#marinette: ... i guess that IS unexpected...

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I just realized that, in the 5 seasons finales, LB&CN NEVER won :(

-S1: Origins, the start of everything so it doesn’t exactly count. Volpina is the last chapter before those, but now that Lila seems to be the new HM, and since it was LB’s “mistake” that made her a nemesis, their victory comes empty in the long run.

-S2: Heroes’ Day, I consider it a tie, because the status quo changed to HM’s favor. After all seemed lost, LB&CN got a second wind and they managed to corner him, pointing to their victory; there was no way to foresee Mayura’s arrival. HM didn’t win, but is no longer alone against them. From a narrative pov, in my humble opinion, it is a nice season finale to set up S3.

-S3: Battle of the Miraculous, LB makes a mistake born of jealousy, leading to the capture of Master Fu, HM claiming the Miracle Box and Chloe’s betrayal. Aftermath: Fu’s gone, temp heroes’ identities revealed to HW and Mayura, the translation of the grimoire is in enemy hands, allowing him to repair the broken Peacock miraculous, and Chloe starts hating LB. The heroes recovering the miracle box at the end is just a small win contrasted to everything else.

-S4: Shadow Moth’s Final Attack, the Miracle Box is in HM’s hands after LB makes another love-related mistake by being deceived by Felix into thinking he was Adrien; behold the rise of Monarch. Our heroes have their worst defeat so far.

-S5: The Final Day *insert TLOZ: Majora Mask’ Last Day theme*. Gabriel, the person who antagonized our heroes these five seasons, the one who was supposed to be defeated, brought to justice, manages to outsmart Bug Noire because she had faith in the man, and makes the wish. (Though I heard that Mari won because Gabriel didn't wish for Emilie at the end, so... it is supposed to be the heroes' victory, I guess?)

I'm pretty sure this came up somewhere in the comments or reblogs of my post about Marinette being written like a villain, but in the context of the finals, Gabriel is written like a classic superhero. The only exception being Origins which isn't really a final so I don't think it counts. Instead we'll do Volpina into Collector.

Season One: The heroes almost out Gabriel's identity, but he makes a last minute brilliant plan to save himself and beat his enemies, forever putting himself off their radar.

Season Two: Gabriel almost loses, but an unexpected ally swoops in to save him at the last second. She then becomes his new teammate for the rest of the show.

Season Three: Gabriel almost wins, but fails at the last moment due to a deus ex machina. Still, he ends the season with new knowledge that will make him stronger than ever as he faces his enemy in the coming fights.

Season Four: Gabriel once again loses the battle, leaving him in his darkest hour, only for another unexpected ally to swoop in and give him a major powerup, allowing him to go into the final season ready to put it all on the line.

Season Five: Gabriel once again loses the battle, but when all hope seems lost, his enemy's hubristic monologuing gives him the win, allowing him to achieve the victory he's been fighting for all along. He even gets to change his mind on what victory means for him, showing more growth than anyone else in this mess of a show. (For this, we're going to ignore the insane and deeply insensitive idea that being unable to live without your spouse is a happy ending and meaningful lesson about grief.)

To be fair, it's not totally unheard of for heroes to fail at the start or in the midgame, but I'm struggling to think of another show that did it this poorly. Usually, the heroes lose as a way to set up the plot for the next season or arc. During this follow-up plot, the heroes usually earn a new power or skill so they can come back and win. Miraculous doesn't do that. Things like Gabriel's season four win lead to nothing for the heroes even though a lot of us were expecting season five to see something like the heroes recovering a different miraculous every episode as Ladynoir came back stronger than ever now that the season four nonsense was done with.

But season five wasn't about getting the Kwamis back or about Ladynoir being stronger than ever. It was about Adrienette getting together and Gabriel being against that even though he was seemingly fine with it in both what-if episodes begging the question of what changed?

Season four wasn't about cool new guardian powers or rebuilding the team from scratch. All of the status quos were maintained. The only big difference was that Gabriel got the ability to use the peacock without dying even though it would have been infinitely more satisfying if season five had him dying from a broken miraculous instead of a cataclysm. Same plot, just without the complication of Adrien technically killing his father.

Season three wasn't about figuring out how to stop new villain Maurya. She only goes away because she gets too sick to fight. The heroes don't do anything to stop her. They just got lucky.

When you look at the various power ups that the show introduces - the potions, unification, new miraculous, etc. - there is no overarching narrative logic for why those power ups are being introduced. That's why they're often only used for something interesting in their intro episode. After that, they're just kind of there. I don't think they ever come back to save the day in a season final like you'd expect. The only one who gets lasting power ups that effect the whole season is the villain.

Heroes can also have less-than-perfect victories in satisfying stories. A lot of my personal favorites are a little bittersweet. But none of Miraculous' losses fit that bill either. The closest we get is the season five ending because the heroes did get the miraculous back, but it's hard to call that a victory. I'm not even sure why they need them back. Unless the story randomly decides that Ladynoir isn't enough for today's fight, the temp heroes aren't needed. That's why Ladynoir was perfectly fine for all of season five even though they were fighting a villain with every other power! It's actually really funny when you think about it. Heroes like Viperion should be at every fight because their powers feel essential. Yet Viperion only shows up a handful of times. Times when Ladynoir is suddenly struggling to win even though they've faced plenty of one-hit K.O. villains before. The show's internal logic is a mess.

Then again, this is also the show that consistently lets the villain's love empower him while the heroes' love leads to the end of the world, so I guess this is just kind of par for the course.

[lordmartiya]

Unexpected Guest

Hi, @professorducc, I'm your Secret Santa for @mlsecretsanta. Here's my gift to you, the story Unexpected Guest.

Marinette didn’t understand what was happening, and most importantly why. It wasn’t unusual when Lila was involved, but this time it was far more than usual. “Why?” she asked to the brunette now helping her pack. “You’re going to be a guest, and that means for the time being you’re basically family I can have dirty thoughts about.” Lila replied. “Simple as that.” “Yes, but-dirty thoughts?!” “In case nobody told you, you’re hot. An annoying santarellina that doesn’t know how to pick her battles, but a hot one.” “If that’s your idea of flirting, it’s not working.” Marinette replied, telling herself the heat she was feeling in her cheeks was from embarrassment. “And I mean why you’re taking me in while-while…” “That’s my mother’s idea. I guess it paints the embassy better, the consul helping the granddaughter of an Italian citizen in her time of need. And for what is worth, I hope your parents recover and someone finds that driver and feeds them their own license.” That was the problem. Her parents had been hospitalized after being hit by a car, and with Nonna Gina being around the world and her grandfather legally inelegible due what he called “the stupidest thing I ever did” Lila’s mother, the consul and acting head of the Italian embassy until Papillon was dealt with and the French government came back with the ambassadors and the nuclear codes, had stepped in, taken over guardianship for the time being, and was having her move at her home on the other side of Place des Vosges.

  “This is the guest room, and here the current Wi-Fi codes and how to get through the security jamming. Once you’ve used them throw the paper in the incinerator chute.” Lila said after showing the rest of the apartment to her new roommate and handing her the passwords for the week. “If you need any help, you only have to ask.” “The what chute?” Marinette asked. Of course, she had no idea how diplomats’ family lived. “Welcome to the world of diplomacy, full of secrets to be kept through lies, deception, and even destruction at times. It’s one absurd world, to the point I have no idea if my mother was joking when she told me of the Japanese “troubleshooter”, if you get what I mean, that poses as a diplomat and always wears a plushie rabbit mask – though if I actually see him, I’m leaving before he starts weaponizing macarons and firing lasers from the eyes.” Marinette was bewildered. Good, the phantomatic Usagi-sensei would keep her mind off the event long enough to get Alya her security clearance and get inspected to visit her friend.

  “You had to get a security clearance?!” Marinette asked her best friend once she arrived. “Yeah… Fingerprints, a background check… And then they checked me and the package as if we were suspicious at an American airport, only they didn’t assume I was guilty until proven otherwise.” Alya confirmed. “They even complimented me for the brand of bug detector.” “Just… Let’s use it, I’m not trusting Lila until I verified she hasn’t bugged the room.” Turned out Lila had bugged the room. As in she had put a single bedbug-shaped listening device on the desk, near its receiver and a note saying “Satisfied?”. “What is she planning?” Marinette wondered. “Maybe nothing? I mean, she’s actually doing what she said she’d do.” Alya pointed out. “And if she had bad intentions, she’d have already stolen the Box. Marinette had no counter to that. Maybe she was actually being sincere. She could even ask her what her grandfather’s problem was, if the security was like that then it was likely on file.

  “Sorry, what?” “Your grandfather got arrested with a fascist group that was preparing a coup over EU membership.” Lila explained, having seen too much weird stuff like that to bat an eye at what she had just read. “Apparently it was more a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time so he got a suspended sentence, but he still followed a friend there and thought what they said made sense to him until they started talking of armed action and it made rethink his life. Still better than my great-granduncle.” Lila didn’t really want to share that, but Marinette was a guest and someone she admired and she wasn’t letting her in the dumps for her grandfather having been an idiot. “What did he do?” Marinette asked, taking the bait. “Officially? Nothing, he was just the podestà of Brescello until 1945. But if you read between the lines, you’ll get why right after the war the town’s archpriest and the local Communist leader ran him out of town. But I hope you aren’t assuming that person’s actions decide who I am, just like Roland Dupain’s idiocy doesn’t decide who you are.” Marinette could read between the lines. Her expressions made clear she didn’t know what a podestà was in context, but an archpriest and a Communist leader running someone out of town back then said more than enough. And her guest got the message. That was enough for Lila, who grabbed her copy of one of the old spirit cultivation texts Chloè found, hoping that her study would help her in her attempt to settle the score with Ladybug.

  Marinette had thought to stalk Lila. She had been acting weird, and with everything that had happened in their past she decided to find what her cute host was up to. She had not been expecting to track her and Chloè to a catacomb right on the city’s Dragon Vein (or ley line, as they were called by Western mysticists) – and tapping into it with a Wellspring. A place perfect for all types of Spirit Cultivation, to the point that if she had access to this “La Plage”, as they had named the catacomb, she’d have broken through and obtained unrestricted use of a Miraculous months ago. Still, she first had to ask one thing: “Where’s Sabrina?” “Certainly not in a section of the Catacombs closed to the public.” replied Chloè. “You think I’d bring the daughter of an archer here?” Right, stupid question. “What does archery have to do with this?” Lila asked. “That’s what we call our cops.” Chloè answered before turning to Marinette. “As for you, what are you doing here?” “I… I was just curious, Lila acted so weird and-” “Ugh! Don’t tell me that Andrè’s orange and green ice cream was actually a sign!” “No!” came the denial, with Marinette wondering why she felt her cheeks heating up just as she looked for something, ANYTHING to distract the blonde and the (pleased?! Seriously?!) Italian. Wait. The Wellspring! “By the way-“ “Don’t change topic.” Lila interrupted. “I’ve heard about the ice cream, but it seems there’s more about it than I thought.” “That can wait, Dupain-Cheng’s distractions are always useful.” Chloè pointed out. “I take you were talking of the Odic Magnet?” Marinette would later learn her scream of horror started a new legend about the Catacombs. “You went by a biomagnetism design?!” she whispered in horror. “So?” Marinette didn’t answer. She just pulled her phone (somehow that area had excellent reception) and called Big Sister Fei. She was the single best Cultivation expert Marinette knew of, and she wasn’t going to let the two accidentally give themselves the same kind of imbalanced qi-induced insanity that by now Paris’ favorite terrorist had to be in the grip of.

  Lila didn’t like being in debt. That was why she had resolved to find a way to repay Marinette for saving her sanity and possibly soul. And while normally she’d be happy for a chance, this was just too weird. “Ch’hai detto?” Lila asked, slipping in her native Romanesco dialect from the surprise. Luckily, it was very close to standard Italian and her interlocutor was fluent in that. “I said, this is the perfect chance to deal with Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” Gabriel repeated. “She’s weak and vulnerable, and you are in the perfect position to insure she won’t recover.” “With all due respect” that is none at all “she’s become inoffensive. Wouldn’t be more practical to make her an ally?” “I’m not taking risks. Finish her off. Frame her for theft, or something. Make sure she won’t have the ability to corrupt Adrien, your job depends on it.” “Very well. I know what to do.”

  Marinette couldn’t believe what she was hearing in Lila’s recording. Neither could Adrien. “How did you record this? Father has a jammer in his atelier.” he pointed out. “Tape recorder, too primitive to be affected.” Lila replied. Her recorder did look weird… But if Gabriel was doing this – “And before you ask, he’s got nothing to do with the crash, mom checked.” “Now what?!” Marinette shouted. “If he hates me, he will-“ “He will un cazzo.” Lila hissed as she put her hand on Marinette’s. Something she found oddly comforting. “This isn’t about planning a counterattack, it’s about planning how to deal with the aftermath once the Caramba have Carambed him.” “What?” Adrien asked. Marinette, on the other hand, understood Italian slang enough to realize what would happen. Though she wondered if it was legal. Then Lila’s phone signaled it had received something. And once she looked it, she laughed Volpina’s laugh. “Well, they Carambed him faster than expected.” she said as she forwarded the message. “Did you know I have Ladybug’s number?” Marinette knew, she had given it right after Chamele-oh. Oh, no. “Marinette, why are your earrings flashing?” Lila asked.

“So, let’s resume everything.” Lila said once the consequences of the Carabinieri detachment of the embassy putting Agreste Manor under full surveillance and catching a charged Akuma coming out had unfolded. “Gabby was Le Papillon, his minion Mayura, and they started hunting the Miraculous down to revive Adrien’s mom after she got nearly killed by a broken Miraculous and it didn’t dawn on them they could just Akumatize Adrien, who’s also Chat Noir and a Sentimonster because in his own words “adoption is for peasants”, with the right powers to do the job rather than alter the fabric of the universe. Something we’ve proven is possible by giving the Butterfly Miraculous to this Socqueline so that she could have you heal your parents and then have Adrien heal the minion and his mom – who the police are currently holding for questioning about a few weird incidents.” “Yes.” Marinette confirmed, her face indecifrable. “You are also Ladybug, and the whole reason of the initial accident is that back then Adrien’s involvement in anything made you lose more braincells than Alya did back then when Ladybug was involved.” “Yes.” “You have some explaining to do. Seriously, why did YOU wear such a plain” and sexy “costume?! I thought you couldn’t possibly be Ladybug because you have a fashion sense, and she obviously didn’t!” Marinette’s face showed her relief. The fool. She had only a few days before she got back home, and Lila was going to tease the everliving everything out of her new romantic target friend while she could. She didn’t know what the future held, but it was clearly brighter than either of them expected.

Author notes

There’s an Easter egg in this story. Yes, I did what I did. No, I’m not telling you what I did. But if you got it you’re probably laughing your ass off. Lately I got interested in the Spirit Cultivation genre, that draws heavily on Daoism… And as it happens, the show in general and the Chinese Miraculous Box in particular are easily tied to it, allowing me to actually fill the gigantic plot holes of Lila and Chloè’s character arcs: in the effort to get the power to survive the perceived threats they Cultivated themselves into villainy, with Chloè becoming more selfish and Lila getting so engrossed in her lies she thought it was a good idea to create multiple fake identities (and achieving the magical bullshitting power to convince two women she’s their daughter). I also had fun getting in some Vitalist idea to connect.

[nothingtherefornow]

New theory about Miraculous World London : Maybe I was wrong, and the "two" antagonist are not different people, but one and the same, and none other than .....

... Adrien Agreste

At first I didn't pay attention to those who theorise that this dude who discovered Bug Noir's secret identity by spying on her after her fight against Monarch :

Could be an akumatized version of Adrien, because the silhouette looked indeed similar to Adrien's body building

But then I also noticed how the mysterious figure who steals Marinette's earings and black cat ring from her, and whom I assumed to be Lila who akumatized herself, does have a body build that's not similar at all to Lila's silhouette, but looks actually more like Adrien's, Luka's or Felix's :

There's also that short glimpse in the trailer where we see Chronobug in the burrow escaping with a book that seemingly belong to the mysterious blue figure who figured out her secret identity

And this takes place where Adrien and Kagami were kept prisonner and "safe" by their respective parents.

Still ... I couldn't imagine Adrien being the one to looks for Ladybug's secret identity, potentially giving it to Lila, given the fact that we see BOTH mysterious villains in Lila's lair, and then stealing Marinette's miraculous from her after seeing how losing all the other miraculous to Felix and Monarch the first time traumitized her. But then ... I remember one other instance where Adrien did try to steal Marinette's miraculous from her.

When he was Chat Blanc ... alone and full of sorrow and despair and thinking that the Wish was the only thing that could fix the broken world he was all lonely in.

And I also guessed that if Adrien were to be ever akumatized by Chrysalis, he wouldn't necessarily know that the new butterfly wielder is Lila herself, and thus somoene who hates his lady and girlfriend guts. Changing identities is Lila's thing after all, all she would have to do is to pretend to be on Adrien's side and promise not to harm Marinette in order to succesfully manipulate him, because that's something that I found curious about the mysterious being stealing Marinette's Miraculous while she's sleeping

How carefull he/she is not to wake her up, which could just be for safety measures, or for another random reason. Notheless whoever he/she is they leave Marinette alone and sleeping after stealing what they wanted, given that the synopsis clearly specifies that Marinette only discovers that her miraculous has been stolen after waking up and seeing the light of a wish being made from a distance.

And that's something I cannot see Lila doing, to not jump at the chance to further hurt Marinette by gloating in front of her and exposing her absolute defeat and Lila's full victory to her face before making a wish

Which left only one question in my mind, what reasons Adrien could ever have to let himself be akumatized by the new Butterfly, stealing the miraculous from his lady, and eitehr making a wish himself or letting who he doesn't know to be Lila making that wish ?

To answer this question, three elements caught my attention :

First, Adrien's reaction in the trailer upon which seems to be learning of his father's death :

Adrien is clearly full of hurt and sorrow in that scene, something which we would not have imagined seeing given the more serene Adrien than the we see in the season 5 epilogue.

Second, The fact that instead of going back to his wielder, despite how Adrien would need a lot of confort after all of that, Plagg instead stayed with Marinette, even letting her wearing his miraculous

And finally, Another synopsis shared about the Special London, and more precisely, the passage that I underlined in yellow :

" In this new episode, Ladybug must make a crucial decision, which will lead to an unexpected twist that fans won't see coming."

This teasing sentence is the core of my theory, here it goes :

According to my new theory, This special London might take place in a timeline where Marinette chose to tell the truth to Adrien, to tell him that Gabriel Agreste died as the supervillain Monarch instead of a hero who helped stop Monarch.

The truth of course didn't bode well with Adrien, who would then feel guilty about the fact that his father may have been indirectly killed because of him, because of Chat Noir's cataclysm.

Which would then explain why Plagg doesn't directly go back to Adrien aftermath and and stays with Marinette instead, because the kwami knows that his presence would be a cruel a reminded of Chat Noir's indirect involvment in Monarch's death

And this would explain how Lila armed with the butterfly miraculous could ever akumatize Adrien and convince him to help her discover Ladybgu's secret identity and steal the miraculous from her, with the promise of a wish that would erase all the cause of Adrien's suffering by creating a new world.

Because what's the point of livign in a world where his father was the supervillain who hurt so many, a world where he is indirectly responsible for his father's death ?

At some point Chronobug will have to travel to the past to stop that mysterious time blue supervillain to figure out her secret identity, and if that person is revealed to be Adrien, Marinette would also have to ensure that the boy never fall prey to Chrysalis's manipulation and false promises. And the solution that will prsent itself to her is to lie to Adrien about his father

It's not the first time that Marinette deviates from the path toward the future adult Bunnix came from, because when she succesfully gave Adrien a gift with her real name on it, that was when the dooemed Chat Blanc timeline was created, Marinette wasn't supposed to have been successfull in giving that gift with Adrien knowing it was from her. So maybe she's not supposed either to tell Adrien the truth right now, in a time when he would be too vulnerable to an akumatization from Chrysalis.

What do you all think about it ?

[aalissy]

Waffles

A short lil chapter today <3. Sorry I'm behind :'). I promise to get caught up tomorrow when I have more time hehe! Lemme know what you think of this lil fluff

AO3

The glow from the computer screen cast a soft light around Marinette's bedroom. The room was filled with the sounds of cheerful music and playful banter as Marinette and Chat Noir sat side by side at her desk, game controllers in hand. They were in the midst of an intense round of Ultimate Mecha Strike, their competitive spirits in full swing.

"Gotcha!" Marinette exclaimed as her character landed a perfect strike, causing Chat’s character to lose a life.

"Oh, come on!" he groaned, rolling his eyes in mock frustration. He nudged her with his shoulder, a smile tugging at his lips. "You're way too good at this game, you know. How did you get so good?"

"Just natural talent," Marinette teased, winking at him. "But you're not so bad yourself, minou."

Chat laughed, throwing his head back as he chuckled. They continued playing for a while, the competition fierce but friendly. After a particularly close match that ended in Marinette’s victory, they paused the game and set their controllers aside.

"You're unbeatable tonight," he moaned, shaking his head in mock dismay.

"Just like every night," Marinette replied with a grin. She playfully nudged his side back, her eyes shining in the glow of the computer screen. 

A soft, quiet pause filled the room as the two leaned back in their chairs, listening to the soft chirps of the music. Slowly, a thoughtful expression crossed Chat’s face. "Hey, Marinette, can I ask you something?"

"Of course." She nodded, curious. “You can ask me anything.”

"Do you like to hold hands waffle or pancake style?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

Marinette blinked, taken aback by the unexpected question. "Waffle or pancake style?"

"Yeah," Chat said, his grin widening. "You know, waffle style with fingers interlaced, or pancake style with hands flat against each other."

Marinette considered it for a moment, then smiled shyly. "Waffle style. It feels more... connected, I guess."

"Good choice," he replied, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Mind if we try it?"

Her heart fluttered at the suggestion, and she nodded. "I'd like that."

Chat reached out, and Marinette placed her hand in his. He gently intertwined their fingers, holding her hand waffle style. The warmth of his touch and the feeling of their fingers laced together sent a nice, fluttering, comforting sensation through her.

"This feels nice," he said softly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"It does," Marinette agreed with a blush, her voice barely above a whisper. She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. There was a quiet understanding between them, a bond that went beyond words.

They sat there for a while, simply enjoying the connection. The video game continued to play on the screen, but neither of them paid it any attention. The world outside seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them in their own little bubble.

"Thank you for being here, Chaton," Marinette said after a while, her voice filled with warmth.

"Always, purrincess," he replied, his voice tender. "I'll always be here for you."

As the night went on, they continued to hold hands waffle style, finding comfort in each other's presence. At that moment, they weren't superheroes or worried about hiding their secret identities. They were just Marinette and Chat Noir, two friends sharing a quiet, intimate connection in the heart of Paris.

[zoesiapie]

my private thoughts

top private thoughts (private in the sense of me and the other three who had access to this madness) that I wrote to myself during the year about fanfiction on ao3 that I read:

“nice, before this I didn't know glove kink existed”

“THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL. two best friends in a room, they may kiss. no they f4ck (and kiss) beautiful no really i mean drain me”

“ WITH THIS ONE YOU YUMMY IT ALTERS YOUR BRAIN”

“ when reading it i think i changed my skin. very beautiful”

“it was a time when i wanted to read about sick stuff, beautiful”

“ihih porn where hermione is a Christmas tree be awere”

“nothing to say just loid look at himself in the mirror and say ‘yes i am such a model’

“beautiful but please if you read it avoid chapter 6 because it is terrible”

“90% of the first chapter is amazing and if it had stopped there I would have loved the story but it didn't stop. still enjoyable read”

“I didn't understand anything but I think that's the beauty of it”

“the cat was unexpected”

“I full knew what I was getting into but I didn't stop I read the whole thing it's not that it's terrible but I guess it appealed to bridgerton fans i.e. not me what can I tell you (I read the whole thing)”

“nice to read on the subway but not nice to read at home”

“enjoyable, picks up in the middle because Choso suddenly has a personality”

“angsty and beautiful, for 39 chapters I wondered what I was doing with my life. terrifying but thrilling not for everyone Marinette just canonical season 4 onwards”

“ so yeah nice but more action next time here I got old and bored between all the ‘can I take you?’ ‘sure’ ‘however in my opinion you don't really want it’ FUC-”

“0 stars out of 10 because I didn't read 7 chapters to get to read Fred telling Hermione, ‘you're not like the other witches’ like a 2002 emo tumblr girl no, 0 no”

“this is a typical case of: wtf did i just read”

“I HADN'T READ THE TAGS”

“The title, as you can see, doesn't leave much to the imagination however we like it that way and I will also tell you that it is particularly beautiful”

[fabseg-creator]

Cerisette: The Last Day (Alternate ending)

I've made a Cerisette minicomic/fanfic. That resumes how it should be happened in The Last Day.

-----

Gabriel has made his suicide wish for bring back Nathalie to life and join Emilie in afterlife. Marinette is mourned about his ex-enemy's disappearance. He had just requested her to tell to Adrien, his son, he had made efforts to be a good father for the boy. He was Monarch and he has ceased to exist from the universe. All she can see in front of her are the Twin Rings, Gabriel's glasses, Configured Miraculouses, and the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses on the ground.

We can see his ghost (I named him Ghost Gabi).

Meanwhile, behind Marinette, an unknown teenage girl is watching the pigtail-haired girl. This mysterious girl held in a pocket of her jeans the Butterfly Miraculous (the brooch that Gabriel held when he was Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth/Monarch and Ladybug/Bug Noire had make it fall in the water under the lair at the end of the battle some moments ago). She had taken the brooch during the Wish processus.

The first action she makes is...

...She hugs her.

The unknown girl shares her sadness with Marinette despite the fact she initially came to enact her revenge against both Ladybug and Monarch. Now, for an unknown reason, the intriguing girl is just feeling compassion and respect for Marinette (who is Ladybug during all this time).

The kwamis are confused. Tikki and Plagg (who return back in their initial forms from before (little "extra-terrestrial" creatures)) were going to alarm Marinette about the anonymous "intruder" behind her back until the guest make a hug to the mourned girl. Nooroo (who hides behind the back of the enigmatic girl) is even intrigued about his new holder's gesture.

Marinette, who still sad, seems to not realize yet that is happening with this unexpected person who hugs her.

A dozen seconds passed since the hug thing, Marinette finally turns her look at the girl. She's a bit surprised.

The girl: "I haven't planned this in my agenda. I just offer my condoleances, Marinette. But now, I guess you must repair it all now."

Marinette: "Planned what ? Huh ! (careful and intrigued) Who are you, girl ?"

In same time, the girl's voice seems too familiar for Marinette.

-----

I let you imagine the sequel. Fanfics and comment granted.

Some Musics for this story:

[san-fics]

Learning to Live

(parts 2/4 - 4/4 are upcoming on Ao3, published on Patreon)

________________

“These are totally unfinished!” Marinette squealed, returning to the living room dressed in a more suitable for potentially romantic evening clothes. “And they’re really… old… I should have thrown them out a long time ago and started something new…”

Having invited the unexpected guest into the living room so that he wouldn’t stand in the doorway while she changed, Marinette had completely forgotten that the last time she worked on designs was here, and the sheets remained spread out on the coffee table.

“You’re a designer,” he concluded, continuing to carefully study one of her works. “Let me guess, you’ve been hiding in that studio, perfecting them for years but never letting them see the light of day?”

Marinette finally froze, stunned by his insight, as if he truly saw right through her. But he couldn’t compare her to an obviously successful, experienced designer, and for a moment Marinette even resented him for the injustice.

“These are mostly my teenage works,” she said warily, walking up to him to take the treasured sheets of paper back. “They’re probably completely immature and worthless.”

She grabbed the designs, but couldn’t pull them out of his hands—it seemed her guest wasn’t going to give up that easily.

“If they’re no good,” he began, his expression sly and enigmatic, his eyes narrowed at her, “Then you won’t mind if I take them, will you?”

Marinette’s eyes widened once again, and she clutched her old designs in his hands even tighter. She knew perfectly well that he wasn’t going to actually take them, at least not without her permission. She was even slightly aware that he was playing some kind of game again. But she couldn’t help it.

It was something irrational, this desire to hold on to the pieces of her art, her treasures, the only thing she had left of her dreams. ‘They’re mine!’ she wanted to scream, ‘They’re all I have!’ she wanted to admit. ‘They’re the only thing that reminds me of who I once was and who I can be again one day,’ she realized, her hand weakening on the pieces of paper, as if this realization had taken all the strength she had left from today’s stressful day.

________

TAGS:Aged-Up Character(s) | Alternative First Meeting | Canon Divergence | Falling In Love | Felinette | Felix Fathom | First Meetings | Getting Together | Happy Ending | Ladybug | Life Lessons | Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Marinette is Over Adrien | Marinette x Felix | Miraculous Ladybug | Personal Growth | Strangers to Lovers

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[i-like-anything-water]

So, I thought of this and thought you would like just as a nice imagination fodder: New up and comer designer Marinette is trying to make her bones in the fashion world when help comes from an unexpected place: An ex-rival and childhood tormentor with a bone to pick with her horrible, cruel, unloving mother. Unreciprocated familial love turned bitter and Chloe just wants to bring Aubrey Bourgeois down and prove to the Fashion World, she is over, no matter who she has to lift up to get it, even if its Marinette!

Extra points if among the hired new models are Lila, (under yet another fake identity and 100% unable to hold herself from hitting on Chloe making Marinette-- TOTALLY NOT JEALOUS, shut up Alya!) and Adrien (Marinette's ex fiance, no one knows why they broke up, but we do, its because of the whole secret about his father's identity, in fact, that was why he would even accept, he knows Chloe needs to deal with how Aubrey made her feel in her own terms) and Zoe being just kinda there, as the voice of reason, but hardly able to say Chloe doesn't have a point...

Hello!

This idea made me giggle. I'm guessing this is a rom-com of sorts with reluctant frenemies to friends to lovers. Audrey getting her ass handed to her? Lila Redemption? Adrien dealing with his father's identity? Zoe being the voice of reason but also causing headaches for Chloe's 'stages in Denying I Have Feelings for Marinette'? Sounds perfect!

They go through awkward business meetings and tense coffee meet ups at first. I mean, who wouldn't? But then Chloe needs a dress and she is helping Marinette so obviously she's going to wear something she made, right? Cue cute and blush inducing interactions of measuring (Marinette just wants it accurate, okay?) and picking fabric (Chloe wants the perfect shade shut up Zoe it's not a date) and hey, if they ended up having dinner just because they're already there (it's definitely not a date) then...no one needs to know.

Lila is a little shit and is the first to pick up on their tension and because she's Lila (no matter the redemption) she'd want to see Marinette pissed. Adrien is torn on wanting to tell Chloe but this is the happiest and most glowing Chloe has been and Marinette has been through a lot to get where she is and they're on good terms and he wants the best for her so...maybe as long as Lila doesn't do anything harmful...

Zoe: You like Marinette.

Chloe: I don't-

Zoe: It's not a question. You drew a heart in her name, on a cheque. A cheque, Chloe.

Bonus:

Alya: Woah, loosen the hold, babe. That glass looks close to breaking.

Marinette: Wish it was Lila's fac- fans! Cause, they're annoying! Following her around... *cracks*....like a damn puppy -

Alya:...

Marinette:.....

Alya: Chloe's looking at you by the way.

Marinette: Aha! Take that, Lila- oh.

Marinette:....

Marinette: Fuck.

Alya: I'll get the wine.

[whoseafraidofliloleme]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Saw this and decided to do it myself... Obviously no one tagged me. As I carry on procrastinating the final chapter of HYGTG, lemme do this 😂 Also gonna change from AO3 to Tumblr 😊.

1. How many works do you have on Tumblr?

I've got 21 works, majority of them are Enhypen smaus and then there's the few one shots/Imagines. And my longest fanfic which is Invisible a Han Seojun fanfic.

2. What's your total Tumblr word count?

So this is just counting Invisible and the one shots Ive written, 41k... Majority of that is Invisible

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Kpop, specifically the group Enhypen. I add Harry Potter into that.

4. Top five fics by Notes?

Invisible at the top with the masterlist having 649 notes... Ngl seeing this makes me want to rewrite Invisible...

Unexpected Partners has 468 notes. Which makes sense, my Jungwon fics tend to be quite popular.

Peace has 365 notes. This was my first Enha & Harry Potter fic. I do love this one.

You Belong With Me has 337 notes. Another Harry Potter AU with a Jungwon redemption arc...

The Second Choice has 307 notes. Another Jay smau but this one is a Office Au with a toxic bestie.

Honestly apart from Invisible and Unexpected Partners being top 1 and 2, I wasn't expecting any of the other ones on this list.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yep, I wish I got more comments but I always reply to the comments I do get.

Shout out to @shinkenprincess-oh for always commenting <3

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I am very much against angsty endings. Happy endings all the way.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All my fics have happy endings so I don't even know which one has the happiest ending...

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Havent gotten any yet and I dont want to get hate either please.

9. Do you write smut?

Nope and I never will.

10. Craziest crossover?

I guess constantly mixing Harry Potter with kpop is as crazy as my crossovers get.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Thankfully no but I'd like for it to not happen.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope but I am open to it if anyone interested.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope, that would be interesting to do though.

14. All time favorite ship?

Okay so thats a hard one... I'm gonna go with my top 4.

Harmione {Harry Potter and Hermione Granger}. I am a diehard Harry and Hermione shipper. I just love them so much.

Olicity {Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak}. I was shipping them from the moment Felicity was introduced on the show.

Damianette {Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Damian Wayne}. All my knowledge of DC has come from reading Maribat fics and I do not regret that in the slightest.

Rogan {Rory Gilmore and Logan Huntzberger}. They will forever be my ultimate ship. In my headcanon they ended up together happily ever after.

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Its more like whats an idea that I actually want to write... Its a hard one cause I have so many ideas running about in my head that very few of them actually make it to being published...

16. What are your writing strengths?

I guess coming up with backstories for my characters? Making people care even though you are only seeing the story through texts and tweets? Character development and growth?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Haha... Everything?

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I think its quite interesting but I would like a translation somewhere so that I at least know whats been said. Unless its important to the plot then its fine.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

Technically it was Pixelberry Choices Mobile Games stories(? dunno what else to call them) specifically I wrote for High School Story and High School Story Class Act. I have since deleted those fics from my tumblr and Wattpad, they are still on AO3 but I've orphaned them.

Invisible my True Beauty fic is the one that I count as the first fandom I wrote in.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I legitimately cant pick one, so shameless plug for whoever comes across this to check out my Enhypen Masterlist and True Beauty Masterlist.

Whoever wants to do this, go and have fun cause I have no idea who to tag...

[anormalgirlwithanormallife]

everyone is sharing their s5 finale hot takes rn lol so i guess it's my turn

tbh, i think that @buggachat's recent posts about the finale mirror my thoughts (here and here) and are really really well said. in short, she argues that the decisions made in the s5 finale mesh really well with adrien and marinette's respective character arcs, and that it sets up future seasons to have more conflict and tension.

i wanted to elaborate on a few things that she said. first, i wanna talk about the role of emotion in the viewing experience of miraculous ladybug as a whole, and especially the s5 finale. miraculous has always been a show of building tension and denied catharsis. the entire premise of the show–that these two superhero kids have crushes on each other but their secret identities keep them from being together–is basically designed to be a frustrating experience. but while it's frustrating, it's not necessarily unenjoyable! in fact i think that the frustration is what draws people to it; we keep watching in-part because we want the tension to resolve, but we also watch in-part to see the tension build and build and build. speaking personally, it's an experience that i really enjoy, and i like how s4 and s5 both found ways to progress the narrative and create interesting new dynamics while still maintaining the central tensions of the show.

one of the main points of tension is, obviously, that adrien's dad was the villain all along. as viewers, it becomes very easy to hate gabriel as both a dad and a villain because he sucks in both domains. so of course, the show implicitly posits the questions, "what would happen if adrien finds out that his dad was monarch? what would happen if gabriel finds out that his son was chat noir? (of course we have seen what would happen there in the chat blanc ep) what would happen in the final battle when ladybug and chat noir defeat monarch and see his true identity?"

a lot of people found the writing decisions made in the s5 finale risky and unexpected (myself included!) but in retrospect, it really makes perfect sense when you consider that miraculous ladybug's emotional pull is to tantalize its viewers with catharsis, and then deny them that. i don't think that it's inherently bad or good, but i do think that it is effective at getting people emotionally invested, and it is an experience that i enjoy. but i do think it could lead to some negative or uncomfortable feelings, esp when viewing the finale. i remember watching the end and feeling...kinda bad at first. it left a bad taste in my mouth, watching gabriel being celebrated as a hero when we, the viewers, know him to be an abusive piece of shit. it also felt so uncomfortable and heartbreaking and adrien doesn't know anything!! he's operating under the assumption that his dad was a martyr, and there is something that feels so unjust and wrong about that.

and i think that a big reason for these emotional reactions to the finale was that it denied the viewers catharsis. we thought that we would get a big cathartic reveal moment but the show said, "nope! not happening :)" just like it always does. and that experience can feel really uncomfortable and turn some people off from the show, but it isn't indicative of bad writing. if anything, it's consistent with the way that the show has always operated from an emotional standpoint, and it sets up future seasons to explore interesting dynamics and conflicts.

i’ll make another post about how i think the finale’s decisions ties into the character arcs and the themes later!!

[bellzsad]

im actually so curious about how the reveal will go (i mean, im sure we all are HAHAH..)

1. it could be a mistake reveal

one way it could go is that they both find out their identities by mistake, or one of them finds out before the other. like for example, the lucky charms; i know there’s many fanfics and comics about adrien/marinette seeing ladybug/chat noir with their lucky charm, and connecting the dots. but at the same time, how would that work, because wouldn’t the lucky charm disappear because it’s not part of the costume? and realistically, this storyline wouldn’t work since everyone knows about it already and it’s not a new, fresh idea. but: that doesn’t mean a mistake reveal is out of the picture!! it’d be really fun to watch one play out, seeing the confusion, acceptance, and possibly, denial, as reactions. plus, there are other things that could give away the identities, like talking about school projects, friends, or anything about personal lives. there’s also the question of if they would tell the other or not. would they just know each others identities (or just one) and not bring it up in battle? it may be difficult, but i guess it will be fine because we saw marinette and adrien deal with it in ephemeral.

2. one sided reveal

similar to the last one, it is possible for there to be a one sided reveal. meaning that adrien or marinette will reveal their identity to the other. if they continue to date (but cmon, is that really expected? i have a feeling they will break up in season six ONLY FOR THE PLOT), this reveal will be more suspected. marinette/adrien will be tired of keeping a secret with their other half, thus leading to a reveal or their other identity. now, this can go two ways: the other person can either reveal their identity too, OR keep it a secret because they know that it’s too dangerous. i think if it were to be one, it would be the second option, because it works better to keep the show running AND it’s more angsty (hahaha..). and most likely, it would be adrien to reveal it, because he hasn’t told anyone and he feels really comfortable with marinette. i guess then it’s just thinking about how the other person would reveal their identity afterwards. what kinds of reactions would you get to that?

3. a planned reveal

so obviously, the mainly suspected reveal is the one where the holder of the butterfly miraculous is defeated, and there’s clearly going to be no more villains after paris. ladybug and chat noir will meet up at the eiffel tower, their secret spot, and reveal their identities. personally, i wouldn’t mind this reveal, but it low key feels a little basic considering that they’ve been talking about how this is the “way the reveal will go” throughout the five seasons. we’ve never had to expect anything else. if they went this way with the reveal, i wouldn’t mind, but i think that pulling a surprise or unexpected reveal would make it a lot more interesting.

i cant really think of any other reveals at the moment. im not sure what to expect, and i don’t know what reveal is my favorite. there are pros and cons to all of them, and it all just depends on how the story develops up to the reveal!

[countlessrealities]

SHIPPING INFO // ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSES SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

tagged by: @dynamoprotocol [[ thank you 🖤 ]] tagging: @imprvdente @omniishambles @misstantabismuses @bossblitzy / @lankybirdy @vastayan--vigilante @halfghcst @hclluvahctel @treasurechcst & whoever wants to steal it !

[[ half of it is under the cut because it got long ^^" I guess it comes with being a multimuse with quite a few muses xD ]]

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER(S)?

If we're talking canon x canon ships, I have a few, but not for all my muses, also because some of them are OCs. To mention some: Adrien/Cat Noir & Marinette/Ladybug, Mabel & Pacifica, Blitzo & Stolas, Millie & Moxxie.

For what concerns ships that I've developed through RPs, that list is much longer and I've built quiet a few of very meaningful dynamics that I love and cherish, just as a I love and cherish the RP partners I write them with:

@advnterccs / @thcpresidcnt / @mcltiples: Rin is that RP partner with whom I have a lot of ships (some on Tumblr, a lot others on Discord) and I love each one to bits (yes, I consider them all OTPs of mine). I suppose that our main ship here on the hellsite are the Ricks (who are self proclaimed soulmates and act obnoxiously about it, followed closely by Evl Rick & Weird Rick (whose relationship is messed up, twisted, unhealthy, unbalance and yet perfect for them), but they are hardly the only ones. We also have our Mortys (who are too cute to be legal omg), whatever it is that there is between our Evil Mortys (that's another twisted interesting relationship right there x3), her Evil Rick with one of my OCs (AR) who have this very playful fling (until it's not), and we've been plotting a dynamic between two of our OCs (Mercenary Rick & Vampire Rick)...another weird one xD The funniest thing is that none of these ships developed as we were expecting and I'm really glad for it because they are even better like this! We also have not fully established ship ideas, for example Rick & Verosika being fuck buddies, or we're still deciding what to do with Adrien & Marinette. And of course, just as important, we have a good list of platonic ships! To mention a couple, our Summers are BFF and her Evil Rick is the best friend of one of my OCs (SR). Also there's that real freaking odd thing between my Evil Rick and hers, which I wouldn't know what to call.

@imprvdente / @hvbris: Chloé is one of my oldest RP and shipping partners and there hasn't been one time when we haven't come up with some, at times unexpected ships x3 We ended up with her demon OC Salomé and Bill being engaged in an arranged marriage, which was the last kind of plot I had expected to write for Bill xD But they are amazing and I love them! In her human verse, Salomé is also my Summer's girlfriend. Then we have her main OC Fish (in her main verse) being Rick's fuck buddy and ex-wife (yep, sonone ended up getting drunk married and it was hilarious), while in her teen verse she's Morty's classmate, close friend and secret crush x3 We some great platonic ships too, like the GIdeon twins & the Pines twins, or the Gideon twins & Bill (not a friendly bond as you can imagine xD). In the verse where FIsh has a thing with Rick, she's also Summer's mentor figure and she's friends with Morty. And there's more to come!

@dynamoprotocol: Where can I start to describe the pit of endless ask and past bliss that Rick and Clarissa are? It started off years before the series are a passionate but unhealthy romance that ended in a disastrous break-up, and is currently a bitter, painful relationship made of constant fighting and playing the guilt game. Locke and I have discussed possible plots that could lead them to reconcile (not necessarily getting back together) and I'm really looking forward to explore those! Just as I'm really excited about Clarissa's transition arc and Rick and Chance's rebuilt, healthier relationship. Not to mention that Clarissa / Chance exists in a variant of my and Rin's shared verse and she's dating her Rick x3 But our endgame is a poly relationship with the three of them! Also Clarissa is starting to befriend Morty and Summer too, and Chance's relationship with Morty is just beautiful.

@technodromes: Let me start saying that the developing ships I have with Saby were born kinda by chance, because she sent a meme in which I mentioned that Rick would fuck everyone of the Technodrome crew (aside from the manchildren ofc) and all of a sudden Rick was flirting / teasing / messing with all three her blorbs (Krang, Subprime, Bishop). For now, nothing is really officially established, but it's pretty obvious that they are (sometimes reluctant) friends who are attracted to each other...in some way xD In any case, all those relationships are hilarious, but I'm also waiting for the parts were they will not be -insert evil laughter- Also BIG shootout for Morty and Bishop's friendship because it's one of the most wholesome platonic ships I have on this blog! Also, I'm curious to see what will happen between Summer and Subprime xD

@moonspower: Virote & Rick are another very fun pair. Looking at them, you would expect them to get along because they are extremely different, and they do butt heads a lot. However, they also relish said differences, because they allow each other to experience a completely different lifestyle and view of the world. Not to mention that, under their personas, they are both flawed, traumatised individuals who struggle a lot with everything they have gone through. Rick at times resents how much more put together than him Vi looks and Vi is a little envious or Rick's apparent freedom, but the truth is that they are more similar than they realise. By now Virote is a family friend, and he has a good amical bond with Morty and Summer too.

@misstantabismuses: Jinx and Summer started as a crack ship, but it turned out that they work really well together, so Miss T and I decided to let them live their mutual (still unconfessed) crush on each other x3 Summer provides a somehow healthier, stabler point of view for Jinx, while Jinx pushes Summer to believe more in herself and not to fear her wilder side. I think that they make a really good pair. And speaking of being good for each other, Morty and Jinx are each other trauma support group. Their experiences are very different, but at the same time they can understand and relate to each other. They feel appreciated and accepted for what they are and I love how they have come to always have each other's back. It's a beautiful friendship / kinship right there.

There are a few others relationships I'm enjoying, but they are still at the early stages, so I still need to get a proper vibe out of them. But I'm looking forward to see where they will go too!

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

Honestly, most of my muses don't really consider age as a factor that can stop them from being attracted to someone else and, personally, I don't have an issues with large age gaps. As long as it makes sense for the character and as long as it's mutual and consensual, then age isn't really a deal breaker for me.

Of course, if it is for my ship partner, I do respect their boundaries and let them choose what gap is too large for their comfort. I just roll along with it.

The biggest, clearest example is the ships I have with my Ricks (also because they get engaged with aliens, non-organic beings, etc, so age becomes an extremely relative concept)...C-137 especially, since he's the muse who has more relationships than anyone else on this blog.

As I mentioned, among his main ships there are Clarissa [@dynamoprotocol] who is roughly 30 years younger than him, Virote [@moonspower] who is almost 40 years younger than him, Fish [@imprvdente] who is immortal and has been around for more or less 400 years. And then you have Saby's blorbs [@technodromes] who are like...5000 years old? And same goes (to quote a more recent sexual relationship he has acquired) with Petal [@petalsxfallen] who is even older than the Utrom trio.

So yeah, I think this proves that no age gap is too large for me, as long as what I said before about consent (for both muns and muses) is respected.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFW?

This kind of depends. I always tag threads that can't be considered PG-13 as "suggestive tw", to allow people who don't want to see the slightest hint of steam to curate their content. So, like, even just a make out session that isn't going to turn into an intercourse but that's written with some details, that gets tagged as "suggestive tw".

As for when "suggestive tw" turns into "nsft tw", I usually draw the line at when certain words start being used (mostly words to explicitly describe genitals) and when clothes start to come off in a sexy way (if that makes sense xD). At that point, not only the threads is labelled as "nsft tw", but it also gets shoved under "Read more". Or moved to Discord, if my writing partner prefers not writing this sort of content on Tumblr.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

Yes, in the sense that I ship with chemistry. I have to feel a good connection both between the muses and between me and the other mun, otherwise it's really hard for me to get involved and attached to a ship. That considered, some basic but more or less regular OOC communication is strongly prefer, because it allows to keep the interest alive and the dynamic evolving. There's nothing worse than a relationship grown stale and static, if you ask me, because it gets boring very, very fast.

That said, some of my muses are pretty easy to engage in casual, strictly sexual relationships (even if, in that case too, there has to be sexual chemistry between them and the other muse), and I'm always happy to play long with that. Rick, AR, Stan and Blitzo are absolutely open to have fuck buddies and friends with benefits, not to mention short flings and one-night stands. On the non-sexual side, Morty and Mabel crush on people very easily, but on the other hand said feelings are usually also very superficial.

However, when it comes to actual, stable ships that involve feelings, then I tend to be selective because I need the chemistry and the communication I've mentioned before.

It's also worth to mention that some of my muses are almost unshippable, so building a ship with them is hard and requires a lot of discussing / plotting / commitment. I headcanon both Evil Morty and Jinx as ace and greyromantic, which means that they won't be attracted to others' looks and it takes a strong connection with the person for them to develop feelings for someone (and even when it happens, these feelings are going to be twisted and unhealthy and definitely not the sort of love normal people would feel, due to their traumatic pasts and upbringings). The only other muse (who's not my Evil Rick), my Evil Morty has connected so far is his timeline split counterpart [@thcpresidcnt] and it's very hard to tell what that relationship is about. Then there's Bill, whom not only I headcanon as aro-ace, but who is a dream entity with no real interest or understand for sex and romance. I'd say that he is unshippable if it wasn't for the "business marriage" turned into real partnership I'm building with him and @hvbris's Salomé. He eventually becomes pretty fond of her, but it's an attachment purely based on respect and intrigue, so nothing to do with love or sexual attraction.

All the other muses are more or less approachable, but the rule about chemistry still applies to them all, no exceptions.

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

I tend to be a picky shipper even outside RPing, so I tend to have few pairings for each media to which I'm extremely attached. Aside from the pairings that I've already mentioned in the answer to the first question, there's very few other ships I like / don't mind, even if they aren't ships I spend time and efforts on.

To make a little list:

I want Morty to get a boyfriend / show interest in a male-identifying individual at some point, because no one in that family is straight and it's very obvious, but he's the only one who still hasn't shown open attraction to anyone who's not female.

I'd also love for Summer to have a not-guy love interest, because she deserves someone who can treat her well and who can keep up with her. I've seen around some art of her and Jessica and I think that they are pretty good together and could make sense as a pairing.

In my own personal canon (which I usually don't apply to RPs unless previously discussed with my writing partner), AR and Rick have known each other for a while, do business together and are also fuck buddies (no romance involved, even if AR probably has a mug that says "C-137's #1 fan" xD), so I guess that counts as a ship I like...?

I sort of like the idea of Blizo & Verosika going through a "bitter exes to having hate sex to friends with benefits" kind of arc. They hurt each other badly, but it's also obvious that they still care for each other. I don't think they could function as a healthy couple, but with some (a lot of) work they could definitely become good friends.

Millie & Verosika could make an interesting pair too. I have a soft spot for badass queens couples, sue me xD

There's probably more that I can't think of right now and I'm always open to suggestions, so don't hesitate to come to me with ideas!

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

Tendentially yes. As I said, I need chemistry between both the muses and the muns to get involved in a ship, which means that I require at least some basic communication, or I end up losing interest very quickly.

This doesn't mean that it can't happen that our muses can't grow attracted to each other through interactions, even if the ship hasn't been discussed yet. Tbh, some of the most interesting pairings I ended up writing have built themselves on their own xD However, to "seal the deal", I do require that the other mun comes to talk to me about the ship...or that I go and talk to them about it. I'm more than willing to do the first step in that sense if the chemistry between the characters is good and I can see them working well!

This goes for requited feelings. If you want your muse to crush on / be attracted to mine, you can totally go for it, no need to come and ask me about it! Unless you want to. Unrequited crushes can be really fun to play out and so is making laughing at our muses x3

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

I love shipping and I make no secret of it. If I feel that two characters have chemistry and I like them together, then I do pursue the pairing. However, I wouldn't say that I'm strictly ship obsessed.

When I read / write fanfictions, I tend to focus on shippy ones, even if the ship isn't always the focus of the plot. I like having it in the story, but I'm also more attracted by stories that also explore other things or that have a more general context. And that's what I try to give when I write a long fic (for one-shots it's different, mostly because there's not enough space to explore too many themes).

With roleplay, it's more or less the same, with the exception that, more than being "ships driven", I tend to be dynamics drive, and that includes also non-romantic relationships. I like to build relationships, of every kind and sort, and to watch mine and my partner's muses walk along the road that takes them into becoming a stable part of each other's life.

It's honestly one of my favourite parts when it comes to RPing, and that's why, whenever the other person is open to it, I create a whole verse for us, so we can keep developing our muses' shared story through multiple interactions.

So, I'm a ships lover, but I also believe that there's a lot more than shipping when it comes to writing and roleplaying.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

Fandom per fandom list? Looks like we're doing it x'D

Rick and Morty: Beth & Space Beth

Arcane: Vi & Caitlyn, Jayce & Viktor

Gravity Falls: Mabel & Pacifica

Helluva Boss: Millie & Moxxie, Blitzo & Stolas, Asmodeus & Fizzarolli

Miraculous: the love square (especially Adrien & Marinette, Cat Noir & Marinette), Alya & Nino, Rose & Juleka

There are other ships I like, but these are the main ones!

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

Come and talk to me. As simple (and complicated, because I know how nerve-wrecking it can be to approach someone, especially if you want to ask them to ship) as that. As I said, I'm selective when it comes to shipping, but I'm always open to new ideas!

This said, once again, your muse is welcome to be attracted / have a crush / falling in love with mine and act on it. Depending on the chemistry (between both muses and muns), this could either develop into something or remain one-sided. I personally like exploring unrequited love dynamics too, but I understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea!

[friendfromdsmp]

Okaaaaaaaaay….

Recreation

Let’s get into my first thoughts, gang

So first thing’s first, I did check the leaks and knew roughly what to expect; Marinette would be fighting Gabriel alone, with Plagg’s help to unify the two main Miraculous and become Bug Noire, but loses, leaving Gabriel free to use his wish to sacrifice himself and be remembered as a hero, with Emile’s state of living being ambiguous but vaguely implied. Adrien never faces his father or learns the truth about his own identity either

So let’s pick apart these points one by one, starting with:

Bug Noire

Won’t lie, I don’t mind her design. Mari always looks cute in a long braid and I like how it linked back to her Lady Noire design while also acting as a cat tail. Not overly sure about the additional smaller braids but I guess they were aiming for referencing her usual pigtails? Idk I feel like one of the other could’ve worked just fine but both of them together does seem a bit much. Fortunately the little two were easy to ignore. I also kept getting distracted by the eye dots, I don’t know if I love them or hate them tbh, they just kept catching my attention

But the design isn’t the problem with Bug Noire; the problem is what her existence in a fight like this means. Yes, it’s super cool to see someone unify the two main Miraculous, but not when it sidelines Adrien, aka the person they’re both claiming to be fighting for, as well as Gabriel’s main victim. If anything, Adrien should have been given an immunity from the nightmares via son-of-the-villain privileges and then Gabriel should have gone to him and revealed his plans, meanwhile Marinette is horribly out-of-commission from the nightmares and asks Tikki to take the earrings to Chat Noir

Because, at the end of the day, this is more Adrien’s fight than Marinette’s. And I’m not saying that I want one of them out of the fight in order to merge the Miraculous. I’m just saying that if they had to do the merge, they should’ve let Adrien be the one to do it. Why not have them both fighting together, Ladybug gets incapacitated and hands over the earrings while saying “I trust you, kitty cat, it’s all on you” and then he unifies and they go nuts with all the “I’m doing this for you!” “No, you’re doing it for the illusion of me you created and marketed to the world!” and all that? There are plenty of ways to do it without literally hypnotising Adrien while he’s stuck in a padded cell

However, I will concede one point; this was maybe the fifth time off the top of my head that Chat has attempted to give up his Miraculous, and this one was the only satisfying/acceptable one. Usually when it happens it’s so he can avoid taking responsibility or because he isn’t the sole focus of Ladybug’s attention. But this time, he accepted that he was not in a suitable mental state to be fighting anyone, he explained his logic calmly to Plagg, he acknowledged that his identity would be at risk if he transformed here and now despite him having the ability to pull off an escape, and he even ensured that the ring was in good, safe hands before parting with Plagg. He did everything right in this situation, so props for that

Adrien Suffers More Than Gabriel

This is the thing most people are pointing out here; Adrien being removed from the whole situation, and then lied to afterwards, is not only incredibly problematic, but causes Adrien to suffer more than Gabriel did. Because where Gabriel knew all season long that he wasn’t going to survive, giving him time to come to accept the sacrifice he’d already made for his wish as early on as Destruction, Adrien didn’t have that time. To Adrien, Gabriel’s death was swift, sudden and unexpected. Out of nowhere, he just lost his father, right when things were finally looking up in some way in their relationship

Adrien never got closure. He never won the battle he was fighting since episode 1; the battle to be his own person and stand up to his father once and for all. He never got to confront Gabriel for the manipulation, for the lies, for the abuse. He never got to free himself from Gabriel looming over him and controlling him, even in death he’s still living inside the world Gabriel chose for him, playing his part in Gabriel’s conjured narrative. By not allowing Adrien to be part of the final fight in any way, they removed all opportunities for Adrien to fight for their relationship to be healthy if he so chose, to cut Gabriel out of his life if he so chose, to do anything at all on his own terms and not Gabriel’s. Gabriel never got comeuppance for years of abuse to Adrien, and Adrien never got his closure as a victim of such abuse - due to the wish, he’s arguably back to square one, once again completely oblivious to being a pawn in his father’s game after their last interaction featured Adrien finally realising just how little his father had his best interests at heart

And to make matters worse, Adrien isn’t even told the truth. He believes his abuser died a hero. Not only that, but the hero that Adrien was supposed to be, but couldn’t be due to circumstance. Surely Adrien feels some survivor’s guilt because of that, right? It was his duty to fight by Ladybug’s side and defeat Monarch, and physically speaking there was nothing stopping him. If he’d been willing to sacrifice his identity, he would have been there when his father needed him the most, and Gabriel would still be alive

Adrien wouldn’t feel that way if he were told the truth about Gabriel being Monarch. Or at least he’d be able to say logically that his father wasn’t a victim, but the cause of his own demise. He’d never be able to confront Gabriel, but at least he’d be able to have his own emotions and opinions of him rather than being told repeatedly that his abuser is a hero and having no way to argue. Adrien deserves the truth, and until he learns it, Gabriel died doing what he does best; lying to and manipulating his son in order to excuse or cover up his own horrific actions

And then the icing on the cake is that he also never learns that he’s a sentimonster. Marinette knows, and she gave him back his freedom in the final scene by sliding the rings onto his finger and outright telling him that his choices are his own. But Adrien never found out the truth about his own existence. Adrien never discovered why he struggles to stand his ground, why he found it physically impossible to go against Gabriel’s orders, and in the event of an emergency he doesn’t even know that his life is tied to the rings; Felix discovered his life was tied to his father’s ring when it got damaged and it seemed to hurt Felix in the process. If Adrien loses the rings, anyone could control him. If Adrien lets a friend have a look and they unintentionally discover they can control Adrien with the rings, he’s screwed. If Adrien accidentally breaks the rings, he could get seriously hurt or even cease to exist altogether. And what if an akuma enters the ring? Ladybug would have to break it to purify the akuma. Thank god she now knows not to purify the feather that would also appear, but would her Miraculous Ladybugs be capable of returning him to life?

Adrien is left in the dark about so many things that he has right and reason to know and it not only does him dirty, but it actively harms him and causes him to suffer more than Gabriel did

Gabriel’s ‘Comeuppance’

Except that’s a given, considering Gabriel didn’t end up suffering. Like I said before, Gabriel had time to process and accept his inevitable death. He’d already made his peace, gotten his affairs in order, ensured that Adrien was in a safe location and under watch from Tomoe after trying to create some final positive memories between father and son. The whole entire season was Gabriel preparing for this. The man was not only ready, but willing to die, and the first time he truly expected not to die regardless was mere moments before he won

So to have Gabriel willingly, happily, dying for Emile, after he already been dying for Emile’s sake this entire season? It doesn’t really feel like much of a sacrifice at all. And considering how it was willing, voluntary and prepared for over the course of an entire season, it doesn’t feel like comeuppance, either. If anything, all he did was put an end to his own pain. He gave himself mercy, not justice. The only difference is that he died right then and there rather than in a few hours. He did himself a favour, and that’s supposed to be our catharsis?

Ain’t Got No Satisfaction

Gabriel’s death wasn’t a real sacrifice. Gabriel didn’t really face any major comeuppance. Adrien wasn’t involved in the final fight. Adrien never got to confront Gabriel for his abuse and never got closure. Adrien and Gabriel never got to learn each others’ identities and deal with the consequences of those reveals. Adrien never learned he’s a sentimonster. Adrien never learned the truth about his father’s death and was lead to believe that his abuser was a hero that deserves to be praised by the whole city - a man Adrien worried he would never be able to live up to by the end. The heroes lost. The villain won, and is considered the true hero of Paris. The Butterfly Miraculous was never recovered. It’s not even clear whether or not Gabriel succeeded in reviving Emile or if Amelie is there with Nathalie and Felix

Thank god for the fact that the show isn’t over, because this is not a satisfying conclusion to an eight-year-long story. There’s little to no pay-off for all the plot lines that have been set into motion. There are no satisfactory conclusions to series-long arcs. The villain won, with their greatest wish coming to fruition. Only one person knows the truth, and now she’s living in a universe that forces her to remain silent on the fact that the world is worshipping a false idol, their hero was the villain they were fighting against all along. Marinette has been dealing with trauma about her love ending the world for several seasons now, and it happened once again

But hey, at least we got one of those without a retcon this time, right? Right?

Honourable Mentions

Kagami throwing her shoe at the TV was brilliant honestly

The Perfect Alliance plan was great, but I just wanna know how they did a mass hypnosis through it. Did they use Gift, since all the Miraculous powers were poured into the plan regardless? That’s the option that makes sense to me, especially since they showed it working on Adrien exceptionally quickly on a biological level. It looks like simple ASMR or very basic simple stuff yet the characters were all talking weird about it like it was genuinely hypnotising them, to the point where Mylene even announced that they were all hypnotised. But I can overlook this considering there is a genuine logical answer to it in the form of Gift, which is already primed to be used

Interesting how the transformation into the Miraculizers (was that what they were called?) happened with the same transformation sequence that akumas get, yet the Butterfly Miraculous was the only one Monarch had that wasn’t shared with the public

Okay I get that she wasn’t in the right headspace to to do hero work especially with her nightmare specifically involving her failing the heroes but we were still robbed of Black Cat!Alya

Lol why did Alya keep calling Mari on her regular ass phone girl you know she’ll be busy XD

We were robbed of an opportunity for the hero duo to call themselves the perfect alliance as a counter to the fake perfectionism Gabriel and Tomoe strive for from their kids. I know the fake hologram versions of Ladybug and Chat Noir kinda did this but it would still be good to have it. But y’know we can’t have Ladybug and Chat Noir fight Monarch apparently

Man Chat really only got like one opportunity to play about with his new unlimited Cataclysms

Lol Argos at the end posing with all the other heroes like wtf are those lot thinking is happening? Last they knew this guy stole all the Miraculous, handed them over to ShadowMoth and snapped them all out of existence, now he’s suddenly with them? Even Chat Noir should be confused af lol how much PR did Ryuko have to do to get everyone on his side?

Honestly the best outcome of this ending is that at least the fandom can go fucking wild with fics and one-shots to patch the holes in this barbed-wire fence of an end cover

[morality-or-chains]

Levi is struck with the sudden thought as she stands there, making odd gestures with her hands that he likes her. Obviously he does not know her well and anything up to this point is more guess work than based on any actual fact of her character, but the realization remains he likes her. There is a brightness to her that Levi has always found himself seeking out in the world, and it is a brightness he does not know how to find on his own.

His mother told him once when he was little, and still innocent, still hopeful of family meals and peace that beauty can be found even in the strangest of places. She had demonstrated this by flipping over a large rock to expose the worms beneath. He'd watched, confused on how worms could be beautiful, as she'd plucked one up from the dirt and held it in her palm as if it were some delicate creature.

They're weird slimy little things, but they're the reason my garden grows.

He thinks Marinette might be one of those unexpected beautiful things. The worm in his garden. The flower that blooms in spring. Levi pulls himself from the driver's side, looping around the front to hold a hand out so she can step up the curb, a romantic pointless sentiment if it is anything at all.

"I don't think I have a picture, but it doesn't need to match," He assures her, "But maybe it could be white?" Even if their wedding is abrupt, pulled from thin air is how Colt had put it, but he's stuck on the idea of a white dress, a traditional aspect of a wedding. Though perhaps it's different in France, he shouldn't count that out.

A woman's culture should be involved on her wedding day. "Do you wear white for weddings in France? I don't know the traditions, but I can see about including something if I know what to do."

Lance plus three, then Colt and Wes…six guests in total. Far fewer than she had imagined. Had they been in Conques, she was certain the entire village would have found a way to be invited. A hundred guests at least- neighbors, childhood friends, the florist who made bouquets with wild rosemary, the elderly men who sat outside the church each morning, the children who played along cobbled paths and offered stones like treasures. There, a wedding wasn’t merely a ceremony, it belonged to everyone. But this…was quieter. Smaller. More intimate.

Still, with so few people, there was less room for error. If even one or two of them didn’t like her…She pushed the thought aside gently, and drew a soft breath. “Well,” she murmured, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, “I’ll still need a dress.”

As they entered town, she leaned toward the window, her cheek resting against the curve of her hand. Brick buildings lined the street: sturdy, sun-kissed, a little worn. “It reminds me of those holiday films,” she said softly, more to herself than him. “The ones where the main character ends up in a small town and falls in love through the magic of Christmas.” Her smile was faint, amused. They had never been her cup of tea, yet somehow, her friends in New York had always managed to talk her into watching at least one each holiday season. “How long would it take to walk here from your ranch?” The question wasn’t practical, that much she knew, but it was instinctive. A habit she’d yet to shake and, perhaps, a quiet aversion to driving his car herself.

The instant the car came to a stop, Marinette moved quickly- already reaching for her purse, unfastening her seatbelt. But just as she touched the door handle, his voice gave her pause. She didn’t interrupt- simply listened, nodding slowly. When he finished, she offered a faint smile. Then, without a word, she reached across and placed her hand over his. “You were always coming with me,” she said, voice hushed and certain. “You have to. You’re going to be my husband, no?” There was no teasing, no grand sentiment- only a quiet sincerity. As if the thought of him not being by her side simply didn’t make sense.

The idea of him not seeing her dress beforehand? It felt…quaint. Sweet, perhaps, in other circumstances. But here and now, it seemed irrelevant. They had met only hours ago. The magic, if it was to be found, would be in other things.

Her touch lingered a moment longer before she pulled away and pushed open the door. But just before she stepped out-one foot already on the pavement- she turned back, her eyes bright with a sudden thought. “Oh and can you show me a picture of your suit? I need to make sure we…” Her brow knit slightly, searching for the word. She lifted her hands, gesturing as if fitting two pieces together. “Mesh…? Mix…?” She laughed lightly. “Match?”

[erthlyheavn]

Send a ✨ if your Muse thinks my Muse is pretty!

@wintershub said: ✨️ Chloe @ Marinette lol

Well. This is unexpected. Was this just another one of Chloe's ways to mess with her? Most likely. And yet, heat still rises to Marinette's cheeks

She forces out a cough, desperately trying to hide how flustered the comment makes her. "T-Thanks....! I mean, you're pretty too I guess. But I'm sure you already know that. Not like you need me to tell you." She said, making a show of inspecting her nails to convey that she didn't really care or anything...

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Stalker X Stalker, Part 6

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Perma tag: @nathleigh @peachmuses

Stalker x Stalker taglist: @aespades @jayjayspixiepop @blueslushgueen @fan-written @seraphichana @nerd-nowandforever

Just remembered I had a plot so oops

Marinette wasn’t stupid. Nino had a brother only a few years older than Robin, and that brother had never acted so young or clingy at Robin’s age (and it surely wasn’t a thing about Robin, because she had yet to see him cling to anyone else). She knew that Robin was just using her to mess with Red Robin.

But she didn’t particularly mind. It was kind of funny to watch Red getting all worked up over his little brother and friend being close. She was glad she had her mask, because otherwise she definitely would have given away the act by this point.

Robin, for his part, had been upping things more and more every time he saw her. She wasn’t sure whether this was because he knew that she knew or because he was testing the limits of what he could do without her saying anything.

Red looked like he was at his wit’s end with Robin held out a hand for Marinette right before crossing a street. She took it, which was when he finally snapped:

“He’s twelve, not five!”

She pulled her face into a mock frown. “Are you saying that twelve-year-olds should get hit by cars, Red?”

Red Robin sputtered.

“Miss Ladybug, why is he so mean to me?” Robin asked with wide eyes. She could see the corner of his lips twitching in an effort not to smile.

She winked. His eyes narrowed just slightly then he widened them back to their wide-eyed sadness.

“I don’t know, sweetie. He’s just a meanie, I guess.”

Red Robin threw his hands up in either anger or defeat. It didn’t really matter which one it was, they counted it as a win.

~

Tim wasn’t surprised to walk into the Batcave one day and see Marinette’s face on the Batcomputer. The only thing he didn’t know was whether she was up there because they had figured out her identity or because Tim had started hanging out with her as a civilian.

He took a long sip of his coffee as he considered this, then he trudged over. Might as well find out.

“Hey guys,” he announced his presence.

He watched Duke out of the corner of his eyes. Duke was the newest of them, he could usually count on him to have more pronounced reactions.

Duke didn’t seem all that awkward. So it must have been them finding out her identity.

Tim sidled up beside them. “Sure that’s her?”

Bruce, never one for using his words when he didn’t have to, held up a small container of blood.

He hummed his understanding and intended for that to be the end of the conversation… but it was getting increasingly hard to ignore the eyes boreing into the side of his head. Tim fought to keep a straight face and unclench his jaw and ignore the stupid ‘d-d-don’t be suspicious’ song playing in his head.

And then Cass tapped him on the shoulder and he cursed quietly.

“Fine. Fine. I knew. Happy?”

Cass was not. She narrowed her eyes at him.

“I saw her run into an alleyway and I followed -- obviously, it’s Gotham and alleyways are dangerous -- and she transformed right in front of me.”

She nodded and let it go.

Bruce, however, did not.

“You knew her identity and didn’t think to tell us?”

“I thought to tell you, I just didn’t,” he said with a cheeky grin.

Ah. The Disappointed Dad Stare. He had certainly not missed that.

His grin melted into an awkward smile. “It felt weird to reveal her. She clearly cares about her identity since she hasn’t told us herself yet, I figured I’d respect that as long as I could.”

“... you weren’t making progress on her identity on purpose. God, that makes so much more sense,” muttered Steph.

He shrugged. “Easy to avoid someone’s identity when you know who it is.”

Bruce was still looking at him disapprovingly.

“Don’t worry, I have contingencies,” Tim said.

His father relaxed, finally. He motioned for him to go on.

“Well, a few need confirmation. I still don’t know if her yoyo can be cut and it’s hard to tell if other people can unzip her hood or not. But if the hood is open then The Flash or Superman can easily get the earrings from her -- beyond those she’d just a normal person with some fighting skills, same contingencies as The Arrows or any of us. If not then Green Lantern can probably neutralize her.”

Bruce nodded.

The other kids looked mildly concerned.

“Wait, he has contingencies for us?” Duke said.

Bruce was back to looking dismayed. Tim showed them all where their files were (he wouldn’t hack them for them, obviously, he didn’t want to break the news of exactly how messed up Bruce’s contingencies were). He could practically see all the sweat beading itself on his forehead beneath his cowl.

(Tim hid his smile. He’d finally gotten revenge for the time he’d made him stay inside after The Chloroform Incident. And revenge was sweet.)

… it wasn’t until he started seeing his siblings on the rooftop across from Marinette’s apartment that he thought that, maybe, he should have gotten them into their files. It definitely would have distracted them from the Marinette Is Ladybug situation.

At least Cass trusted Marinette -- she would have slipped up and showed her intentions at least once by now -- and therefore wasn’t likely to come by. Cass would be the one to figure out that Tim coming up to the roof was more than him just checking on his siblings.

The first person that came by was Damian. Fair enough, he’d been around Marinette the shortest amount of time and what little friendship they had was based on his lies.

Now, the youngest sibling sat, cross-legged on the rooftop. He was sketching in his sketchbook between quick glances over at Marinette. He looked up when Tim pulled himself over the side and squinted at him.

“Drake.”

“Dami,” Tim greeted, because it always annoyed his younger brother when he used the nickname. “Having fun spying on Marinette?”

Damian was silent for a few moments before clicking his tongue. “She needs to close her blinds more often.”

“Aw, do you care about her?” Tim teased, reaching over to ruffle his brother’s hair.

He pushed his hand away. “She’s a Gothamite and is therefore under our protection.”

Tim snickered and shook his head, taking a seat beside him on the rooftop. “We can tell Duke about it once everyone else has had their chance at checking her out. He’s the only one that can get away with asking her to close it.”

Damian nodded firmly.

Tim hid the fond smile on his face by diverting his brother’s attention: “So, what’re you sketching?”

Damian’s eyes lit up.

The next person to drop by was Bruce himself. He was sitting there, in all black despite the fact that it was less useful during the day, with full spy equipment.

Tim dropped down beside him and was offered a set of headphones. The two of them stayed there in silence for a long time, listening to Marinette going about her day. She was currently cooking something and singing along to a song:

“I always feel like... somebOdy’s watching meeEe… andIhavenoprivacy~.”

Tim was choosing to ignore the song choice in favor of giggling about her inability to hit the notes. He could feel Bruce watching him out of the corner of his eyes, but he didn’t say anything and neither did Tim.

Next was Steph.

Steph raised her eyebrows at Tim when she saw him.

“Come here often?” She asked in a tone that was only half-joking.

“Only recently,” he lied. “Trying to figure out if any of you trust my judgement.”

“Doubtful.”

“Yeah, Duke is my last hope.”

She snickered and shook her head. “To be fair, you’re whipped. You could have been biased.”

“But I’m not.”

“But you’re not,” she conceded, then turned her gaze back on Marinette. “She’s cute. I approve.”

“Glad to know you trust her.”

“I wasn’t talking about it like that and you know it,” Steph said with a wink.

Tim blushed and pushed her face away. “You’re the worst.”

~

Marinette was having a little difficulty figuring out the not-quite-a-language that the bats spoke with her. She wanted to learn it because she cared about Black Bat and, though she could use ASL, it was clear that she wasn’t comfortable with any particular language… but wow was it hard to learn a language when there wasn’t any actual language involved.

Thankfully, Signal had said he would teach her since he had learned it the most recently and therefore might have an easier time teaching it.

Now, it was just after they had finished their lessons for the day and the two of them were relaxing together between their patrols. He had his head in her lap as they both scrolled through Twitter, occasionally laughing and showing each other the dumb things that the other bats had supposedly done. Her favorite so far was the picture someone had discreetly taken of Robin while he was petting their dog.

And then Signal suddenly sat up straight, eyes so wide beneath his domino that she swore that the lenses were going to pop out.

“Uh --?”

“We need to go,” he said.

She felt his hand wrap around her wrist and now she was being dragged somewhere else --.

There was a rush of air and next thing she knew she was being held just barely off the ground.

She blinked all the dryness out of her eyes and then looked up to see that her captor was none other than Superman himself. He had grabbed both of them and taken them to where the Batcomputer was, holding her by her hood and Signal by the back of his shirt. He looked angry, but not particularly at her. She followed his gaze to where Batman was sitting in his Batchair.

“B --.”

“Batman,” said Batman sternly.

Oh, so Superman got to know his secret identity and she didn’t?

(She was ignoring the fact that Batman’s civilian name started with a B.)

“Batman, what do I have here?”

“Two children?”

“Two. Metas.”

“Technically, Ladybug isn’t a meta. Her powers were given to her by a god that lives in her earrings,” Batman informed him.

Marinette tried not to smile too much. Look at how much he had grown. He was using her excuses now.

Superman’s eyes narrowed. She’d say something about how ‘if looks could kill, Batman would be dead’... but, considering the fact that Superman could kill someone with a single look, it didn’t really work.

“And is the god allowed in Gotham?”

Batman didn’t have an excuse for that one. He just grunted a specific grunt which Marinette had learned meant: “What’s your point?”

Superman also knew this specific grunt, apparently. “My point is that the last time I was in Gotham you put kryptonite in my coffee! You said no metas, and we listened, but now you have two!”

“They’re my kids.”

Marinette blinked. “News to me.”

Signal tried to reach across Superman to punch her arm. Superman was a very wide not-man, so he came up short.

“Do you want to be kicked out of Gotham?”

“Guess I’ve always wanted family here,” she said quickly.

Superman squinted at them for a long time before, finally, dropping them.

“You’re lifting your no meta rule.”

“No --.”

“Yes. If even you’re not going to listen to it, neither should we.”

Batman didn’t seem happy. Superman didn’t seem to care. Probably because he was a good head taller and had far more superpowers than Batman did.

Superman left soon after.

Marinette knew it wasn’t the time, because Batman was back to his Batbrooding, but she couldn’t help the grin slowly spreading across her face.

“So, Dad, can I have the new Xbox for Christmas?”

~

Duke had visited Marinette. Tim hadn’t seen him visit, but he definitely had because Marinette had closed her blinds and they hadn’t been open in days. She was still in Gotham, though, she had gone on patrols and, as far as he could tell, she didn’t have any places in Gotham in her name. She had to still be in the apartment, so Duke must have visited as Signal and told her to close them.

And he should have been happy about this. It was far safer that way. The less people knew that there was a woman living alone in that apartment the better.

… but he couldn’t help but be concerned.

The blinds being closed was his best indication of when she was about to leave or currently not home. He didn’t like that he no longer had a way of figuring that out. How was he supposed to watch over her while she was getting groceries if he never knew when she was going?

He gives her a necklace with a tracker in it the next time he sees her as Tim.

She raised her eyebrows at the box he was holding out to her. “Don’t you think it’s a little early to propose?” She joked, but he could hear the slight wariness bleeding into her tone.

He grins easily. “It’s just to thank you for the outfit you’re making me.”

“You pay me,” she said. “That’s thanks enough for me.”

“Maybe I just feel a little bad about guilting you into making it in the first place.”

She hesitates, but he could see the shiny red gem inlaid in it winning her over. It doesn’t matter that she wasn’t a gold digger, she was a fashion designer and he had purposefully chosen a common gem color so she’d be more inclined to wear it more often. It worked with a lot of outfits and it came from someone she -- hopefully -- considered a friend? There was little reason to say no.

As expected, she gave in.

She turned around and he carefully clasped it behind her neck. He pressed a tiny kiss to the back of her head.

When she turned back around her face was redder than the gem. He couldn’t help but smile.

“Ready to go?”

She nodded, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her along to the newest attraction.

~

Marinette fell back on her bed with a huff.

“Tikkiiiiiiiii,” she complained.

The kwami slipped out of her purse and came up to float above her face. “Did you enjoy your date?”

“It wasn’t --!”

Tikki laughed at her dismay. Because Tikki sucked.

She dropped the pillow back beside herself and curled up in what had used to be Tim’s jacket (she wasn’t joking when she’d taken it, he was never getting it back).

“Tim better be Red Robin. I’m not doing the whole ‘two crushes at once’ thing again.”

~

You know, there were actually times where Tim felt bad about chipping Marinette. He wasn’t out of it enough to think that it wasn’t messed up, he knew that there was a reason he didn’t want the other bats to know.

And he knew that, if he had to keep his habits from fellow bats, his habits had to be pretty bad. Every single one of them had a tendency to watch over their loved ones from time to time, it just came with the territory of having friends that are a) vigilantes/heroes/Rogues, b) stupid enough to live in Gotham, or c) an unfortunate mix of both. And, really, when you have the entire world at your fingertips it’s hard not to cross a few lines from time to time.

But Tim couldn’t bring himself to care about that line when she didn’t seem to care about her own safety.

She left the house constantly. Tim was beginning to suspect that she’d had her blinds open so often in order to feel closer to people rather than because she liked sunning herself. This would be fine… if she wasn’t leaving as a civilian. Marinette cared about her secret identity almost as much as Bruce did, so he knew that she probably wouldn’t try too hard to escape attackers for fear of them finding out who she was through her very particular fighting style. The bats had drilled her on the best ways to deal with being held at gunpoint and everything, but not every criminal was completely predictable. Bruce’s parents were a prime example of that.

She also had a tendency to take food without checking to see if it was laced. She did it especially when Tim handed her food and, while he liked that she trusted him, he didn’t love that she was as trusting of him as she was.

Marinette had trouble detecting when people were watching her, too. He figured it was just a byproduct of having most of the stuff she did as Ladybug filmed by tv crews and random civilians… but understanding why she was like that didn’t make him any less concerned about it.

Most damning, however, was how she dealt with catcalling.

Tim never felt a need to intervene when any of his siblings got catcalled on the job. He could trust them to tell whoever it was to stop with however much politeness was correct for the situation (usually not that much).

(The only exception was Damian because, unlike everyone else, Damian was still very obviously a minor. And even then the temptation to beat them up was mostly sated by the fact that Damian knew far more nonlethal ways to hurt them than he did.)

But the few times Marinette had gotten catcalled in front of him she… had just very politely asked them not to say that? And, when they didn’t stop, she had just sat there in her discomfort until they were done?

And Tim had done nothing but watch in stunned silence the first few times. It hadn’t been on purpose, he had just… not been expecting it. She usually acted far more confident, usually had some sort of retort on her tongue, why was this any different?

He didn’t know. Both he and Steph had tried to ask but she shut down both times and they didn’t want her to be more upset than she already was so they’d stopped trying.

The bats just silently agreed to check in on her through comms when she was quiet for too long and, if she didn’t respond, head towards her last known location and start looking.

So, yeah, his paranoia wasn’t completely unfounded.

~

Marinette blinked at the envelope Black Bat had handed her.

She turned it over in her hands, wondering if it was some kind of test, but that wasn’t really as much of a Black Bat thing as it was a Batman or Red Robin thing. So, she figured it probably wasn’t dangerous. She still found herself examining it. It was done in an old style, with a rough and slightly yellowed paper, a red wax seal with a pointy hat emblem she didn’t recognize, and ‘Ladybug’ written across the front in gorgeous calligraphy.

“Uh…?”

Black Bat only smiled at her and made a motion to open it.

Marinette hesitantly opened the letter and pulled out more weird paper. It was splattered with something that looked suspiciously like dried blood. In the same elegant script that had decorated the front, it read:

Your spirit has been summoned to my annual Halloween Party!

Dress to kill!

This was followed by a bunch of directions and timings and stuff about RSVP-ing.

Marinette looked at Black Bat, somehow even more confused than she had been before.

Thankfully, Red Robin chose that moment to run down the stairs, waving his invitation excitedly.

He stopped short when he saw Marinette already holding her invitation and huffed, sending Black Bat a halfhearted glare. “I wanted to tell her.”

Black Bat’s smile morphed into a smirk.

“Rude,” Red said. Then, he turned to Marinette. “We got invited to his Halloween Party!”

“Yeah… whose Halloween Party, exactly?”

“Scarecrow’s, of course!”

… what?