his boot, “we have a few errands to go on before we get on our way.”

“Like what?”

“Unless you plan to live the rest of our lives with nothing but multiple blenders,” he began, but was not able to finish over your sudden laughter and the return of the torrent outside.

You latched your hands behind his neck as he dove back into the rain. There were stars somewhere above those clouds, and you would be visiting them soon enough–them and endless other realms. Maybe eloping with a man that could turn into a pigeon wasn’t the best miracle there ever was on Midgard, but it pulled off the most important trick of them all: Against all odds, you lived happily ever after.

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timextoxhajima · 3 years

Text

The Boyz as things and feelings (just cause)

this is a small thing @haechanhues needed help with so i decided to make it an actual post uwu [this is gonna be pretty long cause i might write little scenarios]

[THE BOYZ AS THINGS AND FEELINGS]

SANGYEON - MIRRORS AND PILLOWS

mirrors make a place look bigger than it really is - i feel like sangyeon has that ability to make you feel like you’re more important on your worst days

the things he’ll do just to make sure you’re alright, even when he knows you’re not

he also has the ability to reflect what you need: sad? he’ll come and hug you and let you cry or talk about your shitty day. happy? he’ll joke about the way you snort while laughing then he’d probably do something dumb to keep the energy up there

mirrors also feel very private and at-home, and that exactly how i feel he curates an environment

pillows are self-explanatory ig, smth to cry into, smth to fall asleep with while hugging, has the best homely scents ever, very comfortable

i imagine going home after a long day and finding your partner also tired, but he’s cooking or like in the couch watching tv and he just invites you into his arms uwu

“tell me about everything! whatever that makes you happy or sad and i’ll try my best to be who you need at that point of time!”

JACOB - FLOWERS AND MUSIC

ok like jacob with a guitar is just a stellar sight to behold, he looks like he was born to hold one, and his vocals are super underrated imo, most of tbz’s discography doesnt really suit his voice - i really wish he had a chance to have more lines in more ballads or maybe even a solo thing

he would drag you out to go on walks after he knows you’ve buried yourself in your work the whole day, and he’d be the kind to stop at a pretty flower and contemplate plucking it but he wouldn’t cause he’s a fairy and wouldn’t hurt a fly, much less a pretty flower

would probably play a piece in the background while you’re stressed w work and hum a tune so the singing wouldn’t distract you

would stop when he notices you stopped working and your sad ass is probably crying lmao

he’s a very soft and gentle man imo

he’s the innocent daisy amidst other bright colored, flamboyant flowers but he still stands out

“i’ll grow you a rose bush in the yard so i don’t have to be sad about plucking flowers next time.”

YOUNGHOON - WINTER COATS AND COFFEE AND PASTRIES

he definitely radiates tsundere vibes on first sight, but when you get to know him, he’s obviously the opposite: a crybaby

but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t keep up his model-like appearances when he’s outside - in fact, he’d be the one to influence you into caring more about how you look (of course not materialistically, but more into actually caring about making yourself feel good with your fashion and appearance)

i chose winter coats as a symbol of coverage - he doesn’t show much of himself unless he’s close to you (like when you wear winter coats to keep warm, he’s a burrito because he doesn’t bother too much about sharing his feelings), but when he does, it feels like he has the ability to keep you warm and comfortable, even on the coldest days, even if his inner savage comes out

it’ll be like he scooped you into his coat and has you warm in one of this inner breast pockets

i see him as the kind to get regular coffee and like, a tart or something, at a cafe. it adds on to the warmth, when he remembers what you like. the details. maybe you like your coffee with cinnamon or less sugar or something, but then he tops it up with a muffin and he knows you like it heated up so he specifically asks for them to do so

ok but he’s defo the kind of guy that catches people’s attention at public spaces so every now and then when he’s laughing or smiling, some girl would gawk at him and he would be embarrassed about it, but lucky for you, you’re already wearing matching coats so they know the man’s taken uwu

“if only they knew how long it took to convince you to wear that coat.”

HYUNJAE - CONCERTS AND CONVENIENCE STORE DATES

classy but calm. dream-like but realistic.

i say concerts as in the instrumental, ballad kinds. he loves it and he knows you probably need the sleep where you have that kind of background white noise/music that provides you the best quality of sleep there is. but when you’re not dosing off, he’s admiring how much time you’re willing to invest into being at something he loves

of course, in turn, he doesn’t complain much when you’re hungry and you meet him down the street at the nearest convenience store for some instant noodles and potato chips with a coke and he lets you ramble about your day

he would probably buy you an ice cream just so you’d feel better, then regret it when you get a stomachache later cause it was like 2am in the morning

you probably have like 5 of his hoodies at home that you refuse to wash cause his scent is tainted all over it and the only time he gets to take them home is when he stays over or visits and he sneaks one into his bag when you’re in the kitchen making tea or a bowl of noodles

then you’ll get it back without even knowing it was gone

the kind that would probably surprise you after a day of work with a casual date idea to the movies, and i mean showing up at your place, impromptu, after he knows you’re home with two tickets

“act like my girlfriend for once and go on a date with me, would you? your work isn’t going to be there with you when you die at 90.”

JUYEON - STARGAZING AND VR GAMES

as dumb and sometimes bimbotic as he seems he is, he’s gotten most of the visible constellations memorised and he would not hesitate from telling you all about his childhood with his family when they would travel and try to spot every single constellation they can remember

which brings me to the point where he remembers what you like, but... backhandedly. he doesn’t remember what you like but he remembers what you hate instead, so you don’t ever have to worry about getting that licorice flavoured jelly bean

he would offer a midnight walk to help you relieve your stress, cause he knows you just like seeing the nightsky amidst the peace and quiet while he rambles on for his own satisfaction. not everything has to be so emotionally attached and shared. you can share blissful moments without being the reason for each other’s and that’s totally fine.

juyeon is kind of a scaredy cat in the sense that he isn’t really into horror movies or games but he’s always had that dream to become a pilot and so for his birthday, you brought him to a vr game arcade where he played some plane simulator and ever since, you’ve been taking turns to surprise each other with a new vr arcade spot or adding on to the vr game console set you have at home

“maybe i should digitalise you so i can see you in the vr game”

KEVIN - KARAOKE SESSIONS AND NEON LIGHTS

the best-friend kind of partner you would come across once in a lifetime

a billion film shots of you after he drags you to the karaoke and he beats you at super intense songs like the bohemian rhapsody just cause he can hit those high notes and solely because he was screaming on the floor when he did it

almost left his film camera behind

absolutely LOVES those walks along streets where there are a million neon lights

would come across that one sus neon light signs that indicate a sex toy store and he would give you that sly smile and probably joke for you to go in

kevin has a moon neon light in his room and you have a star or something (whatever you want)

corrects your grammar and pronunciation, only for you two to bicker about it even more when you use google translation and there are different pronunciations depending on where/what accent you’re using

he really is your light in the dark, even if he’s known to be introverted. once he’s comfortable enough with you, he makes you feel like the most important person in the world

has one of those portable speaker microphones at home and he drones on and on and on with some billie eilish song until you hurl a pillow at him

“so you’re the tough girl, like it really rough girl, justcan’tgetenoughofkevingirl, chest always so puffed girl”

CHANHEE - DUETS AND STRAWBERRY PICKING

(i could not find a more candid, softer aesthetic pic for chanhee rip)

his entire wardrobe fits you - the only problem is that he’ll never let you wear it in fear that you’d stain or tear something

shared playlists because that’s how similar your taste in music is, and so sometimes when you have your earpiece in and you’re humming the melody of that song, chanhee picks it up immediately despite not hearing that song, and ends up harmonising with you

got kicked out of the library once or twice because it was exam period and the two of you won’t shut up

ironically doesn’t sing that much if you’re not around

chanhee is a true blue introvert - which is a miracle that you’ve managed to tear through that barrier of his and find out that he giggles at every stupid thing you do: he’s having a bad day? trip over the pavement. he’ll laugh. it works

dragging him out to go strawberry picking was so difficult - but of course chanhee isn’t safe from how beautiful and enticing the fresh fruits were.

didn’t touch anything strawberry flavoured OR any strawberries for the next month or so

his straightforwardness comes with the breakdown of his barrier - but that’s what brings you comfort. he will never lie, he will only be sarcastic and even then, you’d know it’s true

i used duets as a symbol of harmony and being in-sync, though never really exactly the same, and that’s how it is with chanhee. your thoughts are very similar even though he’s much more introverted than you, but that’s what binds you

“i’m gonna tell the librarian i don’t know you if we get kicked out again.”

CHANGMIN - CITY TOURS AND MATCHING OUTFITS

city tours - the kind that you already know inside out and yet you STILL travel the area as if you were a tourist

that’s exactly how it is with changmin: you know him inside out, after being friends for so long, but it never gets old

you’re used to him biting your hand out of nowhere and yet it startles you all the time. that stupid chucky doll in his living room? old, but it never fails to scare you

he doesn’t ever talk about it that much, but he loves it when you co-ordinate outfits

no, it doesn’t mean you wear couple tees, but it’s aesthetically pleasing to changmin that if he wears cool tones, you would too

he’d be reserved about his thoughts and feelings sometimes but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think or feel them

there’s a strange sense of familiarity with changmin, because you kind of know what to expect but then you’re never disappointed, you know?

“i got you this white pigeon cause it looks like the one i already got... you can give it back to me if you don’t like it though-” /he takes it before you can accept it/

HAKNYEON - STAND UP COMEDY SHOWS AND RUNNING ALONG THE BEACH

there’s something about ju that makes it very casual and easy-going

he hates horror genred themes so fuck that, he would queue online just for the latest ali wong comedy show, even if it’s an online show, and he would laugh until he cried

sometimes he’s a drama queen but that makes it alot easier for you to know what he’s thinking or feeling - it makes communication alot easier

that means a lack of arguments

he’s also very empathetic but straightforward, exactly like how comedy shows are - because they are relatable, they are funny because they bring out the irony and sarcasm and all the dumb things in life that people are sometimes afraid of talking about and hak just says whatever he wants to say, even if he knows it might be hurtful or upsetting

he prioritises truth and honesty over anything else

it makes you a better person, honestly

beach walks - very calming, very liberating. he lets you yell and scream and kick sand back into the water because you can, and he does it with you

tries to teach you how to skip rocks but you suck and you can’t so he just pulls you away from the pile of rocks you amassed

“flick your wrist like that, not like you’re meowing!”

SUNWOO - SOCCER FRIENDLIES AND STUDIO SESSIONS

he will NOT go easy on you in a friendly match: you might be one of the fastest players of the female team but he’s ruthless in his ball-stealing, so even if you were fast enough to keep the ball out of his reach, he’d still be able to snatch it right out between your feet

very, very competitive and does not like to lose

you would always play the ‘ladies first’ card but then he’d throw the ‘feminism’ card back at you

sometimes you act more like siblings than anything else

the only time when he isn’t fuming with competition is if you’re injured because he accidentally tackled you - he’ll gracefully give himself a yellow card before absolutely trashing you in the next match

has one foot into the production game recently - likes to play with the beat board and mixing tunes, and since you’ve had your hand in doing music remixes for a deejay job before, you’re there to identify which songs have the same bass line or beat counts for easier mixing

would make you a playlist of remixes but wouldn’t admit that he spent a whole day in the studio without you just so it would be a surprise

a soft boy stuck in the wraps of an egoistic man

“a day? please. i illegally downloaded half these remixes off the internet cause i’d think you’re too internet-dumb to find them.”

ERIC - BAKING AND SKATEBOARDING

full of impromptu, casual ideas to hang out

baking is a fucking mess - why did he suggest it when he doesn’t even have the right ingredients?

wanted to replace eggs with water - like ok thats supposedly healthier, but why????????????

he likes cleaning so that was the only fucking bonus in baking - had to call his mom for help halfway through because the cookies looked more like goop than playdough

gave up in the end and he repaid his debt by helping clean your kitchen

tried to teach you how to skateboard, but he ended up falling off his own in the process and now he’s got a grazed knee

the kind of person you’d have so much chaotic fun with, he’s that friend your mom told you to NOT hang out with that much if not you’d get run down by a car

has the most fucking random pieces of clothing in his wardrobe, like where did he even get that pink coat from?

“no you have to do this and like lift up your leg and then kinda rest your weight on it before flicking your ankle and like- whOA- OH OW OHNO OHOHOH OW”

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fanmoose12 · 3 years

Note

Hello would you mind writing vets as a music band? And that fans suspect the “normal” relationship of head vocal Levi and bassist Hange? Sorry if my english isn’t writing properly at all.

Mikasa invites him to a No Name concert.

And it's like- whatever, right? Who cares? Jean certainly doesn't.

So what if the girl of his dreams asks him out on a date? It's not like he has been daydreaming about it for the past two years. So what if she offers to see his favorite band in the whole world? He doesn't even like them much. Sure, he knows all their songs by heart but- he doesn't listen to them that often. Only twice or thrice each day. And it's not like his closet hides an insane amount of their merchandise. That is between Jean, his closet and his mother.

He isn't nervous, he doesn't care about the upcoming date. At all. Most certainly, he doesn't spend literal days, obsessing over his outfit. And he obviously doesn't pester Sasha and Connie with questions on how to style his hair.

Most importantly, he doesn't imagine how it would feel to hold Mikasa's hand or maybe even go for a hug or a kiss-

Jean tries not to think about it, his heart starts to beat to fast, when he does, but when he doesn't think about Mikasa, he starts thinking about No Name and the little, tinie tiny fact that he's going to see them in person. That he's going to meet them and maybe even shake their hand, because Mikasa being the gorgeous goddess she is, got them tickets with access to a backstage. It didn't require any kind of effort from her side, since the famed, spectacularly, dreamy Levi Ackerman is Mikasa's cousin, but- Jean doesn't remember sharing his No Name obsession with Mikasa, for obvious reasons - he doesn't want to think that he likes her just because she's Levi Ackerman's cousin, Mikasa is great not because she's an Ackerman, but because she's Mikasa, but- but Jean is so, so grateful that he'll have the chance to see No Name in all their glory.

Of course, he is not at all nervous about meeting his favorite band in person. No, no, he doesn't lose sleep over it, his palms don't turn clammy. Sometimes he feels like he'll combust from anticipation, but he's fine, completely fine.

He just can't wait until that fated day will come.

---

When that day rolls around at last, Jean is cool. He's cool, calm, serene.

His hand is greasy from all the times he touched his slicked back hair, and he can't stop tugging at the sleeves of his leather jacket, but- but he's cool.

The band that is currently playing isn't that bad - not nearly as talented and awesome, and hot as No Name, but still good. The crowd is bigger than Jean is comfortable with, but today it works in his favor because it prompts Mikasa to hold his hand. Maybe, he'll get that kiss after all. If he continues keeping his cool.

That proves to be just a little harder task when Mikasa announces that they reached the backstage.

Jean can't help it - he gawks around helplessly.

This is it, this is a place where miracles happen, where stars lounge and rest.

This is the place where he'll meet No Name.

Jean can't imagine how this meeting will transpire. Will they like him? Will they agree to make a photo? Will they give him an autograph? Will they think that he's a weirdo who is too obsessed with their music?

All of the above? None of the above?

Jean doesn't know.

There are so many things he wants to say. There are so many things he wants to ask - how can they play with those bandages on? How do they never trip during performances? What is their favorite song to play? What do they do in their free time? What is their favorite food? Are the rumors about Levi Ackerman and Hange Zoe-

Okay, no, he probably shouldn't ask that last question, no matter how much he wants to know the answer. And he wants to, so, so much.

The thing is- there are many rumors about No Name. It's not surprising, they are young, famous and extremely hot. These rumors usually exclude the drummer, Mike Zacharias, who is already engaged with a very pretty blonde lady, their stylist. Although, there are some fans who speculate that the engagement is not true, and Mike actually dates their producer, one Erwin Smith, but- Jean usually ignores that type of fans, branding them as freaks.

Now, as far as everyone is aware, nor Levi Ackerman, neither Hange Zoe are involved in any kind of romantic relationships, and that's- that's where the juicy stuff begins.

There aren't many rumors about Hange - some say she's involved with Pieck, the band's make-up artist. Or their manager, Moblit Berner. Or an indie artist, Onyakopon. But that's where the list ends.

Levi Ackerman, however, oh he has a far longer list of lovers. Petra Ral, for example, a rising pop-star - young, talented and so pretty that it hurts. Or Erwin, although on that subject rumors wary - some say that Erwin is the one who got Levi in showbiz, some say that Erwin is his sugar daddy, some say that they're already engaged and even married. The rumors are as varied as they're wrong, in Jean's opinion. Most rumors about Levi are like that. There are even talks about his involvement with Yeager brothers - with the front man of the rival band, Zeke, and Jean's and Mikasa's classmate, Eren. Jean doesn't understand where these rumors even come from, as far as he's aware, Levi hates them both. But- but rumors still exist.

As stupid as they are.

Now, Jean has a different opinion, one that he spends nights defending in chats and forums. Yes, Levi Ackerman has a lover. And no, it's not Petra Ral, Erwin Smith or any of the Yeager brothers. It's Hange Zoe, No Name's bassist.

There are many reasons why he thinks so. Firstly, they are always together. And by always, Jean means always. In photoshoots they stand side by side, during performances they lean against each other, on all kinds of photos - from after-parties to official events, they always touch each other in some way. And that's not all. They spend their vacations together, they hang out at movies, restaurants, museums, their respective instagrams are full of the other's candid photos. And it's a known fact that they share an apartment. Honestly, how much more obvious it can get? Also Jean is pretty sure that one of the songs written by Levi is about Hange, and he has an entire essay, explaining why he's right. He prays to every saint known that Mikasa will never find it. He doesn't want his almost girlfriend to find out just how invested he is in the romantic life of her famous cousin.

As they walk further and further into the magical territory of the backstage, Jean tries to think of something cool to say, something laid-back and easy like 'hey, what's up, guys? I've listened to the couple of your songs, you're not that bad...'

Yes, he decides. That's a good way to start. A cool way to start.

And Jean is cool. And calm.

And- oh my god, there they are, the three of them, already in their costumes, just without the signature bandages. They look even cooler in person. They look even hotter and-

Mikasa squeezes his hand.

"If my asshole cousin says something awful, I'll punch him in the face for you."

God, that is so sweet. So Mikasa. He wouldn't be opposed to anyone getting a punch from her except- her gorgeous cousin. His pretty face should be protected at all costs.

However, as they approach, the face that charmed millions transforms, turning into a quite nasty scowl.

"So that's him?" Levi Ackerman asks (Jean's sick brain, even in that moment, can't help but note that Hange Zoe is standing right behind her band member, a hand laying on his shoulder). "That's the guy you're going crazy about?"

"Yes," Mikasa answers, and suddenly the air grows stiff. "Do you have a problem with that?"

The lines around Levi's mouth harden, and Jean tries to focus on Hange Zoe, while his mind prepares for something not at all pretty, but- Hange is smiling - not smirking, smiling. That is a good sign, right?

"Don't mind the Ackermans," she stage whispers to Jean. "Levi was actually very excited about meeting you."

Right now it's hard to imagine that dark (and still so handsome) face in the expression of excitement, but. Hange knows him a lot more, right?

"Oh and by the way," she giggles, and at the back of his mind Jean wonders if that's how angels sound like. "I'm Hange."

He almost blurts out 'I know' but- that'd be creepy? Or not? He can't decide so settles on a simple nod.

"Jean," he says, taking the offered hand in his. With his hand that isn't holding Mikasa's (they're holding hands, wow!), he shakes Hange's. It's unexpectedly calloused. But still warm and gentle. Not as nice as Mikasa's but... somewhere very close.

"And that is the one and only Levi Ackerman," Hange continues, gesturing to the man in question. "He only looks so scary. But actually," she winks and lowers her voice. "He's the biggest softie you'll ever meet."

The biggest softie Jean has ever met, practically snarls, baring his teeth. But the hand on his shoulder tightens and he instantly relaxes, scoffing in annoyance. Oh, so that's who Hange Zoe is? The one who tames the beast?

"You're not as revolting as her other dates," Levi says. Jean is pretty sure that it was meant as a compliment. "But if you dare to-"

"Oi," Mikasa's face becomes as stormy as her cousin's. "He won't."

"And even if he does," Hange smiles, so handsome and a little scary. "Mikasa knows what to do."

Jean gulps. He has seen Mikasa train that one time. He was very impressed, and a little bit scared. Also a lot aroused.

He knows with ironclad certainty that should Mikasa kick him... his face may not survive it.

"Hange, Levi," a gruff voice behind them calls. Jean lifts his eyes, mouth opening in shock as he sees him in the flash - the third member of Non Name, Mike Zacharius himself. In person... he is even more enormous than on photos. His shoulders are twice as wide as Jean's, and next to Hange and Levi, he looks almost like a giant. "We're starting in five."

"Oh!" Hange covers her mouth with a palm. "I haven't checked my guitar yet. Let's hurry, shorty!"

Hange dashes away instantly, Levi sighs and trudges after her. Mikasa tugs at Jean's hand as well, whispering that they need to go to their places.

Jean nods, absentmindedly, because right in that moment, at the other side of the room he sees Hange and Levi exchange a playful, quick but undeniably a kiss.

Triumph courses through him, firing him up. He knew that he was right, those fuckers from twitter can eat his shit.

Hange Zoe and Levi Ackerman are truly dating.

He wants to know more, wants to ask Mikasa to spare the juicy details, but for now-

For now, Jean has to take care of his date as well.

He interlaces their fingers, and, keeping Hange's words in mind - Ackermans are not as scary as they look - he leans in to press a kiss to Mikasa's cheek and whispers,

"You look fantastic."

Ever so slightly, but Mikasa blushes. It's the best moment of the evening so far.

And, hopefully, there will be more of that.

#levihan #jeankasa #i guess???

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immaturityofthomasastruc · 3 years

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Lila Rossi: I’d Say She’s a Good Villain, but Then I’d Be Lying (300 Follower Special)

Deception and cunning are easily two of the most important traits an antagonist could have. It shows that even if they don't have the strength to overcome obstacles, their wit is more than enough. This kind of trait is why characters like Lex Luthor, David Xanatos, and Princess Azula are so beloved, simply because of how intelligent they can be as villains and pose a real threat to the heroes.

It's clear that the Miraculous Ladybug writers want Lila to be seen as this, but the writing seriously fails to back that claim up.

Easily one of the most controversial characters in Miraculous Ladybug is Lila, mainly for the writing surrounding her. But there was a time where she was actually more of an ambiguous character, mainly for the lack of screentime she had until Season 3. But unfortunately, the more appearances she's had have painted a very poor portrait of an antagonist.

Lila's Tragic and Sympathetic Motivation for Hating Ladybug

Lila's first appearance was at the tail end of Season 1, “Volpina”. She was a new transfer student from Italy, and quickly made friends with a lot of her classmates for the lies she told, including being friends with Ladybug (which Alya blindly believed without doing any research like any excellent journalist). But because of how close she was getting to Adrien, Marinette, in a rare act of selfishness, transforms into Ladybug just to chew out Lila for lying about knowing her, humiliating her in front of Adrien. And this is the only motivation we get for what Lila does afterwards.

I'm not saying that it's wrong for Lila to get upset at Ladybug for doing this, and I like the moment of weakness Marinette has, but this is literally the only explanation we get for Lila deciding to side with Hawkmoth, a literal terrorist. As much as I hated the way the arc turned out, I could still understand Chloe siding with Hawkmoth, as it was clear that Hawkmoth was manipulating her and taking advantage of her ego. Lila? Ladybug's mean to her one time, and that inspires her to conspire with a complete stranger who brainwashes people to attack the city, which endangers innocent people and causes God knows how much in collateral damage if not for Miraculous Ladybug fixing everything.

I just don't get how a single negative interaction with someone is enough to conspire with a literal supervillain. Even in Season 3, when Marinette and Lila truly became enemies, it was because she risked exposing all the lies she told, which could damage her reputation. Sure, it's petty, but it makes sense for Lila to want to keep up the illusion. If she was simply an antagonist to Marinette in her civilian life like Chloe was before “Miracle Queen” , I'd be fine with that, but the writers clearly want her to be seen as on the same level of evil as Hawkmoth. I'll get into why that doesn't work later on.

Why Lila is an Excellent Liar

In my Master Fu analysis, I had pointed out that despite all the flaws he had, the narrative insisted on portraying him as an incredibly wise mentor. The same problem applies for Lila as well. We're supposed to see Lila as an expert manipulator and liar, but her lies are insultingly obvious. She always claims to be friends with celebrities and does all these awesome things, and in an age where we can have almost any question answered thanks to the internet, nobody ever stops to question her.

It's even more frustrating when you hear Lila talk about saving Jagged Stone's cat, when Jagged Stone is established to be very fond of Marinette (evidentially more than his own daughter), and nobody ever points that out. I think if Lila's lies were more stories about her travels around the world than outright lies about real people, it could have worked. It'd still be hard to believe, but it's something.

But this is a problem with writing shows aimed at children. As much as we hate writers who need to spell out things to kids, sometimes, they just don't understand some of the media they consume. Seriously, I never got this joke in SpongeBob as a kid, and I can't believe Nickelodeon actually approved this.

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So the dilemma when writing a show with children in mind is finding that sweet spot between assuming your audience can figure it out, but not being too vague in your details. It's even harder when you need to find a way to convey the fact that someone is lying without being too obvious. Unfortunately, the show clearly fails to do that

Okay, this is going to sound like an incredibly weird thing to cite, and I only know about it because I used to know someone who was a huge fan of the franchise, but the movie Monster High: Friday Night Frights does a better job of subtly explaining to the audience that a character is lying. Please, just hear me out.

The movie follows the main characters competing in their high school's roller derby for the season after everyone on the usual team gets injured, and the championship match is against another school whose team tends to cheat to win matches. How they manage to do this without getting caught is anyone's guess. While the main characters are practicing, their coach, Clawd, notices a spy for the enemy team taking video of them to study their moves. In response, he calls over one of the athletes, Operetta, to chew her out for her showboating attitude. In reality, he's alerting her to the spy. Only using facial expressions, he clues her, and by extension, the audience, in on the fact that they know what the opposing team is trying to do.

This soon leads to Operetta pretending to tell the enemy team about their secret plan for the championship match, which was really an attempt to outsmart them to gain the advantage in the final stretch. The brilliance of this is how the audience is informed of this with no dialogue, and there's no scene afterwards spelling it out for those who don't get it. It manages to convey deception without being too obvious that Clawd and Operetta are being deceitful.

I think if there were more subtle hints to show the audience Lila was lying, she would be seen in a better light. As it is, Lila's lies are just pathetic, and it's ridiculous that everyone believes her. Which leads me to...

Lila, the Master Manipulator

I once read a Star Trek: Voyager fanfic that poked fun at the series by claiming that the reason a lot of the dumber episodes like “Threshold” and “Twisted” happened was because one of the crew members was an alien who unintentionally produced mood altering pheromones, with Captain Janeway actually realizing they were all high because of said pheromones, while two of the unaffected crew members were wondering what the hell they were doing before they found out the cause. Why do I bring this up? Sometimes, it feels like Lila is an unintentional parallel to the alien in that story.

Like so many characters, it's clear the show desperately wants the audience to view Lila in a certain way, but her actions do very little to actually back up that claim. When she's not using lies to tell stories about so many famous people she knows like her uncle who works for Nintendo, Lila is using strategies to manipulate everyone that are so obviously deceptive, the Thermians could pick up on them. Everyone and their mother knows how ridiculous a lot of what Lila does in episodes like “Chameleon” and “Ladybug” are, and I've talked about them before, so I'll try to be quick.

First off, as someone who had access to accommodations through high school and has had assistance in college so far, there is no way in hell that Ms. Bustier should take Lila's tinnitus at face value in “Chameleon”. If a student has a disability that could interfere with the education process, physical or developmental, not only does the school have to evaluate their performance, and determine if they're eligible for an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, but her teachers would have to be notified in the first place. As her primary educator, Ms. Bustier would be part of the team to oversee Lila's IEP and determine what accommodations she needs to help her learn better with her tinnitus and arthritis. But because the writers don't know what Google is, they just ignore it, assume that Lila can just say she has a disability, and have everyone believe it. Even when Eric Cartman pretended to be disabled to compete in the Special Olympics, he put in more effort to look the part, even if he looked like a caricature.

Then there's the fact that that in “Chameleon”, everyone just believes Lila when she says Marinette stole her grandmother's necklace when not only is said necklace from the Agreste line of jewelry, but Alya, who is Rena Rouge, can't pick up on the fact that it's a fake. All she does to justify these lies is come up with a sob story about how nobody believes her, yet nobody ever tries to defend Marinette except Alya one time, and it was after she got expelled.

Or what about in “Oni-Chan”, where Lila thinks having Kagami kill Ladybug while claiming she'll back away from Adrien is a good idea? Let's say Oni-Chan does kill Ladybug or at least take away her Miraculous, what then? We know Lila wouldn't go through with this promise, and as soon as Kagami sees her harassing Adrien, she'll be ripe for akumatization again. Overall, not a great plan.

And yet somehow, this last example is what made her worthy enough to become one of Hawkmoth's most trusted agents. I'm just going to say it: Lila is not a good fit for the power of illusion. Whenever she's Volpina or Chameleon, she always goes out of her way to make a big show instead of being subtle with her deceptions. “Chameleon” is the worst offender, as even though Lila gets the power to shapeshift into someone else, instead of being discreet and cornering people into kissing them and gaining their appearance, she just runs around to get Ladybug's attention instead of being subtle. Even Felix had the bright idea to pretend to be Adrien to catch Ladybug off guard. How do you lose to something that happened in “Felix”?

Despite all of these screw-ups, we're still supposed to see her as this master of deception worthy of allying with Hawkmoth in both his supervillain and civilian form, when really, she's a terrible liar on the schoolyard and on the battlefield.

Why Lila is an Important Character

In the grand scheme of things, Lila just isn't as important of a character that the show loves to parade her around as. She's nothing more than a plot device used to raise the stakes in an episode, given how much reality seems to bend over just to accommodate for her lies. Even when the show alludes to her being part of bigger things, like her deal with Adrien, or her rivalry with Marinette, they don't even go anywhere.

She just feels pointless when you remember Astruc's brilliant idea to force Chloe into being the final Akuma for the season while Lila isn't even mentioned once. She only really makes appearances whenever the writers feel like it, which is why it’s hard to take her seriously. Why should I take this character seriously as a threat if the writers refuse to take her seriously as a threat? Why build Lila up as a big threat and not give her a major role in the finale? Why even include her in the show in the first place when you could show Chloe being more manipulative to fill in the plots Lila plays a big part in?

As of the time I am writing this analysis, four episodes of Season 4 have aired, three of them have been about lies or deception, and Lila hasn't been mentioned at all. It honestly seems like she won't appear unless the writers need a easy way to drive up the conflict, so they can justify it by saying that Lila's “superpower” of lying is more powerful than the common sense of everyone else.

I'm sorry this post was shorter than the last one, but compared to Master Fu, there's not that much to say about Lila that I haven't already said. Even the show barely gives her any attention, so it's hard for me to really find a lot to talk about.

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