#I cant resist the call of the kitty i fear
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My personal “screaming about the lack of Ladynoir in the finale” post TM
Don’t know how to preface this???
this isn’t hate for the finale,
this is more, me reveling in the Angst of what they Chose Not To Put and screaming and wailing about how ladynoir has me in a chokehold
Im coming to terms with the s5 finale and finding bits of hope for my Ladynoir heart, etc. And i have decided that the finale has a ton of very very cool potential.
But i still can’t stop imagining… what if Adrien had gotten the messages from Ladybug??? What if he was About to give up being Chat Noir and give in to hopelessness and nightmares and terror and the cage he was trapped in and THEN (probably via Plagg, they could make it work) he got the frantic terrified messages from ladybug that were like “hi where ARE you?!?!?! Kitty cat come in NOW i NEED YOU!!?!? Hawkmoth knows my identity i think i am going to die i am all alone please please please show up i need you pick up pick UP.”
What if he was like. “Oh.” And his world just. Shifted. He thought his worst fear was ending the world as chat or being trapped even further by transforming in front of his father and being Caught but now Neither of those matter… now the only fear is just… not being Enough for ladybug… the fear of losing her or letting her down or making her feel as alone and abandoned and hopeless as he does right now????
What if he just????? Transformed without a moment of hesitation??? What if he was there taking to her on the phone coaching her through breathing and telling her he promised she would be okay and he promised he would be proud of her no matter what happened???? What if his own nightmares and fears started slipping through on the call and SHE turned around and reassured HIM that she trusts him fully and if he can’t trust himself he can at least trust HER judgement????? What if they both managed to avoid the mind control by being Each Others’ alliance?????
What if Ladybug found out that Chat Noir was in London ,,, because if Her identity’s been revealed to Monarch and she’s In His House than it’s Already going to hell and secrets don’t matter anymore, it just matters that they trust each other??? All they ever WANTED was to be open and trust and now its all they have left??? And theres not identity reveal or speculation bc it doesnt MATTER right now it just matters to SURVIVE or at LEAST be together for the end.
What if she told him not to come to Paris because it’s too dangerous to be in the same spot and he was like “im so sorry but i Cannot do that i cant leave you there Alone” and she was like “i know. and i love you. And id do the same. And that’s also why i cant tell you who monarch is or where the house is because i KNOW you’ll come here and i cant stop you. We cant both be in his grasp i just need you on the phone”
What if she fought in the basement for her life while getting support from him whilst he rallied all the other heroes and the resistance across the surface of paris???? What if we had ladybug and chat noir fighting the same battle on two different fronts, both Very Aware of each others’ situation nonstop,,, working as a Team despite the distance????? What if chat was just nonstop doing everything he could to reassure ladybug that they were doing okay and everyone supported her and he Trusted Her to do anything because the nightmares were STILL debilitating for everyone including them and they couldnt afford for either of them to get akumatized or even DISTRACTED and they just told puns and reminded each other when to use their powers and when to breathe?????
And chat could be captured or whatever and have to call out to ladybug and she could be like “send me your kwami its okay you did so good, i’ll be okay ill see you again”
Bug noire could still happen but it would be a strategic choice BOTH of them made TOGETHER with pain and love mixed together rather than the result of major decisions that they both were forced to make Independantly with no communication only fear and guilt and lonliness???
I dont know how to explain this but this is not salt this is not hate towards the episode this is just,,,, UGH this show has made me SO INVESTED in the dynamics and they had a CHANCE to do stuff and make it so fun and they DIDNT ,,,, they CHOSE to make it darker and grittier this time and i think it’s probably going in a cool direction,,, i think that ladybug and chat noir are gonna have some Fun (for me not for them) things to Discuss after this and some brand new abandonment issues combined with weird bits of Hope that Apparently they can survive on their own, all in a messy weird blurry pool of fears and relief and guilt and lonliness!!!!! And there’s so much to explore
But ALSO i miss my ladynoir goddammit i miss when it was the ladybug and chat noir show and i feel a little bit hollow seeing how ALONE!!! BOTH OF THEM were!!! this entire finale!!!!!!!!! Why are they ALONE those are my LADYNOIR they are PARTNERS do not SEPARATE THEM!!!! Stop doing PLOTS and HARD DECISIONS and IN CHARACTER MISTAKES to them and PLEASE just let them be perfect and together anyways aaaaaaaaa
(Bonus u can read the absolute essay i accidentally put in my tags for more scrambled thoughts)
#ml spoilers#ml s5 spoilers#ml s5 finale#ml recreation#ladynoir#me screaming#ml meta#i guess#i have no idea how to tag this#complicated feelings where i loved the finale i think#but also WOW did that hurt#which is kinda#proof of how impctful these chatacters are#and how hard this show makes you root for relationships#ive been thinking for So Long and i am just SURE#that after the themes and narratives this show has chosen to hold dear and make the audience care about#there is No Way this is the end of ladynoir#but i fear it may be Migrating#it might have to Go Away for a little while to let some character development happen#and i can imagine so many cool scenerios with ladynoir falling apart conflict#and so many ways for them to fall apart and fall back together#but all of them HURT like HECK and AAAA#i think the long post filter will help this and i wont have to add a read more but if theres issues with it being too long lmk#also whoopsie didnt mean to put essay in tags#i just. i have soooo many feelings#waaaaa#please please friends i am begging#someone write fanfiction of ladynoir being togeyher in the finale#just for . like. being in denial reasons#for reveling in the past and the eventual future reasons
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sandbox talkies time if anyone’s interested
grian elytrian. mans can fly, but he has less health and can only wear “light armor” (gold/chainmail/leather). can boost into air.
scar vex. SIMILAR…. to phantom origin. except he can’t just go into the ground or into a mountain. that would be cheating. so he can go through specifically walls. cant go through things more than three/four blocks thick. so if you have a little hidey hole under ur base and it’s only hidden under one layer of dirt- he can find that. if you put it ten blocks down however, he cannot. unless he gets lucky and finds ur ladder. he’s a glass canon, he hits hard sure but if you hit him back it hurts about as much. he would not want to get into fights early game. later game though? if he’s got the armor!
PEARL. MOON THING. toggleable slow falling. can boost into air like elytrian, but cannot fly. weaker underground- she need the sky :(. she’s slower in the day but regular speed at night. she hassss. probably like two hearts extra health.
ETHO KITTY. yay. WITH THE KITTY ORIGIN CREEPERS FEAR YOU!!!! a creeper wouldnt DARE drop on his pretty kitty head. feather falling 1 or 2. slowed in water (includes rain). he also has better hearing- t’s not really a game advantage it’s just sneaky etho things u you know how it is.
GLARE BDUBS. you can get closer to mobs without them attacking you! they tolerate you more than the typical player. FREE NIGHT VISION!!! yippee. you have less health though, L.
ZOMBIE CLEO. ZOMBIES ARE HER FRIENDS!!!!! she has to wear a hat or she’ll burn in the daylight. take that, no hat rule!! poor saturation/ heals slower. that’s what happens when ur dead.
CHICKEN TIM CHICKEN TIM. what is it originally called? avian? whatevr. look he can slow fall, gets speed two, and he can boost into the air but he cannot fly (similar to Pearl). he’s not vegan though. it’s not totally like the original origins this shit is custom.
BLAZE TANGO. immune to fire/lava, and occasionally will set opponents on fire. he has blast resistance and can light fires with his bare hands. he is immune to potion effects. STAY AWAY FROM WATER AT ALL COSTS.
ENDERSKIZZ. bro is tall as shit. MOBS FEAR HIM ! ^-^ he can teleport, and he has double health! however only leather armor can be tailored to fit him he’s That Tall. sad! bro can silk touch anything he wants as long as he’s patient enough to mine it. ALSO STAY AWAY FROM WATER AT ALL COSTS.
WITHERSKELLYIMP. gives opponents wither effect like.. either 40/60 percent of the time haven’t decided yet. he is immune to potion effects, also fire. he cannot grow crops. Sadge. he has less health.
spiderjoel. he will climb ur walls. he will spit webs at you. he takes more fall damage. he’s slowed in water. he has less health because he’s a squishy little spider.
I haven’t gotten the others yet it’ll probably take another long ass car ride before I get enough thoughts for that.
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Just a reminder that at some point when writing this series I decided this is steampunk for the sheer fact that I wanted it to be but hasn’t come up until now.
Witch’s Familiar Masterlist
CW: Dehumanization; inquisition style execution mention; choking; multiple whumpees, some lady whump; whipping; mention of branding; gagging; restrains; blindfold;
…The sounds of the machines were loud and annoying to his ears, and he wanted to rest his head, but the irregular ground made the carriage jump and throw him around every few seconds. A heavy chain dangled from his neck, clanking every time the carriage shook over its wheels.
He was blindfolded, and that was infuriating. Not only did it make the other senses work better, it also meant he couldn’t look outside. If he tried, behind the disgusting smoke, he could sense a faint smell of nature. And he wanted to look at it.
Impatiently, he crossed his arms, letting an annoyed hiss escape from his throat. He hated this. He wanted to be outside and run on the grass, not be carried around on this awful mechanical thing.
“…Patience. We are almost there kitty” The General’s voice. Master. He who was holding the heavy chain, with a loose grip at this moment, but that could turn vicious at any second.
“…I want to look outside…” They said “Please…Master”
“That’s exactly why you are blindfolded little kitty. You have been so good lately and we don’t want you getting any ideas now, do we?”
After saying that, Master snapped his fingers, and this sent a shiver down his spine. For the past few weeks, The General had been doing that when he was punished or tortured. Just snapping his fingers. He was being Pavlov-dogged and he absolutely hated it, and hated that despite knowing what the General was doing, he couldn’t avoid but flinch every time he heard that sound.
He grinded his teeth and resisted the urge to hiss. If he could at least sleep… But no. He tried to focus on the faint nice smells, but the smoke was overwhelming. And the way the carriage kept shaking was extremely annoying.
“How long will we take?”
“…We are almost there. And if you don’t stop complaining I’ll muzzle you Kitty” General said, and he heard a page being flipped. The General was quite a literate man. And that made Roots hate him more.
He wanted hiss at The General. At Master. But he couldn’t. The threat of the muzzle was very real and… And it was better to cooperate and be treated better than to let the general just drag him around and end up doing everything he wanted anyway. He was supposed to be on a cage, on top of the carriage, but General gave him a chance to be inside and maybe he should be good and accept it.
With a sigh he put his head on the window, and the stupid carriage shook again making him hit his head on the glass.
“Ouch…” He complained, and heard an amused chuckle in response.
But soon enough the carriage did stop. He was pulled out into a floor of cold, smooth stone. The General handed the chain to someone else it seemed, as his voice started to get more distant.
He waited, keeling with hands on display and a desire to bite at this person. He would never do that to master, but just some random guard…
However before he could do it the chain was yanked forward, and he struggled to crawl. He was pulled down a spiral stairway, into a place cold and dark, safe for the torchlight.
“Thank you” Master said to the person, now grabbing the chain again. Something was off. The smell of blood, the sound of breathing. The general fondled with his hair a bit before removing the blindfold.
…It was a dark, cramped prison cell. In front of him, three woman were tied up, all of them wounded, gagged and staring with wide, vacant eyes. Roots steps back, but the General pulls him closer.
“W—what-“
“Kitty” The General interrupted “This three women in front of you have been appointed as suspects of a case of witchcraft that has been happening on this village. One of them is the culprit, but so far, out more… traditional methods wielded no result. It would be a shame to try and murder innocent woman for this crime, but we can never know for sure who is or isn’t a witch.”
The General smiled, viciously, at the shocked kitty.
“But you can”
His eyes widened as he pulled away again, despite the collar choking him. No. He would not. The mark burned on his chest was enough of a disgusting treason, but this? He wouldn’t turn on his people, he would never-
The general touched his chest, nails digging into his scar.
“You are mine now kitty. You are one of us and must never forget it”
“NO!” He yanked, trying to run to the stairs. The General effortlessly yanked him back “No! You cant do this! They don’t deserve to die!”
“…The two innocent ones? No they don’t indeed. So why don’t you point us the witch little kitty?”
“This… This is cruel. They never hurt anybody! It isn’t fair”
With a harsh kick to his ribs, Roots falls to the floor. The General pulls at the chain, enough to choke him, and holds him up while he trashes until his face went purple. Once released, he falls to the floor, chest wheezing.
“…You don’t get to pass on judgment” The general leans closer, so much his voice is a whisper “…If you don’t pick one, all the three of them will do the dunking chair tomorrow. You don’t want that, do you?”
Master caressed his face “…And of course you’ll get a few more lashes on your back kitty.”
He shook his head. He didn’t care about being hit right now, he would take it! But he couldn’t… He couldn’t just let all of them die! Every single one of them… Would sink regardless of their powers.
He took a good look at the women as the general approached them, treating them with the same disdain he treated his kitty. Damn… they were all so young. And… not one of them was a witch. He sighed, in relieve. Maybe they could all get out of this one.
“-n-n-n-one of them are wi-witches M-master…” He whispered, looking at the floor. All the three seemed awfully relieved by hearing that, but that lasted just until Roots was kicked again “I knew you would try this pet”
…He was pushed against the wall still on his knees. A strap of leather on the corner of his vision-
“I-iit’s true! I’m not-“
He was silenced by the first lash. Now that he had public he didn’t want to cry. But he had no more resistance left, the whip opening old wounds and digging pieces of skin, and he knew just how bad this could get. He tried to keep it quiet.
“Count-“ The General ordered, and he whimpered.
Ten. Ten lashes, he counted, voice trembling.
“…Ten more once we are home” Master said, hitting the whip in the air, close to the women’s faces. The way they flinched told Blue that they knew very well what that leather felt like.
“So… which one Blue?”
He hugged himself, going back on his knees. They all stared at him in fear and silent begging. None of them was a witch. There was nothing wrong with being one but it also meant that no matter who he picked, they would die as something they were not. And they would be remembered like that.
“Master it’s… its true… none of them-“
“…I guess you want the other ten now, Kitty.”
“No, please I-“
But he was pushed back on the wall, and the whip came down hard once again. He lost the first few, and Master made him start counting again.
…He didn’t stop after ten. It just kept going for a while, and he gave up on not crying. Once he fell down, Master lifted his face on the tip of his foot. Roots sniffed.
“Are you ready to speak now?” Master lifted him by the hair forcing him to look at the women once again. They were crying. He had to pick one or they would all die.
…The chair was… was better than the fire. But if he accused one of them, she would be burned wouldn’t she? He felt tears running through his skin, mixed with sweat and blood.
With trembling hands, he pointed to what looked to be the oldest of them, and kept his gaze on the floor. He couldn’t stand looking her in the eye, as the immense fear and incredulity consumed her. The general petted his kitty before calling the guards to take the woman upstairs and release the other two.
tag: @talk-to-rock @yet-another-heathen
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Fluffy Friday concept: any Ikemen MC is in bed with her guy, snoozin and facing away from him. She wakes up a little bit, calling out for them all sleepy and wondering where he went. When he answers and she realizes he's behind her, she rolls over and cuddles right up to him, then zonks right back out. Suitor proceeds to blush and internally squee. I love the concept of this so much I legit cant even decide on one game, much less one GUY lmfao its SO CUTE
OMFGBFKHNTKJFHTKFHNTKDJFHENRKJDGDR EXCUSE ME THIS IS ADORABLE HOLY WOW! Okay…two men from each game, I put them through a randomiser to pick for me >:3
Ikemen Sengoku
Mitsunari: He’ll be working as she falls asleep and he can’t help feeling a little bad about that, despite her saying it’s fine. When he finishes for the night and sees her sound asleep and curled up just like Kitty would do, he finds himself in awe. He blows out the candle and slinks into the futon careful not to wake her.“Mmm…Mitsu..nari?”“Ah. I’m sorry, ___. I didn’t mean to wake you.”Curiously, all she does is roll over and grasp for his kimono before wiggling closer until she’s right next to him. She sighs out a whispered “goodnight…” before her even breaths return as she’s pulled back to sleep. Poor Mitsunari is left just trying not to squeeze her in a tight hug because she’s so cute for fear of waking her up.
Shingen: He’s perfectly content right now, spooning his beloved goddess as she sleeps soundly. He hears her stir and sees her hand patting the futon searchingly before he hears her mumble. “Shingen…?” He can’t help but grin wide as he squeezes her waist.“I’m right here, my angel.”She wriggles in his hold to twist around and snuggles into his chest and he has to stop himself from kissing her at the happy sigh that leaves her as she lulls back into sleep. He keeps himself awake for as long as he can after that, stroking her hair and wondering if she’ll call for him again. It becomes a little tradition for him and every night she does it, he swears he can feel his love for her swell.
Ikemen Revolution
Fenrir: On a usual night with his love falling asleep beside him, Fenrir happily rearranges her hair over the pillow, even as she turns away to curl up into a ball. He has to laugh but then silently curses himself as she stirs.“Fen…rir? Mm, where..?”He grins at how lost she sounds, still dreamy from sleep.“Right behind you, sweetheart.”With his voice as the guide, she rolls over and he’s right there to catch her and bring her as close to him as he physically can. She hums happily and snuggles against him.“I love…you…Fenrir..”That finishing blow was one he didn’t expect and all he can do is sigh out with defeat and love combined as he continues to hold her close, but he can’t help kissing her forehead at least once…or twice.
Ray: He’ll be woken up in the night out of nowhere…because he can no longer feel his love in his arms. With a grunt, he struggles to open his eyes to see her curled away from him.“Ray…?”“Mm? What?”He reaches for her and rolls her so she’s facing him again. Her hand finds his chest and she sighs out happily as she snuggles closer to him. He catches the sleepy sweet smile on her face before she grumbles back to sleep. He just kind of stops before huffing a laugh and wrapping his arms around her and dusting a kiss to her forehead.“Idiot. I was right here. But I love you…”
Ikemen Vampire
Jean: Some nights, even with his beloved next to him, he just needs a moment of reprieve. He stands by the window and watches the stars, occasionally letting his eye flit back to her sleeping form. He sees her stir and the way she tosses.“….mm…Jean….?”Her sleep-kissed voice seems to beckon him towards her. He slips under the covers back into bed and strokes her hair. With a sleepy mumble, she rolls over to face him and lets her hands reach blindly until they find his chest. He completely freezes and can only watch her snuggle into his collarbone with a quiet “I love you….”. He sighs deeply, suddenly way too hot underneath the covers with her.“The things you say, mademoiselle…it’s as if you wish to leave me speechless.”
Shakespeare: He returns home from the mansion later than he expected. And, as he expected, she could not stay up to greet him, sleep beckoning her too strong to resist. He strips off his clothes and changes into his pyjamas with a smile, his eyes never straying far from her. As he climbs into bed, he hears her sweet little mumbles.“Mm…..W-Will…?”He chuckles lightly and rests a reserved hand on her arm.“Thou shalt find me if one can meet thine eye, my sweet ladybird.”His smile widens as she seems to follow his words, rolling over and grabbing onto his nightshirt to snuggle closer into him. Seemingly satisfied, he nuzzles his nose softly into her forehead and breathes in her calming scent, letting sleep beckon him so he may join his beloved in rest.
#fluffy friday#ikesen#ikerev#ikevam#ikesen mitsunari#ikesen shingen#fenrir godspeed#ray blackwell#ikevam jean#ikevam shakespeare#I had fun with this one uwu#this was such a sweet headcanon that I couldnt resist gah! ;w;
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I recently read A Visit From the Goon Squad written by Jennifer Egan.
This novel reads more like a collection of short stories about different characters who are almost inconsequentially related to various degrees.
One obvious theme is about the interconnectedness of all people.
More deeply, the book is a reflection on time and the endlessness of growing up; how our values and, more seriously, our identities change--or don’t--with time.
These are the lines and excerpts I highlighted as I read:
“I’m always happy,” Sasha said. “Sometimes I just forget.” (Chapter 1).
“She could tell that he was in excellent shape, not from going to the gym but from being young enough that his body was still imprinted with whatever sports he’d played in high school and college.”
“...something more than relief: a blessed indifference, as if the very idea of feeling pain over such a thing were baffling.”
“In fact the whole apartment, which six years ago had seemed like a way station to some better place, had ended up solidifying around Sasha, gathering mass and weight, until she felt both mired in it and lucky to have it—as if she not only couldn’t move on but didn’t want to.”
“She wanted badly to please him, to say something like, It was a turning point everything feels different now, or I called Lizzie and we made up finally, or I’ve picked up the harp again, or just I’m changing I’m changing I’m changing: I’ve changed! Redemption, transformation--God how she wanted these things. Every day, every minute. Didn’t everyone?”
“Bennie knew that what he was bringing into the world was shit. Too clear, too clean. The problem was precision, perfection; the problem was digitization, which sucked the life out of everything that got smeared through its microscopic mesh. Film, photography, music: dead. An aesthetic holocaust! Bennie knew better than to say this stuff aloud.” (Chapter 2).
“an urge to confess the malapropism to his fourth grader.”
“As he sipped, a sensation of pleasure filled his whole torso the way a snowfall fills up a sky. Jesus, he felt good.”
“Hearing the music get made, that was the thing: people and instruments and beaten-looking equipment aligning abruptly into a single structure of sound, flexible and alive.”
“The baby he and Stephanie had nuzzled and kissed—now this painful, mysterious presence.”
“He remembered his mentor, Lou Kline, telling him in the nineties that rock and roll had peaked at Monterey Pop. They’d been in Lou’s house in LA with its waterfalls, the pretty girls Lou always had, his car collection out front, and Bennie had looked into his idol’s famous face and thought, You’re finished. Nostalgia was the end��everyone knew that.”
“Rich people like to hostess, so they can show off their nice stuff.“ (Chapter 3).
“Hey, Lou goes. He leans down so our faces are together, and stares straight into my eyes. He looks tired, like someone walked on his skin and left footprints. He goes, The world is full of shitheads, Rhea. Don’t listen to them—listen to me. And I know that Lou is one of those shitheads. But I listen.”
“I can’t tell if she’s actually real, or if she’s stopped caring if she’s real or not. Or is not caring what makes a person real?”
“Lou is one of those men whose restless charm has generated a contrail of personal upheaval that is practically visible behind him:” (Chapter 4, [My favorite chapter]).
“Structural Resentment: The adolescent daughter of a twice-divorced male will be unable to tolerate the presence of his new girlfriend, and will do everything in her limited power to distract him from said girlfriend’s presence, her own mascent sexuality being her chief weapon.”
“Structural Affection: A twice-divorced male’s preadolescent son (and favorite child) will embrace and accept his father’s new girlfriend because he hasn’t yet learned to separate his father’s loves and desires from his own. In a sense, he, too, will love and desire her, and she will feel maternal toward him...”
“Structural Desire: The much younger temporary female mate of a powerful male will be inexorably drawn to the single male within range who disdains her mate’s power.”
“These four are locked in a visceral animal-sighting competition. (Structural Fixation: A collective, contextually induced obsession that becomes a temporary locus of greed, competition, and envy.)”
“The members of Ramsey’s safari have gained a story they’ll tell for the rest of their lives. It will prompt some of them, years from now, to search for each other on Google and Facebook, unable to resist the wish-fulfillment fantasy these portals offer: What ever happened to...? In a few cases, they’ll meet again to reminisce and marvel at one another’s physical transformations, which will seem to melt away with the minutes.”
“Structural Dissatisfaction: Returning to circumstances that once pleased you, having experienced a more thrilling or opulent way of life, and finding that you can no longer tolerate them.”
“My questions all seem wrong: How did you get so old? Was it all at once, in a day, or did you peter out bit by bit? When did you stop having parties? Did everyone else get old too, or was it just you?“ (Chapter 5).
“Your desultory twenties,” my mother calls my lost time, trying to make it sound reasonable and fun, but it started before I was twenty and lasted much longer.”
“The TV is new, flat and long, and its basketball game has a nervous sharpness that makes the room and even us look smudged.“
“Seventeen, hitchhiking. He was driving a red Mercedes. In 1979, that could be the beginning of an exciting story, a story where anything might happen. Now it’s a punch line.”
“...how better to mark success than by going to a place where you didn’t belong?“ (Chapter 7).
“I don’t want to fade away, I want to flame away.”
“It felt impossible, as if Jules’s excitement were being siphoned from inside her, leaving Stephanie drained to the exact degree that he was invigorated.“
“All that can be said for sure is that in the presence of Kitty Jackson, the rest of us become entagled by our sheer awareness that we ourselves are not Kitty Jackson, a fact so brusquely unifying that it temporarily wipes out all distinctions betwen us--our tendency to cry inexplicably during parades, or the fact that we never learned French, or have a fear of insects that we do our best to conceal from women, or liked to eat construction paper as a child--in the presence of Kitty Jackson, we no longer are in possession of these traits; indeed, so indistinguishable are we from every other non–Kitty Jackson in our vicinity that when one of us sees her, the rest simultaneously react.” (Chapter 9.)
“At what precise moment did you tip just slightly out of alignment with the relatively normal life you had been enjoying theretofore, cant infinitesimally to the left or the right and thus embark upon the trajectory that ultimately delivered you to your present whereabouts—in my case, Rikers Island Correctional Facility?”
“Bix and Lizzie’s apartment is tiny, like a dollhouse, full of plants and the smell of plants (wet and planty), because Lizzie loves plants.” (Chapter 10).
“It’s okay,” she says, and you know you should leave it there—it’s fine, leave it alone, but some crazy engine inside you won’t let you stop:”
“He has an optimist’s attraction to everything new—a faith that it will enrich him, not hurt him.“
“The two of you reel away from her. Hilarity keeps you busy for several blocks, but there’s a sickness to it, like an itch that if you keep on scratching, will grind straight through skin and muscle and bone, shredding your heart.”
“We’re going to meet again in a different place,” Bix says. “Everyone we’ve lost, we’ll find. Or they’ll find us.” “Where? How?” Drew asks. Bix hesitates, like he’s held this secret so long he’s afraid of what will happen when he releases it into the air. “I picture it like Judgment Day,” he says finally, his eyes on the water. “We’ll rise up out of our bodies and find each other again in spirit form. We’ll meet in that new place, all of us together, and first it’ll seem strange, and pretty soon it’ll seem strange that you could ever lose someone, or get lost.”
“Sunsan was baffled at first, then distraught. [...] But eventually a sort of amnesia had overtaken Susan; her rebellion and hurt had melted away, deliquesced into a sweet, eternal sunniness that was terrible in the way that life would be terrible, Ted supposed, without death to give it gravitas and shape.” (Chapter 11).
“...all of this bolstered his awe at the gymnastic adaptability of the human mind.”
“...a fibrillating excitement such as he hadn’t felt for years in response to a work of art, compounded by further excitement that such excitement was still possible.”
“A feeling,” Bennie said, rousing himself slightly from his deep recline. “That we have some history together that hasn’t happened yet.” (Chapter 13).
“Her confidence seemed more drastic than the outcome of a happy childhood; it was cellular confidence, as if Lulu were a queen in disguise, without need or wish to be recognized.”
“There are so many ways to go wrong,” Lulu said. “All we’ve got are metaphors, and they’re never exactly right. You can’t ever just Say. The. Thing.”
“They could meander indefinitely, these conversations...”
#A Visit from the Goon Squad#Jennifer Egan#quotes#liteary quotes#book recommendations#book review#bookstagram#bookstagrammer
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Don’t You Think You Skipped a Step?
This is for @rainmaker221 who was one of the winners of my “TV show” contest. It was based of this post.
~ AO3 ~ Fanfiction ~ Support me on Ko-Fi ~
...
“I’m going to give him up, Alya.”
Alya snorted. “Yeah, right. You’ve been in love with that boy for five years. There is no way you’re giving him up.”
“I’m serious,” Marinette said, her tone a little too weak for Alya to believe it. “I’m going to give him up.”
Alya shot her a challenging smile. “Girl, you remember the last time you said that? You ended up chasing after his car.”
“I mean it this time,” she argued, tapping her fist on the table. “Really. I’m going to give him up.”
Alya rolled her eyes “Sure. Two weeks, tops.”
…
Week three had rolled around, and Alya was ready to drop dead at the staunch lack of anything Adrien in Marinette’s life.
No plans to make Adrien fall in love with her. Posters, all taken down. Even his schedule, gone. Alya really didn’t know what do to at this point. “Girl, I really don’t know how you’re doing it.”
She shrugged. “I’m just tired of wasting my time with someone who I know isn’t going to recognize me.”
“He would have.” Eventually. After someone took a bat to his head.
Marinette gave Alya a small, pitiful smile. “I doubt it.”
Alya couldn’t do anything more than pull her friend into a tight, comforting hug.
…
A month later, and Marinette was back to her old self. Which was good because Alya hated seeing Marinette so down in the dumps.
But the conversation that was taking place in the seats ahead of them made Alya fear that all that progress was going to disappear rapidly fast.
“She’s amazing, Nino,” Alya heard Adrien say. “Like, she’s perfect.”
“Dude, you’ve got it so bad.”
Adrien simply shrugged and looked off at the front of the classroom with what Alya was going to guess was a love-struck look on his face.
She glanced over at her friend, hoping she didn’t hear the conversation that Adrien had obviously found someone. However, Marinette seemed oblivious to it all as she doodled happily in her sketchbook, meaning Adrien Agreste would live to see another day.
…
It was a rare Saturday that everyone was free, so four teenagers found themselves sitting in a café for lunch.
“Babe, you okay?”
No, Alya was not okay, mostly because she didn’t know what to make of the scene in front of her
“I just have no idea how to impress this girl,” Adrien was saying as he tugged at his hair.
“First, take a breath,” Marinette instructed. “Then you should tell me about her so I know how to help you.”
That only launched Adrien into a rant about who he deemed to be the most incredible woman on the face of the planet.
“Honestly, Nino,” Alya said, looking back at her boyfriend. “I have no idea.”
…
Five months had passed since Marinette had set her foot down and resolved to give up Adrien.
“Girl, I need to get you a new addiction,” Alya teased. “I don’t know what to do with you anymore.”
Marinette giggled.
“I also can’t believe you’re giving him girl advice.”
“He’s hopeless,” Marinette defended with an amused grin. “Like a little lost puppy.”
“No wonder he never noticed you.”
Marinette shrugged. “At least he’s happy.”
“I guess,” Alya relented. “Now, let’s get you happy.”
Alya prided herself on being a great reporter, someone who could put two and two together very easily. However, despite being Marinette’s friend for five years, Alya could not peg that gleam in Marinette’s eye. “Trust me, Alya,” Marinette said, her voice almost—almost—taking on a dreamy quality as she turned back to her sketchbook doodle of… a cat? “I am.”
…
It was the first summer night after graduation, and Marinette was the happiest girl in the world. Oh, not because she was going to her first pick of colleges.
But because the love of her life decided detransform in front of her and propose to her.
How it all started, Marinette couldn’t say for sure. But she remembered being tired of Adrien not noticing her—and after five years, he’d have ample time to see her as a love interest—and ranting to Chat about it. Then somewhere close to that, her superhero partner decided to stop flirting and instead, picked up Adrien’s slack and began treating her the way she wished Adrien would have treated her. Flash forward several months and not wanting to go home after a patrol in favor of spending time with her partner that ended in some pretty memorable kisses goodnight became the new thing.
Now she had a ring on her finger and was going to be called Mrs. Agreste within a few months. She could squeal from the rooftops out of happiness.
However, before that could happen, Marinette and Adrien had one very important matter of business: craft a story of how the best friend duo Marinette and Adrien became engaged seemingly overnight.
She supposed it was easier than introducing someone completely new to everyone and saying she was marrying him. That didn’t mask the fact that Adrien had been mooning over a girl for months and she’d been giving him advice.
However, the irony of her giving him advice on how to woo, well, her was not lost on Marinette.
They agreed to meet up at the park across Marinette’s house. Marinette promised to bring the snacks, so she gathered a picnic basket and blanket and a box full of goodies. She swore to her maman she would bring home the guy she was seeing—Maman was too preceptive for her own good—then scampered out of the house with an excited squeal.
She was quick to arrive at the park, though she could have done it without nearly running in front of a car in the process. Still, she made it in one piece and barely had time to set up the blanket before Adrien swooped her up into his arms. She squeaked but surrendered to his embrace.
“My bugaboo,” he murmured against her hair.
Her heart couldn’t keep calm at the possessiveness in his tone. “My kitty.”
Eventually, they separated, but only so they were able to sit down on the blanket. Adrien didn’t hesitate to place his head in her lap, immediately settling down and letting his eyes close.
Marinette couldn’t help but smile as she looked down at her fiancé. Nor could she resist the urge to run her fingers through his perfect, blonde hair.
He cracked an eye at her, and green caught blue. The world disappeared for a moment.
“What’d I miss?”
Marinette jolted in surprise at her best friend’s voice, one slightly tense. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Marinette was disappointed that Adrien sat up, head disappearing from her lap. However, that thought was quickly put on the backburner as she looked up to lock eyes with Alya.
“Looks like the cat’s out of the bag.”
She could have smacked him for that. And considering the way he shot her a quick smirk that was filled with far too much glee, he knew it, too.
Marinette turned back to Alya, who looked like she was going to pull an explanation out of Marinette one way or another. Painfully, if need be. “Um…” Marinette stuttered out, finding words did not come easily. She held out a finger in a “wait” motion. “I can explain.”
Alya’s glare narrowed on Marinette, though when it suddenly widened and her jaw dropped to the ground, Marinette felt the desperate need to run and hide away in a hole safely out of Alya’s reach. Preferably on the other side of the world. “And just what is on your finger?”
Marinette looked down at her left hand, the one she was holding out.
She hadn’t even had the ring a full 24 hours, yet she was suddenly very angry at the large, glittering stone and gleaming white gold band.
As a reporter, Alya was good at two things: making connections very quickly and jumping to conclusions. In this case, it wasn’t hard, but Marinette was certain Alya made the correct connection in half the usual time. “Girl, unless you’ve been hiding that ring from me, you only just got that last night.”
Curse her inability to shrink into nothing. It would have been better than facing the Alya inquisition with cheeks redder than her Ladybug suit. “Yeah.”
Alya’s gaze bounced like a pinball between her, Adrien, and the ring. “And don’t you think you guys, I don’t know, skipped a step or two?”
Marinette struggled to find the courage to answer that question.
She wasn’t sure if it was better or worse that Adrien answered for her. “What are you talking about?”
The fire that roared to life in Alya’s eyes was scary. “You know, the dating phase.”
“We had that phase.”
How was it possible for Alya to get scarier? She only rose a single brow. “You mean this,” she pointed at the two of them, “has been going on for some time?” The tightness in her tone was unmistakable, meaning Marinette was up to her ears in trouble and it was entirely possible that she would be deaf by the time Alya finished yelling at her.
“Wait…” Alya’s eyes screwed shut for a moment. “What about that other girl, Adrien?”
His brow furrowed. “What other girl?”
“The girl you always talked about,” Alya accused. “The love of your life?”
Adrien was still for a moment, but slowly, he reached out to squeeze Marinette’s knee.
Alya caught the movement, and she placed her hands on canted hips while her expression grew fiercer.
“How long has this been going on?” Alya demanded.
“A few months,” Marinette weakly defended.
“And you’ve been hiding it from me?” Alya asked, her voice loud with shock and… probably hurt. “The co-author of every single ‘Secret Garden’ plan?”
If Adrien was confused, he didn’t show it. Or Marinette couldn’t see it with his face turned toward Alya.
She hoped he never asked.
“I was planning to tell you,” Marinette said. Because she had, but it was hard when there were secret identities that needed to remain secret.
“When you got engaged?” Alya clarified.
“Well, I didn’t think it was going to happen so quickly,” she rambled, her old school habit slamming back full force. “I mean, we fell pretty suddenly.”
“What are you talking about?” Adrien said, turning to look at her. “I’ve been in love with you for years.”
At the confession, Alya literally froze for a second, eyes wide and jaw on the ground. The next second, she was throwing her hands in the air in completely, totally, and utterly exasperated surrender. “I give up!” she cried, spinning on her heel and marching off. “I’m done. I can’t. Alya. Out.”
Marinette bit her lip as she watched her friend go. That was going to be a hard rift to repair, she knew it. She’d hated lying to Alya time and time again, but it had to be done. Maybe some ice cream and a big, fat apology would be a nice place to start.
She looked back at Adrien, who was pouting in confusion. “Was it something I said?”
Despite being bewildered and worried, she sighed at her darling but totally oblivious kitty. “Something like that.”
#miraculous ladybug#fanfiction#alya cesaire#marinette dupain cheng#adrien agreste#hinted LadyNoir#adrienette
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Name: Terrance ‘Terry’ Ward
Code name: Trauma
Power: Can read people thoughts and turn into their greatest fear
Trauma was first introduced in Marvel’s Avengers Initiative Along with a few others like Thor Girl, Cloud 9 and so forth. At first seen as a loose cannon he becomes well respected among his team mates. He is one of the children of the Extradimensional being Nightmare.
During their first training session Trauma turns into Armory’s greatest fear, Giant Spider. Out of fear Armory begins shooting off at random and kills MVP who was protecting Cloud 9. After wards it becomes apparent Trauma cant control his powers so they call in Danielle Moonstar a mutant with similar abilities. (If you’ve ever seen that episode of X men Evolution where Kitty finds a girl trapped underground you know who I’m talking about.)
He returns to his team mates as a part of a new group but after his mission her finishes his training and becomes camp counselor. He is ordered by Norman Osborn to keep a Brain washed Penance in his mentally fragmented state. Disgusted he tries to quit but it only antagonizes the Hood. He gives Penance a therapy cat and takes a nap but while hes sleeping he becomes possessed with his father Nightmare. He terrorizes the camp and forces Penance to remember his past. He faints but squirrel girl revives him and he convinces Trauma to take back control. In the end he and Penance are offered to join the Avengers Resistance but the both decline. He leaves in search of a way to keep his father from possessing him again.
I left some stuff out but this boi was already long. I decided to start with trauma because he was a character with so much potential that Marvel just slept on. At one point he fights the hulk and for a moment he holds his own. At least until its relieved the Hulk fears nothing. Despite his aggressive appearance hes actually a very kind person. Sadly hes only in Marvels Avengers Initiative too.
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