stpdgrl2

[crescentfool]

6 + 17 >:3c

6. longest a drawing has taken to finish

i think in terms of hours spent... the ryoji/minato as thanatos and orpheus, i think. took me a month of on and off 2-3 hour sessions...?

or if you're defining it as start date to finish date. this one. minato holding his mp3 player was started in january, intended to be a burn my dread companion piece to ryoji.

and then i didn't know what i was doing bc ryoji is ryoji... but then i was like "wait i was onto something here" and i repurposed it into the art you see now :D (after five months! sorry ryoji. this is ryoji erasure. i love him but his hair should get water poured on it.)

17. favorite oc/sona drawing

thank you for indulging me cat! i couldn't pick, so have a bunch of them. i love my silly guy but i seem to conveniently forget about posting any art of him (or my other ocs) onto tumblr... even though i draw him all the time...

i'm almost kind of sad that i didn't draw him holding ryomina nuis and making them kiss.. but that's what 2024 is for 😎

[katyaromanoffpetrova]

Emoji, questionmark

Katya receives a special text from Natasha, who is very... appreciative of her muscles.

• Natasha Romanoff x Fem!OC • Wordcount: 3.1k • Warnings: suggestive • A/N: thank you so much for your patience as I took a bit of a break from writing! I hope to post more now :) Masterlist

Do not repost my work as your own or translate my work!!

Katya

"Thanks again, Kat!"

The last of Katya's students left the training room, taking their water bottles and positive energy with them. 

It had been another good day at the women-only gym, and Katya lingered around to clean up, in no rush to get home. She looked up and smiled at the goodbye, giving a small wave to Sandra, who got more confident in her own skin every week. 

"Till next week!"

When the room was empty, Katya did a small lap around to look for any forgotten items or water spills, ending up where she started; at the portable speaker nestled in the corner. Her phone lay next to it, connected to the bluetooth device. 

Pulling the hair tie from her sweaty, oily hair, Katya picked it up. It unlocked to several missed messages from the last two hours—she rarely checked messages between classes, and not at all in classes. That's not the type of vibe she wanted to give off.

There were some notifications from her social media, a text from Laura thanking her for the flowers she sent for her and Clint's wedding anniversary, one from Maya saying she picked up cat food. 

And, of course, a text from her wife.

They were so… pathetically connected that they missed the other instantly when they were apart. 

Natasha had some errands to run in the city? Katya sat on the couch, sulking, anticipating her return. Katya was at work all day? Natasha texted her more often than usual about stuff that didn't matter in the slightest just because she was thinking about her the whole time. 

The only time they were ever fully at ease was when they were together. Maya made fun of them for it, but Katya was quick to point out that the past had given them enough reason to feel that way. Unexpectant time apart, years where they thought the other was dead. It left deep scars in their fragile hearts and separation anxiety in their stomachs.

For obvious reasons, Katya had message previews for Natasha's chats off, in case anyone needed to use her phone. She only saw what her wife texted her when she opened the chat. 

Katya snorted out loud in the empty room. Caught off guard by the embarrassed sound that came out of her own mouth, she quickly looked around, but the only one staring at her was the reflection of herself in the large mirror wall.

Smugness drew a smirk across her mouth, ego puffing out her chest. Natasha was the best hypewoman, even when her reasons were entirely selfish. Nobody loved Katya's physique more than her, and she made sure to let her know every chance she got, both verbal and non-verbal. The non-verbal worshipping was both their favorite. 

Natasha's message consisted of one emoji and one punctuation mark. Not an uncommon thing in itself. A food item with a question mark meant; can you pick this up, or can we have this for dinner? A cat or a ginger-haired girl with a question mark meant; where is the cat, and where is Maya? Any of those things with an exclamation mark meant; don't forget to pick it up. 

It was an important distinction. 

But there were no doubts on what Natasha meant this time. It was very, very clear what she wanted. Shamelessly too.

The flexed arm emoji combined with the question mark meant she was most probably horny, and most definitely mentally drifting.

Katya snickered as she locked and pocketed her phone, collecting the last of her stuff before closing the door of the training room behind her. Usually, she would head straight for the office or to the car, but now she took a detour to the machines. 

Smiling and greeting people, she did a few quick stretches before grabbing a set of weights. With no pre-workout taken, no warmup of any kind, she sat down and started a quick bicep and shoulder routine. 

The goal today wasn't to get a correct workout in. The goal was to pump her muscles so her wife could get her fix. 

She was barely sweaty by the time she stopped, but she had no patience to continue. By now, Natasha would have seen that she'd been left on delivered and would be waiting on what she asked for. The woman was a lot of things, but patient wasn't high up in that list. 

Katya was in and out of the machine room within fifteen minutes, hurrying to find a mirror before her hard work was lost. Luckily, there was another pro to an all-women gym: incredible bathroom lighting. None of that dark, mysterious stuff where you feel like you're in a cave. No, the mirrors on the walls were huge and lined with lights. 

Katya made sure the stalls were empty before propping her phone up on the sink, next to the gym-provided perfumes and deodorant. Quickly, she took her hoodie off and turned with her back to the camera, redoing her ponytail to ensure a maximal view of her shoulders and back.

It felt odd in the beginning to take pics like these, when Natasha first started asking for them. But Katya quickly found out that it wasn't very different from the nudes she sent her. Natasha found her sexy and hot no matter what pose or position she was in, as long as she could see what she wanted to see. Don't overthink it.

She snapped some pictures from different angles, capturing different muscle groups, and tried some new poses she found online from the fitgirls she followed. They didn't turn out amazing, but they would satiate Natasha for now. When footsteps approached the bathroom door, Katya hid the evidence of her activities by snatching her phone off the sink, but Brianna took one look at her and smiled knowingly.

"Documenting your progress?" She asked, picking the sink next to Katya's to wash her hands. Her hair wasn't in box braids this time, instead in a bun on the back of her head. She looked gorgeous whatever way she wore it. 

"They're not for me," Katya answered distractedly, flipping through the photos to pick the best ones, deleting some that were too mediocre. She had to admit, her body looked good.

"Ah." Brianna smirked, taking a quick peek at the phone screen. "What the wife wants, the wife gets."

"Exactly." Katya mirrored her expression and sent the three best pics off to Natasha without any context, then she pocketed her phone and turned to her boss. "I think this means I have to get home ASAP."

"Get some."

Katya snickered. "I think I will."

Natasha

Natasha had been feeling like this all day; clingy, needy. Usually, she was the first one out of bed in the mornings. Today, she wouldn't let Katya get up to go to work. It almost made her late.

These phases of hers came and went. One week, she followed Katya everywhere like a baby duck. The next, she sought out solitude in her office upstairs. 

They made it work no matter what mood she was in, but Natasha couldn't help but dread the moments she was alone when she felt clingy. With Maya at school, and no distractions, she started to think about stupid stuff, like if this was how it felt to be on your period. Emotional and needy. 

She just missed Katya. Like a dog misses its owner. She wanted hugs; a warm, strong body to nestle into. She wanted to be taken care of; for Katya to bring her tea and wrap a blanket around her. 

She would tell her all of this, but Natasha didn't like to bother her too much when she was at work. It was only eight hours, and she was a big girl. 

Nevertheless, after trying everything to put her mind off it, Natasha wound up looking through her camera roll for pictures of her wife. If anyone ever found or hacked her phone, they'd think she was a stalker. She had folders for everything, sorted alphabetically, and filled to the brim with pictures of Katya.

'Kat on holiday'. 'Family'. 'Kat doing stuff'. 'Kat candid pics'. Natasha even had a 'this is my wife'-folder, because she always managed to work Katya into any conversation and would then proudly show her off to anyone. This folder was filled with Katya's prettiest pictures. 

Natasha paused with her thumb hovering above the last folder, hidden at the bottom of the screen. Going into her camera roll, her goal was simply to daydream innocently and to fill that Katya-shaped hole in her day. But if she clicked on that folder, her brain was going to take a very aggressive U-turn onto a road that steered straight off a cliff.

Oh well, it'd give her something to do.

'Kat's muscle pics', was, obviously, filled with pictures of Katya's muscles; ones the brunette sent herself, posed, or quick snaps Natasha took. Most of them were lucky shots. Candid pics turned muscle pics. Katya's strong legs in shorts, her arms in a tank top, her abs in a bikini, her back in a strapless dress. Anything where her incredible muscles were highlighted.

If Maya didn't have the code to her phone, Natasha would have named the folder something more worthy. 'Muscle mommy', maybe. 

But the mediocre name didn't stop Natasha from enjoying the content thoroughly. She stopped at every pic, took her time, zoomed in, shifted in her seat if one really got to her. But they didn't seem to be hitting like they usually did. With a frown, she scrolled back to the most recent picture, finding the date to confirm her thoughts. 

It dated back 3 weeks. 3 weeks! Way too long. 

Upset—and a bit pissed—she backed out of the app and found her chat with Katya. It was truly outrageous that she hadn't been supplied with fresh content for twenty-one whole days. Shocking that she had to ask for it herself. Part of her was too proud to, but the bigger part needed new pics right now. 

Quickly, she found the arm emoji—which wasn't even in her recents anymore, unlike the peach and the scissors—and threw a big, fat question mark behind it. Only one, because she wanted to tell Katya in person how pissed she was. Then she sent the text.

Waiting was torture. Natasha even went on a run to pass the time, music blasting in her eardrums instead of the usual audiobook or podcast. But there were no notifications when she came back home, or showered, or made herself a snack. 

She was ready to throw her phone across the room and roll up into a blanket ball on the couch when the status of her text changed from 'delivered' to 'seen'. Hopeful and excited, Natasha sat up, intently staring at the screen. She wasn't disheartened when Katya went offline again without replying. Her wife never ignored her, so something must be coming soon.

She fumbled for her phone when it chimed, her heart racing as she opened the pictures Katya finally sent her. It wasn't just one. It wasn't two. It was three.

Saliva pooled in her mouth as she studied them. Closely. Every ridge, every rounding, every curve of Katya's upper body. Her phone was only inches away from her face, too scared to miss anything like she didn't have free access to those muscles 24/7.

The pictures were perfect. They were sexy, so sexy. They were feminine yet masculine. Elegant yet tough. The perfect combination. A woman who could rock a dress and be a gentlewoman, and strangle a man to protect her. 

The need to feel the muscles underneath her fingertips slowly grew. It was a weird mix of horniness and loneliness. To have those strong arms around her in a hug, or to desperately hold them as Katya ruined her? 

Liho meowed as she jumped on the couch, sniffing Natasha's phone as if she wanted a piece of Katya too.

"Look at your other mom," Natasha said to her in her baby-voice full of awe, showing the cat the pictures like Liho had any clue what she should be looking at. The animal just meowed again. "I agree, baby. So gorgeous. So sexy. And all mine."

Natasha's thumb drifted towards the call-button—she needed to hear Katya's voice. She couldn't keep staring at the pictures that were sent without any context. She needed more. Anything. But right before she tapped, three dots appeared at the bottom of her screen. 

Kat: Leaving now. See you soon x.

Katya

Katya walked into the house with caution like the spy she once was, dropping her shoes and bag along the way. 

When Natasha didn't reply to the pictures, she knew what time it was. Actually, she knew what time it was when she asked for muscle pictures. Only a needy Natasha would do that. And Katya knew, based on the millions of Instagram Reels her wife had also sent her today, that it wasn't just a regular horny episode either. Natasha was lonely.

The thought made her heart swell. They'd been together for most of their lives, yet Natasha still wanted to spend all of their time together if they could. Only then did she feel completely content and happy. She wasn't very good at verbally telling Katya that, but there were huge signs if you knew where to look. Like her behavior today.

Just in time, Katya stopped herself from chuckling when she stepped into the living room. Natasha sat on the couch like an angry child, scowling pettily and refusing to look away from the TV. She clearly wasn't happy with Katya's lack of attention today and wanted to teach her a lesson for it. Silent treatment was therein her lesson of choice.

"Привет, милая (Hello, honey)," Katya said slowly, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorpost. The Russian was on purpose and came as a complete surprise to Natasha, who stiffened slightly. The words always hit just a little deeper if Katya switched back to their first language. "Почему ты дуешься (Why are you pouting)?"

Natasha looked conflicted, not sure what emotion to act on. One, anger; two, horniness; three, clinginess. She thought long and hard about her answer, not moving an inch as she did, pretending her wife was air. 

"I've been neglected," she accused Katya coldly. A good answer. It covered all three of her emotions.

Katya pushed away from the doorpost, slowly approaching her frozen wife. Like one would a scared cat. "I'm sorry, baby. That was never my intention." If Natasha listened closely—and Katya knew she did—then she could hear the amusement in her voice. That's probably the reason for the side-eye Natasha gave her when she sat down next to her. "How can I make it up to you?"

It didn't appear as if Natasha was going to answer. She stayed silent for so long, her steel expression directed at the TV, that Katya nearly gave up. A minute longer and she'd have stood up to prepare some sweet gesture. But then Natasha slowly leaned into her. 

It was barely noticeable if Katya wasn't hyper aware of her to begin with. But slowly, very slowly, her wife's body tilted her way. When Katya opened her arms, it went faster, until Natasha was fully resting against her chest. Eagerly, Katya wrapped her arms around her body. Natasha didn't fully relax; silent protest.

"For now," she said warningly, before Katya got too happy.

The brunette frowned. She was still happy, don't get her wrong, but hugs weren't exactly what she expected when she drove home. "Does—"

"Sex later."

Of course, Natasha read her mind. 

Katya hummed in acknowledgement, like it didn't make her incredibly excited. Natasha would push her off the couch if she set one foot wrong. Instead, she rubbed her shoulder carefully while Natasha kept pretending to watch the TV. If the redhead wanted to be stubborn a little longer, then Katya was going to let her. She could contain her own neediness for a long, long time.

Natasha's phone was safely tucked between her thighs, anxiously. How big were the chances that Katya's pictures would pop up if she unlocked it? She was too scared for her hand to find out. 

"Did you like them?" She asked, failing to hide the smugness in her voice. The thin ice she tread on cracked beneath her feet.

"They'll do," Natasha answered, uninterested.

Katya nearly snorted, but she settled for a half smirk Natasha couldn't even see. "You know, there's nothing wrong with admitting that you like them.''

"I said, they'll do," the redhead corrected sharply.

"Okay."

Natasha's scowl deepened when she heard how sarcastic that answer was. Anyone walking in would think the TV personally offended her. "Stop being so cocky."

"You don't think I have a reason to be?"

"I didn't say that."

"You don't like it?"

"You're putting words in my mouth."

"I wish I was putting something else in—" Natasha's death glare cut her off. It was brief, but powerful, and the woman settled right back into Katya's chest afterwards.

"You have the right to be cocky, but you still irritate me," Natasha mumbled through gritted teeth. 

Katya dared to smile after the fear left her system. "Why?"

"Because you know damn well what it does to me, and it's unfair to have so much power over me."

It took all her willpower not to chuckle. Katya magically managed to keep her body still too. But it was going to be her words that would trigger Natasha. "Aw, is this your power struggle-struggle again?"

It was finally too much. With an angry huff, the woman pushed away from her, a dangerous fire flickering behind her eyes that matched the fiery color of her hair. She was absolutely stunning. "I would be very careful if I were you. What you say or do next could determine your near future and if you'll still have one."

This would be terrifying for anybody else in Katya's position. Even Clint would think this was a good time to shut up, but it was Katya's goal to rile her up as much as she could. Because the only way Natasha was going to let it out was by destroying her later. In a good way. Upstairs. 

She shrugged indifferently, scooting to the edge of her seat. "You want to live the rest of your life alone? Okay.'' Before she could lift her butt off the couch, she was yanked down by the front of her shirt. One blink of her eyes and Natasha was on top of her, her fingers digging into the tight muscles of her arms. Katya bit back a smirk. She knew the pictures hit her hard.

''You're not going anywhere.''

[mishacakes]

how do you connect to your character? like how do get to know them so well? how do you pick out their likes, dislikes, habits and those itty bitty bits about them? I've been struggling to do that for sooo many of my ocs, and i'm also at a lost of how to design them. like i once had a clear idea of what kind of character they are, but i wanted to change them a bit, make them a little better, and i feel like I've lost that character and that character i'm working on doesn't exists, no matter how much i loved them and enjoyed writing an drawing them. this has happened with every single character i made and it just makes me think that i may not be cut out for drawing or writing characters. i look up to you so i thought of asking you for help

sry for the long rant idk wat im doing

HELLO HELLO THANK YOU FOR ASKING!! So basically I took this question and turned it into a 1.6k word essay on writing characters and how I like to do it, so, uh, hope you enjoy!! and hope it helps!

OK!! character writing. How do you do it? or, well, how do I do it. I’ve got a few methods that help me out the most and are the most fun for me to think about. Here’s my big secret, if it’s not fun I don’t do it. I’m not here to do homework I’m waaayyyy out of school. I’m a legal adult. I pay my taxes. I’m not gonna do something that doesn’t give my brain the good fun juice. Anyways. My methods are: symbols, archetypes, and character inspiration. I use all these to figure out the CORE of a character, their very beating heart, and most importantly, what haunts them. Everything about a character, in my opinion, comes from this core and their ghost. Their habits, their fears, their joys, their coping mechanisms. So long as you have a clear grasp on their heart, you won’t go astray. Let’s dive into it! The characters I’m going to be using to describe how I use these methods are Alice and others characters from my webcomic—namely Edith, Hatter, and Rougina—and Tomiko (you know her you love her, catgirl supreme).

Symbols! I love using symbols, they’re something that can describe a character through metaphor, even without going into detail about their whole backstory and habits. Tomiko’s symbols are lanterns (specifically light), cats, ghosts/yokai, shapeshifting, and gold. They all work to further her character as a rough around the edges monster cat with a heart of gold, who uses shapeshifting as a method (both literally and metaphorically) to mold herself into what others need her to be. Alice’s symbols are hearts, eyes, and flesh in general. Try picking one general symbol (the ocean, the forest, the city), and see how specific you can get from there. Or pick a god or goddess that resonates with your character and see what symbols are used for them. Rougina (the antagonist in my webcomic) is a war goddess fallen from grace, and is symbolized with land and volcanoes, so I’ve used volcanic plants to evoke her. Personally I also love going through the tarot for symbols, assigning a tarot card to characters (of the major arcana) is a fun exercise. Which leads us nicely into our next method:

Archetypes! The tarot deck’s Major Arcana is pretty much only archetypes. The Empress as the Mother. The Magician as the Wise Mentor. The Tower as The Worst Thing That Could Possibly Happen Oh Jesus Shit. These can help a lot with who your character is. I’m extremely storytelling oriented, so it helps me knowing What Role a character serves in the story they inhabit. Another thing I love in archetypes in the Zodiac. Yes, I am an astrology bitch. The whole reason I love talking about my methods is my Sag rising, I love giving my wisdoms. But astrology can be used for writing, and not just for excusing and not reflecting on shit behavior (can’t help being a gemini!). The zodiac is FILLED WITH ARCHETYPES!!! From elements to how they function! The four elements (you A:TLA bitches know this), and three modalities. If you’re interested please watch Eugene’s Rank King video, it’s very informative on the signs. Also many symbols! For example, Alice is a Taurus—May 4, Alice Liddell’s birthday—so she’s pretty stubborn while also loving creature comforts. Tomiko’s birthday is August 23, making her a Virgo, so she likes being precise in her work. More archetypes you can look for are DnD classes! I love using that to design costumes. One of Edith’s recent costumes is very wizard inspired, since that’s the class I see her having as she’s very studious and driven. Heck, all of Alice and the Nightmare is derived from the character archetypes of the Alice in Wonderland characters! Rougina is specifically the Red Queen, NOT the Queen of Hearts!! The confusion started with the 1951 Disney animated movie when the two characters were merged!! Lewis Carroll himself said the two were different! The Queen of Hearts is an “embodiment of ungovernable passion” and the Red Queen is “the concentrated essence of all governesses”!! GOD!!! Tim Burton meet me in the fucking pit you’ll pay for your alice crimes. anyways.

Archetypes help a lot in costumes too, figuring out what kind of fashion they’d like to wear. You can start broad and get more specific with it (like going from a wizard type character to a wizard character with steampunk themes). Fashion is just an extent of character. What are they comfy in? Are they confident in their body? What colors do they like? Bright high fashion or simple dark sweaters? Ryoko Kui is a master of character design I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend checking out her work.

Another method I like using, specifically for Alice and the Nightmare characters, is what I call the “three trait method”. When I was in middle school we did a production of Alice in Wonderland (I was the White Knight), and too many girls auditioned for Alice. So the director’s solution was to split the character into three parts, and assigning each part to an actor. Her temper, her intelligence, and her innocence, all used in different scenes. Now I use that to think about my own Alice character, except with “polite, temper, and curious”. Edith’s keywords are “nervous, tactical, and intelligent”. Hatter’s are “kind, enthusiastic, and intuitive”. Using keywords can help figure out how they’d react in a situation, what side of them would shine the brightest. Hatter’s want to help everyone is his kindness, but overstepping his bounds can be attributed to his enthusiasm. Edith can know what path to take in a pinch, but her nervousness can freeze her in place. Reading the source material helps a lot with Alice characters too, which brings us to our final point:

Character inspiration!! The art of taking things you like and shoving them into your own characters and stories. DISCLAIMER THO!!! If you take things without really EXAMINING what about them you like, WHY you like them, and how you’d like to evoke that same love in the things you make, the interpretations can come off as shallow. (for more on this subject, watch HBomberguy’s RWBY video essay, specifically the section on “anime homework”)

Tomiko’s biggest inspirations are Izutsumi from Dungeon Meshi, April Ludgate from Parks and Rec, Power and Reze from Chainsawman, San from Princess Mononoke, and Mei from LMK. It’s a good cocktail of aloof, biting, vicious, weird, fierce, loving, and bright. Figuring out what I love about the characters and what I want to write in a character like that helps a lot in writing Tomiko. It’s also really fun in a sense for screenshot redraws and memes.

Music is also a HUUUUUUGE source of inspiration for me, I love making playlists. And even as playlists can change as characters grow and change, having a couple of core songs still helps me ground to that character’s center. For Tomiko it’s “Make Them Gold” by CHVRCHES, and “Nice Girl” by Ashnikko. Alice’s is “Headlock” by Imogen Heap and “Demons” by Hayley Kiyoko, Edith’s is “Warrior” by Kimbra, and Hatter’s is “Dementia” by Owl City.

Ok, we’ve gotten though symbols, archetypes, and made a couple of banger playlists. Next is something that can help write your character, the Big Lie. The thing that keeps them up at night. Their biggest fear, their ghost, what haunts them. What’s holding them back from their goals? What do they need to overcome? That can be as central to their theme as any symbolism. For Tomiko it’s the lie that her emotions don’t matter, only what she can do to be of service to her mother. Her arc is about overcoming her dismissing her own emotions and learning to not run away from the people who she truly cares for. Alice dismisses the literal ghost that is haunting her believing that that will let her have a normal life. Edith pushes down abilities that come naturally to her for fear that she’ll be exiled, not just from society, but the world. Rougina believes she must burden the world’s problems on her own shoulders with no one’s help. The outer character and the inner ghost can reflect, mirror, and inform each other.

Now, listen, sometimes characters are hard to get to know! Tomiko was lol. Quinn was for a looong time. And in times like this, I just, let them be. I listen to some music to get inspired, and let them tell me about themselves when they feel like it. And they will, it just take a little while. And a few dozen quick exploration drawings. But they come through. Also, try not to get bogged down with habits and little details of their character, keep their core in mind, what their heart is. Start broad and get specific. That way, if you feel like you’ve lost your way or the character feels different to you, recenter yourself at their heart and go from there. Or, if you find that their center no longer fits, don’t be afraid to change it! Characters are meant to be fun! First and foremost!! I make characters cause I like writing and storytelling, and drawing little comic for fun and me time. Sometimes characters stick around, sometimes they fall by the wayside. You really have to find what sparks joy, and chase your bliss!

So as long as you have your character’s essence in your hands, and you WANT to keep working on them and drawing them, there’s really no wrong way to go. This whole essay I’ve given is just a set of tools that works for ME, and I HIGHLY encourage you to find stuff that works for you! I really really hope that all this has made sense and isn’t just the ramblings of a madman. Good luck and happy charactering!!

[imthepunchlord]

Okay, so this might be random, but I've been reading a lot about your recent miraculous rewrite/overhaul, and it reminded me of this other person on Tumblr who posts a lot of stuff on pre-canon/concept miraculous and miraculous artbook stuff. So, I wanted to share some fun pre-canon stuff. They even have a Website about it: https://www.artbookwiki.com/home

Ok, for starters, Marinette was originally going to live in an apartment building in Belleville (which from what I've been told (so don't quote me on this) is kind of Paris's Chinese District. And instead of a balcony Marinette would just hangout on her roof.

Also on Marinette's parents, instead of being bakers, Tom was originally a cartoonist (the more look into this character you start to see a lot of parallels to Thomas Astruc) and Sabine was going to be a lawyer.

Also Fu might have been planned to be Marinette's Grandfather

And lastly, I'll mention Alya. Apparently, she was originally meant to have an interest in fashion like Marinette and might have originally planned to have a crush on Chat Noir.

Also to quote the person who posted all this (I'm leaving her name out so people don't spam her, she's seemed pretty stressed lately):

"From the 9/7/2012 bible: As eccentric as Marinette is classic, Alya wears extravagant outfits, swinging from gothic to geeky. She takes pride in being nothing like the others. It's her way of distinguishing herself. Alya is perfectly at ease with all things technology and telecommunications. Moreover, she's a budding reporter for the college newspaper!... Alya shares her bedroom with her younger sister. The room is divided in two. Alya's half is lined with posters of comic book superheroes, the floor is strewn with cables connected to an imposing DIY computer station.... Besides, she has theories on everything, admittedly- they are often very absurd. She dreams of gaining powers and becoming a heroine like Ladybug... Alya doesn't understand how Marinette can fall for Adrien, On the other hand, Alya finds Cat Noir super classy, ​​molded into his somewhat gothic leather uniform. Oh! If only Alya was Ladybug..."

Thank you for sharing! Some I didn't know, though honestly, a lot of this I'm not surprised to see.

Marinette was always kinda planned to be closer to her Chinese roots. One of the better reflections of this are concept art of her room.

And even in the Miraculous movie, she was planned to come from a small community in China's countryside.

And it's a shame that these keep getting cut out. Her ties to China is really disconnected, and I'm certain it's largely done to be more marketable for a broader audience.

I think this deleted scene from the movie bothers me the most, cause it adds so much depth to the Dupain-Cheng household. It adds to Tom and Sabine as characters, and it may be the first time I really liked them as characters and as parents. And it explains a lot about Marinette's character, why she's such a giver and provider, cause she grew up in a community that was like a close knit family, and helped each other no questions asked. It just backs why she's that way, she was raised that way. It comes natural to her.

Her parents do surprise me, but you know, I could see it. Them being bakers always felt kinda random, but that could bee from the show just not doing anything with it.

Fu doesn't surprise me too much, especially as the show does work off that older concept. You do get a grandfather-granddaughter feel from them, and it does make sense for her to have a direct family tie to Miraculous as she is heavily tied to it as a lead and it being apart of her heritage. Shame that got moved onto Adrien and had nothing really don't with it.

And you know, Fu being related to Marinette isn't a stretch as it is canon that he had younger siblings.

If not her grandfather, he could be a very great uncle.

And as I like the idea more that he got separated from his family and the Guardians were not able to locate them and reunite him with them and defaulted to training him to be a Guardian as they couldn't exactly let a kid go, I do like the idea of him eventually finding his family again, even if it's a descendant of one of his siblings.

Alya doesn't surprise me at all. You could really see it in her concept art.

And it slightly carried over into canon as Alya was the one who knew Adiren was a fashion model when Marinette didn't. For canon, it's very random for her to know, but makes more sense when you know that she used to be into fashion, and that just continues the show's trend of changing from older concepts but also still semi sticking to them without fully committing.

And it just really makes sense as most friendships are born through a shared interest. Marinette is expected to have at least one fashion friend. Marinette and Alya had a good start for their friendship, but the momentum of it struggled as most of their interactions came down to being about Adrien, and it's very, very, very rare for them as friends to bond and focus on something else than Marinette's crush.

Also, given how well off Alya looks since she can attend fashion shows and get front row seats (and maybe has a bodyguard?), and can spend a lot of money...

I wonder if Alya was ever considered to be the mayor's daughter at some point. For sure, she was incredibly well off older concepts.

And with her previously having a crush on Chat, I guess that's where they got the thought for Rocketear.

I am kinda glad they removed that, cause given their track record, especially having the known liar character say two girls can crush on the same guy and be friends, chances are incredibly high that hero!Alya would've soured her friendship with Ladybug over Chat.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm not really interested in seeing best friends turned enemies over a guy. It feels like an old cliche that can go. I'll take the Alya-Marinette friendship in and out of the mask. Even if it wasn't great overall, it's still better than what we could've potentially gotten.

[metamorphosisff]

|Chapter 13| Goodnight Gotham

(Authors Note: For an amplified reading experience, listen to the songs mentioned here. Enjoy 🧡)

“Oh we about to turn it.”

Standing in front of me is Jazz alongside another one of her other honorary daughters who went by Chanel. Together these two had made Mari and I seem like we had always been a part of the House of Illusion. There were seven of us in total dressed impeccably waiting for our turn to enter the raucous ballroom down the hallway, live with colorful commentary, and beat pumping music. Tonight the theme the houses were competing over was intergalactic odyssey. We had been made up to look like sirens from outer space, with our glittery makeup, and tight aquamarine spandex outfits that left very little to the imagination.The reflective sequins sewed on gave off the effects of us having gills. On our skin were tribal markings similar to those from the movie Avatar. Chanel was a trained makeup artist who worked on movie sets all over the city. It took her less than an hour to get us ready. The look while far fetched and last minute were stunning on us both. Though I promised Mari a spectators view, I can tell she was excited to be pulled into the chaos of Jazz’s world, and so was I even though I was scared shitless. 

This was not what Jazz had initially told me to expect. I should have known something was up when Jazz told me to leave my hair in braids because she had an idea. Currently my braids were intertwined with a mix of blue and green tinsel, styled in a crown that glimmered underneath the lights from every angle, adorned with gold cuffs and pearls. Mari’s curly mane had been wrangled into a fishtail braid using the same materials. The style showcased her cat like eyes and siren lips in a way normally hidden by her hair. 

“Wow,” I breathed out, not believing the reflection I was looking at was my own. “You made me look so beautiful, thank you Chanel.”

“No honey, that was God. All I did was embellish here and there,” Chanel said with a wink. 

“I’d pay you to embellish me everyday if I could. I look good enough to eat,” Mari cracked, phone already in hand, snapping a million pictures. 

Neither of us got to have much fun, Mari even less than me, and watching her get excited helped my nerves some. 

“I know that’s right. Keep that attitude when we hit that floor. Ma’ I’ma go check on the boys,” Chanel said, grabbing her kit to go to the room next door.

“Thank you boo, We’re meeting in that hall in five minutes. Don’t want to hear nothing from Lionell about us being late,” Jazz said, as she brushed at imaginary flyaways with her hands. 

Jazz looked otherworldly in the silver sequined bodysuit that had flounce sleeves that were cut in the style the seventies were known for. A forty inch platinum blonde wig waved down her back, the tips dyed in the same sea green color as the tinsel weaved in our hair. Her makeup was flawless, eyes bejeweled by hundreds of rhinestones while her cheeks were carved out of metallic silver. Pointy stiletto nails dipped in the same metallic shade could poke an eye out but she wielded them carefully and strategically as she delegated tasks to get us floor ready.There were also the pair of jewel encrusted six inch heel less platform boots that went mid thigh she had to put on. She was a vision, an all knowing force, and carried herself as such. 

“How do you do this all of the time?” I asked in awe.

“When I was younger, the answer to that question would have been drugs,” Jazz cracked, as she turned away from the vanity mirror to look at me. “But now, it’s love. I love ballroom, the culture, the people, and my family. These kids come from all walks of life abandoned and found fellowship under my roof. It keeps me going.”

That’s exactly who we were. Abandoned kids forced into adulthood before we were ready. Being around Jazz’s house felt like what a home should be: warm and inviting. 

Leaning forward, I grab her hand, and give it a squeeze. “Thank you for being you to me even when I didn’t deserve it. You mean the world to me and I’m honored to be considered one of your daughters. I’ve missed having a mom.”

Jazz lips tremble as she tries to offer a watery smile. “Chile, don’t get me to crying this close to showtime. Damn you Birdie.”

I chuckle softly before saying, “I love you too Jazz.”

“Aww, now I’m crying. Que linda,” Mari sniffles, snapping pictures of Jazz and I.

Jazz gives my hand one last squeeze before slipping her hand away in order to clap two times. “There will be none of that. Chanel will kick all of our asses if these beats get undone by water works and if you think I’m scary, you have seen nothing yet.”

“Yes ma’am,” Mari says, quickly reaching for a napkin to pat against her face.

“Now, we only have a few minutes. Let’s practice your walks.”

And like that, we are back into the whirlwind of the ball. In literally three minutes, Jazz choreographs a walk for each of us respectively. Whispering in both of our ears what our motivations should be and loudly declaring to keep it to ourselves until after we handle business lest we get confused. 

Worthy. You are worthy, Birdie. To be in this building, to be in that room, to be in this world. Show them bitches the respect you demand with that crown. 

I let Jazz’s voice play in my head on a loop as we lined up in the hallway. As we pumped our way through the crowd that parted like the red sea at the sight of Jazz leading us. A mix of Beyoncé’s Alien Superstar played at deafening levels as we reached the center of the room. As soon as the first verse dropped we each hit our individual marks. The boys: Danté and Kevion began tumbling, landing into dips before launching into new school voguing choreography in tandem with Chanel and Ruby. Jazz was serving face in the center of the floor, commanding attention while Mari and I weaved through what Jazz had called an alien invasion. The lyrics pulsed through me as I swayed my hips, letting my hands rove over my body making sure to highlight my waist like Jazz said I should. We met on either side of Jazz right on time for the last dips of the piece. While the dancers hit the ground, Mari and I dropped low, holding onto Jazz’s legs dramatically, an act of deference to the house mother.

When I came back to myself it was to see that we have garnered three 10’s  and one 9 as scores from the judges. I am so amazed that Mari has to tug me back into action as we walk off of the floor so the remaining houses could walk. I remain in this daze when we go up for second prize, collecting a trophy that would be added to the House of Illusions trove for the night. Chanel wins first place in Femme Queen, Jazz wins first in Femme Queen Face ,Ruby wins first in Female Figure, Kevion wins second in Old Way versus New Way, and Danté wins second in Male Sex Siren. There is cause to celebrate which we do as the ball turns into a full fledged party once the categories wrap up.

I’ve never felt as free as I do amongst my friends, old and new. I am happy I get to call them family and hope that with time I earn the right to do so without Jazz’s influence. In the interim, I imbibe drinks, and dance with them like it’s something we have all done hundreds of times before. The magic of ballroom is the community because it builds you up in a way where you can stand alone but you don’t have to. The House of Illusion has instilled in me the confidence to go after everything I want. To reach out and grab anything I claim as mine because the world is for the taking.  A power that might slip away with the first highlights of dawn. I have to capitalize on it while it lingers in my bones. Pulling out my phone I sent a quick text: I want to see you.

It vibrates with a response instantaneously. 

I want to see you more. Your place or mine?

From the moment I walked through the door, Xavier encircled his arms around me, bringing me close. He smells like a hint of smoke, alcohol, and cologne as he’s just come in not too long before me after hanging with his friends. I want to nuzzle my face into his neck but refrain due to my makeup and all of the glitter I am doused in. Instead, I place my hands on top of his and sink further into his embrace. 

“Think I need you to save this lil outfit for when I take you and Papi to Comic Con,” he said, pressing a kiss onto my neck.

I giggled as I turned in his arms to face him. “I’m not even a real character. This is Jazz’s creation.”

“Don’t matter,” he said, pressing another kiss to my lips. “Remind me to thank her, you look good as hell.”

“Thank you. Help me get out of it?” I ask, smiling up at him.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he said, before hoisting me into his arms. I squeal as he playfully tosses me over his shoulder and leads the way to the bathroom. He hits the lights and turns on the shower before setting me on the counter. “You are shining.”

“I know,” I groan. “They covered me from head to toe with something called Diamond Bomb by Rihanna.”

“Nah, I’m not talking about that. Your eyes, your smile, hell your energy is transcendent,” he says, causing my cheeks to heat up.

“You're always saying things to me that I have no idea how to respond to,” I say softly, meeting his gaze.

Always affirming.

Always recognizing.

Always present.

Stepping closer, he invades the space between my legs as leans down so that his nose can tease mine. “Is that a bad thing?” he asks.

“No,” I answer quickly, leaning forward when he places his hands on my hips. The warmth from his palms radiating outward. 

“Sometimes it’s okay to just say thank you babe,” he says, lips hovering over mine. “Or smile at me the way you do that makes your eyes disappear.”

I laugh and he absorbs the sound with a kiss. My hands fly to his torso as our kiss goes from innocent to urgent. In a flash my fingers are under his shirt and helping to lift it from his shoulders. Next to go is the bralette I’m wearing. We undress each other with a franticness that can only belong to new lovers. His touch is gentle and appreciative when I’m fully bare before him. 

“Look at me,” he says, pulling back from our kiss. 

My eyes flutter open at the command and meet his heady stare. Gone is the Xavier who bides his time. This version of him knows the best use of the seconds that drag by. In his eyes I see his desire for me unravel and marvel in it. All the while he trails his thumb over my bottom lip, swiping side to side, until he slips it into my mouth. Instinctively I suckled it causing him to groan before pulling me into another searing kiss. 

I widen my legs further as I scoot to the edge of the counter. “I need you,” I breathe against his lips. My hands are roving against the sides of his torso, ghosting over hard, well defined planes of muscles.

“Okay,” he says, pulling my bottom lip into his mouth to nibble on. “Okay.”

Reaching down, I watch as he fishes his wallet out of his pocket and grabs a condom. He smirks as he catches my eye. I motion for him to come fill the space between my thighs once more which he doesn’t hesitate to do. He licks into a kiss the same time his fingers push inside of me. My lips tear away but that doesn’t stop him from covering me in equally as hungry kisses starting down the column of my throat as my head tilts back. He kisses me on the hum of my pulse, biting down gently as his thumb finds my clit.

My nails are digging into his biceps but he doesn’t let that deter him from working me into a fast orgasm. One that preps me for him pushing himself in so deeply that my breath is caught in my chest. Instinctively, my hips roll forward meeting his thrust. 

“Shit,” I curse, releasing his biceps so that I can slam my hands against the counter. 

“Talk to me, this shit feeling good to you? Huh?” he questions, yanking on braids so that my eyes pop open. 

“So good Xay, please, just like this,” I moan, as he steadily strokes me to what I’m sure will be the best orgasm of my life. 

He dips his head so that he can capture a nipple in his mouth. His teeth graze the sensitive flesh and I arch into it and the oncoming stroke in a way that makes us both groan out. A hand holds the back of his head close, lovingly, as he laps at my other nipple. All while feeding me steady strokes that don’t ease up in pressure or frequency. Thanks to the gym Xavier’s stamina is out of this world. Our bodies move in a tandem dance, working with each other to bring us both pleasure. Regardless of the steam filling the air, I’m warm all over because of him.

It’s the way he folds against me, whispering things that would make a nun blush in my ear while holding my legs straight up. The position leaves me unable to do anything but moan and succumb to the promise of his desire. With both of my ankles in one hand, he uses the fingers on the other to rub figure eights onto my clit.

“Xayyy please,” I said, hands reaching to grab onto something because the counter no longer feels like enough. I settle onto the forearm of his left hand, the one that’s supplying sweet torture.

My gaze lifts to meet his, which is unsurprisingly locked onto my face. His bottom lip is wedged under his top row of teeth, arms bulging from how tightly he holds onto me, and the view makes squeeze onto him.

“Fuck,” he curses, hips slowing momentarily. “Do it again.”

And because I’m such a great listener I do. 

I do it again and again as he places sloppy kisses behind my knees that are my undoing. If I were to pass away in this very moment then it would be worth it having been experienced by this man. The reverent cry that escapes my lips is proof of that sentiment. There is banging on the opposite side of the wall but we don’t care. Nothing matters in this moment but he and I, the shared breaths we take, the trembles we place in one another’s spines. We don’t stop until we’re both utterly spent.

Somehow we end up in the living room, sprawled out on top of one another while Sade’s Stronger Than Pride vinyl spins on the record player. It took another round in the shower and then a thirty minute joint effort of trying to rid my skin of makeup before we left the bathroom. I’m dressed in a Thor t-shirt that barely grazes my thighs as they drape over his legs. My phone is in his hands as he goes through all of the pictures I managed to take tonight as well as the ones that have been sent to me sporadically from my new friends. I watch as he stops on one of Mari and me, mid laughter, drinks in hand. For once we actually look our age.

“Y’all look so much alike that you could be sisters. How did y’all meet? I want to know the origin story,” he says.

“We have lived next door to each other our whole lives. I don’t know a day where she’s not in it in some kind of way,” I said, strumming my fingers on top of his chest to the beat of the current song.

“Our brothers were super close too before Lonso moved away. After he left, Mari’s brothers got pulled toward the streets. The summer of our junior year they robbed this drug dealer in our neighborhood. That man was known for being vicious and as soon as word got back that it was them it was all downhill. Her second oldest brother Ramon was killed outside of his highschool and a few weeks later Martin, the eldest got locked up for killing that same drug dealer in retaliation. He’s serving life upstate and her parents went back to DR right after we graduated. During this time I was almost evicted three times and was struggling to survive.”

Xavier’s hold on my waist tightens as I go through memories in my mind. They play vividly as I try to sum up the hardest time in my life. “And through it all, we looked out for one another. I did her homework on the days she spent at court translating for her parents and she always made sure I had something warm to eat. We have gone through so much in that building. More than we should have had to honestly but we remained constant. We’re sisters in all of the ways it counts.”

“I’m glad that you two have each other. That y’all were never alone even when it felt like you were,” he said. 

“So am I,” I said, watching as he locks my phone and sets it aside. “How did you and your friends meet?”

At that he smiles as he shakes his head. “Aiden and I met in first grade. He asked me to be his lookout on a cookie caper. Rah we met in middle school during 7th grade gym class and once the three of us got together, we’ve been at the hip ever since.”

“Cookie caper is hilarious. I like Aiden, he seems like a good time and Rah seems like the opposite of both of you,” I said.

I had gotten the chance to speak to both of them via Facetime not too long ago. Aiden ended up stealing the phone from Xavier and locking himself in the bathroom. For twenty minutes we talked about why rap girls are dominating and the best place for wings in the city. It was Rah who jimmied the bathroom door open with a belt buckle and proceeded to put Aiden in a headlock all while apologizing for his friends foolishness as Xavier retook possession of the phone. I laughed so hard that my stomach ached afterwards.

“That’s a pretty accurate observation except Rah is like the balance of us both. He just talks way less,” he replied, playing with the fingers I had laid on my chest.

“When I was…doing the most our senior year they never gave up on me. They would call me out for being on bullshit and even tried to help me find other ways to get out from underneath my father’s thumb. I had been so adamant about having to be loud with my actions so I wasn’t listening for real. I was desperately trying to be heard.”

I watched as his face lost some of the playfulness that had been there only moments before. His expression grew more grave as thoughts from the past came flooding forward.

“Is that how…,” I trailed off, knowing he would fill in the blank.

“Yeah. I was hanging out with the wrong crowd. Guys I knew would help me on the mission to piss my father off. One night, they decided that we should steal cars and we did. I got caught because I crashed into a pole. It was a stick shift and I never drove one of those before. Due to my father’s connections those three months were the only ones I served  but I was on probation for five years. When I got out, they helped me enroll in school and find a job because at that point my parents were done with me. I was living with my grandparents which is why I feel like I owe them so much. They took a chance on me when no one else would,” he said.

It angers me that Xavier has often felt like there wasn’t anyone in his corner. Coming from a family of his size I assumed the opposite would be the case. I’m grateful he had his grandparents and friends to lean back on when his parents gave up. For some reason I wish that he didn’t have the uglier experiences of life. He is too much like light to hold onto such darkness.  

“I love them for that. Your friends too. Parents…they forget what it’s like to be young. To be scared. To be discounted. Or hell, sometimes they remember and they hold on too tight instead of pushing away,” I say.

“In either scenario they only see themselves and that is the problem but it’s their problem. Not mine, not yours,” he said, using the arm wrapped around my waist to hoist me on top of him fully. I caress his face in my hand, tracing over the slopes of his high cheekbones with the pads of my fingers, willing the tension to ease from them.

We both carry the weight of burdens that don’t belong to us. They merely have been passed on from generation to generation with the expectancy that there will always be someone to shoulder the load. We are tired from problems that aren’t our own. In our respective ways, we have been trying to unload the weight, and find ourselves in the freedom that is being able to move freely. 

“I agree,” I said, settling my legs around his waist. He reaches up to play with the ends of my braids. The cloudiness is clearing from his expression and I use the opportunity to pivot. “It’s crazy that it’s almost four in the morning but I could stay up and talk to you for hours.”

A smitten grin spreads across his lips as he says, “I know what you mean. I talk to scores of people every day but no conversation holds a candle to yours.”

“Xay,” I say softly.

“I’m for real. You’re the best part of my day. Even when we don’t have time to talk for real just knowing you’ll answer the phone whenever I call is enough to temper the worst of days and highlight the best of them,” he said, adoration in the forefront of his gaze.

 I don’t have to second guess any of his words. It’s more than evident that he means each one with the way my heart wants to escape my chest. His vulnerability inspires my own.

“You brought the sun back into my world Xay. The least I can do is answer the phone,” I said, fingers settling on the sides of his neck. His hands move to cover mine, fingers threading between. He brings our joined hands up to his lips and kisses the back of my hand repeatedly. 

“You are my world Mila.”

I almost tuck my chin as the blush takes over my face but I’m reminded of words from earlier when he squeezes my fingers. Worthy. This is another sign from the universe that anything I want is at my fingertips and I want Xavier more than I thought I had the capability to. Between him and Jazz, I am an unstoppable force. This in mind, I meet his eyes as a smile takes over my face which he returns with his own. We stare at each other until the space between us closes. Until his lips are on mine. Until I’m sinking on him. Until the sun rises over our shoulders.

[enlitment]

Top five history books?

Thank you for the ask! ✨

Some of my favourites may be well known at this point after the book ask, but I'll try not to repeat myself too much!

1. Ghosts in the Middle Ages: The Living and the Dead in Medieval Society by Jean-Claude Schmitt

A fascinating book on a rather niche topic which explores the changes in people's belief about ghosts/souls of the dead coming back to life. Schmitt does not only focus on obscure anecdotes however; he analyses what role the so called 'revenants' came to play in medieval society (spoiler alert: the Catholic church used stories about them to their advantage to pressure people into paying indulgences and/or spread Catholic doctrine).

2. Historiography in the Twentieth Century: From Scientific Objectivity to the Postmodern Challenge by Georg G. Iggers

Not sure if this is cheating or not, since I had to read it for uni? The title sounds quite bland, but I actually enjoyed reading it quite a bit! It gives you a framework for how to think about other history books in terms of reliability and potential biases. The author also explores the question where is the line between history and fiction (and whether it is as clear-cut as we would like to think). (It also defends the Age of Enlightenment legacy from postmodern criticism which I appreciate, though I'm not sure this would be of much interest to people who don't study/aren't into philosophy.) Still, it's quite a short, comprehensive read and a great place to start when one wants to learn more about historiography imo.

3. The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History by Robert Darnton

Probably my favourite book on this list, since it hits so many of my areas of interest (French history, the 1700s, cultural and especially book history). It includes six essays which analyse different aspects of French culture across different social classes, ranging from villagers' fairy tales to analysing the texts of the Encyclopédistes. It's also very engaging and fun to read, though be warned, if you like cats, maybe skip the titular chapter, the name is quite literal I'm afraid!

4. Jean Paul Marat: Tribune of the French Revolution by Clifford Conner

Okay, I'll confess, I'm only about half-way through, but I'm really liking it so far! It reads more like an apology/ a text that tries to correct some of the problems with previous biographies on Marat, but I actually quite like it. It makes for an interesting read.

The author definitely has biases on his own, since it is clear that he shares much of Marat's political views, but a) he's upfront about the fact b) I don't think that the goal of all historical books should be to be as objective as possible - there's a room for subjectivity in my opinion, as long as it is reflected c) he cites his sources much more meticulously than - let's say - Scurr d) his biases are also my biases

Plus, Marat is such an interesting figure to read about! That said, this Goodreads commenter puts it much better than I ever could:

5. From Olympus to Pantheon: The Religion and Ethics in Ancient Times by Ladislav Vidman

A super interesting and accessible overview of the religious practices of ancient Greece and Rome! The author explains that many books focus on mythology, but his aim is to explore the lesser known aspects of the Greek and Roman religiosity, such as the ritual sacrifices, the oracles, the mysteries etc. It was a fascinating read, though the chapter on the sacrifices was very, very vivid in its descriptions.

(The author also seems to low-key have a crush on Vergil, explaining how he was a great role model and essentially beautiful inside and out. Not a deciding factor, but definitely a bonus!)

I unfortunately don't think the book was ever translated from Czech though, which is a shame. It would be certainly worth it!

[chrometheraptor]

Hello!! I know nothing about your ocs and just took a cursory look at your ask blog so I know names to ask you questions!! So apologies if this has been asked before ^-^

Why did Wish need to be defeated?

Also who's your favorite of your ocs to work on and why?

YAYYYYYY thank you Kandi!! I need to make a broad tag for all my ocs but! Everybody is tagged with “oc: name”! So you can look at other stuff also >:D

I’ll start with the second one bc it won’t be as long and put the stuff about Wish under the cut <3

Hmmmmm.. Ough that’s tough. Either Moss or Wish. Moss because he is a Sopping Wet Cat and I love him, and Wish bc she started as just kinda a flat antagonist but I’ve been adding more to her and giving her more motivations beyond “she likes power lol” and she is just fun to think about <3 I have been working on fleshing out the others too though!!

OKAY SO. Basis of this world is that Everything uses magic to do things. Like it’s just an ambient thing in the world that life evolved to utilize. So like for dragons their wings actually are what they use to channel magic into flying! They could make do without, but magic helps! Lots of things use it for hunting, camouflage, movement, etc.

Eventually some people figure out how to properly channel it to do other things that they don’t do naturally. It’s difficult to learn though and takes a lot of practice, so there generally aren’t a lot of mages. For a while stuff’s pretty great! Injuries aren’t as dangerous, they can use it to help grow food, stuff like that!

Magic can also be very, very dangerous if used as a weapon.

Enter the still unnamed village Wish eventually hatches in. They’re being extorted for resources by some powerful mages under threat of death.

All seems hopeless, when a dragonet with an unusual affinity for magic is hatched. Someone who could help them properly fight back. Their Wish come true.

Wish’s soul actively produces magic, so she has a constant innate reservoir instead of having to use the ambient magic around her.

She grows up with a large importance placed on her magic, with much of her childhood consisting of her trying to practice magic.

It wasn’t enough. The demands of the mages kept growing harder and harder to reach, until eventually they had had enough. They attacked. Wish was too young, too inexperienced. She only made it out with her life.

She couldn’t let this happen again. Only she could be trusted with this power. She spent the next years doing nothing but training and training and training until she would be strong enough to avenge her home.

She killed the mages that had been a constant threat all her life, fulfilling her mission.

She didn’t stop at them, though. No mage could be trusted. She hunted down every mage in the land and killed them, and established herself as the only person people could come to with their wishes.

ANYWAYS so a lotta stuff happens but eventually she gets stopped through the power of magic-draining flowers and left to reflect :)

THANK YOU FOR THE ASKKKK FEEL FREE TO ASK CLARIFYING STUFF <3

[andromebaa]

Anything you’d have added to the previous chapters in retrospect? Scenes that only occurred to you after the chaps were done?

Ooh that’s a great question! I have to say, because I was not planning on Just the Two of Us to become such a big work I definitely have scenes I wish I’d included.

- If I’d have known I was going down a scarier route with it, I’d have included more horror straight up. I kind of wish I’d made the killing sequences at the beginning a chapter or two longer and more unhinged.

- Similarly, I feel like I could have included more slice-of-life, especially before and around that year Kaito and Kokichi spent together. Even some of my more domestic focused chapters had drama or sad stuff occurring. I just needed more fun fluffiness. Gardening seems to be one concept I keep coming to? Or just being silly and playing games together? I have a bunch of cute one shot ideas though so I might end up writing some in the future. I have at least one planned for Oumota week!

- in a similar vein, I keep kicking myself that I didn’t include more scenes of them testing the limits of the program too. Not even for more serious escapes I could just imagine Kokichi being like “Do you think I could make a giant water slide??” Or something crazy like that. I briefly considered them creating a pet cat but then I realised that if I have a cute living creature they’d probably die horribly and I couldn’t do that to myself. That’s how we got Shadow Child dying horrifically instead!

- More relationship building stuff?? I feel like I might have rushed that part a little bit and reflecting on it I wish I’d kind of given more time to building their relationship. This is actually the first time in a long time I’ve written anything remotely considered “romantic” so I’m definitely rusty at it. I think I’d have been more satisfied with it if I’d just given some more explanation as to why Kaito kissed Kokichi in the chapter after the wall broke. It wasn’t that he was in love with him at the point, I think it was more to prove to himself and Kokichi that he wasn’t the monster the leech made him into in the previous chapter.

- Different perspectives. Mild spoilers but I’m planning on having a chapter soon focus on a very specific character, and it’s made me realise how much I wish I’d included a Miu focused one as well, especially when Kaito and Kokichi were trapped in the bathroom and she’s observing them with the P.A.L. leech thing. I might write a one shot about her eventually who knows.

- Probably should have made Defragmentation an offical chapter lol my weird ass was like I can’t put a sex scene in this it’d make it crass then proceeded to write some of the most horrific content I could muster. Plus it has themes and lines I want to reference.

All in all I think my biggest regret is not making the first half of the fic a bit beefier. Eh, you live and learn. Thanks for the ask ❤️

[grayzeppelin281]

Number 3, 4, 5, and 7!

Alright, Righteous Flames! Now I'll answer four questions!

In case of pandoms wondering what you see a user with a cat profile popping a post. Who am I, you ask? I am GrayZeppelin, fanfiction author of my magnum opus series, Kung Fu Panda: The Mightiest Warriors.

#3 Biggest self-insert OCs?

So far, I have no self-insert OCs, which to be honest, writing a character of myself seems to be odd. So. . . I am not crazy about self-insert OCs. I read a few fics (not from KFP) that have character names of their own, the color of their hair, eyes, etc. I used to like their self-insert fics (well, I moved on from that).

#4 What kind of musics do your OCs listen to?

As I remember most kinds of music I jam with, there's plenty that involves my characters' fit in and their liking.

For instance, my boy Chen Xing has his favorite words while thrusting his six-inch punch at bandits. Compare the Dragon Warrior's shout "Skadoosh!", inspired by a song from a heavy metal band System of a Down, Xing roars "Chop Suey!"

Here's another song that matches my latest antagonist character Wang, when he was a victim of domestic abuse by his father Le (a douche) who forced his son to be more formidable. Most lyrics from the song Bohemian Rapsody from Queen fit Wang's perspective, despite being broken, loved his mother, hated his father, refused to be in sympathy, and many hated him (but his brothers from Lu Academy loved him). I don't know how I found out about his background story, but this music inspires many.

#5 What are some of your OC's biggest fears?

Very good question!

Since I have like a million OCs (not really, around 100 OCs and more) to look at their biography, I'll stick with one who has had his greatest fear ever since he fled from his old home.

Chen Xing hated fire. Not necessarily, but he reflected on a tragic event that caused the death of his parents. While carried by his grandmother Ming, sprinted into the forest, his mother was silenced by an arrow, and his father was burned alive. Xing remembers every moment that he wished to seek vengeance against his old enemy (Prince Huoju), who murdered his parents right in front of him, standing behind the fire.

But that's not all what he can prevent the other fear, he worries.

As the alpha and leader, Chen Xing makes sure none of his brothers and sisters of the Nine face jeopardies during their missions to end tyrannies. I have been thinking about making a fic that will change them before my first book A New Prophecy, what they experienced from their first mission, the Nine will never forget. (Hajin Province)

#7. What are your favorite relationships between your OCs (romantic or platonic)?

Yes! Yes!! A million times yes!

My favorite platonic relationship is between my characters Xing and his wolf sister Lotus. A brother and sister fond, raised together with their peacock brother Lao / Lord Dongji. The wolf and tiger are not together in romance, but they stick as best friends. What started their friendship, Xing and his grandmother found Lotus at Bao Gu Orphanage after their sow neighbor Mrs. Yan caught her eye on a lone cub with the caretaker.

Considering nightmares that Xing sees fire and unfortunate events in his dreams, his sister is always there to sleep with him, giving her brother much comfort as long as Xing wishes. Lotus, known as the Nine's Dancer, who craves dancing and fighting with ribbons, is a dreamcatcher. Chen Xing's soulmate.

Phew! Thank you for giving me four random questions, Flame! This is quite fun to answer!

I'll share a few links of two musics, and my fanfic/artwork pages where you can find me and check out my stories and my sketching (I am an artist who draws with pencils). I recommend Ao3, where my first book A New Prophecy starts your journey after KFP 3. My FanFiction page has a sequel there, which contains many spoilers there after the first book event unless you like to read at your own risk. Have fun listening musics, reading my novels, and my artworks!

https://youtu.be/CSvFpBOe8eY (System of a Down: Chop Suey)

https://youtu.be/fJ9rUzIMcZQ (Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody)

https://m.fanfiction.net/u/4694143/GrayZeppelin

https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrayZeppelin

[ninetailedvulpecula]

ILL SEND YOU CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS

How did you first created Kitus?

Is kitsu a reflection of you or no? If yes how so?

How long have you been writing for Kitsu? Are they your favorite OC?

Is they anything that Kitsu can do that you can’t or wish you can do?

OOC: OH BOY HERE COMES QUITE THE STORY! Gonna slap this all under a Read More because this is quite some extensive lore-

1: Back when I was very Smol (12/13 or so) I customized littlest pet shop and with my parents permission, I sold them on Etsy for awhile. I loved coming up with unique combinations and sculpting on them and it was a really fun thing I did!

(I’ve been considering getting back into it recently- I was harassed in high school really badly over this hobby of mine and stopped for years.)

I had just received in the mail a science magazine that was centered around space and had wanted to try out some techniques to paint galaxies and stars and such. One thing led to another, and that’s how I came up with Kitsu! I had actually made a red panda with the same sort of color scheme at the same time, but decided to keep Kitsu instead of that red panda custom.

As for their name- it was a placeholder name that never got changed.

As you can see, their design was quite different as to what you see today! Some key differences are that they used to have galaxy blotches, they are missing their constellations, and they were a normal fox- not a fennec! I ended up using what is referred to in the community as a “crouching cat” base for them- It was what I had on hand and I thought it was very cute. ^-^

Kitsu’s Anthro form didn’t appear until around 2017!

2: This is a funny question because it’s fluctuated throughout the years. I had always drifted between having Kitsu as my representation of me, and then feeling weird about it and making another character that would fill that role. Over the past few years they have become that true representation of myself- HOWEVER.

The roleplay world Kitsu is a version of Kitsu that is a bit different than myself. I’ve taken a lot of my own life experiences and feelings and given them to Kitsu, but at the same time, they do a lot of stuff I would simply not do. (Such as drink or smoke.) The version you see of kitsu is not me directly, however, I’d deem them pretty close. They’re absolutely more of what I wish I could be.

3: This blog is my first real time that I’ve used Kitsu as a character VS a representation of myself. I still draw and write vents using them in place of myself, being that they are in some ways, me. So uh, less than a month technically 😅 I’m still coming up with a lot of things about them as I go along.

As for them being my favorite character? It’s hard to say- I have a lot of really cool and creative characters that have a lot of TLC put into them, but I always find myself returning back to this silly blue fox. So yes, I’d say they are. Most interesting? Probably not, but it depends on what people think.

4: Kitsu is, like I said before, somewhat of a more idealized version of myself. I envy their ability to be self sufficient and live on their own, hold a job and go to college at the same time. They’re also a lot more patient than I am, something of which I should absolutely take notes from.

Besides being a fluffy fox? They can also somewhat hold their liquor and smoke without consequences. I don’t drink or smoke irl, and I have no real interest in doing either. It’s just a fun thing to have them do every once and awhile.

There’s a lot more going on personality wise that I wish that I had from them, but I won’t go into that or else this would be the length of the “color of the sky” post.

Thank you for the questions! 💜

Bonus answer for a question you never asked:

Kitsu came before I started calling myself Kit. I liked being called Kitsu online so much that when I came out as non-binary, I just decided it would be easiest to call myself Kit. Rather fond of the name, people tell me it suits me quite well.

[thegoodceai]

Five players wow! Thats a lot to convert to the "Devil's Game" I love that, congrats! From the handful of games I've gotten to play, I've flipped back and forth between using content that I've made for Stories and using the things that happened to place in the Stories; have you gotten to flesh out more of your fantasy adventure through dnd or vice versa?

Yesss, IF so goood. I'm definitely gonna check out those, I've had Project Hadea cross my dash a couple of times but as always know Of things not what they're about, but if u like em I definitely gotta check em out ^-^. The Passenger was a surprise hit for me, I personally suck at replaying for multiple endings/routes but that one I definitely wanna.

Ayyo! Nice! Even if nothings out yet, I still know it takes a lot of effort and ye is hard to even work up the confidence to put it out there, so I'm proud of you! I can't wait! If nothing else you'll have at least one fan, and it's always good even if you're just making it for yourself <3. Woulddd/have you considered making it an IF or do you have a more 'linear' story in mind?

Oooo nioce! I've saved scummed, and crash and stuck in sidestep is Rough, omg the good/bad angst lol. I've played twice but keep being 'too bad' for folks to want to bust sidestep out lul. I loveee reluctant villains, they're so good. I'm a big fan of playing sidestep as 'fated' but reluctant, like feels they can't stop but wants someone (cough ortega) to stop them. I've tiptoed into the fully evil sidestep, it's veryyyy rough but if you love angst I highly recommend, oh jeez just the reactions.

I feel u lol. We tend to name pets along with food names, but the hilarity of a Cat named like Kevin is just too great. Clementine is a beautiful name and a dumb orange cat would be grateful to have it lol.

Ahh fair enough. It sounds like it was a good series for the time, at the very least a good stepping stone and formative! I'm interested to see how much that might be reflected in your own writing. At the very least, thank you for sharing how important it is/was to you <3 :))).

Again thank yew for answering my questions and replying to all my paragraphs with paragraphs lol

asdfaf yeah, i love my friends to death but they are Chaotic players. it's been a journey. if nothing else, i've learned quite a bit of improv, and fleshing out our homebrew setting helped me organize my writing quite a bit (especially my outlines). for the most part, i try to keep stuff separate tho, even if sometimes some things bleed over (like, NPC traits, or city structures or stuff like that), but the stories are completely different in both the general setting, and the vibes.

Project Hadea just updated and i read it last night and. god. so good. definitely check it out.

it started out as a linear story, and mostly for fun, but the more i added to it, the more other possible outcomes and scenarios started to make themselves known and. i am kinda considering making it into IF format. idk yet, i am waiting to have it more fleshed out (like, actually written, not just outlines and bulletpoints and scenes that aren't yet tied to each other)

aaaah the good angst. i will definitely play an evil route with sidestep. hopefully soon, i started replaying Baldur's Gate again and the Hyperfixation is. very strong.

unfortunately naming pets with human names seems to start to be a tradition with my friends. we already have a cat in the group named Mike (he truly is the definition of no thoughts, head empty. i love my furry nephew so much). some other friends recently rescued a stray kitty and named her Maia (which we all know several people with that name). the other pets that are relatively close to the group are either named after food, or have very literal cat and dog names (my aunt got a cat and she named him Motan. which is just "male cat" in romanian. truly like naming your cat Cat)

thank u for being so indulging lol <3 it's been fun to rant with someone on this hellsite again 🖤🖤🖤

[shotorozu]

their favorite clothes

— .｡*ﾟ+.*.｡ 2.5k followers milestone

character(s) : multiple characters (bnha)

legend : [Y/N = your name] gender neutral— they/them pronouns, quirk not mentioned

headcanon type : fluff, spice if you squint but not nsfw (x reader)

note(s) : this is what would be their favorite clothes (that they own) on you. thank you all for 2.5k 🤍 also im so sorry for the lack of posts, and im gonna be real about this— it was my writer’s block 💀 good news, it’s gone now :)

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

midoriya izuku

↛ honorable mention — his hero costume

↛ he absolutely loves it when you wear his shirts, like— i’m sure you know which one im talking about. the one that says ‘t シャツ’ i don’t know! his fashion sense isn’t the MOST fashionable, and the t-shirt itself isn’t very appealing to most eyes, but he absolutely adores how it looks on you. look, you can be the tallest being on this earth, to the point it makes his shirt look like a crop top on you, or you could be literally 4’5 and make the shirt look like a dress, he doesn’t care at all. he just loves how it looks on you, it makes him feel all warm on the inside, kinda like a *heart squeeze* moment, y’know? and no, there’s no exaggeration. he’ll just stop, and look at you when you wear his shirt. it’s just so personal, and he loves it.

bakugou katsuki

↛ honorable mention — though sweaty, his hero costume, and literally any other piece of clothing he has.

↛ then again, you could literally wear any kind of clothing of his, and you could have a ring adorning that finger of yours by the end of the day. he likes to pretend he’s absolutely not infatuated by the way his clothes look on you. if you force him to say what’s his favorite, he’ll mutter out ‘black tanktop’ because how could he not say that?? have you seen how delectable you look in that tanktop of his? it’s a surefire way to render him speechless, from the moment you walk into the room, to the moment you leave it— those gorgeous red irises will be on you. similar to midoriya, katsuki doesn’t care if you’re tall or short— just,,, wear his clothes, and if you want to seal in the future, then the black tanktop is the way to go. because he’ll probably get mad at you if you don’t wear his clothes to bed

todoroki shouto

↛ honorable mention — shouto’s button up shirt from his old hero costume, even though his old hero costume was HIDEOUS

↛ in his opinion, he loves anything on you (yeah, even a trashbag) but he does really love how you wear his turtle neck, he loves the fit. how it either loosely fits on you, or how it snuggly hugs your form— it really doesn’t matter. anything you wear would look really high end in his opinion, quite literally anything. but his black turtle neck really takes the cake. oh boy, when he saw you wear it for the first time, he froze up and almost charred his feet, cheeks firing up a warm red to match his scar. he has the money to buy a bunch of replicas of that exact black turtle neck, and he could give it to you but,, no. how could he do that? how do you look absolutely stunning in such a simple turtle neck? he doesn’t really know. anyways! he eventually ends up unofficially making the turtle neck yours, and he only wears it when he needs to douse his scent into the fabric once more— when it has almost completely faded away.

kirishima eijirou

↛ honorable mention — i wouldn’t say there’s an honorable mention, since he’s extremely loyal to his statements.

↛ his boxers. there, i’ve said it— and wait for a sec, let me explain. it’s not what you think, and you’d expect it to be like that but no, it’s not. at first, he thought you looked great in something simple as his sweater, or shirts but you were running out of clothes during laundry day— so you rummaged through your boyfriend’s clothing drawer, and pulled out a pair of red boxers, with black trimming. when he saw it peaking under your oversized shirt, he swear he saw the heavens. and from that moment on, you found yourself frequently wearing his boxers, but more specifically that pair. no, i’m serious— eijirou will get all pouty if you actually don’t wear his boxers, even when most of them are in the laundry. why does he like them so much? hm,, maybe it’s the security, and knowing that he’ll be the only one to see you in his boxers.

kaminari denki

↛ honorable mention — his boxers but you say no because he’s quite gross about it 🤢 anyways,

↛ his shorts. yes, they’re not the same as his boxers, but they’re the kind of shorts that you lounge in. now, i know you thought i was going to say “ooo he’s love to see you in a sweater with a lighting bolt embroidered in the middle!!”but then, the thing with these shorts was that he’s literally had them since he was in what,, the end of middle school im surprised they still fit, but they’re so dear to him? in a way that seeing you in those exact shorts makes his heart stop— only for it to start up again. thing with these shorts is that they’re oddly so,, pretty? i mean, his wardrobe is so questionable, but these shorts? there’s a mini reflective lighting bolt logo imprinted on the corner of the shorts. so quite literally, you’re seen with these shorts a lot— and the bakusquad give him hell for that 💀

monoma neito

↛ honorable mention — uh,, he does say that he ‘doesn’t know what you’re talking about! i don’t have more favorites on Y/N’ but you know damn well he does have more than one

↛ his hero costume, because well,, it’s very fashionable! but it doesn’t really look like he’s such a big fan of the entire ‘i wear your clothes!’ thing. because his clothes are his clothes, and your clothes look good on you anyway, end of the story! but if you do force him to say anything, he’ll admit that he does love seeing you in his hero costume. neito once walked in on you wearing his hero costume, and as to be expected— he made fun of you, but he did really like how it looked on you. but i suppose that’s the power you have on him, and he’ll admit it when he wants to, otherwise— he’s just teasing you for now. but pls wear it :,) he’ll basically be at your feet for the entire time

shinsou hitoshi

↛ honorable mention — a black sweater that has a silhouette of a purple cat printed at the center. it’s his favorite sweater, that’s why.

↛ his sweatpants. you and hitoshi had to switch clothes for a dare at a sleepover, and when he saw you in his lounging sweatpants, that’s what did him in. ever since then, he’s been quite obsessed with seeing you in them. hitoshi could care less about the sizing aspect, he just loves seeing you in his sweatpants— and it is quite a treat to come back from an especially gnarly day at school, and to be greeted by you lounging in his clothes, ‘instant recharge’ he says. he finds himself toying with the string of the sweatpants, when you’re on his lap, pressing kisses on his cheeks. anyways— if you want to kill him even more, then you should wear his sweater AND his sweatpants. he might as well just lock you in his room for him to keep forever (he’s not serious about that.) but it does surprise some people, because they never would’ve expected shinsou hitoshi to be the clingy/needy type. but you’re the only one that gets to see it indoors.

amajiki tamaki

↛ honorable mention — his button up shirt, i’m sure theres a gif of him wearing one in the anime somewhere, and i hope you know what i mean

↛ not really a clothing article he wears on the daily, but his cape. omg his cape. he sort of glitched out when he came back from interning, and saw you snuggling on the couch with his cape. like,, are you trying to unalive him? and he’s not slick about it either— everytime he comes back, and sees you using his cape as a blanket, draped over your shoulders, he nearly faints. it’s that intense, that’s why nejire and mirio brought his hero costume’s cape and gave it to you when it was time to sleep— he couldn’t get a wink of sleep because of the image of you with his cape, ugh! anyways, he does manage to leave it with you when he has to go away for a bit, because it says that it’s almost like he’s there with you. tamaki usually has to scramble on why he doesn’t have his usual cape.

»»————-　♡　————-««

likes and reblogs are appreciated, thanks for reading!

i do not own bnha/mha and it’s characters. boku no hero academia/my hero academia belongs to horikoshi kohei, i only own the writing and i do not profit off of my hobby

do not plagiarize, reupload, translate, or use my works for audio readings without permission

[husbandohunter]

Stardew Impact [Genshin+Stardew Valley/xReader]

Part 1/3 Kaeya, Diluc

Synopsis: “A mysterious phenomenon brought you and your s/o to an unfamiliar world: Pelican Town! Without the power of Visions, the two of you begin to learn the life of what it takes to be...a farmer?”

(DOMESTIC FARM LIFE YIP YIP)

Coming soon...

Albedo and Childe

Zhongli and Xiao

(A/N): So the brainrot was real in this one. I planned to add Albedo for a Mondstadt edition but kinda went overboard so I gotta split this one into parts too. Wordcount_almost 2k spspspsp

______________________________________________________

Diluc

• Already has the whole year planned in his head. Literally if Diluc were to play this game, he'd have a booming farm within year ONE. Calm and collected through and through, though the new environment raises alot of questions, as long as you were still with him, Diluc ain't complaining

• The town welcomes you two with open arms. It was all thanks to the attire. Diluc wore his usual dark coat adorned with regal gold while you had a dress made of Liyue's finest silk, one that he bought for you. Needless to stay both of you reeked the aura of rich aristocrats (Mayor Lewis is pleased that greedy bastard)

• Once the farm was permitted to your owndership, Diluc began to think of ways to turn it into a vineyard. He was a businessman afterall. Although the staff back at the Dawn Winery were the ones who tended the field, Diluc still knew a few things about planting due to his childhood days Master Crepus would bring him out to their yard and demonstrated the process of gardening. He still remembers those days clearly, doing the very same this moment with you.

• Occasionally works at the Saloon bar. It was the perfect opportunity. As you took care of the farm side, Diluc continues to look for more ways to increase the income while gathering information from the folks around town. Gus LOVES to have him over, like he's just so efficient and reliable! They soon become good friends saying if Diluc were ever to own a wine stock, he would gladly buy from him.

• This is why Diluc would stay a little later due to just chatting with the people from the bar. One time you walked into the Saloon only to the front desk with Emily alone. Turns out the others were in the other room, too busy playing a game of pool. You decided to leave him be since it was rare to have Diluc so relaxed in leisure activities. Thus in the end, you spent your time chatting with Emily until a whole hour has passed before your lover notices and apologizes for losing track of time.

• Everything felt like a dream because it was his dream. To live a life undisturbed from chaos, his duties and the dangers that lurk in Teyvat, Diluc grew fond of the domesticity. There was nothing he loved more than to spend his hours by your side, day after day, returning home to your freshly handmade meals.

• Spring: Already up and early planting the parnersnips (I'm very soft for gardener Diluc you see). What do you expect from a workaholic? Even during his leisure time you would often find him near some plant as he does consider this hobby quite therapeutic. But when it rains, Diluc would be standing beside you with an arm around your shoulder, smiling contently as you lean into his touch. He gazes through the dripping window and silently admires the current progress you both made on the farm.

• Between the two annual spring festivities, I would say the flower dance. Diluc is a private man and would prefer to take things where no eyes were on sight. But with a little bit of nudging from Gus (your wingman), he gives in and leads you to the center stage. Elegant. Graceful. The way you two moved together became the talk of the event. Though, Diluc was already used to people staring by now, all he needed to do was to ignore them and keep his focus on you.

• Summer: No blankets in bed. Nope, its bloody hot in Pelican Town. He tends to stay indoors or anywhere with shade, in other words, his work hours in the Saloon increased.

• Diluc always has a nice cold drink prepared for you if by any chance you were to pay a visit after a whole day of labour. It's a habit he's made subconciously as if it would be a natural occurance for you to enter the door. His colleagues would ask him who did he make that drink for? Honestly so cute i cri

• Moments like these remind him of Mondstadt, where he quietly wipes the glasses while listening to you talk. Your voice is soothing. Sun rays peek from the side casting onto the umber tables, reflecting a rich golden light as the radio plays a soft song in the background. It's so peaceful, the town was small hence not many people visited the bar, Diluc came to appreciate this warm privacy (plus no Venti and Kaeya which is a huge pog realization).

• Autumn: Harvest time baby. The kegs are full and the sheds are full of kegs. This season was huge stonks and the house ended up getting an upgrade. Diluc is the type of man who wants to make sure that his spouse wouldn't have to work another day of her life. I reckon this is why he's so ambitious because he wants you to have the best and you deserve the best. (Husband material. Slap a ring on him ladies).

When there was no more work left to do, time would be spend peacefully exploring the woods. While you skipped a few steps ahead as the leaves crunched beneath your feets, Diluc follows slowly from behind. He sees your back but his eyes stares somewhere far beyond whats in front of him: His future. 

It was such a stark contrast to the one he envisioned before. One filled with uncertaintly, blocked by darkness with no silver lining in sight, endlessly wandering as he drags the claymore against the ground. There was never a day in which the Darknight hero wouldn't think of Mondstadt. Leaving the city in the incompetent hands of Ordo Favonious while Abyss Mages continue to lurk fuels him to find a way to return as soon as possible and yet...

"Higher big sis!" Jas tightens her hold on the ropes as you pushed the swing with all your might. She laughs, like a child, it was full of innocence and joy. Later Vincent came in and nugdes you, asking when his turn will come.

"You wanna go too? Alright alright don't worry," waiting for Jas to come down, you lift the boy up so that he was seated safely on the chair, "3..2..1 go!"

He wonders if he could just be a little selfish for once.

• Winter: Best man to have in this season. Every morning Diluc would find himself restricted in movements due to a pair of arms around his waist and legs entangled with yours. Turns out you've been doing it subconciously because he's just so warm (Diluc keeps it lowkey and pretends to sleep longer cuz of it)

~~xx~~

Kaeya

• Haha looks like the portal is gone, guess we'll be stuck forever :)). No kidding Kaeya would be so down to stay here for the rest of his life and the best part is to spend it with you. He doesn't show a shred of concern regarding Teyvat, not like he's easily shaken by events that are abnormal, but you can see that Kaeya is truly and genuinely happy. (You're stunned).

• Oho we also have this marvelous landscape just for the two of us? And a cozy little cabin to go along with it as well? This should be fun~ 

• Of course Kaeya would also know a few things about planting, just the basics since he did grow up with Diluc. When they were kids, Crepus would give each of them their own pots so they can grow their own plants. It eventually became a competitive thing where whoever's plant grows the fastest gets to eat the other person's dessert for a year (no one wins. They end up sabotaging each other which Diluc started first, thinking it'll be funny as a joke).

• You are, and will be going on dates with him. In fact, the amount of dates you two went on increased since then. The townspeople would call you two "lovebirds" since he's practically by your side 24/7. 

• I mean he doesn't have the responsibilities as a Cavalry Captain anymore so what else is there to do?

• Would attend all annual events no matter what season. 

• Evelyn constantly gushes how much of a wonderful pair you and Kaeya make and often is the one who provides Kaeya a fresh bouqet of flowers for him to use as a gift. George on the otherhand just rolled his eyes mumbling something along the lines of "youngsters these days" and "crazy hormones."

• Befriends Pam. Love for beer plus somewhat cynical attitude? They get along real swell! She starts sending some recipes into the mailbox of course saying if yall ever need a hand, let her know.

• Spring: I can see Kaeya be switching back and forth between caring for the farm or taking quests posted on Pierre's bulletin board. He likes to keep things interesting, learning the ways of the new world while also getting to know the people around town.

• Would NOT return Mayor Lewis' shorts in which he found in Marnie's room. It's such high quality blackmail material. Kaeya is currently plotting what is the best way to use it to his advantage.

• He didn't tell you of course.

• Summer: There are no blankets because he is your blanket. Since your cabin was small so was the bed. That's why he has to hold you so that no one falls off when rolling over. Either he hugs you with your nose close to his neck, or your back against his chest while spooning you or holding hands if sleeping on your sides became too much. Yall need a serious house upgrade.

• For some reason Kaeya becomes more energetic in the summer. He lets you rest in the shade while handling the farm work for the time being. If you guys got a pet it would be a cat. Hes the first one to refill their bowl every morning outside.

Another day passes as summer comes to an end, the town’s Mayor invited you and your lover to see the annual Dance Of the Moonlight Jellies. Kaeya being the opportunist was delighted to come along. Locking the door of your house, you follow him down the path and made your way to the beach.

Everyone from town was already gathered by the docks when the sun had disappeared down the horizon. You stood by his side in a space far from the others, watching  the candle boats set off to ride the waves, lighting up a small ray of light for creatures to find. 

“Wow,” your tone almost above a whisper, “If only our friends back home could see this too.”

“Perhaps,” he says. Kaeya slips his fingers into yours and you shot him a curious glance, “But let us enjoy this moment shall we? Just the two of us.”

And there they were. A sea of luminescence radiating colours of brilliant blue with hints of green like a city of laterns floating in a world below. Their image reflects in the star of Kaeya's eyes as he wonders, where would they go? Where would the light lead them? They were so free with nothing to worry, so serene just like the sea and unknowningly, he squeezes your hand. It was a sense for confirmation. One to remind him that this moment was indeed a reality he wishes to keep.

Autumn: Finally a house upgrade and a kitchen!! Because it was harvest season, you guys end up making a set of delicious meals with all the recipes the townspeople gave you. Kaeya can cook since he lived by himself back in Mondstadt. Most of the stuff he learned to make were food that can be accompanied by alcohol though...

• Ahah remember Mayor Lewis' lucky shorts? He found a use for them. It was displayed on the stands during the Stardew Valley Fair (Oh my how did this get here? Must be the wind). Ends up buying a Rarecrow for the farm when Lewis bribes him not to tell this to anyone.

Winter: This was mostly an indoor season for the both of you. With the existence of television, nights would be spent until morning while watching movies at the couch. A blanket drapes around your shoulders as extends to his.  Oh and don't forget the hot chocolate! 

[samuel-de-champagne-problems]

Honest and Truly

Summary: Spencer has his prom 10 years late, but none of that matters when it's with the girl of his dreams.

Word Count: 4.8 k

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female (She/Her)-- Fluff

CW: Minimal vulgar language (PG-13)

Author's Note: This just might be my most favorite thing I've written in a very long time :) Also listen to the song I linked, it makes the title and the ending make more sense! thank you to @spookydrreid and @writhingintheroses for helping me a particular scene!!

Add yourself to my taglist! It makes it much easier for me :)

Honest and Truly

“A prom?” Spencer asks, realizing that the conversation had entered uncharted territory, a territory in which he had not a single clue how to navigate. Spencer, being a preteen in high school, never attended prom.

“Yes, Reid. A prom,” Penelope says, staring at him over the many monitors and stuffed cats that littered her desk, “It’s going to be so much fun!” she says, excitedly.

“That sounds like, uh, I’ll have plans that night,” Spencer tells Penelope, spinning around in the swivel chair as he eats his turkey and cheese sandwich. He usually enjoys their lunches together, but when Penelope gets an idea in her head, there’s no stopping her.

@s“Now I don’t believe that for a second, Reid. The only time that you have plans is when you’re with Y/N. And Y/N is going to be at this prom,” Garcia says, her pink glasses sliding down her nose. She winks at Reid, almost like she enjoys watching him squirm.

“How do you know that she’s going? Did she say she’s going?” Spencer asks, unable to conceal his eagerness that Y/N could be attending. Spencer might hate dancing and those fancy shoes that are too tight on his toes, but all that can be talked away if Y/N is there.

“Yes, she’s going because you’re asking her. That and I’m making everyone go,” Penelope says matter of factly.

Spencer opens his mouth, attempting to talk away Penelope’s suggestion. But Spencer Reid is a smart man and he knows better than trying to argue his way out with Penelope. Especially when it comes to Y/N. He might have an excellent poker face, but Spencer can’t hide his love for Y/N.

“I’m not going to ask her. You know she’ll think it’s because-” Spencer says, prepping for a long winded rant before the door of Penelope’s office swings open.

Y/N, with two coffees in hand, floats into the room like she’s walking on air. Or maybe it’s Spencer’s mind that’s floating when Y/N walks in. He can never tell. Whenever he’s near her, it’s like everything is sweeter, lighter and airier. Wordlessly, she passes the coffee to Spencer. Feeling her fingertips graze his reminds him of how pathetic he must be. He nods, telling her thanks, knowing that he’s unable to fully articulate just how grateful he is for the littlest things.

“Who are you not going to ask and to where, Spence?” Y/N says, leaning against the filing cabinets and sipping her coffee. Penelope, never one to be quiet, silently watches as Spencer and Y/N converse. Spencer looks up at her, feeling that light and airy feeling again. He brushes his hair that falls against his forehead nervously thinking of an answer.

“I- uh, I was thinking of asking my mother to come stay with me for a couple of weeks. You know, she hasn’t seen DC in a couple of years. And I do have some personal days banked,” Spencer says, telling Y/N a small white lie.

“She’s in Vegas, right?” Y/N asks, interested in what Spencer is saying, which is something that he’s still not used to. Spencer nods, smiling awkwardly.

“Yeah, she says that she likes the heat,” Spencer says, hating how formal and cold the conversation sounds. It’s normally flowing with easy and familiarity, but something is wedged between them. Penelope, long forgotten by the pair, types rapidly on her keyboard.

“You know, Spence. If you’re up for it maybe we can have lunch or meet at Elmwood Park. I’d love to meet the woman that made my favorite person,” she says, staring directly into Spencer’s eyes. Her stare is so intense that it’s like she’s looking into his soul. He thinks that if she looks deep enough she’ll see her own reflection because his soul belongs to her.

“I-I uh,” Spencer says, immediately thinking that he should actually invite his mother out for a visit, “I think that’s a good idea. She likes the sites and all,” he tells her nervously, trying to ease his beating heart.

He’s her favorite person.

Out of all the people in this city, this world. He’s her favorite person. Spencer, a lover of math, is tempted to figure out the odds of being his favorite person’s favorite person. He knows it’s slim. He knows it’s rare. It’s something magical and Spencer is terrified he’s going to ruin it. He’s terrified he’s going to fuck something up that’s not even his.

“It’s a date,” Y/N says, turning to Penelope, who’s still long forgotten, “Oh, Penny, you need to yell at Morgan for me. He ate my leftovers,” she tells Penelope, who feigns horror, “And now I don’t have lunch”

“How dare he!” Penelope says, her exaggerated response inciting chuckles, “he can get away with murder because he’s pretty,” she says, shaking her head.

He knows that she’s pretending to be disappointed, but he still doesn’t like to see it. Spencer unwraps the other half of his turkey and cheese sandwich and hands it to Y/N. She looks surprised, as if Spencer just handed her a million bucks.

“Spence, you don’t have to,” Y/N says, softly, handing back the half of the sandwich, “It’s your sandwich, I don’t want you to feel-”

“Eat it, Y/N,” Spencer says firmly, looking straight at Y/N, “You need to eat something. We both live off coffee as it is,” he says, hoping that Y/N will take the sandwich.

He’s looking straight at her and she’s looking straight at him. Spencer wonders if he looks deep enough he’ll reach her soul. He dares to think that if he can find her soul, he’ll stare at his face. He’s her favorite person after all, that’s got to count for something.

“Thanks, Spence,” Y/N says, smiling softly, “You make the best sandwiches,” she tells him, taking a bite of the sandwich as Garcia’s eyes flit from Spencer to Y/N. Back and forth, she watches the pair engage in the world’s best miscommunication.

“Y/N, did you hear? I’m throwing a prom!” Garcia says excitedly, hoping that Y/N’s reaction will be more enthusiastic than Spencer’s.

“A prom?” Y/N asks, unconvincingly, “God, I hated my prom. I got punched spilled all over my dress and my date tried to sneak alcohol into the banquet hall. It was a shitshow,” Y/N says, remembering the less than happy memories from high school.

“I didn’t go to prom. You know, between being a 12 year old and a dork,” Spencer says, self deprecatingly, “It’s not the ideal scenario, but I am familiar with the cultural significance of proms in American high school,” Spencer says, speaking to no one in particular, yet looking at Y/N directly.

“Maybe we’ll both get the prom night we deserve, Spence,” Y/N offers, tossing out her wax paper wrapper. She walks past him and it’s like the air is sweeter. He believes in science, but loves magic. Y/N is magic.

“Maybe,” Spencer says, refusing to make eye contact with Penelope, “you know, sorry to uh, cut this short. I have some paperwork to finish. Hotch’s been on me all day about it. So, uh, see you later,” he says, walking out of Penelope's office like a bat out of hell.

He tries to ignore the knowing stares from Penelope and Y/N’s confusion as he ducks out and walks into the bullpen. Spencer doesn’t have paperwork. He finished all his paperwork by 11:12 am. But what Spencer does have is a flight from Vegas to Quantico to book.

And prom shopping.

___

As it turns out, Spencer doesn’t know much about teenage American culture. Sure he’s seen 90s movies that Y/N forced him to watch. But it was quite difficult to pay attention when all he could feel was Y/N’s fingers brushing up against his in their shared bucket of popcorn or her head laying against his shoulder when she got tired.

He doesn’t know much of anything when it comes to romance. But he knows that he loves Y/N— and hopefully that’s enough. He still hasn’t asked her if she’d go with him. Honestly, he’s not too sure why he even has to ask her in the first place. She’s going to be there already, but Garcia and Morgan convinced him that it’s part of the so-called “Prom Experience”

“Spence,” Y/N says, she’s perched on the tall bar stool and rests her elbows on her kitchen island, “did you find a suit yet? I was thinking that we can go to that vintage store on Rock Ave. They have a surprisingly good size selection, and I think that this whole vintage thing fits your aesthetic really well,”

“My aesthetic?” Spencer questions, again lost at sea.

“You know, you’re like nerdy chic. Equal parts dorky and equal parts handsome,” she tells him. He feels his cheeks burn at her words.

Handsome

“I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not,” Spencer says, eyeing Y/N over the rim of his hot coffee.

“It is,” Y/N says like it’s the easiest thing in the world. Like him being handsome is just as obvious as him being dorky, “And get your wallet. We’re going to the vintage store,”

Spencer has a hate-love relationship with weekends. He loves spending time with Y/N where it was so easy to pretend that she loves him as he loves her. He hates the weekends for the same reason he loves them. Spencer knows that it’s all fake. It’s a façade of the truth.

“Spence! You’d look great in this,” Y/N suggests, holding up a gray sports coat, “I think it will match your eyes perfectly,”

“If you think so, Y/N,” Spencer says, nodding his head in agreement. She continues eyeing him as if she’s imagining what he’d look like in the jacket. He has to admit, it’s a very nice jacket.

“Come on, Spence. There’s a mirror over in the corner. Try it on for me,” she requests and not even a second later Spencer finds himself being dragged by the hand to try on the suit jacket.

Y/N holds the jacket open for him as he slips it on through his arms. He’s surprised to realize that it fits perfectly. He looks into the mirror, staring at his face and Y/N, who tugs and smooths the jacket. Spencer can’t look too much longer because if he does the lines between reality and fantasy will be difficult to distinguish. As much as he wants to stare into the mirror all day long, pretending that this is real, he much rather it actually be real. But wishing and dreaming only ends up with battle wounds and broken hearts.

“You look very handsome, Spencer. Very handsome,” Y/N says, staring into the mirror too now. But she’s not looking at the jacket, she’s looking at him. The beat of silence lasts longer than what’s comfortable, “Um, I think, I saw some pants that would look good on you, with this jacket, I mean,” she says, stumbling over her words. She’s not looking in the mirror any more, her gaze is noticeably away from Spencer and the mirror.

“Okay, uh, whatever you think, Y/N,” Spencer says, “I’m not even sure why I agreed to this thing. I don’t dance,” he says, regretting his choice to go to Penelope’s prom, but feeling guilty for maybe disappointing Y/N all in one breath.

“Did you ask her yet?” Y/N asks, holding up a pair of similarly gray colored pants. She must notice his confusion, “You know Austin, the woman you heroically saved. Does any of it ring a bell, Spence?” Y/N teases. Spencer feels his cheeks burn and his heart tighten, that happens a lot around Y/N.

“Oh Austin, uh no. She wasn’t interested in me, after all,” Spencer says, shifting his weight and staring at his converse, “I mean, I should have seen it coming. It’s transference, that’s like Psych 101,” he says, feeling strange. It was odd when Austin broke up with him, even if you can consider it breaking up. He felt a strange sense of relief when it happened, like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

Y/N clicks her tongue in annoyance as she walks over to Spencer. Tugging slightly on the sleeves of the jacket she says, “well she’s not as smart as I thought she was. You have to be a complete fool to let someone like you go,” she says quietly. She’s standing too close, looking too beautiful, and seeming too perfect for Spencer to not be completely enamoured.

Then it breaks, like shattered glass. The rosey glasses are lifted, leaving only cheeks that sting with nervousness and hearts the yearn for something a little more tangible.

“Stop staring at me and go try it on,” Y/N says, handing him the pair of pants, “Oh and I’m going to look for a vest and a tie to match. This store is unbelievable,” she tells him, pushing him into the makeshift dressing room.

Spencer puts on the pants, which fit, despite being maybe an inch or two loose in the waist. He looks into the tall mirror, which is noticeably empty without Y/N standing with him. A floating hand, belonging to Y/N appears. She holds a burgundy tie and a dark brown vest, both of which are very Spencer. He smiles slightly, strangely happy that Y/N has picked something out that’s perfect for him.

“Tell me when you’re decent,” she says, her voice muffled by the curtain that separates them. He sticks his head out of the curtain, his eyes immediately finding Y/N’s.

“Ohh, Spence, you look amazing. Very handsome,” she says, her hands clasped around the tie, tugging just like she did with his suit jacket before, “What do you think?” she asks, looking at him curiously.

“It’s nice,” Spencer offers, approaching this like he does everything: cautiously, “I do like the texture,” he says, running his hands up and down the sleeves of the jacket.

“You look more than nice, Spence. I know I’ve said it like 30 times, but you look very handsome,” she says. Spencer hopes that she means it. He needs something to be real. Sometimes besides what he feels, because what he feels is the realest thing in the world.

“It’s nice to hear,” Spencer says, “you know from someone who’s not my mother,” he jokes, shrugging off the jacket and grabbing the hanger from Y/N.

“You deserve to hear it,” Y/N says so softly Spencer wonders if she’s saying it all. That beat of silence, followed by the awkwardness is back.

“So, uh, I saw a dress that I’m going to try on,” Y/N tells him, her gaze shifting everywhere but Spencer’s eyes.

“I’ll go pay for this,” Spencer says, walking back into the dressing room and the mirror that lies to his face.

___

Back in Y/N’s car, Spencer shifts in the passenger seat trying to find a way to sit comfortably while holding his suit jacket, pants and vest. Y/N hangs up her dress, that’s wrapped in a gown bag. She wouldn’t let Spencer see the dress, despite her practically picking out his entire outfit.

“So what’s next,” Spencer asks, as Y/N gets into the car. She smiles over at him sheepishly, leading Spencer to think she’s got another trick up her sleeve.

“I’ve got a confession, Spence. And please don’t hate me for it,” Y/N says, her voice coming out a little nervous as she eyes Spencer.

“I don’t think I could ever hate you, even if I tried. And I’m certain I’ll never have to,” he says softly, resting his hand over hers on the console. He rubs the back of her hand gently, thinking about just how easy things are with her. If he could only be a little braver, maybe then the mirror wouldn’t be so empty.

“Okay. I knew that things didn’t work out with you and Austin. I overheard you telling Derek,” Y/N confesses, “And I know that it makes me a horrible friend or whatever, but I’m sorry that I eavesdropped,”

“Oh, uh how much did you hear?” Spencer asks, suddenly quite nervous. He can feel his heart drop, waiting for the moment when Y/N laughs at the thought of her loving him. He knows that it’s not fair to her, but then again all is fair is love and war.

“Enough to know that you’re still hung up or or someone else. I left once my conscience got the better of me. Once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout,” she says, making the three finger salute that’s common in scouting, “I just wanted to hear it from you, you know you’re my favorite person and all,” she says, a frown forming.

“I think, uh,” Spencer says, “That I was just a little embarrassed. You know how Derek and Penelope and Emily and JJ can get. It’s basically just you and Hotch who aren’t jumping down my throat about being, you know, alone,” he says, chuckling awkwardly.

“They just want to help you, Spence. In their own ways, but I’m always on Team Spencer. You never got to worry about that,” Y/N offers, squeezing his hand.

He considers what she says, not responding verbally, but nodding his head. He hasn’t ever had someone on his “team”, so it’s strange. But a good kind of strange.

“Spence, you okay? I wanted to give you something. To be truthful, I’ve been thinking about how I was going to do this for awhile,”

“Ask me what?” he questions, wondering what she has in store. He watches as Y/N rummages in his bag, clearly looking for something. He’s thoroughly confused when she pulls out a TI-84.

“What on earth?” Spencer says, as she places the calculator in his hands. Her sly grin, beaming up at him only further proves his point: his heart just beats faster around her.

“Just shut and press the on button. You’d think that a genius would know how to work a calculator,” she comments, rolling her eyes playfully.

“You know, I never used these. I can just do it in my head faster,” Spencer says, winking at Y/N when she pushes him teasingly.

“God, Spencer just turn it on!” she demands, very apparently getting more and more impatient.

He turns the calculator on and is brought to a green screen that has a picture of a graph. Spencer raises his eyebrow, as if to ask Y/N for the next direction.

“Press the graph button,” she says, getting quieter as Spencer looks at her.

He presses the button that she said to, waiting for whatever is supposed to happen. Spencer watches as the screen draws four black lines running parallel to each other. A curved line is drawn on the first two black lines, forming the letters “P” and “R”. The screen continues to draw, making an oval that looks like an “O” and the last two parallel lines are joined together with a “v” shape, forming the letter “M”. He takes a second glance, reading the 4 letter word slowly.

P-R-O-M

“Well?” she asks, waiting for his answer.

He’s speechless. Spencer blinks. It’s like his brain has stopped working. It’s a prom, a stupid prom that’s 10 years too late. But it’s the girl of dreams that’s asking him. And that’s the stuff those rom-coms he couldn’t pay attention to are made of.

“I mean, of course. Of course, Y/N,” Spencer says, dropping the calculator into the cup holder and leaning in to hug Y/N.

His heart stops again. Falling into that tricky habit of either speeding up or stopping when she’s around. He thinks he’s ready to implode when she pecks his cheek. Her lips don’t linger, hardly touching his skin for it to be considered a kiss.

“I don’t think I’d want to go with anyone else,” she says, mumbling into his skin. She seals his fate with her lips against his skin. Never again will Spencer imagine what it’s like to have her lips against his skin. Even though it’s a fraction of the time he’d want, it’s tattooed in his mind.

“I’m not much of a dancer, by the way,” Spencer says, reluctantly letting go and sitting back into the passenger’s seat, “so don’t expect too much,” he jokes.

“Oh you better watch it, Doctor Reid. I’m getting you on the dance floor, even if you hate it,” Y/N says, smiling as she backs out of the parking spot and turns into the street.

Spencer looks out the window, thinking to himself that there’s probably nothing he can hate if he’s doing it with Y/N.

--

Spencer didn’t go to prom in high school. He didn’t do a lot of the traditional things that most former high schoolers reminisce about at his age. He didn’t go to football games or have a best friend to make lifelong memories with.

He didn’t have any of that, until now.

But it’s prom night, 10 years late. His hands are sweaty and his mouth feels dry. Spencer wasn’t this nervous for even his first day at the BAU all those years ago. He tries to fix the burgundy tie that Y/N picked out at the vintage store. It looks crooked and twisted. Nothing like when Y/N tied perfectly in the store for him. He supposes that he can wait till she comes to pick him up.

The mirror, again, is noticeably empty without Y/N standing beside him. He can get lost in there, thinking about her standing with him. He does, because it feels like seconds later when he hears a rapid knocking on his apartment door.

Standing on the other side of the door is Y/N. She wears a sage green dress that looks like it’s made of softest silk. He smiles at her, not sure if he can trust his words. Spencer doesn’t think he’ll be able to do much thinking when all he can focus on is the tiny straps that rest on her shoulders or how the sage green compliments her skin tone.

“You look, god. You’re beautiful,” Spencer says, partly under his breath partly aloud to Y/N, “so beautiful,” he says again, focusing on her eyes.

“And you’re looking very dashing in that suit, Spence,” she says, pushing her way in, “do you need help with your tie?” she asks, looking at the tie he holds in his hand.

“Yes, please,” he says sheepishly. He holds out the burgundy colored tie, but takes his hand back as an idea crosses his mind, “oh wait here, I’ll be right back,” Spencer says, walking quickly to his bedroom.

“Alright,” Y/N says sceptically, “Don’t ditch me, Reid!” she calls out from the living room.

Spencer returns, hiding the new tie behind his back. He places an olive green tie with dusty blue and pink flowers in her hands. He notices her smile grow, realizing that he’s picking a new tie for a reason.

“I might not know much about prom, but I think that we’re supposed to match. You know, since we’re going together,” he offers, “but I need help putting it on,” he says.

“We’re going to match!” Y/N says excitedly. As she unbuttons the first button on Spencer’s cream colored shirt he holds his breath. He can’t breathe when she’s this close. Her fingers are quick and nimble as they feed the tie around his neck and elegantly create a knot. If Spencer wasn’t already in love, he knows that watching her eyes twinkle and her tongue poke out as she concentrates would make him declare it then and there.

“So handsome,” she says, using that quiet voice that makes it seem like she’s talking to herself rather than him, “I can’t wait to dance with you,” she tells him tugging the tie.

“I’m not going to be good, Y/N. I’m going to be a fool,” Spencer says, lamenting already about what an idiot he’s going to look like in front of Y/N.

“That’s nonsense, Spence,” Y/N says, waving him away with a toss of her hand, “You’re going to be the best dancer there,” she tells him rubbing her hand up and down his arm, like she did at the store.

“Would you believe it, if I told you I never danced with anyone?” Spencer says, being the most honest and true he’s ever been.

“We can change that,” Y/N says, stepping towards Spencer and linking her hand in his. She squeezes, restarting and stopping his heart all in one go, “oh wait we need music,” she says, feeling around for where her phone usually is.

“I got it,” Spencer says, stepping away from Y/N. He walks over to the small record player in the corner of his living room. He doesn’t play it too often, the records he has were once his mother’s and they’re too painful to play most days. But Spencer’s sure that he can make every exception to all his rules for Y/N. Maybe he’ll get some happy memories out of it.

“Going old school I see,” Y/N says, teasingly as Spencer walks over grabbing both his hands in hers, “everything about you is very charming, Doctor Reid,” she says, softly swaying to the jazzy tunes of Sarah Vaughan.

“I’m not too sure about that,” Spencer says, following Y/N’s lead as she floats around his living room, carrying him everywhere she goes. She rests her head against his chest and Spencer swears that she’s going to get a concussion from how hard his heart beats.

They’re alone, no audience to witness the moment that Spencer wonders if he can dare to call intimate. It’s intimate to him because every moment with Y/N is intimate. Maybe if someone had told Spencer that dancing like this could bring pure paradise all the way from your fingertips to your eyelashes, maybe he would have done it sooner.

“You’re quite the romantic, Spencer,” Y/N says as the song comes to a close. The record player stops, but they don’t stop swaying, “And you told me you couldn’t dance,” she scoffs lightly, with her head still resting against his chest.

“Is that okay with you?” He asks, “me being romantic,”

“I don’t think that I’d want it any other way, Spencer,” Y/N says, removing her head from his chest and her hand from his. She cups his face, touching him lightly. Y/N holds him like he aches to be held. It’s gentle and tender, yet leaves him desiring more.

“Honest?” Spencer asks, daring to be brave.

“Truly,” she responds.

Spencer shifted slightly, so he can also hold her face in his hands. Y/N drops her hands though, wrapping them around Spencer’s waist to pull them closer together. Spencer’s phantom fingers are like that dance around that dance around Y/N’s skin.

It’s Y/N that initiates the kiss. She moves in slowly and tenuously, looking just as nervous as Spencer is. He’s shaky slightly, the anticipation getting to his head when all he can see is Y/N’s eyes looking into his and all he can think about is how soft her skin is. It’s all he’s ever wanted to think about. Her lips are soft and pillowy.

But it’s more than that.

Kissing her is everything to Spencer. It’s the breathy sighs she lets out as he moves his hands and rests them securely behind her neck. It’s the peachy scent of her perfume that’s so sweet and strong it should be overwhelming when all it is, is intoxicating. Kissing her is dizzying and terrifying, but wonderful and sweet. He can’t tell where his lips start and where her’s end, but it doesn’t matter.

He doesn’t open his eyes because he knows he’s facing the mirror. But unlike before, he doesn’t need a mirror to know what he’s looking at. He can look into his soul for that.

“Very romantic,” Y/N says, smiling through the quick kisses she plants on his jawline, “I always thought you’d be a romantic,” he tells him.

Spencer brushes his thumb over Y/N’s bottom lip. It’s puffy and bitten from his kisses, but he thinks that it would be a shame to not bite and kiss it some more. He smiles so hard he knows that he’ll wake up in the morning and his mouth will hurt. But that’s the least of his worries if Y/N’s there to kiss it better.

“Honest?” Spencer says, calling back to the song, that’s now their song.

“Truly,”

---

TAGLIST (ADD YOURSELF HERE)

@shemarmooresfedora @willowrose99 @calm-and-doctor @spideygenius @measure-in-pain @nomajdetective @spencerreid9 @saspencereid @laurakirsten0502 @winifrede @muffin-cup @idonotexiste @pastelbabygirl19 @strawberryspence @g0lden-cth @spookydrreid

[nakachuchu]

Dreams | Shiki Senri

SYNOPSIS: AU where soulmates can see each other's dreams.

READER: female

WORDS: 1196

WRITTEN: 01/14/2021

NOTES: And the soulmate "series" has ended! Thank you for requesting @millennialxletters This was super fun! I think I just had trouble with Takuma for some reason lol. Feel free to request again!

You saw a beautiful woman on stage, acting out a scene to her heart's delight as people clapped for her.

The lighting was dark in the old club. The men were dressed in suits and the women were wearing thin dresses with pearls on their necks.

You looked down at your lap and moved your hands. Ah, your soulmate was dreaming again. Mirrors and reflections never existed in dreams, making it even harder to find out who your soulmate was.

Some people didn't have soulmates, but most did. Every night when someone who has a soulmate fell asleep, they would be lured into their soulmate's dreams and vice-versa.

You could tell your soulmate was a man. At least, you were 99% positive. The underlying one percent came from how pretty and slender his hands were, but after being in his body in his dreams for most of your life, you were certain.

You directed your attention back to the woman on stage. She was absolutely dazzling. Suddenly, your vision began to flicker.

It must be time to wake up.

The next time you blinked and opened your eyes, you were met with a familiar ceiling. Stretching your arms above your head, you sighed.

"Wanna sleep," you mumbled, rubbing at your eyes with your hands.

After getting ready and putting on your black uniform, you got ready for class while pushing thoughts of your soulmate away.

Your day went on as usual. You listened to lectures, ate lunch, went back to class, then got dismissed for the day and dragged away by Shindo to the courtyard at twilight where the Night Class would come out.

You didn't care much for them. You admitted they were attractive, but you'd rather finish your homework, then sleep as long as possible.

"Y/N, let's go closer!" urged Shindo.

"I'd rather not get stepped on by raging girls," you responded.

"Please? I'd love some support from you while I try to give this gift to Ichijo or Aido," she pleaded.

You stared at the puppy-eyed girl in front of you. "Fine. Give me some of your lunch tomorrow."

"Thanks!"

God, you wished you didn't give into Shindo so easily. You were being pushed left and right, and eventually gave up at trying to get out of the mob. You were like a lifeless doll getting tossed around — until you managed to be in the front and fall onto your butt.

"The least you can do is help her up since she's in front of you," muttered Hanabusa.

Senri looked down at you in boredom before extending a hand. You stared at it for a moment before sighing and grabbing the hand, knowing very well that the girls were staring at you.

An electric shock ran through your body, causing you to fall back unconscious. What surprised everyone was that Senri had fallen unconscious as well.

"Oh, dear," said Takuma. "Looks like we'll have to stop by the Headmaster's office."

The next time you opened your eyes, you were in a field of red roses. Looking down, you noticed you were in your own body this time.

"You're awake."

You glanced over to see one of the Night Class students. "Hello."

He nodded as a greeting. "Are you happy?"

You pondered that question for a moment. "Yeah, I think I am. I found my soulmate, after all."

"We're strangers," he pointed out.

"Strangers who are meant to be together. What's your name? I'm Y/N L/N."

"Senri Shiki."

You looked around the dream world you two were in. "Any idea why we're dreaming about a field of red roses? It kind of looks like blood to me."

He crawled over to you on his hands and knees. "Will you stay with me regardless?"

"You're my soulmate. There's no one better for me than you, and no one better for you than me. Plus, I think I'm a pretty understanding person."

The next time you blinked, he was in front of you. He leaned into you, brushing your hair away with one hand as he opened his mouth and sunk his teeth into your neck.

You let out a strangled moan of pain, flinching as you grabbed onto his shirt and clenched your hands around it.

He leaned away slightly, licking the blood away from the bite mark before leaning away completely to push you down onto the field of roses. He towered over you, fangs protruded while holding down your wrists.

"You're a vampire?" you questioned. "I thought they were a myth."

He leaned forward and nuzzled his nose against your jawline. "Are you afraid?"

You smiled, staring up at the starry sky. "No, I'm not. I'm excited. I'm excited I got to meet you and learn your secret. I'm excited to love you."

He froze. "You're... You're excited to love me?"

"Yeah, doesn't that sound nice?"

The corners of his mouth lifted up. "It does sound nice."

You placed a hand on his head, petting his hair. The way he was nuzzling against you reminded you of a kitten. Every now and then, he would let out a hum, similar to how cats purr.

You spent the whole time in your dream land like that, pressed up against each other lovingly under the stars.

Eventually, your bodies began to flicker out of existence. You smiled at Senri and pat his head one last time.

"I'll see you when we wake up," you said.

He nodded, leaning in one last time to press his head against yours before you both disappeared.

The next time you opened your eyes, you saw the side of Senri's face. Blinking a few times, you turned your head and saw a few Night Class students, as well as the headmaster.

You realized you were placed on Senri's lap with his arms around you. Looking around more, you noticed you were in the infirmary.

"Ah, you're awake!" Cross exclaimed, taking a step forward with the intention of checking your vitals.

Senri's arms tightened around you and his eyes narrowed at the headmaster.

"Don't come near her."

Cross stopped and sighed. "Shiki-san, I'm only making sure she's all right."

"She's all right," said Shiki. "Aren't you, Y/N?"

Your eyes darted between the headmaster and Senri. "I'm good, but maybe it's all right if you calm down a bit."

You pat his arm and he relaxed his hold on you a bit.

"Well, I'm glad you feel all right," said Takuma. "I think we should leave them alone."

Kaname nodded, turning around to leave. "The rules still apply, Senri."

Senri nodded.

"Come on, Headmaster," said Takuma, dragging him away.

"They already had twenty-four hours together in their dream!" Cross retorted.

Takuma smiled at you and Senri. "Take your time today." Then, he closed the door behind him.

Senri looked down at you and nuzzled his nose against your nose. "Nap time."

"Senri, we just slept for twenty-four hours!" you exclaimed as he pulled you down onto the bed.

"Hmm." He buried his head into your chest as his eyes closed.

"I guess we could sleep some more," you said as you wrapped your arms around him.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Truth

Hey. Hey guys. Remember when I said I was feeling optimistic about this season? God, that was funny, wasn't it?

Let's just... Let's just get into the actual first episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Truth.

We start off with Gabriel repairing the damaged Peacock Miraculous, which also restores Duusu's sanity, before he quickly gives it a test run by transforming with both it and the Butterfly Miraculous.

And good lord, the result looks atrocious. This is the design for the new and improved Hawkmoth? First off, the peacock feather eyepatch looks stupid. Is he trying to be the Phantom of the Opera? When Mayura had the same thing, it didn't completely cover her eye and matched her color scheme. It just doesn't match with this new design here. Other than the feather, the peacock aesthetic is barely visible here. The most we get is a peacock feather pattern on the back of his jacket. And then there's the popped collar and coattails, which only look more ridiculous than menacing. What made the original Hawkmoth design work was how sleek it was. It was simplistic, which reflected Gabriel's no-nonense personality. This just looks gaudy and unnecessary. How was this right after the amazing suit the animators gave Dragonbug?

So after Gabriel designs another stupid looking outfit, we cut to Marinette, who's still trying to figure out how the Miracle Ball works. She accidentally opens it, letting the Kwamis out, who wreak havoc on her room because Marinette suffering is going to be a big part of this episode. This just raises the question: Why can't Marinette simply order them back into the box like Su-Han did, or rather, is going to do? It's still not established what gives the Guardians authority over the Kwamis in the first place.

Two of the Kwamis accidentally start a video chat with her friends, leading to some more Unfunny Marinette Slapstick. But Alya thinks something's up with her friend.

Has Marinette even told Alya she's already in a relationship? Like, at all? It feels like all Alya is there for now is to remind the audience that Marinette and Adrien are “meant to be”, even if they're both in relationships right now. It's either that, or teasing Marinette over her crush and doing nothing to help her anxiety.

Marinette accidentally ends the call, before Luka calls to thank her for the pictures of Adrien one of the Kwamis accidentally sent him. Yeah, even though he barely appears in this episode (barring his scenes at Cat Noir), they're going to talk about Adrien a lot. Marinette continues to stammer around Luka (once again making fun of people who have speech issues), but Luka, being the ray of sunshine in any abysmal episode he's in, is completely understanding of it. He also sets up a pretty funny joke.

Apparently, Marinette missed her last date with Luka yesterday to see a movie that was re-released, Crocodile Heart, that was actually Jagged Stone's first movie. I wonder if it's connected to Crocodile Dundee.

While walking to the movie, Luka and Marinette play a game finishing the lyrics of a Jagged Stone song, establishing the former as a huge fan of the rock star. Before we can actually get an on-screen kiss for Lukanette, Mr. Pigeon attacks yet again, because I guess he's the first villain Hawkmoth wants to use in his new form.

Cat Noir sneaks up on Ladybug, causing her to accidentally throw him off a building before catching him, chastising him for the stupid jokes, yet Ladybug has to apologize for missing patrol with her partner, who casually acknowledges her new status as Guardian before the two go and fight Mr. Pigeon.

By the time they defeat him, the movie ends as Marinette gets back, disappointing Luka. We then get a montage of Marinette bailing on Luka multiple times to stop Akumas and Sentimonsters. To his credit, Luka is seriously torn up by all the times Marinette leaves him, showing he isn't just a calm soul.

After Marinette gets back, Luka takes her underneath a bridge to listen to the echoing sound of the water. Luka says that he never knew his father, and he would always go here to relax whenever he got stressed. He uses this to segue into asking Marinette where she constantly disappears to. He doesn't pressure her or anything like Alya, and he even says that if she still loves Adrien, he'll understand. He only asks for the truth. Unfortunately, Marinette can't tell him the truth, which just breaks the poor boy's heart.

Hawkmoth, now calling himself Shadowmoth, sends out an Akuma and an Amok for Luka at the same time, corrupting a guitar pick signed by Jagged Stone that Marinette gave him. And again, to Luka's credit, he fights back against Shadowmoth's influence at first, saying he trusts Marinette, but the temptation of knowing the truth is too good to pass up. He tells Marinette to run before being akumatized into Truth, assisted by the Sentimonster Pharro.

Truth's design is... pretty forgettable. The guitar pick being prominent around his neck is a nice touch, but it's just a generic black bodysuit with light blue highlights, and he has a third eye instead of a visible mouth. Pharro is also pretty boring, just a giant eye that freezes people in place so Truth can use his powers to make them tell the truth.

So Truth goes back to where everyone else was hanging out before he was akumatized and asks Alya to tell him the truth about Marinette.

Yeah, he's right, Alya. That's what you believe. We're supposed to treat Alya saying Marinette loves Adrien as an unbiased source. Truth asks Rose, Mylene, Tom, and Sabine what Marinette's secret is in this episode, and they all say she's in love with Adrien. That isn't actually the truth. It's like asking an atheist if there is a God. You know what they believe is the truth, but you don't know if that answer is actually the truth. Why not have them reveal other secrets about Marinette, giving the audience subtle character details? Like the writers could make someone say stuff like she still sleeps with a nightlight on, or that she secretly gets cookies from another bakery.

You know what also would have worked? Instead, have Truth catch Marinette before she transforms into Ladybug, ask who she actually loved, and then she'll blurt out Adrien's name, shocking both her and Luka. This could also make Ladybug's confidence in herself waver throughout the episode, wondering if she actually loved Luka at all. That would have been much better drama than what we're going to get instead.

Ladybug charges in to stop Truth, but is zapped by his truth ray, meaning she'll be forced to tell the truth when asked any question. Before she can admit her identity, Cat Noir saves her by retreating with her into the Seine, before reassuring Ladybug that he wouldn't force her to tell the truth by force. It's a nice bit that does show he respects Ladybug's secret, a far cry from his behavior in episodes like “Syren” and “Frozer”. Truth turns his attention to his mother Anarka, and asks who his father is.

Yes. Seriously. This is happening. Luka's father is actually Jagged Stone. I have... mixed feelings regarding this development, but my biggest question is, well... they're doing this now? They couldn't save this for another episode? I mean, was focusing on Luka and Marinette's relationship (something that had been established since Season 2) not good enough of a plot for the writers? Why shoehorn in this plot development? Why not save this part as a teaser for a future episode? You know, have Luka walk home, and remember what he made his mother say as Truth, setting up an episode focusing on his relationship with Jagged Stone.

But no! Instead, we're just supposed to go along with the plot taking a detour. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't want Jagged Stone to appear in this episode.

Truth heads over to the hotel where Jagged Stone lives and asks him if he's actually his father, the latter admitting that Anarka was right. Truth naturally isn't happy.

Well, to be fair, it's still a better title than his first drafts, like “It's Not My Fault the Condom Broke”, or “Up Yours, I'm Not Paying the Child Support, Bitch”.

Honestly, I can get what the writers are going for, and I like the idea of them trying to give some depth to a character who was mostly used for comic relief in earlier episodes. The problem is, as much as they want to portray Jagged as regretful for walking out on his family, it still doesn't excuse him for never even bothering to check in on his children and their mother while writing a song about it. He doesn't even bother to give some money to the person he knocked up.

I'm not saying a conflicted relationship like this can't work in animation (a decent example being Steven Universe slowly growing to resent his mother for her time as Pink Diamond and believing his birth was an excuse for her to avoid responsibility), but you need to put more emotion into this. I don't come from a broken home, but if it turned out my dad was, let's say, “Weird Al” Yankovic, even if I enjoy his music, I wouldn't be happy that he decided to come back now of all times without so much as a “hello”.

Truth goes to Marinette's house/bakery, and starts looking for Marinette's diary to find out her secrets. It's almost like the minor plotline that he has a deadbeat dad was only there to eat up airtime. Ladybug is still affected by Truth's powers, and not long after she summons her Lucky Charm, Cat Noir is zapped too, so he starts asking questions that basically amount to complimenting certain qualities he and Ladybug have. When Ladybug asks him what he thinks about her being Guardian, Cat Noir says nothing's changed between them. It's a nice strategy, very reminiscent of when they had to talk in rhyme when fighting Frightengale. I'm also glad they aren't trying to play up Cat Noir not feeling as important immediately now that his partner has access to top secret information.

Cat Noir Cataclysms Pharro, but rather than destroying the Sentimonster, it causes it to go out of control, accidentally paralyzing Truth with some manipulation from her and Cat Noir. Ladybug then de-evilizes both the Akuma and Amok, defeating Truth.

Marinette struggles to find the words to explain things to Luka, but he says that he'll be waiting for her when she's ready. While walking back to his houseboat, Luka runs into Jagged Stone, who promises to write a song together with him. Because I guess Shadowmoth was kind enough of him to not erase that part of his memory. And of course, Luka just accepts this despite the fact that Jagged was absent from his entire life.

So according to this show, you shouldn't bother to give mean people a second chance, but it's okay to give your deadbeat dad a second chance without harboring any negative feelings? I'm sorry, but I just don't see the point of shoving in this subplot if you're barely going to do anything with it before coming to a resolution. If there was more detail put into it, like if Luka just angrily lashed out at Jagged for abandoning his mom, I would have been more open to it. But in the end, this major character revelation is nothing more than filler the episode doesn't need.

We cut to what I'm surprised doesn't happen at the end of every episode given how much crap she gets, Marinette crying in her bed, saying it's too dangerous to have a boyfriend thanks to Shadowmoth. One of the Kwamis apparently doesn't know what crying is, so Marinette asks them to give her a hug, and the showrunners really need to find another song to play at the end, because the upbeat song playing doesn't go with Marinette crying at all. Imagine if this song played at the end of Deep Space Nine's “In the Pale Moonlight” when Captain Sisko confessed to basically being an accessory to the murder of an alien ambassador. It'd be tonally jarring, wouldn't it?

Even the ending image doesn't feature Luka and Marinette together. Instead, he's hugging it out with Deadbeat Stone like everything's okay.

So yeah, that's how the episode ends. In case you couldn't tell, I thought it was awful.

Remember in my New York Special review, where I theorized that Astruc rewrote it to focus more on Adrienette to stop people from shipping Lukanette? I have another theory that I also want to be taken with a grain of salt. I think this episode might have also been rewritten a little to follow up on that. I mean, why else would Astruc spend two seasons building up Luka's relationship with Marinette only to rip it away the episode after they officially get together? It would also explain why it feels like there's two separate episodes going on with how shoehorned in Jagged Stone is.

But other than that, this episode managed to screw up the one thing I was actually looking forward to about this season, seeing Marinette together with Luka. Even if they were going to break up, I was hoping there would at least be a character arc for Marinette where she realizes what she truly wants in a relationship isn't with Luka, leading into a relationship with Adrien where she feels more confident in herself. I was at least hoping their relationship would last more than A SINGLE EPISODE.

In fact, remember that tweet Astruc made soon after the New York Special, defending Marinette and Adrien essentially cheating on Luka and Kagami respectively?

What exactly was so complicated about Season 4 when you're immediately going to break up a couple you spent two seasons building up? Astruc's predictions are about as accurate as Uri Geller.

And then there's the fact that all everyone talks about this episode is Adrien. Marinette's wall is covered with pictures of him, Alya thinks her friend's abnormal behavior is because Adrien's in the room with her, Luka somehow knows Marinette loves Adrien and is actually cool with it, and everyone else thinks that it's her biggest secret. How convenient is it that all of this happens when barring his scenes as Cat Noir, Adrien doesn't appear in this episode barring a five second cameo?

When I was writing this episode, I saw a tweet Astruc made addressing a question someone posed, asking why Adrien didn't get as much screentime in the recent Shanghai Special. He said that “history does not revolve around him”.

For the love of God, writers, just give Marinette a plotline that doesn't revolve around her feelings for Adrien for once. People already started to get sick of it halfway through last season. Either have her confess and make the Love Square canon, or stop letting it dominate the main story for once. Why can't the writers just let her move on from Adrien for more than a single episode? Give her a goddamn break already.

I once again have to ask: what was the point of building up a relationship between Luka and Marinette since Season 2, if you're just going to break them up the second they get together? Why make a big deal about Marinette's conflicted feelings for both Adrien and Luka if you're just going to ignore her feelings for the latter in favor of the former? And remember, chronologically, this was right after the end of Chloe's “damnation arc”, another plotline that had been built up since Season 2 only to be aborted in favor of “sUbVeRtInG tHe AuDiEnCe'S eXpEcTaTiOnS”. It feels like the writers are trying to punish people for getting emotionally invested in any storyline that doesn't relate to the holy pairing that is the Love Square.

This episode is just frustrating to watch. Part of me knew Marinette and Luka were going to break up, but I didn't think it would be this bad, and it would be so soon. I'm glad they're on somewhat good terms, and I liked the buildup to Luka realizing Marinette might not trust him, but the timing of this episode is what baffles me the most. Is it any wonder I think Astruc may have rewritten this episode?

If any Lukanette shippers need to recover, I'd recommend checking out @mc-lukanette​. They have some wholesome one-shots and fix-it fics for some of the weaker episodes of the series. In fact, she already wrote a fix-it to this abysmal episode that’s so much better than what we got.