#let me tell you linking each chapter at the top of the post is sooooo much work

[longroadstonowhere]

this is it

the final chapter of wild child

six and a half years ago, i wrote a little story with an open ending, and i thought well, maybe i’ll come back to this, who knows - i was just starting to get back into writing again, after taking several years off because nothing really inspired me to write

and then there was homestuck, and there were friends to encourage my writing, and after a while i thought, well, why not try continuing that seed of a story

six years ago this saturday, i published the second of what i thought would be six or eight chapters at most - clearly that estimate was completely wrong, haha - but i’m glad i continued this, because i’m proud of what i’ve done here

to everyone who’s read any part of this story, thank you

(1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 ao3)

Paul collapsed on the couch. John had stormed off through the front door after Jade had made her escape, and he couldn't blame either of them.Probably one of my worst parenting moments to date, he berated himself. Honestly I can't imagine how much worse I could have done.

Roxy settled on the couch next to him and stroked his back. "Well, that was a little bit of a shitstorm."

"Doctor!" Paul raised his head and looked at the stairs. "Your daughter -"

"Left to go find the others. They'll be fine." She sat back, tapping her hands against her thighs. Suddenly, she stood and made her way to the kitchen. "I'm going to get myself something to drink. Would you like some?"

He frowned. Early in the day for that, isn't it? He didn't voice his thought, though, just a simple "No thank you." Rubbing at his temple, he continued, "Really feel like I need to smoke, though."

She hummed in acknowledgement as she clattered around the kitchen. He heard something being poured into a glass, a pause, and then liquid splashing down the drain. He turned his head and saw the doctor filling two glasses with water. Coming back around the couch, she handed him one glass and held the other out. "To curbing vices," she proposed, with a facetious twist to her mouth.

With a matching half-smile, he tapped her glass and took a long sip. Swirling the water a little, he said mournfully, "I don't think John's ever been this angry with me, and I can't blame him. Every choice I made in this matter was the absolute worst choice I could have made. I can't expect him or Jade to ever trust me again."

"Well..." Roxy said thoughtfully. "It might be true that you could've handled things differently and it might have turned out better, but that's impossible to know for sure. Unless you have secret time travel powers?" she teased. Paul snorted out a little laugh despite himself. "No? That's sad, I could've used a new project at work. As for their trust..." Here she sighed. "I'll be honest - I've done my best for Rose, but I've done plenty I'm not proud of, either. Somehow, in spite of all my fuck-ups, she still loves me. I don't know how much she trusts me, but..." She shrugged helplessly. "All children discover their parents are human eventually. We can only hope they still love us when they get through to the other side."

Paul considered that for a moment. "I suppose... I just hoped that day wouldn't come so soon."

Roxy patted his shoulder in consolation. "From what I've seen, you've done a good job with both of them. With a little time, they'll come around."

John stomped away from their house, no goal in sight except just getting away. Dad is such an asshole! he fumed. I can't believe he kept this a secret from us for so long! I was so excited to show Jade what high school is like, and she knows the librarians so well, and what does any of it fucking matter?!? His feet kept pushing along with no interference from his brain, until he found himself near a small ostentatious building near the edge of the clearing that had been made around Rose's house. He didn't really notice the building, though. He was still too focused on mentally ripping his dad a new one. Tired of wandering at random, though, he started going around and around the little structure in a neverending circle.

"John?" Rose's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. She stood some distance away, her arms crossed and one eyebrow quirked upwards. "Are you attempting to create a moat of some sort with your feet alone? I'd admire your perseverance and admittedly misguided ambition if that were the case - but I must inform you we don't often find ourselves under siege, and if we were this building would not be worth any particular attention."

"Oh, uh..." John shuffled his feet, a little embarrassed and still kinda angry at his dad. He didn't really want to unload any of that on Rose, though. "What is this thing, anyway? I don't think I've ever seen a building with pillars outside of like, City Hall."

"Well," Rose stepped forward, her hands moving to clasp behind her back, "this edifice began its life as a mausoleum for my former pet Jaspers. When he passed, my mother had this building constructed to give his mortal flesh a worthy final resting place." She smiled a little. "Then, after some self-reflection and a strongly worded letter from one of my teachers, she decided that was a little fucked up and decided to give Jaspers a more traditional burial for a simple pet - a shoebox buried beneath the flowers. Now we use this thing as a gardening shed."

"Huh. That's... really weird actually."

"That is but the tip of the weirdness manifesting itself as my mother," Rose said. "However, while I could continue to overshare emotionally scarring anecdotes from my past, I think I would serve better as an open ear than an open mouth. So," she carefully settled herself on the grass near the bizarre mausoleum-shed, "have a seat and let's, as the youths say, rap about your feelings."

John snorted without really meaning to. "You sound like a forty six year old woman trapped in a teenager's body saying that."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean by that, young man," Rose stated primly. She patted the grass beside her. "I must insist on the sitting, though. I'll strain my neck if you continue to stand while we talk, and it is simply impossible to find a good masseuse in this neck of the woods."

"Well, I wouldn't want to do something ungentlemanly like cause you grievous bodily harm," John joked as he sprawled next to Rose, his legs stretched in front of him. Once he was sitting, though, he had no idea what to say next. Rose had helped bleed some of his anger away by distracting him, but he could still feel it boiling away in his heart. "I dunno if there's much for me to say. My dad's a jerk and Jade's gonna have to leave, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Rose tilted her head slightly, like she was accepting what John said without agreeing with it. "I'm not so sure that last statement is true, but we can circle back to that. Let's talk to your father first. Does he often spring news on you like this?"

"... No. He usually tells me stuff way before it matters. He always says he wants to give me space to get used to something new, but this is like one of the hugest things that could ever happen and he just drops it all at once?" John exhaled in disgust and fell backwards, his arms stretched out above his head. "I'm already fucked up about high school and growing up, why does this have to change too?"

Rose sighed. "Change can truly be a brutal taskmaster, one with no mercy or compassion for those swept along in its wake. But, well..." Rose paused for a long time, long enough that John wondered if she was done talking entirely. He didn't feel the need to fill the silence for once, though - it felt weirdly okay to just let time pass. He watched a few wisps of cloud slowly drift across the sky. Finally Rose started to speak again. "Honestly, I generally find change to be a shitty joke played on the unprepared fools we all are, but sometimes it can be an unexpected boon. For example," she turned and gave John a surprisingly genuine smile, "though I've only known you a short time, I find both you and Jade to be quite pleasurable additions to my life, an outcome I'd certainly never have predicted in advance. So, even if all the events leading up to our meeting have been exceedingly shitty, I would deem the end result quite satisfactory."

John took a few seconds to process all those words before snorting in laughter. "Wow, that's one of the dorkiest ways I've ever heard someone say 'Let's be friends!', ahahahahaha!" He curled in on his stomach, unable to stop laughing.

Rose sniffed in disapproval. "Such boorish antics... truly it is a mystery how you have ever befriended anyone. 'Tis a riddle I should have to devote my life to unraveling, if I were so inclined to such an activity." Her words sounded kinda mean, but she didn't make any moves like she was going to walk off and just leave him there. And she'd come out to find him after he'd stormed off, which said a lot more than her words did.

Well, maybe not a lot more... John thought, considering how many words Rose generally said. But it does mean a lot, at least. John sat back up and smiled at Rose. "Thanks. I guess I kinda needed that."

She nodded graciously. "My pleasure. I've found something of a fascination for delving into the psychological depths of those around me, so it is gratifying to find a material beneficial output for my knowledge."

"Uh, sure, okay." That sounded kind of like 'you're welcome', if he didn't think about it too hard. John stood and dusted bits of grass off his shorts. Looking at the house, though, he wasn't ready to see his dad again yet. Besides, he had something very important to do. "So, where do you think the tallest tree is around here?"

Jade swung her feet in the air, her eyes sweeping over the unfamiliar horizon. Off the island for months and I still run for a tree when something's wrong, she berated herself. Growing up, climbing trees had been both fun and beneficial, since it gave her the best view of her surroundings, letting her scope out unplundered plants or useful scrap that drifted onto the beach.

Trees had also helped her escape from the beasts that had grown bold after her grandpa's death, animals that Bec could take on one at a time but could easily overwhelm him with numbers. Most of the ones who were chasing her for food couldn't climb, though, so the higher she went, the safer she was.

There weren't any beasts like that here, though - nothing that would kill her, tear her to shreds for a decent meal. She was safe here, probably the safest she'd been in her entire life.

And yet she still ran.

I'm better than this, she thought angrily. I've been around people all the time, and I didn't hurt Rob at all when he tried to fight me, and... Ugh!She fell backwards, hanging off the branch upside down. I can't believe how dumb I'm being about all this!

She sat like that for a while, letting the blood rush to her head until it started to hurt. She let it pound away, the pulsing in her head matching her anger at herself. It got so loud that she almost missed Bec's quiet warning bark - no danger but he saw something that needed her attention.

Straining, she looked down at the ground upside down and could see John at the bottom of the tree approaching Bec carefully. He stopped a few feet short and held his hand out to the dog, who padded forward and let John scratch between his ears. His light laughter drifted up the tree towards her. He gave Bec one last big scritch and looked up the tree at Jade. "Hi Jade! Cold you come down a couple branches? I wanna talk but I don't really want to shout, and these trees are harder to climb than the ones back home."

Home. That word hurt more than she thought it would. She'd gotten over the idea of having a home to belong to years ago, right? Home was about people, after all - that's what her stories had said, and all she had was Bec.

John stood quietly at the bottom of the tree, but he was shifting his weight back and forth, like he was trying to decide if he should leave or not. Finally he tightened his fists and nodded to himself before approaching the tree. He jumped and just barely caught one of the lowest branches, pulling himself up until he could straddle it. Balancing against the tree trunk, he slowly stood up on the branch and looked for the next one. He eyed one just out of reach, but before he could make a jump for that one, Jade called down, "If you're gonna be stubborn, fine, I'll climb down a little." He was super bad at climbing, after all, and dealing with a broken leg or something would just make everything even worse.

Jade casually dropped down the tree until she was a few branches above John. She settled into the nexus of several branches and waited for him to say something. He was the one who wanted to talk after all.

"So..." John said as he sat on his branch again, his legs dangling in the air. "That's some shitty news, huh? Kinda wish Dad had told us earlier, but I guess there's no good time for that kind of news. It's weird to think he could mess up like that, though. Adults aren't supposed to fuck things up."

Jade pressed her back into the tree, trying not to think about what parents should or shouldn't be like. Imagining how things could go wouldn't change what was happening.

John sighed loudly. "Wow, I suck at cheering people up. Rose is way better than me at this." He shook his head vigorously and slapped his hands to his cheeks. "Okay! Here's what I really need to say!" He looked straight at Jade, locking eyes with her. "I want you to come home with me and Dad, and I don't care what anyone says about it. You're my sister, and you belong with us, and anybody who thinks differently is gonna regret it, even if they are some hotshot lawyer with... a briefcase and... and a carphone!" He scowled at the ground, one hand on his forehead. "Wow, that last part sounded stupid, just ignore that bit. The important thing is you're my family, no matter what anyone says."

Jade froze, not sure what she should do. No one had ever made her feel important like that, not since Grandpa... No, she admitted, not even Grandpa. Before she realized it, she was dropping down towards John, grabbing him in a strong embrace when she reached his level. "Whoa - !" John flailed and nearly fell off, but Jade made sure they stayed. Once they were stabilized, John hugged her back, and they stayed like that for a long time.

Bec's soft whine, followed by some scratching noises, finally convinced Jade to pull back. She looked down through surprisingly watery eyes to see Bec pawing at the trunk of the tree. "I'm fine," she told him, a smile pulling at the side of her mouth. And she was, for once. She actually was.

Beside her, John wiped a few tears out of his eyes. "Wow... now I know how Cameron Poe must have felt when he finally gave Casey that bunny," he laughed.

Jade laughed too, and shoved at him a little. "No more lame movie references, we are having a serious moment!" John was too distracted trying to stay seated on the branch to argue. Jade let the smile drop from her mouth as she gathered her thoughts. "... Do you really think they'll make me leave you guys?"

John furrowed his brow in deep thought. "Custody can be really weird sometimes. But, you know..." John trailed off, looking around at their surroundings. "If you did have to live somewhere else, this wouldn't be the worst place probably. Rose is pretty cool, in a super nerdy way, and it does look pretty."

"I guess... but... " Jade gathered her courage. "I don't want to. I want to go... home."

John wrapped one arm around her. "Okay. That's what we'll do."

John sat on the couch, doing his best not to fidget nervously and absolutely failing on all fronts. Jade lay on the floor in front of him with Bec, the pair tussling half-heartedly over one of Bec's toys that they'd brought along. Rose sat on one of the other couches, knitting a scarf or something and looking for all the world like she didn't care about anything else besides her project.

The day before, they'd all had a real long talk about strategies and feelings and everything in between. There had been more than a few manly tears shed, as well as some hugs so tight they squeezed the air out of everyone's lungs,, but at some point all they could do was wait for the lawyer to come and discuss everything with them.

The adults were with the lawyer now in Dr. Lalonde's study, discussing the dry details of Uncle Harley's will. Rose had tried to argue that all of them should be present, but Dad thought they would run out of steam if they had to listen to the minutiae, so he'd suggested the kids come in once all the boring stuff was over. On the one hand, John couldn't really blame his dad - he could barely pay attention to his teacher's lectures, and he could understand what they were talking about for the most part.

On the other hand, that left the three of them out here with nothing to do but obsess over whatever was happening in that room.

Unable to keep still any longer, John leaped to his feet and started pacing between the couches and the stairs, carefully stepping over Jade and Bec on his way. Neither girl seemed to pay him any mind, but he knew Jade at least was probably keeping an eye on him. Probably Rose too, really. They were both scarily observant of where people were at all times. They'd probably get even scarier about it if they ended up living together.

Nope nope nope! John shook his head sharply. Jade's gonna come home where she belongs, and that's that, even if I have to kidnap her. He stopped pacing, one hand coming up to cup his chin. I'd have to drive, since I don't think we could get on an airplane without some kind of adult, and also tickets would be super expensive. Driving can't be that hard, right? I should be tall enough to reach the pedals on Dad's car, and I know where he keeps his keys. Food, though...

"Um, John?" Jade's voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see her kneeling on the couch, looking at him in concern. "What... are you doing?"

John laughed nervously. "Oh, I was.... planning how to kidnap you?"

Behind Jade, he could see Rose shaking with suppressed laughter. Jade half-smiled, but her heart definitely wasn't in it. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head - she was just as nervous as he was, if not more, and he had no idea how to fix that.

Jade looked down the hallway towards the study. "How much longer do you think they're gonna talk?"

John shrugged helplessly. "I guess Uncle Harley had a lot of complicated stuff in his will? He was technically like a billionaire or something, since the Betty Crocker company belonged to him." He looked down the hall as well. "They could be in there for a really long time probably."

Rose set her knitting aside and confidently stood up. "Well then, I suggest we go see how they're getting on for ourselves." She came around the couches and strode past John towards the hallway. He gave Jade a quick look before following Rose, and he could hear Jade scrambling over the couch to join them.

Outside the study, Rose kneeled in front of the door, one ear pressed close. She motioned for John to be quiet as he approached. He frowned - he wasn't stomping around like an elephant or anything, and he knew better than to give away that they were eavesdropping! As proof of such intelligence, he didn't give Rose a piece of his mind then and there. Instead, he knelt next to her, pressing his own ear against the door to try and hear what was going on. Jade stayed standing and leaned over the both of them, one hand on John's shoulder to keep her balance.

The adults were talking quietly, making it difficult to hear them through the door. Okay, so maybe Rose had a good point about being silent, he thought ruefully. He had to breathe really slowly through his mouth to be quiet enough to have any chance of understanding what they were saying.

"As you can see, Mr. Harley was quite thorough in protecting the trust for Jade." That was the lawyer's voice - they'd introduced themselves to everyone before disappearing into the study with Dad and Doctor Lalonde. "And since he tied everything about access to the trust with whoever has Jade's custody..."

There was a barely audible sigh, which John recognized as coming from his dad. "Yes, I can see why you said you needed to speak with me in person. This is far more complex than I'd even imagined." A pause, with some furniture creaking that suggested his dad was moving around in some way - leaning forward maybe? "Why was he so particular about this? He must have trusted his business partners well enough, since he left them in complete control of the company while he was... gallivanting around the world."

More furniture creaks, and Dr. Lalonde said, "Jake was never very good with people - that's why he liked exploring so much, it meant he could just leave whenever he started worrying about whether he was offending someone or what have you." She laughed a little. "I think he might've left Jade to me just because he could stand being around me for at least a week at a time."

"I'd also like to note," the lawyer said, "he didn't leave his partners completely alone while he traveled. He had access to some extraordinary technology across the years - we take cell phones and their communication abilities for granted now, but fifteen or twenty years ago that instantaneous correspondence was just barely beginning to enter the public eye. Mr. Harley's island was kitted out with a whole host of machines that allowed him to check on his company far more often than one would have expected, and he could give them instructions as well. He was more hands-on than the company would lead you to believe."

The furniture creaked again, and John's dad said, "So he was still running the company from all the way out there?" His voice was getting louder and softer - it sounded like he was pacing back and forth. "He went to all those lengths, just to avoid his business colleagues while still keeping control of his company?"

"That's Jake in a nutshell, really. He had a great deal of pride in his family's company, so he couldn't let it pass from his hands while he was alive, but he couldn't stand living in the same 'humdrum reality' as the rest of us." The doctor's voice changed a little as she said those words, and Jade gripped John's shoulder a little tighter. Guess that's her Uncle Harley impression. It must be pretty good for Jade to react like that, John thought.

"Okay..." Dad still seemed to be pacing back and forth. "So he accepted his business had to pass into other hands on his death, but he wanted to provide a good future for Jade, and so he put all his wealth into this trust fund for her. Would his business partners really try to get at his wealth through Jade? I know it's quite a bit of money but -"

The lawyer interrupted. "They already have tried, and not just his business partners. Several parties have come forward inquiring about Jade's custody since they learned of her current situation. Somehow word's gotten around that Mr. Harley's fortune will not be funneled back into the company, as so many presumed it would, and regrettably some of those who made such presumptions are much less scrupulous than one would hope."

"Yeah, Jake had good reason to make his will so strong, unfortunately," the doctor said. "With what he knew, he made the best choices possible. I just wish he'd known a little more."

"It's unfortunate that he and Mother fell out of contact," John's dad sighed. "This all could have been avoided. And you're certain there's no way to accept custody of Jade without also gaining access to this trust fund?"

"No, that was one thing Mr. Harley didn't think of," the lawyer replied. "Of course, he assumed with everything else in place that Jade would go to Doctor Lalonde here, and he knew her to be in an extremely secure financial situation. As such, and because he personally knew her, Mr. Harley was certain that Jade's money would be safe in the doctor's hands."

"Yes, I wouldn't dream of touching her money myself, outside of providing for whatever lessons she desires in the future," Dad said. "But... if I try to take full custody of Jade, those vultures circling around Uncle Harley's will would try to argue that my motivation is purely financial, won't they?"

The lawyer responded, "Yes, I think it's safe to say they would certainly challenge your claim on those grounds, considering your own situation. After all, you've been holding up admirably, but even with just the quick glance you graciously allowed me, I can see that you've been struggling on that front for some time."

"What?" John said, unable to help himself. He clapped his hands over his mouth as Rose turned to glare at him. Oops.

The conversation in the study paused, and then footsteps came towards them. John and the others stepped away from the door, just in time to avoid stumbling through as John's dad opened it. He looked down at the three of them, smiling a little and shaking his head. "I suppose we should have expected you to tire of waiting for us to finish," he said. "Well, if you're going to listen, you should join us so you can speak as well." He turned back into the room and returned to the table they were all sitting around.

Rose wasted no time entering the room and claiming a chair for herself. John entered a little more cautiously, making sure Jade was right behind him. He felt sort of timid, which was a really weird feeling for him - most of the time, he jumped into a new situation too fast to feel anything more than excitement or anger or whatever. After that first rush, he usually just felt dumb about jumping in, but not timid. That was an alien thing.

He swallowed, trying to gulp down this weird feeling at the same time. "So... is that why we've been eating spaghetti all the time? Because we're poor now?"

"Oh John," his dad sighed. "We're not... yes, having another person in the house has strained our financial situation somewhat, but we're doing fine. Besides, I'll take any hardship to give you the life you deserve." He looked at Jade. "Both of you."

John glanced down at his hands, pride in his dad overwhelming his ability to say anything else. The lawyer politely cleared their throat. "That is extremely admirable, Mr. Egbert. I could only wish all parents were as devoted as you."

Dad blushed a little. "Well, it's the gentlemanly thing to do," he muttered.

Doctor Lalonde grinned. "You know, you almost sound like Jake when you say that." She sobered quickly, turning back to the lawyer. "So, as much as I hate to be all serious, did Jake leave any provisions for what would happen to Jade if I were..." Her eyes flickered to where Rose was sitting. "Let's say incapacitated?"

"You can say 'if you were dead', Mom," Rose stated, deadpan. "I'm well aware of how mortal our flesh is."

The doctor chewed her lip. "That's not the only thing I meant, Rose." Mother and daughter looked at each other, communicating something John couldn't even try to understand. Rose nodded, just a little, and seemed to relax slightly.

"In the event that you were incapable of serving as Jade's guardian," the lawyer diplomatically continued the conversation, "Mr. Harley specified that, to put it in simple terms, Jade was to be provided for in an identical way to your own daughter if at all possible. Any other contingencies specifically require your incapacitation."

"Ah, no luck there, then," she said lightly. "It was a long shot, anyway."

"Um..." Jade raised her hand a little. Where'd she pick that up from? John wondered - she obviously hadn't attended any real classes yet, but maybe she'd marathoned some school show and hadn't told them about it. "Can I say something?"

"Of course! This is your future, after all," the lawyer stated.

"Right, okay." Jade took a deep breath, in and out. "So, Grandpa wanted Doctor Lalonde to be my guardian, and made it really really complicated for anyone else to get the job because of this money he set aside for me, right?"

John's dad nodded. "That is a good summary of the situation, yes."

"So, um... is it possible for both you and the doctor to be my guardians?" Jade asked, looking at each of the adults.

The lawyer leaned back, stroking their chin. "Partial custody.... you know, I think that could actually work. I'll have to discuss it with my colleagues who are more versed in these things, but that should satisfy Mr. Harley's conditions regarding Doctor Lalonde as Jade's guardian, as well as allow her to spend most of her time living with the Egberts." They looked at the doctor. "I'm fairly certain you would have to host Jade for some significant period of time, though, or else you could be challenged on whether you were acting in good faith as her guardian."

Doctor Lalonde grinned. "How about... oh, say, six weeks every summer?" She turned to John and his dad. "I'd be more than happy to house the two of you, as well. It wouldn't be the same without everyone here."

Dad smiled wide, exuberant joy pouring out from his face. "That sounds absolutely perfect, Roxy. I would be more than happy to accept those terms."

"So... that works? I get to stay with John and Mr. Egbert?" Jade asked, like she had to hear someone say it straight out before she could believe it. Honestly, John couldn't blame her - he felt the same way.

The lawyer smiled. "As I see it, you get to stay with your family."

John whooped in joy and tackled Jade to the ground. "You get to stay!" he shouted - he was so happy, he wanted the whole world to know why.

Jade laughed and hugged him back. No matter what came next, John would remember this as one of the best moments in his entire life.

[aelaer]

Tagged: All about me and fanfic

Thank you for tagging me @dragonnan! My fan fic history is a long one... and in three fandoms. Which is why most of this will be under a cut for anyone who has a lot of time to waste. And is morbidly curious. But there’s some (okay, dozens) of fanfic recs for three fandoms under there too, sooooo.

Tagging at the top so you don’t have to read my verbose-ness if you don’t want to: @amethyst-noir @cairistiona7 @mdcbd @phierie if you’re interested in giving it a shot :)

1. At what age did you start writing fanfiction?

13. You can still find my earliest works online, too; I kept up anything that wasn't completely deplorable (though fanfiction.net deleted my stupidly popular, several hundred reviews of a story I did in 2004 because it was script format. The bastards xD Popular with all the little kids).

2. Who is your favorite author?

Lmaooooo what a question. Okay so for three fandoms. The big thing that’s common between all my favorite authors is that romance is not a primary genre with any of these writers. So if you like gen (of all genres) you’ve come to the right post.

If anyone here is a LOTR book fan (especially Aragorn), let me direct you to storiesofarda.com. It’s an old site, not even mobile friendly. Anyway, go read the works of Cairistiona and Meckinock. If you're more into hobbits and anything fluffy, go read Shirebound. That I remember their names since I was last active in fanfic in LOTR in 2011 speaks to their quality. I've had the honor of meeting Shirebound several times in real life as well, this last time in New York back in April after several years apart (though I'd like to meet Cair one day for sure, as well). I had a lot of favorites years ago but I’d need to reread the old stuff to see what still lives up to my expectations.

Scanning my favorites in Sherlock, Jolie Black , CaffeineKitty, and hollyesque on AO3. Stillwaters1, chappysmom, Radon65, and Morgan Stuart from fanfiction.net. But I have a couple favorite stories from authors who only wrote a couple fics (below).

Now the MCU (okay basically Doctor Strange, let’s be honest), on AO3: Grim Revolution and merrywil (the latter is pretty new and needs a hell lot more attention, she is a great writer). I love those long, introspective character one shots. There's not a lot of authors who don't focus on romance in the MCU with Stephen as a main character -- indeed, it’s partially nonexistent -- so shorter list. ElenaCee wrote some great stories just after the first film but has sadly moved onto other fandoms.

Dragonnan on AO3 is currently my favourite whump writer. Two of my fandoms and lots of my favorite tropes. I feel spoiled. My favorite romance-is-their-primary-genre writer is amethyst-noir for her characterization of Stephen combined with the oh-so-fun (for us) scenarios.

3. Favorite type of scene to write?

I can usually tickle myself quite a bit when I get some really great situational comedy into a story. I can never be fully an angst/whump writer because I adore comedy. So yeah, situational comedy for sure.

4. What is your favorite fanfic?

Stop asking me these questions ahhh. Okay so I'll be mentioning fanfics not by any of the authors listed above (which are in my most favorite stories too but, well, their works are all favorites anyway. Just look at all their works in said fandom for more favorites if you’re lacking reading material and have similar tastes. And once you’re done reading all the works by those authors, come back here for more. Seriously, read the authors above).

I listed these fics in alphabetical order because that seemed most fair.

LOTR (Most are book-verse. I need to reread a lot of these. Most of these authors have several works for the fandom, though I think each of these particular stories have Aragorn as a primary character):

A Proper Course of Action by GadFlyGirl (absolutely hilarious one-shot after Helm’s Deep about ‘the Denethor situation’)

Across the Years by MistyC (a very creative and well-written story that spins an old cliche in a much more interesting way)

Butterbur and the King by Eledhwen (fantastic character one-shot from one of my favorite minor characters)

Conversations with the King by athelas63 (great characterizations, good healing scenes)

Conversion by Pentangle-linnon (for everyone who says that first person can’t be done in fanfic - read this one-shot, then tell me what you think now. A work of pure brilliance)

Crossroads of Light and Shadow by Mirach (this one I recommend simply for the creativity alone; the art she was able to execute with the text in flipping fanfiction.net is really mind-boggling. Very creative!)

Doomed to Live by fliewatuet (it was never completed, but it’s so freaking good that I am putting it here anyway)

For Every Evil by Mirrordance (fantastic modern incarnation AU that spun out into a series)

Greet the Dawn by Neoinean (a great, very long long-shot with two characters meeting and it’s just a great combination of humor and angst. More great characterization)

Helping Strangers by Imaginigma (fantastic one-shot, really interesting OCs, a wonderful scenario)

In Shadow Realm by Legolass Q (original concept, well-developed characters, engaging plot, truly magnificent)

Light Fingers by Aearwen22 (I think this is the only fic here that doesn’t star Aragorn- he’s a pretty minor character. Brilliant brilliant characterizations of the OCs and a look of a part of society often ignored in LOTR fan fic)

Pale-Faced Tark by Carafinwe (everything by this author is brilliant, but the visceral imagery she managed to capture in two short chapters here still blows my mind)

The Patient by Scribe (another fantastic modern incarnation AU that spun out into a series)

Ransom by MP brennan (man I just continue to see how much the LOTR fandom completely spoiled me with all of these brilliant, plotty fics. Another original concept with brilliant OCs and fantastic execution)

Shattered Stones by MCat711 (a very creepy, original, well-executed one shot that keeps you guessing the whole way through)

The Weight of Power by Nefhiriel (does it follow canon as established by the Appendices? No. Do I care? No. The story’s absolutely fantastic and makes those small discrepancies mean nothing. This was also the first story I ever drew fan art for. I then made something for Shirebound a year later, then didn’t make anything again until that Ebony Maw piece I posted a bit back)

With Hope and Without Hope by docmon (AU scenario in that the Three Hunters are captured while trying to rescue the Hobbits. Very well-thought out and compelling plot, fantastic characterizations all around)

Sherlock:

Annie’s Song by Berouge (One of the only romantic-leaning fics listed here [Sherlolly], but that is due to its excellent characterization and execution. Creative one-shot.)

The Case of the Missing Bus Ticket by Unsentimentalf (I think I burst a rib laughing to this story. Long one-shot. Situational humor at its finest)

Constantly by thesignofserbia (great one shot concerning Serbia)

Drowning by Dayja (I like a lot of her stuff. Angsty.)  

Firestorm by Dustbunny13 (This is... beyond words. So gorgeous. I adored it from beginning to end. Have read a few times. Sometimes accept it as season 3 alternate canon, it’s just fantastic)

Fortune and Bust by ThessalyMc (a wonderful gap-filler fic, very similar to a lot of my favorite authors listed above in quality and type of content)

The Green Blade by verityburns (excellent case fic)

The Holiday by Scriblit (both whumpy angst and humor and case fic? Yeeeessss. Another I’ve read several times.)

Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus by Caitlin Fairchild (another Serbia fic? Yes predictable of me)

London Orbital (another story, very long one-shot, where I burst a rib laughing)

Rigging screws, size 1 3/8 inch, galvanised by AJHall (another excellent case fic)

World Enough, and Time by StoneWingedAngel (an excellent and creative execution of a trope that you'll realize by the time you get to day three)

Doctor Strange (unless stated otherwise, they’re all one-shots. Need more multi-chapter fics... or just gen Stephen content in general):

The Architect by mudgems (a great what-if with Stephen, Loki, and the Time Stone)

Born of the Same Impulse by GwendolynStacy (WIP multi-chapter. Time stone shenanigans send Stephen and Tony back to just before Ultron and a few months after the car accident, but before Kamar-Taj [the accident happens in 2015 rather than 2016 for this to work. It’s brilliant])

Citizen Erased by Imagined (WIP multi-chapter. One of the only romance-is-a-major-genre story [ironstrange] on the list, but the plot concept is incredibly unique, the mystery is being unraveled so wonderfully well, and the collection of characters is really fantastic and in-character.)

The End of Infinity by FriendlyNeighborhoodFangirls (WIP multi-chapter. It’s canon compliant, only Stephen does a fantastic trick after canon and snatches Loki from the claws of death to go back to 2016 and fix everything. Peter, Tony also co-star. I am very much looking forward to where this goes)

Extracurricular Activities by EmptyHead (I am cheating here and linking a series. But it’s so damn creative, and while Stephen plays a big role, he’s definitely not the starring character. Synopsis is that MJ learns the mystic arts. It’s really brilliant!)

Geniuses by decotex (Stephen Strange's and Tony Stark's backstories, published before IW came out)

Hearth Sorcery by keshwyn (Another cheat here with a series of 5 one-shots, but this is too excellent and undervalued not to link. Excellent OC and world-building, highly recommend)

Holiday Magic by KarToon12 (Stephen plays Santa Claus for sick kids. It's adorable)

i hope you hold the mirror up (to show me what i chose) by CallicoKitten (Stephen and Tony being assholes to one another, published way before IW. I love it)

Like an Old Coat by ValmureEld (Could definitely see this as a follow up scene to the events in the Doctor Strange film. Great character interaction sequence)

Magic In Our Veins by Luna_Heart (the lack of Loki and Stephen interaction stories is criminal. Absolutely criminal. I want more!)

The Night’s First Watch by fathomfive (omg this is so good. So so so good. Excellent character study, I can’t recommend it enough)

of coffee and (questionable) first impressions by Phierie (Ooohh I love this alternate first meeting lots. Beat up on monsters and a coffee break after the work. Great stuff)

Project Code 131793 by StrangeMischief (Absolutely haunting and incredibly well-executed AU. I would adore to see more in this universe, it is so interesting)

Replay by INMH (the horror of Dormammu and coping with it)

You’ve Got Mail by Jadesfire (it’s about the mail situation with the Sanctum. What is not to love about that concept)

5. What tags do you avoid like the plague?

A/B/O, mpreg, not Mary friendly (for Sherlock), not Team Cap friendly, anti-Steve, anti-Wanda (or similar). Any of that anti-character bullshit, but in the MCU those are the two I see the most (and so probably make me rage the most. I once saw anti-T’Challa for instance and that just confused me more than anything). A bit of a rant in the next two paragraphs (I have Strong Feelings on this topic).

I don't tolerate the anti-character crowd. I really don't. Disliking a character is one thing and completely normal (I have my own list), but expanding time and energy to write just how much this character sucks is mind-boggling (and tends to make for really shitty fanfic. So you create a strawman villain of the character you hate for your favorite character to go against? Good job, you’ve made your favorite character appear entirely too stupid to deal with a well-developed character in conflict, and have made your favorite character 2D. Have a gold star). Your energy can be used elsewhere that isn't focused on hate. If you hate the character but aren’t creative enough to present them as anything but a strawman in your writing, don’t bother. Create an OC for your antagonist instead. Stop making canon characters so ridiculously OOC.

The real world is too filled with negativity to have it as part of a major focus in my fandom experience. It actually really, really bothers me that I cannot save a filter that automatically excludes all those anti tags as they haven’t been canonicalized on AO3. What perhaps bothers me even more is the number of kudos those hate-filled fics with incredibly OOC characters receive. The hypocrisy in this crowd is just astounding when you start pointing out the flaws in their favorite characters, too (FYI: All well-developed characters have flaws. I love Stephen Strange for his flaws. Before Stephen made his debut, Tony Stark was my favorite for similar reasons. It makes them INTERESTING).

Anyway, rant over.

6. What AU do you wish to write but feel like you won’t manage?

If I really really really want to write something, I'll write it. That said, there are things that I don't plan to write that I would adore reading (like that unfinished Stephen travels to the HP universe in Harry's fifth year fic ahhhhh I want that it would have made the 5th year so much better. Maybe if I bribe the original writer with fan art... wardmason you’re killing me).

7. Do you outline, or write as you go?

Depends. The outlines only tend to come into play for long stories with several scenes, and writing tends to happen first before outlining.

8. What has been your favorite story to write so far? Why?

Such hard questions! Uhhh I had great fun writing in my youth but I can barely remember it. Within this last year, uh... can I just say all of them? I've written about 100k in 6 months, I'm clearly enjoying myself here. I’ve had vibrant moments of delight in writing or planning several of them.

9. Do you prefer to write one-shots or multi-chapters? Why?

Both. Just depends on the story I want to tell and how long that story is saying it should be. I like posting a variety too; have one-shots coming out while I am working on the longer stories in the background.

10. What is your favorite kind of comment?

Oh those deep analytical ones that clearly took time to write. They're so lovely and really make my day. Every fanfic writer knows exactly what type of comment I am talking about.

11. Why did you start writing fanfiction? Why are you still writing?

I started because I had just seen the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie and I really liked the characters (before the sequels ruined them in various capacities) and I thought, "I should put them in Middle-earth!" 45 chapters and 7 years later that damn fic got completed (after dozens and dozens of rewrites as my writing abilities improved over the years).

Now, it's because I really enjoy writing and I like playing in copyrighted playgrounds with characters and worlds I love. Yeah, I could write an original novel, but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

[man-i-dont-know]

BNHA Chapter 175 & 176: Thoughts and Spoilers

Hello, I am back. Sorry the last couple weeks were busy. Anyway, I am really loving these two chapters so lets get right into it.

Preparation for the festival continues, and Deku still really can’t dance. We see a cute Eri and by now y’all probably decided that it was Aizawa doing her hair, and I agree (the dudes got some long locks himself, he knows how to do hair I can guarantee that). The class has made some serious progress and they are all nervous/hyped for the festival. Then a little bit of plot happens, Deku realized some of the ropes that will support the disco bal- ahem - Aoyama, are frayed and they need new ones. Deku says he’ll go out and get some new ones after his morning training (nothing will go wrong I’m sure). Kaminari notes that Deku will be cutting it close with training, shopping and prepping for the festival. So finally, the day of the festival arrives.

Hatsume hasn’t slept or bathed in a week and runs out into the woods to find Deku to give him his modified gloves (and damn they are stylin’). The sytlin’ aspect is actually something Mei consciously had in mind when she made it, which amazed me because all of her previous “babies” have been just straight up robots, but this time she had Deku’s hero costume in mind when she developed it. Mei is going to be a top-class hero support... uh.. person? Is there a title for it? Engineer? Something like that.

Deku is running a tad late because he was working with the gloves so much, but now he is going to get the ropes. He passes some of the festival which is nice to see that it is all coming together. He falls even further behind because the store he was thinking of was not selling any ropes that would work. At precisely 8:30, Deku bumps into two very suspicious individuals coming out of an alley. This oddly... gentle... individual diverts his path away from Deku and mentions something about a high-end brand of tea. Deku recognizes the brand as the one Momo so graciously served Class 1-A the other day. The mention of tea got this suspiciously suave individual’s attention and started a conversation without thinking. Then, legitimately, the scene gets tense. They start to piece together who each other are. “A high-class student,” “a suspicious character linked with tea,” “a student in the UA area,” “a familiar voice,” “he is a student at UA!” “He is Gentle!” Cue all black panel with Gentle and Deku staring each other down. I loved this sequence for a couple reasons: 1.) neither character is stupid, they’ve deduced who the other is very quickly with minimal interaction, 2.) other shows or stories keep characters in the dark about simple stuff for ages just for tension, whereas here nothing was kept hidden for long, but maximum tension was reached in three pages, 3.) the characters aren’t dumb! I can not stress that enough! God I love seeing characters figure thing out like normal human beings, it is so refreshing to see, 4.) and both characters are taking the other very seriously (more about that later).

Deku then does something that I adore, he asks Gentle to stop. Straight forward and honest, he leaves Gentle open to several options, one of which is dropping the idea and leaving entirely. It also speaks volumes of Deku’s character, despite being a hero confronted with a known villain, his first instinct is a peaceful resolution, not a fight. He does not instigate a fight, such a peaceful kid (despite how freaking crazy he is during his fights). The chapter ends like this, with a small counter saying the performance will take place in an hour and twenty-eight minutes.

The next chapter starts with Gentle admitting that Deku outted him, and Deku checks to see if there are any civilians on the street to worry about. I love that small gesture cause that is something that is typically neglected in stories, bystanders and if they are in harms way. Deku determines that they only thing now is to prepare for a fight. gentle has the same idea, whips off his disguise and tells Brava to start filming and not to stop under any circumstances. Gentle starts with a flourish and poses for the camera, Deku lunges, and basically hits one of those saran wrap pranks where it is pulled across a door frame. This saran wrap however is incredibly elastic and launches Deku backwards at high speeds. Gentle confirms that his quirk is elasticity, which is similar to what I imagined, so I am glad one of my theories was close to the mark. Gentle actually seems very surprised by the sheer force that Deku was launched at, meaning that he doesn’t put any force into his quirk at all, all the bounce comes from outside force (makes sense in this cause Deku was using Full Cowl). The distance that Deku was launched intimidates Gentle, saying that if the kid could withstand that, he must have some serious power behind him. Coming to that conclusion, Gentle and Brava book it.

Deku gets up and chases them further, Gentle sets up a trampoline and bounces Deku into the air so they can get further away. Gentle takes this moment to talk to Deku, saying that he understands Deku’s desire for the festival to go well, but Gentle is prioritizing his attack over the students having fun, which as a villain should be a given, but Gentle doesn’t really give off the villain vibe. Gentle and Brava make another dash for it, and Brava recognizes Deku from the sports festival, saying that he was “the crazy boy who fought by destroying his arms.” Gentle then gives a face of comedic fear, and I love it, Deku’s madman reputation is giving people pause now, I love that he is scaring the crap outta people he hasn’t even meet yet. Something similar occurred kinda recently in One Piece, I might write a post about that later. Anyways, Deku is tumbling through the air. He is remembering a conversation he had with Eri, and how she is looking forward to the dance party (THIS WAS SAID WHILE ERI WAS TRYING TO SMILE AND IT WAS SO SWEET I BECAME PHYSICALLY ILL THEN I LOOKED AT IT MORE). Deku is also remembering helping Jirou compile a load of notes she took for the other band members. She had notes on par to Deku’s hero notes, and Deku was thrilled cause originally he thought Jirou had a favorite hero she wanted to take notes on (Deku’s reaction to this was not like himself, much more like a friend’s though I can’t really place whose, Iida maybe? Either way, friends are rubbing off on each other). It is shown later Tokoyami using those notes, and its implied that Bakugou has already read it, which makes sense with his academic jock vibe.

This is all to show that Deku absolutely can not allow Gentle to get anywhere near to UA. Deku is about to launch a midair attack, remembers his training with All Might and comments about dancing from Mina. This combination allows Deku to fire off an air blast while upside down to stall Gentle. Deku immediately catches up with a Full Cowl jump and sends both of them into a construction site. And that is where the chapter ends, but I’ve got a couple other thoughts I’d like to share.

So there are a couple things I absolutely adore when some elements are included in a story. One of which is recognition. Not like a character starts off well known, but when a character works hard and somewhere during the story you realize, oh crap, this character is really well known now. Deku is getting there and you’ve got no idea how much that hypes me up. The implications of this fight with Gentle could launch Deku even further into the public eye. If Deku defeats Gentle, that will be the first villain Deku took down without help. On top of that, the whole thing will be recorded, meaning Deku will have to learn a lesson or two about camera awareness or at least he has to acknowledge the celebrity aspect of heroing. I would love for Deku to get interviewed or something, maybe we see a new article about him or something. Plus, imagine this: Deku starts to develop a fan club. Of course Eri and Kouta are the founder and president of the club, but imagine Deku getting recognized in public positively (we’re just gonna forget about Shigaraki “recognizing” Deku in the mall). To sum it up, Deku is moving up in the world, and there is some major potential for him to get his name catapulted into the pro-hero world.

The other thing I absolutely love is when opponents recognize each other as strong enemies. Far too often villains are so egotistical that they refuse to see the possibility that their adversary could beat them, even if they have already been beaten. A fight where both sides realize they can lose makes the fight 100x more tense, and this is what is happening here. Gentle is legitimately wary of the strength that Deku wields, and Deku is the cautious type by nature, so of course he too is aware of how this situation could be very bad. A fight between equals is sooooo good. Those are two of things I love seeing in stories, I got a couple others, but those are the ones that apply to this chapter.

That should be about it. Thank you for taking your time to read this whole long thing. I am thinking that I might try to diversify this blog to some other stories as well (anime, movies, etc.), though I have been busy recently so I am not sure how that would work out. I’ll figure it out later. Again, thank you for reading and I hope you have a great day.

[fuckingchatnoir]

Fanboy

Ao3 Link

Summary:  After discovering the wonders of Ladynoir fanfiction, Adrien sets out to start his own with his classmate Marinette helping him along the way. But when does fiction start becoming reality?

This story is also beta'd by the wonderful @serendipitousReckonings here on archive, @dickerdoodlez on tumblr.

Chapter 1

Adrien was never the writing type. He did write well - written papers and essays – at least according to his teachers – and was even occasionally asked by a few of his classmates for some writing tips. But, it was for educational purposes only. He‘d never had any sort of passion to write an actual story and he never thought of himself as the imaginative kind anyway. His mind was almost always focused on school, his responsibilities set by his father, and his masked identity. He never really had that luxury of being able to think about anything else. Well, except for his Lady, but that was something entirely different.

That was, until one morning when he arrived at school earlier than usual. It was stormy, the sky was four shades darker than normal, the atmosphere was chilly, and his father didn’t want to risk him catching a cold. So there Adrien was in his homeroom nice and early, but dreadfully exhausted. He was already planning to ask Ladybug later that day if they could shorten patrol since he knew he needed to recharge. The akuma from the night before had taken a lot out of him and his Lady. Dodging sharp shuriken made from CDs for a few hours wasn’t the easiest thing. And to top it all off, his biceps and thighs were feeling pretty sore as well. He knew he should’ve iced them.  

“Look who decided to show up early for once!”

Adrien looked over to see Nino enter the room. His friend immediately slid his headphones down from his ears to his shoulders as a bright smile grew on his face. Adrien tried to mirror his friend’s enthusiasm but yawned instead, rubbing his eyes soon after.

“Hey, Nino.”

“Bro, you look terrible.”

“Thanks man, you always know the right things to say.”

Nino placed his bag on the ground before he sat down next to the blond. The late bell then rang and a few students rushed into the classroom, a few breathless from running.

“You know what I mean. How much sleep did you get last night?”

Adrien shrugged. To be honest, he didn’t even remember what time he‘d gotten home. All he remembered was the sound of Ladybug’s voice when she said goodnight to him. Well, that and waking up.

“Don’t remember.”

“Broooo. You gotta take better care of yourself. I’m telling you, it’s all those photoshoots you’re always doing. Your old man needs to chill with that.”

Adrien just yawned again and shrugged in response, not having the energy to make up some lie. He just wanted the day to end already so he could see Ladybug and go back to sleep. Maybe, if he was lucky, the storm would be so bad that his fencing practice would get canceled that afternoon. One could only hope.  

Nino and Adrien talked for a few minutes about this teen club that Nino wanted to perform in. The brunette told his friend how awesome the opportunity would be if they would give him a chance and Adrien genuinely agreed. Nino then, however, remembered that he needed to finish a worksheet and occupied himself with finishing that. Adrien decided to use the rest of the time to rest his eyes until homeroom was over. Plagg must’ve been pretty tired too since the blond hadn’t heard one whisper from him in a while. Adrien was trying to keep his eyes open, not wanting to drift off and miss the bell like last time. However, it was getting harder and harder for him as the minutes passed. So, he decided to listen in on a few conversations to keep his mind occupied.

Since there were so few students in his class, it wasn’t too hard to hear what they were saying. Kim and Max were talking about basketball – Max was trying to approximate the height Kim would have to be in order to make a perfect shot five - hundred feet from the net. Ivan and Alix were trying to convince Mylene to go along with them to some horror movie festival, Mylene making several nervous gasps at the descriptions of the monsters. Sabrina and Chloe were on their phones. Chloe was making a few complaints about some shoes online. He heard nothing from Nathanael as always – the boy was probably sleeping again. And then there were Rose, Juleka, and Alya who were speaking right behind him.

“Yeah, Marinette just texted me. She’s gonna come in late today. She overslept as usual.” Alya said.

“I hope she’s okay.” Rose responded.

“Don’t worry, girl. She’s fine. She just stays up to work on designs. No big deal.”

“Oh! Do you think she’s working on anything with that pink fabric she showed me last week? It was so pretty!”

“Or with that fabric that has those dark purple stripes. It was wicked.” Juleka joined in.

“I’m not sure. Why don’t you two ask her later today? I’m sure she’ll be excited to show us her designs.”

They agreed and Adrien wondered curiously what his missing classmate could be working on as well. Whenever Alya would show him her designs, he was always so impressed with her work. Even though he was a model, he didn’t really know much about fashion. However, he still found Marinette’s work as good as the clothes he had to wear during those professional photoshoots.  

“By the way, did you guys read the new update from last night? It was so cute!” Rose spoke, the subject changing abruptly.

Alya groaned.

“Sadly, I did.”

“Sadly? What, you didn’t like it?”

“You seriously think Ladybug would let an akuma get away to make out with Chat Noir? She’s not selfish!”

Adrien’s head shot up so quickly that his mind went dizzy.

“Dude, you okay?” Nino questioned, glancing up from his work to look over at his friend who tried to conceal the sudden blush on his cheeks.

He‘d moved too fast.

He hoped the girls didn’t notice.

“Yeah. Yeah. Um, I just… I thought I… um… saw a spider.”

Nino stared at him a while longer before chuckling.

“This is what happens when you don’t sleep, man.”

Adrien nodded and smiled forcefully before his friend chuckled again and went back to the worksheet. Luckily, the girls didn’t notice and continued on with their conversation that confused Adrien in more ways than one.

“But it was sooooo romantic! Chat and Ladybug kissing for the first time under the moonlight like they were the only people in the world. I wish someone loved me that much!”

Adrien sunk more into his seat, his right hand running through his hair as he was trying to figure out what they were talking about. He‘d never kissed Ladybug, much less kiss her during an akuma attack. He agreed with Alya. That would be very careless.

Where were they getting this information? Did someone spot the two superheroes last night and think they saw them kissing? The more he thought about it, the more lost he felt. He didn’t think anyone could’ve gotten the wrong idea since he was too busy saving lives the previous night to focus on anything else. He and Ladybug didn’t even make any physical contact with one another until their routine fist bump, so he wasn’t really sure what to think. He was going to have to check the Ladyblog during lunch.

“I didn’t mind the kissing thing, but I wish the villain was scarier.”

Adrien almost looked back when he heard Juleka’s comment.

Scarier?

She wished the villain was scarier?! How does she not find a person that could make shuriken out of CDs scary?!

“I thought she was scary! She made food come to life. Imagine a cupcake trying to eat you! Cupcakes are supposed to be cute and tasty, not ferocious!”

Was there an akuma attack Adrien didn’t know about?

He couldn’t take it anymore. He had to find out what the hell they were talking about. Nothing was making any sense and his head was starting to hurt. He plastered on his nicest smile and finally turned around.

“Good morning, guys.” He greeted as softly as he could, trying to conceal his slight edge.

All three pairs of eyes landed on him. Small smiles grew on each of their faces.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I overheard you three talking about someone bringing food to life yesterday. Didn’t the akuma throw CD shuriken and create earthquakes?”

The girls all looked at each other once again before bursting into a fit of giggles. Was there something he didn’t get? Was the whole conversation some weird inside joke?

“Oh no! We weren’t talking about the akuma from yesterday! This all happened in a LadyNoir fanfiction that we all read. The author posted a new chapter last night and there was a scene with an attack.” Alya finally answered. Adrien raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“LadyNoir? Fanfiction? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

He’d heard Alya mention those terms before, but he‘d never really questioned them. He just thought it was some inside thing between her and Marinette. But hearing those words in that context, he couldn’t help but be curious.

“Don’t even bother asking bro. You don’t want to get into...that.” He heard Nino say beside him, his friend still looking down at his homework.

Adrien glanced over at him, but quickly looked back at the girls when he heard Alya mumble something angrily under her breath.

“It’s nothing bad, Nino. Everyone’s read fanfiction.” She defended.

“Yeah, well not me. And not my boy, Adrien over here.”

Alya rolled her eyes dramatically before turning her attention back on the blond.

“Don’t listen to him. Nino marathons Back to the Future almost every weekend and calls that fun.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows at her remark and felt a small, tired laugh escape him.

“That is true.” He said.

“Whose side are you on!?”

Alya glared at the boy once more before looking back at Adrien.

“So, what I was trying to say was that fanfictions are like stories about two people, whether fictional or nonfictional, getting together. Like the one we’re reading now. It’s a story about Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

Adrien felt his face heat up again.

“So, um, like a love story?”

“Yeah!” Rose chimed in. Juleka smiled in agreement right beside her.

“A love story... about Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

“Yup.”

“And you guys want them to be together?”

“Who doesn’t want them together? I mean, don’t you think they would make such a great couple?”

Adrien glanced over at Nino for some guidance – for anything really – but he saw how preoccupied the other teen was and instead sighed internally. Would he and Ladybug make a great couple? Well, he liked to think so. Even though they didn’t know each other’s identities, he thought he loved her and that he would do anything for her… However, he also knew that this love was only one-sided.

He didn’t really know how to answer.

“I-I’m not sure. I’ve never really thought about it to tell you the truth.”

Rose leaned against Juleka’s side as she clasped her hands together and brought them near the side of her face, looking up dreamily.

“I think they absolutely love each other.”

Oh, if only you knew.

“Yeah, I don’t know about Ladybug, but Chat totally has the hots for her.” Juleka added.

You have no idea.

“I think Ladybug has a thing for that slick cat too. I’ve seen their sexual tension up close, trust me.”

A weird sound left Adrien’s lips, and he quickly covered his mouth as his whole face reddened. He could practically feel Plagg’s laughter coming from his bag and quickly cleared his throat loudly to drown out the sound just in case anyone else heard.

“Um sorry, I swallowed wrong. Sexual tension you say?”

Alya gave Adrien a weird look before she shrugged.

“Yeah, like the way they just flirt with each other. I mean, none of us can really hear any of it since they’re always too far away, but we can all just tell.”

“It’s so frustrating.” Juleka added.

Adrien almost laughed at that.

You find it frustrating? Just imagine how frustrating it must be for me.

“What’s the story called?” He heard himself ask, his mind having tried to change the subject but also having failed when he realized that he showed more interest on the subject.

And maybe he was interested, but he didn’t want to admit that to himself yet. Wanting to read something about yourself was probably considered creepy. He avoided the magazines with his face plastered on the pages for that same reason, but he couldn’t help his curiosity with this fanfiction thing. Did they get his personality right? Did they portray him as strong and independent or as some dorky sidekick? What about his Lady? How do they think his Lady feels when she sees him?

How does she feel?

He definitely needed to take a pill for his headache when he got home.

Rose’s smile widened at his question and it looked as if she were holding in a squeal.

“You want to actually read it?! That’s so great!”

Nino sighed beside him and Adrien tried to ignore the judgement hidden underneath it.

He laughed awkwardly.

“I’m not sure about actually reading it. I just want to get more of an understanding of this whole fanfiction and LadyNote thing.”

Alya giggled.

“You mean LadyNoir.”

“Yeah, that thing.”

Whatever that is.

They all gave him each a smile of approval before Alya wrote the story info down on a ripped piece of line paper and handed it to him.

“Have fun researching.” The girl then said, giving him a quick wink and another laugh before the homeroom bell rang and everyone left to their next class.

                                                     _________________

Luckily, Ladybug was just as tired as he was, so their patrol only lasted about half an hour – just a quick check around the city. Yawns filled up the quiet night sky as they both jumped and swung from building to building. Chat was a little more rested than his partner since he had gotten to nap as soon as he‘d gotten home. His wish had been granted. A huge storm had rolled in and all his practices had been cancelled for the remainder of the day. He’d taken that opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep. Neither of them were really as social as they usually were with one another. It was one of those lazy, tired patrols where they cracked a few remarks here and there but remained quiet for the most part. He didn’t really mind that though. Sometimes he found the silence to be calming. Everything in his life was always so structured and crazy, so having some peace and quiet with the love of his life from time-to-time helped him feel more at ease.

With one last goodbye, they both separated and retreated back to their homes, a tired smile playing across the blond’s face. As soon as he de-transformed in his bedroom, he fed Plagg the camembert he had waiting for him on his desk and immediately changed into his sweats.

“Wow. It’s only ten-forty.” He commented aloud as he checked his phone, quickly answering Nino’s texts about some song he heard on the radio.

“That’s good. Now you can finally go to sleep early and I don’t have to hear your constant complaints about how tired you are.” He heard his kwami say as he stuffed another bite of that smelly cheese into his mouth.

“I’ve only complained to you twice!”

Plagg scoffed.

“Yeah, twice an hour.”

Adrien rolled his eyes as he walked himself to his computers.

“Whatever. Just finish your cheese. I’m going to sleep soon, but I want to check something first.”

Plagg didn’t speak for a while and the teenager sat himself down in front of the several screens, typing in the name of the story Alya had told him about in google. Apparently this fanfiction was called Late Night Hour by someone named FrenchBeauty95. He didn’t know what to think of it at that moment. The summary explained the plot to be about Ladybug screwing up an akuma attack and Chat Noir having to fix everything – that thought did not really sit well in his stomach. He of course knew that this was fiction – a completely made up scenario – but just thinking about the possibility of having to handle an akuma by himself without his Lady sent a horrible chill down his spine. However, he sucked it up and continued scrolling through the webpage.

Apparently, thousands of people had read that story already, and his mouth practically flew open. Thousands of people read about him and Ladybug – wanted to read about him and Ladybug – being together. His cheeks flushed once again and he quickly shook his head before he spun his chair away from the screens, trying to conceal the embarrassment evident on his face.

“What’s got you all worked up now?” Plagg said, done with his meal and floating over to his friend who seemed to be having a mental breakdown.

“Thousands of people read about me and Ladybug.”

“And? Isn’t that the point of the blog thing, for everyone to read about you two?”

Plagg signaled Adrien to open his hands that were rested on his lap and the blond quickly obliged. The kwami floated down to rest himself against his palms.

“Groooooss. Your hands are sweaty!”  

He did not, however, leave his resting place.

“Plagg, this isn’t about Alya’s blog, this is- they read-”

He groaned.

“Wait. Is this about that story thing they were telling you about earlier?”

Adrien just nodded.

“You humans and your weird problems. Just don’t read the thing! Who cares!”

“I do! Alya told me that in this story Chat Noir and Ladybug kiss.”

“Okay, but it’s not like it’ll actually happen!”

Adrien scowled down at the kwami.

Plagg groaned.

“Just go and read it since you want to so bad. I’m going to sleep.”

The teen’s eyes widened.

“I-I don’t! Why would I?! That’s weird and-”

Plagg groaned yet again before floating away to Adrien’s bed.

“Plagg, I don’t want to!”

“Sure, and I hate camembert. Goodnight.”

Adrien was about to say something else but the words got lost in his throat when he turned back to face the screens. He reread the summary a few more times and tried to even listen to some music on another tab to keep himself distracted to prove to Plagg that he would never read something like that. However, he only lasted about four minutes before he returned to the webpage and started the first chapter.

I’m only reading this to make sure they don’t know any personal details about me. That’s the only reason. Just a few lines and I’ll be done.

He read all twenty-three chapters.

                                               __________________

After having read up to the most recent updated chapter of Late Night Hour, Adrien found that he couldn’t go back to sleep. The last chapter still had his heart beating fast in his chest, his hands still sweaty from his own nervousness and excitement. The kiss scene that the three girls spoke of was very descriptive, to the point where Adrien could imagine the whole scenario vividly in his head as if it had played out in front of him. His face was red, so red and he couldn’t help but look up at the ceiling in thought.

Ladybug kissed Chat back in the story. She yanked his bell and pulled him closer to her so she could reassure him that she felt the same way. Adrien melted. It was as if someone wrote down one of his dreams and made it seem so much more real. He couldn’t help himself, he wanted to know what people thought about this kind of stuff, what they thought about LadyNoir (which he also found out was the combination of his and his Lady’s names), why everyone chooses to call him and his lady Felix and Bridgette when they’re in their civilian form, and why he hadn’t known about this sooner.

He wanted to ask the three girls all kinds of questions that he now had, since he felt that they would know the answer to them, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to admit his new guilty pleasure. What if others found out? What if they would judge him for it? He knew Nino would never let him live it down and he also didn’t want to be labeled as that guy that reads stories about Ladybug and Chat Noir making out. He felt that he would be seen as some kind of pervert or something. And what if Ladybug found out somehow? He would probably die from embarrassment.

He finally decided to keep the whole thing to himself, at least publicly that is. In the privacy of his own home, however, he would talk about it online with other people. Under the account name FelineGood16 he began to comment on stories, post his thoughts on chapters in blog threads, and gained all the answers he had been wanting without anyone knowing who he really was. It wasn’t necessarily the most productive thing he could’ve been doing with his time, but it was one of the more exciting options.

                                                 __________________

“Guys, last night’s update got me pretty pissed, not gonna lie.” Alya, said behind him, Adrien nodding in silent agreement. His fists were clenched on his lap and Nino was trying to explain how he was a living, human magnet for pigeon crap, Adrien nodding slowly, trying very hard to focus on his friend’s rant. However, he couldn’t find the strength to do so – the update still fresh in his mind.

He‘d read it only minutes before, in his car, while the Gorilla drove him to school. It was short, angsty, and made him curse the day he ever decided reading the thing would be a good idea. It was the reveal chapter and he didn’t think it could’ve gone any worse even if it were written by a new born baby. In the chapter, Ladybug revealed herself to Chat, wanting to pursue a real romantic relationship with him with no secrets holding them back. Reading the chapter in the beginning, Adrien felt his heart racing, his hands sweating, and had hope blooming in his chest so intensely that he felt like a whole field of flowers was going to sprout from it any minute. This was the day where his wildest dream was going to be written in front of him. Where he was finally going to get a possible outcome of what could happen if his Lady were to share her identity with him. He knew that, in real life, he would probably cry from elation, his arms immediately embracing the girl before him, no matter who she was. However, instead, the author decided that Chat Noir rejecting her and disregarding all of their intimate past moments was the more realistic route, and hell, was Adrien pissed. To think, he even put up with those horrible puns too.

Having to read the love of his life feel such pain due to his own unrealistic response was absolutely killing him inside and he wasn’t sure how to hold in his opinions on the matter. He was already in the process of creating a long argument along with proof on why that chapter was completely impractical and unjustified for his Tumblr later on.

“Alya, breathe. It’s just a story. The author wanted to rile you guys up like this for shock value. They’ll probably resolve things next chapter. No biggy.” Marinette said.

“It is a biggy, Mari! If you actually read these fics, you’d totally understand why we’re so mad. I for one hate how dependent they write Ladybug in these stories. Like girl almost caused an akuma attack in this chapter because the dude rejected her! I’m just tired of it!”

Exactly!

“And Chat Noir always monologues about how he’d always love Ladybug, no matter who she was behind the mask. But, when she finally finds the courage, he rejects her? Totally not cool.” Juleka adds, Adrien nodding his head in agreement once again.

Even they understand!

“What I’m saying is that it would be awesome to finally have a story where they end up happy for once, where their relationship isn’t so forced, and where it just feels more real.”

Adrien found his fists unclenching slightly under his desk, his eyebrows furrowed.

More real. Yeah.

“Well, if you crave that so much then why don’t you write your own?”

Adrien’s eyes widened and he felt his face heat up immediately, Marinette’s words echoing in his mind repeatedly.

Write your own.

“Yeah,” Adrien muttered under his breath, a small smile growing on his lips, “Maybe I wi-“

“Dude. Have you even been listening to me?”

The blond shook his head slightly and turned to face his best friend who looked at him like he grew a second head. He chuckled awkwardly.

“Yeah, dude! Of course, pigeon crap is the worst.”

Nino continued to stare at the boy, his lips formed in a small frown.

“I wasn’t talking about that anymore.”

“I’m sorry, man. Kind of zoned out a bit. And not because of what you were saying but I…”

What was he supposed to say? I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention to you, I couldn’t stop hearing about the updated chapter of one of my favorite fanfictions because it seriously pissed me off since I’m the real Chat Noir and find it ridiculous that the author wrote me as some careless, self-absorbed douche that only thinks about himself?

“I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Nino’s expression softened and he sighed before patting his buddy on the shoulder lightly.

“I swear, if you don’t start getting your snooze on, I’m gonna barge into your house myself and make sure your old man changes your schedule up or else.”

Adrien smiled, amused.

“Or else what? You’ll DJ him to death?”

“Dude, I make some good ass tunes, but trust me if I need to make a torture mix, I can and will. And it won’t be pretty. Just imagine a twenty-four-hour loop of Pen Pineapple Apple Pen except every time he says apple, it speeds up.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes.”

“I’ll try to get some more sleep then for my father’s sake.”

Nino laughed and nudged the other boy with his elbow.

“I’m serious, you need to start taking better care of yourself.”

“Yeah, I know.”

He thought about Marinette’s words the rest of the day.         

                                                 ____________________                       

“I’m a disgusting human being.” Adrien said, his body turned away from his screens in his swivel chair. His eyelids were droopy and his yawns were beginning to sound more powerful than before, however, all he could think about was the plot he‘d thought up in his head.

Plagg floated over to him, landing on his shoulder with his piece of cheese almost finished.

“While that is completely true, what made you come to that realization?”

“You’re hilarious.”

“And you’re dramatic. What happened, kid?”

Adrien sighed and turned back to his screens, the opened document on all three staring at him judgmentally.

“I’m going to write a story about one of my best friends…ending up with me and they have no idea.”

“Yeah, that is pretty disgusting.”

“Plagg!”

“Well what do you want me to say?!”

“That I’m not disgusting! T-that it’s not weird and that it’s not like I’m going to reveal anything personal about us anyway so there’s no real harm? I don’t know! Humor me!”

“I don’t see why you have to involve me in your creepy romance issues. If you want to do it then just do it!”

Adrien groaned and sunk into his seat, Plagg popping the last bit of his camembert in his mouth before sighing.

“She’s going to hate me if she finds out. I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t.”

“Look kid, you’re always busy doing things that other people want you to do. You never really have time for yourself and if this is what will make you happy and hopefully change that around, then go for it. She’s probably never going to find out unless you tell her. And either way, I don’t think she’d be mad.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes, now please turn down the brightness of those things so I can sleep in peace for once.”

Adrien sat up in his seat, his smile genuine and his feet scooting himself closer to his floating kwami.

“Ah, you do care,” Adrien opened his hands on his lap. “Come here.”

“No, gross. I can smell your putrid, human stench from here. But, if you do want to show your appreciation, another piece of camembert would suffice.”

Adrien snorted.

“Yeah, and have you vomit all over my sheets again? No way. Father still thinks the chef tried poisoning me.”

“Last time I ever give you advice,” Plagg floated to his spot on Adrien’s bed soon after. “Goodnight. And remember about the brightness.”

A few minutes later Adrien turned off the lights and retreated to his computers, his eyes staring down at the keyboard in front of him like it was forbidden to touch it. His cheeks flushed as he thought about his plot and he shook his head a little when he heard Plagg’s small snores arise from behind him.

If Plagg says it’s okay then it must be, right?

After a few more seconds of contemplation he nodded and began typing, a small smile on his face as Marinette’s words appeared in his mind again. He tried to make his words sound as genuine as possible when describing his Lady, not wanting to hold back his admiration for her courage, strength, intelligence, and beauty.

                                                  ___________________

Chapter 1 of “The Empty Streets of Paris”

           --by FelineGood16 on FanWorkz.net

He sees her sitting on the edge of the building, her legs swinging back and forth as she stares at their city beneath her spotted feet. Her right cheek is cut from the akuma they fought earlier, the bit of skin revealed under her bangs bruised too. She’s injured yet she’s smiling as if all the happiness in the world is being held in her small hands. He can’t stop looking, not really knowing what to say to the person that saved his life only a few minutes ago. Chat Noir remains standing behind her, wondering how the world looks in the eyes of his knight.

She looks over her shoulder and meets his gaze, her smile still intact and his heart filling the night sky with the sounds of its rapid beating.

“Come here.” She says, patting the empty spot next to her.

She isn’t bleeding anymore, but Chat Noir still feels guilty about the whole situation. She’s hurt because of his own carelessness. He wants to sit next to her, but he can’t shake off that feeling, like it was all his fault. Besides, they both don’t have that much time left until they transform back and he knows how protective she is of her identity.

“Don’t you have to go?” He asks, his voice barely a whisper. He didn’t want her to leave.

She chuckles.

“Just sit next to me, you silly cat.”

                                                _________________

Adrien didn’t really know what to expect when he posted his first chapter. He posted the link on his blog so his online acquaintances could see, so they could give him some feedback. But he never in his right mind expected all the attention his chapter got in the next few days.

He posted it on a Wednesday night, receiving a few likes the next morning from the other blogs he had chatted with before along with a few positive comments that made his day much brighter. And that’s all he really expected. However, the likes and reblogs on his tumblr post started growing. Emails slowly and then quickly began to come through to notify him of all the reads, comments, subscribers, and votes he was getting on his three-thousand-word chapter.

Apparently, a popular blog had reblogged him one day, complimenting his writing and potential and it was history from then on (at least for him that is). He wasn’t really sure how to react for a while, finding himself frozen whenever he stared at his phone screen and saw a new notification.

Do I respond to each comment?

Do I update today or next week?

Do they like the characterization?

Do I make the next chapter longer than the first?

He wasn’t sure what to do in his situation, not having anybody to talk to about it. He couldn’t ask Nino since he felt that his friend would only tease him and ask about his mental state. He felt that if he told Alya, the rest of the class would find out and he couldn’t have that. His online buddies weren’t really much help, only nagging him to just update already. And he really didn’t want to bother Plagg about it since he felt that the Kwami would just give him the whole “You humans and your dumb issues” spiel again, but he couldn’t take it anymore. He needed guidance. And even though he was absolutely certain that Plagg knew crap about anything relating to fanfiction, his kwami was still a small god and still very wise (when he wanted to be at least), so he sucked it up and finally asked him.

“I say live it up my friend.” Plagg simply responded.

Adrien smirked and nodded in both determination and agreement, giving Plagg extra camembert that afternoon. The kwami was right. Why was he freaking out about people liking his writing? He shouldn’t take positive feedback as something to be feared but instead as a challenge to do better, to write something that the people will never forget. His read count was growing by the day. Going from three hundred to eight hundred to a thousand to three thousand. It was almost astonishing, but as he reread his own work and compared it to fanfictions he’s read, he knew that his would end up ranking even higher. He had what they were all lacking. Actual experiences. And yes, he knew that his story was fictional and that what happened in the story never had and or probably never would happen between him and his Lady in real life. But he saw her mannerisms up close. He knew how she used her yoyo and her Lucky Charm – how truly amazing she was. He’d explored almost every inch of Paris thousands of times and knew how the blows from those akumas felt right to his bones.

His story wasn’t nonfictional, of course, but it was going to have that real feeling he’d heard so many desiring and he couldn’t wait to show it to them.

                                                      ________________

“Did you read the update last night?” Rose asked from behind, Adrien’s head rested in his arms as he grew a small tired smile. They were talking about his story again. A few weeks had passed since he posted the first chapter and now he had almost twelve thousand reads, five thousand votes, and a lot of overwhelming exhaustion. He had finally finished his fourth chapter the day before, staying up till almost two in the morning to post it. He was tired, and his body seemed to desire sleep more than air, but he didn’t care. Everyone was liking his writing – something he did for himself – and he was cherishing every minute of it.

“Of course, I almost wept when I read that Ladybug saved all those policemen from that fire! It was so intense, but I knew my girl would pull through! So badass!” Alya said.

“And when she dodged that left hook from behind! Super awesome.” Juleka added, the three girls continuing to admire the fight scene between Ladybug and Human Flare (the fire creating akuma Adrien made up).

He‘d gotten the idea for the villain from a conversation him and Ladybug had one day about akumas. They had just fought one that could create tornadoes from blended smoothies and Ladybug couldn’t help but comment on Hawkmoth’s creativity soon after.

“I swear, these akumas are starting to get ridiculous. I mean smoothie tornadoes? Really!? Why doesn’t he ever give them a normal power like teleportation or telepathy?” She complained, the two of them laying on top of some vacant office building that had too many windows to count.

“Or the ability to control any element! Now that would be interesting to see.”

Ladybug snorted.

“I see someone watches Avatar.”

“Hey, that show was purrfect and you know it!” He defended, turning to face her. She did the same.

“Fine! I will admit that you have a point there. Even though you could’ve made it without the horrible pun.”

“My puns are cat-tastic and I know that you secretly enjoy them.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“Your affection and approval always does the trick, my Lady.”

She rolled her eyes before looking back up at the sky, her gaze turned away from him.

“Then it looks like you’re going to have trouble sleeping, Chaton.”

“Meow-ch,”

Ladybug giggled and Chat felt warmth spread throughout his body. They stayed silent for a while, the two of them staring at the birds flying above them, the color in the sky beginning to turn from blue to dark shades of red.

“Yeah, controlling fire would be neat, huh?” She said.

Chat hummed peacefully in response and Adrien smiled at the memory as he continued listening in on the girls’ conversation.

“The fight scenes were very descriptive. But I think the akuma’s costume needed more pink!”

Juleka snorted.

“Rose, you think everything needs more pink.”

“Because it does!”

The three of them laughed and Adrien had to suppress his own chuckle. Rose was so innocent.

“What about Chat Noir?” Adrien’s eyes widened a little at Marinette’s abrupt words. Whenever the three others would talk about fanfiction, the blue-eyed girl would usually remain quiet since she didn’t seem so interested in the subject. However, there she was behind him, asking about his story with her tone sounding a bit serious and Adrien was honestly surprised and curious as to what she was going to say.

“What about him?” Alya asked, sounding a bit surprised herself.

“I’ve heard you guys discuss these updates but I never really hear you guys talk about Chat Noir in this amazing story as an individual. Did he do anything in this chapter during the attack or was it all just Ladybug?”

Marinette’s emphasis on that certain adjective made Adrien nervous.

“Well, he did use his Cataclysm, but Ladybug mostly did all the work.” Alya answered.

“Hmm,” Marinette simply said, the blond not knowing what to think of that vague response.

Does she find something wrong with that?

What does she mean?

“Well, looks like amazing writer here doesn’t really know how to write them well then, huh?” She elaborated.

Adrien felt his heart stop.

What?

“Mari, you haven’t even read it yet. This person has got their personalities on point.” Alya defended.

“In what way? Because it sounds like they think Chat Noir is just some useless sidekick. And that’s not very realistic, is it?”

Adrien felt his body stiffen for a reason unknown to him and his cheeks began to warm up. He didn’t understand what he was hearing or why he was acting that way.

Nino seemed to notice his sudden shift in behavior since Adrien felt his friend’s hand rest on his shoulder.

“Hey, dude everything alright?”

Adrien brought up his head slightly enough so to give his best friend a small nod and a forced reassuring smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine. My phone vibrated in my pocket and it just startled me a bit.”

“Ah, okay. Well, go back to sleep dude. Homeroom’s almost done and you look dead.”

Adrien nodded again before laying his head back down, concealing his tense expression.

Not realistic? How was he not realistic? The fight sequences were written based on his own experiences. The moves he wrote for both of them were what usually happened. He wanted so badly to ask Marinette what she thought Chat actually did in a fight to get her take on things, to see what she sees. But, he couldn’t and it was frustrating him.

However, Alya ended up asking her for him.

“What do you mean useless? The writer wrote him using Cataclysm, his signature move.”

“But that’s not all he does, Alya. He helps plan. He hides civilians from danger. He’s saved Ladybug plenty of times! He risks his life almost every damn akuma attack! This author is pretty much saying that all he does is cause destruction when he actually stops it from happening. Yeah, Ladybug does work and helps a lot, but without Chat Noir, she wouldn’t be able to succeed. They’re equals and the writer just doesn’t seem to understand that. That’s all I’m saying.”

So that’s what she sees.

Adrien was honestly touched by his classmate’s words. Even though she‘d ragged on his story, he truly appreciated her reasoning for it. It wasn’t every day that he heard a civilian defend him like that, especially not as passionately as Marinette had.

He wanted to hug her.

“Damn girl. I didn’t know you felt so deeply about this.”

“Yeah, Marinette! Your speech was so sweet! I hope the writer writes more about Chat Noir like you said!” Rose chimed.

Juleka didn’t say anything, most likely nodding in response. Adrien was tired and although he’d promised himself the day before that he wouldn’t start writing the next chapter for a few days to catch up on sleep, after hearing Marinette’s words, he wanted to write it immediately. He wanted to impress the girl that thought he was more than what he’s worth, even if he had to suffer through a few more sleepless nights in order to do so.